Hey, everyone, been a while by my standards huh? Explanation at the end, for now though let's get to the reviews. You've noticed that I've gone back to answering everyone, that's because answering in PMs one by one is suprsisingly not every time efficeint.
Gamelover41592: Thanks, and Jack does seem to be doing well. :) Let's see how far it goes before it all goes downhill.
Lightblade1121: Don't worry, Jack won't be dropping his nomadic lifestyle completely. However, I feel like it would just be foolish to have him only pop into the Hotel once and be done. It's the MAIN setting of one of the shows. Also, this is Hell. Dystopian Earth or not, it was still Earth in the show. Crops and wild chickens aren't exactly easy to procure in the demon realm. As for Jack's sanity, that dream was a small part of something bigger that will cast a shadow over Jack's entire arc in this story. And as for Alastor, he'll definitely be playing the long game.
Super heavy weapons guy: Jack's gonna have an impact on a lot of people, more than just Charlie finally having more than one person on her side. And yeah, Jack dodged it early on big time.
qazse: Part of me wants to agree with you, but another part of me talks about how a major plot point in the orginal show was how Aku was spying on Jack the whole time and he didn't notice.
Ybarra87: Spoilers. :) But feel free to speculate, it's awsome to see.
Guest 1: The enemy of my enemy is my friend... maybe? But yeah, while it'll be a while before Alastor reveals himself to Jack, many parties are playing things close to the chest. As for the Sins? They are not nearly as organized as one would hope. Ozzy's gonna be on voicemail a long~ time. As for Heaven, they'll defintely have a part to play, but that's strictly hush hush for now.
MCDavus: Right, Husk is real name, Husker is nickname. Forgot that part. It just sounds wrong especially with Huskerdust being so popular. Lucifer's on stand-by for now, Sorry :( As for Vaggie's paranoia? Maybe...
Guest 2: Al's a schemer. And Al certainly THINKS he can take on Aku. I'll let you be the judge of what that means.
Tigershark431: Glad to know I'm getting everyone down! As for Jack's new found sudden fame, it's certainly going to be turning a lot more heads towards Charlie's hotel... not all of them good. (Shrug emoji) but who knows? Maybe the Hotel just might get an extra resident or two down the line.
Rook435: Yeah, eating should not be much of a struggle for Jack, but I made it happen! I'm glad to see your enjoying my interactions between the characters!
Marce98: Glad to hear it? As for your wonders, hey I can't give anything away! Wait, doesn't that basically confirm it? Bah, details.
Guest 3: Sorry, but Lucifer's gonna have to stay cooped up in his mansion for a while. He's a bit too much of a deus ex machina for me to write around right now.
DinoZillaPrime: I totally see where you're coming from and it sounds cool. I just can't see anyway to get Jack to go there. I don't see how a samurai would get into a meeting of overlords, and besides, little of that meeting went to strategizing battle plans against the angels anwway, it was more generational drama. I have my own take on that meeting when the time comes, as well as my own take on Jack planning against an army from the pilot. You'll have to have a LOT of patience though.
Thank you all so much for the reviews. I love them all! They're also super helpful in getting a story to stand out, so I usually prefer them over PMs any day. Now, on with the show!
Charlie took a deep breath. Looking up the question online and a quick tear through her books gave her very little definitive information. Most just gave her more worries than answers. She bit her lip. The only other resource she hadn't tapped into was… her dad.
Charlie REALLY wasn't in the mood to talk to her dad right now. She did not want to invite another conversation about how her dreams were pointless and her hopes were going nowhere. But Jack… he was probably starving, wasting away to a skeleton.
Maybe… she could shoot him a text? A quick question through text and that was it. It didn't invite any more conversation that it needed to.
Charlie clicked open the chat app and tapped her father's contact. She carefully typed out her words.
Hey, dad, can I ask you a quick question?
A bit vague and off-topic, but Charlie already sent it. Now all that was left was to wait for his reply. Ten minutes later, and Charlie was ready to start pulling at her hair. What if her dad didn't see it? What he saw it but didn't care enough to answer? Was Jack going to starve away to nothing while Charlie was left on read?
Her phone vibrated, signifying a reply had been received. Her eyes immediately bolted to her texts. It was from her father.
I mean you just did.
Charlie groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. Yeah, that was definitely her dad. She frantically typed out a response.
That's not what I meant!
She took a deep breath. Don't beat around the bush, just ask and be done with it.
If a human were to eat food prepared down here, would that trap them in Hell forever?
Charlie had to wait a full minute for a response. Her dad was certainly taking his time with this.
A human? Like a sinner?
Charlie grimaced as she typed out another text.
No, not like a sinner. Like an actual human, pink fleshy skin and all.
The response took even longer to arrive.
There are no humans in Hell, Charlie.
"Funny you should say that…" Charlie muttered under her breath, but her fingers stayed silent.
Look, just as a hypothetical, okay?
Was it a bad idea to not tell her dad about Jack? Probably, but Charlie didn't want her dad making a big deal out of this. Besides, her dad probably wouldn't have anything to help Jack anyway. Like she said, out of all the people banned from even so much as looking at the human world, Lucifer was at the top of the list.
Her phone vibrated, signifying that the King of Hell finally answered.
Well, short answer is no, unless the food was specifically cursed or enchanted to entrap the eater.
Charlie let out a breath of relief. She pumped a small fist in victory. She typed out a quick "thnx" on her phone before dashing back to the lobby.
She burst into the room, smiling ear to ear. "I've got good news!"
The scene looked relatively unchanged to when she left, save for significantly less food on the table. Jack still sat solemnly at the table, staring down at the food with a dead look in his eyes. But her perked up when she ran back into the room.
"I can confirm that the food is safe for human consumption!" Charlie's eyes widened. "From a temperature perspective, I mean! There were never any other concerns about it."
Jack raised a judgmental eyebrow, Charlie began to sweat. Thankfully, he just shrugged before letting a grateful smile break onto his face. He reached across the table to one of the remaining cinnamon rolls.
"Sorry, but that's going to have to wait," Vaggie called out. Charlie's girlfriend marched right up to the table, her classic 'no-nonsense' look primed and ready. "Everyone, line up! It's time for today's lesson plan!"
Charlie saw Jack's face fall into defeat as he retreated his hand away from the treat, and she felt her heart shatter.
"Oh, come on!" Angel threw his hands up in the air. "Val gives me my first day off in fucking forever, and you want me to waste it sitting around in singing circles or some shit?"
"Your boss gave you the day off?" Charlie was surprised, Angel always had to leave the hotel and their activities early because he had work. Today was a bit random for him to be free.
"Well, he didn't say it explicitly," Angel shrugged. "But he hasn't blown up my phone with ten thousand texts in the last three hours. So I'm taking what I can get."
