Hey there!

Warning for this chapter: torture.

Enjoy!

Chapter 15 – Warning

It took some time for Stolas to realize he had hinted Blitz that this wasn't his first panic attack, but the imp hadn't brought it up, so… Either he didn't notice, or he didn't care. Both were fine with the owl. He was still afraid Blitz's help has been motivated mainly by practical aspects, but it had truly felt nice, to have someone beside him in those moments, despite the added rush of stress it first caused him.

Now, barely two days later, it was time to prepare for their second self-defense lesson! Even better, Octavia was still there until the start of next week because of her mother's schedule, which was all better in Stolas' eyes, and not just because it kept Stella away. Maybe he would be able to not see her at all this week? It went well until now, and he hadn't even particularly tried hard to avoid her.

At least, the gear Blitz had suggested him to defend or train during the lessons had arrived, a bit later than expected but still in time, so Stolas wasn't complaining.

It would be an evening without his daughter, but he wouldn't be alone anyway thanks to the imp, so he didn't mind too much. Plus, Via was going to some festival to see a concert with Loona, and it felt nice to see these two were getting along even more now. Stolas had even heard Via speak about Loona's friends, saying they were nice and she'd see them again today.

To Stolas' dismay, Via wasn't mastering the portals without the grimoire yet enough to be able to take herself and Loona there, but the owl still made sure the both of them had a safe transportation there, since Blitz would be using the van to come to the palace later, after work. He could have used the crystal, but he seemed to prefer leaving it at the office and not use it for other purposes, and he refused Stolas' offer to portal him. As for the girls, they had feared loosing the gem not so long ago and therefore didn't want to risk it in a place full of people.

The prince had made sure to renew the spell on his daughter, and even placed one on Loona and the imp couple from IMP, just in case. With everything happening, it felt safer that way, until he could start his moves, but that would have to wait for next week.

But right now, he had some catch up to do on his work. Not that he could avoid all his tasks even with Via here, but he hadn't been too busy these past few weeks and hoped it would remain that way, for he had a lot on his mind. Yet, there was still a bare minimum to be done, so he settled on it, asking for refreshments to his staff soon after he got started, to make sure he wouldn't wander off if he was to go to the kitchen by himself. He… May have been a bit too easygoing this week, and it wasn't a habit he should take, not when the next one was threateningly close by.

Still, once said bare minimum was done, he was quick to abandon his study to go to the room he had dedicated to their self-defense lessons. His staff was told to put the gear received there, but he hadn't unpacked yet, and he had to admit, he wanted to do so before Blitz's arrival, because as much as he loved to chat with his imp, he also knew he probably wouldn't be as well physically for their next training, so better take some advance on the hiding blades in clothes part so they could focus on the other aspects Blitz had been interested about last time.

That was what he was planning anyway, smiling in light excitement, before he froze in the door frame, blinking as his eyes narrowed on an imp rummaging through the newly arrived boxes, an imp who definitely wasn't from his staff nor was Blitz, but an imp he still immediately recognized nonetheless.

A tall snake hybrid, still with his cowboy hat and clothes, not even bothering to blend in.

"Finally Stolas, I was on the verge of asking him to fetch you!"

Stolas' head quickly turned to spot Stella, sitting on a chair against the wall in a corner out of sight for newcomers. Well, that explained why Striker was here, not that he was very surprised since she was the one to hire him too last time they met.

But the fact that they were here, in this room of all places, put dread in Stolas' stomach. Striker stopped his search to turn an evil grin to him, tail lashing as he stood up.

"Well well, we meet again feathers! What were ya hopin' to achieve with these, uh?" He asked holding a thin blade, almost like a needle.

"That is what I was wondering indeed", Stella snickered, standing up too to approach Stolas.

The owl had to use every trick he knew of to compose himself and not outright panic, because it didn't take a genius to understand what was going on, and it was bad. He wasn't sure how to interpret the imp's presence instead of the three hellhounds, but he could only hope it was related to the unplanned aspect of Stella's visit and not something else.

There was also a part of him actively muzzling his fighting instinct, that had been reinforced by his first self-defense lesson with Blitz and the closeness of the second. Stella was probably suspecting it, as she got her phone out to wave in his face as she stopped before him, showing once again Blitz in the meeting room, probably freshly returned from Earth given the blood on his and his employees' clothes.

