As soon as the order was affirmed, Vaggie raised her weapon to the sky, her wings billowing out as she barked, "ALL AIRBORNE FORCES, CHARGE! RANGED GROUND, HOLD POSITION AND OPEN FIRE WHEN IN RANGE! ALL OTHERS HOLD UNTIL TOLD OTHERWISE! LET'S MAKE THOSE FUCKERS PAY!"
Lucifer was the first off the ground, behind him, dozens of airborne sinners and hellborn took to the skies. As Vaggie prepared for take-off, she was stopped by two tender hands firmly grasping one of hers. She looked to Charlie, the princess giving her scared, worried eyes.
"... Be careful..." She said. Vaggie gave a nod.
"... I promise, I'll do my best..." She spoke tenderly, giving the woman a quick, but tender kiss on the lips before charging off. Emily had still yet to take the first step to flight when Charlie grabbed her hand.
"That goes for you too..." She spoke lovingly. Emily nodded.
"I promise, I'll try... and I'll do whatever I can to look after Vaggie."
Charlie gave a weak chuckle. "... Thank you."
"Of course," the seraph spoke, before pulling her hand out of the princess's and giving her a brief, tender kiss as well, before looking to the skies and spreading her wings.
With a few rapid wingbeats, Emily caught up to be next to her partner. The two flew as the battle became rapidly closer.
"You okay, hun?" Vaggie called. Emily gave a manic giggle.
"Fuck no!" She laughed. The silver-haired girl gave her own anxious laugh in response.
"Understandable... We're gonna be okay, love..."
Emily's expression sobered. "... You don't know that."
She was right. Of course she didn't. "I... I know. I guess I was saying that for me as much as I was saying it for you." Emily gave a huff of a chuckle out her nose. Vaggie's expression harshened. "We're getting close... Everyone!" She called, "Prepare for engagement!" The armies of demons, the angel, and the seraphim all prepped their weapons and magic. And in a blur, everything started.
Vaggie let out a grunt as she lunged her spear forward, piercing an exorcist through her gut. Pulling the weapon out, she jabbed the rear into the stomach of another angel -seemingly a winner dawned with an exorcist uniform- before pirouetting to slash them across the face, damaging their mask and causing them to tumble out the sky.
Emily immediately found herself face-to-face with an armed winner. And she did something she promised herself she wouldn't. She hesitated. The angel swished with a sword, and Emily just barely reacted swift enough to block it with a slash of golden light from her hand. The angel came in for another swipe and clashed with the shaft of her spear as she desperately held the rod in front of her body. As the seraph held the clash, she hadn't noticed the angel grasp something in her offhand and point it at her stomach: an angelic pistol. Emily gasped, barely managing to avoid a shot from the weapon via pivoting her spear downward to knock the weapon out of alignment. She twisted her spear, using the length to her advantage to push past her opponent's sword and gouge her neck. She cringed at her own actions as golden blood seeped from the mark and the angel lost flight, tumbling toward the city below.
"I'm... I'm so sorry..." She mumbled tearily. Emily turned to her partner, not too far away, battling off a collection of heavenly warriors.
"Vaggie! You said the exorcists never used guns!" She called.
"They didn't use to!" The angel replied in exasperation, stabbing an angel through the shoulder. "Maybe they got the idea from realizing we could use them to kill them!"
Vaggie kicked a male winner in their... sacred area... causing him to tumble to a lethal fall below. She snorted derisively.
Emily frowned at her girlfriend, before arming an offhand with magic to blast at several angels, grimacing as she watched them fall from the sky, leaving trails of gore behind.
"Oh, mercy... I'm so... so sorry..." She wept, using her arm to wipe the wetness from her eyes before going in to crack another angel across the cheek with the back of her spear, causing them to tumble downward. Her eyes refused to look at the fall.
In the center of the field, Lucifer was darting in and out of the flock of soldiers, blasting them apart in multitudes with minimal effort. But numbers were still an asset they had on their side, in vast quantities. As Lucifer blasted another exorcist out the sky with a thin beam of light, another came behind him, and in his shoulder, he felt a scorching pain as he watched his own golden blood spurt from ahead him as a bullet passed through. He grunted at the impact.
"W- well..." He hissed to himself. "Th- that's not good..." He began tumbling downward. The shoulder shot was driving one of his upper wings, and flight was no longer possible with it out of commission.
Emily gouged into another angel and blasted yet another. She then spotted something: the white and feather silhouette of Lucifer tumbling downward. "N- no! Shit!" She panicked. She bashed away a few more angels with her weapon, before dispatching them with holy light and diving downward as rapidly as she could. She threw her spear aside and swooped downward to meet Lucifer, snatching the fallen angel before he could strike pavement. She hovered down to the ground, setting the king of pride down just long enough to allow her to draw the frame of a portal, and haul the man through into an empty bedroom within the hotel. She bridal carried the small and, unsurprisingly considering his lack of stature, very light man onto the cushy mattress, tenderly setting him down.
