The realm of Urdak was a very quiet place, this was nothing new to its inhabitants nor the current guests who had been here for a few hours now. But for Samur and his Khan the silence that encapsulated her garden was different from the norm, though it wasn't because of them or even the presence of Vega's other Seraphim. It was their guests from Lucifer's circle who caused the air to be so awkward and tense, yet they knew it had nothing to do with Doom nor with what they had just learned of the Slayer's suffering. How they were certain of that was from how they were acting around each other, for now that the shock and terror of Doom's invasion had subsided, they were left to reflect on what had been said back at the party.
"Should we perhaps do something?" Samur whispered to the Khan, as everyone was doing their best to avert their gazes and keep their distance, with only a few exceptions that they could see.
"I suppose I could offer some form of counsel, but do you think they'll want it?" She whispered back while looking down to him.
"It is better than allowing this uncomfortable atmosphere to continue any longer, I fear if we do not intervene in some capacity then it will only grow worse, there could even be an outburst or two." He reasoned.
Not needing to say anything else as she did agree with that, the Khan slowly hovered to the center of the space so they would be around her.
"Excuse me, may I have your attention?" She requested causing all eyes to look to her, "I do not mean to insert myself into your personal affairs and business, but it is rather hard for me and my attendant to ignore the unpleasantness between all of you." She admitted.
"You'd have to be deaf, blind, dead, and then some to not notice it." Husk told her.
"Which is why I wish to serve as a mediator." She replied immediately, "It will be some time before the Father and our champion return, so why not use this moment to clear the air completely so that way we may focus on the coming conflict with no hinderances of any sort?" She suggested.
"Pardon me if I sound rude miss uh..." Husk spoke yet again, though trailing off as he didn't remember her name.
"You may call me Khan, that is my position but also serves as my name." She informed.
"Thank ya, anyways miss Khan as I was saying forgive me if I sound like an ass, but even you in your heavenly wisdom ain't gonna be able to fix this." He said.
"How can you be so certain?" She inquired.
"Excluding the princess, her girlfriend, and those two imps over there everyone said some pretty shocking shit, some of which being equivalent to a nuclear bomb going off, and knowing this lot they're either going to be too stubborn, too stupid, or too full of themselves to actually address it and they'll just try to bury it down deep inside." He explained.
"You would know all about that, given you're drenched in more alcohol than there are numbers in Will's kill count." Blitzo told him.
"I may have replaced the seventy percent of water in my body with cheap swill, but at least I own it
and don't try to hide it or some stupid shit like that, better than confessing I love someone and making out with them like a hungry dog tearing into a pack of beef." Husk countered.
"FUCK. YOU." Blitzo said firmly with widened eyes filled with hate.
"Aw, what's the matter Blitzy? Not so fucking tough now that you don't have a tongue checking to see what you had for breakfast?" Husk asked using his pet name to mock him.
Overcome instantly with rage, just as the imp rose from his seat to go over and beat the ever loving shit out of him, he was stopped by a hand being placed on his shoulder. Stolas, who during this whole time had kept quiet like most of them had chosen along with his daughter Octavia to stay close to him and his group, as they were the ones they knew the best and thus helped them to feel safe. And whether it was due to what had happened at the party or his own feelings for him, the look Stolas had on his face showed genuine concern.
"Blitzo." He said softly catching everyone in their group by complete shock, which included Octavia as well.
"Holy shit..." Loona muttered for all of them.
"Stolas?" The imp questioned, as he had only ever used his actual name when they first met.
"You know he's right." The Owl demon responded while moving his hand back to his side, "I don't know what caused it, but something made all of us start professing our deepest secrets and feelings, that much even you can't be so stubborn to try and deny that, so the only reasons you would be mad is that you're just shy...or perhaps...you regret those feelings..." He said.
