Author's note: Oooooohhh boy, it's here, bucckle up buttercups because this is gonna be a LONG one.
This was kinda a big, important chapter to write so i didn't want to split it up into smaller bits because i felt that wouldn't do it justice.
Especially since how high the stakes in this one are.
Chapter 29:
The trial
"Members of the angelic court…." A tall, imposing, dark skinned, 6 winged figure gestured to a group of angels of varying shapes and sizes as they flew up and took their position on the balconies.
She would turn her gaze to another group "….Witnesses and accusers….." As in stepped the king of hell, Lucifer Morningstar, his daughter, Charlie Morningstar, Charlie's partner, the fallen exorcist Vaggie, former member of the Vee's, Velvette and the newly redeemed sinner-turned-winner Sir Pentious, as they were lead to one of the lower balconies.
It felt weird, last time they were here, Charlie and Vaggie were on the other end of this interaction. This time however, it wasn't them who had to defend themselves.
The shorter overlord would quickly close the distance between her, Vaggie and Charlie as she nervously tugged on her sleeve "I really don't know if I'm supposed to be here" to which Charlie piped up "Velvette, they specifically asked for your attendance, you have the right to be here" as Vaggie added "Yes, you're the one who recorded the evidence after all, you saw everything in person. They'll want to ask you some questions, just answer them truthfully and to the best of your ability"
Lucifer would add his own 2 cents "Aaaaand uhm….it'd be wise to refrain from any more obscene language….they aren't as lenient to that up here as I am down in my kingdom"
"No cussing, got it" Velvette responded as they all walked to their assigned seats.
The young seraphim known as Emily would also enter as she flew up to the top balcony and took position next to the taller, 6 winged woman, her sister, the high seraphim and at this time, judge of this courtroom, Sera.
Sera would look over the courtroom and give an approving nod "Now that everyone is present…" As she gestured to the large, golden doors "Bring forth the defendant….."
On cue, the large, ornate, heavenly doors would be opened as 2 large, angelic guards walked inside….Vaggie would wince as she laid eyes on them…..powers angels….as the large figures were holding golden chains, each of which attached to a large shackle as sandwiched in between them was the currently bound form of the lieutenant of the exorcist army, Lute, pulling uncomfortably at the chain around her neck with a single arm, her prosthetic probably having been confiscated for safety reasons as it likely contained build in weapons.
Emily slowly began to pull out a well of ink, a quill and a scroll, having been assigned to document the events of the court hearing, as the large angels accompanied Lute to the table and pedestal in the middle of the large, ornate room and gestured for her to sit down.
As Lute sat down, the 2 guards never left her side, tasked with keeping a close eye on her to make sure she did not try anything as Sera would stand up from her seat as she addressed the exorcist.
"Lute, you are accused of directly disobeying orders by stealing and smuggling angelic goods into hell, conspiring with demons and treachery against heaven by indirectly endangering both the kingdom of hell and the heavenly realm and all of its people. How do you plead?"
The exorcist would quickly get up from her chair, her eyes staring daggers at the Seraphim "Not guilty, I was merely fulfilling my purpose. The thing I was MADE to do!" before she bitterly spat on the ground before the entirety of heaven's court "Can you say the same, Sera?"
Loud gasps could be heard all around the courtroom at this disrespectful act.
"I was doing what I thought was best for heaven and its people, but I had misjudged, any many souls greatly suffered for it" She quickly quipped back "I have taken accountability for my mistakes and have chosen to do my best to make things right"
"BULLSHIT!" Lute screamed "If you'd just have let us do what we were meant to do, maybe Adam would still be alive! But instead, you have allowed demonic FILTH to desecrate heaven's soil by allowing their presence here and corrupt it with their demonic taint!"
Sera would slam down the ornate, wooden gavel with a loud bang on the counter of the balcony before her "SILENCE, I shall not allow such disrespect in my court…you may speak, but it'd be wise to do this by the book, do I make myself clear, Lute?"
