For most people, finding themselves in a life or death situation would place enough stress and panic on them to give them a heart attack. The fear that this could be your final moment breathing is crippling all on it's own, but then as your mind races and you realize all that you will lose and all you've yet to do it only worsens it. Yet for some reason that no one around him could understand at all, Blitzo despite being in this exact situation at this time was just laid back on a couch. With his arms behind his head, his eyes closed, and a smile that oozed both confidence and pride, this fairly lanky imp seemed to be as carefree as any one soul could be.
This however was a stark contrast to his adopted daughter Loona, who while not a frantic mess for the first time in her life was genuinely unsettled, so much so to the point where all she was doing was just staring at the floor with not a thought to be had. The cause of such a state within the young Hell Hound was the talk of Hell, the man in green who was oh so mean, the silent slaughterer who wielded a shotgun, and had also put one of their friends/coworkers in the hospital. They, or at least Loona, worried that since he nearly killed Moxxie, only to change his murderous intent onto Katie Killjoy, that he might come after them next if he figured out they were also a part of the failed assassination. Now as said this was the first time in her life where Loona was actually unnerved, normally she faced life in general with an attitude and personality that could even make the fiercest of demons piss their pants.
But the sheer aura that mysterious man gave off, it was so blistering and unrelenting, almost as if it were trying by itself to tear apart everything that was around him. So where could these two go if that was such a potential outcome, where in all of Hell could they hope to hide from the man who may be hunting them like game? The answer was both simple yet also incredibly complicated, in short they had "connections" with a fairly high class demon noble, a fellow who resembled an owl by the name of Stolas would welcome them with little to no question, why that was is where the complicated part came in to play. But thankfully one element, Stolas's wife, was not present at their home at the moment, which was good for many reasons but the biggest was that she would have made Blitzo into a fleshy garbage bag for shit.
This still though left quite a few complications to be dealt with, such as Stolas's daughter who wasn't aware of the most glaring issue with them staying there, which was the fact her dad and Blitzo did the nasty. And thus this was their current situation, Blitzo bafflingly cool as a cucumber, Loona on edge and uncertain of what was happening, the staff of Stolas's manor all just as nervous as she was, Stolas though wise to what was transpiring was fairly calm as well, and his daughter Octavia who was busy keeping track of the news via her phone.
"Any more news dear?" Stolas asked as Octavia looked intently at the device.
"Not really, he was last seen somewhere near the middle of the city, but that was nearly twenty minutes ago, nobody seems to know where he is now..." She answered as she scrolled, slowly but surely becoming just as invested into this guy as all of Hell was.
"Hm, that's strange, you'd think someone like him would have a near impossible time avoiding any attention." He replied.
"I'll keep checking for updates, but if he's managed to avoid anymore detection for this long it's probably because of...well...you know..." She told him as she slowly looked over at the imp.
"I can feel you looking at me you know~" Blitzo mused keeping his eyes closed, now moving one of his legs to rest atop of the other.
"Why are you so calm? HOW are you so calm? the WHOLE reason you came here is because you were worried about this guy coming after you." She pointed out.
"True, but he'd have to be pretty friggin stupid to come here, it's not like we're hiding out in some sleazy two bit motel where hookers get their brains blown out regularly, we're staying with you guys and there's no way he could A. figure out where we are, and B. even if he did he'd have to be insane to try and come here, right Stolas?" He asked.
"Er...yes...of course Blitzy..." Stolas answered, though due to his pet name for the other he received a questioning look from his daughter, "I-I mean Blitzo." He corrected to avoid suspicion.
"Wait, don't tell me YOU'RE scared of him?" Blitzo asked.
"What? of course not, me scared of lunatic with a shotgun? what do you take me for?" Stolas asked in return, before looking over at his daughter's phone to see a picture of the man "Although, I can't deny that there IS something about him, something that is rather...naturally off putting, even through a picture..." He commented.
"You should've been there in person..." Loona muttered wide eyed as she kept staring at her feet, "It was like nothing I've ever felt before, doubt anyone has, sometimes when you're around someone you just get this natural feeling about them, like they're some stupid shithead or some asshole who's gonna piss you off, but he was...it was like...I...I can't describe it, it was just really not normal at all..." She described as best she could, truly incapable of figuring out the right words to do that horrid feeling justice.
