Page 127 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER FIVE: TO HELL AND BACK

down demons is a bit of both. It’s a matter of unraveling a tap- the congregation, perhaps as a new member, perhaps by taking
estry of lives, finding someone who’s seemingly untouchable possession of someone trusted. He joins Bible study and talks
and then peeling them apart piece by piece, like a cat picking to people. The demon’s voice seems bright and clear, warm and
legs off an insect. After all, greater demons can be anybody. reassuring. Soon, he’s got a tight circle of friends, and from there
Hunting one down could range from infiltrating the world of it’s only a hop and a skip to making them his followers.
high fashion or a Silicon Valley startup to slumming it with A Cryptic might form a mystery cult and uses his new bud-
homeless vets and gutterpunks. Try on all those identities and dies to uncover occult secrets or dirt on their former peers. A
a hunter might experience the same thrills a demon does. Libertine draws his companions into indulgence. Nothing that
Members of the Pursuit often start out tagging along with breaks the Commandments, mind. Just a little stolen happi-
Competitors. There’s always that thrill of turning over another ness here and there, until one day the big temptation arrives.
stone and watching what slithers out from beneath it. But then, A Demolisher begins to radicalize his own little cell, showing
when they start getting glimpses of the picture — that’s really them a world that’s corrupt and needs to be cleansed with fire.
what draws them in. Are God and His angels real and physically The very worst case is when the church itself is a demon.
present on Earth? Are they indifferent or malevolent? Pursuers Institutional demons want — or maybe are — influence and
with a taste for theological horror often find themselves spend- power. Faith and community, which can be forces for redemp-
ing too much time interrogating demonic subjects. There’s so tion, are also excellent tools to that end. A cell might trace a
much to uncover, so much of history that might just be a lie. financial irregularity, just a little thread of suspicion, and end
Even better is the possibility of institutional demons. What if up unraveling the church itself. Confronted with that, what do
the world’s clockwork is a single monster? they do? Do they turn a blind eye, or do they bring down the
As mentioned earlier, Libertines tend to enjoy being “rid- very institution that brought them together?
den” by lesser demons. For those in the know, demonic posses- For all the danger of corruption, though, there’s another
sion is practically a rite of passage. Want to be possessed? Look possibility. The Merciful are known to show compassion to crea-
for the right demon. A willing host might wind up interviewing tures of darkness, and a greater demon might come to them with
dozens of supposed demoniacs and witnesses just to get a lead, open hands. She’s learned, she says, that God only wanted her
and then has to find the right way to let one in. Oh the thrill to preserve the world as it is. While she saw that as a place of
of it, to indulge a demon’s urges. Some members of the Pursuit horror, now she’s learned Earth is a place of hope and wonder,
often wonder: could one manage to be possessed by more than too. She wants to return to God, perhaps become an angel again,
one demon at once? Wouldn’t that be amazing? or perhaps to earn forgiveness in her human guise. The demon,
The Abbey also draws more than its share of suspicion of course, always seems sincere — and maybe she can prove her
with regards to demonic possession. Libertines, after all, have intent by her actions and her words. But can anyone really earn
a demonic counterpart, and cells aware of the possibility of in- forgiveness? After all, that fallen angel wears a stolen face. Can
stitutional demons often think that an Ashwood Abbey clique someone who destroyed a soul offer her own to be saved?
would make an excellent vehicle for one. (“Hellfire Clubs” in-
deed.) Besides, the Abbey has a reputation. Willing members The Loyalists of Thule
will trade away their humanity for cheap thrills. Who’s to say Look, the Loyalists of Thule are built on two things: secrets and
one might not give up his soul to a greater demon for a final the belief that some sins, namely our sins, cannot be forgiven. We are
amazing night on the town? fallen creatures. This gives us insight into what a demon’s all about.
Rarely, though, does our insight turn into sympathy. We seek atone-
The Long Night ment for the failures of our founders. Our demonic adversaries contin-
Salvation is personal. It means you can’t just ask Christ to forgive ue to commit atrocities upon human souls. Yet encountering a demon
you. You need to trust Him to redeem you. At the core of any faith in is also a chance to peek behind the curtain, to get a glimpse at the
God is the need to give up a little bit of control. But there are times you world’s inner workings. It might be worth humoring one…
will doubt. How can you be sure you’re really giving yourself to God? Scholars often find themselves in conflict or cooperation
What if your guide on the path to the Lord is leading you down the with Cryptics. Both are looking for secrets, and whether the end
path of a very familiar garden? is the liberation or enslavement of humanity can sometimes
Because the Long Night tends to organize around or seem, well, academic. A Scholar might correspond with a greater
within churches, greater and institutional demons may explore demon over the course of several years, only to glimpse the de-
these tempting targets. Both types of demons take advantage mon’s true nature when desperate circumstances force them to
of the Long Night’s nobler impulses, turning them from the meet. The hunter might spend years pursuing the collection of a
faithful or their needy followers into foot soldiers in the war mysterious library that seems to drive investigators mad, only to
against God. A hunter cell might wind up fighting a secret war realize that the collection itself is an institutional demon.
against the demon for the soul of their community — assuming Usually, a Loyalist cell is on a demon’s trail for a long while
she doesn’t convert them first. before they suspect what it is. What looks like a human pawn be-
Churches are also great places to meet people. There’s a comes a suspect, and then gradually becomes the center of an in-
spirit of trust and openness. Not blind trust, surely, but demons vestigation. Her mortal identity doesn’t add up, and the Indebted
are good at allaying suspicions because they seem sincere. They are excellent at finding the little inconsistencies in the life the de-
fit in. This is the danger a greater demon presents when he enters mon has made. Once the creature has been unveiled, though, it’s

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