Author's note: Chapter is a bit longer than usual so I hope you all enjoy! Tell me what you think so far!
Back In The Other World…
Vox growled, an entire week had passed since that day and he STILL couldn't think of a way to take this circus down. He was seconds away from ripping his hair out of frustration, he couldn't rest without a plan and he was going crazy the longer he was like this.
Vox looked at his reflection, not finding himself worse than before. The bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep were far more visible. His hair was a disheveled mess, his glasses were slightly crooked and his skin was paler than usual…
"Fuck…I look like shit…" He hissed, pinching the bridge between his nose. He looked absolutely terrible and he was certain if anyone who knew him personally saw him right now. It'd be beyond embarrassing and the fact he had been rendered to such a state was pathetic as it were…
When he looked in the mirror, he didn't see Vox, the powerful Overlord who struck fear in the hearts of demons hell-wide, instead he saw Vincent, the broken man with more flaws than he could dare count.
The strong facade he had put up before Hell's denizens had been shattered and this was all that was left, a shadow of his former self. He had worked so hard to avoid being what he wasn't, to avoid being weak and pathetic and look where it got him, all the way back where he started…
It seemed like this world thrived off of his misery and he couldn't get a fucking was like the entire world was against everything he stood for, everything he fought for. It was like this world wanted to see him break until he was nothing but a crumbled mess on the floor and then some.
And the worst part was…that he belonged to him. He sold his soul to Mammon(foolish I know) and what did it get him? Absolutely nothing good…
He looked at the sigil on his hand, the very sigil he had marked with the moment he grasped Mammon's hand in making their deal. The marking symbolized that he belonged to Mammon and that he was bound to him for life.
He despised the mark with all his being. He wanted nothing more than to rip the damn thing off of his skin. The sight of the sigil made his skin crawl and he hated the marking on his skin more than anything.
He hated feeling pathetic, like a weakling. The worst he had to worry about in Hell was Val smashing his screen in. It hurt…but he'd eventually recover. He'd piece himself back together and buy himself a new screen to replace the old one.
But here? He had to deal with Mammon. That fucker could do literally anything to him and Vox couldn't do anything to him. He was far more powerful than Vox could ever dream of being and he had to let this bastard do what he pleased else he'd face the consequences of speaking out…
And you know what? He was already sick of it. He hated this circus, he hated having to perform for these assholes and their children. He hated having to listen to Mammon and watch as Fizz reveled in the misery of his co-workers while that greedy fucker took all their money, forcing them to live in tents with a small amount of personal belongings and playing favorites at every turn.
His fist shook with rage as he stared at his reflection before tensing as his vision flashed, for a moment seeing Mammon behind him. On instinct, Vox smashed the mirror in a fit or age, his eyes turning white and electricity surrounding his fist.
Pain surged into his hand as blood poured from his hand, hissing out a curse,"F-FUCK! MY HAND! SON OF A BITCH!"
Vox scowled at the sight of his hand that now had pieces of glass sticking out and blood dripping into the floorboards. He began removing the pieces of glass that were stuck in his hand piece by piece, wincing in agony.
After removing the glass, Vox saw his hand was still profusely bleeding and rushed to wrap his hand up with bandages. After wrapping up his hand he sighed, his hand still hurt but he had the feeling that it wouldn't heal for a very long time.
It wasn't anything fatal but it would definitely be an inconvenience, something that could evolve into much worse if it got infected. He doubted it would go that far but he still didn't want to take any risks.
When Vox was done, he looked down at his bandaged hand. It wasn't perfect by any means but Vox figured this bandage would keep the wound from getting worse.
"That…should do it…" He huffed before attempting to focus and push back the wasn't the worst pain he had endured, Val's fist was far more painful than the glass entering his fist but something about seeing that bastard in the glass made it hurt…
All that did was seal his opinion on the matter. Mammon had to be taken down. He was fucking with his mental state even when he wasn't physically there to torment him and he couldn't rest so long as that bastard stood tall.
That bastard may have been stronger than them…But Vox knew that. He didn't care if he was weaker than Mammon because he desired to destroy what Mammon cherished most. This circus was his pride and joy and the only way to beat the fucker to destroy what he held dear to that black hole he dared call a heart…
He grinned upon remembering what day was. They had a 'break' today and Vox was going to take advantage of it for all it was worth. There had to be something in this deranged carnival that would help in turning this circus into nothing but ash and cinder.
And if he knew anything about Mammon, it was in a hidden area.
It didn't matter where it was. He would find it…and he'd be sure to burn this entire circus and watch with maniacal glee while it happened…
Call him a sadistic bastard(he was, he didn't care) but he was going to enjoy seeing the carnival erupt into flames….
