Tale From The Afterlife - a Helluva Boss Fan Story

Chapter 41. Secrets Unmasked

It is the following morning. Everyone was in the van, ready to start the work day once again. This time however, there was an additional stop - near the palace. The rest of the IMP team weren't exactly looking forward to it, however Vergil was stubborn and had taken on the challenge of being Stella's companion. The imps and Loona offered some final words of encouragement, with the hellhound also kissing her hubby on the lips before stopping in front of the palace. The white wolf smiles and then gets off the van in front of the building. The wolf was wearing his black attire, along with his helmet-shaped crow mask so as to not look like a hellhound and instead to look like a crow. As the disguised wolf was walking towards the castle, the guards at the main gate were ready to apprehend him, but Stolas called them off. The owl prince arrived there himself to greet the potential new companion for Stella. At first he looked giddy that it was another bird, meaning most likely a royal, however given the sheen and the unmoving eyelids at the mask's eyes, the owl prince knew something was going to go down. Nonetheless, he invited the visitor to the castle and walked with him. As the two walked through the castle hallways that were filled with rich-looking decors along with Goetias who looked at Stolas' visitor with straight disgust. Vergil could also hear some of the comments that they were making.

Goetia 1: "Ugh, look at that... thing. Does it even know what 'fashion' means?"

Goetia 2: "I heard it's supposed to be some sort of companion for Stella. As if we needed another embarrassment in the family."

Goetia 1: "Just look at its attire! Probably scavenged from the depths of the greed ring. How uncouth."

Goetia 2: "It's bad enough having to endure Stolas' antics, but now this abomination? I can't even stomach it."

While Vergil had a stone cold demeanor on the outside, on the inside he pretty much wanted nothing more than to see their downfall in real time. Then Stolas takes him to a small room that looks more akin to a breakroom for the staff. The owl prince then just pulls the disguised wolf's seat for him, which Vergil appreciates. The two sit down and off rip, the prince sits down and puts his head in his hands.

Vergil: "Not quite what you expected?"

And the muffled voice just adds onto Stolas' worries and he feels like he might lose it at this point due to being so stressed out. The owl prince just sighs deeply.

Stolas: "No, it's not what I expected at all. But then again, nothing ever seems to go according to plan in this family. And take off the mask, it's no use hiding your identity in front of me."

Vergil nods and then takes off his crow mask helmet, but puts on his hood instead. Stolas looks at the wolf's face and is left absolutely gobsmacked that he was talking to a hellhound. However, something is different about this wolf.

Stolas: "You are...different. Hellhounds usually have a certain something about them. Something that reminds me of Cerberus. You don't have that..."

Vergil: "Indeed no ... I am not a native here."

Stolas: "And yet you have gained the appearance of those who hell deems as worth less than the dirt they stand on."

Vergil: "It appears so. Whatever this realm thinks of us, I do not care. I was born a wolf, I shall stay a wolf."

Stolas: "You are a brave soul, young one. But I feel like you are not telling me everything."

Vergil looks Stolas dead on and just nods his head. The two consciousnesses in his head look at each other. Given what Blitz told them, he's a smart person so he would've found them out eventually. The white wolf first looks around the room to see if there were any security cameras. Upon making sure they're not watched, he takes off his jacket along with his undershirt, keeping his gloves on. Stolas looks at Vergil and feels a bit hot under the collar mainly because he thought his white fur looked majestic.

The wolf then just spreads his feathered wings, which take Stolas completely by surprise. The owl quickly gets up and inspects the wings with his hands, making sure they're not an illusion. Nope, the wings are real, soft to the touch and magnificent to look at.

Vergil: "Yeah, they're a part of me. An unusual trait I'm sure."

Stolas: "Fascinating...Now I got it. You're only part wolf but...what else are you?"

Vergil: "Why say...when I can show you."

