IT'S TIME! It's time to finally catch up with what's going on with Charlie and the Hotel! But first, onto the reviews!
Gamelover41592: Thank You! I was so excited about getting to the Hotel as well, as you can clearly see.
TheMischieviousPuppyDog: (: I think I won't dissapoint.
Guestonova7: Yeah, I haven't looked into it, but I kind of guessed that's what she was about based on name alone. Let me tell you, if she's canon, it will be interesting to write her with Aku in mind.
MCDavus: Let's see then :)
Guest: Aw, thank you so much! To be honest, this has been performing well above my expaectations since Samurai Jack hasn't been relevant in years. There are plenty of other Hidden Gems, like Drifters by Tigershark431.
Lightblade1121: Yes, yes, I know, Multiverse theory has been very much played out, especially since it entered the mainstream with the MCU. But it was kind of my only option in terms of fitting everything together. It's kind of lazy in crossovers to just say "oh, they're just seperate universes" but how else can Aku conqeur the world, yet the world be not conquered? But I do think that having Hell as a sort of hub area where all souls of all worlds got to is pretty cool. And gives me an excuse to sneak in an extra character here and there. As for the prophecy, I don't think it's much to assume Jack is part of a prophecy. He's been the center of multiple prophecies in the show, such as him being the one to awaken the giant Robo-Samurai or being referred to as "the One" by the traveling creatures.
CMR Rosa: I can't tell you what an honor it was to read your review. I love your work. Your Spider-man/Star vs the Forces of Evil crossover is what inspired me to write A Spider in Amphibia! I kick myself everyday for letting that go on Hiatus for so long, long after Amphibia was in people's minds. It's why I'm eager not to repeat the same mistake with this story and update it as much as I can before I get swamped by other projects. As for your other request, I'll make sure to shoot you a PM sometime soon.
Super heavy weapons guy: Thank you! And yeah, I plan on Jack leaving all characters much to think about.
Firestorm808: I think I'm leaning that way? I don't think there are multiple versions of Hell multiverse style, I'm not going about it like that. It's just Hell, plus the Underworld, plus Valhalla, and so on. I understand that answer is super vague, and easy to misunderstand. It's not something I can fully explain right now. Maybe it will be more clear as the story goes on.
Ace Degenerate: Thanks! As for the kids, I was sure to keep their fate intentionally vague. Sometimes, all we can do is hope.
Rook435: I think most fans agree that Jack was somewhere in Edo Japan in his time. Course the timeline is a bit sticky with Samurai Jack (Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, and freaking Robin Hood existed all at the same time) which really justifies my multiverse play in hindsight. And yeah, you pretty much hit the nail on the head with how I wrote the relationship Jack has with the imps, especially Blitz. As for Charlie, let's see how this plays out.
qazse: Oh, yeah, I look forward to writing plenty of Jack's interactions with the Hotel, especially Alastor. Spoiler alert though: that won't come up for just a little bit more.
Tigershark431: Thanks for the review, man! It's lots of fun writing for Jack and the imps. Fun Fact, I was orignally going to keep the imps out of the script until the final confrontation with King. It was just going to be Jack and the kids until they came in to save the day. I realized that was dumb, so I made a quick rewrite. Also, as fun as they are, I'm glad to be taking a quick break from them to focus on the Hazbin cast. Writing for a character like Blitz for so long... it does things to a man.
So many lovely reviews! I'm starting to think that from now on, maybe I'll respond to these in PMs and only answer the guests in this segment. They're getting kinda long.
On with the show!
The alleyway was dank, rank, and completely empty. Jack tried not to let out a sigh of disappointment. He had hoped to find the two demons who had helped him before, the tall, skinny one with his short, fat friend. If not to ask for directions to the Hotel, then to at least return their rectangular device.
Jack was beginning to make a habit of running off without asking for directions first, a habit he should do well to drop very soon. The glaring pentagram in the sky had set completely below the horizon, casting Hell into darkness save for the one speck of light in the sky provided by the distant Heaven. Hell had entered its night cycle.
Not that there was much of a difference. The neon lights of the buildings shined so obnoxiously bright, it may as well still be day.
Jack scratched his chin. Should he go back to the imps? No, they would have left their building by now.
BOOM
Jack looked upward. Even in the darkness, he could see dark clouds forming in the sky. So, it could rain even in Hell? And Jack was without so much as a hat to protect himself from the elements. It seemed nothing was going the samurai's way.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"
A flailing scarecrow suddenly fell from the sky. It crashed into the ground no more than two yards from Jack. It didn't create a crater or even a scarecrow-shaped hole when it hit the ground, it just flopped onto the pavement with a CRUNCH of straw.
Jack stared at the remains of the figure on the ground. It was random, but Jack had been taught to seize every opportunity. He approached the pile of straw. "Are you alright?"
"Rrrrrgh, fuckin' jackasses," The scarecrow pushed himself up to his feet, an orange glow shining behind his burlap sack of a head. "When I say I got the money, I got the fuckin' money…"
Jack tried to ignore the scarecrow's mumblings. He noticed a large foreign object lying on the ground by the scarecrow's feet. "Excuse me, sir," Jack leaned down to pick it up. "I believe you dropped your… arm."
Indeed. Jack was currently holding the severed right arm of a scarecrow, straw dripping from the wound.
"Bah, keep it," the scarecrow waved him off. "I'll just have my buddy sew me a new one. Easier than reattaching the same piece of shit over and over."
He was very calm for a recent amputee. "Does this sort of thing happen often?"
"More than you'd think," the scarecrow sneered. "Way too many leg-breakers think their old tricks work down here. I can't die down here, dumbasses!" he yelled to the sky.
"It ain't so bad, though," Scarecrow turned back to Jack and gave a one-armed shrug. "It's nice when they throw you off a building. You can practically see the whole city from up there."
Jack's eyes trailed up the massive skyscraper. Seeing the whole city? He smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah, it's pretty cool to see in the thirty seconds before you hit the ground." The scarecrow gave a wave and walked away. "I'm getting the hell out of here before they come for round two."
Jack nodded, still looking up the building. His eyes widened when he realized he was still holding a severed arm. "Wait!" He turned. "What do I do about-"
The scarecrow was gone, leaving Jack with his hay-filled arm. Jack looked down at his extra appendage. What should he do with this? The previous owner told him to keep it, but what could he do with such a thing?
