Chapter 5
This is a fanfiction based on Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, and the fanfiction Loona the Caretaker. All OC rights belong to their original creators and owners. The characters of Loona the Caretaker belong to MetalBrony823. Slade OC belongs to Blurey08. Zepar, Bael, Leo, and Francesco belong to Acker. Rachel belongs to CageBlack1443. Kyorichi, Fuko, Bloody Mary, and Kely OC belong to ninjashin11, and the characters of Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel belong to VivziePop. I own nothing. This is pure fanfiction, just for fun.
Charlie and Vaggie had a room in the hotel set up to serve as a classroom for Mikey so that he could be adequately home-schooled. They had a whiteboard with markers, paper, pencils, and other school supplies for Mikey and those teaching him. John taught Mikey reading and writing, Mimzy covered math, and Eddy covered American and world history. To their surprise, Mikey was a fast learner, so it wasn't hard for him to learn. Mikey got used to being around demons. He still thought they were scary-looking, but he wasn't all that scared of them.
Charlie and Vaggie grew fond of Mikey, and he grew close to them. He even showed them his favorite comic and cartoon show, Alan Quasar & Rigel Rocket.
"Alan Quasar & Rigel Rocket?" Vaggie asked, looking at the comic book cover.
"Yeah. Alan's a superhero who fights evil in outer space with his sidekick, Rigel Rocket," Mikey said.
"Like Buzz Lightyear?"
"Sort of, but with more and cooler space weapons and gadgets. Plus, there's a ton of more action. It's really cool!" Mikey said.
Mikey had a box set of blue-ray DVDs of the first five seasons. Charlie and Vaggie lay in bed with Mikey curled up and watched together. Mikey had his Quasar t-shirt on. He was right; it was entertaining. Alan and Rigel worked together fighting evil aliens and robots. They fought alongside good aliens fighting to protect their home worlds. The animation was superb and colorful.
"How are our guests at teaching Mikey?" Vaggie asked.
"They're great. They're very supportive and making sure Mikey learns what they're teaching him," Charlie answered.
Then Cody arrived at the hotel with Loona, Rachel, and Slade. It was late in the afternoon, and the bright sun was shining through the windows, casting brilliant, broken light rays inside. Crymini was the first to see them. As security for the hotel, she kept watch to keep the place safe from outside threats and dangers. Razzle greeted them at the door to let them in, while Dazzle went to inform Charlie and Vaggie they had friends who had arrived.
Loona and Crymini hugged each other, and then Crymini hugged Cody.
"What's up, guys? Who's this?" Crymini asked.
"Name's Rachel. I'm Loona's older sister," Rachel answered.
Crymini's eyes widened, "Oh, cool. I didn't know you had a big sister."
"Long lost sister. It's a long story. How's protecting the hotel?" Loona asked.
"Alastor and I have been busy. A lot of militia have tried to attack this place along with some new gangs. Mostly amateurs, but the big players were barely a challenge for old Al. By the way, Cody, did you get my text?" Crymini asked.
Cody nodded, "I did."
Cody pulled out a weapons locker with ammo from his infinite cube. Inside it were all the custom guns she requested. AR-15s chambered in 300 HAM'R and 6.5 Grendel, ten gauge tactical shotguns, and sidearms in 45 ACP and 10mm along with a demonic 6-inch barrel 44 magnum revolver based off of the Smith & Wesson Model 629 Competitor. There were also some gear like different vests, holsters, mag pouches, and different melee weapons like metal baseball bats with pyramid spikes, expandable batons, machetes, and knives like bowie and karambit knives.
"Oh yeah, this will do nicely. Thank you, Cody," Crymini smiled, examining the guns.
"I hope they come in handy," Cody said.
"I guess it's good to have a resourceful friend," Rachel said, crossing her arms.
"Money can't buy everything, but the stuff it can buy can come in handy. So yeah, it's good that Lucifer and Lilith put high-price bounties on Overlords," Loona said.
"Agreed," Slade added.
Charlie and Vaggie finally arrived.
