"What did you do?" Lucifer glowered, his voice dipping low.
"Me?" Alastor asked innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Before anyone could react, Lucifer pivoted. His hand extended towards the unsuspecting deer demon's throat and slammed him into the closest hotel wall. The whole building shook from the impact with a loud bang.
Alastor's body left a clear dent, a lattice-like fracture circling him like a spider's web. His back throbbed something fierce, shards of wood and rock piercing his clothes and ripping against his skin. The devil's strength was undeniable. Alastor's vision blurred, his head battered.
"Dad!" shouted Charlie, aghast.
"What the fuck?" said Husk.
"Holy shit!" yelled Angel.
The rest reared back, creating distance from the enraged fallen angel.
Alastor breathed out, attempting to collect his wits. Lucifer's face was glowing red, in drunkenness or rage, he wasn't sure.
Alastor's focus drifted away from the tightening grip on his throat as spots of white occluded his vision.
Lucifer just squeezed harder, recapturing his attention. "Why do I smell your hideous, tainted soul on my Charlie?"
"His soul?" questioned Husk.
"Release him at once, sir!" shouted Rosie, stepping forward, but too ill-equipped to deal with such a powerful being. She hadn't felt this powerless in a long time.
"Dad, stop!" Charlie reached for her father, her red horns elongated and her blonde hair aflame and free-flowing.
"Stay back, Charlie!"
Seviathan reached out for her, out of some mismatched concern for her safety, or some other inopportune reason. Watching Alastor get humiliated like this was more in tune with something he and Lucifer heartily agreed on. He grabbed her by the elbows, his snakelike body curling around her limbs and holding her in place. She hissed in surprise, looking back at her ex with wide eyes.
Alastor's heated skin flushed with displeasure. Even if the King's reaction was "understandable" in his eyes, the audience and potential revelation of his Mark and his current weakness was not something he would be able to tolerate a second longer.
Every pair of eyes in the room was staring at him. Awaiting something. Holding their breath.
The way that snake demon had his slimy clutches around the princess, a pompous expression on his face as he pulled her closer. It made Alastor's chest heave with fury, his Mark churning with black magicks he was failing to control.
He couldn't stop the green mist evaporating from his skin, his eyes glowing red, the inky tentacles expanding and pushing himself out from the crumbling texture of the broken hotel wall. He wasn't weak, he wasn't lacking power. A low groan escaped his throat, a matching sound coming from the foundations of the fracturing hotel wall.
He still had will, and tons of it.
Charlie gasped once she recognized the red 'X' manifesting on Alastor's forehead. His sign of death. He was using his powers and not in any small way.
"Stop!" Charlie's voice rang out, stronger than before, and slightly shrill. She struggled against Seviathan. "Let go of me, Sev!"
"It's not safe, Char!"
"You don't know what you're talking about!" she screeched, turning her attention back to where her dad was. "Alastor, don't use your powers!"
"Just let your dad handle this!" Seviathan scolded.
Charlie can't believe the scene unfolding within their hotel. Her friends and guests were frozen with bewilderment. Her father's grip tightening over Alastor's throat
"Talk, you fucking clown!" said Lucifer.
Alastor glared, his eyes flicking between the seething devil and the snake-like piece of shit rubbing his fishy tentacles all over Charlie. Her own rage spreading across her skin in lines of black.
"Release me and I will be delighted to explain!" Alastor choked out, his tentacles further pressing him out of the rubble as Lucifer forced him back in, more bits of wall crumbling around them. Alastor winced from the pain, his flesh cutting on the splintered wood. He would not last a second in a battle against the angelic lord, but that serpentine prick, however…
"Don't listen to him, Lu!" shouted Seviathan from the sidelines. "Everything he says is a damn lie!"
Charlie stomped a hoof on Seviathan's foot. "Ow!" he cried.
"Let me go," commanded Charlie, her eyes searing with barely contained ferocity. Her teeth were sharp, a speck of red staining a fang. She didn't even realize she had used the power of her royal blood, her emotions boiling over, her control falling to the wayside.
Sevianthan released her without a second's hesitation, his expression blank in conformance. Even his own royalty couldn't compete with hers. He immediately regained control over his body, and his expression darkened at the realization. "Hey!"
But Charlie was already clear across the room, pleading at Lucifer's side, and tugging at his gloved fist with long sharp claws. "Dad, he didn't do anything! It was my own doing!"
"Don't take the blame for this rat," replied her father, unmoving. "I knew he was going to be nothing but trouble! Why couldn't you just die quietly and leave my Char-Char alone!?"
