Angel laid in the bed of the tree-house he found himself in, eyes glued to the ceiling, his expression blank. It had been a few days since he landed in this strange new world and he was still coming to terms with it.
It was a bit overwhelming, now realizing that you were...alive had been decades since Angel felt this way and it was like a breath of fresh air entering his lungs. It felt almost unreal and when he woke up the first time still in his humanoid form, Angel was beyond relieved.
Because it meant he was truly free. The soul contract he made with Valentino? May as well have been tossed in the fire given the fucker couldn't reach him anymore. Angel remembered the fine print of Val's contract that bound his soul, claiming that he owned his undead soul for the rest of eternity.
Well he wasn't undead anymore and to Angel, that meant Val didn't own jack shit. Not like the bastard could reach him anyway, this world was completely disconnected from the Hell Angel was familiar with and he was certain that not even Lucifer himself could get to him.
Say he was overconfident but Angel was going to take his chances.
'So...now what?' He thought to himself, wondering what to do with his life. Since he was no longer bound to Val's contract Angel found himself in a bit of a predicament.
As much as he savored the idea of freedom, he had no idea what he'd do once he got within his grasp. It was always just a pipe dream to have his freedom that now that he had it, he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself…
Maybe he could do something else...but what?
He didn't have to sell himself and it wasn't like he had any bills to pay. He was living off the land so to speak so Angel wasn't in any hurry to find a new purpose. Without Val breathing down his neck he could actually relax and think about things at his own pace.
Boredom soon began to trickle into his mind and he dug deep into his mind for something to do.
His mind then shifted to drugs, back when he was alive his family specialized in producing and selling drugs on the black market. He became addicted to the drugs they sold and the drug he overdosed on was just being tested and he ended up killing himself by accident.
Course Angel doubted he'd be able to make anything too hardcore. The forest would likely only provide him the more...simple ingredients and without extra help and technology, Angel would have difficulty making anything strong.
Still, he figured it was at least worth a try given he hadn't had any drugs since he got there. He needed some sort of rush and since the drugs he used weren't available he figured the best way to get it was to start from scratch…
First...he needed some seeds. He began to look around and saw that an unopened pack of cannabis seeds were stored in one of the old selves. He wasn't quite sure if they could be used but figured the magical properties of this world could make anything possible. He then grabbed a wooden pail and took it down with him for future use.
So he climbed down the ladder with Wiggles and began forming a place to grow his soon-to-be stash of marijuana. There was a patch of soil just waiting to be used and Angel began digging seeds into the ground and dropping the seeds inside.
Wiggles aided in this venture, the pig digging with his hooves and allowing Angel to drop the seeds inside in a mutual effort to help his owner, developing a pattern where Wiggles dug the hole and Angel patted it down.
After this was complete, Angel located a source of water nearby and began grabbing some water to feed the seeds that were buried inside the soil. He poured the water down evenly through the patch of soil and gathered more water whenever he ran out.
Eventually, Angel finished and decided to see if it worked by touching one of the areas where the seeds were. With his apparent 'green finger', his powers allowed the plants to grow at a much faster rate than usual, sprouting fully grown.
"Holy shit…" He breathed,"It worked...it really worked…" A sense of pride developed inside him. This was truly the first thing he had accomplished in his life without being told and it felt amazing.
And even better yet...he had a free supply of drugs, a reward for his hard work. Angel smirked before using his resources to start a fire and burn the plant to test if it worked. He made a small fire with sticks and after a few attempts and kindling twigs together, the fire started.
He grabbed a small leaf and allowed it to burn, the smoke blowing in his face smelled pleasant and vaguely familiar. He had tried cannabis prior but he didn't remember it being this fresh.
Guess this was what it was like growing it on your own. All the drugs he had tried in Hell were heavily processed and thai was straight out of ground and noticeably less chemical like.
"Hmph...Lot less flavorful than I'm used to…" He noted before shrugging his shoulders,"Eh, whatever. Pickers can't be choosers am I right? Not like I've got a whole lotta options anyway. Better than no drugs at all and it ain't like I gotta pay for em so that's a plus."
