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Chapter Text

The Winged Wolf

Written by catsamurai16.

An Idea from TalosLives.

Cover Art

Chapter 01:A Chaotic Exit and a Dangerous Calm

"The Rings of Hell, a harsh and unforgiving place. From the mightiest demon to the lowliest imp, survival was ingrained into everyone and everything. For thousands of years, the dregs of Hell were savage, wild, and unpredictable. 

With the souls of the living came a sense of order. Demons devoured soul upon soul, gaining strength and sentience. In time, a hierarchy formed between the demons and souls of the damned. One such hierarchy was the Goetia bloodline. A line of multiple demons joined together for one glorious goal, conquest. They were proud, majestic, and ruthless. Their leaders each controlled legions who instilled their will and powers into them. These demons waged war to tame the wilds of Hell and carved the Rings into lands that could be ruled by them. In doing so they formed a silent pact of peace among themselves in a language rarely spoken today.

'Here we all burn. Here we all rule. Here we are all Kings.' 

For untold time, the Goetia ruled Hell and all who lived there bowed to them. Then, Lucifer and his army of Angels fell."

Jericho signed as his private tutor went off on another tirade against their Emperor King. Most Hellborn didn't care who was in charge as Lucifer and the royals mostly kept to themselves. But the old ways of "swearing revenge on the foul usurper angel" still clung around even today. It was a fool's errand anyway. Lucifer was a Fallen Angel and his power, while corrupted, was still divine. No one in Hell stood a chance against him. Shrugging, Jericho decided to continue his history lesson on his own. They had been reviewing how the primordial demons existed and early interactions with Heaven and the Mortal World. The next lesson dealt with how in early Mortal history, mankind unknowingly worshipped demons as gods or guardians. Finding power in their blind worshipers, most demons decided to reward them. They taught man a great many things, mathematics, astrology, science, even farming and hunting. His Uncle Stolas once told him how civilizations used to sacrifice crops, animals, and even virgins to him. He found it messy, but good fertilizer. 

Drifting from his studies at the thought of his uncle, Jericho sighed. He wished he could be with his uncle today. Prince Stolas was a powerful and respected demon who still today has some scant followers on Earth. The tall Owl demon's talent for magic is unmatched among the Goetia families. When Jericho's own magical powers surfaced, his father asked Stolas personally to train him. Studying with Stolas was so much more fun, seeing as Jericho could spend time with his favorite cousin, Octavia. Moreover, he liked Stolas and Octavia because they didn't treat him like walking shit. It was Octavia's idea to help Jericho out with his problem. He remembered how relieved he felt after Stolas had said yes. Now, it was just the matter of escaping the fallout. 

He turned his attention to his imp tutor, Harrison, and sighed as the imp was now bowing on the floor. The older imp had changed from spilling out slurs and insults toward Lucifer to brown nosing about how great his father was in his prime. His father, Marquis Naberius, was of the Goetia line. Naberius commanded 19 of Hell legions with honor and dignity, something that was rare in Hell. Their ranks boasted powerful beast demons, skilled marksmen, and silent assassins. For years, Naberius protected the damned souls in the Ring of Pride and provided aid after the Extermination Days and protected the weaker sinners. He personally flew over Pentagram City in his elegant raven form to ensure the safety of its citizens. His beast form of a large three headed dog gave him a full range view of any battlefield. He fought with honor using a bejeweled rapier, slashing and stabbing at his opponents, but he never struck down a defeated enemy. He commanded great respect from the demons under his charge and they trusted his orders. It was easy to see how the ancient Greeks came to fear him as Cerberus, their guardian of Hell's gates. 

However, in recent years, Naberius had let his discipline slip into decline. He stopped being involved in his own affairs. He gave the job of organizing the aid to the citizens to his first son, Xavier. The job of training and keeping his troops in line went to his second son, Quentin. Rumors spread around the Rings that the Marquis was sick and dying or that he was too busy with his surviving two wives, Diane and Evelyn. Only a select few knew it was because of grief. Marquis Naberius, one of the most powerful demons of Hell, was grieving over the loss of his third wife, Melissa, Jericho's mother. 

"Master Jericho!"

Jericho was spared his thoughts about his departed mother by Harrison slamming his hands on his desk. Jericho yipped in shock, quickly turning to the angry imp.

"Have you heard anything I've said, sir?" Harrison asked, tapping his claws on the desk. 

Jericho took a moment to catch his breath before answering. "You were saying that if the Plains of Elusian had been held by Ba'als army, Lucifer might not have made it to the area that is now Pentagram City, one of his main sources of power," Jericho answered confidently. 

Harrison creased his eyebrows before pushing off the desk. Putting his hands behind his back, he said, "Well, at least you are paying attention." 

"I wasn't paying attention," Jericho thought, "That's a point you always bring up in your little rants."

Suddenly, the door to the classroom was opened. A tiger demon in a black suit walked in. "Excuse me, sir," he said to Harrison, "but the Marquis is calling for his son." 

"Tell the Marquis I'm busy with my studies," Jericho said quickly. 

The guard and Harrison looked stunned. The guard groaned, "Please don't play this game, sir. You know your father doesn't-"

"You're right," Jericho snapped, "I do know my father. Now please, go and tell him."

The guards slumped his shoulders and he left with a quick bow. Harrison sat at his desk and said, "Master Jericho, I wish you wouldn't be like this. You know your father can't-"

This time, Jericho interrupted by holding his finger up. He knew what was going to happen and he counted on it. After a few minutes, Jericho's hellphone rang. Smiling, Jericho answered, "Hey, Dad."

A deep, gravelly voice answered, "Don't 'hey, Dad,' me. You know I hate talking on this thing." 

Jericho shook his head, "I know, Dad, but you need to step into the 21st century. We've had hellphones for years. It's time you learned how to use one. I'm just trying to help you." 

Naberius chuckled, "I keep forgetting that you get your mother's stubborn kind of help." 

Jericho gave a small laugh himself, "Yeah, Mom always knew what someone needed whether they wanted it or not. Anyway, what's up?"

Naberius said, "I've called you and your brothers to the throne room. I need to tell everyone else what we talked about." 

Jericho felt the bottom of his stomach drop. He said, "Are you sure you can't tell them later? Like after I leave?" 

"I do wish I could do that son," Naberius said, "but this decision affects the whole castle. They need to be told and you need to be there."

Jericho sighed. He knew his father wouldn't want to put him in this situation, but he had no choice. Jericho said, "Sure thing, Dad. I'm on my way." 

Standing, he turned to Harrison saying, "Sorry to leave, Harrison, but Dad wants me."

Harrison shook his head, "I wish you'd speak to your father with more respect."

"I speak to him with love and that counts more," Jericho said. 

Jericho left the classroom and headed towards his room. He knew this was an important talk and decided to show up wearing more than a red t-shirt and worn out bluejeans. Quickly changing into a formal blue shirt, black jacket and pants with black dress shoes, he made his way towards the throne room. Normal families had family meetings in their living room or kitchen. For his family, they had royal discussions in their throne room with as much pomp and circumstance you'd imagine. He stood outside the door and waited to be called in. He took a moment to preen himself a little more before nodding to the guard. The guard nodded back, turned, and knocked on the door. When it opened, Jericho slowly walked inside. He looked up at where the four thrones sat and saw his father and step mothers. In the front on a lower step was three small thrones with only two people sitting in them. 

On the right was Evelyn Goetia, who proudly sat up straight with her break almost pointing straight up. The Dove demon wore an elegant black dress that contrasted her pure white feathers and a small tiara set upon her head with an emerald set in its center. She held a small decorative fan closed in her hands, as if ready to use it to hit someone. Her almost cruel stare followed Jericho into the center of the room. He remembered his father telling him she was arranged to marry him as a peace offering. 

On the left was Diane Goetia, whose brown dress was more of a set of light armor. The breastplate was adorned with her ancestral crest, a falcon soldier in red and gold leaf standing with a spear. Her feathers each had a touch of red on the ends. The Falcon demon's very presence seemed threatening, as if she was ready to swing her trusty sword at a moment's notice. Diane's cold, calculating eyes were also on Jericho, her talons clutched the armrests of her throne. He knew Diane hated him and why, so he tried not to shrink in her gaze. Jericho was sure that his father regretted marrying her, even if her family's lands were a necessary trade route during the war that needed protection. While Evelyn could be kind when the situation warranted it, Diane was always a heartless woman who didn't care for anyone except herself. 

Jericho stood before his stepmothers and looked up behind them. Sitting in a large throne a step above his wives was Marquis Naberius. He wore a white formal dress shirt with a blue jacket with a black belt to close it's his waist. Two out of his three dog heads were facing front, their black ears and brown eyes at attention. The middle head however had his ears down with a sad look in his eyes, staring at the empty throne in the center. His third and most cherished wife was Melissa. She had loved him before she ever knew who he was, unlike his other wives she married him for love. 

Jericho smiled and nodded to his father who did so back. Suddenly, the doors opened again and this time two demons came in together. Looking over his shoulder, Jericho wasn't surprised to see his brothers, but was surprised at what they were wearing. 

Quentin was decked out in his full suit of armor. The shiny steel armor almost clung to his massive form. Obsidian gems lined the arms while gleaming rubies sat on the knuckles of his gloves. The chest plate was polished to silvery perfection. Under his arm, he carried a gleaming helmet with red and gold painted feathers on top. "Thank Satan he was smart enough to hold his helmet," Jericho thought.

Jericho was holding back laughter which became harder when he looked at what his other brother, Xavier, was wearing. He looked like he had walked out of a painting of ancient Italy. He had on a royal blue vest and shirt, with a brown satchel hanging off his side. He had a plumed cap sitting on the side of his head while holding a small red book. The Dove demon wore his glasses on the tip of his beak, barely staying on since he had his head bowed in reverence. 

Once all three brothers stood before their parents, they knelt on one knee. Together, they asked, "You sent for us, Father?"

Naberius nodded and said, "I did. Rise my sons. I have news for you."

Jericho braced himself for the inevitable shitstorm. He knew it was coming, but he had hoped he wouldn't be here for it. 

Naberius said, "I've decided that soon I will stand down as Marquis. The weight on my heart is too heavy to rule properly."

Diane and Evelyn clenched slightly. The prideful women wanted to scream and shout, but duty came first so they stayed quiet. 

"All of you have shown tremendous skill in ruling one aspect of our kingdom." Naberius continued, "Quentin, I don't know the methods you are using to train our men, but moral and discipline seem better. Good work, my son." 

Quentin's swollen chest almost burst through his armor. There was a good reason everything was going better. Quentin's training included him beating a random subordinate half to death and threatening everyone else with similar "training accidents." His father would punish Quentin severely if he knew, but as Quentin himself would say, "What the old dog doesn't know won't hurt me."

"Xavier, the people are safe and relations with our neighbors are at their best. Thank you for your good work," Naberius said. 

Xavier bowed at his waist, causing his glasses to fall off his beak. Fluttering quickly, he caught them before they hit the floor. Jericho felt sick watching him because he knew it was all an act. Xavier prided himself in his acting. Playing a careless fool made spying and negotiation easy. The target would lower their guard enough for Xavier to strike. Using his helpless disguise, Xavier could learn and use everything against his target. Xavier had most of the surrounding nobles in his pocket. As for the citizens,  they were no better off than they were. Xavier's new police force was closer to a street mob. Enforcing bogus laws and assaulting witnesses to their crimes. Xavier made sure that he also had a tight lease on his new pets. "Through bribes or blackmail, everyone will kneel," he would say. 

Naberius smiled and said, "And you, Jericho. Despite your lack of control over your powers your work on keeping the castle's magic defences up has kept us all safe. I'm proud of you, my son." 

Jericho smiled back. His magical powers were great, but controlling them was still an issue. Any spell he tried would take way more concentration than it should. A simple fire ball would eat most of his energy. Stolas told him it was a conflict between his mind and his heart, but that couldn't be it. He wanted to help his father with all his heart and soul. Of course, it wasn't his magic that was his problem right now. It was what he knew his father would say next.

He brought it on himself. He knew that. He'd begged his father for months to make it happen. He just hoped he would say yes and leave it at that, not make it a public announcement. It must have been that vindictive bitch Evelyn who convinced his father to do this in open court. 

"One day, I will choose one of you to lead. The other two will act as his advisers," Naberius said to his sons, "Quentin and Xavier, you both have done exceptional work and I expect great things from you both. Now you, Jericho," 

"Here it comes," Jericho thought.

"To help you improve your magical skills, I've decided to send you to live with Prince Stolas," Naberius said, slamming the last nail into Jericho's coffin. 

Quentin almost dropped his helmet and Xavier's composure was ruffled. Jericho could almost feel their glares. Those two had always hated Jericho. He knew he should've asked his father to let him leave first. As it was, he was sure he'd get it eventually. 

Evelyn stood and said, "Don't you dare think this is a vacation. We are expecting progress. If the prince tells us you have been slacking off, you will be punished. Do not disappoint us, mongrel."

"Evelyn!"

She turned and glared at her husband. She huffed, raised her beak into the air, and left the room. Diane almost followed, but was more honorable and decided to support her husband's decision even if she didn't like it. Naberius watched as his first wife left. He had a feeling she'd be angry, but not like this. Both his wives were always telling him he favored Jericho, that he loved him more than his other sons. That wasn't true. He loved all his children equally. They were also jealous of his love for Melissa, his third wife. They had hated her when she was alive and they hated her now that she was gone. Of course, it wasn't just the love he had for Melissa that made them hate her. It was also the fact she wasn't like them at all. She was poor. She was common. She was a hellhound. 

Naberius looked at Jericho and briefly thought about how much he looked like his mother. He was tall with coal gray fur covering most of him. His muzzle and underbelly were a lighter grey with flecks of black around. His red eyes shone against the darkness of his fur. Like most hellhounds, Jericho was slim and quick on his feet which he'd proven more then once in his sword training. He knew Jericho could be a great leader, but he lacked the ambition to lead and rule. He supposed Jericho was still grieving for his mother like he was. 

Naberius said, " While I disagree with her phrasing, your stepmother is telling the truth. We will be in contact with you and Prince Stolas about your progress. You may leave whenever you'd like. I wish you luck, my son. You all may go now."

The brothers bowed and left the throne room together. As they left, Diane turned to Naberius and said, "I don't see why you're still babying that hellhound, Naberius. My mother forced my siblings to fight to survive for years before she'd even acknowledge us as her own."

"That's why you're an only child now," Naberius said, walking towards the door himself. 

Diane huffed, "My brother Hector and I set an example for our younger siblings. If they were too weak to meet it, it would hardly be our fault." 

“And when you and Hector dueled for the right to marry, I'm sure you took it as a sign of weakness when he refused to fight you? You couldn’t let a little thing like familial love get in the way of strength, am I right, dear?” 

Diane didn't answer. She turned away from her husband as he left. Naberius slowly walked towards his room, wondering what to do to please his wives. He rarely ever saw his second wife happy unless she was in battle. Her bloodlust would never be quenched. Her military mind and cold blooded tactics had been useful once, but now that things have calmed some, she can get very annoying. Evelyn at least had hobbies and things to do around the castle. Her beautiful paintings lined most of the halls and her bed chamber. She even socialized with other royals and had many friends. It seemed her home life was what troubled her. Naberius wondered if he truly was a failure as a husband and a father and if his sons had similar problems he didn’t know about. 

Meanwhile, Jericho was scurrying to grab everything he could. The second he and his brothers had left the throne room, he'd bolted for his room. It surprised him that Quentin hadn't tried to catch him, but that didn't matter now. He just wanted to grab what he could, knowing his brothers would destroy anything he left. Satisfied with his triple check of the room, Jericho pulled out his hellphone and dialed. He hoped he could escape without dealing with whatever his brothers had planned for him. Soon enough, Stolas answered with a cheery, “Hello, Jeri! How has your day been?” 

“I’ll be much better Uncle Stolas if you’d open a portal and get me outta here,” Jericho said quickly. 

“Very well, my boy,” Stolas said, “Just head to the castle gardens and I’ll open the portal there.” 

Jericho felt his heart stop. “The gardens?” He asked, “Can’t you open it in my room” 

Stolas said, “Well, no. The protection spells on the castle are too strong for any kind of transportation magic. You need to be just outside their circle for me to open a portal.” 

Jericho signed. He looked out his door to see if anyone was outside. He said, “Okay, Uncle Stolas. I'm in my room now. Can you get the portal ready before I reach the gardens? I want to leave ASAP.” 

“I don’t understand your rush, but all right. I’ll have it ready before you arrive,” Stolas said, “See you soon, Jeri.” 

Jericho hung up his phone and braised himself. Xavier and Quinten were sure to try and catch him before he left. If he was quiet enough and quick enough, he could make a beeline for the gardens. Grabbing his bags, he left his room and headed down the hall. He slowly made his way downstairs into the den. He knew he could reach the gardens through there by cutting through the dining hall. Looking around, he made a run for it. Past the arm chairs in the den, over the tables and chairs of the dining hall, out the large glass door onto the elevated deck, and towards the gardens. And there it was, an open portal to Stolas’s home, a portal to freedom. Running as fast as he could with his bags, Jericho was sure he’d made it! Until…

“Gah!” Jericho yelled. Something had grabbed him by the shoulders with razor sharp talons and was carrying him upward. He looked up and shouted, “Dammit, Quentin! Put me down!” 

The Falcon demon had taken off his armor and was now wearing what he’d had on before his father’s summons, a grey hoodie with no sleeves with black denim pants. Quinten smirked. He said, “If you’re sure, mutt, here.” 

And he let Jericho go...several stories above the ground! Jericho screamed! He started to try to work his magic. Pulse magic to break his fall? The shockwave could kill him. Wind magic to slow his descent? A gust strong enough to save him would more than likely rip him to shreds. Try to aim for the portal and hope for the best? FUCK! Jericho couldn’t think! He flailed his arms, trying desperately to maybe summon some wings like his father. Just as the ground was getting close, Quinten caught him, steadied him, dropped him into one of Xavier’s rose bushes. Jericho screamed again as he tumbled deep into the bushes. The thorns hurt like Hell, but at least he was alive. He suddenly heard someone talking. “Oh, look. A dirty stray has wandered into my rose bush,” the voice said. 

Jericho groaned as he slowly pulled himself from the bush. 

Xaiver had also changed his clothes. He was now wearing a button up black shirt with black dress pants, his glasses now pushed high into his beak. He was sitting in a deck chair doodling in his little red book. “It’s a shame, really. I had thought you would be house trained by now, dog,” he said, not even looking up from his doodling. 

Pulling free from the bush, Jericho growled, “Fuck you, Xavier.” 

“Hey, that’s no way to talk to a future Marquis,” Quinten said, slapping his arm around Jericho’s shoulder. He walked them closer to Xavier, saying “It’s that right, future Marquis Xavier?” 

Xavier looked up to Quentin, “Oh yes, future Marquis Quinten. As one future Marquis to another, we should show some respect to one another. Isn’t that right, future Marquis Jericho?”

Jericho lowered his head, “I’ve told you both a hundred times I don’t want to be the Marquis! Hell, Xavier's the oldest! He should be the heir."

“Then why bother with this training father’s having Prince Stolas give you?” Xavier asked, “If he’s not training you to be the next Marquis, then what is it? Fetching a stick? Rolling over? Holding still while he balances a hot dog on your nose?” 

Jericho tried to pull himself from Quentin’s grip, but as he did Quentin said, “Oh, I think I know one we can help teach him. Playing dead!” 

Suddenly, Quentin swung his fist hard into Jericho’s stomach. Jericho fell to the ground hacking and coughing, the wind completely knocked out of him. Two swift kicks followed into Jericho's lower back. As he wheezed and coughed, Jericho suddenly felt a clawed foot on the side of his head. 

“Yeah, that’s where you belong, mutt. On the ground kissing our feet,” Quentin said.  

There was a sound of paper ripping and Jericho looked up. In his face was a drawing of Naberius, walking Jericho on a leash. Jericho glared up at Xavier. Xavier smiled and said, “Regardless of the reason, it seems the old man has decided he doesn’t need a pet anymore. So take the hint.” 

He crumpled the picture and threw it in Jericho’s face, “Don’t bother coming back.” 

Xavier turned and walked back towards the castle. Quentin lifted his foot from Jericho's head and laughed. He turned towards Jericho’s bags and picked up a shovel that one of the gardeners had left out. Jericho tried to stop him, but he was still too weak to stand. Quentin swung the shovel over and over again, breaking everything he could in the bags. Once he was satisfied with the damage, he turned to Jericho and laughed again. He too left towards the house. Jericho slowly made his way to one of the bags. He unzipped it and ruffled around inside. He pulled out a broken picture frame. He was relieved the picture inside it wasn’t damaged. The picture was of himself as a baby in the arms of his mother, Melissa. She was smiling wide holding him close. Behind her was Naberius in his three headed dog form, all three heads smiling wide. They were dressed in royal clothes, but Jericho remembered his mother never liked dressing up like that. This picture was special though. It was taken on Jericho’s first birthday. Jericho felt tears grow in his eyes as he remembered his mother. Her kind words, her loving hugs, and even her occasional angry outburst. He missed her so much. Part of him wondered what she’d think of him now, a living doormat for his brothers. 

Wiping away the tears in his eyes, Jericho pulled the picture from the frame. He tossed the frame aside and folded up the picture. He zipped up the bag and stood. He brushed himself off, picked up his bags, and made his way towards the portal. He worried a little about his broken things, but he was sure Stolas had some kind of mending spell….or at least glue. He looked at the castle once last time. He sighed and thought, “Well, I guess this is goodbye.”  

Jericho turned and walked through the portal. He found himself standing in Stolas’s front hall. He called out, “Hello?” 

“Ah, Jeri!” Stolas said, coming in from another room, “I was wondering what was keeping you. How-Good Gracious! Jeri, what’s happened to you?!” 

Stolas ran towards his nephew and looked over his scraps and cuts. Jericho said, “I had a run in with an angry rose bush.” 

Stolas raised an eyebrow, “A rose bush? Unless they’re carnivorous, roses aren't known for their predatory nature. What happened?” 

Jericho shrugged, “Nothing. I just fell in.” 

Stolas scowled, but didn’t press further. Having dealt with Octavia’s stubborn teenage quiet, he knew better then to try to force it out of him.“All right, let’s get you patched up. You can leave your bags there. They’ll be brought up to your room. Diner should be ready soon.” 

Jericho followed Stolas out of the main hall. As he walked, Jericho smiled and thought, “Things are already starting to look up.” 

Meanwhile, in Imp City, another hellhound was having different thoughts. 

“SHIT! PISS! COCK! FUCK!” 

Loona wasn’t happy at all. Well, she normally wasn’t but this was different. She’d been left at the I.M.P. office…. AGAIN! She stomped around the office, flinging chairs everywhere. Why the fuck did the need her there anyway? Receptionist, shit. That’s what answering machines and voice mails are for! They didn’t fucking need to keep her here! She could go with them and kill some fuckers! They could open the portals in the Human world so they didn’t need a babysitter to open them here in Hell. So, why wouldn’t Blitzø let her go? She’d shown him she could be useful during Spring Break! So why won’t....

Loona put down the chair in her hands and sat in it. She laid her head down on the table and sighed. She knew why she wasn’t allowed to come with them. That stupid shit that happened at Spring Break. Fuck! Over a year ago and she was still kicking herself over it. She’d made such an ass out of herself, drooling over Vortex and stumbling over her words like a fucking tweeny bitch...And….well....maybe it also had something to do with what she’d said to Blitzø on the beach. As overprotective Blitzø was, he really did care for Loona. She thought when he first adopted her he was going to try to make her a pet or sex slave, but he really just wanted a daughter. He never tried any creepy sex shit or anything else she expected. She never really got why he chose her, but she was grateful to him. He made sure she had food and a home. He let her go out and do whatever she wanted as long as she let him know about it. Blitzø even gave her the job in the first place. Thinking farther back on that day, she did almost call Blitzø "dad.” After just a few short years, was she really starting to think of him as her father? 

Suddenly, her hellphone rang. Loona answered, “Yeah, Blitzø?” 

“OPEN THE PORTAL! OPEN THE PORTAL! OPEN! THE! PORTAL!!!” came the frantic screams of Blitzø.

Growling at her ear being screamed into, but moving quickly nonetheless, Loona snatched up the grimoire and opened it. Quickly, she opened the portal and Blitzø, Millie, and Moxxie dove in followed by a hail of bullets. Loona quickly closed the portal as the angry yelling of men grew closer. She looked over their latest disguises and chuckled. They were all wearing Hawaiian shirts with Khaki pants and sun hats. Loona walked over to Blitzø’s prone figure, “So, didja get him?” 

Blitzø quickly stood up and began brushing himself off. “Well, of course we got em Loony,” Blitzø said, “What else do you expect but perfection with my plans.”

“Oh, I don’t know, sir,” Moxxie said, standing up from the floor and helping Millie up with him, “Maybe next time we can get ALL the target's guards to try and kill us at once?!"

Millie began straightening Moxxie’s bowtie, saying “Now Mox, it wasn’t that bad. We took out most of them before they regrouped.” 

Blitzø said, “Yeah, Mox. Genius doesn’t have a liner plan. Gotta think outside the box sometimes. Good ideas alone don’t make a plan perfect.” 

“Dressing up as lost tourists and trying to get into a Columbian drug lords compound was NOT A GOOD IDEA!” Moxxie screamed. 

"Well, it was my idea for you to throw that grenade belt you grabbed,"  Blitzo said, a smug smile on his face as he tossed off his sun hat. 

Moxxie replied, "You were complaining that I grabbed in the first place, sir." 

"Well, yeah, cause we didn't need it at the time. Jeez, try to keep up, Mox. Your tard brain is giving me a headache." 

"My what now?" Moxxie asked. 

"Aw, fuck it, Moxxie. Figure it out yourself," Blitzo huffed and turned to Millie, "You still got it, Mills?"

"Right here, boss!" said Millie, reaching into her pocket and pulling something out. She tossed it at Blitzo and he caught it with ease.

He looked at the solid gold tie clip with the engraving, MDR, and smiled, "One tie clip equals proof of dead target ads 20% to our price! Base mathematics." 

Moxxie looked at his wife who looked just as confused. Shaking his head, Moxxie asked, "Shall I call the client, sir?" 

"Naw, Moxxie, I'll take care of it." Blitzo said, turning to Loona. 

He asked, "Any calls, Loonie?"

The hellhound shrugged her shoulders and said, "Not one, Blitzo."

"All righty! It's just about quitting time anyway, so you guys can head home. I got some shit I wanna wrap up around here so you guys can borrow my van. Just be sure to leave it with a full tank." Blitzo said, smiling. 

"Your gas tank is empty, sir. That's why we all took the bus to work today," Moxxie said, clearly not in the mood for anymore of Blitzo's BS. 

"Fuckin shit, Moxxie, I gotta explain gas stations to you too?" Blitzo grumbled. 

Moxxie was about to shout, but Millie stepped in, "We'll just take the bus again, Blitzo. Mox and I got plans at home tonight."

Moxxie smiled at his wife as they walked towards the door. Blitzo quickly ran up behind them and pulled them to him. 

"Oh, great!" Blitzo said, excitedly, "So, what's on the schedule for tonight?"

"Nothing that has anything to do with you, sir," Moxxie said, pushing Blitzo off him and Millie. 

Millie waved at Loona and said, "See ya, Loona! Have fun at that hound party on Saturday!" 

"HOUND PARTY?!" Blitzo shouted, turning to Loona, "What fuckin hound party?" 

Loona looked scared for a split second before growling at Millie. Millie smiled and flipped her off as she and Moxxie left. Moxxie kissed his brilliant wife on the cheek as the door closed. Loona huffed and said, " It's just a party, Blitzo. I've gone to hundreds before and you didn't get this pissed." 

"But at this party you could be passed around like a bad joint. I don't want that to happen to you!" Blitzo angrily said. 

Loona groaned and ran her hand through her hair, "It's not a gang bang, Blitzo. It's just a bunch of hell hounds getting together to drink and hangout." 

Blitzo scowled, "Is that guy, Vortex, gonna be there?" 

Loona growled, "I told you before he's got a girlfriend! He's not interested in me. Vortex just wants me to make friends." 

Blitzo scoffed, “Oh, yeah. ‘Friends’ with other boys maybe.”  

“For fuck’s sake, Blitzo! It’s not like you've never gone out clubbing!” Loona shouted, “I mean, that shit you’re doing is getting ready for a date, isn’t it?” 

Blitzo paled a bit there. He stammered, “Uh, what the fuck do you mean? I d-don’t have uh a date tonight.” 

Loona laughed, “I heard you talking on the phone after lunch. “Oh, I can’t wait till tonight.’ ‘I really hope you like this place I picked out.’ So, which is it, guy or girl?” 

Blitzo’s anger came back and he stomped off toward his office. He turned and said, “I’ll see you later, Loona.” 

Loona realized she’d gone too far this time. She tried to apologize, but Blitzo slammed the door to his office before she even got a word out. Groaning at her own stupidity, she grabbed her things and headed for the door. She started texting Octavia to see how she was doing. Since she met her before the Loo Loo Land incident, Octavia had been a good friend. She stopped mid-text. She started thinking about that hound party. Maybe Vortex was right. Maybe she needed some new friends. 

End of Chapter 1.

Chapter Text

"Satan damnit, Blitzo, what do you want from me? I told you I probably won't stay at the party long!" Loona said, slamming her fist on the table. 

Blitzo was still mad about the hound party Loona was going to that night, but he had decided to let her go. Not that he was fuckin happy about it! He just loved her and wanted her to have fun. Just a home. Away from boys and their dicks and STDs and all other horrible things that could happen to his Loonie Moonie. She'd just gotten rid of the syphilis, for crying out loud! 

"How long is 'long', Loona?" Blitzo asked, angrily tapping his boot, "Three hours? Four hours? 10 inches?" 

Loona groaned, "Oh, for fuck sake, Blitzo! What the fuck do I have to do to convince you it's not a sex party?!" 

"Give me something besides that Sucu-bitches bodyguards word that it's not." Blitzo said, still tapping his boot. 

"All right, how about my word, Blitzo?" Loona asked, "Isn't it worth anything?" 

Blitzo sighed and stopped tapping. He knew Loona rarely bothered lying about anything, so she was telling the truth. He didn't know much about hellhounds, he did know they usually didn't sleep around if they already had someone. It's just…. he didn't want… she was his…. Fuck it! 

"Okay, Loonie," Blitzo said, his boot started tapping away again, "Just promise me you'll be back around midnight." 

Loona shook her head. She wanted to fight that, but she decided just Blitzo okay with her going out was a win enough. Midnight was ridiculous, but doable. "Thanks, Blitzo. I'll be back by then. And for trusting me." 

Blitzo nodded, still tapping his foot. Loona looked at Blitzo's boot and said, "Why are you still doing that?"

Blitzo shook his leg and said, "When I stopped, I started getting a charlie horse. It won't go away!" 

Loona rolled her eyes and helped Blitzo limp over to his armchair. Blitzo began to rub his calf and groan. For a second, Loona thought Blitzo might be getting too old for being an assassin. Then she wondered how old Blitzo really was. Unlike the more powerful demons who seemed to stay young forever, as the lowest of the low in Hell, Imps and Hell Hounds aged. However it was anyone's guess how old either could grow to since most die pretty quickly, either in turf wars or on Extermination Day. Whenever he was asked, Blitzo would say he was 21, but he had been saying that for several years. If she'd had to put a number on it, Loona would have to say Blitzo was-

Suddenly, Loona's hell phone rang in her pocket. She answered, "Yeah?"

"Hey, girl. You ready to have some fun?" Vortex's smooth voice said from the other line.

Loona sighed and said, "Sure. I'll be downstairs in a minute." 

Blitzo looked at Loona and said, "I take it, that was your ride?"

"Yeah, it was. I'll see you, Blitzo. You need anything before I go?" Loona asked. 

Blitzo waved her off, "Naw, I'll be fine. You go and have fun. But If any of those dipshits get too frisky, rip their dicks off for me." 

Loona chuckled. Well, if he was joking about it maybe he really was okay with her going. 

"Will do, Blitzo. Later," she said, walking out the door. 

If she had been one second slower, she would've heard him sniffle. 

As Loona walked down the stairs of the apartment building she and Blitzo lived in, she began to text Octavia. 

"If this hound party is as lame as I think it will be, do you want to hang out tonight?" she typed. 

After a moment, Octavia texted back, "Sure. My cousin is going out tonight anyway. It'll get kinda boring around here." 

Smiling, Loona text, "Okay. I'll let you know. Later." 

Loona exited the building and looked around for Vortex. She didn’t see him anywhere. She stepped down to the street and wondered if he was at the office waiting for her instead of here. Suddenly, she heard a car honk. When she turned toward it, Loona was nearly knocked over by someone squealing loudly, giving her a bone crushing hug. Loona was lifted and twirled around and dropped back into her feet. She shook her head and looked at her "attacker." It was another girl hellhound with light gray fur with silver highlights in the darker black of her hair which was styled in a short ponytail. Her claws were painted red and matched her tube top and long pants. Two golden studs earrings were on the tips of her ears, making them droop slightly. 

She smiled at Loona and said, "Oh my God, you must be Loona! Ever since Texxie told me about you, I've been dying to hook up! You really do rock that goth girl look." 

Loona's mouth hung open as she watched this girl bouncing in her high heels and wagging her tail fast enough to lift her off the ground. 

"Yeah, thanks," she said slowly. 

"What the fuck?" she thought, "She can't be Vortex's girlfriend." 

The girl grabbed Loona's hand and started pulling her away. "Come on!" she said, "Texxie's parked over here! We had to circle the block cause some jerks in a minivan came through." 

Loona looked at where the girl was pulling her and saw Vortex and a few other hellhounds in Verosika Mayday's hot pink Cadillac. When they got to it, the girl hellhound hopped in the front seat. She leaned over onto Vortex, who was driving. They nuzzled each other briefly and Vortex turned to Loona.

Vortex smiled and said, "Loona, this is my girl, Selene. The guys in the back are O-Six, Stubbe, Lonnie." 

The three Hellhounds in the back waved at Loona. Loona looked over the car and crossed her arms. 

“Verosika Mayday let you borrow her car?” She asked. 

Vortex shrugged his shoulders and said, “Surprised me too.”

Loona looked into the back and asked, "So, where am I gonna sit?" 

O-Six and Stubbe scotched over allowing a small part of the seat to be seen. Loona rolled her eyes and groaned.

"What I meant was,” Loona said, sounding pissed “Whose sitting in someone's lap so you fuckers aren't crowding me!" 

Lonnie quickly moved into Stubbe's lap, who growled and pushed him off. Selene giggled and said, "Wow, Texxie, you were right about that fire she has." 

She turned to Loona and said, "You can sit in the front seat, Loona. Texxie won't mind if I sit in his lap."

Slowly, Selene slid into Vortex's lap, straddling him and brought her arms around his shoulders. Vortex grinned and said, "It wouldn't be the first time." 

"And it won't be the last," Selene said and started making out with Vortex.

Loona looked away as she felt her cheeks get hot. She quickly made her way to the passenger side and got in. She glanced at them as Vortex and Selena kept kissing and it made her feel a little...nervous? Self conscious? What the hell was this feeling? Like she wanted to be kissed like that too, but not by Vortex. Some kinda sideways jealousy? Maybe that was it. She was jealous. She looked over at them. They had stopped kissing and now Selene had moved to sit across Vortex's lap, nuzzling under his neck. Vortex was gently rubbing her back as he nuzzled her.  Looking at them now Loona knew she was jealous. She wanted someone to hold her like that. To love her like that. A sudden mix of anger, longing, and sadness washed over Loona, but she quickly forced it down. She knew something like that rarely ever happened, especially in Hell. So if she wanted affection she'd have to settle with a quickie or maybe a one night stand cause no one would ever love her like that. Fuck, she had want to go out for a good time. Now all she wanted was a drink or seven. 

Taking a deep breath she said, "So, are we going or not?" 

Vortex looked over at Loona and said, "Yeah, we're going." 

Selene squealed, "Oh, I can't wait to get there! I pulled out all the stops for tonight! It's gonna be the biggest and best hound party ever!" 

Loona winced at Selene's almost hyper antics. As they drove off, Selene was still chattering to Loona. Loona was half listening and checked her phone. She figured that the party wouldn maybe get to this part at 10. She decided that she'd get to the party, have a few drinks, grab a guy, give him a quick lay, head out, and met up with Octavia by 10:30. She was sure her night would get better after that. 

-----

Meanwhile, Jericho was just finishing getting dressed. He had been setting up his new room for the last few days. He'd been lucky most of his CDs, games, books, and things had been repaired by Stolas. He knew how hard Quentin usually hit. He smiled as he looked around the room with his new furniture and old belongings and happily sighed. He'd done it. He escaped his problems. Now, he was going to go out and enjoy the night. He had heard about hound parties from some of the few hellhound friends he had as a child. As he grew older they actually invited him to a few, but he always said no. He didn't want to let his father down by neglecting his studying and training. Eventually, the friend grew apart from Jericho, so much so that he couldn’t even remember their names. But since he no longer had to worry about that, he decided to go and see what a hound party was like and maybe make some new friends there. A post on Voxbook showed that a massive one was happening tonight thanks to a hellhound named Selene. Jericho hoped to meet her as she was kinda cute. One last check to see if he was ready and off he went.

He walked downstairs and toward the front door when he heard a phone ring in the kitchen. Jericho headed towards the kitchen only for the ringing to stop. He shrugged his shoulders and headed back towards the door. He was just about to make it when the ringing started again. He was confused, but decided to try and answer it again. As he made it to the kitchen door the ringing stopped again.

"The hell?" Jericho said, scratching his head. He headed towards the front door again as the ringing began again. Jericho quickly ran into the kitchen this time and was greeted by a strange sight. There was his Uncle Stolas, sitting at the table in his bathrobe, smiling and watching the phone ring. Jericho watched as the phone stopped ringing again and Stolas sighed happily as he watched. 

"Uh, Uncle Stolas, what are you doing?" he asked slowly. 

Stolas looked at Jericho and said, "I'm waiting for my boyfriend to call me." 

Jericho nodded as the phone started ringing again. "Is that him now?" 

Stolas nodded, dreamily as the phone stopped ringing again. Jericho was beyond confused. He'd been shocked when he found out his Uncle and Aunt Stella were separated and he had started seeing someone new, but if it made him act like this...maybe it wasn't the best for him. I mean, here sat Stolas Goetia, one of the strongest and most respected members of the Goetia line, watching a ringing phone. Whoever this person Stolas was dating it clearly was affecting his mind. 

"If that's him calling, shouldn't you answer it?" Jericho asked slowly walking into the kitchen. 

Stolas chuckled, "I'll know when he wants me to answer." 

"Uh huh," Jericho said. He slowly sat down next to his Uncle, "So, when will he tell you to pick up?"  

Stolas chuckled and looked at his Nephew, "My Blitzy sometimes has to work up the nerve to call me. He'll want me to answer if the phone rings four times." 

Jericho looked at the phone as it started to ring again. This time he counted the rings. One...two...thr...huh. Come to think of it, Jericho hadn't heard the phone ring past its third ring. Intrigued, he started to watch the phone with his Uncle. One… two… thre… one… two… th… one… two… thr… one… two… thre...

Octavia had no idea what was going on. She had come into the kitchen for a soda and found her Father and Jericho watching the phone ring. "What the fuck are you two doing?" she asked. 

Jericho nearly jumped out of his fur, startled by Octavia's sudden question. He hadn't noticed her coming in. Stolas however smiled at his daughter and said, "Good evening, Via. How are you?"

She said, "I'm fine, Dad, but shouldn't you answer the phone?" 

"He'll know when to answer it," Jericho said, trying to steady his nerves. Fuck, he hated being scared. For a hellhound, he sure startled easily. Must be some part of the avian in him. 

Octavia looked at her cousin, curiously. Suddenly, she remembered. "Oh, wait. It's Blitzo again, isn't it?" 

Both Stolas and Jericho nodded. Shaking her head, Octavia got her soda and offered one to Jericho who took it. Opening it, Jericho took a sip and asked Octavia, "Does this happen often?" 

Sighing, Octavia said, " Yes, it does. Blitzo is a little crazy and vulgar even for Hell, but he makes my Dad act like this." 

They both looked at Stolas again, who was happily swaying his tail feathers. Jericho laughed. He'd seen people love struck, but this was almost embarrassing. He looked at Octavia and noticed she looked a little sad. Then he realized that Stolas' current happiness came at a price. He knew what it was like to lose a parent to death, but not like this. 

"How have you been? Ya know, since they separated?" he asked, quietly. 

Octavia looked up at Jericho and whispered, "It's gotten better. At first, I hated him for ruining everything. I thought his affair with Blitzo had destroyed their marriage. You remember I told you what happened at Loo Loo Land?” 

Jericho nodded, mentally noting he was happy the place had burned down. 

Octavia continued, “What I didn’t tell you is that while we were there, I broke down and told him my fears and how I was feeling and he took it to heart. After we got home, he tried to be more discreet about it. That went as well as you can imagine. Then, last month Mom and Dad had a huge fight. I don’t know what they said to each other, but after that Mom became even more distant than before. A few days later she left, without saying goodbye to me or Dad. I wanted to feel bad or angry, but I knew even then it was for the best. Mom and Dad were never really in love and they'd never really be happy together. I guess I was looking at my life through the eyes of a sheltered teenager." 

Jericho raised an eyebrow, "A 'sheltered teenager?' Didn't this all come to a head over a year ago?" 

Octavia punched his shoulder and laughed. "Okay, okay," she said, "A slightly spoiled teenager who had her status quo knocked around." 

"Slightly?" Stolas ribbed, not taking his eyes off the phone. 

"Dad!" Octavia yelled, looking a little mad. 

Jericho and Stolas laughed as Octavia crossed her arms and huffed. She was smiling so Jericho knew she was too angry with them. Then the phone rang it's fourth time. Squealing, Stolas quickly answered, walking towards the other side of the room, "Good evening, my little imp."

"Anyway," Octavia continued, ``It took a while, but I realized that Dad didn’t start his affair with Blitzo to hurt anyone. He did it because he wanted to be happy and for better or worse, Blitzo makes him happy." 

Jericho nodded. He remembered how happy his Dad was with his Mom until… Jericho quickly shook that train of thought from his mind. He asked, "Do you know if you're Mom's seeing anybody?"

Octavia frowned, "Well, something's haven't changed since the separation. Mom and I still don't talk much. I kinda hoped the time apart might bring us closer, but rarely answers my calls. And when she does she's very evasive about how she's doing." 

"Maybe she doesn't want Stolas to know what she's doing? Maybe she thinks you're only calling because he asks you to?" Jericho asked.

Octavia sighed and said, "Or maybe now that she doesn't have to be around me anymore she wants nothing to do with me." 

Jericho shook his head, "No, that can't be it. As mean as she could be at times, she's still your Mom. Hey, do you remember your eighth birthday?" 

Octavia looked confused and asked, "What about it?" 

"Remember how they had the giant bouncy house and it was too crowded for you and a few other kids to play in? You were so upset that your Mom immediately had some servants go and get a second one." Jericho said, smiling. 

Octavia waved him off, saying "That was just her wanting to shut me up." 

Jericho nudged her shoulder and said, "You would believe that if you saw her smiling at you while you played in it." 

Octavia asked, "She was really smiling?" 

Jericho nodded, smiling. He remembered that day very well. It was one of the last family parties before… Damnit, he had to stop thinking about that! He was trying to comfort Octavia, not bring up his own bad memories. 

Standing, Jericho said, "Speaking of parties, I've got one of my own to go to." 

Octavia nodded, looking a little better at least. Jericho tossed his empty soda in the trash and headed out. As he passed Stolas, he noticed he looked concerned about something. He was still on the phone but it looked like whatever Blitzo was telling him was serious. He decided not to pry though. He knew it was none of his business. He smiled and waved goodbye to Stolas anyway who gave a smile and a brief wave back. Jericho walked outside and headed away from Stolas's castle. He knew where he was going and if he hurried he could find a cab to take him there by about 10:15 or so. The post about the hound party said it would be at…

-----

The Desecrator's Bar on the corner of Blacken Sky Drive and Dead Carcass Lane near the outskirts of Imp City. Loona had been inside a few times and knew the giant bar was mainly for show. Built as a warehouse by sinner bootleggers in the 20s, it was supposed to be the center of their new criminal empire in Hell. However, distilling booze in Hell was more dangerous than they thought. Most blew themselves up trying to make something that didn't liquefy their customers insides. Others stupidity tried to attack an overlord to steal his territory and resources. They didn't die quickly or painlessly. It had been abandoned for a few years until it was… taken by the Radio Demon. He found the story of the building funny and decided to reopen it as a bar. Most were too scared to go there until during one of the Radio Demons broadcasts he told everyone that they were welcome with an ad for the place. After that, it became a place where sinners, imps, and hellhounds could go to drink and try to forget their problems. In recent years though, it seemed like the Radio Demon had either lost interest in the place or something because while the place still had regular customers, it also started catering events more modern than the Radio Demon liked. The latest "owner" catered to parties and large groups of demons of all kinds. What went on in the bar and who was allowed in seemed to change weekly. This week, younger sinner demons, imps, and hellhounds made it a regular hangout to get drunk, get high, or get fucked, sometimes all at the same time. 

Loona followed Vortex and the others inside and was honestly impressed by what she saw. There were three different dance floors filled with different looking hellhounds of different ages. One dance floor had an imp DJ that was playing techno music with hellhounds moving almost as one in a giant crowd. Another had a live punk rock band playing loudly on a raised platform with dancing hellhounds underneath. The last seemed to have had a country theme, but it had been torn apart and made into a kind of gathering area to get away from the loud music and crowds of the other two dance floors. The dance floors were surrounding a large circular bar with a few imps and hellhounds serving drinks to the crowd. As Loona looked over the crowds, she was once again tackled/hugged by Selene. 

Selene smiled wide and said, "Well, Loona, what do you think?" 

Loona pushed Selene off of her and said, "Not gonna lie. This is pretty impressive. How'd you manage to get all this together?" 

"Oh, the owner is a friend of Miss Mayday. Texxie asked her for a favor and she asked the owner if we could rent it tonight!" Selene said, sounding very excited, “The DJ and the band have performed for my hound parties before. They like the exposure.”  

Loona nodded, “This is pretty cool.” 

Selene giggled and wagged her tail again, seemingly happy for Loona’s praise. She closed in on Loona and asked, "So, how wet were you for my Texxie?" 

Loona's eyes widened and she felt like her heart had stopped. She managed to squeak out a small, "Huh?" 

Selene said, "He told me you got flustered easy, but this is too cute! Come on. I know how hot my boyfriend is, but I want a second opinion. So?" 

Loona stuttered as her face grew deep red. She’d never been put on the spot like this. Was Selene fucking with her or did she honestly want to know? Selene inched closer and said, "Aw, come on. You don't have to be so shy. I bet you fantasized about him on that beach." 

Loona's ear dropped, "Uh…" 

Selene continued, "Imagined those big strong paws of his holding onto your ass as he pounds you into the sand." 

Loona felt her heart beating out of her chest and as she began to sweat. 

She tried to look away as Selene got closer to her face, "Pounding that big...thick...dick of his until he hits your womb. Do you want that, Lulu?" 

Loona froze in place as Selene draped her arms around her shoulders. Selene looked into Loona's eyes with a sultry look. 

"Uuhh...I...uuh," Loona said, trying to get her mouth working again. 

Selene whispered, "Cause I have and I have been dropping hints to Texxie about having a threesome. So, how about it? You wanna be my pet for a night?" 

Loona didn’t know what to do! Selene was getting dangerously close to kissing her. 

Loona stammered, "I...un...i….iiiiiIIII NEED A DRINK!"

Quickly, Loona broke away from Selene and headed straight for the bar. Selene laughed, "Oh, Satan, I was right. She’s gonna be so much fun." 

“Ok, what the actual FUCK!” Loona thought. She made it to the brightly light bar and leaned against it, trying to stop her heart from bursting. “First, why the fuck am I acting like this again?! I’m not some mousy teen virgin. I”m a grown ass woman. I’ve had sex before. I shouldn’t be acting like this. Second, why the fuck was Selene offering me a turn with Vortex? I thought coupled hellhounds didn’t do shit like that?!”

Fuck, she wished the orphanage she grew up in had at least one other hellhound in it so she knew this shit. The best she had to work with were websites that almost seemed to contradict each other about what hellhounds were like. Loona hated to admit it, but she knew very little about her own kind having spent most of her life surrounded by imps. From what she could figure out, her parents had been killed on an Extermination Day and she had been taken in by the orphanage at 3 years old. Loona sighed as an imp bartender walked up. 

“What can I get for you, miss?” he said, “How about a Damned Apptini?”

Without even looking up Loona said, “Rusty Screwdriver or whatever you can make fast and dirty.” 

Bartender nodded and walked off to make her drink. Loona leaned against the bar and thought back to her childhood at the orphanage. Surrounded by imps who either hated her for being a hellhound or loved her for it. It wasn’t really bad at first, but as more of the imp children were either adopted or left, Loona realised something was wrong. She began asking why no hellhound couples came for her and she was always told that no hellhounds ever came to adopt anyone. Loona was crushed but decided she’d be fine with an imp family. Years went by and she still wasn’t adopted by anyone. Family after family came and she was never chosen. Her sadness quickly turned to rage. She knew now she was alone and she might as well get used to it. Life had fucked her over so she decided to fuck it right back. She started leaving the orphanage to steal what she wanted. Food, booze, video games, whatever she wanted she took. However, leaving the orphanage soon became breaking out of the orphanage when she was finally caught.  Then one day, Blitzo came and her whole life changed. 

The honest reason why she wanted to start coming to these hound parties in the first place was to meet more hellhounds.. She wanted to know more about other hellhounds and maybe make some friends in person as opposed to online. But as Loona looked around the crowds, she was starting to get the feeling that this might’ve been a bad idea. The bartender returned and set down her drink. She nodded and took a sip. Yep, Rusty Screwdriver...a damn good one too. Well, maybe tonight wouldn’t be so ba-

“YIP!” Loona shrieked, nearly dropping her drink. Some fucker had his paw under her tail! She turned around and saw a guy hellhound in bluejeans and a torn leather jacket and shades. 

