Authors note:
Fight time
Chapter XLIV: Unto the Breach
After a stinging and blinding flash of orange, the darkness was already upon them, the shadows of Hell had been lengthened, twisted into an unnatural, unholy form. The Helltaker's feet landed on the burnt ground, those smart black leather shoes making a loud thud upon contact. The atmosphere of foul air hitting him in an instant, the smell of iron mixed with burnt flesh. A plague was running rampant through the land, this he already knew.
He looked over at Malina, Malina looked over at him, both of them had the same look of despair hidden within them. This was so much worse than they had expected...
Azazel was next to enter Hell, soon followed by Modeus and lastly Justice and Pandemonica arrived at the same time. "What? What is this accursed place? I don't recognise- anything!" Azazel was confused, struggling to recognise any of the landmarks in sight.
"Ah shit...that's- that's a strong smell of blood on the air" Justice took a big whiff, the smell of iron was indeed potent, almost sickeningly sweet to the point of vomiting.
"So this is why we hadn't received any reports..." Pandemonica tried not to let her worry show.
"The Citadel? Where is it?!" Modeus squeaked, the demon walking a few paces away from the group, peering down the heavily trodden pathway she recognised, where two spiked blackstone outcrops met, a meandering path lead through them, from the ruins towards the entrance of the Citadel and it's gargantuan walls.
"Looks like Hell has frozen over" the Helltaker glared up at what could only be considered the 'sky'.
Hell had indeed been changed since their last visit, the natural red and orange tint to the realm had been replaced by a thick, dense, black fog, the clouds of this unnatural darkness coating the sky. It was as if a volcano had erupted as ash could just barely be seen falling against the black backdrop and it was coming down in large amounts, grey particles were threatening to choke them and paint their clothes.
The Helltaker briefly glanced down to his feet and noticed he was stood in a small layer of ash, the powdery material blowing over his shoes. Beneath the ash, the Hellscape had been turned into a disgusting shade of black, like a sickness spreading over everything it touched, the original red hue had been drained from the land entirely. He felt if he stood on it any longer he would just fall straight through it and sink into the nothingness for all eternity.
Fortunately the damaged Citadel was still standing, however it had blended so well with the darkness surrounding it that none of the family saw it at first, their vision being severely restricted. A constant wailing could be heard all around them, there was extreme pain being expressed by millions of disembodied voices, the sound was at a constant hum. It was different than the one that could be heard on the wind on a normal day in Hell. It was a constant background noise, an orchestra of death.
The Abyss was growing...it had finally stretched those inky black tentacles into Hell, now having a firm hold...and it wasn't letting go. Soon the entire realm would be but an empty void, it's only inhabitants being the souls of the damned...eternally trapped. Ethereal voices began to whisper in the ears of all the family, some loud, some quiet...some were their own...These different voices crawled in and out of their minds repeatedly. They were simply a warning, the family weren't in any immediate danger yet...but the corruption had already begun.
Who knows where Lucifer, Judgement and Cerberus were, it was going to be an impossible task to find them in all this darkness. What was worse is that there was no natural light sources, the eternal fires of Hell had either been extinguished or their light had been entirely blocked out. The family were in almost total darkness, but the demon's eyes had adapted almost immediately, demons having greater night vision compared to humans. The Helltaker had to rely on the light of Azazel's halo to see properly.
It seemed as if- as if Hell had fallen...there didn't seem to be a single soul in sight, yet the family felt very far from alone, it was as if thousands of eyes were watching them, faces hidden amoungst the shadows were gently breathing all over their skin.
"Beelzebub has really gone off the rails this time...I- I can't believe she'd go this far..." Justice was almost lost for words, the demon puzzled as to where to start. "Conquering Hell is one thing, but this..." she gestured with a gloved hand to the corrupted world before them. "This is insanity".
"You know, I hate to say this because I know you will all disagree...but I don't think this is Beel" he boldly spoke out, it was a gut feeling. However the others also had similar ideas, would Beelzebub really go this far? No one felt like arguing with him, besides...there were more pressing matters right now.
"Whoever it is...they're dead...let's get moving" Malina commanded, the family reluctantly obeying, no one wanted to linger.
"Agreed, I never did like the dark" Modeus came closer to the Helltaker, feeling slightly safer in his presence, reaching to hold his hand, he smiled and accepted it.
"Remember when you were too shy to hold my hand?" he teased, trying to comfort The Lustful Demon. She let loose a little giggle, playing with her hair for a brief moment, he was soothing the demon's nerves but her fear of the darkness, the fear of the unknown was deep rooted within her.
"Alright, let's get this over with. If I remember correctly, one of the entrances is this way" Pandemonica ignored the Helltaker's and Modeus's sappy exchange, leading the group away from the centre of the ruins. The Helltaker quickly glanced down the well again, the human doing the exact same last time he was here on his second journey into Hell. Modeus wondered why they had stopped, watching him as he peered down the shaft.
He recollected how dark the pit had been on his first visit, comparing it to the eternal twilight Hell used to be in. It was hard to believe that the sky and the contents of the well had become even darker than before...how was it even possible to become darker than pitch blackness? A look into the shaft revealed a separate abyss, a bottomless pit, there was barely- no...there was no light available for him to tell whether there was an end to the well or not. For a second he thought he saw...mutilated bodies floating on the surface?...or trying to climb out?...