Compared to the drugs in Hell, that were administered to be stronger than most on Earth and chemical to the bone, this wasn't exactly flavorful to Angel's tongue. Still, it did give him a slight high, just not as strong as he was used to.
Definitely a drop in quality in the long run but he figured that was the price to pay for making your own with the bare minimum of ingredients.
It was a bit of a letdown but he was certain he could live with that. The benefits of being in this world still outweigh the cons and he'd rather have weaker drugs than Valentino any day of the week.
Wiggles then leaned up against him and patted him on the head,"Oh hey there, Wiggles. Glad you helped me back there, Daddy appreciates it. Your presence sure makes up for the lack of people here…" He admitted.
The forest was beautiful, probably the most beautiful place Angel had ever seen...though the lack of people did make him feel rather alone. It was just him, Wiggles, and this vast forest.
'Still gonna need to get used to being totally alone…' Normally he'd just pull out his phone and text Cherri but that wasn't exactly an option anymore…
He narrowed his eyes as he burned another leaf, staring into the fire,"Hope Cherri's doing alright. I'd kill just to see her again and take her with me...but I guess we can't get everything. Just hope that sick bastard doesn't try anything now that I'm gone…"
He clenched his fist, not wanting to think about what Valentino was doing while he was gone. He turned when he saw Wiggles looked up at him in concern and crawled into his lap. He sighed,"I'm fine, boy. I promise, Daddy is just...thinking that's all…"
In an effort to take his mind off of Cherri, he turned his head to his stash of drugs before thinking of ways to make them more...transferable, like putting the drugs into devices so he could smoke them without having to light an entire fire….
Like a cigarette. That sounded...rather soothing to him. Perhaps he'd do it later when he had time. Make it out of tree-bark or some other natural substance so he could burn the damn thing better whenever he pleased.
Seviathan sighed as he looked at his sister. Things had been rather quiet between them now that Helsa was mute and while Helsa could make sounds, her being unable to speak words created this barrier between them that would only become larger if not dealt with.
When Helsa first woke up, nobody understood why she couldn't speak and thought it was something that would pass. Course that didn't turn out to be the case, Frederick and Bethesda tried questioning Seviathan on what happened to her voice.
Call him cowardly but Seviathan didn't dare tell them the truth. The guilt was already crawling all over his back and the last thing he needed were his parents rubbing salt on the wound.
Thankfully they didn't bother to question Seviathan afterwards and focused their efforts on getting Helsa to communicate through other means.
Due to the era they were in, the only feasible alternative ways for Helsa to learn sign language which wouldn't have been too much of an issue had Helsa not been closed off to the possibility entirely. She refused to go tend to her tutors and every attempt to get her to open up backfired completely.
She had closed herself off and even had her food delivered to her room to avoid coming out. It was clear she was distancing herself from everyone and was taking the apparent muteness far worse than expected.
This behaviour led to a pit of concern building up and Seviathan opted to intervene since talking to his parents didn't lead to any worthwhile results.
'Apathetic jackasses…' He thought to himself, cursing his parents unhelpfulness. The conversation was anything but helpful and they treated him with indifference, clearly too occupied by their duties to actually assist him.
As a result, Seviathan opted to take matters into his own hands, grabbing some of the food prepared for Helsa in advance and personally requesting to be handed the sign language books that were intended for Helsa's use.
"Are you certain you want them?" One asked,"You don't seem to possess any knowledge of sign language."
"That's because I don't. But if Helsa refuses to learn with you guys then I suppose I'll have to help her myself. It's the least I can do for her…"
"But are you certain you don't need assistance?"
"I'll be fine. It's nothing I can't handle…" He assured before heading to Helsa's room and knocked,"Hey Helsa, are you awake? It's me, Seviathan. Can you answer the door? It's important…"
Silence.
