Okay, sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. We've had a lot of work going on with our lives which results in not getting some work done. This chapter was finished and was under the editing process, which took a lot longer to do because of our busy schedule. So now here it is, a chapter of Hellluva Dad.
All characters from Disney, Vivziepop and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy the fic.
Chapter 11: Loony Loona: Fury Road
Imp City, One Year Ago
Blitz's van was parked in a parking lot. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Blitz and Loona were inside. Once again, nothing unusual about that. But what was unusual was that Loona was at the wheel while Blitz was in the passenger seat.
"How are you feeling behind the wheel, Loony?" Blitz asked her.
"I feel… nervous," Loona responded while her hands were on the wheel.
"I know, I got nervous too when I learned how to drive," Blitz said, frowning as he remembered his first time driving. "The DMV in Greed may have been another level of Hell, but I did pick a thing or two. Now remember to place your hands on the wheel at nine and three o'clock positions… or was it ten and two o'clock?"
"Um, like… this?" Loona asked, gripping the wheel
"Uh, sure, now do you have your seat belt on?" Blitz asked.
"Check," Loona said as she pointed to her seat belt.
"Your foot on the stopper?"
"Yep."
"Good, now tell me what to turn on the flashing arrows with?" Blitz asked as Loona pulled the lever for the turn signals. "Okay, now then we shift this stick from P, which is for… um, position to stop, to D, which means 'drive the fuck out.'"
"Okay, here goes," Loona said as she shifted the gear from park to drive.
"Alright, now try driving forward to that space," Blitz said, pointing to the empty space.
Loona drove up to the space carefully, keeping her foot on the gas.
"Alright, now let's back up to R, which is for… rear backing, I think," Blitz instructed. He watched Loona shifting the gear to reverse and start backing away. Blitz then realized something. "WAIT! YOU FORGOT TO CHECK THE MIRRORS AND LOOK BACK!"
"Wait, what?!" Loona asked before she felt herself bumping into something. "Gah! Crap! Did I hit someone?!"
"No, no, the parking lot is empty, that's why we're practicing here, you just probably hit a parking bump or something," Blitz reassured her. "Okay, you made a mistake. That's okay. They happen. And at least you didn't hit an actual person."
Loona gave a sigh. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Come on, let's continue our lesson," Blitz said as Loona shifted the gear into drive and began to drive around the parking lot. However, unknown to them, she did indeed hit a person. Behind them, an imp laid on the ground, injured and groaning in pain.
Later, Blitz had Loona drive onto the street as they continued their driving lessons. They saw a stoplight as it shifted from green to yellow.
"Alright Loony, whenever you see a yellow light before it turns red… floor it!" Blitz shouted as Loona sped up to pass the yellow light in time, causing some cars to immediately stop due to her running fast.
"Watch where yer going, you fuckers!" shouted a driver towards the van.
Next they tried parallel parking.
"Um, are you sure it isn't too early to try this, dad?" Loona asked, sounding nervous. "Especially with actual cars?"
"Nah, you'll be fine," Blitz reassured her as Loona moved forward and tried to park in-between the cars. However, she ended up hitting the car in front of her.
"Fuck!" Blitz shouted as Loona tried backing away, hitting the other car. "Shit!"
"What do we do?!" Loona asked him, sounding panicked.
"Don't worry, I'll just leave a note," Blitz said as he wrote down a note.
Once they left, a note was left on one of the damaged cars. It said 'He did it' while pointing at the other car.
Later, Loona was driving down the road, forcing other cars to either move aside or end up getting into accidents themselves.
"Left! Left!" Blitz shouted. "Stay on your left!"
"I thought it was the right?" Loona asked while panicking.
"Left, right, up, down, what's the difference?!" Blitz asked before he heard sirens. "Alright, stop and pull over!"
After Loona stopped the van, an officer got off his motorcycle and walked over to the window, which she rolled down. "Alright, do you know why I stopped you?"
"Uh…" Loona didn't know what to say, but Blitz came to her rescue.
"Sorry officer, I was just teaching my daughter how to drive," Blitz explained to him.
"Oh, a student driver. That explains it," the officer replied with a nod. "Now, may I see your driver's license and registration please, sir?"
"Sure, let me just…" Blitz said before he turned to whisper to Loona. "I don't have a driver's license."
"What?!" Loona asked in shock.
"Floor it!" Blitz ordered and Loona, not knowing what else to do, hit the gas and took off roaring away from the police officer, who got back on his bike and started to chase after them…
Later, a flash of light flared as Loona held her placard while receiving her mugshot. She had a distressed look on her face. Meanwhile, Blitz received his mugshot as he made a pose and gave a wink at the camera.
Afterward, the two were placed in a cell while an officer supervised them.
"Instructing a minor without a driver's license and causing untold property and vehicle damage," the officer told them, shaking his head. "But hey, at least you're not as bad as the princess when she tried to drive."
He pointed to one mugshot hanging on the wall. It showed Charlie Morningstar, who gave a sad, puppy-dog eye look.
"We have that up in display to show you reckless drivers that at least, you're not as bad of a driver as the princess of Hell," the officer said while Loona and Blitz looked at each other, Blitz smiling awkwardly while Loona huffed in annoyance.
Present Day
In Carrie's house, Loona and Amaroq were both sitting on the floor, watching the TV that their eyes were glued to. Blitz walked in with a sash.
"Welp, I finally got my assignment from the tiger boss!" Blitz announced. "Now Mr. Khan wants me to perform a job today, so you two girls stay out of trouble while I'm gone, okay?"
"Yeah/we will," Loona and Amaroq replied in mumbles, not really paying attention to him since they were too busy watching TV.
"Okay, see you girls later," Blitz declared as he headed out, leaving the two Hellhound girls.
As they watched the TV, their show shifted into a commercial. The commercial starts playing some heavy metal music.
"Hey! Tired of sitting at home watching TV or hiding from the law? Well come on down to check out the Wrath Ring's annual DEATH RACE!"
"My name is Wally Wackford, the host of this annual race!" spoke a tall imp with mute-crimson skin, curled black and white horns, a triangular-tipped tail, white hair, and black eyes with yellow sclera, and a long curly mustache. He wore a white regency shirt, sleeve garters, gray vest, black Kentucky colonel tie, white pants with gray stripes, and black boots. He also sported a top hat with pale lavender gray stripes. "Come see it in person, or watch it from your home, since it is live and televised!"
Loona and Amaroq, both curious, watched the commercial closely as Wally continued. "If none of you have heard about this race before, it is one of the most dangerous in Hell. A death or two is guaranteed! Fortunately, our meanest and toughest racers are up to the challenge!" he declared while showing off the racers…
"Like the handsome, star dare-devil in an ironic sense for an imp, Flex Flawless!" The first racer was a handsome looking imp-man with tanned-red skin, a black Elvis-like hair over his white helmet, and a white top-collar racing jacket showing his perfect chest. His sleeves had tassels with red and blue track lines, a black belt with a golden bull buckle, white pants and black boots. He smiled at the camera with his perfect teeth.
"The beautiful and practical driver, Carla Camero." The next driver was a succubus woman with pink skin, long blonde hair, and a blue racer helmet with white goggles. She had red eyes with yellow sclera and white lips. She wore an aquamarine rider jacket with a blue turtleneck, blue gloves, aquamarine skirt with white pants, and blue boots.
"The mean Mr. Prick Mustang and his Hellhound partner Guttley." Showing up with an evil smile was a yellow and white raptor demon with a black twirling mustache, green eyes with red sclera. He wore a large red and yellow striped cap and a large yellow overcoat with red gloves and yellow and black boots. Smiling with him was a short brown hunting dog breed Hellhound with a green helmet, yellow eyes with sclera, and a yellow jersey shirt and pants.
"Dangorus, Destroyer of Love and Peace." The next racer was a tall, monstrous demon who wore a black helmet with horns with a skull up top. Only his red eyes were shown underneath his helmet as his face was covered in shadow. His upper body had a black shoulder guard with large spikes, his chest plate was covered in bones. He also wore black arm gloves, a belt with a golden skull buckle, dark leather pants and black steel-toe boots with skulls on the end of the boots. He had green skin and an exposed six-pack abdomen.
"All the way from Greed are the 9-Speed Mob!" Next was a group of gangsters that consisted of a short, aquamarine demon, a large hefty shark demon with horns, a pink, half-succubi/shark hybrid demon, a depressed-looking young demon with boney hands and tail, a short shark demon with spots and a broken tail and chewing a toothpick, a lime-green shark demon with red claws, red lips and a blind eye with a permanent grin, a female shark demon with blue hair and two horns, another female shark demon who was short but wore a fedora and red and blue sided coat, and an angry-looking gray shark demon in a blue turtleneck with veins popping from under his chin. Behind them was a lone, red imp whose face was hidden by a fedora.
"The meanest old rancher in Wrath, Scary Mary and her Coyote Hellhound, Twitch!" In front of an armored pick-up truck was a deranged-looking imp-woman of middle-age, slightly overweight yet somehow muscular while having a short stature. Her body was riddled with scars as she wore a brown leather racing suit. Next to her was a Coyote Hellhound with black dots in his yellow eyes and red sclera, matted brown-fur, and a red flannel shirt and blue jeans. He was shown to be twitching and frowning while holding up a sign that read 'Help Me'.
"And trying out for the big leagues for the first time is our solo Hellhound driver… Jesse Baskerville!" The camera showed Jesse Baskerville, now wearing a black and orange full-body racer suit while holding a black helmet with white goggles. She looked at the camera and waved while sporting a grin.
"Wait, Jesse?!" Loona exclaimed in shock, causing Amaroq to turn to her.
"You know her?" Amaroq asked her.
"Remember when I mentioned Stolas?" Loona asked her and Amaroq nodded. "That Hellhound is his chauffeur. I met her while I was chaperoning Stolas's daughter and her friends at Loo Loo Land. She's kind of like… an adrenaline junkie."
"These racers will have their skills put to the test! They'll start out simple enough, but their roads lead through a double loop and a field of geysers before going straight through a volcanic mountain!"
The TV showed images of a double-loop track, followed by a geyser field and a volcanic mountain.
"After going through the mountain, the race will resume down cactus road, followed by the living sandstorm! And after that, the Road Graveyard!"
Images were shown of a road full of cacti, a sandstorm that moves on its own, and a large junkyard filled with destroyed vehicles and all kinds of industrial machinery.
"There is still time to buy your tickets now if you want to watch the carnage in person!"
"Wow…" Amaroq said in awe, staring at the TV before turning to Loona again. "Say Loona, you think we can go see the race in person?"
"Why do you want to see it?" Loona asked.
"For the carnage, duh!" Amaroq declared with a smile that looked a bit too gleeful at the prospect of violence. "So can we go?"
"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea," Loona quickly said. "We can just watch it on TV, since it isn't like we can afford it anyway."
"Aw, there's no way for us to get tickets?" Amaroq asked, pouting.
"At the last minute?" Loona asked. "No way. They probably jacked up prices so that tickets are even more expensive now because of how few seats there are left. And there's probably no other way for us to obtain tickets."
"What's happening, fellas?" Carrie asked as she walked in while wearing a Death Race t-shirt. She saw the TV. "So you know about the Death Race, huh?"
"Yeah, are you going?" Loona asked, pointing to the shirt.
"Nah, I'm just wearing this because I feel like it," Carrie said. "Of course I'm going. What about you two? Y'all can come with me if ya want."
Amaroq perked up, her tail wagging. "Really?" she asked.
"I appreciate the offer, I don't think that would be necessary, Carrie," Loona told her, making Amaroq pout some more. "I mean, I don't want you to pay admission for us."
"No sweat, I got me some extra tickets," Carrie said while holding up the tickets to show them. "I pre-ordered them for some of my friends, but not all of them could show up today. So you can take them instead."
"Well, that's… convenient," Loona asked while noticing how hopeful Amaroq looked. "But I still don't know, dad said we shouldn't get into trouble…" she said before looking at Amaroq, who gave her the puppy dog eyes.
"Pweeze, Loona…" Amaroq begged. "Can we pweeze go see the race in person? Carrie already spent a lot of money on those extra tickets, shouldn't she get her money's worth?"
"I…" Loona tried to avoid her gaze, but the teenage Hellhound couldn't help but feel weak from those eyes. Eventually, her resistance was worn down and Loona just sighed. "Alright, we'll go."
"Hooray!" Amaroq cheered.
"Now I think I know how dad felt…" Loona muttered while Carrie let out a snicker.
Meanwhile, Blitz walked over to a local saloon where he had been told he would meet up with his contact. He went inside and looked around, seeing the many patrons in there drinking, eating, smoking, and fighting. Blitz found a table in the corner to sit at, where he waited for someone to come to him. Eventually, that someone showed up and went to sit next to him.
"Which do you prefer? Lady Bourbon or the Tiger Lillies?" spoke a trenchcoat-wearing woman with a fedora and overly long legs. Despite her attempts to hide her identity, Blitz instantly recognized her.
"Enough with the codes, I can tell it's you, Penzi," Blitz told her.
"How did you guess?" Penzi asked as she took her fedora off.
"Please, like anyone else under Khan's employ has legs like yours," Blitz said as a waiter came up with two drinks. "So how have you been lately?"
"I'm doing fine, thanks for asking," Penzi told him. "How about you? I understand that you came down here because of… safety concerns."
"Yeah, you could say that," Blitz said while looking at his glass carefully before drinking it. "Me and Loona have been lying low after finding a place to hide, while Mox has his own personal thing to deal with. So what is it that the big tiger daddy wishes me to do? Who do I have to kill?"
"Well, your assignment here in Wrath isn't as simple as that," Penzi said before pulling out a file and sliding it towards him for him to grab. "Mr. Khan wants you to locate someone. Specifically, he wants you to find this Hellhound…"
Blitz looked through the file, recognizing the image of the Hellhound in question. He nodded. "Oh yeah. The big guy. I saw him on my first day here."
"His name is Chase and his reputation precedes him," Penzi said, pushing her glasses up. "He's a monster slayer, mostly known in Wrath and Envy, though word of his exploits have reached as far up as Pride. Mr. Khan has decided that he could use someone like him, so he needs you to convince him to come up to Pride to meet up with him."
Blitz looked disappointed by this. "Really, is that it? I'm just a messenger boy for Khan?"
"I'm afraid it won't be as easy as you might think. Chase is a stubborn type and the last previous employees that Mr. Khan sent down here to talk to Chase… well, they never came back," Penzi said while staring down at her drink, shaking the ice around. "That's why we require someone with your particular skills."
"What… what happened to them?" Blitz asked, looking a bit shocked to learn he wasn't the first to be sent on this errand.
Penzi shrugged. "Nobody knows. They were either killed by him, fucked by him, or eaten by him… or maybe a little of all three. Whatever their fate, our previous approach did not work, which is why Mr. Khan entrusts you to convince Chase to come see him."
"Christ on a stick…" Blitz muttered while looking through Chase's profile. He then looked up at Penzi. "I mean… I got this."
"Good, I'll stick around for a bit and wait to hear from you when you get Chase," Penzi said while leaning back. "Be careful around him, though. They say he never leaves behind a body…"
"Yeah, I don't think I need anymore information," Blitz said with a nervous frown. He didn't like this at all, but he knew that he had to do his job. Who knows what Shere Khan would do to him, Moxxie, Loona, or even Amaroq if he came back empty handed…
Or if he came back at all.
