Grail of Sin chapter 15
Just the way things are.
Hell's morning light lit the common room. It had been a jubilant night, offering little sleep to Charlie and her friends.
"Ahahahahah!" Niffty laughed maniacally as she ran the chainsaw over Angel Dust's contract.
It sent sparks and table chips flying all over. But, much to her disappointment, the contract remained unblemished.
Vaggie and Alastor sat at a nearby table, observing their latest failure at destroying the contract. Despite being acclimatized to lack of sleep by her years of soldiering, Vaggie still groaned before sipping from her coffee mug. Alastor on the other hand was spry and fully alert, making Vaggie wonder if he ever slept at all.
Charlie entered the common room and sat at the table beside them.
"Any luck?" Vaggie asked.
"Not yet. Dad isn't answering his phone, so I left him a voicemail. I asked him to come to us as soon as possible. What about you?"
"Angel tried shooting it, Husk tried to dip it in DIY acid, Niffty just tried the chainsaw…but no luck either. That damned piece of paper really is indestructible."
"Drat. We have to keep trying."
"What about you, Alastor?" Vaggie gestured at him. "Want to give it a shot?"
Alastor looked at her with an amused smile. "Oh no, my dear. I would much rather enjoy watching your futile antics."
Vaggie crossed her arms with a groan. His words were true, she thought, this was futile.
"Good morning." Zefriel said as he entered the room. "I assume the chainsaw was less than effective."
"Everything was, not just the chainsaw." Vaggie said.
Zefriel scratched his chin. "Alright, let me give it a shot." He materialized his Zweihänder sword in a flash of red fire.
"This is a bad idea." Vaggie said as he walked her past.
"Wait, Vaggie. Maybe an archangel can destroy it." Charlie said. "Give him a shot."
"Sigh. Fine." Vaggie relented.
Zefriel approached the contract, lying on the table. He raised his sword, high over his head, and swung with blinding speed. The sword passed through the table like a hot knife through butter, leaving a noticeable gap in it. He picked up the contract off the floor, and to his seeming surprise, it was still undamaged.
"Ugh…" Vaggie facepalmed in frustration at the sight of the destroyed table.
"Hah. I sincerely hope we kept the warranty for our archangel. "Alastor laughed." We might need to ask Heaven for a replacement."
"Ok, hold on. That was just a practice run." Zefriel said as he placed the contract back on the table. "This time I will be serious." Red fire began to emanate from his eyes, and engulfed his sword as well.
"Stop!" Vaggie yelled as he raised his sword over his head for a second strike. "Stop, before you cause more damage and set the entire Hotel on fire!"
Zefriel lowered his sword as the fire's disappeared.
"We have to use our brains to solve this problem." Vaggie added, tapping her temple.
"She is right." Charlie joined in. "We can't solve this with brute force. It's clearly magical in nature."
"Alright. What do you suggest?" Zefriel dematerialized his sword.
"Hmm…" Charlie rubbed her chin in contemplation. "Wait, maybe Emily could help us. She did say that Hell Contracts are similar to her Holy Compacts."
"Alright, I'll get the assistant." Zefriel said. He raised his hand and opened a portal to Heaven, connected directly to Heaven.
The prince sat at his oversized office desk seemingly hard at work, surrounded by mountains of paperwork on his desk. Emily, in turn, was busy unloading a literal cart of additional paperwork, quickly flying to and from the desk. Zefriel grimaced at the sight of it all.
Avis raised his head to see the portal. "Zefriel! Thank grandfather you are here. I need help with this shi—nging example of Heaven's bureaucracy." Avis waved a stack of papers in his hand.
"No." Zefriel refused outright.
Avis groaned. "Then why are you here?"
"We need lady Emily's help." Zefriel said.
"Charlie!" Emily yelled in excitement, spotting her through the portal. She dropped the stacks of papers, and quickly flew through the portal to hug Charlie.
Vaggie looked on, aggravated to the core.
"Charlie, it's good to see you again in person." Avis said as he passed through the portal as well. He bent one knee before her and kissed her knuckles.
"Likewise, Avis." Charlie replied with a smile "But, you don't have to be so formal." Charlie's eyes darted to Vaggie, signaling to Avis.
"Ah, right." Avis laughed. He could sense Vaggie's irritation. "I will be less…formal."
"So, son of Christ. We meet at last." Alastor said in an irreverent manner, Niffty comfortably sitting on his shoulder. "I must say, I didn't expect you to be so wide…or blonde for that matter."
"You are the one with the grin. I believe Zefriel mentioned your name to be Alastor." Avis examined them both intently. "And you must be the one eyed little girl that killed Adam, Niffty."
"The pleasure is all yours, I'm sure." Alastor replied as Niffty let out a giggle.
"I assure you, there is none." Avis replied, his expression stern and reserved. "Now, Zef, what did you need Emily for?"
"Avis, we managed to acquire Angel Dust's contract—" Charlie said.
"The spider sinner with the fabulous hair?" Avis asked.
"Yes!" Charlie smiled. "We are trying to destroy the contract permanently. But we can't seem to damage it."
"Charlie, say no more." Avis said as he stood up and materialized his greatsword. "Just put it down on a table and I will take care of it." Red fire began to emanate from his eyes, and engulfed his sword as well.
"No!" Vaggie yelled.
"What? Why?" Avis asked.
"Property damage." Zefriel replied.
"Ah…right…property damage." Avis said as he dematerialized his sword.
"Charlie wanted Lady Emily to inspect the contract. Perhaps a seraph could help." Zefriel said.
"Might be worth a shot." Emily said as she approached the contract, and picked it up.
"We can't seem to break the magic that upholds it." Charlie said.
"Oh, Charlie, there is no such thing as magic." Emily said as she examined the contract. "It's all just trans dimensional energy manipulating atoms in the material world."
"Riiight." Charlie said
Emily's eyes began to glow as she attempted to tear the contract with her hands, albeit unsuccessfully. "I was afraid of this. It's definitely a Holy Compact's evil twin as its power rivals that of a seraph. Only its maker could undo it, any idea who that might be?" She thoroughly inspected the parchment's every end: front, back, and even the thin sides.