Jack turned over the arm in his hand. A few strands of straw fell out and into Jack's palm.
Jack placed a hand on his new straw hat to keep it from blowing off his head. The top of these building were very windy. He felt his robes flap in the wind as he peered off the edge. Hell was indeed an impressive city, if only it wasn't seeped in its own filth.
Jack gazed over the landscape. He pushed his eagle-like eyes to their absolute limits. It was almost in vain, building after building just looked the same. However, there were a few that managed to stand out, if only for their massive scale.
Nearly everything seemed to converge onto one massive golden tower in the center of the entire city. It was an impressive structure, having a gigantic hourglass built into it. The top of it was a great clock tower, just below it were three numbers- 1 7 4.
It stood out like a golden sunflower in a sea of blood, if Jack were to go on instincts alone, he would have headed straight there for help. However, Jack was more concerned with what lied beyond the structure.
Far off in the distance, far beyond the golden tower, stood another tall structure. It wasn't as large or grandiose as the tower, but it still stood out above the myriad of copycat buildings. It perched itself firmly atop a large hill, nestled between the rocks of the massive mountain range that seemed to stretch itself around the entire city.
Jack had not often been given concise answers when he asked for directions. But at the very least, he learned from some denizens that the hotel was "on the edge of town." That location seemed as "on the edge" as it could get.
Even from this distance, Jack could see the building was bedazzled in all manner of flashing lights. Some of the lights flashed in shapes that resembled letters. They seemed to be spelling something out. Unfortunately, even Jack couldn't tell what from this distance. But he could have sworn that at least one of the letters was H.
That settled it. That structure had to be the hotel Jack was searching for. One less step on his journey.
BOOM
Thunder roared and lightning flashed. Jack felt a drop of water splash against his skin. It stung. He looked to the sky. More droplets had begun to pour in from the sky. The rain had begun.
This would be troublesome for most. Rain obscured one's vision and made the terrain difficult to traverse. But Jack was not most people, he had fought through some of the greatest storms seen of Earth. Jack knew which direction to head, all he had to do was keep acute awareness of his position and keep moving forward.
Jack's grit his teeth as he fought the urge to let them chatter. This was no ordinary rain. It was as cold as the north wind, yet it stung like poison. And it was falling down in torrential flood of water like the city was encased in one massive waterfall. Jack was just thankful that his new hat was keeping the rain out of his eyes.
It had been a long and cold trudge through the streets of Hell. All the identical buildings made Jack think he was caught in another looping space, but he remained calm and maintained his heading. The farther he walked, the less buildings started to crop up, until Jack arrived at the outskirts of the city.
For the first time in a while, Jack raised his head to look up. The buildings just stopped. In their place were thunderously large mountains, whose heights dwarfed even the glorious golden tower. The tips of the mountain pointed inward, like the fangs of a beast just about to consume its prey. Anyone who looked upon that array of mountains would easily call them impassable.
But right in front of Jack was not a mountain, but a hill. A large sloped hill of simple dirt. Jack gaze trailed up the slope, until they finally stopped at the top. Even through blurring rain, Jack could make out the massively tall structure, with glowing yellow letters atop its head. Excellent.
Jack began his trek up the hill. However, he did not account for the difficulties of traveling up a dirt hill in a rainstorm. Every step he took was slick with mud, and his sandals could only provide so much traction. He trekked through like walking through molasses, careful not to slip.
A sudden river burst forth down the hill! The runoff carrying a wave of mud right towards Jack.
Jack's eyes widened. He made a leap for safety, but his foot sank straight into the ground. Jack crashed face-first into the mud. The mini-mudslide hit him straight on and carried him down the hill a good ten meters.
Jack lifted his head and spat a wad of mud out of his mouth.
Growl~
It was a mistake letting something get into his mouth, as it gave his stomach permission to let him know that he had not eaten anything since his battle with Aku. His stomach rumbled in sync with thunder, as Jack's bones began to ache. Jack briefly lost his balance, as a wave of light-headedness rushed over him.
No! Jack shook his head with ferocity. The monks had trained him to go days on end without food or rest. It was all a matter of discipline. Jack stood up tall, crossed his arms, and lowered his head to the elements. He restarted his trek up the hill, one step at a time.
However long it took him to climb the hill, it felt longer. There were times when Jack sank into the mud up to his ankles. Jack thanked whatever God was still listening when the terrain became more evened out. Whatever the rain was, it at least did a good job at burning the mud off of his robes.
BOOM
Lightning crashed, illuminating the building before Jack. It was impressively tall, with windows aligning the outside of each floor. Strangely, a wooden ship seemed to have been built in to the right side of the structure. While on the left, laid an even stranger giant ovular balloon with a shark's grin painted on. It was parked right on top of the left side of the building, yet it looked oddly natural to be there.
In front of Jack was a grand scarlet and gold awning, leading to two enormous wooden double doors. At the very top of the building, there was an odd structure built into the side. A small additional private tower, with blood-red illumination shining through its windows. And plastered against the building in big, bright, shining, yellow letters, were the words "Hazbin Hotel."
Jack took a deep breath. Within this building was the daughter of the King of Evil. She was possibly one of the most powerful beings in Hell. Jack had to be ready for anything. He walked up to the door, raised his fist, and knocked three times.
Vaggie tried her best to rub the sleep from her one eye. The acid rainstorm outside did an excellent job of setting up a night of staying in and cuddling. Unfortunately, her cuddle buddy had different plans. "Charlie, could you please come back to bed?"
"Nope!" her girlfriend grinned. She was practically in full gremlin mode. She was on all fours, on the ground, frantically combing through stack of notes and flashcards like their bedroom floor was the world's biggest bulletin board. "I have to make sure tomorrow's activities are absolutely perfect!"
Vaggie rolled her eye. "Charlie, your old lesson plan was fine. You don't need to change anything."
"That was before Sir Pentious became an official resident of the hotel!" Charlie beamed like the ray of sunshine she was. "These will be his first activities on his path to redemption, and we should put on a big lesson plan to show it!"
"Uh-huh," Vaggie let her head sink back into her temptress of a pillow. "And all the activities we did with him yesterday don't count because…?"
"Because this time, he won't be a secret double agent sent to sabotage us!" Charlie smiled and accidentally knocked over a stack of flash cards. "Shit!"
