Hazbin Devils
Chapter 19
The abandoned building was not much, but it worked well enough as a shelter. It had to be a recently abandoned clothing store as there were boxes of clean shirts and jeans left behind in the storerooms. Dante found himself a matching pair of shirt and jeans while Vaggie and Angel decided to wear something a little more discreet, although Vaggie did not need as much disguise as the spider demon did.
Fortunately for the trio, the storm had abated to a drizzle by the time they were done, but they decided not to leave the place yet. While Vaggie and Angel Dust slept at a corner hidden from plain sight, Dante walked about the place and poked around at some of the things left behind. There was nothing overly spectacular, but it just felt good to see something human-related for once. The cold fresh air was relaxing to him and it certainly made him want to close his eyes and nap for a bit.
As he slowly drifted off into sleep and his head started nodding, Dante felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking around over his shoulder, he saw Angel handing him a blanket while also looking rather sullen. The demon hunter looked at the blanket and accepted it wordlessly while giving the spider demon a thankful smile. After wrapping the blanket around himself, he continued his watch but noticed that the Angel was still standing next to him.
"Something you wanna tell me?" Dante asked.
"Why'd you come and save me?" Angel asked in return.
Dante blinked and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Why not? You were in trouble and I was on my way to get Yamato's power back."
The spider demon sighed and massaged his forehead. "I told you not to look for me…"
"Why, cos you tried something stupid?"
"Well, ye – wait, no…I mean…fuck!" Angel cursed loudly, causing Vaggie to stir from her sleep.
"Angel, really, I just can't bring myself to get mad at you."
"You're trying to pity me, aren't you?"
Dante gave him a crooked smile and said, "Maybe I am. Another reason being that attempt was rather pathetic." When he saw Angel's shoulders droop, he quickly added, "But it's a good thing, you know."
"Whaddya mean by that?" the spider demon inquired with narrowed eyes and a suspicious tone.
"The way I see it, your heart doesn't seem to into this whole thing. It's like you weren't even trying. That tells me one thing: and that you still have a conscience," Dante explained.
"Sweetheart, I think I lost my shoulder angel a long time ago. How'd you think I end up in this shit pit anyway?"
"I don't think you lost it entirely," Dante said while sitting on the floor and patting the floor beside him. After Angel sat down, the demon hunter continued. "What do you think of demons?"
"Uh…what's up with that question?" Angel asked. When Dante cocked his head and raised his eyebrows without replying, he rolled his eyes and said, "Demons are insufferable folks that have no redeeming qualities."
"Not entirely wrong. You see, where I'm from –"
"The demons are nothing but evil things. Yeah, you said it before. I don't see how we're any different."
"You were once human."
"And?"
"Surely you have something deep within you that makes you human, right? Like compassion for example, or selflessness?"
Angel rolled his eyes and snorted dismissively. "Great, you're starting to sound like that padre that gave Mass."
"Hey, all I'm saying is that what makes you different from the demons I'm accustomed to is that humanity, the altruism. If you are still who you are before you died, then surely there's something left, no? Charlie's heart is in the right place when she's encouraging good deeds."
"Good deeds," Angel muttered. "I think I left that behind a long time ago even before I died. No use for that in a crime family." He stared at his palms and flexed his fingers slowly before looking at Dante sullenly. "My entire family's in hell for crying out loud. Does that sound like a family that does good deeds? If you were present when I was alive, you'll never hear folks saying 'Anthony gave alms' or 'Anthony gave to charity, what a swell guy he is'. Humans are as bad as demons, even worse perhaps."
Dante looked at the spider demon and smiled sympathetically. "You're right, humans can be like that. I think I told everyone over dinner about the time when I had fought Arkham and the Order of the Sword. They were humans who did everything to gain demonic powers, to rule the world and everyone in it. They're all willing to sacrifice family and friends for that end. Naturally, demons don't really care what humans do. Humans are playthings to them. Because of their nature, you come to expect them to act in a certain way, to be constantly evil."
"What're you getting at?"