"What do you see?" Modeus squeezed his hand tightly, trying to pull him back and catch up with the rest of the group.
"Nothing Mo, let's keep going" he smiled, leading the demon by the hand.
His mind was already playing tricks on him...again.
The group were heading towards a large rock spike, the Hellscape was seemingly filled with these landforms; canyons, ravines, oil fields, large rock spikes, flat, never-ending plains and volcanoes were the only distinct geological features within this place. There were plenty of these mounds of brimstone jutting out from the Hellscape, this particular one had been apart of a large solitary mountain at one point, but Hell had a constantly changing environment...especially when Titans had roamed the underworld...destroying everything in their path...
As they proceeded further into the darkness the Helltaker realised how useless he would be in the coming confrontation, what could he possibly do? Did he really think talking would solve anything? The demons were out for blood and he knew as soon as they had arrived in Hell that blood would be spilt, whether it was Beel's, his or...theirs.
On top of this impending doom, he had noticed it was becoming increasingly difficult to see, the man actually having to take off his sunglasses to avoid stumbling over loose rocks. At the front of the pack, Malina and Pandemonica were storming ahead, behind those two and just in front of him and Modeus were Azazel and Justice walking side by side, the last two bringing up the rear.
"How the hell are you not tripping over every five seconds?" the Helltaker asked Justice, grumbling as he tripped over another large stone, Modeus making sure he didn't fall flat on his face. "Thanks Mo".
"I protected this realm for so many years I lost count, you think the abyss is going to stop me from remembering every single nook and cranny, ever single rock and crevasse?" the blind demon teased, almost mocking him.
"I suppose not, one day you're going to have to explain to me how you do it" he was focusing mostly on following in Azazel's footsteps, using the light from her halo to guide him. Modeus was also assisting him with each step, moving them both out of the way of any obstacles they would happen to stumble over. Suddenly a large movement of rock behind the group made them all spin around rapidly, the Helltaker ready to fight, trying his best to peer into the darkness. It sounded like a huge boulder had fallen off the ridgeline above them onto their level. What followed in the silence was the sound of rapid movement, scuttling, something moving on all fours. He prayed it was Cerberus...
"See anything?" he asked his demon, knowing fully well that she could see better than he could. He also realised he was clutching too tightly onto her hand, the sounds had him very nervous...this was not going to end well...He released the pressure of his grip, not wanting to break her hand by accident.
"I thought I saw- n-no, no it can't be...my mind was playing tricks on me" Modeus seemed pained, as if the demon was suffering a slight headache, she held her head with her other hand.
"You and me both, are you sure you're alright? Did you see-" he began, trying to find out what Modeus had witnessed, but Malina cut him off.
"No... it was nothing, let's keep moving" but she shared his suspicions, something or someone was definitely watching them...
Before they could continue their march, another sound of something moving drew their attention, again to the ridgeline above them. What was worse is that it sounded like there were multiple sources of the scuttling this time, the first sound was no longer alone. "Modeus get behind me" the Helltaker moving the said demon to the side, the demon obeying and hiding behind the bigger human, he let go of her hand as soon as she was safe, his arm being twisted behind him until she released it.
Justice manifested her two handed sword, the magnificent weapon appearing out of the usual red dust, yet even that bright transformation was hard to see in this unforgiving darkness. The blade itself was almost as big as her, reaching her upper torso, the burning glyphs on the silver metal provided a substantial light source, brightening the outline of both Justice and the area surrounding her..."We aren't alone...".
"How far till the entrance?" he asked, trying to make sense out of the different shades of black.
"We're almost there, the faster we get out of the open the better" Pandemonica now doubled her pace, the rest following suit. The Helltaker followed swiftly making sure he wasn't left behind.
"Swap, I'll take up the rear" Justice commanded, the demon swapping positions with the Helltaker. Her heightened senses gave her an advantage over himself, the sword was pointed outwards as she walked backwards, both hands on the grip, slightly apart, her back to the rest of the group.
"Uhhm, Az?" he said, the man turning back from looking at Justice listening, sniffing too, he was trying to get the attention of the angel who was walking alongside Modeus in front of him.
"Yes?" she asked, sounding slightly terrified by the situation they were in.
"Please don't leave me...you're my only source of light" he pleaded, the terror of the unknown was beginning to set in...all of them were being affected.
"Never" she gave him a scared smile, the angel offering the human her hand, much to Modeus's jealousy. He accepted it and matched her pace, the group almost running to the shear face wall that was now only a few metres away.
"The entrance is here, give me a moment to open it" Pandemonica was the first one to reach the wall, and as soon as the demon was finished speaking she instantly began a strange chant in a deep, darker voice, speaking in an unknown language. The chants were like the ones demons had used before...like the ones Beelzebub used to send him to Hell the second time...Lucifer, Judgement, Justice and Pandemonica were the only demons he was aware of that did not need to chant in order for the portal to be created, the masters simply need to think it...