Meanwhile, Moxxie was still at his maternal family's home. In their yard, he watched his cousin doing her grudgeby practice… with a makeshift obstacle course.
"Oh Satan, be careful…" Moxxie said nervously while watching Rubella dodging the obstacles as she jumped around. "Oh crap, watch out for that-"
Rubella jumped over the rolling trash cans while making a clean landing. She eyed the goal, but still managed to grab a board to block suction cup arrows coming at her. She held the ball in her other hand as she weaved between different obstacles before bouncing off a ramp like it was a diving board. She then threw the ball through the goal, making a score.
"Goal!" Moxxie cheered before he walked over to his cousin. "Wow, Rubella, those are some awesome grudgeby skills. You're very fast on your feet."
"Thanks, cuz," Rubella replied while picking up the ball. "Been practicing for the season. Coach said with enough practice, we might even be able to win the grudgeby bowl."
"Well, I hope you make it up there," Moxxie replied.
"I plan to," Rubella said while looking down at the ball. She then looked up at her cousin. "So how much longer are you going to be sticking around for?"
"Actually, I'm leaving today," Moxxie revealed, much to Rubella's disappointment. "As much as I've loved spending time with you and the rest of the family, I do have other people who depend on me and I should really check up on them. Enough time has passed."
"So this is it then?" Rubella asked.
"Yeah… for now, at least," Moxxie said before forming a smile. "But hey, I promise to drop by here the next time I'm in Wrath."
Rubella smiled and gave him a hug. "Well, it was nice seeing you, cuz."
"You too, Rubella," Moxxie replied, hugging her back. "Keep being amazing at what you do, okay?"
"Heh, that won't be difficult," Rubella said.
A bit later, Moxxie was with the rest of the family as he said his goodbyes.
"It's been real fun catching up with you all," Moxxie told them with a heartfelt smile. "But I have to get back to my boss."
"Oh, my dear, sweet nephew!" Margentina shouted as she embraced Moxxie in a hug while tearing up. "I'm going to miss you so much…!"
"Just take care of yourself, son," Machete said as Moxxie hugged him before he went to hug his grandparents.
"Yeah, try not stay out of trouble," Abuelito told him as Moxxie gave him a hug.
"And the next time you come by to visit, maybe you could bring that boss of yours for us to meet," Abuela said while Moxxie hugged her.
"Uh, yeah, I'll keep that in mind…" Moxxie said before he felt the triplets hugging him.
"We'll miss you, cousin Moxxie!" Jam declared.
"The past few days with you have been great!" Jazz added.
"Promise to write!" Jive demanded.
Moxxie smiled and patted the boys' heads. "Don't worry, I promise to stay in better touch with all of you," he said before seeing little Rosalina crawling up to him. He smiled and picked her up. "Hey, little Rosalina. I'll see you again when I get the chance, alright?"
Rosalina giggled and hugged Moxxie's head. He smiled before handing her over to Margentina.
"I'll still be in the Ring for a while, so maybe I'll see some of you before I leave," Moxxie told the entire family as he grabbed his bag and his mother's guitar case. "At the Harvest Moon Festival, perhaps?"
"I think we might be able to make it, Moxxie," Abuela said before she nodded at the guitar case. "I'm glad you're taking that with you."
Moxxie nodded. "I promise to take good care of it."
Abuela nodded. "I know," she said as she held Moxxie's hand one more time, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Travel safe, my grandson. Tienes el corazón de tu madre en ti."
"Thank you," Moxxie said, his voice quiet as he started to leave. He turned one last time and saw them all waving at him as they watched him go.
"Bye, Mox!" they shouted as Moxxie waved back to them.
"See ya, guys!" Moxxie replied while he packed his things into his rental car before he got in and drove away, glancing every now and then into the rearview mirror as his family got smaller and smaller with each second…
In another part of the Wrath Ring, the Death Race was being held. While the drivers and their vehicles were getting ready in their garages, the bleachers became filled with huge crowds. And the area near the bleachers was just as crowded, with Hellborns of all species trying to either get to their seats or get their concessions before the race started.
"Here we are!" Carrie declared while leading Loona and Amaroq through the crowd. "Wrath's very own Death Race!"
"There's a lot of people here…" Loona muttered while wearing a cowgirl hat over her head.
"Is the Death Race really that popular?" Amaroq asked as she tried to avoid getting walked over.
"Oh, it is!" Kajedo shouted as she popped up, startling Amaroq and Loona. The former even leapt up in the air to be caught by the latter.
"Kajey?! A little warning next time!" Loona ranted while holding the startled Amaroq.
"Sorry about that, but I'm just so excited for the Death Race!" Kajedo declared while being covered in merchandise for the Death Race. She wore a drinking hat on her head, a t-shirt with fake blood splatters on it, and she waved two flags in her hand. Behind her, her tail was wagging in excitement. "Aren't you?"
"You don't seem surprised to see me or Amaroq here," Loona realized.
"I might have suggested to Carrie that she could give you and Amaroq two of her spare tickets," Kajedo admitted while taking a sip from her drink hat. "I was disappointed when not all of our friends could make it, but I am so happy you two get to be here because of that!"
"So is it just the four of us?" Amaroq asked.
"Not quite," Kajedo admitted before a new voice joined the conversation.
"So you two must be the Hellhounds that Kajedo's been talking nonstop about," said a succubus girl who walked over. She had rainbow-colored hair that reached down to her back. She also had velvet eyes with yellow sclera, fuchsia-skin, and she wore a blue jacket over her short white top, blue jersey short-shorts, knee-length socks and red tennis shoes. Her black wings were visible and her tail was out with a lightning-bolt shaped tip. "Loona, right? You're much shorter than I thought," she said while looking down at Amaroq.
Loona tried to cut in. "Um, actually I'm-"
"Loona, right? Gotcha!" the succubus girl shouted with a giggle as she looked at Loona. "But in all seriousness, nice to meet cha. Name's Max," she said, offering her hand.
"Um hey, nice to meet you too," Loona replied, shaking Max's hand.
"Hi, I'm Amaroq," Amaroq greeted.
"Nice meeting you too, little 'Roq-Star," Max said with a wink.
"Roq-Star?" Amaroq asked in awe. "Wow… I got a cool nickname…"
"So what made you decide to check out the Death Race?" Max asked.
"Well, Amaroq wanted to see the race in person," Loona admitted. "But I was interested in coming here because I personally know one of the racers."
This surprised both Max and Kajedo.
"Wait, seriously?" Kajedo asked. "Loona, you know another famous person?!"
"Wow, that's awesome!" Max shouted. "Who is it?"
"Hey, I had no idea they were apparently famous," Loona told Kajedo before turning to Max. "But I know Jesse Baskerville."
This shocked Max. "Hold up… you really know Jesse?!"
"Yeah," Loona replied. "And I guess she has some kind of reputation here…"
"Oh, totally!" Max declared with a manic grin. "Jesse's the youngest racer here and this is her shot at the big leagues, but I've been catching her drag races for a while now. She's known as The Baskerville Hound in the drag race circle and she's absolutely insane! She's like a demon that came out straight from a Rat Fink comic! Once she's on the track, no one is safe!"
"I know that from experience…" Loona said while giving a thousand-yard stare.
"But to think, that you know the Jesse, the Harbinger of Speed! You just gotta let me meet her!" Max said while shaking Loona's hand. "Can you? Can ya? Can ya?"
"I don't know, I mean I've only met her once," Loona admitted. "Plus, I don't know if there's a way to get past the barriers to meet her…"
"Oh, I think I can help with that," Kajedo said with a sly smile as everyone turned to her. "I think I know how we can all meet Jesse before the race…"
"Welcome to the annual Death Race, live here in the Wrath Ring! And here's our commentators, Nass, and Carrs!"
"Greetings, I'm Nass!" spoke an imp demon with black hair, horns facing forward, and a yellow suit.
"And I'm Carrs!" spoke an imp demon with a white beard and hair, horns facing backwards, and a yellow suit. "And we're going to be checking in on our racers before the race starts!"
The camera panned out, showing that the two had to share the same two legs connected to each other due to being conjoined.
"Now let's start with our first racer, who will hopefully live up to his name, Flex Flawless!" Nass exclaimed as they went over to Flex, who was waxing off his tricked out blue Cadillac with stars and stripes on it and larger back tires.
"Say Flex, what kind of vehicle are you driving for the race?" Carrs asked the imp.
"Greetings Nash, Carrs, um…" He paused when he saw two connected to each other with the same legs. "Hope I'm not offending you two, but I got a question about…?"
"Oh, this?" Nass asked. "Well, long story short, this is part of our curse."
"Yeah, let's just say we angered some sorceress who bound us with a curse that fused us together for all eternity," Carrs said. "Now about your vehicle…"
"Oh, right," Flex Flawless said while patting his car. "This here is my Flexmobile. I modeled and tricked out this car myself to win the race… and look good while doing it." He then spotted his reflection in the mirror. "Ooh, looky here at this handsome face," he said, checking himself out and smiling with his perfect fangs.
"Um, so what are you hoping to get out of this, Flex?" Nass asked him.
"Why I'm here for the fame, the glory, and the babes, especially dear Ms. Camero over here," Flex said as he pointed to Carla, who was working on her own vehicle. "She is the real prize."
"Now that is a true hero right here, ladies and gentleman," Nass declared.
"Yup! Flex Flawless is one hell of a guy!" Carrs replied as the two laughed before moving on to Carla. "Now let's check in on Carla. Oh Ms. Camero!"
"Hmm? Oh what can I do for you, gentlemen?" Carla asked them with a Southern-Belle accent.
"We were hoping you could tell us about your vehicle, Ms. Camero," Nass told her.
"Well, this here's my Power-Up Ponyride," she declared while patting her teal-colored camaro, which had a horse on the hood. "Growing up as a horseback rider, I knew that racing was my calling. I started out with horses, but then started racing dirt bikes and then cars. I want to keep pushing myself and find new challenges… all with a fashionable sense, of course."
"What do you hope to get out of this race, Ms. Camero?" Nass asked her.
"Why I came not just to win, but to win in style," she declared while brushing her hair. "You know, cars aren't that different from horses. Just with wheels. You have to talk to them just right in order to get what you want."
"Uh, right. And what can you say about you and Flex? A possible romance between drivers?" Carrs asked.
Carla just rolled her eyes. "I don't pay him no mind, it was a one night stand and yet he won't let it go."
"Well if you're interested in a date after a race…" Carrs started to say before Nass scoffed at him.
"Hey, you know damn well that we share the same dick," Nass scolded his connected co-commentator. "Just… just cut that out-"
"Alright, alright, man," Carrs told him as they moved onto to the next racer "Next is the mean Mr. Mustard."
"It's Mustang!" shouted Prick Mustang while his partner Guttley had lifted the hood of their yellow stock car, which had a large fin on top of the car and a large engine on the back. In the front was a large red lid-like spike. Prick calmed himself down when he realized he was on camera. "Oh, salutations, Nass and Carrs."
"Mr. Prick Mustang, what pray tell can you tell us about your vehicle?" Nass asked him.
"Why this here is my pride and joy," Prick declared. "The Tricky Drift! It has the fastest engine in the Seven Rings! Or at least the fastest one I could get my hands on. I plan to win this race by any means necessary, and then bask in the glory!"
"Although… you do have a reputation for always losing the race because you stop to cheat," Carrs pointed out. "Like last year's oil slick situation."
"Or the year before when you released those demon gorillas," Nass said.
"Hey, remember when he crashed into that Goetian family home and was subjected to torture?" Carrs asked as the two laughed while Prick did not look amused in being reminded of his past failures.
However, Prick managed to keep his cool. "I can assure you gentlemen, my cheating days are over! Right, Guttley?"
"Razzle-frazzle, meh," Guttley mumbled while working under the hood.
"Well if you say so, we'll be moving onto the next racer then," Carrs said as he and Nass moved away.
Once the commentators are gone, Prick turned to Guttley with a smirk. "We may be the fastest, but we'll still win the race… our way," he said as he revealed that his fingers were crossed.
"Weehehehehehe," Guttley wheezed a snicker, the two gave their own evil smiles.
Back to Nass and Carrs, they met up with Dangorus, who had his skeleton minions fixing up his vehicle, which was under a tarp.
"Dangorus, oh mighty lord that ends hope and dreams," Nass spoke to the larger conqueror.
"Oh, well this is awkward," Dangorus said when he saw the camera. He spoke with a surprisingly bashful tone. "I-I've never been on TV before."
"So what part of the Seven Rings are you from, Dangorus? Here in Wrath or are you from Pride? Envy? No wait, Greed, right?" Nass asked him.
"Actually, funnily enough, I'm not from Hell," Dangorus revealed. "I'm actually from a neighboring dimension. Its true name is unpronounceable in your tongue, but you can call it the Danger Realm. It's not all that different from Hell though, which is nice. It has flaming mountains, the ground is made up of ground up bones, oh, and our rivers are made of flammable blood."
"Wow, so what do you do for a living, Dangorus?" Nass asked him.
"Well, when I'm not conquering enemies and taking over other dimensions, I garden, make greeting cards, and I own a little cat cafe. Le Feline Boutique, here's my card if you want to visit," he said as he handed Nass a card. "I also like taking long walks on the skeletal sidewalks, my favorite singer is Neil Diamond, I am on a no-gluten diet plan, and one of my hobbies is coupon collecting."
"Well, that's… swell," Nass said, not sure how to react to this.
"So what car are you driving for the race?" Carrs asked.
"Ooh, let me show you guys my pride and joy," he said while giving a snap.
The skeletal pit crew moved away with the tarp, uncovering Dangorus's vehicle. It was a customized dragster with a large lion's skull on the hood and four smaller wheels connected to the bones sticking out from the connected motor. The seat was up, exposed with two handles, and there were two large wheels and a dragon's tail on the back.
"This is the 'Rancid Doomslayer', it's powered by a thousand anguished souls and the parts are custom-made with discarded bones," he declared proudly. "I am very environmentally-minded, so I made sure that my vehicle was a non-polluter and made from recycled materials."
"That's great, so what will you do if you win the money, Dangorus?" Carrs asked.
"I'd use the prize money to help with my cat cafe business and to donate to the GHFHWAV: Group Homes For Henchmen Without A Villain."
"Wow, environmentally friendly, and generous," Nass commented. "Thanks for letting us interview you."
"No, thank you for interviewing me," Dangorus said. "Oh, and one last thing." He turned and waved at the camera. "Hi, mom."
Nass and Carrs walked over to the next group of racers. "And here we are with the 9-Speed Mob!" Nass declared.
"We'll just interview one of them," Carrs replied while confronting one of the mobsters. "Say, got a name, fella?"
"Hmm? Oh, well you can just call me… Stu," said Stu, the succubus-shark mobster.
"What can you tell us about you and your crew, Stu?" Nass asked. "I assume that you came from Greed…"
"Before you ask, I can assure you that we have no ulterior motives in the race other than winning," Stu explained. "We just thought we could use a break from Greed and we race on the side, so we thought this could be a fun way to make some quick cash. How about I introduce you guys to my gang?"
Stu then began the introductions. "There's Crunch."
"Whadda are yous lookin' at?" Crunch, the large shark demon wearing a blue sweater, barked.
"Titus and his brother Nickel."
"No, no, it's supposed to be up the hood!" Titus, the short gray shark demon, ranted at Nickel, the larger shark demon with horns.
