Grail of sin chapter 10
Wildfire
Raven slowly opened her eyes, only to realize that she was being watched by a man. He was sitting in an armchair on the opposite side of the table with a coffee mug in one hand and a newspaper in the other. This realization startled her, causing her to sit up abruptly.
"Good morning." Zefriel said. "I hope you had a decent rest, considering the circumstances."
"Who…are you?" Raven asked.
"My name is Zefriel, and I am the archangel who has been assigned to this hotel to provide aid in any way I can." he replied.
Raven's attention was drawn by the sound of snoring and quickly realized that Charlie was still sitting next to her. She seemed to be fast asleep, arm and head both resting on the back of the couch.
"She was with you the whole night." He said." Humming for hours, before she fell asleep as well."
"I…I don't know what to say." Raven said as she stared at Charlie with a sad expression.
"A 'thank you', when she awakens, will suffice." Zefriel replied. He observed Raven for a moment before he spoke again. "Young lady, I will be straight to the point. Your only way forward is to be redeemed from Hell, where you currently find yourself in, and enter Heaven. Any deviation from that goal would only lead you to misery."
Before Raven could respond, Vaggie quietly entered the common room.
"Sorry guys, I have to get her to bed." Vaggie said as she approached Charlie. "Wakey Wakey." She said as she gently kissed Charlie on the cheek.
"Huh?! Wha?" Charlie said, still dazed as she woke up. "Where am I? Who am I? What's goin' on?"
"Come on, it's time for you to get to bed." Vaggie said as she picked Charlie up with both hands.
"Ah…help, I'm being kidnapped…" Charlie said as she seemed to go in and out of sleep.
"Umm…Thank you for what you did for me…Miss Charlie." Raven said.
"It's no problem…happy to help…OHWAITAMINUTE!" Charlie yelled as she suddenly woke up. She broke away from Vaggie's hold and landed on the floor with a thud before quickly standing back up, dusting herself off. "Raven, it was a pleasure to help in any way I could, for what little it was worth." Charlie's tone was compassionate as she sat next to Raven, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I hope you feel in any way better."
"It still hurts, badly." Raven said as she gripped her chest. "But…thanks to you…I feel alot better…."
"I can only imagine how you feel right now. But, please, don't lose hope!" Charlie said. "When someone dies, they go to either Heaven or Hell. But, It is our mission to redeem sinners! So, no matter what, you will one day be reunited with the people you love!"
A lone tear made its way down Raven's feather cheek. "Thank you…so much!"
"What is your name?" Zefriel asked.
"Raven." she replied.
"No…I mean what is your real name?" Zefriel asked. "No one actually names their daughter Raven."
"Zef, she just sa—" Charlie tried to interject.
"S…Samantha…" Raven said meekly. "But…I prefer to be called Raven! That's what all my friends call me. I wasn't lying if that is what you think!"
"Then Raven we shall call you!" Charlie said as she held Raven's hand between her own. She then stuck her tongue out at Zefriel in a teasing manner, sympathetic to someone's desire to be called something other than their given name.
"Tsk…I will call her Raven if she agrees to call me 'Ragnar, the destroyer'." Zefriel replied as he went back to reading his newspaper.
Charlie, Vaggie and Raven all cast a disapproving glare at Zefriel.
Lucifer sat in the conference room next to his office, staring at the clock. It was midnight sharp. "Damn it, why do they always take so long to get here?" He thought to himself.
The conference table in front of him had 5 chairs, other than his own, and a large crystal ball embedded into the center of the table.
Lucifer spun his office chair a few times, in a desperate attempt to fight the boredom and found himself facing away from the table when it had stopped. Sitting upon a cupboard in front of him was his beloved Bonsai tree. He figured that he could pass the time by pruning some leaves while he waited. He did so for a few minutes before the quiet was interrupted.
"Greetings Lucifer." came a voice from the crystal ball, deep and reverberating.
"Levy! How are you, old pal? It's been…what…decades?" Lucifer replied as he continued to work on his tree, not looking back.
"Indeed. I had feared you had perished, buried under a mountain of novelty…ducks." Leviathan said.
"Hahaha…yeah well…not yet it would seem." Lucifer said in half jest.
A fiery portal opened and a green jester entered through. "YOOO Lucy! Wassup my man, long time no see!"
"Mammon, so good to see you again after all this time. Tell me, how is your park doing these days?" Lucifer asked, returning to his seat.
"Amazeballs! We are killing it out there, toy sales are through the roof!" Mammon said.
"Did you not just lose your main act to Asmodeus?" Leviathan asked.
"Oh, who cares? Fizzarolli's are a dime a dozen. I already have replacements in the works." Mammon said.
A second portal opened up. Through it stepped a female fox-like demon with four arms.
"Hey guys, sorry we took so long. Asmodeus and I picked up Belphegor on the way over." The fox demon said. "Lucy! Looking good for a recluse."
"Former recluse, Bee. I am trying to be more active these days." Lucifer said.
"Yeah, we heard the news." Said a demon as he exited the same portal. He was a towering figure sporting vibrant colors with tufts of hair and feathers. He was carrying a goat-like demon over his shoulder, seeming to be asleep. "Why didn't you call us when Charlie got attacked! We would have rushed to help!"
"Ah, it was nothing I couldn't handle. But to be honest, it is one of the reasons why I called this meeting, Asmodeus." Lucifer said.
"Oh dear, this is serious. We should get started." Asmodeus said as he placed the demon he was carrying into a chair and slapped her on the back of the head.
"Ah! What?" the demon yelled.
"We have arrived, Bel" Asmodeus replied.
"Ah…hey Lucy, how's it hanging?" Belphegor asked.
"How is what hanging?" Lucifer asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sheesh, you really were in that room for a long time." Beelzebub said.
Another fiery portal opened up and through it stepped a lizard-like demon, wearing tattered rags and cloak. He was just slightly taller than Asmodeus, but his physique was that of steely muscle and his scaly flesh carried the scars of many battles long past. The room fell silent while he scanned the attendees before proceeding to sit down in the chair on the opposite side of the table from Lucifer.
"What is this meeting about, Lucifer?" The demon asked with a low, raspy voice.
"...Satan." Lucifer said, seeming to disdain even saying the word. "Right…let us begin. I have called you all here to inform you that we have an uneasy truce with Heaven."