Stolas: "No no...you don't have t—"

But in an instant, Vergil turns himself into his dragon form. The dragon had a full set of long white hair between his pretty wide mid-length horns that are pointed backwards. There are also spikes going down the dragon's cheeks and at the front of his snout. Along his chest there was a lot of fur going from his pecks to his crotch area. The dragon form's build doesn't look too different from Vergil's, but their musculature is different, with the dragon having the stronger arm muscles. The elbows appear to have short wide spikes as well. His arms have long and pretty sharp claws that are constantly out. Along the dragon's tail there are also a significant number of spines that protrude inwards.

Stolas looks at the transformed wolf, absolutely smitten. The owl prince just looks at the man for a couple of seconds before Vergil transforms back into his wolf form. The royal bird just snaps back to reality and sits back down.

Stolas: "Apologies, I...haven't quite seen something like that."

Vergil: "I don't really get it out much, seeing as it might terrify people."

Stolas: "It is understandable. Something out of the ordinary found here would be turned into news by lunchtime."

Vergil: "Anyway, what more could you tell me about Stella? What is she like usually?"

Stolas: "In a few words, our marriage wasn't born out of feelings for one another. Instead out of obligation to raise an heir. Sadly, the family did not accept our daughter and have been ragging mostly on Stella due to the fact that she gave birth to an 'unsuitable heir'. Nowadays, when she is not looking after our child, she is mostly in her room, either drunk or watching tv."

Vergil: "I feel like at some point, her mind could give out and she'll do something super drastic. And I don't want to think about how many casualties would come of it."

Stolas: "My concerns exactly. The problem is that one does not become royalty for their intellect."

Vergil: "And I'm guessing that's why you want to find her a companion? To prevent her from doing something drastic?"

Stolas: "No, I simply made a promise to her. While we cannot stand each other, I still want her to be happy. It is unfair to have me date someone and for her to have nobody."

Vergil: "I understand, very noble. Anything else I should know? Any abilities or quirks of hers?"

Stolas: "Her only powers are illusions and emotional manipulation. Do you believe you can handle something like that?"

Vergil then has a quick check up in his mind to talk with his dragon consciousness. The dragon, keeping track of things so far, already knows this might be an easy job to do.

Vergil: "Just checking to see, we got this right?"

Dragon: "Yep, only thing that could pose a threat are the illusions, given we don't know the extent of them. Other than that, we're golden."

Back on the outside, the wolf just nods, understanding the situation. He also says that if something happens, the owl prince would be there to help. Stolas doesn't say anything and instead just nods as, yes the bird doesn't want the wolf to be hurt. This would pretty much mean interfering with Blitzy's business and he didn't want that to happen. The white wolf then asks for the final time if there's anything out of the ordinary, regarding Stella that the owl knows. The only thing that comes to mind is Stella's watching habits as when she's alone, she seems to be watching TV dramas.

And this final bit of info had both consciousnesses doing a victory lap inside Vergil's head. The reason being is that in the late hours of a couple nights Vergil, Loona and Blitz gathered to watch whatever was on the TV due to lack of wanting to sleep. During one night, on one of the channels, they saw a female actor getting their booty obliterated and Vergil thought they switched to the porn channel. Nope, it was a drama called "Temptation Tango". Blitz further explained that all the TV dramas in hell are like this. The reason being to retain the teenage and adult audience.

Vergil thanked Stolas for all the info and then got suited up once again as the wolf didn't want the Goetias to see what his face looked like, as it might be trouble. The owl prince nods and then tells him where Stella's room is, and also says to the canine that he will be nearby. The disguised wolf and owl then get out of the room. As the two keep walking, Vergil could hear all kinds of sounds coming from all the different rooms in the castle, from drinking and snorting to moaning and spanking. It was definitely concerning just how much degeneracy he was hearing behind the closed doors.

After walking for an additional 2 minutes, Stolas makes way for Vergil to enter Stella's room. As he goes away, the owl says, in the white wolf's ear, that he will go check up on their child and will be right back, to see if things are going well. Afterwards he disappears around the corner as the disguised wolf goes inside the swan's room.