Seviathan sighed, eyes rolling into the back of his skull,"Helsa, I know you're in there. There's no need to hide. I get you're upset about your situation but locking yourself away won't do anything. You can't stay in there forever and you know it. So please, spare us both the trouble and open the door, not just for your sake but mine as well…"
Once again, nothing.
He grit his teeth,"Alright, that's it. I'm coming in whether you like it or not." The elder twin then grabbed the knob and pushed through only to gasp at the sudden chill in the was a room that appeared to be coated in ice.
It was ... .beautiful yet unsettling at the exact same time…
"Holy shit…" He breathed, fog coming out of his mouth with every breath. He then saw Helsa sitting on the windows,appearing to be doodling with the frost on the window.
He approached her carefully, doing his best not to shiver,"Helsa.."
She stopped before reluctantly turning around, her expression was unreadable for a moment. If she was surprised by him entering she didn't show it, merely looking at him with a blank stare.
In an effort to ease the tension, Seviathan held up the food that had been prepared,"I brought you something from the kitchen. Since you never leave your room I figured that you'd be hungry. Heard that this was your favorite. Do you want any?"
The icen siren nodded her head slowly and Seviathan approached and gave Helsa her food. She stared at it before a few seconds, glancing up at him and then at her food.
"Helsa, it's fine. You can eat in front of me...I won't judge."
She reluctantly reached forward and began to eat some slowly. Time passed slower and Seviathan desperately tried to ignore the chills running up his spine from the cold…
In an attempt to break the ice, he then said,"Helsa, I get you're still coming to terms with your...speech dilemma. I know it sucks not being able to speak and I'd probably be just as miserable as you are right now. Especially since we didn't even get away from our parents like intended, we just got shoved with a different version of them…"
Helsa showed no sign of reacting to his words, slowly and quietly eating her food.
"Honestly, I doubt we'll be able to do much with your voice, Helsa. If we were in our own timeline, we'd be able to get your speech therapy and get surgery to get your voice back but given how...primitive this world is compared to ours I don't believe that is an option. I'm...I'm…" He couldn't muster up the words that he intended and instead chose less...sentimental words in place of an apology, something that he could actually say without vomiting,"I'm afraid we won't be able to restore your voice back given our current situation…"
He expected Helsa to pitch a fit, to scream or show signs of distress. Instead, she just slumped back a bit but ultimately showed no other reaction…
'Perhaps she already came to that conclusion,' He thought,somewhat relieved. From what he could tell, Helsa was at least...coming to terms with her situation though getting her to get used to it was another thing entirely.
"Regardless, as bad as the situation is, not all hope is lost. You can still find a way to communicate, albeit, not as you'd like…" He pulled out the books from the tutors and held it up,"This is a book for sign language. Originally I wasn't going to do this but considering you...didn't want to come out of your room I decided to take matters into my own hands."
Helsa made a face at the book, clearly disinterested in the idea of learning an entirely new language.
"I know, I know…" He said, already having a feeling of what Helsa was thinking,"It's hardly ideal but this is the best we can do until we can get your voice back so bear with me on this. Your muteness is technically my fault anyway so let me try and help you with your problem…What do you say?"
The ice siren tilted her head before sighing and nodding her head.
"Alright. That's the spirit, Helsa…" He then opened up the book,"Let's start with basics. This is a learning process and we're both doing this together so it's fine if we fuck up. Got it?"
Helsa nodded.
"Good, now let's start with the basics. We'll start small and then develop from there." Seviathan then began instructing Helsa, learning together side by side…
It wasn't perfect and there were definitely still issues with their relationship, but it was a start and that was better than nothing...
You know...long ago when Husk was young, being at the circus would've been his dream job. The idea of entertaining people, making them smile and being a magician was always his dream…
Course that possibility didn't exactly work out like he had hoped. If his Dad hadn't already crushed his dreams, society sure did a good job destroying whatever remaining hope he had left in humanity and his life as a whole.
So now that he found himself working at a circus(unwillingly) he was far from amused that his once childhood dream had become more akin to a twisted nightmare.
