"Good morning miss Killjoy." The voice of Vega greeted, as the demon slowly woke from her slumber.
One would assume that being killed would create sensations and emotions that could never be replicated under any other circumstances. But for a person such as Katie who needed to do many things in order to rise to the top, she had quite a selection of past experiences to compare her current one to. Her entire body ached, she felt incredibly nauseous, and everything around her including her own small movements seemed to be in slow motion. If her memories of what had happened to her weren't still fresh in her mind, she might've assumed this was just a hangover or some drugs wearing off.
And while at first it seemed like she wouldn't respond due to her current state, slowly did she force herself into an upright position, doing her best to form some kind of sentence.
"Wha...what...what the fuck..." She groaned, her body seeming to fight against her as if to prevent her from doing anything.
"You are inside of a holding cell within the Slayer's domicile, he is currently dealing with other matters but shall return after he is finished to deal with you." Vega explained.
"Is...that what he's called?..." She managed to get out.
"Yes, I would explain why, but I believe you learned why when he killed you." He replied.
Upon hearing that for but a brief moment her death flashed in her mind, causing her to grip her abdomen and scrunch up her face as the pain was still so clear in her memory.
"Forgive me." He apologized, noticing her reaction, "Despite your death having occurred some time ago the pain must still feel real, this is to be expected given you were killed by the Slayer's personal favorite weapon." He admitted.
"What kind of weapon could cause this much pain?!" She asked with no issue, indicating her recovery was progressing.
"It is referred to as a super shotgun, and while it's name might not seem all too impressive to some, it is by far one of the Slayer's most devastating armaments, especially when utilized at it's most effective range, which is as close to the intended target as possible." He answered.
"If it was a shotgun then how did he stab me? I know I felt something stab me before..." She trailed off, not wanting to remember that specific moment a second time.
"That would be the meat hook attachment to the weapon, it allows him to pull himself closer to his enemies, however this is only when he needs to stay mobile in combat, you did most of the work for him by lunging at the two imps in your studio." He explained.
Falling silent for a moment to simply process what she had just been told, the more she learned about that...THING, the more terrified she became.
"...Where did it come from?" She spoke after a few minutes of thought, looking towards the glass door of her cell, as she didn't know where else to look.
"Are you referring to the super shotgun or the Slayer?" He asked.
"I guess both, but I want to know about the weapon first, because he pulled out another gun I think, some kind of crossbow looking thing..." She tried to remember, finding that her memories even those moments before her death were a bit fuzzy.
"That would be the ballista, an energy based weapon specialized in dealing massive damage to airborne targets, or clearing groups of demons in a single destructive wave, the latter of which he used to make the scaffolding above your studio fall, as for how he summoned both weapons that is made possible due to one of the functions of his suit." He explained.
"What does it do?" She asked.
"To put it simply, this particular function allows him to store things by breaking down their molecular structure, allowing him to carry a great deal of weapons and ammo, additionally this same technology allows him to create specific additional items, such as grenades or holograms, to grant him even more aid in any given combat scenario, it can also be used for general storage of items and materials that do not require much of this function's overall storage, the process is simply reversed when he wishes to summon something." He answered.
Once again falling silent due to the sheer amount of information that was just given to her, while there were many questions she still wanted to ask this voice, one in particular stood out from the rest.
"Hey wait, why're you answering my questions?" She asked with a raised brow, "Everything you've told me so far seems like it'd be pretty important to keep secret, yet here you are just nonchalantly responding to everything I say." She pointed out.
Being met with a small surprise as this time he didn't immediately respond, her surprise would only grow as the door to her cell suddenly opened.
"Miss Killjoy, please step outside your cell." He instructed.
The first thought to come to mind was that this was some kind of trap, or perhaps some way for him to humiliate her for daring to ask such a question. Remaining still and silent on the floor as to call his bluff, the door remained open regardless of how much time went by, meaning that whatever was going on was in fact the answer to her inquiry. Slowly getting to her feet as it had been a good long time since she last stood, once she was certain she would be able to walk without falling over she approached the opening. However, just as she was but a few short inches away from it did she stop, as she wanted to be cautious in case this was still something devious.
Reaching out through the opening to see what would happen, what met her eyes as her arm went through caused her entire body to go numb. Her arm, the moment it was through the doorway, began to disappear. Screaming in horror at what she had just seen she immediately drew her arm back to look it over, finding it completely reformed once it was back inside.
"Miss Killjoy, you. are. dead." Vega told her regaining her attention, "This means that you do not have a body, which might seem obvious especially with how little was left of you, but even so you need to understand that the only reason you are semi corporeal is due to your cell, it allows your soul to be safely housed and without any effort from you take on a form of your choosing, which in most cases is simply the appearance of your previous body, however at any point in time should you leave your cell you will lose your form, if you leave the cell entirely then nothing will be keeping you in this part of the fortress, the soul harvester connected to the ripatorium will automatically take in your soul and you will be confined to the space you were in before you were
placed in this cell, you do remember that don't you?" He asked.