He smiled at Loona and said, “Hey, pretty girl. I saw you come in with that hottie Selene. You wanna try swinging the other way for a night?” 

Loona set her drink down, turned to the hellhound and smiled. 

-----

Jericho was impressed by the setup of the dance floors, but a little sad to see that the country dance floor had been trashed. He wasn’t a huge country fan, but he always liked hearing new music. He’d been dancing on the techno floor for a while and decided to walk through the crowded ex-counrty dance floor to see if he could start talking to anyone. A nice conversation would be kinda fun right now. One his way through, he glanced over at the bar when he heard a shriek. There he saw her. A beautiful hellhound girl with long flowing hair cut short on one side and swept over the other exposing her slightly torn ear. Her black mini skirt and grey crop top clung to her slender body. The bright lights from the bar seemed to give her an ethereal glow. Jericho couldn't take his eyes off her. She was beautiful. She was amazing. She was …. starting to kick the shit out of some guy at the bar. 

-----

After giving the prick a well deserved nut shot and a hard right cross, Loona was now kicking this fuckers writhing body into the ground. 

“Listen up, douchebag!” she yelled, “Touch me again and I’ll rip your fucking arm off and shove it up your ass sideways!” 

Another hellhound came up, “Hey, bitch! Be grateful anyone wants to touch your shanky ass!” 

“Fuck you!” Loona yelled, grabbing a drink of the bar and smashing the glass into his face. Wait fuck, was that? Aw, damnit, it was! That was her drink! Fuck, she wanted to finish that. She turned to the bartender to order another when a third hellhound grabbed her. 

“You’re gonna pay for that, bitch!” he growled. 

Loona growled back until he heard Vortex from behind her, “I think it’s time to back off, buddy.”

“Good,” Loona thought, “Maybe the sight of Vortex will make these guys back off.” 

-----

Jericho started pushing through the crowd towards her. He could see this was getting out of hand. Two hellhounds had already attacked her, it was only a matter of time before..Shit, he was right! That big hellhound with a scar over his eye was coming up from behind! He was gonna jump her! Thinking quickly, he snatched someone's beer bottle and hurled it at the large hellhound. It hit the large hellhound in the head, shattering and bringing him down. Fuck, yes! Fuck, no! The girl looked behind her to see what had happened! The other two hellhounds took the opportunity and tried to jump her. Suddenly, Jericho was grabbed and punched himself, knocking him down.

“That was my beer, ashole!” he heard someone say. 

Not wanting to leave the girl without any help, Jericho quickly picked himself up and continued towards the bar where the girl looked like she was trying to hold her own against her attackers. He had to hurry!

-----

“Well, this shit had soured quick.” Loona thought, “First, these jackasses start bothering me, then Vortex gets hit with a beer bottle, now it looks like I’m not gonna get another drink.” 

She was swinging at these two fuckers, but they blocked all her punches and kicks. She’d stopped their hits too, but this was getting boring. She'd been taking it easy on them cause they were just drunk jackasses. If she had any hope of getting that drink, she'd have to step up her game. She was about to start whaling on them when a large cloud of smoke surrounded the bar. Loona and everyone else started coughing hard as the smoke filled their lungs. Suddenly, Loona was grabbed by the arm and pulled away from the bar. Still choking a little on the smoke, Loona opened her eyes as saw someone was pulling her out of the bar and into an alleyway. Loona got a quick look at the guy who had her. It was another hellhound dressed pretty well. He was leading them all over, out the other side of the alley and down a street, into another alley until they finally stopped. Loona coughed again, trying to catch her breath.

Jericho caught his breath and smiled. He did it! He saved her! He looked at her and saw her back was to him. 

"Well," he said, "I don't think anyone followed us. My smoke spell should be clearing up by now. But that was still close. Are you ok, miss?" 

Jericho expected a "Thank you," a "Thanks," or maybe a "I appreciate your help." What he didn't expect was the girl to turn around fast and punch him dead in the nose. Jericho fell back onto some trash cans, groaning and holding his nose. He looked up to see her furiously glaring down at him with her hands on her hips.

"What the fuck do you want?" Loona said.

Jericho was confused. Why was she so mad? As he pulled himself out of the trash, he said "I was helping you."

Loona scoffed, "I didn't need any help, asswipe. Those guys weren't shit, just like you." 

Jericho was getting pissed now. "If I hadn't helped you those guys could've killed you or worse." 

"Or I could've finished kicking their drunk asses and had a drink myself." Loona said, rolling her eyes, "Besides there were only three of them."

Jericho stood, "Four of them." 

Loona raised her eyebrow and asked, "What?" 

Jericho gave her a smug smile. Now, she'll be appreciative, he thought. 

He said, "There was that fourth big hellhound coming up from behind you. If I hadn't thrown that beer bottle-"

Suddenly, Loona grabbed Jericho by the shirt and pinned him to the wall of the alley. 

“THAT WAS YOU?! She shouted. 

Shrinking under her anger, Jericho hesitantly said, “Y-yeah…” 

Loona growled, “He was my friend, fuckwad! He was trying to scare the fuckers off.” 

Jericho winced. He’d really fucked up bad. “I uh...thought he was gonna… he didn’t...ah Fuck, I'm sorry. I was-” 

Loona tossed him back into the trash cans. She turned and started walking out of the alley. This dipshit may have ruined her night, but he wasn’t worth her time anymore. 

Jericho said from the trash heap, “--just trying to help.” 

Jericho felt like a complete idiot. He was starting to think maybe Quinten and Xavier were right. Maybe he was worthless. He certainly felt like it now. He thought about maybe going back to the bar and apologizing, but that would probably end with a harder ass kicking. Groaning, Jericho pulled himself out of the trash and brushed himself off. He put his hands in his pockets and headed out of the alley. He decided to go back to Stolas’s mansion and hide in his room until he died. Or at least until breakfast. 

-----

Loona scowled. Her night out had been fucked because of some knight-in-shining-armor dickhead. Well, she might as well head home and drink there. At least Blitzo would be happy she was home early. As she walked, she pulled out her phone to text him. She saw she had an old message from Octavia. 

“How’s the party? Stupid as you thought?” it read. 

Loona texted back, “Yeah, it’s been a shit night. I’ll tell you about it later. I don’t feel like hanging out anymore. I’ll text you later” 

Loona checked the time. 10:47. She could take a cab and get home, but maybe Blitzo could send a portal her way. 

She texted him, “Hey, Blitzo. Think you can open up a portal so I can come home?” 

Almost as soon as she sent the text, Blitzo sent back, “Luna! Sere thng! Wer are yoo swety/” 

Loona rolled her eyes at Blitzo’s bad spelling and sent him the address. A portal soon opened and she stepped through back home. Before she could do anything, Blitzo tackled her with his own crushing hug. 

“Loona!” Blitzo said, “I’m happy you’re home, sweetie. Can I get you anything?”

Loona said, “Let go of me Blitzo. I”ve had enough of this shit for one night.” 

Blitzo let Loona go and smiled, “Sorry. How was that party?”

“Shitty.” Loona simply said. 

“Oh, great!” Blitzo shouted. He quickly said, “I mean, that’s terrible sweetie. But on the bright side that means you probably never will want to go to one again.” 

Loona glared at Blitzo. He scratched his head and said, “Well...uh...what I mean is..”

“Nevermind, Blitzo.” she said, “I just want a drink and go to bed.” 

She walked to the fridge and took out a beer. She was about to close it when she looked at Blitzo. He’d gone back to sitting in his armchair, sitting the same way he was when she left. He was watching TV looking kinda...lonely. Her ears lowered. She thought about what she’d said on the beach. Maybe she could start working toward apologizing for that. It wouldn’t hurt to hang out with Blitzo. Just this once. She reached into the fridge and grabbed a second beer. She walked towards Blitzo and asked, “You ok with me joining you for a while?” 

Blitzo looked up to Loona in shock. Then tears began to forming his eyes as he smiled. 

“Oh, Loonie Moonie!” he said. He tried standing up, but Loona quickly pushed him back down. 

“Hug me again and I’ll break this beer on your skull and go to bed now.” she said. 

Blitzo quickly nodded and she handed him his beer. She sat on the couch and they both began to drink. They sat and laughed as the show went on. After they finished their beers, Loona left Blitzo and headed for bed. She changed into a night shirt, turned off  her phone and put it on the charger, and laid in her bed. She closed her eyes and thought that while the night had started kinda bad at least spending time with Blitzo wasn’t that bad. Maybe she was starting to warm up to him as her father. Maybe soon she could ask to go on an assignment again. 

End of Chapter 2.

Chapter Text

"Morning, Loona! We have to start getting ready for work!" Blitzø said as he knocked on Loona's door. 

Loona slowly woke up after hearing Blitzø knock. She sat up and stretched her arms. She noticed her head didn't hurt as much this morning. She rubbed her forehead and wondered why she didn’t have a hangover like usual. Then she remembered that she hadn't drunk as much as usual due to some asshole wrecking her night. 

She answered, "Sure, Blitzø. I'll be right there." 

She got her phone from her night stand and turned it on. Once it was on, the phone began chiming with new message bells. She raised an eyebrow and read the screen.

"The fuck?" she said to herself, "483 missed texts? 183 missed calls?" 

Loona saw the texts and calls all came from a number she didn’t know. She looked through the texts and saw most of them were the same questions. "Are you ok?" or "Do you need help?" or something else like that over and over again. The calls never left a voicemail. She was just about to scroll up to read the first text when her phone rang with the same number. 

Loona answered, "Hello?" 

Loona cringed in pain as a loud shriek came from the other end of the line. It was Selene. 

"Oh, Satan, Loona! Are you okay?! Where are you?! What happened?! Texxie and I looked all over for you?!" She quickly said.

"Selene," Loona said, but Selene kept talking. 

She said, " Before he was knocked out, he said some guys were harassing you! Did they hurt you?! Oh, no! Did they kidnap you?!" 

"Selene," Loona said, trying to get her to shut up.

"Do they still have you?! Did they rape you?! Oh, God! Oh, Satan, I never wanted my new friend kidnapped and raped! What should I do?! Should I-"

"SELENE!" Loona yelled, "I'm fine." 

After a few seconds, Loona continued, "I'm at home right now, safe in my own damned bed. Yeah, those guys were giving me shit, but I had it covered." 

Selene sighed in relief, "Oh, that's good, Lulu. Texxie was worried when he came to. He said that one of them hit him with a beer bottle." 

Loona felt a little guilty about that. Thinking back, she should have at least gone back to the bar to see if Vortex was okay. She said, "Naw, that was some asshole loser trying to play hero. He thought Vortex was gonna attack me. How is he anyway?" 

"Oh, he's fine. The bottle broke over his bad eye. No problem there. We were more worried about you." Selene said, and then she asked with a slight whimper, "Why didn't you come back to the party?" 

"Well, after that shit went down I didn't feel like partying anymore," Loona said. She thought for a second about how upset Selene had sounded. She was really worried about Loona. Loona hesitantly added, "S-sorry I didn't text Vortex and let him know I was okay." 

Selene giggled and said, "That's all right. I'm just glad you're okay. And next time, we'll have a smaller party for you and work our way up!" 

Loona rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, sure. Listen, I gotta get ready for work. I'll text you later." 

"Okay, Lulu! Have a good day!" Selene said.

After hanging up, Loona thought, "How the fuck can someone as perky as her exist in Hell?" 

-----

An hour later, Loona and Blitzø were driving to pick up Millie and Moxxie. While they drove, Loona looked through the texts Selen had sent her.

"Hey, Loona! The party's in full swing. Where are you?" the first read.

"I got a boy who wants to meet you! We're on the punk dance floor. Look for me." another said.

Then one read, "I just found Texxie by the bar. He told me what happened. Are you alright?" 

After that, Selene's texts became kinda panicked. Loona sighed. As mind numbingly annoying Selene was, she cared about Loona. Selene only met her once and she cared. Why? Vortex couldn't have told her that much about her because he didn't know much himself. He didn't know about her past. Well, it didn't take a genius to see she was adopted, even if Blitzo hadn't shouted it at her on the beach. So, maybe Vortex figured she didn’t have many hellhound friends. Selene was one of the few female hellhounds she knew and the only one she'd meet in person. Maybe Selene could tell that she needed friends too? Loona shook her head. No way an airhead like Selene could be that perspective. She glanced at Blitzø as he flipped off another driver for hogging the turning lane.

“Then again,” Loona thought, “It’s not the first time some oddball liked me right off the bat.”

The van jerked to a stop in front of Moxxie and Millie's apartment complex. Blitzø blasted on the horn.

He shouted out the window, "Come on, you two! More time you fuck around here, the less time we're fucking around out there!" 

Moxxie opened the door for Millie, who giggled and kissed him. Moxxie laughed as they both walked arm in arm to the van. Millie opened the door for Moxxie this time. He hopped in and quickly pulled her into his lap. Millie laughed and closed the door and then started snuggling with Moxxie in the back seat. Both Loona and Blitzø watched the whole thing, looking very confused. They glanced at each other, then back at Millie and Moxxie. 

"Okay, what kinda Disney movie shit is this?" Blitzø asked, "Why are you two in such a good mood?" 

Loona gave the air a quick sniff and shrugged, "She's not pregnant, so that's one less thing to worry about." 

Blitzø laughed, “HA! Like Moxxie’s itty bitty dicky could stay up that long.” 

Moxxie laughed and said, "You two can try all you want, but nothing you say will get to me today." 

"Don't challenge me on that, Mox, just tell us what's up," Blitzø said. 

Blitzø started to drive while Millie said, "Well, y'all remember our wedding anniversary’s coming up in a few months." 

Moxxie said, "Millie and I have been saving up for a second honeymoon. I looked over our savings last night and I figured out we only need $5,000 more to afford our trip." 

Millie hugged Moxxie tight. 

"A guided tour of the Fallen Legion weapons cache, front row seats for three Hoardway shows of our choice, and the best suite at The Burning Floor Towers in the Ring of Lust!" she said, squealing, "Oh, Satan! I can't wait, baby!" 

Moxxie kissed her and nuzzled her, "Anything for you, sweetheart." 

Loona was impressed. She said, "I gotta admit, that's kinda awesome, guys." 

"Yeah, it is," Blitzø said, "you'd think you guys would check and see if it was okay with your boss first."

Moxxie and Millie looked confused at Blitzø. He continued, "Y'know, making sure it was fine to take all that time off for that shit?" 

Moxxie's confusion was quickly turning into anger. He said, "Sir, you wouldn't-" 

Blitzø waved him off saying, "Naw, I wouldn't, Mox, I was just fucking with ya. I'm an asshole, but not a big enough one to mess with a guy's wedding anniversary."

Moxxie calmed down and smiled at Millie, who smiled back.

 "Not without getting paid for it." Blitzø said, "Just bring us some soveneries and we’ll be even. Expensive soveneries."

Loona laughed. She enjoyed needling Moxxie as much as Blitzø did. Maybe she could come up with something when they got to work. She turned to Blitzø.

She asked, "Hey Blitzø, isn't that the place they built for Tru-" 

"No, no, that place is still being built in the Ring of Greed," Blitzø said, "From what I hear, Mammon himself has got first dibs on that guy. Anyway, Stolas told me all about the Burning Floor Towers. It's the first imp run hotel in Hell and it's owner decided to build it in Lust. Some ballsy imp was inspired by yours truly and got funding from Ozzie himself to build it.” 

Loona asked, “Wait, doesn’t Ozzie own a hotel too?” 

Blitzo shook his head. “Naw, when me and Moxxie went, we saw Ozzie’s place was more like a giant whore house. No place there you’d really want to sleep.” 

“When did you and Blitzø go to Ozzie’s?” Millie asked, sounding kinda mad. 

Blitzø smiled and glanced in the rear view mirror, hoping to see Moxxie sweating his ass off. But instead Moxxie looked calm and cool as a cucumber. Moxxie smiled back at Blitzø in the mirror, then turned to Millie. 

“After the Harvest Moon Festival, Blitzø started getting a little protective of Stolas,” he said, “So, when Stolas told him he was going to Ozzie’s for a business meeting, he dragged me along to try and protect him.” 

Millie cooed, “Aw, so you were worried about Stolas, boss?” 

Blitzø turned red and tried to stammer out an answer, but settled for grumbling to himself. He turned on the radio to a hard rock station, something he knew Moxxie hated. Moxxie and Millie smiled and exchanged knowing looks and went back to cuddling. Loona rolled her eyes and smiled. Blitzø was always so private about his personal life, especially his love life. She knew he was fucking Prince Stolas due to their current “business arrangement”, but who he was actually dating was a complete mystery. Maybe Millie and Moxxie had it right and he really was dating Stolas. She imagined Blitzø and Stolas sitting in a restaurant, having a romantic evening together. She scoffed at the thought.

“Yeah, right,” she thought, “Dad wouldn’t date that asshole unless there was money involved. He’s only-” 

Loona suddenly realized she called Blitzø her dad again. It was starting to get weird. Almost like a switch had been flipped in her head and she couldn't turn it off. She'd called Blitzø by his name since she met him. What had changed between then and now to make her see him as her dad? She frowned and looked at her phone again. She didn't want to think about this complicated shit. When Blitzø turned into their prized parking space, Loona looked to see if Verosika Mayday's Cadillac was in one of the other spaces. It wasn't. 

"Damn," Loona thought, "I wanted to say sorry to Vortex in person. Oh, well." 

It was kinda weird. After what happened during spring break, the thought they’d never see Verosika again. But lately, she had started coming by to work with the succubi in the building more often. The I.M.P. crew wondered what was up, but Blitzø was sure it was to piss him off. They all got out of the van and headed into the building. Blitzø as usual pushed Moxxie away so he could go inside first. Moxxie frowned slightly, but a quick look at Millie had him smiling again. M & M giggled as they ran past Blitzø and Loona in the lobby and waited for them at the elevator. Blitzø groaned and ran his hand over his face. 

"Okay, that's it. I don't care what it takes, insult or injury, but if we don't knock those two off cloud 9 soon, I'm gonna puke," he said. 

Loona said, "Well, we could always stuff Moxxie in the ammo locker again." 

Blitzø chuckled and whispered, "Yeah, good idea Loonie. Hey! I'll see if I can wrangle up some roaches to toss in with him." 

Loona laughed as they got on the elevator. While the doors were closing, someone else stepped into the lobby. The sinner demon was smiling and humming to himself. He glanced around the room to see if there was anyone to ask where he could find this I.M.P. he had heard about. He shrugged and stepped towards the elevator. He was about to press the call button when the second elevator began to open. Inside were three succubi, Kiki, Milky, and Coco, who were chatting to themselves and waiting for the door to open. Once it did, they looked at the sinner demon and froze in fear. They quickly moved to the back of the elevator, too afraid to try and go by… him. 

"Good morning, my dear ladies," he said, his voice a staticy mix of charming and venomous, "I was hoping you could help me. I'm looking for the offices of I.M.P. Would you be so kind as to point me in the right direction?" 

Kiki shakingly pointed up and said, "F-f-fifth floor. Their n-n-names on the d-door." 

With a wide smile, the sinner demon said, "Thank you very much," and stepped out of their way. 

They all bolted out of the elevator and out into the street. The sinner demon adjusted his monocle and stepped in. He pushed the button for the fifth floor. He continued to hum to himself, "You're never fully dressed without a smile…"

-----

Meanwhile, Millie, Moxxie, and Loona were waiting in the hallway while Blitzø finished his weekly "Fuck-you-drunk-bitch" dance. Blitzø was wrapping up his improvised version of the Macarena. Once he was finished, he crouched down low. 

"And now," he said, "The triple flip flip-off!" 

Blitzø did three standing backflips, each time he landed he flipped the bird towards Verosika's door. On the third flip, he landed on his tail which was coiled like a spring. He spun on his tail for a moment and he sprung on his tail, barely touching the ceiling, and landed on his feet and struck a pose with his hands high in the air. Millie started clapping excitedly, but Moxxie and Loona clapped with less enthusiasm. 

“Now, that you’re done, sir, can we go inside?” Moxxie asked. 

Blitzø was disappointed with the lukewarm applause, but turned around and unlocked the doors to the I.M.P. office. He flipped on the light and they all walked inside. Loona got behind her desk and did her usual check for any messages. She turned on the computer as she looked at the answering machine to see it didn’t have any messages. Once the computer was booted up, she checked the emails and saw they had two. One was another bill collector and the other was a client. 

Loona said, “Got a message, Blitzø. They said they have a target for us, but they’re asking if we know how to get to Sesame Street.” 

Blitzø groaned, "God fucking damnit. Okay, gang, looks like it's gonna be another slow day. Let's get the petty shit done then. Millie, go check the weapons and see what needs what. Moxxie, start on the paperwork and when you're done help Millie. Loona, I'll start working on my 'project' in my office." 

Blitzø went into his office with a smile on his face. Moxxie scowled at Loona. 

"You two are planning some horrid prank for me, aren't you?" he asked. 

"Get over yourself, fat boy. Not everything's about you," Loona said, not looking up from the computer. 

Moxxie rolled his eyes and walked to the file cabinet when a strange knock slowly came from the door. Loona looked at the door, her eyebrow raised in confusion. 

"The fuck kinda knock was that?" she asked. 

Moxxie said, "That was 'Shave and a Haircut.'"

"It was what, honey?" Millie asked. 

Moxxie turned to Millie and said, "It's an old joke tune from the Human World. You've never heard of it?" 

Millie shrugged and Loona just went back to the computer. Moxxie shook his head and walks to the door. 

He said as he opened the door,  "Well, if this client knows it, he must have some-" 

Moxxie's blood ran cold as he looked up at the sinner demon who was at their door. The sinner wore a neat red suit with a red shirt and black bowtie. A large yellow smile glowed across the demon's face. His piercing gaze glowed as well, seemingly intensified on the right side due to the monocle he wore over that eye. His deer-like horns poked through his fiery red and black hair. His hands were resting in front of him as he held a cane that resembled a microphone. There was no denying who this sinner demon was. It was Alastor, the Radio Demon

"Class." Moxxie slowly finished. 

Alastor's smile grew. He said, "Hel-" 

Moxxie quickly moved to slam the door, only for it to stop half way. Moxxie looked to see the Radio Demon had stopped the door with his cane. 

"-lo." he finished. 

Moxxie stepped back as the door opened and Alastor walked in. Millie and Loona looked shocked at their visitor. Millie jumped towards her husband and pulled him back. Loona was scared, but her hackles were up. She stood up and moved behind her chair. All the while, Alastor smiled. Suddenly, Blitzø came out of his office holding a glass jar.

“Okay, Loonie, I climbed down the fire escape and looked in the dumpster. I found five rouches, a slug, and what I think is a scorpion. Has Moxxie gone to…” Blitzø said, finally looking up to see Alastor, “...oooh, shit.” 

Alastor turned to Blitzø and asked, "Terribly sorry for barging in like this, but am I correct in assuming that you’re this Blitzo I’ve heard so much about?" 

Blitzø set the jar on the coffee table and stepped forward. 

He said, “Uh, yes, sir. I’m Blitzø. The ‘O’ is silent.” 

With a laugh, Alastor quickly walked over to Blitzø and started to shake his hand. 

“Such a charming little shoppe you have here, Blitzø!” he said, excitedly, “Alastor’s my name, but by your terrified expressions, I can tell you knew that already.” 

Before Blitzø could move, Alastor turned and walked towards Moxxie and Millie. Moxxie stepped in front of his wife to try and protect her from any kind of attack. Alastor stuck out his hand to Moxxie. 

“And what do they call you, my funny little fellow?” he asked. 

Moxxie slowly took Alastor’s hand and shook it once. He said, “My name is Moxxie, sir. Uh, sorry about-” 

“The door? Oh, don’t worry about it, my good man. It happens all the time.” Alastor said, and then turned to Millie.

“And who is this charming young thing?” he asked.

Moxxie said, “This is my wife, Millie.”

Alastor laughed, “Ha! Moxxie and Millie! It’s almost nostalgic! I like it!.” 

He moved to Millie and took her hand and gave her knuckles a quick kiss. 

“Enchanté, mon cher,” he said. 

Millie didn’t say anything. In fact, she looked too scared to move. Moxxie quickly pulled his wife away from Alastor, who didn’t seem to mind. He began to hum again and looked around the room. Blitzø slowly made his way over to Moxxie. 

Moxxie whispered to him, “Sir, what do we-”

“My hellphone’s in my office,” Blitzø whispered back, “It’s on the right side of the desk. Code's 8819, got it?” 

Moxxie nodded. He knew exactly what to do. Stolas had warned them if any truly powerful demons or an Overlord came calling, it would be highly likely that had come for the grimoire. If that happened, they were to contact Stolas immediately for help. Moxxie glanced at Alastor who was still looking around the room. Moxxie slowly moved towards Blitzø’s office. 

“So, Moxxie?” Alastor said. Moxxie stopped and turned to face him, “How long have you and Millie here been married?” 

Moxxie gulped and said, “C-close to two years now. Our wedding anniversary is coming up.” 

Alastor smiled and said, “Really?! Congratulations! Ah, marriage. It’s nice to see that even in Hell, such institutions never change.”

Alastor turned to Blitzø and asked, "By the way, you wouldn't happen to have a place where we could all have a seat and chat?"

Blitzø said, smiling back nervously,  "W-well, you and I could go talk in my office." 

"Oh, no, that won't do," Alastor said, shaking his head, "What I have to say interests the whole group! Besides, we're all just starting to be friends. It would be a shame to separate us from one another. Do you have anywhere else?"

Blitzø stopped smiling and gulped. He glanced around at the scared faces of the others. He looked at Alastor, who didn't seem to be moving, but he made everyone feel like he could be everywhere 

"Yeah, there's a conference room in the back," he said. 

Alastor appeared next to Blitzø and slapped his shoulder and put his arm around him. 

"Wonderful!" Alastor said, "Lead the way, my friend." 

Blitzø started walking towards the conference room with Alastor beside him. When their backs were to them, Blitzø tried to wave the others off trying to get them to run or at least try to contact Stolas. Moxxie and the others followed slowly. Moxxie knew he could slip into Blitzø's office before Alastor knew he was gone. As they drew nearer to the office, Moxxie slowed down his walking. He was planning to step inside as the others went into the conference room. He glanced at Millie, who bit her lip and nodded, knowing what her husband was planning. 

However, the second Moxxie reached for the door, Alastor said, "Now, now, my dear Moxxie." 

Moxxie froze and looked up to Alastor. He said, "I'd hate to think of you missing out on the meeting. I assure you, it'll be worth every minute. I'm sure dear Millie would also miss you." 

Moxxie quickly moved away from the door and back next to Millie. Millie took Moxxie's hand and refused to let go. Blitzø groaned at seeing his friends in danger, but what could he do?! He opened the door to the conference room and stepped inside with Alastor close behind. Alastor took a quick look around the room. He turned back to look at the posters on the walls. He looked at Blitzø and said, “You’re a circus imp, Blitzø?” 

Blitzø snapped to attention and said, “What? Oh, uh, yeah. My whole family was in the circus.” 

Alastor walked over to Blitzø and slapped him on the shoulder again, “I always enjoy a good circus! Nothing beats the fine smell of sawdust, popcorn, and cotton candy. By the look of you, I’d say you were a tightrope walker.” 

“Trapeze, actually” Blitzø said, “My twin sister and I were trapeze artists.” 

“Ah, I see!” Alastor said, “An acrobatic act like no other! Well, you certainly changed to a much more dangerous sort of work. An imp assassin is nothing new, but to be able to go to the human world! Ha ha! Now, that’s something of note! I’m sure your family is quite impressed.” 

Blitzø tensed up. He didn’t want to answer, but he knew he had to say something.

“I wouldn’t know,” he said, “I havn’t heard from them in a few years.”

Alastor frowned, “I’m sorry to hear that. One’s family is very important.” 

He turned to the others and smiled, “Well, we may as well get started. Have a seat, everyone."

Alastor walked around the room while everyone else sat down. Everyone but Loona. Alastor glanced at Loona and started walking towards her. Loona began to growl and she prepared to pounce, ready to take out as big a chunk as she could from his neck. Alastor’s smile thinned and the air around him began to darken. 

“Down, doggie,” he said, threateningly. 

Suddenly, there was the click of several guns behind him. Alastor glanced over his shoulder and saw that Blitzø, Moxxie, and Millie stood up and were all pointing guns at him. Moxxie had a 12 gauge shotgun. Millie had two semi-automatic handguns. Blitzø had his flintlock and a scowl set deep on his face. 

“I don’t care who the fuck you are or how powerful you are,” he said, “But if you threaten my daughter again and I’ll fucking kill you.” 

Alastor laughed, “My dear Blitzø. I’m starting to like you more and more.” 

Alastor snapped his fingers and all their guns vanished. Then, black tendrils rose from the floor and lifted them all into the air. The tendrils wrapped all around them, even covered their mouths. They struggled against their binds as they heard Alastor laugh. 

“So, this is the useful little tome, eh?” Alastor said.

Blitzø looked and was shocked. Alastor had the book! How?! He hadn’t even gone into his office! Alastor casually flipped through it and looked at Blitzø. 

“I was wondering how a group of imps could make it to the Human World,” he said, "Well, now that that little curiosity has been settled…"

Alastor’s eyes began to glow and he raised his hand. Blitzø growled. He looked at Moxxie, Millie, and Loona. Millie was crying while looking at Moxxie, who looked desperate to get free and save his wife. Loona looked at Blitzø, but didn’t look afraid. She looked… regretful. 

“Fuck,” Blitzø thought, “we’re dead. I’m sorry guys. I just wish I told Stolas-”

His thoughts were interrupted by Alastor’s snap, which seemed to echo around the room. They all braced for the tendrils to crush them. And then… they were all set back safely down to the floor. They were stunned. They all looked at each other with shocked looks. Suddenly, the grimoire was tossed back at Blitzø, who fumbled with it, but caught it. 

"...we can get down to business," Alastor finished, his back turned on the others. 

Blitzø was the first to find the strength to speak.

"Huh?" he asked.

Alastor said, "I said, we can-"

Blitzø cut him off, "No no no, not that shit… just huh?!"

Moxxie spoke up, "You don't want the book?" 

This time Alastor laughed, "My good man, why would I want that little trifle?" 

"Fucking… what… huh?" Blitzø asked. 

Moxxie said, slowly, "So you could go back to the Human World and-" 

Alastor appeared next to Moxxie and pulled him into a side hug. He said, "Ha! The Human World? My dear Moxxie, you forget I came from there! Nothing much up there to interest me anymore. No, no, no. Hell is far more entertaining." 

"What… shit… I don't… fucking…" Blitzø continued to babble. 

Loona shook herself out of her shock. She said, "If you don't want the book, then why show up and threaten us all?" 

"A test, my dear girl!" Alastor said, turning to Loona, who cringed, "If I'm going to do business with someone, I need to know if they're men and women of integrity. " 

"A… test?" Blitzø said, finally coming to his senses, "So, you never planned to kill us?" 

Alastor said, "My good imp, if I had intended to kill any of you, I wouldn't have bothered knocking." 

Alastor walked around them, saying, "You four surprised me. No begging, no betrayal, and you even all jumped to the aid of your lovely young hellhound friend here. And on that subject." 

Alastor looked at Blitzø and asked, "Did I hear you call her your daughter?" 

Blitzø continued to sputter, but he nodded.

At that, Alastor appeared beside Loona and took her paw and said, "I humbly apologize for the threat, my dear girl. I don't like threatening family members if I can help it. But if I may, Loonie, wasn't it? A young girl working as a secretary should dress appropriately. So, as a further apology..." 

With a wave of his hand, Alastor turned Loona's clothes and hair style to look like a dress a secretary would wear in the 1920s, complete with her hair styled in a curly cut. She looked at herself, then back at Alastor. 

"There you are, my dear," he said, "A smart dress for a smart lass." 

In fact, all their clothes had been changed. Millie was suddenly dressed as a flapper in a red dress and flower in her hair with it done up to match. Moxxie and Blitzø were wearing neat pinstriped suits, Blitzø's black while Moxxie's was gray. Matching black fedora hats were set on their heads. Blitzø put the book under his arm and looked at himself. 

"Okay, not gonna lie, but the suit is pretty bitchin'," he said, then he turned to Alastor, "So, if you don't want the book, then what the fuck do you want with us?" 

"Well, why else would a fellow look for the services of a hitman," Alastor said, his eyes glowing, "There's someone I need you to kill." 

-----

After calming down a little bit more, everyone sat back down. Alastor stood at the edge of the table, looking over the whiteboard. Blitzø's whiteboard had several different drawings still on it from yesterday's hit. Alastor looked over the crude drawings of a person walking into a spike pit, someone being stabbed by a Millie and sniped by Moxxie, and a few horses of different shapes and sizes. He chuckled and picked up a marker himself and began to draw. As he drew, Moxxie quietly tried to get Blitzø's attention. 

When Blitzø looked his way, Moxxie whispered, "Sir, what do we do?" 

Blitzø shrugged and whispered back, "We seem to be out of the shit now, but still we should try to get him out of here quick. Until then..." 

Then he put a finger to his lips to shush Moxxie. Moxxie nodded and looked at Millie. She still looked scared as she tugged at the hem of her new dress. Moxxie reached over and took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Millie looked at him, gave a small smile and a squeeze back. Blitzø looked around at them and then at Loona. She still looked apprehensive, but at least she wasn't scared anymore. She looked at Blitzø and he smiled at her. She smiled back. Honestly, she was glad they were all okay. For now, anyway. Having reassured himself that they were safe, Blitzø decided to speak up. 

He said, "So, uh, Al. You've been out of the game upstairs for decades. Now, I don't normally pry into other people's business-" 

Blitzø couldn't help but notice the eye rolls of the others. 

He continued, "-but who could want us to bump off? I mean, their grandparents were probably kids when you were around." 

Alastor continued to draw and said, “Oh, I have nothing against the man myself. Seems like a nice enough fellow to me.” 

Blitzø clapped his hands, “Okay, so random violence is the game today. Works for me!” 

“Ah, ah, ah,” Alastor said, turning away from his drawing and wagging his finger at Blitzø,  “Nothing random about this. I need the man dead for a reason.” 

Moxxie asked, “And what reason is that?” 

Finishing his drawing, Alastor turned back to everyone and asked, “Do any of you know what this is?” 

Blitzø and the others looked at Alastor’s drawing. It was of a round amulet with symbols of what looked like pitchforks pointing in all directions. Loona shrugged. Blitzø shook his head. Moxxie asked, “I’m sorry, sir, but no. What is it?” 

“Uh, I know what it is,” Millie said, quietly.

Everyone turned to her and she said, "My Grandma knew a little about human magic. I-It's a, um, voodoo protection charm. It wards off evil spirits and lesser demons… like us.” 

Alastor said, “Quite right, my dear. The young man in question has found this little trinket in my old stomping grounds of New Orleans, Louisiana. I need you to collect it for me.” 

“Wait, back the fuck up,” Blitzø said, “I thought you wanted us to kill someone, not steal something.” 

“Oh, this will require you to do both,” Alastor said. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo. It was of a young man in his twenties with sandy brown hair and glasses. He was smiling and wearing a hiking backpack and clothes. 

Alastor said, “This enterprising young man is an amatur treasure hunter. He found the amulet a few days ago on one of his little treks into the New Orleans bayou.” 

Moxxie asked, “What's so special about the amulet? Was it yours whe-" 

“Yes!” Alastor said, cutting Moxxie off, “It was. But there's another good reason. There’s more to this amulet than just the strong protections it provides. It has magical properties that can be very… troublesome in the wrong hands. I want you to retrieve the amulet and bring it back to me.” 

Alastor took out another photo of a hotel with a room number written on it. 

He said, “He resides at this hotel for the time being.” 

Blitzø said, “No problem! Quick snipe and search and we’ll be done!” 

Alastor said, “It’s a bit more complicated than that. The amulet’s protection is very powerful. Any demonic attack will be countered, and that includes demonic weaponry. What you’ll need is someone who knows magic to dispel the amulet’s protection charms to allow you to make your move.” 

Blitzø asked, “And do you have any idea where we can find someone to do that?” 

Alastor laughed, “Dear Blitzø, there are plenty of demons who know the mystic arts. Surely there's one that's willing to work with you. If not, I'm sure your fine feathered boyfriend will be able to help you." 

Blitzø blushed and said, "Well, he's not my… uh… it's a… we have an under… we're ha… it's steady… he’s not..."

Alastor laughed and said, "No need to explain, dear friend! I have an associate who is dealing with the same thing." 

Then Alastor reached into his jacket and pulled out a long thin black box. 

He said, "In any case, once our young treasure hunter has been taken care of, merely slip the amulet off his neck and place it inside this." 

He set the box down and Blitzø quickly snatched it up. He turned it over in his hands. Then he opened it and looked all over inside. He closed it and looked at Alastor. 

"Okay, so we weaken the magic amulet, kill the SOB, steal said magic amulet, slap it in this case and hand it off to you. Easy peasy!" he said, tucking the box in his jacket pocket, "Not the most complex job we've had." 

"But it's up there, sir," Moxxie said. Then he turned to Alastor and said, "With all due respect, I don't think you're telling us everything." 

"Oh, of course I'm not, Moxxie," Alastor said with a laugh, "As I said, the amulets' protection is quite strong. I think just getting within 50 feet of it would be lethal to you all. And as the owner of the amulet, the young man has already taken some of that protection onto himself. The only way to dispel passive magic such as that is to do so when it’s close to its original source. So… "

Blitzø said, "So what?" 

"So, we can only weaken the amulet’s magic while he's wearing it," Millie said. 

Blitzø bolted up in his chair, knocking it over, “WHAT?!”

He turned to Alastor and shouted, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! You’re telling me we have to watch the fucker and wait until he just decides to wear it?!" 

"Yes," Alastor said, calmly. 

Blitzø banged his hands on the table, "Do you have any idea how many potential clients we'd lose babysitting your hit?!" 

"Blitzø, don't," Millie fearfully said. 

Moxxie said, "Not to mention the fact that we'll be exposed during all that time. We're imps. We don't have human disguises." 

“I do,” Loona said, “But I don’t know any other magic.”

Blitzø quickly cut in, “Besides that, I’m not letting my daughter anywhere near that thing!” 

Loona turned to Blitzø and yelled, “I can handle myself, Blitzø!” 

Blitzø shouted back, “Not against magic that could turn us all into steamed shit!” 

“Guys, calm down!” Millie yelled, tension straining her voice. 

Moxxie said, “The same goes for Millie and me! This is too dangerous as it is. I won’t risk my wife getting hurt or worse.” 

Blitzø walked over to Alastor, who was still standing and smiling calmly, “Well Al, we’re all sorry we can’t help you get back your little doodad, but this job’s too dicey for us.” 

“Now, hold on, my dear Blitzø,” Alastor said, smoothly, “I understand that my little request would take up much of your time and efforts. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t provide suitable… compensation?” 

Then Alastor made two suitcases appear on the table. Everyone looked at them, then back at Alastor. He smiled wide and snapped his fingers. The suitcases popped open to reveal stacks of crisp new $100 bills. Blitzø’s jaw dropped and stars appeared in his eyes. Loona nearly fell over. She had never seen that much money in her life! Moxxie and Millie were stunned. Despite himself, Moxxie began to imagine everything that he could buy with this much money. He could finally buy a house for himself and Millie. They’d never need anything again! They could even… start a family. 

Alastor said, “This is a small sample of what I’d pay for the completion of this little task of mine. I’ll be giving eight more cases full when you give me the amulet. So, what do you say, chums?” 

Moxxie snapped out of his fantasy first. He scowled and said, "I say-"

"We'll do it!" Millie shouted, pulling Moxxie close. 

"Millie?!" Moxxie exclaimed. He was surprised to see Millie jump at the chance for money like that. 

But that thought changed when he looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes. Moxxie was stunned. Millie was always so upbeat, bubbly, and brave. He'd never seen his wife look so timid. 

"Moxxie, please, " she whispered. 

Moxxie knew what he had to do. He turned to Alastor and said, "Okay. We're in." 

"Excellent!" Alastor said and he turned to Loona. 

She nodded. This wasn't what she had in mind when she was going to ask Blitzø if she could go on an assignment again, but she'd take what she could get. 

Alastor nodded back and turned to Blitzø. Blitzø was still entranced by the money and was slowly moving his hand towards the suitcase to grab the money. Once his hand was in reach, Alastor slammed the lid shut on Blitzø's fingers. Blitzø yowled in pain and pulled his fingers free. He rubbed his sore fingers and growled at Alastor who simply smiled back. 

"I take it that you're on board as well, Blitzø?" Alastor asked, closing the other suitcase. 

Blitzø groaned, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fucking in too." 

"Fantastic!" Alastor said, appearing next to Blitzø and wrapping his arm around his shoulders again. He began to lead Blitzø back into the front and everyone followed, "Now as I've said, take your time Blitzø. Goodness knows it takes time to kill someone. I do however hope this will be taken care of quickly. As the saying goes, 'Time is money!'" 

Once they reached the front, Alastor let Blitzø good and turned to the others. 

He said, "It was a pleasure to meet you all. Moxxie, Millie, congratulations on your wedding anniversary! I hope you have many more years together. Loonie dear, be mindful of your father. He knows what's best for you." 

Alastor turned back to Blitzø and put out his hand for him to shake. He said, "And it was interesting to meet you, Blitzø. I think that this will be the start of a grand friendship." 

Blitzø looked at Alastor’s hand and decided to take it. As he shook it, he smiled and said, “Sure thing, Al. And don’t worry about us. We’ll take care of everything.” 

“Oh, I”m sure you will,” Alastor said and as he turned to leave he said, “Good day, all! I”ll be checking in.” 

And with that, the Radio Demon left. When he did, all their clothes changed back. Loona gave a half smile and said, “Good. If my clothes had stayed like that, I’d have been pissed.” 

Then, a loud poof sound came from the coffee table. Everyone looked and saw the guns they’d pointed at Alastor were back. Blitzø quickly reached for his flintlock. He examined it and breathed a sigh of relief it wasn’t damaged as far as he could tell. He laid back on the couch and closed his eyes.

“Unholy shit! That was close,” he said.

“No shit,” Loona said and sat behind the computer and ran her hand over her face. Then she started searching for available magic users.

Moxxie walked Millie to the chair beside the couch and asked her, “Are you okay, honey?” 

 Millie still looked very scared, but she nodded. Moxxie sighed and rubbed her hand. Loona groaned as her online search revealed no leads. She asked, “So, where do we start looking for magic users?”

Blitzø said, “After I catch my breath, I’ll call up Stolas. He can help with this.” 

“Do you think he'll help us after he hears that the Radio Demon knows about the book?” Moxie asked. 

“I don’t know Moxxie,” Blitzø said, “Hell, I don’t even know how he got his hands on the damn thing.” 

Blitzø looked at Millie and saw she was still shaking. He sat up and asked, “You gonna be okay, Mils?”

Millie looked up at Blitzø and nodded. Moxxie brought his hand to her cheek and caressed it. 

“You can sit this assignment out if you want, Millie.” he said, “We can take care of it.”

“Oh, no Mox,” Blitzø quickly said, “Sorry, but we need all hands on deck for this one.”

Loona asked, “So, does that mean I can help?” 

Blitzø said, “No way!”

“Aw, come on, Blitzø!” Loona shouted, slamming her fist down.

“No, and that’s final!” Blitzø said, “I’m not putting you in this kind of danger.” 

“Oh, so you’re fine with putting my wife in danger, is that it?” Moxxie sneered.

Blitzø said, “We need our heavy hitter for this one!”

“And someone who can get really close to the target,” Loona cut in, “I can do that!” 

 “Or I could watch him with my sniper rifle and we’d never even need to go near him!” Moxxie yelled. 

“We’d still need someone to grab the amulet,” Blitzø said, “If someone else grabs it off the corpse we’ll be back at square one! Millie is the fastest on her feet.” 

“Actually, Loona is.” Moxxie said. 

“Thank you, Moxxie!” Loona said.

“She’s not doing it!” Blitzø shouted, “Millie’s our best bet to get this done quick.”

Moxxie said, “Sir, look at her! She’s so scared she can barely move. This whole thing scares her too much and I don’t blame her.”

“Millie’s tougher than that and you know it!” Blitzø said, “She can handle it.” 

Loona stood up and said, “So can I, Blitzø! Hell, I could even lure the guy into position. I’ve done that before.” 

“I said no!” Blitzø shouted.

“And I said Millie’s not going!” Moxxie shouted.

On and on Blitzø, Moxxie, and Loona shouted at each other. While they shouted, Millie began to look angrier and angrier. Finally, she shouted, “ALL OF YOU, SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!” 

Blitzø jumped and Loona’s hackles went up again. Even Moxxie took a step away from his wife. 

Moxxie said, “Millie, I-”

Millie raised her hand up to stop Moxxie from talking. She took a few deep breaths and said, “I’m fine, sweetie.”

Blitzø asked, “Are you sure? You’ve been a mess since Alastor came in. Though, I’m one to talk. I think I shit myself.” 

After a moment, Loona sniffed the air and said, “Nope, but I think Moxxie pissed himself.” 

Everyone gave a quick laugh, thankful that the tension was finally going down. Moxxie turned to his wife and asked, “You’re determined to do this, aren’t you, Millie?”

After taking another deep breath, Millie said, “You’re damned right I am.”

Moxxie almost whined. He said, “But it’s too dange-” 

“We’re assassin’s, Moxxie.” Millie said, “Danger’s a part of the job. I’ll be fine. I guess… I guess I was more scared that Grandpa was right.” 

“Right about what?” Blitzø asked. 

Millie said, “He always warned us growing up that there’s things out there you flat out don’t want to cross. “You feel it in your bones,’ he’d say, ‘Down to the depths of your soul. And if you ever meet anything, demon, devil, or hellbeast, that makes you feel that, then you best get outta its way or give it what it wants.’”

She looked around at the others, “And that’s what I felt the second that monster walked in. I don’t know why he wants us to do this, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that if we don’t… well, next time he comes by he won’t bother knocking...And Satan help me, I don’t want that to happen.” 

Millie began to cry softly. Moxxie wrapped his arms around Millie in a comforting hug. Blitzø and Loona exchanged looks of concern. 

Blitzø rubbed the back of his head and said, “Ya know Millie, maybe Moxxie’s right. Maybe you should sit this one out.” 

Millie let go of Moxxie and wipped away her tears. “No,” she said, “It’s like you said. We need all hands on deck. Including Loona.” 

“What?!” Blitzø  said, “But she-”

Moxxie turned to Blitzø, “She’s right, sir. We need all the help we can get if we’re going to do this.” 

Blitzø tried to think of some kind of argument against it. He looked at Loona, who looked pleadingly at him. He growled and plopped back into the couch. 

“Fine, you can come,” Blitzø said defeated, but quickly added, “But the moment things get too much, I’m opening a portal back here myself and tossing you in, young lady!” 

Loona smiled, “Thanks, Blitzø. I won’t let you down.” 

She turned to Millie, “Thank, Millie.”

Millie smiled, “Don’t mention it.” 

Moxxie said, “Well, about that help we need. Are you going to call Stolas?” 

“Yeah,” Blitzø said, “Let me go get my phone. You all rest here. Fuck, I don’t even know where to start!” 

Blitzø stood and walked toward his office. He knew that Stolas could help them. He just wished he knew how. 

End of Chapter 3.

Chapter Text

While Loona was waking up in Imp City, Jericho was wide awake in Stolas's mansion and curled up in his blanket. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been last night! What was he thinking?! Throwing a beer bottle at a total stranger. He hoped he didn't hurt the guy too bad. He didn't have the nerve to go and check. He shouldn't have assumed that he was going to attack that girl or that she couldn't take care of herself. It is Hell, after all. Anyone who couldn't usually didn't last long and he knew that. So, why'd he try to help her? He could blame it on his chivalrous upbringing. His father always told him to stand for those who had fallen. But that kind of thinking was as old as his father was. There were times when Jericho wondered how his father had stayed so honorable since he was a demon of Hell. Maybe he thought it was the right thing to do. He did think some demons needed protection. The girl just didn't happen to be one of them. Also it may have been a small part of himself that hoped he'd get a chance to get to know her. She was very beautiful, after all. Well, he had little chance of ever seeing her again. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door and an imp servant came in. He was a middle aged imp with his white hair tied into a long ponytail, dressed in a dark blue suit and black necktie.

"Good morning, Master Jericho. Breakfast is ready." the imp said with a bow, "Shall I bring it up here or would you like to eat in the dining room?"

Jericho sat up and said, "Thank you. I'll eat in the dining room." 

The imp asked, "Coffee, milk, or blood orange juice to drink, sir?" 

Standing up, Jericho said, "Blood orange juice with no sinew, please." 

"It will be waiting downstairs, sir. Is that all?" The imp said. 

Jericho nodded and the imp quickly left, shutting the door behind him. Jericho slowly got out of bed and dressed. He didn't really feel like eating. Normally, he'd have a bowl of Damned Charms and that would be that, but Stolas liked a homemade breakfast. 

"I don't like my family eating that technicolor garbage," Stolas had said, “A good, healthy breakfast is the only way to get any day started.”  

Jericho wandered downstairs to the dining room. He saw Octavia was at the table already eating an omelette, her head bopping to the music she had playing on her earbuds. He also saw his blood orange juice in the seat next to her. He looked over the table and saw it had plates of fresh fruit, biscuits with sides of Raisedberry jam and Wraith Grape jelly, toast with a side of butter, and hot sausages. He sat next to her and pulled out his phone. He looked up the post about the party last night. He was grateful that there was no mention of the fight. Several hell hounds had posted pictures of the party. He wondered if he could find that girl in one of the pictures and see if he could find her to apologize again. He reached over and grabbed a sausage and took a bite. As he ate, he thought, "Maybe this time we could get off on the right foot." 

