"I won't say it again," Seth snarled, his hook pressing even closer to Crystal's throat. "Where. is. GAAP!?"
Seeing her girlfriend held hostage and at the Duck Demon's mercy, both at gunpoint AND hookpoint no less, Kanya wanted nothing more than to run up to them, kick Seth in the balls and take the Mermaid Sinner in her arms. However, Bella and Clara were all too quick to hold her back before she got the chance. As much as they sympathized with the Demon Noble, now was not the time to be rash… especially since her father finally chose to stop cowering away and stepped forward.
"Okay, the fuck is happening NOW!?" the Goetia Prince snapped, his hair looking completely dishevelled from the stress. "I mean, what more can this night possibly have to throw at me that's all gonna… YOU!?"
Seeing Crystal being held in front of the Duck Demon, all traces of stress and fear in Gaap's eyes were immediately replaced by pure rage, so much so that his voice turned truly demonic, albeit briefly. What's more, his rage seemed to spread towards the horde led by Valefar's daughters, filling them with dread like a haunting miasma, sobering them all up in an instant. Seeing this reaction across the room, even Mick and the others felt the fear coursing through them. The only one that seemed to get any sort of positive reaction, however, was Seth himself.
"Oh, I'll tell you what's going on, great Prince," he snickered. "A highly disgusting display! You see, I found this plebeian lurking in the lobby trying to get past your Elementals. If I had to guess, I'd say that she thinks she still has a chance with your daughter!"
Hearing those words come out of Seth's beak, he had all but confirmed what Mick had suspected ever since Crystal told him what happened. So this bastard WAS the one who ratted her and Kanya out! And all probably just for kicks! Now here he was, taking advantage of the situation for his own benefit!? If Mick hadn't been able to control himself, he would have run up and broken the Duck Demon's neck right there and then. After all, it's not like anyone would actually miss him.
"So… the little slut can't take a hint, huh?" Gaap scoffed, gripping his cane tightly in his hand.
"Mhm," Seth replied with a smirk. "Hell, I'll bet SHE was the one who brought Valefar's bitches here!"
Needless to say, the women in question did not take kindly to being insulted like that.
"Hey!" one snapped.
"The fuck you say!?" screamed another.
SNAP!
Upon the sound of Gaap's cane breaking in two in his palm, Valefar's daughters were once again shaken to silence. With all the chaos they had brought to the hotel before, it was almost surreal to see them so passive. It would seem that even they could be subdued if given the right motivation to do so, that being the fury of a pissed-off Goetia at his breaking point.
"It's not true!" Crystal pleaded, her eyes once again beginning to water at the sight of Gaap's hard gaze. "I didn't bring them, I swear!"
"SHUT IT!" Seth snapped, his ego causing him to snarl over being interrupted before returning his attention to Gaap. "Now I've had a very trying night, so I think I'm due some compensation. So what say I give this fishy bitch to you, and in return, you give me a little spending cash and a ride to the next available hotel so I can finally get the downtime I deserve, hmm?"
So the entitled scumbag still believed he was deserving of whatever he desired even when reality kept telling him otherwise? If this was what he's like with a stranger, fuck knows what Linda must have gone through while under his employ. In retrospect, Mick was glad that the little Imp girl wasn't here to witness this. Much to everyone's unease, Gaap merely chuckled in response to the Duck's demand.
"Uh-huh, yeah sure," he commented sarcastically, tossing the pieces of his cane off to the side. "And what would compel me to do that, hmm? What's my incentive here?"
Seth, however, appeared to be prepared for such a response.
"Well… I could always kill her myself," he admitted, his smirk suddenly growing wider as he pressed his gun further into Crystal's head. "But I figured you'd want to do it even more. Consider this a gift of sorts, what's more, call the money and ride a simple thank you."
Listening to those words oozing out of Seth's mouth, Mick actually felt physically sick. This may have been Hell, but his lack of empathy for another life truly was at a completely different level. What's worse was that Gaap actually seemed to be considering the proposal he was being offered!
"Hmm, well, you did seem to bring this whole nightmare to a halt…" he said, gesturing to the trespassers to his hotel and making a mental note to sue their father for everything he had. "…so don't let it be said that Prince Gaap isn't a generous man… Deal!"
"NO!"
That was the last thing Kanya cried out before Mick and the others watched her suddenly jump out of hiding and run over towards the direction of her girlfriend.
"No, Kanya wait!" Mick called after her.
"She's gonna get herself killed!" Bella added, pulling at her hair in distress.
Alas, there was no stopping Kanya now. Not that Mick could blame her, of course. If it had been Octavia being held hostage, he probably would have done the same thing. However, there was a BIG difference between a bodyguard who had already beaten the shit out of the kidnapper and a Swimsuit Model standing up to her father.
"Now, I warned you what would happen, didn't I?" Gaap snarled, glaring at Crystal with utter disgust as he took a few steps forward, his hand now beginning to emanate an aura of dark magic. "I warned you what would happen if you dared to place a fin into my hotel or come near my daughter again?"
In response, Crystal could only whimper as the Goetia Prince came ever closer.
"Well, let's see what'll happen once I drain every drop of water out of that body of yours!"
Just as Gaap was raising his hand towards Crystal's face, however, Kanya immediately stepped in between them, her face twisted with rage.
