Author's Note: I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I felt the need to get it out. Situation for me has been pretty rough, I've been out of anti depression medication and the withdrawal has been making my head a mess. Been without it for over a week and still having trouble getting a new doctor. Apparently my old one quit or something without telling me or my therapist about it, and it's just a big mess.
It's likely updates will be very slow, one because of the above mentioned lack of prescription which makes writing tough. Two because Pokemon Shining Pearl is coming out soon. I plan to play that a lot. Three, holidays mean lots of family gatherings and such and little typing time. And last but not least, I'm thinking of holding off until the next part of the Helluva Boss season finale, that way if any new canon important information is dropped, I'll be able to know ahead of time if it's lore that can be helpful to this story.
"Wait, so the Internet is owned by an overlord? Damn, talk about holding a monopoly." Max comments as he's currently being guided into how to connect to the Internet of hell onto his phone.
"Yeah, it's not that she so much owns it, it's more like she's the biggest star on social media, and anyone that dares to outshine her has either ended up in a mysterious accident, or suddenly disappears." Vaggie explains ominously, much to Max's terror.
"Okay noted, thankfully I only use the Internet for video games, memes, and silly pets. Honestly it's because of the Internet that I don't fear snakes anymore. Now I think they just look kinda cute."
Max giggles as he reminisces on the memories of many silly pet snakes wearing hats.
"I'd still stay away from them if I were you, I'm sure hell snakes are an even bigger threat than earth snakes."
"…or maybe not." He shows the moth demon a photo of some dolled up demon with red and black hair in pigtails and a massive black snake with red eyes, both wearing matching hats. She's hugging the massive snake so tightly you'd think she was the boa constrictor instead. "Either that or this Velvet lady knows her way around snakes."
"Max…she is the overlord." Vaggie states in a quiet voice.
"Oh…less scary than I thought she'd be, but I've been raised not to judge a book by its cover. So I'll be extremely careful not to leave any comments on her posts or interact with her at all." Max plans out, rationalizing that he'll likely never have to meet her.
Just as he thinks this, Niffty bursts into the conversation, her own phone in hand. "Maxxie! You've been invited to join Velvet on a livestream!"
Cue Max freaking out. "AH! WAH! GAH!" Only to be stopped as Vaggie grabs his shoulders and shakes him lightly.
"Max! Calm down! Look, I know this is scary-"
"Scary!?" Max cuts off. "No, finding a spider on the wall while you're naked in the shower is scary. The fact that I'm gonna meet an overlord that has no reason not to kill me if I do anything wrong, or if my anger gets out of control due to her demonic energy as an overlord, that's not scary, that's terrifying!" He shouts as he curls up on the floor, rocking back and forth.
Niffty just looks worried for Max before moving to pet his head to try and help, Max actually stopping in place and lightly pressing his head into her hand. "This feels surprisingly nice."
"Okay, now that you've calmed down. Niffty, does it say why she wants Max in the first place?"
"Oh right!" She stops petting Max, much to his disappointment, and looks over her phone. "Um, apparently she's seen some online posts about the semi-reformed demon, and wants to see it for herself and be the first to show the proof."
"Okay, so she's just looking for more clout. Here's what we'll do, I'll talk to Charlie and we can have her help discuss things with Velvet over the phone, and maybe one of us can be by your side so you're not on your own with an overlord." Vaggie slowly explains to the gradually calming down Max.
"You'd do that for me? Oh you're wonderful Vaggie." He praises, earning a small smile from the grey demon. "Here I was so scared, can't believe I forgot, I'm the discovery of the Hazbin Hotel, I'm not some shiny penny she can grab off the streets. Okay let's see what we can do."
After some long negotiations, the day has finally come. They were scheduled to meet at a TV studio around 8 pm. Max gulps down some water in hopes of it helping with his nervous dry mouth as he sits in the limousine with Charlie and Vaggie. While he feels safer knowing he has them both to back him up, he still can't help but feel some trepidation, especially since he's about to meet not one, but two overlords. At first it was gonna be just Velvet, but news seems to have caught up with one of her close overlords, the TV demon Vox.