"Shit! Shit, shit, shit, what do I do, what do I do!?" The woman frantically stuttered, laying hands on the lying angel and observing the seeping injury. Lucifer hissed.
"N- nice catch, kid," he chuckled dryly. Emily gave a sigh of a laugh.
"I... thank you, I suppose... Lucifer, I don't... I don't know what to do for you..." She mumbled softly, tears edging out of her eyes.
"Maybe not... b- but I do... Gimme your hand, Emily," the angel directed weakly. Emily did as she was told, placing her hand gently into the man's reaching palm. Taking her hand, Lucifer guided it toward his wound, before directing it to be hovering just above the area of harm, palm out and facing the injury.
"Now... Sweetie, I need you to concentrate," Lucifer instructed. Emily gave a resolute nod. "Alright... now... I want you to focus on the wound being gone. Just... Just imagine the healing process. I- Imagine the bleeding stopping, and the blood drying... the area scabbing over and... and scaring... all of it..."
"I- Okay..." Emily mumbled confusedly, trying her best to do what she was told. From her hands, a golden light began to dimly glow.
"Good... you're doing perfect. Now, just focus on that hope. That the wound will heal, and scar, and be gone..." Emily nodded and proceeded, the light on her palm growing brighter, as Lucifer finally let go of her hand and let her hold it in position on her own. Within seconds, the bloody wound in Lucifer's shoulder became a simple scar doused in gold.
"... You did it..." He said simply, sitting up and wincing. "Good job, sweetheart, you nailed that..." Lucifer yelped in pain slightly as the other seraph wrapped her arms about him.
"I'm so glad you're okay..." She shuddered. The man gave a soft smile, as he used a hand to return the gesture as best he could from his position.
"Thanks to you..." He spoke. He finally moved his arm, putting a hand on her shoulder and pushing her to part from him. "Now... you better get back out there." He gave a smirk. "Our girls need you." Emily gave a nod, as she finally turned, generating a portal ahead of her.
Glancing over her shoulder she spoke warmly, "I'll take care of them. I promise," before jumping through. Immediately, she was greeted by the heavy scent of gunpowder, blood, and the sounds of screams and carnage. She had transported herself approximal to the coming angelic forces, as close to Vaggie as she could make herself, and she burst out through the portal to great an angelic soldier with a punch of golden light to the skull, launching them backward and cracking the screen of their LED mask. As she blasted a second angel and another, she turned around to see Vaggie being mobbed.
That was enough to get her to finally, fully snap. With a thin beam of light, she sliced through the flight feathers of several angels, causing them to tumble, and she dashed into the space she had made to stand back to back with her girlfriend.
"... Holy shit, Emily," she spoke simply. Not with any disdain, just with shock.
The angel grimaced as if she was nauseous. "Y- yeah... That felt pretty awful..." She squeezed. Swallowing her minor desire to puke, she looked over her shoulder to Vaggie. "You okay, sweetie?"
"Yeah," Vaggie panted, "I am... Are you?"
"Yeah," the angel chuckled, mildly manic. Vaggie smirked.
"Good..." As Vaggie looked to see more and more of their own forces falling from the sky, she grimaced fearfully. "Sh- shit... WE'RE LOSING TOO MANY NUMBERS!" She called, "FALL BACK!" Vaggie turned to Emily and grabbed her hands. "Darling, I need you to portal back to Charlie and tell her the ground troops have to move out..." Emily gave a determined nod.
"On it," she said simply, drawing a small portal and darting through it. Vaggie proceeded to fall back from the fight, leading the disturbingly thin number of air troops that were remaining. And who were still being picked off even as they tried to flee.
"Fuck..."
Emily zipped through the portal to be standing next to Charlie, who was looking painfully up at the sky, a hand over her lips.
"Charlie... Hunie, we have to move out... The air support... we've lost too many..." She shuddered. Charlie nodded.
"... Got it..." Charlie spoke weakly, taking in a deep breath before shouting out, "ATTACK!" And charging toward the fray. Emily followed in suit. As the ground troops ran to battle, the airborne troops grew closer, leading the trailing angelic army behind them, of which was still being supplied by the massive portal in the sky above. Vaggie was the first to meet for regrouping, landing just between Charlie and Emily and joining in the ground-based charge. The remaining airborne demons made it to regroup as well, and as the last stragglers who weren't already picked off arrived, the angelic army descended upon their ground force. At the sound of a gunshot, Charlie immediately held up her shield to hear the sound of the coming bullet ricocheting off it.