He found an account that had several pictures of the guy he hit. They were taken by the girl who organized the party. He figured they could be dating or siblings. He looked through her posted pictures and saw several of them making out. So, hopefully not siblings. Just then, Stolas walked in from the kitchen with an imp servant. The imp was holding two plates of food. 

Stolas smiled wide at his daughter and nephew, "Good morning, Via sweetheart. Good morning, Jeri. I hope you both had a good night's sleep." 

Octavia had her mouth full, but she smiled and nodded to her father. Jericho gave a quick, "Good morning" and looked back to his phone. He couldn't see the girl in any pictures from the party. She must’ve gone home after what happened. Great. Now, he felt bad for ruining her night. He finished his sausage as the imp set Stolas's and Jericho's plate down. Jericho's plate was scrambled eggs with green peppers and onions mixed in with a side of four stripes of bacon. Jericho smiled. He didn't normally like a big meal at breakfast, but he could get used to it. He looked at Stolas plate and saw it was a little more messy than his own. Stolas also had eggs, but they looked like someone's failed attempts at making them sunny side up. Some were too runny, others looked almost burnt, and Jericho could swear he saw an egg shell or two there as well. 

Octavia took out her earbuds and asked, "Still having trouble with sunny side up, Dad?" 

Stolas shrugged and said, "I'm having trouble figuring out when to flip them. But I'm not giving up." 

Jericho asked, "Why are you trying to cook your own eggs?" 

"Oh, it's not just my eggs," Stolas said, smiling,"I made Octavia's and yours as well." 

Jericho quickly looked back down at his scrambled eggs. He began looking over them to see if anything was wrong with them.  

Octavia laughed, "I did the same thing when Dad surprised me with it the other day." 

"I asked Gerald here if he could teach me how to cook," Stolas said, gesturing to the imp servant standing to the side. Jericho noticed it was the same imp who came to wake him up. 

"I made sure the eggs were palatable before they were served," Gerald said, "In truth, Master Stolas has gotten quite good at making omelets and scrambled eggs." 

Stolas asked, "Speaking of scrambled eggs, how are yours, Jeri?" 

Jericho slowly took a bite of his eggs and was pleasantly surprised by how good they were. Not too dry or runny and they had a hint of butter and cheese. He nodded to Stolas who looked very happy with himself and he dug into his own eggs. 

After a few more bites, Jericho asked, "But why are you cooking yourself, Uncle Stolas?" 

Stolas swallowed his mouthful and said, “Well, just the other day I realized I have more free time than I know what to do with. I always enjoyed watching my Mother cook meals for my Father and I growing up, so I decided to ask Gerald to teach me.” 

Gerald said, “I felt that eggs were reasonably safe to start with. However, Prince Stolas seems to be determined to prove me wrong. After the seventh fire, I suggested he brush up on his ice spells." 

Stolas smiled. He'd known Gerald for several months now. He was the second imp Stolas had met that wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Stolas had hired him for that very reason. 

"Well, you know I'm always eager to learn," Stolas said, "By the way, Gerald, has the practice range been finished?" 

Gerald nodded, "Finished and ready to use at a moment's notice, sir." 

Stolas said, "Wonderful." 

Jericho asked, "Are you taking up archery too, Uncle Stolas?" 

"Oh, no, Jeri. It's for your magic training. After breakfast, you and I will start practicing ranged magic. We will be focusing on accuracy and concentration," Stolas said, grabbing a sausage for himself, "From what your father has told me, you've been having trouble concentrating on the simplest of spells. We're going to fix that." 

"Great," Jericho said with little to no enthusiasm, "I can't wait to get started." 

Jericho slowly reached for another sausage and took a bite. He was hoping to hold off on any training for a while longer. He thought, “Damn. If he finds out the truth, he'll send me home. Well, maybe I can fake my way through it? Just enough that Uncle Stolas decides to train me more? It's worth a shot.” 

Stolas finished his sausage and turned to Gerald. "By the way, Gerald," he said, "I think we should try to find a different butcher. The one we use now adds too much sage and it spoils the flavor of the rat meat." 

Jericho's eyes shot open as Gerald answered, "I'll try to find another one, sir, but it's surprisingly hard to find a butcher that's willing to make rat sausage. Even for a prince." 

Jericho bolted up from the table and ran to the bathroom. Octavia stifled a laugh as Stolas tilted his head. 

"Now, what made him do that?" he asked. 

Octavia said, "Maybe the sausages disagreed with him." 

"And by now, a screaming argument with them," Gerald said as he walked back towards the kitchen. 

-----

After a while, Jericho and Stolas walked to the practice range. There were three targets set up at different lengths, as well as a set of kettlebell weights, and a baseball launcher filled with balls. Jericho looked around at the equipment with confusion. 

He asked, "Uncle Stolas, what's the weights and ball shooter for?"

Stolas said, "Well, Jeri, once we're done with target practice, I thought it would be best if we worked on your concentration and spell casting speed." 

Stolas walked over to the weights and began to levitate one of the kettlebells, "With these, you'll start at a basic levitation spell and work your way up while I add more weight. We'll see how long you can hold them up." 

Setting the weight down, Stolas moved to the baseball launcher, "These balls will be shot at you at a steadily increasing speed. You will put up a new shield for each ball. This launcher is capable of throwing balls at over 100 miles per hour, but we’ll start a 10. All of this should give me a sense of how much training you need.”

“Okay, but go easy on me. I may be a little rusty,” Jericho said with a nod, then he thought,”Okay, okay. I can do this. Just fuck up a little and everything will be fine.” 

At first Stolas had Jericho shoot minor fireballs at the targets. Jericho casually missed one or two, but made sure to make it look like he was trying. Then Stolas began making the targets move. That made it easier for Jericho to hit just enough. After a while, they moved onto the weights. Jericho held them up easily enough at first, but when Stolas began to add more weights Jericho let a couple of them lower and fall. Finally the part Jericho was dreading most, the baseball launcher. He knew he could easily hold off 100 MPH, but he knew he had to fail just enough. So, when they started, Jericho did excellent. As Stolas raised the speed, Jericho slowed his response time a little bit. When the balls reached 65 MPH, he lowered the strength of the shield just enough that the balls would crack it. The last ball however came at the full 100 MPH speed. Jericho dove out of its way as his shield shattered at the impact. Stolas ran to Jericho's side.

"Satan Below, Jericho, are you alright?!" he said, starting to help Jericho up, "I don't understand how that happened. I must've bumped against the control." 

Jericho brushed himself off. He said, "I'm fine, Uncle. It's nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” 

Stolas gave a sigh of relief, “Oh, good. I don’t know what I would’ve told your father if you’d had an accident on your first day back in training.” 

Jericho chuckled, “Yeah, Dad probably wouldn’t want to hear I had my head nearly taken off by a baseball.” 

Stolas looked around the field and said, “Well, I can tell you’re more than a little out of practice. That will do for today. I’ll start working on a training course to get you caught up.” 

Jericho nodded and gave Stolas a sad smile, but inside he was cartwheeling. He did it! He fooled his uncle! Now, he’d get to stay for months, maybe a year. Stolas began to walk back towards the mansion. Jericho slowly followed behind. He looked back at the training field and thought, “I hope Gerald and the others won’t have trouble cleaning this up.”

He turned back to follow Stolas. He planned on asking if he could help clean up, but he didn’t get the chance. A gigantic fireball was rocketing toward him! Thinking quickly, Jericho raised a shield and braced for the impact. The fireball struck the shield, sending Jericho back several feet. Then, a second came and a third! Jericho held out against the blasts. He saw a larger fourth fireball coming. He moved quickly and doubled his shields, again bracing for the impact. The blast from the fireballs knocked Jericho off his feet and he landed on his back. He groaned and sat up. He didn’t have long to rest as he noticed a portal open above him. An enormous boulder fell out of it! Jericho raised his hands and cast a levitation spell, giving himself time to move out of it’s way before it came smashing to the ground! Jericho tried to catch his breath, but he was nearly hit by a smaller, faster moving fireball. He dodged and rolled as best he could from a new wave of smaller fireballs. He raised his shields again, trying to move them fast enough to block all of them. They began moving faster and faster, swirling around Jericho like a tornado. Suddenly, the boulder was lifted up and moved to fall on Jericho again. As it fell, Jericho cast another levitation spell, trying to hold it off while the fireballs continued to strike his shield. He strained as the pressure of the spells began to get to him. He used all his strength to push the boulder away, but it would budge! Thinking quickly, he cast another shield and used it to hold the boulder up. He rolled out from underneath and cast his own fireball and shot it at the boulder, blowing it to bits. The debris fell and landed on the fireballs, causing them to explode. Jericho laid on the ground and panted. After a moment, Jericho steadied himself, sat up, and looked up at his attacker. It was Stolas! And he looked furious. 

Jericho panted out, “Uncle Stolas? Why did-?” 

“A baseball,” Stolas said coldly, “is a piece of rubber wrapped in yarn and held together by leather. The launcher was throwing them at you at a mere 65 MPH with the last ball at 100 MPH. A normal shielding spell can withstand blows and shots coming close to bomb explosions and greater fireballs.” 

Stolas slowly walked past Jericho and back to the practice field, “And yet one not only cracked, but shattered your shield?” 

Stolas lifted a kettle weight with his magic. Without turning to Jericho, he said, “These weights are ten pounds each. There are fifteen of them. All together their weight would be 150 pounds. A basic levitation spell will allow one to hold significantly more.” 

He turned to Jericho and dropped the weight, “And yet you couldn’t hold all of them at once?” 

Jericho lowered his ears in shame. He’d gone too far. He’d been caught red handed. He said, “Uncle Stolas, I-” 

“These targets!” Stolas shouted, interrupting Jericho and walking toward the targets, “The targets were only 5, 10 and 20 yards from you. At those ranges, a simple fireball would have no trouble hitting its target. And yet, you were missing them all, even the target at five yards, before I started moving them!” 

Jericho cringed under his uncle’s anger. Stolas walked to him and stood over him. “A novice magic user could’ve aced this course. And yet you seemed to struggle, Jericho,” he said, still sounding very angry.

He reached his hand down for Jericho to get up. Reluctantly, Jericho took it and pulled himself to his feet. He looked away in shame as Stolas continued. 

He said, “You were one of my most amazing students, Jericho. I watched as you mastered spells and conjurations that would take others decades to accomplish. When your father told me about your recent difficulties, I was worried. I immediately suspected a curse or an illness was the cause. Or maybe you were still grieving like your father."

Jericho tensed up, but didn’t look at Stolas. 

“But if that had been the case, you could never have defended yourself against my attacks. No, after that little display, I can see that you were trying at all.” Stolas said, "I expected more from you, Jericho, not this laziness."

Jericho turned to Stolas and shouted, "It's not laziness!"

“Then what is it, Jericho?!” Stolas shouted back. 

Jericho didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell him the truth, could he? Had Quentin and Xavier fooled him too? Would he tell Evelyn and Diane he was faking? Would he tell his Dad? 

"I don't know," he said.

"I would expect such an answer from a child who has broken a vase, Jericho," Stolas said, "You have great responsibilities that require total focus." 

"I'm sorry," Jericho said. 

"'Sorry' is not going to help the people who you've endangered!" Stolas shouted. 

Jericho bit his lip as Stolas continued, “People are depending on you to protect them! The protection spell surrounding the palace is not something that can be taken lightly. Your home and family needs yo-"

"IT'S NOT MINE ANYMORE!!" Jericho screamed. 

Stolas was taken aback by his nephew's sudden outburst. Jericho looked away as frustrated tears fell from his eyes. 

"It's not my home anymore," he said, sadly, “It’s not my family anymore.” 

Jericho slowly began to cry as Stolas watched him. Stolas frowned and pulled Jericho into a hug. Jericho hugged back and said, "They don't need me. They don't want me. No one does." 

Stolas conjured a bench for them to sit on. He guided Jericho to it and sat them both down. After a moment, Jericho moved away from Stolas feeling a little calmer. He wiped his eyes and looked at the grass in front of him. 

"Jericho," Stolas said, gently, "Please tell me what this is all about." 

Jericho sighed and said, "Xavier and Quentin. Diane and Evelyn. It's their house now and they don't want me to be a part of it." 

"What do you mean?" Stolas asked. 

"Before Mom died, living there was tough. But it was bearable because Mom and Dad were there for me," Jericho said, “And now that she’s gone and Dad’s overcome with grief, I wouldn’t wish my life on the most vile sinner.”  

Jericho leaned back and looked into the sky. He continued, “Quentin attacks me all the time. Those scratches and bruises I had when I arrived? Those were from him dropping me into one of Xavier’s rose bushes. And that’s nothing compared to what he’s done to me in the past. Then there’s Xavier. He’s always spreading rumors about me, in the castle and to the public. I’ve had total strangers insult me for things I didn’t do or say. Servants have quit because he told them I liked mauling imps when I’m bored. And then there's the things he says to my face, calling me a mutt or stray. Trying to undermine everything I think or do. Making me second guess myself.  He knows exactly what to say to get to me. And because of all his lies about me, everyone thinks I’m a mence and they're practically untouchable. They have everyone fooled with their ‘perfect’ soldier and ‘noble’ scholar acts. And through it all, my dear step-mothers enjoy every second. But the worst thing is…" 

Jericho leaned forward and covered his face with his hands, "The worst thing is Dad has almost shut everything and everyone out. Including me. All he does is sit and stare at Mom’s tomb or sit in their bedroom. I've tried to help him grieve, but it's no use. He just can't… move on, I guess." 

He lowered his hands and looked at Stolas. "Not that I blame him. I miss her too." 

Stolas asked, "Have you grieved for her?" 

Jericho took a deep breath and fought back the urge to cry more. "Not really," he simply said, turning away from Stolas. 

He wiped his eyes and said, "I've been mainly watching my back since she was killed. I… I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to get away. Somehow. So, I asked Octavia for some ideas. Please don't be mad at her, Uncle. She gave me the idea to start weakening my casting of the protection spells. Not enough for anyone to be hurt, but enough that it would draw attention. I knew Dad would notice and ask you to see what was wrong with me. I didn't mean to upset anyone. I just had to get away." 

Jericho looked at Stolas and said, “I’m sorry for lying to you, Uncle, and wasting your time. I’ll start packing to go home.” 

Jericho stood and started making his way back toward the mansion. 

“Oh, no, you don't, Jeri,” Stolas said, catching up to his nephew, “We’re not done here.” 

Jericho stopped and thought, “Oh right. He probably wants to yell at me some more.” 

Stolas summoned a handkerchief and gave it to Jericho, “Dry your eyes now Jeri, and listen to what I have to say.” 

Jericho took it and wiped his eyes. He didn’t even notice when he’d started crying. He took a deep breath and looked to Stolas. He was surprised to see him smiling. 

“Oh, you young little things,” Stolas said, shaking his head, “Always so melodramatic. You and my Octavia have a great deal to learn about the Ars Goetia bloodlines.” 

“What do you mean?” Jericho asked. 

Stolas smiled, “I mean if you think those two little shits have fooled anyone, you’re sorely mistaken.” 

“Huh?” Jericho said, sounding more confused. 

Stolas led Jericho back to the bench and sat down. He said, “Most of the Goetia families know about Xavier and Quentin and the problems they’re causing, including myself.” 

“You know?” Jericho asked, “Then, why isn’t anyone doing anything to stop it?” 

Stolas shook his head and said, “Because it’s not our place to do anything. You see, one of the guidelines all Demons of the Ars Goetia follow is that we do not interfere with the affairs of the other houses unless asked first. Each house is responsible for cleaning up it’s own messes.” 

Stolas frowned, “This is the first I’ve heard of their abuses toward you, Jeri. Had I known about that, I would’ve urged Niberius to do something to stop them. However, with poor Nibby neglecting his house in his grief, it’s fallen into disarray.” 

Jericho said, “So, what can we do?” 

“We can’t do anything, I’m afraid,” Stolas said, “It falls to Niberius to fix things.” 

Jericho sighed and looked at the ground. Then, Stolas put his hand on Jericho’s shoulder and said, “Him or one of sons.” 

Jericho looked up to Stolas in shock. “Me?” he said, “What can I do?” 

Stolas smiled and said, “You can put those two in their place and settle things in the house of your father.” 

Jericho asked, “How? I can’t fight them.”

“Have you tried?” Stolas asked. 

Jericho thought about it. He’d fought back at first. He’d tried to stop the beatings and untangle the lies. The more he tried though, the worse it seemed to get. He sighed and said, "Not in a long time." 

Stolas said, "I thought not. Jeri, let me ask you this. Why do your stepmothers and step siblings hate you?" 

Jericho said, "I'm different from them. An outsider. They hated Mom for the same reason." 

"Perhaps, but that's not the only reason," Stolas said, "Do you remember why you are here?" 

Jericho was very confused now. He slowly shook his head. 

Stolas laughed, "To train. To get better at using your magic." 

Jericho said, "But I’m already trained." 

"Exactly my point. Oh, Jeri, don't you see? They're afraid of you," Stolas said. 

"Afraid? Of me?" Jericho asked. 

Stolas said, "Yes. As you said, you represent something different. You are a Hell Hound. Someone who is one of the lowest beings in Hell and below their standards, but your magical ability is far beyond anything they can do. They can't believe that and can't accept that." 

Stolas put his hand on Jericho’s shoulder and continued, "You have your father's noble heart, so you would never use your magic against your family, no matter what they have done to you. But they, again, can't believe or accept that someone wouldn't use such power for his own gain." 

Stolas stood up and turned towards the training ground, "They know they cannot defeat you, so they have been constantly trying to force you to see yourself as they see you. Weak and powerless to do anything to stop them. And until now, they have been successful." 

Jericho began thinking about what Stolas was telling him. He slowly realized that Stolas was right. With the amount of power he had, he could easily overpower Quentin or shut Xavier up for good. Why hadn't he thought about this before? He could make them pay. He could make them suffer! He could…! He could… He couldn't. He knew he couldn't. Stolas was right when he said he couldn't use his magic against his family. Even with everything they've done to him, it still felt… wrong. 

Jericho looked up to Stolas, "So, what can I do? I'll never have the guts to fight back." 

"And that, my young man, is why I'm going to train you," Stolas said. 

Jericho was stunned. "Train me?" he asked, "In what? Why? I thought…"

"Look at how you defended yourself against my spells, Jeri," Stolas said, waving his hand towards the damaged training ground, "You used an impressive variety of spells to counter mine. You have your father's battle instincts, the ability to think on your feet. You just need training to bring out your full potential. And hopefully, you will regain something that has been stolen from you." 

"My home?" Jericho asked almost hopefully. 

Stolas nodded and said, "And something just as important." 

He turned to Jericho, "Your confidence. In yourself, in your decisions, and in your magic." 

Stolas moved to get eye level with Jericho, who was crying again. 

"Build confidence in yourself and your powers, and I'm sure those two won't even be a challenge for you," Stolas said. 

Jericho nodded and dried his eyes again. He said, "I feel like it's implied, but I still have to ask. Does this mean I can stay?" 

Stolas laughed and said, "Of course you can stay." 

Stolas pulled Jericho into a hug, "But I will tolerate no more tricks. The next time you need help, simply ask for it." 

Jericho hugged Stolas back and breathed a sigh of relief. 

"I promise I won't trick you again, Uncle Stolas," he said. 

They both stood there for a moment longer. A gentlemanly cough got their attention and they turned to see Gerald standing close by. 

"Did the training go well, sir?" Gerald asked, looking around at the destroyed grounds. 

Stolas said, "Not as I planned, but progress has been made, Gerald. Thank you for preparing everything for us. You and the others may begin cleaning up." 

Jericho asked, "Shouldn't we stay and help? It's our mess." 

"That won't be necessary, sir," Gerald said, "After all, it is our duty to keep the house and grounds tidy." 

Gerald looked over his shoulder and waved his hand and ten imps of various sizes came and began picking up the equipment. 

"We should have everything back in its original order before the Pentagram sets, sir," Gerald said with a bow. 

Stolas smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Gerald. Come along, Jeri.  I'll fix us some lunch." 

Gerald said, "I've set the fire department's direct number to your speed dial, sir. Just hit 9 and send." 

Stolas rolled his eyes and continued towards the house with Jericho close behind. As they walked, one imp in the group of cleaners was watching them. 

He spoke quietly into the microphone in his watch, "Subjects heading back to the place." 

" Confirmed and will continue surveillance," a voice said in his ear bud. 

He quickly looked around and saw no one had noticed and continued cleaning.

-----

When Jericho and Stolas walked into the kitchen, Stolas went to the fridge and began to look inside. 

"We should have plenty of leftovers to have for lunch," he said and turned to Jericho, "What are you in the mood for, Jeti? Hmm? We have sandwiches, leftover meat and veggies stew, lots of things. I even saved a few of the sausages from breakfast." 

Jericho sat at the table and said, "Uh, that's okay, Uncle. I'll just-" 

Suddenly, Stolas's phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He gave a quick happy squeal. 

"It's Blitzy!" he said excitedly, "He's never called me this early before." 

Jericho laughed to himself as he watched Stolas practically bouncing in anticipation for his phone to ring four times. Oddly, it did on the first set of rings. Stolas was surprised, but quickly answered the call. 

"Good morning, dear Blitzy," he said, "What a welcome surprise, hearing from you this… What?" 

Suddenly, Stolas shouted, "WHAT?!" 

Jericho was stunned by his uncle’s outburst that seemed to shake the whole kitchen. Stolas looked terrified. He frantically said, "Are you all alright?! What happened?! Is he still there?!" 

Stolad breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto a chair. "Oh, Thank you Satan." 

"Uncle, what's going on? Is he okay?" Jericho asked. 

Stolas looked at Jericho. He stood up and headed for the door, saying "He's fine, but there's a bit of an emergency. Wait here, Jericho." 

Jericho nodded as Stolas walked out the door and into the hallway. Stolas looked around to make sure he was alone. When he was sure, he spoke to Blitzø again. 

"Alright," he said, "Tell me exactly what happened, Blitzy." 

-----

Back in Imp City, Blitzø was pacing in his office, trying to think about how to start. He rubbed his head and said, "Well, I had just come up from the alley with my jar of bugs. Then I-" 

" Jar of bugs? " Stolas said on the phone, " What did you need a jar- " 

"More important shit to deal with, Stolas!" Blitzø shouted. 

" Yes, yes, you're right. Continue, please, " Stolas said. 

Blitzø said, "Well, then I walked back to the front and there he was! The Motherfucking Radio Demon! He says he wants to talk to all of us and we head into our conference room. And when we got there, he threatened my Loona! So, we all… well, we pull our guns on him." 

" Blitzø! " Stolas shouted, " Are you insane?! He could've killed you all! " 

"Hey, I don't care if it's God or Lucifer or whoever the fuck else! No one threatens my family!" Blitzø shouted back. 

After a few moments of silence, Stolas finally said, " I know, Blitzy, and I'm sorry for yelling at you. " 

Blitzø sat in his desk chair and said, "It's fine, Stolas." 

" It's just… upsetting to hear that all of you were in such danger, " Stolas said, " So, what happened after that? " 

Blitzø said, "Well, the next thing we know, we're all up in the air and tangled up in black tentacle things!" 

-----

Back at Stolas’s mansion, Stolas was pacing the hallway. He was so distracted and worried, he almost tripped over one of his maids. She gave a quick apology and ran off.

" So, I figure this is it, right? " Blitzø said, " We're dead and buried. And then, I see him start flipping through your book! " 

Stolas was stunned, "He what?! How did he get my grimoire?!" 

" Fuck if I know, Stolas! " Blitzø said. 

"Does he still have it?!" Stolas asked quickly. 

" That's the real fucked up thing, Stolas. After flipping through the it, he let us go and tossed it back to me, " Blitzø said. 

"He… he tossed it back?" Stolas asked. 

" Yeah. Tossed it like it was an old T.V. guide, " Blitzø said, " Why the fuck would he do that? I thought you warned me that if someone like him found the book, shit would go from bad to fucked. " 

Blitzø wasn't far off. Stolas had been watching Alastor since his arrival in Hell. He was, like most, shocked by the amount of power Alastor seemed to have at his disposal. Stolas had watched powerful Overlords come and go, either killed by the Exterminators or defeated and driven into exile. But even as old as Stolas was, he had never seen a sinner demon as powerful as Alastor. He couldn't match the powers of the Ars Goetia, but his strength was enough to garner attention. Like all of Hell, Stolas watched and listened as the Radio Demon carved his way through several powerful Overlords and their associates. But what scared Stolas was the fact that Alastor never claimed the territories of the Overlords he killed. He only took small bits and pieces of property and left the rest alone. In fact, Stolas had mapped out Alastor's path of slaughter and if he held onto those areas, he'd rule over ¾ of the Pride ring. 

Stolas knew that if something as powerful as his grimoire fell into Alastor's hands, its power and knowledge would make him a formidable enemy. Possibly gaining enough strength to challenge Stolas himself… and maybe win. That was why he told Blitzø to contact him if there was any sign of the Radio Demon. To have him show up out of the blue was a shock. But to hear that he just abandoned such a powerful magical item. It made no sense. 

"Just what is he planning?" Stolas thought. 

" Hey, Stolas. You still there? " Blitzø asked. 

Stolas snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Yes, I'm sorry, Blitzy. I was just trying to think of what kind of game Alastor is playing. What did he do after that?"

" That's the other fucked up thing. He hired us for a hit, " Blitzø said. 

"He is a client? But whom could he want dead? He's been down here for ages," Stolas said. 

Blitzø said, " Some random asshole who found this really powerful amulet that belonged to him when he was alive. " 

"How powerful is this amulet?" Stolas asked. 

" According to Millie, it could kill us if we get too close, " Blitzø said, " that's the other reason I called you. Alastor said we need a magic caster to protect us while we kill the poor fucker. So, do you know anyone who's got a death wish? " 

Stolas thought for a while. He knew of a few people who might do the job, but he didn’t think they could be discreet about Blitzø using his grimoire. He could go himself and simply hide the murder within his paperwork, but he had already filled out his allotted deaths for the foreseeable future. Then, Jericho came out of the kitchen and looked around for Stolas. 

When he saw him, he asked, "Is everything alright, Uncle?" 

Stolas was about to answer Jericho when a strange idea popped into his head. Could he? He certainly was a powerful enough magic user. But wouldn't he? He was fairly sure he'd keep their little secret. Yes, that just may be the right medicine for him. Stolas nodded and smiled at Jericho. 

He said, "I just happened to have just the right demon in mind. Give me an hour and I will be at I.M.P. with your man." 

" Thank fuck, " Blitzø said, " Okay, I'll tell the others. See ya in an hour. " 

With that, Stolas hung up and turned to Jericho. 

"Go shower and put on some good clothes, Jeri," Stolas said with a smile, "We're going out." 

Jericho said, "Okay, but what's going on?" 

Stolas started walking down the hall and said, "I'll tell you on our way to your new job." 

-----

After Jericho and Stolas left the hallway, the maid slipped down from her hiding place on the ceiling. She was panting in fear. 

A voice from her ear bud said, " Uh, we need confirmation. Did you just say- " 

"Yes, yes!" she nearly shrieked into her mike, "I heard him say, 'Alastor' plain as day! If he's involved I'm this, I want out! I'm not working for that psycho!" 

" Calm the hell down! " the voice said, " He's not in charge. We're as upset as you are. As sensitive as things are right now, we don’t need that kind of trouble. For now, follow your orders. Keep watching the subjects and report anything to us. Confirm? " 

The maid took a deep breath and said, "Acknowledged." 

End of Part 4. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Troubling Meetings

    After freshening up a bit, Jericho was sitting down in Stolas’s garden on another summoned bench, still reeling from everything he had told him. Jericho had known Blitzo was an imp, having heard Octavia complaining about Aunt Stella shrieking about it often enough. He knew that Stolas was helping Blitzø with his assassination company. Octavia had filled him in on the particulars about their monthly "arrangement." But with everything Stolas was bringing him up to speed on, he wished he didn't know anything. Lending his priceless and incredibly powerful book of spells to anyone was bad enough, but to hear that it almost fell into Alastor's hands of all Demons, it was truly scary to think about. Jericho looked up at his uncle standing beside him.

"Well, Jeri," Stolas said with a smile, "Do you think you can keep all of this a secret?" 

Jericho shook his head and said, "I don’t think you expected me to say anything else."

Stolas laughed and put his hand on Jericho’s shoulder, “Yes, I'm sorry, Jeri. I know you will.” 

Jericho put his hand on Stolas’s and said, “Like we said, I could never let family get hurt. But do you think anyone else knows about your book?” 

Stolas shook his head, “I’m not certain. The only Demons who know are either dead or have been sworn to secrecy. I’ve told Blitzø that we need to be careful, but it seems my little imp has trouble staying out of… well, trouble.” 

Jericho asked, "Do you think one of his employees might have-" 

"Certainly not, Jericho," Stolas said quickly, "I've met them myself and while at least one of them gets tired of Blitzø's antics, they are all very loyal to him." 

Stolas turned and walked towards the mansion. He stopped and looked up towards Octavia's room and said, "There's too much at risk for guesses, Jeri. If the Radio Demon is finally making a move towards some grand scheme, we must be careful." 

"Is that why I'm going to be working with Blitzø?" Jericho asked, "To keep an eye on the book?" 

"Yes and no," Stolas said turning to Jericho, "I trust Blitzy and his employees are taking good care of my grimoire, but it wouldn't hurt to have an extra set of eyes on it. And of course, I think this will be good training for you." 

Jericho asked, "What do you mean?" 

Stolas said, "The reason for Blitzy's call was to ask if I knew of a powerful magic caster to help with their job for Alastor. I think it'll be good hands-on training." 

After some thought, Jericho said, "That shouldn't be a problem. I mean, I'm not going to be doing any killing, am I?" 

Stolas shrugged and said, "It's up to Blitzy, I'm afraid. Honestly, I don't know the full details of the job, so I don't know what he needs you for. Protection magic, maybe?" 

Jericho nodded. He had some doubts about taking a job from his Uncle’s… lover? Anyway, he decided to chalk it up to giving his uncle a hand rather than getting a job. Hell, it could be good training for him. Using spells out in the Mortal World. It sounded kinda fun. He did wonder if he'd get along with his coworkers though. Stolas summoned a watch and checked the time. 

He said, "Well, it's time to go. One should be early to a job interview, after all." 

He summoned a portal and stepped through. Jericho followed, finding himself in the lobby of a run down office building. He looked around at the shabby wallpaper and the broken furniture and wondered if Stolas had brought them to the wrong place. Stolas walked toward the elevator and pressed the button. He and Jericho went inside and Stolas pressed the fifth floor button. As the doors closed, Stolas sighed happily. 

"I don't often get the chance to see my Blitzy during the day. I can't wait to see him," he said. 

"This is supposed to be my job interview, Uncle. Remember?" Jericho said. 

Stolas nodded and said, "You’re absolutely right, Jericho. We are here on business, so we must act professional." 

The elevator doors opened and they walked down the hall. They stopped at the I.M.P. door and Jericho knocked. 

"Oh, thank fuck. That's probably Loona with the drinks," a crass sounding voice said on the other side of the door. 

The door opened and a fairly tall imp opened the door. Suddenly, before Jericho got the good look at the imp, Stolas lunged and scooped up the imp into his arms. 

Stolas cried, "Oh, Blitzy! I'm so happy you're alright! My poor frightened imp, did he hurt you?" 

Jericho had trouble holding back his laughter as Stolas began kissing the flailing imp in his arms over and over. "Yeah, that's professional all right," Jericho thought. 

The imp, whom Jericho guessed was Blitzø, continued trying to break free from Stolas's hold. 

He shouted, "God fucking damnit, Stolas! Put me down! You know I hate it when you do this shit!" 

"But I was so worried about you, Blitzy," Stolas said, lowering Blitzø back down, "You know I worry about you. Ever since those dreadfully stupid humans-" 

"Hey, I told you that kinda shit wouldn't happen again and it hasn't. So, stop your fucking worrying. Anyway, what are you doing here so early? You said an hour." 

Stolas ran his hand through his plumage and said, "Well, this is technically a job interview and one must always be slightly early for-" 

"I called you twenty minutes ago," Blitzø said, crossing his arms. 

Stolas said, "Well, maybe I was a bit anxious to get here." 

Jericho laughed as Blitzø ran his hand over his face. 

"Whatever, Stolas. Let's just get inside," he said. 

Stolas and Jericho followed Blitzø inside. Jericho looked around the office and saw it was in a little better shape than the rest of the building. The striped purple wallpaper was torn in some places, but at least it looked new. The furniture was a little shabby, but it looked okay. A desk with a computer and chair was on one side, a chair and a couch on the other, with a coffee table and an empty aquarium for some reason. He turned to see two more imps, one boy and one girl,  leaning against one another and holding hands on the couch. They looked up and the girl imp smiled when she saw Stolas and Jericho. 

"Oh, well, hello there," the girl imp said with a Wrath ring drawl, "Who might you be?" 

"It's Stolas, Mils. You've seen him before," Blitzø said, sounding annoyed. 

The boy imp pointed to Jericho and said, "I believe she was asking the Hell Hound, sir." 

Blitzø turned quickly, "What Hell Hound?" 

Then, he finally noticed Jericho, who gave a smile and a weak wave. Blitzø stared at him with a confused look on his face. Stolas put his hand on Jericho’s shoulder and said, "Everyone, this is my nephew. Lord Jericho, son of Marquis Niberius of the Ars Goetia." 

"Hello," Jericho simply said and waved at them too. 

Stolas said, "Jeri, these are Moxxie and Millie, Blitzy's employees." 

Millie jumped up from the couch and stood in front of Jericho. 

"It's a pleasure, Jericho," she said, holding out her hand. 

Jericho bent down to take it and said, "Likewise, ma'am." 

He shook her hand once and turned to Moxxie and did the same. Stolas turned and said, "And this sexy little one is Blitzy." 

Jericho looked at Blitzø and saw he still had that confused look on his face. Jericho walked forward and held out his hand. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Blitzø. I've heard a lot about you," he said. 

Blitzø didn't move. He only stared at Jericho for a while. Jericho was getting kinda weirded out. Suddenly, Blitzø shook his head and walked past Jericho and Stolas towards the door. 

"Stolas, come with me out into the hallway," he said. 

Stolas asked, "Is something wrong, Blitzy?" 

"Just come the fuck out here!" Blitzø shouted from the doorway. 

Stolas shrugged his shoulders and did as he was told. As Blitzø closed the door behind them, he shouted, "What the fuck, Stolas?! A Hell Hound?!" 

Jericho grimaced. He turned to Moxxie and Millie and asked, "I hope that neither of you has a problem with Hell Hounds." 

Moxxie rolled his eyes and Millie giggled. 

She said, "Blitzø got a problem with you, but it’s nothing to do with you being a Hell Hound, sweetie." 

Jericho said, “What do you mean? What pro-”

 Jericho jumped as Blitzø suddenly shouted from the hallway, " I don't want him putting his STD ridden paws on my daughter, Stolas! "  

" Blitzy, please calm down and lower your voice! He will hear you. " Stolas shouted back. 

Jericho looked back and forth from the door to Millie, “The fuck?” 

Before Jericho could say anything else, Millie grabbed his hand and pulled him to the couch. 

She said as he sat down, "Ya see, Blitzø's got an adopted daughter named Loona. She's a Hell Hound too." 

"And he's very protective of her," Moxxie said, sitting next to Jericho, "Not that she needs it. She’d as soon bite your head off as look at you." 

Millie sat on the other side of Jericho and patted his shoulder, "Loona can be a bit on the temperamental side, but don't worry though. We all fight from time to time, but we're one small crazy family here. I'm sure you'll fit right in." 

Jericho relaxed a little, "I hope you're righ-"

Suddenly, the door burst open and Blitzø stood in the doorway. He glared at Jericho and stomped over to him. Jericho quickly stood up as Blitzø stood in front of him. 

Blitzø poked Jericho in his chest and said, "Let’s get a few things straight right off the bat, kid. First, I’m only doing this cause Stolas says you're the best choice for the job. Understand?” 

Jericho nodded, “Yes, sir.” 

“Second, don’t call me ‘sir!” Blitzø said and pointed at Moxxie, “Only he can call me ‘sir.’ He’s earned that right.” 

Moxxie raised an eyebrow, “I’ve always called you sir.” 

Blitzø grabbed Moxxie’s face and pushed him off the couch, saying, “Shut up, Mox, adults are talking.” 

He turned back to Jericho and said, “And third, if I hear you’ve put one paw on my daughter, I'll skin you alive and use your fur to wipe my ass! Understand?!" 

Jericho glanced at Stolas, who was smiling at Blitzø and shaking his head. He looked back at Blitzø and said, "I Understand, s- er… um, what should I call you?" 

"Boss or Blitzø. Either one," Blitzø said and turned to Stolas, "You better be right about this, Stolas." 

Stolas walked up to Blitzø and bent down and nuzzled his head with his own. 

"You know I only let you have the best, Blitzy," he said. 

Blitzø blushed and pushed him away. Stolas chuckled and turned to Moxxie and Millie. 

"I trust you little ones are all right as well," he asked. 

Millie took a deep breath and said, "Mostly, your highness. Just jittery nerves after… he was here. Anyway, I'll feel better once Loona gets here with our drinks." 

Jericho said, "I thought I saw a soda machine in the lobby. Is it broken?" 

Blitzø said, "For fuck sake, kid, after staring down the Radio Demon you think a little soda-pop is gonna calm us down? My Loona’s out getting us some booze." 

Jericho asked, "Um, are you sure you want to drink at work?" 

Moxxie said, "Normally, I'd be against it myself, but after our encounter, I could use a Raisedberry daiquiri or two." 

Jericho shrugged and sat down next to the imp couple with Blitzø leaned on Loona’s deck and glared at him. Stolas walked forward and patted Blitzø's head. Blitzø batted the affectionate owl's hand away. 

He growled and said, "Anyway, kid, welcome to I.M.P." 

“Happy to be here,” Jericho said with a nervous grin. 

Stolas rolled his eyes and chuckled. He stepped forward and said, "Well, it's not the first meeting I imagined, but it was nice nonetheless. Do you think you will need anything else, Jeri?" 

Jericho said, "No, thank you, Uncle Stolas. I'll call you when I need a portal back home." 

Stolas bent down and ruffled Jericho’s fur on his head with a smile. Jericho laughed as Stolas said, "Of course my boy." 

Stolas turned to Blitzø and said, "Please be kind to the boy, Blitzy." 

Blitzø crossed his arms and grumbled, but nodded and muttered, "Fine."

Stolas ran his hand over Blitzø's head and smiled at him. Blitzø smiled back for a brief second before batting his hand away. Stolas turned and opened a portal back to his garden. As he stepped through,  he said, "Have a pleasant day everyone and good hunting." 

As the portal closed, Stolas thought, "Well, that solves one problem. But what to do about Alastor?" 

He walked back towards the mansion and came to his living room. He sat on his couch and thought hard about what the cursed Radio Demon was up to. He glanced at the portrait on the wall, the one he had been meaning to replace. He didn't tell Jericho, but there might be one person who might be… embittered enough to tell what they knew. And in truth, Stolas knew Stella wouldn't say anything while they were still married, but now that they had been separated for a year, he couldn't say for sure if she wouldn't tell anyone. In fact, they had barely spoken in this whole year. Stolas knew nothing of the life his ex-wife had been living. 

He thought,  "Perhaps I should call her and see if… no… I'm being silly. Stella wouldn't tell Alastor unless she had something to gain. And she swore if she had any more problems with me, she'd tell me. No, no. However Alastor heard about the grimoire, it couldn't have been from Stella… could it?" 

Stolas shook his head and continued thinking. Then, he suddenly noticed the most delicious smells coming from the kitchen. He practically hummed as the mixture of spicy seasonings and succulent meat frying surrounded him. Whatever Gerald was cooking for lunch, it wasn't like anything Stolas has had before. He couldn't contain his curiosity anymore. Stolas stood and walked into the kitchen. As he did, he saw someone go into the pantry. Stolas looked around the kitchen. A cutting board was on the counter top with several different vegetables cut up and ready to be added to whatever was cooking. The stove top had two pots cooking away and a pan with some kind of meat sizzling inside. He noticed the oven was on and wondered what could be cooking in there. Stolas walked to the stove and began stirring the cooking meat. He looked over the other pots. One was a kind of stew with sausage and shrimp mixed in, while the other seemed to be a vegetable dish of some kind. 

Stolas heard the pantry door open. Without turning away from the stove, he said, "Gerald, this is delightful. Whatever is this?" 

"Jambalaya, your highness! My mother's recipe," someone who was definitely not Gerald answered, "With fresh collard greens as a side dish. I also have corn bread in the oven." 

Stolas’s heart almost stopped. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't be here! He must be hearing things. But as he was trying to convince himself of that, Stolas heard the staticy voice say, "Now, I don't mind a few extra hands in the kitchen, but if you don't keep stirring the chicken it will burn." 

Stolas looked and saw he wasn’t imagining things. There, standing in his kitchen as though he belonged there, was Alastor, the Radio Demon. He was wearing a red apron instead of his red jacket and his sleeves were rolled up. He took the spoon away from Stolas.

 "Why don't you let me handle this, your majesty?" Stolas took a step back as Alastor smiled, "We can save our talk until after we've eaten. " 

“Talk about what?” Stolas asked. 

Alastor’s eyes began to glow as he said, “Why, my dear prince, our new business arrangement, of course.” 

-----

Meanwhile, back at I.M.P. headquarters, everyone had been sitting in silence since Stolas had left. Moxxie and Millie were still sitting next to Jericho, who was still nervous about Blitzø's almost murderous glare at him. 

Deciding to break the crushing awkwardness, Moxxie said, "So, uh, Jericho. Is your name taken from-" 

"The City of Jericho, yeah," Jericho answered. 

Millie asked, "No offense, but why would your dad name you after a city from the Bible?" 

"Maybe if I yell at him enough, he'll crumple like a sand castle," Blitzø said. 

Moxxie said, "I'm surprised you know enough about history to make that joke, sir." 

"Fuck off, Moxxie. I know basic shit," Blitzø said, "The Canaanites were Ba'als biggest worshipers until the Israelites wiped them out. Everyone knows that." 

"And Jericho was the first major defeat of the Canaanites and God's first step in separating Demon's from their human worshipers," Jericho said, “And a time when they took a page from our book.” 

“How so?” Moxxie asked. 

“Well, demons had been giving humans 'forbidden knowledge’ for hundreds of years. At Jericho, the Angels shared some of their own; acoustics,” Jericho said, “It was how they brought the walls of Jericho down. I've recently been studying Mortal interactions with Demons and Angels. It's really fascinating, actually." 

"Yeah, don't care," Blitzø quickly said. 

Jericho lowered his ears. Moxxie groaned and turned to Jericho, "So, why did your father name you after the site of such a large defeat?" 

Jericho smiled at Moxxie, "Because before that, Jericho was the biggest city in the Canaanites ever built. It was one of the biggest centers of Demon power on Earth. At that time, Ba’al was known as Bael, the Canaanite God of fertility and weather and he had a large temple there. In Hebrew, one of the meanings of 'Jericho' is 'City of the Moon.'"

"I can't help but notice that I said I didn't care," Blitzø said. 

"Well, then you don't have to listen, sir," Moxxie snapped back, "Go on, Jericho." 

"I-uh… I don't want to cause any problems," Jericho said, nervously. He realized he had kinda been tooting his own horn.  

Millie patted him on the shoulder and said, "You aren't causing any problems, Jeri. Blitzø's just being a little defensive." 

"No, I'm not. I really want him to shut the fuck up," Blitzø said. 

Millie turned to him and said, "Aw, come on, Blitzø. Don't be like that. After all, he'll probably be family soon." 

Blitzø bolted out of his chair and shouted, "There is no way in the Seven Rings that Loona’s gonna marry this asshole!" 

Millie put on a smug smile and said, “I was talking about you and Stolas.”

Blitzø's face turned redder, "W-wha, wait what do you mean? Stolas and me aren't… uh," 

Millie shot a quick wink at Jericho and said, "Aw, come on, Blitzø. We've seen how exciting you get around the full moon." 

"Uh-huh. And don't forget all those 'secret dates' you both are going on," Moxxie said, smiling. 

Blitzø continued, "Wha-da, n-n-o, Stolas and-we're not, um." 

“Oh, come now, sir. There’s no need to hide it from us,” Moxxie said and then he turned to Jericho, “Stolas must have told you something about it, right Jericho?” 

Jericho looked at Moxxie who winked at him too. Jericho finally understood what was going on. He sat back on the couch and said, “Well, not really. But you should see how excited he gets when Blitzo calls him.”

“Really?” Millie squealed.

“Oh, yeah,” Jericho said, “ Practically bounces around the room.” 

“He does?” Blitzø asked, but as his face grew redder he said, “Uh, I mean, who cares what Stolas does? I just- And we- Oh for fucksake!” 

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the door and a voice yelled out, “Yo, Blitzø! Open the door! My hands are full!” 

Jericho was stunned. He sank down lower on the couch to hide as Blitzø got to the door. He really hoped he hadn’t recognized that voice, but if he had… Oh, Satan it won’t be good. 

“Unholy shit, Loona, did you clean out the liquor store again?” Blitzø said. 

"Naw. A robbery was going on and one of the fuckers pulled a gun on me. After I ripped off his arms, the guy behind the counter let me take what I wanted," Loona said, walking behind Blitzo with five bags of bottles and 6 packs in each of their hands. 

Jericho’s worst fear was confirmed when he saw her set her bags down on the desk. It was her. The girl from the party. He hoped he might be able to slip away in the brief second she didn't notice him. Moxxie ruined that idea when he asked, "Did you remember to tell them I wanted extra lime?" 

She opened up a tied back and pulled out a styrofoam cup, "Yeah, yeah,  flabby, I got it right he-"

Then she turned around and saw him. Jericho watched a look of shock and confusion pass over her face. He nearly pissed himself when her look turned into pure rage. 

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" she screamed, throwing the drink at Jericho. 

Moxxie's quick reflexes let him catch his drink before it hit Jericho. He and Millie jumped out of the way as Loona charged Jericho. She pinned him down to the couch and shouted, "What, you followed me home, you sick fuck?!" 

"What?! No!" Jericho said. 

She pulled him off the couch and pinned him against the wall. 

"Then, how do you know where I work?" she demanded. 

Jericho raised his arms in defense, "I didn’t! I swear!" 

"So do I, shithead, but that ain't gonna get you out of this," Blitzø said, taking a swig from one of the bottles, "Kick his ass, Loonie!" 

Millie said, "Blitzø, don't say that!" 

Millie jumped in and tried to pull Loona off of Jericho. Moxxie put his drink aside and did the same. 

Moxxie shouted, "Sir, please tell her to stop! Someone could get hurt!" 

"Besides, how will my Uncle feel if I'm dead!" Jericho shouted. 

Blitzø groaned and said, "Their right, Loona. Let him go." 

"Fuck, no Blitzø," Loona said, growling, "Not until this fucker tells me what he's doing here." 

Blitzø said, "Stolas brought him. He's our magic guy." 

"What?!" Loona said, "Aw, no. Not this fucktard! He's going to get us killed!" 

Millie said, "Now, that ain't fair, Loona! We haven't even seen him in action." 

Loona said, "I have. This jackass ruined my night last night." 

"Hey, I was just trying to help!" Jericho shouted, feeling his anger rising. 

"I didn’t need any help!" Loona shouted back. 

Jericho finally pushed Loona off and said, "You were surrounded by fou- er, three guys! What was I supposed to do, ignore someone in trouble?" 

"You were in a fight at that party?" Blitzø asked.

Loona crossed her arms, "Everyone else was." 

"Well, I'm not everyone else!" Jericho said, "If I see someone in trouble, I help them. Forgive me if I wanted to do the right thing." 

"Smashing a beer bottle over Vortex's head was not the right thing!" Loona said. 

"You did what?" Blitzø asked.

"I had no way of knowing he was your friend! All I saw was a big ass hell hound come up behind you. If he had been one of those guys' friends, he could've killed you! Why not try for a bit of gratitude and stop acting like a bitch!" Jericho said. 

Loona growled, "What the fuck did you say?!" 

"I said try for a bit of gratitude. As in, be grateful some actually wanted to help you!" Jericho growled back, "Oh, yeah. And I called you a bitch!" 

Loona had had enough. She threw a hard right at Jericho, but he ducked in time.. She dove at Jericho, only for Millie to leap onto her to try and keep her off Jericho. Moxxie did the same to Jericho. It didn't stop Loona from trying to grab Jericho again. Jericho stopped her by lifting her and Millie into the air with a levitation spell. Loona was surprised, but it didn't stop her from trying to reach him. Suddenly, a gun shot rang out, stopping everyone in their tracks. 

"Alright, that's enough of this shit!" Blitzø shouted. 

Everyone turned to see Blitzø holding his smoking flintlock pistol, looking more serious than any of them had seen him look. 

Tucking the gun back into his jacket, Blitzø said, "Kid, putting down. Mox and Mils, get off them. Lonna, back off and try to calm down." 

Everyone did as they were told. Millie pulled Loona over to her desk while Moxxie and Jericho moved to the couch. After everyone had sat down, Blitzø started to pace in front of them. 

He said, "Okay, rocky start aside, we have our magic man." 

Loona shout, "But Blitzø, he-" 

"I'm not speaking as your father here, Loona," Blitzø said, turning to her, "I'm speaking as your boss and I say he stays. Look, Stolas said he's the best guy for the job and I trust his judgement." 

Loona growled and turned away from Blitzø still fuming. Blitzø turned to Jericho and said, "But remember this, Stolas's acknowledgement aside, you fuck this up and I'll let her go off on you." 

Jericho glanced at Loona and saw her smug smile as she cracked her knuckles. He narrowed his eyes and turned his attention back to Blitzø. 

Blitzø took a deep breath and said, "Okay. This job's dangerous enough because of who gave it to us. Alastor's scary as fuck and he wants this to go smooth. So, this ain't gonna be our usual 'quick shot and done' job. We need to plan our moves and be careful not to cause any problems. We need to be calm and professional. Can everybody do that?" 