Vaggie's mouth stretched into a thin line. Ah, yes, how could she forget. Pentious' bullshit was what woke them up in the middle of the night when Angel caught him planting a hidden camera. Vaggie still thinks they should have just kicked him out (with a few of his eyes poked out for good measure) but Charlie wouldn't be Charlie if she didn't preach for forgiveness.
Vaggie sighed. At least they caught on the Pentious' would-be scheme early. Now, all they had to deal with was him cramming all his steampunk bullshit into the hotel as he fully moved in. Vaggie was getting real tired of losing sleep over the snake.
More specifically, she was tired of Charlie losing sleep over it. Charlie would often say that she didn't need that much sleep, but Vaggie could tell that she was exhausted. A dozen split ends stuck out of her blond hair as frantically fumbled to remember which flashcards go to which lesson plan. Her white skin was somehow even paler than usual. And her eyes had bags that were so deep one could store groceries in them.
Enough was enough. Vaggie tossed off the sheets and marched over to her girlfriend. "Babe, please, I can't even remember the last time you went to sleep."
"B-but I can't even remember the original lesson now," Charlie mumbled. She picked up a stack of papers a little too quickly, half of them tore in her excitement. "Gah!"
Vaggie kneeled down and placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Charlie, everything is still going to be here when you wake up. And I just know that whatever you come up with is going to be amazing."
Charlie sighed and finally leaned back into a sitting position. Good, that was progress. "I don't know…" Charlie mumbled. The princess looked upon all her scattered notes, a tone of defeat in her eyes.
Wow. This must have been taking a bigger toll on her than Vaggie thought. And what was Vaggie doing to help? Sitting in bed and telling her girlfriend to snuggle up.
Vaggie's hand tightened into a fist. The hotel, Charlie's dream, had been open for over a week now, and Vaggie had yet to actually contribute anything. The commercial was a total bust, and that creepy smiling prick had done more to defend this place than her! Vaggie racked her brain for a solution. If she couldn't solve even this, then what good was she? "What if… I take care of the lesson plan tomorrow?"
Charlie blinked. "What?"
Yeah, what?
"I can take the lead on tomorrow's lesson," Vaggie's mouth spoke before her brain could catch up with her. What the hell did she think she was doing? "I'll make the plan while you finally get some sleep."
Charlie paused, and looked down in thought. And why wouldn't she? Vaggie was hardly the friendliest resident in the hotel (and given some of the other guests, that's saying something) and she just spent most activities glaring threateningly at those that belittled Charlie. How was she supposed to lead a group activity of self-betterment?
Charlie's eyes lit up as her face broke into a smile. "That's actually perfect, Vaggie!"
It was?
"It is?" Vaggie blinked.
"Yeah," Charlie nodded. She immediately dove straight back into her notes. "And I know exactly what rehabilitative subject for you guys to tackle."
She plucked a single sheet of paper out of the crime scene against organization. Charlie handed it to her partner with a giddy grin on her face.
Vaggie cautiously took the paper like it was her pink slip. Her eye scanned over the document written in six different color of crayon. "Trust exercises?"
"Yeah," Charlie beamed. "After the whole secret-double agent thing with Sir Pentious, tensions are a bit high in hotel on issues of trust."
Vaggie had to concede that. Ever since Pentious moved in, more than one resident had an itchy trigger finger. Not ideal in a place of redemption.
"So…" Charlie twiddled her fingers in excitement. "What better way to resolve that than by having some lessons about trust? But I already trust everyone, and you could provide a lot more incite on what it means to earn someone's trust."
Vaggie fought the urge to wince. Charlie's logic was sound, and she made plenty of good points. Unfortunately, Vaggie knew of quite a few reasons as to why she was not a good example to lead a lesson on trust. Two reasons in particular were starting to burn a couple of holes on her back.
Vaggie looked at Charlie's beaming face. She could practically see a rainbow sparkling in her partner's eye. She should just shut this down now.
"Okay," Vaggie smiled.
Dammit.
"Yes!" Charlie did a little fist pump. "This is going to be amazing~" like a switch was flipped, Charlie's posture immediately drained of energy. Her eyes drooped shut, and she slumped over right onto Vaggie's shoulder.
Vaggie looked at her new, blond, shoulder accessory. "Charlie?" she asked with concern. Her answer came in the form of light snoring. Vaggie's face softened as she chuckled. "Alright, let's get you to bed."
Vaggie stood up, carrying her much taller partner with ease. She carefully made her way over to their bed before laying the princess of Hell down on her mattress and tenderly wrapping her in the covers.
Vaggie took in Charlie's slumbering face. She was so beautiful, and not just in a physical sense. She cared so much about everyone is this hotel, even if they didn't deserve it. She was literally too pure for this world. Even in sleep, the princess still had that optimistic smile on her face. Vaggie would do anything to protect that smile, she would do anything for her.
Ding Ding Ding…
Vaggie blinked. What the hell was that?
Ding Ding Ding…
There it was again. Where was that noise coming from? Vaggie scanned the room, it didn't take long for her eye to fall on the small bronze desk bell sitting on their bedside table. Ding Ding Ding… it went off by itself.
Vaggie squinted her eye at the strange self-ringing bell. What on Earth?
Memory sparked in the back of her mind. Right, Charlie had been the one to set up the bell with a spell. She said that it would ring anytime someone knocked on the front door in the lobby. Made sense to keep it in their room on the top floor, that way they would always be aware of anyone coming into the hotel.
But… wait. If the bell was ringing, that meant there was someone trying to get into the hotel.
Who the hell would be knocking on the door at this time of night? Angel, Pentious, and the others should all be in their rooms. Was it a new guest? They had one inopportune sense of timing. More likely it was just some pranksters trying to screw with the "delusional" princess of Hell.
Ding Ding Ding… Awfully persistent, weren't they?
Charlie's slumbering face twitched. She mumbled something in her sleep before tossing and turning.
Vaggie's eye widened. Shit. She quickly snatched the bell off the table before stuffing it in a drawer, its dings becoming slightly muffled.
Charlie could not hear that bell. She would instantly assume that it was a new guest, and after that, she would completely forget any and all notion of sleep. Then she would run down the stairs like she was running a marathon before throwing open the door and giving whoever was there the grandest welcoming imaginable that would probably last all the way until morning.
