Chapter IV: Raging Conflicts
After a dreadfully long road trip back to Pentagram City, Charlie arrived to find the municipality in chaos; With the heralding of the Harbinger and practically all of the ruling class absent from their administration, the city had quickly devolved into an assortment of crime sprees; Theft, arson, murder, robbery. More than usual, at least.
"Lady Charlotte, what would you like us to do with the state of this city?"
Charlie heard the question come from one of her Red Horns security team, who had formed a defensive circle around her as they made their way further into the inner districts. She looked with forlorn eyes upon the city she'd spent much of her time growing up in; Now in a sorry state of affairs. She grit her teeth in frustration as she remembered the words of her father Lucifer, when he described the society of Hell as 'a Might is Right wasteland ruled by warring overlords and kept in check only by the brutal authority of the ruling caste'.
When demons came together to do something, they could accomplish that task with insane precision and dogma; It was one of the primary reasons why, despite the constant infighting and deathly aura of Hell, they had formed a rather advanced society with modern inventions and technological innovation in startlingly-quick time. The only problem was getting all these demons together to accomplish the same task without adhering to their selfish whims and sadistic urges.
And that was an impossible task, for the most part.
Charlie knew she had little time to spare, and so brought out her Hell-phone and dialed up a few people; Her Hazbin Hotel group (Vaggie, Angel, Husk, Niffty), as well as the contacts her father Lucifer had sent her when she had been on her way back from the Capital. It was the numbers of the Underlords (subordinates of Overlords, essentially the middle management between the ruling caste and the peasantry) who had stayed behind to try and manage the city in their Overlords' absence.
Looking around once more at Pentagram City, she felt strongly that she had to act quickly; Or there would be hell to pay. Literally.
(Music: "Conform", by Surgeryhead)
...
...Beeep...
...Beeeeeppppp...
...BEEEEP-
BZZZZZZZZZZZT-
"GA-HUUUUUUUUUUUH!"
Adamino gasped as he felt his lungs fill with air; His body and mind returning to consciousness violently and harshly; The immediate sight of a giant hulking green figure looming over him had almost sent him back into the realm of unconsciousness. As his senses flooded back into him, however, he quickly felt a pang of fright as he saw Annie lying a few feet away, and began desperately crawling towards her, wanting to protect her before he was killed by this unstoppable monster.
"Movement is not recommended for recovery from cardiac arrest." A robotic voice emitted from the shoulder area of the Harbinger, who stared unwaveringly at Adamino as he towered over his small Impish body. Adamino was shell-shocked by the contrast of the customer service-like voice and the sheer menacing aura that radiated from the Harbinger like radiation.
"W-What?" He muttered, hardly able to speak in the Harbinger's presence; Had he been saved by this beast?! However, he reflected on the words that had been said to him before he nearly died:
"Would you happen to know where this "Adamino" fellow is?"
Confused gratitude rapidly morphed into unbridled horror; He was going to be interrogated.
"WAIT!" He cried out, raising two hands in a peaceful gesture, with no reaction from the Harbinger. "I-I'll tell you whatever you want to know? Just... just promise me three things!"
A moment of silence filled the air, and Adamino feared deeply that he had overstepped his boundaries. A wave of relief restored his sanity as he heard the robotic voice speak once more.
"What would that be?"
"Uh... number one... don't kill me!"
"Negotiable."
"WHAT?!"
A dry laugh emitted from the Harbinger's armor, and Adamino was beginning to pinpoint the source of the voice as coming from the glowing blue symbol resembling an eye that seemed embedded into the Harbinger's left breast area.
"My apologies; A humble attempt at humor. What is your second demand?"
Adamino was less than enthusiastic that the voice had managed to avoid answering the first promise.
"Second... don't allow any harm to come her way!"
He pointed frantically at Annie's unconscious body, which was scattered with bruises and gashes from the earlier close shaves with death. Despite Adamino's pointing, the Harbinger continued to gaze at Adamino, almost as still as a statue. For several moments, it seemed as if the Harbinger was listening to some internal voice in his helmet.
"...Accepted. What is your last demand?"
Adamino grit his teeth, balling his fists in decades-long resentment as he gazed upwards towards the skyscraping fortresses centered around the middle of Imp City; The castles and estates of the Overlords that ruled the land. A continued blight and stain on the city itself; A testament to the shackles that held down the populace with oppression and brutality.
And Adamino would bring that to an end. Now.
"You know, just a few moments before you came here and- well, destroyed half the city- I had been on the cusp of overthrowing our oppressive bourgeosie with the overwhelming support of our population."
