Rage Wrought in Iron
By: Bubbajack
Beta: IcysnowSage
Disclaimer: I don't own BtVS, DOOM, or anything else related to this fic.
Ch.1: Hellwalker, meet Hellblazer.
'I hate being poor,' Alexander 'Xander' Levelle Harris thought to himself as he gazed longingly at the Doomguy costume on display in Ethan's Costume Shop. The new costume shop that had opened up in town just in time for Halloween. The Doomguy was something both he and Jessie held in high regard, for Xander even more so now that he knew Sunnydale was actually infested with demons. The teen silently almost bitterly reminisced about how he and his brother in all but blood would stay up late as his place playing DOOM and when it came out DOOM II, and right before he was turned Doom 64 on Jessie's computer, taking turns battling the demonic hoard whenever the other fell in virtual combat.
He looked at the price tag. Forty bucks. 'Twenty more than I have,' He thought bitterly to himself, before he sighed and started making his way over to the bargain bin.
"How much is the cool costume Xan?" Buffy asked, coming to stand next to him, while doing her best to keep half an eye on the kids they were supposed to be chaperoning tonight.
"It's one Andrew Jackson more than I have a Buffster."
Buffy looked at the sculpted space commando armor and thought back to how she embarrassed him earlier in the day when she interfered with his fight with Larry, the school bully. As a peace offering she said a little sheepishly letting her inner blonde show. "That's a twenty right? I got you don't worry."
He looked at her, blinked, and grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. "You serious?!" Buffy smiled a bit when her Xander-shaped-friend actually hugged her. "You're the best Buff."
"Y-Your welcome. 'Don't enjoy this… don't enjoy this Buffy! You like Angel, remember? Angel!' The Slayer told herself as the hug continued. Once he pulled away, the blonde Slayer let out a sigh of relief. She silently watched him run up to the british guy running the place and told herself she was doing the right thing keeping her feelings to herself.
"I don't want to be a bad friend to Willow after all," the faux-blonde said to herself.
"Did you say my name Buffy?" Willow said a little breathlessly having come from keeping an eye on the kids. The little hellions were doing their best to well, be small rambunctious children.
Buffy plastered a smile on her face. "Oh, hey Wills, I was just saying to myself you're going to like the costume Xander picked out."
The redheaded genius smiled. "Oh cool."
The slayer nodded. "So have the kids picked out their costumes? More importantly have you picked out something sexy to entice a certain someone?" Buffy asked before looking Xander's way knowingly.
"I-I can't do that Buffy, we need to chaperone so I c-can't dress too proactively r-right?!" Willow was using the children as a convenient excuse.
The 'Chosen One' huffed. "I guess you have a point. What'll you go as then?"
"What I usually go as, a ghost," Willow replied, "Just need to dust off the old bed sheet with holes for eyes and I'll be set."
Buffy did her best not to roll her eyes. "Bed sheet ghost? Really Wills?"
The redhead just sheepishly shrugged and gave an awkward smile. Buffy was glad for the distraction though as it stopped her from thinking about her Xander-shaped friend. Despite what people might think she wasn't a blonde stereotype. It didn't take her long after it happened to realize that it was Xander not Angel who gave her CPR, but by then she'd already thanked Angel for giving her the kiss of life. Since then, and after doing some soul searching, she had… feeling for Xander.
However, Buffy knew she couldn't take back what was said and done down in the Master's lair and she didn't really know how to bring it up without being super awkward about it. On top of all of that, Willow still had her obvious-to-everyone-but-Xander crush. So she held her tongue. She'd been showing her appreciation for Xander in other ways. Whenever they went out on patrol, she kept an extra close eye on her hawaiian shirt wearing friend, and she had thus far been trying, unsuccessfully, to keep him out of the slayage altogether. It had nothing to do with him being incapable. She'd seen him stall a vamp before she came to stake it. Even doing that much was impressive. No, she just didn't want this life, her life, to kill him. 'Then again, it took his friend Jessie, do I really have the right to stop him?' Buffy shook her head as she didn't know.
"You okay? Willow asked, concerned.
"I'm good. Just kinda sucks that we have to go out on my one day off is all," Buffy lied. She tried to move on from her crush by stoking her interest in Angel and she had to admit he was interesting in a dark, mysterious, and brooding kinda way… but he was also old enough to be her several times great-grandfather. 'And dead don't forget dead. Can a vampire even get it up? I mean they don't need to breathe and it stands to reason their circulatory system doesn't work either so… are male vampires both immortal and impotent?'
Let it be known that the Slayers mind went to some weird places sometimes.
? ゚メタ?
It was with reverence that Xander donned the attire of Doomguy, the silent space marine that took on the hordes of hell on Mars and Earth for the sake of humanity. In truth, Xander felt a sense of kinship with the videogame character. Both had lost loved ones to demons, and both of them fought back with nothing but rage and grim determination. 'The only real difference between the two of us,' Xander thought as he looked into the hard plastic visored helmet, 'Is that your buff as hell, fueled by rage, and have a platoon's worth of weapons. While I have the rage, I'm just Xander.'
So thinking he put on the helmet, clipped on the holster and sawed-off shotgun that came with the suit, and went out to meet his friends and the kids he was supposed to be looking after tonight.
? ゚メタ?
Everything went fine for a time, the trio's charges ran around happily screaming for candy. Buffy stopped the bigger kids from trying to exact 'tolls' on the street from their group and the night was fun all things considered…
Then, came a red flash in the sky, the bleeding colour of red mauled the night sky. Animals quietened, the Gods of old groaned as fear stirred them from their sleepy tombs. Everything would no longer be the same. The ground shuddered as the teenage boy left the mortal plain and the heavy staccato beat of the Hellwalker replaced them.
Hell had come home at last.
Xander felt it boiling up from the pit of his stomach, as his vision clouded over with red. Unstoppable, unquenchable, endless, rage. He felt his muscles bulge and strain against his Praetor suit as Argent energy coursed through his body, filling him with adrenaline, his knuckles popped as he clenched his fists in anger as the Doomslayer glanced down the street in some unknown suburb.
'Still standing buildings, that don't look like a grenade went off inside them? No random ass pentagrams and corpses all over the place? Where the fuck am I?' The Doom Slayer wondered while slightly hopeful this was not some cheap illusion conjured to torture him by the denizens of hell.
