Millions of Years Ago…
The sun barely peeked from the horizon while the night sky swallowed most of the atmosphere. It loomed above a set of cliffs that rested against the sea while the waves softly brushed against the rocks, carrying salt and debris alike with every collision. A full moon loomed over the earth, its rays of glimmering light shining off the ocean waters with a white sheen. Other than the continuous wave crash and the distant coo of wildlife, all was quiet for the most part.
However, if one were to look farther, one could spot a distant orange glow moving about towards the cliff's edge. Holding a torch above his head, Oogar's father trudged his way towards the clifftops while his son followed behind, his eyes fixated to the ground. He didn't want to look, just the thought of looking up was something his brain was incapable of processing. Perched atop one of the Neanderthal's shoulders was something large, one that appeared to be draped in several layers of thick cloth.
Oogar tried to bring his head up but would immediately dart his head back down, a feeling both of sorrow rushing inside of him. He tried to whimper but he would maintain his composure, closing his eyes. Even when he did, the very image of her face and those final ragged breaths that escaped her plagued the child's head. The horrid cold that surrounded him on that terrible night, a frigid chill that still persisted. There were nights that the fire failed to keep him warm and all that persisted was the cold.
A nightmare was all that Oogar wished that ordeal was. A simple night terror that would disappear by the comforting embrace of her. But how could he continue on his day, knowing that nightmares can become reality? Was it just something that he had to accept and carry on with his life? Knowing that one day, he or his father could end up just like her.
"We're here." The sudden voice of his father called out to him, his son opening his eyes before craning his neck up. Her body was laid against a pyre that was comprised of branches and deer antlers. Oogar's father stood by the pyre, torch in hand while its flame danced and flickered in the twilight. In his other hand, he held two identical necklaces that consisted of a long black thread attached to a singular ivory bead. The Neanderthal glanced at the necklace set, he was hesitant to place them onto the pyre as the grip tightened around the string-like objects in his hands.
"For you, Erga..." He mournfully whispered to himself, just loud enough for his son to hear. He lowered his arm and gently placed the necklace pair onto the body.
The child, almost immediately, turned away from the sight whilst shutting his eyes yet again. A few tears started to stretch down his face, a twinge in his gut started to take form and his body tensed up. This overwhelming sorrow would become prevalent the moment his ears picked up the crackling of a fire. At this rate, Oogar wished he was blind so that wouldn't have to see any of this. A shuffle of footsteps came his way before the sudden warmth of his father's arm wrapping him close to his side, a warmth that was enough to open the child's eyes. Turning to his side, Oogar saw his father by his side. While the shadows concealed his eyes and the fire barely provided enough light to properly reveal his face, Oogar could see the glint of a tear rolling down from his eye.
Despite everything that his mind and body were telling him, Oogar cave into the urges that festered and boiled within him as he spun his head to look upon the inferno. His eyes would widen as the flames had now swallowed the body whole, fire licked both wood and cloth alike while the embers drifted away from their blazing origin and float off into the starry sky, the wind carrying it across the ocean.
The young neanderthal was unsure of what to make of this but the fire's radiance meshed with the wave's crash enticed him enough to watch. What was once sorrow now turned into hope as a teary smile took hold of his visage.
Knowing there was nothing else to do, Oogar simply watched.
Watched as what remained of his mother was carried off into the heavens.
The LLME Arena
The air was tense throughout the LLME stadium and the audience was loud and lively as ever, perhaps more so than they were earlier. The tournament had spectators and gamblers alike at the edge of their seats, the stakes gradually rising to a point where the suspense was murdering them while some viewers simply sat back and reveled in the carnage unfolding before them.
What started off with sixteen contenders slowly diminished into three over the course of just a few hours. Soon to be two in the next match.
In the wrestling ring, a brown rotund demon, who bore a bucket-like helmet coated in purplish glitter along with a thick black vest and a pair of jeans thrown onto his husky physique, was knocked right into a corner post. The impact of which nearly sent his helmet flying off, forcing him to grip onto it for dear life. Had he been too distracted with keeping his mask on, he would have been struck by a knee to the gut, one that was provided by Oogar, or was he was known in the ring 'Rob'.
Luckily, the obese wrestler managed to throw himself just in time while Oogar's knee bashed against the hard exterior of the corner post, the caveman shrugging off the brunt of the impact. With his bulkier foe's back turned, the bucket-headed luchador ran forward for a sucker punch but this would turn out to be an error on his part as Oogar, almost on pure instinct, turned around and socked the rotund demon right in the belly. Gagging with pain, the bucket-headed wrestler stepped back to catch his breath while a noticeable bruise was left in the center of his stomach.
"Urugh... You're tough, b-but you won't be able to defeat the one, the only... SHOCKMAST-" The fat demon's pompous gloating came to an abrupt end when he felt his opponent's massive hand squeeze his neck. The bag-headed beast easily lifted the bucket-headed luchador off the ground almost effortlessly, his legs awkwardly kicking and dangling about in the air.
"Err... Okay, maybe you could defea-OH SHIT!" That was all the rotund wrestler had to say before he was slammed back-first onto the hard floor, the weight of his body causing the whole ring to wobble and shake while his helmet came rolling right off of his head, smatters of glitter fell from his mask and sprinkled the floor. A pained growl, one that was muffled by the dazzled bucket on his head, came from the now-dazed wrestler. Oogar wasn't finished, however, as he raised his shoulder over his head and dropped down upon him. Nailing the bucket-headed wrestler right in the gut, knocking out all the wind he had in his lungs.
