HEAVY WARNING FOR:

Uncensored curse words, graphic descriptions of gore and violence, mentions of sexual language and activities, attempted rape, domestic violence and abuse, self-harming, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol and drug use

Basically a whole lotta triggering and depressing shite so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

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3rd Person POV

In the month following the start of preparations for the upcoming Extermination, much had been done by everyone to prepare for it; weapons had been made and some were modified to incorporate Angelic steel in them, the hotel had more defenses built in and around it, Ayden even using parts from her obstacle course along with the Angelic Steel plated barbed wire fences that were placed randomly around the property with some old fashioned oil lanterns she had lit herself, and the residents and Cannibals trained relentlessly for the inevitable battle with their new weapons.

Vaggie was seen with charts of Exorcists to point out and teach the Cannibals about their weak spots and how to best wield their weapons, Pentious was with Husk as he looked over his playing card weapons, now lined around the edges with Angelic Steel, and Angel, Ayden, and Cherri were seen jumping around sparring with each other.

"You've been gettin' better!" Cherri enthused as they stopped for a quick breather.

"Right? And watch this!" Ayden spoke excitedly as she lit a fire on the ground close to her feet before shooting another one a little distance away.

She backed away a few steps before diving right into the fire closest to her, disappearing in a burst of sparks before getting spit back out from the fire in the distance, waving and hopping back through the fire to come out from one of the oil lanterns hanging from the canopy overhead.

"Ta Da!" Ayden did jazz paws and Cherri pulled her into a headlock as she enthused,

"Daaamn! Lookit our little Wildcat go!" Releasing her to ask, "Whendja figure that trick out?"

"Almost two weeks ago." She responded before Angel added with a slight eye roll,

"Yeah right after a 'sparring session' with Smiles..."

"Aye he offe'ed." Ayden retorted defensively before adding, "And like I was gonna pass up a chance ta give'im a sockin' he dese'ves... and I 'lmost had'im!"

Angel was about to argue when they saw Niffty coming at them with an Angelic dagger in her hands charging right for Angel, making Ayden and Cherri jump back while he climbed up one of the stilt supports with a panicked,

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

Before Ayden had managed to catch her from behind with two paws around the waist, still running in midair just as Charlie was heard calling out,

"Not him!"

And Niffty stopped running so Ayden could put her back down on the ground to find something else to stab with her new weapon and Angel dismounted from the pole in a smooth backflip move.

"Pfft show off..." Ayden smirked before they both walked over to stand with Charlie, Vaggie, and Pentious as Vaggie announced to everyone in her drill sergeant tone,

"Listen up, Sinners! We've got 24 hours before the Extermination begins. Let's get to work!"

And everyone went back to training and getting ready for the battle.

Ayden walked up to where Pentious, who was wearing an extravagant General uniform, was seen at a workstation with his goggles on, soldering some pieces before he stopped to see her there as she asked,

"Hey Pen? Ya finish my weapons?"

"Yess!" Pentious's hood flared out in excitement before he called out, "Egg Boiz!"

"Hup!" One of the Egg Boiz appeared with a pair of fingerless gloves with semi-solid cuffs where small glowing white faceted orb crystals were inlaid, the back of the hands was made up of woven black bands that led to little segments that fit over her digits all while leaving the palms free for power usage.

"Woa-ho! Rippe'!" Ayden exclaimed as she pulled the gloves on and flexed her claws out, revealing that the Angelic steel was shaped and laced into the compartments to fit right over her claws when they were unsheathed.

"If you think that's impresssive, you'll love this." Pentious reached under his workbench and pulled out what looked like a large but fairly thin axe head without a shaft.

"Whe'e's the stick thingy?" Ayden was a bit confused before Pentious cleared up,

"It's for your tail. You've mentioned being able to use it like a third hand before, so I made thisss light enough to be swung around easily yet the steel is durable enough to ssslice through almost anything. Give it a.. whiiirl."

Smirking a bit ruefully at Pentious trying to sound "cool," Ayden took the weapon head and carefully attached it to clamp around the bifurcated end of her tail, giving it a few whips around to see that he was right; it barely weighed anything and didn't interfere much with her tail's natural flexibility or mess with her balance.

"Nice..." Ayden commented out loud before the Egg Boiz brought over a boulder and cleared the area so she could run at it,

*SHINK!*

Before she jumped up to rapidly side-spin and landed in a crouch on all fours to lift her head and see that the boulder had been cut clean through.

"You, my friend, a'e a genius." Ayden emphasized with an impressed smile

"Yes I know." Pentious bragged a bit before handing her a small bag filled with more crystals like the ones in the gloves to add, "These micro bombs work similarly to the ones.. Ms. Bomb has.." Ayden noted his change in tone to one of fondness when he said her name before he cleared his throat to inform, "*ahem* all they need is your power's ignition to release holy shrapnel."

"Nice!" Ayden took the bag, eager to test them out, before giving Pentious a double-digit salute as she thanked again, "Thanks Pen."

Ducking out of sight before reappearing in the doorway to quickly mention,

"ItakebackwhatIsaidb'fo'eyoushouldto'allyaskCherriout! 'Kaybyeeeee!"

Smirking as she heard him choke and babble in a blushing and flustered mess in the distance as she met up with Cherri, who was standing at the edge of the stone path that led up to the hotel to practice throwing her modified cherry bombs.

*PSH!* *PSH!*

The two she threw exploded in a cloud of blinding white light and Ayden whistled impressed while bumping Cherri's side with her shoulder,

"Not bad." Before pulling two crystals from her gloves and stepping back as she challenged daringly, "But let's see if I c'n beat that..."

Cherri's confident smirk encouraged her to throw the two crystals out with one paw before spinning with the one paw on her chest before it shot out into a fireball that split into two and hit the bullseyes on each crystal,

*PSH!* *PSH!*

Detonating them into vivid reddish-orange edged with white blasts that sent out a wind shockwave that ruffled both their hair.

"WOOOOO!" They both cheered with an arm slung around each other and their free ones raised in the air before they laughed and Cherri enthused,

"Ta think when we first met you couldn't even look me in the eye and now you're a fiery Badass Bitch!"

"Thanks ta you an' Angel!"

"~My ears are buuurniiiing!~" Angel drew out teasingly as he walked up with Husk from where they had been practicing with their respective Angelic-laced ranged weapons a little ways from the two of them and Ayden chuckled as she asked,

"New threads?"

Referring to the ripped striped vest he wore over his regular outfit with his bowtie that'd been changed to a tie and a purple fedora with a light pink ribbon and bright pink feather on his head.

"Oh yeah..." Angel smirked before pulling them off to revert to his regular appearance as he joked, "But! I betta save the flare for tomorrow."

"Great minds think alike." Cherri shot him a finger gun and the two of them walked ahead to talk leaving Ayden behind with Husk as he asked her,

"Sure you're ready for what's coming...?"

"Not really..." Ayden admitted before continuing, "Every bone in my body is screamin' fer me ta run while I can... but.. I'm not gonna..."

She looked up at Husk with a fierce intensity in her eyes that had only grown in the past month as she declared, her voice going softer towards the end,

"This is the fi'st step to my redemption... I might not eve' be allowed in Heaven but I can sta't ta take back my life from everyone who's eve' ruined it down he'e, sta'ting wi'h that Karen bitch.. and maybe, once I do that... I could confront the rest of'em no problem..."

Husk raised a brow with an admiring smile as he asked,

"You gonna kill her?"

"I am..." Ayden answered with a firm nod before adding in a grim tone, "And I'm gonna take back both things I neve' shoulda let'er keep..."

