Chapter 7
This is a fanfiction based on Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, and the fanfiction Loona the Caretaker. All OC rights belong to their original creators and owners. The characters of Loona the Caretaker belong to MetalBrony823. Slade OC belongs to Blurey08. Zepar, Bael, Leo, and Francesco belong to Acker. Rachel belongs to CageBlack1443. Kyorichi, Fuko, Bloody Mary, and Kely OC belong to ninjashin11, and the characters of Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel belong to VivziePop. I own nothing. This is pure fanfiction, just for fun.
Cody and Loona called the number, said the callsign, and hung up. Then, after five minutes, someone called back and instructed where to meet and when. Cody wrote it down.
"When and where is the meeting?" Blitzo asked, crossing his arms.
"The meeting is tonight at an old abandoned subway station in Pentagram City. Far from any largely populated areas, quiet, isolated, and hidden," Cody answered.
"A good place for a secret meeting," Rachel added.
"Gestas will be there?" Slade asked.
"Yes," Loona answered.
Cody opened the front door to walk out but stopped suddenly. What he saw was not what he expected at all—Helsa. Cody would recognize that white-haired, grey-skinned, green-eyed babe of a demon anywhere. She stood there in her casual clothing: a pink coat with green fur around the collar and wrists, a black skirt, and black leather boots. She put her arm and fist out like she was about to knock, but Cody opened the door just before her knuckles hit it. Cody looked at her, stunned, not expecting him to open the door just before she knocked.
"Helsa?" Cody spoke.
Helsa smiled and replied excitedly, "Cody!"
She leaped forward and wrapped her arms around Cody, hugging him close. Cody almost lost his balance as he held her by her waist. He looked over and saw everyone giving a 'What the fuck?' look with their pupils as small as tiny dots and stern faces.
Helsa eased up, "I missed you, Cody. Forgive my excited behavior, but I had to come see you. You've been winning one battle after another, and a lot of changes have been happening because of you. It's crazy."
"So, I hear," Cody said, glancing between her and his friends nervously.
"Yeah, even the kingdoms in the Envy Ring, including mine, are going nuts!"
"What do you mean?"
Helsa dashed and got close to his face, "I'm talking real change, Cody! There's been talks and even groups forming."
"Is that good or bad for you and your family?" Cody asked.
Helsa flapped her long hair as Verosika did and smiled, "It's bad for my daddy, which is good for the rest of us!"
"Oh. I'm still not sure what you mean."
Helsa held his hands, "I'll explain more, but somewhere private. Let's talk more at the Royale Café. This Saturday at noon."
"Uh," Cody spoke and then glanced at Lucifer and Lilith. They nodded, and the others looked bewildered.
Cody looked back at Helsa, "Yeah, okay. I'll be there."
"Great!" Helsa said before kissing his cheek, "See you there. Bye!"
She left quickly. Cody turned around to see all his friends, brother, and Hellhound mother giving him a mean, stern look. Cody had beads of sweat on his forehead and had a nervous look as all eyes were on him.
"Cody! Who was that?!" Kim demanded.
"That was Helsa. Princess Helsa," Cody answered.
"Whose Helsa?! Are you juggling two girls, Cody?" Loona questioned.
"No! No! Of course not!" Cody replied.
Rachel stepped in front of Cody, facing everyone, to defend him.
"Guys! Guys! Stop! Let's calm down and not jump to conclusions. Let's hear Cody out before you think differently of him," Rachel stated.
Tommy had his hands on his hips, "Start talking, little brother. Explain."
"Actually, allow us," Lilith stated loudly, getting everyone's attention, "Cody attended a royal demon ball. That's how he was introduced to the Goetia kings, queens, dukes, counts, and other demon nobles."
Lucifer stepped forward and placed his arm around Cody's shoulder, "Champ here danced with three princesses. Octavia, my daughter Charlie, and Helsa, whom you saw there."
"Okay, but who is Helsa, and what's she got to do with Cody?" Kim asked.
Cody answered, "She's Princess of the Envy Ring and daughter of King Leviathan and Queen Bethesda. Helsa is of the Von Eldritch family."
Some of Cody's friends' eyes widened, while the others looked confused.
"Are we supposed to know who the fuck they are?" Blitzo asked.
"Sir, the Von Eldritch family are the rulers of the Envy Ring and the Seas of Hell. They're very wealthy and powerful, like the Goetias," Moxxie explained.
