Author note - welcome back readers! Sorry for the delay, these chapters keep taking longer to write as I storyboard them for a day and then rewrite it in my head several times until it's right. Anyways, thanks to the 36-43 supporters and the new review, I appreciate all of you! Welcome to GodShynin300, Jessika the Insane, and JustinTheSpider! Without further ado, on with the story!
Chapter 47: Angelic Security
It had been a few weeks since their induction to the title of Overlord, and thanks to a smear campaign by Vox and their guest appearances on Alastor's broadcasts, it seemed the whole city wanted a piece of them. Standing outside their base of operations, Taylor's flaming tendrils lashed dangerously at their side as they summoned a wall of fire and addressed the burned and battered group of gangsters before them.
"I'm only going to say this once, so listen up: if I find you around here causing trouble again, not only will I roast your sorry asses to a perfect medium-rare, I'll invite the Radio Demon to join me in a multi-course meal of your flesh!" They threatened as their eyes blazed and fire enveloped them.
"Now take your friends and SCRAM!" They bellowed before reverted to their normal state and continuing in a more subdued tone. "Please."
The terrified gangsters scrambled to their feet and picked up their buddies before fleeing. Once they were sure everyone had left, Taylor sighed and made their way back inside.
'This is getting ridiculous, it's the same song and dance nearly every day now! Gotta tell Antonio that we need a new location.' They thought irritably as they got to the front steps. Before they reached the door, Antonio and Melanie rushed out.
"Here," Antonio said quickly as he handed them their jacket and stuff. "I cancelled the rest of the day's clients. There's an acid rain storm headed toward the city and we got to go." He said anxiously as he locked up the front door.
Putting on their jacket, they looked up and ominous dark yellow clouds were indeed traveling their way. Frowning, they calculated their best route.
"We can cut through Cannibal Town and the Embassy to save time." They said before they saw Antonio and Melanie's unsure faces. "Relax! You're traveling with an Overlord, remember? Now let's go!" They reassured before dragging the two along.
The streets were desolate, save for the rare demon clambering around to find a safe hidey-hole from the incoming deluge. They were just at the border of Cannibal Town and the Embassy was in sight when Taylor heard exaggerated sobbing and stopped. Looking toward the sound, they spotted three small shrouded figures in a passageway between buildings. They were conflicted: it could be a group of grifters waiting to find their next victim, but it could also be someone who genuinely needed help. Despite Antonio's protests, Taylor carefully drew close to the hooded trio.
"Hey! If you're trying to run a scam, you really ought to save it for later. In case you didn't notice, there's acid rain headed our way and you need to find shelter, pronto." They called out.
The sobbing stopped and the figures whispered to one another. One turned to them.
"Oh, but where you're headed, you won't have to worry about that anymore!" Said a high-pitched voice with a faint southern accent.
Taylor flinched back as the figures threw off their cloaks and three small beings hovered gently over the ground. The one that addressed them looked like a baby boy with short puffy pink hair, large lavender eyes, rosy cheeks, and a pair of white and purple wings. He wore a pair of red overalls and a yellow shirt with purple shoes. The second one looked like a light-yellow humanoid-sheep with a puffy haircut and large reddish-link eyes with purple irises and yellow and white wings. She wore a frilly yellow dress with a red bow and hem and white gloves. The last one also looked like a sheep, but his skin was a dark purple and he had white freckles, light purple puffy hair, purple wings, and lavender eyes. He wore a light blue turtleneck with a bow tie. All three had a distinctive purple aura surrounding them, white halos, and used their wings to keep aloft while sporting genial smiles on their faces.
Taylor regarded them with bewilderment as they looked familiar. Then they remembered the jingle.
"Wait. Aren't you those angels from the TV commercial for keeping people alive on Earth? Cherubs, right?" They asked. "What are you doing down here?"
The purple sheep flew forward and spoke in a slightly nasally voice.
"Why, yes! You're quite correct! I'm Collin, and this is Cletus and Keenie!" He answered happily as he indicated to his companions.
