Authors note:
My dear friends...the end is here.
Chapter L: A Brand New Day
"That's enough wood for now you pyromaniac, let the fire die down a little before we add anymore" he grinned at Malina, the demon scowling at his request. She wanted a bigger fire.
"Then why did you make me go and get all this firewood if we aren't using it all!" the Sour Demon protested kicking sand in his direction. The Helltaker laughing, blocking the spray with his arm.
"If we add too much on now it will reduce the oxygen getting to it" the Helltaker poking the charred debris within the fire-pit of stones, allowing for the fire to evenly spread. "It will go out faster".
"I ain't warming up, a bigger fire means more warmth" Malina grumbled, the demon pulling her red bobble hat further down her face as the cold crept into her.
"Then move your log closer to the fire dumbass" he said, passing his share of roasted marshmallows on a stick over to Malina, "Share them with Azazel" he handed the demon the burnt stick.
"Yeah...whatever" the Sour Demon muttered, receiving the stick and giving it to Azazel first.
"Thank you!" the angel smiled, taking off her white fluffy mittens and picking at the still hot treats with her fingers.
"What are you drinking Zdrada?" the man seeing the smokey demon swigging from a black metal hip flask he had seen before.
"Wanna try some?" she offered, holding the container out to him.
"You not gonna tell what's in it? If this kills me, you're going get to get one angry sister" he teased, the man taking the flask and swigging from it one swift gulp. "F-f-fuck! What the f-f-fuck is t-that?!" he grimaced, the strong otherworldly alcohol making him cough. It sent a fiery feeling throughout his chest, an amazing, electrifying warmth straight to his core, expelling the cold of the night.
"Sneaked it out of heaven, only got a few full flasks of them left" the intoxicated demon smirked, retrieving the flask from the Helltaker's hand and taking another swig herself before placing back in her coat's inner pocket.
"Justice you're burning your marshmallows again!" Judgement moving her friend's stick out of the heart of the fire.
"Dude, I kinda can't see" Justice smiled, the fire reflecting in her new sunglasses.
"You are such a liar, I know you have a sixth sense, you are choosing not to use it!" Judgement protested, the demon taking a swig of her ice cold beer that had been chilling in the cool sand next to where she was sat.
"Ah fuck this" the CEO throwing her stick to Cerberus, the three of them fighting for the burnt scraps, salvaging what they could. Sadly the far right Cerberus was still adjusting to her visual impairment, not quite reacting fast enough, her hand-to-eye coordination skills not on point.
"Do you want anymore B?" he turned to his side, seeing that the Crimson Thief had already eaten all of her six marshmallows. He grabbed the plastic bag off of the floor, "Two left".
"I-I'll share them, one for both of us" she smiled, the demon's red beanie pulled down to cover her cold, hairless head.
"Deal", the man attaching the two sweets onto Beelzebub's stick. He watched as the white treats began turning a light brown, the sugar dripping off of the stick. Beelzebub shuffled closer, the demon wanting to share body heat for she was beginning to feel cold again. He allowed her closer, putting an arm around her and rubbing her side to generate warmth. He noticed Modeus giving Beel a look of jealousy from across the fire.
The Sadistic Demon smiled as her body was filled with warm coffee and caffeine rather than alcohol and sugar. He was quite jealous of her gigantic thermos, the man wishing he had thought ahead like her. Judgement and Justice were brave having beer on such a cold night, he needed a strong bourbon.
The plucking of a guitar string suddenly filled the silence, the flamed wood crackling had been the only sound, the entire family looking over at the source. "You have been practicing?" he smiled at the Bitch Demon, he hadn't seen that guitar in years.
"Maybe...maybe being drunk helps" Zdrada turning the tuning peg ever so slightly, giving the strings another strum. "There we go".
"Gonna play us a song?" Justice teased, the demon speaking with her mouthful of slightly burnt marshmallow.
"I might do..." Zdrada beginning to start of the song she had been practicing.
"Are you going to do that one you have been practi-" Modeus asked, jumping the gun, only to be silenced.
"I'm getting there, shut it!" Zdrada hesitated, giving the Lustful Demon a sadistic smile. With a few moments of silence, Zdrada began playing...
The Helltaker and his family were currently all sat on logs that himself, Judgement and Justice had spent the entire morning rolling out from the sand dunes and down onto the white sandy beach. He was sat on one with Beelzebub, to his right, Malina and Azazel, to their right all three Cerberus were squished onto a single log. Across the fire from him, Justice and Judgement were kicking back with their beers, to their right Lucifer and Modeus shared a log. And finally, Zdrada and Pandemonica.