As he left his tent, he saw Husk was waiting outside for him. He saw Vox clutching his hand and gave him a concerned look,"You alright Vox? You look like shit.…"
"Thanks for the compliment…" He huffed, brushing off Husk's concern like the wind.
"Did something happen there? I swore I heard something break in there…"
"It's fine.." He lied,"I just…hurt my hand a little. It's nothing major…"
"You sure? I know a few things about healing wounds, I could look at it if you wanted…"
"Nice offer but no. I don't need a checkup…" He scoffed. "Then what do you need?"
"To take a look around…I need to find something that will destroy this place from the inside. I know it's here…and I won't rest until I find it."
"Can I come with you?"
"Hm? What for?"
"We're in this together you know that right? We agreed to work together until we got out of this Vox and we both know you can't do this alone. After all,teamwork makes the dream work."
"I get what you're saying…but do me a favor…never say that sentence to me ever again, got that?" He asked flatly,"Because I think I'll puke if I hear one more sentimental thing out of your mouth…"
"Hey,I was just being honest. Mushy shit ain't my thing either but we both know you need as much help as you can if you want to help yourself..or help her for that matter. Because she does need you, Vox…"
"Don't remind me…" He grumbled,"Just know that the moment we're out of this you better watch your back after this. And for your sake…don't get in my way while we're at this. I won't hesitate to throw you overboard if it makes this easier…"
Husk rolled his eyes,"Keep telling yourself that…"
"Do not underestimate me," He hissed, giving the elder male a death glare,"Now are you going to help me or what? We don't have all day and I'd appreciate it if you stopped wasting my time."
The former veteran shrugged his shoulders,"I'm ready when you are, Vox. Go on ahead and lead the way since you're so confident."
"I will…"
Vox then moved forward with Husk following afterwards as they began their investigation into the inner workings of the carnival.
Vox and Husk began traveling around the carnival. The place was a lot larger than they anticipated and the longer they were out there, the less familiar it became. It had noticeably been becoming less populated as they were going and by now they hadn't seen a living being in at least an hour.
They had only been in one area of the carnival and Mammon's circus was far larger than anticipated. They knew the place was huge but the carnival was gigantic…
Husk narrowed his eyes,"Vox, do you know where the hell we're going?"
He snorted,"Do you?"
"Do you think I'd be asking you if I knew where we are?"
"Rhetorical question jackass," Vox scoffed, his pale blue eyes rolling,"Look, neither of us know where the fuck the two of us are but there's no use in complaining about it, especially since we haven't found what we're looking for…"
"We? You must be talking about yourself there because I don't even know what the fuck you're looking for. What's your goal here Vox?"
"To take down this damned carnival once and for all…" He retorted sarcastically, cold eyes shining with a glint of determination that could pierce steel."What else?"
"I know that,jackass," Husk ridiculed,"What I'm asking is how exactly are you going to do that? Do you think we're going to even find anything here?"
"We have to…"
"Why?"
"Because if we don't…we'll never get out of here…" Vox said slowly, refusing to make eye contact with Husk.
Both the former veteran and overlord fell silent after this, the quiet eating away of what was left of their corrupted souls. As they were walking, Husk couldn't help but notice the clouds above them were becoming darker, turning a stormy gray shade.
"Since when did it get so dark out here?" He asked, bewildered at the sudden change in weather.
"No idea," Vox replied, undeterred by the weather's changing nature,"Regardless, we shouldn't pay too much mind to it. We can't let the weather distract us from finding what we're looking for…"
They took a few steps forward before Vox abruptly stopped in his tracks, Husk running into him as a result.
"What the hell? Why'd you stop?" Husk snapped, sending the younger male a harsh look.
Vox didn't bother to look Husk in the eye and pointed forward,"Look."
Husk was about to berate him but his words died on his tongue upon following Vox's hand only to gasp. There appeared to be some sort of magical force field and it was blocking their path. It was invisible but they still couldn't pass through it and all they could see on the other side was a forestry area that they were unable to reach.
"W-What? Where'd this come from?"
"Beat's me," Vox said,"Though if I had to guess, Mammon put up a force field to prevent anyone from noticing whatever was behind it. You know what that means don't you?"
Husk raised an eyebrow and Vox groaned before saying,"It means that the jester has something to hide from us and we're going to find out what it is. No doubt there's something in this force field that'll aid our escape out of this place…"
Husk then put his hand on the force field and knocked on it, frowning when he saw it wouldn't budge,"This shit is pretty resistant. You sure we'll be able to get through this? Mammon is still stronger than us and his chaos energy probably hasn't waned or weakened for that matter. Who's to say this force field will budge if we hit it?"
