Downstairs at the bar, Jasper and Russell entered through the batwing doors. The bartender looked up from the counter as he was washing a glass before pouring some beer into it for a customer. He went over to the two imps and asked them, "Can I help you gentlemen?"

Jasper nodded. "We're looking for a female imp. She has silvery grey hair, spots on her shoulder, and wears a yellow sundress. Have you seen her here?"

The bartender shook his head. "That skanky little hussy? Haven't seen her since yesterday when she was havin' a threesome with a pair of imps in the back room and I kicked 'em out. You boys wanna fuck the slut, too?" He spat into a new glass he was cleaning before wiping it.

"Not at all." Russell answered, also disgusted by the imp spitting in the glass. He hated the idea of someone drinking out of that glass, but it was Hell, and 'no one fucking cares', as they all say. "We're just looking for her. Her uncle is wondering where she's been all morning, and we were wondering where she might be."

"We asked a few people in town and they said something about someone who hangs out here taking her here." Russell added.

The bartender started to get agitated at what he was talking about. He said to them, "Look, I don't want any trouble in my establishment, and I don't wanna hear any talk about that slut in here, either. So, either be payin' customers or get the fuck outta here now!"

Jasper put his hands up defensively, trying to not be intimidated by the bartender's anger. "Alright, alright. Sorry for causing trouble for you. Can we get a drink just to make it up to you?"

"Better yet, why don't you take a table? We got our entertainment coming up in a bit. She's just getting warmed up before her next show." The bartender pointed to a young female imp dressed in a black and purple cabaret dress sitting at the bar eating some breakfast. She looked like she had been looking at them for most of their conversation with the bartender, or she was probably deep in thought while eating. He said to her, "You're on soon, Maybelle darlin'."

Maybelle, the singer, shook her head back into reality, and she said to him, "Oh, sure, Daddy, No problem." She got up from her spot and wiped her mouth. "Be right back, just gotta freshen up first." She left her spot and rushed upstairs in a hurry.

After that, Jasper and Russel went over to a table in the middle of the saloon. The piano player was playing a catchy song while one of the band members on the stage plucked his banjo to the piano's tune to combine their sounds, which seemed to entertain the customers and a few of them also danced a little to the music. While waiting at their table, one of the barmaids came over and took their orders. Both Jasper and Russell were hungry from walking around town all day and they were even forced to skip breakfast since Victor made them go out to find Maya without eating, and the beers they had earlier weren't enough to satisfy their hunger or their thirst.

Once she was upstairs to the lodging, Maybelle quickly went to Striker's room. After what Maya told her last night about her pimp/step-uncle and her men out there looking for her, she knew her family would be in just as much trouble with them for keeping Maya in their establishment overnight, worse than her parents getting angry at her for harboring a prostitute in their home.

Once she got to the door, she opened it without even knocking on it. Surprisingly, Striker and Maya were already at the door. Before he could ask her what she was doing, Maybelle said to him with a worried look, "Striker, we've got a problem."

Striker asked Maybelle as she entered the room and shut the door behind her, "What is it, Maybelle? Those bastards from yesterday back?"

Maybelle shook her head. "Actually, there's two guys who look like they stand out from Wrath lookin' for Maya."

Maya, fearing who she thinks it is, asked Maybelle, "Did one of them have their horns broken at the tips and the other with his all rounded?"

Maybelle nodded.

Maya's face turned a paler color than her skin. "Shit!" she cursed.

"You know those two?"

Maya nodded at Striker's question, "They're two of my pimp's bodyguards, Jasper and Russell. If they find me here, they'll take me back to my pimp and he'll make me do things I don't want to do for not making my quota last night. And the last time I didn't make my quota... I don't want to talk about it!"

Striker could tell that whatever her pimp did to her, it wasn't pretty, nor was it just a slap on the wrist. He had seen pimps in Lust and Pride with their prostitutes and the way they hit them or force them back into the streets for not making their quota or not being successful with a client. He also witnessed Valentino, during his missions in Pentagram City and other parts of the Pride Ring, doing worst things to his prostitutes and porn stars, especially the escort girls he would usually have with him for show. And it was no surprise how bad he thought Maya's pimp or his men would be to her.

He looked at Maybelle and said to her, "Think you can stall 'em enough? I'd better sneak her out before they find out Maya's here."

