Chapter 82 Halls of Agony/ Highlands Passage
Threat no longer present, he let his hands fall to the ground, as Nico uncovered his head, slowly getting to his feet. He dusted himself off, and strapped Rebellion to his back, eyeing the spot where the beast had been with the stink eye look.
'Note to self: destroy those 'Vessels' before they complete… whatever that was, and transform…' the Spec Ops Agent thought while moving past the place where the monster had blown up. He did NOT like the way that being came to reality, he didn't like it at all. Though the fight was short, he did get the feeling that it was demonic in origin, being a wielder of said energy allowing him to tell. Whether it was to do with the Blood God Khorne or not didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. This place should be destroyed once he got IF out of here.
Oddly enough, Biko hadn't said anything as of yet. Either because he didn't know anything, or because he was thinking about it, Nico didn't know. Nevertheless, he felt like asking anyway. 'Biko, you have anything on what happened before?'
'I would say, but perhaps I should leave it to the person that we are coming into contact with first.'
'Eh?'
"I thought I sensed a familiar energy, although compared to back then, it seems to have evolved significantly."
Before Nico could inquire as to what the fuck his Demon Persona was talking about, the male heard a feminine voice speak behind him. That, combined with how alert he's been recently, sent his instincts into overdrive as Nico spun around and drew Rebellion, intent on slashing the person who dared sneak up on him.
Just as his blade was about to meet the person's flesh however, a flash or recognition passed through his eyes and he stopped the strike mere inches before it met flesh. A moderate sized air blast shook the surroundings, blowing away the dirt and charred remains on the ground. The person stared calmly into Nico's surprised eye, her own not showing any hint of concern for signs of attack.
The male stared in shock at who this person was. Black hat, blue hair, staff… there was only one person in his memory that looked like that, and it hadn't been easy for him to recall since they only met once… back in Lastation. Even then, though, it had only been brief. Though he had to admit, that the 'craziness' of her appearance stuck in his mind enough to stop him from decapitating her just now. "Y-You…"
"I do recall telling you my name, Spec Ops Agent DEATHSTROKE. Though it was short, it was a fated meeting to be sure."
"M-MAGES…."
The blue haired Mad Magician, MAGES., smirked as he put Rebellion onto his back once more. She tapped the ground with the bottom of her Staff, making this light sound echo through the room. "It satisfies me that you remember my name… as well as how to properly pronounce it along with the Period."
Now Nico couldn't help but show his confusion by opening his Helmet's faceplate, the pieces sliding over the sides of his Helmet while he regarded the person before him. His Motion Tracker hadn't picked her movements up before, neither did his instincts. So, how the hell did MAGES. get here? Not that he minded though, something he expressed with words. "Honestly, while I wanna know how the hell you got here, you're a goddamn sight for sore eyes, MAGES.." he stated, smirking as he gave a low chuckle. "Out of crazy cultists, demons, and this hellish place, Its good to find someone I know. If only briefly. How's that search for Doc P going for ya."
In response to his question, the woman gave a small grin, leaning on her Staff while she tilted her head in a pleased manner towards him. "I am well, Spec Ops DEATHSTROKE. My search for Doc P has born much fruits, as of now I have a significant supply of the drink of the chosen." She explained, pulling a pack of Doc P from her Inventory.
The way her eyes shined when she told him this brought a smile to his lips, something the blunette noticed as he nodded in satisfaction. "Well, happy to help ya, MAGES., though could you tell me how it is you got here, and why my equipment didn't track you?"
"That is something I can divulge favourably. I merely teleported here when I sensed the Wards around this place break. A powerful energy had entered their source, greatly weakening them enough for me to enter via Magic. As for your equipment, I had already appeared just as you finished your fight with the enthralled seconds ago, I merely awaited the right time to make my appearance."
Nico arched a brow at her wordings. The way he heard her say Enthralled, it didn't sit well with him. Her face creased at the mention of it, and her lips formed a deep scowl that really didn't fit her. Maybe it was the fact that his heart was slowly warming up to his party, but something in him just pleaded with him to get that scowl off her face. Though, he instead had to inquire for more information. Anything to get this conversation going. "Enthralled? Sounds quite dangerous…"
MAGES. nodded her head solemnly, her scowl still present as she clutched her Staff. "Yes, the Enthralled. Allow me to explain. The Enthralled are the result of when a human Vessel chants a spell that lets demonic energies into their body, completely possessing them and turning them into vicious abominations with great power. It is said that an Enthralled is able to even go against a CPU at her best. They do even worse damage in groups with their high level striking power."
Now, Nico had a similar scowl on his face at this information. He cupped his chin, eyes hard with concentration while he pondered what he was told. 'Well, its happened before, back at the Mojang Village Mines. However, none of them had exhibited signs of a transformation like this. Though, I guess that the level of knowledge on the demonic arts between then and now has changed significantly. I don't like the thought of that, not one bit… if humans really are learning more and more about demonic entities… then things will likely be going from bad to worse in the near future. But, Biko, can something like this happen a lot?'
'Demons are entities that require power to manifest from their home, the demon realm, and to this world. There have been multiple methods for doing so, this is just one of them. Hellgates, enough power to manifest into the physical world, all these methods exist for Demons to return to Gamindustri. The reason why they haven't been sighted until now is, ironically, because of the Console War.'
