Fizzarolli slowly woke up to the sound of mechanical whirling. He was strapped to a metal table in what appeared to be a dark warehouse factory. Imps and several wolves wearing metal masks were attaching…things to him.
Fizzarolli peered to his right and left, an oxygen mask over his face. He was nude and the stumps on his head were still visible.
"What…what's going on?"
In metal claws, held in place were four newly built prosthetic arms and legs. The crew were in the process of attaching them to Fizzarolli's body.
"Aaaahh! Where am I?"
"No need to panic, imp," said a voice.
Fizzarolli looked up and saw the leering face of Mammon above him.
"L-Lord Mammon? It's you?"
"Of course it is," he said, dismissively. "To my frustration, I had to save the imp that has helped profit my circus all these years."
"Y-your circus?"
"Obviously. I control all the entertainment venues in Greed. Including the Helluva Hooligans. Donner helped with marketing and managing, while I supervised the revenue. Unfortunately…"
Mammon's tone grew deeper and more demonic. "After that disaster you barely managed to survive, I'm left with no big circus…and thousands of souls in debt."
Fizzarolli gulped.
"If you had caused the accident and weren't my favorite star…" his claws gleamed in the dim light… "Let's just say, you're doubly lucky to still be breathing."
"R-right, sir."
"To answer your question, you are in the Lust Ring, at Ozzie's factory."
"W-who's Ozzie?"
"You're witnessing him in the flesh, baby," a seductive voice mused.
A towering second figure peered lustfully over the imp. He had a dark furry face and long teal colored hair. Miniature faces of a bull and a ram appeared on either side of his larger face. He wore a white and purple striped suit and had thick furry legs with high black boots over his feet. He had the white, red, and black tail feathers of a cock (he often nicknamed himself "Cock" for good measure.) More feathers appeared from his black top hat and his eyes and mouth glowed yellow.
"Meet Asmodeus," Mammon mentioned. "Ruler of the Lust Ring and founder of Ozzie's Club."
Asmodeus' eyes scanned every inch of Fizzarolli's broken body. Instead of feeling embarrassed or ashamed however, Fizzarolli felt a strange spark of something else entirely.
It was very bizarre. Fizzarolli felt at ease in Asmodeus' presence. The demon's suave demeanor said, "come hither and show me what you've got."
"So, you're the famous Fizzarolli that everyone's been talking about in the Lust Ring?" Asmodeus asked, silkily.
"Yes, that's me," Fizzarolli squeaked.
"As soon as I heard the rumors of the honorary performance to Mammon, I had to see for myself," Asmodeus said.
He then looked in concern at Fizzarolli's missing limbs. "I'm sorry for what happened."
Fizzarolli stayed silent.
"Why'd you really come down to Greed?" Mammon asked Asmodeus. "Surely you would've come earlier to watch the show…or at least before that ending."
"I'm just glad you were able to save his life," Asmodeus said. "I heard he's one of your hardest working performers."
Mammon shrugged with a scowl. "Indeed, he was my main star in my showbiz. But now that my main circus is torched, I don't have much use for him as of now. Especially if he cannot perform properly in Loo-Loo Land."
Fizzarolli fumed. For so many years, he had looked up to Mammon as a symbol of hope and prosperity in his meek life. Now he couldn't believe what his ears were hearing.
"He's still just a meek imp."
"What the fuck did you just say, jackass?!"
Fizzarolli had yelled before he could stop himself. Tears of betrayal spilled from his eyes. After a few deep breaths, he turned to Asmodeus. His sadness was soon replaced with a tired smirk. "You like lust, right? Perhaps if I can get these prosthetic arms fitted right, I can put them in deep, anywhere." He winked. "Very useful for wrapping tightly. You'd like that, huh Ozzie?"
Mammon stared in shock and anger at the sudden remarks from his inferior. Very few demons, let alone imps, would dare look at Mammon and Asmodeus in the eyes. Asmodeus, however, just chuckled. Fizzarolli was still a cheeky, courageous showman, even under pain.
"Ohhohoho! This imp has some humor and passion in him! I'm loving this guy already!"
"Loving him?" Mammon scoffed. He shot out his hand and grabbed Fizzarolli by the throat. The imp gagged and breathed heavily, not being able to move.
"Need I remind you, scum, that you naively signed that contract all those years ago? You were so desperate to be part of the lead and work for me that you didn't consider any consequences! I own you, imp!"