"Umm…Valentino?" Charlie asked hesitantly, unsure herself.
"I'm pretty sure that Angel Dust said that Valentino won his contract from an auction at the Hell Bank." Zefriel said.
"Aha! There it is." Emily said. "There is a microscopic seal on the side of the contract."
"You can see microscopic symbols?" Charlie asked, clearly surprised at the notion.
"Of course! Perfect vision is a God given gift to all Seraphim." Emily smiled. "It looks like a pair of keys crossing each other, or maybe two—"
"That would be the seal of the Kingdom of Hell's central bank, the one that our spider friend colloquially refers to as the Hell Bank." Alastor interjected. "We overlords acquire blank contracts from said institutions and fill them out ourselves as needed."
"Yes, everything is pointing to the Bank." Charlie said pensively. "We will go there, right now! It might be the only way to destroy the contract once and for all."
"Agreed." Vaggie said.
"I will try to call my dad again and have him meet us at the bank." Charlie said as she picked up her phone and began to dial.
"Oh, may I please join you?" Emily asked with a smile. "I'm sure a seraph would be extremely useful!"
"Lady Emily, thank you for your help. But, your request is denied." Zefriel said. "You are to kindly return to Heaven immediately."
"Sorry Zefriel, but Seraphim outrank archangels." Emily said as she stuck out her tongue. "I will be joining whether you like it or not."
Avis let out a gentle cough that brought Emily to attention. "Lady Emily, while I too would like to adventure to this 'Hell's Bank', we still have a lot of work to do."
"But…" Emily tried to protest.
"No buts. Remember, diligence is next to godliness…or something like that." Avis said humorously. "We can't go adventuring while there is still important work to be done. You must follow the rules."
"O…Ok." Emily said despondently, as she marched back through the portal.
"Don't be so down, Emily." Avis said. "Remember that you will have plenty of time to…umm…'hang out' with Charlie when she visits Heaven in the coming month. As for the rest of you, I wish you luck in destroying that vile thing as soon as possible."
"We will get it done." Zefriel said.
Avis turned around and winked at Charlie, before stepping through the closing portal. "See you soon, princess. Byeeeeeee."
Charlie waved with a rosy blush on her face.
"What a charming fellow." Alastor said as he eyed a deeply irritated Vaggie, grinding her teeth in anger. "Although, I can't help but notice that you didn't mention the fact that you have achieved overlord status in Hell." Alastor glanced at Zefriel with a side eye.
"There was no reason to." Zefriel said. "This contract will soon be destroyed making that distinction meaningless."
"Hahaha." Alastor laughed as he turned to leave. "I am somewhat doubtful that that is the case."
"You aren't coming with us?" Vaggie asked.
"Sorry dear, but I already know what will happen so color me disinterested. Ta-ta." Alastor left the room.
"Fuck, I should had known he knew something." Vaggie said.
"We should probably bring Angel Dust along." Charlie said.
Velvette sat on the couch in the 'V' tower's leisure room. She browsed her phone, paying little attention to Vox as he paced around the room muttering angry curses as he did.
"I swear, as soon as I get my hands on that overgrown moth piece of shit…" Vox said. "Hey! Did you hear a single word I said?!"
"Heard it all, didn't care."
"Velvette, this is fucking serious! He just took off out of nowhere, practically robbed me blind! He's never done that before!"
"Awww, worried he got himself a new boytoy?"
"I don't give a shit if he's fucking someone on the side." Vox yelled. "As long as he's not using my fucking money to do so!"
"Well, that should teach you to not give him your—"
A loud slam interrupted Velvette as the door to the leisure room burst open. Valentino stood at the doorway; grimy, disheveled, missing his signature sunglasses, and gun in hand. His breathing was fast and heavy, while his eyes were full of fury.
"There you are you fucking asshole! Where the fuck have you been—
A bullet rang past Vox's head, missing him by the skin of his teeth. Realizing the danger, he leapt behind a couch as Velvette quickly did the same.
"Hijo de puta!" Valentino yelled. He fired more shots directly into the couch, narrowly missing Vox as bullets emerged mere inches from his body. "I'll kill you for fucking me over!"
"Shit-SHIT!" Vox yelled. He began furiously typing on his phone, doing his best to remain as low to the ground as possible. His mind was panicked, barely able to concentrate, fully aware of the danger the angelic steel pistol posed to his life.
"Come out you fucking traidor and die like a fucking hombre!" Valentino yelled, changing his pistol's empty magazine.
Velvette seized the opportunity, emerging from behind her couch "Hey asshole!"
Valentino looked towards her and was instantly blinded by a bright flash emanating from Velvelette's phone.
"Ach, maldita perra!" Valentino covered his eyes, the bright light having caused severe pain to his exposed and sensitive eyes.
"Come on, come on!" Vox yelled, still fidgeting with his phone. "Yes!"
A turret descended from the ceiling with lightning speed, trailing its muzzle directly at Valentino. It fired a concentrated laser beam that passed through his neck, decapitating him in an instant. His lifeless head dropped to the floor, with his body quickly following.
Vox and Velvette stared at each other, shaken, and in disbelief at what had just happened.
"Tie him the fuck up." Velvette said, being the first to regain her composure.
Hours passed. Valentino's mind began to slowly regain consciousness, his sinner body having regenerated from his grievous injuries.
"Wake up you bloody moron!" Velvette yelled as she slapped him with all her might. He was regaining consciousness far too slowly for her taste.
Valentino's eyes suddenly opened, and he found himself in Vox's office, tied up to a chair.
"You fucking perra, you were in on it too, weren't you!?" He struggled to free himself, but to no avail.
"What in the seven rings of Hell are you even talking about?!" She asked as she stomped her foot in anger.
"Vox! He betrayed me last night with that bitch of a princess!" Valentino spat out.
"I didn't betray shit!" Vox yelled. "You are the one who fucked me over last night!"
"QUIET!" Velvette yelled. "Something's not right. I want both of you to stop yelling and tell me exactly what you did last night. Every last detail!"