"Shit, I-" She stumbled, "They have guns now!?"
"Yup, it's fucking terrifying," Vaggie grumbled in return, gasping as she dodged a blast of bullet fire from some variety of angelic machine gun. "Christ, really kinda wishing I didn't use a spear for everything right now!"
"Shit!" Angel yelped, dodging another blast of gunfire before returning with his own, striking an angel out of the sky to fall into the sea of demon soldiers. "This is fuckin' ridiculous! This ain't nothin' like the fight we had for the hotel!"
"The numbers are fuckin' insane, I agree..." Husk grumbled in response, throwing a sharpened playing card through an angel's neck, "How did Lute manage to convince this many people to fight for her!?"
"I have the feelin' it wasn't exactly through, 'convincin'!'" Angel called back, blasting apart another angel.
"No shit!" Husk responded. As he glanced over his shoulder to Angel, he noticed the demon blasting at a rank of hovering, gun-wielding heavenly warriors, but not noticing the one sneaking up just behind him, short sword in hand and pistol at the ready.
"Angel! Watch yourself!" Husk called, aiming an expertly thrown card to slice through both of the assaulting soldier's wrists, dropping their hands, gun, and blade to the floor, before dashing over and roughly punching them in the head, causing them to fall ungracefully into a heap on the floor.
"Shit! Thanks, hun!" The spider called back.
"Don't mention it, baby," Husk responded with a chuckle. Suddenly, Angel's eyes widened.
"Husk, duck!" He yipped. The cat did thusly and Angel released a volley of gunfire into Husk's own unnoticed threat.
"Christ!" Husk hissed, standing back up. "Thank you..." He panted. Angel gave him a tiny little peck on the head.
"Gotta keep an eye out for each other," he chuckled.
"Ugh..." Cherri groaned, tossing a set of bombs into a set of airborne angels, "You two lovebirds are just insufferableeee."
"Oh, shut up," the spider demon laughed, before being splattered with a splash of inky black blood as an angelic soldier stabbed a spear into a hellborn comrade.
"Oh, why, you motherfucker," Angel sneered, ripping the heavenly soldier apart with a volley of gunfire. "... Shit..." He somberly mumbled before resetting to focus on releasing additional volleys into the flocks above.
Alastor had to admit. He, himself, had a moment of, 'slopiness,' first battling the angel's to defend the princess's hotel. Refusing to take an angelic weapon when battling against the leader of the heavenly legions was regrettable, even foolish. Maybe it was his ego. Maybe he just wanted to see what he could do. Maybe he just wanted to see if a second death would finally be enough to free him from the collar around his throat... But regardless of the reasons, he was not making the same mistake this time. With his own sort of elegance, he danced about, tentacles protruding from his back, wielding holy spears, swords, axes, and otherwise, gouging and slashing and tearing angels apart as the holy blood spilled on his suit. Nothing Hell's finest dry cleaners couldn't handle. A volley of fire came from an angel's machine gun, but the radio demon blocked it effortlessly with a wall of black magic.
"Oh, my! Heaven has firearms for the first time, and they think that'll be just barely enough to compensate for their mediocrity, now do they?" He chuckled sardonically, as he swiftly overwhelmed the angel with his multitude of holy arms, before bisecting them with an axe. "Think again," he sneered. Nifty was sticking near to him, stabbing into the angel's fallen corpses, no matter how clearly dead they already were: she was just here for fun. As Alastor gave another sadistic chuckle, he noticed the ground darkening around them. As if the sun was being covered...
The demon flicked his head up to the sky, smile tightening. "... Well, then..."
"There's... there's more of them..." Charlie mumbled fearfully, looking up to the blotted sky.
Vaggie followed her line of sight. "Holy shit..." Emily gave a narrowed blast into another angel before joining in the gaze as well.
"No... nononononono..." she frantically muttered.
In the skies of Hell above them, two new portals had opened. And from them quickly began to descend war machines: a handful from each, substantially sized dirigibles a sinisterly elegant white and gold, armed to the teeth with holy weaponry. The designs were, to Charlie and Vaggie at least, uncomfortably familiar.
"How do we deal with those things!?" Charlie screeched, grasping her hands into her hair.
"W- we'll figure out something, babe..." Vaggie answered, though her confidence was most clearly lacking. "... I hope..."
"Why don't I just shoot them down?" Emily responded, "I'm a decent enough flyer... Holy light would be enough to destroy them, right?"
"I- I dunno..." Charlie responded, biting her lip before she gasped, having to turn on her heel and bash another angel's teeth in with her shield.
