The Caustic Sea, a massive stretch of land in Doom's domain that was overtaken by large pools of glowing green acidic bile, as a result of the mono eyed behemoths that dwelled here. Both Mancubi and Cacodemons knew this part of the unholy realm as home, and both were near always fighting each other to assert dominance. From the ground the green eyed giants covered in durable chitinous armor aimed massive balls of fire to the sky, while the large red sentient meat spheres that were their neighbors sent down orbs that could melt them in seconds. Very rarely if ever was there a pause in this conflict between them, less they were commanded by the Dark One or his lords they were allowed to fight amongst themselves, like the mindless savage brutes all of Doom's demons were.

But before either could fire a shot to start a new day with this endless cycle of violence, they were confronted with a new predator adding himself to the mix, one that all of Doom regarded as the true apex. With his ballista in hand he began his assault by filling the sky with viscera, effortlessly popping flocks of Cacodemons who were caught by surprise. Then as their organs and blood fell onto the Mancubi who lumbered across the ground, covering them in a mix of blue blood and various colored organs, he fired more highly powered bolts into their cycloptic skulls. Now made aware of his presence the two demon species joined forces to try and kill he who hunted them, the glowing green pools igniting as the Mancubi sent out their flames from their cannon like arms, where as the Cacodemons surrounded him with a new pool of their secretion.

Of course neither of these responses to his assault caused any reaction, other than the continuing fire of his massive armament to cull the horde. One after the other without end he destroyed their bodies, bits and pieces of both creatures flying in all directions from the plasma based detonations. And as he carried on slaughtering them without pause or restraint, he felt his blood begin to pump faster through his veins while his breathing hastened out of excitement and adrenaline. This carnage, this unfiltered violence, THIS is what gave him life, what made him feel any sensations anymore and helped keep his mind from falling into its own darkness.

This is why as both demon species continued their advance, intent on killing him even if it meant most of them would die in the process, that he realized the truth. There was nothing that made him different than these beasts, nothing at all, he and they existed only to kill and that was all the meaning their lives had or needed. Sending away his weapon he activated Berserk, the stained skin of his armor glowing red as it washed over him. Then as a Mancubus drew closer to try cooking him in a torrent of fire, he lunged forward so he could grab onto its arm and rip it from the shoulder.

Wielding it like a club he swung it at the body it had been attached to, the impact shattering the creature into countless pieces as if it had been struck by a rocket. During this a Cacodemon managed to get in close, to the point its massive maw could open wide to try and sever his torso from his legs in one powerful bite. Yet he didn't evade or counter this attack, he allowed the monster to close its jaws around him. Of course even with the immense strength of its bite and teeth sharper than blades it could not break through the armor, forcing it to try and chew its way through the indestructible material.

But this was exactly what he wanted, as it allowed him to reach deep inside the creature's body and with little effort split it in two. From there as the heavy halves of red skinned meat hit the ground, he removed two of its multiple jaws from the corpse to wield them like weapons. Thanks to the sharpened teeth still connected and unbroken they were no different than swords, as they would be able to slice through his foes without fail. Armed with the most barbaric and ruthless of weapons

he could have in this moment, he charged head on to the still approaching horde to assert his dominance.

"Ugh...I feel sick..." Husk groaned as he laid his head face down on his desk.

Even with everything they learned yesterday, surprisingly only Husk couldn't sleep through the night. But it wasn't because he was hungover or was up puking into a toilet, after all that was just how him when he was normal. The reason why he felt such distress which kept him up until dawn, is due to Alastor's request plaguing his mind. So much about this cockamamie plan could go wrong, and in every potential horrible outcome he'd be the one getting fucked over the most.

This is why for the first time since...actually he can't remember when he felt this bad, point is that he felt like shit but it was different from how he felt in his daily life. And of all the things he did not need to deal with right now as a pit formed in his stomach, was the all too familiar greeting of a certain deer tailed son of a bitch.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLO HUSKER!" Alastor practically

shouted as he entered the lobby, his peppiness nearly as bad as Charlie's at this point. "Al...please...leave me alone..." Husk begged as he REALLY just wanted to be left alone.