"We'll find a way…Though you are right, we won't be able to break this. Not with our fists anyway…"
"How are we going to do that exactly?"
Vox didn't answer Husk's question and took a few steps back. Husk watched in bewilderment as the blonde's eyes glowed white and his hands crackled with electricity before slowly but surely crafting an item with his powers…
To his amazement, Vox managed to craft an entire crossbow in his hands and it was made out of pure electricity. The former TV Demon then aimed his bow at Husk and Husk sent him a look,"Hey, just what do you think you're doing with that crossbow? Move it…"
Vox ignored this and continued his aim, squinting his eyes a little before firing a volt of electricity in Husk's direction, the former veteran dropping and rolling to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack by the skin of his teeth. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you trying to kill me!?" Husk shouted at him,"Seriously, what the hell is your problem?"
The former Overlord scoffed,"You should've moved earlier…Also, I made a dent…"
"What?" Husk then turned before noticed a large crack in the once invisible force field."Holy shit. You broke it…"
"Broke it is a bit of an overstatement. I made a crack in it but it still has a long way to go before it completely shatters. The illusion needs to be fully broken before we continue so I suggest doing something useful and help me tear this force field down. Either help me or stand aside, your choice…"
Husk huffed before summoning a staff of his own with his wind energy, turning it into a solid object.
"Seriously? You created a stick? How useful…tell me, do you intend to whack the force field until it breaks? Because if so, we're going to be here for quite a while," Vox grumbled, believing Husk was incompetent with his choice of weaponry.
Instead of saying something, Husk used his staff before a gust of powerful wind was sent through it, the wind making large cracks in the force field. He then turned to Vox with a cocky grin,"You were saying?"
Vox remained silent before rolling his eyes,"Whatever…Just keep doing that. Surely with enough hits the barrier should break…"
Husk nodded his head and they both began attacking the force field several times. Vox had an idea when he watched Husk fire his attack and fired an arrow into his, causing them to merge together and land a devastating blow to the force field and the sound of the force field breaking shattered their eardrums as they were knocked down to the ground from the impact.
Vox groaned in agony, rubbing his head as he groggily inquired,"Ugh…did..did it work?' he then looked up and gasped,"Oh my god…"
"A little fucking warning before you pull stunts like that? I swear to god Vox that could've actually hurt us and-What the fuck is THAT?" Husk asked in disbelief, his previous sentence being cut off by his surprise at the current view he was witnessing.
Before them was an abandoned amusement park that looked like it had been out of commission for several centuries.
The duo were left parlayed in shock, as if lighting itself had struck from the heavens and struck them with divine light.
Vox's eyes then made contact with a sign that looked like it was barely hanging onto its hinges and several letters were missing yet he could still make out what it said by the skin of his teeth.
"Welcome to Loo Loo Land…" He read the archaic sign aloud.
Husk's jaw dropped, he had heard of the place but due to Sinners not being allowed to travel to the other sectors was unable to see the park himself.
Needless to say, he wasn't impressed with what he was seeing if this was any indication.
"Loo Loo Land? What's it doing all the way out here?"
"Only one way to find out," Vox said before struggling to his feet,"Come on, let's go investigate this place…"
Husk followed after Vox as they made their way past the entrance they got a closer look at Loo Loo Land, or at least what was left of it park was in a state of disarray, whatever appeal it once had with children had long since faded with age, leaving it nothing but a rotting and forgotten park.
Most of the rides had fallen apart and those that hadn't looked like they were on the brink of collapse. The games weren't in any better condition, having parts missing from their stands and even pieces of the games themselves were missing. The place looked like it had charred marks on it, as if it had been burned.
Vox was examining the 'Shoot Apple' game. He figured it was supposed to be a game where you shot apples with some sort of device but playing the game would be impossible due to the lack of weaponry provided and the lack of apples. The only thing left of the game were the arrows and when eh felt them, he realized not only were they not real but they were cheap as fuck, damn near snapping in his hands just from the slightest bit of pressure.
It wasn't like he was expecting Mammon to give kid's real arrows but he couldn't even bother to give them arrows that were at least decent in quality?
"Fucking cheapskate bastard…" He grumbled,"Can't even get decent arrows for his shitty games…"
"Hey Vox," Husk called out as he looked over at the 'Knock A Bottle' game that was in a similar state as the previous games,"Are you trying your luck over there or something?"
