"Wakey wakey, sunshine!... Come on, kiddo. Don't make me slap you again. You are not a bitch, are you?"

A plethora of strange tastes invaded Braylon's open mouth, filling the lungs with enough fluids to make him cough. When the eyelids moved from their eyes, all he saw was a sea of red; a sea of blood. The brain connected the dots. Braylon began gagging until the fluids were pushed out from the lungs and stomach. A pair of stranger's feet sloshed impatiently.

"About damn time. I started thinking you were actually dead."

Staring at the faint reflections of both himself and this mysterious person, Braylon took note of the blatant arrogant streak in the latter's voice, so iconic in its own right that he wondered where had he heard it in his previous life as a Vault Hunter of Pandora. Wishing to see this eccentric unknow, he lifted his head to inspect it, only to drop his jaw open in utter shock.

Clad in a pair of grayish pants, this lonely figure, in a barren void where the blood of the fallen stretched into an endless ocean that mirrored the sky, stood defiantly and with an enviable confidence, that the Vault Hunter had no choice but to drag himself away from this might of a man. His own words failing him, the younger of the two tried to vocalize his bewilderment born of horror, managing to squeeze out few incomprehensible words.

"Yes, it's me. The one and only; Handsome Jack. How's it goin'?" it replied nonchalantly.

"B-bu-but-"

"Bu-bu-bu, ha?" Jack chuckled, "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Though in your case, Devil got your tongue might be more appropriate..."

Jack clapped his hands together. His disfigured, branded face cracked a smile that could induce shivers even to the bravest individuals mankind could offer.

"Let's cut the bullshit straight away. You, my dear boy, are fucked. Figuratively, not literally. This hunk doesn't swing that way."

Tremors muddled the blood around them as the ground seemed to split in half. Braylon grabbed the Pocket Rocket, but Jack wagged his finger in response.

"Nah-ah, wouldn't do that if I were you, unless you want little miss badass over here," from his breast pocket he produced a tiny yellow sphere of light, "to go "fwoosh"."

The trigger finger had to postpone its role, as Braylon pushed his will on his own body. Quickly getting the message, he let the gun fall. A lump formed in his throat, one that was hard to swallow.

"Gotta say, she could give Balloon Tits a run for her money with those knockers…" he coughed awkwardly, "Anyways, back to you… right. 'But Jack', I hear you already, 'How am I fucked? I am the super duper awesome Vault Hunter who kicks ass for a living and always saves the day'... Tell you what, kiddo. Today I'll be the one who will kick some ass, and I will kick it real hard. So hard, that my foot will get stuck up in there."

Behind the former president of Hyperion Corporation rose a pair of towers unmatched in size and flamboyance, casting a shadow over the two that stretched for a whole mile. They kept getting taller.

"See, after that bitch Lilith left me on the wrong side of the grass, I was thrown down here in, like, a second. Bam! Didn't even get a trial! Cue in the torture and screaming. But, and this is a big but. But, they gave me a deal. In exchange for me going back to Pandora and finish what I started, me and my buddies just have to kill you. Simple as that."

A whole structure surfaced, where the towers were only a minor detail when compared to the castle-sized object that was about to become as real as Braylon or Jack. Horrendous statues bearing motifs of ancient devils, of tortured mortals, and of an era long before mankind came to be, agonizing for the beholding eye, helped pointing out other, much finer, details of what could only be a forlorn cathedral dedicated to most blasphemous of practices. Polished, man-sized blocks of a hue no different than that of jade embraced massive windows of stained glass made by eldritch artisans, each depicting stories akin to ancient legends, whose figure and details could only be a result of an uneducated guess.

Courtyards materialized around the cathedral, divided by alien flora and unholy totems and paved with a wide assortment of jewels and stones the likes of which Braylon had never seen before. Some bushes with blue leaves rendered all further observation impossible, as they formed a dome around him and Jack, continuing into a path behind the latter's back.

"Awesome, ain't it? And you've barely seen anything. Go on a little tour, will ya? You might like your future graveyard."

With a not-so-heroic laugh, Handsome Jack disappeared in a flash of red light, as if to invite the intruder to go through the only passage available. There never was a choice.

(Doom Metal Volume 5 – Donna to the Rescue)

He knew how likely it was for Jack to set up a trap or two. The whole thing could be one. That is why the Pocket Rocket's sights aimed at the path set before Braylon. As he predicted, something came for him through an orange haze of a teleporting pentagram

Screams arose from the throat of a Former Human as they threw themselves at Braylon. Encouraged by the stimuli, the latter shot the suicidal demon host. The Furmer Human collapsed with one loud exhale. Upon closer inspection, the bare-cheasted man wore a mask with a Vault symbol on it.

"Forgot to mention," spoke Jack through the PDA, "I also got an army of disposables to use as I please. Pretty neat, huh?"

He didn't respond to the taunt. Following the road brought him to a monument guarded by two Former Marauders with pistols, a Former Shotgun Midget, and two Former Hyperion Engineers with working exoskeletons. Feral growls and red eyes welcomed the intruder.

Curses were spat upon Braylon as he strafed near the shotgunner and stabbed his head with Holo Sabre. The Marauders emptied a third of their respective clips at the meat shield, but only the Engineer laser turrets ripped it to shreds. Braylon grabbed the gore-covered Tediore shotgun, shot a Marauder, then threw the gun at the Engineers, killing them. Tediore being Tediore, the pellets only injured the Former Human, so Braylon repeated the process with the last two before discarding the weapon.

As the last threats fell, a pentagram appeared on the floor in front of the monument, bringing there a muscular, blue-skinned man with red eyes, whose light shone through the goggles he was wearing. He held a machine gun below his right shoulder and his left arm was a long, fleshy tentacle that seemed like it grew out from the afflicted limb. A Commando was tasked with the job that the other slaves couldn't finish.*

But that wasn't the only thing. Something else came with the Commando; two heavily-mutated men whose overgrown tissue fused, and in some places devoured, with their clothes and their weapons. A hateful sneer peeked from behind their helmets. One of them carried a metallic shield and a Hyperion shotgun. The other had a measly Bandit SMG. Whoever they were, Braylon doubted that they would be the last Unwilling whom he would need to put down.**

Braylon threw the Soul Jar and ran behind the safety of the alien bush, thus avoiding a volley of lead. One of the Unwilling howled as its lifeforce was ripped out from the body and stored in the Jar, turning into a dry, sickly brown husk.

