Opening: Paper Moon by Tommy Heavenly6 (ROMIX Cover)
The marine was taken back to Taras Nabad where he would receive training from the Night Sentinels. The transportation and part of Taras Nabad he ventured to was much more luxurious compared to where he previously was. He was taken closer to the center of the city, where the rich live. His transport was filled to the brim with Night Sentinels wearing different armor. Some wore the pale white armor that protected their body while some (such as Xernex) wore a darker green armor that left a few parts exposed. Flynn stood out like a sore thumb amongst the batch with his marine armor, all the sentinels stared at the outlander, perplexed by his appearance. The man could guess what type of expressions were on the men's faces based off their subtle head tilts and glares. Xernex playfully shrugged his shoulders when Flynn looked over at him after they both took notice of the tension in the vehicle.
They soon arrived at their destination and all of the Sentinels unboarded the vehicle while Flynn was escorted by the Lieutenant. They were in a large, open, area in front of a massive building that stood several stories tall. It was a humongous complex with a series of watch towers and turrets overlooking the area as well as the outside. Thousands of personnel moved across the area from engineer teams to other Night Sentinels, it was very reminiscent of the military he was used to back on Earth. The rest of the vehicles that had followed behind filed into the large area and parked in their assigned positions as they all unloaded their troops and others would replace them.
Xernex raised his eyebrows in shock after seeing someone from across the area and ushered the marine to follow him. The two men trekked across the open area towards a larger, tanned man who wore bulky, grey armor which left his right arm exposed. Upon getting closer, Flynn could see that the man was older than he first anticipated, sporting very short, white hair on the top of his head and a thick beard. He had a few scars on his face as well as some wrinkles to boot. He was currently talking to someone else but turned around to face the two men once he heard them approach. Xernex saluted the man before asking, "Commander Valen, sir! I thought you were on leave."
The man simply nodded as he explained, "I was until I heard what happened. How can I stay on leave when our kingdom is under attack? I returned only to find out the threat had been resolved with numerous casualties."
Xernex followed up on his superior's statement, "Yes, sir, these creatures are very dangerous and are unlike anything we've ever seen. We barely managed to push them back but the city of Telorum is wrecked, sir, we're still finding survivors as we speak." The commander let out a sigh of disappointment upon hearing the tragic news and saying:
"I'm glad to see you made it out alive, Lieutenant. I also see you have the Outlander with you."
Xernex stepped out of the way so the commander could get a better look at the marine before telling the older man, "That's right, sir. Flynn was the only one amongst the other prisoners to survive the battle. King Novik arrived and was witness to Flynn's combat prowess and decided to submit him for Sentinel Training."
The commander raised his eyebrows, surprised to hear this news as this was a very rare case for the King to break tradition, especially for a non-sentinel. The commander placed his hand on Flynn's shoulder, a gesture which disgusted the marine but the commander welcomed, "If his majesty views your abilities in high regard, I have equally high expectations of you, Outlander. You have my attention, I look forward to training you."
Xernex further informed the marine, "The Commander leaves it to the officers to teach the basics to the rookies. It's not until after they've gone through their basic training where Commander Valen personally whips the soldiers into shape. So, for the time being, you're stuck with me, Flynn."
The older man chuckled upon hearing his subordinate's rundown of their training and remembered another detail he figured he should mention, "That reminds me, Xernex, would you believe me if I said my son's going to become a Night Sentinel?" It was Xernex's turn to be surprised as he responded with:
"Wow, time sure flies, does it? How do you feel about that, sir?"
"Frankly, I'm a little nervous. On one hand, I'm so proud of him, he's finally fulfilling his dream but I can't help but worry as his father. I know I shouldn't worry, this is what he wants after all."
"Don't worry, sir, the Night Sentinels will take good care of him."
Valen was put at ease with the statement and realized he had more important matters to attend to as he instructed the lieutenant, "Indeed. Let us make haste, Lieutenant. We do not have time to sit idly by and chat. You have your duties and I have mine. See to it that the Outlander receives his training."