He scoffed,"Course I'm not, I'm just examining the trash that Mammon put out for the guests back when this shitty attraction was still up and running. Surprise surprise, bastard used the cheapest shit imaginable to dupe people into playing his stupid games. Guess even after all this time, the bastard still hasn't changed in the slightest…"
"What do you expect from people like him? Greedy fucks like him don't change..or they do, just not for the better. They get worse…and worse…and worse…"
Vox balked,"I can't imagine Mammon being any worse than he already is. It just doesn't sound possible."
"Don't jinx yourself, people always find ways of proving you wrong somehow, often in the worst ways imaginable…"
Vox rolled his eyes dismissively before saying,"Regardless, have you found anything of note yet?"
"Have you?"
"Obviously I haven't, why do you think I'm asking you in the first place?"
"If I found something I would've said it by now. So far, this park doesn't seem to be offering much. Everything in here is either missing or it's broken beyond repair. Can't imagine there being anything of actual use in this place, especially given how long it's been since anyone's last been here," Vox felt one of the counters and swept up a boat-load of dust on his sleeve and cringed in disgust,"Ew..gross.."
Husk raised an eyebrow in his direction,"What'd you expect? This place hasn't been cleaned in well over a century. It's probably crawling with an infestation of bugs and other creepy shit. This place probably needs an Exterminator more than Hell itself does given how Mammon abandoned this place to rot…"
Vox narrowed his eyes,"Still..I can't help but wonder why he left this place. Doesn't seem like that bastard to waste an opportunity to get money out of people's pockets. Having more attractions up would boost ticket sales. Unless he's got something to hide that is…"
"I'm certain we'll find our answer…Just have to keep looking. There's gotta be something in this land of fright that can give us a hint of what happened here…"
The two then began exploring deeper into the abandoned amusement park. It was far worse the further they got inside. The more they examined the park the more they noticed how burned and decayed it was.
The vibe they got from it was beyond eerie, it made all those haunted houses in Hell look like child's play in comparison. An abandoned park looked far more horrifying than a house made to scare souls out of their wits…
Questions flooded into their mind, wondering how the park could've become this way. Only when they located what they believed to be the source did they realize it was far worse than they could've ever imagined.
Before their very eyes was a large tent that was charred more than the rest of the place looked like it was beyond destroyed, like it was barely standing on its two legs and would fall apart by the seams at any moment…
There was a burned sign stationed next to it and Husk squinted as he struggled to make out the words,"Welcome to FizzaRolli 'n Friends. Guess this was where that jackass clown performed with his buddies…"
"Since when did that jackass have friends?" Vox asked,"There's no way those 'friends' of his weren't underpaid workers forced to tolerate his presence…"
"I doubt Fizz would know the difference…" Husk shrugged,"Friends and people he loves to make miserable are synonymous with each other in his mind…"
Vox snorted,"Fair enough. Though, do you think we should take a look inside? We might find what we're looking for here…"
"Correction, find what you're looking for…Still, I'm not sure about this, Vox. This place is giving me red-flags…"
"So am I but that won't stop me," Vox said,"If you want to stay behind and wait for me then you're free to do so if you're that afraid…"
Husk hissed,"I"m not afraid. Just cautious…"
"Whatever. Just don't get in the way and stay out here until I come back. If you want to be useful you can also be a lookout."
"For what? We're the only ones here…"
"Just to be on the safe side. Wouldn't want that jackass to know we're here if he somehow finds out we broke his little illusion…"
"Hmph…Fine. Just scream if you find anything…"
"Same to you…" Vox then headed inside of the tent, leaving Husk behind to explore.
He entered the inside of the abandoned tent, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. The first thing he saw was the tacky 'FizzaRolli'n Friends' sign hung up on stage(and it looked like it was going to fall off its hinges) and the stands where the audience sat back and watched the performance.
Somehow the inside looked worse than the outside as it looked like everything was falling apart. The benches looked like they'd collapse if you put pressure on it and everything appeared to be burned.
Vox cringed, the place smelled like burned wood and everything inside that hadn't been completely burned was in abhorrent condition.
As the former TV Demon examined the area,cringing at the creaky floorboards beneath him. He was a little scared the floor would give out under his weight and watched his step on the off-chance the boards did crumble from the pressure he exerted on them.
Vox then cursed when the board made a horrific snap and he suddenly fell down, letting out a bloodcurdling scream in response.
The former Overlord crashed into the ground, hissing in agony. Times like this made him wish he still had his demon form right about now because the fall damage wouldn't have been so bad if that was the case.