Maybelle nodded, "I'll try. But how are you gonna sneak her out? There's tons of imps downstairs."

Striker assured her. "I'll take her out the same way I came in last night; the fire escape outside your room. Just keep 'em distracted with a performance or two. One should probably be enough to distract everyone, including those two guys workin' for Maya's pimp. Knowin' you, you're able to attract a lot of people with your singin'."

Maybelle nodded, "Okay. I'll try." She left the room and Striker and Maya followed behind her to her room. While they got ready to leave through the fire escape, Maybelle quickly freshened herself up before returning downstairs to the saloon.

Once she was back downstairs, she went over to Jasper and Russell's table. She took a deep breath and hoped that the plan will work. As much as she liked flirting with some of the male customers, especially some boys around her age, she was going to hate having to do the same to some possible creeps working with a total pig like Maya's pimp.

"'Scuse me, boys." she said to them. "But I couldn't help but find you boys interestin'."

Jasper and Russell looked at each other, wondering what made her so interested in them. Jasper asked her, "Aren't you a bit young for us, little lady?"

"I don't mind boys a bit older than me." she said, winking at them. She pointed to an empty table near the stage. "Why don't y'all go to that table over there? You'll enjoy my performance over there."

Both imps wondered why she was so interested in them seeing her perform, but they seemed to shrug it off and decided to take her advice. They took their glasses of beer with them, with one of the barmaids, Lottie, one of her friends who worked on Tuesdays and Thursdays, including today, bringing over their breakfast plates for them. After getting them seated near the stage, she told the piano player Bert and the band playing for her family's saloon for the entertainment to play the song Maybelle wrote after being inspired by how rough life is in the Wrath Ring with the fire tornadoes and other hazards that went with it and all the hardships they went through just to get by in their home Ring.

Getting to the center of the stage, Maybelle got herself ready while the banjo player of the band tuned his instrument to get the right tone for the song, and once he got it, he started playing it, and Maybelle sang as everyone watched with their eyes all on her and the spotlight shone on her.

We don't hope for making things better

All we want is to keep it together

Everyday's a rainy day, no change in the weather

This kind of life has made our hearts as hard as leather

And all these tears are from the dust in our eyes

And all these years just keep on passing us by

And all this misery makes it hard to deny

We all know that we're just born to die

That's the way it goes when you're just born to die

As Maybelle sang, she looked at the crowd, hoping she got everyone's attention enough for no one to see Striker or Maya, especially the two imps looking for Maya. On the outside, she sang with beauty and grace, but underneath she also felt nervous, hoping her distraction wouldn't fail. But she had to keep up her facade long enough to have all eyes on her while Striker and Maya made their escape. Just as long as the two imps were still watching her, everything was going to go smoothly.

I hear the voice of a whip-poor-will singin'

She don't know all the comfort she's bringin'

We all know the sound of when the truth is ringin'

Yeah, it hurts your soul just like a bumblebee stingin'

And all these tears are from the dust in our eyes

And all these years just keep on passing us by

And all this misery makes it hard to deny

We all know that we're just born to die

That's the way it goes when you're just born to die

As she sang, she noticed both the imps were talking to each other, but at the same time, they were also watching her. She felt relief now that her plan was working.

All these tears are from the dust in our eyes

And all these years just keep on passing us by

And all this misery makes it hard to deny

We all know that we're just born to die

'Cause we all know that we're just born to die

That's the way it goes when you're just born to die

As the band finished their song, the audience roared with applause, whistles and cheers, even throwing coins onto the stage for her and the band. Maybelle looked over and saw the two imps clapping at her performance. Deep down, she knew her plan had worked, and she hoped that Striker and Maya were away from the saloon by now.

While Maybelle had everyone, including Jasper and Russell, entranced by her singing performance, Striker and Maya took the opportunity to sneak out of Maybelle's room through the fire escape. Taking her wrist, even though Maya felt a bit uneasy when he held her that way, he guided her down the same stairs he brought her up last night down to where the stables were.