"Something the matter? You look a little green around your whiskers." He pointed out while coming closer.

Slowly lifting his head from his desk Alastor was met with the single most hate filled stare he'd ever received, even worse than when he and Vox were still at each other's throats.

"You did this, this is your fault asshole..." He told him in the most dry and cold of a tone he could.

"I thought we came to an agreement? You even shook my hand." Alastor mentioned while giving him a little wave with the same hand.

"Yeah we did, but after I went to my room I couldn't sleep cause I kept thinking of everything that can go wrong with this, WHICH IS EVERYTHING!" He explained.

"Well, since it's still early and it'll be a good few hours before anyone wakes up, why don't I try and help put your mind at ease?" Alastor suggested.

"You'd really do that?" Husk questioned.

Responding with a snap of his fingers to summon a chair he could sit in, Alastor parked his tush on the seat to make himself comfortable.

"Whenever you're ready." He told him while intertwining his fingers.

"Okay..." Husk began with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his head, "Well...first of all how am I even supposed to get things started? I mean you don't just walk up to the angel of death and say hey." He asked.

"I actually believe that could work, between her and Gabriel she is by far the more relaxed one, I think a casual approach would be far better than one bogged down by formalities and etiquette." Alastor answered.

"Seriously, you really just want me to walk up to her and try to get the ball rolling with hey?" He

questioned.

"It doesn't need to just be hey, all I'm saying is let your shoulders relax and treat her as you would any of our friends." Alastor explained.

"So you want me to tell her she can go fuck herself then?" He asked.

"No Husker I do not want you to tell her she can go fuck herself." Alastor said while rolling his eyes, "Why are you being so stubborn about this? Again I thought we worked it out last night?" He inquired.

"That doesn't change the fact you're asking me to get friendly with someone who can flick me on my nose and make me drop dead for real, so forgive me if I'm freaking out at possibly putting my foot in my mouth and pissing her off." Husk replied.

"If that's the case then why don't we practice?" He suggested as he placed a hand on his chest, "You don't have to pretend I'm her, but just try and start a new conversation with me in the same manner you hope to do so with her." He instructed.

"I...guess that's worth a shot..." Husk said as he let out another sigh, "Alright...uh...hey Al." He greeted.

"Hello Husker." He responded.

"How uh...have things been going for ya lately?...Ya know apart from Gabriel returning and everything?" Husk asked.

"Honestly they've been going quite well, I'm continuing to make steady progress in my rehabilitation, and I think my relationship with Lucifer has been fully mended since the ugliness, all in all my life in Hell's never been better I'd say, what about you?" He answered ending with the same question.

"Eh it's been the same as usual, though there has been a lot less foot traffic in the hotel since the protests, but still other than that the only thing I can complain about is how Charlie and them won't get off my ass about my drinking." Husk responded.

"Oh yes that reminds me, didn't they say they were going to plan a day with you to help convince you to take part in the rehabilitation?" He inquired.

"Yeah, though I bet that's slipped their minds since..." Husk stopped mid sentence as a realization hit him, "...Wait...how the fuck do you know about that? You walked away when I made that deal with'em." He pointed out.

"Just because I wasn't there doesn't mean my shadow wasn't~" Alastor mused playfully.

"You were fucking eavesdropping on us?!" He asked while slamming a fist down on his desk.

"I wanted to know how things turned out after I left, which to my credit I DID have classes to get to, hence why I left my shadow." Alastor answered.

"Al...I swear to fucking Vega..." He said as he put his head back down on his desk.

Just then as his eyes were now closed and pressed against the desk's wood surface, a portal opened in the lobby that Alastor recognized.

"Oh look there she is, I guess she woke up early like us." He said.

"Nice try asshole I'm not falling for it." Husk replied though a bit muffled.

"Husker, I'm not trying to trick you, she really is here." He told the feline as Azrael stepped out.

"Mhm sure, just like how the girls were coming out of the hallway yesterday when you said the same thing? I may be a drunk but that doesn't mean I'm fucking stupid." Husk responded.

"Husker she is coming this way." He informed.

"For the love of, will you knock it off Al?!" Husk shouted in anger while raising his head to look at him.

