N/A: It's been a long while since I updated Hellwalker and I apologize for that, but I've had so many story ideas that I couldn't just ignore and I'm still working on that, but thanks to the new episode of Helluva Boss, I had enough motivation to finish this chapter and I'm excited to show you what's gonna happen now after the last one.
I wanna take the chance to thank you all for following and supporting me and my story, I can promise things will get even more intense onward, not to mention saucy. Also I'd like to remind you to support me in other websites like Ko-Fi and Subscribestar, that will help me a lot to work at a good pace with my fanfics.
Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it!
Back in Imp City, Blitz pulled his van over the sidewalk before the door was slid open by Loona and she along with Tristan got out of the vehicle. After an exhausting discussion, they finally convinced Blitz to let the human stay at Loona's place, under the condition that he wouldn't lay a finger on Loona.
"I got my eyes on you now, buddy. Keep your stinkin' fingers away from my Loonie, because if I hear it, you're gonna go back to Earth in a body bag." Blitz warned while making a gesture of 'I'm watching you'.
"Don't worry, Blitz. I'll make sure he behaves like a good little boy. Isn't that right?" Loona then stepped beside Tristan and placed her hand on his shoulder.
Tristan flinched before he looked up to see the hellhound giving him a creepy smile with her fangs bearing. Swallowing a lump down his throat, he turned towards Blitz before responding. "Of course - cross my heart." He said while tracing his finger across his chest.
Blitz smirked, pleased to hear from the scared human. "I know your first day in Hell wasn't as fun as you expected, but cheer up! Tomorrow will be worse."
Tristan only grumbled in exasperation.
Millie suddenly pops out the window next to Blitz. "Good luck spending your night with Loona! Just don't treat her like a dog or you'll become hers!" She said cheerfully before Blitz drove off, leaving the duo.
"Come, my apartment is just across the street." Loona said as she strode, without looking back at the human.
Tristan sighed as he followed her in tow, pulling the hood down over his head to cover his face. While Tristan and Loona are alone in this street, he didn't want to take any chances of walking around with his face exposed. Who knows how the demons would react if they found out there's a human among them, but he rather not know the answer.
Loona led him toward a three-story building that looked like an apartment with a few broken windows.
Once inside, Loona took Tristan to the last floor and led him to the last door down the hall. She unlocked the door before opening it and walked into her apartment as Tristan followed her in. But suddenly, he grimaced at the strong scent of alcohol reaching into his nostrils.
Loona stood beside the light switch on the wall and flicked it to turn the lights on, and at that moment Tristan was shocked at the sight of glass bottles, crushed cans of beer and dirty food boxes scattered all over the floor. This place was a huge mess and somehow this just reminded him of what his old apartment looked like!
"Um… Did you have a party here?" Tristan asked as he tried not to make a grimace out of disgust.
"No. Why? You have a problem?" Loona retorted with her face creased into a frown.
Tristan looked at her in disbelief at her answer. "Of course I have! How could you live like this? Look at all this mess. I've seen worse places than this, but your apartment could really need some serious cleaning!" He complained.
"Well excuse me if you thought you were gonna stay in a big fucking castle! And if you must know, this dump is the only thing I have left!" She snapped as she stomped her way to the couch before flopping herself onto the couch. "I knew this was a mistake…"
This didn't go unheard by Tristan as he realized what he just did. He let out a sigh as he approached the hellhound and stood behind the couch. "Okay, look, I'm sorry. I know I've been nothing but a pain in the ass for you." Tristan said apologetically. "Today I've been dealing a lot and I'm not sure if I can take it much longer. You know I don't belong here."
However, he noticed that Loona wasn't facing him, he wasn't even sure if she's listening to him. Knowing that his words wouldn't convince her, Tristan thought there was only one thing to do to make it up to her. "You know what, I'll do the cleaning."
"Wait, you're serious?" Loona perked up and whipped her head around with a bewildered look.
"Yeah, I think it's the least I can do to repay your hospitality." Tristan replied with a tired, but genuine smile.
Loona tilted her head as she eyed him with her brows furrowed, trying to find a reasonable doubt behind his claim. But then she shook her head before turning away. "Fine, whatever, as long as you stop bitching about it." She said while crossing her legs.
"Deal." Tristan chuckled, feeling now relieved that they started again with a good step. However, he just felt his stomach rumbling as he realized that he hadn't been eating for hours. Then he noticed the kitchen sitting in the corner. "Hey, do you have something I could eat?"
"There's some leftover pizza in the fridge." Loona replied with a monotonous tone as she was checking on her cellphone.
"Aw nice, I would love some pizza!" Tristan said cheerfully while rubbing his hands.
Going to the kitchen, he walked towards the fridge while crossing his fingers that whatever what's inside was normal food. He opened the fridge, but much to his shock, he found a giant woodlouse eating the leftovers of the pizza.
"What in the…" Before he would react, the giant bug suddenly leaped at him and clutched onto his face. "Aaaaahhhh! It's in my face! It's face-hugging me! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" He screamed as he whipped around while trying to pull the woodlouse off him, but instead he was making a lot of noise in the kitchen.
"Ugh, goddammit…" Loona groaned, leaving her cellphone on the couch before rising up and went to attend the human.
Tristan started to run blindly as he was about to head out of the kitchen, but Loona stood on his way with her clenched fist and then punched him in the face, sending him to the ground as the crushed bug fell off his face.
"I'll order some pizza." Loona grumbled, wiping her hand as she went back to the living room for her cellphone.
"Good idea. I should go to the bathroom and clean myself." Tristan said casually, though he was starting to feel sick because his face was covered with hemolymph.
It's been almost half an hour, Tristan and Loona were now sitting at the table while eating pizza together. Much to Tristan's relief she ordered a pepperoni pizza, which he didn't know they would still serve human food in Hell. As they both enjoyed the pizza, Tristan felt the need to start a conversation with her. Sure, he thought it would be a bad idea considering they are still neutral between them, but he thought it could be a chance to ease the tension between them.