The boy cherub named Cletus shoved Collin aside roughly.
"Indeed, hello to you, Taylor! We've come to grant you a blessing on behalf of your loved ones!" He said before quickly bowing.
Taylor was immediately suspicious. "Oh, yeah? Who was it?"
The trio shared a look of shock before the yellow sheep named Keenie replied.
"The names don't matter! What's important is that thanks to them, the powers above have decided that you've earned salvation and we're here to take you to up to Heaven!" She said earnestly.
Their skepticism grew as they took a careful step back.
"Are you now? Well, if that's the case, let's make a stop at the Hazbin Hotel first and tell them the good news. Charlie would love to hear all about it!"
"NO!" The trio shouted exasperatedly in unison, sending alarm bells ringing in Taylor's head. Cletus recovered first and responded.
"What we mean is, there's no time to dawdle! The window for the portal to Heaven is closing and it just wouldn't do to be late!" He said with a manic look in his eyes.
'O-kay. Time to exit, stage left.' Taylor decided as they kept taking steps backwards.
"Sorry guys, but I can't just up and leave without telling anyone. It'll just make them worried. I'm just gonna-"
"Enough!" Cletus yelled angrily as he lifted his arm and summoned a crossbow with golden sparkly arrows with a poof. "We've spent months in this god-forsaken hellhole, and I'm not going to spend another minute more!" He screamed as the other two summoned their own crossbows.
'Oh shit! Holy weapons now? Why me?' They thought as they ignited their flames to shield them.
They jumped to the side as a flurry of holy arrows whizzed by their head. Summoning their tendrils, they quickly lashed it out at the cherubs, clotheslining them into the wall. Taking a deep breath, they exhaled a thick plume of black smoke into the space before doing an about-face and running back toward the street. On their way out, they snagged their friends with a yelp and sprinted around the corner.
"Get that demon filth!" They heard Keenie scream before she coughed.
They ran into the empty Embassy square. They couldn't find an alley so they and deposit their friends in a recessed storefront before speaking quickly.
"Lay low until it's safe. Then get ahold of someone from the hotel, preferably Charlie, and let them know what's going on. I'll try to lead them over there in the meantime."
"But—" Antonio started before they heard bickering nearby.
"There's no time!" They interrupted before they ran back into the fray.
Back on the street, they looked around for the winged threats. Seeing the Hotel in the distance, they made a dash in that direction before they heard high-pitched humming and a trail of golden light passed by their side. They looked over their shoulder and saw Cletus and Collin flying above them, aiming their crossbows. They kept up their pace as they zig-zagged along the street to avoid the volley of arrows. They winced when one hit one of their tendrils, extinguishing it upon impact.
Before they could exit the square, Keenie descended in front of them, crossbow at the ready. Throwing a fireball in her face to stun her, they wrapped a tendril around her and threw her at Collin, knocking them to the ground in a heap. Panting, their eyes scanned for the last cherub when they hissed; their other tendril was shot by an arrow from behind, snuffing it out. Before they could turn, they felt a pointed object touch the back of their head, making them flinch.
"Quit your incessant struggling!" Cletus's furious voice seethed. Taylor moved to summon a barrier, but Cletus shoved the point of the arrow forward roughly, halting them. "Nuh-uh, stop that!" He warned before the other two cherubs got up and flew over, surrounding them. Prodding them forward painfully, he continued. "We're going to take a little walk. Try anything and we'll smite you where you stand. Got it?" He said with a dangerous edge to his voice before he nudged them again. They gritted their teeth before nodding and were shepherded at arrow point toward the Heaven Embassy. Once the four were inside the building, Cletus spoke sharply to Collin.
"Call it in!"
The purple sheep cherub hesitated.
"I don't know, they don't seem all that bad. D-don't you think this seems a little… sinful?" He stuttered.
Keenie smacked him upside the head.
"We've been over this. Don't be fooled by their guise of benevolence, if they were singled out for divine retribution, they have to be bad!"