Vaggie could not have that. She had just gotten Charlie to sleep, and the princess desperately needed this.
(Ding Ding Ding…)
Vaggie bit her lip. However, if this was a potential guest, and they turned them away by ignoring them, Charlie would be devastated. She'd probably retreat into herself and not come out for a week at least.
So… Vaggie should be the one to greet the guest. Yeah, why not? Vaggie could be warm and welcoming, all she had to do was smile. Let Charlie sleep while she takes care of a new arrival. Perfect! With this, plus the lesson plan she'll lead tomorrow, it'll be like she actually contributed something.
(Ding Ding Ding…)
Okay, okay, Jeez! Keep your pants on, she's on her way.
Vaggie made her way over to the elevator. She slipped on her silver, silk, bathrobe that Charlie had gifted her. No time to change into her work clothes, this would have to do in covering up her nightgown.
Vaggie walked into the elevator and hit the button for the ground floor. The ride down was eerily silent. Vaggie just realized how little she rides the elevator alone, she's usually accompanied by the sound of her girlfriend bouncing on her feet.
The elevator dinged to let Vaggie know she had reached her destination. The doors slid open to reveal the dimly lit lobby. It hadn't felt this empty or this creepy in a while.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Vaggie could hear the actual knocks now. They felt a lot deeper and more resonant than the softly ringing bell. Vaggie took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. She approached doors, and opened them wide.
BOOM
Before the words "Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel" left her mouth, lightning crashed in the background, sending a near deafening roar of thunder to smack the smile right off of Vaggie's face, and illuminating a mysterious figure in the rain.
Vaggie looked up at the imposing silhouette. It wasn't as tall as Alastor or even Charlie, but they still had head's worth of height on Vaggie.
Their features were hidden in the darkness. They swaddled themselves in elegant white robes, hiding their exact body shape. Arms were crossed in a very no-nonsense fashion. The wide brim of a straw hat concealed their eyes, acid water dripping from the rim.
"Greetings," a deep masculine voice spoke up, just another flash of lightning and a crash of thunder.
BOOM
Well, that was fucking ominous.
Vaggie readjusted her grip on the door handle. She was starting to have second thoughts about this.
"I seek an audience with the princess of Hell," his tone was cool and even. Perfectly neutral. Vaggie didn't trust it.
She narrowed her eye. "Why do you want to see her?"
The figure unfolded his arms. He adjusted his grip on the handle of a sword at his side. "There is a most urgent matter that I wish to speak with her upon."
Vaggie's eye widened upon seeing the previously hidden weapon. That was a thinly-veiled threat if she'd ever heard it. Just the right amount of insistent and vague. And something about that sword bothered her, it created an itch at the back of her mind.
Realization dawned on her. She may have lost her wings, but she could still sense a holy weapon when it was right in her face. But the sheer power she felt radiating off the blade, it was more than simple angelic steel. It was enchanted by powers equal to the arch angels. That blade could kill an Overlord… or a princess of Hell.
Vaggie's grip on the door handle tightened. "The princess is busy. Whatever you have to say, you can say to me."
The figure's hand tightened into a fist. "That would waste too much time, and time is something I do not have! I must speak with her! Let me through!"
This asshole wasn't even trying to hide his assassination attempt anymore. Vaggie placed a firm hand on the stranger's chest and shoved him away. He stumbled back a few feet, obviously not expecting such strength from a figure so small.
Vaggie let go of the door. She stood up to the stranger. "Give me the sword."
The stranger stiffened even further. "What?"
"Give me the sword," Vaggie held out her hand. "And you might see Charlie."
The figure tightened his grip on his weapon even further. "This sword shall not leave my grasp even as I take my final breath."
Okay, hard way it is.
"Let me try again," With only the twitch of her finger, Vaggie summoned her angelic spear into her hand. She raised it towards the figure with the promise of pain. "Give me the sword, or I'm taking it from you."
The stranger lowered himself into a battle stance, his hand hovered over his sword handle. "You do not want this fight."
To keep Charlie safe? Vaggie would fight the world.
She launched herself forward, spear raised to strike. She was proud of her speed, when she got going, none could escape her. As scary as this guy's sword was, it meant nothing if it was wielded by an amateur. She would end this quickly and-
The stranger drew his sword faster than she had time to blink. It batted her spear away with a force she had not been expecting. Her entire balance was thrown off, and she slipped on the mud. She crashed right into the dirt.
She fought the urge to scream at herself. That was humiliating, but she couldn't allow that to stop her! She sprung up to her feet and readied her spear, but the stranger was gone. Vaggie's eye widened, and it snapped to the doorway just as the stranger ran through. Idiot! You left a massive opening for let him invade!
Vaggie quickly bolted after him, she ran through the door and cut him off right in the middle of the lobby. She spun her spear in her hand. He would go no further. She attacked with a flurry of spear slashes.
Frustratingly, the stranger almost effortlessly deflected each strike. He didn't seem to even be breaking a sweat. Vaggie grit her teeth and increased the ferocity of her strikes. He still deflected each one, but he seemed to actually be forced back.
Vaggie pushed forward, forcing the stranger back more and more. "You… aren't… going… anywhere!" she grunted with each strike.
"I will not fail my mission," the stranger said with an unfair amount of calm.
Vaggie thrust her spear forward, but the stranger backflipped out of the way, and Vaggie's attack firmly planted itself into the back of one of the parlor's couches.
Vaggie's jaw dropped, and she tried to yank her weapon free, but it was pretty firmly stuck into the furniture. Vaggie looked up just as the stranger safely landed behind the impaled couch. That smug- was this his plan all along? Did he lead her here?
The stranger jumped back over the couch, and then springboarded off her damn head! Vaggie rubbed at the growing welt on her head. Wait, where'd he go?
She whirled around, the stranger was making a beeline for the grand staircase. He was headed towards Charlie! Vaggie summoned all her strength and ripped the spear right out of the couch. Ignoring the flying splinters, she hurled her spear right at the stranger.
The assassin halted just as the angelic spear pierced the ground right in front of him. He turned to Vaggie. His eyes were still obscured by that damn hat, but Vaggie could tell he was glaring at her.
Vaggie dashed right past him, snatching up her spear. She went for another stab, which he easily blocked.
