"Are you sure about this, Ness?"
Vanessa offered the spider in her passenger seat a quick glance and an amused smirk.
"Not getting cold feet now, are you?" She teased, twisting her gaze back to the road and quickly swerving to avoid the oncoming car headed straight for her, before shaking her head in amusement. "Angel, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, you know that."
"Ness, seriously, how's John supposed to help?" Angel asked, raising an eyebrow as he tore his eyes from the window to face the succubus. "It's not like he can break the deal. Lucifer's probably the only one who can do that."
Vanessa felt a little bit of anguish at how tired the porn star still sounded, and she allowed her features to soften slightly as she let her smile become a little more reassuring.
"Angel, you haven't known John as long as I have." The succubus pointed out, taking another quick glance at the demon before refocusing on the road. "But he's killed Val nine times in the three months he's known you. Do you really think he started that for the Hell of it?"
"But it never sticks." Angel pointed out, his brow furrowing as he turned back to staring at the passing buildings out the window. "Val's better for like, a week, and then he goes right back to the same shit."
"That's what I'm hoping to fix, Angel." Vanessa pulled her hand off of the gear shifter to rest it on her friend's shoulder, and she offered a comforting squeeze with the gesture. "Just hear John out, okay? If he can get you out of the contract, I promise it's worth it."
"Is selling your soul ever worth it?" Angel couldn't help but to ask, his voice it's more natural timber as his voice took on a tone of unusual wisdom. "I mean, Val's owned me since… I don't fucking remember. And I still wish I'd done things differently."
"So do I." Vanessa admitted, though she was well aware that she'd been indebted for nowhere near as long as Angel had. She truly regretted selling her soul, that was something that should be hers and hers alone.
But she'd be lying if she said she'd trade what she has found so far.
"But you know as well as I do that the rumors are true."
"What, that he's actually really nice?" Angel guessed, raising an eyebrow as he turned his gaze back to Vanessa, allowing a small smirk to take over his features. "I wouldn't exactly call him nice."
"Nobody would." John could show kindness and generosity, but his overall disposition was generally blunt and to the point. Not to mention how casually he tended to bring up his hobbies. "But the biggest job that'll be required of you would probably just be store work. And you still get vacation time, a more than livable wage, and your own freedom. And you can still stay at the Hotel."
As she'd already told him, and as he was hesitant to believe. Though Angel had interacted with John before as an actual friend, they weren't particularly close, and Angel was still hesitant to take Vanessa at her word when it came to his deals.
Something which was understandable with his museums.
Still, Vanessa was a far different friend compared to a certain pyro freak. Unlike a self-destructive binge, the succubus would reassure Angel as many times as he needed until he finally believed he was safe.
Safety meant a great deal to Vanessa. Both her own and that of her loved ones.
"But I'm just going from one chain to another." Angel retorted, still too apprehensive about the whole situation.
"Look, you said you'd hear it from John." Vanessa reminded him with a small smirk, as she eyed the approaching parking lot to the massive fortress that Hell referred to as Slaughter Factory.
To this day, Vanessa had never set foot within the section where the actual magic happens, and John remained adamant in his decision to refuse her that right.
But as for the rest of the facility… she had free reign.
Nobody knew the exact order of operations that took place within the factory. The only thing everyone knew for sure was that people went in.
John's favorite food came out.
So when Vanessa quickly jerked the wheel and swerved into the parking lot, she quickly navigated through and allowed herself some amusement at Angel's alarmed cursing.
Okay, she wasn't completely above tormenting her friend.
"Pansy." Vanessa teased as she navigated to her personal parking spot for the section of the factory known, quite literally, as Community City.
John couldn't give two shits about creativity.
Angel grumbled to himself in annoyance as he crossed his arms with a huff, and Vanessa offered a playful roll of her eyes in response as she put her car in park and shut off the engine.
"Alright, come on, crybaby." She teased as she retrieved her personalized badge from her visor, before throwing open the door and hopping out of the vehicle.
Angel followed shortly after, letting a small sigh escape him, and Vanessa felt a pang of satisfaction at the small victory.
The spider trailed behind as they made their way to the absolutely massive gates that served as an entrance, and Vanessa made sure to have her badge ready as she approached the much preferred side entrance to the right of the doors.
What with the whole new Exorcist situation John was dealing with, it really didn't surprise Vanessa that he'd locked down the factory. So long as those doors were closed, anyone John didn't own was barred from the city.
The only reason Angel would even be allowed in was because Vanessa was accompanying him. And that was just for the day.
After… only time would tell.
She smacked her badge more than she actually held it, but the Voxtech scanner worked as good as advertised, and Vanessa pulled the door open and made sure to hold it as she walked in until she felt Angel grab it for himself.
"I've been here plenty of times now with you and I'm still amazed by how big this place is." Angel admitted with a slight chuckle as he allowed himself to take in the admittedly gorgeous view of community city.
Being so close to the wall was really the only indicator anyone had that they were actually inside of a massive facility. When one stood in the middle, the only way anyone could really tell would be the jet black ceiling that was actually a few good miles off the ground.
And unlike most of Hell, the overall architecture of this place was pristine. Were it not for the cacophony of demons milling about the city, one would be forgiven for thinking they were on Earth at first glance.
