"So…did you guys find the entrance to Pride?" Vox asked,"Because I take it you all don't just stand around doing nothing while Husk and I were gone. I take it you're not all that incompetent you can't find some measly entrance."
Angel scoffed,"Of course we found the entrance, that was easy…"
"Then why didn't you guys enter?"
"Take a wild guess, Vox…" Vaggie retorted before pointing at the entrance from their hiding place. Vox narrowed his eyes before his jaw fell at the guards lined up at the front.
"What the fuck is that? Why are there so many guards at the entrance?"
"We're not sure,"Charlie admitted,"We've been watching them for a while and from what we've heard, they are under a strict regimen of who they let in. Unless you have permission, you're not allowed inside…"
"That's just fucking perfect," Husk grumbled,"Course of all places we actually need to go to, it requires a fucking pass. Wouldn't be too bad if we actually had the right of way…"
"And that sparks the question…how exactly do ya get a pass anyway?" Velvet asked,"Is there some sort of secret club where you get a pass and you're allowed inside?"
"If I had to guess, it's probably for trading to be exact," Niffty started,"They seem to keep a strict eye on those they let in and out of their Kingdom. The only people who seem to be able to leave on a regular basis are those there to replenish the trading stock. Everyone else needs to present some sort of identification of some kind in order to be let back in."
"That certainly explains the lack of traffic around here," Vox muttered,"Still, how exactly are we going to get inside again? Because in case none of you noticed, we don't have a goddamn pass."
"Can't we just force our way inside?" Velvet asked,"I doubt they'll be a match for all of us,especially with our cool superpowers! I bet we could give 'em a good scare if you know what I mean!"
Angel shook his head,"Tempting but no. As much as I'd love to bash some skulls, it wouldn't do us any good trying to force our way in. There are no doubt more of them then there are of us and it ain't worth the risk. Besides, we're still wanted people, remember? If they recognize us, we're done for."
"Aw for real?"
"He is right, Velvet,"Al said,"I understand the desire to get in as soon as possible but dashing in headfirst will only cause us problems in the long run. Because like Vox said prior, no pass means no entry and we'll never get inside without it."
"Then how do we get inside? None of us got a stupid pass,"She whined as she stomped her foot.
Seviathan narrowed his eyes before saying,"Perhaps there's another way…"
"Another way? Like what?" Charlie asked, sending her ex a skeptical glance.
"Well, I've been thinking-"
"Oh no…" Vaggie said,"We're doomed not we?"
"Vaggie, enough…" The Princess said,"Don't mock him. Give Seviathan a chance to explain his ideals. They might be useful…"
She rolled her eyes,"Ugh…Fine…"
Seviathan smirked smugly, soaking up the pride he felt at seeing his ex chastise her friend before him,"As I was saying before I was ever so rudely interrupted," Seviathan continued,"Those bastards will only left people inside if they have some sort of pass, meaning we'll have to obtain one."
"Where are you getting at with this?" Charlie asked skeptically,"I don't understand."
"It's really simple, Charlie. If we want to get inside we'll merely have to infiltrate our way inside the walls of this Kingdom. And the best way to do that, is to pose as those traders in order to get through…"
"That…that idea isn't half bad…" Charlie admitted she was a tad shocked Seviathan could come up with such an alright idea.
Usually Helsa was the brains of the twins while he was the brawns yet it appeared he had grown a bit of intelligence since she had last seen him….
"Hate to burst your bubbles, Seviathan, but there's just one tiny little problem with that…'' Vox said,''Not only do we NOT have any way to disguise ourselves but that still doesn't answer where we're going to GET the pass in the first place…"
"Well, there are traders, aren't there?" Niffty mentioned,"A Kingdom as large as this no doubt has loads of deliveries. If we catch one of those carts, we might be able to disguise ourselves and infiltrate inside just like Seviathan said…"
"And where exactly ARE we going to find those traders?Are they going to appear out of thin air or something? Fall out of the sky perhaps? Wish for it upon a star maybe?" Vox asked flatly.
"Of course not," Al laughed,"That's just silly my dear pompous rival, oh no, we'll be finding the truck ourselves."
"Oh yeah? And how exactly are we going to do that, Bambi?"
