DOOM: Puer Infernalis
Holy shit! In less than two days, this story's popularity has (relatively) skyrocketed. Since you guys wanted it, you got it! Here's a brand-spanking, fresh off the factory, straight outta Compton, new chapter for all y'all to read.
Enjoy!
[Chapter 1: Regina Mercenarius et Inferos Hospes/Mercenary Queen and the Hell Traveller]
-Nearby Wakefield/556 G.A.-
The Marine was walking back to his little hideout. After taking care of the Orc War Camp, he immediately began to his employer to collect his reward and get a lay of the land even more. A map's good and all, but you can't beat experiencing things yourself. So the Marine took the scenic route, taking in and memorizing each location he passed through. In less than two hours, the Marine already had arrived at his employer's abode.
It was your typical nobleman's mansion, all the grandeur that blatantly says "Look at me! Here I am! Steal my shit!" Flynn could remember the nobleman's shock when the Marine had returned the same day he had taken on the job. For a normal mercenary of this land, taking on such a difficult job and returning would take at least five days to nearly two weeks at most, but for Flynn? That was a mere Sunday stroll on the beaches for him.
Still, the nobleman was actually so impressed that he gave the Marine triple the amount originally negotiated.
That was a few days ago, and the following days were just of him killing off any Orcs or bandits. To be frank, he never really cared for what happened to the poor fucker that was on the receiving end of his fists, bullets, energy blasts, or blades. They all died the same way to the Marine, who simply pummeled and tore them apart until they were itty-bitty pieces or gunned them down into bullet-ridden corpses or melted down their bodies into molten mush.
Not one to look at gift horse in the mouth, and after pocketing away the large bag of gold, silver, and bronze coins (a massive collection or compilation of all the rewards he'd been receiving over the past few days), the Marine was on his way back to the woodsman cottage he, Corzo, and Hae-Lin call home.
Just then, his helmet's Head's-Up-Display or HUD was picking up on multiple heat signatures closing in on him. He could count ten of them, eleven tops. Slowing his dash to a slow walk, the Marine's HUD was indicating that all heat signatures were coming from the same direction, none really making any attempt to flank him.
Turning to face the incoming possible hostiles, the Marine pulled out his M40 SMG, safety off and set to 5-round burst. His ears picked up the galloping of many horses, along with the clinking and clanking of metal pieces.
Once the heat signatures were in vision, the Marine saw multiple female warriors approaching him on horseback. Narrowing his eyes from behind his visor, the Marine lowered his SMG, but did not keep it away.
It always was best to be prepared, even if you seem paranoid.
Taking in their appearances, the one that stood out the most was their leader, or at least that was what he presumed.
She wore… a scarlet sleeved leotard with a light blonde mane collar that had a plunging neckline that pretty much exposed her body from the neck down to just a few centimeters above her clit. The Marine's eye twitched at this woman's lack of modesty. The woman also wore light indigo-blue crotch-less pants with near-knee-length dark brown boots as her lower attire, complete with a thick dull brown belt. Dull brown fingerless gloves covered her hands. Surrounding her neck was a black choker while an equally black thin bandana was on her forehead.
The woman was around 5 feet and 9 inches by his estimations, so she barely reached his chest if she were to stand beside him. Her skin was that of a light tone, much like most of the other women on horseback. Her hair was short and messy, colored in a light magenta, which framed her face neatly despite its messy style. Her eyes were colored in a shade of red, reminding the Marine of the blood he spills while slaying demons in his eternal crusade.
He also noticed two scabbards for her weapons, one on each thigh. They were swords, if the shape of the scabbards and the golden grips and hilts weren't any clear indicator.
The woman felt familiar to the Marine, so he began to look into his mind to where has he heard or seen her before.
Then it clicked. Of course. The Marine recognized her in less than a second. Standing before him, as she had dismounted her horse, was Maia, a well-known warrior of Eostia that held the title of the Queen of Mercenaries.
Still, he kept himself silent, not wanting to cause a fight amongst non-hostiles. Maia had walked up to him and gave a toothy grin as she looked up and gazed directly into his visor.
"So you're the so-called Gore Knight, huh?" Her voice was light, fitting for a woman such as herself. The Marine only responded with a nod. The Mercenary Queen then looked at his lowered M40, a curious glint in her eyes.
"Interesting little contraption there, big guy. What's it called?" She asked with curiosity akin to that of someone that was looking for any weaknesses in their potential enemies.
The Marine's response was simply that of him raising his weapon and speaking in a gruff tone.
"Model 40 Sub-Machine Gun." The gruffness of his voice startled many of Maia's warriors. Maia herself raised an eyebrow. The man's voice and tone gave it away. He preferred to let his actions do the talking, while any actual speech is kept to a bare minimum of a bare minimum.
But what he said was confusing to her. Sub-Machine Gun? What kind of odd contraption is that? Last time she heard from Ryuu-Ryuu (a Halfling and one of the Princess Knights), Rad was in the process of developing repeating crossbows, but this contraption in the Gore Knight's hand was something far too advanced even for the Halflings. And why did he refer to it was a Model 40? Were there 39 previous models in existence?
The Marine simply tucked away his SMG and crossed his arms, his size alone making him very imposing to all that were present.
Maia's training and experience as a mercenary had taught her many things, one of them was reading people's body language. With how he was positioned, the Gore Knight's crossed arms and silence meant that of a questioning manner.
Raising both her arms in surrender and defense, she spoke. "Easy there, big guy, we aren't here for a fight. We were just sent to pick you up by our leader." To her right, her second in command, Eliza, had her hand on the hilt of her sword.
The Marine stayed silent. Their leader? Quickly scanning his head once more, he quickly remembered something else that being the Seven Shield Alliances and their leader, Celestine Lucullus.
Wanting to make sure, he spoke once more.
"Celestine Lucullus?" Letting out a sigh of relief, Maia nodded as she lowered her arms to her hips. At least they were getting somewhere positive and not anywhere negative.
"That's right big guy. Celestine herself wants you in her court as soon as possible." She explained slightly. Much like her, the Marine's training and experience told him that there was more to this than just some little invitation.