"Which would be?"

Just as she was about to answer though, her and Husk's ears twitched when, through the sounds of the Cannibals training, Charlie was barely heard shouting through her cupped hands,

"Could everyone gather around in front please?!"

Hardly anyone moving to assemble until-

*SKREEEE!*

Everyone winced at the feedback noise from Alastor's microphone staff got everyone's attention and hurried to assemble, Husk and Ayden rolling their eyes at the action but joining the crowd anyway as Charlie was handed Alastor's staff, tapping the microphone before she started to speak,

*Hello? I want to thank everyone for coming. Even people who aren't staying here yet... Cherri.*

"Look, I can't resist a fight, okay? Especially when I get to tag team with these fuckheads." Cherri retorted lightly as she wrapped her arms around Angel and Ayden, who both smiled at her before Charlie continued,

*Tomorrow, the Exorcists will face a Hell ready to defend itself and win!*

"Yeah! Yeah, we will! Tell 'em, baby!" Vaggie cheered from the crowd and Charlie pointed to her before amping up,

*Yes! And we are-we are going to win!* She wilted down a bit as she got a little realistic to say, *But in case we don't, I want you all to know... that getting to know you has been the biggest honor of my life. Whatever redemption really means, I know you all tried.* She looked down proudly at everyone and everyone smiled back at her, minus Cherri but even she had to crack a grin when Ayden leaned her head against her shoulder and Angel placed a hand on Ayden's shoulder and smiled warmly while Charlie continued speaking, stuttering a bit with emotion, *I have seen the good in all of you. And it's... I-I'm just... I love you all, so much, and-and live tonight however you want because-*

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! HAHAHA!" Niffty cut in as she cheered loudly before laughing maniacally, leaving everyone silent until Vaggie tried to lighten the mood back up while clapping,

"Alright! Let's give it up for not dying! Love not dying." Pausing for a second to see no one was reacting before suggesting, "Drinks?"

A few minutes later, everyone had gone inside and drinks were served as everyone talked and their conversations overlapped each other,

"I mean, personally, I'm excited. It's been a while since I stabbed anyone and really meant it, you know what I mean?"

"Cheers, bitches!"

"Yeah!"

"Hell yeh!"

"Here's ta us."

Before Pentious toasted with his glass high in the air,

"Here's to being alive today and not dying tomorrow!"

"Speak fer you'self!" Ayden joked while raising her strawberry mocktail, which technically had a hint of rosé mixed in, before everyone clinked their glasses and bottle together.

After a little while, Cherri had gone to talk with Vaggie leaving Ayden and Angel sitting at the bar with Husk as they chatted.

Meanwhile, Ayden had looked around for Niffty, only to see her on the mezzanine with Alastor laughing crazily before stopping with creepy expressions on their faces.

'Do I ev'n wanna know...?' Ayden thought to herself, thoroughly weirded out, as she took another sip from her drink right as Husk asked Angel while dragging a finger across the bar counter to emphasize,

"Last day of afterlife, and you're not off snorting a line off some hunk's abs?"

"Eh, you fucked one cannibal pool boy, you fucked 'em all." Angel shrugged before waving dismissively and Husk responded with an admiring,

"I guess you have changed..."

Angel put his drink down and looked down for a second before telling him,

"Hey.. Charlie said live tonight however we wanted.. so pour me a fresh one, and let's get to living!"

Husk went to get Angel's drink and he watched him go with his head propped in a hand that had Ayden smirking mischievously as she teased,

"Su'e ya don't wanna tap that?"

"Since when do you care about my sex life?" Angel retorted teasingly with a hair ruffle before Ayden answered genuinely,

"I don't.. I jus' think you two could be good fer each othe'... no matte' how ya end up..."

"Uh huh..." Angel smiled fondly before asking her, "And what about you and Princess Fancy Feathers?"

Ayden's smile slowly fell as she looked down at her rosy drink while confessing,

"I don't know... pa't o' wants ta believe we coulda stayed friends if I'd jus'.. told'er who I really am but.. I don't know..."

There was a moment of silence before Angel put a hand on her shoulder to break her out of her dismal state to ask,

"Puttin' aside all the danger and whateva, do you wanna tell her?"

"Yeh..." Ayden hardly hesitated to answer and Angel smiled before suggesting semi-enthusiastically,

"Then do it. Leave her a message or betta yet tell her you'll explain everything if you survive, that way ya've got somethin' else ta fight for."

Ayden considered it, thinking back to a similar conversation she had had with Vaggie a week prior, and side nodded her head while shrugging as she admitted with her mouth twitching up in a fond smile,

"I guess it'd be nice... I really have missed jus'... talkin' and hangin' out wi'h he'..."

Angel was about to say something else when Husk came back to refill his and Ayden's drinks and pour a shot for Cherri as they all watched Pentious try to confess his feelings to her,

"-I... I love... I'd love to wish you good luck in the battle ahead."

The trio groaned silently as Pentious seemed to wuss out again, holding his hand out for Cherri to shake as she responded with uncertainty,

"Okaaaay...?"

Before Pentious continued to praise her shyly with his blush growing brighter,

"You are... have always been a worthy opponent. With the mossst... brilliant explosive contraptions I've ever seen."

"Uh... thanks?" Cherri started to smile a bit at him before he rapidly pulled back to near-shout before hurrying away,

"Anyway, I guess... pleasedon'tdietomorrow. Okay, bye!"

Cherri looked a little disappointed as he rushed away before Angel and Ayden walked up to her with the former giving her the shot as he told her,

"You know, you could totally tap that."

"Tch, don't be gross." Cherri scoffed before the three of them downed their drinks so Angel could mention nonchalantly,

"Cuz, you know, I hear he's got 2 dicks."

"Huh..." Cherri looked in the distance as she considered that before smiling a bit in interest.

"Oh su'e that gets yer attention...!" Ayden joked and Cherri responded with a punch to her arm and a noogie before asking,

"Whateva happened to that princess you were seein'?"

But Angel stopped her from answering when he butted in,

"She's juuust about to text her, right?"

Ayden gave him a "seriously...?" deadpan before rolling her eyes good-heartedly as she downed the rest of her drink in one swift gulp and answered,

"Su'e, but wi'hout an audience...!"

The two of them exclaimed in teasing disappointment and egged her on with smoochy noises as she walked away while flipping them off jokingly into the dark hallway.

"Pheeew....!" She sighed loudly as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and navigated over to her Messages app, finding her convo with Via effortlessly since it was pinned to the top and easily recognizable with the owl, stars, and yellow heart emojis next to her name.

"Why's this so haaaaa'd...?!" Ayden was frustratedly shocked at how hard it was to open the convo and started pacing around as her nervous thoughts started to swirl around her head again,

'What if she's still mad at me?!'

'Why would she wanna listen ta anythin' I have to say?'

'We shoul' at least get it outta the way.'

'Maybe she'll unde'stand...'

"RAH!" Ayden let out a frustrated yell before thumping her head against the wall and just slumping down to let her head carry most of the weight while her arms hung limply, still with the phone in their grip.

"Uhhh Ayden?"

Ayden snapped her head in the direction of the end of the hallway and saw Charlie and Vaggie peeking their heads from around the corner and she winced her eyes shut as she muttered,

"Fuuuuck...!"

"You uh.. You doin' OK?" Vaggie asked as she and Charlie were about to get closer when Ayden held out a paw to tell them,

"I jus' need ta do this alone.. I need ta tell Via what I really think and, no offense, but knowin' you two you'll tell me to tell'er somethin' real sappy..."

