Riff sighed in a dramatic, theatrical exaggeration. "Ah, the perils of being too charming for one's own good. I was in a tavern in the Trade District, minding my own business and playing a particularly spicy rendition of 'The Miller's Daughter'."
He continued. "A woman was watching me. Stunning. Hair like midnight, eyes like predatory gemstones. I thought... Well, I thought It would be fine to flirt. I'm a minstrel! It's in the job description!"
"And?" Reina prompted. Crossing her arms.
"And she turned out to be a dangerous woman. Calling herself the Lady of Amorous Haven," Riff said with a shudder. "She didn't appreciate my wit as much as I hoped. She told me I had 'potential' and then things got very purple and very blurry. I woke up here. Apparently, she's part of some... devilish social club?"
"It's the Conclave." Mirella said. Her face darkened. She looked at Jack. "The Jester is gone. But there are five more. The Piper. The Prince. The Lady. And two others we haven't identified. They are using the Viscount's mansion for whatever it was that they were scheming."
Jack looked at the iron door of the cell. "Barnaby! You should get these two out of here. And find some reliable help. Probably from the Trinity Church Faction or the Academy."
"Only me?" Barnaby asked. "What about you two?"
"The missing children might still be here." Jack said. "We need to find them."
"I'm fine now." Mirella said. Standing tall. "I've pretty much recovered. I can fight."
"I can… well, I can provide a very distracting accompaniment!" Riff added, picking up a small mandolin that had been lying on the floor.
Jack looked at them. "The problem is... we are facing devils. They are tricky. Most can't be solved with direct methods."
Reina stepped closer to Jack. "We need two things right now." She said. "Finding the children and getting some reliable help. And you two have personally encountered the devils. You can provide more convincing proofs for the Churches, or the Academy."
"Why not the City Watch?" Riff asked.
"Devils, remember?" Jack sighed and replied. "If you still don't realize it yet, those are what we are facing now. I don't think the members of the City Watch are trained for that."
"Devils? Really?"
"Alright then." Mirella interrupted. She had made up her mind. "Let's split. We're going to find help. But you two..."
"We're going to be fine." Reina said. "We have our own tricks and escape methods if things go wrong."
Rune floated beside her and glowed a bright green. Showing her agreement to the statement. She zipped out of the cell and into the dark corridor. Leaving a trail of sparkling dust behind her.
"We'll follow Rune." Jack said. His shotgun was held at the ready. "Be careful on the way out."
Reina raised her hand. Sending grey fog to blanket the bodies of Barnaby, Mirella, and Riff.
"This is my illusion magic." She said. "It should provide you basic invisibility until you leave the mansion. But it's not unbreakable. You still need to be careful. See you later!"
She immediately followed Jack. Leaving the cell. Moving deeper into the dungeon.
...
Jack and Reina kept moving. Following Rune's guidance in front of them.
The corridor was long and curved slightly and ended in a staircase downward. Soon they reached the underground area whose masonry was significantly superior. Suggesting that the area was more important.
In that area, the stones were more polished. And the light sources were better although they were also stranger. On the wall, there were these round stones that flickered with an unnatural light. They glowed with a steady, purple hue.
After a while...
Rune suddenly stopped. She didn't just slow down. She stayed in place in mid-air. Her soft green glow vanished. Replaced instantly by a harsh, throbbing crimson.
"Danger!" Jack muttered. Immediately holding his steamrune shotgun tighter.
They had reached the end of the corridor.
Jack peered around a heavy stone archway. The space beyond it was massive. It wasn't a cell or a torture chamber like what normal dungeons possessed. It was a hall that looked like an artistic fusion of a high-end restaurant and a high class kitchen.
Wooden tables, long and heavy, were arranged in a U-shape. They were piled high with mounds of steaming food. Roasted meats that smelled like honey and spices, goblets of wine that looked appealing, and bowls of fruit that shimmered with a tempting invitation.
In the center of the hall stood a figure that looked deceptively harmless. He was a devil, undeniably. But he looked... not that different from a normal human. He was wearing a chef's white outfits and hat.
His skin was light brown and he was slightly fat. His small and beady green eyes were fixed directly on Jack and Reina. Seeing through Reina's illusion easily. But he retracted his gaze. Focusing back to what he was doing.
The devil was currently busy carving a large, unidentifiable roast. He didn't look up from his work anymore. But he spoke in unexpectedly warm voice.
"The fog is a nice touch." The devil said. He sliced through a ribcage with a heavy cleaver. "But I can smell your two souls under the illusion. Very refreshing."
He looked at them again. Smiling. Showing rows of tidy, white teeth. And pointed ears.
"Welcome to my kitchen." He said. "I am the Chef of Flavor Haven. You have the faint smell of Jester. Did you defeat him? That little prick always did have a big mouth and a small brain."
Jack stepped out of the illusion. Signaling Reina to drop the veil. There was no point in hiding if the enemy had already pegged their scent. He leveled his shotgun at the devil's chest.
"We're looking for the children, Devil." He said in flat tone. "Tell us where they are, and I might make your death quick."
The chef let out a wet, wheezing laugh. "Death? Here? You haven't read the menu, Boy. There is no death here. No violence is allowed."
He spread his arms wide. As if challenging Jack to shoot.
Jack activated his [Eyes of Judgement] and he immediately understood. This place was under an active zone law. [Devil Sacred Feast]. It was similar to the [Devil Sacred Playground] in the Devil Jester's spatial space.
The law prohibited any type of violence until the table is cleared. The food and beverages must be consumed completely to nullify the law.