Xernex saluted one more time, the commander was right: they didn't have any time to waste. Flynn was given a proper tour of the military outpost in Taras Nabad which dwarfed everything he was used to back on Earth: a consistent theme he was getting used to in this world. The hallways were more spacious and there was no sign of prisoners, just the sight of experienced soldiers, like him, passing through the hallways as they had their roles to fulfill. Flynn had his armor replaced with standard training armor that was very identical to Xernex's minus the fact that he sported a helmet which he called the "the cage helmet" as the visor reminded him of a set of prison bars. Although, it more closely resembled a diving helmet.
And so, the marine's training began under Xernex's tutelage as well as the Night Sentinel's war against Hell. The marine was barred from participating in the combat until his training was complete which infuriated him but also motivated him to complete his training. Xernex could see this determination as clear as day, every time he knocked the marine to the floor, the man would get back up in the blink of an eye, ready for more combat. The other trainers couldn't help but take notice and respect the man's tenacity, he was relentless as if he had a boundless pool of stamina to draw from. Perhaps it was his rage but that didn't matter, he was ready to tackle whatever challenge faced him. He was a warrior bred for combat. Many weeks passed, potentially several months (they lost count) but Flynn quickly adapted to their customs and laws and learned to respect Sentinel power. He learned about their origins from a species of creatures known as Wraiths who crashed into the planet through a large comet dubbed, The World Spear. The Wraiths gave life to this planet, the sentinels grew to worship them and harness their energy (with their blessing) to further their civilization. Eventually, they came in contact with the Maykrs who bestowed their knowledge upon the still-primitive Sentinels. This blossomed into a partnership that has lasted for many years. Although people are indebted to the Wraiths for their origins, the Maykrs soon became the Sentinel's new gods.
Xernex grew to become the only Sentinel that Flynn could depend on, he still wasn't fond of everyone else including Xernex's little team who began opening up to the marine. Tux even apologized at one point for being as harsh as he was to the marine but Flynn could care less about Tux's approval or anyone else's for that matter. He was only focused on demonic destruction. It wasn't long before Flynn was let out into the field again as one of the Night Sentinels as he had finally earned his right to fight alongside the others. Despite being a simple Night Sentinel like the people around him, he rallied them with his actions and words as he slayed the demons while chanting the same three words: Rip and Tear. The Sentinels were intrigued by the man's choice of words and translated them into their ancient language which translated to "Kar en Tuk". Soon, the once scared and frightened Sentinels who cowered before the demons felt great courage and pride as they followed behind the Marine who led the charge into hell with Xernex at his side every time.
As Argent D'nur fought against the demons of Hell, the scientists of the great sentinel kingdom scrambled to understand the inner workings of their enemy and discovered a source of energy that the creatures drew from to create their attacks. There was so much potential with this newfound energy that the Khan Maykr eventually gave King Novik the blessing to send the priests to advance their research. Soon, they pioneered Argent Energy, a mix of demonic hell energy and the holy wraith energy that the Sentinels traditionally used. This new energy was infinitely more potent than wraith energy and was too powerful for their standard weapons to deal with. As a result, new weapons had to be created to handle the new power they were dealing with. This newly founded Argent Energy was of a bright, crimson color like the creatures of Hell. Soon, Argent Energy became standard-issue for the Sentinels as all of their weaponry that emitted the soothing blue light of Wraith Energy was replaced with the devastating red light of Argent Energy.
Several years had passed since Flynn had found himself in Argent D'nur and he was no longer a stranger to the Night Sentinels, they were brothers-in-arms now, willing to die for each other. The warrior was coming back from leading the Sentinels back from another excursion into Hell where they dominated more territory with their upgraded technology and it was time for them to rest. Xernex, Flynn, and the rest of their squad walked through the streets of Taras Nabad and stopped when a ball rolled into the lieutenant, catching his attention. He looked to see a couple kids racing towards the ball to retrieve it but the lieutenant decided to have some fun by controlling the ball with clever leg movements to get it out of their reach. The kids chased after the older man as they all tried to knock the ball away from Xernex but he playfully maneuvered it away from them. Despite this, they were all laughing, they were having fun. Flynn remembered a painful memory from a long time ago, a memory he repressed so the aching pain he felt from it would go away. Tux leaned in as he pointed out,, "The boss sure has a soft spot for kids, huh?" One of the other sentinels pitched in, agreeing with Tux's statement. It was a fact that Flynn understood for quite some time. Whenever the lieutenant had a chance to leave an impression on kids or help anyone out, he always took the chance. It was just the kind of person Xernex was, always taking time out of his day to help others in need.