"Humans, even though not all, are expected to be humane and give consideration to others, to be charitable and selfless. My mother was a great example of that," Dante replied while staring at the sky blankly. "But then came along this handsome devil known as Sparda, the protector of humanity. He came along and broke the mould," the demon hunter quipped while flashing a toothy smile at the spider demon.
"You dick," Angel responded with a laugh and punched his shoulder.
"No joke, I think I inherited his good looks," Dante said with a laugh of his own. After a while, he slowed down and took a deep breath. "He's a pure-blooded demon, the right-hand man of the previous demon king Mundus. Do you expect someone like him to feel any sort of pity for humans?"
"If it were me, I'd say fuck humanity," Angel answered passively.
"That's usually the correct assumption, but Sparda developed humanity. My father defended humans from demon invasions."
Angel cocked his head inquisitively and asked, "But why, why pity and save the humans at all?"
"Who knows," Dante responded with a shrug. "But if even a pure-blooded demon can feel a sense of justice and sacrifice everything he had – including his powers – to protect humankind from the underworld, then surely humans can too, even if said human has died and become a demon. Remember what Charlie said about sin?"
"Oh, c'mon! Are you sure you ain't Charlie underneath that skin?" Angel exclaimed in exasperation, his voice finally causing Vaggie to slowly sit up and grumble grumpily.
"I'm not Charlie, but I do think she has a point somewhere. Whether or not I believe sinners can be redeemed and go to heaven is another topic, but at least try something. I do think you still have that humanity somewhere in you, Angel. Perhaps all you need is some time to reflect and support from people who care. I know Vergil definitely needed it."
"I didn't think he'd be the kind who needed or wanted any support," Angel pointed out flatly.
"He can be a stubborn dumbass but you have to understand that he's been through a lot," Dante countered. He leaned back against a shelf and stared at the boarded-up window wistfully. "We may have our differences, but he's still family in the end. I'm only glad to have him back and so far, I'd like to think I've been supporting him well for the past…well…I think I lost track of time."
"So, you managed to change him then?" Angel asked while also leaning back.
"I dunno. He never acknowledges a lot of things and the underworld certainly doesn't provide an environment for him to test and see if he's softened up or anything. Sometimes I wonder how he even had a kid," Dante said absent-mindedly.
"Whoa, wait one second, you're telling me your hardass of a brother has a wife?!" Angel exclaimed with wide eyes as he sat up straight. "There's gotta be something wrong with that woman he banged…"
"He doesn't want to talk about it, that's for sure. Until now, he hasn't told me who she was or how she was like."
"Ohhh…a pump-and-dump. Got it," Angel winked cheekily at the demon hunter and gave him two finger guns.
"That's one way of putting it, but in case Vergil asks, you didn't hear it from me," Dante concluded.
"You do know you're the only one here who knows about it, right?" the spider demon said matter-of-factly.
"Damn it," Dante muttered upon the realisation. Nevertheless, he waved his hand as if to dismiss the thought physically. "Anyway, I hope you understand why I'm doing this. I can't just leave you like that, especially after knowing what your boss is and is capable of."
"But you heard him, right?" Angel frowned. "I can't escape him, I signed that fucking contract with him a long time ago and by all accounts, I'm his property. The moment we go back to hell, he'll know. Killing him's gonna kill me too."
"And he has to burn the contract himself if he is to release you, right? Cherri told me," Dante said.
Angel paused and chuckled softly while wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "Cherri…you really are nosy as hell. Still…she's a great friend," he said. Sighing and looking up at Dante, the spider demon said, "You too, Dante. Thank you."
Dante smiled back and ruffled Angel's hair. "Don't thank me yet, leggy. I still haven't freed you from Valentino yet."
"Leggy? Surely you could come up with a better nickname for some pretty like me?" Angel asked with a look of mock disapproval.
Before Dante could answer, the two of them heard Vaggie clear her throat. They turned their heads left to see an annoyed moth demon staring down at them with her arms crossed and her eyebrows furrowed. She tapped her right feet in an almost-consistent pace. Even though she was looking at their general direction, the demon hunter was sure that Vaggie was staring at him particularly.