He insisted that if Velvet gets to stream him online, then he gets to be the first to show him on TV, and not waste his appearance with the 'talentless hacks on the 666 news', much to the relief of Charlie. Maxwell was told about that day which was accurately described as a shitshow. They can only hope that this doesn't end up like that incident, or worse.
Soon enough the limousine came to a stop and the trio stepped out, a small nervous looking imp waiting there as it escorted them to the room they'd be using. Once they entered, they noticed it was pitch black and they could barely see their hands in front of their faces.
"Okay what the heck is this? Was that imp even employed here? I should have known better than to follow someone I just met." Max gripes as he holds his hands out in front of him trying not to bump into anything.
"It's gonna be okay, we just gotta stay calm and…wait what am I grabbing?" Charlie asks quietly as her hand squeezes something soft.
"C-Charlie! That's me!" Vaggie squeaks out. All of a sudden, spotlights shine down on all three of them, Max noticing Vaggie with a slight blush and idly rubbing her behind and Charlie looking sheepish.
"WELCOME TO YOUR FAVORITE TALK SHOW IN HELL!" A voice is heard as light soon fills the entire room. Max is momentarily blinded but as soon as his eyes recover, he sees the three of them are in front of a velvety couch. Looking behind himself, Max sees a studio camera and live audience loudly clapping as music starts playing. In a puff of smoke, sitting in a luxurious chair is a slim demon with a TV screen head wearing a striped tuxedo and red bow tie. "WITH YOUR HOSTS, VOX THE TV DEMON!"
Another puff of smoke, and posing in front of her phone camera with a wink and peace sign is a familiar social media star. "AND THE LOVELY DOLL DEMON AND ONLINE SENSATION, VELVET!" The cries cheered louder, whether out of adoration or fear was anybody's guess. "THIS IS, 'HELL: LATE AT NIGHT!'"
Once everything began to settle, Max finally regained enough sense to shake his head and give a smile to the cameras. "Oh, where are my manners? Hello denizens of hell! It's great to be here tonight!" Charlie and Vaggie look to Max bewildered before understanding what he was doing and follow along, Charlie happily waving to the crowd and Vaggie doing her best to stay calm and not give away how nervous she is to be on TV.
"Welcome folks to another episode of 'Hell: Late at Night!'" Vox announces to the audience and camera before bringing attention to his co host. "Joining me today is someone I see like a daughter, you know her, you better all love her, it's Velvet!"
Once her name is heard, Velvet takes her attention away from her phone and happily waves to the crowd, blowing little kisses that some audience members begin fighting over. "So glad to be here Vox! And who can forget our very special guests, the owner of the Hazbin Hotel, princess of hell, and big flop to the start of the newest trend in hell, redemption! Give a warm welcome to Charlie Magne!" All the attention to Charlie has her cheeks reddening as she can't help but give a big smile.
"Oh, I don't know about trendsetter, I'm just trying to change things in hell for the better." Charlie humbly explains, just for Vox and Velvet to laugh out loud.
"Change for the better? Ha! She's funny too!" Vox mocks, much to Charlie's disappointment, Vaggie's fists clenching as she's about to say something only for Velvet to wrap an arm around her.
"And don't forget her cute little lover, Vaggie! Tell us Vagatha, everyone in hell wants to know…is the princess any good under the sheets? Or is she more of a pillow princess?" Vaggie is immediately red faced, in both anger and embarrassment as she seems ready to rip the overlord a new one. Seeing things getting dicey, Max quickly puts a hand on both of the girls' shoulders before standing up.
"That's enough! I don't care how powerful you two are, if all you're gonna do is talk shit about my friends, then we're leaving!" He huffs as he's about to take a step away from the couch only to feel something wrap around his leg. He looks down and sees a power cable writing around his leg like a snake, making him trip and fall back on the couch.