"...Alright, you win..." The now-maskless wrestler barely ushered through a wheeze before falling unconscious. Oogar snorted and cracked his knuckles before victoriously raising his arms while the whole crowd cheered him on. Soon, Wally Wackford hopped into the ring with his usual toothy smile before putting his lips up to the microphone.
"I say, I say, that's another victory for Rob The Hobo, folks!" The imp announced while another thunderous roar from the audience filled the entire stadium. A few paramedics also quickly came into the scene to whisk the caveman's previous opponent from the arena.
"I knew I shoulda stuck with elevator repair..." The chubby demon groaned while his body was hauled off onto a stretcher, leaving both Oogar and Wackford behind in the ring.
Oogar was amazed that he had gotten this far into the tournament. Each fight was either a grueling test of his strength and skill... Or was pathetically easy much like his most recent opponent. Oogar was unsure of the whereabouts of his caretaker and if she had come back to the hotel. Either way, Oogar would be left with two options once his final match was done, continue his search for Vaggie or return to the hotel before sunrise. Not only that, but if he won this then he could give the prize money over to Vaggie and Charlie. Oogar didn't know what these 'bills' and 'expenses' are but he learned enough to know that money held some form of importance in the modern era.
"Now folks, the tournament has reached its finals. These fighters had fought hard for their prize but now only one will walk away from this ring with dignity, bragging rights, and a boatload of cash from desperate gamblers!" Wackford continued before gazing over to the entrance ramp, his smile widening a bit.
"And now for the moment you all been waiting for. I say, I say, it's time we end this off with a bang! Rob The Hobo, get ready for your final challenger..." The carnie proclaimed, raising his arms high into the air before announcing his ultimate opponent.
"LA POLILLAAAAAA!"
The crowd once again erupted into a thunderous cacophony of cheers and shouts, the bag-headed caveman's body moved into the entrance ramp that led to the ring. Oogar awaited his foe to make her grand entrance, the prehistoric demon clashed his knuckles together. Weirdly enough, however, he didn't see his opponent coming out from the entranceway. The caveman waited for what seemed to be an eternity, his determination slowly turning into that of confusion. Just then, the audience roared once again while a shadow whisked right over Oogar's head. The caveman suddenly spun around and looked up to see his opponent soaring above his head.
Oogar almost fell over in awe from the sudden appearance of the female luchador as she elegantly landed across from him with just one leg while her arms were both spread out. Appearing as though she was a crane about to take flight. Beneath her mask, Vaggie glared at her lumbering opponent. She had seen the display of incredible fighting skill that this bag-headed brute had brought to the ring so she knew that this foe would prove to be more than just some fodder opponent to push around.
"Show me what you got, big guy..." La Polilla said, just loud enough for the caveman to hear among the sea of howling audience members. The caveman cracked his knuckles and snorted as an acceptance to the challenge. Wackford made his way to the middle of the ring, dividing both wrestlers from each other from just a few feet.
"Fighters, turn to your corners!" The carnie imp directed the two fighters to follow the imp's demands, both of which turned to their own respective corner post.
The stage was set and the final showdown was about to begin. Oogar brought his dukes up while Vaggie knelt slightly, similar to an athlete preparing to run a marathon. Wackford gave the signal that marked the beginning of this tense bout with both fighters at their corners.
"FIGHT!"
Vaggie made the first move, making a dead sprint towards her adversary at speeds that would put a shinkansen to shame. Bounding into the air as high as her legs could provide, La Polilla soared across the stage with a flying kick with the target being her opponent's face. With a show of incredible reflexes, the bag-headed wrestler ducked right beneath and brought his arm forward, planning to bring his opponent down with a devastating clothesline. Vaggie, however, slid right underneath the caveman's moving arm as a small breeze of wind blew right over her head. Capitalizing on the missed swing, La Polilla slid right behind the caveman and struck him with a back kick, a kick that had enough force to send the mammoth demon stumbling forward.
Oogar stamped his feet against the floor to keep himself from tripping over as he spun around, simultaneously swinging another arm. Vaggie weaved back, letting the caveman's arm brush right past her as she lunged forward for a jab to the chest. Oogar stopped the fist from connecting with his body by grabbing her foe by the wrist as he retaliated with a strike of his own. Vaggie jerked her head to the side to avoided the haymaker as she clung onto the caveman's forearm. Now stuck in a deadlock, both wrestlers pushed against each other and despite being outclassed in height, Vaggie was able to match her adversary in power.
To bring this struggle to an end, Oogar and Vaggie simultaneously pulled their heads back and bashed their foreheads together. While the masks were able to partially absorb the shock, a great pain surged through both fighter's foreheads. The first one to recover from the brunt of the blows was Oogar, who stepped forward and drove a massive fist into La Polilla's stomach. The caveman's knuckle embedded itself in the wrestler's stomach, striking the female luchador with a punch that made her croak. Pushing in more force in his blow, Oogar's arm shot upwards which resulted in Vaggie being launched into the air.
However, Oogar reached outward and snatched Vaggie by the ankle before she was completely airborne before slamming her onto the hard floor, causing the ring to tremble from the impact. The bag-headed luchador repeated the process of slamming La Polilla into the ground several times, a loud 'BANG' generating from the impact of each hit. By the fifth or sixth time, this repetition of slams came to a swift end when Vaggie reeled her free leg back and struck Oogar right in the face with a powerful mule kick. The Mammoth Demon growled with pain, letting go of his opponent's leg as she dropped to the floor. Boosting herself back up, Vaggie quickly dodged a blind swing from her larger foe, who had one of his hands covering his face, before throwing herself forward.