Vaggie stabbed her spear into her own angel. "Charlie, hunie... it's... it's the best option we've got," she said, her tone somber.
"No," Charlie responded flatly, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt more tears seeping loose from them. "No!" She barked, firing a volley of firework-like magic into a group of angels, before turning to Vaggie, terror in her eyes. "We- she can't! We can't just let her go up there on her own! M- my dad! Maybe he can-"
"You didn't see..." Emily mumbled. Not a question, just a sad observation.
"Charlie..." Vaggie explained, "Lucifer was hit..."
Charlie's eyes widened. "N- no..."
"He's okay though!" Emily frantically added, "I caught him, and dealt with his wound... but he can't fly... Charlie... sweetie, it has to be me..."
Charlie gave a resolute shake of her head in refusal, a stern expression plastering her face. "No."
"Charlie, please, I have to do this!" Emily argued back.
"You're right..." Vaggie responded, "But you won't be going alone. We're coming with you." Vaggie looked around to see Asmodeus not too far away. Stabbing an angel and bashing another, she made her way to him. "Asmodeus!" She called. The man finished crushing an angel's skull in his fist before turning to the angel. He was far more imposing than even regular in his fully Hellish form. Towering over the already short woman.
"Well, one of Charlie's little angels! What's on your mind, Vaggie!" He chuckled. Vaggie blushed.
"Me and Charlie are providing air support with Emily. We're gonna see if we can take care of those airships. While I'm gone, I want you to assume command."
Asmodeus clawed into another angel, a well of blue fire flaming forth from his hand as he burnt their flesh, dropping the flaming heap onto Hell's floor. "What about Lucifer?" He said.
"Lucifer was struck. He's unharmed, but out of commission."
Ozzy nodded. "It would be a pleasure then," he chuckled. Vaggie smiled before spreading her wings and taking off to return to her partners.
"Asmodeus is in command on the ground," she explained, "Charlie, you can ride Razzle. Emily, we're going to be doing this with you." Emily smiled softly and nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." Vaggie gave a little smirk, her wings billowing out behind her.
"Alright! Let's go!" With that, the woman hovered up off the ground.
Charlie put a pair of fingers in her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. "Razzle!" The little goat demon appeared from an inexplicable location to be beside Charlie, a determined look on his face. In a plume of fire, Charlie hissed and flamed as her body took on its fullest demonic form, Razzle growing in size to become a great dragon. In one swift motion, she grasped Razzle's shaggy fur and pulled herself onto his back, calling for him to take flight. Emily smiled at her two women before taking to the air herself.
From on the ground, Angel looked up to see the three women flying further and further into the crimson skies, approaching the golden-trimmed airships coming to kill.
"Holy shit..." He gawked, "The fuck do they think they're doin'?!"
Husk followed his line of sight. "Savin' our asses, presumably..." He said, "Or dying tryin'..."
Alastor too looked to the sky. "Well, this is an interesting development indeed..." He wacked an angel with his staff, a tentacle driving a spear into the disorientated soldier's gut as he remained looking at the sky. Nifty even stopped her bloodlusted stabbing to look in the same direction.
The three girls glided closer to confrontation. The fleet of blimps had finished their emergence through the portal. As they drew closer, the portal closed behind them, and finally, the primary in the sky shut its maw -the entire army was present. The three weaved, dodged, burned, blasted, and stabbed their way through waves of heavenly soldiers in the way.
After cringing as she blasted her way through another angel, Emily looked over to Vaggie, Charlie and Razzle were distracted toasting more surrounding angels in infernal fire. "Vaggie!" The seraph called, "There's a ship close to our left over there! If you two can guard me, I'll do a run along its side with a beam of holy light!"
Vaggie gave her angel a resolute nod, before turning to Charlie. She darted over to the blonde, slashing an angel across the head with her spear, before turning it around and cracking them hard in the stomach, incapacitated being tumbling to Pentagram City below. She turned to the princess.
"Charlie, hun! We have an airship on our left! Emily is going to attempt a run at its broadside, but she needs our coverage!" She rattled off. Charlie nodded, pulling soft, but firm on Razzle's fur to indicate for him to turn around. The two women reconvene with their angel.
"Ready?" Vaggie spoke tenderly.
"Ready..." Emily nodded. And the three darted over toward the ship, blasting through surrounding angels. As Emily found her opening, Charlie, Vaggie, and Razzle maintained control to keep it, giving space for Emily's assault. The angel dashed down to the side of the ship, soaring along it, blasting the strongest beams she could create from both her hands as she cruised alongside it. But she stopped, spinning about and freezing to hover in the air as she watched the powerful energy harmlessly dissipate upon hitting the craft's haul.
