NOTE: So, yeah, just a bit of a heads up that there is a LOT of raunchy dialogue in this one since, well, Hazbin Hotel if one of the main properties used in here, so viewer discretion is most definitely advised for this team-up.
DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the properties you will see here. All rights go to their respective owners.
Infinity Verse Team-Ups
Angel Dust And Tom Lucitor: A Helluva Night
"I'm going out!" Tom called out to his parents as he headed toward the door. "I'll see you guys later tonight!"
The half-demon made his way toward the front door of his home. After the last few less than stellar days between him and Star, he needed a night to himself so he could reassess things in his life. Fortunately for the young prince, he had gotten a call from an old friend that gave him a way to clear his head for the night. However, just before he could turn the doorknob, he heard his mother's voice call out to him.
"[Where are you going?]" she asked in her demonic language.
Tom had to choose his next words very carefully. While his parents allowed him a lot of freedom for a teen, he knew that they wouldn't approve of where he was going, or who he was meeting up with for that matter.
"Just, uh, you know...out." he began before he meekly added "To...Pandemonium."
"Pandemonium?!" his parents cried out in unison
Pandemonium. The capital city of Hell where the most ruthless of demons resided. Hell and the Netherworld had always been connected, though Tom's kingdom was never fully recognized by the king of the infernal pit as a true part of it, even though they still had to follow Hell's rules. If you were to compare the Netherworld to anything, it was more Hell-adjunct than anything else, often mocked as the 'suburbia of hell'. Demons, like Tom's mother, were much different than the ones in the infernal realm, for they were born in the sub-part of Hell Demons in the nine circles, however, were corrupted souls who became monstrous upon falling there because of their past sins. It was also known that the Netherworld was looked down upon by true demons, and to make matters worse, Tom's status as a half-breed even made him more of a target for racially fueled attacks.
"Why are you going to Pandemonium in the first place?" his father questioned.
"Oh, just to see a friend," the half-demon answered, not wanting to say who exactly it was.
"[And would this 'friend' of yours happen to be that no account spider, Angel Dust?]" his mother surmised
Tom cringed when he heard the name being spoken aloud, knowing that he had been found out. Angel Dust was a cocaine-snorting, alcoholic, gun-toting, sex-crazed transsexual spider demon whom Tom had befriended. Unlike most of the demons who hailed from Hell that looked down on the prince, Angel Dust held no such prejudice toward the boy and even took him under his wing. Tom had thought of the spider-demon as a sort of big brother figure that he never had, even if he wasn't exactly the best influence at times. From getting the half-demon in trouble with the law (or at least what counted for the law in Hell) to getting into full-blown shoot outs with other demons over turf, it went without saying that Tom's friend wasn't exactly well-liked by his parents.
"But Mom, it's different now!" he defended. "Angel's been getting clean at this rehab hotel-type thing run by Satan's daughter. He wanted to see me to show that he's getting better!"
"[That demon has nearly gotten you nearly sent to prison or killed more times than I can count!]" his mother sternly replied.
"And Pandemonium isn't a safe a place, especially for you," his father added. "Do you know what they'll do to you if they found out that you're a half-demon?"
"I don't think any of them would be dumb enough to try anything against the prince of the Netherworld," Tom reasoned. "Look, I'll go straight to the hotel, see how Angel's been doing, then I'll come straight home. I promise."
Both his parents shared a skeptical look, meaning that Tom had to break out the big guns.
"Please?" he begged, his expression taking on a puppy dog look as he did.
"[...Fine]" his mother finally relented. "[But you go only to the hotel and nowhere else, understand?]"
"Yes, Mom," the half-demon acknowledged before hugging her leg. "Thank you!"
With a quick hug for both of his parents, Tom took out his scissors and opened a portal to Hell, all the while his parents feared for his well-being.
Despite the recent annual purge that just happened a month ago, the streets of Pandemonium were still filled with the demonic souls of the fallen that went about their lives. Tom made it a point as not to draw too much attention to himself, though he would occasionally get a nasty look from a passing demon. In the few times he had traveled to Hell, the half-breed prince was always shocked by the vast differences between this infernal realm and the Netherworld. Oh sure, Tom's world was a burning pit, but Hell was a different level. It was filled with massive cities that sold drugs, guns, and sexual services like regular retail goods. Demons of all sorts ranging from two-bit crooks to ancient Hell-lords who craved to control all. At the head of the unholy kingdom was Lucifer Mange, the former angel who rebelled against God.
After being cast into the pits below, the devil ruled Hell while always trying to tempt the world of men to sell their souls to him. In recent years, however, the Devil had been going to Earth in person more often than not, though he took the form of a crab-clawed red demon form that he used to battle the protector of Townsville under the alias of Him. True, the king of demons was the undisputed ruler of Hell, but this dark and terrible reputation did not extend to his daughter, Charlie. The Devil's daughter didn't quite exactly live up to her father's standards, wanting to see the good in the souls of the damned. As one would imagine, this not only didn't sit well with her father but also with the other arch-demons who lorded over the infernal realm as well. The breaking point came when the Princess of Hell announced that she was opening up a hotel to rehabilitate the damned and help them ascend to Heaven. There was talk among the demon lords to destroy the building, but they relented when a powerful demon named Alastor took up residence in the hotel and became its patron.
As Tom continued his trek down the streets toward Hazbin Hotel, he passed by a small shop with a stack of TVs all playing black and white images of a demonic clown. The clown, much like most of the occupants in Hell, was once human, but his features had been altered after arriving. Where once the man wore clown make-up had now become his skin while his normal white and red suit had turned a dark shade of the bright colors with a now larger top-hat with a pentagram on it resting atop his head. His eyes were now dark red and had piranha-like teeth that jutted out of his mouth.
