Heels clicked and echoed as the woman strode down the long hallway of the building she resided in. She walked with confidence, but also with apprehension, but considering her task, anyone would walk that way. The equipment she would use strapped to her side and back, she moved briskly, knowing she didn't have any time to waste. She approached an ancient-looking door with golden trim, and two figures standing rigidly on guard.
"Ah, Delilah." One of the two figures snapped to attention as she approached. "Do you require assistance?"
"No, I simply need passage." Delilah shook her head, noticing both guards look to one another, concern flickering on their faces. This was understandable, and she smiled reassuringly: "It's fine, I will be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, yes, Logan. I will be fine, thank you for your concern." She smiled warmly at the young recruit. "Your compassion is touching, though, young one."
Logan blushed slightly at the comment, and the second guard, 'Gideon', punched him jokingly in the shoulder. Delilah rolled her eyes and sighed mockingly, Gideon could be… annoying, for lack of a better term. However, he had the background, skills, and record to make a solid case for simply rolling with the punches. Besides, he never did it out of malicious intent, he just enjoyed messing with the new recruits. The two stood on either side of the door, taking one of the large golden rings, and pulled on it. Slowly, the door moaned as it opened, and Delilah briskly entered the room, feeling the air go from the calm, warm feeling of safety to a slowly changing grip of uncertainty and fear. Once she was through the door, she looked back and nodded, and the guards closed the door. The 'shwaaa' that followed assured that the door was now sealed for the time being, and she was free to fulfil her duties. The woman walked to where of all things, a well was constructed. She paused at the edge of it, saying a short prayer, the climbing up, and jumping into the darkness, descending to the depths below…
Down in hell, Cherri Bomb was face-down on the floor, hungover as well, heck, from a night of bomb-baking and chocolate alcohol-making. Wait. No, it was… it was bomb-making and alcohol-baking… or was it bomb-alcohol-
Knockknockknockknock
"Cherri?! Are you in there?!"
"Ugh…"
Knockknockknockknock
"Cherri?! I need to talk to you!"
"Piss off!" Cherri groaned, flipping the door off. Thankfully, whomever seemed to be trying to get her attention respectfully took the hint and left her alone to deal with her hangover and-
Knockknockknockknock
"Cherri! I need to talk to you!"
"UURRRGGGHH…" Cherri moaned, pulling herself up onto the couch, and forcing on leg up, watching it wobble as she forced herself to stand. The whole room was rocking as if she was on a boat, her head swam and her body felt like it was covered in bricks. Somehow, someway, she sluggishly stumbled over to the door to her room and drunkenly opened it.
"Whaddya want Ang- oh, you're not Angel…" She lolled drunkenly, realizing half-way through her question who was at her door.
"Have you seen Mad Dawg?! He apparently disappeared from the hotel four days ago!" Molly asked, genuine concern in her voice and eyes. Cherri blinked, the hell was she on about? Hotel… what hotel? There weren't any hotels in- oh. Right.
"Ask Angel, he lives with th'kid." Cherri groaned, stumbling off to get some water, fumbling to pick up a glass and nearly tripping over several bricks of C4. When water was in the glass (and all over the counter, floor and her shirt) Cherri downed the drink, feeling her head stop spinning. For some reason, and to the annoyance of pretty much anyone she partied with, all she needed to do to cure a hangover was drink some H2O. It didn't completely remove the hangover, and she'd still probably puke, or pass out, or have a real bad headache, but she could at least focus.
"I did! He wouldn't say much, just that there was some sort of argument, Mad Dawg left, and no-one's seen him since!" Molly insisted, trying not to step on any of the explosives left lying around. Cherri looked up at her, taken aback by her statement, and seemed to consider some options.
"…okay…" She muttered. "He could be at a bar, just doing one of those week-long crawls, or maybe he's too drunk to get back to the hotel and is crashing in a motel somewhere. Th'kid didn't really have a lot of friends down here who could pass a message on."
"Maybe, but he drank at the hotel, apparently."
"Okay, so he's in a dust haze." Cherri grumbled. "You know how long Angel can be on those, think about how big the kid is. He'd be trippin' for days on some of that primo-shit."
"He didn't look like a user…"
"Neither did Dust, at first." Cherri retorted sarcastically, noting Molly seemed kinda pissed off about the comment. "But we're in hell, everyone uses. Eventually."