Worst part was that Mammon seemed to...take a liking to him, likely because of how much money an air elemental could make him. Husk was under the impression that 'elementals' weren't all too common and while most of the populace had some sort of magical element, those who were strong weren't as common.
It wouldn't have been such a big deal if Fizz wasn't being a jealous bitch around him, apparently not wanting Husk to steal the spotlight from him.
'As far as I'm concerned that jester can keep the attention. I sure as hell don't want it,' He thought as he slicked his hair back.
It was mandatory protocol for them to have cleaned up appearances and Mammon got on him earlier about having his hair messy, saying that he couldn't look like that for the show and actually went as far as doing his hair himself to prove the point and adding makeup on since he had to 'spice himself up' in Mammon's words.
As you could imagine, Husk was beyond uncomfortable with the procedure and decided to do his hair by himself just to avoid Mammon putting his hands on him again when he woke up.
Didn't help he had to abide by his stupid rules, he had to get up early and make sure he was dressed to success. Mammon was squeezing pennies from everyone except Fizz and Husk considered that due to the clown being Mammon's lapdog and golden boy, something that he had no interest in being.
Another problem was the lack of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol wasn't to be consumed during practice giving Husk limited time to actually indulge in his vices and being sober made being around these people more difficult than ever.
Husk sighed as he adjusted his suit before heading out of his tent. All the tents were near each other and some were larger than others. The largest singular tent was Fizz's and Husk scowled at the sight,'Greedy lapdog gets the biggest tent ... .Absolute sellout…'
The middle-aged man then approached the inside of the tent at the show. He couldn't help but feel nervous as he remembered the routine...
'All I've got to do is throw a few balls of wind into the air and keep the fuckers entertained. As long as I play my part I get the clown off my ass…'
He tensed when he saw the Mammon's eyes glued to him on his built-in throne.
"Fuck...guess he's here to witness our performance outright…" It was his first show and Mammon being there was enough to give him anxiety, especially with the way he was smiling at him.
Before anything else could happen, the show then began to start. The other performers began to play their part, the female dancers began pulling themselves up in some sort of pyramid formation and doing slips in the air. Others were doing juggling acts on bicycles or attempting to tame animals…
So many things were happening and Husk had a hard time keeping up with it until Fizz's part came up. Fizzarolii being the top performer had a special light on him and the moment his name was mentioned people were screaming for him.
"And now watch as our believe Fizz steps up to the trapeze act. However, to spice things up we'll be adding a...flare to the show for the sake of your entertainment," He snickered.
"What is he going on about?" He muttered, not liking where Mammon was going with it.
He glanced downward and saw that the net was set up just like it had been during practice and expected…
Only for one of the other actors to come in and light the net on fire.
Husk tensed,'What the fuck? That wasn't part of the original performance. Are these people fucking nuts burning the safety net with their top performer!?'
He tensed as he saw the audience whooping and hollering, to him they sounded like a bloodthirsty mob that you'd see at the Roman Coliseums, like monsters who thirsted for blood and pain.
Husk flinched when Fizz began to swing from the trapeze, the cheers of the crowd getting louder and louder. Despite this, he continued to do flips by himself, everything was going to plan…
Until a heart-stopping snap was heard. Husk's eyes nearly fell out when he was Fizz falling. Time may as well have stopped and his mind raced. His blood ran cold and he could only hear the faint sound of his breathing.
The former sinner tensed as it all came crashing down. Fizz was falling and Husk knew at that height, assuming he didn't die...he'd likely not be able to perform again. They may have lived longer but their bodies weren't that durable and even if he recovered, it'd be a risky gamble to take…
Besides, if Mammon lost his number one performer, things would no doubt take an ugly turn…
So Husk decided to act and used his powers to fling Fizz back into the air so he could grab the other trapeze line. His blood was racing and Husk wasn't even thinking when he did it, as if he had fallen under a trance in such a short period of time.
After doing it, Husk's mind had stopped working for a split second after he did it. He hadn't moved afterwards, standing in place without moving a word until he noticed the looks of every person in the circus eyeing him.