"D-did you mention…that to your mom…your Highness?" Fizzarolli joked. Asmodeus chuckled, clearly impressed with the imp's boldness.
Mammon squeezed tighter. "Shut your mouth! Any backtalk will not be tolerated. I otta have your tongue cut out …"
Asmodeus gripped Mammon's arm, his expression stern. "Let the imp go."
Heeding the warning in Ozzie's voice, Mammon relented. Fizzarolli gasped and gagged on the table.
"Anyway, there is a reason why I told you to bring little Rolli from Greed to Lust," Asmodeus explained. "I'm a little short on staff at Ozzie's recently and I'm looking for a new…exceptional host."
Fizzarolli's eyes lit up. "You…want me to perform for you?"
"After you've been properly modified, trained, and dolled up, of course," Asmodeus explained. "As much as I don't mind your…delicious looking imp form…"
He sensed the nervous jittery air around Fizzarolli and inhaled the intoxicating scent. Power surged through him whenever suitable demons fell under his lust influence. But Fizzarolli's energy was different. In the imps' eyes was a desperation…a desire to be adored, praised, and loved in every sense imaginable.
Fizzarolli felt a strange sense of elation. Even though he could no longer identify with his former life, he felt warmth in his heart when Asmodeus had blatantly accepted him. Demons, imps, succubi, high and low class…sex and lust did not discriminate.
Asmodeus finished, "…you will have to hide your imp status. You can't afford to make us look bad otherwise."
"N-no problem, my lords…" Fizzarolli slurred.
Mammon looked taken aback. "The fuck, Ozzie? You can't just decide to take away my property and use him as your personal sex toy. He still has some punishments to undergo for his failure."
Fizzarolli trembled in fear.
Asmodeus crossed his arms. "Oh really, Ma-money? Have you forgotten that I own not just all the venues in Lust…but some in Greed as well? While I can enjoy my businesses in many Rings…let's just say your establishments in Lust are falling by the wayside. Soon enough, your other ones will follow."
Mammon growled, downcast. Asmodeus was right. The accident had been a tremendous loss and with only Loo-Loo Land to make a minimal profit, Mammon knew he wasn't going to last long in the corporate world.
Asmodeus looked at Mammon's conflicted face with amusement.
"Okay, fine. What do you plan on doing with him?" Mammon asked.
"He'll be my robotic performer at Ozzie's," Asmodeus explained. "Once he's healed up and gets used to his new cybernetic parts, I'll check to see…"
He leaned in toward Fizzarolli, "…what exactly his little body can do onstage."
Fizzarolli got excited goosebumps. He gazed into the face of his new savior, Asmodeus.
"So, this is what it's like to be reborn anew," he thought. "Starting a new life, no longer a pathetic imp. Thanks to Asmodeus, I'll become a sensual sensation!"
"Wait just a fucking minute!" Mammon barked. "I'm gonna take this imp back with me if you don't tell me what's in it for me!"
Asmodeus calmly answered. "Well, you'll still get the majority of the profits from Fizzarolli, even though he won't be in Greed."
"I'd better! I'm the lord of Greed after all. And one other thing…"
With a wave of his hand, he conjured blueprints of jester-shaped robots and handed them to Asmodeus.
"Since I just have Loo-Loo Land left, I'll need an array of performing sex robots in Fizzarolli's likeness. You will help build them and they will help provide me with the necessary profit for my theme park. Make them exactly as I've written on here."
"So, I imagine the prosthetic arms and legs for Fizzarolli was your idea as well?"
"Yes. It's all part of the project. A project I expect to have completed."
Mammon pulled out a briefcase and handed Asmodeus a bag of coins and bills.
Asmodeus thought for a moment, then grinned, taking the money.
"Looks like you got yourself a deal, brother!"
"I'm not your fucking brother," Mammon scoffed as they harmlessly shook hands. "I'd say 'go fuck yourself,' but you'd probably enjoy it!"
Asmodeus chuckled. "Smooth talk, shithead. Money man's gonna be a lonely sad statue of gold someday. Good luck with your 'businesses.'"
Asmodeus then added to Mammon, "Don't forget, you still owe me a lot of money due to your damaged circus. Although what you do in Greed is not my problem, having unsatisfied customers simply will not do in my Ring."
"Fine, whatever," Mammon grumbled.
Mammon glared one last time at Fizzarolli. "Do not fail me again."