"Cleo and her Depressed Boyfriend."
"Come on, Depre, live a little," Cleo the large horn shark demon woman told her shark demon boyfriend, who had skeletal hands and looked depressed.
"What's the point anyway? We're just doomed background characters," Depressed Boyfriend said while shaking his head. "I don't even have a real name, that's how expendable we are…"
"Giancarlo and Marcella."
"Say Marcella, what do you do to get a nine out of ten on a driver's test?" Giancarlo, a red-lipped green shark demon, asked his short shark demon woman compatriot.
"I don't know, what?" Marcella asked.
"You shoot one to get out of the way! BAHAHAHAHA!" Giancarlo laughed at his own joke, while Marcella just rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"And lastly, there's Butch, our driver."
"Yeah, sir, we gots the vehicle ready," said the short, aquamarine demon known as Butch. He was talking over the phone. "Yeah, yeah, I know. No names."
"So what vehicle are you all driving?" Nass asked him.
"We call this one the Train Robber… although I guess it is kinda misleading, since we've never used it to rob a train," Stu admitted while showing their black 1935 Packard 12-Club Sedan that had horns on the hood and a hood scoop with the bumper resembling a train guard. The top of the hood resembled a smoke stack and headlight. "It's as powerful as a locomotive and the best getaway car in Greed."
"It's also powered through coal," Titus added.
"Coal-powered, huh? Well, we're not ecologists, so what do we know?" Carrs said. "Come on, Nass, let's go talk to the remaining racers."
"Already walking," Nass said as he walked away with Carrs, since both had the same legs.
Butch ran up to Stu, tugging at his clothes. "Yo, it's for you," Butch said as he handed the phone to Stu.
Stu grabbed it and lifted it up to his ear. "What can I do for you, Crimmy…"
In his office down in Greed, Crimson was smoking his cigar with one hand while on his phone with the other.
"You told me this racing gig of yours would pay off big," Crimson told him. "But I don't want you to take any chances. Win by any means necessary, understand? I've gambled a lot of money on this."
"Oh, we'll be sure to win, sir," Stu declared with a grin while turning to his fellow mobsters, who all sport the same looks.
Nass and Carrs, meanwhile, walked up to meet up with the next contestant.
"And now here is Scary Mary," Nass said while in front of a large, armored red pickup truck with large tires installed like a monster truck. "Excuse me-"
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Scary Mary shouted at the anchors.
"Um, we're here to interview you, Ms. Mary," Nass said, a bit taken aback.
"Oh, you are?" Scary Mary asked, her tone suddenly calm as she sported a creepy smile. "Well, I can answer any questions you'd like me to answer."
"So, uh, what can you tell us about yourself, Mary?" Carrs asked. "Unlike the other racers here, we understand that you're a local, correct?"
"That's right, I work as a rancher in the western region of Wrath. I have demon sheep, demon cows, and I do a little vegetable gardening," Scary Mary said. "Not by myself, of course. I have my farmhand, Twitch. TWITCH! SHOW YOURSELF!"
Twitch came from under the hood in the back, hitting his head. He walked over to her and the commentators, looking nervous.
"So Twitch, what can you tell us about yourself?" Nass asked as Twitch just shook while holding up a phone and tapping some text-to-speech.
'I'm Scary Mary's ranch hand. Hired for my high IQ and skills in automobile repairing.'
"Well, what can you tell us about your vehicle, this er… pickup truck?" Carrs asked.
"My 'Busy Betty' here is used for deliveries in addition to races. Those wheels are incredibly useful for getting people OUT OF MY WAY!" she suddenly yelled, startling Nass and Carrs. "So don't disturb the driver…"
"So, uh, what do you plan to do if you win?" Nass asked.
"Why do I plan on using the prize for my retirement of course," she said. "Look at all of these racers from other Rings, they come here thinking they're hot stuff and that they're going to win… BUT IT'LL BE ME! AHAHAHA!" She turned to Twitch. "TWITCH! GO BACK TO FIXING THE WHEELS!"
Twitch shook as his eyes twitched, but he did as he was told. All the while imagining gruesome ways his boss might meet her demise.
"Well, looks like Scary Mary lives up to her name, don't you think, Nass?" Carrs asked him.
"She certainly does, Carrs," Nass responded as they walked away. "Now onto the final racer…"
Meanwhile, Loona, Amaroq, Max, Kajedo, and Carrie had managed to get past security and had reached Jesse's garage. They stopped inside to talk among themselves.
"Wow, I can't believe that worked," Loona said while turning to Kajedo. "I had no idea you were able to do that…"
"Heh, that was nothing, I just have a lot of experience with this kind of thing," Kajedo responded.
"Nothing? Are you kidding? That was incredible!" Amaroq shouted. "Especially with the flying things. How did you do that?!"
"We're lucky to have just seen that with our own eyes," Carrie said. "Like, we are probably never going to see another display like that in our lifetime. Nothing will live up to it."
"Yeah, though it's best we don't talk about it anymore," Max suggested. "As exciting as that was, it'd be too hard to put into words to describe it. That wouldn't really be doing it justice."
"Right," Loona said in agreement.
"Ahem," said a voice.
Everyone turned to see Jesse, who came out from underneath her gray stock car with a hood scoop. It had white flames on the side and the hood. She looked at each of the intruders until her eyes stopped at Loona. "Wait, I know you," she said, pointing to Loona. "You're, like, Octavia's friend."
"Uh, yeah, hey Jesse," Loona said awkwardly.
"And… is this your little sister?" Jesse asked Loona, gesturing to Amaroq.
"Well, I-" Amaroq started to say before she was cut off by Loona.
"Not really, but it's a little complicated and not important at the moment," Loona replied. "We came back here to see you, because I was curious to know what you are doing in a place like this?"
"Well, it's my day off, and this is how I relax," Jesse explained with a casual tone and an indifferent tone as she got up.
"By entering the Death Race?" Loona asked.
"Sure, the occasional death race, but Wrath has other stuff to do in it as well," Jesse said. "But what are you doing here in Wrath?"
"Well, that's also a bit complicated…" Loona admitted while Amaroq and Max stepped up.
"Wow! I can't believe that I'm meeting the Jesse Baskerville! The Hellblazing Hellhound of Doom! The Furious She-Devil of Wrath's Road! The Empress of the Streets! You are a legend!" Max shouted, gushing over Jesse.
"What's the worst wreck you've ever seen?" Amaroq asked, just as enthusiastic. "No wait, what's the worst wreck you've ever been in?"
Jesse smiled. "I guess I have some fans," she said, but before she could answer their questions, everyone heard the voices.
"And now the moment you've all been waiting for!"
It was Nass's voice.
"Crap, that's the commentators!" Carrie realized.
"You guys need to hide somewhere while I keep these guys busy," Jesse told them as she walked out of the garage while everyone looked for a hiding spot.
Jesse came out, seeing Nass and Carrs. Both of the commentators noticed her.
"And there she is, our newest and youngest racer, the infamous Ms. Jesse Baskerville!" Carrs announced.
"Sup," Jesse told them while glancing at her garage to check if the girls had hidden themselves.
"Jesse, you have a reputation for being a true speed demon on the race track," Carrs said. "Is that true? What can you tell us about yourself?"
"First of all, that is one hundred percent true," Jesse replied, as she began her account. "Second of all, I guess I was one of those troubled youths back when I was a young Hellpup. You know the kind. One of those types who jacks cars and takes them for joyrides. I was no older than ten when I started doing that."
Loona looked shocked to hear this while hiding under a tarp with Max and Carrie. Kajedo was hiding nearby with a lampshade over her head.
"I've since gone on to enter drag races when I was a teenager, which earned me a reputation in the process," Jesse continued. "I won some races and lost other races, but that wasn't what mattered to me. The thrill and rush of the speed is what drives me. After my drag racing days, I went to work for a driving agency just to keep myself behind the wheel."
"So would you say that you were born to race?" Nass asked her.
"Bingo," Jesse nodded.
"Wow, now this here is a natural born speed demon," Nass said.
"Say, do you have someone at home watching you?" Carrs asked Jesse.
"Well… I do have a foster mom up in Pride," Jesse admitted. "I really appreciate everything she's done for me. Even if she prefers I take things a little easier while behind the wheel, I'm pretty sure she's watching the race."
"Well, ain't that nice, folks," Nass said. "Now what can you tell us about your car?"
"Oh, I'm glad you asked that," Jesse said while walking over to show them her car. "I call her the Furious Grayhound. I tricked her out with all the best engines and parts to make it the fastest. The wheels are top notch, made to ride on even the harshest terrain, and the only driver it needs is me," she declared. "Spent most of my earnings in making this."
"Wow! So what do you expect if you win the race?" Carrs asked her.
"The rush," she answered with a smile. "But this race also means a lot to me, since it is the biggest race I've ever been in up to this point. So if I win… it could open a lot more doors for me, since I would be in the big leagues."
"Excuse me," an imp said as he walked up. "Better get your vehicle to the starting line, since we're about to begin."
"Alright, looks like that's the end of the interview," Carrs declared as he and Nass walked off. "Hopefully we will see you after the race!"
As they left, Jesse turned to grab her helmet, putting on it and a pair of gloves. She saw the girls coming out of their hiding spot.
"Wish me luck," Jesse said while getting in her car. She turned it on and drove out of the garage.
"Wow, isn't she so awesome!" Max declared as everyone got out of their hiding spot.
"I guess, if you have a thing for adrenaline drunkies," Carrie said.
"Amaroq," Loona said as she looked around. "Amaroq, you can come out now."
There was no answer.
"What's going on?" Carrie asked.
"Amaroq, I don't see her around," Loona said, looking worried ."Where could she be hiding?"
"Um… I think I know," Kajedo said, looking worried.
"Well? Where did she go?" Loona asked her.
"I don't think she's in the garage… because I saw her sneaking into the car while we were hiding!" Kajedo revealed, causing everyone's eyes to widen. "She might still be hiding in there!"
"Oh no…" Loona said in a grim tone.
Meanwhile with Blitz, he was attempting to follow the trail that Chase left behind. He managed to get some leads and he ended up finding himself at the remains of a huge headless monster.
"This must be his handiwork," Blitz indicated as he kept driving, only to see that the head of the monster was blocking the road. "Aw shit…"
He followed his lead to another town, where he interviewed some of the townsies there.
"Yeah, I saw him with my two eyes, see," a miner imp declared. "He's been to this town, visited the local whore house here."
Blitz visited the local whore house, where he asked its whores about Chase.
"Oh yes, Chase…" a succubus said while gushing over Chase. "He's rough, but he knows how to treat a demon just right."
"Did he say where he's going?" Blitz asked.
"Well, he did say that he came here so he could slay another monster in the chasm," she replied.
At the chasm, Blitz saw the bloody mess that was all that remained of monster bats that were killed here.
"Geez…" Blitz said before noticing drag markings on the ground, leading him away…
Blitz followed the trail until he came across the remains of some imps and their horses, who had all been slain. Well, almost all of them had been slain. He spotted one imp crawling across the ground and he decided to go to talk to him.
"Yo buddy, what happened here?" Blitz called out to the imp.
"We all tried to take on Chase… but we couldn't…" the injured imp coughed out before a demon vulture picked him off the ground. "GAAAAH!"
"Oh shit!" Blitz shouted as he watched the imp get carried away.
"Yeah, he stopped by here as well," said a lizard demon who was joined by a succubus, incubus, and a hellcat. All were in scantily clad clothing. "He preferred a group."
"Something tells me he didn't just stop with you guys," Blitz said while everyone else in the brothel all nodded.
Blitz found another monster slain, this time it was near another village. He went through to ask anyone in the village if they saw Chase.
"So you have seen him?" Blitz asked the farmer Hellhound.
"Yeah, I see him heading to that brothel over there," the farmer said, pointing at the brothel.
"Of course…" Blitz said with a groan.
After talking with the prostitutes at that brothel, Blitz continued on driving in the direction he was told Chase went in. Eventually, he spotted a camp in the distance, on a hill by the caves. He grabbed his binoculars and saw Chase with his back turned while eating a slab of meat.
"Gotcha," Blitz said as he went off-road and began driving towards the camp. However, his van then bumped into something. "What the…?"
He got out of his van and looked down to see that his tires had popped. "Shit," he cursed before he saw that behind the van were some camouflaged spikes on the ground. "What in the-?!" As he backed away, he stepped on some rope, which tightened around his ankles. "Oh shit-AAAAAAAH!" Blitz cried out as he was pulled to the ground and dragged up the hill, hitting his head on a few rocks in the process. "Ow! Gah! D'oh! Ah!" he cried out before he found himself hoisted up in the air and dangled over a cliff. "Fuck!" he winced before seeing someone walking over to the cliff.
"What's your deal?" Chase asked while looking down at Blitz, his paw above the rope "You a tourist? Or another one trying to pick a fight with me?"
"Well neither of those," Blitz said before seeing Chase's paw using its claw to cut the rope. "Wait! I'm just here to talk to you!"
"Talk?" Chase questioned before he realized what he meant. "Wait, you're not one of Shere Khan's errand boys, are you?"
"Well…" Blitz said before he was pulled up by Chase so the two ended up facing each other.
"Look, I'll tell you like I've told the rest of his employees who came for me… I'm not interested in working with an Overlord," Chase told him. "Especially someone like Shere Khan," he added before tossing Blitz aside.
Blitz, however, used his tail to wrap around Chase's arm and swing onto Chase's back. "Oh hell no! I did not come all the way down here, visiting all the whore houses you've fucked through, for nothing!" he shouted as he grabbed Chase's jacket, pulling it.
Chase turned to the imp, giving a deadpan expression. "What the hell are you trying to do?"
"Getting you… to meet… Khan…!" Blitz told him before he fell down. He got back up and he went to grab his tail to try to pull, only to get yanked off his feet and tossed to the ground. "Christ on a stick! You really are a growing boy, are you?"
"Are you really that determined to take me to see Shere Khan?" Chase asked him.
"Look, I got some growing girls to take care of at home, so I need to keep this job," Blitz told him. "So whether you like it or not, I'm going to get you to talk to him and I won't leave you alone until you do. Even if I have to risk my life to do it!"
Chase looked down at Blitz, tilting his head at the imp. He tapped his own chin and seemed to have an idea.
"Well… if you really want me to go see your boss, then you'll have to prove you're willing to do anything to convince me," Chase suggested.
Blitz seemed relieved for a moment, then he realized what that meant and he looked nervous. "And uh, what do you have in mind…?"
"Well, I do need help with something," Chase said with a smile. "And you will do just fine…"
"Ah crumbs," Moxxie said while noticing he was almost out of gas. "I can't make it to Carrie's while low on gas. Better stop by for some," he said while noticing a sign for a town that was coming up. He had a new destination.
Driving into the town, he soon found a gas station. However, he noticed the town seemed a bit empty and low on life, seeing people closing their doors after spotting him. "Odd," Moxxie said before pulling his rental car up to the gas station.
He went to pay for some gas inside, where he found a clerk behind a register. "Quiet day, isn't it?" he asked, but the clerk didn't respond. They were avoiding eye contact with Moxxie and reading a newspaper instead. Moxxie sighed while placing his snails on the counter. "Twenty for pump two, please."
After paying, Moxxie went to fill up the gas into his rental. As he filled up his car, he overheard a commotion nearby.
"Please, please have mercy!"