"I hope you two are done dating," Vaggie remarked annoyedly.
"Sorry, was I too loud?" Dante asked while he and Angel stood up.
"No, he was," the moth demon said while pointing a finger at the spider demon. However, she quickly switched to pointing at Dante instead. "You, however, shouldn't you be thinking of a way to get us back?"
Dante held up his hands and said, "Hey now, we have a way back, it's just that I need some time to…recover my energy."
"Tu puta madre," Vaggie muttered while massaging her forehead with her fingers. "You lost that thing, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"Well…is there a way to find it then?"
"I'll find a way."
"You better hurry the fuck up because I don't think heaven's gonna tolerate us being here longer than we need to," Vaggie said in a controlled but still slightly shaky tone. "I've already died once and I sure as hell don't wanna get erased."
"She's right," Angel said in a serious tone. "I don't think we should stay too long. How'd you lose the thing anyway? Maybe we can help find it."
Dante wanted to answer but he felt an odd sensation in his right hand. At the same time, he felt that someone was watching them and he quickly put up his hand to shush Vaggie and Angel. Looking around the store, he was quick to spot a small red glow coming from a nearby corner of the room they were in. Pulling out his pistol, the demon hunter shot at it. There was a loud noise of something metallic being shattered followed by a rain of broken plastics falling onto the floor.
"We're being watched," Dante explained before Vaggie could yell at him for creating a commotion. As for the strange sensation, he summoned his sword and noticed it had a blue aura around it. It was the same shade of blue possessed by Yamato's dimensional-cutting power. Weak as it was at first, when Dante pointed at a particular direction, the aura glowed slightly brighter. "Ladies, I think we may have a lead here," he declared with a triumphant smile.
"Just by your sword glowing?" Vaggie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It never did that before at all, so it's gotta mean something. Any lead is better than no lead at this point. Just to be safe, I'll go check things out. You two find a new hiding spot," Dante replied. "Anywhere out of sight. Stick to the alleyways or something, or the sewers."
"Fuck the sewers. I'm not getting dirty like that," Angel commented flatly.
"Then stay in the alleys. Find a place to hide and wait for me. Do you think the phones work here?"
Vaggie grabbed her phone and dialled Dante's number. To their relief, the signal was picked up and Dante's phone rang accordingly. Satisfied, she disengaged the call and nodded. "I'll get Angel somewhere safe. Just in case though, if you find the place, take a picture so we can join up with you if you need any help."
Dante smiled cockily and said, "I'll be fine, but sure." He took out his shotgun and handed it to Angel. "Listen to me very closely. Do not use this against humans unless absolutely necessary. We're here to find a way back; not to kill anyone."
"Well…alright I guess," said a reluctant Angel.
"Good. I'll keep in touch. If you don't hear from me in five minutes after I send you a picture of the location, come find me."
"How fascinating…" Agent One's voice trailed off thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin. "Why is a human working with demons?"
Agent Two stared at the now static screen and adjusted her shades. "Cultist perhaps?" she wondered aloud.
"Doesn't look the part," her companion muttered. He replayed the last recorded image of Dante, Vaggie, and Angel and zoomed closer to take a better look at them. "It's a shame the camera couldn't record sounds. I'd love to know what they were talking about. These two seem close though," Agent One commented while tapping on the screen where Dante and Angel were.
"Doesn't matter. Whoever works with demons will need to answer for their crimes against humanity," Agent Two growled while curling her right hand into a fist.
"I agree. It's funny too that this happened to appear in headquarters the same time they appeared," Agent One said and held up a glowing deep blue shard. "The eggheads couldn't figure it out this one."
"Then we'll ask our fellow friend about it," Agent Two remarked before a sharp pain shot through her skull and made her clench her head.
"Two!" her companion called out while hold her up as her knees suddenly gave out.