Vanessa allowed Angel his moment of awe, before rolling her eyes with a small smile as she snagged the arm of his shirt and began dragging him off to the side.
"Come on, we have to get you a peer-pass." She reminds him as she drags him along, removing her hand from his shirt when she felt him catching up. "Otherwise, you'll get thrown out if I'm not with you."
"Damn, Spike really did beef up security." Angel noted, taking a glance at the guards by the main gate, who now held fully automatic Carmine rifles in comparison to their original generic ones. "What's got him locking down the city?"
"Can't tell you that." Vanessa admitted bluntly as she came to a stop in front at the desk, and she flashed a smile at the mammoth currently running the Peer Pass stand. "One, please." She requested, lifting her badge and holding it up the scanner.
Once they heard the ding, the familiar red pass was wordlessly offered to the succubus, who took it and immediately turned to Angel.
"Here you go." Vanessa offered a smile as she held the pass out to Angel, and the spider raised an eyebrow before a small chuckle escaped him as he took it from her hands and slipped it over his head.
"If this does work, I won't have to use one of these damn things anymore, right?" Angel asked, shooting a grin at the succubus as he pointed to the pieced of fabric now hanging on his neck. "I'll have one of those badges you have, right?"
"Yep." Vanessa nodded almost immediately, offering the spider an amused grin of her own as she slipped her own badge back into her pocket. "It gives you access to all of Community City and John's more exlcusive businesses. And if he lets you, we can even get you registered at the penthouse so that you can drop in some time."
"Would he be alright with that?" Angel had been to the penthouse before, as Vanessa had brought him there mingle and unwind quite a few times now. But she could understand his hesitation, because he hadn't actually been around John long enough to get a proper feel for him. "I wouldn't want to just barge in or anything."
"Well don't barge into the actual apartment." Vanessa advised with a cheeky grin. "Unless you want to run the risk of catching him in the middle of fucking some girl's brains out."
Angel's eyes widened at that, before he gave a content nod, a satisfied look on his face.
"Actually, I'm fine with that."
"He's straight."
"Damn!"
Vanessa let herself laugh openly and freely even as she looked at Angel in amusement, and a hand came up to her hand as another rested on her hip, and she tried to regain control of her laughter.
Something that was admittedly difficult when she thought about how utterly disappointed he'd sounded just now.
"I don't think you know how awkward it is to catch John in the act." Vanessa pointed out after her laughter had died to a small chuckle, and she rested a hand on the spider's shoulder as she offered him a knowing gaze. "Especially when it's important enough that he makes you stay and talk."
"Oh come on, it's not like he keeps fucking anyway, right?" Angel guessed, flashing an amused grin at the succubus. That grin slowly faded into a look of utter shock when Vanessa's expression didn't change, but instead gained a challenging eyebrow added to it. "Oh… Jesus…"
"And he can go for hours."
"Are you trying to make me feel better or worse?"
Vanessa simply chuckled as her hand slid from Angel's shoulder, and she offered him a teasing grin.
"If I wanted to make it worse, I'd tell you exactly what you're missing." Vanessa pointed out/revealed to her friend, who's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected quip. They widened much further in complete shock when the implications actually sunk in.
"W-Wait… I thought you said you looked at him like a brother?"
Vanessa refused to elaborate further, simply continuing past the spider with a satisfied grin as Angel stood rooted to his spot, still struggling to process what the succubus had just revealed to him.
After a few moments, he shook his head and quickly followed after the shorter demon, he twisted her head over her shoulder when she heard his footsteps and offered an amused grin.
"You're joking, right?" Angel couldn't help but to ask, genuinely confused and more than a little curious, admittedly. "Cause I'd have never guessed that. You and John?"
"There's a lot you still don't know about me, Angel." Vanessa pointed out, before raising a hand and offering the spider a friendly pat on the back. "And that's not what we're here for, anyway."
"Right, getting rid of Val's leash." Angel muttered to himself at the reminder, before shaking his head and glancing down at his traveling companion. "So he's gonna make a trade, right?"
"Yep." Vanessa answered as she reached a hand into her pocket. Considering they'd arrived and the very real risk she'd just mentioned, she'd figured it may be a good idea to text John and see where they were supposed to go.
Vanessa: We're here
The succubus waited patiently for John's response, and it came shortly later in the form of his own text message.
John: busy
Vanessa found herself rolling her eyes. John was big on proper capitalization and punctuation, and she found it a little funny that she'd essentially called it before she even knew.
Vanessa: How long?
John: our… go ti office meet u there
Vanessa rolled her eyes, but nodded her head. She hated it when she had to talk to John while he was in the middle of sex, and she would gladly take the out when it was offered to her and affordable.
Vanessa: KK… is she cute?
The succubus couldn't help the cheeky grin as she sent the final message, and she stopped in her tracks and looked down at the phone with a curious smirk to see how John would reply to the tease.
She heard Angel come to a stop behind her, and she could already imagine the look of confusion he was giving her.
Her phone dinged with another notification from John only seconds later, and Vanessa found herself laughing at John's final message for the time being.
It wasn't a message, but a picture. And a very erotic one at that, considering the picture perfectly displayed some fox girl with her lips currently around John's dick.
