Redemption lies within

While it was an early new day for the denizens of hell, and Pentagram City, over at the Hazbin Hotel was a different story altogether. Within the foyer of the hotel where most of the occupants lounge within, Charlie had finally succumbed to worrying over the fact that she had less time before the extermination day arrived.

Pacing back and forth while her pet Keekee walked past her feet, Charlie outwardly panicked as she spoke her mind on the matter. "Okay. So the extermination is coming in less than six months instead of a year." She said to herself while pacing.

Angel Dust in the meanwhile was barely minding the Princess of hell while he scrolled through his phone as he lounged on a couch, Vaggie on the other hand sat aside on a chair with a frown on her face as she watched her partner fret over everything.

As Charlie turned to continue pacing, she fretted more, "No big deal. Just a little setback. Nothing we can't handle. Just angels cutting our timetable in half. But who needs a whole year to save souls? Am I right?!" She asked rhetorically, before palming her face in more worry and panic, "and next time when they cut the time in half again, and again, we'll just handle it, right?!"

Resolving to calm Charlie down, Vaggie quickly got up from her chair and walked over to calmly grab Charlie by the shoulders, "Yes, we will." She tried comforting Charlie.

"Oh please." Angel remarked with some doubt in his tone of voice as he looked up from his phone at the two, "ya had less than half a chance when you started all this salvation bullshit. And now…" Angel trailed off at the end for a bit to see messages stream to him from his boss, before he resumed speaking to the to with a direct look, "Ain't no silver lining this time toots."

"Sure there is!" Charlie tried to express with a chipper look on her face as she faced Angel Dust, "We just…" she looked off to the side to find the right words, before she looked back at Angel to finish her train of thought on the matter, "have to look a little harder for it!" Charlie finished saying with some ray of hope in her eyes as she expressed her optimism on the subject matter. 

Before Angel Dust could refute back on the matter to the state of the populace in hell, and how everyone was under great duress, the sound of heavy boots stepping down the stairway prompted the attention of the three as Joshua was walking down the stairs.

Charlie chose to greet Joshua with a warm welcoming smile while briefly waving, "Oh Hey, Joshua, um…" She bit her lip at trying to think of something to say, but with the thought of the looming short timespan of the extermination day cut by half now, her thoughts were jumbled trying to process the words of greeting the burnt sinner, "Um…good morning." She finally greeted him with a small smile.

While Joshua reached the bottom of the stairway, he was in the midst of fixing the bandages over his wrist to check that it was secure. The burnt sinner glanced over at Charlie with a pointed look, "And to you too, though…" He finished fixing his bandages and relaxed his arms at his sides, "From what I was hearing on the way down, it does not in fact sound like quite the good morning, quite the opposite in fact…though…it is good you are trying to look at the bright side of things…" He remarked with a kind look in his eyes directed at Charlie, which she reciprocated with a perky smile.

"Thanks!" Charlie remarked with some pep in her tone, and clapped her hands together to show her pleasure of earning at least two positive comments besides the negative one from Angel Dust. "It helps hearing that!" she added while Joshua gave a nod back at her in acknowledgment before he walked off towards the nearby broom closet.

Angel Dust on the other hand sat up from the couch he lounged on to converse with the man straightly, "I'm actually surprised, Imhotep of Guns." He started saying in a sardonic tone while Joshua opened the broom closet and peered into it, "What, no quote from your little book of prayers or some shit to help little miss princess?" he smirked at the burnt man as he seemed to be searching for something in the closet.

Joshua stood back away from the closet to stare back over at Angel with an even look, "I could…but would you take any of it to heart?" he asked back without a hint of hostility to his tone while giving Angel Dust a pointed look at the end. 

At the thought of hearing some more bits of whatever theological book that Joshua had read from, Charlie was eager to hear whatever it might help on the matter "Good idea!" Charlie remarked as she walked over a bit to Joshua, "I'm sure that faith of yours has some good passages right?" she asked while standing apart from Joshua.

Angel Dust however deadpanned at Charlie as he stared at her back while she faced Joshua, "I was being sarcastic, princess." he remarked, while earning a glare from Vaggie as she rolled her eyes at him.

