N/A: Stay tuned for the end of the chapter cause I have a good announcement to make.
Tristan uttered a groan as his eyes cracked open, coming around after a strange event that somehow left him unconscious for a while. "Ugh… My head…" Raising his head slowly, he looked dazedly around the dark room that appeared to be some kind of office, with some faint lighting going through the closed blinds. The first thing he just noticed was that he was sitting on a chair, but also felt the uncomfortable feeling of pressure around his wrists from behind. After struggling to move them around, he realized that he's tied with a rope.
"Oh great, the sleeping beauty is finally awake."
He snapped his head at the corner where he heard an awfully familiar sound and saw a shadowy figure leaning against the wall, but he could distinguish the shapes of the horns on the head and the tail waving around. The shadow approached him, while Tristan stiffened and grew a glare when he felt the sense of threat.
"What? Aren't you gonna ask yourself where you are, make a quip or something? You know how this works when you're tied up in a chair. I mean, you were acting all that mouthy a moment ago, and look at you now." The shadow said with a voice Tristan heard before, as he was now standing in front of him.
"I'm sorry, but have we met before? How can you expect me to say anything if I can't see your bloody face?" Tristan responded in dry humor. There was a click of the tongue from the shadow and his arm reached to the ceiling. A flash of light caught Tristan off guard, shutting his eyes close when he got dazzled for a moment. "Aahh! At least give me a bloody warning!"
"There, is that better now?"
After blinking his eyes a few times, Tristan looked back forward and he saw the same face of the big-horned imp who tried to ambush him back at the alley. "Oh, it's you. On second thought, you'd look better with the lights off."
Blitzø looked slightly miffed at the human's remark. He dragged a chair to him and sat on it backwards. "Let's cut to the bullshit, you're buried in a big pile of shit just like us, all thanks to your stupid knife puncturing through the fucking grimoire. You know, I could've torn you limb from limb when I had the chance, and we wouldn't have this conversation right now." He seethed venomously, pointing his sharp finger to Tristan's face.
"So you've been watching over me while I was unconscious instead? I'll be honest, I didn't take you for a creep." Tristan replied, wearing a fake grossed out look.
"Oh, trust me, I can be worse than that if you want." Blitzø smirked as he pinched Tristan's cheek, making the young hunter grimace as he pulled himself away. Though his smile didn't last long as he stood off the chair. "But consider yourself lucky because you have a fan who likes to have a word with you."
"Really? That's funny, I never met a demon who would ask me for my autograph." Tristan snorted, though he was slightly surprised to learn there's someone who apparently was the one who told Blitzø to keep him alive. Couldn't be the one who put the price on his head, because what's the point of having a conversation with the person you want them dead to begin with?
"I would be careful who I'm talking to if I were you. That guy is… how you say… a reliable investor to our company, but he's a bigger deal than you can imagine. But for me, I couldn't care less what he wants from you. I'll just be waiting until he finally gives me the green light to dispatch you." Blitzø turned around and headed towards the door, only to stop before he turned back to the human. "Oh and I almost forgot."
Before Tristan reacted, he was struck in the face by Blitzø's fist and almost fell off the chair. Letting out a grunt, he turned back to the imp with an ambiguous look as he flexed his jaw, tasting the blood in his mouth.
"That was for my arm, you bitch." Blitzø hissed with his voice full of resentment, flipping a bird to the human with his banged up arm. Without the need to throw another insult at him, Blitzø continued his way to the door and opened it, casting one last glare at the human before he walked out and closed the door with a slam.
"Fuck, that hurt like hell." Tristan groaned as he spat some of the blood out of his mouth. He didn't want that imp to find out, but he had to give that creature some credit that he sure can punch harder. However, while he had to play the waiting game, there was something unfamiliar about the place he's standing. He couldn't be sure why, but it's almost like the air around him was different than usual, and that was giving him the chills to feel like he's not supposed to be here for some reason.
His thoughts broke out when suddenly the door was opened again, and instead of seeing the figure of another little imp like Tristan expected, it was a rather tall and slender figure with an eerie sight of four crimson eyes glowing in the dark. The moment this unknown creature stepped into the room, Tristan became more wary about his presence that he remained quiet while wearing a cautious glare.
The shadow closed the door and approached the human, only to stop one step away from the light. "Do not be afraid, human. I'm not here to cause you any harm." He said in a calm voice.
"Really? I find that hard to believe because, you know, I'm literally tied in a chair." Tristan replied dryly as he wriggled his hands behind him to prove his point.
"I hope you understand we had to do that as a precaution. My employees just couldn't risk leaving you unrestrained since you had a confrontation with them before you went unconscious. If it matters, I convinced them to spare you so we could have a talk." The shadow said with an unreadable expression in the dark. However, he looked around the room before he headed towards a wall. "By the way, why did he have to leave this room dark? I'm gonna turn on the lights."
