Disclaimer: I do not own the property of either Hazbin Hotel, or Naruto, both works are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, and Vivienne Medrano respectively.
Chapter 7: An Overlord Problem
"So Angel's Valentino's property?"
"In a manner of speaking" Said Charlie now sitting down at one of the guest seats in her room with her hands placed in her lap."The contract that he formed with Val is one of the most ardent deals a sinner can form here in the underworld and is near impossible to break in conventional terms"
"But it can still be broken, something that ties Angel to his boss can be overturned" Looking at both co-owners of the hotel."Right?"
"Is easier said than done, Naruto" Spoke Vagatha standing near the barrister, arms crossed across her chest."Once a pact is made, the only means of breaking one is either with the death of the deal maker or the one under it"
"Can't we just force this Valentino person to negate Angel's contract"
"That will be suicide, no overlord would ever concede with the deals they make, is one of their main source of strength, they would rather choose death, than show weakness" Spoke Charlie with a serious tone laced in her words at what her fellow blond was thinking off. "Besides even if you were able to meet Angel's boss, which I would highly suggest you didn't he is one of the most powerful sinners residing in the Pride Ring"
"Charlie, I understand your concern, but trust me I have fought much stronger people than what this Val can dish out"
"That may be true, but you don't understand what type of place Pendagram City is, you've yet to step foot outside this hotel, and the moment you try to do the off chance of someone seeing a human making his way deep into the city, will cause a wide-spread panic"
"Then I'll make sure not to be seen, Charlie am a shinobi, we make our living in making sure not be seen, or heard no matter where we go"
"Whiskers, I know that you too mad about what happened to Charlie, and trust me we all are, but can't afford to bring in any unwanted attention to the Happy Hotel, we already have our hands full with worrying about Alastor roaming the halls, we don't need another reason to worry about you"
"Am not trying to be a problem here Vaggie, but we can't ignore the issue regarding Angel being abused by this person" Looking directly into her eyes, and showing her how much he was set in helping his friend."I don't know how long this has been going on, but once is far from enough to let this happen again"
"Angel is not as fragile as you make him out to be, and if he didn't know how to take care of himself, he would have been dead long ago"
"But now that he with people who care about him, he doesn't have to worry about being hurt like this ever again"
"Naruto, I understand how you may be feeling, and I feel your frustration in what happened, but you got first got to understand what is at stake if the rest of the nine circles catch the notice of you being here"
"We should count ourselves lucky that no one made sense of the massive explosion that rocked the Westside, because following the accident much of the news went frantic over the mysterious glowing stars that accompanied the blast" The second in command explained."But then again, who else has yet to give up on the search, as am pretty sure that some of the higher powers down here really would like to know that"
"And as I said before, I'll make sure not to be spotted" Stressing out the last word to make the point he was trying to make it stick this time on both their worries.
"Naruto, maybe you're taking this a bit out of proportioned, maybe Angel will be alright as long as we don't interfere too much into his personal life" Now trying to make the human understand her point of view."Things may look bleak now, but if we continue to chip away at Angel's outer shell then we can fully convince him to give up his other vices"
"But that still won't help him with this overlord issue"
"The best we can do right now is hope nothing more comes out in Angel being hurt again"
"I can't believe what I am hearing" Palming his face at what Charlie had just said.
"Look I know this may not be what you want to be hearing now, but we can only try our best in minimizing the damage as best as we can, the rest has to be done on Angel's end" Added Vaggie who felt the same as Naruto did, but knew not to get too overly emotional of the issue itself.
"You two are supposed to help people heal, and get better, and so far the only thing I've been hearing is the two of you making excuses in not helping a fellow patined in need" Now angry at their lack of help."Wasn't the whole point in opening his rehab to help people, not get scared the moment you face some fork on the road over petty reasons"
"..."
"..."
"Because that's something that is not"
The remark served to silence the two in front of him and left them speechless in how to reply after being reprimanded for not following their ethical code.
Seeing that he may have gone a bit overboard in his accusations, he made sure to be careful in letting his emotions get the better of him.
"Sorry, for the outburst" Taking a calming breath to elevate some of the stress that was building."Is just that seeing him like that, and finding out that is not the first case just made me angrier"
Both Charlie and Vaggie shared a look at seeing their guest be put down from the lack of awareness, with them knowing exactly how he felt.
Feeling at hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see a saddened face looking back. He stayed silent as she sat next to him on the bed.
"When I decided to open up this hotel to be a rehab, my intentions always laid in making sure sinners were given a second chance of redemption, no matter who they were, and what they did"
"..."