Suddenly, he swung his blade right at her in an overhead strike. Vaggie gasped and quickly blocked it using the shaft of her spear. He immediately shifted to attacking her from the side, she blocked again, grunting in effort to withstand the force.
He was on the offensive. He pushed upon her with a whirlwind of strikes. Vaggie desperately moved her spear back and forth, trying to block each attack. This was not good. She wasn't used to playing defense. She needed a way to turn this around before-
Vaggie's feet were suddenly missing from the ground. Her back crashed onto the hardwood floor. Did he just sweep the legs? She never had to worry about someone sweeping the legs before!
Vaggie instantly rolled back to her feet before the assailant could take advantage. She put some distance between herself and the stranger. Okay, so maybe she can't take him on head-to-head. Maybe she could keep her distance and focus on charge attacks.
Vaggie leapt straight onto the far wall. She springboarded herself off the surface and rocketed straight at her target, angelic spear leading the charge.
The stranger raised his own holy weapon, and deflected Vaggie's attack right as she zoomed past him.
Vaggie didn't miss a beat as she immediately bounced off of the floor and onto another wall. She launched herself again, aiming at his exposed backside.
The stranger spun around, once again deflecting Vaggie's spear and forcing the hotel's protector away.
Vaggie cursed. Maybe she could utilize a distraction of some sort? In the blink of an eye, she dashed over to the bar and grabbed one of its stools. Once more, she charged at the stranger. But before she raised her spear, she chucked the stool right at him.
The assailant did exactly as she predicted. He swung his sword upwards, slicing the furniture in half and halting its momentum. But it also left him wide open.
Vaggie charged, spear held high. There was no way for him to defend himself now. She thrust the spear tip forward, but instead of piercing flesh, it hit only air.
The strange had leaned back and away from the angelic blade. His back was nearly perpendicular with the ground, yet he still had both feet planted on the ground.
Vaggie was so shocked by the sudden display of lumbar-exercise, that she didn't even have time to comprehend being kicked in the face! Vaggie stumbled back. She rubbed her aching jawline. That did not go according to plan.
The stranger planted his foot back on the ground and realigned his spine. He grasped his princess-killing weapon with both hands and readied himself into another battle stance. He raised an arm and performed a "come at me" gesture.
Vaggie growled. It was on now!
Jack should have expected such a resistance. Of course the princess of Hell would have guards in place, although he would have assumed there would be more than one.
Perhaps there was another way to resolve this. But Jack had just been through possibly the second-worst day of his life (second only to the day Aku came), and each moment wasted was another hundred lives lost at the hand of Aku. Jack would not be denied, and if he had to fight through this warrior to reach the princess of Hell, then so be it!
He would not kill this female warrior. Perhaps disarm her, or knock her out. She was merely defending her liege, an honorable sentiment if anything. However, Jack hesitated to say that she was doing an effective job.
She had impressive strength and speed to be sure, greater than any warrior or beast he fought on Earth, but her technique seemed to quickly devolve into stab, stab, slash if stab didn't work, stab again.
She fought with pure rage and aggression. And if Jack did want to kill her, there were at least three perfect opportunities in the last minute where she left herself wide open. She fought as if the thought of being hurt never even occurred to her.
However, she never seemed to tire either. She continued to swing at him with seemingly limitless stamina, throwing furniture as if she were throwing cotton balls. Jack would not win a war of attrition, he would have to end this quickly.
"What the FUCK is going on here?"
Jack and his opponent briefly paused their battle to look at the sound of the new voice. Jack felt his eyes go wide and his jaw drop. Standing at the top of the grand staircase was a strikingly tall figure covered head to toe in bleached white fur, their body was decorated in hot pink markings like a cotton candy tiger. Not to even mention the extra set of arms.
The wind shifted. Jack had allowed himself to be distracted by the newcomer for too long. He snapped back to attention just in time to deflect another spear strike.
"Angel, get back to your room," his foe growled as she readied herself for another charge. Angel? What an ironic name for a being in Hell.
"Yeah, that's where I just was," Jack strained his ears to hear this 'Angel' over the sound of clashing steel. "Except how the fuck was I supposed to sleep, when all I can hear is you banging away at Basket Head over here?!" the newcomer sounded male, and rather stressed at that.
"Who the hell even is Mr. Pajama pants?" Angel must have been referring to Jack.
"Angel," the female warrior grunted. She slammed her spear against his blade with a CLANG. "Get back to your room. NOW."
"What'ssss going on?" a new voice suddenly barged in.
Jack allowed himself another glance at the staircase and tried not to trip over himself. This figure was even stranger than the last one!
A giant snake man, decorated in black and yellow scales, slithered down the stairs. He bizarrely had glaring red eyes all over his body, even one on his top hat. But given how each eye was lazily half-closed with bags under them, and he was dressed in a blue nightshirt, it was safe to say this snake was even more sleep-deprived than his furred companion.
"Are we under attack? Men, battle sstationssss!" He somehow tripped over his own tail, and tumbled down the steps.
"We don't have battle stations," furred one rubbed his eyes. "It's a hotel, dumbass."
"What?" the snake bolted up right. "Thisss won't do! I must fetch the death ray!"
Jack's eyes widened? Death ray? What kind of weapon was that? By name alone, it is something he must avoid at all costs. Jack grit his teeth and forced his opponent away, he bolted towards the snake's retreating form.
Jack's eyes drifted to the sliced remains of the stool that had been hurled at him earlier, half of it was still intact. He snatched it up from the ground and hurled it straight towards the snake's head.
It struck dead on, the snake's head jolted on impact before beginning to unnaturally sway. "We're going down…" his speech slurred as he collapsed face first at the feet of Angel.
The pink and white one snorted. "Okay, maybe it was worth waking up just to see that."
Jack smirked, that was one threat taken care of. However, his celebration was short-lived. He suddenly felt the briefest pressure sinking into his skull. He bolted out of the way, rolling to safety.
He stood back on his feet, sword at the ready. The gray female he had been fighting was standing where he just was, spear implanted into the ground. However, the spear had a new decoration, his straw hat had been impaled straight through.
"Heh," the eye-patched warrior gave as self-satisfied smirk. "Finally got a hit on you-" her one eye widened as she took in Jack's full appearance. "What? How are you-?"
Jack looked down at the skewered remains of his hat. His grip on his sword tightened. "I liked that hat."