The first thing he saw when he did this was Alastor slightly taken aback by his outburst, while the second was Azrael who stood next to him who had the same reaction. Feeling all of the life drain out of him as it sank in Al had tried to warn him, Husk's brain came to a complete halt rendering him incapable of saying anything else.

"Is he alright?" Azrael asked, referring to both his outburst and how he now stared at them with an open jaw and fully opened eyes.

Opening his own mouth to respond Alastor stopped himself before any words were spoken, as a terribly fiendish idea came to him. Yet in order to make it work he needed to be sure Husk had really sent himself into a daze, which he tested by poking the other's forehead. To both his and Azrael's surprise the feathered feline fell backwards to the floor, the shock having been so great it knocked him out.

"Oh my." She said as she looked looked over the desk's counter, to make sure he hadn't hit his head too hard or something else to that same effect, "Excuse me sir? Are you okay?" She asked him.

Now the real reason why Husk was currently in a massive state of shock, was due to the fact that he just shouted in her face and feared he pissed her off. And in doing so not only would that end Alastor's plan before it could begin, but as he said multiple times before it could mean she was about to end his existence. But this is not what Alastor would tell her as she looked at him with concern, for this was all the proof he needed to be certain he could carry out his idea.

"Don't worry, he's fine." He assured gaining her attention, "He just does that whenever he gets overwhelmed." He lied.

"Overwhelmed? By what?" She asked with a confused expression.

"Oh there's a number of things that can do it, losing a bet he made, going all in on a poker game when he thinks he has the best hand but it turns out he didn't, oh and when he is faced with a beautiful woman such as yourself." He answered.

"...Really?" She questioned as she looked back to the still comatose cat, "But this isn't the first time we've met, in fact he was the first to speak to me last night when I arrived and he was perfectly fine." She recalled.

"True, but that was under normal circumstances when all of our friends and associates were here." He replied as his grin became a bit more sinister, though she couldn't see it as her focus was on Husk, "That's why we're up so early as a matter of fact, he wanted to speak with me about the feelings he has for you, how just by your looks you've pulled at his heartstrings, but then with that angelic voice you possess topped off with your charming personality, for the first time in his life he

believes he's fallen in love." He explained.

As his words reached her she slowly pulled back from the desk to straighten out her posture, then in the same speed she turned to face him.

"Is...is that really true?..." She asked with widened eyes as no one besides her family loved her which of course was different, "He...he's not afraid or disturbed by me?" She added.

"Not at all, Husker has lived a very long life both on earth and here in Hell, the only thing that can unsettle him now is the presence of an enchantress, which in his eyes my dear you are." He answered.

Countless thoughts and emotions overwhelmed her with that response, for if what he was saying was true then for the first time in history, there was FINALLY a soul who not only wasn't afraid or hated her, but actually was interested in her in a romantic capacity.

"I...I...I don't know what to say..." She said as she brought a hand to her chest, "I've never had any soul in all of creation think so highly of me..." She admitted.

"Well now you do! Ol' Husker here is just smitten to high heaven with you, as ironic as that sounds." He assured her.

Just then Husk let out a groan from his place on the floor, which not only indicated that he was coming to his senses, but that Alastor needed to wrap things up before he heard anything.

"Unfortunately as I said this is the first time someone's managed to worm their way into his heart, so I'm afraid around you he'll be quite nervous and apprehensive, I hope you know that he won't just come out and tell you how he feels." He told her.

"Oh no I completely understand, I mean this is all so sudden for both of us..." She replied as a smile came to her face, "Still...I am flattered beyond words by this information...would it be alright if I were to speak to my sister in law and niece about this? Just so they can help me figure out what I should do?" She asked.

"Not at all you go right on ahead and share this WONDERFUL news with them! But be sure they keep that they know a secret, since we don't want to cause him anymore emotional turmoil." He answered.

Responding with a nod to show she agreed and understood, Azrael opened a new portal behind her so she could go see Lilith, entering it just as he finally woke up.

"Fuck...my head..." Husk groaned as the portal closed, "I haven't felt this bad since...shit...I don't think I've ever felt this bad..." He admitted as he got up to his feet.

