Grail of Sin Chapter 12
Fun and games.
Angel Dust arrived at the front door to Valentino's porn studio, on time as always. He stood there for as long as he could as he stared at the entrance, rubbing the back of his hands nervously as he did. Once he had mustered all his courage, he proceeded inside.
He found the studio to be engulfed by an eerie silence, despite several studio staff attending to their tasks. As he made his way towards the set, he noticed the staff direct strange looks at him before turning away, pretending to mind their own business.
"Shit, this must be the quiet before the storm." Angel Dust thought to himself as he reached the empty set.
"Hey, Angel, the boss wants you in his office. Pronto!" a voice called out to him from behind.
Angel Dust turned around to see the short prop master walking up to him.
"H…Hey, Ron." Angel Dust said. "How are ya' doi—"
As Angel Dust spoke, Ron pulled him closer as soon as he was within reach.
"Angel, you have to be very careful not to upset him today. Under any circumstance." Ron said. "Just do what he says, if you know what is good for you."
"R…Right." Angel Dust said.
"He already took out most of his anger on red and blue with his new iron, so you should be in the clear, unless you piss him off…" Ron said.
Angel Dust stood motionless, the concern on his face was plain to see.
"Now get a move on, we don't have all day." Ron said as he shoved Angel Dust towards the office door.
Angel Dust slowly walked to the office door and placed his hand on the door knob. He paused abruptly, feeling a sudden surge of dizziness as a drop of sweat made its way down the side of his face. Despite this, he found the courage to press on and entered.
Inside, he found Valentino sitting in his office chair, pointing away from the door. To the sides of the room, he saw two faces that he did not recognize. Two muscular sinners stood idly, the replacements for 'Red' and 'Blue', Angel Dust figured.
"Aaaaah, Angie baby. About time you showed up." Valentino said as he turned his chair to face Angel Dust." Sit, darling, sit. Don't be afraid. We have a long day ahead of us so we need to get cracking. Here's the script for your shoot later today. Give it a quick skim and let me know what you think."
Angel Dust sat down and picked up the script without uttering a peep.
"Housewife's revenge." Angel Dust said as he read the cover title and opened it. "I get kidnapped by a housewife, who's husband I had previously fucked…" Angel Dust skims through. "She takes me to her sex dungeon, sodomizes me with a giant pink dildo while pouring hot wax on my back…forces me to do oral on her…husband comes to my rescue…turns into a threesome…suck husband's dick while the wife pounds my ass with a strap on…yada yada yada."
Angel Dust closed the script, having read the important details. "Wow, this is surprisingly…vanilla." he thought to himself.
"R…Right, we can do this. No problem." Angel Dust said.
"Wonderful!" Valentino said as he stood up abruptly, frightening Angel Dust. "Let's get a move on my little chico perra. Time is money as they say."
Valentino made his way to the office door as Angel Dust stood up as well.
"Phew, what a relief." Angel Dust said as he followed Valentino. "I thought you would be angry at me for what happened with Charlie the other day."
Valentino suddenly stopped in his tracks. Angel Dust looked on in fear, realizing that he said too much.
"Angry? Oh, I am not angry. I…am…furious! " Valentino growled as he stood at the door, breathing audibly. "But…not at you."
Valentino quickly spun around with a fake smile and slowly walked up to Angel Dust, menacingly staring him down.
"Angel, sweety. If she EVER returns to this studio…I…I don't know what I might do." Valentino said as he slowly pulled out his new pistol and held it close to Angel Dust's face.
Angel Dust recoiled in fear at the sight of it. The gun was a long barreled magnum pistol made of angelic steel. It was completely white save for the gold trimmings and a red splotch on the side that Angel Dust could swear was dried blood.
Valentino noticed the smudge as well, causing him to smile. He gently rubbed the gun on the side of Angel Dust's face, wiping the gun clean.
"Do you understand Angel? I don't ever want to see the princess or her dogs in my studio ever again or I promise you the spilled blood will be on your hands."
"I…I understand…Val." Angel Dust said reluctantly.
"Good boy." Valentino said as he grabbed Angel Dust from the back of his neck and kissed him on the lips. He then shoved Angel Dust onto the ground in an apparent display of dominance. "Lets go chico. The scene ain't going to shoot itself…"
Husk and Vaggie sat at the bar as they watched Charlie pace rapidly around the lobby with a demeanor that exhibited great concern.
"Charlie, don't worry. They're not going to do anything to Angel." Vaggie said. "They know you want him and are willing to pay a king's ransom for his freedom."
"No, they could still hurt him. They could abuse him, physically or mentally." Charlie said, the concern in her voice was noticeable. "They-they-they could torture him and then intimidate him into keeping it secret from us or something!"
"No way could they keep Angel silent." Husk said. "He is too much of a blabber mouth."
"They must know that if they did anything to him, we would lay waste to that studio and everyone in it." Vaggie said confidently. "Your father, Zefriel and me would be more than enough. They will not risk it."
Charlie's phone lay on the bar counter as it began to ring. Charlie darted to pick it up but slipped and crashed on the floor. She quickly scrambled on all fours as she rushed to answer the phone.
"Hello? Angel? Are you alright? Did they hurt you in ANY way?" Charlie fired a barrage of questions before hearing a single word from the other side.
"No, I'm fine, don't worry." Angel Dust said as he lay on the bed at the studio. "We are taking a five minute break, though I should call you. You know, Incase you were worried about me."
Angel Dust leaned away from his phone as he grunted, extracting a pink dildo from his anus and tossing it into the 'Sex stuff' box.
"Angel, of course I was worried sick!" Charlie said " I was pacing all morning, thinking about the horrible things they could have done to you!"
"Thanks Charlie, but you don't have to worry about me. I mostly had the usual." He said as he pulled up his shorts.
"I'm sooo relieved!" Charlie said. "M…Maybe Valentino is being reasonable about the whole meeting…fiasco. Maybe I can set up another appointment. I will ask dad for more soul and meet him on my own and—"
"Charlie!" Angel Dust interrupted. "Charlie, please listen to me. Never ever return to this studio or send anyone else."
"But why? We—." Charlie said. "Wait, you said 'mostly had the usual'. What did he do to you?"
"Charlie, it's fine. Just ple—" Angel dust tried to say.
"No, Angel, what did he do to you?!" Charlie insisted.
The line was silent for a moment before Angel Dust spoke again. "He threatened me with a new angelic steel gun. But it's no big deal, he didn't do anything else."
Charlie stood in stunned silence for a moment, before speaking. "Angel w…we can protect you and—" Charlie said with a shaky voice.
"No, Charlie, I don't need protection. I'm not afraid for myself anymore. I'm afraid of what he might do to one of you. He isn't stable when he is angry and can hold a grudge, forever." Angel Dust said. "Please, Charlie, promise me that you will not come back to this studio!"
Charlie stood in silence, considering her options with sadness in her eyes.
"Charlie, please promise me." Angel Dust repeated.
"I…I promise. Angel, I promise I will not go to the studio again." Charlie said as a worried Vaggie and Husk looked on.
"Thanks Charlie, that's a huge weight off my shoulders." Angel Dust said. "Shit, break is over. I have to get back to work. I will talk to you laters'."
"Laters'…" Charlie said sadly as she pocketed her phone.
Charlie rubbed her face, wiping away the tears that were forming. "We have to free him before something terrible happens."
"We will find a way Charlie, don't worry." Vaggie said as she placed her hand on Charlie's shoulder.
At that moment, the hotel doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Charlie said as she walked towards the door.
She stopped in front of the door and practiced her smile a few times before she opened the door, attempting to hide her sour mood. "Hello there. Welcome to Hazbin Hotel." She said with a warm smile.