"Even after telling my father, knowing deep down, he'll never accept the notion of his only daughter taking part in such a lowly venture for someone of my standing" Taking a glimpse at the family portrait at the other end of the room."Even without their support, I was dead set in helping people"
"I imagine that others didn't take too kindly in your dream " knowing full well where she was coming from in her story.
"Not even my boyfriend at the time could not keep a straight face from laughing at my idea"
"Whoa, what an asshole"
"You have no idea" Remarked Vaggie who scowled at having to remember that pompous ass.
"Even with the lack of help, that didn't stop me from acquiring this property to set up our base of operations"
"How did you even come by this place, even without the help of your dad?" Curious to know as the details he knew from Vaggie was that the princess had to pay rent just to keep the building that her father owned.
"Well, giving that this is technically under the name of my father, the property itself had been abandoned for quite some time, and seeing that there were no plans to re-open it, I asked him if I could lease the site before he thought of tearing it down"
"I thought you said that he didn't support your dream of helping sinners?"
"Trust me he doesn't, is just that he sees this as a test to see how I'll take for me to throw in the towel, and give this up" Raising a hand as if pointing at the whole building to cement her point.
"How long has it been since then?"
"Probably going on five years give, or take"
"No offense Charlie, but your dad sounds like a grade-a prick"
The response that he got was a laugh from Charlotte and a small chuckle from Vaggie from the side.
Breaking the tension felt moments ago with laughter was a good step in all parties' minds to help tamper the mood, though the topic of Angel still lingered in the back of their minds.
"You may not be the first one to think about that, but heaven forbid if you ever said that to his face"
"Maybe I'll take you up on that offer, and see if I can't give him a piece of my mind in what I think about his stance on redemption"
"Please don't"
"Man, whiskers you may be the first person I've met to have some serious cojones in thinking of saying something like that to Charlie's dad"
"Vaggie, you don't know that half of it" Smiling at her comment, appreciating the support, though it left him wondering what the word she used meant.
It didn't have that bad of a ring to it.
"Regardless in what I thought of my parents of not helping me, I went along with it, and went to work in making it possible"
"And you did this all by yourself?" Amazed in the lengths she went, especially in Hell of all places,
"At first yes, but it got to be tolerable once I met Vaggie" Sending her girlfriend a heartfelt smile, something that was returned in full by said person."Everything after that became much easier now that I had someone to back me"
"You and Vaggie really must of hit it off for her to help you"
"Meeting her was a godsend" Practically beaming now with stars in her eyes when remembering their first meet up"
Vaggie on her part could only blush at her girlfriend, as she was not the type of person to be overly sentimental.
"I wouldn't call go as far as to call me a godsend, but yeah, meeting Charlie was a good thing to happen to me"
"Was it that memorable?" Now curious to know the circumstances of their first encounter.
"Not memorable, per se, but by far the friendliest interactions that I've had at that point since getting here in Pentagram City '' Remembering some of the least favorable sinners when she first got here." Besides, what Charlie was advocating for was something that I was looking for, as being damned for all eternity was the last thing on my mind" too to
"I imagine no one else would either"
"Exactly"
He pictured for a moment how the two met, and visualized Charlie in the middle of a huge crowd handing out flyers, and trying to convince sinners to convert, and having a tough time doing, before spotting Vaggie in the crowd, and striking a conversion leading to their eventual relationship.
"Could practically be considered love at first sight" He mused to himself, before continuing with the chat.
"What about your mother?" Now pondering what type of person Charlie's mother was in comparison to her father.
No sooner did he say that was the mood from the princess instantly snuffed out once she heard the mother question, as shown by the blank expression she sported as her eyes also took on a glazed look to them.
As though she could feel the effect the question would have, even before Naruto could finish saying, was she on her lover's side as a means of being close to provide a sense of comfort.
Quickly knowing the mistake he made, the reaction itself told him everything he needed to know about a potential personal matter.
"You can just ignore the last question, you don't have to answer if you don't want"
"No that's fine, it is not healthy to have these thoughts bottled too tightly" Reverting to her regular joyous expression, one which was thinly layered with a sense of tension.
"My mother, and I have our reservations when it comes to the choices that I made over the past few years, but that doesn't mean that I don't love her, is just that right now our relationship is a bit strained"
"Sorry to hear about that"
"Don't be, besides it won't do no one good to worry about my problems at home" Not want to make a big deal of her family troubles.
Despite the silence on Vaggie's part, this didn't mean that the troubles that Charlie had with her parents, especially with Lilith, were nothing but a sour topic of discussion to open up. Even made worse by the fact, that said both parents were the rulers of Hell, leaving the possibility of arguing against them non-existent.
The fact that she was dating their daughter was either in part of Charlie's dedication to being with someone like her, or my sheer dumb luck.
The latter seemed to make the most sense.