"Where…where the fuck am I?" He asked himself groggily as he came around. His vision blurred for a moment before he noticed that he was in an entirely different area that he didn't recognize or see for that matter.
"What the fuck? What is this place?" He narrowed his eyes before walking around, cringing as he could barely see. The further he got the more dark it became and he feared using his lightning powers to light the way would lead to the place catching fire and burning him along with it…
Thankfully…Vox had a better idea. He took a deep breath before allowing his eyes to turn white completely, lighting them up like giant flashlights. It was like that mode on your phone where you could light up an obnoxiously bright light to see your location when it was dark, the only difference being it was for his eyes instead…
"This is gonna take a lot to get used to…" He grumbled before moving forward, using his eyes to track his location.
The longer he walked through the corridor the more he realized just how burned the area was. It made the upstairs look good in comparison because at the very least, you could SEE what the park was supposed to look like despite the charred marks, down here you were lucky to make out anything…
Vox made a turn and saw a door. It looked like it was in bad condition but his curiosity was piqued and he decided to open it. It took a fair bit of strength and after a few tugs, Vox managed to get it open.
When he got it open, his jaw fell open at the sight. Inside was a burnt bedroom that reeked of ash and decay.
He tensed at the sight, his eyes illuminated the room enough to see how bad the damage was. Everything inside the room was beyond recognition. Vox detected an awful smell that he recognized all too well…
It was the smell of death..and it was nearby.
He located the smell, finding it was near what he assumed to be the closet. The former Overlord reached for the knob only to discover it had been locked and reached to undo it. After doing so he attempted to pull it open but found that the door had something heavy leaning on the other side that made it hard to open.
"Ugh..figures…" He growled before using more force, yanking the door open. Vox felt all the color drain from his face at the horrific sight before him.
In front of him was a burned corpse curled up in a fetal position. He couldn't make-out any true details of who it may have been,all the features that could've been distinguished had long since been burned away, leaving Vox with a corpse he had no way of identifying…
Now Vox wasn't the type to frighten easily, he had seen people die before his very eyes and he was no stranger to see dead people but he had never been alone in a room with a corpse before.
And if he had to guess, the corpse had more or less been abandoned to rot for as long as this park had been closed.
Vox reached inside the closest to take a closer look at what remained though he wouldn't be able to get far as long as the corpse was there…
He cringed before reluctantly putting his hands on the corpse in an effort to move it. The feeling of a corpse in such a state made his stomach churn and he could feel the ash and cinder getting into his fingertips and into his nostrils…
As he was moving, Vox nearly had a heart attack when he stumbled, causing the corpse's head to pop off as a result. He screeched at the sight, watching the skull land on the ground with a sickening crack and it rolled just where his left foot was.
His heart raced as he stared at the sight, his mind threatening to shut down from the panic flooding into his system. The eerie feeling he got from the place was screaming red flags and he was already starting to regret this visit…
The worst part was when he took a peak at the closet and saw the scratch marks from the inside of the door that had blood embedded on it. The scene was like in one of the those horror films that he and Val watched, the ones were all the protagonists were idiots and the killer didn't even have to do anything with how dumb they were…
Well…maybe he was a bit dumb right now, stepping inside a place like this. But he had come too far to turn back and now…he was stuck in here. With this decaying corpse that looked like it had been there for centuries…
Vox was frozen in place, uncertain what to do now. He didn't understand what it meant, none of it made sense and his mind was wracked as thoughts raced inside of his troubled mind, those thoughts threatening to consume him whole…
Before his mind could be consumed by uncertainty, Vox suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He was frozen in place and feared that he may have been found by Mammon himself and braced himself for the worst…
When the person entered the door, they screamed when he faced them,"SHIT! MY EYES! IT BURNS!"
Vox paused, recognizing that voice. It was Husk!
"Husk? What are you doing down here?"
"I'll tell you, just STOP SHINING THAT DAMN LIGHT IN MY EYES! YOU'RE GONNA TURN ME BLIND!"
Vox did as he was told and lowered the brightness and looked away for Husk's sake. He could still see the old man but he wasn't able to see all of him, just his face and the top half of his body…
"Thank god…" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes in agony,"Seriously, since when could you do that?"
"Always…just never used it like that before…" Vox admitted.
"Of course you can…" Husk complained,"Whatever, just don't shine it in my damn eyes…" Husk took a moment to regain his composure and Vox took that chance to ask him his reason for being here…
"What are you doing down here?"
"Looking for you obviously," Husk scoffed,"What else?"
"You were looking for me? Why?" Vox asked, bemused by this admission.