"Friends? Wow, maybe you really are on your way to redemption." Vox laughs and bangs his hand on the table while Velvet gives her own obnoxious laugh before Vox puts his hand up. "Alright alright, we had our fun. Let's bring the focus to the main event. The strange demon that regained his human form, Maxwell Ignitus!" Max growls as he realizes he's gonna have to stay unless he wants to start a fight live on air.
"So Maxxie," Max can't help but shudder, it's different when Velvet says it instead of Niffty, a lot more unnerving. "Let's get to the bread and butter of the subject, how did you get your body back?" Charlie and Vaggie look at Max, nervous about how he's gonna lie to the entirety of hell.
"Well, to be perfectly honest it wasn't easy, not in the slightest. While I wanted to give Charlie's idea of redemption a try, I never realized how emotionally exhausting it would be. I'm not gonna lie, there were a lot of tears. Thankfully the princess here is a real sweetheart." He gives Charlie a pat on the head, the demon giving a more honest smile now.
"You don't mean to tell us that her ridiculous redemption plan actually turned you human?" Vox asked in sheer disbelief.
"If you take the time to think about it, it makes so much sense. In many religions and beliefs, the depictions of Heaven state that you leave your mortal body and your soul takes part in eternal peace and happiness. Why do we take the forms of demons here in hell? Because our souls are heavily dredged in so many sins. In the redemption process, Charlie and the employees of the Hazbin Hotel work to help you remove that corruption, slowly but surely working to bring out your true self. Without my sins weighing me down, I've begun to cast off my demon form and regain my old identity. It's not complete yet though, I still have much to go through."
"Wow, and I thought the Internet was full of stupid shit, but this takes the cake!" Velvet comments with a mocking laugh, noticeably this one more forced than the last, a couple of the audience members looking more contemplative.
"Call it stupid as much as you want, the proof is in the pudding. Just look at me now! Some naysayers have theories that Alastor, the new sponsor of the Hazbin Hotel, made a deal with a human and brought him down here. Well I want you to take a look at this." Maxwell slowly stands up, Vox and Velvet waiting for him to make a move so they can carve him to pieces. Charlie and Vaggie are ready to grab him and bolt if need be, but it seems to be unnecessary as Max closes his eyes, clenches his fists and grits his teeth. With heavy exertion, Max focuses on the demonic energy all throughout the room, the anger it causes him. He searches through memories of everything in life that's pissed him off, from bullies in his childhood, to finding his order at McDonald's was messed up.
A small growl escapes him, surprising those closest to him before he suddenly opens his eyes, revealing red irises. Following along are the veins in his body eerily glowing as if his blood is replaced with hot magma, and his omnivorous teeth slowly shaping into a sharper set more suitable for a vicious predator. "Grr, a-as you can see, I'm capable of still tapping into my demonic energy due to still having unresolved sin. No human is capable of looking like this." He pants softly as he has to try his hardest not to let loose and destroy the studio, the presence of two overlords being almost overwhelming. It's only thanks to Charlie and Vaggie placing their hands on his shoulders that he began to relax.
"Hmm, alright I admit you put up an interesting argument. One more question and we'll call it a day…what was it you had to do before you transformed?" Vox finally asked the biggest question, many leaning in to listen.
"…I had to come to terms with a great sin of mine. While to many of you it may seem trivial here in hell, it is still a great crime not only in the eyes of the law, but in the eyes of God. I'm talking about the crime of taking the life of another, murder." Charlie and Vaggie look at him with wide eyes, but many scoff at him.
"I had a friend of mine, my first friend, a girl who shared my interests, and treated me with kindness that I felt I could never fully repay. Sure we had a couple of fights and disagreements, but in the end we overcame our differences and grew stronger together. She even helped me learn to step out of my comfort zone and make friends with others. She was truly one of a kind...which is why I couldn't forgive that bastard that killed her." Many leaned in at that, Velvet curious to hear how this story ends and Vox being reminded of some crime focused shows.