Taylor shifted uncomfortably at the comment, earning them another painful jab to the head.
"You want to get back into Heaven, right? So call it in, now!" Keenie urged.
Collin still seemed unconvinced before he took out his phone and pressed some buttons. For a while, they waited in the cavernous space in silence before they heard one of the doors in the back open with a ding. Their hackles rose when they heard a guitar riff fill the room and two beings strode in.
"'Sup, loser! Long time no see!" Adam called out boldly as he sauntered in with a cocky smile. Lute followed behind him silently with a look of pure hatred focused squarely on them.
"Adam." They bristled before they glared daggers at Lute.
The head Exorcist chuckled, amused by the frosty greeting.
"Awww, don't tell me you aren't happy to see me, you might hurt my feeewings!" He said, voice oozing sarcasm as he pouted and the eyes on his display grew large in a false display of hurt.
Before they could respond, Cletus cleared his throat.
"Mr. Adam, sir. We brought you the demon trash as you asked." He said deferentially.
Adam glanced his way and spoke in a bored tone.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. By the powers vested in me, yada, yada, yada, your access to Heaven and all its privileges therein are hereby restored." He said dismissively as he put one hand up in a blessing gesture. "Now get the fuck out of here, you're killing the vibe." He said, annoyed.
They heard Cletus and Keenie squeal in delight before the yellow sheep cherub raised her hand and summoned a cloudy portal above them. Collin spared Taylor a look of pity before they felt the sharpness trained at their head retract and the trio disappeared into the portal. The opening closed and they were left alone with the two Exorcists.
"What are you doing here?" Taylor snapped, eyes brimming with animus.
Turning his attention back to them, Adam's smirk widened.
"Why else, numbnuts? I'm here to do a little pregaming before the Extermination, and your shitty cunt ass is at the top of the list!" He quipped before his guitar-axe emerged out of thin air and he roared it to life with a strum.
"You're not supposed to be here unless it's the Extermination, douchebag." Taylor snarled as they braced themselves.
"Last I checked, I do whatever the fuck I want! Now I'm gonna show you why everyone should be worshipping me!" He yelled before he flew straight at them.
Taylor got into a defensive stance as they summoned a flaming cloak to shield them. Adam swung and they weaved out of range smoothly. Downward slash, step to the side. Horizontal slice, duck. Forehand swing, step back. Backhand, jump. Taylor read his movements and acted accordingly, their training with Carmilla shining through.
"Stand still and face me, you pussy!" He bellowed as he kept up his barrage.
While it gave them no small amount of glee watching Adam get flustered, Taylor needed to get out as soon as possible. They had no way of hurting Adam or Lute, and when she inevitably joined in, it was only going to be a matter of time before they got tired and then things would go south for them. Adam swung and as they dodged, they put a foot out and tripped him up, causing the first man to crash to the floor. Seeing the door unguarded, they bolted for it, only for Lute to fly across the room at lightning speed and intercept them with her sword drawn. Quickly summoning their own flaming sword, the two weapons collided with a echoing clang. They pressed each other back as Lute got in close.
"I've been looking forward to smearing you out of existence, you thieving Sinner." She spat; voice full of venom.
Taylor grunted before summoning a tendril and lashing it at her face, weakening her hold momentarily before Taylor swiftly kicked her in the chest, sending her skidding a little way back.
Taylor took a breath before they heard a choral note resound behind them. They instinctually hit the floor just before a golden beam flew over their head and went straight through the door, leaving a sizable hole in its wake. Looking back, Adam was up, his hand pointed at them in a finger gun gesture.
"Sir!" Lute called out firmly. "You can't use the holy beams! They'll bring too much attention!"
"Uuuugh, I know, I know!" He whined before he took to the sky and flew at them again.
They quickly shot out a tendril at the wall and flung themselves back just as Adam brought his guitar-axe down, cracking the floor. Clinging to the wall, they summon several balls of purple fire and threw them into the air. With a snap of their fingers, the fireballs exploded and blanketed the room in violet flames, obscuring the angels below. Changing course, they got ready to break the window below them when they heard a guitar strum and a sudden pulse of golden energy washed over the room. All at once, the purple flames and their summons went out and they plummeted to the ground, landing hard.