She was cute, of that much, Vanessa was certain.
Nonetheless, the succubus was unphased by the picture, and she laughed in genuine amusement at John's antics as she slipped her phone away.
"He doesn't give two shits, does he?" Angel couldn't help but to ask, his eyes wide in surprise due to the peek he'd taken over Vanessa's shoulder. The succubus nodded her head in response as she offered the other demon a small smile.
"Nope. But he cares, even if he doesn't always wanna show it." She assured Angel as she offered him a reassuring pat, before turning and initiating their travel once more. "Anyway, we're going to his office, he's gonna meet us there when he's done."
"Alright." The spider let a small sigh escape him, and Vanessa could see the frazzled nerves as clear as day.
Nonetheless, Angel offered a confident and surprisingly eager smirk, and he looked far more like the Angel that Vanessa had come to know.
"After this, we'll go get fucked. Up."
Vanessa grinned at the offer.
That sounded good to her.
Angel was used to fear. It was an old friend. Much like every demon at one point or another, Angel had come to trust fear as his best protection. It was the best protection he could ever get.
It didn't always save him, however, and that's when the fear was at it's worst.
It never saved him from Val.
And he knew it would never save him from the behemoth in front of him should he do or say something stupid.
Friends or no, John was absolutely intimidating when he was all business, and it definitely made Angel feel more than uncomfortable. He preferred the passive nerd that smoked weed and played video games much more than whatever he called the thing giving him one of the blankest stares he'd ever seen.
"Uh… you're kind of creeping me out, man."
"We're talking business." John retorted bluntly, his hands folded together atop the massive desk of his office as his piercing gaze scanned over both Angel and Vanessa, who was currently occupying the seat next to the spider. "So, what did Vanessa tell you on the way here?"
Admittedly, Angel found himself looking to Vanessa for direction, because John was admittedly far too intimidating for him to trust himself right now.
Rather than speak for him like he'd admittedly hoped, she widened her eyes aggressively and gestured for the spider to face the behemoth once more.
"She said you were gonna try and trade my soul." Angel finally answered, leveling his voice as best as he could as he turned back to the Strength Demon. "If all goes well, you're gonna own me. She says that means I'll be free."
John continued to stare for a few moments, and every second that ticked by made Angel all the more nervous.
Until finally… some emotion.
Acceptance.
"Alright then, you know the gist of it." And just like that, John seamlessly changed from the feared Wraith to the far more preferable grinning idiot Angel found he now likes a lot more when he smiled.
The spider couldn't help but to let out a sigh of relief, and he heard a certain succubus snickering in amusement next to him.
"You're a grade-a dick, you know that?" Angel commented, allowing a small smirk of amusement to cross his own features as his multi-colored eyes once again found the behemoth's own.
John simply offered a slight shrug and a small accepting head tilt. "Not the worst thing I've been called." He admitted outright, before relaxing back into his chair, resting his hands on his lap.
Angel found it funny how he could seamlessly switch between both modes and be just as effective without ever taking off that ripped up shirt.
"So, what do you say?" John asks, offering a reassuring smile from his seat. "I'll admit, I don't usually tell people what kind of conditions I'm setting for them when I get their souls." A small rumbling chuckle escaped his lips for a moment. "But due to my fondness for you and the fact that Vanessa is a good friend of mine… everything she said is real."
"But what's the catch?" Angel wasn't about to be fooled, deals always had a catch. When you're dealing with souls, someone always pays a price.
"Fair enough." John admitted with a small nod. "I'll still own your soul, so regardless of the terms we set now I'll still always have full control over you if I ever feel the need to utilize it." He spoke plainly and without holding back a single thought. "That said, you're my friend, and I have absolutely no care in using it on you in the first place."
"Couldn't you just get me outta the deal?" Angel had the feeling that if John owned his soul, then that would be within his power. He could easily be wrong, but if the behemoth was supposed to be a friend… why keep him chained down?
"Let's not go that far." The amusement on his face faded, and the blank look once again returned, though it wasn't as sharp. "More souls I own, the better I can control my territory."
"Territory? I thought you were trying to help."
"I ain't a get out of jail free card. You made the choice, you still gotta live with it."
Well, that was harsh, and it definitely didn't sound like something a friend would do.
But Angel couldn't change the fact that every single thing he said was true. And it wasn't like he was in a position to do anything about it.
Even before he'd met John, he'd heard the stories. Unchallenged in raw power, rarely being forced to call upon the powers of the souls he owns. And yet, unmatched in carnage.
One particular story always stuck out.
A Carmine warehouse loaded with weapons. Latest tech, best security, didn't even look like an actual warehouse.
Demons watched the Wraith walk in.
They watched a mass of numerous blood chains writhe around the factory, tearing the walls apart like butter and snuffing out any demon they came in contact with.
None of the sinners ever regenerated. Anywhere.
In the span of thirty seconds, John had killed around five hundred demons in total.
And then he walked out.
Of course, there were thousands of ways to truly hurt a soul. Hell, Alastor tore souls apart and managed to channel those agonized screams into his broadcasts. At least, that's what Angel assumed he did, he didn't fucking know with Alastor at this point.
But few people could actually end a soul. For good.
