Chapter 29

Stolas' mansion

Blitzo

Blitzo let out a sigh as he lit up a cigarette and proceeded to smoke with his hands folded behind his head against the pillows behind his head. Pillows that belonged to Stolas and his family. Yet again, the Goetia noble has called Blitzo over to his house for another fuck session. Blitzo, of course obliged, because that was the deal that the Imp had with Stolas. He gets to keep Stolas' grimoire for most of a month in exchange for a whole night of fucking with the bird noble. It was an okay deal, in Hell anyway, and Blitzo gets to show off his amazing skills in sex. A double win for Blitzo. But recently, Stolas had put off their fuck session in order to mope over the fact that his little girl seemed to love a complete stranger named Azir over him. This was the first fuck they had since he learned of Azir and how Octavia loved him more than her own father and Blitzo has got to say, it was rather lackluster. Stolas just didn't have the passion he used to have when they started fucking with each other. He must still be about that golden bird essentially taking his role of father to Octavia.

Blitzo glanced over at Stolas to see him holding a pillow while crying. Seeing Blitzo look at him, Stolas wiped the tears away from his face before looking at his lover.

"Sorry that you had to see that, Blitzy." Said Stolas, trying to act like normal so that his lover didn't see him in his current state of mind. Which was moping and mourning over the fact that his dear daughter, Octavia, loved a complete stranger over her own flesh and blood dad. And he was at a loss at why this was.

Sure, that man owned an entire city, but it was a city in the center of a desert. A desert! A place where food cultivation was near impossible. Near inhospitable temperatures, both day and night. And to top it all off, there was a giant, not to mention powerful, alligator man alive in that place. Sure, he was captured by that…pompous golden bird man and his stupid sand powers, but he could always get out and wreck havoc again. Or worse, hurt his little owlet when she was visiting that stupid Azir.

He tried to warn Octavia of this fact when she attempted to visit that daughter stealer again after the trip that had Stolas uncovering her hidden friend, she dismissed his claims. She told him that Azir had Renekton, which Stolas learned from her, was secured tightly in a prison cell made especially for him and if, by some miracle, Renekton did escape, she told Stolas that Azir would protect her at all costs. He considered her like a daughter and he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

Despite that assurance, Stolas wasn't convinced and tried to forbid Octavia from seeing Azir again on the grounds that it was both too dangerous for her and it was unbecoming of a daughter of the Goetia Family line to go wandering off and meeting up with complete strangers. Strangers that have no relations nor any value to the people of Hell. Specifically the nobles. Needless to say, Octavia was more than a little angry when she heard Stolas wanted her to not see her friend anymore. She told him that she wasn't a little girl anymore and that she could choose whoever she wanted as a friend. Stolas, hurt that his little girl was arguing with him over this matter, tried to dissuade her from going to that Azir again. For weeks, since the encouragement from Blitzo, he tried to dissuade her from going to that Azir again or try to make himself look better than that pompous bird ever could be. Ranging from giving Octavia more money in her allowance to giving her expensive gifts that Stolas thought teens such as Octavia would enjoy a great deal. He also gave her special attention whenever he had the chance to or when they see each other at breakfast. He thought all that would make everything better. That he would get his daughter back. He was dead wrong.

All that extra affection ended up causing Octavia to get even more mad at him. Stolas didn't know why, but all his actions did was just anger her. All those gifts he gave her, she just took with a glare in her face. That extra money, she asked a servant to deliver her the money from her dad when it was time to collect her allowance. And any time they spent together and Stolas tried to make peace with his daughter, she just either walked away from him or told him that she was going to do something or visit her friends. Needless to say, it hurt Stolas that his little owlet went from having a tense, but friendly, relationship with his daughter to an actively hostile one. He couldn't understand why. He was doing what she wanted. Spending more time and attention to her. So, why was all that not working now?

He kept trying to improve his relationship with his daughter, giving her even more money and more expensive gifts. All this did, however, was just making his daughter angrier. This kept going on, Stolas not understanding what to do with his daughter in order to appease her, until eventually she snapped. She said some really hurtful things to Stolas. Things that broke him and made him call Blitzo for an early night of fucking. So he can ignore the pain and be in the comfort of someone that he knew cared for him and his wellbeing.

"No worries." Said Blitzo with a nonchalant sounding tone that may sounded genuine to those that didn't know him, but Stolas knew enough of Blitzo to know that he was worried for him. "Just disappointed that I didn't get to all I could do last night. It has been awhile since we fucked, after all." Stolas chuckled weakly at that.

"You'll get the chance soon, hopefully." Said Stolas as he looked at his lover with eyes more red than usual. "I must thank you for coming at such short notice, Blitzo. I truly needed this after the hurtful things that my daughter said to me. I don't hate her for them, but I needed this to help recover before an important task I needed to do." Blitzo raised an eyebrow at that.

"What kind of important task?" Asked Blitzo, curious, and also to help Stolas take his mind off his bitch daughter, who Blitzo had a dislike due to how Stolas was acting because of her.

"The Harvest Moon, of course." Said Stolas before explaining. "Its my duty to help ensure the crops within Wrath become not only successful but also plentiful enough to help feed all of Hell. Without my magic to help fertilize and keep the land in Wrath healthy enough to continually produce food nonstop, we may have a food shortage in Hell. And I like to believe we're both smart enough to know just how bad that will be for all of us." Blitzo can't deny that. Hunger can lead people doing some pretty stupid and crazy stuff. He'd seen it. Both in Hell and on Earth. Still, why did Stolas have to be the only one to do this stupid thing? There were plenty of other nobles in Hell that can do this. Nobles with magic like Stolas, right? So why in the fuck did Stolas have to do it when he's dealing with the fact his daughter was being a dumbass bitch, leaving him all messed up, unable to do even a simple fucking?