A short Imp was standing at the door, wearing a green jester costume that seemed rather cheap and flimsy.
"Greetings, your highness. Lord Mammon asked me to deliver this." The Imp said as he handed over an envelope to Charlie.
She opened the envelope to reveal a letter.
"Sup my sweet pea! Sorry about what happened yesterday. I got so caught up with that asshole of an archangel that I didn't get a chance to invite you, and your friends, to the grand reopening of Loo Loo land. 8pm this evening. See you then!"
"Oh, come on!" Charlie yelled in frustration.
"What is it?" Vaggie asked as she approached.
"Uncle Mammon is inviting us to his theme park tonight." Charlie said. "Ugh, I really don't feel like going at a time like this."
"Maybe it's the perfect time to go." Husk said as he approached as well. "You really need a night off."
"Yeah. Might also be a great time to properly thank him for the gift." Vaggie said. "Maybe you can even ask him if he might know something that could help us?"
"Hmmm, I guess you are right. It might be worth a shot." Charlie said.
"Isn't 'Loo Loo' land in the greed ring?" Husk asked.
"Yeah, If we go, I will only be able to take Vaggie and Zefriel." Charlie said as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, Husk."
"Hey, don't worry about it. I have stuff I need to get done anyway. You make sure to have a good time princess." Husk said with a smile.
"Ahem." The imp said, diverting their attention. His palm was outstretched as he expected some sort of gratuity.
Husk and Vaggie stared at him with bored expressions before slamming the door in his face.
Charlie, Vaggie and Zefriel exited the limousine at the entrance of a lavish building that housed elevator 666. It served as the primary means of passenger transportation between the various rings of hell. Zefriel was surprised to find the building lavish and well maintained. It had golden walls that were ornate in all manner of precious jewels.
"Here we are. Elevator 666. "Charlie said as she walked up to a board that was displaying the current travel schedule. "Great, we are just in time! There is a direct elevator leaving for the greed ring in ten minutes!"
"So…if I understand correctly, no sinners are allowed in the lower rings of hell?" Zefriel asked.
"That's right." Vaggie said. "Since we are technically angels and not sinners, the rules don't apply to us."
"I see. But why are sinners not allowed further down? Does the same apply to overlords?" Zefriel asked.
"It applies to all sinners." Charlie said. "The reason why it's set up like this is to protect the native born populations from sinners."
"Protect demons from sinners?" Zefriel asked.
"Well, yes." Charlie continued. "Remember, sinners are immortal and in addition to that they can grow considerably in power. These powerful sinners we refer to as overlords and they tend to get into very destructive turf wars with other overlords. To maintain a semblance of peace and stability in Hell, they were banned from the other rings of Hell."
"Interesting." Zefriel said.
"Elevator 666, departing for 'greed', in 5 minutes." came a voice from the speakers.
The trio entered the waiting elevator. The girls made themselves comfortable, sitting on the available seats, while Zefriel stood and inspected his surroundings. Much to his surprise, he found the elevator to be very spacious, giving room for hundreds of passengers to ride at a time.
In this particular instance, it was barely half full. Amongst those that were riding with them, he could make out Imps, Hell hounds and even some succubi and incubi amongst the passengers.
"How long will this take?" Zefriel asked
"To the greed ring? About half an hour." Charlie said. "Different rings would naturally take different amounts of time."
The doors closed and the elevator began its journey downwards.
The trio remained in awkward silence for several minutes before Charlie spoke. "Oh, I know. How about we ask and answer silly questions to pass the time while we wait."
"You want to play 'A hundred silly questions'?" Vaggie asked with a smile. "Alright, you go first."
"Ok…so." Charlie said as she began to think profusely. "Aha! Ok Vaggie, what's the funniest Wi-Fi name you've seen?"
"Hmmm. Funniest Wi-Fi name that I have ever seen?" Vaggie asked pensively. "I think that would be 'Tellmywifiloveher'"
"Hahahah. That's a good one." Charlie said with a laugh as she clapped her hands. "Zef? What about you?"
Zefriel did not answer, his attention seeming to be fully focused on something.
"Zef?" Charlie asked again as she followed his gaze.
She saw that Zefriel was observing a family of Imps, sitting across the elevator. The father seemed to be reading his newspaper while the mother was playing with her baby lying in its stroller. Two other young Imp boys were running around, kicking a ball between themselves.
"They look so…human." Zefriel said as he looked at the family. "Despite knowing their physiology inside and out, I have never seen their children. Or their behavior in their natural habitat."
"Zefriel, Hell is full of people just trying to live their lives, day to day." Charlie said. "Even more so in the lower levels. While demons profess their loyalty to my father and the kingdom of Hell, that shouldn't hide the fact that demons can be just…people. Good and bad."
Zefriel was silent for a moment before he spoke. "I am not entirely convinced. I have encountered thousands of Imps on Earth over the centuries. I have always found them to be sadistic and vicious when they had the upper hand while cowardly and without honor when their doom approached."
Charlie was taken aback by the comment, unsure of how to respond.
"Reminds me of a certain bunch of Angels." Vaggie said as she looked up, kicking her feet. "The hardest truth that I've ever learned is that there are good and bad people on both sides of this…conflict."
Zefriel was silent, looking at the ground, seeming to ponder Vaggie's words.
Suddenly the kickball flew towards Zefriel at high speed. Without even looking he grabbed it with his hand just as it was about to strike him on the side of his face. The impact didn't even cause him to blink, seeming to still ponder what Vaggie had pointed out.
The two Imp children ran to him to claim their ball. "Hey, mister. Nice catch. Could we have our ball back?"
Zefriel stared at the children with a blank expression as Charlie and Vaggie observed him, slightly concerned.
"Z...Zef? Give them the ball, please." Charlie said.
"R…Right." Zefriel said as her voice seemed to snap him out of some sort of trance. "Here. And stay out of trouble." Zefriel gently tossed the ball to one of the Imp children who grabbed it with a smile.
"Thanks mister." The boy said as he ran off.
"Yeah, and great human disguise." the other boy said as he followed his brother.
"Human disguise, huh?" Zefriel said. "That explains why there were few reactions to my presence."
"People in Hell, generally don't ask questions." Vaggie said. "When everyone sticks out, no one really does."
"Yep." Charlie said in agreement. "So, Zef. Back to the question. What is—"
"IthurtswhenIP" Zefriel replied with a smile.
Charlie and Vaggie giggled at the answer.
"That was a good one." Charlie said. "Ok, Vaggie. It's your turn to ask a question."
"Hmm, I don't really have any silly questions in mind." Vaggie said "But what about this? You are both a couple of centuries old—"
"Wow Vaggie, seriously. Never mention a girl's age." Charlie said, her cheeks rosier than usual out of embarrassment.
"Oh come on. You don't look a day over 20." Vaggie said as she got closer and kissed Charlie on the cheek.
"I workout." Charlie said quietly with a satisfied smile at the kiss.
"Back to the question. What is the greatest invention that you have ever seen?" Vaggie asked. "Charlie you go first."
"Oh! When I was young, my father got me a wind up music box for my 7th birthday." Charlie said as she clasped her hands together with a smile. " When you opened it, a small mechanical princess and her prince would dance a waltz to the tune of the music. It mesmerized me every time I used it as it didn't use any magic to work, only mechanical ingenuity. Sadly however, I dropped it a few years later and it hasn't worked ever since."
Charlie seemed to be saddened by the memory of her music box for a moment but quickly regained her composure. "What about you Mr 'Ihavelivedfor900years'?" she asked.
Zefriel looked at the girls with a smile on his face and uttered two words "Toilet paper."
"Really? That's it? Toilet paper?" Vaggie laughed.
"Yeah. Before it was invented, life was pretty shitty." Zefriel replied.