Compound that with John's yearly activity of slaughtering Exorcists… and it doesn't paint a pretty picture.
The fact that he even still does that after whatever deal he made with Heaven really makes a lot of demons curious as to the actual terms of the deal.
WIth a hesitant sigh, Angel relented. "Fair enough, I still fucked up and sold my soul anyway." He admitted aloud, before raising a questioning eyebrow at the behemoth. "That didn't just cost my freedom… did it?"
"Nah." John assured, though his expression did become a little more stern. "I'll be blunt with you though, I can't make any promises. Only reason Vox and Vel let me kill Val is because he pisses them off on a regular basis. If he doesn't agree to a trade, best I can do is keep trying to kill him more painfully every time."
Angel was unsure of how to respond to that, at first. He chose to remain silent, contemplating his response. That likely meant Val would know regardless. And if it didn't work…
…
But if it did work…
…
No more ruthless nights.
"At this fucking point, what do I really got to lose?" Angel finally caved, shrugging his shoulders and offering a small grin to the behemoth. "I mean, I'm Hell's top porn star and yet I still ain't making dick, just taking it. Anything's an upgrade by this point."
John once again continued to stare… before nodding his head.
"Alright then, I'm pretty damn sure I can convince Val anyway." Well… Angel was surprised by how quickly he went from unsure to more than glad he accepted. "And if I can't, I know I can intimidate him, but I think I got a proposition lined up that'll get his attention."
Okay, Angel did let a sigh of relief escape him as the behemoth he was far more used too returned once more.
"Did you really have to fuck with him that bad?" Vanessa asked, and at least she was still kind enough to lean over and offer the spider a comforting pat on the back.
"Yes I did." John answered with a nod, a shit-eating grin on his face. "It's funny." He reached down and slid open a drawer on his desk. His hand easily fished out his target, and Angel's eyes widened when he saw the familiar shape of an ID badge. "Here. Once you touch it, only you can use it. Take it to a customization terminal if you want it personalized."
"Wait, just like that?" Angel asked, hopping his feet even as he took the badge quickly. "You're saying it like you've done it already."
"Oh, it's a done deal, bet on that." John assured, before turning to Vanessa. "Ness, take him up to the Penthouse and show him how to get registered. Make sure ya'll take that peer pass back once you're done with it."
"Then what?" Vanessa asked, immediately standing to her own foot as John's own lumbering frame rose to a standing position.
"Then nothing." John answered with a shrug, looking at her as if he were surprised by the question. "Stay, don't stay, I don't give a fuck. Hell, if you're still here when I get back, we'll all smoke together."
Angel wasn't surprised when the succubus immediately agreed on the condition, and he found himself chuckling as he turned to the behemoth.
"You are the scariest friend I've ever had."
"Not my problem." John answered with a chuckle as his heavy footsteps moved past the two, and grabbed the door to his office before turning back to the two of them. "Now come on, I got places to go." He said, jerking his finger towards the door harshly, though the smile on his face showed he meant no harm.
As he found himself following Vanessa out of the office, a thought ran through his mind. One that lingered, one that didn't go away.
One that gave him hope.
Did things actually just get better?
The infamous Saw Museum. Open to Hell's public, for all who were sick and twisted enough to see.
There were plenty of exhibits. Artifacts, prop recreations, and little factoids for those who were fans of the films when they were alive, and those who continue to be fans.
For the truly sick and twisted… you had the Active Recreation exhibits.
Any trap from the films that could be set to repeat on a timer was perfectly reconstructed, and any poor demon to cross the Wraith in any way were usually the… participants.
And the conditions were always recreated perfectly. Well, as perfectly as one could manage.
However, a new trap had been added recently, and had only just been finished a day before.
Though it wasn't actually based off one of the movies… but it was one of the Wraith's own creations. A tribute, if Roy remembered right.
The imp had been working at the Museum for the last year now, and he had to say… sinners paid great!
And he admittedly found it absolutely hilarious that he was working in a museum created by sinners, where the main exhibits were torturing other sinners.
Though admittedly, some of the sinners in the traps were easy on the eyes. There was this one particular sinner in the Freezer Trap that Roy would find himself stopping by every once in a while.
The sinner never seemed to actually freeze, as fire burned through his very veins. Still, the freezing temperature did seem to cause him excruciating pain, but the imp was just happy to see that body was never truly marred.
Hell, when he got to go in and refurbish the pipes, he always got to swipe a handful of the demon's ass.
How could he not love the job?
However, it wasn't without its downsides, and those downsides tended to come with word that the head honcho was on his way. When the museum manager got that message, everything tended to get a lot more strict.
Especially when that also comes with the order to disengage and power down for the time being.
The last sorry sinner that had taken the longest to regenerate had finished well over an hour ago, so the imp was admittedly finding his patience wearing thin. He was ready to go and turn it all back on himself, at this point.
"Please…" A voice entered the little imp's ears, and he rolled his eyes as he turned around to the source.
There was a wolf sinner, vaguely resembling a Hellhound, sitting on the ground. She had a desperate hand grasping against the glass, and tears ran from her eyes as she gave the imp a pleading gaze.
