“Been a while since I’ve gotten to do this… good to know I haven’t gotten rusty at all!” Peter chuckled to himself, looking at the decks of cards he had in his bag as he left his local hobby shop, having just played in a tournament event there. Whilst he hadn’t flat out won it due to the competitiveness of some of the decks on hand, he still managed to put on a good enough effort to place within the top three, which wasn’t bad considering he’d not played for a few months. “Still, I should see about practising up a little bit, that or finding other decks to work with!” He walked down the street, looking at some of the shops along the way - he fancied getting something to eat, but he didn’t know where to go, and he fancied doing a little bit of window shopping beforehand. He browsed the shops, wanting to see if something along the way grabbed his interest, and sure enough, a shop did appear that caught his eye, and it was one that he didn’t remember seeing beforehand. “Huh, what’s this one?” He approached the storefront, looking up at the sign above the door, which read ‘Helluva Shop’. Through the window, he could see all manner of what appeared to be occult-looking items, trinkets, and statues of various creatures. “Looks like a typical goth shop to me… at the same time, though, it’s got a different feel to it… eh, won’t hurt to take a look inside!” Peter approached the door, pushing it open as he stepped inside. A bell rang above the doorway, alerting the shopkeeper to his presence. “I’ll be out with you in a moment, just taking care of some things in the back!” A female voice called out to him. “OK!” He responded back, walking around the shop as he waited for her. He couldn’t help but feel that he was being watched as he browsed what was on display, though given that some of the walls appeared to have eyes protruding from them, it was hard to ignore that feeling. Still, everything they had on display was catching his eyes, mainly because there were so many things that looked like they came from another world - a sword was on display in a case with a card beneath it reading ‘100% Angelic steel!’, whilst another display unit showcased guns of various shapes and sizes. “Those can’t be legal to sell, surely…” Peter looked at the guns, knowing how strict gun laws were where he lived. “Oh, everything that I sell here is perfectly legal and above board!” The female voice called out. “Granted, I can’t say for sure how things are here on Earth, but eh, that’s not really my problem to deal with!” “Just saying, in this part of the world it is technically illegal to own them, but I don’t want to step on your toes or anything!” He responded. “That’s good, because otherwise I’d be tossing you out on your damn ass!” She responded bluntly. “Heh, I’m just fucking with you, I wouldn’t have any customers if I did that to everyone who tried to question me!” “Right…” He said, slightly put off by the threat, even if it was a joke, turning to face the shopkeeper. “Still, I take it all these things are youuuuurrrrRRRR THE HELL ARE YOU?!” He gawked in disbelief. The shopkeeper just smirked at him - smirked with a beak full of sharp fangs. To his surprise, the store owner was some kind of avian creature with a long, canine tail and ears, wings spread wide behind her. She stood taller than him, her fur and feathers a deep black with glowing purple markings and claws, eyes also glowing the same colour with the exception of her irises, which shone a deep, ruby red. “Heh… If I had a dollar for every time a human said that to me~” She stepped closer, towering over him. “But hey, it’s an appropriate enough reaction, most people aren’t accustomed to seeing literal hellspawn!” “Hellspawn?” He questioned. “What do you mean?” “Exactly that - I’m a demon, and a somewhat unique one at that!” “Unique… how?” He followed up in a confused tone - he really didn’t know what to make of this. “It’s a long story, but I’ll try and give you the compact version. I was born as a plain hellhound, and my life was largely uneventful barring a few scraps here and there. One day I got into a fight that damn near killed me… in fact, I’m pretty sure I WAS dying. When it looked like I was done for, I remember seeing a soul flickering in front of me, that of a sinner whose life looked like it was dancing between life and death, trying to keep its feet on Earth instead of descending to Hell. Next thing I know, not only am I not dead, but I’m also rocking… well, these!” She gestured to her beak, wings, and taloned feet. “Apparently, the soul was that of a powerful raven witch, and her soul was materialising just as I was slipping out of life, so she took residence in my body!” “That’s… actually a lot to take in…” Peter told her. “So she gave you her soul instead of becoming… a sinner, you said?” “Yup! And the funny part is that she told me her name was Shade - that just so happens to be my name as well! We both had a laugh and agreed that it must have been fate having a laugh!” “Right. So how are you