Mad Dawg didn't know what was going on currently, and he didn't much care. He returned to the office one morning, and found a massive hole in the wall. Naturally, Mad Dawg didn't ask questions, but took the opportunity to take a leak out of it. Hey, you gotta mark your territory, right?
"Dawg. What the hell is wrong with you?" Loona muttered.
"Marking turf. Piss off."
"Why am I surrounded by idiots?" Loona muttered. "Oh, by the way, we have no money again. So… yeah…"
"How does this affect me?" Mad Dawg asked, raising a brow as he shook the sprinkler off.
"It doesn't." Loona shook her head. "But Blitzo's probably gonna ask you to make some money, so you may wanna-"
"Cage fighting! WOO!" Mad Dawg cheered, suddenly jumping out of the hole in the wall. Loona blinked, running over and looking out the hole, seeing Mad Dawg running through the parking lot like a hyperactive child. The female hellhound blinked, then sighed, shaking her head. This wasn't her job, this wasn't her problem. Still, she couldn't help but smirk slightly. She didn't want to admit to it, but having Dawg around made things a bit more bearable.
Several Fights Later…
Mad Dawg was at the coffee table, grabbing a drink while two demons fought. He had lost more than he won today, and that was annoying him… sure, he hadn't gone Nekro, but considering he could kill demons while doing that, he decided that was for the better. Robo-Fizz was… annoying, to say the least, and seriously, someone needed to fix his voice box…
"Huh, so this is where Dawg's been makin' bank. Huh?" Blitzo remarked, looking around. After dealing with some stuff up above, they decided to see what Mad Dawg got up to when he wasn't around. "Weird place, but whatev- OH, SON OF A BIT-"
"Oh, HEYA, Blitz-O!" Robo-Fizz laughed, making sure to add the 'O', just to piss him off. "Awww… and his band of idio-t-ts!"
"Hey, weren't you gettin' vored last we saw ya?" Millie asked, annoyed.
"What's a w-w-washed-up, wan-n-na be sideshow clo-ow-own like you doing her-r-re!?" Robo-Fizz laughed, ignoring Millie.
"I'm here to watch my employee fight."
"Ahahahaha! Which of th-those li-tt-le Imps is gonna get their asses kicked?!"
"Huh? Oh, not them. Him." Blitzo said pointing to Mad Dawg.
"Oh, hey boss!" Dawg waved. To Blitzo's satisfaction, Robo-Fizz looked to Mad Dawg, then back to Blitzo, then back to Mad Dawg, and couldn't say a thing. He seemed genuinely shocked by this, and Blitzo was reveling in it.
"Hey, kid." Blitzo nodded as he and his crew walked past Robo-Fizz. The robot jester blinked, then shook his head dismissively, deciding to get on with the fights. Jumping up onto the perch where he did his announcing and grabbed the mic.
"ALLLLLLLLLLL RIGHT-T-TY THEN!" He declared. "Someone wa-was generous enough to don-don-donate this fight's rival!" Robo-Fizz laughed as the far side of the cage opened.
"Ugh, great." Mad Dawg mentally groaned. "Another one…" See, ninety-nine percent of those who fought here did so willingly, they did it for money, out of boredom or both. But, there was the one percent who didn't want to fight, and were simply grabbed off of the street and forced to fight. Dawg had a lot of issues with it, but he knew this was hell, so complaining wouldn't get anywhere. Furthermore, he tended to end the fight quickly so they could leave, and to his credit, Robo-Fizz did let them leave. And from what Dawg could tell, this wasn't a leave-and-step-on-a-landmine-sorta-deal.
"All right… let's get this over with…" Mad Dawg sighed, cracking his neck. Then, as he had begun doing for no reason other than he liked to, Mad Dawg pounded his chest, loudly chanting some gibberish that sounded like a war cry. And it worked, like always.
"NEKRO! NEKRO! NEKRO! NEKRO! NEKRO!" Half the audience cheered.
"LYCAN! LYCAN! LYCAN! LYCAN! LYCAN!" The other half cheered.
"Nekro-Lycan? The hell kinda male prostitute name is that?" Blitzo muttered.
"Death Lycan?" Moxxie asked, translating the old word. "Like, lycanthrope? As in a werewolf or skin walker? Why do they call him that? Wouldn't Nekro-Lobo be more fitting?"
Loona narrowed her eyes and slowly looked around, deciding not to bring up the fact that she had been the one who came up with the name. Looking around, Mad Dawg smirked, waiting to see who he'd be fighting.
"BÁJATE DE MI, MALDITOS BASTARDOS!" A familiar, angered voice shouted. Mad Dawg blinked, watching the cage open and…
"Vaggie?"
True to his surprised statement, Vaggie was roughly dragged and thrown into the cage, left with nothing but her spear. She didn't seem to be in too rough shape, but needless to say, he was surprised to see her.
"I'm gonna kill those bastards…" Vaggie growled in a langauge Dawg didn't understand as she pulled herself up. When her eye met his, something clicked. "Mad Dawg!?"
"…what are you doing here?" He asked, bewildered.
"I… I was trying to-" She began, trailed off, shaking her head. "It's not important. What are you doing here?!"
"Cage fighting." Mad Dawg shrugged.
"Look, Charlie's looking all over for you! You just walked out on her!"
"Okay." Mad Dawg blinked.
"Mad Dawg, listen, Charlie's really worried about you, you gotta come back! She's… she's really upset over how she acted, she wants to help you!"
"So?" Mad Dawg asked, twitching in agitation, his voice briefly dropping in sound.
"Mad Dawg, there was a mistake. What happened with Dust wasn't intentional! We never intended to-"
"You… KNEW…" Mad Dawg snarled, his voice and demeanour making Vaggie nervous. On top of being in a cage fight against Mad Dawg, but that wasn't the main problem right now.
"Okay, can you stop for a second?" Vaggie said, feeling more annoyed than anything. "I don't know if this is some 'wrestler-sona' you've come up with, but I'm trying to talk to you here. Angel Dust made a mistake, and we've been looking for you so we can all talk this out. I know it sounds like a trap, but I'm telling you, it's not. I'm being honest."
"What good is the word of a demoness?" Mad Dawg asked, seeming to go back-and forth between restrained and murderous. Vaggie scoffed and brandished her spear.
"Kid, either listen to me, or listen once your pinned to the ground. You've already been through a lot, don't make it worse."
"You're talking like I don't have a choice, like you're here just to tie me up… drag me back… give to them!"
"Whoa, whoa. Dawg. No." Vaggie spoke up, her eye widening. "That's not what's happening. That's not what I'd do to you. That's not what Charlie would do!" She could tell his tone was angered, but also frightened. He was clearly trying to find a balance or calm himself down.
Mad Dawg breathed deeply, trying to reign in his anger, his fury… and he nodded, slowly. Charlie… wouldn't… she… she wouldn't… why would she hurt him? Why would she send him to a porno studio? Why… would…
"I think you need to go for a walk."
She… chose Angel Dust… She chose him. Suddenly, the anger returned, and Mad Dawg felt his heart going berserk. She chose him. She CHOSE him! SHE KNEW, OR SHE DIDN'T CARE!
"And just a little… bit… more…" A voice whispered.
"Mad Dawg, Charlie cared for you, she wanted to help you! Even if she wanted to hurt you, she wouldn't send you to a porno studio!"
"But she chose Dust. She sided with him."
"YOU attacked him! We didn't know what had happened, in that moment, we thought Dust was the victim!"
