Beta read by: KobeNiku
-DOOM-
The Doom Slayer exited the Ripatorium, the Slipgate exit portal cleansing his armor of all the blood and gore staining it. He stepped into the central corridor, going down the stairs to his quarters. He entered the room and the first thing his ears were bombarded with was the panicked and terrified cries of Raphtalia.
He moved over to the armchair and saw that Raphtalia had fallen onto the carpet, her face contorted in fear. Before the Slayer could do anything else she sprung up and screamed.
"Mama! Papa! No!"
She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "Mama, papa, they're gone! They're gone!"
Raphtalia made an effort to try and cling to the Slayer like a safety blanket. Without his voice, the only thing the Slayer could do was let her cry while hugging him. From within the Fortress of Doom's internal systems, Dr. Hayden watched, silently reassessing the scenario they were facing with Raphtalia.
He'd known about her physical and mental abuse, and he'd suspected that her parents were deceased. But watching her cling to the Doom Slayer of all people like a stuffed animal…
...Even to him, it felt surreal to see. Yes, a child losing their parents was horrific and scarring for them, but for Raphtalia to have night terrors about it made the good doctor speculate that the manner of death was far more brutal than he was currently imagining.
Perhaps before he finalized any course of action, he should acquire the full picture. He was beginning to suspect her path leading up to now had been far darker than he was suspecting.
But he couldn't question the child now. Instead, he watched silently as Raphtalia cried and the Slayer did what he could to comfort the broken child.
-DOOM-
DOOM: Waves of Armageddon
-The Vigilant I: Hive Buster-
The following morning, after Raphtalia had calmed down, she and the Doom Slayer were back down planetside. They were in the forest outside of Lute. Raphtalia's knife sat in its sheath and hung at her side. The Slipgate portal they'd exited from closed behind them.
"Um. What are we doing out here?" Raphtalia asked meekly as she fiddled with the communicator in her right ear.
The Slayer grunted and gestured for her to follow. Dr. Hayden explained to her what they were doing today.
"Originally the Slayer had intended to teach you the basics of wielding your knife onboard the Fortress. However, your first foray in the Ripatorium's arena convinced him that it would be... better to hold off on training down there for the time being. Moreover, he believes the best way for you to learn is down here, on the planet. And do not fool around with your comm-link."
Raphtalia quickly put her hand down.
"There are, however, secondary objectives," Dr. Hayden said, "Slayer if you would."
The Slayer pulled the Legendary Shield from his warp pack.
'I still can't see how this thing will become useful.'
"This shield, Raphtalia, is polymorphic. Meaning it can change its forms. Each form grants the Slayer a different power, but each power is locked and requires specific materials to unlock. In its current state, it is useless."
Raphtalia's head tilted to the side, "Where did you get this from, Sir Hayden?"
"From a very desperate yet untrustworthy man." Hayden monotoned, "And please, I prefer to be called Dr. Hayden."
"Okay, sir- I mean Dr. Hayden!" Raphtalia squeaked as she tensed up from her mistake.
The Slayer patted her head, a trick he found worked to calm her down fast, and started walking. Raphtalia followed suit. They came upon a clearing in the trees, the Slayer guided her to the middle of it and stopped.
"Draw your knife, and mimic the Slayer's stance." Dr. Hayden instructed.
The Slayer adapted to a base-ready stance, using a stick as an analog knife. Raphtalia did the same. They bent their knees and raised their arms to shoulder level. Knife and analog stick held in their dominant hand, blade tip in the center of their visions.
"Now, carefully mirror the Slayer's movements."
The Slayer mimicked a slash, and Raphtalia mirrored to the best of her ability. The Slayer continued until Raphtalia managed to perform a perfect slash. He did the same with jabs, stabs, and cuts. Within a few hours, Raphtalia had learned the basic stances and attacks. The next tricky part was teaching her techniques and actual combat, which the Slayer knew she wouldn't learn in a day.
'Although, if she manages to pick up on all that as fast as she did the basics, we'd be set.'
An orange balloon bounced out of a bush and jumped towards the Slayer, Raphtalia squeaked in fright at the sight of the rubbery monster ball. The Slayer simply snatched it midair and held it out in front of him towards Raphtalia.
"Now then Raphtalia," Dr. Hayden announced, "let's put what you've learned to the test. Slash the balloon."
Raphtalia gulped as she took a stance for a slash. Slightly hunched, knees bent, knife raised with the sharp edge pointing outward, other arm raised ready to block an incoming attack. She edged towards the balloon in the Slayer's hand and slashed.
And was rewarded with the satisfying pop of the little beast that had tormented her in the arena.
Four more balloons bounced out from the bushes towards Raphtalia.
"Nextly," Dr. Hayden said, "take your other skills and kill the remaining balloons."
Raphtalia shivered slightly, looking over to the Slayer. The Slayer in turn offered only a gesture to boost their confidence and a nod.
She turned back to the balloons, getting into a stance. The first balloon lunged forward and was promptly popped by a jab from the knife. The next balloon was eliminated as Raphtalia stabbed her knife downward and the third she cut open while it was mid-air. Raphtalia lost track of the last one, finding it with enough time to catch it in her hands, dropping her knife. She wrestled with the creature for a few seconds before she managed to throw it off to the side, picking up her knife and finishing it off with a single slash.
The Slayer gave her a round of applause. That was a great improvement.
Raphtalia sheathed her knife and gave the Slayer a curtsey.