However, it was always better to speak aloud if you did not know the requirements, especially when trying to guess the right language and words to use when entering Beelzebub's stronghold. To put it simply, Pandemonica had to guess the password. The Helltaker had only just arrived with the rest of the group, him and Azazel now waiting for Justice, upon hearing Pandemonica speaking like that he instantly disregarded it as normal, there was more terrifying issues to that required his attention. He moved Azazel and Modeus swiftly behind him, the Helltaker and Justice now standing side by side, both of the peering into the black fog. Their eyes were trying their best to pierce the shroud, both of them struggling to hear anything over the rising whispers that surrounded them.
"Modeus..." he began, the man turning around and stretching his arm out towards her, palm open. "Sledgehammer please...".
"Are you su-" she began, but a blood curdling shriek cut her short.
"Now Modeus!" he pleaded, he needed a weapon.
The Lustful Demon quickly manifested her giant black sledgehammer, the demon throwing the weapon to the Helltaker, the man catching it with one hand on the shaft and another near the head, his fists clenching around it. He noticed the little red hearts glowing at different parts of the weapon, one was at the hilt of the hammer and there was one in the middle of the head too. Cute.
He held it tightly, one hand nearer the bottom of the handle, another half of the way up. The sledgehammer was much heavier than he expected, the man unable to believe how easily Modeus could wield this. He remembered how many times she had used it to break his kneecaps...The shrieks were beginning to become more frequent, higher pitched and they were getting closer to them, Justice and the Helltaker were forming a defensive circle around the group, but both of them knew they were being cornered. Every shriek terrified him, a shiver running down his back, worse than the last.
"Monica...how we doing?" he asked, not turning around, his eyes beginning to notice movement, creatures were rapidly climbing and jumping around them, some were simply watching.
"Don't interrupt her, she is almost there!" Malina answered, the demon not realising the imminent danger they were about to be in.
"Well we have got company!" he half-shouted, the tensions were rising in his voice, knowing that these creatures were now getting a little too close for comfort.
Justice growled and feigned an attack forward, the beast she was taunting retreated in fear, afraid to be struck. He didn't get a good look at it...
"Weapons now! All of you arm yourself!" the Blind Demon then commanded, Justice feigning again, hissing while attacking this time, she performed a Moulinet towards the creature, it was reluctant to retreat. "Don't think I can keep scaring them off like this!"
On this order, Azazel summoned the Halo's that he had seen orbiting her hands during their confrontation with the corrupted Hell Knights, the angel deciding to wield them instead of them hovering above the palm of her hands like last time, the rings in each hand. The best defence was a good offense. Modeus manifested two black daggers, both of the weapons appearing out of the usual red dust, since her primary weapon was currently being used she had to resort to her second favourite weapon. The two blades also had little red pinkish hearts on the hilts.
Malina decided to simply unsheathe her sharp claws, those black fingernails lengthening, the brutal weapons were unfurled, anyone who got close enough would see how powerful they could be. The younger sister simply did her best to defend Pandemonica as the onslaught of enemies was about to commence. They didn't attack all at once, each one crept closer until they were close enough to be struck. These creatures didn't seem hostile at first, just curious, but the shrieking and howling said otherwise, he also noticed these creatures were attacking their own, fighting amoungst themselves...what in god's name...
Then all at once...the fight began...
Justice was the first to draw blood, the demon not hesitating to impale the revolting beast through the shoulder when it got too close, keeping it trapped on the ground while it tried to claw at her, wriggling to free itself. Justice now stomped on it's head...hard, the demon being splattered with black blood as it ceased moving.
"What the fuck is that?!" the Helltaker quickly looked over the squirming corpse in shock...it was a demon...thankfully not one he recognised, but it was mutilated almost beyond recognition. The body was entirely coated in a black substance, the essence almost dripping off of the male demon's body. His black horns had been shattered, his tongue removed. The Helltaker realised that somehow those shrieks had been emanating from demons that had no ability to scream, those dry raspy noises were somehow so highpitched, so ear-piercing... like something straight out of a horror movie...
Great...more nightmares...
The being's limbs were twisted out of shape, allowing them to crawl on all fours across any surface, explaining how they had been so mobile. At the back of the demon, their tails had been cut off, a small stub being the only thing that was left. It was even more disgusting due to the fact that all these enemies were nude, genitals for all to see, as if they weren't fighting horrors already.
"It's one of us..." Modeus stared in horror, her eyes unmoving from the deformed monstrosity that lay dead before them. Maybe Modeus knew the demon?
"Doppels! More incoming!" Justice shouted, preparing herself to attack again, retracting the sword and swinging it around in a circle back into an offensive stance. The Helltaker also prepared, the sledgehammer was behind him, to his right, the man building up to a swing as the unnatural creatures approached. He swung knowing one was almost upon him, the man timing the attack perfectly with the leaping enemy, the blow hitting it square in the torso. The Helltaker swung all the way to the ground, the enemy trapped by gravity and the shear weight of the hammer. As soon as the Doppel was on ground the human lifted the weapon up quickly before bringing it down and crushing former demon's skull beneath the sledgehammer's head.
But before he could relish in this successful kill, another one flung itself at him, the man being pushed backwards landing on his back, thankfully he reacted fast enough to avoid having his face torn to shreds.