The angel just scoffed, but chose to hold her tongue.
Sera would look down at the lower balconies and hover her eyes over the serpent angel as she spoke "I would like to call forth our first witness, the living proof of the validity of redemption, Sir pentious"
The snake angel would bow graciously as he slithered forward "Memberssss of the heavenly court, it is true that I once wassss nothing but a lowly ssssinner" before he gestured with his hand to the princess" but it is with the undying ssssupport and encouragement of Charlie here that I ssssstand here before you today"
Murmuring began amongst the crowd as Lute gave a disgusted grumble
"Charlie has always believed that there wasss the capability of compassion and kindnessss within all her people and fought tooth and nail to defend this dream and her people, even when faced with the threat of violence"
Lute would cut him off as she bitterly spat out "Once a sinner, always a sinner, demon filth"
The loud sound of the gavel rang as Sera smacked it down again "ORDER"
Once silence had once again returned to the courtroom, she gestured for the snake winner.
Sir Pentious would continue, not skimping over any details as he began to tell his tale of arriving, fitting in and growing at the hotel, up to the point where he confessed his love for his once arch nemesis Cherrie Bomb and chose to selflessly sacrifice himself to protect his friends.
"Wasn't it YOU who allowed us to go down there and exterminate them in the first place?" Lute spoke with smug grin as she stared down the high seraphim.
Sera would avert her gaze in shame "I did….yes…and not a day goes by where I don't feel shame for my actions…" she managed to regain her composure as she stared down the exorcist "I should have never allowed the exterminations in the first place, but that shall be my burden to bare and mine alone"
Lute gagged at this gesture, to which Sera gave her a glare "And what about your disregard of the rules? Whenever the exterminations were wrong or not, you had a VERY clear order. "Under any circumstances, NO hellborn demons OR members of the Morningstar family were to be harmed"
She would narrow her gaze as she spat the next words out with contempt "You and Adam broke both of those rules…"
"They forced our hand!" Lute yelled.
"WHAT PART OF "UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES" WASN'T CLEAR, LUTE?!" this caused the exorcist to flinch "Whenever I agree with the exterminations anymore or not doesn't matter for this statement. You had VERY specific orders, and you broke BOTH of those rules!"
Lucifer would raise his hand "Permission to speak?"
Sera would give a tap with the gavel "Permission granted, you have the floor"
Lucifer got up and began to walk around in the space in front of Lute's desk as he addressed the crowd "As much as I hate to admit it, the death of the hellborn demon by the name of Dazzle by Lute's hands was the event that broke the agreement and allowed me to step in and save my daughter"
He would turn towards the exorcist "I know my reputation is not exactly welcoming but…..i am only the devil second…." As he turned to Charlie "….i'm a father first…..i had almost allowed my depression to drive a wedge between that…..but seeing her willing to fight till the end to protect her dream, to protect these sinners, because she saw the good in them….." he then turned his gaze to Sera "…..it brought back my spark to dream….i would do anything to protect my little girl…."
This would cause some coos and aws to come from the crowd as the king of hell returned to his seat.
Sera then gestured to Vaggie "That leaves us to our next witness…Vaggie….if you would be so gracious to share your story…."
The former exorcist would flinch and tense up, but her stress melted away almost instantly as Charlie put a comforting hand on her arm "You want me to be there with you?"
Vaggie swallowed a lump in her throat as she stood up "No…I can do this….i don't want to run from my past anymore…" before she gave the princess a quick peck on the cheek "Thank you Charlie….i love you"
Charlie would return the affectionate statement before the fallen angel would step forth and take position on the same spot where Lucifer stood a minute prior.
"I…..Some of you may remember me from a previous court hearing…..but for those who are new here….I'm Vaggie, and I used to be an exorcist angel under the command of Lute and Adam…."