"Eh she's got a point." Vaggie acknowledged with a shrug while Charlie clasped her hands together and her puppy dog eyes showed as she gushed,

"You're being so thoughtful!" Before pulling Vaggie back as she continued to enthuse, "We'll give you some space then but remember; don't force it, just let it flow!"

Disappearing back around the corner and Ayden's twitching ears told her they had gone away and weren't just lurking around the corner before she straightened back up and sighed as she tapped her convo with Via and started to rapidly type, hitting send before she could second guess herself as the words just came spilling out, one message after the other,

*Hey Via*

*I know I screwed

things up and ya

have evry right ta

hate me fer

disappearing fer

a month*

*I thought

if I pushed ya

away it would

keep ya safe from

all the shite I

gotta deal with*

*But I shoulda

trusted ya...*

*I promise that

if I survive tmrw

and if you still

wanna hear me out

I'll tell you EVERYTHING*

Ayden breathed a shaky sigh of mixed relief and dread after sending that last message and she started to fully realize what she had done and now could only hope that this was a promise she'd be able to keep and that it would give her some more strength for tomorrow.

When she headed back out to the lobby, she saw everyone cleaning up and heading to their rooms to try and get some sleep for tomorrow so she went to her room to quickly change into her pjs, throwing on her sweater from Angel before flopping onto her bed.

But she tossed and turned for a little while, unable to fall asleep before she left her room with a small blanket draped around her shoulders and went a few doors down to Angel's room to knock softly on his door,

*tch..* *tch..* *tch..*

Angel answered with a slightly tired look before it softened when he saw Ayden standing there before she asked,

"C'n I sleep on yer floo'...?"

And he smiled softly as he stepped aside to let her in with,

"Get in here... and not on the floor..."

So she walked in, going right toward the smaller bed attached to Angel's where Fat Nuggets was sleeping, picking him up and hugging him close before he tiredly snuffled her face and gave a happy oink when he saw it was her,

"Reh!"

Before she laid down on one side of Angel's bed while he took the other side with Fat Nuggets in between them as she kept her blanket wrapped around her head and torso with only her face visible and bunched her knees up to her chest to curl in on herself while still being able to pet Fat Nuggets as she asked absently,

"Ya really think we c'n win tomorrow...?"

"All o' us against all o' them...?" Angel emphasized as he turned to stare blankly at the ceiling, "Realistically, odds aren't in our favor..."

Ayden raised a brow at the foreshadowing tone in his voice and asked expectantly,

"Buuuut...?"

"But somehow.. bein' here with you and everyone else and everything we've been through together.." Angel turned again to look at the various photos he had on his wall along with his performance posters as he smiled and added, "makes me wanna have hope..."

Ayden smiled as she looked over the photos too seeing some with her and Cherri with Angel, a few selfies with Fat Nuggets, and remembered the ones he had on his door of him and everyone else in the hotel as she agreed,

"Me too..."

The two went silent before Ayden thought and asked aloud,

"When we win, think it'll fin'lly show those angels up top this place really can wo'k?"

"Eh probably not but it's nice ta think about..."

"Maybe ya c'n see Molly again..."

Angel's eyes widened a bit in surprise at how Ayden knew that name before she answered his unspoken question,

"Ya used ta talk in yer sleep a lot..." Ayden smirked wryly as she continued, "Used ta think she was some kinda ex til ya said 'gemella' one day and I figu'ed you'd tell me 'bout her when you we'e ready..."

"Kinda like you an' Taylor...?"

"Yeh..." Ayden looked down sadly as she told him, "'Cept you might get a chance ta see he' again if this place really wo'ks..."

Making him smile in semi-hope as he devised,

"Hey if it does, maybe I can work out weekend visiting trips and you two can meet..."

The corner of Ayden's twitched up in a smile before it fell again as she pulled her blanket closer around her head to speak with a bit of fear in her voice,

"We gotta su'vive tomorrow fi'st..."

"You will..." Angel gently uncovered Ayden's head from the blanket so one hand could brush her hair out of her face and the other could scratch gently between her ears, lulling her to sleep finally as she mildly threatened while her eyes were slipping closed, a yawn briefly interrupting her,

"I swear.. if ya try and pull any o' that *yaahh...* self-sacrificin' shite tomorrow, I will find a way ta bring yer arse back... jus' so I can kill ya.. myself..."

Her eyes finally closed as her breathing evened out and a purr started to emit from her chest where Fat Nuggets had chosen to curl up.

Angel smiled again at the sight before he responded in barely a whisper as he settled in to sleep as well,

"I'll keep that in mind..."

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...

...

It was early the next morning when everyone was woken up and urged to get ready for the upcoming battle before being told to meet out in front of the hotel.

In her room, Ayden was already dressed in her regular red crop top with a shooting star on the front and some navy blue cargo shorts outfit and was leaning on her paws in front of her still-broken vanity mirror, the point of impact right over her closed eyes that were framed by her loose hair as she let the voices from her past clamor over each other in her mind,

'Worthless!'

'~You're not being ungrateful are you...?~'

'You need us!'

'Never gonna amount to anything useful...'

'You'll die out there without us...'

'Nobody will ever love you!'

'Disposable bitch!'

'You're nothing on your own!'

'Just end it!'

'You'll always be alone!'

Before she snapped her eyes open to look at the additions to her outfit laid out on her bed alongside her weapons from her friends and found family.

(Song is "Ready for War" by Fleurie but you most likely won't find it... : ( )

Music started to play in the background of her getting ready as she pulled on a striped ripped vest similar to Angel and Cherri's outfits with a flourish before pulling her hair into its normal high ponytail,

♫ What are you fighting for...? ♫

Before lacing some black ribbon leg wraps that had a heart-shaped buckle on her right thigh and pushing herself to her feet as she went back over to the vanity,

♫ Get ready for the war ♫

She clasped her heart choker onto her neck, opting to leave her crystal choker in her drawers but tucking her photo with Taylor into the inner pocket of her vest and clipping her room key onto her belt loop as the song kept playing in the background,

♫ Get ready for the war ♫

She grabbed her weapons, tucking the pouch of extra mini bombs into her cargo short pocket,

♫ What are you fighting for...! ♫

Standing in front of her door to take a deep breath before heading out, the world seemed to be moving in slow motion around her as she headed out to the front of the hotel,

♫ Everybody's looking for a heeeerooooo! ♫

She made her way to the front where the main crew was as she secured the weapon head onto her tail and pulled the gloves on, her claws sheathing and unsheathing to make sure everything was ready to go,

♫ Everything is swallowed by the shaaadoooows! ♫

She stood between Angel and Husk glaring up at the sky, looking for any sign of the portal as the last line of the song faded,

♫ Get ready for waaaar... ♫

Ayden closed her eyes and sighed as she focused before-

*TZZZZ!*

She felt the familiar yet unsettling chill race up her spine and her eyes snapped back open to let her see that the golden portal from Heaven had opened up overhead.

"Here they come. Get ready, everyone. We fight together!" Vaggie called out to everyone from next to Charlie and everyone began to psych themselves up before a horde of flying figures was seen approaching the portal.

"Now! FOR YOUR SOULS!" Vaggie shouted while raising her spear just as the Exorcists crossed the portal's threshold and began flying down to the group.

"Let's FUCK THEM UP!" Charlie added with a yell and everyone began to charge forward to start fighting back.

Some Exorcists made it to the ground where the Cannibals swarmed them with their Angelic weapons and began killing them along with everyone else.