Still, he was a foreigner in their land, so he can't exactly start questioning until it is really needed.
"So you coming or not?" Her question was genuine, and the Marine could pick up traces of hope in her tone. Either hope that he'll go with no problems or hope that no one gets hurt, possibly both for all he could care.
His only nonverbal replies to the Mercenary Queen were a grunt and a nod before he spoke.
"Need to get some supplies first." Maia looked downtrodden for a second before she beamed at him and replied.
"I could come with you. My girls can help too, if you'd like." Was this girl sucking up to him? He hoped not, and he rarely hopes for things anymore. He simply nodded in response and turned on his heel, intent on getting to the house before nightfall. Behind him he heard the slow trotting of the horses and Maia's footsteps.
He wasn't really lying when he said he needed to grab some supplies. He had left some things in the abandoned woodsman cottage and he intends to grab it before meeting with the so-called Goddess Reincarnated.
Minutes later, the Marine and his pseudo-entourage made it to the abandoned cottage he and two others shared as home. Opening the door, the Marine wasted no time and threw away the rug, revealing the hatch and sturdy metal ladder.
"You want us to go down there?" A new voice spoke, and the Marine turned to see Maia's second in command, Eliza, looking down the hatch with some hesitation and fear.
He scoffed internally. This woman, along with the others, was supposed to be a mercenary. A warrior for hire, one that has seen and done things outside of the black and white interpretations of knights in shining armor.
Still, he couldn't really fault her for her fear. With her flawless pinkish white skin, oceanic blue eyes, and raven black hair with the fit female physique covered in cloth and metal, he could assume she was a virgin in battle. Someone that knew the risks but never really experienced them.
His only response was of him jumping down the hatch, landing with an audible thud as his feet impacted the hard stone floor of the cellar. The action surprised Maia and her warriors, not exactly expecting an answer to come in the form of what he did.
Not exactly ones to repeat what the Gore Knight did, Maia and her warriors decided to wait this one out for now.
With the Marine, he began to pick up various tools such as repair kits for his weapons and armor, chemical crafters for the medical items, and even grabbed a few deployable automated .50-caliber machine gun turrets.
After collecting all the secondary things, he walked over to a metal container the size of two large chests placed together front to back. Opening the chest, the Marine was greeted with two things.
The first one was a greatsword. Its blade was long, around 72 inches or 6 feet in length, colored in diamond blue by the edges and point while the fuller was of an azure blue. The lower end of the blade was a thin block 18 inches or a foot and a half in length, with the upper end of the blade being like a standard great sword. The cross guard or hilt was silver in color, with the grip being a dark blue nearing black in color. The pommel was shaped like a meat pounder hammer, with all sides apart from the one connected/facing the grip covered in serrated spikes.
This was his Crusader Sword, a weapon he had picked up eons ago while chasing demons across the dimensions. He had found the weapon in a temple on one dimension and, after quickly dispatching two Hell Barons, quickly became one of his go-to melee options apart from his fists, hatchet and Great Communicator.
The second thing he had picked up was an oddly shaped cube with multiple eyes. This was the Soul Cube, a weapon he had found during one of his chases of demonkind through a portal. That portal just so happened to transport him to an alternate Mars untouched by UAC influence. Much like his Crusader Sword, the Soul Cube was found in a destroyed temple.
Picking it up, the Marine felt the multiple souls of the cube washing over him, as if they were cleansing him of any demonic filth. Smiling under his helmet, the Marine clipped the Soul Cube to his side, while his great sword was placed in the pocket dimension like his other weapons.
Once he was finished, the Marine began to head up to meet with Maia. Climbing the ladder to the cottage's living area, the Marine was somewhat surprised that Maia and her band of warriors stayed until the very end.
"Took you long enough." Maia jokingly stated, to which the Marine simply replied with a grunt before emerging completely from the hatch and planting his two feet onto the wooden floor. It was then she noticed the Soul Cube clipped to his side.
"So that's what you came here for?" He nodded in response, causing Maia to shake her head in a light-hearted manner.
"I swear this guy's like Claudia. There's a big stick up his ass." She kept the thought to herself as the Marine walked past her and her warriors to the door. She and her warriors also noticed his lack of chivalry, as he simply opened the door and walked out to the horses.
"Tch! Such rudeness!" Eliza muttered, although it was loud enough for the rest of the band to hear clearly. And from what Maia saw, the rest of her warriors nodded their heads or hummed in agreement.
She sighed and clutched her temple with two fingers. She just hopes something doesn't come up to where she and her warriors will have to fight the Gore Knight. She, along with any traveler, soldier, or mercenary, had heard the stories, seen the bodies mutilated, and the weird golden cylinders left in the Gore Knight's many rampages against the Orcs and the rest of the Demon Army of the North.
For the first time in a long time, Maia was fearful of someone.
-En Route to Ken/Later on-
Maia noted a few things from their new companion on the way back to Ken.
First off, he never leered at any of the women present. Not saying she was annoyed, but she felt her feminine pride deflate a little bit. Either the Gore Knight swung the other way (which she doubted heavily) or the man had the patience of many saints (again, she doubted it but not as much as the first one).
Second, the animals around him ranged from afraid to downright terrified whenever they were near him. She chalked it up to them being uncertain and wary of him at first, but after seeing one nearly kick the Gore Knight (who simply dodged away from the two powerful equestrian legs), she suspected that there was something way off about this man.
Thirdly, the Gore Knight chose to simply walk alongside Maia. This confused her and her band greatly, and she commented her concern for his stamina only to be shrugged off. That was two hours ago, and not once had the Mercenary Queen see the green knight fall or stop to rest.
And lastly was that oddly shaped cube with multiple gemstones decorating it. At first she paid it no mind as she simply thought it were something of sentimental value to the large green knight or a family heirloom. She had nothing against it as she too had something of sentimental value in the form of her bandana which was given to her by her old friend Vult, leader of the Kuro Inu Mercenary Company.
That was until she felt a soothing energy flow from the cube that it somewhat calmed down the horses, including the one she was mounting. She may be no expert on magic, but she could tell that thing was dangerous in the wrong hands.