"Sooo…we are right back where we started? We had an uneasy truce with them before didn't we? Am I missing something here?" Mammon asked.
"Yes. But, things have changed considerably. My daughter, through her efforts with the hotel, has seemingly managed to redeem a single sinner from Hell." Lucifer said.
All the demon princes exchanged surprised glances.
"A…are you sure?" Beelzebub asked.
"I am not completely positive yet, but everything points to that being the case." Lucifer said. "As such, Heaven seems to have decided to stop future Exterminations. Or at least pause them for the time being."
"Holy shit, that's great news!" Mammon said. "Our souls will increase exponentially in just a couple of years!"
"Lucifer, this sounds too good to be true. Surly Christ realizes this. Why would he allow it? What's the catch?" Asmodeus asked.
"Well, apparently, he is not the one making the decisions at present." Lucifer said. "His son is…"
"Christ has had an offspring, has he?" Leviathan asked. "Interesting. What more do you know?"
"Christ seems to be absent from the throne, in the meantime, his son has been left in charge. He is the one who seems to be keeping the Exorcists at bay." Lucifer said.
"Ahh, young naivete. All seems to be aligning." Leviathan said.
"It's not that simple, Levy." Lucifer said as he rubbed his forehead. "He is about a thousand years old."
"About a thousand? That…coincides with—" Asmodeus said.
"I know." Lucifer said, Interrupting. "Which leads me to believe that there is much more under the surface that I am not aware of. What is worse…this prince has proposed to my daughter."
The room was silent for a moment before the princes began to snicker, building up to loud laughter. Only Satan and Lucifer seemed to be unamused.
"Oh, dear. I hope young Charlie didn't shoot him down too hard." Asmodeus said.
"Yeah, she is really breaking angel hearts out there." Mammon said. "Isn't her girlfriend an angel too?"
" Fallen Angel." Lucifer growled. "And, she accepted..." The disdain in his voice was notable.
The laughter quickly died down, making way for concerned expressions.
"What? Lucifer you cant be fucking serious!" Mammon said. "She could be in danger!"
"Yeah!" Asmodeus agreed as he stood up slamming his palms on the table. "And even if she wasn't, this reeks of an arranged marriage. There is no way she agreed to it willingly!"
"Sit down, Asmodeus!" Lucifer said, fire in his eyes. "She is the one that made the choice, I only found out about it after she had agreed."
"This truce…is troublesome." Satan said. "I was hoping to use the angelic steel sooner…rather than later."
"You might still get the chance." Lucifer said. "An archangel has been stationed at my daughter's hotel, supposedly to protect her."
"Who? Raphael? Gabriel? Or was it…Azrael?" Satan asked.
"No. It is a new archangel. A replacement." Lucifer said.
"Replacement? Who did he replace?" Satan asked.
"You, I am led to believe." Lucifer said. "He seems to have filled your vacant seat."
Satan was quiet for a moment, seemingly needing time to process what he had just heard. He slowly began to shake out of anger before standing and smashing his enormous fist through the table. "How dare they?! Do they think that they can find a worthy replacement for me? I'm going to that hotel and tear that archangel's wings off!"
"Sit down, Satan." Lucifer said, calmly. "We are not going to be fighting them…yet."
"Don't tell me what to do!" Satan roared as he bared his sharp teeth at Lucifer. "I will not be held back like some dog on a leash!"
"Sam, stop this." Asmodeus yelled as he stood up.
"Yeah man, knock it off. You heard what Lucifer said." Mammon said as he stood up as well.
"Indeed. Now is not the time for battle. Now is time for strategizing…before the inevitable battle that is sure to follow." Leviathan said.
Beelzebub and Belphegor also stood up, seeming to be ready to back their king in a confrontation against Satan.
Satan stared at them all, clenching his scaly fists as hard as he could. Seconds passed that felt like hours for the attendees before Satan finally unclenched his fists, taking deep breaths.
"Alright…let's get the rest of this meeting over with." Satan said as he sat back down at the table.
"I am…or was…17 years old." Raven said "The last day I remember, I…I went to this party. My friends were there. I…hooked up with this guy, we made out…had sex. There was alcohol…and…other…stuff. I'm not even sure what the pills were, it didn't matter at the time, everyone was taking them. It felt amazing at the time, we were all having a great time. Next thing I remember…I was walking home with my best friend. I…I don't remember what we were talking about…I just remember that she dared me to do something…I think she…wanted me to walk a ledge of some sort." Raven rubbed her forehead with both her hands, trying to recall. "I…did. I walked on the ledge…and slipped…"
"That's…terrible!" Charlie said, her hand covering her mouth.
"So you lived a life of sin and died doing something stupid while drunk. Story as old as time." Zefriel said nonchalantly.
"Zef, she was 17! People her age make mistakes! I don't think she deserved to end up in Hell for one bad night!" Charlie protested.
"Charlie, this 'bad night' was probably just the latest in a long line of them. Am I wrong?" Zefriel asked Raven.
Raven was silent, but nodded with a sad expression.
"But…It should count less! Her brain wasn't even fully developed. Shouldn't that extenuate her sin?" Charlie pressed on.
"That is what we are here to find out, are we not?" Zefriel said. "I don't know if her age makes it less severe, but I do hope you are right."
Charlie pouted and crossed her arms in frustration.
"Charlie, there is no need to be upset." Vaggie said. "This will work very well for us."
"I…I still think it's terrible for someone so young to end up in a place like Hell." Charlie said.
Zefriel placed his palms together. "Thank you, oh dear lord, for sending this easy to redeem sinner to us in our time of great need. You truly are the 'bestest' lord we could ever hope for. PS, please send protein bars. I am all out."
Charlie and Vaggie looked at Zefriel with annoyed expressions, but Raven let out a faint laugh.
"Well…I guess when put it that way." Charlie said, realizing Raven's mood was slowly shifting for the better."
"M…May I ask a question?" Raven asked.
"Of course! Ask away." Charlie said.
"What are dinosaurs?" Raven asked.
"Err…what do you mean?" Charlie said.
"Well, If the biblical stories are true, then why are there dinosaur bones in the ground? Did god just put them there or something?" Raven asked.
"Oh…umm…I'm not really a dino sort of girl." Charlie said as she rubbed her chin in contemplation. "I never really thought about it. Maybe you can ask our resident archangel. He would probably know what the deal is with dinosaurs."