Ah, well… it was the thought that counts?
"Well, suck it up," Vaggie glared. "We're already at a late start, and we're running out of time before Extermination Day. And for today's activities, I'M in charge. So that means I want all of you up off your butts and in the parlor in 15.2 seconds!"
Jack blinked. He raised a brow. "Extermination Day?"
Oh, that's right. They never even taught Jack about the exterminations! That was kind of a crucial part of their mission at the hotel. Charlie should probably explain-
"I'm not seeing those legs moving!" Vaggie yelled. She aggressively clapped her hand together. "To the parlor! Let's go, go, go!"
Most occupants of the table rolled their eyes, but still begrudgingly and unenthusiastically stood up from the table and began making their way over to the hotel's parlor where the stage had been built. Charlie spotted Jack steal one last longing look at the tempting food before he steeled his resolve.
Charlie sucked in a breath. Sure, they were on a short timetable but Vaggie could have at least spared Jack five minutes. Oh, but everyone was already on their way to the stage…
Charlie made a quick tap on Jack's shoulder as he passed her. He paused and turned to her with a confused look. With a flick of magic, a cinnamon roll flew from the plate and into her hand. She even sent a wave of heat through her fingertips, reheating the treat to a more warm state. She passed the sugar-cinnamon coated confection into Jack's grasp, silently raising a finger to her lips.
Jack took the sweet with wide eyes, but he soon graced Charlie with a grateful smile. He bowed his head in silent thanks before returning to his journey to the parlor, eagerly biting into the baked good.
Charlie let out a sigh of relief. Wow, positive feedback towards Charlie's attempts to help, she hadn't seen that since… well, since she first met Vaggie.
Charlie shook her head. No time for that, now was actually Vaggie's time to shine! It was going to be so fun being a participant in one of these activities. And her beautiful girlfriend was going to be the one leading the charge. This was going to be so much fun.
Vaggie took a deep breath as she took in the audience before her. Angel and Husk were sitting on the recently repaired couch, a three-foot gap between them. Pentious was giving a suspicious glare towards Nifty, who was currently scuttling across the ground looking for bug to skewer. Jack had remained standing, perched right next to the couch
This was it, the big moment of truth. All she had to do was teach these guys about trust… She should probably get the ball rolling. Why wasn't she getting the ball rolling?
"Alright, everyone," Charlie swung in to save the day. Even when Vaggie was supposed to take the lead, the princess couldn't help gush about her lesson plans. "So we've noticed that there has been some… tension in the hotel recently."
Nifty made a stab towards a roach that skittered in front of Pentious. The snake snatched the small maid up in the coil of his tail, and held a blaster right to her temple, Nifty's manic grin never left her face.
In the blink of an eye, Vaggie dashed in and snatched the blaster right out of the snake's hands, before crushing it into a jumbled mess of wires and circuitry. Pentious could only look at the remains of his invention with disappointed despair. He shouldn't have tried to kill the maid then, even if she did keep leaving him dead bugs outside his room.
Charlie cleared her throat in a vain attempt to get everything back on track. "So, we've decided that a good idea for today's lesson would be… Trust Exercises!"
Vaggie took Charlie's grand declaration as her cue to unfurl the banner atop the stage. It was messy, and many letters were disproportionately sized to one another, but at least everyone could tell that it was meant to say "Trust exercises."
"So…" Husk spoke up from the couch. He gestured to the haphazardly created stage. "What's with the Eighth grade drama-production bullshit? Because I sure as hell ain't putting on show for any of y'all assholes."
"Speak for yourself," Angel gave a sly grin. "I was made for the stage, baby. But day off or not, I don't give any performance for free. And my going rate is $350 an hour, take it or leave it."
"What?!" Pentious' head snapped towards angel. "That'sss highway robbery."
"Oh?" Angel raised an eyebrow. "Didn't know you were interested, Mr. Tall, dark, and scaly."
"Disssgusting," Pentious hissed. "I would never even dream of it. I'm merely sssaying it'ss poor business practice. I could buy enough parts to construct two death raysss with that kind of money! And that would cccertainly provide me more uses than an hour of whatever your sssservices provides."
Angel threw his head back and laughed. "Hah! Spoken like a true virgin."
Jack suddenly loudly cleared his throat, his cheeks were lightly dusted red and he refused to look anyone in the eye.
"I think we're getting a little off track," Charlie desperately tried to steer the conversation to something more productive. "Husk, you'll see what the stage is for in a moment. Speaking of which, today's lesson comes with a special twist…"
Charlie eagerly bounced on her feet, looking like she was holding in a breath of pure joy. The princess thrust her arms out in a grand gesture towards Vaggie. "Today's lesson will be led by none other than my beautiful partner Vaggie!"
Vaggie felt blood rush to her cheeks. Nope, no time for bashfulness, that shows weakness. She cleared her throat and marched right in front of the small crowd.
"Listen up!" She barked. "Things are going to be different with me in charge! When I say 'jump!' I expect you to say 'how high?' Understand?"
"I wish I was high," Angel rolled his eyes.
Vaggie flashed him a death glare. Aside from the porn star, it at least seemed that everyone understood the assignment. Jack even gave her a solemn nod.
"Alright!" Vaggie snapped her fingers. "I want everyone up off their butts and standing in front of me in a single file line! Double time!"
The crowd, thankfully, complied and made their way to stand before Vaggie, albeit slower than she would have liked. But even Charlie had plopped herself right in the middle of the line, giddily vibrating in anticipation.
"Alright, we are going to be doing what is known as a trust fall!" Vaggie declared, marching up and down the line. "You are going to climb up on stage and confess something vulnerable about yourself! After which you are going to fall back into the arms of your fellow guests, trusting them to catch you! Any questions?"
A scaled hand shot up. Vaggie sighed. "Yes, Sir Pentious?"
"How come when it comes to my inventionsss, you're all too eager to toss them away," Pentious leaned his head from the line to glare at Samurai Jack. "Yet the ssssamurai is allowed to parade his sssword around like ssome sort of fashion ssstatement?"
Vaggie sucked in a breath.
"Don't you think I've tried?" Vaggie glowered at the samurai. "Multiple times?"
Jack didn't even have the decency to look bashful. He merely tightened his grip on that stupid sword. "This blade holds more importance than you could possibly imagine. I would never surrender it so easily."
"Wait," Husk spoke up. The cat turned to Vaggie. "You tried multiple times? As in you failed multiple times? Ain't this your one job?"
"Ah, so workplace incompetence is the culprit." Pentious nodded. "I just assumed it was an unchecked biasss between living and Sssinner guests."
"Alright!" Vaggie yelled with a bit of force. She did NOT need this bull crap this early in the morning. "Does anyone have a question about the actual exercise?"