Something… snapped. Mad Dawg snarled, and the spikes protruded, and his body began the painful transformation once more into the horrifying visage of the Nekro-Lycan. The crowd cheered and the members of I.M.P. froze in horror, Blitzo spit-taking his drink into Moxxie's face.
"YOU KNEW." The Nekro-Lycan snarled, drool dripping from its jagged teeth. "AND YOU LET IT HAPPEN."
"Mad Dawg, listen to me." Vaggie said slowly, her eye narrowing and gripping her spear nonetheless. This… was not what she expected. Dawg had claimed as a human he could change; did he still have that power when he was in hell!? Was this because he wasn't dead?! "That. Was. A mistake. The letters had the wrong names written on them. You were supposed to go help Cherri Bomb, and pay Val and jet. Dust wouldn't do something like that, and I can't believe I'm saying this… but he's better than that."
"YOU'RE LYING."
"What do you want me to say!?" Vaggie exclaimed. "I may not like him, but he isn't that twisted! He attacked you because he thought you took advantage of his sister! Didn't you say you did something similar?!"
The Nekro-Lycan twitched, almost as if it had been briefly jolted. Mad Dawg thought for a moment, digging up a memory from something like three months ago.
"You ever say anything like that again, and I'll chop your nipples off."
"AND?"
Something about that one word, maybe the hypocrisy, or the tone conveying nothing but contempt and ignorance really got under Vaggie's skin. She could see clear as day that Mad Dawg needed help, and Charlie was the best-case scenario. Even if he wasn't in hell, she was one of the most caring, kind and gentle souls you would ever see. But despite all that… he still acted like this. After everything she had done to try and help him.
"Y'know what? Screw you!" Vaggie suddenly snapped, getting angered and losing her restraint she had earlier. "Charlie's bent over backwards trying to HELP you! I get the apprehension about accepting a demon's help, I get the paranoia about Alastor, but there's a line when you need to GROW THE HELL UP, and you CLEARLY don't know how or are too retarded to do so!"
"THAT'S RICH, COMING FROM A WHORE."
"Okay you inbred furry bastard, if you won't listen to reason, maybe you'll listen to this!" Vaggie snarled, and lunged forward, swinging her spear and causing the Nekro-Lycan to jump out of the way. Deciding talking was over, and it was kombat time, Nekro lurched forward, trying to strike the ground to catch Vaggie off balance. However, the demoness merely spun out of the way and stabbed Dawg in the side, leaving a bloody wound as he roared in pain.
"Either listen to me or spend the rest of your afterlife wallowing in your own self-pity." Vaggie ordered, seeming genuinely furious. "I'm trying to help!" One of the Nekro's fists came towards her, and hit her with the latter half of it. The punch was still painful and sent her into the bars while demons cheered at the fight.
"What are you doing!? She wasn't mean to you! She tried to help you!" Mad Dawg began screaming in his mind, desperate for control. The Nekro-Lycan paused, looking away for a moment as he considered the different options and avenues. He liked Vaggie, she had been pretty strict and sometimes abrasive, but she was a demon, dating the Princess of hell, and trying to run demon redemption, that made sense, y'know? Even with all that, she was nice to him. Heck, she was there one night when Dawg… needed someone to talk too…
"ShE kNeW…" Virus' voice whispered quietly in his ear. Uncharacteristically, it wasn't malicious, it seemed genuine, almost afraid. "cAN yOu tRusT heR? How dO yOu KNoW thEy dOn'T wAnT yOU bAcK so ThEy caN eXploIT YoU?"
"They wouldn't! Charlie wouldn't!" Mad Dawg was screaming again, sounding completely broken, on the verge of tears now.
"ShE's sATaN's SPaWn. oF COuRse sHE WOuLD!"
"….would she?"
"Mad Dawg…" Vaggie spoke, eyes narrowing slightly. "Don't make me hurt you."
"Hurt me?! You mean like Dust did!? Like Charlie did?!"The Nekro-Lycan snapped.
"No! Damn it, no! That's not what happened!" Mad Dawg screamed at himself. "Stop thinking like that!"
"Fine. You asked for this."
Vaggie grabbed the spearhead and drove it into what she had assumed was Dawg's back. However, it was his left arm, not too far away from the rotator cuff. The Nekro-Lycan screamed in pain as Vaggie gritted her teeth and pulled down, dragging the spearhead through flesh and muscle all the way down his arm. Blood poured into the cage as Mad Dawg screamed, feeling the angelic weapon cutting through his arm. The cry was more of genuine pain, and Vaggie bit her lip, remembering that Mad Dawg was technically a kid… this wasn't like him! Yet that didn't stop him. HE walked out. HE didn't bother trying to reach out more than once. Charlie did everything to help him, and this is how he thanked her!?
"Charlie was getting through to him. What happened?" Vaggie thought as the two kept circling one another. Dawg seemed to be flip-flopping between wanting to talk, and wanting to eat her intestines.
"Why did you let Charlie do this…?" Mad Dawg asked.
"Charlie would never hurt you! She NEVER would've been okay with what happened!"
"She's the daughter of the devil. Like father, like daughter…"
"NO!" Mad Dawg screamed. "Why am I saying this!?"
"Truth be told, your mother was right! She made a damn monster!" Vaggie shouted, lurching forward stabbing Dawg again. That last remark seemed to be the final straw for her. "And you've clearly spent so long trying to convince yourself you weren't, when you're too blind or stubborn to see the truth! You're not a victim! You're the abuser!"
…she really shouldn't've said that.
With an outright demonic roar, Mad Dawg lashed out, slashing Vaggie with his claws before slamming her into the cage wall with his shoulder. The Salvadorian demoness gasped in pain as she was bashed into the wall, seeing that Dawg was really, really angry.
"Okay… that was a mistake…" She coughed.
Mad Dawg roared in pain, clawing at his head. It seemed like his skull wanted to re-form… again, and then two bones punched their way out from his head. The went upwards then curved back, two pointed ends pointing downward above his head. .
"Yo, WHAT!? Since when could he do that?!" Blitzo shouted.
"I…I have no idea!"
"YOU… KNEW…" The Nekro-Lycan snarled, his mouth beginning to glow with a blue fire coating his teeth. Vaggie pulled herself up, and lowered her spear somewhat.
"Dawg. It's okay." Vaggie coughed, looking him in the eyes, now genuinely frightened by Dawg's glowing teeth. She had a real bad feeling what those were... "You can come back, Charlie isn't angry. She's afraid, she's concerned for you. She didn't know about what happened, neither did Angel Dust."
"Rrrgghh…"
"Dawg, she's really upset." Vaggie continued, seeing the anger in Dawgs' eyes fading somewhat. "And she never lied to you. I promise you. We did have people go through the hotel and be redeemed. I know you think my word means nothing, but why would I lie to you?! Why would I hurt Charlie like that?!"
That… did make Dawg pause and think, his cat-o'-nine-tails-tail thumping against the floor as she snarled slightly. Sure, Charlie would lie to him, Vaggie would lie to him, but why would Vaggie lie to Charlie? Even if this was hell, she clearly loved her…
"Dawg, even if you go back because her dad threatens you to do so, she doesn't care! She wants to help you! She wants to get you home to your family, she doesn't care that you made mistakes, she wants you to face them and get better-"
"SHUT UP!" Mad Dawg roared, lurching forward and attacking once more. Vaggie jumped out of the way, and Dawg crashed into the wall, screaming in pain as his horns hit the cage, it felt like they were raw nerves! The pain only caused Mad Dawg's mind to shut down further, granting more control to the Nekro-Lycan. Extending his claws, he viciously swiped at Vaggie, the Moth demoness jumping back and moving to avoid being cut in two. She was genuinely afraid now… both of the monsters' power, but because it may be too late to save Mad Dawg. Charlie would never stop trying… but Vaggie could see that the line was fast approaching.