Moxxie turned and spotted an imp priest being pushed around and harassed by a group of imps, who in addition to pushing the priest around were also kicking a coffin that the priest was with. "Stop it! Leave him alone!"
"Him? You call that corpse a him?" one imp questioned as his friends laughed.
"This bum's delusional!" another replied. "How about we knock some sense into you?"
Bang!
"Gah!" the imp cried as he fell down while feeling pain in his leg. "I've been shot!"
The other imps immediately held up their guns…
Bang-bang-bang!
Each of their guns were shot out from their hands, causing them to scream as they grabbed at their bloody fingers. "Gah!" they shouted as they turned to see the one who shot at them…
"Leave," Moxxie told them while holding up two of his glocks. "Or else you'll be ending up in coffins…"
They looked at Moxxie and stared at his guns, realizing that Moxxie was more than ready to pull the trigger on them. "Fuck it, let's get out of here!" one of the imps shouted as he ran, the rest of the imps following.
Moxxie glared at them while seeing them run before turning to the priest and helping him off the ground. "Are you alright, sir?"
"I'm fine, thank you," the priest responded while turning to the coffin and going over to it to make sure that it wasn't damaged. He sighed in relief before turning back to Moxxie. "I need to get this back on my hearse, if it isn't too much trouble."
"Yeah, I can help you with that," Moxxie said as the two imps worked together to lift up the coffin and heave it onto the hearse wagon. "Why were those punks giving you some trouble anyway?"
The priest sighed. "They didn't react kindly to learning that I intended to bury this body up at Boot Hill. They say that this body isn't fit to be buried up there."
"Up at Boot Hill?" Moxxie questioned.
"Where most are buried," the priest explained. "But those imps, they didn't want me to bury Sam here."
"Why not?" Moxxie asked.
The priest shook his head sadly. "Because Sam was a hybrid."
Moxxie was shocked by this. "Seriously? Crumbs…"
"Yes, he was an imp/hellhound hybrid, not a good combination to be around here," the priest admitted while giving a sigh. "Sam lived a hard life and he deserves a proper rest. I want to be sure all demons here get a proper burial and their necessary rites, regardless of their race. But some elements of this town don't agree."
Moxxie felt bad for both the priest and the poor sap in the coffin. He looked up at his hearse. "You plan on going up there alone?"
"Of course, even if I get antagonized," the priest admitted. "I won't let them stop me from doing my duty to all of Lucifer's subjects."
"Well, I can help you," Moxxie offered, surprising the priest. "Accompany you to the cemetery, make sure that nothing goes wrong. That way, you can do the necessary rites."
"Oh, you don't have to do that, son," the priest told him. "You've already done more than enough. Besides, I don't have much to pay you with."
"Eh, I'll do it for free," Moxxie said. "And I want to help. Just like you're helping to give this poor sap some dignity."
The priest looked at Moxxie in surprise, clearly having not expected to meet someone willing to help him take Sam to his proper burial. He smiled. "Looks like Lucifer must have sent you my way. Thank you, young man."
"No problem, sir," Moxxie replied as he climbed onto the hearse to ride with the priest, who got his demon horses to pull the wagon towards the cemetery across town.
Moxxie could spot civilians watching from their windows, a silent audience to the priest and Moxxie as their hearse made their way up to take the body to Boot Hill. Moxxie didn't see disgust on their faces, which led him to believe that not everyone in town agreed with those imps from before. But enough did to make the rest not to want to have anything to do with this, clearly believing it to be a suicide mission.
As they went up a hill, Moxxie heard a window open as he turned to see something shining in the sun. Something metal. "Get down!" he warned the priest as he fired at the window, right before the gunman fired as well.
The gunman was hit, causing him to miss his shock as he fell back away from the window, vanishing from sight.
Moxxie continued to look around, noticing a hidden gunman about to shoot at them. Moxxie shot at him. He didn't hit him, but the shot let the gunman know that Moxxie could see him, so he decided to wisely book it out of there before he was killed. Moxxie then noticed another gunman popping up nearby, trying to get the drop on Moxxie. Moxxie, however, shot him back, throwing his aim off as he fell back. The bullet soared over the head of Moxxie and the priest, instead hitting another armed gunman, who fell from the roof without a sound.
The priest was shocked by this. "How did you know there was one up on the roof?"
"I didn't," Moxxie replied honestly. He then saw the cemetery ahead and who was standing in their way, between them and the entrance. He grimaced. "And that must be the welcoming committee…"
Indeed, there were other imps, including the ones from earlier before. This time they came with guns and knives. "Alright, now dis is the last stop you'll make!" the leader shouted while holding his shotgun.
The priest looked worried while Moxxie narrowed his eyes at the imps. Behind them, the townsfolk had come out of their homes, gathering in a small crowd because they wanted to see what would happen next. Amongst them was a young imp who looked very curious to see how this would go.
"Look, I don't care what your issues are, but we're just going to give old Sam a proper burial." Moxxie told the gunmen with no ounce of fear. "So go back to the hole you came from and let us be and I promise you'll get to leave without any new holes in you."
This angered the leader. "You think yer smart, boy?! Well. have some lead!" the leader shouted as he lifted up his shotgun, ready to aim at Moxxie. However, Moxxie proves to be quick, pulling out one of his guns and shooting the leader first in the arm, making him drop his shotgun. One of the leader's friends was about to shoot his gun, but Moxxie shot his hand off.
"GAH!" they cried out. The other imps, who seemed ready to fight just moments ago, now hesitated as they looked at Moxxie, who had a fire in his eyes…
Wisely, they put down their guns and lifted their hands up.
"Now, I'm gonna need six folks to help me get this casket to the burial ground," Moxxie instructed, glancing at the crowd behind him. Six townsfolk came out of the crowd, no longer afraid of the thugs, and helped to lift the casket. Moxxie looked back at the imps standing in his way and he narrowed his eyes at them. "Why are you guys still here?" he asked while holding his gun.
Faced with this short, yet threatening imp, the gang of imps decided to take their leader and their injured out of their way and leave Moxxie be.
Soon, the casket with the dead hybrid was being lowered into its proper resting place while the priest gave the deceased his rights. Moxxie watched this being done, feeling a little proud of himself for what he did for the priest. Once the priest was done and the body was buried, Moxxie watched the priest leave before giving a sigh of relief. "I'm gonna need a drink."
"Excuse me, mister," said a young voice.
Moxxie turned and noticed the young imp who was speaking to him. He looked no older than a teenager.
"You were mighty good with that gun, sir," the young imp said.
"Uh, thanks kid," Moxxie replied as he tried to walk past, but the kid was in his way.
"Please sir, can I wish to speak with ya?" he asked him. "Cause I really could use someone like you."
"You need someone good with a gun?" Moxxie asked him.
"Yes, but I also need someone who isn't afraid to take a risk to help someone else and do the right thing, like how you helped that priest just now," the kid said.
Moxxie paused and looked at him. "What's your deal on that…?"
"My village is in trouble and we need help," he explained to him. "And when I saw how you shot those mean guys while helping that priest… Well, I think you're just the kind of imp that I've been searching for. The kind of imp who is perfect to help my village."
Moxxie hesitated. "Oh, um… gee, that's a… I'm sorry about your village, kid," Moxxie told him, sounding a bit uneasy. "But I really can't go on a side quest to help you. I have places to be, people to see. I can't delay my trip any longer. I'm sure you can find someone else."
"Please, sir!" the kid begged, sounding desperate. "All of the lives of my village are depending on me! On this! I just can't go back empty handed!"
Moxxie paused and looked back at the kid, seeing the desperation on his face. If what the kid said was true, Moxxie realized that he couldn't turn away from this, just like how he didn't turn away from saving Amaroq from the fur farm or how he didn't turned away from helping the Triton Resort during the hostage situation or how he didn't turn away from helping to escorting those witches on their way to the Underworld…
After a moment of consideration, Moxxie looked at the kid and sighed. "Alright, how about you take me to your village so that I can take a look at your problem, kid?"
The kid looked relieved by this and he smiled. "Thank you, mister."
Back at the race, the racers drove up to the starting line.
"Oh Carly," said Flex, who smiled at Carla as she turned to him. "Hopefully you won't feel bad when I win this race, maybe we can go out for dinner afterward. I can pay for it."
"How gentleman of you, Flex," Carla replied with a sweet smile. "It's just too bad that I'll have to make you crash…"
Dangorus looked at Prick Mustang and the 9-Speed Mob, as he was in between them both. "Well, I wish you fellow villains good luck in this race," he complimented.
"Right, luck is all we need," Prick responded while turning to whisper to Guttley. "The less these suckers know about what we have under our sleeves, the better…"
"The less those guys know about what'll hit them, the easier it will be for us," Stu whispered to his gang.
"Yeah! We're gonna win this!" Cleo cheered.
"Sigh… we're all gonna die," Depressed Boyfriend said.
Scary Mary also revved up her pickup while Twitch was forced to sit next to her.
"SIT UP STRAIGHT, TWITCH!" she shouted at him before turning to Jesse, whose car was next to her. "This here track is not for future roadkill like you, little doggy! Why don't you git outta that car and let the real demons race!"
Jesse just glared at Scary Mary while scoffing. "With that weight of yours, there's no way you'd win."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Scary Mary shouted, pissed off by Jesse's comment. "You're going down, bitch!"
"Alright racers!" Wally Wackford's voice came through the megaphone. He was in a hot air balloon. Everyone's attention was turned to the starting right, which was red. "On your mark!"
As the racers braced themselves, the trunk of Jesse's car moved, as if someone was kicking it from inside…
"Crap, crap!" Amaroq cried out as she tried to kick the trunk open. But it was stuck. "Help! Someone get me out of here!"
Meanwhile, Loona, Carrie, Kajedo, and Max were trying to run over to the starting line.
"Look! There's Jesse's car!" Max pointed out.
"And it looks like there's someone in the trunk… Amaroq!" Loona realized. But before they could reach the car, they were suddenly blocked by some security guards.
"Hold it here, little misses," spoke one of the security guards. "You can't get too close to the starting line."
"But you don't understand, we need to-" Loona tried to get past him, but the guard blocked her.
"Ma'am, you shouldn't even be back here! It's unsafe for you and the racers," he told her.
"Get set…!"
Max saw the light turn yellow and she turned to the security guard in front of her, "Oh forget it," she said as she leapt up and kicked the guard away. She tried to fly towards Jesse's car, but was grabbed by a guard. "Hey!"
"Stop right there!" the guard told before getting punched in the face by Carrie.
"We have to get to Jesse no matter what!" Carrie told everyone as the girls got the memo and started fighting the security guards. Loona kicked and punched a few guards while Kajedo did the same. When a guard came up from behind her, Kajedo turned around and threw confetti in his eyes.
"Pocket-confetti! Sha-sha-sha!" Kajedo shouted as the blinded guard screamed in pain. She turned to Loona. "Go get Amaroq! We'll take it from here!"
Loona nodded as she stepped on one guard's face to knock him back before she ran for Jesse's car, shouting in the hopes Jesse would hear her…
"GO!"
But it was too late, since the racers took off as soon as they heard those words.
"NOOO!" Loona cried out, seeing that she was too late. "AMAROQ!"
For a moment, Loona just stood there in shock, watching the racers drive away. She wasn't sure what to do… but then determination washed across her face as one guard came up to her.
"Alright miss, time for you to-"
Before the guard could even finish, she kicked him away. She then looked around and spotted a parked car off to the side...
"And they're off, folks!" Wally announced from his hot air balloon before he noticed someone below hot-wiring a car. "What the… hey! Someone stop her! She's trying to steal my car!"
Loona soon succeeded in hot-wiring the car and she started the engine.
"Go, Loona! Save Amaroq!" Carrie shouted while rounding up some of the guards with rope as her friends helped her.
Loona then stepped on the pedal, driving over the starting line and following the other racers much to the shock of everyone watching.
"Whoa, looks like we got either a last minute enter, or a rogue racer in the race, folks," Nass said while turning to Carrs. "What do you think of this, Carrs? Isn't this illegal?"
"Nothing's illegal here in the Death Race, Nass. Remember, no rules," Carrs reminded him. "Besides, a last minute racer just means another body to add to the kill count."
"Right indeed, Carrs," Nass said with a smile. "This should be fun, regardless of how skilled our new driver is."
The racers raced down the track, all the while trying to pass the other. Jesse revved up her Grayhound while shifting the gears to try to pass Scary Mary's pickup. Flex Flawless in his Flexmobile was in first place, followed by Carla in her Ponyride in second. Jesse ended up being third, which angered Scary Mary.
"Ain't no way I'm losing to that mutt!" Scary Mary shouted. "Twitch! REV UP BETTY!"
Twitch flinched as he looked at the panels. He opened up the glove compartment and pressed a button on it. The pickup truck suddenly burst flames from the back, causing the Busy Betty to speed up, knocking both Dangorus and the 9-Speed Mob.
"Oh dear…" Dangorus said as he almost lost control of his Doomslayer.
"She's trying to cause us to spin out!" Titus cried out while the mob hung onto their seats.
"Then we better get rid of the competition first," Stu said while pulling a lever.
Machine guns then popped out from the sides of the Train Robber, and each of the gangsters grabbed a gun and tried to shoot at their competition, causing the drivers to swerve to avoid the gunshots.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them. The gangsters looked up and saw Prick Mustang, who used his Tricky Drift to make a jump while wings popped out, allowing him to fly over the competition.
"Time to lighten the load, Guttley," Prick ordered as Guttley pressed a button on the panel.
The Tricky Drift then released bombs from a hole in its bottom, raining down explosives on the other racers. They all swerved to avoid the bombs as they exploded upon impact, creating craters on the road.
"Shit!" Flex cried out while steering the wheel in a panic.
"Why I never!" Carla shouted as she drifted around the bombs.
Jesse pumped the gas as she narrowly avoided the bombs. She saw the Tricky Drift land in front, placing Prick in first place while Flex and Carla were second and third. Jesse was in fourth, but this only got the Hellhound to smirk.
"Looks like the real challenge begins…" she declared.
In the far back, Loona was behind the other racers. She was trying to find Jesse's car. She knew she had to get to the car to save Amaroq or stop Jesse to get Amaroq out…
Meanwhile, next to an open road, Chase and Blitz were behind a large rock. Blitz came out to pour some seeds on a plate on the road while Chase kept watch.
"There he comes," Chase said as Blitz hurried back behind the rock. "Is the trap ready?"
"Yup," Blitz said while holding the rope. "Once that bird stops to eat the seeds, we'll be able to trap it. Man, who knew you were looking for a Thunderbird here."
"It's not just a Thunderbird," Chase said while holding up some binoculars and seeing lightning bursts in the distance. "That there is a descendant of one. They call it a 'Thunderchick'. They don't fly but they run fast like lightning. Too fast for me to catch just by chasing after it, and believe me I've tried, which means I have to resort to more… creative means."
Stopping at the plate was the Thunderchick, a long-neck yellow feathered bird with a lightning bolt mane and wings. It spotted the bird seed and pecked at it while Blitz grinned and pulled on the rope, expecting the trap to go off…
But nothing happened.
"Huh?" Blitz asked as he looked up at the trap. The rope was connected to a large water balloon. He kept pulling it again and again, but it didn't drop. The Thunderchick eventually finished its meal and ran off.
"It got away!" Chase complained.