'Huh?! How's that a thing?!'
'The Seal Sparda, king of the DPUs, and Odyssey Heart, the original Goddess of Gamindustri, created. It was designed to be sustained by a CPU's power. Should it fall too low, then the seal would weaken and allow the Demons to slip back into Gamindustri. Because of the Console War, though, the CPUs began losing their powers thanks to them being fuelled by humanity, thereby weakening the Seal between the two planes of existence. However, in light of such an occurrence, several failsafe's were put into place. One of which is that if a DPU is born in Gamindustri, their power can help reinforce the seal. This has slowed down its decay, thus preventing Demons from freely entering our world.'
'Huh… I see. So, I guess Sparda wanted to make sure that would be a possibility should the Seal between the worlds weakens, that was why he left a DPU Memory Core in Gamindustri.' Nico mused, thoughtfully. He could see why the DPU King would do something like that, to keep the Demons from fully invading Gamindustri and doing who knows what with it. To ensure that the seal can be reinforced should the Goddesses lose their power, the power of a DPU in Gamindustri could act as a support system for it. Though, he figured that, as a result of this, Demons have been developing other ways of manifesting into this world, like breaking into it and bringing bystanders into its own realm. He got the feeling that there would be way more ways for them to exist in Gamindustri.
Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if they wound up possessing mortals just to be able to take on physical forms afterwards…
Something told him he should facepalm himself for jinxing the situation.
"Well, I've seen several things capable of going toe to toe with CPUs, so nothing new there." The Mad Magician had to admit that he had a point, when saying that. Lately, things have been appearing that could potentially stomp on CPUs if they were careless. "Looks like they'd have to train hard if they wanna retain their place at the top of the pecking order." The Spec Ops Agent remarked further with a shrug of his shoulders. The metallic shoulder pauldrons clinked in response to his movements.
With another nod of her head, MAGES. spoke once more, ceasing her leaning on her Staff for the time being as she walked up to his side. "Indeed. While I would like to destroy this place for good, I see it would be beneficial for us to team up this one time. I must repay you for helping me reach the drink of the chosen before the Organisation did so, nonetheless." She stated, Nico agreeing with her as his Helmet closed its plates together, once more concealing his facial features.
"Yeah, it is imperative that we destroy this place, but not before we rescue one confirmed survivor."
Just as the two made to walk on, however…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
CRASH!
An explosion erupted from above, a large object falling through and landing on the ground, conveniently behind them, with a loud crash. Tremors shot through the bridge, and Nico had to commend the builders once more in how sturdy they made this place. Still, the place was going down regardless, but at least they did a good job in some areas.
Nevertheless, they had other issues to address…
Like the fact that this feels kinda familiar in a way.
'Why Do I get the feeling of De Ja Vu right now, Biko?'
'I have no clue, for once. I am as stumped as you are.'
As the dust began to settle, a vague silhouette began to form from within a patch of rubble. Smaller pieces toppled over onto the ground as the object slowly pushed itself upwards, reaching out to… rub the back of its head? What the hell? Nico frowned as he attempted to reach for Rebellion. The Devil Arm hummed with delight as his armoured hand grasped its hilt, eagerness rolling through its being at the thought of bloodshed. Nevertheless, Nico kept his eye focused on the dispersing smoke cloud, and the object within it though it started to look more like a person. If this was an enemy, he'd strike before they could realise their folly. There would be no mercy from him, especially with what he'd just learned at this point.
Just before he could move however…
"Owwie… those things sure hit hard, I gotta remember to block that the next time."
Nico's eye widened in shock once more, as yet ANOTHER familiar voice spoke from within the smoke. 'Okay, just how many familiar faces am I going to run into today? Not complaining, but geez, this plot development hints at a tough boss fight up ahead…' Seriously, te returning of familiar faces couldn't have come at a better time, but if he had a choice he'd rather have chosen Spec Ops Agents to run into. Normal Adventurers weren't cut out for this sort of work. Not to say they were weak, but because the enemies up ahead would likely flatten them like pancakes.
Nevertheless, he'd take what he could get.
Finally, the dust settled, and a familiar black haired grey eyed martial artist emerged from the smoke, climbing out the crater she had made and jumping onto the ground. She then stretched her arms, several cracking sounds echoing through the area as well as moans of pleasure.
"Tekken?"
"Hm?"
Blinking in confusion, Tekken looked around for the person who called her name. Soon enough though, she locked eyes with a certain Spec Ops Agent, although it was really one eye thanks to his Helmet covering one. In an instant, her eyes brightened as a merry cheer escaped the Martial Artist's lips. "Hey, heeey! Nico, its you!" she exclaimed, bounding up to him. She made about ¾ of the way there, before she… tripped on a piece of rubble.
Several blinks came from the girl as she lost her balance.
"Eh?"
"Watch out!"
BUMP!
Instead of hitting the hard, unforgiving ground beneath her, Tekken gasped when she felt arms wrap around her instead, her face buried within an unarmoured chest. Eyes wide, she turned her head to look upwards and gazed into the concerned TWO eyes of Nico, the male having caught her before she could fall. It kinda looked like this: her front was arched forwards with the backs of her bare feet on the cobblestone ground, and Nico's arms wrapped around her upper torso with their faces close together.