'Shit! What was that?' They groaned as they shook their head and got to their feet. Barely registering a blur coming at them, they summoned another sword and blocked a slash by Lute. Taylor snarled as Lute kept up the pressure and their sword began to crack. Pinned against the wall, they had nowhere to maneuver, and their stamina was waning as their weapon continued to crack. Lute chuckled derisively as her sword inched closer to their neck.
'Fuck, this isn't a fair fight! I can't compete with angelic steel!' They bemoaned as their arms shook and Lute continued making headway.
They grit their teeth as their sword started to buckle when they felt their palms get hot. Glancing down, the silver flames had appeared and began enveloping their sword, filling in the cracks and fortifying the weapon. Not only that, Lute's sword began to warp from the heat, causing her eyes to widen and she backed off before too much damage was done. They stood up straight and observed in awe as the flames traveled along their arms and throughout their body, shrouding them in a monochromatic blaze. They grinned as they summoned a new set of silver tendrils.
Adam sneered as the got his guitar ready.
"Look who thinks they're hot shit now. It's high time I snuff you out, fucker!" He exclaimed as he strummed another chord and golden energy surged from his guitar. Taylor braced for their flames to extinguish, but this time the wave passed over them harmlessly as the blaze burned bright despite the gust of air.
Adam blinked in confusion. "The fuck?" He let out incredulously. Taylor smirked as a sense of hope filled them.
Without warning, Lute flew up and pounced at them with a downward strike, but Taylor parried it with ease as her angelic steel sword softened from the heat. Fuming, she swung her sword in an arc, aiming for their neck, only for a silver tendril to grasp the blade and arrest its path. In a final attempt, she let go of her weapon, twisted around, and tried to hit them with her wings, only for her to recoil back to keep from being scorched. Taylor saw their chance and lashed a tendril around Lute's ankle. Screeching from the heat, Taylor yanked her off balance and swung her around before slamming her into the wall above the front door. She gasped from the impact and crumpled to the floor, unmoving. Taylor threw her sword to the side with a clatter before retracting the tendril.
Turning around, they rolled their shoulders and beckoned to a gob smacked Adam.
"What was that about snuffing me out, you overgrown frat boy?" They jeered with a mischievous smirk.
Adam's display glitched in anger as he barreled toward them and swung wildly. Taylor chuckled as they danced around his swings, grinning wildly when he burned himself trying to grab them. In between dodges, they had their fun by tripping him up, plucking off a few of his golden feathers, and burning holes in his robe with their fingers. As his vexation grew, so did their delight.
Pride was a sin for a reason, they thought in hindsight. While they were busy relishing in Adam's agitation, they didn't pay close enough attention and his blade hit its mark. They were sent flying before crashing into one of the benches, wood splintering from the impact. They spat up red and clutched their burning chest before feeling lightheaded when their hand dipped into the deep lacerations. Not daring to look down at their wound, they wiped their hand on their shirt, quickly got on their feet, and started their retreat as Adam strolled over with his guitar-axe slung over his shoulder, grinning ear to ear triumphantly.
"Ha ha! That's what you get for messing with the Dick master, bitch!" He cackled before looking toward the door with interest. "Yo, Danger Tits, did you fucking see that? That was primo shit."
They turned their head and saw Lute stalk toward them with an enraged look. Taylor's wound throbbed and they felt their energy drain as regions of their flame cloak sputtered out and a tendril extinguished despite their attempts to reignite themselves.
"How dare you." She seethed as she produced a spear. "How dare you taint that which doesn't belong to you. For that, I'm going to enjoy watching the light fade from your eyes." She said as her mask display glowed brighter.
"Sorry, babe! Called dibs on the way here, the fire fucker is going on my count for the year!" Adam exclaimed smugly as the two angels reached them.
