In a similar fast paced fashion as earlier, I got dressed and headed to the I.M.P van.
My hands moved on autopilot, grabbing keys, checking my phone for the address Loona had reluctantly given me.
contemplated if I should let her leave the party. Part of me wanted to let her go but I knew she'd have fun there if she just stayed a bit longer.
The drive through the neon-lit streets of Hell gave me time to think.
I'm a father first, though, so I knew what to do.
Arriving in a few moments, I saw her awkwardly waiting by the entrance, ears flattened and arms crossed. She looked small against the massive mansion, despite being taller than most of the hellhounds streaming past her into the building. The bass from inside was so heavy I could feel it in my chest from the parking lot.
"Da— Blitz?" she called out when she spotted me, and there was something in her voice—relief mixed with embarrassment.
"What's the matter , the party was that bad."
"I, just didn't feel very welcome."
"Well if you insist but, you belong there no doubt Looney~"
"Hey is tha blitz!" Someone said excitedly "You here for the party?"
I turned to the voice, it was some random imp I slightly recognized.
"Nah just here to pick up my daughter!" I replyed in a slightly raised tone.
Another hellhound turned our way "whoow check out the hottie!"
I frowned, "Yea let's go."
"Well, hold on~" she said shyly.
I was already steering the wheel for a u - turn.
"C'mon dad I wanna give it another chance." Her expression shift into pleading and I couldnt resist for more than a moment.
"Alright, one beer and I'm out."
She invited me in, and entering, I saw the best party I'd been to in a while.
The place was massive, converted into a rave paradise. strobed in every color imaginable, casting shifting patterns across packed bodies. The music was felt, vibrating through the floor, the walls, straight into your bones. Hellhounds of every size and color filled the space, some dancing on elevated platforms, others grinding on the main floor, all of them lost in the atmosphere.
Smoke machines created ethereal clouds that parted around dancers.
The air was thick with the scent of alcohol, sweat, and that particular energy that only came from demons letting completely loose. Bars were set up in every corner, staffed by hellhounds mixing drinks that glowed and sparked.
"Hooly fuck," I muttered, taking it all in.
Loona was already being pulled toward a group of hellhounds who were waving her over. I couldnt help but smile.
Splitting up to grab a drink, I pushed through the crowd. Bodies pressed against me from all sides, everyone moving to the beat. I had to dodge a couple making out against a speaker and step over someone who'd clearly started the party too early and was now passed out on the sticky sugar flaked floor.
On my way back, drink in hand, I ran into a drinking competition. A crowd had formed a circle around a makeshift stage where a fierce, model-like figure had just beat a lightweight who was now sprawled on the floor, groaning. The winner stood with arms raised, calling for more challengers.
It was Queen Bee herself—Beelzebub in all her honey-dripping glory, four arms spread wide.
tshe gave the crowd an intoxicating smile making everyone go absolutely wild. Her bee-like features caught the strobing lights perfectly, compound eyes sparkling with mischief. When she laughed, it was like music that made you want to dance and drink and forget every responsible thought you'd ever had.
"Who's next?" she called out, her voice carrying easily over the music. "Don't tell me you're all lightweights!"
I weighed my options, seeing the downsides of joining. In my previous life, I was a drunkard and didn't like the idea of losing my sense of self. The temptation of a good time was dragging my thoughts, but there was also that familiar itch, that need to prove I belonged somewhere, anywhere. Plus, I'd never backed down from such a blatant challenge in my life.
If I want to join this, I've got to ensure I didn't do anything crazy afterwards in typical Blitz fashion. Seems my two alcoholic minds simply couldn't resist.
"Hey, Bee Queen!" I called out, pushing through the crowd. "Hope you're ready to get your royal ass handed to you by an imp!"
The crowd went wild, pressing closer to see the small imp who dared challenge a Sin Lord. Beelzebub's eyes locked onto mine, and her grin widened.
"Well, well," she purred, floating down to my level. "An imp with balls. I like that."
Stepping up with that one-liner, I challenged the queen Beelzebub. The competition was set up quickly—shot glasses appeared, bottles of various hellish liquors lined up like soldiers. It was an intense match, shot after shot of burning alcohol that tasted like liquid fire going down my throat.
Hell this was tough even for me.
"Go Dad! Fuck her up!!"
I turned stull guzzling and sae Loona had stepped over to witness this duel, pushing through the crowd with a group of hellhounds she'd apparently befriended. She was aggressively cheering me on, her voice cutting through the noise.
"That's my dad!" she howled, actually engaged for once instead of sulking in a corner. "Kick her ass!"
My heart nearly exploded with pride even as my liver screamed in protest. Seeing her like this—happy, engaged, belonging somewhere—made every burning gulp worth it.