Talk about awkward…
Though, Nico ignored that in favour of checking her over. "You alright, girl?" he asked her in concern. He stood up straight and held her slightly over the air, before gently lowering her so she could stand on her own two feet.
"Y-Yeah, I'm good!" she replied with a grin, though her face showed itself to be rather flushed with embarrassment. By the time he let her go, Tekken still felt the remnants of the warmth his arms once provided around her. It was a nice feeling, a feeling she liked. "I guess I just got a little carried away." She mused, chuckling sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head. "I was just so excited to finally find you that I guess I wasn't paying attention, earlier."
Nico could only sweat drop. "Yeah, you ought to be more careful, who knows how much you could have gotten hurt if I hadn't stepped in." he remarked, glancing over to MAGES. to see what she was going to do. Judging by her posture, it looked like she would be leaving this one to him. With a sigh, the male turned back to Tekken, about to open his mouth to say something when her sentence triggered itself in his brain. He noticed something there, and had to query. "Wait, you were looking for me?"
"Yeah!" Tekken nodded cheerfully, a light bounce in her step as she checked her feet for any injury. She couldn't feel any, and people would know her reaction to pain if she did. But it never hurt to check. "I wanted to challenge you to a spar, so I went looking for you. You promised, remember? That we'd have a spar? Ever since we last met, I've been training myself in fighting Abnormals, and these really strange guys too, wherever I can find em. Now I'm super strong! Anyways, I heard that you were busy heading towards this extremely dangerous dungeon so I thought I'd come help out."
'Nico… do you sense it?'
'Yeah, I do… MAGES. probably noticed too, but there's something latched onto Tekken's soul.' Nico replied to Biko's question as he subtly glanced towards Tekken's torso. Not to be confused with looking at her chest, though part of him commented that Tekken did have a beautiful body, plus with her friendly personality anyone would be lucky if she accepted a date from them. Though, he quashed that part of him in light of something much more… serious. His senses picked up a trace of demonic energy building inside of Tekken's body. It didn't seem to be trying to harm her, quite the opposite actually. It looked like she had tamed it somehow. If that was what he thought it was, then…
"Yeah, I remember. You wanted to spar with me, so I'll tell you what, after this is all over and done with, plus with some rest, I'll gladly spar with you. How about it? From the sounds of things, you'll be helping me and MAGES. here out, so why not?" he offered, smirking at her. This way, he'd be able to know for sure what it was Tekken had inside of her. She didn't look like she knew about it, either, something that he feared the worst about.
"Awesome!"
It was at this point that MAGES. cut into the conversation, stepping up to the duo with a serious, stern look on her face. "As happy as it makes me to hear we will be getting another companion, it is vital that we proceed before more lives are lost to the realm of oblivion. The calls of the damned must be silenced today." She told them, getting nods from the two, while Nico's Armour re-deployed as they began venturing deeper into the Halls of Agony.
Things seemed to be going well, in more ways than one of course.
For one, it seemed to Nico that Tekken and MAGES, knew each other, judging by the way they acted around each other. Tekken, when he asked her, told him that she and MAGES. once travelled together in order to get accustomed to this new, violent world. It had been a hard experience for them, learning that this Gamindustri had so many more dangers to it than their old one, dangers that they had to fend for themselves against thanks to the CPUs being up in Celestia.
Aside from that, Biko had been doing some analysis on whatever it was that had latched onto Tekken's soul. It looked like part of his theory had been correct, in that whatever it was, it had been tamed by the Martial Artist prior to entry. Now, it served under her, bound to her soul and subdued by her will. He couldn't make a direct confirmation, but he did say that it was probably what he thought it was.
Though, if so… then how the hell did it happen? He thought that only he could use those because of his demonic connections that allowed him to become a DPU, or his inner beast. Why did Tekken, a normal human who practiced Martial Arts, have one of those weapons? Did she have compatibility with demonic powers just like he did? Or was it something else? He didn't know, but after this he damn well intended to find out.
For now, though, he'd leave that issue for another time.
Walking through the first two levels of the Halls of Agony, the trio encountered little resistance. That was likely due to Nico having found them the safest, and shortest, route to the entrance to the Highlands Passage. Apparently, going through that lead to the Cursed Hold, then Halls of Agony Level 3, then the Chamber of suffering. That man must have been in a hurry to give that information since he was literally on death's doorstep that he didn't include everything, so he didn't hold that against him.
Though, while resistance was 'little' that actually wasn't far from a lie, yet it wasn't a lie either.
While they walked down a short, narrow corridor, the trio kept their guard up as they looked about, eyeing several pictures of what looked like demonic entities feasting on mortal humans' entrails with rabid gusto. Tekken shuddered at the sight of them, disgust clearly evident in her eyes. "Ewww, so gross..." she muttered, although the other two easily heard her. One of them had enhanced senses, and the other was keeping a sharp ear out herself for any dangers.
That second person, MAGES., soon spoke in response to Tekken's comment. "That will likely be a reoccurring theme with these Demonic entities. They are not of Gamindustri, and thus they will behave in ways that we will find abhorrent. Issues such as eating people, while not exactly cannibalism as they are of two different races, will likely be one of many horrors we will witness." She stated ominously.