A small icon of an upward arrow appeared next to Raphtalia, that only the Slayer could see. A number rapidly rose next to it then said Level Up!
'What is the deal with this RPG bullshittery?'
"Very good." Dr. Hayden acknowledged the improvement, "You've been at this for a few hours, I believe you've earned a break. Come, we're going to try and scavenge materials for the shield now."
The first thing the Slayer tried was putting some balloon carcass into the shield but was left perplexed by how he was supposed to do so as he looked for any means to get the Legendary Shield to consume it.
'Is there some kind of induction port or something?'
The Slayer tapped the balloon carcass against the shield's gemstone and watched as the substance was absorbed into it.
Defense Boost +2
The next thing the Slayer tried was a leaf.
Leaf Shield: Absorption 1
The shield changed to look like it was made of a giant leaf. The Slayer sighed, his gut instinct was that it was going to take a long while before he unlocked anything of use on this thing.
A rustle in the bushes pulled their attention, Raphtalia went for her knife only to be stopped by the Slayer, who put his hand out in front of her. Raphtalia let go of her knife and moved behind the Slayer, who readied his Combat Shotgun.
Then it entered the clearing, covered in dirty matted fur, soulless and pupilless white eyes full of malice, claws sharp enough to cut through flesh, teeth stained in blood, and two long ears to hear its unfortunate prey beg for mercy.
Raphtalia shrieked and flinched as it jumped towards the Slayer, claws at the ready and its fangs bared, ready to enter a glorious battle with a mighty adventurer, a foe worthy of its wrathful fury!
The Slayer simply caught it in his right hand as he tried his hardest to comprehend the horrific contradiction he was looking at.
A monster bunny.
'What. The fuck. Is this? If I wasn't completely disgusted by this world before, I am now.'
A notification popped up on the Shield's HUD, telling the Slayer that the creature was called an Usapil. The Slayer shook his head, resigned to the fact that this was a monster and not a bunny. Yeah, someone was going to pay for this heresy somewhere down the road.
The Slayer tossed the Usapil back into the bush. He would've been content to leave it at that, except the damned thing ran right back out and straight for Raphtalia. Raphtalia fumbled for her knife in a panic. The Slayer saw this and re-drew his Combat Shotgun.
BANG!
The Usapil was shredded, its remains flung against a tree by the force of the shotgun's blast. Raphtalia went tense, stiff as a statue.
"Is something the matter? The creature is dead." Dr. Hayden asked.
"B-blood…" Raphtalia trailed off.
The Slayer and Hayden realized the issue.
'She has hemophobia. Ah well, we'll work on that.'
"Raphtalia, while I can understand having such fears, I am afraid bloodshed is... inevitable. Regardless of whether or not you're with the Slayer or not. The waves of calamity ensure it." Dr. Hayden made the fact plain, without mincing words.
Raphtalia nodded in understanding, she'd have to get over her fear somehow. Luckily for her, the Slayer wasn't in any particular rush to do so as he escorted her away from the Usapil's remains.
Raphtalia gave the dead monster one more sideways glance as they re-entered the forest. A thought crossed her mind: 'There's going to be lots more blood in the future, isn't there?'
-DOOM-
The two wandered and collected until they came across a mining operation. The Slayer looked around for signs of life and found that there was nothing.
No movement. No sound. No life signs. Not even rats.
Yet all the equipment was in pristine condition, the cave entrance wasn't boarded up, the minecart tracks still leveled and usable, the vegetation wasn't overgrown. The mine couldn't have been abandoned for too long. It was almost like the miners had simply dropped their tools and ran.
'You don't just ditch a perfectly good mining operation.'
He drew the Super Shotgun, something was off.
"Raphtalia, stay close." Dr. Hayden instructed.
Raphtalia moved closer to the Slayer and brought out her knife. She didn't yet know what the Super Shotgun was, but she knew it was a devastating weapon, based on the runes lining its sides.
They walked cautiously towards a shed, the Slayer scanning the interior. Nothing. The two entered the shed, Raphtalia took a seat against the wall while the Slayer silently decided the next course of action.
The mine was abandoned, yes, but there wasn't any sign of monsters or demons, at least on the surface. They were likely inside the cave itself.
Raphtalia looked a little tired from all the walking and training of the day. The Slayer simply settled for letting her take a short break.
The shed itself was near empty, except for a small pickaxe hanging on the wall, and a coil of rope on the floor. The Slayer brought out the Legendary Shield forth and picked up the rope coil.
It was a dumb idea born of frustration, but he didn't care. The Slayer touched the rope to the gemstone and allowed it to be absorbed. He was rewarded with a rope shield with an ability labeled Air Strike Shield in the HUD.
'An ability! Fucking finally!'
The Slayer snapped his fingers to get Raphtalia's attention and pointed behind him when she was looking up. Raphtalia nodded and moved to sit at the wall behind him, watching curiously as he attempted to test the new ability.
"I've rewritten the code of the weapon to allow you to use abilities by focusing and thinking the trigger phrase, instead of saying it." Dr. Hayden clarified, "Simply outstretch your arm in the direction you want to cast it, and focus on the trigger phrase."
The Slayer outstretched his arm.
'Airstrike shield!'
A green shield barring a duel-winged symbol with his symbol, the mark of the Doom Slayer, glowing red atop it appeared in the air in front of him. Raphtalia tilted her head curiously.
'So a shield made of rope, called a rope shield, generates a boring-ass shield that floats in mid-air instead of some sort of lasso or rope-themed ability. I don't get it.'