Moxxie and Millie nodded at once, but Loona was still glaring at Jericho. He looked at her and his lip curled into a sneer, but he nodded. Blitzø looked at Loona who shot him a sideways glance. She turned away and groaned, but she nodded.

“Perfect,” Blitzø said, snatching a bag of booze, “Grab a drink, let’s head to the conference room and sort this shit out.” 

Blitzø turned and headed back toward the conference room and Jericho stood to follow him. Loona stepped into his path and growled. 

“Two things, fucker,” she said, “If you come near me, I”ll rip your dick off and shove it down your throat.” 

Jericho crossed his arms, “And the other?” 

She closed in on him and said, quietly, “If anything happens to them because of one of your fuck ups, nothing in Hell, Heaven, or Earth will stop me from killing you.” 

With that, she turned and headed toward the back. Jericho rolled his eyes and thought, “Why the Hell did I ever think she was beautiful?” 

Jericho slowly made his way to the back too. Then he doubled back and grabbed a bottle from one of the bags, then he went into the back. Millie watched both of them go. She sighed and shook her head. She turned to Moxxie and he was sipping his daiquiri. 

“Hmm, extra line,” he said, with a smile. 

He turned to see Millie glaring at him. He grinned sheepishly and set his drink down. Millie stopped glaring and stepped forward and caressed his cheek. Moxxie put his hand on her and leaned into her touch. Millie lowered her hand and headed towards the back. Moxxie began to follow her, but turned around for his drink. Taking another sip, he walked into the back. 

End of Chapter 5.

Chapter Text

Even after a few drinks, the tension in the conference room was thick. Loona kept staring at Jericho with murder in her eyes. Jericho glared right back, his mind combing through which spell would hurt her more. Moxxie had finished his daiquiri and grabbed a wine cooler for himself and a beer for Millie, who still looked upset over what happened between Jericho and Loona. Blitzø had emptied three bottles of malt liquor, two bottles of red wine, a six pack of beer and the last seven wine coolers without showing any sign of slowing down. 

After a loud bletch, Blitzø said, "Alright, enough fucking around. Let's do this!" 

Jericho thought, “This jackass is the boss? How have they not gotten themselves killed yet”

Then he asked, "Well, first I'd like to know what kind of magic you need for this job?" 

Blitzø turned to the white board and said, "Alastor wants us to get his super powerful amulet off this poor fucker who found it. We need to kill him and get the amulet, and bring it back to him. This is what it looks like." 

Blitzø turned the whiteboard over and showed Jericho the drawing Alastor left. Jericho stood up and stood in front of the picture. 

"Hmm," Jericho said, "This is a pretty powerful bit of protection magic." 

Moxxie said, "According to Alastor, the amulet is giving some of its protection to our target. We need you to weaken the amulets' protection for us so we can get close enough for the kill." 

Jericho turned to Moxxie, "But that doesn't make any sense." 

Millie asked, "How do you mean, Jeri?" 

"Well, this kind of protection magic can do that, but if this guy just stops wearing it the magic should wear off on its own," Jericho said, "So, why would Alastor want us to kill him as well?" 

"Aw, well, darn it all. I don't think any of us bothered to ask him," Blitzø said sarcastically, "Who gives a fuck why he wants him dead?!" 

Jericho said, "I do." 

Blitzø said, "Well, it's not up for debate, kid! We're wasting the fucker and that's that." 

Moxxie said, "I will admit it's strange. When I asked him the significance of the amulet, he got defensive. And he did say the amulets' power would be trouble if someone had it." 

"What kind of trouble?" Jericho asked. 

"The kind were its none of our fucking business, asswipe!" Loona shouted, "You ain't here to be some kinda adviser or some shit. You're here to help us with magic. So, shut the fuck up and do whatever Blitzø tells you!" 

"Alastor wants this guy dead for a reason!" Jericho shouted, "And until we figure out what it is, we should be careful." 

Blitzø yelled, "Yeah, you'll 'carefully' shut off the magic and we'll 'carefully' put a bullet in his fucking skull!" 

Jericho yelled back, "There's more to canceling spells than just waving my hands around!" 

Blitzø, Loona, and Jericho continued to yell at each other while Millie rubbed her temples. Moxxie put his hand on his wife's shoulder. 

He asked, "Do you want me to...uh?" 

Millie smiled at Moxxie and said, "Please, sweetie." 

Moxxie reached into his coat and pulled out an air horn and two sets of ear plugs. After he and Millie had plugged their ears, he let out a loud burst with the air horn. The others stopped arguing to cover their ears. Once he was sure they had stopped, Moxxie put the air horn and their ear plugs back in his coat. 

"There you go, honey," he said to Millie. 

Millie gave Moxxie a quick 'thank you' kiss and stood up on the table. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Okay, damn it. If I have to be the adult in the room I will." 

She turned to Blitzø, "Blitzø, give Jericho some slack. He's probably never had a job before, let alone have to kill someone! Give him space and time to grow." 

She turned to Loona, "I don't know what happened at that stupid hound party and I don't care! He's here now and you're just gonna have to get over it." 

She turned to Jericho, "Of course Alastor's got more on the line here than a simple hit. Ya think we're so stupid that we don't know that? It's none of our business why someone wants someone dead, we just kill 'em and move on! If ya can't deal with that, then maybe ya shouldn't have taken the job!" 

She looked them all over and said, "Now, can we knock off the fucking bickering and get to work?" 

Millie plopped back down into her seat as Moxxie gave her some light applause. Loona still looked pissed, but she pulled out her phone and sat back in her chair. Blitzø crossed his arms and sat back too. Jericho lowered his ears and said, "I'm sorry to cause trouble." 

Millie said, "It's fine, Jeri. We all have worries and questions about this whole thing. Trust me. Why don't ya tell us some of yours?" 

Jericho nodded. He glanced at Blitzø and said, "Well, for starters, who do you think told Alastor about the book?" 

"I don't think anyone did," Moxxie said, "He mentioned that he was curious about how we were getting to the Mortal World." 

"Well, that makes me feel a little better," Jericho said, "But why do we have to kill the guy? Did he say anything about that?" 

Millie shook her head, "Naw. He just said to kill him and take it." 

"Can you think of any reason why we would need to kill him to get the amulet?" Moxxie asked. 

"No. In terms of magic, there's no reason why we can't just take it. Was there anything else?" Jericho asked. 

Moxxie shrugged, "Not that I can think-"

"Oh, wait! The case!" Millie said. 

Jericho raised his eyebrow, "Case?" 

Moxxie said, "Oh, yeah. Show him the case, sir." 

Blitzø turned away from the group and growled while his tail tip flicked back and forth. 

Millie said, "Aw, come one now Blitzø. Please?" 

Blitzø made a sideways glance at Millie. He huffed and reached into his jacket. He tossed the case at Jericho. 

He said, "Once we have the amulet, we're supposed to put it in there." 

Jericho looked all over the case, "Nothing magical about this." 

"Great. Toss it back," Blitzø said quickly. Once Jericho did, he asked, "Okay, kid, now here's a question for you. Can you shut off the amulets magic or not?" 

Jericho said, "I can, but I need to get a look at it so I know how powerful to make my spell." 

Blitzø asked, "Why can't you just zap the thing?" 

"Because if I 'zap' it too lightly, the spell won't work, but if I 'zap' it too much, it may explode," Jericho said. 

Everyone stared at Jericho in shock. 

"Well, 'explode' is the wrong word," Jericho said, "It's more, 'cause a blast of magic big enough that someone from upstairs might notice it,'" Jericho said, leaning on the table. 

"Upstairs?"

"Heaven, sir." 

"Shut the fuck up, Moxxie. I knew that." 

"The point is that I need a better idea of the amulets power," Jericho said, "But yes, I'm sure I can cancel the amulets magic." 

Blitzø clapped his hands together, "Okay, now that we've got through the question and answer stage, let's go to the big game. First things first, surveillance. We head out to the target's location and scope the hell out of it. We need vantage points, possible exits, and if we can swing it, a spot for a sniper's nest. M&M, you two are on the street and I'll take the hotel. Then, we need a set of eyes on our target. Loona, since you've got the best disguise, you can get close in and see if he's got the amulet on him. Jericho, stay close by if he does so you can do what you need to do. We get this right the first time and we'll be back in time for dinner. Anything else? No? Good, let's get this shit done."

Jericho was kind of impressed that Blitzø could plan so well and be so stupid at the same time. Everyone stood up and headed out. Loona hung back with Jericho and said, "Remember what I said, douchebag." 

Jericho grunted, "Yeah, yeah, bitch, I remember." 

Loona growled at him, then headed back to the front. Jericho slowly followed. As they walked, Loona put on her human disguise. Jericho looked her over and blushed. He quickly shook his head and put on his own, which gave him sandy blonde hair, brown eyes, and a nose that was slightly crooked like it had been broken before. As they made it to the front, Blitzø, Moxxie, and Millie were finishing up their "disguises." Moxxie was wearing a blue plaid shirt with shorts and red flip-flops. He had a camera hanging around his neck and a beanie to cover his horns. Millie was dressed in a black woman's business suit with its skirt reaching her shins. Her brunette wig was large and easily covered her horns. Blitzø was made up like a street bum with a large dirty coat and scarf wrapped around him. Several brown paper bags covered his head and horns. 

"What the fuck are you all wearing?" Jericho asked. 

Blitzø looked at the others, then at Jericho and said, "Our disguises. What does it look like?" 

"Why aren't you using your human disguises?" Jericho asked. 

Loona rolled her eyes, "Here we go again." 

Moxxie rubbed the back of his neck, "We don't actually have human disguises." 

"What?!" Jericho yelled

Moxxie quickly added, "Well, these work just fine for us."  

"Just fine?!" Jericho asked in shock, "Anyone could tell you're not human a mile away!"

"Hey, most human are dumb as bricks. They barely notice us," Blitzø said. 

Millie said with a laugh, "Except the one time we opened that portal into that D&D group. Whoo, that was funny!" 

"This isn't funny! Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if you're caught?" Jericho asked, "And why hasn't Uncle Stolas given you human disguises?" 

"Say wha?" Blitzø asked. 

Millie stepped forward, "Give us disguises?" 

"Uncle Stolas?" Loona asked. 

Jericho took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He said, "From your reaction, I guess you haven't even bothered to ask him. Nevermind, I could give you human disguises too, if you want." 

"Naw, I'm good," Blitzø said, adjusting his paper bags. 

Moxxie took off the beanie and said, "Come on, sir. As assassins, they can come in handy." 

Millie said, "Yeah. And we wouldn't have to run from targets as much." 

Blitzø huffed and crossed his arms, "We don't need that extra shit. We've been doing great without it." 

"Well, the easier we move around, the quicker we get this hit done," Jericho said, "So, I can either give you a human disguise or you can keep playing dress up." 

"Watch your fucking tone with me, kid," Blitzø snapped. 

After a few minutes of grumbling, Blitzø took the bags of his head and said, "Fine, Goddamn it." 

They pulled off the disguises as Jericho began casting the spell. The room was suddenly filled with a flash of blue flames that washed over Blitzø, Moxxie, and Millie. Jericho looked them over and said, "There, that's much better." 

Millie looked down at her hands and saw she had five fingers. She flexed them and saw they still felt normal. Then she looked at herself. Her clothes looked like always, but she now had laced up boots instead of hooves. She took a few steps to test them. 

"Huh. This is kinda weird," she thought. 

She looked at Moxxie to see how he was doing and she gasped. Next to her was someone who she knew was Moxxie, but it was a human. Moxxie's horns were gone and his white hair had turned brown. His face was the same, but his eyes were blue and his skin looked like a humans. He had a cute button nose and buck teeth. He also had more freckles on his face. 

"Wow, sweetie. I didn't think you'd look so cute as a human," she said. 

Moxxie shook his head to clear it. He had been marveling over how pretty his wife was as a human. She also lost her horns and red skin. Her hair was still black and she still had that cute gap in her teeth. Her skin was tanned and her small cute nose. She had a scar above her eye he'd never seen before. 

Moxxie said, "I'm honestly not surprised to see you look as beautiful as ever, honey." 

Millie blushed and squealed. She pulled him into a kiss and held him close. A pair of hands grabbed Moxxie from behind and started shaking him. It was Blitzø.

He said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, save it for when the job's over. Anyway, you guys look okay, but what about me?" 

They both looked up and were kinda shocked at what they saw. Moxxie took a quick look at Millie and carefully said, "Um… you look fine, sir." 

"Yeah, just fine," Millie said nervously. 

Blitzø raised an eyebrow and looked at Loona. She looked like she was holding back laughter as she recorded him on her phone. He looked at Jericho and said, "What the fuck did you do?" 

Jericho kept opening his mouth to talk, but nothing was coming out. Instead, he raised his hand and summoned a hand mirror and held it out to Blitzø. Blitzø snatched the mirror and looked at himself. He was stunned. He looked like a human with shoulder length black hair and a thick black beard and mustache. His eyes were hazel brown and a little sunken. His nose was long and narrow. Blitzø's shock quickly became rage. 

He yelled, "WHY THE FUCK DO I LOOK LIKE KEEANU REEVES?!" 

Now, Loona almost fell over laughing. Millie and Moxxie bit their lips to stop themselves from joining her. 

“It’s not fuckin’ funny!” Blitzø groaned and turned to Jericho, “Well, what the fuck happened?!” 

Jericho shook his head, “I don’t know! The spell’s not supposed to work like that.” 

“Like what?” Blitzø asked, crossing his arms. 

Jericho said, "Well, I just-" 

"No, no! Nevermind! I don't care!" Blitzø said, "Just fix it!" 

Loona laughed, "Hey, Blitzø. I got an idea for the hit. W-we put the guy in a speeding bus with a bomb on it and-" 

"Knock it off, Loona!" Blitzø shouted. 

Moxxie and Millie couldn't help themselves anymore. Moxxie fell on the floor, pounding it in fits of laughter. Millie was holding her sides and bent over laughing. Loona could barely stand as she kept recording. 

"This is so going up on ticVox," she said between laughs.

"Don't you dare, Loona!" Blitzø yelled. 

"Uh, like, come on Blitzø," Millie said in a valley girl voice, "Don't freak out, dude. Take a chill pill." 

"A red one or a blue one?" Moxxie asked, snickering. 

Everyone continued laughing as Blitzø's face became redder and redder. He looked at Jericho, who looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh. Blitzø stomped up to him and put his finger in his face. 

Blitzø said, threateningly, "Fix. It. NOW!" 

Jericho quickly said, "Okay, okay. One sec." 

After taking a minute to calm down, Jericho cast the spell and the blue flames spread to Blitzø. Once it was done, Blitzø looked at himself in the mirror again. His hair was still black, but much shorter and kinda spiked with white highlights. His eyes were a deep almost reddish brown with bags under them. His face was tanned and he had a goatee. His nose was slightly shorter. Blitzø sighed and shoved the mirror back to Jericho. 

"Better," he said, then he looked at the overs and crossed his arms, "I guess that none of you think this face is that funny?" 

They all had stopped laughing. Millie wiped away a few tears and said, "We're sorry, Blitzø, but that was-" 

"Save it until we get this done," Blitzø said, "Anyway, let's go before something else goes wrong." 

With that, Loona opened the portal and Blitzø stepped through. M&M followed next and Jericho followed Loona. They were behind the main building of the target's hotel in the middle of New Orleans. Blitzø looked around and said, "Okay, gang. We all know our jobs. Let's go and be careful." 

As they all split up, Jericho turned to Loona and asked, "Do you have the target's picture?" 

Without saying anything, she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. She gave it a quick sniff and tucked it away. Looking around, she then started to walk toward the street. 

Jericho sighed and started to follow her, "The fucking silent treatment? What are you, 9 years old?"  

-----

On the street, Moxxie and Millie were slowly looking around. Moxxie noticed that the street was busy with humans walking in every direction. They were coming in and out of the restaurants and the hotel was busy too. He shook his head. 

"This street is too open," he thought, "If something went wrong, there would be so many ways and places he could run to. We'd lose him and might get caught ourselves." 

Millie wasn't as focused on the mission as he was though. She was looking around, but it was in awe of the city. 

"Wow. Ya know, this place is really something," she said. 

Moxxie said, "I know. There's no way we can take him down on the street." 

"I didn’t mean like that, Mox," she giggled. 

Moxxie turned to her, "What do you mean?" 

Millie said, "Well, most of the time we're up here, we kill someone and go. We don't really get a chance to look at anything. And being on this amazing street, surrounded by humans that don't have to worry about noticing us, I just couldn't help but take in how pretty everything is." 

Moxxie smiled at her and said "Not as pretty as you, honey." 

Millie cooed and pulled Moxxie in for a quick kiss. Suddenly, very loud, almost celebratory music started playing in one of the restaurants. Moxxie's eye filled with stars as he listened. It was unlike anything he had heard before. The music seemed to be alive, like it had its own soul. Some people in the street began to dance to it. Moxxie looked at Millie and she was already bouncing to the beat of the music. He took Millie by the hand and they started dancing too. 

As they danced Millie said, giggling, "Oh, we are so coming back here!"

-----

While Millie and Moxxie were dancing, Blitzø was checking the third floor of the hotel. He was looking down and making notes about the staff and other people in the hotel lobby. He counted two receptionists, five bell boys, four security guards and one plain clothes cop, not to mention all the tourists moving around. He watched while people moved all around the lobby, heading to their rooms or out the door. He shook his head and walked to the elevator. 

"Fuck," he thought, "This places is shoot-out waiting to happen. If we nailed the guy here we'd never get out." 

-----

As Blitzø was checking out the hotel, Jericho and Loona were following the trail of their target. They were just coming to a coffee shop. As they reached the entrance, Jericho grabbed Loona and pulled her to one of the tables. He pushed her into a chair and quickly sat down himself. 

Loona growled, "What the fuck are you-"

"Shut up and look!" Jericho whispered and pointed over his shoulder. 

Loona looked and saw their target was close by at another table sipping coffee. He had a light gray backpack and was looking over some papers and books from it. 

“So, Miss Professional Assassin, tell me something. That’s our target, right? And it would’ve been bad if he’d seen us, right?” Jericho whispered. 

“Fuck you,” Loona said, “Anyway, does he have the amulet on him?”

“I don’t know. I’m not looking at him,” Jericho said.

Loona groaned and looked over to their target again. He was wearing a black shirt and denim blue jeans, but she didn’t see the amulet around his neck. 

“It doesn’t look like it,” she said. 

Jericho said, “Okay. It may be in his room.” 

“I’ve got an idea for getting inside,” Loona said.  

Jericho said, "Okay, how-"

Loona suddenly swung a quick punch and hit Jericho in the face. Jericho fell out of the chair and Loona stood up and continued walking. 

“See ya back at the hotel, fucker!” he heard her say, “Get the fuck outta my way!”

Someone helped Jericho up, saying, “Holy shit, man. You ok?” 

Jericho looked around for Loona and saw she had knocked over other chairs and customers, including the target. 

“Why’d she do that?” the guy next to Jericho asked. 

Jericho rubbed his cheek and said, “She has problems. Moreover, she likes causing them.”

Jericho ran after Loona and when he caught up to her he said, “What the fuck was that for?!” 

Loona smiled and held up a hotel room keycard and said, “Distraction.”

“So, you decked me just to pickpocket the guy’s key?” Jericho asked, getting more pissed off. 

“Naw,” Loona said, “I decked you cause you’re an asshole.”

Jericho growled and followed her to the hotel.

-----

After he finished looking inside the hotel, Blitzø had decided to look around the outside. He rounded the last corner and headed out to the street. 

“Neutral cover over here too. Damnit! Maybe Millie and Moxxie have good news for me,” he thought. 

He looked down the street and saw Moxxie and Millie dancing in a crowd of people. He rolled his eyes. He stomped down the road towards them. As he got there, the music was changing to a slow dance. Moxxie pulled Millie into a hug and began to slowly sway to the rhythm. 

“What the fuck are you two doing?!” he shouting, scaring them and the rest of the crowd. 

Blitzø quickly pulled Moxxie and Millie away and said, “Am I the only professional left in the group? What happened?” 

“Oh-uh.we were just…Um,” Moxxie stammered.

Millie said, “Sorry, Blitzø. We just got a little side tracked.” 

“Yeah, I’d expect that from No Nards here, Millie, but not you,” Blitzø said, “We’ve got to stay focused. The sooner we get this taken care of, the sooner we get the Radio Demon out of our shit. Now, where’s Jericho and my Loona?” 

Millie pointed and said, “There they are.”

Blitzø turned and what he saw made his heart stop. He watched Loona and Jericho go into the big hotel he had just finished scoping out. Now, part of him knew they might have been looking for the target, but the rest of him wasn't going to risk some dipshit boy stealing his Loonie away from him! He bolted to follow them inside. Moxxie and Millie followed right behind him. 

“So much for staying focused,” Moxxie said.

Blitzø burst into the lobby and looked around, but didn't see them. He ran over to the receptionist who was reading from her tablet. 

"Hey, lady," Blitzø said, " Did you see a young, vulnerable, innocent girl come in with a disgusting, untrustworthy, STD-filled guy?" 

Without looking up, the receptionist said, "All the time." 

Blitzø groaned and started looking around for his precious Loona and that rat bastard Jericho. 

-----

While Blitzø started zipping around the lobby trying to find them, Loona and Jericho were in the elevator on their way to the second floor. Jericho was leaning on the wall, still rubbing his sore cheek and glaring at Loona. Loona still had that smug smile on her face she’d gotten since she punched him. 

When the doors opened, Jericho pushed past Loona and said, “You’re lucky I’m too much of a gentleman to hit a girl.” 

“Like you’d have the balls to do it if I wasn’t, dickless,” she said, following behind. 

As they walked closer to their target's room, Loona suddenly became light headed. She groaned and shook her head and put her arm up to lean against the wall. Jericho turned to her, then back towards the room. 

"You’re feeling the amulets' effects from thus far away?" he asked, "Or is it those two bottles of tequila finally catching up to you?"

Loona groaned, "Shut the fuck up, shit stain. I'm not a lightweight like you. This doesn't feel like a hangover." 

Jericho cast a quick spell over Loona. She did feel better, but she was still pissed. 

"What was that?" Loona asked. 

Jericho said, "Just a little boost to your magic. You should be fine for a while longer. Now, let's get inside. Give me the keycard." 

Jericho held out his hand for it and Loona just slapped his hand aside. She reached over and unlocked the door herself. Jericho shook his head and followed her inside. The room was the average size of a hotel room. Most of the suitcases were closed and set against the wall, but the bed was covered with maps, notebooks, old newspaper clippings, and black and white pictures. Jericho looked over some of the clippings and noticed they all either talked about the tour of some famous celebrities and radio personalities from the 20’s and 30’s or an unknown serial killer that killed dozens across the country around the same time. Jericho looked at the pictures and saw they were mostly of the same man. He was a tall handsome looking man with large glasses and a friendly smile. In some pictures, he was standing with a large group of people. 

Jericho thought, "I wonder what all this is about? Research?" 

"Hey! Found it!" Loona said. 

Jericho set down the picture and turned to Loona. She had opened one of the desk drawers and the amulet was inside.

Jericho walked over, "Okay. Let's see what we're dealing with." 

He placed his hand over the amulet and began casting his spell. The amulet started to give off a golden glow. Jericho moved his hand closer and the amulets glow changed to red. 

"Basic protection. No harm there," Jericho muttered. 

Jericho used both of his hands to cast the next spell and they started glowing blue. The amulet was giving off its golden glow again. 

"Hmm, weird," he said. 

"What?" Loona asked. 

Jericho quickly shushed her and cast another spell, this time his hands glowed green. The amulet began to glow brighter and brighter. Jericho took a step back as the amulets glow changed to green. 

"Uh, let's back up out of the room," Jericho said. 

Loona asked, "Why? What's it doing?" 

"Just back up out of the room," Jericho said. 

Suddenly, the amulets started glowing a deep crimson and black that seemed to fill the whole room. 

Loona lowered her ears and backed away, "What did the fuck you do?" 

"Run!" Jericho shouted and slammed the drawer. 

The amulets glow changed back to golden, but still grew brighter. Loona and Jericho bolted out of the room. Jericho slammed the door behind them and cast another spell. He grabbed Loona and pulled her away from the door. The glow began to shine brighter and through the spaces in the door until it exploded in a large flash. After that, the glow disappeared. Jericho lifted his head and looked toward the door. Loona was still a little freaked out and shook her head. She realized that Jericho still had his hands on her arms, shielding her from the amulets magic. She shrugged off his hands and punched him hard in the gut. Jericho doubled over and fell on his side. 

"What the ever-loving fuck did you do?!" Loona shouted, “You said the thing wouldn’t explode!”

"Spell backlash… not my fault… " Jericho strained out.

Loona asked, "How was that not your fault?" 

Jericho stood up, "Nevermind. I'll explain it to everybody back at the I.M.P. headquarters. Let's get back to the others." 

As they went to the elevator, Loona pulled out her phone and called Blitzø. 

He answered right away saying, "Loona sweetie! Where are you?! What did he do to you?! If that sleazy son of a bitch has defiled any of your holes, I'll-" 

"Blitzø, knock it off! We're heading back to the lobby. Meet us there, " Loona said and hung up. 

She glared at Jericho, "Now tell me what you did?" 

Jericho groaned and said, "It's complicated." 

Loona said, "Well, uncomplicate it and fast or I'll-" 

"Save the threats for later!" Jericho shouted, "We may be in deeper shit than I thought." 

As the elevator doors opened, Blitzø ran inside and grabbed Loona in a tight hug. 

"Oh, Loonie! Don't ever scare me like that again!" Blitzø cried. 

Loona pushed him off and said, blushing, "Goddamn it, Blitzø! Quit it!" 

Moxxie came up, "Did you find the amulet, Jericho?" 

"Yeah, he found it and then he nearly killed us with it!" Loona said. 

Jericho said, "I did not, bitch!" 

Loona shouted, "Don't lie, fucker!"

"Not this again," Millie said. 

Before the arguing could get out of hand, Millie grabbed Loona and Jericho by the ears and dragged them out of the elevator and into the lobby. They both struggle to get her to let go. 

"Hey, stop that, Mils! You'll hurt her!" Blitzø said. 

"What about me?!" Jericho said. 

"No way, Blitzø! If they're gonna act like kids, I'll treat 'em like it!" Millie said, "Now, are you two gonna behave?" 

"Yeah, yeah! Fuck!" Loona said. 

"Uh-huh, me too! Me too!" Jericho said. 

Millie let them go and said, "Good. I don't think I won't do that again." 

As Jericho and Loona were rubbing their sore ears, Blitzø came up from behind and said, "Now, what was that about nearly getting my Loona killed, cocksucker?" 

Jericho grunted, "I actually saved us." 

Loona said, "Don't try to cover your ass! You almost got us blown up!" 

"It was a spell backlash!" Jericho said. 

"So, what? Did 'uncle' Stolas not teach you how to deal with that?" Loona asked. 

Jericho said, "He did and I did deal with it, you bi-" 

Millie said, "What did I just say?!" 

Moxxie said, "Everyone, calm down! We're making a scene." 

The others looked around and sure enough, most of the lobby was looking at them. Some turned away, but others kept glancing in their direction. 

"MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS!" Blitzø shouted. 

Everyone turned away from them then. 

Blitzø smiled and said, "There. That’s taken care of." 

Moxxie shook his head, "Well, now we really need to go, sir." 

“Fine, Goddamn it,” Blitzø said, “Let’s get back to the office,” 

Most didn't bother to watch them leave. Most everybody thought they were just rude tourists and went back to their business. Most didn't think anything more about the strange group that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Most, but not all. The receptionist at the deck had turned away with everyone else, but she watched as the group left. She watched them for one reason. The name one of them had said.

 "Stolas." 

She quickly typed it into her search engine on her tablet. After a second, she was rereading an article she'd read months before for her history final. Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia. She had decided to do a thesis on legends and myth. Apparently, Stolas was a powerful being in Hell. She looked back to the door. She shook her head and closed the browser, dismissing the idea from her mind. It was a coincidence or she’d misheard her. Besides, It was crazy. There’s no such thing as demons. 

-----

As Blitzø and the others made it back to their office, they lowered their human disguises and walked into the conference room. 

Once everyone was inside, Blitzø turned to Jericho and said, "Okay, kid. Tell us what happened." 

Jericho sat on the couch and said, "Well, we found the target and he wasn't wearing the amulet. So, we figured it must be in his room. That's when Loona punched me." 

Loona took out her phone and said, "I needed a distraction to steal the guy's key card." 

"Good thinking, sweetie," Blitzø said. 

Jericho said, "Yeah, real good. Next time, just let me magic the door open, you-" 

"Jericho," Millie said sternly, "Don’t say it. Just let it go and keep going." 

Jericho grumbled, but continued, "Anyway, after Loona found the amulet, I cast a detection spell to see what kind of protection magic was on it. It has a layered mix of different kinds of voodoo protective and repellant spells, some were stronger than others." 

"What's repellant magic?" Moxxie asked. 

Jericho said, "It's like a force that doesn't hurt demons, just weakens them or thins them out. Loona was feeling some of its effects before I buffed up her magic shielding." 

"What did I say about you touching Loona?!" Blitzø yelled. 

“Damn it, Blitzø! Don’t make me wrangle you in too!” Millie said, “Just let him finish!” 

“Alright! Alright! Fuck!” Blitzø said as he started pacing. 

Millie nodded to Jericho and he said, "I tried to dispel the amulets' protection spells, but I noticed a different spell underneath them all casting more. I pushed the protection spells aside and started to try and isolate the spell so I could figure out what it was. But before I could figure out much, the unknown spell changed the protection spells and they started to absorb my magic in a spell backlash.” 

“The fuck does that mean?” Blitzø snapped. 

“Like it told Loona, it’s complicated,” Jericho said, running his hand through his fur and after taking a second to think, he said, “Picture two magnets pointed at one another. Pushing one towards the other will cause it to be pushed away. That’s what my spell was doing. Pushing the protection magics out of the way so I could see the unknown spell. My spell was basically a negative push against the amulet’s positive push. Normally, this is a perfectly harmless way to look underneath multilayered spells. But the unknown spell somehow changed the protection spells to absorb my magic and started to build up power for an explosion." 

"Which it did," Loona said with a grunted. 

Jericho snapped, " No, it didn't! If it exploded, we'd be dead. When I saw it was gathering power, I cast a wide canceling spell to try and stop the blast. And it worked… mostly." 

Blitzø slammed his hands on the table and said, "So, all that work and you can't do shit about that amulet?" 

"I didn’t say that," Jericho said, "Like I said, my canceling spell worked for the most part. It canceled my spells as well as weakened the blast from an explosion to a flash of light. That means that whatever the unknown spell is, it doesn’t take control of magic. It just changes it. But that’s where the problem comes in.” 

Moxxie asked, “What kind of problem?” 

Millie asked, “Does it have to do with shutting the amulets magic off?” 

Jericho nodded, “Yeah. Canceling the protection magic is simple enough, but if this unknown spell casts more of them again it could be trouble.” 

Millie said, “Well, maybe it ain’t casting new spells as much as turning them back on.” 

“How so?” Jericho asked. 

Millie said, “Well, like we told ya. Alastor said the amulet was giving some of its protection to the target. If that’s so, ya can only permanently dispel the magic while he’s wearing the amulet.” 

Jericho said, “Well, that makes sense. That just leaves the unknown spell.” 

Blitzo asked, “ Do you have any idea what the fuck it’s for? Could it be like, I don’t know, protection for the protection magic?” 

“Honestly, I don’t think so,” Jericho said, “The spell seemed to be buried deep underneath several layers of different spells, like someone was trying to hide it. It’s main function seems to be a changing spell. And that raises a… scary possibility.”

Even Loona put down her phone to look at Jericho as he leaned back in his chair and said, “I’ve heard of humans experimenting with changing spells before. Humans used to call it ‘alchemy.’ That spell could be doing something to whoever wears the amulet.”

Moxxie asked, “How? Like changing their body?” 

“No,” Jericho said, “Changing their soul.” 

Moxxie said, “But what good would that…wait… could that be… Oh, crumbs…” 

Millie grabbed her husband, “What’s wrong, Mox?” 

“It all makes sense,” Moxxie said, slowly, “Why he would want the amulet back… and why he’d want whoever had it killed… Oh, Satan, this is so bad.” 

Blitzo said, “Ok, Moxxie, you’re scaring the shit outta me now. What the fucks up?” 

“Alastor,” Jericho said, “I think the amulet may have something to do with why he’s so powerful. My hunch is that the amulet changed Alastor’s soul and somehow gave him his strength.”

  Bltizo started to sweat, “Wait. So, you’re telling me that amulet could be making our target into a second Radio Demon?!” 

Jericho nodded. Blitzo sat in his chair and looked around at the group. Loona had dropped her phone in shock. Millie and Moxxie were clinging to each other. He took a deep breath and slammed his fists down on the table. 

“Cut the timid shit you guys!” he shouted, “We’re better than that!”

Everyone jumped and looked as Blitzø as he continued, “We’ve gone into dangerous shit before and we’ve always come out on top. We’ve damn near taken down armies. Mafia bosses with hundreds of guards, waiting for some fucker to try and take’em out and we did! This is one shithead who doesn’t even expect a thing. This can’t be harder than when we blow up that trucker in that gas station bathroom, right Moxxie?” 

Moxxie slowly smiled and nodded and Blitzø continued, “Or what about when you slit that pervy guidance counselor’s throat in the middle of that P.T.A. meeting, Millie. Single handedly, I might add.” 

Millie gave a broad smile and nodded. Blitzø stood up and walked over to Loona and hugged her, “And this is a perfect chance for my Loonie to show us all what she’s got! I know she won’t let us down.” 

Loona gave a small smile, but she still pushed Blitzø off of  her. 

He moved back to his chair and said, “The only thing holding us back is that damn amulet, which Jericho here said he could take care of. Right?” 

Jericho was a little taken back, but he nodded. 

“Kick ass! So, I don’t wanna see anymore scaredy-cat bullshit! We’re I.M.P., baby!” Blitzø cheered. 

“Hell yeah!” Millie shouted, “We’re gonna kill the shit outta that fucker!”  

Jericho looked around at the others. He thought, “Whoa. I didn’t think Blitzø had a leader-like bone in his body. But look at him, rallying the troops like a pro.” 

“So, kid,” Blitzø said, “Got any ideas on how to shut that amulet off?” 

“Uh, yeah actually. Firstly, getting him to wear it is no problem,” Jericho said, “I can hit him with a hypnotic spell that’ll make him want to wear it. Second, I need to cancel all of the amulet’s magic, including the unknown spell. When it comes to doing that, I have two options. One, I can cast a total canceling spell which will cut off all magic within a mile radius for about thirty minutes.” 

“Sounds kick-ass!” Blitzø said, “That’s perfect! So, after we can-”  

“But when I say all magic, I mean all magic,” Jericho said, “Including our human disguises and it might interfere with our ability to summon a portal home.” 

“Sounds less kick-ass,” Loona said, “If we couldn’t use it, fuckface, why’d you bring it up?” 

“I’d like everyone to hear all the options so we can form a plan, bitch,” Jericho grunted out. 

Millie said, “Now, don’t start again you two!” 

“A-anyway, Jericho, what’s the second option,” Moxxie asked. 

Jericho huffed, “The other option is for me to cast layered canceling spells. They’ll stack up against the protection magic and the unknown spell easily enough. The only problem with it though is I have to cast it carefully so I don’t trigger another spell backlash. And I have to be close to him.” 

“How close?” Millie asked. 

Jericho thought and said, “About fifteen to twenty feet would be the limit.”

Moxxie asked, “Well, where would be the best place to cast the spell?” 

“Some place where getting that close to someone is normal,” Jericho said. 

“Hey, what about that coffee shop?” Loona said, “It’s got outdoor tables that are perfect for a sniper's shot.” 

Jericho said, “Yeah, that’s a pretty good idea. Inside or outside, I could get close enough to cast the spell. But that depends if Moxxie can make that shot.”

Moxxie said, “Well, with a proper place to shoot from, it would be no problem.” 

“Whoo! That’s my Loona! Great idea, sweetie!” Blitzø said. 

After that, Blitzø got up and drew on the whiteboard to lay out the plan. After drawing some sloppy characters of the other, Blitzø turned and said, “Okay, gang, here’s the plan. First thing tomorrow morning, Team M&M and I will start looking for a good sniper nest for Moxxie overlooking the coffee shop. While we do that, Jericho will start working his magic on the target. Once he has the amulet on him and Jericho zaps the it, Moxxie’ll paint the side of the building with the fucker’s skull! Then, while the humans panic, Loona can rush up and grab the amulet and we can all get out faster then you can say, ‘Pay up, you creepy radio fucker!’” 

“Sounds like a plan, Blitzø.” Millie said. 

“Now, a lotta shit’s happened today, so let’s take the rest of the day off and get a fresh start in the morning,” Blitzø said. 

“That sounds like a better plan, sir,” Moxxie said. 

Moxxie took his wife’s hand and they both walked toward the door. 

Blitzø stood up and stretched his back, “Yeah, let’s get them home, Loonie.” 

Loona stood up and followed them out, Jericho stood up and started to follow, but Blitzø stepped in front of him and scowled. 

“What?” Jericho asked. 

Blitzø said, “Listen up, kid. I took Stolas’s word that you’re the best guy for the job. Now, I want yours. Can you really pull this off or what?” 

“I can do it,” Jericho said. 

Blitzø relaxed a little and said, “Good. So, you want a lift home?” 

“No, thank you,” Jericho said, “I can just portal home.” 

“Okay. Be here bright and early at 8 tomorrow morning,” Blitzø said as he left, “And keep your fingers crossed we get this done quickly.” 

Jericho thought, “Man, I really underestimated Blitzø. He may act like a goofball, but he’s a good boss and leader when he needs to be. Anyway, time to get home.” 

Jericho lifted his hands and opened a portal back to the training grounds. As he stepped through, he noticed the grounds had been cleaned up. He started walking inside through Stolas’s garden, but the doors wouldn’t open. 

“Weird,” he thought. 

He decided to try the front door. Again, the doors wouldn’t open. 

Jericho knocked on the door, “Hello? Is anyone home?” 

After a moment he decided to try calling Stolas, but as he did the front door opened. The imp servet at the door looked weak and terrified. 

“Are you okay?” Jericho asked. 

The imp servant didn’t answer, but gestured for Jericho to come inside. Inside the entrance hall, several imps were sitting or laying on the floor. Jericho was stunned. What had happened while he was gone. 

He turned to the imp servant and said, “Where’s my uncle Stolas?” 

The imp servant pointed out of the hallway. Jericho ran off. He caught a scent of Stolas and someone he’d never smelt before. The smells were coming from the dining room. He ran as fast as he could and opened the dining room doors. What he saw shocked him. The dining room had been destroyed. The table and chairs were reduced to splinters. The walls looked charred with dark magic. The once regal chandelier was partially melted. 

“Uncle Stolas?” Jericho called out. 

“Over here, Jericho,” Stolas called back. 

Jericho looked to the other end of the room. Stolas was standing there, looking out the window. His hands were behind his back and he had a grim look on his face. Jericho walked over slowly. 

Jericho asked, “Uncle Stolas, what happened here?” 

Stolas turned to Jericho and said, “We had an unexpected guest for lunch today. Alastor, the Radio Demon.” 

End of Part 6. 

Chapter Text

Stolas had been in many battles before. In his long life he had fought against Mortals, Demons, and Angels. Whether he fought with his rapier, his magic, or his spear, Stolas was a formidable fighter across any battle field. With each battle, he honed skills for engaging enemies and fighting off their attacks. When the time for battles was over, he moved into the arena of politics. He found there was little difference between the two. Diplomacy became his weapon and he found he could wield it with incredible skill. Over the centuries, he had his share of losses and victories. But for each battle, each debate, each negotiation, Stolas knew a greater challenge was always out there. As he sat at his dining room table and listened to the Radio Demon humming away in his kitchen, Stolas wondered if he was ready for this battle. Not a battle of magic or might, but of fineness and conversion. Stolas needed answers from his "guest" and until he had them, he needed to be patient, diplomatic, and subtle. The foremost question on his mind was how he had gotten inside the mansion. Not only had the Radio Demon arrived undetected into his home, but oddly enough, he was also cooking him lunch. Stolas had paid close attention to his safety and the safety of his family. There were magics and enchantments around his mansion no being could penetrate, save for Lucifer and the other Ring leaders. No one could come into his house without being allowed in. 

"So, how in the cursed Heavens name did he get inside?!" Stolas thought. 

Then, Alastor came out of the kitchen, carrying a small plate. He set it infront of Stolas. On it was a small fluffy looking yellow square cut of what Stolas assumed was a piece of cornbread as Alastor had called it. Stolas had to admit it smelled good. 

"Ah, nothing like fresh cornbread before a meal!" Alastor said, " I hope you enjoy it, your highness." 

Stolas glanced up as Alastor quickly moved back into the kitchen, then back to the steaming hot cornbread. He then looked around the room. 

"And what has he done to the servants?" Stolas thought, "Killed them?" 

Normally, Gerald would be serving him lunch. But he was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he hadn't seen a single servant since he had returned.

Alastor popped his head out of the kitchen and asked, "Would you care for anything to drink, your highness? I have a nice vintage chilling as we speak." 

Stolas smiled politely and said, "Anything will be fine, thank you." 

Suddenly, a portal opened in the air next to Stolas and a small table fell out. On top was an ice bucket with a bottle of white wine. Then, the kitchen door burst open and a shadow carrying two wine glasses flew into the room. It set one glass next to Stolas and the other in the seat next to him. Stolas was stunned. He saw that this wasn't just a random shadow spell, but the Radio Demons own shadow! He watched in awe as the shadow itself lifted the wine, opened it and poured some into his glass and then the other. Then, Alastor came into the room and his shadow handed him the wine bottle. He corked it and set it back into the ice bucket. 

"So, that is how he gained access," Stolas thought, "He must have hidden his living shadow in a group of guests as they were invited inside." 

"This little drop is called Chateau Ste Michelle, a riesling wine," Alastor said, taking a seat next to Stolas, "I don't normally drink myself, but as I understand it goes well with jambalaya." 

Stolas said, "I've had my share of Earthly wines before. I'm sure it will taste… splendid." 

Alastor flashed a quick smile at the Prince, then took a sip of the wine. Stolas did the same, slowly. It was good, dry with a semi-sweet aftertaste. He set his glass down and said, "An impressive display of portals and shadow manipulation. May I ask who taught you such spells?" 

Alastor set down his own glass and said, "Oh, no one’s had to teach me a thing in years! I've always been quite good at teaching myself new things. Once in Hell, my horizons were… expanded, shall we say." 

Stolas nodded and took another sip of the wine. Deciding to let the question go and be a little more hospitable, Stolas lifted his piece of cornbread and took a bite. It was very good. 

"I trust the cornbread is to your liking, your highness?" Alastor asked, "Or may I call you, Stolas?" 

Stolas knew the second question was a tactic to see how much the Prince had lowered his guard. 

"It's perfectly delicious," Stolas said, setting the piece down, "And as long as I may call you Alastor, I don't see why not." 

Alastor laughed and said, "Why, of course you can. Business associates should be on a first name basis, after all." 

Stolas's eyes narrowed, but he didn’t lose his smile, "I'm not quite sure what you mean. You say you wish to be my business associate. But I honestly have never heard exactly what your business is." 

"Entertainment and news, my dear Stolas," Alastor said, taking his seat next to Stolas, "I was a radio host on Earth and I have continued here in Hell." 

Stolas said, "I still don't see what that has to do with m-" 

"Now, now, friend Stolas. There will be plenty of time for that after we've eaten," Alastor said, "The collard greens should be ready by now." 

Alastor stood and walked towards the kitchen, "Let me go see. Enjoy your cornbread while I check on the rest of lunch. I'd get some new servants if I were you. One look at me and they all tucked themselves away somewhere." 

Stolas sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. He had to keep calm. He had done well so far, but he couldn’t let his guard down. Even with thousands of years of practice and skill behind him, Stolas felt unprepared for dealing with Alastor. It was true that some arrived in Hell with a knack for spell casting, but Alastor welded his magic like a mage with thousands of years of training. If no one taught him magic, he could overlook a powerful magical book such as his own, but how did he find out about it? Who had told him? What did he want? Until he knew, Stolas needed to stay focused and calm. As Alastor came back with two steaming bowls of jambalaya and his shadow handed two plates of collard greens, Stolas smiled and took his bowl and plate from Alastor. 

“Why, this does smell good,” Stolas said, “You say your Mother taught you this recipe? She must’ve been an amazing cook.” 

Alastor said, “Ah, yes. My dear Mother had many talents. Or so my Grandmother told me. I was an orphan, you see, raised by my Grandmother.” 

“I see. I’m sorry to hear that, Alastor. I too lost my parents at a young age.” Stolas said. 

“So the stories I’ve heard about you go, my dear Stolas. That’s why I felt I could share such a thing. We’re kindred spirits in that regard.” Alator said, taking a spoonful of his jambalaya. 

Stolas said, “Indeed. But perhaps we have something more uplifting in common? For instance, what other recipes do you know?” 

Stolas took another sip of his wine as Alastor began to talk about something called gumbo. 

 Stolas thought, "So far, so good. Just keep slowly finding common ground and he may let more slip." 

-----

"A-and then, Blitzy runs out of the barn screaming, 'it's not a cow!'" 

Both Alastor and Stolas laughed hard as Stolas finished his latest story about him and Blitø going to the human world. 

Stolas sighed and said, "My poor little imp does have a talent for getting into trouble."

"And from what you've told me, he has a talent for getting out of trouble too," Alastor said, "I knew there was something about that imp I liked. He really has gumption!" 

"Indeed, he does," Stolas said as he ate the last spoonful of his jambalaya. 

Alastor reached over and took the bowls back into the kitchen. Stolas took a sip of his wine and watched Alastor leave. He had not gotten as much information as he hoped. Alastor had been very tight-lipped about his life on Earth and in Hell, save that he never knew his father and had only fleeting memories of his mother. After a while, Stolas decided to talk about his relationship with Blitzø since Alastor already knew something about them. It had worked as he did let slip that he had at least two associates named Husk and Niffty who were currently working with him on Princess Charlotte's passion project. Stolas knew about this 'Happy Hotel,' but like most he didn't have high hopes for it. The project was only announced a week or so ago and it had already become a subject of ridicule among the other royals. Stolas set down his wine glass and smiled as Alastor came back and sat down. 

He said, "Well, thank you for the fantastic meal, Alastor." 

Alastor gave a quick nod and said, "Oh, you're quite welcome, Stolas. It was no trouble at all." 

Stolas leaned back in his chair," So, now that we've eaten, we should talk about what you want with me."

Alastor laughed, "Of course, my friend. But before we do, can I ask a favor?" 

Stolas nodded and Alastor said, "If you have a question to ask me, please just ask away. A little verbal sparring is good now and then, but my goodness you are bad at it." 

Stolas felt his feathers bristle. He took a breath and thought, "Calm down. He's trying to get me mad. In any case, he's more perceptive than I thought." 

He said, "Well, perhaps it's because I'm out of practice. It's been years since someone challenged me so… openly. At any rate, why don't we drop the 'pleasantries,'" 

Alastor said, "Why not? Now, I know there's one important question knocking around in that owl brain of yours, so let's start there." 

"How did you know about my connection with Blitzø?" Stolas asked. 

Alastor gave a sly smile, "Blitzø told me." 

Stolas's temper flared. He said, slowly, "Blitzø would never betra-" 

"Oh, no, no, friend Stolas. I didn't mean he told me outright. I simply meant I found out because of him," Alastor said, "I'd only recently heard about I.M.P. and I admit I became curious as to how a group of puny imps managed to get to the Mortal World. So, when a situation developed up there, instead of taking care of it myself I enlisted their aid." 

Alastor stood and turned away from Stolas, "And lo and behold, I found that charming little book of yours. Now, I had no idea where that powerful little tome came from. So, I had someone keep an eye on things after I left." 

Stolas looked confused, until Alastor's shadow rose up from the floor smiling. 

"And I was not even out the door for five minutes and that charming little Blitzø has you on the phone. It wasn't a long trip to put two and two together," Alastor said looking over his shoulder, "If laying with the imp wasn't scandalous enough, you've given him free reign to go to Earth." 

Stolas growled, but tried to calm himself. Alastor turned away from Stolas again and began to walk toward the other side of the table. 

He said, "Now, if my understanding of Hell's policies is correct, one cannot get up to Earth without permission. Most know and don't care about you and your little plaything having your little romps here and there, but someone might start to think about those imps and their enterprising trips to Earth. It would be quite a shame if anyone learnt the whole truth about you and your imps." 

He placed his hands on the table and gave Stolas a glowing grin, "After all, many would want to keep such a thing a secret." 

Stolas felt his blood boiling. The threat was subtle and Stolas knew it was another tactic to make him angry… and it had worked. 

In an instant, the dining room was filled with Stolas's red magic aura. The table and chairs splintered as they were tossed aside. And in an instant, Stolas had the Radio Demon pinned to the wall by his throat. 

" You dare threaten to blackmail me, sinner? " Stolas said in a voice that seemed to shake the very foundation of his home. 

In this situation, any sane demon would plead for their lives, beg forgiveness, or for a quick and painless death. Alastor only smiled wider. 

"Oh, dear. You've misunderstood me entirely, " a voice said behind them. 

Stolas looked back and saw Alastor standing there as if nothing was wrong. He quickly turned and saw he had his hand clasping the throat of Alastor's shadow. With a dark laugh, the shadow effortlessly slipped from Stolas's grasp. Stolas was dumbfounded. 

"What happened?! No one's shadow magic is that strong!" he thought. 

Alastor said, "I simply meant you have a problem on your hands, dear Stolas. And I'm here to offer a solution."

Alastor summoned himself two high backed red striped chairs and an end table with a coffee pot, a sugar bowl with spoons, and two cups. He sat in one seat and poured himself a drink. 