No one raised their hand.
"Okay," Vaggie groaned. "Does anyone want to volunteer to go first?"
"Oh! Me! Pick me!" Charlie jumped up and down. "Me, me, me!"
Vaggie couldn't fight the small smile that sprung up towards her girlfriend's enthusiasm. "Alright, get on up here."
Charlie giddily skipped around the stage and climbed right on up. She stood before a small crowd of tired and somewhat curious faces. The princess took a deep breath. "I confess… that I am just so proud of you guys. I love that each and every one of you is here right now."
With a content sigh, the princess spun around and fell backwards off the stage. Vaggie instinctively rushed forward. She winced as she felt her significantly taller girlfriend fall into her arms. Still not as difficult as Vaggie would think catching her would be. Although, Vaggie fought back a growl when she realized she was the only one who moved forward to catch Charlie.
Although, that actually wasn't true. There was one other person whose arms acted as the princess' safety net.
"Are you alright, princess?" Jack asked from the other side of Charlie.
Vaggie's eye narrowed. She protectively pulled Charlie right out of the samurai's grasp. "She's fine."
"Wow…" Charlie's eyes opened wide, sparkles shining off the apple in her eye. "That felt amazing! Angel, you should go next!"
The self-proclaimed actor sighed but ultimately straightened up his back. "Alright, fine."
As Angel made his way up to the stage, Vaggie glared at the remaining residents. "Alright, this time EVERYONE needs to catch him. Unless you want me to hurt you." She summoned her spear for good measure. It could never hurt to show she wasn't messing around.
Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "Is threatening violence truly the best way to encourage acts of good?"
"Is this exercise about asking others for their opinion?" Vaggie shot a pointed glare. The samurai remained silent. "That's what I thought."
"Okay," Angel made it to the top of the stage. The spider demon tapped his chin. "Confessing something about myself, huh? Well, I could always talk about how much I LOVE sucking-"
"I swear to fuck, if you say dicks!" Husk suddenly roared out. Jack suddenly looked like he choked on his own throat.
"Ha!" Angel shot a superior grin towards Husk. "How would I confess that, when everyone already know that, kitty cat? I was gonna say popsicles, ya sick perv."
Angel casually let himself fall backwards, ironically right into the arms of Husk.
"But hey, as long as dicks on your brain…" Angel purred, right before Husk let his arms open and let Angel fall right onto the floor.
"Shit!" Angel rubbed his now sore behind. However, he quickly shook off the pain, reverting to his usual smug self as he shot Pentious a look. "Alright, new guy, your turn."
Like a sentient overweight, overripe banana, the snake slinked onto the stage. "I confessss…" he dramatically spoke, as if reciting a Thespian play. "I confess that… I miss my egg boysss so much! I don't think I can live without them a day longer! No one catch me!"
Unfortunately, no one seemed inclined to grant the snake's request, as everyone seemed to actually come forth to catch the fallen for once.
"Darn," The snake curse that his grand attempted suicide had been foiled.
"Okay, that's enough of that," Vaggie pushed the giant reptile out of her hand, trying to rub her hand clean. "God, why do you always have to be so slimy? Now, where's Nifty?"
"Yes!" The tiny maid cried out, already on the stage. "Sometimes, I draw out the process of killing a mother bug, and I make sure that her children watch as warning!"
Nifty made a fantastic swan dive off of the stage. But after a sadistic comment like that, even the bleeding heart princess took an involuntary step back as Nifty crashed into the cold, hard floor.
The cyclops peeled her face from the ground. "That was painful…" Her face broke into an unbridled form of pleasure. "Let's do it again!"
She immediately dashed right back up the stage, and immediately took another dive off. "Catch me, and I'll stab you!"
Jack flinched forward as if he was going to try to save her this time, but that comment made him pause. The maid landed flat on her face, right in front of the samurai, before she let out a 'woop' of glee and scurried back up the stage.
"She is…" Jack's eyes trailed the maid, briefly rising up before crashing back down to the ground. "A very troubled individual."
"You can just say she's a crazy bitch," Angel mumbled, watching with the same morbid fascination. "I certainly would."
"Okay," Vaggie snatched Nifty from the air right before she could hit the ground a fourth time. She held the maid out in arm's distance, hoping to prevent any promised stabbings. "That's enough of that."
"Aww…" Nifty pouted as she was dropped onto the floor. But her sadness was briefly forgotten as her giant eye spotted a roach scuttle underneath a chair. She immediately pulled out a needle and dashed after it, laughing all the way.
Vaggie dusted her hands off. Okay, that was one problem taken care of. Still, this activity was hardly going to plan. She could hardly call what anyone had said so far was a real confession. Her eye traced over the crowd. Most everyone had already gone. Who could participate that could really demonstrate what this activity had to offer? What Vaggie had to offer?
"Jack," Vaggie pointed. "Get up there."
"Me?" Jack blinked. He looked around. All other guests were looking at him with expectant eyes. "But I am not dead, and I am not trying to be reach Heaven. Is it appropriate for me to participate?"
"Charlie did it, and she's not trying to get into Heaven," Vaggie huffed. "If you stay here, you have to be a part of activities. Those are the rules."
"Only if you want to though," Charlie chose to jump in. She flashed a nervous smile. "We can't force you to do anything if it makes you uncomfortable-"
"No, it is alright." Jack sighed. "Vaggie is right. It is only fair that I partake in this exercise as well."
The samurai walked around the stage, and climbed up the small set of stairs in the back. His sandals clacked against the hallow wood as he stood before all the residents of Hell. Jack shifted from foot to foot, looking at the face of each expectant Sinner.
"Well, what are ya waiting for?" Angel yelled up. "To see if we can double-die from old age?"
"Right, sorry," Jack cleared his throat. "I confess… I confess…"
Jack scratched his head, his eyes still nervously passing over the crowd. Vaggie recognized those shifty eyes and that barely concealed grimace. He didn't trust them, not really.
"I confess… that… I like… tea?" Jack looked up, as if questioning the audience that he gave a good response.
"Boo!" Angel answered, showing a thumbs down. "If I wanted to see a guy stumble through his words to get to a let-down of a climax, I would've just gone to work today!"
"Okay, that's enough from the peanut gallery," Vaggie growled out. She looked up at the stage, Jack was staying firmly put with no sign of falling back into trusting arms.
"This clearly isn't working," Vaggie sighed. She turned to Charlie. "Babe, I need a napkin."
"Huh? Oh, sure," Charlie always kept extra rags and cleaning utensils on hand in case some blood needed to be cleaned up in an emergency. She pulled out a white napkin from her pocket and handed it to Vaggie.
Vaggie took the cloth and jumped right on top of the stage. "Jack, come here for a second."
