I

UNDERDOG

"ATONE FOR YOUR SINS"

DISCLAIMER

NOTE: I am aware that the entire series is not finished yet. With the potential number of changes in the canon, this story will be an AU (Alternate Universe) that combines both elements and characters from Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, while adopting some actual new elements from the canon. This story is also not too "Lore-Friendly" (aka not being too accurate to the world of the Canon.) So, be warned if some inaccurate information in this AU may make you cringe.

Both shows along with their characters DOESN'T belong to me. The series respectively belongs to SpindleHorse and its creator, Vivienne Medrano (aka "VivziePop".) The plot in this Fan Fiction and some characters you'll know who are OCs (Original Characters) are original from me. If any ideas or characters sound similar to another story written by somebody else, it is purely coincidental. I refuse to blatantly steal somebody's idea and claim that it was mine. If you have any concerns, you are always welcome to message me.

If there is anybody outside of this site posting this Fan Fiction without giving proper credit or impersonating me, please let me know.

Chapter 15: The Princess Awakens.

A full recovery, fortunately.

-(Undisclosed Location)-

(Charlie's POV)

…

…my head…

…fuck…

I gritted my teeth and groaned as I was able to slightly open one of my eyes into the blinding lights from the ceiling. My headache remained, but I was able to endure it before opening my other eye to finally see fully. It didn't take long for me to realize I was laying on my back on a bed with the sound of a heartbeat monitor repeating its tone. With the sight of the medical equipment and how impersonal the room looked; I was seemingly inside a hospital room with one presence in the corner of the room.

It was a figure hunched over the desk in front of them, intently focused on a device. As my vision improved, I realized it was Octavia as she slowly glanced over to me with her mouth agape to let out a gasp. She paused the device, set it down on the table and bolted towards me.

"Charlie?!" Octavia cried and practically leaped to embrace me in a hug. Luckily, she knew better not to be too forceful due to the state I was in. "Thank God you're awake!"

"O-Octavia…? Wh-What are you…doing here…?"

"Keeping an eye on you…" She said before giving me some space, still holding my shoulders. "The Doctor in charge wasn't sure when you would wake up and said there was a possibility you wouldn't. But…" Octavia whimpered and dropped a few tears before embracing me once again. "I'm so glad you're still with us!"

Her head rested on my shoulder while clearly sobbing. I automatically hugged her back lightly while gently stroking her feathered head and hair to comfort the crying owl princess. There were some questions I wanted to ask, but I allowed Octavia to recover from her crying first. After a brief moment of remembering what happened before all of this, I jolted the moment I recalled the explosion. Octavia noticed I was shaking a bit and returned the favor of comforting me.

My body began to loosen up from tension as I was now fully relaxed in her arms. "Sorry. I…I thought I was done for when that happened…"

Octavia shook her head and gave an encouraging smile to hide her fear. "You are stronger than that. And surviving the attack is enough to show how much you really are."

I could tell she was just trying to make me feel better. But I still smiled as she was able to keep a positive attitude after all that had happened. "Thank you."

"Oh, right. I need to let King Lucifer know the great news." Octavia said as she pulled out her phone to text my father.

Which reminds me…

"What about my parents? Are they okay after the attack?" I asked. The Morningstar Palace was under attack during the raid. So, I had to make sure.

"They are. Both of them are currently in the capital to handle things after what happened. But they should return onboard tonight."

"Onboard?" I gently let her go and looked around the room. "Where am I…?"

Before Octavia could answer my question, the door to my room opened as Lt. Commander Ozren Mylozsky (Shinobi 2) was the one holding it open to allow someone to head inside first. It was Vaggie. She froze upon locking her eye with mine, where she began to leak droplets of tears. Just like Octavia earlier, she dashed over to me and locked me into a hug as Octavia made way to give us some room. She planted a kiss on my bandaged forehead and gently touched it with her own, having me and her face to face.

"You're okay…" Vaggie smiled while still dropping more tears. "Thank fucking God…"

Seeing her like this was heartbreaking like it was for her seeing me like this. But I did what I could to comfort her by rubbing her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Vaggie."

"Don't be. What matters is you're awake." She said while departing her forehead against mine.

"Your Highness. Glad to see you've finally awoken." Ozren bowed, then saluted as the rest of Fireteam Shinobi did the same after they walked in, respectfully.