"I find a strong cup of coffee is just the thing after a fine meal to make the evening complete," Alastor said, "Care to join me, Stolas?" 

"No," said Stolas, having gotten tired of his… guest, "Say your piece and get out of my house before I kill you." 

Alastor's eyes twitched in deep red and black for a moment, but then he merely smiled and stood. He snapped his fingers and banished the chairs and tables.

He said, " Very well, friend Stolas, very well. It's really quite simple. I've been making some very… discreet movements here and there. Particularly on Earth. The situation is quite delicate, but nearly finished. But then, that noisy little man found my amulet. Now, it's power could be traced back to me and I can't have that." 

Stolas scowled, "So instead of risking exposure, you enlisted Blitzø to kill the human and reclaim your amulet for you." 

Alastor said, "Exactly!" 

Stolas narrowed his eyes, "What sort of 'movements' have you been making in the Mortal World? You know deal making has been banned by Lucifer for the last 30 years." 

"Ah, no," Alastor said, turning away from Stolas, "People nowadays have no sense of taste or charm. Hardly worth my time. No, no, no. Nothing so base as that, my dear Stolas. Merely looking into unanswered questions." 

"Such as?" Stolas asked. 

Alastor only smiled. Stolas scowled. He was getting nowhere. 

Stolas said, "Fine. But what is this arrangement you want from me?" 

"Well, it's quite simple," Alastor said, "I'll keep your secret safe and make certain no one else comes around trying to sniff it out." 

Stolas raised an eyebrow, "And in return?" 

Alastor's eyes and smile glowed bright as he said, "All I ask for is a favor." 

Stolas asked, "What kind of favor?"

-----

Stolas had been thinking about Alastor's words since he left a few hours ago. It wasn't until he heard Jericho burst into the dining hall and call out for him that Stolas thought about anything else.

"Over here, Jericho," he said. 

"Uncle Stolas," Jericho said "What happened here?" 

Stolas turned to his nephew and said, "We had an unexpected guest for lunch today. Alastor, the Radio Demon." 

Jericho’s ears lowered and his eyes grew wide. 

"A-Alastor was here?" Jericho asked shakily, "What was he doing here?! Did he cause this?! What happened, Uncle?!" 

"Enough, Jericho!" Stolas shouted. 

Jericho flinched and took a step back. 

After a moment, Stolas sighed and said, “I’m terribly sorry, Jeri. It’s just…” 

Stolas waved his hand and his magic began to repair the dining room. 

Stolas continued, “To come home and find him here… walking around… cooking in the kitchen as if he owned this house… it’s upsetting.” 

“I can understand,” Jericho said, “But he was cooking? How did he get in here? And what did he want?” 

Stolas sat in one of the chairs and thought. Then he said, “He used shadow magic to spy on Blitzy’s call to me earlier this morning. He must’ve used the same magic to bypass my defensive spells around the mansion. As for what he wanted…” 

Stolas sat back and looked at the window. He didn't like lying to Jericho, but he had to come up with something.

“Uncle?” Jericho asked. 

After a moment, Stolas said, “He said he wanted to reassure me that he would keep my arrangement and my real relationship with Blitzy a secret.” 

Jericho asked, “That’s it? ‘I’ll keep your secret. No strings attached.’ I don’t buy it.” 

“Neither did I, so when pressed, he said that as long as you and the others can kill his target and get his amulet back then he would swear to keep the secret.” Stolas said. 

Jericho sighed, "So, our safety hinges on this hit. That's not the worst thing, I guess." 

"So, it can be done?" Stolas asked. 

Jericho nodded, "Yeah, we can do it. There's a few hurdles to jump over, but we should have it taken care of within a week." 

"That's good to hear," Stolas said. 

Just then, the dining room door opened and Octavia came inside. 

"Hey, Dad. Hey, Jericho. Do either of you know what's going on with the servants? They're all walking around like scared cats," Octavia said. 

Jericho opened his mouth to talk, but Stolas beat him to it. 

He said, "I had a little accident regarding a new spell I'm working on. No one was hurt, just shaken nerves." 

Jericho said, " Wha-" 

"In any case, how are you doing, Via?" Stolas quickly asked. 

Octavia smiled and said, "Good. I just wanted to see if either of you wanted to get dinner." 

Stolas said, "Actually, I think I'll be having a small meal for dinner tonight. I had a rather large lunch. But why don't you and Jericho go out and have some fun. Perhaps you could go to the new Wackdonald's?" 

"That sounds good. What about it, Jericho? You wanna come?" Octavia asked. 

Jericho looked back at Stolas who was smiling at him. Then, he turned to Octavia and said, "Uh, sure thing." 

Octavia smiled, "Awesome. Let me just change my clothes." 

After Octavia left, Jericho turned back to Stolas. 

"Uncle, why-" 

Stolas interrupted, "Because I want to try and reinforce the protection spells on the mansion and the less Via knows about why, the better." 

Jericho nodded and said, "Okay. Does that include working with Blitzø?" 

"As long as you keep the current client a secret. Again, the less Via knows the better," Stolas said, "Now, you should go and get ready yourself." 

Jericho stood and headed towards the door. He didn't really know how to keep such a big secret from Octavia. 

"Jericho," Stolas called out. 

Jericho turned back to his uncle as he said, "Thank you again for agreeing to help Blitzy and the others. I'm sure you'll fit right in." 

Jericho chuckled, "Well, I'll tell you about all that when we get back." 

With that, Jericho left the newly repaired dining room. Stolas sat back in his chair and scowled. The situation had spiraled out of control in a single day! He took a breath and reached for his phone. There was a text from Blitzø.

It read, “Aftr I droop Loona of at hume, I’l com by and talk if tat’s ok?” 

Stolas texted back, “That would be fine, Blitzy. I’ll see you soon.” 

He tucked his phone away. He sighed. He wondered if he had to lie to Blitzø about this “favor” to Alastor. Suddenly, the dining room door opened again and this time Gerald walked in. He was looking a little shook up, but he seemed fine. 

“How are all the servants, Gerald?” Stolas asked. 

Gerald said, “No worse for the wear, my lord. Aside from a few bruises in the stampede to the various panic rooms, no one is seriously hurt. What about you, sir? Are you alright?” 

Stolas said, “I am well, Gerald, if very distressed. Tell the others that I will be reinforcing the protective spells tonight.”  

Gerald nodded and turned to leave. Before he did, he asked, “My lord?” 

“Yes, Gerald?” Stolas asked. 

“This… favor of the Radio Demon’s… are you sure you should do it?” Gerald asked. 

Stolas stood and moved toward the window, “I haven’t any choice. Not now, anyway.” 

Stolas lifted his right hand. He still felt the emerald green flames of the Demon Deal he’d made with Alastor. 

-----

Meanwhile, across the Ring in Imp City. Moxxie was searching the internet for more of the amazing music he’d heard today. It took a moment, but he learned it was called, “bluegrass” which came from a band called The Blue Grass Boys. The band leader, Bill Monroe, created the genre of music sometime in the 1940’s. Moxxie was amazed at how much of an historic past this genre of music had! He had turned to Voxtube for several music videos and had brought his ukelele to try and learn how to play along. As he practiced with one video, Millie came dancing into the room to the music with a large smile on her face. She came up behind Moxxie and put her arms around his shoulders. 

She kissed his cheek and said, “I always love hearing you play, sweetie.” 

Moxxie said, “I always love playing for you, honey.” 

Putting down his ukelele, Moxxie turned to Millie and said, “This ‘bluegrass’ music is amazing! It’s a shame that some of it is gospel music though.” 

"Oh, you find that stuff played in all kinds of music," Millie said, "Anyway, do you think we could squeeze in some time back on Earth for our trip?" 

Moxxie smiled, “Any place in particular?” 

Millie nuzzled Moxxie’s cheek and said, “Maybe back to New Orleans?” 

Moxxie chuckled and kissed her, "Of course. Anything for you." 

Millie hugged Moxxie tight and sighed. 

Moxxie said, "Y’know, for all the dangers of working for Alastor, this is a Satan send. After this hit, all our money problems will be solved." 

Millie hummed, "I was thinkin’ the same thing. Can you imagine, sweetie? No more debts, a real house, and… maybe we can… "

Moxxie looked into his wife's eyes, "Finally start having a family? I was thinking the same thing." 

Millie squealed and kissed Moxxie again. 

-----

The Wackdonald's was full when Jericho and Octavia went inside to order their food. Several families, imps, succubi, and hell hounds filled most of the tables. The Ring of Gluttony was usually packed with different restaurants. Fast food of all kinds, haut cuisine of almost every culture on Earth and in hell, and of course cheap knock offs of better restaurants. This Wackdonald's was one of the ten that had opened in the Ring of Pride with five more opening soon. After ordering their food, Octavia and Jericho moved to the side to wait. 

Jericho asked, "Do you want to eat out on the patio?" 

Octavia said, "Uh-huh." 

Jericho asked, "Is something wrong?" 

"We'll talk outside," she said. 

"Two double BigWack's, one no mayo, no pickles, and one no onion!" a sinner demon waitress called out. Octavia quickly grabbed their food tray and went outside. Jericho followed her and they went to one of the outer tables on the patio. After they sat down, Octavia glared at Jericho who shrunk back on the bench. 

“What?” Jericho asked, nervously. 

"What the fuck is going on?" Octavia asked. 

"W-what do you mean?" he asked. 

"Cut the protective bullshit," she huffed, "I've got close to twenty years experience in watching my parents hide shit from me. I know when my Dad is lying to protect me. That shits over now. So spill!" 

Jericho ran his paw over his ears. He sighed and asked, "Can we eat fir-" 

"No!" she shouted. 

"Okay, okay, okay," Jericho said quickly, "Well, I guess it started this morning…" 

Octavia took a bit out of her burger as Jericho started telling her about his training session with Stolas. Across the patio, a male hell hound sat and watched them talk. He pulled out his hellphone and began to text. 

“Subject A is speaking with Subject C. Too far to hear. Should I move closer?” he texted. 

The reply came quickly. “Negative. Continue monitoring Subjects.” 

“Acknowleged,” he texted. He was just about to put the hellphone away when a new message came up. 

The message said, “Request. Pick up a twenty piece Wacknugget with hellfire sauce.” 

The hell hound groaned, but texted, “If you’ll pay me back.” 

After a minute the reply came, “Confirmed.”

The hellhound shook his head and put his hellphone away. He noticed the princess was starting to look stunned. Whatever they were talking about must be serious. Suddenly, he got another text. He groaned again and pulled out his phone. He smiled when he saw the message.

It read, “Heya, sweetie! Are we still on for dinner?” 

He text back, “I hope so, babe. I’m still doing my job here at the Wackdonald’s.”

The reply came back, “Oh, I’m so jealous! Think you could grab me a small fry?” 

“Of course, babe. I gotta drop off a meal to my coworker after I’m done, but I’ll be home soon.” he texted. 

The reply came, “Okay! I love you so much! I’ll see you soon, Texxie!”

Vortex smiled and text, “I love you too, Selene. See you later.” 

Vortex put his phone way again just in time to watch the princess pass out on the bench. As she did, her hell hound… date… body guard… whater he was, he came over to her side of the bench and started fanning her and calling for some water. 

“Damn,” Vortex thought, “Must be some heavy shit going on.”

End Of Part 7.

Chapter Text

I'm hoping this message finds all of you in good spirits. I learned that something big was coming up and I wanted to acknowledge it. To share a few things that I feel need to be said.

One whole year. It's been one whole year since I started this story. Unbelievable. This is so important to me. I never thought I'd write stories again. Years ago, I was a NSFW writer for a website called WWOEC. I was a small part of their community and I still miss it from time to time. When the site was closed, I decided to retire from writing fan fiction. I'd lost the urge to share the odd story ideas I'd come up with. That was all changed by TalosLives.

Over a year ago, I saw TalosLives' posted story ideas. I read some amazing ideas that I'm happy that some great writers turned into amazing stories. But when I saw his idea for The Winged Wolf, the urge to write came over me again. I knew I had to write it. I was honestly shocked by the wait period of joining the site as a writer. I was worried I'd loose my chance. I contacted TalosLives and asked if he could hold the story for me. He reminded me that it was an open idea and it wouldn't be fair to anyone else who might want to write it. I understood and thanked them. Then, I waited and watched. Day after day, I checked to see if the story had been claimed. Finally, I was admitted as a writer and as luck would have it, the story was still free. I couldn't believe it. As asked TalosLives and he let me have the story. The rest is here. I couldn't be happier with how things are going. A part of me was worried that no one would like my story or the way I wrote it. I was so happy and I am happy to see so many people have read and who like my story. Of course, I suppose I shouldn't call it my story. I would never have had the idea without TalosLives.

So, thank you so much, TalosLives. You gave me the opportunity to write and be creative again. You reawakened that drive to show people my talent. I can never thank you enough for that. And thank you to everyone who has left a comment or a kudos. I love reading what people are saying about the story. I hope that you will all like what I have in store for Jericho and the I.M.P. crew. Thank you all for sticking with me for a year. 

I want to close this with one more announcement. I've been writing another story on and off for a while. It's a NSFW story based on a piece of art I saw. I asked the artist if I could write a story based on the piece. He agreed and I began writing... a long time ago. Anyway, I've decided that I will finish this story and post it here. I hope you will enjoy this story as much as The Winged Wolf.

Thanks again for being there and reading my story. Stay tuned and I'll see you all later!

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Bad Luck, Good Idea, Terrible Feeling

Surprisingly, the next morning was almost normal for the I.M.P.s. Blitzø and Loona picked up Moxxie and Millie and headed straight to the office building. As they parked, Blitzø turned to the others.

He said, "Alright, guys. You all ready to go kill this prick and make a fuck ton of money?" 

Millie said, "Hell, yeah!" 

Moxxie nodded and Loona gave out a quick "Uh-huh." 

They all made their way inside and headed straight for their office. Once the elevator doors opened, they saw Jericho standing at it with several cups of coffee in a carrier and one in his hand. 

Jericho smiled, "Good morning, everyone." 

Millie said, "Aw, Jericho. You didn't have to get coffee for us." 

"The fuck you say, Mils!" Blitzø said, "What'd you get us, kid?" 

“I went to the Scarbucks a few blocks over and got your regulars,” Jericho said. 

“That shithole? They stopped serving us months ago,” Blitzø said. 

Moxxie said, “And it was your fault, sir. You always cut in line and always made a fool of yourself when you ordered.” 

Blitzø said, “Oh, yeah? What about you and your fuckin’ chemistry test of a latte you’d order? Last time you ordered it, the poor kid behind the counter ran out screaming, 'This truly is Hell!'” 

Moxxie said, “I’m particular about my coffee! You’re just plain rude, sir!” 

“ANYWAY!” Jericho shouted, trying to stop the inevitable fight, “To answer Blitzø's question, I paid extra to get them to make these. And then I paid more so none of them were poisoned. So come and get them before they get cold or melt in Blitzø’s case.” 

Jericho turned to Millie and handed her a cup, “One grande half caf with a shot of chocolate.” 

He turned to Moxxie, “One grande chemistry text order. And I made sure they got your name right.” 

He turned to Blitzø, “One grande iced mocha and vanilla mixed with half ice.” 

Loona snatched the last coffee away from Jericho and took a sip. She immediately spat it across the hall. 

Jericho smiled, “And one grande straight black coffee. No kahlua, or cream.” 

Loona growled and threw the cup at Jericho’s face. He caught it with his magic. He reached out the cup in his hand to her.

He said, “This one however has plenty of both.” 

Loona scowled and reached for the cup. She took a sniff of it and Jericho laughed. 

He said, "What's wrong? Don't trust me?" 

"Okay, enough. Let's get inside," Blitzø said. 

Blitzø unlocked the door and he, Millie, and Moxxie went inside. Jericho smiled and thought, "Looks like Uncle Stolas' advice worked." 

He turned to walk inside when he was suddenly hit in the back of the head with a cup of scalding hot coffee. He groaned in pain as the coffee soaked his shirt and fur. Then, a camera flash came from behind him. He quickly turned to Loona. She was texting on her phone with a smug smile on her face. Jericho growled. He glanced behind her and opened a small portal. Freezing and wet wind came from it, hitting Loona full blast. She yipped and jumped from the cold and nearly dropped her phone. She quickly moved away from the portal. She growled at Jericho while she rubbed her cold arms. 

Closing the portal, Jericho gestured to the door and said, "After you." 

Loona started to throw a punch, but instead she shoved him inside. After Jericho had cast a quick cleaning spell, they all got to work. Moxxie took several handguns and ammo from their weapons locker as well as some knives and passed them to Jericho and Loona, keeping the rest on him. Jericho looked at his gun. It was an almost new 9mm handgun with a full clip. Then, he looked at the knife. It was an average combat knife. He knew his magic was stronger than this knife could ever be. He knew it was just pieces of metal and plastic slapped together. He knew he could destroy it with a simple spell or even his bare paws. And yet… Jericho shook his head to stop himself from thinking about that memory. After making sure they had all they needed, they all donned their human disguises and Loona opened a portal. 

Blitzø said, "Okay, guys. Let's go over the plan again. Kid, you head straight to the coffee shop and wait for the target to hit him with that hypno spell you talked about. Loona, once he's been mind fucked, you and Millie will keep watch out for when he gets back to the hotel. If he leaves with the amulet on, signal me or Moxxie. Moxxie and I will be looking for a good sniping or ambush spot. Any questions?" 

After getting no answer, Blitzø led the way. As they left, Jericho thought, "Okay. Just cast the spells and let them take care of the rest. Simple enough." 

-----

Hours later, the portal reopened and out walked an absolutely pissed off Blitzø.

"THAT WAS A COMPLETE FUCKING WASTE OF TIME!" He shouted. 

The others came in behind him. Moxxie was scratched and bruised up and  needed to be held up by Millie. Loona was still picking garbage out of her fur. Jericho had more coffee splashed on him, iced this time, and he had a black eye.  

Jericho said, "It wasn't a waste. I cast the spell on him, didn't I?" 

"Yeah, yeah. You cast the spell, but where the fuck was he after?!" Blitzø asked. 

Jericho said, "I don't know." 

"Loonie, honey, are you sure you didn't see who dumped this garbage on you?" Blitzø asked, helping to clean off his daughter. 

Loona shook the dirt from her fur and said, "It's like I told you, Blitzø. I was heading inside to follow the target and that's when the garbage dropped on me." 

Millie asked, "How are ya feeling, Moxxie?" 

Moxxie was rubbing his side and said, "Most of the pain is gone. I never knew Earth dogs could be so strong." 

"Yeah, they're not strong, tubby, you're just super weak," Loona said, tossing aside another egg shell she'd picked from her hair. 

Loona gripped Jericho by his collar, "And If this garbage ruins my fucking clothes, I'm taking it out of your ass." 

"Why?! I wasn't even there!" Jericho yelled. 

"Your dumbass plan, your fault." Loona shouted. 

"Hey, in case you've forgotten, he made the plan, not me!" Jericho said, pointing to Blitzø. 

"We don't shift blame around here, kid!" Blitzø said. 

Moxxie muttered, "Unless it's to me." 

Millie pulled Jericho away from Loona and said, "Alright, that's enough. How's your eye, Jeri? That guy punched you pretty hard." 

"Yeah, but it's fine," Jericho said, sending a quick glare at Loona, "It wasn't the first time." 

Millie said, "Okay, sweetie. So, what do we do now?" 

Jericho cast his cleaning spell again and sat down on the couch next to Moxxie. 

Jericho said, "Well, the only thing to do now is keep watch for the target until he comes around with the amulet on." 

"Fuck. So, we're starting over tomorrow?" Blitzø asked. 

"Not entirely," Jericho said, "The hypnosis spell I hit him with will stay active until I shut it off." 

Millie said, "Great! So, he could be wearing it when he gets his coffee in the morning." 

Jericho said, "Yeah. So, while I admit today was a washout, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Tomorrow morning, we'll go and take care of things." 

Blitzø groaned, "Fine, but you'd better be right about this, kid. Let's get home, guys." 

Millie helped Moxxie up. After giving Jericho a quick wave goodbye, they and Loona followed Blitzø out, leaving Jericho alone. He sighed and thought, "Tomorrow. It'll all be over tomorrow." 

-----

But it wasn't over tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next. Or the next. For days, it went on. It seemed like someone or something was helping their target. They would see the target with the amulet, but something bad would happen. Anything that could go wrong did, from Moxxie falling off a roof to Blitzø being run over by a herd of joggers. Millie had tried several times to ambush the target, but he always seemed to pick a different route. She even waited outside the hotel and he either never left or he was lost in a crowd of people leaving. What was most odd was that everytime they failed, one of them was injured in some way. Once while charging at the target, Loona tripped and nearly broke her ankle. From out of nowhere, dogs would continue to chase Moxxie. And Jericho always seemed to get burnt somehow, with coffee, hot tea, or even soup. 

And to make matters worse, due to them all working on Alastor's hit, they had to keep turning clients away. More and more of the money Alastor paid up front was going to bills and buying new ammo and weapons when theirs were ruined. And some of the money went into repairs to their van. After three months, the money was almost gone. 

One day, after another failed attempt, Blitzø and the others were sitting around their lobby, nursing their various injuries. Blitzø had his left arm in a sling from the tree branch that Moxxie and Millie had fallen from. The couple were sitting on the floor and still tangled up in the colored banners they got caught in. Millie was close to getting the knots that kept them together undone. Loona sat at her desk clutching her sides. Her sides were still kinda sore, but not from any injury. She'd laughed very hard at Jericho, who had gotten maced for the third time. He had a rag soaked in cold water over his eyes as he leaned back in the arm chair. 

Blitzø said, “Okay, all bets are off. Tomorrow, we go in and waste everybody in that fucking hotel. Just rush in, start shooting, get the fucking amulet and get out.”

“For the hundredth time, we can’t do that because the target could get away in the panicked crowds before we get close,” Jericho said wearily. 

Blitzø stood up from the couch and paced the floor, “Okay, what about this? We-”

“We can’t blow up the hotel either, sir. We’d never find the amulet before the human authorities arrived,” Moxxie said. 

"Alright, fine! What about-?"

Millie said, "I've lost count of the times we've tried breaking into his room at night, Blitzø. It won't work." 

Blitzø slammed his fist onto the desk, “God fucking damn it, killing people isn’t this hard! Why the hell haven’t we killed his fucker yet?!” 

Jericho said, “Because of the amulet’s protection.” 

“Yeah, but you’re shutting that off, aren’t you?” Loona asked. 

Jericho grunted, "Yes, I am." 

Blitzø asked, "So, if you're shutting off th-"

"Because the spells that are keeping us from killing him aren't coming from the amulet. They must be part of the protective magic the amulet has given him. I've told you that a hundred times too," Jericho said. 

Moxxie said, "What about attacking him at that coffee place again? We almost had him last time." 

Loona said, "We could if our magic man over there hadn't burned it to the ground." 

Jericho growled and lifted the rag from his eyes, "And whose fault is that, bitch?" 

Blitzø yelled, "For the last time, stop calling her that!" 

"When she stops acting like one, I will!" Jericho yelled back. 

As the usual argument began, Millie sighed, "Satan, not again." 

Moxxie struggled with the ropes. He said, "I think I've almost got it, honey." 

"Ah, what's the use, Mox? It's over," Millie said, slumping against him. 

"What, you got your side loose?" Moxxie asked.

"No, I mean us. The team. I.M.P.'s over," Millie said, "I mean, look at us. It's been months and we haven't killed our target. 'So what if he has a magic amulet,' we said. 'He'll be dead in no time,' we said. And now look at us, we can’t touch the guy and we're going under." 

Millie started sniffling, "And to top everything off, we're going to miss our second honeymoon. We worked so hard to get that money. All for nothing. And to make things worse, when Alastor finds out…he'll-"

Moxxie struggled with the rope enough to look at his wife. 

"Mildred, look at me," he said. 

She did so with tears in her eyes and a confused look on her face. Moxxie rarely called her by her full name. 

"We are going on our trip," he said in a serious tone, "Come Heaven or high water, we are going. And we will get enough money. Even if I have to whore myself out in the Lust Ring to do it." 

Moxxie nuzzled his wife and said, "And I don't want to see anymore tears, Millie. We've gone through rough patches before and we always came out stronger. And we'll get through this. Our target might have luck on his side, but that will run out eventually." 

Millie nuzzled Moxxie back and smiled. Then, Millie took a deep breath and said, "You’re right, baby. Let's get outta these ropes."

Millie went back to work on the knots that tied her and Moxxie. Or she would have, if the argument between Blitzø, Loona, and Jericho hadn't gotten her attention. She groaned and was about to yell to break them up again when there came a knock on the door. 

Everyone stopped for a moment to look at the door. Blitzø plopped back onto the couch and growled. 

"And here comes another pissed off customer," he said, running his hand over his face, "Whose turn is it this time?" 

"Mine, sir," Moxxie said, "But I'm a little busy right now. You could say I'm all-" 

"Now ain't the best time for puns, sweetie," Millie said. 

"I'll do it. It's best we handle this stuff with tact and patience," Jericho said, casting a quick glare at Loona and Blitzø. 

He went to the door and opened it. There was a sinner demon there. He was a strange looking Cat Demon with long red eyebrows, brownish black fur with a cream colored chest and stomach. He wore a red bowtie and black top hat, but oddly nothing else. He had large red wings that have playing card suits on them. And he looked very hungover. He was leaning against the door frame when Jericho opened the door, his clawed hand covering his eyes. 

He looked at Jericho with one bloodshot eye and asked in a gruff voice, "This I.M.P.?"

"Uh, yes sir," Jericho said, "How can i-" 

"Great," said the cat demon as he pushed past Jericho. 

He began to mutter, "That red wearing, fucking asshole. I got the hangover that'll kill a fuckin’ elephant and he fucking has me doing his errands.”

He moved to the couch, sat next to Blitzø, and put his head in his paws. Blitzø gave a confused look to their new visitor. He turned to the others and said, "Any of you guys know this fucker?" 

Most of the others shook their heads or shrugged, but Loona squinted at the newcomer.

Finally, she said, “I think I know him. He looks like one of  the bartenders at the Desecrator’s Bar.” 

“I own the Desecrator’s Bar,” the cat demon grumbled, rubbing his forehead. 

Blitzø scoffed, “Yeah, right. Everybody knows that dive’s owned by the Radio Demon.”

“Only on paper,” the cat demon said, “Al has me run the place.” 

“Whoa. Wait. Really?” Blitzø asked, slowly.

The cat demon nodded and said, “Yeah, that and a few other places around Hell.” 

Moxxie and Millie glanced at each other. Moxxie asked, “So, you work with Alastor?” 

Now, the cat demon scoffed, “Ah, something like that.” 

Millie asked, “Did he send ya here?”

“Yeah. He wants to know what’s the hold up with the hit?” the cat demon asked. 

Blitzø's throat suddenly was very dry. He coughed and looked around the room to the others. Loona was calmly standing aside with her hellphone ready to text Stolas. Moxxie and Millie were holding each other's hand and stared at the cat demon. Jericho gave a quick nod to Blitzø. Blitzø rolled his shoulders and nodded back. 

"We've hit a snag or two, but we're getting there," he said. 

"What kind of snag?" the cat demon asked. 

"We can shut off the amulets power just fine," Jericho said, "but the target must have some kind of luck charm around him. We think the amulet pasted it to him." 

"A luck charm? I've never heard of anyone using a luck spell as protection. You sure it's not a secondary caster?" the cat demon asked. 

The cat demon looked around and saw everyone looked confused. 

“What? None of you thought about that?” he asked. 

“No, not really,” Blitzø said.

Jericho took a quick glance at Blitzø, then back to the cat demon and asked, “Will Alastor be okay with the situation?”

The cat demon shrugged and said, “Fuck if I know. He just told me to come and check on you guys. Now, that I’ve done that, I’m fucking gone.” 

The cat demon began to walk to the door, rubbing his eyes as he went. He passed by Moxxie and Millie and saw how tangled they were. 

He asked, “You two need some help?” 

They both jumped a little. Moxxie shook while Millie nodded hers. Rolling his eyes the cat demon lifted at claw and slashed through the banner, freeing them both. 

Flopping on the floor, Moxxie quickly stood and said, “Uh, thank you, sir.” 

“Call me Husk,” the cat demon said.

 Husk looked over the colors of the banner. 

He grabbed one end of the rope and flipped it in his claws for a while.

“Huh,” he said with a small smile, “That time of year? I guess it’s easier to lose track of time here in Hell. Well, I hope you guys have fun. I’ll let Alastor know what’s going on.” 

With that, the cat demon Husk left. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  Blitzø stood and started pacing around again. 

“Okay, enough of this shit. We have to figure out a way to kill this fucker,” he said.  

Jericho sat at the desk and thought hard. He ran through every spell he could think of. Husk was right. There were better spells than luck charms to use for protection. But if it was another spell caster trying to protect their target, how did he or she know when to cast the spells? It seemed the only thing that could truly help them was the total magic canceling spell. But if he used that, they’d be exposed and trapped in the Mortal World. Maybe if they could walk around without their human disguises, but it would be too risky. Even if they succeeded in killing the target, they’d never be able to get to the amulet without causing a scene. He watched as Moxxie started gathering up the banner and bundling it up. Then he noticed the colors of the banners, green, gold, and purple. 

He asked, “Moxxie, where did you really find those?” 

“They were hanging from a post near the tree we were watching from. A wind knocked them off and we got tangled up in them,” Moxxie said. 

“Yeah. Funny thing is, I’ve seen the humans putting these colors up all over,” Millie said,  “I wonder if it's for some kind of party?” 

Suddenly, a thought struck Jericho like a bolt of lightning. He quickly pulled out his phone and began quickly searching for something.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Blitzø asked as Jericho began pacing. 

Finally, with a smile on his face, he shouted, “It is! It’s Mardi Gras!” 

“The fuck is Mardi Gras?” Blitzø said.

Jericho said, “It’s basically the last big celebration before Lent.” 

Millie said, “Sweetie, none of us knows what you’re talking about.” 

Jericho said, “It's kind of a religious holiday-”

“Fuck no!” Blitzø interrupted, “We're not doing anything religious. The last time we tried to do anything religious we nearly got burned. Literally.” 

“But it’s perfect fo-”

“I don’t give a shit, kid! Forget this Gras thing and let’s get back to thinking on a plan of attack,” Blitzø said. 

Jericho lifted his phone again and after a minute he started to play a video.

Blitzø covered his eyes and turned away, “I don't want to see any religious shit right now. I already have a headache and…” 

Blitzø noticed the sound on the video didn’t sound very religious. tHe looked and his jaw almost hit the floor. The video was of the wildest, raunchiest, and biggest party Blitzø had ever seen. He had a wide grin as Moxxie, Millie, and Loona got up to watch the video too. Drinking, toppless women wearing beads, and people in all kinds of costumes.

“Now, this is a religion I can get behind,” Blitzø said. 

“This is Mardi Gras,” Jericho said, “A whole bunch of parades and parties leading up to Ash Wednesday.” 

“Ash Wednesday? What’s that?” Moxxie asked. 

Blitzø quickly shoved Moxxie aside, saying, “No time for that, Mox.” 

“Look, the point is that this party is the perfect time to kill the target. Look at this party. It’s full of people in costume or painted up. So-” 

“So, we won’t need our human disguises!” Moxxie shouted happily.  

Millie smiled excitedly,  “Hey, that’s right! And Jericho, you said you had that total magic canceling spell, right?”

“That's right,” Jericho said, “Once we’re painted up, we can head to Earth and find the target. I’ll cast the spell and-”

“We'll finally be able to move in and slash his throat!” Blitzø interrupted,  “Goddamn, kid! It took a while, but we finally fucking have a plan that’ll work. As long as the fucker has the amulet on him.”

“Leave that to me,” Jericho said, “I’ll hit him with a double dose of the hypnosis spell tomorrow morning so it’ll be like he’s missing a limb if he doesn’t have it on.” 

“Great. And maybe we can enjoy the party after,” Loona said. 

“A party in the Human world after a successful hit? Great idea, Loonie!” Blitzø said.

“So, Jericho, how long does this Mardi Gras thing go on?” Moxxie asked.

Jericho said, “According to the Human calendar I found, we have three days until Fat Tuesday, the last night of Mardi Gras.”  

“All right. That gives us plenty of time to plan and rest up,” Blitzø said, “Ok, everybody, go ahead and head home. We're going to get this thing done if it kills us!... or him… or whatever the fuck!” 

-----

Meanwhile, the cat demon Husk was walking back towards the Hazbin Hotel. His hangover was still pounding away. He couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and drink it away again. But as he was taking another step, he suddenly banged his foot against the hard cabinet of the bar. As he was doubled over in pain, he heard the familiar laughter of his “partner” Alastor. He rubbed his sore leg and growled up at Alastor, who was leaning over him, smiling. 

“So, Husker, my good man. How did things go at I.M.P.?” Alastor asked. 

“It went fine, Goddammit,” Husk grumbled. He stood and grabbed a bottle from the bar and took several large gulps.

Once his thirst was sated, he turned to Alastor and said, “It was like you said. They didn’t think about their problems being caused by a second spell caster. They have no idea you’ve been stopping them from killing the target. And I dropped your little hint about it being Mardi Gras, just like you told me to.”

Alastor laughed, “Wonderful, Husker! It’s nice to know my little pawns haven’t caught onto my plans.” 

 “What plans?” Husk asked with a scoff, “Besides upsetting Vaggie and getting fawned over by Nifty, I didn’t think you had any plans.” 

“My dear Husk. You judge too soon. I have several plans in motion as we speak!” Alastor said.

“Well, I don’t see any fuckin’ planning going on, Al,” Husk said, “I mean, sure. You used those imps to get Prince Stolas to make a deal with you. But why the hell have you been fucking with the hit? It was just a ploy to get to Stolas, wasn’t it?” 

“It was more than that, Husker, much more,” Alastor said, as he turned toward the window, “For example, have you not noticed the change in the wind, so to speak?”

“What do you mean?” Husk asked.

Alastor said, “I mean there's something happening in Hell. Someone has been making deals, moving around in the shadows, looking to uproot the very order of Hell.”

“So, some asshole’s making a new power play. Big deal,” Husk said, taking a swig of his drink. 

“Oh, it’s more than that. I can feel it. I've been here for close to a hundred years and I've never seen things as they are now,” Alastor said, solemnly. 

Husk raised an eyebrow, “And how are they now?” 

Alastor turned to Husk and said, “Calm. It's almost calm.” 

End of Part 8. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: I.M.P.s at Mardi Gras

7:00 A.M. It was time. Finally, time to wake up and get ready for tonight. He hadn't gotten as much sleep as he wanted, but there was no helping that. Jericho pushed off his covers and quickly went to his bathroom for a shower. He had an uneasy feeling about tonight, a hunch, a gut feeling he couldn't shake off. As he scrubbed himself, he thought about the plan Blitzø had for tonight. Blitzø had hinged all their bets on tonight. Jericho had spent the last two days bombarding the target with hypno spell after hypno spell to make damn sure he had the amulet on tonight. Moxxie and Millie had mapped and memorized every road, alleyway, or possible hiding spot in case something went wrong. And he and Loona were set to tail their target unto the ends of the Earth. Once they were set, Jericho would cast the magic canceling spell. Then Millie and Loona would lure the target away from the crowd. And finally… they'd kill him. It was a solid plan, for the most part. 

But honestly, it wasn't Blitzø's plan that gave Jericho his uneasy feelings. It was the thought that for some reason Jericho might be put in the position of killing the target himself. And when he thought about that… his mind kept drifting back. Back to that night. That night with the screaming, the crying, the pain, and the blood. Satan, so much blood. And seeing her … laying there… lifeless… it was-! Jericho quickly turned the hot water off and let the frigid cold water take him away from those thoughts, from that night. He stood under the shower and tried to calm himself. After taking deep breath after deep breath, he finally turned the water off and started drying off. 

"Don't think about it, Jericho," he thought to himself, "Just don't think about it." 

After a while, Jericho went downstairs for breakfast. Stolas was already eating. He smiled at Jericho. 

"Good morning, Jeri," Stolas said, cheerfully, "Is everything set for tonight?" 

Jericho nodded, "As set as it can be, Uncle. What are your plans for today?" 

Before Stolas could say anything, Octavia came in from the kitchen. She was carrying a tray of food. 

"Good, you're up," she said to Jericho, "I was just about to come get you. Here's your breakfast." 

She set down the tray and put a bowl of oatmeal in front of Jericho and then put another in front of Stolas. She quickly turned back into the kitchen. 

"I've just been talking with Gerald about the servants safety routine. They've been much better at getting to the safe rooms quickly and without injuries. Gerald and I have gone around the perimeter of the mansion to check the protection spells. We really should hire more guards, Dad. Now, is everything ready for tonight, Jericho?" she called back. 

Jericho looked up from his oatmeal and said, "Uh, yeah, everything's set." 

Octavia came out of the kitchen with two glasses of blood orange juice and set them in front of them. 

"Good," she said, "This has gone on long enough. Have you practiced the magic canceling spell?" 

Before Jericho could answer, she rushed off toward the living room. Jericho looked at Stolas, who was eating his oatmeal. 

"She's getting worse, Uncle," he whispered, "I swear if she becomes any more of a mother hen, she'll turn into a chicken." 

Stolas said, "She's just nervous, Jeri. We all are. With Alastor's unwelcome visit-"

"But we haven't seen Alastor since that night," Jericho said, "She's acting like he's gonna pop out from the refrigerator or something." 

Stolas grimaced, "Knowing Alastor, he'd rather the oven." 

Jericho said, "Seriously, Uncle. I'm worried about her." 

Stolas looked at Jericho and then looked to the living room. 

He looked at Jericho and said,, "Don't worry, Jeri. I'll talk to her." 

"Good," Jericho said, standing.

"You’re not having breakfast?" Stolas asked. 

Jericho said, "I'm too nervous about tonight to eat. If I feel like it later, I'll grab a bite. See ya later." 

"Good bye, Jeri. And good hunting!" Stolas said, watching him leave. 

Stolas was about to start eating again when Octavia came out of the kitchen. 

"Jericho left already?" she asked, looking around. 

Stolas said, "Yes, he had to dash off." 

Octavia turned to leave, but Stolas said, "Wait, Via! I'd like to speak to you." 

She turned to him and asked, "About what?" 

"Please sit down, Octavia dear," Stolas said. 

Octavia sat in the chair next to her father and she looked ready to bounce out of it again. Stolas sighed and set aside his oatmeal. He had to admit his little Starfire had gotten more… well, cautious as of late. Since she practically forced Jericho to tell her about Alastor, Octavia had almost been obsessed with their safety and wellbeing. Stolas had to beg her not to try and strengthen the mansion's defenses herself. 

Stolas said, “Octavia, dear, I understand that you're afraid-”

“I'm not afraid,” Octavia said quickly, wringing her hands.

 Stolas raised his eyebrow at her and said, “Really?” 

She crossed her arms and said, “Okay, maybe I am a little afraid, but can you blame me? I mean, it's not every day the Radio Demon visits our home.”

 Stolas leaned forward and placed his hand on her cheek, “I understand, Via dear. It was a shock for everyone, but I assure you he's not coming back. I’ve placed some of the most powerful protection spells I know on the mansion.” 

Octavia looked away from her father, “Yes, I know, but-” 

“ But nothing,” Stolas moved and held her in a tight hug, “Relax, my little Starfire. We’re safe now.”

Octavia hugged her father back and sighed. She rested her head on his shoulder and said, “You're right. I'm sorry Dad.” 

“Don't be, dear,” Stolas said. He pulled away and said, “Why don't we go do something today to relax? Perhaps we could go to that Stylish Occult place you like?” 

Octavia smiled, “That sounds like fun. All right, Dad. Just let me go get dressed.”

“I'll be getting ready as well,” Stolas said, watching his daughter leave. 

He sighed and looked at his right hand. He felt a little ashamed about lying to her, but it was for the best. Until his deal with Alastor was done, he couldn’t risk anyone finding out about it. 

-----

Meanwhile, Jericho and the others were running drills to make sure the hit ran smooth silk this evening. Blitzø had been going over the different escape routes on the white board. After that, they reviewed possible places to hide the body. Finally, they worked on making sure they were safe until the canceling spell wore off and they could get home. 

Finally, after a few hours, they were all set to go. They all gathered in the front office. Blitzø began pacing the room, “Okay, everyone. This is it. If we fuck it up tonight, it’s over. But that sure a shit ain’t gonna happen, is it?” 

“No, sir!” Moxxie and Millie said together. 

Blitzø turned to them and said, “I can’t hear you!” 

Jericho joined in as they shouted, “No, sir!” 

Blitzø slammed his hands on the desk and said, “Good! And what are we gonna do?!” 

‘Kill that fucker!” Millie shouted. 

“And how are we gonna do it?!” Blitzø yelled.

“Long and bloody!” They shouted.

“Fuck, yeah!” Blitzø shouted, raising his fist in the air, “NOW, LET’S GO!” 

Moxxie charged out of the office with his arms over his head and cheering loudly. Blitzø, Loona, and Millie watched him go. Jericho groaned and rolled her eyes. After a moment, Moxxie came back into the room. He had his head down in embarrassment. 

“Sorry. Got a little too amped up,” he said sheepishly.

Millie went over and patted his shoulder while Blitzø laughed, “Ha, I knew he’d do that. You owe me ten bucks, kid.” 

“He owes me thirty,” Loona said with a smug smile. 

Jericho grumbled and reached into his wallet. Moxxie frowned as Millie ran her hand over his cheek. 

“Don’t worry about it sweetie,” she said, “Besides, Jericho owes us fifty.” 

Jericho gave her the money and Moxxie watched in shock. He grumbled and crossed his arms, but in the end he smiled at his wife. 

“All right, enough about that,” Jericho said, “Is everyone ready for me to cast the color spell?” 

Loona asked, "So, fucktard, how's this magic paint job gonna stay after you use that magic canceling spell?" 

Jericho said, "The spell is literally putting color on us and dying our clothes, not changing our colors. Relax, bitch. Your 'fashionable' clothes will be fine. " 

"Okay, that's enough, you two," Millie said, "I don't want any more name calling for the rest of the night. Am I clear?" 

Jericho and Loona grumbled, but they both nodded. 

Millie said, "Good. Now, go ahead, Jericho." 

Jericho shot Loona a quick glare and then he began to cast the spell. Golden, green, and purple lights began to dance around the room. Slowly, Jericho pointed at the others. Moxxie's suit changed to a solid purple color with a golden bowtie and green undershirt. Millie's clothes took on a tie-dyed look, with waves of colors all around. Blitzø’s jacket turned green, while his shirt and pants turned golden. The whites of his horns suddenly turned purple. Loona’s outfit stayed the same, but her long hair suddenly had gold, green, and purple highlights in it. Finally, Jericho’s jacket turned into a patchwork of the three colors. He summoned a mirror so everyone could take a look at themselves. 

Blitzø started rubbing the purple part of his horn, "Uh, this'll come off, right?" 

Jericho nodded, "It's the same stuff that humans use to paint on their windshields on their cars. It'll take a little elbow grease, but it should come off fine." 

"Don't know what the fuck that means, but okay," Blitzø said. 

Jericho turned to Loona, who was running her fingers through her highlights. He said, "And those should wash out fine in your next shower." 

Loona looked at him, but didn't say anything. She pushed past him, saying, "You better be right." 

Jericho rolled his eyes and groaned. Blitzø stepped forward and clapped his hands. 

"Okay, guys. Are we all set?" he asked. 

Everyone nodded. Blitzø moved to the white board and said, "Okay then. Let's get started. Let's go over the plan. First; we each go topside,  separate, and start mingling with the humans while we look for the target. Once the target is spotted, Jericho casts the canceling spell. Then, whoever's closest will kill the sorry fuck. I leave the method to the lucky one. Next, we stuff the body in the nearest hiding place we've scooped up and grab the amulet. After that, we join the party and get wasted!" 

Millie cheered, "Whoo yeah! I can't wait to see what this Mardi Gras thing is like!" 

"Okay. Here we go," Jericho said. 

He opened the portal to the human world and stuck his head through. 

"It's all clear," he called back and finished stepping through.

Blitzø turned to Moxxie and Millie and said, "Okay. You two next. Remember, if you see the target, send out a text." 

"Got it, Blitzø," Millie said, holding up her hellphone. 

Moxxie took her hand and they both hopped through the portal. Blitzø turned to Loona. 

"Are ya ready, Loonie?" he asked, smiling. 

Loona smirked and cracked her knuckles, "Born ready." 

And she and Blitzø walked through the portal. 

-----

Stolas and Octavia came home from their shopping trip with a few bags of clothes each. Octavia smiled and said, "Thanks for this, Dad. You were right. I needed to unwind a bit." 

Stolas put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm just glad you're feeling better, Via. So, what now? Care for a meal at Wackdonald's or would you prefer something fancier for dinner?" 

Before she could answer, Gerald walked up saying, "Welcome home, sir. Young Mistress." 

He gave a quick bow as Octavia said, "Hello, Gerald. I told you that you could call me Octavia, if you'd like." 

"I'd be honored to, young Mistress, but duty forbids it. Besides, I prefer calling you Via," he said with a smile, "Shall I take those for you?" 

Octavia said, "No thanks, Gerald. I'll take them to my room in a minute." 

She turned to Stolas and said, "How about pizza? I think you'd enjoy trying something new." 

"Very well," Stolas said smiling, "I'll leave the ordering to you, dear." 

"Okay. I'll be right back," Octavia said, heading up to her room. 

Stolas began to walk upstairs to his own room. Gerald followed close behind. Stolas said, "Has there been any problems today, Gerald?" 

"None, sir. Everything seems normal," Gerald said. 

As Gerald and Stolas walked into his room, one of the other servants moved close to the door to listen. 

Stolas said, "Good. The newest protection and detection spells are working." 

Gerald asked, "Should I have the guards patrols follow the new schedule?" 

Stolas set his bags on his bed, "No. Octavia's suggested routes take the guards right into the newest traps. I'll give them their route in the morning." 

"Very good, sir," Gerald said, "Pardon my asking, sir, but have you heard anything from Blitzø about the assassination?" 

Stolas said, "Well, Jeri has told me that they're going all out tonight. With Mardi Gras going on, they should be able to use the crowd as cover. With luck, it should be finished tonight." 

"Here's hoping, sir," Gerald said. 

Stolas said, "I'm sure my Blitzy will take care of it. We'll, in any case, let us go and see if Octavia has ordered that pizza yet." 

As they left and went back down stairs, the imp servant raised his watch and pressed a button on it. 

He said, "Calling command." 

After a moment, a disguised voice answered, "Command here. Report." 

"The subjects are finally going to finish their assassination tonight," the imp said. 

"Has the Radio Demon been seen again?" the voice asked. 

The imp said, "No. It seems the Prince Stolas’s spell are keeping him away this time." 

The voice said, "Good. Then we can move onto the next phase of the operation. Inform the others and await further instructions. Confirm?" 

"Confirmed." the imp said and ran off to the servants wing. 

-----

Blitzø walked up the street, looking around at the crowds surrounding him. He was getting a few sideways glances, but eh, he got that in Hell too. Suddenly, someone grabbed a hold of his horn and pulled him backwards. A young child happily squealed, "Got a goat! Got a goat!" 

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Blitzø yelled. 

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry! Thomas, let go of the nice man's costume!" a woman said. 

Once the kid had let go, Blitzø turned around and saw a young mother with two kids, a girl in a jesters costume who looked around ten and a three year old in her arms with his face painted purple. The baby, Thomas, was reaching for Blitzø’s horns again. 

"I'm really sorry about that. He's obsessed with farm animals," the mother said. 

Blitzø rubbed his sore horn and said, "Yeah, it's fine. Bye." 

Blitzø turned to leave and he heard the kid start fussing, "No! Want goat!" 

While Blitzø was annoyed by the kids crying, the assassin in him knew it would be best to stop the kid from making a scene. He turned back to the kid and said, cheerfully, "Hey little guy, Don't start crying. You like balloon animals?" 

The kid clapped his hands as Blitzø reached into his pocket and pulled out a balloon. 

Staring at it he thought, "It's been years since I've done this. Hope I don't fuck it up." 

He blew up the balloon and quickly tied it up. Surprisingly, he did it! He tied a perfect balloon animal horse! 

"Well, hot damn!" he said, "Here you go, kid, have a horse." 

The baby giggled and hugged the balloon house tight. 

"That was so nice," the mother said and turned to her daughter, "Would you like a balloon animal, honey?" 

The girl shook her head and said with excitement, "No, I wanna see him do a backflip!" 

Blitzø smiled and did, not one, but three backflips! The little girl clapped and cheered. The baby laughed. Blitzø took a bow and said, "Aw thanks folks! It was nothing." 

Suddenly, Blitzø realized he was drawing a crowd. 

He cleared his throat and said, "Uh, well, I need to go." 

The woman smiled and said, "Okay. Thank you again. Say goodbye to the nice man, kids." 

As they turned and left, the baby was waving goodbye at Blitzø, "Bye, goat!" 

Blitzø smiled and waved back. He sighed. It felt good to entertain again, even if it was only for a while. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to looking for the target. 

-----

Millie and Moxxie were having the time of their lives! The music, the crowds, everything! They held each other close as the latest song stopped. The crowd cheered and clapped as the band bowed. They were playing on a restaurant patio, passing out food in between songs. Millie lead Moxxie by the hand into the food line. 

"I can't wait to try this… uh, what was it called again?" Millie said.

Moxxie scratched his head and said, "I think someone called it 'shrimp etouffee.' By the way these humans are eating it, it must be delicious." 

When it was their turn, they were handed two small bowls and plastic spoons. Millie took a long sniff of her bowl before digging in. Stars appeared in her eyes! Seeing his wife's reaction, Moxxie ate a spoonful too. It tasted incredible! He and Millie quickly ate as the band began to get ready to play. 

The band leader got to the mic and said, "Well, I hope y'all are enjoying yourselves tonight! We're gonna be cookin' and playin' all night for y'all, so tuck in. But before we do, we got some bad voodoo in our midst. We got some imps here!" 