Ayden had been leaping across the tops of the various poles planted around, swiping and slashing at any Exorcist that came close when she felt the familiar shudder of Alastor's power's presence as he manifested a large forcefield to surround the hotel, cutting off the main surge of Exorcists and trapping some of them inside with everyone while the shield itself created tentacles that started fighting some of the angels with their own weapons on the outside.

Grinning maniacally as she slashed at the torso of one before leaping onto the back of another Exorcist, Ayden dragged her down to the ground close to where Angel and Cherri were fighting and Pentious was manning the cannons as they all shouted while fighting,

"Come and get some!" Angel spun around firing the two Tommy guns in his hands.

"Eat shrapnel, fuckers!" Cherri leaped up to throw out a trio of cherry bombs that exploded in a bright golden blast.

"He'e comes the crossfi'e!" Ayden sent out a flaring x-shaped arc of flames that struck down another Exorcist before a second round was accompanied by two mini bombs that blew them up in a splash of glowing golden blood.

"All Angelic weapons fire at will!" Pentious commanded the cannons to fire just as Husk came swooping down with his steel-edged cards in hand as he shouted to them all,

"Hey, yelling while fighting doesn't help!"

"No, but it makes us look coole'!" Ayden argued before yelling while running off with her claws raised, "RAAAAHHH!"

Niffty was close behind her as she went around stabbing every Exorcist she could find with her dagger while laughing crazily.

Ayden had finished cutting an Exorcist's stomach open with her tail-axe when she saw another one flying down to Niffty from behind her and shouted,

"Niffty!"

Throwing a fireball to land in front of her, making her stop and see the Exorcist coming at her but wasn't attacked as Ayden pyroported with a leap that sent her flying right at the Exorcist in an airborne somersault that sliced her right in half, the halves landing on either side of Niffty as Ayden landed with a pant,

"You OK?"

And was relieved when Niffty just continued her job as if nothing had happened,

"Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!"

Going between the body halves to pierce them with her dagger while Ayden smirked ruefully before the ground shook from beneath them.

*TCHHHH*

*KRSH!*

"Crikey!"

Something broke right through Alastor's barrier, making Ayden exclaim in panic, leaving them all exposed to the Exorcists they had yet to kill as well as the ones that now surged forward, unobstructed.

Two of them were heading right for her and Niffty when she shouted,

"Niffty!"

Holding a paw out and Niffty, despite not knowing exactly what she was planning, grabbed a hold of it and continued laughing crazily as Ayden swung her around in a full circle before she sent out a flare of flames that temporarily blinded the two angels long enough for Ayden to fling Niffty at them so she could stab them both with a yelled,

"AIR STAB!"

The both of them falling to the ground and cushioning Niffty's fall as she cheered,

"COMBO!"

Before running off to continue her stabbing spree while Ayden went in a different direction to keep slashing and clawing at any Exorcist that got too close to the hotel.

She had made her way back close to the front of the hotel close to where Angel was mowing down angels with his Tommy gun and Husk was flying overhead as he griped while killing an angel with his cards,

"These fucking angels won't stop coming!"

"HA!" Angel laughed out loud and even Ayden snickered as the former shook his behind teasingly making Husk admit with a wry smile and a dismissive hand wave,

"Okay, I walked right into that one."

"Now he 'dmits it!" Ayden crowed triumphantly before she saw an Exorcist land on the ground on the other side of the Angelic steel-tipped barbed fence where two Egg Boiz were but Angel beat her to the punch as he winked at Husk while saying,

"Hold that thought."

Jumping right over the fence in a front flip before landing in front of the surviving Egg Boi that hadn't been killed and blocking the Exorcist's blade with his Tommy gun before his third pair of arms appeared wielding two more guns that killed the angel before he turned to the Egg Boi and asked him,

"You alright, squirt?"

"I nearly scrambled... myself." The Egg Boi answered while hugging Angel's leg gratefully before he was told,

"Get somewhere safe."

*PSH!*

Right before a beam of light hit the hotel and the shockwave sent out a rain of rubble that knocked Angel back with a yell,

"AGH!"

"Angel!" Ayden shouted as the smoke cleared to show that he and the Egg Boi were dazed but alright but she and Husk, who was flying right above, were pissed as they looked to the source to see Adam shooting holy light from his hands while yelling,

"SUCK MY HOLY LIGHT, FUCKERS! YEAH!"

*BZZZT!*

"YAH!" Ayden had to roll out of the way of a beam that narrowly missed her but was stunned by the shockwave as she lay on the ground so she didn't see that the beam hit one of the poles at the base and was crashing down on her until-

*TCH!*

"AGH!"

It landed right on the axe head on her tail and she struggled with getting it off as another beam hit close by and she had to shield her face from the dust that sprayed up while also curling in on herself,

*BZZZT!*

"Come on...!" Ayden growled as she sat back up and braced her feet against the beam to try and roll it off to no avail before she quickly realized,

"Wait a minute..."

And she shapeshifted to hellcat form, her tail shrinking and letting it slip right through the axe head, leaving it stuck under the beam while she crawled out and shifted back with a relieved sigh,

"Phew..."

*BZZZT!*

Before she looked up and saw a beam about to hit her when-

*FWOO-FWSH!*

She was scooped up from the ground out of the way of the beam as it hit the ground and sent another shockwave that knocked Ayden and Husk, who'd been the one to get her away, out of the sky and they crashed to the ground close to where the others were.

"Guys!" Angel exclaimed as he and Cherri hurried over to help them both up as Husk questioned while hissing in pain from the impact of landing while shielding Ayden,

"You alright kid?"

"I'm good, thanks..." Ayden smiled gratefully at him before noticing someone was missing as she questioned, "Whe'e's Pentious?"

Cherri looked away in guilt before her question was answered as the war machine lifted off from the side of the hotel and the "mouth" opened to let the death ray emerge as everyone watched from the ground.

"That crazy motherfucker..." Angel muttered in awe as he watched him go and Ayden questioned numbly,

"Wha's he doin'...?!"

But they could all do nothing but watch as the ship got closer to Adam, aiming the death ray at him as it was charging up but Adam noticed it and with a single blast of holy light, disintegrated it... just. like. that...

*BZZZT!*

"NOOO!" Charlie yelled in anguish as she started crying and everyone else looked distraught as well, "No..."

"Fuck... You did good, buddy..." Angel muttered as three of his arms hugged himself and the fourth hugged Ayden close as she whispered proudly,

"Good on ya mate..."

"No, no, no..." Charlie sank to her knees as she cried and Vaggie tried to comfort her,

"Charlie, I'm so sorry..."

"Hrrrrr...!"

Something sparked inside of Ayden and she gasped before pulling away from Angel right as Charlie stood back up to shout in rage,

"Razzle! Dazzle!"

The two demons flew over to her as she became engulfed in a vortex of flames that seemed to have been boosted by Ayden from the way the same flames were surrounding her form as well.

"RAAAH!"

A demonic shriek sounded from Charlie before she cut through the flames with an Angelic pitchfork she summoned to reveal she was in her full demon form with Razzle and Dazzle in grown dragon forms.

"Let's ride!" Charlie shouted as she hopped aboard Razzle and Vaggie got onto Dazzle and they both took off to the sky, everyone cheering for them from the ground,

"Yeah! Get 'em!"

"Shit!"

"WOOOO!" Ayden whooped with both paws raised to the air despite the sudden energy drain she had experienced a minute before.

Her ear twitched before looking up and her eyes widened when she saw the countless other Exorcists that were coming towards them all and called out panicked,

"Uhh guys?!"