Joshua on the other hand kept his hand on the closet door as he stared back at Charlie who was expressing a hopeful look on her face as she clasped her hands together, "I suppose I know a few…" He answered while glancing off to the side in thought, before remembering a passage or two.

"There was one passage that helped me during my darkest hour…" Joshua began with saying as he looked back at Charlie, " I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him ." Joshua finished preaching a verse, one that had brought him comfort during his darkest moments in life.

"Hm!" Charlie mused with a nod of some acknowledgement she held towards the verse, "Is that your favorite one?!" she asked.

Joshua looked back at Charlie who was eager for his response, before settling on answering her, "It was a verse that got me through the worst of times, a time where I was at rock bottom…in quite literal terms as well." he answered, before leaning back into the broom closet to search for something of his inside the storage of cleaning supplies.

At the mention of the literal part, Charlie frowned a bit while Joshua was heard rummaging through the broom closet, some metal clanging was heard as the burnt sinner seemed intent on searching for something, "Uh…I don't mean to..pry…but…" she began to poke her index fingers together, "Um…how-"

Cutting her off before she could dig any further into his past than needed be, "A story for another time, I assure you." Joshua said as he leaned back out from the closet while pulling out with him an M202 Missile Launcher that he hefted back onto his shoulder as he shut the closet door and turned towards a bewildered Charlie, an annoyed Vaggie, and an amused Angel Dust. 

"Hey hey hey!" Vaggie stomped over to try and halt Joshua from doing anything rash, "What's with that?" she gestured at the weapon Joshua had hefted onto his shoulders, "And what was it doing in the broom closet, in fact, why was it in the broom closet!?" She pressed upon Joshua while poking up at his chest, before she realized the man might have more hidden around the place, "How many more weapons do you have stashed around the hotel?!" she asked in a bewildered tone.

Joshua simply looked back down at Vaggie as she stood apart from him, "...enough…" He simply supplied her with a vague tone, causing Vaggie to slap her own face at the burnt sinner's answer and drag her hand off from her face to glare up at Joshua.

Deciding to try and quell a potential argument between the two, Charlie walked over to placate Vaggie first with a kind smile, "Look, I'm sure Joshua means well, I mean, it's not like he's stashing the weapons around the place to attack the residents of the hotel…right?" She asked with a pointed look at Joshua.

Joshua on the other hand simply glanced her way while shifting the weight of the M202 on his shoulder a bit, "...That remains to be seen…but for now, the serpent one was on his way to the hotel last I saw from my window. His blimp was visible for miles away, flying in this direction." Joshua explained to the present company.

After realizing why Joshua had pulled out what was practically a portable missile launcher from the closet, Charlie mouthed the words, "Oh…" she remarked with a look of understanding written on her face.

Vaggie on the other hand bemoaned the situation as she rolled her lone eye up, "Augh, Him again? Doesn't he ever give up?" she questioned.

Before any more words could be said on the matter, the sound of missiles going off echoed from the rooftop of the hotel, shortly before the sound of explosions rocked the air outside. All three present company gave pointed looks at Joshua, who was already on his way out, "I upgraded the SAM launcher to an automatic heat seeking one, courtesy of my chief Patron."

Angel Dust was the first to question the brevity of Joshua having such a thing"...You have a patron?" he asked the burnt sinner before he exited out from the hotel, an ongoing barrage of missiles were heard launching from the roof of the hotel in the meanwhile.

Joshua paused as he opened the front door of the hotel to look back at Angel momentarily, "How else do you think I can afford buying weapons and ammo?" he shot back at the porn star, before exiting out through the doorway.

After Joshua shut the door behind him, leaving the three occupants of the foyer to their thoughts, the sounds of more missiles and explosions sounded off from the outside, followed by a large explosion and boom. After a few moments of calming silence, a familiar voice shouted from the outside.

"Curssse you nefariousss armament armsss architect, I ssshall not let thisss go unavenged!" Sir Pentious's voice echoed.