"Soooooo…" She drew out the word as the green knight slightly tilted his head looked at her whilst walking, "You got a name? I don't think calling you the Gore Knight would be a good idea when I introduce you to Lady Celestine."
The knight simply replied with silence, which got uncomfortable with each passing second. Then, after perhaps the longest nine seconds of her life, he simply looked forward once more, deliberately ending the conversation from there.
She frowned at this. By now, she could see the top of the walls surrounding Ken. By her estimates, she, her warrior band, and the Marine would get there in an hour or so.
Suddenly, the Marine pointed with his left hand (the right one simply holding his M40 SMG), and finally spoke up. "That the place?"
Maia blinked in surprise before nodding, an audible sound in her throat accompanying it.
"Yep, this is Ken. Capital of Eostia, central source of power for the Seven Shield Alliance, and home to Lady Celestine Lucullus herself. So," she glanced at the Marine as she continued, "What do you think? A little overwhelming perhaps?" She teased good-naturedly, a small smirk on her face.
To her surprise, the Marine simply shook his head and replied, "I've seen bigger places. They were grander, too." She pouted playfully in response. Well, at least he was talking more, she supposed.
Just as she had estimated, they had arrived to the main gates of the city within an hour's time. She saw multiple guards at the posts, each of them wearing lighter variations of the knights stationed in this grand city.
"Halt!" The head guard position called out, in which Maia and her band complied with. The Marine stopped too, but kept silent as his fingers were fiddling with his SMG. The man was ready for a fight if one should ever break out anytime now.
"State your business!" The head guard spoke in a loud voice so that everyone around him heard. Maia dismounted her horse and sashayed to the man.
"We're here on official business, Mister Guntrude." She said politely and gestured to her warrior band and the Marine. "We are under orders from Lady Celestine that we are to bring this man for reasons best left known only to her."
Quickly understanding, the head guard nodded to his men to open the gates. As Maia and her warrior band walked through, he said to Maia.
"Just make sure he causes no trouble, milady." Nodding, she flashed a toothy grin before mounting her horse.
She gestured the Marine to follow her, in which he complied in silence. As he passed the guards, some of them gagged at a smell coming from the Marine himself.
That's when Maia internally slapped herself. The Marine was still bloodied at some parts of his armor, namely his gauntlets, boots, and chest plate. Oh well, no use crying about something she ignored so she simply urged the Marine to pick up the pace.
As they had passed the streets of Ken, many were gawking and cheering as Maia passed them. Children even rushed to her for some pats on the head or some hair ruffling, in which she joyfully did so.
Maia also noticed that some of the adults, most notably the traveling merchants and even some of the knights were looking at her companion rather than her.
On horseback, she was taller by an inch or two when put beside the large green knight. But on her own, the large man outright dwarfed her and the members of her warrior band.
She heard the whispers of the adults as they passed by the bustling streets of the kingdom. "I guess his reputation's well spread out." She mentally noted as she and her warrior band reached the steps to the palace with the Marine in tow.
This palace serves as Celestine's home for the past millenium, as well as serving as the main headquarters for the Seven Shield Alliance. Despite the years passing by, the palace remains as majestic as ever. It was the pinnacle of all things immaculate for many, with its tall and breathtaking architecture going up high into the sky. The entire castle was made out of marble, resulting in a beautiful white color that fills the people with hope. And thanks to the use of magic, the castle stands strong, requiring only repairs of the supernatural kind to fix if any flaw were to be shown.
But for the Marine, it was nothing compared to the things he'd seen, felt, experienced, and remembered throughout his dimensional travels. From the mundane highly advanced facilities of the UAC, to the spiraling dark citadels of Hell, to ancient ruins, and more, the Marine had pretty much seen it all.
Maia spoke up, grabbing his attention. "Okay, here's the deal when we get into Celestine's throne room. Don't do anything that might piss Claudia off in a second." Claudia? The Marine simply nodded in response as he walked up to the doors of the palace along with Maia, the rest of her warrior band deciding to hit the taverns for another job well done.
As soon as the two of them reached the palace doors, they were greeted by a man of average height with mocha brown skin dressed in your standard butler's outfit.
"Hey, Jamal, I'm here on official business with Lady Celestine." The butler, Jamal, nodded in response but raised an eyebrow at the Marine.
"Of course, Lady Maia… And this man?" he asked in a slightly nervous tone, shrinking in his place when the Marine's visor fell onto him. Maia saw the butler's nervousness and quickly explained.
"He's also on official business, don't worry about it." This calmed the butler down as he opened the doors, revealing a beautiful hallway decorated with a variety of gold, silver, bronze, and other rare metals and materials.
Again, the grandeur of the halls had nothing on the countless locations the Marine had visited across the multiverse. Still, he had to give credit where it is due and show some form of respect. And he did so by simply gazing over the multiple decorations and treasures displayed along the walls.
He hummed as he gazed over each and every one, the halls going by faster with each one he passed.
Maia smiled as she passed through the halls and kept up her pacing with that of the Marine's. "At least the guy's warming up." She mused in her head as she looked at the back of the Marine's chest plate.
There were many odd things that stuck out to her. From the odd indents that shaped multiple circles on his back, each linked together by thin metal pieces, to the insignia she found branded onto the upper portion of the Gore Knight's left pauldron.
While the lettering was alien to her, she somehow understood them. The letters spelled out UAC. The symbol was a triangle with the points being replaced by slants and each side had odd shapes sticking out of them. Inside of the odd triangle was a circle surrounded by smaller triangles, these ones having rectangular holes in them. (AN: If I didn't describe the UAC logo well, then I'm a shitty writer)
She tried as she might to see if the logo ringed a bell so to speak in her mind. When her mind began to draw blanks, Maia's eyes narrowed slightly. Whoever this Gore Knight was, there is no doubt he works or had worked for a group completely unknown to anyone in the Seven Shield Alliance or their enemies.
Maia pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, already sensing the paranoia from the other Princess Knights. An unknown group was the last thing anyone needs right now, especially during a war such as the one they were fighting in now.