Charlie reared back, appalled, her father's words echoing Vaggie's once from the past. Charlie was about to argue when-
"You're right," said Alastor, unexpectedly contrite. "It is indeed my fault. I made a grave mistake, one I will be punishing myself for for the remainder of my days. Forgive me." His voice was simmering with an untold wrath. He couldn't even teleport away. And now Charlie was begging for his freedom? If he could move, he might explode this place into rubble.
He locked eyes with Rosie, who clutched helplessly at her umbrella. He regretted dragging her here to see this shameful display, something so embarrassing as to appear powerless. He gave her what he hoped was an apologetic look.
Then he turned back to the devil at his neck, his angelic claws digging into the skin beneath his jaw, drawing blood over alabaster skin. At this point, Alastor could hardly feel it, the searing pain resonating across his entire body.
Finally he looked in Charlie's direction, the figure whose expression would surely melt him into a bloody paste the second he caught her eye.
"Come again?" said Lucifer, caught off-guard by the honesty. "What exactly happened?" His fierce grip released minutely, waiting for the explanation.
Alastor used this chance to push off the offending angel with use of his blackened tentacles. The movement was quick and rough and both Charlie and her father stumbled back from the force, sliding across the floor.
"Charlie!" cried Seviathan.
A rush of dust and rubble exploded from where Alastor once stood, causing every witness to shield their eyes.
When the dust settled, they could see him. Panting, his chest and back rippling and swelling with fury. Black tendrils rose from the ground, oily and undulating like a creature all their own. Alastor's antlers doubled and then tripled in length, the points of his hands extending into bloody claws. His body elongated into an unholy shape, as tall as the lobby itself, casting the room in shadow.
"Now then," seethed Alastor, his voice dripping with venom, his smile so wide it was bound to stretch off his face. "Was that really necessary, your highness?"
Lucifer grit his teeth but did not attempt to restrain the deer demon again, Charlie's clawed fingers digging into his arm, her own demonic strength holding him at bay. Her pleading voice worked to calm him down from his unforeseen anger. "We'll explain later, dad, please! Drop it!"
Seviathan watched as Alastor's black magic shook and blanketed the room. The lights in the lobby crackled and burnt, sparks raining down from the ceiling.
The fish demon huffed, mainly to himself. But the Radio Demon heard, clear as day, "Damn, Vox wasn't kidding. This guy's pathetic," Seviathan complained, not seeming to understand the direness of the situation.
Alastor's head cracked towards the words, his neck bent at an unnatural angle as he stared down at the offending serpent. Alastor's smile widened, green and glowing, black and feverish, like he heard a most amusing joke.
"What did you just say?" his voice staticky beyond Hellish possibility. Seviathan could have said anything, really. All Alastor needed was the excuse.
His claws flexed with an audible crack. The room dimmed to near darkness, leaving only the sickly red glow of his eyes and the buzz of static that grew louder with every passing second.
And then the Radio Demon advanced on the serpent, each slow aching step of his elongated limbs shaking up clouds of dust and debris.
Seviathan braced himself, his face a mixture of haughtiness and fear. The lightning outside briefly illuminated the shadowy creature approaching him, a sick delight on its face. Tentacles, teeth, and claws.
The collective in the lobby scrambled back with frightened gasps. Some clutching one another, others ducking below tables. They've never seen this side of him before. A blanket of blackness and anger suppressing any such mercy of the past.
"Alastor, don't!" begged Charlie, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. She clutched at her dad's arms as tight as she could possibly muster, her devastated expression enough to stay his hand.
The King of Hell looked between Alastor and Seviathan, and then Charlie. He felt he should do something but lacked the comprehension to know what that was. He was too busy thinking about Charlie and her spotted finger. The piece of a lodged soul and its potential consequences.
"I said you're pathetic! And a bit of an asshole! You deserve whatever's coming to you!" taunted Seviathan, not entirely unphased by the Radio Demon's transformation. He stumbled around the room, toppling furniture as he tried to create distance between him and the approaching demon.
"You insignificant worm," Alastor hissed.
"Oh yeah, not to mention, Charlie's far too good for you!" Seviathan continued to shout, as his back suddenly met the opposite wall. Even as he realized he was cornered, he refused to quit. "Leave her to me, I already know what she likes," he whispered on the sly, flicking a forked tongue, meant for his ears only.
He had enough.
"BE GONE, YOU WRETCH!" Alastor thundered, hurling black tentacles at the snake demon.
