Chapter 26: AND THOSE THAT TASTED…
"Are you fuckin' retarded?" Angel inquired, sidling up to the elderly villager. "You died. So you'd know that you're in Hell. I don't think it's something that can just 'skip by' your mind, pal."
The villager's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.
"You seem to have a mouth on you, boy. I suggest you watch what you say when dealing with people in the future."
Angel Dust snickered, leaning down and putting his face in the villager's.
"Yeah? And what exactly are ya gonna do about it, old man?"
As this conversation ensued, Husk got a really bad feeling about the villager's warnings, and elbowed Angel Dust in the shoulder.
"Ow! The fuck was that for, asshat?!" Angel hissed at Husk, who was grimacing.
"You need to keep your goddamn mouth shut." Husk hissed back. "If you're gonna approach every single friendly we meet like this, we're gonna have problems, kid."
Angel grinded his teeth in anger.
"Who do ya think you are, you owl fuck?"
"I think I'm the guy who's gotta deal with a coked up rookie that's never learned humility. Now's the perfect fuckin' time to demonstrate it."
Just as he finished the sentence, he heard heavy footsteps from behind him. He didn't have to turn around to know whose presence it was.
The Doom Slayer walked past the two and up to the villager, who eyes widened in bewilderment. He visibly shook in place.
"Wh-Who are you?" The villager muttered. The Doom Slayer was silent, electing instead to stare him down.
"The Doom Slayer would like to know why you believe we are not, in fact, located in a hellish dimension." VEGA spoke up.
The villager gulped.
"U-Um, well...I still am not sure why you all are so...determined on the idea that we are in Hell. While I myself am not too sure as to where we are, this land is known as the Interchange."
"The interchange?"
The villager's nerves began to settle a bit.
"Erm...yes. If you didn't see it, the lands here are very...uneven. The weather patterns, landscape, animals; Everything is different. Hence, the 'Interchange'."
"Have you ever gone outside of these lands?"
"Er, not to be rude, Lord Slayer-" Husk began. He had heard the other soldiers referring to the Doom Slayer in this manner, and since he wanted to get in good with the soldiers, he decided to follow suit. "But, why do we need this information? Shouldn't we be hauling ass to that portal to close it as soon as possible?"
"Portal?" The elder villager inquired. "What portal?"
"This conversation is getting off-topic." Hayden interrupted, traipsing up to the group. The villager was taken aback more than before.
"How many giants are in this group?!" He muttered in terror.
"If we are not in a plane of hell, tell us where we are." Hayden demanded, pointing a robotic finger at the villager, who leered back in bewilderment.
"Uh, um...you're in...well, I haven't a clue! But this can't be Hell."
"And why do you say that?"
"I was born and raised in this land, and I can assure you that my existence was not one of pain and suffering, as Hell would suggest. Nor am I a demon of any sort."
"Then is it possible this plane of existence is similar to the Kadingir Sanctum?" VEGA piped up. "Where it may have hellish qualities, but it is not actually 'Hell'?"
"That may be the case." Hayden surmised. "So this would qualify as an 'alien' dimension."
"Well, to me, you all are the aliens." The villager mumbled.
"Very well." Hayden said with a sigh. "We will gain no more useful information out of this encounter, I'm sure. At least, not that we need to know. We must hasten ourselves to the portal."
He turned back to see Charlie speaking with villagers that were emerging out of the various houses and cottages within the village.
"The Princess is going to want to hear this. Let us rest here for a few hours while we thoroughly discuss the next step in our plan."
"WHAT?" Princess Charlie screeched, slapping her hands onto the table. She would have found that fun to do if she were not absolutely shocked right now. "What do you mean, this isn't Hell?!"
Haiden gestured to the air with one hand.
"Well, it's quite simple, really. This is actually an alien dimension."
"A what?!" Charlie's voice peaked in confusion.
"As skeptical as I am, that sounds stupid as fuck." Vaggie interjected, as she was also sitting at the round table with Hayden, Doom Guy (VEGA had told her to call him that), and the rest of the 'Task Force' members.
"I mean, I'd say it makes sense." Husk interjected. "I mean, come on. 'Overpopulation'? If we actually got sent to Hell, I don't think they'd have a rooming problem if they're meant for the eternal damnation of every sinner on Earth. You gotta have a few fuckin' rooms to contain someone for good."
"Yeah, I gotta agree." Angel Dust pitched in. "I never really fell for this whole 'damnation' thing, anyways. Ya know? I don't think I'm sufferin' that much, 'ta be honest."
Charlie was miffed to notice those two vehemently defending VEGA and Hayden's conclusions, even if they had a point. Then again, did she herself really want this place to be Hell? If it turned out not to be Hell…
Then she wouldn't be a...demon?
"Furthermore," Hayden continued. "We have to avoid any more confrontaaaations with demonic forces before we get to the portal. We cannot afford any more casualties."
