Getting Used to It

The skies were getting dark, and Chance chased after Valefar leading a search for Fang. The Haverton detective imagined how the Hellfire Arm's name matched it's fangs when it did turn into a dog.

A demonic dog with two heads to be more exact.

Chance swore he heard barking as he attempted to keep up with Valefar. The barking became louder as he was catching up to the Representative.

He made a right turn over Whiskey street before he saw Valefar running on the sidewalk, before the Representative made a sharp left to the back of a building.

"Careful!" said a man towards Chance. "There's some lady with some two headed dog!"

"That man and I are part of the MPD-Haverton Alliance." Chance spoke of Valefar. "Get to your home sir and stay away from this area!" After he said that, he went straight towards the back of the building. He saw Valefar looking at a lady wearing a trench coat. As Chance got closer, his eyes widened at the sight of a Haverton badge.

"Stacy?" Chance spoke as he saw the well built lady, Stacy Hazelton, wearing her usual coat, but it was now ripped and her fedora was slightly beaten up. Her face however, was still clean, and her hazel eyes still seemed striking as ever. Chance also noticed that she was wearing coal black boots, which matched her coal black jeans."

As for Fang itself, it was a bulldog. A demonic looking Bulldog with a disfigured second dogface. It was moving gleefully around Stacy.

"Chance Gordon?" Stacy Hazelton first spoke. "Goodness, you're fine!"

"Not sure if I can say the same thing about you." Chance spoke of her appearance.

"I know! I was terrified at first yet for some reason this dog here's making me feel slightly calmer."

Chance raised his eyebrow, turning toward Valefar.

"Okay, just a simple reminder. I DID NOT have anything to do with how Fang reacts as both a Hellfire Arm and an animal. He makes the user feel comfortable to him, like an actual dog, the normal kind. Every Hellfire Arm has been built carefully and crafted with consideration by the Hell's Gunsmith."

"For massive amounts of destruction." Chance spoke. "Like that time during the war."

"Yes, yes I know. I was there." Valefar spoke. "I did see you at Iwo Jima as I was offering the Arms to the United States soldiers. You weren't in the front row of men that did hear me out and take the offer."

"So you're the man helping all of us get these darn Hellfire Arms." Stacy approached Valefar. "Don't think I still can't feel angry because of this. After getting back from the Full Moon Hotel I went to Pembroke to see if there was anything suspicious, cause every Haverton was asked by Higgins to survey every crook and nanny in the city, then this dog came along and jumped me!"

"Fang is like that. It sees you as a friend, and it turn will serve you in battle, considering it's got huge fangs. No pun intended." Valefar spoke. "Also, I'm not a man, not even human by a mile." As he said that, his eyes swallowed themselves into his eye sockets, which then became bigger as golf holes.

Stacy winced as she stepped back towards Chance, Fang growling in the process.

"I'm not a comedian by any means, but that was meant as a joke."

Stacy looked at Chance who sighed deeply.

"The less you question, the better off you are Hazelton." he said to her. "And yes, he'll be like this until this is all over."

"Yeah, you two have fun hunting for whoever's involved with Drip Work Inc, or if you're lucky, find a Hellfire Arm. Remember Chance! Make sure your hands are doused with holy water! Actually wait." Valefar said before he turned his eyes normal, reaching into his coat pocket and throwing him a set of red and black gloves. "Since holy water is hella expensive, I doubt you want to buy loads of it to avoid any "demonic influence." Wear those gloves and you'll avoid making a deal with me, basically you'll be able to hold them, unless you want a taste of that power and maybe get a better chance at fighting these Hellfire Arm users?"

Chance was in silence as he caught the gloves.

"Right, you yourself may want to think about it a lot, considering it's your own soul on the line if you wanna use an Arm."

"What!?" Stacy shouted. "I was told that was the case, but only if we found one and held the handle tightly. You're saying my soul's already sold to your boss because this thing jumped at me!?"

"And….that's my cue to help the other cops or Havertons. Bye! For now." Valefar snapped his fingers and disappeared within a puff of smoke.

After the Representative's departure, Chance looked at a distraught Stacy.

"I planned to see you and get some info from you about the Hellfire Arm crisis."

"I need a moment Chance, this Hellfire Arm stuff is making my head hurt." Stacy held her hands together against her head. She heard Fang wincing and whimpering, almost as if it was her actual dog.

"Could we talk about our investigations over a drink?"

"That'll be fine." Stacy with a small smile.

