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Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuurp...
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"Welp... This sucks!" Adam quite loudly declared to anyone who would listen, who was currently his second in command, Lute.Well... 'second in command'... It is not like there will be any more exterminations; all canceled after that fucking failure; the exorcists were disbanded to be lame guards at heavens Gate, so she was the leader of nothing anymore.He sipped on the carbonated drink he was holding, sitting slouched and manspreading on the bench on the promenade. Lute was there, too, since she was still hanging with him.It is both of them that got in trouble for fucking up anyway, they were at the head of this whole operation, and it was the trial that followed with hell and heaven's representatives. It was he and Lute who were the guilty ones whose fates were being decided.That damned Morningstar girl, preaching her forgiveness this and forgiveness that... No, he was not happy to have been spared punishment because it was the demons that were asking for clemency and that they were just misguided people... Fuck them! Up, down, and sideways!And so since that day, they were more or less prisoners of heaven, of the main city, so they could be kept under surveillance like the trial decided."You don't say, sir," Lute said, not really bothered that Adam was taking up almost the whole place on this bench that was meant to fit at least three winners on it. Watching said winners and heavenborn angels walk past them and live their lives, only a few looking at them weirdly."I do danger tits; this fucking sucks! How could fuckers win?" Adam complained, sipping more of his drink like a pouty child. "I've been stabbed! Me! The first man! The original dick! You lost your arm! They broke my fucking mask! My mask! And I couldn't even kill one of them!"Oddly enough, Lute had accepted it easier than him that her killed days were over, probably because it was her left arm that had been ripped off by her efforts, and she was left-handed, which made it quite hard to hold any summon weapons and fight correctly to miss her main hand. Plus, having almost seen Adam die made her have a bitter taste in her mouth at the thought of another extermination."They can make you a new mask, sir. It is of no real use, but you can ask for one.""Well, I don't want to. Not after Sera dared to suggest that we get kicked out of heaven.""Have we been to the same trial, or have you lost the remaining brain cells that you had been gifted?" Lute thought but stayed silent. Feeling this was partially why she was kept around, to be the brains of the duo if nothing else.
Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuurp.
Adam and Lute were still in their never-changing outfits even if they'd never be permitted to summon a weapon without angelic forces restraining them, but it is not like someone would volunteer to buy them something new when their names were tainted by failure and blood."Oh fucktard!" Adam yelled as the high Seraphim appeared in front of them, not amused at the drink now staining her outfit. "What you want, Sera?""Your Highness." Lute still greeted politely."You two, please come with me.""What now, fancy pants?" Adam grumbled as he still followed, Lute behind him."As we're all aware, hell wants revenge for what you did and demanded your lives.""Yep, I am aware of that and also aware that danger tits and I are still alive because of that king and his fucking brat.""We've had a break-in. Demons are figuring out how to copy the spell to open the portal to the gates of heaven, and three of them were apprehended.""An attempted assassination?" Lute asked."Highly probably. Lucifer himself was unaware of their goals when we presented him with the culprits. Since the trials have decided that you'll repent for your actions, you are still under heaven's protection, and we can't let this happen.""Wow, thanks for not letting demons kill us," Adam said, being an ass about it until Lute elbowed him in the side, making him flip her off. "Why is any of this important.""Lucifer decided to help out.""What can that gnome of a man even provide outside of a wife stealing service?""Protection.""Against his own 'people'? Protecting heaven can't give?" Adam mocked."Yes." Surprised since that was the answer.He then noticed they were nearing the gates of heaven, instantly spotting the dirty sinners leaning gate but not yet walking through them. Their darker, sluttier, nastier clothes than heaven's elegance stood out, and, of course, how they looked."Adam, Lute, these here are those that will help us with this problem," Sera said."Fuck!" Replied Adam, Lute's face echoing that sentiment silently.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
She tapped her foot on the ground as she leaned against the gates of heaven with a bored face etched on her head tho hidden by the mask.
(Drawing that I made for Baal.) "They are late." Another demon spoke up, dragging Baal out of her nice bothersome thoughts.She tilted her head left, the little jewels strung between her top pair of horns swaying with the movement.She didn't want to be here, that's for fucking certain, but what could she do? Tell Lucifer, the king of all hell, no? She'd be punted to double hell sooner than she was saying the word sinner.But honestly, a hellborn demon like her doesn't deserve this job of guarding the two pompous assholes that she kept off the asses of the citizens of hell. Sure, they couldn't kill them, but it didn't stop hell from having its own army as a means to try to delay the angels and waste their time, so they killed fewer sinners.She had been one of his army, one of his best girls, but she truly felt like she was mocked when she was asked to guard his daughter while she went on with her stupid dream that turned out to actually be shockingly true: sinners could go to heaven... At least she got to kill a few angels in the extermination... And now it was known angelic weapons killed angels, which was even nicer for those rebelling against Lucifer's order not to take revenge."This is heaven, Amon. They are not in a hurry," Baal said with a shrug, pushing off the gate. They could have passed the gates if they wished, but they'd be polite and wait for the doors to open."But you gotta admit it is fucking boring waiting," Legion complained.Baal was looking down at them both, being almost the same height as the seraphim that Lucifer talked to, maybe a hand, a hand and a half, shorter? That lady must be like 10 feet or something, and while she doesn't know her own height, Amon was like 7 and she knew for sure Legion was 8'4 and she was taller... Heh... Small.Amon was a surprisingly tall imp, and a weirdly strong one, something about his mother actually being some huge demoness that fucked his father to death, who was the imp... A nice way to perish. He wore what looked like a punk biker outfit made of black leather and snakeskin... The skin of a snake sinner.Legion was a sinner, unlike her two hellborn comrades, having a mostly humanoid body outside of an alligator-like tail but thinner with a head, also like the alligator with a smooshed muzzle and short, narrower head. Her outfit was more or less a copy past of the imp fucker but only leather, and it was a dark blue and green instead, like her scales.Out of everyone, she was the most human-looking one despite the four eyes, four horns, and wings, and she was still the tallest, the normalest looking one."You volunteered so you don't get to complain." Amon jabbed his finger in Legion's chest."Shut up, you red toilet plunger.""You Gucci bag that grew legs will regret this.""What did you say?""You hear me limp dick."Baal stomped her foot once, making the argument stop and the two of them pulling themselves straight, she was still their superior."Calm the fuck down before I hit a motherfucker with another motherfucker, and whoever pisses me off with be the one swung."She sighed, glad silence way back, but she couldn't enjoy it much as their hosts finally showed up, sighing."Lady seraphim. We are here under the orders of the king of hell to help you with trouble caused by our people." Baal couldn't sound any more bored than she did currently as she announced themselves when the gates opened, Amon hit by them."And we are grateful tho we expected...""More?" Ball offered, getting a polite nod back. "Amon, Legion, and I are some of his best; it should be enough to thwart any attempt on your citizen's lives, and most likely, only one of us will have been needed. If we we fail, Lucifer is not dumb enough not to send more, but for now, we are confident us three is all who'll you need.""Cocky ass." She bent her head to look around the seraphim and grinned behind the mask."If it isn't the first man, I thought Niffty had turned you into a glory hole of dreams."No demon nor angel really dared to respond to her since no one truly had any idea how to react to such an insult."And you must be the bitch I heard so much about, need a hand?""Please, do not insult my people," Sera spoke up."Well fuck you too!" But Adam stamped out the calmness she was trying to usher in. "You pot of piss!""You need to be a bit more creative to hurt me first, man, and maybe louder; I have a hard time hearing you; you are so far." She raised a hand to her ear.She knew their names, of course; she was in the hotel long enough to be in the first, after all. She never interacted much with Lute, only when she was forced to help her fly Adam back to heaving since she was the one not preoccupied with hugging and Lute having one arm. Adam, on the other hand? Oh, they had a nice clash, having to hold him off when Alastor vanished who knows where trying to buy Lucifer time to arrive. Some of her newest scars are from him... So she was a bit miffed since the blasts of holy lights or pure angelic steel weapons left a soft golden scar when they healed."Now," Sera said before more could be done. "You'll be housed in the same building as Lute and Adam to be able to keep an eye on them so they aren't hurt. You also know the sentencing of the trial, so you'll keep an eye on them still following them, got it.""Ay ay capt'in." Amon did a two-finger salute before scratching his ass."Good, now... Adam, Lute, show them the way.""What, why?!""You were literally just told, dude. Because we stuck with you." Baal said."What even is your name, jackass?" Asking that like a Karen would have."It is Baal." She said with some disdain in her voice."Ball?" Lute asked with a scoff."No, B-A-A-L, Baal." The demon said again.Adam slurped his drink loudly, and a huge smile came over his face. Lute realizing what was to come was in no way good."Sir n--" "Hehe... Balls." He said before Lute could stop him.Baal's eye twitched."What?""Balls, testicles, man's greatest gift, jumbo pac--" And before any could stop her, she grabbed the first man by the collar of his robes and, with a yell, threw him over her shoulder.All of heaven's present members watched in stunned shock as Adam was just hurled like that into hell."That was nice... Nice." Amon chuckled; Legion slowly clapped, and she kind of realized the problem there.Baal sighed, looking over her shoulder at the horrified seraphim and speechless Lute before unfurling her wings."I'll go get him." She grumbled, flying through the opened portal to find the man before anything happened to him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"One... One moment, I... I was in heaven and the next... I was in hell." Adam was not hurt by his brief visit to hell, but he was still trying to slow the events down in his head about how, in the time it took for him to blink, that scenery had changed. "You saw that danger tits?""I was there, sir.""Oh, come on, you cried for me; stop acting like you don't care." Adam was happy about that moment even if he was dying. As wrong as it sounds, he reveled in seeing Lute cry and worry for him as she was the only woman that stayed by his side and cared when the two women made for him abandoned him for some gremlin dick... Now he would never admit to this but he was happy to know there was someone that cared and didn't run off."I will do what that demon did and send you on a tour of hell sir.""Come oooooon, you called me Adam, how is that so hard? After me. Aaaaaadaaaaa--" She showed a pork rib in his mouth to shut him up.There were moments Lute hated this; not only had Sera escaped any repercussion because of sweet words like 'It was all for the good of heaven, but I didn't know it was to this extent' or 'I only agreed because I wanted to protect my loved ones.'... Literally, the same, tho, more twisted reason Adam and Lute had twisted by hate but the same: protect heaven... But noooo, they are angels, simple angels, not a seraphim... And now she was stuck sharing a mansion of a home with Adam and three demons to be sure all of them lived in one place... If she asked Vaggie would she kill her this time to spare her this suffering?Looking to the left, to the right, forwards... And dropped her head on the table... Oh heavens... Why?The imp was doing a handstand to see how he looked in the mirror that way while getting the carpet caught on his horns and knocking over a potted plant when falling, kicking it while also yanking the carpet and shifting a whole shelf of books that fell from their space.The sinner had... Had chewed on the coffee table to 'test her teeth on some fucking heaven wood' while that damned tail knocked all cushions down on the ground. While yanking the table around, knocking the flat screen TV that fell over, which she hadn't yet dared look at if it was broken.Adam was being a little bitch and eating like a slob, the BBQ sauce on them all over his face and hands, tossing the bones over his shoulders and bothering her with her calling him sir again.And the worst of all.That Baal demon.It was not like she was doing anything.She was actually simply standing, more like sitting now, on the kitchen counter in the dual kitchen-dining room space... But to all hells and back, her gaze, piercing like the sharpest of swords right between her ribs. She had tried to move, and the fucking demon just moved her head along, unashamed staring at her through the holes in the mask. It had caused her to throw a rib at her once, which was caught and whacked against Adam because of the strength of the thrown, the first man having a proc rib-shaped bruise somewhere on his arm. Lute was really just... Enjoying this day... To the fullest. "I am not cleaning up anyone else but my own shit; if this house burns down with you in it, I am saving my remaining sanity." She ended up saying, which put a pause to this surreal painting of a situation. "Demons can't be burnt, you whore." Amon said, pulling the last of the carpet off his horns."Oh, I'll find a way, and you won't like it," Lute promised, pointing her finger at him."As much as I hate this, these bitches can indeed burn us," Baal said, finally having moved more than just a head movement since she took her spot. Voice no reflecting the time she was silent. "Have you missed the fucking chapter that I am spray painted with golden scars because of this dick of a man?""I'll take that as a compliment; thank you very much.""Eat shit and choke to death.""Suck my dick.""I have a bigger one than you'll ever have, and I am a woman.""I am the original dick! All of you come from these fucking nuts!""What I think is you have a mangina, and you need to grow a pair before you talk to me.""I'll stuff that mouth of yours for talking to me like that!""If I would suck off Eve while Lilith pegs me before I ever near your stank ass body, you should shower more than once a year.""You sparkly bitch need a late abortion to spare your father the pain of knowing he wasted effort on you!""You absolute donkey, my father is gone. Your threats are like your dick, limp and pitiful.""Well, I'll marry your mother and give her a child she actually loves.""You are the biggest manwhore in the history of humanity." "How long before they stop?" Lute asked the two other demons, all three of them watching the demon and the first man hurl insults at each other."I bet on the boss," Amon said. "She'll fuck your first man up.""As if, sir is way more eloquent when it comes to insults than you think." Lute jabbed back."But the boss is more creative," Legion said. "No way your man has enough gusto for her. She'll eat him right up.""For a woman named Ball, she sure acts like she has them.""It's Baal, not the same.""Baal, ball, said the same.""Literally not you discount guitar for an 8-year-old ass.""What did you say, you steroid-pumped strawberry?!""You hear me, you half-off cunt!" ---------------------------------- Sera rubbed her forehead.She didn't know why but a headache and dread was settling on her shoulders.And she wasn't looking forwards to knowing what was giving her this feeling. ---------------------------------- It took an almost local extermination event before the heated insult fuckfest calmed down for a silent status quo to settle in.The TV was indeed smashed but it was only the left top corner so it was watchable.Adam was sitting in the middle, Lute shoved in to the left of him, Amon squeezing himself to the right, Legion laying on the ground as a foot rest almost and Baal crouching on the back of the couch like the omen of death she was.All of them silently staring at the flying rugby-like sporting event going on withing acknowledging the mess around them, what happened or how uncomfortable most of them were on this extremely small couch."Come on come on come on!... NO!! IT WAS 3 FEET IN FRONT OF YOU!! HOW DID YOU MISS!!" Adam yelled, throwing his arms up as the angel missed the throw to mark the point, smacking his hand in Baal's face."Oy control you flailing you whiny bitch." She snapped."Hah! Suck it! Go and fuck them!" Amon yelled, punching towards the screen."You can't seriously be for the green team!" Adam yelled at him as the demon was cheering for the angel that stopped his team from marking that point."They are better, your golden whores are fucking weak!" Lute just leaned her head in her remaining hand with a thin lipped 'I am losing my fucking mind' type of smile as her eye twitched as the yelling picked up once again, the rest of the people fighting about which team was better.If she could cry she would have but she is just too dead inside to even do anything but want to disconnect her brain from her body and throw it out the window for the next passerby to dance a jig on before kicking it to the hounds.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Wh--What happened?" Sera asked.If Sir Pentious's being redeemed was considered shocking, this was brain shattering.Looking at the flaming mansion, Adam in his underwear, Lute lying face down on the ground in a puddle of depression, Amon's drunken recreation of the princess bride all by himself, Legion's eyes going in two different directions, Baal also on fire like the house, and Emily covered in flour so much so that she looked completely white."I left you here for ten minutes," Sera said, Emily just giggling as she rubbed her head. "Can anyone explain to me what in all of heaven and hell has gone down here?""Well--" "Not you." Sera shut Adam up."Promise not to get mad?" Emily asked."Em, for the love of all that is heaven and hell as a whole, I have no fucking idea how to feel.""This is bad," Adam whispered to the burning demon."You think? We made the high seraphim curse.""This is all your fault, Balls.""Back at you first man.""Silence... Now... Emily darling... What in all that is holy happened?""Well, it started with us arriving--" --------------------------------
"Good morning, I assumed your first night here has passed by without problem." Sera said with a forced smile, still getting used to demons here herself but not about to be seen impolite, knowing she'll get used to them after a while anyway.
"Euuuh, yeah whatever hi, it was peachy." The imp that opened the door said with two finger guns. "Did you suddenly get pregnant or something? You have a mini you following you."
"Hi! I am Emily! The other seraphim!" Emily shock his hand so hard he was shaken in the air like one of those old cartoons.
"I just came here to check in as I have to report that there have been no problems to the elders, Emily wanted to meet you all and--" "So I invited myself to spend time with you all!" The smaller seraphim said with a loud squeal.
"Oh hell my ears little lady... BUT SURE!!" Looping an arm around her shoulder. "If you know how to cook." Poking her in the chest. "Do you?"
"Mostly pastries, a hobby of mine."
"Sold! Worry not tall lady we'll keep mini you safe and sound!" Slamming the door in Sera's face.
Sera gave a blank look, already hearing the crashing of pots and pans.
"If I don't fall from grace for the extermination I will because of this." She said to herself, deciding to trust Emily would be fine as she left, hurried to get the meeting done to come back and kidnap her sister back. (I know it is not confirmed from what I know the relationship so you get sisters for this fic)
"Hi!! I am so happy to be here!" Emily said, held like Simba in the lion king while Amon presented her to the rest of the group huddled in the kitchen, quite literally realizing no one knew how to cook anything for breakfast and all of them fighting over the few cookbooks they found.
Baal sitting on Lute's back to keep her from snatching it back while one of her foot was pressed into Adam's chest and pinning him to the counter's side, Legion was taking a video.
"What's going on here?" The little seraphim asked as she was put down.
"Adam can only cook ribs, Lute knows how to make cheesecake, Amon can make fire drinks, Legion can't even touch water before burning it and I know how to make pasta... We are trying to make breakfast." Baal said without looking up from the book... Or at least that's what Emily thought since the mask on her face covered her expression.
"This little lady here knows how to cook!" Amon proudly said, putting her down.
"More like pastries as I said, I love sweet things after all. I am Emily by the way."
Baal finally looked up.
"Amon... Why do you have a seraphim taken hostage? Should I worry about the high seraphim coming to murder us all?"
"Nah boss, she left her here with us."
"He's telling the truth, I wanted to meet you guys and see how Adam and Lute were doing so I followed her here."
Lute gave a thumbs up, face down, having given up the fight. Adam stuck his tongue out and rolled his eyes.
"Well you saw us, can you help us here before we turn cannibal?" Adam said. "I don't think demon ribs would taste any good."
"Please don't fight?... What if we... Make cookies?!"
And such was the start of the downfall.
"Now my dear people we'll make the best simplest cookies we can!" Emily instructed... Because there was literally a fly flying out of the fridge it was so empty. Everyone lined up like soldiers as the little seraphim ordered them around. "We need butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon and chocolate chips. Now move it people! Get those ingredients. You, turn to oven up!"
Baal looked at the oven, having no idea what to do while the others ran off to get the rest. Looking at the dial and just cranking it up, deciding it was fine.
"Now, Cream the butter in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until it is soft." Emily read the recipe word for word."
"Hehe, cre--" Baal kicked Adam where it didn't shine before he could speak, making him fall in front of Lute who tripped and threw the butter up, the packet opening a but from the smack and remaining stuck to the ceiling.
"I got it!" Amon jumped to grab it and landed on the counter. "What now mini lady?"
"Well what she said." Baal said, Amon looking at a large bowl and smacking the butter in it, grabbing a spoon and beating it up on full speed.
"Now add sugar and optional ingredients, if you’re using them which we are!"
Everyone scrambled around, Adam finding the cinnamon stash and Baal grabbing the flour.
Lute grabbed the bowl before Amon could splatter everything out of it and put it down on the counter.
Adam coughed as the cinnamon got into his face but threw a fistful of it in the bowl.
"Here." Baal threw the flour, Adam ducking it and the bag exploded in Emily's face, the little seraphim sneezing, sending flour everywhere else too.
"My my, winter came early." Amon laughed having found the stash of alcohol while looking for the ingredients and was drinking from a large bottle in deep gulps.
"How dare you try to throw that at me?!" Adam tried to run at Baal but Amon grabbed him, on his robe, and yanked back.
Riiiiiiiip.
"...Pffffffft! HAHAHAHA!!" Amon laughed, the robe having been so worn it basically ripped off the man, showing he was only in red heart boxers and socks.
"You fuck!" Covering himself.
"Breathe Lute, breathe." She whispered to herself, grabbing the pack of flour and poured the still usable in the bowl before Baal yanked it in her hands, sending flour in Lute's face, mixing it all with a fork she randomly found.
"Now only the chocolate chip before making balls of them and putting them on a baking sheet." Emily said, wiping her eyes.
"Got it!" Amon climbed the shelves, pulling out a baking sheet and plaque from the top shelf, sending the rest tumbling.
"Sir!" Lute jumping forwards to body check Adam out of the way only to end up pinned face down with the baking utensils on her back.
Amon put the plaque down and dusted off his hands, grabbing the bottle of alcohol again and drinking from it.
"Has anyone seen Legion anyway?" Baal asked.
Everyone looked around in one moment of calm before all pressed at the entrance of the pantry.
Legion standing with pupils so expanded her eyes seemed completely black, drooling disgusting brown as the chocolate was still in her open maw and in her hands.
"Who gave that bitch chocolate?!" Amon slurred, jabbing the drink towards the other demon. "Bitch can't eat chocolate or sugar without supervision or she puts herself in a sweet coma."
"Yes Amon, we realized that, we are seeing the same thing." Baal said to the imp before grabbing what remained in the bag and dumped it in the bowl, mixing.
Everything was mixed as once and the cookies on the plaque looked... Okay... Like a severely deformed pair of nuts but still... They were cookies.
"And now in the oven!" Emily cheered.
Amon opened it and, in his great drunken wisdom, threw the plaque in and slammed the door of it, standing with his arms closed while half the cookies would now bake into the oven walls.
Everyone silently watched for a moment before the whole oven, just like that, burst into flames.
"Ah fire!" The drunken imp tried to put it out... With his bottle, making the fire worse.
"Everyone scatter!" Lute screams as the fire just burst forth. Running to make it out the front door while being the only one with the shared brain cell and calling the heavenly authorities to fix this.
Emily flew after her.
Adam ran screaming and smashed through the window as he jumped out.
Amon, laughing, followed him with a flip through the window and fell on Adam.
Baal, ran through licks of fire to grab the sinner and threw her out the window, both men groaning as another weight fell on them before they squeaked, Baal jumping after.
As they got out of the pile, Adam rubbed the grass and dirt off his chest and bit of a beer belly, Amon cartwheeled away with a laugh before starting to recreate some drunken play to himself, Legion's eyes were drifting like chameleons from the amount of straight sugar she shoveled in her mouth, Emily watched the fire looking like a white ghost, Baal put her hands on her hips as the fire was catching on her wings and outfit but hellish material can't burn with normal fire.
Lute just, dropped her phone, got down on her knees and laid face down, just giving up.
---------------------------------
Sera just blinked at the story, staring off into the void."Sera? Where are you going?" Emily asked as she turned away from her and walked away without a word, following after."To get rid of my wings and move to hell to be as far from these people as I can be." She blankly answered."Sera?!" Let's hope next time they just order in.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Come on; you can't think that's enough to kill my ass first, man." Baal chuckled through a flinch at the pain of moving her hands down. How long until Lucifer gets here, dammit? Adam's holy blasts are a bother, and the hotel is on its last legs.
The burns caused by angelic powers covered the top right shoulder and neck area with her upper right arm and upper left, too, having crossed her arms over her head to block the blast.
"I kind of did since that snake friend of yours evaporated in an instant." The first man rolled his eyes.
"Hellborns take a beating of holy light a better." The burn marks were not red and chard like normal burns; they looked glittery golden.
"Well, I'll just need to blast you more times!"