'Come on, ignite!' They pleaded in their mind as they continued to back up.
The two angels continued to bicker when suddenly they saw something metallic hit the back of Adam's head harmlessly.
"The fuck?" Adam growled as he turned around and Taylor's heart stopped. Antonio and Melanie stood nearby, throwing whatever they could find at the angels in a bid to distract them.
"Guys, stop! They'll k—" they shouted before two golden Exorcists wrenched their arms behind them and brought them to their knees. The action opened their chest wound wider as they gnashed their teeth in pain. Adam regarded the two dog demons with amusement.
"Hey, it looks like you'll get a few for your score after all, Lute!" He said maliciously.
She nodded curtly and went after their friends as Taylor tried to surge forward to no success.
"Don't! They got nothing to do with this! Have mercy!" They begged Adam. He gazed down at them before a dark smile widened across his mask.
"Do you hear yourself? Killing demons is what we do, shit ass!" He said cruelly as he brought his guitar-axe to their chin, raising their head up higher.
Taylor's eyes darted to their friends. Antonio kept Melanie behind him as they backed up and Lute readied her spear.
'No, no, no, no!' They kept repeating as they nearly dislocated their shoulders struggling to get free.
"Fun fight and all, a real blast, really, but it's time to die like your pathetic little friends!" They heard Adam yelled maniacally and he wound up his guitar-axe.
It was like the pin was removed from a grenade. One moment they were immobilized, the next they exploded in a burst of silver flames. They grabbed the Head Exorcist by the face as they rocketed forward like a jet. In front of Lute in a flash, they gripped her spear and promptly broke it like a toothpick. The Exorcist jerked back from the oppressive heat licking hungrily at her when their hand clamped around her throat forcefully. Barely registering a scream, they held out the squirming angels in front of them.
"NOT MY FRIENDS, ASSHOLES!" A deep reverberating echo of several voices boomed from them. The room quaked as another eruption of flames came forth and a miniature silver sun blazed to life in the middle of the room, scorching nearby structures and making the space unbearably hot and bright. Lobbing the two screaming angels into the star, they quickly turned to hold their friends by shrouding them in the silver flames before the star exploded violently with a roar. Taylor gritted their teeth as they endured the blast of heat as the stained-glass windows spiderwebbed and furniture flew around them.
When the trembling subsided, they only heard the crackling and snapping of fires. They glanced down as Antonio and Melanie shared a look of bewilderment before they sighed in relief. Turning around, they saw the lobby was in ruins, burning in a mono-color blaze, smoke billowing in various spots. They tried to find Adam or Lute in the wreckage, but the smoke was too thick to see most of the room.
"Come on, let's get out of here." They uttered before their vision blackened for a moment and they swayed on their feet. They felt arms hold them up before the trio stumbled over together and reached the door.
"What happened to getting help?" They asked wearily as they opened the door for them.
"Sorry. We panicked when we saw you being walked over execution-style across the square. Didn't think there was enough time to get reinforcements." Antonio said apologetically.
"We told you we wouldn't let you get in dire straits again, remember?" Melanie chimed in.
Taylor chuckled before the hairs rose on the back of their neck. They heard a choral note and without thinking, they pushed the two dog demons forward, knocking them to the floor as they felt something pierce through them, bringing them to their knees as they coughed up blood and breathing became difficult. Gripping their wound, they discovered they now had a gaping hole in their chest before raucous laughter could be heard behind them.
"I fucking got you, you dumb bastard!" Adam called out as Taylor's eyes widened. Looking up, they took in their friends petrified faces before they steeled themselves. Standing on shaking legs, they gave their friends a weary smile before they slammed the doors shut and slumped back against it for support. They heard and felt the two protest from the other side, but they buried their tears as they summoned a small amount of fire to cover the front door, keeping them out.
They looked over and Adam was a mess. Robe blackened and spotted in golden blood in several areas, one side of his mask display permanently frozen in a jumble of gold flecks, and one of his golden-tipper horns was missing. They heard shifting of debris and Lute was in no better state; mask gone, her gray hair was wild and her face was torn up in places as she gazed at them with an enraged murderous look in her golden eyes.