However, while she looked at the line, she didn't see Mad Dawg's twisted hand come out of nowhere to slash at her. It missed, but one of his tendrils grabbed her and wrapped tightly and painfully around her ribs. Slamming her into the ground, Dawg roared as he glared down at Vaggie, the droll and anger dripping from his mouth. He raised a hand, and his claws extended.
"Grk… do it!" Vaggie coughed. "Do it! If this is who you are… then do it!"
"You'll die for what you did…"
"Do it! If this is the real you, then kill me!" Vaggie spat, anger in her eye. "Prove me wrong! Show me who you really are!"
Mad Dawg looked down, and his eyes hardened. Before him was the girlfriend of the demon who started all of this. The one who let that freak Dust trick him into going to that studio, who kept the company of the worst monsters in hell, who lured Dawg into her web of lies and deception to make him another servant of hers, who did all this in an attempt… to… help them… Dawg's eyes softened as he looked back to Vaggie. Charlie, the daughter of the devil, the woman who showed him nothing but kindness he hadn't felt in ages, the woman who always seemed happiest when Vaggie was by her side. The woman who clearly loved the bleeding demon in front of him more than anything in the afterlife, and would more than likely give her life to save…
"See you in world Eight Dash-One!" Mad Dawg's voice laughed in his head, remembering his first 'death' that had kicked off his adventures. More importantly, why he had done it. He let out a soft growl, but it was clearly one of regret.
"Go home." He finally spoke, retracting his claws. "Go home, to someone who loves you."
"Kace." Vaggie spoke, and Mad Dawg froze. "At least… at least call him. Talk to him, anything…"
"Never. Call me that. Again." Mad Dawg growled with such intensity even the Overlords might cower in fear.
The crowd watching booed in disappointment as Mad Dawg turned around and walked off, leaving the caged area and disappearing down the dark hallway. Before his disappeared, he stopped and looked at the regulars. "If she doesn't make it home alive and unharmed, none of you will."
Leaving the fight club through a side entrance, Mad Dawg's mind was racing at a million miles per hour. What had he done?! He nearly killed Vaggie! How was he supposed to face Charlie after doing that?! But what really got to him, what he couldn't escape from, was the feeling that nothing would get better until he did what he knew he had to do… Growling, and feeling determination (and pain, as he body changed back) Mad dawg headed off to do something he should've done a long time ago, not noticing a shadow slink across the wall.
"Well, it appears our canine compatriot has more sides to him than one might expect! Still, the stage is set, the players are in position, all it takes now… is one small push…"
When I.M.P. returned to their office… Dawg wasn't there. Everyone had questions, but no one knew where he was. He didn't have a phone, and according to both Loona and Vortex, Dawg didn't really frequent any bars. Eventually, they gave up deciding to wait for him to come back… and then bombard him with questions.
Mad Dawg looked at the bottle of whiskey he had, took a sip, punched in the number, then spat the alcohol out. He couldn't be drunk, he needed to focus… did he have any edibles on him? No, no. Focus. Was this the right thing to do!? What was he supposed to say?! What if-
"Who's this?" Came a voice on the other end of the line, Dawg not realizing that the phone had been ringing. "Hello?"
"Hey… Hey Dust."
"H..holy crap. Mad Dawg!?" Angel Dust sputtered in shock. "Dude! Is that you?!"
"Yeah. Hey…" Mad Dawg awkwardly answered.
"Where are you, kid!? Are you okay!?" Dust shouted, a shocking amount of concern in his voice.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm good." Mad Dawg nodded. "Listen, I'm okay where I am. I wanted to let you know that."
"Mad Da- Kace, I need you to listen to me." Dust spoke seriously, hearing Mad Dawg's sharp inhale before he continued. "I had no idea what had happened, okay!? I didn't know you had the wrong letters, okay?! I wrote the wrong name on the wrong letter. I never would've intentionally sent you to have what happened to you. You know that, right?" There was a tense silence, and finally, there was no answer. "You know that, right?" It sounded like Dust needed to hear Dawg say this more than Dawg needed to hear it.
"Dust… I…" Mad Dawg began, all the words on his tongue jumbling about and twisting into unspeakable phrases. Angel Dust heard it, and felt Mad Dawg's age truly hit now more than ever, heck, he seemed younger than he was… Finally, he simply spoke without thinking: "I know it, I just don't know if I believe it."
"Mad Dawg, why are you calling me?"
"I don't know." Mad Dawg said honestly. He couldn't see it, but Angel Dust deflated when he heard the fear and pain in Dawg's voice. "I just wanted to talk, I want you to know… I want you to know…" Mad Dawg's voice died again, and he scowled in anger. Why was this so hard?! All he had to do was say 'I don't blame you', or 'I know you didn't do this', or anything that would help! But now, when he was supposed to say something of use, he couldn't speak. "I want you to know that… that I'm not…"
"Yeah?"
"I'm… tell Charlie I'm okay. I wanna talk one day, but I'm not ready to." Mad Dawg finally said.
"Dawg, if this is some pride thing, it's okay. You can come back." Dust said in a rather soft, but sincere voice. "I don't care about the pride aspect of this, I just… I just want to make sure you're okay. I know you have no reason to believe me, but I know the pain you're going through, I want… Shit… I'm so sorry…"
"I wanna come back, but-" Mad Dawg began, but the voice died in his throat. "Hey, is Molly okay?"
"Ugh, yeah… she's real concerned for ya." Dust nodded. "Seriously, she was dragging Cherri around trying to find you! Apparently, you were kidnapped by Sir Prick-ious? How'd that go!?"
"Aw… aw man… that's a story…" Mad Dawg laughed, a small smile on his face. "I'll tell you when we meet one day."
"I'm holding you to that, kid."
"Angel Dust?"
"Yeah, MD?"
"Thank you."
"…for what?"
"Being… being nice to me." Mad Dawg sighed. "I don't know if you actually wanted to sleep with me or not when we first met, but… you were nice to me, you explained some stuff, helped me figure out where everything was… and… thank you. That really meant a lot to me, it… even if you did do his to me… I still think deep down you're a good person, Anthony."
There was a good three minutes of silence that followed, both parties trying to think of something to say… but they couldn't.
"Mad Dawg, I hate to do this, but I gotta go." Angel Dust sighed. "When you're ready to talk, call me, okay? When you're ready, don't rush yourself."
"Okay. Yeah. Thank you." Mad Dawg managed to get out in a firm tone, nodding before Dust hung up.
When he went back into the office, the questions began. Dawg answered them to the best of his ability, until Loona asked one off-handedly.
"What happened to Velvet?"
"Huh?"
"Velvet, that chick we were drinking with, you left her in an alley in Skin Flayer turf. You know what happened?"
"I…I went back." Mad Dawg admitted quietly. "I couldn't just leave her there, so I had to do something…"
"Velvet… wait, the female Overlord who works with Vox and Valentineo?" Moxxie asked, surprised.
"That reminds me, you and Velvet were talking like you had some sort of history, she said you knew Valentino… the hell's that about?" Loona asked. She had an idea, but she wanted to hear from Dawg… it then occurred to her that the other three didn't know about this, and she probably just revealed something she wasn't supposed to reveal. Mad Dawg… froze, he looked away, down to the ground, not wanting to say anything, but knowing if he said something or didn't, the truth was going to come out.