"They're not people you want to be enemies with," Millie added.
Cody approached Kim.
"I'm not dating or seeing Helsa. I'm not juggling two girls. I would never cheat on you, Kim. I'm talking to her because I don't want to upset her father," Cody explained.
Kim squinted her eyes as she crossed her arms, "She seems too interested in you for my liking. What does she want with you?"
Cody sighed, " I don't know . . . but I don't think it's about dating. I think it's something else."
"I'm not comfortable with you going there by yourself," Loona stated with her hands on her hips.
"He won't be going alone," Lilith said, "Stolas, Octavia, my husband, and I will be at the café as well. We'll keep our distance as we watch the two. If anything happens that we don't like, we'll interfere."
Loona nodded, "Thank you."
"So, just to be clear, you're not cheating on your girlfriend Kim?" Verosika asked.
"Correct. I'm not seeing Helsa. I don't know why she's so interested in me, but she kept telling me that I couldn't trust anyone during the royal ball. She was saying how everyone would use me like they've used her, and she was the only one I could trust," Cody explained.
"That's just her trying to get inside your head. I know her type. I went to high school with bitches like her," Verosika said while looking at her nails.
Kim held her boyfriend's hands, "You're not cheating on me. Good . . . because if you do, I'll be your worst nightmare, bub."
Cody nodded, "Understood."
Kim's threatening look changed to a friendly one.
"Great," Kim said as she kissed Cody, "Now we should meet that contact, right?"
"Yeah, it's in Pentagram City. I know where. Loona, you can take Cody, Kim, and Fuko. Shadow and Kimi, you can take Vortex and Tim. Slade, you take Millie, Moxxie, and Blitzo. I'll take Kyo," Rachel proposed.
"Sounds like a plan," Millie said.
"Are we all meeting him, or are some of us standing by to keep watch?" Vortex asked.
"The guy on the phone said only Cody and two others. So, it's going to be me and Slade going with him," Loona answered.
"Definitely," Slade nodded.
"Cody, have you thought about what to ask Gestas or what he might tell you that you don't already know?" Octavia questioned while crossing her arms.
"My parents were soul smugglers. Gestas has to have known them. He can at least tell us how smuggling souls works and how he knows my parents. Plus, he and the Grimms deserve to know how my parents got killed," Cody said.
"Well, be safe, and if we don't hear back from you, we're gonna come looking for you," Tommy said.
"We'll text ya," Loona assured.
Slade was driving his demonic red and black 1969 Mustang Mach 1. Loona was driving her black demonic 1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible car with red flames painted on it and the top on. Rachel was driving her red 1977 Lamborghini Countach LP400. Shadow and Kimi drove their black and red demonic 1995 GMC Vandura. It was similar to the one in The A-Team but had flaming skulls and eight billiard balls painted on the sides.
It was a long drive, but they had plenty of time. The drive gave them time to think and plan what to do if something went wrong. It got dark halfway there with the lights turning on. As they got closer to Pentagram City, they saw signs of the war. On the outskirts of the city were shacks and tents of refugees. Homeless demons huddled around campfires and drums of fire, staying warm and living in tents, shacks, or shantytowns, eating whatever they could – food from donations or what they could buy with the little money they had left or off of the land itself.
Cody and numerous wealthy demons have donated millions to charity, but even so, it's not enough. It ached Cody's heart seeing them like this. Loona rubbed Cody's arm and shoulder in comfort. Pentagram City was mixed. Some parts looked fine, and other areas looked like a war zone. They parked at different locations to cover as much of the area as possible. Cody used a magic hearing spell so that everyone could hear what they were listening to when meeting Gestas by using their hand, like in Total Recall. Cody walked with Loona and Slade toward the subway station. Their eyes scanned everywhere.
"Rooftop. Eleven and one o'clock," Slade said.
"I see them. Lookouts," Loona replied.
The others had their guns and weapons ready. Cody, Loona, and Slade walked toward the entrance and down the stairs. The subway station had dim lights, old faded posters, broken newspaper boxes, and pay phones. At the bottom of the stairs were two winged bat demons. They were as big and as strong as Vortex and Tim. They were armed with guns and swords resembling giant Bowie knives.
One of them spoke, "Welcome, Guardian of Hell."
Cody respectfully nodded as they walked through. However, it gave him chills that he addressed him as the Guardian of Hell, not Sir Cody. The subway platform had a bunch of dim lights and one big bright light in the center in front of an area pitch black of pure darkness. Cody and his Hellhound parents' eyes were shrouded in shadow by the bright LED light.