"Hey, Charlie. Hey, Vaggie," Cody greeted with a smile.
"Cody," Charlie breathed.
She and Vaggie hugged him dearly. Cody introduced Rachel and explained briefly how they knew her.
"How's Mikey?" Cody asked.
"He's doing okay. Sonja is making him dinner. He's finished today's lesson," Vaggie answered.
"He's a good boy, and he's so sweet. It's a joy to be around him. He's shown us his favorite comic book series and cartoon show," Charlie said.
"That's good to hear. Listen, we need to speak to Alastor," Cody said.
"What for?" Charlie asked.
"We need to find Carmilla Carmine. We want to make Tommy a weapon. A blessing-tipped weapon. We're hoping to make it enchanted with powers, but blessing-tipped is a must," Loona answered.
"Why blessing-tipped?" Vaggie questioned.
"The intel we received from the I.S.N.A. confirmed that they have demon slaves fighting for them against their will. On top of that, the Exorcist angels are working with them. So, Tommy will need something powerful," Slade explained.
Charlie and Vaggie exchanged looks before whispering to each other. Then they looked back at the three Hellhounds and the teen human.
"I know where Carmine is. I should go with you. I need to talk to her," Vaggie said.
Cody nodded in agreement. As they were about ready to leave, they heard gunshots outside. They looked out the window to see three cars outside with shark demons dressed like they were from the Mafia. As they were firing their pistols at Crymini, dashing around them as they missed her – she tossed a flashbang. After it went off and stunned them, she killed six with blasts from her ten-gauge shotgun. Each blast hit them hard and painted the ground and their whole torse with black blood.
Then she pulled out her spiked baseball bat and bashed some heads and faces. Crymini wasn't holding anything back. Each swing from her bat shattered their jaws and faces and crushed their skulls, making blood and bits of bone and brains fly in the air. The shark demons pulled out their knives and machetes to attack Crymini, but she fought them off quickly as she drew her demonic bowie knife. She used her metal bat to block and deflect while using her bowie knife to slice and stab. She blocked an overhead swing from a machete, black sliced the guy's leg, making him fall to a knee, and then stabbed his throat. She blocked another swing, cut the bastard's face, swung hard at his legs with the bat, making him fall on his back, and then stabbed his heart.
The last five guys tried to get away in a car, but Crymini pulled out her FNX-45 Tactical and shot the windows and the driver, and then she used her flamethrower bracelets to set them on fire. They screamed bloody murder before the car blew up. One big, poor bastard was still alive and crawling away. Crymini pulled out her red and black demonic 44 magnum revolver and blew most of his head off in one loud gunshot.
"Well, it's good that she's using her Christmas presents," Loona said glumly.
"Yeah, and here we were, afraid that she's been naughty," Vaggie said sarcastically.
"Ho, ho, ho," Cody added similarly.
They got in Charlie's limo, and Vaggie instructed Razzle and Dazzle where to take them. Carmine's place looked like a military compound. There were metal containers, storage buildings, and armed guards carrying Carmine's logo. However, when they got to the gate, the guard told them no one was coming in. Vaggie jumped out of the overhead window and headed for the door. Cody and the others got to her to hold back the guards.
"Vaggie!" Cody called.
"Carmine! Carmine, we need to speak!" Vaggie yelled while banging against the door.
Cody, Loona, Rachel, and Slade kept the guards back. Things were getting heated as the guards pointed guns, making them draw their guns. Cody had his blessing-tipped 1911, Loona had her blessing-tipped Colt Anaconda revolver, Slade had his high-capacity two-tone Desert Eagle handgun, and Rachel had both her Heckler & Koch USP Match pistol in her right hand and her custom Taurus Raging Judge revolver in her left hand.
"Whoa, whoa, now," Cody said.
"Everybody chill the fuck out," Loona said.
"This is about the Exorcists! They're working with humans that want to kill demons! We can talk about it inside, or I can yell about it out here!" Vaggie hollered.
There was a long moment of silence. Everyone stayed frozen, pointing guns at each other. Then, a door opened up.
"Fucking right, you open that door," Vaggie said.
