A Helluva Boss Story

Different Kinds of Fire 2.0

Chapter 9

The Harvest Moon Festival

~Stolas' Palace/Bedroom~

Blitz was lighting a cigarette after engaging in sexual activities with Stolas; who had his wrists bound and tied to the bedframe, wearing a sexy outfit, a ball gag around his neck, and a dorky smile on his face.

"I'm sorry for having to move our little rendezvous early, Blitzy. I have an important engagement this month on the full moon."

"Look I don't really mind...this but do you really need the book? I've got fifteen new clients this month!" Blitz was saying, having used the cigarette to free Stolas from his bounds. Handing the cigarette to him afterwards.

"As shocking as it may seem, Blitzy, my grimoire is actually incredibly important. It isn't suppose to be lent out to itty bitty imps like yourself." Stolas said pinching Blitz's cheek much to the imps annoyance. "The Harvest Moon is a very special occasion. It's been my annual duty to showcase it in the Ring of Wrath. It's celebrated by a very charming little festival with the locals."

"The Ring of Wrath? My employees are from there, but I've never been and Becky's a new imp with little experience and knowledge of Hell." Said Blitz.

Stolas' eyes go wide as he sits up. "Oh! Why don't you all join me at the festival? I can guarantee you all..." He disappears under the covers, reappearing in front of Blitz's lower half. "...special access." He finished with a giggle.

"Ugh, I told you we're not bodyguards, that was a one time thing." Blitz told him.

Stolas tilts his head to the side with the covers covering his head. "I'm simply offering a work-free day of fun. I feel quiet safe at the Harvest Festival. It's the same every year."

"Well, if you promise this isn't some kind of fuck-fest, it could be fun. Plus, it's not like we can do anything without your book." Blitz replied.

"Aww, I'm sorry your clients will have to wait." Said Stolas in a baby voice.

"Oh fuck my clients!" Said Blitz.

~Millie and Moxxie's House~

The couple was sound asleep in bed, when the sound of a familiar ringtone awoke Moxxie from his slumber. Half asleep, he reached over, tapped his phone off. Turning to the side to go back to sleep, but the phone rang again. Grumpily, Moxxie answered the call.

"What do you want, sir?"

"Hey, hope I didn't wake you Mox! Listen, Stolas has a proposition for us! How would you and Millie and Becky like to visit the Wrath Ring for some Harvest bullshit this year?" Said Blitz.

Millie immediately sat up in excitement. "The Harvest Moon Festival?! Yee-fucking-haw!"

Moxxie sighs, "Well, Millie likes the idea. I'll have to ask Becky. Wait, where are you calling from?"

On cue, Blitz falls from the ceiling onto the bed. His phone, bonking him on the noggin.

"Mmhm. Of course." Moxxie nods as Blitz purred happily.

The I.M.P. van drives through a large archway with a sign that says Rough n' Tumbleweed Ranch on it. The road leading up to a farm. Two imps stand out front, waving at them. Everyone from I.M.P. was dressed up in outfits appropriate for the festival.

Millie quickly rushed out of the van. Hurrying over to the two imps. "Mama! Daddy!" She ran into her father's arms, earning a big spin around in the air before returning to the ground.

"Yee-haw! How's my deadly little pumpkin spice doing?" Millie's dad, Joe, asks as he ruffles her hair.

"I'm good Pa! Thanks for letting us stay here for the harvest jamboree!"

"It's no trouble." Said Millie's mother, Lin. "We know you aren't making as much anymore since y'all went 'freelance.'"

"Freelance pays fine, Ma! We're doing fine! It's fine." Millie told her ma before going over to assist Moxxie with the luggage.

"Here Moxxie, let me help you." Said Becky, taking a few bags from him.

"Phew, thank you Becky."

"Anyway, y'all remember my husband Moxxie?" Millie pulled and shoved Moxxie in front of her parents. The poor imp began to grow nervous and sweat as the two older imps stare at him with disapproval.

"Greetings, Lin, Joe. How have you been uh, with all the flaming twisters and stuff around here?" Moxxie asked as he held out a hand.

"We lost our old farmhand to one of them terrors last week." Said Joe.

Moxxie gave a nervous laugh, "Oh crumbs. M-My bad! I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to open that wound, sir."

"Hey, watch it! I'm the 'sir' here bucko!" Blitz pointed at himself while Loona typed away at her phone.

"Come on Blitz, cut Moxxie a break." Becky sighed.