The girls facepalmed and laughed.
The trio arrived at the gates of Loo Loo land, late in the afternoon. There seemed to be thousands of imps gathered in front of the main gate, clamoring to get in, with hundreds of reporters televising the event.
Despite their numbers, the imps were successfully held at bay by a legion of hellhound guards blocking the entrance. The grand reopening was a closed event.
Mammon stood, grinning behind his guards and, despite the distance, had no trouble spotting Charlie and her friends' approach. He quickly transformed into his spider form and walked towards her, narrowly missing the imps who quickly moved out of the way to avoid being crushed under his heavy spider legs.
"Charlie, darling! I'm so glad you made it!" Mammon said as he approached her, seeming to completely ignore Vaggie and Zefriel.
"Uncle…so good to see you again so soon..." Charlie said as he picked her up and gave her a tight hug.
Charlie gave a very awkward smile as he held her next to him. This gave the reporters time to take ample pictures of them together, the flash photography almost blinding Charlie.
"Alright, enough of this. Let's get you inside." Mammon said as he carried Charlie to the gate like a toddler. "Come with me to the new and improved Loo Loo land! The place where magic will happen, with all new rides! New games! And a whole new circus at its heart!" he yelled, making sure all the imps heard his proclamation.
Mammon signaled to the guards to move out of the way as he placed Charlie back down and returned to his normal form.
He gestured for her to enter, just as Vaggie and Zefriel pushed their way through the crowd of Imps, rejoining Charlie.
"I see you brought your 'babe' of a girlfriend, which is great! But, you also brought him along, which is not great." Mammon said as eyed Zefriel with narrowed eyes.
Zefriel looked away, whistling nonchalantly.
"Zefriel was assigned by Heaven to protect me, so wherever I go, he has to follow." Charlie said. "Besides, this might be a great opportunity for the two of you to make peace and enjoy the evening together!"
"Peace? Yeah, right…" Mammon said with an unamused expression. "Archangels are nothing but trouble."
"Only to assholes." Zefriel whispered under his breath as Vaggie elbowed him to behave.
As the trio entered the park, the Hellhounds behind them closed ranks, once more forming a barrier.
As Zefriel walked past Mammon, the archdemon bared his teeth at him with a literal growl.
"Wow, down boy. I still haven't done anything." Zefriel said with a grin.
"That's it!" Mammon yelled. "Time for round two!"
"Wait!" Charlie yelled as she ran to Zefriel. She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him to the side as an angry Mammon watched. Charlie clasped both of Zefriel's hands as she held them between hers. "Zefriel, please promise me that you will not cause trouble tonight."
"Ooof, that is…a really tall ask." Zefriel said. "Could you define trouble?"
"No fighting, no sassy attitude, no provoking, no shapeshifting." Charlie listed. "Please, let's just have a good, fun night. I really need to unwind a bit."
"A…Alright. Fine." Zefriel said, unable to resist Charlie's plea.
Zefriel took a deep breath and walked towards Mammon. "Archdemon Mammon, please accept my humble apologies for my behavior." Zefriel said as he bowed courtly. "For the sake of the lovely princess Charlie, let us bury the hatchet for the evening. She has been working diligently for the past month and deserves a peaceful evening to unwind."
"Oh…umm. Damn, didn't see this coming." Mammon said. He pondered the proposition for a moment as he rubbed his chin. "Alright, what the hell. Apology accepted. We'll call it a truce, for tonight. For Charlie."
Charlie's eyes sparkled with joy at the display while Vaggie rolled her eye.
"Alright, Charlie. You go ahead inside while I finish out here. I will find you in about an hour. How does that sound?" Mammon said.
"Alright, uncle." Charlie said as she proceeded further into the park with Vaggie and Zefriel in tow.
As soon as Charlie and her friends were out of earshot, Mammon grabbed his phone. "Damn, bitch you were right as always. He's with her."
"Of course I was right. I am always right." Beelzebub said. She was located in a dark room with dim red light that had the reminiscence of a command room. She was surrounded by all manner of surveillance equipment being attended to by several of her minions. The walls were covered in monitors projecting various graphs and camera feeds, some of which seemed to be moving at high speed. "And call me bitch one more time and I'll leak your browser history."
"Wow, Bi— Bee, chill." Mammon said. "Are you ready with your equipment?"
"Everything is prepared. Good luck. Bee out." Beelzebub said as she cut the line.
"Alright then." Mammon said. "Let's get this show on the fucking road."
Husk was reading a newspaper at the bar while having a drink of his own. He observed Niffty and Granny sweep the hotel lobby. Angel Dust entered the hotel, having returned from work, and made his way straight to Husk's bar.
"Glad to see you're still in one piece." Husk said as he put his newspaper to the side.
"Was a damn close one tho'." Angel Dust said as he sat on the bar stool with a wince. "Was walkin' on eggshells all day, but I pulled through."
Husk placed a cocktail in front of Angel Dust, who didn't hesitate to take a sip.
"Man, I still can't believe Valentino turned down all that money." Angel Dust said as he stared at the drink in front of him. "But, hey! It's great to know I'm worth 7 million souls!" Angel Dust said with a smile before he downed the rest of his drink in one go.
"7 Million souls and a favor from the princess of Hell." Husk reminded him.
Angel Dust was silently staring at the empty glass in front of him, his smile fading to reveal the sadness underneath.
"Will…Will we ever be free?" Angel Dust asked. "All of us, I mean. You, me…Niffty."
"I'm not holding my breath for my own freedom." Husk said. "Or Niffty's for that matter. Not anytime soon. But, you have a real shot at it. I trust the princess will think of something."
"I trust her too. With my life." Angel Dust said as he got up. "But if Valentino isn't going to sell and her father can't help, then I'm all out of luck. I'll see you later Husk."
Angel Dust made his way up the stairs to his room as Husk looked on silently.
"What a drama queen." Niffty said as she swept around the bar, seeming to have overheard Angel Dust's plight. "You can always just do what real overlords do and scam the contract from the moth man."
Husk raised an eyebrow to her comment. "Scam Valentino, eh?" He said as he rubbed his chin pensively.
"Right, hold it like that." Vaggie said. "Now, aim down the sight and pull the trigger, gently."
Charlie concentrated on her own minute movements, sticking her tongue out, as she took careful aim down her long barreled BB gun. She gently pulled the trigger and fired a pellet at her target.
Said pellet flew at a cartoonish 2d shooting target in the form of an anthropomorphic apple creature that bore arms and legs. On top of its head sprouted a single green leaf while below, where its posterior would be located, it had a bullseye and it seemed to moon the shooter with a mischievous smile. Charlie's shot missed as the pellet flew over the top of the target.
"Dangit, missed again." Charlie said "One more try please!" She slammed more money on the carnival game's counter.
"Sure thing missy, go right ahead." the game operator said as he pocketed the cash.
Charlie picked up another gun from the counter, fully loaded and took aim once more. This time, her shots almost hit the green leaf sprouting from the top of the target.
"Getting closer!" Charlie said, undeterred. "One more!"
"Closer?" Vaggie challenged with a smile. "Charlie, the bullseye was literally in the opposite direction, at the base of the target."
"I know. But, I'm not aiming for the bullseye." Charlie said. "I'm aiming for the green leaf at the top of the head!"
"Why?" Vaggie asked.
"Because these games are sooort of rigged. You see, the bullseye is literally bait." Charlie said as she took aim. "Games like these trick the shooter into firing at the bullseye, which is strategically located too close to the hinges at the bottom of the target. This prevents the pellets from transmitting enough force to knock over the target. So the best place to strike is actually the furthest point from the hinges, which in this case is the green leaf."
"Rigged, huh?" Vaggie said as she eyed the park employee with scowl.