Commander Ayase Kiritani (Shinobi 1/Actual) smiled warmly and walked over to me in order to examine if my bandages needed to be replaced. When she backed away, it seems like they were in no need for changing. "We were on our way back from the mess deck until we heard Octavia and you talking. Honestly, I thought hearing you talking was just my imagination."

I chuckled a little and bowed my head a little to her. "How long was I out?"

"One month. Thirty-nine days, to be exact."

"You serious?!" I gasped.

"To be honest, it's more than a miracle that you happen to wake up earlier than the doctors expected." Ayase said while gently stroking my head to rub it. "Especially with the amount of blood loss, brain trauma, and spinal injuries you received from what happened."

Octavia smiled lightly and nodded. "I could only imagine a powerful demon like you can have a body that can recover more easily than your ordinary one."

"I'll be sure nothing like this will happen again though." Vaggie said, as she was determined to not make the same mistake.

"I've been through a lot during my time in the FSB and WarDogs. But the fact you survived this shows how strong you are, your highness." Ozren added even more words of encouragement.

"Thank you, everyone. But…still…" I inhaled and sighed deeply, shocked at how much time has passed. But relieved for it not being longer than that. After a brief period of silence to take it all in, I decided to ask, "Where am I? You mentioned something about a "deck" earlier."

"You're onboard the RNS Erinies." Ayase answered as she placed a new bottled water on my stand. "It's the aircraft carrier Fireteam Shinobi and Vermilion Squad are stationed aboard."

"Vermilion…? Is Melodie here too?! Is she okay?!" I asked, concerned if she was hurt while I was in critical condition during the Pentagram City Raid, and my time in a coma.

"Melodie is okay. But she isn't here at the moment." Vaggie answered as she let go of me during the hug. "But we did get word from Commander Kiritani about Vermilion Squad on their way back to the ship." She said while pointing her thumb at Ayase.

I looked around the room one more time, then out the window. "But why on a ship? Why couldn't it have been the nearest hospital in Pentagram City?"

"The capital isn't really in the best state as it was before the raid. Hell, it's probably not safe anymore since The Embers showed their capabilities to attack Pentagram City. Hence why Martial Law is still in effect." Octavia explained. "According to Vaggie, the RNS Erinies was the closest aircraft carrier while it was conveniently the ship Vermilion and Shinobi were stationed on."

Ayase nodded and leaned back on the wall. "As soon as Underdog was detained, Staff Sergeant Rohan (Quaid/Vermilion 6) provided aid, and it was decided to fly you here instead of letting the QRF handle you to the nearest hospital."

"Underdog…?" I asked, puzzled by the nickname I had never heard before.

The rest of Fireteam Shinobi stayed quiet as Octavia and Vaggie lowered their heads. While Octavia frowned and looked away sadly, Vaggie was clearly a lot more enraged upon hearing "Underdog" to the point she got up and paced around, which had me concerned. But then I slowly started to realize something. Looking around the room, someone important wasn't in it with me.

"W-Where's Colonel Adler…?" I bit my lip nervously.

Octavia bit her lip (beak?) and glanced back at me with an expression that was a bit hard to read. "Charlie…"

Her face and being unable to explain further only made me even more concerned. "H-H…H-He's not dead…is he…?!" I asked while my heart began to sink slowly.

"Worse." Vaggie shook her head. "He's alive, unfortunately."

Hearing Vaggie say something like that about him was a shock. It only made me fear that their once mutually friendly relationship changed negatively while I was out. "How could you say that about him!" I exclaimed. "Where is he?!"

"Your Highness." Ayase stepped forward and bowed her head. "Colonel Morgan Adler has been "dishonorably relieved of duty" and is given the nickname "Underdog". The reason why this happened is because…" She paused to try and prepare herself for what she was about to tell me. Then… "He tried to kill you."

…

…kill me?

"Y-You can't be serious…" I shook my head, having a hard time trying to believe it.

"Charlie." Vaggie sat next to me once again. "Underdog fired that missile at your room while you were still in it. A blessed missile from Heaven's military arsenal, mind you. Do you even know how much those kinds of weapons are more lethal against demons, compared to ours and Earth's?"