With the sound of a click, the entire room was lit up as Tristan shut his eyes briefly to avoid being blinded again. Once he opened them up, he bore witness the clear image of the owl creature who also happened to be some sort of blue-blooded demon. Tristan already figured someone of this caliber would want to meet him in person, but something about his calm demeanor made Tristan become more cautious.
"Ah, much better. Now, as I was saying, the reason I asked them to spare your life is because I wish to ask you some questions." Stolas continued with his head bent down to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. He reached himself down to sit on the chair despite being taller.
"So you're not the one who sent those imps to hunt me down?" Tristan said with a genuine curious tone.
"Oh, no. If I were, I wouldn't stop them from accomplishing their job and we wouldn't have this conversation right now. But I can't guarantee they'll let you out of sight since whoever made you a target is probably expecting an update. I still wonder if their client even knows about your background." Stolas muttered with a serious tone as he scrubbed his chin with his long finger.
"Alright, listen, I just woke up like five minutes ago, I have no idea what the hell is going on. Also I could really use a pillow to lay my head on… So if you really want me to play the game of twenty questions, how about you tell me who you are and where I am?" Tristan retorted, getting impatient to get straight to the point.
The owl demon sighed with a comprehensive expression as he found the human's condition fair. "Very well, my name is Stolas, Prince of the Ars Goetia. And… Well, you're definitely going to find this hard to believe, but you're in Hell." He reached with his hand to the window and raised the binds.
When Tristan took a look outside, the first thing he saw was the skies glimmered in blood red covered with dark violet clouds. Below the bloody sky, a skylight of buildings spread towards the horizon. Yellow lights illuminated the buildings, giving them a lively vibe that Tristan wasn't used to back home. But he sensed that there was something odd with the place he was looking at. The buildings seemed to give it a strange dull feel to them.
"This isn't how the bible pictured how Hell looks like, not that I believe everything the book says, though." Tristan jested, though at this moment he was processing the revelation this owl demon just gave it to him. "But jokes aside, if this is the real Hell, wasn't I supposed to be like… dead?"
"You are correct, you would experience a metamorphosis after your departure from life. And yet, you're still the same human. Then again, it's not impossible a human can be teleported to our world, but the access is very restrictive for many reasons. Which brings to the point we're going to talk about." Stolas continued as he went back to sit on the chair. "From what the imps told me, you threw some sort of blessed bayonet that pierced the Grimoire during your fight. And the book made a reaction that not only sent the imps back to their world, but you as well. What I want to know is how you could possess that kind of weaponry."
"Oh I get it now, this is an interrogation. Shocker." Tristan rolled his eyes sarcastically, but when he noticed there was a hint of apprehension in Stolas' eyes, he began to understand the source of his concerns. While he wasn't sure about telling all the details, Tristan thought he could at least reassure he's not with the church. "Okay, listen, I'm not with the Vatican. I mean, just look at me, do I look like a priest? If people would look at me in the streets, they would chase me down while shouting I should leave the children alone."
"Hmm, so you're not with the church then… Are you a monster hunter perhaps?" Stolas hummed while tilting his head sideways quizzically.
"I guess my answer gave that away, huh?" Tristan chuckled, but then shook his head and focused back on answering Stolas. "I only kill those who are rampaging and killing people. For example, I took down a dire bat who butchered a poor innocent woman. I gave it a chance to answer his crime, but you know how it ended. By the way, you're telling me that book belongs to you, and because I threw that bayonet at it made me literally go to Hell? How did you find out?"
"One question at the time, please." Stolas held up his hand and continued. "Because your blade was a blessed weapon, the Grimoire felt a new sense of threat that returning to the underworld became its priority, so to speak. When I felt something was wrong, I came here as soon as I could to get an answer from the imps, and they told me everything that happened."
"Did they tell you who hired them?" Tristan inquired with a frown.
Stolas shook his head. "I'm afraid they don't have knowledge of that. They claim that the person gave them a call on the phone, but didn't reveal their identity. I know that's not the kind of answer you were hoping to hear." He responded apologetically.
"Figures." Tristan mumbled with a sigh, but then something came up in his mind that he thought about getting to the point. "Look, I still don't understand why we're having this conversation. If there's any reason why you need me alive, it must be because you need something from me. Isn't it?"
"As a matter of fact, there's one thing I need you to confirm." Stolas' voice turned grave as he leaned closer to him as if he wanted to make sure the imps wouldn't try to eavesdrop behind the door. "Are you… by any chance… the descendant of Van Helsing?"
Silence fell in the air as Tristan looked at the owl demon with an unreadable expression as he didn't seem fazed by that question. Stolas was actually impressed how calm this human was, meaning that he's not outright denying his true identity, but would he answer it? Unexpectedly, Tristan began to show his reaction by humming with his eyes rolling up thoughtfully.