Jack did not comply to her demands. He flinched back as she approached. "What is this?"
"This," Vaggie growled out. "Is a trust exercise. Which means you have to TRUST us."
Vaggie lifted the cloth up to Jack's face and placed it over his eyes. "Which means you are going to give a REAL confession, before relying fully on your trust in us to catch you. That means no relying on your eyes."
Vaggie tied the napkin around Jack's head, making the sure the cloth covered his ears as well. "And no relying on your ears either."
"Uh, Vaggie?" Charlie spoke up. "Are you sure this is really necessary?"
"I'm positive." Vaggie climbed down, back into the audience. It made perfect sense. Jack was a new arrival in Hell, or at least he claimed to be. He was still clearly put off by the appearances of most Sinners, and that was causing him to hesitate. Honestly, Vaggie couldn't blame him too much, she remembered her own reactions to demons' appearances when she first came down here.
With the blindfold, Jack didn't have to worry about what Sinners looked like or what crass comments they made. All he had to think about was falling back into their arms.
"Alright," Vaggie yelled, making sure she was loud enough for Jack to hear her through the cloth. "Now just say your confession and fall backwards to us. Trust us to catch you."
"Very well," Jack sighed. He stood there on top of the stage, eyes and ears covered up by a napkin. He must have been spending a lot of time contemplating what to say.
"The reason…" Jack took a deep breath. His hand rested upon the handle of the sword at his side. "Why I refuse to part with this sword… There are many, but one of the most important ones… is that it once belonged to my father."
Vaggie felt her eye widen. His father? Jack had left out his family life when telling his story last night. All he revealed was that he was a warrior on a quest to slay a demon, and that demon had trapped him in hell. Any details about his home life and family were left out. How the heck did Jack's father get his hands on such a powerful holy weapon?
"In this strange and harsh land," Jack continued. "I find it comforting to have it by my side. Like my father's very spirit is with me, guiding me in the right direction."
"Aw," Charlie d'awed at the small story. Made sense, Charlie lived for cheesy stuff like that.
"Wow…" Even Angel seemed moved by the samurai's tale. The actor turned his shocked face towards Vaggie. "You're kind of a bitch, aren't ya?"
"What!?" Vaggie growled.
"Yesss," Pentious nodded his head. "Thisss revelation does not paint your actions in the best light."
Since when did this become a 'crap-on-Vaggie' session?
"I mean the guy had probably the shittiest day of his life, and there you go trying to steal his poor old dad's sword right out of his hands," Angel smug grin never faltered once. "For shame, Vaggie. For shame."
"I didn't know the stupid sword belonged to his dad!" Vaggie spat out. "How was I supposed to know it was some big family heirloom?"
Angel mock-gasped, placing a hand to his fluffy chest. "And now you insult what you tried to steal? What crassness! I'm surprised poor Jacky didn't try sneaking out in the middle of the night."
"Hey, let's lay off Vaggie, guys," Charlie tried her best to gently intervene. "She's right after all, getting to know one another is the whole point of this activity."
"You know," Husk managed to speak between standing drunken black-outs. "Most normal people would just simply ask the questions instead of doing all this bullshit. And especially before trying to kill each other over it."
"Why am I the only bad guy here?" Vaggie pulled at her hair. "What about Pentious? He wanted me to take his sword away!"
"I never sssaid you should take his father's beloved blade," Pentious denied like the snake he was. "I merely wanted to know why you allowed such double ssstandards."
Vaggie grit her teeth together so hard, they began to light sparks. "I do not have-"
SLAM
Vaggie blinked. She turned back to the stage. Right in front of it, Jack was currently lying down flat on his back, head faced towards the ceiling. Shit. They were supposed to catch him.
"Oh my gosh!" Charlie bolted forward. She slid on her knees right up to the samurai before ripping off the blindfold. "Jack, are you okay?"
Jack didn't react. He merely continued to lay on the ground, staring up at the ceiling with blank eyes. "No one caught me…"
"Oooh," Nifty popped up like a fanged one-eyed mole. "That looked like it hurt. Tell me, how did the pain feel?"
"Painful," Jack grunted.
"I know, right?" Nifty giggled maniacally. She dashed back around the stage. "I'm going again!"
Charlie looked up at Vaggie. Uh-oh, Vaggie knew that look. It was the I-don't-like-what's-going-on-but-I'm-too-nice-to-say-it face.
"Vaggie, can I talk to you for a second?" Charlie stood up and immediately grabbed Vaggie's hand. Vaggie didn't even fight it as Charlie pulled her back behind the stage and away from prying ears.
"This really isn't going as smoothly as we hoped," Charlie bit her finger. "Do you think that maybe we could move on to the next activity?"
"Actually, I didn't really have that much of a plan beyond this…" Give her a break! She had a hectic night!
No Vaggie, don't make excuses for this. This was your one job for the day. The one task you had yet to screw up, and you failed it. Now, all that was left to do was for her to take the consequences of her failures, starting with the painfully disappointed face of the princess.
"Oh," Charlie looked back at all their expectant guests, still watching Nifty's continuous cycle of masochism. "Maybe we should-"
"Hey," Vaggie grabbed Charlie by the shoulder. "I'm still in charge, today remember? You don't have to worry about the plan now, I will."
That's right. Even after this failure, Vaggie couldn't allow herself to give up now. This wasn't about her, this was about helping Charlie.
The princess looked like she wanted to protest. "But-"
"Charlie," Vaggie took a deep breath. "Today is about trust, and I'm asking you to trust me. I'll think of something. I got this."
She did not got this.
"You know," a third voice spoke up.
Vaggie and Charlie jumped and whirled around to see that none other than Angel Dust had intruded on their conversation. When the hell did he even sneak up on them.
"If you're in the market for ideas," Angel flashed his golden fang with a grin. "I just so happen to have a few suggestions."
Vaggie groaned. Usually, if Vaggie ever took Angel's suggestions, it was to throw them into a burning fire. However, as the hotel guard heard the crunch of the maid throwing herself into the floor yet again, she realized that anything was probably better than this. "What did you have in mind?"
Alastor rarely ever came to this part of town. Honestly, he couldn't even remember who owned this district before the last extermination. Not that it mattered now. Whoever the previous residents were, they were now skewered by an angelic spear. And these desolate streets now served as a chaotic battleground for dozens upon hundreds of Sinners to tear one another apart, desperately hoping the ill-gotten territory would get them a head into the realms of Overlords.
So why was Alastor in such a downtrodden armpit of the city? Surely, an experienced and renowned overlord such as himself would have no use for such frivolous territory at this stage in his career. That was all very true, but still…
Screams echoed through the streets. Waves and waves of Sinners desperately ran down the blacktop, some sending panicked shots of their guns behind them in messy and uncoordinated attacks.