Luckily, the Marine had not noticed her annoyance or had simply chosen to ignore it for more important matters at hand. Like finding where Celestine Lucullus is at.
After a minute or so of wandering the halls (meeting a few stationed guards along the way who either greeted Maia or kept silent at the Marine), the two of them finally reached the pair of doors that would lead into Celestine Lucullus's throne room, with two guards standing on either side. The Marine and Maia stood in front of the two beautifully carved doors, with the latter speaking to the former.
"You ready to meet Lady Celestine?" she was answered by a nod from the large man, in which she marched up towards the two guards by the doors.
"Good afternoon, sirs. I'm here on official business for Lady Celestine." The two guards tensed when they heard this, not so much from Maia but from her companion's staring.
"O-of course, Lady Maia." One spoke, but both of them wilted under the Marine's emotionless staring. It was made a bit worse as no one really saw his eyes from behind the visor.
Quiet as mice, the two guards placed their hands on the knobs and, with near synchronization, opened the doors to reveal the grand throne room.
Currently, only two people were in that very room. These two notable individuals were none other than Claudia Levantine, who stood by the throne's side with the alertness only veteran warriors could achieve, and Celestine Lucullus, who sat on her throne like a monarch of beauty.
Celestine was a fair and bountiful maiden in the eyes of many, both male and female, thanks to her perfect hourglass figure. She was tall at six feet and two inches thanks to her heels, having fair skin with no signs of flaw on them. Her flowing platinum blonde hair reached down to her feet (barely past the ankles), while her dark green eyes seemed to complete the image.
Her… dress, if you could even call it that (the Marine's eye twitched at the vulgar tone of it but steeled himself), barely covered her. The silk dress' white color did nothing to help conceal her as the parts that actually do cover her body were rather limited or lacking, covering only her breasts' nipples and the rather small area around each of them. There was a long piece of black silk, attached at the breast area via a golden ring, went down to cover her nether regions, the lower end of the cloth having a golden piece of jewelry with an emerald stone in the center of it. On each of her wrists were two golden bangles with one golden bangle on each of her upper arms. Her sandals had their wraps going up to just below her knees. There was also a wreath of mint-green leaves around her head, acting like a halo of sorts for this angelic beauty of Elven nature.
As they stepped into the room, there are two reactions. Claudia scowled for a brief second before recognizing Maia, and Celestine was… terrified? That expression alone didn't feel right with the Marine, as she was looking directly at him with that terror clear as day. He could see her trembling, although it was only noticeable to those who are really observant of everything.
[-]
"You should be resting, My Grace. It would do our people no good if you are to fall ill one of these days." Claudia reprimanded her, but she simply nodded, not really bothering to actually make a verbal response.
The past few nights had plagued her as of late. The visions that followed had her jumping at just about anything in fright, and it took the combined effort of Claudia, her Dawn Templars, and some of her guards to calm her down.
The things she'd seen, the places she'd threaded, and the voices she heard were all alien to her. One vision showed her a metal room filed with dark-colored pipes and oddly dressed men and women walking about chatting terms that confused her. Another showed her a dark cave made entirely of what appears and feels to be flesh.
The visions had taken a toll on her body and soul.
Her face was in disarray, with eye bags under her eyes and her hair being in disorder although that one wasn't too difficult to remedy as one can just use their fingers or a good comb or brush (the other two needed makeup for obvious reasons, the kind that concealed any flaws without the concealer being too obvious).
Before her friend could reprimand her more, the doors leading out of the throne room were opened by the two guards currently stationed outside.
"Lady Celestine, I'm back and I've brought the Gore Knight as requested, your Grace." Maia's words reached Celestine's ears and of those around her as the doors opened to reveal Maia and… She felt her breath hitch. Suddenly the makeup wasn't cutting it anymore.
No, it can't be…
Celestine started to shake but she was able to compose herself just in the nick of time, although her body still had a few trembles here and there. She couldn't believe it even if her own two eyes were looking directly at him. Entering alongside Maia was the very same individual who had appeared in her nightmare a few days ago.
He looked exactly like how she had seen him then. The gray helmet with the blue visor, the dark green chest plate and pauldrons, the silver gauntlets that reached his elbows with the vambraces but they lacked a couter, to the brown pants in armored pads and the dark brown boots.
Her eyes widened as the Marine's very presence seemed to suffocate her. His visor seemed to reflect everything in front of them, never revealing his eyes for all to see. It was scary, terrifying even.
She slightly shook herself out of her frightful state and noticed that the guards were still on edge.
"Thank you." She cleared her throat before continuing, "You are both dismissed, guardsmen." With salutes, the guards eased up and put away their weapons before leaving the throne room. Now there was only Maia, Celestine, Claudia, and the Marine in the room. The Dawn Templar leader stepped forward slightly, her hand resting on the grip of her sword. Maia, meanwhile, had taken her place beside Celestine.
The atmosphere was quite tense despite the sunny day outside. On one hand there was Celestine and Claudia, the former sitting in her throne with some fear creeping into her and the latter remaining vigilant, and on the other was Maia and the Marine, the Mercenary Queen somewhat sweating from the tense atmosphere and the Marine simply standing there menacingly with a slight lean on his posture.
Before anything negative could happen, Celestine broke the silence by clearing her throat.
"I… I've… I've heard about your exploits, good Sir." She said with a stutter at the beginning. The Marine's attention was immediately on her, causing her to flinch inwardly. "You've been slaying Orcs and even bandits for nearly a year throughout our fair land. The common folk have sung praises of you."
She was responded with silence for a few seconds before the Marine nodded his head lightly.
"Is that a problem?" His voice was a mix of gruff and raspy, as if the man hadn't spoken in a millennia's worth of time. His question seemed to irk Claudia, who had now revealed her blade and held it towards him with one hand.
"Show some respect, you insolent oaf! You are given the honor of standing before Celestine Lucullus herself, and I will not tolera-"
"Claudia!" Despite her soft tone, her firmness and authority made the Dawn Templar shut her mouth and sheath her blade, although she scowled at the Marine as if it was his fault in the first place.
