Silence.
That was the only thing that followed that response.
Pure and utter silence.
And why wouldn't it? Whether it was true or not… the sinner currently sitting in front of Carmilla with a bored look on his face had managed to shift the power dynamic with one simple sentence. If it wasn't true, nobody was going to run the risk of finding out.
Even Alastor looked genuinely surprised by the declaration, looking at his friend in complete bewilderment as he too processed what had just been said. Which was odd, considering he'd been the one to invite the behemoth in the first place.
Even more shocking… was Zestial. The ancient sinner looked as if he'd been told he was returning to life, his jaw dropped open in complete disbelief and all of his eyes wide open in surprise.
"You all gonna keep staring, or can we get on with it?" The same bored rumble echoed through the room once more, prompting everyone to recover what they could of their composure.
It didn't escape Carmilla's attention, the way both her daughters looked at her with an almost fearful look.
There was no way that was a coincidence, right?
"And why should we believe you?" Carmilla asked after a few moments, sharing glances with her children before fixing her eyes upon the behemoth. "Thousands of years, all of Hell's existence, no one had managed to even harm one." Well, that wasn't true, and Carmilla knew for certain. But that didn't mean she was going to reveal that secret to a random stranger.
"So I've heard." John responded with nothing more than a shoulder shrug, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, I don't give a damn what you believe. You want to know a bit about me, I share what I'm willing. What you do with that information is your choice."
Now Alastor looked confused at the behemoth's words, but he said nothing as Carmilla held the behemoth's stare.
"Well, I'm afraid I must consider thy words as falsehoods." Zestial spoke up, regaining his composure as he fixed the behemoth a stern look. "Without proof, we have no reason to believe thy claims."
"Your choice." The behemoth answered once again with a nonchalant shrug. Carmilla had to admit that it was beginning to irritate her, how careless he really seemed towards… well, everything.
"You are in a room with the most powerful Overlords of Hell, and do not care if we believe a word you say?" The familiar and honestly rather welcome voice of Rosie piped up, looking at the behemoth next to her in genuine confusion.
John merely turned to glance down at her. "Again, what's an Overlord to an Exorcist? Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter to me. Besides, what are gonna do, attack me?"
That was beginning to feel like a valid option. Honestly, Carmilla partially wondered if that was meant to be a hidden warning. Like he knew.
But that wasn't possible. She'd never seen nor met the behemoth of a sinner before today, so it wouldn't make sense for him to be here, at Alastor's invitation no less.
"That is an option." Zeezi retorted, giving a sinister smirk and baring her teeth. Her confidence visibly faltered, however, when the behemoth returned her look with nothing more than a barely amused smile.
"Your funeral." John replied, before turning his attention back to Carmilla and Zestial. "Again, can we get on with this shit-"
His words found themselves interrupted, fortunately in Carmilla's opinion, by the sound of the meeting room doors being flung open, followed by the familiar british accent of…
Actually, Carmilla took it back. She rather deal with John's nonchalance than Velvette in general any day of the week.
"Yes, I've got it handled Vox." Carmilla didn't miss the way John visibly perked up at that, his brow furrowing as he turned to Alastor with a questioning look. When Alastor nodded his head with his usual confident smirk, John immediately turned back towards Velvette and flicked a hand towards her. "Are you doubting-"
"I'll take that, thank you." Suddenly, a literal blood chain manifested from one of the gashes upon the behemoth's hand, interrupting Velvette and understandably startling her as her phone was pulled from her grip and to John's own.
It took barely a second for Velvette to realize what had happened, before she turned to the behemoth with a look of outright contempt.
"Hey, fuckhead!" Velvette exclaimed, walking from the spot she'd originally been standing and moving around the table, marching right up to John with a scathing glare. "Do you know who the fuck I-"
"Yeah, yeah, shut up for a second." John interrupted the doll demon once more without a care in the world. If that wasn't disrespectful enough, he actually had the audacity to lash his hand towards the woman and wrap it around her skull.
Admittedly, it was rather funny to see the usually annoying Velvette beat and claw at his hand to no avail, while muffled screams of rage were heard. John ignored the doll currently stuck in his grip as he brought her phone to his ear and spoke.
"Hey, TV head! Remember me?" He spoke as if he was talking to an old friend, which immediately clued Carmilla in that he and Vox had some kind of history. Whether small or large, they were familiar with each other.
The almost inaudible exclamation that could be heard from the other side of the phone told them all that whatever history there was, it wasn't good.
"Yeah yeah, keep whining. Why ain't you here?" John asked the TV demon with a raised eyebrow. Whatever he got in response caused him to let out a snort of amusement. "Oh, you have better things to do? I hope you ain't talking about the Hotel."
Everyone else sat in silence as the behemoth continued to speak with the TV demon, either enthralled or confused by what was playing out. And in some cases, amusement at Velvette's current predicament.
"Look, we went through this same spiel the last time we talked, so you can either cut the shit and get your ass up here to talk like a man, or you can just shut the fuck up." Carmilla was genuinely wondering what his intentions were. Was he trying to get Vox to show some responsibility? No, Carmilla doubted that. It sounded more like he had some personal issues with the media mogul.