"So, Samantha. You wish to know the greatest kept secret of all time." Zefriel said.
"Umm…yes?." She said.
"W…what secret?" Charlie asked, as Vaggie raised a curious eyebrow.
"Samantha, pay attention." He said as he looked straight at Raven. "You see, Adam and Lilith were not in fact the first Humans. No, you see, the first Humans were actually Atomos and Lithos."
"W…what?!" Charlie said with a shocked expression.
"Atomos and Lithos completed all their trials, left the garden of Eden…and got eaten by dinosaurs 1 hour later." Zefriel said. "I have no idea what the lord was thinking when he thought Atomos could step up to a T-rex. But, long story short, the lord decided that the Flintstones themed humanity was a stupid idea so he dropped Earth's second moon on the dinosaurs, wiping them out. The lord then went back to the drawing board and the rest is history."
"He…he's joking." Charlie said, wide eyed. "You are joking…right?...RIGHT?"
Zefriel said nothing, he just went back to reading his paper.
"Yes, Charlie. It's just made up nonsense." Vaggie said.
"Ok, Samantha. Do you want to know the real, real truth?" Zefriel said as he lowered his paper once more.
"Oh, knock it off." Charlie said as she threw a sofa cushion at Zefriel's head that harmlessly bounced off. "Please, stop for all that is decent!"
"Wow…you are really…not what I would have expected from an angel." Raven said.
"Yeah, you should be more like Vaggie, she is a terrible liar, like all angels should be." Charlie said as Vaggie gave a nervous smile.
Zefriel gave her a raised eyebrow. "I'm a soldier angel, choir angel. There are more liberties in the field. Besides, I already earned a ton of good boy stars. A little joke here and there isn't going to send me to Hell."
The room was silent for a moment.
"...Wait a minute…" Zefriel said while the girls seemed to be unamused.
"Oh, another question just came to mind. You mentioned Lilith? I thought It was Adam and Eve. Who is Lilith?" Raven asked.
"Oh right!" Charlie said as she materialized her storybook. "Well, let me tell you how it actually happened."
Veggie's demeanor suddenly changed, her expression betraying great concern as she side eyed Zefriel, who in contrast seemed to be paying more attention to his newspaper.
"So. It goes like this…" Charlie said as she began telling her story.
Alastor had fallen unconscious, the agony the doctor inflicted proved to be too much. This allowed his mind to travel paths in his life that he had long left behind.
He saw green wetlands, so common in his homeland. But, before long his mind was wrecked with fog.
Soon after, he found himself wandering muddy trenches on a foreign soil, not a soul in sight. But, once more, his mind was overwhelmed by fog.
Alastor could never tell how much time had passed between the visions, but he eventually found himself standing in front of a small home in the woodlands on a warm summer's day. This vision was far more lucid than the rest as the home brought feelings of dread he had long since forgotten. As he approached, he saw the silhouette of a woman standing at the door, holding a child.
"As you command, my lady." Alastor heard a faint voice echo from behind him, turning to see no one there. When he turned back to the woman and child, he realized that he was now standing in a showy field with the bodies of the woman and child resting at his feet on blood soaked snow.
"Awaken." Alastor heard a female voice echo through his mind. His eyes opened with a sudden surge of fear and scanned his surroundings, barely able to see anything.
He saw a figure seeming to bow respectfully to a black fire in which he could swear he could see red glowing eyes piercing back at him. The flame suddenly disappeared as the figure turned, revealing it to be Dr Galen.
"Ah good, you are finally waking up." Dr Galen said as he approached. "Do not fear, the worst is in the past. Your body should fully heal within the next few days.". He helped Alastor sit upright on the examination table.
Alastor looked down at his wound and found that it had been stitched closed. However, unlike the previous attempts, this work was clearly done by a professional as it was seamless with not a drop of blood in sight.
"If my wounds will heal in days, then what was the point of stitching it up?" Alastor asked.
"I wanted to show you how it's properly done. Besides, I couldn't have you running around with an open chest for days. I am a professional of my craft, Hell or not." Dr Galen said.
"How long was I unconscious?" Alastor asked as he stood up.
"Let's see. It's currently 1:45 am so—" Dr galen said.
"Two hours, good." Alastor said.
"Oh, no my friend. You were out for 26 hours. You slept through the whole night and day." Dr Galen replied.
Alastor was silent for a moment as he began to redress. "That black liquid you used. What was that?" He asked.
"Oh…I'm afraid that is a little bit of a secret, but suffice to say it is able to neutralize the holy power in objects, turning angelic steel into simple iron. As you can imagine it was used to neutralize the metallic particles still in your wound." Dr Galen said.
"I see…" Alastor contemplated.
"You know, you should have just said you belonged to the lady from the start, things would have gone much more quickly for you." Dr Galen said.
"I belong to no one!" Alastor growled in a far more pronounced radio voice as he turned to the doctor, his eyes turning into radio dials.
"Ah, my apologies." Dr Galen laughed "Poor choice of words. But, I am sure that you will be pleased to know that the treatment is free."
Alastor laughed at the notion. "I had no intention of paying your bill, my good sir. But out of curiosity, why the change of heart."
"Oh, I simply seek to aid the lady. A minion of hers is always welcome at my little…clinic. Besides, she is the one that provides the means of healing those like you, so I am not really out of anything." Dr Galen said.
"Ah, the royal physician had close ties to the family." Alastor mused.
"Oh, indeed. But in particular lady Lilith. She is a tremendous inspiration and truly worthy of my undying admiration." Dr Galen said.
"How nice…" Alastor said as he finished dressing and adjusted his cuffs, seeming disinterested in the conversation. "Then, if that is all, I believe our business is concluded." Alastor began to walk towards the exit.
"Before you leave, I would like you to take this." Dr Galen said.
Alastor turned to see that the doctor was holding the same talisman he had used to procure the vial. "Hah, you must be joking. Do you honestly believe I have survived this long in Hell by accepting candy from strangers? I am no fool."
"Most understandable." Dr Galen said. "But, I will keep it here for you, in case you change your mind. I'm sure you already know why it can be useful for you."
"I honestly doubt we shall ever meet again." Alastor said as he proceeded towards the door.
"Oh, one last thing. I just wanted to let you know that the lady is once more in Hell amongst us." Dr Galen said nonchalantly.
Alastor's ears piqued as he froze in front of the door.