"Are you fucking kidding me?! That fucker rebuild Melody's lounge…just to burn it down again?!" Vox yelled. "I'll kill that bag of fleas and shove that cane up his ass!"
"Shut it!" Velvette yelled. She was busy examining surveillance footage on Vox's computer.
The two V's had stuffed socks in Valentino's mouth in an effort to shut him up, after he had recounted his story. He mumbled loudly as he tried to make his displeasure known.
"Found it." Velvette said. "You two exited the lift to the garage at 10:03 pm…and again at 10:37 pm. The first pair took the Limo, while the other left in the convertible."
Valentino had become quiet, and seemed to be listening to her intently.
"Are you serious?" Vox asked. "You are trying to tell me that I was on a date with some…lookalike?!"
Velvette approached Valentino. "Think back. Did either of you notice anything weird about the other last night."
The V's thought for a moment. "Yeah…there were things that I thought were weird." Vox said. "He was very distant. Not even a peck on the cheek, let alone a kiss."
Valentino nodded in agreement.
"Well there's your answer." Velvette pulled out the wad of socks from Valentino's mouth.
"It's clear what happened. Last night we were under attack by shapeshifters. Surely working for the princess, or worse, Lucifer himself. Valentino was their target, no doubt about it. She wanted Angel Dust's contract and she got it. Can't say I'm not impressed."
"Fuck. I'll make that bitch pay for what she did, I swear!" Valentino yelled.
Velvette slapped Valentino across the face, as hard as she could. "Get over it you bloody fool!"
"But—" Valentino tried to protest.
"You are lucky to still be alive!" She continued. "The princess could have us all killed if she wanted to since we no longer have anything that she wants or needs."
"Do you think they will come after us?" Vox asked. "We are already on the back foot with the damn cannibals, practically on our doorstep."
"Probably not. Otherwise this fool would not still be alive. I think all she wanted was the contract, and we are just an afterthought. But, it would still be a good idea to lie low for a while. No telling if her father is as forgiving. Frankly, Angel Dust is just not worth risking this matter going any further."
"You are probably right…" Vox said. "...while it's unfortunate, the best we can do in Hell is learn from our fuckups and move on.
Valentino mumbled something under his breath. Velvette did not allow it to go past her, and grabbed him by the collar. "Val for fucks sake. You are to stay the fuck away from the princess AND her people!"
Valentino stares into her angry eyes. "Yeah…I—"
Just that moment, the intercom on Vox's desk began to buzz.
"Oh, what now?!" Vox groaned.
"Sir, the rescue team has arrived with the hostage, and they wish to see you."
"Rescue team? Hostage?" Vox asked, glancing at Velvette who simply returned a shrug. "What the fuck are you talking about?!"
"Oh, that must be the mercenaries you hired last night." Valentino said with a mocking smile. "You might want to get your checkbook, Cariño."
"Let them in." Vox said. He angrily stared at Valentino as Velvette untied him.
Moment's later, the assistant entered with three imps in tow, two males and one female. The large imp was carrying a body over his shoulder, wrapped in a blanket.
"Sir, these are imps from…umm…I.M.P." the assistant said.
Vox raised an eyebrow.
The larger of the imps pushed the assistant out of the way.
"That's the Immediate Murder Professionals, and the names Blitz. Sometimes Blitzy, never Blitzo." The largest imp said, approaching closer. "These two are M and M, also known as Millie…".
"Hello!" The female Imp said cheerfully as she waved.
"...and Moxxie."
"Ugh…yeah, Hi." The shorter male Imp said, seeming to be distracted and inspecting their surroundings.
"Well, what have you got for us, Blitzy?" Vox asked.
Blitz dropped the blanked onto the floor and unfurled it with a kick. Inside, was the bloody body of a female sinner, seemingly dead with a high caliber bullet hole in her chest.
"Sorry she's a little lead heavy. One of those black eyed freaks had angel steel to her neck, had to shoot through her."
"Isabella!" The assistant yelled as he dropped to his knees beside. "Oh, my beloved Isabella!"
"Relax, buddy. She'll pull through. I've seen you sinners heal from a lot worse." Blitz said. " Now, about the payment."
"How much?" Vox asked.
"Three hundred 'K'." Blitz answered with a sly smile.
Voxes' eye twitched in fury as he glanced at his assistant. "Like Hell—"
Velvette stepped in and shut Vox up. "How many of those cannibals did you kill in the…rescue?"
"Counted about forty-five." Blitz said proudly.
"Forty-seven sir." Moxxie corrected. "Millied decapitated two of them with her ax as we were driving away."
"Even better." Blitz fist bumped Millie with a smile.
"Hah, not bad." Velvette said. "Would have been more useful if they were perma' deaths as I doubt you use angelic steel, but not bad all the same."
The V's mood changed for the better at the news.
"I guess angelic steel does little to frighten imps, considering any metal can kill you all the same." Velvette said as she sat on Vox's desk and crossed legs. "You know, we have been struggling to find competent people to go against those freaks. We might be able to use your services on a more permanent basis."
"For now, I'd rather just be paid what I'm owed." Blitz said. "Then, we can talk about more work."
"Forget it, you aren't getting a single—" Vox
"Pay him." Velvette interrupted. Her tone was harsh and domineering.
"What?! Are you fucking insane?" Vox yelled. "Three hundred for a fucking rescue of lead who's ratings have been plummeting for the past year?"
Velvette didn't say a word as she cast a disapproving scowl at Vox.
"Ugh…fine." Vox relented. "Here." Vox materialized several small stacks of cash on his desk. "Now, get the fuck out!"
"Sure, sure. We will be out of your hair in a blitz." Blitz quickly grabbed the stacks of cash and passed them off to Moxxie, who struggled not to spill the cash onto the floor. "I hope you don't mind me dropping this off with you."
Blitz pulled out his business card and handed it directly to Velvette. "Now if you will excuse us, I have some angry creditors—Err, I mean investors, that need to get paid. See you around TV man!"
Blitz quickly pushed Millie and Moxie out the door as they made their way out.