"So… can I ask you something?" Tristan said with a meek tone.
Loona grunted as she chomped on her slice of pizza, but from the sound of it, she was allowing him to speak.
"What's it like to work for Blitz? I mean, I know he's a huge dick, not only to me but his employees as well. But I noticed he's been treating you fairly and I can't help but wonder what's going on between you." Tristan pointed as his curiosity peaked the more he pointed out.
"Why the hell would you want to know about it?" Loona retorted while giving him an eye-piercing glare.
Tristan gulped as he felt threatened, but he recoiled as he continued. "Well… I know it might sound crazy, but it looks like Blitz is treating you like you're his own daughter. I know! Crazy! Right?"
Loona just stopped from eating her pizza, staring at the human in shock with her jaw falling slack for a moment. At first she thought he was just interrogating her to find out what's her relationship with Blitz, and she definitely doesn't like someone invading her privacy. However, she just remembered the times when Blitz smothered her in front of Tristan, which he gave away at some point.
Knowing she can't brush it off, Loona sighed in resignation and decided to answer. "You're right. He's my father, legally." She turned away with a frown.
"Wait, really? I didn't know you could be adopted in Hell." Tristan responded in surprise.
"I didn't ask to be adopted." Loona responded dryly. "I know how to take care of myself, but one day he shows up and tells me that I'm now his daddy girl! And now I have to spend the rest of my life with him!" She rubbed her brows, hating to remind herself how it all started.
"Is he really that clingy to you?" Tristan chimed in, raising an eyebrow.
"Only when he's not busy with his contracts, but I can't say he would give me some space even if I ask. But you know, dads. Am I right?" The hellhound chuckled while turning back to him.
"Yeah… I guess." Tristan suddenly looked dejected.
Loona blinked at his reaction, but it didn't take too long for her to recall that night Tristan almost died, as he told her he never met his father. Now she feels like a jackass for asking something that he never knows what it's like, and she can really understand that. But she decided to stay quiet and act like nothing happened.
"How's your wounds, by the way?" The young man suddenly changed the subject.
Loona restrained a sigh, although she was almost surprised he would ask about her injuries. "Fine, I guess. But not thanks to you for leading me to a street full of gangbangers and getting me beaten with a fucking baseball bat." She replied with a bitter tone, pointing her finger accusingly to him.
Tristan frowned and was about to argue that it wasn't his fault he was trying to run for his life, but there was no point to argue and she probably has a point. "Well, if that makes you feel any better. I got shot and almost died. So that makes us even, right?" He said with an amused smile.
Loona stared at him, almost bewildered at his remark, but suddenly she let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I guess now we're even." She said with a shrug before taking another bite of her pizza.
Now they're going on the right track, much to his relief. "Well, thanks for the pizza, but now I need to lie down and get some rest. Do you have a spare room by any chance?" Tristan asked as he rose up from the chair.
"I just have one, and you're NOT welcomed there." The hellhound replied with a threatening tone.
"Alright, alright." Tristan waved his hands. "Where can I sleep then?"
"You can use the couch." She pointed to a dirty couch in the living room, but it looked like it was scratched by something bigger.
"Um… There's nowhere else I could sleep instead?" Tristan said, not feeling comfortable with the idea of laying down that couch.
Loona restrained an exasperated groan. "Would you prefer sleeping on my dirty clothes?" She then pointed to a pile of her dirty clothing sitting on the corner, as Tristan grimaced at the sight of it.
"No, you know what, I'll stick with the couch, thank you." He said in resignation, letting out a yawn before heading towards the couch.
"Good." After she was done eating her pizza, Loona stood up and made her way to the corridor where her bedroom was. However, she stopped her mid-tracks and decided to say one last thing to the human. "If you even think about sneaking into my room, I swear I will make you-"
She turned around to face him, only to cut-off mid-sentence when she saw Tristan was now laying on the couch, thinking he was just pretending to be asleep until she heard him snoring a little. Loona wondered how much he was tired to faint like that, but then she considered that after everything he just went through this whole day must have been very exhausting for him. She wasn't supposed to feel bad for him, but at this moment, she already did.
Trying to dismiss that thought, she turned on her heel and continued heading to her bedroom before she went to sleep.
It was morning already, even though there's no sun in Hell, the red skies began to light up by the glowing huge pentagram looming above the city.
Back in the apartment, Loona just got out of her bedroom with her messy hair while wearing a long dark shirt. As she let out a yawn, she remembered about the human who was staying in her apartment. With a sigh, she went to check on him while rubbing her eyes with her fingers. Once her sight was clear, she looked up to check the living room, and then her eyes widened as she stopped her tracks.
Not only the human wasn't found on the couch, but all the garbage, all the clothes that were littered all over the floor, was all gone, literally. Now the apartment looked fresh and clean like the first day she stayed in this apartment.
"Oh, you're awake."
Loona whipped her head towards the kitchen and saw Tristan serving himself a cup of coffee, before he approached her while holding another cup of coffee.
"Did… Did you do all of this?" Loona said in shock as she looked around the cleaned apartment.
"Yup, I woke up earlier and I thought I could take the chance of cleaning your apartment." Tristan said with a friendly tone as he handed the cup of coffee to Loona.
The hellhound girl hesitantly accepted the gesture, wearing a dumbfounded look as she kept looking around for a second time. She then noticed the pile of clothes she left at the corner just vanished. "H-Hey! What did you do with my clothes!" She demanded.
"Oh, I picked them up and left them in the washer just in case." He responded, pointing to the small room in the kitchen where he found the washing machine.
"A-Are you okay?" Loona was utterly stunned that she couldn't hide her reaction anymore.
Tristan blinked at her question. "Well… I'm fine, kinda feel weird to be honest, but maybe because I keep forgetting that I'm standing underground. But at least I had a good night's sleep, I guess that's all that I needed." He chuckled while scratching the back of his head.