"Oh…no…not rigged so to speak." the employee tried to explain as a bead of nervous sweat ran down his face. "This game is designed to test…intelligence as opposed to a fella's aim. Yeah…that's it. Intelligence."
"Hah. Then you must make a killing down here." Zefriel commented as he was leaning on the side of the game stall.
"Dammit!" Charlie yelled, having missed once more. "Don't worry, penguin knight! I won't leave without you!" She said as she stared longingly at her prize to be, a small plushie of a penguin in a knights helmet, holding a sword and shield.
"Want me to give it a shot?" Vaggie asked.
"Yes, please!" Charlie said enthusiastically.
Vaggie picked up a gun from the counter and took no longer than a second to aim before pulling the trigger in quick succession. She fired a total of five times, hitting the little leaf at the top of five separate targets, without a miss, and causing them all to fall over.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Charlie yelled, as she jumped up and down in excitement.
"The penguin." Vaggie said as she looked at the park employee, with a stern expression.
"R…Right…coming right up!" He said as he nervously fetched Vaggie's prize.
Suddenly a green plume of fire erupted behind Charlie, revealing Mammon as it died back down. "So, how is my favorite niece enjoying the park so far?" He asked with a happy grin.
"It's wonderful, uncle! A huge step up from your old park!" Charlie said with a smile. "Look at what Vaggie won for me!" Charlie picked up her prize and showed it to her uncle.
"Aww, that's so cute!" Mammon said as he gently patted Charlie on the head. "But, how about you let your dear uncle get you something as well?"
Mammon observed the array of toy prizes. "Aha! How about that big plush demon panda?" He said as he pointed at a plushy crafted in the likeness of a black and red panda with devilish horns.
"That prize is given for 10 moving targets knocked over." The employee said as he pushed a button under his counter to activate the movement mechanism. The targets began moving slowly and perpendicularly to the shooting gallery.
"Hah, piece of cake." Mammon said as he picked up a BB gun and aimed it at the employee who quickly ducked in fear. Mammon fired rapidly, missing several shots but managing to knock down the targets required with the allocated ammo.
"Fuck yeah!" Mammon yelled as he fist pumped.
"Y…Your prize…sir." the park employee said as he handed over Mammon's prize.
"Here you go kiddo." Mammon said as he passed the prize to Charlie. "It's all yours.
"Thank you uncle!" Charlie said as she took the panda and hugged both her new plushies with joy.
"No sweat, sweet pea. It was easy. I'm the best shot in Hell!" Mammon yelled.
"Best shot in Hell?" Zefriel asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Think you can do better?" Mammon asked.
"Yes." Zefriel replied.
Mammon grinned. "Well then, put up or shut up."
Zefriel looked at the plushie display and saw two very large plushies in the form of a Werewolf and a Zombie bear. "How many hits for those two?"
"Those?" The employee followed his gaze. "20 hits on fast moving targets, each."
"Load up 40 pellets into the gun." Zefriel said.
"Ok, coming right up." the employee said as he began loading up the gun.
"Are you seriously trying to show off?" Vaggie asked with an air of annoyance.
"No. But, be ready to carry those plushies home." Zefriel replied as he picked up the loaded BB gun.
The employee pushed a button under the stand and the targets began moving, fast.
"Bet you're not even gonna hit one." Mammon said
Zefriel began firing in rapid succession, knocking over every target he aimed at. Suddenly, the targets began moving erratically by slowing down, speeding up and occasionally changing directions. None of it seemed to matter for Zefriel as his handling of the gun seemed perfectly suited for the task.
Having knocked over twenty targets in as many shots, the targets began moving even faster, seeming to be under no control of the park employee.
Zefriel paused for a moment as he glanced at Mammon, who was wearing a wide grin. Zefriel smirked in return before he got back to his challenge. He observed the machine's movements which, while moving extremely fast, seemed to have a pattern to it that he managed to detect.
Zefriel began shooting rapidly once again, still managing to strike down his targets despite the increased difficulty. This caused Mammon and the park employee to stare, slack jawed in disbelief over what they were seeing.
"Go Zef, go go go!" Charlie cheered on as Vaggie looked on with an approving smirk, seeming mildly impressed as well.
"Thirty seven, thirty eight…" Zefriel thought to himself "...thirty nine aaaand fourty."
"Looks like you paid attention in marksman training." Vaggie said.
"Vaggie, I have been at it since smoothbore muskets were the hip new thing." Zefriel said as he brazenly climbed over the stall and collected his prizes. "Even before that, I was a practitioner of the longbow." He once more climbed over the stall and approached the girls as he carried the plushies.
"One for you, and one for you." Zefriel said as he offered the prizes to the girls.
"No thanks. I don't want that thing." Vaggie said bluntly. "It looks like it could be covered in fleas."
"Yeah…, and I only have space in my heart for my beloved penguin knight. Sorry Zef." Charlie said. "B…Besides the demon panda I mean." she added after Mammon raised an eyebrow.
"Don't be sorry." Zefriel said as he placed the giant soft toys back onto the counter. "I should be grateful. I think we all know that you would have had me carry them all the way back to the hotel."
"Yep." "Definitely." Charlie and Vaggie said simultaneously, both wearing mischievous smirks.
"Hey! Best two out of three!" Mammon yelled as he pointed to a rope climbing game nearby.
The set had two ropes hanging from a very tall pole with bells attached near the top.
"First one to ring their bell wins." Mammon said.
"Uncle, we are not having a competition!" Charlie interjected. "We are here to have fun."
"You're on." Zefriel replied with a smirk, seeming to ignore Charlie's protest.
Mammon stomped over to the new game as Zefriel calmly followed.
"Dammit." Charlie said as she rubbed her eyes in frustration.
"Charlie, their rivalry is literally as old as time." Vaggie said as she side hugged Charlie. "At least they are not being destructive. Let them get their kicks. Who knows, might be fun to watch."
"Oh alright." Charlie said with a groan of frustration as the girls approached to watch.
"Ok, ready?" Mammon said as the arch rivals got into position "Go!"
Zefriel immediately leapt onto the rope, climbing at a breakneck speed. He soon ran into difficulty as he realized that the ropes were lightly greased.
Mammon, on the other hand, had a different strategy. He quickly transformed into his spider form and aimed the rear of his lower abdomen at the top of the pole holding the rope. He fired a rope of spider silk and reeled himself up to the top in a flash, slamming his bell before Zefriel was halfway towards his own.
"Haha, take that bitch!" Mammon yelled as he flipped off Zefriel with both hands while hanging upside down. "What was that about faulty intelligence, huh?"
Zefriel was not amused. He repelled down the rope, severely irritated.
"Uncle, we talked about this…" Charlie said, slightly concerned.
"Don't worry Charlie, it's just banter between guys, you know?." Mammon said as he lowered himself to the ground. "How about I be a good sport and give you a rematch. I will even let you use your wings this time, to even things out."
"No." Zefriel said. "Best two out of three. We are currently even."
"Alright then, let me think. Hmm." Mammon said pensively as he returned to his normal form. "Aha, how about the 'High Striker'! Follow me."
Mammon quickly ran to the end of the game stalls before disappearing around the corner, as the trio followed.
"Alright, little man, watch this." Mammon said as they approached the machine. He spat in his hands before picking up the game mallet. With a grunt he lifted it and, with an awkward high pitched battle cry, he slammed it on the pedestal, sending the weight flying into the bell at the highest point of the contraption.
"Hah! Fuck, yeah!" Mammon yelled, self satisfied. "You literally can't win, at best you can get a draw!"
Zefriel picked up a second mallet with a single hand and flipped it casually as if it was light as a feather.