"That symbol, that's also on your helmet. Is it important Sir Slayer?" Raphtalia asked.
'Like you wouldn't believe, kiddo.'
Hayden gave a brief explanation, "It is his personal symbol, the mark of the Doom Slayer. The meaning is dependent on those around him. To some, it is a mark to be greatly feared, and to others... it is a mark of hope."
"Doom… Slayer? Is that your full title?"
"Yes, but it is a story for another time," Dr. Hayden said, "What I find curious is that it seems to be appearing on the airstrike shield ability naturally. I did not modify it to do that."
The Slayer shrugged as he put the Legendary Shield back into his warp pack. That was a technical issue for later.
"Have you sufficiently rested, Raphtalia? We shouldn't stay here much longer, lest we encounter whatever caused the miners to… abandon this operation."
The Slayer raised his Super Shotgun and Raphtalia drew her knife. The two exited the shed and crept across the field towards the forest.
(DOOM - Suspense remake by Andrew Hulshult)
Then when they were out in the open, the ground began to rumble.
"Rising Argent signature detected! Prepare for immediate demonic contact!" Dr. Hayden yelled.
All around them, giant ant-looking demons burrowed out from the ground, surrounding the two. Walking upon four sharp claws, their heads having the appearance of three human skulls morphed into a single thing with two beady red eyes and small black spikes all over their heads. Their skin was leathery, dried, and grey. On their backs were wings. One of the demons stepped forward, glaring at the Slayer. It spread its mandibles and opened its jaw and screeched at the two of them.
"W-w-what are those?" Raphtalia stuttered.
A notification appeared on the HUD of the Legendary Shield, telling the Slayer what he already knew:
Demonic Insect: Empusa
"Empusa. They must have made a nest in the mine. Stay close Raphtalia, these demons will attempt any of several rather… unpleasant things if they get too close." Dr. Hayden warned.
Raphtalia readied her stance, the Slayer raised his Super Shotgun and blasted the nearest Empusa, the twin buckshot shedding through it and two more Empusa behind it. Another one lunged at Raphtalia who on instinct slashed the demon's throat. Blood sprayed out and onto her as the demonic bug fell over and spazzed out on the floor.
The Slayer swapped for the Combat Shotgun, killing Empusa one by one. He backed up so Raphtalia was directly in front of him before he swapped to the Chaingun and raised its shield in time to block an Empusa that lunged at her.
The Slayer pulled the trigger on the Chaingun, letting the bullets rip the remaining demonic bugs apart as he turned around to get them all.
As soon as they were all dead, four dozen more sprung from the ground.
Killing the Empusa and destroying their nest wasn't an issue for the Slayer, he'd done it so many times before. What was an issue, however, was Raphtalia. She only knew some basic attacks, not enough for a prolonged battle with any demons. On top of that, her hemophobia was beginning to make her freeze in place.
"I cannot open a portal in an active combat zone. Either escape the current predicament or destroy the nest." said Dr. Hayden.
The Slayer weighed the options. The route that wouldn't horrifically scar her was to pick her up and brute force his way back into the forest. In any other circumstance, it may have worked. However, while Empusa weren't particularly intelligent, they did have insanely large numbers on their side.
If he tried to carry Raphtalia to safety, the demons would swarm him en masse, and Raphtalia wasn't likely to survive that. Not with the distance and the number of demons standing in his way.
Not to mention the fact he could see Lute Village from here. Even if he did manage to get Raphtalia away from them, the Empusa would still be in a frenzied rage. And Lute was right within their crosshairs.
The unfortunate reality was, he had to consider the safety of Lute too, and that meant the only true option was to fight and destroy the Empusa's nest. He needed to find the Empusa Queen, kill its guards, kill it, kill all the remaining Empusa, then burn the nest down. Preferably in that order, and fast.
The Slayer was pinned, with only one way to go.
He mentally braced himself, knowing what would be in the nest, and what it would likely do to Raphtalia.
'Shit. I am going to deeply regret this.'
Raphtalia was shaking, she'd killed a single one of the bug monsters and had bled another one. She'd witnessed her guardian reduce the other demons into puddles of gore. There was blood on her hands, staining her dress, and dripping off her knife. Now there were loads more of them. Her mind was screaming at her to fight or run, to swing and stab at any Empusa that got close to her or flee as fast as her legs could allow, but her body was frozen in place.
She trembled, 'Oh God, Am I going to die here?' she thought.
The Slayer then picked her up, she felt her back pressed against the Praetor Suit's chest plate as she clung the Slayer's right arm, her knife gripped tightly in her hand. The Slayer drew the Heavy cannon, firing at the oncoming Empusa as he backed into the mineshaft.
"Hold tight, Raphtalia." Dr. Hayden said into her ear, "The only way to escape now… is to destroy the demon's nest."
Raphtalia felt a lump in her throat as the Doom Slayer managed to lose the pursuing Empusa in the tunnels. The Slayer swapped back to the Combat Shotgun soon after.
-DOOM-
Deeper in the cave they started to see the signs of a nest. Bizarre almost alienesque formations made of dirt, dried human blood, and hardened Empusa saliva began to cake the walls of the tunnel. Messy hexagonal patterns repeated constantly, like walking into a demented beehive.
The two continued down the path until they came to a large cavernous room lit by the shining of hundreds of unmined gems. The hexagonal constructs going all the way up the walls, above them, living humans mutilated beyond identification were contorted painfully against the walls, limbs twisted unnaturally in their prisons. Below them were Empusa eggs and the near-dead bodies of humans used as hosts.