"Oh, I'm not worth your time?" The behemoth actually let a laugh escape him at that one, before shaking his head in amusement. "Big talk from a little man."
Well, Vox would certainly show up, that was for sure. If there's one thing you could do to attract him, it was to attack his ego.
A lot like Alastor, in many ways. It's funny how similar the two rivals were when Carmilla really thought about it.
"Yeah yeah, how you do something instead of making empty threats." Okay, John was either extremely overconfident, or he really had killed Exorcists. That's the only reason Carmilla could think of for why he would assume any threat from a demon was an empty one. "Well, I've said my peace, we'll talk at a later time I guess."
Without ceremony, John pulled the phone from his ear, and they could all hear the angry shouting coming from the phone all the way up to the point that the behemoth ended the call.
Once he did that, he gave Velvette a light shove, releasing her head as she stumbled back in surprise, before casually tossing her phone to her.
"Here you are." John said, as if he'd only casually borrowed a phone from a friend while Velvette scrambled to catch the thing.
"Give me one good reason not to splatter your sorry ass all over this room!" Velvette growled, glaring at the behemoth with pure and utter hatred. Which was understandable, considering she just been made into a considerable fool at the behemoth's hands.
John, however, waved her off in a dismissive manner.
"No one cares." He spoke as if he hadn't heard a word she'd said, and that only served to anger the doll more.
And then he perked up, his nose visibly twitching as he suddenly began… smelling the room?
Carmilla found herself confused at that, raising an unamused eyebrow at teh behemoth. Enough time had been wasted as it was.
And then his gaze snapped towards Velvette, entirely alert and looking rather tense. All playfulness and nonchalance was gone.
"Why the hell do you smell like an angel?"
Carmilla would have written it off as yet another trick to feed into his more than likely false story… had it not been for the way Velvette's entire demeanor shifted from angry to downright stunned.
"What the- how the hell do you-?!"
"I got a good nose, and I've smelled plenty of the bastards." John once again interrupted Vanessa as he turned to face her completely, his eyes narrowing as he did so. "And you smell like a dead one."
Velvette continued to stare at the behemoth for a moment, in what looked to be absolute shock.
Before she smirked.
"Hit the nail on the head there, ugly." Velvette replied, a confident smirk on her face as she reached… somewhere.
And then there was the head of a dead Exorcist being tossed onto the table.
All eyes turned to look at it in surprise, various sounds of shock and disbelief emanating through the room as everyone laid eyes on the head. Carmilla couldn't help the amount of shock that went through her as she took in the site.
She recognized the angel. After all, it had been she whom had killed it.
While everyone seemed to stare with either shock or slowly growing interest now, Velvette moved back to her seat with a confident smirk on her face.
"Where did you get this?" Carmilla tried to keep her expression level as she looked up at Velvette with a raised eyebrow. The doll's smirk never faded, growing more confident if anything.
"We found it on Extermination Day." She answered, unknowingly confirming the truth that Carmilla had already known. "If these holy rollers can be killed, the game has changed." She sounded absolutely thrilled at the prospect.
Understandably, not everyone else was.
"By that logic, the game changed a few years back." John interrupted whatever monologue Velvette may have been starting with words of his own, his expression blank as he casually reached across the table and plucked the Exorcist head up into his hand. "But even ignoring that, if it's so easy, how'd the damn thing die?"
Velvette merely rolled her eyes in exasperation, clearly already fed up with the behemoth. "Does it matter? It's a dead fucking Exorcist."
"If it were that easy, someone else would've killed one much sooner than now." John retorted as he brought the head closer to his face, examining it with a scrutinizing gaze as his eyes narrowed. "So, again, how did it die?"
"I don't fucking know!" Velvette replied in exhasperation as she shot the behemoth a wide-eyed look of frustration. "You look at it and tell me. Someone took it's fucking head off, that's what happened."
John barely spared the doll a glance, before casually tossing the head to her. Carmilla could admit that it was honestly a little amusing to see Velvette scramble to catch the thing on instinct.
"See what you can do to that thing." He instructed her, causing her expression to swell with anger.
"Look, asshole-"
"Shut up, take the head, see what kind of damage you can do." John interrupted once more, his gaze snapping towards Velvette with a look of complete annoyance, his upper lip twitching in annoyance as he turned back to the other Overlords. "Is she always this slow?"
"Alright, that's enough of you." Leave it to Velvette to go straight to threats, as a familiar piece of weaponry was pulled from… again, somewhere. Carmilla recognized the intricate angelic markings across the custom crafted pistol, as she was the one who designed it.
Velvette trained the weapon on John, and all eyes suddenly went wide at the tension in the room.
All except John's.
"You're really starting to grate my nerves, so if you don't shut up, you can kiss your ass goodbye." Velvette threatened, grinning as she stared the behemoth down, seemingly satisfied with his silence.
John simply met Velvette's gaze with a blank expression… before it visibly darkened.
Carmilla would happily admit that she was caught off-guard by the speed the behemoth apparently held. Rather than whatever blood trick he'd used before, John was suddenly on his feet and leaning over the table, his large hand clamping down over Velvette's much smaller one and causing the doll to jump in fright.
