Just so that you guys know, I use the Hypothetical Map of Pentagram City made by Fractialis on Twitter and Tumbler. I know accuracy can be called into question about it, but it works for me...at least until I find a cannon map of the city, that is.
For what seemed like hours, did it seem like Benny spent in the back end of a car as finally got a chance to stretch his legs after a long trip here. Pentagram City, just as he remembered it, home to some of the worse of demons and to certain Overlords who think they can make a fool out of the one-eyed imp in his own place of business. But they were the least of his concerns as Benny took a breath of foul air and took it in that he was outside the confines of Limbo City.
"Aaah. Good to be back." He said to himself. "Now, to make my way to the Ars Goetia Mansion. As much as I would love to sight see, I cannot rest until I carve out the bird queens heart. Let's see if I can remember my way around this place."
As he walked, he saw that really not much has changed. He was only in the Entertainment District of the City, while only at the four corners of town, he knew that Stolas' Mansion wasn't too far away. The only thing he hoped to avoid while he was here was attention; the last thing he needed was for anybody to recognize him outside his place of business, let alone prison-of-a-city. But then again, it's been over a decade and he's practically just another imp in a realm literally full of them. Who's gonna even notice him now?
"Hey! Hey! Slow down, eyepatch!" Came from a demon who sounded like he was from Boston as two RIGHT arms stopped Benny in his tracks.
He whispered to himself. "Oh, of all the goddamn luck." He turned his head to face a spider demon with white fur and pink coloring and wearing a long white suit-blazer. Benny recognize him as the Porn Star, Angel Dust, who was a known associate to Moth who thinks he's got it going on in his miserable existence. Getting an idea for why Angel stopped him, Benny knew where this was going.
"I ain't ever seen you around here." Angel Dust started saying, seductively. "But you stood out to me more than any other."
"Gotta play this cool and turn him down easy. I got a schedule to keep." Benny thought to himself. "Really? I wasn't trying to attract attention."
"Well, you certainly caught mine." Angel Dust replied. "How about I treat you to a little afternoon delight?"
Benny immediately replied "Sorry, but I happen to be a very straight demon."
"Oh? I find that hard to believe. Come on, I know to treat someone like you nicely."
"...Truth is, I can afford you, pal." Benny replied. "And I know you are, Angel Dust."
The spider demon's flirtish persona dropped as he could on Imp's face a serious expression.
"And I know who you work for."
Before Angel Dust could say anything, a limo pulled up, getting both demons' attention. And who would happen to have pulled up, but the Overlord who's recently been biting at Benny's heels. "I don't have time for this shit." He growled silently as the tall moth pimp came out of the limo, along with a few hired guns.
"Angel Cakes, there you-" He stopped himself as he realized that Angel wasn't alone. And he definitely recognized the Imp from Limbo City as the one who didn't allow Overlords in his Cabaret. It really pissed him off, but that now Benny was here, Valentino thought he was free for the taking. "Well, well, well. Benny Rorschach. I was wondering when I'd finally get to meet you."
Benny said nothing, but pulled out a dollar and held it up to Angel Dust, saying "Go buy yourself something pretty."
"Done, deal!" Angel said, snatching the dollar and getting away from the place, much to Valentino's dismay. But then, his attention was turned back to Benny when he spoke. "So, you know who I am, and I've technically done to you. You should realize by now that there are no Overlords in Limbo City, and that's because they're not welcomed there."
"All I wanted was a good time, and I heard your place was pretty hot." Valentino said back in a malicious tone.
Benny replied "It's also a very classy establishment. Not for giant cock-heads like you."
"Well, it's a good time we're no longer in that buzzkill of a city." Valentino replied as his goons now surrounded Benny. "Saves me and my boys the trouble of hunting you down and gutting you."
"...I'm on a schedule right now, so let's make this quick." Rorschach said as he tightened his fists.
Valentino chuckles evilly as he said "Boys...so this tiny-dick-imp how things work in this city!"
And then, Rorschach pulled out something that none of the goons were expecting him to fight with, a black, bloodied crowbar. The first goons to advanced on Rorschach didn't really get much action out of it, just a fractured skull, missing teeth and dislocated jaw. Benny's attacks were slow, but he had good range with the crowbar in his hands, hitting at least 3 demons without fail and knocking them out almost instantly. The way he handled that blunt instrument was with such finesse, that the battle was drawing up a little of attention from demons and sinners alike, who was a little bit surprised that this guy had the guts to stand up to an Overlord like Valentino, who wasn't enjoy how badly his loyalists were doing.
"Will somebody just kill him?!"
"Man, fight your battles, Val! I'm not getting worked over for this shit!" So much for loyalty, as a few of the goons fled, making the Moth Pimp growl in anger.