-------------------------------- She sat up in bed in the new manor Sera had found them, it almost seemed like she found one far from the city and surrounded in a little forest, as if she was trying to keep them further from them.Baal looked at her hands before sighing and getting out of bed. It was not like this was a nightmare, not at all, but awakening slightly from the memories brought others one, some that wouldn't let her sleep.She didn't care of putting on her jewelry or usual outfit, it was late anyway, wearing a purply-pink T-shirt and shorts with hearts on it for her outfit for bed. Grabbing her mask while opening the door to her room.Hellborns take a beating of holy light better? Who are you lying too Baal? Sure you could take it, I could take it... But it is not because I am a bellborn motherfucker... It is not because of that at all, I should have never been able to heal from angelic wounds and here I am.She shook her head, come on, she can't let herself sink in those thoughts but sleep is a no go anymore.Walking down the empty hall, grateful for the silence and not needing to answer to people.She didn't want to be here after all but she was everywhere Lucifer wanted her."And who's fault is that?" Baal hissed with an irked smile. "You sold it without ever thinking of me." The corner of her mouth twitched at the angry memories of finding out why she was where she was and why.Lifting her hand to her throat for a moment before just slapping herself there gently and dropping the hand again as she walked down the stairs, hearing snoring.Sighing, Amon was asleep on the couch on his watch shift. They were still hear for a reason, the first man and his second in command were not only being monitored by heaven but hunted by hell. They were tasked in keeping them alive."Hey, up man, up." She smacked his shoulder, shaking him. When he blinked. "Go, up to your room." Not needing to be asked twice, she sat in his place, only momentarily bothered by it being really warm but didn't move.She never had a choice in her life, I never had... I was thrust in this life without asked. Don't get me wrong, I am good at it, I like it. I am the best of the guards... But I never was given an option to be something else.Shaking her head again, stop thinking dammit, it never helps anyone.She grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl on the table, it was the only fruit left behind from the gift basket to their new home, neither of the two angels even looking at the fruit and Amon had had a field day with dick jokes with the bananas... It's not like these fruits are forbidden, she knows the story of creation, everyone does, it never says it was an apple... Oh well, she took a bite out of it, shifting the mask up as she did so.Kicking the TV remote on the coffee table and catching it out of the air, turning it on some odd earth documentary, she never really cared for where earthborn sinners came from but the documentaries they created were great to pass the time, this time it was something about a world war 2 and mass genocide.Baal absently watched, head in her hand on the arm of the couch. All that was left of the fruit was the grains and the stem, putting the mask down as she tossed the little remains over her shoulder, you learn to no waste food in hell... Hell...Wondering how long this will last and if she'll ever see hell again any time soon, heaven lacks the smell of sulfur in the air and she only realized it because the lack of it smelt weird. Hell was hell, a harsh landscape of blood, gore and vile sinners but it was also her home and-- She snapped out when the stair creaked."Oh fuck no." Lute muttered, having expected to be alone this fine 3am, that's why she wore grey sweatpants and a grey hoodie instead of her usual attire."Chill, only me." Baal muttered, looking back at the TV in silence. "No reason to fuck with you if you don't fuck with me."She grumbled what Baal said, getting down to the rest of the stairs, walking to the kitchen and opening the fridge which was packed crammed with read-made meals and anything that required little to no cooking courtesy of a certain seraphim that was regretting her life choices.She closed the fridge and grabbed a ramen container out of the pantry also stocked full.Turning on the water boiler and waiting for it to boil the remaining water. Hissing in anger when she tried to cross her arms but couldn't, putting it in her pocket.Lute looked over her shoulder, expecting something by now from the demon but she was staying true to her words, not fucked with and she wasn't fucking with her... If only that could be the case for the rest of the day tho.The boiler made a kettle noise and she turned it off before grabbing the ramen and... Just glaring at it, realizing her mistake.She relearned to write and do most things with her right hand but it was still crappy, she was writing like a toddler, even brushing her teeth was hard with her non dominant hand. She couldn't tie things, open cans, bottle or doors that required a key turn and pull on the handle at the same time...She turned the food container left and right, trying to pop the top off with her teeth but it was too bendy despite being a hard plastic top to make it possible, did they vacuum seal this shit or what?She never realized how hard it was until faced with moments that were a given before and she couldn't do it anymore.A hand grabbed the pack from her hand, watching Baal take the hard plastic lid off and pilling the paper lid before putting it on the counter and walking back to the couch and sitting down."I didn't need your help." She hissed."Sure." The demon just said dismissively.She huffed, pouring the water in it and grabbing a pair of chopsticks as she waited, watching the steam rise from the food.This felt so unfair... And yet it was her own damned fault too, getting carried away like she had with the exterminations, they were meant as a population drop but a hunting season dammit... And this would keep on reminding her of that.She grabbed the little container when it was cooked, turning around and looking at the table... Before lifting her eyes up and sighing.Baal only cast Lute a lose look with her top pair of eyes while the bottom still looked at the TV screen, wondering why she chose to sit on the couch where it would be harder to eat since she was balancing it in her lap.Baal reached out and grabbed the container, holding it for her for stability."What is it about?" Lute asked, sounding as bored as the demon felt, pulling a few noddles out with her chopsticks, not taking account in the demon's gesture and the demon didn't want to bring it up."Something about what are called Nazis and what they did." She simply said."Alright." Was the answer as they watched on in silence, no acknowledgment to the offered and accepted help or sitting together... It's not like it meant anything anyway.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Hey! Hey! Hey Balls! Hey! Balls! Hey!""WHAT?!!" She slammed the door to her room open, hitting the wall so hard with it that the handle of it indented into it."I want to go buy burgers," Adam said, hands in his pocket. He needed a new robe, so he was wearing a band T-shirt and cargo shorts with worn-out sneakers. Not really living up to the first man title she'd say... That goatee and messy hair... Just paint him red and add horns, and he'd fit right in down below as a fat imp."And what do I have to do with this?""Well, Danger Tits is who knows where with your two buddies, and I don't want my boss to kick my ass for ditching my demon guards... She is a bitch to deal with... So you are coming with me.""And if I say no?""Oh, come on, I am sure we can work something out." He leaned in with a grin only to get slammed in the face with the door, holding his nose. "You bitch!" He yelled as she reopened the door and walked out."You deserved that, now come on." She was a guard, after all; Adam was correct; she was to go with him. "You are paying.""Why would I?!""I am not paying for you to get fatter.""This is barely a stomach!" He yelled back, wanting to smack her with a chair, but there were no chairs in the vicinity. Lucifer's comment on letting himself go was like a jab of hate to the gut; his belly was not even that big, just a little pudgy, and he heard girls like softies... Tho maybe it was emotional? Bah, it's not like he cared; he is the first man, and everyone wants him!Baal glanced down at herself, fit and toned."Oh fuck you." He saw the look at herself as she compared her body to his. "We can't be compared!""I guess I must agree with that," Baal said. "There is nothing to compare between us so bring your ass over and lets go." ------------------------------- Having demons in heaven was not really kept a secret but it was still weird to see one walk around in complete confidence as Adam was giving her and earful on why beef sandwiches are the superior sandwich.She smacked him with her wing."You celery stick of a woman!""I want you to know I am smiling at you.""Fuck you.""No thanks, I actually need someone that knows how to use their shit, not you."Adam was discovering just how patient he was able to be since the prohibition of summoning his weapon was still enough to not make him pull it out."I will drown you when you do to sleep tonight.""If you could even reach my face." Baal gasped a bit in surprise as Adam, with a little hop, grabs her lower left horn and yanks her head down. "Touché first man, touché." Shaking her head out when he lets go with triumph.It hurt her head to yank on her horns since they are literally part of her skull but she didn't voice it, more focused on her mission on keeping Adam in line and anyone that wanted to kill him away."You not coming?" Don't get him wrong, this is annoying him too but he is capable of not being an asshole, thinking of himself as the best man alive because he was holding the door open for a demon."No, you get what you want so we can head back, I'll stay here." Not a fan of crowds... Not after needing to deal with Charlie attracting them with her singing."Your loss." Adam shrugged, going inside with big strides as she sigh, turning her back to the shop.Honestly... She didn't believe in Charlie's plans even with Sir Pentious in heaven, she spits and stomps on it. Some sinners don't deserve sympathy and redemption. And honestly! Sure she was part of that hellish army tasked with wasting angels times but... But yeah... What was bad in the exterminations even?She didn't care much for the earthborns, as a hellborn she was spared and the earthborn sinners were in hell for a reason, it doesn't need to be an extermination for her to kill one of them if they got in her way... She'll smile behind her mask the day hell realizes they are not ready to deal with the fact the exterminations are over."What a weird woman you are Baal." She thought to herself. "Wishing to leave heaven behind with their tacky lives but giving no two shits about hell? I suppose it is because of them."But what brought up all these hellish thoughts? Oh yeah... It was the chameleon sinner she snatched out of his perch on the bin next to the shop's entrance."Honestly, thinking you can sneak past me?" She asked him, holding the kicking man easily off the ground, he was so small compared to her. Grip tight around his throat."Y-you... Protecting the o-one hurting us most." He choked out, eyes moving everywhere in synchronized movements."I was tasked with it sooooo yeah, maybe? What's it to you?""You betraying hell." He squeaked, turning purple because of her squeezing."I never gave a crap about sinners. You know what I thought when I was growing up? If they could offer me freedom from this trust me I would have rolled out the red carpet with personalized name plates inviting them to the demon buffet, that's how much I care for you. Hell only maters because it is my home and I have some people I know there."He made a choking noise as she reached down for the dagger sheath tied to her thigh, always keeping one on her despite being able to summon numerous ones.She twirled it in her hand before driving it through the empty space between her finger to stab him in the throat."I hate hell as much as I hate heaven as both places have turned their backs to me for reasons outside of my control." She whispered to the dying sinner as she pulled him right into her face before throwing them down, flicking the blood off the dagger and sheathing it again as he bled out."Shesh... That's hot."She rose a none visible brow at Adam, lifting a hand in a sort of 'why tho' gesture, the first man standing there, holding a brown bag that smelt like fast food from there, eating a burger already."What? It's true." He defended himself. "And it's a compliment!"Well there wad not the usual asshole tone in it."I'd take it as such anyway." She shrugged. "Can we go now?""Sure, I got what I wanted." He walked around the corpse and she followed, neither of them shocked at the sight, even finding it bland."You should take his words seriously, you are getting out of shape.""This is nothing! To hell and back Balls you are a bitch.""You are lucky I don't send you to hell for calling me that first man because you'd have a fun time down there.""Fuck you!""Still gotta decline."He threw the empty wrapper out, grabbing another burger and a drink and throwing the bag to her, lucky him she caught it."I will smash it against your skull first man.""Keep it.""Huh?""I have the ability to be thoughtful you know?" Was all he said.She raised a brow and opened the bag to have a look, grabbing a somewhat mushed thing. It took her a moment to realize it was meant to be a donut but it was so abused it was more like a ripped pancake."Please don't tell me this is meant for me." Holding it between two finger of hers."Hey! Don't go spitting on my huge generosity... Keep that for my dic--" She punted him down the promenade with a kick to the butt, lucky him he could fly and save himself from getting his food splattered everywhere.She listened to the distant cursing, sending him a good half soccer field length away from her, not really giving a crap about what he was yelling about. Looking at the deflated donut she was still holding.crumbling the brown bag and shifting her mask up enough so to the top eyes could still see through the lower eye holes, revealing her mouth, taking a bite."Edible." She decided, walking to join up with the complaining first man.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Baal was the last awake and so the first on guard duty. Despite it all, the demons were taking their assignment to the letter; the three of them would indeed protect these angels from their kind and any possible angels that might stray from the relative good.She spun the dagger in her left hand, the tip of it pressed on the pointer of her right, watching the low light reflect off its surface made in a Damascus pattern of darker blue, blackish, demonic steel and a light blue, whitish, angelic steel.She traced her finger on the edge of it, almost teasing the blade with a taste of blood it wouldn't get from her, too dexterous to bleed herself on her own weapon in such a situation.There was something good in the lack of sulfur in the air for heaven, if she can even call it a good thing.Spinning the blade and grabbing it correctly, standing up, stretching her wings out as she lifted her arms in a sigh.When she did smell sulfur, it meant demonic entities in the area, entities that had been in hell not long ago.She flipped the dagger through the air once, twice, thrice, and chucked it out the slanted open window, hearing a thud and seeing a dark figure falling out of the tree."If there's one, there's more." She said, rethinking to the one she took out on the promenade a good few hours ago. Already having expected this if she was being honest here.With a yawn and making sure the mask sat correctly on her face, walking to the main door and opening the lock.Stepping back, hands in her pockets, waiting.And the door slammed open, tho not making a sound as she stopped it with a foot and kicked the other into the throat of the reptilian demon, stomping that foot down."Keep it down; people are sleeping." She said with the throat of the demon sitting in the little space between her heel and the sole of her boots, letting him breathe but being trapped."Traitor.""Really creative." She said in disappointment, shifting her free leg to step on his chest and jerk the other one to the side, snapping his neck. "Anyone more creative? Come on, sinners, I know he didn't come alone." Nudging the corpse out the door with her legs and closing it behind herself.Only now, summoning a dagger to flick it down into a stab in the sinner's skull since only angelic steel kills immortal sinners."Or you all caught a brain-rotting parasite? I hope not, or you wouldn't realize who I am."Nothing."The windows to the rooms have angelic steel bars to keep anyone from breaking in, and the ground floor is bulletproof. I tell you, the only way in is the front door."She actually even opened the door again.She snapped out a sidekick, hitting a many-arms spidery demon out of the air and stabbing her heel through the skull of the eight-eyed freaks."I took inspiration from an overlord. What do you think about it?" Asking the dead sinner, pulling her heel out and tapping them together, hearing a metallic clink between them. "Come on, come on, sinners, the door is open. Get past me, and all will be at your mercy."Two shadows came, Baal dodging left. The weapon was demonic steel only, but a hellborn is not immortal in the same way an earthborn is before kicking her knee into the wolf-ish demon's ribs, feeling them smashing in. Spinning to drive her foot backward into the stomach of the other shadow that turned out to be an imp-ish looking demon but not an actual imp.Smashing her heel through the wolf's throat and stepping on the head of the imp-ish, pressing down until she heard cracking and brain splattered out.She waited a moment, but nothing more came.Pulling her boot out of the skull, listening to the disgusting slurp-like noise it made.She looked up towards the moon with the silvery glow filtering in through the trees.Shifting her mask down, holding it as her four eyes focused on it.Maybe there were things that were nice in heaven after all."I wish you could see this. You must be missing it." She muttered, the smell of vile blood assaulting her senses, but it didn't bother her that much. "No matter how you despise me for choices, not my own, I wish you could be happy again."With a sigh, putting the mask back on, she still remembers it.
"Remember, no one must see this hideous thing you are. They'd gouge their eyes out."
"I mean, she should never have told you that, but yes, you should keep wearing that mask; it will keep you safe."
"Literally a four-eyed freak, hell, you remind me of those bitches."
For the sake of others, for her own sake, the mask was to remain, and the truth stifled."And I still wish you happiness." She said, staring into the moonlight.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Lute was trying to do a crossword to pass the boring time but trying to erase with one hand was hellish."Yah know you can ask Danger Tits." Adam said and erased the wrong word but looked proud of himself, having been strumming his guitar to tune it since it was also his weapon and he couldn't pull it out in public without having Sera's goons come after him."That... Was the wrong thing.""Can't you just be happy I oh so graciously help?" He pouted and corrected his mistake."I'll be when you don't mess up my progress sir.""Fuck you, Lute.""I gotta agree with the demons there, no thanks.""Ah, you wound me!" He put a hand on his heart. "My own second in command, betraying me!" He strummed a few strings, making it sound like the guitar was crying."Can you two keep it down? People here have hangovers!" Amon complained before taking a swig from a bottle of tequila."Suck Adam's dick and perish," Lute told him, she was this close to going insane, this close."Oh no, thank you bitch. I am not being sucked off by a red-ass cherry demon.""I'd pay you to do it." Amon said"Shut up!" Smacking him with the guitar while making the telltale sound of a guitar breaking. "No!" The horns of the imp are slightly less curved than normal because of half of her genes, the guitar scrapping on them even if it was partially a metal weapon. Adam looked like a pouty child as he looked at the strings that got snagged and snapped, dammit."Boss has guitar strings," Legion said, having been in the room all this time, watching the fan blades spin."Balls has guitar strings? That bitch?""She can do more than killing, just like you, I assume." The imp leaned back on the TV with a shrug before pushing off after almost tipping it over."Of course, I can do more.""Mmm... BOSS!!" He screamed up."What?!" She could be heard."Please come down! Adam dude broke his guitar strings on my horns, and he is being pouty!""I am not!"Steps were heard, Baal walking down with a sigh, already summoning a few strands in her hands."Might not be angelic, but if you want to play, you'll take it." She held the black strings up to the pouting man.He grabbed them, inspecting the black steel the strings were made from. It would look ugly on his guitar, but it was worth the sacrifice."Why do you even have strings?" Lute asked."It is obvious, no? It's not rocket science. I can play, too, but I don't know if they are that good in the long run as the first man's looks like electric, and mine is acoustic.""Show me!" Adam instantly appeared in her face like a twinkling princess, making her punch him by reflex.Lute put a leg out and watched him trip on it, falling flat on his back, sending golden feathers flying everywhere. Then she pulled her feet back to her and looked back at her crossword."He likes music. He'd be able to make friends with a rock if it could play the guitar or anything with strings." Lute explained absently."Don't shove your face in mine despite that first man." She frowned behind her mask. "Ask me nicely, and I'll show you~," Baal said in a way too suave voice not to be too fuck with him."Oh, madame Balls, will you please grace my humble soul with--" "Okay, shut up." She stopped Adam, knowing it was on purpose and he was fucking with her. "But sure, I don't mind... If you stop bothering me with stupid fucking requests.""Demanding you to come with me to the gym is not a stupid request.""It is if the only reason is to laugh at those there.""You are talking like an old married couple," Lute muttered, only enjoying one second of silence before getting a smack from both sides of the arguing duo."I'd marry you before I touch that man." Baal hissed."No, it would be me first! I knew her first I have priority!""Sorry, demons have a right to your wives. She's mine."Lute just looked off into space as if she was on a sitcom, a 'what did I say?' look plastered on her face."Fine, no stupid requests for a week!""A month.""Two weeks.""A month.""Three!""...Fine." They shook on it, and Adam was surprised by a little zap of yellow light. "That's a deal~""Oh, you bitch!" He smacked her hand like a child, crossing his arms... A man-baby, she swears...She rubbed her hand with a chuckle."It is only three weeks." She baby-talked him. "But now I'll keep my end of the deal up. A minute, if I may." And she climbed the stairs quickly."Careful with the boss; she a crafty one. She got the king of hell to agree to let her marry him in a deal if his daughter's first word was fuck. Lucifer was a nervous wreck." Legion said, still laughing at the story. "And she did all her possible to make it happen to teach him a lesson in fucking with her.""I'd have LOVED to see that fuckers face if that had happened." Adam was already imagining it."Is she always trying to marry people? A hobby of hers?" Lute asked."Nah, but she loves to have the upper hand. If that's the worst thing she can find to make a person do, that's what she'll ask for... However, I have no idea why the king of hell and she'd do that stupid deal. We only have her side of the events, too." Amon shrugged, scratching his brow."Back bitches!" Baal had gone down the flight of stairs in three leaps, holding a normal-looking acoustic guitar, only that it was completely black.Tuning it in a few strums, showing it was used not long ago.https://youtu.be/WxOulfAfKvk (If you listen to it and watch the video, you actually see all the sounds in the video are made on that one guitar)She looked all confident that she was a better player in the room.Tho, she found it extremely weird how enamored Adam seemed, head in hands and watching her hands play with nothing of his cocky, presumptuous, and dastardly smile... It looked real... It seems like the first man truly loved this choice of instrument. It was odd from him.She'd have expected Lute to stop writing and listen to be polite, and she knew Legion would sit up, hands on her criss-cross legs as she listened with sparkling eyes, and she knew Amon would start dancing no matter if the mood of a song wouldn't fit dancing.But Adam was something that shocked her, it... Almost made her smile... Everyone in the room seemed to like it in their own way, but Adam did it in the way of someone else truly knowing the feeling of being able to craft beauty by plucking a few strings and hitting the wood of the guitar. Maybe they can indeed get along instead of always wanting to kill each other.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"YOU'RE LEAVING?!" It seemed playing the guitar was all that was required to get on Adam's good side... Otherwise, Baal had no idea why this grown man was clinging to her ankle and was getting dragged through the house."It is only for a day I said bastard!" She complained."Sir, let go," Lute said, rubbing her eyes with her hand."I don't wanna be left with the cherry demon and the living Gucci bag!""Lute will be here. You are not alone.""When sir finds someone he can get along with, it ends up like this. Why do you think I am here?" Lute asked. "Lute!!" Adam answered like a kid."Sir, you literally forced me to be your friend before I actually started to get along with you for real." She reminded him. "And only because I didn't react when you called me Danger Tits.""Look here, my guy, the boss has things to do, and you can't stop her; she'll leave whether you like it or not," Amon said. "So stop hogging her leg and let go before you give her a reason to deal with you, trust me, it hurts."Lute sighed, lifting a foot and stomping on Adam's hands, making him let go."You two keep an eye on them. I'll be back when I can." Unfurling her wings and flying out the door as it would be faster then walking."NOOOOO!!" Adam complained as Lute rolled her eyes."Stop screaming, and we can go get fast food." She didn't really miss taking care of Adam's tantrums, but it was like the good days before all this mess."You promise?""Sir, grow up.""Luuuuuuute.""I am down!" Amon said, burping. "When are we going?" ---------------------------------- "I am on my fucking way." She answered the called, said only that and hung up right away.She hated having Lucifer on speed dial but it was a need, she had been the on asking to be warned if it happened after all.She almost didn't recognize the smell of hell and the dark red skies almost seemed out of place but she was out of place too.She flew as fast as she could, already seeing the repercussion of knowing no more exterminations would take place: already having way more crowds and more visible gang violence... She might say a word about it.It didn't take her 20 to be landing in the porch of Lucifer's home and walked in without knocking."There you are!" She held up an arm, hand pressed in the short king's face to keep him away, why is everyone so insistent in pulling up to her face? Do they want to be kissed because she will kiss them and make them regret it."What do you want sir?" She sighed, shoving him back, little guy forced to fly to be head height with her. "Is it..." Trailing off without finishing."Yep, another manic episode that meds can't help.""And usually I can despite what that entails." She glared through the mask and he knew she was right."I know but you insist on keeping her alive.""I will not let you kill her no matter what you think is for the best.""Baal...""Just... There's still a chance isn't there?""It has been yea--" "There's still a chance or no?""...Yes, she has moments of clarity of her old self.""Then I am not giving up.""In that case, head over."And so she did. "A prison." Baal said even if what it read was asylum on the front of the dilapidated building.Making her way in, the useless staff not even looking up as she grabbed a syringe already prepared on the desk, used to all this, tapping in the floor number on the elevators keypad, being -665.Stood with head hands in her pockets as the creaking and rusty thing lowered into the bowels of the facility where the truly bad were locked up in, people Lucifer himself thought would be to dangerous to hell itself. But this... She... Had been kept in more for her own safety and Lucifer's good will.She.The reason Baal never had a choice, why all was the way it was.And yet she still cared for her, came visit despite what would happen, despite half the time not remembering her and half the other time hating her. Baal loved her out of a sense of duty almost and the spark of a child wishing to be loved back still there in the depths, unable to put it out.The elevator jerked to a stop as she got out, hearing the 'inmates' bang and scream around in their rooms, doing who knows what being those door.Crossing to the room in the back, cracking the seal open.With a deep breath, pushing it open.Instantly hearing an ear piercing scream and a vase shatter on the wall next to her.This room was made to look like a normal one. It was supposed to have a bed in the left corner, a TV and sofa in the right, a little dining table with three chairs, rug on the floor, shelves of books... It looked like a demon had ravaged through it.Bed having the springs exposed and the stuffing everywhere, the TV a hole through it and the sofa ripped into, the table broken on the edges and on its head, the shelves knocked over, the wall paper ripped open and scratched into."Demon! Let me out of this place this instant!!" She didn't reacted to the weapon now stabbed into the door closed behind her, not even as it had skidded off the mask on her face and chipped the side, cutting the flesh on the side of her head."You need to calm down, you are safe here." She tried, holding the summoned spear to keep the shorter woman from pulling it back out but she already lost focus."H-he's coming back!! He'll be back!! He's coming back!!" Grabbing at her white locks as she yanked on them, walking in circles."He's dead... He's been dead for a while." Baal threw the weapon down, it made a clanking noise that made the other woman flinch."NO!! Don't hurt me!! Leave!! You rapist monster!!"It always was a pang to the heart, never ever getting used to this."He's dead, you are here for your own good, they can help you here but you need to calm down." She tried to grab her only to get swatted at."NO!! LEAVE!! LEAVE!! YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED!! LEAVE ME!!"With a deep breath, grabbing her mask and pulling it down, letting it hang around her neck."He is gone, I killed him, remember?" She tried to make her look at her.And a glance was enough."Baal?""Yeah, it's me. He's dead remember? I killed him. You are safe."The wonder soon turned to fury."You! You monstrous spawn of the devil!" The smack echoed loudly on the small four walls. "You made my life a living hell! How dare you show this disgusting face of yours?! Didn't I tell you to always wear that fucking mask." After the third slap Baal grabbed her wrist but the screaming didn't stop. Insults worst than the last hurled into her face about something she could never stop.She had her other hand on the syringe, it would... It would sedate her and calm her but... ... She dropped it, the glass shattering on the ground, making the woman panic and yank away, screaming about how she'd get hurt.The one thing in this room not smashed was the instrument case... The one thing they had in common that didn't result in hate and insults.She walked over, opening the case, the guitar in it was scuffed and varnish rubbed off, the color of it white and golden.Tuning it quickly, maybe it will work, it usually does.
https://youtu.be/JiCm15heLWk
Wish I was too dead to cry
She sang softly, turning back to her.