Bullets shredded the bush as he ran towards the next available cover; the monument. Striker blew the head of the other Unwilling. The Commando, unlike its companions, sought cover as well, clearly showing signs of a developed, or undamaged, intelligence. He shot the Commando when it peeked out, but he noticed how the pellets were deflected by ripple of light that surrounded the body.

"He has a Shield…"

He switched to Orphan Maker. The goal was to drag the Commando to him, then blast it with the shotgun. Feet sloshed on the gore of the dead Former Humans.

"You cannot hide forever."

The moment Braylon saw blue skin, he pulled the trigger, devastating the Shield and slightly injuring the Commando. Before it could respond to the attack, Braylon materialized Holo Ripper and brought it down on the monster's shoulder.

"I wasn't kidding when I said I had an army." Handsome Jack spoke through the PDA as the Ripper cut through flesh and bone of the screaming Commando. "You have yet to see the best part."

A staircase came into being behind the Vault Hunter, who walked over to the Soul Jar so that it could fuel his Staff. Newels made of skewered skulls sat atop stairs made of black stone resembling obsidian. The landing was guarded by Former Dahl Marines stationed behind brick walls. An Unwilling Pandorian Nomad blocked the path with its metallic Shield that covered it from head to toe. Behind it, a Commando with a rocket launcher.

Braylon used the Devastator to fire a short burst of rockets at the shield. The resulting shockwaves stunned the Unwilling. Braylon ran towards the shield while ignoring the stray bullets of the Former Marines that grazed his flesh. He strafe-jumped, avoiding the Commando's incendiary rocket, jumped off the shield and landed on the monster, crushing its head with a knee. A quick spin with the Holo Sabre cut the Nomad in half. Before the Former Marines could do more damage, Braylon pickued up the rocket launcher and set them on fire.

Their wicked screams called forth a Former Goliath, a beast of a man notable for having its spine bigger than the body can physically handle. A single jump brought it over the stair and in front of Braylon. It backhanded him away, near the discarded Tediore shotgun. He still held the rocket launcher. The last rocket poured fire all over the Goliath. As it screamed and flailed, Braylon pickued up the shotgun, fired once into the ground, then threw it at the monster. The explosion ripped its chest open; organs spilled on the floor and the body snapped in half.

He followed the stairs into an orchard brimming with creamy-white trees, where purple leaves continously fell off from branches twisted into impossible angles. As soon as he set foot on the soil, the orchard seemed to increase in size. The stairs were gone, replaced by never-ending lines of trees.

"Walked right into that one."

The bark of a nearby tree suddenly exploded as bullets began to follow the staccato of multiple guns. A small group of Helltouched Embereyes with assault rifles marched single-mindedly towards the Vault Hunter. Some of the trees caught fire as he ran in the opposite direction, looking for a cover.

Something large and yellow lurked among the trees to his right, breaking into a sprint only when he came closer. A cry of rage and insanity boomed from there as a metallic object threatened to crush his head. Braylon ducked sheepishly, falling on the soil as the object tore a chunk out of a tree, as if a cannonball had passed through.

The creature that wanted to kill him bore heavy resemblance to the rest of the Helltouched, yet it appeared slightly taller and more elderly, as much as a yellow giant full of muscles could be. Eyes bright as torches, the monster held two weapons; some kind of crude rifle and a sledgehammer. ***

Braylon jumped back and ran, seeking to make some space between him and the group. The dual-wielding Helltouched fired three lasers from the rifle, akin to a Splitter laser rifle. One of the laser beams hit his thigh and he fell again. The monster reached him in a matter of seconds and the Embereyes weren't far behind.

Before the sledgehammer could hit, the Vault Hunter' Pocket Rocket fired one shot at the left knee of its owner. It flinched, buying him few more seconds for the gun's second gyrojet to explode on its face. Braylon rolled away while the elderly monster screamed in rage, dropping the rifle to hold its head. He switched the pistol for the Staff of Wicked Sins and used the strongest spell on the group of Embereyes. The familiar circle appeared around them, turning into a trap from which there was no escape. Some invisible force fell from the sky and on the heads of the Helltouched. They turned into puddles in less than a second.

Time to deal with the baddest of the bunch. Minishark roared into life as the monster's vision returned. A wave of hot lead washed over the yellow-skinned monster. Although howling, the bullets did little to its body as most had hard time piercing the skin to even make an effect. When it shielded its head with those massive hands, its chest became a flayed mess of muscles tinged with greenish blood. Then, out of thin air, the creature decided to sprint forward and punch Braylon into the dirt.

It grabbed his leg and threw him at a tree. With the other hand he was pushed against the bark to prevent escape attempts. While in pain, he placed his hands on the massive arm that was blocking him. And when it cocked the other hand back, intending to beat his head in, Braylon materialized Holo Ripper, slicing into the muscles and bone. The grip loosened. Braylon fell and the Ripper fell with him, cutting through the arm.

The tendon on the left leg suffered the same fate. It should have been dead, but it wasn't. The Helltouched fell, but not without struggle. Braylon ducked under a fist before shoving the Ripper into its head. He chopped through the skull as the massive hand squeezed his arm. Only when a chunk as big as his head was cut off did the thing drop dead. Braylon fell on the soil, only to exhale as a Hierophant approached him.

"This is as far as you go, human. Taste the pain.."

Braylon stood up, wiping some blood off his face. They stared silently, waiting for the other to make the first move. Braylon materialized Striker and hid it behind his legs, unsure whether or not the demon knew what he was trying to do. When he judged the time to be good enough, he raised the shotgun and spent a shell. The Hierophant slid through the air like a snake just a fraction of a second before the pellets could even fly out of the barrel. It swung with its flail at Braylon who strafed backwards.