He wasn't certain what was going on until he heard the biggest round of applause in his entire life. He flinched at the sudden praise and he could hear people clapping and roaring at the show.
He wasn't certain if they thought it was part of the show or not, but it hardly mattered anymore. The former cat then noticed Mammon stepping off his throne with a far too wide smile,"Hank, Hank, baby, my man, wonderful performance. You certainly made the show more entertaining, the audience can't get enough of you. Best of all you made sure to keep Fizz out of danger as well, would've been such a pain to have him injured, would've been quite a loss of money to have him out of commission and you saved me from that burden."
He tensed when Mammon brought him close and Husk really muffled,"Err..you're welcome...I guess?"
"Say Hank-"
"Henry," He corrected.
"Whatever," He shrugged,"Regardless, why don't you pay me a little visit? I should reward you for your wonderful work, anything you have in mind?"
"Do you have any beer?"
Seriously, he had been too sober for far too long and after this...he really needed that drink...
"Of course I do, I have just about anything a man could ask for and for this, I'll grant you a special privilege of basking in my presence…"
"Do I have a choice? I just want the beer and-"
"No, not really, but why wouldn't you want to be with me? I'm practically irresistible and I'll be sure to make it worth your wait…"
He sighed, he doubted he'd be able to convince him either way and lowered his head,"Fine...I'll go…"
"Splendid! Now come along, Henry because at the rate you're going, you'll be my top worker!"
Nervousness trickled down in his face as he looked back at the other performers. The one whose glare was piercing through his head was Fizz who was giving him the harvest death glare imaginable and his smile became twisted.
He shivered before following Mammon out, Fizz's expression becoming grim when they were out of sight.
"Hey Fizz," One performer asked,"You alright? You look mad? Do you not like the new guy?"
"What? Of course not. What makes you say that? I'm just a little upset that's all..."
Despite this assurance, Fizz's eye twitched and the other worker decided to keep distance because of the look of madness in his eyes.
'Damned bastard...how dare he steal the spotlight from me...I won't let him take away my popularity...no matter the cost…' He growled to himself, fury burning within his eyes. Husk had stolen all the glory from him and Fizz could feel the resentment building at the notion of being replaced...
He couldn't let it happen...not while he was still around.
Niffty sighed as she put a bowl of soup in front of Alastor. It had been a few days since they found themselves in this strange world and she was still adjusting to their circumstances.
It was...a lot different than what she was used to. Even by her and Alastor's standards this world was archaic.
So far, they had lived out on the streets, mainly because most of the places that were open were too expensive to stay long-term and she and Alastor weren't able to find jobs for the both of them. The most they could do was spend money at the local stores, though Niffty often had to prepare the food for Al due to his lack of sight.
Niffty was more than certain she could do whatever task was asked of her, like cleaning and what-not but finding a job Alastor could do would be rather difficult given his blindness that limited the range of jobs he could qualify for.
"Hey Al…"
"Yes darling?"
"We need to find jobs," She said,"Our money that we got from Wally won't last us forever. We need to find a source of income to stay afloat…"
"I see...is there a problem with that?"
"Al, you're blind…"
"And?" He asked,"What of it?"
"You know 'what of it'. People don't exactly see blind people as...capable, especially in this time period we're in."
He scoffed,"I am more than capable of doing things, Niffty. My newfound disability doesn't make me utterly incapable of completing tasks, it just makes it harder."
"Even if that's true, the people down here won't understand that."
"Then I'll make them understand. I am many things, helpless is not one of them…" He replied flatly as he put the stone bowl down.
"You can try though I'm not sure it'll work down here…" She admitted, uncertain about their future.
Just then, Alastor looked up and tilted his head before saying,"Who are you?"
Niffty was confused before turning her head and seeing a man with tan skin, blonde hair and gold snake-like eyes. He wore a brown cowboy hat and a red scarf with black gloves and long clothes.A piece of straw appeared to be sticking out of his mouth and he had a smiling mustache.
"Hello there, partner…" He said in a low and sultry tone,"How are you two doing, haven't you seen you two around town before...You new here?"