It soon came time for Xernex to stop as he kicked the ball into his hands and the children circled around him, asking for the ball back. The man knelt down so he could be at their eye level and told them, "I'll give it back to you guys but I want you guys to make me a promise, okay?" The kids nodded, listening for whatever the man had to say, "Study hard, alright? Don't slack off in school and do your work, I want you guys to be successful in your studies. Can you guys do that for me?" They all replied with a "yes, sir." before the man's expression lit up and he gently tossed the ball back towards the kids who ran off with it.
Flynn asked the lieutenant, "What was that all about?" Xernex chuckled as he placed his arm around his comrade's shoulders and walked forward, explaining:
"Just helping out the next generation. They're the most important thing in life. It's our responsibility to raise them up so they can surpass us. They are our future, the future of Argent D'nur.. I love this kingdom, I love everything about it. This is my home and I would lay down my life for it. I don't care about leaving my mark in history or any of that, I just want to help make sure the next generation is safe and prepared, especially with the recent rumors going around."
All of the Sentinels seemed shocked by what the man said and asked Xernex what he meant. He continued, "Haven't you seen the outskirts of Taras Nabad recently? They've been more quiet than usual, almost empty, in fact. Apparently, it's not just here, other cities are having this same occurrence."
Tux chimed in, theorizing, "Maybe they're being moved into better housing?"
Xernex shook his head in denial and responded, "Maybe, but then where is this new housing at? You'd think they would've announced such a thing by now. It doesn't sit right with me that this all started happening after the reveal of that damn energy. It seems fishy to me, like something doesn't add up." The sentinels were confused by Xernex who decided to drop the subject for now and explain the rest back at the outpost. It wasn't until they got there when Commander Valen was perusing the military outpost and watched his men at work, all of them saluting him as he passed by. He found Xernex and his group sitting in a circle with the rest of their squad. The lieutenant was seemingly going on a passionate rant which caught the commander's attention (mostly because they weren't working). The older man made his presence known to the Night Sentinels as they all seemed shocked by their superior's presence and saluted him at the same time. Valen asked the men, "What's going on? Why aren't any of you working?"
Xernex apologized as he stood up on behalf of his men and answered, "Sorry, sir, it's my fault. I got caught up on one of my angry rants regarding how I feel about the new energy."
"What about it bothers you, Lieutenant?"
"Everything about it, sir. From the rumors surrounding it to the various coincidences, I don't like it."
The commander was intrigued by his subordinate's thoughts and pressed for more information. The younger man elaborated, "I mean, personally, I'm not comfortable using the energy of our enemy against them. I feel like it goes against our ancient traditions we've held onto for so long. The fact that we have to rely on our enemy for our own survival is just… wrong, you know? How do they even get this energy? Shouldn't we know by this point?"
Valen seemed disappointed in his comrade and answered, "Xernex, you know they are drawn from the essence of our enemy. What kind of question is that?"
"I mean, but HOW are they extracting that energy? Where are they mass-producing it?"
"That is for our brilliant scientist to know. Look, I understand your hesitation in using this new power but what choice do we have? This energy has given us strength like never seen before, we are able to better protect our people. Do you want our people to suffer any more than they already have?"
Xernex swallowed before muttering, "No, sir." Valen placed a comforting hand on the lieutenant's shoulder and assured:
"Do not worry, my friend, the time will come when we no longer need this energy and our war against these demons will be over."
"What about your son, sir? Are you sure you want to keep him in the front lines against these creatures?"
Valen shook his head as he explained, "I have him stationed here at Taras Nabad where it's safe. He's upset at me but it's for his own good, I can't risk losing the people I care about to these savages."
"Agreed, sir." The Sentinels enjoyed their peace for a brief while until the demons struck again.
Their next attack was so sudden, It came from out of nowhere. From right outside of Taras Nabad's walls, a gigantic hell portal the size of a small skyscraper opened up. From it, thousands of demons swarmed into the city through the air while others worked to tear the city walls down. The Night Sentinels scrambled to their feet and raced towards the action to stop the incoming threat. However, they weren't ready for the last thing that emerged from the walls. The ground soon rumbled briefly before settling down before it shook once more with a greater intensity. This pattern repeated itself for several minutes as the Night Sentinels staved off the forces of Hell. That's when they saw it, a large leg emerged from the hellish portal followed up with a pair of protruding horns.
