Boom. An explosion went off as a gang war erupted a block over from where Zac was searching for somewhere to live. Deciding to head in the opposite direction of the violence, Zac wandered lost in thought about his current housing predicament. He had slept in the forest on his first night. While it wasn't too uncomfortable sleeping on the ground in his true body, it wasn't something he wanted to make a habit of.
Oblivious to his surroundings, Zac walked straight into a short pig demon who appeared to be severely overweight.
"Oi, dickhead! Watch where you're walking!"
Before Zac could apologize, the grotesque pig demon interrupted him, yelling with spittle flying from his mouth. "I hate your kind good-looking demons who think you can just walk all over others. You don't even see me. Think I'm beneath you or something?"
Before Zac could respond, the pig pulled out a dagger. "Now empty your wallet and do as I say, or I'll teach you a lesson."
Extreme rage built within Zac. How dare this filthy, nasty demon disrespect him? Food stains covered the pig's body, and the stench was nearly overwhelming to Zac's heightened senses.
Zac's arm transformed instinctively as he grabbed the sinner by the neck. He briefly admired the partial transformation, feeling the surge of strength as shimmering black claws wrapped around the demon's throat. Just as Zac was about to snap it, the pig tried stabbing his arm, but the blade bounced harmlessly off Zac's crimson scales.
Zac paused and decided to spare him.
The demon felt light in Zac's grip despite his grotesquely large body. Pulling his arm back, Zac prepared to throw him.
The sinner screamed in rage, "You piece of shit! Using your power to bully and threaten a poor, innocent sinner like me!" As he yelled, he furiously tried to cut through Zac's scaled arm, even attempting to saw it off but the blade simply slid off without effect.
With a burst of force, Zac hurled the sinner through the air.
"Who says pigs can't fly?" Zac chuckled.
"Fuuuuck youuu!" the sinner screamed as he was launched.
The pig sailed through the air before crashing into the pavement near where the gang war was unfolding.
With his instincts satisfied, Zac continued walking, his tail flicking to the beat of a tune he was humming. A couple of blocks later, he came upon an abandoned warehouse. The streets around it were strangely quiet, as if no one wanted to live there despite its prime location near a massive shopping mall to the north and an apartment complex to the east.
Passing a nearby alleyway, Zac noticed long-dried golden blood scattered across the ground. Looking closer, he realized many of the surrounding buildings were either partially constructed or left in ruins.
Thinking out loud, Zac muttered, "This must have been the site of a previous exorcism. That explains why it's abandoned. Judging by the state of the repairs and the lack of occupants, it probably happened a month or two ago."
Zac decided to check the inside of the warehouse. After a quick glance at the exterior plain grey walls, a large roller door, and a standard side entrance he melted the lock using a controlled breath of bioenergy and stepped inside.
The warehouse appeared to have once stored furniture and carpets. It was mostly empty, save for a single red velvet couch and a few necessities that were already set up. There were also stacks of carpets and rugs, surprisingly well preserved.
Zac decided to make the place more livable. He laid out the carpets and rugs into a makeshift nest and gathered several pillows from a corner of the warehouse, making it comfortable enough for him to sleep in his true body.
In an office area, Zac found a map and studied it. It showed Carmilla Carmine's compound on the opposite side of Pentagram City, the massive shopping mall nearby, and the V-Tower located toward the eastern side of the city, closer to the center.
As darkness settled and night fell, Zac decided to try something new. Using his control over space, he formed a small floating light that resembled a miniature cosmos.
Transforming into his true body, Zac moved to his nest. He curled up, resting his head on a particularly large pillow. As he drifted off to sleep, his thoughts turned to his plans for tomorrow job hunting.