"I don't understand, this should've worked!" Blitz shouted as he walked over to the now empty plate, looking up as he kept pulling the rope… only for the large water balloon to finally drop down, exploding right on top of him. Due to the heat, the water became hot. "AW FUCK! IT BURNS!"
In another attempt, Blitz put one large rubber band over a boulder, then pulled another boulder on the opposite side of the road.
"Are you sure this will work?" Chase asked him, looking unconvinced.
"Yeah, when that bird runs past here, we'll crush it. The bird will be caught between a rock and… well, another rock," Blitz said while putting the band over the other boulder. "There, that should do it-"
The two boulders were suddenly brought together, thus crushing Blitz in between them. "Ow…"
Next, Blitz paved the road with quick-dry cement. He made sure to make it flat.
"Alright, with this quick-dry cement, that flash turkey will run through it and get caught," Blitz declared.
"There he comes now," Chase said as he pointed up ahead before the two hid in a large ditch next to the road.
The Thunderchick ran down the road and through the cement, though rather than get stuck in it, the Thunderchick instead parted the wet cement like Moses parting the Red Sea, causing the cement to splash all over Blitz and Chase instead.
The cement froze them stiff. However, Chase easily broke out of the cement while glaring down on Blitz. "Well that didn't work," he said. "Anymore bright ideas, imp?"
"Shut up…" Blitz said, his voice muffled through his cement prison. "Are you going to free me or-" Chase picked up the frozen Blitz, lifting him above his head. "No, wait, not-" Before Blitz could finish, Chase slammed the frozen Blitz onto the ground, shattering the cement but bruising Blitz. "Ow…"
Next Chase was hiding a Dead End before turning to Blitz, who was painting a fake tunnel entrance on the side of a cliff.
"Are you sure this will work?" Chase asked him.
"Ah yeah, cause that dumb battery bird will hit the wall like most birds hit windows," Blitz said as he completed his painting.
Chase saw the flash of lightning in the distance. "Here he comes," he warned Blitz.
Once they hid themselves, the Thunderchick came over, running past their hiding spot and toward the painted wall… only to run through the fake tunnel entrance.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Blitz cried out as he came out of their hiding place and looked at the large hole in surprise. Even Chase was surprised. Blitz let out a frustrated growl, stepped back, and ran towards the tunnel entrance… only to smash himself into the wall.
"I may not be a physics major, but even I know that's not right…" Chase said, shaking his head.
Moxxie followed the instructions of the imp kid to the kid's village. Once he stopped his rental car, the two got out and went into town, earning the attention of the townsfolk.
"I'm back!" the kid shouted, much to the surprise of the townsfolk.
"Wesley? What in Sam Hill are you doing in that car with a stranger?" asked a female imp who looked concerned. "You should know better!"
"Don't worry, I brought help," the kid, Wesley, replied, while pointing at Moxxie. "This guy here is going to help protect this town with his sharpshooting skills!"
"Heh, um, hey…" Moxxie said as he waved to them, though he saw that the townspeople didn't look necessarily happy to see him. He leaned over to the kid. "Uh, what's the deal with them, Wesley? I thought you said this place needed some help."
"It does," Wesley told Moxxie. "And we do need help. But-"
"Let me take a look at this fella," a voice interrupted.
Moxxie turned and saw the mayor of the small town walking over to him. He was an imp with a big white mustache, a black top hat, a suit and a 'mayor' sash. With him was a tall, brown furred kitsune biped with yellow eyes. She has black bobcut hair and her two tails rose around her like a boa, with her other six lowered. She wore a yellow vest over a white blouse, where her cleavage line was shown. She also sported curves while wearing a black loose-skirt and black stiletto heels.
"Well, I'll be, Wesley found someone after all," the mayor said while looking over Moxxie. He shook his head. "I'm sorry Wesley got you dragged into this, son. I'm afraid this is all a wild misunderstanding." He sighed and turned to the kitsune. "What do you think, Momo?"
"I think he looks like trouble," the kitsune secretary, Momo, responded with a stoic tone. "And we don't need anymore trouble."
A few of the townspeople grumbled in agreement, looking at Moxxie with skepticism and even vitriol, surprising him.
"Um, you must be the mayor of this town," Moxxie said.
"Mayor Dirk, welcome to Angerton, population of one hundred twenty, small little village, nothing much of value besides our corn crops," he greeted while shaking Moxxie's hand.
"Moxxie," he said as he shook the hand of the mayor.
"Where are you from, son?" Dirk asked. "You a local?"
"Um, no," Moxxie admitted. "My mother was born in Wrath, but I grew up in Greed. I was coming back from visiting family when I met Wesley."
"He defended a priest and helped him bury a dead hybrid!" Wesley chipped in.
"So you're handy with a gun then?" Dirk asked and Moxxie nodded. "Well, that's good. That you can defend yourself, I mean. But I'm sorry that little Wesley brought you all the way here, because I'm afraid that you came here for nothing."
"Um, are you sure, sir? Wesey told me that your village is in some kind of trouble," Moxxie replied. "If you don't mind me asking, what kind of trouble are you guys facing?"
The mayor sighed and started to explain. "Well, lately this village has been having a problem with extortionists. You know the kind, thugs wanting to collect a protection fee."
"We have those in Greed too," Moxxie said with a grimace. "Maybe you can tell me more about the threat you're facing? Like, how bad do they have to be for a kid to go out and try to get help?" he asked while looking around at the townsfolk, noting their nervous and even scared faces.
"They're raiders," the Mayor said. "Um, specifically… Demon Apes."
Moxxie paled when he heard the mention of Demon Apes, one of the less common but most dangerous race of Hellborns. They were separated into two tribes: ones that preferred themselves to take on more practical and scholarly roles in order to be more civilized. And ones that embraced savagery and brutality. For this, the Demon Apes were considered the most dangerous Hellborns in Wrath.
"Crumbs… Demon Apes?! I thought they don't come to this side of Wrath?!" Moxxie pointed out.
"Usually they don't, but their leader, Murdock, has gotten more ambitious," Momo said. "He's not just cruel, he's smart as well. He figured out that he doesn't have to destroy everything right away and can instead take us for everything we have. Every month, he comes and collects a protection fee. But every month, he also demands more than the previous visit."
"And when this village comes short, they will take whatever they want. Sometimes, Murdock will kill a few villagers as an incentive. Women, children… the last mayor," Dirk said as he looked down with a saddened look. "Murdock and his gang are just plain savages. The reason we've never gotten any outside help before is because Murdock has an army. Nobody in Wrath thinks this single village is worth the effort."
"Those apes have already burned down several other villages," Wesley mentioned. "It's only a matter of time before they decide to do the same to us."
Moxxie looked concerned by this, but for Dirk it was just old news. "If we fight back, we'll be slaughtered. And not pleasantly either. Hell, those who can leave town already did, while the ones who stayed, well… they're prepared to die here."
"That's… that's horrible," Moxxie said in shock.
"That's the reality of living in Wrath for ya," Dirk said while patting Moxxie's shoulder. "Listen here, my son. You can just… leave us to our fates," he told him, causing Moxxie's eyes to widen. "You can just go about your life and forget that you came here. Besides, there isn't anything here for you and your presence will only give us more trouble than before…"
Moxxie looked at the mayor, then at everyone else. With the exception of Wesley, they all looked… resigned to their fates. They didn't think there was any way out of their situation and they thought doing anything to change it would make it worse. And considering the reputation of the Demon Apes… perhaps they were right.
Moxxie looked back at his car, thinking that by now he should be going back to Blitz. He knew that Blitz did want his help, unlike these people here. And he had been delayed here too long already…
"I'm sorry," Moxxie told Dirk, who just nodded.
"There's nothing you can do about it, son," Dirk told Moxxie. "And there's nothing wrong with admitting that."
Moxxie hesitated, but then nodded and started to walk back to his car. However, before he could get to his car, he suddenly felt the embrace of Wesley. He looked down, seeing the kid cry.
"Please… you have to help," Wesley begged him.
Moxxie gave a saddened and regretful look. "Look, I'm sorry, but-"
"My parents were murdered by Murdock and his apes," Wesley revealed, which shocked Moxxie. "They… they were trying to save me from him when he tried to kill me for sling-shooting at him. Murdock, he… he tortured and crucified them, making them an example for others… and me." He teared up. "It's my fault that they died. I wanted to stop Murdock and his apes, I wanted to make them pay and avenge my folks. But I couldn't do it alone. I just… I just thought that there was someone in Wrath who could help us…"
Moxxie looked down at the kid and knelt down to Wesley's level. "Hey, kid. Look, it's not that simple…"
"Well, even if you don't agree to help, I'm still going to fight the apes the next time they come to my town!" Wesley declared as he glared up at Moxxie.
Moxxie just sighed. "Wesley, look. Sometimes… sometimes the monsters do win, and there's nothing that can be done about it." He looked down at the ground. "I should know, a monster killed my mother, but I know that I can't avenge her. All I can do is keep living for her." He looked back up at the saddened boy. "Look, why don't you come with me, you don't have to stick around here and get yourself killed."
The imp kid scoffed. "But I ain't no coward!" Wesley complained.
"This isn't about being brave, Wesley," Moxxie told him. "This is about being smart."
"But you promised to help!" Wesley argued.
"I only promised to come to the village and see how bad things are," Moxxie argued back. "And from the looks of it, even with my marksmanship, there is nothing I can do for your village. Did you really expect me to fight an entire army of killer apes by myself? That just isn't how the real world works, kid."
Wesley looked down in realization. "I… didn't think about that," he admitted quietly. "But… I'm willing to fight by your side. Maybe it is stupid, but for me it's not about what's smart. It's about what's right," he declared while raising his head up. "Maybe you can't avenge your ma, but there are people here you can help. What do you think your ma would want?" he asked him.
Moxxie looked at Wesley in silence. While he did have obligations elsewhere in Wrath, he knew that if he left this village, Wesley would get himself killed the next time those apes came back. And there was the question of what his mother would want him to do.
"I-" Moxxie started to say before he noticed. He paused and he and Wesley looked into the distance, making out several figures that were coming to Angerton…
Back at the Death Race, the racers were on a track that led to the double loops, two spiral roads that lead up to the volcanic mountain. The looped roads had colorful boost pads that sped up their cars.
"Hehe! I'm ahead!" Prick declared as he drove his Tricky Drift over the boost pads, speeding him up ahead through the loops. He was followed by Jesse and her Furious Grayhound, then the Flexmobile and the Ponyride coming in, then Busy Betty and Doomsplayer, followed by the Train Robber and Loona.
"Wow! Look at those racers go!" Nass declared. "Carrs, what's with those road pads?"
"The Double-Loop Track has these Boost Pads that help the cars get enough speed to go through the loop," Carrs explained. "You know, like in Mario Karts."
Back at the race, Prick had gone through the second loop, but then he noticed Jesse, Flex, and Carla driving past him "What?!"
"You snooze, you lose, Prick!" Flex shouted while speeding ahead into first place.
"Dammit!" Prick shouted before Scary Mary and Dangorus passed him by and the 9-Speed Mob hit his vehicle, making him spin around. "GAAAAH!" he shouted.
The racers were now at the volcanic mountain, driving around it. They did their best to avoid driving off the cliff that the road was beside, since the track was thin and there were no rails.
"In first place now is Flex Flawless, followed by Carla in second, and Jesse in third," Nass recounted. "Scary Mary is up in fourth and-" He stopped. "Hold on, looks like Dangorus has just passed Scary Mary, followed by the 9-Speed Mob, leaving her near last place"
"LIKE HELL I'LL BE IN LAST PLACE!" Scary Mary shouted as she revved up her pickup
Dangorus had an idea and he pressed a button on his dashboard. Spider legs spouted out of his Doomslayer and he used those spider legs to crawl along the cliff next to the road, allowing him to maneuver around the competition. "They say eight legs are better than four wheels," he said before pausing. "Wait, who says that?"
Jesse kept her eyes on the road. She felt the ground rumble and saw rocks coming down toward her from the volcano, making her smirk.
"Finally, some environmental hazards…" she said while driving around to avoid the falling rocks.
"Gah! What's going on?!" Amaroq cried out as she bumped around inside the trunk.
Loona was still behind Jesse, but she was also behind the other racers.
"Shit!" she shouted as she also had to avoid the falling rocks. Fortunately, they were no longer driving next to a cliff. Unfortunately, a geyser of steam burst in front of her. "SHIT!" she shouted while shifting and turning, realizing she was driving down a geyser-filled road.
Most of the racers attempted to avoid getting hit by the boiling geysers on the road. However, Dangorus just drove through them, unaffected by the scalding waters.
"Ah, now this is my kind of track," Dangorus said to himself. "Reminds me of driving through the scalding ground bubbles that burst acid in my dimension."
The 9-Speed Mob were now second to last place thanks to being slowed down by the falling rocks. They struggled to get through the geysers.
"Left! Right!" Stu shouted at Butch.
"This race is driving me crazy!" Giancarlo declared.
"More than before?" Marcella asked him.
"Just keep trying to take out those racers!" Titus shouted as he, Nickel, and Cleo fired at the racers in front of them.
"Holy shit!" Carla ducked down as she heard gunshots while avoiding the geysers.
Loona ducked down as well, seeing her front window crack from the bullets being shot at her. "Crap! I need to get ahead!" she shouted, spotting a geyser in front of her about to go off. She hit the gas and sped again, clearing the geyser just in time.
Behind the 9-Speed Mob, Prick and Guttley had found themselves in last place. However, Prick had another trick up his sleeve.
"Good thing I installed those rocket launchers I ordered!" Prick shouted as he pressed a button on the panel, causing rocket missiles to pop out from the front.
The missiles ended up hitting the side of the volcanic mountain, causing lava to burst out of it. The racers avoided getting hit by the lava while Loona watched Jesse's car with worry. When she saw Jesse go faster, Loona tried to match her speed, not wanting to lose her.
"Uh Stu, we got a problem!" Titus shouted while looking back as Prick locked one of his missles onto them.
"What is it-"
BOOM!
The 9-Speed Mob felt an explosion in the back and they started to lose control of their getaway vehicle. "GAAAAH!" they all cried out.
"I told you all that we're expendable!" Depressed Boyfriend shouted.
"Shut up and eject!" Cleo shouted back.
Stu opened the glove compartment and found the emergency eject button. He smashed it and suddenly all nine of the mobsters and their seats were launched out from the Train Robber.
The Train Robber then fell off course and crashed into a pool of lava. The nine mobsters were in their seats as parachutes carefully floated them back down to land.
"The boss isn't going to like this," Stu grumbled.
"Well, it looks like the 9-Speed Mob are out of the race!" Carrs announced, seeing Prick driving past them. "And Prick's still desiring to get to the front!"
"We have our first car down, but no deaths," Nass said while he and Carrs looked disappointed "And I don't think the crowd is pleased by that."
"Aw, come on!" Granny Magma shouted while throwing her popcorn. "I expected death!"
"Don't worry, granny, it is still early in the race and there's still some potential victims left," Ember pointed out, patting Granny Magma on the back while the two of them were on the bleachers, watching the race on the screen.
In the distance, watching the race from a cliff, were a group of bikers in specialized armor.
"Woo! One of dem got knocked off course!" shouted a short, imp biker wearing a black helmet with teeth around the visor. Her face was hidden, but her horns were visible. She wore a black kevlar vest with onyx shoulder pads with spikes, black gloves, black shorts, and black boots.