"I truly hope you get ready. She will be expecting a report from you on your progress…or…lack thereof." Dr Galen said, his voice changing to a sinister tune as he punctuated Alastor's failure.
Alastor regained his senses and stormed out of the door without saying another word.
Dr Galen observed him leave, having once more found rest in the dark, his piercing red eyes borrowing deep into Alastor's back.
Alastor stepped out onto the pavement and took a deep breath as his coat fluttered in a light breeze. He glared back at the building behind him before he began making his way back towards the hotel. As he walked the streets, he found them completely deserted. He walked by trees in the pavement, rotted and without leaves, as he tried to process everything he had learned at the doctors office.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked around, feeling a great sense of unease. The wind suddenly died down as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, it was as if there was electricity in the air.
"Something…is coming." He thought to himself as he scanned his surroundings on full alert.
Without warning a flash of light burst from behind him. He quickly turned around, his cane firmly held by both hands, he was ready for anything…or so he thought.
Before him, the tree he had known to be rotten…was no longer leafless. Wisps of red fire roared from the tree as if its nonexistent leaves had caught fire. The leaves of fire roared and swayed as if caught in a nonexistent wind.
Alastor stepped back from the tree, scanning his surroundings and realizing that the same phenomenon was replicated in every tree on the pavement in both directions.
All he could do was stand there, mouth agape unable to make sense of what he was seeing.
Charlie slammed her book shut. "And so you see, Lucifer and Lilith were not evil, but were instead misunderstood dreamers. For the transgression of sharing the gift of free will with humanity, they were punished and sentenced to Hell."
Zefriel sat motionless save for a gentle twitch of his right eye.
"ZEFRIEL!" Vaggie yelled suddenly "I just remembered that I need your help to…change the bar's…beer kegs." Vaggie quickly walked to the common room entrance. "Yes, we are all out and need to replace them with full ones before Husk gets back."
"Huh? We're out already?" Charlie asked.
"Yes! And…they are pretty heavy so I need Zef's help to change them. Right now…" Vaggie said.
Zefriel stared at Vaggie with a piercing gaze. "I…will be right back." He finally said as he walked out of the room after Vaggie.
"Huh…that story is…so different from what I was taught." Raven said.
"Yes. Unfortunately Heaven has embellished the truth to make my parents seem worse than they are." Charlie said sadly.
"Wait…your parents?!" Raven asked.
"Umm…yes. I am the daughter of Lucifer Morningstar and Lilith Morningstar." Charlie said.
"Wait, you are Lucifer's daughter?!" Raven asked.
"I…I thought Vaggie told you everything." Charlie said, surprised.
"Yes about the hotel and how you are trying to redeem sinners!" Raven yelled as she stood and backed away from Charlie. "She didn't say you were Lucifer's daughter!"
"Please do not be alarmed! I am just a regular girl, like you." Charlie said, trying to keep Raven calm. "The stories you have heard about my father have been greatly exaggerated, or are blatant lies. He is a nice and caring man!"
Raven was silent, not sure what to do. "I…guess if you wanted to hurt me, you already had plenty of opportunity."
"Raven, I would never hurt anyone!" Charlie said. "I am just trying to help people."
Raven seemed to calm down a little. "So…are you some sort of princess?"
Charlie smiled.
"Did you know about this?!" asked Zefriel
"T…That we are out of beer? Yes it's…something Husk told me…last night." Vaggie said meekly.
"Vaggie, don't bullshit me, I can see right through you." Zefriel said as they approached the lobby bar.
"Argh, ok. Fine." Vaggie relented
"Vaggie, what was that story?I have never heard a more disingenuous rendition of history in my life. Who wrote shit? Lucifer? Lilith?" Zefriel.
"First of all, watch it. Second of all…yes…and yes.." Vaggie said.
"Wow…ok. And you knew about it all along?" Zefriel pressed on.
"Yes…" Vaggie said.
Zefriel began to pace around in frustration. "So , you tried to lure me out here so that I wouldn't poke holes in that story? Why?" Zefriel asked, his frustration was visible.
"She…doesn't have the…full picture." Vaggie said.
Zefriel stopped pacing and stared at Vaggie. "You mean to tell me, the princess of Hell doesn't know about the war in Heaven?"
"N…No. She does not." Vaggie said.
Zefriel was flabbergasted.
"Zefriel…please. I need you to not tell her anything about the past." Vaggie said.
"Why would I not?" Zefriel asked. "She needs to have the proper context for this conflict spanning millennia!"
"Look, I will tell you the truth. I promised Lucifer that I would prevent you from telling her about the story." Vaggie said.
"Why?!" Zefriel asked.
"Because he doesn't want the truth to damage his relationship with his daughter. On top of that, it could send her into a depression, and for what? There would be nothing to be gained by telling her." Vaggie pleaded. "Zefriel, this hotel needs her now more than ever."
Zefriel considered her words as he paced.
"Look, I promise that I will tell her the full story, one day, but now is just not the right time." Vaggie said.
"This is the biggest crock of shit…" Zefriel muttered to himself.
"Please…" Vaggie pleaded.
"...Alright. Fine. I will not tell her anything…for now." Zefriel said. "But remember we are bound by magic to speak truthfully to one another.. If she asks me a direct question, I need you to jump on that grenade."
"Got it." Vaggie said, relieved. "And…thanks."
Charlie and Raven exited the common room and approached the bar as Zefriel pretended to be busy under the bar.
"Vaggie, we should show Raven to her room. Have you already picked one out?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, 304 is ready." Vaggie said.
"Perfect, you will be close to Angel Dust. He is our one other guest and a dear friend." Charlie said.
"Yeah, just don't run into the deer enemy." Zefriel muttered to himself right before Vaggie elbowed him.
Vaggie led Charlie and Raven up to room 304. "Here we are." Vaggie said as she opened the door.
The room within was very spacious, with a nice large window, overlooking the city. It had all the amenities required to make the guest's stay as comfortable as possible.
"Thank you. This wi—" Raven said.
"Hey girls." A voice came from down the hall.
The girls turned around to see Angel Dust approaching.
"Soo, you must be the new girl. Pleasure to meet ya'" Angel Dust said as he extended his hand for a shake.
"Raven, please let me introduce you to your dear friend we mentioned earlier. This is Angel Dust, but you can just call him Angel." Charlie said.