"Can't you get someone to cover for you or some shit?" Asked Blitzo as he looked at Stolas with a raised eyebrow. "Why the fuck do you have to be the one to do all this shit? Can't you get a relative or even your shitty wife to do this harvest shit?"

"While I could, it would look bad upon my family if I do so. And that is something I would like to avoid, Blitzo." Explained Stolas, not mentioning the fact that his father, the great Paimon, would be very, very upset at him for skipping out on one of the very few duties that he entrusts him to do. If he finds out that Stolas skipped out on performing his duty at the Harvest Moon Festival, regardless of the justification, the consequences will be…severe. "So I need to perform this task, Blitzy, or else." Blitzo rolled his eyes at that. Nobles.

"Well then, can you do your job?" Asked Blitzo, annoyed at all this. "Can you do…whatever it is you do at this festival?"

"I believe that I can." Said Stolas with some slight hesitation before giving Blitzo a smile. A small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "However, I believe that you being there can be of great help to me. Think of it as…moral support." Blitzo frowned at that. That wasn't exactly something that appealed to him. His company needed some money at the moment after some…important spending of his, and he would like to get to work on earning some cash. However, given the fact that Stolas needed the Grimoire at the moment.

"*Sighs* For fuck sake, fine." Said Blitzo with a groan. "But we better get to have a good day while doing this." Upon hearing that, Stolas' smile got bigger, happy that his Blitzy accepted so quickly.

"Oh, of course, Blitzy!" Yelled Stolas with some happiness. Happiness that he hadn't had in quite a while. "The Harvest Moon Festival has quite of fun activities for you and your employees can do. In fact, why don't we all go? You all can be my special guests."

"Well, that does sound appealing." Said Blitzo, finding the idea of going with Stolas more enticing now. He already had an itching to go to Wrath to see the land that gave birth to Millie and where Moxxie supposedly came from before being adopted by that scary, Sinner dad he had, but having a day of fun there can certainly make things more interesting for him. "Alright. Not like my company can do anything without your fancy book anyhow. Might as well enjoy ourselves before we get it back." Stolas let out a small laugh at that, feeling a bit like his old self again. This Imp. He really knew how to make him happy.

Later

Moxxie

Moxxie was currently sleeping with his wife in their bed when suddenly he heard his Hellphone going off. Moxxie groggily opened his glowing yellow eyes when he heard his Hellphone ringing. Annoyed that someone was calling him, he grabbed his phone to see who was calling him. Upon seeing who it was, he sighed in annoyance before answering the call.

"What do you want, sir?" Asked Moxxie groggily. Why was he calling him this early in the morning. He checked his alarm clock before picking up his phone to see that it was early in the morning. Just what was so important that he was calling them this early?

"Hey, hope I didn't wake ya, Mox!" Called Blitzo's voice. Just as cheerful and annoying as Moxxie was used to hearing from his boss "How would you and Mils like to visit the Wrath Ring for some harvest bullshit this year?" Upon hearing that, Millie, who was groggily waking up as well, suddenly sat up in excitement.

"The Harvest Moon Festival?! Yee-fucking-haw!" Yelled Millie in excitement. She remembered the excitement and games that came with each Harvest Moon Festival and to hear that their going to one again made her blood boil with excitement. Plus, it gave her a chance to see her family again. Oh, she can't wait to tell them all about the time that Moxxie's dad saved them from humans.

Seeing his wife be all excited at the prospect of visiting her home ring, she told him all about the Harvest Moon Festival last night and how she was bumped that she won't be able to participate in it this year due to her employment with I.M.P., Moxxie sighed before taking the opportunity to change that.

"Well, Millie likes the idea." Said Moxxie before realizing something. Blitzo sounded close for some reason. Closer than should be possible for a phone call. "Wait…where are you calling from? You sound like you're…" Moxxie then stopped when Blitzo fell down onto the bed in surprise, having lost his grip on their ceiling due to calling Moxxie. His Hellphone then fell on his head. Blitzo then gave Moxxie and Millie a smile, showing no remorse at his actions. While Moxxie narrowed his eyes at his boss for his antics while Millie just giggled.

"Why am I not surprised?" Asked Moxxie before ending the call. "Sir, before you say anything, can I just say that the company is in a problematic financial situation right now after you recklessly spent most of the money we earned from the job that my dad gave us? You really think we can afford to go have a vacation when we should be earning money to keep the company afloat?"

"Ah, no worries, Mox." Said Blitzo as he got up, dusting himself off. Not caring that he was getting dust on Moxxie's and Millie's bed. "Stolas will help us should we need it. Besides, can't do much without his book. He needs it for this Harvest Moon Festival bullshit. Meaning we can't do our jobs until he gives it back. So, might as well, have some fun until he does. And what better way to do that than going to the place he's going to. Right? It'll all be free too, so that should be fine. Right, Mox?" Moxxie pursed his lips at that. Much as he hated to admit, his boss did have a point.

"I guess you're right, sir." Said Moxxie before looking at a nearby calendar he bought. Marked four days from right now was the day he'd get to meet up with his dad for their little get together. Just them. No secret motivation. No work-related issues. Just them spending time together as father and son. One of his employees came to their apartment to tell them about the scheduled day and time. And Moxxie was doing whatever he can to make sure he has that day for himself and his dad. "You're just lucky my scheduled day to meet up with my dad won't interfere with this trip. Otherwise, you'll have to explain to my dad why I can't make it."