"I like that one." Valentino said.
"Get in the Van, Mox!" Blitz yelled.
"But, sir!"
"Not now Mox, dammit!" Blitz got behind the wheel in a panic, his phone began to ring. "F…Fuck, it's him. Hold on." Blitz answered his phone. "Reaper! Buddy, I was just about to call you—" Blitz glanced at the stacks of cash in Moxxi's lap. "Y-Yeah…I got…your money. Yeah, I'll be right there. See you soon."
Blitz put away his phone and let out an exhausted sigh. "For fuck's sake. We almost got killed by those fucking cannibals and all we're going to have left at the end of the day is a couple of bucks."
"Sir, I told you taking money from loan sharks to bet on horse races was a bad idea!" Moxxie said.
"Sigh…let's just get this over with." Blitz said as he started the engine.
Charlie, Vaggie, Angel Dust and Zefriel stood at the foot of Hell's Central Bank. It was an imposing structure compared to the neighboring buildings. Its walls were adorned with gothic statues and stained glass that seemed to be centuries, if not millennia old, making the edifice appear as a cathedral rather than a bank. Many sinners walked past them, in and out of the edifice through its large brown oak doors. The bank appeared to be a popular destination for overlords, both great and petty in rank.
"Never thought I would be happy to see this place again." Angel Dust said as he rubbed his arm nervously.
"Let's hope it's the last time you will see it too." Charlie said as she reassured him. "Come on, let's get this done."
Charlie and her friends stepped inside and found themselves in an immense hall, merging with the crowd of overlords minding their own business. A large indoor fountain roared in the center, surrounded by marble statues and ample leisure seating for its customers.
"Wooooow." Charlie said as she stared high above her.
Zefriel followed her gaze to the ceiling. It was so high that it rivaled that of the Holy Palace in Heaven itself. He grinned in disgust at the sight of the six vassal sins surrounding the image of Lucifer, sitting upon his hellish throne, plastered on the ceiling in an ancient fresco. "Have you not been here before?"
"No…my lambs always handled my banking for me," She said.
Having walked past the fountain, the party found two obsidian pathways to the sides of the great hall leading to a floor below. From one of these paths emerged a spider-like overlord dragging a mundane sinner by a magical chain; kicking, screaming and clawing at the floor. The spectacle garnered little interest from the other overlords who simply walked past with indifference. Charlie covered her mouth and averted her eyes as the overlord walked past them with his prize, a detail not lost on Zefriel as he observed her.
"Let me guess. The slave market is downstairs." Zefriel said.
"Y…Yeah…" Angel Dust said. "Let's…keep moving."
The party moved on, past the obsidian pathways. It seemed that the overlords were primarily attracted to the lower levels as this area was far less populated.
The party reached a large metal gate that lay at the center of the great hall, guarded by a squadron of heavily armed hellhounds and imps. It had dozens of counters to each side, manned by bank tellers, going all the way to the far wall on both ends.
"Tellers. Might as well start there." Vaggie said. "I don't see any other employees besides the guards and I don't think we want to go…down there."
"Right." Charlie nodded.
They stood in awkward silence for a moment, until Vaggie elbowed Zefriel. "You're the overlord with the contract. Get to it."
"Very well, stay here." Zefriel approached one of the counters, who's teller was a female succubus.
"Well, hello sir. How can I be of assistance today?" the succubus asked.
"This contract," He said as he placed it on the counter "I want it annulled."
The teller looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. She briefly snickered before escalating to hysterical laughter. Zefriel's angry stare sent a clear message, however.
"Wait, you're serious." she said as she abruptly stopped laughing.
"I'm deadly, serious."
"...Hah." The teller crouched under her desk, pulled out a large tome, and slammed it on her desk. She annoyedly opened it and began to read intently. Zefriel assumed it to be some sort of operational manual.
"Let's see. I need you to fill in form C-137. Take this, go to the back of the line and return when you have it filled in."
Zefriel looked around. "What line?"
"The back of the line…" she waved him away without taking her eyes off the tome before her.
Zefriel rolled his eyes and compiled.
He returned several minutes later with the mundane form complete. The teller quickly slammed the tome shut and put it away.
"Ah, excellent. Thank you." The teller grabbed the completed form.
Zefriel watched with narrow, angry eyes as she simply placed it in the paper shredder and destroyed it. He thought of a few angry words, but she spoke before he could say anything.
"Pardon me asking, sir. But, are you new to Hell?" the succubus asked.
"I am a recent arrival, yes." Zefriel replied.
"I see." She said as she inspected the contract. "And are you in possession of any other contracts or binds?"
"No. I simply want to have this one destroyed."
"Aha. Well then, please allow me to explain. Having bound your first soul here, which I'm sure was no easy feat, has made you an overlord. A cut above Hell's more common sinners. Soul bind's like these increase your power and allow you to slowly climb the ranks of overlords, gaining wealth and prestige as you do."
"Riiight…"
"As such, there are many more useful things that you could do besides annulling this contract. If using the sinner, as intended in this contract, is not to your liking then you could sell the contract."
"Not interested."
"You could trade it for a slave that is much more to your liking." She said seductively as she gently passed her hand over her ample breast." If you know the type I mean. We have many lovely girls downstairs just looking for a handsome overlord to take them home."
"Not interested."
"Hell, you could give it away to a less fortunate overlord. Even that would be less insane than annulling the contract."
"Give the slave contract away as a charitable offering? Wow, I bet I would be redeemed in no time." Zefriel scoffed sarcastically.
"Oh, fat chance dear. They would not take anyone." the succubus said gleefully. "Hell is forever."
"Well, luckily for me, there is a Hotel redeeming sinners." His sarcasm was ever present.
"That old thing? Please. What…a…clown…show." The smugness in her voice was palpable.
"Oh, come on!" Charlie yelled in the background.
"Sweety, let me give you some actual advice." the succubus said. "In Hell, you are either a shark…or you are chum.
Your best bet is to embrace the fact that you are an overlord, instead of putting your hopes on some dingy old hotel. We even offer low interest loans to help you start your journey."
"Again, not interested."
