Chapter 3: The Factory

It took Moxxie a while to wake up. Every part of his body was in pain and opening his eyes was difficult at first. Once his eyes got used to the darkness, he studied his surroundings. If it weren't for the fact, that imps could see in the dark, he would be just as helpless as a blind man without his stick.

He was in a tunnel, that was crudely dug underneath the house and barely large enough for him to crawl through. Right behind him he saw a ladder leading up to the escape hatch, its opening covered by rubble and debris.

Moxxie took a look at his hands, sore and covered a bit by his own blood and thought about Jamie. An image of the sinner, who he owed his life, flashed in his mind only the be replaced by the blue, sadistic smile, that almost got him as well. He couldn't help, but to fell guilt and shame. He may be an assassin and a spawn of hell, but even he had his morals and values. Whether it was killing innocent people or committing acts of pure cruelty, there were things that he had always looked down upon, even though it made him the laughingstock of most of his peers.

But the imp didn't care. This sinner saved his life, even though he was under no obligation to do so. And for his kindness he paid with his eternal afterlife.

He cursed himself. He could have saved him, he could have done something. This wasn't the first time he had to look death in the eye and yet he failed. None of this would have happened, if he didn't got mugged in the first place. Jamie might have lived, if he wasn't so weak.

So often he had been brutally reminded, that he wasn't as strong or tough as most other demons and for this he found himself being the victim at the hands of those that were, time and time again.

The imp snapped out of his thoughts, when a pebble landed on his head. At first, he growled in anger, before looking back to where it fell from. The hatch was buried under what was left of the house, but that did not guarantee his safety.

Though being the lowest in heavens hierarchy, even below cherubs, the angels of death known by heaven as exorcists still possessed a lot of strength, especially with the advanced armor they were wearing.

Digging their way through the ruins would be well within their abilities and they were well known to be very resentful. At least according to those who survived to tell about it.

Before he began crawling into the cave, Moxxie glanced one last time at the destroyed building above him and muttered the only thing he could say.

"I'm sorry."

Out of all the places in both hell and the living world he has been to, there were only a hand full of locations in all of creation that Moxxie was more disgusted by. But if someone were to ask him, he would put Imp City's sewers somewhere among the top ten. The moment the tunnel ended and the sewage system began, his lunch had left him right on the spot.

On the one side he was glad to not be exposed to the angels, many exterminators didn't bother to go down here. Despite their skills, or rather because of that, they are well aware of the difficulties of fighting in such enclosed spaces. With too little room to use melee weapons effectively and without the ability to fly, it's overall not worth the trouble for a dime a dozen like him.

The only advantage these long and narrow pipes could provide, would be in a firefight.

Though most of them carry medieval weapons like swords and spears, there are a few that use guns. Unique weapons forged by the greatest craftsmen in heaven, their bullets made from the same angelic steel as any other devine weapon and blessed by seraphs. Such tools of destruction are only carried by the most skilled among them. One hit by it would send the victims soul into oblivion. If the shot itself didn't do the trick right away, the holy energy it released would slowly and painfully do it.

Luckily Moxxie never saw such a weapon with his own eyes, though Blitzo once bragged about owning one, so that wasn't his main concern at the moment.

That were the reapers.

Out of all the creatures one could find underneath Imp City, they were the last anyone would want to encounter. Feral and animalistic, these snake like beast inhabit the darkest corners of the pride ring and have enough strength to rip their victim's limps of with ease. They are the main reason only few were ever hiding down here. Unless of course they are unaware of the threat or left with no choice like Moxxie.

So far however he only encountered some smaller vermin, so he kept moving through the disgusting sewage, that came up to his waist and drenched his favorite clothes.

"Millie is going to kill me for this." He said to himself and chuckled a bit at the thought of what the others might say. Knowing his wife, she would probably hug him so tightly, that he would almost suffocate, then beat the unholy shit out of him for making her worry so much and then embrace him again. Blitzo would surely make fun of him and bring it up every now and then, while Loona would probably post it to her Voxtagram.