'As chuni as that sounds, MAGES. is likely right.' Nico thought to himself, cupping his chin in deep pondering while his eye glanced about. 'These guys will show us just what they're capable of, whether we like it or not.' His eye narrowed instantly after he thought that, his nose sniffing in irritation despite the fileting his Armour possessed. "Both of you, on guard." he commanded, swiftly deploying his Plasma Claws. "Looks like we have some company."
Indeed, almost instantly after he said that, several magic circles opened up, and from them came about 10 of those Enthralled that Nico had fought earlier, combined with 7 Bloodletters and 6 Warhounds. Nico even noticed some of those Marauders that he fought with Team RAIL, Guts and Isaac in the Mojang Village Mines. All of them glowered at the trio, the Warhounds drooling while they bared their fangs while scratching the ground with their claws. Almost like how horses did the same with their hooves to clean them of dirt.
"E-EEK!" Tekken cried, hastily getting into a combat stance while she looked at the new arrivals in fright. Her eyes cast their gaze across the small pack of enemies, each of them looking scarier than the last. Her personal worst favourite would probably the Warhounds, though. She liked dogs herself, but these ones she'd be willing to make an exception for. "What the heck?! Where did those come from?!"
MAGES. narrowed her eyes at them, holding her Staff. Her mana fluctuated as she readied several offensive and supportive Spells for the group, something Nico noted when he felt their effects on him. "It appears that the denizens of the underworld have cursed us with their presence. They will likely try to drag us to whatever infernal realm spawned them. Let's make that never to be a possibility." she told the rest of them.
"Yeah!"
The battle begun with MAGES. going first, having pointed her Staff at them and firing a barrage of Fireballs towards the enemy. Said enemy roared as they charged, 5 of the 6 Warhounds being knocked onto their backs when the Fireballs hit them. the same fate befell 6 Bloodletters, 8 Enthralled and 11 Marauders. This resulted in the enemy losing a lot of their charging power thanks to their members falling to her Spell, and both Nico and Tekken took this opportunity to close in.
Nico went towards the sole standing Warhound, delivering a high kick to its jaw when it attempted to bite him, a strike that launched it into the air for his efforts. The male noticed several Marauders rushing at him, and jumped just before they could strike which ended in them hitting each other. Nico then spun in the air, coming back down on the Warhound with a kick to the snout that sent it crashing into the 2 Marauders. Readying his Plasma Claws, Nico swooped down again like a falcon, landing before them while slicing through their two Marauders' heads respectively. As for the Warhound, it became Nico's next target as he dashed past it, numerous slash marks adorning its form a second later before it too fell to the ground dead.
With that done, the male glanced towards MAGES., seeing how she was faring. Apparently, the woman didn't brag about her title as the Mad Magician for nothing as she weaved through Spells like a pro, launching countless Magic attacks using her Staff as a Medium. Her spells hit the enemy home, killing some and dazing others with their impacts and potency. MAGES. frowned as she would launch one Spell after another, and when one got too close she would resort to amplifying her Staff with her power before thwacking the enemy upside their heads.
'Huh... well, looks like I don't have to worry about her for the time being...' Nico thought to himself for the time being, before he re-joined the fray. He wasn't too worried about Tekken, as he'd seen what she could do already with those Necromorphs. Her Skills as a Martial Artist were quite commendable. Part of him wondered what it would have been like if she'd chosen to join the Spec Ops Program...
Whelp, that's what fantasies were for, right?
After taking out those beings, the trio advanced forth, encountering swarms of enemies along the way. There was hardly any room for them to look about, let alone breathe with how many enemies that came at them, which sort of kept their nerves from going overdrive with fear (for Tekken anyways) ironically enough. Looking about for enemies kept them from looking at the twisted, wicked landscape that came with the Dungeon. Though, that wasn't the case for the other two, so they didn't have that luxury. Though, the fact that they kept getting swarmed by enemies did warrant most of their attention.
At least they didn't have to face so many demons and stuff like that. Though, that didn't mean they DIDN'T. Most of them consisted of Cultists who'd go for ranged attacks to summoning magic. Demon summoning Magic, apparently, since they would summon Bloodletters, Warhounds, and Chaos Knights to fight for them. It made their jobs several levels harder than necessary but it did give him a way to evaluate his companion's abilities. Well, more on MAGES.' side than Tekken since he had already seen her fight before. But, MAGES. on the other hand, was a different story, and so far he was liking what he was seeing.
Apparently, despite her... quirks, she was actually a skilled Magic user. A wide variety of spells were under her bet that she used to fight against their enemies. Her calm demeanour extended to battle as well, as she would figure out which spell would be the most effective to strike with while buffing them up with Spells on the side. An interesting way of fighting, Nico had to admit. It honestly felt quite good to have a Magic User fighting WITH him and not against him. Fellow warriors he could handle, but Nico never liked fighting other Magic users.
Their abilities were just as versatile as his Arsenal of weaponry, forming a perfect counter to his tactics.
Walking through one of the hallways, the trio encountered resistance in the form of a bunch of Cultists. They were quite easy to take care of to be honest, something that the trio noticed. "These Cultists..." Tekken began thoughtfully, cupping her chin with one hand as she thought back to her battles with these Cultists. These guys may seem quite dangerous at ranged, but when you get in close their threat level drops dramatically. "They seem quite deadly, but when you enter close combat they kinda become sore losers..."
