"And how long will you be gone?"
Y/n stood in front of Charlie as she looked at him in confusion. It was early in the morning, and Y/n had told her that he has leave to do some business. He didn't explain to her that he was this killer Demon-thing called the Spirit of Vengeance since he thought it would frighten her. Besides, he still has things to figure out for himself.
"Just a few days," Y/n said. "I won't be long. And you can call me whenever you want."
"You sure I can't come with?" Charlie asked.
"Sorry, Charlie, but..." Y/n sighed and rubbed his face. "No, you can't. This is a personal matter, and I'd like to handle it personally."
Charlie sighed but nodded in acceptance. Then she hugged her boyfriend and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Be safe," she told him.
"I will," Y/n hugged back.
Then he kissed Charlie on the lips, savoring the moment as she kisses back. Y/n doesn't know when he'll see his girlfriend again, so he didn't want to leave with just a kiss on the cheek. They then parted and, after Y/n bid his final goodbye to his girlfriend and to Angel Dust, he walked out of the house. He then got onto his motorcycle andstarted the engine which roared to life. He twisted the throttle and rode out of the driveway and onto the street.
As he rides though the morning air, Y/n could'nt help but feel bad. He wanted to tell Charlie what he was doing and explain what he was now,but he couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want her to worry any more than she does already.
"So, you decided not to tell her," Zarathos spoke to Y/n in his head. "Why? I thought couples 'tell each other everything', L/n."
"I don't like your tone," Y/n answered. "Besides, I still need to figure out what exactly I am and what we are doing. I need to know before she can."
"Whatever," Zarathos grumbles. "It doesn't affect me either way."
Y/n rolled his eyes at this. Zarathos obviously didn't like him, and Y/n was starting to find his non-caring attitude annoying. But he ignored it and focused on the matter at hand: vengeance.
"So how do we get to Hell?" the biker asks. "Can you use Hell Portals, or do we use some kind of special device, or...?"
"I'm all you need, L/n," the Spirit of Vengeance stated, sounding like he was smirking. "Hang on tight."
Y/n grew confused before he felt heat rising from his bike. Flames then erupted from the exhaust pipes and the tires exploded into flames. Zarathos began laughing like a madman as the Hellcycle suddenly picked up in speed, tearing through the street as a trail of Hellfire was left behind. Y/nheld on tightly to his handles, as Zarathos suggested, as everything around him became a mashed blur of colors and places. Then he and the bike slowly began getting covered by fire before being consumed by the flames. And then he and the bike dissapeared from the Living World.
Pentagram City, The Pride Ring, Hell...
It was morningtime in Hell, and the Demons of Pentagram City were going about their day like usual. However, a sudden explosion of fire occured in the middle of the street and something shot out of it like a bullet. Vehicles near it got blasted back as nearby Demons were turned into ashes and scorched corpses.
Back with the flaming object shooting down the street, it was actually Y/n on his Hellcycle. The Human tried his best to control it, but it seemed to have a mind of its own. Or someone else was controlling it.
"Zarathos, stop!" Y/n ordered. "We're here now, so you can stop!"
Y/n got nothing but Demonic laughter in return.
"Yes! Burn, Sinners! Burn!" Zarathos bellowed. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Y/n grunted in annoyance. So, doing the only thing he could think of, the Human tried to get control of his bike again. So he tightly gripped the handle bars and clenched the brakes. Then he swerved to the side, expertly stopping the Hellcycle from its rampage. Then the flames slowly died down, reverting the bike back to its normal state and Y/n shook his head. He was suddenly having a killer headache.
"Sorry about that," Zarathos apologized. "I sometimes lose control of myself when I'm around too much sin. And Hell is no better place than for me to rampage."
"Now I know were this headache came from," Y/n groaned.
"You'll get used to it," Zarathos assured. "Or you won't. Instead, your brain may melt inside your skull and you'll forever be a mindless vessel for vengeance."
"Yay..." Y/n sarcastically grumbled. "Anywho, where do we start first? Do we go to Lucifer, or...?"
"No, of course not! That'll make both of us look like fools!" Zarathos exclaimed. "Instead, we need to find someone who can give us information. Someone like... Seviathan von Eldritch."
"Von Eldritch... His name sounds familiar. I think Charlie told me something about him," Y/n stated. "What would he know?"
"He, like his sister Helsa, has a role in Hell's criminal underworld that people such as I know of," the Spirit of Vengeance states. "If something big is going on, he will know."
"Hell has a criminal underworld?" the Human teenager questions.
"Yes. They do things so illegal that that it's illegal in Hell," Zarathos explains. "Like traveling to the Living World and trying to kidnap the Princess of Hell."
"Alright," Y/n nodded and revved his bike's engine. "Where do we find him?"
"Where he always is."
Timeskip...
Y/n parked his motorcycle outside of a tall building. He looked up at the sign plastered on the front of it.
THE FISH TANK
"A casino-club," Y/n sighed. "Yay..."
"Stop complaining and get in there," Zarathos orders his host. "There's an entrance in the back. Use that."