A wave of black tar-like darkness surged after them. Those that fell behind were swallowed whole by the darkness, desperately screaming as if God would bother with mercy now.
Spiked tendrils burst from the darkness, impaling the few escapees and stacking the bodies on top of one another like a giant cannibalistic kebab. The impaled were the lucky ones, as some tendrils picked Sinners up by their arms and legs before tearing them apart, little piece by piece and forcing the victim to watch. It was such a brutal display of tortuous violence, even Alastor had to admit he was impressed.
And where had this siege of darkness come from? Who flooded these streets with such torturous screams? The tendrils of darkness all traced back to a certain point. They all led to a towering black figure who rose above even the tallest buildings on the street. His grinning green face was perfectly framed by his piercing antlers.
… It was always a good idea to keep an eye on the competition.
"Hahahahahaha! YES!" The giant demon howled with laughter, watching the little creatures desperately try to escape his wrath. "Flee! Flee for your worthless lives, you puny, pathetic, mortal souls! Flee from the terror that is Aku!"
Alastor tilted his head. Well, it was certainly easier to find this 'Aku' than he thought he would be. Clearly, the supposed eighth Sin was not a fan of lying low. And he obviously had no shortage of bloodlust.
But why attack here? On this no-name street, going after pathetic little mongrels that would hardly even make a good meal, let alone an entertaining opponent for even someone like Alastor.
The Radio Demon's ear twitched, he gazed upwards and saw one of Vox's annoying little birds buzzing in the air. The drone hovered over all the carnage, its lens focused squarely on Aku as the demon tore apart the Sinners.
Ah, so it seemed even the head clown of VoxTek was interested in Aku. Or… Heaven forbid, did the flat-faced idiot actually strike a deal with the so-called Shogun of sorrow?
Well, that would at least explain Aku's attack on such an insignificant piece of Hell. The wannabe Dark Lord wanted a demonstration of his power. His little rampage would display he was a being not to be messed with, while Vox would broadcast it to all of Hell. Or at least the parts of Hell that had terrible taste in mediums. Alastor had implored such strategies himself when he arrived in Hell, except he aimed for bigger fish.
Oh well, any territory owned was still one's name being put on the table, even if it was a garbage little street like this. Who knows, maybe Aku could actually make something of this.
Aku's eyes glowed a bright orange, before angry red beams of energy shot out of his pupils. Sinners caught in the beam were instantly incinerated, while those standing nearby were suddenly wreathed in ferocious flames.
Hearing the screams of those inflamed, Aku's cruel grin only grew wider. His gaze shifted upwards, carrying the beams of death across the landscape and dragging them across the surrounding buildings. The feeble structures instantly collapsed as the lasers tore through them like paper mache, leaving behind nothing but dust and rubble.
Alastor clicked his tongue. Well, that was just unnecessary collateral. Unless Aku was planning on wasting valuable time and resources on rebuilding this worthless little strip, he was now just the ruler of a pile of rocks. How frightening.
One would think that with all this collateral damage being thrown about, Alastor would be more concerned with becoming just another red stain in Aku's wake. And one would be dead wrong. Alastor knew how to properly blend into the shadows, and he knew when to make a tasteful exit to the next rooftop or alleyway before he outstayed his welcome.
And Alastor knew he had nothing to fear about Aku spotting him. He knew what creatures like Aku thought like. They saw themselves as impervious, and incapable of folly. They only ever needed to concern themselves with the "little creatures" for either entertainment or food. Aku believed that such a creature like Alastor was beneath his notice.
Alastor felt his smile widen such a tick as his skin stretched. How he would love proving the demon just how wrong he was. But now wasn't the time for such thoughts. The proper pieces weren't yet in place after all.
Alastor tapped his fingers rhythmically against his staff. Perhaps he should go check on his new pawn?
Jack was blinded. His vision had been ripped away from him. Albeit, it was because he was covering up his own eyes with his own hands. But that was only because if Jack lowered those hands for even a moment, he would be subjected to some of the most indecent, inappropriate, improper sights he had ever been exposed to in his young life.
"Angel, what the FUCK?" While crass, Jack could not find it in himself to disagree with the overall tone and energy of Vaggie's outburst.
"Why would you ever think it was a good idea to bring us to a BDSM porn club?!" The hotel's guardian growled.
"Hey! This place has a title much more sophisticated beyond 'porn club,'" Angel huffed. "Granted, I can't remember what it is, but it exists."
"How…" Using his ears to track the sound of Angel's voice, Jack briefly opened his eyes to stare at the spider demon. "How did you even find such a place?"
"Other than the fact that there's a place like this on every street corner?" Angel grinned. "My boss always takes me to places like this when I'm on the clock."
"You keep mentioning this job of yours," Jack rubbed his head, desperately trying to focus on Angel and not the naked female Sinner humping a pole in the corner. "What possible occupation could introduce you to such an establishment?"
Angel tapped his chin, as if contemplating whether to actually tell Jack. "Well, if you MUST know-"
"Guys pay to fuck him," Husk growled off to the side. "Then other guys pay to watch him get fucked."
If Angel was rattled by Husk stealing his thunder, the spider didn't show it. He just shrugged. "Eh, basically."
Jack blinked. He looked Angel up and down, taking in his entire appearance for the first time. This man let others exploit his body for goods and favors? Jack had heard of such people, but he assumed such practices were lost to the pages of history books. "You are a concubine?"
Angel blinked. "Concubine, huh? Never been called that before. People usually just call me a slut or a whore. Sounds fancy, I'm gonna start putting it on my resume."
Angel chuckled. Jack did not find the humor in it. But Angel's laughs died down, and he looked Jack dead in the eyes, all mirth gone from his expression. "What's the matter, Jacky? Big bad samurai scared of a man sucking some dick?"
"Of course not!" Jack gasped. "Love is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated no matter where it blooms!"
While Jack may not have any attraction towards the same sex, he had met many lovely couples on his travels that went beyond the typical relationship of man and woman, especially in his travels to Greece.
"However," Jack cleared his throat. "The indulgences here seem a bit…"
The revving of a motor was heard from behind Jack, shortly after he heard the pleasured screams of a female. "... excessive."
Angel's body language immediately perked up, and he reverted to his smug friendly smile. "Okay, so you're not a homophobe, you're just a prude. Good to know!"
"Angel…" It was princess Charlie who spoke up. She was currently trying her best to look at Angel through the cracks in her fingers, while avoiding any looks towards any naked/leather-clad individuals. "I really appreciate you taking initiative and suggesting your interests for today. But this place might be a bit-"
A large female Sinner strut pass the group, body bare for the whole world to see. Jack and Charlie immediately clamped their eyes shut and retreated inward before their eye could catch something truly inappropriate, any previous trains of thoughts left smoking in a ditch.