"Are you forgetting who you're talking to? You do know I can sense ground within the general area, don't you? It wouldn't take much for us to find other people. So long as you follow my lead, we'll find what we're looking for in no time…"
"Are you seriously expecting everyone to follow your lead without question?"
"I haven't steered us wrong yet, have I?" Al inquired,"Until I do, I believe it's best for you to remain silent, Vox. You are the last person to criticize me about having faulty senses given your past outbursts prior…"
He snarled,"That's different and you know it…"
"Sure it is…"
"Vox, Alastor" Charlie said,"No fighting. This is not what we're here for. Especially you, Vox…you promised me you wouldn't get into fights and I hope you intend on keeping your word…"
"But he…Ugh…nevermind. Let's just get this over with. Just don't be surprised if he somehow gets us all stranded into a ditch somewhere…"
"I'll take our chance, Al hasn't failed us yet so we should have some faith in him," Charlie eased,"I understand you two don't like each other but there's no need to be so harsh towards one another. We're all a team and this fighting helps no one.."
"Fine…"
"As you wish, Charlie…"
A group of traders wandered through the forest on a cleared pathway, traveling on horseback They had been traveling to deliver the goods to the Kingdom of Pride, though this time they were coming a tad later than usual due to the sheer size of the package that had been purchased and it required several people just to get it all on the large cart that rolled across the ground.
They wore lavish outfits with the sigil of Gluttony on the left side of their bosoms.
Two men were stationed in front of the cart, one seemed on the verge of falling asleep while the other looked slightly bored. They looked like they had been traveling for a while and seemed eager to deliver the package and continue on with their lives.
"Alex…how long until we arrive at our destination?"
There was a moment of silence before he said,"Probably another fifteen minutes, why?"
"Because I'm tired, that's why."
"Just about everyone is. You'll live, Derek. We're almost there and I'm certain the others are just as tired as you are. It's just a little further so try to hang on tight now, will you? We've been doing this for decades, don't let your sleepiness get in the way of our jobs."
"I'll try…"
Meanwhile, the others watched from the bushes,crouching down to remain hidden as they peered their heads over. Vox then whispered,"Looks like we've found what we were looking for. Only problem appears to be our unwanted guests guarding the merchandise."
"Should we attack them?" Velvet asked.
"And risk damaging the cart?" Charlie retorted,"Not a chance. We can't rush in there, Velvet. I understand the temptation but we can't risk it. We need to do this in a far quieter and less noticeable manner if we want everything to remain intact…"
"Ugh, that sounds so boring. I just wanna wreck something," She pouted.
"Save your destructive tendencies for later please," Charlie urged,"Right now is not the time for it…"
"Hate to cut into the conversation, but I do believe we should do something before they leave,"Al said,"It's only a matter of time before they make it to the gates. We have to stop them. Though how we do that is a bit of mystery. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get that cart into our hands?"
"Hmm…How about a sneak attack?" Niffty suggested,"That sounds like a good plan doesn't it?"
"But we'll need something to distract them with," Husk mentioned,"A good sneak attack always has some sort of diversion in place to prevent the enemies from noticing until it's too late…"
"Speaking from experience, Husker?"
"Would rather not talk about it, but yes…"
"Well in that case…perhaps someone needs to go out there and distract them.."
"Do you think any of US are going out there?" Vaggie snarled,"You're fucking insane…"
"Ha! Tell me something I don't know, darling!"
"Guys, focus…This isn't the time for this type of bickering! We need to create a diversion of some kind in order to secure the cart!"
Vox then said,"Uh, Charles, I don't believe that'll be necessary."
"And why not?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because while you guys were bickering, Angel Dust decided to do the deed himself…"
"He what!?" Charlie's jaw dropped when she saw Angel Dust approaching the men in horror. Concern flooded through her body as she attempted to rush after him only for Vaggie to grab her,"Vaggie what are you mpph!-"
Vaggie covered her mouth,"Quiet! Don't pursue him, he's made his choice. We need to see how this plays out…"
Charlie was forced to watch from afar, terrified for her friend's life as he approached the band of men.
"Yoo-hoo!" Angel called out with a friendly wave,"Over here handsome fellas!"
"Who are you and what are you doing out here? You do know that locals are not allowed to leave the Kingdom of Pride without permission, right?"