"This one is cunning. I need to bait him first."

Striker boomed again and again did the demon dance away to safety. When it tried to counterattack, Braylon dropped the shotgun and took the Pocket Rocket, strafing towards the Hierophant rather than running away. With Holo Sabre active, he punched through the robes, further amplifying the damage with Pocket Rocket. The Hierophant didn't respond the way he thought it would.

"Humans are foolish little creatures." it said as it huffed nausea-inducing air at his face, "Allow me to show you…"

"Uppercut Overdrive!"

The enhanced melee attack brought the Holo Sabre towards the Hierophant's head, effectively slicing the demon in half. Blood evaporated from the blasphemous robes as soon as it fell. Braylon moved on.

An iron gate appeared in the distance, marking the end of the seemingly infinite orchard. It led to a courtyard in front of the main entrance, built entirely out of white marble. A small staircase split the courtyard in two levels.

"I gotta give credit where credit is due, kiddo. You surpassed my expectations. Here I was, thinking how you ended up being a meal for a zombie, but you… hehehe… you're alive and well. That's good… About time Wilhelm had some fun too."

Braylon grunted at Jack's words as he approached the ornate bronze doors of the cathedral. He stopped when dark red flames burst into life in front of the doors. Moments after their inception, the flames began taking the form of figure resembling a shadow.

"You know Wilhelm, right? The man who almost killed the first Vault Hunters? His soul fell down here when he bit the dust. He was so mad when he figured out that he lost all those precious cybernetics. But! But… our pals came to the rescue." he chuckled, "Though I don't know if that is the right word anymore. Go see for yourself."

Jack, through the PDA, barked out loud: "Wilhelm! Wilhelm, my boy. Come to papa."

Details began giving shape to the figure, turning it into a man wearing some kind of asymmetrical uniform. Tiny horns stuck out from its forehead, black as the rest of body. Only the eyes were an exception; a pair of crimson orbs seated deep within the skull. Its voice was a deep and distorted grumble. A turret with demonic motifs sat on its right shoulder.****

"Wilhelm. Kill."


(Dead Rising 2 – Jed)

"Wilhelm. Kill."

"Wilhelm? Wilhelm the Enforcer?"

The entity cackled as it tossed two metallic balls in the air, who digistructed into two skull-shaped drones. The white one created an energy shield around Wilhelm. He held and SMG.

"Fuck!"

Braylon jumped over the stairs and dived behind a statue. The red skull drone found him and fired tiny laser beams from the eye sockets, deflected by the PDA's casing. It ran back to Wilhelm before Braylon could attack it.

"Fucking drones and their fucking master. What else is he capable of?!"

The statue exploded under the heavy fire of a Torgue rifle. White powder fell all over the Vault Hunter's skin, mixing with the dark red of dried blood. He felt like a pig in a mud pond.

Braylon materialized Striker as he ran for the nearby fountain. A rocket wheezed past him, blowing up some of the floor tiles. Wilhelm was using a Torgue rocket launcher.

The Vault Hunter fired twice without aiming, before sliding behind safety. He heard the engines of a drone roaring into action. Surely enough, the red one found him again. He was prepared. He took aim. He fired. It shattered.

"One down."

Multiple explosions were heard after Braylon destroyed the drone. Wilhelm threw a bouncing grenade that spawned multiple grenades with every jump. Braylon knew the reason for using that; so that he would be forced to leave his cover, lest he wanted to be reduced to a bloody smear on the floor. Cursing, he jump-rolled into the open like a rabbit from a bush, exactly as Wilhelm wanted. As the fountain blew up multiple times, Jack's Enforcer digistructed a special rocket launcher; a weapon far different from the rest of the arsenal he revealed until then.

The rocket exploded in an icy layer of smoke as soon as it left the barrel. It kept exploding as it flew at the Vault Hunter, striking his right hand he used to shield himself. A layer of ice embraced most of his body, save for the head and his left arm. He was wide open for a direct attack.

"Come on, at least try." grunted the voice that was supposed to be Wilhelm's as he dropped his Cryophobia so that he could deliver the final blow with his mechanical fist. A shiver ran down Braylon's spine and it wasn't because of the ice on naked skin. That thing was far from human.

"H-how a-a-about t-this…"

With a swiftness faster than "Wilhelm" could comprehend, the Vault Hunter materialized Heartslayer in his free hand and pulled the trigger, cursing the entity with unimaginable pain. But, what was supposed to be a head-sized hole in the chest, ended up being a volcano of red sparks and howls that promised a brutal death. Wilhelm went down, barely able to kneel.

Braylon knew that wouldn't be enough, so he took Pocket Rocket and shattered the second drone, who flew lazily around its owner, since it was a non-combatant. The energy barrier withered away along with the robot's remains. The ice started melting just as Wilhelm began feeling better.

"You are in for a world of pain, kiddo."

He lunged forward, extending his robotic fist and striking Braylon in the jaw. The ice, now thin, shattered like glass as the younger of the two Vault Hunters was sent flying. Wilhelm digistructed a Torgue shotgun but Braylon rolled away before the swarm of gyrojets could hit him. The latter replied with two shots of his Pocket Rocket, but they ended up producing more sparks rather than any real damage, just like Heartslayer.

Wilhelm smiled.

"Guns' useless, so..." he threw the shotgun down, "…Wanna fight for real?"

Braylon silently removed his Pocket Rocket and cracked his knuckles. They ran at each other. Braylon circle-strafed behind Wilhelm, stabbing him with Holo Sabre, then retracting it into the PDA as he ducked to avoid a backhand. He jumped, headbutting Wilhelm, who in turn punched Braylon in the face. What Wilhelm didn't expect was Braylon landing on his feet only to jump at him immediately after the punch, impaling his face with the Holo Sabre, which was quickly swapped for Holo Ripper.

"Fuckin' die already!"