"H…Hello." Raven said as she reluctantly placed her hand in Angel Dusts.
"Glad we finally see a fresh face in here. I guess you are one of the new arrivals to Hell?" Angel Dust asked.
"Y…yes, I just arrived…yesterday." Raven said, seeming slightly concerned by Angel Dust's appearance.
"Hah, yeah…I remember my first day." Angel Dust said pensively. "Don' worry kid, it gets better from there. Especially with these two around." Angel Dust said as he pointed to both Vaggie and Charlie at the same time.
"Oh, stop…" Charlie said shyly.
"Anyways, I've gotta' get goin'. Have a shoot in an hour. After that I'm catching up with Cherri, so don' wait up for me. Toddles." Angel Dust said as he made his way downstairs.
"Wow…he's tall and…freaky." Raven said. "...freaky in a good way I mean!"
"Don't let his looks fool you." Charlie said. "Despite the appearance, Angel has a heart of gold!"
"He is also your 'neighbor'" Vaggie said. "He is staying at room 309 over there. Speaking of which, how do you like it? Will this room be ok for you?"
"Yes! It will be fine, thank you." Raven said. "But…could I have some alone time? I would like to be alone for a while."
"Oh, sure. We will get right out of your hair…I mean feathers. Sorry..." Charlie said sheepishly.
Vaggie and Charlie left the room and closed the door. Raven examined the bedroom for a few minutes before she sat down on the bed. She sat motionless and stared at the wall. But, her mind wandered all over the place, bouncing between her past and what she imagined the future had in store for her. Hours seemed to fly by before Raven was knocked out of her trance by a knock on the door. Raven slowly stood up and opened the door.
Charlie stood at the door, holding piles of clothes. "Raven, I got you these in case you want to change." Charlie said with a warm smile. "Please let me know if there is anything else I can get you. If none of the clothes fit then we can go shopping for something new tomorrow."
"Thank you princess Charlie. I–"Raven said.
"Oh nonono. It's just Charlie, please!" Charlie said.
"Right. Charlie. Thank you." Raven said as she took the clothes.
"Ok, I will leave you alone. Don't be a stranger." Charlie said as she left.
Raven examined the clothes. There must have been at least three dozen different outfits. There were dresses, shirts, trousers, skirts, all manner of apparel. But, as she shuffled through the large pile of clothes, she found nothing she liked.
"Are you serious?" Raven said to herself as she threw the clothing onto a pile on the ground. "There is every color of the rainbow but not a single sock in black."
Dissatisfied by what she got, she walked over to the window and sat on the sill, staring out. She held her legs as she sat and watched the soulless city of sin. Plumes of smoke were rising and dying out every now and then across the city. Raven, once more, sat motionless, enjoying the quiet. But, once again, her peace was disturbed by a knock on the door. She let out a sigh as she proceeded to open the door.
"Raven, sorry to bother you again." Charlie said as she stood at the door with her bright smile. "I got you this!" Charlie handed Raven a brand new phone. "The Hotel wifi password is 'password123'"
"Umm…thanks, Charlie." Raven said.
"You are very welcome! Ok, I'll let you get back to your alone time!" Charlie said as she waved Raven goodbye
"Huh, this will be useful." Raven thought to herself. She spent an hour setting it up before accessing the wifi.
"Sooo, let's see what the internet in Hell is like." Raven said as she logged into the wifi. "Lets search for, top 10 most popular sites in Hell." Porn, Porn, Porn, TikTok, Porn, Porn…alright I get the picture…"
"Hmm, let's see what news they have in Hell…" Raven thought to herself. "Aaaaand it's just murder and more murder…great."
"I wonder what I would get if I search for Charlie." Raven thought to herself.
Raven read news articles upon news articles about Charlie and her Hotel, non of them flattering to the young princess and her hotel.
"What a bunch of assholes!" Raven thought to herself. "Who the Hell are these 'V's'?!"
Before Raven could delve deeper, she heard another knock on the door. Raven got up and walked to the door again.
"Hi Raven. Sorry again! I thought you might be hungry so I got you some snacks. There is also a piece of Chocolate cake which I hope you will like! Oh, I also got you some magazines if you want to read anything before bed."
"Ok, that's enough missy." Vaggie said as she snuck up on Charlie. "No more bothering the guest. It's time for bed." Vaggie said a she shooed Charlie away.
"But Vaggie, what if she needs anything else?" Charlie could be heard protesting.
"Don't worry. I will keep her out of your way for the rest of the night."Vaggie told Raven. "Get some rest. We start work on your redemption tomorrow morning."
"Thanks Vaggie. Night." Raven said as she slowly closed the door.
Raven showed no interest in the snacks or magazines as she stared at her new phone, trying to learn as much about Hell as she could. Hours passed before she finally looked at the clock and realized it was already 1:30am. "Shit, it's getting late. Better get some sleep, god knows what I have to do tomorrow." Raven thought to herself as she put the phone away and rolled to her side as she tried to get some sleep. She didn't dare turn off her lights.
As she dozed off, she was jolted back to consciousness by what she could swear was the sound of women yelling, but she wasn't sure if it was her imagination.
She sat up in bed, trying to tune in the sound and, sure enough, she heard the yelling again.
Her heart began to race, fearful of what might be happening.
She walked over to the door and opened it slightly as she tried to find out where the sounds were coming from.
All of a sudden her heart jumped into her throat as she was startled by Vaggie flying by at full speed, still wearing her nightdress, while carrying her spear.
Raven stepped out of her room, just as Charlie approached from behind, also in her two piece pajama.
"Raven! Please get back into your room!" Charlie said.
"C…Charlie! What's going on?!" Raven asked.
"I'm not sure, but please get back inside while we check it out!" Charlie said as she ran, following Vaggie down the stairs.
Raven shook in fear, but she found herself compelled to follow.
"We have managed to secure another three billets of angelic steel, totaling 4.5 tons." Lucifer said. "That should be enough to equip 6 more Hellknights? Is that correct, Satan?"
"No, It is enough for fifteen. We only fashion the steel into weapons, not armor." Satan said.
"Even better." Lucifer said.
"When is the next shipment due?" asked Leviathan.
"It seems that the shipments have begun arriving relatively regularly. One week apart more or less. And in considerable amounts." Lucifer said. "The next one should be arriving in two days."
"How is it that only this lady Carmilla knows where the shipments arrive?" Asmodeus asked.