"Maybe you should've gotten here a little earlier." John spoke as if he were talking to an impudent child, raising an eyebrow even as Velvette began to struggle in his grip, trying in vain to free her hand from what may as well have been a grip made of concrete. "You see, I-"
Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted… when Velvette's finger twitched.
Admittedly, everyone gasped and yelled in alarm and shock as the weapon discharged. Rapid fire, the room lit up as three shells were fired one after another directly into the behemoth's face.
And the initial shock that had taken everyone over slowly set into complete shellshock. An emotion not even Carmilla could escape as she took in and processed what had just happen.
She specialized in holy weaponry for a reason. She was the top weapons dealer in Hell because her weapons were among the only ones capable of truly killing sinners, and even those of more powerful demons such as the Goetia.
And yet… this sinner stood in front of them all, without a scratch on him.
Three blessed shells fell onto the table, crushed flat from their impact as even Velvette went silent, looking absolutely mortified at what had just happened as the behemoth himself shook his head and blinked his eyes.
"Are you done?" John asked, raising a brow at Velvette as one nostril flared in anger.
"How,,,?" Even Zestial seemed speechless at what had just occurred, staring at the behemoth in downright disbelief as he struggled to comprehend what had just occurred. Something clearly shared by everyone else in the room.
"There's no way you should still be alive!" Velvette snapped, actually beginning to genuinely panic as she began to struggle vigorously to free her arm… without any sort of progress whatsoever.
John continued to watch the debacle for a moment, as did all of them, before a frustrated sigh escaped him and he let Velvette go, allowing her own momentum to bring her square onto her bottom and onto the ground.
The doll let a noise of surprise escape her as she struggled to take in her new position, regaining her composure ever so slowly as she climbed back to her feet while John merely turned to the other Overlords.
"Believe me now?" The question was rhetorical, obviously, but Carmilla found her admittedly still baffled gaze lingering on the behemoth anyway.
"How are you immune to holy arms?" Carmilla asked, her voice low as her gaze bounced between John, Velvette, and the head that sat atop the meeting table. "No demon is, except maybe the Sins."
"I don't know." John answered as he once again took the head into his grasp, plopping back down on his seat with a noise that sounded almost like a crash. Carmilla could even feel the weight and force vibrating through the floor. "I know what I can do, I don't how I can do it."
"Well, this still isn't proof that you-" Whatever else Rosie was going to say, however, found itself cut off abruptly, her words dying in her throat as they all watched the behemoth raise an eyebrow.
And then close his fist.
Gasps of disbelief rang through the room as the head was crushed in his grip, thick yellow blood splattering everywhere as the former Exorcist's head was eviscerated into nothing more than chunks of crushed and mangled pieces.
John ground his fist, his fingers pressing harshly against his palms, before they opened and let whatever was left the head fall back onto the table.
Now, Carmilla had already killed an angel. She knew how to even harm an angel in the first place.
It was apparent that the behemoth did not, as there wasn't any angelic weaponry so much as visible upon his body, and Carmilla honestly doubted he knew about the motivation aspect of it either.
And yet, he'd just crushed the head of an Exorcist with his bare fist. Even knowing it was just a head, there's no valid reason he should've been able to create so much as a scratch upon the piece of corpse unless…
Unless he was telling the truth.
"Thou hath truly tangled with the Exorcists and lived to tell the tale?" Zestial's voice was low, filled with both curiosity and caution as they all realized that John's words had not just been baseless boasting.
With one display, John hadn't just shifted the power dynamic. With one casual motion, he'd both proved and asserted himself as the most powerful being in the room. After all, if he could casually damage an angel's skull with his bare fist…
Well, as he'd already said, what's a sinner to an Exorcist?
"You know, it's not that much of a secret." John let a small chuckle of amusement escape him as he eyed his hand, still coated in blood, before bringing it down and trying to wipe the gold fluid off upon his shirt as he turned his gaze to Zestial. Even if this isn't enough proof for you, all you have to do is look at the news articles from the Hellhole for the last few years."
Carmilla certainly wished she'd known that. Something she'd done as an act of love, an act of a mother's devotion, this man could clearly do as casually as he could to anyone else.
John was currently the most dangerous person in the room… because he was currently the only one whom had the ability to truly kill them all.
"Why the hell hide it?" Velvette asked, slowly getting over her shock as she looked at the behemoth in disbelief. "No one would fuck with you if they knew how powerful you really are."
"I want respect, not fear. Not unless it's needed." John replied, looking Velvette with a raised eyebrow as his grin faded. "Your pal Vox could use a lesson in how scary I could be." He pointed out in an almost off-handed manner, before his expression grew stern. "But to be quite frank that is not what we need to discuss right now."
"You said this is the reason for the new Extermination schedule?" Carmilla recalled, trying to retake some control over the meeting and get back onto important matters. And considering she was responsible for the current… condition of the dead angel…
She'd meant to protect her children. The idea of that act having such terrible consequences…
It frightened her.
