Helltaker X Male Reader | Hell Isn't So Bad

Chapter 2 - Not What I Expected

Hell wasn't like what I was expecting. I used to think it was just crevices with flames, demons and lava everywhere. But now I saw it in a different light.

Sure, it was hot and mostly red, but so far I haven't seen any demon things unless I count those Skeleton thingies, and instead of pits,it was corridor after corridor with open spaces scattered all around. It seemed like some parts of hell were just flat plains, which suddenly turned into maze like places with puzzles all around. You wouldn't be able to tell whether after a puzzle was another or it was going to be a lake of lava.

Anyways, I continued walking down the path with the horn of the Skeleton I murdered in my pocket. My clothes were looking rather worn, with just sweatpants and plain white short sleeved shirt on. I had a jacket on before, but the heat led to me deciding to wrap it around my waist.

So far I only encountered two other Skeletons and managed to sneak past them, which even I was surprised by. I was currently in another open field with small rock my size all around. Some of them were blocking my path. I pushed against one and it pushed against another one, letting me continue on.

I was afraid of just climbing them since the things were roundish, and could roll onto of me if I wasn't careful, and I didn't want to take that chance. As I continued onwards, I saw holes in the ground right a step below me. As I began walking towards it, a white metal shine came from it, and metal spikes sprouted from the aforementioned holes.

Jesus Christ that was close. I jumped back and the spikes retracted. Did they... respond to my movements? I decided to step closer, just on the edge of the hole very slowly, and they came up. I saw an opportunity. I was just thin enough to get between the gap between the metal spikes at my height.

As I nudged through them, I wondered how lucky I was to be thin. If I was any bigger or buffer, I probably would have had to just find another way. As I made it, I found myself face to face with what seemed to be... A desk? Well that was the least of my worries.

But I couldn't help but wonder, why was a desk there? There was supplies and everything. As I continued staring at it, I noticed one of those bars which would signify what would be there. The words read Pandemonica, and I wondered whether it was a Skeleton or some sort of Demon thing. And just on cue, something appeared.

A pillar of flames extending from the ground up into the red sky and beyond began circling itself in the chair of the desk, surrounding it. As quickly as they appeared, they dissipated, leaving someone in the middle of where the flames were.

A girl with pale skin, red irises, a black arrow-tipped tail, and silvery-white hair. Her hair is wavy and fashioned in 3 large curls resting on her forehead, with the middle curl being larger than the two on either side. It reaches down both sides of her head, tucked behind her ears, with both ends curling inwards at the bottom of her head close to her chin.

Additionally, the girl has a pony tail on the back of her head with two more large, distinctive curls. Poking out of her hair are two small black horns that are rounded at the tips. She has white eyebrows and has visible dark circles under her rounded eyes, giving her a tired appearance.

This pale woman also has a very professional look in terms of attire; She wears a red button-up long-sleeve shirt with a large folded collar underneath a black long-sleeved blazer, as well as a black pencil skirt and black gloves.

The girl was currently sitting on the chair in a professional manner with a tired look on her face. I assumed from where she was sitting that she was the girl named Pandemonica, and judging from the horns and tail, she's a demon of some sorts.

Judging from that, I put a hand to my pocket and gripped my horn as I got a good look at her eyes. She look extremely tired, which made me feel a bit bad. Just then, she began to speak up.

"My name is Pandemonica, Hell's Costumer Service, how may I help you?" Her voice was elegant but tired. Damn, everything about her was tired. I was stunned for a bit, Customer Service? "Costumer Service? What does that mean?" I asked, hesitation in my voice. I didn't want to let my guard down.

Pandemonica didn't seem surprised my question, and answered rather swiftly. "Hell used to be a hierarchy, but the old King was killed, and the new leader decided that they wanted to keep up with the times, and Hell became a business." To say I was shocked was an understatement. Hell... was a business?

Seeing as I wasn't saying anything, Pandemonica sighed tiredly and looked at me once again. "Anything else?" I looked at her, and I couldn't help but feel bad. What could go wrong with opening up a little bit... right? I was probably going to regret this.

"Uh. How many people have come here today?" "One hundred and seventy-two." What the hell this poor demon. Shit. I knew what I was about to do was a bad idea, but my lawfulness kicked in.

"Is there any way... you know... I could help you?" Pandemonica looked at me with slight shock, which I hadn't noticed as it was quickly covered up with a gaze which gave off an emotion I couldn't know. This isn't anime you know, I can't just read the room all the time! I began sweating, thinking that I said something wrong.

"You... You're not meant to be here are you?" I was confused. Wasn't I? I mean, I killed someone, so I should be. "There were no ill intentions behind that phrase, no sin to be found... there must have been a mistake..."

Pandemonica began looking down while mumbling incoherently, which gave off a weird vibe. She was muttering so I couldn't hear what she was saying. "Hello...?" I asked, but it seemed she paid no attention. "Hello!?" I yelled, getting here attention as she looked at me.

"Well, would you accept my offer?" I asked. Pandemonica simply sighed. "I don't see why not. Can you do coffee?" I nodded as she let out a small smile which was barely noticeable. "It's been a while since I've had good coffee... do you want anything in return?" She asked, standing up from her desk as she walked to the front of it and facing me.

"I didn't really think about it. Is there a way to get out?" Pandemonica gave a face which could only be described as a deadpan. "You think you can get out of hell?" Yeah, now that I think about it, it sounds kind of stupid. She sighed.

"Is there?" I inquired. "Yes, but the journey is almost impossible." "I can take those odds." "Really?" "I don't feel like I have anything else to do here." "...Your coffee better be worth it." The two of us smiled at our conversation lightly.

"It will be, I'm Y/N by the way." Me, a human, just befriended a demon. Weren't demons supposed to be monsters? Well, since Cerberus didn't seem to exist, this seemed logical, plus, I was more that okay with it.

And with that, we began walking, with Pandemonica in tow just behind. I wonder if I'll meet anyone else down here.