"I still don't know. I have spies working on it, but it would seem as if she doesn't know either. What my spies have learned so far is that she receives a scroll through a portal telling her of where the shipment has been hidden. Sometimes it's an abandoned warehouse, sometimes it's in some field and sometimes it's right at her doorstep. Literally." Lucifer said.
"If we are to assume that someone from Heaven is attempting to aid us, that raises the question as to how they have such intimate knowledge of Hell itself." Leviathan said. "Finding a safe location to store the weaponry until Carmilla retrieves it would not be easy for someone in Heaven. What's more, the greater question still remains. Why? Why would anyone from their side seek to aid us in any way? Most perplexing."
"It could be someone who would profit from a prolonged conflict between Heaven and Hell. They are arming us to offer more resistance. Someone wants a war. A long one." Beelzebub said.
"Perhaps. However, the opposite might also be true." Leviathan chimed in. "They might be providing us with weapons to defend ourselves as a means of dissuading further attacks from Heaven due to the risk for higher losses. The work of Exorcists is becoming increasingly dangerous."
"Look guys, It doesn't matter. We need those fucking weapons and we needed them yesterday!" Mammon said. "But, that being said, we need to watch our damn wallets as this shit is costing us big time. We have already spent millions of souls for these few bits we already have."
"Bah! I say tear this Carmilla to pieces and send search parties to find the shipments as they arrive." Satan said. "Why the hell do we even bother with this wench and her auction house!?"
"I understand your frustration, Satan." Lucifer said. "But, we must play this more tactfully. We do not yet know if the person sending the shipments is in some way connected to Carmilla. Striking at her would be counterproductive as that might cease all future shipments, leaving us with nothing."
"Tsk…" Satan expressed his displeasure.
"But…after we are done with her, we can easily regain all the souls we invested in this little venture. She is just an overlord after all." Lucifer said. "We can empower another overlord to overthrow her while confiscating her assets at the Hellbank, covertly. We may not get all the souls we spent on her auctions, but a vast majority for sure."
"Ahh the ol' apple in one hand and a dagger in the other, classic Lucifer." Mammon laughed.
Satan stood up with such speed that his tail sent his chair flying right into the wall.
The other archdemons stared at him, confused by his sudden outburst. He seemed to be in another world, eyes transfixed on Lucifer, or so they believed for the briefest of moments. As they followed his gaze, they realized that he was not staring at Lucifer, but to something behind him. Once they saw what he saw, none of them so much as dared utter a word.
Lucifer turned around to see what had upset them and as he did, he saw a sight he had not seen in over a thousand years. His beloved bonsai tree was on fire. Its leaves fluttered in a nonexistent wind, radiating bright red fire.
"F…Father?" Lucifer said softly.
Vaggie landed in the lobby, her spear firmly gripped in her hands. She saw Zefriel drag two women sporting wings, kicking and screaming obscenities while tied up in magical golden chains, out the front door of the hotel.
"Dammit, Exorcists!" Vaggie said as she scanned the lobby for more attackers but found none.
Charlie came running down the stairs. "What's going on?!" She asked.
"We are under attack by exorcists, watch your back!" Vaggie said.
"Lute! Show yourself!" Zefriel could be heard yelling from outside.
"Mierda!" Vaggie said as she ran outside as well.
Zefriel threw the two tied up Exorcists onto the ground before neutralizing his magical chains. Free from their binds, the two exorcists quickly scurried away.
Lute emerged from behind Dazzle's statue. Several other Exorcists joined her from their own hiding places.
Vaggie raised her spear at the exorcists as she made a quick headcount. "Twelve of them in total. Seems like a small strike team." she told Zefriel, staying in close formation to him.
"Be on your guard, keep a cool head and don't do anything." Zefriel told Vaggie.
Lute approached, stopping at a safe distance. "What the fuck are you doing? Who's side are you on?" Lute demanded to know, speaking to Zefriel.
"I am on the side of my lord." Zefriel said.
"Then get the fuck out of the way and let us do our damned job before all of Hell finds out we are here." Lute yelled.
"It is my duty to protect the princess and her hotel. Even from you." Zefriel said.
"If you don't get out of the way, then we will go through you!" Lute yelled as she signaled to her strike team, who readied their weapons for battle.
"You are way out of your league." Zefriel said as he extended his arm. A longsword materialized in his hand through a flash of red fire, his Zweihänder
"Think we can take them? Just the two of us?" Vaggie asked.
"Definitely. But, I would like you to stay out of it. I want to avoid killing them. Find Charlie and stay with her." Zefriel said calmly.
"Guys!" Charlie yelled as she approached with Husk, gun in his hand.
"Speak of the devil." Zefriel mused.
"Charlie! Get back inside!" Vaggie yelled.
"No! This is my fight too!" Charlie said as she materialized her shield.
"There she is. Strike now!" Lute yelled.
Zefriel readied his weapon for battle as the exorcists spread their wings, weapons at the ready.
"STOP." a booming voice echoed , heard by all those present. The exorcists seemed to take pause, looking around in confusion.
The wind suddenly died down.
"Who said that?" Asked Charlie. "W…What's going on?"
Suddenly, without a sound or any other warning, the tree's in the hotel forecourt spontaneously combust, engulfed in an inferno of red fire.
"Backup has arrived." Zefriel said calmly as he looked upwards.
Charlie and Vaggie followed his gaze to see a portal opening up. From this portal descended a giant of a warrior, clad in white armor with golden trimmings. Between his wings, billowed a red cape and in his hand he held a longsword, fit for his stature. He sported three pairs or massive wings, white as the purest of snow. Indeed, much like said snow, he descended slowly and gracefully until his foot touched the ground as gently as a feather.
All those present watched him in an equal measure of fear and awe as Zefriel wasted no time.
He knelt on one knee, pinning his Zweihänder in the ground and resting it over his shoulder, reminiscent of a cross. "My Lord." he said.
Four Exorcists also knelt before the giant without hesitation, while a fifth one was visibly shaking profusely before she too knelt before the Giant, earning Lute's scorn for the seemingly cowardly display. The remainder of the Exorcists stood around in confusion, seemingly waiting to see what would happen next, as Lute alone stood defiant and resolute despite the situation she found herself in.
"Commander Lute. Gather your forces and return to Heaven, immediately." the giant said.