Charlie's anger began to surge as he mentioned casualties.
You should be the LAST person that should be talking about lives, She thought in rage.
"You hypocrite."
Everyone's heads turned towards her, including Hayden's. She didn't realize she had impulsively said it out loud. She couldn't back down now. With fiery eyes, she slammed one hand to the table and pointed her finger at Hayden with the other.
"You heard me. You're a hypocrite! Through all the battles we went through on the way here, you decided to spend the lives of those men, my soldiers included, like you were gambling at a casino!"
"The hell are you talkin' about?" Husk mumbled, though he was definitely not going to be the person to confront her.
"I have been wondering this entire trip as to why it feels like we're being led on a death march." Charlie continued. "And I'm starting to wonder if you actually care about their lives!"
"And how have I demonstrated a lack of empathyyyyyy for our infantry, Miss Charlotte?" Hayden inquired, crossing one arm across his chest while sitting his other arm on top of it, rubbing his bionic chin. This subtle movement only served to anger Charlie even more, as if he was trying to mock her intentions.
"You fuckin…" She muttered, trying to rake her mind for examples to prove her point. "This whole time, having all these 'technological innovations' you keep prattling on about, and you couldn't make something to...I don't know...keep them alive?"
"Is that not what Miss Niffty's role is for?" Hayden pointed out, much to Charlie's chagrin.
"Well...what about protection or something? You know, like shields or a force field or…"
"The Task Force was desiiiiigned so that our regular infantry would not be taking up the attention of the demonic forces, Miss Charlotte." He stated. "You are a part of that force, if I may mention. Why are you now having problems with our expedition?"
Now that he was countering every one of her points, Charlie could only feel frustrated, as she couldn't provide a definitive answer as to why she was pissed at Hayden. And yet, she was almost deadset that Hayden was failing to give the soldiers the most amount of protection and care that was necessary. If only…
"Miss Charlotte," Hayden began. "I have no intentions to needlessly sacrifice the very men and women who protect us for these petty battles. Each and every death is a step towards saving YOUR dimension and quite possibly oooooooooooouuuuuuurs. Every decision I make assists in maximizing our damage to the enemy and minimizing our casualties. But since we are waging battle against some of the worst, most viiiiile, most dangerous creatures we have encountered, it is simply inevitable that we will suuuufffeeeeer a number of casualties-"
"Mr. Hayden, she does actually raise a good point, though." VEGA interjected. "There is one particular discrepancy I have noted: The Crucible is still in your hands."
Though Charlie had no idea what VEGA was talking about, Hayden turned his head to VEGA almost in alarm.
"That is none of anyone's concern, VEGA-"
"Last I remember, you took it from the Doom Slayer when you pushed him through that interdimensional portal, yes?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Hayden, who was still as a statue. Charlie noticed the Doom Slayer begin to walk over to Hayden menacingly.
"This is not a matter of importance, and that event is in the past. It is essential that the Crucible stay under my supervision."
"Why is that, Mr. Hayden?"
"If the Doom Slayer were to use it in combat and lose it by some way, it would be catastrophic if the enemy laid their hands upon it-"
No sooner was he able to utter another word before the Slayer pulled his leg from under him, causing the bionic body to collapse to the ground. Before he could get up, the Slayer stood over him, holding him by the neck. His helmet came close to Hayden's head beams, and Hayden could see the outline of a very angry face behind the visor.
|| I AM A WARRIOR. I DO NOT LOSE MY WEAPONS. ||
"Wait!" Hayden interjected, raising his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Even if that were not the case, we still do not know how fragile the Crucible is."
"Fragile?" VEGA asked.
"Yes. I myself have not used the sword against anyone. If it turns out that this swooooord is, as one might say, 'made of glass', then its astonishing annihilation power must be put to use against oooonly the woooorst enemy."
As this confrontation was ensuing, Angel Dust turned to Husk.
"I have no fuckin' clue what's goin' on right now, but it seems pretty entertainin'." He said.
"I must have Alzheimer's, because I don't fuckin' remember askin'."
Hayden scooted out from underneath the Slayer and stood up.
"I shall offer you a deal, Slayer." Hayden began. "If we should come across a foe that could very likely be the end of us, then I shall offer you the Crucible to strike it down, as is necessary."
The Slayer stared at Hayden for what seemed like hours, before eventually growling in anger and walking off. Hayden seemed to emit a metallic sigh of relief.
"Alright." He said. "Let us consolidate for a bit longer, then we shall depart."
A few hours later, after they had recently departed from the village, the expedition was silent, as they had all been informed by VEGA that they would soon be upon the portal, at least according to the immense spike in demonic energy from VEGA's data readers.
Soldiers fiddled with their weaponry, and support personnel were desperately working on last-minute improvements to both Task Force weaponry and other technology at hand.