Even at this point after the time spent dating Charlie, if someone would ask her who she was more scared of between meeting Lucifer, or Lilith, her response would unequivocally be that of the Queen of the Damned.
The woman herself could make you wish you were never born on the off chance you made her irritated, something Vaggie could wish she could erase from her mind as being a first-hand witness in Charlotte's mother could do.
"Is not that we don't want to help Angel, because trust me that's all I care about when it comes to his well-being, is just that I don't want you to go half-cocked into a dangerous situation" Now looking at him with deep seriousness in her eyes."Because is not just the danger of facing Valentino that has us worry, is the bigger problem of who else you tangling with"
"Does Valentino have someone under him that would make you worry that much"
"Not under, but who he's allied with"
"Who might they be?"
"The other V's"
He could almost feel Vaggie tense up the moment those words were uttered but chose to voice out his concerns as he continued to focus on Charlie.
"Are they Overlords too?"
"Yes, and if rumors are to be believed, they may be even more dangerous than Valentino himself"
"Not only are they potentially more dangerous than Angel's boss, but the way all three of them pull in together, effectively make them a major player here in Pendagrama City" Chimed in the moth sinner."They cover a large quantity of territory stretching across multiple rings of which, both the Pride and Lust sectors are said to be massive hubs of income"
"I thought human sinners couldn't travel to other rings"
"When your an overlord, or this case a pack of overlords, then crossing the boundaries forbidden to most humans are sometimes tweaked by a higher power willing to break my father's code of law"
"If your father forbids traversing to other realms, why doesn't he do something about it?" Finding it strange that the ruler of Hell did not have a tight leash over the operations under his domain.
"Hell is such a massive place, and there are countless rulers of different sections within, that is nearly impossible to keep an eye on all of them, and that there lie the numerous loopholes in the system that are easy to exploit"
"Does your father know about this?"
"There's only as much my father can do without having to worry about other potential dangers to his province, but it doesn't mean that he's oblivious to what's happening, it's just that he has too much on his plate to address these types of concerns"
"Still….." Thinking carefully in how to phrase his response."What's keeping said overlords from banding together, and overthrowing your dad at any point"
"The overlords themselves as powerful as they are, are still tethered to the ring that we currently reside in, and thankfully each ring are placed in the charge of native demons of a higher-order referred to as Goetia"
"This is proving to be more complicated than I would have expected, but then again everything that I've seen so far has been a far cry in what most would think Hell would be like", he thought to himself as continued to listen to Charles.
"The Goetia pertain to the royal demon natives that have had close ties with my father since he was cast down by Heaven, alongside my mother, who together with those who rebelled with Lucifer created a social system to keep the law, and order from the souls entering the Underworld"
"This is starting to sound as though there's a big problem with this system"
"You have no idea foxy" Added Vaggie who sat down on one of the guest chairs she pulled from the side.
"The system only works as long as the Goetia royals keep their sworn oath given to my father to keep balance throughout the rings"
"So do they?" Asked though he may have already known the answer to that.
"Relations have kinda soured over time, and much of that loyalty is pretty much up to grabs to whoever offers something worth giving "
"Is the ruler of the Pride ring loyal?"
"Prince Stolas…..is a complicated manner" Blushing a bit at past encounters with the feathered owl.
"Complicated would be too much of a nice word for that birdbrain," The moth said as an annoyed expression grew at the mention of the name
"How so?"
"You don't want to know"
"Okay…" Raising a brow at such a quick answer.
Thankfully Charlie was there to provide some needed information about the person of interest after Vags own short reply.
"Well, if it to be believed there's been word that he's been conducting some sort of strange business dealings over at Imp City"
"Can't be that strange for someone that powerful to roam wherever he wants in the place he's in charge off"
"For the most part it wouldn't, but give his reputable position in associating himself with imps has caused some raised alarms giving his standing as both a member of a prestigious royal family and his role as arbitrator of the Pride Ring makes it impossible to ignore"
"Then there must be something interesting in Imp City for him to keep on visiting"
"Not really, Imp City is not known to be the most popular destination for the residents throughout the seven circles"
"Can't be that bad"
"Oh it is that bad, much of the city is in a downtrodden state, with many of its citizens living under the poverty line," Charlie said with sadness in her voice."The imps deserve better than what has been given to them since Hell was created"
"Who are these imps?"
"They're some of the other natives of the Underworld who make much of the hard labor for much of the society"
"Hard labor, huh"
"Imps are considered to be the lowest class citizens in the pecking order, and are regulated in serving hard labor, or servant occupations"
"So combined with Prince Stolas making frequent trips to Imp City has only fueled some of these allegations of something strange happening over there"
"What do you guys think it is?"