"Ah, welcome back to the land of the living Husker." Alastor greeted once his face came into view, "Or at least, as alive as we can hope to be." He jested with a chortle.

Taking a second to remember what happened that caused him to blackout, Husk's eyes shot wide open followed by him frantically looking around.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshit! Where is she?!" He asked in a panic, "Did she leave? Was she pissed off? ANSWER ME AL!" He shouted while grabbing onto the radio demon's jacket.

"Yes, no, and could you kindly release me?" Alastor answered with a request.

Letting him go Husk fell backwards against the wall, an indescribable relief filling him from head to toe.

"Oh...thank fucking Vega...holy shit my heart's about to explode..." He muttered breathless as he looked up at the ceiling, "Listen Al, I know we made our agreement and everything but I CANNOT do this, I've never been this stressed out in my entire fucking life! I'm calling it quits right now." He told him.

"Aw really Husker? We haven't even gotten started!" Alastor whined though he clearly wasn't upset.

"I don't care, if you want to know what she knows then YOU spend time with her because I ain't doing it!" He insisted.

"Well...if you're really so sure...then I guess there's nothing I can do..." Alastor said accepting his decision.

"Thank you..." He replied before reaching under his desk to find himself a drink, "I'll give you back your shadow after I soothe my nerves with some medicine." He promised.

"Take your time, no need to rush." Alastor assured as he looked at his nails, "It really is such a shame you're giving up so quickly though, as Azrael seems to be interested in you." He mentioned.

Believing he could get even more out of the lie he started with the angel of death, Alastor chose to double down to see how far he could take this. And whether it was just because he was that good, or maybe he was ironically blessed with good luck, as Husk slowly rose from behind the desk with a bottle in his hand, Alastor's grin grew bigger from his reaction.

"What do you mean by interested?..." Husk inquired as he set the bottle down on the desk, curious to know if this was true or just Al screwing with him.

"When you took your nap just now she was concerned, and while that on its own isn't strange it's what she said next that is." He began while looking over his cane, "After telling her a lie as to why you suddenly passed out we began shooting the breeze, which consisted of her asking me questions regarding you, now at first they were all fairly normal mostly focusing on the explanation I gave, but as we continued she started growing curious and she accidentally let a few thoughts slip passed her lips." He explained.

"Which were?" Husk asked.

"That she thinks you're cute." He answered.

"Bullshit." Husk responded quickly while crossing his arms, "Ain't no one ever called me cute, I smell like a distillery and I got a vocabulary as colorful as a fucking rainbow, I don't know what you're trying to pull Al but I know you're lying through your teeth." He said calling his bluff.

"It's the truth I swear." Alastor lied, making sure to stay calm to make it more believable, "She noticed how there were hearts both on your face and in the palms of your hands, which is when I pointed out how your nose is also the same shape, that is when she said they were cute." He explained.

For a moment Husk didn't say anything which for Alastor was a good sign, but he quickly shook his head in defiance as expected.

"So what? Nifty and Charlie have said the same thing about these stupid fucking things before, that

ain't nothing special." He argued as he opened his bottle.

"True, but did they also mention that it made you cuter?" Alastor asked.

Just like before hearing that made Husk fall silent, though it was longer this time which showed the radio demon he was making progress.

"...Did...she really say that?" He asked, his expression though mostly still the same showed a slight tinge of cautious intrigue.

"Mhm, caught me by surprise as you could imagine." Alastor answered as he leaned back in his chair, "I asked her about it and she claimed it was due to your cat like appearance, but from the embarrassed blush that flooded her cheeks to how quickly she tried to change the subject, even a blind man could see from a mile off that there was more to it than that, so being the good friend to you that I am I pressed on." He explained.

"And how'd you do that?" Husk questioned.

"Simple, I just kept asking her questions, though I had to be careful as any that were too invasive of her private thoughts could've come across as rude or prying, I did this by keeping the conversation around you or the rest of our social circle, bringing up things like the others' appearances and how they had similar markings like you which gives them their own flare, this helped me to steer her towards the card suits adorning your wings, which is when she had another slip as she showed a particular fondness for them." He revealed.

