Darwin woke with a snorting start in the alleyway. He was curled up on the doorstep of his home. Groggily he propped himself up. The nightmare of the past few days reasserted itself as he began to reassure his waking mind that he was indeed in the body of a black-haired stray.

He could feel the bile of his frustrations building in his throat. He'd been in a fury last night, as was natural. He viewed the scars in the black painted wood, left there by his wrathful outburst. He sighed, not his finest moment.

He struggled to come to terms with the rest of his imprisonment, the Familiar to a demonic presence. And with his powers stripped, he was less than helpless. Gone were his mighty powers of Pneuma and the powers that came from stoking his Vital Flame, His will now trapped within the confines of his skull once more. It was like losing a whole limb, like a hand or an eye.

One more humiliation added to the pile. And one more reason to put this creature down and regain himself. A small matter, he simply had to reverse the configuration. That should put everything back where it should be, with him in control and with the Demon at his mercy.

There was only one problem, the Ring.

He had no idea how powerful such a device was in terms of arcane might or complexity. Being near it sent shivers up his spine and had him breaking out in goosebumps. It was single-handedly, A Great Treasure, an item only matched in their rarity by how powerful they were. There were no truly reliable means to craft them, forming only by chance when a great amount of sacrifice.

They also came with many hidden dangers, some inherent, others added on by the wizards who discover them. It would be impossible to tell what the Ring could do, or if it was modified to carry some hidden defense. Those that bound such defenses to a Treasure typically used the cruelest curses and charms in their collection and would drive an interloper mad in retaliation, given how much power was inside.

He would need a Treasure of his own to even stand a hope of matching such a power. He grinned at the idea, Two treasures, and a Demon at his heel. Nothing on Earth could ever match that kind of magic. It was a Tantilizing idea. But how to achieve it?

His thoughts of glory were interrupted by a figure moving towards the mouth of the alleyway, Darwin's ears perked up at this. He thought he recognized them, they turned watchful and frightened eyes darting about as they held their cloak over their head.

It was Gunther, from the Jeweled Crab. Darwin chuckled, Fool must be here to demand retribution. Or a place to hide from the Guild strongmen. He licked his paws clean, then stopped cause it felt odd to his mortal senses, He was unbothered by Gunther's presence. He had his troubles, like finding a way around the magic of the Demons Ring.

As much as the thought of obtaining a Grand Treasure was, it would be far too costly and dangerous to find one, that and the Demon would know he had it. He'd be losing ground the whole way and just make the Demon stronger. No, his best option was to take the Ring for himself, preferably using a third party to do it, thus concealing his movements from the hellspawn as he did. And securing himself a loyal servant for later or at least a disposable puppet.

And then, This would all just be an embarrassing story to tell over dinner parties later.

The Cat smiled to himself, a simple, yet reasonable plan. He could easily instigate a fight between his current body and another wizard, slip in through the cracks, and be done with it. Oh, he would have to call off the feud. Maybe getting a Priest involved would help, the Orthodoxy should have a method for Finding Demons, that was their job, well, besides assuaging the peasantry with the fear of God and such. Should be an easy fix if he could pull it off.

He was lost in thought, so he didn't notice when Gunther had walked to the door and kicked him from his post. "Away with you stray, I'll have words with the man that Cheated me!" he growled.

The Cat hissed and made ready to attack, This fool would die for interrupting him. Insulting him like that on a whim. Gunther scowled at him and began beating on the door with a clenched fist.

The door swung wide as a bleary-eyed Demon was greeted by Guntthers furious shouting.

"You Bastard, I'm ruined because of you, Handing off your dirty sins onto me, what have to say? I've Lost everything to your lies and Contraband!" Gunther threw a sack of small silver trinkets to the ground. They clattered and chimed like wooden blocks, the Cat groaned.

He gave Gunther a Magical awl that would make the wood appear as silver, banned by the Administration and The Orthodoxy because of its use in funding past uprisings and to protect Jewelers against Fraud.

He better not have broken it, it took weeks to make.

The Demon stared blankly at Gunther who was rambling "I have Lost everything to those Triple Snake Bastards, I have lost Face to the rumors of my scandal, which will reach to heavens by tomorrow, I demand this matter be paid in blood. Your Vagabond Honor to cover my shame!" He went for a hip dagger, Darwin leaped back, anticipating the blow.

Then remembered he was a Cat and watching this all from afar. Quietly he mused, that if Gunther did kill this bastard, he could easily retake his body with nothing defending it. And of course, he would gladly pay Gunther some credit of Honor for saving his life, in exchange for, ruining his.

Well, he did tell the idiot not to question the origins of the tool, blamed fool thought it was real silver at first. The Demon raised a finger and Darwin could feel a Chill emanate from him. HIs Magic froze Poor Gunther in place. Some much for that plan, it would have made for a bold and noble story, but hardly serviceable in court anyway. He would have had to admit to Dark Rituals and illegal magic.

The Demon yawned and stepped into the street, still rubbing his eyes. He smacked his lips a moment before giving Gunther a full-length inspection. Then he spoke.