Without hesitating another second, the female agent reached for a bottle of pills in her coat. She lost her grip on in but Agent One managed to catch it for her and popped open the cap. At that point blood had started leaking out of Agent Two's nose and the side of her mouth. He deposited a plain white pill onto her free palm and she quickly tossed it into her mouth and chewed it. A few seconds after swallowing the crushed pill, the pain in her head faded away and she slowly unclenched her hands.
Agent Two gave a sigh of relief and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood. After making sure her face was clean, she stowed her handkerchief away and acted as if nothing had just happened. However, Agent One looked concerned and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked at it and then at her partner's face, her own expression blank as she moved his hands away from her shoulder.
"I'm fine," she said.
"Like hell you are," Agent One remarked through gritted teeth. "This meds aren't a proper cure."
"But they're the best we've got for now. I believe our new benefactors will provide us with something better eventually…hopefully," said Agent Two. She rubbed her head and closed her eyes. "Dear Lord…I'm still seeing things. That fucking demon…"
"I know. He'll pay, they'll all pay. Our benefactors have the ability to kill demons, so favour will be on our side in the end."
As he finished his sentence, the door to the control room opened. In came three flying figures accompanied by two agents, each flanking them like they were their bodyguards. The figure in the middle – one which resembled a yellow-coloured sheep – stepped forward. One of her companions, a periwinkle-coloured sheep, had an uncertain look about it. For a split second, he had his hand outstretched as if he wanted to stop her, but he quickly retracted it and stayed silent. The third companion, a baby-looking humanoid, flew forward and joined the yellow-coloured sheep's side.
"You've got a visitor waiting outside. I think he's here for that foul thing you found," the yellow sheep said.
"That was fast," Agent Two muttered thoughtfully.
"Maybe he's connected to the thing," Agent One added. He took the blue shard from his coat pocket to take a look at it again, but the yellow sheep snatched it out of his hand. "Hey!" he exclaimed.
"Keenie, I – I don't think he's the one we're looking for," the periwinkle sheep spoke up softly.
"Don't be silly, Collin, he radiates the same energy as the one we saw that day," Keenie said dismissively. She held the shard between two fingers and made a disgusted expression. "We're not gonna give anyone who works with demons or demons themselves the pleasure of getting their hands on these," she said. Looking at the two agents, she added flatly, "We'll keep this thing safe. You two do what you need to do."
While Agent One and Two looked passive, as soon as Keenie turned her back and went out the door, Agent One shook his head slowly while developing a frown. "If this is the type of angel in heaven, I'm gonna start worshipping Satan instead."
"Hey, we don't do that here! You shall only worship the Lord!" the baby-like angel shot angrily while grabbing Agent One's collar and smacking him across the face.
"Cletus, p – please don't," Collin said while pulling back Cletus. Turning to Agent One, he gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Cletus and Keenie's been…stressed out ever since that day. Rest assured; you're still doing the Lord's work."
"You don't seem too stressed about it though," Agent Two pointed out.
"I don't really wanna think about it," Collin mumbled while rubbing his arm. He sucked in a breath of air and steeled his face. "Even though we're banished from heaven, we're still angels. Protecting humans is what we do."
"What, you think D.H.O.R.K.S. can't do the job? We managed to get government funding after that little incident," Agent One said proudly.
"Money ain't gonna help much once the real deal appears. Besides exorcists, no one else can fight demons, and definitely not you folks" Cletus remarked snidely, causing Agent One to frown.
Collin shook his head disapprovingly at Cletus before turning his attention to Agent One and Two. "He's right though. Human weapons can't kill demons, much less swords and whatever weapons you can conjure up. That's why we're here to help. We have a common enemy and we have a way to fight them," he said with a smile.
"What about curing whatever shit's left in me by that owl demon?" Agent Two asked while showing the bottle of pills to him.
"I'm afraid that's a little more complicated. That demon's a nobility of hell, something that can't be fixed easily," Collin explained sadly. He perked up quickly and said, "But we'll do our best to cleanse your soul! It can still be saved."
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," said the female agent with narrowed eyes.
"We uh…better get going," Agent One interrupted, his gaze fixed on the security monitor that showed Dante standing in front of their headquarters.