He took a stance in front of the high striker and smashed the mallet on the pedestal, with both hands. The weight shot up at an astounding speed and broke through the bell mechanism entirely, causing the weight to fly on into the sky. The group watched, wide eyed, as the weight lingered in the air high above before it hurtled towards the ground and crashed through the roof of a carnival game stall, twenty meters away from them.
"My leg!" a voice yelled in the distance.
Zefriel looked at the girls, a hint of concern in his eyes. "That was not my fault. This thing is clearly shoddy." he said as he pointed to the high striker machine. "I was just using it as it was intended to be used."
Vaggie facepalmed as Charlie was still staring at the empty sky, wide eyed.
Mammon's face contorted in anger. However, he managed to regain his composure by taking a deep breath. "Whatever…we'll just fix it…later." He turned to address Charlie. "Sweet pea, I think It's time to head to the circus, the show is about to start."
"Y…Yeah, I think we have had enough excitement with the side games for one night." Charlie said with a nervous smile.
Hours had passed and Husk was still at his bar, writing furiously on a notepad.
"No-no-no, dammit." Husk said as he tore the page out, crumpled it and threw it at a garbage can that was overflowing with other balls of paper. He stared silently at the blank paper in front of him as he tapped his pen on the table in frustration.
"It won't work like this." He thought to himself. "Scamming a soul free isn't the same as scamming a soul into submission. We would first have to transfer the ownership of Angel's contract to one of us and then break the contract."
Husk sighed deeply as he poured himself a drink. "Alright, let's take this from the top. If we are going to scam Valentino then gambling is our only viable option. To maximize our chances of winning, we would have to resort to cheating, so a card game would be our best bet."
Husk took a sip of his drink.
"Alastor and I are the two best swindlers in Hell when it comes to card games…but…Valentino would probably know that. Even if I'm bound to Alastor, I do still have a reputation in the gambling scene. What's more, why would Valentino even agree to play a game against us to begin with? What could we even offer as a collateral for them to put Angel's contract on the table?" Husk pondered.
Husk's frustration grew as he reached an impasse once more. He downed his whole drink and began pacing around his bar.
"Think Husk, what do we have to work with?" He thought to himself.
Husk suddenly froze in place, his eyes widened as a spark of an idea formed in his mind.
"C…could that actually work?" Husk asked himself out loud. He quickly walked over to the notepad and began writing.
"Yes, the missing piece!" His writing was quick and messy, writing down before he got distracted. "Yes, yes! It's starting to fit together!" he yelled.
He took a step back from the bar, his notepad in hand.
"T…This might just be crazy enough to actually work." Husk though. "But I will need to convince Alastor to help…"
Mammon led his guests into the VIP box with glee. He was the first one to sit down at the end of the row of seats, followed by Charlie, Vaggie and finally Zefriel. The circus spectator stands were barren, the four of them were the only ones present.
"Charlie, I can't wait for you to see our new show!" Mammon said with glee. "We've got Imps doing trapeze stunts, clown acts and even animal tricks! I'm going to make a killing when this park opens to those imps!"
"You've got real animals?" Charlie said, wide eyed with excitement. "That's amazing, not even dad's circus has real animal performers!"
"R…Right…" Mammon said, suddenly nervous and fidgeting "Real…animals."
The lights dimmed as the show was about to start. A spotlight trailed onto the center of the circus ring to reveal a short android in the semblance of an imp.
"Greetings, one and all, and welcome to the grand opening of Loo Loo land's very own circus!" the android said as it bowed courtly. "I am the ringmaster, designation '3c'. Tonight, It shall be my honor to introduce you to our most skilled acrobats, performing death defying acts and a clown troupe that will make you laugh your socks off. But first, please give a round of applause to our animal handler and his pack of mechanical feline performers!"
"Mechanical?" Charlie asked Mammon.
"Yeah. Umm, we didn't get real animals." Mammon said meekly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry to disappoint you, Charlie."
"What? No! I think this is amazing!" Charlie reassured Mammon with a smile. "By not using real animals, your show is going to be fun and humane!"
"Yes! That's it! We didn't use real animals…because we didn't want to exploit them for profit. You know, animal cruelty and shit." Mammon laughed nervously.
As Charlie and Mammon spoke, the ring hands were busy setting up ladders, hoops, short pedestals and various other obstacles within the confines of the circus ring. An imp, bare chested and proud, wearing a fake lion's pelt over his shoulder, walked into the circus ring with a self important smirk. Music began to play as he bowed to a nonexistent crowd and unwrapped his whip. Red eyes began to glow in the darkness outside the circus ring and, at the animal handler's command, four mechanical tigers leapt into the circus ring, landing in front of their short pedestals.
The animal handler whipped the first Tiger to his left most. "One!"
The tiger quickly backflipped onto the short pedestal, sitting on it.
"Two, three, four!" he yelled, causing the other three tigers to follow suit onto their own pedestals.
The animal handler was very animated and energetic, barking out orders as he hopped from one mechanical tiger to another. The tigers performed several tricks at his commands but protested with seemingly disapproving swipes of their mechanical paws.
"Did uncle Asmodeus make them?" Charlie asked Mammon
"Yeah, all the androids and mecha beasts are a gift from Ozzie." Mammon said as he took a sip from his beverage.
"Wow, he gifted you a whole set of them?" Charlie asked. "I'm glad to know he's helping you rebuild your park after it burned down."
"Haha, yeah…helped me get back on my feet." Mammon said.
"And bribed me to stop calling his boyfriend all the time." Mammon whispered to himself.
"What was that?" Charlie asked.
"I said I'm glad you like the show so far, sweet pea!" Mammon said.
The animal handler pushed a hidden button on his whip and ducked quickly infront of the second tiger, which to his surprise did nothing. The third tiger however unleashed a flurry of paw swipes into the empty air in front of it. The animal handler glanced around with a nervous smile and quickly stepped in front of the third tiger, repeating the act, correctly this time.
"Uncle Ozzie really out did himself this time. His creations are always so amazing!" Charlie said as she watched starry eyed.
"He sure did…" Mammon said as he glanced over to Zefriel who stared at the display with a mix of shock and horror.
"Vaggie, did you know they had this kind of technology down here?" Zefriel asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know the full extent of it." Vaggie said as she sat casually with an arm behind her chair, seeming bored by the performance. "I've only been outside the pride ring once."
"They shouldn't have access to such advanced technology." Zefriel thought to himself. " Could it be that our mole is giving them more than just angelic steel?"
The circus performance continued on for another hour. The animal handler was followed by the acrobatic imps, who only suffered a single casualty, then by the scheduled intermission.
"Uncle Mammon, I wanted to thank you for the wonderful tiara you gave me." Charlie said.
"Oh, that thing?" Mammon said, "It was my pleasure, darling. I think it will look great on you at the ball—ET RECITAL."
Charlie was momentarily startled by Mammon's sudden outburst. "What?" Charlie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Uncle, I haven't done ballet since I was ten."
"Oh, hahaha!" Mammon laughed nervously. "Well, you have it if you ever start again." Mammon gently booped Charlie's nose.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the show will resume in five minutes!" the ringmaster declared as ring hands were busy mopping up the blood off the floor, left by the clumsy trapeze artist.
"Uncle, I was also hoping that I could ask your advice on how to free a soul from a bind?" Charlie asked.
"Oh, that's easy. If they signed a prenup, just divorce em." Mammon said "Otherwise you are just going to have to kill 'em. Literally no other way."
"Wha—? Uncle, no, I mean I need advice on how to free a soul from a bind to someone else." Charlie said. "Specifically I want to free my friend Angel Dust from the clutches of a pimp overlord called Valentino."
"I know, scamp." Mammon said as he gently ruffled Charlie's head. "I was just messing with ya. But seriously, you are rich. Just offer to buy the soul you want. Easy peasy."