"Oh yeah! Y'all haven't met my boss Blitzo and his hellhound and our new coworker, Becky!" Millie gestures to them.

"Hello." Becky waved.

"I'm not just his hellhound." Loona argued.

"Yeah, she's my daughter!" Blitz corrected, pulling Loona into a side hug. Much to her annoyance.

"Only on paper." Said Loona turning her attention to her phone.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the sperm and egg factory that popped out the little gem of an assassin." Blitz shoved Moxxie to the side and playfully elbows Millie. "You two raised a sturdy bitch!"

'Oh brother, I swear he can't go one day talking like a normal person can he?' Becky thought to herself.

Joe chuckles, "That we did! So Blitzo and Becky is it?" He shakes the two imps' hands, "Heh heh. Those are fine names."

"Your name reminds me of war Blitzo." Lin smiles at Blitzo.

Joe sighs happily in agreement, "Nothing like a little war to make a strong man."

"I like you people." Blitz says.

"You know, more battles were won by technological advances in warfare. I've researched the history of weaponry extensively, and it is inspiring how... for example, the progression of guns utilizing angelic technology has changed the landscape of Hell's combative..." Moxxie trails off as Millie makes a 'cut it out' motion, "I mean..." He spoke in a deep voice, "War fun!"

"Guns get the job done, but a man is nothing if he can't tear the head off a hellish beast with only his bare hands!" Joe flexes his muscles.

"Ha! He's right, Moxxie!" Blitz began to speak baby talk as he grabs Moxxie's hands, "You got cute little baby hands like your baby dick!" He reached towards Moxxie's crotch, but Becky jumped in slapping his hand away.

"Refrain, Blitz, don't be an idiot."

"You know Becky, you remind me of Millie back when she was a youngin." Lin said with a warm smile.

Becky blushed slightly at that comment, "Thank you ma'am."

"Aw now no need for formalities. Please, call me ma. I feel like you're a real part of the family already." Lin embraced the young imp in her arms.

Becky slowly hugged the older imp back. Feeling happy to be acknowledged by someone who saw her as their own child.

Joe gives a hearty laugh, "It's nice to see your ma smile, and speaking of strong hands, y'all should meet our newest help. Hey, Striker!" Joe calls out.

The flaming hooves of a horse clop rapidly on the ground as a spiky tail whip on the horses' flanks. The horse leaps over a fence before rearing up and roaring in front of the group.

Striker tips his hat in greeting, a stalk in his mouth as he nods and smirks, "Well, howdy! Oh, lookie here! You must be the famous Mildred." He got off his horse, walking towards Millie. "Heard some good things about you from your folks, little lady." He winked at Millie who laughed sheepishly in response as the two exchanged a hand shake.

"What're y'all doing so far from Imp City? Free working finally slowing down?" Striker smirked.

"Oh no! Freelance isn't free! It's a... never mind. We're just visiting for the festival." Millie wrapped an arm around Blitz's shoulder. "The prince is out bosses boyfriend.

"Millie, I've got no problem striking a woman in front of her daddy." Blitz told her as he tried to control the blush on his face.

"Boss, huh? Oh, so you're the bold imp who started his own killing biz?" Striker asked.

"Yeah, well, when you're good at something, you should probably capitalize." Blitz responds.

"Not many imps start businesses on their own. That's pretty impressive, sir." Striker points out giving Blitz a wink.

"Oh...yeah? It is-I mean I guess, I guess it is, isn't it?" Blitz was getting embarrassed.

"Uh Blitz?" Becky began was she got cut off when Striker spoke up.

"And you're also the one who's coning that ditzy blueblood into getting you to the surface?" Striker said to Blitz.

"Well, it's long and complicated but... but he's not like... you know, we're not like, dating or... we're not doing a-" Blitz stuttered over his own words, Millie, Moxxie, and Becky smirked in amusement. "It's a transactional fucking, you see!"

"You know, you boys should enter the Pain Games." Joe points at Striker and Blitz, who then rapidly walked sideways in front of him.

"I heard games! What games? I'm in!"

"Every harvest festival, there's a competition to be the roughest, toughest, bastard in Warth!" Lin explains.

Millie pouts as she crosses her arms, "Yeah! Wish I could play..."

"Why can't you play in the games Millie?" Becky asked.

"She got too carried away last time. The last competition ended in fifteen separate funerals." Lin told her.

"Whoa...!" Becky was taken aback upon hearing that.