"You don't want anything to happen to him, right? Not even that little warning shot we discussed? Then you'll be obedient and honest, and if you're convincing enough, you'll be the only one to suffer the consequences, alright?"

There was a twitch in Stolas' hands but he forced himself not to clench his fists as he nodded, trying to go for a blank expression again rather than a scared or pissed one despite the unexpectedness of the situation.

"You'll need to do better than that", the swan warned him with a threatening smile.

"Will do", was all he could answer, trying to sound neutral here too.

She gauged him for a while with disdain before smiling slowly.

"A bit better! Now, answer the question: what is all this?"

"Defensive weapons", he answered, not willing to explain everything with too much details.

"Against who?"

"Attackers. These aren't meant for you or your lackeys if that is your worry, I have other ways if I wanted to dispose of nefarious intruders in my own house. I don't need any weapon against hellhounds or imps and you'll notice none of those are blessed."

She hummed for a moment, thinking.

"That's right, but it doesn't mean it's okay. One could easily get the wrong idea."

"Gotta agree, looks like you want stuff to free yourself should you find yourself bound in blessed rope again", Striker snickered.

"Well, that is indeed the idea", Stolas forced himself to confirm, since it seemed like the spy app on his phone could probably read his texts with Blitz too, maybe even listen to what happened around it. If he wasn't such a fool, he'd have been more careful knowing the risks brought by this app. Now was a bit late, but it was still good to know. He could only be glad he hadn't said or texted anything more dangerous that his ex wife could have heard or read.

"And still, you're telling me this isn't to mess with my fun with you?" Stella insisted.

"It isn't. Again, you're predictable, if I didn't want to comply, I would do so before being restrained. Plus, messing with your fun, as you say, would endanger Blitz, and the whole point of this is to keep him safe, isn't it?"

It was the only moment he allowed a hint of threat in his own voice, a reminder that his pushover facade wouldn't last if she ever did anything to said imp.

She shrugged, still smiling at him.

"I won't find them on you then, next time I come by? That wouldn't sent a very good message, understood?"

"Ma'am, you don't want to throw these?" Striker asked, confused.

"No need, he'd be able to order others through the staff. Though, feel free to keep anything you'd like, I'm sure he wouldn't mind, right? But I'm not here for that! Since it seems the imp was the one to initiate this, let's just say the punishment falls fully on you for not refusing. Now, let's go, shall we?"

If that was all the questions she had, then it wasn't as bad as Stolas had feared, especially if she didn't intend to hurt Blitz. He worried she would make use of said warning shot, and he wasn't sure he would have been able to stay put if she had, but she probably knew as much. Which meant, either she wouldn't, or she would once he was powerless. He shouldn't forget she probably had planned something special for him as a retaliation.

Whatever it was though, it was obvious Striker's presence was one of last minute. Either that, or he really didn't like working directly under a royal's orders that way, with his employer present and being able to dictate his every move. He also didn't seem to know how she usually operated, but was doing a decent job of following the flow.

Still, Stolas filled that in his mind. He couldn't act up now, and wouldn't, but the hybrid was an unknown factor, there was no telling what he would do or how he would react. The Goetia hadn't forgotten what the tall imp did to him last time, which was a bad omen for what was about to come, but he couldn't fight back yet again. He simply hoped Striker wouldn't have another idea of more… Permanent injuries. He had done a good job at putting up a good facade for Octavia, he didn't want for all of this to have been in vain, though at least she didn't worry for as long as it lasted.

The changes were indeed quick to happen, for Striker didn't lock the door behind him and barely waited for the owl to put his phone away before putting forcefully his arms behind his back to tie him up with blessed rope.

"Not a fan of handcuffs?" Stolas couldn't help but ask, managing not to sound too snarky.

"Why, it would have suited your fancy tastes better? Sorry, I trust these more", Striker smiled as he deliberately tied the knot as tight as he could, before patting the owl down to make sure he had no blades already hidden on him.

Stolas moved his fingers a bit, and internally winced at the numb feeling already spreading. By the time they were done, he was sure as hell not to be able to feel his hands at all.

His body harshly hit the floor before he could understand what had happened, and he was kicked to roll in the direction Stella has taken a sit.

"This view good enough for you ma'am?" Striker asked, seemingly too happy to have another occasion to torture the owl to ponder much about who was paying him.