Vaggie groaned as he rubbed her temples. "Ugh, how did I even let you get this far?"
"What?" Angel shrugged. "There's no bond built better than through bondage. It's their motto!"
"We gotta get out of here," Vaggie mumbled.
"I dunno…" Surprisingly, it was the deep voice of Husk that spoke up. The cat was lying belly-down on a rubber map. A female sinner sat atop his back, precisely massaging Husk's back. He let out a purr at each satisfying crack. "I'm actually kinda getting into this. It doesn't feel too bad…"
"Oh, yeah!" Nifty popped up like the usual specter. But she had abandoned her usual maid attire, and was now dressed in a skin-tight leather bodysuit. She grinned maniacally as she slapped a leather riding crop against her open palm. "Bring on the bad boys…"
"Never mind," Husk immediately shot up to his feet. "It's been ruined. You ruined it, Nift."
Even with his closed eyes, Jack could practically hear Vaggie's vexed grimace.
"This isn't working…" Vaggie growled. Her eye traced over each individual in her care. "You need to trust each other…"
"And I know exactly how to teach you," An uncharacteristically confident grin broke across Vaggie's face. She brought a fist up and slammed it into her open palm. "By teaching you exactly how I was taught."
"THIS IS HOW YOU LEARNED TO TRUST PEOPLE?!" Some would say that Charlie's screams were an overreaction. Others would say she needed to scream so she could be heard over the constant sounds of explosions and gunshots.
The hotel residents stood atop a decrepit skyscraper, watching carnage unfold as the Sinners below tore each other apart in an all-out gang brawl.
"Such bloodshed," Jack forced his eyes to look away. "What are they even fighting over?"
"Just basic-ass territory mostly," Husk answered, leaning on the railway before the bloodshed. "After last extermination, most of this shit is up for grabs."
Jack raised his head. Once again, he hears this talk of "exterminations." What was this all about?
"Listen up!" Vaggie cut off his train of thought. "There are no bonds stronger than those forged in the heat of battle! Buckle up, buttercups because today, you boys become men!"
A large explosion burst from the battlefield below, its fire briefly alighting Vaggie's confident grin in a crimson hue. She began an authoritative march towards Pentious.
"N-now wait," Sir Pentious gulped as he frivolously tried to slither backwards. "I- I can't fight like this! I don't have my minions, I don't have the ssskin-flayer, I don't even have a sssingle death ray!"
Vaggie did not appear to hear a single word. She marched right up to Sir Pentious, and then somehow scooped the entire snake up in her arms.
Jack felt his jaw drop as he saw Vaggie heave the entire snake over her head. He felt it drop even further when he realized what she was going to do.
"You…" Vaggie grunted with effort. But in one massive throw, she heaved Pentious off the building and sailing into the war zone, his hissed screaming echoing. "Are going to survive together!"
She rolled up her sleeves as she approached Angel. Perhaps the spider was too shocked to fight back after seeing Pentious' fate, or perhaps his spindly limbs were no match for Vaggie's deceptive strength, but the actor found himself helpless and Vaggie grabbed him by the arms and hoisted him into the air like she did the snake.
"And you are going to make this hotel work!" And with that grand declaration, Vaggie threw Angel off the side and into the fire.
"YOU CRAZY BIIIIiiiitc-" Angel's final curse was drowned out by the sounds of gunfire.
Jack felt his jaw drop. He snapped his head towards Vaggie. "Have you gone mad?! You just sent them to their deaths!"
"They'll be fine," Vaggie rolled her eye. "Outside of angelic steel, they can regenerate from anything. And desperate times call for desperate measures. Now, where's Nifty?"
"Vaggie, stop!" Charlie rammed into the conversation, desperately trying to help the snow-haired warrior to see reason. "This is crazy! Why are you doing this?"
"This is the only way, they'll learn, Charlie!" Vaggie protested.
More words were said, an argument was brewing, but Jack could not help but tune them out. He turned to the chaos and bloodshed that awaited down below. He could practically almost hear the pained screams of Angel and Sir Pentious… Jack wasn't sure how he felt about the two Sinners. They were easily some of the strangest individuals he had ever met, however the fact that they were in the princess' hotel at all spoke volumes. It meant that they wanted to better themselves, that they wanted more than the fates given to them in this damned hellscape. And they were being punished for that. This wasn't right, Jack had to do something!
Jack hopped right on top of the building's railings and kicked off, diving headfirst into the chaos and bloodshed! Jack cut straight through the smoke and dust like an arrowhead piercing the veil. He saw the ground fast approaching, and he immediately tucked himself into a landing roll, skidding across the dirt.
Jack stood up and dusted himself off. He took in his surroundings. Down here, it was much easier to tell the exact details of the Sinners as they tried to dismember one another. He saw what could only be described as a buff cactus cowboy swing a bat coated in barbed wire right into the face of a grinning lizard-like demon. It was chaos, with no sign of Pentious or Angel in sight.
Jack's ear perked to the sound of a metal door squeaking open. He turned around to see the doorway to none other than the building he had just leapt from slowly open up to reveal a wide-eyed Husk staring at the battlefield.
"Shit, wrong door," Husk immediately began closing the door.
"Husk, wait!" Jack threw out a hand. "Where are you going?"
Husk only briefly paused his door closing to address Jack. "The fuck does it look like I'm going? I'm getting the hell out of here before that psycho throws me off a building!"
Jack's hand tightened into a fist. "We cannot flee yet. Angel Dust and Sir Pentious are still down here, we need to save them."
"I don't need to do jack shit!" Husk sneered. "I'm getting the hell out of here."
Normally, Jack would let things go and go it alone. But Jack was well-versed in seeing into the windows to soul. And even if Husk's eyes were dead and lifeless, deep past all that was a soul that had seen plenty of battle. Husk was a warrior, and to navigate this battlefield and come out the other end in one piece, Jack was going to need all the help he could get.
Jack dashed forward. His hand caught onto the shoulder of Husk right before the door could close for good.
"The fuck?" Husk looked down at the foreign appendage grabbing onto him. "Let go of me, ya crazy-"
"Regardless of what you think of them, you, Angel, and Pentious all sleep under the same roof and live in the same home," Jack looked the cat dead in the eyes. "They are your allies. And they need your help. We must save them!"
"Do I look like a knight in shining armor?" Husk spat. "I don't save people, Jack, I drink until-"
"Help me, or I will drag you across this battlefield myself," Jack narrowed his eyes. "And I would much rather avoid that, as it would make us quite an easy target."
Husk scanned Jack's face, looking for the humor or the lying tick. He found nothing. "Fine!"