"Uh, that's something you have to do. Not me." Said Blitzo. "And also, you're meeting up with your dad soon? Great, can you tell him that I'd like to meet him in a friendlier way. And by that, I mean not be angry with me about anything at all? I do like to see your dad when he's not holding back the urge to rip my face off." Moxxie raised an eyebrow at that, wondering why Blitzo wanted to meet up with his dad after their first meeting with each other. He soon decided that he didn't want to know.

"Fine, but only if I get to have the day I'm meeting up with him off." Said Moxxie. "That meetup with my dad is important to me. I don't want anything to interfere with it if possible."

"Whatever. Just do whatever you want to fucking do with your dad that day." Said Blitzo nonchalantly, not showing to both Moxxie and Millie how much Moxxie's dad scared him. The man looked, even if he didn't show his face to the Imp, liked he wanted to inflict tortures to Blitzo that would make him beg for death for what happened with Moxxie and Verosika. He'd like to avoid that and so wanted Moxxie to ensure that Rogier guy doesn't want to kill him the next time they meet, which would no doubt happen again as long as Moxxie is working for him. "Anyway, let's stop talking about your dad and your trip to see that scary man and talk about something actually fun. Like going to this Harvest Moon Festival or whatever." Millie seemed to agree to that as she began talking about the Harvest Moon Festival and how they'd both like it. Sighing at his wife's enthusiasm, Moxxie soon participated in the talks and wondered how this Festival will go for them.

Few Hours Later

Wrath Ring

Taking an elevator made for vehicles in mind, I.M.P. traveled to the Wrath Ring for the Harvest Moon Festival. Specifically they were going to Millie's family ranch. They had called Millie's folks and asked them if they could hang out in their ranch during the Harvest Moon Festival. Despite the short notice of the request, Millie's parents were more than happy to have them stay in their ranch for the duration of the Harvest Moon Festival. And more if they wanted. They were rather happy to get a chance to see the man that hired their daughter for something that she loves as they didn't get a chance to encounter him at the Father's Day Barbeque. This would give them a chance to rectify that. They were less thrilled that Moxxie was coming around. Despite the respect they gained for Moxxie's dad, they still didn't approve of him marrying their daughter. Their views of Moxxie was approved slightly because of his dad, but he still has yet to prove himself to them. Something that Moxxie hoped to change with this visit. In fact, he thought of several ways to earn their approval.

After some time of driving in Wrath, the Imps and Loona, who had come along for the trip, found their destination. Rough N' Tumbleweed Ranch. The ranch of Millie's family.

"Oh! I can't wait to see my ma and pa again!" Yelled Millie as she looked at her childhood home, excited to see her folks again. Since they were to relax and have fun, Millie wasn't wearing her usual work clothes. Instead, she wore a torn red sleeveless jacket with a torn black tank top and matching shorts. Moxxie wore a long sleeve white shirt with a dark gray bow tie and a pair of long dark pants. Blitzo himself wore some black cowboy boots that had red tips, a pair of dark pants with suspenders, and a collared long sleeve white shirt that had a jacket with red and white spot patterns over it. Finally, Loona wore some black shorts with a torn red trim, a black tank top with a red plain sleeveless jacket. They were all here to have fun and relax so may as well wear something else than their work clothes.

Humming a tune, Blitzo drove their company van under the sign/gateway that led to all the land that Millie's family owned and stopped not too far away from the house that Millie was raised in. Standing near a fence were Millie's parents, Lin and Joe.

Upon seeing her parents again, Millie made a big smile, happy to see them again. Once the van stopped, she raced out of the van in order to hug her parents.

"Mamma! Daddy!" Yelled Millie as she ran towards her parents. Jumping into her dad's arms, Millie giggled as he spun her around before placing her back on her feet.

"Yeeee-hawww!" Yelled Joe before he ruffled Millie's black hair affectionately. "How's my deadly little pumpkin spice doing?"

"I'm good, Pa!" Millie beamed before looking over at her mother. "Thanks for lettin' us stay here for the harvest jamboree!"

"It's no trouble," Lin said with a dismissive wave. "Anything for our daughter and who hired her as a freelance assassin. Oh, and your husband as well. Speaking of him, where is he?" Millie then looked over at Moxxie as he struggled to lift a suitcase full of their things.

"He's right here!" Yelled Millie as she showed Moxxie to her parents, hoping that their relations were a bit improved since that barbeque and meeting with Moxxie's dad. To her disappointment, her parents gave disapproving stares at her husband. Obviously still not approving him in the slightest. Frustrated, Millie yelled at her parents. "Oh, c'mon, ma and pa! Why don't you guys still approve of him!? You both seen his dad. You saw how he was raised and how badass his dad is! So, why don't you guys still approve of Moxxie!?" A bit surprised to hear their daughter yell at them, Lin and Joe looked at her.

"Because, Mildred." Said Lin as she looked at her daughter in sympathy after recovering from her surprise. "While meeting his dad is great, and he really is a great guy, that doesn't mean squat when his little boy doesn't do anything to make us think that he's good enough for you. To be fair, your scrawny husband did gain some approval from us for how he stood up to that Overlord and holding his ground. Not to mention, his dad gave him some points as well. But until he does something to actually on his own, we still think he's not a right fit for you."