My self-affliction fades
Stones to throw at my creator
A masochist to which I cater
She might feel bitter for her life as a whole but she couldn't hate the reason for it fully.
You don't need to bother
I don't need to be
I'll keep slipping farther
But once I hold on
I won't let go 'til it bleeds
Walking over a bit, voice softer then usual but still not by much.
Wish I was too dead to care
If indeed I cared at all
Never had a voice to protest
So you fed me shit to digest
While she'd have no idea about what the lyrics mean, Baal would know.
I wish I had a reason
My flaws are open season
For this, I gave up trying
One good turn deserves my dying
You don't need to bother
I don't need to be
I'll keep slipping farther
But once I hold on
I won't let go 'til it bleeds
Wish I'd died instead of lived
A zombie hides my face
A shelf forgotten with its memories
Diaries left with cryptic entries
It did feel like a tug of war, wanting this all gone but unable, never able.
And you don't need to bother
I don't need to be (I don't need to be)
I'll keep slipping farther
But once I hold on
I won't let go 'til it bleeds
Almost like mesmerized, the woman did seem to settle in a more quiet and stilled state.
You don't need to bother
I don't need to be (I don't need to be)
I'll keep slipping farther
But once I hold on (once I hold on)
I'll never live down my deceit
She sighed, just setting it back in the case, guiding the woman to sit on a chair, looking with a blank stare at nothing, this was better then when she was like previously.
"Come on, let's sit."
Ball would never forgive him for this, a shattered mind always leaving in the past agony or lost in a haze, a broken mind that they can try and try to mend but it still hasn't been the reason.
"You know you need to wear this to protect yourself." Picking up what looked like silicon shaped cups, walking to her back and putting them on the nubs left from where the wings had been amputated by him on that night. Baal, she knew the stories, having had them screamed at her as the belt snapped because she 'was the reason for it all' like always. "These protect you from hurting them, you know how sensitive they are."
She looked around the room, for now flipping the mattress on the good side.
"They'll come to fix your room soon, it will be all fine then." Baal pat her unresponsive shoulders.
With another sigh.
"I'll... Get going, I am needed somewhere." But she stopped before she could even move. "Hey... You know, heaven is as beautiful as you dreamed." Sitting next to her, grabbing her cold hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over it. "It is tacky, way too much gold and white, and stuck up... But it has nice places, the people are bearable too... I wonder how much you remember, if in that mind of yours you are still searching for a way... But worry not, we are trying to help you, I promise there will be a time you'll leave this place, when you can forget me, all of us, and live again..." And only silence answered.
A heavy third sigh as she stood again.
"Why am I even wasting my breath?" She muttered.
Leaving the shell of a woman in the room as she closed and locked it behind her.
She put the mask back on her face before touching the side of her head, the pain of the wound would last until it heals from the angelic weapon, but it hurt less then this meeting.
Touching the blood coating her hair and face, looking in anger at the rose gold color of it when she brought it to her face.
-------------------------------------
"Hey! Boss is back!" Amon called out. "Where were you bitch? You almost missed the contest!"
Baal had cleaned herself up and used some tape-like outside stitching to cover the wound, happy her mask could hide the face she must be making. Immediately screamed at when she opened the door.
Seeing Amon and Adam sit at the dining table with a huge pile of burgers between them, Lute with a chronometer in her hands and Legion with her phone to film.
"Contest?" She asked, clearing her voice, not liking the edge to it.
"Heaven's yes! This cherry bastard thinks he can eat more burgers than me in a given time!" Adam said.
"And I can!"
"Not in my life!"
Baal looked at them argue before smiling a bit behind her mask.
"Oh yeah? Well my money is on the imp, first man." She declared while closing the door behind her.
Tho there was something that made the two angel's look at each other, something was not right here... But neither brought it up as the demons didn't seem to notice and they didn't want to get in another fight that wasn't this food contest.
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Crash.
"I mean... It could be worse?" Emily said with a little awkward smile.Both seraphim looked out the broken window and at the shoo at their feet."How did it even get up here?" Sera said, nudging it with her foot. "It's Adam's and I don't see him... What are they doing now?"She was regretting Lucifer sending the demons without her being there to choose which ones she'd let into heaven. ---------------------- "Hide hide hide!!" Adam muttered in panic, doing just as told."I know I know I know." Baal hissed back, neither wanting Sera's anger, perched in complete stillness over the window so they could not be seen.Holding breathed as the angel opened the window and leaned out to look around before closing it, hearing them both mutter as they walked around and away from the room before the duo could sigh in relief."This is why I tell you to watch where you are flying you idiot!" She smacked Adam on the head."It's you the flew into me!""I am tasked with following you." Flying off her perch. "If you start drifting through the air I can't stop on a dim. And I still don't know where you wanted to go.""Why is it always you that's following me and not your fucking friends?" Flying up too, quickly getting away from the building."One, more often then not you ask me yourself and second, don't forget the hotel, I can tank your holy light blasts.""And now you look like a twinkling golden chicken." He got another smack on the head. "Hey!""Behave and I'll do too first man.""Whatever Balls.""But will you fucking answer the question.""Fine I'll tell you. I might not look like it but I am really thoughtful.""Mhm...""I AM!!" Huffing, landing on the promenade with her following. He was still wearing a T-shirt and shorts despite his robes being delivered to the home. "And what we are doing will prove that!""Will you spit it out?""Well only the elder angels and such were in heaven before me of course, everyone else arrived later and Danger Tits' 'I suddenly popped up in heaven one day' time of the year is here? We like made a pact of making sure we don't forget to remind ourselves where we came from and how long we've known each other.""You getting her a deathday gift." Baal dumbed it down."No!" But it was basically what he had told her."Who knew you could actually have friend." She jabbed her fingers into his cheeks. "It almost makes you adorable.""Almost?! I am the most adorable man you've ever seen!" It was so unlike him to be this pushed around by simple words but it was also... Nice? Like no angel dared to fuck with him and even Lute remained polite and now he was stuck with bastards that would do so as if they were being paid to do it. "Have you even seen this face?! It's cuteness embodied!""Sure, sure... So what do you want to get as a deathday gift?""IT IS NO--" "Sssssh." She covered his mouth. "Cool it Casanova or you'll expl-ODE!!!" She screamed at the end as he licked her palm, making her shake her hand around as he laughed."If you tell no one, I'll tell you." She stopped flailing when he sounded serious."Fine, I'll keep it a secret." Wiping her hand on his clothes."Even if it is correct, that I basically forced her to get along with me, she still didn't leave... The first woman that stayed while those made for me left me for that bastard of king you have. She stuck around, she ripped her arm off for me... I might not say it a lot but it means a lot someone, for once, stayed."Baal could have said so much on why he was left always. How his abrasive attitude was annoying, how he was a pig, how ordering people around just made them hate you.But she didn't, he was being serious and truthful with the knowledge she could use it against him... A lonely man stood in front of her.A heeeaavy sigh."Don't look so morose." She flicked his forehead."Hey!" He rubbed it with a frown."Sure you have a lot of flaws, much more then most." She continued. "But being a sad bastard doesn't suit you. Much prefer the confident asshole. A frown doesn't look good on your face... Now, move it and let's get back to the house before Amon burns it down."Adam scoffed with a grin."I'll remind you I am not a sad bastard." He said, walking ahead."Can you just please tell me what we are looking for?""Have you just seen Lute with her one arm?"Baal thought. ----------------------------
Lute had taken the last ice cube out of the tray to chill her drink and so she filled up the tray.
She carefully balanced it but still got water on the ground before freezing and looking at the freezer that she had closed again and now was unable to open again.
"AAH!!" Throwing the tray at the fridge.
-------------------------------
"Oh yeah, I've seen her indeed." Baal said. "Small angry ball of feathers." Lute being the smallest of the group of five they constituted now."Indeed, she was a bit... Less angry before, she was still a freaking badass but much more level.""It is hard to get used to one arm... Are you buying her one of those elastic sticky hands?""Hahaha, it would be gold but nah, I was thinking of making our lives easier not harder." Already imagining Lute beating his ass with the sticky hand toy as he was chased through the house."And the first man is able of compassion, that's news.""Oh fuck you.""Still nope." ------------------------------- She finally finished another crosswords."I can't even tell if it is correct." Amon boredly muttered as he looked over her should.Lute gripped the pencil so hard it broke in her hands."Try writing with your none dominant hand and we'll see if you'll write better then me." Jabbing the remains of the pencil towards his throat, luckily Legion was leaving her alone, enamored by some dancing fruit baby distraction show on the TV."Next time don't rip it off for nothing.""You bastard!" She threw herself at him, falling off the couch as he laughed.She pushed herself up with a frown as he laughed, annoyingly, he was correct, it turned out to indeed be for nothing as they had accomplished nothing outside killing a few cannibals... And Dazzle.She learnt the name of the little dragon-like demon not long after the fact and she didn't like knowing his name."Come on lady, you can't give up just because you lost an arm, you'll learn to write in no time.""I can barely hold hold the pencil." Irked but letting the imp help her stand up."You'll learn as I said, come on I heard you were the second in command, did you become that by not training?""Why do you care?""Because you are a bum to be around, Boss always gets to have interesting times and we are stuck here." She jabbed the pencil into his shoulder, making his scream and skitter up the wall to perch on the chandelier and out of her reach as she was not about to fly after him. "Bitch!""Test me and I'll go up there." Shaking her finger at him but he was once again correct... Why was she the one stuck with these two most often? It's not fair!Trying to cross her arms irked her even more, it has been like... Like one month! How is she still not used to this?!Finally tho, the other two were back."Welcome back Si--" "Yeah yeah, whatever, take this!" He quickly shoved and incredibly badly wrapped something in her arm.Lute just blinked, looking at Baal who just lifted her hands up, she was just the company and not who chose to do this."Sir?" She asked."For fuck's sake, call me Adam, we are no longer part of whatever is left of the exorcists Lute... And open it." He was almost... Sparkling... Should she be worried? Probably. Was she more interested what this thing in her arm was? Yes.Putting it on the table while looking between it and Adam, trying to guess but his unusual smile was giving nothing away... Baal was trying to get the imp off his perch and he was hissing at her like a cat."Well? Open it, it took us long to decide.""Us?""You can't believe how many times Balls told me my choices would be shit and how she almost got me kicked out of the store for yelling.""I think it was more like because you were actually scre--" "Open it Danger Tits... Oooh it rhymed."She sighed, wondering what sword, what training mat of what corny book he could have bought her this time to annoy her, he had the great sense of getting her things that would be then used to beat him up.Ripping the already half taken off wrapper, blinking at the box."Sir?""I know the date is later sure but I wanted to give this now." Baal was holding Amon by the scruff but using her top set of eyes to stare at the angels, smiling.Lute looking genuinely shocked at the box of the actually custom fake arm. Baal had also been shocked that this was something that had been planned for a longer time but she had still needed to steer Adam around, he tried to buy a model with a flame thrower instead of the one custom made.Seems Adam is able to not be a douchebag. Maybe Baal judged too quickly.
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"Careful... CARE--" Crash! "-Ful...""Hey, it is not my fault!" Lute still had no idea how Adam got his hand on this, but yeah... It was turning out this fake arm was much worse then having no arm... Because she just broke another thing while trying to get used to it.Something about nerves and muscle twitches being registered to make it move... Well, what it registered was her slapping the arm on the glass cover of the counter instead of gently lowering the forearm."You were saying?" She asked him with an annoyed smile. "Did you not say it would be easy? I'LL TAKE IT OFF AND BEAT YOU WITH IT!!"As genuinely happy as she was that Adam cared enough to do this... His behavior was getting on her nerves."Why do you always hit me!?""Because you deserve it!"
Crunch.
Both looked over, seeing the three demons sharing a big bag of popcorn that came out of nowhere."Uh ho..." Legion breathed out when they were spotted. ----------------------------- Lute, with some difficulty, dusted her hands against each other, looking at her handy work. Each and every inhabitant of this house but herself had gotten a nice smack from her new arm. The inability of controlling it since she just got it came in handy."I will get it refunded." Adam threatened."Try it sir and I'll hand you your ass with a back hand!" Already extremely attached to the silver and golden machinery she had been only wearing for 2 hours at max."I wouldn't try." Legion said with a groan, feeling the bump already forming on her head but still touching it. "She hits hard.""Oh wow I didn't notice, no shit!" Adam barked."Boss, permission to faint?" Amon asked."Permission granted." Baal groaned, having gotten smacked on her already hurting head.Amon threw up two thumbs up and face planted. Lute incredibly proud of herself in this moment.This feeling only disturbed by something shiny on the side of a demon's face.She looked at Adam who was next to said demon, giving him a questioning look.He mouthed 'blood' while watching her quickly go. Baal had quite literally slid away from the scene."Shit." The rose gold blood stands out like a sore thumb on the almost baby blue of her hair and the white of her skin. "Of course this happens to me, a hit right on the healing cut."She cursed silently at the knock on the door."A minute!" Looking through the cabinets but nothing."I don't have a minute." Adam said. "I will let Lute use her sick new arm I paid for I'll remind you to hit a hole through the door if you don't open it."All she could do was lean in the sink and wash it off with the hope it wouldn't stain through too fast."What? She opened the door. "Why are you both here?""Because your demon friends are too used to you to notice when something is amiss." Lute simply said. "You just not start bleeding like that from a smack." Keeping the fake arm powered off and its hand in her pocket to not accidentally create more problem."You fucking saw it." She groaned, all this was for nothing and not her hair was all wet."Was it one of those bastard sinners trying to kill us?" Adam asked."Yeah yeah, I missed a block alright? It will be fine, why do you even care?" Happily taking the out Adam accidentally offered her to cover her tracks."We are kind of stuck with you and don't want new demons here?" Lute offered a reason."And you guys are much more entertaining then those boring other angels tasked with keeping an eye on us before." Adam added."And the med kit it top left."Baal opened the only cabinet she hadn't touched yet and sighed, taking it out before Adam grabbed it from her hands."Don't look at me, even I know it is easier for someone else to do this for you instead of trying to use mirror and jabbing the wound."Trust me, I dealt with Adam injuring himself more when he fought me trying to help him.""You are weird angels." She said. "Last month I was your worst enemy and obstacle before Lucifer showed up to kick your ass.""No, my worst enemy is that janitor who was given a knife.""And mine was a pile of rocks.""You two need a therapist.""Don't we all?""I can't fight you on that." And that's how she found herself sitting on her bed, occupying herself with her guitar while Adam was trying to stick some stick bandage to the somewhat healed wound while Lute was telling him what and how to do it.
https://youtu.be/CeOAuSm1NUo
She was playing it softer and a tad bit slower then she'd usually do, it was more to pass the time and occupy her fingers and mind more then actively playing something to show off.Was it really only a month ago that they were mortal enemies? It seems almost impossible for this to be true with this situation.Sure they still yelled and insulted each other but she didn't itch to pull out a dagger and drive it up through the roof of their mouth and into their brains each time they saw each other.And they had been correct, Amon, Legion and the other demons in hell, when seeing her come back bleeding from one of these expeditions without knowing the cause would just shrug as it was something that could happen often in hell and no one cared for.It was new to have not one but two people notice and worry in their own way about it."Are you sure you don't want to take the mask off? It would make it fucking easier." Adam grumbled, pulling on her hair ones again as he accidentally stuck the sticky part against it."No, it stays on." She said."Why tho?" He complained."Sir you wore your 24/7 before Lucifer broke it.""That's not the same Lute!""It is tho.""It was because I looked badass with it on, this mask doesn't look badass.""I am not taking it off and that's final.""Don't push it sir." Lute said, Baal having stopped playing."Fine fine, you bitches ganging up on me." Baal hit him with the back of her hand before going back to randomly playing."But don't feel like you are forced too if you don't want to, we won't rat you out." That was Lute's attempt at a pitiful joke since she was not really the type to even know what a joke was.Baal said nothing, the mask could not come off, it could never come of... I just can't take it off, it would... Would hurt whatever I made of myself... Show the fucker I truly am... No, I can't take it off."Never taking it off." She said, making the angels look at each other at the tone.
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"Don't you have like nightclubs here in heaven?" Was the question that began this... Thing...Adam had sadly said yes, and now Amon was lost in the crowd, Legion's brain melted as she is a lightweight, Baal had gotten into a drinking match with an angel, Adam was playing his air guitar, and Lute... Lute was the designated sober person... She already had several incriminating pictures on her phone for possible blackmail.She was just sitting at the bar sipping on a mocktail since it didn't have alcohol in it and scrolling on the phone at the same time. It was not ideal, holding the glass in the hand she barely knew how to use but she couldn't touch the phone screen with it, not tactile.It had honestly been a surprise Adam thought of this himself, she forgets just how intelligent he can be as he never uses his brain and lets her use hers.Rubbing her forehead for a moment, for a place without sin, heaven sure has a lot of dive bars and similar stuff... She'd know... She was the one dealing with Adam."Not having fun?""Do you always move so silently?" She huffed as she looked at Baal leaning on the counter next to her."Only when I want." She waved her off, the mask shifted up to let her drink, showing off a cocky smile and a large partially revealed scar on the left side of her face. "But, no fun?""I don't drink, that's Adam's shtick.""What a model angel.""It's not because of that." She shrugged. "Unlike in hell, only the elders are heavenborn, the rest of us lived and died.""Were you a drunk when on earth?" Baal didn't care for Earth, really; who did? She had no reason to visit, and despite humans being stupid, no one had tried to summon her as they did for stronger demons."No, violent drunk that didn't take rejection well.""Oh."Lute shrugged."The fuck if I know what happened to my body down there, I was walking away one moment and the next waking up here told I was shot in the head, I give no crap about that. Barely remember it.""Good... When was it?""You are not killing someone because of me." Hearing the tone of voice. "And I don't know? I've been in heaven for a long time. I don't even remember my past name.""Yeah, Adam ranted about how he got to name the exorcists."It was a nice chat, Lute did enjoy it as she was quite bored here."I got lucky, he had run out of inspiration after all the Vaggie, Dicky, BJ, and Tatas, getting slapped with Lute because lieutenant was my rank." (I watched a live stream last night where the creator confirmed that Lute was never meant to be her name and it was because lieutenant but it stuck)"Hmmm... Baal is not a common but still used demon name, I don't have a story for it like you do.""Still not taking the mask off?" Oh, the frown that appeared was deep. "Just asking." She added."There are reasons for my choice." Pulling the mask down to completely cover her face, losing even the small window Lute had to her face."Secrets get revealed one way or the other if you are ready or not.""Well, I'll push it off as much as I can as my secret would fuck up more than just my life... Help me bring the drunks home?""Finally, let's leave." ------------------------------------ Adam over one shoulder and Amon under the other with Lute helping Legion.Baal had drank too sure but she had some steely guts, it takes much more then this weak shit to get her hammered."I am not dealing with them tomorrow." Lute declared."Neither am I!" Baal said back, having just avoided Amon vomiting on her back by holding him away from her body. "Disgusting.""Well someone needs too.""Let them take care of themselves, not our fault that they don't know their limits.""...Sure, fine by me."The rest of the walk was nice and silent. Lute opened the door, letting the drunken sinner stumbled and snuggle up in a ball on the rug in the hall.Baal kinda just... Dropped the two guys in a heap, dusting her hands off."Thanks I suppose, I couldn't have dragged the four of you back here alone.""No problem.""Su--" Cutting herself off, a bullet shooting passed Baal and barely missing Lute, Amon sobered right up as it hit his behind.Without thinking twice, Lute saw Baal slam yank the door shut as she stepped back outside."Baal!" She called as the door had several white spears punch through it.She tried to summon her own but found that she was not only prohibited from doing saw by law but that she couldn't actually do it, her powers unlinked from the armory. She tried with her sword and that came to her since it was her personal one."Do not open the door!" She heard the demon yell when she tried to turn the knob of it."Dammit, we can fight too even if you are here to protect us!""Stay back! You obey boss and let us do this." Amon said, holding his bleeding ass as he stood. "Grab your sir and hide, now." He wasn't joking. "You'd just be in the way.""Shit." Lute felt shit for listening to him, for running away, but she'd listened. Baal had mostly been uninjured by the spears that were thrown at the door she closed just in time, tho it was only a mostly.Left shoulder had been pinned to the door with slightly above hip height also stabbed through.She twisted the spears to break the wood of the door a bit to make it easier to pull them out of it before yanking them out of her, holding one in each hand."I was told that hell was hiding a nephalem, but I never thought I'd get to kill one." A deep gruff voice said, looking like a more humanoid demon like she was from the shadow she saw."Step out in the light and try your luck bitch!" Holding up one of the spears. "And I'd love to see how you know about that.""Oh don't worry, I'll have fun with you."
