You know, when Charlie heard there was going to be a new patron at the hotel, she didn't think this was his reason for being here…
Of course, Charlie was hoping that perhaps this was some type of misunderstanding.
After all, what child wanted to hear how their parents kidnapped someone they knew for seemingly no reason? She was in disbelief and was weary at this newfound wanted to keep an open mind and hoped that perhaps this was a misconstruction of events as she couldn't think of a reason for why her father would do such a thing. At least, that was what she was telling herself.
Still, when Baxter asked her to call a group meeting to inform the hotel, she did so, calling out to all the residents to meet at the lobby. By now, everyone had gathered around the area with concerned/weary expressions on their faces, most notably Vox, Velvet and Alastor, the latter who seemed to be fidgeting slightly with worry.
"So what is this about?" Vox growled,"And why is the fish nerd here? I thought you were just going to crawl back into that stupid lab of yours once the show was over…"
"I was…" Baxter retorted,"But I believe this issue has forced me to come out of my hiding spot. As you are aware, Volastor has been missing for over a week…"
"Do you know where he is!?" Velvet asked urgently,"He won't answer my texts! Tell me you know where he is cuz I'm gonna have a word with him for ignoring me!"
"He isn't ignoring you, Velvet!" Baxter hissed,"He's been fucking kidnapped, he can't answer you if he wanted to!"
There was a moment of silence, as if everyone present had been put under a trance. After a few seconds, Alastor was the first to recover from the shock, eyes snapping awake.
"Kidnapped!?" Alastor shouted, eyes wide in disbelief,"That doesn't sound right. How could anyone kidnap him? He's stronger than almost everyone…"
"We got ambushed at the elevator to the rings," The angler replied,"Vol and I were about to go our separate ways until Cherri Bitch hit us with a bomb filled with drugs to subdue him."
"Cherri?" Angel asked, eyes widening for a moment,"I haven't heard from her in ages...Why the fuck would she do that? That doesn't sound like her…"
"Actually it does," Vox said,"I remember when I first heard of Vol, it was on the news. Vol helped Pentious gain all of Cherri's territory by driving her off. When I talked to him about it, he said he was defending himself since he just so happened to be staying with Pentious when they engaged in a turf war. Apparently Cherri must not have forgotten about that when she went into hiding and has been looking for a chance to get revenge…"
Pentious shifted awkwardly in his seat, a ball of guilt welling up inside of him. After all this time, it seems that Vol saving him from Cherri earlier put a target on his back….
"Well she chose the wrong person to get revenge on!" Velvet huffed,"I'll find that bitch and cut her arms off with my axe for daring to take my boyfriend away from me!"
"It's not just Cherri, Velvet!" Baxter said,"Valentino and some other demons are involved as well. It's the reason the ambush even worked, the drugs Val used were in Cherri's bomb, likely specifically designed just for him as to avoid him fighting back."
"Shit!" Vox cursed,"I knew Val couldn't stay dead for good! That son of a bitch can't learn when to quit!"
"Woah woah, now, this is starting to sound crazy," Angel said,"Cherri would NEVER work with Val. NEVER. She fucking hates him and I know damn well the feeling is mutual on his part. They'd sooner kill each other before they work alongside each other! You must have the wrong Cherri, there's no way that's her."
"I saw her with my own eyes, it was the real Cherri alright! The same one-eyed psycho throwing bombs at people like she always does!" Baxter exclaimed,"I know she's your friend, Angel, but she's clearly changed and she's not the same person you used to know! She's willing to work alongside someone she hates just to get to Vol, what does that tell you about her!? That she's clearly lost whatever sanity she has and she's out for blood, that's what!"
"No...No...That can't be...There's gotta be a reason Cherri would do this…"
"Revenge," Vox clarified,"That's why. The bitch is so bitter over losing her territory that she's willing to team up with Val and some other freaks to get it! That's what she's after and as a result, she has become the enemy! She's no longer your friend,Angel, which is why we can't just sit her and debate why she's like this, and focus on what our next move is!"