The hearts of all the Night Sentinels sunk to their feet as a new demon revealed itself, it stood so tall it made the tallest of buildings seem small in comparison. The large demon had grey, wrinkled, and decayed skin and possessed a pair of protruding horns. The titanic demon unleashed a roar so loud it blew out the eardrums of all those unfortunate enough to be near it. It took its first step through Taras Nabad and kicked over the gargantuan walls of the city with a simple kick. It's gigantic feet smashed everything underneath, enough to decimate an entire city block with its steps alone. Each step it took into the capital shook the city like a violent earthquake unlike anything the sentinels had ever seen.
As Xernex and the marine ran towards the action, the lieutenant couldn't help but curse out loud, "How the hell did we let a thing that big get so close without an alarm?!" Flynn didn't care, the demons are here and they need to die. With his Super Shotgun in-hand, he charged towards the action and erased the demons left and right with his new sentinel training kicking in. The Sentinels focused all of their fire into the titanic demon storming through the capital but none of their weapons could damage it, not even their strongest tanks. The demon pushed forward, causing the Night Sentinels to retreat further into the city while the marine stubbornly persisted on staying in the front lines and holding them off.
The marine was left alone, isolated from the rest of his comrades as he annihilated the demons with his might. It was nothing new for him but he was nowhere near a Night Sentinel, the closest one was a dead one. He had just cleared an entire street's worth of demons but the rest were elsewhere and he wanted them to die. He breathed heavily, exhausted from the fighting and his Sentinel armor was coated in blood but that didn't stop him. He lifted his head up when his instincts alerted him to an approaching presence from behind and he quickly twisted around with his Super Shotgun pointed directly at the incoming threat. Except, it was no threat at all, not from what he could tell as a mysterious figure approached him, hovering above the ground and obscured by a large, red cloak. The figure didn't attack so he assumed it wasn't hostile and he asked, "Who are you?"
The figure spoke with a slightly distorted voice, almost vibrant as it answered, "I.. am the chancellor of the Khan Maykr. For all intents and purposes, I am your ally in this conflict."
The Slayer lowered his Shotgun and further questioned, "What do you want?"
"I want you to come with me. I have kept my eye on you since the day you arrived and I can say for certain YOU are the one."
"I'm what?" They looked off into the distance when they heard the roars of a nearby demon that wasn't in their sight. The Maykr turned back towards the marine and begged:
"I will explain on the way, we must go. I promise you that this will be well worth your time."
The Maykr quickly hovered into hiding with the marine following behind, Shotgun ready. He followed the creature through an unknown part of the city he had never seen before, taking routes he never had access to or never knew existed. Wherever they were going, they were avoiding the conflict and far removed from plain sight. They hurried across the city and occasionally, they could see the titanic demon ripping through the city as the volley of sentinel fire bounced off its skin. They began approaching a building and could see Night Sentinels up ahead guarding it, however, the Maykr turned a different direction and led the marine through an alternate path away from the Night Sentinels. They quickly entered the building, it didn't matter how much noise they made going in because the men outside were far too busy dealing with the demons outside. The Maykr took Flynn to a large, circular chamber filled to the brim with circuits and a control station in the very center.
He was amazed by the technology in this room, it was very different from the Sentinel Technology he had already gotten used to. The design of this room was primarily white and dark red, having a strictly soft and elegant design that clashed with the roughness of the Sentinels design. Neon yellow lights illuminated the room as they trailed alongside the edges of the technology. The marine asked the Maykr, "Where are we?"
The hooded figure quickly responded, "We.. are in a room no sentinel is allowed into except for the ones who are chosen. This.. is the Divinity Machine, a judgement from the gods to find the one who will destroy us."