"You know, the funny thing is, I never gave much thought about it. Is it really pronounced Helsing or Hellsing?" Tristan replied, earning a puzzled look from Stolas. "Because to be honest, the double L sounds way cooler and makes me feel like I earned to be called such. I mean, not that it would change about who I am. I'm still a bloody badass monster slayer. Though, killing monsters is not the only thing I'm really good at, if you catch my drift…"
"Uh… I…" Stolas trailed off, completely lost at words until he shook his head and cleared his throat. "Alright, it is now clear that you are a member of the Van Helsing family. This is bad…" He bit on his finger apprehensively.
"What do you mean?" The young monster hunter raised an eyebrow.
While Stolas wanted to explain everything to him, "I'm afraid we have to take a break from this conversation for now. I need to speak with the imps urgently. In the meantime… try to keep yourself comfortable." He said before he stood up and headed towards the door.
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." Tristan said sarcastically with a fake smile, pointing out he was still tied up in the chair.
By the time Stolas left the room, Tristan let out a sigh before he brought his now untied hands forward. What Stolas didn't know was that the whole conversation gave Tristan enough time to twist his wrists in order to untangle the rope. Whoever tied him up, didn't even learn how to tie knots appropriately, though it could've been worse if they cuffed him instead.
He knew he can't stay here and wait for his incoming fate. Even though Stolas expressed some interest in him, that wouldn't help that he's still being chased by those imps who are probably waiting for a chance to kill him. Tristan couldn't just put his trust on Stolas and expect he would change their mind. And since they took all his weapons, Tristan had no other choice but to make an escape while he still had time.
Looking around to find a way out of the office, his attention caught the window beside him. He opened the window and peek his head out to see the building had a ledge he could step on, but he needed to find a way to climb down. When he looked to the right, he spotted a suspended platform hanging below, but seemed to be abandoned as there wasn't a sign of the window cleaners using it.
"Perfect!" Tristan grinned as he stepped out the window and slid his feet across the ledge.
"What the fuck do you mean we can't kill him, Stolas?!" Blitzø shouted in a mix of anger and disbelief.
"I'm trying to tell you that he must be working for a monster hunting organization who are probably nothing like the ones we faced before, and you know it! If they realize that one of their agents is missing, not to mention a Van Helsing member, it would be just a matter of time before they'll find out that you're involved in this and we'll be heading for the rocks!" Stolas took a deep breath to calm himself as he ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not blaming you because your client never told you who they were or why they wanted that young man dead, but we gotta do something about it fast."
"So what? Are you just gonna let him go? Because that has to be the stupidest idea you could ever think of!" Blitzø argued with a sardonic chuckle.
"I'm afraid he has a point, sir. I mean, how can we trust that human is not going to say anything about us?" Moxxie asked with a conflicted look.
"I'm aware of that. That's why I think our best course of action is to offer him a deal in exchange for his discretion. We'll worry about your client later, but the priority is to make sure that we and the human are on good terms." The Goetia demon said with a firm tone.
Blitzø opened his mouth to retort, only to pause when he realized there was no point to argue with him. That didn't mean he had to follow along with the plan. "Hey, I got a better idea. Let's say we'll do your thing, but what if he gets into an unfortunate accident? We'll dump his ass back to Earth and everyone gets a happy ending! And that's what's gonna happen!" He then stomped his way back to his office.
"B-Blitzy! Wait!" Stolas called him out to stop him, but Blitzø just ignored him.
The imp raised his foot and kicked the door open, expecting to see the human starting to fear for his imminent new life in Hell, but instead he found an empty chair. "Oh fuck me with my own fist…" He cursed under his breath, catching everyone's attention as Millie and Moxxie entered the office with him.
"H-He's gone?!" Moxxie shouted with a shocked expression.
"What? How could this happen! He was right there five minutes ago!" Stolas exclaimed as he peeked his head through the door.
"Well, someone is gonna have to find him for not doing a good job tying him up! So who was it?" Blitzø glared accusingly to his employees, though more particularly to Moxxie.
"It was you, jackass." Loona's voice was heard from the lobby, pointing to a fact that left Blitzø speechless.
"Wait, look! The window is open!" Millie pointed to the window as the breeze wafted around the room.
Without wasting any second jumping up to conclusions, Blitzø darted to stick his head out the window. And when he was looking to both sides, he spotted the human standing on the ledge. "You know, if you really wanna take a jump, don't expect you're going to Heaven!" He shouted as Moxxie and Millie peeked out to watch the human.
"Huh?" Tristan whipped his head to find Blitzø smiling mockingly at him, before realizing that he was just caught. "Oh fuck this… Give me wings, Jesus!" He jumped down and managed to land the suspended platform, only to stumble when the platform wobbled.