"Oh well, ya see, I lost track of time and I forgot my pass!" Angel said,"I dunno where I put it and I've been looking for ages! Could you fine gentlemen lend a hand and give a fella a ride inside? I'll make it worth your while…"
"Sorry sir, but we're not allowed to bring extra baggage on our journey. Perhaps we can let the guards know you lost your pass but that's all we can do for you…"
"Oh don't be like that, babe…" Angel teased,"I've got a few nice surprises for ya if you let me ride that cart of yours. I promise I can make you and all your men inside that cart 'very' happy if ya do me this favor. I know a few tricks with my tongue that'll feel really good if you know what I mean…"
Derek seemed to pipe up at this,"Oh…Alex, I think we should think about this…"
"Derek, all of us have wives! I've got a kid on the way for Lucifer's sake!"
"They won't know..besides, it's been a while since we've got some action. Even if it's from an effeminate man with ram horns. It wouldn't hurt to indulge ourselves, we won't be back home for a while now so what's the harm?"
Angel snickered as he approached them,"Don't keep me waiting baby. You know what they say, the more the merrier~"
"Alex…come on…the others will love this…"
"Ugh…fine…" he groaned before shouting,"Guys! We're making an early stop! There's a guy out here who wants to provide us some fun in exchange for a ride…"
A group of thirty other men jumped out of the back of the vehicle with swords in their belt buckle and dressed in the same robes like the riders were. The moment they saw Angel Dust they all seemed eager and surrounded him in a circle and one tried to grab him only for Angel to push back.
"Now now, gents, no need to be so handsy, there's plenty of me for all of ya," He assured,"I know everyone wants a piece of me but ya gotta be patient. Haven't even got my clothes off and you're all going crazy for me…."
"We're tired of waiting, pretty 't tell me you've gotten all shy on us have you? We promise we'll be gentle….."
Having enough of this, Charlie suddenly jumped forward from a treetop and landed in front of Angel with her sword withdrawn. Angel's eyes widened as she pulled him behind him protectively.
"Stay behind me, Angel…"
"Charles, what are you doing?"
"Protecting you, what else?"
He snorted,"I'm flattered you care about my safety but I don't think I'm the one in need of protection. I was doing just fine before you intervened."
"Doesn't mean you couldn't use some extra help. You've done your part…"
Alex hissed,"This was a trap! Everyone, get your weapons out!" He order was followed through with as the other men got out their weapons and pulled them out at Charlie and Angel,"We have you surrounded. Your little plan had us fooled for a while but now that you've revealed yourself we now have you cornered. Surrender now and we'll be merciful and grant you a swift death…"
"We won't be the ones surrendering," Charlie retorted,"Because you've fallen right into our trap. I suggest you all surrender right now…"
"Oh yeah?" He chuckled mockingly,"You and what army kid?"
"This army," Al called out before sending a rock at one of the soldiers and knocking them down,"Come on everyone, let's show these bastards what for."
Just like that, the others began jumping out from the bushes and engaging in their own battles.
Angel snickered,"Oh well, looks like the fights are starting!Time to join in one the fun! Hey bitches, if you want a piece of me then you better come and get it!"
Some attempted to charge at Angel Dust however they didn't get far when he used the vines to advantage, swinging them around a few times against the ground in a rather humorous manner.
One tried to sneak up on him from behind and Angel froze up, preparing for the worst until Charlie whacked him over the head with the blunt part of her sword.
"Thanks for the save, Charlie…Not that I ended your help or anything, Would have dealt with the guy on my own pro bono."
"Sure you would have…" Charlie retorted,"Try and learn to watch your back, Angel. You can't keep taking these sorts of risks.."
"Can I make it up to ya by showing the rest of these bozo's what for?" Angel asked.
"As long as no one dies and I'm a part of it, I don't see the problem…"
"Then it's all fine by me, handsome,"The two fought back to back and began to deal with the rest of the men surrounding them, fighting with their powers or lack thereof with smiles on their faces.
In the mean-time, Velvet approached two of the guys with a cocky grin, dodging their attacks before vanishing in thin air.
"What the? Where'd she go?"
"I don't know! It's like she just disappeared!"
One suddenly felt themselves get hit on the back of the head and hissed,"What was that for!?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what you did, you bastard! You hit me!" He snarled before hitting the other man in the face.
