Just as things seemed like they were going to open up, the street was constipated again. This time by stalls rather than people. Streets that could accommodate two dozen people were divided as small, temporary buildings monopolized both the sides and center of the street while hawking goods. Suddenly, a group of three would find things cramped with hands coming from all directions trying to pull them in.

The humanoid demon was no exception as the merchants juggled him around, trying to buy his shoes from his feet while selling him every luxury that could be imagined. Their wares being far from luxuries, mainly food made from foods and insects and miscellaneous devices. Promising the heavens while giving away the earth.

That was the way of the merchant. It was also the reason why people used them. They could buy and sell pretty much anything for any reason. Not even the prospect of doing business with a demon could make them balk.

Of course, with offers to even his shoes, there were offers about the tortoise, ignored ones but still. Either the prices offered weren't high enough or he was unwilling to sell his comrade. More likely the former as the tortoise was not an equal but a dependent. Like a child yet to find its way or a servant destined to never have its own way.

Just as quickly as the markets came, they dissipated and the streets congested once again. The way the town was set up could be described as bizarre. Not even ten steps out of the market and the street split into two forking paths. As in the paths split into two that further split into another two. With how thick the crowd was, it would have been hard to tell where they were going without the buildings serving as landmarks. Then again, they were more like rocks jutting out of the water in river rapids as the crowd dragged them ever deeper.

While the town was a virtual labyrinth, the humanoid demon expertly guided both itself and the wagon carrying the tortoise through it, zigzagging through streets and alleyways. Ahead, a plume of smoke began to rise from the center of the town. Accompanying this smoke, the flames adorning the buildings swayed and flickered as if a strong wind was dancing with it. The clothes of the people around them stayed stagnant and not even a breeze to relieve the ever increasing climate was present.

At one point when the humanoid demon was taking a shortcut through an alley, they came across a man lying on the ground. No mask was present upon their face to hide what was missing. Their eyes for they were blind. Completely ripped out of their sockets with the open eyelids exposing naught but blood, muscles, and scabs. Yet, their non-existent eyes followed them, their head turned to match their movement through hearing or some sort of sixth sense.

It lifted its hand and pointed its finger at the two of them and said something. That something was a very simple word with very big implications. The crowds that lined each side of the alley stopped their daily grind and paused to look in. Dozens of eyes screened the area with extreme prejudice. T'was not to be as their eyes landed upon who spoke and lost interest. The silence was broken as the crowds resumed their forced march. Out of desperation, the eyeless human said it again and again, louder each time. No one paid him any mind but the occasional curious glance.

Who would trust a blind man? Especially one sprouting such an accusation. That something they were saying was the word "demon" as they had seen through their identity somehow. Nonetheless, no one believed them and each time the word was said, it held less impact. If only they had pointed at the humanoid demon might their claims gain traction. Instead, a finger was pointed towards an ordinary tortoise with the full weight of the word "demon." Yet all weight behind the word rolled off its shell.

They could silence the blind human here to prevent such an occasion from happening again or they could leave it to its fate. A fate of obscurity and mistrust. That is what they did, leaving it to its own devices as it continually chanted demon, refusing to give up even though everyone around them had long stopped listening.

The pyre of smoke grew thicker and closer as they navigated more streets and alleyways. More smoke climbed into the air from the previously smokeless lanterns that lined the streets. It was late morning but was starting to feel more like evening with all the smoke interfering with the light. It was magical how much of an effect an overcast day had on the perspective of time.

Heat transmitted from the ground to the wagon, making it feel more like an oven than a method of transportation. Relief from the heat was rare in this area and people started to clear up solely due to that. Not all, as the crowd kept to a medium size, many of which were going in the same direction as the two demons, the source of the smoke in the center of town. If the tortoise wasn't a demon, it wouldn't be feeling too well done at this point.

Soon enough, they reached the area with the cloud, a large, open plaza centered around a pit in the ground and some galleys. A distinct red glow radiated out from the pit and shined upon the people tied up on the galley. Divided into two parts, each with the label of a word they'd never get rid of for the rest of their lives. Between the two was a man not tied down with any mortal coils, wearing a flamboyant outfit.