"So which ones are you betting will get wiped out next?" asked a large, bulky biker wearing a bucket helmet. He had gray skin with a fin sticking out from his back, a black tank top with a gray jacket, chains around his body, black leather pants, and black strap boots.
"I bet on Flex Flawless to crash!" shouted a reptile demon in a black helmet with a grilled visor, a black poncho with black armored shirt and gloves, leather pants and boots, and a belt filled with tools.
"No way! The Hellhound is going to wipe out next!" the shark biker argued.
"What do ya think, Cain?" the imp biker asked, turning to their leader.
"Hmm," said Cain, who sported a white helmet with eye holes while wearing a black cowl. Sticking out from his mask were large horns. He wore a black cape with two skull-shoulder pads followed by a button up black vest, with his arms covered in black straps with black gloves. He wore black leather pants while also sporting black skull-toed boots. "You know… it's no fun letting fate decide who wipes out next."
"Really?" the lizard demon asked.
"Think of it, why should we let the game of chance play out… when we could join the fun," he suggested.
"Oh yeah, I'd love the sound of that, Cainy!" the imp declared. She sounded like she was in awe of their leader.
"Eh, sure," the shark biker said with a shrug. "Why not?"
"That's the spirit," Cain said. "Come on, let's go ruin a race…"
Meanwhile, Prick Mustang and Guttley had somehow managed to get ahead of the other racers. The track actually went into the volcano, with the road being dangerously close to the lava in many places. Despite this, Prick and Guttley had stopped and were waiting for the other racers.
"This is the perfect place to lay our trap," Prick said while he and Guttley poured out a large amount of oil on the road.
"Hey, hey," Guttley mumbled as he held up a box of dynamite.
"What? You want to use the dynamite here?" Prick asked while stroking his chin. "Well, the oil is flammable… let's go for it!"
Prick and Guttley placed the dynamite before running for the Tricky Drift and starting the car.
"Now once we are clear, we set it off," Prick declared as he started the engines… and flames came out of the engine, setting the oil on fire and setting off the dynamite. This was noticed by Guttley.
"Rum, boss?" Guttley asked, pointing back.
"Rum? Why, do you have some-?" Prick looked back and saw that the oil was on fire and the fuse for the dynamite was lit. His eyes widened when he also remembered where he was.
"Ruh-oh…" the two said…
BOOM!
"GAAAAAAAAHHH!" Prick and Guttley screamed in their Tricky Drift as they launched up in the sky, out of the crater of the volcano. The explosion caused a chain reaction, causing the volcanic mountain to erupt… while the racers were still inside.
"Ooh, this is nice," Dangorus said while driving around the burning debris.
"FUCK!" Scary Mary shouted while steering clear from getting hit by the lava.
"I've heard of hot wheels, but this is madness!" Flex shouted.
Loona drifted around to avoid the parts of the ceiling that was falling on her. She then noticed the roof of her car getting hit by the lava. "Christ!"
The racers braced themselves as they pushed their cars to go even faster, wanting to make it clear of the volcano before it really went off. Carla was the first, managing to speed through the tunnels and make it out.
"Carla has managed to get out! Followed by Flex Flawless and Jesse Baskerville!" Nass announced.
Scary Mary had Twitch to activate the rocket launchers on the Busy Betty, helping them to shoot out of the tunnels like a speeding missile.
"SO LONG, SUCKERS!" she declared while driving away from the volcano.
"And Scary Mary has made it out! Can Dangorus and Driver-X make it out as well?"
"Driver-X?" Nass asked.
"Well we don't know the name of the driver, so let's go with that!" Carrs argued.
Loona was currently behind Dangorus while lava rose all around them. It was incredibly hot, but despite that Loona kept driving until she pulled up alongside Dangorus.
"Hey, I haven't seen you before," Dangorus pointed out. "You must be new. I'm Dangorous."
"Uh, hi," Loona said. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Dangerous said. "Unfortunately, only one of us can win-"
He pressed a button, causing spikes to pop out of his wheels as he attempted to knock Loona off course.
"Get out of my way, dick!" Loona shouted as she tried to stay clear of the Doomslayer.
"Oh, this is not-?!" Dangorus noticed a shadow looming over him and he looked up to see a flaming rock coming at him and Loona. "Oh my stars and garters…!"
Loona revved up her car to pull ahead while the flaming rock slammed into Dangorus and the Doomslayer, making them fall off from the track. Loona tried to look in the rear view mirror to confirm Dangorus's fate, but instead she saw a wave of lava heading towards her. "SHIT!" she shouted while pumping the gas to head out of the volcanic mountain, managing to clear the tunnel.
"Driver-X has managed to get out, while Dangorus seems to have been killed!" Nass declared.
"But where is Prick Mustang?" Carrs asked.
The Tricky Drift was flying up in the sky, seeing the other racers heading to the cactus field.
"Come now, Guttley, there are only six of us racers left! But five left to wipe out!" Prick declared while they float down back onto the road.
As the six racers sped toward the cactus field, they suddenly heard noises coming from biking behind. And those noises were getting closer and louder.
"What the…?" Loona asked as she looked in her mirrors, hearing the sound of motorbikes. She saw a gang of armored bikers coming toward them. "Fuck?!"
"What now?" Carla asked while driving, seeing them as well.
Flex saw something coming up next to him. "Uh oh…" he said as he saw Cain show up along with his biker crew. Riding next to him was the imp biker.
"What's going on here, Carrs?" Nass asked. "More rogue racers coming in?!"
"Oh those aren't just any rogue racers, Nass," Carrs replied with an alarmed look. "Those are the Knights of Hell!"
"The Knights of Hell?!" Nass asked in shock.
"For those watching from home, the Knights of Hell are a biker gang who see themselves as the 'protectors' of Wrath. In truth, they are nothing more than a gang of marauders that roam around Wrath, taking whatever they want and leaving destruction in their wake! All in devotion to Lord Satan!"
"And it looks like they're trying to take out the racers!" Nass realized.
The Flexmobile was being surrounded by the Knights of Hell. One biker, the imp biker, brought out a sickle and chain as she threw the sickle at the front wheel.
"Hey! Wait!" Flex shouted while trying to keep control, but the rest of the marauders started to tear apart the Flexmobile with their weapons as well. One of them threw an anchor on the front hood "YAAAAH!"
"Bye, bye!" giggled the shark demon wearing a black helmet with white graffiti on the visor, a black jacket with armored chest plates, baggy sleeves and metal arm-gloves, black leather pants and boots, and a spiky belt. He held an arm-cannon hooked up to his left arm and shot an explosive at the car.
"GAAAH!" Flex shouted while his car was turned over and went off the road. His Flexmobile damaged, he fell off from his car.
Loona saw what the Knights of Hell did and was alarmed. "Shit!" she screamed as she kept driving while keeping an eye on the Knights of Hell. She knew she had to very careful.
Especially with five racers left.
Meanwhile, Blitz and Chase were in a cave, where Blitz was pacing back and forth while trying to come up with a new plan to get the Thunderchick.
"Okay, we need to outsmart that bolty bird," Blitz ranted. "Maybe we order a large rubber blanket and use it to capture it when it's stopped in its tracks… or we could splash it with water! No wait, water conducts electricity, we might shock ourselves…"
"Look, I'm running on a deadline here," Chase said. "If you can't help me catch it before that deadline passes, then the deal is off."
"Yeah, I heard you…" Blitz grumbled while trying to form a plan before an idea popped into his head. "Wait… I think I know how to catch that bird…"
The Thunderchick was running down the road when its eyes were drawn to something that was just off of it.
"Oh hey there, good-looking!" spoke Blitz, who was in a makeshift costume of a frame Thunderchick with a blonde wig with puppet legs waving around. "Mind if you give little ol' me some directions?" he asked in a falsetto voice.
The Thunderhchick looked at the disguised Blitz… and its eyes turned into hearts. It rushed over to the disguised Blitz and started to rub its head onto the makeshift neck of the fake female Tunderchick.
"Oh yeah, yeah do go on," Blitz said while noticing it purring. "Oh? Is it like that, huh?"
"I can't believe this is working," Chase grumbled while positioned behind a boulder and holding up a rubber blanket. Now that Blitz had the Thunderchick's attention, he was ready to spring.
However, Blitz heard the Thunderchick whispering into his ear. "A date? Well this is a surprise. You're moving a bit fast, but as long as you're paying for dinner," he told him before the Thunderchick suddenly scooped up the disguised Blitz. "Wait, not like this-"
Before Blitz could finish, the bird ran off with him at light speed before Chase could act. The Hellhound stared in shock at where the Thunderchick and Blitz had been only moments before.
"What the… did that bird really run off with that guy?!" Chase asked in shock. "What the fuck just happened?!" Luckily, he picked up Blitz's scent and he growled as he prepared to follow. "You better know what you're fucking doing, imp," he said.
Back at Angerton, a group of motorcycles roared into town as the townsfolk were surprised by some unpleasant visitors… Demon Apes.
"What are you all doing here?" Mayor Dirk asked the six apes in surprise. "Where's Murdock? We shouldn't have been expecting ya for another few weeks!"
"Yeah, I know," said a blue furred baboon Demon Ape. He had on a black jacket with a yellow skull of an ape, the bananas formed like crossbones. The rest of his Demon Ape gang has on the same jackets. They each had horns and pointed tails. "But we just happened to be in the area, so we thought we would swing by and pay an early visit to our favorite village. You can see this as a… surprise inspection."
"Does Murdock even know you're here?" Dirk asked them.
"Nah, but he will know… if you don't behave," the baboon declared with a grin. His gang then hollered as they got off of their bikes and spread into the town. "Come on, boys! Help yourselves!"
"Hey, stop!" Dirk shouted while he and Momo saw the apes completely ignore his authority. Townsfolk panicked and stayed out of their way as the apes began to break windows and trash shops. "Stop! That's my town!"
The baboon turned to Dirk and laughed. "No, it ain't," he taunted with a grin. "And don't worry, this is just a routine inspection. We want to make sure you aren't holding out on Murdock."
Moxxie was watching this in shock and he turned to Wesley. "Do they always do this?" he asked, hearing a few screams of fear as the apes crashed their way into several buildings, coming out with various goods.
"The worst should be coming," Wesley admitted. "But this isn't their routine visit…"
"Kyah!" Momo shouted as she was suddenly lifted over the shoulder of a Demon Ape gorilla. "Let me go, you big apes!"
"Come on, join us for drinks!" the gorilla demon suggested while holding Momo, ignoring her struggles as he carried her into the saloon.
"Momo!" Dirk cried out. He was about to chase after the gorilla demon, but the baboon stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"Think very carefully before you act, Mayor," the baboon advised. "And don't worry, I'm sure my boys will take good care of her."
He laughed and followed the other apes toward the saloon, leaving Mayor Dirk standing there, feeling completely powerless. "I'm sorry, Momo…" he said quietly as he listened to the jeering and the hollering of the apes inside the saloon. He then saw Moxxie walking past him. "What are you doing?"
"I… I just need to be sure she isn't harmed," Moxxie told him while following the apes into the saloon. Wesley followed him, wanting to see how this was playing out.
Inside the saloon, the scared patrons either stayed clear or cleared out as the apes completely took over the joint, breaking stuff just for the hell of it while forcing Momo to sit with them, the kitsune girl looking nervous yet defiant.
"You better serve up some drinks for us!" the mandrill demon demanded the bartender. "Give me your best shots for me and my boys."
"Um… coming right up," the bartender said as he started making some drinks.
"And while you're at it, make us some food!" one chimp added.
"Food! Food! Food!" the Demon Apes shouted while banging onto their table, breaking it in the process. Though shocked for a moment, they just laughed and moved to another table, dragging Momo with them against her will.
Moxxie hid himself behind a barrel while watching the Demon Apes making a ruckus in the saloon. He saw one taking pictures and hunting trophies off the walls and another tapping on the keyboard, though he played it very badly.
A saloon imp girl came over to bring them their food, though she looked very nervous and Moxxie could see her sweating from his hiding place. She tried to do her job as quickly as possible, but when she turned around and started walking away, she felt one of the apes grab her tail, causing her to let out a cry as she was yanked over to sit with them.
"Hey, why don't you join us, beautiful?" a gibbon Demon Ape asked her while showing his toothy grin.
"Um… I should get back to work," the imp girl said before he saw a fist smash the table, making her shout in fear and jump in her spot.
"That was a rhetorical question, sweetie," the mandrill told her while his crew laughed out loud.
"Stop! What are you doing!?" Momo shouted while pushing away from the gorilla demon, who attempted to kiss her.
"Come on, the old secretary put out!" the gorilla told Momo, who looked repulsed by his advances.
"Get away from me!" she shouted while kicking him in the stomach.
This angered the gorilla demon, who glared at her. "I guess a lesson is in order then…"
Momo began to struggle while the gorilla demon grabbed her and started to tear at her clothes. The imp serving girl wasn't any better off, since she was whimpering as several demon apes started to touch her…
BANG!
Everyone fell silent as a gunshot echoed through the room. The gorilla touched his forehead and realized there was a hole in it. "Oh," he said before he fell to the floor, dropping dead.
All were shocked as they stared at the gorilla demon's body. They then turned and saw the one who shot at him. It was Moxxie, holding his rifle.
"I've seen enough," Moxxie said.
"You bastard!" shouted the gibbon demon as he jumped over to Moxxie while making a screeching noise. Moxxie shot at the gibbon, the shot splattering the brains of the ape all over the tables.
"Get him!" the Mandrill ordered as they reached for their guns and bullets began flying.
Momo quickly dove under a table and pulled the saloon girl underneath with her. "Come on, let's get out of here," she told her as they started to crawl toward the exit while the other patrons also fled from the saloon with their lives.
Moxxie managed to get out of the saloon and into the streets while shooting at the Demon Apes. He had managed to shoot one of them dead, leaving just the Mandrill and the Chimpanzee demon. The Chimpanzee tackled Moxxie, who just shoved his rifle into his mouth and pulled the trigger.
The demon chimp was shot through the mouth, getting blood all over Moxxie. But before Moxxie could get up, he was tackled again, this time by the Mandrill, causing them to roll around. Moxxie used his rifle to try to shield himself from the demon mandrill, but the ape just grabbed the rifle and tossed it aside.
"I'm gonna rip your face off, you piece of worm shit!" the Mandrill shouted while foaming in the mouth. But before he could make good on his promise, he felt the back of his head get hit by the butt of the rifle, courtesy of Wesley.
Taking advantage of that distraction, Moxxie managed to crawl out from underneath the mandrill demon. He then pulled out his other gun and shot the mandrill demon in the stomach. "GAAAH!" he cried out, making him spat out blood. He looked at Moxxie and made one last attempt to get him, but was shot in his kneecaps, followed by his shoulders.
"Not another step," Moxxie told the mandrill demon, who just coughed up blood.
"Murdock… will… get you… for this…" the Mandrill demon said. "You… and everyone else! Will die… like… this!" he gave his final words before he choked up. His eyes then rolled back as he fell to the ground, dead.
Everyone in the town had come out to witness what had just happened, staring at Moxxie in awe. Momo, the saloon girl, and the bartender were amongst them, staring both at Moxxie and the dead bodies of the apes.
"What did you do…?" the bartender asked in shock.
Moxxie looked around, seeing what he had done. He then heard the roar of a motorcycle and he turned, seeing the baboon leader of the gang driving off on his motorcycle. After a moment, he turned to Wesley. "Hey kid… looks like I'm going to stay here and help after all."