He turned a pair of tired eyes onto the Harbinger, continuing his little story.
"But really, I never even wanted to be here in the first place. I was born on Earth, leading a rather normal life in California. Then the depression hit. Then my family fell into poverty; And that's when I was forced to turn to crime. Then I die, and I end up in Hell- of course. And just as in life, I failed to take control of my destiny in death. Really, it's just atrocious how long I've allowed this to go on."
His eyes suddenly burned with a long-standing passion, practically suffused with a fiery rage.
"But now, I have the CHANCE to affect good change for my existence, and of those around me! I have spent decades alone in this infernal place, suffering and writhing alongside every other wretched soul here! Since you seem intent on fighting the unholy shitstorm that has snowballed your way, my last wish is that you take out the evil bastards that live off our misery!"
"That wish seems rather broad, and we certainly will not be executing others based solely on your word. However, the Slayer is planning on returning to his original realm, as there is unfinished, troublesome business awaiting him there. If any of these potential malcontents would happen to display murderous intention towards the Slayer..."
Adamino almost suffered another heart attack as the Slayer's embedded blue orb suddenly moved to focus on him like a bionic eye.
"We will not fail in responding to malice with malice."
"Th-then allow me to help you!" Adamino suddenly sprang up, faltering momentarily as he almost lost consciousness; His heart was still trying to steadily pump blood around his body after the shutdown of organs. "You'll need a-a guide to assist your endeavors if you're gonna explore this... this place!"
Adamino was trying his best not to curse, for fear of coming off as abrasive to the menace that had practically killed and resurrected him. The Slayer stood up fully for a moment, stoic and in contemplation. After a few hair-raising seconds of no response, the robotic voice emitted once more.
"The Slayer's traveling speed will be significantly hindered if he takes on any companions that aren't strapped to him. And he is no stranger to exploration."
Adamino panicked, trying to think desperately of a reason to recruit this behemoth of a fighter; After seeing him singlehandedly slaughter an Overlord, demons of which even Adamino and his vast organization couldn't touch, he knew instantly that this 'Slayer' would be an invaluable combat ally. An idea suddenly sprang forth in his mind, and Adamino spoke with excited haste.
"There is a demon- an Imp, like me, who possesses a... tome for traveling between dimensions!"
The Slayer's head tilted forward ever so slightly, signaling sudden interest in Adamino's words.
"Continue."
"I spoke to him only days ago, and he last mentioned a trip to the Capital, to speak with one of the rulers there that is... fond of him- An Ars Goetian. The Imp's name is Blitzo (silent o), and the Ars Goetian is known as Lord Stolas!"
"Ars Goetian? Are you referring to the biblical Ars Goetians?"
"Uh... I don't know! That's just what everyone calls 'em here!"
For some reason, Adamino was regretting having skipped Bible study in his younger years as a human. He felt dread as the Slayer went silent, and continued trying to convince him.
"So then... If you're going up against the Capital, you'll need me to help you gather forces to get in there and get that book!"
"The Slayer should be more than sufficient for dealing with any obstacles."
"W-Well then, think of this as a... a 'change of regime' that you're personally helping with! My current species, the Imps, have been toiled and terrorized by these shitbags for so many years! You'd be bringing a new era of prosperity and righteousness into the world!"
"...I see. Then as recompense for unknowingly bringing ruin to a portion of your municipality, we will lend our aid to you for affecting a peaceful transition of power, if that is made possible. We will act as the mediator between your afflicted parties and the current governmental cabinet."
"...Sure, okay!" Adamino conceded in withheld excitement and relief. He didn't really grasp half of what that voice was implying, but he felt that this encounter between the Slayer and the ruling caste would inevitably turn into violence. And that was good enough for him. "Well... let me assemble my forces- er, 'afflicted parties', and I'll meet you at the edge of the city; The road that leads to the Capital!"
"I do hope you individuals have automobiles; We hardly have the time for marching on foot."
Adamino grinned, revealing a row of glistening fangs.
"We have more than plenty."
(Music: "Der Zitadelle", by Mick Gordon)
"GET THOSE GIRDERS MOVING, YOU MISERABLE SHITS!"
"BRING THE RAMPARTS OVER HERE!"
"PLACE, BOLT, LOCK, NEXT!"
The defenses in construction around Pentagram City were alight with the sounds of labor and the shouting of demons placed in charge of the security of these defenses; Chosen specially by Charlie for their inclination towards barking orders with inherent authority. Spikes, artillery, supplies and equipment were all filtered and embedded into the massive fortifications being erected as a giant defensive structure around the entire city by the toiling demons.