"Mad Dawg… were you…" Millie began, but when Dawg froze, the answer was clear. "Oh, ma Lord…"
"You mean… you… oh…" Moxxie blinked. Heck, even Blitzo was silent, realizing what Dawg was implying. "Mad Dawg… I'm… I'm sorry…"
"Holy fuckin' shit…" Blitzo muttered. "That's why you ended up in Imp City?!"
"No! At least, not entirely!" Mad Dawg growled his claws digging into his arm, blood dripping onto the floor. "I…I made a mistake, or maybe someone else did. But- I don't think it was anyone's fault, and now it's been so long that I can't go back- and I'm just really nervous about facing Princess Charlie again-"
"Princess Charlotte?"
"Yeah."
"HOLD ON, WHAT?!"
"Yeah, I knew her."
"Hold on. You were friends with the Princess of hell?!" Blitzo shouted.
"I don't see why this is such a big deal, you're sleeping with royalty!" Mad Dawg retorted, agitated. He paused for a moment, then growled: "I…She… I… I saved her ass!" Mad Dawg muttered, seeming more conflicted than anyone thought possible, Loona seemed the most surprised out of everyone. "She drugged me, tried to make me do unspeakable things to someone… and I SAVED her!" Mad Dawg yelled, punching a hole through the office door.
With a low growl, Mad Dawg sat on the couch he crashed on burying his face into his paws, trying to understand what he had done. Trying to put together some sort of cohesive reason to why he'd help the woman who hurt him.
"So, you were at that hotel place the Princess runs? Is that it?" Millie asked.
"Yeah."
"And you left."
"Yeah."
"Because of what happened with Valentino?"
"Sorta."
"So, you'll save a woman who bangs the guy who tried to rape you, but you won't talk to the woman who tried to help you?" Millie asked, his voice dripping with skepticism. Mad Dawg's face flashed the Nekro-Lycan's face, and the female Imp backed up. "Not gonna lie, you kinda seem like a massive prick because of that."
"She has a point Dawg." Moxxie added with a frown. "I don't want you to think I'm condoning anything they did, but if the Princess tried to help you, and you're afraid to even talk. But you'll help a woman who hurt you… there's kind of a disconnect."
"I know! I know!" Mad Dawg groaned. "Look, I always intended on going back, it's just… I just… got caught up in things." Moxxie paused, thinking back to their conversation a week or so ago, a few things making more sense now. "But you're right. If I can look past what she did to save her ass… I owe them a conversation." Mad Dawg admitted. "I have no excuse."
"Hey, big fella? Again, don't take this the wrong way, but I'd give it a day or two." Millie spoke up again. "Yer clearly in a lot of pain, emotional and physical, maybe give it a day or two, and then give 'er a call."
Mad Dawg nodded, that sounded like a good plan. Well, now his co-workers knew the truth… and he honestly kinda felt better because of it. Maybe it was because he thought of them as friends, or maybe because he actually trusted them… but he felt good. Now, there was another thing to deal with… After changing back to his 'regular' form, the newly-grown horns didn't go away… at first, Dawg tried to ignore them, but they hurt for some reason, and they weighted enough that they were pulling his head down, which was just uncomfortable. Despite the imps all saying they looked fine, Mad Dawg really didn't like them. So, despite Blitzo and the others trying to talk him out of it, he decided to remove them… and it HURT. Grabbing them both, Dawg wrenched them forward, snapping them off at the base.
"DAMN IT!" Mad Dawg roared as the nerves in his head screaming as the two stumps went back into his head. He looked at the two horns he held and blinked. "Huh…"
"Blitzo, the hell are you doing ove-Oh." Veroskia asked, walking into the office, but stopped talking upon seeing Dawg holding his horns in his hands. "Oh… geez. What happened?"
"He ripped them off."
"Why!?"
"They hurt…" Mad Dawg seethed.
"Oh no… you poor thing…" Veroskia said softly, Dawg's face clearly saying 'FFS'. "Perhaps I can help take the pain away…"
"If I make you more banana bread, will you leave me alone?"
"Ughh… kid, why do you hate me?" Veroskia groaned, annoyed her advances were being thrown to the side. "Also, yes."
"Because I'm not interested in the advances of some alcoholic, washed-up wannabe musician, alcoholic, drug-riddled prostitute!" Mad Dawg began rather quietly, only to get louder and louder with each passing word.
"Ho boy…" Blitzo muttered, knowing that 'washed-up' and 'drug-riddled' were pretty much Veroskia's two biggest trigger-words, and Dawg just yelled both of them, to her face.
Veroskia… seemed unfazed. She frowned at the mutant's outburst, looking deep into his eyes, then did something no one expected. She hugged him.
"The heck are you-"
"Shut up." Veroskia ordered. "Just breathe. Just breathe, and don't think about the pain."
Mad Dawg's breathing slowly changed from ragged and animalistic, too much calmer and more collected. After a minute, he hugged Veroskia back. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. Veroskia blinked, then burst out laughing. The apology being something she didn't feel was necessary, or likely to ever happen.
"Awww, how did someone so sweet end up in hell?!" She cooed mockingly, and Mad Dawg looked away, embarrassed. "No. but for real. You're honestly adorable when you're flustered like this, how'd you end up down here?"
"I wouldn't give God my Banana Bread recipe." Dawg joked.
The next day came and things were quiet. Some towels were put over the giant gaping holes in the walls, and I.M.P. was having another meeting about how they could make money which Blitzo would most likely waste on something horse-related.
"How about a car wash?" Blitzo asked.
"Sir, you yourself said no one down here cares about cars being clean." Moxxie pointed out.
"Nifty would like to know your location." Mad Dawg muttered, having been allowed to join this meeting.
"Actually, I had an idea." Mad Dawg spoke up, and everyone looked to him. Walking up to the whiteboard, Mad Dawg spun it, something which made no sense because it was nailed into the wall, but whatever. "So, with the book you've got, you can go to the living world, and you can kill the ones people want killed, right?"
"That is literally our entire business model, yes." Moxxie nodded.
"Kid, how do you not know this!?" Blitzo asked.
"Okay, so here's my idea." Mad Dawg said as he began drawing on the white board. "Heck's full of sinners who want revenge, but there are just as many who probably want to see their loved ones again. So… why don't you offer to take people back topside so they can see their loved ones again?" The room was silent as they listened. "Now, here's the catch. Start out charging very little, but then people will want to do it again and again, so then you start charging more! Therefore, you can give people closer and relief, and you can make a ton of money!" Standing back, Mad dawg looked at what he had been drawing, stick figures in a step-by-step process, and then a random drawing of Domo.
"…okay, kid. I'll be honest with ya." Blitzo spoke up. "I really appreciate the creativity, but we had this idea back when we began. There's a few issues with it, though."
"Oh." Mad Dawg blinked.
"One, we can go topside, but we're not supposed to be seen, getting human disguises is a real pain in the ass… Second, we can't interact with living people – unless we're killing people – and we can't risk someone running back to their ex-lover. Third, the more people who know about this book, the worse off we'll be. People know we can get to the living world, but they don't know how, and Stolas was pretty clear we needed to keep it that way."
"Ah… okay, I got nothin'." Mad Dawg conceded with a shrug, sitting back down in a chair and cracking open a drink.
"Hey, I appreciate the effort and attempt, but that's not gonna work." Blitzo shrugged. "Oh, how's the reconnecting going?" Mad dawg sighed, clearly troubled.
"Look, I wanna talk to her, but the words keep freezing in my throat." Mad Dawg admitted, embarrassed. "I don't know how to reach out and be able to fully
"Write her an e-mail." Moxxie remarked, and Mad Dawg blinked.