Although they had their ups and downs together, he still enjoyed spending time with his colleagues…at least most of the time… or at least sometimes. Blitzo may be a selfish asshole, but the eccentric imp still viewed everyone in his company as part of his family and treated them as such. And while Loona may be rude and a pain to deal with at times, he knew that she still had a decent side behind all her flaws.

They have gone through a lot of hardships, faced all kinds of foes, but they have always done so together and they all knew that they could count on each other. The thought of it brought a smile on his face and strengthened his will to return to them…

Suddenly the tunnel began to shake all around him and a loud explosion above was heard not far away from him.

…that is, if he survives.

As Moxxie kept moving, aside from the noises of his own movement, it was dead silent.

Every couple hundred feet he came across a drain. Usually, the street above was quiet and he would try to be more silent when walking past it, even more so when he did hear something. Most of the time he could hear footsteps that marched in formation or the occasional scream, that was swiftly silenced.

The few times when he felt that it was somewhat safe, he mustered up the courage to look outside and get a sense of direction. Whenever he got a glimpse of the outside world, he would usually see streets he did not recognize, littered with bodies.

At one point however, the imp looked outside and saw what looked like the aftermath of a battle. Since those were nothing unusual, especially during Extermination Day, Moxxie was about to carry on, when some of the damage caught his attention.

Among the destroyed vehicles, bullet holes and havoc in general, there was one spot that appeared, as if a nuclear bomb had been detonated. The buildings were charred, the cars melted down and there was a crater in the middle of this carnage, from where the source of all of this originated.

Moxxie had seen this kind of devastation before in his career. While the exterminator's armor was capable to withstand extreme damage, there was one thing that no holy relic could offer any protection from and that was hellfire.

While many humans believe that hell is a place filled to the brim with fire, that is merely a misconception created by mortals. However, in the deepest pits of the lowest rings of hell, are lakes and oceans of fire with flames, fueled by the sins of all beings, that burn with an intensity unparalleled by most things in the known universe.

With this being hell of course, it came to no one's surprise, when some alchemist from the heresy ring found a way to weaponize it, though the process is highly complex.

Primarily used against the forces of heaven as a way to mock them, these weapons not only have the ability to kill an angel, they have a very vile side effect as well, if said angel survives.

Since the flames are fueled by nothing but sin, its fire taints the victim's soul beyond ascension, thus barring any angel from setting foot in heaven ever again and dooming it to an eternity in hell, slowly getting corrupted and twisted by their darkest emotions and desires. And all it takes is for one single flame to touch its target.

As Moxxie was about to continue, his ears faintly picked up something in the distance. At first, he thought not much of it, most likely it was just another one of hells rats. But as the seconds progressed, the sound became louder and it became clear that it was moving in his direction.

The imp stepped away from the drain and looked down the tunnel, where the noise was coming from. Narrowing his eyes, he saw a large silhouette far off in the distance, but couldn't see any details. Soon however the sound echoed through the sewers loud enough for him to hear clearly. A rattle, like that of a snake, combined with deep growl of a large predator.

"Oh crumbs…" Moxxie said, as he turned his back and moved away from it.

It seemed that his pursuer saw him as well, because the imp noticed how the sounds were suddenly becoming louder, to which Moxxie quickly increased his pace as well.

But that was easier said than done. The water was still going up to his waist, in some areas even higher than that and his pursuer was still closing in on him. He tried to swim instead, but there wasn't enough room for that and he never really learned how to swim as well. As he turned a corner, Moxxie spotted a ladder leading to an opening. From what he saw through a hole in the lid, it did not lead out onto the streets, but into a building.

At first, he was hesitant to use it. He had no idea where it might lead to, but the imp abandoned all concerns, when the rattling was almost right behind him.