"Chill!" Seviathan ducked, avoiding the appendages with a surprising agility.
Alastor shot towards him again, his claws aiming for his green throat. The snake demon twisted away, slippery like a fish, and Alastor crashed into the wall behind him, shattering it into a pile of rubble.
"Are you seeing this, Char?" Seviathan called out between dodges of black, panting and sweaty. Another hole in the wall. "He's a– beast!" Another close call. "Not fit–" he huffed, "for redemption!"
In retaliation, Seviathan flung towards his assailant with his own attack, a whip of glittering scales, sharp as glass. The whip glanced off Alastor's coat, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Hissing, Alastor charged again, veins of black and green cracking up the walls. He was beyond pissed.
"You'll hurt each other!" shouted Charlie, unable to find an entrance into their battle. She moved as if to join the fray, steadying herself into a stance, but a tight grip on her wrist halted her in her tracks.
"Don't!" said Lucifer, his eyes aglow.
Another deafening crash sounded behind her. The hotel was being torn to pieces, she noticed with dismay, not to mention her two friends were going to kill each other. And she could only watch from the sidelines.
"Then do something, dad!" said Charlie to her father, begging the fallen angel to rein back in the battle that he had started in the first place.
Breaking from his stupor, Lucifer finally acted, his staff manifesting in his fist. He quickly whipped up a golden barrier between the two brawling foes before they could get at each others' throats again. The cracking of crystalline glass resonated in the room as the two foes made contact with the transparent wall. It briefly worked to disorient them.
Seviathan stumbled back against the floor, clutching his head. While Alastor reared back, shrinking back into his normal size before collecting himself. He took an angry step forward, ready to continue his assault.
But suddenly, Alastor froze.
His roiling black tentacles dissolved into nothingness, black powder floating to the ground. His antlers cracked and shifted, breaking like tree branches. His long claws trembled and shrank. His blackened eyes burned back into their usual red.
Shaking out of her father's hold, Charlie was about to approach the red demon when she realized what exactly had stopped his rampage.
Upon his neck, directly above the collar of his suit, a shimmering blackness appeared. The Mark glittered and bubbled like boiling water, making itself known to all those in vicinity. It grew at a tremendous pace, covering the back of his neck and snaking up the shaved part of his hair like black blood.
Struck silent, the hotel stared in wonderment at what they were witnessing. Several people gasped, others looked around confused.
"Christ," said Husk. "This is a mess."
"Boss…" mumbled Niffty.
"For fuck's sake! What's going on?" asked Cherri, her single eye looking around the room for an explanation.
Seviathan looked surprised and then smug, before glancing at Lucifer, expecting a similar reaction. But the demon king only looked grave, his own gaze directed solely at Charlie, the beginnings of dreadful tears blossoming within her eyes.
Grimacing in pain, Alastor tottered, a pool of blood forming where he stood, shocked still and unmoving. His mouth quivered, eyes wide, in disbelief or some other unknown emotion. Drops splattered to the floor, his clothes stained in a deep red.
Throwing one last darkened look at Charlie, he summoned the remainder of his strength and disappeared in a cascade of murky black.
"Alastor!"
…
"Lulu did a number on him. And then he got reaaally mad. Pissed over nothing. Probably 'cuz of something I said…"
"And?"
"He got big and freaky and we fought for a bit."
"And?"
Seviathan swung around in Vox's work chair, the TV demon nodding him onwards, his arms in a begging gesture.
Seviathan was holding back, purposely, Vox was sure. He saw the way the fish demon kept glancing at him with that knowing, cocky look of his, a smirk hidden behind a stern expression.
"Well, it was picking up steam, pretty hard. I thought… surely this guy wasn't serious? I certainly didn't do anything that warranted this over-the-top reaction. Anyway, at one point he stopped, and something happened to him."
"And?!" Vox urged.
"Something appeared on his neck…" Seviathan drew out his words, "and it was black and shiny."
Vox nearly choked on the next 'And' that came spewing from his impatient mouth.
"And nothing! He disappeared! Ran away." Seviathan chortled. "Why'd you want Alastor on your team anyway? He wasn't so tough!"
"Von Eldritch, sir, could you please, keep your damn voice down?" sneered Vox, cradling his TV head against an oncoming migraine. The royal fish was insufferable and the last thing he needed was for anyone else to know about his plotting regarding the Radio Demon. Not Val, not Velvette, and definitely not Lute.
Could the intel he received from Vaggie be trusted? thought Vox, wearily. That day she showed up on her doorstop, he thought he had an ace in the hole. A defector, finally! Someone with a real inside scoop!