The Ripper sliced through the shadowy substance effortlessly, forming a thick red line of pure light that went from the head and down to the crotch. Wilhelm blanched, mouth agape, as the young Vault Hunter thought that attack alone wasn't enough and that it should be doubled with a horizontal slice as well. Braylon took three steps back to observe his handiwork. Wilhelm was left with a nice cross-shaped pattern as he fell on his knees. The light grew in luminosity until it erupted into dark red flames.

"System… failure… aargh!"

The cursed flames consumed Wilhelm the Enforcer, banishing him into the dark depths from where his apparition came from.


"Congratulations! High five! Fantastic work! Mission accomplished, champ! You did it! You managed to grate on my delicate nerves. Boy oh boy, you deserve a prize for that."

A roar of metal grinding against stone reached his ears as the great doors of the cathedral opened by a slight margin. Braylon nodded to himself, as if understanding some kind of meaning behind the event. Moving towards the entrance, he heard a faint, yet unforgettable roar. He picked up the pace, grabbing the Cryophobia rocket launcher that stood on his path. When his hands were about to touch the bronze, a brief tearing noise followed by a crack could be heard on the other end of the courtyard.

Without looking, the Vault Hunter smashed himself against the doors, trying to squeeze into the gap that would lead him to safety. A second roar. It was followed by a green fireball that exploded a meter above his head. When he pulled the hand inside the cathedral, a large horned head slammed against the massive door; the head of the Cyberstein. He left behind the raging demonic chimera and observed the new area.

A gigantic statue of Baphomet hugged the wall on the other side of the room that was far too small for a building of such massive proportions, but still spacious enough to fit an airplane. Surrounded by dozens of black candles, the statue pointed its long fingers at four different staircases, a pair on each side. Two led to the upper levels and two led what Braylon thought to be rooms below the ground level. A hexagonal fountain stood some fifteen meters away from statue. Blood fell from the orifices of gargoyles and cherubs.

(Dimaension X - Adrian's Asleep)

Some Possessed Corpses gathered around an aetherial green hexagram in front of the fountain, bursting into flames as a figure materialized within the seal. The figure wore a dark blue coat, a black suit underneath and a silver necklace with an aetherial green crystal shaped into an eye. The wooden staff that the man carried shone brightly as he spoke words that Braylon could not understand. What he did understand was the fact that the man had no good intentions and was clearly preparing for an attack. Then, with a wave of the staff, a murder of crows descended upon the Vault Hunter, thus revealing the true nature of the mysterious character. He was a Sorcerer. *****

"Aaah, fuck!"

The more, he tried to swat them away, the more ferocious they grew in their attacks, scratching and biting whenever and wherever they could just so they could distract him from the real threat; their master, who was already preparing another one of his tricks. The ring of fire that appeared in front of the Sorcerer was definitely a bad sign, he thought.

"Ah! Ouch! Damn it all! That fuckstick brought these flying turds here, so his death should send them away. I hope. Ow!"

One ring split into three and they were all thrown at him. Braylon raised his arms in front of himself, ran forward and jumped through them as if performing on a stage. The Sorcerer stared in bewilderment as Braylon rolled up to him and punched him so hard that some of his teeth fell off. With the control over the crows shattered, the murder dispersed and pestered Braylon no more.

"You dare strike me?!" the Sorcerer wept, "You will pay for that, vermin!" He disappeared before Braylon could hit him again.

"God damn it! Remind me to never hire a wizard again. They do nothing but smoking pot every goddamn day."

Jack's commentary only made Braylon angrier, but at least the threat was gone. Braylon decided to move on by going to the pair of staircases on the left side of the Baphomet statue. The upper staircase led to a door that required a key which needed to be inserted into some kind of fleshy mouth. He backtracked and went downstairs, falling right into a trap that teleported him on top of a platform that floated in the middle of a massive library that extended infinitely in all directions. Caged demons levitated above and around the platform, screeching angrily and spouting profanities. Multiple Lamias, Gorgons and Succubi teleported around him, with the Sorcerer hiding behind them.

"You shall pay for your insolence with your blood, peasant!"

Braylon side-strafed to avoid the conjured firebird, materializing Cryophobia as he did so. He turned a nearby Gorgon into ice, kicking it to pieces. A Lamia sneaked up on him, but when he ducked, avoiding a petrifying beam from another Gorgon, the creature turned to stone and was used as a shield against the Sorcerer's magic missile rip-off. A second Cryophobia rocket froze a Succubus, which fell off the platform into the depths of the library. Switching to Orphan Maker, Braylon circle-strafed behind a Lamia, letting it take the Sorcerer's shower of corrosive acid, only to put it out of its misery with a shot to the back of the head.

Jumping on the corpse, he blasted away the youngest Succubus of the bunch. As its corpse fell, he grabbed it by the tail and threw it at the Sorcerer, who raised a wall of flames to protect himself. His attention captured by the blatant magic unfolding in front of him, Braylon missed out on one of the Succubi who tackled him on the ground. Its long tail wrapped his throat with killing intent, even if the monster on top of him had a genuine, innocent smile. Reminded of what that being actually was, the Vault Hunter cried out as he shoved Holo Ripper into its hip, cutting until he reached the spine. The perfectly human screams drowned out the taunts and hisses of other monsters as warm blood and entrails covered his stomach.

He moved his head to the side to avoid having it impaled by the tip of a Lamia's tail, which he later mangled with Orphan Maker as he tossed the Succubus corpse aside. He dropped the Soul Jar and strafed towards the Sorcerer, who summoned a wall of orange energy.

"Superman Punch Overdrive!"

The fist shattered the magical barrier and went for the Sorcerer's head, turning it into a chunky salsa. Aetherial green mist rose from the collapsing body and dissapeared into thin air, as if his soul ceased to exist. Lastly, Braylon retrieved the Soul Jar from the empty husk of the Lamia whose tail he turned into a meaty equivalent of a mashed tomato.

"I will throw everything I have at you. Everything." Jack threatened from his PDA.

Another Sorcerer appeared, followed by a Possessed Huntsman with two burning hammers, a Tigerman and something that resembled a humanoid with the lower body of a beetle and the head of a cobra holding some kind of golden trident. ****** The Tigerman and the Huntsman split from the main group, carefully circling around Braylon.