"We umm…already tried that exact thing. It's just that…there were some complications and I don't think he will be willing to sell Angel Dust's contract to me." Charlie said with a nervous smile as Vaggie and Zefriel poked their heads from behind her.
"Oh, hmm. Well that's a little trickier but nothing that cant be resolved." Mammon said as he rubbed his Chin. "Well if you want to get a specific soul from an overlord, and a willing transaction is out of the picture, then your only bet will be to challenge him for the contract and defeat him. Just make sure not to kill him in the process."
"I don't understand, why would killing him not be an option?" Zefriel asked. "We are in Hell after all. I could just walk over to him and fry him with a flick of my finger."
"Bad idea, genius." Mammon said with a frown.
"Yes, I don't want to resolve this with violence!" Charlie said.
"Oh, it's not just that dear. What do you think happens to sinners when their overlord dies? In a permanent sort of way I mean." Mammon said.
"I…umm….hmm. I never thought about that." Charlie said. "What happens to them?"
"You see Charlie, in the event of an overlords untimely end, the Hell Bank confiscates all the souls that that said overlord owned." Mammon said. "If Valentino was killed, your friend's soul would just be auctioned off to the next degenerate highest bidder, or worse be turned into—"
"But, can't we just go to the Hell Bank and ask them politely to annul the contract…for some reason?" Charlie asked. "I'm sure they would listen to my father or you."
"Oh-no-no-no-no-no my dear." Mammon said. "We arch demons have a very strict rule to never take sides for or against overlords. Each of them will succeed or fail by their own strength or cunning."
"But—" Charlie tried to protest.
"I'm sorry, Charlie." Mammon said in a sad tone. "But these rules are iron clad and we can't change them. Not even for you..."
The disappointment in Charlie's eyes was palpable.
"Look, Charlie. Your best bet is to get someone you trust to challenge Valentino on your behalf. As a member of the royal family, you are bound by the same rules as we are, so you can't challenge Valentino yourself. Whoever you choose will have to put something at stake and win. That is how overlords get what they want. Some overlords challenge each other to a straight up fight while others choose contests of skill or intelligence. It doesn't have to be complicated. It could be a simple game of arm wrestling or tic tac toe for all it matters."
"I see…" Charlie said pensively.
"But, the core of the problem with this is that he can simply refuse your challenge and walk off without penalty. So, you need to figure out how to lure him to accept the challenge in the first place. That's one of the things newbie overlords always struggle with, simply being rejected." Mammon explained.
"I…think I understand." Charlie said. "Thank you for your advice."
"Sure thing." Mammon said.
The lights dimmed once more, the intermission was over and the clowns ran into the circus ring. Charlie seemed to enjoy every second of the performances, while Vaggie and Zefriel seemed to wish for death to take them as the hour dragged on.
The ringmaster finally entered the ring and mockingly shooed the clowns offstage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight you have seen the clowns, but now it's time to feast your eyes on our jesters!" the ringmaster yelled "For this next act, we will be needing some audience participation!"
"Oh-oh-oh, me, me, me!" Charlie yelled as she stood up and raised her hand.
A spotlight began to wander, as if searching for a participant in the empty stands.
Charlie began to jump up and down as she waved her arms, trying to get the spotlight's attention.
"We are going to require a brave soul for a thrilling performance." the ringmaster continued.
"I'm a brave soul!" Charlie yelled as she exited the booth and comically began to chase the moving spotlight, waving her arms around in a desperate attempt to be picked.
"It's going to be on me, isn't it." Zefriel said as he rubbed the side of his temple.
"Yep." Vaggie replied as she browsed her phone in an attempt to alleviate her boredom.
Sure enough, as Vaggie and Zefriel had predicted, the spotlight accelerated and finally stopped abruptly over Zefriel. They glanced at Mammon, who's only response was a deadpan expression as he took a long sip from his beverage.
"Awwwww." Charlie could be heard lamenting in the distance.
"Come, young sir." The ringmaster spoke. "Please join us in the ring."
"Let's get this over with." Zefriel said with a sigh as he descended towards the ring.
"And I'm not young…" he whispered to himself.
"Good luck." Vaggie said, not even looking up from her phone.
"Yeah, break a leg asshole!" Mammon said.
"Literally." he whispered to himself.
Husk knocked on Alastor's door for the third time, but received no response.
"Dammit, where is he?" Husk thought to himself. "I didn't see him leave so he has to be in his room."
Husk took a deep breath, put his hand on the door knob and gently opened the door ajar. "Hey Al, you in here?" He asked. Still, hearing no response, Husk opened the door and proceeded inside.
Alastor's room was dark save for an eerie green glow. He had taken one of the more spacious rooms in the Hotel, easily matching one of the suites. Despite this, it seemed as if it was not enough as Husk could see a large hole in the wall on the far side of the room. It seems that Asastor had commandeered a neighboring room for his own use by demolishing the wall in between.
Husk proceeded further inside, and as he did, he couldn't help but notice the stench of decaying flesh, emanating from an unknown source.
He approached the hole in the wall and peered inside, or perhaps outside. What he saw was a Swamp. The hole in the wall that Husk believed connected to the adjacent room seemed instead to be some sort of reality bending portal that led to a completely different location.
Husk could see a glow coming from inside the swamp, obstructed by trees and vegetation. Against his better judgment, he chose to delve further into it.
He proceeded carefully to avoid stepping into the water by following a trail of stones in the water. As he reached further in, he could hear the distinct sound of repeated strikes. He peered around the tree and saw something that made him pause in shock and confusion.
Alastor was butchering a doe on some sort of Altar. His torso was bare, revealing his back to be covered in long scars. He struck at the doe repeatedly with a carving knife, ripping out its heart, which to Husk's horror, appeared to still be beating.
Husk Instinctively took a step back in shock and disgust, only to accidentally step in the water and reveal his presence with the sound of the splash.
Alastor quickly turned around, splattered in blood. His face was obscured by the dark, revealing only his eyes that emitted a menacing green glow. Fear shot up Husks spine as he regretted ever setting foot in Alastor's room.
In a blink of an eye, Husk's environment changed. He found himself standing near the entrance of Alastor's room, as though he had just stepped inside. He could feel Alastor's presence…his aura…behind him.
"What can I do for you my overgrown, feline friend?" Alastor asked in his usual calm voice. But, for some reason, it caused a bead of cold sweat to run down Husk's face.
"Al! Sorry to bother you with…whatever you were doing." Husk said nervously.
"Oh, that? Hahaha, don't be such a scaredy cat!" Alastor said with a smile, seeming to sense Husk's apprehension. "I was just….preparing dinner. Now, what is it that you want?"
"Right… I wanted to talk to you about something serious." Husk said.
"I'm all ears." Alastor said as he sat in his armchair.
"Here, take a look at this." Husk said as he handed Alastor a notepad. "I have been working on a plan to free Angel Dust from Valentino by scamming him. I have narrowed it down to a card game."
"If your plan involves a card game, then why do you need my help?" asked Alastor "This sort of thing is right up your alley, I wager."
"Because, when it comes to card games, you are the second best cheater in Hell…if not the best!" Husk replied. "That's why I need you as back up."
Husk couldn't help but notice Alastor's smile widened as he quietly read the plan.
"My-My-My how deliciously devious of you!" Alastor said as he continued to read, his ears perking upwards in apparent excitement. "Consider me fully invested in your scheme."
Zefriel stepped onto the circus ring and circled once around its master, inspecting him more closely. "Who made you?"
"I was designed by the most ingenious archdemon, Asmodeus, and fabricated at Asmodeus industries, known colloquially as 'Big Ozzie's factory.'" the ring master said, seeming almost eager to give the information.