Although in a state of shock due to what she had just seen, his words were not lost on her as he spoke. But it was the very last thing he said that truly stuck with her, for while her death was a memory she wished to have burned away from her mind, she would take that a thousand times over the horrifying creatures she saw after, and the god awful fire that came with them.
"NO! PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" She shouted out, her eyes as wide as could be with tears teetering on their edges, "DON'T SEND ME BACK THERE! PLEASE! FOR THE LOVE OF FUCKING GOD PLEASE DON'T SEND ME BACK TO THOSE FUCKING MONSTERS! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE THEM AGAIN SO LONG AS I FUCKING LIVE!" She insisted.
"Do not worry, so long as you remain in this cell then you have nothing to be concerned about." He assured her, managing to calm her down near instantly with that statement alone, "However if you truly wish to avoid that outcome, I advise that you cooperate with the slayer, showing him that you are of no threat and have no ill intentions will fully ensure your safety." He told her.
"How do I do that? what does he want from me?" She asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, this is the first time that he has ever allowed any demon to remain in a cell rather than just be confined to the soul harvester, however if I were to guess of the possibilities, I would say the likelihood of him wanting you to participate in the hotel's rehabilitation program is quite high." He answered.
"You can't be serious, why of all things would he want me to do that? he fucking killed me for shit's sake." She said.
"True, however he did this solely because you tried to kill the imps he had spared, if you hadn't done that then you wouldn't have been killed, and thus wouldn't find yourself in your current predicament." He reminded.
Feeling a tinge of anger spark inside of her despite his response not being intentionally mean both in tone and it's wording, she quickly extinguished it before it could grow and worsen her already precarious situation.
"Alright fine you've got me there, still does he really think that glorified pet project of that dyke is ACTUALLY going to work?" She questioned, finding that hard to believe.
"If the reasons behind his presence in your Hell to begin with were different then no, but due to the request of a trusted associate he is willing to restrain himself for the time being to see if it is plausible." He told her.
"...Wait, what do you mean by my Hell?..." She asked, as that part specifically stuck out to her.
Unfortunately for the white skinned demon the time for conversation was at it's end, for both of them could hear the slow yet powerful footsteps of the Slayer approaching, resulting in both of them going quiet. Unable to keep herself from feeling fearful and nervous as he approached, there was a small part of her deep in the back of her mind that believed in spite of what the other person had said, there was a strong chance even with cooperation she would be sent back to that dark place. But then her mind went blank, every emotion gone from her soul, and her entire being froze like a statue, for the moment he reached her cell he stopped right outside it's door and just stared at her. For what seemed like an eternity they both stood there, their eyes locked, neither of them moving or even seeming to breathe as if time had been brought to a stop.
Then without warning her cell's door opened and he stepped inside, causing her in response to back away until she was pressed against the wall, and as he came even closer she wished with all her might that this was actually a nightmare, and that she would wake up at any second. Now standing in front of her just as close as he had been back in her studio, the Slayer's unblinking gaze of malice and hatred stared at her with such intensity, that she felt as if it alone would be enough to kill her a second time.
"The Slayer does not trust you." Vega spoke, serving as a translator of sorts for her sake, "He believes it would be best to put you back with the others, regardless of whether or not you are a natural born hell spawn or a human sent to Hell." He explained.
"N-No...p-please...don't s-send me back..." She barely managed to whimper out, her entire soul being crippled by immeasurable fear.
"However, due to his agreement to Lucifer, as well as another party, your fate as it stands is not entirely his decision." He revealed.
In response to this the Slayer held out his hand to her, and in his palm he summoned an object that seemed to be a collar of some kind.
"This is a new device the Slayer requested I develop, although it is the first of it's kind it is a portable version of the technology installed within your cell, if you wear this then you will be able to maintain a semi corporeal form anywhere you go, unfortunately this does not mean you are safe yet, as it will be be the decision of Lucifer, his wife, and their daughter if you deserve a second chance." He explained.
"You...you can't be serious..." She muttered with widened eyes.
"He is, the fact is miss Killjoy your actions in the studio nearly led to the princess's death, combine this with your reputation, your attitude towards the princess and her family, and the attempted murder of those two imps, it only makes sense that either they or the royal family have the ultimate say on what happens to you." He told her.
Although lacking a body Katie still felt her entire being tense up, she began breathing rapidly despite not needing to, and the room began to grow fuzzy around her.
"He needs an answer now miss Killjoy, otherwise he will walk out of this cell and he will not be coming back, and neither will you." He informed her.
"I...I...I...I can't...I can't think..." She stuttered out, her mind reaching it's breaking point.
If this had been any other situation, if she had been anything other than a demon, and if the person who held her life in their hands was anyone other than the Slayer, then perhaps they might've given her the time she needed to think things over. But this was her reality and so was it the Slayer's, which is why after hearing her say that he turned around and began to leave the cell, no sympathy or pity to be given.
"W-WAIT!" She shouted, lunging from the wall as to try and grab him.
Stopping a foot from the door he barely looked over his shoulder back at her, planning only to listen to what she said next before he continued to leave.
"I...I'll do it..." She told him, as her arm fell back to her side.