At first, nobody was around, but then someone approached them from the shadows. The person revealed himself in the light. His face and hair looked very similar to Jesus, but his skin was dark grey, his hair black, and his eyes were blood red. His head had black and red devil horns. On his back were big black bat wings. He wore black cargo pants similar to the ones Cody was wearing. He wore a black sleeveless t-shirt with an upside-down red cross and black combat boots. There was no doubt – it was him. The Overlord soul smuggler.
"Gestas," Cody spoke.
"The one and only . . . and you are the Guardian of Hell, Sir Cody Laurent," Gestas replied.
"So, you're really him, huh? The Gestas? The Impenitent Thief?" Slade asked.
"I didn't choose that title. Just a name that stuck."
"But you were there during the Crucifixion of Christ," Loona pointed out.
"I wasn't just there. I died with him," Gestas said, and his eyes glowed red with anger, "And he left behind, but he took that other thief, didn't he?"
Everyone was silent for a long while until Gestas spoke again.
"You wanna talk about history, or you wanna talk business?" Gestas asked.
Cody spoke first, "You work with the Grimms as a soul smuggler. A sinner coyote. Did you know my parents?"
"Who? Daniel and Abby? Yeah, I knew them and worked with them. They were my main contacts. I found lost souls, gave them to your parents, and they gave them to their angel contacts to take them to Heaven. But things went dark, I didn't hear from them . . . and then I heard that they got killed. How the fuck were they caught anyway?" Gestas questioned.
Cody looked at his Hellhound parents. Then they explained everything about Pentious, Valentino, Angel Dust, and Adam to him. Gestas was stunned. Then he growled and punched the wall, leaving a crater and some large cracks.
"Of course, that fucker, Adam! That son of a bitch!" Gestas growled.
"What? 'Of course'? What do you mean by that?" Loona asked.
"Adam and his little Nazi Lute have been catching on that souls are being smuggled in, and that high-horse bitch Sera has been trying to send their souls back to Hell!" Gestas answered.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"What?" Cody spoke.
"Yeah, but she can't do anything about it because once you're in, you're in. You can deport souls out of Heaven. Still, she's been trying to find a way," Gestas said.
"Did the angels working for the Grimms tell you that?" Loona asked.
"Yeah."
Cody breathed a heavy sigh as they took in the newfound knowledge.
"Look, Moses told me to come find you. In his letter and Angel's, they've stated that I'm the 'key' to all this," Cody said.
Gestas turned to him with a raised eyebrow, "The key?"
"Yeah, I don't know what it means either. I don't know what to make of it, and I don't know how to process that I'm basically Heavenly Royalty because of my angelic parents, Azrael and Elvira," Cody said.
Gestas eyes widened as he looked away. He had a look of realization.
"The key . . . Cody's a prince. Wait . . . could that mean? Oh, maybe," Gestas said, talking to himself.
"Whatever it is you're muttering about, I want to know what it is," Loona stated firmly.
"I'm not 100% sure, but I may know. Cody, the I.S.N.A. don't know that you and the Guardian of Hell are the same person, right?" Gestas asked.
Cody nodded.
"Keep it that way. I got a hutch on what they mean by the key and what it has to do with Heaven. I know that the Grimms don't know. Otherwise, they would have told me. Look, they're right about you being connected to all this, and Adam knows it."
"What makes you say that?" Cody asked.
"Think about it. If Adam thought you were dead, he never would have sent Valentino to kill you. And if he didn't know that you were the key to all this, he would have let you walk out of this all shitstorm," Gestas answered.
That made everyone's eyes slowly widen in realization. Everyone hiding in the vehicles spoke softly to each other.
"Yo, that makes sense," Vortex said.
"You don't send an Overlord to kill someone unless you're desperate to want someone dead," Tim said.
"Did Adam know about Cody's powers?" Kim asked.
"Maybe. What we do is he wanted him dead," Fuko replied.
"What the fuck is so important about Cody that Adam would send an Overlord to kill a kid?" Millie asked.
"It has to be his powers! What else?" Moxxie replied.
"Whatever it is, it'll be over my dead motherfucking body before those cock-sucking fuckers lay one finger on our Cody," Blitzo growled.
"What do you think, babe?" Kimi asked.