"I only cause nine of them! How come Sallie May still gets to compete?"

"Your sister doesn't have a neighborhood head count."

"She so does!"

"It doesn't count if they don't find the body!" Came Sallie May in a sing-song voice as she carried a sack with a small imp dragging a dead body.

Millie seethes in response.

Becky looks at Sallie May and the small imp with confusion.

"You can still root for her and your brothers and now, you can cheer for your boss." Lin tried cheering her up.

"She's got a point Millie. It's probably best we just sit back and watch the show from the sidelines." Becky pointed out.

Moxxie put a hand on Lin's shoulder, "You know, she can also cheer for me."

Joe laughs and slaps his leg as Becky looks at Moxxie in confusion and Striker snickers, "Wait, you?"

"Yeah, I can compete, can't I?"

Lin elbows Moxxie hard in the side, making him tear up in pain.

"Sorry boy, but I don't think sensitive thespian types would last very long in the games." Joe told him.

"I was born here too!" Moxxie drawls, "I have some fight in me."

"Then prove it, little fella." Striker puts a hand on his shoulder. "Why don'tcha help us wrangle one of them hogs for dinner." Striker mentions to a large hellhog that was sleeping in a pigpen.

"Simple, watch me." Moxxie goes to pull out his gun.

"Nah, with these. Bullets can't pierce the shell." Striker hands him a dagger and rope. "You gotta get the knife underneath and pry yourself an opening."

Moxxie gulps, "Oh, right, right. I knew that."

Becky looked at the size of the hellhog then at Moxxie, "Moxxie, I don't think this is such a good idea. That thing's twice your size and if you wake it up, it's going to be pissed."

Blitz leans in towards Moxxie and grabs his shoulders, "Come on Becky, it's just a hellhog. No need to worry. Now just remember Moxxie, your rep with the in-laws is on the line here. So no pressure at all, you totally will not make an ass of yourself in front of everyone important in your life. Go get 'em tiget." He shoves Moxxie over to Millie.

Becky looks at Blitz with an annoyed expression on her face, "Great words of encouragement Blitz."

"Yeah, I come around with some good ones every now and then." Blitz smiles with pride.

"Mox, you don't need to do this." Millie reassures him.

"Oh, he totally does! Kick its ass, Moxxie! Yeah!" Blitz cheers as Moxxie enters the pen, nervously walking forward to the hellhog. Dagger in hand.

He gets to approach the sleeping hog and successfully lassos it around its neck, but misses with the knife. As Moxxie rides the hog trying to kill it, Blitzo shouts encouragement from the fence, "Fuck yeah, Moxxie! Ride it, Moxxie! Making that bitch you won't call back in the morning!"

Loona grins as she films it on her phone, "That, is fucking beautiful."

"Doing great Moxxie!" Blitz yelled then whispers to Loona, "Send me that video later."

Becky and Millie watch Moxxie in horror and concern, "Hang on Moxxie!" Becky cried out.

Suddenly, Striker then intervenes, shoving Moxxie off the hog and killing it with his own dagger.

Moxxie lands in the mud, hurting one arm while he rubs his neck with the other, "Ow... my clavicle."

Striker walks past him with the hog on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it little one... you never stood a chance. Hey, boss man!"

He catches Blitz's attention, "You wanna help me skin this thing for dinner?"

"Oh, I'm always down to skinning the manly meat with a manly man."

"That's what she said." Said Loona as she follows Blitz and the others into the house.

As everyone walks away, Millie bandages Moxxie's arm with Becky's help, "Don't worry Mox, my parent's will come around to accepting you, eventually."

"They never will~" Said Sallie May which causes Millie to give her a death look.

"Don't listen to her Mox. You've got other great talents that make you, you." Becky tried to reassure him.

Unfortunately, Sallie May's taunt reinforces Moxxie's desire to enter into the Pain Games.

"You fine with betting that he dies?" Sallie May asks her sister.

The next scene shows the festival grounds, where Wally Wackford is on stage welcoming everyone to the event, "Welcome, I say, welcome all, the Wrath Ring's annual Harvest Moon Festival! To kick things up, we have the great Prince Stolas-a here to usher in this here Pain game!"

Stolas chuckles as he comes out of the tent, taking the microphone, "How kind, Wackford. Greetings, tiny Wrath Ring imps. I herby welcome you all to another year of celebrating the spoils of labor that continue to feed the citizens of Hell! I'm happy to kick off the start of these games that will challenge the toughest imps to show their skin in dominance. Good luck to you all!" He soon spots Blitz in the crowd, waving to him, "Yoo-hoo, Blitzy~!"