It was the day that they had chosen to celebrate Azazel's graduation, but when they had asked the angel what she had wanted to do...expecting an extravagant trip or meal...but she had simply said she wanted to do this.
Sit by the fire, cooking marshmallows, reminisce and watch for shooting stars, looking across the flames as the night flew by. It had supposed to have been a surprise, but the three of them had disappeared for most of the day and when they had returned covered in sand and smelling of salt, Azazel knew. They had found six large pieces of wood, some were logs of abandoned trees, others were just large pieces of drift wood. Thankfully, the prosecutors had done most of the carrying.
The stars were all out tonight, the moon as well. He had looked up at them quite a few times already, imaging that an Innocent Bean, a Deity, a Love Sniper, an Archangel of Death, Mercy and Discipline, a Good Demon , a Tour Guide, a Holy Trumpeter and a Gate Guardian were all looking down on them. Some smiling, some pointing and laughing.
So as our typically average, battle-scarred human sat with his demons around the fire, sipping beer, coffee and god knows what else until the early hours of the morning. Zdrada's gentle handling of the guitar making all of them feel content, smiling, relaxed, reflecting on what they had been through. That they had been given another chance...all of them.
All the battles, all the arguments, all the fights, all the bloodshed, all the tears, all the pancakes, all the booze...but this was only the beginning. They had gone through Hell, literally, and come out through the other side in one piece.
I want to tell you how Lucifer had learned to forgive those who never deserved her forgiveness, she realised that she no longer needed to be strong and independent, she didn't have to be the Queen. She could be herself.
I want to tell you how Pandemonica finally began to realise she was more than apart of the machine, she had learnt to control her sadistic outbursts, she had no longer needed to worry about the stresses of working, she could finally retire.
I want to tell you how Modeus, our ever Lustful Demon realised she was worth more than her good looks and body, she was a pillar of the family, everyone relied on her, she listened, she was thoughtful, she cared. She was what all of them aspired to be.
I want to to tell you Malina had let go of her bitterness, her loneliness, she was no longer depressed. The demon would begin regularly seeking out the company of other family members. She began to tolerate her sister more than she used to. She was no longer trapped in her own prison, the mind.
I want to tell you how her sister, Zdrada had rejected her violent ways, the sadist and masochist no longer wished to hurt those she cared about, the fact she even cared at all now amazed even herself. The older sister began to support the younger one more, began laying off the insults, helping around the house, some say she had grown soft.
I want to tell you how our Curious Angel, Azazel had surpassed the expectations of even God herself, no one expecting her to fly so high. She had new found confidence, a new sense of purpose, her family of misfits at her back, the universe at her fingertips, the potential was unlimited. Azazel finally had control of her own life.
I want to tell you that Beelzebub did indeed recover from the abyss's corruption, that she decided to treat Lucifer not as her rival, but as her friend. She was no longer a megalomanical Queen, she was simply who she had wanted to be since the very beginning; she was loved...once again.
I want to tell you, that despite Cerberus's undying loyalty, despite her years of pledged protection to the realm, she finally received the love and affection she had always wanted. The demonic hound had only wanted someone to pet her, someone to tell her she had done a good job, someone to take her on walks, to say "Good Girl". Her personality extended much further than being a simple three headed dog.
I want to tell you that Justice, our Awesome Demon had learnt from her past trauma, she had learnt that she was more than simply a blind old woman, and yet despite her worries, her insecurities, her attachment, the little weaknesses she did have...she was stronger for it. Justice was able to love, she was able to live again.
I want to tell you that our High Prosecutor, Judgement had embraced the kindness hidden within her, no longer needing to disguise it with a front. Through all the fights she had endured, the one thing she continually fought for had never changed; family. The family she knew she would always support her, he would always support her, no matter how many enemies were thrown at her, she would fight just for the chance to see them again. They had made her stronger than ever before.
I want to tell you...that he had changed...every...single...one...of...them.
I want to tell you...that they had changed...him.
I want to tell you...that they would not waste this chance, in the years to come, the Helltaker and his family would cherish every moment, every drunken night, every games night, every takeaway, every bad decision, every good decision...it had been theirs...and theirs alone.
I want to tell you, that as the family from Hell watched the approaching dawn, that golden light began flooding across the open ocean. Soon the day would be upon them.
A Brand New Day.
Fin.