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The man with the deep voice stepped out of the last-mentioned shadows.It took Baal a moment to realize he was no demon.Looking at the spears she held, white spearheads, pure angelic steel, but no angel had looked this demonic.It gave undertaker vibes she supposed, thick and sturdy leather boots, worn out and old trousers stuffed into them, what looked like a really messy blouse that had once been white but now was grey, a long and scuffed trench coat with a wide-brimmed hat.His face has a beard but more as if he had forgotten to shave today, jaw strong and square, and his two pairs of eyes, his eyes... Pools of starless ink drops.It felt like they were swallowing her up, wrapping her in their tendrils, and dragging her into the inky depths. She needed to remind herself to breathe, snapped back as she saw him load another bullet in his single-shot rifle."Who are you?" She hissed, pointing one of the spears at him, the wounds burning like never before. There was something abnormal about them, but she couldn't think about that. "You don't smell like a demon.""I wouldn't call myself an angel."She narrowed her gaze."So that's how you know of the nephews; you are one too. I wonder why you are still alive.""That's an interesting story you see." He shrugged, rifle gazing at the ground.Wind grazing blowing through the little area, tension settled in nicely, waiting to be cut through."Well?""Even if nowadays nephalems are prohibited, there was a time before this all where we roamed free, we had the power to topple dynasties of angels or demons.""That's why it is prohibited, for the balance of the worlds, all worlds.""And we were forgotten, pushed into hiding... But I wanted more." His grin chilled her blood. "In exchange for my pardon, I would these heavenly fuckers the head of every single other nephalem." He lifted his rifle, aiming it at her. "I was so happy to hear about the existence of another; it just took me a moment to find you, little lady~" And he pulled the trigger.She felt the bullet punch through her chest and stab into the door but not break through, splattering the rose gold blood over it."How noble, taking the shot to be sure the bullet doesn't go through the door~""I will not let you disturb my mission.""Oh no, you misunderstood me, child." Loading another bullet. "I give no two shits about who you are protecting or who you might share a bed with. I care not for your angel or demon bitches. I came for you."The next moment, she had thrown a spear up and kicked it at him, the spear smashing through the rifle that fell apart."That's all I needed to hear!!" Thrusting the second at his jugular tho he smashed the staff of the spear, making her stab the ground."Oh? Willing to fight now that you don't need to protect them? So selfless I am almost crying." grabbing her by her scruff and throwing her.Opened her wings to stabilize herself long enough to land on her feet, still holding the spear."I never wanted to be born! I never wanted any of this!""They all say that." He rolled his eyes, summoning a spear in his hand, too. "Let's dance and make the last day of your life a worthy one, nephalem.""I prefer making the music, so no thanks."Rushing him, spears clashing, throwing a kick into his stomach, the steel heel ripping into his shirt and flesh."Ah, nice trick." But had twisted his hands in a way to send the spears out of both their holds. "Tho a shame you work for demons.""And you for angels, do tell me, was it Sera? Was it Azazel? Uriel? Michel? Which of them sent you?""Too many questions, child, not enough fighting."She caught his punch, feeling like a boulder had been thrown at her, bringing her other arm down to block a rib punch, stepping in, snapping her head right, and driving her knee into his stomach.His hat fell, revealing two pairs of filled-down little horns sticking out of dark brown hair."That was cheap." He said, touching his cut face as one of her horns had lacerated it. "I'll need to teach you a lesson in not fucking with your elders."Head snapping back from the punch before being yanked forward by the longer pair of horns. He lifted his fist and punched through it.Biting a scream of pain in half, grabbing his leg, yanked it off the ground, and shoved him back away from her.She grabbed at her top left horn... Or what was left of it, the sharp edges of the bone and the blood, while the little jewelry piece she wore held the broken-off horn. She grabbed it and ripped off the little chain as a hole, letting it drop."You sure are resilient. Many would not be able to think about it. I heard it feels like a split skull.""I might not have wanted to be born... But I will not let myself be killed that easy.""Your funeral."Snapping her wings to send herself backward to avoid a grapple, kicking him hard in the elbow to snap his arm away from her, summoning a dagger and throwing it at him."Not that untouchable you fossil." Landing on her arm and flipping back to her feet. Watching who she'll call Undertaker rip the dagger out of his shoulder, that same despicable rose gold blood on it. "I am sorry, but I can't let you do this."Pulling out another dagger, the blades sparking against each other as she parried the stab.It felt like a truck was beating into her arm each time he stabbed at her.Missing one and feeling the dagger stab into her wrist, gasping a bit before a headbutt snapped her head back, momentarily confused as the mask shattered and cut into her skin."Shit." She touched her face as she caught her balance, frowning.
BANG!!
The shot tore him a new one, watching it go through the V-line on the left and exit with a huge exit wound and a spray of bone pieces and flesh."What the fuck?!"She held back a smile not to give away that she knew, oh how she knew.Amon was more of an acrobat than a fighter, as imps are more often than not jesters, clowns, and circus boys, and despite his other half of DNA, he never was that brawling strong guy... He was a sharpshooter tho~Even she had no idea where that shot came from; that guy could snipe a fly from one side of Pentagram City to the other on a windy day. He doesn't believe so, but Baal would be on it if needed.Holding the dagger with two hands, she tried to stab him, but he blocked, letting the weapon go when Baal's momentum was stopped, only getting a somewhat superficial stab in the shoulder while driving his fists into her body.Stumbling to hunch over, wings flared a bit by reflex more than want, coughing and feeling shifting bones.A firm hand grabbed one of them and yanked, span by her wing before slamming into the ground.But this time, she did scream, Undertaker, holding the wing and snapping it like a strand of spaghetti, moving just a bit so the next shot only blasted his ear off and not his head.Before he could do more, she twisted over her body, pulling the wing in an even odder angle as she was forced to put her hands on it to kick her heel into his chin."Demon." She whispered, crouching, wing dragging with several new bends in it, but that was not the reason. This man was still smiling at Baal with even his jaw split open.But... But she did also notice the bullet dodge... Hmm...Summoning two daggers."A shame such a powerful dude got down on one knee to suck up to angels."The first, he stopped by blocking it with the dagger he held, and the other, he let stab through his palm to grab her hand."I do not suck up." He showed his face to her with a smile."Well, it looked like it; you are working for them to kill me. A shame, really." She spat back, arms shaking from the strain of pushing back against his strength. Feeling her feet cut grooves into the ground while she was being pushed back."Oh yeah? Well, you are the toy of demons. How's that better?" Knocking his forehead with hers."You willing to do so, I had no choice." She hissed, keeping her head there.The third shot, tho, painted her face with his blood as his eyes blew out of his skull, the bone and flesh blooming like a gory flower as she let the corpse fall.Panting and in pain, but Baal's alive, she crouched down and grabbed her dagger, driving it into the remaining brain matter and twisting before standing again and wiping her face."You might work alone... But you forgot that I might not."All she needed to do after seeing him avoid that shot was to make sure his head would remain still by the time Amon loaded the next sniper shot, which meant taking the risk of the 'What if', the what if Amon missed the target.The way the skull was blasted open and the feeling of the burn on her cheek showed just how bad the angel was, the bullet hitting almost straight from the back of the Undertaker; he could have taken her head off, too, if he was just a bit more to the left. She sighed, looking at the sky... Just who had sent him?And who fucking knew about nephalems being a thing?
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She sighed, looking at the sky... Just who had sent him?
And who fucking knew about nephalems being a thing?
She swayed and fell down on one knee, dropping her head.Panting softly, at first, she had wondered why these wounds hurt more than usual... Simple... Really simple.Demonic steel can kill hellborn.Angelic steel can kill angels.A mix of both in equal quantities is the best for nephalems... It would take some time to heal... Fuck.She looked through her hair as she heard quickly approaching steps, seeing Amon run over.She held up her fine wing to hide her."Stop right there!""Boss yo--" "Find me a mask of something! Bastard broke my mine." She put her hand on her face."With all due respect, fuck off. You are hurt, I don't give a crap about a stupid mask." He shoved the wing down, grabbing her shoulder. --------------------------------- Lute had been standing by an open window, despite the bars on it, so she could hear as much as she could.And when the shots and the sound of fighting stopped, she quickly left the two recovering drunks in the room, running down the stairs.Slamming the door that still had the spears in it open.It took her a moment to understand the glowy pinkish liquid was blood as she looked up.Eyes first finding the remains of a man and the discarded weapons. Next came Amon with the sniper rifle he was holding and yelling something she couldn't hear.Next was Baal.The state the demon was in was horrible, this shiny pink blood covering her, down on the ground, horn smashed and a wing twisted out like a towel in a drier."What happened here?!" She hurried over, looking but not recognizing the man."Some strong motherfucker and boss is still more focused on her face." Amon said, stopping the wing from smacking him again.She looked down, seeing the remains of the mask, looking like shattered porcelain even if it was metal pieces. "You need help.""See boss? She thinks the same as me!""NO!!"Lute listened to them fight for a moment before running back in the house and up to her room.She threw everything out of the closet, of the drawers, not finding it until she looked under the bed, grabbing it and almost knocking Adam over as he stumbled out of the other room, rubbing his face, almost flying by the time she got back out."Here, might be a tight fit but if you need a mask then it's a mask." She offered her exorcist mask to the demon.She didn't need to be asked twice, ripping it out of her hands and pulling it on, the top horn and the broken one luckily fit in the fake hollow horns of the mask even as the pair down near her cheeks pushed against the mask, it creating pressure as it was not that elastic."There, you got a mask, let us fucking help you now." Amon smacked the wing down one last time and grabbed her under her shoulder, pulling her up. Lute offering a hand on the other side to help her stand."What the hell happened here?" Came Adam's still somewhat slurred voice which was honestly everyone's question."Nephalem." Baal offered as the only explanation even if not a single one of those present ever even heard that word in any of their lives.Well maybe Lute when she was a human but that was so blurry as she could use that knowledge for was to say 'yeah heard of it' and nothing more.Baal would find out tho that that's all that was needed to crack this soon to end mystery. -------------------------------- It had been a work out and a half to half drag Baal to get anyone to look at her and it only worked because Lute had put the fear of hell in the staff of the hospital after they tried to give her an excuse that they don't know how to help fix a demon."You got lungs for an angel that doesn't suck dick." Amon said, reading some old newspapers in the waiting room they decided to stay in and wait to see if Baal would be let out today or required more extensive help which was most likely. "I've never heard someone scream so much on one breath alone.""I have... Training let's say. Making sure to be heard by the whole army without a megaphone and all." Lute said, sitting next to him.Legion was the nervous one, walking in circles which Lute was following with her arms, entertaining if not a bit anxiety inducing."Oh Danger Tits has lungs for days, I once pissed her off and thought she forgot how to breath she yelled at me for so long.""Fuck you sir." She flipped him off. "You deserved that... Anyhow, does anyone have any idea what a nephalem is?""Don't look at me, not a single clue." Amon shrugged. "Rings no bells, nope, nah, nada, neit, nem, no, nein.""Not a clue but sounds nice, nephalem, it has a ring to it." Legion said, scratching her neck as she thought."All I know is I already heard the word once, not much to go on about." Lute sighed, everyone looking at Adam who, even now, was munching on something, beef jerky in this case."Why are you all looking at me?" Him being the only one to sit on that other side of the room. "You are the first man dude, you might have had more time to hear about shit don't you?" Amon threw the newspaper are Adam."That doesn't mean I have ears everywhere! Sure, like Lute said, it is a word that's not unfamiliar to me but I have no idea what it might mean.""How useful sir, anything about this pinkish rose gold blood?""Nope, nothing here. I don't know, go to the library or something, ask Sera, I have no idea alright? Now will you let me stress eat in peace.""Stress eat?" Amon muttered with a raised brow."My new music buddy is hurt!""I'll love to see you admit that to her.""As if!""Sssh!" A nurse shushed the group before gulping when every single one of them glared at her."Anyway... We know it is important." Lute said, using her brain better then the collective of three idiots with her. "She said nephalem, it must do something with the four eyed four horned man's corpse.""Yeah and he seemed to have not targeted you but her, he never tried to go around her to get inside and at you." Amon said, remembering what he saw of the fight."So it is either something he is or a code." Lute sighed, this is complicated. "Adam, you go ask Sera about it since you have clearance to demand a meeting with her one on one.""You said my name but for what awful reason." He fake pouted, making her roll her eyes."Legion, follow him, since we must have at least one demon with us all time. After go look at the corpse if you find something to identify him by.""Right.""Amon and I'll go to the library.""Oh bummer." Amon huffed."Excuse me." Someone cleared their throat, getting all sets of eyes stuck on her suddenly. "You are all here for miss demon.""It's Baal you uncultured swine!" Amon said."S-so Baal... I mean her cuts and broken horn were easy to take care of." Even that stab wounds even if it was stressful... For the doctors not Baal, she was just sitting there and judging them work without a reaction on the LED part of the exorcist mask she was wearing even it the horns had been cut off so that the docs could look at the horns. "The wing tho... That will take a while, completely splintered, almost twisted, in a way that it looks like someone tried to wring out a towel, it will take a while to fix so she told you to... Fuck off?" She said, unsure about quoting the demon. "And to stop waiting?""I mean she is not wrong, it is boring to be here." Adam said, not worried since Baal seemed fine from these few words."You call us if something happens or she tries anything." Lute demanded, standing up first. "And you all, come on, lets get moving.""Yes ma'am." Amon mocked, getting a punch to the stomach from her."Silently."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I think you lost your mind, Adam. Didn't you get stabbed in the head instead?""Wow, Sera, low blow bitch, low blow.""You are wearing your casual band T-shirts and rest of outfit with a demon after you, and you just waltzed in her, and I quote, what's up, you ugly ass bitches? You missed me?""I told you you shouldn't have said ugly." Legion only finds that to be unfitting."Shit, maybe.""Why are you here, Adam?""Oh, nothing much outside of Balls almost being murdered by a guy she called Nephalem; who the fuck is he because I've seen enough of hell to know this dude isn't from there."The sudden tension in the seraphim's shoulders was telling enough that there was something she knew about and wasn't speaking about... Talk about history repeating itself, am I right?"That's... Saddening to hear. Is she alright now?""Yeah, I didn't see much. Ask Lute or the cherry demon; they were the ones present, and I was still drunk with a Gucci bag here." Pointing at Legion with his thumb. "But she said it was nephalem. Who's that dude?""This man is still a danger to heaven?""No bitch, Balls and cherry demon got his ass splayed open like a whore with all holes loose, aka he is fucked and with a gaping hole... Tho on top of his head... Because of a bullet."Sera made a face. Adam lifted a brow, daring her to repeat what he just said to call him out on it, pulling out a drink from some-fucking-where and loudly sucking through the straw.
Sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp.
Sera pinched her forehead and calculated the benefits of asking for asylum from Lucifer and hiding out in the closet in his room because that seemed better than dealing with this heavenborn hell."Well, I am happy he is of no danger to us.""What about the word nephalem?""There is noth--"Slurp. "I was saying there is not--"Sluuuuurp "...There's nothi--"Sluuuuuuurp.Sera was losing her mind."I can do this all day bitch." Adam grinned. "I have more where this came from.""Adam, I cannot help you, there is not--"Sluuuuurp."-hing to say about this nephalem thing. I do not know. Try asking others.""Ah, shame... Come on, Gucci bag, let's leave.""Ay ay sir." She gave a joky salute.Sera sig--Sluuuuuuuuurp- The door closed behind Adam.Sera looked at it with a biiig smile and a head tilt... Before punching the window bay next to her, the cracks blasted through the glass and crumbled loudly as the angel didn't react."Let's head back," Adam grumbled. "She is being such a Karen.""Hey there!""Oh fuck, Emily! Don't sneak up on a man like that." He said, making her giggle."I couldn't help but overhear. You were quite loud.""Can you help up little seraphim?" Legion asked."I can try; I realize there are quite a few things I don't seem to know about." Mentioning the moment Adam just spat out the news about the exterminations, He awkwardly looked away and sipped.Sure he was himself with Sera... But even he could take 'pity' on innocent Emily, trying to control himself... Just a bit more... Slightly... Teeny tiny..."Well... Let's get to it, ladies, shall we?" He asked with a big grin. ------------------------------------ "Oh brother! This sucks!""SSSSHH!!" Lute hissed at Amon, maybe she should have taken Legion with her because the imp is stressing her neurons out. One of these days it will be it, she'll be insane beyond repair and bye-bye, no more help from Lute."What? We have not found a single thing and I even had the time to build a pyramid of books!"The was the main library of heaven, a place with every book written in it. They must find something here."This is a library, stop yelling."He sighed, bored."Are you always this boring?"She whacked a book against his head before lifting a brow, or at least trying, unlike Adam, her other brow would also lift a little along with the one she is actively trying to raise. Grabbing the book while Amon groaned in pain."I guess you were indeed useful for something.""Hey what's that about?!"Lute held the book up, it had a human painters art on the front about their depiction of Lucifer falling from grace which was completely not fitting because they made him look human, he is a pale-ass toddler that's what he is. The title being about heaven and hell."Might be human words but I heard of nephalem when I was one myself so maybe something could be found in this about what humans think that is."Lute looked back at the bookshelves... It felt like there was a lot missing, much about the human depictions of heaven and hell, even the story of creation with Adam and his wives was missing, like something in those books was not meant to be seen and this book being here was just a mess up."Let's go demon, I feel like we've got what we came her to get." She shrugged, accidentally smacking her fake arm in the shelf... Sighing as her patience was being tested. One of these days she'll get the full mastery of this thing but today is not that day."Finally!""SSSH!!" ---------------------------------- "So nephalem is like some angel? So that dude was an angel!" Adam said, the three of them huddled around the same book they were reading threw."This is so lame, why is there so little about them?" Emily pulled a :c face, really having tried to help but feeling like she failed."Hey, don't worry, we'll tell you when we find out more alright?" He promised her."You will? Eeeh! I'd love that!""Sure can do little lady. come pay us a visit when you're free and we'll be there." He winked, getting a smack from Legion. Adam glared, it wasn't even a flirty wink! "Can I borrow this book tho? In case Lute can understand these weird human metaphors?" He was the first man but hadn't really been on earth in a long time and Emily never was... Legion is just stupid so some sentences of this book seemed to be veiled in metaphors and twists to hide the truth it was trying to same."Oh sure sure! Just don't tell Sera I gave it to you, I am not meant to have it, it comes from the angelic archives but it was so interesting to see how humans think heaven and hell are.""I'll keep it in mind." Handing the book to Legion. "Well see yah later little lady, Amma buzz off." Adam waved. --------------------------------- "Just how long will they take?"Lute and Amon having gotten back to the body before Adam and Legion, making them wonder just what was going one with them.Lute watched more closely, also this rose gold blood from the now gone cold corpse, two sets of horns too... She won't say it out loud yet but... Hmmm... She'll need to talk with Baal first as if she also has four eyes then the comment nephalem might not be about him but about them... But she'll keep it to herself now.Baal might believe the three others can't figure it out and fair, but Lute had heard it too and she herself could maybe work out this mystery."he was sturdy fucker, I blew out his hip joint and he still kept on walking and fighting. Figuring out somehow that I was shooting a fast bullet and where I could be from that one first shot forcing me to take the risk and almost shoot Boss too.""I will choose to ignore that last part." Lute shot him a glare, not liking the idea of what could have happened.She reached down, pulling the dagger out of the skull, yeah that was Baal's.Turning it over in her hand, humming, this didn't look like a normal demonic weapon mixed with angelic steel, the usual alloy and quantities of the two metals must be different. From research for the exterminations she knew usually it is 5 to 10% of angelic steel per weapon that is enough for sinner to kill each other with these weapons but-- She flicked the metal blade and lifted it to her ear- the sound it too clear, pure, the percentage must be way up but sounding broken and dirty enough to not be lacking in demonic steel... See? what she learned while preparing to kill sinners can be useful for something else... Tho she couldn't tell the precise percentage."What you doing?"Ignoring Amon, walking to a spear on the ground and lofting it, looking similar but a bit different, hitting the dagger on the metal head of the spear and... Yep, similar sound so similar composition... Even more things in common between them.Is that why she hides her face? Lute needs to be careful with what info she'll reveal, she really needs to speak to Baal first and see if that book reveals what nephalems are because it would be lame to know the guy and her are the same thing but not knowing what that thing actually is.She dropped the spear but not the dagger, looking at her darkened reflection in it.Tapping the tip against her palm.She'll need to be careful to not fuck this up because who knows how Baal would react to finding out and she wouldn't enjoy being stabbed to death by the one working to keep her alive."Hey bitch! What's up with you?!"She sighed, looking at Amon."Nothing, just thinking.""Well think a bit faster.""Fuck you.""If you insist~"She threw the dagger his way, which he avoided but skittering up into the branches of a nearby tree, hissing at her."Heeeey!" She looked over at Adam waving, walking up with Legion."Finally." She muttered.Let's see all that's been gathered as info.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"So... Anything?""If you were reading too, it would help speed this up." Lute looked up from the book while flipping the page, the three others just looking at her and waiting for her."But I don't like reading," Adam said."Then tough luck, sir. I can't read faster, end of story." Plus, she needed to be careful not to mess up the book."Will you two not fucking help?""Not in the seven hell nope," Amon said. "I don't care for this nearly as much as you do."And the guy is already dead, what's the point anymore?" Legion added.Lute shook her head, going back to reading. (I once described them in casual clothes and can't unsee it for Lute and Adam now lol.)-------------------------------- Well this sucked ass. Baal is alive but grumpy.Having to walk all the way to the distant mansion-like home was a hassle when in pain and tired.At least her wing is wing shaped again but having it tied down against her back in a cast was a fucking shame.And she was quite a sight to see: A demon with an ripped exorcist mask, covered in bandages and still her blood clothes stomping her way through the promenade.But honestly, her thoughts were not on that really, they had shifted back to the idea of just who this Undertaker was and just how easily he found out about her.It sounded like he already knew of her before coming here, telling her about hell's nephalem.For all she knew only Lucifer and her knew about this and even the asylum only thought it was another insane woman that was too dangerous they kept locked up... Had Lucifer... Had he ratted her out? No, he would never, this guy came from heaven and from a time nephalems were around before the extermination of their whole people by the hands of both realms and his own.That was extremely long ago, Baal is not that much older then Charlie despite how she acts, having to have grown up real fast, that took place millennia ago... Was... Was that what inspired the exterminations of sinner? Did Adam know what it was?All of it is so confusing, she'll need to get to the bottom of this since if she is targeted she can't ensure her role as a guard.She knew shit about nephalems really, most texts and knowledge burned and destroyed and for a good reason, an illogical union, a vile and blasphemous love.Baal scoffed with a smile, things are getting interesting here.Too interesting even.And only one person might have an idea how heaven knew about her."Her." She muttered with a sigh.Choosing to put this on the back burner for now and just concentrate on getting back. --------------------------------- Lute, owner of the one brain the four of them shared had needed to manhandle Amon like a bull, holding his horns, when Baal just barged in like that. Dude wanted all the answers right now even when told to leave her alone and she was going to take a nap.Adam hummed, tracing a tally mark on the dry erase board that hung in the hall with each of their names on it, putting the tally under Lute's name as she had won once again."Why is it only she that's getting tally marks?" He complained to Legion."I am so jealous." She answered back, watching Lute hold Amon down in a choke hold with a grin as her fake arm wouldn't tire out and weaken its hold on the trashing demon."She is a menace, I don't know how I survived with her." He told the demon watching the demon with pity as he was almost folded into a pretzel."I wonder how I did, unlike Boss and Amon I am earthborn and would get my ass hunted by you guys plus I then got sorted in hell's army to be a head on waste of time.""I suppose we never ran into each other because I'd have touched you into a real Gucci bag if we had, like for real for real bitch.""You did tussle with Boss tho.""Oh that was a bitch and a half! And when I finally got her off my ass wife-stealer Lucifer showed his ugly fucking face and told me he was going to fuck me! Like you hear this Gucci bag? Fuck. Me. He already fucked my wives and now he was going for the husband! What man does that?!""Well he is the devil, king of hell.""Hell yes!""Will you two shut up of do you need a reminder to keep it down?" Lute asked, dusting her hands off, Amon tied up in his own clothes.Adam shook his head, Legion hiding behind him. Lute nodding approvingly and turning away to do who knows what.Adam put on two more tally mark for her. --------------------------------- As she thought earlier, Lute decided to bring up her thought to Baal alone before telling the others about them.Having waiting until Adam got hooked on a sports show with Amon and him complaining about it as they were for opposing teams. She had told Legion to keep them down here no matter what happened until she came back and she thinks Legion understood her tone in the wrong way because of the cocky grin and wiggled eyebrows... She'll kick her ass later.Climbing the steps two by two, Passing her own plain door, Adam's one covered with many rock band stickers and knocked on the one that had scrapping of pain near the handle, Baal always trying to push the door in when it actually opened outwards but with so much gusto she was rubbing off the varnish."It's open or whatever."Lute rolled her eyes, pushing it open."It is... Purple." She said, hands in her pockets as she looked around, it seemed to have more and more purple stuff around the more time passed: purple wallpaper, purple sheets, purple rug Baal was laying face down on, purple curtains, purple pillows... Hol' up, wide back. "What are you doing on the ground?""I can still move my wing a slight bit and do by reflex, I smacked it against the bed post when stretching and just gave up on life." She explained, voice muffled by the fluff of the rug."Wings tend to be sensitive." She closed the door behind her, deciding to sit on the rug crisscross in front of Baal. "And yours was paper-mache from what I could see.""Thanks for the description I didn't notice." She gently smacked the back of the demon's head."Don't be a cunt." She rolled her eyes. "And I see you are still wearing my mask.""Of course, my own broke, I can't show you.""Talking about that... The others might not have enough neurons to figure it out and decide that only that man is what you called nephalem... But you underestimate me." She jabbed her finger in the back of her head. "I'd bet my own wings on you having similar features as him."The silence was answer enough."He might have been it but you are one too aren't you.""Was it that easy to figure out?" Baal crossed her arms under her head, not sounding happy as she looked at her, the LED mask clearly reflecting her shitty mood."None of the others could, but blood color, number of horns, type of metal in weapons, it wouldn't be a long shot to assume you have more then just two eyes.""Wow wow wow, type of metal in weapons?""When you hit the metal, the sound it makes is different from pure demonic or pure angelic, even different from those mixes usually we see hell produce and with which you guys fought us. You learn a lot being Adam's lieutenant.""I did underestimate you." Baal admitted, sitting up with a groan. "Who else knows?""I thought I'd speak to you first, I am not Amon or Adam, I will not scream bloody murder about something unconfirmed and kept hush hush.""Praise heaven for that.""I supposed... Tho we haven't figured out what a nephalem actually is..." Lute leaned back on her hands, almost falling over as the new arm didn't react properly but caught herself. "Won't you tell us?""Why would I?" Baal asked, head tilted."I know we didn't start off on the best foot but we are not really enemies anymore are we? We haven't burnt down this house yet and no one pulled a weapon on each other. Sure you are meant to be like bodyguard and prison warden of sorts for us little angels but are you? We don't go drinking with inmates or insulting the guys that hires you.""You didn't hire us.""You get what I mean! Anyhow... They... We were worried alright? This was something no one knew off attacking and only you seen to know what it is... It could be a danger to us all, to you again, we could help to you know, don't forget we were the best even if for bloody reasons.""Please, if is was in my jurisdiction I'd have kept the exterminations up, hell will crack under its own weight now that there is no quell.""My enthusiasm for exterminations has taken a brunt hit after that day at the hotel. I thought Adam had died and I lost my arm to do nothing to help him. Even then you helped." Remembering, just like Baal, that she was indeed the only one that offered to help her carry Adam back to heaven to give him a chance to survive. "I think you can trust us to help you this time. You have your demons loyal to the bone for you, I see that. And we are here too.""Don't get sentimental now, where's the Danger tits we got to know?" Baal nudged her with her foot, getting a kick back. "Ouch, there she is." Rubbing her shin."But you know I am correct, this can affect us all and trust me, we are a bit too invested in not finding it out. Wouldn't it be better if instead of assumption you were the one to tell us?"Baal hugged her leg, resting her chin on her knee as she thought.She didn't want to do this but anyone dragged into this business of hers would be in danger if more people like her or Undertaker actually show up. She only had the upper hand because he was so self centered that Amon could shoot him open. And whoever sent him would know where they live and where to find them, they could go after any other the other four to get her exposed as a trap... Tell would require revealing things she doesn't want to even think about... Not telling could result in the incapacity of them to be safe.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"You are not to repeat this to anyone. No loved one, no friends, no acquaintance of any sort, understood?" Baal's militaristic training was seeping into each other words."I mean it." She looked at Adam, who was distracted by his phone for a moment. "I will put anyone that speaks underground myself. Have I made myself clear?""Crystal clear Balls." He did a salute and dejectedly put the phone down. He was sitting on the couch, Amon was sitting on the coffee table, Lute was up on her feet and leaning against the wall, and Legion was sitting at the foot of the couch. All of them had been watching Baal walk in a tight little circle as she was stressing herself out about this whole thing more than they could think. Was this really that kind of secret?"Aren't we all friends here, Boss? We trust you, we'll keep our fucking mouths shut." Adam and Lute gave Amon a look at the word friend; it was more like a colleague with him, but they didn't speak up.Baal sighed heavily, turning to them all."Fine, but as I promised, betray the status quo of this secret, the 'no one can know of it,' and you'll beg Lucifer to take you as his wife." She told Adam specifically since she knew the demons would keep it silenced. Lute, she trusted, was intelligent enough to keep it to herself, but Adam was the loose link here. The first man nodded fast. Why are all the women in his life either ditching him or terrifying him?!"Alright... Where to start--" -------------------------------
As Lucifer fell from grace, demons came to appear in hell and angels in heaven, the separation happening through means neither side knew off.