She began to pace back and forth as she told the tale of her fall "Life in heaven was simple, I had orders to follow, and follow them I did. I never really questioned it because I didn't know any better. I was told we were doing this for the protection of heaven and its people"
"Demon loving bitch" Lute grumbled out, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Lute!" Sera called out, silencing the bitter angel, before gesturing to Vaggie, who took the cue "It wasn't until 4 years in that I realized what it really was we were doing when I cornered a sinner, and realizing when I caught up to them, that it was a….it was a kid…"
The crowd would gasp.
Vaggie continued "Yes….it was a sinner….but it was still just a kid…."
"IT WAS DEMON FILTH!"
"DEMON OR NOT, IT WAS STILL JUST A KID, YOU REALLY WANTED ME TO STRIKE DOWN A FUCKING CHILD?!" Vaggie shouted back at her former lieutenant, to which Lute just spat back "TRAITOR!"
One of the court's members would stand up and slowly raise their hand, to which Sera obliged.
"Dare I ask….what….what did you do?" the angel asked.
Vaggie looked down at her feet "What else could I have done? I did the only thing I could…..i….looked the other way and told him to run….to run and hide…"
"YOU DISOBEYED DIRECT ORDERS!" Lute shouted as Vaggie responded back "I SPARED A CHILD…I showed mercy…and how did you reward that mercy?" As Vaggie would remove her eyepatch, turn her back to the angelic court and pulled up the back of her top towards the entire courtroom, revealing 2 long, gnarly, raw looking scars.
"….by cutting out my eye….and tearing off my wings….."
The crowd would gasp in shock as the old wounds were revealed, Emily especially averting her gaze as she covered her mouth with her hand, even Sera looked at the scene with wide eyes as she mouthed "What have I done….what have I allowed…."
"I….i don't know how….but I earned them back….tho that still doesn't take away what happened to me"
She finished as she fixed her top back in place and putting her eyepatch back on, Vaggie's gaze fixed onto Charlie as her tone softened "If it wasn't for Charlie…who found me, who took me in….a complete stranger …. and treated my wounds….i'd probably have bled out….i'm alive because of her…." As she looked up at the high seraphim
"….i swore that day I would atone for what I did, and that I would repay her kindness….i would be her armor…I would be her shield…I would help her make her dream come true….whatever it takes"
As Vaggie returned to her seat, she would pass Lute, who bitterly whispered to her "You're weak….you've always been weak…."
Vaggie however did not listen as she once again sat down next to her girlfriend, who gently leaned her head onto the fallen angel's shoulder as she whispered to her "You did amazing, Vaggie"
The court would begin to argue amongst themselves, tho the general opinion seemed to be the same as some angels stood up and began to voice their displeasure
"AND THAT CALLS ITSELF AN ANGEL?!BARBARIC!"
"I THOUGHT MERCY WAS A VIRTUE, NOT A SIN"
"TAKE HER WINGS, MAKE HER FEEL WHAT SHE FELT"
"MUTILATION?! FOR AN ACT OF MERCY?! THIS IS UNHEARD OF!"
Lute's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open with horror as the crowd slowly turned against her. Soon however, Sera would once again bring down the gavel "ORDER, ORDER"
She would fix her gaze on the accused, eyes almost blazing with righteous anger "I was not made aware of this, I was simply told that an angel turned traitor…" Sera spoke before she turned to Emily, who made another set of notes of this.
Running her hands over her hair in an attempt to get her emotions under control, Sera's gaze would fix on the last witness in the room "Miss Velvette…..you have the floor…."
The short fashionista swallowed a lump in her throat as she nervously got up and pulled out her phone as she strutted over to that same spot, in front of everyone, earning a glare from the exorcist lieutenant and a mumbled "Demonic filth…abomination…" tho as hell's social media queen, she heard far worse, the bitter comments just bouncing off her thick skin "Do your worst, feather-duster" she quipped back.