"I…I'm really trying to understand you." She said as she ruffled her hair in frustration. "Why don't you just put the contract in your back pocket and just forget about it. You don't have to command your sinner to do anything. It would be as if they are free already! And, in the future if you change your mind…"
"Not—"
"Not interested! Right…right." she held her head with her hand.
"Alright, enough of this!" Vaggie said as she pushed Zefriel out of the way. "We see what you are trying to do so just cut the bullshit and annul this damn contract."
The succubus sighed in frustration and acquiesced. "Fine-fine-fine. But, I'm not able to annul it myself. I will have to set up an appointment for you with the bank manager. He is the only one who can annul it. That's all I can do here."
Zefriel and Vaggie exchanged annoyed glances. "Fine, get it done." Vaggie said.
"Let's see. Ok we have an availability on March 15th of—"
"What? That's six months away!" Vaggie snapped.
"Oh no sweetie. It's not six months away." the succubus said with a sly smile. "It's forty-two months away. That's three years and six months from now."
The succubus glanced up at them, gleeful at the thought of being an inconvenience, but quickly feared that she had over done it. Vaggie's eye twitched in anger while Zefriel's emanated a red fire. The angel's didn't like being toyed with.
"Guys-Guys-Guys." Angel Dust said as he put his arms around Vaggie and Zefriel. "Let me handle this." Angel Dust gently pushed the angels away and stepped forward, leaning on the counter.
"Why hello there…" He inspected the succubus's name tag, displayed proudly with her cleavage. "...Monica."
"Angel Dust! Never thought I would meet you in person." the succubus said as she leaned on her hand, biting on her pinky finger seductively. "I'm a big fan of your…work."
"You don't say."
"Yeah... Can't wait for 'Back door slut's 9' to come out. Have you guys already started filming?"
"Oof, sorry to disappoint, Monica, but I'm handing in my retirement papers." Angel Dust gently pushed the contract towards her.
"Wait, you're this Anthony in the contract?" she said, surprised. "And that guy managed to get you from Valentino?!"
"Sure did. Now, how about you help a brother out and let your manager know there is a VIP out here waiting for him with a very busy schedule."
"Sorry, Angel, no can do. The manager cant be seen as doing favors for any sinners or overlords. You will have to wait in line like all the others."
"Well, Monica, that would be a bit of a problem. Making the VIP wait would cause serious problems for your business…if you catch my drift."
"Angel, threats will get you nowhere." She scowled at him. "We deal with pissed off overlords every single day, but none of them would ever dare do a thing in here. If they did, the bank would sanction them, freeze their assets and cut them off from our services. They would be dead in the water, and they know it."
"Right…right." Angel Dust chuckled. "But, see, the problem is that the VIP I'm talking about is the princess of Hell. Your princess." he gestured at Charlie, who waved with a nervous smile.
"The…princess…of Hell. How nice. But—"
"Monica, sweetheart. I get that you are trying to be fair, follow protocol and all that jazz.
But, let's be real here. They are not like the rest of us, and you know it. They don't just run the place, they own the place. And that means that they don't wait in lines like us commoners."
"I-I-I don't want to get in trouble!" she said.
Angel Dust smiled, she was getting nervous and he had her in the palm of his hand. "Monica, I'm not trying to cause you trouble. I'm just trying to help a sister out by preventing her from making the gravest mistake of her life."
The succubus stared at him with terrified eyes.
"After all, we wouldn't want our king to find out that Monica got in between his one and only daughter and something she wants. I mean…he's practically watching, right now." Angel Dust pointed to the fresco on the ceiling. Monica glanced at it, and felt a shiver up her spine as Lucifer's eyes seemed to be staring directly at her.
"Now, why don't you use that nice and shiny phone of yours to let the manager know that the princess is waiting to be seen, right now."
"R-Right, yes. I will call him right now and let him know that the princess would like to see him." Monica said nervously with her hand visibly shaking.
"Close, but not quite there." Angel Dust said as he placed his hand over hers, preventing her from lifting the phone receiver. "I didn't say she would like to see him. I asked to let him know that the princess is waiting to be seen, right now. Capiche?"
"Y-Y-Yes. One moment. P-Please." she began to dial rapidly, albeit her trembling hand.
Angel Dust turned to his friends and gave them a thumbs up, as they watched from a distance.
"Not bad." Vaggie said with a satisfied smile.
"I have to admit, it was nice watching her squirm a little." Zefriel said.
A few minutes passed before the metal gates between the counters slammed open as a large demon stepped out. He was tall and muscular, wearing a fine black suit with a red shirt. His skin was as red as his shirt, with large black horns protruding from his head. Far too large to be an imp, Zefriel thought.
"Your highness!" The demon yelled as he approached Charlie. "It is such a pleasure to receive you! I am Mephisto, and I am at your service."
"Oh, umm. Thank you. So nice–" Charlie said as the manager shook her hand, but was interrupted.
"The damn succubus should have called me immediately as soon as she saw you in the building. To think that I could have missed the opportunity to meet you in person!" he scoffed angrily at Monica. "Rest assured, she will be punished severely."
Charlie glanced at the poor succubus , hiding behind her desk, only raising her head high enough to peek at her manager with her fearful eyes.
"T-That will not be necessary!" Charlie said as she pulled her hand free. "Please, I just want to have a contract annulled as soon as possible."
"Ahh, I see. Then please, right this way to my office." Mephisto gently pushed Charlie towards the metal gates leading deeper into the Bank.
He abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned around when her friends tried to follow. "And who are you supposed to be?" He asked as he stared at Vaggie, Angel Dust and Zefriel.
Vaggie opened her mouth to speak, but Zefriel put his hand on her shoulder.
"This lovely lady is the chief advisor of her royal highness and her most trusted confidante, I am her bodyguard, and he…is the reason we are all here today." Zefriel said as he pointed to Vaggie, himself and Angel Dust in turn.
"That's right." Charlie said. "Wherever I go, they follow."
"Ah, an entourage! Very well then, you may accompany our princess. This way." Mephisto ushered them further into the bank.