"P-Please… I promise I won't steal again… just please let me o-o-out!" Her other hand clawed uselessly at the contraption around her neck, with two halves of a mask filled to the brim with razor sharp spikes on both the front and the back.
The Venus Fly Trap, if Roy remembered correctly.
The imp offered an impassive shrug, looking at the sinner with an uninterested gaze, before turning back around and trying to refocus on his watch duty.
The sinner continued to whimper and sob behind him, pleading for a fantasy that would never come.
After about ten minutes of it… it started to get really irritated.
The imp had come close to blowing a fuse, but the fury died quite quickly when he felt the ground beginning to vibrate beneath him. That was an indicator he'd gotten very familiar with since he'd started working at the museum.
A few seconds later, the imp could hear gasps coming from down the hall, and the sounds of tourists backing away, as the lumbering shape of The Wraith strolled into view.
Roy could see sinners who had been pressed up against the glass quickly retreat away with screams of terror, the noises resembling dying animals as if they'd seen Satan himself.
But what caused the Imp to go on edge was when the deadly Overlord's eyes locked onto him.
"You." A large, thick finger that belonged on a statue raised to point at the much smaller demon as the loud, booming footsteps rapidly grew closer.
The little demon's sense of fear wasn't helped in the slightest by how the sinner's voice seemed to explode through his ears.
"What's your name?" The behemoth grumbled out, his expression painting a picture of mild annoyance. When Roy found himself staring, unable to speak, cracked lips tightened and the demon began snapping his fingers. "Hey, you deaf?"
That managed to jolt Roy back to his senses, and he shook his head quickly as he stammered to answer, his sense of fear driving his every action.
He always forgot just how small he really was compared to this monster.
"R-Roy, sir!" Roy answered, trying to sound the least bit confident in the face of the big boss. He even slammed a hand to a horn in order to salute.
The goliath rolled his eyes, a sigh of annoyance escaping him, before giving the imp angry glare as he gestured towards the sinner in the exhibit. "Okay, Roy, do me a favor and grab that file." The behemoth ordered as he turned his eyes to face the sinner, who had scrambled from the glass much like the rest he'd passed.
The tears still flowed freely, but large amber eyes stared at The Wraith with utter terror in them, as the wolf's tail tucked itself between her legs and her entire body shook in terror.
"P-Please… I-I'm sorry."
"Cheer up." In literally any other situation, the smile he offered the sinner would've been reassuring. "You might be getting outta that trap. Depends on how bad you pissed me off."
Roy chose to wordlessly retrieve the file and flip it open, before looking back up at the Overlord for further instructions.
Piercing blue eyes bore into the sinner, and they never tore away even as he spoke. "Why do I own her soul again?"
When he heard the question, Roy immediately scanned the file, and was surprised to find that exact answer listed right on the paper.
Huh. Maybe these files did have interesting info. He'd have to start reading them when he visited the other museums too.
"She came to you requesting the best aid for her sick husband." Roy read off, and the behemoth gave a hum of recognition.
"You were the bitch fucking that hellborne. That shark thing, whatever he was." His voice rumbled out, and a small, satisfied smile came across his features. "I managed to get him the help he needed at one of my hospitals. Even got ya'll a place in my city." He recalled, looking as if he were recounting a fond memory, before glancing down at Roy once more. "How'd she repay that?"
The imp assumed he was supposed to read the section that was labeled Reason for Exhibition, and proceeded to do just that the moment he found it.
"She stole the entire supply of C4 out of one of our warehouses and obliterated approximately twenty percent of Community City's south side wall." Roy read off, before wincing as a flash of genuine sympathy ran through him for the sinner. Even hellborns had heard the stories of the Wraith, and the easiest way to anger him is to attack or damage his property.
"Right…" The Overlord nodded along as he droned the word out, before stepping closer to exhibit with a chuckle as he raised a hand towards the keypad. "Well guess what? It's your lucky day."
Roy wasn't entirely sure if that was supposed to be good or bad.
Nonetheless, the behemoth entered a four digit combination into the pad, before the glass seemed to slide in and split open as his large frame turned and held a hand out to the imp.
"The key in the file."
Roy didn't hesitate to search for said key, and once he quickly found it, he produced it into the Overlord's hand.
The wolf demon's whimpering became much more audible, and it sounded even more pathetic than it had before. Roy flinched when those whimpers grew in intensity with every step close the much larger sinner took, quickly whipping her head back and forth in fear.
"No, no, no, please, no, I'm sorry, I learned my lesson, I won't steal anymore-Mph!" The sinner's pleas were quite quickly cut off when a massive gray hand clamped down around her face, silencing her as she stared up at him with terrified eyes.
The behemoth simply continued to smile, and a high pitched yelp that was muffled by the hand accompanied a useless jerk away when the Wraith's free hand brought the key up to the trap.
The girl's eyes closed, and Roy found himself watching in anticipation, genuinely curious as to if the boss was about to set the trap off.
Unfortunately, that anticipation lasted for a single second at most, before the trap was swiftly tugged off the girl's neck, freeing her of the vicious contraption.
Still, the girl's stare never wavered, even when the behemoth removed his hand from her mouth, she continued to look up at him with bated, terrified breaths.
"Wha-What are you gonna do to me?" The sinner asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she ever so slightly retreated as far as she could.