"Well one, it was getting kind of boring out there," He admitted,"Second of all..I heard a crash in here and I wanted to check on you. When I saw the hole in the floor I decided to go after you. Navigating without the light made it quite the pain in the ass but I eventually made my way here when I spotted a tiny light source and lo and behold it led me to you."
"You came all this way to find me? What for?" Vox asked.
"We're a team, remember? No matter how much we dislike each other, we're all in the same boat, Vox. Losing a valuable member only hurts the rest of us…Besides, I was actually kind of…" He stumbled over the proper word before stammering,"Concerned…"
"Concerned…you were concerned for me?" The former TV Demon still sounded skeptical of this claim, giving the older male a glance.
"Well duh, you know we need to work together to get out of here…to get her out as well," He recalled and Vox's gaze shifted downward.
Husk then sniffed the air and cringed at the familiar stench entering his nose. He knew that smell all too well, the smell of death and god, the rotted odor was made worse when he could smell the ash and cinder as well.
"Oh god…don't tell me that's what I think it is…is it?"
Vox nodded his head and Husk stumbled backward for a moment and they both tensed when Husk's foot made contact with the skull, cracking what is left of it under his heel. Husk may not have fainted or screamed like a normal person but Vox could see enough of his expression to know he was terrified.
They fell silent before Husk mustered the courage to ask,"Do you know whose body this is?"
"I haven't got the faintest idea…"
Husk thought about it for a moment before something hit him and he gasped,"Wait a second…I think I know…"
"Who is it?"
"I think…it's Fizz…"
"What?" Vox asked,"But Fizz is still alive…There's no way this can be him…"
"But who's to say that the Fizzarolli we know is the original?" Husk retorted,"After all, this IS Fizz's attraction is it not? It only makes sense that this is his room, especially given I imagine Mammon wouldn't bother giving the lesser performers a room of their very own given the jester is his favorite."
The former TV Demon fell silent, absorbing Husk's statement. It sounded so insane but a part of him thought it made a tiny flicker of sense…
"B-but how?"
Husk rubbed his chin,"I'm not entirely sure to be honest and you can call me crazy afterwards but I've got a theory. Given the state of the rest of the park, I'd say there was a bad fire that enveloped the amusement park and Fizz was probably in his room when it happened and couldn't get the door open. In a state of panic he chose to flee into the closet as a last resort only to get stuck and die from smoke inhalation before the fire consumed him…"
"Damn…that makes a lot of sense. Still, why wouldn't Mammon try and rebuild this place?"
"Fizz was his top performer,Vox. He had loads of fans and with him gone, he likely had to shut this place down because Fizz was his main attraction to drawing in customers. That and he probably was too cheap to rebuild the park and figured starting from scratch was cheaper than fixing what had been destroyed."
"That makes sense..though there's still one thing I don't understand. If the real Fizz is dead…who's the one that's been on our asses this entire time?"
"I'm not sure…If I had to guess, Mammon must've created him with his magic as a replacement. Mammon wouldn't want to lose money and if he had to create a doppelganger to fill in Fizz's spot he would do so in a heartbeat. The guy is a scumbag so it's not surprising he'd do something like this to swindle the populace out of their money…"
"Something tells me Fizz's death is the reason he shut this place down. Or one of the reasons anyway. It'd cause a controversy losing someone so important so he decided to build his own circus and put up an illusion to keep anyone from discovering his dirty little secret. Who knows what else he's hiding…"
"Can we look for that somewhere else? I don't know about you Vox but I'd rather not stay in the same room someone died in several centuries ago…"
"There's something we both agree on. Let's get out of here…" Vox led them out back to where the floorboard gave out and paused when he saw how far down they were,"Uh…how do we get back up?"
"Don't worry, I got this…" Husk used his powers to create a small tornado and stepped inside before it ejected him to the top, serving as a make-shift elevator."Alright, your turn, Vox…"
"Husk, are you sure about this? That doesn't look safe…"
"Quit being a baby, you'll be fine."
Vox groaned before doing as he was told and yelping when he was sent upward,"WOAH!" He heaved a little as he was ejected onto the floor, hissing at the landing,"Seriously!?"
"Hey, you're alive aren't you, no need to complain there…" He chuckled at Vox's irritable face,"Don't look at me like that, there's no need to be so sour. We're almost out of here…Come on…"
As they left the tent, Vox narrowed his eyes before saying,"Husk, before we leave…there's still something we need before we go…"
"What's that?"
"There's a reason this amusement park caught on file…Assuming not everything burned down, surely there's something of value that could aid us. We both know Mammon isn't the type to watch out for these things after all.."
"Any idea on where to look?"