"And you think I'll be the one to destroy you?" They fell silent upon feeling the building shake violently, most likely from the same titan demon storming through Taras Nabad. The hooded figure didn't want to waste any more time as it quickly answered:
"No. The Khan Maykr is the one who will lead us to ruin." The chamber shook violently once more and they were running out of time. "We must move quickly. There are those who would seek to stop this." The Maykr stopped in front of the control station which faced an open coffin. The maykr gestured towards the machine as it continued, "I offer you a gift. Take it, it will give you strength… help you on your journey." The marine stepped towards the coffin which lifted itself up for him. He hesitantly stepped inside it, positioning himself accordingly as he pressed his back against the interior of the box. Soon, the coffin began to move and several pillars descended from the ceiling, surrounding him in a circle as the coffin tilted slightly and began to close. Flynn wasn't sure what he had just signed up for and desperately looked towards the Maykr who finished the sequence of commands on the control station and finished telling the Marine, "And now they will fear you." The coffin was sealed and it became so bright he was blinded by the light and he could feel an energy coursing into his body from all sides. He felt his body pulsate wildly as his eyes flickered repeatedly. His ears rang loudly as he began to change. He felt his body inflate as if someone was pumping air into his muscles, this act caused his skin to stretch unnaturally against the new formation of his body, causing him to scream out in pain like he had never done before. However, his screams of pain were deafened by the machine and the closed coffin which concealed him.
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The sentinels were getting pushed back towards the center of the city, the titanic demon didn't stop. It's footsteps alone obliterated their great city as it made its way through. The demon was clearly on a mission and they couldn't afford to let it follow through on its duty. However, things were looking rather bleak for the sentinels. Their advanced weaponry they had grown to rely on couldn't remotely damage the large creature. Their most powerful weapons were unable to stop it or even grab its attention. It simply pressed on with its charge, swiping away at the skyscrapers of Taras Nabad as they got in his way.
Xernex and his team were holding down a position several kilometers away from the demon but it wouldn't be long until it caught up to them. They were protecting an ancient monument that was very sacred to them, an artifact that was centuries old and couldn't afford to be damaged. Xernex hacked and slashed through the hordes of enemies that threatened to damage their sacred monument but they were whelmed to say the least. As Xernex dug his argent axe into the skull of a charging pinkie, he glanced around the area to check on the rest of his team. Tux pierced through the bodies of the demons with his argent rapier he favored due to his passion for fencing. It was rather ironic for a man so large to be using a tool so elegant. Regardless, he smiled knowing his comrade was safe and he looked around to check on everyone else. The only one not accounted for was Flynn. Despite his cries for Flynn to hold the line with them, the outlander stubbornly refused all orders given to him and charged head-first into the demonic invasion without any fear. Xernex wondered if Flynn was even alive. By no means did he underestimate his friend, but he wasn't confident he'd be able to handle several thousand of those creatures at once.
Commander Valen rushed towards an approaching Baron of Hell and caved its skull in with his Argent Sledgehammer, killing it immediately. Several imps leapt towards the older man but he swung his large weapon so effortlessly it was like it weighed nothing to him. The imp's bodies crumbled upon impact with the hammer, collapsing to the floor like ragdolls as they died. Xernex called out to the commander who nodded in acknowledgement as the lieutenant got close to explain the situation, "Commander, I'm not sure how much longer we're going to be able to hold this position. The demons just keep on coming!"
Valen continued fighting, the two men shouting at each other so they could be heard over the sound of violence, "We have to fall back! We won't be able to hold the demons here!"
"But, sir, the monument!" They looked toward the top of a building to see an Archvile raise its flaming claws into the air as it began to manifest more demons from thin-air. Holding this position was no longer an option as Valen shouted at his subordinate:
"That is an ORDER, Leiutenant! We need to fall back!" The men backed up, unloading their rifles into the approaching demons and attempting to stop the summoning demon from continuing its spawn but it was far too late. It summoned a large variety of large demons, Barons included. The demons advanced on the sentinel's position like a charging rhino unable to be put down. The warriors panicked as they began fleeing in the other direction.
The Only Thing They Fear is You by Mick Gordon
An unknown object crashed into the ground, shaking it as it squished a baron underneath it. Dust was flung into the air so the object was obscured by everyone in the area. However, the sudden impact caught everyone's attention as they all observed the dust cloud and were taken aback to see a bright, flaming red sword ignite from within, illuminating the man wielding it. Without any warning, the man inside the cloud launched from his position and blew away the smoke with his immense speed. He smashed his fist into one of the nearby barons, obliterating its torso as it disintegrated into a bloody mist of what it once was. Xernex and Valen were baffled to see Flynn zooming across the open area as he swung his sword wildly, hacking off limbs and decapitating demons with ease. As he ran with his sword drawn, a trail of wraith-fire followed his movements as he sliced a demon in half before cutting vertically down another one. The Archvile panicked, lighting the floor on fire but the marine hurled himself towards the tall demon. It raised its defense flaming barrier in self-defense but even that wasn't enough to protect it from the might of the warrior as he smashed his fist into it, annihilating the wall of fire and striking the creature down.