The guards slowly lowered their weapons. However, as Cody and his friends slowly holstered their guns, gunshots erupted from a nearby distance.
A guard rushed over, "The Skullers are attacking! There are more of them this time. They're after the ammunition!"
Everyone glanced at each other.
Rachel drew her guns, "We'll handle that. You talk to Carmine!"
Slade and Loona pulled out their guns. Loona nodded at Cody, and he nodded back before going inside with Vaggie. Loona, Rachel, and Slade followed the guards to the walls.
"Who are the Skullers?" Rachel asked.
"Before the war, they were just common criminals – B&E artists, drug dealers, smugglers, car thieves, store robbers, you know, usual garbage. When the war broke out, they got together and became an armed gang. They kill and take whatever they want and not just money – things like supplies, food, water, guns, ammo, all that stuff," Loona explained.
"Are they with the VVV? Rachel questioned.
"They're not on anyone's side except their own," Slade answered.
The Skullers attacked. Loona, Rachel, Slade, and the guards shot at any of them coming at them. They scored some hits, making their blood spray in the air. Slade's 50 AE and Rachel's 454 Casull were blowing limbs and heads off, making real bloody messes. Loona's blessing-tipped 44 magnum was making them burn in white holy flames.
Some of the guards were scoring kills, too, but two got killed and one wounded. Loona and the two Hellhounds picked up their tactical AKM assault rifles and continued to shoot at the gangs and looters. The gangs were wearing black and red coats with hoods and their horns sticking out of holes in the hoods. The hoods and parts of their coats had white skulls painted on them, and their faces were shrouded in shadow. They looked like the Reapers from Infamous.
They had a bus with metal plates welded to it and used it to ram the gates. Once the metal gates were down, they exited it and fired upon the guards and three Hellhounds. Slade summoned his Blue Moon sword, and Rachel summoned her enchanted Thunder Serpent sword. Slade dashed around with lightning speed and sliced guys in half and pieces, leaving a bright, fading blue light trail behind his glow. One giant Imp demon appeared and tried to shoot Slade with his dual SMGs, but Slade dodged him. In a split second, Slade was behind him. Slade swung upward at him, lifting him off the ground and spraying the bastard's blood in the air. Then Slade did a hard downward swing, making him fly across the yard and bash through a Jeep. He was still alive and tried to get up, but Slade stabbed his big sword into his heart, killing him.
As the guards were shooting and fighting as well, some were dragging their wounded to their medical center. Two paramedics and a doctor were working fast to save as many wounded as they could, but they were not a hospital.
Loona drew her bowie knife, and one of her gauntlets extended a blade. Three gang members attacked her with baseball bats. Loona dodged and deflected with each swing. She kicked one thug to knock him against a wall. One swung at her, but Loona ducked, sliced his knee with her bowie knife, and then stabbed him in the throat with her gauntlet blade. She lifted him off the ground before throwing him. The second swung at her, but Loona kicked him in the gut, stabbed him in the back with the gauntlet blade, and then cut his head off with the bowie knife. The third one charged at her, but Loona sent him flying with a laser blast from her gauntlet.
Rachel's sword extended with each swing like a whip slicing her enemy to ribbons. She popped the blade out hard to stab one enemy in the upper chest, and as she pulled him in, she kicked him so hard in the face that she fractured his skull. Rachel cut a few heads off before killing four guys with thunderbolts. Loona was amazed at her big sister's deadly skill.
While they were fighting, Cody and Vaggie wandered inside, looking for Carmine. Inside was a great hall with a Gothic design of red, purple, black, and grey. It was dark at first as they wandered inside, but then the lights turned on. The gunshots outside were muffled but could still be heard.
"Hello?" Vaggie called out.
"The Guardian of Hell and Charlie's little girlfriend from that tacky hotel in my house," Carmine spoke.
The lights turned on to reveal Carmine on a balcony looking down upon them.
"Explain what strange circumstances have brought you here," Carmine ordered.