The Wraith simply let out an uncaring shrug. "Ain't me you gotta worry about. By the end of the day, you'll be Val's newest toy."
Oh. Shit. Roy knew of the Porn Overlord's reputation, and he found himself wondering if the girl had even been spared any pain in the first place.
A thought she seemed to share, as her pupils shrunk in pure terror.
"No, NO!" She tried to get away, Roy supposed he could give the poor sinner that, but it wasn't worth squat against the pure strength of the Wraith.
A massive hand quickly shot out with unprecedented speed, and the Overlord swiftly swiped the frantic demon onto his shoulder with barely a grunt as he was easily back on his feet.
"Get another one to replace her! There's some people to spare over at the Slaughter Factory!" He ordered, his voice easily overshadowing the terrified screams of the struggling sinner in his arms. "Then get this place back to operating, pronto!"
And that was it. That was the end of the behemoth's presence at the Museum… this time.
And as everyone began to regain their senses and scrambled to get to work, Roy had one single thought cross his mind.
He hated it when he had to actually interact with the big boss. It was scary.
Valentino loved the party scene. Especially in the strip club.
Slouched back into the couch, his favorite cigarettes in hand, and two gorgeous ladies who were very good at listening to Daddy.
All the while whichever soul he scheduled showed off the goods.
He did wish Angel were here… but after the last all nighter, Valentino was pretty sure he knew what was going to follow.
Ever he'd gotten in close with the Wraith, Val had found himself being killed a ridiculous amount of times, and even he knew how to find a pattern if it continued long enough.
The spiky bastard would be around some time or another, and Val would either be faceplanting somewhere in the desert, or dragging an acceptable bitch to his bedroom to vent his frustrations after an excruciating healing process.
Nonetheless, at this point, Val was waiting for it.
So if he got to enjoy himself up to that point… that was fine by him.
"Oh, she's got a great figure." Val commented, grinning as he eyed the scaly snake sinner with some of the best curves he'd ever seen. And unlike a certain rival, this one actually had a stunning set of legs over a grotesque tail.
"Does she make you hard, Daddy?" The perfectly foxy voice of Summer whispered in his ear, her mind hammered by the love potion in the smoke as her throat betrayed her desire.
"Just a little." Val answered casually. She was hot, sure, but the scales were still kind of ugly in his opinion. As smooth as her curves were, the rest of her body looked far too uneven for his liking.
Gasps beginning to ring out through the club garnered Valentino's attention, and he jerked his head towards the entrance to see what all the commotion was about.
A second later, the sound of whimpering began penetrating his ears, though that was dulled considerably by the footsteps of a very familiar demon.
Valentino could only roll his eyes. He couldn't even get back to his bedroom this time.
"Goddammit, I am so fucking the shit out of the first slut I see when I heal." The moth growled angrily to himself as he tried to at least finish.
He didn't turn his head as he heard the gasps grow louder and in frequency, as the footsteps continued to grow closer. Instead, he chose to focus on his cigarette. He may as well finish whatever he can.
When the footsteps finally grew close enough that they were within the same general area, only then did he finally look up towards his would-be aggressor… and his blazing red eyes went wide at the site that greeted him.
He'd expected the blue-eyed freak, but he certainly didn't expect the petite wolf sinner that was currently whimpering from atop his shoulder.
"Val." The Wraith greeted, offering an unusually friendly grin in comparison to the usual manic one that was fuelled by malice. "How've you been?"
"What, not coming to kill me this time?" Valentino actually questioned, ignoring the broad on his shoulder in favor of meeting his eyes with a raised eyebrow. "Come on, John, I figured this little game out after the third time."
The Wraith, or rather, John, looked up in thought at the moth's words. After a few seconds, he conceded his point.
"Fair enough." He admitted with a shrug, before offering the moth a small, amused grin. "You're right, I'm not here to kill you this time. Actually, I want to make a deal."
That surprised the Overlord, and the moth actually found himself jumping to his feet, eyes narrowed in immediate distrust.
"You? Make a deal with me?" Val didn't hesitate to distrust those words. Everyone knows that if the Wraith came to you for a deal…
You already have no other option.
And Val didn't like not having options.
"Yep. Wanna trade. Soul for soul." John answered, offering a mere chuckle at the moth's hostile tone, as if he were talking to an unruly child. "This one here is the one I'm offering." He jostled the wolf with a perky ass on his shoulder, and earned another scream when he delivered a quick swat to the cheeks. "You can even take a test run if you want."
Val's brain actually came to a stumbling halt when he heard that last sentence, and he actually blinked as he took a moment to process the shorter demon's words.
It was no secret that the fucking Angel-Slayer absolutely despised the Porn Overlord, and Val had heard countless times before that he'd never be able to strike a deal with him.
So if he were actually here with an offer…
"You're serious?"
"Dead serious." To reinforce his words, the behemoth shrugged the woman off his shoulders, before pushing her towards Val none too gently, as if she were nothing more than a package. "I don't give a shit about the bitch, and I'm trying to be nice for once and offer something."
"What do you want in exchange?" Valentino asked, narrowing his eyes as he searched John for any indication of what he could possibly seek.
If there was any evidence to find, it was lost on the moth.