There it was, the last little push he needed to break through that hardened exterior surrounding Husk's soul. For even though he didn't have the same expressive reaction as Azrael did, Alastor could see him finally drop his guard and get invested into what he was saying.

"Really? She likes them? I always thought they looked kinda tacky." Husk admitted while spreading out his wings a bit to look at them.

"Mhm, she said it suited you and I promise that isn't me making a pun." He replied.

"Was that what she said exactly? Or are you just playing it up?" Husk asked, still a bit hesitant to believe anyone especially the angel of death would be giving him compliments.

"No, what she said exactly was that unlike the others who have bright colors, patterns, and symbols on their person which would look out of place on you, the suits not only went perfectly with your appearance as a whole, but also matched that fairly gruff personality of yours." He answered.

"She thinks I'm gruff?" Husk inquired.

"Yes, but not in an off putting way from what I can tell, I asked her the same question when she said that and from how she described her use of the word, she made you sound like a seasoned traveler or a gunman from a western serial on the radio." He explained.

"Whoa...holy shit..." Husk said in awe.

It was then that Alastor witnessed something he never thought he'd get to see, even with all of the jokes he said and the quirky things he did. Though it was small there was no denying an unprovoked smile formed on Husk's features, one of the most cynical people in all of Hell was actually feeling happy.

"My word...is that...a smile?" He asked for he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I guess it is..." Husk answered as he touched his face, "Say Al...would it be alright if we kept our deal? Cause now that I think about it I'm pretty sure that was just the booze talking, the bottle I drank last night was a little ripe." He said.

"Are you sure Husker? You seemed so set on backing out, which may I remind is still your power to do so." Alastor replied.

"Yeah I'm sure, cause even though she's the angel of death she's still a person like you or me, not like she's one of those freaks from Doom or anything." He explained.

"Very well, our arrangement is back on." Alastor said before gesturing to the bottle, "Why don't we pour ourselves a glass and celebrate our continued partnership?" He suggested.

In response Husk reached under the desk and pulled out a glass to do exactly that. However that was what caught Alastor off guard, as he only pulled out the one before filling it with alcohol.

"Here." He said as he offered it to him, "You go ahead and celebrate, I'm gonna pass." He revealed. "Wait what? YOU are going to pass up on a drink?" Alastor questioned while taking it from him.

"Yeah, I mean if I want to try and learn what she knows probably shouldn't reek of booze." He replied before taking a whiff of himself, "Though with that said I could use a shower..." He realized.

Deciding to do it now rather than later Husk left the front desk and headed back to his room, leaving a stunned silent Alastor alone in his chair. But after a few seconds his smile, followed by an amused chuckle escaping his throat.

"Maybe I should start my own love show on the radio?" He suggested to himself, before taking a sip of his beverage.

The Caustic Sea, not long ago it was coated in a vibrant green glow, which came from the countless pools of acidic bile responsible for its name. But now as each one was filled to the brim with corpses of Mancubi and Cacodemons, both slowly being dissolved into a meaty soup, that glow turned into a deep dark purple as their red and blue blood mixed together. Yet there was only one soul present to see this change in color, which made sense as he was the one who made it happen. Standing motionless in the center of his slaughter, the Cacodemon jaws he wielded nearly absent of all teeth from how much they were used, he took this moment to savor it.

The sound of flesh and bone melting away, the sight of dead demons all around him, and the smell both produced in combination, it brought memories long buried to the surface. He remembered his first trek through their realm, all the new faces he'd tear from screeching skulls either with his bare hands or by the serrated teeth of his chainsaw. But as these memories all played through his mind like as if they were his own demented movie, soon he saw something he hadn't seen in a very VERY long time. His greatest foe he ever faced before battling against the Dark One, the most powerful after him as well to the point it tore apart all reality around it, the champion of Doom who they believed could strike him down and end his crusade, The Icon of Sin.

This however brought a new thought forward to replace his memories, an assumption of something the Dark One may be planning given they were sealed away forever, and if this proved to be true then it could also aid him in sending the last prisoner they kept home. Releasing the demonic mandibles he still held onto allowing them to fall to the ground, he moved again to seek out where the Icon's body laid.