"Oh, now that's cheating, you prick! You're not gonna get away!" Blitzø took out his sniper rifle and shot a few rounds at the human, only to miss the target as Tristan tried to dodge the bullets.
"Blitzø! Stop!" Stolas reached out to the imp and pulled his shoulder, making Blitzø firing another round blindly.
Tristan leaned himself away to dodge the other bullet, only to see that it hit the controls of the platform and began to burn with electric sparks. The next thing Tristan heard was the sound of the platform groaning.
"Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" He screamed when the platform went all the way down the building, as he held on the rails for his dear life. But knowing that falling from this height will get him killed, he had to make the platform stop and fast.
Taking a dagger he's been hiding in his ankle, he used to cut the cable that's holding the platform and grabbed it, pulling himself up as he watched the platform crashing to the ground while crushing some parked vehicles. Without the counterweight, Tristan fell down once again, but since he was only two floors away from the ground, he could land on top of a vehicle and roll off it.
After that, he dusted off his clothes with his hands before he turned around and looked up to the upper floor where he could spot Blitzø and the other imps watching over him. Knowing that they're stunned after surviving the fall, Tristan flashed a goading grin and waved his hand to bid farewell, before running off to the alley.
Back to the upper floor, Blitzø slammed his fist to the window out of anger that made the glass crack. "Son of a bitch! M&M, gather your weapons! We're back to the hunt!" He strode on his way out of the room, only to stop when Stolas stood defiantly before him. "Out of my way, Stolas!"
"Blitzø… I know you're upset, but now I'm going to be straight with you." Stolas spoke sternly that even Moxxie and Millie almost got shivers. "You are NOT going to kill that human, or it would be the end not just for you, but for me and your employees! To make sure that you follow your word, I'll take the Grimoire back to me until you let me know that you captured the young Helsing alive!"
"You cannot be serious!" Blitzo shouted angrily as he followed Stolas out of the office and watched the Goetia prince taking the book with him.
"Right now he must be very confused after I told him he's in Hell and he's getting desperate to fight for a way back to his world. We can only hope he won't go on a rampage through the city." Stolas replied apprehensively before he summoned a portal. He turned back to Blitzø as his scowl began to soften. "I'll be in my chamber to make sure the word doesn't spread all over, and I need to see if the human's bayonet did some permanent damage to the Grimoire. I'm counting on you to solve this situation, Blitzø." He then crossed the portal and disappeared into the other side, leaving Blitzø standing with an irritated look.
At that moment, Blitzø was enraged that Stolas made it clear that he's not going to let him use the Grimoire to go back to Earth until they capture the human. He still cannot understand what does Stolas want from that human, but he hated the idea that if he's not going to do what this blue-blooded bird said, he could potentially fuck up with Blitzø's business after he worked so hard to make it happen.
"Sir…?" Moxxie approached the boss nervously, wondering if this was a bad moment to ask him what would be their next move.
After a short moment of silence, Blitzø sighed in resignation. "Ugh… you already heard the bird. But he didn't say we have to bring the human back to him unharmed, so I'll say we find him, beat him half to death, and everybody wins!"
"Finally, I've been looking for a rematch!" Millie said as she cracked her knuckles with an excited grin.
"Um, there's a little bit of a problem sir. How are we supposed to find the human if he could be anywhere in the city?" Moxxie retorted at the lack of strategy.
"Uh, is your little brain malfunctioning? We do have someone who's gonna take us to him. Oh, Loony~!" The boss called with a sweet tone at her adoptive daughter.
"What?" Loona said dryly as she was sitting at her desk while looking at the phone.
Hiding himself in an alley, Tristan took a peek outside to see if it was safe to cross it, only to find out there were many eyes with all the imps walking on the streets. It still came as a surprise for him when he was told he's literally in the underworld where sinners would be doomed to spend an eternity in here. Sure, he always figured that such a place would exist, otherwise how would explain the existence of the monsters? But to be standing in a different world sure was a unique experience.
"So this is Hell, huh? I wonder how Ashley is gonna believe me when I tell her, if I can go back home." Tristan muttered as he slipped back into the alley. He looked at his own hands, knowing that he can't be seen and got a lot of unnecessary attention. "Dammit, there must be something I can use to hide my face."
Tristan looked around to find anything that could be used as a garment. If there's one thing he learned about cities, is that he could find junk in the alleys the homeless left behind. But then his eyes caught a box sitting next to the dumpster and when he took a closer look at it, he found some clothes inside.
With luck on his side, Tristan rummaged through the box until he found a brown leather trench coat with a furred collar. "Oh look at this, who would throw this coat to the garbage, someone who doesn't have fashionable sense I say… You know what, I'm taking this with me. And also this, and this, and a couple of these." After putting on he trench coat, he also took a long blue scarf with diagonal white and orange stripes, a pair of brown fingerless gloves and a new type of fedora hat.