And some were just unable to accept it, families, lovers, spouses, siblings, friends, separated in death by this unsaid rules of who would call heaven or hell their home.
Some couldn't live with it and since heaven and hell, at the time, were not as secure as they are nowadays, some of this rebellious people snuck out to meet.
--------------------------------
"Wow wow wow, how do I not know of this?" Adam asked, cutting off. "I am the first man.""Adam, have you eaten the forbidden fruit?""Hell nah, that bitch was being pushy and I couldn't be fucked.""Well that happened on earth, the one place they wouldn't go look for them while you were in Eden and when you died you got instantly in heaven I'd assume." Baal explained. "At least that's the story I know... So--" ---------------------------------
These meetings went on in secret, whoever's lords would find them would put an end to such, separating the soul if not outright killing them off forever.
Such against nature meetings led to abominations of nature, vile creatures of a blasphemous nature, neither mortal not eternal, neither angel or demon.
These were--
----------------------------------
"Nephalem." Lute cut in, whispering her thought out loud."That." Baal said, pointing her thumb at her. "They--" ---------------------------------
-Were beings of great power.
Horns of demons with shattered pieces of halos embedded in their skulls, four eyes to see good and evil, blood of a rose gold.
Surpassing angel and demon.
Expanding the knowledge and strength of religion to humans as self proclaimed superiors.
That was until heaven and hell decided to unite their strengths to keep such being from destroying the mortal and the after worlds.
Merciless, quick and fierce, nephalems were hunted to extinction, all knowledge of them prohibited, knowledge hushed and slowly... As time passed... Forgotten and only remembered by a select few.
--------------------------------
"But he was a nephalem." Amon said. "That's what you said.""He was spared to help kill any other nephalem that hid and survived and hunt down any that might appear in the future.""But he tried to kill you.""Oh Amon, you are a bit slow at times." Closing her eyes as she grabbed the back of the mask, hesitating for a moment before pulling it up and fixing all four of hers on him. "A nephalem hunter goes only after his prey.""Woah, how?" Legion asked, touching her own face to check she was not seeing double."You hot without the mask Balls." Adam said before getting a glare from her, making him shrink back under the double gaze."As to how I am here, I am not as ancient as him. I am far more resent and it is because of Adam.""What?! Why?!""Did you or did you not start the exterminations?""Yes bu--" "Then you are at fault." --------------------------------
Angels could not be killed by demons.
They had tested it before going for that first extermination but they had forgotten they could still be hurt.
A big behemoth of a demon realized that with a sadistic smile as he held the remains of an angel's wings in his claws digits while having her stuck under the weight he was putting on her back.
That demon kept that to himself, finding that he was every reason in the world to make this choice since he was the one that took the angel down, no one could tell him otherwise.
And despite the please and begs, there was no way out of this.
Days became months, trapped in a dark and surprisingly damp basement, given scraps and locked up and she'd wish soon that was all that was happening as when the demon remembered his prey nothing good came from it.
-------------------------------
"She is nothing but a broken minded husk that is shattered to pieces with little hope of normalcy but well... What rapist needs consent?""A nephalem is an angel and a demon..." Adam muttered in shock."Yeah.""Is that why you don't like heaven? Because of... Him?" It was even pissing of Amon and he was a demon himself."I don't like hell either but no, my disdain in not from him... I had tried begging at the gate to be heard out and listened too but I was chased away like a dirty rat would be, I only wanted to save what was still left of her but no one would listen."So that's why you say you have no father..." Adam remember their colorful fight."Meh." She shrugged. "Our problem here is different. The problem is what happened to him and after.""What?""Well--" --------------------------------
Hiding under the thin and holed blanket, flinching at each scream she heard.
Baal was trying to shut it out like she always did.
Tears falling behind her mask, she was always forced to wear it because of how much of a hideous child she was, how against nature she was, how bad she was and all of that were true.
Her mother had reminded her constantly, making sure she didn't forget, her father would hit her if she showed herself so it must be true.
She tried to imagine the rare moments of happiness despite the screams ripping through them, the stories of heaven her mother told her when she was half drunk, the manipulative compliments of her father when he was showing her off to his friends, the manic episodes when her mother would try to strangle her to save her from this life before hugging her so tight she couldn't breath as she told her she was so sorry, the days her father took her to show her the job she'll be forced to follow, the moment her mother forced her to sign something with her blood and broke out in hysterical laughter and tears about how her father would never have her now, her fathers displeasure on knowing she signed away what she'd later learn was her soul to Lucifer himself... These... These were the good memories?! These?!
This latest scream was the worse yet, unable to lock it out, unable to hide from it, Baal couldn't take it.
Getting up, standing her her blood bruised soles hurt, one of the punishments she got for having misplaced the cigars while cleaning the home, leaving blood foot prints as she slowly and quietly climbed the steps up form the basement, knowing where to step so they wouldn't creak.
Slowly lifting the trap door, the blood, the amount of golden blood almost left her speechless, never having seen this much.
And the screams were even louder, hearing but barely registering what her father was saying, the huge demon towering over a crippled frame on the ground.
She looked at the display case over the fireplace, the angelic weapon proudly displaced to remind her mother her freedom was just there and that she'd never ever reach it.
Looking back over, the arms trembling with each punch and grab to slam against the ground, Baal knew he was trying to kill her, she knew if she did nothing she'd die.
She'd die now.
Terrified but decided.
She climbed out, closing the trap slowly, barely able to look away from the scene.
Walking softly to the case but unable to reach it, so high up... But if she flew he'd heard her wings and she'd need to break it, not knowing the code on the lock.
One look back was enough, hearing something break under the fist and no more sound.
Flapping up and grabbing the edges, sending the glass case shattering on the ground.
Huffing like a bull the demon turned to her as she scrambled through shards of glass to grab the weapon, the raging behemoth of a demon only yelled, lunging at her.
...
She opened her closed eyes.
Seeing the blood drip and coat her hands, staring up the length of the spear and at the head embedded in the throat of the demon.
Yelping as the demon yanked back and fell, grabbing his neck, and it almost caused her too fall too.
Looking at him grab at the gushing wound, whimpering like a little bitch.
Slowly...
All fear turned to pity in face of a man that couldn't take what he was dishing out on a woman, on a child.
She tightened her hold on the spear way too big for here.
With a sharp breath, lifting it over her head and driving it in his face, getting another scream as she ripped it out, backing up enough to not get caught before stabbing it in the arm reaching for her.
"Who's the weak one now?!"
She sat on the porch in the pouring red rain, holding her knees.
Staring at the white pants.
"There you are."
She didn't reacted.
"You know as well as I what's done."
"You could back out of the deal too."
"I could but..." Breathing through his teeth. "No, no I can't."
She looked at him.
"She made a deal which was clear, you'd fight for hell, you'd live for hell, you'd belong to hell and I kept you alive." He crouched down, this was the second time in her life she saw Lucifer face to face. "If I don't own your soul I must kill you, just like every other nephalem in history to ensure balance. I protect you in this deal and you help me protect all of this."
"I don't want to protect people like him, they don't deserve it."
"Maybe not, but I have a daughter, she's a bit younger then you but she already has big dreams... A bit... Lunatic dreams but dreams still, reforming hell, getting sinners into heaven, it is those souls that you'll protect, those that deserve a second chance, those that deserve to be protected, tho like you."
She lifted her head, Lucifer booping the mask where her face would be.
"So what do you say? Don't you want to learn how to save people from others like him? Save wives from their husbands and little girls from their father? Will you let me teach you how to be the person you needed so you can be there for others?" He offered her a hand.
"She's hurt... I'll only do so if you can will help her."
Lucifer was not sure and it was visible on his face but he still smiled.
"It's a deal dear." He shook her hand. "So what would be your little name?"
---------------------------------
"All of that would be fine... If that guy hadn't come to kill me. Since that day I killed my father, my mother is an insane woman and Lucifer covered tracks... Only one person is aware of what I am in hell and this killer knew hell had a nephalem, that's the problem here. Either heaven somehow is aware of what happened down there with her, Lucifer spoke or what your reports on the attack on the hotel told heaven and they deduced because he knew about me." Hmmm... Silence... An oddity in this broken household. "My dude that's the worse hold my beer of trauma dumb night that I've ever heard and you said it with such a straight face!" Amon yelled, getting an eyeroll from the demon."I'm fine, now use your collective brain and help me figure this out will you?""People say I'm fine when they are not tho." Legion said."You want a punch, because this is how you get a punch." Baal offered. "I'm fine, I've been at peace with this for years, I'm over it, gone, over, bye... We have a current problem because either heaven knows something and is being secretive or hell is trying to get rid of me and I like neither options because that would entail also merking you all to make me death hush hush.""She is totally not over it." All thought since Baal was crossing her arms but a hand was lifted up to hide part of her face."Fine, okay, let's think about this." Lute said, stopping any questioning. "You think if you asked around in hell and with the king of it you'd get answers? And your mother?""I have had no reason to believe he has lined to me but I can't be sure now... As for my mother she is like a puzzle box with four different puzzles in it with somewhat fitting pieces and half the pieces missing to make sense, it would take a lot to get something out of her about that time.""But it could happen?""I suppose?""You didn't say it but it is clear, was an exorcist, one of the first extermination. We could maybe find her files in heaven and see if there is someone up here that would have known she never came back.""Maybe but they wouldn't know about a child.""If we somehow get Adam down there do you think she'd react?""Lute what the fuck?!""Sir think of this, you've always been the leader of this activity even if you brain is deflated--" "Hey!" "-Maybe she be familiar with you?""I could work." Baal said. "Since she tends to switch between the parts of her mind depending on what her environment is like.""Then we can start there, at the source of this all, this angel."
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"I never knew you'd fall for me~""Shut up and fly first man." Since Baal couldn't really fly, that was the job of Adam, and as much as she hated it, it was bridal carry since the asshole complained any other way would be too hard on him.To be sure the simple demon populace would recognize him they had put him in a disguise that was somewhat... Shitty... It was red hair dye lathered onto his wings with a red T-shirt and black pants to fit a more hellish color theme with a lot of eye shadow and face horns clipped onto his hair... And he had fought everyone while all of this went down."Hell is crowded.""Don't you say asshole?""At least the exterminations did have some use, hah I told Sera it was not only fun and games, but no bitch didn't believe me." He complained."Fly and shut up."It was extremely rare Adam felt bad for anything he said; he couldn't even remember the last time she truly did, but the comment he made way back about her father and fucking her mother was a bitter-tasting memory even if Baal didn't seem to care, it sat oddly with him."Did I ever tell you how sexy you look with an exorcist mask on? Fits you.""I swear to all that is and isn't holy, I will marry you to Lucifer if you don't shut up.""You wouldn't dare Balls.""Try me bitch."Adam pouted for the rest of the flight until landing, where she indicated.The staff had jumped a moment before realizing it was Baal who slammed the door open even if she was wearing a weird and half-ripped exorcist mask, followed by a bored-looking demon guy sipping on some soda from a large fast food cup, watching them walk to the elevator."I think they bought it, hah! Idiots." Adam said, fixing the fake horns on his head before sipping his drink again. "No one expected the angel inquisition.""Adam, calm your balls, will you?""Okay... Balls, calm down." She hit him over the head, but he just laughed at the reaction, the LED mask glitching out as it had trouble conveying the expression of four eyes with the anger in them.Finally, the door opened in Lucifer's office."Hello, wife stealer! How's it booming down here?" Adam greeted as Lucifer spat out his coffee and coughed."W-what?" Lucifer wiped his mouth when Baal slammed her hand on his desk."We have something to talk about." Her voice was low and whispered, making him gulp.Baal pulled out a printed picture of the course of the man, showing his face. The king of hell just grabbed it, looking confused."Nephalem, one heaven harbored and who was aware I existed... Speak Lucifer.""What she said," Adam added before sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp to fill the tense silence. ------------------------------------ "Why am I always stuck doing the boring things?""Because." Lute simply said.The three of them were in the archive room of the exorcists.It was now taking dust and there was no reason to come back here anymore, outside of this current moment.It was a large room with stacks of filing cabinets for everything so tall that Lute was flying to look through the top ones as even the ladders didn't reach that height.She knew that the first exterminations didn't go as smoothly as the most recent one, the system was still getting in place and so angels could have gotten hurt by demonic hands since they were not yet scared at the time.So flicking through files and trying to find something anything that could help them is all that can be done.Tho they didn't have much to go off on, knowing one angel had vanished so many centuries ago in a time these archives would have probably been an afterthought and maybe somewhat looking like Baal but that's all they had to go off of.Lute sighed as she heard crashing below... This is going to take a long time. ------------------------------- "So heaven had a nephalem head hunter that came to kill you in peculiar and already knew of you down here... It is worrying.""Don't you think.""You know Baal, I wouldn't have told heaven.""And miss princess bubblegum didn't speak of you either in heaven." Adam shrugged. "I thought you were just another demon.""Well... Didn't my father have friends?""I hid you Baal, as per request, all of them are dead, I am sure of it. Only you and I knew of this... Maybe your mother rambled about something to a staff?""Do you know anything about her before that deal she sold my soul away?""No, first time I saw her and next was... Euhm." "He knows the story, not need to hide it." "Oh, well next was the day on the porch after you killed fucker and she almost died from how broken her bo--" "No need for graphics." She crunched the printed phone in her hands."Hey careful there you little fucker." Adam warned. "On topic.""Oooh, Baal you still wanna get married?" He joked a bit, seeing Adam fume and put an arm up between the two demons, Baal pushed it down with a finger."Lucifer stop joking around... So you know nothing.""You know more then I do.""So it was useless coming here." Adam said. "Come on, let's go pay your mother a visit like you wanted." He grabbed her wrist and she let herself be pulled away."Bye bye darling." Lucifer still joked, hoping maybe the mood would be better and pleased with Adam flipping him of with his somewhat free hand, pouring out some of his drink by accident as the door to the elevator closed. "My my Baal, you got friends on the other side? You work fast young lady."Then he smile dropped.They were not related but Baal had been around a long time around the Morningstars. Being trained as a bodyguard like Razzle and Dazzle. She was important even if the nephalem never wanted anything from him after the deal.Looking out his window towards heaven with narrowed eyes... Maybe he will need to have a chat with heaven for once about what they are attempting to do with people he cares for.Maybe he could also leave that to Adam, that man seemed to be a bit different in some way and it was not because of the shitty demon outfit, like it was not entitled obsession with ownership but actually getting along with her.Hmm...Nah, he'll have a word with heaven him, that would be for the better. ------------------------------------- "Hey! Don't here!"Lute looked down, Legion waving at her.She dropped from the air and walked to her, grabbing the whole filing cabinet drawer handed to her."All missing angel reports, had to dig it out from the corner." There were a lot of files not sorter that had been thrown in the corner and created a mount, having needed to move that to look at the filing drawers behind them.Lute hummed."Come on demons, let's go.""We're done?!""Oh no, not by far Amon. We are just starting."The demon groaned."We need to sort these files in who is the most likely to be the mother.""Aaaaaaah fuuuuuuck!!""Want to help your boss? Then help sorting this." He groaned but walked after her. ----------------------------------- "She can be a... Lot... So let me deal with it." Baal said."Nah, we are in this together Balls, come on."She sighed as the number indicated -665, the door opening and she got out, the disguised angel following."Maybe you could take the horns off for this." She said over her shoulder.Baal grabbed the handle of the door, breaking the seal, throwing a hand up to grab the vase thrown, why do they keep giving her vases of flower for fuck's sake?!"Hey... Mom, I got someone you might want to meet." She offered, putting the vase on a little little shelf now by the wall."Is it time?!" The confused woman asked since she could recognize the mask she wore. "Death to demon kind!""Now now, calm down.""That's over with." Adam dismissively said.The woman didn't look much like Baal outside of her facial feature, the long disheveled white hair, the used grey T-shirt and the worn into blue pants, the half pair of socks, the remains of wings, smaller then him like Lute... She looked like a homeless lady compared to her daughter, it was almost sad until it was just heartbreaking when she just threw herself at his feet."Sir!! You came back for me!! I knew it!! I am getting out of this hell!! Hahaha... HAHAHAHA!!" He forced the woman to let go of his legs a bit gentler then he'd have usually done, instead of kicking her away, just yanking her hands off him."Geez." He breathed out, the woman now sitting on the ground and throwing a screaming tantrum."Yeah." Baal sighed. "This is what is left after my father. Now come on, up, sit on a chair.""Let go you bastard!! You are like your father!! You the worse thing that's ever happened!!" Baal dragged her to sit on a chair."What makes you think you can treat her like tha--" "Adam! Stop!" Baal got between them. "Just stop!"He glared as the woman was now whispering to herself and ripping at her hair while Baal instantly stopped only to get smacked several time on the head."You said your father's dead correct?""Yeah, stabbed him to death or have you forgotten already?"Adam shrugged."I would have just loved to have a turn too." ------------------------------------- They had so many piles.One with absolutely no chance of being Baal's mother because they were dudes or had gone before Lute became an exorcist... The knowledge Baal was like almost the age of the princess of hell was a whiplash since that made her much younger then Lute and Adam and yet she acted like she was older then life itself.The next piles were harder, from most likely to least likely but all having their chances and slowly sorting through the piles and either putting them back again or moving them to the impossible pile.She never knew how many angels had actually gone missing in the first decade of the exterminations and still no one had an idea how angels could get killed until the hotel accident."This is most likely not her, come on, face too wide." Legion said, pulling on her scaly cheeks to illustrate her point."Yeah, cheek bones too low and nose too.""You'd know that.""Oh yeah, I still gotta beat the shit out of you.""What did I do?!""Nothing but you thought it!""Amon help!""Leave me out of this bitch!" Seems like they will need to wait for the duo to get back to find the right woman they were looking for.