Wesley, still holding onto Moxxie's rifle, just smiled.
Back at the Death Race, Carrs and Nass were giving their commentary.
"Well, looks like the racers have passed through the cactus field even with the Knights of Hell ganging up on them," Carrs explained.
"But now they have to worry about that living sandstorm coming towards them!" Nass declared. "And it looks like Jesse is in first place, followed by… Driver-X in second! With Scary Mary in third and Prick in fourth!"
"What about Carla?" Carrs asked.
Nass shook his head. "I'm afraid the marauders are eyeing her…"
The racers had raced through the cacti field, their vehicles now covered in cactus. However, while everyone else drove ahead, the marauders had been trying to get Carla off of the road, causing her to fall behind.
"Hey! Unhand my wheels, you brutes!" Carla shouted while the Knights of Hell took apart her Ponyride with their chains, sickles, and other weapons. "Aw shit!"
Looking in the rear view mirror, Prick saw the Ponyride explode and he gulped. "We have to get ahead, Guttley, before we end up like Camaro!"
"Rive! Rive!" Guttley told him as Prick stepped on the gas.
Ahead of them was Scary Mary, who was glaring at Jesse. "This time, Twitch… I'M GOING TO RUN THIS BITCH OVER!" she shouted while Twitch flinched from the yelling.
Loona had managed to finally catch up to Jesse, driving next to her Grayhound. She pulled up alongside her and rolled down the window.
"JESSE!" Loona cried out, earning Jesse's attention.
"Loona?!" Jesse cried out in shock. "What the fuck are you doing in this race?!"
"Amaroq!" Loona shouted, pointing at the trunk. "She's trapped in your trunk when we were hiding!"
"WHAT?!" Jesse cried out in shock as she looked behind her. "Oh shit! I had a kid in there the entire time!"
"You need to pull over so we can get her out!" Loona suggested.
Jesse saw Loona's concern and she nodded. "Sure thing, just give me a-" She paused, seeing something in the mirror. "Loona, look behind you!"
Loona looked in the rear view mirror, sees that the Knights of Hell were behind them. And they were gaining, rapidly.
"Shit," Loona cursed as she looked back over to Jesse's car. She quickly made a decision. "Fuck it, I'm going to jump over!"
"WHAT?!" Jesse shouted as she saw Loona let go of the wheel. "Loona, you can't! We're going to pass through a sandstorm!"
"I have to get to Amaroq!" Loona shouted as she steadied herself before she jumped off of Wally's car, clearing the gap and landing onto Jesse's while Wally's car crashed. She grabbed onto the roof, holding onto for dear life as she noticed the gaining marauders.
"I'll hold them off, you keep driving!" Loona told her.
Jesse looked at the sandstorm ahead, but did not slow down. Neither did the marauders giving chase to Jesse's vehicle as they followed her into the sandstorm.
The gush of sand and wind hit Loona as she clung to the roof. Despite the sandstorm making it harder to see, she heard a motorcycle and she turned to see the imp marauder pulling up next to Jesse's car. She held up a hook and chain, but Loona used a spell to pull those away from her.
"What in the hell?!" the short imp shouted as she looked up and saw Loona. "Oh great, the mutt's got help!"
"Leave us alone!" Loona shouted while her hands sparkled magic. She cast spells at two of the marauders, forcing them to fall back to avoid her spells.
While Loona was distracted, the imp marauder jumped off of her bike, clearing the distance and landing on Jesse's car, bringing out her knives. She lunged at Loona, who was forced to avoid her attacks.
"Are you crazy?!" Loona shouted at her.
"Stay still!" the imp marauder shouted as she tried to stab Loona, who managed to use one of her spells to knock the imp off of the Grayhound. However, the imp used her tail to grab onto the car, swing herself back up, and slash Loona in her leg.
"Shit!" Loona hissed, felt the cut on her thigh.
"There'd be more cuts where dat came from!" the imp declared.
Loona did her best to avoid and block the attacks, but it was difficult since she didn't have much space to move around. Since the imp was smaller, she could actually move around a lot more and Loona received a few more cuts. Fortunately, while the imp may have been quicker, Loona was stronger and all it took was her grabbing imp's wrist to twist it to get her to let go of the knife.
"Gah! You shit-eating dog!" the imp shouted while struggling in Loona's grip, trying to hit her.
Loona blocked her punch, but then the car shifted and Loona lost her footing, dropping the imp in the process. Though Loona managed to stay on, the imp biker was now on top of her and trying to choke her. Loona managed to shove her hands again, but Jesse could still see the fight going on in the rearview mirror.
"Get off of my car, asshole!" Jesse shouted as she swerved the car around, trying to knock the imp off.
"Gah! Who the hell let's a dog drive anyway?!" she shouted before Loona delivered a kick to the helmet of the imp, sending her off of the car. "YAAAAAAH!" she cried out, but not before using her tail to grab onto the rearview mirror to pull herself up once again.
"Oh no, you don't!" Jesse shouted as she brought out one of her cigarettes, sticking her arm out and pressing it onto the tail.
"YAAAAH!" the imp cried out before she let go. She ended up flying away into the desert storm. "SHIIIIIIIT!"
Loona watched the imp go, then looked around to see if there were anymore marauders.
"See anyone else?" Jesse asked her.
"Through this storm, no!" Loona shouted.
"Then get inside, already!" Jesse suggested.
Loona nodded and managed to climb through the window to sit Jesse… before she noticed some headlights coming from the side.
"DRIVE!" Loona screamed, realizing what was coming their way.
Jesse saw where Loona was pointing at, but they still felt a bump as the pickup hit them. Fortunately, Jesse managed to keep them from losing control.
"Oh Lucifer, oh Lucifer…" Loona said as she looked at the back. "Please tell me your backseat can open and lead to the trunk?"
"YAAAAH!" Jesse screamed as Loona saw Scary Mary driving next to them. The two Hellhound girls saw the deranged smile she was giving them.
"Prepare to have the worst accident you dogs have ever SEEN! BLEHEHEHEHEHEAHAHAHA!" Scary Mary shouted. Her eyes bulged, her face shrank, her lips flattened, and her tongue stuck out as she gave a maniacal laugh.
"YAAAAAAAAH!" Loona screamed as Jesse pumped the gas to keep going. "Don't stop, Jesse! DON'T STOP!"
"I DON'T PLAN TO!" Jesse shouted as she kept driving while trying to avoid Scary Mary. "There should be a strap that pulls the backseat down!"
Loona turned and saw the strap that Jesse was talking about. She crawled to the back, pulled the seat down, and opened up the trunk. "Amaroq?"
"Loona!" Amaroq screamed as she climbed out of the trunk and rushed over to Loona, hugging her while scared. "I… I'm so glad to see you!"
"You too! I'm just glad that you're safe, Amaroq," Loona replied as she hugged the Hellpup. "Don't worry, we'll be safe… just as soon as we get the crazy driver off of our back."
"The what?" Amaroq asked her.
"Don't forget the marauders!" Jesse shouted as she pointed back and Loona could see more of the marauders managing to catch up to them through the sandstorm.
"Marauders?!" Amaroq exclaimed while Loona put a seat belt on her.
"Just keep driving!" Loona told Jesse, who continued to drive forward.
"How do we lose them?" Jesse asked while driving.
"Um, leave that to me," Loona said as she rolled down the window, causing Amaroq to complain as sand was blown into the car. Loona poked her head out and saw the bikers catching up to them. Focusing on the bikers, Loona reached out and cast her telekinesis spell, managing to grab one of the bikers and push him off of his bike.
"YAAAAH!" the biker screamed as he was caught in the wind, disappearing into the storm.
"YAAAH!" another biker cried out as they fell off course, thanks to Loona levitating the bike to hit the other.
"Gangway!" the lizard biker shouted as he swerved to avoid the flying bike.
In the chaos, the bikers fell behind. But they still had Scary Mary to deal with and she was getting more angry with each passing moment.
"Nothin's gonna stop me from RUNNING OVER THOSE DAMN, DIRTY DOGS!" she shouted as the Grayhound and the Busy Betty managed to get out of the sandstorm. The Knights of Hell, meanwhile, were nowhere to be seen.
"I think we lost them," Loona said while looking back.
"Good, now for the final obstacles," Jesse said as they started to drive through a large junkyard, "The Road Graveyard. After we get through there, there's only the finish line."
"We're saved!" Amaroq cheered before they heard the sound of a large horn.
"There's still her!" Loona shouted as she pointed to Scary Mary, who was trying to chase them.
"Hehehehe, time to turn you doggies into ROAD KILL!" Scary Mary shouted with a maniacal glee.
Meanwhile, coming out of the sandstorm was none other than the Tricky Drift, which had caught a ride on the winds of the sandstorm.
"YAAAH! Glad we avoided those marauders, huh Guttley?!" Prick Mustang cried out while steering his vehicle.
"Chute! Chute!" Guttley shouted as he pressed a button, causing a parachute to come from the Tricky Drift.
"Nice quick thinking, Guttley," Prick thanked his Hellhound henchmen. "And now, we're on the final leg of the race!"
"And now the racers are down to three!" Wally announced from the hot air balloon. "All they need to do is go past the Road Graveyard in order to get to the finish line! And where's my car?!"
Jesse drove through the maze of wrecked vehicles as Loona and Amaroq sat in the back, looking out the windows with worried expressions.
"Say Jesse, is there anything in here to worry about other than Scary Mary?" Loona asked her.
"Probably the guard dogs," Jesse said casually.
"By guard dogs, do you mean…?" Amaroq asked before they saw something burst from a nearby pile of tires.
"ROAR!" growled a large, robot dog with a silver metal mechanical body, spikes on its back and legs, razor claws and sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes. More revealed themselves as each howled and have chase after the vehicles.
"Great googily-moogily, Carrs! What are those?!" Nass asked his co-commentator.
"Those are just the guard dogs, Nass," Carrs responded. "Made by someone who takes commissions from all seven Rings. These babies are powerful, with teeth that can easily tear into metal. Of course, that means they can tear into flesh even more easily…"
"And it looks like our racers will be their latest meals," Nass said with a nervous gulp.
"I really, REALLY HATE ROBOTS!" Loona shouted as she saw the guard dogs chasing after them.
"Hold tight, both of you!" Jesse shouted as them as she swerved through the graveyard.
Scary Mary managed to catch up to Jesse and slammed into her, trying to cause her to lose control. She was focused on her instead of the guard dogs.
"I'm gonna get you doggies now!" Scary Mary shouted before kicking her door open. "Twitch, take the wheel!"
Twitch ended up grabbing the wheel while Scary Mary pulled out a large machine gun and aimed it at Jesse's car.
"Oh shit!" Jesse shouted as she tried to lose Scary Mary while she shot at her vehicle, attempting to shoot out the tires.
"Pull up! I need to get closer!" Scary Mary shouted as Twitch moved forward.
Prick saw this and shook his head in disbelief. "What the devil is she thinking?!" Prick shouted before he looked in the rearview mirror and saw the guard dogs chasing after them. "Um, Guttley?"
Guttley nodded and pressed a button, causing them to race forward so that they were on Jesse's other side, the three racers nearly neck-to-neck. However, the guard dogs were still gaining on them and one of them bit onto the pickup truck.
"Gah! Damn those things!" Scary Mary shouted while shooting back at the guard dogs. "Twitch! GO FASTER OR I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE THESE DOGS CAN!" she shouted.
Twitch flinched from this and he turned to see Scary Mary focused on shooting at the guard dogs and the other drivers. She wasn't looking at him at all. It would be so easy for him to just…
Seeing no better chance to do this, he reached over and pushed Scary Mary, who cried out in shock as she fell out of the vehicle and onto the road.
"YAAAH!" Scary Mary shouted as she rolled on the ground. She picked herself up and saw her Busy Betty driving ahead. "TWITCH! COME OVER HERE AND GET ME!" she shouted while shadows loomed over her. "Twitch!"
Twitch stuck his arm out the window, holding a sign that said 'I quit!' as he continued to follow the other racers.
"TWITCH!" Scary Mary shouted at the top of her lungs before she noticed the robot guard dogs towering over her. Her mask almost slipped. "You… stay back! Stay back, you savages!"
The guard dogs eyed the large imp woman and before she could react, one of them opened their jaws and lunged forward.
"YAAAAAAAHHH!"
Jesse heard the scream and looked in her rearview mirror, seeing the guard dogs having their meal. "Someone's having an off-course meal…"
"Amaroq, don't look," Loona said as she held onto the Hellpup, preventing her from watching Scary Mary's demise.
Leaving the graveyard and its robotic guardians behind, the racers were now almost at the finish line. Jesse was in the lead while Twitch and Prick were right on her tails, but Prick had other ideas.
"And now, for the grand finale!" Prick declared while pressing a button as the Tricky Drift seemed to be getting ready to do something…
…only for it to break down suddenly. The engine coughed and the wheels fell off. Jesse and Twitch drove on while Guttley looked confused by this.
"Huh?" Guttley asked as he looked at Prick.
"Oh dear, what rotten luck," Prick said in a tone of fake shock, confusing Guttley even more. "What? I'm a near-do-well, Guttley, I'm not supposed to win the races. We're the villains, the kind of racers that people love to hate and root against. If we win, that would be off-brand for us, wouldn't it? Don't forget our gimmick."
"R'oh…" Guttley said in realization.
Jesse and Twitch were right next to each other as they drove over the finish line. A photo was taken and it showed that the car which passed the finish line first… was the Grayhound.
"And the winner is… Jesse Baskerville!" Wally announced.
"Well, now that was a thrilling and fantastic race, wasn't it Nass?" Carrs asked.
"Indeed it was, Carrs!" Nass replied. "First place goes to Jesse Baskerville along with Driver-X, whose identity remains unknown at this time. Second place is Twitch, now a solo act, and third place goes to Prick Mustang and Guttley!"
"As for the other racers, the 9-Speed Mob were knocked out of the race, but we can confirm that they are alive. Dangorous, Flex Flawless, and Carla Camaro are all MIA, but Scary Mary is definitely dead thanks to those guard dogs," Carrs said.
"An unexpected appearance from the Knights of Hell certainly made things more exciting today, but hopefully we won't be seeing them again," Nass added.
Although… whatever happened to the Knights of Hell?
Elsewhere, Cain and his fellow Knights of Hell found someone buried in the sand head-first, her legs kicking around.
"Pull her up," Cain ordered as the shark and lizard bikers went to pull the imp biker up from the sand. "You okay?"
"Ugh, my tail got burned by one of dem dog's cigarettes!" she ranted as she was set down. She held her tail, looking at the burn mark. "Next time ah see those mutts…"
"Forget about them," Cain told her. "Hop on, we're riding out."
The imp biker's anger suddenly washed away as her tone became quite cheerful. "Alright! I get to sit behind Cainy!" she declared happily as she went to sit behind him.
"Lucky…" the lizard biker muttered.
"Come on, Knights," Cain said. "Let's go find something to burn…"
And with that, the Knights of Hell rode off.
As soon as Jesse stopped her car, Loona and Amaroq rushed out.
"Yes! Sweet, sweet ground!" Amaroq cried happily as she knelt down and patted the ground.
"So glad it's over now…" Loona said with an exhausted look. She looked up at Jesse, who stepped out of her car and was already lighting a cigarette. "Um…congrats on winning?"