"Ha!" Yelled Blitzo when he heard that, finding it amusing. "You hear that, Mox!" He elbowed Moxxie, who looked dejected with what he heard Lin said. "Can't have your old man help you in this, Moxxie! Got to get their approval on your own!" Moxxie wasn't amused at Blitzo's words, but refrained from speaking of it. Rather aiming his stare at Lin and Joe, a bit hurt that they still didn't approve his marriage with their daughter. Just what did he have to do in order to get them to approve of him?

Sighing a bit internally, Moxxie decided to change the topic a bit and asked Joe and Lin how life was at their ranch. Apparently, that was a bad thing to ask as Joe's scowl at him got even deeper.

"We lost our old farm hand to one of them terrors last week," Joe deadpanned with a drawl. He was referring to the annual tornadoes, or Hellnandoes as the people of Hell call them, that occur in Wrath. Although the people of Wrath were used to them and have prepared themselves for when they do occur, Hellnandoes are some of the most random and widely inconsistent events in all of Hell. Hellnandoes can just sporadically appear in a section of Wrath to wreck havoc there, giving no one anytime to actually get to shelters or find a way to safety. To make matters worse, or better depending on one's luck, Hellnandoes can vary in their intensity. Sometimes, they're a tiny breeze and gust of wind that was just a minor inconvenience at worst. And sometimes they were destructive forces that can rip apart entire cities and kill thousands with ease in a mere second before disappearing like it was never there. Hence why Joe called the one that killed his families old farm hand a terror. It can come suddenly out of nowhere and you were dead before you even felt it. It was one of the few things that people of Wrath feared. A quick death without any chance to fight back.

Moxxie laughed nervously when Joe said this. He didn't mean to transfer the conversation into something tragic when he said what he said. Now he felt bad.

"Oh crumbs! My bad!" Said Moxxie nervously as he scratched his horns. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to open that wound… sir." Upon hearing what Moxxie just said, Blitzo spoke up.

"Hey, watch it!" Said Blitzo as he glared at Moxxie, annoyed that he called someone else sir and not him. "I'm the 'sir' here, bucko!"

"Oh yeah!" Said Millie, getting rid of her annoyance and anger at her folks for a bit so she can introduce her boss, though she was still pissed at them. She'll have a good talking with them later once they were all settle up. "Y'all haven't met my boss Blitz! And his hellhound!" Loona glared at Millie in anger at what she just said, offended that she was just referred to as Blitzo's hellhound.

"I'm not just his hellhound." Said Loona with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, she's my daughter!" Blitzo added to her defense, pulling Loona into a tight side hug, much to her annoyance.

"Only on paper." Said Loona before Blitzo let her go. "Y'all don't deserve to know my name." She then brought out her Hellphone and started using on her cell phone like usual. As she did so, Blitzo walked over to Millie's parents, shoving Moxxie backwards in the process.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the sperm and egg factory that popped out this little gem of an assassin! You two raised a sturdy bitch!" Yelled Blitzo in his usual carefree way. He then playfully elbowed Millie, who just smiled at his antics. Joe gave a chuckle upon hearing Blitzo's words. Already he made a better first impression on Millie's parents than Moxxie did.

"That we did!" Said Joe proudly while Lin smiled at Blitzo. "So, Blitz, is it? Heh heh. That's a fine name." As Blitzo and Joe shook hands with each other, Moxxie peered over with a glare. Of course his boss made a better first impression on Millie's family than he did.

"It reminds me of war." Lin said happily. Much like most people from Wrath, Lin was fond of the idea of blood and conflict. And war brought all that in spades. Joe sighed nostalgically at her words. He remembered the last war he fought. The blood he split and the thrills war brought.

"Nothing like a little war to make a strong man." Said Joe as he flexed his bicep. Blitzo smiled at Joe and Lin's words.

"I like you people." Said Blitzo with a smile. He just loved meeting crazy and bloodthirsty people. They were often the most fun people to be around. Moxxie, upon hearing all that, just sighed. He could try to impress Lin and Joe with his knowledge of the history of war and how weaponry has changed it all, including in Hell, but he opted not to. He knew them enough that they wouldn't be impressed with his knowledge. They only cared about the gorier aspects of war than the historical parts. "I bet you folks just love the more muscle bound aspects of war."

"You got that right!" Yelled Joe with pride. "Ain't nothing like a man tearing off the head of a hellish beast with only his bare hands to prove his manliness!" He rammed his fist into his hand as emphasis.

"Well, that explains why you don't like Moxxie so much." Said Blitzo before elbowing Moxxie with a smirk on his face. "You got cute little baby hands like your baby dick!" He then touched Moxxie's hand and reached toward his crotch. This caused Moxxie to glare at Blitzo before swatting his offending hand away from his nether regions.

"Refrain from touching my manhood, sir." Said Moxxie with a glare, causing Joe to laugh.

"Speaking of strong hands. Y'all should meet our newest help." Said Joe before calling out someone from across the other side of the ranch. "Hey, Striker! Got some people you ought to see!"

They all then started to hear the sound of rapidly clopping hooves approached. They soon saw black legs with golden hooves racing across the ground. Small plumes of smoke emitted from said legs and sparks flew off the hooves and onto the rocky path. An imp dressed in cowboy attire rode atop this a creature of hell that resembled an Earth horse, using his long, tan-colored, pointed tail to whip the horse's flank. Said tail moved and hissed like a rattlesnake as it did so. The horse-like Hell creature then leaped over a wooden fence and galloped toward the group. With a mixture of a demonic roar and a neigh, the black Hell horse reared up on their hind legs before lowering to a complete stop. Once it did, Blitzo couldn't help but star in complete and utter awe at it.