The cavern was something straight out of Raphtalia's darkest, most horrific nightmares.
(End Music)
The Slayer put Raphtalia down, she looked down at the bodies in the water below them and noticed the holes in their torsos.
"W-what did those monsters do to those people down there?" she asked, although she knew she would regret asking.
"Empusa are parasitic demons that require the blood of other living beings to survive. Some of their victims they keep as a food source, and others are… used as a host to incubate larvae with." Dr. Hayden responded.
Below them, a body began to twitch, until an infant Empusa demon burst forth from the chest cavity. Raphtalia turned around feeling sick, the Slayer looked down a little longer. It wasn't a new sight to him, he'd burned many Empusa nests across Hell. But it still didn't make him any less angry to see what these bastard bugs did to their prey.
"Destroying an Empusa nest is a four-step process, Raphtalia. While the Slayer completes the first two tasks. We require you to return to the Fortress to acquire the necessary components too… are you listening, Raphtalia?"
Raphtalia stumbled backward, falling on the ground.
The Slayer spun around and looked at her, who he saw was frozen not in fear like she'd been outside the mine, but in a pure, primordial form of terror. The kind someone only feels when faced with their deepest, darkest fear. Her breathing became shorter and more panicked than before, her heart began to beat so fast and so hard the Slayer swore he could hear it through his helmet.
Raphtalia screamed loudly, a wail of pure raw terror. Her shriek echoing off the walls for all in the mine to hear. The Slayer looked up and could see Empusa coming out of holes in the ceiling drawn to the terrified cry.
'Well, so much for Slipgating Raphtalia to safety.'
He loaded his Super Shotgun and looked forward, seeing what had frightened her so much. Ahead of them were two pairs of glowing red eyes belonging to one creature that stalked slowly into the light. To the Slayer's surprise, it was an Orthrus Hound with bloodied matted fur and sharpened yellowed teeth lining the jaws of its two heads.
"D-d-d-DOG MONSTER!" she cried, "N-no, not another one! Not another one!"
'Another one?'
Raphtalia's mind came to a grinding halt as images of her family's death flashed before her eyes. The Orthrus raced towards her, teeth bared.
BANG!
Until a blast from the Super Shotgun slammed into its chest, bringing it to a heel. At the range it was at, the wound wasn't fatal, but it was still painful, the Orthrus stepped back.
Raphtalia jumped at the loud sound, she turned to the Slayer, who reloaded the Super Shotgun. The Slayer moved towards her and pulled her to her feet.
"Well, we know what the queen's bodyguard is, now that just leaves…"
Hayden was cut off by the loud and distinct clacking of claws on rocks and the soft chittering of mandibles off to the Slayer's right. Another larger creature sauntered into the light.
It stood at a little over twice the height of the regular Empusa, its body shape bore a striking resemblance to a praying mantis, its skin looking more chitinous and covering the length of its body and its clawed legs were spikes. Its face was an even more grotesque melding of human faces with the center of its face looking exactly like a human skull. Its mandibles were twice as large as that of the smaller Empusa and its jaw was wide. The top of its head was crowned with bloody crystalline formations like it was royalty.
"Heh heh heh, and there's the queen. A Vermin Imperatrix."
Raphtalia shivered and drew her knife.
"You're not yet ready to face these demons," Dr. Hayden said as Empusa climbed up to the plateau they were on, "hide in that alcove behind us, the Slayer will handle this."
Raphtalia didn't argue, instead willingly following the order and hiding in a tiny alcove. Once she was safely under the rock, the Slayer squared up with the two demons as Empusa began to surround him.
The Slayer lunged forward, blasting away the nearest demon. The Orthrus swiped at him with its claws, only for the Slayer to jump up and kick the hound in its left head before meathooking to the Empusa Queen.
The Empusa Queen forcibly tore the meathook from its chest with a screech, causing the Slayer to miss his target. He landed behind the demons and gestured a 'come at me' sign as they turned around.
He would not miss a second time.
With a lunge the Slayer attacked the Empusa Queen, faltering the Orthrus with the Super Shotgun while he was approaching.
'I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer.'
The Slayer unleashed a devastating Blood Punch to the Empusa Queen's thorax sending cracks cracking up and down its chitinous exoskeleton before dashing back to avoid a claw strike. The Queen reared her head and screeched out to her drones.
Dozens of Empusa formed up around the Orthrus and charged the Slayer. He stepped to the side and hit the Empusa cluster with Flame Belch. The demons all screeched and panicked, jumping away from the Orthrus and rolling along the ground trying to put themselves out. Most simply burned to death instantly. The Orthrus itself was shielded from that attack. It snarled at the Slayer as he swapped for the Heavy Cannon, equipping the micro missiles mod.
He jumped up and began to pepper the ground with the mod's micro-explosive ordnance gibbing several more Empusa. He fell towards the Queen and was knocked out of the air by the Orthrus. The Slayer rolled across the ground onto his back with the hound landing atop him.
From under her perch, Raphtalia's eyes went wide with hopeless terror. Her limbs tensed as she thought she was about to lose everything again.
Then the Slayer sent the Orthrus comedically flying up and back with a harsh kick to its stomach. Raphtalia watched as the Slayer got back to his feet, completely unharmed, and looking beyond enraged. He pulled the Ballista from his warp pack and charged the destroyer blade.