The Helltaker pushed the sledgehammer's handle against the throat of the Doppel, keeping her as far away from his as possible, he was also able to restrict those black arms from reaching him. The Helltaker now had a closer, more dangerous view of the creature, their eyes were completely pitch white, barely being visible in the darkness. They looked very similar to Judgement, Behemoth and Dagon...
He tried pushing the Doppel off of him, but was unable to do so, the female Doppel was fighting harder and harder to kill, the claws and teeth aiming for his throat and face, the bloodlust obvious in those vacant eyes. He continued to keep her at arms length, but each attack was lowering her closer to his body, the man unable to keep the weight of the rapid Doppel and the sledgehammer above his body.
God I need to do my weights more often! For some reason this thought came to him in that moment.
"Help!" Azazel called out, the angel was being ganged up on, multiple enemies were swarming her. The Curious Angel had resulted to keeping herself, Malina and Pandemonica protected in a bubble like shield, the golden, holy light that it was made out of was now slowly decaying after each attack inflicted upon it.
A small group of five or six Doppels were attacking the shield, Malina and Azazel were trying their best to push them back, claws could be seen slashing and halos were flying, striking enemies before returning back to their owner.
"FUCK!" Modeus screamed, the demon receiving another sharp stab to her arm, the Lustful Demon was receiving too many attacks at once to retaliate, she was stood further away from the rest. Modeus was the person most in danger, almost ten of these demented creatures were surrounding her, threatening to overwhelm her, some Doppels were on their hind legs...some were on all fours. The Helltaker briefly turned his head to look upside down at the holy shield, the man having to look up from where he was laying on his back. He saw their defence was gradually breaking apart, when Modeus screamed he turned to his right and watched her struggle as she continued swiping at the enemies.
She was faltering...already...they all were. They were outnumbered and being decimated, this horde of enemies were too much for the six of them, they had lost most of their fighters and the most powerful demons of the family. They were not going to triumph over them...not alone...He continued to focus on the attacking Doppel, beginning to understand how they behaved, erratic more than clever. Another creature, a male Doppel, now joined the fray, joining the female one in trying to claw at his throat. The Helltaker's white suit jacket and pants were being torn to shreds.
Justice had noticed the struggling Helltaker, the man kicking frantically now, trying to use his legs to prevent them from getting too close. The Blind Demon began fighting her way over to him...there was a giant swarm of them now...she released a barrage of Hell Energy from her left hand, a shockwave pushing back some of the enemies and electrifying them at the same time. Around thirty Doppels had descended upon the family, more were on their way, the source of this brood...the well he had peered down earlier...he HAD seen bodies, they were silently crawling up the shaft...remaining motionless when he looked down at them. It was an ambush for sure...someone had known they were coming. He noticed Justice was now approaching, cleaving her way through her transformed brothers and sisters to get to him, but he knew the others needed her more.
"NO, GET MODEUS...I GOT THIS!" he shouted. Justice finished decapitating one of the creatures before hesitated at his command, she turned around and cleaved another Doppel in two at the waist, turning back and nodding in response. The Awesome Demon began running over to Modeus, helping her thin the herd and giving her enough space for them both to retreat towards the golden shield, more Hell Energy being utilised to force the Doppels back.
In a desperate bid, he kicked as hard as he could at the stomach of the male Doppel before hitting the other one in the head with the handle of the sledgehammer, giving him enough time to move. He swung himself upward, putting the weapon to his side, it resting it on it's head, he used the handle of the hammer as a support to pull himself up, gripping the handle furiously. His upper torso and head moving up first, burning with agony, his legs following and coming up to support him. Now that he was stood again, he used the handle of the sledgehammer to shove the Doppels back, swinging occasionally but only catching a few in the head, he too slowly began to retreat backwards, noticing the vast number of them that were now descending upon the group.
"MONICA OPEN THAT DOOR...NOW!" he shouted mid-swing, the Helltaker sweeped the legs of a Doppel then crushed it's head under his heel, black blood splattering all up his leg. The man's white suit had received the same treatment, the demon's blood was all over it, that combined with the ashfall had turned his suit a dark grey. He didn't notice it in the heat of the battle, but his face and hands was caked in the creature's cold, dark blood.
"It's not opening!" she shouted back mid-chant, the demon trying everything in her power to force open the entrance she knew was right in front of her. "I can't portal us in either! Something is wr-" she didn't finish as a Doppel broke through the shield, only to be slashed at by Malina, but the corpse fell directly onto her, catching the demon on her right shoulder, eventually falling still at her feet.
"WELL THINK OF SOMETHING FAST! THIS ISN'T WORKING!" again he shoved back another Doppel, this otherworldly creature was smiling a wide grin at him, he swung and hit this one in the ribs as hard as he could. The strike hit so deep into the body of this creature that it neutralized it's spine too. The Doppel's body failed him, crumbling under the power of the swing, becoming disabled from the waist down, yet despite this injury, it crawled towards the human with his hands, the Helltaker deciding to bring the hammer down and end it's misery. He was already exhausted, the fight had been going for only fifteen or so minutes and he was already feeling the strain, the sledgehammer was feeling increasingly heavier with each swing.