"Wh- what!?" She flipped around, and shouted to the other two, "I- I don't understand, it didn't work! My magic just bounced off of it!"
"What!?" Vaggie dumbfounded, "How!?" In experimentation, Charlie fired a blast of fireworks from her finger, and they too simply tinked against the metal exterior creating not even a scratch.
"Is... Is this whole thing constructed of angelic steel!?" Charlie spoke in bafflement.
"How the fuck does it even fly!?" Vaggie sputtered. In the three's disbelief, they hadn't noticed, from the lower deck of the dirigible, a small cannon emerged. The device rotated so it was pointing directly to its target, ready to fire. In less than a second, it fired three powerful blasts of golden energy.
And they hurtled directly toward Emily.
Vaggie was the first to spot them. "Shit- Emily, watch out!" She yelped. The 6-winged angel's eyes darted to spot the the coming light. She dodged one blast and tumbled out the way of another. But the third blast found home...
Emily felt a scorching through the whole of her body, burning her torso and stomach, melting flesh and fabric and skin together. She felt her hair catch on fire, and her wings boiling as her pinions burst to flame, melting and burning down to the flesh of her wings' arms. She saw nothing, just felt the horrid sensations as her eyes were immediately irreparably blinded by the holy light. She felt her consciousness whiten around her as she fell, the wind feeling boilingly hot as it whipped into open wounds and blistered and scorched flesh. She wasn't conscious to feel it when her body shattered upon the pavement. The last thing she heard was the familiar voices of the two women she had fallen for screaming her name and crying in horror.
She had a thought. She wasn't expecting that to be something she could do again. She couldn't see. Or hear. Or taste. Or touch. She just was. Not in any way that was physical. Just thoughts and inner voice.
Ethereal consciousness.
'Where am I?' She thought.
'You are not,' a conscience that was not her own responded.
'H- huh!? Who- What?! What happened to me!? I was... then...' Realization flooded the once-angel's mind. '...Oh... I'm...'
'You are not,' the voice repeated, before adding, 'Not yet, anyway. Your body has been destroyed. But your consciousness has not.'
'... Who are you?'
'I,' it spoke, 'am creation. I am everything and everywhere. I am your constructer. You are my child. I believe the name you were given was... Emily. Yes?'
'Y- yes...' Emily answered.
'Of course. Emily...' It stopped as if thinking. 'As your form has left you, you have returned to me. You are to be judged.'
'J- judged?' She sputtered nervously, 'I... I don't know how well that will go for me...'
'I do,' the voice answered. 'All soulful creations land before me after their physical destructions to be judged. All beings are granted a singular second chance... You have not received yours yet,' it explained, 'I will decide if you will now. As a holy being, you shan't be presented with the option of damnation. You get two... Either reincarnation to the Heavenly realm or permanent destruction.'
'... O- oh...' Emily responded with fear, 'm- my...'
'Yes,' it spoke, ''Oh my.'' The voice proceeded, 'In our short convening, I have observed the actions of your spirit in its life.'
'Th- that fast, huh?' Emily answered.
'Yes,' it said, 'You have done much good, Emily. You stood up for your beliefs. For your loves. For humanity, of all creeds. For angels. For demons. You have given hope to the hopeless, and joy to the broken. You were banished from Heaven unofficially... How repugnant. That... angel... I forget her name... but truly a shame. Headstrong. Brave. Determined and devout. Such high hopes I had... But squandered on murder and zeal.'
'Her name is Lute and she is... Well... I suppose I'm in no right to say.'
'She is a repulsive scorn on my creation. She must receive her justice. She will not be judged kindly,' it spoke. In its whole presence, the voice was almost off-putting monotone, and though the words were clearly meant with malice, they were just as flat as the others.
'... I'd have to agree with that,' Emily answered.
'... Emily. You have been judged worthy of the Heavenly realm,' the voice spoke. 'You will be gifted a new body, similar in construction to the old, and promoted in rank and power to the High Seraphim of Heaven.'
'... So I was right...' Emily shuddered. Well... as much as she could with no form. '... My... my sister... she's...' The silence was telling. '... You destroyed her soul. Didn't you.' More silence elapsed. 'Answer. Me.' Emily sneered.
'... She was judged unworthy.'
'... Why? Why is destruction the only option!? I- My sister could have done good, I- I had seen it in her!' She cried, 'Why did you... Why did you murder her!?'
'She murdered,' it spoke. 'Millions. She disrupted the order of creation, and for that, she was punished.'
'... Nobody is too far for redemption,' Emily hissed. 'No. One. Not a soul in existence! I perish to think of what you would do to others, good people who I love and have grown from those who they used to be if they came here!'
