Pre-Chapter Notes
- To alert people that have already read this chapter, I deleted the last chapter and put in the new one. That's because I re-edited the fight scene (for those that have already read this chapter, skip to that part to read the new action and dialogue included)
- To those that were hyped for a new chapter but only got a repeat, do not worry: The next chapter is coming out VERY soon to make up for this.
Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 24: SEEKING VENGEANCE AGAINST…
After a few hours, the expedition packed up once more and began moving in the direction of the Doom Slayer, according to Hayden's predictions. Now that everyone realized just how integral the Doom Slayer was to their survival, their first priority was finding him and sticking with him.
Angel had returned the demons that had helped them in the battle back to where they came from with another incantation.
"Call us back if you need us anytime in the future." One of them, a very tall and well-dressed female, had said. "We are always willing to fight to preserve what we have down here."
And with that, the last of them vanished into thin air, having gone back to where they had come from.
As the expedition continued forward in a number of minutes, having flown back up into the sky, they deployed certain soldiers to keep track of the land below them, to prevent another surprise attack. However, as they were passing through the terrain, they reported that several of the demonic outposts stationed were shredded completely, likely the result of the Doom Slayer passing by.
"We need him with us…" One of the soldiers muttered as they flew over the decimated remains. "We need the Doom Slayer with us…"
And after a few more dozen or so minutes of flying, there was shouting at the front of the formation.
"Who is screaming over the communications line, and why?" Hayden's sharp voice came through the comms.
"WE FOUND HIM! WE FOUND THE DOOM SLAYER! THANK GOD!"
The radios were momentarily filled with the sounds of the expedition crew yipping and cheering in excitement. Adams, who had spent the majority of the flight groaning in mild pain as the searing burns from the earlier battle were still stinging, decided to peek over the transporter vehicle. His eyebrows furrowed.
The Doom Slayer was just...standing. And before him, a vast sea of fog permeated the ground in front of him.
And thus, the expedition flew down to the ground a dozen or so meters behind the Doom Slayer, departing from their floating boats and running over to the Doom Slayer.
Charlie wasn't sure how to feel as she saw both demons and UAC personnel kneeling before him, weapons in hand. It seemed as if the Doom Slayer had amassed his own fanatical army without much effort.
But that didn't matter to Charlie. She could tolerate all of this, as long as the end goal remained, and these monsters they were fighting were purged from this Hell for good.
"Lord Slayer," One of the demon soldiers spoke up. "May I ask what you are looking at?"
Lord Slayer?! Charlie thought in offense. That stung. It really seemed as if no one cared about the authority of the Princess of Hell after all.
And yet, the Slayer did not answer, instead keeping his gaze on the dense fog before them. Hayden, who had climbed out of his own transporter and walked over, was also keeping his eye on the fog.
"The Doom Slayer may be sensing a demonic presence within this fog." He said ominously. "And it may be one that we must destroy."
"It doesn't matter what we face!" One UAC personnel shouted. "As long as the Doom Slayer is leading us!"
His outcry was met with a roar of approval and shouts from the rest of the soldiers, who raised their weapons into the air. Hayden looked back at his UAC soldiers and emitted what could be perceived to be a frustrated sigh.
"Your loyalties shifted easily, didn't they?" He muttered. "No matter."
He pointed to Angel, Charlie, and the rest of the 'Task Force' that he had issued the suits to. That's what he called them now, 'Task Force Members'.
"Gather round." He ordered. They all came forward in their suits. "I intend to reiterate your roles once more, so that you understand what you will be doing in order to assist in combating the demonic forces."
"Get on with it, then." Angel huffed. He was pissed because the suit, which was supposed to 'form around his frame', did not consider the tuft of fur on his chest to be 'frame', and so had stuffed it against his chest, which was pretty uncomfortable for him.
After Hayden gave him the stink eye (or the robot equivalent), he diverted his attention back to the group.