"If Adam is desperate to send an Overlord to kill Cody, then he must feel threatened by him . . . and if word has gotten out that Valentino is dead, then when will send someone else to kill Cody?" Shadow asked.
"This just keeps getting more and more interesting," Rachel said.
"Tell me about it," Kyo said.
* Back at Cody, Loona, and Slade *
"Look, just keep doing what you're doing, killing the VVV. I'll do some digging. Don't let the I.S.N.A. find out your true identity," Gestas said.
"Cody's parents were hunting certain demons. The one at the top of their list was Lord Drake. Why were they hunting him?" Slade asked.
"Lord Drake? Oh, he and Cody's parents were old enemies."
"Old enemies?" Cody asked.
"Yeah. Your parents have been Grimms since high school. Your parents killed Drake's brothers . . . a long time ago. Then he . . . killed your parents' mentor and four friends and Grimms that your parents care about very much. So, yeah, there's been bad blood between them for decades. Plus, Lord Drake had been targeting soul smugglers. He had to die. So, thanks for that, Slade," Gestas explained.
Cody had a slight chill go through him as his Hellhound parents glanced at him. Loona rubbed his shoulders. For a few silent moments, Cody imagined what it was like for his parents to have a vendetta toward a demon lord. They must have really wanted him dead. Cody felt that somewhere in Heaven, his parents were grateful to Slade for killing Lord Drake.
"Okay. One more thing, do you know anything about the Grand Overlord? Like who he is?" Cody asked.
"You don't know?" Gestas asked.
Cody and his friends shook their heads.
"Ah, there's a lot Jesus is not telling you. He didn't tell you about being Heavenly Royalty, and he's not telling you who the Grand Overlord is. Either he's hiding something, or he's thinking he'll bring it up when it becomes relevant or some bullshit," Gestas commented.
"Whatever, so who the fuck is he?" Loona asked.
What he said left them speechless.
"It's Judas," Gestas answered.
Everyone's eyes widened. A chill ran through their spines, and their blood ran cold. Everyone in the vehicles glanced at each other in awe.
"Judas?" Slade asked.
"The Judas? As in Judas Iscariot?" Loona questioned.
"The man that betrayed Jesus?" Cody asked.
"For thirty pieces of silver, yeah. I mean, I may have been a simple bread thief when I was alive, and I may or may not have pickpocketed a few coins, but at least I didn't stab someone in the back. I don't know about you, but I'd say that deserves a slow and painful death. He ended up here in Hell with me. I don't know how, but he got powerful. He's been hiding for centuries. Stay away from him, Cody. You may be powerful, but he's Darth Vader here in Hell. You can't defeat him alone. You can beat him if you fight him with Lucifer and the Fallen Angels. You go at it alone; you're a dead man. As for Adam, he can be killed by your Blue Diamond sword by Death's scythe, or by any angelic weapon. However, if an Archangel is working with him, you'll need something different. Archangels are protected by a higher power," Gestas explained.
"How do we take the fucker down?" Loona asked.
"I don't know, but I know where you can find the answer. See, here's the thing. After Lucifer was no longer an Archangel, they tried to replace him. I don't know the whole story, but I know that Lucifer's successor wasn't any better than him, and the other Archangels couldn't get him to leave. So, they had to kill him. They had to use a certain weapon to do so," Gestas explained.
"So, we find that weapon, we take down the Archangel," Slade said.
"Correct."
"How do we find out what the weapon is?" Loona questioned.
"There's a secret library with books and scrolls containing information about angels, demons, Heaven, and Hell. The problem is it's in the Vatican City. Demons can't go there because it is a holy place, but humans can go there without any problem. So, either Cody or your brother Tommy or a human Grimm can go in there," Gestas said.
"We'll figure something out," Slade said.
"Good . . . and here," Gestas said, handing Cody a smartphone, "Keep this with you."
It wasn't just any smartphone. It was an 8849 Tank Pro. It was thick and heavy. It had a reputation for being the number one most rugged phone, indestructible, and with a great camera. It was back and grey.
"Man, this a heavy thing for a smartphone. It's way thicker, too," Cody said.
"That phone is indestructible and hackproof. It can't be hacked. My boys tweak it to make it more advanced. Use this phone only to contact me or the others on the contact list. Also, have you ever played Watch Dogs?" Gestas asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"That phone can hack into anyone else's phone and systems. It makes VPNs, up on the surface, look like knitted sweaters when they're supposed to be tank armor. You should get in touch with that friend of yours, Ave. She'll want this on her phone, but tell her to be careful. It's powerful," Gestas explained.