The Goddess Reincarnated sent an apologetic smile at the Marine's way. "I apologize for my friend's ire, good Sir. She is just protective of me." The Marine simply nodded in response.
He knew what it was like. Having to escort someone fragile every now and then had given the Marine a sort of protectiveness towards them in a professional manner. Emotions were nonexistent when he does escort someone be it in the middle of a war zone or escaping someone's (or something's) clutches.
He began to gaze around the area, taking in the décor. Claudia spoke, her tone disciplinarian.
"Do you now see the grace and beauty of this palace, cur?" To the females' collective surprise, the Marine shook his head.
"It's nothing compared to what I've seen." His voice had put Celestine and Claudia on edge. They expected him to be gruff, yes, but they never expected it to be raspy as well.
Regardless, Celestine smiled politely at the Marine. "What brings you here to our fair lands, good Sir?"
"The supernatural, Ma'am. Circumstances have led me and a few wayward souls to your lands for reasons I know jack shit about." He explained it as professionally as possible barring the swearing at the end.
Maia then spoke up. "So you and some people are here to get rid of the supernatural? What are you, some kind of exorcist?" The Marine shook his head at the first question but shrugged at the second.
"In a way, but everything I've done and seen's FUBAR to anyone that didn't do what I did." The three gave different signs of confusion at that strange word.
"Pardon me, good Sir, but what does this 'fubar' word mean?"
"Fucked-Up-Beyond-All-Reason, Ma'am." That was the response she got from the Marine.
"O-oh…" suddenly the quiet, awkward atmosphere returned, the only sound being the occasional winds moving the majestic blinds/curtains/drapes throughout the throne room.
It didn't last long, however, as the silence was broken by the Marine speaking up.
"If I'm not here to be tried, then there's something else you've brought me here for. I don't see why pretty girls like you would start chatting it up with someone like me." Claudia took offense to that 'pretty girl' comment and began to draw out her sword once more.
But before she could even let the blade out, Celestine raised a hand as she stood up.
"Again, I apologize for my friend's rash behavior." She spoke calmly and serenely to the large man in green. After making sure Claudia wouldn't act up again, she began once more.
"No, I did not bring you here to be tried for a crime, Sir Knight." Sir Knight? That's a new one. "But rather, I have a request to make." Subtly, the large man leaned forward, giving her the green light to continue.
"But before I make my request, I would like to ask for your name, Sir Knight." His eyes narrowed from behind his visor, clearly thinking it over.
After about five seconds, he spoke.
"You can call me the Marine for now." Blinking, the High Elf monarch asked the Marine.
"You do not have any other name, Sir Marine?"
"Don't 'sir' me, Ma'am. Just Marine suits me fine." The other two females blinked in surprise. Here was a man that preferred duty over lordship, someone that would rather continue on fighting than lording over the common folk.
Celestine herself blinked once more before she cleared her throat once and speaking her request.
"A-anyways, this mission is something that could end this war without so much more blood to be needlessly shed." She swore she saw the Marine's shoulders sagged just slightly before they were back in their positions. "By dawn on the morrow, you shall be joining the Kuro Inu into the Black Fortress. My task, if you shall lend your blade to this cause, is to head into the Black Fortress of the Garran Badlands and capture Olga Discordia to me unharmed."
[-]
The Marine stayed silent as he heard the last part of Celestine's request. This… was something he was no expert in. Send him to kill bandit tribes? You bet your ass he'll do it before breakfast is served. Kill greenskins and their allies? Consider it done and done. Raid a cave filled with monsters? It's already been cleared thrice.
But to capture the very leader of the enemy and bring her to the capital of Ken unharmed? The Marine exhaled quietly before he spoke to the queen of this kingdom.
He's heard of her, and the legends surrounding both her and Celestine. How the legends spoke of their battles shaking the heavens above and the underworld below. He scoffed at such exaggerations, for he knows Hell and Heaven have more horrifying things to fear than some best friends' quarrel.
"Why me? Someone else could do this job better than me."
"I-I'm sorry?" Celestine tilted her head in confusion.
"Why ask me, a stranger killing off Orcs and bandits? Anyone with a weapon can do that?" Celestine's head lowered, her hair shadowing her face from view.
"Truth be told, a vision came to me a few days ago." The Marine simply nodded, listening to her words.
"I saw a nightmarish landscape and an unending sea of monsters." Maia's eyebrows shot up to her hair while Claudia's eyes narrow, having heard this before.
"Then I saw you," everyone's attention was on Celestine at this point, "killing them all with no remorse or hesitation with the most bizarre of weapons." Claudia and Maia were outright shocked at what Celestine had revealed to them.
Celestine looked up to stare the Marine right into the eyes. "I saw you take on impossible odds where many would have fallen. My people have suffered over this long war, Sir Marine, so I ask- no! I beg and plead to you, Sir Marine, that you put an end to this dreadful war. And I shall forever be in you debt."
The Marine kept silent, clearly thinking the words of the High Elf over.
The he spoke, his voice void of any emotion.
"Consider it done, Ma'am."
Celestine smiled as she did, while Claudia still scowled but was relieved that her queen and friend had brightened up in her mood so much so that her tired state had somehow vanished. Maia grinned at the Marine's answer.
"If that's all, I'll be prepping for the mission if you don't mind." He said.
"It is getting a bit late," Celestine said as it was nearing dusk judging by the dull orange skies outside, "I shall have a servant ready a room for you. We will discuss more when Master Vult and his warrior band arrive on the morrow." The Marine nodded and turned on his heel to leave.
As soon as the doors slammed shut, Celestine released a breath she was holding as she leaned into her throne. She clutched her face with a dainty hand.
There were many ways she could have ended the war, but she always was a person that considered the most peaceful options available and never had she made any violent options be done first even if nothing else could be done.
As she removed her hand, she saw both Claudia and Maia looking at her expectantly.
"Let's go for a stroll, my friends." With that said she rose from her throne and began to walk down the steps. Not ones to disappoint their highness, the Dawn Templar and the Mercenary Queen followed close behind, all three of them former a triangle of sorts with Celestine at the front and with either of them at the sides.