"Miss Charlotte and Annie are the heads of the sniper team. In any engagement, and if you can do it beforehand, you find a place with high ground and a good view of the battlefield. You will be keeping overwatch, taking out key figures or dangerous combatants on the enemy side. You will also report to me, the Doom Slayer and Captain Benson of the current situation on the battlefield or otherwise on an occasional basis."
Charlie and Annie nodded their heads. Both of them had been given as much training as was possible when they chose their suits by both Hayden and Benny's sniper specialists. They had a pretty standard understanding of the weapons by now, but that now meant they had to practice and get used to these roles as time went on.
"Husk, Angel: You two are the head of the machine-gunners team. That means you have control of the main source of our firepower (besides the Doom Slayer). You will coordinate to find where the enemy is most strong or most weak, and decide which would be better to focus your fire towards. You will also report to me, the Doom Slayer and Captain Benson on the situation with your team, the battlefield, the enemy and yourselves."
Husk and Angel nodded. And as Charlie had noticed, for the first time she had ever seen, Husk had a big smile on his face.
"I feel like I'm back in 'Nam." He said with a chuckle. "This old dog still has some kick to him!"
Hayden then turned his attention towards Vaggie and Captain Benny.
"You two have a very important task ahead of you, as it has been outlined beforehand to you. As shock troops, you will be 'cavalry' of this expedition. The only two, in fact, besides the Doom Slayer. You are expected to find weak points within the demonic forces and break through them, slaughtering as many of the most dangerous and most valued on the side of the enemy, then retreat quickly before they gather up and overrun you. Whenever you are NOT breaking through enemy lines, you are protecting our valued assets, which include the sniper team, the heavy artillery radioman, and the field medic."
"And what about the Doom Slayer?" Vaggie asked him. "How do we help him? Should we stay by him during the cavalry charges?"
Hayden emitted a very resounding laugh.
"You can try. Would you garner that the Slayer needs help in his slaying?"
Vaggie fell silent after that question. Hayden then turned towards Niffty and Adams.
"Miss...Nifty," He began. "You are the field medic. I believe your job is relatively self-explanatory. Stay close to each team whenever you can. Since you are our ONLY field medic, I had created a sort of 'all-in-one' healing device."
He turned towards one of the expedition members and beckoned with his bionic hand. The UAC researcher rushed forward, unfurling something out of a duffel bag and handing it to Hayden, who then presented it to Niffty.
It was a device in the shape of a blunderbuss. However, the end of the device had four little prongs with pads at the end of them.
"This medical device has five functions: Biogel, Surgery, Stabilizer, Synthesis and Microbots. The 'Biogel' option is where you place the end of the barrel of the device against the patient and hold the trigger down. The biogel, which is a coagulant and light tissue repair adhesive, will pool at the end of the barrel like glue. You will then drag the end of the barrel against all parts of the wound, which are limited only to lacerations and burns. The 'Surgery' option is for deep wounds, stabs, or anything that causes internal problems within the body. You will place the four prongs on the area around the wound, and then pull the trigger, and the end of the barrel will begin doing surgery at a very fast pace. Keep in mind that you cannot pull away or move the device or you will rip out the small tools in the midst of their work, which will not be very good for the patient's health or pain."
Niffty bobbed her head up and down.
"Yes, sir!" She exclaimed, saluting him.
"...As I was saying. The 'Stabilizer' option should only be used when a patient is in critical condition, as in dying or in shock. You will once more press the prongs against either the patient's chest, arms or legs. The end of the barrel will administer small doses of epinephrine and another solution I concocted for the demons that will stabilize their internal systems and prevent immediate death. As for the 'Synthesis' option: You should only use this option if the patient at hand is missing large parts of their flesh, bone, muscle and/or sinew. In other words, if the patient has a large hole in their body from getting impaled, you will place the end of the barrel against the wound, and pull the trigger. The end of the barrel will then deploy chunks of synthetic flesh, which will bond with the patient's current flesh and create copies of the same type of skin, muscle, cartilage, etcetera and mold against it."
