"For what it's worth, I'll attempt the tranquilizers first." Ekkehardt flips open a metal case with House Gehring's seal to reveal an innocuous looking steel needle and several sealed glass vials, their liquid contents a bright crimson.

"A shame I had no time to fully put it through its paces, but this is an edge case, so the usual protocols for testing are somewhat more relaxed. And as far as I can discern, while there are many records of your battle record as a Tyrant reporting you as untouched, that's far more to do with your skill in combat than any innate toughness your skin might possess. Fortunate for me in both the best and the worst cases."

His polite smile has just the slightest hint of bitterness - he's not a man who likes to mix his work with his personal life - but it's a request that, for both professional and personal reasons, he would never refuse.

If what the daemon fears truly does come to pass, he at least owes Valvatorez the privilege of a peaceful death.