I had been searching the city for hours, carefully taking in the image of each passing figure. Some of the creatures looked almost like humans, save for a few features like wings, claws, or tails. Some others looked like some of the more monstrous demons one would see in movies or comics. But, they all had one thing in common.
None were any of the people I was looking for. I carefully looked around my current location, a little square that I guessed was close to the middle of the city. "I've been walking this long and maybe got halfway through? This is hopeless..."
Looking around a bit more, my eyes were drawn to a building that was seeing a lot of traffic. I walked over and glanced inside, where I saw a number of creatures sitting around drinking. "A bar? Maybe one of them went in here..."
I entered, and immediately felt some eyes darting to me. Looking around, I was met with a mixture of looks. Some seemed confused, others annoyed. I wasn't sure about the rules here, and wondered for a moment if I was in violation of some drinking age.
Steeling myself, I slowly made my way over to the bar. The barkeep had his back to me, seeming to be cleaning some glasses. "Um, excuse me?" I said, trying to get his attention.
The barkeep turned toward me, allowing me to see what he looked like. His skin was a dark grey, and he had fangs that protruded from his mouth, even when it was closed. Two small horns adorned his forehead. His eyes were completely black, with no pupils. He gave me a strange look, sniffing a bit, before smiling. "Hello, what can I do for you today, child?"
"Well, I'm looking for my family, and was wondering if you'd seen them."
"All of ya new arrivals, eh? And shall I assume they haven't begun turning yet?"
"No, they should be humans, like me." I said. "Have you seen any of them?"
"Can't say I've seen any unturned, other than you, recently."
I sighed and looked down. "Damn it, I was really hoping you had. With such a busy place..."
"Now, now, don't get all down in the dumps." the demon said. "What's your name, if ya don't mind me askin'."
I thought for a moment, remembering what the blind demon had told me when I was parting ways with him. "You can call me J." I said. The look in the demons eyes told me he knew I was onto him.
"Smart kid, I like that." he said. "Alright, 'J'. How bout you sit down, and I'll get you a drink, and we can chat some more about your problem."
I slowly took a seat at the bar. "I...don't have any money on me. Like I said, I just arrived."
"Don't worry about it. I sympathize with you. It's on the house." the bartender said.
"I don't like alcohol." I said. Admittedly, I had never tried much, but I was weary of trusting this creature.
"I'm sure I can whip up something you'll like." he said, turning around and beginning to pour some liquids into a glass. A moment later, he set the drink in front of me.
"This won't kill me, will it?" I asked, looking at the drink suspiciously.
"Kid, if you're here, you're gonna be awfully hard to kill." the bartender said. At that, I slowly took the glass and lifted it to my lips, taking a small sip. My eyes widened at the taste of the concoction.
"Holy shit, that's amazing." I said.
"Of course, I wouldn't get much business if I was shitty at my job." the bartender said. "And I've got a certain affinity for mixing drinks that fit people."
I took another sip of the drink, savoring the taste. "Now, as I was saying. How about I set you up with a room here. You can use this place as a base of operations while you search for your family, and if they come in, you'll be in a prime position to meet up with them."
I looked at him suspiciously over my glass. I put the beverage down on the bar and swallowing what was in my mouth. "What's in it for you?" I asked. "Why would you do this for nothing?"
"Well, I figured you could do the occasional odd job for me as payment, maybe tell a few demons about my bar while you're out searching?"
"That's all you want?"
"That's all I can think of."
I looked around the bar. There were a large number of demons here. If it was always this busy, someone with some info would have to come in eventually. I picked up my drink and downed what was left of it. "Alright, it sounds good to me. I had to figure out where I was gonna stay anyway."
"Glad to hear it, J." the bartender said. "Now, how 'bout another drink before I show you your room?" he asked, taking my glass and mixing another drink into it.