Sera would gesture to the phone "I would politely ask you to please put away any electronic devices during the hea-"
Velvette cut her off "With all due respect, high seraphim, I have recorded evidence that is of up-most importance to this hearing, and for that, I will need my phone"
Sera took a deep breath "…..very well…..you may" as she waved her hand and a glowing, magical orb manifested in the courtroom.
The short fashionista wasn't exactly sure how, but she found it rather easy to get the large sphere to play back her recording of the secret meeting between Vox and Lute.
"I recorded this when I was still a business partner of this demon named Vox, tho I have since broken off any associations with him and his company" as Velvette began to tell the tale of their discovery and meeting with Lute.
"As much as I regret helping secure this deal, I can't help but feel partially responsible….." she finished as she looked away uncomfortably.
Sera would simply speak "It is good to see you saw reason and chose to make amends by doing the right thing instead. But may I ask, what was your motivation for this shift in perspective?"
Velvette would blush "Well….there is this girl…..i never cared before how my actions affected others….but…..she made me want to try…." Before she nervously shut down "That's all I'm comfortable sharing for now…."
Sera would nod as she gestured for the short demoness to return to her seat before her eyes settled on Lute once again
"If the defendant has anything to say for herself….you have the floor"
Lute slowly got up as she put her one arm on the table in front of her forcefully "I have nothing to say but that I proudly served heaven and its people for years and diligently did my duty, I did what I was created to do"
She gritted her teeth together "It is not me, it is YOU who has fallen from grace, bending over and presenting your BACKSIDE to please the traitor Lucifer's disgusting, devilish spawn" causing shocked gasps.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, LUTE" Sera would angrily lash out as Lucifer would speak up "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE TALK ABOUT MY DAUGHTER LIKE THAT!" causing the crowd to go wild, all siding with not just Lucifer, but with a father.
Sera would once again bring down the small, wooden hammer "ORDER, ORDER!" before she took a deep sigh "Yes….you did once have orders….you had a duty…..had…."
Sera narrowed her gaze "but that was before…. If you had relinquished your grim duties after the first redeemed sinned showed up on our doorstep like the other exorcists did as you were ordered to do, there would not be a problem….HOWEVER…"
The exorcist would flinch.
"taking it onto yourself to "punish" one of your soldiers for showing an act of mercy…..not to mention that instead of accepting your honorable discharge, you chose instead to hold on to a unhealthy vendetta!
I had hoped Adam's demise would show you…would show US the error of our ways….that heaven is changing and that WE have to change WITH it, that we were WRONG, Lute.….instead however, you allowed your grief to consume you and turn into a bitter grudge as you chose to…."
Sera cleared her throat as she pulled up a list
"one: threaten one of heaven's artificers to craft you a portal stone,
Two: travel in-between heaven and hell unpermitted,
Three: continue antagonizing a group that we now know CAN be rehabilitated,
Four: plot several attacks AND assassination attempts against the royal family of hell,
Five: striking a bargain with demons not even said royal family trusts,
and last but certainly not least, SMUGGLING HIGH QUALITY INGOTS OF ANGELIC STEEL INTO HELL, INTO THE HANDS OF SAID DEMON, ARMING THEM AND INDIRECTLY,
PUTTING BOTH HELL AND HEAVEN'S SAFETY AT RISK, LUTE!"
With the tallying up of every crime she had committed, Lute would wince and flinch as she slowly sank away deeper and deeper into her chair.
Taking a sharp, deep inhale through her nose, Sera rubbed her temples as her gaze surveyed the crowd "Under normal circumstances, I would request a period of discussion to determine the final verdict…..but I believe the consensus is….more then clear" as she gestured with her hands towards the crowd of angels, who all began to chant "GUILTY!"
Using her gavel one last time to quiet the commotion, Sera would share one last glance with her sister, who seemed to begrudgingly agree "As much as I hate to admit it, Sera, I have to agree with them. She has brought many souls in possible danger"
The high seraphim would nod "It is decided then…."
"Uhm….Sera? If I may?"