Jack charged. He would end this now! His blade was a streak of lightning, frantically clashing against the woman's spear. He could see her grit her teeth in exertion as he forced her back. No more messing around, no more distractions!
Of course, that's when another distraction showed up in the form of another voice.
"Angel? What is going on- what happened to Sir Pentious?!"
"Your crazy broad of a girlfriend and a samurai nutjob are tearing the damn place apart, and it is NOT helping my hangover!"
Jack saw fear flash into his opponent's eye, fear and desperation. She suddenly gained a burst of adrenaline, forcing herself to push Jack back.
Jack hopped away to gain some distance. Despite his better judgement, he turned back to the stairs. Who was this new player that elicited such a reaction from his opponent?
She was easily the most human-looking creature Jack had seen down here. There were obvious tells of course, her skin was whiter than the palest moon save for two bright red circles that adorned her cheeks. But other than that, she could have passed for a young woman from Earth.
She was currently frantically rubbing sleep from her eyes, evidently trying to get a grasp of the chaotic scene before her. "Crazy bro-" her tired eyes shot wide open. She made a move like she wanted to dash forward. "Vaggie!"
Jack jolted to attention and spun just in time to parry another strike from the gray female. His foe did not let up her attack, frantically throwing her weapon against Jack's own.
"Charlie!" 'Vaggie' called up the stairs. "Run!"
"Vaggie, I don't understand," the rose-cheeked woman frantically grasped at her blond hair. "What on Earth are you doing?"
"I'm trying-" Vaggie grunted as she locked blades with Jack. "-to save you from an assassin!"
What?
"Assassin?!" Jack snarled as he found newfound strength in the form of righteous fury. He broke the blade lock, and with a mighty swing he forced his opponent back halfway across the room. "How dare you! You insult my honor with such accusations!"
"Oh, don't bullshit me!" Vaggie scoffed. "You really think I'd believe that you're just here to talk? With an angelic weapon at your side, demanding to see the princess?"
Jack grit his teeth. "If I were an assassin, why would I have knocked upon the front door? Would it not have been easier for me to scale the building and enter undetected?"
Vaggie's one eye blinked. Evidently, she hadn't considered that. "W-well maybe you're just bad at your job!" she growled.
"Then perhaps we are more alike than you thought," the words left Jack's mouth before he had even realized. Where had that come from?
"What!" Vaggie's white hair flared to life, almost taking on a life of its own. "Oh, that is it!"
She charged forward with her spear. Jack charged as well, sword held at the ready.
"STOP FIGHTING!"
Both warriors halted as a sudden burst of heat erupted between them. They turned to the breaker of their battle, the young woman known as Charlie.
For only a brief second, Charlie's eyes were a furious blood-red, and her haired danced like golden flame. However, the expression on her face was more of fear than anger. But as said before, it was only for a second. Her eyes quickly flashed back to their original yellow, and her hair drooped back down over her back. She took a deep breath in and out.
Jack and his opponent didn't know what to do, so they just stood there, unsurely holding their weapons. Even Angel appeared freaked out by the outburst, as he had backed off a good few feet from the demoness.
Charlie closed her eyes and cleared her throat. She turned to Jack's foe. "Vaggie, you know I love how passionate you are about protecting me and the hotel, but maybe in the future we could wait a little bit before assuming someone is an assassin?"
"But, Charlie, he-"
Charlie visibly cringed as she held up a finger to shush Vaggie. The action looked like it physically pained her. "I know, I know! But just throwing this out there, maybe talk to me about it beforehand? Just to really make sure you're not making a mistake? I would really rather you not accidently skewer an incoccent soul."
"But I-" the spear-wielder tried to choke out a counterargument, but anyone could see this was a loosing battle. She steadied the spear. "Right, sorry…"
The tone she used was so defeated, the young woman in red looked ready to race down the stairs and tackle Vaggie into a hug. Instead, Charlie took another deep breath and turned her attention to Jack. "Now, as for you… you… you…"
The exact moment Charlie's eyes landed on Jack, it looked like her train of thought derailed off the track and spiraled off into a canyon. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, her jaw hung open as if inviting flies inside, and her entire body locked up, almost frozen in place.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"How…" Charlie breathed out. She looked at the samurai up and down, trying to take in his whole appearance. "How do you look like that?"
Jack gazed down at himself. He did not look any different from normal. He still had all his limbs and his skin was the right color. "Look like what?"
"Like… THAT!" Charlie waved her hands, as if Jack wasn't noticing the obvious problem. "How do you look so… human?"
"Because… I am human?" Jack had forgotten that he was an exceptional specimen down here. But then again, not one creature seemed to make a big deal of it.
Charlie slowly blinked. She grinned before breaking into a fit of giggles. "Oh, sorry," she snorted. "For a minute, I thought you meant something else. Obviously, you used to be human, but then you died and became a sinner-"
"I am not dead," Jack cut her off. "I am alive, and very much human."
The grin disappeared from Charlie's face. Vaggie stared at him with a wide eye. Angel looked like Jack had just smacked in the face from across the street. The snake groaned from the floor. Other than him, the room was in dead silence.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Jack cringed back and fought the urge to cover his ears. He was certain all dogs within the area were now deaf. What on Earth could compel such a noise to come from the blond girl's mouth?
Jack blinked up at the staircase, but Charlie was no longer there. He blinked again, and she was suddenly three inches from Jack's face! She was a surprisingly good deal taller than him.
"Oh my Gosh!" her hands grabbed hold of Jack's face, yanking him forward to get a better look at him. "OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh! I've never seen a real human before!"
"Ex-fucking-scuse me?!" Angel piped up from back up the stairs. "Wow, way to literally dehumanize a guy, princess!"
"Oh! Oh my Gosh, Angel," Charlie's bright face was briefly tainted by shame as she turned to the sinner on the stairs, all while still holding Jack's face. "I am so sorry! I know you and Pentious, and Vaggie are all human souls, but… look at him!"
Jack was pulled by his face and thrust into the directions of Angel and Vaggie, showing off all his humanness to the world.
"He's so… human!" Charlie beamed like the sun. "A real LIVING human! His skin isn't furry, or scaly, or cold, or clammy! It's just…" she poked and squished his skin together like warm clay. "... It's just so pink and squishy!" she cooed in a goofy voice.
"And look!" Charlie suddenly forced his mouth open before showing it to her friends. "No fangs!"