'... I always give second chances,' the voice responded, 'But I believe you are mistaken to assume your sister deserved one.'
'How DARE you!' Emily growled.
'You will be sent back,' the voice responded, 'Your disapproval speaks to your good nature. But I do believe you are mistaken. And that-'
'Oh, shut the fuck up! Holier than thou piece of-'
'-Is something we'll just have to disagree on,' it interrupted.
'YOU PIECE OF FUCKING-' Emily started before everything seemed to just stop being.
Then it was again.
She opened her eyes. That was the first thing she did. She was lying on her side upon a pearlescent white floor. She was surrounded by what must have been hundreds of people... She squealed as she felt a pinch in one of the many wings sprouting from her back, launching herself up off the ground to stumble up to her feet, wrapping her stepped-on wing about her body to be able to rub where it had been pinched. In her added state, it took her a moment to realize... this was the wing. The one she had lost. It was back. She felt something above her head... a weight, but not quite. A presence of sorts. She reached up to feel that she had a halo again. But, as her fingers traced it, she found it more ornate than her old one... more decorated and intricate. The basic shapes she felt seemed akin to her sisters...
"I am so fucking sorry, oh my god!" She heard a voice call beside her. She turned to look at it, giving a little, 'huh?' The feminine angel standing there assured. "For stepping on your wings, beautiful." Emily blushed at her appearance being hit on.
"Oh- oh. Well, it's not trouble at all!" She chuckled nervously, "It's... well... seen worse for certain."
"Whaddaya mean, cutie? You've... had wings before?" They asked. "Wait... you've got..." They pointed to each as they counter. "...six of 'em? Wait, hold up! You're one of the princess's girls! Emilia... Emerald... something like that!"
Emily gave an airy giggle. "Emily, actually. But... yes, I am..." Suddenly, her eyes widened as it dawned on her. "W- wait, you know about Charlie!? You- You were a-!"
"Sinner," they finished for her with a chuckle, "Yeah..."
"I've..." Emily spoke, looking at the crowd before the pearly gates. "Never seen the gates so crowded... you... you must all be..."
"... Yeah..." they nodded, sadly.
"Oh no..."
"Yurp. Number already were suffering, but, those airships... fuck..." they mumbled fearfully.
"No... nononono, so many..." Emily shook her head fearfully. "I... I have to go back!" She turned around, sticking her hand forth, and summoning a portal, the depiction of destruction and violence visible on the other side, causing her to blanch in horror at the sight. She glanced over to the angel she had been speaking to. "It was nice to meet you, bye!" She called, before dashing through to Hell. The angel chuckled after her.
"Sweet little thing," the chuckled, before cringing, "Hope she can survive dying a second time..."
The angel darted out through her portal and looked upon the destruction around her. She heard a muffled, 'GET DOWN!' and even with meager time, jumped onto the ground, covering her head and ears, and squeezing her eyes shut. The ground shook as a loud boom rang out. She opened her eyes to see nothing but smoke, before feeling the ground pound with several more heavy shakes and blasts as golden light flashed from various spots around her. She tucked her head back down and braced. As a break came between the holy bombardment, she poked her head up, launching back to her feet.
She spread her wings and soared over the crowd of panicking demons, desperately fighting, but overwhelmed, as they began to fall back to the hotel. Blood of red, black, and gold painted the ground in abstract designs. Gore, limbs, and remnants of fallen brothers, sisters, and siblings in arm and otherwise dotted about the soil and grass of Hell. Emily had to resist the urge to vomit at the sight of it all. Or to cry. She circled briefly glancing left and right for her partners, but was unable to find them. She felt her chest writhe with panic.
"Charlie!" She screamed. "Vaggie!" She felt in her pocket for her phone. But there was none. Pocket nor phone. "O- oh..." She mumbled. Then, eyes widened, she reached for her neck.
No choker.
Her eyes welled a bit. "... Oh..." She sniffled, shaking the emotions off. She called her loves' names again with desperation. Then, she spotted a familiar and serendipitous face in the crowd of panic: Angel Dust. "Angel!" She called, darting forth to the demon who was littering the flock of heavenly soldiers above with a flurry of suppressive fire. He didn't respond, and as she landed on the ground near him, she called his name again: "Angel!"
The demon blanched, eyes widening, as his head cracked toward the voice. He gasped. "... Holy shit..."
"Angel!" The seraph beamed, leaping forward and wrapping the spider in a tight hug. He did not reciprocate. "I'm so glad I found you!"
There was a tinge of horror in his voice as he spoke, "You... You died..."
Emily's eyes widened as she realized. "... I... I did... didn't I..." She thought back to that blast. The sensations. The burning pain... the worst she had ever felt. Then... she woke up... as if from a nightmare... in Heaven...