After putting them all on, Tristan peeked out of the alley once more before he stepped out, wearing the hat on top of his head and covering his face with the scarf. He began walking down the street while he avoided contact with any imp he was passing by, but fortunately most of them were not paying any attention to him.
"Our days are counting! The Extermination Day is drawing nearer and we must prepare to face our judgment!"
His thoughts broke out as Tristan looked back ahead and saw one of the imps holding a sign that said 'The Extermination Is Coming!'. He restrained a sigh as he knew this guy was just like one of the nutjobs from his world who yabber all about how the end of the world is coming or that God hates something or someone. It was better to not pay attention to that imp and be on his way.
Unfortunately, just when he was about to pass by, the imp noticed him and suddenly lunged at him. "Can't you hear them?! The Exorcists are watching over us!" The imp grabbed Tristan by the collar.
"H-Hey, get the fuck away from me!" Tristan pushed him away and went to get away as far from this lunatic as possible. But then, he bumped into a female imp with long white hair by accident, making her stumble as she lost her grip on the stroller she was holding.
"MY BABY!" The imp woman screamed as she helplessly watched the strolling rolling away to the road while her baby was crying.
Tristan was stunned at the mistake he made, he then noticed a car speeding closer to where the stroller was standing and it doesn't seem like it's gonna stop. He soon realized that the baby is gonna die if no one would try to do something. "Goddammit!"
Without thinking, Tristan dashed forward and crossed the street. When he reached the stroller, he took the baby in his arms and jumped away just in time before the car already went by and destroyed it on its way. He rolled over to the other side of the street and looked behind to see the stroller now broken into pieces
"Christ… that was close." Tristan let out a sigh of relief and looked at the baby he was holding. It was a small baby imp boy with a tuft of hair on his head and small horns. "You okay, little buddy? That was pretty scary." He played with his finger, making the baby burst into giggles.
"Oh Satan! You saved my baby! Thank you so much, sir!" The imp mother cried out with tears of joy as she came over him and took the baby.
"No need to thank me, it's my fault for bumping into you to begin with. Sorry by the way." Tristan said, rubbing the nape of his neck ruefully. But then he saw the imp mother was looking at him in shock. "What's wrong? Is there something on my… face…?"
He touched his face and realized that it's now exposed, meaning that the scarf must have slid off the moment he saved the baby. And not only this mother saw his face, the other bystanders nearby could catch a glimpse of his fair-skinned complexion. Feeling cornered, Tristan looked around to find a way out, until he saw a truck about to pass by.
"Uh… There's my ride! I gotta go! Byeeee!" Tristan dashed towards the vehicle before jumping and climbed on the rear part of the truck, as he could hear the imp mother trying to call him out but he couldn't stay behind now that he's been caught. Unfortunately it won't take too long before the word would spread out and reach the assassins' ears.
After crossing a couple of blocks, he hopped off the truck to the corner and put on the scarf over his neck again. Knowing that he already got much attention he was determined to be on his way without any more distractions and try to cover his tracks.
Suddenly, he stopped running when he spotted a child crying in the street. Tristan thought he should just mind his own business, but his conscience demanded to talk to the child. "Um… hey, is something wrong?" He asked, trying to act friendly, but not in a bad way that could create a misunderstanding.
The imp girl sniffed and looked at the stranger. "Fluffy is up in the tree and I can't get him down. Can you help me?"
Tristan looked up to the tree and saw a fly-like dog creature standing on the branch. Trying not to think too much about how a dog could get stuck in the tree, Tristan looked back at the boy who was giving him the puppy look.
"Ugh, the things I do for love…" Tristan groaned before he went to save the pet. He could only hope the assassins are not catching up with him.
"Come on, Loony! What's the hold up? That fucker must not be far away from us!" Blitzø said as he, Moxxie, and Millie were following Loona in the alley.
"Maybe I can do it faster if you just shut the fuck up!" Loona scowled back at the imp before she continued to smell the ground to pick up his scent. "Yeah, he came out of this alley."
"Wait, really? With all these people around?" Millie asked in surprise as everyone got out of the alley and continued following Loona across the street, only to stop when they saw a small crowd making a commotion.
"Oh I really don't wanna ask what just happened…" Moxxie voiced his concern as they approached the crowd. He then spotted a woman holding a baby talking to other imps, meaning she could be one of the witnesses. "Um, excuse me, miss. Have you seen a stranger who's taller and lean?"
"And with a weird face and no horns?" Millie added.
The imp woman's eyes widened after hearing the description. "Y-Yes, I just saw him! He saved my baby!" She exclaimed with a smile.
The answer completely took them by surprise. "The fuck do you mean?" Blitzø said, raising his eyebrow incredulously.
