Lord Vox was regent of the Fourth Kingdom which was arguably the smallest and weakest kingdom there was. So weak in fact that Vox was able to over throw the monarchy in just one week. His ambitions began years ago, when he was in a cart accident that was so severe that it caused him to lose all use of the left half of his body. That half was then which was then replaced by robotic technology and when Vox saw how advanced and powerful the parts of his body were, he became convinced that modern technology was the key to reaching some sort of Nirvana. Teaming up with machine gifted Pentious, he created advanced weapons that allowed him to seize control of the Fourth kingdom and after that he remodeled the entire country into a state of modern tech.
But he didn't stop there. No, Vox didn't just upgrade the Fourth kingdom, he decided to completely rid it of anything relating to the past. He believed that the past and anything relating to it was what held the world back from achieving true Utopia which resulted in him banning all forms of history, traditions, religions, culture, the Amish, and of course mythical creatures. As you know myth and lore were a huge element of history and the past so naturally Vox didn't want these stories or the creatures associated with the stories "Keeping his world from the future." That was why he passed that eviction.
Just who was this strange individual? A misunderstood genius ahead of his time? Or an irrational madman that needed to be knocked off his high horse? The interpretations of this very complex fellow was- Oh who am I trying to fool? The man was completely out of his mind. Somebody needed to put a straight jacket on him and lock him in a rubber room.
Anyway his goal was to rub out every single spec of the past from the world. He had already done it to the Fourth kingdom now he just needed to somehow do it to all the other kingdoms. But how?
"No! Stop! Have you no mercy!"
And if banishing the poor creatures wasn't enough, Vox had to keep some of them locked up in his domain so he could torture them just for the pleasure of it. Like today he was subjecting an imp called Moxxie to electric shocks and each time the imp cried in agony, the square jawed cyborg only laughed sadistically.
"You're a monster!" Moxxie managed to choke out.
"I'm not the monster here, you are." He responded. "You and the rest of that mythical trash poisoning my perfect world."
"What have you done with Millie?!"
"Relax, your insipid wife is among the creatures I banished to the dark forest. I didn't find tormenting her as much fun. She's too strong willed."
"You touched my wife?!"
"I just put her on the rack for a few hours."
"I'll kill you!"
He wanted to attack the man but the restraints held him back.
"Enough of your futile struggling." Vox said. "Now although I kept you here mostly to amuse myself, I also have another purpose for you. I've eliminated all forms of mythical creatures from the Fourth Kingdom but I want to remove them from every kingdom and to do that I need to know where they reside. Now tell me, where are the others?"
"I'll die first!" Moxxie retorted.
"That can be arranged." Vox grabbed one of Moxxie's horns. "Tell me or I'll-"
"No! Not the horns! Not my horns!" Moxxie pleaded.
"Alright then! Where are they? Who's hiding them?"
"Even if I told you where they were you'd never be able to get rid of them. Your power extends only to the Fourth Kingdom. You have no control over all the other nine kingdoms. You're not even a real king!"
That earned Moxxie another shock. But the imp was correct. Vox wasn't a monarch so he had no real power over. At least not legally.
"My lord!" Captain Pentious announced when he suddenly entered the torture chamber.
"Pentious what have I told you about disturbing me at this hour?!" Vox said infuriated.
"A thousand apologies my lord but we found him and you told me to inform you as soon as we did."
"Oh." Vox's anger subsided. "Well then what are you waiting for? Bring him in."
What Lord Vox and Captain Pentious were speaking of was Blitzo, a very special imp who was gifted with all knowing powers. He was previously running an operation at a theme park where customers would pay him to reveal even the most well kept of secrets.
"Don't tell him anything Blitzo!" Moxxie shouted.
"Guards take this one back to the dudgeon!" Vox ordered.
Moxxie was then dragged away back to his cell while Vox eagerly pressed Blitzo for the knowledge he had been seeking.
