Helluva Distraction

Chapter 41

"So how do I explain this in a manner that will be informative but also gentle enough for you all to understand and hopefully not  cause complete panic?" Stolas said, as he stood in front of everyone in the conference room. Dried blood was still smeared into all of your clothes, your hands, and your face as you sat at the table and held Blitz's hand for support.

"How about you just say it as matter-of-factly as possible and we can go from there?" Moxxie offered, his hand outreached in suggestion.

Stolas set his hands on the table and exhaled deeply before running one of his hands through his feathers on the top of his head. He clasped his hands behind his back and readjusted his posture until he was as straight as a pin. He even put a small smile on his beak before he spoke.

"Well...I was informed just the other day that one of the seven kings of Hell has been, well, collecting dead bodies of Imps and others as of recently. The reasoning for why this is happening is unknown and royal councils have been trying to gather more information as to the purpose for this. When I saw that portal open from beneath Nero I knew immediately who's portal it was..." Stolas explained slowly, his eyes flashing around the room.

"Wha-? Who's doing that?" Millie asked as she pressed herself up from the table, her hands banging against the surface.

"Well...um...we believe it to be Mammon who's collecting the...collecting the dead bodies," Stolas answered gently.

"Mammon? What would he want with..." Blitz asked quietly to himself, his grasp on your hand getting slightly tighter.

"Who's Mammon?" you asked, your head turning toward everyone.

"Mammon is one of the seven kings of Hell. He is the king of the Greed ring, he created a business there called Looloo Land, my daughter Octavia used to absolutely adore it until, well, as of recent when the business burned down thanks to...well someone," Stolas explained and gave a knowing look to Blitz, Moxxie, and Millie.

"Fuck that place! And fuck Mammon! Worst boss I've ever had. Fizz would still be so far up his ass if he didn't move on to work under Ozzy. I'm happy that place burned down!" Blitz argued, his face getting redder by the second.

"I...I liked that place..." Millie pouted gently as Moxxie began to comfort her by rubbing her back in circles.

"And nobody knows why he wants dead bodies?" you asked.

"Not yet...it's not so simple to ask a king why they're doing something or question their authority. There's a huge power dynamic. The best reasoning that I can give you is that he's the king of greed...collecting, stealing, and wanting more is kind of his forte. I wish I knew more and could be more helpful but I don't have any concrete answers yet," Stolas looked a bit embarrassed.

"That's okay...but Nero is dead? Like dead-dead?" you asked.

"I mean, as far as I'm aware we all saw you brutally slaughter him so...I'd say yes" Stolas said as he rubbed his arm.

"It was incredible, by the way. Ya know I've been hankerin' to see you kill somebody and it didn't disappoint," Millie smiled widely.

"Well...I guess he kind of did us a favor? No more having to worry about disposing a body'' you shrugged.

"Y-yeah, yeah. I guess so" Blitz agreed.

You all sat in silence for a moment before Stolas cleared his throat and straightened out his feathers delicately, "Well then, I'll let you all know if I hear anything more about Mammon, I've got to go. Octavia and I are going to spend some time together," Stolas smiled widely. You stood and walked towards him until you stood between him and the doorway. You breathed deeply before you reached out to him and wrapped your arms around his tall and lengthy frame.

"Thank you, Stolas. Really, you don't know how much all of the things you did means to me." There was an awkward silence for a moment where it felt as though time had stopped. Stolas carefully set his arms against your back and patted you gently.

"Anytime, I-I care about you, Y/N. I truly do. You are a good friend."

You adjusted your head and stared up toward him with a smile, his eyes glimmered as he smiled back down towards you. You had never thought that you'd ever be hugging and thanking Stolas for anything, but with time you realized that he truly wasn't as bad as you had assumed. He was kind and looked at Imps as though they were equals to him despite his royal status. Though he and Blitz had a history that filled you with jealousy it seemed as though now Stolas respected yours and Blitz's relationship. It was an odd feeling to hear him address you as a friend, but it was also a good feeling.

You let go of Stolas and watched as he opened a portal that revealed his home within it. He gave everyone a gentle bow before entering the portal and allowing it to swallow him up. Once the light from it dispersed you turned toward everyone slowly and smiled widely, they all looked at you with a bit of confusion but also acceptance.

"I feel absolutely disgusting," you complained as you motioned down to your still blood soaked body. Blitz smiled brightly before walking up to you and placing his arm against your back.

"I love blood," he laughed, "but I love showering with you more. Let's go home?"

Everyone stood and began making their way out of the office. Millie and Moxxie happily began walking home hand in hand as you, Blitz, and Loona stacked into Blitz's van. Blitz called out to the M&M couple and asked if they had wanted a ride but they politely declined, you figured the mass amount of blood that was drenching you and Blitz freaked Moxxie out a bit. You found it funny how Moxxie was an assassin and yet so queasy.

The van began to drive down the street and you couldn't help but gaze into the alleyway and there it still was, the pooling of Nero's blood that had begun drying against the pavement. Something about it gave you an uneasy feeling but as Loona cranked up the radio and Blitz began belting out the wrong words to every song your mind eased.