"Howdy, Folks!" the demon on the screen greeted with a twisted smile. "Ya like blood? Violence? Freaks of nature? Course ya do! Y'er Hell, ain'tcha? So, why not come on down to Captain Spaulding's Restaurant for Monsters and Madmen and get yourself a plate of my famous fried chicken! Tastes so damn good that even the big man himself loves it!"
"This place is nuts..." Tom muttered under his breath as he walked away.
The half-breed prince rounded the corner and saw the massive building with the sign 'Hazbin Hotel' on it. Clearly the place he was looking for, Tom walked straight toward it. Once he reached the front door to the hotel, he gave it a quick knock, to which a winged-cat-like demon with playing card symbols on his wings opened the door.
"The fuck do you want?" the cat-demon grumbled before taking another swig of his flash.
"Uh, hi," Tom awkwardly greeted. "Is Angel Dust here?"
"Why? You here to fuck him or something?" the winged cat asked.
"What? No!" the half-breed refuted. "I'm his friend!"
"Yeah, sure ya are" the demon brushed off. "Now beat it!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" another voice from inside the hotel spoke up. "Let the kid in, will ya?"
It was then that Angel Dust arrived at the door after pushing past the other demon. The winged cat grumbled a few words as he headed back inside, allowing the porn star to properly greet his young friend.
"Hiya, Kiddo!" he said happily as he embraced Tom for a hug. "How ya been?"
"It's good to see you again, Angel," Tom replied as he returned the hug. "So, how's rehab?"
"Eh, I'll tell you later," the spider-demon brushed off. "Let's get some grub over at Spaulding's."
"You mean that clown guy on TV?" Tom said, remembering the commercial before mentally reminding himself of his promise. "Wait, we can't leave, I promised my parents that I wouldn't go anywhere but the hotel"
"Relax, kid, the joint ain't a bar, it's a restaurant. I'm sure your folks will be cool with that," Angel reasoned. "Besides, I'm fuckin' starving. All I've had today was a line of coke and the spunk I swallowed from blowing a dude on the street corner to get money for said coke."
"That's not food at all," Tom pointed out.
"Exactly!" Angel agreed. "So, let's get some real food and catch up. Come on, Tommy-boy, it'll fun!"
Whenever Angel Dust said the words 'it'll be fun,' it did not turn out to be fun at all. They were the same words the porn star had said when the two had done such things as steal cars, get into fights, and rob gas stations. Tom wasn't exactly okay with any of those things mentioned, but he wanted to be there for his friend regardless. Besides, his girlfriend would often say the same thing whenever they would do something reckless together.
"...Okay," he finally agreed. "But you have to promise me that we're just going to get dinner."
"Don't sweat it, kid," Angel answered. "What's the worst that can happen?"
The moment Tom entered the restaurant, he immediately regretted agreeing to come here. The inside of the restaurant was dirty and filled with the shouts and swears of demons of all sorts. Women in cages danced from the ceiling as bar music played in the background. The walls were adorned with strange knick-knacks such as the mummified remains of an alligator boy and stuffed gorillas. While Tom was hesitant to enter the food joint, Angel, however, was excited.
"Man, I love this place!" the spider-demon cheered. "Come on, Tommy-Boy, let's grab some seats at the bar."
"Wait, you said this place wasn't a bar," Tom said.
"Yeah, but I didn't say that this place didn't have a bar in it," Angel countered. "We'll still get some food, but I need some booze while I eat."
"Of course you do," the half-breed muttered as he followed his older friend to the bar.
As the two friends headed over to the bar, Tom had to step over the corpse of a demon with a knife jammed into his skull and left on the floor. The young prince tried his best not to look at anyone in the eye, lest he start a fight with them. Tom wasn't the one to shy away from a brawl, but he knew that if he did start a fight in Hell, he'd be overwhelmed in seconds. Once they took a seat at the bar, a waitress came up to the friends.
"What do you want?" she asked in an annoyed voice.
"Can I get a beer for me and a soda for the kid?" Angel answered. "Oh, and a plate of 40 hot wings to boot!"
"Yeah, yeah, coming right up," the waitress brushed off as she walked away.
Once the waitress had walked away, Tom spoke up once more.
"So, how have things been for you?" he asked.
"Eh, could be worse," the spider-demon shrugged. "The hotel gig ain't much, but it's a roof over my head, and it's at least got liquor."
"I thought you were going there to get clean," Tom pointed out.
"Yeah, I'm getting clean alright, Tommy-boy," Angel said with a smirk. "About as clean as I can be with a shit-ton of Colombian nose sugar hidden in my closet!"
Tom let out a defeated sigh upon hearing that. He had hoped that his friend was getting genuine help and cleaning up his act, but clearly, that wasn't the case. In truth, the young prince should've expected Angel to do something like this. More often than not did Angel say he was doing one thing yet do the exact opposite.
"But enough about me, what's new with you?" his friend asked. "How's things between you and what's-her-face?"
"You mean Star?" Tom said. "We, uh...we could be better."
That was putting it lightly. Tom may have gotten back together with Star, but recently, things had begun to feel strained between them, and that was before his girlfriend had joined the Infinity League with Marco. Ever since the battle with Meteora, where Marco revealed to the half-demon prince that he had kissed Star, Tom knew things weren't the same between him and the girl he loved. Star had been more involved with the politics of Mewni now that Eclipsa was in charge, which he'd be happy to help her with had she not kept him at arms-length during the whole ordeal. To make matters worse, the princess of Mewni had further removed herself from him thanks to something far greater.