"Holy fucking shit," Angel interjected. "How much shit can that gun do?"
"And finally," Hayden continued, ignoring Angel. "The 'Microbots' option. You will place the prongs around an area where a vein is exposed. Once that is done, press the barrel against the vein and pull the trigger. The barrel will prick the skin and enter the vein with a small syringe, and inject a cluster of microscopic bots that will speed up the general healing process of the body."
"Oh, so there's no medical explanation behind that option?" Angel said snarkily. Hayden turned his two beaming blue slits towards Angel.
"We do not have time for every little point of banter you want to share."
Angel was about to respond to that, then failed to find something snarky enough to respond with. And so, he fell into a pouting silence. Hayden turned back to Niffty.
"You only have a limited amount of Biogel, Synthetic Flesh, Stabilizer fluid and Microbots. Do not overuse this device, use it sparingly. Only on those with serious wounds."
Niffty bobbed her head up and down once more.
"I will be a very responsible field medic!" She declared. Hayden handed her the device, and her eyes shined brightly as she looked over it.
"Now," Hayden said, standing up. "For the last role. Adams-"
He turned to Adams, who had spaced out on most of the conversation. He snapped back to reality once Hayden turned the intimidating gaze upon him.
"Y-Yes?" He responded.
"You are the Heavy Ordnance radioman. Your role is to find the biggest volume of demonic forces and coordinate the artillery to fire on those positions."
"Wait, artillery?" Adams questioned. "I didn't see any artillery when we were on the boats."
Hayden turned around, facing his UAC personnel, and beckoned them towards the transporter vehicles. They ran over and began dismantling the vehicles in big parts, then reassembling them within seconds. Adams watched in amazement as the transporter vehicles turned from floating boats into smaller, similar versions of Howitzers, mortar placements and futuristic-looking artillery pieces.
"Holy shit." Adams muttered. "What kind of advancements has mankind made since I died?"
Hayden turned back to him.
"Not enough." He responded. "Back to the point: We will have a number of crew members man these artillery pieces. You will coordinate their bombing positions through this."
He reached into the same duffel bag that had the medical device in it and brought out another device that looked similar to a large iPad. He handed it to Adams, who looked over the device.
"That," Hayden started. "Will map out the terrain before you. You will be required to find a very high ground with a clear view, the same as the snipers, in order to scan the large area before you. Once that is finished, a three-dimensional hologram map will come from the screen, which is interactable and will allow you to pinpoint very specific locations on the map. You will press on these positions, use your fingers to widen or lessen the area of bombardment, then initiate the attack by telling the artillery team to fire on that specific position."
With every word that Hayden spoke, Adams began to get more and more excited as he looked over the device.
"Wait, so wherever I press, and with just a few words, I can level any part of the battlefield?!"
Hayden nodded his head.
"This is a very trusting position I have offered you. I expect you to carry your duty out with the utmost responsibility. In fact, it is most important to YOU that you understand where the rest of the expedition crew is so that you do not fire on any friendlies at any time."
Adams' face grew serious. Perhaps it was the sudden responsibility he was given, or the implications of the job he had, but he had suddenly changed his demeanor. He carried the device under one arm.
"I won't let you down." He stated. Hayden nodded his head.
"I wish we had time to practice all of this, but we may be facing a very great enemy right now."
"What makes you say that?" Charlie asked him. Hayden looked to the Doom Slayer, who was still standing there, looking into the fog.
"The Doom Slayer never pauses at the opportunity of killing demons. If he has stopped, it is because there is a great threat in front of us. He has paused not for his own well-being, but for ours."
Charlie was taken aback from hearing that sentiment. She had never once before thought that the Doom Slayer actually was looking out for her and the others, especially considering that they were demons. She wasn't sure how to feel from hearing this, but decided to stay silent.
Hayden walked up to the ridge with the Doom Slayer, overlooking the fog.
"I will deploy some fog clearance, if you so wish to view what is within."