Vaggie stepped forward, "Miss Carmine, we here, on behalf of both the Princess of Hell and the Guardian of Hell, enlist your aid and services against the Exorcists. Cody's brother, Tommy, and I.M.P. are at war with an organization of neo-templars known as the I.S.N.A. The Exorcist angels are working with them in their cleansing and extermination of any that are in their way or those they don't see as worthy or pure. Cody wishes to purchase an angelic weapon for his brother to aid him in his hunt for the I.S.N.A. and the Exorcists."
Carmine didn't show any sign of surprise. She remained calm as she answered very bluntly, "No."
Cody and Vaggie's eyes widened.
Vaggie started, "No? What do you mean no? The Princess of Hell—"
"Means nothing to me. You'll have to do better than that. You have two minutes," Carmine said.
Cody stepped forward, "Carmine, you're the best arms dealer regarding angelic weapons. I have money. I can pay you."
"Selling you weapons will make me an enemy of your enemies, and I'm not looking for that kind of trouble. I will not invite destruction on my house, on my people. 90 seconds."
Carmine started walking around the balcony.
"You think Cody asked for trouble? Do you think he asked to start a war? You think he asked to be number one on the VVV's hit list? Cody wasn't looking for trouble. It found him, and now he's fighting to protect his people, which, news flash, include your people too!" Vaggie stated firmly.
"And how has that turned out? Cody has more blood on his hands than most Overlords, many of whom have been here for centuries. I've seen that kind of bloody path, and I know how it ends. I won't allow myself or my people to be dragged into that. 45 seconds."
"Even if you remain neutral, that doesn't make you immune to trouble. Sooner or later, they'll come for you," Cody said.
"He's right. The I.S.N.A. and the Exorcists won't stop until all of demonkind are wiped out, and they'll kill any human on the surface that stands in their way or do worse. So, you can stand together with us today, or you can stand alone tomorrow, and what do you think your chances are then?" Vaggie questioned.
"You're both out of time," Carmine replied before letting out a jaguar's growl.
Vaggie was startled, but Cody remained unafraid. When Carmine attacked with her knife-like shoes, Cody grabbed her by the ankle in midair and threw her across the room. She should have crashed into the wall, but she landed on it. Vaggie drew her spear, but Cody held his hand out to stop her.
"We're not here to fight, Carmine!" Cody shouted.
"You'll have to if you want to defend yourself!" Carmine stated.
Carmine dashed with lightning speed. She got behind Cody, and he narrowly was about to block her kick. Cody had to pick up his speed to keep up with her. Vaggie attacked her, but Carmine spun around and kicked her. Cody lunged toward Carmine with punches and kicks, but she blocked and dodged each attack.
This continued until Carmine finally hit Cody in the gut, making him fall to his back and skid on the floor. Vaggie got kicked, and she landed on her side next to him.
"Come on! What is this?" Vaggie asked aggressively while shooting Carmine a glare.
"You want me to help you? Earn it. Helping you has to be worth it, and I'm not talking about money," Carmine said.
"And making us earn your services? By beating the shit out of us? I'm not used to fighting with long hair," Vaggie commented.
Carmine's hair was tied in double beehive-like horns. When Vaggie mentioned her long hair, Carmine united hers, letting it fall. Her white hair was so long, thick, straight, and layered. It was beautiful. It was a miracle that she could keep it out of the way.
"You'd let that get in your way? Because I don't. You don't see the flaws in your own fighting style. At least Cody is a match for me, but you? You're just like all your sisters," Carmine stated.
Vaggie's eye widened, as did Cody's. A chill went up Vaggie's spine, giving her goosebumps.
"Wait, you know I'm an Exorcist? How?" Vaggie asked.
"You have a giant 'X' over your eye and wield an angelic spear. It's not rocket science."
Vaggie turned to Cody, "Do you know?"
"Of course I did. I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. Asking a former angel why they fell from Heaven is the same as asking why a sinner demon is here in Hell, and that is arguably worse than asking an ex-convict why they went to prison. You don't ask those kinds of questions. There are boundaries, especially if you respect your friends," Cody explained.