"That… that's ingenious!" Mad dawg admitted, pulling his laptop out and booking it up. A few minutes later, he had an email open, and empty. Thankfully, one of the business cards for the Hazbin Hotel had an email address on it.
"Ugh… what should I say…?" Mad Dawg groaned.
"Start casual, then work towards heavy stuff." Moxxie remarked.
"Just tell her how you feel." Millie added.
"Ask for nudes." Blitzo said, earning him a few annoyed glares.
"Ugh…" Mad dawg groaned.
"Hey, Dawg. Don't stress it! We're here to help." Moxxie remarked.
"All right, kid. Let's do this!" Blitzo remarked as somehow a piano began playing as Dawg began dictating.
"Dear Charlie Mange, we've been way too out of touch. Things have been crazy…
And it sucks that we don't talk that much." Mad Dawg began, trying to think of a calm, casual greeting. "But I should tell you that I've been thinking these past few nights…"
"I rub my nipples and start moaning with delight!" Blitzo added.
"Why would you write that?" Moxxie asked, disgusted.
"I'm just trying to tell the truth!"
"This needs to be real, I'm try to reach out and apologize to him for the crap that's happened!" Mad Dawg said, annoyed. "Just… I'll do it."
"I've gotta tell you, my new travels have been hard-"
"Hard?" Moxxie asked.
"Have been bad-"
"Bad?" Millie remarked.
"Have been rough-"
"Kinky!" Blitzo said rasing his brows.
"And I miss talking about the afterlife and other stuff-"
"Very specific…"
"Shut up!" Mad Dawg grumbled. "I like my afterlife."
"Who says that?" Moxxie asked, raising a good point.
"I've built a new afterlife and each day's another fight."
"If I stop smoking drugs. Then everything might be alright." Moxxie added.
"Smoking drugs?" Millie asked with a raised brow.
"Just fix it!"
"If I stop smoking crack-" Blitzo wrote.
"Crack?!" Dawg and Moxxie yelled.
"If I stop smoking pot. Then everything might be alright…"
"Never!" Mad Dawg yelled.
"I'll try to stay out of a stich. And be less of a bitch-"
"What?"
"I dunno! I'm not good with rhymes!"
"I'll turn it around! Wait and see!" Millie wrote.
"'Cause all that it takes is a little re-inven-tion! It's easy to change if you focus on your re-demp-tion! All you gotta do is just believe you can be who you wanna be!" Mad Dawg dictated… but also was kinda singing.
"Sincerely, Me."
"Are we done yet?" Blitzo asked flatly.
"Well I mean… I think it's good, but I want to show that I'm, like, trying to be a better person, you know? I wanna make sure it's real!" Mad Dawg said.
"Oh my God…" Moxxie laughed, honestly finding Dawg's determination to be real, honest, and apologetic kinda adorkable.
"Okay, let's try something different then." Millie remarked, creating another paragraph under the first letter. "Let's write one to you!"
"Dear Kacey Mad Dawg. Yes, I also miss our talks." Moxxie wrote while Dawg inexplicably played a guitar. "Stop doing drugs. Just try to take deep breaths and go on walks…"
"No."
"I'm sending pictures of the most amazing steeds-" Blitzo took over.
"No!"
"You'll be amazed with my Equine Expertise-"
"Absolutely not." Millie shook her head.
"Dude, I'm proud of you! Just keep pushing through, you're turning around! I can see!"
"Just wait and see!" Mad Dawg added.
"'Cause all that it takes is a little re-inven-tion!" This time, everyone was dictating/singing. "It's easy to change if you focus on your re-demp-tion! All you gotta do is just believe you be who you wanna be!"
"Sincerely, Me."
"My mother's hot!" Blitzo added.
"What the hell!?" Dawg snapped.
"My bad."
"Dear Charlotte Mange, Thanks for every note you send. Dear Kacey Mad Dawg, I'm just glad to be your friend!"
"Our friendship goes beyond~ Your average kind of bond!" Mad Dawg was now on the table, singing.
"But not because we're gay-"
"She's a girl!" Mad Dawg exclaimed.
"Oh, right."
"We're close, but not that way… The only man that I love is my dad…"
"I never knew mine." Mad Dawg commented and the whole room went silent.
"Well anyway…!" Moxxie sang awkwardly looking away.
"You're getting better every day!"
"I'm getting better every day!"
We're getting better every day
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" The Imps and… hellhound/jackal/bear/whatever shouted.
"'Cause all that it takes is a little re-in-ven-tion! It's easy to change if you focus on your re-demp-tion! All you gotta do is just believe you can be the demon you wanna be!" Mad Dawg sand, Millie and Moxxie on his shoulders, and Blitzo on his back. Sincerely, miss you dearly, Sincerely, Me. Sincerely, Me. Sincerely, Me…"
"Sincerely, Dawg!"Mad Dawg concluded, hitting the final key, and then his eyes widened. "Oh crap. I think we hit send!"
Now, one might expect this to be the end of this particular tale, to close the chapter here and continue later… well, no. The author for some reason can't stop, and is making this massive chapter because… we don't know.
The next day, Mad Dawg sighed as he looked up at a mansion. He had gotten a message from Blitzo via Millie, and now he was here…
'Dawg. Need u h3re NOW! Stolas place. HALP ME!'
Mad Dawg didn't know why Blitzo was there (well, okay. He did kinda know) but he didn't know why Blitzo was asking him to come save his ass, rather than Moxxie or Millie. Either way, they were waiting down the hill with the van as Mad Dawg calmly walked down the hallway towards the main hall. He had also found Octavia had left her hat behind during their binging a few days ago, and so resolved to use that as the (incredibly weak) excuse to be here, and hopefully give his boss enough to time to… whatever it was he needed. Cracking his shoulder, Mad Dawg looked down at the odd outfit he wore. The jean jacket he got with Dust had always felt tight… so he removed the sleeves from the elbow down. It felt a lot better now, and it reminded him of Ray's jean jacket he saved/stole and wore for so long.
"I wonder if Ray got it back…" Mad Dawg wondered as he kept walking. He smiled sadly, remembering the old man who had been part of his family. The same guy who gave him alcohol when he wasn't much older than eight or nine. He hoped they were doing okay…
Walking into a room, Mad Dawg blinked as he saw Stolas and who he assumed to be Stolas' wife. He saw Blitzo's tail in a corner, but no one else appeared to.
"Lord Stolas." Mad Dawg said, bowing his head respectfully. He didn't know the whole deal with Stolas and Blitzo, but had a feeling mentioning that would be a very bad idea, so he went with the casual acquaintance cover.
"Ah, Mad Dog, was it?" Stolas remarked, looking over to the younger demon. His wife looked up, scoffing dismissively.
"Yes, Lord Stolas." Mad Dawg nodded, deciding not to correct him on how to say his name.
"I assume you're here for…" Stolas muttered under his breath. Dawg wasn't sure what he was getting at, and decided to play dumb.
"I'm just here to deliver a few things that were left behind, Lord Stolas."
Now… in Mad Dawg's mind, this was the truth. He was here to return Octavia's hat, and try and save his boss. What he said wasn't anything too bad… except the way he said it set something off in Stella's mind.
"FIRST YOU FUCK THAT DAMN IMP, NOW SOME FURRY FERAL FREAK OF MALBOLGIA'S CREATIONS!?" She suddenly snapped, Mad Dawg jumping back in shock.
"Uh…" Stolas tried to explain this, as h didn't want his wife thinking he was sleeping around (more than he already was).