Xernex could barely comprehend what was happening as he asked his commander, "Sir, is that…?"
Valen answered quickly, knowing right away what his lieutenant was going to say, "Yes, it's the Crucible, but how?" Xernex continued watching as his friend hacked through the demons one by one, wielding the Crucible in one hand and his Super Shotgun in the other. He would slash through one demon while firing at another demon with his boomstick. He was a relentless, unstoppable force of nature that melted through the demons like never seen before. The ground began to shake as the titanic demon walked towards them with its heavy footsteps, catching the attention of the marine who bolted towards the incoming demon. The marine was but an ant compared to this giant creature. He could see its foot crush entire buildings underneath its weight, something he was not going to be a victim of. The titanic demon raised its leg once more and attempted to bring its foot down upon the Marine but his new speed and power allowed him to quickly evade as he jumped towards the creature leg, digging his fingers into its skin as he began to aggressively climb the large creature like a spider.
As he ascended the creature, he could see the array of cacodemons and pain elementals protecting it as they began unleashing their hellish projectiles towards the man. He took notice and pushed off the creature towards one of the cacodemons. He slammed into the creature, injuring it as it cried out in pain. He didn't want to kill, not yet, as he looked up to see the numerous aerial demons in the sky and began calculating the clearest path towards the top of the titanic demon. He leapt from one demon to the next, wasting no time with his movement as he reignited his Crucible in anticipation of dealing the final blow. The large demon tried to swipe at the man, it's large hand was able to block out the sun as it cast a massive shadow over the warrior and the entire area underneath him. Flynn firmly grabbed the Crucible with both hands and jumped towards the creature's chest with his blade drawn back.
In one, swift movement, he impaled the creature with the weapon as it burned itself into the creature's body. The weapon began discharging a blue energy into the titanic demon that spread throughout its body. The area where he dug the Crucible into the demon began to swell up as the demon looked to the sky before roaring in pain. It's body fell numb and began to fall back. Flynn could feel the rapid switch in gravitational force as he felt his organs rise in his body and he braced for impact as the demon's body collapsed into the great city of Taras Nabad, smashing everything unfortunate enough to be underneath the impact.
The city of Taras nabad shook with the force of a thousand earthquakes, causing even the mightiest of Sentinels to fall to their knees from the intense rumbling caused by the collapsing titan. The demons all looked to see what happened and began fleeing immediately. The Sentinels cheered and rallied back against the forces of Hell, driving them away as they pushed back against their foes. As thousands of Sentinels rushed past the body of the titan demon and drove away the demons, more stayed behind as they circled around the creature's corpse and stared at the man who stood on top triumphantly with the legendary Crucible dug into the creature's chest next to him.
The sentinels looked towards one another in acknowledgement and in a silent agreement, every man kneeled before the marine who stood on top of the titan's corpse. Only the strongest of Sentinels were allowed to wield the legendary Crucible, a weapon that can only be used by true sentinel warrior kings. Flynn looked around as he saw the army of Sentinels surrounding him kneel before their new king. No words were exchanged, it was a silent gesture as silence finally fell upon the area and all that could be heard was the constant sizzling sound of the Crucible that burned into the demon's chest.
Flynn raised his fist into the air and exclaimed for all of his brothers to hear, "RIP! AND! TEAR!" His words echoed across the ruined landscape, and all the sentinels who knelt before him rose before they raised their fists in the exact same manner and began chanting in their language:
"KAR EN TUK! KAR EN TUK! KAR EN TUK!"
The man that stood above all the sentinels was no mere warrior, he was not just an ordinary sentinel either. He was a demi-god and he was their king. From this point onwards, Flynn was no longer regarded as the Outlander to all. Everyone in Argent D'nur knew his name, and the demons that heard it trembled in fear of what was coming. All hail the coming of the destroyer, all hail The Doom Slayer...