The inferno hell creature was utterly magnificent in the eyes of the horse-obsessed Imp. He had a coal black coat and three black ribs exposed underneath him. His underbelly, mane and tail consisted of dazzling crimson and orange flames that matched the speed of the creature's movements. Three golden circles were decorated near his flank and his flaming tail was also black with small spikes on it. The horse had glowing small holes in his face for eyes, seven black spikes jutting out from his long neck and a few sharp fangs from his elongated mouth. It was, in his eyes, the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. At least until he forgets it or finds an even more impressive horse later on. Such is his way.

"Well, howdy!" Said the Imp on top of Blitzo's current piece of affection, causing everyone to look at him. The imp was tall and had a faded red face with reptilian-like features. He smiled a dazzling grin of sharp teeth with a gold tooth standing out from the rest of his perfect teeth. He had a small black mustache and white hair with two jagged black and white striped horns that pointed upward. His long tail was pointed, with four black stripes and eight accompanying sharp spines.

The Imp wore a stereotypical brown sun hat, tall cowboy boots, a red scarf and torn white pants. He also had a black shirt and a dark navy vest with black cuffs. A light red scarf was around his neck. A straw of wheat was in his mouth, acting like a toothpick. Finally, his eyes were yellow and hypnotic with a spiral pattern.

Given that this Imp came to them immediately when Joe called out a name, this must be Striker. Joe and Lin's new farmhand.

"Oh, lookie here! You must be the famous Mildred!"" Yelled Striker with a smile as he spotted Millie before jumping off his horse. He then playfully poked her with his wheat stalk. "Heard some good things about you from your folks, little lady." He then gave a wink at her causing Millie to laugh sheepishly, waving her hand. She then took his hand and shook it.

"What're y'all doing so far away from Imp City?" As Striker, curious as he knew, from Millie's folks, that their daughter was working for an assassination business in Pride. "Heh. The free working finally slowin' down in Pride?"

"Oh no! Freelance isn't free! It's a…" Millie started before stopping herself as she didn't want to say just how poorly I.M.P. was doing consistently due to Blitzo's…financial incompetence. "Never mind. We're just visiting for the festival due to Prince Stolas. The Prince, you see, is our boss' boyfriend!" She said boyfriend dramatically with a smile on her face. Blitzo glared at her, making a slapping gesture, annoyed that she thought he had something special going on with Stolas beyond business and pleasure purposes. "Millie, I'm not above hitting a female in front of her daddy."

"Boss, huh?" Asked Striker before noticing Blitzo. "Ohhh, so you're the bold imp that started his own killing biz? Ain't that right?" Blitzo just grinned smugly at that.

"Yeah, well if you're good at somethin', you should probably capitalize." Said Blitzo with no small amount of pride in his voice.

"Not many imps start businesses on their own. That's pretty impressive, sir." Said Striker with a snap of his fingers. The way he said it made it seem like a genuine compliment. That caused Blitzo to actually stutter a bit.

"Oh. Yeah? It is…" Said Blitzo with a stutter. "I-I-I guess, I guess it is, isn't it?" The fact that his boss was stuttering surprised Moxxie. Never before had he seen Blitzo stutter. He was always high and mighty, completely in control of his emotions, with a shit-eating grin on his face. This Striker certainly had a silver tongue in Moxxie's mind. It also helped that this Striker was very handsome in Imp standards. Very handsome.

"And you even conned that ditzy blueblood into gettin' you to the surface?" Asked Striker, obviously referring to Stolas.

"Well, it's long and complicated but the short answer is, yes," Blitzo answered as he and Striker shook hands with one another. He was a bit annoyed that Striker referred Stolas as a ditzy blueblood, but ignored it. "But he's not like, you know, we're not like, we're not doing it because we… It's a transactional fucking, you see." He said the last sentence with a motion of putting a finger through a hole, indicating nothing was going on between them beyond business related endeavors.

"Y'know," Said Joe with a smirk. "You boys should enter the Pain Games!" Upon hearing that Joe just said, Blitzo walked over to Joe with a look of excitement on his face.

"I heard games! What games? I'm in!" Yelled Blitzo, eager to play in these so called Pain Games. Joe chuckled at Blitzo's enthusiasm, he was liking this Imp more and more. Certainly more than Millie's husband.

"Every Harvest Festival, there's a competition where people from all over Wrath can compete in order to see who amongst them is the roughest toughest bastard in Wrath!" Explained Lin with a smile. Upon hearing these Pain Games, Moxxie's instantly got interested. Very interested.

"Yeah. Its one of the most dangerous and wildest competitions in all of Wrath! I used to compete in it all the time when I lived here!" Yelled Millie in excitement before suddenly going into a pout. "Lest I used to before I was banned from ever competing in it ever again." Lin looked at her daughter with a wary look on her face when she heard what Millie just said. As if she had this conversation with Millie before.

"Millie, we had this conversation." Said Lin with slight annoyance "Its your own fault that you were banned from ever competing in the Pain Games. You're a great fighter, girl, but you get too carried away. The last competition you participated ended in fifteen separate funerals."

"I'm know, but I only caused nine of them!" Protested Millie as she remembered that last competition. "It shouldn't be a problem at all! Competitors always kill other competitors in those games! How come Sallie May and those others still gets to compete?" Lin just shook her head at her daughter's stubborn attitude towards this.

"Your sister doesn't have a neighborhood head count. Nor do the other past contestants have a history of going overboard in their kills." Explained Lin as she continued to try and make her daughter understand her situation.