Before the rest of them raised their guards back up to fight the incoming angels threatening to outnumber them.

Just as Ayden exploded another angel midair, she saw Dazzle get struck down by the Exorcist that had been by Adam's side, Lute, before diving down to face Vaggie within the hotel and shortly after, Charlie went to help her only for Adam to throw her off of Razzle and into the hotel's neon sign.

"NO!" She shouted and tore away from the group to run on all fours to try and help Charlie or even Vaggie despite Angel shouting after her,

"Ayden!"

But just as she was about to break through the front door, she was halted by a grab to the back of her vest.

*TCH!*

"YAH! What the-?!" Ayden hardly had any time to yell out in surprise before she was raised up like nothing and swung into the wall hard enough for the wind to get knocked out of her and barely got the winded "OOF!" out before she was swung around and thrown into another wall on the opposite side until she was finally tossed onto the ground away from the hotel.

"Koff! Hrr-AGH!" Ayden coughed on the dust before she was pinned to the ground chest down with a heeled boot on her back as a voice sneered,

"Finally got you... Abomination..."

Ayden didn't even have to look back as she hissed,

"You!"

Before she was harshly kicked onto her back with the boot on her chest and a hand wrapped around her throat as she was met with an Exorcist with Maleficent-like horns, her barbed Angelic spear strapped to her back, and wearing the exact same uniform as her Exorcist sisters but with one addition that had Ayden seething; a star sapphire star-shaped pendant that still had bits of dried blood staining its silver chain.

Noticing her gaze on it, Keren smirked through her mask as she used her free hand to tap the gemstone while mocking,

"Your little friend didn't deserve to be in Heaven and you don't deserve to continue existing..."

Her grip on her throat tightened to the point where Ayden started struggling to breathe and no matter how hard she squirmed or kicked, the heel would just dig into her chest harder right over the existing scars, sending lightning-quick sharp pains to the rest of her body.

Ayden was readying a paw for a weak fireball when Keren swiftly whipped her spear off her back and stabbed the point right through her palm, sinking into the ground and sending her glowing blood spraying out as she cried out in agony,

"AGHHH!"

Her form instinctively shifted to her human one so the weapon wouldn't hurt as much but left her even more powerless as Keren tightened her grip on her throat before leaning down to hiss into her ear as her vision started going blurry with the tears spilling out,

"You're a mistake... a monster to be put down... that is all you ever were..."

(Song is "The Lion, The Beast, The Beat" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals)

♫ Oh-oooh-oooh

Oh-oooh-oooh ♫

Ayden squeezed her eyes shut as the voices came back into her mind,

'Monster!'

'Freak!'

'Demon child!'

Along with the short memory of how she had found Taylor, reincarnated into this realm as an otter-like Sinner, and they had a week together before she was killed for a second, and final, time by Keren saving Ayden from her before she had taken her pendant off her corpse claiming it belonged in Heaven, unlike its owner...

♫ Steady now, steady now

Don't fear what you can't see

Ready now, ready now

I'll hold on to you, you hold on to me

Ooooh... ♫

The images of Taylor's first and second dead bodies flashed in Ayden's closed eyes vision before she managed to crack her eyes open to look over to where everyone had been herded by the other Exorcists with their weapons still raised, willing to go down fighting as Husk attempted to shield them all with his wings.

'-connected not by blood but by love... and a whooole lotta sass and attitude...'

'Don't deny the animal but don't let it control you either...'

'Carmine actually made a good point... anger makes us reckless... love gives us drive... it's what makes us such fierce protectors of those we care about...'

'I coul'n't save ya then but I c'n save them now...!'

♫ I found the heart of a lion

In the belly of the beast

And I held it in my hand and I could feel

I could feel, feel the beeeeaaaaat... ♫

Ayden closed her eyes and breathed out again as she let more memories flow through her mind; these ones being of all the good times she shared with everyone in the hotel while the music in the background started to speed up.

"HRAH!" Ayden shifted back to demon cat form and freed her unpinned paw to left hook Keren, making her release her throat, before grabbing ahold of the spear with her tail and ripping it out of her paw and the ground with a gritted yell before whacking Keren back with the spear between her paws.

*KRCK!*

She tossed the spear away before going onto all fours to start shapeshifting into something new; she got bigger, growing to the size of a lion, her fur darkened until it was almost completely murky reddish brown and got more pointed and wild, her tail started to look more like roaring flames than fur, and a glowing red encircled pentagram appeared on her forehead as her eyes blanked out and glowed pinkish red that matched her mouth as it also glowed like a jack-o-lantern mouth with fangs.

♫ Gas up the easy rider

And head out for Nevada

Can somebody let the beast out, baby

It's time to meet your maker

Make the road your undertaker

Can somebody let the beast out, baby

Woah, yeah, yeah, can't stop the beat, can't stop the beat

Run, but you can't hide from the heat

Life is a record, playing on repeat

I'm running wild with the lion, the beast, the beeeeaaaaat! ♫

"RAAAAHHH!" Ayden roared in her new form and some blazing rings of flames came out to shoot Keren back before roaring again to thin out the ambush on her friends in the distance and mildly succeeding.

♫ So don't you try to tame the lion

Just ride on the horizon

Can somebody let the beast out, baby

Yeah, we all hide our desire

And then we feel the beat like fire

Can somebody let the beast out, baby

Oh ♫

"Hrrr....!" Keren growled as she dove for her spear and grabbed it before a flaming tail swiped her to the side and Ayden went charging in for another hit,

♫ Can't stop the beat, can't stop the beat

Run, but you can't hide from the heat

When life is a record, playing on repeat

I'm running wild with the lion, the beast, the beeeeaaaaat! ♫

But Keren raised her spear and plunged it right into Ayden's side making her roar in more pain before whirling around to claw her away with a giant unsheathed Angelic-Steel tipped clawed paw as the spear was still in her side,

♫ Oooh ♫

♫ Can't stop the beat, can't stop the beat

Run, but you can't hide from the heat

When life is a record, playing on repeat

I'm running wild with the lion, the beast, the beat... ♫

Ayden shifted back to demon cat form, with some difficulty maintaining it with two Angelic weapon wounds, so the spear would fall out of her shrinking body before stomping on it to break it as she approached Keren, who had landed sitting upright against one of the barbed fence segments, where the impact had broken her helmet, revealing her short bob-cut hair and coldly golden eyes while a trio of gashes were bleeding profusely on her torso.

As she stood over her with an unreadable look on her face, Keren chuckled morbidly as some glowing blood spilled out from her lips as she sneered,

"You just proved my point... you're nothing but a monster whose only purpose is to spread pain and destruction..."

Ayden kneeled down to look her dead in the eyes before she spoke,

"You'e half right... I am a monste'... but at least I'm a monste' who doesn't always want those things... unless ya mess wi'h my friends an' family... And I'll take this back... thanks..."

Ayden reached out to pull Taylor's necklace over her head and off her neck but, just as she was about to clasp it onto her own neck, her ear twitched with the yell from Lucifer she heard in the distance,

"-I am going to FUCK you!"

Making her look up toward the top of the hotel where he, Charlie, and Adam, whose mask was cracked revealing half of his true face, were and everyone seemed to have paused fighting to gape in confusion at Lucifer's words.

"Well that's embarrassing..." Keren stated bluntly making Ayden's glare return before,

*SHCLL!*

"Glck...ull...!"