Her mixed emotions kept her quiet for the time being, before she shook her head and waved it off. "You know what, I don't care, I'm just gonna have some breakfast." She sighed before she went to the kitchen.
"Okay then, mind if I use your bathroom to check my bandages?" Tristan asked politely.
"Whatever." Loona said dismissively.
However, the moment Tristan went to the bathroom, Loona took a moment to process and try to find any sense of what just happened. She thought for sure the human would have a bad time living under the roof with a monster, but instead not only he acted politely to her, he also fulfilled his word to clean her apartment very soon and he even just gave her a cup of coffee.
At this point she didn't understand what's going on, but what was bothering lately is that she didn't even know why she decided to save that human.
"What am I doing?" Loona muttered while dwelling in her thoughts.
Inside the bathroom, Tristan just finished taking off all the bandages and to his relief, he saw his bullet wounds are now healing, though they almost looked fresh and he had to make sure they wouldn't open again. He splashed some water on his face, and as he looked at himself in the mirror, he took a moment to ask himself if he would ever get out of Hell.
Blitz promised him he would let him go if he would help to dig up on that so-called client, but would that Blitz guy be willing to let him go after that; fulfill his word? But right now that wasn't the only thing that he's worried about. He became aware that he might have lied to Loona. Sure, he's physically fine, but he's afraid that something might happen to him the more he stays in Hell.
Would he lose his sanity? Or maybe he will think that he deserves to be in Hell?
His thoughts broke out by the sounds of someone knocking the door, before he craned his head to his side and saw Loona standing at the doorstep.
"Hey, Blitz just texted me. He says he needs me to take you back to his office." She said while holding up the phone to show the text message from the boss.
Tristan let out an exasperated sigh. "Then let's not keep him waiting."
Loona and Tristan arrived at the building as they got in and used the elevator to get to the upper floor where the I.M.P's office was. As they went through the door, they found Moxxie and Millie idling at the desk before they saw the newcomers.
"Oh, hey guys!" Millie said cheerfully while waving. "I didn't expect you guys to come earlier."
"Hey." Tristan replied calmly after waving back at Millie. "Blitz said he wanted to see me, so we thought it would be best to just be here and get this done. Is he here?"
"Yeah, he's waiting for you in the meeting room. I say let's meet him before he loses his patience." Moxxie suggested with a sigh.
Everyone made their way to the door that was on the far right side of the room, Moxxie opened the door and they entered and found Blitz sitting in front of a large table, checking on his cellphone out of boredom until he noticed his employees showing up, including the human.
"Well, what a disappointment. I was hoping to see Loona carrying your dead body and tell me you got run over." Blitz said with a deadpan tone.
"Good morning to you too." Tristan said with an unamused frown as the others were taking their seats. "So what's the purpose of this meeting?"
"I bring you some good news. You're gonna get a new assignment." Blitz replied in a somewhat fake cheerful tone. Tristan restrained a sigh, not even surprised that he would say that. However, his smile was replaced with a scowl. "If you must know, I'm still pissed about last night and I still don't trust that dipshit. I know he's still fucking with us again and I bet he's preparing us another trap! Oh, but this time he's not gonna get away with it. We're gonna play it along until we'll find out who's been honest and who's not, and by the time we'll get the answers, someone is gonna get his ass FUCKED!" He suddenly slammed his fist into the table, wearing a toothy grin to show he really meant every word he said.
"Sounds like an interesting plan…" Tristan replied almost hesitantly, trying to ignore the peculiar use of wording from Blitz. "But what does this have anything to do with me?"
"It's funny you just asked. You see, that client told me he needed proof that you're dead. So what if we're gonna make them believe that you're dead? If we want this to work, we're gonna need something from you." Suddenly, he took out a sharp knife that made Tristan flinch. "Wouldn't you mind if I cut you a finger or an ear?"
"Oh no! No, no, no, no! HELL NO! You are not gonna take any part of me because I love every inch of my body!" Tristan protested as he took a few more steps backwards.
"Well that's too bad, because I don't see there's no other choice." Blitz challenged as he waved the knife with his fingers.
"Easy for you to say, but giving him a piece of my limb won't be enough for him!" Tristan argued, trying to find an excuse why Blitz shouldn't use that scary-looking knife.
"He does have a point, boss. A finger or an ear wouldn't be a good reason to make him believe this human is dead. Rather, it has to be a personal item he possesses." Moxxie voiced a suggestion.
"Yes, exactly! Now you talk some sense!" Tristan exclaimed, surprised that an Imp would actually agree with him. Moxxie on the other hand, also had the same reaction because he didn't expect someone else, even a human, would acknowledge his comment before Blitz would scoff at him.
"Oh yeah? Then what do you suggest, huh? Should we give him your pair of cheap-ass shoes? Or your lame-ass jacket?" Blitz asked sarcastically.
"What about that ring you're wearing?" Millie suddenly replied, catching everyone's attention as they looked at the finger where Millie was pointing at, their eyes squinted until they finally noticed he was actually wearing an engraved ring.
Tristan of course was shocked the moment Millie just mentioned about the ring, and judging by his expression while he looked at it, he completely forgot he's been wearing it all this time.
"I didn't know you were married." Mille continued, genuinely touched that her tone grew soft.
"I'm not… It belonged to my mother." Tristan replied mildly before unclenching his fist so he could look at the ring once more.
"Oh, well I guess the ring should do it then." Blitz with a shrug said before throwing the knife to the table as it stuck in it.
"What? I'm not gonna let you take my ring!" Tristan snapped before clutching his hand as if he wanted to protect it with his life.
"Listen, buddy, we're all doing you a favor we never give to those poor bastards we killed. I don't care why you think that ring is more important to you than your life, but don't you wanna find out who's the asshole who ruined your life?" Blitz responded with an exasperated glare as he folded his arms.