At max charge the Slayer shot the Empusa Queen, her exoskeleton receiving a new slash from the beam. The two demons separated in the hopes of splitting the Slayer's attention.
Raphtalia was slack-jawed by the feat. The Doom Slayer was completely unfazed by the dog monster's attempt to rip him apart. And that was on top of the Slayer sending the double-headed devil dog flying.
The Slayer drew his Rocket Launcher and attached the remote detonation mod. The Slayer launched a rocket at the Empusa Queen, detonating it when she sidestepped it.
Dodging a claw strike from the Orthrus, the Slayer fired a rocket directly into its face and dashed backward. The Orthrus was faltered from the attack and the Slayer took advantage of the window.
He rushed to the demon's left, snatching it by the ear. He raised the Doomblade above the demon's neck.
SLASH!
The Orthrus' left head severed from its neck. The creature recoiled from the Slayer in pain. The right head attempted to lick its neck stub as it took several steps from the Doom Slayer.
The Slayer drew the Super Shotgun and meathooked over to the Empusa Queen. He swung around the demon and landed on its back. Grabbing the Queen's crown, he steered the large demon to attack the lesser Empusa before attempting to bulldoze the Orthrus.
The critically wounded Orthrus sobered up with enough time to dodge the Empusa Queen's wildly swinging claws as she attempted to shake the Slayer.
The Slayer jumped down and blasted the Queen's chest armor with the Super Shotgun finally shattering its exoskeletal armor.
He revved up the Chainsaw and cut upward into the demon bug's exposed thorax. The Empusa Queen screeched in agony as she fell over dying, innards spilling on the ground. The Slayer punched out an Empusa drone that attacked him afterward.
Raphtalia watched the symphony of chaos before her, unable to take her eyes off it. These demons had a snowman's chance in hell against her lethal guardian. The rock up above her suddenly shifted, with the distinct chittering of an Empusa following. Raphtalia's eyes widened as she suddenly rolled out of the alcove with just enough time to avoid getting squashed by the collapsing rock. An Empusa hunched itself over with its mandibles wide.
Raphtalia slashed its throat on instinct with her knife. She stood up and backed away as the demon bled out in front of her. She turned around and shrieked as she saw the Orthrus charge her.
'Airstrike Shield!'
The floating green shield with the Slayer's mark appeared in front of her. The Orthrus slammed face-first into it, breaking its jaw in the process.
"Quickly, Raphtalia! Take your knife and stab it in the throat!" Dr. Hayden snapped over Raphtalia's comm.
Raphtalia froze for a second. She then looked to the Slayer, who was still wrangling the remaining Empusa while keeping Airstrike Shield active. She looked around the nest and at all the featureless faces and dead demons along the cave. Then she looked back at the Orthrus, the same type of monster that had destroyed her home, killed her parents, and set her down the road of misery and torment she'd suffered for so many months.
Something inside her boiled up, and she knew what it was. Anger. Anger at the creatures that ruined her life, anger at the demonic bugs and what they did here, and anger at herself for not doing enough when it all started. In a split second the bloodshed ceased to matter, the dead Empusa were irrelevant, her fear of blood melted away, and even the Slayer seemed to fade from her vision. All that suddenly mattered was killing the monsters for what they did to both herself and everyone she loved. With a snap, Raphtalia took her knife and stabbed the devil hound repeatedly in the neck.
And kept stabbing it even after it stopped twitching and she received the levels for killing it.
At which point the Slayer jumped forward and pulled Raphtalia away from the dead monster.
Raphtalia squirmed and screamed, the Slayer had to physically hold her back.
"You stupid dog! Stupid, stupid dog monster! I hate you! You took my mama! My Papa! You sent them to Hell and I HATE YOU!"
"Raphtalia, you must calm down! The Orthrus is dead! The Empusa are all dead! It's over!" Dr. Hayden said with a shocked tone.
"N-NO! My home, my friends. Keel, Rifana! We were all hurt and it's all the monsters' fault!"
Dr. Hayden retaliated, "We know you were abused and hurt. We know you've suffered. But losing yourself to that pain will only make it worse."
Inside her mind, Raphtalia then had a vision of her deceased parents. They stared down at her, glaring with disapproving glances, their torsos tore open and intestines chewed up. "Join us in Hell…" they whispered loudly.
Raphtalia stopped squirming, breaking down into tears. The Slayer let her go, allowing her to turn around and face him. "How do you know that?" she asked.
Before Hayden could say anything, the Slayer did something unexpected. The Slayer, still kneeling, took off his helmet, putting it down beside him, letting Raphtalia gaze upon his hardened and war-worn face.
Raphtalia gasped slightly at the sight. His expression was rigid and stoney and was full of unreadable emotion, marred by several faded yet noticeable scars from old battles. Although, the most profound thing Raphtalia noticed was his eyes. They were devoid of life, yet full of empathy and deep anger. It then finally dawned on Raphtalia:
The Slayer too had suffered loss and untold pain. Perhaps more so than herself. He didn't just fight the monsters because it was the right thing to do. He did it because he hated them. He hated them with a pure, burning passion. The same way she'd felt when she looked at the Orthrus a few minutes prior.
Raphtalia's eyes went wide as the realization of what she had done, what the Slayer wanted to prevent sank in. She looked down at herself, at the blood on her hands. Her tears evolved into sobs and she lunged forward and hugged the Slayer, her arms wrapping around his neck.