"But…but…" Molly sputtered, trying to find something to grasp to something, anything.
"Uh, why are you so panicky about this? Dust's disappeared for like, two weeks. Then he shows up as if nothing happened." Cherri commented dismissively. Sure, she liked Dawg, and the news he was gone was surprising… but he had seemed fine last time they met. A bit shaken and beaten, clearly on some mixture of drugs, and probably just having a really bad trip.
"It's just… he's just…"
"Because he's young?"
"Partially, yeah. And I like him!" Molly sighed then quickly added: "As a friend!"
"Heh, well. You're outta luck in that regard." Cherri laughed. "I'm pretty sure Dawg's not into… well, 'our' type. But besides, have you seen that guy? He's ran through warzones with me beatin' the crap outta any asshole who even LOOKS our way! He can take care of himself…" Cherri shrugged, then noticed her words hadn't done much to alleviate the fear. "Look, he was at that stupid Happy Hotel place; the Princess probably tried to force some 'reformation cult' shit onto him like it was the Republican party, and he split. He'll turn up, eventually."
"I figured, it's just… Anthony seemed so angry when I asked him… yet also terrified at the same time." Molly finally said, and that fully grabbed Cherri's attention. If Dust was angry, they could get drunk, make bombs and piss people off. If he was upset… well, he was being a little bitch, and she'd slap sense into him. With a two-by-four if need, be. "Apparently, Mad Dawg attacked him, and really beat the crap outta him."
"Hol up, what?" The cyclops-anarchist said, cutting the spider-demon off. "Dawg beat up Dust?!"
"Apparently, yes!" Molly nodded. "When I went to see if Dawg was at the hotel, I ran into him, and he wasn't in good shape. According to Vagatha, Dawg attacked him, freaking out over something before he ran off. A few days after that, he came home and was hurt even worse…"
"Well, that's simple. It's that bastard he works for." Cherri grumbled.
"Well, yeah! But what happened with Dawg?"
"I dunno. Why are you asking me?"
"Dust trusts you more than he does me!" Molly exclaimed.
"Okay… fine." Cherri sighed, deciding she had heard enough of this conversation. "I'll get in touch with Angel, and try and figure out what the hell happened. Once I know, I'll let you know, and then you can yell at him or whatever, okay?"
"Fine."
"Word of advice, though. Don't go looking for Mad Dawg." Cherri added as Molly began to leave. But the advice made her pause and look back. "First of all, if he's emotionally screwed up, the sister of the guy he beat up is one of the last demons he'd wanna see. Second, if you go looking for him in those shady places you seem to think he's in, Dust'll kill both of us if he finds out about that and this conversation. Third, he's just some guy, let it go. If he's down here, that means he's twisted in some way, he's not some five-year-old who lost his mama at the mall. Come to think of it, I think Dust said Dawg killed his mom…"
Molly didn't respond, she just left the apartment and slammed the door behind her. She felt conflicted, and tired. Bomb had a point, Dawg was just some guy. Sure, she'd go so far as to say they were friends, but she didn't feel the need to hire a bounty hunter or something to try and find him. Really, she just wanted some answers as to what happened between him and her brother. Maybe she should just get some coffee and move on, give it a few days…
"So, is there any reason we're doing this?" Mad Dawg asked.
"Nope." #54 answered. "It's just our job!"
"We've been looking at this wall for two hours." Mad Dawg commented, having flashbacks to one of th first days he ever met his old friends.
"Well, we were scheduled for 'Wall Duty' for two hours, so sooner or later we'll-"
"JOB SHIFT!"
"Oh, never mind." #54 stopped as Mad Dawg and the Egg Boi got up and walked off, two other Egg Bois walking up and sitting in front of the wall. "We're on water cooler duty now." The pair walked over to the water cooler, and leaned against it, this being their job now. Dawg leaned against the cooler, being tall enough to prop himself up on one arm off the top of the water jug… and stood there.
"So, I gotta ask. Where the hell do you guys come from?" Mad Dawg asked after two minutes of maddening silence.
"I have no idea."
"Oh."
The silence returned.
"So whaddya think'a the boss?" #54 asked, putting that weird emphasis on the word 'boss'.
"…I mean… I dunno. He seems like a decent guy." Mad Dawg shrugged. "I appreciate him not trying to kill me, or mutilate me, or skin me alive…"
"Oooohhhh…. That sounds fun…"
"What?"