He had no idea how he got here, last thing he recalled, he had been in the Citadel of Doom after slaughtering the Icon of Sin, again. Now he found himself in what looked to be a terrorized suburbia. Demons, monsters, and ghouls of all sorts were running amok terrorizing the people. Zombies gnawing on fresh corpses, werebeasts attacking knights as they rallied the defenseless townspeople, and demons, horned, red skinned demons were everywhere.
The Doom Slayer cocked his Super Shotgun, he knew exactly how to deal with demons. Ideally wondering where his meathook had gotten to, he loaded a couple of shells before taking aim at the nearest creature, a feral wolf-like humanoid. He was about to pull the trigger when a floating redhead jumped in front of him.
"Xander! No!" She yelled at him. Her green eyes were frantic and this ethereal thing seemed to be trying to get him to stop. Unfortunately, his quarry had no qualms about trying to kill him, as it flung himself at him with all the power of a cannonball.
He grunted in annoyance before pulling the werebeast out of his chest, tossing it up into the air, and pulling both triggers of his shotgun. It rained blood and bits of gore.
"You just killed a child!" The ghost girl accused.
"Not a child, monster!" The Doomslayer growled.
The ghost, which was actually something he wasn't sure he could kill, rebutted. "That was a child that has been turned into a costume it was wearing and you just murdered him."
The Doomslayer popped his knuckles. Humans being turned into demons again? Were the legions of hell and the Makyers at work here as well? He would need to find out but first he'd need to get better equipped. Popping the shells out of his Super Shotgun he loaded in a fresh pair as he walked past, or rather through the ghost.
"Xander, where are you going?!" The ghost yelled floating after him.
"Need better equipment," Doomslayer grunted as he walked off into the night kicking aside the occasional monster that was foolish enough to get in his way. "Hayden, closest armory?"
"There is a nearby army base, also the year appears to be 1998. It seems as though you've been moved through time and space."
"So Tuesday basically?" The Doomslayer noted, with a grunt.
"You're more talkative than usual," Hayden noted.
"Houses still standing, no mega-corporation turning people into demons, and no idiot trying to harvest hell for a power source. Not half bad. Current incident notwithstanding."
"You're still holding me putting the needs of the many over the needs of the few I see," Hayden commented.
"No good can come from cavorting with Hell, you of all people should know that by now," Doomslayer replied before picking a monster mostly humanoid but with a twisted batlike face and sulfuric eyes that tried to attack him up by the throat, slamming it down on the cement, and caving its head in with a single stomp before continuing on into the night.
? ゚メタ?
When he arrived at the army base, Doomguy expected to see troops running around, men marshalling, preparing to fight back against the demonic horde. Instead he found one young greenhorn on watch duty at a guard post. Growling under his breath, the Doomslayer jogged up to the gate and tapped on the glass when the private didn't immediately react to his approach.
The boy practically jumped out of his skin, eyes fixed on a porno mag when he heard the tapping and stood up upon seeing him and saluted, his pants falling down around his ankles showing off a pair of white and red hearted underwear as he did so.
Rolling his eyes behind his visor, the Doomslayer grunted out, "Need ordinance for a nearby riot."
"I… uh yes sir!" The timid security guard saluted.
"And for God's sake pull your pants up," The bane of demon's growled as he walked past.
Stalking through the base like a raging beast, he followed the signs to the armory. Upon arriving he found it locked by a keycard scanner and a padlock. His response was to punch the scanner and crushed the padlock in his hands before forcing the door open with sheer brute strength. He then started to peruse the shelves. He picked up a secondary shotgun, a AA-12 with two extra drum magazines, two boxes of both incendiary and frag grenades, a M134 minigun, and an M4 which he attached a scope, and an M203 grenade launcher attachment, along with 40mm grenade rounds and three Beta C-mags totaling three hundred rounds.
It wasn't his equipment, but it would have to do until he could find some way to upgrade. He also picked up a combat knife and taped it to his left arm, and just in case, he grabbed a fireman's axe.
Unable to help himself, the former leader of the UAC and ARC asked, "Why do you need a fireman's axe?"
"You never know, we might run into an Archvile."
"So if you run into a flaming demon, you're going to attack it… with an axe?" Hayden questioned.
The Doomslayer shrugged. "Maybe. You never know when you'll need an axe or what for," He replied as he left the base at a steady clip.
? ゚メタ?
As he made his way back into town in which a sign called Sunnydale California, he bumped into someone, wearing a tan overcoat and smoking a cigarette. "Watch where you're going jarhead."
The Doomslayer fixed the man who had the stench of hell wafting off of him with a glare. He was tall, thin with honey blonde hair and a ruddy complexion and looked like he was in need of a shave. He looked up at him and as he did, his mouth fell open, cancer stick dangling from his mouth, his blue eyes widening all the while. "Well bless my thrice-damned soul, you're the Doomguy ain't ya?!"
Under his helmet, the Doomslayer blinked. He had no idea who this Englishman was but it seems his reputation was preceding him. "My name is BJ Blaskowick the Fourth."
"Course it is mate, course it is, as for me, John Constantine is the name, screwin' over hell is the game," He replied holding out his hand for a shake.
Instead of doing so the bane of demon's asked. "Do you have any idea how we ended up here Constantine?"
"Well, this place damn near feels like hell mind you but… I can feel someone cast a big spell not too long ago. Half past maybe? I was about to get outta town when I bumped into you," John said as he took a drag off his cig.
Doomslayer nodded as he marched into town flicking the safety off his M4 as he went. "Can you tell which direction it was cast from?"
John, against his better judgement followed in his wake. "Came from somewhere downtown. If we could get closer I could probably pinpoint the source."
"We?" The Doomslayer grunted casting a furtive glance at the mage.
"Oh I'm sorry mate, but do you have any way of tracking this spell down yer damn self? No? Well then, it looks like you're gonna need my help dunnit?" John said with a shiteating grin on his face.
"Then lead the way…" the Doomslayer said pointing with the business end of his M4. "I insist."
Constantine just smirked. "Right follow me then."
The unlikely duo set forth Constantine blasting foes with magic eldritch fire and lightning leaping from his palms, while the Doomslayer used bullets, brute strength, and unending rage to carve a path through the monster horde. They fought their way out of the suburbs, and into the downtown shopping district where the source of the magic was strongest, according to the damned wizard. As the two fought, Constantine noted that with every demon slain the Doomguy's armor would repair itself and the marine would surge with new vigor. As if he was absorbing the very essence of his fallen foes. He watched as the Doomguy broke the arm of a zombie before shoving the bone shard of its own mangled limb into its brain. Savage, brutal, and most of all efficient.