***

The two Haverton detectives walked along the street. Chance told her everything that he went through.

From his investigation of Lloyd Howitzer's murder, to the encounters of Hellfire Arm users such as Graham and the Rat King. He also filled her in about the cost of using Hellfire Arms and the users within HAST of the MPD.

Much to her surprise, Freddie Bass was a Hellfire Arm user as well.

. The two found a bar not far from where Chance saw Stacy the first time with Fang. The bar was a two story building, which was a rarity in this part of town.

As the two Havertons went inside, they were startled at Stacy's appearance.

"She's with me." Chance spoke. "A Haverton who accidentally stumbled upon a Hellfire Arm. Rest assured she won't cause any harm."

"I can vouch on that." Stacy spoke. "Fang?" she said to the demonic dog who turned into a black and brown rusty rifle, with two fangs on the edge of the barrel..

Chance had been in Pembroke back in the day, when his old man Richard brought him to the docks to witness a family friend working. He recognized the diverse amount of people that lived in this busy money making part of town. Compared to Central and the Northern part of Morissey however, most of the honest workers were here, the people who didn't let money change the way they see people.

Over in the North, it would be the opposite. People were living life with all the cash they earned, or helped earn and got a cut of it. Some wives would get a portion of money just by marrying a rich man. That's why many men who were fathers encouraged their daughters more to marry, especially during the Crash back in the 30s, when the economy went bust and was a massive train wreck.

Even with the Crash dying out by the time the 40s hit, a woman marrying a rich man and getting a portion of his money was no longer unfamiliar at this point.

But then there's women like Stacy Hazelton, the type of woman who's on the path of making a living for herself regardless of how much support she gets from the outside. She wasn't the only one getting her own job, as many ventured into their own lines of work mostly in Central, work involving beauty and fashion to be more exact.

And speaking of the Central which is one of the more busier parts of the city.

"Full Moon Hotel ain't that far from Central, right?" Chance asked.

"It literally has the picture of a moon so it's not that hard to find it. It really lives up to its name." Stacy replied as she and her fellow Haverton sat at the stools of the bar. It was an old looking one. Not much was going on in terms of interior; it was as bland as the outside, but then again the two Havertons knew Port Pembroke wasn't a tourist spot when it came to Morissey.

"I got my share about the Hellfire Arms from Higgins. I checked the Northwest, seeing how all Havertons were going to help the MPD regarding these weird Hellfire Arms, and the appearances of the people who use them. I asked around the Full Moon Hotel if they spot anything or anyone weird, and what do you know, they saw a man in a bomber jacket, like the one they use in the war."

"Did he have a gun on him?"

"Witnesses say he had a rifle strapped onto his back. They were certain he's a Hellfire Arm user."

Chance eyes widened. "I think I might know who that is."

"Do you now?"

"I was interrogating a Hellfire Arm user, the first one I met. He got shot dead by a sniper, them bullets be ringing hard in your ears if you're too close. I saw soundwaves when ducking for cover. You believe that?"

"Just like that? I guess these Hellfire Arms are really that dangerous."

More like the people who use them, Chance thought about the alleged members of Drip Work Inc. Then there was Bright, the man said to be wearing crimson. He must have killed off Lloyd Howitzer, but why a normal gangster like him?

"You okay Chance?"

Chance took a sip of Atomic Cola. He wasn't gonna get drunk at the moment, nor ever probably. Alcohol was just a drink, but it was a strong drink, and the last thing he needed was to chug down 3 or more glasses.

"Never have I felt dedicated to finding those Hellfire Arms." Chance said as he saw Stacy tilt her head in surprise. "Did you know I was in the war?"

"So I've heard. Why?"

"I had a bad feeling about those Hellfire Arms since I first saw them in the war. Yeah the United States won with the Allies but still...the destruction it brought, and now a certain somebody Valefar said, freed a lot of them."

"Everyone who's MPD or Haverton would feel the same as you. I get it." Stacy started her reply.

"Even though I'm paying this Hellfire Arm with my soul, I'll be playing my part in stopping the Hellfire Arm crisis, serving my country as well." Stacy spoke. "I didn't ask for this at first, but it seems I better get used to it after you told me about guys like McSweeney and Ford, even Freddie Bass himself!"

"After the President's announcement I think it's safe to say a lot of people want this crisis to end." Chance added. "I better get some shut eye."

"Best you do Chance." Stacy commented. "We have a lot of work to cover thanks to these Hellfire Arms."