"Angel's soul." And just like that, the seemingly warm expression turned ice cold, as pitch black eyebrows furrowed into a deadly gaze.
For a demon shorter than himself, Valentino wished he was surprised by how intimidating John could be.
And he thought he couldn't be scared of death by the behemoth's hand.
"Make no mistake, Val, I'm not really giving you a choice." His voice came out hard, and any cheer that had been present had been completely absent. "I'm not in the mood for bullshit, I just want to make the deal and go back home. I've got enough on my plate right now."
Val didn't often let himself be caught by surprise. But this was the closest he'd come to a civil interaction with John since the bulky demon had made his rise to power. Yes, he did have to give up his best employee…
But there were plenty of people he could replace Angel with, he supposed. And as much as he enjoyed the useless sack of holes, no soul was worth repeated death and regeneration.
Regeneration which was utterly agonizing in and of itself, at that.
So when it came down to it, at this point? John could keep Angel locked in his own onyx tower, and Val was fine either way.
John was still offering an actual deal, and though there would only be one trade of a soul each…
Valentino was nothing if not opportunistic.
The moth lowered his blazing eyes down to the wolf in his arms, meeting the woman's big teary eyes as she looked up at him with a pit of dread in her stomach.
"Hmm… let's see what we're working with." Val muttered to himself as he forced the woman to turn around and face him. He ignored the sobbing fit she fell into when he pulled up her brown shirt, and removed her bra with a tongue before going about the inspection.
Her nipples were cute, which would be popular with the anime nerds. Her bust wasn't bad either, as each breast was perfectly round and bouncy, and a quick squeeze proved they were as firm and full as the rest of her body looked.
He found it mildly amusing when the woman turned to what may soon be her former master, and gave him a pleading look.
"Please, j-just let me see my husband again at least…"
Oh, a married sinner? That's interesting…
His eyes flicked up to John, and he was able to make out the way the behemoth raised an eyebrow at the woman.
"Lady, your husband blew his brains out a couple hours after we finished getting you into the museum." His voice was cold, remorseless, and there was the slightest hint of a question on his lips. "When you do stupid shit, it's not always just you that suffers. Live with it."
"B-But he was a h-hellborn…"
Oh?
Val couldn't stop the delightful grin that took over his face when he heard that.
A sinner? And a hellborn? Married?!
The mere idea filled the Overlord with amusement, and it made her misery all the more delicious to know that unlike anyone with an ounce of common sense when choosing lovers… this lady had lost her partner for good.
"Oh, that's too bad." Valentino said, his voice twisting in a sympathetic tone that couldn't sound any faker as he followed it with a small chuckle. "But you'll easily find a replacement under my employment."
The woman didn't react to Val's words, still reeling from the revelation that had just been casually dropped onto her as she stared off in horrified shock. Her mouth hung open, wobbling with every shuddered gasp that escaped her.
"But first, I need to make sure you function." That finally snapped the sinner out of her daze, but Valentino was no longer paying any attention to her as he turned his gaze back to the gray skinned behemoth. "Can I still take that test run?"
"Knock yourself out." John replied with a shrug, backing towards one of the booths and pulling out his phone to wait patiently.
"Wh-what? N-No, wait!"
But Val didn't wait. As far as he was concerned, he needed to make sure the merchandise was profitable.
The bitch kicked and screamed, and Valentino was definitely gonna have to take that out of her either way. But… he decided to see how much he could possibly get out of this bargain.
And if there's one thing Val knew how to do… it was give back.
"Oh, John!" Val spoke up, catching the demon's attention as he raised his blue hues up to meet the moth's own. Val offered a small grin, and held a hand out to the behemoth.
When John raised an eyebrow, and moth let another chuckle escape him.
"What?"
"I thought you were taking that test run?"
"I have to test the bitches out anyway." Val answered with a shrug, readjusting his grip on the thrashing wolf as he offered a cheeky grin to the behemoth. "But I may as well go ahead and take the deal. In return, enjoy the club, try out one of my sluts."
For the first time, Val earned a look of genuine surprise from the Wraith, and it garnered the exact response he'd wanted.
"Um… thanks, I guess." John answered, as his familiar crimson flame engulfed his hand.
"Anytime, amico."
Their hands shook, and the power swelled and apexed in a large, windy explosion that nearly blew everyone within the room off their feet.
But both Overlord's remained untouched, and Valentino nodded his head as he felt Angel's contract disappear from his collection… in exchange for another.
"Well, miss Margaret," Val enjoyed the way she looked at him when he said her real name. "We're going to have a lot of fun…" His words trailed off into a chuckle, and the woman began thrashing even more frantically.
But no one even looked his way.
John: What are you up to?
Vanessa had to reread the text a second time, as admittedly she'd spent the last couple of hours getting fried out of her mind.
After John had left, Vanessa had brought Angel up to John's penthouse as he'd asked her to, and gotten his badge into John's registry.
It had been a little bit funny when Angel had been hesitant to step into John's bedroom at first. Considering he never had before, the spider had refused a single step into the room until Vanessa told him John's computer was the easiest way to get registered.
When he'd finally given in, Vanessa had proven her words correct, and within two minutes Angel had the option to freely come and go from John's apartment as he pleased.