"Don't you dare!" she yelled, causing fresh tears to fall from Crystal's face upon seeing her beloved girlfriend defending her. "Dad, please, don't do this!"
Thankfully, his daughter's interference did seem to make Gaap hesitate, if only for a moment. However, his inner conflict only lasted for as little as three seconds before he shook his head and regained his snarl.
"Honey, I love you and your pleas have not fallen on a heart made of stone," he said with a light scoff. "But those who touch MY daughter must DIE in the most brutal way possible!"
Seeing Gaap's magic flare up once again, Mick and the others once again gasped in fear.
"Aw shit," Clara uttered. "This is bad!"
"What are we gonna do!?" Johnny added, feeling just as terrified as the others.
At those words, Mick immediately tried racking his brain for any sort of plan, any idea that would get the two girls away from these two monsters. If either of them gets hurt now, he'd never be able to forgive himself. What's worse was when Kanya chose that particular moment to stoke the flames.
"You are such a damn hypocrite," she spat, her anger now overtaking her fear. "You go around porking every girl in sight, but when it comes to your own daughter-"
"ENOUGH!"
Upon hearing Gaap's outburst, everyone feared that he was going to lash out at his own daughter for her defiance. Thankfully he managed to calm himself down just as quickly.
"Okay, fine, fine, I'm cool, I'm fine," he uttered, trying to straighten himself out before wrapping an arm around his daughter. "Okay, honey, mellow with me a sec. Do you really think I like seeing my baby girl mad at me? Of course not, but I gotta make sure my precious little gem remains unblemished, especially when the one doing the blemishing is some slutty hippy."
"Don't you call her-" Kanya, tried to snap only for her father to silence her with a finger to her lips.
"BUT, since you seem to like her so much, I got a feeling you're gonna leap at my new offer," the Prince continued. "You don't make a fuss about putting this fish down and I'll make sure her body is respectfully stuffed and put on display. I get the satisfaction that my best girl remains untouched and you get a lovely new piece of artwork to model with. Bing, bang, boom! We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What d'ya say? Come on."
Kanya didn't know which was worse, the fact that her father could come up with such a disgusting solution or that he actually expected her to be grateful for it! Either way, there was only one possible answer the Swimsuit Model could give.
"Fuck you, Dad!"
Needless to say, hearing his daughter say that to him made Gaap's eyes shrink with a mixture of surprise and anger. However, before he could even get a moment to get over the initial shock, something, or rather someone came bursting into the room.
BOOM!
"GOOD EVENING TRITON!"
"Oh, what now!?" Gaap groaned, unable to resist the urge to facepalm.
Snapping their heads around, everyone, Mick's group included, was shocked to see none other than Valefar himself stagger into the ballroom, with one arm hugging a half-empty bottle of bourbon and the other wrapped around the waist of one of the four wives who followed him in. Upon seeing the large, hooved feline, Johnny couldn't help but gulp. With everything that had happened with his daughters tonight, everyone had practically forgotten that the big man himself had come to the hotel with them.
"Hey, hey, what's with the downtrodden faces!?" Valefar bellowed, his voice slightly slurred with being completely drunk. "It's a party, ain't it? Where's the music and the titties!? Haha!"
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Seth snapped, clearly losing his patience at this point.
Johnny, on the other hand, saw this sudden arrival as a spark of inspiration… one that he intended to fan into a flame of pure mayhem.
"I got an idea!" he declared, suddenly jumping out of hiding toward the opposite direction of the door. "Get ready to run!"
Mick may not have had a clue regarding what was going on through his fellow Sinner's head, but unfortunately, he proved too quick to stop him and ask. As of now, all Mick, Clara and Bella could do was sit and anxiously wait.
"Look, you big oaf!" Seth snapped, taking his gun away from Crystal's head for a brief moment to point it at Valefar. "We're kinda in the middle of something here so why don't you just take your whores and piss off!"
Gasping in offence, all four of Valefar's wives and their daughters instantly glared at the Duck Demon as if he were about to be stuffed and roasted. However, once again, Seth proved so oblivious to the feelings of others, he didn't realize how badly he screwed himself over.
"Ooh, it seems like Alfred J Kwak's got some balls on him to speak about my women like that," Valefar snarled.
SMASH!
Breaking his bottle of bourbon against the nearest solid object and pointing the shards at Seth's shocked face, his eyes glowing in fury as he glared at him with disgust, Valefar was suddenly and literally inches away from giving Seth a whole new kind of facelift.
"Woah! Woah! Now let's all back up a second here!" Gaap blurted out, quickly trying to diffuse the situation before it started by gently taking the broken bottle out of Valera's hand. "Now we're all adults here, so let's all just calmly and rationally-"
CLANG!
Unfortunately, Gaap's words fell upon deaf ears when all of a sudden, a large, metal soup ladle came flying out of nowhere and hit Valefar in the face.
"Hey!" Gaap snapped angrily, scanning the room for the culprit as his fellow Goetia rubbed his reddening face. "Who threw that!?"
At that moment, said culprit, AKA Johnny popped his head out from underneath another table and called out.
"The duck did it!"
"Wait, what!?" Seth uttered in a mixture of shock and anger.