Before Moxxie and Millie could do anything, they were lifted up and taken into the patio with the band. They were set down on two wooden stools. Moxxie and Millie looked over the crowd and then to each other. This wasn't good. The band leader slapped Moxxie on the shoulder.

He laughed, "We're having a helluva time tonight, but I didn't think we'd get real devils. How are you two doing tonight?" 

The crowd laughed as the band leader pointed the mic at Moxxie, who looked them over the crowd with unease. 

"Uh, well… I -er… we were," he stammered out, sweat building on his head. 

"Aw, no need to be nervous, son! The boys and me just wanted to show off your costumes," the man said. 

"Costumes?" Moxxie asked. 

"Y-yeah, our costumes, sweetie!" Millie said quickly, "Our imp costumes are good, right?" 

She twirled in place and winked at Moxxie. He nodded and winked back. 

"Yeah," he said, "The- uh… the toughest part was getting these tails to move right." 

"I'll bet. How'd ya get these horns to stay on?" the band leader asked. 

"Uh, these are wigs," Moxxie said, tugged at his hair. 

The band leader said, "Huh. So, what's a pair of demons like you doing up here?" 

Moxxie said, "Well, I've taken an interest in your Earthly bluegrass music. I've come to hear you play some." 

The whole band laughed and the crowd cheered. The band leader picked up a guitar and said, "Sure thing, Mr. Devil. You wanna join us for a song?" 

Moxxie took the guitar and smiled. He began to strum a tune. The band knew the song and followed along. Millie giggled and danced to the music. 

-----

Jericho had stayed close to the target's hotel. He watched as people came and went as it got dark. After a while, he decided to go to the coffee shop and look around. On the way, he saw Loona walking through the crowd. He caught up to her and asked, "Any sign of him?" 

Loona simply said, "No." 

Jericho asked, "Well, have you seen the others?"

Again, Loona said, "No." 

Jericho noticed that she was wearing several bead necklaces of different colors. Jericho bite his lip. He read up on Mardi Gras traditions. In the 80s, they started to… but it was frowned on today, so no one would… well, drunks on Bourbon Street would still offer beads to women who would… and if she had so many… did… did she really? 

"So, how'd you get so many necklaces?" he asked slowly. 

"Some fuckers kept asking me to flash my tits for them, so I knocked them out and took 'em. Why?" she said, glancing up from her phone. 

"Oh, no reason. Just curious," Jericho said, feeling relieved. 

She rolled her eyes and went back to her phone. 

Jericho looked over her shoulder and asked, "What's so important that it's taking you away from your job? Something good on TicVox?" 

Loona pushed him away and said, "I'm checking if anything else is going on tonight. If he's not here, maybe the target's at a party or in a restaurant or something." 

Jericho said, "He shouldn't. My hypnosis spells should make him want to stay on this street." 

"Well, he's not here," Loona growled, "And If we don't spread out more and look for him, we'll never find-"

They were interrupted by Loona’s phone ringing. She answered, "Hey, Blitzø." 

" Loona! Get Jericho and come down the street to the start of the parade! " Blitzø said, " I found the son of a bitch! " 

Loona grinned, "On our way." 

She hung up as they ran toward the front of the crowd and saw a parade was starting to come down the road. They saw Blitzø standing in an alleyway, looking across the street. Once they caught up to him, Jericho said, "Great job, Blitzø. Where is he?" 

Blitzø pointed across the street and said, "He's right there, mixed in with the college kids." 

Jericho looked over and saw their target. Blitzø asked, "Can you tell if he has the amulet?" 

Jericho shook his head and said, "I can't tell from here. Where's Moxxie and Millie? Maybe they can run through that group and check?" 

Blitz grumbled, “That limp dick Moxxie’s not answering his phone.” 

Jericho sighed, “Well, I can't think of any-”

 Loona punched Jericho in the shoulder.

“Fucking idiot! Don't you have some magical way of checking?” she growled.

 Jericho rubbed his shoulder and said, “Come to think of it, yeah, I do.” 

Looking over at the target, Jericho’s eyes momentarily glowed blue then golden. They returned to normal and he smiled. 

“He has it,” Jericho said.

 Blitzø rubbed his hands and said, “Perfect! Alright, work your magic, kid.” 

Jericho took a deep breath and concentrated. He cupped his hands and a small black mist slowly filled it.he clapped his hands and the mist quickly spread around, far into the crowd and beyond. 

“There. That takes care of all magic within a mile for the next thirty minutes,” Jericho said, quickly setting a timer on his phone. 

Blitzø turned to Loona and said, “Okay, Loonie-Toonie, let’s you and me go over and introduce ourselves.” 

Loona cracked her knuckles and smiled. She and Blitzø started to move across the street, through the parade. 

*BANG! RATTA-TAT! BOOM! BA-BANG!*

Blitzø pulled Loona back to the cover of the alleyway as the crowd started screaming and running.

“Were those gunshots?!” Jericho yelled.

More shots rang out as Blitzø said, “Naw, that’s handgun, shotgun, SMG, and magnum shots. Great. What a time for a mass shooting.” 

Jericho moved past Blitzø and looked for the shooters. He saw there were four of them. They seemed to be looking for someone. Jericho moved out of the Alleyway to get a better look. A shotgun blast made him back off. 

Jericho said, “I don’t think they’re trying to shoot the masses, Blitzø. I think they’re trying to shoot us!” 

Loona looked across the street and saw the group of college kids the target was with. They were huddled in a store front door. Some started to run. The target joined them. 

“Shit!” she shouted and tried to bolt after. 

Jericho grabbed her and pulled her back just as more shots came their way. 

“Yeah, they’re aiming at us, Blitzø,” Jericho said. 

"Fucking damnit, we're gonna lose him!" Loona said, pulling out her handgun.

"We can pick up his scent!" Jericho yelled and turned to Blitzø, "Lay down some covering fire and we'll get after him. Give me the case." 

Blitzø scowled. He reached into his coat and pulled out the case. He looked Jericho in the eyes and said, "If anything happens to my little girl-" 

"Nothing will happen," Jericho said. 

Seemingly satisfied, Blitzø gave the case to Jericho and pulled out his flintlock. He moved out of the alleyway and began to shoot at their attackers. 

"Go!" Blitzø shouted. 

Jericho and Loona bolted after the target, Loona firing a few shots at the attacker herself. A quick sniff and they were off. Blitzø watched them go with a worried look. Suddenly, one of the attackers started running after them! Blitzø tried to shoot him, but another blast from the shotgun kept him in place. 

-----

Loona and Jericho followed the scent of their target as he seemed to dart and dash in the alleyways and streets. They pass people who were terrified the shooters would come their way. Jericho worried about the human cops showing up, but they didn’t have time to worry about that now. Checking the timer, he saw they only had fifteen more minutes before his canceling spell wore off! As they came out of another alleyway, they noticed a big problem. Somehow, the target's scent went in two different directions! They looked at each other and nodded. Jericho ran to follow the scent that led down the street and Loona followed the scent that led through more of the alleyways. Loona ran as fast as she could down one alley and out into the street. The scent seemed to go into a gas station. Loona burst in and looked around. 

The clerk behind the counter scream, “What the fuck?! Who are yo-” 

Loona quickly shut him up by pointing her gun at him. He raised his hands as she took another sniff of the room. The scent. It led to the bathrooms! Loona moved quickly and went to them. She pushed the men's room door open and took a sniff. Besides things that made her want to puke, there was no smell of the target. She opened the women's room door and sniffed. The scent was faint, but he was there. She went in and moved to the only stall. She tried to push it open, but it was locked. She growled and kicked the door in. 

“AAH! PLEASE GOD, NO! PLEASE, DON’T KILL ME!” A girl screamed, holding her hands up in defense. 

Loona was confused. Where was the target? Then she looked the girl over. She was wearing the target’s jacket. 

“Fuck!” Loona shouted and left to try and find Jericho. 

-----

Blitzø reloaded his pistol. His flintlock was empty. He knew he'd killed one of them. He rounded the corner to shoot some more, but another round of shots from the SMG held him back. 

"Well, fuck. Maybe I didn't," he thought. 

Suddenly, Blitzø heard more shots around the corner, then bodies hitting the ground. 

"It's safe now, Blitzø!" Millie called out. 

Blitzø looked around the corner and saw Millie and Moxxie standing over the dead bodies of the attackers. Moxxie bent over to pick up the weapons. 

He walked toward them, "Thanks guys, but where the fuck were you?!" 

Millie tucked her head, "Sorry, B. We were blendin' into the crowd and we got to havin' fun ourselves." 

Blitzø said, “I don’t wanna hear it, Mils. Now, we gotta catch up to-” 

“ Wagh! Sir, look!” Moxxie shouted, jumping back and pointing to the bodies. 

One of the bodies was still moving. Not the twitching of a dying person, but the corpse was trying to stand back up. Another was still pulling its trigger finger, trying to shoot the SMG that had fallen out of its hands. And the last body was watching Blitzø, Moxxie and Millie standing over it while trying to move its legs to walk. Moxxie held Millie close while she covered her mouth with shock. Blitzø moved closer to one of the bodies.

“Well, that’s kinda fucked,” he said. 

“Wait a minute,” Millie said, “What’s that?”

She moved to one of the bodies and lifted a necklace from its neck. When she took it off, the corpse slumped and stopped moving. Moxxie checked the other bodies and they had them too. He removed them and the bodies also stopped moving.

“What do you think these are?” Moxxie asked.

“We’ll have Jericho check ‘em later,” Millie said

Blitzø said, “Yeah, speaking of, we better catch up to him and Loona,” 

-----

Fuck, fuck, fuck! Five minutes! Jericho had five minutes to find the target and get this done! He’d followed the scent down the street into a building and out its back door. He ran down the alleyway and found its exit had been blocked off. Jericho took a sniff of the air and the target’s scent was strong. He was here. He had him. He began to look around for the target. There was an old rusty dumpster and several trash covered crates lining the walls in the alley. Jericho pushed the crates over and found them empty. He pulled out his gun and fired two shots at the dumpster. 

“Fuck! Stop!” someone yelled. 

Slowly, with his hands over his head, the target moved away from the dumpster. 

He said, fearfully, “Okay, look, I’m sorry. I’ll give everything back a swear. Just don’t kill me.” 

Jericho pointed his gun right at the target’s head. He did it. He had him. Now, pull the trigger… Just pull the trigger… Fuck, just do it… He… He’d been right. Jericho thought about his feelings from that morning and he’d been right. That he’d have to be the one to kill the target. It was as if someone was testing him. Jericho tried to steel himself and looked at the target. The target. He’d been calling him that mainly because he didn’t know his name. He saw the target’s eyes start to water and he began to gently cry. Jericho couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, but he had to do it. Right? Right. He tried again to pull the trigger… Why did it have to happen this way?! This poor kid’s probably done nothing wrong! He’s innocent in the whole thing. Just like she was… Fuck, he shouldn’t have thought about that. That night. With…with his mother screaming and pleading. With her blood everwhere… and with Jericho… NO! It’s different! He has to die! Just do it! Jericho could feel his own tears start to fall. 

“I…I”m sorry…” he said. 

“No, please!” the target screamed and clenched his eyes shut. 

Jericho tried again to pull the trigger. After a while, he shook his head, closed his eyes and lowered the gun. 

*click* 

*BOOM*

*Bang! Ba-Bang!*

Jericho panted and stared at the body of his attacker. Was it one of the shooters in the street? Had she followed him all the way here? He’d dodged her shot just in time. He slowly stood and moved over to her. He could tell she was dead, if the three bullet holes in her chest were any indication. Jericho almost felt like he might’ve seen her before. At the target’s hotel, maybe? He turned to look at the target. Jericho’s attacker had done his job for him. The target took the shot from her magnum to his head, taking most of his skull off. Jericho moved over to him. What was left of his face still showed that same look of fear. Jericho sighed. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. 

He kneeled down and looked for the amulet around his neck. He took the case out of his jacket pocket and put the amulet inside. 

He said, “Well, at least it’s done.” 

Suddenly, a loud beeping caused Jericho to nearly jump out of his fur! He quickly realized it was his phone timer. His spell should have worn off by now. He took out his phone and turned the alarm off. He heard someone running towards him. He looked up and saw Loona coming. When she reached him, she looked over the target. 

“Huh,” she said, “And here I thought you wouldn’t have the balls to kill him.” 

“I didn’t need to. She killed him for me,” Jericho said, pointing to the other body. 

She shrugged, “Well, fuck it. Job’s finally done. Let me call Blitzø and tell him where we are. You got the amulet?” 

Jericho listed the case and shook it. The amulet jangled inside. Loona nodded and called the others to meet them there. They were in the perfect spot to portal out. As she was talking to the others, Jericho put his gun in the target’s hand. He knew the human authorities would never know what truly happened here. But to at least imply these two killed each other might bring some closure to someone. He looked at the body of his attacker and wondered who had sent them. And, more importantly, how did they know about them and their plans? 

-----

The black clothed devil moved quickly. Once he’d finished writing in a code on his laptop, he reached for his phone. He quickly typed out a message. 

It read, “Mission failed. Moving to secondary location.” 

With that, he dropped the hellphone and smashed it under foot. He moved around the room. He dumped the magical spells and scrolls into a metal trash bin. He cast a small fireball into it, lighting it all on fire. He moved to the computer and saw his program was mostly finished. He turned to the foot of his bed and picked up a baseball bat. Once the program had finished, he swung the bat hard and smashed the laptop too. When he was done, he reached for a backpack at the foot of the bed and headed for the door. He looked around the room to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Before he could move, the door burst open and three black tendrils took hold of him. They lifted him into the air. He struggled against them, pulling with all his strength. He started to cast a spell, but one of the tendrils broke his hands. The devil screamed in pain. Suddenly, someone walked into the room. It was the one that the devil had tried and failed to outrun. It was Alastor, the Radio Demon. 

Alastor hummed as he looked around the room. He saw the destroyed hellphone and laptop. He kicked them aside and walked to the still smoldering garbage bin. Alastor looked in and saw the contents were mostly reduced to ash. He turned to the devil. 

“My, my, someone’s been a busy little beaver, haven’t they?” he said, “I must say, I’m impressed. Normally, I can sniff out anyone who tries to poke their noses into my business quite easily. Imagine my surprise when I learned about your little group and how much you’ve all learnt about me. Ha! It’s like having another fan club!” 

Alastor circled around the devil, “Another surprising thing was how hard it was to get any information on you lot in return! Why, it seemed like everytime I found a lead, it would vanish. I have to admit, it was becoming infuriating.” 

The tendrils squeezed the devil hard, causing him to cry out again. They loosened as Alastor continued. 

“But the most shocking thing was when I learned that you all were also following those interesting little imps. Even now, I don’t understand why. But, all the same, I am a man of opportunity! So, while you were watching them, I was finally able to watch you,” he said with a laugh. 

He stopped in front of the devil. Alastor said, “And the things I’ve learned. Not only did you trick a human to research my mortal life, but you also had such impressive ways to clean up your Earthly mess. Turning that girl from the hotel into you puppet to spy on their assassination atempts was smart. Your master stroke was when you had your puppet become a puppeteer! Quite the show!” 

The tendrils squeezed the devil again. Alastors smile grew and glowed. 

“And now, with your help, I’ll learn so much more,” he said. 

The devil chuckled. Alastor’s eye twitched. 

He said, “And what, pray tell, is so funny?” 

The devil opened his mouth wide. Alastor looked inside and saw the devil’s tongue had been removed. The devil laughed out loud as best he could. Alastor’s smile faltered slightly. The tendrils began to tighten. The devil stopped laughing and screamed. 

“Tongue or no tongue, you’re going to tell me what I want to know,” Alastor said.

The devil screamed louder as the tendrils broke his legs. 

“Whether you want to or not,” Alastor said, his voice filled with static. 

-----

Meanwhile, back at I.M.P. Jericho was looking over the necklaces that Moxxie had taken off their attackers. 

“And they died after you took the necklaces off?” Jericho asked. 

Moxxie nodded, “Yeah. It was very strange.” 

“Especially since you said that hocus pocus of yours had stopped all the magic around. What the fuck, kid?!” Blitzø said.

Jericho shook his head and said, “I don’t know. I cast the most powerful magic canceling spell there is.” 

“You said that the spell affects everything in a mile. Could they had been out of it’s radius?” Moxxie asked. 

“Maybe. These necklaces have spells on them I’ve never seen before. Maybe one of them had something to do with it,” Jericho said. 

“Well, enough about that,” Millie said, “We should be celebrating! We finally did it!” 

Blitzø said, “Yeah, you right, Mils! Let’s hit the bar! Drinks are on Jericho!”

Loona smiled, “Sounds good to me,” 

“Wait! Not to put a damper on things, but what about the amulet?” Moxxie asked, “How are we going to give it to Alastor? We have no way of contacting him.” 

“Well, I don’t know, Moxxie. Why don’t we put an ad in the fuckin’ papers or something,” Blitzø said. 

“I don’t think we have to worry about that,” Millie said, “I’m sure he knows we have it. He’ll come get it when he wants to.” 

Jericho looked at the case with the amulet inside sitting on the table. He said, “True, but there’s something that worries me.” 

The others looked at him. 

He said, “This amulet is important to Alastor. It’s safe to say that Millie’s right. He knows we have it. But if that’s the case, what is so important that he’s too busy to come get it.” 

A chill ran through the group as they all looked at the case. It started to seem like  a bomb ready to go off. And in a sense, it was. 

End of Chapter 9.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Finishing Touches

The campgrounds were quiet as morning came. The mist was starting to clear. On the lake close by, Jericho sat in a canoe and looked around as the rising sun began to glow across the lake. The birds were chirping peacefully in the trees. Dragonflies were buzzing all around. He sighed as admired the beauty around him. He looked toward the shore and saw Loona standing at the edge of the water. She had her phone out as usual and she was waving at him. He turned to wave back. 

Suddenly, something burst out of the lake behind Jericho! It was covered in slime and mud. It's cold, dead eyes were on him! Jericho barely got a look before its disgusting arm was around him, trying to pull in under! He screamed and held onto the canoe! The thing pulled him down under the water, capsizing the canoe. Then, everything was quiet again. 

Jericho burst up from the water. Coughing and sputtering, he swam to the capsized canoe and held on. He growled as he heard laughter from the shore. He moved his fur out of his eyes and looked to see Blitzø, pulling himself out of the water and covered in muck from the lake. Loona was laughing too. She was still recording everything on her phone. 

"Damnit, Blitzø! Why'd you do that?" Jericho shouted. 

Blitzø wiped some of the mud off his face and said, "Cause it was funny, kid! Didja get all that, Loonie?" 

"Bet your ass I did, Blitzø," Loona said, smirking. 

Jericho swam to the shore, pulling the canoe with him. He passed by Blitzo, who was washing the mud off himself. He stood and shook himself dry. Loona and Blitzø tried to shield themselves from the spray. Jericho walked toward the dining hall.

"They had me sitting out there half the damned night, calling out strays, and for what?" Jericho muttered. 

"It worked, didn't it? I never would've found that gal in the barn if you hadn't told me she was there," Millie said.

Millie and Moxxie walked up to Jericho. Millie was wearing a hockey mask and holding a sack with a pickaxe over her shoulder. Moxxie was wiping the blood off of his machete. Blitzø and Loona caught up. Blitzø was still putting on his jacket as he walked. 

"Yeah. Besides, I wanted to keep things funny," he said, straightening his clothes as best he could, "Hey, Millie, did you see the look on that stupid fucks face when that crucifix he pulled out didn't work?" 

They all laughed. Jericho even chuckled a bit. 

He said, "Okay, yeah. That would've been funny to see. Anyway, I guess we're done?" 

Blitzø said, "Yeah. We're done here. You got a head count of the heads, Mils?" 

"Yep! All twelve counselors, both cooks, the grounds keeper, and even the camp mascot," Millie said, holding up a sack. 

Jericho cast a portal spell and Moxxie and Millie jumped through followed by Loona and Blitzø. Jericho shook himself dry again and hopped through. Blitzø was already on his phone with their client. 

Moxxie sat on the couch with Millie and said, "Humans are strange creatures." 

"Now, Mox, remember what I told you," Millie said, patting his cheek. 

Moxxie nodded, "Yeah, I know. 'Killing who we are paid to is our business.' Still, I wished we could have figured out who the killer was." 

"I'm not normally one for innocent blood spilling, but with what the client told us, someone had to be turning a blind eye to the murders for years. So, I agree with Millie. Kill 'em all and let God sort it out." Jericho said.  

Jericho’s attitude about killing had… eased somewhat after his near miss three weeks ago. If he hadn't heard that shot coming, he'd be dead. If he hadn't fired back, he'd be dead. It took some time after to process it, but in the end he felt better. But honestly, more than that was on his mind. 

Thinking back on that night made Jericho ask himself the same questions over and over. Where was Alastor? He must’ve known that they got his amulet back by now. And what about the amulet? Why had all of its magic suddenly vanished? He knew his magic canceling spell wasn’t permanent. And, more importantly, who had sent their undead attackers? How did they know where they were or when to attack? Regardless of those questions, once they had the amulet, it was back to business as usual for I.M.P. Since they had no way of contacting Alastor, they just decided to give it to him whenever he sent someone else to check on the hit. 

Jericho leaned on the wall and looked around the room. Moxxie was filling out the paperwork for the last hit. Millie was sitting on the couch twirling a switchblade in her fingers. Loona was at the computer, browsing the internet again. Blitzø had gone into his office. Jericho started to wonder what he should do next. After all, they only needed him to stop the amulet’s magic. He was only sticking around because nobody had told him to stop coming. But then again, did he really want to stay with the group? 

Honestly, he liked working with Moxxie and Millie. They had been very welcoming ever since they first met. Blitzø was a handful sometimes, but for all his problems he cared. Trying to get him to admit it was like trying to coax a feral cat out from under a porch, but he did care…mostly. And then there was Loona… Yeah, maybe it was best for him to leave. In the time he knew her, she had been an insulting, violent, and mean-spirited bitch who rarely passed up an opportunity to insult or punch him. And he had tried to be nice! He tried to make up for his mistake at that hound party, but she wasn't having any of it. Apologies were usually met with a punch to his snout. Jericho was pulled from his thoughts by Blitzø bursting back into the room. 

"Okay, everyone! Let's get to the conference room. We got a new client!" he said.

Millie did a quick fist pump, "Whoo! Alright!" 

“Two in one day. Seems we’re starting to get busy around here,” Jericho said, stepping forward. 

Blitzø flipped Jericho off while M & M chuckled. 

They started back to the conference room. Moxxie asked, "Who's the target, sir?" 

"Some asshole wants us to blow up a gas station," Blitzø said. 

"With anyone in particular in it?" Jericho asked. 

Blitzø opened the door and walked in, "Yeah, the owner. Some guy named-Fuck me sideways!!" 

"Odd name," Moxxie said. 

Loona pushed everyone aside to get into the conference room to see what Blitzø screamed about. Blitzø was struggling with a large black tendril! It was coming up out of the table and it had a hold on the amulet case! Blitzø was pulling against it with all his might.

“Quick! Give me a hand!” Blitzø shouted. 

Everyone grabbed a hold on Blitzø and pulled. As they all held on and tried to wrench the case free, another tentacle rose from the table. It swatted Blitzø’s hands hard. Blitzø shouted in pain and let go of the case. Everyone flew back onto the floor. They looked up as the tendril with the case sunk back into the table, taking the case with it. The other tendril gave a quick wave goodbye and sunk in too. Blitz jumped on the table and began clawing at it, growling in frustration.

“That blood soaked shit stain! He welched on the deal!” Blitz shouted. 

Suddenly, they heard a loud bang coming from the lobby. They all got up and ran to see what it was. A stack of five small suitcases had appeared near the computer. There was a note pinned to the one on top. Moxxie took the note and began to read.

Moxxie read, “Dear Blitzø and Company. Please forgive the quick acquisition of my amulet, as well as the settlement of my payment. But circumstances have arisen that require my attention elsewhere. You may notice that the payment is slightly smaller than what I had promised. It is frustrating, I know, but you will remember that I said time is money. However, if all goes according to plan, I believe I can compensate you all further. Till we meet again. Alastor. 

“Two-faced strawberry bastard!” Blitzø shouted. He kicked the suitcases hard and knocked them over. Millie walked over and picked one of the suitcases up. 

“This one has Loona’s name on it,” she said and looked at another, “And this one’s got mine. I guess we each get one, Blitzø.”

Jericho walked over and took the note from Moxxie. He read it over himself.

“I wonder what he's up to now,” Jericho said. 

 Nursing his sore foot, Blitzø shouted, “Fuck it! He got his fuckin’ fancy jelwery, we got paid, it over! Let’s just forget the radio fucker and move on.” 

“I second that!” Millie said, smiling. She pulled Moxxie close and said, “We probably have enough for our trip now, huh?” 

Moxxie smiled back and nuzzled her cheek. “Yeah, I guess we do,”

“Knock it off you two fuck bunnies. I’m not in the mood,” Blitzø said.

Blitz began to talk about their current hit again, but Jericho wasn't listening. He now had several new questions. It was obvious now that something had taken Alastor’s attention away from them and the amulet. But what could be so important that he would change a deal and wait so long to fulfill his end of it? Jericho was pulled from his thoughts by Loona punching him hard in the shoulder.

“Pay attention, jackass,” she said.

Jericho rubbed his shoulder and grumbled. He figured she was right. It was best to focus on their next hit and leave his questions about Alastor for later. 

-----

Octavia was sitting on the couch reading one of the books Jericho had loaned her. He had gotten it from the human world. It was a collection of stories and pictures about what humans called Cryptids. It was funny how humans would sometimes imagine creatures like these. I mean, a monster that was basically an umbrella with a human leg and an eye? Ridiculous. Sometimes they would get real glimpses of other worldly things that had found their way to Earth from other realms. She was just about to read about something the humans called the Fresno Nightcrawlers when Gerald walked into the room with a tray of food.

“Here's your lunch, Miss Octavia,” he said.

“Thank you Gerald,” she said, putting down her book, “Is dad still working in his garden?”

Gerald said, “He was, miss. Now, he's getting cleaned up. He should be here in a few minutes.”

 Then the doorbell rang. Gerald wordlessly left to go answer it. 

“Hello Via, darling,” Stolas said. 

Octavia turned to see your father walk in the room. He was dressed casually in gray sweatpants in a red pullover t-shirt. 

“Are you ready to do some more of that ‘binge watching’ you were talking about?” he asked.

Octavius smiled and said, “Sure. But first, take a look at this.”

She held up the book and showed him a picture of the nightcrawlers. 

“Aren't these things from the Envy ring?” she asked.

Stolas took the book and looked the picture over, “I think so. That’s rather fascinating. I’ve never seen these creatures come on land before. I wonder how that happened.”

Octavia said, “Well, maybe-”

She was interrupted by Gerald bursting back into the room

“Sir,” Gerald said, trembling, “It's him .”

Neither Octavia nor Stolas had to be told who “him” was. They both ran to the front door and there he was. Standing just outside the threshold of the door was Alastor, twirling his cane and humming. He noticed them both and bowed with his usual smile on his face. 

Alastor said, “Good afternoon, Stolas my friend! And to you as well, Princess Octavia.” 

Crossing his arms, Stolas said, “Good afternoon, Alastor. How can I help you?”

“Aren't you going to invite me in?” Alistair asked with a touch of static in his voice.

“Only if you promise that your visit will be brief,” Stolas said, “I'm spending the day with my daughter.”

Alastor said, “The briefness of my visit will be entirely up to you.”

Stolas glared at Alastor. Something wasn’t right. Alastor usually liked to beat around the bush, showboat a little. But now? Now, he seemed almost in a hurry. After a moment, Stolas turned to Octavia.

“Please go to your room, Octavia. I'll come get you the moment I'm done.” he said.

Octavia took a quick glance at Alastor and then back to her father. She gave him a quick hug, then ran to her room. Once he was sure that Via was safe in her room, Stolas turned to Alastor and motioned for him to come in. Alastor grinned and slowly stepped through the threshold.

A sudden shimmer of light filled the doorway, then faded. Alastor looked over his shoulder, then back at Stolas.

"Quite an interesting set of defensive spells you've got, Stolas. If an intruder had tried to enter, something… unpleasant would have happened to him. I assume this rise in security was due to my last visit?" Alastor asked. 

"Yes. Now, what do you want? Come to collect your favor?" Stolas asked. 

Alastor said, "I am in need of some magical aid." 

Stolas raised an eyebrow, "With what kind of spell?" 

"A scrying spell," Alastor said. 

Stolas said, "Scrying? I assumed you knew enough about Hell to find anyone you want by yourself." 

Alastor said, "Well, not for lack of trying. My… contacts keep me informed about most of the happenings in Hell. Imagine my surprise when I found out I was being followed. Ha! Me, of all people. It took some time, but I managed to nab one of the little dickens. For the last few weeks, I've been interrogating him. It wasn't going quite as well as usual. Oh, the torture was fun and all, but every bit of information I gained was mostly worthless. I did manage to learn about a safe haven for his group. However, during our latest discussion, the resourceful little rascal managed to slip his bonds and slit his throat." 

Stolas asked, "And you want to see if I can scry this ‘safe havens’ location with the body?" 

"Quite right. Can you help me, friend Stolas?" Alastor asked. 

After a moment of thought, Stolas asked, "You didn’t answer me before. Will this settle our deal?" 

A static buzz filled the air as Alastor said, "I believe that was implied." 

"I want to hear you say the words," Stolas said, slowly. 

The static buzzed louder for a moment and finally Alastor said, “Yes. This will settle the deal.”

Stolas nodded, “Good. Come with me to my study.”

Stolas turned and began walking. Alastor followed close behind him. Stolas snapped his fingers and his clothes changed into his normal regal attire. They entered Stolas's study. It was a large room with several bookshelves, jars of potions, and ancient tomes and scrolls. Alastor hummed quietly to himself as he looked around the room. Stolas went to a table on the other side of the room. He waved his hands and cleared the table, sending each book or scroll back where it came from.

Turning to Alastor, he said, “All right. Where's the body?”

Alastor summoned up a portal and a sack fell out of it, onto the table. It was too small for a normal body, even an imps. Stolas opened it up and jumped. He saw there was only a demon's severed head inside. Stolas scowled at Alastor who simply shrugged. 

 “I felt it would be more compact this way,” he said. 

Stolas rolled his eyes and set the head down on the table.

“This kind of scrying isn't difficult.” Stolas said, “It won't be a moment.”

Stolas cast the spell and the room grew dark. The shadows themselves seem to echo with voices long forgotten. Arcane ruins begin to float around the room. The runes slowly closed in upon the head and circled above it. A view of several tall buildings began to take shape in the rune circle.

“That appears to be lower Imp City,” Stolas said.

“Oh yes. I’m sure you know the area well,” said Alastor, leaning closer to the picture, “Can you give me a more precise location?”

Grumbling, Stolas tried to focus the spell further. The image went further down into the outskirts of Imp City, moving past several abandoned apartment buildings before finally slowing to a stop. Suddenly, the head began to jerk around. Stolas grabbed the head and held on tight, but the head shook violently from his grasp. The head rolled along the table and onto the floor. Then, it burst into bright orange and golden flames. In an instant, there was nothing left of the head, but a scorched mark on the floor. 

Alastor looked at Stolas and asked, "A problem with the spell?" 

Stolas knelt down and ran his fingers along the scorch mark. He said, "No. That wasn't a spell backlash. It seems someone has made a spell to incinerate anyone who was attempting to scry into their territory. This kind of spellcraft is highly illegal." 

"Oh, when has that stopped anyone in Hell?" Alastor asked with a hearty laugh, "In any case, difficulties aside, did you get the address?" 

Stolas stood and turned to Alastor. Without a word, he summoned a quill pen and paper. He wrote a quick note. He finished and held out the piece of paper to Alastor. 

"Here. Now, get out of my house," Stolas said. 

Alastor took the paper. He smiled, "Thank you so much for your help, my fine feathered friend. And now, as you wish, I'll be going now. But before I go, I want you to have something. " 

Alastor snapped his fingers and opened a portal. Three shadows came out, holding a table. A fourth shadow set a small old-fashioned radio on top of it. 

"A little token of appreciation. I hope you'll use it to tune in tonight," Alastor said. 

Stolas said, "As entertaining as it is to listen to you set an example of those poor wretches, I have to decline. I'll be spending time with my daughter." 

Alastor said, "Oh, I'm sure she'd enjoy it herself! There's nothing like a little mayhem and music to start off the evening. Besides, I have a special announcement for tonight's broadcast." 

"What do you mean?" Stolas asked. 

Alastor's smile and eyes glowed red and in a low voice he said, "Stay tuned."

And then, Alastor and his shadows left through his portal. Stolas looked at the radio he had left for him. 

"What is that foul thing up to now?" he thought. 

-----

Meanwhile, back at I.M.P., the team were having a hard time getting Blitzø out of his bad mood. After blowing up the gas station, which Lonna recorded on her phone, several more clients had come in. It had been a very productive day. But every time they returned from a hit, Blitzø would look at the cases from Alastor, growl, and stomp back into his office. Now, it was near quitting time and Blitzø's mood hadn't improved. He simply sat at his desk and growled. There was a knock at his door. 

"What?!" Blitzø shouted. 

The door opened and Moxxie came inside.

"Sir," he said, "I know you're disappointed about the Radio Demons payment being short. But we should look on the bright side. We won't have to deal with him anymore." 

“It's not the money that's the problem, Moxxie! It's the disrespect,” Blitzø said, slamming his fist on the desk, “That fucker kicked down our door, threatened us into taking his hit, promised us loads of cash, and then when we finally pull it off he gives us fucking peanuts! And why? Because he's the fucking Radio Demon and we're pathetic little imps.”

Moxxie understood Blitzø’s frustration. How many times have he and Millie tried to find a better apartment, only to be turned away for being imps. 

Moxxie stepped closer to Blitzø, “Sir, I-”

“Don’t fucking apologise, Mox. It wasn’t your fault,” Blitzø said, “But you're right. It's over and done with.” 

Blitzø looked at the clock and said, “All right. Let's pack it up for the day.”

He and Moxxie walked out of his office. Loona looked up from the computer. 

“Another job, Blitzø?” she asked.

“Naw, nothing new. Let's head home, gang,” Blitzø said. 

Loona turned off the computer and headed for the door. But when she tried to open it it wouldn't move.

“The fuck?” she said. 

She tugged harder but the door wouldn't budge.

“What's wrong?” Millie asked.

“I don't know. The door’s stuck.” Loona said, “Run down, shitty building.” 

Jericho stepped forward, “Let me try.” 

Loona pushed him away, saying, “Fuck off! I can open a damn door.”

But try as she might, it wouldn't move. Millie came up and tried herself, but it didn't help.

“The hell's going on,” Millie asked. 

Loona and Millie started pulling together. Jericho looked around the door. 

He said, "I don't think the door is stuck. It's been locked with magic. Moxxie, check the windows." 

Moxxie quickly ran to one window after another. "They're all stuck." 

"Move over, Moxxie. I got it," Blitzø said, pulling his gun. 

Jericho shouted, "Blitzø, no! If we're sealed in with magic, the bullet could ricochet!" 

Blitzø rolled his eyes, "Fine, ya damned worry wart." 

He turned the gun over and stuck the glass hard, but it didn't shatter. 

"What the fucks going on?" he asked. 

Suddenly, a portal opened up in the middle of the office. Millie and Moxxie held onto each other. As they watched the portal, a large old style radio came out. Jericho moved closer to it. It seemed like an ordinary antique radio. It had to be from Alastor. The radio started playing a lively band tune. An announcer started talking over the music. 

He said, "Good evening, Dregs of Hell! It's that time again! It's time for the Radio Demon Rampage Hour! Brought to you by the dark magics of Alastor himself. And now, to start off our show, a little number from our band, the Damned Danny's! Take it away, boys!" 

The band began to play slow jazz music. Millie turned to Jericho. 

"What do ya think he's up to?" she asked. 

Jericho shrugged, "I guess he wants us to hear his broadcast." 

"Why? He's got his amulet," Moxxie said. 

Loona said, "It could be that he's trying to scare us into keeping quiet about it." 

The announcer chimed in again, "And now, the host with the thirst for blood to match his suit, Alastor!"

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," Alastor said, the music swelling around his voice, "On tonight's program, we'll be featuring an interesting group of imps." 

A chill ran through the office. Blitzø ran to Loona to shield her from danger and held his flintlock close. Moxxie pulled out one of his guns and moved him and Millie closer to Blitzø. Jericho summoned a shotgun and tossed it to Loona. She cocked the weapon and aimed at the windows. Jericho faced the door, ready for whatever came through it. Alastor continued on the radio. 

He said, "I've been looking forward to this massacre, my friends, and I hope I can make it entertaining for you as it will be for me. So, let's get to it!" 

Then, there was a sudden loud explosion, screams and gunshots rang out, and Alastor's cruel laugh could be heard throughout it all… on the radio. In fact, all the noises were coming from the radio. The group relaxed a little. Moxxie moved over to the window and tried to look down at the street. 

"No sign of anything going on down there," he said. 

Loona said, "I don't smell anything weird either." 

"Yeah," Jericho said, "No smoke, no blood, nothing." 

Millie moved to the window and looked around. 

"Hey, look!" she said, pointing outside. 

They all looked out the window and they could see the building Alastor was attacking. Several fires had already spread to other buildings close by. Demons were running for cover, lest they join the poor bastards Alastor was targeting. 

Jericho said, "I think you're right, Loona. This may be a threat to keep us quiet." 

"Yeah, well my lips were sealed anyway," Loona said. She looked at her phone and said, "Fuck. He's jamming the wifi and phones too." 

Jericho turned and tried to summon a portal, but it didn’t work. He shook his head. 

"He's blocking magic too," he said. 

"So, we're stuck listening to this?" Millie asked. 

"Looks like it," Jericho said. 

"Fucking Radio bastard. Ugh, might as well get comfortable, everyone," Blitzø groaned. 

Moxxie and Millie jumped onto the couch and held each other close. Loona sat back at the computer desk. The internet was out, but she could still play the games on her phone. Blitzø went to get his chair out of his office. He sat it right in front of the radio. He figured if anything was going to come out of it, it would have to go through him first. Jericho leaned on the wall again. He tried to think about any spells that might help them if Alastor came for them. Regardless, they were all ready for this hour to be over. 

-----

Meanwhile, Stolas was in his living room, pacing around his radio. Or rather, he was pacing and the radio was following him. Alastor had used his magic to make the table the Radio was on to walk with Stolas wherever he went. It had been annoying him most of the day. That was until Alastor's broadcast started. Stolas was worried. Not only had Alastor stopped him from calling Jericho or his dear Blitzy, but he had somehow blocked his magic from reaching them as well. He couldn't understand it. Alastor couldn't possibly be powerful enough to stop him. Could he? Octavia was sitting on the couch, hugging a pillow in her lap and watching Stolas pace. 

"He won't hurt them, will he, Dad?" she asked. 

"Surely not, Via," Stolas said, "He wouldn't dare hurt a hair on any of their heads." 

She asked, "Then why is he doing this?" 

Stolas bit his lip. He didn't like lying to his daughter, but he would rather her not know about his deal with Alastor. 

"I'm not sure, dear," Stolas said. 

Octavia hugged the pillow tighter. Stolas looked at her and sighed. He sat next to her and pulled her into a hug. 

He gently stroked her hair, "Don't worry, Starfire. They'll be fine." 

Octavia nuzzled her father's shoulder. 

"I hope so, Dad," she said, "I hope so." 

-----

The broadcast was only an hour, but it felt like an eternity to the I.M.P. crew. Blitzø was drumming his fingers against the arm of his chair. Moxxie was still holding onto Millie who had fallen asleep in his arms. Loona was standing by the window, watching the building across from them smoke. It had been reduced to rubble by Alastor. Jericho was watching it too. He couldn't believe how powerful Alastor was. He wasn't an Overlord for nothing. The broadcast seemed to be ending. Alastor had just finished rounding up the stragglers. He was currently strangling the last unlucky imp. 

"Please," he gasped, "I have a fami-"

The sickening sound of flesh ripping cut off the imps' words. 

"Ah, there's nothing like an absolute blood bath to end an evening. You might say we've painted the town red!" Alastor said, laughing at his bad joke. 

Blitzø rolled his eyes, "Shit, even I never told such shitty jokes." 

Alastor continued on, "Well, friends, it seems that was the last of these impish little troublemakers. So, it's time to say good night. But before we do, let's have a quick commercial break." 

A bouncy tune began to play and a barbershop quartet began to sing.

If you want somebody gone and you don't wanna wait too long,

Call the Immediate Murder Professionals!

Hand grenade or cyanide, 

We'll it look like suicide,

The Immediate Murder Professionals!

We do our job so well,

Cause we come straight up from Hell!

Alastor began to talk as the quartet vocalized in the background. 

"Do you have a hated enemy still walking around the Mortal realm?" he said, "Did a former loved one stab you in the back, literally? Of course you want retribution. But how do you have it while you're trapped in Hell? Well, look no further than the Immediate Murder Professionals! That's I.M.P. for short, folks. The I.M.P. have exclusive access to the land of the living and they can take care of your unfinished business of revenge for you! Why, I've used their services myself and I must say, I'm a totally satisfied customer! So, call the I.M.P. today! They are always ready to take your calls. Just ask for Blitzø. The O is silent. And remember!" 

The quartet began to sing again.

We'll kill your husband or your wife,

We'll even let you keep the knife,

We're the Immediate Murder Professionals!

Kids Die For Free!

And then, a portal opened under the radio and it sank back in. Blitzø and the others were stunned. Jericho looked around the room. Loona had dropped her phone, Moxxie and Millie both had their mouths hanging open, and Blitzø was standing where the radio had been. 

Blitzø said, quietly, "We just got an endorsement from the Radio Demon." 

Moxxie stood up with Millie. He said, "I suppose that is what he meant by compensating us." 

"Well, it's gonna bring in business, that's for sure. But won't it bring trouble too?" Millie said. 

"We just got an endorsement from the Radio Demon," Blitzø said again. 

"Try not to panic, Blitzø. He didn't mention anything about the book," Jericho said. 

Loona asked, "But what's stopping some asshole official coming down here to figure out how we're getting to Earth?" 

Jericho rubbed his chin, “Well, it’s possible we can just lie about having a license, but-”

“WE JUST GOT AN ENDORSEMENT FROM THE MOTHER FUCKING RADIO DEMON!!” Blitzø shouted, happily. 

Blitzø began cheering and jumping in the air. He ran to Moxxie and Millie. 

“Do you guys get how big this is?!” he asked, “All of the Ring of Pride heard that broadcast! We’re gonna have clients pouring in! We’re finally going to the big time!” 

Millie said, “Blitzø, this could be bad for us!” 

Blitzø said, “No, don’t you get it?! He said he used our services! That means we took out someone even the Radio Demon couldn’t!” 

“Sir, that’s not what happened,” Moxxie said. 

“Yeah, and the only ones who know that are us!” Blitzø said, “Besides, we’ve got Stolas backing us up. We can handle any problem!” 

Jericho said, “Don’t rely too much on my Uncle to keep us out of trouble, Blitzø. He may not be happy about this.” 

Blitzø waved him off, “Aw, don’t worry too much, guys. This is gonna be great. Hey, maybe we can put something about this on our business cards!”

He had stars in his eyes and he waved his hands in the air and said, “‘Alastor’s First Choice.’” 

Moxxie said, “We don’t have business cards, sir.” 

Blitzø ran over and picked up all the money cases, “We will soon!” 

Millie dove for Blitzø and tackled him. He fell and the cases landed all around them. Millie quickly stood up and grabbed Moxxie and her case. 

“Nu-huh, Blitzø,” she said, sternly, “We haven’t minded you take money of our paycheck before-” 

“I’ve minded,” Moxxie said.

“But this money is going to our second honeymoon. No ifs, ands, or buts!” Millie finished. 

Loona took her case from Blitzø. She said, “And I want to get some new clothes. Sorry, Blitzø.” 

Blitzø looked at the others and sputtered, trying to come up with a good reason for them to hand over their money. When nothing came to mind, he grumbled and sat down on the floor. He held up Jericho’s case to him. 

“I guess you’ll be wanting this,” Blitzø said. 

“Well, actually, no,” Jericho said, “I mean, I don’t actually work here.” 

Blitzø lowered the case and asked, “What the fuck do you mean, ‘you don’t work here?’”

“I’m only here because my Uncle asked you to let me help,” Jericho said.

“Yeah, and?” Blitzø asked.

Jericho said, “Well, now that you don’t need me anymore-” 

“Now, who the hell said we don’t need ya anymore?” Millie asked. 

“I did. Often,” Loona said. 

“Well, I”m the boss and I say who works here and who doesn’t,” Blitzø said. 

He tossed Jericho his case. Jericho caught it and looked at the others. 

“Wait. You really want me to stay?” he asked. 

Moxxie nodded, “Of course. It’s pretty useful having another worker around.” 

Millie walked over and put her arm on his shoulder, “Yeah, Jeri. You’re one of us now.” 

Jericho looked at Loona who turned away. She walked to the door and opened it. 

She turned to the others, “I’m headed to the van. Hurry up and let’s go or I’m leaving you all here.”

Then, she left, punching Jericho in the arm as she did. Jericho rubbed his sore shoulder and growled at her. Millie groaned. She turned to Jericho and smiled.

Millie said, “Nevermind her, Jeri. She’ll get over it.” 

Blitzø stood up and brushed himself off. He grabbed his case and headed for the door. 

“I know that tone, you two. If we don’t get downstairs quick, Loonie will take off,” Blitzø said. 

Blitzø said to Jericho, “You wanna lift, kid?” 

Jericho said, “No, thanks. I’ll portal myself home soon. Thanks, Blitzø,” 

“Hey, hey, don’t be so informal! It’s boss or sir to you, got it?” Blitzø said. 

Jericho was surprised for a second. He smiled and said, “Yes, sir.” 

Blitzø nodded, “Good. So, be here tomorrow at 8 o’clock sharp.” 

“Right, boss,” Jericho said and gave a small salute. 

Blitzø said,  “See ya tomorrow, kid,” 

“Bye, Jeri,” Millie said. 

“Good bye, Jericho,” Moxxie said, “We’ll see you tomorrow.” 

With that, Moxxie and Mille left, holding hands and one case each and Blitzø was following behind them. Jericho watched them go. He moved over to the couch and sat down. He sighed. What a crazy month it had been. He’d left his home and found a job with the craziest bunch of imps he’d ever met. Honestly, he never thought he’d have a job like this one. Assassin? Him? After what had happened? 

“Well,” she said to himself, “Mom was right. Life’s a strange ride.” 

He stood, took his case, and left himself. He reached the parking lot and saw Blitzø’s van was gone. He looked up in the sky and saw the pentagram was low. It was getting late. He was raise his hand to open a portal back to Stolas’s palace when his hellphone rang. 

“Who’d be calling me?” he thought. 

He reached for his phone and looked at the caller’s I.D. He gasped. It couldn’t be… If this was a trick… 

He quickly answered, “H-hello?” 

“Hey, son,” said the gravelly voice on the other line, “How are you?” 

Tears started to fill Jericho’s eyes, “Dad? Is that you?” 

Naberius said, “Yeah, it’s me. I hadn’t heard from you in a while, so I decided to call. Are you doing okay?” 

Jericho wiped his eyes and smiled, “I’m doing okay now. It’s great to hear from you, Dad. I’m surprised you’re using your hellphone.” 

Naberius groaned, “Yeah, well, you’re right. I need to get with the times. Speaking off, how’s your training going? Is Stolas keeping you busy?” 

Jericho said, “Yeah, he is.”

“Well, tell me all about it, son. I want to hear what’s been going on,” Naberius said. 

Jericho smiled and began to walk down the street. He said, “Well, the first thing that happened didn’t have anything to do with training. It all started at a hound party.” 

“A what?” Neberius asked. 

Jericho laughed and continued talking with his father. As he talked, he felt a lot better. It seemed everything was going to work out. 

-----

A demon was sitting at his desk reading over several proposals and reports.All around his office were maps, lists of dates, or pictures of Stolas, Blitzø, Jericho, Moxxie, Millie, and several other demons. Suddenly, the intercom on his desk buzzed. He reached over and pressed the button. 

“Yes? What is it?” he asked. 

A woman’s voice came back, saying, “Sorry to disturb you, sir, but one of the Cider’s is here to see you. He has a report” 

“Send him in,” the demon said. 

He turned to his door. It opened and an imp come inside. The imp was wearing a leather jacket with a large double L blazed on the back. The imp gave a quick salute. The demon saluted back. 

“What can you report, Cider?” he said. 

The imp said, “Base 4 was a complete loss, Wine, sir. No personal survived.” 

“And the Radio Demon?” Wine asked. 

“It is believed he was completely fooled, sir. With Bacardi feeding him false information before his death, the Radio Demon thought Base 4 was our only one. He’s made no other moves to any other base,” Cider said. 

Wine leaned back in his chair, “So, their sacrifice wasn’t in vain. Nevertheless, we can’t relax yet. Report to Gin and Tonic. Tell them to call off the search for the Radio Demon’s base. We got too close to him and we were burned for it.” 

Cider said, “Yes, sir. What about Lord Stolas and his imps, sir?” 

Wine said, “Forget the imps. The Radio Demon may be watching them now. Just keep tabs on Stolas. If all goes according to plan, the time to strike will be soon. Dismissed.” 

Cider saluted again, turned, and left. Wine moved some papers around on his desk. He found the picture he was looking for. It was off Alastor, standing with a winged cat demon. He crumbled the picture up and tossed it aside. He lifted another picture. It was Stolas presiding over the Harvest Moon Festival in the Wrath Ring. 

He said, “If we can’t kill an Overlord to show off our power, you’ll have to do, my lord.”

End of Part 10. 

Chapter Text

Coming soon on The Winged Wolf

***

The operating room was hectic as always. The heart rate monitor started to beep louder and faster. Blitzo ran to the monitor. 

“His BP’s droppin’ fast!” he called out. 

The monitor suddenly let out one solid whine. 