Hearing those words in combination with the hurt expression he had as he said them, Blitzo felt his stomach tighten from how much it upset him. Which was very surprising to him, he had never felt this bad before when he insulted or refuted the other's advances, so why now did he feel so terrible? Of course even he wasn't so thick headed to not figure it out, it took him a few seconds granted but still.
"Stolas...that's not...look this is all...I...I don't fucking know what to say!" He admitted overwhelmed with frustration, "For fuck's sake what are we even doing right now? Our Hell is being overrun by actual fucking monsters and we're all sitting around in a circle as a big ass angel tries to hold some kind of group therapy! I mean shit Stolas I have no idea what to do here I've never had anyone I've actually loved other than Loona, Moxxie, and Millie! How do you expect me to just broadcast it to the entire fucking world huh?!" He questioned.
Unfortunately for the lanky imp he hadn't realized what just came out of his mouth, and as he looked at the astonished looks of Stolas and his group, the little gears in his head turned just enough to get him there.
"...Shit." He said simply before he was suddenly hugged by all of them, with Loona and Octavia being the exceptions.
"OH BLITZY I KNEW YOU CARED!" Stolas exclaimed joyously. "I never knew you could be so sensitive sir!" Moxxie admitted.
"I just knew there was a whole nother side of you!" Millie squealed with glee.
"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Blitzo shouted angrily at Husk only to be squeezed tighter by the others.
"Well, it seems that particular issue has been dealt with." The Khan said with an amused smile, as he began to squirm in the hopes of getting free, "Who would like to go next?" She asked.
"...I will." Lilith spoke while raising her hand, taking a moment after to breathe in deeply before going ahead, "I made a huge mistake...which is made worse by the fact the people involved in it I've grown close to especially the one who was at the epicenter of it all...and because of this not only did it cause all of them problems but it nearly killed my very own daughter...I know I can ever make up for this error in my judgement and I completely understand if those who I inadvertently hurt, upset, and disappointed...I have regretted my actions more and more as time has passed and well...I can only hope that they will somehow be able to forgive me for my moment of weakness..." She said.
To everyone's surprise it wasn't Lucifer who was the first to speak, instead it was Katie who got up from her seat and walked over to her.
"You're saying sorry?" She asked once she stood in front of the other, "For what exactly, trying to kill me? You act like that was the first time in my entire life in Hell anyone had EVER tried to assassinate me, the only thing that made your hit on me different than the others was by the end I actually died, and as strange as it may sound I'm glad I did, I've become a better person even if it was due to less than pleasant circumstances, I met Angel Dust and Cherri who for some strange ass reason want to put up with me, and for the first time in my life I'm actually surrounded by people I feel give some kind of shit about me, all in all what you did helped me and you shouldn't beat yourself up over it." She told her.
"R-Really?" Lilith asked with widened eyes as she rose from her seat.
"I don't ever say shit I don't mean, I don't believe in being nice just to spare some pansy's feelings, and I don't mean that in the gay way." She answered.
Much like with Blitzo Katie was assaulted with an unexpected hug, as the queen of Hell felt an indescribable relief come over her as she heard that. And just like the lanky imp Katie wasn't too big on the whole physical contact thing, taking a note out of Will's playbook by just awkwardly patting her on the back. Sadly for her this hug would only get worse, as without warning Charlie suddenly joined in though focusing mostly on her parent.
"And I'm not mad either mom!" She exclaimed as she held her tightly, "It wasn't your fault for what happened! It was just a bunch of things happening all at once!" She said.
Hearing this from her daughter Lilith's composure was quickly crumbling, and all it would take was one more good push to get the waterworks going. Which to her surprise and joy did happen, as someone else came from behind and wrapped their arms around her.
"You can add me to this as well." Lucifer said with a smile, "I was mad at the party, and I am still hurt by the fact you chose not to be truthful with me, but in light of what has happened...especially with Gabriel...this is not time for us to at each other's throats or to focus on something that is in the past." He told her.