"Aww, don't be so nervous Loony, everything's gonna work out just fine, trust me!" Blitzo exclaimed as he finally opened his eyes, not wanting his fur covered daughter to be so stressed.
If this was any other time in Loona's life she would have been annoyed by his nickname for her, but as strange as it was hearing him say it this time actually did make her feel better. The reason though would quickly worsen her worry, for the reason why it briefly made her feel better was because she feared, truly without question feared, that if things turned out as bad as they could, that may very well be one of if not the last time she heard it.
"I'll ask you one last time, where is the demon known as Stolas?" The voice of Vega repeated itself, to a frightened beaten demon who was being held in the air by his throat.
Just as Lucifer had dreaded back at the hotel, the moment the Slayer began walking around the city streets, using alleyways and backways to keep from sight, eventually he ran into a group of demons who saw him on the news and wanted to pick a fight. But as expected like every other fight the Slayer had ever been in this was over the moment it began, though restraining from murder per his agreements and because these demons were still technically human, he simply incapacitated them instead of spreading them across the ground. However even when showing mercy he was remarkably brutal, the demons totaled in a number of four and each of them was stopped in their own way. The first that charged at him was grabbed by his head and smashed into the nearby building wall, knocking him out but also giving him a severe concussion and some bleeding.
The second and third thought it'd be best to try and take him from both sides, so he responded by grabbing them both by their arms and slamming them over his shoulders into the ground. This on it's own might've kept them still as the pain was immense, but just for good measure he crushed both their knees under his foot to keep them from getting up, then topped it off with swift punches to their faces to knock them out. That left one demon remaining for him to deal with, and at first it seemed as though he wouldn't be an issue, as he was frozen in place by fear which showed due to
his trembling form. Sadly like a fool the moment he felt the Slayer's gaze fall onto him he tried to run, only to feel a sharp intense pain in his backside as a hook dug into him, before then pulling him backwards.
Upon reaching the Slayer he would then be grabbed by his neck, ripped painfully off the hook which caused him to scream, but would be silenced as the Slayer tightened his grip.
"I...I TOLD YOU...P-PLEASE...I...I...I DON'T FUCKING KNOW A STOLAS..." He gurgled out.
The moment he said this however his body would tense up in agony, as the Slayer expertly tightened his grip enough to where although he could barely breath, he still could and it was beginning to feel like his neck may snap.
"We know you are lying." Vega revealed as the demon's face began changing color, "Although I cannot read your thoughts I can take a scan of your body's vitals, your heart rate the first time you said that for a moment began to slow down, indicating that you were beginning to calm down despite the situation you are in, but then elevated once again as the Slayer began applying more pressure, I must warn you this is your last chance to be honest otherwise this will not end well." He explained.
"P-PLEASE...Y-YOU...YOU DON'T...K-KNOW WHAT HIS KIND ARE LIKE!" He exclaimed,
gaining a slight bit of breathing room as this was new information, "D-DEMONS LIKE HIM...THEY HAVE PEOPLE...P-PEOPLE EVERYWHERE...A-AND IF YOU...START TALKING...ABOUT ANY OF THEM...THEY'LL FUCKING HAVE YOUR SKIN AS THEIR
BATH ROBE!" He explained.
"You either provide the information we need, or the Slayer renders you incapable of breathing without the aid of a machine, those are the only two options you have." Vega told him.
A few brief seconds went by as the demon contemplated which was worse, talking about a fairly well known and well connected noble class, or the roided out fucking lunatic who could clearly break his neck like a stick.
"F...F...FINE!" He shouted out causing the Slayer to drop him, letting him cough and gasp for a few seconds once he hit the ground "He...he...he's near the...fucking rich dick district...you know all those...those pompous fucking assholes...who'll fucking pay to watch you eat your own shit..." He said.
"Directions." Vega replied simply.
"Towards...towards the center of the city...everything outside the center is literal shit...like hot steaming shit...you'll know when you've reached it...when every fucking building is just screaming money..." He explained.
Right as he finally was getting his breathing back to normal, the demon was met with a swift kick to his face, effectively knocking him out like the others and sending him skidding up the alley a fair bit.