"If we want to keep the rest of this expedition alive, we should revert those artillery pieces back into transporters and evacuate as soon as we can." VEGA beeped from the Doom Slayer.
"And why is that?" Hayden inquired.
"Clear the fog, and you may see why."
While the sentence was foreboding, Hayden's ego won out. After all, having just set up all of these combat roles and devices, he was eager to watch them go to work.
"Hey, has anyone seen Seymour?"
As Hayden beckoned for UAC personnel to bring over the fog-clearing devices, Dusty was calling out for Seymour, asking other members of the expedition on his whereabouts.
"Even if this threat is sizable," Hayden persisted, taking up one of the fog-clearing devices, a small disk with holes in the sides. "I believe I have utilized a large enough force to combat it, especially with the Doom Slayer involved."
"Samuel Hayden," VEGA spoke up. "This is not a smart idea."
"Nonsense." Hayden insisted. "I want to see my technology utilized, for fuck's sake!"
"Seymour! Where are you?!" Dusty continued shouting, his panic growing more and more as time went on.
"I thought he had gotten on another transporter." Steadman commented.
"I thought that, too." Bricks added in.
"So did I." Dusty murmured. "Where is he, for the love of God?"
Hayden pressed a small button on top of the disc, then tossed it out into the fog. He was followed by the other UAC, who began doing the same.
"SEYMOUR? WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Dusty shouted at the top of his lungs. Everyone else in the expedition crew was attempting to locate Seymour as well.
Finally, the fog was beginning to clear. And the sight before them was shocking.
Dozens- no, hundreds of Gore Nests littered the large, grassy, bloodied field before them. None of them seemed to be active, but the sight was nonetheless horrifying. Sculptures of bone, muscle, flesh and sinew, all arranged haphazardly around the area, all of them submerged in a very light pool of blood and gore.
"This is fucking disgusting!" Benny exclaimed, covering his mouth. "Who the hell would erect such a horrid display?!"
Hayden fell silent, and so VEGA answered his question.
"Demons. Demons from OUR dimension."
And just as that was said-
"Seymour?! Is that you?!"
Everyone looked to where Dusty was pointing, far across the giant field of gore, to another hill, which was slightly bigger than the one that the Doom Slayer and others were standing on. He seemed to be doing something next to a slightly taller, gray-skinned, well-dressed fellow.
"What the hell is going on over there?" Benny muttered. Even while squinting his eyes, he could just barely make out what Seymour and the other fellow were doing.
"Seymour? What are you doing all the way over there?"
Without hesitation, Dusty, followed by Steadman and Bricks, began running over towards Seymour, crossing the field of Gore Nests.
"They shouldn't do that, that is definitely not a smart idea." VEGA commented.
"What the hell are you idiots doing?!" Benny shouted at them. "Come back here, it's not safe!"
Meanwhile, Hayden turned around silently and hurried towards the artillery placements, beckoning his other UAC staff along with him.
"Seymour, you can't keep leaving us behind, dumbass!" Dusty shouted towards him as he tried to wallow through the gore and blood on the ground.
"Yeah, dude!" Steadman pitched in. "This isn't a one-man party. We gotta stick together or we'll get killed off!"
The Doom Slayer, who had been watching the entire ordeal, had his gaze set on Seymour, who was doing a blood ritual with the Hell Priest. His face turned back up, and the Doom Slayer could clearly see the corruption that was taking over.
His eyes were dilated, his sclera was gray, and his irises were blood-red. There were jagged lines running down his face and body, almost as if he were a ceramic doll that was about to break apart.
"Dusty...Steadman...Bricks…" Seymour choked out. "Don't...worry...I'm going…to keep...you...all...safe…"
The Hell Priest next to him finally finished the incantations he had been saying the entire time, raising and slamming his staff to the ground as he did so. Dark energy began to swirl around the area, flooding into the Gore Nests and swirling around his and Seymour's feet.
"Yes." Deag Crea cackled. "We will keep you safe."
And with that, he raised his staff high with both hands.