"I didn't do squat! You're insane!" The other snapped before attempting to attack his comrade.
Velvet snickered the display, reverting back to her normal form as she saw them bicker, a tear developing inside of her eye"Pfft! The good old invisible trick always works. Being connected to ghosts sure does have its perks…"
"Velvet!" Vox growled,"What the fuck are you doing!? You're supposed to beat them up!"
"Yeah…but it's funnier to see them beat up each other…" She admitted.
"Quit messing around! We don't have time for this!"
As Vox was saying this, a man began to sneak up behind him with his sword raised, preparing
"VOX! BEHIND-"
She couldn't even finish because the moment she opened her mouth, Vox's eyes glowed a frightening green as he grabbed the man by his throat and sent an electric current through his body without even bothering to look behind him.
The electricity in his hands surged with demonic energy as a twisted grin grew on his face, relishing in the pain and agony in his screams, wanting to hear more of his pain, every drop of it even…
"Kill him."
"Make him scream louder."
"You know you want to see him suffer…"
The voices in his head…they made the prospect sound so tempting. He knew it was wrong, that he shouldn't listen but that greedy and crazed part of him was tempting to electrocute him until death. All it would take was an increase in voltage and he'd be nothing more than a charred corpse…
"Vox!" Velvet shouted,"Snap outta it! We're not supposed to kill these guys!"
"And why not? Why shouldn't I kill him, Velvet?" He asked, his voice threatening to distort somewhat as he sent her an irritated glare that threatened to tear into her soul.
"Because, Charlie said we shouldn't' cause damage to the cargo and if you kill him, you could potentially start a fire unleashing your full power…"
Vox fell silent before begrudgingly sighing,"Hmph..suit yourself. I suppose that makes logical sense. As much as I hate to spare this cretin's life, I suppose drawing attention to ourselves wouldn't be in our best interest."
Vox dropped him to the floor, the man having fallen unconscious and still breathing, albeit just barely and sustaining serious damage to his body. Vox then calmed himself down, his eyes renting their normal color as he rubbed his forehead and mumbled a curse in irritation,"Stupid fucking voices…"
"Uh..Vox?"
"He'll live…" He dismissed,"Come on, let's focus on helping the others with their battles. There are still people out there and we should help out the others given there are more of those fuckers than there are of us…"
"Fair enough…"
However, not everyone was doing so well…
"Argh!" Husk growled as one of them slammed his head into the ground. There were too many of them and he could hardly focus on what was happening as they were kicking him and forcing his head into the dirt, one of them yanking on his hair roughly.
"Not so tough are you now, old geezer?" One mocked,"Does it hurt not being able to stand up? Do you need a cane?"
"Shut up…"
"Oh I don't believe you're in the option to make demands of us. Boy would I love to see you hang along with the rest of your friends. Say, maybe if you cry we'll go easy on you! Come on, cry for us! I wanna see tears!
"Fuck you!" He spat.
"Why you little-Ack!" The one on top of him screamed when he got him in the head with a rock, knocking him down. Husk took that opportunity to shove him off of him, gasping in surprise when he saw the other men being made quick work of.
He turned and saw Alastor was dealing with all of the bastards who were beating him up and for once, felt a relief course through him.
"Need a hand, Husker?"
"Don't waste your breath," He growled before reluctantly accepting Alastor's hand,"Never thought I'd be glad to see you around here."
"The battles may be spread about but that doesn't stop anyone from interfering one way or another,"Al pointed out,"Besides, I could sense you were in need of a hand…"
Husk stammered out a small,"Thanks…I guess…" He then heard the guy who had been threatening him groan in agony and he kicked him several times in the back as he screamed in agony,"Hey! No one said you could get back up asshole!"
"My…you seem quite vengeful today…"
"Being ganged up on does that to you," Husk huffed,"So…are there any more skulls in need of a good bashing because I'm a little riled up if you couldn't tell."
"Oh, should've said that a tad sooner," Al mentioned,"You see, Niffty and I already made work of a fair few of our band of troublemakers."
Husk's attention then turned to the pile of unconscious bodies nearby and saw Niffty carrying two men over her back with several shards inside of their bodies as she tossed them in the pile and dusted off her hands.