Millie ran to the operating table, “We’re losing him!” 

Moxxie picked up the defibrillator paddles. 

“The hell, we are” he said, “Clear!” 

He shocked the Goetian owl over and over, but to no avail. 

“Come on! Come one, now! Live!” he growled, “Come on! Live!” 

***

Moxxie looked sheepishly up at his date. The Goetain swan looked beautiful in the candle light. 

“More broccoli?” he asked. 

Stella leaned forward, “It isn’t broccoli I want. It’s… you!” 

Moxxie was stunned. He quickly jumped up onto the table and knocked everything away. He pulled the swan to him and they began making out messily. 

***

Fizzirolli sat nervously in the interrogation room. Suddenly, Striker slammed his fist onto the table. 

“Come on, look at me,” he growled, “You know what I think? I think you knew that chicken puppet was stuffed full of explosives! Didn’t ya?! Didn’t ya!?!” 

“No!” Fizzirolli cried. 

Blitzo came from the other side of Striker, “Come one! Answer the question, ya skel!” 

“No!” Fizzirolli cried. 

“Aw, stop lying!” Striker said. 

***

“Come on, sir! You’re going to make it. Come on!” Moxxie said. 

Blitzo tried again to pull himself out of the bowl. 

“Urgh, no. The sauce… it’s too rich… it’s too thick… Save yourself!” Blitzo said as he submerged again. 

“No, sir! Take my hand!” Moxxie cried tearfully. 

***

The street was dark and foggy, but Stolas could still see his target running away. Stolas raised his gun as the wind swirled around his cape. 

“Don’t make me shoot you!” he cried out, “BLITZY!” 

Coming never on the Winded Wolf. 

April Fools. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: New Days, Old Problems

Jericho was running out of time. He had to do something, anything! He was running out of options. He paced in his room and tried to think of some way out. It was hopeless! He groaned and dropped onto his bed. It's over. He was going to die. Then there was a knock on his door. 

"Come in," he said, almost hoping it was Death coming to claim him. 

No such luck. Octavia opened the door and stuck her head in. She was wearing a simple crimson dress that went down past her knees. She had black jeans on with black tennis shoes. And of course she had on her usual beanie crown. 

"Hey, Jeri," she said, "Dad and I are headed out to spend the day together. Do you need anything?" 

"A swift death," Jericho thought, but said with a grumble, "No." 

Octavia raised an eyebrow, "You okay?" 

Jericho said, "Yeah. I'm fine. I just gotta go to work soon." 

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked. 

Jericho rolled onto his side, "I don't want to talk about it." 

Octavia came in and sat down next to Jericho. She nudged his side. 

"Come on, Jericho. Maybe I can help," she said, softly. 

Jericho laid still for a moment. Then he sat up and looked at her. 

"I'm having a… problem at work," he said. 

"Is Blitzø going to make you go on missions while Moxxie and Millie are gone?" Octavia asked, "If the… work is too much, maybe you shouldn't-" 

Jericho shook his head, "No, it's nothing like that. Blitzø's planning to just take Loona on missions with him. He's calling it their 'daddy-daughter time.' It's about… Loona." 

Jericho flopped back on the bed. Octavia did her best to stifle a giggle. 

"I don't know how to deal with her!" he said, "I've tried being nice and she keeps throwing it in my face. You're her friend. How did you get her to like you?" 

Octavia said, " Well, when Loona and I first met, things were kinda awkward. I was a mess and she actually gave me some good advice." 

Jericho looked at Octavia, "Loona? Our Loona? The Loona that has a habit of getting daytime drunk? She gave you good advice?" 

Octavia shrugged and said, "Weirder things have happened. Anyway, it's a long story, but the short version is that I did something stupid and Loona set me straight. After that, we just kinda started hanging out. Even when our dads were at their worst, we had each other.

"What do you mean, worst?" Jericho asked. 

Octavia pulled her knees onto the bed and wrapped her arms around them and looked away and said, "Never mind." 

She turned to him and asked, "But what's going on with you and Loona now?" 

Jericho said, "Well, with Moxxie and Millie leaving for their second honeymoon tomorrow, that means it's going to be just Blitzø, me, and her." 

"So?." Octavia asked.

"So for one whole week I'm going to be stuck without my buffer zone with two people that hate me," Jericho said. 

"Jericho, maybe you've been looking at the situation wrong," Octavia said. 

Jericho asked, "What do you mean?" 

Octavia said, "Blitzø's a crude guy. He has absolutely no problem telling anyone off or saying what's on his mind." 

"I've noticed," Jericho said, nodding. 

"So, how does he treat you? Octavia asked. 

"He yells at me, insults me, and has an odd fascination with my weight," Jericho said. 

"And how does he treat, oh say Moxxie?" Octavia said. 

Jericho said, "Well, he-" 

That's when something clicked in Jericho’s head. He sat up and looked at Octavia. She was giving him a knowing smile. 

"He treats Moxxie the same." Jericho finished. 

Octavia smiled, "See? Maybe he likes you more than you think. As for Loona-" 

"She could be doing the same thing!" Jericho said with a smile, "She does the same things with me and Moxxie."

Octavia said. "No, Loona hates you and Moxxie. She told me." 

Jericho flopped back down on the bed in defeat. Octavia giggled. 

"But there may be more to her than that too," Octavia said, "You know Blitzø adopted her, right?" 

Jericho looked up and nodded. 

Octavia looked at the floor. She said, "Don't tell her I told you this. You see, Loona was raised in a terrible orphanage. She had a very rough life." 

"What happened to her?" Jericho asked, sitting up.

"Honestly, I don't know," Octavia said, "Loona only told me she had no one to trust. Not even the staff of the orphanage. And even when Blitzø adopted her, it took a long time for her to trust him." 

Octavia looked at Jericho and put her hand on his shoulder, "I've known Loona long enough to know that she has heart under all that anger. Just be honest with her and give her some space. She'll come around eventually." 

Jericho smiled. Octavia stood and walked towards the door. 

As she left, she said, "Either that or she'll kill you." 

-----

Jericho walked into the lobby of the office building. Normally, he liked to open a portal right to the I.M.P. office, but he decided to take things slower to get his thoughts straightened out. Octavia had given him a few things to think about. If Blitzø really liked him, maybe things wouldn't be so bad with Moxxie and Millie gone for a week. He walked to the elevator and pressed the up button. He crossed his arms and waited. After a moment, the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. 

"Hold the elevator!" a woman shouted behind him. 

Jericho turned and saw a succubus and a large hellhound running towards him. Jericho stopped the elevator doors from closing as they both got inside. 

"Thanks," said the succubus, sounding pissed off, "Fifth floor." 

Jericho pressed the button for the floor and stepped back to give them both some room. As the doors closed, he glanced at the succubus. She looked familiar. Her long pink hair was done up in a ponytail. She wore a red dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She tapped her black thigh high boots impatiently as the elevator moved. Her make-up was flawless. Black lipstick and perfectly done mascara. Yet she had an ugly scowl on her face as she grumbled angrily. 

"Stupid fucking asshole. Can't even…Grr!" she said to herself. 

She tossed her ponytail in anger. Jericho looked her over again. Whoever she was, she was pissed off about something. Maybe she wanted to hire I.M.P. for a hit. Their business had gone up after the Radio Demons announcement. Jericho looked over at the Hellhound. He was buff and tall. He had a good two or three feet on Jericho. He wore a blue vest over a black shirt. One of his eyes was blinded and had a scar over it. Jericho couldn't put his finger on it, but he could swear he'd seen this Hellhound somewhere. The elevator doors opened and sure enough, the succubus went straight for the I.M.P. office. Jericho and the other Hellhound followed behind. She reached the door and pounded on it with her fist. 

"Open up, you fucktard!" she shouted, "I know you're in there, Blitzo!" 

Jericho couldn't help but notice that she said the "O" in Blitzø’s name almost like she was antagonizing him by doing it. Regardless, he stepped forward.  

"Blitzø’s not here yet. I'm usually the first one here," Jericho said. 

The succubus glared at Jericho. She grabbed him by the collar and with surprising strength, she pinned him against the wall. 

"You tell that immature feather-munching asshole to stay away from me and my crew this week! If he steps on foot in my office, I'll shove my foot so far up his ass he'll taste my nail polish! Understand?!" she shouted. 

Jericho nodded fearfully. The succubus let him got and went to the other door. 

"Watch the door, Tex," she said as she went inside. 

Jericho cringed as she slammed the door hard. Jericho straightened his jacket. He looked at the other Hellhound. 

"Bosses, huh?" the Hellhound said with a shrug. 

"Yeah," Jericho said with a chuckle, "How long have you worked for her?" 

The Hellhound said, "Close to two years now." 

The Hellhound stuck his hand, "Vortex." 

"Jericho," he said, taking Vortex's hand and shaking it. 

"Like the city?" Vortex asked. 

Jericho said, "Yeah." 

They both stood in silence for a while. Jericho kept looking at Vortex. He was sure he'd seen him somewhere. 

He asked, "So, besides being miss prissy bitches bodyguard, what else do you do?" 

Vortex laughed, "Mainly just this. I got a few odd jobs around. Collecting debts, repo shit, y'know. The usual. You?" 

"Well, I mainly work here," Jericho said, pointing to the I.M.P. office, "Most of the time, I do paperwork. But every so often, Blitzø needs me on a mission." 

Vortex nodded, "Cool." 

They both stood in silence again. Jericho looked over at Vortex. No. He was sure he had seen him somewhere before. 

Vortex asked, "You work with Loona?" 

Jericho said, "Yeah, unfortunately." 

Vortex laughed, "Yeah. She seems like a tough nut to crack. But something tells me she's worth the effort." 

"If you say so," Jericho said, "I've tried to be nice to her and just seem to piss her off more." 

"You can't really blame anyone for not trusting 'nice.' Most of the time, when someone's nice it's cause they want something," Vortex said, "My advice to you is back off a bit. Give the girl some space." 

"Yeah. I guess you're right," Jericho said. 

Jericho leaned back against the wall and thought. Maybe Vortex was right and he needed to back off. It would at least give his arms a chance to heal the bruises from Loona punching him in the arm. Jericho glanced up at Vortex again. Vortex's good ear twitched and he scratched it. Jericho couldn't help but think he'd met Vortex from somewhere. Vortex looked back at Jericho. 

"What?" Vortex asked. 

Jericho said, "I'm sorry to keep staring at you, but I'm curious. Have we met before?" 

Vortex shrugged, "Maybe." 

"No, I'm sure of it. I've seen you somewhere before," Jericho said. 

Vortex looked over Jericho slightly. Then Vortex noticed that he too felt like he'd seen Jericho before. 

"Now that I really look at ya, yeah. I get the same feeling," Vortex said, " Have you ever been to 36th and Graham? The Bulk Gym?" 

Jericho said, "No. Have you ever worked for the Goetia families?" 

Vortex laughed, "Fuck, no. Maybe at a hound party? My girlfriend always has one planned." 

Jericho shook his head, "No, I don't thin-"

Jericho’s heart dropped into his tail. His eyes shot open in shock. He suddenly remembered where he'd seen Vortex before. He was the Hellhound he had hit with the beer bottle at the hound party where he met Loona. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Jericho thought, "What do I do?! What do I say?!?! This guy looks like he could tear me apart! Shit! Did I do that to his eye?! Shit-fuck!" 

Vortex noticed Jericho’s sudden change in demeanor. 

"You okay?" he asked. 

"Fuck-wha-huh?" Jericho said, fearfully, "Yeah, no…. I… uh. I just remembered that Blitzø needed me to uh… file something!" 

Jericho pulled on the door to the office. But the door was still locked. Jericho tugged and turned but it was no use. Jericho turned back to Vortex who was watching him curiously. 

"Well, it seems the door's still locked," Jericho said trying to sound calm, "So, I'll just stand here and wait for the others to get here." 

"Fine," Vortex said, shrugging, "But are you sure you're okay?" 

Jericho coughed, "Uh well-"

Jericho was interrupted by the elevator opening up. The Hellhounds looked down the hallway and saw Blitzø and Loona walk out. 

"Mornin' kid!" Blitzø called out with a wave, "Get your shit together cause we got jobs waiting on us." 

"That's great, Blitzø," Jericho said quickly, "Now just come down here and open up the door!" 

"Keep your shirt on, kid. Let me-" Blitzø said, but stopped when he noticed Vortex. He crossed his arms and asked, "Let me guess, the skank tank working here again?" 

"Uh-huh," Vortex said. 

Blitzø groaned, "I can't believe this. The bitch barely worked this much around me when we were dating." 

"Blitzø! Door! Open! Please!" Jericho said, panicking. 

"Argh, Satan's left nut, fine!" Blitzø said. 

Blitzø grumbled and walked over to the door. Jericho tried to remain calm. His ears and tail lowered as far as they could be. Vortex watched as Jericho was practically sweating. Loona was watching too. She looked between Vortex and Jericho. She smiled deviously and slipped her phone into her pocket. Then Blitzø got the door open, Jericho practically bolted inside. 

"Nice meeting you, Vortex! Bye!" he shouted. 

Blitzø rubbed his head, "The fucks all that about?" 

He went inside himself, intending to tell Jericho he needed to show more respect. Loona walked over to Vortex. 

"So, you met Jericho," she said, "What do you think about him?" 

Vortex shrugged and said, "He seems okay. Got kinda nervous during our talk." 

Loona smiled wider, "Did he? Why don't I go see what the problem is?" 

Loona walked into the office herself. She nodded to Vortex and closed the door. Vortex wondered why she seemed so happy with how Jericho was acting. Vortex thought about their conversation. He wasn't as sociable as Selene was. He had a few friends before he met her, but she was the one who introduced him to new demons. Normally, at one of the hound parties. Had he met Jericho at one and something had happened? Suddenly, a scream came from the I.M.P. office. It was Jericho! Vortex stared at the office in confusion. He heard talking from inside. 

"No!! Please, don’t! I'll do anything you want! Just don't tell him!" Jericho shouted. 

Loona said, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't." 

Jericho said, "I'll keep doing the paperwork even after Moxxie and Millie get back." 

"You do most of it now anyway," Loona said. 

Jericho whined, "I'll let you get one free punch in every day." 

Loona hummed, "Eh, tempting, but no. I like it more when you don't know they're coming." 

"Well….uh," Jericho said, "I could-" 

Loona said, "I don't want to hear a word out of you unless it's important. Got it?" 

"Deal!" Jericho said quickly. 

"And I want a shopping spree for me and Octavia," Loona said. 

"What?! But Octavia can buy whatever she wants!" Jericho said. 

"And thanks to you, I can buy her what I want her to buy," Loona said. 

"No!" Jericho said. 

"Fine," Loona said. 

Suddenly, the office door opened with Jericho and Loona standing there. 

Loona said, "So, Vortex-" 

"No!!" Jericho yelled. 

He rushed around her and slammed the door. Vortex raised an eyebrow at the scene. 

Jericho said, "Fine, Fine! I'll do it." 

"Good," Loona said. 

After a second, Vortex heard Loona and Jericho walk away from the door. Vortex shrugged. He guessed he wasn't going to get to hear what was going on. But that didn't bother him. He just…

"Octavia?" he wondered to himself, "Why does that… ?" 

Then, his good eye shot open. He remembered where he had seen Jericho. He was the Hellhound he saw guarding Princess Octavia a couple of months ago. Vortex looked back to the I.M.P. office. He remembered that the job had paid pretty good. It had been a temp job. He pulled out his phone and began to text. 

"Hey. Is this job still going?" he texted. 

He waited for a moment to answer. Nothing came up. He started to put his phone away when a text message came in. 

It reads, "Only text in authorized format. And confirmed." 

Vortex smiled and texted, "Located Subject A. Discovered name and place of employment." 

After a moment, another text answered, "Observe Subject A. Do not interact unless necessary." 

"Acknowledged," Vortex texted and put his phone away. 

He smiled and thought, "I guess I'll be able to get Selene her gift earlier than I thought." 

-----

After checking to make sure he had packed everything they needed for the trip, Moxxie and Millie had taken a taxi to the elevator system to go to the Lust Ring. There they made their way to the Lust Ring elevator. Moxxie set their suitcases next to their seats. Millie sat down and smiled at Moxxie. He smiled back and sat next to her. They pulled each other close and leaned onto one another. This second honeymoon was going to be amazing! 

The PA system announced, "Elevator 653 arriving in Lust. Enjoy your stay." 

Millie jumped up and grabbed her suitcase. Moxxie grabbed his and they walked arm in arm out onto the streets of the Lust Ring. The outlet was close to the sex shops and porno rental stores. It was the only one close enough to the Burning Floor Towers without getting close to Ozzie's. Once they were on the street, Moxxie started to look for the surprise he had arranged. 

Millie pulled him close, "Oh, Moxxie, I can't wait! This is going to be amazing!" 

Moxxie smiled and kissed her cheek, "Yeah, it will. Now, where is it?" 

Millie asked, “Where’s what, honey?” 

“Mr. and Mrs. Knotlastname?” 

Moxxie and Millie turned around and saw a lady imp with a red suit jacket with white trim. She had white stockings that went up under the red skirt she was wearing. Her solid black horns curled above her shoulder length black hair.. She was holding a large bouquet of roses. She smiled and handed the flowers to Millie. 

"My name's Becky. I'll be your driver tonight. This way, please," she said. 

Millie asked, smiling, "You rented us a car?!" 

"For the whole week and not just any car," Moxxie said. 

Moxxie took Millie's hand and followed their driver. They walked up to a fire red limousine. The driver opened the door for them. 

"A limo?!" Millie squealed, "Oh, Moxxie!" 

She practically tackled him into the limo and started kissing his face. Becky peaked her into the door. The flowers were on the floor and Moxxie and Millie kissed each other and rolled around on the seat. 

"Our service has a strict rule. No fucking in the limo," Becky said, and whispered with a sly smile, "Unless I can play too." 

Neither of them heard her. They were both too preoccupied with making out. Becky smiled. She closed the door, put their suitcases in the trunk, and got into the driver's seat. The drive usually took only ten minutes. But every so often, Becky would look in the rear view mirror and watch the sexy little pair making out. She was a little disappointed that it's all they were doing. When they pulled up to the Burning Floor Towers, Becky pressed a button on her dashboard that read, "End Sexy Time." A jet of freezing cold air blasted into the back seat. Both Millie and Moxxie screamed in surprise. Becky giggled. 

"Even their screams are cute," she thought. 

She got out of the driver's seat and opened the door for the chilled imps. Moxxie and Millie jumped out of the limo, holding each other close to try and warm up. 

Becky said, "Sorry about that, dears. Company policy." 

"Y-you're not going to d-do that everytime we st-stop, are you?" Moxxie asked, shivering. 

Becky said, " It depends how hot n' heavy you decide to get." 

Becky got their suitcases and flowers while Moxxie and Millie looked at the Burning floor Towers. It was a 25 story solid white building with red and gold pillars. The hotel had an incubus doorman in a dark red uniform. Demons of all kinds were coming and going. Two imps in hotel uniforms similar to the doorman came and took the suitcases from Becky. Becky gave the bouquet to Millie and gave them both a seductive smile. 

She said, "Just call and I'll be back for you both. Later, dears." 

The imp couple turned and followed the bellhops inside. The lobby had crystal lights hanging from the ceiling. The tile floor had patterns that looked like it was on fire. The walls matched the red and gold color of the outside. Several paintings of various landscapes around the Rings hung on the wall. Millie was awestruck by a beautiful painting of the Harsh Waste Land in Wraith. The whole thing was incredible. Mille smiled at Moxxie and held onto his arm. They followed the bellhops to the desk. The desk clerk was a thin, dark furred Hellhound who wore a black business suit. 

The Hellhound smiled at them and said, "Welcome to the Burning Floor Towers. How may I help you?" 

"A reservation for Moxxie and Mildred Knotlastname," Moxxie said with a proud smile. 

"One moment, sir," the Hellhound said. 

The Hellhound began typing on his computer. Millie nuzzled her head to Moxxie's and he interwove his hand with hers. 

The Hellhound said, "Yes, sir Mr. Knotlastname. I have you booked in our 'This is as Close to Heaven as You'll Ever Get' suite for seven days and six nights. Is that correct?" 

"Yes, that's right," Moxxie said, beaming. 

The Hellhound nodded, "Very good, sir. If you'll wait here for a moment." 

The Hellhound walked toward the desk phone and dialed in a number. 

Millie said, "Oh, Moxxie, my sister's are gonna be so jealous when I tell them about this place!" 

Moxxie said, "You deserve all this luxury and more, Millie." 

Millie hugged Moxxie as the Hellhound came back to them. 

"Your suite is ready, sir. But before you go, the owner and the manager would like a word with you," the Hellhound said. 

Moxxie was confused. 

"I'm sorry, but why would they want to see us?" he asked. 

The Hellhound said, "I'm not sure, sir. But here they come." 

The Hellhound pointed behind them. Moxxie and Millie turned and saw two imps walking toward them. One was a taller male imp in a uniform suit of the hotel. He had a tall and slender build with pinkish skin that gave the impression he was a hybrid incubus. He had a goatee and his hair was slick back under his circular horns. The other was another male imp. He was close to Moxxie's height. He wore a black suit jacket and button up shirt. He had a blue tie with a heart shaped tie clip at the top. He wore black shades that hid his eyes. A scar ran down the right side of his face that went over his right eye. His horns were slightly mismatched. The one on his right side had the shiney look of a prosthetic. His hooves clicked as he got closer to them. As they got closer, the imp with the prosthetic horn opened his arms wide. 

He smiled, "Mr. Knotlastname. Mrs. Knotlastname. Welcome to the Burning Floor Towers. My name's Paul Fleshfire and this is my manager, Steve Gorger." 

He took Moxxie's hand and shook it. 

Paul said, "I wanted to meet the imp couple that reserved our finest suite. You're both the first demons to book it." 

"Really? But this place is so popular," Millie said. 

Steve shrugged his shoulders and said, "Many demons in the Lust Ring are used to cheap back alleyway sex motels. A classy establishment like ours is still growing." 

"And we're always happy when someone comes from another Ring to our hotel," Paul said, "Where are you folks from? Mrs. Knotlastname has a Wraith Ring accent, but where are you from, Mr. Knotlastname?" 

Moxxie said, "I was born in Wraith, but we moved to Greed soon after. Then I moved to Pride and met my Millie." 

Millie smiled at Moxxie. She didn't notice that Steve was staring at her breasts. Paul quickly nudged him. 

Paul said, "That's so sweet. Anyway, I won't take anymore of your time. Steve here will take you to your suite and give you a tour. I'd love to come with you and see how you like the room, but I'm needed elsewhere. Treat them nice, Steve." 

Paul turned and walked to a door behind the front desk. Steve smiled at Moxxie and Millie. 

“Follow me, please,” he said. 

Moxxie, Millie, and the two bellhops followed Steve to an elevator. Steve pulled out a keycard and slide it into a slot under the elevator buttons. After a moment, the doors opened and the bellhops went inside. Paul handed Moxxie the key card and stepped in himself. 

“This key card is basically your room key. Slide it into any elevator and it’ll take you directly to your suite,” Steve said. 

Moxxie and Millie went in as the elevator doors closed. As they went up Steve continued to ogle Millie. She was bouncing with excitement. Once the doors opened, the bellhops walked out and down a hallway toward a large door. A plaque beside the door read, “TCHYEG Suite.” Steve walked to the door and Moxxie and Millie followed him. Steve opened the doors and lead them inside. The imp couple had stars in their eyes as they looked around the beautiful room. It had a lush carpet of deep red and pink mixed in swirls. The walls were white and had simple lamps high near the ceiling. There was a large flat screen TV on the wall with a complete entertainment center underneath. Steve moved to stand in front of the couple. 

He said, “The bathroom has a shower with sturdy glass, handrails, and complete temperature control. The bedroom has several amenities, toys, and lubricants for you to use at your leisure with a queen size canopy bed. The kitchen is always open and room service is on call 24/7 for anything you could want or need. Mr. Fleshfire has told me that any order you place is on the house.” 

Moxxie turned to Steve, “Uh, Mr. Gorger, that wasn’t a part of the package that I bought.”

Steve smiled, “He said to consider it a gift for being the first to book the suite. If you need anything else, do not hesitate to call. Enjoy your stay.” 

Then, he and the bellhops left. Moxxie turned to Millie who was still in awe of the room. He took her hand and smiled at her. 

“Come on, honey. Let’s look at the rest of the room,” he said. 

But they didn’t move far before Millie pulled him close and began kissing him. Moxxie kissed back and wrapped his arms around her. She guided them to the bedroom and pushed Moxxie onto the bed. He fell back and watched Millie take off her top. She slid onto him and straddled his hips. She bit her lip and started to undo his bowtie. He moved her hand away and started kissing and nibbling her neck. 

“Oh, Moxxie,” she cooed softly. 

-----

Paul Fleshfire was sitting at his desk in his office. He was watching a monitor that showed him everything in his hotel. Including what was happening in the suite. His horn stump burned under the prosthetic as he watched the bastard's wife take his shirt off. He growled and slammed the off button on the monitor. He couldn’t watch that. He took off his sunglasses and ran his hand over the socket where his eye once was.

“Ten… fucking… years,” he whispered to himself. 

He remembered the pain. The fear. He ran his hand up to his false horn and clicked it off of its setting. He remembered hearing the buzz saw next to his ear. He could still hear that fuckers laugh over it. Crimson had a habit of taking his “trophies” while his victims were still alive. Paul shivered in fear. 

“How could he find me? After all this time?” he asked, “And why did he send only his son? Or did he? What if there are other members of his crew here, just waiting for the signal to strike?!” 

He started to feel waves of panic overcoming him. He slowly took a breath to calm himself down. He was overthinking this. It was an old weakness of his. He had changed. Got smarter. The old him would just… No. This wasn’t the time to panic. This was good. He had money now. Connections. He’d clawed his way out of Greed and made it all the way here. If he was careful enough, this could be an opportunity for revenge. If Crim was coming for Ol’ Paulie’s blood, he’d get blood, all right. And if he played his card right, Ol’ Paulie would send him his son and daughter-in-law’s heads in a gift basket. 

End of Part 11.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Love, Lore, and Ambushes

Moxxie stirred in the covers of the bed. He opened his eyes and yawned. The early morning light from the Pentagram shone through the shades. He felt Millie snuggling his side and running her hand over his chest. He slowly brought his arms around her. 

"Morning, honey," Moxxie said with a chuckle. 

"Mornin' sweetie," Millie said, "Did ya sleep well?" 

Moxxie said, "Whenever I sleep beside you, I always sleep well." 

Millie giggled, "You’re so sweet." 

She moved up and kissed him. Millie started moving her hand down Moxxie's body. 

"I asked because we kinda stayed up later than usual last night," Millie said.

Moxxie moaned, "Hmmm, yeah. Yeah, we did." 

"Feel like picking up from where we left off?" she asked as she moved to lay on top of him. 

Moxxie caressed her sides and said, "Always. But isn't there something we should be getting ready for?" 

"Nah. All I wanna do today is stay right here in this bed and fuck my loving husband," Millie said, smiling. 

She kissed him deeply and started moving her hand down lower. Moxxie moaned into the kiss. He quickly grabbed her and rolled them over so he was on top. 

"Are you sure we don't have plans today?" he asked in a coy tone. 

Millie rolled her eyes and giggled. She used her strength to push Moxxie off her and practically into the air. Moxxie bounced back onto the bed and Millie pounced on him. She straddled his hips and ran her hands along his chest. 

"Okay, mister," she said, smiling down at him, "What could be more important than making love to your wife?" 

Moxxie shrugged ,"Oh, I don't know. We paid for a very expensive lunch at the hotel restaurant today." 

Millie laid on top of him, "Room service is just fine." 

Moxxie brought his hands up and ran them along her shoulder blades, "We still have two Hoardway shows to see." 

Millie kissed him, "And five more days to pick 'em." 

Moxxie started kissing her neck, "I guess you're right. We can go on that tour later." 

"Hmm, tour?" Millie hummed as Moxxie moved lower. 

Suddenly, she bolted up. 

"The tour!" she shouted, "Oh, shit, is it today? Are we going to miss it?!" 

Millie scrambled from the bed and started gathering up her clothes. Moxxie smiled as he watched her. Millie had always been a weapons enthusiast. From the time she was young, she always enjoyed holding something deadly in her hands. Other girls wanted to play with dolls, Millie started collecting weapons. Whether a club or an ax, Millie had to have one. And what she couldn’t have, she at least had to see. That's why this tour of the Fallen Legions weapons cache was so important to her. There were types of weapons there that hadn't seen the light of the Pentagram in hundreds of years. Moxxie sighed happily as he watched Millie hastily pull on her pants. 

Millie quickly said as she ran around the room, "Are we going to be late?! What time is the limo gonna pick us up? Oh, please, Satan, don't let me miss this!" 

Millie looked at Moxxie. He was laying on his stomach with the covers still covering him. He had his cheeks in his hand and his tail was flicking back and forth. 

"Urgh, Mox! What are you doing? We gotta go!" Millie said, finally putting on her usual black top. She ran to the door as Moxxie started talking. 

"The tour isn't until this afternoon, Millie," he simply said. 

Millie stopped at the door. She turned to her husband with an angry look on her face. 

 "What?" she asked. 

Moxxie said, "I said the tour isn't until this afternoon, dear." 

"And you let me run around this room like a basilisk with my head cut off?" she asked, sounding very annoyed. 

Moxxie shrugged, "What can I say? I like watching you run around." 

Millie scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. After a while however, she smiled and walked over to him. She put her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. 

"You are so gonna get it, mister," she said. 

"Oh?" Moxxie asked, "Is Mama going to punish me?" 

Millie said, "You know it." 

Then, she tackled Moxxie back onto the bed and giggled. 

-----

After another quick tumble in bed, Moxxie and Millie got dressed and made their way downstairs to the lobby. They were kissing each other as the elevator doors opened. The pair happily made their way outside to the limo where Becky was waiting for them. She smiled at the imps and opened the door for them. She bit her lip as she watched the couple practically jump into the back seat. She closed the door and twirled herself around. She couldn’t get enough of these two cute little imps. She hopped into the driver's seat and they rode off. Paul had also been watching them from the front desk. After they drove off, he sent out a text message. 

It read, "They're leaving now. Keep an eye out for any backup. Once you're clear, kill them all." 

-----

The limo sped quickly through the traffic on their way to the elevator station. When they got there, Becky parked and led the imp couple to a deep red SUV. While the limo had been fine on the streets of Lust, the trio had to switch to something more practical if they wanted to reach their destination in the Wrath Ring. Centuries before, the fires of Wrath had fueled the armies of Hell. Now, the fiery planes of Wrath were mostly used for farming crops and raising animals. Nearly all of Hell's produce and meats came from Wrath Ring farms. However, relics of the Rings past could still be found. Many ancient forges and weapon caches had been found over the years by farmers and ranchers all over the Ring. The traps and spells that protected them had long been destroyed or deactivated by time. Most imps sold the weapons and used the spaces left over for storage. Others would sell the land to scholars to study the ancient forges. Moxxie and Millie were on their way to see one of these old weapons caches and forges. But unlike previous finds, this one was special. The Fallen Legion's protection spells had somehow held out all this time. The weapons and forges were said to be in perfect condition. And since the find was so important, the scholars decided that they needed to keep money coming in anyway they could. So, they turned the site into a tourist attraction by day and continued their research by night. The Sin and Ring Lord Satan made a rare appearance to open the site to the public, with the promise that none of the weapons or artifacts were sold if they managed to lower the spells. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it kept away the more troublesome "investors." Millie had her head sticking out the window as they drove over the dusty roads to their destination. Moxxie sighed happily as he watched her. Becky glanced back at them through the rear view mirror. 

"Might want to pull your head in, honey," she said, "I wouldn't want you to fall out." 

"If we don't get there soon, she'll probably jump out and run the rest of the way," Moxxie said, not looking at Becky. 

"Well, it's a good thing we're nearly there," Becky said, laughing, "I'll put on some more speed."  

Moxxie watched as Millie's tail wagged back and forth. He reached out and gently began playing with it, curling the end of her tail around his fingers. Millie pulled her head in and looked back at Moxxie. She bit her lip and shook her ass a bit. Moxxie jumped up and pulled Millie to him. She laughed as he held her close and kissed her face over and over. Becky was watching them now. She bit her finger and wished she could join in. Suddenly, a set of loud honks got their attention. With a shriek, Becky swerved to avoid the truck speeding she was about to hit. She quickly pulled over and parked the SUV. She had a tight grip on the wheel as she took deep breaths to calm herself. She turned around and looked back at Millie and Moxxie. They were taking deep breaths too and holding onto each other tightly. 

"Uh, sorry about that," Becky said, nervously, "I normally pay better attention to the road." 

Millie chuckled, "Er, it's fine. We all get distracted from time to time. Ain't that right, Moxxie?" 

Millie looked up and saw Moxxie was staring straight ahead and looked very afraid. Millie started rubbing his back to try and calm him down. After taking a moment to calm down herself, Becky turned around to look at the imp couple. 

"So, how long have you two been married?" she asked. 

Millie smiled wide, "It'll be two years on Saturday. We've been looking forward to this week for a long time. It's been amazing so far. Right, Mox?" 

"Truck," Moxxie said, weakly. 

Becky asked, "Will he be okay?" 

Millie waved her hand, "He'll be fine. We've been through worse at work." 

"Yeah? What do you do?" Becky asked. 

"Crash," Moxxie choked out. 

Millie said, proudly "We're assassins." 

Becky's eyes widened,  "For real? You two cutie pies are cold blooded killers?" 

"Yes, ma'am!" Millie said with a wide smile, "And we're damn good at it, ain't we Moxxie?" 

"Uh-huh," Moxxie said, slowly. He was still a little out of it. 

"Well, it takes all kinds," Becky said, "I was in that kind of work for a while myself. The money was good. I liked the action. My partner and I had some good times. We split up after a while though. I tried going solo for a while, but I just couldn't get into it. I guess I'm too much of a people person to be the lone assassin type." 

Millie chuckled, "I don't think a girl like you will ever be lonely." 

Becky giggled, "Yeah, very true. So, are you two independents or do you work with a company?" 

"We're working for a small company called I.M.P." Millie said. 

Becky's eyes widened, "Wait, what?! You work with Blitzø?" 

Moxxie and Millie exchanged a look before Millie asked, "You know Blitzø? Where from?" 

Becky smiled and said, "He was my partner I was telling you about. How is he?" 

Moxxie rubbed the back of his head nervously and Millie bit her lip and rubbed her hands together. Becky shook her head and laughed. 

She said, "Let me guess. Still a hot mess?" 

Millie smiled and nodded. 

"Yeah, that's Blitzø Buckzo for you," she said, "Well, the company must be doing great if he can afford to send you on this week-long honeymoon," Becky said. 

"Not really," Moxxie said, "We’ve been saving up for this trip. Blitzø's horrible with paperwork and money. It's been a wonder we haven't closed by now." 

Becky sighed and said, "Yeah, that sounds like him too." 

She turned back around and started the SUV. 

She asked, "So, is that where you two met?" 

"Yes," Moxxie said smiling at Millie, "It was back when Millie was job hunting and I.M.P. was just a start up company." 

Millie said, "Blitzø thought I was there to try and be a secretary. He was surprised when I told him I wanted to be a new assassin." 

"If my memory serves me right, Blitzø asked and I quote, 'a gentle looking little girl like you wants to be a killer?' They were words he regretted," Moxxie said with a smirk. 

Becky asked, "What happened next?" 

Millie said, quickly, "I challenged Blitzø to a fight. And after I won, he hired me." 

Becky laughed, “Uh-uh. There’s more to that story. I can tell.” 

Millie looked a little embarrassed. 

She said, “Well, honestly, I’d been getting put off like that for a while. So, when Blitzo said that, I… uh… kinda snapped.”

“What’d you do?” Becky asked. 

"She didn't so much as challenge Blitzø to a fight as she grabbed the nearest chair, broke it into pieces, and dove at him with two of its legs," Moxxie said, smiling at the memory. 

Millie blushed a little and said, "Well, like I said, I'd been brushed off before so who could blame me for seeing red for a bit." 

Becky laughed, “So, what happened?” 

“Well, after a few minutes, Millie had Blitzø pinned down by his neck. She was just about to bust his head in when he told her she was hired. Once she calmed down, Millie was very apologetic, but Blitzø said he didn’t care. He was just happy to have found another good assassin,” Moxxie said. 

“Well, it’s good to know he’s doing good,” Becky said. 

Moxxie glanced at Millie. She was looking a little ashamed of herself. Moxxie put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled. She rested her head on his shoulder. Becky glanced back at them. 

She said, "Hey, don't sweat it, sweetie. I can tell you Blitzø's been through worse." 

Moxxie said, "We know. We've seen it." 

Millie sat up, "So, how'd you and Blitzø meet?" 

Becky shook her head and waved her finger, "Oh, no. If you know Blitzø like I know Blitzø, you would know he wouldn't like me answering that." 

The imp couple had to admit she was right. After all, she only asked about them, not Blitzø. 

Moxxie said, “You’re right. We’re really-” 

Becky said, “Don’t be sorry, honey. Honestly, I’ve been fighting off asking a question or two myself. In fact, uh… if you don't mind, I'd like to drive in silence for a bit.”  

Both Millie and Moxxie nodded. They knew Blitzø had a bad history with his exes. The drive was a bit awkward after that, but thankfully they reached their destination pretty quick. They pulled up to a gate that had a large banner hanging on it. 

It read, "Fallen Legion's Weapons Cache and Forge Tours! Parking beside the house." 

Millie was bouncing in her seat as they drove into a large parking lot. Several different cars were already parked all around. Becky pulled into a spot and parked the SUV. Moxxie and Millie got out and looked around. Millie saw a sign held up by a RoboFizz cardboard cut out pointing down a path. The RoboFizz had a brown bush shirt tied in a knot and khaki short pants with a dark brown fedora on its head. Moxxie rolled his eyes at the cut out. Millie didn't seem to mind as she pulled Moxxie toward the path. Becky smiled as she watched them go. She sighed and pulled out her phone. She went to the gallery and chose her favorite picture. It was of her and Blitzø. They were at a shooting range wearing jungle camouflage. They were both holding high powered rifles. They were standing back to back with each other with their rifles pointed in the air and smiling for the picture. She ran her finger over Blitzø's face. She really had to fight the urge to ask if Blitzø was still single.

----

The path Moxxie and Millie were going down passed a few food stands and souvenir stalls. One stall had tiny weapon keychains. Moxxie picked a tiny battle ax and a spear for Millie and himself. They were surprisingly cheap. Moxxie looked around. He was surprised when he saw no sign or stall that had Mammon's trademark face on it. It was odd because he knew barely any money changed hands in any Ring without Mammon getting a piece. He wondered if Lord Satan had stopped Mammon dealing in his Ring for some reason. Moxxie was pulled from his thoughts by Millie. 

"The next tour should be starting soon. Let's go, hon!" she said, pulling him towards the dig site. 

 A crowd was gathering near the entrance of a tunnel that was sloping down to the entrance of the forge. Apparently, the farmer who owned the property was digging an outhouse when he stumbled onto it. At the entrance, there was a young imp scanning tickets and giving out bracelets. Moxxie and Millie moved closer to him. Once they reached him, Moxxie pulled out his phone and showed the imp the ticket code. The imp then handed Millie and Moxxie two bracelets. They looked like hospital identification bracelets. 

Moxxie slipped his on and asked, "Why do we have to wear these bracelets?" 

The young imp said, "They're to make sure that we can identify your bodies if the worst happens." 

Moxxie laughed nervously and said, "You're joking, right? I mean, surely they would have made this safe for the public to go in." 

The ticket imp shrugged, "Okay." 

Before Moxxie could ask anything else, Millie pulled him along with the rest of the group. A few minutes passed before everyone was checked in and gathered around the entrance to the tunnel. Once that was done, the ticket imp moved from his counter and stood behind the group. 

"All right! Everyone's ready! You can come out now!" he shouted. 

"Not without a proper introduction, I won't!" a robotic voice shouted back from the tunnel. 

The ticket imp groaned and rolled his head back, "Fuck, three college credits aren't enough for this shit."

He then moved to the front of the crowd and said with very little enthusiasm, "Ladies and gentle imps, allow me to introduce your amazing guide on this journey into the past, Harrison." 

Then, two long robotic arms came up from the tunnel. The arms pulled up the rest of the body which did a triple flip in the air. As he landed, he started to cartwheel in a circle. Then, he leaped and twirled into the air again. When he landed, he struck a pose with his arms on his side and standing tall on his extended legs. It was the same RoboFizz from the signpost cut out. He smiled wide and looked over the crowd. A couple of imp clapped at the quick display of acrobatics. 

"Thank you. Thank you. Good day, everyone! How's it hangin'? I'm Harrison, your RoboFizz guide for today's tour!" he said. 

He then stretched out an arm and grabbed the ticket imp and pulled him into an obviously unwanted side hug. 

Harrison said 'I'm here because John here's terrified of small, tight holes. But I hope he grows out of that. Because small, tight holes are fun! It's that right, folks?" 

John the imp pushed away from Harrison as several imp started laughing. 

"I'm claustrophobic, tin dick!" the young imp said angrily. 

Harrison rolled his eyes, "Oh, these new lifestyles the kids are trying these days." 

John growled, "Next time you're recharging, I'm gonna take a piss all over that smug face of yours." 

"Save that kinky talk for after work," Harrison said, giving him a cheeky smile and dual finger guns. 

John groaned and stomped back to the ticket stand. Harrison then extended his legs to stand higher over the crowd. 

"Now, folks, we're about to head inside, but before we do, I need to give you all a few warnings," Harrison said, "One, the roped off areas are off limits. Two, a bunch of displays also have white lines painted in front of them. If you like having all your bits attached, don't try and cross them. And three, even if you follow these rules, we still can't guarantee your safety. This is old ass magic we're dealing with and it can be unpredictable. That all aside, is everyone set? Good! So, let's go." 

Harrison turned and started down the tunnel. The crowd followed close behind. The first thing they saw was a broken stone forge. It was cracked in half with one side fallen into the other. After that, the ground leveled out and electric lights were hanging on the ceiling. They walked down a stone corridor to another room. Inside were sharpening stone wheels and smaller whetstone's on work benches that were blocked off by some of the ropes Harrison mentioned. A few weapons laid about on the benches and leaning on the walls. 

"Don't worry about them," Millie whispered to Moxxie, pointing to the weapons, "Prop fakes. I can tell." 

"I guess they didn't want real weapons at arms length of the public," Moxxie whispered back. 

They continued to move with the group. The crowd entered another room. This one was wider and had several different weapons on racks, stands, and on tables. The weapons were all roped off and had white lines painted around them. Millie couldn't contain her excitement and bolted off to look at them all. Moxxie smiled and started to look around himself. He stopped in front of a rack of curved swords. He was always more of a gun enthusiast, but even he could tell the swords were incredibly well made. As sharp and deadly as the day they were made. Moxxie noticed an imp child was reaching towards a spear in one of the racks. Moxxie moved to stop the child, but Harrison moved quicker, scooping up the unattended child in his hand. 

"Whoa, there, little one! You don't wanna touch that," he said, shaking his head, "Let me show you all why." 

Harrison stretched out his hand to a nearby table with a cup on top. The cup was labeled "Testing Sticks" and had several small sticks inside it. Harrison grabbed one and tossed it at the spears. The stick was blown to pieces by the protection spell around the spear. Everyone stared at the display of powerful magic, then took a step back from the ropes. The noise must have upset the imp child because he started to cry. Harrison bounced him gently in his arms. 

"Hey, hey! None of that! It was just a little light show. Here, I got something for you," he said. 

Then, he opened his mouth and reached inside. He pulled out a large, colorful lollipop and handed it to the child. The child smiled as Harrison handed him off to his mother. Moxxie watched as the mother moved back into the crowd, holding her baby tight. He sighed. 

"I wonder if we'll ever have kids," Moxxie thought. 

Moxxie had never given much thought to being a father. Given his own unhappy childhood, he often worried that it wasn't in him. With money being so tight, he was able to put off thinking about starting a family. But after Millie saved him from Crimson last year, Moxxie told Millie the truth about his fear of being a parent. Millie reassured him she was fine with waiting. After all, they did need a bigger place if they were going to have kids. And since then, despite his fears, Moxxie started feeling more and more willing to be a parent. The chain of thought made him wonder where Millie was right now. He walked through the crowd, excusing himself as he went. He saw a stand with several small pamphlets on it with another cut out of Harrison. This one was holding a sign that read, "Take one, losers!" The word "losers" was crossed out. Moxxie rolled his eyes and took a pamphlet off the table. It had a picture of an old mural depicting the soldiers of the Fallen Legion fighting angels. The title read, "Myths and Legends of the Fallen Legion." He was about to read it when he noticed Millie standing in front of a rack holding three swords. He put the pamphlet in his jacket pocket and walked over to her. 

"Having fun, honey?" he asked. 

Millie didn't answer him. Moxxie stood next to her and saw she was staring intensely at the swords. 

He nudged her and laughed, "Find something you want to take home?" 

Millie still didn't answer him. Moxxie looked and saw she was crying. 

Moxxie took her hand, "Millie, what's wrong?" 

She turned to him and smiled a little. She wiped away a tear and said, "This is all so much, Moxxie." 

"What do you mean?" Moxxie asked, sounding concerned. 

Millie said, "The trip, the hotel, this tour, everything. It just hit me how expensive it all was. I know I normally don't fuss about money, but… Honey, we could've spent the money on something more important than this." 

Moxxie took Millie's other hand and turned her to face him. 

"Nothing is more important to me than your happiness, Millie," he said, confidently, "I would pay triple what we have just to see you smile." 

Moxxie raised his hand and cupped Millie's cheek. She smiled and leaned into his hand a little. 

"What did I do to deserve you?" she asked. 

"I ask myself the same question every day," Moxxie said, smiling. 

Moxxie wrapped his arms around Millie and pulled her into a kiss. Millie giggled and dried her eyes when they pulled away. 

She said, "Come on. I wanna show you these weird axes that have blades like duck bills." 

She took his hand and led him toward another rack of weapons. 

-----

A while later, two imps were sitting in a small white freight truck. One imp was short and heavy set with a blue painter's jumpsuit and black boots. The other was younger and thinner. He wore the same clothes as the other imp. The short imp grunted to himself and looked at his watch. Then, he looked at the red SUV they had been following. After their target's had gone into the tunnel, the driver headed for a food stand nearby. They had been given orders to watch and wait. It was those orders that were driving him crazy. 

“For fuck sake, I could’ve planted a bomb on that SUV and we’d have been done by now!” the short imp moaned. 

The young imp said, “No way. The boss said he wants this hit to look like a road rage thing and bombs aren’t a road rage thing.” 

“How long have you been away from Imp City, kid?” the short imp asked. 

“Fuck off,” the young imp said. 

The short imp leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. 

“Hey! Here they come!” the young imp said. 

The short imp sat up and looked over at the SUV. The driver and the lady imp were playing sword fight with two foam blades while the guy stood back and opened the door for his wife. The lady imp jumped in the back and her husband followed behind. The driver tossed in her foam blade and closed the door. She got in and soon they drove away. 

“Okay, let’s go,” the short imp said. 

The young imp started their truck and drove after them. Once they were on the road, the short imp put out his phone and called a number. 

After a ring, a voice answered, “Yeah?” 

“They’re on the move,” the short imp said, “Are you sure you didn’t see any guards or back up around?” 

“We’ve been watching the road and no one else seemed to be tailing them. You’re clear,” the voice on the phone said. 

The short imp said, “Fine. We’ll call if there's any trouble.” 

He hung up and turned to the young imp, “Which I doubt we’ll have. A scrawny twink, his bimbo wife, and a slutty driver. This’ll be easy.” 

The young imp shrugged, “I don’t know. Something about this guy got the boss spooked.” 

“Well, whatever it is won’t be a problem much longer,” the short imp said, “Let’s get this over with. I’m hungry.” 

-----

Becky was having the time of her life listening to Millie describe the tour like an excited child. Millie was sitting in Moxxie’s lap with a huge smile on her face. 

Millie said, “And then we got to see these amazing daggers! They looked so sleek and almost shined like candle light. I bet you could skin someone paper thin with one!” 

Becky laughed, “I bet she was like a kid at Sinsmas in there, huh?” 

Moxxie chuckled, “More like three kids.”

“Well, I”m glad you both had a good time,” Becky said. 

“The best yet!” Millie said, her eyes sparkling, “We’ve still got the rest of the week to ourselves.” 

Moxxie said, “Yeah. The best it yet to-” 

*CLANG!*

Moxxie, Millie, and Becky were thrown forward. Becky nearly lost control. She swerved hard to avoid hitting anyone in front of her and sped up. 

“What in Satan’s name was that?!” she shouted. 

“Look!” Millie said, pointing out the back window. 

They all looked back and saw a freight truck was speeding after them. Its front end was busted a little from hitting them. 

“Is that the same truck as before?” Millie asked. 

Becky said, “I don’t know. I didn’t get a good look at it. But if it is, how did they-” 

*Bang! Ba-bang!*

Moxxie pulled Millie down away from the back window as the gunshots busted through it. Becky ducked down a little in the driver's seat. 

“They’re shooting too?” Becky asked. 

“Yes, ma’am,” Moxxie said. 

Becky reached for her glove box and opened it. Inside there was a semi-auto 9mm pistol. 

She said, “I have most of my guns back in the limo, but I have this. Think you can take them out with it?” 

Moxxie said, “No, thank you. I have my own.” 

Becky looked back and saw Moxxie had pulled out a high caliber rifle from… somewhere. Millie had a glock in one hand and a dagger in the other. Moxxie started taking aim at the truck. Becky smiled and shook her head. 

"No wonder Blitzø likes you two," she said. 

-----

The short imp leaned out the window and took a few more shots at the SUV. The young imp tried to move closer. 

The young imp said, "I wish you'd waited until I drove them off the road." 

The short imp asked, "Why? Worried we'll hurt an 'innocent bystander?'" 