A smile crept up on their face as they pushed themselves off the door, clutching their chest wound, and started making their way painfully forward.
"What are you smiling at, you fucking loser?" Adam sneered.
They stopped in their approach before straightening themselves out.
"Just admiring the view." They said with a condescending smile as they looked him up and down. "I wonder what Heaven will think when they see their precious 'first man' in such a sorry state thanks to one pathetic Sinner."
Adam's face contorted in sheer rage before he swung his guitar-axe and they found themselves airborne. They heard glass shatter as they rolled to a stop and found themselves staring up into the crimson sky. Hissing from the pain, they tried to prop themselves up, only to fall back as they devolved into a fit of blood-filled coughs. They laid there, willing themselves to move, but their uncooperative limbs simply refused.
Their eyes flitted over to movement and Adam stood over them, a triumphant grin plastered across half of his mask.
"You sure fucked up, didn't you?" He asked as he cackled before he wiped a non-existent tear from his eye. "Guess I'd better get on with it. Say hello to erasure, you— ow! Ow! What the fuck?"
Taylor felt biting stings on their face as streaks dropped from the sky and the acid rain storm began. Adam recoiled as droplets hit him and he flew out of view.
"Fucking shit! Everything here is the worst!" They heard him complain. "Danger Tits, let's motor, if they don't bleed out first, the fucking acid will take care of the fire brat." They heard him say before they heard a choral tone and the flutter of wings.
For a moment the only sounds they heard were the patter of rain and their rasping breaths as they waited for the inevitable.
'It was a decent enough run, I guess.' They thought, trying to find a bright side, only for regretful tears to form in their eyes. 'Sorry Angel, I failed you in the most important way. Alastor, you were right about the meaningful results bit in the end, you grinning bastard. Oh Charlie, I wish I could have seen your dream come true, you deserve it so much.' They started to sniffle. 'Vaggie, please forgive me for making you worry so much, I swear I don't mean to. Sigh, I never did master that sleight-of-hand trick Husk tried to teach me. Won't be able to enjoy his cocktails anymore either. A shame, I could really go for one right now.' They coughed when they tried to laugh. 'I wonder what Niffty's next roach puppet play will be about; those were surprisingly enjoyable. Pentious, please try to be nicer to the Egg Boiz, they adore you so.' They reflected and whimpered before closing their eyes as the burning rain started to pelt them harder.
Something gripped them under their arms before they felt their body being dragged along the ground and into a covered area. Opening their eyes, Antonio and Melanie's red and puffy ones stared back at them, breaking their heart.
"W-why the fuck did you do that?!" Antonio snapped, pure anguish on his face. They gave them a strained smile to try and smooth things over.
"Had to," They rasped after a moment, causing Antonio to flinch. "Couldn't risk anyone's safety just for me."
Antonio shook at their answer.
"We don't matter, Tee! There's nothing special about us, we're a less than a dime a dozen!" He yelled, pounding the ground with his fist in frustration.
Numbness started to take over as they forced their lungs to fill.
"Not true. You two are the reason I made it this long." They chuckled as their eyes moved to a quietly sniffling Melanie. "Mels, you mind grabbing my hand for me?" She wiped her eyes and nodded before complying. Taylor summoned the last shred of energy and brought forth some blue flames, covering a surprised Melanie. When the fire extinguished, she looked mostly the same, but her fur was a white fluffy mass now. They smiled, satisfied. "There, finally got it right."
Melanie let go of their hand and they watched her check her appearance in her compact before she burst into tears. They watched as her mouth moved in what they presumed were a string of thank yous, but they couldn't hear anything over the now constant ringing in their ears. They looked over at Antonio mouthed a thank you to him.
They vaguely felt something shake them, but their brain felt foggy and their vision became blurry. Before long, everything turned black and fuzzy. Then everything faded to nothingness. Finally, the pain left them.