"All done, Al! I got them all in a pile just like you asked!"
"Do you have room for another?" Husk asked as he took the one that was at his feet over his back.
She giggled,"Of course! Add as many as you want!"
"Hey guys?" Vaggie asked, their attention turning to her,"I noticed you had a little pile going on and I was wondering if you could lend a hand? I've got some extra baggage and I'd love some assistance…"
Husk and Niffty's eyes widened when they saw the pile of men knocked unconscious beyond Vaggie.
"Damn,"He said,"You defeated all of them? Without backup?"
"It didn't take much,"She admitted,"All I had to do was surround the general area we were in with smoke and wait for them to fall unconscious due to smoke inhalation. They went out like lights after that."
"Smart move on your part,"Husk said,"I would've thought you'd do worse to them."
"If i didn't want to start a forest fire I would've done so…" She said,``Now come on, let's put all of these fools in a pile."
They all began putting them all in an organized pile on the ground. The others took notice of this and grabbed their own unconscious enemies and put them in the pile as well.
"Alright, we won!" Angel exclaimed,"Take that suckers! You outnumbered us and ya still couldn't get us! Y'all are a bunch of losers!"
"You know they can't hear you right?" Vox asked flatly,"They're fucking unconscious you idiot…"
"I know, doesn't mean I can't boat, Vox.." He retorted,"Sheesh, you like killing the fun in the room don't you?"
"Whatever…"
"So what do we do now?" Velvet asked,"We beat 'em up and the carriage is ours for the attacking. Does that mean we can go now?"
"Not yet,"Charlie said,"We can't go…not while we're dressed like this?"
"What's wrong with the way we're dressed again?" Husk asked,"I don't see anything wrong with it."
"Neither do I…"
"Of course you don't. You can't see,"Vox snickered,"You're fucking blind, Bambi."
Alastor scoffed,"I'm aware of my lack of sight, Vox. Do not rub it in. I doubt you look that much better yourself."
"I know I looked better than you even before we fell into this wretched world that's for sure."
"A lie you tell yourself to sleep at night…"
"Will you two quit it with this childish bickering?" Husk growled,"You two are grown men in your fucking thirties and you argue like little kids. It's getting old and none of us want to hear that shit."
"He started it."
"I couldn't give a fuck about who started it, Al. Knock it off, Upon hearing Vox chuckle Husk then said,"You too, TV. You're not off the hook either so quit snickering."
"Hmph. Whatever."
"Charlie, what's wrong with what we're currently wearing?" Vaggie asked,"I didn't get the chance to hear what you were saying since a certain two people couldn't keep their rivalry under control…"
"We could get recognized if we got like this. Especially given the guards are no doubt used to seeing these guys. If we walk in dressed where we are, we'll get caught and they'll send reinforcements to deal with us."
"That is a fair point…" Al stated,"Though where exactly are we going to get a change of clothes? It's not like we can go to the nearest clothing store and buy some all the way out here now can we?"
Angel then looked at the unconscious men before smirking,"Who needs a clothing store when you've got a full stock of clothes right here?"
"Angel…are you sure about that? It feels…wrong to steal the clothes off someone's back…"
"Charlie, Charlie, I understand your…moral code is a bit on the righteous side but I do think you gotta realize we have to be flexible with these sorts of things. Especially considering we only need like eight given the sirens don't need clothes. Sucks for those we gotta take the clothes from but it's better for them than us."
"I suppose you're right.." She sighed,"Alright, everyone, you know what to do. Just be sure to be conscious of your size and pick the best fit."
Everyone nodded and quickly got to work and picked outfits and changed. Charlie had personally requested to change in solitude and declined on Angel's invite to change rest with the rest of the guys for fairly obvious reasons, using the excuse that she was shy as a way to avoid revealing her true gender to the rest of the group.
When everyone was done, it became quite clear that the clothes they were wearing weren't exactly their style,Vox looking down before saying,"What the actual fuck are we wearing?"
"Garbage,"Husk said flatly,"That's what…"
Angel made a face,"Brown and beige ain't my color. The outfit ain't bad but the colors are bleh. I wouldn't be caught dead in this shit…"
Velvet narrowed her eyes as she tugged on her outfit,"Vox, does this make my butt look big?"