"According to Staff Sergeant Rohan, not only your injuries were severe. But the amount of blood loss was immensely alarming to the point where we thought you were gonna die." Octavia clenched her hands at the thought of this happening.

"But Morgan doing this to me?! This has gotta be a mistake!" I insisted as I just couldn't see him doing that.

Ayase shook her head. "Chief Warrant Officer Murakami and I saw it happen. Our eyes don't lie, your highness. Underdog fired that missile at your hotel."

"How could you be sure though? It could've been the enemy who fired the shot at me!"

"If you want to get technical, reports from the QRF (Quick Reaction Force) and ISR overhead from Merrick Air Base say otherwise." Vaggie said a bit harshly to try and talk some sense into me.

I was jolted by her sudden tone being raised. "I-It's can't be that way…"

"What? You expect to just ask him directly after he was finally court martialed and properly sentenced?!"

"I have the right to know and try to verify if it's all true or not!"

"You're actually trying to defend the man that tried to kill you! Listen to yourself!"

"Because I just can't see it!" I shouted and slammed my fist on the bedside, silencing the room immediately except for my heartbeat monitor, clearly detecting rapid pulse due to my emotional outburst. "Morgan would never try to kill me. It was his job to protect me. He's too kind to even think of doing that to me…"

Vaggie gently grabbed my hands and spoke softly this time to calm me down. "Charlie, being nice was probably his way to exploit you of any weaknesses. Him giving you tactical training was done in order to make you trust him further."

As she held my hands, I looked down on them and realized I suffered some additional lacerations and burns on my palms, which have already healed over a month, fortunately. But I couldn't say the same for the other shrapnel wounds. Especially the one on my neck. Remembering the moment the blast happened in my room recoiled my entire body. It was a traumatic experience that had my throat choked the more I think about it.

"Colonel Adler…he…I just can't…." I bit my lip as my vision already started to blur from the first wave of tears.

"You can try to deny it all you want, Charlie. But…I'm sorry." Vaggie said while letting go of my hands to give me some room to cope.

I was the only one in the room who was objecting to Colonel Adler being responsible for this entire incident. But the look on everyone else's faces started to set me into a realization that my denials were falling apart. Especially from Ayase and Ozren, the two WarDog snipers in the Navy who are very trustworthy on verifying on what their eyes see. And if Vaggie already pointed out actual military intel confirming their story and Octavia not speaking out against it…

…then that was it.

Maybe Colonel Adler, the man who I entrusted to as my WarDog Advisor…my friend, actually tried to kill me.

The thought finally made the tears pour out, as I was unable to stop it. My heart felt like it was stabbed repeatedly to the point where I was unable to sit up properly. So, I grabbed my spare pillow and hugged it before falling on my side, sobbing into the pillow. I could already feel Vaggie's hand rubbing my shoulder as I endured the heartbreak.

Ayase and Ozren bowed their heads as soon as I eased up a bit more, looking back at them. Just by their expression, I could tell they were overwhelmingly guilty for being unable to protect me during that day. WarDogs are expected to retain some sort of punishment when they have failed in any sort of objective. And their job was to make sure I was properly protected. However, they didn't need anything like that from me.

"Please. Both of you don't have to beat yourself down like this." I said while wiping my tears away.

"Failing to make sure you didn't get harmed is a disgrace." Ayase said. "Especially since you're the only daughter of the Morningstar Family. If fate didn't spare you from death, it would've been the end of the Royal Family. And the Kingdom of Hell."

Ozren nodded and sighed. "Next time, I'll put my own life in danger just for the sake of your survival, your highness. No matter how much you insist on that."

"Guys…really…" I frowned as this was making me feel even more bad for them than it was comforting me. "Raise your heads."

Both of them did so and looked up at me, waiting for more words to be spoken.

"Commander Kiritani. Lieutenant Commander Mylozsky." I started off by calling them by their rank and surnames. "As your Princess, I will not resort to any form of punishment to either of you, or your Fireteam. The same can be said for Vermilion Squad. Now, please, there is no need to feel so much shame when you carried out your orders to protect me exceptionally well. Even if I got hurt in the end."

Ayase sighed but gave a warm smile in the end. "You're too kind, your highness."

"Makes me question if you really are the Princess of Hell." Ozren mumbled jokingly.