Recently, Star, along with several of other of her teammates, had been having horrific dreams centered around a strange firebird. [1] After the League leaders had benched Star and the others, Tom wanted to help his lover, but she drove him away, instead further diving deeper into her work with Eclipsa. The half-demon was respectful toward Star's wishes to be left alone, but he still felt hurt none the less. When he and Star got back together, he swore that he would make an honest effort to be a better man this time around, but that didn't seem to matter since the writing was already on the wall: Star wanted Marco more than him.
At first, he didn't want to admit it to himself about what was happening, that it just him being paranoid. But it was becoming increasingly clear that Star had feelings for someone he considered his best friend, and he knew that he couldn't stop her from loving him even if she didn't want to admit it to herself just yet. It was then that Tom felt Angel's hand on his shoulder.
"You wanna talk about it?" the spider-demon asked in a gently.
It was moments like these that reminded Tom why he remained friends with the porn star. Underneath his rough, sex-obsessed, crack-smoking exterior beat the heart of someone who truly cared about others, even if he didn't admit out loud. The last time Tom and Star had broken up, Angel risked his life to leave the studio he was forced to stay in by the order of his vicious pimp, Valentino, to console his young heart-broken friend by personally visiting him and taking him on a night on the town. Granted, that night ended with the two them getting thrown in jail for arson, but it showed that Angel was clearly a better person than he let on to be.
"It's been...difficult lately...between Star and me, I mean," Tom began. "She's been helping Eclipsa run Mewni, which is great, but she's been pushing me away a lot lately. I'm trying my best to be supportive, but now I'm starting to wonder if she even wants to keep our relationship going. And it doesn't help that she's on this superhero team on Earth, so that's even less time I have with her"
"That's not the only problem yer having with her, is it?" Angel gathered.
"...No, it's not," Tom confirmed in a forlorn voice. "The truth is, I think she has feelings for someone else."
"Oh, is that right?" Angel sneered. "Who's the bitch trying to steal yer girl? I'll make sure he's got an express pass straight down to this place!"
"Whoa, whoa, easy, Angel. You don't have to do that," Tom reasoned.
"Oh, I get it, you want deniability, I can respect that," the spider-demon answered. "Don't worry, kiddo, I'll get rid of any evidence that could be traced back to you."
"No, it's not like that," Tom said in a firmer tone so Angel could better understand him. "I don't want to hurt him."
"But why though?" Angel questioned. "This jack off is making moves on your girl. You don't gotta put up with that shit!"
"Because...I don't want to stop either of them," the young prince admitted.
"...Ya lost me," the porn star said, confused.
"I know it sounds crazy, even I can't believe I'm saying this," Tom replied. "But at the end of the day, I just want Star to be happy, and if being with Marco makes her happy, then I won't get in the way of it."
"But what about you?" Angel pointed out. "What about your happiness?"
Tom honestly didn't know how to answer that at first. He was so concerned with how Star felt that he didn't concern himself with how he felt. Wasn't he allowed to be happy? He had done so much to make sure others could find their happiness, but did anyone even care if he was okay with any of this? His negative line of thinking was put to an immediate halt when he reminded himself that as long as Star was happy then he should feel happy for her.
"You think'in about breaking up with her?" Angel asked.
"What am I supposed to do, Angel?" Tom said in a defeated voice. "Star wouldn't have the heart to break up with me again. But the longer this goes on, the more we're just going to end up hurting each other!"
"Aw, kid..." his older friend said.
It was then that that Angel did something he hadn't done since he had ended up in Hell: He hugged his friend in a caring manner. It was an unexpected, though not unwelcome, gesture that Tom couldn't but help but return.
"Well, what kinda faggot-show is this?" a voice mockingly commented. "I didn't know you liked 'em that young, Angel."
The two friends quickly parted from their embrace and turned to see who had interrupted them. The person in question was, in fact, the owner of the restaurant, Captain Spaulding, who was holding their plate of wings. Even on the TV screen, Tom was unnerved by the sight of the clown demon, but seeing him in person was even more unsettling. The demon prince didn't know anything about the owner of the restaurant, though if he did, he'd only further disturbed by him. The demon known as Spaulding was once the owner of a sideshow attraction in Ruggsville, Texas that celebrated the mad and macabre. What wasn't known to the public, however, was Spaulding was a member of the notorious Firefly Family, a band of brutal killers who had butchered hundreds of people they had lured to their home.
When the police arrived on the scene to arrest, or better put, kill, the entire family, Spaulding, along with his cohorts Otis and Baby, managed to escape the slaughter and went of a killing spree in search of a safe haven. Their bloody rampage was finally put to an end when they were gunned down by the police. But that wasn't the last piece of the story, for the Firefly Family miraculously survived their wounds. Otis and Baby were sentenced to life in prison while Spaulding himself was sentenced to death. For the next several years on death row, he grew ill before being executed, and his soul ended up in the one place it truly belonged.
"Spaulding!" Angel Dust cheered. "How are ya, you sick fuck!"
"Wait, you know him?" Tom inquired.
"Angel gave me the best BJ I ever had in my afterlife in exchange for free wings," the demonic clown explained. "Ol' spider-fag here knows how to drink the gravy if ya know what I mean."
"Sadly, yes," Tom groaned, trying his best to keep that mental image out of his head.