The Doom Slayer and Charlie were in the middle of the formation, with the Doom Slayer sharpening his various edged weapons and maintaining his rifles and other firearms. Charlie had spent the good part of many days watching him work at it.
She was amazed at how committed he was to the task. There was never a falter in his movement, nor a lack of motivation or conviction. Every scrape of the whetstone was precise and aggressive, as if he was trying to speed up the process of maintenance. He looked over his weapons with precision, never missing a spot to clean or a barrel to sift. With every shot he loaded, there was malice covering each and every bullet, as if he had a demon's name imprinted on every single shot.
It was...captivating to her. She hoped that she could hold a conversation with him one day, to find out about his past and his personality. She was so deeply curious as to what his personality was like. And despite all the trauma he put her through, it somewhat faded away after she found out that everyone he had killed came back.
And since all the people she knew were assigned to different carriers, she was left to her thoughts and her view of the Slayer.
Meanwhile, Adams and Annie, who were yet again at the front of the formation alongside Moxxie and Millie, stared out at the clouds they hovered above, filled with suspense. Nobody was saying a word.
Except, of course, Millie.
"I wonder what kind of demons they're gonna have at the final boss fight." She pondered aloud, with Moxxie rubbing his temple in frustration. She had been ranting for the past hour about the upcoming battle.
"I don't know, Millie, but maybe we should keep quiet so we can-"
"Wait!" Millie said in surprise. Moxxie turned his head up to her in alarm.
"W-What?!"
"Do you think we'll be fighting like HUGE monsters? Or do you think the boss is gonna be like some evil skull, or maybe like a floating head, or maybe-"
Moxxie began subtly playing Russian Roulette with a revolver as Millie continued ranting. Adams was watching the couple, and secretly hoped that he and Annie would not be like that in the future.
"Sheesh, good thing I'm not that type of girl." Annie muttered.
"Goddamnit, I love you." Adams said, of which Annie blushed.
"You're so forward, Riley."
Adams smiled. He looked out at the horizon once more. Despite his calm demeanor, he was inwardly freaking out. Now that he had things to lose, the last thing he wanted to do was get involved in a huge fight that could cost his life, and this time he had no idea where he would end up. He was hoping that his role as an artillery pointer would keep him at the back of the battle alongside Annie and that other girl-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Adams didn't even have a moment to process what was happening. One moment, he was in deep thought in the carrier, and the next moment he was plummeting through the air towards the ground.
In his flashes of panic, he could see hundreds of other demons and humans falling from the sky, as well as several broken pieces of wrecked carriers falling alongside them.
Please, I don't want to die, Adams thought in desperation. I don't want to die I don't want to die I DON'T WANT TO DIE PLEASE GOD PLEASE LORD DON'T LET ME FUCKING DIE-
WHOOOMPF!
He heard a huge splash, and in the next moment, he was seeing a trail of bubbles. He had miraculously landed in some water. Pushing down his panic, he began swimming up frantically towards the surface, seeing several other things land in the water, including wreckage. After scraping by with his life, the last thing he wanted was to get crushed by a falling piece of metal.
"HHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He gasped for air several times as his lungs were starved of oxygen. He looked around frantically, seeing people and wreckage still falling from the clouds, smashing into the giant lake he was swimming in.
Meanwhile, the Slayer, who had seen a wall of fire coming towards the expedition before it hit, had grabbed Charlie and jumped off the carrier, flying towards the ground below. He had also slammed into the water, and was swimming rapidly towards the shore, holding a coughing Charlie in one arm.
"Wh-What the hell happened?!" She sputtered in between fits of gasping and coughing.
The Slayer swam ashore, looking up to ensure no wreckage would fall on him. He sidestepped several huge chunks of metal as they crashed into the sand bank, making his way up a steep hill. He knew what was on the other side.
Eventually, after avoiding many more chunks of metal falling from the sky, he came upon the crest of the hill, and the sight that awaited him filled him with a caustic, black rage.
Miles upon miles of empty, flat fields, all of them cluttered with Gore Nests and demons of every kind. The skies were polluted with Revenants and flying bat-like demons, as well as Lost Souls, Cacodemons and Summoners, who were flying around wildly and cackling.
And beyond all of that, in the far back, was an upwards cliff where a colossal portal sat, with demons spilling out of the portal in droves, all of them screaming and howling in raucous, twisted joy.
And flying above that portal...was HIM.
|| THE ICON OF SIN. ||
The skull cackled loudly, reaching the Slayer's ears.
"W-E-L-C-O-M-E | S-L-A-Y-E-R."
The Slayer's fist tightened in a ball of wrath and anger.
"I
H
A
V
E
B
E
E
N
W
A
I
T
I
N
G
F
O
R
Y
O
U
.
"
Author's Notes
- The next chapter is going to take just a little bit longer to get out, since there will be a lot of writing for these final few chapters. Though it shouldn't take as long as it took THIS chapter to come out. So prepare for some kick-ass material coming up!
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