Lute was silent for a moment, considering her options. "My lord, our mission is not complete. We are here to do our duty. Please let us see it through."
"Your most fundamental duty is to obey your superior's without question. Unless your mission was given to you directly by my father, then I supersede any other voice. This hotel is owned by my bride-to-be and so it rests upon my shoulders to protect her. As such I implore you to take your forces and leave in peace, before my hand is forced." The giant spoke softly.
"I…" Lute seemed to be visibly conflicted. "My lord, our mission was not to strike at your…bride-to-be. We have been sent by St Michael himself. Your mentor. Our orders were to retrieve an ancient relic of our order that has been—"
"Zefriel, is it here?" The giant spoke.
"Yes, my lord." Zefriel replied.
"Bring it." The giant demanded.
Without a further word, Zefriel ran into the hotel at breakneck speed.
"Hey, where is he going?!" Vaggie asked.
"I think I know." Charlie replied.
Charlie observed the giant intently. His eyes seemed to be locked on Lute's. They exchanged not a single word, but their eyes seemed to speak volumes. His, stern, her's deviant.
To Charlie's amazement, Zefriel returned, having been gone for no longer than thirty seconds, with Adam's Ax in his hands. As he passed by Vaggie, she stared at it wide eyed before her expression gave way to anger.
"Take this." the giant said. "Consider your mission complete and return to Heaven with your head held high. But, heed my words. Should you ever find yourself attacking my bride-to-be again, know that my sword shall cut you in twain."
Zefrield handed the Ax to Lute, who seemed transfixed by it. She seemed not to hear a single word the giant spoke or simply gave it no heed, lost in a whirlwind of her own emotions. Happiness, sadness, regret and finally anger at the one she considered to be most responsible for Adam's loss. Charlie.
"Commander." whispered Lute's lieutenant. "We have lost the element of surprise and are outmatched. Retreat would be the advisable course of action. Besides, we have what we came for."
Lute breaths became deeper, her anger was growing as she stared at Charlie. She wondered if she could close the distance and strike a mortal blow before one of Charlie's protectors would inevitably cut her down in turn. But, Vaggie recognised the madness in Lute's eyes, and stood in front of Charlie, pointing her spear directly at Lute. Despite Lute's utter hatred of Vaggie, she had grown to respect Vaggie's abilities as a warrior. Having had her avenue of attack blocked, she could do nothing other than to listen to her Lieutenant.
She raised her fist and signaled a general retreat. "Open the portal, we are done here." Lute said as her eyes still lingered on Charlie. "But, this isn't over."
Lute's Lieutenant waved her hand and opened a portal to Heaven. She then signaled the other Exorcists who exited, two by two while she grabbed the shaking Exorcists by the back of her collar and tossed her through the portal. Lute turned her back to Charlie and walked through the portal, soon followed by her Lieutenant who was the last to leave, closing the portal behind her.
"Phew, hahaha." The giant laughed. "For a moment there I thought she would be crazy enough to try something. Talk about a hot pepper."
"Yes, sir." Zefriel replied. "It would be best to keep an eye on her."
The giant turned around to face Charlie and her friends.
As he locked eyes with Charlie and gave her a warm smile. "Ah, Princess Charlie."
He approached her and knelt before her on one knee. He pinned his great sword into the ground and rested it over his shoulder as he extended his hand out towards Charlie.
Charlie was tall for a human, even more so for a woman. But, despite being on a knee the giant still towered over her. She looked at his hand and recognised the gesture for what it was.
She had a slight fear that contact would burn but mustered the courage and politely placed her hand in his.
Her fears were unfounded as she felt no pain or burning sensation. Instead, she felt the warmth of his flesh as she found he wore no armor on his hands.
He gently guided her knuckles close to his lips in an act of chivalry as she was lost in his blue eyes, blushing at his courtly demeanor.
"H…Hello, it's…a pleasure to finally meet you, Prince Avis." Charlie said softly.
"Please, just call me Avis. And, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine." He replied softly. "I see you handle a fine shield."
"Oh…yes. For my friends…" Charlie said as she glanced towards Vaggie, who stared at the prince with a disapproving scowl.
"Indeed. Your noble spirit seems to shine in all aspects. You are very unlike the environment you find yourself in. It is admirable that you choose your own path despite it all." Avis said.
"Ah…thank—" Charlie tried to say.
"My lord, you should not stay here for too long." Zefriel interjected. "It would be best to return to Heaven as soon as possible."
"Indeed, you are right." Avis agreed. "Lady Charlie, I sincerely apologize for having to leave so abruptly, but my presence in Hell might be unwelcome."
"You…you are leaving so soon?" Charlie asked, the disappointed tone in her voice was notable.
"Yes. But, I would very much like to get to know you better. Perhaps we could start a penpalship?" Avis said with a laugh.
"Oh, yes! That would be wonderful!" Charlie said happily.
"Excellent! Whenever you wish to contact me, give your letter to Zefriel, he will make sure it arrives directly into my hands." Avis said as he stood back up with a bright smile. "And I shall do the same."
"I understand." Charlie said.
"However, I do also hope to see you in person. In Heaven, that is. Your friend Pentious is very eager to see you again. I hope you will indulge us with your lovely presence once his quarantine is over within two months." Avis said.
"Yes! You can count on that!" Charlie replied.
"Then it is settled!" Avis said with a warm smile. "I shall await your arrival with bated breath."
All present began to hear the faint sound of buzzing coming from their surroundings.
"Dammit, it's those drone's again." Vaggie said.
"Indeed, I have a feeling we are being watched." Avis said. "I had best take my leave."
Avis bowed courtly to Charlie and spread his wings. He took off gently, never taking his eyes off Charlie. After he ascended a safe distance, he shot upwards with all speed, passing through a portal of his own creation. As he left, the fire's that lit the tree's died down, leaving no trace that a fire had ever been there as the tree's were in no way consumed by the fire. Charlie stood there, staring up at the sky with a smile on her face.
"Umm…Charlie?" Vaggie tried to get her attention?
"...Oh! Sorry, Vaggie. What is it?" Charlie asked.
"Did we just get robbed?" Vaggie asked.
"What in the bloody blazes was that?!" Lucifer yelled as he paced around the common room, angrily.
Alastor stood by quietly as he grinned at Zefriel as if he was being scolded by the school headmaster.