"What the hell are you doing, Seymour?!" Dusty shouted, trying to run faster through the field. Steadman and Bricks were beginning to lag behind. "Stop this! I don't know what you're doing, but it's clearly not good! Please, just-"
"It's…fine, Dusty..." Seymour choked out. Every word seemed to be a struggle to articulate. "It's just...a little...pain...to keep...you...safe…"
"DISMANTLE THE ARTILLERY, QUICKLY!" Hayden shouted. "BACK TO TRANSPORTERS!"
And then, the Hell Priest slammed down his staff.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A deafening, demonic scream shattered the atmosphere and echoed across the entire landscape as every single Gore Nest came alive at once. Only a few seconds after, demons of all types popped out of thin air, screaming and cackling and roaring.
"What the fuck did that imp do?!" Benny shouted, terrified of the sheer number of demons that were spawning in the field. He turned quickly around towards his soldiers. "MEN, READY YOURSELVES!"
Seymour turned to the Hell Priest, the ritual having finished.
"And my friends? Dusty, Steadman, Bricks?"
The Hell Priest smiled, revealing several discolored fangs.
"Of course, I will ensure they are safe."
And with that, he waved his staff around, then pointed it at Dusty, Steadman and Bricks. The black energy began to flow towards them, snaking through the fields.
"Seymour, what have you done?!" Dusty shouted. "This is not-"
The energy then pooled at their feet, swirling around them. The Hell Priest's smile grew wider than before.
"I will make sure they stay safe." He cackled.
And he raised his staff.
The dark energy then shot into Dusty, Steadman and Bricks, piercing their skin and flowing into every orifice they had.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
They began to scream in agony, collapsing to the ground while they writhed in excruciating pain.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Seymour cried, turning to the Hell Priest.
"I'm ensuring their safety."
"THEY'RE SCREAMING, YOU FUCKIN' SHITHEAD!"
And they continued to scream. The dark energy began to pulse all over them. Their skin began to flake and crack. Their eyes turned pitch-black, and their teeth grew into elongated fangs. Their hands morphed into long, sharp claws, and the uniforms they were wearing tore apart as they began to grow in size. Their horns elongated and curved backwards.
As their screams turned into growls, Seymour watched in horror and despair as his friends turned into unrecognizable monsters.
"What...have you done...you...fucking…" Seymour cried, falling to his knees. The Hell Priest grinned even wider.
"In the state they are, they are almost completely invulnerable. The only way they can die now is if the Icon of Sin loses its power. They are...Hellhounds."
And without another word, he pointed his staff towards the Doom Slayer and the rest of his crew. The demonic forces, along with the former Dusty, Steadman and Bricks turned their sickly, red eyes towards them.
And they charged.
Upon seeing the overwhelming force of enemies charging at them, Benny turned around quickly, seeing Hayden assisting with the assembly of the transporters.
"HOW LONG TILL IT'S FINISHED?!" He shouted to Hayden over the cacophony of screams, howls and cackling of the demonic horde coming at them.
"We just started! Hold off the demonic forces for as long as you can until we finish!"
"How the hell are we going to stop all-"
Before Benny could finish the question, the Doom Slayer launched himself from the ground, unsheathing a very special weapon.
VvvvvvvvvRRRRRRR-
And he pulled the trigger.
BWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
An enormous green shot of energy catapulted from the BFG-9000, completely annihilating the first wave of demons in front of him. However, just as he landed on the ground, demons had already replaced most of those numbers from the sheer amount of spawning occurring around the Gore Nests.
But that did not matter to the Doom Slayer.
He jumped into the fray of combat, wielding both a chainsaw and an LMG as he blased and hacked his way through the masses of demons. A cacodemon, who had snuck up behind him, attempted to enclose its maw around him.
BLAM!
The Doom Slayer, in his ballet of demonic slaughter, had already blown the Cacodemon's face off by the time the demon was able to process its own demise. Meanwhile, more powerful demons began to emerge from the Gore Nests. Benny, who had been watching the Doom Slayer, noticed these demons, and began calling up his soldiers.