Ayden slashed her neck, killing her at last, before pulling the necklace on just as Adam and Lucifer had started fighting in the air and she started running to rejoin the others on the ground until-

*BZZZT!*

Another blast of holy light cut right through the hotel, creating a chasm in the ground that not only almost separated her from the group but almost made her fall in if she hadn't thrown a fireball at a falling piece of rubble that she dove towards to pyroport through to an oil lantern that was by the group, flying through the air as she yelped,

"YAAAHH!"

Before she shifted to hellcat form making it easier for Angel to catch her with a relieved,

"Gotcha!"

Back in the air, Adam had tried to charge at Lucifer but Charlie stopped him and her dad catapulted him back to the ground where he crashed hard enough to make a shockwave that hit the others as wind just before Ayden caught back up with the group to witness Charlie and Lucifer in their full demon forms as he shouted down to Adam in fury,

"YOU COME AT ME, AND MY DAUGHTER! DON'T FORGET," He started relentlessly punching Adam with fiery hits that were only boosted by Ayden's close presence despite her already drained state, "YOU'RE IN MY HOUSE BITCH!"

But just as he was about to deliver a final fireball blow, Charlie stopped him with a hand on his shoulder as she protested,

"Whoa whoa, dad...! He's had enough..."

They both looked down to see Adam nearly unconscious and the two hopped out of the crater as Lucifer taunted him,

"How's mercy taste, you little bitch?"

Making their way back to the group, where they both saw Ayden in her human form being propped up by Angel as she panted tiredly from the overexertion and the Angelic steel stab wounds still on her side and her hand and were about to ask if she was alright when Adam started ranting angrily from where he was climbing out of the crater,

"No... you don't get to end this! I'm fucking Adam!" He continued yelling as he faced the group, who just glared back boredly, "I'm the fucking man, and you're just some fucking clowns or something! I started everything on Earth! All of mankind came from these fucking nuts! Even the little furry freak there!" When he pointed at Ayden, Angel hugged her closer in a protective manner while she just looked defiantly back at him as he finished yelling with, "You all should be worshipping me, you UNGRATEFUL, DISGUSTING, FUCKING LOSERS-GAAAAHHH!"

Right before something stabbed him right through his stomach making him cry out in pain and everyone stared in mixed reactions of shock and awe as Vaggie gaped in excitement,

"Woa-hoah!"

Before Lucifer pointed it out in a blank tone,

"Hey y-ya got somethin' stickin' outta your... your thing there."

When Adam collapsed face first onto the ground, it was revealed that Niffty was on his back with her dagger impaling his torso and Charlie exclaimed in surprise,

"Niffty?!"

Niffty looked down at Adam blankly before repeatedly stabbing him viciously and practically bathing herself in his blood as she chanted and laughed wildly,

"STAB!!! STAB STAB!!! Hahahaha! Haha! Hahaha! RUEAhahaha! Blood! Hahahaha!!"

Before she eventually finished and hopped off the body to happily skip away just as Lute had gotten up from where she had been beaten down by Vaggie as she yelled in horror,

"NOOOO!!!" Dashing over to Adam's body and turning him over to yell desperately, "Sir! Stay with me Sir! ADAM!"

Before Charlie walked over with Vaggie by her side as she asserted,

"It's over."

Before Lucifer ordered, his voice going demonic for a second,

"Take your little friends, and GO HOME!" Before going back to normal as he added politely, "Please."

Lute begrudgingly accepted they'd been beaten and grabbed Adam's halo as she commanded her Exorcist sisters,

"Retreat! All Exorcists fall back!"

All of them taking off for the portal back to Heaven before it closed behind them and Lucifer turned back to the group to start awkwardly,

"Sooo..." Before switching to a cheerier tone to ask, "Who's up for pancakes?"

And only Niffty and Ayden raised their hand and paw while everyone else just looked at him unamused and tired while still dripping Exorcist blood.

Later that day, 666 News was covering the whole ordeal as Katie introduced herself haughtily,

*Good evening. I'm Katie Killjoy!*

*And I'm-* Tom Trench started to introduce himself when Katie shoved him out of his seat and out of the camera frame as she began to report,

*Nobody gives a shit who you are, Tom. Breaking News; Extermination Day is canceled!*

Sinners were watching from all over the Pride Ring from billboards, TVs, phones, and radios as clips of the fight were shown,

*Charlie Morningstar managed to fend off the Angelic attack with more than just nice words.*

In Cannibal Town, Rosie watches the news report while sipping tea, grinning widely at the news.

At V Tower, Velvette watches the news on her phone, tilting it for Val to briefly look over her shoulder before walking away to play the same news report on his TV as the report continues,

*In an unseen turn of events, our demonic head honcho Lucifer stepped in to save his daughter's ass in the last moment. We're also hearing news that Adam, leader of the Angelic legions, first man and totally fuckable bad boy, has been slain by a filthy janitor.*

From his surveillance room, Vox was watching the news showing Niffty being interviewed but was just staring blankly at the cameras.

In her office, Carmilla Carmine was vaguely listening to the news while doing paperwork, but managed to crack a small smile at the report,

*The janitor said, quote, 'Charlie told me to stab, so I did.'*

Some pictures of Ayden in all four of her forms; demon cat, hellkitten, human, and grown hellcat were shown 2x2 in the corner of the screen before Katie reported,

*Additionally, it's been revealed that the hotel's feisty little fire cat is none other than the first actual demon human hybrid to be seen in a long fucking while who had this to say when asked about her unexpected existence.*

It was revealed that Via was watching the news from the TV at home and the corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile when the video changed to Ayden, back in her demon cat form but struggling a bit to maintain it even with her wounds bandaged up, as she asserted confidently to the cameras,

*I don't ca'e how powe'ful ya think ya a'e, if ya come afte' me o' my best friend and family, you'll be in fer an afte'wo'ld o' hu't.*

Her tone darkened toward the end and her hair, eyes, and freckles glowed in warning that was clearly directed to certain individuals before Tom had finally picked himself up off the floor but was blocked by the reel of the ruined hotel and double-flipped Katie as she finished reporting with,

*Anyway, congrats to Charlie and her crew for not being totally fucking useless for once.*

Back at the hotel, everyone was looking through the rubble for anything to salvage with little to no luck...

Husk picked up a bottle of booze hoping for a quick drink before the bottom shattered to pieces revealing it to be empty while Niffty hopped around on the rubble with Angel, Cherri, and Ayden as they searched frantically for Fat Nuggets, Ayden back in human form but felt that that form wasn't the best for this situation so she shifted to hellcat form.

"Mre-oof!" But she let out a meow squeak when she hopped down in the rubble and landed too hard on her injured paw causing it to buckle out from under her dropping her onto her chin.

"Hey take it easy Fuzzball..." Angel tried to assure her but she picked herself back up and shook the dust off as she argued gently,

"I got this..." Lifting her nose into the air to sniff a few times, gasping a bit as her eyes opened back up to reveal that were lit up darker pink than usual as she hurried off as fast as she could while telling Angel, "Hah! This way!"

At the same time, Charlie, Vaggie, and Lucifer had been scouring around the rubble as well before Charlie found KeeKee partially trapped under some debris that she picked her up from and held her close to comfort her with,

"Oh... there, there. It's... it's okay..."

She looked over briefly when she heard Fat Nuggets squealing happily as he ran towards Angel and Ayden, the latter playfully tackling him in her hellcat form before the two of them were scooped up and twirl-hugged close by Angel.