"Maybe we can bargain!" Velvet suggested,"I don't wanna go up against Big Vee. I really don't. Maybe if we give them money, we can get Vol back to us unharmed…"
"How much money do you think he'd want?" Vox asked,"Because I'm willing to pay this ransom if it means we can have him back at the hotel."
"Who knows, millions, possibly billions given how Val is…"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but that won't work anyway!" Baxter said,"Vox, Velvet, I know you guys are rich, but I don't think you understand that Vol hasn't just been kidnapped by those people for fun. They are aligned with Lucifer, and I doubt Lucifer is interested in bargaining with anyone, especially considering he's the richest fucker in this entire Sector! Lucifer had them kidnap Vol for his own purposes and while I'm not certain why, the reason is probably something we don't want to know!"
Vox clenched his fist,"Are you fucking serious!? Lucifer is behind this!? Why didn't you say anything earlier!? Why did you choose to wait an ENTIRE WEEK just to tell us this crucial information!? Do you realize how much time we wasted, not knowing what happened to Vol!? Why did you only decide now to come out about this!? We could've tried to save him had you just gone to us earlier!? Now there's nothing we can do about this!"
"Because I'm trying not to get everyone killed!" Baxter shouted,"Do you realize how guarded Lucifer's mansion is? The man has an entire army of people at his side, if you try to rescue Vol upfront, he'll just have you shot with angelic weapons! We can't take that risk! It's why I've been trying to find a way for us to get in without alerting Lucifer's army of psychopaths!"
"Wait, are you trying to get US involved in this?" Vaggie asked,"That's crazy, what the hell do you expect us to do against Lucifer's army? Do you realize how many people guard that place, we'll just get ourselves killed and knowing Lucifer, he probably has his men carry holy weapons, meaning we're double-dead if we get hurt!"
"I know, but I need to rescue Volastor!" Baxter exclaimed,"And I can't do it alone!"
Vaggie scoffed,"Well you've got the wrong people for this, none of us can stand a chance against Lucifer! No one here could harm him except Charlie, and we all know Charlie isn't going to do that, so what the hell do you think coming here with your suicidal plan is going to help!? You'll just get us all killed!"
"Yeah, I don't think there's anything we can do about this," Niffty mumbled,"This is way out of our league…."
"Sorry kid, but I don't think any of us can help you here…" Husk replied,"Nothing we can do at this point…"
Alastor looked away,"Dammit...I can't believe this...I feel...helpless…"
"Fucking hell," Vox grumbled.
The air of defeat clouded the atmosphere. Nobody knew what to do at this point, Baxter himself slumping in his chair. His plan couldn't even get off the ground, everyone was too scared to aid him upon hearing Lucifer was responsible for Vol's kidnapping.
"Ugh!" Baxter groaned,"Fine. Since no one wants to help, I'll do it myself, even if it gets me killed. At least unlike some people, I'm gonna fucking try!" Baxter stood up and prepared to leave, but was cut off when another voice said,
"Wait. I'm going too…"
Everyone looked up and saw Pentious offering a hand. Baxter turned to him in disbelief,"Huh?"
"You heard me, Baxter. I said that I'm going with you…"
"Wait really?"
"Yes," The snake demon said,"Your words resonated with me and honestly, I feel this situation is partly my fault. Had I not engaged Cherri in a turf war, perhaps Vol wouldn't have been caught in the first place. While I can't go back and save him, I can at least try in vain to save him alongside someone else…"
"But it'll only be just the two of us…"
"I have an army of eggs, they may not be your average soldier, but they can at least provide some type of resistance…."
"Are you sure? If you go, you know you won't be coming back…"
"I'm fine with that," Pentious shrugged,"Not like I'm doing anything else with my life. I'm already dead, may as well die trying to save a friend…"
"Not without me you ain't," Velvet huffed,"I'm going too. I ain't letting anyone take one of my boyfriends without a fight! I know I ain't much, but I got an axe to grind with these bastards and I ain't afraid to use it."
"Are you three serious!?" Vaggie demanded, the small demon's hair standing on end,"You're just gonna get yourselves killed! Do you not realize what you're doing is impossible!? Thinking you can somehow rescue Vol from LUCIFER!? Have you gone crazy!? That's batshit insane!"