Y/n nodded and got off his bike. He begins to inconspicuosly make his way around to the back of the building to see a metal door. He smirksas he walks up to it and knocks on the metal. After a few moments, a slot cover slides open to reveal a single eye.
"What'dya want?" the Demon asks.
"I'm here to see Seviathan von Eldritch," Y/n answers. "I have some business with him."
"Hmph. So did the last guy who wanted to see him, and I pumped his gut full of led," the Demon behind the door laughed. "So you better scram before I do the same to you."
The man begins to slide the slot back shut. However, it gets stopped in place when a hook cuts it off. Y/n pulls the slot cover back open and glares at the man.
"That wasn't a question," he states as his eyes burn an amber color. "The Ghost Rider wants an audience with von Eldritch."
The one-eyed Demon looks at Y/n in fear. Then he nods and goes to open the door.
Small Timeskip...
After being let in by the Demon, Y/n was walking through a hallway. He could hear the faint beat of some kind of loud music. However, he soon came across another door and opened it to walk into the next room.
And there he was, in the main area of the casino-club. Music thumped loudly in his ears as he walked forward. People were all around him dancing, partying, gambling, eating, and even having sex. It made Y/n uncomfortable, and he could feel his skin start to burn.
"Calm down, Zarathos," Y/n tells the spirit. "Let's not cause a scene unless we have to."
"Fine..." Zarathos grumbled in Y/n's head.
The teenager sighed and looked around a bit more. He then spotted a man clothed in a green suit looking down at the people from the balcony above.
(Couldn't find out who made the art, but credit to them anyway)
He then spots Y/n and turns to walk away.
"Oh, yeah. Not suspicious at all," Y/n rolled his eyes. "Was that von Eldritch?"
"Definitely," Zarathos confirms. "Let's get to him."
Y/n nods and begins to walk towards the stairs that lead to the upper level. As he does, he could feel the eyes of many Demons on him. Most, who were Sinners, were confused as to why a Human was in Hell. However, any Hellborn Demon made sure to stay away from the Human. They could sense that there was something about him that they didn't want to mess with.
Y/n made his way through the upper level of the Fish Tank as he searched for Seviathan. Then he spotted the Hellborn sitting at the bar with some drink in front of him. The host for the Spirit of Vengeance makes his way towards him and pops a squat on the seat next to him.
"Hey, bartender," Y/n called out to a Robot Demon. "A beer, please."
The Robot Demon bartender looked at Y/n in confused suspicion before nodding. It wasn't long until the Sinner places a beer bottle in front of the Human and walked off to another customer. The biker took the bottle, used one of his hooks to pop off the cap, and took a swig of the bittersweet-tasting liquid.
"So... I heard you wanted to talk to me," Seviathan finally spoke up. "Why is that?"
"I need some information," Y/n informs as he puts his beer down, "and someone told me that you can help with that."
"That so?" Seviathan chuckled and took a sip of his drink. "Who said that?"
"The Ghost Rider."
Seviathan widened his eyes in shock and looked over at Y/n. He could see that his (E/C) eyes were glowing a faint amber orange. He knew that something was wrong with the Human next to him, but he never thought it would be this.
"So you're the new Rider?" Seviathan chuckled nervously. "You guys only come to Hell for serious reasons. What's yours?"
"Someone is sending Demons after Charlotte Morningstar, Princess of Hell," Y/n states.
Seviathan spits out some of his drink after taking a sip of it. He looks at the teenager with angered eyes.
"Excuse me?" Seviathan questioned. "Who dares try to harm her?"
"You sound angry," Y/n says and takes a sip of his beer. "Why?"
"Charlie was... an old friend of mine," the Hellborn states.
"Hm," Y/n hummed in interest. "Any idea who it could be?"
The bartender caught an earful of Y/n's talk with Seviathan. He slowly became nervous.
"I wish," Seviathan spits out. "They would already be dead if I knew."
"Heh. Agreed."
Y/n took another sip of his beer before he noticed the bartender. He was quickly glancing back and forth from Y/n and to the glass he was cleaning. The Human hummed in interest and turned back to von Eldritch.
"You sure you haven't heard anything?" he asks.
"Hmph... Now that I think about it, yes. I heard something like that," the Demon royal nods. "Something about kidnapping a princess. Never thought they would be talking about the princess."
"There's more than one?" Y/n asks.
"Indeed," Seviathan nods again. "Dozens of royal families in Hell, and the Morningstars are right at the top of the ladder."
"Hm. The more you know," Y/n shrugged as he glanced back at the bartender. "Any idea who the group could be?"
"Not exactly," Seviathan shakes his head. "All I know is there calling card. Some kind of black skull with a white design on it."
Y/n nods in acceptance and takes another swig of his beer. However, he hears the sound of footsteps approaching him and Seviathan. He glances behind himself to see a group of Demons walking up to him.
"What're you doing here, Humie?" one asked.
"Now that's rude," Seviathan turned to the Demons. "We're talking here."
"Buzz off," a second growls at the Hellborn. "Any idea how much these guys sell for down here?"
"Now you listen here you little shits," Seviathan says as he begins to stand up.
However, Y/n places a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He then pushes the Hellborn back down and looks at him.