"She so does!" Protested Millie as she remembered some of the kills that her sister had a hand during some of the Pain Game competitions she participated in the past. Speaking of her sister, Sallie May, her sister, carried a sack of something while a smaller imp dragged another sack on the ground.

"Doesn't count if they don't find the body!" Said Sallie May with a smug tone as she passed her sister. This caused Millie to glare at her, seething at what her sister just said. Lin then directed the conversation away from Sallie May. She didn't want her only daughters to fight. Not when a big celebration in Wrath was going to go down soon.

"Still, you get to root for her and your brothers when they compete in the games and now you can cheer on your boss!" Said Lin, trying to cheer her daughter up. It was then that Moxxie decided to put a hand on Lin's shoulder, much to her annoyance and slight disgust.

"You know, she can also cheer for me." Said Moxxie a look of determination on his face. If meeting his dad on Father's Day wasn't enough to get their approval of him, then participating and wining these Pain Games surely will. Upon hearing what Moxxie just declared, Joe laughed and slapped his leg. Then he raised an eyebrow and pointed at Moxxie. "Wait, you're actually serious of competing in the Pain Games?"

"Yeah! I can compete, can't I?" Asked Moxxie, looking at Joe seriously. Lin just elbowed him hard in the side and he teared up in pain as he let go of her. Joe chuckled at this display from Moxxie.

"Sorry boy, but I don't think sensitive thespian types would last very long in the games." Said Joe with a smirk. "Do yourself a favor and not compete. And us for that manner as well. I don't think your old man would appreciate us letting you get killed just to prove your manliness to us."

"I have some fight in me!" Protested Moxxie as he glared at Joe. "I can do more than just use guns and be a music man!" Chuckling in amusement at Moxxie's protest, Striker put a hand on Moxxie's shoulder.

"That so?" Asked Striker sarcastically. "Well then little fella, why don'tcha help me wrangle one o' them hogs for dinner?" Striker then pointed to a large sleeping gray hell beast that looked like an Earth hog in a pigpen with large black tusks, spikes along the back and closed eyes on its side. "Prove to us that you got some real manliness in you." Upon hearing that, Moxxie looked at Striker with determination in his face.

"Then prepare to be amazed!" Yelled Moxxie before reaching for a pistol he had on his person. Before he could pull it out, however, Striker stopped him.

"Not with whatever piece you got with ya." Said Striker before pulling out a red knife and some rope from his person and giving them to Moxxie. "Got to use these. Bullets can't pierce the outer shell. Got to stab it in the softer underbelly to kill it."

"Really?" Asked Moxxie, suddenly nervous. Despite his boasting to Millie's parents about him being more than a shooter, close combat was not his specialty. That was Millie's role. He could do it, yes, but that boar looked rather strong and tough. Making him rather nervous of whether or not he can actually kill it without guns.

To make the situation even worse, Blitzo leaned in toward Moxxie and grabbed his shoulders, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Now just remember, your rep with the in-laws is on the line here! So no pressure at all, you totally will not make an ass of yourself in front of nearly everyone important in your life." Said Blitzo, his words filled with so much sarcasm and mockery that you could see it hundreds of miles away. Moxxie's eyes twitched, his pupils dilated in fear. He could already envision being beaten up by this pig and being laughed on more by Millie's folks. Not to mention Blitzo, Loona, and this Striker fellow.

"Go get' em tiger." Said Blitzo with a grin, shoving Moxxie forward towards the Hell hog. Gulping a bit, Moxxie looked at the tools in his hands and then at the hog in front of him. He wasn't sure if he should still do this. This wasn't his comfort zone nor has he actually done something like this before. This would be his first time ever in slaughtering a Hell hog for its meat.

"Moxxie." Said Millie as she stepped in to try to save her husband of what was likely a very embarrassing moment for him. "You don't need to do this. Think what your dad will do in this situation. I don't know him much, but I think, in this situation, he wouldn't go kill that hog to gain the approval of my folks. I mean, he totally can, but he wouldn't do it for their approval. Neither should you." Upon Millie mentioning his adoptive father, Moxxie thought of him and couldn't help but think of what he'll say about all this.

He definitely wouldn't approve of what Moxxie was doing right now. Trying to gain the approval of his in-laws by doing something that was way out of his league. He would be even more disappointed if he learned he was doing another thing that would gain their approval as well. If he was here, Moxxie was sure that he would, at the very least, slap him gently for his, what he would deem at least, foolishness. And by gentle, he meant something that won't have him lose body parts.

Gulping a bit at the thought of his father being disappointed at him, Moxxie looked at his tools and the hog again before sighing. He then dropped the knife and rope before walking towards Millie with his head down.

"*Laughs* You serious, Moxxie!?" Yelled Blitzo as he held his sides as he laughed his ass off at what Moxxie just did. Though a tad bit disappointed that Moxxie decided to chicken out, this was still amusing. "All that bravado and you opt to chicken out over facing a pig? In front of your wife, and your in-laws?! Oh that is just so funny. I can't help it." Loona just snickered with him as she recorded a video of Moxxie's shame. This was just gold.

Joe and Lin, meanwhile, were just shaking their heads at Moxxie. Not surprised at what he just did. Millie, however, smiled sympathetically, knowing what her husband did was not only the smart thing but also the hard decision as well.

Striker, however, just chuckled at what he saw. Truly, it was a pathetic display from an Imp that was all talk and no bite. Guess he'll have to show these folks what a real man is.