"Spaulding, this is my buddy, Tom," the porn star introduced. "He's the prince of the Netherworld."
"Oh, so you're the half-breed, huh?" Spaulding surmised. "I bet you're gettin' all kinds of ass day in and day out!"
"...I don't know how to answer that," Tom said.
"Tommy-Boy here is dealing with a broken heart," Angel informed the killer clown. "Ya got anything for that?"
"Why, I most certainly do!" Spaulding confirmed as he placed the plate of wings. "My famous fried chicken!"
Tom was by no means a fan of fried food, despite his fiery reputation as a demon. The same, however, could not be said about his friend, who began to snatch up several wings with his multiple arms and began to consume them in erst. So, following suit, Tom picked one up and began to eat it, instantly hit with a barrage of heat and spices with the first bite. He began to cough and wheeze from the heat that burned his tongue, making Spaulding burst out in a fit of laughter at the sight before him.
"Goddamn, son, ain't you ever had fried chicken before?" he asked as he continued to laugh. "I thought the hot milk dripping from ya momma's titties would be hotter than these!"
"I'm not a spicy kinda guy," Tom answered, still coughing from the heat. "Can I get something to drink?"
"I could go for a beer myself," Angel added, still eating his wings while remaining unaffected by the heat.
"Here ya go, boys," Spaulding said, handing them a soda and a beer respectively, who already had them ready for the demons.
The two friends each took their preferred beverage from the clown demon. They then clicked their glasses together before each taking a big gulp from their drinks. However, no sooner had they consumed their drinks did they begin to feel strange. Both Angel and Tom started to feel light-headed as their vision began to become blurry. The spider-demon, already knowing what going on, attempted to reach into his pocket to grab his pistol, but the numbness that was overtaking his body had made him unable to hold onto his firearm, causing it to drop to the floor unconscious.
Tom was trying his best to fight off what happening to him, but it was a losing battle. His three eyes looked around the room in the hopes that someone would be coming over to help them, but all he saw was the blurred sights of demons either laughing at them or recording it on their phones. It was a grim reminder to the prince as to where he currently was.
"Don't worry boy, this ain't gonna kill ya," Spaulding assured darkly with a twisted smile. "But when you wake up, your gonna wish it did!"
And with that, everything went black.
Tom's head was spinning as he opened his three eyes, though it was still blurry for several moments. Once his vision refocused, he realized that he was tied down to a chair by ropes in a dark room. Sitting next to him was Angel, who was tied down to a chair as well.
"Angel? Angel!" he called over to his friend as he struggled against the ropes.
The spider-demon slowly opened his eyes upon hearing his voice. Upon realizing that he was captured, the porn star attempted to break free of his bonds along with Tom, who was also still fighting against the ropes that were still holding them. The ropes turned red as the two demons felt a rush of pain course through their bodies that made them cry out.
"Damnit, these ropes are enchanted!" Angel stated. "Who the hell did this?!"
"Who do think?" Tom scolded. "That fucking clown drugged us!"
"Why the fuck would he do that?" Angel questioned.
"Because I told him to," a voice suddenly answered.
The lights in the room suddenly switched on, revealing to them that they were inside of a large office with a large window wall that stood before a large black desk that overlooked what appeared to be a stadium. However, it wasn't the office itself that the two demonic friends were focused, but instead on the people in the room. Standing beside Spaulding, who was chuckling at the sight of the captured demons, stood a tall figure dressed in a pitch-black business suit with long black hair who was looking out the window. The figure slowly turned around to fully reveal himself to his captives. He was a tall, gaunt, pale-skinned figure with a dark red ring on his finger and a sinister grin on his face. Though Tom had no idea who this was, Angel cowered in terror at the sight of the demon.
"C-Calypso..." he stammered out in fear.
The demon known as Calypso was a force to be truly feared. The demon's origins were shrouded in mystery, ranging from being a demented ringmaster of a mad circus to being one of the first angels who sided with Lucifer in the rebellion in heaven, but what was known about demon was that he was once the mastermind behind a psychotic tournament known as Twisted Metal. The demolition derby attracted only the most insane among the human race, all of whom killed each other at a shot at the prize: A wish granted to them for anything they desired. However, the tournament was recently put to a stop when the Global Justice Network and G.I. Joe busted the underground ring and arrested several of the participants, though Calypso managed to evade capture and escaped back to Hell. [2]
"Ah, Angel Dust, it's so nice to see again," the arch-demon said. "And it seems you brought a friend to our little reunion."
"Uh, hey, Calypso. Heh-heh, been a while, hasn't it?" the spider nervously answered. "You, uh, you still mad about-"
"Not getting my money back?" the game master cut in. "Yes, I'm still a little cross about that."
"You took money from this guy?" Tom demanded from his friend.
"It was a loan for a new porn studio!" Angel argued. "I had to renovate the whole damn set myself since Val wasn't gonna shell the cash out for it!"
"But you didn't pay me back, did you, Angel?" Calypso pointed out. "You spent the money you owed me on booze and coke!"
"Whoa, whoa, take it easy, Callie baby!" the porn star reasoned. "We can talk this over. There ain't no reason to get upset"
"Oh, I agree. I mean, it was only a few thousand," the arch-demon replied. "Which is why I decided to allow you a chance to redeem yourself."
"Really? Uh, thanks," Angel said, surprised. "So, uh, ya mind undoing these ropes?"
"Sorry, but that's not happening just yet," Calypso denied. "You see, when I said that you'd be able to redeem yourself of your debt to me, I didn't say that I was going to be nice about it."