Nico nodded his head in agreement, while folding his arms in front of his chest. "Yeah well, that's the thing with Mages, they are great at long-ranged attacks, but when they're in close combat their effectiveness plummets. Usually because they are so focused at practicing their Magic arts, they neglect physical ability. Makes them kina fragile, in all honestly."
"Yes..." MAGES. nodded her head in agreement, her eyes closed as she continued. "That is indeed the case. I only take SP Chargers and various stamina recovering Items. Helps maximise my limited physical ability."
Tekken and Nico eyed the blunette for a moment, until the former noticed something else nearby. Her eyes widened in surprise as she pointed towards the thing she saw. "Um, guys?" she spoke up, getting their attention. She then walked to what she saw: a human corpse, one of a man in his mid thirties she guessed, and kneeled down before him. She shuddered in disgust for being near something like this, resisting the urge to just scream and run for the hills. It helped though that there was a certain detail about the corpse she could focus on without feeling like she was about to throw up. "Look at this." reaching towards the corpse, Tekken pulled something from within the corpse's grasp, something he seemed to be holding onto with what little life he had left before death finally claimed him.
Rest In Piece - RIP
Both Nico and MAGES. looked at what she found as Tekken walked back to them. Their eyes filled with curiosity and intrigue at the sight of the item. "A book?" the Mad Magician questioned, pursing her lips. Indeed, the book seemed to be bound with leather, and looked to have been used a significant amount. She could tell by how worn the covers and pages looked, though it still looked readable to her. "It appears to be some form of Journal. Odds are, that poor soul had this with him to catalogue his final days on this plain of existence." she remarked.
A sombre thought indeed, something the trio agreed on as they stared at the journal in silence.
Then, MAGES. opened the journal, much to the surprise of the other two.
"MAGES.? what are you doing?" Tekken questioned the Mad Magician. She raised a brow in confusion, and a brief spike of irritation towards her companion happened inside her chest, though she repressed it. Why would MAGES. have any interest in the Journal of a dead man? That just felt like an invasion of privacy, in her eyes at least.
As for Nico, he remembered that she had told him once that she was a researcher of both magic and technology, during one of their battles with the Cultists prior to this, so it made sort of sense that she would be curious about these things, and not be inhibited by ethics. Though, he'd better make sure she didn't go off the deep end and become like Avenir or Umbrella.
MAGES. soon found the last entry in the journal after skimming its pages. "I am looking to see what his last entry was like. Perhaps he could have gleaned something important, nevertheless the lives lost here may never get noticed in the real world, so I will make sure to remember these people. With whatever means I can." she explained. Nico frowned at that, as he couldn't really refute her logic. he could see where she was coming from, remembering the fallen was a noble act as I showed a lot about ones' character. However, what got him all sombre was the bit before that, about these people likely not being remembered in the grand scheme of things. It was a terrible fate to die with nobody knowing or caring why you died, so the fact that MAGES. was doing this... it told him a fair bit about her character. She may have an 8th grade syndrome based personality, AKA a chuni, but that didn't mean to say that she didn't have empathy for others.
Looking at each other, Tekken and Nico had a silent conversation with their eyes, debating on whether or not to join the Mad Magician. On one hand, it would be an invasion of privacy, but on the other hand the owner was a corpse now so would it really count? Plus, there could be something here that could help their situation. In the end, they decided to go with the second option, walking up to the blunette's sides and peering over her shoulders. Just as she found the last entry:
ABOL - AL - HAZIR
These Cultists were performing a strange ritual when I saw them today.
One of their member stood soundlessly while the rest drove long spikes deep into his spine.
He did not perish, and I believe that he may have even been darkly empowered by the implantation.
Though such terrible magic is foreign to me.
"Hmmm, sounds like this man was once a witness to their rituals themselves, most likely the Enthralling Ritual." MAGES. commented with a frown, her eyes shining with how deeply she disapproved of such a ritual. She closed the journal and placed it in her Inventory, for her two companions to step back to give her some space.
Nico nodded his head in agreement. "Though, you could say this guy got off lightly. He DID die without being used for their rituals, and from what I've seen those rituals are way worse than just death."
Tekken hummed in thought, before her brows furrowed in confusion. "Still though, Hazir? and all that gibberish? People don't like strange names like that, you know."
"There are weirder names out there, you know. I kid you not, there was this one person who'd lost both of his arms, and part of his eye. Called himself 'Glarry', literally."
"... Wow."
Later, the trio had found the entrance to the Halls of Agony Level 2, and in comparison to the previous level, this one looked MUCH more lively. Nico scoured the scenery, and while it didn't look too different architectural wise, nor in the general hellish appearance with torture rooms and cells, Nico could smell way more people or monsters present throughout the area. "Looks like this place is more densely populated." he informed the group, and to check and see if he was right, the male activated his Holomap and Motion Tracker on separate Bracers. Turned out, the Halls of Agony Level 2 had LOTS more enemies than Level 1. It wouldn't be surprising of they found some rather strange things down here, things that they'd likely never want to see again.