Their stroll around the castle led them to the eternally beautiful gardens, but the three were silent all the way. The only sounds that did accompany them were those of their footwear on the stony floors or carpeted walks.
Just as they had reached the gardens, Maia had spoken out. "You really do have your ways of surprising people, your Grace." With a cheeky grin, she added, "Not every day you get a vision about some big guy taking on a demon army."
"Indeed," Claudia decided to put in her two cents into the conversation, "still, I must object his presence, Milady. That man, he felt… wrong." This caught Maia's interest.
"You've noticed it too, Claudia?" She received a hum and a nod in response. By now, the three fair maidens were in the center of the gardens which has a fountain that has a statue of a beautiful Elven maiden holding out her arms in a comforting manner.
"I had, and I worry for anyone that has been near him. That includes you, Maia." She received a snort in response.
"Aw shucks, I didn't know you were concerned about li'l ole' me, Claudia. And here I thought all you care about was that stick up your ass." She received a harsh glare from the Dawn Templar, which just fueled up her playfulness by a degree.
"Still," she said, "I noticed it too. The guy's pretty silent, well-built, and perfect for a mercenary or a soldier role…" She got silent for a few seconds before continuing, "but the guy's presence was really disturbing, I'll tell you that much."
"I agree with you, Maia, that man is a danger. Milady," she called out to Celestine, who was busy running a hand across the smooth surface of the fountain, "I pray that you are doing the right thing for our people."
Celestine smiled softly but held a hint of sadness in them.
"You've been with him the longest out of the three of us, Maia. What can you tell us about our new friend?" At that question, Maia's playful smirk had disappeared completely.
"Well, for starters… the guy's quiet, unbearably so." Celestine and Claudia both nodded, having just experienced that a few minutes ago. "When he speaks, he prefers to get to the point. No jokes, no playful remarks, nothing. All business and no play." She shuddered briefly.
"Then there was his gaze. It was dead and alive all at once, it was so confusing." She continued talking.
"I've seen many men who are fearless, and many more that are afraid of what lurks behind shadows. But that guy? No macho act, no fear coming from him at all. I couldn't get a read on anything but one thing." That piqued the other two's interest.
"And what would that be?" Maia turned to Claudia, who was standing beside Celestine as usual. She replied to her in a humorless tone.
"Rage. I felt the crazy amounts of rage coming from that guy. He reins that in, but some just gets out that every animal in my warrior band was afraid of him."
Celestine and Claudia looked at one another in surprise before having the same thought.
"Just what has been unleashed?"
-The Marine's new quarters/Nighttime-
The Marine had settled into his bed in his new room. It was Spartan in decorations, just a single bed with a desk and two chairs. The only sources of light were from the lamp that was recently lighted and the multiple glowing areas on his armored vest.
He had already placed the Soul Cube on the desk, the Martian weapon glowing briefly before lying dormant once more.
But instead of sleeping right off the bat, he began to inspect some of his weapons. Taking out the DS-117 Combat Shotgun first, he began to do a maintenance check on the weapon. His Argent Accumulators might repair any damages on his weapons, but it never harmed to do the maintenance himself every now and then.
The shotgun was personalized heavily all by himself. Its pistol grip, buttstock, and pump were made out of carbon fiber and customized to look like each of them was made out of wood. Its' metal frame was colored in a cobalt blue steel, which gave of a slight reflection of the lamp's flame as he had inspected it. The drum magazine was something he had found during his second main skirmish down into Hell's dark pits, and has served him well since. Despite being labeled as a drum magazine, it was actually a quad-stack magazine, with the two inner stacks holding eight shells each while the outer stacks held seven shells each, totaling out to thirty 8-Gauge Magnum Shells per drum. [AN: Imagine the DOOM 2016 Shotgun in the colors of the Doom 64 Shotgun (cobalt blue for the metal body and dark brown for the stock, grips {both pistol grip and pump grip} and buttstock) and add a really thick shotgun box magazine of any kind if you have a hard time picturing it]
After reassembling the weapon and putting it beside one of the wooden legs of the bed, he moved over to his M4 Devastator Heavy Machine Gun. The weapon was blocky in shape and tan in color with a few dark brown pieces to accentuate its looks.
The weapon had also served him well. It was his favorite weapon during his days in the UN Marine Corps to the fuck ups that were the Phobos and Deimos moon bases and to many more conflicts beyond, with its .50-caliber High Explosive Armor Piercing rounds gibbing any target he had set his sights on to, armored or not. Its scope had helped him in engaging any target from far away while its Micro Missile pods helped him out greatly in close quarters. He never really understood how a belt-fed gun such as this be turned into a closed-bolt firearm but he simply ignored it. If a weapon can help him kill things quick, then who was he to complain?
The room was quiet save for the sounds of various weapons being cleaned inspected and dry-fired (an act where the shooter takes an empty gun, inspects it for any errors before pulling the trigger to see if it can cycle properly) by the Marine.
An hour or so had passed before the Marine had kept away his weapons into the pocket dimension. Despite that, he never felt tired. The energy flowing through his veins made sure of that. Instead of moping about it, however, he simply did what he always does prior to any mission during his time in the UN Marine Corps and in the UAC's employ.
Training.
He started out simple with two hundred (200) push-ups, followed by the same amount of sit-ups and jumping jacks. He repeated the process until midnight had come, the planet's full moon shining brightly in the starry sky. By that time, he was practicing his hand-to-hand fighting abilities with a few hard punches and kicks aimed at thin air.
By the time he was done, it was an hour past midnight. The Marine felt like this would be enough for now and began to lie down in his bed.
Taking off his armored vest, gauntlets, paddings and helmet, the Marine began to sleep soundly.
As he began to rest, the Soul Cube, which was dormant during the course of his training, had awoken in a sense. Then it spoke, its voice sounding like hundreds of whispering phantoms.
"The others… we sense them… approaching…" That was all that the strange Martian artifact said before going dormant once again.
-Celestine's dreamscape-
Her dark emerald eyes opened once more to see the nightmarish landscape again. Her breath hitched in her throat, remembering the last time she was her. But the area felt… different somehow to her eyes.