Unfortunately for him, Valefar heard the call and suddenly made his move before anyone had the chance to correct him.
"Oh, wise guy, eh?" he huffed, cracking his knuckles in a blind rage. "Pull a gun on me, eh? Well, fuck you, Howard!"
BAM!
SMASH!
That was the last thing Seth heard before Valefar's fist collided with his face, forcing him to release his hostage and sending him flying across the room and crashing into another table, much to everyone's surprise and enjoyment.
"Crystal!" Kanya yelled, running over to her girlfriend and tackling her in a tight yet tearful embrace. "Oh, thank Lucifer, you're alright!"
"Oh, Kanya…" Crystal uttered, sobbing into her beloved's shoulder as she melted into the embrace.
Unfortunately, this display of affection did NOT sit well with Gaap.
"YOU!" he snarled, brandishing his claws and with his entire arm pulsating with dark magic. "I told you to stay away from my- GAH!"
Suddenly the Goetia Prince felt extreme pain in his shoulder when something dropped down from the ballroom ceiling and sank its teeth into him… that something shockingly being none other than BUZZ!
"AAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Gaap wailed, thrashing all over the place to shake the little Imp off him. "DAMN IT, GET THE FUCK OFF ME, YOU LITTLE PARASITE!"
Given how random Buzz was at times, it really shouldn't have been a surprise that he would suddenly appear at this moment. And yet, for the first time since the night started, Mick was actually grateful to have such an insane friend.
"RUN FOR IT!" the Cat Demon suddenly cried out, shouting over to Kanya and Crystal in particular.
Quickly realizing that they both had the opportunity to act, the two lovers nodded and followed Mick's instructions, making a quick beeline for the door. However, with Valefar's daughters currently subdued, it was at that moment that numerous Hellhound security guards blocked their path.
"Halt! In the name of Prince Gaap!" one snapped, his dishevelled fur making it look like he was really on the edge of sanity.
"Sorry, Princess," said another, looking somewhat regretful. "It's nothing personal."
Kanya, of course, only growled at such a comment. Of course, these overgrown mutts would value their jobs over the smallest shred of decency. That's why her father hired them, after all… However, there was still one Demon who had a completely different outlook.
POW!
"AWOOO!"
Suddenly one of the hellhounds let out a yelp when something suddenly collided with the back of his leg and caused him to collapse, revealing Mick seemingly itching for a fight.
"Sorry boys… nothing personal," he chuckled as his fist ignited with blue fire before he suddenly punched another Hellhound in the gut.
With that one punch the entire confrontation escalated into a full-blown fight between Mick and the Hellhound security. A fight that one of the youngest daughters of Valefar was quick to notice.
"Girls!" she gasped. "It's. A. BRAWL!"
And so began an entirely new domino effect amongst the daughters and their horde. With Gaap distracted with the crazed Imp, any sense of dread they had was instantly replaced with a fresh surge of excitement that spread like a new blaze of Hellfire. And so the chaos resumed, this time with a brand new theme.
"FREE FIGHT!"
With that one scream, those who weren't already incapacitated were dragged into an all-out brawl! No longer was the horde looking to get into the pants of their victims, but instead found themselves simply beating the shit out of them. At this point, those who chose to stay out of it didn't know who was the more insane, the daughters of a crazed lion, the idiot who threw something AT said lion, or the lunatic who knocked over the first domino by attacking Gaap… then again, in his drunken state, one could argue that Valefar himself was just as insane for getting into it himself.
"A fight!?" he bellowed with excitement, suddenly grabbing the nearest chair and raising it above his head. "YEAH, BABY!"
SMASH!
Within moments, that chair was smashed across Gaap's head, reducing it to splinters and sending Buzz flying off his back, leaving Gaap himself to fall to the floor, most likely with a brand new concussion. Meanwhile, while the chaos spread all around him, Johnny once again had to take cover to avoid getting caught up in it. However, seeing Mick try to take on the Hellhounds a mere yard or two from the door, he knew that he had to get out there and help… if only it were that easy.
"What are you doing here, lover?!" the Greaser suddenly heard as he was grabbed from behind before he was forced to look a very pissed-off Margaret in the eye.
"I… uh… I don't suppose this'll affect my chances for the job?" Johnny commented with a sheepish chuckle.
Of course, the Spaniel Hellhound wasn't amused in the slightest. In fact, judging from the twitching in her eye, it looked as though she was ready to rip out Johnny's throat with her bare teeth.
"OOF!"
Unfortunately for her, Margaret would never get that chance since mere moments later, she was knocked to the floor by a flying Imp named Buzz. Of course, even as the Goetia's Gardener shook off the dust, it looked as though the impact wasn't nearly enough to knock out the adrenaline.
"COWABUNGA!" he yelled, seemingly ready for another round.
"Come on!" Johnny yelled, rolling his eyes as he grabbed Buzz by the scruff of his neck. "Let's get out of here!"
"Urk!"
While the two of them made a dash for it, the Manager could only groan with anxiety.
"I don't get paid enough for this shit!" she exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Mick, Kanya and Crystal were still in the middle of their own struggles. Despite being a decent fighter, Mick was, unfortunately, unable to go all out due to purposely limiting his abilities in hopes of avoiding anyone recognising him and connecting him to Octavia. As such, all he could do was dodge the Hellhounds' punches and bites and swing random attacks of his own while attempting to keep them all away from Kanya and Crystal. However, now that she didn't have a hook to her throat, the Mermaid Sinner was free to act on something she had wanted to do since entering the room.