Both just shrugged their shoulders at the comment ending the prospect of knowing what were the reasons for the visits.
"Besides the obvious issue of stronger forces at play, what do you suggest we do about Angel's problem" Relenting a bit over their serious dilemma."Because that last thing I want see is our friend be damaged beyond repair"
"We can better discuss the issue with Angel once he's feeling better to move around, and once that happens we can all have a serious talk about how we can proceed further with what happened"
"..."
"Please Naruto can you just go with this for the time being" Hearing the one-eyed sinner."Because even though you want to help him by heading straight to Valentino, I think that the best course of action would be if you just take a breather, and cool down"
"If you want I suggest heading downstairs to the gardens, there you can feel free to relax as long as you need "
"I think you may be right about that" Palming the sides of his head in deep contemplation."The last thing I should do is let my emotions get the better of me in the type of crisis"
"Well all know what to do once both you, and Angel are fully composed to have a serious talk about it" Giving him a small hopeful smile at the idea.
He nodded back, and made the process of slowly getting up from the bed, and walking towards the door with a quickness to his step.
"Don't worry we'll be able to get through this as soon as possible, and hopefully with everyone safe, and sound" He heard her say from his back but did not look back as he was already through the door with his only acknowledgment being a wave of his hand, with the other one used to close the door behind him.
He wished he could say more to change both their minds of needing affirmative action, but realized how adamant they were in trying to steer clear from outside troubles. Couldn't blame, as much as he wanted something drastic to happen, deep down he knew that much of it was fueled by the anger, and frustration that had built up.
"Should not let myself get too hotheaded, that last thing I am my anger getting the best of me" He said to himself."I guess I need to go to him for help"
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to convince Charlie, or Vaggie to help, he decided to instead go somewhere else to think it over with those who could.
As much as it pained to ask Alastor for help, the fact that he was an overlord as well meant that he must have some sort of deeper insight about who Valentino is, and the others with who he words.
He also wanted to ask about this Stolas character, and if his status as holder of this ring, then he would probably also have a better idea to help him find a way back home. The meant that he needed to know what he was doing at Imp City.
If it meant either traveling to the city works or meeting him where he lived, then so be it because he needed all that help he could get to save Angel.
The prince would also have the answers that he needed.
"It's time to pay Alastor a visit"
His interactions with the crimson overlord through brief, which was mostly on his part in making sure that they were each time that he had the fortunate luck to run into him at the hotel during his off time, or when having breakfast, and conversing in small talk about his life in Konoha, or his adjustment here in Pentagram left much to be desired.
As at times during his talks with Al would sometimes veer towards wanting to learn more about Naruto, his world, and what else he could other than the transformation and the chakra walk. While he never had any issue in talking about his culture to new faces, he was still a shinobi at heart who knew from experience in making sure to keep a tight lid from revealing any personal secrets that may bite in the ass from being too careless.
And the last person he wanted to have told his secrets was someone that he could hardly trust, as his introduction at the dinner during his arrival was meant to build trust among the residents of the hotel. His opinion on everyone so far was stable, and if he dared say friendly, especially with the likes of Angel, and the rest of the female staff.
Even with the foul-mouthedness of Husk always trying to be left alone, his relation with the feline was at least comfortable enough to be trusted to give a helping hand when needed. Even if it meant having to keep a lookout for sentient breeding playing cards roaming the walls.
This could not be said about the overlord whose constant attacks on personal space, and need to provoke some sort of reaction out of everyone placed Alastor on the former jinchuriki
s list of people to keep wary of at all times.
Just walking towards his room on the second floor made him want to reconsider asking for his help, but knew that out of everyone at the Happy Hotel, Alastor was the only one who would know about the other overlords, their numbers, abilities, and at the very least where they were located.
At the very least he could know more about this Valentino person and see what he could to help Angel, and that could only start if he could convince Al to help.
That on itself would be a miracle on its own if he could pull it off. The sight of Alastor's door once he turned a corner from the stairs made him hush up, and prepare for the talk ahead.
If knocking first was meant to notify the occupant on the other side of his presence, then the moment he lifted his hand to knock did the door swing open to reveal the ever-smiling face of Alastor greeting him on the doorstep.
"Well, hello there!" The creepy optimism matched the tone, but whose eyes said something else other than the needed conveyed emotion.
"Still having the drop on people, even if you're not even trying doncha, Al?"
"One should always have the element of surprise no matter the circumstances my dear fellow, but it doesn't hurt to have blood pumping to have the most exhilarating conversation"
"Not the way you do it"
"Hmmmmm"
"Nevermind, Alastor I came here because I need help, and you may be the only one who will be at least willing to help me"
"This doesn't happen to be related to a certain spider" His smile grew by an inch more" Now would it?"