"Eat a dick, Vault Hunter!" the Sorcerer taunted as he summoned large bubbles that carried some kind of black liquid. Braylon popped them all with Striker as the beetle-man raised its trident in the air. Each bubble sprayed the liquid all across the platform in the form of tiny puddles.

Something on his left suddenly lit up. He turned his head and saw the Huntsman screaming bloody murder as its hammers were close to break his skull open. Braylon strafed backwards, only to be kicked towards the Possessed by the Tigerman behind him. The hammers struck one of the puddles which caught fire with frightening ease. Braylon fell close to the fire, stopping himself from falling into it with his hands.

"Face your death, mortal!"

Braylon materialized Holo Sabre and cut the Huntsman's legs. He stood up as the Possessed fell into the fire. Just then, beetle-man's trident covered the whole platfrom with a sheet of black clouds from which lightning bolts fell at random. One bolt set a nearby puddle on fire.

"That stuff must be oil. I gotta be careful."

More puddles caught fire as the Tigerman lunged at Braylon with all the agility of the feline whose form it took. Unable to dodge, he decided to take the attack with all the consequences. All the bones in his body shook to the point of almost being pulverized as the larger body collided with his own, flying through several walls of pure heat that could easily give twice as much pain. The Tigerman, at one point, stopped and held Braylon by his arms so that one of its allies could end the fight.

"Hahahaha! See you in the next life you little prick!"

The Sorcerer charged some energy beam at the tip of its wand. When he tried to kill Braylon with it, the latter pressed his legs on the Tigerman's chest and used them to move his body up so that the beam could hit his captor. The Tigerman's mouth opened in a soundless scream as its chest erupted from the power of the magical blast.

"No!" the Sorcerer screamed in disbelief, "No, no, no! You little sewer rat! I will end you!"

Braylon caught the man's right hand, whose palm emanated aetherial green energy. Despite him looking weaker, the Vault Hunter could barely hold the cursed hand from reaching his face. They seethed like dogs at each other, both wishing the other could suffer the worst fate possible.

"Why won't you die?! Why?!"

"Because... I still have to bury pieces of shit like you!"

Braylon kicked the Sorcerer between his legs. When the latter lowered his guard, he broke the nose with a headbutt then smashed the face in with the knee, before penetrating the neck with the wand.

All the fires on the platform were vanquished with a heavy rain. The clouds drifted away as Braylon drank from the Soul Jar. He then materialized Devastator. One rocket was fired at the monster, only for it to fling it away with a powerful magical wind. Braylon threw the Soul Jar as he ran towards the creature, firing more rockets to keep it distracted.

The Soul Jar's effect weakened the monster by absorbing a portion of its life energy. Braylon slid under its beetle body and jumped on its back. He touched the chitinous armor with the barrels of his Orphan Maker before he pulled the trigger, the shot cracking through said armor and damaging the soft flesh underneath. It tried to stab him with its trident, but he snapped off the tip and stabbed the cobra head four times before digging further with his fingers. After he exposed the brain, Braylon strafed backwards twice and delivered a death blow through a Devastator rocket burst. A sigh escaped from Handsome Jack as the monster bits scattered all around its corpse.

"I gotta hand it to you, you truly are a Vault Hunter. And just like the rest of your bunch, you just cannot get the bigger picture of things. It's nothing personal. I'm serious. All I ever need to do to get another shot at life is to put you six feet under. Is that so hard to understand?"

"I refuse to be your victim, Jack."

"Fuck! Off!" replied the voice, "With your shitty victim complex! You don't get the privilege to be one after all the shitstorms you caused through the galaxy, you and the rest of you Vault cunts! I tried to make Pandora a better place, I really did-"

"By killing everyone on it."

"But," he continued without missing a beat, "You people had to fuck it all up. No worries, I'll just do it again, right after I ressurect that is. I'll tell you the truth, kiddo. I'm the greatest man who has ever lived compared to you. And I'm going to prove it."

A horned, bronze key appeared on the platform. When picked up, it brought Braylon back to the door, where he inserted said key into the mouth-like opening, rotating it until he heard a soft thump.

That sealed door led to the true cathedral in all its unholy splendor. Every detail was so meticulously pointed out with vibrant colors, redesigns, and impossible shapes, that it made his head spin just by staying in there. Some demons clung to the ceiling, cackling at hissing at the world under their feet. A myriad of black candles levitated in the surrounding air, giving weak illumination to the place, where thick shadows hid behind giant pillars and alcoves.

Sudden flapping of multiple wings jolted Braylon from his curiousity and made him pull out the Striker. The sound echoed around him, making him turn and twist every few seconds. A laughter, soft and pleasant, yet so frighteningly cold that his body wished to hide in a hole. It was not before long that a tall figure descended in front of the main altar.

"Nisha? Nisha, love. Will you take care of the Vault Hunter for me?"

Braylon's breath remained stuck in his throat when his eyes caught the eldritch beauty given a female form that was the entity. It was impossibly beautiful, the epitome of the concept. Not even the mythical goddess Aphrodite could match her. No, "it" was beyond that. Almost certainly a sign of demonic involvement.

Short, silky black hair hid a fraction of the unhealthily pale face, gifted with a red iris drifting in a black eye. A pair of leathery gray wings and a plump tail only served to accentuate the spectacular curves, just like the cowboy outfit and the hat that couldn't conceal a pair of red-tipped horns.*******

"Mmm. Alright, darling. I will make sure this child doesn't go further.~"

"God, she's creeping me out." whispered Jack to Braylon, who couldn't agree more. He was not too uncomfortable around the opposite sex, but he would be damned if he moved the sights away from her.

And then she pulled out a gun.

"…Is… is that my fucking revolver?"


(MadWorld – You Don't Know Me)

"Give my God damn revolver back, bitch!"

"Sorry babe, no can do. You gonna have to take it by force." she licked the barrel, much to his disgust, "If you can."