"Thanks," Jesse said as she smoked. "Although technically we won, not just me."
"Oh, right," Loona said. "Sorry about that."
"Eh, I don't mind," Jesse said with a shrug. "For me, it is more about the thrill. And that definitely delivered on the thrills. Nice driving back there, by the way."
"Uh, thanks," Loona said. "My dad taught me."
"Was he a good teacher?" Jesse asked.
"I think that… depends on your definition of 'good'," Loona admitted. "He didn't have a driver's license at the time, if you can believe it."
Jesse smirked. "I started racing long before I got a driver's license," she revealed.
"Oh… but you do have one now, right?" Loona asked Jesse, since she would have been more than slightly worried if Via was being driven around by someone who didn't have their driver's license.
"I wouldn't have gotten a job for the Goetians if I didn't," Jesse pointed out, easing Loona's worries. She glanced at Amaroq, who was still hugging the ground. "This kid… she means a lot to you, doesn't she?"
Amaroq looked up at Loona, who suddenly felt a bit awkward. "What do you mean?" the Hellpup asked.
"You should have seen her, kid," Jesse told Amaroq. "Loona hijacked the race, jumped from a moving car to mine, and fought a marauder just to get to you."
"Wait, seriously?!" Amaroq asked in shock. "You did all of that… for me?"
"Uh, yeah," Loona said, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess I did." It suddenly sunk in how crazy what she did was and she gave a thousand yard stare. "Huh."
Jesse chuckled. "That's adrenaline for you," she told Loona. "So… would you two like to share the spotlight with me after this?"
"Nah, this is more of your win to revel in," Loona said. "We don't really want the attention and I'm just glad that we all came out of this alive."
"Suit yourself," Jesse said with a nod. "So I'll probably see you back at Stolas's mansion, right?"
Loona nodded, but then paused, realizing something. "Can you, um, not tell Octavia about this?"
Jesse nodded. "Sure thing."
"Where is Driver-X?!" Wally shouted as the three Hellhounds turned to the angry imp coming their way. "I say, I say I demand to know where is the rapscallion who took my car?!"
Loona looked nervous from this before scooping up Amaroq and carrying her away. "Bye Jesse, see ya next time," she told while quickly slipping away.
"Later, Loona," Jesse said before she noticed Prick and Guttley coming up to her.
"My, I must say, congrats on winning your first major race, Ms. Baskerville," Prick told her with a genuine smile as he extended his hand. "I must say, you earned it."
"Thanks, Mr. Mustard," Jesse responded as she shook his hand.
"Mustang! The name's Prick Mustang!" Prick corrected while Guttley just snickered.
After sneaking away, Loona and Amaroq were looking for an exit when they heard Kajedo's voice.
"Loona!" Kajedo shouted as she, Carrie, and Max ran up to her. "Boy, are we glad to see that you two are okay!"
"Yeah, you had us all worried," Carrie said.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Loona apologized. "I guess things didn't really go as planned, huh?"
"Yeah," Amaroq agreed. "I was hoping to watch the Death Race, not live it…"
"Honestly, I'm jealous," Max admitted, surprising Loona. "Not only did you survive the race, but you managed to win it with Jesse as well? That is just epic!" she declared in an excited tone. "Like, who knew you were such a baddie, Loona!"
Loona felt a little bashful at this. "Uh, thanks," she said. "Although if it's okay, I think me and Amaroq would just head back home. We've had enough for one day."
"I'm all Death Raced out," Amaroq agreed.
"Alright, I'll take you two home," Carrie told Loona. "And don't worry, I'll be driving."
"Ugh, please don't say the d-word again," Loona groaned. "If my dad knew what I did today, he'd probably kill me." She then turned to Max. "Um, sorry that we didn't get to spend too much time together today, but it was nice meeting you."
"Nice meeting you too," Max said. "And hey, don't sweat it. Since you're friends with Kajedo, we'll definitely get a chance to hang out again, maybe with the whole gang."
"The whole gang?" Loona asked.
"Me, Carrie, Max, and our friends who couldn't make it today," Kajedo elaborated. "Though I bet they wish they could have been here to have seen this!"
Loona nodded. "So I'll see you both later?" she asked Kajedo and Max, the former giving her a hug that made her blush.
"Definitely," Max confirmed.
"See you soon!" Kajedo added.
And despite her exhaustion, Loona smiled.
It was now night time in Wrath. Chase had managed to follow Blitz's scent to a cave. He heard footsteps coming and at first he wondered if the Thunderchick was coming out, only to see… Blitz, who looks like he was sneaking out of the cave while carrying his costume.
"Uh…" Chase was about to ask, but Blitz just shook his head.
"I don't want to talk about it," He told him, though sounding in an awkward tone.
And Chase decided not to ask, instead going into the case with rubber wrapping, finding the Thunderchick nice and docile… at least until his eyes opened at the last moment. While Chase was doing that, Blitz just stood outside of the cave, lighting his cigarette to smoke. After the sound of a struggle could be heard and flashing lights could be seen inside the cave, Chase came out with some scorched fur and the Thunderchick wrapped in the rubber and resting on his shoulder.
"Well, I am a hound of my word," Chase said. "I will go talk to your boss if he's interested in seeing me."
Blitz turned to Chase with a surprised look. "You will?"
"Hey, a deal's a deal," Chase said with a shrug. "You helped me out, and I want to make us even."
Blitz gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Chase."
Later, in the saloon Blitz had been in earlier, he returned, this time accompanied by Chase. Spotting Penzi sitting at a table in the corner, he pointed at her and they walked over.
"Good to see you again, Mr. Blitz," Penzi said while standing up to offer Chase her hand. "And you must be Chase. Nice to meet you."
"You too, beautiful," Chase replied while shaking her hand. "Now I've been told that Mr. Khan wants me to work for him."
"He has an interest in your skills as a monster slayer," Penzi replied, eyeing the larger Hellhound's physique. "Although… I have my own interests. I've heard about your… reputation. Is it true what they say about your skills?"
"Oh? Well it depends on what skills you mean?" Chase asked with a smirk while eyeing Penzi's figure himself.
"I heard that you're quite… strong," she said, crossing her legs while seeing how excited he was due to his wagging tail. "And your tongue…"
"I could show you," Chase suggested as the two were drawn toward each other. "You know, give a physical demonstration of my talents so you could see them for yourself…"
"Mmm, I think I would like that," Penzi said.
"Okay! I brought him in like you told me to!" Blitz interrupted, getting in between them while turning to Penzi. "Can I go back to my daughter now? Because I'm tired and I want to go home."
"Yes, you're dismissed," Penzi told him.
"Unless you want to stay for a threesome," Chase offered.
Blitz seemed to briefly consider the offer, but he quickly shook his head. "No thanks. Well…" He shook his head again. "Not now, at least. My daughter has to be missing me right now," Blitz told them while heading out of the saloon, leaving the two alone.
Chase and Penzi watched him leave before turning to each other. They still have the same looks from before…
"Private discussion?" Penzi suggested with her hand up.
"Oh yeah," Chase replied before scooping Penzi up and swinging her over his shoulder. He then went to grab a key for one of the rooms. "We're checking in," he told the bartender with a grin.
Back in Angerton, there was currently a town meeting going on in city hall in order to discuss what just happened with the Demon Apes. A new fear had gripped the town's denizens.
"Everyone, calm down," Dirk tried to tell the townsies. "Look, I understand that you all are worried…"
"Worried? When Murdock learns that his men died in this town, we're as good as dead!" shouted a miner imp. "No, worse than dead!"
"It's only a matter of time before he seeks retribution against us!" cried out a lizard woman.
"What are we going to do?! There's no afterlife for demons like us!" cried a panicking imp.
"Everyone, please calm down!"
Everyone turned to see Moxxie, who had stood up. "Look, I know that things aren't looking good for us. Whatever happens, I take full responsibility."
"Because it is your fault!" someone shouted.
"At least I did something!" Moxxie shouted back. "And I promise to help you guys out. I'll be here when the apes come back."
"How can one imp help an entire town defeat an army of Demon Apes?!" cried out one townsie.
"Because… because I won't be doing it alone," Moxxie told them. "If there's one thing I know about Wrath, it's that it's filled with some of the toughest demons in all of Hell. I just know there are others who are willing to fight alongside me, but in the meantime, this town needs to be prepared. Those who can fight should get ready to do so, those who can't fight, should be taken to safety."
The townsfolk shared looks and began to whisper amongst themselves. Many of them didn't look quite sold yet. However, one of them stood up. "He's right, we need to prepare ourselves for what will come next."
"I second that," spoke another townsie, a Hellhound.
"Same!" declared the lizard woman from before.
"This is exactly what we need to do!" Wesley shouted as he stood up. "Look, I know how some of you feel about this, some of you would rather just accept your fate or run away. But I'm tired of being walked over by those who think they can step on little guys like us! I don't regret bringing Moxxie here, cause he is giving us a chance. Because I won't take it anymore and I'm going to help him rally up some demons behind him. Sure, we'll probably be killed by the apes anyway, but let me ask y'all this… would you rather die on your knees, or on your feet?"
The townsfolk fell silent for a moment until someone spoke up.
"I think we've all reached our breaking point," Momo said as she stepped up and looked around at everyone. "For too long, we've put up with this. But I am not going to take it anymore."
"Me neither," said the saloon imp girl from earlier, who stood up in her seat. "I'd rather die on my feet than let those apes kill me on my knees!"
Soon she was joined by others who shared her sentiment.
"I can help set up escape routes to escape from those apes!" one suggested.
"I run a gym, so you guys can use it to train!" spoke a buff imp.
The room was quickly full of chatter as more and more townsfolk joined the growing sentiment.
"My, now this is impressive," Dirk said while he and Momo walked up to Moxxie. "My boy, I don't know if you're brave or crazy… but I'm behind you hundred percent."
"So am I," Momo said with a smile.
Moxxie smiled back before looking back at the townsfolk, who were all talking amongst themselves, discussing various ideas and strategies. Whether they won or died, it looked like this town was going to stand their ground.
But before that, he had a call to make…
Back at Carrie's farm, the girls had finally returned home. Loona and Amaroq immediately slumped down on the couch while Carrie sat in her own chair.
"What a day…" Loona sighed.
"I know that I won't be joyriding anytime soon," Amaroq groaned.
"Yeah, let's just forget the day and rest," Carrie said while slumping in her chair.
Suddenly, Blitz came in from the other door. "I'm back! So did any of you girls do something interesting today?"
"Nah/Nothing exciting/Barely did a thing," Loona, Amaroq, and Carrie all lied.
"Well, my day wasn't all that exciting either," Blitz claimed before hearing his phone ringing. He pulled it out and checked the user ID. "Ah, Moxxie's calling. Haven't heard from him in a while," he said as he answered it. "Yo, Mox, where have you've been? How's the folks?" he asked before he heard his answer. He nodded along until his eyes bulged out in shock. "You did WHAT?!"
Sometime later, Moxie was back in his rental car, Wesley sitting beside him as they pulled up in front of a farmhouse.
"Is this the place?" Wesley asked him as Moxxie looked at the building before checking the address he had written down.
"This is what he told me," Moxxie responded as he stepped out of the car along with Wesley. The two walked over to the house, stepping onto the front porch as Moxxie knocked on the door. The owner of the house opened the door and looked surprised to see Moxxie.
"Uh, hey, bet you weren't expecting to see me again so soon, huh?" Moxxie asked.
"Yeah, you could say that," replied the house owner. "But I won't let that stop me from being a poor host. Come on in, both of you."
"Thank you, Striker," Moxxie said as he and Wesley stepped inside, the imp hybrid bounty hunter closing the door behind them.
Meanwhile, up in Pride, Alexei was looking over some different photos while in his office. The photos were spread across a desk and they included Loona and Blitz's mugshots from when the latter was teaching the former how to drive. Alexei also had a list of names and locations, with many of them crossed over. As he studied a file, his cellphone started to ring and he answered it.
"Yes?" he answered.
"Alexei, have you seen the Death Race? Because there's something you might want to see."
Alexei raised his eyebrow. "Send it to me," he said as he went to his laptop and checked his email. He opened up a file sent by his contact as it shows an archive footage of the race. Specifically, he saw the camera spotting someone breaking into Wally's car and driving off in it.
He paused the footage, re-winded it, and then zoomed in on the footage to get a close look at who broke into the car. His eyes narrowed at the figure, a white wolf breed Hellhound of some sorts. He cleared up the image, confirming that it was indeed Loona.
Alexei smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Got her," he declared.
Target acquired.
Most of the OCs are based off of Wacky Races characters, which includes:
Flex Flawless: an expy of Peter Perfect.
Carla Camero: an expy of Penelope Pitstop.
Prick Mustang and Guttley: expies of Dick Dastardly and Muttley.
The 9-Speed Mob: basically Crimson's mafia as a stand-in for the Ant Hill Mob.
Dangorus: He's an expy of Gorthan from the Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry. We had him in cause of Tom Kenny's role in that film.
Scary Mary and Twitch: Both OCs from Moheart7, Scary Mary is kinda like Large Marge while Twitch is pretty much a Wile E. Coyote expy.
The Thunderchick poses as a Roadrunner expy, as we've taken some of Blitz's attempts to capture it like the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons.
Kajedo's friend, Maxine, is pretty much a succubi Rainbow Dash expy, introduced for the chapter.
Nass and Carrs are a pair of OCs who are bound together due to a curse that gets them stuck like this for eternity. And yeah, their names are a pun of Nascar.
For Moxxie's subplot, we've introduced some of the town folk of Angerton. There's Wesley who came to him for help. Momo, a kitsune who poses as a expy of Angelique from Rango, and their imp mayor Dirk who is basically the Mayor from Powerpuff Girls if he was an imp.
And of course, there's the Knights of Hell, lead by Cain. They're meant to be a reference to the Knights of Ren from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, for which they're used at their full use unlike the movies. We've realized how fitting a Knights of Ren-like group would fit due to according to Star Wars lore, they're pretty much the equivalent to a biker gang.
The Death Race is pretty much something we've really wanted to do, is to put the characters through a death race that homages the Wacky Races, both the cartoons and the comics run, and Mad Max. We've also threw in a Magnificent Seven(1960) reference with Moxxie defending the priest and casket from bigoted imps just like with the movie.
Also, I'm surprised no one spotted the grudgeby line from the previous chapters when Moxxie meets up with his family, that Rubella is a grudgeby player… and that the sport is a thing in Wrath…
That's all we have to say as this plays out neatly for a death race chapter. As stay tuned for the next chapter soon, after Brimstones and Broomsticks of course.
Review Section:
Blue Tagg: It'll be revealed soon.
Crash X Fusion: Yup
Ultimate-drax: Well, a big tiger has big dreams…
cooki15xd: No spoilers.
EndeavorT: An error.
Matteso585: 1) Yeah, pretty much. 2) Not really, this fic won't fall in line that much to canon events. 3) Okay. 5) Nor would they care, honestly.
Shuffollower: Well you got your answer for Moxxie. And that's a bit to early to assume that, considering that Margaret didn't fired Loona for taking on that McWire sinner for being a bad guest, and she did cover for Loona from Cruella. Like hell Alastor would work with Crimson.
Spantidem7: 1) Because it's funny. 2) No spoilers. 3) John Lennon 4) At which point?
Knight: Yeah. If you've read John Lennon's personal life, he wasn't a good dad…