"Mick, DUCK!" she yelled.
Though somewhat startled by the outburst, Mick nonetheless did as instructed, immediately crouching down to the floor and giving Crystal the opening she needed.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!
Just like before, Crystal's powerful voice exploded out of her mouth with a loud shriek, only this time, it did a lot more damage than simply causing ear pain. With Mick diving out of the way, Crystal's voice managed to blast all of the Hellhounds back with the force of a cannon, sending all of them flying into the nearest wall with their ears ringing. Watching all of the Hellhounds crumble to the floor, Kanya couldn't help but laugh.
"That's my girl!" she chuckled, tackling her into a small hug and giving Crystal cause to blush.
The touching moment between the two aside, there was something far more important that Mick was quick to notice. With the Hellhounds down, the path to the door was wide open!
"Everyone, go!" he called out. "Go! Go! Go!"
Hearing the Cat Demon's words, everyone he was associated with immediately ran for the door, with the runaway lovers making it out first and Clara and Bella following shortly after.
"Come on guys!" Mick shouted, throwing his voice over to Buzz and Johnny, who were lagging behind. "Get the lead out!"
Of course, neither Buzz nor Johnny needed to hear Mick's shouting to know that much. Given all of the madness happening around them, what sane person WOULDN'T want to get out as soon as possible? However, just as the two were nearing the door, they suddenly found their path blocked by one of the bigger Hellhounds, a big bruiser of a Rottweiler, who had somehow managed to stay conscious after Crystal's attack.
"Where do you think you're going!?" he snarled, his maw salivating while a trickle of blood dripped out of one of his ears.
Unable to stand any more insanity, however, Johnny could only respond to this with a furious hiss, his forked tongue wriggling out of his mouth as he pulled out his switchblade.
"Through you, if you don't fucking move!" he snapped back, his rage and frustration finally reaching their breaking point after everything that's happened.
The Hellhound, however, wasn't intimidated in the slightest. In fact, his only response to that was a thunderous bark and an attempt to sink his teeth into Johnny's throat. Alas, he failed to realize the level of desperation of one of his targets… and the lunacy of the other.
"Banzai!"
Before he even realized what was happening, the poor Hellhound suddenly ended up with a blade in his shoulder and an Imp biting down on his ear, courtesy of Johnny throwing both at him at once.
"GAH!" he screamed. "Get the fuck off-"
CRUNCH!
"-MEEHEE!"
One swift kick to the balls later and the Hellhound was immediately down for the count. The moment he collapsed at Johnny's feet, the Snake Demon pulled his switchblade out of the Hellhound's shoulder and once again made a run for it.
"Sorry, we won't be coming back, thank yoooooooou!"
That was the last thing the downed Hellhound heard Johnny yell before he and Buzz headed straight for the door…. Only for Buzz to run straight back, grab a discarded fork off the floor and pour salt in the wound by stabbing it in his left ass cheek!
"YIPE!"
"Take THAT, Ass-sniffer!" The Imp exclaimed before cackling like a madman, seemingly enjoying the Hellhound's pain way too much. "Bahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Fully enraged with the pain and humiliation, the Hellhound wasn't going to let that last assault stand.
"Get the small one!" he yelled, aiming his voice at some of his fellow Hounds who remained conscious and pointing towards the fleeing Imp.
If only he could have known how good Buzz's hearing was… or how much he screwed up by giving said Imp a challenge. Seeing the fresh group of Hellhounds blocking his way, the deranged Gardener could only sum up his predicament in a single word.
"Playtime!"
Charging like a quarterback in a football game, he jumped and rammed his elbow into the sides of his frontal pursuers, shocking them with his strength and causing them to yelp in pain before he tripped them up with his tail. Rather than heading straight for the door, he weaved left, then right, then every other direction in between, practically running all over the ballroom while Hellhounds tried in vain to catch him. At one point, an entire chunk of Hellhounds even tried to gang up on him, only to end up in a literal dogpile when he jumped out of the way.
Soon enough, however, Buzz made his big finale by ramming into one of the larger Hellhounds, knocking him over by using his horns like a pissed-off goat before springboarding off his head, leaping up onto one of the few tables that hadn't been overturned. After that, he then ran across said table, and leapt into the air, only to come straight down and bounce off a dazed Valefar's giant belly like a trampoline, allowing him to grab the chandelier. Once he made the grab, the movement caused him to swing around and around the ceiling until finally, he let go, sending him flying feet first straight towards the door… and into Gaap's awaiting chin.
"Ugh… what hit-"
BAM!
Moments after suddenly regaining consciousness, the poor Goetia was suddenly sent flying into the wall, missing the doors by inches and getting knocked back into a daze.
"Wassa Goop?" he babbled, his last words melting into a slur before he once again lost consciousness.
With his fall broken, Buzz could only cackle even louder as he finally made it to the door.
"Long live King Richard!" he triumphantly screamed back into the room. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEHEE!"
"The fuck are you even talking about!?" Johnny snapped, stepping back into the ballroom briefly to once again pull the Imp out by the back of his neck.