Vaggie glanced back and forth between him and Carmine before asking.
"What did you mean by at least Cody's a match for you?" Vaggie questioned.
"Watch closely," Carmine said before dashing to Cody. She sent kicks and punches at him, but he blocked, parried, and dodged each attack.
"You see what he's doing? Do you see how he's deflecting each attack? I can do this all day, and I'm not going to land a hit on him," Carmine said and then stopped attacking, "There's no opening. I've only managed to hit him a few times, but even now, I have no idea if I'd survive a straight-up fight with him. You, on the other hand, I've lost count of how many times I've hit you. You leave yourself open with every swing. You fight like someone unafraid of harm, and this is what you'll take advantage of."
Vaggie's eye widened as she explained.
"Angels wield no shields, little armor, and fight with reckless abandon. The only reason Cody is an exception is because he's trained, and he listened to what his instructors showed and told him."
"You said we had to earn your help. What do we have to do? Beat you in a fight?" Cody asked.
Carmine stood up straight and marched over to Cody. Standing in front of her close enough to see one's reflection in her red eyes intimidated Cody. Her striking eyes could see right through anyone's soul, giving Cody a cold chill and increasing his heart rate – a bead of sweat trailed down the side of his head.
Carmine looked him square in the eye and asked him clearly, "You said you want a weapon for your brother, Tommy, to fight the Exorcists and the I.S.N.A. Is he fighting them out of vengeance or love?"
Cody hesitantly said, "Both."
This was enough for her to raise one eyebrow slightly.
"Let me explain. For the longest time I've known Tommy, he's always been a fighter. Ever since I was little, I knew that. When I was five years old, I went to the movie theater with him and two of his friends. I think he was in his sophomore or junior year in high school. Anyway, after the movie, these guys were harassing Tommy's friends because they were hot girls. So, he fought them off, three against one . . . and he won," Cody explained.
Carmine and Vaggie's eyes widened slightly at that last part.
"I thought he was a superhero the way he fought them. He moved like a real boxer, keeping his guard up. The point is, he's got fire in him but also goodness. I learned that from him, my friends here in Hell, and my mother, Loona. He's a good man. If his wife, Celeste, was American, Tommy would have joined the Navy Seals instead of the French Foreign Legion. These I.S.N.A. people tried to kill him and his pregnant wife. So, of course, he wants payback. But he also wants to protect his wife. He fights for her and that unborn child. I may be the Guardian of Hell and have slain powerful beings, but my brother is twice the man I'll ever be, and I say this for a fact, not with pride. That's why I want to give a weapon worthy for the warrior he is."
Carmine stared at him for a while, thinking, and then turned to Vaggie, "And you? What do you fight for?"
Before Vaggie could answer that, Carmine dashed around almost like a dancer. Then, when she landed on the ground, she started singing. Her song, 'Out For Love,' struck a chord with Cody and Vaggie – especially Vaggie. Cody watched as they moved together, not really fighting each other, but more of dancing – fight dancing.
Even Carmine, who had just met Vaggie, could see that Vaggie wanted revenge on the Exorcists for taking her eye and wings because she showed mercy. Cody knew why she was mainly singing to her and not Cody. She knows that Cody is already fighting for the people he cares about. She knows he's out for love, but she's trying to convey that message to Vaggie. Watching them together, they looked like mother and daughter.
However, what caught Cody off guard was when Vaggie slid down the stairs' railing and jumped in the air. When she did, her angelic wings deployed out. Even Carmine's eyes were widened.
"Well, look at that. You might just survive this," Carmine said with a grin.
Vaggie returned the same smile, "We're gonna need more weapons."
"Whoa," Cody breathed, making the two look at him, "You know, you two almost look like mother and daughter. It's really cool. Also, I know you're immune to flattery, but Carmine, you look really pretty with your hair down."
Carmine flapped her hair and said, "Of course I do."
Cody softly chuckled before asking, "So . . . about that weapon for Tommy? Is there any chance you have an enchanted weapon as well?"
"We don't have one, but with your help, we can make one," Carmine said.
"Me? Make one?"