"Oz." His team leader glared at him.

That did get a chuckle out of me, but I waved my hand at Ayase as a sign for her to not worry about it. "I can kind of understand that."

Before I could continue, the door to the room opened up as the recognizable figure of a muscular orc demon walked in. Another trait that was easily caught was the smell of him, which smelled like very strong dark roasted coffee beans. He placed his LMG on the side table and looked at me straight in the eye, surprised to finally being able to see me awake.

"Ohhh! Look who's awake!" Derrick (Vermilion 3) laughed happily before giving me a bow and lifting up his backpack. "You up for some coffee, your highness?"

"Uhhh…s-sure." I smiled back as I was a bit taken back at his positive attitude during these hard times. But it was warm and refreshing to see.

"She's awake?!" A male voice asked as the one who spoke behind the wall peeked Raizo, the leader of Vermilion Squad. "Your Highness! Thank God you're okay!" He sighed in relief and bowed deeply.

"You can thank me too~!" Another male voice said as Quaid, the team medic, walked in after Raizo with a warm smile. "Jokes aside, it's a good day to see you with open eyes." He bowed.

"Ayase told me about your hard work keeping me stable after all that. Thank you." I said to him, thankfully.

Quaid's smile became wider and proud. "Don't mention it. The only repayment I need from you is to keep breathing to live another day." He said.

"Welcome back, Princess." Jorge (Vermilion 5) said as he was the next one to walk in and bow, followed by Edgar (Vermilion 4).

"Has everything been okay with you physically? No pain or anything wrong anywhere?" Edgar asked as he looked at my monitor.

"Everything is okay." I nodded, hiding my grief over what Colonel Adler tried to do, and bowed back to all the men in Vermilion Squad. Speaking of which, they were missing one more member. "Where's Melodie?"

Raizo looked over at the doorway and pointed his thumb at it. "Coming in now."

And there she was, having my question answered in perfect timing. Like the others in her team, she was still in a flight suit.

"Charlie!" Melodie's tail began to wag excitedly as she ran and embraced me tightly, but not enough to make it crushing out of fear of injuring me. "At least it's not always bad news in these times…"

I hugged back as her fur coat at least made it feel more warm and comforting. Especially after what I heard from the others about…Underdog. "Is everything okay, Melodie?" I asked her as I began to realize she smelled like jet fuel, exhaust, and ozone with mixture of metallic components. Knowing some pilots in the Royal Air/Aerospace Force, I could tell she just got out of a fighter jet.

"Everything is fine. Sort of…" Melodie answered, mumbling the last part.

"Well, what's wrong then?"

She shook her head to dismiss that and smiled. "No, no. Don't worry about that. We just got back from an emergency sortie to assist one of the carrier assault groups."

Jorge rolled his one eye and scoffed. "I think the correct name would be "The Meat-Shield Fleet" instead."

Melodie sighed and shook her head. "Maybe so. But…you know…"

Vaggie's facial expression intensified as she looked over at Raizo and asked, "Is it the unit I think it is?"

"Unfortunately, yes. It is." He answered as he was clearly not happy either.

"Which unit are you guys talking about exactly?" I asked.

"The Underling Brigade – Hell's military penal unit." Derrick answered as he came back with a kettle full of hot water for the coffee he was preparing. "Not only are they the shit stains nobody wants to work with. But we encountered Colonel A-…errr… "Underdog" when we arrived."

"Of all places, he had to be put almost near us." Vaggie shook her head.

"Well, the reason why they're here is because of Operation: Dusty Wings." Ayase stated before sipping her cup of tea. "They will be the first ones to go in, lighten up "The Embers", and we clean up the rest while they keep pressing forward."

Octavia was a bit disturbed at this tactic as she twiddled with her fingers a bit. "Is Underdog going to be a part of the first wave to go in?"

"Considering how he's the most hated and the most experienced in the military from inside the penal unit, more than likely." Ayase replied.

"So, not only did I wake up finding out Colonel Adler…or…Underdog now, tried to kill me. But now there's actually a war going on…" I sighed while looking up at the ceiling at a loss for anything else to think about.

"I know it's a lot to take in, your highness." Derrick said while passing me a freshly brewed cup of coffee. "A lot of things could happen in one month. But we'll make sure this insurgency finally comes to an end like the ones that happened in the Wrath Ring."