Charlie smiled as she watched the reunion, about to walk toward them when she heard paper crinkling under her foot and she saw the "Happy first week, Sir Pentious!" she had made for Pentious and looked down sadly at it as she continued to pet KeeKee and Vaggie walked up to her just as she started singing sorrowfully,

♫ He did it for us... ♫

She let KeeKee go so they could each place a hand and paw on the banner in mourning as she kept singing,

♫ The ultimate sacrifice...

He gave me his trust, and look how we paid the price...! ♫

She pushed Vaggie's attempt to comfort her away as she hugged herself and walked away from the group, Cherri, Angel, and Ayden, back in human form and looking just as guilt-stricken from her broken promise to protect the hotel and everyone in it, reached out for her as she looked at the destroyed remains of the hotel while lamenting,

♫ This bloodshed could have been avoided if I convinced Heaven to work together...!

I took a hotel, and I destroyed it

I know I could have done beeeetter...! ♫

Charlie dropped to her knees as she cried and continued hugging herself while the others watched in worry,

♫ Beeeetter, instead of letting you down... ♫

But a hand on her shoulder made her look back up to see her father there as he started to sing as well,

♫ Come on, little lady, why the frown?

In the last 10,000 years

You're the first one to change this toooown! ♫

He went to stand in front of Charlie on a small mound of rubble as he pointed encouragingly at her while singing,

♫ You can do this! Now I know it!

For your story has just beguuun...! ♫

When Charlie looked back down doubtfully, her father lifted her gaze back up so she could see just how much he and the others supported her,

♫ You can't quit now, hell, you owe it!

There's still damage to be undooone

You've changed my mind, you've touched their hearts ♫

Everyone gathered around with warm and supportive smiles on their faces as Lucifer kept singing,

♫ Found the good in souls gone bad

The stage is wrecked, the crowd is gone

But by God, Charlie! ♫

He stood up and walked away with his arms raised before everyone else sang together encouragingly while dancing slightly,

♫ The show, it must go ooooon! ♫

♫ We can do this, we can build it

Best hotel that you've ever seen!

Twice the bedrooms, we can fill it ♫

Lucifer hooked his arms around Angel and Cherri's shoulders when he sang and they smiled at him,

♫ With more sinners than you can dream! ♫

♫ It starts with you ♫

Lucifer and Vaggie started singing before everyone else joined in again happily as they all extended their hands out to her,

♫ You know it's true, fulfill your destinyyyy! ♫

And the encouragement was enough for Charlie to stand back up while wiping her tears away and smiling as she sang,

♫ So long as I've got all of you with meeee! ♫

All of them hug each other before the scene changes to everyone working together to rebuild the hotel with Cherri hauling a wheelbarrow of bricks while Niffty scurried around picking more up as she sang,

♫ To build a hotel, I think we need some brick and lumber! ♫

Lucifer had KeeKee in his arms before she transformed into a large key and he wielded her to create large, neat piles of supplies.

♫ Good thing we're in Hell, check out this little magic number! ♫

Angel, Niffty, and Ayden, back in demon cat form, were raising metal frames for the foundations as he sang,

♫ Start with foundation! ♫

Before Lucifer flew over and posed casually as he zapped all the frames, finishing them instantaneously with KeeKee's powers,

♫ Haha! A remedial creation for me! ♫

The three of them chorused excitedly,

♫ It's as easy as can be! ♫

"HAHA!" Lucifer laughed and it cut to Charlie as she was wiping the last of her tears away as she sang while handing supplies out to everyone,

♫ No time for crying, we got a lot of work to do and

we gotta try and make the best of what's in ruins! ♫

She gave a hammer to Cherri, a drill to Niffty, and a paint can to Vaggie who held it out as she sang,

♫ New coat of paint! ♫

And Husk added from where he was flying close to the new sign putting the lightbulbs in,

♫ New lights across the marqueeeee! ♫

Charlie used her powers to light up the bulbs as the three of them chorused,

♫ With a little sorceryyy! ♫

Meanwhile, at V Tower, Vox bursts through the doors of Val's room where he and Velvette are already there as he continues singing,

♫ After the battle, masterless cattle! ♫

♫ Overlords hanging by a thread! ♫

Vox and Val sang together as they looked over the charts on the living room dining table; mind maps of their Overlord enemies and their territories, along with some Voxtek blueprints for some kind of respirator mask with modified Love Potion formulas scribbled in the margins with the news's pictures of all four of Ayden's forms around.

On the torn photo of Alastor, which still had part of Vox in the edge and was pinned close to Charlie and Lucifer's photos, Vox threw a knife through it as he and Val continued singing together,

♫ With a bit of bravado, maybe tomorrow

We'll be atop the heap! ♫

Before they started dancing together as Velvette recorded them with her phone while smiling,

♫ While the rest of Hell's pissing! ♫

Val sang before Vox before chorusing again,

♫ Alastor's missing! ♫

♫ Fled with his tail between his legs!

Nature abhors a power vacuum

It leaves room for you and me! ♫

The two of them hugged before Velvette went between to sling her arms around their necks and hug them close as they chorused deviously,

♫ The future of Hell belongs to the Vees! ♫

Before laughing maniacally as the scene faded,

"HAHAHAHAHAHA...!"

Back at the old hotel, Alastor was seen limping towards the ruins of his radio tower while holding the broken pieces of his microphone staff as he sang hauntingly,

♫ This plaaaace reeks of deeeaaath ♫

He looked up at the flickering neon "ON AIR" sign,

♫ There's a chiiiill in the aaaair ♫

Before he managed to drag himself through the trapdoor into the tower,

♫ And I baaarely escaped being killed by a hair ♫

His shadow was seen as misshapen and emaciated while Alastor dragged a hand down his face as it twisted in upset distress,

♫ 'Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends ♫

Leaning on the dashboard, which was seen to have two books titled "Grimalkin, Bakeneko, and More Feline Demons" and "Hekate and the Bezekiras" splayed open in disarray on the side, Alastor banged a fist on it before dragging his claws into it to leave deep scratches in it,

♫ Sorry to disappoint! That is not where this ends! ♫

He left his staff halves on the dashboard as he hugged himself while lamenting,

♫ I'm hungry for freedom, like never before ♫

He gripped his head while looking around frantically,

♫ The constraints of my deal surely have a backdoor

Once I figure out how to unclip my wiiiiings ♫

He raised his arms to extend them out while his shadow loomed and grew behind him,

♫ Guess who will be pulling all the striiiiings? ♫

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Alastor laughed maniacally as the scene shifted back to the hotel, where the rest of the hotel's residents were finishing off the rebuilding.

The last thing was putting up a painting of General Pentious and his Egg Boiz at the front as a memorial, surrounded by flowers and with mid-sized torches of fire on the sides as everyone sang while Charlie sang the background vocals as she, Frank, the last remaining Egg Boi, and everyone else saluted the monument,

♫ We can do this! (We can do this) ♫

♫ We'll be better! (We'll be better) ♫

♫ Though redemption may take a while (Though it may take a whiiiiiiile!) ♫

Everyone gathered to share another group hug,

♫ Wayward Sinners, clear their ledger! ♫

When Alastor popped up in the middle of the group out of nowhere, now healed, as he butted in while tracing his smile,

♫ And we're doing it with a smiiile! ♫

Everyone but Husk, Ayden, and Lucifer cheered and hugged Alastor.

"Oh, not this guy." Lucifer spoke as he was pulled into the hug and Ayden rolled her eyes while huffing,

"Ugh...!"