"She had a bad habit of picking bad boyfriends, thinking she was able to 'fix' them. Some weren't too bad, just neglectful or too stubborn to give up their bad ways. But then there were the pieces of shit who thought they could manipulate and hurt her and get away with it. I'd made sure to give them a piece of my mind, broke some bones, knocked some teeth out. I took pride in knowing whenever she was hurt, I could be there to help her, I felt like her personal hero."
"One day though, she got together with this real bastard, guy kept on trying to toy with her mind and tried to get her to stop being my friend, insinuated she was having sex with me and my buddies behind his back, when the hypocritical jackass apparently had other girlfriends in different states. I was over at her apartment ready to play some video games with her, when I caught his boyfriend shouting at her, calling her so many disgusting names. I yelled at him to stop and only for him to turn his focus on me. When she tried to stop him, he got violent and smacked her across the face. That's when I started seeing red, in a blur of rage I attacked that scumbag. I had my hands around his throat ready to end him only for her to beg me to stop, not wanting me to be a murderer. Reluctantly I let the bastard go and sent him packing."
"A week passed, things seemed to be back to normal, aside from the threatening messages he would send her but with a simple 'block contact', that was shut down quickly. We were hanging out at her home when she heard the ice cream truck. Seeing her great desire for the frozen treat, I offered to go get some for the both of us. By the time I paid and got back…" Maxwell shudders as he remembers it, the scream he heard, the ice cream dripping from his hands as he barged inside, the scent of blood in the air. Charlie put a hand over her mouth, connecting the dots as her eyes watered. Vaggie looked at Max with concern, wondering if they should stop, especially since she noticed the strange glow in his veins seeming to get brighter, his fists clenching so hard she's surprised he hasn't cut into his palms and spilled blood.
"Well don't leave us in suspense! What happened next?" Velvet seemed all too eager to hear the rest of the story, Vox subtly telling the cameramen to focus more on Max's face, thankfully no one noticed how Charlie should supposedly know this already.
Max takes a breath before continuing. "The first thing that hit me was the scent of blood in the air as soon as I burst into the apartment. I froze as my eyes took in the horrific sight…my best friend dead on the floor, her throat slit open by that bastard she rightfully dumped. It all hit me at once, she was dead, I left for only a few minutes and that's all it took for this worthless waste of oxygen to take her away from me. To this day I'm sure of one thing…nothing could calm the beast I became that day." He remembers it all too clearly, unlike other fits of rage that he only remembered bits and pieces of, this one was crystal clear.
"I remember every detail, the hot anger inside me, the monstrous gutteral sound I made as I rushed that scumbag, every impact of my fists against his body, my nails tearing into his flesh, my feet stomping and shattering bones, my teeth tearing into his throat. Even with all those actions, I wasn't satisfied. Even when he was already dead, I still kept going. I could feel his ribs being crushed as I slammed my fists down onto his chest, I could see every sinew as I tore off his arms, legs, and head. Only once the entire body was an unrecognizable mess of blood and viscera did I finally feel the slightest bit satiated." Many looked in fear and awe of Max as he finished retelling his sin, some even looking a bit green.
"It may have led to my death, but I don't regret calling 911 that day. Someone had to take my friend's body and show her corpse the respect it deserves. The investigators must have found some evidence that connected to me, that's the only explanation I can think of for the police storming my home that day. Don't remember which of them shot first, but soon enough I was riddled with bullets. Soon enough I found myself wandering these very streets, a demon just like all of you." It was a lie concerning his death, but Max wouldn't be surprised if that was how he met his end one day. He looked at the demons around him, Charlie horrified by this revelation and Vaggie was visibly shaken. The overlords though only looked at Max with a strange modicum of interest and respect.
"What a wonderful story, I'm glad I'm recording all this, definitely gonna listen to it again before I go to sleep." Velvet praises happily, the audience frightened by her casualness only to remember that she's more than a pretty face, she's an overlord for a reason. She likely lived through and caused worse in her spare time.