Walking over to the discarded knife and rope, Striker charged at the hog in order to kill it. Jumping into the air, Striker descended upon the hog, knife first. Bringing the knife down hard on the Hell Hog's outer hide, everyone watched as Striker pierced the thick hide, right into it's demonic heart. The hog roared and squealed, trying to fight back against its attacker, but Striker held it in a vice grip as he rammed his knife in deeper into the hog, savoring his victory. The hog struggled in vain before eventually dropping dead. Striker had slaughtered the beast without so much as a single droplet of sweat on his body.

Smirking as he hefted the dead hog over his shoulder, Striker looked at Moxxie, who still was looking at the ground in shame, before speaking.

"Don't feel bad, little one." Said Striker with a smug tone, which got smugger as he saw Moxxie clench his fists in anger. "If it makes you feel any better, you made the right choice. You wouldn't have stood a chance." Moxxie clenched his teeth in anger as a proud Striker carried the dead hog on his shoulder back to the group of Imps and Hellhound.

"Hey, boss man." Said Striker to Blitzo, looking at him with a sideways turn of his head. "You wanna help the actual men skin this thing for dinner?" Blitzo puffed up his chest in pride when he heard that.

"Oh, I am always down to skin the manly meat with the manly men!" Said Blitzo as he smiled at Striker, liking what he'd seen from him. He could really use a manly Imp like this one in his business. Maybe he could steal him from Joe and Lin?

"That's what she said!" Said Loona with a smirk as she tapped on her phone and followed Joe and Lin inside their home so they can start making dinner.

"What, 'who said?'" Asked Blitzo asked in anger, not realizing the joke his daughter just said. "Wait, what bitch is talking shit about me?!" As he followed Loona inside, Moxxie watched everyone leave but Millie, who stayed behind to support her husband. Sighing sadly, Moxxie wondered if it was even worth it to gain Joe and Lin's approval if it all they care about was physical strength and nothing else. His dad would find getting their approval a waste of time if they refused to change or adapt. He likely would tell him to do the same, but it mattered to Millie that her parents approved their marriage. That they were happy for her choice of husband. And to Moxxie, her happiness meant the world to him.

Speaking of Millie, she was rubbing her husband's shoulder in comfort. She was proud of him in doing what he did. Not many Imps, especially those from Wrath, would have had the courage to do what he did. To be seen as someone not manly in the eyes of others, especially those they're trying to impress.

"Don't let 'em get to you. And hey, you don't need my parents to respect you now. They will eventually." Said Millie as she tried to comfort her husband. Though she would like her parents to approve her marriage with Moxxie, she didn't want it if it meant he gets himself hurt in his efforts to gain their approval. She'll have a good talking with her parents later tonight. A very good talking.

"No, they won't." Said a certain sister of Millie, her only sister. Upon hearing the sentence, Millie glared at her transgender sister who had appeared beside them. The Imp wore torn white shorts with a torn black tank top and a red headband with holes. Her black hair had a noticeable white spot of hair near the top that covered one of her yellow eyes. A white mark was also visible, crossing her eye and thick eyelashes. Finally, she had the black and white striped imp horns of males, a leftover sign of her previous gender.

"What? I'm right, ain't I?" Said Sallie May with a smug look and tone. Millie just gave her a death glare at what she just said. Looked like it was her entire family that needed a stern talking to it seemed. Moxxie just sighed at Sallie May's words, having a feeling that she was right. Lin and Joe may never approve of him through actions of his own. Not unless he suddenly gets really buff and does things that they think what a manly man should do. There was, of course, his dad making them approve of him, but that would only be because they knew of what he really was and Moxxie didn't want to gain their approval because they're afraid of his dad. Although he may not be able to have a choice in that matter when his father reveals to all of Hell who he really is. Oh, he could just imagine the amount of ass-kissing and apologies Joe and Lin would give him once they realize his father was an all powerful Revenant that could obliterate them without even trying or torturing them to oblivion in ways never thought possible. Unless, he asked his dad not to. Something that was becoming less and less appealing as time goes by.

Although, perhaps all that could be avoided if he entered the Pain Games? The way Millie described them gave him hope that perhaps they can be the key to gaining the respect of Millie's parents finally. Hopefully.

"Oh I'mma enter in those games." Said Moxxie in determination. Not like there was anything else for him to do in Wrath. May as well try to earn the approval of his in-laws while here. Millie sighed sadly, already knowing that the outcome would not be good. Moxxie didn't understand just how destructive and dangerous the Pain Games were. Not a lot of people who entered the games participated again. Not because they didn't want to, but because they were either dead or because they sustained injuries that allowed them to participate in the games again. Or anything meaningful in Wrath for that matter.

Millie was about to say some words to her husband when her sister stood up and asked Millie how angry she would be if she betted on Moxxie dying in the games. This caused Millie to glare at sister again. Sometimes she just wanted to murder her sister. This was one of those cases.

Meanwhile

Grey Realm/Mitna Rachnun

"This is utterly fascinating." Said Voraq as he analyzed the various Niskaru he has asked Keira to send his way in the laboratory that he was provided near the Niskaru flesh pit, where the Niskaru were being created in the thousands everyday. Each one was of a different type, showcasing the different types of Niskaru created so far. Unfortunately, he can only see the smaller ones. The larger ones, well, they couldn't exactly fit in his laboratory. Despite it being rather large, around the size of a large warehouse, the larger Niskaru wouldn't fit into his laboratory. A pity. "These beings are perhaps the most interesting entities I have ever witnessed. A mix of demonic flesh combined with the properties of the Grey Realm that results in a robust creature that can endure an extraordinary amount of punishment for such a fragile looking body. It's a wonderful creation and one that I applaud my master for creating. However, I can see ways that can improve upon them."