Cody was going to ask how he knew about her, but he felt that if he knew about him, he would know about his friends, too.
"Thanks. I will," Cody said.
"Will she even need it? She is a digitalist hacker. She can literally go into the system," Loona asked.
"Sometimes you can't just disappear while you got eyes on you," Slade said.
"What a minute, shouldn't we all have that hacking thing?" Loona asked.
"Give me your phones," Gestas said.
He took Cody's new phone and Loona's phone. He pressed some buttons to copy the hacking program into Loona's phone, then Slade's. Before he handed them their phones, he looked at everyone seriously.
"It's not a toy. You can really cause some damage with this," Gestas said.
"Understood," Loona said as everyone got their phones back.
"And ONLY Cody calls me, and I call him. I've been hidden for centuries. I want to keep it that way. I'll be in touch."
Loona softly growled while rolling her eyes, "Fine."
They walked out the same way they came in. Once in the vehicles, Cody lifted the spell, and they drove back home to Nightmare City. On the way, Verosika called Cody, and he put her on speaker. Loona called the others in a group call on speaker.
"Hey, Verosika," Cody answered.
"Cody, hey, sweetie. I got Stolas, Via, Tommy Celeste, Lucifer, and Lilith here. How'd the meeting go?" Verosika asked.
"It was interesting. Gestas knew my parents. He was his main contact when it came to smuggling sinner souls out of Hell. He didn't know how my parents got compromised. He definitely had information," Cody replied.
"What did he tell you?" Tommy asked.
"Just that Sera, the High Seraphim of Heaven, knows about souls being smuggled in, and she's trying to send them back to Hell. But the good news is, she can't do anything about it because once you're in, you're in like Flinn, bitch," Loona stated.
"Fucking angels. They may be called that, but they sure as shit aren't," Blitzo said.
"What else did he say?" Lilith asked.
"He told us who the Grand Overlord is," Slade answered.
"Really? Who?" Lucifer asked.
"The same fucker that backstabbed Jesus. Judas," Rachel said.
There was a long moment of silence.
"Judas Iscariot? That's impossible! He was eliminated over a thousand years ago," Lucifer objected.
"Or so we thought. Somehow, he survived," Lilith said.
"Gestas said that Judas is Darth Vader here in Hell. He said that if Cody fights with Lucifer and the Fallen Angels, you'll be able to defeat him," Kim said.
"That's good, but we need to find out where he is so we can kill him," Vortex said.
"All in good time. We'll find him. He can't hide forever," Kyo said.
"Gestas also said that I could kill Adam, but I can't kill an Archangel because they're under God's protection. He said that there's a weapon that can kill an Archangel, but in order to find out what it is, we have to search the secret library in the Vatican City," Cody added.
"Of fucking course," Lucifer sighed heavily while rolling his eyes.
"Now, hold on, Luce. Hold on. Us demons can't go in there, but we got Cody and Tommy with us. They can go in there," Lilith assured.
"Wait, how come demons can't enter the Vatican City?" Tommy asked.
"It's one of the most holy places on Earth. It's like Chernobyl on steroids for us demons. We go there, and we'll die within seconds. So, only humans and angels can go there," Verosika answered.
"I see. Where's this secret library in the Vatican City? I doubt they have it on a flyer," Celeste asked.
"We'll have to read the memory of someone who knows. For that, Cody definitely has to be there. Maybe both he and Tommy can wear disguises as members of the Vatican City or as the security that protects it," Octavia answered.
"We'll play it by year. For now, just come safely, please," Stolas said.
"Of course. We're on our way," Cody said.
He hung up, and it was quiet as they drove. Cody looked out the window to gaze at the homeless people in the tents, shacks, and shantytowns. Cody felt a hole inside him that filled him with dread. He couldn't help but feel responsible for the war and all those poor homeless demons.
Kim massaged Cody's shoulders as Cody leaned his seat back to relax. Cody relished his girlfriend's strong hands massaging his shoulder and neck. Loona turned on the stereo to play some post-rock music. Once they were out of Pentagram City and it was late at night, Loona called everyone in a group call and told them to pull over to the next gas station to fuel up and rest. It was a big gas station with a Blood Burger restaurant built next to it.