But with it came some caveats. No harm to the hotel, no harm to the residents of the hotel. No harm to the hotel owner. Only Alastor. So she told him, with reluctance and contempt and a deep-seated loathing (for him, for Alastor, and for herself), all she knew about the weakened demon. Everything she learned from the Princess of Hell from that fateful morning on the hotel's rooftop. The Mark of Judgment and its stranglehold on the Radio Demon. Vaggie left after that, promising him a swift death at the end of her holy spear if he ever attempted to contact her again.
If Seviathan was able to fight off the Radio Demon without being ripped to shreds then surely something was truly wrong with Alastor. Was he holding back? Was he distracted? Or was this Mark of Judgment the real deal? The shininess? Was that this so-called Mark? Did it force him to stop?
This was powerful shit! Some ancient curse on his soul? He was as good as dead at this point! Vox hardly needed to do anything besides sit back and watch.
But he wanted more, he wanted a guarantee. He wanted to see Alastor suffer, at least a little bit, as his soul turned to black mush. If he was weak now, Vox wanted to enjoy it. Push him, embarrass him publicly, maybe ruin whatever goodwill he had left with the Hazbin Hotel.
Though his guy on the inside… as much as he catered to the whims of the Von Eldritch family, wasn't the most reliable. He was mildly chaotic in his dealings and didn't actually seem to care much for what might actually happen. The serpent had his own goals, his own reasons for being there, and Vox couldn't care less so long as he dished whatever knowledge he picked up there and prodded the red demon wherever he could.
The day of Seviathan's party, Alastor disappeared again. And hadn't come back.
Where did he go? Wondered Vox. Was it another seven year absence to come? Would he die alone and silent in some dark corner of Hell? The thought of missing that sent a shiver of static down the TV demon's spine; a tingle of regret. Alastor would be back, he wouldn't dare disappear for long while his precious territory went exposed and unguarded.
The questions whirled across Vox's screen in a visual tornado of lines and color. They swirled to a stop, a dizzying display that caught Seviathan's attention, stopping his next taunting retort.
Besides, according to Seviathan, and based on nothing but pure observation, there was something else at the hotel that Alastor desired to protect above all else. Namely, someone else...
Charlie, the delightful daughter of the devil. How unexpected, how droll! And Vox had unintentionally sent in a competitor for her affections! This shit was too damn good to be true.
Vox wanted to see it all for himself. He had another side of a deal to keep. Some sort of promotion for the hotel. Vox wanted to have a little fun and stir up some trouble. He wanted to pester Alastor, and push Seviathan further into the spotlight to get on the royal family's good graces. He wanted so much, and it all seemed to be unfolding right before his mismatched eyes…
"You need to make things right with Lucifer's bi-, I mean, daughter," said Vox, turning to face the troublesome demon once his screen clicked back into place. His sudden change in demeanor after moments of crackling silence made Seviathan jump.
"Yeaaah," drawled Seviathan. "She was pretty pissed. Never seen her get that mad before…" he trailed off in thought. "I feel bad about it, actually…"
"Well what're you doing here still? Go apologize to her!" Vox slammed a fist on his desk, rattling his numerous screens. He was growing impatient with the lout. He wouldn't have an in at the hotel if Seviathan wasn't even welcomed back.
"Usually when she got mad at me before I just left her alone until she cooled off. She's scary when she's mad," Seviathan laughed at the memory as if the image of her furious face was funny to him, but the laughter seemed forced. His brow knit upwards as his mirth died.
Vox got in his face. "Make things right with her. NOW," he hissed, before clearing his throat and stepping back. "Please, sir."
But the fish demon was unaffected by his outburst, shrugging his shoulders. "I would if I knew where she was."
"What do you mean? Where did she go?"
"I assume to go look for the Radio Demon," Sev grimaced in distaste. "She's too good for him," he mumbled.
"Anyone would be too good for him!" Vox roared before his heavy office door suddenly slammed open.
"Vox! Baby, are you still sulking?" shouted Valentino from the doorway. He sauntered in, smoking his long cigarette holder and exhaling a trail of pink smoke.
"Val, don't come in!" called Vox from within as he scrambled to rearrange his messy work space, hiding more delicate objects from view.
"You've been locked in here forever now, quit worrying your pretty head over the Radio Demon, he'll be back." His cloak fluttered behind him as he walked but stopped in his tracks once he spotted the royal demon sitting idly at the TV demon's desk.