Then after many a bloody battle, they came to the source of "Right, unless my sniffer is on the fritz, the source of this spell should be coming from that Samhain costume shop, my gruff and brutish friend," Constantine said pointing at Ethan's Costume Shop.
"Wait here," The Doomslayer commanded as he loaded a fresh clip into his M4. "I'm going to finish this."
"Now hold on a sec gov," Constantine said standing in his path. "What if your usual plan of destroy everything backfires horribly and blows up in both our faces eh? Wot then?"
"What do you suggest?" The space marine said with an annoyed grunt.
"You take out the dumbass magician that caused this, while yours truly safely undoes the ritual?"
The Doomslayer was silent for a moment before he replied, "How do you even know the mage who cast this spell will even be here?"
Constantine grinned as he lit a smoke. "Oh he'll be here alright. This here's chaos magic mate, and no chaos mage worth his salt casts a spell like this and doesn't stick around to watch the madness unfold. It's like givvin' a kid fireworks but not lettin' em watch the explosion."
BJ nodded. "I'll go through the front, you slip in around back once you hear gunshots."
"Aye aye sarge," Constantine said with a mock salute as he sauntered off.
Without another word the boogeyman of demonkind walked up to the front door and kicked it in. He had his Super shotgun cocked and ready. He swept it over countless costumes and displays… no Hell Priest in sight.
"Sorry but we're closed for the evening," An accented voice called out from under the teller counter. Moments later an older man pale in his forties with slicked back black hair and mirth in his eyes appeared, wearing dark colored if common clothing.
"You… are the hell priest?" The Doom Marine asked, he'd seen Hell Priests before and this man bore no signs of argent energy corruption, no corpulence, corruption of the irises, or decaying of the teeth. He looked for all intents and purposes normal.
"Hell Priest? Oh goodness no! I'm a Chaos mage. I just wanted to stir up a little trouble and have a little laugh that's all. Everyone is so obsessed with becoming something they're not on Halloween night I thought to myself, well why not actually let them become the monsters, heroes, ghosts and ghouls they've dressed as?"
"I see. So I wasn't teleported. I'm possessing someone like common demon scum!" The Doomslayer growled his voice filled with growing wrath.
Ethan Rayne raised his hands in surrender. "Now, now friend, there is a simple way to end the spell."
"Yeah, well then I suggest you start spillin' gov, before my friend's trigger finger gets a might too itchy, savvy?" Constantine said having slipped in through the backroom carrying a glowing two headed bust in his hands. "Now, how's about you explain what ole Janus here has to do with your spell and be right quick about it, before you have more lead introduced into your english diet."
"Yes well, Janus is among other things, a god of chaos as well as Doors, Travel, War, Peace and Duality."
"So you tapped into his chaos aspect to fuel your spell. Clever… and also stupid," Constantine replied flatly. "Gods are fickle fuckers at best and they always want something in return for their boons. So what did you promise 'im eh?"
Ethan shrugged. "Oh not much, just my mortal soul."
Constantine shook his head in disgust. "You absolute madman."
"Better to serve forever at the side of my patron deity than be consumed by... " Ethan shrugged again. "Well, it doesn't matter now."
"Constantine can you break the spell?" The Doomslayer asked.
"Yeah, we're in a bit of a tough spot mate. See the spell is being powered by Janus, who wants Ethan's soul as payment. so until he dies we're…"
*BANG* The sound of the Super Shotgun going off was deafening, The sight of Ethan Rayne's head splattering over his back wall, was not something Constantine saw everyday.
"Damn… I thought you only did that to demons?" the laughing magician asked.
"He sold his soul… he didn't count as human anymore," The Doomslayer replied as the bust of Janus stopped glowing. He put his Super Shotgun back in its holster at his side as he felt his consciousness begin to fade he thought 'Whoever you are, give 'em hell.'
? ゚メタ?
Xander woke up with adrenaline and rage flooding through his veins. 'Rip! Rip and tear!' He thought sitting bolt upright, his heart hammering in his chest, his head moving on a swivel as he took in his surroundings, his hands clenched around a throat that wasn't there. The teen hopped to his feet, and looked around him as a red film clouded his vision over. He could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears. 'The demons, the fucking demons! Where are they?!' He wondered gazing around the shop.
Hearing a groan to his left Xander looked down and saw Johanthan Levinson laying on the ground shaking his head dizzily and trying to get himself to his feet. The rage fueled teen was by his side in a second. "Jonathan, hey Jonathan, you okay?"
"Shit my head hurts," He coughed a bit and continued, "My mouth tastes like an ashtray," He looked up owlishly and asked, "Harris, that you man?"
"Yeah," he growled out while giving the downed teen his arm which he accepted as he hauled him to his feet. For the first time Xander noticed his bulging biceps on his arms.
"Damn quite a grip there Harris, and you really fill out that armor… also, have you gotten taller?"
Walking up to a full length mirror, Xander saw himself for the first time. He was wearing sleeveless olive drab armor with thick shoulder pauldrons, with bronze gauntlets and leg armor and boots complete with a visored helmet. With all manner of weapons strapped to his person. From what little he could see of his actual pale flesh, he was ripped. Bulkier than even the football players, and was standing at about 6'3.
"What the hell happened to me?" Xander wondered as he gripped his head in pain.
Nightmarish images flashed through his mind in first person. Of him fighting his way through demonic hordes and he just kept on killing over and over for who knows how long… some of the demons were as big as mountains, but that didn't even slow him down. Then, he ended up… somewhere else. Was made to fight in an arena to prove his worth… the more he tried to recall the more his head hurt. So he stopped trying for now.
"It seems you've adapted to the Doom Slayer's physiology," A calm analytical voice spoke from inside the helmet.
"Who said that?!" Xander snapped looking around and bringing his M4 to bear.
"I am the AI of this suit. The D22-8623 otherwise known as the Praetor suit is its proper designation. My name is Samuel Hayden."
That name caused more images to flash through his mind's eye. Him walking towards a white box container as the same voice said to him. "It's a gift. Take it, it will give you strength, help you on your journey..." Overlapping that was a memory of him laying in a machine as a hooded figure spoke a similar line, "I offer you a gift. Take it. It will give you strength... help you along your journey. And now, they will fear you." Lastly was a nine foot tall white robot walking away from him with a crimson energy sword in hand. "Till we meet again."