"I-I don't know where he came from, but he saved his life when he was almost run over by a car. I didn't even get the chance to ask for his name, just so I could tell my child who was his hero…" The mother looked at the baby with tears of joy welling up in her eyes, before turning back at Blitzø and the others who were completely flabbergasted. "I know it's hard to believe, but you know… It's nice to meet a nice person when there's not enough kindness in this world."
"So… did you see where he went?" Moxxie asked, trying to focus on the task despite the incredible statement.
"Oh yeah, he took a truck and went over there. I'm not sure where he's heading, but… if you find him, tell him I'll never forget him." The mother then walked off.
"Was my ears fucked up or did she really say about the hero thing?" Loona asked while scratching her head, very confused.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, now let's not have a change of heart! I'm sure he did that just to fool us. There's no way a human would help a demon like us!" Blitzø argued while facing his employees, even though it was clear he was as confused as the rest. "Now let's go, the sooner we catch him and bring him to Stolas, the sooner the blue-blood asshole will give us the Grimoire back."
"Here you go, kid. Better make sure the little critter doesn't do that again." Tristan said as he handed the pet back to the child.
"Thank you, mister! You are so kind!" The little imp girl smiled happily at the stranger before she left.
Tristan chuckled and waved at the imp who returned the gesture amicably. He knew he wasn't supposed to interact with these creatures because he's a human and probably the most powerful demons of Hell are not fond of giving his kind a warm welcome, but he was glad that he could help that woman and that kid when someone wouldn't.
Once his good deed was done, Tristan continued to wander aimlessly around the city. But after a while, he stopped in his tracks when he spotted a park, though it hardly looked like one because of the lack of grass and the leafless trees. Then again, he didn't expect something else in the underworld. Feeling he can go through there without catching more attention, Tristan entered the park.
He had no idea where he's supposed to go and what he's even doing. Sure, he's trying to get as far away from the assassins as possible, but also from that owl demon who was trying to convince them to spare him, or at least that's what it seemed until the imp with the big horns encouraged him to jump off the building and tried to shoot him.
Maybe that owl didn't give the order to those imps, but what Tristan couldn't understand was how Stolas knew he was a Van Helsing. It was supposed to be a secret that only he and A.R.E.S knows about, but could it mean that all the demons know about his lineage?
"Give me your bag, you old hag!"
Tristan snapped out when he heard a commotion ahead, before he saw a brawny imp trying to take a handbag from an old imp lady.
"Get your hands off my shit, you shit for brains!" The old lady shouted with a surprising foul mouth, as she tried to pull her purse off the robber's hands to no avail. Unfortunately, the robber had more strength as he managed to snatch the purse from her.
"HA! So long, crone!" The brawny imp laughed and ran away, but he didn't seem to notice that Tristan was on his way.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Tristan stepped aside and tripped the robber with his foot, making the thug drop the purse before Tristan caught it mid air. "Seriously, you could use those muscles to become a boxing champion, but instead you use them to take purses from the ladies? That's too low."
The brawny imp growled and cast a fierce glare at him with his nose broken after falling face first to the pavement. "Who the fuck do you think you are? I'll strangle you with that stupid scarf of yours!" He then lunged at the stranger with the intention to attack him.
Tristan took off his hat and threw it at the robber's eyes to blind him briefly. He then took the opening to throw an uppercut the brawn imp's chin, sending him flying a few feet away before landing on the ground, unconscious. After taking down the thug, he picked up the hat and approached the old imp lady who was stunned after watching the whole scene.
"Here you go, miss." He said while handing back the purse.
"Oh thank you, young man! I never met someone who had the courtesy to help an old broad like me." The elderly imp stated in a mix of surprise and wonder.
"Well, there's always the first time for everything. Just try to be careful if you run up with another burglar." Tristan replied nonchalantly, smiling under his scarf.
"Say, you're not from around here, are you? You hardly look like an imp." The old lady eyed suspiciously at the stranger, but before Tristan could make an answer, she waved her hand at him. "Eh, it doesn't matter. You got my purse back, so you earned my trust. In fact, I think you deserve a little reward, here."
She took a piece of hard candy out of her purse and then handed it to Tristan, much to his surprise. "Oh… Thanks." He said politely while looking at the candy
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to give this little punk ass some lessons about manners." The old lady cracked her knuckles and went to beat the unconscious robber.
"Heh, not gonna stop you." Tristan chuckled and walked away to continue his way.
Looking back at the candy the elderly imp gave to him, he was actually surprised to receive something in return, mostly because he wasn't expecting that to begin with. On the other hand, he was relieved she wasn't interested in learning his identity, but her words made him realize something.
Perhaps trying to run away to God knows where wasn't the best choice at all, and no matter how much he tried to keep himself on low profile, he wound up getting some attention that will probably escalate. Of course, he did that because he couldn't trust these assassins of sparing him, but he didn't give a chance to that owl named Stolas of talking them out. If anything, Stolas didn't look at him as a huge threat for being a monster hunter.