So, without care or caution, he climbed up and hastily pushed the lid out of his way.

Practically launching himself out of the hole like a missile, Moxxie felt the cold concrete floor he was on and nearly crashed head first into a large crate in front of him.

Looking back at the manhole he came from, the rattling was still coming closer. He grabbed the rather light lid and threw it back to its place, but if it wasn't much of an obstacle for him, it would not stop that creature and outrunning it wasn't going to keep him safe for long.

He crawled away, not taking his eyes of the lid, until his back came into contact with the crate he almost collided. It was made out of steel and was filled with scrap metal. Normally it would be too heavy for him to move, if it weren't for the fact that it was mounted on wheels.

Taking this opportunity, he ran behind it, released the brakes and pushed.

The entire thing had to weigh at least as much as a tank, at least that's what it felt like to him. He tried to push with all his strength, his feet slipping over the floor, without the crate moving a bit. The small imp was about to abandon the idea, when he felt the crate slowly moving and the wheels let out an ear piercing squeak as they rolled. Motivated by his success, he carried on, inch by inch it moved.

Then he had pushed it over the hole at last and swiftly hit the brakes.

The moment he stopped, the lid smashed against the bottom of the crate, but it did not move one bit, as Moxxie jumped away with a scream escaping his throat.

Immediately the lid shot from underneath the crate like a projectile, narrowly missing Moxxie in the process. The imp screamed as a long, pale and muscular arm tried to reach out to him, with its three razor sharp claws ready to strike and the attacker roaring. For a while it tried to grab the imp, or at the very least harm him to no avail, before it realized that its attempts were in vain. Its arm disappeared back into the sewers with the rattling noise slowly fading away.

Stunned in silence, Moxxie tried to calm down. His heart was still beating frantically and he was breathing heavily. Noticing that he still had no idea where he was, the imp looked around him.

He was standing in the middle of a massive hall, surrounded by huge and fairly modern, industrial machinery. The windows were made from frosted glass, letting only a fraction of the moons light in the otherwise dark building. By all means this place seemed as if it was fully operational. Tools and other utilities were lying on varies workstations alongside some of the manufactured goods. After closer inspection, the imp assassin recognized some of these. There were Rifled barrels, triggers, stocks and several other small components, he was all too familiar with.

"An arms factory?" Moxxie whispered quietly to himself, before his mood changed and a smile appeared on his face. "Maybe I'll have some luck today."

Moxxie started to explore the area, moving silently to avoid detection, in case he was not alone and hoped to find anything of value.

But little did he knew, that from another drain on the other side of the hall, he was already being watched, his stalker rattling as it observed his every move.

This place was far larger, than he first expected. There were several massive complexes and halls, each connected through a series of hallways and corridors. Despite it being so massive, Moxxie was a bit surprised, that he hasn't encountered anyone so far, neither demon nor angel. At least that wouldn't be a problem he had worry about. But even after walking through almost every room, he couldn't find any weapons, knifes or even a single bullet. Not even in the warehouse.

Walking through this factory brought some old memories back. He used to work at a place like this, years ago, long before he met Millie or Blitzo. Working there was a miserable experience. The pay was awful, the hours long, HR was the worst and it was overall just terrible. While he was happy that he never had to deal with any of this since the day he was fired, because his manager wanted to cut cost, he was still on the streets with no job, income or prospects for him. Never did he experienced such a low point in his life before, until he met Blitzo.

To this day Moxxie has no idea why his current boss helped him out, but he offered him work, when he needed it. A chance to start anew and a life where he would ultimately meet Millie and marry her.

While his relationship with Blitzo had its moments where Moxxie really wanted to put a bullet up his boss's backside, he was still grateful for all the things he did for him. Also, Moxxie could never get the thought out of his head, that Blitzo always meant it when he called Millie and him his family. And deep down, he kind of saw him as that as well in a weird way, though he would probably never outright admit it.