"Urk!"
Soon enough, the whole group consisting of Mick, Buzz, Johnny, Clara, Bella and, of course, Kanya who carried Crystal bridal style as they ran, finally made it outside the hotel. With their goal accomplished, it was now only a matter of making their way through the parking lot and escaping this forsaken resort before Gaap and his staff got the chance to recover and go on the hunt. Luckily, they had one other team member waiting for them in Johnny's van.
"Come on, guys!" Linda cried out, opening the sliding door and honking the horn as soon as she caught the slightest glimpse of Mick heading in her direction. "Hurry!"
With Linda guiding their way, it didn't take long at all for the group to find the van and make their way over towards it, with Johnny immediately dashing the driver's door.
"Everyone get in back!" he yelled, catching his keys as soon as Linda threw them over.
Diving into the van, Johnny wasted no time in forcing the key into the ignition, praying that this wasn't one of the days his engine flooded. Meanwhile, everyone else quickly began to pack themselves into the back of the van, given the increased number of passengers, it was somewhat of a struggle to get everyone in so quickly. Thankfully, Buzz and Linda were small enough to simply fill the smaller gaps and Crystal certainly wasn't complaining when she found herself sitting on Kanya's lap. Eventually, everyone was in and they were ready to go, with Mick quickly grabbing the passenger seat in front.
"Alright, now let's get the fuck out of here, before-"
SHIING!
Suddenly, something pierced the hood of the van, causing everyone to scream and bring their attention towards the front windshield. There they were all met with the sight of a furious-looking Seth stabbing his hook into the hood of the van, looking more dishevelled and bloodied than ever before. Undoubtedly he must have had to force his way through the brawl just to follow the group out here.
"You motherfuckers!" he snarled, his rage practically causing his feathers to fall out rather than ruffle.
"Christ, this guy never quits!" Crystal uttered, not sure whether to be in awe or terrified at the Duck Demon's level of pettiness.
Johnny, however, was more concerned with his van, rather than the circumstances.
"HEY!" he shouted through the window. "HOOK OFF THE BABY, ASSHOLE!"
Alas, that outburst only seemed to piss Seth off even more.
"You fucking plebians!" he snapped, growling like a wild animal. "If you think I'm going to let any of you walk away after-"
CLANG!
"GAH!"
Suddenly, before he could even think of finishing his sentence, he felt a sharp, bone-shattering pain in his shin before he collapsed to the ground, leaving his hook still lodged in the hood with a small pop. Clutching his leg in agony, Seth could only look up and gasp in shock upon seeing Linda standing over him, a rusty tire iron in her hand and a disgusted scowl on her face. Given how the young Imp took the opportunity to finally pluck up her courage and sneak out of the back of the van before catching the Duck Demon off guard, Mick could only wince as he began to have suspicions of what was going to happen next.
"Why can't you just leave us alone?" she growled, the pain on her face as she relived memories of her past clear for all to see. "You're a vile, pathetic monster… You hurt people just for your own sick enjoyment… and just because it's not up to your own twisted standards, you just can't stand it when the 'lower class' are trying to be happy with the ones they love!"
At that moment, everyone in the van saw Linda raise her head, seeing the tears of anguish flow down her face as she bared her teeth like a rabid beast while raising the tire iron above her head.
"YOU ASSHOLE!"
Before anyone could even do anything, Linda swung the tire iron down and ruthlessly began to beat Seth with it to within an inch of his life.
"You."
CLANG!
"Ruined."
CLANG!
"My."
CLANG!
"Fucking."
CLANG!
"LIFE!"
With every swing of the iron, Seth let out a loud yell of agony as Linda continued her assault, giving those in the van cause to cringe as they heard the occasional crunch of bone.
"Shit…" Johnny uttered. "Watch out for the quiet ones."
"Should we stop her or...?" Crystal uttered, unable to fathom how such a gentle Imp could be so brutal.
"Maybe we should give her a minute?" her girlfriend argued. "Looks like she needs to get it all out of her system first."
Hearing that, Mick certainly wasn't going to argue. As one of Linda's closest friends, he understood completely that this was something the young Imp needed. If anything, he was somewhat proud of Linda for facing her fear of this asshole. Perhaps this will even allow her to finally get some closure.
"Hate to say it, but we don't HAVE a minute," Johnny hastily pointed out. "Don't know if you noticed but we're kinda in the middle of an escape here!"
"Right," Mick agreed with a nod before stepping out of the van and placing a hand on Linda's shoulder. "Liddy, honey, time to go."
But, of course, Linda had to get one final swing in before she relented.
"FUCKER!" she screamed.
CRUNCH!
"IEHEEE!"
The last thing Seth felt at that moment was the pure agony between his legs before he finally passed out completely, his body battered, bruised and ready for the crows.
After that, Mick calmly and gently ushered Linda back into the van, allowing Johnny to rev up the engine and slam his foot on the accelerator, allowing him to drive the van straight for the exit. Finally, after all the insanity, it was all over. The escape was a success!
"Fuck yeah!" Buzz cheered as everyone else let out their own laughter or sighs of relief. With any luck, there will finally be no more life-threatening drama tonight.