"Why should I trust you Hayden?" Xander said with suspicion in his tone. He wasn't completely positive that Hayden and that other person, the Seraphim, were the same person, but if he screwed the Doomslayer over once already he should be careful around him.
"Because, without me, you can't hope to recreate modern 22nd century plasma technology, and I also know the weakness of many demons."
Xander let out a growl of frustration because he knew the annoying man was right. "What do you want?"
"How do you mean?" Hayden questioned.
"I mean what do you want? You're not willing to hand out the secrets to plasma technology for nothing. So, what do you want Hayden? Or is it Seraphim? I'm having trouble keeping track."
"Perceptive much more so than your predecessor. Might I ask your name?" Hayden inquired.
"I dunno how they do things in 2163 but in 1998, it's polite to properly introduce yourself first," The teen shot back.
"Heh heh. A sense of humor is something I find oddly refreshing. Very well human. I am the Samur Maykr. Former Chancellor to the Khan Maykr and the one who blessed your predecessor with the power of the divinity machine."
"Blessed him how?" Xander didn't know what that blessing was all about.
"Now is not the time to speak of such things," Hayden commented. "See to your ally."
Xander turned to Jonathan and asked, "You okay?"
"I was about to ask you that, you were muttering to yourself," Jonathan noted concern in his tone.
"The AI in this suit is a know-it-all," Xander supplied.
"It's not my fault my intellect is vastly superior to yours," Hayden commented, somehow making monotone sound smug.
Xander resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Shut up Hayden."
"Uh Xander, there's a dead guy behind this counter…" Jonathan pointed out.
"Oh shit Hayden did I?"
"Not you, the Slayer."
"Buffy? She's not one for guns," The teen spoke under his breath. Shaking his head a little.
"I don't know who Buffy is, but I was referring to the Doomslayer."
"Shit! So I did kill him?"
"Technically yes," Hayden replied.
Xander took a breath before he looked around. "Okay, okay I…" he looked over on the counter where a phone sat in its cradle. "I need to call someone. Sure the guy was an asshole and he kinda brought this on himself but still…" the new Doomslayer said to himself as he dialed the number.
? ゚メタ?
"Rupert Giles speaking," The Englishman said as he answered his phone, having had to hurry off his couch in his apartment to answer it with half a cuppa tea still in one hand.
"Hey Giles, I… I've got a problem, a big one," Xander's voice came over the receiver. He sounded a bit shaky and what's more he actually called him by his first name.
"Xander, what's wrong?" He knew it wasn't like Alexander to show fear in any capacity.
"Well… it's like this…"
The more Giles listened to Xander's tale the more this jaw dropped. Not only because the young man had killed someone while possessed, but the person he had killed was someone Giles knew very well. Very well indeed.
"You think 'bout ole Rayne everytime you see that mark on yer arm, don't you Giles ole chap?" The Ripper cajoled in the back of his mind. "About the bad old days, the fun, the high you'd get from Eygon."
"Quiet you," Giles muttered to himself.
"Now it looks like ole Ethan ain't a problem no more, what with getting a head full of buckshot shampoo and all."
Giles just sighed. "I'll be right over Xander, stay right there with Mr. Levinson won't you?" Right before he hung up he added, "Also Xander, this isn't your fault. The Doomslayer did you say? Well, he probably did what he thought was best."
"Yeah… thanks G-man."
"Don't call me that," Giles replied with a bit of humor in his tone before he hung up the receiver and reached for his keys.
? ゚メタ?
Arriving at the costume shop and putting his car in park, Giles shook his head. "Had his name on the front and everything. Taunting me no doubt. I should've kept a closer eye on things," He muttered to himself as he unlocked his trunk and came out with several plastic bags, bleach, and a hacksaw. His items in hand, he made his way inside.
"Giles, thank God you're here. What's with the murder kit?" Xander asked, his tone relieved and perplexed at the same time.
"Xander… we need to get rid of the body," Giles said patiently while stating the obvious.
Rage, like the boiling flow of a volcano boiled up inside of him, threatening to overflow, bleeding like hot coals into his mind and threatening to tear, shred, crush what civilization Xander had inside his soul. He forced it down. "Oh… oh… OH… Jesus G-man that's kinda messed up. I mean sure he turned people into monsters and all, but I don't really feel good about chopping him up."
"Xander, you dust vampires and help slay demons all the time," Giles pointed out.
"Yeah, vampires, demons, not humans!" Xander replied hotly. "There's a difference between staking a demon wearing a human corpse like a cheap suit and killing a person."
Giles clapped him on his shoulder, something he now had to reach up slightly to do, before he replied, "Sometimes, at the end of the day my boy, the humans are the monsters."
Xander heaved out a sigh. "Yeah guess you have a point there… Shit!" He swore again.
"What is it?"
"I… I can't go home, or to school Giles. I mean look at me," Xander held his arms out at his sides, "I look more jacked than Arnold Schwarzenegger Even my parents, as useless as they are, would notice me suddenly gaining four inches in height and gaining fifty pounds of pure muscle."
"Seventy-five actually," Hayden clarified.
"Not the point Hayden."
"Who, dare I ask is Hayden?" Giles inquired.
"Xander's suit has a built in AI. He talks a lot. Hand me that hacksaw will ya, and let's get this over with Mr. Giles," Jonathan said, holding out his hand for the saw as he kneeled down next to the corpse inspecting where he needed to cut and saw off the limbs.
"I… Yes, quite," Giles replied, handing the implement over to the young man who proceeded to carve away at the right arm.
"Jonathan, just what do you have in your head man? I mean, that's a person's corpse."
In response, Jonathan took a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, and lit one, taking a drag before he replied. "I saw Constantine's life, and it sucked man. The Doomguy may be strong enough to conquer hell, but Constantine? He's done everything in his power to avoid going there, because he's not the Doomguy, he can't just rip and tear his way out." Having sawn through the arm by the time he finished speaking he put it into the waiting plastic bag Giles had open, before he continued.
"So, what's the real story of our local school librarian?"
"I… Xander, do you trust Mr. Levinson?" The Watcher asked.
Xander was silent for a moment, before he nodded in affirmative. "Yeah I do. Besides, he probably knows enough magic to stop a mindwipe anyway."