"Can we please skip the mind games, because am in no mood to be playing twenty-four questions on whether you'll help, or not"
"Nonsense!"Stepping to the side of the doorframe, while guiding his arm out to guide him inside. "Feel free to come in, and do make yourself comfortable"
Not waiting to be told twice, the blond quickly went into the red deer's corridors and was quite taken back in the type of decor that Alastor had made himself. That was saying a lot as it was something that Naruto so far had still kept being surprised at what Hell had in store.
To cut it simply, Alastor's room was unlike the rest at the hotel beddings, and being someone who has seen the inside of a majority of the lodgings within the building is safe to say that the room he just entered was a far cry from any of them.
Its aesthetics were similar to that of an old-fashioned joint that seems to have belonged from a bygone era, but which still contained a warmth of familiarity for anyone who found themselves in one. The furnishings were still the same, but whose appearance seemed altered to resemble a higher caliber of craftsmanship that contained intricate carvings of different carvings.
This type of look also extended to the bed frame as well, but whose design was similar to that of an elk. The white bedspread covered the entire queen size bed with neatly fluffed covers.
A surprising sight was the lack of red that Naruto would have imagined the overlord to keep with giving his style of dressing always contained some sort of red color in nature. Something with which Alastor never seemed to part. But instead was that of a dark brown color that resembles an oak tree's shade of coloring.
The flooring was devoid of the carpeted texture that was a common sight in each room, but the moment he stepped in he felt the tap of wooden panel floors under the soles of his footwear. The style of which retained the same look like the wallpaper, dark-brown color.
One major standout was a large music box at the corner of the room that was completely pitch black and had its panels of glass glow an eerie bronze. The only indication of life from the machine came from a low hum coming off.
A similar machine was placed on the other end of the room but was instead a disk player with silver, and black encrusted ornaments embedded on it, and a decent collection of records under its cubby.
He remembered Angel telling him that Al was a major fanatic for anything related to his time's culture, especially when it came to radio, but at the time he just assumed he meant Alastor's love for music.
What he could feel radiating from within the tin box seemed anything, but friendly, making a side note not to get anywhere near it as his senses told him to stay away as far as possible.
He situated himself comfortably near one of the high chairs next to the door and was soon joined by Alastor on the opposite of him in his rolling chair belonging to his desktop. To which contained an array of objects ranging from leather-bound books taking up much of the upper, and lower shelves, and stacks of notebooks placed under lamplight with an array of different pencils inside a cup in the corner end of the desk.
"Now what brings you here to my little humble abode?" Sitting back on his armchair, resting his hand under his chin with his left hand."Because as I see it, you don't enjoy much of my company.
"Kinda not hard to Al" Placing his back against the wall he was sitting behind on."Much of the talk we ever spare to each other always ends with both of us almost coming to blows over your forceful, and prying nature"
"You shouldn't take it at face value, all I ever want is to learn more about the people around me" Tapping the end of his cane on his left shoe top."When has it ever been a crime to strike up a conversation with people?"
"When said people feel as though their lives are at risk just by being near you"
"By chance do you ever feel like this?" His fanged smile grew by an inch as he already knew the answer to his question.
"I've had my fair share of people intimidate me with all sorts of intentions, and when I say that your up there with some of the worst I've known, then that's saying a lot"
"You flatter me" waving a gloved hand in the air as a mocking gesture, before getting serious while looking at the human with a straight face."Trust me when I say that am the least of your worries, while you're in the company of us sinners"
"Putting my life in danger hasn't stopped me before in doing what I think is right, and this situation that is in" Pointing at this entire surroundings."Is just a new learning curve that I need to get used to until I can find a way back home"
"Always the optimist with you"
"Just one of my many defining attributes" Clapping back with a smirk of his own."But it doesn't kill to be a bit cheery even in the worst of places"
"I imagine you not too familiar with Candide if you feel that way in having that type of sunny disposition with you at all times"
"What can I say is a living?" Shrugging his shoulders at the comment.
With all that said, both men now looked at each other with a serious expression plastered on their faces (Though in Alastor case it was more around still having that wicked smile of his still active, but whose eyes could convey the seriousness in his mind), as the conversation would now shift towards a more serious topic.
"Now what do you want to know first?"
"I want to know who this Valentino is, what type of firepower does he have, and where I may be able to find him?" He didn't stop there either."And I want to know about the one in charge of the Pride Ring…..this Stolas person"
This got the overlord to slightly widen his eyes of hearing the royal's name coming out from the human.
"Must have been Charlie who told him that name" He thought to himself as he gripped the hand that was holding his cane tightly as he recollected the last time he had the fortune in meeting with a humanoid owl.