Tristan furrowed his eyebrows as he grew conflicted at the question. Looking back at the ring on his finger, he recalled the day where he sat with her mother at the hospital, lying on her bed with her life support beeping, getting weaker every passing second. In her last moments, she gave the ring to him so he would never forget about her, and he made a promise that he would never lose it.
Now he must hand it in order to fool the same person who tried to kill him. This didn't feel right, he thought. He would never want to give away something that could be the last memory of his mother, but if he won't make it out alive, then who else can take care of his mother's ring? Maybe that's what Blitz was referring to or at least it sounded like. But the question he made it to Tristan was what does he value more, the ring, or his life?
At that, Tristan took time and effort to slide the ring off his finger, and after taking a long look at it one more time, he looked up at Blitz who just extended his hand to receive it.
"Fine, take it." Tristan sighed before flipping the ring towards Blitz, as the imp caught it. "But when this is done, I want it back."
"Of course, that's why you're going with us at the meeting!"
"What?" Everyone said, except Loona as she was paying more attention to her cellphone than the whole discussion.
"Yeah, we're gonna need someone to cover our asses in case we come into a trap." Blitz said, casting a taunting glare towards Tristan.
"So you find me more useful as a human shield? Figures…" Tristan grumbled bitterly, feeling like he shouldn't have put more expectations on this imp.
"Um, sir, don't you think that's a pretty bad idea?" Millie voiced her opinion with a raised hand, clearly looking a little concerned about Blitz's plan.
"Not just bad, it's a terrible idea!" Moxxie argued with his arms up. "We can't just drag the human to the meeting! We would make a huge fuss around the city, maybe all over Hell! And what if that client sees the human and finds out we didn't actually fulfill the contract?
"Oh trust me, he wouldn't even recognize him if he looked just like us." Blitz said, eyeing the human with a crafty smile.
"Wait, are you suggesting we should put him in a disguise?" Moxxie inquired with an incredulous look.
"Not just a disguise, Mox." Blitz then shot a finger towards the female Imp. "Millie, do we still have the face painting and makeup kit in our box of disguises?"
"Sure we do, boss!" Millie replied cheerfully whilst standing up, seemingly invested in the idea.
"Great! It's makeover time!" Blitz exclaimed while waving his hands childishly.
"A-what now?" Tristan asked, standing with his face filled with utter confusion and incredulity.
"I'm gonna ask again. Why on earth should I stick with you guys at the meeting? Don't you think I shouldn't meddle into your business?" Tristan said while he's sitting in a chair, as Millie and Moxxie were busy applying some make-up on him.
"And who's gonna take care of you while we're at it?" Blitz jested as he stood behind Moxxie and Millie, overlooking the makeover. "We still have to keep our eyes on you, kid. And to do that, we're gonna make you look like you're our new guy."
"And you really think that will work?" Tristan said with a hint of doubt while shaking his head slightly.
"Hey, don't move! Your face paint it's almost done and you're gonna ruin it." Millie said with her pouting lips as she continued applying more painting with the brush.
"I still can't believe we're doing this, but I guess even a worst idea can be the best." Moxxie sighed, holding a headband with a pair of painted horns made of cardboard and painted in black and white just like his and Blitz. "Put this on, if you have to look like us, you should also need a pair of horns like everyone else."
"I swear, if I'm gonna look so stupid, I might give you my permission to shoot me in the head." Tristan groaned exasperatedly.
"Just wait until you look in the mirror." Blitz said while restraining a laugh, as if he was starting to like the idea the human suggested.
"Done! All finished!" Millie beamed as she stepped away from Tristan so everyone could have a clear look of him.
"Well? How do I look?" Tristan asked with his arms spread out.
"Why don't you see for yourself, ugly?" Blitz snorted with his cheeks puffing out as he handed a mirror to him.
Tristan took it and looked at himself, and at that moment he understood why Blitz was trying not to laugh. Not only was his face completely painted in red, Millie also added a white blotch over his left eye and some on his jaw, not to mention Moxxie just put on the cardboard-made horns on his head.
"God, I look hideous." Tristan said with a grimace, feeling like he just put on a custom for a Halloween party.
"Now you're one of us, kid." Blitz replied, bursting out laughing.
Suddenly, there was a flash followed by the sound of a camera shutter that came from his side, as Tristan looked to his left and saw it was Loona, holding her cellphone towards him. "Did you just take a picture of me?" He asked as he raised up from the chair.
"Nope." Loona lied, the corner of her mouth curled up into a grin as she began typing a few buttons.
"Are you posting that picture on social media?" Tristan pointed an accusatory finger at the hellhound.
"No, I'm not." Loona lied once more, but judging the humorous tone in her voice, Tristan could really tell she actually was, but he thought there was no point trying to stop her.
"By the way, I think you might need this." Blitz approached him as he reached his hand behind his back. He took out a handgun before throwing it to Tristan, catching him off guard.
"A-A gun?!" Tristan said as the weapon bounced in his hands before he could catch it firmly. At first he was stunned to be given a weapon, but then his shock immediately changed into sheer confusion. "Wait, I thought you said I'm expendable, why are you giving me this?"
"Don't get any funny ideas." Blitz retorted with his arms folded. "You're still expendable to us, but if you know how to use that thing, that would be much appreciated."
"So what's next? It's still morning and we have plenty of time before we have to go to the meeting at night. What if someone else calls us for a contract?" Moxxie asked sternly, basically bothered at the fact that they wouldn't be able to work like they're supposed to.
"I don't know, just tell them to fuck off and that we're off-service for today." Blitz said while waving his hand, showing no care about the clients. However, he also had an idea the moment he glanced at Tristan. "In the meantime, why don't you take this dipshit to our shooting range? He might have killed someone before, but I don't want him shooting with the accuracy of a stormtrooper."
"Screw you." Tristan cursed while giving a middle finger to Blitz, clearly getting that reference which he took that offense.
"Not until Sundays, sweetie." Blitz teased before leaving the meeting room.