She retaliated with a series of jabs into her bag-headed opponent, each hit was surprisingly effective as it forced Oogar to stagger back. Vaggie topped off the jab combo with a devastating kick to the abdomen but with a sudden jerk of his body, Oogar side-stepped the attack before barreling forward with an arm spread out. La Polilla was knocked to the floor while Oogar dropped down onto her, driving an elbow right into her abdomen.
Upon feeling the immense weight drop onto her was the equivalent of a sledgehammer as the Hispanic Demoness nearly felt the air escape from her lungs. The caveman applied more pressure to her stomach while Wackford slid into the ring to give the three-count.
"ONE!"
Vaggie writhed and jittered around, pushing at Oogar's shoulder in an attempt to remove him from his body.
"TWO!"
With a strong vigor of energy, Vaggie kicked her legs up, striking the neanderthal directly in the abdomen with a strong enough impact to force him off of her. The surprising amount of force she put into the kick was enough to push the caveman into the ropes, almost falling out of the ring in the process.
"AND SHE'S SAFE!" Wally announced before quickly exiting the ring so that the two could continue their brawl. Hopping back onto her feet, Vaggie bolted towards his adversary before leaping forward with a leg extended outward. Her sole intention was to knock her opponent over the ropes but Oogar pushed himself against them, the cords pulling bending along his back. The caveman sprang himself forward, his speed greatly increasing thanks to the boost of the ring's ropes as he outstretched his leg and caught his foe in mid-air by her neck.
Raising his foe high into the air, Oogar prepared to chokeslam the female luchador into the hard floor but as a way to make up for her failed attempt at a flying kick, Vaggie struck Oogar right in a face by stomping down on it. The surprise face-stomp forced Oogar to remove his hand from La Poillia's neck as she pulled herself forward by using the mammoth's forearm to slid across to his shoulder. Now perched atop the caveman's back, Vaggie proceeded to squeeze the caveman's neck by pressing her thighs together. Preparing to finish off the caveman in a similar manner to how she did with Baron Bruiser and other unfortunate wrestlers.
Oogar gasped for air, feeling it hard to breathe thanks to his foe's iron grip that was mere minutes away from crushing his windpipe. He needed to find a way out of this and fast. The caveman stood his ground and grabbed at La Polilla's legs, pulling them from his neck but the luchador was going to make this easy as she squeezed her legs together to a greater extent. Both struggling to overpower the other for what seemed like seconds felt like hours but with all of his strength, Oogar broke free from Vaggie's grip before lifting his foe into the air. With his adversary hoisted above his head, Oogar brought down Vaggie with a powerbomb that caused the whole ring to rattle.
Vaggie's body laid flat on the ring floor, feeling delirious for a moment before coming back to her senses when she saw her adversary's foot being dropped onto her. Rolling out of the stomp's vicinity just in the nick of time, Vaggie quickly threw a jab right into Oogar's stomach only for the behemoth to catch the blow almost effortlessly as he sent her careening down the ring with a punch of his own. The Hispanic Demoness dug the heels of her boots into the floor, leaving behind noticeable skid-marks along the ring's exterior as she craned her neck up to share an intense stare with her opponent.
"Uff... Damn, no one's ever given me this much of a hard time." Vaggie said, cracking her neck before turning towards her larger adversary, whose stamina was also gradually depleting by the second. Beneath her mask, Vaggie couldn't help but manage a smirk. "Looks like it's time to break out the big guns..."
"Ooooh, could it be Lyle?~" Loopty said to his accomplice with a devilish grin.
"Quick, get the papers! We'll make a few extra bucks on life insurance!" Lipton exclaimed.
Oogar merely snarled before barreling at La Polila at speeds that seemed impossible for a beast his size. The caveman reeled his fist back and prepared to send his opponent flying with just a swipe of his paw.
"El Tornado."
Much to the caveman's surprise, however, he instead struck nothing but air. Somehow, his smaller opponent disappeared out of plain sight while he nearly stumbled forward from his arm being awkwardly outstretched. Oogar stood in the center for a brief second, wondering where his opponent had gone but suddenly, the mammoth demon felt something strike him in the back!
BAM!
The blow, despite being quick, made Oogar clench his teeth with pain as he spun around while swinging a fist. Oogar merely swiped at nothing, but he swore he saw an ivory blur disappear right before him before he had a second to make it out.
BAM!
There it was again. A quick strike to his torso that the caveman was unable to see coming. Oogar jerked himself into the direction of where he was struck, attempting to swing at whatever struck him. For a split second, he could've seen his opponent before zipping out of view at speed, disappearing like a flash of lightning.
BAM!
A fist embedded itself right into Oogar's cheek, causing the caveman to stumble sideways as he nearly lost his balance in the process. However, before he could hit the ground...
BAM!
He was sent staggering into the other side by another sudden blow!
BAM!
There was another one.
BAM!
And another one.
BAM!
Right before Oogar could register what was about to happen, a rapid storm of unending punches and kicks trapped him. La Poillia was now circling him at speeds that seemed outright impossible, pelting him with a wild storm of unyielding attacks!
BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM
Almost over a thousand blows were fired upon Oogar at the velocity of rapid machine-gun fire, hitting him in every which direction he saw. The blinding speeds of his opponent made things all the more difficult to pinpoint his foe. From his perspective, La Polilla was attacking him at every conceivable angle. Oogar's movements stagnated greatly, his vision was started to grow weary, and the expeditious assault that was brought onto him by his adversary had him stuck in the center of the ring while the crowd stared in awe.