The Slayer simply let her hug him, knowing he'd gotten the point across and not sure if he should reciprocate the gesture. Dr. Hayden said in his piece, "This is one of the reasons the Slayer still fights. So fewer people will go through what you did, or worse."
"They… they hurt me, hurt my friends," she said weakly, drawing a shaky breath, "I can still feel the whip. I see my mama and papa die when I close my eyes. I hear her cries when it's quiet. It hurts, sir Slayer, it hurts so much."
The Slayer opted to gently pat the back of Raphtalia's head.
'I know, kiddo. I know it far too well.'
"...Please… don't leave me." she choked out between cries.
It seemed Raphtalia had been doomed to the Doom Slayer's path well before he was even summoned.
-DOOM-
An hour later the Slayer returned to the Fortress of Doom, Raphtalia having sat at the foot of the stairs waiting for the Slayer to be done burning the Empusa nest down. He moved over to her, she averted her gaze in shame when he stopped right in front of her.
The Slayer cleared his throat, and Raphtalia looked up at him. Her eyes were red and tears had dried on her face from all her crying. The Slayer began to walk up the stairs and gestured for Raphtalia to follow.
Together the two went back to the Slayer's quarters, stepping past the large box the VEGA drones had delivered. The Slayer sat Raphtalia down on his armchair before stepping back and leaning against the shelf, arms crossed.
"Raphtalia," Dr. Hayden started, "we've had our suspicions about your origins from the moment we met you, we knew your parents were dead, we had speculated the kinds of treatment you had before we found you…"
The good doctor paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully.
"However, your breakdown in the nest has made us reconsider what we know. I understand it must be hard for you to talk about, but I must ask, what exactly happened to you leading up to the Slayer finding you in that cave?"
Raphtalia fidgeted uncomfortably in the chair, unable to find any words.
"You mentioned that an Orthrus killed your parents, was it the same one the Slayer fought in the cave?" Dr. Hayden asked.
Raphtalia shook her head, "No, the one that killed my mama and papa had three heads and was killed by the royal knights."
The Slayer grimaced under his helmet.
'Fucking hell, of all the Canis monsters across the dimensions...'
"A Cerberus killed them? You're lucky to have survived its assault. Cerberi are not known for… abandoning their prey."
Raphtalia began to sniffle, "It looked like the sky had split open, and it fell into our village a few seconds later. It cornered us on the cliff over the ocean. Mama threw me off so it wouldn't get me. I saw it eat them."
Dr. Hayden paused, 'sky split open' he thought. "When did this occur?" he asked.
"A few months ago." Raphtalia responded.
Dr. Hayden switched over to the Slayer's private channel, speaking directly into his ear. "That Cerberus came from the first wave. I find it likely the Orthrus and the Empusa came through the wave too. Empusa may be native to Hell, but the Canis creatures aren't. I have several theories to explain this."
Raphtalia wiped away her fresh tears, "I came out of the water when it all stopped, but the monsters had destroyed my home. Mama and Papa always told me to try and help people. So I tried to, I tried to help fix everything, but those knights, the knights came, they… they…"
"They what, Raphtalia? The knights did what?"
Raphtalia hiccupped before continuing, "They came with their cages and they killed all the adults while doing… things… to some of them, then they dragged all of us kids away in cages and sold us as slaves."
"Kingdom knights did this!?" Dr. Hayden was absolutely appalled, but not completely surprised by what he had just heard.
The Doom Slayer was also livid, but also not too shocked to hear that it was knights responsible for massacring her home.
"It didn't take long for all of us to be bought. I still remember my friends' faces when they were all sold. I was handed between a few different masters before eventually I was taken by the same noble who bought my friends Keel and Rifana."
The Slayer had a gut feeling that he knew where this tale was going since it seemed Melromarc as a whole was incapable of even basic human decency.
Raphtalia rolled up her sleeve, revealing the scars on them. "The Noble who took us… He came down every night. He loved to torture his slaves. It was the only reason he bought slaves…" Raphtalia went silent, staring blankly at the whiplash scars on her arms.
"I don't know how long we were there. Every night would be filled with screaming. I think I'm the only one to come out of there alive. He enjoyed hurting me the most. When he finally got to me, he gave me to the cult."
And somehow, the Slayer's expectations for this noble had not been low enough. A noble that purchased slaves for the sole purpose of torture? And children no less? What lines have these people not crossed?
"The cult put me in a cage for days with no food or anything to drink. I counted the slaves they took away and never brought back."
"And from there, we know the rest…" Dr. Hayden gave a mechanized sigh, taking a moment to process what he'd just learned, "that was… informative. Thank you, Raphtalia."
Raphtalia wiped away more tears. "Rifana was sick when they gave me to the cult. I told her everything would be okay, but it's not." she sniffled, "The noble would constantly tell us all that we belonged in Hell, he…"
"No," Dr. Hayden interrupted, "by your own admission, this noble is nothing more than a petty sadist, possibly a demon worshipper. By all accounts, those words are nothing more than a hollow belief held by an incredibly bigoted and incredibly sinister cult."
The Doom Slayer stopped leaning on the wall and stood up straight.
"Moreover, We know for a fact that this is an end goal for the cult, and teaching of the Church of the Three Heroes, not of the Father. If they try and send you there…," Hayden laughed, "they will not make it past the Slayer."
To emphasize the point, the Slayer cracked his knuckles.
'They set themselves up, I tear 'em down, hard.'
"A-a-are you sure?" Raphtalia stuttered.