"Based on the scans I've conducted of the city, I've charted the quickest route to the general search area, once you begin reaching more populated districts I would advise taking to the rooftops, as even the alleys and side passages will most likely be fairly crowded." Vega told the Slayer, as he turned around and began leaving the alley.
Leaving the four beaten pain riddled demons to reflect on their stupidity, the Slayer felt
comfortable enough to be out in the open for the time being, for just as the demon had so beautifully put it they were in what was essentially the slums. In fact, as he began walking down the sidewalk he looked around him to see just how many demons there actually were, only to find every so often a demon lying motionless due to either inebriation, overuse of drugs, or even just as a corpse having been killed by someone else. It would actually be an entire block and a half of just unconscious or dead demons before he'd run into one that wasn't in such a state, and it would actually be literal in that sense.
"Oof!" A voice male sounding in tone let out, just as it's owner collided with him and fell to the ground as he turned the corner.
Looking down at who had bumped into him, the Slayer would see a demon mostly covered in white fur or hair that had spots of pink and red breaking it up around their head. But what was most glaring of a detail was how they were dressed, covering their torso was a white and pink striped suit jacket that went with the bright red gloves they wore on their hands. While their long unusually shaped legs seemed to be adorned with something that resembled boots, though it was possible it was just a part of them. Topping it all off like a cherry on a sundae was the accessories on it's neck, for some reason it wore both a bow and a choker, combine these details with the rest of their appearance along with where they currently were, and it was clear to the Slayer they were likely a prostitute of some kind.
"Hey jerkoff watch where yer going!" He spoke with some kind of accent, potentially Italian from what both he and Vega could guess, "Do you know how much these clothes cost? probably more than your whole fucking life!" He shouted as he looked up to see who had knocked him down.
As he did so two things happened, firstly the Slayer and Vega saw that his eyes were different from each other, as one was normal with a red iris and black pupil, while the other was completely black with just one big red pupil at it's center. Secondly, while this was the last detail they made note of as they looked down at the demon, the demon in question once realizing who he was, reacted in a way that was completely different from his initial outburst, though neither the Slayer or Vega were prepared for it.
"Whoa hey! it's you! the guy who splattered that loud mouth Katie Killjoy on live TV!" He exclaimed, before quickly getting up to his feet and dusting himself off, "All of Hell's talking bout you ya know, in fact my last gig even stopped during the middle of it because it was so shocking!" He admitted.
With his clothes all sorted out the demon then refocused on the Slayer, and unlike every demon that they had met before instead of being afraid or violent, he began walking around him in awe.
"Holy shit! look at your clothes! or is this armor?" He asked as he lightly tapped his shoulder with his fist "Yup, definitely armor, sounds and feels real sturdy too, where'd you get it?" He asked as he went behind him, "Oh and look at this thing! what is it a miniature cannon? that's fucking awesome!" He complimented before slowly moving his gaze downward, "Doesn't hug you too bad either, just saying." He added with a smirk, before walking around back to his front.
Continuing to look over all the cool details of the Slayer's armor and clothes in general, both he and Vega remained silent as they would have never expected a demon to be so friendly like this.
"Wait a second, where's yer guns?" He asked as he looked at his sides and behind him, "I saw you shoot some kind of crazy laser shit and then a shotgun, are you just not carrying them?" He questioned.
Choosing to respond before Vega could the Slayer would surprise both him and the demon, as he
summoned the aforementioned shotgun to his hands.
"WHOA!" The demon exclaimed while taking a step back, before a big toothy grin appeared across his features "Now THAT'S fucking cool! can you just summon guns like some kind of badass magician?" He asked.
Once again responding before Vega could, the Slayer would quickly cycle through his entire arsenal to show it off for the demon, not because he was trying to impress or entertain them, but to try and get across just how dangerous he was. Yet this was completely lost on the demon, for as it went from one shotgun to another, an assault rifle to a chain gun, some futuristic looking gun to that big ass crossbow from the broadcast, and finally ending on the single most badass rocket launcher he'd ever seen, he responded similarly to how a child might when going into a toy store.
"Holy fuck all of those guns are insane! some of'em I've never even seen before! what'd you like make them yourself or something?" He asked in amazement and splendor.