The imp stopped his search, when he found something unusual.

Inside one of the production halls he found a large rectangular door, like the ones present at bomb shelters. The most striking feature was, that it seemed like it was further reinforced with dark magic and cursed. Such protective measures were not only effective at keeping out many of hell's denizens, but even for angels it would be challenging to breaching it. While not impenetrable, it would take at least a fully dedicated team of angels to open it by force and it could take them as much as whole day to accomplish it. During the extermination, it would be a safe haven.

But such things were difficult to make and could only be afforded by the richest of demons in hell. Seeing it here in a factory like this wasn't something one should expect. Whatever was in there, it had to be valuable, or at least it would provide him with relative safety.

"There has to be a way to open it." Moxxie said.

After taking another look, he did find a keycard reader next to it.

Moxxie thought about his options at the moment. There were a few offices, but the chances of a spare keycard just lying around somewhere seemed remote. His thoughts were interrupted, when the imp heard footsteps coming towards him and someone shouting at him.

"Hey! You!"

Looking to his right, where the noise came from, he saw an imp around his height, dressed in gray combat gear and wearing a helmet with two horns sticking out of it. And his face was concealed by a mask in the same gray color, with a red pentagram painted on it.

It was obvious to Moxxie what that was: A hell sentinel.

Hell sentinels were established shortly after the first extermination began. Intended to combat the angels and defending the denizens of hell, this militia has always consisted of volunteers from all ranks of hell, with the common folk making up most of their soldiers. Their armor being very similar in design with that of their enemy as a reminder to heaven, that hell's citizens will always resist their genocide. However, with the exterminations continuing, it became clear that they were not able to effectively defend their kind and their once proud soldiers became more and more irrelevant. Today they are but mere bounty hunters, with their only target being the exterminators, who simply steal the angel's armor and weapons upon defeating them, to sell them at a high price. A highly paying profession, but with a high risk as well.

For Moxxie however, it became quickly clear that the sentinel was not on his side, as the sentinel was raising a suppressed M4.

Without warning, he fired multiple rounds that would have otherwise hit Moxxie, if he didn't immediately duck and ran in the opposite direction, the bullets repelling off the blast door.

Moxxie fled from his fellow demon, sometimes hearing a few shots flying past him. His clothes were still wet from the sewers and thus slowed him down a bit. It also didn't help that he left a trail of sewage behind him. He didn't really knew where exactly he was going, as long as it upheld the hope of surviving a little longer, he kept running.

Almost having returned to where he first came from, Moxxie managed to shake off the sentinel, until he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw something coming from around a corner before him.

Starring down upon him was a massive snake, four times as long as he was tall. Its large, humanoid head was covered with black scales, in contrast to its otherwise pale and leathery body. Its sharp spikes ran from its head all the way down to its tail and its arms with three long claws each were as thick as Moxxie's skull.

The reaper hissed and rattled upon finally having fund its prey and slithered with its snake like anatomy towards Moxxie, while it used its arms to drag itself forward.

Needless to say, the defenseless imp made a full turn and ran for it. He may be a lot faster on foot than the reaper, but he could not run forever and this beast was not the only one casing him.

Eventually he arrived at an intersection within the hallways, connecting each building. Behind him was the reaper, in front of him was the vault door with the sentinel probably waiting for him, to his left was a glass door leading right outside to the exterminators and to his right was an office complex. His choice was obvious.

The hallway was long and just as dark as the rest of the building, but he could see the pair of wooden doors at the end. The moment he made contact with them, he threw himself against them and landed on the carpet floor. As he was about to stand up, he heard a clicking noise.

"Freeze!"

Moxxies eyes shoot open and he looked down the barrel of a silencer, inches away from his face. The hell sentinel stood before him and waited for the intruder to react. Moxxie held up his hands and slowly rose up from the floor.