"Nothing."
Mad Dawg took one of those paper cone cups and filled it with water, taking a sip and downing the cool water. His mind began to wander, as it had been during his two-hour-wall-sit-session. He needed to think forward; to the future. What was he gonna do now? He wanted to go back, to tell Charlie he was sorry, he wanted to get out of hell! But then again, who didn't?
From the looks of it, a lot of demons.
That's what had begun to really dig into Dawg's thoughts: this was hell, it was a place of eternal suffering and agony… and yet people still seemed so happy down here! It made sense though, they cut loose. There were no rules, no laws, no set of commandments to uphold, in a sense, it was paradise.
So why was he so withheld?
He had done a lot of terrible things, he swore, he drank, he blew stuff up… he should fit right in! But he didn't, why?! Okay… okay, okay, calm down. Mad Dawg bit his lip, thinking rationally once more. He knew why he felt like an outcast; he wasn't a monster!
"If you do this… You'll always be a monster."
Damn it.
"I'm… just say it you furry bastard! I'm a monster!" Mad Dawg snapped. "But I'm not a monster like THEM… and I don't wanna be that! I just… I just want things to go back to the way they were, before Overwatch, before Beta-576, back when things were simple!"
"Mad Dawg, what I offer is something God himself can't. I offer true, absolute freedom!"
"…what?"
"Well, look at yourself. The scars on your body tell a story of suffering and hardship. Of abuse, loss and bullet wounds. And it doesn't take a genius to know that you were considered a 'hero' in life, leaving you bound to an asinine moral code… but down here? No one cares! You can live as free as a roc! No one judges you, no one tells you how to live! No one holds you to a moral code!"
'Sure, but that freedom comes at a cost…' Mad Dawg thought.
"Uh, Dawg?"
"Agh! Wha..what?" Mad Dawg muttered, shaking his head and looking around, realizing he was in a laboratory with Sir Pentious, working on some weapons for him. He wasn't sure how long had passed…
"You uh, you were staring off into heaven there." The snake-demon commented.
"…what do you do when you don't know who you are, or what you are?" Mad Dawg asked.
"Uh. Could you repeat that?"
"I'm trying to figure out what I do now, where I go, how I move on with my afterlife, but everything is just raising more questions." Mad Dawg admitted.
"My advice? Just jump." Pentious shrugged. "Not in a literal sense! But here in hell, if you don't take a risk, don't take a chance, then you're not gonna get anywhere. I've been here way longer than you, and sometimes the best way to survive and thrive in hell, is to live for you."
"All right." Mad Dawg said quietly thinking it over.
"Kid, you don't need my permission, or anyone's permission for that matter, to cut loose." The Naga continued, wielding something onto Dawg's crossbow. "Just live for yourself for a change. Do what makes you happy. Stop thinking about the consequences and live for the rewards!"
"Look, I've been thinkin' a lot about what I wanna do now." Mad Dawg admitted. "I feel like I need to go back to the city, and deal with some stuff there, apologize to some people, and then… I dunno."
"Call them." Pentious shrugged. "Just call them, tell them you're sorry, or tell them you're alive, and you want to talk someday, but you need time. It's not that hard."
"Yeah… Yeah!" Mad Dawg nodded, realizing what the easy answer to all this would be. "That's what I gotta do! …then what?"
"I have no idea." Pentious admitted honestly. "Like, I've known you for four dayssss, I still don't know what happened at the hotel."
"I don't know, man." Mad Dawg shook his head, slipping the leather bracer onto his arm, now seeing his crossbow (which he couldn't holding in his hand, was affixed to his arm, and a series of strings near his fingers acted as triggers. "Okay, this is AWESOME!"
Taking aim, Mad dawg found a ring, like a pull string on an old doll, and fired a bolt into the wall. It felt weird, and would take some practice, but it felt good to have his crossbow back in action!
"Hey, Boss! The new Overlord Tier List came out today!" One of the Egg Bois exclaimed, running in with a newspaper. Mad Dawg had heard Pentious mention this, something akin to popularity and 'evilness' among the Overlords, and the higher on the list you were, the more 'respectable' you were. Mad Dawg loaded another bolt, trying to actually aim this time…
"After all the insane crap we've done, HOW AM I STILL SO LOW ON THEIR TEIR LISTSSS!?" Pentious roared, his hair-snake-part-thing-i-don't-know-the-name-of unfurling as he hissed angrily. Mad Dawg jumped when he fired, and the bolt bounced around the lab, eventually going right through the Egg Boi.