"Yes. Angelic weapons are made by angels' hands. I can reforge and change them but can't make one from scratch. With your hands, we can make both a blessing-tipped weapon and an enchanted one."
"Uh, Carmine, I'm not a swordsmith. I don't know anything about blacksmithing," Cody said.
"We can guide you through it and help you. If civilians can be guided to land a commercial jet airplane from 30,000 feet, then surely you can be guided on how to make an enchanted, blessing-tipped sword. That is if you are willing to listen," Carmine replied.
Cody sighed, "Okay, I'll do my best."
They talked about managing Cody's time to make the weapon. Before Vaggie returned her wings, Cody got behind her and went into full Light Angel form, making his outline and eyes shine a bright white light even from his black wings. His black horns were not out in his Light Angel form, and his halo shined even brighter. He put his hand on Vaggie's back, and power from him went into her. Veggie grunted and cried out as the power went through her body, and then a second pair of white wings emerged from her upper back. They were smaller than her big wings on her lower back, but now she had four wings, all glowing golden light. Vaggie's one eye had light coming out of it. She looked down at her hands and spear for a long while, acknowledging her new power. Then she gripped it, engulfing the whole weapon with the same golden light. After a few seconds, her spear had changed, and when the light vanished, it revealed its new form. It was bigger; the spearhead blade was now cross-shaped with three blades. It looked a lot like the level three version of the Hyonunjin-Yari, or ice spear, in Onimusha 2.
Vaggie gazed upon it for a while, then looked at her other hand and summoned an energy sphere. Power lightning rippled from it like violent bursts of electricity, but Vaggie controlled it so that it did not hit her or anyone. Then she powered down, making the pupil in her eye return as she turned to Cody.
"Thank you, Cody," Vaggie said.
Cody nodded, "You're welcome . . . with these new wings comes new powers and abilities. Carmine, I ask that you train Vaggie to fight like you while I make the sword."
Carmine glanced at her before answering, "Yes. I agree, but only if she's willing to learn."
Vaggie nodded, "I am."
It was then that they noticed that the gunfire had stopped. Cody and Vaggie powered down, making their wings and the light vanish. They exited the building to see that Loona, Rachel, and Slade had successfully held off the attack. There were dozens of dead Skullers and looters. Some of the guards were dead and wounded, but they were holding it together. Half of the guards were keeping watch while the other half were picking weapons off of the dead Skullers and piling their corpses. Carmine's daughters were talking with the guard captain.
"Captain! Casualty report," Carmine ordered.
"11 dead, 24 wounded. All cargo containers accounted for, ma'am. They didn't take anything. Thanks to these three, we were able to hold them off," the captain guard answered.
Carmine's blonde daughter, Odette, spoke, "That's the fourth attack this month, Mother."
Then her white-haired daughter, Clara, added, "It's getting worse, Mom. They're going to keep attacking us. It's a problem."
Carmine groaned a heavy sigh and swore in Spanish.
"If we just knew what holes they crawled out of, then we would finish them off," Carmine said.
"I can take of them. I'll be right back," Cody said before going into complete Dark Angel form.
Cody's full Dark Angel form was the opposite of his Light Angel form. Dark power and magic engulfed his body, and zaps of lightning came off of him. There was no white halo, and his black horns were bigger than usual. His hands had claws, and his mouth had sharp fangs. He extended his six black wings and flew in the air, disappearing in a flash of light. After five minutes or so after Cody scanned the whole city, he found them. Then, a magical explosion of light and darkness erupted. There was a great sphere of light with darkness inside and giant lightning all around. It vanished after a loud boom and a bright flash, leaving a loud, thunderous boom that echoed throughout the city. Loona and the others looked away while using their arms to shield their eyes from the blinding light as it died down.
Cody was hovering in the air with his hands flexing, and his arms pointed at his target, the Skullers' hideout . . . former hideout now. They were using an abandoned baseball stadium as their base. It was there that they had everything they stole and looted: guns, ammo, vehicles, clothes, food, etc. They even had their own workshop to make amateur armored vehicles. However, what was left of them and their Overlord commander were destroyed along with the entire stadium. All that was left was an enormous crater hole.