Deactivating the Bracers, Nico turned to face the others. His eyes said it all.
Tekken shuddered, rubbing her arms up and down at the thoughts running through her head. "If there are more enemies, then that'll mean more demonic Cultists, won't it?" she questioned, though judging by how she asked it the Martial Artist had already been aware of the answer. Still, she had felt the need to ask the question anyways, just to get proper clarification.
Clarification she received when MAGES. gave a firm nod. "I sense a lot of demonic energy in this place. Odds are we'll be encountering demons in greater quantities than before. No matter what however, we must not hesitate. This evil must be stopped immediately." With that, the woman began heading into the Dungeon, with Nico and Tekken close behind.
Once again they had seen the twisted things that the Cultists were capable of. There were far more torture devices down here than in Level 1, in fact one could argue and say that these devices were the worser of the two. One could only IMAGINE what it must be like on level 3. Or yet, the Cursed Hold. Things got even darker when they found a journal lying about next to a series of burning bodies... which had came back to life and attacked them moments beforehand, had MAGES. not warned them beforehand. This journal, depicted the owner's struggles to resist the transformation into some demonic beast, of how his mind slowly withered away till there was nothing left but a shell, a shell that operated solely by its desire to feed. Fortunately, there was a little more light to this place, as they managed to free a Merchant from within the confines of what was known as an 'Iron Maiden', a specialised torture device shaped like a box and a woman with spikes in it. The merchant managed to escape safely, at least, which meant they'd saved at least one innocent life.
One can imagine how Tekken, Nico and MAGES. felt about that, huh?
In present times, the trio just exited Level 2 of the Halls of Agony, and now were on the Highlands passage, which consisted of a stone platform connected to a bridge, a bridge that lead over a deep ravine and connected to another section of the Manor.
Looking upwards, Nico scowled as he saw rainfall coming down on them. "Looks like the storm's hit." The male mused as droplets fell onto his Helmet. He didn't really mind rain, since to him it represented the true state of this cold, twisted world. Though he knew that most people didn't share his opinion.
"Mou! Now my hair's gonna get all wet!" Tekken pouted in annoyance, already being soaked by the rain. She had fought in such conditions before, but she preferred the sun instead of the rain as it ruined her hair, as well as her clothes. "Hopefully we can dry off when we're back indoors."
MAGES. however, showed no discomfort in the rain, droplets falling onto her hat ad clothes as she made her way to the Bridge. "I find no discomfort from a force of nature. It is what it is, any who try to stop it shall feel the wrath of nature's dragons." She stated coolly. She then stopped as she frowned, raising her staff as she chanted something under her breath. Runic speech, Nico mused.
From what he'd seen of her, the teenage Spec Ops Agent found that MAGES., true to her name, used Mana for magic attacks. Her actual SP had a low count to it, so she studied the magic arts, or so he thought anyways. He didn't have much to say that he was wrong though, unless he asked her. But now was not the time for such trivial matters, something he was sure that the Mad Magician would agree with.
Opening her eyes, MAGES. finished whatever it was that she had been doing and turned to the others. Her eyes were as sharp as blades themselves, her tone matching her expression right now. "Looks like we have enemies waiting for us on the other side of the Ravine. Large numbers, from what my search Spell can tell."
Nico frowned behind his Helmet, raising his Bracer and bringing up his Holomap. "Well, judging by the layout of this place, I'd say we have no choice but to go through these enemies. What have we got, MAGES.?" he asked her. If they knew what they were facing, it would be a good way to prepare a pre-emptive strike.
"Abnormals, there are many. I sense that they are the ones you Spec Ops Classify as 'Khazuras', along with Cultists that appear to be on the verge of turning into Enthralled." MAGES. replied, and that made Nico tense up.
Khazura… Those things were a big pain in the ass. Nico knew these creatures, he had fought them before. They wield axes, polearms, swords, and magical staves to attack their opponents. They were sometimes called goat men, as they walk upright as men, with heads of horned goats. They tread upon cloven hooves and are skilled with weapons of war. They were also cunning, working together to form organized clans that accomplish the desires of their leaders. Their strength was quite immense and some of the more powerful clans were rumoured to guard important artefacts. They were incredibly strong and agile, and their archers were known for the power and accuracy of their bows. Fleet of foot, they may try to evade an unwary foe and then attack from a different angle, making fighting them in large groups a major loss of time.
Though while they don't use things like Guns, instead favouring Bows, that did NOT make them weak by any means, especially since it took a LOT of gunfire to bring them down, and their accuracy is such that they could take out targets with a headshot over 600 metres away. Their eyesight was JUST that good.
"Oh, I remember those!" Tekken exclaimed, breaking Nico out of his thoughts. He and MAGES. turned to regard the Martial Artist, who beamed happily as she continued her explanation. "They're really strong, it took me 3 full days to take one of them down, and then the rest of his clan tried to get me. That was a fun day for me, worked quite a sweat that time." She explained, sighing as she remembered the fighting she had to do to escape that Species of Abnormal. It exhilarated her, made her blood as a Martial Artist pump at speeds she hadn't felt in a long time. These Abnormals were great opponents, why she hadn't fought them sooner was beyond her.
While it looked like Tekken would be lost in dreamland for a while, the other two looked at each other and sighed in unison.