Vanessa had laughed when he'd found that's what they were doing. His face had been the funniest thing in the world.
After that, however, she'd raided John's stash, and she and Angel had promptly spent the next couple of hours hotboxing the penthouse and getting absolutely baked.
The ashtray that John barely even used had been filled with dozens of roaches by this point, and Angel sat sprawled over the other end with a pair of earbuds in, music blasting at max volume.
Vanessa, for her part, had decided to get comfy on the other end of the couch, and she'd been in the middle of playing Need for Speed when her phone had gone off.
So when she'd first read it, her thoughts were still on said game.
After she finally processed what it said, she paused the game and pulled her phone to her face as she began typing out a response.
Vanessa: sill at ur plac
Vanessa: paying ned for speed
Vanessa didn't even read over what she wrote, she'd just hit send and went back to her game.
When she got another ding from her phone, she once again switched her focus fully as she read the message.
John: The hell is Ned?
Vanessa: Ned?
John: Lol did you even read what you wrote?
Vanassea: fuc you im baked lol were are you
John: Val's club, looking to see if there's anyone that catches my eye.
That had caused Vanessa to sit up, a blank look on her face as she processed that, before letting a look of confusion cross her face.
Vanessa: howd it go
John: He took the trade.
Vanessa: who
John: Last bitch I had in the Venus Fly Trap exhibit.
Vanessa: good that was sothside bich riht
John: Damn you are baked yeah lol.
Vanessa let a small snicker escape her, but it wasn't like he was wrong. Besides, that wasn't really a bad thing, and it made her feel a whole lot better than she usually did.
Vanessa: wat r u still doin thr
John: He offered to let me get some pussy for free. None of them are really catching my eye though.
That didn't really surprise Vanessa. John was all for releasing his desires wherever he saw fit, but pornstars with bad acting skills wasn't something that ever really interested him.
The succubus' head raised in thought.
It had been a while since she had a good fuck.
"Hey, Angel," Vanessa spoke up, turning her head towards the spider.
Angel's jet black eye cracked open in response, before he sat up and pulled his earbuds out.
"What's up?"
"You care if John and I fuck when he gets back?" The succubus voiced the question bluntly. The spider seemed content to simply relax and listen to some music for a bit, and it's not like one can't glance through every other window on the streets and get a peak at somebody having fun.
The spider looked up in thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Eh, fuck it, why not? I can still just head down to the city, right?"
"If you want to bullshit on your phone or something, you still can." Vanessa assured him with a small grin, giving him a friendly swat to the arm. "Like I told you at when we got here, John won't give a shit, he'll just tell you that if you don't want to see it, leave."
"For real?" Angel asked, a stunned smile crossing his features as he raised an eyebrow in astonishment. "Well… shit, I'll just keep smoking and dicking around on my phone, I guess. This whole freedom thing feels really fucking good." He admitted with a joyful grin as he plopped back down on the couch.
Vanessa rolled her eyes at Angel's antics, but she had a small smile on her face as she texted John once again.
Vanessa: jus cone back ill ride ur dick
John: Please tell me that's not a prank.
Vanessa let a small snicker escape her at John's words, and she found herself stading to her feet, her legs carrying her to John's bathroom with an amused smirk on his face.
John often struggled to tell when Vanessa was actually in the mood, so sometimes the succubus found it better to simply be direct.
She didn't even bother shutting the door behind her, Angel has seen her naked and indecent plenty of times before.
And they were probably fucking right on the couch anyway, so there's that.
Vanessa sat her phone on the sink, before quickly stripping herself of her clothes, chucking each article out into the living room before picking her device back up.
Admittedly, Vanessa opted to take a moment to examine herself in John's massive full body mirror.
She wasn't ignorant to the irony, but still, Vanessa could admit that becoming a succubus after death had its perks.
For example, her body hadn't developed like this when she was alive.
She had it all.
Hourglass figure, big bouncy tits, perfectly round thighs and a nice thick ass…
Her body had been far more average for someone her age, but now, she held the physique of a fucking pornstar.
She had to admit, she could see why so many people seemed to lust after her.
Didn't make it any less frustrating half the time.
Her brow furrowed, her lips tugged, and her face morphed into a challenging seductive smirk as she raised her phone up, and snapped a picture of herself in the mirror as she offered a very tempting pose.
Vanessa: its ben a wile
Vanessa: that prof enogh for u?
John: On my way.
Vanessa let a small laugh escape her when she read John's response, before letting her phone hang in her grip as she turned around and made her way back into the living room.
Angel glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, offering an amused smirk as he paused his music and pulled an earbud out.
"What, you gonna flick your clit till he gets back?" The spider questioned when Vanessa walked right past her clothes, earning a laugh from her in response.
"Nah, he'll get me ready before he sticks it in." Vanessa assured as with a dismissive wave as she dropped her phone down on her couch, before plopping down on the couch once more. "But, I am gonna keep smoking so it feels so fucking good that I can't stand tomorrow."
Angel simply chuckled as he returned his attention back to his phone. "Good thing John gave you that vacation." He joked as the succubus returned to her game.
Vanessa silently agreed with the spider. And it was a vacation she was gonna fucking enjoy.