Vaggie's appearance to the audience was that of a raging cyclone that encapsulated the bag-headed opponent as the speed of her punches left behind tears and burns among Oogar fur and costume from the friction. Oogar felt like he had been trapped in this endless storm of attacks for practically hours on end but it all came to a sudden halt. Storing up all the friction and momentum she had in her blitzkrieg of lightning-fast attacks, Vaggie unleashed one tremendous jab to the caveman's gut. Her fist was buried deeply in the caveman's stomach, it was a miracle that it hadn't broken skin.
However, with a singular push of her arm, Oogar was jettisoned into the air. His body suspended several feet above the wrestling ring but before gravity could do its thing, Vaggie hopped onto the ropes, all three cords bending beneath her boots. With all the strength she had in her legs, Vaggie sprang herself towards her bag-headed adversary, dashing right past him while simultaneously lifting both her feet up. She planned to perform a powerful double stomp that would surely cap off this intense bout. She kicked both legs at once, descending towards her foe at rapid speeds.
Oogar, despite the punishment he had endured from La Polilla's blinding assault, still had an inkling of movement in his body as his eyes darted to see Vaggie preparing to finish him off. Just from sight alone was enough to reinvigorate the behemoth as he outstretched his arm. Vaggie was in no position to avoid this as she felt a tight grip clamp down on her shin, prompting a scream out of her. La Polilla's agonized cry would be silent as Oogar suddenly switched sides, with Vaggie now aiming towards the mat. Before the two could strike the floor, Vaggie was ensnared in a full nelson hold by his bag-headed adversary as Oogar shifted all his weight down onto his opponent which would make the drop all the more unpleasant for her.
TYAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!
In the span of a millisecond, both fighters came crashing down into the ring's center with Vaggie taking most of the impact's brunt. Thanks to high velocity, the collision was more than monumental as a shockwave rang out through the stadium. A deafening impact was felt throughout all seven rings as audience members who weren't holding onto their seats were sent flying off of their chairs. Any and all windows were shattered into a hail storm of glass fragments, while Loopty and Lipton braced themselves from the energetic eruption.
Despite sitting in the comfort of their built-in theatre box, the wind speeds caused both evil tycoon's mustaches to fly off of their faces. Upon looking up to see their newly-stacheless faces, Loopty and Lipton both shrieked with terror before promptly fainting.
As the eruption settled, the two wrestlers were down but much to the crowd's surprise, Oogar was able to rise back onto his feet. His movements were sluggish, almost zombie-like even, but the caveman cracked his neck and knuckles to tether himself back to reality. Oogar sucked in large gusts of air as a means to prevent him from passing out.
"Ufff... ufff... Now I know how Red Man feels..." Oogar raggedly grumbled, catching himself from toppling onto the floor. The caveman took a moment to catch his breath while Vaggie lifted an arm and reached for the nearest rope to pull herself back up. Her legs felt shaky and her hands were practically numb. Even with these great hindrances, she slowly moved her head to her adversary with a heated glare present behind her mask. Oogar locked eyes with his adversary one last time, letting out a disheveled snort.
"AND WOULD YA LOOK AT THAT, LA POLILLA AND ROB STILL GOT SOME FIGHT LEFT IN 'EM! I SAY, I SAY, HOW LONG CAN THIS BOUT GO ON!?" Wackford cried into the microphone, the audience now hooked right back into the fight, somehow brushing off the massive shock of Oogar's tremendous aerial reversal.
In a burst of energy, Oogar bolted towards La Polilla with what little mobility he had in his legs as he threw a punch right into her jaw. The strike made its mark as Vaggie was sent hobbling back, but she was quick to retaliate with a strong roundhouse kick that found itself hitting the caveman right in the abdomen. Grinding his teeth with pain, Oogar struck his foe with the back of his hand, knocking his foe to the ground as he dropped down with the sole intention of crushing his adversary with his body. Rather than being flattened like a pancake, Vaggie suddenly vaulted herself upwards with both her hands firmly pushing against the behemoth's torso.
The mammoth demon's colossal weight forced Vaggie to put all of her strength into keeping him from squashing her into a gory stain. Her hard work ultimately prevailed as she pushed back the lumbering mammoth with a strong shove. With the opponent stumbling backward, Vaggie saw this as an opportunity to strike back as she began to wail on Oogar with a series of wild hooks and jabs, with each blow taking its toll on La Polilla's depleting stamina.
After Vaggie scored her last blow, Oogar lurched forward, opening both of his arms before ensnaring La Polilla in a crushing embrace. One that was the equivalent of a python squeezing the life out of its helpless prey. Vaggie gritted her teeth from the near-crippling pain that befell her spine and if this continued then surely enough, her back would've been turned to dust. In an act to free herself, Vaggie slammed her head right into Oogar's face with all the strength she could muster. While it wasn't enough to make the bag-headed wrestler let go of her, it did do its job in slightly weakening his bear hug. That wasn't the only headbutt Vaggie was able to produce. Several more, each slam being harder and more aggressive, slammed right into Oogar's face, the strength of the caveman's bear hug started to dwindle dramatically.
With her opponent's tight embrace weakening by the second, Vaggie pushed Oogar's muscular arms apart while simultaneously jerking her head back before slamming it straight into Oogar's face once more. However, unlike her last few headbutts, the bag-headed luchador caught Vaggie in the middle of her attack by moving a hand onto her face, keeping the wrestler still.