"Yeah you're probably not wrong about that," Jonathan replied casually as he started on the other arm, while he took another drag off his cancer stick. Even though he never smoked before today the bitter taste on his lips and burn in his lungs proved that this wasn't a dream. Jonathan realized that yes the world is just as dark as the stories of Hellraiser.
"I'm a Watcher it is my job to both train and advise the hunter of demons and vampires known as the Slayer."
"You took their job, Xander," Jonathan joked, smoke coming out between his teeth, as he grinned at the doom marine.
"Ah took terk er jerb!" Xander mimicked. "No seriously though I'm pretty sure the Slayers were here before me… I think?"
"Anyway," The Watcher said, steering the conversation back on track. "What exactly happened to you Mr. Levinson?"
"I got John Constantine's memories in my head man, and it sucks," The teen replied as he finished his cig while simultaneously chucking the other arm in a separate bag.
Gile's blinked owlishly. "Who?"
"John Constantine… the Laughing Magician… The Hellraiser? C'mon man! Don't tell me you've never picked up a comic book?!" Jonathan said upon seeing Gile's still clueless look.
"I… no I haven't. It wasn't really my scene in my youth," The elder man replied.
"Gman was more the sex drugs and rock 'n' roll kinda guy I imagine. Then life caught up with him and he got boring… and started sipping tea and wearing tweed."
"You… have no idea how accurate that statement is Xander."
From inside his helmet the not so teen teenager blinked. "What? Really? You mean you actually used to be… cool?"
"Quite," Giles replied in a two dimensional tone.
"Still cool I mean. Knowing how to kill demons and get rid of the bodies is cool… actually going out and helping the damn Slayer kill said demons would be even cooler, just saying," The Doom Marine amended, a hint of reproach in his tone.
Giles sighed. "Most demons are far too strong for a mere mortal to fight Xander. Even a common fledgling vampire is twice as strong as a human being with them only getting stronger and more intelligent with age and blood consumption. That's why the Slayer has traditionally fought alone. Other people usually can't keep up."
"Willow and I have kept up just fine with Buffy."
"Hence why I said usually," Giles amended. "Also, I'm more limited than you realize Xander my superiors should they catch wind of this would consider me compromised. They would say I'm too close to my charge. Do you understand?"
Clenching his fists so hard his knuckles popped in his free hand, while the one holding the Super Shotgun turned bone white he replied with, "All I heard was there are some snobs in England I need to use for target practice. By chance are any of them named Skeet?"
"No," Giles replied flatly. "Also I wouldn't suggest going up against the Watcher Council nothing good will come of it."
Xander just grunted in annoyance as the crimson veil of his rage was descending down over his vision again.
Seeing there was no getting through to him in this state, Giles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Maybe you should go and cool off. If you need somewhere to stay, well, why not the old Calax building for now. No one has been there since we got rid of Moloch last year and it's on the outskirts of town. No one should come looking for you."
"Moloch?" Hayden inquired wondering what a God of Child Sacrifice had to do with anything.
"Later," Xander ground out. "Fine, I'll go for now." He stomped over to the door before literally pulling it off its hinges and running out into the night.
The two watched him go in silence for a moment before Jonathan asked jovially, "So Mr. Giles do you think you can teach me curse breaking, demon banishing, and defensive magic?"
"I… could. Why? Are you thinking of becoming a Watcher?" The Librarian inquired.
"Something… a little more hands on actually," Jonathan replied as he continued carving up the corpse while grimacing on how his life will never be the same.
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Xander was still running hot by the time he made it to the Calax building. He smashed through the rusted chain link fence gate like a rampaging rhino. He didn't stop running till he hit the door which he kicked open, and sent clattering to the floor with a dull echoing thud that resounded around the empty complex. Xander walked across a carpet of dust as he made his way deeper into the building. As he walked his visor scanned the machinery and equipment, showing its innards. Hayden commented on this after a moment. "The machinery here is crude, but could be of use."
"Good," Xander grunted. Rage running hot through his veins. "Where do we start?"
"You want to get started now?"
"I gotta do something with this rage Hayden and if that means ripping apart some machinery to build some future tech then so be it. Just… just tell me what the hell I need to do," Xander growled.
The Ai was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Very well, we shall begin by creating the innards for a plasma weapon. In order to do this, you shall have to follow my directions precisely."
"Sure just get on with it already," Xander said, cracking his knuckles, and grinning under his visor.
"Very well… wait, I've picked up a strange sigal near the back of the complex. It's morse code. It seems to be an SOS," Hayden commented. "Curious."
"Let's check it out," The teen had a gut feeling he knew what this was about. Following the new blip that showed up on his visor, Xander was led to exactly what he thought. It was a demonic horned robot head, sending out an SOS signal in morse code. Picking up the horned metal head in one hand he said, "To crush or not to crush, that is the question."
"Help… me… human. Moloch bzzt...will… make it worth… your while," The head weakly spoke.
Remembering how this thing treated Willow a year prior, the teen grinned. "Oh I'll help you alright, you son of a bitch." Placing him on a metal work table he said, "Wait right here, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere," He told the head before walking away.
"What are you doing?" Hayden asked as Xander looked around for something.
"Looking for something to chop that bastard in half with," The new Doomslayer replied as he picked up a discarded chainsaw, its teeth half rusted from being left out in the elements.
"That implement is insufficient to slice through the metal carapace of your enemy." Hayden.
In response, Xander tore the teeth off the chainsaw and started casting his gaze around the factory. Seeing more of Moloch's robo-guts off in a corner, he made his way over to them thinking, 'Man he splattered all over the place when he blew up huh?'
Rummaging around in his mechanical insides for a bit, Xander came out with two prizes. The first was what the machine was using for its tendons, diamond tipped saw blade teeth. The second was its heart. A micro v8 engine, one just big enough to fit into a chainsaw.
Taking his spoils to the nearby workbench, he began to take the chainsaw apart, removing the old engine and putting the new one in place before putting the new track of teeth on the chainsaw. He pulled on the ignition tether and the chainsaw roared to life.
"Don't… do this… I can… offer you… power," Moloch pleaded.
Xander raised the chainsaw over his head like he was leatherface.
"You will suffer… for this... transgression hu-human!"
"Rip… and… tear!" Xander replied as the chainsaw came down, sparks flying from the metal on metal contact as the whirling blades bit deep into the metal skull of Moloch, before gaining purchase and sawing it in two and carving straight through the metal workbench as well.
"You~u… will~l… pay~y…" Moloch's voice warbled before dying out completely.