Afterwards, Nico snapped into attention, his eyes hardening into diamonds as he cupped his chin. "Hmmm… the enemy has numbers on their side, and likely they will have taken the strategic ground at the opposite side of the bridge. Those Cultists will likely try to either summon Demons, become Enthralled or provide buffs for their comrades, although they don't seem to care about each other that much." He mused, running through the facts in his head. He recalled the few times they fought the Cultists before in Halls of Agony Level 1, they didn't show even the slightest interest when one of them perished, instead they just focused on killing them. Then, the Khazura will most likely try swarm tactics, he'd seen them do these many times during their previous encounters. They had one track minds in that regard… wait… an idea struck him. "I've got a solution."
"Oh? Let's hear it." MAGES. stated, an eyebrow raised though it was difficult to see thanks to both the rain and how her hat was dipping slightly. At hearing their words, Tekken finally snapped out of their daze to listen to the conversation once more.
Nodding to show that he acknowledged her, Nico began explaining his strategy. "Khazura will likely try swarming tactics. They'll gang up on the weakest link of the three of us, while the Cultists will likely attack us without regard for their comrades. Their behaviour back inside the Halls of Agony Level 1 before proves this." With a quick check in his Void Storage, Nico found the ONE ITEM he would need for his idea to work. "Looks like we got what we need, too. Alright, so, listen up…"
On the other end of the bridge, there was a platform teaming with Abnormal Khazuras along with a couple Cultists. The Khazura were scattered through the platform, blocking access to it and the walkway that connected to the platform surrounding the door to the Cursed Hold. If intruders wanted to get through, they would have to go through their forces, and they would be more than happy to shed their blood on their weapons. For their masters, for their cause, or just for fun.
"Say, bruh." One Cultist spoke to his companion, who was sitting down while gazing longingly at his Dagger. Almost as if he wanted to make love to it or something. Wouldn't surprise the other Cultist considering the fetishes that went through their ranks. "Ya heard about the intruders?"
Looking up with an annoyed glare, the second Cultist growled. "Don't know, don't care, just lemme at em and I'll drive my beloved into their holes." He snarled, getting the first Cultist to step back. He almost forgot how temperamental this guy was.
"Alright, alright, geez. Calm those tits, you get your chance with some of the prisoners soon enough, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
"… Dick."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
While the two Cultists bickered back and forth, the Khazura minding their own business and ignoring them completely, none of them noticed this brown coloured object suddenly land in the middle of the platform…
BWOOSH!
That is, until they were encased in pink smoke.
"Ugh, what the fuck?!"
"Fucking hell, what was that?!"
The two Cultists snarled and grunted while they coughed, clearing away the smoke with their hands. Some of it had gotten into their lungs thanks to the sheer surprise They had felt at the sudden event happening, but not all that much. They had once been former Guild Agents before they converted to the glory of Overlord Momus. By the time they were able to see again… they noticed something off…
They were being stared at, hungrily, by the Abnormals around them. Some even licking their lips.
Only one word escaped their lips.
"... Mommy!"
"… wow, I can't believe that actually worked."
MAGES. and Tekken stared dumbstruck, as they wandered across the bridge to the other side. The moment that they saw the way the Platform looked, with no Abnormals or Cultists to be seen, they knew that Nico's plan had worked. They could scarcely believe what had happened, and yet the proof was right here in front of them.
The plan had been a simple one, yet its effectiveness was beastly. The plan was that Nico would sneak in close, thanks to there being a headwind that would blow his scent away from the Khazura so they wouldn't smell him. Plus, his armour kept him fresh and clean, so they wouldn't have been able to smell him anyways. Once he got close enough, Nico would rear his arm back, and with calculations that would make professional mathematicians green with envy, threw one of his favourite items to use when the situation called it right into the middle of their ranks:
A Pheromone bomb.
These babies were legendary amongst the Spec Ops Community. They worked by releasing a pink gas that was filled with various pheromones, pheromones that worked by inciting the senses of the other Abnormals that detect them. These pheromones would then drive them into a wild frenzy, making them attack anything that moved. Depending on how one used them, they could potentially lead packs of Abnormals by scent to a target, and have them take them out for them. If they fall during the chaos, all the better. That meant less work for them to do for clean-up duty.
Pheromone bombs were one of Nico's favourite items to use, because they embodied some of his own beliefs: that monsters are the best way to fight other monsters. That their wold was full of monsters, themselves and the Abnormals that they fight on a daily basis. Hell, many Spec Ops agree with this philosophy, as these babies have saved many of their brethren from being shredded by tough Abnormals, bu putting them against others of its own kind. One guy even managed to kill a Tigrex by guiding another variant to its line, a Nargacuga, to it with them before stepping back to watch the show.
He himself favoured these things whenever he didn't feel like getting into some fisticuffs with other Abnormals, or wanted to limit the casualties to a minimum. They also came in handy when they would sometimes be given faulty intel, or weak intel as Raven once called it, and their targets turn out to be much different from what they were expecting. Just use a few of these on the surrounding Abnormals, guide them to the target, and let them work their magic.
Though, on the flip side these things could be very dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands. For example, if a criminal got some of these tools into their arsenal, they could guide a pack of powerful Abnormals and lay waste to countless human settlements. No matter how many defenders they had, Abnormals would be too much for them. It was like they were specifically designed to destroy humanity or something similar to that ideal.