Much to poor Blitz's annoyance and embarrassment and Striker's amusement.

A starting gun is then fired, thus commencing the Pain Games. A montage of the games is then shown, with Striker and Blitzo fiercely competing. Watching Blitz in action through his binoculars was getting Stolas hot and excited. He had to use a fan to cool off while Wacky gave him an odd look. As for Moxxie, he clumsily fails through the events.

At the end of the games, Wackford announces that for the first time there has been a tie, "I say, I say for the first year ever, we have a tie for the winner of the Harvest Moon Pain games!" He then passes the microphone to Stolas.

"The winners are Striker and Blitz!"

Becky claps from the stands with Millie while Moxxie gave a small disappointed clap.

"Alright, so he's got the 'physical advantage', but I'm still better at other things." Moxxie complains.

"That's right Moxxie, you don't need to prove you're a winner. You already are one." Becky told him.

"Thanks Becky, that means a lot."

"Yeah Mox, you're great at playing instruments and singing." Millie adds in.

Just then, Striker takes the microphone, "I would like to take this opportunity to sing a quick song I wrote just now about winning." He grabs a guitar and starts playing.

"What the fuck!" Moxxie curses.

'Sweet victory... I smell it sweet... From up in sake 'ol Heaven... To the rough'in rock in Hell.'

'Sweet victory... With everything I do... With every talent, I'm so much more talented than you.'

Blitz soon joins the trio on the stands, "Isn't he great?"

"False!" Moxxie argues.

"It's going to be great working with him." Blitz says as he pours some hot sauce on some food he bought before taking a bite out of it.

"Working with-What?!" Moxxie cried out.

"What are you talking about Blitz?" Becky asked confused.

"Yeah, I asked him if he wants to join I.M.P." Blitz replied.

"You asked... but..." Moxxie looked at Blitz visibly hurt, but Blitz only looked at him with confusion.

"Mox, I think you've had enough for now. Let's head back to the house and get you cleaned up." Millie gives him a reassuring smile as the pair gets up to leave.

'Moxxie, go fuck yourself!' Striker sings.

Poor Moxxie left in tears with Millie as Striker finished his song.

Becky looked over at Blitz, anger blaring in her eyes, "Blitz, that was a bullshit move you made there. Did you even think about how Moxxie felt at all?"

"What, what about him?"

"He's upset and humiliated and all you care about is feeding your sick libido!" Becky gave Blitz a good hard slap to the face before storming away to catch up with Millie and Moxxie.

Back at the ranch, as Moxxie climbs the stairs, he notices a glow coming out of Striker's room. Investigating, he finds a open gun case with a Carmine-crafted blessing-tipped rifle, a sniper rifle capable of killing Demon royalty. Striker confronts him, and attempts to kill him for his discovery, when Millie intervenes after hearing a lamp breaking and stabs him in the back, before being overpowered by Striker. He proceeds to throw the pair in the Ranch's cellar, where Millie lands in a bear trap, reasoning that they aren't worth the cleanup and alive they might give him leverage over Blitzo.

Moxxie tries to free Millie from the trap, but she tells him to go stop Striker, "Mox, don't worry about me, you've got to go get Striker before it's too late."

"I... I can't, I'm not strong enough." Moxxie sighs in defeat.

"You don't need to use strength Mox. You just got to use what you're good at."

It soon dawns on Moxxie that he is good with guns, and realizes he still has his pistol in his possession, allowing him to shoot a hole in the cellar doors, "You know, it just occurred to me I had this on me the whole time."

"Mox, I love you, but sometimes you can be a real idiot. Now get your ass in gear and go stop Striker!"

Without another word, Moxxie takes off.

Back at the festival grounds, Stolas walks up on stage, magically flipping through his grimoire that's floating in front of him, "My dear commoners of the Ring of Wrath! I, Stolas of the Ars Goetia, hereby curse this year's harvest with the glow of the true Harvest Moon!"

The crowd oohs in wonder and bewilderment as the magic of the grimoire does its job.

In a nearby building, Striker lines up a shot on Stolas with his sniper rifle, when Blitzo confronts him, "Um, excuse me? What the fuck?!"

"Blitzo! I thought you were still at the ceremony!" Striker turns around with a smirk.

"You thought I wanted to stand around with a bunch of hillbillies? All excited about corn and shit with a thirsty owl on stage?" Blitz asks, crossing his arms.