Acting fast, Vaggie grabbed onto the muscly forearm of her adversary in an attempt to pull him off. She even started to wildly kick him in the abdomen but both efforts were all for naught as Oogar's grip over her face was impossible to escape, further proven as he clenched one of Vaggie's arms to keep her in place. Using her only free arm, Vagige reached out and grabbed her opponent's paper bag mask, her hand leaving behind a noticeable indention along the kraft paper exterior. This lead to Oogar tightening his grip on the female luchador's face, his nails moving along the fabric of her mask.
La Polilla and 'Rob' moved their hands, peeling their masks off their faces together. The moment the two fighters got a clear look at each other, they were stricken with a bewildering revelation that neither side was prepared for.
"O-OOGAR!?"
"V...V..Vaggie?..."
Both wrestlers stepped away from each other, both collectively pulling their masks back onto their faces. By some miracle, the audience was unable to get a clear look at both individual's faces, either due to their drunken stupor, plain idiocy, exhaustion, or perhaps even a mix of both.
Despite the booming roar from the crowd, their cheers were dulled out by an inner ringing of shock. Oogar was almost petrified from the cold realization of who he was fighting while a surge of both panic and anxiety started coursing through Vaggie, the two incapable of fully making out the reality of this ordeal. The crowd continued to shout and scream, yearning for a climatic finish.
Oogar took a quick look of his surroundings, he set his gaze back to Vaggie and gave her a nod. His message was unclear at first but suddenly
Using all the strength she had left in her body, Vaggie lunged forward and with one swift haymaker to the jaw, Oogar toppled onto the floor almost like a tree after it was struck by a lightning bolt. His body struck the ground with a thunderous 'THUD', laying limp on the floor. Vaggie laid herself onto Oogar's abdomen. Wally Wackford quickly slipped into the ring to make the three count.
"One... TWO... THREE!" The imp shouted as the bell suddenly rung through the area. The entire audience unleashed a booming roar of cheers with a few boos in the mix while Vaggie pulled herself back onto her boots, feeling one of her arms being lifted into the air by Wackford.
"I SAY, I SAY! THE WINNER OF THIS HERE TOURNAMENT IS LA POLILLAAAAAAAA!" The carnie proclaimed, Vaggie looking upon the dozens of spectators cheering for her. Normally, she'd revel in the success but not even a slither of pride was to be found in her.
"Expect your prize to come in the mail, darlin!~" Wackford said to the luchador, giving her hand a quick shake before he promptly left Vaggie to her own devices. Cocking her head over to the caveman, the Hispanic Demoness approached the downed mammoth demon and looked down at him.
"Behind the stadium. Be there right now."
The Hazbin Hotel...
The toll of a grandfather clock chimed through the darkened hotel corridors, both its minute and hour hand perfectly aligned to announce that midnight has arrived. The hotel's residents were all fast asleep in their cozy beds, apart from Husk who's probably passed out drunk the floor somewhere but that's common for him. However, despite being tucked in the comfort of her bed, Charlie laid wide awake with her hands calmly tended against one another.
A looming anxiety prevented her from falling asleep, one that chipped away at her rationality. In the meantime, Charlie simply rested in bed and looked up into the ceiling from above. The hotel owner's eyes were fixated on the decorative ceiling of her bedroom while the mechanical hum of the ceiling fan kept the room from being fully silent. Charlie's eyes slowly shifted from the ceiling above to her side where she would normally see her girlfriend resting beside her, but that wasn't the case. Despite being reassured that she would be okay, Charlie was still unsure of her girlfriend's safety.
For all she knew, Vaggie could be out there somewhere in Pentagram City being mugged while she laid in bed. While she may be a tough cookie, Hell's Princess still had the underlying fear that her lover was in trouble and she had no idea about it. Letting out a saddened sigh, Charlie pulled herself out of bed before opening the door to her surprisingly spacious closet. After flipping the lights on, Charlie began to pace back and forth.
"There's nothing to worry about. There's absolutely nothing to worry about..." The Hotel Owner repeated to herself as a way to comfort herself, continuing to move back and forth through the closet.
"There's absolutely nothing to worry about at all. She'll be fine... S-She'll be fine..." Charlie continued to reassure herself looking down at her hands, both were involuntarily trembling. Charlie furrowed her brow and slammed onto the wall, resulting in a few objects that fell out from a nearby cubby.
"Why is it so hard not to worry for her!? I know she can do things on her own but why do I feel anxious whenever she's gone?!..." Hell's Princess yelled to herself before noticing something that had fallen out of the cubby laying by her slippers. A brown envelope with a sticker with a name written on it.
'Vagatha Gutierrez'
Cautiously, Charlie lowered herself and picked up the envelope. She was puzzled as to why Vaggie's name was on here to begin with. Upon opening the envelope and inspecting the contents, she would be further perplexed with hundreds, possibly even thousands, of dollars sliding into her hand. Seeing the bundles of souls was all Charlie needed to slowly piece things together. With this crucial piece of evidence that she held in her hands, this left her with only one question...
If this is how she got all of this money, then where did Vaggie get all this money from?
Hastily storming out of the closet door, Charlie quickly ran to her nightstand and grabbed her phone, her thumb frantically pressing the power button. Sadly for the hotel owner, all she was presented with was a dark screen. The sudden realization that she forgot to charge her phone for the night made Charlie internally kick herself, her next course of action was to try the landline in the kitchen. Exiting her room, Charlie darted down a series of stairways that lead to the first floor of the hotel.
Despite the absence of light, Charlie knew the ins and outs of establishment by the back of her hand so getting to the kitchen was a relatively easy task. Unfortunately, what Charlie didn't see coming was that her foot struck against something that caused her trip onto the kitchen floor.