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"Any news on your side?""Not much, you?""No, we need your help since you know what she looks like." It seemed their expeditions resulted in not much new information found, only that her mother did indeed know Adam and that she'll keep trusting Lucifer's silence on the matter.She was now looking through the files, which were a lot, to find her mother, and surprisingly, it took a second recheck to find her as the picture was almost innocently smiling at her, looking much younger and better than she looked currently."That's her? Looks sexy." Amon said as she touched the picture; Baal immediately hit him. "Gah! What was that for?""Do not talk about her like that." She glared, and he shrank under the four eyes, only having taken it off because the pressure on her lower horns was hurting her head, and they had already seen her face, but that didn't mean she was any less uncomfortable with it. "Ever.""Yeah, dude, not this time," Adam said with an awkward face, and if he was not objectifying a woman, it was bad."Alright, geez, no need to hit me because of this tho.""You deserve it." Legion laughed, Baal opening the files and reading between the lines. Looking specifically for something."There." She tapped one of the pages. "Died burned at the stake with her brother, and both showed up in heaven on the 4th of April 1244. There is a brother." Baal said, snapping the file closed."He would know his sister had gone missing, and those times are really religious times for humanity, nephalems might have still been a part of folklore then.""Oh, maybe he just found someone willing to help for money. These disappearances were covered up so no one but someone already knowing of the possibilities would believe him." Lute added."The Undertaker seemed to work however he wanted from what I understood in that little time I knew him," Baal said, standing. "I need to go find him.""Wow there, stop, bad idea.""Adam's right, Baal; out of everyone, you should be the last one to go look for him.""But!" "Demons, you still are demons here. It would go over more smoothly if it were either me or Adam.""Lute's right, Balls, and even I can see that.""And we'll need to act rationally for safety.""Woah, what will you do, Boss?" Amon grinned at how Baal was shut down quickly."Want me to tie a knot on your tail?" She threatened, making him grab it. "We'll talk this over later." She said before stomping to the kitchen."Keep her distracted from the truth; I'll go, okay?" Lute told Adam, who nodded."Take like... Gucci bag, not all angels can summon weapons, and sinners can only die to those or my powers after all." Adam whispered back."I know, sir, we'll be back soon... Hey, who else wants pizza? Sir is sending me out to get some." Lute said."Oh me me me memememememe!!" Amon said quickly."Baal?""Sure." She said, putting the cereals she pulled out of the pantry right back into it, deciding to wait for the pizza while she was thinking this meeting over, trying to decide how it should be done. "Make it spicy; demons like it so.""Sure, sure, Legion, coming?""Yep, on it.""Careful," Adam whispered, Lute nodding back. The plan was just to find where he lived anyway.When they got outside, Lute pulled out the file she had snatched and quickly found the last known habitation of the siblings, hoping they hadn't moved."The pizzas will wait. We gotta check out something else first.""Awww," Legion complained. "Fiiiine, lead the way.""We are just paying someone a visit." ----------------------------------- "Hmm... Big place." Legion said Lute's thoughts as they looked up at the big house with the nice garden. "You think he is still here?""Probably, the name plaque on the door it rusty but we can still check it quickly before leaving.""Right." Legion jogged up to it, leaving Lute a bit behind as she just walked."Hurry." Just here to check so they can make a plan later after all, if they got spotted, who knows where in heaven their suspect will run off too."Don't worry." She waved off, rubbing the rusty thing off a bit. "Nikolas, is that it? Boss' guy?" She called back."Yeah, it matches with Baal's mother."She had joined her by now, looking too, the spelling of the name matched too, it is their angel.Closing the file with a sigh. "Come on, let's go now before we get spotted.""Sure I am quit hun--" BANG!!"Lute jumped as her ears rang and blood was splattered on her before a weight fell on her."Legion?!" She yelled, looking at the door and seeing the barrel of a gun quickly pulled in through the mail slot, getting stuck one time.She summoned her sword while shoving out from under the demon, sprinting at the door and lunging at it with her shoulder, breaking open the weak lock.Looking around the home without really seeing it as her eyes snapped towards the sound of someone sprinting up the stairs, running after."STOP!!!" She yelled but the steps never did, slamming a door behind them by the time she made it to the top.Running to it and almost slipping on the carpet, jiggling the door knob before slamming her shoulder in it once, the lock much more solid so she backed up and kicked just below it, breaking the frame and stumbling into the room, running to the open window, only sparing the ammo thrown open on the bed a simple glance before flying out the window and high up."Shit!" Cursing as she could see nothing, no one in a hurry to blend in, fly away or just out of place.Lowering herself to climb back while letting the sword vanish.Walking to the ammo box and picking it up with a single bullet in one hand.Eyes going wide as she dropped the box and looked at the blood on herself for the first time since she was splattered."LEGION!!" She called, diving out the window and flying to the front of the house as the bleeding sinner still laid there. "SHIT!! This wasn't supposed to happen like this!"Clamping a hand over the gaping wound in her throat, ignoring she could see the ground through the hole and only one side was blocked."Shit shit shit! Nothing was supposed to happen, come on Legion." Pressing hard, it was hard to not start thinking about Adam dying in front of her again but she shook her head. "Legion! React you cunt!"Looking at the bullet she still hadn't had the strength to let go. Hunting riffle but not a common caliber, the casting golden, the bullet itself white."Come on Legion dammit, what will I tell them?! What will I tell Baal?!"It was not a normal bullet. Some hunters got into heaven and still enjoyed hunting game in the authorized areas and there needed to be a police of course to keep order in heaven but those bullets only had a tiny tip of angelic steel to hurt but not kill unless a deliberate shot to the head which was rare... But this... The whole bullet part of it was angelic steel."Move it you damned sinner cunt!!"Such a bullet would only be made if demon hunting season was declared and even then it was speared and swords that had been used for exterminations as demons finding a lost angelic gun would have been seen as too dangerous."Fuck!!" She spat, pulling her hands away and sitting back on her hunches, hands in her lap as she watched the lifeless body of the sinner. A huge frown, angry at herself, angry as this Nikolas, angry at the world....Angry at herself.She could have stayed with her, tried to help her, not come here, not wanted to check information, she could have done so much differently.She...Lute had killed Legion. ------------------------------ "Heya Danger Tits what you want?...Lute? Lute are you there? What's wrong?" The tone of Adam made the other two demon look up from their card game, he was on the speaker phone."It... It all happened so fast." There was a broken monotone edge to her voice like never before, getting the three to exchange a worried look."Lute?" Adam asked again."It was so fast. One moment we are looking at the name plaque and the next... All this blood... I mean I knew how much blood a demon had in their body, I killed them myself, I bled them dry but you never realize how much blood it truly is, so much blood, how can so much blood b--" "Hey hey hey, slow down there Lute, you sound like you've seen some shit." He put the phone on the table.
"Oh I've seen some shit, a lot of it even, more then I wanted. This should have never happened, we just went to see."
"Amon, Adam, pack up." Baal was already standing. "Where are you? We'll come get you girls." She grabbed the phone in her hands.
"It happened so fast Baal, I could do nothing, nothing. Heaven's I could do have done so much, I-I could have done something."
"Lute what the hell happened?" opening the front door."She... She's gone Baal." She stopped walking, the boys also clearly hearing it. "It was so fast, I tried to catch up but he was gone... And she was dead... Legion's dead."She felt a ball in her throat at the words, taking a moment to be able to think of what to answer."We have an app that lets us track each other." Adam whispered and she nodded, feeling Amon put a hand on her shoulder but yanking away, marching forwards."Stay where you are... We're on the way." She said, working to keep a crack out of her voice.Fucking hell.
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Staying where she was?"Yeah... Alright." Letting the phone slip from her bloody hands and splash down in the puddle forming around her knees.She could do that.Looking at her hands, the red, blackish blood covers it, covering her arms and her chest and her legs and her shoulders and her face.How could one body have so much blood in it? She's never seen this much blood, not even in the exterminations. Why was there still blood pouring out?Could... Would this have been Adam's fate? Would he have died like this with her being able to do nothing? Being so useless? Only able to watch?Lute absently spun the bullet in her hands, by now completely coated in a thick layer of drying blood, not taking her eyes off the demon.Not even knowing what to do, all felt so heavy, all felt restricting.It was an angelic steel bullet; she could have gone up there, she could have read the plaque, she could have been shot, she could have died.Lute could have died...And yet...It felt less of a heavy thought to her compared to knowing that Baal would see this.She lied to her about stupid pizzas, and the next time she saw her was with Legion, dead because of her.Who would miss her? Heavens, just who would miss her? Does she have people waiting for her down there? Did her parents go to hell, too? Or are they here in heaven with no idea their daughter is dead? Which friends are laughing with stories to tell her when she comes back? And Lute let her die.She fucking let her die. She did nothing. She ran after some angel instead of helping her. She left her alone in her last moments. She didn't try a single thing and could never hope to try anything anymore... She let her die.Legion... Legion was the most well-behaved and so the most forgettable but still integral part of the little group they formed. Part of the trio of demons that Lute learned not to hate, that showed her demons are not just dirty sinners, that was always there... And now it was a duo.A demon that showed her that maybe her actions were a bit exaggerated with the quelling of sinner kind, that some of them might be nice to be around and that for some, hell might not be forever... And her blood dried on her hands.It was Lute's idea, her idea... My idea... It was my idea to come here. It was my idea to tell no one but Adam; it was my idea for her to check it; it was my idea, I brought her along, I did this, I did this.A gasp was choked back in surprise as she snapped out of her thoughts, feeling a grasp on her shoulder."You alright there, Danger tits? You were not responding. You are starting to freak me out there.""Sir?""Yeah, it's fucking me. Finally, I thought you had passed out with your eyes open."Looking around like waking up from a dream. Since when had she been sitting on the little stairs of the nearby tool shed? When had she even moved away? When had she hugged her legs to her chest? When had he gotten there?"Come on, don't space out on me again.""I've never seen that much blood, sir." Looking at her hands."Yeah, makes sense, but worry not, it's being dealt with." She couldn't see Legion, so that meant Adam was blocking her view with where he was seated in front of her. She tilted her head to the side a bit before he jabbed his pointer in her cheek and pushed her head back. "Nope, no can do bitch. You saw enough. We don't need you to go catatonic again." He said in a light scolding tone. Baal hummed bitterly.There would have been no surviving such a wound from a bullet similar to the one she took out of Lute's hands. No matter who and where in the upper body, if hit with this, it was a death sentence, and it had hit Legion.Watching the white-tipped bullet with a glare and the blood-soaked files.Adam quickly explained that they had thought of quickly checking the address to be sure it would not be for nothing, and sure, if it was not her own issues, she'd have done that too for a friend. Sure, a bit differently, but she could follow the conclusion that led to this choice.She couldn't really get mad at the seemingly in-shock angel, even if she wished she had someone tangible to blame instead of an old, outdated picture of an angel she didn't know... No... She couldn't blame Lute.What she hated was the look in those eyes. She was so far away and distant, not even reacting to being guided away or talked to, just in her own little world of hurt and thoughts.Out of everyone here, Baal knew this feeling the best, the feeling of thinking you could do more, that you could have saved that person if you just did something else then what you did... Knew it all too well.And Lute had almost seen Adam die once, someone she greatly cared for, cried for, and screamed his name. It was visible that she was not the same heartless warrior anymore since that day, and basically, having to relive the same thing but without being able to help in any way must mark."Amon." She held her phone out to the imp. "Call Lucifer, give him a run down, and tell him to wait for my call before taking any action.""Got it Boss." He dryly said, grabbing the phone and walking a bit further to make the call as she crouched back down next to the body, finally closing her eyes that had been staring at the sky uselessly."You did good, like always." She told Legion, crouching on her toes, wrists resting on her knees, one lower than the other. "You should be proud of yourself, Legion; you will be dearly missed." She muttered with a deep frown etched on her face.Looking up at the building with her top pair of eyes glaring and the lower ones a bit softer, tho still a glare, on Legion."You'll regret coming after me and those I care for. I don't care if I need to freeze hell over and burn heaven down, but you'll regret not letting vengeful sinners be my only problem. I promise, on the lifeless corpse of a sinner, on her heartbroken friend, on the overwhelmed angel and her boss, I promise that I will hunt you down no matter where you are and what you do. Pray, as your hour of reckoning is soon... You just made enemies with the worst of both worlds." Baal thought with burning fury in her eyes that turned red, fist squeezing closed, and a low growl coming from the back of her throat. Just. You. Wait.
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"But I didn't die, Balls!""Adam, you idiot." Smack. "It still leaves a mark on a person. You two are close. When you passed out on the roof, you didn't get to see the rest of her pleading and tears, but I sure did. I got to haul you up to heaven on my back. Having someone actually die because of reasons you are partially responsible for fucks up someone.""Heeeeh?""Didn't you and Lute think up this idea? Who thought of going there?"Adam frowned."Yeah, I thought so. You are lucky that I can rationalize this, knowing I'd act the same for my friends. So now let me deal with this, and you give Amon the man-to-man talk about their fucked up twisted sense of not having the right to cry when you feel hurt.""Wha--" "Adam, now."He left, grumbling and cursing under his breath.Baal didn't have much hope for this actually to work out. Adam was the worst man to give this speech to a cranky demon who had just lost his friend to an angel with whom he still fights a lot... But it was a worse idea to let him deal with the other part of the traumatized duo; he lacked any gentle touch. Baal herself didn't have much, but she had familiarity with the situation.She sighed, finishing climbing the stairs, having caught Adam up half of it to stop him.She looked at the rooms; Adam's had the most decorated door, she the most abused, Amon's painted red, Lute's untouched, and Legions... Legions had little smiley stickers stuck to it. She quite seemed to like them.Rolling her eyes to force herself to look away, knocking on the plain door before opening it, not waiting for an answer."You know, I thought only hell could get this dark." She said into the darkness, luckily being a demon, her eyes were used to a darker environment... Well, half-demon, her top eyes are seeing better in the dark than the lower ones. "And you can't vanish under a blanket no matter how hard you try." Lute's bed was extremely close to the door, weirdly enough, but that let her poke the blanket mass without even stepping into the room.She was more than happy that a hand smacked hers away; that meant she was listening.Closing the door behind her."Adam was on his way to stomp up here with this. I assume you like it? I didn't think it was the best idea for him, knowing he is tactless, so I brought it myself." Holding up a crinkly bag of salted chocolate-covered mini pretzels. Shaking it a bit at Lute. "There, I thought you had gone out shopping. No one was answering the doorbell." She joked with a smile as she shifted the blanket off her head and grabbed the bag. "You must really like these." She permitted herself to sit next to her.Lute's halo might be black, but it was still giving off a little light like a crappy nightlight. Once long ago, her lower horns did the same, but they mostly stopped; maybe when there were feelings involved, they could still glow, but oh well."... She wouldn't be mad, you know? We all knew the dangers. We came here knowing there was a chance we'd die.""That's different." Lute opened the bag and grabbed a snack from it, biting into it. "It wouldn't have been for a stupid thing we didn't need to do.""No one could have expected this to happen.""It could have been avoided.""It could.""I could have been the one there.""Yup.""She could have survived.""Mhm.""What the fuck Baal? This is your shitty idea of a joke to try to cheer me up?""Oh, I am not joking." Nudging her in the back with her working wing. "All of that could have happened, but it did not; it's not your fault; you can't change the past. It happened, it's over.""But it--" "It could have gone many ways. I could have stayed in the basement, I could have let him kill her, I could have been a nice little child forced into the business after, or I could have missed with the spear, I could not have stabbed him more, I could have just left. I can tell you about so many things I wished to change too, and I bet I have more regrets than you have... Legion, if she knew what was to happen, would have still chosen to go in your place, and not just because that's our task.""I left her alone in her last moments.""And I sat on the porch while my father bled out and my mother was crippled, your point? You ran after him, this guy who's my uncle by blood and enemy by life. You did what you thought was right. I don't believe you knew it was an angelic bullet and that her seconds were counted.""But you are taught to protect each other as an exorcist.""And you are taught to kill every angel or at least try as a demonic guard. Still, what's your point? We can keep on going, Lute. I've gone through this. I know what it is and how it feels... You cannot out-think me on the topic of guilty past actions.""She died because of me.""He died because of me.""I failed her.""I failed them.""I should have caught him.""I should have stopped him.""He is now free to hurt us again.""She is now trapped in her own mind because I can't put her out of her misery because I am unable to accept that she can't be helped. Trapping her in the depths of hell and far from heaven forever where she only hurts herself and people around and lives in hate, reliving her past each moment or a soulless puppet with her despising me... But go on, Lute, try to one-up me; keep on going; you are almost there." Baal intertwined her fingers and held a leg off the ground by hooking them around her knee and leaning back a bit. "I love this game. Let's keep going, ripping open old wounds that can never heal only to wallow in despair that hurts yourself and those around you; keep on going; I am sure it is the best way of coping.""You truly suck at making people feel better.""My whole life is more messed up than a cum bucket with rainbow sprinkles being served up with a dick floating in it. It's not my fucking forte, but it is you that's insisting on mopping like some high-strung princess. You can be sad; everyone feels that you can be angry because heaven knows I am pissed, but despair doesn't help, it never does... It drains and drains until nothing is left, a forsaken empty husk wandering through life, careless about all... And then you start making stupid choices to just feel something. First, you start small, a fight here, an argument there. Then you move to the harder stuff when that isn't enough, you spill your blood, you move on, you go after the weaker, you find out drugs and alcohol help you forget, next moment, you stand with the blood of others on your hands, you killed them, you didn't want too, you never wanted too but you look at their lifeless eyes, so you drink more to forget, to lash out, you spiral, you destroy all that you still could have been, falling into the true depths of a hell you yourself created for yourself, you have nothing left, nothing but a last bullet in the chamber... And you truly are nothing." Baal sighed heavily through her nose, dropping her leg and leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and hands hanging. "Despair is not the way to take.""Was... Was that...""A first account experience? Heh... I wouldn't say exactly; my mother had made me sign my soul away before I was able to comprehend what I wanted, and my father had his hands over me before I was able to comprehend what I wanted. I was born in the despair of such a family, if you can even call it that, clinging to moments of sunshine that were more like the cinders of a cigar burning in the ashtray. I never had a chance like you all had... But an idiot short king refused to let me waste away no matter how I wanted to, and his fucking daughter liked my presence too much for him to ever fathom, not helping. I tried, mind you, I tried to get that last bullet, I tried to put it to my pallet and put it in my brain so much so that I can imagine the taste of it to this day. Be it Legion's death or the murder of my father, you and I are trying to destroy ourselves because of what could have happened... But I lived, so do too.""How?""Tho too stupid to leave us alone, those that care not for what we did, those that care not for the blood and guts on such a road, those that are just happy to come along to the destruction you cause, idiots that can't understand you want to be alone and despair, so invasive you have no idea how to weed them out... You might try to convince yourself it is nothing, but help Adam with his ribs when he asks. He buys you these snacks, you stick with him even after all this when you could have gone separate ways, you have your locations shared between each other, you get along more then you want to admit. You are friends. Not superior and subordinate. He's your fucking idiot that won't leave you alone even if you want him to be out of your hair or a good day and dead on a worse. And then you have us; maybe you secretly still hate us, being demons and all, but we are a team.""And who'd be your idiot?""Every single moron that refuses to leave me alone. Legion being dragged around while holding my 'pretty' feathers the day with met, the drug dealer that had refused the money I stole from Lucifer because 'this was not the answer' somehow knowing that that day would have ended in one less, that idiot Lucifer holding my soul in a deal of protecting me, a barely out of diapers baby faced Amon who refused accepting I beat him in a drinking contest, miss sunshine that thought my name was Bazzle for half a decade after we first met because Razzle and Dazzle while thinking my name must rhyme and not listening to me correcting her, the annoying girl that was clearly shitty at hiding she was an exorcist poking me with spears day in and day out when I was lazy at my job, even that whore of a spider... Anyone can be an idiot that gets in your way for a second or longer.""I don't think I need more idiots. I already have three in this house.""See? You get it. So try not to despair. We won't let you." She poked her again, only the get the blanket flung over her head. "Now I am completely blind." Baal simply stated."Good.""...""...""So, are you going to share your snack?""Like in hell I will.""Oh, come on!" But she smiled under the blanket even if her voice was complaining."Get your own.""Come on, Lute!""Nope!""Lute!""No!!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sera... Oh little Sera... She is about to take a spear to the throat by her own hands to put an end to this."What do you want on this fine day? Lute? Adam?" She asked, the smallest angel of the duo straight up standing on her desk to be head level while Adam stood at the foot of it."Why has Legion's death been covered up and hushed?" Lute had taken it to heart to get her hands on that guy more than even Baal herself, making it her goal for the near and far future."We need to keep panic to a minimum; the status quo is still precarious between our two worlds, and as much as the fear of knowing demons can cross over and angels can too for revenge is real, the news of a death would make it worse.""Lucifer already knows about it bitch." Adam pointed out. "Baal warned him the day it happened." Sera didn't look like she expected this. "Oh, so you hid this from him, too? That's bad, Sera, bad, bad, bad. But well... You are great at lying to everyone for 'the greater good' bullshit you always bring up. Oh, of course, it was only me and Lute the problem and not a woman who worked out the strategy on how to kill the most demons, right? You just were the brains; it is the brawn that needs to be punished."Sera sighed silently; this was less than an idea."Help us or not, we'll find this Nikolas again and teach him not to mess with us, ma'am, and you will not see a drop of his body that day; you'll keep finding him for months to come." Lute threatened, leaning back as she had been shoving her face in her Sera's when Adam put a hand on her thigh to pull her back from assaulting their boss. He would still like to be considered an angel after this impromptu meeting and not a fallen.This was getting out of control... And fast."I cannot indulge in you killing angels.""Oh trust me, ma'am, that guy is no angel. Not with such weapons at his disposal, a maniac.""I understand your anger.""No, you don't understand our anger!!" Lute yelled at her; Sera was taken aback as the ex-lieutenant had never yelled in all the centuries she had known her. "If you did, you wouldn't be trying to dismiss it." She scoffed. "Witness the same shit as we have and then judge us, not before." She hopped off the table. "Let's go, sir; we'll get nothing more out of this.""I must agree, low blow, Sera." He said with a hand on Lute's shoulder to already push her towards her exit before she changed her mind and attacked the seraphim. "Oh, and don't worry, you don't need to think about the nephalem; we figured that out."He closed the door quickly as they left, grinning, knowing that this information would dig at the seraphim and wonder just what they knew about. Adam was sure they probably knew more than she did, anyway."Come on, Danger tits, it's not the time to blow up our Karen of a boss." He pats her shoulder with a laugh. "But I would have loved to see you brawl. It would have been hot." Punch. "Oof... Okay, I deserved that." Hunched over, holding his stomach."Let's just move on, sir; we have other places to be.""Oooh, it is ready?" She held up her phone with the message confirming his question. "Great! Let's go!" He grabbed her wrist and was already sprinting, dragging her behind him.Lute looked at him for a moment and sighed... Yeah... She can suppose he is her idiot. (It is in the tags, but I feel the need to be precise; they care for each other but nothing romantic like they'll have with Baal. I had ppl getting pissy at me on my Wattpad fics as to how Adam and Lute seemed too close and PMed about it even if they didn't interact that much even.) Rolling her eyes, letting it happen since it was easier than fighting against it. He is a hardhead."I hope you stayed simple, sir, or she'll kick your ass." -------------------------------------- "You think... Like the Sir Pentious guy?""I don't know Amon, she'd have come back already if she was somehow redeemed, we still don't know how it happened... I don't believe she's coming back."Both demons for once were not with the angels and only because they had vanished without a trace and so Baal and Amon decided to wait for them here instead of running around everywhere. Baal sat with her guitar and Amon was bouncing a ball off the wall to occupy his hands."Mmm... I'll choose to believe, she was a stupid soul, not an evil one. I'll believe that if not now then in the future she'll be back, I am sure she got redeemed, she must have."Baal sighed, she didn't give a shit about Charlie trying to redeem people but right now she wished she believed in it a little... But she was also pessimistic, Legion would not be the one to stay away instead of flaunting that she is an angel now, she'd be rubbing it in their faces... Baal didn't believe in miracle as when she needed them, nothing ever happened.