"I mean, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise." John replied with a shrug as he brought his now clean hand up, resting it with the other upon the table as he took on a more stern expression. "But here's my question: who killed it?"
"Why does that matter?"
"Because this could be an actual problem for me." John replied, looking less than pleased as his gaze snapped towards Velvette. "You see, I am the first demon, let alone the first sinner, to ever kill an angel in… a long fucking time from what I hear." He explained, his eyes narrowing as he did so. "And Heaven knows that."
"They targeted you?"
"Sent double what they did the year before with explicit instructions to kill me." John answered, nodding his head as he spared a glance at Carmilla. "Those ones died too."
"So what happened after that?"
"I came to an agreement. With Adam."
"Thou hath met thy first man himself?" Zestial sounded intrigued at that revelation, and Carmilla could admit that she too took interest.
Considering they now had reason to believe his words, perhaps he could help solve their problems.
"Fucker leads the Exorcists." John spoke of the first man with such disdain that Carmilla had to wonder how that meeting went. "We made a deal. Wherever I go, the Exorcists are barred from entering."
"Then fuck, stay in the Pentagram. We could use a powerhouse like you." Zeezi commented with a small grin, looking at the behemoth with admiration.
He, however, didn't seem to want it.
"I don't care what any of you need." John replied casually, raising an eyebrow at the oversized lizard. "I don't know you, I have more reasons to hate you than to like you." He spoke bluntly, no kindness or ease to his words as his gaze shifted to Carmilla. "But… it would seem we have a common interest, or I hope so anyway."
"And just what is that interest?"
"Figuring out who killed the fucker." Yep, Carmilla was afraid that would be answer.
From the way he spoke, she should expect a direct attack upon herself as retribution for the fallen Exorcist.
Direct conflict with Heaven… that was about the last thing she'd ever wanted.
"Make no mistake, I'm not a friend of any of you." John made that perfectly clear as he narrowed and level gaze swept the room, taking in the gaze of each and every Overlord there. "The only reason I'm here at all was because I was looking to set things straight with Vox, but now I got an actual issue on my hands. Because I'm willing to bet that regardless of who killed the damn thing, Adam probably thinks it was me even though I in a completely different city at the time."
"If thou are not an ally, why would we help thee?" Zestial asked a solid question. If the behemoth had no concern in their matters, and wasn't going to be an ally in the slightest… why would they help him?
Carmilla would admit that Zestial made a good point. She didn't want to deal with the behemoth anymore than she wanted to deal with Heaven. Not if he was that dangerous.
The looks of genuine fear, no matter how well hidden, that her children gave her only reinforced that belief.
"Because we both get what we want. I know who caused this shit, and ya'll can find out the key to killing angels. Because whatever the trick is, I circumvent the need for it somehow, so I wouldn't be any good in helping you guys figure out how to fight back." John replied, and Carmilla could admit that his response was… reasonable.
Unfortunately for him, and everyone else, Carmilla would make sure that no one would ever find out the truth-
"And that one knows something." Suddenly, John's finger was pointed in her own direction, a stern expression on his face while Carmilla found herself actually reeling back in shock, actually taking a step back in confusion.
How? How the hell did he know?!
Gasps of shock and sounds of surprise and admitted outrage began to echo through the meeting room at that declaration, some faces looking torn on whether or not to believe the accusation. Carmilla could only hope that with her visible reaction, she could play it off as mere shock at being accused at all.
It helped to have Zestial on her side.
"Carmilla was just as surprised as thee. Why doth thou believe she is knowledgable in the cause of this affair?"
"Because her heartrate picked up when she saw the head, and unlike everyone else's, it hasn't slowed down." Shit. This wasn't good. "We might not be alive anymore, but that doesn't mean your body doesn't still react to your emotions. And she is nervous. Good at hiding though, I compliment that."
"And what proof do you have that I was involved?" Carmilla asked, because without solid proof, she severely doubted the behemoth would say anything.
"Fair enough, I don't solid proof for everyone here." John casually admitted with a shrug, before his eyes narrowed. "But I think one look at the squirts right there is all anyone with eyes need-"
"Keep them out of this!" And just like that, Carmilla's composure was gone, replaced by the familiar sense of rage at the idea of her kid's being threatened as her hands slammed down on the meeting table. She preferred to remain composed, and she was strict with her children in the open because she didn't want them to be targets.
But right now, she could care less about anything but their safety as she glared at John with a downright feral look.
It didn't help her anger that now all eyes seemed to be on Clara and Odette, scrutinizing them.
It made her happy that she'd taught her daughters so well. To the naked eye, they were almost completely composed, and Carmilla hoped that no one would be able to pick up on the subtle hints that gave away their true thoughts.
Still, there was one person in the room they wouldn't be able to fool. And that was Zestial.
She didn't miss the look of confusion and intrigue on the lovecraftian spider's face, but she also wasn't paying attention to that.
John merely raised an eyebrow at her anger, nonplussed as he held her glare with an almost dead look of his own.
Until his eyebrows raised in slow realization.
Suddenly, gone was the dead expression and almost bored demeanor. The behemoth threw his head back, genuine laughter of amusement coming from seemingly nowhere as he laughed himself silly in his chair.