" Vengeance is one thing, serpent one, but if you insist on dragging any of the residents into battle, I will enact my duty as the shepherd and protect the flock." Joshua's voice rang back from outside the hotel.

" Hmhmhm, does that include me?" Alastor's voice chimed in, from what sounded like it came from the upper balcony of the hotel.

Outside the Hotel

While a busted up blimp styled aircraft was burning after crashing to the ground from sustaining too much firepower from the air defense that were employed against it, Sir Pentious was currently sprawled on the ground glaring up at Joshua, who was staring back down at him with a stoic look in his eyes as he held over his shoulder a spent M202 over his shoulder, smoking from out its barrels.

Alastor on the other hand finished sipping from whatever he was drinking from his tea cup, before dissolving into fog and descended to the ground to materialize outside the entrance of the hotel while Joshua held a stared down with the serpent sinner.

Joshua stopped staring down at Sir Pentious, and glanced over his shoulder to spare Alastor a glance, "That remains to be seen." he replied back in a cordial manner, "I was under the impression you are an overlord, and are in no need of any protection." Joshua shot back at Alastor with a flat look in his eyes.

Alastor simply chuckled with mirth as he idly examined his mic staff, "Oh deary me, I suppose I am, I'm just flattered you might be including me into your list of sheep." he remarked with a sharp smile.

"Enough chatter!" Sir Pentious yelled as he struggled to pick himself up from the ground, his body sore from the crash landing, "Face me Gunsssmith of Carmine, for I ssshall dissspensssse of you!" he demanded while shaking his fist at Joshua after finally propping himself up from the ground.

"Hm?" Alastor made a remarking sound as he lifted his brow at Joshua, "A side gig of yours, I presume?" he probed for answers from the burnt sinner.

Joshua simply brushed the question off with a simple answer as he steadily walked towards Sir Pentious, who was squaring up for a potential fist fight. "Something of the sort." He supplied back as his answer as he confronted Sir Pentious.

Once Joshua was within enough distance for Sir Pentious however, the serpent sinner smirked in triumph as he quickly reached into one of his pockets to pulled out weapon, and just as he pulled one out to fire it at Joshua, "Ha, got you where I-" He said in quick fashion, only to be rebuffed as Joshua swiftly used his spent missile launch to slam the weapon out from Sir Pentious's hand, "Ah!" the serpent sinner cried out in pain as he held his palm.

"You will leave the premises." Joshua ordered with a strict tone in his voice, before he grabbed Sir Pentious by scruff of his shirt, and began dragging the serpent sinner from the front yard of the hotel.

While Sir Pentious struggled to pry the hand off from his person, he yelled back at the burnt sinner with a miffed look and tone, "Unhand me gunsssmith, and face me properly!" his voice trailed off as he and Joshua disappeared into the distance from the vantage point of the front of the Hazbin Hotel.

In the meanwhile, from out of the front doorway of said Hotel, Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel Dust exited out from the doors to see the tail end of seeing Joshua drag Sir Pentious off from the property; Niffty on the other hand appeared from behind Alastor's head to stand on his shoulders with an excited look on his face, "Who was that?" She asked with an eager look on her face, before Alastor picked her up from his shoulder and placed her down beside him. "Another Bad Boy?" she smiled in anticipation of getting to know another male sinner.

With an amused smile of his own, Alastor replied back to Niffty as he heard the tale end of Sir Pentious's shouts of telling the resident gunsmith to unhand him once more, "Oh, no one of significance." he chortled a bit at the end of his answer.

"Great!" Vaggie began to comment as she gestured to the crashed blimp on the front lawn, "How are we gonna clean that up? Did Joshua have to shoot the damn thing when it was hovering over the hotel's front yard?" she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Worry not, my dear!" Alastor answered her as he lifted his arm up to snap his fingers, "I can't in good fortune leave this fine establishment in disarray!" he remarked, and shortly afterwards dark shadows from the ground beneath the crashed blimp, pulled the vehicle into the dark abyss before disappearing from sight, "There, good as new!" he said while gesturing with his mic staff towards the empty front yard.