"I am already crazy, silly!" The doll demon chuckled,"But King of Hell or not, I ain't gonna let those bastards get away with what they did, even Val…." She looked away,"I hope I don't gotta fight him, but if I must...I will…"
"So any other takers?" Sir Penitous asked.
There was a small moment of pause before Vox stepped forward, Alastor following after him after a moment's hesitation.
"We're joining the fight as well," Vox replied,"I may not have had the courage before, but now that I think about it, I realize I'd be doing Vol a huge disservice if I stood by and allowed this to slide. While we had a rocky start, he's grown onto me over time and he has helped me in the past. Without him, I'd probably still be with Val..." His sentence trailed eye, gaze averting at that last part.
"Indeed, and let's not act like you're the only person he's helped, what about you, Angel? Would you be free had Vol not burned down Valentino's Studio?"
"No...I wouldn't…."
"So what do you think that means? Do you care if Vol is harmed? Because I do remember you being highly grateful to him for freeing you from Valentino. Tell me, which is more important, your friendship with a woman who kidnapped your savior or your savior? The choice is yours, Angel, because while your help would be appreciated, I'm certain others would be willing to help us in our case…"
Angel Dust stared at Alastor, his expression unreadable as he took in the shorter demon's words. Slowly, but surely, Angel made his decision…
The spider rose to his feet and walked over onto their side at a slowed pace. When he did so, Husk and Niffty moved as well, leaving only Charlie and Vaggie still sitting, much to the moth demon's disbelief,
"Hey, hey, hey! Just what the fuck do you guys think you're doing!? Did you just forget what I just said!? This is a suicide mission!"
"Babe, we know that," Angel replied flatly,"Look toots, I get you're looking out for us, but we know what we're doing. We ain't children. We know what we're doing probably ain't gonna work, but we at least gotta try. Ain't that what 'friends' are for? Ain't that a 'redeeming' quality? The whole point of this hotel is supposed to bring out the good in demons, and guess what? This situation brought demons from all backgrounds together for one common goal. Even Vox and Alastor, two demons who hate each other, are willing to work together just this once for another person. Ain't that what friends are for?"
"Yeah, isn't it?" Baxter inquired,"We know what we're doing is crazy, but that doesn't mean we're not going to do it, even if it involves taking on the King Of Hell himself."
"I ain't a fan of taking on Lucifer," Husk admitted,"But if Al is going anywhere, I ain't gonna stray too far behind, no matter how loony the idea is."
"Yeah!" Niffty said,"It's better we all die trying than to sit back and let things happen! We're all gonna do this together!"
"What about you, Charlie? Aren't you going to help us? I find it strange you've been quiet this entire time, especially in a situation like this..." Vox stated.
Charlie shrank a little,"Vox...I...I can't…"
The TV Demon blanked,"What!? What do you mean you can't?"
"I just can't…."
Vox narrowed his eyes before frowning,"Oh I see..You're scared of your father, aren't you? That's why you don't want it to come with us...Because you know you'll have to confront him."
"It's not that-"
"Then what is it!?" Vox shouted,"What the hell is it, princess? What is holding you back? Is it because you're scared of Daddy's judgement? Is that why? Because if so, I have to admit, that's kind of disappointing…"
"Hey! Shut up!" Vaggie hissed,"You don't know what you're talking about, asshole! You have no right to judge her!"
"I may not, but that won't stop me from accessing the situation. I get that Charlie is scared of Lucifer, but do you think the rest of them aren't? Everyone here fears Lucifer, even I do. You know why? Because that fucker is the head-honcho of this eternal realm of suffering and his angelic powers make him this revered force of nature that you have to suck up to in hopes he doesn't obliterate your ass. For years, all of us have been forced to kneel to this bastard and praise him to high heaven so that he is satisfied, so he won't kill us at the drop of a hat." Vox then sighed, noting the betrayed look in Charlie's eyes, as if she was still coming to terms with what happened,"You thought your father was better than this, huh, Charlie? Well I'm telling you now, he isn't. He really fucking isn't it. I know you don't see that brutal side of your father often, probably because that bastard actually values you enough to try and reign his fury in, but I know that Lucifer is nothing more than a paranoid man-child who acts poised in the face of things, but once you delve past the suave and faux affable facade, you start to see monster inside. I know you care about that bastard, but you have to acknowledge your father is a paranoid jackass who's incapable of acknowledging his faults to the point of madness! He is a mad-man and he NEEDS to be stopped! Can you at least acknowledge that?"