He snapped his fingers and vanished through a portal.
"It'll take a few months to get used to your new body and routine," Asmodeus mentioned, turning to Fizzarolli. "But I have a feeling we are going to do great things together."
Fizzarolli smiled a serene smile as Asmodeus' presence caused him to fall into a long slumber. It was like exiting a nightmare and being reborn into a new being. Asmodeus watched with pride as the robotic limbs were attached to the imp's body; sparks flying, machines whirring.
Several weeks later, as Fizzarolli slowly got used to his cybernetic limbs and enjoyed his new freedom and flexibility…he figured that his new master was completely right. Soon, he had a brand-new wardrobe and a new colorful jester outfit. His face had white makeup on it and a black heart covered his old circus mark. Soon the only remaining visible trait of his former imp life was his long pointed red and black tail. Exhilaration, lust, and love flooded through Fizzarolli as he and Asmodeus grew closer.
Soon, it was all too easy to forget about Blitzo and Barbie.
Fizzarolli was not the underdog anymore. It was time to become an elite, erotic and entertaining entrepreneur.
"I am the one and only Fizzarolli! Welcome, welcome to Ozzie's!"
0 0 0
1998
Barbie Wire was at the peak of her fame and career. Without Fizzarolli and Blitzo around, she became the sole star of the shows.
"We love you, Barbie!" sang the crowd as they tossed her money and flowers. "Barbie Barbed Wire!" was read on banners everywhere, and of course, decorative barbed wire lined the tents, cars, and buildings. Barbie appeared on poster after poster. Even Mammon grew impressed with her performance and gave her a kiss on her hand.
Before long, however, she found herself fumbling and stumbling as the weeks went by. Although she basked in the spotlight and adored the attention of her fans, the experience was never the same without Fizzarolli or her twin brother around. Donner would still be there, looking at his daughter with a mixture of pride, sternness, and fatigue.
"See how much better you do without Blitzo?" Donner asked.
"What did you ever have against him?" Barbie wondered aloud. "Did he remind you of your imperfect asshole self, way back when?"
Donner's growl was enough of an answer for her.
Barbie turned from her father. "My life is burning down around me. Fuck you, Dad."
Donner swore loudly at Barbie, but her back was already turned.
The stress soon became too much.
After she failed disastrously at her signature barbed wire trapeze event, the crowd booed and complained. Some of them laughed at her as she weakly climbed out of the safety net and ran from the arena in tears.
Mammon wasn't very happy.
"Pathetic common imps," he muttered. "Like stars in the sky, they all eventually burn out."
Barbie, overwhelmed with pressure and drowning in a repressed grief over the loss of her family, spiraled downward into alcohol and drugs. The substances were her way to numb the pain and ease the anxiety. She could be a wild, rambunctious star in her own mind if nothing else. Smoke from her cigarette filled her bedroom. Empty beer bottles littered the floor and circus trinkets lay here and there.
The black mark on her forehead was a jarring reminder of her past…of her being under the control of her father and the circus. She stared into her bathroom mirror in disgust.
"Fuck that shit," she decided.
With trembling hands, she took out a spare knife from a bathroom drawer, one she used to wield for target practice.
Wincing in pain, tears spilling from her eyes, she sat in a bathtub and carved a large x into her forehead, right over the black mark. Black blood spilled down her face, some landing into her mouth. More xs were carved into her wrists and arms, along with hearts. The cuts would eventually become white scars…but to Barbie, she had never looked better. She admired her decorated arms and head, black blood dripping out.
She climbed out of the bathtub, having trouble keeping her balance. After black spots danced across her vision, she slurred and collapsed in her bedroom. Pools of black stained the floor.
Before long, she found herself in a white room in a bed with other patients in rows on either side. The sign above read "Welcome to the Celebrity Rehabilitation Center!" Medications sat in jars beside her bed. Barbie missed her brother dearly. But she was fairly certain that she would never see him again.
Barbie heard a seductive "hmmm" and looked up.
Posing next to her on the bed was a pink succubus with white hair, pink horns, and a signature grin. She had taken the opportunity to dress as a nurse, wearing a white hat with a red upside down cross on it and a white coat over a tank top.
"I saw you at the performances, Barbie," she said silkily, flipping back her long pinkish blonde hair. "My how the mighty do fall."
Her breath reeked of beelzejuice.
"Who are you?" Barbie asked.