"D.H.O.R.K.S.? What the hell kind of name is that?" Dante wondered aloud while looking up at the tallest floor where the building's name was spelled out in a white neon sign. "Feels like a hundred floors or something."
He took a picture of the building and sent it to Vaggie. When Dante summoned his sword, the blue glow it had was so bright that it lit up his face in the otherwise dark atmosphere. The sword pulsated with energy as well like it was calling out to something, to lead Dante to what he hoped was Yamato's power. It was odd that the thing ended up in a building that was not only oddly named but also one that was way too tall than it needed to be.
The place looked important but no guards were in sight at the front entrance. However, a security camera was watching him and tracking every little more he made. Dante gave a crooked smile and flexed his right arm and nodded his head cheekily. A separate machine popped out next to the camera and began scanning him with a laser scanner. The devil hunter looked at the red light and shrugged.
"What can I say? I'm the perfect example of a human," Dante remarked jokingly. After the scanner was done, it retracted back into the wall and the front entrance opened up. "Time to greet the welcoming committee."
Without hesitating, he crouched and entered into the building even before the blast door was fully opened. For a second, he was expecting to see a lobby with a front desk at the end of it. Instead of that, he was greeted by a very office-looking interior that branched off into several different rooms. The main lobby was minimally decorated with only several potted plants and cabinets serving to break up the otherwise monotonous background. Several of the ceiling likes blinked incessantly and seemed to be the only source of sound.
Glancing to his left, he spotted a box of leftover pizza on the table which was still warm. Someone seemed to have left in a hurry, so Dante helped himself to a slice. Unfortunately for him, it had pineapples on it. So, he unsummoned his sword and picked out the pineapple bits that were on it before taking a bite out of the slice. As he did so, he heard the blast door slam shut behind him and turned to look at it. Calmly, he looked away and gave no further thoughts about it.
When he was about to finish eating, Dante heard the PA system crackle to life. "Stay where you are," said a female voice.
"Take your time, I'm not going anywhere," Dante replied casually, not caring if they heard him or not.
A few moments later, the elevator doors located on the right side of the lobby parted and out came a male and female pair of agent-looking characters. Dante raised an eyebrow and dusted his hands as he just finished his food. He was about to approach them at first, but when the two agents pulled out handguns and aimed at him, the demon hunter's walk came to a halt. Looking at their guns and back at their faces, Dante crossed his arms.
"Best you come along quietly or we will hurt you," the female agent said flatly.
"C'mon, is this how you do customer service? It's bad for business," Dante said.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation, pal. Do you know who we are?" the male agent asked in an annoyed tone.
"People who need a better fashion sense?" Dante asked matter-of-factly.
"Alright, wise guy, what's your name and who do you work for?" the female agent asked angrily.
"I work for myself. Sorry for not having a business card on me."
The two agents were about to pull their triggers but the demon hunter dashed at them and slapped their hands, making them drop their weapons. For a few seconds, they were dumbstruck at the speed which Dante moved. However, both agents recovered at the same time and started throwing punches and kicks at him. The demon hunter caught the male agent's punch with his left palm and redirected it at the female agent, causing her shades to be knocked off and bruising her cheek while also knocking her off balance as her kick failed to make contact with Dante.
With his right palm, he slammed it into the male agent's chest and knocked him onto the floor as well and pushed him right back into the still open elevator. The male agent coughed profusely from the shortness of breath when the elevator doors started closing. He quickly stumbled out of it and bent over to continue coughing. Dante looked at the female agent and noticed she was picking up her shades and standing up after that.
"I'm impressed," said Dante while slowly clapping.
Gritting her teeth, the agent ran for the fallen pistol closest to her only to stop when Dante pulled out his own and shot it away, causing it to slide underneath a steel cabinet. With her partner still recovering from the hit, the female agent decided to attack the demon hunter herself, roaring angrily as she charged at him with her fist raised. Dante waited until her fist nearly hit his face when he stepped out of the way and let her shoot past him. However, before she could slam into the wall, the demon hunter pulled on her coat, causing her to stumble forward from the momentum but not falling over.