He glanced over quickly to see Justice and Modeus working as a team to slice through the Doppels in between them and Azazel's shield, arcs of golden light were occasionally jetting out of the shield and killing the creatures, the holy magic being hated by the animals, they hissed at it's presence and some were even refusing to attack the shield.
"JUSTICE! YOU WANNA GO MONSTER FO-" but he was again pushed to the ground, three Doppels had all decided to charge him at once, one crawled while the other two ran on their hind legs, all three now thrashing at him. "FUCK! ARGGH!" he winced as their claws cut deep into his flesh, the corrupted demons sounded like they were laughing at his pain, the voices and whispers he was already hearing had become deafening.
In a final stand he began headbutting the creatures in order to gain any wiggle room, trying his best to avoid their sharp teeth. The sledgehammer's weight combined with the three Doppel's was pinning his body and his arms to the floor. He was unable to fight back, the man eventually gave one final push with his weapon before letting go of the hammer altogether, simply using his fists as a replacement.
While he was successful in repelling one Doppel at a time, the other two still tried desperately to claw at his face, digging into his arms and torso. Thank god his height was preventing them from reaching up further...
He was holding up his arms half the time anyway in order guard, to avoid having is voicebox ripped out at every opportunity. Despite losing the sledgehammer, the Helltaker was still trapped on the floor, lying on his back, struggling to keep them at bay. Each attack dug a little deeper into his flesh, from scratches, to cuts, to lacerations and deeper incisions...Fuck...fuck...fuck!
In a flash, a fresh splatter of black blood spread across his face, the decapitated head of one of the Doppel's rest on his chest, Justice then cleaved the other two in half in one strong swing before reaching down and grabbing him by the forearm, yanking him upwards to stand.
"GET UP!" she shouted, the demon also leaning down and grabbing the sledgehammer with her free hand while the other loosely held the grip of her sword, the blade digging into the ground. She thrust the weapon towards him, the human catching it with both hands as it was shoved into his chest, it slightly winding him.
Justice narrowly avoided another attack while passing the hammer, the woman ducking just in time and doing a half turn while crouched slicing the Doppel's legs off.
The Helltaker stomped on the head of the legless Doppel, while Justice was turned away, collecting herself as she stood. He was in awe of the demon's flawless skills with that majestic two handed sword.
"Go monster form anytime now!" he half joked, half pleaded, finishing his sentence from earlier.
"Not yet, we can still win this-" she wiped the black blood off of her face, the liquid was caking her skin. She pirouetted and carved into another enemy, this time slicing into their neck down to their ribs, after that move she blasted another group of Doppels backwards, an orange wave of energy trying to disrupt their ranks.
The Helltaker too began swinging again, catching anyone who got too close, thankfully the sledgehammer was an incredibly powerful blunt force weapon, stopping anything dead in their tracks.
Now the two warriors, the two soldiers, were back to back, both fighting around one another, both supporting the other whenever they slipped up... yet their efforts were in vain, it seemed for every one they killed, three more would climb over the bodies of the fallen to take their place.
The two now bumped into eachother, both fighters forced into a corner, their backs pressed against one another, the enemy seemingly hesitated, the demon and the human waited for their next move...
"We can't win this-" he gasped, lost for breath, panting, trying to recuperate the oxygen he had lost while there was a lull in the action. He was holding the sledgehammer loose, his willpower faltering...
"Don't give up" Justice tightened her grip on the handle of her sword with both hands, the blade was dripping black blood down onto her hands. "This is no place to die...".
He looked over at the rest of his family, Modeus was poised to attack, the demon now in the safety of Azazel's shield thanks to Justice, yet she wouldn't hesitate to attack anything that got too close.
Malina was stood next to the Lustful Demon, her hands coated black. He gave them a solemn nod, Malina returning the gesture, she knew how this would end. The Curious Angel was stood behind them, hands in the air, palms open, concentrating as hard as she could in order to maintain the shield. She was visibly sweating, not noticing the exchange between the two. Pandemonica was hidden behind her, still trying her damnedest to open the stronghold entrance.
Not even an hour in Hell and they were already defeated...
A booming, eardrum shattering howl rang out across the Hellscape, a wolf's howl.
Yet the creatures did not back down, they were eager to feast, they were eager to consume. They were so empty inside...no souls to call their own.
"What new foe are we to face?" he asked the demon referring to the terrifying howl, but the human received no reply, Justice's silence making him feel physically sick.
Was it some sort of sick, corrupted predator the abyss had conjured to finish them off once and for all?
"Ready?" she eventually spoke, the demon starting to accept her fate, death was closeby, the reaper was waiting.
"To the end?" he smiled, Justice catching the signature, heart-warming Helltaker smile out of the corner of her eye.
"To the end" she repeated, smirked in return.
The Helltaker and Justice the Awesome Demon, two heroes now charged forward both ready to fight once more...yet there was no need...
"LOOK!" Modeus pointed to the top of the stone spike they were all under, the Helltaker following her's and the creature's gaze. On top of the peak of this gargantuan stone landform, an humongous white dog could be seen, this dog strangely had...three...heads...