"Vel, not now…"
"Darling, I swear this isn't the right size for me. It's too big around my waist…" Al complained,"And do we have to wear this around my head? It feels uncomfortable…"
"That's how it's supposed to be..I think.." Niffty replied,"Just try and ignore . We'll get rid of the outfit once we get inside…"
Vaggie had her hands on her hips as she tucked most of her hair under the head wear she had acquired,"I cannot believe this is what they wear on a daily basis. This looks utterly ridiculous…"
"Yeah, this is definitely not our best look," Charlie admitted,"Still, at least we got what we needed. Now all we have to do is get the carriage and head inside…"
"Hate to burst your bubbles, Charles, but…." Angel then pointed at the unconscious men,"What about them? Do we just leave them here or what?"
"Can we just throw them off a cliff?"Vox asked,"They are no use to us and if we leave them like this they'll only cause us trouble…"
"Vox, we can't just kill people because they inconvenience us!" Charlie hissed,"But you are right…we need to do something about them. The question is what…"
Angel scratched his chin before smiling,"I think I've got an idea…"
"What is it?" The former pron star leaned into Charlie's ear and Charlie's eyes widened.
"Oh….OH! That sounds like a great idea, Angel! Go right ahead!"
"Does anyone know what Charlie is letting him do?" Velvet asked.
"Beats me…" Niffty shrugged,"I say to not question it. It's probably not worth thinking about anyway."
Seviathan groaned, he and Helsa had been placed farther back in order to avoid being involved in the conflict since in Charlie's words they would 'get hurt' so to speak given they couldn't run around like the rest of them.
This wouldn't have been so bad had they not stuck them with the pets the group had acquired during their journey, leaving him and his sister to act as glorified pet-sitters and those pets were far more irritating than they were given credit for.
'I cannot believe my ex seriously left us to babysit these fucking animals…Damn horse already tried to nibble on my hair like it was a head of lettuce,' He growled to himself before asking,"What the fuck is taking them so long? It feels like it's been an eternity…"
Helsa merely nodded in, sticking her arm out of her wagon pathetically.
Wiggles nudged her hand gently as if to try and get her to play but Helsa brushed this off and continued to ignore the pig, too emotionally drained to play.
Not that he could blame her, most wouldn't have been happy being stripped of their voice, being unable to walk and having to rely on others to do things they wouldn't have thought of.
A pinch of guilt hit his side at this, even if it wasn't intentional, Helsa lost her voice because of him and it was hard to look at your other half while they can't speak and you could and the knowledge it was your fault did hit hard…
He was secretly wishing that this healing water, if it existed, still existed after all this time since it was likely his sister's only saving grace in this desolate world they found themselves in.
He was then snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps approaching. He and Helsa were relieved to see the others had finally returned, though they were a bit taken aback by their sudden change in clothing,especially with how…questionable the design was.
So Seviathan spoke for both him and his sister's sake by asking the question they both desired,"First of all, what took you so long!? Second of all,what in Lucifer's name are you all wearing?"
"Because we were fighting a group of thirty guys and they took a while to get down," Charlie informed,"Second of all, these were what we got off the backs of said guys once we defeated them. We needed disguises and while their tastes in fashion are questionable, we figured that they would do the trick."
"And what did you do with them? Don't tell me you let them run away now did you?"
"Of course not!" Charlie exclaimed,"We just let Angel Dust tie them up from trees and let them hang there. Not from an overly high height of course, just enough to keep them busy for a while…"
"Figures you were too soft to let them die," He grumbled, irritated at his ex's kind heart,"You never change, do you do you?"
"I..I..uh…don't know what you're talking about," She stammered, Seviathan rolling his eyes. He could see right through her, her act wasn't convincing and it bothered him to no end that she pretended they were strangers when they used to be much more…
"Sure you don't…" He sneered, giving her a glare that could've pierced through the toughest mountain imaginable. Charlie flinched at Seviathan's glare and looked away, she knew that look, Leviathan often gave her that look when they used to date and she hated to admit that glare intimidated her. It was the regal prince glare that was meant to strike fear into those around him and even Charlie felt it's effects.