The high seraphim would turn to the source of the voice "Yes, daughter of the Morningstar?"
Charlie would stand "I understand what Lute did was terrible…but I always believe within everyone there is the capability to change and to do good….." she paused for a moment to await Sera's reaction
Sera gave her an approving nod "Please continue"
Charlie returned the gesture "Thank you…..i always have believed in second chances….that every soul can change…." As she then gestured to the exorcist "present company included….it's true, I don't exactly trust her after what she did to me and my people….but I know there's good in there….it is those ideals my hazbin hotel was founded upon…" as she said this last part, she would look up sympathetically, her gaze meeting the high seraphim's.
Sera gave this some thought "….very well…." Before turning her attention back to Lute.
"Lute, you are hereby found guilty of high treason against the heavenly realm, the kingdom of hell and either of its inhabitants…
Your punishment shall be as follows….
You shall be stripped of your halo and wings….and be cast down….."
Lute's face drained of color as Sera gave her final verdict.
"If you desire redemption and chose to do so, you may seek out the daughter of the Morningstar and her "hazbin hotel" in the hopes of reclaiming your lost honor and re-earning your wings and halo….."
Sera would then lean down and narrow her gaze "…..but choose to wallow in your grudge….. and in hell you shall remain….and it shall be your prison"
Sera would then leap from the balcony and with a few flaps of her 6 wings, slowly descend downwards, landing before the exorcist lieutenant, who was currently being detained by the 2 powers angels flanking her on either side.
She gave a sympathetic glance towards Vaggie as she spoke "You…..might want to look away for this part"
Vaggie would stand up and walk closer "No….i want to look her in the eye….i want her to understand what she did to me…"
Sera nodded "If you are 100% sure…." To which Vaggie nodded.
"….very well then….."
With a wave of hand, Sera would summon forth Lute's scabbard, unsheathing her sword and gently lay it above the base of the wings as the 2 large angel guards forced her down onto the table.
"I did not want to do this….but you forced my hand, Lute…." The high seraphim spoke as she closed her eyes, gritted her teeth and gave one swift cleave.
A loud, agonizing scream was heard echoing through the courtroom as with an unceremonious thud, the feathered appendages fell to the ground as golden ichor poured from the now fallen angel's back as with a yank, her halo was torn from her head.
Lucifer flinched at this sight, but still somehow found the strength within himself to quickly shield his daughter's eyes with one of his wings as he whispered to her "You don't need to see this, sweety"
Allowing the former lieutenant to catch herself, the chain was unhooked from her neck, tho the shackle itself remained, a permanent reminder of her own hubris.
With a wave of her hand, a portal opened behind the former exorcist on the floor as Sera gave her one last pained look "I truly wish it didn't have to come to this….and I do sincerely hope that you consider redemption….i'm sorry" as with a swift push of Sera's leg, Lute suddenly found herself weightless as she fell through the portal and began to plummet towards the skyline of pentagram city.
Still holding onto the former lieutenant's blade, Sera's hands began to shake as the portal closed "I…..i did the right thing…..right?"
Vaggie would stay silent, Sir Pentious standing next to her, trying to comfort her. Luficer would slowly approach "As much as I hate to see another go through that process….she was becoming too dangerous….it wasn't pretty….but it had to be done….."
Charlie would quickly run towards her partner "You ok Vaggie?" The fallen angel would shake a little bit as she grabbed a hold of her girlfriend "…..no….but I will be…" before she looked up at her "Let's go home, hun…."
Sera would interject "Absolutely not, not in this state…. Everyone has been through…..allot….emotions were at an all-time high….and I believe it is best for everyone to rest and process the events of today…"
Velvette would join them "Fuckin hell, Does shit always get so heated up here?" which caused Lucifer to flinch and Sera to widen her eyes.
The doll demoness would quickly realize what she did "Oh shi-erm…"shoot"…the no cussing part…sorry…I forgot for a sec" as she awkwardly chuckled.