"Quite the compiled list you came here with" Reverting to his usual tone of speech." But is nothing too daunting for me to speak about"
"So is that a yes for you to be helping like this?"
"I wouldn't under normal circumstance be privy about giving out sensitive information, especially of this type of caliber, but for you, I'll make an exception"
"I doubt you're helping me because of camaraderie's sake" Ever wary of what the red fiend had in mind about helping me."Don't get me wrong, am grateful for any help you may provide, but it doesn't mean that I trust for it"
"I'll feel the same way if the roles were reverse, but I have my reasons for aiding you on your mission"
"Which is?"
"Come now, you of all people should know the answer to that '' His grin now became a bit manic with excitement.
"I have a bad feeling about this"
"Boredom!"
"I knew it"
"You're willing to help me because you felt bored" Now staring at the overlord as if he were an overgrown child.
"What else could it be" Calming down from his outburst."Life for me has been a bit of a drag this past century, and nothing has yet to bring me any form of entertainment since the moment I arrived" Holding his hands together at the chest as if he were in pain."I had almost given up hope of some sort of relief coming my way to relieve me this torture, but then as I walked through the slums of Pendegrama I withness a gentle soul pleading her case to all the sinners of Pride to take up her cause for a chance of redemption, and for a moment I stood there among the masses frozen at the step, seeing Charlotte pouring out her unholy soul through the metal box of what she was crusading for, and you know what I thought once it was all over?" He's taking up a slight red glowing hue.
"..."
"That this would be too good of an opportunity to pass on if it meant curing me of this boredom"
"And me arriving at the hotel was just the icing on the top in capping off your need to be entertained."
"As if by the divine intervention were you send here once the stars, and Heaven themselves started to illuminate as if in a frenzy"
"What about the stars?"
"Following Charlotte's disastrous broadcast, I went on my merry way to my local eatery for a quick bite that I witness a spectacular light show happening across the skyline as the stars began to shine brightly with each passing moment that not even Heaven was spared from the action"
"I've seen the stars from the roof of the building when I am meditating, but where's this Heaven at?" Now curious in what this version of Heaven may be.
"Have you ever noticed a sphere of light with a ring surrounding its center?"
"Yeah"
"Well that my friend is Heaven itself"
"That's Heaven!" Shocked that such a speck was the doorway to God's domain."I assumed that was the moon"
"I don't blame you, I thought that same thing, but contrary to the fact, that small orb hovering over Pentagram is the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven"
"Why in the world would Heaven be placed literary underneath Hell" Still not able to wrap his around such a notion."Wouldn't that temp most in Hell in invading them"
"You'll think that would be the case, but the gates themselves are heavily protected, as the off chance of any sinner or native demon coming close to its reach are instantly eradicated from existence in a blink of an eye" Though he still had a smile on his face, every word he spoke with a deadly serious tone." But that itself is the least of the worries for the sinners of this ring"
"What could be even worse than having to spend the rest of your life in Hell"
"The Angels"
"Do I even have to ask for why"
"If you were here the day of the cleanse then you wouldn't be even be saying that"
"The Angels are Heaven's top exterminators who come down to the Pride Ring to exterminate the sinner population, once every year as part of a long-standing practice to keep the population in check as a means in preventing overcrowdedness"
"That would mean that everyone will always be placed on high alert every year" Surprised by how the population is kept in check in such a brutal method."How do most living in the city manage to survive such an outcome?"
"It varies depending on the person itself, I've known some to either hid, confront the angel's, or even given themselves to the voluntary," He said as he fiddle with the top part of his cane."Though in the end, it always ends the same if you live, or die as each day down here can always be your last, be it the Angel's own doing, or your misfortune"
"Damm, and here I thought that I came to you for some needed info about a certain overlord, but now am just depressed in how things work around here every year"
"You get used to it once you get the lingo of the place"
"I imagined you must have had some troubles getting used to your new home"
"A bit, but nothing I couldn't handle" Fondly remembering the moment he landed in Hell, and the fun he had in his youth."How I miss those days" Before shaking from his stupor."Now that we have that all covered how about we get back to the topic at hand, and see what I can give provide you about this Valentino business"
"Yeah, let's get back to that"
"As you mentioned before, this Valentino is one of the more prominent members of the overlord circle in Pendegram and not one to be easily trifled with as his immense influence matches that of his overwhelming strength"
"Charlie mentioned that he was part of some pact called the V's, can you tell me their names, and what they can do"
"Right, the so-called V's" Al grumbled in having to talk about one member in particular." Its membership includes the likes of doll-face Velvet, the aforementioned hustler Valentino and media attention whore Vox" stating the last name with the utmost venom.