Not a single person was looking at him with anything but confusion, but it was obvious by this point that the behemoth could care less about what anyone else thought. The only one who didn't seem to be confused, at least nowhere near as much, was Alastor.
Carmilla was beginning to wonder how much he knew that they didn't.
"Wow!" John spoke as he tried to reign in his laughter, propping his elbow up on the table and laying his hand into his hand as he struggled to calm himself. "I don't think I expected that one!"
"Doth thou have something to make known?" Zestial asked, raising an eyebrow as he stared at the still laughing behemoth.
"Well, I got a hunch." John admitted once his laughter died down to chuckles, before his gaze moved towards Carmilla.
And the ballerina found herself caught off guard by the look of… admiration?
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you were protecting your kids?"
If Carmilla gritted her teeth any harder, she was sure they would shatter. How perceptive is this guy?! He's clearly got some enhanced senses, considering her heartbeat… but starting with that alone… he'd worked most of it out.
And yet, her instincts still guided her.
"Make a move on them and I will-"
"You ain't gotta worry about that." John assured, smile still on his face as he interrupted Carmilla with a dismissive wave, shaking his head in amusement, before his eyes glanced down at Alastor. "I'm surprised you ain't much of anything."
"Oh, I'm just enjoying the show. This is very entertaining." Alastor admitted shamelessly as he turned back towards Carmilla with his usual grin.
A grin she wanted nothing more than to wipe away right now.
"Look, would you calm down? If I was looking to actually hurt anyone, do you think I'd just be sitting here?" John asked with a raised eyebrow, shaking his head in amusement as he turned his gaze back to Carmilla. "Seriously, everyone knows that I have the power to wipe you all out. And where in Hell. You have reason to believe I'm just looking for some kind of hold over you, but I'm really not."
Carmilla couldn't argue with his logic, admittedly.
It still didn't put her at ease.
"I had nothing to do with the angel's death." Without any proof, she was positive the other Overlords would remain on her side. She'd acted as their leader for a long time, and she severely doubted that his word was enough to-
"I suppose I would like to speak up with one thing." Alastor finally injected himself into the conversation properly, all eyes on him as he looked at both Zestial and Carmilla. "One thing John here has earned himself a reputation for is his blunt honesty. When he speaks, he holds nothing back."
"And what doth an enigma like thou have to gain from exposing this bit of information?" Zestial wasted no time in questioning the fact that the Radio Demon was trying to reinforce John's standing. If Alastor was coming to reassure others about someone… he had his own reasons, and no one elses.
"Entertainment!" Alastor responded, sounding a little too chipper for even the behemoth next to him.
Carmilla scowled at the Radio Demon's words, and opened her mouth to speak up once more… but Zestial's hand moved over to her arm, and for once, he didn't wait until they were behind closed doors as he gave her a reassuring squeeze.
Later, Carmilla would deny the fact that she found her free hand moving to his, comforted by his presence… for the moment.
"Assuming what thee says is true, that our newfound friend is as forthcoming as you say… why should we trust his word over Carmilla?"
"Uh, because he's right?" Of all people, it was Velvette who piped up, and when everyone's gazes turned to her, she let her usual smirk show. "What? Her face was turning red when I tossed showed everyone, and she's only gotten more defensive. Are supposed to assume she's innocent when she's giving us every indication that she's not?"
Fuck, she had a point. Carmilla silently cursed herself when she realized that Velvette was right, as well as feeling anger at her own stupidity.
Velvette always paid more attention than she allowed people to believe.
And now… everyone knew her weak spots because of it. Regardless of if they knew the truth.
Something only reinforced by the murmurs of reluctant agreement from the other Overlords.
"But hey, I can level the playing field." Velvette continued with a confident smirk, as her eyes slowly moved over to the behemoth. "After all… she's not the only one with a liability, is she?"
John's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, his head moving back and forth as he tried to figure out what she was implying.
It only took a few seconds, before a look of realization took over his expression. Followed by absolute shock.
And another few seconds later…
Whatever anger Carmilla had was ripped from her so suddenly that the ballerina almost felt as if she'd experienced whiplash. John's face morphed into a look of unholy rage so quickly that none of them really had any time to process it.
He was on his feet within a second, lashing out with reflexes that belied his frame as his form seemed to grow, until he was now quite larger than Zestial and dwarfing everyone else in the room, including Zeezi, as blood began pouring from the numerous gashes across his body. His eyes faded away, and the skin peeled back…
And the slightly intimidating behemoth became… something far worse.
From every exposed gash, an array of blood seemed to suddenly spray, before only a second later… a multitude of chains lashed out.
"What the fuck?!"
"Hey, what the hell!"
"What the devil-?!"
No one was safe from the onslaught. Not even Alastor. For every person in the room, there was a chain.
Velvette, Zeezi, Rosie, even Zestial found himself bound and seemingly powerless as he too was was restrained by a crimson appendage.
Carmilla found herself shouting in alarm as she found herself no longer on the ground, her feet kicking in the air on instinct as her arms were bound to her sides by a long bloody chain.
