"Look pal," Azz said, annoyance creeping into his now adult sounding voice. "Get the hell out of the way before I kick you in the nuts."

"The vampires," responded the man, his voice nothing more than a whisper. "You have spoken to them?"

Azz slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "The friggin' vampires, again. Yeah, I spoke with them. What's it to you? They owe you money too?"

The man slowly removed the hat from his head to reveal a shock of dark wiry hair. He moved closer to Azz. "I need to know why they are here," he said in a barely audible voice, his hand moving to undo the top button of his coat.

The man stepped into a patch of moonlight and Azz saw that he wasn't dealing with a man at all. The thing was horrible, a bestial demon whose countenance sent a surge of primal terror washing through him. Azz sniffed the air to confirm his suspicions. It was a Lothgar demon, and probably on the hunt. Then, with the face of a child, Azz smiled. If the Lothgar was hunting those vampires...

"Easy does it there, pally," he said putting up his hands in surrender. "The vamps are no friends of mine, they even stiffed me on the bill."

The Lothgar brought a hand to its throat and Azz could see that something had recently torn into the dark flesh. The damage looked to be so extensive that Azz wondered how it could have possibly survived. Now he knew why the guy was whispering.