Tristan still had doubts whether he could trust that Goetia demon, but after reconsidering his options, he came to a conclusion that Stolas might be the only person who can help him get back to his world. In order to get back to him, he needed to give himself in to the assassins, but there's a fifty-fifty chance that they still are under the obligation to get rid of him.
He could try to hide himself until the situation would calm down, but at this point, if anything he learned from these assassins, was that they won't stop until they find him.
"To hell with it…" Tristan sighed when he already made up his mind.
Tristan was sitting on a bench behind the fountain, spending a moment relaxing while he wore his hat over his eyes. His leg was resting on the knee while bouncing his foot, playing music in his mind to avoid getting bored. It was nice to have a little moment of peace once in a while.
This wouldn't last long however when the sound of the guns cocking reached Tristan's ears. He lifted the hat with his finger, seeing the assassins pointing their weapons at him. He could also spot the hellhound girl standing behind them, though she didn't seem to care as she was just looking at her phone.
Tristan wasn't fazed by being held at gunpoint, as he stretched his arms out and cracked his back. "Alright, you got me." You held his hands up disarmingly as he stood up.
"Feeling tired of running?" Blitzø said with a smirk, aiming his flintlock pistol right between Tristan's eyes.
"By that you mean going in circles without having any slight idea where the hell am I or what to do? Yeah, that's basically it." Tristan replied before taking off his hat and the scarf. "How did you know I was in disguise?"
"We asked around while we were following your trail." Moxxie replied, as he lowered his weapon. "And no offense, you look kinda lame."
"Are you kidding me? Somebody threw out this coat and it's not even worn out. If I'd give it a little wash, it would look better. You won't understand cause you're dressed like a penguin." The young man scoffed at the little imp's attire.
Moxxie opened his mouth to make a comeback, but he couldn't think of a word he could use that he just mumbled. "Ugh, goddammit…" He looked away in defeat.
"You've got a good sense of humor, I'll give you that." Blitzø said with a half-smile, but without removing his finger from the trigger. "But don't think that's gonna save your ass. Like you said, you've got nowhere to run. And I wish I could put a bullet in your brains right now, but there's been a change of plans."
"That owl must have told you to take me alive, didn't he?" Tristan assumed, though wasn't expecting for an answer since it was obvious at some point. "Fine, I'll be a good boy this time."
"Wonderful! M&M, make sure he doesn't go anywhere while I give Stolas a call, will ya?" Blitzø took out his cellphone and while he was making a phone call, Moxxie and Millie eyed cautiously at the human.
"So… is it true?"
"Huh?" Tristan looked at the female imp who just called him.
"We heard the word that you saved a baby from almost getting run over. Did you do it?" Millie asked, unable to ignore all the rumors they recently heard and she needed to get the human's side of the story.
Tristan was surprised at first to find out the word just spread around like a wildfire. Looking at her little partner next to her was also eager to know, he thought it would be best to show his honesty. "Heh, I guess my face is gonna be in the newspapers tomorrow. Man, Ashley is gonna kill me…" He mumbled to himself as he sat back on the bench to face the imps. "Yeah, I did it. And I also rescued a kid's pet off the tree and an old lady who got robbed here. I'm sure you bumped into them on the way here."
"But… why?" Moxxie asked in disbelief.
"What do you mean why?" Tristan said, genuinely confused why they would question his good actions. "I had to do something because they needed help. I mean… I just thought it was the right thing to do."
His answer left Moxxie and Millie bewildered, even catching Loona's attention as she looked away from her phone to glance at him in puzzlement. It was obvious they didn't expect to hear that from a monster hunter, who could potentially kill any creature he would find on his path and wreak havoc in the city, but helping a demon from Hell out of kindness? None of that makes any sense.
"Look, I could give two shits about why you act like a good samaritan, but the only thing I care about right now is getting the Grimoire back so we can do our business as usual." Blitzø said once he finished the phone call. "And by the way, you really owe him an explanation for your little stunt, 'cause right now he sounds like he's gonna freak out."
Suddenly, a portal appeared behind Blitzø and then the familiar owl demon emerged from it, wearing a seemingly calm expression. However, everyone could tell that he's not actually pleased about the whole situation when he looked at Tristan with a neutral glare.
"I trust you didn't cause any sort of disturbance around the city, did you?" The Goetia prince asked accusatively as he approached the hunter.
"Oh, he did. But in a good way!" Millie chirped, standing beside the human before nudging on his leg.
Tristan was surprised the moment this woman spoke for him, before he turned back to Stolas as he was giving him a puzzled look. "It's kind of a long story, actually." He replied as he stood up and faced him, without showing any sign of fear of the consequences.