That was it, the last little bit that was needed to break her down completely and have her be sent into a crying fit, though they were tears of joy that her family and even Katie didn't hate her. And while Lucifer and Charlie didn't mind this, Katie who was still getting used to emotional moments like this, just had to endure it as there was no way she was getting out of the embrace.
"This is wonderful, we are making remarkable progress in addressing these issues." The Khan said before once again looking around her, "Does anyone else feel ready to share something?" She
asked.
Unlike the last time however no one was immediately jumping to open up, as for the most part what the others had said were things about themselves. This in turn caused something to happen that sent Husk, Nifty, Vox and Velvet's stomachs into their throats, for Alastor whether due to boredom or just wanting to blow the whistle stood up.
"I'll go next!" He volunteered with zest and a grin.
"ALASTOR..." Husk said through gritted teeth as this was truly the WORST time for him to come clean.
"You? What do you have to talk about? You didn't even say anything." Cherri pointed out.
"True, but since everyone is confessing their feelings I felt this was the best time to talk about my own!" He reasoned.
"Alastor please this isn't the time for...well...you." Lucifer told him.
"Yes Alastor, LISTEN to the devil..." Husk insisted still speaking through gritted teeth.
"I understand your reservations and objections but I assure you what I have to say is quite significant, why I'd even go so far as to say astonishing!" He exclaimed.
Deciding he had enough of this Husk tried to get up from his seat to stop him, only to be kept where he was and his mouth held shut by the radio demon's own shadow.
"You see everyone, my confession is that I know for a fact that the incident at the hotel was not some accident or strange occurrence, for it was I who caused all of you to begin spilling your beans for my amusement!" He revealed with gusto while throwing his arms out to the side.
For the next few seconds he just stood there with a toothy grin spread across his features, as everyone's minds were having trouble processing what he just said. All except for Lucifer, who the moment he heard that let go of his wife and walked passed them, approaching the radio demon in a slow yet very menacing way.
"Ah Luci, coming to give me hug for helping your family get the skeletons out of their closets?" The radio demon asked.
"You're being honest right now right Alastor? This isn't some game or bullshit you're saying just to cause a ruckus, you're actually the one responsible for what happened at the party?" He responded with a question of his own.
"That I am Luci! I reached out to Rosie and asked if she had any potions that could help people be honest, and as my dear friend she gave it to me at no charge, so during the party I just had my shadow sneak a drop into everyone's drinks when the speeches got started and-"
THWACK
With a swift yet powerful punch Alastor was sent flying across the ground of the garden, and he would've gone right off the platform had it not been for the waist high barrier that was in place around its edge. Wincing slightly as a massive flare of pain was coming from the center of his face, he didn't need to investigate what it was as he soon felt the warmth of his blood run down it. This would be all he could really do before something else happened, as Lucifer grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him from the ground, his arms hanging limply behind him.
"Quite...the punch you have there...Luci..." He complimented with a light chuckle, his grin still present showing no signs of faltering, "Pretty fast too..." He added as he hadn't even seen him come over.
"What the FUCK were you thinking Alastor..." The devil responded in a low voice with a tone so cold it felt like death, which Alastor knew thanks to the presence of his sister.
"I was just looking to have some fun whilst helping everyone...after all the whole purpose of the hotel and of our plan to turn Hell into Heaven required people facing their faults...so what better way than clearing the air and getting everyone's secrets out into the open?" He asked.
"Lucifer." Samur spoke as they both had gone right by the three Seraphim, "This is not the time nor the place." He told him while keeping his distance.
"But isn't that why the Khan got us to open up and start sharing everything Samur?" Lucifer questioned as he glanced at him from over his shoulder, "To help us get rid of the tension, that was the whole point wasn't it?" He asked.
"Yes, but I do not believe she intended for someone's nose to be turned into a blood geyser." Samur answered.
"Oh let him be..." Alastor interjected as his grin got bigger, "When you got angry at the party that was the best part, I never thought I'd catch even a glimpse of the devil in all his glory, I truly hate that those bastards had to ruin everything when they did, a few more seconds and I may have gotten to see it all..." He told him.