Charlie looked down over the construction in progress from the Citadel balcony, an expansive reinforced-titanium deck that could tank a nuclear warhead. The daunting structure of the Citadel itself was an intimidating sight to behold- a monolithic, onyx-black megastructure that loomed over the entirety of Pentagram City like a beacon of pure dominion; Spikes jutting out from bottom to top, with hordes of winged demons carrying rifles patrolling the airspace around the highest echelons to ward off any aerial assaults. The millions of demons within the city buzzed about like ants, carrying out their own tasks to bolster the supplies and defense of a potential enemy onslaught- From the most prestigious and powerful of the noble class to the weakest and frail of Imps, they shared a common interest in not dying.
Behind Charlie, in the war room, were dozens of analysts, strategists, military officials, and a few Underlords, as well as her own friends- All of them busy with the logistics and defensive operations being conducted all across the region at her order. These were instinctual actions, long-drilled into her for all the years of her life by her father; Who himself was running a vast empire and so wanted to keep his own kin informed of the ways of warfare and management.
It was a long and grueling affair that Charlie couldn't bother to reminisce on at the moment; Rather, her attention was entirely devoted to the fortification of her beloved city, by turning it into a fortress. And it was here that she fully experienced the dogmatic fervor of her fallen sisters and brethren; Seeing them go about their tasks in perfect unity, with all the determination of a monk and all the desperation of a cornered animal.
And yet, it was that very mixture of emotions that upset Charlie; That those... people... had to feel such anxiety and dread and despair was heart-breaking to her. For all the time she'd spent in hell, for all the terrible and downright evil things she'd seen demons do... she knew that redemption was always a venue, that no one should ever have taken away from them. And so despite their flaws, despite their diabolical personalities and jaded souls, she vowed to protect them, to defend their spirits- that humanity still residing within them-
"You're probably thinkin' about some bullshit right now, aren't you?"
Charlie's train of thought was violently derailed into the broiling sea of emotions inside her, and she flicked her head towards the stumpy Husk, who was inspecting a mineral with a silver-chained monocle as he strode up to speak with her.
"Husk... you should get a name change or something."
Husk gawked at Charlie as if she'd suplexed his mother off the balcony.
"Where the fuck did that come from?! I'm over here breaking my back, bein' your slave labor, and this is how my service is thanked? Feels like I just came back from Vietnam all over again!"
It was a top-notch joke, but Charlie's complete lack of understanding regarding human history simply bounced off her skull like a rubber ball, and she responded with a dry chuckle. Husk sighed in frustration, and Charlie felt bad, pointing to his rock in an attempt to divert from the current subject.
"I see you're... looking at rocks there."
Charlie tried her damn hardest to think of something to relate to that, but the overwhelming task of fortifying the city had stressed her the hell out and pushed all humor and casual conversation completely out of her mind. The air was filled with a short, awkward silence, and Husk's less than amused face.
"Since you've appointed me as 'Secretary of Defense'," He abruptly spoke up, getting onto what was important. "I took the liberty of having an unreasonably large moat dug out around the perimeter of the city (still in progress). 10 meters wide, 10 meters deep. I tested how far we could dig deep, and at 9 meters we hit pure molten lava, so the moats will fill up without our need to do so."
Charlie nodded with gusto, feeling a rush of relief that she was sharing the burden of this monumental task with several other people, including a longtime war veteran. It raised her spirits, and also made her feel a spike of guilt for having been so crass to him earlier.
"I see." She responded positively. "It'll limit the number of ways the enemy can come in through, so we can create chokepoints and funnel their assaults on the city!"
She felt her spirit trampled as Husk gave her a look of bemusement.
"Yes... that is... the point of the moat."
Charlie covered her eyes in shame; Realizing she'd never actually used the military knowledge her father had ingrained in her until now, and so rehashing these things to someone who had was redundant.
"Well, er... anyways," Husk continued. "I was going to college for mineralogy before I got drafted, so I was looking at the physical properties of the... Hell ground or whatever it is, to see what kind of defensive structure we could make atop it. It's important to know this, for the same reason you don't build a brick house on sand. What I've found out is, it's not soil, it's a type of hard rock that is so densely-packed that it won't cave in on the deepest holes we make. It's... really unnerving, actually."
Husk stuffed the monocle in his suit pocket, and that was when Charlie noticed Husk had actually put a uniform on- A complete change from his previous grungy outfit.
"Needless to say, we can put a great amount of weight on the terrain without worrying about erosion. Before the moat, I told the citizens it would be wise to dig holes through all the narrow streetways and to navigate around the rooftops of the buildings by constructing bridges. They did it, across the entire city, in just a few hours. I'm sure this moat will be finished in just a few days, and we'll be physically impervious to whatever they got comin' this way."