Lucifer awoke with a groan and sat up in his bed. Within his palace, the guest room had become his go-to bedchamber, the master bedroom felt painfully empty without beloved Lilith. Being a night owl had made him accustomed to waking up late in the morning.
He got out of bed with a yawn, dressed in nothing but an old t-shirt and underwear that he used as pajamas, and stepped into his ever faithful bunny slippers. Lucifer rubbed the back of his head, making his hair even messier than it already was, and walked to his large standing mirror, scratching his buttocks as he did.
He briefly inspected his weary visage in the mirror, before gently tapping an incantation onto it. The glass rippled as though it were made of liquid before it resettled. As it did, Lucifer's reflection was replaced by a view of a large room. He stepped into the mirror and onto the other side as if it were an open door.
The room was adorned with fine marble pillars, statues and mosaics, surrounding a field of novelty ducks. There were hundreds if not thousands of them, some small and others massive, arranged loosely in a large rectangle. Lucifer drew closer to the edge of the field of ducks, taking off his clothes and tossing them in a large pile of similar garments to the side. He slapped his face cheeks with his hands, dove head first into the field, and struck the warm water underneath.
Lucifer had this personal Roman bath erected within his palace over two millennia ago, and kept it in tip top shape for just as long. He loved this morning routine that he had followed for millennia, but it had lost much of its appeal since his wife had left, now being little more than a bothersome chore. His most fond memories here were silently dipping into the bath, every now and then, and sneaking up to his bathing wife like a hungry shark. He never frightened her, somehow she always knew he was coming, instead embracing her lovingly from behind. But, now she was gone, never to return for all he knew. He had sent out spies, investigators, hunters and anyone else that might find even a trace of her. That is all he needed to sleep well. It was the lack of knowing that plagued his mind with worry and sadness.
He slowly emerged from the water at the center of the bath, like an alligator scanning the water's surface for its meal.
He found that he was surrounded by his creations, all made in the likeness of the people he knew out of desperation to keep his mind occupied and distracted from the thoughts and feelings that plagued him.
They all seemed to stare right at him with their beady lifeless eyes sending a shiver up his spine at the sensation of being watched.
Can the prince of darkness, lord of Hell itself even be creeped out by something? By novelty ducks of all things? No, he was the one who played tricks on the minds of his foes, he thought. But, he continued to ponder, maybe he had reached a point where he would have to reduce the number of his creations, if not for himself, then for Charlie. He could not afford to wallow in his misery much longer.
Magic repulsed the ducks away from him, many of which ending up on the land adjacent to the bath. He performed a more intricate incantation which gave rise to a water humanoid construct in front of him. More incantations were uttered and its shape began to change into a distinctly female form. More incantations still and her shape began to closely resemble his missing wife.
It slowly drew closer to him and placed its hands on his face, rubbing gently at his eyes, before it began to wash his hair. Six more constructs emerged from behind as he spread his six wings.
Each one was responsible for attending to a single wing, their nimble watery fingers passing through the feathers and washing the skin underneath. He took great pride in his wings being as unblemished as possible.
Once the constructs had completed their tasks, they were dismissed to return to the bath waters from which they came, except for the one in the image of Lilith. Lucifer stared at it lovingly for a moment, the water construct capturing only a fraction of her beauty. He soon let out a sigh and waved his hand, allowing it to return to the waters as well. He missed her terribly.
Having finished his bath, Lucifer returned to his room, as naked as the day he was created.
He glanced at his phone and realized he had received several voicemails, letting them play as he began searching for clothing.
"Yooo, Lu, my main man!" Mammon's voice recording began playing. "Just want to let you know my park's reopening was a fucking success! I've made millions from those imps and only had two fatalities…we think. I don't know, we still haven't found the bodies. Luckily for us, those suckers signed a waiver before they got on the reverse bungee."
"How does he keep getting away with this…" Lucifer whispered to himself. "A kid so much as stumps a toe in my park and I'm drowning in legal paperwork, every single time."
"Anyways I'm going to be hanging out with Ass-modeus and Bal at the skate ring. Be there or be squaaare. Laterz loser."
"Love you too buddy." Lucifer put on a clean pair of briefs as the second message began to play.
"Lucy, it's Asmodeus. Charlie's two hundred and tenth birthday ball is only a few months away and I wanted to let you know that her dress is ready. Pop by one of these days and take a look, won't you? See you soon."
"Will do, big guy." Lucifer began to perform squats as the third message began to play.
"Lord Lucifer, this is detective Atticus. I regret to inform you that, as of yet, we do not have any sign of lady Lilith. We will continue searching and let you know if we find any leads."
Lucifer let out a heavy sigh as the fourth message began to play.
"Dad, we did it!" Charlie's voicemail began to play.
Lucifer ran to the phone and picked it up.
"Dad, we got Angel's contract! We managed to scam Valentino last night. Now we just need your help to destroy it. Could you please come to the hotel as soon as possible? Love you, bye!"
"Oh, Charlie, I always knew you had it in you!" Lucifer said elated. "My little demon is growing up. I'm so proud." A lone, happy tear made its way down his cheek. As the fifth message began to play.
"Dad, don't worry about coming to the hotel." Charlie's voicemail played. "We're going to the Bank to get the contract annulled. Come meet us there and we will go out to celebrate after we are done. Love you, again!"
Lucifer suddenly froze in place. "The bank? Oh, no…"
He quickly put on his hat and darted for his wardrobe. He opened it to reveal thirty identical outfits, and pulled one out. He struggled to get dressed, tripping over his own pants and landing face first into the carpet. He quickly got up and jumped into his boots, buckling his pants as he did.
"My hat, where the heck is my hat?!" Lucifer searched the room frantically. "Oh, wait...it's on my head."
Having gotten dressed, he rushed for the window, spread his wings and flew towards the city at breakneck speed.
Charlie and Vaggie sat before Mephisto's lavish desk. It was made from precious Rosewood with meticulously crafted figures of Angels and Demons etched on the corners. Zefriel and Angel Dust stood behind the girls, perusing Mephisto's shelves that were designed in similar fashion and stacked with seemingly priceless relics and tomes.