unique outside of being a hellhound who’s part raven?” “Outside of having a new look, I gained her magical abilities, and on top of that, I’ve even gained the immortality of a sinner!” “Wait… sinners are immortal?” “Well yeah, they’ve been cast down forever, after all! The only thing that can permanently kill them are angelic weapons, kinda like that sword I have on display!” “That’s something… wait, you keep a weapon on display that can easily kill you?” Peter cocked his head. “That’s a murder waiting to happen, isn’t it?” “Oh, I’ve got an insurance policy on that blade~” Shade chirped. “I’ve put a spell on it to stop it from being used against me. Any other demon is fair game, but hey, if I’m gonna supply someone with a potentially deadly weapon, I’m making damn sure they’re not gonna be foolish enough to strike me with it!” “OK, that’s actually cleverly thought out!” He nodded. “Although that’s another thought, how - and why - are you up here if you’re hellspawn?” “I’ve picked up a couple of spells that allow me to travel up here, and I can even give myself a human form if I need to do so. Plus…” She looked over to a large elevator at the back of the shop. “I’ve got a lift that takes me to all the different rings of Hell~” Shade grinned. “I reside in the Pride Ring, but I can use this to get me to the other levels. The Lust and Gluttony Rings are two that I tend to visit quite frequently~” “The way you talk about it, you make Hell sound fun.” Peter chimed in. “Depends on how you look at it, but there’s rarely ever a dull moment! And I mean it, I’ve been trying to help Shade… er, spirit Shade… try to get a small measure of revenge on whoever killed her, so we’ve relayed the information to a group of imps who specialise in assassinations. They’re all good people, the one who runs the operation is a little bit cuckoo, but it adds to his charm. Plus they have a hellhound as a receptionist, a bit rough, but she’s a real sweetie when you get to know her~” “Right, right… and the reason for having a shop up here?” “Shade told me her main thing was turning humans into animals. Not really an easy task when 90% of all demons down there are animalistic!” She sighed. “So I brought a bit of her… well, my trade up here.” “So you get no business down there?” “Oh, I get PLENTY of business - I’m not against making some demons a little more demonic looking, or even fulfilling some of their fantasies, as long as they don’t mind giving me a little bit of their soul for it…” She said with a broad grin. Peter gulped - she was definitely cluing him in on the fact that she was more dangerous than she looked. “Don’t worry, I’m not the type to force them into doing anything bad - hell, I’d say their souls are in good hands with me, compared to some of the Overlords down there!” She assured him. “Anyways, I think we’ve got some business to take care of~” She glanced over at the bag of cards that Peter had over his shoulder. “May I take a look?” Peter nodded, handing her the bag. She took a look over the decks of Pokémon cards he had in there. “Man, I haven’t seen these in a while. Guess you must like trying to test your luck?” “Dunno if I’d put it in THAT sense, I mean it’s not gambling!” “I’d say it technically is when you’re buying sealed packs - you don’t know what’s in there and you’re hoping for a good card, am I right?” “I suppose when you put it THAT way, it does have a small element of luck in that regard… well, that and hoping you draw the right card as well.” “So gambling but with much lesser stakes!” Shade giggled. “Which means I might have the right thing for you!” She walked over to one of the shelves, rummaging through the items on display. “Where were they again… ah, here they are!” She pulled a deck of cards from the shelf, showing them to the human. “These look like normal playing cards, and I’m not quite sure I know how to play games like poker.” Peter told her. “Playing cards, yes, but they’re far from normal. When played right, they can pack quite the punch, among other things!” She pulled a card from the deck, grasping it between her claws, and with a simple flick of the wrist, she tossed it at a potted plant near the shop counter, slicing through the leaves. “Woah!” He gawked at the display. “And that was just a plant! These will do much more damage to anything that’s flesh and blood, as well as metal!” “That’s cool, but I don’t think I’ve got the wrist strength to pull that kind of throw off!” “No worries there, I’ll be more than happy to give you a form that’s capable of properly wielding these bad boys, and all I’m gonna need from you is your soul~” “My… soul?” He gulped. “Yeah! I give you these, and your soul will be warped to match the individual best suited to use these. To put it simply, you’d no longer be a human, but a sinner!” “Wait, you’re implying that I’m gonna go to hell for this?” “You’re looking to make a deal with LITERAL hellspawn, are you honestly surprised there’s a great chance of you being cast down for doing this?” “I…” He