"That is what our lord desires." Said Keira as she looked at Voraq examining the Niskaru she delivered to him. "He hopes that you can improve upon our current Niskaru creations, improve production of the demons, and create newer Niskaru forms as well. Is that possible?"

"Yes to all his requests." Said Voraq as he finished examining a Niskaru with only an upper body and a spinal column for a lower body. "His flesh crafters have done a fine work on these Niskaru, but like many things, these Niskaru can be improved upon. Already I see ways to improve upon these forms. And I see ways to create new forms as well. If possible, may I speak with the ones responsible for creating these Niskaru forms. Cooperation can help ensure that we create the most effective forms for our lord's new army."

"Agreed." Said Keira as she looked at Voraq's bone-like face. "I'll send word to them to meet with you. They'll be here soon, provided they aren't helping hatching, training, or creating new Niskaru. In the meantime, do you require additional resources for your laboratory?" Voraq looked at Keira before looking at his provided laboratory.

It was quite a large space, around the size of a large storage warehouse on Earth. Created freshly by some of Mordekaiser's masons, the laboratory was empty in what he needed to do his work, but that was being quickly rectified. Already, it was being filled with equipment and ingredients that he needed to begin his work.

Looking at two ghostly beings setting up an alchemical station outfitted with the latest in technologies from both Earth and Hell, Voraq spoke.

"Some more alchemical ingredients from Hell would help. Mainly from the other rings aside from the Pride one." Said Voraq.

"Those will be difficult to attain." Said Keira as she looked at Voraq. "While we do have some contacts in the other rings, we do not wish to risk them at obtaining hard to acquire ingredients. Not without some assurance that it will be worth the risk."

"Understood." Said Voraq, remembering what Keira told him prior regarding the position of Sinners in Hell. How they're restricted to only the Pride Ring, which most of their agents in Hell were. "Though I will admit, that may delay my efforts in completing what my lord desires."

"I understand." Said Keira. "However, we must remain in the shadows until our lord believes its time to march on Lucifer's realm. Still, I will relay your requests to our lord and it will be up to him to decide if we can acquire them for you."

"Appreciated." Said Voraq before changing the topic. "And where is our lord, I may ask?"

"He is currently meeting with a…recent supporter to our cause. She is the reason that we found you in the first place." Explained Keira.

"Really?" Asked Voraq, suspicious. Call him paranoid, but after the situation with Leblanc, Voraq was not the most trusting of individuals. "And who is this individual?"

"That, I'm afraid we don't know." Said Keira, causing Voraq's eyes to glow.

"We're trusting an individual that we have no knowledge on?" Asked Voraq. "After what happened with Leblanc? I don't believe this."

"Its not as if we had a choice in the matter." Said Keira before explaining further. "She just came to one of our facilities and desired to see our master. She spoke his name and expressed a desire to meet with him. Our lord indulged her. She told us that she desired to help us in overthrowing Lucifer, but she refused to tell us who she was and why she desired to overthrow Lucifer. Our lord, of course, was skeptical of working alongside her and declined, but she was stubborn and revealed some information that she claimed will prove that she wants to help us. That information led us to you." Voraq hummed at that, unsure of what to make of this. "After we took that information, we tried to find out about her, but our attempts to uncover who she is and what is her goals have, so far, been unable to gain anything on her. Anything at all. Our lord is meeting with her, a meeting she herself arranged after, once again, entering one of our facilities in Hell without permission. No doubt, its to see if our lord was pleased with the information as well as offering her help again."

"I don't like this." Said Voraq upon hearing all this information. "This woman. She reminds me too much of Leblanc and I believe you know who that is, correct?"

"Indeed." Said Keira. "We're being cautious around this one. We don't wish for a repeat of Leblanc. As much as I wish that we can rid ourselves of her, she may prove useful. As useful as one that refuses to reveal themselves to us. For now, we'll keep her, but only in arms reach." Voraq gave a grunt at that.

"Let us hope that won't bring disastrous consequences." Said Voraq. Keira just nodded in agreement before the two conversed on what Voraq needed.

Meanwhile

Mordekaiser

"So your information proved to be useful to me." Said Mordekaiser as he looked at the woman that gave him the information that enabled him to find Voraq. He recently received a message from one of his shelters in Hell that the woman from before had arrived to the same shelter from before, asking to meet with Mordekaiser again. Needless to say, Mordekaiser accepted to meet with her again.

"As I hoped it would be." Said the woman, her attire the same as before. "I hope that this proves to you that I am indeed on your side and that I do not intend on betraying you. So, are you prepared to accept my offer of help? In full?"

"Not yet." Said Mordekaiser as he looked at her in his Rogier form. Despite the gain he acquired from her information, he still refused to go blindly into an alliance with someone he didn't know. That being said, she has proven useful. May as well give her a treat. "However, you have proven to be useful so I'll agree to a limited alliance. For now."

"Acceptable." Said the woman, a pleased tone. "Shall we celebrate our new alliance?"

"If you mean celebrate as in giving me information that'll help both of us, then yes." Said Mordekaiser, causing the woman to laugh a bit.

"Of course." Said the woman. "Would the location of some of your old followers in exchange for some disruption in Hell be suffice?" Mordekaiser just starred at her before nodding.

"What do you have in mind?" Asked Mordekaiser. The woman smiled a bit before telling the Iron Revenant what she desired from him.