Tristan sat down on his chair again while looking at the weapon the imp just gave it to him. A look of hesitation grew on his face, conflicted at the fact that he has to use a weapon again, and he thought he would never use this again after last time. Sure, he did that to protect Loona, but this it's just about doing a personal payback for Blitz.
"So…"
He snapped out of his thoughts before looking up to see Moxxie and Millie are now addressing him, they both had quizzical expressions on their faces, but Millie showed a hint of compassion.
"You wanna hang out? Our shooting range is just right next to this building." Millie said with a smile with her thumb pointing behind.
Tristan raised an eyebrow as he was skeptical about her friendly tone, but right now he wasn't in the mood to think about it. Maybe the shooting range would help him clear his mind.
"Alright, let's go." He said before standing back up as he slid the handgun under his pants.
"Hey, would you mind if I come with you guys?" Loona suddenly asked as she looked up from her cellphone.
"Oh no, you're not going anywhere, missy. Who's gonna answer the calls?" Moxxie answered with a stern tone.
"Who the fuck are you, my mom?" Loona growled as she glared at the white-haired imp.
"Come on, Moxxie. Blitz said we're off duty today, can't we just have some fun all together before tonight?" Millie said, trying to reassure Moxxie when he was also glaring at the hellhound.
Moxxie turned to his wife and he seemed to calm down the moment he exchanged a glance with her. He let out a sigh before turning back to Loona. "Fine, you can come, but you better stick with us at all times. You got it?"
"Geez, sounds like someone's feeling his balls growing only to feel them shrinking again." Loona responded in a deadpanned tone.
"Oh yeah? Well you are… Uh… You…" Moxxie trailed off before he could insult her.
"She really got you in there, dude." Tristan muttered while holding back a chuckle, making Moxxie groan.
After going down to the low level by the elevator, Tristan followed the imps out of the building by the backdoor and the group found themselves in an alley. Right in front of them, there was a wall riddled with bullet holes and there was broken glass scattered all over the ground. There were a couple of tables placed in front of the wall with a few bottles and cans sitting on top, no doubt they're used as shooting targets.
It was kind of a letdown for him since he thought an assassin organization would have an underground shooting range, but he had to give them credit to improvise.
So after waiting until Moxxie and Millie placed more bottles and cans on the tables, he started with the training as he pulled out the M9 pistol and began firing it. However, because of his lack of experience, he could barely hit one of the bottles and he took like three bullets before he could hit the target.
"Keep your aim steady, you'd be wasting more bullets before you can even hit a target." Moxxie said as he was supervising the training.
"Thanks for the tip, little guy." Tristan said while rolling his eyes, before he continued shooting.
"That's Moxxie to you, mister." Moxxie replied with a frown before he sat on a chair with his arms crossed. "So what are you exactly?"
"Me? I used to be a stringer. Not anymore… or maybe I never was important to begin with." Tristan responded almost melancholy, earning some quizzical looks from the imps. But he shook that thought out of his head and glanced back at Moxxie. "What about you, guys? Your boss told me you're all professional assassins. No offense, but I don't see you're as professional as I thought."
"Eh, we can be unorthodox with our business, but we sure get a job done when someone asks us to kill someone." Millie replied with a shrug, as she was sitting on top of an old crate. Meanwhile Loona was idling next to the door, still using her cellphone.
"Your clients pay you for killing journalists like me?" Tristan asked accusingly as he took two more bullets to hit another bottle.
"I mean, if that's what the client wants us to do." Millie replied with a shrug.
"What Millie is trying to say is that it depends if our clients have a reason why someone like you has to be terminated." Moxxie clarified. "You think we kill innocents for fun but that's not true, most of our targets are the worst kind of people you can imagine. Killers, cheaters, cannibals, greedy rich men, basically someone who likes ruining other people's lives."
"That reminds me… That guy we're supposed to meet, did he tell your boss why he wanted me dead?" Tristan inquired as he took a short break while inspecting his firearm.
"Hmm, actually, it was just a short conversation. Like, he just told the boss to deliver a message to you and he thought you would've known once we delivered it to you." Millie replied while rubbing the back of her head.
"I don't." Tristan responded bluntly with a deep frown on his face.
"How do we know you ain't lying to us?" Moxxie inquired with a frown, crossing his arms to be clear with his distrust.
"Because I'm not a fucking liar!" Tristan finally snapped, whipping the weapon with his hand out of anger. Moxxie and Millie didn't seem surprised by his outburst, though Loona's ears suddenly twitched as she looked up from her cellphone. After realizing he snapped, he took a breath to calm himself. "Alright look, I know you guys still don't believe me, but just think about it. What good would it do for me if I keep lying to you while I'm trapped here?"
"Huh, that's a very good point." Millie nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's say we do believe you, but that doesn't change the fact that you ain't no honest either. We all read your book in your apartment and we know who you really are." Moxxie replied knowingly.
Tristan shot another bottle and kept holding the smoking gun until lowering it slowly. "Please… As if you know anything about me." He said with a serious tone, making Moxxie raise an eyebrow.
"So hold on a minute, if you don't actually know someone who wishes you dead, how come the other person knows you?" Millie inquired.
"It could be anyone, probably a mugger who I recorded stabbing someone. Maybe a corrupt politician who I exposed him fornicating a hooker to the media." Tristan replied with a shrug. Yeah, it's not strange a journalist has to live with danger."
"Wait, for real? Then why didn't you ask the police for witness protection in your job?" Moxxie asked.
"Because they're just as crooked as everyone else, you jackass. That's what he's trying to say." Loona suddenly interjected with a groan.
"See? She knows exactly what's my problem." Tristan gave the hellhound a smile, though she just tried to ignore him. "Yeah, I never trusted the police and they almost tried to ruin my life when I'm spreading the truth. Until you guys already did a favor for them." He said with disdain, reminding them about blowing up his apartment.
"Alright, we get it!" Moxxie shouted with his arms up. "So what happens if you're right? You want us to kill that joker?"