"Seriously. I wish I shared the same level of enthusiasm as you in situations like this, Warrant Officer." I smiled lightly.

"Remember this: "Nights may become darker. But there's always a brighter morning." This woman who was my CO back when I was a Corporal in the Marines told me that. Stuck with me ever since to make sure these kids stay in good spirits." He said while teasingly pointing his thumb at the rest of his squad mates.

Raizo chuckled. "Grind is usually the spirit animal of our team."

"I thought that was Melodie." Edgar joked about Melodie's Hellhound heritage.

"Shut up, shorty." She laughed along with the rest of Vermilion before nudging the marksman.

Seeing how close the rest of Vermilion Squad is, I couldn't help but chuckle along with them. Trying to lighten up the mood a bit in a time like this. But I was still curious about the situation and asked, "What else have I missed out on?"

"Well, like what Commander Kiritani mentioned, Chairman Calinao has authorized an operation against The Embers in retaliation to the Pentagram City Raid. A majority of the forces in this operation are from Hell's Royal Military. However, what she didn't mention was that we will be getting some assistance from the Kingdom of Heaven's Glorious Military in some instances." Vaggie said as she was somewhat troubled upon mentioning Heaven's involvement in this.

I tilted my head curiously. "That would mean they are going to have to send someone important down here for such an expedition. Any word who?"

"Seneschal/Grand Commander Christ himself." Ozren answered.

"Jesus…. No pun intended." Quaid whistled, rubbing the cross on his WarDog collar as a sign he was still devout as a sinner.

"If Seneschal Christ is sent, the situation is already as bad as it seems." Vaggie said.

"Aren't Seneschals meant for administrative duties for peacetime?" Octavia asked as she was familiar with Heaven's military hierarchy, but not too deep into it.

Raizo nodded, but then added, "Seneschals can have duties during wartime too. Christ may be more of a man of peace. But if hard times like this approach, he is not afraid to lead and take the role as a Grand Commander for his father's forces."

"And the Lord up there is willing to send down his son near the frontline to ensure everything is going okay?" Edgar asked as he did have some concerns about sending down an important member of the Kingdom of Heaven this close to danger.

Derrick nodded. "This isn't the first time Christ was sent down here during times of crisis. I'll just let you folks know that I've seen him in combat, and he is NOT a force to be reckoned with. Something you'd expect from the Son of God himself."

Vaggie nodded and glanced away. "Not to mention the Commander of A.R.C."

"A.R.C?" Octavia asked.

"Angelic Response Corps. Heaven's counterpart to Hell's WarDogs – holding the Exorcists and the Sentinels. Exorcists are used for "offensive operations" while Sentinels are exclusively used for "defensive purposes" solely in the Kingdom of Heaven." Vaggie explained.

Quaid whistled and smiled at her. "Someone has been doing her research."

Vaggie chortled dryly and nodded. "Let's just say I tend to understand Heaven's societal and military hierarchy for reasons…"

"Besides that, when is Seneschal Christ here?"

Ozren chuckled and looked over at Quaid. "Knowing you as a devout Christian, excited to meet the Lord and Savior?"

"We'll be sure to meet up with him. But, for now, we're all going to have to prepare for what's to come." Melodie said as she looked over at Charlie. "Also, I forgot to let you know what your mother suggested after what happened."

I tilted my head and wiped my eye to dry out the last remaining tears. "What's going on?"

"Your mother decided to declare me as your WarDog bodyguard, as a replacement for Colonel Adler – Underdog." Melodie told me. "As of right now, Vermilion Squad will be your main security detail until Martial Law has been lifted."

Ayase stepped forward and bowed. "King Lucifer and Queen Lilith has also authorized Fireteam Shinobi to act as additional protection. With my Fireteam, just remember that you always have a WarDog sniper watching your back."

I looked at all of Fireteam Shinobi and Vermilion Squad, all of whom were bowing their heads to me. Giving them a smile, I bowed my head back. "Thank you for your service and protection for all that has happened. And I hope for the best when we work together."

Melodie patted my head and chortled quietly. "Of course. But for now, I think you need some more rest. Just lay down and maybe check the news to look into what you missed out on. However, don't publicly post on social media that you've just woken up. That might put you at even more risk than when you were in a coma."