"All of the Slayer's armaments were made to his specifications, all except for the super shotgun which he has had longer than any other." Vega responded this time as the Slayer sent away the rocket launcher.
"The Slayer? you refer to yourself in the third person?" The demon questioned.
"No, I am Vega, I speak on the Slayer's behalf, he is mute and does not communicate verbally, I am speaking to you from his suit, it's one of the many functions it possesses, much like the system that allows him to summon all of the weapons you just saw." Vega explained.
"Man, you just keep getting cooler and cooler the more I learn about ya, and that's saying something as I am not that easily impressed." The demon praised just as another question came to mind, "So what're you doing out here in the slums? figured you be busy signing autographs or eating gift baskets, lot of folks REALLY hated that bitch Killjoy, surprised the whole city didn't just throw you a parade!" He exclaimed.
"I'm afraid that information cannot be shared, it's sensitive and you despite this interaction are still a complete stranger and potential threat." Vega responded.
"ME a threat? nah, not unless you try to stiff me on my pay, or say that I don't look stunning~" He mused as he ran his hands down his body "As for who I am, name's Angel Dust, I'm sort of a celebrity myself, been in a few films and some other stuff, and believe me when I say that if you're looking for a threatening demon I'm the LEAST psychotic lunatic around here, there are some REAL fucked up people who live in this part of the city." He introduced.
"So you know the locals quite well then?" Vega asked.
"Oh yeah, believe me when I say you'll have a hard time finding anyone who's not as well versed in who's who around here than me, whether it's your run of the mill tough guys, guys who talk a big game but usually have a small dick, guys who try to prove they don't have a small dick but then get kicked in said dick, drug dealers, pimps, gang leaders, point is if you're looking for someone I'm your guy." He answered.
A moment of silence came between them as both Vega and the Slayer had one of their usual silent conversations, debating on whether or not the obvious suggestion would be wise to put forward.
But seeing as how he was a local, he clearly knew his way around the city, and he was the first demon who was actually friendly and cooperative with them, this Angel Dust became the first demon of this Hell to be labeled as: "Acceptable Threat".
"Mister Angel Dust, out of curiosity how well do you know the city? in regards to it's streets, notable locations and districts, and the best way to navigate through all of it?" Vega asked.
"Well, while I don't claim to be some walking GPS I do know how to get around, you kinda have to when you're in the middle of screwing and some angry husband or wife barges in and tries to kill ya, gotta know which window to jump out of to get to the fire escape if it's in an apartment, gotta know which alley and sideways street leads where, so I'm pretty good at getting where I need to be as quickly as I can." He explained.
"Do you know where the city's most notable demons live then? those that would fall into the higher class or even upper echelon of Hell's hierarchy, excluding the royal family." Vega continued.
"Oh yeah without question, I can't tell you how many times some rich guy paid me to call him daddy then told me to scram before the missuses or the maids saw me, so I know that part of town like I live there." He replied.
"Then could you guide the Slayer? he has business with a demon named Stolas who lives in that area, and he needs to get there while drawing as little attention as possible, none would be most preferable." Vega explained.
"Seriously? you want ME to guide you?" He asked. "Is there an issue?" Vega inquired.
"No not at all! just can't believe you'd actually want my help is all, but fuck yeah I'll be glad to show you the way no problem!" He exclaimed as a grin came to his face "However, I don't typically lend my services out for free, if you want me to help ya I'm gonna need some form of compensation~" He mused.
"The Slayer will not be paying you with any form of currency." Vega stated.
"Oh no that's not what I meant." He replied as he walked up beside him, "All I want in return for showing him where he wants to go is for him to show me those guns again, I wasn't kidding when I said they were the coolest fucking things I've ever seen, but I only got to look at them for a second or two, just let me look over the guns as we walk, don't have to give'em to me or anything, and we call it a deal." He explained.
"I see, if that is what it will take then the Slayer agrees." Vega replied.
"Great!" Angel Dust exclaimed before wrapping his arm around the Slayer's, "Just follow me and we'll be there in no time at all, twenty maybe thirty minutes tops." He said as they began to walk.
With their deal struck and their introductions out of the way, the unlikely duo of the Slayer and Angel began their trek to the center of the city, with the former immediately filling the air with chatter and more questions as they went.