Mephisto sat at his desk, quietly staring at Charlie with a lavish smile. She recognized the hint of fakery in the expression which unnerved her slightly. She had become somewhat accustomed to seeing a person with an overbearing grin, but Alastor's smile struck her as more genuine than this. And that, she thought, was saying something.
"Princess Charlotte, I cannot express how happy I am to finally make your acquaintance." Mephisto said. "Truly, you have grown to be an exceptionally beautiful young woman, matched only by your mother."
"Umm…thanks." She replied, with a somewhat discomforted smile.
Vaggie sensed her apprehension, and took the initiative. "We are here to have this contrac—"
Mephistor raised his hand to interrupt her. "Now-now my little angel. We will get to that in good time."
"You know I'm an angel?" she jerked her head back in surprise.
"Aren't we all?" he laughed. "I used to be a seraph in the olden days. Before the fall, that is."
"You used to be a seraph?" Zefriel asked nonchalantly as he examined the relics on the shelves. "Are you the one creating the blank contracts for the overlords?"
"Why indeed. I am an integral part in that regard."
"Noted." Zefriel said.
Mephisto was deeply irritated by Zefriel's irreverence, but did not let it show. Instead, he turned his attention back to Charlie.
"My princess, how is your lovely mother? Have you had any news of her whereabouts?"
"...no" Charlie said as she stared down, her voice carrying a hint of sadness.
"That is…very disappointing." He sighed. " I truly hope she returns to us soon. We need her guiding hand now more than ever I fear."
"You sound like you are well acquainted with them." Charlie said.
"Oh, yes. I have been a loyal friend of your parents for many years…" Mephisto said. "...not for nothing did they entrust me with the management of such a vital cog in Hell's workings. But I am saddened by the fact that I have not seen either of them in centuries. And, what's more, I now hear that their only daughter is getting married to…one of them." Those final words escaped his mouth like venom.
"I…I did what I had to do to stop the Exterminations." Charlie said softly.
"Ah, so it's not an arrangement made of love, thank Lucifer." Mephisto said.
"No, that's not wha—"
"Rest assured, my lady, I can understand the politics of it. But, I suppose you can always find a paramour in Hell. Why, I happen to be a bachelor myself."
Charlie got the impression that he was flexing, literally, still sporting that fake smile. He was not the first demon that sought to court her. There were many. But, never was one so tactless and obvious in his scheme.
"Alright, enough of this!" Vaggie angrily slammed her fist on the table. "Can we please get to the reason we are here?"
"Oh, yes. Of course." Mephisto said. "Something about annulling a contract? Perhaps afterwards, our princess would like a tour of the bank as well? I'm sure your father would be ecstatic to hear that we are working like a well oiled machine to this day!"
"I would just like to have this contract destroyed." Charlie gently pulled out Angel Dust's contract and pushed it across the table.
Mephisto never broke eye contact with Charlie as he picked up the contract, tore it slightly on the edge, placed it back on the table and pushed it back towards her. "Done."
Charlie raised an eyebrow as she looked at it. She leaned in closer, eyeing it with intrigue.
On closer inspection the contract seemed to be disintegrating at the tear. Vaggie and Angel Dust quickly followed suit, practically cheek to cheek with Charlie.
"Sooo…am I free yet?" Angel Dust asked.
"Hahahaha…no. Not yet my friend." Mephisto laughed. "I have begun the process of annulling your contract. You should be a free demon in about…50 years. Give or take."
"Are you kidding me?!" Angel Dust yelled.
¡¿Por qué estos cabrones siguen jodiendo con nosotros?! Vaggie clenched her fists as she started at the ceiling in disbelief.
"Is there any chance we could speed this along a teensy-weensy?" Charlie asked
"I'm afraid not." Mephisto said. "This is the correct procedure, instituted by the Sins themselves."
"What? Why?!" Vaggie yelled as she fumed in anger. "She's the princess, can't you just tear it completely for her? Who the Hell would even know?!"
"None, not even the sin's or their children, are exempt from this rule. Great trust has been placed on my shoulders to see this through. If you do not believe me, you can ask your father, your highness."
Charlie picked up the contract and began trying to deepen the tear herself, but to no avail. It seemed that only Mephisto, the creator, could damage the contract in any way.
"Why are you so hell-bent on keeping these contracts going as long as possible?" Zefriel asked as he opened one of the tomes he picked up off the shelf. Small, slimy tentacles began to emerge from inside the tome, seemingly searching for prey.
"That's very simple!" Mephisto said. "We keep them going for as long as possible to give ample chances for the overlords to die. And when they do, the bank claims all their outstanding contracts and souls."
"I see." Zefriel said. He violently slammed the tome shut. This caused the tentacles to withdraw back into the tome to the sound of pained yelping coming from within. "What an interesting scheme you have. But, I bet the lack of exterminations will slow down business."
"It would." Mephisto said. "But fortunately for us, there is plenty of angelic steel on the street these days."
"Wait-wait-wait…what?!" Charlie said. "Are you telling me that you are actively rooting for sinners to get killed out there…permanently?!"
"Of course!" Mephisto said with a smile. "That has been the only way to reap souls after we were bound to stop."
Charlie was speechless in shock.
Vaggie glanced at Charlie with concern, the conversation was taking an uncomfortable turn. "C-Charlie, we should go. There is nothing else we can do here. We should go get your father right now, maybe he can help."
"What's the hurry?" Zefriel asked. "The manager was kind enough to offer a tour of the place. We should accept."
"No!" Vaggie looked at Zefriel, anger in her eye. "We need to leave now!"
"Giving a tour would be my pleasure and an honor!" Mephisto said.
"Excellent, let's start with the lower levels." Zefriel said with a smile. "The princess should know how her kingdom works."
"Capital idea!" Mephisto said.
Charlie stood up suddenly. "C…Could you please give me a minute." She walked towards the exit, grabbed Zefriel by the arm, pulled him outside and closed the door behind them.
"Why are you doing this?" Charlie asked. "Don't you think I know what's down there?"