Charlie nodded with a smile, really unsure of what else to do. She felt like a massively underqualified employee who'd been made CEO of a giant company. Husk flicked the rock off the balcony and walked away muttering one last sentence under his breath.
"That fuckin' Secretary of Armaments..."
"Underlord Falxic?"
Husk hadn't thought Charlie had heard him, and turned his head in surprise.
"H-Huh? How the fuck did you hear... yeah, him. Underlord Fuckstick keeps ranting on and on about 'aerial supremacy', and keeps putting in budget requests for more anti-air artillery. He's clogging up the Treasurer's desk and causing delays in construction with his antics. Tell him to shut the fuck up already."
With that lasting comment, Husk returned to the bulk of the war room, lacing his eyes over the numerous field reports and logistics papers. His rapid change from nihilist alcoholic to fervent worker made Charlie feel even more useless, and the mention of this Underlord Falxic had her feeling like she finally had something to accomplish.
"Well, maybe I will speak with Mister Falxic." Charlie said to herself aloud, arming herself with a confident smile.
Minutes after Adamino and the Slayer (plus Vega) struck a deal, Adamino gathered his forces (that were still alive) and quickly arranged a large public forum in the center of Imp City, in the middle of the citysquare; All the while having his loyal men leading a search and rescue operation for Imps lost in the wreckage of the meteor's aftermath. It was a chaotic beginning, with millions of Imps mixed with a number of other Hellborn demons and Sinners pouring into the vast square that contended with New York's Central Park.
The masses screamed with indignant and grief-stricken fury, a roiling wave of monsters personified with human outrage; The mere sight of such a great mass of rage sent shivers through the marrow of his bones; In all his decades of having control over others, and commanding the inherent authority that came with it- he had never seen such a unity of bloodlust and outcry. The closest he had ever imagined something to be similar to this was the feeling of a cavalry regiment charging at a line of pikemen- The nerve-wracking sight of a thousand pounds of muscle and adrenaline crashing down onto you; Multiplied a hundredfold and projected onto the faces of demonic beasts coated in the undying accumulated hatred of hell itself.
He could not formulate any words to describe the lung-choking fog of murderous intention that gassed the air; It was a studied scientific phenomenon that Hellborn demons emitted pheromones during times of extreme emotion, which triggered the fight-flight response in other sentient beings and only made the whole situation worse for Adamino. Having to quash the overwhelming urge to run, he glanced at the Slayer, and was mystified to see him standing as still as a statue, his head moving ever so slightly around to gauge the situation with an unnatural calmness about him.
With such a resolute being at his side, Adamino was spurred into ferocity at himself for his initial cowardice, and turned his renewed gaze back unto the wrathful audience of millions. Unsure of how many would even hear his words, he muttered an incantation that magnified the decibel level of his voice.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN!"
These demons were of a crude mind, yet carried the intelligence of pack animals when presented with an overwhelming strength hierarchy; As soon as Adamino's words boomed across the vast space, the Slayer menacingly unholstered a massive sawed-off shotgun and held it casually in front of him. Though only a few demons had seen the Slayer fell Overlord Olix, everyone had seen him obliterate Overlord Rascin'leh in the air with horrific ease- An Overlord who, until recently, had been a longstanding authority figure and pillar of demonic power within the city; Centuries of ruling, having represented a grand portion of the Overlords' control on the region.
"Killed in less than a few seconds by a demigod dressed like a ninja turtle." They all thought in that moment, gripped abjectly with pure terror.
The absurdity of it all was what appealed the most to the masses of the demons; Their acceptance of extremity and violence meant that the Slayer represented exactly what they looked for in a ruler; Menacing, strong beyond measure, and unendingly capable of extreme violence. It was only natural that after such a gruesome display of overwhelming power, the instinct of demons was to place themselves unknowingly into a hierarchy of rulers and subordinates. The mere gesture of the Slayer preparing for battle had stilled the previously-fervent roaring crowd of hellish beasts, his aura of malice lashing out like tendrils to quash any feelings of animosity towards him.
His mere presence quelled their demonicism with awe, and their humanity with deafening terror.
(Queue: "Hades", by Garcons)
The air hushed- the gale winds died down- and the crowd of millions sat in apprehension, as if awaiting some decree from the armored brute that commanded such an overwhelming authority. Even Adamino was silenced, until he realized it was he who was speaking to the masses, the very people who had helped him rise to the point of power he was at now. A spike of guilt and sorrow washed over him- A remnant of his humanity that had been grief-stricken by the uncountable losses this monster next to him had caused.