Compared to the gray brimstone land she had first witnessed the Marine taking on the demon army, this area was oddly brown in color much like the deserts to the Southern West portion of Eostia. This area was a canyon of sorts compared to the mountainous area of her first nightmare/vision.
Eyes gazing at everywhere around her, she eventually found something that drew her in. It was a stone structure of sorts, oval-like in shape and with multiple insect-like legs sticking out and grasping inwards, like a hand holding an object. Celestine was again fearful of what this object was, but can't help but be drawn to the green-glowing symbol etched into it.
It looked like it was forming the letter D with a few etches around it. Whatever the symbol was, its presence alone somehow soothed her.
Then, like a curious little child at a store filled with their favorite things, Celestine reached out with one hand and touched the symbol.
It was there that the symbol had glowed blindingly, causing her to jump away from the stone structure in surprise. But the damage was already done. Reaching her ears was a voice, thick and gravely. Like a demon's voice if she heard a horrid thing as that speak before.
- [IN THE FIRST AGE, IN THE FIRST BATTLE…] - Celestine clamped her eyes shut and tried to block out the voice by covering her ears once more. But the voice was no longer speaking into her ears. It was already inside her mind like the horrid thing it was.
- [WHEN THE SHADOWS FIRST LENGTHENED, ONE STOOD…] - The sound of thunder caused Celestine to open her eyes and see a familiar figure. It was the Marine, this time he held a familiar weapon in one hand which was a diamond blue greatsword as he fought valiantly against another group of demons, this one consisting of the lean monsters in brown and blue and the pink bull-like monsters.
- [BURNED BY THE EMBERS OF ARMAGEDDON, HIS SOUL BLISTERED BY THE FIRES OF HELL AND TAINTED BEYOND ASCENSION, HE CHOSE THE PATH OF PERPETUAL TORMENT…] - She saw the Marine quickly cut down the demon group's smaller members before his greatsword disappeared in a flash of blue (which surprised her greatly) and was replaced by an odd contraption that launched fast streaks of light that tore through the bull-like monsters.
A flash of light had taken Celestine by surprise and by the time her vision cleared she was watching another fight taking place. This fight was in an odd city of sorts, with various stone buildings towering over her and possibly any noble house in Eostia barring the royal palaces.
- [IN HIS RAVENOUS HATRED, HE FOUND NO PEACE…] – The Marine moved swiftly, his contraption switched out for a smaller contraption that barked loudly and fired even faster streaks that outright destroyed the upper torsos of his enemies. Celestine watched the monsters fall and gasped in awe and terror of the weapons that the large green knight had in his possession.
- [AND WITH BOILING BLOOD HE SCOURED THE UMBRAL PLAINS SEEKING VENGEANCE AGAINST THE DARK LORDS WHO HAVE WRONGED HIM…] – The scene changed again and Celestine saw the back of the Marine as he was on his knees, surrounded by dead bodies of humans and demons alike whilst clutching a small person's body close to his chest. Walking around to get a closer look, she saw the two bodies he was clutching to his chest closely were that of a young girl and in her arms was a dead rabbit, its brown fur stained with its own blood and of those around it.
She felt tears running down her cheek when she saw the dead girl's lifeless eyes gaze directly at the Marine, as if blaming him for her death. The Marine started to shake, whether in sadness or anger she was uncertain.
Then the Marine reared his head back and roared to the heavens above, wordless and primal as he did. The raw rage emanating from his roar alone made the Goddess Reborn take a few steps back, the sounds causing her body to tremor with each step she took backwards.
She couldn't take it anymore and began to weep uncontrollably. Over the ten centuries/one millenium of fighting, she had seen many horrible things that had happened over the course of this feud between her own Alliance and the Demon Armies of the North led by Olga. She had seen families separated from their loved ones, the raped bodies of women, children and even men, and had seen the aftermath of brutal executions.
But she and her Alliance had endured them all, each failure simply motivating them to find an end to this war as soon as possible.
But everyone had their limits, and it looks like Celestine had reached hers at this point.
- [HE WORE THE CROWN OF THE NIGHT SENTINELS…] – The scene had changed once again to show the Marine standing in the center of a group of individuals, each of them wearing an odd assortment of clothing and wielded familiar and odd weapons alike. It was here that Celestine saw that same symbol on the upper left portion of his helmet, right where the forehead would be.
She saw the Marine yell a wordless roar once more as he and the odd group charged against a more massive horde of demons. They were far too many and they were far too mixed in for her to properly distinguish each individual species.
- [AND THOSE WHO TASTED THE BITE OF HIS SWORD NAMED HIM…] – She witnessed the Marine decapitate a large pink Minotaur before jumping up and switching away his weapon for a demonic cannon that started firing a thin red ray of light that sliced through the demon ranks as his followers (how she assumes them as such) took out any stragglers that the ray of light had missed.
Soon she found herself staring up to the Marine as he stands atop a pile of rotting demon bodies firing one of his contraptions from before, which was the tan blocky weapon, at the demons that tried to climb the pile and attack him.
- [THE DOOM SLAYER] – The demon's voice had stopped narrating as Celestine saw the Marine and his followers standing triumphant as many dead bodies of the massive demon army surrounded them.
-The Next Day-
The Marine woke up at around five in the morning according to his helmet's HUD as it displayed the time on its visor as the helmet stayed on the desk. Seeing that it was still dark, he began to start the day training in unarmed combat.
Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of air being displaced and of fists and feet impacting against thin air. This continued over two hours until the Marine stopped, his muscles tense from the recent warm-up. He tensed up and readied himself into a fighting stance once more as the only door of his room opened to reveal a young maid (possibly around the later adolescent/teenage years by his estimates) holding the door's knob in one hand and a tray of food on the other.
"Y-your food, s-sir…" She meekly stated as her cheeks darkened with red. She had been given the task of delivering the food to the Marine earlier under the orders of the Goddess herself, so she complied with no hesitation. What she didn't expect however was that the Marine had a body fit for a god and was already up and awake for some time, to which she blushed when her eyes saw his form being accentuated by his attire.