"What do you mean?" Tom asked.
"You see, ever since my Twisted Metal tournament was taken apart on Earth, I decided that it was high time to look into some of my...other business ventures," the game master answered. "So, when I returned to Hell, I went back to hosting a new, or rather, a remake, of a sport just for the denizens of Hell to enjoy: Some good old fashion gladiator fights!"
Tom and Angel instantly realized what the arch-demon had in mind for them.
"You want us to be your champions?" the prince gathered.
"You two? My champions? HA! Now that's a good one!" Calypso scoffed. "No, YOU are going to fight MY champion. If you two win, then Angel's debts are square with me and I'll let you both go free."
"And what if we lose?" Angel demanded, despite already knowing the answer.
"Then you'll die," his captor stated. "Either way, my crowds are going to be quite entrained tonight."
"Alright, I'll do it" Angel confirmed. "But you gotta let the kid go first. He ain't got nothing to do with this."
"And rob my audience a chance to see the bastard prince of that dime-store Hell get torn apart?" Calypso refuted. "Sorry, Angel, but your little friend is dying right next to you!"
Tom then turned his anger toward the person who had brought them here.
"Why would you do this to us?" he demanded. "Angel was your friend!"
"Why? Because he sucked my dick?" Spaulding shot back. "Wake up, kid! This is Hell! there's only the fuckers and the fucked down here, and today you got fucked!"
"Spaulding, I swear to god when I get outta this I'm gonna bite your cock off and choke you with it!" Angel swore.
"I'd worry less about him and more about my champion," Calypso noted before looking over to the clown. "I assume you'll be staying for the festivities?"
"Already got my front row seat, boss man," the demonic clown confirmed before looking over to captives. "Have fun, boys!"
With that, Spaulding made his way out of the office. Once he was gone, Calypso snapped his fingers, teleporting his new fighters down into the bowels of his arena.
After being teleported into the holding room for the gladiators, Tom and Angel Dust were instantly hit with the stench of dead and rotting meat, nearly making the prince of the Netherworld vomit in the process. All around the duo were the shredded bodies of those who had tried and failed to best Calypso's champion, left to rot underneath the stadium. Tom's mind was spinning at this point. Who was this champion? What were they capable of? All these questions and more filled his head.
"Kid..." Angel suddenly said. "I'm sorry I dragged you into all this."
Tom looked over to his older friend and saw the remorseful, sullen look in his eyes. He had never seen this side of the spider-demon before. He was always swearing, snorting coke, or shouting swears at anyone who even so much as looked at him the wrong way. Very seldom did he see the porn star in such a way.
"I should've never taken you out tonight," he continued. "You were right. We should've just stayed at the hotel. Now I'm gonna get us both killed."
"It's not your fault, Angel," Tom tried to reason. "You had no idea that Spaulding would sell us out."
"Oh wake up kid, this is Hell!" the gangster demon exclaimed. "That clown-faced fuck was right! You either fuck someone over or they fuck you!"
In that, Angel was right. Tom may not have been a native of Hell, but he knew that the inhabitants of the infernal realm thrived off of betrayal, such as it was with Hell's overlord, who had rebelled against his own master which lead to him being cast out of paradise for his efforts.
"Whatever is about happen is my fault and mine alone," he furthered in a sadder voice. "You shouldn't have been dragged into this."
"Well, it doesn't matter," Tom refuted. "Even if I hadn't been forced into this situation, I still would've tried to find a way to help you."
"Thanks, Tom," Angel replied with a soft smile.
It was then that the porn star then noticed several of his guns and knives, along with other bladed weapons, laying on the floor.
"Looks like Calypso is gonna at least gives us a fair fight," Tom noted after seeing the weapons as well.
"That, or he wanted to make it more entertaining for the crowd," Angel surmised as he kicked up his tommy gun. "Either way, I ain't going out like a bitch."
Tom nodded in agreement with that sentiment as he looked over the other weapons that were available. He picked up a nearby sword that was embedded into the chest of the corpse of a slain demon. Using his own demonic power, he channeled his hellfire through the blade and ignited the sword. It was a little known fact that the half-demon prince was well trained in the ways of the sword. Ever since he was a boy, he was taught how to use a sword so he could defend himself should the moment call for it. And today, the moment certainly called for it. No sooner had he found the sword's scabbard and sheathed the blade did the doors that lead into the arena slowly opened up before the two demons.
"You ready?" Angel asked.
"No, not really," Tom admitted. "But we don't have a choice."
With that, the two friends stepped out into the area, where they were greeted by hordes of demons who cried out for their blood.
"Kar! En! Tuk!" they chanted. "Kar! En! Tuk!"
"Uh, Angel, what are they saying?" the prince asked.
"Its old demon speech," the spider began. "It means 'rip and tear.'"
"Oh...lovely."
Just then, Calypso's face appeared on the screen.
"And here they are ladies and gentlemen! Your challengers, or rather, victims, for the night, Angel Dust and Tom Lucitor!" the arch-demon proclaimed.
Boos and jeers came down from the crowds, though most of those insults were directed at Tom due to his ties to the lesser Hell and that he was a half-breed. However, Tom ignored their words and instead focused on the coming fight with Calypso's champion. It was hard to say who or what this undefeated warrior was. In fact, there was a good chance that this dammed soul didn't come from Earth, or at least, this version of Earth. Unknown to most religions, the three main realms of the afterlife, those being Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, were all interconnected to every universe throughout the multiverse. This meant that those who were dammed from other universes were sent to Hell like the forsaken of this Earth as well. In other words: Tom and Angel were fucked regardless.