For those of you who wanted only the story, you can close the window now, you can close the browser, there is nothing more I can tell.
(Update from Future author: I have proof-read every single chapter, if you see any mistakes let me know. I will no longer be touching this story. It has been real...I'll miss working on this story...doesn't mean I will be working on others ;). You'll see)
But for those of you who wish to read these credits, by all means, please continue reading.
I'd like to start off by saying that this project was simply a pass-time, a distraction during the numerous lockdowns the UK was subjected to in 2020, I remember writing the first chapter and publishing it on the 27th of July 2020 and thinking "Ah god what is this, no one is going to want to read this cringey shit". Oh BOY! Was I wrong. You and everyone else reading this deserve my eternal thanks, without you, I would have no motivation to write chapter after chapter endlessly till 3am every night.
Without you, many first time writers like myself would be unable to follow their pursuit of writing, to express the ideas swarming their minds.
You have my gratitude.
To answer the main question on your mind, will I be writing more Helltaker material? Most likely no. Will I be writing Heaventaker material? Most certainly not. The two explanations for this are: 1. The lack of time I have. 2. The process of writing an entirely new story. I threw myself at the challenge of writing this fanfic, but only because I had the time and the ideas flowing, based off of Vanripper, Reddit and fanart.
Writing an entirely new story without anywhere to draw inspiration from, only from my own mind. That is an entirely different challenge. Being in the final stages of my degree, I must focus all my time and efforts on what is right for me now...I'm sorry.
Who knows, maybe I'll pick it up one day. Maybe it will be entirely different, maybe it will be Helltaker, maybe it will be Heaventaker. To be truthful I had planned on writing a Cyberpunk 2077 fic retelling male V and Panam's story. That requires too much time.
But...to leave you with a little hope, here are the two ideas I would write:
- Heaventaker story-line featuring the Angels introduced in this story.
-Lucifer and Beelzebub short story about the origins of Hell, their banishment, conquests and eventual falling out. (Courtesy of Kyt Katz)
I'd like to thank every single person who has followed and favourited this story, as of the 28th of February 2021 I must thank all 227 Followers and 217 Favouriters!
I'd also like to say a special thanks to this list of people for their support and advice throughout the Brand New Day project, you know who you are:
-Kyt Katz -Som3bode -A Trash Mob -Tactical Magician -seht rollins 9 -Omega6047 -IAmNotPedoBear -TwoTeethTim .1 -VelocityRex -AyeJimmy123 -Kel Arumar -Mad Android -xXTheReaperXx -Arcv354 -Cylindryk -Cobalt -Ozymandiasmusic -Hikari Tenshi -CeruleanBeacon354 -zangerange -HIrasawaIeayasu -DracoAngelus17 -Numb-Life -Kravlov -unbreakablegravity -Nameless -Izuru-kamakura -Ventanus -GuestMkVII -The Doc K -Yeet -rc48177 -IzukuMeliodas -ShulkXMeila23 -The Phant0m Ruby -Mo Easy -ChapaxD2000 -Adjustedreality -Sledheadronald -RockeyWeadyHead -RangerMcAleer -WarWithoutEnd -Nikolay2003 -WeadysReading -Neko Twins Kagamine -Bloodfiend123
ALSO: Special thanks again to unbreakablegravity for their awesome cover art for this fanfic, truly fits the aesthetic.
As end note, I will be proof-reading, deleting and adding parts to previous chapters. Any changes you notice are intentional. If you have any questions or notice any continuity errors, don't hesitate to personally message me.
Thank you.
Now for simple credits/appendix as if there were a film or a proper book; Characters, Layout of Helltaker's house, Fake Human Names, and Unused Idea (You're welcome to steal them).