Husk broke free from Jack's grip as he slammed the door back open and walked out onto the battlefield. "But I don't know how the hell we're even supposed to find those assholes in all this bull-"
"I BLAME YOU FOR THIS, YOU CRAZY BITCH!" Angel's distinctive voice echoed across the battlefield, cutting off Husk's defeatist cursing.
"I believe we should start looking in the that direction," Jack pointed in the direction the voice was loudest.
"Alright, no one likes a smartass," Husk grumbled.
The two took off across the battlefield. Fires flared and bullets flew, but Jack and Husk did their best to duck and dodge any stray murder attempts. It wasn't like they were a special target, here they were just another couple of doomed faces in the crowd.
"I never thought I'd say this, but quit pulling so hard, you assholes!" Angel Dust screeched out. The spider was surrounded by at least nine Sinners of varying shapes and sizes, and each one had a firm grip on some kind of body part. One for each arm (when Angel had sprouted two more, Jack didn't know) two more for the legs, and one lizard-like Sinner had a tight grip on Angel's head.
All nine of them were pulling the limbs in opposite directions, like poor Angel had been caught in a dismemberment ritual orchestrated by Attila the Hun himself.
Jack's pace quickened. He didn't have much time before Angel was literally ripped limb from limb. But he wouldn't use his sword just yet. His eyes drifted to the ground for a weapon as he continued his sprint. Aha! There on the ground, there was a long metal pitchfork. It reminded Jack of something he would see the devil wield in old church paintings, how fitting. The only detractor was that it still had a dismembered hand clutching onto it, one last memento of the weapon's former owner.
Jack snatched up the pitchfork, the severed hand flying off from the momentum. But Jack didn't stop as he dove into a roll before leaping straight into the air.
"YAAAHHH!"
With a mighty battle cry, Jack came crashing down, slamming three prongs of metal right onto the head of a badger-Sinner holding one of Angel's arms. The Sinner's grip went slack, and he fell over.
The rest of the Sinners stopped pulling, confused and scattered from Jack's attack, some even dropped their Angel limbs. But Jack didn't let up as he swung the pitchfork in a wide arc and slammed in right into the gut of a large zebra Sinner.
Jack's ear twitched as he heard the footsteps of another foe run up behind him. Without even turning his head, he jabbed the backend of the pitchfork backwards, and he heard air leave the Sinner's lung's as a metal pole was jabbed into their stomach. Jack then swung the forked end upwards and backwards over his own head, and he heard it slam right onto the Sinner's head in a one-two combo.
Jack took hold of the pitchfork by the very end of the staff, allowing him to wield it in its maximum length. He held it high above his head, and then swung it in the great circle, his attack smacked the heads of at least four Sinners, knocking them to the ground.
Jack readjusted his grip on the pitchfork, he held it like a bo staff, low and ready to attack. There were still four Sinners left. They had all let go of their Angel limbs, letting the spider fall onto the ground. They all began cornering Jack, all had a look of annoyance and eagerness to tear Jack apart.
One Sinner, that looked like a giant armadillo, took one lumbering step forward. But he halted his assault just as a foreign object impaled directly into his skull.
Jack blinked and looked at the odd object now unnaturally sticking out of the armadillo's eye socket. It looked like… a playing card? Not Jack's first choice of weapon, personally.
Jack didn't have time to contemplate the effectiveness of the card as a weapon, as a hailstorm of more cards flew in. They impaled and stabbed three of the sinners, they struck with precision and accuracy, only hitting what would be the Sinners' most vital organs, but they never so much as scratched Jack.
Jack turned his head to where the cards had sailed in from. It was Husk who stood there, sliding a deck of cards back into his pocket. Jack smiled, and gave the cat an appreciative nod. The assistance was a bit more bloody than Jack would have liked, but Vaggie mentioned Sinners like these could regenerate.
Now, all that was left was one last Sinner who looked like a giant overstuffed koala bear. He sneered at Jack, pounding a fist into his palm. Jack lowered his stance and readied the pitchfork.
"Hey, asshole!" Angel suddenly burst onto the scene as he sent a high-heeled boot straight up and between the legs of the koala.
Even Jack winced in sympathy, watching the Sinner suddenly wail out and clutch at his shattered jewels. But Angel didn't stop there as he grabbed the koala by his big round ears, and slammed the Sinner's face right into Angel's waiting knee. The koala collapsed on the ground, and he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.
"That's for mishandling the merchandise without permission." Angel dusted himself off, taking time to straighten out his bow tie.
Jack blinked, he certainly wasn't expecting that outburst, but it was a welcome surprise. He steadied his weapon. "Are you alright, Angel? They did not abuse your… merchandise?"
"Hm?" Angel raised brow, before he caught on to the meaning. "Oh, yeah, don't worry. I won't have to charge these guys for anything outside some payback for some bruises."
"That is a relief to hear," Jack nodded.
"Yeah…" Angel didn't look Jack in the eyes, his head was down looking at the bodies littering the floor. "Still, thanks for the save I guess…"
Jack wanted to say that there was no need for thanks, he would have helped Angel no matter what, but his ear caught the sound of a shrill whistle, gaining volume as it drew closer.
"Get down!" Jack tackled Angel out of the way, just as the ground they were just standing on exploded. Jack felt the heat pour over his back, but the flames never touched him. He and Angel were now lying flat on the ground, the back and forth of bullets above their heads only increased in ferocity. They needed to get out of here, but standing up was an invite to be riddled with holes. The samurai and the Sinner settled for crawling on the ground, only looking up to see if they could spot shelter from the storm of lead.
Thankfully, there was a nearby arrangement of rubble that would make for a decent fort. Jack tapped Angel's shoulder and nodded his head towards the rubble. Thankfully, the spider seemed to understand as he followed Jack's lead.
Jack took a deep breath as he was finally able to sit up. He leaned is back against the remains of what was once a brick wall, feeling the bullets pelt it on the other side.
"I was wondering when you assholes would show up."
Jack's eyes snapped open, he turned to his left to see Husk had apparently had the same idea to cower behind the rocks much sooner than Jack or Angel.
"I swear to fucking God," Angel bemoaned as he tried to fit his tall stature under the small stone shield. "If I make it out of this, I am going to work and grabbing the filthiest cum-stained pillow I can find, and SMOTHERING THAT-"
"Save your plans of revenge," Jack cut off. "They will not help us now. Angel Dust, do you know where Sir Pentious is?"
"Are you fucking crazy?" Angel yelled. "I ain't that snake's babysitter. We need to get the hell out of here!"
"If I had thought like that, I would have never saved you." Jack glared.
"I would've been fine eventually," Angel shrugged.
Jack's expression did not even twitch.
"Oh come on!" Angel threw his hands up. "Can't you just drop me off and go after the snake yourself?"