"If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." He said, pulling at the top of a pimp cane, which in turn, revealed a secret blade. Just as Benny was done with another demon, jabbing the sharper end of the crowbar into his head, he looked to see the enraged Overlord towering over him, cane sword in hand which he was about to bring down. But to Valentino's surprise, Benny's crowbar blocked it easily, not a scratch on him as he deflected every attack coming his way.
"Even your boys put up more of a fight!" Benny said before doing a signature move, swinging the crowbar like a baseball bat and giving Val a good slam along side the head, making the Overlord drop to his knees before he jams the back end of the crowbar in his mouth. "Choke on it!" He said, before kicking the crowbar from underneath and making it fly out of Valentino's mouth, breaking a few teeth in the process as Val fell to the ground unconscious while Rorschach catches the crowbar in midair. The crowd around the streets cheered on for the Imp that just worked over one of the most infamous Overlords around as Benny said nothing as he walked away.
"I ain't ever seen anybody stand up to Val that way."
Hearing Angel Dust's voice made the Imp turn his head to see the spider demon once again, looking astonished by what just happened.
"Benny, right?" He asked. "Just...who the hell are you?"
"No one of consequence, Angel Dust." Benny said in monotone.
"Bullshit, 'no one of consequence'! I ain't ever seen around the city, but I bet you're a big-shot wherever you live."
Benny replied "Not really. I just have a job with some benefits."
"Well...whatever the case, I owe you one." Angel Dust said before taking out a card that had a phone number and giving it to the demon. "Call me whenever you want have a good time."
Benny looks at the number before giving it back to Angel Dust, saying "Sorry, but I wasn't kidding when I said I was straight."
"Eh. Your loss." Angel replied, slumping. "Well, just keep it anyway. 'Cuz something tells me that you and I can get along just fine. And I do have friends in high places."
"...Alright." Benny says, pocketing the number. "I'll keep in touch. But right now, I got things to do, someone to kill. I guess I'll see you around."
And as Benny left the area, Angel waved goodbye to him and said "Catch you later, Benny." Pretty soon, he was out of the Entertainment District, and was now heading southeast of the city. It did take a bit of a day's walk, but at least he was catching up to Stolas' Manor. Right now, he was walking through a street that was called "The Great Prince of Hell" Avenue, and the Manor was dead ahead.
"Just wait, Princess Stella." He whispered to himself. "Before this day is done, I will have you at the edge of my blade...and gut you like a fish."
A little while later, Benny found himself roaming the halls of the Ars Goetia Mansion. But to his surprise, there seemed to be no one around, no servants, no royalty, not the Owl Prince himself. The only thing that was continuously bugging him were the giant carnivorous traps that kept trying to eat him. He actually had to cut one's head off to keep it from doing so.
"Hopefully, no one notices that." He said, kicking the shriveling head out of sight, therefore, out of mind. "Now, where are you, Princess?"
He looked everywhere, but it seemed like the whole place was vacated, even checking the Master Bedroom as the last place to look.
"Hmm...fine, I'll be back later."
But before he could leave, he heard the front door open and peaked to around a corner to see who it was. Unfortunately, it was not his target; what was even worse that it was the daughter of Stolas and Stella Ars Goetia, Octavia, the young princess, carrying with her a duffel bag of clothes with.
"Ah, shit."
"Dad? You here?" The young princess asked, walking into the house as Benny quickly retreated. What kept getting worse for him was that Octavia kept walking in the direction he was in. Hell of a coincidence, huh? She paused when she saw that one of her father's planets was beheaded. This left her suspicious of somebody being in her house.
"Should've hid that better?"
"Hmm..." Octavia then took out her phone and began to call her father. Benny looked for a way out of the Manor in the most silent way possible.
"Dad? It's Via. How come you're not at the house? ...You won't be gone for too long, right? ...Don't start. I'll be waiting here... Yeah, yeah. Love you too, Dad."
Hanging up, Octavia continued to down a hall, yet she could've sworn she heard something. Little did she realize that Benny was directly above her...literally. He was bracing himself against two walls as he hung directly above the princess, holding his breath, hoping for the best that she wouldn't spot him.
"I must be hearing things." Octavia said to herself before heading into another room. Benny had let out a sigh of relief before heading back to the ground. He had accidentally knocked down a vase, which he quickly caught before it could hit the ground.
(sighs)
...But, as he put the vase back on the shelf it was on, the sound alerted Via, as she then came out of the room.
"Dad?"
She wasn't expecting to see a familiar looking imp in the hall, as Benny faced away from her, silently...
"Oh...it's you." She said. "What the hell are you doing here? If you're looking for my dad, he's not home yet. Although, he hasn't been himself in a while. You wouldn't happen to be apart of that, would you?"