"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. No." Mad Dawg spoke up, cutting into Stella's rant, not knowing this was the exact OPPISITE of what one should do. "I've never even MET this guy for longer than ten seconds! And even then, we were never alone!"
"THAN WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU, AND WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"
"I'm T-Bone." Mad Dawg lied, giving the smallest of nods to Blitzo, who took the hint and ran like heck. "And I'm friends with your daughter. We were out for a few hours a few days ago, and I was returning her stuff that she accidentally left with me!"
"So, you're sleeping with my daughter?! A mangey cur like you!?" Stella yelled, Mad dawg not seeing Octavia looking mortified on the other side of the room. "Or are you going down on him at the same time!?"
"What makes you think I'd be interested in him?! Or your daughter!? Or you for that matter!?" Mad Dawg snapped, before deciding to add one more insult to his rebuke.
"EXCUSE YOU!?" Stella snapped, now angered for another reason. Off to the side, Stolas watched with a 'Oh, you really shouldn't've done that…' face. He also felt sympathetic, as after what Octavia had mentioned of him after their night out, he knew Mad Dawg both troubled, and young.
"I'm friends with your daughter! That's all! You think she'd be stupid enough to wanna sleep with… THIS!?" Mad dawg snapped, motioning to himself. His words actually, had more of an effect on the two owl demons than he realized. "I don't even know if- forget it."
The room went silent, and someone coughed somewhere. Mad Dawg gave Stella a flat look, deciding he was done here. With a middle finger, he walked off.
"Bye." Was all Dawg snorted in response before slamming the door. He looked around, seeing Blitzo inch-worming his way across the hallway in th distance. He needed to keep the others distracted… thankfully, that was easier than he imagined, as Stolas appeared a minute later, seeming… concerned.
"Mad Dog, I… I'm sorry you had to see that." Stolas spoke up, seeming genuinely concerned for the younger demon.
"Huh? Oh, whatever." Mad Dawg shook his head. "I've been through worse…"
"No, it's just-" Stolas began, but sighed deeply. "Octavia didn't say a lot, but she told me a little about you. I don't think you'd do what Stella thought you would, and I'm sorry I didn't say anything, I just…"
"Lord Stolas, I'm just here to give Blitzo a chance to cut and run." Mad Dawg said, looking up at the demon prince. "I didn't come here to start something, and I'm sorry for doing that. You not saying anything ain't much of an issue to me, it's your wife, I wouldn't side with some stranger against her if I were you."
"I understand." Stolas nodded. "Stella and I… we just… I mean… I was…" He seemed to struggle to find words, and Dawg tilted his head slightly.
"Sorry, sir. Don't look to me for relationship advice." Mad Dawg confessed.
"I'd look to you for advice on how to be so care-free." Stolas admitted, surprising Mad Dawg. "Still, if you're looking for Octavia, I believe she went out to the balcony after she heard the debate." Mad Dawg nodded and silently headed off, neither demon seeing a carboard box shuffling across the ground while espionage music played.
Walking through the doors, Mad dawg paused, seeing Octavia looking out over the balcony, and finally approached.
"Hey, you left your hat with me." Mad Dawg said, handing the hat over to Octavia.
"Y..you came all this way… to give me my hat back?" Octavia asked, seeming taken aback by the odd lengths Dawg was willing to go to do some so mundane.
"Yeah."
"What…?"
"You left it, I figured you'd want it back."
"…I don't get you…"
"Heh, statement of the afterlife." Mad Dawg laughed awkwardly before noting: "I met your parents."
"Ugh…" Octavia moaned, this clearly being something she hadn't wanted him to do, or at least, something she felt bad about him having to do.
"Look, the wrong thing would be to ask if you're okay… are you okay?" Mad Dawg tentatively began, flinching when Octavia shot him a death glare. "Look… is there anything I can do to help?"
"No. You're just doing more damage to what can't be fixed… I don't know if it was ever fully completed to begin with…" Octavia muttered.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Mad Dawg said quietly, leaning on the balcony while Octavia sat with her legs hanging over the edge. Octavia seemed to think about something, before looking to Mad Dawg.
"All that stuff you said when we were at that club, about killing your mom… how she hated you… is that true?" Octavia asked after a little bit of silence. Normally, this would be an extremely inappropriate question to ask, but we're in hell, so shut up.
"Yeah. All of it." Mad Dawg nodded in confirmation. Octavia blinked, seeming… shocked, really. But she didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything.
"I really don't get you." She muttered. "You'll travel across the city to return a hat, but leave a demoness to die in an alleyway…"
"I went back." Mad Dawg spoke up after a few moments.
"Huh?"
"I… I didn't leave her. I couldn't." Mad Dawg shook his head, Octavia's eyes widening ever so slightly. "She'd never do the same thing for me, but I'm not like her. I'm better than that. And, hang on. That's not why I did it, I mean… I did it because… because who I am, who people think I am, wouldn't do that."
"Did you want to leave her?"
"YES!" Mad Dawg exclaimed, exasperated. "I wanted to leave her there and watch as she got ripped apart! I wanted her to suffer and burn for what she did… I've left people to die before, hell, I've done some terrible things to people out of revenge! But… why her!?"
"I think you said it." Octavia remarked, looking to Mad Dawg now. "It's not who you are."
"But we're in hell! We're all terrible people! We're-"
"No, not really." Octavia remarked. "Some people are terrible, others are just misguided. I think you're the latter. Whether you see it or not, I can tell there's good inside you. You wouldn't believe how many times Helsa asked if you were some sort of angel on an exchange program, because she couldn't see you as a monster."
"But I am!" Mad Dawg muttered. "That's all I am, a damn monster…"
"Uh-huh…" Octavia muttered, thinking about something. "Are you gay?" She asked, because Dawg didn't really 'react' to any of the women when they were partying, heck, he outright refused to do anything with her because she was drunk. But something about his apprehension led her to believe this may be the case.
"I… I've never told anyone this; but I don't know." Mad Dawg admitted, somewhat awkwardly. It was clear this was a topic he tried to avoid, at like, all costs. "I don't feel attracted to dudes, but I also don't feel it towards women. But I also, also don't feel nothing… I think I'm straight, but I didn't really think too much about it because I've never been in a relationship."
"What else?" Octavia asked.
"Huh?"
"There's something you're not telling me."
"…could someone love me?" Mad Dawg finally got out. "Like, not in the friends kinda way, I had that a lot, but if I met someone, and they saw what I am… how am I supposed to explain that to them?"
"Y'know, for someone who's so much fun when they're happy, you are one of the most emo-edgelord demons I think I've met." Octavia finally commented, a smirk on her face. "I don't want to belittle you… but I'm going to."
"Oh, thanks."
"I think you're thinking too much about it." Octavia stated. "You were happy hanging out with us, you had a great time club-hopping, why does it matter who you love? Just follow what your heart says. Don't worry about the crap about being different or some sort of weapon. If you find someone who sticks by you, even with that, then hold onto that."
Mad Dawg nodded, thinking things over. He really did work like that. When he was happy, nothing could bring him down, when he was feeling vulnerable, even the smallest thing seemed so much worse. That's why he tried to be happy, y'know?
"You wanna go out sometime?" Mad Dawg suddenly asked.
"No, you disgust me." Octavia coldly replied. "And you beat me at MGR, choke on piss and die."