"Perfect", Stella purred. "Now, you have what I asked for I hope?"

"Of course. Wan' me to start with that?"

"Oh yes!" She answered with a wide sick smile, but Stolas' attention was instantly drawn somewhere else as Striker pulled out a blessed knife, which also seemed coated with something, but with a slightly different texture, though it also appeared to be some transparent gel or sticky liquid.

"You remember that, right?" Striker asked, playing with the knife as he knelt. "Don't move."

The owl did his best not to react as the blade was waved above him, approaching different parts of his body threateningly. The cowboy was obviously trying to get a reaction from him, sometimes making swift moves as if to stab him, but the owl was purposely holding back his flinches, his gaze locked on the hybrid rather than his weapon.

"Wanna play that again, uh? At least you're not as talkative as last time", Striker snickered.

He pressed the tip of the blade against one of the Goetia's thighs, pressing slowly. Once the skin was pierced, Stolas couldn't help a jerk despite his mental preparation, hissing at the burning feeling of the knife slicing him down.

That had to be whatever it was coated with. The blade itself hurt more than a regular one, but not that much, not with such a feeling of… Heat, like if the metal was white hot.

Striker's smile widened at his reaction, and he slowed down his movement even more. The knife was barely halfway inside his thigh, and Stolas was already struggling to keep his cool. His breathing was quickly becoming labored, and he was glad for his survival instincts to command him to stay put not to risk hurting himself further with the blade already inside him, because if the message had been any different, he wasn't sure he'd have been able to go against it.

"Ya feeling that, right? How does it feel? I was told it burns good!"

Stolas only gritted his beak in response, until Stella leaned above him.

"Well? He asked you a question."

He had hoped the two wouldn't get along in person, but he underestimated the fact they had already worked together, even if it wasn't that closely.

"Yes, it burns", he confirmed in a rough voice, still trying to fight off the pain.

Both the smiles above him widened again.

"Good."

The knife suddenly sank in one go until the weapon's guard blocked it's plunge, earning a scream from Stolas.

"That's the sound I want to hear", Stella's voice pleasantly cooed, but it felt more directed toward Striker than his victim.

"Understood, ma'am."

The owl didn't have time to get his bearings back that Striker removed the blade with a twist, and the high pitched shriek escaped him before he could process what was happening.

"Aaah, such nice sounds", Stella couldn't help but tease.

But the prince was too far gone in the pain pulsing in his thigh to pay more than distant attention to what was being said. His brain only analyzed if the words were worth paying attention, and if it wasn't, it was tossed away so efficiently Stolas barely remembered someone had said anything at all.

Whatever product was on that blade, it was way too efficient. Stolas' mind was quickly put in a haze of pain as Striker kept going, trying to get as much screams and sounds of pain as he could from the owl, slicing his right side, stabbing his right shoulder next, then his arm below, before applying pressure on each of the fresh wounds. He even went as far as breaking the bone beneath his thigh wound, surpassing all other pains before with the added feeling of the bone breaking and the tissues from the already present stab wound tearing up even more.

Once his victim was too exhausted to yell, he kept going with a beating, until Stella stopped him.

"The little shit's leaving earlier than I thought, but it was still fun, so let's say you're good!" Stella's voice rang closer to his ears as Striker yanked him up by his head feathers to put him in an almost sitting position. "But you better cancel these silly lessons, you hear me? Also, your warning shot is gone, I hope you're thankful I didn't actually use it! Hm?"

It took several seconds for the words to process, until Stolas realized what she was awaiting. With a strained voice, he managed an acknowledgment, and gravity made him fall back on his injured side, earning a hiss.

"Good! Let's go, shall we? Don't forget the rope."

"Yes ma'am."

As he thought, he barely felt the rope come loose as he was untied, and with one last kick from the hybrid, the duo headed out.

Stolas was still panting minutes after their departure, the blood and sensations slowly returning to his hands, vision swaying even as he stayed still on the ground, trying not to pass out, until he realized what Stella said before leaving.

Blitz. Blitz had left the office and was on the move.

His check on the imp confirmed he was moving. Fine, but moving, probably to drop off his employees. Once he was done, his next stop would be…

Here. At the palace.

Shit!