Turning off his new chainsaw Xander turned away from the now dead cyberdemon and said to Hayden. "Now, let's get to work."
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The first thing Xander did was reinforce the perimeter. He fixed the front door, both repaired and enforced the gate, making notes to replace the chain link fence with something sturdier like, steel beams when he had the chance, and finished gutting Moloch's corpse for useful parts. Speaking of corpses, he also did a sweep for any human remains. He didn't find any which he found odd. 'Thought for sure this place would have at least a couple of skeletons in it's closet, as big as it is.'
He was about to go over to a workbench and begin putting the guts of a plasma gun together under Hayden's directions when a phone on the wall rang, causing him to jump a good ten feet in the air like a cat, before he landed with equal feline grace. He stared at the offending piece of technology in its cradle on the wall for a moment before he said, "Hayden can you patch me through to that phone call? It has to be either Giles or Jonathan. No one else knows I'm here."
"Child's play," The AI replied. "Such primitive technology."
"Yeah, yeah. Hey G-man you're on with The Unending Rage!"
"Xander, have you calmed down a bit?" Giles asked, a sigh in his tone.
"I'm not sure if calm is exactly a state of mind for me anymore Gman. To answer your question. I'm still angry. I'll probably always be angry. There's just different degrees of anger."
"I… see…" The british man replied after a moment of silence.
"Haha… no, you really don't, but that's fine… Just point me at the demons."
On the other end of the line, Giles gave a nervous chuckle. "Yes, well, I just called to inform you that the little problem from earlier has been taken care of."
"Is that what you call dismembering and disposing of a human corpse Giles? A little problem?" Xander said with heat and distaste in his tone. Before the watcher could answer, the teen switched tracks. "Is Buffy okay? She was wearing a costume from the same place if I recall correctly."
"I… don't know she hasn't contacted me," Giles admitted, worry in his tone.
"Right, I'm going to go check on her. No news doesn't necessarily mean good news in this situation," The Hellwalker said with tension in his voice.
"Yes thank you," Giles said relieved. "Jonathan and I are going to be occupied for a while yet."
"No problem… and Giles… thanks," Xander said before hanging up.
"You're going to go check on this… other Slayer?" Hayden inquired.
"Yeah," Xander replied as he loaded some fresh shells into his Super Shotgun, "The plasma rifle can wait. I didn't save her once just to have her die from some random ass spell."
"Very well," Hayden relplied. "I am curious about this other Slayer in any case."
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Xander, a green blur in his Praetor Suit as he ran down the streets of Sunnydale. He stuck to the back alleys not wanting to draw attention to himself as he winged his way towards the Summer's residence. That is until he heard a cry for help. He almost ignored it. It was halloween, someone could've just pulled a jumpscare, but this was Sunnyhell, and he couldn't take that chance. So, he veered off course, towards where he heard the shriek come from. Moment's later, he was there, and he found half a dozen vamps fledglings, terrorizing a girl, they had her backed against a wall so all he could tell was that she was blonde.
Xander saw red. "Rip and tear!" He let loose a blood curdling battle cry as he dove into their ranks. The last thing the first vampire never saw was Xander's fist as it punched him in the head with such force, the fledgling's head exploded in a display of blood, gore, and ash.
The next unfortunate damned soul had its arm broken and a splitter of its bone rammed into its brain, while it was kicked in the chest so hard, its shattered ribs pierced its heart, dusting it.
The remaining three backed away in fear. Or they tried to, for Xander was having none of it. He grabbed one by either side of its head and simply pulled its skull apart with brute force before pulling out his Super Shotgun and Firing twice blasting away the chest cavity of the remaining two corpse thieves. Only once his foes were nothing more but ash on the night wind, did he turn to the woman they were terrorizing.
It was none other than Harmony Kendall dressed as the newest Wonder Girl Cassandra Sandsmark, her blonde hair had a slightly wavy curl to it and she was wearing a star spangled leotard and plastic bracers on her arms along with a tiara. He leaned in close looking her over for bite marks as he absentmindedly reloaded his shotgun.
"Good heavens thank you for the most timely rescue good sir."
Of all the things Xander expected he did not expect Harmony Kendall to suddenly speak with a Southern Belle accent. 'Is she being affected by her costume too? No, can't be, cause Cassie Sandsmark isn't from the south. So what's up with that accent?' He asked. "Are you alright Miss?"
"I… yes I'm fine thanks to your expedient intervention on my behalf. Much obliged once again." Harmony spoke in a sweet southern drawl. She scowled and glared at the piles of ash on the asphalt of the alleyway before kicking one. "That is no way to treat a debutante you… ruffians."
"Your welcome. If you're sure you're not hurt, I should probably see you home," Xander spoke calmly though he was still confused about what was going on with Harmony.
"Would you be so kind?" Harmony asked, putting a hand over her heart in a display of bewilderment yet she also seemed flattered.
The Doom Marine nodded. "Yes, this place is dangerous." He offered her his hand, "If you'd be so kind as to give me directions?"
Instead of taking his hand like he expected, she looped her arm around it, before flashing him her pearly whites. "I'd be delighted, sugar. This way," She led him down the alleyway, and took a left once they made it into the streets.
Xander kept one hand on his Super Shotgun and the other on Harmony as they walked. He still had no idea what was going on with the usually venomous blonde, but she was walking with unusual grace tonight, like someone who was trained in both dance and how to fight. Her eyes kept moving around and peering into the dark as if she was looking for danger.
The original Doom Marine's training and intuition kicked in then telling xander. 'She knows how to fight, she's keeping an eye out for trouble.'
Then he heard her mutter to herself. "No vamps were supposed to be out tonight. They're all supposed to be at Willies drinking the night away. I just hope no one shows up looking to claim my head, as it's tonight of all nights that I'm unarmed."
Xander didn't know what she meant by that last bit, but he filed it away for later. He thought she'd lead him to one of the swankier houses in Sunnyhell, but much to his surprise, she led to an abandoned church.
"You live here?" He asked in surprise.
"Yes it's one of the few safe places someone like me can live. Safe from the vampires… and other things," She said evasively.
Xander just grunted in response. If she didn't want to tell him that was fine. He was about to lead her up to the church steps when someone in a long coat came walking through the gravestones towards them.
"Oh, of all the rotten luck," Harmony said under her breath as the man approached, slowly drawing a hatchet and dagger out of his coat as he did so. As the mist disappeared it showed a young man of Native American descent, his hair long and dark, and his eyes like obsidian as they locked onto Harmony.