Characters
The Helltaker (Vanripper), Evan Anderson (Author's)
Lucifer, The CEO of Hell (Vanripper)
Pandemonica, The Tired Demon (Vanripper)
Modeus, The Lustful Demon (Vanripper)
Malina, The Sour Demon (Vanripper)
Zdrada, The Bitch Demon (Vanripper)
Azazel, The Curious Angel (Vanripper)
Beelzebub, The Great Fly + Endless titles (Vanripper)
Cerberus, The Triple Demon (Vanripper)
Justice, The Awesome Demon (Vanripper)
Judgement, The High Prosecutor (Vanripper)
Jehovah, The Omniscient, Omnipotent Deity (r/Claudiawolf203 and associated members of the Heaventaker project)
Jesus, The Innocent Bean (r/Claudiawolf203 et al)
Beatrice, The Heavenly Tour Guide (r/Claudiawolf203 et al)
Cupid, The Mentally Unstable Love Sniper (r/Claudiawolf203 et al)
Marchosias, The Good Demon (r/Claudiawolf203 et al)
Gabriel, The Holy Trumpeter (r/Claudiawolf203 et al)
Azrael, The Archangel of Death (Author's)
Eurielle, The Gate Guardian (Author's)
Zadkiel, The Archangel of Mercy (Author's)
Adriel, The Archangel of Discipline (Author's)
Detective Sasha Burn (Author's)
Corporal Amy Johnson, later Sergeant Johnson (Author's)
Eligos, Assistant Secretary to Pandemonica, later Head of Demon Resources (Author's)
Vassago, Demon Businessman, later Head of Modern Punishments (Author's)
Mantus, Father of the Abyss, father of Zdrada and Malina (Author's)
Behemoth, Aspiring High Prosecutor, Judgement's friend (Author's)
Jezebel, Wife of Mantus and mother of Zdrada and Malina (Author's)
The three muggers- Fred Willoughby, Sam Peterson and Dominic Montana (Author's)
Captain Marcus Dean, Amy and Sasha's superior- was Captain of platoon with Helltaker in it during army life (Author's)
Carrie/ Caroline Anderson- Mother of Helltaker (Author's)
John/ Johnathan Anderson- Father of Helltaker (Author's)
Dagon/ Damien Stonewall- Helltaker's Lawyer (Author's)
Other Miscellaneous Lawyers from Hell: Oni, The Magician (Author's)
Special Agents- Agent Martin and Agent Connor (Author's)
Michelle Woods- Rival Lawyer (Author's)
Damballa, The Serpent, Justice's mentor, a previous High Prosecutor (Author's)
(Please let me know if I missed anyone!)
Layout of the Helltaker's house
Some of you may be curious as to the layout of the Helltaker's house, the best I can do is describe key details of each place for you:
Front of House: Gravel driveway. Black Mercedes-Benz-G-Class. White Front Door. Single Garage Door.
Garage: 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429. Box of War Medals, photo albums, old military uniform.
Ground floor- Hallway. Downstairs toilet. Kitchen. Lounge. Backdoor in Kitchen. Single table and chair near window before stairs. Stairs.
First floor- Zdrada and Malina's shared bedroom. Justice and Judgement's shared bedroom. Communal bathroom. Large french window with access to Garage Roof. Stairs.
Second floor- Lucifer's bedroom with en-suite. Modeus's bedroom. Pandemonica's bedroom. Azazel's bedroom. Cerberus's bedroom. Stairs.
Third floor- Helltaker's old room now Beelzebub's with en-suite.
Fake Human Names:
Helltaker- Jason Williams- Real name= Evan Anderson.
Lucifer- Lucy Anastasia
Judgement- Judie Judge
Justice- Justine Judge
Azazel- Anna Angelica
Malina- Malina Anastasia
Zdrada- Zofia Anastasia
Pandemonica- Monica Rubiaceae
Modeus- Maria Lindsey
Cerberus 1- Lila Anastasia
Cerberus 2- Ella Anastasia
Cerberus 3- Mila Anastasia
Beelzebub- Beatrice Domestica
Dagon- Damien Stonewall
Unused Ideas:
Date with Beelzebub.
Second date with Lucifer- Beach picnic?
Mess with him- Judgement chains him to bed and leaves him there.
Smash Ultimate Bet second time? Helltaker wins? Malina wins again?
Helltaker and Lucifer teleport away for a weekend- Seattle.
Demon girls night without Helltaker.
Family have a barbecue.
Pandemonica tries premium coffee.
A demon wears Helltaker's red and white suit.
Justice, Judgement and Helltaker go to festival/ carnival- the two are following Justice around carrying all her prizes. She wins every single game. (Reddit inspired).
Flashback to Lucifer looking after toddler Malina and Zdrada, giving one of them to Justice/Judgement and both not knowing how to react.
Encounter with a priest- calls Lucifer an evil slut- recognises her as the devil (Reddit inspired).
Justice dressed in all white (Reddit inspired).
Modeus couple yoga guide, gone wrong, gone sexual (Reddit inspired).
Helltaker: "Sorry, I'm gonna have to be a bit anal with your work". Azazel: "It's alright, Anal is good" (Reddit inspired).
Archangel Michael- supposedly Lucifer's twin brother.
The Helltaker will return.