"You seem disappointed in me."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a fan of an imp I offered a job to about to off one of my employees and the one who makes her happy and upset my other employee behind my back." Blitz states.

"Blitz, come on," Striker starts walking towards him, "You know the two of us are far more superior than most of our kind. You and I are so above having to suck on a disgusting rich pompous Goetia, only to sneak topside scraps and work for bitter sins. Who by the way, couldn't care less who you are, when you could be slaying overloads. Why struggle to run a business that's rigged against ya?"

"Oooh, that's kind of hot." Blitz grinned in lust.

"We could be the most dangerous beings in Hell." Striker continues.

"Wow. That was a good fucking sales pitch."

"Been workshoppin' it, so, what do you say?"

"I say..."

Just then, Moxxie appeared, holding two rifles at Striker.

"Took you long enough, Mox! Ha ha! Wow, you should've seen your dipshit face!" Blitz cried out.

Striker makes a move using his tail to pull out a knife from Blitz's holder on his belt.

"What? Woah, okay, cliche much."

A fight breaks out between the three imps. Punches are thrown, teeth collide with skin, and yet somehow, Striker got the upper hand. He slams Blitz into Moxxie, and the pair fall to the floor.

"You dumb fucks lost the upper hand fast, huh?" Striker says aiming a rifle at the pair.

"Ha! You seem to have forgotten something, fucko!" Blitz whistles whistles.

This catches Loona's attention, but she's distracted by her phone.

After whistling a few times, Blitz stopped.

"Was that suppose to do something?" Striker chuckles.

"Ugh, fucking damn it Loona."

"It's a damn shame. We might have actually made a good team. Oh well," Striker aims the rifle once again at Stolas.

Suddenly, Moxxie grabs it, growling like an angry dog at Striker. Giving Blitz the opportunity to hit Striker with a vase and land a few punches to his face, thanks to his tail. Tossing the creep into a corner. Blitz and Moxxie close in on Striker, Blitz pulls out his pistol.

"I still think it's embarrassing. You're wasting a lot of potential relying on a weak little..." Striker cuts off when Moxxie fires a shot near him.

"You going to finish that fucking sentence? Pard'ner?"

"Vermin." Striker grins.

"Who's weak now, bitch?!" Moxxie asks, before getting slammed against the wall by Loona. Who finally showed up.

"Kay, I'm here."

Striker narrows his eyes and uses the opportunity to slap the pistol out of Blitz's hand. Making a getaway through an open window, "Sayonara."

Blitz runs over to the window. Pointing his pistol outside, but Striker was nowhere to be found.

Back to the ranch, Lin is shown bandaging Millie's wounds and berating her for letting Striker get the drop on her, "I can't believe you let Striker trap you, Millie. Haven't we taught you better?"

"I was seeing red, Ma, and he was slippery!"

"Excuses! You're better than that, Mildred!"

Moxxie slams his suitcase into the trunk, slamming it shut before marching over to his wife's parents, "You know, she protected me. And maybe I'm not a strong beefy dickhead, but Millie has the strength enough for both of us!"

Millie gives Moxxie a thumbs up in approval.

"You two are getting on her case about being hurt by a psychopath you hired?! Shame on you!"

"Yeah Moxxie! Power to you!" Becky cries out from the van.

"Aw, Moxxie, look at you. Speechin' like a big boy with his big pants." Blitz says before earning a back slap from Becky.

Joe glances at Moxxie, curtly nods, and then walks inside his house with Lin.

"Wow! He nodded! He's never acknowledged your input before!" Millie explains, walking on crutches towards the van with Moxxie besides her.

"So... is that progress?" Moxxie asks.

"I'd count it." Becky says, "Now let's go home."

At the Hideaway Motel, Striker is on the phone with his client, "I failed to kill the target at the festival, but don't worry ma'am, it won't happen again."

On the other line was Stella. She was drumming her fingers on the table as she talked on the phone, "It better not. I want that cheating prick and his imp dead. I don't care who you have to go through. Make it happen!"

She glares at her husband, who was reading a book while eating dinner before looking at her in concern. Oblivious to what she had planned as Octavia bops her head to her music.

"Understood." Striker says before hanging up. He twirls his gun in hand, "I'll get them next time." He chuckles evilly, turning off the lamp. Leaving only the glow of his eyes as the light in the dark.

Here it is, good and done!

Hope you guys like it!