"Look…I-I'm sorry for causing trouble, but we don't have time for this." Moxxie tried to defuse the situation.

Whether through instinct or other reasons, Moxxie was slowly moving to the side, away from the wide opened doors he just came through. The sentinel was still aiming his gun at the imp, instead of ordering him to stop.

"This place is completely locked down. How did you even got in here?" The sentinel asked in a demanding tone.

Moxxie gulped as he slowly kept moving around the militiaman.

"I-I-I was chased a-and I had t-to…" Moxxie stuttered in panic before being cut off.

"Just get to the fucking point." The sentinel barked at him.

By now Moxxie has moved around the hell sentinel in a circle so much, that he now had full view at the doors he just came from, with the sentinel standing right between him and the exit. As he was about to explain himself, Moxxie saw in the middle of the hallway a long, slithering creature moving in almost complete silence towards the two.

"Oh crumbs…" Moxxie muttered, as he pointed into the corridor. "Behind you!"

The sentinel puffed in anger, as if he had been insulted.

"How fucking stupid do you think I am? I will…" That was all he said before he heard the reapers hissing behind him.

The moment he turned around, the snake demon grabbed the sentinel by his throat and lifted him up in the air. He struggled to get free, tried to fire his weapon. Moxxie wanted to help, but all he could do was to watch as the feral beast squeezed its victim's neck and killed him instantly with a loud crack being heard. Throwing the body aside, its gaze turned to Moxxie and it swiped its claws at him.

The imp dodged one attack after another, the reaper slashing anything around them into pieces. Moxxie did everything to slow down his attacker. When he knocked over some shelves to block the monster's way, it just climbed over it like it was nothing. When he threw something he could get his hand on, it simply shrugged it of. When he got behind one of the thin office walls, it tore them down with ease. At one point the imp tripped over a whiteboard, that afterwards fell on top of him. Seeing that the reaper has already reached him and raised it claws to strike, Moxxie grabbed the whiteboard and held it up in front of him, just in time. The paw hit the board with such force, that Moxxie closed his eyes, as he was barely able to hold up his improvised shield. When he opened them, he was greeted by three black claws that went through the board and almost made contact with his face, before the reaper grabbed the board and lifted it up.

Moxxie, still clinging onto the only thing that separated him from the reaper, was now in the air for a brief moment, not sure how to react. Then his attacker spun around and threw the whiteboard with the imp on it across the office.

He landed with a loud thud and rolled a few feet afterwards. Moxxie was about to stand up and leave, when he felt something in his hand. Looking around him, he realized that he had landed next to the dead remains of the hell sentinel, his twisted head facing Moxxie, who's hand was around the weapon's grip.

The reaper closed in on its prey, it wasn't escaping anymore and it was too close to run away now. The struggle it had to go through was now finally worth it. Now it was right behind it, one fast strike and it could feast on its flesh. The reaper raised its strong, bulky arm, when the prey turned on its back and was now looking straight into its eyes.

Moxxie pulled the trigger so tightly, that one could assume he was trying to break it. He hardly noticed the recoil, as he unloaded the entire magazine into the reaper, each shot being silenced by the suppressor. But with Moxxie screaming, nobody would have been able to hear it anyway. His scream stopped when he noticed, that the magazine was emptied. For a moment he lay there, hyperventilating, staring into the reaper's yellow eyes and waited for something to happen.

Then a dark liquid poured out of many holes in its pale body and the hellish snake collapsed next to him.

The exhausted imp dropped the M4 and began to chuckle. That was a close one. But at least he made it.

He turned his head and looked at the dead imp next to him. It was odd to find a sentinel in a place like this. Normally they would move in small groups and hunting lone angels, not guarding a factory like some cheap security guards.

Then the vault door came to his mind.

Moxxie turned the corpse on its back and searched it. To his delight, he did find the small piece of plastic he was hoping for: A keycard.

His eyes sparkled like that of a child on Christmas. This was too good to be true, but it was not the only thing that pleased him.