"FORM A LINE! HELP THE DOOM SLAYER! FIRE ON ANY DEMONS CAUSING PROBLEMS FOR HIM!"
The soldiers were shaking in their boots as they watched the literal waves of demons wash over the Doom Slayer, only to be hacked, shot and exploded to bits.
"SOLDIERS! GET THE FUCK UP AND HELP HIM OUT!"
Benny's shouting shattered the fearful trance that kept the soldiers paralyzed, and with much apprehension, they climbed up the hill and began firing upon the hordes of demons.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BRRRRRT-BRRRRT!
BOOOOOOM!
Even with all their firepower, the hordes only seemed to grow in numbers, all of them completely focused on taking down the Doom Slayer, who had become almost a mirage at this point with how fast he was moving around. And despite the overwhelming forces almost piling on top of him, he never seemed to take any hits. If a Baron threw a fireball, he picked up a Possessed and threw him in the way. If a Hell Knight tried to ram into him, he hopped over it and brought the chainsaw down vertically, sawing all the way through the demon.
"How the fuck is he still alive?!" One soldier commented. "He must a god!"
Whiiiiizzzz-
BOOOOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Without warning, parts of the hill began to blow up as soldiers were being tossed around by sudden explosions. Benny looked around the battlefield for the source, and noticed a ton of demons flying around in the air, with elongated bodies, flying around with what seemed to be jetpacks, rocket launchers attached to the sides. The rockets poured out, flying towards both the Doom Slayer and the soldiers on the hill.
BWIP!
One of the Revenants suddenly jerked backwards as something smashed through its head, before flying around wildly and impacting into the ocean of demons below, sending body parts flying in every direction.
"I got your backs!"
Benny looked to see Charlie standing a few meters to the other side of the hill, having kneeled to take the sniper shot. She groaned.
"God, that still kicks!"
BWIP!
Another sniper round went through another Revenant, this time hitting one of the rocket launcher deployers. The Revenant turned into a red mist as the entire arsenal of rockets exploded, and gore rained over the battlefield.
"Me, too!" Annie suddenly piped up, having knelt next to Charlie.
"Well SHIT!"
Benny looked to his left, seeing Angel cocking his machine gun.
"If they're gonna jump into the fray, I want to get in the guts!"
He was followed by Husk, who was already laying into the hordes heavily with the heavy machine gun, the string of bullets slung over his shoulder.
BRT-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T!
The cascade of bullets smashed through several lesser demons, with Husk hooting and hollering in absolute joy as he rained hell.
"FUCK YEAH, MOTHERFUCKERS!" He shouted in ecstacy.
"We might as well try and help along, too."
Benny looked down to his immediate right, hearing the familiar voice of Vaggie, who had prepped her electric shield and flaming sword. Benny's face became serious as he raised his own shield and sword.
"I suppose we must."
And with that, they ran down the hill, shouting their battle cries, bashing and slashing through the thick mesh of lesser demons.
The Doom Slayer was in his own world of slaughter. Rage had filled his every last pore as each and every demon he slaughtered only drove his bloodlust further. The demons began to meld together as one, big, ugly red sea, and he was intent on drinking every last drop.
Of course, the larger demons were a much bigger problem to the others on his side.
"WATCH OUT!"
"FUCK, THERE'S SO MANY OF THEM!"
"HOLY SHIT, DID THAT GUY JUST SHOOT A LASER OUT OF HIS ARM?!"
Soldiers cried out in terror as they were ravaged almost as badly as the demonic forces being killed in droves by the Doom Slayer. Hell Razers pointed their arms at the line and dragged their lasers across the hill, searing several soldiers in half; Prowlers hopped out of the mesh of demonic forces to rip apart other soldiers that had strayed too far towards the sea of demons, only to hop back into the mesh once they were being fired at; Barons of Hell were throwing fireball after fireball at Charlie, Annie, Angel, Husk and the others who were committing to their roles, making their jobs a lot harder to carry out. Niffty darted around the hill, administering medical treatment at breakneck pace.