"Uh…" Mad Dawg muttered.
"LOOK AT THIS BULLSHIT!" Pentious fumed. "They say I'm nothing but a mockery of the Overlord's! A sideshow attraction who's only claim to fame is being ass-whipped by Cherri every other week! I don't even know what that means!"
"You okay, Boss?"
"No! These assholes routinely snub me, claiming I'm nothing but a usurper! A false idol!" Pentious continued with his rant, throwing something against a wall. Mad Dawg blinked, then thought about what he had been told earlier, the mindset he was going to live in. After a few minutes of anger, Pentious was now sobbing uncontrollably as Dawg approached.
"Hey. Boss." He said in a calm, kind voice, getting the Snake's attention. "Wanna cut loose?"
Ten Minutes Later…
"UP YOURS, hELL!" Mad Dawg yelled next to Pentious, the two of them drunk and pissing off the side of the blimp onto the city below. "WOOOOOOO!"
"SSSSSSSUCK MY DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-" Pentious shouted before slipping, and nearly falling off the ship, only for Dawg to grab him and pull him back to safety. "Holy crap! That… that was…"
"Hey! You one random demon down there! I NEVER LIKED YOU!" Mad Dawg yelled, grabbing an empty beer can and throwing it, not knowing he hit a certain spider-demon's asshole brother with a broken arm.
"Hey, hey, hey… Boss. I've been thinkin'!" Mad Dawg slurred.
"Well that's a first!"
"I know! Look, I'm really happy here, I'mma let you finish… but I think I'm gonna look for work in the city, y'know? I'm thankful for everything you've done for me here, but… But I gotta move on, find my own path!"
"Well, my furry comrade. All I can say, is God speed, and kiss my ass!" Pentious drunkenly saluted, and Dawg tilted his head.
"Do you… like… have an ass?"
"I dunno!"
Mad dawg didn't know how much time passed after that. A few hours at least, and he came down form the booze, and eventually moved onto the evening. When he went to bed, it was the same as the past few nights. Voices, images, nightmares, screaming…. And silence. Only he could hear everything, only he could see everything… and it was disheartening.
"God…" Mad Dawg began, trying once more to pray to the God he assumed was watching. "I…If you're… I mean… I'm here… and, well, that means… never mind. You've got bigger things to deal with."
He tossed and turned for a minute, before turning onto his side and seeing a few of the Egg Bois looking at him.
"Hiya big guy." #54 commented. "Me and the others noticed you seemed… traumatized. None of us are in any way qualified to handle this, but we thought we'd try anyways."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're really not…"
"Leave me be." Mad Dawg muttered. Turning his head away. However, he felt something lean against him. Then something else, then something else, then… "I said, leave me be."
However, that wasn't going to happen. The Egg Bois all collectively moved over to where Mad dawg was lying, and had essentially gathered around (and on top) of him. The set their blankets down and seemed to go back to sleep rather quickly, effectively trapping Dawg under a pile of Egg minions.
"I said, leave… me… alone…" Mad Dawg tried to get out, but his voice was weak, and his defenses were failing. It didn't feel like he was being suffocated, it felt like he was in a big group hug, or as if a pillow fort had falling in on him. There was something… calming, about being surrounded and partially covered by sentient eggs-
"I am WAY to not-stoned to think that sounds normal…"
-the group just… rested, most of the Egg Bois falling asleep almost immediately, leaning against the large furry-beast lying in the corner. The whole group seemed to move as one, Mad Dawg's shaking and stuttered breathing caused the entire group to shake as one. But the warmth, calm breathing and snoring slowly seemed to gradually bring Dawg's paranoia and panic to a calm, quiet breathing. His breath became more collected, and then… it became more relaxed, and Mad Dawg drifted back to sleep. Feeling oddly safe, for the first time since he got to hell.
The next day came, and Mad Dawg stood in the main area of the airship, a large door open, revealing nothing but hell's skies. Tightening his messenger bag and crossbow. Mad Dawg took a few deep breaths, then nodded. According to Pentious, they were outside of the major city, it'd be a bit of a fall, then a bit of a walk, but nothing Dawg couldn't handle. The Egg Bois had been sad to see him go, but Dawg knew he couldn't hold onto the past forever. And besides, he figured he'd be back, one way or another!