Its grip was like concrete, wrapping around her body so harshly that it was almost impossible to breathe, and she could feel the mass constantly shifting. Rather than feeling wet, the chains felt as hard and rough as an actual chain, brushing against her so harshly that Carmilla almost thought she'd sustained some injuries.
"Mom!" She could hear Clara shout in alarm, and upon seeing both her daughters captive as well, and with Carmilla in no position to do anything about it…
Carmilla was many things. But she wasn't stupid, and above all… she would always be a mother.
"Let them go!" Carmilla found herself shouting for her daughters, even with the chains beginning to rub her skin until she chaffed, as she looked at John with a desperate look. But the behemoth wasn't paying any attention.
"QUIET!" That bellow… it held so much power. Carmilla found herself falling into a stunned, pleading silence as she felt the very vibrations of his now inhuman voice rattle through her. She could feel it in her very bones, and the declaration certainly did it's job.
With the exception of the sound of rattling chains, silence prevailed through the room as John slowly brought his gaze back to Velvette, gritting his teeth as he leaned closer to the doll.
It might've been funny to see Velvette actually gulp if Carmilla wasn't currently in the same helpless predicament.
As the beast slowly leaned closer, and closer, and closer, Carmilla could feel the tension rising with each second of silence, as the behemoth let a low growl escape him.
It definitely wasn't comforting that he'd clearly grown a greater abundance of teeth, and he looked ready to dig in.
"How do you know about him?"
Carmilla didn't have the slightest idea what John was talking about, and though curious… she just wanted Velvette to fix the mess she'd dragged them all into.
"I-I was just playing, buddy! I didn't mean to-"
"HOW?!"
Velvette's poor, fear-fueled attempt at calming the behemoth ended with an adrenaline-fueled scream as the behemoth interrupted her with a guttural roar of rage. The doll recoiled as best as she could manage, which wasn't actually any considering she was currently suspended in the air with chains restraining her every move, and she looked utterly terrified.
"V-Vox! It was Vox, alright?!" Velvette finally gave in, looking back at the behemoth with a desperate gaze as she finally crumbled. "He's got spy gear in all of his tech! All of it!"
John only glowered at Velvette, leaning closer until his face was mere centimeters from her own. Velvette actually had tears budding in her eyes, and she turned her gaze away from him and clamped her eyes closed in an effort to avoid that debilitating gaze.
A gaze that the behemoth seemed determined to force upon her.
"Look at me." John snarled as his hand lashed out, somehow managing not to do anything more than probably bruise her as he gripped Velvette's jaw and forced her to look at him. "Now."
After a few tense seconds, everyone watched as Velvette cracked her teary eyes open and met the soulless eye sockets, which managed to convey so many emotions despite being nothing more than a partially exposed skull.
"The moment that you, or anyone else, makes a move on him… I will find and kill everyone in this room." His words were slow, methodical, and deliberate. A far cry from the admittedly amiable demon he'd been before. Remembering Alastor's earlier words… Carmilla felt her own dread rise.
Because she severely doubted he was bluffing now.
"And I'll start with you… and your friends. Vox and… Valentino, if I remember right." He seemed less like an even remotely human soul, and more like a supernatural force of hatred as he let his hand slide away from Velvette's jaw, falling to his side as he stood to his full height.
He had to keep his head low in order to not break through the ceiling, forcing him to hunch. If anything… that only added to the unnerving scene.
"In fact…" Now his gaze swept the room… and Carmilla suddenly understood why Velvette was so terrified.
The moment his gaze wandered over her, Carmilla saw the expressive, pinprick dots he now had for eyes floating within those black, soulless sockets. Something about it was unnerving, unnatural, and Carmilla felt her fear spiking against her will.
Even more so when his gaze passed over her children.
"What do you want?!" Carmilla found herself screaming at the behemoth, gritting her teeth and trying to look like anything but the distraught mother she was in that moment.
When those terrifying eyes landed upon her once more, Carmilla only felt a small ounce of regret. She was moreso happy that his attention was on her and not her kin.
He seemed to be scrutinizing her, studying her, and she found herself pulling her head back as he began to lean closer as well.
This wasn't just another sinner. This man, this John Gallagher…
He had to be something else entirely. Something new, or something almost nobody has encountered before.
Carmilla understood Velvette's fear now more than ever, far more than she liked as the usually graceful and composed woman found herself gulping in fear of the very behemoth whom earlier had done nothing more than irritate her.
And then the behemoth let out a frustrated sigh.
Just like that, the chain's vanished, withdrawing rapidly and disappearing into those gashes as the behemoth seemed to shrink before their eyes, until his more humanly blue eyes returned as the man retook his seat.
With the way her shoes were designed and the fact that it had been so unexpected, the ballerina found herself landing directly on her rear with a grunt as she found herself no longer bound or in the air.
The atmosphere was still tense, however, as everyone tried to regain what composure they could and eyed the behemoth with wary gazes. Even Alastor looked ever so slightly unnerved.
And Velvette looked ready to bolt.
John merely sat and brought a hand up to his head, rubbing it as if he were soothing a migraine, before he spoke.
"No one's leaving this room until I've shaken your hand, is that clear?"