"Kid, just give it up," Husk spoke up. "Trust me, it's somehow the easier option."
Angel swallowed, he looked between the defeated Husk and the determined Jack. He let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing at his eyes. "Okay, fuck it, I guess we're saving the snake. What are we doing?"
Jack scratched his chin. "I am not sure. We need some sort of clue as to where Pentious is."
"A clue, huh?" Husk snorted with a frown. "Well good luck finding one in the middle of all this bullshit!"
"SSSSAVE ME, EGG BOISSSS," A serpent-like voice called out.
Jack turned to Husk. "You are very good at this."
"Yay me…" Husk dragged a claw over his face.
Jack raised his head above the cover. He could easily detect where the cry for help came from. The only problem was that it would lead them right into a massive open area that would leave them completely exposed. Being fast or cautious, they would be sitting ducks.
Jack rubbed his chin. He took in everything he could about the environment for any kind of advantage. It was no good, he couldn't see anything past all the dust kicked up by explosions. Hmm…
Jack ducked back under cover and turned to his allies. "Can either of you produce explosives?"
"I don't even have my guns. I thought the most exciting thing I thought I was going to do today was taking the Princess to a porn club." Angel rolled his eyes.
Husk sighed. He held up a hand of five cards. "I mean I could probably make these things blow up if I try hard enough. It's been a long time, though."
"I have faith in you," Jack nodded. "When I give the signal, throw your cards. We will use the dust and debris as a smokescreen to cover our movements. Hopefully, we will be quick enough to make it through without incident."
"Sounds like a good way to become Swiss cheese." Husk scoffed.
"It is either that, or continue to cower here until we are found out and overwhelmed," Jack said. As if to accentuate his point, a bullet punched a hole through the stone wall right next to Husk.
"I'm just saying this sucks," Husk grumbled.
"Noted," Jack raised his head. The area was clear of fire and fist-fighting Sinners. Perfect for a breakthrough run. "Now, Husk!"
Husk flung three cards, they soared through the air like arrowheads. They struck the dirt, briefly alighting themselves in red glow before-
BOOM
The cards exploded, kicking up three dust clouds that swirled together to form a massive cloud of dirt that covered the entire battlefield. No one could see through such a dirty mist.
Jack tightened his grip upon the pitchfork. "Go, go!"
Jack leaped over the wall and dashed for the dust cloud. He only briefly glanced behind him to make sure Husk and Angel were following his lead. He came upon the dust cloud, he took a deep breath, couldn't let the dirt get into his lungs.
It was like entering a murky bog, yet the very air was made of scorching fire. The dust cut into his skin, and stung his eyes, but Jack pushed forward. No bullets passed through the veil and no Sinners came charging in. No one saw the point in trying to kill smoke and dust.
The dust began to clear, and their cover faded. But Jack continued to run forward, it was too late to turn back now, they just had to keep running. He could see the familiar bloody skies of Hell, and he was able to breathe again. He continued running, he wouldn't stop until-
Jack's eyes widened. He dug his sandals into the dirt, skidding to a stop. "Get down!"
He dove right towards another wall of rubble, not nearly enough for a bunker but enough to conceal Jack's presence. Jack took another deep breath, as Husk and Angel saddled up next to him. That was a close one, they had nearly run headlong into death.
Jack poke his head over the wall. What laid before them was possibly the biggest bloodbath in the entire block. There were over thirty sinners at minimum, all armed to the teeth with all sorts of barbaric homemade weaponry. They tore into one another like savage beasts, none of them showing a hint of mercy towards their fellow former-man. It was total carnage and bloodshed, and more players were arriving by the minute. Jack's instincts screamed at him to run away, to leave these animals to their self-destruction. However…
Sitting smack-dab in the middle of the battlefield was a black barren tree, deader than the Sinners themselves. It's dry, leafless branches reached high above all the blood and chaos. One branch extended out like a final cliff, and attached to it.
"I WANT MY MINIONSSSS!" Sir Pentious coiled his entire tail around the branch, clinging to the bark like a traumatized kitten. Miraculously, the surrounding Sinners didn't pay him any mind. Whether that was because they considered the snake no real threat, or because they were too caught up in tearing one another apart, who could say?
"Well ain't that just sunshine perfect," Angel groaned. "We found the jackass, now how are we supposed to get him?"
"I'm still voting we cut our losses and collect his remains tomorrow," Husk shrugged. "Or next week if things come up."
Jack chose to block out the negative commentary. How could they get to Sir Pentious? A smokescreen would do no good here. They would probably be hit by a Sinner so high off of battle, he would think slicing a dust cloud would be fun.
Jack rubbed at his temples. What could they do? The sounds of battle were so head-poundingly loud, he could barely even hear himself think! Well, it wasn't just the battle. There was also this odd wailing noise in the background. It sounded like a whine being strangled out. What kind of weapon could cause such a noise? Jack was getting off track.
"We need some kind of distraction," Jack murmured. But what could they use? Another explosion at a different target? But at least three occurred on the battlefield every minute, what would one more do? Gah! That strange wailing was getting even louder! It was even beginning to drown out the sound of gunshots and clashing steel.
Wait… no it wasn't. The fighting was dying down? Jack looked over the war zone. The Sinners had paused in their acts of violence. They stood there, paused mid-dismemberment, looking strangely at the air as if wondering what the strange sound was as well.
It was an odd sound. Like a flute had been stuffed in sack and had its head held underwater. It stopped and stuttered, as if mimicking a pattern of notes over and over again. Was this supposed to be music?
"Are those…" Angel head perked up. His eyes squinted as his jaw dropped. "Are those motherfucking bagpipes?"
And that's where I'll leave it off my dear readers. I know, I know. A bit of a cliffhanger to leave off on. There is an explanation for that. To be honest, I had planned to go much further beyond this and wrap up this "arc" this chapter. But it eventually got to be so freaking LONG and I noticed my story getting kinda buried on the new updates page. Like I said, I kinda need to stay on the front page for my story to stand a chance.
So ultimately, I decided to just cut the chapter in half. And post the first half early while I finally finish up the second half later.
Good news is, that means next chapter is already halfway done! Bad news is that I'm not sure how this chapter's quality will be affected. I don't really enjoy writing chapters that are basically just "Episode but Character A is there." I tried to add my own unique take on the dialogue so it's not completely one-to-one but this kind of thing is inevitable in these stories. I planned to make up for this by adding something completely new, and I was really proud of it! But it was in the half of the chapter that I had to cut…
Well, hopefully you guys will see the part I had fun writing soon enough. And at least this way, I get to leave you guys with a cool cliffhanger of some kind. Though, you guys can probably guess what it is. Can't wait to see what controversy this sparks in the comments!
Until next time everyone!