Jack tried to pull the trigger of his shotgun. But his finger felt like it was made of lead. A searing heat built up in his palm. Warning him. He immediately lowered the gun.
"You see?" The chef chuckled. Picking up a goblet of dark liquid. "In my haven, we eat. We drink. It is a sacred ritual. Only when the table is empty... only when every plate is clean and every drop is drained, can other businesses begin. You want the children? You won't get to them unless you finish your meal."
Reina looked at the tables. "It's a trap, Dear. The food must be tempered."
Jack focused his [Eyes of Judgement]. Information kept flashing in his mind as he scrolled through the items.
[Glazed Ribs of Despair... high toxicity, causes permanent muscle atrophy.]
[Wine of Forgotten Paths... wipes the last ten minutes of memory per sip.]
[Fruit of the Weeping Willow... induces extreme hallucinations.]
...
"It's either poisoned or cursed." Jack said in flat voice. "If we eat this, we'll be dead or paralyzed before we finish the first course."
The devil chef leaned against a chopping block. Amusement was dancing in his beady eyes. "That's the challenge. A test of constitution. Or, perhaps, you'll just sit there and starve while I finish my preparations."
Jack didn't panic. He was observant and quite knowledgeable. He looked at the vast quantity of food and then at his own status. It was quite troublesome. But, he had multiple forms for a reason.
"You want the table cleared?" Jack asked. A cold smile touched his lips. "I can do that. But I don't think you're going to like my appetite."
Jack activated his [Incarnation Shift]. Instantly, his body shrank. His head became a carved jack-o'-lantern. Glowing with a mischievous, flickering orange fire inside. A pointed wizard hat sat atop his pumpkin head. His clothes morphed into a high-collar wizard's mantle.
Jack had transformed into his [Devil Puppet] form. In this state, he wasn't a frontline brawler. He was a Bizarre Puppeteer.
"What is this?" The devil asked. His smile faltered. "Transforming into a toy? Think it will help you, Boy?"
Jack didn't answer. He snapped his puppet fingers. A dark colored pearl appeared and exploded.
From inside the earl, a figure grew. Taking the shape of a plushie puppet that looked like a cross between a furry animal and a baby frogman. It was furry, yellow, slightly fat, and remarkably cute. It didn't seem threatening at all. It was a bizarre puppet.
"This is Gluttony!" Jack's voice sounded different now. Nasal, echoing, and layered. "He's been looking forward to a cheat day."
Jack pointed at the U-shaped table. Mentally ordered Gluttony to use its bizarre skill... [Devouring Suction].
The puppet hopped onto the table. It opened its small mouth extremely wide. Its jaw unhinged. Revealing a swirling vortex of pitch-black energy where a throat should be.
A localized wind began to howl in the room. It wasn't the blow of the wind. It was a vacuum power.
The roasted ribs flew into the puppet's mouth. The decanters followed. The wine trailed through the air like ribbons of blood. Plates, silverware, heavy wooden bowls, and even the linen tablecloths were ripped from the surfaces and sucked into the black hole within the frogman puppet.
The chef's eyes went wide. "Wait! That's not—you're supposed to consume it!"
"He is consuming it." Jack said. "Just very efficiently."
In less than a minute, the tables were stripped bare. Not a crumb remained. Even the wood of the tables looked polished from the sheer force of the suction.
Jack could sense that the [Devil Sacred Feast] law was broken. The violence restriction was removed.
The Chef of Flavor Haven roared with unstoppable rage. His human-like form turned demonic. He grabbed a massive cleaver and a meat hook.
"You little piece of shit! I'll carve your meat and bones! I'll cook and chew on your chopped remains."
He lunged forward. His massive bulk moved with surprising speed. But Jack was already one step ahead.
He commanded Gluttony to use another bizarre skill, the [Bloating Curse]. The frog-puppet, now looking slightly more rotund, belched a cloud of sickly green gas. Directly into the devil chef's face.
The effect was instantaneous. The devil chef stopped mid-stride. His face turned a shade of grey. He dropped his cleavers. His hands rushed to his stomach. His belly began to expand further.
"Ugh... you... you..." The chef gagged. The curse forced his body to experience nausea and uncomfortable fullness. And it was surprisingly effective against the devil chef.
The devil fell to his knees. His bloated frame shook as he began to vomit a torrent of black sludge.
"Love, now!" Jack shouted.
Reina didn't need to be told twice. Her twin handguns was covered by thick fog and spitted silenced bullets. She didn't want to attract the attention of more devils. These beings were troublesome with their underhanded tricks.
The enchanted bullets hissed as they struck the devil's body. But the Chef of Flavor Haven was still a devil. His physical body might not be as strong as a demon's. But it was not weak. The bullets injured him. But they didn't kill him.
Jack summoned two more dark pearls. A figure emerged from each of them. More bizarre puppets.
The first was Sloth. It was a plush panda, red and yellow. Looking eternally tired. It floated lazily into the air. Emitting a heavy, thick aura of drowsiness.
Jack immediately activated its bizarre skills... [Drowsy Aura] and [Nightmare Snores]. The panda began to emit stronger aura that induced sleepiness and a rhythmic, vibrating sound.
Every time it 'snored', the chef's held his head. Now he was attacked by three debilitating de-buff. Drowsiness. Headache. And stomach ache.
The second puppet Jack summoned was Envy. It was a tiny, green monkey dressed in a ninja gear. Since its appearance, it didn't make a sound. It didn't even seem to exist. It had already activated its [Camouflage Aura].
Envy sneaked successfully and appeared on the devil chef's back. The puppet transformed its arms into a a sharp, pointed blade.
Jack instructed it to use... [Secret Backstab]...