"What a sad loser wash-up you are," Verosika mused, her breasts jiggling underneath her black tank top. "Perhaps I could fully introduce myself and…get to know you better…"
No one else was around. Barbie, looking confused in the presence of the hot new succubus, shrugged.
"Fuck it. I'm in."
1999
A crowd of demons booed and jeered as Blitzo told half-hearted lame jokes on stage. Robo Fizz laughed.
"Wow Blitz-o! Even my unholy cow can tell better jokes than you!"
Robo Fizz did some flips and the crowd cheered.
Robo Fizz later grinned as he posed under a "Fizzarolli and Friends" sign. He wiggled his fingers and leaned in toward a crowd of cheering children and implings. Little Octavia sobbed in fear in the front row. In the background, Blitzo was dressed in a white clown suit with green flowers and red buttons on it. He had red bells on his horns and had white and blue clown makeup over his face. He sat grumpily by a red balloon cart, a green and red balloon standing to the side.
His job at Loo-Loo Land was far less exciting than he thought. Instead of reliving his moments as a star, he was viewed almost exclusively as a laughingstock. Sure, it helped him make just enough to survive, but with Robo Fizz mocking him every day, Blitzo briefly considered living on the streets instead.
After Blitzo had attempted to outshine Robo Fizz in a fire blowing contest one day, he had the unfortunate experience of getting the right side of his face too close to the flames as a sudden jet of wind blew through the tent flaps.
"Yeoooowwwwarghh!"
"Oh! Look at Blitz-o! Clumsy, unfunny, and pathetic!"
Robo Fizz and the imp children had laughed after a crying, swearing Blitzo was taken away on a stretcher.
Blitzo stayed in the hospital, a blackened bad burn on his face. It left a permanent white scar on his face that the nurse stated, "would never heal." A white gauze was on the side of his face for many days. It only further added to his daily ridicule.
"Burn Bum Blitzo," was his common nickname.
Blitzo soon had enough. The next day, without another word, he pushed the tent flaps back, walked out of Loo-Loo Land and never looked back.
And from that day forth, to leave his circus past behind, he crossed out the "o" in his name, changing it to "Blitz." He constantly reminded those around him: "The "o" is silent, dumbasses!"
0 0 0
2020s
"Mu ha ha ha hoho-oh! Is that Blitzo my sensors spot up there?" Robo Fizz emphasized the silent "O" in his name at Loo-Loo Land. "I bet the kiddies are still running away from you, huh?"
He spun his head around in loops and cackled.
"The 'O' is silent now!" Blitzo stopped and yelled.
Robo Fizz mocked him some more and did wild dance-like poses. "A-awwww, just like your audience always was when you to-told your lazy jokes here!" He laughed.
Blitzo tossed his sunglasses aside. "I make more money killin' people than you do being a cheap-ass robo ripoff of an overrated sell-out jester!"
Robo Fizz glitched. "Oh ho ho! Someone's salty! Real or not though, people love me! Does anybody love you…"
His face turned dark, and his eyes glowed menacingly, grin stretched wide,
"Blitzo?!"
0 0 0
"Is that Blitz-o?" Fizzarolli asked in Ozzie's, emphasizing the "o." "So you're showing your face? Hey everybody! This guy's a total disgrace!"
A red spotlight shone on Fizzarolli and then onto Blitzo, who flinched.
"Some nerve you've got to comment on a relationship!
Last I checked, your love life is a pile of shit!"
Fizzarolli laughed and leaned in toward Blitzo's face.
"Oh Blitz-o?" Verosika cooed.
Then she began her mocking melody:
"I used to date him (date him, date him!)"
"I'd stroke and I'd fellate him (fellate him, fellate him!)"
"Yeah, but when it was my turn (my turn, my turn!)"
He did no reciprocatin' (what a dick-bag!)"
Verosika shoved Blitzo hard to the ground and backed him up against the wall.
"A selfish imp in the sheets!
And just as bad in the streets!
A reckless, heart-breaking freak!" she spat, getting in close to his face.
0 0 0
There were dozens of vivid memories Blitzo could not ignore.
So many lovers and loved ones had been lost to time.
It was all his fault. Why'd he have to be such a selfish prick?
Blitzo sadly scrolled though the pictures of his childhood and youth on his cell phone.
Tears spilled out of Blitzo's eyes, and he sobbed deeply into his pillow on the couch.
"Mom…Barbie…Fizz…please come back…"