Before the very last of the final touches on the new hotel were placed and done; Husk and Angel worked together to hang the bar sign outside with Ayden smiling teasingly at them while Niffty hastily swept the path with a crazed look on her face as Charlie sang,

♫ We'll make a difference, wait and see! ♫

Before Vaggie joined her as they chorused,

♫ We're gonna do this, you and me! ♫

Just as everyone walked out to the front of the hotel close to the Dazzle memorial statue to take in their work as they sang, drawing out the last note as Lucifer handed KeeKee, in her key form, back over to Charlie,

♫ And then tomorrow it will be a fuckin' happy daaaaay in Heeeeeeeeell! ♫

The eye on the hotel opened up and some fireworks from Ayden went off to finish off the celebration,

*PSSH!*

Everyone kept looking at the new hotel in awe before a voice sounded from behind them,

"Umm hello..?"

And they turned around to see Via standing there awkwardly with a star-patterned tote bag on her shoulder as she waved and greeted,

"Hey... I'm uh I'm Octavia I came for..."

Ayden stepped out from where she'd been standing in front of the group when they were facing the hotel but was out of sight from where Via had approached and the two regarded each other with slight hesitancy and averted gazes until Ayden's mouth quirked up in a smile as she questioned,

"Heya Princess..."

And Via smiled slightly too as she asked hesitantly,

"Are you... OK...?"

"Juuuus' peachy..." Ayden responded in a teasing tone that belied the original one; the callback to their very first meeting had them both smiling fondly at each other until Angel peeked over Ayden's shoulder making her tense up in slight embarrassment as he teased,

"~Ohhh so thiiis is the one you've been missin' soooo much...~"

Cherri was elbowing Ayden in the side jokingly before she pulled away to ask Charlie while going by Via's side,

"Think we coul' jus' go talk in my room?"

Charlie stopped silently gushing in place long enough to nod her head rapidly and Ayden gestured with a paw as she led,

"Then let's...?"

Via nodded before she followed Ayden inside the new hotel, managing to make her way up to her room, still the same number as her old one, 117 whose new key was on her keychain along with the old one.

She was opening the door and turning the light on when she saw a flash of bright pink coming from the bed's pillow.

"Huh...?" She pondered what that was and discovered it to be her crystal choker lying on top of a folded piece of paper.

"What the..." She muttered as she picked up the choker and the paper to unfold and read it in her mind,

*Try not to lose this again. -D.T.T*

"Is that...?"

She was reminded of Via's presence and was about to hurry to hide the choker when she paused in reconsideration before turning around to face her as she nodded hesitantly and answered her unspoken question,

"Yeah.. it's how I got down he'e in the fi'st place..."

She went to sit on the bed and gestured for Via to sit either next to her there or on the chair in the vanity desk and was about to say something when Via held up a hand to say,

"Oh uh.. before you say anything I uh.." She struggled for a few seconds to finish her sentence before she just softly growled in indecisiveness and sat on the other end of the bed as she reached into the tote bag to take and hold out the content-

"Holy shite...!" Ayden grinned when she saw the finished taxidermies of the two animals they had been working on a month ago, assembled and posed to look like they were leaping over each other playfully on a display platter.

"After I saw how the old hotel got destroyed, I figured you were gonna need something to make the new place a little more.. you..." Via handed her the display so Ayden could marvel at the ensemble.

She grinned as she put the taxidermies down to dig into her pocket as she noted,

"I did manage ta bring somethin' else wi'h me..."

Pulling out the one glow-in-the-dark star crystal she had given her when they first met she had miraculously found in the hotel's rubble.

Via grinned before it fell as she spoke hesitantly, treading an unspoken boundary,

"Look... I know you said you'd tell me everything-"

Ayden's ears ducked down in semi-reservation as she butted in, thinking she knew what she was about to say,

"Yeh I jus'... the'e's some things I'm still not.. really ready ta talk about but I did promise so-"

But Via cut her off with a hand on her shoulder as she assured her,

"Hey it's OK... I just want to be there for you with whatever you're ready to share... like you've been there for me whenever I want to just go out and take my mind off of things at home by hanging out with my best friend..."

Ayden's expression went wide-eyed in realization as she processed that before smiling shyly as she admitted, her face falling a bit more towards the end,

"I really do like when we would jus' hang out and I c'n jus' take my mind off o' stuff at the hotel too but I shoul'n't've pushed ya away without fully explainin' why I thought I was protectin' ya..." She raised her legs to sit cross-legged to fully face Via as she asserted confidently, "But now I can..."

Via also pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged while facing Ayden as she took a deep breath before starting to recount,

"I was bo'n as a human in the livin' wo'ld.. 'ntil I tu'ned 13..."

And continued to share what she could with her best friend, the storytelling lasting what felt like hours until she finished with,

"So yeh.. that's everything I wanna sha'e fer now..." Her tone turned a bit dismissive as she started to ramble, "Summa it's still pre'y fresh but I'm wo'kin' through most'a it and I won't let it drag ya inta it but if ya wanna play it safe and get outta dodge while ya can, I get it an-"

But she was pulled into a hug as Via whispered comfortingly into her ear,

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that... and I'm not going anywhere..."

And Ayden's eyes welled up before spilling out as she hugged back, burying her face into Via's shoulder and the two of them stayed like that for a few minutes before Via suggested as she slowly pulled away to stand up,

"Hey you wanna go get some boba?"

"You've got boba down he'e?!" Ayden questioned in impressed disbelief.

"Yeah. Let's go then...?" Via held out her hand to Ayden, who smiled warmly before taking it and letting herself be pulled to her feet.

Their hands stayed clasped together as they left the room and shut the door behind them... unaware that the choker glowed hauntingly from its place by the vanity mirror before dimming back down...

...

...

...

AN- Finally done! A little later than planned but hey better than nothing right? Some of my finals got canceled cause of the protest so I got some extra time to finish this up before my friends' graduations yesterday ^^;

Some notes and references for this one:

The song when Ayden suits up, as mentioned, is "Ready for War" by Fleurie but was never actually released, the only way I even knew about it was because it played during a scene from Marvel's Cloak and Dagger S2 Ep8 called "Mayhem and Brigid Join Forces" if you're curious about what it sounds likeThe second song that plays is "The Lion the Beast the Beat" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals which I thought would fit the whole "duality of human nature" and how Ayden deals with the "destructive beast lurking within" in a different way in this story compared to in "Let's Kick Some Ash!"I've posted some new drawings of Ayden's final battle look, Keren, Ayden's fan trading card, and Ayden and Via's boba hangout over on Deviant Art if you wanna check them out :DThe "Heya Princess" phrase of endearment between Ayden and Via here and in "Let's Kick Some Ash!" is based on the "~Hey Adora~" phrase Catra says to Adora for anyone who's watched She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and maybe recognized that reference ^^Those who came here from "Let's Kick Some Ash!" probably know who "D.T.T." is but, in case you forgot cause it's been a minute since that segment was posted, it's "Denay T. Thalleche"

Now that I'm finished with the main storyline for this book and "The Full Moon" still isn't out yet DX, I'm going to be trying to catch up on the 6 requests that've been held off for a couple of months now in the order they were received in and placed in between the episodes they take place in now that I'm done with classes, my friends' graduations, and will be going back home tomorrow morning where I'm still looking for a summer job ^^;

I started a Ko-Fi! I'm still working out some of the details but I've been working on figuring out art commissions and making a poster to advertise so hopefully I'll have that out soon and I've been thinking of having Ko-Fi exclusive art pieces and stories so I'm still interested in what you'd all like to see on there and, if you have one or a Patreon account, I'd love to hear about how I could best use the platform ^^

Until the next one, Bye!