"You could say that…" Niffty mumbled.
"What's it to you?" Al asked,"Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
"Well I was just heading around town when I heard a little rumor about some blind kid scaring off a local scammer with his little bending abilities. Haven't heard of such a thing and wanted to check it out for myself. So, is it true? Did you really do it?"
Alastor nodded,"Yes. I did. What's it to you?"
"What's it to me? Everything…" He sneered,"Because it's not everyday someone powerful just shows up outta the blue like you and elementals ain't all too common around here, especially of the earth variety."
"What is an elemental?" Niffty asked.
"Oh you don't know sweetheart? They're a 'special' group of people with magical abilities. They look like an everyday person for the most part so you wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at them but they possess great power. Course most of them have become...significantly less common over time and nowadays it's rare to see one so this kid is a rarity."
"Is that all you came to tell us? Because while we appreciate the information, it wasn't necessary to come over here…"
"Of course not," He laughed,"You think I'd just come over here for that? That's just silly, kid. No, I'm here because I can tell judging by your living situation that you ain't doing too hot that you could use a helping hand. Given your abilities, you'd prove to be quite useful to the boss…"
"Boss?"
"You know who Satan is right?"
They both nodded.
"Well, he's kind of my boss so to speak and he's been looking for some more...useful people in his cabinet as of late. He's been disappointed a bit and we had to...get rid of the last few people who displeased him so there are open spots available and we need them filled in as."
Alastor narrowed his eyes,"How can we be certain this isn' t a trick?"
"It ain't, I'm the real deal," He assured,"Besides, do you really think I'd waste my time trying to convince you to do anything if I was trying to trick ya? I'm many things but I ain't a scammer. So what do you say? Are you willing to hear him out?"
"Will we have a home and food?"
"And many more…All you gotta do is come with me."
Alastor made a face, he didn't trust it...but he and NIffty needed a place to stay and the streets weren't exactly a pleasant long-term solution. They'd eventually run out of food and starve if they didn't find work so this was their best bet.
"Fine. I'll go...as long as Niffty is allowed to come as well."
"Are you certain you should take her along? No offense to the little lady but I'm not too sure Satan would appreciate her too much. Are you sure it's necessary to bring her?"
"It is necessary. I need her, it's not negotiable. She has to be with me…"
"Oh...Oh I see…" He chuckled,"Fair enough, you wanna bring your care-taker/girlfriend with you. If that's how it is then I can't say I blame you for it, kid. Come on, let's get going, I'll lead you to his palace…"
"How will we get there?" the shorter woman inquired,"Are we going by foot?"
"Ha, not a chance." He then shouted,"BOMBPROOF! Get over here!" A large black horse suddenly rushed over towards them and he hopped on,"Good boy. Alright kid, you and your lady friend have to hop on here."
Both got on the horse, albeit with Al sitting at the backseat while Niffty was in the middle. Niffty grabbed the man's waist and Al did the same with her, feeling uneasy no longer being on the ground.
"It's gonna be OK, Al," She said,"We're gonna be fine, I promise…"
"I hope so,darling…"
"Alright you two, ready to get going?"
"Wait, sir, can I ask something before we go?"
"Sure little lady, what is it?"
"What's your name?"
"Striker," He said simply,"The name is Striker, sweetheart. Now, hang on tight y'all because Bombproof ain't gentle…Giddyup boy!"
Alastor gasped as the horse began taking off at high speeds, hanging on for dear life as they began dashing through the streets.'I am regretting my life choices right now!'
And something told him that wasn't going to be the last time his mind uttered that phrase...
Thanks for 2,091 views, tell me what you think below!
Enigmus-288: Charlie's demonic power was stripped from her the moment she fell down in this timeline, along with her demonic form and other abilities. The only thing she and all the others kept were their super long lifespans and have more resistance than regular humans but that's hardly saying much. Same reason Angel likely started working for Valentino. Needed money and a living space. Charlie didn't want to work with him but it was either that or the streets and Charlie would rather be secure than sorry.