He was about to pull the trigger when a copy of the Unforgiven materialized in Nisha's free hand, firing a bullet into the Striker.

"Fuck!"

Braylon recoiled from the sound and strafed behind the nearest pillar. He checked the shotgun for damage.

"The forend's broken. I can't load new shells anymore."

Nisha was gone when he checked around the pillar. He never heard her movements, not even a flap of her massive wings. His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness as he stored the Striker in his PDA. Something cold touched the back of his head.

"What-"

"Peek-a-boo."

He ducked just as Nisha pulled the trigger. She was no longer present when he tried to cut her with Holo Sabre. It frustrated him to no end, especially when she laughed at his attempt.

"What's with the rush? We wouldn't want you to finish quickly, would we?"

A shot from above made him jump away from the pillar. Seconds after his jump, a grenade fell near his feet. He strafed away just before it turned into a cloud of acid.

"She's way too fast. I have to outsmart her somehow."

Braylon materialized Orphan Maker, figuring how some of the pellets could distract her even if she wasn't in close proximity. Nisha reappeared behind a pillar, firing with her revolvers. Braylon, against common sense, stood in the open and returned fire with his shotgun. It cost him a bullet to the left shoulder, but some of the pellets made Nisha cover herself with her wings.

"An opening!"

He threw the Soul Jar with his right hand, then ran up to a drained Nisha. Braylon grabbed her by the shoulder with one hand and repeatedly punched her stomach and head with the other.

"Rrr! Enough!"

Nisha dug her sharp fingernails into Braylon's wound. Cringing, he knelt in front of her only to get a knee to the face and a kick that pushed him away. She was once again free to dive into the safety of the shadows. Braylon stood up, holding his stomach as he shambled towards the Soul Jar. A whip coiled around his leg before he could touch the cursed artifact, delivering a painful electric shock that threw him into convulsions.

"Hurts so good, don't it?"

She stepped out from the darkness behind him, using her whip to draw him closer. The sheer intensity of the electrical shocks turned his muscles into concrete that hurt more and more with each passing second. His eyes passed by the fingernails on her left arm that seemed to grow even sharper. Fearing the worst, he let out a primal, animalistic roar as he tried to move his left arm towards the whip.

"The more you struggle, the more pain you'll feel, darling. Give up and die."

Her words fell on deaf ears. He was few meters away from her when his hand grabbed the whip, cutting it in half with Holo Sabre that materialized through the fabric. Nisha gasped as her prey switched the holographic tool for the Cryophobia. Her wings formed a barrier before the rocket could land a hit.

Braylon kept screaming as he charged through the frozen wings, shattering them before headbutting Jack's corrupted girlfriend. Her nose broke in contact with his forehead. He dodged her lethal fingernails and grabbed her left horn. It was ripped out from the skull, then used to skewer the neck. Finally, Braylon grabbed the body by the shoulders and tore it in half, snatching the Unforgiven away from the hips as soon as the bloody corpse toppled over.


"Oh for fuck's... fine! You want me? You got me!"

(Doom 64: 20th anniversary – The Revelation Hour)

Violent tremors shook the foundations of the cathedral as chunks detached themselves from the building and flew into the air, like giant pieces of a puzzle. The entire field changed into a graveyard of the former building, floating in the middle of a space that knew no bounds and was not a prisoner to logic. Planets, or their remains, flew in the red-and-orange void, scarred in one way or another. A cold wind blew past Braylon and the corpse. The yellow light trail pointed forward.

A pile of debris formed an unstable bridge when he reached the edge of the ruins. He traversed the path with uncertainty, reaching a small island that resembled an arena with a mockery of a Vault, with Eridian statues made entirely out of junk. There stood Jack, arms crossed, waiting for the Vault Hunter.

"Fuck me, kiddo. You are more stubborn than… than… argh! Whatever!" he threw his hands in the air before pointing at Braylon. "Do you actually think that you can solve anything? That you can make a difference? Idiot! Look around you! Did you see all these fucking planets on your way here? Who cares where they came from, they're all fucked! Look at that one." he pointed at a blue planet, "Look! That one has a planet-wide storm with a fucking face on it! Just look! And – and that one! It's surface is scarred with symbols and shit! And you think that, in this universe, you can bring change? You can't." Jack pointed his thumb at himself. "But I can."

"If I walk outta here, I'll raise a defense force that no demon will be able to trample. Pandora, Promethea, Hieronymous, fuckin' Aquator... they will all sleep on their cute little beds like cute little babies, so long as they are under my watch."

Braylon raised an eyebrow: "You would defend them from the very ones who want to bring you back from the dead?"

Jack rolled his eyes: "Idiot! I never planned to shake my hand with those fucks. Nobody lays a hand on my turf and gets away with it."

"Your turf? Wait…" Braylon furrowed his brows, ""Lays a hand?" What are you talking about? Did something happen to our universe?"

"Uuuuf, "something" is certainly not a word I would use, that's for sure."

"Then what? Tell me."

"If you do as I say, then maybe it won't be a thing much longer, capiche? Now hand over your life!"

"Fuck no! I won't sell myself to the likes of you ever again! I've done that enough times to regret it for the rest of my life. I have a better idea." Braylon said, pointing Unforgiven at Jack, "How about I let you get sodomized by the demons, grab that soul that doesn't belong to you, and get the fuck out of here?"

Handsome Jack sighed heavily, dropping his gaze to the ground.

"Well, I tried. Nothing personal, kiddo. Then again, you killed my minion and my creepy ex-girlfriend. Guess it really is personal." ********


(Dead Rising 3 – Pride)

"Might as well give up right now. I'm way beyond what you can handle."

The ex-CEO of Hyperion Corporation created four copies of himself, each identical as the original Jack but armed with different retreated while shooting at a Jack. It was nothing but a hologram. Three more remained.

"Your death is for the greater good."

One Jack digistructed a rocket launcher made of flesh and bone. It fired a swarm of tiny crimson orbs that flew over at Braylon in a spiral pattern. Braylon countered with the Devastator. A crater was born with each explosion, sending dirt and debris into the void. Several explosions disrupted one of the holograms who held an SMG.