She quickly turned around when Dante let go of her and did another high kick. Yet again, Dante blocked her kick and grinned at her when she was facing him. It caught her off guard and she could not help but blush and the momentum in her kick dissipated entirely. However, during the split second the two were distracted, the male agent recovered enough to charge at Dante with a syringe of green liquid in his hand.
Dante had heard him coming, but turning around to face him was a bad mistake. The moment he had his back turned, the female agent kicked him between the legs. Dante grunted in pain and his knees buckled while his hands reached for his crotch. As he fell onto the floor, the male agent jabbed him with the syringe and injected the tranquilising liquid. Not too long after, the demon hunter fell silent and his writhes of pain were replaced by slow chest movements from his breathing.
"Major disrespect there, Agent Two," the male agent remarked while flipping Dante onto his back.
"Would you rather he beat your ass, One?" Agent Two asked while rubbing her sore check. "Fucking hell. For an old man, he fights like Bruce Lee or something."
"Um…" Agent One held up the syringe and noticed the label on it. "Damn…"
"What is it?"
"This thing is strong, like 'knock-out-an-elephant' strong," Agent One muttered.
"WHAT?!" Agent Two exclaimed while shaking her partner. "We're supposed to take him in for questioning; not kill him!"
Agent One felt Dante's wrist and much to his amazement, the demon hunter's heartbeat was steadier than it should be. "Doesn't feel like he's dying anytime soon though. This guy's definitely not human."
"Why do you have an elephant tranquiliser with you at all?" Agent Two asked in annoyance while checking Dante's pulse for herself.
"Uh, for the fucking demon nobles, duh. I guess I shouldn't be putting it so close to regular ones."
Agent Two removed her hand from the demon hunter's wrist and shot her partner a glare. "Yeah, no shit. Also, are you saying our equipment's faulty? It clearly showed he's human. Demon disguises don't work against it."
"Look, let's just get 'em to the interrogation room. If he ain't cooperating, we can always gas 'em. If it worked on the imps, it'll surely work on this guy too. We'll do a second scan as well," Agent One assured his partner.
Vaggie tapped her foot impatiently while Angel broke open Dante's shotgun and clicking it back shut repeatedly. He spun it on one finger before stowing it away in the coat he wore. There was no watch or clock to tell the time, but it definitely felt like more than five minutes had passed. The moth demon stared at the picture of the building that the demon hunter sent to her and went to a window. Looking out, she immediately spotted the place as it was the only skyscraper in the area – as well as being the only building name after a socially inept person.
"How am I supposed to use the shotgun if he didn't give me any shells?" Angel asked no one in particular.
"We should go looking for Dante," Vaggie said urgently. "He's not too far away."
"I mean, the building fucking advertises itself with that crappy-ass name and being the only large dick pointed at the sky," Angel added while joining her side.
"Yeah, but Dante's supposed to be an excellent fighter. How could anyone best him?" Vaggie wondered. She tried calling his phone but the demon hunter left it unanswered. "Fuck," she growled.
"I dunno, maybe they kicked him in the nutsack?" Angel suggested jokingly. When Vaggie glowered at him, he shot her a peeved look. "Oh, lighten up, will you?"
"Let's go find him. He better have that teleportation power thingy ready when we arrive," said the moth demon. She slapped a hat she randomly picked up onto the spider demon and said, "You need a disguise; I already look human enough."
"Tch, no fair," Angel complained while removing the hat.
"Life's a bitch, Angel. Get busy." While the spider demon assembled a proper disguise from whatever clothing that was left in the store, Vaggie equipped her spear and gave it a spin. "You better have some good news for us, Dante."
A/N: Life's been pretty busy and I was working on two chapters at the same time as well. Since this one's done first, I thought I'd go ahead and publish it. I'm also pleased to mention that I may have a way for Nero to appear during the tail end chapters along with a very old enemy that would form the ultimate battle that will determine the fate of the Hazbin/Helluva hellverse. Hopefully it's a compelling idea.