The small, hellish group would huddle together for a hug before they were assigned some rooms, Sir Pentious returning to his own home.
Velvette had a single room all for herself as she had just proceeded to take selfies of herself with the ornate décor, on the large, fluffy bed and one of her on the balcony, looking out over heaven's promenade as she spoke to herself "Oh everyone at home is gonna be so fucking jealous"
Vaggie and Charlie were assigned a shared room, the princess quickly having pulled the fallen angel onto the bed to cuddle, trying to comfort her partner.
Lucifer however had decided to seek out the high seraphim.
"Sera…..can we speak?" he piped up as he poked his head inside her office "oh…Lucifer…apologies, today was….allot, come in, please, have a seat" and as the king sat down, Sera smiled at him.
"You raised her well…a dreamer…just like her father…"
..
..
Pride ring, hell:
..
..
As she slowly came to and her vision returned, Lute would slowly sit up and rub her head….wait….didn't she lose her left arm?
Her eyes quickly shot open as she glared down and her heart nearly stopped for a moment at what she saw.
Covered in a combination of small scales, a thick, leathery hide and course, rough fur, there was a devilish looking, dark grey and black arm where her stump should be, causing her to scream and fall onto her back again.
She managed to scramble to a nearby wall and used it to slowly prop herself up, tho when she raised her head, her eyes met the reflective surface of a window, and she saw her new silhouette…..she didn't remember wearing her helmet…..wait!
Her hands quickly shot up to where, according to her reflection, the 2 curled shapes jutted out of the sides of her head…..horns….SHE HAD FUCKING HORNS….
She stared at her reflection in horror as within the black silhouette, 2 bright yellow lights stared back at her as suddenly, a long, ropey shape swished behind her.
Thinking it an attacker, she quickly whipped around and grabbed a tight hold onto it, only to FEEL her hand on this…..THING….
"A TAIL?!" she yelled "WHY DO I HAVE A FUCKING TAIL?!" as it slowly dawned on her what she looked like….
Creating some distance between her and the window, she allowed some light to shine on her form as she was now properly able to behold her reflection.
She still looked mostly the same, her hair was still the same, her face still seemed fine, that was until she opened her mouth and revealed a set of sharp fangs.
Her skin was still as pristine as ever, but her fingers now sported black tipped claws.
The top of her head sported a set of horns that resembled the cosmetic ones she had on the helmet of her exorcists uniform almost exactly, as a long, black, ropey tail with a spaded tip swayed behind her.
The whites of her eyes were instead pitch black as her irises glowed a bright, sickly yellow, but the biggest change was the place where she had ripped off her own arm during the attack on the princess's hotel…
There sat a new arm, but it was nothing like her old one, it had a rugged, leathery, semi-scaled, dark grey skin, course, spikey, black fur on the bottom of her forearm, back of her hand and her shoulder and the fingers were tipped with animalistic, jagged claws.
As she beheld her new appearance in silent horror, a figure approached her from behind "My My, not looking so hot, my formerly feathered friend" it spoke with a charming, gameshow-host like voice, and as Lute turned around, she was met with the familiar face of the TV overlord, Vox.
As her emotions reached an all-time high, tears began to roll down Lute's face as she angrily barked out at the TV demon "What do you want, Vox?! Can't you see my day is already shitty enough as it is?!" The TV demon smiled "Well maybe i can help making it even just a teensy bit better" With a Cheshire like grin.
As she stepped closer "Don't you fucking get it?! I just fucking lost everything! My wings, my halo, my status, my home in heaven... EVERYTHING!" to which Vox closed the distance and put an arm around her shoulder with that same devious smirk "Not everything, my "friend", technically, you held up your end of our bargain...
...you still have a "friend" ...and Vox ALWAYS repays a favor…..after all….we shook on it...didn't we?
And it just so happens that a position opened up not long ago...so...i have a business proposition for you, a "change in branding" so to say...
...how does the name "Vendetta" sound?"