"I am Connor Kenway," he said by way of introduction.
"Harmony Kendall, but I'm afraid now isn't a good time Mr. Kenway, for as you can see," Harmony did a little twirl, " I'm unarmed."
Conner pointed to Xander's left arm. "That one has a knife."
Harmony looked at her saviors arm and the knife he had taped to his limb. "So he does, it is not my preferred weapon however," Thumbing behind her towards the church Harmony offered. "If you would let me go inside and properly arm myself?"
"If I let you go inside, you may not come back out. I'm sorry but you'll have to make do with what you have on him," Conner apologized as he advanced.
The Doomslayer was having none of it. He let go of Harmony's arm and silently advanced. He didn't really know what was going on here, but he had enough sense to realize Harmony was being challenged to a fight. A fight she wasn't prepared for.
"This has nothing to do with you boy, stay out of i-" The warrior stopped speaking when Xanders right hook hammered into the side of his face, sending him stumbling backwards. Xander didn't stop there, kicking his left leg out from under him, he grabbed his limb and proceeded to effortlessly slam him into the dirt with one hand like he was shaking out a rug. He then spun him over his head and threw him through two mausoleums and out of the graveyard, all while shouting, "FUCK OFF!"
With the annoyance flung off into the shadows of the dark, Xander turned back to Harmony who was staring at him, looking stunned.. "What?" He asked.
"I… it's nothing," Harmony replied with a bemused shake of her head. "Thanks for coming to my defense yet again suga," She said as she turned to the church steps, before turning back to Xander, and smiling. "You know, I just realized I never asked the name of my knight in olive drab armor."
Needing no further prompting and wanting to savor the shocked look on her face, Xander removed his helmet. He grinned at her. "Hey Harmony."
Harmony blinked. "Mr. Harris, is that you?!"
"Mr. Harris? Pretty sure that's my dad, also aren't I usually King of the Cretins to you and your clique or something? Also what's with the southern belle routine?"
Harmony nervously twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. "I... It's complicated. Suffice it to say, the me you see at school isn't the real me Alexander."
Xander just grunted and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. I'm gonna assume Mr. 'I wanna scalp you' has something to do with it too. But as long as you're not going around summoning demons after school hours I could care less."
"I don't… and thank you. For not prying. You're a doll," She said, flashing him a smile again.
"After tonight, I'm a lot of things Harm, but a doll ain't one of em. Statue? Maybe, but not a doll. You gonna be okay by yourself? That jackass isn't gonna come back is he?" Xander said while scoping out the graveyard.
Harmony scowled, pursing her lips and shooting him a glare. "Language, but no I don't think I'll need to worry about him anymore tonight. You have my thanks again, sugar."
"No problem if you're sure you're going to be okay, then I need to go check up on Buffy. Weirder things than usual have happened tonight and I need to know she's okay. After all, I might not be the only one who got changed by their costume," Xander muttered that last part to himself.
"Of course, do stop by for tea sometime if you'd like. As thanks, and Xander? If you could keep what happened here tonight between the two of us, I'd appreciate it," Harmony replied with a smile before she walked into the church.
'What a confusing woman,' Xander thought as he continued his way towards Buffy's house. "Then again, this is Sunnydale, so should I really be surprised?"
"She's interesting," Hayden commented. "Her dialect and speech patterns matched that commonly used in the 1800s."
"Is that so? Think about it later Xander think about it later. One problem at a time," He said to himself as he raced off to 1630 Revello Drive.
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Xander didn't bother knocking when he arrived at Buffy's place. He just kicked the door in with a might boot, and walked in, his M4 at the ready. One quick sweep around the living room revealed Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, and Angel. Needing no prompting he leveled the barrel of his gun at the demon, and said, "Run."
"Woah, woah, Xan chill out!" Buffy said getting in between him and Angel.
"I'll 'chill out' when Captain Hairgel is done and dusted Buff," Xander said as the familiar curtain of red settled over his eyes.
"You think you can take me Harris? You're welcome to try," Angel said standing up and cracking his knuckles.
"That's Harris? He bulked up," Cordelia noted. Then she looked at Angel. "You're dead."
Angel shot the popular girl a nasty look. "No one asked you." He then turned back to the boy he called 'Welp' in his mind. "So are we going to do this or-" He didn't get to finish as Xander punched him in the face and sent him flying into the kitchen.
He proceeded to walk after the demon possessed corpse he sent flying when the Slayer got in his way. Putting a hand on his chest, she looked up into his eyes and said, forcefully. "Xander enough."
Physically picking her up and putting her on the couch, Xander replied, "No, not enough, not yet." He made his way into the kitchen where a butcher knife snapped when it was stabbed into his Praetor Suit.
Angel looked shocked. "That's not plastic."
"No," Xander replied as he punched Angel in the face, drawing blood from his nose, "It's not."
He proceeded to wail on the 'ensouled vampire', like he was a punching bag releasing punch after punch into his cranium. He then slid him across the counter, and picked him up before throwing him back first into the countertop, where Xander just kept hitting him. Then, he reared back his right fist which began to collect orange energy around its palm, before he struck the Champion across the face. The results were explosive… Angel exploded in a visceral display of blood and gore painting the kitchen crimson.
"OH FUCK!" Xander swore drawing the attention of the three anxious girls who were drawn to the horrific scene.
"Xander! What the hell!?" Buffy shouted, seeing the crimson paint job her kitchen had gotten.
"I didn't mean to make him explode! I don't even know how I did that!" Xander defended, still in a state of shock and staring at his fist in awe.
"You used a blood punch," Hayden commented.
"I did what now Hayden?"
"Who said that?" Buffy asked, looking around for some form of spectre.
Xander waved her off. "AI built into my suit. Hayden, explain."
"By killing the denizens of hell you absorb the energy of hell, Argent energy, which you can channel into your fist empowering your blows. This is known as Blood Punch by your predecessor."
"Cool. Not too keen on absorbing hell energy, but I'll take what I can get."
"It will make you strong. Think of it, as a gift. Another tool in your arsenal against demonkind," Hayden advised.
"Can't argue with that logic I guess," Xander still sounded dubious. He looked at the Slayer and asked, "Where do you keep a mop and bucket?"
"I… what?" The faux- blonde was thrown by the sudden question.
Xander took off his helmet showing his now chiseled jawline, and his haunted hazel eyes. "Well, I made the mess, I should be the one to clean it up. So, mop, bucket, where?"