"HereIhavesomehealingforYOUandYOUandYOUANDYOUANDYOUAND-"
She rambled on as she went around fixing every broken bone, healing every open wound, mending every deep laceration and reasserting dismembered torsos back onto their lower bodies, which somehow miraculously worked.
And while all this carnage raged on, Adams was standing on top of a hill adjacent to the main one, having still not figured out how to fucking turn on the device in his hands.
"GODDAMNIT, FUCKING TURN ON!" He shouted in absolute fury at the device, fiddling heavily with every possible part of the device that looked like a button. Hayden started noticing what he was doing and tried to run over to him, shouting.
"STOP MESSING AROUND WITH THAT DEVICE! DON'T USE IT WHILE WE'RE CONVERTING THE MORTAR PLACEMENTS!"
Bwoop!
The screen suddenly turned on, and the entire screen was filled with red marks.
"Overriding manual mortar fire to automatic. Fire on these coordinates?"
"W-Wait, no! How do I reset?!" Adams shouted, hearing Hayden's cries for him to stop.
He fiddled more with the device, and pressed more buttons in a desperate attempt to revert the changes he made.
"Coordinates confirmed. Firing on these positions."
"WAIT, SHIT! NO NO NO NO! DON'T FIRE, DON'T FUCKING-"
And suddenly, every single artillery placement that hadn't been dismantled yet turned their barrels upwards. Adams turned pale as he looked down to see where they were firing.
The entire map had been highlighted.
"Firing on these coordinates."
"Oh, fuck."
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Hundreds upon hundreds of mortar bombs were shot into the air, arcing up into the sky, disappearing behind the clouds above them. Hayden, who witnessed this, turned two very red beams on Adams.
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"
He turned around to see everyone still fighting against the hordes of demons, and pulled up his communications channel.
"THIS IS A MESSAGE TO ALL PERSONNEL: EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY! PULL OUT OF COMBAT NOW! NOW!"
He watched the soldiers, along with his task force receive the message, and they began to pull out of the battle, running back towards the mortar placements. Many lesser demons chased after them, along with a few Revenants, Barons, Hell Knights and Prowlers.
Just as the mortars came raining down upon the landscape.
BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Sound had cut out for Adams as the bombs fell and impacted into the landscape, completely covering everything within sight with explosions and smoke.
No...not again…
He began receiving flashbacks to that awful, terrible day in Imp City.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeee…
His ears rang. His mouth was completely dry as he had inhaled smoke and ash. His eyes were crusted over with dust, and he was unable to comprehend his surroundings.
"Help...Help...Help…"
It was all he could cry in his moments of terror. He could not see, nor hear, nor feel his surroundings. He was completely cut off from his senses, and this terrified him more than anything.
The feeling that he was going to be shot, or stabbed, or run over, or blown up, either by the Demon Slayer or someone else entirely...it was unbearable.
"...Adams...Adams...Adams!..."
Huh?
"Adams!...ADAMS!...ADAMS!"
And all at once, everything came back to him. The ringing had disappeared. The screams of those within Imp City pilfered his eardrums instead, along with the carnage that was being wrought along with it.
And standing over him...was Annie. Her tear-covered face, her beautiful flowing hair, her bright hazel eyes. She lowered her hand to him.
"I won't let you die, Mister Adams!" She shouted, as if in defiance of the situation around them. "I won't!"
Groggily, steadily, slowly, Adams drove himself with all the willpower inside of him to reach out and grab that hand.
Annie.
The ringing had disappeared. The bombs had stopped dropping.
For a moment...it was silent.
And then-
REEEEAAAAUUUUUGGGHHHH!
BRRRRT-BRRRRT-BRRRT!
"THE TRANSPORTERS ARE CONSTRUCTED! GET IN NOW, ALL OF YOU!"
