A couple of belts of the Vodka and Carmin was starting to feel better. Not terrific and definitely not drunk by any means, but better. The pain in her left hand had subsided to a dull roar and she could use it without wincing, too much. The skin was red and swollen, not black and crispy like one might expect after being burned so bad. It looked more like someone had splashed acid on it than set it on ablaze. And basically that is exactly what had happened. The two sat there for a few moments in silence, trying to wash the sour taste from their mouths. Daniel was the first to brake the silence. "I guess I should thank you for saving me from, what did you call those infernal things?" "Imps," she responded, making a face to show just how much she detested the foul things. "The stupidest demons to ever be spawned." "Right, Imps," his tone making it clear that he was having a hard time coming to grips with what he knew must of just happened. "Tell me Miss Aguilare, just what in the world you were doing in a place like that? And what did you mean you were doing you job?" Carmin poured another drink and downed it one swallow, trying to collect her thoughts. She shrugged and avoided his eyes, "Just in the right place at the right time I guess." "Don't give me that innocent crap! Something is going with you and now apparently I'm part of it. Just what in the hell did I get dragged into?"
Carmin took another drink and looked the detective straight in the eyes. "Do you really want to know?" She held her hand up, stopping him from answering her question. "Because if you do, I'll tell you. Or at least I'll try to explain. But take a moment and really think this through. If I tell you what you want to know it will open up a door and expose you to a whole new world, one you can't turn back from. And it will place you in extreme danger from things worse than those Imps. Things you would be better off never meeting."
Detective Daniel Montoya took another drink and sat in silence for a full two minutes before answering her. "I need to know." He looked straight at her and continued. "I've long suspected that a good portion of the unsolved murders that come across my desk will never be solved. At least not in this world. I need to know what is out there butchering the people of this fair city. And if there is anyway I can stop it from happening. You say there are worse things than those bat Imp things that attacked me. Well maybe there are and maybe there aren't. It doesn't matter. I get the distinct feeling that what ever it is you are into, I'm somehow connected to it. So I don't think that I can keep out of it even if I wanted to. Someday, sooner or later, I'm going to get dragged in. It might as well be on my terms."
Carmin gave him one of her award winning smiles. "OK then. I guess the place to start would be to introduce you to the different types of creatures that abound in the realms. There are basically five types of creatures you will run into. You have your celestials, basically those who fight on the side of good and the light. Don't get me wrong. They are by no means pure, innocent and benevolent creatures. They can be just as cruel and inhuman as all the rest. But usually they tend to aid mortals, not harm them. There are hundreds if not thousands of different factions of celestials. You have your Watchers, those who watch over mortals but tend not to interfere in any way. Then there are the protectors. Think of them as guardian angels if you want. They are usually assigned to watch, guide and protect about a dozen or so mortals at any one time. And there are the fallen. Those celestials who for one reason or another have fallen from grace and have been condemned to live as mortal here an Earth. These are the three main factions that you need to worry about when it comes to those from the heavens.
You also have demon kind. If its possible, there are even more types of them then there are the celestials. You already met Imps. The other two you really have to worry about are hell spawn and the hounds. These are usually the only three that you will find freely wandering around the mortal realm. Other types of demons visit from time to time, but always with a specific purpose in mind. Some come to claim souls. Other to posses those who are willing to make a deal with them. You get the idea. Think of everything that you have ever read about them or seen in the movies and you have the basics of demon society.
The third group are spirits and shades. Ghosts, poltergeists, shades, ghouls, you name it its probably wandering around somewhere. Most of the time they are harmless. Simple souls that have gotten stuck between two realms, not any real danger. But sometimes they stick around for some reason, usually to get revenge on someone or to right an injustice. They are easy to deal with. Leave them alone and they will leave you alone. Unless they ask for your help. Then you better do everything in your power to fulfill their request or you will have one pissed off entity haunting you.
The fourth group is the immortals. This covers everything that doesn't fall into the other groups. Here we are talking elves, sprites, fairies, leprechauns, etc.. The tend to blend into the mortal population so well that you have probably already dealt with several of them and never even noticed."
Carmin poured another full glass and drank half before continuing. "And last but not least you have us. Mortals. You already know the depravity that we are capable of. But that is just one small group of mankind. Among us you have vessel's, people who can channel demons, celestials, and spirit through them. Most of them become fortune tellers and mediums, helping the living get in touch with the dead. There are channelers. Mortals who can channel arcane powers through their own body and soul, whether that power comes from a celestial or a demon it doesn't matter. All they do it allow the power to flow through them. Some of the more powerful channelers can direct the power, but most cannot. And non can retain it for long. There are demon hunters. People who actively seek out and try to destroy, or at the very least drive away, demon kind. Many of this type are exorcists or cleansers. Those who drive demons out of people or places. Finally you have those like me. Mortals who are blessed, or cursed depending on how you look at it, with the ability to aid those mistakenly taken by the Imps and hell spawn. When an Imp or hell spawn grabs a person that they are not supposed to, it sends a type of shock wave through the fabric of reality. If one is sensitive to those waves, one can tell just where the innocent victim has been taken. We frequently travel by means of what we call 'riding the rails'. It's a way of traveling along the corridors in hell that the Imps and hell spawn use. Usually we can avoid them, after all, they tend not to want to get into a fight with someone who is carrying around enough power inside themselves to make a 300 megaton nuclear bomb look like a firecracker."
She stopped to drink the rest of the Vodka in her glass and to pour another. And to give Daniel time to digest what she had just told him.