Considering what had just occurred…
"Quite." Zestial replied, eying the behemoth with a wary and cautious gaze. Undertstable considering he'd just put them all at his mercy with absolutely nothing more than what seemed to be a thought.
The behemoth continued rubbing his head, before letting an exasperated sigh escape him as he looked at Carmilla.
"Look, I'm not here to hurt your kids, and I'm not here to cause any issues despite what happened." He sounded much more calm, though there was a rough gravel to his voice that conveyed his frustration. "Now, you can be wary all you want, but all I want to know is… how?"
"How do you kill angels?" Carmilla returned the question with one of her own, while unconsciously laying her hands upon Odette and Clara and nudging them behind both her and Zestial.
"By attacking." John answered with another sigh as his gaze turned to look out the window. "I'm not like anyone else down here. Something about me… I can do things that a sinner shouldn't be able to do. And it all comes so easy." He sounded almost exhausted by the prospect. Something Carmilla found baffling, when one considered the facts. "I'm glad I have the power to protect my loved ones… but at the same time, I don't have any more answers to how I do things than anyone else."
Had it not been for Alastor's words and the overwhelming display of power he'd just showcased, Carmilla might've still questioned his words.
But considering her daughters now stood behind her, a little on edge but otherwise unharmed, and the fact that it was now clear that nothing limited the behemoth more than his own wishes…
Carmilla believed him. It wasn't often that she believed anyone's words, especially not when it's the Radio Demon who vouches for them.
But she did. She believed his every word.
Carmilla let her gaze wander the room, taking in the abundance of curious and cautious faces glancing between her, John, and Zestial, before she let her eyes wander over towards the spider.
She needed guidance, right now.
"Why hide thy strength?" Zestial questioned, truly unable to comprehend the idea of hiding so much power when you were damned to Hell.
"Sir Pentious used to be a good example." John replied, shooting an amused grin at Zestial as he answered. "Let me ask you all something, how many times does someone pick a fight with you to prove themselves?"
It was clear as everyone looked at each other that they all understood his point. For better or worse, there was always some nut job out there who was either trying to usurp them or challenge them just to prove their worth.
It didn't often work, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.
"The people around me don't need that kind of trouble, and I'm not looking to deal the headache." The behemoth admitted bluntly when no one gave an audible answer, before his eyes turned back to Carmilla. "So… how?"
Carmilla held his gaze for a moment, before letting out a sigh as she finally decided to relax. She wasn't going to pretend to feel safe around the demon, but it was clear that he wasn't a dangerous threat for the moment.
"I was defending my children." Carmilla answered as she regained her composure, meeting John's gaze as she spoke. He paid rapt attention as she did so.
As did everyone else.
"Fight with their weapons and love in your heart, and they are no more deadly than the cockiest of demons."
"Love in your heart?" Zeezi sounded confused at that one, looking at Carmilla in confusion. "So what, the power of love kills angels?"
"Fight to protect, not to harm." At this point, Carmilla wasn't shocked that the behemoth understood her words immediately, looking at the ballerina in honest surprise. "It's… really as simple as a fucking spear or a bullet and a drive to protect?"
"What may come as simple to you may not be so for others." Carmilla replied with a raised eyebrow. "They fight poorly, believing themselves invincible against demons. But that doesn't mean their threat is any less real."
"Fair enough." The behemoth nodded his head in agreement.
"Thou is surprisingly docile, considering thy display of power moments ago." Zestial commented, raising his own brow as he met the behemoth's gaze. "If thou permits me to ask… what is gained by being so… amiable?"
"Nothing, really." John admitted without a care in the world as he turned his gaze to look back out at the city. "I got my own motivation, but the simple fact is that Hell doesn't make us who we are. I have no reason to conform to this society, try and be the next big bad demon that everyone fears. I'm happy with peace, quiet, and the joy of my loved ones."
"Those thy care about can be a weakness."
"Sure, if you look at it that way." John agreed, looking over Zestial with a small smirk. "But don't think I didn't see you holding her arm like that."
Carmilla would absolutely deny that her blush of embarrassment ever happened. Even Zestial's eyes widened and nervous cough escaped him at that.
"I don't look as people as a liability or a tool… I look at them as people. Some are less than stellar, some are people I'm willing to talk to… and some of them are just people I care for. People I want to protect."
"They don't give a damn." Of all people, it was Velvette who spoke up, gaining all attention as she looked at the behemoth with a small scowl. "Not a single one of them. All they care about is how useful you are."
Carmilla found herself surprised how… almost hurt Velvette looked when she said that.
"So? I care about them, and that's all that matters to me." John sounded almost exhausted, and it was honestly so confusing how different he seemed from just earlier.
Carmilla found herself curious. Why was he this way? Why was he so… honest, it seemed? So forthcoming?
The only secret he seemed to have, or had anyway, was the fact that he had a child. Which in and of itself was a mystery, as sinners can't have children.
And yet… now that it was in the open, he didn't seem concerned.
Then again, he was still essentially forcing everyone into a deal with him because of that revelation, so it was clear that he wasn't above underhanded tactics, nor fear.