Some would say that its kind of inhumane to do something like this, that it makes them no better than the Abnormals that they fight. But to every Spec Ops that uses them, they WEREN'T any better than the Abnormals. They were all monsters, they just accepted that fact more than others. In their world, that was the only true fact, that it was just them, and the beings they faced. They had to do whatever it took to survive, otherwise they would meet a painful, grizzly end that nobody deserved. Not even a dog deserved to die the ways Abnormals would kill you. Sometimes they wouldn't just kill, they would torture, rape, break your mind till you're beyond any hope of psychiatric recovery, and even then they may just leave you hanging for an unknown timeframe before killing you.
One such example? The Abnormal Spider-like creature known as Shelob. Shelob was a Spider of large and immense size, that was known to feed indiscriminately, preying on the inhabitants. It made its lair in one of Lastation's mountain ranges, making a labyrinth of webs within a network of caves to better trap its prey, which included all creatures great and small. It feasted primarily on those who wandered into its webs, though if a particularly juicy morsel was available, it would silently pursue and kill it.
Like most spiders, Shelob had spindly legs, multiple eyes, and venomous chelicerae. It usually immobilized its prey with its paralyzing sting that enabled it to feed on its victims at its leisure but could also crush its prey to death by swiftly dropping on them. Shelob's head was Cris-crossed with scars and it had a number of missing eyes. Some Spec Ops that barely escaped its traps would comment that it usually would paralyze its victims and trap them in webs, keeping them alive for some time before killing them.
"Yeah, well…" Nico began as he observed the area. Checking his Motion Tracker, the teen couldn't see any movement which indicated that the job was indeed done. They had done it, fought the enemy with tactics rather than brute force. Though, his inner fighter whined in disappointment at this fact, he hadn't fought those Khazura in so long now that he was starting to miss them. "That's Pheromone bombs for you. Throw them into a crowd of Abnormals, and rioters pale in comparison to the frenzy they whip out."
The Martial Artist shuddered, holding her waist with her arms at the recent memories. "I could hear the screams all the way across the bridge…" she muttered, trembling. MAGES. stepped towards her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. A second one followed suit, and when they looked they saw that it was Nico who was doing so. Tekken eventually managed to calm down, though she vowed never to be near those things for as long as she lived. Or at least be able to block out the screams.
"Its intriguing." MAGES. began, getting their attention as she looked over the now vacant platform. The Abnormals had practically cleaned up the place of the leftover blood from the Cultists, leaving nothing left before they turned on each other. Since they dissipate into particles upon death, they leave no blood behind either. Looking back to Nico, the woman leaned on one of the platforms stone railings as she regarded him curiously. "I didn't expect you to be like a tactician, Spec Ops DEATHSTROKE. You seem more like a warrior than a tactician."
At this, the teen shrugged his shoulders. She was honestly right on the money there. "Honestly, you're right, I'm more of a warrior than a Tactician. I'd rather just go in and take the enemies out myself. Being a leader isn't something I find easy, and more often than not I'd end up scarring my subordinates for life with… how I kill sometimes." He explained, before hurrying on when he saw the Mad Magician about to ask why that was. He didn't want to speak of how he used to be, not now at least. "Anyways, I'd rather go in myself, be hands on and all that jazz, but the Khazura are a tricky Abnormal species to deal with. They can calculate, plan, and be an all-about nuisance. They would waste valuable time, time we unfortunately have little of as it is, so a tactic to kill them all swiftly was the best solution."
In truth, he REALLY wanted to rip those bastards apart himself. He wanted to sink Rebellion's blade into them, tear off their limbs and beat them till there was nothing left. However, there were more important things like A: Finding IF and getting her the hell out of here. B: making sure these two here make it out of this alive, he'd rather not see them die. He didn't know them, they were practically strangers in his eyes, but he'd be damned if he made Neptune cry when she found out that they had died and he'd done nothing to help. The fact that he had begun caring more about people thanks to said dorky CPU was a bonus. Then there was C: blowing this place sky high.
He REALLY had priorities here, ladies and gentlemen!
"Nevertheless, regardless of the methods you applied, Spec Ops DEATHSTROKE…" MAGES. began as she began making her way to the walkway that lead to the Cursed Hold Entrance. It looked exactly like the entrance to the Halls of Agony Level 1, actually, fitting with the themes going on with this wretched Manor. "We have successfully cleared the way to the 'Cursed Hold' as you called it. We should carry on our journey to the inevitable conclusion, though I sense that we will have some… interesting encounters down there."
'Wow… that isn't ominous in the least bit.' The teen remarked sarcastically, although he did feel something through his link to his Demon Persona that got him curious. Thus, he decided to inquire. 'Something on your mind, Biko?'
'That Magician… she may be righter than she realises.'
'Lovely.'
Tekken, the only one who DIDN'T have the senses Nico, MAGES., and Biko possessed, could only tilt her head in confusion. She felt totally lost and out of the loop right now, but she didn't let it bother her. Nope, not one bit. She just wanted to fight Nico at the end of all this, it would be so much fun! That was her thoughts in a nutshell as the trio pressed on.