Everyone pulled in to fuel up and to stretch their legs. They grabbed some tables outside and ordered some food. Cody felt numb and tired, but that didn't stop Kim and Loona.
"Cody, come on. You need to eat," Kim said, pulling her boyfriend out of the car.
"Even if you're not hungry, you should eat," Loona said.
Cody didn't argue and went with them. They ordered burgers, French fries, chicken strips, and some hot dogs. Since they were eating outside, Loona, Rachel, Slade, Vortex, and Kimi took the opportunity to smoke.
The gas station and Blood Burger were far from any major city in the country so everyone could see stars in the night sky. The night sky was dark like the surface, but the stars were all red. You could see both Heaven andPurgatory, which looked like a Satanic Star Moon. It's there where the realm of punishment was and where Samael and Satan did their work punishing the most evil of sinners. Everyone talked casually, but Cody was mostly quiet until he broke the silence.
"I hate this war. I hate war and what it's doing to everyone," Cody spoke.
That got everyone's attention.
"Join the club, kid," Fuko replied.
"Was this war bound to happen anyway . . . or is it my fault because I killed Valentino?" Cody asked.
Loona, Rachel, Kim, and Blitzo's eyes widened at that.
"What? No, fuck no! Of course, it's not your fault," Blitzo said.
"The Goetia Family and the Overlords have been at each other's throats for years. It was going to happen sooner or later," Kim said.
"Besides, you did all of Hell a favor killing that piece of shit," Kimi said before inhaling her cigarette.
"Amen," Shadow agreed before eating a hot dog.
Cody rubbed his forehead as he leaned into the table on his elbows, "And yet, so many demons are suffering."
Loona sat beside him, "Cody, you listen to me, and you listen good."
Cody looked at her.
"You didn't do anything wrong. There are no good wars. Slade and Rachel will tell you that," Loona started.
"Nope, none," Slade agreed, tapping his cigar to drop some ash.
"The only good war is no war," Rachel added after exhaling some smoke.
"In war, someone's going to get hurt. The best thing we can do is keep fighting the good fight and kill the enemy," Loona stated.
Cody looked down and away, but Loona gently held his chin to make him look at her.
"You're a good person, and you're surrounded by good people. Family and friends, that's what makes the most sense in this crazy world," Loona said.
After a long moment, Cody nodded.
"You're right. People's perception of Hell and demons are wrong. Demons are like humans. Some good, some bad, and some like my mother are capable of love," Cody said before hugging Loona, and she hugged him back.
"That's the spirit, kid," Vortex said.
"Hell yeah," Tim added before biting down on his burger.
"Although, it does make me wonder. If people are wrong about Hell, demons, Heaven, and angels, how wrong are they about God too?" Cody asked.
That made everyone curious.
"Probably more so than we realize," Loona said while still holding her boy.
"Although someone does know," Slade said as everyone turned to him, and he answered, "Lucifer. He was God's closest Archangel once upon a time. So, he knows what God is really like. The question is (inhales smoke and exhales) do you really want to know?"
There was a long moment of silence.
"Probably not. Ignorance is bliss and all that," Cody said as he ate his hot dog.
Loona ate some French fries with seasoned salt and said, "Plus, we've got bigger problems to worry about."
"So true," Rachel agreed before sipping her soda.
"Although, I got to say . . . I was surprised that my parents had a vendetta against someone. That really took me off guard. I didn't think that they would be the type to want revenge on a demon lord. To be enemies with him," Cody said, chewing his food.
"Everyone's got secrets. Your parents must have really cared about their mentor and friends to want to kill Lord Drake after he killed them," Kimi said.
"No kidding," Kim agreed.
"It's ironic when you think about it. They didn't get avenge their fallen, but you avenged them, and you didn't even know it until after you killed Valentino," Shadow commented.
That gave Cody chills.
"What happens now?" Moxxie asked.
"Yeah, what are we going to do next?" Millie asked.
Cody finished chewing and drank some soda, "Tomorrow, Kim is going to give me, Loona, and Slade a tour of Red Moon Junior High. Saturday, I'll see what Helsa wants. Then, whenever they call me and Loona back to war, we'll do that. Verosika is still getting everything ready for Pink Shore. When she does have everything ready, we'll shop for some keytars and get practicing."
"Sounds like a plan. When's your friend, Melman, coming back?" Fuko asked.
"After a few months. I hope he's doing okay," Cody said.