"Well I did see a Torch Vendor not too far from here…I believe there were some torches left for us to use. What do you say? You're thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Definitely…"
It didn't take long to locate the Torch Vendor. The shop was obviously empty and abandoned so they were free to help themselves. Despite the mayhem there still appeared to be a fair amount of torches left and there were even some inside of the cabinet that were free for the taking…
"Perfect," Vox grinned,"This should be more than enough to set that terrible carnival on fire…"
"Say, now that we have what we came here for, why don't we take our leave?"
"Let's. The sooner we leave this place the better…"
As they directed their gaze towards the entrance and headed out. Once they left, Vox turned around and gasped,"Holy shit…It's gone…"
Husk turned around in shock to see the carnival had vanished back into the forest."Guess it was only a one-way trip type of illusion…"
"Oh well, not like we were planning to come back anyway. Let's go before we discover more illusions Mammon created from his past…"
"Agreed…"
The two men turned their backs and headed back to the main part of the circus, leaving what used to be 'Loo Loo Land' in the dust. As they were walking, Vox's thoughts swirled with curiosity. He had to know what happened, he had to get the full story and he had the feeling he knew just where to go.
"Vox,why are you smiling?" Husk asked wearily,not liking that scheming grin on his face.
"Oh nothing," He chuckled,"Just had a little something in mind…"
"What are you planning, Vox?"
"You'll see…Just promise you'll help me with this. It'll be in both of our interests…"
"I don't like scheming bastards with plans…but I am a little curious what you have in mind. Just tell me, do you have a plan?"
"Of course…follow me…" Vox replied, already having a plan cooking up in his mind.
"Two thousand...two thousand and five hundred...Three thousand and seventy six- Mammon counted from his desk, shuffling the dollar bills in his hands greedily. He was counting the weekly earnings of all his workers and he was only just beginning to count the stack of money he had collected.
As Mammon counted the money he was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on his door. He raised an eyebrow and looked up,"Odd…I don't remember scheduling any visitors…" The Greedy Lord sighed,"Whoever it is better have a good reason for bothering me. I don't appreciate others interrupting me in my private time, especially when I'm counting my money…"
Mammon then used his magic to unlock the door and he said,"You may come in…"
On the other side of the door Vox walked inside and greeted him with an all-too welcoming smile,"Hello Lord Mammon, recognize me?"
"Oh…it's you, Vincent. Odd to see you here at this hour. Is there any reason you've come here? I hope it's important because I was in the middle of something before you arrived…"
"It is important," He assured before stepping closer to the Lord of Greed, shooting him a sultry gaze as he waltzed over to Mammon's desk and wrapped his arms around Mammon's shoulders and lowered his head into the crook of his neck.
Mammon blinked before narrowing his eyes at the blonde,"Just what do you think you're doing, Vincent?"
"Nothing…just being friendly that's all…" He whispered softly into his ear, a smile still attached to his of the corner of Mammon's eye he could see Vox's legs spreading apart a little as Vox's hands traveled downward ever so slowly, fiddling with his clothes.
The mad clown quickly caught on to his plan and put a stop to his behavior at once.
Mammon grabbed his hand,"Ah-Ah-Ah, you know that's not how this game works, Vincent. I'm the one who's in control here, or do you need to be reminded yet again who your true master is, hm?"
He then pushed Vox onto the desk, the blonde gasping in surprise before regaining his composure.
"Perhaps you should…" Vox said as he put his arms on Mammon's shoulders to support himself and batted his eyes and grazed his lips over Mammon's in a teasing manner,"What are you waiting for, my Lord? Aren't you going to put me in my place?"
"Careful what you wish for, Vincent," He grinned before capturing Vox's lips on his own, passionately kissing him and pulling him close, dominating him completely. Vox felt something hard press up against his body and gasped a little when Mammon's hands snuck their way up pants and touched his body, gently stroking a hard part of Vox's body.
Vox separated the kiss to regain his breath, letting out a whimper as he weakly called out Mammon's name, feeling the Greedy Lord pawing at his clothes. Mammon sinking his teeth into Vox's neck hard enough to draw blood.
As Mammon tugged on Vox's belt they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Mammon and Vox stopped what they were doing and Mammon irritably looked up upon getting interrupted again,"Oh what is it this time?"
Husk was standing there awkwardly,"Uh…was I interrupting something?"
"Yes…yes you were…" Mammon retorted flatly,"Listen Harry, could this wait? I was in the middle of something important…"
"My name is Hunter-"
"Whatever, can you just leave? I was on to something until you were ever so rudely interrupted. Has your mother ever told you to knock?"