"What?" This time Tristan was genuinely taken aback at the question, clearly he didn't think through that detail. "N-No! I mean, why would I do that?"
"Well, he screwed your life, obviously. Don't you wanna get it back to him?" Loona asked with an eyebrow raised.
Tristan went speechless as he looked down with a conflicting thought that he can't find the right answer. The truth was he wasn't thinking about taking someone's life even though they might deserve it. Sure, he killed a couple of gangsters the night he got chased by Loona, but that was in self-defense, and he was trying to protect her. Now he's expected to do the same out of revenge, but does he really want this?
"What about you? Don't you want to make him pay for the trouble too?" He decided to question their motives.
"If the boss wants us to, then yes." Moxxie replied, showing the displeasure in his tone at the fact that this whole situation is affecting their business.
"You're not thinking about asking us to spare his life, do you?" Millie asked with a playful tone, yet she was expecting an answer.
"Look, whatever you want to do with him, I don't care. I just want this to be done already." Tristan said before going back to shooting, but after firing one bullet, the gun was now unloaded. "Let me ask you something, can I even trust your boss? Would he really let me go after all this?" He asked as he removed the mag of his gun, only to realize he doesn't have more ammo.
Moxxie approached the human as he took out a magazine out of his pocket. "I can't guarantee he will, but the fact that he gave you a chance is something I've never seen before." He then handed it to the human. "I could be wrong, but maybe he had a reason to trust you."
Tristan remained silent as he reflected on the answer. Nevertheless, he took the magazine, loaded the pistol and aimed another bottle before firing another round as the gunshot echoed throughout the street.
The night has fallen and Blitz has called the crew and the human to head to the meeting point where they're supposed to meet the one who promised to deliver the "payment", or at least that's what he led them to believe. Of course, Blitz still believed it might be a trap, so he and the others brought their weapons just in case, except for Loona since her claws are technically considered weapons.
Even though the caller didn't give Blitz the exact location of the meeting point, the clue was enough for Blitz to conclude that the place was an abandoned warehouse in the junkyard next to a freeway, he didn't want to waste time to think of the other possible places the caller was referring to.
Once the gang reached the junkyard, Blitz parked the van inside the empty warehouse with broken windows and a chunk of the roof collapsed. Right now, everyone was standing out of the vehicle while waiting for that client to finally show up.
"Ugh, what's taking him so long?" Blitz complained while tapping his foot impatiently.
"Sir, we've been here for ten minutes." Moxxie said with an unamused look.
"Well he should've showed up already because my patience is now running that fucking thin!" Blitz argued while gesturing with his fingers how "small" his patience is getting.
"I don't know, Blitz. This looks like a good place for an ambush. Are you sure he's gonna show up like he promised?" Tristan asked while he was leaning against the van.
"I'm not gonna waste my breath to tell you what I am doing, so if you wanna make it back to your world alive, then you better keep your mouth shut." Blitz retorted without looking at him.
"Alright, that's it. What the hell is your problem?" Tristan snapped, finally having enough of Blitz being an asshole to him. "I don't care that every time I'm talking to you, you're either threatening me or telling me to shut up. But maybe you should give me some gratitude when I'm risking my neck for you!"
"Heh, funny you should mention that. Here in hell, Imps are considered as… What do you humans call? Oh yeah, the working-class. We live to serve the higher demons." He then turned around to show his smug look. "But here you are, falling to your lowest point by serving me just to prove you're innocent. Now I understand how those stuck-up shitheads feel."
"What about the fact I saved Loona from those punks?" Tristan responded with his arms crossed.
His remark made Loona twitch her ears and looked up from her phone. However, Blitz's smile disappeared before he formed a deep scowl on his face.
"Leave my Loonie out of this…" Blitz growled venomously as he stepped closely to the human menacingly.
"I think I know what's going on. You're upset because you weren't there to save your adoptive daughter when she was chasing me." Tristan knew that was something he shouldn't speak about, but at this moment he had enough and decided to be straight.
"Um, guys let's just…" Moxxie tried to intervene, but neither of them were listening to him.
"I swear to Satan if you don't shut the fuck up…" Blitz seethed through his teeth while his fist clenched in anger.
"Yes, I don't even know her and I still don't know why I almost got myself killed when I tried to save her. I should've ran away when I got the chance. But guess what, I didn't! You should be thankful for the choice I made, or at the very least you should stop pushing me around and be glad that Loona is still around here because of me! Is that too much to ask?!" Tristan yelled at Blitz's face.
Like the last time, an awkward silence remained as Moxxie and Millie looked anxiously by the confrontation, when they looked at Blitz, they noticed there was still anger flaring up in his eyes, but at the same time he looked perplexed that no matter how much he tried to speak, no words came out of his mouth. It's even shocking that he just didn't take out his pistol and shoot Tristan between his eyes.
Furthermore, Loona was also stunned to see the human standing up to Blitz. Normally she wouldn't care what's going on right now, but what caught her off guard was that Tristan revealed he's now aware of her relationship with Blitz. No doubt that caught him off guard, but she wasn't sure if Tristan was making Blitz believe he failed to look after her or he's just reminding him he did a big favor for him.
Suddenly, her eyes twitched once again when she heard a distinctive sound of an approaching vehicle. "Um, guys… I think they're here."
Everyone looked at the exit and saw a couple of minivans arriving, Blitz cursed under his breath before giving Tristan a "This discussion is not over" look.
"Alright everyone, take position and act natural!" Blitz said before he and the rest of the crew stood forward, while Tristan and Loona stayed behind them.
They shielded their eyes when the headlights blinded them until the vehicles parked in front of them and turned off the lights. After that, the doors were opened and a bunch of imps and demons came out, all of them wearing formal suits. However, one of them that stood out of the group was a 6 feet tall guy who looked like an ogre with horns protruding out of his forehead, he also wore a formal jacket with ripped sleeves.