"Hence the three V's moniker"
"Exactly" Emphasizing it with the quick snap of his finger."Not the most original, but straight to the point"
"What about in terms of abilities, what would be expected if by chance that I may run into them"
"Most would just outright say to avoid them at all cost, but for my recommendation would be to better handle them one at a time, as there combined might would even be too much to handle for even one of Lucifer's top followers….maybe" Pausing for a moment over the hypothetical."As abilities go, Valentino is known for his brutal physical attacks combined with the use of heavy artillery at his disposal"
"Such as…?"
"Just your typical hired goons strapped with their "modern" weapons"
"Oh"
"Anyhow, Vox is by unanimous decision to be the strongest of the three as his uncanny quirk of controlling anything electrical benefits him be able to travel through its currents by becoming one with the electricity"
"Is he's power limited to devices only connected to a grid, or does he travel through a physical wavelength"
"I would say a bit of both as his skill set gives him the potential to conjure himself through battery-charged devices"
"Then nothing could stop him from wanting to travel to the hotel" Not worried about the off chance of his Vox attacking the others.
"That you don't have to worry about, as I have made sure to fully protect this premises from having any uninvited guest's to lay their claim, even from the likes of that son of a whore's mother"
"Thought you didn't care enough about the people here" Happy to hear that some sort of protection was set up to prevent an invasion, and in Alastor's willingness to help.
"I don't, but I'm not gonna allow some scrub from meddling in my enjoyment"
"Nevermind" That good faith he gave moments ago is now gone with that admission."Okay then, what about the final member of the group. This Velvet girl, what can she do?"
"That am afraid I can't provide much information on" Furrowing his brow in regards to the female member of the V's."Velvet is a complete mystery to most within the overlords as not many have been able to fully gauge her power, but given that she surrounds herself with Vox, and Valentino at all times is safe to assume that she is at least strong enough to be in their company. All can I can say about her is that she is the youngest of us overlords, and is the more contemporary of the V's as she is always spotted with one of those handheld celluloid devices"
"Then she must be really strong to have earned the title of overlord" Making sure to keep a mental note about this Velvet character on the off chance he came into conduct with.
"I would pay top dollar just to be able to witness what this Velvet girl could do as she has not even been in Hell less than a decade to earn such a title, but then again I can't complain of her rapid accession"
"So far all I can get from this is that one is a bruiser, the other an instant teleporter with conjuring skills, and the last one is a complete mystery," The blond said in a low voice, while deep thought over the information given to him.
"All different in nature, but deadly with their combined strengths"
"This would prove to be a bit more complicated than I imagine would be" Now weighing multiple opinions on who to proceed forward with."Now that I know who I may go up against, does Prince Stolas have any association with the V's?"
"To my knowledge, I don't think so, but if he did have something to do with either of the three it may be kept under wraps, so let's just put an unknown pin on the matter"
"Fine" Wanting to press on the topic some or more, but looking at Al's expression told him that he didn't know much about it."Do you know at least what type of person Stolas is like?"
"The overseer of this ring is a very enigmatic individual, but someone who deep down behind the facade he keeps is that of an ancient creature older than anyone I have come across, other than the King of Hell"
"So potentially dangerous then"
"Far more than the affirmation V's"
"Even you?"
"Especially me"
A deep silence soon took both of them off a far more potent threat but continued with their conversation.
" I heard from Charlie that Stolas was seen working with certain people over at Imp City, and I was curious to know if you've heard the same thing"
"I've heard some word of it through the grapevine, but is a bit far fetched to believe that someone of his stature would associate himself with lowly beings"
"I've been meaning to ask about that, are these imps another type of species in the Underworld?"
"And a low class one at that"
"Can you elaborate on that"
"Imps are another of Hell's native citizens who are considered to be one of its lowly's members in the food chain, there mostly regulated to working in meandering occupations mostly the most dangerous ones, with the rest being that of servants to higher classes"
"Is what Razzle and Dazzle are to the Charlie"
"Similar, but just a different breed"
"Then it wouldn't do the prince any favor if caught doing business with them"
"It has the makings of a scandal waiting to happen" Gitty in the prospect of the royal caught in the middle of the controversy."Whatever the case may be, if these allegations prove to be true, then it works in your favor if his in cahoots with the V's"
"I'll make sure to keep that in mind" Making sure to keep a mental note of using that piece of info for whenever the time called for it. "Anything else?"
"For now that's all I can say about the subject" Tipping the side of his monocle."Don't want to give out too many spoilers"
Seeing that Alastor wouldn't say much more about the regent ruler of the Pride Ring he decided to leave as a means of preparing his next course of action, and the time spent conversing with the overlord was already at its end in learning more about the people he was looking into to.