"Cerberus?!" he exclaimed, both himself and the former prosecutor stopped dead in their tracks. Justice upon hearing these words was so relieved she could cry.
"About time she showed up!" the blind demon grinned, putting her grimy black fingers to her mouth. She blew hard and the loud whistle that was produced echoed throughout the Hellscape. Without hesitation...the beast obeyed it's master's call.
The three headed dog dived from the top of the outcrop and landed a few metres in front of them, crushing a large group of the swarm upon impact. Her landing was so powerful that it shook the very earth they were stood upon, the Helltaker would have lost his balance weren't it for Justice's support. The demon used herself as a pillar of support, getting under his right arm and keep him on his feet.
With one more deafening howl, Cerberus began her rampage, trampling those who were slow enough not to react, devouring those foolish enough to attack. Her ravenous hunger knew no bounds, she swallowed enemies whole, often biting her victims in half or simply throwing them to one side.
They didn't stand a chance...
As the Helltaker was steadied by Justice he noticed the wounds this enormous beast had received, large cuts and scratches could be seen on their legs and side. When he got a good look at the three heads, he noticed one had their eye closed, a deep cut was restricting it's vision.
"Good god..." was all he could say as he watched the beast destroy the remaining Doppels, the remaining creatures now began to flee, but Cerberus was not finished with them. The three headed machine chased every last enemy in sight, making sure there were no survivors.
"Come on, let's check on the others while she does her thing" Justice lead him by the hand towards the rest of the family, the Awesome Demon demanifesting her enormous sword.
"Alright, I was going to ask if we should help but-" the dry shrieks and screams of the tongueless servants were his answer. He dragged the heavy sledgehammer behind him, it scrapping along the Hellscape, the weapon being a dead weight to him now.
Azazel had lowered her shield, the angel was exhausted after having maintained the barrier for so long, combined with the use of offensive magic, she was totally worn out. However, despite this she was healing Modeus's injuries the best she could, the two were sat against the dark rock wall, breathing deeply. It was the same wall that Pandemonica continued to struggle in opening.
"TARI NAHK SIE ELN!", a deep ominous voice could be heard in the distance, the shadows listened and understood, retreating. The Doppels and the foes hidden amoungst the darkness withdrew, ordered to return. The Helltaker decided not to take any notice of it, he couldn't understand it so why try, besides he needed time to think and rest...
"Everyone alive?" he did a quick headcount and received his answer.
"For now, that was a close one" Malina wiped the black blood off of her face and shirt, trying her best to clean herself, leaving black streaky marks along down her nose and cheeks.
"Thank god for Cerberus" he said, resting on the head of the sledgehammer. "If she hadn't come along I don't know what we-".
"We almost died" Azazel blurted, the adrenaline had left her and now all that filled her was veins was terror and horror. "Were those...d-demons?".
"Doppels we call them, short for doppelganger. They grab a 'template' demon, the abyss copies your body and uses a piece of your soul each time to make it into a mindless husk" Justice forgot to breathe during this sentence, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "They keep making copies of you until there is nothing left, until you yourself become a Doppel, it's how the abyss makes its army".
There was a tense pause, everyone being shocked by this new information. "So that's why I thought I killed the same one twice" the Helltaker said, recollecting the different faces of the Doppels...He never liked killing, it always plagued his nightmares, their faces...
"They must have had an army of them waiting, but...I wouldn't be surprised if Beel had a fresh batch of templates to select from. Who knows how many demons they had captured and started building from". Justice had just finished wringing her hands of the Doppel's blood, she was now trying to get the blood out from under her nails with her other nails.
"How come we never knew about them?" Azazel asked, curiosity getting the better of her...like always. "In all my years- all those thousands of years studying demonology, you think the term 'Doppel' would come up at least once or twice?".
"Well that info was restricted to the knowledge of Her Majesty and her prosecutors" Justice confessed, "For her eyes only, redacted, a need to know basis...and now you know!" the blind demon smiled.
"Jesus" the Helltaker ran a hand through his hair, the adrenaline was starting to wear off of him too. He felt clumps of dried blood in his black hair, the man's dirty, gore stained fingers probably adding more material onto his head.
"For a man devoted to his Satanic family, you sure reference Christianity alot don't ya?" Justice teased trying to lighten the mood.
"Seeing this...seeing what I've seen in wartime, seeing you-" he gestured with his hand at the Awesome Demon, "And I'm the strangest thing you have seen all day, someone believing in something that's real?" he chuckled slightly.
"Hey man I don't judge, gotta believe in something" Justice had given up at cleaning her dirty nails and instead began adjusting her hair, using the bandana to tie the messy, sweaty hair up and out of her face once again.
"I believe in curvy demon girls and now the power of the almighty, I always considered myself a non-believer, but this-" he trailed off, they all knew the confusion his mere mortal mind was struggling to process his beliefs.
"Speaking of which, where are the angels? Where is the big holy cunt? Why isn't he here to help?!" Malina chimed in. The current state of Hell and the state of the family had her worried, the Sour Demon was not one to use that expletive lightly, not like her sister.