The princess didn't move, merely putting her head down.
"Figures…" Vox huffed,"Just know this, princess. This may look like a pointless effort, and for all intents and purposes, this rescue mission could end up being a failure that results in our demise, but you know what? I'll accept that, because I can't stand the idea of having to bite my tongue around this kidnapping, arrogant, no good asshole anymore! I wasn't allowed to say it to his face, but I ALWAYS hated that pompous fucker, the fact none of us were strong enough to do anything about him drove me mad. Had this been a normal situation, I'd just bite my tongue, but I can't stand Lucifer's behavior any longer, he's gotten away with too much and I won't stand by and let him take my friend without a fight! I know this is fucking hopeless, but I'm sure you know the feeling considering the point of this hotel is considered impossible as well. Fucking redemption in Hell, a premise so ludicrous that I fucking laughed when I heard about it. While I still think its fucking absurd, I'll at least give you credit for taking a stand for your beliefs. That's more credit than most demons, including your parents, would give you…"
Charlie stared at Vox with wide eyes, refusing to say anything at his statement.
Vox then turned his attention to the others, ignoring their shocked expressions,"Alright, Baxter. What's the plan? How are we going to go about this? I hope you didn't come here without a plan for us…"
"I did, that's why I spent a week in my lab preparing for this…" Baxter admitted,"If we even want to stand a chance, we'll have to get to Lucifer's mansion undetected…"
"How do we do that?" Husk asked,"Lucifer has his entire mansion guarded by loads of people, we'll never be able to get in…"
"That's why we have to go underground. There's an underground entrance that will lead us to Lucifer's palace. It's been abandoned for several years, but considering the place hasn't collapsed on itself, I say it's our only viable option of getting to the mansion without getting ambushed."
"That sounds like it could actually work," Niffty mumbled,"Though I don't really like caves...They're all dusty and stuff."
"Dust is going to be the least of our problems, darling," Alastor assured,"Still, with that in mind, shouldn't we grab weapons? On the off-chance anyone finds out we're there, we should prepare ourselves…"
"I already got myself weapons," Baxter said,"What about you guys?"
"I'm sure everyone has weapons in their rooms," Angel said.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Husk asked,"Let's go suit up, everyone…"
Baxter nodded,"I'll be waiting for everyone outside, don't take over an hour please, time is precious you know…"
Everyone nodded before all the residents moved to their rooms to prepare for the upcoming battle.
Vaggie put her hand on Charlie's shoulder,"Hun, are you alright?"
"J-Just fine, Vaggie. I just…didn't think...my dad would do that. I don't get why he would. I thought he was better than that…"
"Sometimes our parents aren't the super awesome people we always thought they were. It's alright to be this disappointed, Charlie. I know I am…"
" I just…." She sobbed, tears flowing down her face,"Don't get it...D-Do you think he's right, Vaggie?"
"Whose right?"
"Vox...Do you think he was telling the truth about my dad? I don't wanna think he could be like this but the evidence is stacking up…"
Vaggie cringed, not knowing what to say,"I'm not going to say he isn't, Charlie…"
Charlie slumped over, shaking her head,"I-I can't believe it, Vaggie...I don't get why he would do that…And now everyone is going off to try and save Volastor from him, even at the expense of their own lives...I just...don't understand..."
"Neither can I, Hun...But don't worry, no matter what, I'm gonna stay with you, you know that? Even if everyone else leaves for this...mission, I'll stay with you. "
"Mhm…."
Vaggie watched as Charlie buried her head in her chest, quietly sobbing. She could do nothing but pat her girlfriend on the shoulder with a sombre gaze. The things she did for love...
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Mitsuru6: Baxter was making a plan to bust inside Lucifer's quarters and spent a weak getting weapons and preparing/researching, as explained in this chapter.