That was all she remembered.
"Yeah," Angel uttered, giving a stiff nod, "Ya did..."
"... I... I don't know what happened to bring me back, but... I am... And I'm not gonna waste it," she spoke resolutely, her voice wavering. She pulled away from the demon. "Angel, I need to find Charlie and Vaggie. Where are they?"
Angel gave no response, simply giving a stiff shake of his head at the white-haired girl, not a freckle out of place since she was the first time, though the dress was new -ornate- and her halo had returned in more glorious fashion.
"... It's really you..." He mumbled.
Emily gave him a warm smile. "It is... But, Angie. You need to help me... please."
"R- right," he spoke, shaking off the shock and awe, "They're in the hotel reconvene with the sins for a new strategy!" Emily gave a nod.
"Understood. Thank you so much!" She turned, spreading her wings to fly but was stopped when she felt four arms wrap about her body.
"... Missed ya feathers."
She chuckled. "I missed you, too... " Emily chuckled, wriggling free herself from the lanky demon's sturdy grip. "I have to go, Angie..."
Angel nodded, eyes wettened. "I know... Go get your broads, babe." She chuckled, conjuring a portal, and gave a last fond look over her shoulder.
"Love you, Angie."
And she hopped through.
"... Love you too..." Angel murmured back. But she was already off and away.
As she come through, she found herself in the hotel parlor, the familiar furniture providing, even if meager, some solace. There was a corkboard on wheels with various notes and strategies drawn on it, many crossed out and torn with frustration. On the couch was Charlie, covered in blood of gold and red. Vaggie was there, holding her. Consoling her. She was sobbing, disheveled, clothes tattered. She looked in a way that Emily had seldom seen of her.
She looked of someone who had given up.
The sins were standing about, looking subdued. Asmodeus was talking with Leviathan about something before he saw the glowing portal shutting behind an angel, new to the room. He fell to shock.
"No fucking way..." He mumbled. Leviathan's eyes followed his, and they widened at the sight.
"What we looking at?" Bee asked, tired, before glancing to the sight and gawking, stunned. Then she smiled. "Holy shit!"
Charlie shoved herself away from Vaggie as she stood to her feet, eyes red from tears and anger and horns jutting forth. "What!? What the fuck could it possibly be that-!?" She hissed, flicking her head to the direction of their gaze. All her demonic features faded away, words stopping as they failed out her mouth. Her eyes widened in utter shock. Vaggie had followed the trace of all the eyes, clasping a palm over her lips with a tearful eye.
Emily shyly grabbed her arm, holding her free hand up in a tiny little wave. "H- hi..."
Charlie remained frozen like a statue. Then tears began slowly trickling from the corners of her eyes. Emily slowly approached the princess, but froze as the blonde took a step away from her.
"I..." She mumbled. Then a sob. "... I watched you die..."
"I... I know..." Emily spoke softly. "I'm... I am so sorry... it breaks my heart you had to see that..."
"... Are..." Charlie shuddered, "... Are you real?" Vaggie had stood at this point, tearful and clung to her princess's side.
"I..." She chuckled sadly, "I really hope so..."
Vaggie sniffled strongly as she suddenly darted from Charlie's side, dashing over and jumping onto the seraph, her arms wrapping around her neck as she stood on her tiptoes to maintain the tight grasp. Emily's arms sprung out in surprise for the briefest moment, before clasping hard around Vaggie like she might drift away from her lest she let go.
She had never heard the small woman cry like she did then. She sobbed, loudly, shivering in her arms like she'd spent an evening in subzero. She buried her face into the crook of Emily's neck, and the seraph felt her lips move against it as she barely shuddered out, "I- I- I thought... I thought we lost you..."
Unable to think of anything more poetic, the seraph satisfied with a simple, soft, "Well... you didn't..."
Vaggie sobbed a chuckle. "... I... I love you so much..."
"I love you too..." Emily spoke, before looking to Charlie tenderly. "Both of you..."
Vaggie kept one hand dug into Emily's dress as she pulled just enough to look at Charlie, outstretching her other as an invitation. "Charlie..." She tearily uttered. The blonde sniffled weakly. Then again. Then she dashed along the floor herself and wrapped an arm around both her angels.
She sobbed. "My girls..." She laid a firm kiss to both their heads. A few moments passed before they finally pulled apart from each other, but remained as close as they could be.
"... You're wing's back..." Charlie spoke softly. Emily gave a chuckle.
"... I just came back from the dead and you're still ogling my wings."
Charlie gave an unamused glare. "Oh, hush."