The sentinel was as tall as Moxxie himself and in a similar shape. So, the imp got rid of some of his drenched clothes and took the armor for himself. Hardly believing his luck, the armor perfectly matched his size, even his horns fitted inside the helmet perfectly. Now with him fully geared up, no one could tell who was underneath it, but that was secondary to him. He finally had some form of protection, a weapon and if his prayers to Satan would be answered, as safe place to stay.

Equipped with enough gear to fight in war and newly found confidence, the imp assassin left the dead body behind and marched through the hallways towards his destination like the warrior he felt at the moment. After he walked past the intersection and towards the vault door, another rattling sound caught his attention. Turning around, he saw how another reaper was making its way towards Moxxie. Those creatures were known to hunt in packs after all. The well armored imp smiled at the predator with glee, as he loaded his gun.

"Now the predator becomes the pray." Moxxie said in a deep voice and chuckled a bit. "Man, it felt good saying that for once."

The reaper has already reached the intersection. Moxxie aimed his weapon at the beast and was ready to fire. But he didn't get the chance to shoot…

The window of the main entrance was shattered by something moving so fast, that it impaled the reapers skull and pinned it to the wall next to it, where it stopped.

Moxxie's eyes widened in horror as he saw what the projectile was.

Though the spearhead was stuck deep within the wall, Moxxie saw how the reaper's life essence was escaping through its wounds, like white glowing smoke. Something only a weapon made from angel steel could cause.

Not long after, footsteps from outside echoed through the building. The spear's owner was coming for their property.

"Oh motherfu-..."

Then the doors were kicked open.

The demon didn't bother to look at the intruder, he simply dashed down the hallway towards the vault door and away from the exterminator.

Reaching his destination, he immediately pulled out the keycard and frantically tried to open the heavy door with it. Almost dropping it at one point, he managed to swipe it through the card reader. A green light lit up, with a green checkmark being displayed.

He smiled and thanked whoever was out there, as the door opened slowly, but not without a loud siren howling, to signal that the door was being opened.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Moxxie cursed, as he could see the shadows of the angels coming closer.

As soon as the door opened barely wide enough for his slim figure, he squeezed himself through, but his armor and gear got stuck, stopping him. Nevertheless, he did not give up, as some of his equipment started to fall off. Then he felt no resistance and he was in. Once inside, the demon wasted no time searching for a way to reseal the door. Seeing a control panel next to it, he smashed a button and the gate ceased all movement, before going back into motion and slowly closing.

For a moment, Moxxie feared that it would be too late. That the gate would not close in time and that they would get him.

But his worst fears did not come true.

The moment the doors were shut tight, the imp let out a sigh of relief and dropped to his knees. It was all too much for him. Days where he was so thrilled like this were a rare occasion, even for an assassin who works with someone like Blitzo. Moxxie sat down and checked his equipment. He lost his weapon and some gear, that was attached to his armor. His gaze turned down towards the tunnel, cursed in the same way as the gate, brightly lit and leading underground.

He may have lost his weapon, but he was still wearing the sentinel's armor and the helmet concealed his face. If he played his cards right, he could stay down there and blend in with however was down with him. The alternative would have been to stay where he was, but if someone found him, they would have quickly exposed his disguise.

Dusting himself off, Moxxie took a deep breath and walked down the tunnel into the unknown.

Outside the door, a group of exterminators gathered before the cursed gate. The demon they have seen had just escaped them and the few snakes they have found so far, hardly put up any resistance. One of the exorcists kneelt down and inspected the belongings the sentinel had lost. They were all useless for them and they were about to exit the facility. But as the first were about to leave, the angel at the gate rose up and showed the others what it has found.

Though it was impossible to see, a malicious smile formed on the exorcists face under its blue facemask and it knew that the other angels must have felt the same way, as they saw what it held in its hand.

A keycard.