Meanwhile
Melman Clarkwell was deep in the wilderness of the Spirit World with Winona, the Witch Wolf Spirit. Winona transformed into her wolf form, which was a white wolf with beautiful snow-white fur and striking blue eyes. Being a werewolf gives people newfound strength and heightened senses. So, even in his human form, Melman was stronger and more rigid. So much so that he wasn't cold even in a cold environment, wearing just animal skin covering his lower half. He had to wear that because transforming into a werewolf would shred regular clothes. Melman's eyes couldn't stop wandering around.
"So, what are we doing with this walkabout thing?" Melman asked, walking next to Winona.
"Part of mastering your werewolf side is getting in tune with your wild side. It's very common for newly werewolves to be afraid of your anger. Don't be afraid of it. Embrace it so you can master it," Winona said.
Melman and Winona set up a small camp near a river. Winona caught some chinook salmon with her teeth – the fish in the Spirit World were huge. To Melman's surprise, he was fast enough to catch one with his hands. He had one roasted on a stick and another he ate raw, like sushi. Melman meditated, letting the energy around him flow through him while listening to Winona's teachings. She would also sing and hum magical rituals to summon nature spirits to help send Melman energy and magic.
The werewolf energy was like fire and ice. It can feel as cold as ice or as hot as fire. That's what the anger and wild side of the werewolf is. Mastering the werewolf is having control of both sides. Control of both the rage and wild side. Control of the fire and ice.
However, the next day, a big storm was rolling in. They had to rush to a cave for shelter. Melman took a stick, wrapped some vines around one end, and struck some rocks to ignite a spark and light a fire. The storm outside got worse, forcing Melman and Winona to go further into the dark cave. As they explored the cave, they heard growling and snarling.
Melman quickly waved his torch at the sound. His heart rate accelerated, and his senses were heightened as fear gripped him. Both he and Winona saw bones, both animal and human, on the ground. Then, they saw creatures in the cave that looked similar to the monsters in Uncharted Drake's Fortune. They had the same grey skin, black eyes, and sharp fangs. They even made the same kind of noises and moved like them. The only difference was that these monsters had pointy ears.
"What the heck are those things?" Melman exclaimed with his torch shaking.
"Cave dwellers. Dark creatures that lurk in dark places like caves. They eat what they kill," Winona answered.
"Wha-what do we do?!"
"Change into a werewolf and fight."
Melman turned to her, bewildered, "What?! I can't!"
"Yes, you can. Embrace the wolf within you. Embrace the fire and ice. You can do it, Melman," Winona encouraged.
Melman glanced back and forth between her and the cave dwellers, getting closer. He glared at them as he huffed some breaths. He dropped the torch, clenching his fists, letting the anger and wild energy flow through him—the fire and ice. Then, his body changed. His black fur grew, his body got bigger, and his face became wolf-like with claws and fangs. Melman growled and roared fiercely. His roar made the cave vibrate. It was very close to the roar from The Wolfman.
A cave dweller leaped forward to attack Melman, but he struck him hard, smashing him into the wall. Another one jumped from above, but Melman grabbed him midair and slammed him hard into the ground, crushing his torso and skull. He growled and roared as he attacked the monsters. Every swing from his claws would rip heads and arms off, making red blood spurt from their bodies. Melman grabbed one cave dweller and ripped him in half like Kratos in God of War. He grabbed another, bit down hard on its head, and ripped it off. The cave dwellers didn't feel fear, so they didn't run away. Melman had to kill them all. When he did, he was covered in blood, and his roar was long and loud but not as long and loud as his howl.
It took him a few minutes to revert to his human self. When he did, he was panting, sweating, and was covered in blood. Winona looked upon him to see that the boy was surrounded by a hundred dead cave dwellers; most of them were missing limbs and heads or had their guts hanging out in pools of blood.
"You did good, Melman. This was a great start to controlling your werewolf side," Winona said.
"Is this what all beginners go through the first time controlling their werewolf powers?" Melman asked.
"No, I didn't intend for you to do this so early. I'm sorry, Melman," Winona answered.
Melman sighed heavily, "Whatever. Where can I go to wash this blood off?"
Winona moved her ears and looked back toward the entrance of the cave.
"The storm has settled. It's safe to go out there. You can wash yourself by the river," Winona answered.
Melman picked up the torch and followed her. The storm calmed down to a light shower. As Melman washed the blood and dirt off of him, he asked himself all sorts of questions.
"How did I get myself into this mess?" Melman thought.