There was a moment of silence as Tristan tried to hide his fear, realizing that whoever they're about to meet is someone serious, probably a mafia gang leader.
Blitz then took a step forward. "Where is he?" He spoke with brows furrowing.
"Mr. Spotlight is waiting at the car, but first he wants to be sure if you have fulfilled your task." The ogre responded with a gruff tone.
Blitz didn't stop glaring at him, but he complied as he reached into her coat pocket before taking out the ring and flipped to the ogre as he caught it with his big hand.
"What the hell is this?" The ogre said, questioning the credibility of this proof.
"The ring we had to rip off that fucker's finger after we killed him." Blitz of course lied, but he came up with a better story. "As you can see we had to clean the blood off it so your boss could wear it."
Meanwhile, Tristan had to cope to see his mother's ring being taken away by a demon, trying to resist the strong emotion boiling inside him.
The tall ogre looked at the ring in his hand for a moment before he turned around and walked towards the car before leaning inside the passenger seat. Apparently that's where the guy was inside and his bodyguard is giving him the ring.
After a few moments, the ogre stepped aside before a furred foot inched out and then a figure stepped out of the van. He was a humanoid rat with dark gray fur and red eyes, wearing a blue shirt with a tie and a pair of gray pants with suspenders. He pulled the cigarette out of his lips and puffed out the smoke, before turning his attention towards the imps.
Tristan got a very uneasy feeling just by looking at that rat that at this moment he could really tell this is the person who wants him dead. One thing he got wrong was that this demon didn't seem like the joker type, but the question remains, how does he know about him?
"So you must be Blitz, head of I.M.P." The rat demon spoke with a hint of condescension in his voice.
"You're goddamn right I am." Blitz responded without being polite as he crossed his arms. "Now can you finally tell me who the fuck are you?"
The ogre growled at Blitz's bad manners, only to stop when the rat raised a hand to calm him down. "You can call me Mr. Spotlight. I must say, I'm really impressed how you managed to follow my tracks, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." He said while holding up Tristan's ring between his fingers. "It's a shame this ring is nothing but a piece of junk. Though I guess this wouldn't look bad on me."
Tristan bit his bottom lip to hold back his anger at the sight of the demon playing with his mother's ring.
"Just cut the crap! You got the payment you promised?" Blitz snarled.
Mr. Spotlight turned towards one of his bodyguards and gestured with his hand. A Baphomet threw a wad of money at Blitz before he caught it. "I have to admit, when I saw your silly jingle on TV and thought I could give you the call, I wasn't convinced that you would be capable of pulling this simple task."
"Yeah, we get that a lot." Blitz restrained a growl before throwing the money behind, as Moxxie was next to catch it.. "By the way, I'm afraid that won't be enough to afford our services. You can send that ugly-looking troll to the ATM while we wait here."
"What was that?!" The ogre roared in anger.
"Enough, Brutus!" Spotlight shouted, glaring at the ogre that he only growled as he was forced to stay quiet. He then turned back at Blitz with a scowl, but suddenly changed into a grin. "I think I was so wrong about you, Blitz. And I can assure you that the full payment is waiting for you, if you accept my invitation."
"A what?" Blitz was caught off guard as he raised an eyebrow.
"I thought I could invite you and your employees to visit my hotel. It is my compensation for all the trouble you had to go through." Spotlight said with a compassioned look.
"No tricks this time?" Blitz responded with a suspicious frown.
"No tricks this time, I'd like to complete the payment, but I'd also like to get to know more about you and your company because I believe you and I can do business together. I'm sure you probably heard about me." Spotlight approached Blitz with his arms spread out openly.
"Wait, aren't you the owner of the Carnal Palace? Why do you want to do business with us?" Moxxie asked incredulously.
"I'm glad you asked, little friend! Yes, I own that prestigious hotel in Pentagram City, but when you're the owner of such a hotspot, you can also become a target. That's why I have bodyguards on my side, but after you proved to me you can be reliable, I promise I will pay you well for your services. So what do you say, Blitz?" Spotlight asked with a smile, playing the role of a guy who says the other "deal or no deal" kind.
The silence filled in the air as Blitz was thinking through the offer, but there was a moment of tension as Tristan was starting to sweat. He was afraid that maybe this Spotlight guy was sugarcoating his words to Blitz, so he could gain his trust and maybe convince him to give away his disguise. He wanted to intervene so he could avoid it, but he knew that it won't help anything and probably would make this worse than it is now.
"When can we pay a visit?" Blitz broke the silence with a question.
"How about tomorrow night? I can even book a penthouse suite for you and your crew." Mr. Spotlight replied as he puffed another cloud of smoke.
"That's very sweet of you, but I have no time for loafing around in your fancy place." Suddenly, Blitz rebuffed. Suddenly, he took the cigarette off Spotlight's hands before taking a puff for himself. "I have a business to keep running and because you played being a fucking Waldo on us, I say that we go to your hotel. Now." He blew a cloud of smoke to Spotlight's face before throwing the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it.
Spotlight's bodyguards suddenly move forward menacingly, only to be stopped when Spotlight held up his hand before the situation would escalate.
"You know what, you're probably right. You all deserve to have a fun night." He then reached into his pocket and took out a bundle of cards, before handing one of them to Blitz, and then proceeded to give them to Millie and Moxxie. "Here's my formal ticket with my address on it. When you show them to the receptionist, they will take you to the VIP section."
"Wow… I don't remember being in a VIP section…" Millie said as she looked at the ticket in amazement.
However, without warning, he passed Blitz by and approached Loona and Tristan. The hellhound restrained a growl to see the rat coming closer, but Tristan froze and tried to hide a reaction.
"Here it is for a lovely lady." Spotlight said with a shit-eating grin.
Loona narrowed her eyes threateningly, yet she took the ticket without a word.
"And here's for a young gentleman." The sinner then approached Tristan and handled the ticket.