"Definitely quite fascinating, but you still need to answer, if you committed such a sin like that, how were you rehabilitated?" Vox asks again, curious to hear what he has to say.
"…well, when I heard of the Hazbin Hotel, I went there in hopes that I can finally get a better understanding of myself, not really sure if I can become good enough for Heaven. Maybe I just wanted someone to talk to…maybe Charlie reminded me a lot of someone." He glances at Charlie who looks at Max sadly. "Once I felt like I could trust her, I began spilling my guts, telling her of what I did, how I felt no regret and still don't. How could a God punish me for avenging my best friend who was unrightfully murdered? With time she began to help me understand something that's still hard for me to accept. No matter how angry I was, no
matter how right it felt, I am not judge, jury, and executioner. No human is. What that bastard did was wrong, but I am not the one who can cast punishment. I'm no hero of this story…but I'm also not the villain. I'm not the epitome of heroism, nor am I some mustache twirling villain. I am, and always will be, what every other human is…a sinner. With time and more interaction with the members of the Hazbin Hotel, I slowly began to accept what I was. I now understand that I took the life of another, and while I may not regret doing it, I acknowledge that I committed the horrible crime of snuffing out someone's life. Even if he was a terrible human being, he was still a human, one who, like me, was born from a mother, lived on the same planet as me, breathed the same air, and now due to my actions no longer draws breath. A crime unforgivable by most, but with proper repentance, can be forgiven by God."
With everything said, he takes a big intake of air, holds it for a bit, then breathes it out, his body reverting back to its fully human form. "After that, a couple days later I found myself waking up in my old human body. Can't tell you how surprised everyone was when they saw me." With that, he was finally finished. He looks at the audience and notices the many faces in confusion, disbelief, and a couple even in deep thought. He nervously glanced at Charlie and Vaggie, their faces currently unreadable.
"Hmm, a little preachy for my tastes. Is that really all it takes for even a smidge of rehabilitation?" Vox asks with a questioning frown.
"You ask 'is that all it takes' but has anyone here in hell actually taken the time to try it? How many have just looked at all the sin and debauchery and decided to indulge instead of repent?"
"You make a good point, but other than the purge once a year, I don't see a downside to hell! I get all the toys and fans I want, and if they are purged, there are just new humans dying and coming to hell everyday!" Velvet shrugs, uninterested in the whole redemption idea.
"Well, it's fun for you because you're an Overlord. You have vast power that makes you nearly untouchable…the problem is, how long until God makes or sends angels strong enough to kill even you?" Max asks worriedly, making the Overlords give the slightest twitch, the idea that their sinful kingdoms can actually be overthrown being a scary thought. "All I ask is that you take the time to consider the idea. I'm not saying to suddenly become so good that you look like a Mormon, but to maybe come give the hotel a chance, face your fears and take a look into yourself and maybe, just maybe…" He gently takes Charlie and Vaggie's hands, giving the two of them a smile which they return. "…maybe you can learn to show kindness again, and at the very least look in the mirror and see your human self again, to be able to not see a demon, but a human capable of making mistakes but also capable of learning to be better. And by then you'll already have made so much progress, it couldn't hurt to do a little more right?"
Vox looks down at his hands, taking some time to actually think about it with a rational mind, just for Velvet's phone to start ringing. "Hang on, I got this! Hello?…Oh hey Valentino! Haven't heard from you in a while! What's that? You wanna join the show?" Vox rolls his eyes at that, not noticing Max suddenly having his eyes widen until it's too late as he suddenly stands up.
"Well it's been great being on the show! Maybe we can do this again sometime, okay bye! Goodnight everybody!" He quickly gets a former grip on Vaggie and Charlie's hands before dashing out of the studio with the two in tow, not wanting to risk that Overlord recognizing him as the guy who bashed his head and stole his limo.
Author again: So yeah, not sure when I'll update next. Got a lot to do this winter. Here's hoping this chapter is okay enough for now.