"Fine!" Mad Dawg hugged indignantly, theatrically looking away. "I guess I'll take Stolas up on-"
"No!" Octavia snapped, slapping Mad Dawg. The two froze, then Mad Dawg began laughing.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He laughed as Octavia slowly broke down and smiled, realizing what had just happened. "Even by my standards, that was wrong! I'm sorry…"
"I need to ask, why are you so damn happy?" Octavia asked, looking to Mad Dawg. "We've met like, twice. Awkward birthday beginnings aside, you seem pretty happy, and not entirely in the glass-half-full bullshit kind of way. Even now, after you got caught between my parents fighting and saving your abuser, why are you so happy?"
"Honestly… I'm not." Mad Dawg admitted. "I find the small things, and try to enjoy them for the brief times they're there while everything else literally goes to hell… but- I mean… I just…"
"Look, I wasn't trying to make you think of some deep philosophical answer, I just-"
"It's mostly just because I'm a petty asshole!" Mad Dawg laughed. "I give them pain, anger, sadness… technically, they've won. I don't wanna do that, so whenever I can, I'll smile and laugh even if I genuinely feel like crap. It's probably not healthy, but then again, I spent a few months drinking nothing but whiskey and energy drinks, so health isn't something I care a whole lot about…"
"I really don't get you…" Octavia muttered, laughing slightly. Mad Dawg shrugged, seeing Blitzo slip through the fence and take off running.
"Well, my boss got out, I best be goin'." Mad Dawg remarked. "Later days, 'Tavia!" Then, to Octavia's confusion, Mad Dawg jumped off the balcony, landing rather quietly on the ground. He took off running, jumping on a bench, swinging off of a tree branch, and flying over the large fence surrounding her property, striking a pose mid-air.
"…I gotta start drinking whatever he drinks." The Owl demon remarked.
Mad Dawg flew over the fence, then noticed a hole open up on the ground.
"What the-!? Oh, SSSSSHHHHHHH-" Mad Dawg exclaimed, falling through an inexplicable hole, disappearing for the length of a Death Battle episode.
A few minutes in this story later…
"Oh. There you are." Millie blinked as Mad Dawg re-appeared from… somewhere, landing next to the van.
"Yeah, sorry. Let's GTFO mannn…" Mad Dawg sighed, getting shotgun in the van as Blitzo drove off.
Well, things seemed to be winding down, all things considered. As they drove back to HQ, Mad Dawg was mostly quiet, thinking over what he had been told. He felt like he needed to go back, he really did! Even if it was just one time to clear the air, and then head back to Imp City, that'd be good enough, right? The issue was, Mad dawg felt like something was holding him back, he felt like he needed one more push…
The Imps (and Dawg) were walking back to the door, when a limo pulled up and Mad Dawg groaned in annoyance as a familiar large demon got out, then opened a door.
"Get in." The large demon ordered. "All of you."
"Ah, shit…" Mad Dawg cursed. The Imps looked to one another in confusion, not sure whose limo this was, or why Dawg seemed so deflated. Letting out a low growl, Dawg got in first, then Blitzo, Millie and Moxxie followed. Millie and Moxxie were surprised to be in a limo, and Blitzo was trying to think of the best pitch to whomever this rich clientele would be… Sitting down, the Imps froze in terror when they saw who sat across from them, any and all thoughts of trying to get work flying out the window.
"I don't know if you're trying to hide or not, but I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to be here of all places…"
"L-l-l-Lord lucfier!" Blitzo stammered out, seeing the ruler of hell and his wife sitting across from them.
"Whddya want, Lou?" Mad Dawg frowned, clearly already done with this conversation.
"I've been looking for you. I was surprised to find you here, working for the Immediate Murder Patrol."
"Uh-huh. What crap are you gonna offer me that I'll ignore this time?" Mad Dawg asked rhetorically. Moxxie seeming terrified at how Mad Dawg was addressing… y'know, the ruler of hell. Blitzo wanted to correct him on the company name, but decided against doing so. "Because I sincerely doubt I've done anything to piss you off, and no offence, sir, but I don't think our relationship is at the point where we'd randomly meet up to shoot crap with each other."
lucifer's amused grin was genuine. He had heard from some… compatriots that Mad Dawg wasn't once to hold back on speaking his mind when he felt like it, regardless of whom he was speaking too. He saw that when they first met, but now he was seeing it in full force.
"No, no. You're absolutely correct." The devil shook his head. "Surprisingly, you've been a ghost down here, save for a few… incidents."
"Shit."
"But I'm not here because of something you've done to me, but rather… what you may have done to my daughter." As he spoke, his tone, and the air around them changed. Mad dawg realized that this was quickly entering 'I-will-rip-you-so-many-new-ones-Michael-Jackson-would-say-tone-it-down-if-you-dare-lie-to-me' territory. Millie, Moxxie and Blitzo froze and all looked to Mad Dawg in disbelief.
"You…you what?!" Moxxie finally got out, Dawg had mentioned knowing Princess Charlotte, but what did he do to result in the devil himself tracking him down!?
"Okay." Mad Dawg blinked, deciding to see where this went. Charlie didn't seem like the kind of woman to turn around and lie about him since her therapy didn't work, she seemed too nice for that!
"ThIS iS thE dEViL." Virus growled, looking from Dawg to the devil. "ChARliE iS hIs DaUGhTer! YoU sERioUsLY dOn'T tHInK shE'D dO tHaT?!"
"Shut the hell up before I rip your face off again."
"Look, I'm not here to try and solve so mystery and fix everything… frankly, I don't much care." The devil continued. "The thing is, when I last talked to her, she seemed extremely upset about something, and I'm giving you one chance to explain what happened."
"Simple, her plan failed." Mad Dawg shrugged. "Some things went down, I wasn't happy with how it was going, I didn't like how she was-" Mad Dawg stopped dead, unsure of how to word this. "I don't know how to explain it, but she tried to justify some things that can't be justified, and I figured she was just using me to further her own goals. She said she'd help me, she lied."
"That's NOT what happened and you know it!"
Mad Dawg paused, then added: "But I've been thinkin' that I should talk to her, try and clear the air, y'know?"
"That's where you were?" Millie asked, blinking. "Before you got here, you were at that… Happy Hotel place?"
"…yeah."
"Listen, Beta." The devil began.
"How the fuc-"
"That's not important."
"Uh, fuck you, yes, it is!" Mad Dawg snapped, the Imps feeling like they were all about to suffer.
"Look. I have things to do today, so I'll be brief." lucifer rubbed his face, Lilith blinking in shock at Dawg's sudden mood shift. "When you came down here, your past was recorded. I'm not here to try and blackmail you. I'm here to ask you to do something for me."
"Go fuck yourself."
"Can you just humor me and hear me out?"
"…fine." Mad Dawg sighed, figuring if he didn't, this apple-asshole would threaten Millie or the others… he didn't want that.
"Don't go back."
"What?"
"Don't… don't go back to the hotel." The fallen angel said in a serious tone. "I'm not angry with you for what you did. I'm indifferent. I couldn't care less what you get up to down here, so long as you don't hurt my daughter. This plan, this… this hotel, it's a terrible idea! You're down here, you can't change that. If you try and go back, Charlie will think that I made you go back. Then if something else happens and you leave again… I don't want her to go through that pain."
"…you really care about her, huh?" Mad Dawg said softly, taken aback by the sincerity of the Fallen One's words. It felt real, it felt genuine, and as loathed as he was to admit to it… he had a point.
"I'm her Father."
"You're also the devil. If I recall, parental bonds are something you struggle with."
"Mad Dawg!" Moxxie hissed.
"Sure, but does that mean I'd treat my daughter like crap?"
"Eh, fair point." Mad Dawg conceded with a shrug, even though… never mind.
