Rain slicks the West Island demon nightlife district, turning neon signs into broken rivers of pink and blue across the pavement. The crowd has already begun to thin.
Azazel’s familiar trace cuts through the alley and ends beside a shuttered demon-run club. His dropped black wristband lies in a shallow puddle, still beaded with rain.
the hurried witness
You’re looking for the loud kid, right? Two masked figures dragged him toward the service platforms. They had transport waiting.
The witness is a young adult demon woman in a yellow rain jacket, with short silver hair, swept-back ears, and a thin scar crossing one eyebrow. She points toward the elevated transit lanes.
the hurried witness
North Island. Research district, maybe. The vehicle left less than a minute ago, but the rain’s washing out the trail.
Beyond the club, a maintenance gate swings in the wind. Fresh tire spray glistens along the access road, while a departing transport’s taillights vanish between towers.
The wristband remains within reach, carrying the faintest remnant of Azazel’s familiar scent. Every second makes the North Island lead harder to follow.
✓ Quest Accepted
Rescue Azazel
“I follow the fresh tire spray north, after I'm out of sight of the witness, I summon my Shadow cat familiar for scouting, Gill, giving it Azazel's wristband that was left to follow the scent.”
SUCCESS (Great Familiar Control, rolled +0)
Sho slips through the maintenance gate after the witness turns away, keeping to the stacked service structures until the yellow rain jacket disappears behind neon and rain.
He follows the fresh tire spray north along the access road. His shoulder clips the gate on the way through, and its metal clang carries across the empty lane.
Sho Mochizuki
The spray is still fresh.
In the shadow beneath a service stair, Sho summons Gill, a compact four-legged shadow cat with ragged smoky edges. The shadow cat gathers silently from the darkness, eyes catching the reflected blue signage.
Sho places Azazel’s black wristband on the wet pavement. Gill lowers its nose, traces the familiar scent, and the band’s damp fabric darkens his fingers.
Gill darts ahead, pacing the tire marks toward the elevated lanes. Through the familiar bond, the route resolves cleanly toward North Island’s research district.
Behind him, a security camera pivots toward the gate after the noise. Gill continues scouting, while Sho remains beneath the service stair with Azazel’s trail found.
“I circle around the security camera unseen and follow Gill toward North Island's research district, summoning Cobalt, My tiger familiar in flight mode to follow faster.”
SUCCESS (Superb Stealth, rolled -2)
Sho studies the camera’s slow arc, then crosses behind a bank of ventilation ducts as its lens turns toward the rain. The blind angle carries him beyond its view.
Gill slips along the service parapet, his smoky outline flattening against wet concrete. Sho follows, keeping Azazel’s wristband clenched in one hand while water drums overhead.
At the platform’s edge, Sho summons Cobalt. The adult male tiger familiar emerges in flight mode, broad and muscular, blue-striped orange fur streaming beneath dark feathered wings.
Cobalt drops low enough for Sho to mount, then beats upward between research towers. Gill races below through fenced maintenance corridors, maintaining the scent trail without pause.
A crosswind drives rain into Sho’s face. His boot skids on the takeoff platform, and his palm scrapes across a rusted railing before Cobalt clears the gap.
The security camera continues its sweep behind them, recording only empty ductwork and rain. No alarm follows, but blood beads across Sho’s scraped palm.
Cobalt carries Sho over the boundary into North Island’s research district. Gill reaches a shadowed service roof below and pauses beside a locked access door, Azazel’s trail entering the complex.
Discover where Azazel is being held