Linda, on the other hand, couldn't stop trembling as she clung onto the tire iron like it was a security blanket, something which Mick was quick to notice when he took a brief glimpse over his shoulder from the front seat.
"You okay there, Liddy?" he asked softly, with a tone riddled with concern.
Of course, it took a brief moment for Linda to shake herself off and provide an answer.
"Y-yeah," she stuttered, trying desperately to form her words despite how confused and shell-shocked she was feeling. "I-I-I just don't know what came over me back there. I NEVER lash out like that!"
Hearing that, Johnny couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's called bottled-up anxiety, sweetheart," he pointed out. "Sooner or later it always ends up blowing up in someone's face, especially if they deserve it."
That certainly made sense, given how many times Linda was forced to face Seth that weekend, it certainly was no wonder that she let the bastard have it right towards the end. That being said, it was still hard to imagine such a sweet girl could have such a savage side along with her moments of sass.
"Oh by the way, Mick," Johnny continued, grabbing the Cat Demon's attention by pulling out a certain mask from between the seats. "Think you might want this back?"
"Thanks, man," Mick replied, gratefully accepting the facial wear whilst also being glad he had earlier given it to Linda for safekeeping.
Pacing outside the train station where she and the others first arrived, Octavia continued to worry for everyone's safety, especially Mick and Linda's. Arriving here a mere hour ago with Bruce, the only thing she could do was wait and hope that Mick's plan worked out the way he hoped. Alas, so far there has been no word nor sign of anyone since they went their separate ways.
"Y-you don't suppose they got into trouble, do you?" she asked, looking up at Bruce who stood nearby whilst keeping an eye out for any trouble.
"If sir Mick is as great as you say, Princess, then I wouldn't worry too much,"
At that moment, as if responding to the Hellhound's words, a loud car horn alerted the two of them to the arrival of a familiar large van pulling up in front of the station, followed by the most welcomed group of familiar faces stepping out of it.
"Aw, man!" Johnny exclaimed after ripping Seth's lodged hook out of his hood, whimpering upon seeing the gaping hole he left in it. "Look what that dick did to my baby!"
"Hey, bright side: souvenir!" Buzz chuckled, snatching the hook and waving it around like a trophy… only for Johnny to immediately snatch it back.
"More like evidence, jackass!" He snapped, tossing the hook into a garbage can a few feet away from the van, much to Buzz's disappointment.
"Awwwww!"
Of course, glad as Octavia was to see that everyone seemed to be alright, needless to say, she was ecstatic to see two Demons in particular. One whose freshly donned mask caused her to blush intensely.
"Guys!" she yelled, running up to Mick and tackling him into a bone-crushing hug "Thank fuck, you're alright!"
"Wow, I didn't know you'd miss us THAT much, Octi," Linda commented, her stress quickly melting away the second she bore witness to the reunion of her favourite couple ship… despite her current reservations concerning one of them.
Needless to say, Octavia could understand the attitude behind her attendant's comment. Undoubtedly, she was going to have to put in a lot of effort before earning Linda's full trust back. But regardless of the circumstances, the Goetia Princess was glad that when kneeling down and giving Linda her hug, the little Imp still returned the embrace, albeit a little hesitantly.
"Seriously, what happened back there?" she asked. "You two had me worried."
At those words, both Mick and Linda couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"I'm afraid that's a story that's too long and exhausting to be told in one sitting," he pointed out, to which Octavia gave an understanding nod.
"Holy shit, you weren't kidding!" Kanya suddenly blurted out, drawing their attention to the two lovers staring up at the giant Hellhound amongst the group. "Bruce really IS with you guys!"
"A most adequate pleasure to see you, Miss Kanya," Bruce replied with a respectful bow of his head.
"And he speaks so eloquently too," Crystal added with a whisper.
No one could blame Kanya for reacting like this, of course. After Crystal gave her a brief explanation of everything on the van ride over here, it wasn't all that surprising to see that she was sceptical once Bruce's change of allegiance was brought up. Now that she saw the Hellhound with her own eyes, however, she wasn't going to doubt anything else her girlfriend said.
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Suddenly, Octavia felt her Hellphone vibrate in her purse. But the moment she took it out to ignore the call, she instantly cringed as soon as she saw the Caller ID.
"Please tell me that's not who I think it is," Mick uttered, only for Octavia to shake her head.
"It's my mum," she admitted, much to Mick and Linda's dismay. "She probably wants to know how the date went."
Figures that woman would call now. In all honesty, given the chaos of the evening, one couldn't help but wonder how they were even able to briefly forget that Stella had come to the hotel too. Alas, once again, reality turned out to be a cruel bitch.
"I don't think we want to hear this," Linda commented with a shudder. "M-maybe you should let it go to voicemail?"
Octavia, however, could only shake her head at that.
"She'll just keep calling," she pointed out with a groan. "Might as well get it over and done with."
As much as they didn't like the idea, Mick and Linda nonetheless gave Octavia an understanding nod as she pressed the green icon and put the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she uttered nervously, only to wince and swiftly pull the phone away from her ear due to the sheer volume of her mother's voice.
"OCTAVIA, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" the elder Goetia screamed from the other end of the call. "I JUST CAME BACK TO THE HOTEL AND THE ENTIRE FIRST FLOOR HAS PRACTICALLY BURNT DOWN!"