raised a hand in questioning, but paused. “I… suppose that makes sense.” “Mmhmm!” Shade nodded. “Although in your case, it’s probably best for you to stay up here for a little while. Some of these things belonged to sinners who are still alive, so if there were two of the same being down there, it’d get a little bit confusing. As a trade-off, I’ll teach you a handy trick to take on your old form whenever it may be necessary!” “If it makes you feel any better, your soul will be safe with me. I might call upon you from time to time to check in on things and have a bit of fun, but outside of that, there’s nothing sinister to it. So, do we have a deal?” Peter looked at Shade, then at the cards in her hand, then back at Shade again. “I suppose you’ve managed to twist my leg, so sure, deal!” “Great!” She grinned from ear to ear, fangs jutting past her beak. “Here you are, then!” She placed the cards in his hand, a shock going through him as the lights in the room flickered, dark energy swirling around the two of them. “Ack!” He nearly leapt backwards from the sudden shock. “Can’t say I was expecting that!” “Heh, if it was that easy to shock you, I’d hate to see how you’re going to react to everything else that’s gonna happen, hun!” She cawed, watching on eagerly as black fur spread across his hands barring his fingers, white fur covering the digits, his nails sharpening into claws that blended in with the colour of his finger fur, a pair of orange, heart-shaped markings appearing on the insides of his hands. Peter took a look at his new claws, still holding the deck of cards in them whilst the fur moved up his arms, shifting to white below his elbows and back to black around his shoulders, the darker of the two colours making its way down his sides and across his back. His shirt felt tighter on him, but that was mainly because of the thick fur, not to mention that it also made him itchy. “Urg, maybe I should have taken my clothes off before I agreed to this?” He asked, removing his shirt, almost cutting it open with his clawed fingers. “I dunno, normally if I get a guy or gal to strip before I make a deal with them, things tend to get heated for both of us~” Shade teased him. “Still, I suppose with all that fur, those clothes would get uncomfortable to wear fairly quickly, so tell you what, I’ll hit you up with some new gear after you’re done shifting, that sound good?” “I don’t have to make another deal for it, do I?” Peter said with a smirk, looking at the fur along his front, noticeably thicker and fluffier around his upper chest, a pair of black markings dotting the middle of his pecs, giving him the appearance of having buttons there. “Nope, these ones will be on the house!” She winked, a bump appearing at the base of his spine, pressing against the back of his pants. He removed them along with his underwear and shoes, a long, slender tail emerging from his hindquarters, the tip blossoming out into a fan of red and white feathers, a black stripe lining part of them. “Though in all honesty, you won’t need too much in the clothing department, the fur colours and pattern make you look dressed enough!” “True, but then I’d probably get a few looks from people if I had everything hanging out, right?” “Hey, I wouldn’t complain~” Shade growled in a seducing tone, the taupe fur covering his legs, all the way down to his ankles. His feet stretched slightly, white fur wrapping around them whilst the big and small toes on each foot withdrew back into his body, the remaining three digits enlarging into feline paws, the soles of his feet gaining orange, heart-shaped paw pads. “I mean I’m not really wearing anything right now… then again, I never really wore anything up here anyway when I was alive here, sooooo~” “Heh!” He chuckled, his new tail swaying as he felt an odd pressure forming in his shoulders, causing him to arch his back. Before he could ask what was going on, a pair of great, feathery wings burst outwards, the inside colorings being primarily taupe with a black stripe running along them, the same dark black running along the tips of the feathers on the front. The back of the wings were mostly crimson which overlapped into the front, barring a few black stripes. Both sides had circular markings akin to a roulette wheel, red and white on the front, and white on the back, barring those on the black parts, which featured both colours. “I suppose it makes sense that some modesty would be required down there.” “Yup! I’m just thankful that I’ve got a few sets of clothes aside for when I need them, though I’m still working on the right look - when you spent several hundred years in the human world not having to worry about wearing clothes, it’s something you need to get used to down there. Well, unless I’m in my shop, at which point all bets are off if I need to worry about being clothed!” She cawed, the fur now travelling up his head. “If it’s all the same with you, I think I’ll probably settle for some clothes either way after this!” The taupe fur covered