Jack snapped his mouth. "Erm, thank you," he coughed out. "May I have my face back now?"
"Hm?" Charlie blinked before it suddenly dawned on her that what she was holding was a sentient being. Her pale face grew bright crimson before she threw her hands off Jack like letting go of hot coals. "Oh my Goodness!"
She stumbled back, trying to get as much distance between herself and Jack as possible. "I am so, so, SO sorry! I just got overexcited! Because I've never… you know, and I haven't been getting a lot of sleep and… I guess I should plan a lesson on personal space in the future, shouldn't I?" she gave a slight chuckle, a desperate self-deprecation to save a failing first impression.
Jack rubbed his sore face. "It is… quite alright," he cleared his throat.
Up the stairs, Angel rolled his eyes. "Guess the snake is the only one that gets to sleep tonight." He reched into a large pack of fluff on his chest, and took out another one of those hell phones. He began tapping on the screen.
Jack looked between the strange collection of characters before him. Angel had seemed to tune the whole world out. The one known as Vaggie was still eyeing him with great distrust, spear still in hand. And the girl known as Charlie was just standing there, seemingly at war with herself on deciding to feel either pure joyful excitement, or soul-crushing embarrassment.
Jack shook his head. He stared at Charlie, not two minutes ago she seemed to be radiating great power, now she seemed too bashful to even raise her voice.
"Who… are you?" he asked.
"Oh my Gosh!" Charlie gasped for must have been the eleventh time in two minutes. "We haven't even introduced ourselves!"
"Hi, my name is Charlie," she gave an enthusiastic wave. She spread her arms out and waved them to the lobby they stood in. "And this is my hotel."
"You're hotel?" Jack narrowed his eyes. "Then, you must be…" his eyes widened as realization dawned on him. Her sudden spike of power, the female warrior's call of concern when she entered the battlefield, Angel's snarky comment. All the pieces began to fit in together. He was a fool for not seeing it before!
"Forgive me, your highness!" He immediately dropped to his knees and bowed his head, leaning on his sword. "I did not realize who I stood before, I meant no disrespect."
Charlie gasped at the sudden groveling. Vaggie's eyebrow twitched. And in the background, Angel whispered "what the fuck?"
"Oh, that won't be necessary," Charlie frantically waved her arms. "I'm really, REALLY not that kind of royale."
"I am afraid I must insist," Jack body did not budge one inch. He took a deep breath. This was it.
"Oh, Princess of Hell. I am a noble warrior on a quest for justice. I come before you, humbly seeking your aid. If you were to graciously honor my request, I would be forever indebted to you."
He knew it was move his ancestors would frown upon, letting himself become indebted to a princess of Hell. But Jack was desperate, and his life meant nothing in the quest of stopping Aku.
"Oh…wow." Charlie cringed harder as she nervously played with her fingers. "That was… a lot. Sorry, but I'm not really into the whole 'I am forever indebted' stuff. It makes me feel kinda icky." She let out a nervous chuckle. But she wiped the cringe away and put on a smile. "But I'm more than happy to help you with whatever you-"
"Hold it!" Vaggie broke her vow of silence. "Charlie what are you doing?"
"What?" Quirked her head. She failed to see anything wrong about this. "He said he needed help."
"Um, him and I were just trying to kill each other two minutes ago!" Vaggie yelled out.
Jack lifted his head for a glare. "If I had wished for your death, the battle would have ended much sooner."
"Zip it," Vaggie pointed her spear at the samurai. "The point is that we know nothing about this guy. He couldn't even be a real human for all we know! We don't know where he's from, or what he's doing in Hell, we don't even know who he is!"
"Holy shit!" Angel's yell echoed out from the very top of the stairs, causing all parties to turn to him. He was looking down at his hell phone, looking like he just found a long lost-masterpiece of artwork.
"I'll tell you who he is," the sinner grinned, showing off a golden fang. He held up his phone, displaying for all to see a video of Jack fighting off a dozen sinners at once. "He's motherfucking Samurai Jack!"
Jack shot up to his feet. "What?"
How had his fake name spread so far already? He wasn't even sure he had been in Hell a full day!
Charlie squinted up at the phone, clearly confused on what Angel was even talking about. Meanwhile, Vaggie just stood there with a gobsmacked face.
"Samurai who?"
"So…" Vox grinned as he stepped out onto his outdoor balcony. One could see the entire wretched pentagram from here. Not that Vox needed to, he practically already had the entire city in the palm of his hand. "Do we have a deal or what?"
Aku stroked his flaming goatee, one hand behind his back. "Your conditions are acceptable, Aku will allow this," he mused. "But in exchange…"
"Yeah, yeah, of course," Vox brushed off. "We'll make sure to have an entire camera crew prepped and ready for your big debut. Every sucker who's ever even glanced at a screen will know the good word of Aku in no time. Velv will probably get you trending within a week."
Aku's eyes flared at being cut off, but the dark lord reigned in his temper. He leered over the TV demon with an expectant glare in his eye. "... And?"
Vox stamped out the instinct to roll his eyes. Not in front of a client. "And we'll make sure to keep an eye out for your little samurai. I've got like a hundred eyes already on it."
Aku grinned. "Excellent!" He threw his head back and laughed. His cackled echoed out onto the city below. As his chortle died down, he lowered himself to glare Vox in the eye. "But remember, you are only to observe the samurai. His death is mine alone to claim."
"Of course," Vox straightened his bow tie. "We here at VoxTek always respect the sanctity of a petty grudge match. Trust us."
Aku glared right into Vox's monitor. Vox wouldn't be broken though, he's been doing this shtick for years. After thirty seconds, Aku tore his eyes away from Vox's with a grin on his green face. "So we have a deal!"
"Indeed, we do," Vox grinned. He held out his hand. "Care to shake on it?"
"Ah, ah, ah," Aku wagged a creaky little finger. "I don't think so."
"Well, shoot," Vox snapped his fingers like he just lost a bet. "Ah, well, can't blame a guy for trying."
"Yes, indeed you can't." Aku let out a laugh. "But seriously," Aku's face grew to gigantic proportions, he leered it right in Vox's face, looking like he could swallow the overlord whole. "Don't try."
Aku leapt off of the balcony, his dark form twisted to a shape more suited for flight, and he took off into the night sky of Hell.