"Ouch!" Charlie yelped with pain, pulling herself back onto her feet. The Hotel Owner extended her arm out and started to brush against the walls in search of a light switch. After a good minute of aimlessly searching through the dark, Charlie successfully searched for the light switch as she flipped it on. The moments the lights flickered to life, Charlie's eyes were met with Oogar's skull helmet just sitting there on the tiled floor.
"I-Is that?..." Charlie uttered to herself, picking the helmet off the ground before giving it an inspection. The tidal wave of worry and confusion that had overtaken Charlie's mind had evolved into a full-on tsunami.
The Back of LLME
Twiddling his thumbs nervously, Oogar cautiously waited as his back was hunched against the building's walls. The caveman felt sick to his stomach while his back felt like it was sweating bullets. Everything had happened so fast that over a thousand conflicting thoughts swarmed and ravaged Oogar's mindscape, incapable of knowing or thinking of what to do at this very moment.
Just then, the exit door to his side suddenly clicked open, and out came Vaggie, who was now out of her costume and instead dressed in her blue poncho. Her face bore a few bruises and a bandage while the duffle bag was clenched in her hand. The Hispanic Demon cocked her head over to the caveman, who quickly averted his eyes from her but the mammoth demon still felt the piercing stare of his caretaker. Vaggie silently exhaled and approached Oogar, the door behind her shutting itself close.
"Oogar... What in the FUCK are you doing here!? Do you know what time it is?! D-Does Charlie even know you're here!?" Vaggie upbraided Oogar with a series of questions, before giving his outfit a quick look.
"And why were you wearing a trashbag!? And..and... I.. just...URAGH!" Vaggie shouted, incapable of a single rational thought. Her harsh voice making the caveman fearfully wince.
"Wait a minute, don't tell me... Did you follow me here!?" Vaggie continued her onslaught of pressing questions.
"Oogar...h-had to..." Oogar timidly whispered.
"Had to what!? Sneak out of the hotel, stalk me in the shadows in some weird costume, and risk getting yourself hurt in a ring while thousands of people watch? Is that it!?"
"O-Oogar was afraid..." Oogar quietly responded, closing his eyes with his head still faced away from his caretaker.
"Afraid? Afraid of what!?" Vaggie replied.
"Oogar afraid for you..." The caveman gave his response.
"Is that what this was about? Oogar, I can handle my issues on my own and you know that. If anything, I'm afraid for you!" The Hispanic Demoness exclaimed.
"You got mixed up something that was none of your business and look what happened. You could've gotten hurt, maybe even killed for that matter. HELL, I COULD'VE KILLED YOU!" Vaggie shouted, a mix of frustration and concern present in her voice. Oogar closed his eyes for a moment and let out a growl, his hands tightly clenched into fists before looked into Vaggie's eyes with a heated
"If Vaggie understands, she would know Oogar doesn't want to lose you!" Oogar retorted before going silent once again. Upon hearing the prehistoric demon's response, Vaggie's anger had disappeared as the realization washed over her.
"What?..." She quietly ushered out while Oogar slumped against the walls, his eyes fixated on his trembling hands.
"Before, Oogar came here... Danger everywhere, nowhere safe. Oogar was always in danger, even when it was never there. Oogar lost many..." Oogar lamented, covering his face from his caretaker.
"Friends... F-Family... All lost." The caveman whimpered, trying his utmost to not even shed a single tear. "I... I... can't lose more."
The Neanderthal, unable to hold back the grief, began to silently whimper while his caretaker looked on with a saddened visage, Oogar repeating the words 'I can't' under his breath on loop. Just then the buzz of her phone went off in her pocket, prompting her to pull it out from her pocket. Glancing at her mobile device, the first thing she spotted on her screen was a notification with several missed calls from her girlfriend. Letting out a sigh, Vaggie walked over to Oogar knelt in front of him.
"Oogar, it's okay. I'm sorry for putting you in this whole mess..." She calmly apologized, giving the caveman a soft hug. "How about this, we'll head home and talk to Charlie about this."
"Is...Is Vaggie sure?" Oogar sniffled, pulling his arms away to reveal a pair of tear-filled yellow eyes. Vaggie extended her hand out and wiped tears that trickled from the mammoth demon's eyes.
"We'll discuss more on the way back. Right now, let's get home. We're gonna make things work, big guy." The Hispanic Demoness quietly reassured, helping the caveman get back up onto his feet.
The two made their trip back to the hotel, straying further away from the stadium and disappearing into the massive concrete jungle that was Pentagram City.
The Hazbin Hotel...
It was dead quiet at the hotel, all the lights were switched off aside from two outdoor light fixtures, both of which were mounted next to the hotel's front entrance, their dim light barely illuminating the night's darkness. Outside of the crickets chirping and a distant hum of a vehicle engine, the night was devoid of any activity. However, a new sound would find its way into the night's stillness, the faint crunch of grass. Oogar and Vaggie were now approaching the front door, a look of concern and uncertainty written on both their faces. Upon reaching the curved-cobblestone road that led to the entrance, both demons stopped in their tracks. The two of them were anxious about stepping through that door, especially during a night like this.
"Okay, here's the plan…" Vaggie said, turning to face the caveman.
"In the morning, you and I will talk to Charlie about all this and we'll find a way to sort all of this out. For now, let's get some rest. It's been a hectic night..." She explained while Oogar, who responded with an apprehensive whimper. A small smile formed on Vaggie's features as she placed a hand on the caveman's shoulders.