most of his head, spiky tufts of fur protruding from his cheeks, ears growing long and pointed, poking past the top of his head, each ear tipped with two small tufts that looked like hearts. The insides of his ears were lined with white fur barring the top part, which were a bright red, another set of heart-shaped markings sharing the same colour appearing in the middle of the white hairs. “No worries, I’ve got a good idea on what to kit you out with when you’re done!” She watched, his face protruding forwards into a feline muzzle, nose sinking into his upper jaws, also taking on a heart-like appearance as it darkened. His teeth grew bigger and sharper, a yellow colour filling them whilst more fangs grew, his eyes moving towards the sides of his head as they enlarged slightly. The sclera filled with a greyish-black tone, irises turning a light yellow, pupils pulling into thin slits. His eyebrows grew past his head, becoming almost feathery, gaining the same red coloration as his wings, barring a couple of black stripes near the tips. “And with that, I’d say your changes are more or less complete! How do you feel?” “Hrm…” Peter took a moment to look around himself. “Might help if I had a mirror to look at!” He said, noticing that his voice sounded deeper, somewhat smoother yet rougher. “Oop, yeah, that WOULD help, wouldn’t it?” She snapped her fingers, a mirror appearing on the wall nearby. He turned his attention towards it, getting a good, long look at himself. “Well now, I don’t think this looks too bad at all!” He smirked, giving his wings a quick flap. “Why don’t you give your card skills a try now?” She suggested, the feline demon still holding the deck of cards in his hand. He drew a card from the deck, and looked towards an empty soda bottle that was sitting on the counter near the cash register. With a quick flick of the wrist, he tossed the card straight at it, cutting it at a slant, the top half sliding clean off. “I’d say you’ve got the hang of it - maybe you could try that with your other cards as well!” “As tempting as that is, I’d have to be out of my damn mind to try it, considering a few of the cards in those decks aren’t cheap in the slightest!” He laughed. “I can imagine - still, try it with some of the lesser cards, I’m sure it’d still look impressive! Oh, and before I forget!” Shade snapped her claws again, wisps of magic working their way around the former human. In the space of a few seconds, he was now donning a pair of trousers being held up by a set of suspenders, a big red bowtie around his neck, and a top hat with a red ribbon around it. “NOW you look the part, my friend!” “Really going in deep with the whole ‘dealer’ theme, aren’t we?” He raised an eyebrow. “What, it looks the part!” She winked. “I’m sure you’d be able to lead a lot of humans or sinners to despair if you play your cards right, after all!” “Hrm… I dunno, do you think I’d be able to pull it off?” “With a little bit of practice, I’m sure you can. Just take my advice, don’t push your luck too hard, and know when to call it quits - the last thing you want to do is be on the receiving end of a bad hand.” “And now you’re sounding like one of those anti-gambling adverts they show on TV~” He teased her. “Don’t remind me, I’ve seen so many different ads between here and hell, and I think here still beats hell for how fucking mind-numbing and annoying they can get - what is it with humans and thinking old songs need to be resung to advertise laundry detergent?” Shade growled. “Anyway, I’ve seen the time, and I better start closing up the shop soon!” “Oh? What’s the rush?” “There’s a big party going on in the Gluttony Ring - Queen Bee’s hosting it, and her parties are ALWAYS wild~” “Sounds like a good time, I’d have to tag along at some point!” “We’d have to see on that one - sinner demons aren’t able to leave the Pride Ring, and technically you’re a sinner now. Still, she does tend to throw parties in other rings from time to time, so there’s a chance it’ll happen, and when it does, I’ll call you down myself~” “I’ll be holding you to that one!” He chuckled. “OH, I nearly forgot - most demons tend to give themselves a new name. I mean you could keep your human name if you want, or change it for something else!” “Hrm…” His foot tapped against the floor. “How does ‘Husk’ sound?” “Mmm…” Shade took a long look over him. “Yeah, I can see that name working quite well for you, so Husk it is!” “Perfect! So when exactly can I expect to hear from you, Shade?” “Can’t really give you an estimated time, but trust me, I’ll make my presence known when the time’s right, or drag you down to Hell myself~” She winked, heading towards the elevator. “See you again soon!” Husk left the shop, his human garments packed away with his cards. He realised that he should have asked Shade on how to shift back to his human form, given he was walking out into the town as a full-fledged demon, but it didn’t bother him too much. The night was young, and there was still plenty of fun to be had.