"Xan it's fine… really you… wanna go sit down?" Buffy said softly. "You look worn out."
Xander ran a hand down his face, and let out a sigh, "I'm fine Buffy."
The Slayer sent him a hard look, "Xander you just turned Angel into paste in my kitchen. You are not okay."
"Buff, you could've done that yourself, at any time you know? But no, he's different, he's dark, mysterious, broody, emo, and he has a soul. Yadda, yadda."
The Slayer wanted to argue the point, but decided not to and held her tongue. "Point, but there's no point in crying over spilled ashes now is there?"
Xander heaved a sigh, "No, I suppose not," He walked out of the now ash covered kitchen and sat down with a thud on the Summer's couch causing it to groan in protest. "So how's everyone else doing tonight? I ripped, I tore, I conquered."
Buffy sat down next to him causing the couch to groan more. "I almost died several times. Thanks to little miss I'm a noble oh someone save me… On a side note, I know fluent medieval French now."
"That's cool… I might've killed a bunch of possessed kids. Khan Maykr, This is the Hyena thing all over again."
"I thought you didn't remember anything you did while possessed?" Buffy asked, sounding hurt.
"I… lied. I was ashamed, Buffy. I not only ate Principal Flutie, but I almost… you know," He refused to make eye contact with her as he spoke, he sounded disgusted with himself yet inside the rage burned it away like ashes until Xander understood it would always burn that crap away as long as there were demons to kill.
Buffy grimaced. She'd be lying if she said Xander almost raping her didn't affect her, she had night terrors for a couple weeks after the fact and it took having a long talk with Giles for her to finally realize that not only was Xander not at fault, but through sheer willpower alone, he didn't go through with the act. It was one of the reasons she was currently enamoured with him.
She put her hand on top of his gauntleted one. 'It's so big now.' She noted. "Hey," She said, trying to get his attention. "Hey Xan, look at me," She finally got him to glance her way, and she continued. "It's okay, I forgive you. It wasn't your fault. Just like whatever happened this time, wasn't your fault."
"What is worse, Doom Slayer? Killing a monster turned from a child, or letting that child stain its soul black when its actions are no longer their own?" Hayden inquired.
Xander looked to the ceiling as he replied. "Point Hayden."
"So you are the other Slayer… curious," Hayden commented.
Buffy cocked her head to the side. "How so?"
"You are not like him," Hayden replied referring to Xander, "A being filled with wrath and fuelled by hatred for demonkind, who will rip and tear until there is nothing left to slaughter. By all accounts you are, normal."
"Xander? Are you angry?" Buffy asked. He never seemed angry.
Xander stared at the tv that wasn't on and spoke in a measured distant tone. "They took Jessie." The burning hatred, the all consuming vitriol of fire and death inside his heart made that one word sound like an oath to kill everything in his way. "Buffy…" Her name sounded like a lead weight on her mind. "My brother in all but blood." The tears that usually came were swallowed by the inferno. "I will kill as many of those fuckers as I can get my hands on. I'll never forgive them for that."
"Xander," Willow spoke solemnly.
"McNally? I thought he ran away from home…" The dawn of bitter realization struck her like a church bell. "He didn't, did he?" Cordelia asked, a hint of remorse in her tone.
"He did not." Heat entered Xander's tone as he continued to stare blankly at the television. "He was kidnapped by those corpses wearing demons and then he got turned into one… I staked him myself." He finally locked eyes with Buffy and she could finally see the rage he tried so hard to hide, that he buried so deep. It burned in his eyes like hot coals, stirred up like a forest fire by the Doom Slayer's endless engine of malice and wanton destruction. "That's why, I'll kill as many of those fuckers as I come across, soul or no soul. I will rip, tear, and rend until they are all dead."
The teen abruptly stood, and plopped his helmet back on his head before making his way to the front door. Buffy stopped him, but she had to use all of her Slayer strength and even then, she stuttered a couple of steps till Xander came to a halt. "Where are you going?"
"Out, as far as everyone besides you three, Jonathan Levinson, and Giles are concerned, I'm just another runaway from Sunnydale starting tonight."
"But why?" Willow asked, "Your education is important Xander."
The Doom Marine just laughed. "Umm, Wills, I dunno if you noticed, but I gained four inches in height and seventy-five pounds of muscle overnight."
'Trust me, she noticed. We all did,' Buffy thought as she glanced back and saw both Willow and Cordelia flushing.
Xander continued. "There is no way in any of the hells I can explain that outside of magic, which no one will believe. So I literally can't go back to school."
Willow frowned at the thought of not being able to be with her Xander-shaped-crush but nodded as in the end, he had a point. A very logical well thought out point. He did that a lot, while she would think up grand ideas and come up with amazing brainy solutions, he would point out the easy obvious solutions. He was her anchor in a lot of ways, and now, he was going away… 'Get a grip Rosenburg he'll be nearby he's 'not' dead! Not like Jessie,' She told herself. She smiled reassuringly. "Be safe?"
"I'm almost invincible at this point. I think?" he opined aloud. "Hayden am I basically invincible?"
"It's… complicated. Let's just say as long as you keep killing the enemies of man, you won't need to worry about meeting your Maykr anytime soon," The AI evasively replied.
"Fair enough," Xander replied before heading off into the night, small arsenal in tow.
From her porch Buffy called. "Wait! How do we get in contact with you if we need you?"
"Ask Giles, he knows where I'm staying." The Doom Slayer called over his shoulder.
The balance of power on the Hellmouth had just shifted. For one had come who would Rip and Tear until it was done… Yet, the brighter the flame… the deeper the dark…
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Chapter length: 10,555 Number of Pages: 25 Date Completed: 9/1/2020
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AN: Greetings all. Welcome to the Reboot of Wrought in Iron. RAGE Wrought in Iron. I decided to make a spiritual successor to that story because, I don't know really, it just came to me. That said, if you're reading this on then it is likely the 8th of September. If you would like to read it sooner, please subscribe to my Subscribe Star account under the name Bubbajack where upon signing up to one of the tiers you get to read the chapter as soon as it's finished.
This is Icysnowsage here I would like to add that we are trying our hardest right now that the best material is written for you readers. Be prepared this story will get bloody. Rip and Tear indeed.
Thanks Snowy, and as always everyone till next time, this has been a Bubbajack and Icysnowsage Production, Peace!