"Don't worry, big guy. It's gonna be okay, I promise." The Hispanic Demoness assured the prehistoric demon before moving her head back to the front door. Vaggie took a deep breath and quietly exhaled. "Alright, let's go."
Vaggie confidently approached the front door, Oogar following behind, as she reached for the handle and quietly pushed the door open. However, the moment both demons set foot into the hotel lobby, the lights suddenly flicked on, taking Oogar and Vaggie by surprise. They briefly shielded themselves before their eyes adapted to the sudden change before putting their arms down to see the culprit who turned on the lights, that culprit being Charlie, who stood at the light switch with a stern look in her eyes.
"C-Charlie!" Vaggie said, her confidence shattering into pieces upon laying eyes on her girlfriend. Out of fear, Oogar quickly hid behind Vaggie as a way to hide from his other caretaker.
"I-I can explain, you see... Oogar... he... Well... actually, no. I...uh... L-look, the thing is-"
"Vaggie." Charlie interrupted before pulling out to items that were held in both her hands. One was the envelope with her name written on it and the other was Oogar's helmet. Both Vaggie and Oogar's pupils collectively shrunk, the former of trio ushering 'Oh shit' under her breath before remaining silent.
"We need to talk." The Hotel Owner said bluntly. After a long minute of silence, her girlfriend finally gave a response in the form of a sigh.
"Okay... We'll talk in the kitchen." The spearwoman quietly replied.
"Alright, I'll be waiting then." Charlie responded, placing Oogar's helmet onto a coffee table for him to retrieve walking off into a nearby hallway. Oogar and Vaggie both fearfully looked at each other
"Is...Is Oogar going to sleep outside?..." The mammoth demon peeped.
"Pretty sure we both are, big guy..." Vaggie muttered. "On second thought, Oogar? You can go to your room, I'll deal with this myself."
"Vaggie sure about this?..." Oogar replied with concern.
"This is between me and Charlie, alright? Again, it's better we discuss more of this in the morning." The Hotel Manager said, turning her head back to the hallway that Charlie walked off into.
"Get some sleep, Oogar. Lucifer knows you need it." Vaggie said, following Charlie into the hallway while Oogar nervously stood in the lobby. Rather than following his caretaker, Oogar instead brushed off his worries and retrieved his helmet.
After placing it back on, the caveman trudged off to bed. However, he turned his head over to where his caretakers went off into. Oogar gave it a long look before emitting a sigh and continued down his original path.
The Hotel Kitchen, Half an hour later...
"...And that's basically everything you need to know." Vaggie said, sitting just a couple of feet away from Charlie with the only thing separating them was the kitchen table. Aside from the clock's endless ticking, the room
"Luckily, Since they're willing to throw any random in the ring, I haven't signed any contracts or anything like that." She continued. Still, there was no response from Charlie whatsoever.
"Charlie, I'm sorry all of this. I've been lying to you and I should've told you about this earlier. But the thing is that the hotel is always in a constant state of limbo. It's been a year since we announced it, yet we still barely have enough money to even pay for food. I... I had to do what I thought was right." Vaggie explained the best way she could. Charlie sported a relatively blank look with her brow slightly furrowed and a hand cupping her chin.
Suddenly, Hell's Princess stood up and made her way over to the window, her back turned on her girlfriend. Vaggie couldn't help but feel her heart sink from this as she stood up and took a few steps towards Charlie.
"Look, if you're mad then I completely understand. Just please know that I'm not just doing this solely for the money, I'm doing this for you..." The Hispanic Demoness continued, glancing to the side with a saddened look on her face.
"I-I want to help you, Charlie. I really do." Vaggie said, trying to fight the urge to tear up. "But there's just so much I can do and with our only help being that smiling asshole, who literally thinks our cause is a joke, then... I needed to do the best I could to help carry this hotel, for your sake."
Vaggie was still getting nothing but silence from her girlfriend, the closest thing she ever got to that was a deep breath and even that was barely audible. The absence of a response was slowly eating away at Vaggie, a reply from her lover is all she needed from. She didn't care if it was one word or an entire monologue, anything would do. Tears were beginning to form her eye, rolling down her face.
"Charlie, I... I know what I did was wrong and if you don't want to forgive me then that's fine. I'm just... sorry for all of this..." The Hispanic Demoness lamented, almost choked up in sorrow as she covered her face and while covering her face in an act to hide the tears.
"I'm so sorry..." Vaggie sobbed, almost falling to the floor while the guilt and sorrow took hold of her mindscape. Glancing at the dull reflection of the window, Charlie saw her girlfriend in tears. The spearwoman could barely stand on her own, her legs almost collapsing from the weight of her actions. Just then, the shuffle of Charlie's slippers moving towards her caused Vaggie to crane her neck up to see her lover approaching her. Wiping the tears, Vaggie looked Charlie in the eyes
"Ch-Charli-" The Hispanic Demoness didn't have time to register a hard slap in the face from her girlfriend. Vaggie froze in place, stepping back in shock while a visible red hand-print was formed. A stinging sensation was left in the slap's wake while Vaggie slowly moved her hand onto the cheek where Charlie struck her, unable to conjure up even a few words. A brutal silence swept the kitchen, one that seems to last for hours before finally, Charlie finally managed a reply.
"That was for lying to me." She said, almost cold and robotic-like. Suddenly, she lurched forward with her arms extended outwards while Vaggie braced herself for the worst. However, instead of feeling her hands wring around her neck, her fears washed away when being met with a gentle embrace from her lover.