"Blitzo for the last decade I have upgraded the Fourth Kingdom completely. Removing everything that ties it to the dreaded period known as the past, so that it may flourish and evolve into the future. So tell me." He asked the imp. "Is this not the most perfect kingdom of them all?
"Yeah about that." Blitzo said. "You do know that technically you're not a king so this isn't really a kingdom so much as it is a city."
"Oh Pentious."
At Vox's word, Captain Pentious brought forth the saw, signifying that he was going to saw off his horns if he displeased his boss. Blitzo caught on very quickly.
"You were saying?" Vox asked.
"What I mean is you're not a king yet but you can become one. All you have to do is marry a princess."
"Go on."
"Okay I know of three unmarried princesses who would suit your desires…Um… Now let me think, how am I going to do this?…You have a lot of advanced technology right? You wouldn't happen to have a device that could project thoughts on to a TV?"
"As a matter of fact I do. Captain Pentious hook him up."
At once Captain Pentious immediately placed a helmet on Blitzo's and hooked the wires of the helmet to a flat-screen television set.
"Alright this'll work." Blitzo said adjusting the helmet. "So just sit back and relax my lord because it's time for you to meet today's eligible bachelorettes and here they are."
Blitzo turned on the TV and bouncy game music played as three shadowy portraits appeared on the flat-screen.
"Bachelorette number one is a former flame of mine but our relationship didn't end over her being no catch, it was because I have commitment issues. Anyway she comes from the Seventh Kingdom, loves sushi and hot tubing anytime. Her hobbies include cooking and cleaning for her evil stepsisters while spending the evenings driving men wild at clubs. Scullery maid by day, singer by night, please welcome Verosicka."
The lights came up on the first silhouette and there she was in all her alluring glory.
"Well hello sexy lady." Vox ogled at the image. "I don't know how you could have ever let her go."
"Bachelorette number two." Blitzo continued. "The cape-wearing princess of the fancy Eighth Kingdom, daughter of the great King Stolas. She's a lover of animals especially birds, she manages seven trolls though she's not easy, and is the fairest woman in her domain. Or at least she was until her jealous aunt poisoned her. But just kiss her dead frozen lips and find out what a live wire she is. Come on, give it up for Octavia."
A light popped up to highlight the image of the fair damsel lying comatose.
"Not a bad looker." Vox said. "But maybe a bit too young for me."
"And last but certainly not least." Concluded Blitzo. "Bachelorette number three is a sweet but high spirited blonde from a moth adze guarded castle surrounded by hot boiling lava. But don't let that fool you off. Her father is King Lucifer of the Ninth Kingdom, she's a loaded pistol who loves pina colada's and getting caught in the rain, has the voice of an angel with looks to match. Yours for the rescuing, Princess Charlotte."
The third light popped on revealing a breathtakingly beautiful blonde princess gazing longingly out the window of her tower.
"Now her look is just right." Vox commented. "Not too sexy yet not too modest."
"So which one will it be?" Blitzo asked. "Bachelorette number one, bachelorette number two, or bachelorette number three?"
Vox thought carefully about his choice. All three ladies were easy on the eyes and provided a one way ticket to the throne but Charlotte's father, King Lucifer ruled the Ninth Kingdom which was the most powerful of them all. If he married her then he would have control of all nine kingdoms which would allow him to upgrade the world the way he saw fit.
"Number three." Vox decided.
"Lord Vox you've chosen Princess Charlotte." Blitzo declared.
"Yes! She's perfect! Except for that moth adze and lava stuff. I'll have to send someone to do all that for me."
"Whatever." Blitzo said uninterested. "But I probably should mention the little thing that happens at night."
"What is she a midnight snacker or something? I don't care."
"No but she's not exactly a typical princess. After sunset she-"
"Silence." Vox cut him off. "I shall make this Princess Charlotte my queen and the world shall finally have the perfect king. Captain assemble your best men. We're going to have a tournament."
Blitzo merely shook his head as we was taken to a cell of his own.
"Well he can't say I didn't try to warn him."