A cacophony of noises jolted Adams back to reality. His eyes darted around as he watched the sheer chaos unfold before him. As the smoke began to clear, Adams noticed that the bombs had annihilated a large majority of the demons that had spawned, along with the Gore Nests. Soldiers were sprawled around the area, attempting to get up and walk around as they groaned from their disorientation.
"ADAMS!"
Adams looked to his left to see Annie running up the hill towards him, dust coating almost her entire body. Though the moment was inappropriate, he thought she looked cute even while covered in ash. She sprinted up the hill, stumbling several times, and tried to help him up, as he was lying on the ground, also covered in dust from head to toe.
"PLEASE, LET'S GET TO THE TRANSPORTERS!"
"...O-Okay…"
That was his only response as he went down the hill with her, back towards the transporter.
Meanwhile, Benny, who had also been severely disoriented by the blast, was just now trying to get up, as the impact of the bombs had thrown him several meters away. He noticed his subordinates running to the transporters, and in an effort to ensure that no man was left behind, he forced himself back up the hill, despite the raging headache he had and the ringing in his ears, to check the battlefield for any wounded soldiers.
| AND THE DOOM SLAYER WAS STILL RIPPING AND TEARING |
Benny could not comprehend the sight before him. Despite the sheer scale of the bombing that had taken place, and the Doom Slayer being in the middle of it, he looked as if he was completely unphased, and seemed to be fighting with even more rage and vigor than before.
"I...tried to fight...him?" He murmured.
"BENNY, COME ON!" Charlie shouted, grabbing him by the hand. "WE CAN'T WASTE ANY TIME! GET IN THE TRANSPORTERS!"
Benny nodded his head, almost as if he were trying to reassure himself. He took only a moment to scan the battlefield of which the Doom Slayer was on to find any wounded soldiers, but saw none. With that assured, he made a dash for the transporters, which were being filled by the second by panicking expedition crew members.
"FUCK, MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING!"
"LET'S GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"
"SHIT, I DROPPED MY LEGO MILLENIUM FALCON AGAIN!"
Personnel clambered on as the last transporter was rebuilt, and the boats began to take off into the air.
"SOMEONE'S GOTTA PICK UP THE DOOM SLAYER!" Adams shouted. The driver of his vehicle nodded, and brought the boat close to the hill where the Doom Slayer had been standing previously.
"GET ON, DOOM SLAYER!" Adams shouted, joined by Annie, Moxxie, Millie and the rest of those inside the transporter.
Without skipping a beat, the Doom Slayer disengaged from the fight, crushing, blasting and blowing up every demon that stood in his path as he ran for the transporter. Noticing where he was going, a few Imps began to throw fireballs at the transporter. The driver tried to dodge several of them, but took a few hits.
"QUICKLY, DOOM SLAYER!" Annie shouted, clearing the way for the Doom Slayer to get on.
And finally, as the Doom Slayer stepped on the head of an Imp, he catapulted onto the transporter.
"GO, GO, GO!" Adams shouted at the driver.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He shouted back, pulling up quickly and dodging a volley of fireballs narrowly. "AND FOR FUCK'S SAKE, PUT OUT THE FIRES ON MY VEHICLE!"
As they pulled into the air, Adams and Annie worked quickly with large towels to take out the fire that seemed to stick to parts of the transporter, while the Doom Slayer stood on the edge of the vehicle, firing his LMG at the Cacodemons that tried to follow. The last sight he had before they flew into the clouds was of Seymour writhing in agony and the Hell Priest cackling on the other side of the field.
"What the fuck was all that?!" Adams demanded, shuddering as he looked down at the sheer volume of demons moving around. The transporter was silent for a moment as no one posed an answer.
"That," VEGA spoke. "Is why we have to destroy the portal as soon as possible. If they manage to cross the boundary between this land into the mainland of your Hell before we can shut down the portal…"
The air was tense as he paused.
"...Then none of your demonkind are going to be left by the time we get back."