It was then that the door to on the opposite side of the arena began to open.
"And here he is once again!" Calypso said to his crowd. "Your champion, the undefeated, the unstoppable, the one and only master of death..."
What stepped out of those doors was anything but human-like. It was a tall, gaunt creature with a skeletal body made of metal and dressed in a long, black cape. Under the metal pulse surging hellfire. The champion's audio receptors that he had in life had changed into long, demonic, metal horns. His robotic head had a now more skull-like visage to it, sending a chill down his opponents' collective backs. The monster's yellow, lizard-like eyes blazed with rage as he gazed upon his next pair of victims.
"General Grievous!" the lord of the arena cheered,
Grievous. That was once a name that struck fear into the hearts of whole civilizations back in the universe from which he hailed from. Once he was a great warrior made of flesh and blood who was caught in a fatal accident that nearly cost him his life. But rather than die a warrior's death, he was granted a second life by his benefactor, a lord of the Sith named Count Dooku, who offered him an escape from death and a chance at revenge. His body was turned from one of flesh into one of steel
Now a being of steel and cybernetics, Grievous was made into a leader of a grand army to challenge the corrupt forces of the Republic, but more importantly, he could now face his ultimate adversary: The Jedi. During his time as the general of the Droid army, dozens of Jedi fell to his stolen lightsabers, the trophies of his kills. However, his reign of terror came to a bloody end when the Jedi known as Obi-Wan Kenobi gunned him down with his own blaster. Shortly after arriving in Hell, he was approached by Calypso to be his champion in the arena.
"Grievous! Grievous! Grievous!" the crowds chanted.
"Uh, do we have a plan?" Tom asked his friend hesitantly.
"Yeah, don't die," Angel answered bluntly.
"So, you are the next to challenge me?" the demonic cyborg gathered as he eyed the demons. "I'm unimpressed."
"We ain't scared of ya, asshole!" Angel declared.
"Then you will die braver than most," the general answered coldly.
The gladiator then removed his cape and revealed his belt of lightsabers to his opponents. His two arms started to split into four arms that each took hold of a lightsaber from his belt before activating it, igniting four crimson hellfire blades. Grievous then got into a stance as two of his hands began to spin a rapid pace as he slowly approached his next two combatants. Tom drew his sword as Angel raised his gun and opened fire on the gladiator, who began to deflect the bullets with his four blades with ease. Tom attempted to help by rushing in, clashing his sword against Grievous's hellfire sabers, but soon it as clear that the former droid general was the superior swordsman. It wasn't before long that the demon prince was being beaten back.
The next thing Tom knew, Grievous suddenly reached out with his foot and grabbed the half-breed by his chest before slamming him to the ground. The demonic cyborg then kicked the sword away from the young prince and readied to plunge his energy blades into his prey. But before he could do so, Angel Dust jumped onto Grievous's back and jammed a knife into his shoulder before being thrown off his person. As Grievous tried to take the knife of his shoulder, Tom seized his chance by blasting a volley of hellfire that forced the general off of him, allowing him to jump back to his feet. Grievous snarled at the attack and lunged the teen again, only to be pelted by a stream of bullets.
"You forget about me?" Angel mocked.
"I'm going to enjoy squashing you like the bug you are!" Grievous exclaimed in rage.
However, before the former general could take a single step, the ground beneath him suddenly began to shake violently. Then, without warning, a mass of chains shot out of the ground that began to entangle themselves around the gladiator, who began to furiously slash at the oncoming chains as they attacked him from all sides. Confused by this, Angel glanced over to see that it was Tom who had summoned the mystic chains via a spell he was chanting. With Grievous trapped at the moment, Angel saw an opportunity and opened fire on the demonic cyborg once again, this time trying aim for anything vital on the machine demon's body. Grievous, in a fit of unbridled rage, managed to break free of his bonds and swipe at Angel, slicing his machine gun in half and nearly him along with it had he not jumped back at the last second.
Tom quickly unleashed a new wave of flames at Grievous once more, but this time the cyborg was ready. Spinning his sabers at a rapid pace, he was able to shield himself from the onslaught of fire that was coming at him. However, while he was shielding himself from the hellfire that was coming at him, he was unable to focus on his other opponent, who had drawn a pistol and took careful aim at the gladiator's leg before shooting at it, striking him directly in the kneecap, thereby forcing him to stumble and lose his balance and thereby be engulfed in the flames Tom was unleashing upon him. The crowd looked in stunned awe at the half-breed, whom they wanted nothing more than to see him die at the start of this battle, were now impressed by his skills as a warrior.
"How do you like your balls roasted, robo-boy?" Angel called out to the now burning machine demon. "Medium or well the fuck done?!"
"Angel, shut up, I'm trying to concentrate here!" Tom demanded as he poured the hellfire on the machine demon.
Suddenly, one of the general's hands sprang out of the wave of fire and snatched the half-demon by the head before slamming him face-first into the ground. Grievous then reactivated his sabers and tried to impale them onto Tom, who managed to roll out of the way at the last second, grabbed his sword and blocked the second strike with it.
"You have skill, boy, I'll give you that," Grievous noted. "But that still will not save you."
"Hey, fucktard!" Angel shouted.
The gladiator turned his head to see the spider demon coming at him with a knife. Before Grievous could react, the porn star managed to slash out one of his opponent's eyes, stunning him long enough for Tom to push back Grievous off of him once more. Keeping up the attack, Tom sliced off one of the demon machine's arm, earning him a cry of pain from his enemy. The crowd suddenly let out a mix of gasps and cheers at the sight of the two lesser demons holding their own against the arena's champion.