"Mad Dawg." Lilith spoke up, her tone much calmer and more reassuring. "I know we've given you no reason to trust us, or even want to do anything for us, but please. This isn't about us, this is about Charlie. She likes you, and from what you told me, you at one point liked her as a friend. Please. If you go back, it'll hurt her."
"Why are you bringing this up now?" Mad Dawg asked. "Oh, crap. Did we send the email to the wrong address!?"
"Mad Dawg. I want you to go back to your family!" lucifer finally said, sounding exasperated. "You're a thorn in my side that I can't explain, and I don't know how to deal with you. But… you can't. You're here now, forever, so I want to find the path of least resistance for ALL of us."
"Which is…?" Mad Dawg asked sarcastically. "Because this is making resistance for all of us!"
"You go back to the hotel, you hurt my daughter, you hurt my daughter, that pisses me off. We both know I have better things to do than deal with you, and to your credit, I respect the zero craps given thing you've got going."
"Okay, and if you're so damn smart, how do we make this work?"
"I've said it like, a dozen times now! Just don't go back! If you spend the rest of your eternity hanging out here in IMP City with these… creatures, I have no issues leaving you alone!" lucifer groaned in annoyance.
"Okay, but why the hell is going back such a problem!?" Mad Dawg asked. "'Cause I'll be real, I don't think Charlie would be hurt if I went back. I think you're afraid of admitting she's right."
"Oh, we are so dead…" Moxxie muttered, turning as white as his hair.
"Mad Dawg. Listen to me." The devil said flatly, and rather seriously. It seemed like he was dropping all pretenses of civility and decided to cut to the chase. "You… there was an accident. You shouldn't be here."
"WHAT!?" Was collectively shouted.
"The way- I mean, you- look. You died and woke up here, right?"
"…yeah?"
"That's not how it works. Everyone goes before the Father and then they're judged. You weren't judged!" The Fallen Angel explained, deciding to leave the 'not dead' part out for now… "Technically speaking, you shouldn't be in hell!"
"…she wasn't lying…" Mad Dawg whispered, eyes widening. Everyone looked confused at his statement. "But then why didn't it work?"
"You want to know why I don't want you to go back? Fine. If you go back, and you go through the hotel, and it works, then everyone finds out God made a mistake. Do you have ANY idea what that would do!? What they'd do to Charlie?! They'd think she kidnapped a human to try and prove her point, and they'd exterminate her!"
"Oh, so I'm supposed to suffer because God messed up!?" Mad Dawg retorted. "I ain't buying it. From everything I know, he doesn't make mistakes."
"Yes, and you shouldn't be in hell. But you are!" satan retorted. Mad Dawg let out a low growl, thinking over everything that was said, before nodding.
"…fine." Mad Dawg finally conceded, deciding to do this and try and find another way out of here.
"Excellent!" lucifer chuckled. "Well, Mad Dawg. It was good seeing you again, but I believe this is our stop." The limo came to a stop where they picked the group up. "I'd stay and talk more, but I've got stuff to do, souls to corrupt, y'know. The whole 'devil' thing."
"Lady Dimitrescu, beelzeboss." Mad Dawg nodded respectfully as he and the Immediate Murder Patrol exited the limo. They stood on the sidewalk for a minute, until Mad Dawg made up his mind about something.
"I'm goin' back." Mad Dawg said.
"Are you outta yer mind!?" Millie exclaimed. "The dEVIL himself just said not to do that!"
"Exactly. Screw him." Mad dawg said flatly. "If God made a mistake, then I wanna talk to him. If Charlie gets 'hurt' because I become a better person, then there's a bigger problem we need to deal with."
"Mad Dawg. That is the stupidest, most asinine, brain-dead, suicidally retarted thing I have ever seen any demon do…" Blitzo said, seemingly growing more and more serious with each word. "God speed, my friend!"
Mad Dawg gathered the few things he had and slung his bag over his shoulder. He noted he'd come back to tell them how it was going, and was going to say good-bye before he left for a bit, Dawg opened the door, and-
"Aw, crap."
"Hello, child." Delilah said with a nod. "May I have a minute?"
"Miss Delilah… now… now is really not…" Mad Dawg tried speaking, but the words died in his throat, leaving him struggling to even form words. Delilah stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It is all right, child." She said kindly. "I'm here to help you!"
Angel Dust bit his lip, it had been a day or so since Dawg called, but he hadn't said anything. Charlie was still working her thing with the hotel but had been in a bit of a panic when Vaggie appeared in less than great shape, but still.
"…those rooms are done, that means all that's left is preparing Dawg's room, and then we're back to full form!" Charlie noted, looking over some paperwork before sighing. "Okay… now all we need are people to come to the hotel…"
"Hey, Princess…" Angel Dust began, getting her attention. "Look, I didn't say anything until now because this was kinda personal, but I spoke with Mad Dawg. He's okay." Dust stated, the Princess' eyes widening beyond all logical sizes. "Either he was drunk off his ass and called me like an Ex-Girlfriend or something, or he feels really, really guilty. It sure sounded like the latter."
"No…no!" Charlie groaned. "Damn it! It's not his fault! Did he say where he was?!"
"He's somewhere in Imp City." Vaggie winced, looking at the bruises on her arm. Nothing Dawg did was permanent, but still. "I can't say where."
"Okay then! Everyone, pack up and roll out! We're going to Imp City!" Charlie declared. When Vaggie popped into the hotel from thin air, battered and bruised, Charlie had gone into Code Red mode immediately, when she heard Mad Dawg was the one who did this… she didn't know how to feel. Surprisingly, Vaggie had told her not to hold this against Dawg… It took her a few days, but she was just fine, all things considered. And despite telling Charlie multiple times what happened, the location of Imp City somehow hadn't been brought up yet.
"Charles, he called me." Dust stated matter-of-factly, getting the Princess' attention. "It… was a day or two ago, but he called me. The kid is thinking rationally, he called to try and talk to me. Not because someone made him, but because he chose to. When he's good and ready, he'll probably call again, or he'll call Molly, or Husk, or you. He told me when he's ready, he'll come back here."
"Don't care. We're going." Charlie shook her head. "Husk-"
"Pass."
"There's booze in the limo."
"I'm in."
"I'll be joining this little escapade, if you don't mind!"
"Alastor… you want to help with this?"
"Sure, why not?!" Alastor shrugged with his wide grin. This set alarms off in Charlie's head, but she decided not to question it.
As the Hazbin crew drove off, Charlie looked out the window, seeing the violence and bloodshed that was so common to hell… Dawg was out there, he seemed to be doing okay, but she was just really nervous, y'know?
"He'll be fine." Husk said reassuringly, getting her attention. "He's a tough bastard. He got his ass handed to him by Vaggie, but she didn't look like she got off with a flawless victory either."
Charlie gave a small smile, somewhat reassured by his words. Not that Dawg beat up the woman she loved, but that he didn't kill her, that he chose to show mercy. It gave her hope she could save him yet...
Well, Mad Dawg's heading back to the hotel, and Charlie's heading to Imp City! Can someone saw awkward reunions ahead?
Furthermore, What's the deal with Dawg, the devil and Delilah? It seems like someone isn't telling the truth…
The story's progressing pretty quickly, I don't want to say how many chapters are left, as I'm not totally sure, but I doubt this still will go beyond chapter 30. Hopefully. Either way, there's a LOT more to be dragged into the light, more bonds built and broken, and what do you think the Overlords would want with Mad Dawg?
This chapter was WAAAYYYY longer than I intended…