THWACK
Another powerful blow was dealt to the radio demon, and whether it was due to his head being pressed against the barrier or Lucifer just wanting to hurt him more, he managed to break off a few of his teeth with it and send them flying out of his mouth.
"Alastor!" Nifty exclaimed in horror as she and the others all looked on in shock.
"Oof...I actually felt the sting of that one..." He admitted as he spat out both blood and tooth fragments.
"Lucifer stop this!" Azrael shouted as she took a few steps towards them, "While I am just as furious with him he doesn't deserve to be beaten!" She said.
"What else have you done behind our backs Alastor?" Lucifer asked while completely ignoring his sister.
"Do you really want to know?...And keep in mind I don't ask that to be cheeky...just making sure..." He replied.
"Yes." Lucifer told him firmly.
"Alrighty...first off I orchestrated the turf war between Cherri and Sir Pentious that got him killed initially..." He began.
"Wait WHAT?!" Cherri shouted, for although she had been approached by him she didn't know he did the same with the snake demon.
"Then I caused the accident that got Katie and the Slayer stopped in traffic, though I made sure not
to kill anyone so if someone died it's because they did so themselves..." He continued as a chuckle escaped him, "And the one I'm most proud of, apart from the truth potion in your beverages, was that I went to the news studio and told Tom Trench about the Slayer going to kill the three Vs, I even sent my shadow there ahead of time to warn them to make it a better show for myself, and I made sure to record it so I could watch it over and over ag-"
THWACK
Both Nifty and Velvet let out horrified shrieks as the third strike landed, not only breaking more of the radio demon's teeth but also dislocating his jaw slightly. Unable to do anything other than have blood slowly leak out of his mouth and onto the ground, Alastor finally had his smile disappear as he was practically concussed at this point. This in turn caused Samur to rush over and begin restraining Lucifer, doing so by putting his arms under the other's while doing his best to pull him away.
"LUCIFER ENOUGH!" He shouted at him as they both slowly moved away from Alastor.
"What else have you been keeping from us huh?! What other schemes and devious bullshit have you been up to?!" The devil shouted at the demon in anger.
Once they were a fair distance away Nifty along with Husk, Velvet, and Vox all ran over to check on him, finding that he was still breathing but barely conscious and couldn't move his head or open his eyes all too well. Unable to keep herself from sobbing at this sight the mono eyed woman hugged him and buried her face in his chest, while the other three tried to figure out how they could help him without causing him more pain. But that's when a certain noise reached everyone's ears, it was the sound of the lift to the garden rising rapidly, and they all knew EXACTLY who was on it. Falling silent and freezing in place with Nifty being the only exception, they waited in suspense for what either of them would do once they saw the situation.
"Oh my." Vega spoke as the lift came to a stop, the sight of Alastor's battered face and the blood around him unavoidably noticed, "It appears in our absence some unpleasantness has transpired." He noted.
Of course it didn't take long for either of them to figure out who was responsible, as not too far away was Samur still restraining Lucifer, the latter having fresh blood dripping from one of his hands.
"Ah, I see." Vega said as he moved towards Alastor, "Although I do not know exactly what has caused the tension between you two to finally reach this point, I would like to ask that this be an isolated incident as we have far greater concerns we need to address." He stated.
Reaching down to hold his hand over the radio demon's face a radiant golden glow emitted from the palm, and when it disappeared after a few seconds he was fully healed. Moving his jaw slightly to make sure it didn't hurt while doing the same for his eyes, a brand new smile appeared as all traces of pain had vanished.
"Wow! So that's divine healing huh?" He inquired as he touched his fully repaired smile with his fingers, "Even my teeth feel right as rain, incredible!" He exclaimed.
"I wouldn't be much of a god if I couldn't heal injuries." Vega said jokingly, just before Nifty suddenly moved from the other's body to his in order to hug him.