His face was obscured by shadows however, which disappointed her but she wisely not let it show lest she conjure the large man's rage.
The Marine simply nodded his thanks, took the food and their respective plates from the tray and dismissed the young maid before closing the door gently. As he ate, the Marine's sharp hearing picked up on the sounds of hooves and feet travelling together. Quickly finishing up, he donned his armor and helmet and took out his DS-117 Combat Shotgun from subspace as he exited the room. Heading down the flight of steps, the Marine can see a massive band of warriors either on foot or on horseback heading towards the palace directly. The men of this band wore green leather vests, brown pants and boots as their main attire in addition to many pieces of armor on their body. He also saw the symbol of a black dog emblazoned on the chest, and he immediately recognized them.
These were the Kuro Inu, and it appears that they were late.
Aaaand chapter again! WOW! I AM ON A ROLL BOYS AND GIRLS! 20 pages and over 9k words, holy shit!
Yes, I am aware that Flynn talks during this chapter, but I did my best to keep it to a minimum, so don't expect him to start going on a monologue of how bad he's got it (pretty sure we've had enough of emo characters already).
Next chapter, the Doom Marine meets the Kuro Inu mercenary company and Vult (I named it Kuro Inu because I like it better than Black Dogs) and goes into the Black Fortress to capture Olga Discordia. I won't beat around the bush here; Doomguy will probably just shoot Vult or obliterate his pathetic excuse of a manhood with the chainsaw (GREAT COMMUNICATOR!) or his bare fists later on in the story (not next chapter, because it'll be boring now, would it?).
EDIT: Removed The Unmaker from the items Doomguy got from the chest to balance him out a bit.
And now to reply to the reviews I've been receiving from the first chapter alone.
StellarToe6133: I can't wait for the next update.
Me: Ask and ye shall receive!
Dark Avenger874: Dude, I love this. Please update soon!
Me: Thank you for the kind words.
Shanemane17: Love this already. Flynn sounds like he looks similar to the Arena skin from the new Quake. Also glad to see someone else likes the spaghetti westerns besides me.
I wonder how a demonic gunslinger and angelic swordswoman joined our resident space marine though?
Me: I never realized that Flynn looked like a possible outfit combo possible in Quake Champions. I'll have to check. And you will find out sooner or later how Corzo and Hae-Lin met our doomed space marine.
darkstel: it was enough to read a couple of paragraphs.
Conclusion:your work is shit
Me: Got any reasons on why my work is shit, buddy? Maybe instead of just saying so, give me a list on your next review. Or you can make your own story instead of critiquing others.
quentin3655: Son... I am proud of you.
Me: Thank you, good sir, for taking your time to read my story. You've inspired many and I hope you continue doing so.
Perseus12: Mama Mia! Please continue the story, the excitement thrills me!
Me: Whoa! Chill down a bit there, bud. No need to start growing erections from my story, you hear?
Anonymous Ideas: Nice! Looking forward to seeing where this goes!
Me: Thanks for the kind words and strap yourself in for the ride, my friend.
CasualFictionWriter23: Now I suddenly have this crazy idea to create the similar one if you don't mind, only with three Doom characters: The Doomguy from classic series, Doom Marine from Doom 3 and Doom Slayer from Doom 2016 and only the first two are capable of talking while the last one is completely mute.
Ignore the 4th review. Not everyone is perfect and while this chapter can be polished more, the idea of having 3 protagonists, one from motherfucking Doom is the first time to be done in Kuroinu crossover.
Me: I don't mind at all. Write away, good sir! Don't worry, that 4th review was probably written because that person wrote no story and lacks inspiration for doing such a task.
bestpony666: Volt is doomed if we have the MOTHERFUCKING DOOMGUY with us. But Corzo and Jung Hae-Lin seem plenty awesome too.
Me: Oh yeah, big time.
Guest 1: Thank you, thank you, and thank you again. This is perhaps the first doom mod crossover ever and with the perfect mooks to kill.
Question:
There are a lot of other fairly popular DOOM mods such as Trailblazer (with Malcom Striker), Guncaster (with Cygnis Flaynithere), or The Space Pirate (with Melody Crosswell). Will any of them appear later on?
Also will Sun Shihong (another character of Demonsteele) appear to help out?
All in all. Terrific story, awesome descriptions, nice dialogue, and unique blend of different game ages.
Me: You're welcome, you're welcome, and you're welcome again.
To answer your question (and pretty much spoil a little bit of the surprise), they will appear it's just that I have to think of a way for their appearances to be good and not a Deus Ex Machina. I mean, sure, the Doom games explain that Doomguy chased Hell through time and different dimensions, but I still need to make sure the additional badasses are introduced in a good way.
Thank you for the kind words, buddy.
Zero: OK! it's a nice start, only one comment is that Equilibrium was with Christian Bale not Keanu Reeves. Unless you were thinking John Wick. Update soon!
Me: LOL, I know! I was like "Waitaminute! Was it Keanu Reeves or Christian Bale?" Then I checked Equilibrium again and I pretty much facepalmed hard and corrected my end AN last chapter.
Guest 2: Celestine my dear, trust me that your 300 years of war with your nemesis/ex-friend are nothing compared to the shithole Doomguy had been through.
I can only imagine how priceless the 7 Shield Princess' faces would be after hearing Flynn's reason to become what the Hell Legion fear.
Because their brethren was too stupid to kill his precious pet rabbit Daisy, lol.
Me: Believe me; I'll have a fun time writing that part.
Guest 3: Damn this is one fine work you created here son
Me: Thank you, dude.
Guest 4: I just hope that doomguy will be able to introduce his chainsaw to volt's crotch.
Me: I'm pretty sure everyone's thinking of that way of death.
LL: Hm seem interesting for a starting chapter, Vult and his minions days are numbered and I suspected the demons of hell are going be in the middle of all this in the near future, all the more to RIP and TEAR!
Me: RIP AND TEAR, FELLOW DOOMER!
dovahkiinsei: please update. would love to see moar chapters
Me: DEUS VULT! (Translation: God wills it!) Here is your chapter, citizen.