Given how loud she was screaming, practically everyone within earshot could hear Stella's voice even without Octavia putting her phone on speaker. As such, they could only thank their lucky stars that said Goetia wasn't actually standing before them.
"Mum, please calm down, I can-" Octavia began, only for her mother to cut her off.
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" she snapped. "OCTAVIA, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?"
The moment she heard her mother ask that question, Octavia immediately slapped her hand over the phone and looked to her attendants in a panic.
"What the fuck am I supposed to tell her!?" she uttered in a harsh whisper.
Thankfully, Mick once again came to her rescue.
"Alright, in times like this we have to do the most responsible thing... lie our fucking asses off!" the Cat Demon declared, much to everyone's surprise. "We blame Seth for everything and hope she takes the bait."
As shocking as it was to see the usually honest Mick suggest openly lying to Stella, given that it was STELLA, no one felt any need to argue against the idea, especially if it put Seth further into the shitter. With the decision made, Octavia let out a nervous breath and once again put the phone to her ear.
"Well, you see, Mum, things went off the fucking rails," she began, trying her best to sound just as pissed off as her mother was. "Seth, the jealous asshole, tricked Lord Valefar to come down to the hotel! He thought it would be the perfect revenge against Gaap and the other guests for not purchasing him at the Stud Auction. Can you believe it? I mean how petty could that dipshit get!?"
At first, Stella didn't say a word, leaving everyone in a grave-like silence as they anxiously awaited her response. Eventually, however, Octavia heard her mother sigh at the other end of the call.
"For fuck's sake, I should have guessed," she said, her tone sounding a lot calmer now. "Alright, where the hell are you? I can't imagine you're still in the hotel with this fucking shit storm going on."
Holy Crap, she actually bought it! Within moments everyone released a heavy sigh after unknowingly holding their breath with fright.
"Thankfully, Mick and Linda managed to get me out of the hotel before things got too chaotic," Octavia continued with a smug grin, glad to have managed to pull the wool over her mother's eyes. "I know it's early, but I've asked them to get me on the next train home."
At those words, Octavia could have sworn she heard her mother groan with aggression and disappointment, albeit keeping her head away from the phone in an attempt to save face, so to speak.
"Fine then, I shall see you there," the elder Goetia replied, only for her tone to suddenly turn sharp and somewhat threatening. "And I don't want one WORD about this reaching your father. I'll never hear the fucking end of it!"
With that final word, Stella hung up the call, allowing Octavia to let out her own sigh of relief.
"Well, that takes care of THAT," she commented, earning herself a few relaxed smiles from the others.
"Fantastic," Johnny replied, stretching out his back and turning back towards his van. "In that case, I'd better bounce before someone recognises my ride. Any of you y'all want a lift somewhere?"
At those words, everyone who originally came from the Triton resort immediately gained fresh looks of anxiety.
"That's… a good question, actually," Crystal uttered, suddenly regretting not thinking that far ahead when she asked Kanya to run away with her.
"Well, it's not like Bella and I can go back," Clara pointed out. "Pretty sure we've been fired at this point."
"Oh, there's no question about it," Bella added. "Knowing Gaap, he's probably already fired EVERYBODY."
Hearing that, Mick and Linda shared a deep look of guilt. While it may have been for something they both considered a greater good, the pair of them still had a hand in these two losing their jobs in the process of rescuing Octavia's fellow Princess. What's more, Crystal and Kanya are basically fugitives now, something Gaap will not let go of so easily.
"There's… there's gotta be something we can do, right?" Linda asked hopefully, looking to Mick for a solution to this conundrum.
As if Linda needed to ask that. Given Mick's sense of morality, it didn't even take more than a second for him to begin racking his brain for an idea of what to do. Suddenly his eyes lit up as the perfect one popped into his head.
"Maybe there is," he uttered, turning his attention to the Greaser amongst the group. "Johnny, is Shank still hiring at the Rustler's Retreat?"
Knowing exactly what his friend had in mind, Johnny instantly gave him a proud smirk.
"Oh, I'm sure he is," he said, pulling out his Hellphone. "I'll just give Shelly a bell and see what we can do."
While Johnny walked off to the side to make his phone call, Mick turned his attention to the two lovers, who only looked back at him with uncertainty.
"That's all well and good, but Kanya's too well known around Hell to just hide in some bar," Crystal pointed out, protectively hugging her girlfriend close.
Sadly, that was true. Given her status both as a model and member of Hellish Nobility, Kanya's face would be recognised all over Hell, no matter which ring she and Crystal fled to, even if they could. Luckily, Octavia seemed to have her own solution to the problem.
"Actually, I think I have another idea for you two," she spoke up with a smile, causing even further surprise from the two lovers. "I happen to know someone who'd be glad to put you guys up AND even if Gaap does find out, he won't be able to do shit about it."
As unlikely as that sounded, Octavia did seem confident in her idea, plus it wasn't as if Crystal and Kanya had that many options to go with. As such, all they could do was nod their heads and trust in the Goetia's judgment as she once again took out her phone and dialled a particular number.
"Hey Charlie, it's me," she said, walking away from the others for a brief moment. "Listen, could I ask you for a favour…?
Around the same time, Johnny finished up his own call, turning back to the others with an even bigger grin on his face.