"Thank you Vega!" She shouted while still crying a small bit.
"There there Nifty, no reason to be so distraught." He assured her while lightly patting her head, "Now, if everyone has settled whatever issues arose, may we gather around and discuss what our plans are moving forward?" He asked.
Receiving nods from everyone including his son and Alastor, they returned to their seats with Vega taking the Khan's place at the center. As for the Slayer he simply stood beside him, to help keep the focus in one spot rather than everyone looking back and forth between them.
"Now then, the first thing you're all probably wondering is what will become of your home? And I hope it will be to your relief that it can be saved." He began catching them all by surprise.
"Really father? But Doom is like a disease, if it spreads too much to any place then it's impossible to remove it correct?" Lucifer asked.
"This is true, however the Dark One has never assimilated an entire realm before, worlds and some small dimensional spaces yes, but even just one circle of Hell is greater than several universes put together, while he has a head start on us the disease as you called it is mostly focused in Pentagram City, all that must be done to cleanse it is to separate their connection to the circle, once that is done the growths and other effects of their presence and power will either die on their own, or they will be reduced to a degree that we will be able to safely remove them and not have to worry about any further issues." He answered.
"What a relief..." Charlie said with a thankful sigh and smile, as she didn't want to lose her home to those things.
"I'd assume though that separating the connection's going to be insanely fucking difficult right? I mean they are freakishly powerful after all." Vagatha pointed out.
"Correct, however it is not impossible so long as the source of the invasion is dealt with, now in this case it is not the result of one specific being such as the Icon of Sin or even the Dark One himself, their connection was forged and is being maintained by a group of Archvile and Summoner demons, though killing them will not be enough to severe the connection completely, but it will allow us to close it ourselves." He explained.
"Not to be that guy Vega, but even with Will getting all pimped out with his new suit and guns there's still a metric fuck ton of demons standing between him and those ones, and who's to say that by the time he starts cutting through the hordes this Dark One doesn't realize what he's doing, and when he does he he goes ahead and intervenes so even if he does kill them he can't do anything?" Blitzo asked.
"And what about that really big demon? You know the one that managed to swat Will like a bug, no offense big guy." Loona added, earning a thumbs up from him to show it was fine.
"Ah yes the Cyber Demon, he will undoubtedly be the first the Dark One sends once Will appears in the circle, especially given their remarkable history with each other." Vega admitted as he clasped his hands together, "But there is no need to worry about this, for we have another ally aiding us whose power is entirely different from mine or the Dark One's, and so as he deals with the behemoth and the Sentinels with the Exterminators provide support, we will begin the preparations necessary to utilize that power to expel them from the circle." He answered.
"Wait seriously? Who?" Angel Dust asked.
"I'm afraid it would take far too long to explain it now, I promise after this is settled you will be able to meet them and have it explained then, but right now we must act quickly if we are to
succeed." He urged.
"Pardon me sir, but something doesn't add up." Vox spoke as he put a hand to his chin, "Even if we are successful in severing the connection from Lucifer's circle they still have a complete hold on the Slayer's world which connects them to his universe, furthermore even if this is not immediately relevant or perhaps we are able to also deal with that problem simultaneously, there is the obvious concern of where we go from there as due to their power and resources it is a very possible danger that they could attempt this again, or even if they don't they still exist and that in of itself is alarming." He said.
"Very true, but thankfully this plan shall take care of two birds with one stone as they say, for given how aggressive our assault will be they will need to divert all of their forces and attention to stop us, thus removing them from Will's world and bringing them to the circle, even if say a few imps or other low ranking demons in their hierarchy remain, as we deal with them in the circle another battalion of Sentinels shall head for his world to ensure all remaining demonic presence is eradicated, leaving them with no agents to try and hold their grasp on it, as for Doom as a whole however we have not yet made a plan, that will come after we deal with the current fight." Vega replied.
"Is there anything we can do? Because it sucks just sitting here on our hands and asses ya know." Cherri told him.