Only once the blackened weirdo was well out of sight did Vox finally let out a sigh. Why did this job always attract the freaks? Oh right; Hell.
The Vee turned around and walked back inside. He couldn't stand smelling the putrid air of the city any longer, and he didn't even have a nose.
Inside his private penthouse, he found Velvette lounging on one of the couches, scrolling on her phone, as per usual. What was unusual was the sight of Val's creepy little jester bots dragging his still regenerating corpse to his room.
Yup. Pain in the ass and a half.
"So what's the plan?" Velvette spoke up, eyes never leaving her phone. "Are we actually going to become the PR team to some asshole wannabe Sin?"
"Now," Vox took a deep breath as he sat down in his easy chair. "We play a little game called waiting."
"Is that it?" Velvette looked up from her screen to quirk a judgmental brow. "That's your big scheme? Sitting on your ass and waiting?"
"For all his bragging, this nutcase is a mystery," Vox shrugged. "Maybe he can actually get to the other rings, maybe he can't. But he certainly let us know he's got his sights set high, and he claims he can get there in record time. I say give it a few days, one week tops, and we'll see if he can actually back up all that talk."
"And if he actually can?"
"Then we play along," Vox grinned. "What the hell? Give him an interview or two, broadcast his more violent dismemberings, maybe throw in a brand deal. We've got first dibs on the next big a-hole in town. That shit's great for ratings!"
Besides, having a shape-shifter, that can blow up half an overlord, on Vox's side wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It would certainly give Vox an edge over a certain smiling radio host.
"Uh-huh," Velvette rolls her eyes. "And what exactly is our insurance when he inevitably turns on us and decides to rip you inside out? Or did you fall down here yesterday?"
Vox smirked. Oh, Velvette, yee of little faith. Of course Vox wasn't stupid enough to actually trust a shit stain like Aku. Once again; Hell.
"Our insurance," Vox tapped his fingers together. "Is your job."
"Excuse me?"
"You're finding that story again, the one about that shitty little bar getting wrecked." Vox stood up his seat. He walked over to his massive window overlooking the city.
Velvette sat up. She crossed her arms like a huffy child. "Why?"
"Big bad Aku is looking for a human samurai," Vox traced his finger along the glass, digging a small crevice into the perfect surface. "You found a video of a human samurai."
He turned back to Velv. "I trust you know what two plus two equals?"
"Fucking obviously," Velvette stood up. "What I want to know, is why you're bending over for every little cum word this Aku spits out. You even want to keep tabs on his human boy toy? At this point, I'm wondering why you didn't just tell your new master about the video yourself."
"Because you never show all your cards right away," Vox walked over to his business partner. "If this Aku guy is as old as he says he is, then he's a fossil of a fossil. He's lucky to know what a camera is, let alone understand social media. And that's what we'll take advantage of."
Velvette's eyebrows raised in interest. There it was. Social media was Velv's specialty and a source of personal pride for the Vee's only female member. You want her to get a job done? Just make sure she's doing what she loves.
"You're going to find that video," Vox listed. "And then you're going to find more videos. You're going to sick your little virtual bloodhounds out to make more videos. You're going to find out so much of this samurai jackass, that he won't even be able to sneeze in Hell without us knowing about it!"
"And then…" Vox placed a hand on Velvette's shoulder. "We're going to keep it between ourselves."
Understanding dawned on Velvette's face. "So that's your plan." she smirked. "Trickle feed the idiot the information he wants, leading him along like a carrot on a stick."
"Little bit," Vox shrugged. "There was just one other thing…"
"What?" Velvette's smirk was gone. Seemed she was running out of patience for this little game.
"Crazy or not, Aku's obviously powerful," Vox grumbled. "There's only so many guys in Hell that can blow Val like that."
"Like you?" Velvette fully embraced the double entendre.
"However," Vox ignored the little jab like usual. "For all the black prick's boasting and showboating, there was something that even Val could spot. This samurai? He's afraid of him."
Vox gave a manic grin. "It would be such a shame NOT to take advantage of that, don't you think?"
Velvette matched his grin with her own. Always on the same page, that's why he liked her. "It certainly would."
"So," Vox tapped his screen. "You are going too…?"
"Oh, I'm finding that samurai." Velvette turned away from Vox, already furiously typing on her phone. "And I'm plastering his name fucking everywhere. Every clout-wanting moron is gonna be on the lookout for that pajama-wearing asshole and his butter knife of a holy weapon. Soon, there won't be a single rotten hole in all of Hell for him to hide in!"
Vox smiled. On days like this, the future looked bright.
Poor Jack, maybe one day he'll go somewhere where he won't have to have a fight to the death, but given his current location? I doubt it. In fact, the hotel was probably his best bet, but I guess that option's down the drain now.
But come on, I had to have Jack fight the valiant protector of the Hazbin Hotel, Vaggie! Or maybe I've read one too many fanfics where Vaggie is weirdly violent or even paranoid, but if a mysterious stranger showed up in the middle of then night with a weapon that could kill your girlfriend, I think you'd be on edge.
I dunno, did I make Vaggie too OOC for the fight to happen? The last thing I want is to become one of those fics where the characters from Show A would randomly pick fights with character from show B just so Character B can flex on them and show them how cool they are, those always bugged me. Let me know if I'm bugging you.
I feel just a tad less bad about Jack. We all know he can have a bit of a temper, and remember that the last five chapters took place over the course of a DAY. I think he would be a bit irritable by now.
Anyway, I told you guys that the next update would be a quick one! Yeah, I thought that with all I had planned, this would just be a short chapter. Maybe just 3,000 words. Hah! Boy was I wrong.
But I'm actually starting to wonder if maybe it was a bit too quick? Oversaturating the market I should say. Is this overloading you guys?
Sorry, but I guess I was just really excited for this Hazbin Hotel fanfic to FINALLY have something to do with Hazbin Hotel. Speaking of, what'd you think? Did I get everyone decently? Most of it was dedicated to the fight, but I think I did a good job with the characters. Make sure to leave a review if you thought otherwise.
Next chapter might not be for a while. I've been putting off a few other projects to the side when writing this (mostly school) so I'll probably have to buckle down and focus on those for a weekend or two. Shouldn't last any more than two weeks though. If it does, I'm either dead or I've fallen back on old bad habits. Hope to see you then.
Thanks for reading!