"Well at least it is better than nothing I guess," He said while getting up from the guest chair."I think I've heard enough to start somewhere"
He then proceeded to walk towards the door and was almost halfway through that he instinct caught a red remained card mid-air without looking, and once he saw what it was he realized it was an invitation to a city banquet dinner.
"I think this will help you find who you're looking for," Alastor said aloud not even looking in the general direction of Naruto."Is easy to get lost in this city when you don't know where to start looking"
"Thanks again for helping me, you didn't have to, but either way thanks anyway" Grateful for the help provided by the crimson deer, though he still reminded himself never to let his guard down when near him."I think it would do good for both of us if we didn't tell anyone about our talk, the last thing we need is them worrying too much"
"My lips are sealed tight" Mimicking the zipper gesture with his left hand"
With that all said done, he closed the door behind leaving him alone in the hallway and checking the card given to him.
TO ALL OF PENTAGRAM'S HIGHEST ORDER YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND OUR YEARLY GATHERING TO CELEBRATE ANOTHER CLEANSE GONE, AND DONE WITH, AND WISH TOAST ANOTHER YEAR OF LIFE WHILE ENJOYING THOSE LESSER OF US FOR LOSING THEIRS.
SO COME ALONG AND SHARE WITH ALL OF US THE GREATNESS IN BEING THE ONES TO STAND AMONG THE REST. SO DON'T MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MINGLE WITH YOUR EQUALS AS WE COME TOGETHER ON THIS JOYOUS OCCASION.
FRIDAY, 5TH OF FEBRUARY 20XX AT EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING
DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE NOT IMPORTANT DON'T BOTHER FUCKING SHOWING UP (UNLESS YOU WANT US TO DO FINISH ANGEL'S JOB FOR THEM)
ADDRESS: NORTHWESTERN HEIGHTS, PENTAGRAM CITY PO #76345
SPONSORED BY THE VOX MEDIA COMPANY.
"Starts at eight, huh" He looked up at one of the nearby cloaks near the hallway and saw that it was currently 4."About 4 hours away till the festivities begin, I should head back to my room, and put on something less conspicuous, before thinking of heading out"
Not wanting to be told twice what to do next he quickly made himself scarce back to his room to prepare for the night.
An Hour Later (Lobby room-First Floor)
Seeing himself in one of the mirrors stationed near the entrance, he silently thanked Charlie for providing him with all sorts of different styles of clothing, and footwear. Even if they weren't Anbu fashioned it was better than nothing.
A simple black long-sleeved shirt, black cargo pants, and black running shoes. Not something he would use for this type of mission, but I'll have to do. The only downside was not having some weapons to use, and his chakra without Kuruma wasn't as it used to be, but was still enough than the average shinobi thanks in part to his Uzumaki genes.
The clone of his back at the room would last long enough before the end of the day to make sure no one other than Alastor knew he was gone (A bit more added chakra would make sure of that).
He pondered over the idea of taking some knives from the kitchen but did not want to take the risk of running in Nifty as she was always around the area preparing for the week, and would know if anything was taken from its rightful place.
He would make sure to improvise when the time came.
Looking back at the empty lobby to take one last glimpse to make sure no one was there, including that of the bar, which for Naruto meant that either Husk was in his room passed on the bed with a bottle in his hand, or wandering the building looking for his sending cards. He thanked me that he wasn't there.
Turning back to the front doors, he took a calming breath before walking through them with the main goal planted firmly on his mind.
"The sooner I can't get this done with, the sooner I can help Angel with his troubles"
With that, he silently exited the Happy Hotel and entered for the time since he got there the city filled with this Earth's insidious occupants.
End of Chapter 7
Once more done with another chapter, and especially with Halloween just around the corner. Sorry again for the wait, but school work has been ramping up this past couple of weeks, so there wasn't much time I could invest in writing this chapter, but thankfully am finally done with it.
Been wanting to finally have Naruto transverse the city of Pentagram once he was fully healed, and up to speed with some of the happenings in Hell. I was also excited in now including the actions being done in the background concerning Stolas, and a certain imp group.
As many of you have started to notice, I've taken the liberty in now branching off in adding some world-building into the fic given that there's only the pilot for the main series. And there's yet to be any confirmation when the official series will air. So much of it be partially inspired by Helluva Boss instead.
I'll also use some inspiration from other works to add some context to the world, but it won't be any major crossover from other series. Maybe one, or two characters at least, but other than that it would be strictly NarutoXHazbin.
Also, I wanted to petition some help in naming the rest of the overlords that are yet to be named (Am kinda bad at coming up with names). So please feel free to PM me for suggestions, and I'll announce the picked names when the time comes to introduce them.
For the rest of the month, am going to be fixing some errors from my stories to better improve on the errors that people have pointed out to make for a better read.
Until next time.