Stolas tried to at least sit up, but it was enough to make him wail in pain. Fucking Striker had managed to put him in a similar state to last time, but to the owl's surprise, there wasn't as much blood as he feared. Was the burning sensation not just a feeling? That would explain the reduced blood loss, and how he was still conscious.

Still, if he didn't want to end up in the hospital, he needed to move fast. But first, he retrieved his phone with magic to text Blitz not to come, for unexpected but important reasons he didn't bother explaining so he wouldn't have to lie.

His daughter wouldn't be back before the hellsun was down, but if he wanted to be there to check how their evening went and wish her good night, he needed to get to work. Pain still pulsed in his different injuries, spreading in his whole body, but he wasn't going to let it slow him down. He had endured… Well, not worse, he had to admit that was probably one of the most painful, despite not being the longest session, but still, he knew how to deal with the pain afterward. Hopefully, the substance on the blade only reinforced the pain and didn't slow down his healing abilities.

He hoped at least, because it had been a week between today and Stella's last visit, so whatever she used should be gone by now. Even like this, healing from wounds caused by a blessed weapon on his own without giving anything away was going to be quite the challenge, but he was up for it. He had to.

Simply dragging himself to the bathroom took him way too long. His staff was already working on cleaning his floor while he took the painkillers first, before setting to work on his wounds.

First, discard his clothes, he wouldn't use these anymore. Then, clean himself. Next… Well, he had to take care of his leg first, he didn't have anything to sit here and he had to train to walk on his broken leg if he wanted to fool his daughter. Oh, that was not going to be a good moment, and Stella probably bathed in the knowledge of everything Stolas was willing to go through to protect his daughter, but he was still dead set on keeping this from her. Though, now that he thought about it, it may be why Stella delayed Via's return with her, so Stolas would struggle longer with concealing his injuries to her. That wouldn't surprise him in the slightest.

Thinking about it didn't change anything, so Stolas pushed everything aside to use everything at his disposal to secure his broken leg, wrap the wound as he could and put on slacks that hide the splint efficiently.

Good. Now, his upper body! First, he applied his ointment on all the stab wounds, and another dedicated to bruises, mainly on the single one at the back of his head, for with a bit of preening, he easily managed to hide it. Now, came the ordeal of wrapping these one handed…

"Hey, Stolas! I know you're still here. Where the fuck are you?"

He almost hooted in surprise at Blitz's voice, accompanied by the sound of his bedroom door opening, and he managed to put everything away in their drawers and put a shirt on before the imp entered the bathroom, attracted by the noise.

"The hell is that about, canceling last minute?" The imp asked grumpily as he entered the bathroom, eyeing the owl suspiciously. "This doesn't even look like an outfit you'd take to meet some fancy other royal. Care to explain?"

"I'm truly sorry, but I really cannot maintain tonight. I tried to warn you as soon as I could, I take it you were already on your way…"

"Of course I was on my way! I had just drove everyone home, and suddenly you call off out of the blue, and you don't deign to answer when I ask why! What did you expect me do to, just go home?"

Stolas blinked at that, and suddenly realized he had left his phone in his bedroom. He used magic to take it back again, not willing to try and walk before Blitz so soon when the painkillers had barely kicked in – that or he hadn't taken enough, which was also a possibility – to check his messages and, indeed, he had missed a few from the assassin.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I had left it behind", the owl apologized again.

He froze when he noticed the imp's suspicious gaze, eyeing him up and down as if gauging him.

"You… You okay?" Blitz finally asked.

Shit, something was already giving him away?

"Yes, yes, sorry, just in a rush! Could we continue this discussion later?"

"Why not now?" Blitz cut him before he could continue. "At least to reschedule today's lesson!"

"We can still text about that, and I'll make it up to you for canceling last minute! But I really need to get going…"

"Oh yeah? Let me guess, you can't tell me what's so urgent?" The assassin asked, squinting.

"Well… Yes, indeed."

The short demon snorted.

"Thought so."

Before the owl could react, he rushed to him and lifted his shirt, revealing the cut to his side. Stolas hooted in panic and put the fabric back down before more could be revealed, but didn't dare to step back to not betray his weak leg. It didn't stop Blitz from looking up at him, a dangerously serious glint in his eyes.

"Stolas? The fuck is that?"

22/05/2024

Yes, I know what a lot of you must think, "finally!" =P

See you next week for Stolas and Blitz's discussion ;)