"He's interested!" he chuckled. "He wants to see the two of them first thing in the morning."
Hearing that, both Clara and Bella grinned in delight, letting out sighs of relief almost simultaneously. After that, Octavia turned back to the others, still listening to the Demon at the other end of her own call while giving everyone a thumbs up, indicating that she was met with success too. Now there was only one issue left… a BIG issue.
"Say, Johnny… you think Shank will be interested in taking on one more?" Mick spoke up awkwardly, giving Bruce a sympathetic glance. "No offence, big guy, but I don't think you can go to the Goetia house without causing suspicion."
"Besides, I don't think he could even fit through the door," Buzz chuckled, only for Johnny to smack him across the back of the head for his trouble. "Ow! What!? I'm just saying!"
Bruce, however, didn't seem dismayed in the slightest, in fact given how neutral his face looked, it almost appeared as though he were expecting such an outcome.
"I'll admit that my presence would appear conspicuous," he said, turning his gaze towards Octavia, who had just finished hanging up her phone call. "What say you, Princess? Do you wish me to leave your service?"
As awkward as that question was, Octavia nonetheless nodded her head.
"Sorry, Bruce," she said regretfully. "I know this probably isn't what you expected to go through tonight but-"
"Fear not, Your Majesty, I understand completely," Bruce interrupted in a gentle tone, even letting out a small laugh in gratitude. "And while I do appreciate you freeing me from that hot-pink slut, the opportunity to choose my own employment sounds rather appealing to me. Besides… no offence to your family but I have just escaped from working under one crazy bitch, so I'm not looking forward to working for another."
Knowing exactly who Bruce was referring to, Mick, Octavia and Linda only had one thing to say.
"Good call,"
"Still, if you're up for it, we should totally hang out sometime, " Mick suggested, much to Bruce's delight.
"I would like that very much, little fella," he replied with another small chuckle.
Now with the matter settled, there was only one course of action left.
"Alright, anyone who isn't getting on the train, get in the van!" Johnny spoke up, opening the sliding door to the vehicle.
However, Linda couldn't help but notice a flaw in that idea.
"But how is Bruce-" she began, for her words to fail her when she turned around to find the Hellhound had completely disappeared, much to everyone's shock.
"Okay, how the FUCK does he do that?!" Buzz exclaimed.
"I don't know," Mick admitted, scratching his head in bafflement. "But I GOT to get him to teach me at some point."
Choosing not to question the Hellhound's abilities for now, everyone soon proceeded to say their goodbyes, with Kanya in particular suddenly enveloping Mick in a tight hug.
"Thank you," she uttered with a soft, grateful tone. "We owe you SO much."
"H-hey, it's no worries," Mick replied awkwardly, understandably flustered due to the sudden embrace from a supremely sexy swimsuit model. "Any decent person would have done the same."
"Yeah, I highly doubt it," Crystal giggled before hugging Mick herself. "I'll admit it… I had you wrong, kitty."
Then the Mermaid shocked Mick even further by giving him a grateful kiss on the cheek, causing Mick's tail to shoot up and Octavia to glare at the two lovers with a jealous pout.
"You look after yourself, alright?" Crystal continued, suddenly turning her attention to Octavia. "And don't YOU dare let this one go. He's a keeper."
Giving the Goetia a sly wink, Crystal couldn't help but smirk as she saw Octavia's cheeks turn pink at her remark. These two could hide their feelings all they like but there was no alluding to the sharp eyes of a woman in love herself. After that, the two lovers broke off from the group and followed Buzz and Johnny to the van, however just as she and Bella said their own goodbyes and followed suit, Clara suddenly lagged behind for a moment before climbing in.
"Something the matter, Clara?" Bella asked with a raised eyebrow.
At those words, Clara shifted her gaze over to the three Demons staying behind, particularly the masked one.
"I'm not sure, really," the horned canine uttered. "But… he reminds me of someone I know."
"Really?" Bella replied curiously. "Who?"
Alas, Clara only shook her head at that.
"Doesn't matter," she answered. "It's probably just my imagination."
After that, Johnny once again revved up the engine before the van quickly drove off down the road, starting their long journey back to Pentagram City. Waving them off, Octavia, Mick and Linda soon allowed themselves a moment to breathe.
"So…" Mick sighed. "How're we doing our first week?"
"Pfffffffthahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Unable to help themselves, the three friends couldn't resist sharing a small laugh over the Cat Demon's joke, grateful for the reprieve from the madness of the last 24 hours.
"Okay… I'm gonna see when the next train comes in," Mick eventually said, taking a moment to breathe after the giggles and straightening himself out.
Watching Cat Demon walk over to the screens above the train station Octavia couldn't help but smile with contentment. After everything that's happened, it was far more than a relief that things turned out the way they did. She got to see Googoo get what she deserved, she'll definitely be replaying Seth's humiliation in her head for a long while, but best of all… she got to keep her dearest friend out of someone else's slutty clutches.
Knowing that, and recalling how happy Kanya and Crystal looked when they were reunited, Octavia soon couldn't help but think hard about the Mermaid Sinner's words. If those two had a chance of happiness… then maybe she and Mick could have the same chance.
"Soon…" she uttered with a determined smile. "Soon."