From his private VIP room, Calypso sneered in contempt as he watched his prized warrior being beaten back by a whore and a half-breed, but he held out hope that Grievous would bounce back and kill them both.
"Quite an interesting development, isn't it?" a voice mentioned.
Calypso turned around to face the demon who had dared to sneak into his private room, only to instantly back down when he saw who it was. Standing before him, was the lord of the Cenobites himself. His true name was shrouded in mystery, but most seem to refer to him as Pinhead. At least, not to his face, less they suffer a fate much, much worse than death. The game master was a powerful demon, but even he knew better than to challenge the king of pain. The Cenobites were known by the higher-ups of hell as the apex predators in the infernal realm with Pinhead's power said to be on par with some of the most ancient lords of the Nine Circles. Pinhead made his way over to the glass where he viewed the battle in the arena.
"It would seem that you overestimated the spider and the half-breed," Pinhead observed. "How..unlike you."
"Is there a reason your here?" Calypso asked, wanting to cut to the chase.
"There is," the Cenobite lord confirmed simply. "And it is one of dire importance."
The game master cocked an eyebrow in interest, wanting to hear more.
"As I'm sure you are already aware, our lord's daughter has recently been...disappointing, to say the least," Pinhead began. "This hotel for sinners is an embarrassment to us all and is a clear sign that Lucifer, as well as his heir, have become weak."
Calypso could see what the Cenobite had meant. He too had grown concerned about the current state of Hell ever since it's princess, the very heir to the infernal throne, had seemingly turned her back on their demonic traditions and create a hotel to redeem sinners and allow them to ascend to Heaven.
"What do you have in mind?" he finally asked, curiously.
"I've been in touch with other demons who share my views of the current situation," the lord of pain replied. "The old hard is adamant to Lucifer, but some of the other arch-demons, such as Vox and Stolus, are open to a regime change."
"This a tempting offer..." Calypso regarded. "But for now, let's enjoy the show, shall we?"
"As you wish," Pinhead agreed, though he knew that he had already piqued his interest.
Back in the arena, Tom dueled with the now three armed Grievous, and though he was now wounded and blind in one eye, the champion of the arena still held his own. The half-demon was trying his best to keep pace with the strikes of the sabers that lashed at him again and again. Angel tried to shoot out the former general's legs out from under him, but with his third arm, Grievous blocked bullets while using his other two to keep up his attack on Tom. As the battle raged on, the crowd was starting to change its views of the Netherworld prince as he fought back with everything he had. Though many wanted to see him dead, there were those in the crowd who were starting to change their view on the fight as it went on.
Seeing that his gun wasn't going to do shit at this point, Angel then saw Grievous's severed arm which was still holding a lightsaber its grasp. Angel was by no means a master of the blade, but the way he figured it, any idiot can swing a sword. So, with that in mind, the porn star yanked the saber out of the severed hand and charged into battle. Back with Tom, he was slowly being backed into the wall as Grievous unleashed everything on the boy. He would've summoned another set of chains, but for that, he needed concentration which he didn't exactly have at the moment.
"Surely you must realize, boy, you are doomed," the demonic cyborg said coldly.
"Oh, I don't think so," Tom answered. "Because I have a secret weapon."
"And that is?" Grievous questioned.
"A coked-out porn star with a demonic laser sword," the young prince pointed with a sly smirk.
Before his enemy could even question that, the gladiator felt a surprise surge of pain in his side. He looked down to see that Angel Dust had impaled his own hellsaber through his side. Snarling in rage, Grievous grabbed the spider demon by the chest with his foot and flung him across the arena. However, Tom took this chance to grab the saber out of his body when his back what turned and cut off another arm, earning him another cry of pain from his opponent in doing so. The crowd roared in excitement at Tom's attack, all the while Calypso growled in irritation at the sight before him. Now armed with both the lightsaber and sword, the half-demon prince was ready to show his opponent what he was really capable of.
Tom moved quickly while Grievous was still off-balance. As he ran, he tossed the sword over to Angel, who followed after his friend to finish the fight. The gladiator had regained his footing when he saw the two demons flanking him from each side. Before Grievous could defend himself, the two demons slashed off each of his remaining arms, leaving him unarmed in both meanings of the word. With a united cry, Tom and Angel plunged their blades deep into Grievous's chest with enough force to knock him onto his back. He was dead the moment he hit the ground.
As Angel and Tom panted heavily from the exhaustion they felt, the crowd who had just watched the saying of their champion fell silent before suddenly erupting into a cacophony of cheers for the two demons, specifically for Tom.
"Half-Breed! Half-Breed! Half-Breed!" they chanted.
"I think they like you, kid," Angel said with a proud smirk.
It was then that the door to exit the arena opened to allow the duo to leave, no doubt knowing that Calypso was fuming at this point.
"...Aw shit..." a petrified Spaulding said as he watched both Angel and Tom leaving the arena, immediately knowing the spider-demon was going to make good on his threat earlier.
In a panic, the clown-demon rushed to try and get out of the arena, shoving himself through the cheering crowd.
"C'mon, c'mon, make way! Make way! Move yer fat asses" he said as he pushed several patrons to the floor. "Clown in distress! Clown in distress!"
The master of games was absolutely livid from the sight of his champion laying dead at the center of his arena while the two demons made their way out, and being cheered as heroes no less. Pinhead, however, was amused by this turn of events.