This raised the curiosity of Stolas to know what Tristan did recently, but unfortunately this wasn't the good time. He let out a breath and looked at Blitzø. "Let's take him back to your office, immediately." Stolas said with a firm tone.
"Hey, and what about the Grimoire you promised?" Blitzø demanded with his arms folded over his chest.
"You'll get the book back soon after this, but there's something we all need to discuss, especially regarding our guest." The owl prince glanced at Tristan, as the latter couldn't help but grimace at the sound of that.
The assassins and the prince led Tristan into the portal which brought him back to the same building he escaped, which was kinda ironic. Fortunately, Tristan was brought to the meeting room instead of being tied up in the chair again, so that was a nice change of pace. After they gave him back his old trench coat where he kept all his weapons, he was taken to sit at the end of the table with Loona next to him, while Moxxie and Millie were sitting at the other side.
Stolas stood at the end of the table with Blitzø sitting in his own chair, though the imp didn't seem pleased that Stolas would call the meeting for him. "Everyone, I gathered you here because we need to discuss the events that transpired recently, starting from the fact that an unknown client of yours assigned you to hunt down… um, I'm sorry, I never got your name. Can you introduce yourself to us?" He asked with an awkward smile.
The young hunter blinked as he looked around to notice everyone, except the hellhound, were staring at him as if they were indeed curious to learn his name. Clearing his throat, he stood up. "My name is Tristan Relish. I was born in Dublin, Ireland. Monster slayer. And my favorite food is pizza with pineapple." He sat back down after finishing his introduction.
"Hmm, the name of one of the Knights of the Round Table. Interesting. Thank you." Stolas nodded to Tristan before he continued the discussion. "Now, as I was saying, there's a possibility that your client was not aware or did not share with you the knowledge that Tristan is not only a monster hunter but also a Van Helsing. Either way, this little incident would have shaken the entire Hell if your encounter had gone horribly wrong."
"Please, I don't see how's this a big deal. I mean, sure, this guy really kicked our asses but that's only one time it would ever happen to us." Blitzø scoffed while resting his feet on top of the table.
"Didn't we get our asses kicked by a family of murderous cannibals too?" Millie asked with her hand raised.
"That was because Moxxie was too much of a pussy to shoot a psycho mother!" Blitzø pointed his finger accusingly at the white-haired imp.
"I said I was sorry! And how was I supposed to know that to begin with?!" Moxxie argued, upset that the boss was not letting him live this one down.
"Oh, so you three were the ones who killed them? Well, that's one more mystery solved." Tristan chuckled as he leaned against his chair, enjoying the little show the imps are doing.
"Oh yeah? And how much you and your bigot friends know about us, Mr. Detective?" Blitzø glared at the human, as if he was ready to wipe that smirk off his face.
Tristan hummed playfully while rubbing his chin. "I'd say enough to pinpoint all the mess you made on the surface. But if that makes you feel any better, you did the world a huge favor getting rid of those cannibals."
Stolas cleared his throat loudly, making everyone turn back at him. "Maybe it's better I should skip to the point. The reason I wanted Mr. Relish here was because I want to let him know that I reached an agreement with his supervisors." He stated as he looked fixedly at the young man.
Having been caught off guard, Tristan turned at Stolas with a suspicious look. But when he replayed those words in his mind, his eyes widened when the realization hit him like a hammer. "Wait… Are you saying that…"
Stolas nodded his head to confirm. "The truth is… I have ties with the same organization you're working for. Also known as A.R.E.S."
The silence fell on the room again. And from that moment, the life of the young Van Helsing would change forever from the moment he met Blitzø and his gang. Little did he know that this event will bring the attention to more people in Hell, even the most powerful ones. Some of them will become his allies, but most of them will become their enemies.
N/A: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, especially to see the soft side of Tristan. I'm not sure if I can update this story one more time, but I'll give it a try because I have so much plans for it! And speaking of plans, here's the announcement. As most of you probably don't know, I have my own P-a-t-r-e-o-n and I'm still struggling to make it work, but fortunately I got a new plan which I'm very excited about that.
I'm going to post exclusive leaks, which are basically lemon scenes that's gonna play a part of my stories, like this one for example. I thought that this would help me a lot to clear my mind so I can focus more on writing the plots. I made the first poll to let my subscribers decide which one of the scenes would they like to check out first. And guess what win? Well, this sounds like a spoiler alert, but it's a scene with Tristan x Vaggie and Charlie.
So yeah, after I finish this chapter, I might work on that scene before I'll continue to my other stories. So if anyone is really looking forward for that scene, you can just subscribe P-a-t-r-e-o-n for just $2! It would help me so much to continue my writing. Oh and also don't forget that I have my own Discord channel. If anyone is interested to join, please let me know in the comments so I can send you the invite!
Anyway, I hope to see you guys again in the next chapter, if not, maybe in another story. Take care!