"And this is for coming back home safe." Charlie replied, her tone shifting from emotionless to empathetic, holding Vaggie close. Unable to maintain herself, Vaggie buried her face into Charlie's shoulder and quietly wept. She felt her girlfriend's hand slowly brush through her silky hair while Charlie's voice calmly hushed her.
"I-I... I don't understand..." Vaggie uttered in between sobs, incapable of comprehending these sudden events.
"Neither do I. Well, not exactly in the way you see it but... I just don't know what to feel right now." Charlie sighed, briefly glancing to the side before turning her attention back to her love, drying off the tears streaking down her face with a thumb.
"But, just know that you should never hurt yourself over me and my troubles." She continued, looking into Vaggie's eyes with a fiery yet calming glare. "Because if you get hurt, I'll hurt too and that's the last thing I want..."
"It's something I don't want either, Charlie..." Vaggie replied, wrapping her arms around the hotel owner's back, returning the favor with her own embrace. "It never was."
"Look, I need time to process all this. We'll talk more about this in the morning, okay?" Charlie assured Vaggie, wiping more tears from her eyes.
"Oh, and you're also sleeping on the couch tonight." The Hotel Owner pragmatically stated.
"Alright, that's... fair enough." The Hispanic Demoness sighed, sniffling a bit before drying her face of any remaining tears that still lingered along her cheeks.
"Well, goodnight Charlie. Sorry for letting all of this happen." Vaggie quietly apologized with traces of sadness still in her voice, but Charlie placed both hands on her shoulders before she left.
"Before you go, there's something I want you to know..." Hell's Princess said, giving another loving embrace while tenderly bumping her forehead against her girlfriend's before giving it a smooch.
"You don't have to fight your battles alone. I still love you and we are going to make this work." She reassured Vaggie, her visage shifting into a small smile.
"Thank you, Mi amor." The Hispanic Demoness said, giving Charlie a kiss on the cheek in exchange for the one she gave her "I love you..."
"And so do I, Vaggie." Charlie replied before finally breaking away from the hug before leaving the kitchen. Vaggie, knowing that she had nothing else to do and nowhere else to go, exited the kitchen before shutting off the lights.
After a quick change into her pajamas, The Hispanic Demoness threw herself onto the nearest sofa she could find. The polyester cushions did take some getting used to but it was nothing that Vaigge couldn't handle as she rested against the couch and placed her hands onto her abdomen. After a deep breath, she shut her eyes and prepared to drift off into sleep. However, her slumber would be disrupted by a loud creak in the floorboards, one that would cause Vaggie to suddenly spring the upper half of her body up.
"H-huh?! Who's there?!" She said, frantically moving her head side to side before her eyes caught a massive figure in her sight, one that stood just stood by the spearwoman from a few inches. Despite the darkness clouding her field of vision, Vaggie was able to make out its ragged silhouette and a pair of gleaming eyes that were more than enough to tell the Hispanic Demoness who this was.
"Oogar?..." Vaggie asked with confusion, unsure as to why the caveman was here. Oogar, without saying a single word, lowered himself onto the far end of the couch.
"Hey, what the heck are you doing?" The spearwoman said, raising a brow.
"Oogar don't want Vaggie to be alone." Oogar said, resting his against the back pillows of the couch before shutting his eyes.
"If Vaggie sleeps in the dark, Oogar will sleep in the dark too..." The caveman continued, folding his arms while a baritone yawn blew through his beard. Vaggie couldn't help but smile at this when an idea suddenly came to mind.
"...Hey, why don't you lay down with me?" The Hotel Manager suggested scooting to the side just a bit to give Oogar enough room. The caveman took the Hispanic Demoness's offer, resting himself right beside the demoness while holding her close with both arms. The Mammoth Demon's fur provided a tremendous amount of warmth for Vaggie, who felt as though the need for a blanket was obsolete.
"Buenas Noches, Oogar." She quietly whispered, nestling her cheek against the caveman's chest whilst his hair brushed against Vaggie's cheek.
"Ben...as...Nachos..." Oogar replied, failing miserably at his attempt at replicating Spanish. Even then, Vaggie couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"Heh, you almost got it..." The Hispanic Demoness chuckled before finally closing her eyes and falling into a deep slumber. Oogar was the next to drift of into sleep, keeping his caretaker in a warm embrace.
Unbeknownst to them, Charlie came downstairs. Feeling guilty for that slap she gave her lover, Charlie felt as though she owed her girlfriend a much-needed apology. However, from the stairway, she took notice of both Oogar and Vaggie, both snuggled up on the sofa, dreaming the night away. The very sight melted her heart, she almost squeed from the scene that laid before her glimmering eyes. The hotel owner backed away and returned to her bedroom to let both demons have their peace.
They had a long night after all.
Charlie made it to her bedroom and pulled the covers over herself, laying her head against the pillow. Tonight had been a rollercoaster ride of emotions but in the end, she was grateful that some reconciliation had been made. Before shutting her eyes, Charlie opened them and glanced around for a second. For a second, she thought she heard a faint, mechanical hum somewhere from outside her room.
Shrugging it off as just her imagination, Hell's Princess let out a soft yawn before closing her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, a raven had perched itself onto her windowsill as it intently gazed through the glass with its glassy, doll-like eyes. Suddenly, the raven's eyelids started to close in similar to the aperture of a camera lens while it opened its beak, revealing a small speaker hidden within its maw.
Rather than letting out its shrill squawk, a raspy voice hissed through the speakers. Just quiet enough to not wake up the hotel owner.
"Soon my beloved. Soon."