Tristan gulped before taking the ticket, but this time, Spotlight didn't let it go. The young man in disguise tried to tuck it away to no avail, before he looked up at the demon with an anxious look.
"Say… I don't think I've seen you before in the commercials. Is this a new recruit of yours?" Spotlight turned over his shoulder at Blitz.
"Uh… Yeah! That's right, he just signed in a couple of days ago! His name is… Uh…" Blitz was starting to sweat when he didn't foresee this to happen.
"Grimm, name's Grimm!" Tristan suddenly responded, changing his real voice by using a Russian accent. And not like the kind of fake russian accent like in the movies, but an authentic one he was practicing.
"Is that so? You are an Imp, aren't you? Where's your tail on your behind? Every Imp should have that."
Blitz and the gang froze in shock when they realized they forgot to add an important detail to his disguise, now Spotlight was about to find out the facade. Tristan on the other hand, knew he had less than a second to come up with a better excuse for that, but fortunately he happened to have one in his head.
"Oh, that? Yeah, my father did it. That fucker cut it off when I was a kid, for being naughty.." Tristan responded, using a bitter tone to make the story sound convincing. "Yeah I know, I look like a freak, but at least the I.M.P didn't care about it and gave me the job I needed." He glanced at Blitz and the others, who were completely flabbergasted that it was too late to tell him to shut up.
Spotlight stared intently at Tristan for a moment that felt very long. While Tristan could keep his neutral face, it didn't help his heart was pounding in his throat. But then, the rat smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Well, even if you are, you're still welcomed to my humble hotel." He said before turning around and made his way back to his men. "By the way Blitz, when you make it to Carnal Palace and you need to meet me there, just go talk to one of my buddies and they'll take you right to my office. I look forward to have a discussion about our future." Spotlight then went back inside of the vehicle as the ogre bodyguard named Brutus closed the door.
Spotlight's henchmen then went back to their vehicles and then drove off, leaving Tristan and the imps alone to finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Oh God, that was so close!" Tristan huffed out as he leaned against the side of the van, almost fainting.
"How the fuck have we forgot to put him a tail?!" Moxxie shouted while clutching on his chest, as if he almost had a heart attack.
"Don't look at me! I wasn't in charge of putting his fucking make up!" Blitz shouted, feeling like somehow it's his fault that made him upset.
"Please calm down, what matters is we got off the hook!" Millie interjected in order to stop her husband and her boss from fighting. "By the way Tristan, that was amazing! How did you even do that?"
"Do what?" Tristan asked, completely clueless.
"You sounded like a different person all of a sudden, which wasn't a bad performance if you ask me. Are you some kind of an actor?" Moxxie asked while scrubbing his chin with a hint of impression.
"Oh, right. No, I'm not an actor, I just… Well, let's just say that sometimes when I need to sneak into a private area, I have to blend in." Tristan replied with a shrug.
"Did you really have to use that thick accent though? 'Cause that was so lame." Blitz said, shaking his head while chuckling.
"I had to! If that… Mr. Spotless - or whatever the hell his name is - really knows something about me then he shouldn't hear my real voice!" Tristan argued as he wiped the sweat off his painted forehead.
"And do we really need to go to that stupid hotel right now? Why are you still obsessed about that shithead?" Loona protested exasperatedly, not to mention utterly tired that this whole situation wasn't over yet.
"Because that fancy-pants asshole just proved that I was right all along." Blitz responded bitterly, looking straight ahead as if he could still see Spotlight and his men. "I don't know what on Satan wants to do with us, but if he thinks acting so politely will gain our trust, then he's so goddamn wrong."
"Um, sir, I don't mean to doubt your own way of deducing. But when did you realize that?" Moxxie inquired, very perplexed to hear the boss' remark.
"Moxxie, Moxxie, you're so naïve." Blitz chuckled while shaking his head. "He was just brown-nosing with me and what I do in my company, but do you really think he's very interested in working with us? I mean, just use your brain, imps working exclusively with a sinner? Can you believe that shit?"
Everyone looked at each other before they began to agree with his point. Even Tristan could understand what's going on, when Blitz mentioned that their kind is considered as a working-class, he got the feeling that the imps are considered a minority, a race who suffers perjury and discrimination.
"Alright, so now you see I was also right all along, does that mean I can go back to my world?" Tristan said, holding the hope that it should be enough to earn the ticket home.
"Hold your horses, cowpoke. He just gave you the ticket, didn't he? That would be very impolite of you if you don't accept his invitation." Blitz responded with a sardonic smirk. "No, you're not out of the woods yet. You'll come with us to the Carnal Palace and you'll come with me to have a nice little chat with that prick. I have an idea of how to respond with a big 'fuck you' to his slimy face."
"Wait, you're not thinking about killing him aren't you?" Moxxie responded with a look of disbelief.
"Ugh, relax drama queen! That's not what I mean!" Blitz shot him back while rolling his eyes. "I'll explain on the way, but we better go to the Carnal Palace asap. The sooner we arrive, the fuckface won't have time to prepare a trap for us." He then stepped into the driver's seat and started the van. "Now hop in everyone, our fun awaits us!"
Everyone groaned before they got inside, as Tristan followed them in, he got an uneasy feeling that things will go terribly wrong the moment they venture into the lion's den. What surprised him however was that Blitz told Spotlight he worked for him, which technically he had a point. He thought for sure Blitz was gonna double-cross him, but he didn't.
Maybe Moxxie was right about him, but does Blitz really trust him because he finally understands his honesty or because he's just using him for his particular set of skills that led them to have the meeting? Either way, he hoped that everything would soon be over when they went to that so-called palace.
Although, there was something that shook him to the core. The moment he and Mr. Spotlight met face to face, he noticed there was something familiar with that demon, but the weird thing was he wasn't sure what it was. Now he felt very anxious to meet him again, and the worst part was that he couldn't do anything to avoid it.
This proved to be more difficult that at this point he wasn't convinced if he would get out of Hell alive.