Fearing the worst, Braylon hid behind a broken Eridian statue, careful to catch any noise that might reveal Jack's location. One of the holograms appeared to his right and he stabbed it with the Holo Sabre. But as soon as the clone dematerialized, the actual Jack grabbed his hand and threw him on the ground.

"They are playing for keeps, you know? People out there are not prepared for the massive pile of shit that's about to drop on 'em! I can save their pathetic asses!"

He backrolled from an earth-crushing fist, then jumped away from a incendiary grenade. A boot came out of nowhere and kicked him in the chin, soon followed by an energy blast from Jack's wrist-mounted weapons. The attack left two black cricles on Braylon's skin. Those will take a while to heal, he thought to himself.

"I can fix it, this mistake you've made. I can turn everything back to normal. You, on the other hand?"

Braylon tried to rise to his feet, only to get blasted down for the second time.

"I won't deny your "achievements", if it makes you feel better about yourself, you disgusting, shithole-inhabiting mongrel. But this is a game for grown-ups. No children allowed!"

Jack blasted him again.

"This isn't even a fight. You've blown all the steam you could possibly have. Any more of this and you're finished. Why trying to save the girls when you can't even save yourself?"

Braylon stared at Jack's wrist weapons, unable to defend himself any longer. He really was exhausted, beaten up and broken. Just when he thought it couldn't get worse, a light purple beam hit Jack from a source behind him, much to their shared bewilderment.


"No… No… this can't be..."

Jack stared at the wound in his chest with a firm belief how the misfortune that just fell on him shouldn't be possible. His face, though darkened by demonic powers, still betrayed a hint of human emotion most common among those who lost but were still in denial. Glaring daggers at his assailants, he began his tirade that would be cut short way too soon.

"What have you done?! I almost had him! We could've won! I-"

Three smaller beams hit him. Jack fell on his knees. The yellow sphere he kept in the breast pocket fell near the younger of the two.

"P-please stop. They will torture me if I fail… they will-"

Another beam. Half of his body was no more. He began burning like Wilhelm.

"D-damn you… I will get you for this!..."

Someone sighed once Jack disappeared entirely.

"What an eyesore, that hopeless man. Right, little brother?"

The voice, an irritating, snobbish, pampered noise that somehow had hidden layers of unseen sensuality spoke to someone, presumably its accomplice, as Braylon thought. It received no vocal answer.

"I couldn't let him die. It's not the right moment yet."

No answer.

"Wanna see him from up close? Come on, then."

Braylon heard to pairs of feet walking over to him; one that carried itself with strength and little regard for the clomping of their metallic footwear and the other which bore the distinct clicking of high heels, coupled with extreme care for rhythm and an obsessive need to turn each step into an auditory masterpiece.

For what Braylon cared, it mattered not if he would die from Jack or from the new figures. There was nothing he could do to stop anyone from doing anything. His body was at its limits, his PDA couldn't do anything to make it any less painful or to control the damage, for it required resources he didn't have. Ironically, Yang's soul was only inches away from his fingers. All he needed to do was to take it and find a way out. And then it would all be over.

Unfortunately, Creation had different plans for him.

"Hello!"

The voice spoke as the two figures positioned themselves on Braylon's sides. One of them, the owner of the voice, was a Succubus-like being with white wings and horns, long purple hair reaching her waist. Her companion was someone clad in a thick, metallic armor shaped to resemble something between a skeleton and a demon. She took away the helmet, showing to him a youthful face with short white hair and red eyes just like hers. Braylon squinted, confused, as he swore that those two looked and sounded familiar.

"It's so great to see you again, little brother."

(Devilman Crybaby – Beutiful Silene)

The Vault Hunter whispered "little brother" three times, chewing the words in search for a meaning. It was at the fourth time that it hit his fragile brain. He stopped breathing, face drained of color. The Succubus' smile was full of that special warmth he was accustomed to see in the days where his innocence was still intact. His eyes went over to the second figure, who was the polar opposite. It was the final nail in the coffin for Braylon. He begged for death rather than to keep watching the monsters that were once his beloved family, a family he lost along with everything else.

"Oh my." the sister began soothingly, though she kept smiling, "Stop crying now. Big sis is here to protect you. Right?"

She turned to the armor-wearing man, Braylon's older brother, who snorted in response.

"Now, now. We are not here to start a fight. Not yet."

She picked up the yellow sphere and showed it to Braylon, who kept staring in horror, unable to reconcile with the fact that his dead sister was turned into, into…

"What a nice little soul, this Yang Xiao Long. Is she your friend as well? Or something more than that…?" she giggled for no reason, "You are not alone even when you think you are, you know that? I know all your dirty little secrets…"

She cupped his hands and gently placed the soul on the palms before bending the fingers. Her voice was now a whisper.

"A gift from a loving sis to her cute little brother. They might be angry, but it will be alright. You don't need to worry... What a beautiful sky. Don't you agree?"

Braylon mumbled quitely, unable to form proper words.

"How cute!" she squealed in some degenerate delight, "You have the same reaction as that girl when she visited Wonderland for her first time… Maybe you should visit a Wonderland of your own?"

His eyes were covered by a gentle hand wrapped in silk-like cloth. The world turned dark.

"Sleep well, little brother."


One extra large chapter coming right up!

Jokes aside, I apologize for making you wait so long. A lot of stuff happened and I was busy as hell.

This chapter concludes the third part of the arc. Next is the "bonus" chapter, which will tie the third and fourth arc together.

Yeah, the Commando from Doom 3 is here too. I used the Unwilling term to describe what basically are the possessed soldiers from Doom (2016). Hell keeps churning out all kinds of bad shit, like always. And just like always, that bad shit will eat lead and keep getting buried until time stops being relevant.

Like always, thank you for reading.