"I imagine they will be watching and waiting like always" Justice sighed, the blind demon moved her hands over the top of her forehead and felt she was missing something.
Only now did she realise her sunglasses had disappeared from her face. "My glasses! They must have been knocked off my face mid-fight, damn...now I'm gonna look like-" the Helltaker had already moved to stand behind her, the man gifting the demon his circular ones.
"Here...I won't be needing them, too dark anyway" he said, taking them from his breast pocket, amazed they hadn't broken. He had already placed them on her forehead, sliding the arms of the glasses into her black stained ashen hair, resting on her ears.
"A-are you sure-e?" she timidly accepted the gift, not really waiting for his confirmation.
"Of course, they look better on you anyway..." he smiled, coming back over to the wall where the rest of the family were gathered. He allowed Justice the space to quietly gush over her new gift.
The man knelt next to Azazel who had just finished tending to Modeus's wounds, the angel gave a brief smile to the human before they both looked at the previously injured demon. "You okay Mo?".
"Of course...y-yo-you were very brave, saving us" she fluttered her eyes lashes at him, the holy healing methods the angel had applied were making her feel all types of okay.
"Anything to protect you" he said in a corny rom-com fashion, grinning, offering his hand to the Lustful Demon and helping her stand gently. Modeus's mind was almost overlooking the dire situation they were all in, it was wandering elsewhere...danger and sex was a tempting combo.
"Even after getting beat-up he is still a suck-up" Malina scoffed, teasing the human, aiming to annoy, the mood of the family was becoming lighter and more cheery despite the trouble they were in.
"I didn't know you could rhyme Malina" he teased back.
"Fuck you!", Malina almost smiled.
"I'VE GOT IT!" Pandemonica shouted loudly, the secret entrance now opening, the rock wall disintegrated into a red mist, allowing passage underground. A long dark tunnel stretched out before them, leading further...down into depths of Hell.
"Well done Monica" he said, their luck seemed to be turning.
"Knew you could do it!" Modeus beamed, leading the Helltaker towards the entrance, still holding onto his hand, both of them peering inside the tunnel.
"What was the key?" Justice asked, the Awesome Demon coming to stand opposite Pandemonica , the demon in question leaning against the rock wall. She took a while to respond, the process of opening the hidden entrance had exhausted her, she needed a breather.
"The phrase had been changed...you aren't going to like what it was changed too" the former secretary now looking at Malina.
"What? Why are you looking at me? What was it?" Malina asked confused.
The former secretary took a gulp of oxygen before she spoke again. "The two born from the abyss are our redemption, the daughters will set us free " Pandemonica recalled, lost in thought at its meaning, remaining silent afterwards.
"Us? Who the fuck is us?" Malina questioned, initially asking the Tired Demon but then stemming it out to the rest of the group, looking at all of their faces.
"My thoughts exactly, 'daughters' is obvious, but 'us' is the mystery" he heard the guard dog was now returning towards them. The hound was bounding over the Hellscape, shaking the surface as she went.
"What do you think they are doing to Zdrada?!" panic filled the Sour Demon's mind, scenarios of torture or sacrifices flooded her mind. Modeus let go of his hand and came over to comfort the younger sister, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"She'll be fine Malina, she's stronger than that, a fighter, you know that all too well" Modeus smiled, the Sour Demon growing incredibly uncomfortable when someone was trying to reassure her.
"Whatever...I just want to find her..." the Sour Demon turned, but didn't force Modeus away.
"We'll find out soon enough, everyone get inside. We have to keep pressing forward" the Helltaker ordered, the human turning to see the giant mutt had returned, all around her jaws there was a thick layer of black demon blood.
"Taker, she has got something in her mouth" Modeus pointed out, turning to briefly look at Cerberus before leading Malina inside the tunnel. Pandemonica gave the monster a brief glance before also entering, she had seen the three headed demon like this many times before.
"It looks like...a flower" Azazel squinted, hesitating before following the rest of the family, wanting to see the magnificent beast up close again. While the Curious Angel hadn't seen Cerberus like this in a few thousand years, she still marveled at the sight everytime it happened.
Then it occurred to him, he looked down at his lapel and sure enough his red Crocosmia Lucifer had gone. Another piece of his outfit that had become damaged. How the fuck was it still intact and how did Cerberus find it?
He smiled, approaching the lumbering giant slowly. Despite her tail wagging he was still cautious, he didn't want to be crushed by her affection, playing was no longer going to leave him with just a few cuts, bruises and bite marks. Justice followed him, the demon also wanting to see what he would do.
"Good girl" he spoke, Cerberus only just being able to hear him became more excited, the three heads were all focussed on him, that white fluffy tail going a million miles a minute.
As he approached he felt uncertainty arise from Cerberus; their tail went from wild to cautious, the nose began sniffing intensely and the heads no longer had their tongues out, the drool being contained for now.
When he was a few yards from the monster's heads, the one on the right snarled at him, the human jumping out of his skin but he did not flee. The snarl was then silenced by the other two heads barking and growing at the other on the left, looks like one of them was confused or didn't recognise him, yet still the behemoth approached.