"We could lose them in traffic, you know," the young imp said, "And we could also crash into someone and die ourselves." 

The short imp groaned, "Look, I just wanna get this done. A few more shots and we'll-" 

*Crash-Sposh!*

Suddenly, the short imp head burst open. Blood and broken glass flew everywhere, covering the young imp. 

"Unholy shit!!" he shouted and slammed on the brakes. 

Another shot hit the truck. The young imp saw the shots were coming from the SUV. He quickly pulled out his phone and swerved to avoid another shot. He hit the speed dial and put it on the speaker. 

The voice from before answered, saying. "Ya'll are finished already?" 

"We've finished nothing! They've got some kinda heavy weapons in that thing! They blew Murphy's head clean off!" the young imp shouted. 

“What?! How?!” the voice said. 

The young imp said, “Nevermind how! We’re coming up on your position on the road soon. Be ready!” 

The young imp hung up as another shot came at him. It missed his head by an inch. 

“Fuck, this is bad,” he said. 

-----

“My, he’s a pretty good driver,” Millie said as she watched the truck behind them weave to avoid another shot from Moxxie. 

“That he is,” Becky said, “Do you need me to slow down, Moxxie?” 

“No, ma’am. Just keep an eye open for any backup this guy may have,” Moxxie said. 

Becky nodded, “You got- Whoa!” 

Becky swerved off the road to avoid another freight truck coming at them. A busted up gray pickup truck was following behind it with four imps sitting in the bed and a hellhound and an imp inside driving. Becky turned back onto the road. 

“Here’s their back-up,” Becky said, “What now?” 

“Can you get us close to the other truck?” Millie asked. 

Becky looked and saw the freight truck and the pickup were to the rear left of them. The imps in the bed of the pickup had knives and clubs. 

"Which one?" Becky asked.

Millie stretched a little and said, "The freight truck."

“Got it. Hold on,” Becky said. 

Becky hit the brakes and brought the freight truck right next to the rear doors. Moxxie opened up the door and Millie jumped out, holding her dagger high. She landed on the roof and stabbed her dagger in to hold on. The truck spun out as Millie started shooting into the cab.  Becky watched with concern as they sped away from it. 

“Will she be okay?” she asked. 

“Of course she will,” Moxxie said. 

Suddenly, the pickup truck came up from behind and to the right. It sped up and passed the SUV. A hellhound was sitting out of his window and pointing a small SMG over the cab of the truck. He started shooting for their tires. The imps in the back ducked to avoid getting shot. Becky slowed down to avoid the shots. The first freight truck was catching up with them. It seemed like it was going to try and push the SUV into the line of fire. Moxxie put the rifle away, wanting to save the ammo. He pulled out two 9mm handguns and fired at the truck behind them. 

“Can this thing handle going off road?” he asked. 

“Of course. Why?” Becky asked. 

“I’ve got an idea,” Moxxie said. 

-----

The hellhound had finished reloading his gun and moved back out to keep shooting. He aimed at the driver this time. He was about to pull the trigger when the SUV turned off the road. The imp driving the pickup turned and followed them. The young imp driving the freight truck didn't follow and kept driving. The hellhound leaned out of the window and started shooting again, despite the heavy cloud of dust the SUV was kicking up. The rocky terrain of the Wrath countryside made aiming difficult, but the hellhound figured one shot was enough to kill their targets. A few shots came from the SUV, but they avoided them easily enough. The SUV turned hard again, with more shots coming at them. The pickup skidded in the dirt, but turned after them. The hellhound moved back into the cab and pulled out an AK-47. He checked the clip and moved out to start shooting again. The SUV sped up and the pickup truck matched their speed. Suddenly, the SUV stopped dead. The pickup truck swerved to avoid hitting them. A door flew open from the SUV and something was thrown out. It crashed through the pickup's windshield and landed on the floor. It was a hand grenade without its pin. 

-----

Becky and Moxxie watched as the pickup truck blew up. Becky laughed loudly and slapped the seat. 

“Okay, I’ll admit. That was a good plan,” she said. 

“Thanks,” Moxxie said, “Only one thing to do now.”  

-----

The young imp finally had a moment to wipe the blood and brains of his partner off his face. He’d lost sight of the pickup truck and SUV a while before he heard an explosion. Surely, that was their targets getting killed, right? He drove for a while. He thought about calling the boss and telling him what was going on, but he decided against it. As much as a cluster fuck this turned into, it was better to have good news to go along with it. He looked in his side mirror and saw something that made his blood run cold. It was the SUV turning back onto the road. It was a bit more shot up, but it was coming up right behind him. 

“Oh, fuck,” he muttered. 

He was just about to put on the gas and try to run when he saw the other freight truck coming too. It moved fast behind the SUV. The young imp laughed and slowed down. They could still pull this off! Suddenly, his phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it.

He turned on speaker mode and said, “I don’t know whose driving, but keep coming! If we can sandwich them between us, we can-” 

“I’m sorry to tell you this, sweetie, but you’re alone now,” a female voice with a Wrathian accent said before hanging up. 

The young imp stared at his phone in shock. He looked back at the SUV. It was speeding up and moving to pass him on the left. The other freight truck sped up too. He saw that the female target was driving it! 

“Oh, for Satan’s sake!” he shouted. 

He floored the gas pedal, but it was too late. The SUV was in front of him. As he passed them again, he saw the male target was wielding a shotgun. He was aiming for his tires. 

*BOOM!*

The freight truck lurched forward and to the right. The young imp lost control. The truck flipped on its side. It slid for a while before stopping. For a moment, the young imp was laying on top of the dead body of his partner. He groaned and tried to move. His body hurt from being thrown around the cab. He pulled himself up and out of the cab. He looked around. He couldn’t see either the SUV or the other freight truck. Maybe they kept on driving? Either way, he needed to move. He started to stumble away from the wreck and went down the road. He pulled out his phone and started dialing. 

An anxious voice answered, “Hello?” 

The young imp said, “Sir, we’ve got big problems here.” 

-----

Meanwhile, a long way down the road, Moxxie was laying on the roof of the freight truck, watching the young imp through the rifle scope. 

Becky and Millie were standing beside the SUV, looking over the damage. 

“Gosh, this looks bad,” Millie said. 

Becky said, “Nah, I’ve had worse than this. Besides, I’ve got good insurance.” 

“What’s insurance?” Millie asked. 

Becky laughed and looked back at Moxxie. 

“I’ll admit you two are good, but you’ll never make that shot,” she said. 

“My Moxxie can hit anything he aims at,” Millie said with pride. 

Becky shrugged, “I don’t know. That’s pretty far.” 

“He can do it,” Millie said. 

Becky said, “Hey, I’ve seen some amazing snipers in my day, but I don’t even think the best of them could make that shot.” 

Before Millie could say anything, Moxxie gave a quick, “Shh!” 

Becky and Millie turned and looked at Moxxie as he took the shot. 

“Got ‘em,” he said, proudly. 

Becky climbed up onto the roof and held out her hand, “May I?”

Moxxie handed her the rifle and she looked through the scope. She saw the young imp laying on the ground. She lowered the rifle and smiled at Moxxie. 

“Satan bless, I’m impressed,” she said. 

-----

Paulie stared down at his phone in shock. He had been getting the worst news he possibly could and then the connection was cut off. He felt his breath start to catch in his chest. The room started to spin. He couldn’t believe it. Some of his best men were all dead.  

“Fuck,” he said. 

They had one thing they had to do and they were wiped out. Now, the kid was sure to know he was being targeted. He would call Crimson. 

“Fuck!” he shouted. 

Crimson would send more men. They’ll hunt him down and kill him this time for sure! 

“FUCK!!” he screamed. 

He threw the phone against the wall, breaking it to pieces. He bolted from his chair. He started pacing around his office, frantically trying to think of what to do next. 

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” he muttered, running his hand over his face. 

Steve opened the door to the office. 

He asked, “Paul, what’s going on?” 

“I’m dead, Gorger,” Paulie said, “I’m dead. You’re dead. We're both dead! It’s all over!” 

“What happened? Didn’t the guys take care of ‘em?” Steve asked. 

“They’re dead too! They killed ‘em! Crimson’s men killed them all! And we’re next!” Paulie shouted. 

Steve ran over and grabbed Paulie’s shoulders, “Hey! Hey! Calm down!” 

Paulie said, “How can I be calm!? He’s going to find me! He’s going to find me and I’m going to end up on his sick fucking wall!” 

“Pull yourself together, imp!” Steve yelled. 

Steve slapped Paulie’s face and shook him. 

“You’re not some weak chump anymore! Calm down and think!” Steven said. 

Paulie took a few shaky breaths. Steve moved him back to his chair. He went to the cabinet and pulled out a liquor bottle and glass. Steve poured a glass half full and handed it to Paulie. Paulie took a swig and coughed. 

“Better?” Steve asked. 

“Y-yeah. Yeah,” Paulie said. 

“Good. So, what happened?” Steve asked. 

Paulie took another deep breath and said, “The ambush failed. All the guys are dead.” 

Steve stepped back and started pacing himself. 

“Well if that’s the case, then we do this the way it has to be done. Right here,” he said. 

“Wha? Here? At the hotel? But that’ll hurt our reputation!” Paulie said. 

Steve stood at the front of Paulie’s desk and said, “It’s either let our rep take a hit or we’re hit ourselves. Crimson sent that kid here to find us, remember? So, we need to get them before they get us! I mean, we can still make it look like we weren’t involved. Maybe make it look like a murder/suicide or something?” 

Paulie said, “Well, what about Crimson? If he find out about me trying to take out his son-” 

Steve shook his head, “You’ve got to stop being afraid of that little shit. We’ve got a gang now to rival his. This is the perfect chance to get some revenge for what he did to you. And if push comes to shove, we take his son and daughter-in-law alive and use ‘em as bargaining chips.” 

Paulie leaned back in his chair. What Steve was saying made sense. He could do this. He took a few more breaths to steady himself. Yeah. A murder/suicide could work. He ran his hand under his sunglasses and felt his eye socket. He took one last deep breath and sat up straight in his chair. Paul stood up and put his hands on his desk. 

“Okay. But we’ve only got a few more days before they leave. We need a team of experts,” Paul said. 

Steve smiled, “I’ll think of something.” 

End of Part 12. 

Chapter Text

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your patience with me.

2024 has not been a good year for me. Long story short, I've lost my job, my apartment, my new job, and nearly my car all in the space of a few months. This has left me with little free time for writing.

However, I've recently started a new, new job which has not only meets my budgetary needs, but also leaves me with time to write. 

Next, to confess a little bit, I've always had someone check to quality of my work before I would post it. I've recently decided to stop having them do so since it takes forever for them to get back to me with feedback. Hopefully, this will make it easier to post chapters quickly.

Lastly, I'm nearly finished with the final draft of the next chapter. As well as a new NSFW story and a second chapter of A Path Not Taken. I hope I'll be able to post something good for you before next week. 

Thank you all again. Catsamurai16 signing off. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Keeping a Promise

Paul Fleshfire, or Paulie “the Mouth” Renderson as he was once called, was sitting in his office. He had been sitting at his desk for hours. When the Pentagram started to go down, he didn’t bother to turn on his light. He just sat there with his artificial horn in his hands, running his fingers over it, and thinking of things he hadn’t thought about in years. Three days had passed since the failed ambush on the road. After that, Steve had told him about his plan for Crimson’s son and his wife. Since then, a dull ache had started at the base of his horn stump. He chalked it up to phantom pain. But as time past, the pain grew more and more intense. Finally that morning, the pain in his horn stump was so bad he had removed the prosthetic horn. After rubbing his scalp he started to put it back, but then he stopped to look at the horn. Really look at it. It was made of fiberglass, shaped from his other horn.  It wasn’t painted or touched up to look more real. It was just… there… in place of his real horn. If he was ever asked about it, he would say that more important things came first and that one day he would get a more natural replacement made. Privately, he often told himself he was still disguising himself in case any of his “old friends” came looking for him. But he knew that was a lie. So why did he still wear such an obvious fake? The answer was simple. It was a mark of shame for him. It was there to constantly remind him of his biggest mistake. Paulie sighed as more thoughts, more memories came to him. Memories of a time when he didn’t just have to protect his own life, but the life of his little brother, Danny. 

*Thirty-two Years Ago in the Greed Ring*

Paulie was running as fast as he could. The seven year old imp was holding onto a big something that was wrapped in a brown paper bag. He stopped at every street corner and waited. He carefully looked out from the alley. He didn’t see anyone around. He smiled. He was doing it! No one was gonna catch him! Suddenly, a trash can crashed to the ground behind him. Paulie jumped and screamed. He turned and saw his baby brother, Danny. The impling was wearing tan coveralls that were torn at the pockets. He had on a green t-shirt that was too big for him. He had a hell giraffe plush doll clutched in his hands. He was trying and failing to hold back his frightened tears. 

“P-paulie… you le-left me behind b-back there,” he cried. 

“Danny, shh! We have to be quiet now,” Paulie said. 

Danny said, “But Paulie-” 

“Shh!” Paulie said, “I’ll make it up to you later. Right now, we need to get this done.” 

Danny pouted and rubbed his eyes, but nodded. Paulie looked out of the alley again. This time, he held his brother's hand as they ran. A few more turns and they made it to their destination. The docks. Paulie looked around, trying to make sure no one saw them. The coast was clear. He smiled and threw the paper bag as hard as he could. It didn’t fly far, but it still landed in the water and sank quickly. 

“Okay, gun’s been gotten rid of. Now, we get back to Eddie and get our money,” Paulie said. 

“Paulie?” Danny asked. 

Paulie looked at his brother, “What?” 

“Are we still good boys?” Danny asked. 

Paulie felt a pit form in his stomach. He knew Danny didn’t like upsetting their Ma. And if she knew what they were doing, she would be furious. 

“Yeah, Danny. We’re still good boys,” Paulie said. 

“E-even though we're going to see Eddie after M-ma told us not to?” Danny asked. 

Paulie nodded, “Yeah, it’s okay this one last time.” 

Danny hugged his doll and nodded. Paulie smiled at him and ruffled his hair. 

Paulie said, “Come on, let’s get you home.” 

“B-but what about Eddie?” Danny asked. 

“I’ll drop you off and then go see him, okay?” Paulie said. 

Danny nodded and smiled, “Okay, Paulie.” 

Paulie took his brother's hand and they made their way home. Paulie wanted to make sure that if anyone was going to get in trouble, it was him. Danny was innocent and that was the way it was going to stay. 

*Present Day*

Paulie smiled at his desk. He had gotten Danny home safe and he made it in time to get his money from Eddie the Fence. However, he didn’t make it back in time before his Ma woke up. His punishments were pretty bad, but it was worth it since he convinced his Ma that only he’d snuck out that night and Danny had nothing to do with it. There were many more times where Paulie and Danny would get in trouble and Paulie would take the punishment. He never minded though. Danny was the good boy and Paulie made it his business to keep it that way. More and more memories of their childhood came to Paulie, each one was great. But… then his last memory of his brother came to him. He could feel tears filling his good eye. He set his horn down on his desk and rubbed his tears away. He didn't want to remember that night. The night of the crash. He was almost thankful when a knock on his door brought him back to the present. 

“Come in,” he said. 

Steve walked in and looked around. 

“The fuck, Paul? Why are the lights off?” he asked. 

“Because I didn’t bother to turn them on,” Paul said. 

Steve reached the light switch and turned them on. Paul covered his eye for a second to get used to the light. Steve noticed the horn on Paul's desk. 

“This shit is really taking a toll on us, isn't it?” he asked, “I don't remember the last time I saw you not wearing that.” 

Steve walked forward and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. 

He said, “It'll be all over after tonight.” 

Paul pushed his hand away, “What's up, Steve?” 

Steve said, “They're here.” 

Paul sat straight up. 

“Send them in,” he said. 

He reached for his prosthetic horn to snap it back into place, but changed his mind and leaned back in his chair. After a moment, Steve came in with four new demons. They wore black jumpsuits and masks to hide their identities, but you could tell what their races were. Two were imps, one was a hellhound, and the last was a succubus. One of the imps came forward and stood near the desk. 

The imp spoke in a garbled, electronic voice saying, “You may call me #1. I want to begin by saying our services are not cheap.” 

“That's fine,” Paul said. 

#1 said, “We’ve been briefed about the plan. You want us to kill the couple in the penthouse. You need it to look like a murder/suicide. Some kind of fight that sets one of them off on the other, right?” 

“No,” Paul said, “There's been a change of plans.” 

Steve was stunned, “Wha? But Paul-”

“Their meals will be heavily drugged. When they pass out, I want you to take them both and bring them to this address,” Paul said as he wrote it down. 

He handed the note to #1. 

“We don't normally do live captures,” #1 said. 

Paul glared at #1, “I'm the one paying you, so I'll decide what you do or don't do.” 

#1 looked at the address and then back at Paul. The imp shrugged and put the note in his pocket. He turned and walked away with the rest of his crew. 

“We'll let you know when we have the targets,” #1 said as he closed the door behind him. 

Steve turned to Paul, “Paul, what the fuck? I thought you wanted to do this quietly.” 

“I did,” Paul said.

Steve asked, “Then why change the plan?” 

Paul leaned back in his chair and said, “Because there's no way to do it quietly, Steve. Let's face it, the second Crimson finds out his son is dead, he'll send as many men as he can to find out what happened. So, we're going to be smart about this. We'll take his kid alive. Then, when the rest of Crimson’s men come to save him, we'll waste them all. And then I'll send that fucker a pair of trophies for his wall.” 

Steve smiled and said, “Now that sounds more like the Paulie I remember. Just promise me there won’t be any more surprises.” 

Steve turned and left him alone again. Paul ran his hands over his face. He sighed. He looked at his horn sitting on the desk. He put his hand on top of it.

“Ten years is a long time to wait, little brother. I've been slacking off until now, but now I'll keep my promise to you,” he said. 

-----

#1 had always kept his team professional and well armed. The plan of action was simple enough. The suite would be watched by #4, the incubus. She would have a sniper rifle with her to act as a lookout and, well, a sniper. He and his partner #2, the other imp on the team, would be sitting on top of the elevator. They would wait there until room service brought up the meals to the targets. Once they could confirm that the targets were unconscious, they would enter the suite, bind and gag them. Then, they would them down to the delivery entrance where #3, the Hellhound, would be waiting to drive them away. Now, all they would have to do was wait until they got the signal from the kitchen. Except they had been waiting for most of the night and the team was getting restless. 

“#4, please give me an update,” #1 said into his walkie-talkie. 

He glanced over at #2. He had his hellphone out, playing Fruit Stabber. #1 rolled his eyes. The two of them had been sitting on top of the elevator and waiting for the signal. 

“#4, come in please,” he said again. 

After a while, he groaned. He hated waiting for updates. And the fact he had to take a leak wasn't helping anything. 

“I swear to Satan, #4, if you’re checking your makeup again,” he growled.

“Relax, bossman,” #4's voice came lazily back, “I just got to maintain perfection for as long as I can.” 

#1 said, “Forget ‘perfection’ and give me an update.” 

#4 said, “Okay, one sec. And… yep, they're doing it doggy again.” 

#2 raided his palm out to #1, not even looking up from his phone. 

“Not yet,” #1 said, “#4, is he giving or getting?” 

After a moment, #4 said, “Ooh, yeah. Poor babies getting it again.” 

#1 groaned and lowered his head. He heard #2 snap his fingers. He looked and saw he still had his palm out. #1 reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed #2 his money. He could tell even with his mask on #2 had a shit eating grin on his face. 

#1 grumbled, “I can't believe it. It's been over four hours! Don't those two ever get tired? I mean, I know this is the Lust Ring, but for fuck sake.” 

“Jealous?” #2 asked. 

“Fuck, no,” #1 said, “My ex put me off of dating. Period. Y'know what that bitch wanted me to do?” 

#2 shook his head. He wasn't really listening. He was more focused on beating his hit score. 

#1 said, “The psycho wanted to-” 

“Come in, #1, come in,” a voice interrupted. 

#1 grabbed the walkie-talkie and answered, “#1 here.” 

The voice said, “The package is being delivered to the targets.” 

#1 smiled, “Understood. Over and out.” 

#1 got into position as #2 put away his phone. #2 sighed. He was so close to finally beating the Durian. He got into position as well. Soon, a staff member entered the elevator with the meal cart. They rode the elevator up to the penthouse. When they reached the top floor, #1 and #2 latched onto the walls and waited. 

#1 said into the walkie, “Okay, team. This is it. #4, are you ready?” 

#4 said, “Always.” 

#1 asked, “#3, are you ready?” 

“Been waiting to go, boss. Van's running low on gas,” #3 said.

#1 said, “You’ve had the van running this whole time?! Oh, when I get my hands on you, I'll-”

“Focus,” #2 said. 

#1 grunted out a quick, “Fine,” and went back to waiting. Soon, the staff member came back without the cart and rode the elevator down. #1 and #2 waited for another hour before #4 gave them the signal. They opened the elevator doors and went down the hallway. They silently made their way to the penthouse door. #1 looked around to see if the coast was still clear. He nodded at #2, who then pulled out a small black device. He put it over the door card reader. Then, the door popped open. The imps slowly went inside the room. The air was filled with the smell of sex and expensive wine. They went to the bedroom and found their targets passed out on the floor. #2 began tying up the female target and #1 tied up the male target. #1 shook his head. He didn't understand why these targets were so important, but he wasn't getting paid to ask such questions. At least now the difficult part was over. Only thing left was to bring these two to the clients. 

-----

Paulie had tried to get back into his normal routine. Check on guests, the kitchen staff, make sure the maids weren't stealing the guest stuff, y'know typical hotel stuff. But it all kept slipping away from him. No matter what he thought about, he kept thinking about what would happen once Crimson’s son was dead. 

He leaned on the front desk and thought, “Crimson will probably send most of his men here. The hotel staff is loyal, so I’m sure they won’t ditch me.… but… maybe I should tell them about all this in case they aren't ready for trouble.”

He looked around. He stared watching guests coming and going. The bellhops helping demons with their luggage. He sighed and lowered his head. He'd worked so hard to make this hotel. Years of owning smaller places in one ring or another, saving up enough for capital, and finally asking permission from Lord Asmodeus himself to build it. He really had come far in the last ten years. 

“The real shame will be leaving all this behind,” he thought, “Oh, well. It was fun playing the hotel owner, but it's time to get back to the old business. I guess nothing good lasts foreve-” 

A loud, happy squeal suddenly broke him out of his thoughts. Paulie looked up and saw a family of imps coming in the doors. One of his incubus bellhops happily ran to them and began hugging them all one at a time. Paulie was a little confused. Not by the display of affection, but how tame it was. Normally, incubi are more “physical” when they greet potential clients. 

He turned to his desk clerk and asked, “What's that all about?” 

The clerk said, “That's Kathy's family, sir. She's been going on and on about them visiting her for days.” 

“I didn’t know Kathy was half imp,” Paulie said. 

“She isn't, sir. Kathy told me they adopted her as a baby,” the clerk said. 

Paulie watched as Kathy happily started showing her family around the lobby. She looked so happy just to see them. Paulie couldn't help but think about the last time he had a get together with his family. When they were still a family. 

*Nineteen Years Ago in the Pride Ring* 2005

Paulie was running down the streets of Pride, thinking through his list of excuses. Evaluator from Greed was full? No, they'd never buy that. He was helping someone else with… No way they believed him. Aw, it’s their own fault! They should’ve reminded him about tonight. He straightened his tie again as he turned the corner toward the apartments. He looked at the shabby building and shook his head. He never understood why his Mother insisted on moving to the Pride Ring. To Imp City. The place was just as bad as any slum in Greed. Only here you had the added bonus of possibly being killed in the Exterminations. But she always said anyplace was better than Greed. He walked inside and headed up the stairs. Of course, the elevator was still busted. When he got to her apartment on the third floor, Paulie stopped before he knocked. He felt nervous. He took a deep breath and let it out. He could do this. It would just be a quick in and out and then he’d go to his meeting. 

“Come on. Don't be nervous,” Paulie said to himself, “Just go in, show your face, and get out. No problem.” 

He reached up and knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened. There stood an older female imp. Her graying hair was back in a ponytail. She had a simple blue blouse on with her arms folded over her chest. She held a wooden spoon in her hand. She glared at Paulie. Paulie smiled and held out his arms for a hug. 

“Hey, Ma!” he said, “You look great.” 

His Mother didn't move. He felt a little sweat on his head. He lowered his arms. 

He said, “Uh, how's things been in the apartments? They still haven't fixed the, uh, elevator, huh?” 

His Mother's glared intensified and she began to tap her foot. 

Paulie said, “I was… I've… the thing is…” 

He lowered his head and rubbed the back of his head. 

He sighed, “I'm sorry I'm late, Ma.” 

“Don't give me that, Paul. You wouldn't have been here at all if Daniel hadn't reminded you,” his Mother said, angrily, “And honestly, if you’re going to be an hour late to your own brother's birthday, you might as well not have shown up at all.” 

“Aw, come on, Ma. Don't be like that,” Paulie said, groaning, “I want to be here! I've just been busy with work lately and-” 

“Ha! Work? Is that what you call it? Robbing people out of their livelihoods is work?” she asked. 

Paulie said, “Hey, I'm not a crooked kid anymore, Ma. I'm a legitimate realtor now.” 

His Mother said, “Stop lying to me! There's no such thing as ‘legitimate’ in Greed, Paul. Those monsters down there would slit their own children's throats for a dollar.” 

Paulie said, “Ma, we don't do that. We-” 

“I don't want to hear about what sick torture you put people through to get a few more dollars from them,” his Mother said, turning around, “Just get in here. Why your brother wants you here today is beyond me.” 

His Mother turned and walked inside. Paulie sighed and shook his head. Why couldn't she understand? He wasn't like those guys and he would never work with someone like that. He did his best to work on the clean side of the business. Yeah, sure, one or two people got hurt, but nothing like that. He dealt with properties, warehouses, safe houses, things like that. And a lot of them were legitimate. He decided he wouldn't press it. Just stick to the plan. Get in, say hi, and go. He walked into the apartment and closed the door. His Mother still had all her old furniture. She wouldn't let him buy her anything new. The living room was small with a patched up couch and easy chair in front of a coffee table with a crack on one end. The TV with the cracked screen was off to the side. Paulie walked into the dining room and saw the table was set for three. Over it was a banner that read, “Happy Birthday Daniel!” Paulie smiled and sat at the table. He looked over into the kitchen where his Mother was. It seemed she was trying to stay away from Paulie.  

“So, Ma, where is the Birthday boy?” Paulie asked. 

She said, “He went to the store for ice cream. He should be back soon.” 

Paulie leaned back in his seat. He watched her go from one end of the kitchen to another. 

He asked, “Would you like me to come help with dinner?” 

“This casserole is late enough, thank you,” she said, dismissively.

Paulie sighed. He had always loved cooking dinner with his Mother. It was his favorite thing to do. It didn't matter what they could have been fighting about, they always set everything aside to cook together. Growing up, he looked forward to every meal. But ever since he joined the gangs, she didn't want him in the kitchen anymore. 

“She's never going to forgive me,” he thought. 

When they were growing up, his Mother did everything she could to convince Paulie to not get involved in the gangs down in Greed. She always told him how dangerous they were and how much people suffered because of them. Paulie knew it was dangerous, but they had no choice. He knew that working with the gangs was the only way to survive. They always had arguments about it for years. In the end, she gave up on him to focus on Daniel. It hurt a little, but Paulie knew it was for the best. Daniel was going places that Paulie never could, even if he tried. 

Suddenly, the front door opened and a voice called out, “Hey, Ma! It's me!” 

Paulie stood up as his Mother came out of the kitchen. Daniel walked into the dining room with a grocery bag in his hands. He saw Paulie and smiled. Paulie smiled back at the young imp. He had grown up a bit, but Paulie could still see the scared imping that followed him around. His horns were more curved and longer. He and Paulie were about the same height. Danny went and set the ice cream down on the table. He turned to Paulie and gave him a big hug. 

“How're you doing, baby brother?” Paulie asked. 

“Better now, big brother,” Danny said, patting Paulie's back, “Much better now.” 

They pulled away and Paulie said, “Happy Birthday, Danny.” 

“Thanks,” Danny said, “ I'm glad you're here. I know you said you had work, so-” 

“Hmph!” Their Mother grunted. 

She took the ice cream and went into the kitchen. Paulie watched her go, sadly. 

“I think the less said about my work, the better,” Paulie said, “Besides, we've got to celebrate some, don't we? How was your graduation?” 

Danny said, “It was okay. It was mainly me and twenty others actually graduating, so it was a short ceremony.” 

Paulie and Danny sat at the table 

“But all the same, I did manage to become valedictorian,” Danny said, smiling. 

Paulie smiled wide and said, “That's amazing, Danny! I always knew you would make something of yourself. So, what are you going to do now?’

Danny shifted in his chair, “That’s another reason why I wanted you here tonight. I've been given a big opportunity.” 

Paulie felt a chill run down his spine. He leaned in close to his brother. 

“Danny, you aren't involved in anything in Greed, are you?” he whispered. 

Danny shook his head, “Ma's been asking the same question.” 

“With good reason,” their Mother said as she sat at the table, “You've been so secretive about whatever you've been doing lately. It scares me.” 

Danny took his Mothers hand and smiled. 

He said, “The reason for that is because I wanted to be sure that it wasn't a scam or something before I told you both about it. I didn't want to disappoint either of you.” 

Paulie said, “Hey, I'm the disappointment in our family. You're not taking that title away from me.” 

He and Danny laughed, but their Mother only looked angry. 

Paulie said, “Er, so seriously, Danny, what have you been doing?” 

Danny looked down and took a deep breath. 

He said, “Well, as you both know, my dream is to be a great doctor. I know we could never afford it on our own. So, a few months ago, I asked my teacher if he could help me find program that could help me instead of getting a grant or a loan.” 

Paulie said, “I can give you the money, Danny. No sweat.” 

“Especially since you didn't earn a cent of it,” his Mother said. 

Paulie groaned, “Ma, I-” 

“Guys, wait! Please don’t interrupt me. Let me finish what I have to say and then we'll talk,” Danny said, “Honestly, I'm a little nervous about how you'll both take the news.” 

His Mother leaned forward, “What news?” 

Danny said, “ Well, he told me he had heard about this tuition assistance program that looks for people who want to go into the medical field. He suggested I submit my application and try my luck. So, I did. I didn’t hear anything for a few months after that. Then I got… the invitation. Ma, do you remember the trip I went on two weeks ago?” 

His Mother nodded. She grasped her hands tightly and bit her lip. She was trying to stay calm and keep herself from interrupting, but it wasn't easy. Even Paulie was nervously shaking his leg. 

Danny continued, “Well, I was invited to go see someone I never expected to see. Lady Belphegor.” 

Paulie was stunned. Belphegor was the Sin of Sloth. The Sloth Ring was famous for its hospitals and doctors. Danny took a deep breath and lowered his head. 

Danny said, “I was sure that it was a scam or a joke at first, but an escort was waiting for me when I arrived in Sloth. They took me to her palace. She said she was impressed with me and wanted to pay for my college courses to become a doctor. No strings attached. I was shocked…but I accepted… I’ll be moving down to Sloth next month.” 

Danny looked up nervously at his family. Paulie looked like he was about to pass out. His Mother was covering her face and crying. Danny shifted in his seat. 

He said, “I know this is really sudden, but I needed to take the chance. And l won't be leaving forever.  I'll visit as often as-” 

Suddenly, his Mother sprang up from her chair. Danny did so too, thinking she was going to run away. But she didn't. She dove at him and pulled him into a tight hug. 

She smiled wide through her tears, “Oh my sweet amazing boy! I can't believe you were recognized by one of the Sins. It's a great honor. I'm so proud of you!” 

Danny asked, “You’re not mad?” 

“Of course not,” she said as she wiped away her tears, “How can I be mad at my wonderful son.” 

“You’re going to be a doctor?” Paulie asked in a shocked voice. 

Danny looked over at his brother who was still stunned by the news. 

Danny nodded, “Yeah. Classes begin next month.”

“My baby brother's going to be a doctor?” Paulie said as if he was still trying to process the news. 

“Not just any doctor. He's going to be the greatest doctor in all of Hell,” his mother said. 

Slowly a smile spread across Paulie's face. He stood up and cheered, happily. 

“My baby brother's going to be a doctor!” he shouted and quickly joined his Mother in hugging the young imp. 

Danny smiled as tears fell down his face. He hugged them both back as best he could. After a minute, they began to smell something burning. His Mother turned to the kitchen. 

“The casserole!” she yelled. 

Suddenly, she and Paulie both ran into the kitchen to save their dinner. Danny smiled and watched his Mother and Paulie moving around the kitchen. 

“Just like old times,” he said to himself. 

He was worried his news would finally break their family apart forever. But as he watched his brother helping his Mother cut away the burnt sides of the casserole, he knew that there was hope to be a whole family again. 

*Present Day*

Paulie sniffled a little and wiped away a tear. That really was the last time he felt like he was a part of a family. 

“Er… are you okay, Boss?” the clerk asked. 

Paulie nodded, “Yeah, I'm fine. I was… thinking about something.” 

The clerk asked, “Do you wanna talk about it?” 

“No,” Paulie said, “Thanks though, John.” 

John, the clerk, gave a small nod and went back to his work. Paulie turned and walked back to his office. Suddenly, he turned back. 

“Hey, John?” he asked. 

John looked over at him, “Yes, sir?” 

“If… anything were to happen here, would you and they others be able to defend yourselves?” Paulie asked. 

John nodded, “Oh, definitely, boss. I got a shotgun under the desk, Hannah and most of the maids have pistols, and Kathy over there has more knives than the kitchen does.” 

Paulie smiled, “Good. Keep it up.” 

“Yes, sir!” John said, again returning to his work. 

Paulie walked toward his office. Just then, his hellphone rang. 

“Hello?” he answered. 

Steve's voice said, “They're ready for us.” 

Paulie took a deep breath and said, “Good. Meet me at the car.” 

“Already on my way,” Steve said. 

Paulie hung up and started walking fast to the outer doors. He felt a rush of adrenaline go through him. It was just like the old days when he would make a deal or move a big shipment around. It filled him with a sense of pride that he hadn’t lost his edge. And yet… he couldn't help but feel a bit of dread. He knew that once he killed Crimson’s kid, there was no going back. He would be stepping back into his old life as a gangster. After that, it would only be a matter of time before Crimson came for blood. Paulie just hoped he was ready to spill some in turn.

-----

#1 checked his watch again. They had sent word to their employer that they had arrived at their destination with the targets. It was a smaller warehouse a few miles from the hotel. It was so small that #3 and #4 started debating whether or not to call it a warehouse. #3 thought it was more of a storage shed, while #4 was sure it was still qualified as a warehouse. The debate went on until #2 had to stop #1 from shooting them. That was a little over an hour ago and they still weren't there yet. #1 was usually a patient imp, but this job was testing that. He thought they'd already wasted enough time here. He looked around at the rest of his team. #4 was watching #2 play on his phone. #3 was seated next to the van since #1 had banned him from driving until he paid for a full tank of gas. #1 growled in frustration. He really wanted to leave. Then he looked over at the targets. They were tied up to chairs, striped to their underwear, and had black hoods covering their heads. The two had woken up a few minutes before and had started to struggle. A warning shot and a quick command to not move later, and the two were sitting still and crying under their hoods. Just as #1 was about to start pacing again, they heard a door open. They all looked up and saw Paulie and Steve walking towards them. Steve looked at the targets in confusion. 

He said, “Okay. I can understand why you stripped them, but what's the deal with the hoods?” 

#3 shrugged and said, “Force of habit, I guess.” 

#1 snapped, “Shut it, #3!” 

#1 walked towards Paulie, “Pardon my unprofessionalism, but where the fuck were you?” 

Paulie didn't answer. He was looking at Crimson’s son. Steve stepped forward. 

He said, “We wanted to make sure we weren't followed.” 

#1 crossed his arms, “And were you?”

“No. There wasn’t a sign of anyone following us,” Steve said. 

“Fine,” #1 said, “Can we please get this over with?” 

Steve nodded as Paulie pushed past them both. He walked up to Crimson’s son and looked down at him. 

“Before we get down to it, I have a few things to say,” Paulie said after a moment. 

Crimson’s son trembled in the seat. His wife was too. 

Paulie said, “I'm sure you heard what my friend said. We drove for blocks and he never saw anyone. So, it looks like no one's coming to save you.”

Paulie walked to a nearby crate and leaned on it.

“There was no sign of your men at the hotel either. And that makes me wonder why. Why are there no guards or spies, or anyone around to come help you. I could only come up with one answer,” Paulie said. 

He pulled a gun out of his jacket. He could feel his rage burning through his body.

He said, “You must've thought you could take me out all by yourself. I'll admit you had reason to think that. I mean, ten years is a long time. But, unfortunately for you, it looks like I'm still as sharp as ever.” 

He moved closer as Crimson’s son pissed himself, which made Paulie angrier. 

Paulie said, “Really? We haven't even done anything to you yet. Unlike your dad, I'm not into torturing people. But the pain of my own torture was nothing compared with watching my brother die. He. Was. INNOCENT! He was better than I ever could be and your sick fucking father got him killed!!” 

Paulie pointed the gun at Crimson’s son's head. 

“As I watched that truck blow up, I made a promise to my brother. That one day, I would take my revenge against your dad for what happened. And If I was as cruel as him, I'd carve off your horns, send them to him, and leave you both in a burning car, like he did to me and my brother. But I'm not. So, I’ll blow your fucking heads off and send what’s left of you instead. That way, he won’t have to worry,” he said. 

Paulie took a deep breath and started to pull the trigger. But as he did, he suddenly heard something. 

“Paulie, wait!” someone shouted. 

Paulie looked around for who had said it. Because it was impossible. 

“Danny?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“What's going on, Paulie?” Steve asked. 

Paulie looked at Steve and asked, “You heard it too?” 

Steve looked confused, “Heard what?” 

Now, Paulie was confused. How could he not have heard it? It was clear as day. Wasn't it? Paulie couldn't have imagined it. But he must have. After all, Danny was dead. He was sure about that. I mean, who could survive a wreck like that? But then again he did. He started thinking about the night of his kidnapping. The night that ruined his life. But for some reason, another memory came to him instead. He was thinking of that night of Danny's birthday and another promise he had made to him. 

*Nineteen Years Ago in the Pride Ring*

Paulie had to admit, he was having a great time with his family. They talked, ate, and laughed together like they hadn't in years. After dinner and the ice cream were eaten, Paulie decided it was time to leave. He hugged Danny one last time and headed for the door. He looked back to his Mother. She had this look of sadness in her eyes. It was like she wanted to say something to him, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Paulie lowered his head and sighed. He opened the door and left. He put his hands on his pockets and started walking. Suddenly, he heard the door open. He looked back and saw Danny coming toward him. 

“Paulie, wait!” he said as he caught up to his brother. 

Paulie asked, “What's wrong, Danny?” 

Danny said, “Look, Paulie. I know you did what you thought was right for us, but that's changed now. We're not fighting for scraps anymore. You don't have to be a criminal anymore.” 

Paulie said, “Danny, I'm not-” 

“And don't try to sell me that bullshit that you're staying on the clean side of things, Paul!” Danny said, “There's no clean side and you know it.” 

“Look, do we have to do this now? We just had a good night together for the first time in years,” Paulie said. 

Danny said, “That's why we're doing it. Didn't you see how much Ma wants to forgive you?”

Paulie said, “...Yeah, I guess I did… But it doesn't matter. I'll always be the screw up that joined a gang.” 

Danny grunted, “Damn it, Paul! She's not mad that you joined the gangs! She's mad that you're wasting your potential. You're too fucking smart to be played for a patsy to the scum of Greed.” 

Paulie was stunned. Danny never yelled at anybody, let alone him. 

Danny continued, “I'm grateful you put yourself in harm's way for us and in her way, I'm sure Ma is too. But you don't have to anymore. Once I'm set down in Sloth, I'll be able to pay for anything we need. You can finally start working on your own dream. Don't you have something you really want to do?” 

Paulie thought for a minute. For years, he had only wanted to gain influence in the gangs. He never thought about a life outside of crime. He shook his head no. He turned and started to walk away. Suddenly, Danny grabbed him by the arm. He pulled him into a tight hug. 

“Paul. Promise me. Promise me here and now you'll find something to live for. Promise that you'll leave that life behind and start living for yourself. Promise me, Paul,” he said. 

Slowly, Paul hugged Danny back. 

With tears in his eyes he said, “I promise, Dan. I promise.” 

*Present Day*

The gun dropped from Paulie’s hand. Steve and the assassin’s turned to him. 

“Paulie?” Steve asked, concerned. 

Paulie was shaking. He could feel tears coming from his eye. He was looking down at his hands, a thousand thoughts running through his head. 

“I…I did it,” he whispered, “Without even trying, I did it.” 

“What? Paulie, you're starting to scare me. What's the matter?” Steve asked. 

But Paulie didn't answer. His mind was still racing. He was finally thinking about how far he had come from his old life. How could he have forgotten about how hard he fought to build the hotel? Fighting to prove an imp could run a good hotel. Hiring imps, succubi, and hellhounds to work for him and fighting to make sure his workers got their fair wages. He had changed his name and planned on starting a front business to build a new gang to go after Crimson, sure. But somewhere along the way, it became more of a fight to have the hotel. To have his hotel. He began shaking as he took a step back.

“I can't go back,” he said, “Not after coming so far.”

He stumbled and fell backwards against a box. Steve quickly ran over to him. He kneeled down and leaned over Paulie, holding his shoulders.

“Paulie, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Steve asked, urgently.

Paulie looked up to Steve. He was crying from his good eye. 

“Steve…we can't go back. I can't go back,” he said. 

Steve said, “Paulie, for Satan’s sake, now is not the time to lose your nerve.”

“I haven't lost anything,” Paulie said, “I'm just realizing how much I actually have to lose.”

“What?” Steve asked. 

“The hotel, our reputation, our workers, everything we've built over the last few years. We can't throw it all away,” Paulie said.

Steve points to the bound pair of imps.

“Does it look like we have a choice now?” he asked.

Paul looked around to the imps. 

He said, “Well, we could let them off with a warning. We could just throw them into Greed and tell-”

Steven lifts Paulie to his feet.

“Paulie, listen to yourself! If we let them go, Crimson will send people to kill us! Or worse!” Steve shouted. 

“So, we can use them as bargaining chips then!” Paulie said, “Crimson may promise to leave us alone if we guarantee their safety.”

Steve groaned, “There's no way he'll-”

Suddenly, they heard the sound of cocking guns. The two looked behind them to see the assassins were now pointing handguns at them and at the bound imps. #1 stepped forward. 

“I'm sorry, but did you just say ‘Crimson?’ he asked, “As in ‘one of the most dangerous and psychotic crime bosses in Greed.’ That Crimson?”

Steve turned to face them and said, “What the fuck do you think you're doing?” 

#1 said, “Answer the question.” 

Paulie said, “Yeah, we did. So what?” 

#1 laughed, “And what? Did you two used to work for him?” 

Paulie ran his fingers over his eye, “We crossed paths. Why? Do you think you'll get some kind of reward for turning us in and saving his son?” 

The group laughed. 

#1 asked, “And you said you were out of the loop for how long?”

Paulie said, “Ten years.” 

Now, the group started laughing even harder. 

“Ten years?! You dumb fucks.” #1 said, “I had a feeling you two were out of touch, but I didn’t think it was this bad.” 

Steve said, “What the fuck are you babbling about?” 

#1 said, “I’m talking about how if either of you still had any contacts in the underworld, you’d know that Crimson has a bounty on his son.” 

Paulie was stunned, “What?” 

“Oh, yeah. Big bounty,” #1 said, “One that triples what you two are paying us.” 

“Quatriples,” #2 said. 

“Yeah? Well, regardless of how much it is, I don't think we'll be sharing it with either of you,” #1 said. 

#1 then pointed his gun directly at Paulie. Paulie stared at the gun. He thought about how stupid he had been. If he hadn't panicked when Crimson’s son arrived, he would've checked him out and found out about that bounty. Now, despite everything he did to save his own neck, he was going to die anyway. 

“Ma was right,” he thought. 

Suddenly, something was shot through one of the windows. The assassin’s turned as something else came through. Then, smoke began to fill the place up. In the confusion, Steve pulled Paul away and hid behind some crates. 

#1 shouted, “Smoke grenades!” 

#4 asked, “It can't be Crimson’s men, can it?” 

“Whoever it is, keep your eyes open!” #1 said. 

#3 and #4 stepped back from the tied up imps as the smoke got thicker, leaving #2 to guard them. They all switched their goggles to infrared sight and looked around. #1 turned and saw Steve and Paulie trying to make their way to an exit. He started shooting at them. Paulie pushed Steve behind a crate while he dove behind another. The duo covered their mouths to protect themselves from the smoke as best they could. #2 looked around to see if anyone was trying to come and save the tied up imps. He suddenly saw something coming at him from the right. It was fast and had something in its hands. Possibly a weapon of some kind, maybe a bat or club. #2 turned to shoot it, but it was faster. He tried backing away, but the thing sped up and swung at him again. #2 grabbed its weapon and tried to pull it out of the thing's hand. He noticed too late that the weapon wasn't a club, but some kind of riot gun. He barely heard it go off before he felt the agonizing pain of a beanbag hitting him in the stomach. #3 turned and fired his gun at the thing as #2 fell to the floor. It dodged and rolled behind a crate. #3 shot at the crate, but something knocked the gun out of his hands. He turned to see a different thing, swinging an extended collapsible baton at gim. It swung the baton at #3s head, but he jumped away fast enough. He jumped back again and again as the thing swung at him. #3 jumped over the thing, got his gun back, and started shooting. The thing dodged the bullets by rolling to the left. #3 looked around for the thing. The first thing that downed #2 darted towards him with the riot gun raised. #3 started shooting, but his gun was knocked out of his hands by another thing wielding two tonfa. Before he could react, his mask was suddenly pulled off from behind. He started coughing hard as the smoke filled his sensitive nose and eyes. He felt something hit his leg hard, bringing him down to one knee. He was then hit hard in the face, knocking him out. Before he passed out, he felt someone put back on his mask. Having watched two of her team go down very quickly and not wanting to met the same fate, #4 dropped her gun and flew for a window. The baton wielding attacker quickly jumped up into #4’s path and tackled her. The two fell to the ground and rolled. #4 raised her arms up as the baton wielding thing stood up. 

#4 said, “I give up! I give up! Please, don't ki-”

The one with the riot gun had snuck up behind her and tased her in the neck. She silently fell to the ground. #1 turned around and saw all his team was down. The three attackers stood over #4's body. As the smoke cleared, he saw they were also wearing suits and masks. Two of them were shorter than the third. One of the short ones had the riot gun while the other had the tonfa. The tall one playfully juggled the baton in its hand. #1 tried to shoot at them, but Steve tackled him and tried to grab his gun. Steve's eyes were still stinging from the smoke, but he fought hard. However, #1 was better prepared and rolled them both over. He landed on top of Steve's chest and pointed his gun in his face. But before he could pull the trigger, the attacker with the tonfa charged him. It knocked the gun away and hooked one of the tonfa under #1's arm. It pulled him off Steve and threw him to the side. #1 rolled for a bit before the attacker dropped the tonfa and tackled him. They grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back. Before #1 could react, they zip-tied his hands together. He pulled at them, but it was no use. He looked up and saw the other attackers standing over him. The one on his back got off and brushed itself off. 

Suddenly, it said to him in a very cheerful southern voice, “And that's how you do live captures, rookie.” 

Paulie walked over and helped Steve up. They looked over the the assassin’s and saw they were still alive, just in a lot of pain. Paulie  turned to their rescuers as #1 kept struggling in his bonds. 

Paulie asked, “Who are you?” 

The three took off their masks. Paulie was stunned. Steve pointed at them both.

“It's you!” Steve said, “Crimson’s son and his wife! But why-” 

“Since you seem to have forgotten it, my name is Moxxie,” Moxxie said with a huff, “This is my wife, Millie and our limo driver, Rebecca.” 

“Call my Becky,” the taller imp said with a smile. 

“Wait… then who are they?” Steve asked, pointing at the imps still tied to the chairs. 

Millie walked over to the two bound imps and shrugged. 

“Dunno. We just invited them to our room as decoy’s,” she said. 

She pulled the bags off their heads. The man imp was still crying, but the lady imp looked pissed off. 

“We’re sorry, but at least you two are okay,” Millie said. 

Paulie turned to Crimson’s… turned to Moxxie and asked, “You knew we were trying to capture you? How?” 

Moxxie said, “Well, when we were ambushed on our trip a few days ago, we searched the bodies and found out you ordered the attack. I had to talk Millie out of killing you until we figured out why. So, that night, I snuck in and bugged your office. We…uh… were planning on killing you here until we heard you change your plans for us. But then you said you couldn’t kill… well, me. I want to know what happened. What did Crimson do to you?” 

Paulie hung his head and sighed. Where to start? Becky stepped forward. 

She asked, “Why don’t we table that talk for now and take care of these guys?” 

 Becky pointed to the assassin’s. Moxxie stepped over to #1. 

He said, “From one group of assassin’s to another, why don’t we let bygones be bygones and forget this whole thing happened?” 

#1 growled, “Bygones? I'll show you bygones, you little fuck! Forget the bounty! We're going to track you down and-” 

Suddenly, Millie pulled his head up with one of his horns and put a knife to his throat. 

“Then again, we can just call this one a wash,” #1 whimpered. 

Milkie turned to the others, “And the rest of you?” 

#2 slowly and painfully put his hand up, giving a quick thumbs up. 

#3 groan out a quick, “Yeah, whatever.” 

“I was just doing this to pay off student loans,” #4 whined as she rubbed her neck. 

Millie let #1 go and turned to Becky. 

She said, “Why don’t you take Mr Gorger and the hostages back to the hotel in your car. We need to have a talk with Mr Fleshfire here.” 

Becky smiled, “Sure thing. I’ll see you guys again, right?”