"The door was left open…" Husk grumbled,"Listen, I didn't mean to interrupt…whatever you two were doing but I needed to tell you something and it couldn't wait…"
Mammon sighed,"If it's truly that important then I suppose I can hold this off just this once…" He then stood up and separated from Vox before saying,"I'll be right back Vincent. I need to tend to whatever issue Henry is having. Be a good boy and wait until I come back, will you?"
"I will…"
"Good. And don't touch anything while I'm gone. I spent too long keeping this desk neat and I don't need you rummaging through my things…" Mammon warned before turning his back and leaving with Husk.
The moment Vox was certain he was out of hearing range he let out a sigh of relief,"Thank god he left…Now it's time to take a look at what's behind the scenes…"
Vox then reached into Mammon's desks and began rummaging through Mammon's things. Most of the things in Mammon's desk were things you'd expect him to have, contracts, business deals and other things dealing with the financial side of things…
Perhaps he would've taken time to examine it for his own means but now wasn't the time to focus on such things. No, he was looking for something else. Something more important…
"Come on…there's gotta be something here…come on… "He hissed. He was prepared to give up then and there but noticed an old folder buried underneath all the other paperwork. Allowing his curiosity to get the better of him he reached into it and a folder.
Vox's jaw nearly dislocated itself upon seeing the content of the folder…
Inside was a newspaper story about Loo Loo Land burning down, having caught fire due to a mishap with the torches.
It said the causes of the fire weren't known but said that it likely had something to do with a vengeful employee named Blitzo who caused the entire amusement park to catch fire and managed to escape before anyone could catch him but not before stealing several torches and lighting the place on fire. The report said that several had been killed and the star of Loo Loo Land, Fizzarolli was missing and hadn't been found.
The next paper was…a blueprint of Fizzarolli that had been marked 'Robo Fizz'. He could see it all, the inner workings of Fizz and even found 'rough drafts' of his designs, seeing they had implanted 'stretchy' limbs on his limbs so he could move in a more exaggerated and cartoon manner.
It all clicked…it all made so much sense now.
"Oh my god…" Vox looked at drafts and papers about Fizz in disbelief, his eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets.
Before he could examine them more, he heard footsteps coming and he quickly shoved the papers in his pocket before shuffling the papers back in their original positions frantically and closing the desk in a panic.
"Alright Vincent, we're back…" Mammon said with Husk behind him,"To think I came all this way just to hear a complaint about beer again…How exhausting…Still, do you wish to continue where we left off? We were getting to the good part before we were ever so rudely interrupted…"
"Uh…" Vox stammered,"Actually Mammon, I just realized that it's getting rather late tonight and I think it's best we hold off on that for another time. After all, we have a big performance tomorrow and I need to rest up for it…"
Mammon rolled his eyes,"Hmph..fair enough. I suppose I can wait a little longer…and hopefully when that happens we'll be given the privacy we deserve.."
Vox quickly nodded,"Thanks..Anyhow, I better get going..I'll see you later…"
"Farewell Vincent…We'll be seeing each other very soon…"
Vox then closed the door behind him, leaving Mammon alone in his room.
Mammon sighed,"Well that was unexpected. A little strange for the two of them to show up like that. I wonder if they had another motive for coming here…" He then decided to check his desk to check if anything was in order and noticed some of the papers weren't in the spot he had left them in,"That's strange..I don't remember putting those there. Did Vincent rummage through my things?"
He pinched the bridge of forehead,"Of course he did, people like him can't help themselves. Better check to see if you stole anything…" Mammon anticipated Vox to have taken his money but surprisingly all of his financial information was intact. Other than being in the wrong order it seemed like everything was intact…
Mammon did feel something was missing, an itch told him that Vincent had taken SOMETHING out of his desk but he couldn't figure it out. Whatever it was, it was something he hadn't taken any notice of until now…
Normally he'd be upset but he did take a liking to Vincent and figured that whatever he took wasn't anything important. It wasn't money and he wasn't losing out on profits so he decided to let the issue slide for now. If need be he'd punish Vincent later…
"Whatever. I have better things to worry about than him at the moment..Now, where was I? Oh yes..counting my money. Let's start again…" He picked up right where he started, falling into a state of deep consternation as he did so.
Thanks for 6,609 views, tell me what you think below! your opinions/feedback is greatly support in any way you can and be sure to keep up for future chapters.
Enigmus-288: That is because I planned for it to be this dark. There will be moments of wholesomeness but not enough to distract from the story. You will be able to tell what parts are supposed to be 'wholesome' or not.