"Easy girls, easy, it's me...you know me? Right?" he spoke softly, the man now reaching his hand out slowly, stretching his arm up. He gestured to stroke the triple headed demon. Cerberus hesitated for a moment but then the middle head immediately lowered and he was able to pet her, his tiny hands getting lost in a sea of white fur. He had to move his arms at their full length up and down in order to compensate for how large she was.
"Who's a good girl?" he smiled, treating Cerberus more like a dog than three demon girls, trying his best to give them a scratch, tugging at hair to make it seem-, oh who was he kidding, he was probably like a tiny flea giving them a minuscule bite.
"Thank you for coming to save us" he said as he stroked, the Helltaker noticing the head on the left was smiling at him, tongue lolloping saliva dribbling onto the ground.
"Yeah thanks Cerby, it was a well needed assist" Justice also reached up and stroked the right heads fur, booping it on the big wet nose first. "Got us out of another sticky situation...again. Are you keeping score?" Justice teased. The right head also smiling now, a quiet bark, but much louder than a normal dog's followed her sentence.
"Wait, can you hear m- can you hear us girls?" he asked, the Hellhound deciding it had had enough affection, all three heads now raised up and all were looking down at him. He received a nod in synchronisation, the beast showing a more gentle, more human side to it.
He now noticed the giant dog's injuries; all along her ribcage and legs there were cuts and gashes, the attacks of the Doppels and other nightmares was showing, black blood dripping down what was left of her white fur. On her right head, the left eye had been violently attacked, unknowing to him, this Cerberus had unfortunately rendered half blind. There was also a recent slash across the left Cerberus's nose, the scar tissue beginning to form.
Other than these inflictions, she was still standing. He thanked his lucky stars that they had found the first member of their lost family...and that she was still alive.
"Course they can dumbass, they're just in a different form, not a dog entirely" Justice felt a glob of saliva narrowly miss her.
"Damn...well I'll be..." he spoke surprised. "Alright Justice, we should probably wrap this up. Who knows when those things will return" he looked over at the former prosecutor.
"Agreed" she said, beginning to head over to the family, they were waiting for the two before they closed the tunnel entrance. The Helltaker was just about to follow Justice when the middle head of Cerberus gently nudged him, making him move a few steps forward, she was trying to show him what she had on the side of her mouth.
"Huh? What's that? What have you got me?" he spoke in a playful manner, trying to get a closer look at the flower. The tail began rapidly wagging once more. Somehow Cerberus had found the tiny Crocosmia and somehow she was gently carrying it on the side of her mouth, amazingly not destroying it. She now got her middle head as close to the human as possible to let him remove the saliva soaked plant.
"My Lucifer Crocosmia, how did you find this?" he smiled, holding the wet flower in the palm of his right hand. Cerberus just simply stared and smiled that goofy smile, the middle head giving him a big lick after a few moments of silence. Cerberus's breath was absolutely atrocious, the decaying smell of a hundred thousand dead demons was making him feel nauseous.
On top of this, the slobbering tongue against his skin felt like a giant piece of wet sandpaper, the saliva clinging to his skin and hair. The man was now drenched, covered head to toe in the sticky, transparent liquid. "Uhhh thanks...I guess?" he shook his head vigorously and tried to get rid of most of the drool off of his face and clothes.
"Phewwwee! We need to get you some mints Cerberus, your breath stinks!" he exclaimed playfully. Great...now I'm going to smell like dog breath for days...He began walking back to the cave, expecting the demon to follow, yet she did not. The man sensed this when he didn't hear the footsteps behind him, he turned to look over his shoulder at the beast.
"What's the holdup?" the human asked. In that moment, all six of Cerberus's ears pricked up and her eyes moved off of him, turning to look for the source of the sound they had heard emanating across the Hellscape. The hound released another booming howl in response, the Helltaker having to cover his ears being in such close proximity to her.
After her warcry was finished, it echoed in response across the land, she maintained her visual search of the horizon, her eyes being able to see much further than any demon, the guardian of the realm seeking for the source of the sound. She soon received her answer...
There were flashes of light coming from over the horizon, outlines of the dark hills and spiked rock outcrops were being projected across the blackened Hellscape, the gentle wailing was beginning to increase in volume again, screams and agony being carried on the wind. The smell of blood was becoming overwhelmingly potent once more, even the Helltaker could smell it...worrying signs...
"You aren't coming with us...are you?" he asked, the man already knew the answer. Cerberus was the guardian to the underworld after all, she was bound to its protection. The human received a sad shake of the head from the triple headed demon, all heads moving as one.
"I understand. You'll come find us when this is all over, alright?" he spoke a little louder, afraid this might be the last time he saw her. The human received a smile and wag of the tail. They would be fine..."Don't get yourself killed, you hear?" he paused, the demon simply wagging his tail and panting, the tongue still dripping spit everywhere. "Good girls. Go on, go play" he smiled, pointing to the darkness.
With that final remark, Cerberus let loose one more howl, the three demons speaking as one before bounding away at a phenomenal speed, pouncing over small hills and mountains, tail wagging so fast it was a blur. He watched as the Triple Demon disappeared from sight, eventually becoming lost in the different levels of darkness, he sighed and continued his walk to the secret entrance.
God speed Cerberus...