"What is it that drives you?" Carmilla found herself asking, tilting her head in curiosity as she voiced the question. "Because I'll be frank, you are by far the most honest demon I've ever met."
"Same here."
"Agreed."
"Quite."
"A bit too honest if you ask me."
John found himself chuckling at both the question and the myriad of responses, and shook his head with a slight chuckle
"Because it's who he is." A new voice suddenly interjected into the conversation. A familiar one, and one who didn't often speak.
All attention turned to the corner of the room. Next to the door sat a eel sinner, dressed in a black suit and tie with red buttons and a matching exposed collar. The demon has black, slippery skin, and his eyes were as inhuman as a living eel. White unnerving orbs met the gazes of everyone there, staring with slight interest as his lips curled into an amused smile. Namely, he was looking at John.
"I find myself curious as to how you'd know." John remarked with a chuckle. "Who are you?"
"His name is Flow." Carmilla introduced, meeting the Overlord's gaze with a blank one of her own.
Flow was an… interesting Overlord. It wasn't often that he came to the meetings, and when he did, he usually went unnoticed. At this point, Carmilla was used to it when he seemed to just suddenly manifest, speaking up when he felt the need.
He also had quite the story. In just a year, he'd climbed his way to power and had taken control of the city's intelligence network.
And she meant that literally. He's the only Overlord who'd somehow found ways to circumvent the typical power of a deal, and as such, Carmilla was sure that many of her own contractees were also under ownership with Flow.
Whereas most Overlords made deals for one's soul, Flow dealt in dedication. As such, not a single soul he owned was a slave to his will. So long as they did the agreed upon job, the soul was theirs.
Which was admittedly baffling, when one considered the fact that it's only taken him a year to climb to power, and had remained unchallenged in his position and territory for the six years since his rise.
And for an Overlord with so much power and little interest in the affairs of others… well, Carmilla would admit that there were times she'd found herself seeking his advice, if only because he provided a unique perspective.
Especially considering his code. No children, no exploitation. He even owned a legitimate orphanage that was under his protection. Carmilla would know, as the guards carried her weapons and both Clara and Odette had helped at the facility from time to time.
It was surprising how wholesome things could be in Hell. But that didn't change the fact that Hell was just a shitty place in general.
"He's the intelligence Overlord. Whatever there is to know in Hell, he knows it." Carmilla explained to the behemoth as she met the eel's eyes. "You don't often speak at these meetings, Flow. Am I to assume you know this behemoth?"
"You could say that." Flow answered with the barest chuckle of amusement as he folded one leg over the other.
"Again, I'd like to know why." John spoke up, raising an eyebrow. "Because I know I've never met you. Don't recognize your smell, or you."
"Of course you don't." Flow replied, amusement falling away from his face as he leaned back into his chair. "I've been dead for seven years, and I don't know how long you've been dead."
"So what, we knew each other when we were alive?" John guessed, looking even more confused. It was apparent that nobody was in any different mindscape.
"I wouldn't say we really… knew each other." Flow corrected, though he looked a little bit confused as to how to properly word it. "But I know enough about you to know that no matter what kind of twisted shit you do, it's to make sure your loved ones are safe."
John remained silent, staring at the demon with a raised eyebrow.
Finally, Flow shook his head and let a sigh escape him. "Yeah, I guess you wouldn't be able to figure it out without a few extra hints." His expression then shifted. To one of… guilt.
Guilt was an expression seldom seen on anyone's face in Hell. Guilt, shame, regret, all them were practically nonexistent.
So to see it on the face of an Overlord was… unusual.
"But maybe this will clue you in. After all… I was always the one who began the procedure."
John's expression shifted to confusion for only a moment…
Before it changed. To pure and utter shock.
There was a bit of anger there. But Carmilla could barely separate it from the complete disbelief written on the behemoth's face as he looked at the Overlord with an expression that was slowly shifting, the disbelief fading.
In place of vengeful anger.
"Seven years… huh, I figured you three were down here." A mirthless chuckle escaped the behemoth, shaking his head slightly, before honing his gaze in on Flow. "Yeah, it has been a while. Last I heard of you, Rachel fried your ass in Ironton."
"Something I deserved, admittedly." Flow nodded in agreement as he stood to his feet, before turning towards Zestial and Carmilla. "I'm afraid I must take my leave, or things will get much more unsavory. I know him well enough to know that much too."
Well… what kind of history did these two have? Flow wasn't exactly as respected as Zestial or Carmilla herself, but he spoke when he felt the need and he didn't mince words. And it wasn't easy for anyone to intimidate him.
Many had tried. Many had died.
"That might be for the best." John agreed with a nod, turning away from Flow with a shake of his head, before a mirthless chuckle escaped him. "The sad part is, I know enough about you to know I don't need to make a deal with you. Ain't that right, Jack?"
Jack? Was that really Flow's actual name?
Flow let a genuine chuckle of amusement escape him, before opening the door. Just as he was about to leave, he turned to John one final time.
"See you soon, Juggernaut. We have a lot to talk about."
And then… he was gone.
And Carmilla found herself reeling from how things had changed so quickly. From how many questions she now had.
What she needed… is a drink.