https://youtu.be/_ZaRQmLuChc
She actually started to play instead of just holding the instrument uselessly, having left it down here last time Adam had another 'lets compare yours to mine' moment and telling her how electric or whatever he used was better.The song in itself was a soft demand as Amon held the ball, looking at the ground between his legs.A soft and wordless way to tell him what she thought because she knew this song was quite well known and expected him to know it too.It was the case from his silent slumping of the shoulders as he listened.Baal might seem great with her words most of the the time but she is regurgitating what reassurance she was given by someone else most of the time, being an emotion stale ham sandwich of a woman. She tried and could do a good enough job... But it was always easier through an instrument.The guitar didn't require her to say it out loud but let emotions through.A simple demand aimed at Amon: let her go.Baal had no believe in the sinner's redemption.She stared at the ceiling, She was comforting Amon, keeping Adam from freaking, Lute from cracking... Who are there for her?She was the boss, she was supposed to keep them safe, this was never supposed to happen under her, she should have never given them the possibility to do such a thing, if it was anyone's fault it was hers and hers alone... Nothing would have happened if she kept her mouth shut about nephalems and all the trouble surrounding them...She rested her hand on the guitar with a sigh. Amon sat for a moment longer before standing and walking away. Baal sighed, putting the instrument down next to the couch, leaning back into it despite the pain it caused.Leaning deep into the couch, wishing she was able to believe this was not the end. But she was never a dreamer.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Baal was playing with another untouched apple's core when the front door opened, making her throw it in the bin.By now, Amon had been playing some video game she found weird; it was like... About slaughtering demons on the moon or something? She didn't listen. All she got was that it was named Doom, and he oddly liked it a lot... She could understand angels having that game, but Amon, for all that is holy, calm your murder.She had been watching him play to pass the time."Where in here were the two of you? You can't go ditching us, not now of all times." Baal said, pushing up and walking over, hearing Amon stop the game."Don't get your panties in a twist Balls. We were fine." Adam waved off, holding familiar junk food bags."Yeah, but if we were not there and something happened, it would be our fault.""They might tell us that we shouldn't because of some arbitrary punishment for the exterminations, but we can still summon out weapons if needed," Lute said with an eye roll, partially true since she didn't have access to the spears anymore, which was quite shitty."Still, Boss is right; it is our job, you idiots. We are here to die instead of you if somethi--" Baal lifted a hand away from her side slightly to stop Amon, Lute's wings flaring a bit at what he was staring to say, showing discomfort. "We are your damned guards, and literally." He grumbled."Will a sorry fix it?" Adam asked."No, you wouldn't mean it," Baal said with a hand on her hip. "Lute can lie with a straight face, and you are the worst; neither of you would mean it.""Exactly, so now move, we've got food!" He walked to the table and dropped the food bags on it as Lute closed the door, holding something wrapped in newspapers."Why did you even leave like that anyway?" Amon asked, mouth already stuffed with the fries he had found in a bag."Danger tits threatened our boss with dismembering the angel that took that shot while standing on the desk.""If you disagree, you should have told me to stop, sir." Lute didn't seem impressed by what she did while Adam had said that sentence as if it was worth making a movie about."Nah, it was fucking awesome to watch. That bitch had it coming, throwing us under the bus like that.""So you went to see Sera," Baal concluded."Basically, yes, taking a detour after it," Adam admitted, face already lathered up with the spicy chicken sauce, eating like a pig, but no one really cared."I noticed." Pointing at the food."Nah, that's the detour to the detour." He jabbed the bone of the wing at her accusingly as if she was supposed to have known that somehow."So what even was the original detour?" She had grabbed one of the many burgers and sat on the kitchen counter, one set of eyes looking down to help with the wrapping, and the other set was kept on the others."That's useful," Adam said, noticing the ability to look in two different ways."You think this is? I can move each separately, but it takes a lot of focus." For a moment, she moved each to a different corner before stopping and rubbing her eyes, as it felt a bit straining to do this. "Fucking neat!""Answer my question.""Oh yeah! Lute, give it over!"Baal raised a brow as Lute held out the wad of newspapers.Putting the not-even-started food down to grab it, grabbing an edge to unroll it.She took a moment to comprehend what she held.Flipping it over in the right direction, it was a top-half covering face mask with two little flat parts on the top with half circles at the ends.(Look up 'Adam RWBY mask' to get how the basic shape of it is.)"How?" She asked because when putting the white mask up to her face like she'd do to wear it, the little circle parts acted like clips and holding on her top horns to hold it on her face."We thought since yours was broken and mine is quite ripped up because of the horns catching on the fabric, you should have one new one." Lute simply explained."You can't think we forgot how you prefer hiding your sets of eyes, did you bitch? You tend to lift your hands to hide behind them often, even if in the house. And with a mask like this, we can still see most of your face, so I don't gotta fucking guess what you look like under it each time." Adam said, proud of himself."Maybe don't wear it in here. We don't care if you have one, two, or four eyes, and this is your home, too. Feel comfortable." Lute added as she saw Baal pull it off her face to look at it in her hands."You didn't really need to.""We are a team, we look out for each other bitch; plus, we can't have assholes making you feel bad for being born cool." Adam nicely said with his mouth full of food."And please, this is nothing to us. Might be THE trialed angels, but we still have a standing in heaven." Lute shrugged, stealing Amon's fries, getting him from the imp who grabbed another pack of them and hid them with almost jealous fear. "If we want to get someone something, we'll do so.""Well... Thanks..." She put it on the counter next to her gently. Adam gave a smile full of teeth and two thumbs up, Lute having a more normal smirk fitting to her usual behavior. "You got fans, it seems." Amon teased, Adam, has moved to the couch and keep on playing the save files Amon started, Baal knowing it would result in a fight soon enough. Lute is doing what she had done, just watching the gameplay without interfering. They still stood in the kitchen, Baal because she was on cleaning duties this week, and Amon because he is Amon and needs to annoy her."Amon, they are just nice.""As if they can be such assholes to anyone else!""Amon...""No, really! That Lute is a fucking sicko; what wanted to skin me for calling her a cunt after she took the remote, and Adam is an asshole with capital A... They are nice to YOU." Jabbing her boobs as he talked, making her brow twitch.She grabbed his finger between two of hers, pulled it out of her breast, and dropped it, dusting herself off."They are not. It is only to you because you are a dick too.""Okay, I'll accord you that, but they are way nicer to you.""Stop reading into it, Amon.""Come on Boss, I have a feeling the angels like you."She scoffed."Who'd like something like me?" She shook her head. "I am the vile blasphemy of love that should never be. Waking up each day is a reminder of that and how much pain my existence brings.""Boss, I am sure--" "Drop it.""Boss.""I said drop it.""Fine... But I'll tell you I told you so in the future." He walked off, jumping on the couch and almost giving Adam a heart attack as he whacked him with the controller.Baal sighed, rolling her eyes as a fight was starting.
"There's no way anyone could like someone like me."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Slowly now."The doctor she didn't want to hear out said.Baal opened her wing slowly and flapped it."Seems in order, any pain?" She shook her head. "Good, now let's--" He turned back, but only feathers and an open window remained. Baal chuckled to herself for a moment before deciding Amon would survive alone with the angels for a moment.After the call, Lucifer had gotten and was told to wait for her reply... She supposed it was a good enough time to go do that now that she could fly again. ------------------------- It hadn't been two months, two, and some hellish landscapes looked like landfills of sin."Stopping the kills will come bite at your ass Lucifer." She said, she'll bring that up too.And she was thinking that this would be easy... Lucifer oh Lucifer... Why are you not at your office?She really didn't want to set foot back at this stupid fucking hotel, much less with what happened but she didn't have a choice.Baal still knocked at the door of it, needing to talk with the short king."Oh, hello there sexy bi--" She punched Angel Dust."Still not about to suck yours dick, you are gay dude, gay, stop trying to sleep with me." She said, never having liked him... Or at least this played up sex manic version of him and he knew it pissed her off but unlike certain of heaven's residents, he had no idea why."Ooh how soft your punch is, you going soft on me?""I need to talk with Lucifer, where is he, he is not at his office.""Oh with miss sunshine.""I guess that's why Vaggie hasn't tried shoving a spear up my ass." Pushing passed him, giving Husk a bored wave, Nifty a cringed detour and Alastor... We don't talk about him... But they both found this redemption idea fucking stupid and by extension everyone was saying they were best friends even if the day they met she had tried to rip his head off and he was tried to de-limb her.But yeah, Vaggie and her? Not really, nope, nah, they didn't see eye to eye at all because of how Baal outright disregarded Charlie's ideas and bitched about them and Vaggie couldn't just watch her girlfriend smile through the hidden sadness caused by the disgust of someone she almost grew up with, Baal had almost accidentally lost an eye to a stray swing getting through the other mask's hole and that was the only moment Vaggie showed any good will towards her... Baal kinda gets it now, she too being an angel and exposed like that.Ah, thinking about the bitch."What are you doing here?" As cold as ever."I need to talk with Lucifer, he was not in his office so he must be here and Angel dust told me he was." Baal said as the much shorter girl blocked her way. "Want to see a video of Lute kicking Adam's ass?""I thought you'd never ask." She almost lit up at the idea of having such video in her possession. "I still don't know how to bare being around those assholes.""Trust me bitch, they are not as bad once you get to know them.""You do you... Now the video, I want to relax." She threw her her phone while walking by her."The password is still the same.""You should really change it from 1234.""I don't care... I have videos of Lute smacking her fake arm around unable to control it if you keep Charlie out of the room.""Pleasure doing business with you.""Sadistic ass.""Back at you." Vaggie opened the room. "Sweety, someone wants to talk with your dad, I have something to show you too.""Coming!" Charlie quickly popped out from a pile of paper. "Oh hi Baal!""Nope!" She put up her hand, slammed into Charlie's face as she was doing the grabby hands to hug her, she picked her up and handed her to Vaggie who had already looked for the videos. "This is yours.""Bye Baal!" Charlie waved as if nothing happened while she closed the door behind her."Has she always been this much of a hassle?""Don't call my little girl a hassle!""I knew it would get you out."Lucifer did a pout before fixing his face."Why are you here?""We need to talk and you weren't in your office, how many times will I need to explain this all today?"He sat on a half build table on its side so he was basically head height with Baal, maybe a bit taller for once."Alright.""Well... It's true, Legion was murdered. It was by the brother of my mother most likely as it was their home before she was stuck down here. I assume he was the one to send the executioner after me and who knew about hell having a nephalem.""So it was true... I'll sen--" "I don't want another guard to be sent, Amon and I will do just fine.""Baal.""No one is replacing Legion.""Maybe... She's not even dead?"She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him down, showing her face into his, her frown visible with this new mask."Legion's dead you got it? Redemption is a fluke! It is not possible! Hell is going to get out of control without these killings Lucifer!""It happened to Sir. Pentious.""I refuse to believe he did after dying, he was redeemed before Adam could have blasted him, no one saw what was happening inside that ship, maybe he was long gone. Redemption is the most fucking ridiculous shit Charlie ever came up with.""I'll forgive your words because I care about you but never ever say that about my daughter again Baal or you'll see why I am the king of hell."She hissed, knowing that comment was far but not letting go."Legion cannot be redeemed and she is not redeemed! Not a chance! She'd have come back already! Legion is gone! A fluke!""Why are you always like this?!""Because it means fuckers like my father just need to be rehabilitated and poof they get redeemed?! I refuse to believe because that means everyone can get it! If everyone does then so could he and he doesn't deserve that chance!!" Screaming in his face, hands trembling as she bit her lower lip. "I refuse to believe that people can be safe because sinners should never be... Not when they can do things like these...""Some deser--" "NO!!" Wings flaring out as she shoved him away from him. "This stupid hotel has no right to work because I'll bring it down myself if that's what's needed to stop this..."Lucifer always knew of these contradicting feelings, having hoped she'd grow out of them but they seemed to get worse and worse as time went on... But it was the first time Baal had voiced her true reasons for disliking it."If redemption is possible there is a world where a man like that can be redeemed and I refuse that possibility!" Screaming at the ground as she hung her head. "I refuse!""Hey..." He set a hand on her head, making her look up. "You can believe what you want, but don't insult my daughter... And let's calm down okay? I don't think you want the others to hear you." He was correct, forcing herself to take a deep breath. "I get it, no new demon and you came to make sure that I know about the information."She gave a half nod, not really using her voice right away."Any other reason?""I... Well I think it is him that higher the Undertaker as I call him but it doesn't really fit, how would he know she was kept like that? From what I know a lot of angels were actually killed at first and they were covered up from what Lute told me. There is only me as a nephalem here.""Technically?"........."HUH?!""I mean like seriously? Baal... Me and Lilith?"She was doing some calculations."W-why doesn't she..." "Look like you? conceived when Lilith was still human." (Because I realized Charlie technically is a nephalem and it doesn't fit the lore I have created for nephalems, so switching it up a bit.)"I..." She lifted a hand, then dropped it, then lifted it, then crossed her arms, then cupped her chin, then lifted it again. "Fuck you." She said. "That not a nephalem it is a nephilim, a human angel hybrid, not the same, even if she was born from a human because of the whole Lilith first demon an all and now Charlie is a demon because of that... YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!!""There is a difference? I thought those were synonyms."Baal almost deflated, she thought she was going to die right now, pinching her nose."My heavens and hells Lucifer!" She dragged her hands down her face as he sheepishly laughed."I seriously thought it was the same.""For fuck's sake... That might explain all!""Huh?""All of the world knows you have a daughter. Maybe the Undertaker wasn't even hired and just knew you were a fallen angel shacking it up with the first devil, boom, nephalem. But Charlie is not one and lucky me I am, so god and satan knows why but maybe it was all a mix up with that guy since heaven would know about your daughter and I got fucked because of that... Lucifer I really wonder how you are not yet dead." She pinched her nose.But it would sound better in her thoughts if the guy that must have hid from everyone wasn't found by some little angel knowing about a nephalem suddenly. It would make more sense if it was because of Lucifer since the Undertaker was already around... Oh my fuck that means that there is two people out there that wanted me dead!Shaking out of her thoughts."Fuck you." She marched away."What did I do?""Everything, and that's the problem, because I am more then sure that the Undertaker and Nikolas are just a cruel coincidence but now I am implicated in both." Rubbing her aching head. "and it is nephilim, she might be born a demon and you are an angel but she was conceived with a human, nephilim. Got it?""Got it.""Oh and think of a way to replace the slaughter of sinners because trouble is brewing if you don't. There was good in it.""I can't do that.""Then I'll think of something and talk to you about it. I need to go see my mother now, I need to be sure Nikolas has no connection to the Undertaker." Leaving in a growing hurry, leaving Lucifer alone in the room."Nephilim huh... And who's Nikolas?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Please, try to focus just once. Nikolas, does that name mean anything to you?" Baal covered herself, almost slapping the chair out of the air as she moved her arms up, gritting her teeth."How dare you show your fucking face here?! You ugly, despicable mistake of a waste of air!! Didn't I tell you never to take that mask off?!""Yes, but it broke; I am still wearing one.""Not enough!! Not enough!!" She parried the spear she could still summon with the flat of her hand. "You are blasphemy!! A vile creature that should not exist!!"Twisting the spear away and dropping it, the stinging of a cut at the base of her palm did not matter to her."Come on, anything more about Nikolas?" All she had gotten out of her had been 'How do you know my brother fucker!?' and nothing more since then... At least it confirmed that. "Fine, fine, I'm leaving; calm down." Backing up."You seem tired, please sit down.""I-I don't need to.""Oh come on, don't be in your complaining phase."That caused Baal to quickly back out and slam the door... Never baring it when she was being nice to her.Even when she had her mind it was rare and only when she was drunk or talking about the only things she liked, music or heaven, nothing else.Nothing else; she'll always be a stain on her life on anyone's life.https://youtu.be/sembsolhyag (I couldn't find a cover with a woman's voice sadly.)She leaned back against the door, rubbing a hand down her face.
If you wanna know why I've been losing sleep
Look in the mirror the same way you look at me
Every time I spill my guts, and you don't believe
Am I dramatic or dying? I guess we'll see
She pushed off the wall, voice gently bouncing off the walls the muffled screams and hurt from these patiences.
This is not a phase
I can't remember the last time I felt okay
So if you think that it's so easy being me
Live in my head for a day, and you'll see
No
This is not a phase
With a spin, clicking the button of the elevator and leaning against the back of it.
If you wanna know why I always hide what hurts
Listen to what you say when I'm at my worst
Every word is proof you're the one that's cursed hmm
Will they kill me before you can ever learn?
Walking out of the elevator grabbing a random staff and making them spin like a dance partner before stepping outside.
This is not a phase
I can't remember the last time I felt okay
So if you think that it's so easy being me
Live in my head for a day, and you'll see
No
Walking down the street before flying up to a spot, the corner of a building.
It's not a trend, it's not a trick
I'm not dramatic, I'm just sick
I'm so afraid it's come to this
A chance to save my life you'll miss
This is not a phase
No
Slowly walking along the edge, playing the air guitar since she didn't have hers on her person but having the fingers held in good positions.
This is not a phase
So if you think that it's so easy being me
Live in my head for a day, and you'll see
No
Spinning on herself, wings out, uncaring for the little stone she kicked off the edge or how she almost stepped off.Falling back against the drop-off with her arms stretched out.
This is not a phase
I can't remember the last time I felt okay
So if you think that it's so easy being me
Live in my head for a day, and you'll see
No
This is not a phase
Stalling out the fall and rising up.She doesn't like her singing voice, but sometimes it helps; she does indeed have an easier time with emotions when it comes down to expressing them on a guitar, in a song, or whatever.But she did wish it was a phase and not her life.Shaking her head, rising and flying up, she has places to be with whatever minimal answers she has.
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"Just... Where... Am I?" Came the quiet whisper."Oh, you are just where you need to be." The grinning being answered the first question. "Now come, let me help you." ------------------------------------- Nothing happened. That's it.That's all there is.Days after days.Night after night.Nothing happened.Nothing.Nothing.NOTHING!! This lack of anything was more unsettling to Baal then if something was going down.She was not really used to normal day to days and she didn't like them.There was always something to do in hell, there had been things to do in heaven, but it all slowed down.No news of where the Undertaker came from and who hired him.No news of where this Nikolas was no matter how many time she flew heaven's main city and nearby small towns.No news about the attacking demon that were bloodthirsty for the angels' blood and revenge.What is going on here?! "It looks like she is going to blow a fuse." Adam muttered as he munched on a chocolate bar Lute ripped from his hands. "Hey!""Stop, you'll get fat." Poking him in the stomach. "You barely trained before and now you don't at all, you don't even visit the gym they graciously put in the home.""I didn't know we had that.""Exactly.""And I'll remind you I am not fat, I am soft, you are a skeleton compared to me.""Then fight me and show me how you are stronger." No answer. "That's what I thought.""First man over there is correct tho." Amon shrugged. "This is fucking boring and stressful.""Doing nothing is stressful? What are you on about cherry demon?" Adam huffed, trying to get his food back but with Lute's hand on his chest and her other hand holding it away he couldn't reach it despite her being shorter."There is always something to do in hell, always. When there isn't it is because of planning a hit a fight, or something else but it is never good and have you seen Boss? What screams mentally stable about that bitch?""I can hear you Amon, there is only a few meters between us.""Good for you!""I will tie you in a pretzel and express deliver you to the pits of the wrath ring where you imps belong.""Ouch, emotional damage!""Weep.""But like, is he correct?" Lute asked, throwing the junk food to Baal as Adam trying to catch it, falling flat on his face."Yeah, heaven is way to calm for any demon to truly like this place after having spent time in hell. Which is one of the reasons I did agree with you despite needing to protect the hotel. Redemption is something that is a fluke and a child's dream.""So you tried to kick my ass even tho you didn't care for this shitshow?!" Adam yelled up from the ground."Fucker I didn't even give a damn about you killing sinners, I would have let you keep going if it was my choice here. Where in the two-three months you've gotten to know me have I ever shown that I liked the side I am on? Or on any of the sides?""She has a point sir.""I know but maybe she could have kicked my ass a bit less if that was the case!""Nah, it was too fun even if now I have golden scars on my body." She was hiding most of them anyway under her outfit."Well fuck you.""Don't be so forwards, that's not how you get ladies to like you.""I'll remind you I am the first man! Every lady wants me!"There was like a united joke of a silence in the house even from the gay-ass imp."Fuck all of you!" Adam flipped them off, finally standing up. "Don't talk down to me!"Baal put a hand on his head before lifting it up to her and waving it to show the size difference."YOU!!" "AAH!! Get off you fat fuck!!""You first!!""You grabbed me!!"Lute sighed, deciding she would conserve her remaining brain cells a bit longer, not getting in between the feather and hair pulling squabble of those two. She stayed out of it knowing they wouldn't seriously hurt each other anyway but still kept a distracted ear on them in case it got that far."Come on... You fancy he--" A pan that came out of nowhere smacked straight into the imps face... Or at least what felt like a pan of cast iron, the marvels of a metal arm."Shut up." The imp had gotten it into his rotten brain that Lute saw Baal as anything more then a friend which was preposterous and outright false... She told herself. It took her long enough to survive her own lectures she gave herself for being a friend of demons after basically a whole life of hate and here was this annoying guy trying to convince her it was more then that.What hypocrisy it would be after what she had said to Vaggie the day of the trial in heaven about the redemption, how she told her it was vile and blasphemous to like a demon when you are an angel. (I know there was also the homophobia undertone but here I am toning that down a bit to make it easier on my as I realized Lute should have been getting more angry with Baal's comments if that was important to her... Yes I realized this in chapter 26, sue me.) And sure, the fact they were both woman was a layer on top but it was truly the demon-angel aspect that had disgusted her... And here she was being friends with these people and being close to them... Why is she even thinking about hypocrisy? There is not chance that it would happen to her!And yet, despite them fighting, as Baal held Adam's head trapped under her arm and give him a painful noogie on the head while laughing... There was this feeling she didn't like about their closeness and shouts turned laughter, how he grabbed her hips to throw her away from him, how she grabbed his cheeks to pull on them.Lute scrunched her face, this will surely result in her coming up with lectures for herself and annoying herself with them without even wanting too."Told you, you jealous~" Amon poked her cheek, getting another smack. "Worth it." He breathed out, falling over as he saw stars.Adam and Baal looked over, seeing Amon knocked out and Lute somewhere between a glare and looking embarrassed."What's got your panties in a twist Danger tits?""I will make you eat your own dick Adam." She threatened, making the man hide behind Baal."For the first man you sure are scared of a woman shorter then you are.""There shorter the closer to hell."Baal scoffed before outright laughing, making him smile before flinching at the look he got from the other angel... Tho the smile came back and he on purpose hugged Baal from behind."Yep." He thought as the shoo hit him square in the face and made him fall over, letting go to not drag the demon down. "Competition."
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"I mean... It could work."
"Well, either that or tell Sera to put the exterminations back into place... It has only been four months, Lucifer, and what has happened? More crime, more sinner violence against hellborns, the sinners trying to break out and go to other rings of hell and hell already being way more populated."She did tell Lucifer there would be a talk about this.
"I know you are correct don't worry."
"Implementing it won't be that hard either... I can come down and make a stupid advert for you or something."
"You are a well-known face in hell after what happened... Fine, if you can't convince the sinners then I'll side with you."