Shot after shot, Beelzebub and I matched each other. The crowd was going insane, chanting and placing bets. The Sin Lord was good, I'd give her that, but I'd had years of practice drowning my sorrows.
We'd completely run dry of their regular alcohol, the bartender hellhounds frantically searching for more bottles. I cheekily smirked at her, feeling that familiar cocky confidence that alcohol always brought out in me.
"Is that all you got, your majesty?" I taunted. "I've had stronger drinks at church bake sales."
She only smirked back, impressed by my audacity, and told the audience she was taking out her special Beezle juice for this. The crowd gasped and pressed closer, everyone trying to get a better view. Even the music seemed to quiet in anticipation.
"Oh shit," someone whispered. "She's bringing out the good stuff."
Landing back with a barrel that glowed with an otherworldly golden light, she asked me if I was ready. The thing was easily twice my size, radiating an energy that made my skin tingle.
But instead of accepting, that gambling instinct kicked in—the same one that had gotten me into and out of more trouble than I could count.
"How about we make this interesting?" I offered a bet, swaying slightly but keeping my voice steady. "Loser has to do whatever the winner says."
I was relatively confident, although lightly shaken from the sheer amount I'd already consumed. My head was buzzing, but I was still standing while my previous opponents were face-down on the floor.
Beelzebub's laugh was like honey and thunder, rich and intoxicating. She promptly agreed, those four arms gesturing dramatically as she stated the rules to the now-frenzied crowd.
"Alright, you beautiful disasters!" she announced. "Here are the rules! Whoever finishes first, or is the last to vomit, wins!"
The chanting started immediately, the entire warehouse seeming to shake with it. "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!"
I grabbed my barrel, the golden liquid sloshing inside. It smelled like sunshine and lightning, sweet and dangerous. Beelzebub raised hers as well, winking at me.
"Ready, little imp?"
"Born ready, your majesty."
And then we were off. The Beezle juice hit my system like liquid lightning, burning and electrifying at the same time. It was the most intense alcohol I'd ever tasted, each gulp sending shockwaves through my body. But I kept going, kept chugging, even as my vision started to blur and the crowd became a roaring blur around me.
I won, finishing my barrel in record time, slamming it down just seconds before Beelzebub finished hers. The crowd erupted in absolute chaos, hellhounds howling and cheering. My legs gave out and I collapsed onto the sticky luxury floor, the world spinning pleasantly around me.
Lying down, everything fuzzy and golden, Loona rushed over and congratulated me, her face appearing above mine like a concerned angel.
"Holy shit, Blitzo! That was fucking awesome!" Her eyes were bright with genuine admiration—happier than I'd seen her in months. "I can't believe you actually beat Queen Bee!"
I only gave a thumbs up, committed to not do or say anything stupid while the alcohol worked through my system. The smart part of me—what was left of it—knew better than to trust drunk Blitz with important decisions. Words felt dangerous right now.
Beelzebub admitted defeat gracefully, offering a hand to me, which I accepted gratefully. My legs felt like jelly as she helped me to a velvet couch that seemed to materialize from nowhere—perks of being a Sin Lord, I guessed.
"You can come back and ask me for your prize later, little imp," she said with a wink that made my stomach do flips that had nothing to do with the alcohol. "When you're not completely wasted."
"Deal," I managed to croak out.
Now chill and resting, watching the party continue around me in a pleasant haze, Loona walked off back to the dance floor. Through my alcohol-blurred vision, I could see her actually talking to other hellhounds, laughing at something someone said, fitting in naturally. My chest felt warm, and not just from the booze.
The music thumped on, bodies moved like waves across the floor, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe things were going to be okay. Loona was happy, I'd just out-drunk a Sin Lord, and nobody was trying to kill me.
I reminded myself not to even think about anything important, but got distracted watching Beelzebub dancing with other canines. She'd rejoined the party like nothing had happened, moving through the crowd like she owned it—which, technically, she probably did.
She moved like liquid music, every gesture flowing into the next, her four arms creating hypnotic patterns in the air that seemed to entrance everyone around her. The way she threw her head back when she laughed, how she'd pull random demons into her dance circle, making everyone feel like they were the center of her attention for those precious moments...
Watching her in action, it was almost hypnotic the way she moved, but I regrounded myself, shaking my head and immediately regretting it as the world tilted dangerously.
"Fuck," I muttered to the empty couch cushions, pressing my palm against my forehead. "My head's gonna feel like hell tomorrow."
But as I watched Loona spin and laugh with her new friends, as I felt the afterglow of victory warming my chest, I decided tomorrow's hangover would be worth it.