Seviathan sent her those glares whenever she upset him for whatever reason and even after all these centuries, he could still make a part of her heart shiver with discomfort. It was like he could see through her very soul without batting an eye. He could see past her deception and it made her heart churn just thinking about it, knowing he was just dying to blurt out the truth to Angel right then and there. No doubt he was only keeping his mouth shut because of the inconvenient timing though she wasn't certain how long it would last...
"You OK Charles?" Angel asked, putting a hand on her shoulder with concern lacing his expression,"He ain't scaring you is he?"
"No…I was just…in thought that's all.."
"Don't get lost inside your mind, handsome. We still need you, you know and things wouldn't be the same if you started zoning out on us."
She blushed,"Angel…I don't think handsome is the word I'd be describing myself while I'm dressed like this…"
"Hey, it may be fug-ugly but I know you can make any outfit look good, Charles.." He said with a wink.
Seviathan groaned,"Good grief. Can we please move on? Aren't we supposed to go somewhere and not fool around?"
"He is right," Vox said,"Come on, Husk. Let's get the twins in the carriage…"
"Fine by me…"
Husk and Vox then carried the twins' respective wagons and hauled them up inside the carriage. There wasn't a lot of room inside the carriage as it was stuffed with crates and boxes so in order to compensate they decided to merely put Helsa and Seviathan and let them 'sit' on the boxes(or sit as much as their mermaid anatomy would allow given they didn't have proper legs).
"There we go…nice and comfortable," Vox said as he lowered Helsa down,"You alright?"
Helsa nodded and positioned herself in a comfortable position. The others sat in the truck with them while Charlie, Angel and Vaggie dealt with the horses. The carriage soon began to move and they could all feel the cart's wheels churning against the dirt road.
Vox sat next to Helsa, keeping a respectable distance but still remained somewhat close compared to the others. She slowly reached out to touch him and he allowed her to do so, relieved she wasn't terrified of him like she had been prior…
The heartwarming moment wasn't to last as Helsa's wandering eyes moved to his bandaged hand and she made a move to touch his hand. He flinched at the contact but remained still as she caressed his hand.
Her touch…was delicate yet icy cold…
Vox gasped when Helsa touched the part where the sigil and the ice siren found herself bombarded by an array of sensations.
She could hear whispers flooding into her ear, like a screaming well of garbled voices calling out for a response. They sounded malicious and she could feel the demonic presence within and her head was in great pain, like she was experiencing the most hellish migraine imaginable as evil laughter flooded into her ears.
She gasped and recoiled away from Vox, panting heavily as she stared at him in horror.
"Hey sis, are you alright?" Seviathan asked, noticing his sister's horrified reaction.
Helsa stared back at her brother and then at Vox who gave her a pleading look. She then nodded her head and Seviathan sent her a worried glance before choosing to drop the subject and tried to focus on the ride.
When Helsa looked back at Vox, he was already clutching his head and had pulled his hand away. Emotions flooded into his eyes that she had never seen on display like this, shame, embarrassment and misery…
He looked like he was trapped, and while she hadn't seen what was underneath the bandage, she had recognized that look from enough people to know what they had gotten into.
It was a common sight, she had seen her parents rope hopeless demons into making deals with them, to sell their souls in exchange for protection from the dangers of Hell itself and the promise of something more.
Of course they'd end up as enslaved servants, put at the mercy of a person who could end their life without batting an eye. Helsa usually found it amusing to see them suffer and found it funny when her parents threatening to torture someone who displeased them, knowing they couldn't do anything to improve their predicament.
The misery and suffering in their eyes always brought a smile to her face.
But something was different with Vox, perhaps her pity for him had grown a bit stronger than last time but she didn't find it funny that he had sold himself. She found it…sad…
All of Vox's odd behavior made sense now. Those under the influence of a Deadly Sin tended to react poorly whenever they tried to fight the control over them. Helsa felt foolish not seeing it sooner, the symptoms were all there yet they had dismissed it as Vox losing his mind.
She had seen it before in those who were enslaved to the whim of another demon, those who tried to fight it often were punished and had their mental state torn apart from the inside out, not granted a moment of rest until they submitted, being left nothing more but a mindless slave that obeyed orders on a whim.
It was designed to break the victim and make them subservient to the whims of others. He must've been resisting for so long and they had been unaware of his pain.