"Such a pity," he said simply. "Whatever shall you do for entertainment now?"
"I assume you already have an alternative in mind, don't you?" Calypso surmised.
"In that, you'd be correct," the Cenobite confirmed.
He then gestured over to the door to the VIP were a figured entered the room. He was dressed in all black with a sword strapped to the side. His skin was chalk white with a mask that covered the top half of his face that was merged with his skin. His horns had grown longer while his red hair hand now grown out down his back.
"May I introduce to you your new champion...Adam Taurus," Pinhead stated.
Calypso grinned at this turn of events.
"Tell me more about this little club you're putting together."
As Tom and Angel limped back to the hotel, Tom had no way of figuring out what exactly he was going to tell his parents when he returned home, but he was happy to have been by his friend's side. Angel, on the other hand, has remained silent during the long walk back to his home. Once he reached the door, he turned to face the young price with a serious look in his eyes.
"Kid...I got a request for you," he started slowly. "Don't come back here again."
"W-what?" Tom asked, confused. "Why?"
"Why? I almost got ya killed tonight that's why!" the spider-demon snapped. "And this ain't the first time this has happened, either. I'm messed up kid, but if there's one good deed I'm gonna do in this shithole, it's gonna be keeping you from dying young because of my dumbass!"
"But, Angel-"
"But nothing!" Angel cut him off. "You go back to the Netherworld and don't you dare come back to Hell, or I'll drag you right back home myself!"
Despite his words, Tom already knew that his older friend was just trying to protect him. So, with a heavy heart, the half-demon took his dimensional scissors and opened a portal back home. Before he stepped through it, however, he looked back only last time his older friend.
"We're still friends, right?" he asked.
"Of course we are, little brother," Angel confirmed with a smile. "Now get outta here before you start making me cry."
With a smile, Tom returned to his world, allowing the porn star to recompose himself to take on his carefree persona before opening the door to the hotel. The moment the spider demon opened the door, he was instantly greeted by Charlie.
"Angel! Perfect timing!" the Devil's daughter said happily. "We've got some new arrivals"
"Is that right?" he answered. "They hot?"
"I've been told that quite a lot, actually," a voice mentioned.
Angel turned around to be greeted by the sight of three new figures. The first two were a pair of twin children who in life, despite their youth, were a pair of hired killers who cut a swath of death throughout the city of sin known as Roanapur. In Hell, the twins had taken on a more vampire-like appearance with fangs and red eyes, along with bat wings. Ever since they arrived in Hell, the twins had been roaming the streets of the capital city killing random imps and demons for fun. However, that came to an end when they discovered their new idol whom they followed around ever since he arrived. His was a man-lizard with a length of sins that could go on for miles if they were to be read out. He came from a world called Mewni, where he was once the most feared creature until his death.
"Hmm, and who are you, handsome?" Angel inquired as he eyed the man-lizard.
"Toffee," he stated. "I'm told this was the place were dammed souls could be redeemed."
Elsewhere, Pinhead re-entered his domain victorious, having secured another ally in his ambition. He took a seat on the throne placed in the center of the empty room, various bloodied hooks and chains hung by the ceiling, as he grasped the Lament Configuration placed on the throne's armrest. The instant he did, he felt a presence from behind him. Someone was in this very room with him, shrouded in shadows. Without so much as turning around, the lead Cenobite knew exactly who this individual was.
"If you have something to say, your majesty, I'd strongly suggest saying it," he advised.
No sooner had he said those words did the figure slowly walk around the throne, revealing herself to the master of pain. It was a tall woman in a tattered, dark-purple dress with two small horns, now embedded into her body after her death, on her shoulders. Her normally pointy fingernails were now red claws, her eyes were of a dull orange color, yellow surrounding her irises as opposed to white, and what at first seemed to be a head crest, but rather a black, bone-like protrusion, adorned on her forehead.
In life, she was the queen of the Dark Kingdom and the first of many adversaries of the Sailor Senshi: Queen Beryl.
Upon coming face-to-face with Pinhead, the ruler of the Dark Kingdom scowled right into his black eyes before angrily slamming the end of the staff she was holding onto the floor.
"I saw what happened in Calypso's arena," she sneered. "Grievous was to be my first lieutenant in our attack on Pandemonium. And you both allowed that half-breed and that freak to slay him! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call off our deal right now."
"You needn't worry, Beryl," Pinhead calmly stated. "I anticipated this meeting would occur after the demise of the Kaleesh general. As such, I have already arranged a replacement."
"Oh?" an unimpressed Beryl responded. "And who might that be?"
"A soul who would serve you so as to fulfill an all too common desire festering within the souls of the damned," Pinhead answered. "I promised him that, once the infernal throne had been overthrown, I would be able to have him sent to the afterlife of which the good captain who scorned him resides, so that he may finally have revenge."
"'For never can true reconcilement grow...where wounds of deadly hate have peirc'd so deep,'" a voice from behind Beryl said.
Swiftly, the dark queen turned to face this person, her hues being greeted by a man with long, grey hair, the right half of his face completely scarred, and a deep wound across the left side of his chest, which was completely exposed due to the tattered uniform he was wearing. As he began to approach the evil queen, Pinhead slowly rose from his throne, prompting a perplexed Beryl to turn back to him.
"Allow me to introduce you to your newest second-in-command, your grace," the leader of the Cenobites said. "...Khan Noonien Singh."
[1] - As seen in The Dark Phoenix
[2] - As seen in part 11 of The New Frontier