"There is nothing on this planet capable of stopping him," Dr. Hayden affirmed, "nor is there anything in Hell either."
Raphtalia blinked a few times. Before she could say anything, Dr. Hayden spoke back up.
"Now then, with all this said... I believe it's time to focus on something else."
The Slayer gestured to the aforementioned cardboard box the VEGA drones had delivered. Raphtalia got out of the armchair and moved over to it. Walking around, she found an English logo that read: Wilderness Survival, Camping, and Trading Co. printed on its side. Like all things mailed in a large box, it was taped shut tightly and needed to be cut open.
"In the background, we've been looking for any business still open that sells wilderness survival gear, and we found one. This box contains a sleeping bag, two pillows, a travel blanket, and a portable camp bed. Scientifically, it's bad for your back to sleep hunched over in an armchair."
Raphtalia looked up to the Slayer with a small smile. The Slayer gave them a thumbs up. Raphtalia drew her knife and began to cut through the tape. She made it about halfway through before the Fortress' alarm klaxons and warning lights began to flash, causing Raphtalia to jolt and accidentally cut her hand.
The Slayer rushed to her side and inspected the wound, it wasn't much more than a minor scratch, thankfully. Only a small band-aid would be needed.
"Slayer, there are several spontaneous and large Argent fractures hanging over a portion of the planet below us!"
The Slayer stood up, picking Raphtalia off the ground before rushing to the bridge, putting her down on the command platform. The two of them stared out the right of the viewport to the planet below. Raphtalia's eyes went wide upon seeing the same unusual phenomenon that had occurred when her home was destroyed. The fractures only visibly covered a small portion of the planet, the affected area's atmosphere turned red, swirling Argent portals with purple centers spun around and red lightning bolts could be seen jumping around.
Raphtalia felt more tears drip from her eyes, she might not be on the planet to experience it this time, but it was still happening again. She began to fear that more people would end up like her because of it. The Slayer simply clenched his fists, it was time to witness and battle a wave, up close and personal.
'And so it begins.'
-DOOM-
(Planetside - Kingdom of Siltvelt)
The Dragon Hourglass had marked the next wave's arrival within their borders, and without the glorious Shield God to save them, they were forced to prepare to fight it on their own. They allocated resources and based their strategies upon what was witnessed in the previous waves.
The reports the military received told of zombies armed with swords, of wasps the size of man, and had made mention of grotesque bug demons. They thought the waves would become progressively more difficult as time progressed, and as such, planned for a wave that was largely equal to the one from the reports. When the wave actually hit, they were grossly unprepared for what came.
When the wave started they were instead met with all manner of demons straight from the pits of Hell itself. From lowly Imps to towering creatures that could only be demonic lords. Many of the devils were an unholy union of flesh and metal, armed with cannons that spew flame or acid that burned and melted through even the best-forged armor, or with blades made of energy and fire that sliced through anything in the demon's way.
While they didn't have the strongest military, Siltvelt trained the best warriors in the world, it was not easy to overtake them when they fought together. Yet, in minutes, even the most stalwart of Siltvelt's soldiers began to fall back, the demonic horde too much for them to handle.
The worst part? They hadn't even been able to locate the wave boss. If the wave boss wasn't killed, then the wave would keep going, more demons would descend to ravage the nation. Hope had faded from even the faithful, for the great Shield God had been shanghaied by their mortal enemy Melromarc, possibly killed on the spot. If that was the case, then what hope was left?
As the capital burned, and the demons celebrated their victory, rounding up the demi-human survivors, a sudden chill passed throughout, bringing all the demons to a halt. The red sky grew darker, the sky portals suddenly rolled with violent anger.
A single deep, masculine voice, a voice that could only belong to the master of Hell then came from the very air around them. What he said sent the demons into a frenzy, the monsters leaving their demi-human captives to rush in a single direction.
For the Dark Lord had said: "He is here…"
-DOOM-
Codex Entry - Demons: Empusa 1
Demonic bugs that survive via a hive-like society, the Empusa demons are a unique and fully autonomous race of the Dark Realm.
Empusa are amongst one of the few truly parasitic demons within Hell, several tablets retrieved by the UAC describe the life-cycle of an Empusa in gruesome detail. An Empusa Queen will lay numerous eggs which the drones will safeguard. The eggs hatch a larva which will burrow its way into the internal organs of a host abducted by the grown specimens to mature. Upon reaching maturity, the infant Empusa will then eat its way out of the host, finally killing the unfortunate victim.
Abducted victims that are not used as hosts are often used for feeding purposes, as Empusa demons require only blood to satiate their hunger, as well as use for nest construction/repair. Thus, they are classified as both a Helminth parasite and an Ectoparasite.
-Page Directory-
Codex Entry - Wave Creatures: Canis 1
According to Argenta texts, the Canis creatures are ancient predators that most commonly live in the forests surrounding the world spear. Many Canis creatures spread across the Argenta empire alongside its people, how these creatures achieved this is largely unknown. There are four types of Canis monsters that are described:
Type 0: Basic household pet or average civilian hunting dog. This class of Canis was brought over by the Argenta to all worlds they colonized, possibly even Earth.
Type 1: More intelligent than the type 0 creatures, type 1 Canis are regarded as guides and companions that only ally themselves with warriors they deem deserving of their presence. The infamous wolves of the Night Sentinels are believed to be a slight variation of type 1 Canis, due to their ability to manifest post-death as a true guiding spirit for worthy warriors, whereas typical type 1 Canis simply pass on post-death.