"Doesn't one hand in Heaven know what the other is doing?! You are literally here to prevent them from attacking and yet what happened last night?!" Lucifer yelled.
"I'm not sure what you are complaining about. All in all, things turned out perfectly." Zefriel said.
"Perfectly?!" Lucifer yelled.
"Indeed. No blood was spilled as the exorcists tested the waters and found out that the prince is indeed willing to hold his word. They will not come again." Zefriel said calmly.
"And what of the Ax that they stole?" Lucifer asked.
"What of it? It holds no significance. Had it remained, It would have been a magnet for Exorcists." Zefriel said.
"S…so, that is the Lucifer?" Raven whispered to Vaggie as she hid behind her, only poking her eyes over her shoulder to look at Lucifer.
"Yes, but you don't need to worry. The man's a genuine sweetheart" Vaggie replied with a smile.
"Dad, I honestly don't mind that they took it. At all. I wanted that thing gone." Charlie said as she sat on the common room's window sill, looking out.
Vaggie looked away, displeased at her comment.
"I…I just think that letting them leave with their prize will embolden them." Lucifer said. "Darling, when someone attacks you so blatantly, you should not compromise with them in any way. You must defend yourself and push them back otherwise they will just do it again! Besides, if we had known they wanted the guitar so badly that they would risk entering Hell, we could have traded it to them for something that we need instead of just giving it away."
"Anything that Charlie might need from Heaven, the prince is willing to offer without hesitation." Zefriel said.
"See? We will be fine dad." Charlie said "All I really need from Heaven is for the Exorcists to stay aw—AHHHH!"
Charlie was startled by a loud bang on the outside of the window and fell off the window sill. She slowly peeked her head over the sill to see what had caused her fright. What she saw was a bird-like sinner slowly sliding down the window's protective barrier. As he did, he began taking pictures of the inhabitants with an antiquated flash photography camera.
"Ugh…if this mess wasn't bad enough, we have to deal with these…Vultures." Lucifer said as he facepalmed "Your prince just had to make a show about it all didn't he. Those damn burning trees alerted all of Hell and word must have gotten out that he was at the hotel."
"Vox had drones spying on the hotel and released recordings of the event. It's all over social media." Raven whispered to Vaggie.
"You know about the V's?" Vaggie asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I read about them on social media last night. They posted the footage on Velvet's channel." Raven said.
"Guys, what do we do?!" yelled Husk from the lobby. Angel Dust and Husk were holding back the front door as they attempted to keep the reporters from forcing their way inside. The reporters yelled a deluge of questions they wanted answered.
"Send them to all Hell." Lucifer with an annoyed expression. "...wait, no. Send them all to super Hell!"
"Then I shall dispense with them." Alastor said with a wide grin.
"Nononono!" Charlie yelled. "Nobody is going to do anything to them. I will talk to them!"
"Charlie, are you sure?" Vaggie asked.
"Yes. Besides, I have never seen this much interest in the hotel. Something good might come out of it." Charlie said.
Charlie nodded to Husk and Angel Dust who stood out of the way and opened the door. She was instantly blinded by the barrage of flashes, but she pushed on outside and closed the door behind herself.
"Princess Charlotte, can you tell us why all the tree's in Hell inexplicably caught fire last night?" One reporter yelled.
"Princess, why were Exorcists seen in Hell so soon after the last Extermination?" Yelled another.
"I—" Charlie tried to say something.
"Princess, who was the giant angel you were seen speaking to? Are we all doomed? The public has the right to know!" Yelled a reporter in the rear.
"N…No, everything is going to be ok. Things are even going to get bet—" She tried to say.
Inside, the party observed Charlie doing her best, stressed under a deluge of questions. Vaggie attempted to walk to the front door, seemingly wishing to give Charlie some room to breathe. But, she was stopped by Lucifer who blocked her off with his cane, without saying a word.
Vaggie understood and backed away.
Katie Killjoy burst through the wall of reporters with her trusty cameraman. "Ladies and Gentlemen we are here Live at the Hazbin Hotel with the princess who has yet to answer a single question. What are they hiding you might ask? Stay tuned and find out!"
Killjoy turned to Charlie "Any comment princess?" asking with a fiendish smile.
Charlie's annoyance had been steadily rising, but Killjoy, with her antics tilted Charlie towards anger.
"ENOUGH!" She yelled as she was engulfed by a pillar of fire causing the reporters to step back in fear. When the pillar of fire disappeared, it revealed Charlie bearing her horns and tail.
The reporters made not a sound out of fear of what might happen to the first one that spoke.
Charlie took a few deep breaths before she finally began answering their question, uninterrupted.
"To answer your first question. I believe the trees in Hell caught fire to announce the arrival of Prince Avis, who is the giant you saw me speaking to.
To your second question, the Exorcists attempted to retrieve a relic of their order that was captured during their attack on our hotel, one month ago.
For the third question , no. We are not doomed. We have secured a truce with Heaven. There should be no more exterminations going forward." Charlie said.
"And why is that?" Killjoy asked. "How did you manage to get this truce with Heaven?" all of a sudden. "I would have imagined the first man's death would increase the frequency of attacks on us."
"The Heavenly prince, and I have agreed to marry…" Charlie said hesitantly.
Instantly Charlie was inundated with more flashes as the reporters went back to their ways.
"You heard it here first, folks!" Killjoy yelled to the camera. "Your princess is getting married to an angel. But, I must ask, is this really the truth?" Killjoy turned to Charlie with a wicked grin "Are we supposed to believe that the prince fell in love with you or something like some Romeo and Juliet kind of hog wash? Is that supposed to be the reason for a truce? Pardon me, but it sounds like there is more to it. Are you hiding something?"
"Hiding? No. But, I am glad you asked the right question as here is more!" Charlie said, surprising Killjoy with her confidence.
"The reason why Heaven accepted a truce with us is because the hotel has managed to redeem a sinner!" Charlie yelled for all to hear, a hint of a smirk on her face as she looked Killjoy dead in her eyes.
"W…What…?" Killjoy said as all the other reporters stood in stunned silence.
Charlie seized the moment and looked straight at the camera. "Our hotel has managed to redeem a sinner from Hell. Sir Pentious is the first redeemed sinner and is now living in Heaven."
Charlie grabbed Killjoy's microphone.
"It is possible for sinners to be redeemed!" Charlie yelled.
End of chapter 10