"Let me deal with them," he tells the man who nods in response. Y/n then turns to the Demons. "I suggest the lot of you back off now."
"Any idea who you're talking to, shithead?" the Demon in the front asks.
"Yeah, I do. A couple of blood-stained souls who think they can pick on someone 'weaker' than them," Y/n begins to stand up as his skin starts to burn. "Now tell me this."
"Do you know who you're talking to... shithead?"
All of the Demons around Seviathan and the Ghost Rider begin to back away in fear. The leader of the group stutters as he tries to give a response, only to be sent flying. On fire, he crashes into the the balcony railing and falls onto the floor below. Demons gasp and let out some screams when they see the burning Demon. Then they all look up to see the Ghost Rider staring down at them.
"Oh, God..." a Demon behind the skeleton says in terror.
The Ghost Rider turns to the Demon group behind them, and they all basically pissed themselves. They then run and scurry away in fear for their lives, making the Rider scoff.
"Pathetic," he says. "Back in my hayday, Demons were formidable. Now they're all scared wusses."
"I'll have to agree with you, Rider," Seviathan chuckles. "Oh, by the way, have you seen the bartender? I need a refill on my drink."
The Ghost Rider looked back over at the bar and saw that the Robot Demon was gone. He dilated his swirling flaming eyes in anger.
"And then when I get a refill," Seviathan continues, "we'll continue with our talk and--"
The Ghost Rider spots the bartender running down the stairs to escape.
"Move it!" the Brimstone Biker pushes the von Eldritch out of the way as he runs after the Sinner. "He knows something!"
The Ghost Rider gives chase after the Robot Demon as he pushes past more Demons. Some get shoved to the floor while others get burnt to a crisp. The Robot Demon he was chasing takes out his Hellphone and fumbles with it before calling someone.
"We have a problem!" he states.
"What is it?" Stalker's voice asks from the phone.
"That Human you guys killed? He's alive!" the Demon exclaims. "And he's here!"
"WHAT?!" Stalker yells. "How?!"
"I don't know," the Robot Demon states, "but he's also that skeleton that's been hammering down our guys on the Living World!"
"What?! That doesn't make any sense!" the grey Imp states. "That's the Ghost Rider, and the Rider is--... oh, shit."
"Stalker, I really need your--" the phone beeps in the Demon's ear. "Hello? Stalker? You there?"
The Demon realizes that Stalker had hung up on him, leaving him to fend for himself. He begins to grow in fear as he looks behind him to see the Ghost Rider gaining on him.
"I'VE COME FOR YOUR SOUL!" the Rider exclaims.
The bartender screams in fear and continues to run away. However, when he comes across the doors to an outdoor balcony, the Rider tackles him and they crash through the doors. The Demons on the balcony scream in terror as they back away from the Ghost Rider.
The Spirit of Vengeance then punches the Robot Demon in the face, denting it. Then he pins his heel on his neck, glaring at the Demon who was now yearning for air.
"Tell me who you work for," he tells the Sinner, "and I may let you live."
"N-never!" the Demon coughed. "He'll kill me!"
"And what makes you think I won't?" the Rider asks.
He then grabs the Demon by the collar of his shirt and drags him over to the balcony railing. He then holds him up and over the edge. The Demon yelps in fright and tries to get out of his attacker's grip.
"Now tell me where your boss is hiding," the Rider orders.
"I'll never talk!" the Sinner exclaims.
"Is that right?" the Ghost Rider asks and grips one of his chain hook. "How about we make it official, then?"
He raises the hook up and stabs it into the bartender's neck. He gags and yells in pain as the burning hook twists in his neck. Then the Rider pulls it out, oil-like blood staining it with a small device hanging off from the hook's edge. He then tosses it aside and it tumbles across the balcony floor.
"There," the Rider says. "Oh, and for good measure..."
The scorched skeleton opens his jaws wide as the gangster struggles in his hold. However, he begins to choke as his soul starts to be sucked from his body and swallowed by the Ghost Rider. Blood trickled from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears as he slowly becomes empty, his soul stolen by the Rider.
When it was over, his soul was completely gone. All that the Rider held now was an empty husk of a man that once was. He dropped the body, letting it fall to the ground below. He lets out a low growl and turns to walk away.
He walks back inside the casino where Seviathan was waiting for him. The Hellborn simply smiled at the Rider as he spoke.
"So you killed him," the Hellborn says.
"I did," the Rider nods. "And I ate his soul."
"Well, then, how are you going to find out where his boss is?" Seviathan asks.
"His soul holds all his memories, which I now own," the Rider states. "He hasn't met his boss, but he's met people who has. I'll hunt them down first, and then take their souls until I find the boss."
"So I guess this is where we part ways, Rider?" Seviathan asks.
"Yes," Hell's Bounty Hunter confirms. "It is."
The burning biker begins to walk away, but Seviathan stops him one more time.
"Oh, and one last thing."
The Rider turns to face von Eldritch again.
"When you find the man, or woman, responsible for hunting Charlotte," the Demon royalty grins evilly, "make sure they suffer."
The Ghost Rider nods and turns around again. He then walks away again, on his way to continue his job.