Type 2: Lethally intelligent, and more aggressive. Type 2 Canis are wild and crafty monsters that terrorized smaller Argentian villages often times at night. These Canis are only driven by survival instinct, requiring bigger prey in order to survive. While not truly sentient, type 2 Canis are capable of communicating with other creatures and are able to form pacts with creatures of similar intelligence to themselves. The Orthrus from the cave is classified this way.
Type 3: Entering the realm of most people's nightmares, type 3s are the largest and the most aggressive, often hunting and killing for sport. Type 3s are regarded as hostile enough that even hardened warriors of the Night Sentinels were wary of them. Type 3 Canis creatures are also known for being fully sentient, survivors of type 3 attacks often describe them as always thinking, being able to get anywhere, and having a solid grasp on flank tactics.
-Page Directory-
Codex Entry - Personnel: Raphtalia 2
Doctor's Notes: (Amended) Having now heard Raphtalia's story, I've reassessed the situation of how to treat her. I must admit, I was not expectant of what I heard. I knew she'd been greatly abused, but I suspected it to be a harsh disciplinary action, a punishment for disobedience, as witnessed by VEGA drones in Melromarc's capital. I knew her parents were deceased, possibly from the first wave, and while correct, I was not expecting a Cerberus. I knew she'd been sold into slavery, but I had suspected this to be the doing of bandits or slavers, I hadn't calculated for the fact that Melromarc's social structure allowed the kingdom's knights to do this.
Slayer's Notes: My end goals have expanded: Kill demons, stop the waves, protect Raphtalia, and ruthlessly hunt down and eliminate any and all guilty parties in her story once the first three are done.
Doctor's Notes: (Amended) For once, I am perfectly fine with your usual solutions. What I'm more concerned about is how specific details of Raphtalia's story contrast with data gathered by VEGA drones in the capital. By the Father, what is wrong with this place?
-DOOM-
(A/N):
Welp, whatever good reputation Melromarc had with the Slayer just disappeared into a black hole. Never to be seen again.
If enough people think I took Melromarc's actions too far or not far enough, I may change it.
I've been thinking about character themes, And I've managed to set a few:
Doom Slayer: Hands of a Slayer, by DAGames.
Young Raphtalia: Hymn for the Missing, by Red.
Adult Raphtalia: A Stranger I Remain, from the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance OST. I don't know the artists for this one. I think it's Jamie Christopherson
Queen Mirellia: Cost of the Crown, by Mercedes Lackey and Debra F. Sanders.
Melty: City of the Dead, by Eurielle. Nightcore version. (It'll make more sense when she gets involved in the Slayer's war.)
Malty: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, by Set it off feat. William Beckett. (This one's obvious.)
King Aultcray: Inside the Fire, by Disturbed. (Liable to change. This one relates to his backstory.)
If you have any other theme song suggestions for either the characters listed here or ones I haven't covered yet, I'd like to hear them.
I've reviewed the wiki for information on the other nations in this world. Let's chalk it up to the Slayer's only real reason to save this awful planet is because losing even one world to the demons is unacceptable, no matter how much the world in question deserves it.
Elena put it best: He's "the right hand of Doom here to save humanity from its sins."
Although Q'ten Lo? That's a different story.
Also, Omake Time, based upon a comment about the Naofumi that the Slayer replaced:
Defied Expectations:
Itsuki sat at the dining table with the other two heroes, deep in thought. He must have looked kind of broody, as Motoyasu glazed uncomfortably at him.
"Uh, hey Itsuki, you okay there? Normally Ren's the brooding one."
Itsuki was suddenly pulled from his thoughts, "Huh? Oh! Sorry, I just realized something."
"What?" Ren asked.
Itsuki pointed to himself, "I'm a gamer otaku," he pointed at Ren, "Your a gamer otaku," he pointed at Motoyasu, "And he's a gamer otaku."
"Yeah? So?" Motoyasu asked in confusion.
Itsuki shook his head, "So, if we heroes have a pattern of being gamer otakus, does that mean the Slayer is also a gamer otaku?"
Ren and Motoyasu stopped eating mid-bite.
Ren scowled, "You serious, Itsuki? The man looks like he eats shredded glass for breakfast."
Motoyasu put his fork down, "The man looks so ripped, he could punch a boulder and make it submit to his will," he then smiled, "like that guy from Sinister Tenant!"
Ren looked at Motoyasu, "Sinister Tenant? You mean Homebound Corruption?"
Itsuki facepalmed, "My point is, guys, is that there is a distinct pattern with us three, so logically, the Slayer would also fit the pattern!"
"Sounds dumb," Motoyasu said plainly.
Ren groaned, "Itsuki, be real, why would the Slayer be a gamer otaku?"
Itsuki scowled, "Well, the only other alternative is that someone else was supposed to be the Shield Hero, but the ritual made a last minute decision and summoned the Slayer instead."
Everyone paused and pondered that option. "I wonder who would've been summoned originally? If that is the case."
In another dimension:
ACHOO!
Naofumi, a gamer otaku, wiped his nose.
"Why do I feel like I was supposed to be isekaied, but was replaced, and now someone is wondering why I've been replaced?"
"Son," Naofumi's dad said, "you're lucky we gave up trying to dissuade your otaku tendencies, otherwise, I'd slap you for saying something so unfathomably dumb."
Naofumi shrugged and went back to his breakfast cereal, completely unaware of the abject nightmare he narrowly dodged.