"What do you think is down there?" Zefriel asked.
"Slave auctions. I get it. That is where overlords go to buy souls. We just saw it on our way in!"
"And you are ok with it?" Zefriel asked. "Knowing that there are countless souls being bound to do god knows that for sadistic overlords."
"Of course I'm not ok with it! But…what do you want me to do about it?" Charlie argued. "I can't change how Hell works." She held her shoulder and stared at the ground. "It…It's just the way things are down here."
"It's just the way things are…" Zefriel said. "I used to think the same way. Sinners go to Hell, and are…irredeemable. They are better off dead, so we should just put them out of their misery. We can't help them any other way, It's just the way things are."
He glanced up at the ceiling letting out an audible sigh.
"I look back on my past way of thinking in shame, because I realized that I never even tried to change things for the better. I could have done…something. Anything! But, I only ever said to myself 'It's just the way things are'. That is, until you came along and changed…everything."
Their eyes met as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You…have already changed the way Hell works, Charlie. You showed everyone, including me, that there could be another way, and gave me the impetus to change. So color me surprised when I find you, of all people, just resign yourself to the very thing I thought you sought to change…It's just the way things are…"
"I…" Charlie was at a loss for words. "You…you don't understand."
"I think I do. Forcing Heaven to change is all well and good, but this might ruffle the wrong feathers. You do not want to be seen as a trouble making daughter for fear that it would cause a rift between your father and you."
Charlie was round-eyed in shock. She felt like an open book.
"I don't blame you, truth be told. I can understand not wanting to jeopardize your relationship with your father. But you owe your people to at least know of their suffering and not turn a blind eye."
Charlie held her silence for a while, before she spoke again.
"What do you want me to do?" Charlie asked, seeming resigned to do what she dreaded.
"Let's find out how this place really works, and then find a way to make it better…together."
"A…Alright."
Charlie and her friends followed Mephisto's lead and descended the obsidian pathways to the lower levels.
They found themselves entering a long wide corridor that had many large ornate doors to the sides above which were gold plated numbers. As they walked the hallway, it became clear that each door was an entrance to its own auction gallery, seemingly separated by category as well as gender; Males to the left and Females to the right.
Hundreds of overlords walked the halls, minding their own business, moving from one gallery to the other, eager to find what they were looking for.
"As you can see your highness, the Auction galleries are always teeming with interest." Mephisto said. "This makes the central bank one of the most profitable ventures in all of Hell."
Zefriel studied Charlie from behind as he tried to make out her state of mind. He watched her every move as she followed Mephisto without uttering a word.
"Fourteen." Angel Dust said as he walked past a gallery with its doors sealed shut. "That's where Valentino got…me."
"And lucky you were my friend!" Mephisto chimed in, never turning back as he walked forward.
"Yeah…real lucky." Angel Dust said. He stopped and looked around himself. "I know I ain't a 'good guy'...but this place makes me sick to my stomach."
Vaggie glanced at the gallery on the opposite side of fourteen while the rest of the group continued on. Its doors were wide open with an ongoing auction. A beautiful young female was being auctioned off, chained to a pedestal as the auctioneer tallied the bids.
"Going once! Going twice! Sold, for twenty thousand souls!" The impish auctioneer yelled.
The winner walked over to the auctioneer who presented him with the girl's contract. The overlord added his name to it under the tearful gaze of the girl, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away to an unknown fate.
It was all Vaggie could stomach to watch, quickly rejoining her group with a heavy heart.
"T…This place is terrible." Charlie said with her arms crossed, holding her own shoulders for comfort.
"I'm afraid it gets worse." Zefriel said lingering behind. "Children."
"What?!" Charlie yelled as she turned around. She ran to him as quickly as she could to look for herself. Inside the gallery, she could see a little boy struggling to get out of his restraints, chained to a pedestal. He was fiendishly ugly with a large nose and sharp, tusked teeth, not unlike a troll-creature of legend. But, despite this, there was no mistaking the fact that he was a child.
"N-No! We have to stop this!" Charlie yelled.
"Umm…why?" Mephisto asked. "Children are very profitable to—"
"You can't be selling children!" Charlie yelled at Mephisto. Her great anger was easy to see as flames engulfed her and her horns protruded.
"I…I'm not sure I understand." Mephisto said as he scratched his head.
Vaggie wasted no time, she quickly walked over to the auctioneer and punched him straight in the teeth, sending him flying backwards.
"Cover your eyes kid." Angel Dust said as he pulled out his tommy gun and aimed it at the pedestal unleashing a hail of bullets that broke the chain.
"Hey, what gives!?" one of the seated overlords yelled.
"Get the fuck out of here before I turn you inside out." Vaggie said as she spread her angelic wings. The mere sight of them sent the petty overlords scurrying for the door.
"You ok there, kid?" Angel Dust asked as he lifted the pudgy child and examined him for injuries.
"Yeah,...thanks."
"Mephisto, how could you allow the auctioning of children?!" Charlie yelled.
"Y…your highness, there are no rules as to—"
"Well, there are now! When my father finds out what has been happening down here, he will put a stop to it all!"
Mephisto said not a word, but Charlie's anger still burned, fueled by his seemingly confused expression.
"That door." Zefriel said, distracting them both. "What is behind it?"
Mephisto and Charlie followed his gaze to the end of the hall. A large black gate was guarded by a dozen hellhound sentries.
"That, my friend, is where the magic happens." Mephisto said as he regained his smile. "It's the entrance to the mint where we print out new souls."
"I…I want to see it." Charlie huffed angrily.
"But of course, it would be my pleasure."
"C…Charlie…" Vaggie said. "We probably shouldn't go deeper. We have to get this kid out of here."
"No." Charlie paused for a moment to think. "Angel, please take the boy and wait for us in the limousine. We'll bring him to the hotel. In the meantime, I want to get to the bottom of this…place."
Vaggie reached out to Charlie, but felt powerless to stop her. She clenched her fists in anger and glanced at Zefriel, swearing she could detect the barest hint of a satisfied smirk on his face as he walked past her.
End of Chapter.