"Interesting." Zefriel replied as he rubbed his chin pensively. "Alright, I'm here. What do you want from me?"
"Oh, just stand in the center of the ring, on that big red dot." the ringmaster said "And whatever you do, don't move from it."
"I make no such promises." Zefriel replied as he approached the circle on the ground and stood on it. He remained on high alert as he tensed his muscles, not sure what to expect.
The ringmaster whistled. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause to Fizz and Rolli!"
From the dark outside the circus ring, two mechanical jesters vaulted acrobatically into the ring and rolled themselves into a standing position. They stood on opposite sides of the circus ring with Zefriel standing in between them. The two androids had glowing blue eyes and were identical save for the color pattern on their costumes. One wore a red and black checkered costume, while the other a blue and black checkered one.
"Are they from the same factory?" Zefriel asked the ringmaster who was turning to leave.
"Oh yes. Fizz and Rolli are part of the Fizzarolli line of androids. They are a second generation and thus state of the art."
"What the Hell is a Fizzarolli?" Zefriel thought to himself as he watched the ringmaster leave.
The lights went out and music began to play as Charlie and Vaggie watched with interest. The only sources of light were three separate spotlights, two on the androids and one on Zefriel.
Stage hands on the outside of the ring began igniting and passing flaming daggers to the androids, who in turn began juggling them high over their heads in a circular pattern.
"Alright, I see where this is going." Zefriel said as he began to stretch his neck muscles.
"Let the show begin!" yelled the ringmaster from the dark.
Suddenly, one of the flaming daggers flew rapidly at Zefriel's head, thrown by one of the jesters and caught by the other. The receiving android had caught it so quickly and skillfully that it was able to effortlessly add the new dagger to the ones it was already juggling. Zefriel had moved his head instinctively to dodge, but realized that he had no need to as, had he not moved, the dagger would have flown by harmlessly.
This process repeated again and again. Zefriel gave the daggers a respectful distance as they passed by in both directions, until there was finally a pause in the action.
The spotlights that were lighting up the androids went dark as they kept juggling, the android's outline barely visible by the dim light that the flaming daggers produced and the glow of their eyes.
Once more daggers flew towards Zefriel, and once more he kept moving out of their way, seeming not to trust the androids at all.
"He sure is putting a lot of effort in avoiding those daggers." Vaggie thought to herself. "It's not like simple steel could even put a scratch on an archangel." A sudden realization, however, caused her to tense up "Unless, they were made of—"
"Angelic steel." Zefriel thought to himself as he observed one of the daggers fly past him. "There is no doubt about it. What's more, they are getting closer. If I hadn't moved, that last dagger would have grazed my shoulder."
The androids paused their act once more, just juggling in place, yet Zefriel remained on full alert.
While he couldn't see the androids in the dark, he could clearly see their flaming daggers and studied their patterns.
"Hmm. There are several gaps in the line of daggers that the androids are juggling." Zefriel thought to himself. "They both have them and they are not random as they complement each other."
"Ahhh, I think I got their 'act'." Zefriel thought to himself. "The trick to anticipate a dagger is to pay attention to the designated receiver. And the receiver is the one who's empty gap reaches his left hand. It is at that point that he expects a dagger to come flying in to plug that gap."
"This knowledge will make it easier to avoid the daggers considering they are beginning to fly faster."
Just as Zefriel detected a pattern in their attacks, the androids shifted their juggling method, changing the pattern from a circle to a crisscross. Zefriel quickly tried to read the new pattern, but he was too late. Without warning, the spotlight over him went out and a barrage of daggers flew through the dark, only illuminated by their own flames. Satisfied with their performance, the androids paused once more, returning to their circular juggling pattern.
The three spotlights activated once more and revealed that Zefriel had gone to ground into a low pushup position to avoid being hit by the stream of flaming daggers that had passed overhead.
"Now-Now, sir. There is no need to be alarmed, Fizz and Rolli are professional." the ringmaster declared with a microphone. "V2 Fizzarolli's do not miss, but I would suggest you not make exaggerated movements. After all, we wouldn't want you to get…hurt."
Zefriel could hear the androids snicker as he stood back up, which irked him to his core.
As if to prove a point, the android wearing the red costume threw a dagger that flew so fast and close to Zefriel's face that it ruffled his hair in its wake as it flew by.
So minutely did Zefriel move his head, to avoid being struck, that Charlie had feared the worst. She covered her eyes in shock and fear as Vaggie stood up and gripped the railing.
"Vaggie, is he alright?!" Charlie asked, alarmed.
"Yeah, he's fine." Vaggie said.
"In front of Charlie?" Vaggie thought to herself as she looked at Charlie, still covering her eyes in fear. "Are they actually trying to kill him right in front of her and blame it on an accident?"
Vaggie looked at Mammon who returned a serious look, which soon morphed into a fake smile. "Sit down girl. It's just a show." he said, as if able to hear her thoughts.
The shadow of fear and doubt courses through Vaggies mind as she locks eyes with Mammon, she wants to do something but the archdemon sent a shiver down her spine she had never felt before.
Zefriel stood motionless as he took deep breaths, seemingly attempting to quell his growing anger. "Alright, I've had enough of this." He thought to himself. "No more dodging, and no more humoring the overgrown toasters."
The blue android sought to replicate his twin's feat and sent a dagger flying just as fast. This dagger, however, never reached its intended destination. In the briefest of moments that the dagger was in flight, it was plucked out from the air by Zefriel's hand, as effortlessly as either of the androids had been capable of.
"Wow—What the fuck?!" the blue android yelled in surprise.
"Ahh…, the toasters speak!" Zefriel said with a surprised smile. He examined the dagger in his hand, feeling its weight as he gently played with it, throwing it from one hand to the other. "I wonder if I still remember how to juggle daggers…"
"Hey man, give it back." The red android spoke. "You're not part of the act—!"
"Answer me this, If I'm not part of the act, then why was I asked to stand—" Zefriel stopped talking mid question as he realized that something was off. While the red android was still juggling without interruption, his eyes had turned from a cool blue into a hot red color.
"Ughh. Fizz? You ok buddy—" asked Rolli who noticed the same thing that Zefriel had. Whatever was afflicting Fizz seemed to spread to Rolli as his eyes soon turned red as well.
"Oh-oh." Zefriel thought to himself. "Glowing red eyes are never a good sign."
Charlie peeked through her hands as the lights went out once more, while Vaggie gripped the wooden railing so hard that she could hear it buckle under the pressure.
Zefriel could see that the androids had begun shifting their juggling pattern once more and readied himself for the incoming barrage.
Charlie and Vaggie watched as the androids unleashed their most aggressive onslaught yet. Daggers flew at breakneck speed from both directions only to abruptly change direction as they shot upwards into the air, near the center of the ring.
While the girls couldn't see clearly what was happening in the dark, they could only surmise that Zefriel was intercepting the daggers and throwing them into the air.
The intercepted daggers arched high overhead before plummeting towards the ground. However, they did not land, but instead seemed to dance as they were seemingly juggled in the center of the ring.
"Huh?" "What happened?" Fizz and Rolli exclaimed as their eyes returned to a blue glow. They quickly examined his situation to find that they had no daggers left as they were being juggled in the center of the ring.
"No way. One guy can't handle that many daggers on his own!" Fizz said.
The spotlights returned to reveal that Fizz was correct. The daggers were being juggled between two Zefriel clones while another two stood guard, seeming to have been the ones responsible for intercepting the incoming daggers.
Charlie removed her hands from her face as she smiled in excitement while Vaggie let out a relieved sigh.
"H…Hey man— I mean,guys." Rolli said "We need those daggers to finish our act!"
"Alright, alright." A Zefriel clone said. "But, I am done with the act. When I give you your daggers back, you will allow me to return to my seat."