"... You have a halo," Vaggie mumbled in awe. Emily huffed a sort of laugh from her nose.
"I do... Does... does it look alright?" She asked. Vaggie gave a weak chuckle.
"It looks beautiful," she strained. Emily smiled softly.
"Good."
"Alright," Asmodeus sighed, "Now, listen, this is super sweet and all, but we gotta come up with a fuckin' plan half an hour ago."
"Half an hour!?" Emily meeped, "I was gone that long!?"
Charlie gave a sad nod. "You were..." Vaggie held herself closer to the seraph.
"Have... have you been able to find any ideas?" Emily asked. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut sadly, before shaking her head.
"Those things up there... they're made of angelic steel. They're indestructible. They cannot be broken by anything," Charlie spoke with defeat. Vaggie nodded.
"Angelic steel isn't even able to damage itself. So... we're low on options."
"There's... there's gotta be something we can do..." Emily said with disbelief.
"Like what!?" Charlie spoke with exasperation. There wasn't a taste of fury. Just desperateness, almost as if she hoped her asking would prompt something from the seraph. "We've tried everything! If there's a weakness, we don't know it!"
Emily looked down thoughtfully. Then she had an idea. Her eyes widened, and Vaggie noticed first.
"... What is it, hunie?" She asked.
"... We don't know it..." She looked to Charlie. "But maybe someone in Heaven does!"
"I... maybe..." Charlie looked down. "But it's not like we can just ask them... how would we even find out any of the people who worked on those things?"
It was Vaggie's turn to think. Her eye filled with inspiration. "Sir Pentious."
Charlie gave her a blank look. "What's he got to do with-" Suddenly her eyes sprung open. "... He knew the start date. He contacted us and warned us... and... he's an inventor!" Her eyes filled with hope as her fangs bared a grin. "And he made a big ass airship! He has to know something!" Then she frowned again. "But... how are we supposed to reach out to him? I have no idea how he got to me the first time..."
"Me," Emily spoke simply. "I can do it..." She gave a sad half-smile. "... I am The High Seraphim... after all..."
Charlie gave her a bewildered look. "You're..." Her face fell. "So... Sera... she... she really is..." Emily nodded, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
"She is..." She sniffled and shook herself off. "But now's not the time... We have a plan. And I can get it done."
"But how are you supposed to find him up there?" Charlie asked.
"Seraphim can seek other angels with our eyes... We can even differentiate. Once I'm in Heaven, it shouldn't be too hard," Emily explained.
"... That is so cool," Charlie spoke wide-eyed. Her six-winged partner giggled at the admiration.
"Why thank you, my love."
"Emily," Vaggie urged, grasping the other angel's hand tightly, "Be careful up there... after... after everything..." She shuddered. And she shook her head. "No... no, actually. I'm not letting you go up there alone."
"Vaggie..." Emily spoke sadly. She sighed. "You... you can't... What if someone recognizes you!?"
"What if someone recognizes you?" She countered. Emily shrank a little, realizing she hadn't thought of that. "I just want you to be safe, my love..."
Emily laughed dryly. "And I want you safe! Vaggie..." She squeezed her eyes shut painfully. "I perish to think of what they could do to you." She opened her eyes to see both her partners wincing. "S- sorry... pardon the phrasing."
Charlie sighed. "It's fine... Let's be honest though," she spoke, "Neither of you... blend in very well."
Emily grumbled. "Then what do we do..."
Charlie thought for a moment. "... I think I might have an idea..."
"I suppose it could be possible..." The lanky, owl-like prince thought to himself, a hand under his chin, "But it will require some minor work. Not much though, perhaps... half an hour?"
"Stolas, come on! You can't do it any faster?!" Charlie yipped, "People are dying out there!"
Stolas gave her a narrow-eyed look. "I am aware. I'm not happy about it either... But you can't rush magic. Such could be wildly dangerous..."
"Make it fifteen," Emily spoke with a glare.
Stolas thought for a moment. "... Perhaps I could... But... It wouldn't be as potent. Emily... I can make a spell that will hide your wings and halo to make you appear more as a normal angel. Vagatha-"
"Vaggie," the angel corrected.
"My apologies. Vaggie, I can mirror your eye... make it seem you have two. And disguise your hair. Plus, gift you the appearance of a halo. But nothing more. It may be wise for you to dawn a mask."
Vaggie gave a reluctant nod. "I can do that..."
Stolas sighed, relieved at a finalization to the confrontation, and smiled. "Wonderful. Then I shall get started."
Vaggie gave a strained sigh and looked to the other angel. "Well then..." She spoke, an awkward smile teasing her face, "Guess we're going back to Heaven..."
Emily gave a wincing grin. "Yayyyyyyy..."