"Fine, alright." Lute was just hearing half of the phone call and had not a single idea what it would be about, kind of almost forced to eavesdrop because Baal was basically sitting in her lap she was so close on the couch while all the angel was trying to do was read and chase the memories of what the imp insisted on telling her out of her mind.Why did she fucking need to sit so near?"No, I can come down today; I'll be there soon."Baal crossed her leg over her knee, kind of uncaringly causing it to rest on Lute's legs, the angel just... She didn't know if she wanted to explode or die."Of course, I gotta drag one down there with me; Amon is not around."Right, this time it was the imp that went with Adam to get junk food... Lute really needs to teach him to eat normally, or she'll keep being left with Baal, and she doesn't want to think about these thoughts put into her head."No, let's meet at your office, I don't think it would be a good idea to have them in the same room... Someone would lose an eye.""Is she really..." Not thinking about that question longer. "Well excuse me but I can control myself if, for some reason, I need to be in Vaggie's presence."Baal looked over with a set of eyes while the other still wandered in boredom, feeling eyes on her, surprise flinching at the thunderous look Lute was giving her... It was not really that hard to figure out what she was talking about anyway for that one point."Last time, no one guessed, it would work again this time too." She said, shifting the phone from one hand to the other to free the first one and looping her arm around Lute's shoulder to pat the opposing one as a sort of 'calm down' gesture that was just making things worse as she looked down at the book. "Yeah, see yah.""Take your hand away before I rip it off." Baal jerked her hand off Lute, taking the threat seriously since she wasn't seeing the pink of her face because of the hair hiding it."Geez, Lute, calm your tits; I wanna live." Baal chuckled a bit, throwing her phone on the couch. "I kind of need to go to hell.""And I need to come along like Adam had last time?""Bingo.""Great." Despite being quite a hypocrite and now being close to demons and getting along with them... The idea of hell was still irking her, she had gotten used to Amon and Baal, but she still wanted to merk Charlie, the cock sucker demon, or any sinner down there that she didn't care for. It was like these two were granted a pardon, but the rest she still didn't like, and she suspected she'd never like them, much less after they got her de-armed and decommissioned from the exorcists... Wait... "Can I kick Lucifer if I come along?" Lute looked at her, snapping her book close after folding a page corner... Yep, Lute is a page folder; deal with it, Adam and whoever cares about it; it was fine for her, and she doesn't care if others don't like it."What?""Can I kick him? He deserves it.""I mean, I wanted to punt the short king more than once, but I don't know how well it will go through... You can try. I won't stop you, but I can't guarantee success.""Then I won't complain.""Oh, you." Baal offered her an amused smile.Lute snapped her head away, that fucker imp's words replaying in her head, the fact she thought of Adam being in her way when he was close to the demon, the lectures she gave herself having a reason why they exist... But she was not ready to admit it.Taking a deep breath, deciding to procrastinate on this one, the first thing she pushed off instead of tackling it."Well... Let's get ready." She cleared her throat."Sure, come on, you need to be made to blend in with sinners to be safer." Baal stood, finally saving Lute from under her leg, stretching a bit even if it was of new use really, offering Lute a hand and a large smile. "Let's turn you into the prettiest demon out there, yeah?"Lute hesitated a moment because of what Baal said.But that smile, that genuine smile, the first ever genuine smile she ever saw...Taking a deep breath....Oh fuck it, and fuck logic! Live a bit and stop thinking so much!She smiled back and grabbed her hand with a squeeze.Let's have a bit of fun with this, whatever 'this' is.
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"You know, between you and Adam... You look more like the sinner." People tend to forget just how strong Lute is, being small compared to many... But worry not, Baal was reminded when her comment caused her to be thrown out the window of Lute's room in a shower of glass and a broken wooden frame. But she was correct... Put Lute's halo aside, spray paint her feathers and hair black with spray-on hair dye, clip on the fake horns Adam had worn, and put her in some spiky leather jacket, torn jeans, and leather boots, and no sinner would do a double take about her being an angel in disguise... And she already had the personality to match.Sadly, to Lute's biggest irritation of current times, Baal was not wrong. It was disconcerting how easily she looked like someone not belonging in heaven with just a bit of fake coloring and an outfit change... She really wasn't a fan.Looking at the halo resting on the bed and sighing, it would be back where it belonged soon enough; she could survive without it anyway; it was not a lifeline... She just didn't exactly feel like herself without it.But--Rip Vaggie's cunt mouth out her ass!-- Lute can't exactly say she wouldn't make a fire demon with what comes out of her mouth and her actions sometimes... Talking about actions."You alive over there?" She asked, leaning out the window."Peachy," Baal said, looking like a beaten pigeon on the ground before shaking herself out, or at least the wings to fold them correctly against her back as she stood."It was your own fault.""And you proved my point.""I will get down there and kick you into the next realm, whatever it might be for nephalems," Lute muttered to herself but simply rolled her eyes... Baal is damned lucky she likes having her around more than she loves her gone.A quiet sigh. --------------------------------- Hell looked just as disgusting as it did months ago and each precedent time.The smell of sulfur, ashes and blood coating the inside of Lute's nose and feeling like she'd smell nothing but death and decay for weeks. The crimson dark sky was not missed either nor was the sea of sinners in the streets below.Hell would forever disgust her, much more now since there were people like that man that do things to mothers and their children.Looking at Baal who flew ahead, leading the way wherever they were going, hopefully staying completely clear of whatever is left of the hotel, Lute doesn't believe it would end well if she saw her again.Baal might be a hotheaded bitch but she is more resilient then she seems to realize, having recounted that awful history of hers without stuttering on a word, her only take away being that she needs to keep her face hidden... Well Lute knew there was more but still... Hell forged this nephalem into what she is today... Well... Maybe there is some good between all the bad."Lute, he-ho, you alive there?" She smacked Baal's hand away. "Oww, that's mean.""Stop snapping your fingers in my face then." Lute offered the solution to the sudden dilemma her smack caused."You spaced out.""I don't miss hell.""I don't think anyone would.""Don't you?""I don't like heaven, that's still true, but I don't have much I enjoy in hell either. Both places have failed me after all.""Right.""Mhm... We're almost there, come on."Baal flying to the office building of the big small king, landing on the balcony, seeing the little guy almost bounce over."Baal! How nice of you to come see me... Oh you brought a friend, who might she b--Oh, scary exorcist lady?!""Oh fuck you!" Lute fumed. "It is black dye and an outfit! My face if still the fucking same! Can't you remember the face of the woman who thought her boss and best friend and who you screamed at to leave!""I told you you fit in."Lucifer had backed of when recognizing the exorcist before outright jumping backwards because of the magnificent left punch that laid Baal out on the floor.Lute flexed the metal hand, she was getting way too good at the broad movements for everyone's safety and one days she'll have the fine motor skills in it again and then it will be the end of everyone... Yet again another moment of forgetting how vicious the angel can be."I think I see the light." Baal mutter into the red carpet, having flopped on her stomach."You better turn back as that's heaven." Lute said."Yes ma'am..."Lucifer blinked..."Baa--" "She's fine." Lute cut off, clearly wrong.Welp... This was one hell of a start to this meeting. --------------------------------------------- How can a woman that is no longer actively trying to kill demons anymore be more scary now then back then? That was the question Lucifer was trying to answer while he poured two cups of tea he prepared. He knew Baal wouldn't drink it so he didn't make her any but it was still a nice host and made one for the murderous angel and himself."So, I know you told me most of it on the phone but run it by me once again, this time from the start." Lucifer sat back in his roll-y chair while the angel and half of one sat on normal chairs."So yeah fine... Heaven using the exorcists as guards against demons that can now leave hell to attack... And it will just fucking get worse. Hell ecosystem got used to exterminations. Without that threat violence and outright vices have multiplied, everything is fucking falling apart in this finely crafted system because Sera doesn't want shit from her superiors by keeping up with the exterminations and because you won't be the one to say to continue even if those that aren't stupid, which is rare in hell, realize that this is the road towards the destruction of both angelic and demonic realms.""Yep, that we know." Lucifer nodded, sipping his tea."Well we need to keep killing the sinners in some way before everything collapses into itself and we are all doomed because of these earthborn sinners that can only be killed by angelic weapons or weapons made with it from Carmine. My idea still stands up to scrutiny. A king of the hill type of yearly or every six months where the sinner that kills the more other sinners gets some reward from the king of hell himself."He stayed silent, letting her go on, knowing she was far from done. Lute just listening but for a different reason. She had nothing to add on as she was just here because she couldn't be left without demonic surveillance. A bit skeptical about the drink but deciding Lucifer was not trying to kill her so she took a tentative sip."It would require like... Maybe the heart of the killed sinner be dropped off somewhere to tally it up. Sinners are already way to eager to kill each other so if framed in a certain way like celebrating that the exterminations are over but hell being a bit cramped so go kill as many other earthborn sinners as you can and you'll get a fucking rad rewards if you kill the most. It would be purely a hellish activity too.""Well we did talk of a TV ad, can you sell this a bit more professionally? I am not giving the go unless I am sure it will garner the wanted reaction.""Oh trust me, I can make people want to kill each other with a little ad, you just have to make a good enough reward for them, or kill the victor, that's up to you... But you know as well as me that despite the exterminations being a violent blood bath of death... They were needed... And you can't deny it.""I hate how correct you are sometimes Baal... I'll help you set it all up but you are the one to explain it to Charlie.""Deal." She offered her hand, rose gold sparkles zapping across her palm but Lucifer gently smacked it down."Stop trying to make more deals with me. It was enough that you almost became my wife when Charlie almost said fuck as her first word.""It would have been worth it." She shrugged."I wouldn't want to be his wife if I was you, I hear that he likes to collect them." Lute said."Oh worry not, I wouldn't want Baal like that, you are much more my type--" Baal's boot to the face stopped Lucifer from going further, knocking him over with the chair but somehow not a drop fell from the cup he held."I am not letting you take her away, not when she's mine to protect.""Oooh fuck... Oh damn, I think you broke her Baal." Lucifer thought with a little groan as he sat up. The exorcist's face only gave away the surprise with slightly wider eyes and the seeming death stare of shock.Lute on the other part got hung up on the words despite Baal not meaning them like that... More precisely she got hung up on the 'she's mine' part while conveniently not caring for the rest... Tho not many would blame her... But was she even breathing anymore? Hello? Lute has lost connection to the main server."Fine fine, I'll leave your angel out of this." Lucifer grinned. Well look at that, here he thought it was amusing Adam might have a thing for her last time when it was the first man that came with Baal but she had also caught the lieutenant in her charms? Not a surprise, nephalem, best of both world, born to be attractive. "I'll have a time set up, I'll call you when it it done but it will probably be sometime later today. So hurry along and inform Charlie.""Sure. Come on Lute, we've got things to do." Walking quickly to the balcony. Being spoken too snapped her out of her rebooting, elevator song listening, blue screening brain."Right." Quickly standing, putting down the half finished cut, standing as she walked over."Behave, we need to go to the hotel.""Oh joy...""I knew you'd say that." Baal chuckled, taking flight but before Lute could follow, a hand grabbed her wrist."Now listen and listen well as I will only say this one." Lute would have made a snarky comment if the little king didn't look serious, which he rarely did from what she knew about him. Waiting for him to go on. "She might not be my daughter but I've seen Baal grow up and trust me, even an angel can burn down the world if you hurt someone they care for." He let her go. "Be it Adam or you, if Baal is hurt, don't expect any more mercy from hell's part. She suffered enough, all of us did."Lute grabbed her wrist in her metal one, rubbing it as she looked at the serious king."Be it him or I, I am sure neither of us wants to hurt her." Was all she said, taking flight in one wing flap."What was that?" Ball asked, looking at Lucifer and Lute, having heard nothing but seen enough to find it weird."Nothing, he was just being an ass."Baal chuckled."Come on, let's get this over with sooner the better, each time I come to hell I like to pay someone a visit.""Sure, let's go." Lute said with a sigh... Oh how stupid Lucifer is she thought, there is no way she'd let herself hurt Baal.
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"Well... This is awkward." It was maybe the first time in a long while two ex exorcists could agree on one thing instead of ripping each other apart on first sight... Well, it took Baal picking up Lute and Charlie tackle Vaggie to keep both from ripping a remaining arm off or eye out from each other.And it was not even either of them that said it but that annoying 'blown his shot like the cocks in his mouth' spider demon.Lute was absolutely boiling, and visibly so, only staying put because Baal asked her or all of these staring people would be crucified... Precisely that little janitor."It's not like I wanted to be here." She crossed her arms. "But Baal has something to talk to your little princess about and well here we are.""Who's the hypocrite now?" Vaggie said with a very pleased smile, even at the spear was thrown and stabbing in the wall next to her head, not really reacting to it. Lute couldn't summon spears still, just her sword... This was one she picked up from when Vaggie tried to dismember her when they arrived."You-... Yo--" Lute pointed at her, the white of her face going angry red as she waved her finger at the bitch... But not having words. "Fuck you!" She ended up saying."My dears, as much as I would love to see you rip each other apart, I don't believe the lobby of this newly built hotel needs to be broken down right away." The radio demon said, only to get a spear and a sword shoved in his face, simply getting a 'hmm' back, pushing the weapons away.Husk had not spoken up, Niffty was 'cleaning', Angel Dust was just looking at the scene and missing popcorn, Alastor just going threatened and the air was thick with hate between the two angels in the room. Why couldn't Lute have just waited outside? Because of the risk on her life she knows but still why."At least you fit the look.""WHY YOU FUCK!!!" ------------------------------------ Charlie, oh little Charlie.She took Baal's idea badly about more deaths to come but unlike heaven, she knew her.It was not easier because of growing up with the girl because of her deal to Lucifer.It took some extreme mental gymnastics to convince her how good it was and how that would mean if people didn't want to fight they could hide and would show who was really mean, those that would kill each other would have never come to the Hazbin hotel. It was only playing on such subjects Baal got a somewhat yes out of Charlie about her idea being good.And when she got that maybe yes, she instantly put and end to the talks so she could get back to Lucifer and tell him Charlie agreed and get this even on its way before Charlie said no and would doom hell and heaven by extension.Snapping her head up at a scream before she could shake hands with the demon princess, it was no deal like how Baal loved to do but just a simple gesture of shaking upon an agreed decision.Slamming the door open, she'd have flown down the halls if they were wide enough.Stopping at the top of the stairs as the confused arguing but all she cared for was golden on the ground. Vaggie didn't really meant that jab, it was more arguing again but Lute had snapped her mechanical out to fast, missing the spear and instead of smacking it away from the warning jab, she get it cut into her side.The singular first and last injury Vaggie hadn't meant... But she hadn't had the time to think too much about it, getting a kick to the side.Everyone watched wordlessly the Vaggie-shaped hole in the front door, not even Charlie, who had followed Baal, could say much as said nephalem side kicked her girlfriend through the door."Did I not tell you to behave?" No one truly knew who she talked too."It's just a jab." Lute waved off with a hiss, yeah it was not much and it was purely because of her uncontrolled gesture she now has a cut... Vaggie be happy Lute is covering for you, knowing the hell Baal can bring from seeing how she fights that even she believes you don't deserve her anger. "I'll be fine.""Maybe if you didn't have weapons out it wouldn't have happened?" Charlie offered with a smile... An awkward on, as Vaggie looked into the lobby through the hole she made. Why does she know she'll have the bruise in the shape of Baal's boots on her side for weeks without checking... She gave a mocking salute to Charlie. "And please don't kick around my family." Charlie told Baal."Well Lute and Adam are with me, touch what's mine to protect and I'll destroy this hotel myself." Jabbing her finger in Charlie's chest but that comment caused the demon horns on the princess' head to spring up.And now everyone stood like sitting ducks watching the nephalem and the princess of hell argue."Still a hypocrite, vile and blasphemous lady." Vaggie whispered with an elbow jab, of course standing next to Lute just so she was sure to hear her."I will rip that second eye of yours out.""Try it bitch.""Fuck you.""Back at you.""...""...""...""So... New arm?"Lute hissed."I did rip it off didn't I?""I mean true but I believed you too prideful for it.""You can hardly say no to Adam when he decides to do something and do you realize just how harder a lost arm is to live with then a lost eye? Couldn't that be your revenge? Eye of an eye?""Hey I didn't make you rip your arm off."Lute hushed her, their whispered somewhat fight getting louder, dropping their tones again."Tell me you wouldn't do so to protect those important to you.""...Touché... And I hate you are right." Vaggie crossed her arms. "Still a huge hypocrite.""I know I am.""You are insufferable.""Live in a home with Adam and three copies of him and then talk." She froze a bit. "Two copies now..."Vaggie was not an asshole, she didn't like Lute AT ALL, but the way she said that... She knows Baal has been sent to heaven as a guard with a freakish tall imp and a lizard-like sinner, Baal's alive... Which died?Lute was not about to self destruct with Legion's death but she still felt like something was across her throat when she thought about it as she'd never stop blaming it partially on herself.Her thoughts snapped out of that spiral before it could get too far when the verbal fight got too far, Charlie being the one to actually throw the first piece of furniture."Oh shit." She muttered, with a flap of wings flying up to grab the other side of the table before Baal had the chance to throw it. "Stop it asshole." She said, Vaggie just yoinking Charlie off the ground despite being smaller, lifting her above her head.Baal dropped the table with a huff."Come on Lute." Grabbing her out of the air like a vulgar bag of potatoes and throwing her over her shoulder like a vulgar bag of potatoes. "We are leaving to tell Lucifer that the job is done." She turned towards the door, letting Lute face the group again.She gave two middle fingers as Vaggie mouthed 'hypocrite' at her again. At... Least everyone survived the meeting.
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"Are you serious?""Whaaaat? That's what we agreed on.""Not her." Baal didn't meet her for long... But the few times she did, let's say Katy Killjoy should have gotten a restraining order against her if she wanted to be sure to survive.Lucifer was surprised that Baal got Charlie to agree, but he agreed to it, so he set up what he promised."Can I let Lute kill her?""Baal, no.""I would do it.""We know Lute, no," Lucifer said again. Lute had no idea why Baal seemed to dislike the woman, but if she hates her, Lute will hate her."I have a sword.""We know Lute.""I wanna stab her.""We know Lute.""You demons are no fun." She rolled her eyes."Lucifer is the one not letting us kill her," Baal grumbled, not wanting to be included in that."Neither of you two get to kill the TV anchor and that's final, Baal you got a show to do, Lute stay put and behave before people start recognizing you, I sent Baal and the others to protect you not cause your deaths.""You no fun." Baal hissed before taking a deep breath and deflating."Well, let's hurry up I have things to do far from the gays." Katy Killjoy was living up to her name, magnificently so."Are you scared of the gays or what?" Baal hissed... Are we certain Lute can't stab that woman?"So terrifying." Katy mocked. "You disgusting and would never have you on my show if I could."Baal could tell this was being filmed... If the blinking cameras said something.Baal was... As we've come to know... Embodiment of chaos.Lute got grabbed by the throat before having the time to react as Baal looked Katy in the eyes while yanking the angel to her."Sorry about this." And kissed her just to 'taint' Katy's show with the gays before shoving Lute to Lucifer as Katy leaped at Baal, starting an all-out brawl with the two and the staff of the news station throwing them chairs, clappers, or handheld cameras to bash them against each other."Oh heaven be damned Baal you fried her circuits," Lucifer said, holding the stiff as a plank disguised angel as he shuffled out of the range of a flying mug with her held over his head. "Such oblivious fuck, 'no one can ever love a freak like me' my ass, open your eyes, child."He put her down, snapping his fingers before her eyes."You forgot to blink, miss murderous angel lieutenant? Hello? Heeeeelloooooo? Hell calls to Lute to come in." He waved his hand in her face, but nope, Lute's brain had gone and fucked off on holidays, only here to slowly sit down on the ground. "Will you let me cook an egg on your face?" It was the color of an imp.Lucifer looked at Baal, seeing her bite Katy's leg and shake her head like a rabid dog.Looking back, he was surprised no smoke was coming out of the disguised angel's ears. He pulled a tea kettle out of nowhere and put it on her head, soon hearing it pop with the boiling water in it. And he sighed. How was Lucifer himself the most normal out of everyone?!
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"This is a gloomy place." Lute had luckily gotten enough time to recover before the mess and the presentation of the killing game ended but it resulted with her having the time to come to terms with what happened.And there was only one she could react to it... Feeling smug that Adam was not the first.Why yes, he was the one to badly and bluntly flirt, but Lute was the victor.But anyhow, even tho, it still took the whole of her training to keep a straight face and not just blast off and go hide in her room like a teen-aged bitch."Well yeah, prison that's an asylum, I didn't want to bring you along but I can't leave you at the door like a dog can I?"I'd skewer you on your own spears.""I thought as much.""... So this is where you brought Adam last time?" Baal looked at her. "What? You can't honestly believe that asshole didn't blabber to me about that, have you looked at him.""Well, yeah, I wanted to see if the leader of your little exorcist army could do my mother some good but didn't, and as I said, I can't really ditch you so you'll accompany me down here since I always visit to check in." Baal had her arms resting on Lute's head, making the disguised angel think about stabbing her. "But I'll be quick. You did get stabbed.""It really is nothing, a superficial wound.""Still, I don't like you two hurt." Lute smacked the demon's arm off her head before it could be leaned more onto her and the elevator door opened. "I just wish I could predict how she'll behave."Lute didn't exactly remember all the memories from when she was alive, it was so long ago, but she knew her parents had been a nice average so she couldn't exactly imagine what Adam told her and what Baal spoke about but it still made her iffy to know someone could do this. Baal had wanted to leave Lute out of this she had spoken true, Adam was brought here for a specific reason but the lieutenant was here purely because Baal didn't trust her safety if she was out of her view in hell... She didn't want Lute to see this; she didn't want anyone to see this, but Adam had a reason for it, not Lute... Damn you Baal, why can't you be selfish for a second and ditch the angel in the hall?...Because it just isn't right. I can't do that to her."Baal?" Snapping out of her thought, standing in front of the door and for a moment, praying to whatever strength needed, turned the door knob without answering Lute....And sighed deeply, the room seemed in order and her ears were not being screamed off instantly.Letting the door creek open..."I've never seen her look this... Calm." Baal admitted out loud.Lute didn't expect the angel woman she heard to be violent and lashing out to be sitting at the table in the room with a soft smile and knit what looked like a scarf."Ah, I wasn't expecting visitors." Baal frowned making lute confused but she soon heard why. "Who might you girl's be.""And here I thought for once you were normal." Baal closed the door behind themselves in the meantime, always needing to make sure she couldn't try to escape. "I just came to see you before leaving.""Then thank you for the visit.""Yeah." This bothered her more than the lashing out did."What would be your name?"And Baal stupidly didn't think... Or she might have thought... But only god would know what compelled her at that moment."Baal." And the moment was broken. It was like awakening a monster coiling in the depths of a woman's psyche.Lute snapped into her training reflexes before she could even understand it herself.Her summoned sword swung up just in time to knock the spear enough for the weapon to not stab through Baal's face, somewhat seeing red as her head still jerked to the side in a stumble, still sustaining a hit.Spinning her body to grab the spear with her free hand and backhand the other woman with the guard of her sword, knocking her down.Lute throwing the weapons aside to grab the lunging woman, wrench one of her arms in her back and the other grabbing a fist full of her hair on the back of her head and slamming her face down on the table, manhandling her with no chance of escaping her grasp."I'll teach you to lift a hand at Baal, and trust me, you'll beg for that husband of yours for help," Lute whispered as she held the other angel restrained. "In borrowed words, even an angel will burn the world down for someone they love.""Lute, let go." Feeling the hand on her shoulder while she looked back, sighing in relief as only the mask had the damage to it from the weapon."Are you alright?" Irgonirng (I have no idea how I fucked up 'ignoring' so much, so I am leaving it there) the yelling woman as she hit the table."Lute." Sighing again, Baal didn't answer her.Yanking the woman up and pushing her to stumble onto her bed, not hurting her and putting them out of direct range if it was not by throwing a weapon."Next time, react if you don't want me to step in." Lute shrugged, picking up her sword and unsummoning it."I suppose you are right.""Of course I am." Still glaring at the screaming woman but that one for once stayed back in her corner. "Do you need more time here?""No... Not this time, I don't think." The pure fact that she forgot and smiled when meeting her was unsettling her too much to try to have any more interaction like she would have normally. "Let's leave... Bye mom."Lute shot her a last look, sure maybe she was harsh in her whispered threats but she meant them, she'll protect Baal from her if needed."Maybe we can tell Sera? Not that I am a fan of her after throwing us under the bus to save her hide... But maybe she'll have an idea to help her." Lute offered once they left the containment room, and the screams got locked in. Making such an offer only because she knew Baal wouldn't just forget the to be a violent woman."Let me think about it.""Right.""Let's just go back to heaven for now... After this hectic day, I can say I have had it with hell up to here.""Oh fuck, it has only been a day?""Yeah...""I need to lay down after this.""Same same..."Baal looked back at the closed door with a sigh. To date, this has been the shortest of her visits but the most hurtful.She looked back at Lute, who marched back towards the elevator, smiling a little. Maybe not all in this was that bad.
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So I thought I would escape the AO3 author curse... But I didn't.But yeah, this is all you get so you know I am not dead.