And there was only one person who she could think of who Vox could've made a deal with..and the thought made her stomach churn. Had he truly given his soul over to the greediest man alive? What for? What were his reasons?
Did he really care that much for her? That he'd trade his soul away? She wasn't certain but whatever the reason, she felt uneasy, knowing that as long as that sigil was on Vox's hand, it would put them all in danger.
Only time would tell before Mammon caught up with them, and she feared it would come sooner than she'd like to admit. As the ride continued, Helsa sunk back a little and turned away in an effort to focus on her inner thoughts.
Charlie, Vaggie and Angel approached the front gates with Bombproof(who they hooked up to the carriage with the rest of the horses and surprise surprise, he was the fastest one there). When they approached the gate, one of the guards said,"You're should've arrived some time ago. What took so long?"
Charlie stammered,"Um, we're new here sir, we got a little lost along the way. The other guys called in sick and had to tend to their wives and the boss decided to send us out in their stead."
"Figures as much,"He grumbled,"I cannot believe they sent a bunch of newbies for this job…"
"Hey!" Vaggie snapped,"Just because we're new doesn't mean we can't do the job!"
"Yeah,"Angel said,""We're more than capable of making a delivery. Just you wait! We'll show you what for!"
"I don't have time for this…" He groaned,"Look, just do your jobs and don't cause any trouble for us, alright? We've got enough problems in this Kingdom as it is and we don't want any newbies messing things up. You're already behind schedule so try not to make things worse than they already are."
Charlie nodded,"We'll do our best. By the way…here's our pass…" Charlie pulled out a pass from her suit and then handed it over to him before taking it back once he was done with it"Now if you excuse us, we'll be going on our merry way. Would you mind opening the gates for us?"
"Fine by me," He shrugged,"GERALD, OPEN THE GATE!"
"ON IT!"
The gates slowly began to rise and they were finally allowed inside. Charlie motioned for the carriage to step forward and stammered a small thank you as she did so. Once the guards were out of sight, Charlie let out a sigh of relief,"I cannot believe they bought that…"
"Those guys are so gullible,"Angel chuckled,"Can't believe all we had to do to infiltrate the place was find a disguise and lie our way through. Bastards barely even questioned us."
"Keep your voice down," Vaggie said,"We're not supposed to draw suspicion down here…"
"Whatever toots…" Angel teased,"Say, Charlie, now that we're inside the Kingdom of Pride, can I ask something?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Where exactly do these packages go? Because if we don't wanna look suspicious, we have to deliver these damn boxes…"
"I'll check," Charlie pulled out the pass only for her face to fall,"Oh no…"
"What? What's wrong?"
"We have to head to Lucifer's palace to restock the kitchen as a monthly delivery of baked goods…" Charlie cringed.
"Lucifer!?" Vaggie hissed in a panic,"You mean THAT Lucifer?"
The one and only…" Charlie sighed,"And in order for us to deliver the goods, that means we have to go into the lion's den. Just great, that's what we all wanted. Though, I wonder where his palace even is…"
Angel looked up, and pointed,"If I had to make a guess, it's probably that huge castle in the distance that towers above everything else in this world. You know what that means don't ya?"
"That we have to go there?"
"Precisely…" Angel muttered,"That's precisely what we have to do…Let's just try and play it cool. The moment we're out of there the faster we can make a run for it, right Charlie?
Charlie winced as a pit of nervousness,"Yeah…"
"Don't get all nervous on me, you're the strongest man I know and I know we can get through this. Don't let the Devil scare ya. If we play our cards right we'll be outta here in a jiffy. Now let's get going his royal highness starts getting pissed about his late delivery and takes it out on the world around us…"
Charlie nodded her head before recommending the horses to go further, following the paved path to the castle as uneasy thoughts entered her mind. She didn't want to see her father, let alone a different version of him so soon. The conflict that had started this mess was still fresh in her mind and the last thing she wanted was Lucifer spotting her...
Thanks for 8,233 views, feel free to tell me what you think and ask questions if you want down below! All support/criticism is appreciated!
Enigmus-288: Guess that means I'm doing my job as a writer then because people are supposed to be angry at how Mammon is towards Vox given he's being...a dick to put it lightly.
Lucifer is an asshole, no surprise there. He's the Devil..literally.