"Your highness!" Val said, his voice rising in pitch at the unexpected guest. "Fancy seeing you here!" He sent a glare towards Vox. "What brings you to our humble establishment?"
"I told you not to come in here!" scolded Vox, his bright screen flickering in annoyance.
"Aye! That face scares me, baby. Don't frighten our guest!"
"Valentino, was it?" spoke Seviathan finally, his voice measured.
"That's me, papi." Val smiled, his antenna curling in delight. "Or you can call me whatever you'd like."
Vox groaned.
Seviathan just raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what to make of the moth demon. "I heard about you from Angel Dust," he began, his expression turning sour. "You're kind of a dick. And Angel is an alright guy. You should leave him alone."
Valentino's smile dropped into a frown immediately, an unexpected retort from the royal demon.
Vox just watched, anticipating needing to step in at a moment's notice. But Valentino kept his cool, his smile replastering itself on his face.
"Most people might feel negatively about their employer. Wouldn't you say?" he said through strained teeth. "I'm just doing my job, and so is Angel."
"Yeah, but you're like, an abusive psycho," Seviathan said casually, tossing a ball from Vox's desk into the air and catching it.
Valentino turned a heated scowl towards Vox, pressuring him to say something. What was this fish-faced fuck even doing here?
"Alright, alright, that's enough," came in Vox, his hands up in a ceasefire. "Sir Seviathan is overseeing a personal project of mine," supplied Vox, hoping that would be enough to appease his friend and co-worker.
"How delightful," hissed Valentino before he slapped his hands together, sending another meaningful glance at Vox. Get this loser out of here.
I'm trying, said Vox's returning look.
"It's no biggie," said Seviathan, bored suddenly with the conversation. He resumed tossing the ball and Valentino took that opportunity to sweep his way out of there, pulling Vox alongside him until they were out in the hallway.
"Okay, why is he actually here?" questioned Val, still seething from the mild confrontation. "I can't believe Angel would talk about me to that guy! Rude little brat! You think they've hooked up?"
"Will you relax? He's actually helping me out. And no, I doubt it. He has the hots for the demon princess."
"Her again?" Valentino's face shriveled in annoyance. "This better not be another ploy to get the Radio Demon's attention. That shit is getting sad, sweetheart."
"This will benefit all of us, Val! Just piss off and let me handle it," Vox hissed through TV static.
"Fucking fine! But don't come begging for me when it all blows up in your face."
"You're one to talk! Remember when you crashed their opening party? We had a damn target on our backs for weeks after that! That devil bitch has friends in high places, and unless we fight fire with fire, we're screwed," said Vox.
Lucifer was not particularly happy after the events of that opening night party. And though the King of Hell took no drastic action, his scrutiny of the Vee's headquarters was well documented. If it wasn't for Seviathan and his royal blood, they might already be out of business.
The King of Hell was a figurehead at most, but he'd recently broken out of his shell after the events of the last extermination. He cared a bit more now because of Charlie's influence.
And the fire to fight the fire in question was Lute. As much as Vox would keep to his end of the deal and not personally harm the hotel or its residents, he couldn't promise that the revenge-seeking angel would not.
She hadn't been back, and the more time that passed, the more anxious Vox became. He had a new weapon in his back-pocket, the ancient curse working to finish Alastor off, but what could he do about Lute's wrath? Would it turn on them now? Would it turn on all of Hell? Lute was crazier than Valentino was and that was saying a lot. Though if the Mark didn't succeed… perhaps Lute would come in to finish Alastor off? But how could he possibly channel that rage while sparing the rest of them?
Vox was in over his head now, his screen face aching with a mild regret. As overjoyed as he was at the progress of Alastor's demise, there were now more pressing issues on the horizon.
"Whatever," said Val, childishly, as he stomped back down the hall, his high-heeled boots clacking into the distance. "I've got my own shit to deal with."
"Go do that, then!"
Vox returned to his office, miffed and irritated. There was too much weighing on him right now, too many jugglers in his circus, and he felt ill-equipped to balance them all. Who else wanted to show up and ruin his day? he thought.
"Hello, sinner filth," said Lute.
She was standing over Seviathan, the hologram of her visage flickering angrily. The demon serpent cowered in his seat, watching her glowing height above him.
"Uh– hi," said Vox automatically.
"This pathetic demon here tells me you've been contacted by Vaggie. And what is this about a 'Mark of Judgment'?"
...
AN: Wow, chapter 27 already!? Hope you guys liked this fight sequence. Thanks for reading!