"Okay… well, thank you Sir Pentious. My time here was most appreciated." Mad Dawg said sincerely, looking back to the open door, which one of the Egg Bois got sucked out of and sent careening to the ground below.
"Don't jump!" Sir Pentious suddenly exclaimed, slithering off and then returning with a camera and tub of popcorn. "Okay, now jump!"
Mad Dawg wordlessly looked at Pentious, and Pentious looked back at him.
"Heeeeyyyyyy…~" They said in unison, pointing with finger guns to one another. Mad Dawg ran on the spot, breathing in and out, before getting into a crouch, running off, and jumping out of the airship.
"I REGRET NOTHINNNNGGGGGGG!" Mad Dawg yelled as he fell to the city below.
Vaggie watched as Charlie seemed to be packing a bag full of clothes and what looked like weapons. The one-eyed-demon frowned at this, not sure where this was going, and only having three or four ideas of where it could go. All of them were not good options or ideas.
"Charlie, what are you-" Vaggie began, but immediately stopped when saw Charlie try and push something under her bed. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Charlie asked innocently, flashing a wide smile at her girlfriend.
"Charlie."
"I didn't see any bag!"
"Charlie…"
"Seriously! I didn't see any bag full of supplies that I- aw… dang it…" Charlie spoke in her usual hyperactive way, but slowed down when she realized she busted herself.
"Charlie, what are you doing?" Vaggie asked, sounding more like a mother than a girlfriend. "Please tell me you weren't going to take off and try and track down Mad Dawg."
"Okay, I won't." Charlie replied, and the two were left in silence.
"So?"
"So, what?"
"So… what are you doing?" Vaggie said, having to drag the answer out of Charlie.
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because I promised I wouldn't tell you that I was going to take off and try and track down Mad Dawg." Charlie answered, then smiled innocently. Vaggie groaned, her concerns being justified. She decided to try and alleviate them as she pulled Charlie into a hug.
"Some days I think I love you a little too much…" She muttered, and Charlie beamed once more, still trying to be innocent. "Charlie, I'm concerned too, but this is his choice."
"I know. But there's more at risk than just his redemption!" Charlie countered, suddenly growing somewhat urgent. "Vaggie, he's been hurt. You've seen first-hand what someone who isn't in the perfect mindset can wind up in! I don't want him to be left to face that alone! I don't want… I don't want Daddy to find him… Not now, not when I was so close…"
"Ah…" Vaggie thought, realizing something important to all this. About a minute passed, and eventually Vaggie lifted Charlie's face up to her's. "Listen, you need to stay here. This is your dream, your hotel. I'll ask around some of the local hangouts if anyone's seen him, or has any idea where he went. If anyone knows, then we can go find him. But until then, please, please, PLEASE don't do anything irrational… the last thing I want is for you to get hurt by him. Or anyone!"
"Vaggie… okay." Charlie sighed with a nod, sitting back on her bed. Vaggie smiled down at her, then left the room, sensing that she wanted to be alone.
"So, this is it, this is IMP City…" Mad Dawg said to himself as he walked down a sidewalk. It certainly was a city. Honestly, it reminded him of Chicago, but nicer!
"So, here's how it's gonna go." He mentally talked to himself. "You're gonna find a job, make some cash, then… you're gonna call… you're gonna call… you're… you're gonna call them, tell them you're okay… and one day you'll talk to them in person. But you don't HAVE to anytime soon!"
"Alright… how do I find work?" Mad Dawg mused, looking around the new city. This one reminded him much more of King's Row than Royal Woods, but the colours were a muted red, gray and beige mixing into something that wasn't beautiful, but wasn't ugly. "I mean… it's not like a job is gonna hit me in the face-"
Whap!
A discarded newspaper flew into his face, stopping him mid-sentence.
"Okay then."
Pulling the paper off of his face, he saw a long 'Help Wanted' ad staring him in the face, but what caught his attention was at the top of the page, the company slogan.
If you want somebody gone, and you don't wanna wait too long, call the Immediate Murder Professionals!
Yeah, this was a shorter chapter. But this is the 'In-between-Arcs' chapter. Pentious and the Egg Bois ain't done yet, though. Still, I figured it'd be better to keep the story a-rollin'. Next time, well, you've probably already guessed ;)