The imp said nothing, leaving Verosika a bit confused. But then, he began to turn around to the left side and revealing his eye-patch to Octavia. This caught her by surprised as she began to realize it was the same imp, as a lot of things were different about, black markings, curved horns, the obviously missing eye. And then, came out the Kandarian Dagger, which built up fear in the young princess, who then begins to back away as the one-eyed imp completely faces her and begins to move forward. Octavia turned around and broke into a run, as did Rorschach, who chased Octavia to the front door. Before she could completely open it, Benny threw the dagger near her head, landing in the door, which closed shut on impact. Turning back, she saw the tall demon walking over to her, and suddenly, she felt her air caught off as Benny grabbed her by the neck and took the dagger and...paused, with the blade, inches away from her neck. Keeping a stoney glare on his face, he stared at the owl who was clutching his arm, raising her head, trying to keep tears from running down her face as she was looking Benny with such contempt.
It was not everyday that you get the chance to slay royalty. And it was an easy job, without witnesses...but she just had to show up, complicate. And Benny was wondering if he should really kill her not. Kill her, kill Stella, and Prince would have no choice but to start a new family, while Benny gets the chance to have his old one back. And its not like it wouldn't be worth it, Samael outranks Stolas in more ways than one...
"What are you waiting for?" Octavia struggled to say as she struggled for air. But then, Benny just drops her onto the floor, letting her gasp for air as the imp stares down at her.
"You're not the one I need to kill."
"...What? ...Are you here for my dad? Wouldn't be the first."
"No." Benny replied, leaving Octavia even more confused. "I'm an assassin...sent to kill your mother."
That's a first Octavia has heard of something like that. She was aware that her mother had practically put a hit on her father out of rage and frustration for...semi-understandable reasons, but to think that someone was after her...
"Who the hell did my Mum piss off?"
"...All of Hell." Benny answered.
The phone has been ringing, but Blitzø has refused to pick it off as he hasn't been himself since the day Verosika brought up his brother. How the hell did she find out about him? The day he was erased from Hell, Blitzø also erased him from his mind, his life, threw away or buried anything relating to him, since he felt like there was no point of getting attached anymore. Ironic, though, considering that if it weren't for his brother...he wouldn't be an assassin himself. It was the only option he had left, even if he wasn't too good at it, his own brother was his inspiration. But he wasn't a remorseless killer...he wasn't Benny Rorschach.
The phone kept ringing...
"It started ever since my father had an affair with a...business partner." Octavia explain, now sitting down in the kitchen as Benny leaned against the wall, fiddling with the sacrificial knife in his hands, hanging on every word. "I don't know how it happened, but my father has been at it for the past couple of months...now my mother wants him dead."
"And where exactly is your mother?" Benny asked, saying it if it were no big deal for the two of them.
"I can't tell you that. I'm not gonna have either of my parents killed."
"Your Highness..." Octavia was caught off guard, being called that, besides her father, no one's ever really called her by her royal status. "Your mother has gotten of the attention of the kind of people she wouldn't want attention from. The attempt she made on your father's life is considered a great betrayal to to system in Hell. The punishment...is death, and I'm simply here to deliver her sentence."
"By whose authority?" She asked, rather angrily. "Who the hell do you work for?"
"Samael."
Now, Octavia's really widened. She knew about Samael, the Moderator of Hell, meant to keep any at all threats of natural balance of Hell's leadership naturalized. If her mother has gotten his attention, then...
"Oh shit, Mum. What have you done?"
"I'm sorry, your highness." Benny said, blandly. "I'm just doing my job."
"...And what's in it for you?" Octavia asked, having her hand on her face. "How did you end up aligned with Samael?"
"...He saved me from being erased over a decade ago... Now, I've been left indebted to him, rather eternally, but it can be settled...if I take the life of your mother, unless I want to be one of Samael's political prisoners for the rest of my life... It's nothing personal, your highness, but if I kill Stella, I get life back."
Lifting her head up, Octavia looked at Benny from his right side, and looked just like Blitzø, minus the horns and black spots, and she made the connection.
"You know, you look just like the demon my father fucks around with." She said, and Benny was silent for a second.
"...Do I now?" He asked. "...I've been getting that a lot."
"...You wouldn't happen to have a brother, do you?"
Benny didn't have time to answer as he heard a limo being pulled up and saw Prince Stolas coming their way.
"You can get out of here through the back door." She said to him, and has the imp facing her.
"You're not gonna rat my out, are you?"
"No...but I will tell him about Samael. We can't have my mother die by yours, or Samael's hands."
And without another word spoken to her, Benny quickly headed over to the back entrance. Within minutes, he was out of Manor before Prince Stolas could even noticed. 2 days out of his month was left, and he was still short of one bird demon heart.
"As if things couldn't get anymore complicated."
As Stolas arrives, he sees that the door's unlocked, meaning that someone may have already entered.
"Hello?" He asks out. "Stella? Via?"
"In here." Octavia calls out, to which her father sees her in the Kitchen, albeit looking far more depressed.
"Starfire? What is wrong? Has something occurred."
Octavia looks at her father, with tears running down her eyes.
"...We need to talk."