"I'm afraid not, even though all of you possess your own powers and can certainly hold your own, it takes specific training to be able to safely fight against Doom's legions, even if you stayed back with our forces and offered aid from there it would be reckless of me to put you in that situation with next to no proper preparation." He replied.
"Eh, worth a shot." She said with a shrug.
"So what can we do then Vega? Like is there anything at all we can help with?" Katie asked.
"Yes there is, while the Maykrs have done a remarkable job of keeping everyone else calm, it would go a long way if all of you could help them and make sure this peace is maintained, I know it isn't as glamorous as fighting the demons but it is just as important to make sure this all goes smoothly." He answered.
"Well that's something at least, it is better than just standing around feeling useless." She admitted.
"Indeed, so I suggest that you all take this moment to figure out what your jobs in this task shall be, how your talents and personalities may be most efficiently used." He suggested.
Agreeing with that idea everyone began to talk with each other, putting forth their ideas of what they could do with the Khan and Samur joining is as they could offer advice. This left Vega and the Slayer to stand there in silence, though they were grateful for it as neither wanted to continue lying to them.
When one thinks of Hell very few might envision technology of any kind, as your mind immediately imagines stone and iron rather than something futuristic. But the Dark One and his minions destroyed this assumption, their realm and many of their kind were a perfect melding of sorcery and science, flesh and machine, creating a vast variety of horrors. Yet with this being the case there was one thing they lacked which was creativity, for while they had the knowledge to say strap rocket launchers on a skeleton or put a giant brain on mechanical legs, anything superbly complex or intricate didn't interest or concern them. This is why one of their latest acquisitions was
so valuable, for it was a soul that possessed both intelligence and creativity, all they needed to do was put it in a body and a new era of demons could begin.
Yet before they could set this soul to work making new weapons and creatures it was needed for a very important task, which was to give an archangel a vessel of his own that they could control.
Hence why a demon not born of their pits named Valentino, once a human who now hailed from Lucifer's circle, was dragging the current barely working flesh of the heavenly figure through several corridors. After having slowly severed his wings from his back side Gabriel was barely still alive, but of course thanks to the powers given to him by the Dark One, Valentino could ensure he would not die even as most of his blood poured from his mangled wounds. However he was still delirious and barely conscious, to the point where what was happening came in brief flashes of sound and sight before the darkness came over him again.
"..."
"..."
"...Almost there..." He heard Valentino say followed by a few chuckles, "I can't wait to see what snake boy looks like now." He added.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"HOLY FUCK!" He heard him shout after who knows how long, the first thing he noticed was their surroundings were made of steel or some other metal, rather than the stone he had seen thus far, "Just when I think these guys can't get any more wild they go and turn you into this shit, best part is you have to do whatever I say now and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it!" He exclaimed with a laugh, being responded by a horrid ghastly groaning that sounded robotic and strained.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...And...done." He heard him say as he felt metal clamps be fastened around his wrists and ankles, just before the blurry sight of Valentino stepped in front of him, "Aww look at him, looks like he's having the worst hangover of his entire life, which makes sense as he's probably never even tasted any good shit before." He joked as he patted the angel's face with his hand, "Don't worry sunshine, I'll be back after the doctor gives you your full body checkup, I just need to go hang those pretty new wings you gave me, and hey when I come back I'll even bring you a lollipop." He offered as another laugh escaped him, "Take good care of him, make sure you give him something REALLY nice, would hate if he looked as shit as you do." He told to someone Gabriel couldn't see.
The last thing the archangel saw aside from the demon leaving the room was the floor opening up beneath him, and inside of the opening was what appeared to be a vat of blood.
"I'm SoRry..." That same strained voice he had heard groaning from before said from somewhere in the room, just as whatever he was clamped to began to lower.
Closing his eyes to let the darkness come again his final sensation was the cold of the blood he was
submerged into, topped off with the sound of the opening now above him closing once he was inside.