Cody saw a few trying to flee in cars. He intercepted them and landed in front of them on the road. He used his powers to flip the cars over and make them crash. Using magic, he lifted two cars and bashed them together so hard that they exploded on impact. The last vehicle crashed into a street light, and the four demons crawled out of it, bleeding. Cody pulled out his blessing-tipped 1911 and shot the two running away. The shots hit them in the back, through their hearts, and out of their chests, leaving bloody dust clouds in the air before they burned to a crisp in white holy flames. The last two, Cody shot in the heads. Each gunshot echoed in the quiet streets. Cody watched them burn until the white flames were gone entirely before holstering his gun.
Then Cody flew back to the others at Carmine's compound. He powered down after he landed. Then he pulled out his phone and showed Carmine and her daughters photos of before and after. The before photos showed all the Skullers at the stadium, and the after photos showed the crater. Odette and Clara gasped while Carmine's eyes widened slightly.
"They're finished. They won't bother you ever again," Cody assured.
"I see you don't like to leave loose ends. That's good, even if it's brutal at times. I see you're using the blessing-tipped guns that Queen Lilith bought from me," Carmine said.
Loona's eyes widened, "Wait, she got these guns from you?"
Carmine nodded.
"Well, that makes sense. She is the best weapons dealer in all of Hell and an angelic arms dealer. Where else are you going to get blessing-tipped weapons?" Vaggie asked.
"I can name a few others, but they don't have much," Carmine answered.
Cody bowed his head before saying, "Ms. Carmine, I'm glad we could reach an agreement. I look forward to making this sword for my brother, Tommy."
Cody held his hand, and Carmine took it. What surprised her and everyone was after Cody shook it, he kissed her hand.
"Until we meet again, my lady. I wish you safety and good fortune," Cody said politely.
"Yes . . . until we meet again, Guardian of Hell," Carmine replied in the same manner.
Cody gave her a gentleman's bow, and she gave a lady's bow in return. Loona, Rachel, and Slade all had raised eyebrows but then grew smiles. Rachel playfully nudged Cody's arm, Slade nuzzled his hair, and Loona wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
"Well, look at you, Mr. Gentlemen. Can I get a bouquet to go with that champagne?" Loona teased while rubbing her furry cheek on his face.
"Would you like your vodka martini shaken or stirred, Mr. Bond?" Rachel added.
Cody blushed as they chuckled. Carmine noticed her daughters smiling and blushing as they got in the limo to drive back to the hotel.
"What are you two smiling about?" Carmine asked.
"Nothing, it's just . . . he's hot and really cool," Odette said.
"Yeah, he's pretty hot, and you gotta admit, Mom, he's got a real cute butt," Clara commented.
Carmine's eyes widened at her daughter's words. She looked back and watched Cody step into the limo, getting a good view of him from behind.
"You're not wrong there," Carmine agreed.
Meanwhile
Niss was slammed against the wall with the bag roughly removed from his head. His eyes were wide open as he was shaking with fear and adrenaline. Cherri Bomb was glaring at him with her one eye. Behind her were Dia, Summer, Kely, and Bloody Mary. Niss saw that he was at an abandoned, isolated place – no one to hear his screams. It was dark, with bright headlights from cars behind the girls. Niss turned to see his older sister, Molly, marching over, looking disappointed as she crossed one pair of arms while the other had their hands on her hips. Dia had one of her guns out while Summer was flexing her claws, and Cherri had a bomb out and ready in one hand and a knife in the other.
"What the fuck is this? Birds of Prey from Hell?" Niss questioned.
"Where's Angel?" Cherri asked.
"Angel?! How should I know?" Niss replied.
"Who's the Grand Overlord?" Dia questioned.
"What? Grand Over—What the fuck are you talking about?!" Niss demanded.
Molly got closer and glared at him while speaking seriously, "Let's make this easy for you, Niss. You got wind that Angel reached atonement and didn't like that. You didn't want him to go to Heaven while you would be stuck down here in Hell."