"Forgive me, good fellow, I was fast asleep when you called. I didn't recognize you at first. I'll be happy to pay for your troubles." He thought a moment. then gestured he wait. The Cat snorted, the man couldn't move, what else was there to do? Gunthers Fearful eyes darted around, begging for help. Darwin didn't blame him. Cold Pneuma always did unsettle the unprepared.

He glanced at the wooden rings and pondered them for a bit. They had some magic in them, but not much. Not enough to care, the Real power was in the Tools that crafted them. Eventually, their power would fade and the illusion dispelled.

There was almost no chance of retrieving the awl before the Guilds, who presumably had already raided the shop, took possession of it. Shame, that was a good piece of magic too. Risky, but profitable.

The Demon returned carrying a small pouch, The Cat was confused by this, was he planning to torture him? Kill the man and be done with it you wretch! Cruelty is uncouth, especially when an opponent is helpless. The Demon opened the bag and counted silently, before shrugging and handing the whole purse to Gunther, squeezing it into the space of his hand while taking his dagger.

"Here, not a lot, but it should be enough to settle somewhere else. Preferably somewhere quiet and Away from the Guilds. I hate to do this, but, I did say there would be risks." He clapped Gunther on the shoulder, lifting his spell, Gunther gasped as the oppressive sensation left him.

"Wha-, Who do you think you are, trying to buy my silence? I'll be imprisoned for this, or hanged! where am I supposed to go? " Gunther sputtered, clearly confused. The Demon put a hand to his chin.

"Well, I think you should accept my little gift, change your name, and leave for the farthest place you can find. A week's journey should do, The Guilds don't like to leave the city, so you shouldn't have to travel very far. I just handed you a rather tidy sum, I suggest investments. Within a year of you opening a new shop and some clever stock trading," his hand wavered in the air "A minor Nobility should be in your future, perhaps a Guild of your own. I can't say, depends on where you land. Gracefield seems nice, provided you like Wine."

Gunther's confusion was near palpable, glancing back from the coin pouch to the Demon grinning face. He didn't know whether to laugh cry or simply try to kill the man.

"Oh, your dagger. Now run along, I have my plans to attend to." He handed back Gunther's dagger. Patting him on the shoulder, before sending him off. The man scampered off, still paranoid and very confused. The Desperation was replaced with something a bit more directed.

The Demon tsked and headed back towards his house when he spotted a rather dumbstruck Cat.

" You seem Distraught, Pussy. What's on your mind?" he asked. The Cat felt something twitch inside him as he made his reply.

"You gave him money."

"Yes, I'd say he's got a long road ahead of him, so what?"

"You gave him, My Money!"

The Demon contemplated a moment, "Yes, I suppose I did, But then again. I am you, aren't I?"

The Cat hissed "You're nothing like Me! I would have never given him a cent! let alone pay for his escape out of my pocket! I'd have killed him first, Begging to save him from his folly, he was warned what would happen!" The Demon chuckled.

"Sir Cat, it is far too early for any killings, And I've yet to eat breakfast. You have a rather Poor pantry. More Brandy than Bread, I fear." disappointment marking his face.

"But, You could have killed him and no one would've cared! He was a wanted Man, dead already! They were going to hang out. I'd have been paid to kill him! A swift End to him, a better deal than he ever would have gotten in the Courts."

The Demon swiveled, looking back to The Cat and Down the Road to where Gunther had runoff.

"And why should I do that, I'm not the one who started all this. Besides, It's rude to kill a desperate creature, and worse to tease them. They're only trying to survive." He gave a cocky smile.

"Besides, Now, He'll sing your praises for the end of time because of this. I'm sure you recognize the strategy of building favoritism. " Then he paused as if contemplating something.

"You never thought that did you?" the Demon asked. The Cat tsked.

"I have better uses of my time than posturing and faffing about with lesser men with inferior intellects" he replied bitterly. The demon's cheeks puffed as he gagged on his laughter.

Finally busting into a cackling howl.

"Oh, oh oh, Oh Dear Me, I can't believe you just said that I-i-I just-Oh that's Rich!" The Demon kept laughing for a dog's age, cackling madly as he mocked the pitiful cat.

"Oh, I must admit," the Demon said, wiping a tear from his eye "I wasn't expecting to hear a Cat say that this morning. eh eh. Hurphmf." He coughed sharply to steady himself.

"Well, I'm awake. I think I'll put a coat on, scour the markets for something fresh to eat, and then. Well, I guess we'll see what happens. See some friends, have a lark. Should be fun." The Demon paused holding out his hand apologetically, frowning in a sad pitiful face

"You do have friends, of course, I'm sure." The Cat grumbled at that last remark.

"Ah, It matters not, Anon, I must be off." He Shooed the Cat off. "Make a nuisance of yourself elsewhere." He hissed and scratched at his boot. The Spector was unamused by that, hurling a bolt of devilish bolt towards the pathetic creature, making him scamper as if he'd set its tail ablaze.

The last sound the Cat heard as he fled from the sound of the Monster's hair-raising cries, as he was driven deep into the alleyway vast labyrinthian expanse.