Bonus Chapter: "Wonderland"


- New Items Acquired: Cryophobia, Unforgiven

Arsenal:

1) HWM: Holo Sabre, Holo Ripper, Holo Claw

2) Pistol: Kalibak's Heartslayer, Pocket Rocket, Unforgiven

3) Shotgun: Striker, Orphan Maker

4) Heavy Weapon: Minishark

5) Rocket Launcher: Devastator, Cryophobia

6) Grenade Mod: Soul Jar

7) Oz Kit: Flopper

8) Artifacts: Seraphim's Seal, Staff of Wicked Sins

9) Shield: Oath of the Slayer


PDA Biopedia:

*Entry #164: Commando

Type: Demon – Demonic Corruption

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "Initially a horrifying experiment done by a mortal who sought godhood, the Commando project underwent a period of stagnancy after said mortal witnessed their end, only to be brought back at the worst possible moment. The ones you encountered may look the same, but their manufacturing process is different. They now pick willing humans from among a myriad of cults scattered across Creation, imbue their bodies with some of their essence and perform several ritualistic surgeries, all with the intent of turning their humanity into a meaningless concept. These are not your normal Possessed. These are living beings who signed away their souls to powers beyond their understanding. Please be careful." (randomized arsenal with each spawn)


**Entry #165: Unwilling

Type: Demonic Corruption

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "One of the worst fates one could have is being a living civilian during a demon invasion. This is why we always look to save everyone we can when they attack en masse, preferably in secrecy to avoid being caught. The ones you killed are souls from ages past, forced to serve with a body that chose a different master. They bring them to Hell to make them suffer, knowing that we are not allowed to descend there."


***Entry #166: Elder Thrall

Type: Demonic Corruption - Hero

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "There is something wrong with these giants. They smell, they are barbaric and they are easy to possess. I think. This one looked older than the others. There was something inherently human in those snarls, on that cringing face, with stretched skin and bald head. Not liking this one bit."


****Entry #167: Wilhelm, the Exalted Enforcer

Type: Hellspawn - Demon

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "A lot can be said about Wilhelm, none of it good. Most of his personal data was expunged from the galactic records, except for his contracts and man, many jobs he either completed or failed. Like any famous mercenary, he was exceptionally good at his job, which earned him a spot as Jack's henchman. Looks like he even followed him to Hell. I wonder what they've done to him."


*****Entry #168: Sorcerer

Type: Human

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "What are you willing to sacrifice to achieve greatness? Only a Sorcerer could truly know the answer to that question. Keep in mind that this is not your typical entertainer or charlatan. This is a mortal who willingly sided with evil just so they could dabble in actual sorcery, hence the name. To become a Sorcerer, one must swear their loyalty to the demons by accepting a devilish, tumor-like entity, which will fuse itself with the brain, "gifting" the user with reality-bending abilities fueled by the Aether that forms their soul. This means that they must act quickly, for if they use too much power, their souls could suffer the consequences. Over time they learn to manipulate their power more efficiently, which makes them even more dangerous. A lot of Sorcerers tend to join one of the man cults that are cultivated in Hell." (randomized attacks and abilities per individual, as well as weaknesses)


******Entry #169: Horemheb Beetlesnake

Type: Hellspawn

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "What a mess of a being. I refuse to believe that they could make something as senseless and as purposeless as this. Must be that mortal Jack's doing."


*******Entry #170: Nisha, the Exalted Lawbringer

Type: Hellspawn - Demon

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "Another person on the galaxy's shitlist that also happens to be Jack's girlfriend. There's definitely a theme going on here. Known as the Lawbringer, this crazy bitch was famous for hunting bandits while also being a bandit herself. When Jack got that sweet CEO seat at Hyperion, she became the sheriff of Lynchwood, a little shithole of a place where people were killed the moment they got out of their houses. Eventually a group of people with balls of steel decided to face her. They won. She didn't. Guess in death she became even more fucked up. I liked the hat though."


********Entry #171: Jack, the Handsome Ripper

Type: Hellspawn - Demon

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "Ah, Jack. What a cosmic farce this figure is! A simple salaryman in a galactic enterprise turned into a mass murderer. Oh, the massive info dump that was released on the ECHOnet after his death! From his date of birth to top secret files of his Hyperion kingdom. All the millions of dollars they spent on propaganda and marketing became worthless! No doubt the competitors used that to fill in the huge power gap left behind. There is no reason to believe that there won't be another Hyperion. But while Pandora waits for the next wave of Skagshit, its inhabitants will still have to look at the horrendous H-shaped satellite that hovers above Elpis, serving as a reminder of Jack's legacy."


1) Imp: Peon, Grunt, Subjugator

2) Demon: Bull, Ravager, Noise

3) Possessed: Corpse, Former Human, Faunus, Huntsman, Unwilling

4) Invisible: Spectre, Phantom

5) Corrupted Animal: Tainted, Haunted, Exalted

6) One-of-a-kind: Sawcubus, Vulgar, Wraith, Hell Razer, Maggot, Ifrit, Returner, Scorched One, Frozen One, Eurynomus, Prowler, Bruiser, Gargoyle, Hell Defiler, Commando

7) Souls: Condemned, Lost Soul, Dark Soul, Forgotten One

8) Revenant: Fury, Revenant, Soul Cage

9) Cult: Harvester, Hierophant, Sorcerer

10) Elemental: Pain, War, Sin

11) Arch-Vile: Reanimator, Void-Caller, Infernalist

12) Cacodemon: Caconoid, Rahovart, Malwrath

13) Flesh: Flesh Artist, Fleshmender

14) Mancubus: Mancubus, Behemoth, Druj

15) Nobility: Hell Knight, Hell Paladin, Baron of Hell, Duke of Hell

16) Oni: Burning Mouth, Thunder Fist

17) Fusion: Agent of Apocalypse, Minister of Death

18) Arachnotron: Thalamus, Hypothalamus

19) Hellspawn: Zombie Pigman, Mourning Wood, Succubus, Lamia, Kumiho, Harpy, Basilisk, Gorgon, Dragon, Demong, Tigerman, Redcap, Dark Elf, Mormo

20) Cyborgs: Cyber-Mancubus, Cyberdemon, Archduke of Hell, Dread Knight

21) Cyberdemons: Desolator