They went in through one of the windows to avoid being spotted from the front in case Victor's men were already out of the saloon. Maya looked around at all the stalls in the stable, and she was amazed at all the different sizes and colors of all the hellhorses in it; from the bright colors of their flames for manes and tails to their demonic appearances that made them look intimidating yet majestic in a grotesque way. Since Maya spent her entire childhood and teenage years in Greed, she never got to see many hellhorses, and despite her fascination in them, she also felt intimidated by how they appeared in size. And this was the first time in a long time she's gotten close to a hellhorse, since they weren't very common in Greed other than the ones shown in Loo Loo Land.

"That hellhorse from yesterday with you, is he yours?" she asked Striker, looking around the stalls. She remembered how huge that hellhorse was. Despite his demonic appearance, she also somehow found his flaming mane and tail majestic.

Striker nodded, bringing her towards the stall furthest away from the others, "Yep. His name's Bombproof. Pretty sure you've seen what he looks like after our first pre-meeting yesterday."

Maya nodded, holding back a laugh as she remembered the hellhorse sitting on one of the thugs she failed to service who wanted sloppy seconds from her. They finally reached the stall that was big enough to hold two hellhorses.

"Did you give him a stall mate or something?" Maya asked him, curious about the stall the horse was kept in.

Striker replied, shaking his head, "He just prefers to have a lot of space, and he especially doesn't like being around others at a close range when it comes to lodging. Plus, he tends to move around a lot and enjoys rolling over in the hay, so he likes it when I get him stalls like this. Now, come on. We'd better hurry and get him ready before they find us in here."

They entered the stall, and they found Bombproof laying in the hay. When he saw his master, he had an excited look on his face, and he got up from his spot to go over to the imp. Maya also shuddered a little at the hellhorse coming towards them, especially seeing how huge he was up close, even feeling the heat of his fire mane.

Striker came over with the bridle for the hellhorse and placed it over Bombproof's muzzle and placing the bit inside his mouth. He then looked at Maya and said, "We don't have time to put on the saddle. We're gonna have to ride him bareback." He got onto Bombproof's back with a single jump. Then he reached his hand for her. "You'd better get on next."

Maya was reluctant to get on with him. But this was more about the fact she was getting onto his hellhorse, especially since this was the first time she was about to ride one. Striker kept his hand out to her and said, "Well, what're ya waitin' for?! Get on! Unless y'all want us to get caught by those guys."

Maya knew she didn't have any other choice, as it was either get onto this hellhorse with a man she knew since only yesterday or face the perverted wrath of her pig of a pimp for not returning to him after a failed night shift, and she knew exactly what he'd do to her for failing to make her nightly quota. Without any further hesitation, she took Striker's had and he pulled her onto Bombproof's back and set herself right behind him.

"Hold on." he said to her, and he hit his feet on Bombproof's sides to get him to go while Maya held onto him with her arms around him. She let out a sharp gasp when Bombproof suddenly took off pretty fast towards the entrance of the stable.

The flames of Bombproof's mane burned hot as he ran out of the stable as he let out a loud neigh, and they ran down the street nearly hitting some passerby and towards the gate, the sign saying, 'Now leaving Satan's Frontier. Happy trails.'

As they left the town gate, Maya asked Striker, holding onto him tightly as Bombproof galloped into the outskirts, "Where are you taking me?"

"A favorite place of mine, far away from the town." Striker answered, not turning his head to look at her and instead focusing on riding into the distance.

Jasper and Russell left the saloon several minutes after Maybelle's performance. After paying for their meal and drinks, leaving behind a tip for the barmaid and even giving Maybelle a big tip for her amazing performance, they decided to take their leave.

Since no one in the saloon saw Maya in there all morning or all night, they thought she mighty have gone elsewhere and decided to report back to Victor to tell him that they couldn't find Maya.

"What do you think Victor will think if he finds out Maya might have left the town?" Russell asked.

Jasper shrugged, "Hopefully she didn't go that far out of town. Being from a city, she won't survive in the desert here in Wrath, so we'd be lucky if we found her somewhere out there or close to town. But we'd better hope Victor doesn't blow his lid about Maya going missing."

They made their way back to the slaughter house to inform Victor, hoping it won't get them on his bad side, failing to notice the hoof prints burned in the dirt towards the gate to Satan's Frontier.

Helluva Boss belongs to Vivienne Medrano aka Vivziepop.

Song used in this chapter: Born To Die by Kelly Clarkson (from the soundtrack of Trolls: World Tour; I've also thought of using this to match the voice actor choice I had for Maybelle)