"You ratted him out to Valentino—your own brother. Your own flesh and blood," Cherri spoke angrily and sullenly.
"Atonement? Angel?! Bullshit! That two-dollar crack whore couldn't earn himself a spot as a boy scout!" Niss argued.
"But you never liked him. So, you had no problem ratting him out," Summer stated.
"Angel and Husk tried to get to Heaven but were locked out. So, they went to the Grimms to smuggle them into Heaven," Kely went on.
"But they were killed by Valentino because you ratted on him," Bloody Mary added.
The whole time they were talking, Niss's eyes were wide open with surprise.
"What are you, crazy?! I didn't rat on Angel! I don't even know where he is!" Niss argued.
Molly growled, grabbed them by the throat, and held him high, choking him. Niss was gasping for air, but someone called, "Stop!"
They turned to see Sir Pentious hurrying over as they pointed their guns at him. He had a scared and desperate face as he held his hands up.
"Don't hurt him!" Pentious cried out.
"Pen, stay back!" Niss ordered.
"It wasn't Niss! It was me! I ratted out Angel!" Pentious said.
Everyone's eyes, including Niss's, widened.
"What?" Molly asked as she lowered Niss.
"It was me. I ratted on Angel. The VVV caught me, and they threatened to kill Niss if I didn't hand him over. So, I followed Angel and Husk to their smuggler. I listened to their conversations, hacked their phones, and got their soul smugglers' names and addresses on the surface and gave it all to them," Pentious explained.
"What?" Niss uttered.
Dia raised her gun at Pentious's head with wide, angry eyes, "So, you got those Grimms killed? You're the reason why Cody's an orphan?!"
Pentious had tears escaping his eyes, "I had no choice! He was going to kill Niss!"
"Who? Valentino?! The VVV's?!" Molly questioned.
"No! Adam!"
It got quiet as a graveyard as most of the anger vanished.
"Adam? As in the leader of the Exorcists?" Bloody Mary asked.
"Bullshit! He's fucking with us!" Kely jabbed.
"No, it's true. He said if I didn't give them what they wanted, they would have made me watch as they would kill Niss slowly, and I (sobs) I couldn't let that happen because (sobs) I love you, Niss!" Pentious exclaimed.
Niss had sorrowful eyes as he looked at his snake-like boyfriend, "I love you too, baby. I fucking love you."
Summer opened her claws, and that got Pentious's attention. The claws were close to his throat.
"Adam wanted Angel?" Summer asked.
"No, he wanted the soul smugglers. Adam made a deal with Valentino. The deal was that if Val killed those Grimms, he could have Angel Dust. That was the plan! That boy being made into an orphan wasn't part of the plan! But when Adam found out Cody was still alive, that's when he made Valentino try to kill Cody! Adam found Angel on the surface and would give him his location. So, Val went to Imp City to kill him, but that's when Cody's angelic powers were awakened, and he met his fatal end," Pentious explained nervously.
"And those blimp battleships? You gave those to the VVV?" Cherri asked.
"No! They stole my design when they held me at gunpoint, threatening to kill Niss!"
They stared at the two demons silently until Molly finally released her lesser brother from her grasp. Niss and Pentious instantly hugged each other, but the girls pointed their weapons at them.
"Gunpoint or not, they got blood on their hands. If it weren't for these two, Cody's parents would still be alive," Blood Mary said.
"Let's just kill these fuckers and get out of here," Dia said as she pulled the hammer back on her gun.
Niss pulled Pentious behind him, "No! Don't hurt him! He didn't want to hurt anyone, and he sure as fuck didn't mean to get anyone killed. He was just looking out for me! You want to hurt someone, hurt me!"
"Fine! We'll kill you both!" Cherri roared.
"No!" Molly ordered.
"No? What do you mean no?" Bloody Mary asked.
"You're not seriously letting them go, are you?!" Kely questioned.
"Cody deserves to know the truth . . . and these are going to look him in the eye and tell him that. After that, it'll be his decision what their fate should be," Molly stated.