"Yeah. The Embers might start looking for you more actively." Raizo said as he grabbed Derrick's coffee offering and walked towards the exit of the room. "Vermilion let's give the Princess some space. Her room is already crowded. Melodie, you're free to come with or stay here." He said while the rest of the squad followed him out.

"I'll catch up with you. I might run a physical check up on Charlie until the medical officer returns." Melodie said.

"Rog. Take care, your highness. Call us in when you need us." Raizo told her before leaving the room.

Ayase stepped up and bowed her head. "We would like to excuse ourselves too." She said as Ozren stood next to his team leader, following her out. "We will relay Major General Damiens and Chairman General Calinao of your recovery and awakening."

"I also gotta make a call to someone." Ozren said as he looked at his smartphone and waved it at me. "I'll be back some time."

"Is that so? And who are you seeing?" Ayase asked curiously with a small teasing smirk.

"What if it's more than one?"

*Bam!*

"Ow! What the hell?! I was kidding!" Ozren groaned from the pretty effective punch on his shoulder.

As soon as it was just me, Vaggie, Octavia, and Melodie, I carefully hung my legs on the edge of my bed and stared down at the injuries that still haven't healed due to the angelic munitions. It was a wicked sight, thinking what it would've looked like from the moment I got them from Underdog's doing. The thought of him being responsible was still painful for me to handle, even after accepting it.

Melodie could easily read my expression and held my arm. "Maybe some fresh air from the balcony would help you out. Plus, we can check if you're able to walk properly."

Vaggie went to my other arm to hold it while Octavia stood up front to make sure I wouldn't fall forward. After having my feet touch the floor and now standing, I carefully began to walk towards the door that led to the balcony. I was assisted by the three of them as I soon began to realize I was still able to walk without issue. Then, with Octavia opening the door, the refreshing breeze of air blew at my face and across my body. Since we were on an aircraft carrier, the smell of sea water along with the mechanical scent of everything going on the deck was the first thing I could sense.

I was finally able to realize it was only 10:50 AM because of the clock outside on the balcony, since I was too distracted with meeting up with everyone else, and the heartbreaking news. And yet, the entire deck was this busy at this time.

A lineup of carrier-capable jet fighters with some AWACS craft, attack and transport helicopters, and the working crewmembers on the deck prepping and doing whatever they were assigned to do. The emblem on the front deck near the bow, which was of a winged demoness holding an apple and a bow, was the identification of the ship itself to which I recognized.

Ayase was telling the truth. I was on a Morningstar-Class Aircraft Carrier called the RNS Erinies; obviously a class of carriers named after my family.

Outside of this carrier, I saw an amphibious assault ship along with a squadron of destroyers, cruisers, resurfaced submarines, and a supply ship. Included with what was happening around us was a squadron of fighter jets that were either with the Navy or Marines. I admittedly wasn't an expert at recognizing military configurations and such. Unlike…him.

But what I could really tell was this was not your standard naval formation. Especially an amphibious assault ship next to an aircraft carrier. Normally during peacetime, this wouldn't be the case. Then, I remembered what the WarDogs, Vaggie, and Octavia told me.

"Welcome to wartime, your highness…" Melodie said.

Universe Trivia

Due to the devastating events in Pentagram City one month ago, the entire Dimensional Meeting has once again been forcefully rescheduled until proper security has been established. Princess Charlie Morningstar is currently under intensive care due to the ARCH-60 Astral missile striking her inside the hotel containing angelic munitions that are much more effective and lethal against demons, compared to Hell-made and Earth-made weaponry.

The insurgents behind the attack are known as "The Embers" - a terrorist organization formed after the infamous "Day of the Ashes" committed by Ioudas. Although they view Ioudas as their "inspiration", Prince Ioudas condemns their extreme practices and refuses to show any support towards them. As a result, the Kingdom of Hell and Heaven are permitted to retaliate from any sort of attacks against them without consequence. As long as they respect and follow the border restrictions on the Principality of Ioudas.

Replying to Guest #2: Well…let's be real. Almost all governments around the world would want to take advantage of working with the Kingdom of Hell, and the Kingdom of Heaven. Whether it would be for technology, influential power, import and export exchanges, military assistance, etc.

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