But that remnant turned to ashes in his mouth; Seeing the quiet masses, those who had only seconds ago been in apoplexy for the death and destruction caused by the Slayer, now sitting obediently and silently in expectancy. He understood the nature of demons; And no longer felt grief for those lost. He'd forgotten that despite their backgrounds, no matter if they were Hellborn or spawned here from a past life-
They were all evil. They had all committed acts of atrocity on the daily. They were driven by nothing but wrath, greed, lust, pride, envy...
Just a bunch of degenerates wearing their true skin.
That revelation wrapped around Adam's brain like a barbed-wire blanket. His entire moral foundation crashed to the ground; Those loathsome feelings that roiled around inside him all these years was the product of his constant inner turmoil over the fact that he'd been damned to hell as a former Christian, who'd prayed to God in all of his days, from beginning to end, even despite all the terrible things he'd done.
He was not morally bankrupt; He hadn't been, even after he'd found himself in this sordid wasteland of his afterlife. Even over the agonizing decades, he'd made it a point to protect his community, those he cared about, those who were loyal to him. He had standards, ambitions, desires, moments of grief and pain and sorrow and pathetic behavior.
He was still human.
But just the mere sight of these things bowing to the very person that had brought so much death and destruction to their lives had changed Adamino's outlook completely. He realized these monsters were no longer human. They were-
Animals.
All that was left... was to take advantage of them for his -and Annie's- own ends.
"GONE IS THE ERA OF THE ARS GOETIANS, THE ROYAL FAMILY, AND THE OVERLORDS THAT HAVE RIPPED OUR INTEGRITY TO SHREDS AND SEPARATED US BY CASTE! IT IS OUR DUTY, AS THE PEOPLE, TO OVERTHROW THE TYRANNICAL DESPOTS WHO'VE ABUSED OUR LIVES AND LABOR FOR THEIR OWN ENDS!"
The masses of Hellborn and Sinners seemed shocked by the words Adamino spoke, as if expecting much worse to be said. Their initial anticipation quickly grew into excitement and fervor, now alight as they funneled their pent-up rage and aggression into a cause they could get behind. Though there was still a thick smog of resentment against the Slayer, the hordes of demons were successfully distracted against him as the target of blame, if only temporarily. Adamino knew this would not last for long, and understood that he had to say whatever was needed to win these millions of potential allies over to him. A subtle grin crept across his face as a particular idea was weaved within his calculating mind.
"THROUGH MY OWN INVESTIGATION SHORTLY AFTER THE TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE ONLY HOURS AGO, I HAD FOUND OUT THAT GOETIC PRINCE OF HELL, LORD STOLAS, HAD BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH THE LAWS OF PHYSICS AND TIME. HIS NAIVE TOYING WITH THESE SACRED LAWS CAUSED A DIMENSIONAL RIFT TO TEAR THROUGH OUR REALM AND ANOTHER, AND SO SUMMONED THE VERY METEOR THAT BROUGHT DECIMATION TO OUR CITY!"
A behemothic wave of outrage sparked across the crowd- It took a minute for many of the unintelligent and illiterate demons to fully understand the complex statement Adamino had said, but word of mouth carried as the demons spoke to one another, and soon the air was once again alight with the crackle of ferocity. For good measure, Adamino ensured to drive the point home- To label the enemy.
"THE RULING CASTE HAVE CAUSED THIS CRISIS TO OCCUR! THEY ARE THE ENEMY! WE MUST KILL THEM ALL, WITH THE HELP OF OUR UNEXPECTED FOREIGN ALLY!"
Adamino gestured to the Slayer amongst the deafening cries for blood, garnering attention to him.
"HE HAS AGREED TO HELP US OVERTHROW THIS WRONGFUL RULE-"
"That's not what we agreed upon." VEGA interrupted.
"JUST GO ALONG WITH IT FOR NOW!" Adamino hissed through his teeth desperately, clearing his throat to speak again.
"-AND NOW IT IS OUR TIME TO UNITE, AND FREE THE OTHER CIRCLES ACROSS THE REALM! AS SINNERS CANNOT TRAVERSE OTHER RINGS OF HELL, YOU WILL CONQUER THIS RING OVER TIME, AS OUR HELLBORN LEGIONS MARCH INTO THE LOWER RINGS AND SLAY EVERY TYRANT THAT LIES IN THOSE CIRCLES, AS WELL!"
The air shook with the intense clambering and roaring of millions; Adamino had won the battle of persuasion, and now it was time...
To prepare for war.