Rolli glanced at Mammon who waved his hand dismissively, seeming to want them to get on with their act.
"Alright, fine." Rolli said "Now hand them over!"
"Catch!" yelled a clone as they lobbed daggers at the two androids, who caught them and returned to their juggling routine.
Having redistributed all the daggers, the four Zefriel clones bowed courtly towards Charlie and Vaggie, before returning to a single form. As Zefriel made his way towards the stand, Rolly couldn't help but stick his mechanical tongue out at him.
Vaggie observed Charlie as she clapped her hands. "She still has no idea what was really going on."
Zefriel returned to his seat, fistbumping Vaggie as he did.
"Alright, I've seen enough." Beelzebub said as she stood up from her chair. "Compile the data and send it to my data pad immediately."
"At once my lady." one of her minions replied.
Beelzebub picked up her data pad and made her way out of the command room, down a long corridor, towards her office. It was mostly a slick, minimalist decor, save for a conspicuously rustic bookshelf located behind her large office desk. At the center of this bookshelf sat a large silver framed mirror, surrounded by all manner of ancient tomes and occult paraphernalia.
She quickly made herself comfortable, leaning back in her office chair as she examined the information being transmitted onto her data pad.
The silence was broken by a voice emanating from the bookshelf "Has everything gone smoothly?"
Beelzebub was in no way alarmed for it was as if she had been expecting it all along. She casually turned her chair and put her feet up on a shelf as she looked into the mirror.
"Hey, Lucy. Yeah, everything went smooth enough." Beelzebub said, not looking up from her data pad. "We were able to gather a lot of information on our target."
"Care to share details?" Lucifer asked, his visage occupying the whole mirror.
"His speed and reflexes are above average. Strength…even more so. Our equipment was set into overdrive." she said "But, it failed to, so much as, put a scratch on him."
"I did not ask you to harm him Bee." Lucifer said.
"I know, I know. 'Gather data and send a veiled threat.' Bee said. "I'm sorry Lucy but, it was the only way. I had to test his limit and a minor injury would have been a clear signifier that he had reached said limit. However, he walked away unscathed."
Lucifer remained silent.
"While we can't be certain of his limits, we can still make an educated guess as our tests were still useful. Having cross referenced the data against what we already know about the other archangels, I can safely place him in the upper tier, at least in terms of physical prowess." Beelzebub continued. "We have also done the same for our 'test case', Satan."
"How do the two compare?" Lucifer asked.
"My best guess is that they would perform neck and neck." She said, "In a fight, it might actually be a coinflip."
"And how would I fair?" Lucifer asked.
"You are considerably weaker than both. But, considerably faster also." Beelzebub said. "If you rely on your superior speed…and not hold back…I think you could strike a mortal blow before either could react."
"I see…" Lucifer said.
"But, I would highly suggest you avoid fighting the angel under any circumstances for the time being." She said, "We had an oddity during testing, our data is not complete."
"You had an 'oddity'? Which test?" Lucifer asked.
"The rope climbing challenge." Beelzebub said. "Mammon fucked it up."
"What was the issue and what were you testing with that?" Lucifer asked
"Perhaps I shouldn't say we were testing him with that 'game'. What I was hoping was for him to unleash his wings to win the challenge." Beelzebub said. "This would have given us a chance to examine his wings and gain valuable insight. But, he did not. Even when Mammon offered a rematch, he refused. I have a suspicion that he is hiding something. After all, an angel's wings tell a story."
Lucifer was silent, seeming to be contemplating the information. "Thank you for your work Bee. Please keep me updated on any developments."
"Will do, dork lord. I mean, duck lord. I mean dark lord. Yeah, that's the one." Beelzebub said in jest.
"Funny…" Lucifer chuckled as he ended the communication.
"I will speak to you soon." Beelzebub said as the mirror shimmered, soon replacing Lucifer's image with her own.
Beelzebub leaned back, sighed and put the data pad away. She sat in silence for a few moments, thinking to herself as her eyes glanced at a crimson tome sitting high on her shelf. She stood up and locked the office door, covered the mirror with a thick cloth, carefully pulled out the crimson tome from her shelf and gently placed it on her table. She opened it to reveal a hidden compartment at the center of the hollowed out book.
Within was a single vial of black liquid and several talismans. Beelzebub picked up the vial, removed its lid and carefully poured its contents onto her desk.
She closed her eyes and invoked an incantation before snapping her fingers. This caused a small, multicolored flame to emanate from her finger, which she brought closer to the black liquid, lighting it aflame.
Flames quickly rose high, wide and as black as the ink that fueled them. Beelzebub did not seem alarmed as the fire did not consume any of the objects it was in contact with, nor did it give rise to smoke of any kind.
Within the black flames, two glowing red eyes soon appeared.
"Ahh, Beelzebub, darling. It has been a long time." A distinctly female voice echoed from the flames.
Beelzebub bowed reverently. "Your majesty. I have something to report."
Charlie entered her office, late in the evening. Her outing to Loo Loo land had exhausted her energies, causing her to collapse into her office chair with a groan of relief. She recoiled in horror as her eyes wandered onto the piles of books that were amassed on her office table and turned her chair in the opposite direction.
"Dammit, I really don't feel like studying now." she thought to herself. "But... diligence is an important step to Heaven and great leaders lead by example."
"Diligence is a step to Heaven, great leaders lead by example. Diligence is a step to Heaven, great leaders lead by example." Charlie repeated to herself like a mantra as she turned to face the desk once more.
As she reached for the book at the top of the pile and lowered it onto her desk, she noticed a white envelope had been placed on top. Charlie retrieved it and perked up at the sight of its golden wax seal in the form of a majestic bird in flight.
"A letter from Avis." Charlie thought to herself. "Zefriel must have left it in my office."
Charlie carefully undid the seal and opened the letter.
Dearest Charlie,
I am pleased to inform you that preparations for your delegation's arrival are proceeding well. I have added a nice picnic in the palace garden and karaoke night in our repertoire of planned activities. However, I must inform you that all is not well. While I loathe to place undue burden on you, I must inform you that my advisors have forced me to arrange a dinner ball in honor of Sir Pentious and you. It shall be a dreary, formal event with lots of bows, handshakes and other petty nuisances. Oh, social gatherings, how I loathe your existence with every feather on my wings. Blast, I shouldn't have written that. Or this for that matter.
Charlie lowered the letter as she expressed mild amusement at Avis's literary antics. "Every time he adds something to make me chuckle." She thinks to herself.
But, in all seriousness. My advisors have convinced me that it would be a great opportunity for me to introduce you to the wider public as my fiance. This will allow us to cement a positive image on our relationship and also give us an opportunity to garner further support for your cause. And, once formal business is concluded, we will all be free to spend the weekend as you see fit. I am in particular looking forward to, as the children seem to say, 'hang out' with you.
Sincerest regards,
Avis
Charlie carefully folded up the letter and returned it to its envelope. She pulled out a letterbox from her drawer and opened it to reveal dozens of letters from price Avis, all bearing his golden seal. She smiled as she added the newest letter into the collection of correspondence before returning the box into the drawer. From within, she pulled out a blank sheet of paper with a red envelope.
She began pondering a response to her pen pal, but never got a chance to commit her thoughts to ink as she was startled by her office door slamming open. She looked up to find Husk standing at the doorway with a self satisfied smile.
"Wow, Husk! Don't barge in like that! I'm mortal, you know. I could still croak from a heart attack!" Charlie said, half serious.
"Sorry, princess. But, you are really going to want to see this." Husk said as he approached her.
Husk placed his trusty notepad on Charlie's desk for her to read.
"What's this?" She asked.
"It's a plan to free Angel Dust." Husk said with a sly smile.
End of Chapter 12