Chapter 16
Slayer on the High Seas!
The entry to the singularity went without landing in the ocean but, where they ended up wasn't an island. The group found themselves on a very occupied, Pirate Ship and there was a minor scuffle at the start…
"Doomguy-san...Has restrained the enemy." Mashu said, looking at the entire crew now bruised and tied up with rope. These guys were just plain humans so he went 'easy' on them.
"He just mopped the floor with them." Ritsuka said with a sigh. At least this time most of them were still conscious…Looking around they were definitely at the right location, an ocean that stretches as far as the eye can see. They were lucky to land on a ship rather than be stranded on a small island.
"This may be odd to you and your crew, but we didn't mean to intrude onto your vessel. I believe we can move past this misunderstanding and start our introductions over again" VEGA said, talking to the Captain of the ship.
"Aye...I believe Ye. Sorry for attacking you all." The Captain apologized easily as he didn't want to anger the green-armoured man. With all of the crew tied up and willing to cooperate, VEGA and Mashu decide to get some information from them.
"Who are you, where is this ocean, and what's going on? Would you care to explain?" Mashu asked, still bearing her shield to seem intimidating.
"Hey, we have no clue either, see. Before we knew it, we were afloat around here. Our compasses and maps are completely useless,too." The pirate gestured to the compass on the ground and it was constantly changing directions.
"When you got no clue what's going on, see, you just attack the prey in front of-" An audible knuckle crack made the captain stop in his words. Doomguy didn't take kindly to calling his team prey.
"-Aye we get it!" All of them said in unison.
"It's like Good-Cop, Bad-Cop. But I can't tell who's the Good-Cop."
Ritsuka said and Gudao agreed. Mashu was doing her best to look tough and it seemed to be working. The pirates mentioned that they got news of a "Pirate Island" that they were heading for to get some supplies.
"I guess that is our only lead…" Mashu said.
"Hmm...For now, we don't have any leads that feel like leads. We might as well go there." Romani said.
"Understood. For your release, we are taking command of your vessel. You shall take us to Pirate Island without Delay." VEGA stated.
"Is that clear!" Mashu said in a commanding tone.
"Aye, Aye sir!" The captain said.
"That would be, 'Aye,aye ma'am!" Mashu corrected and Doomguy released the crew from their binds while Vega woke up the still unconscious members. After that Doomguy kept a watchful eye on the crew as he didn't trust pirates or any form of bandits at all. He dealt with barbarian tribes back in his sentinel days and saw the savagery they did to smaller villages. The ex-Sentinel warrior thought that it would've been easier to kill them, but he knew that the naivety of his comrades wouldn't allow that.
It didn't take long for them to hit landfall at what is assumed to be Pirate Island. Once their feet touched the beach, another group of Pirates came dashing out of the nearby woodwork.
"Woo-Hoo! Women! Pray! Hunting! Looks like- *KA-BOOM*" Doomguy fired a warning shot...With his rocket launcher.
"...looks like pirates are just as enthusiastic on land." Mashu said very disappointedly
"...Just as idiotic is a better way to say it." Gudao said, feeling no pity for the Pirates.
"Agreed. They are going to get a Bashing, if it's not by Doomguy then it's by Mashu" Romani added.
"Fou!" Fou added while sitting on top of the VEGA Drone.
"What is going on over here!" A female voice shouted from the woods after hearing an explosion. A few moments after a woman, dressed in what can only be described as some form of 16th-century naval officer uniform.
The colours were primarily white and blue while being covered by a green jacket.
The woman's face came into view, revealing black-blue hair and yellow coloured eyes. Her stern look faded once she laid eyes upon a certain armoured warrior.
"Lord Slayer!" She ran up to Doomguy and bows immediately. The man recognized the uniform as a ship captain for the Sentinel Navy, but then noticed the colours she wore...
"I am Sliva Bloodwater, Ex-Sentinel navy, I swear my loyalty to you my King." She said while kneeling to her king.
"Oh Nice, it looks like we have some backup already!" Romani said with optimism... Until The Slayer pointed his super shotgun at her head.
"Waaaat?!" Everyone said minus VEGA.
"Doomguy, what are you doing?!" Ritsuka was shocked and confused at his action. Wasn't she a loyal subject of his? Doomguy looked at the woman, then back to his master who was very distraught at this situation. Thinking back to what happened in Orleans...Doomguy lowered his weapon, for the sake of not upsetting Ritsuka.
"Am I to be granted mercy?" Silva said, looking up at her would be an executioner. Doomguy looks back at Ritsuka then back to Silv... He nods reluctantly.
"Thank you, my lord. I understand your mistrust of me so I will do my best to prove myself." Silva stands up and her commanding demeanour returns.
"All of you welps, quit your gawking and allow safe passage to the camp. If any of you even think of harming them will be crushed under my boot!" She orders all of the pirates back off and Silva leads them into the jungle. There was silence on the way to said camp due to Doomguy nearly killing Silva without question. Ritsuka felt so shocked that he would do that and it troubled the trio.
"There's a reason why he reacted that way. I will give an explanation after we secure more information." VEGA started looking a little guilty for some strange reason. Doomguy didn't know what to feel; the reason why he wanted to execute Sliva was that she wore the colours of the traitors. The faction of Sentinels that turned on King Novik and swore their loyalty to the Khan Makyr, now dead leader of the Maykr race.
They eventually reach the camp and it pretty much really sets the mood for a Place called "Pirate Island." Tents filled with pirates scattering the place, the echo of sea shanties being sung and the very faint but noticeable scent of rum. Silva directed the group to a table where a pink-haired woman in captain's attire was enjoying a drink while looking over a map. Her sea-blue eyes noticed Silva approach her and gave a welcoming smile.
"Ah, First-Mate Bloodwater, I'm glad to see you dealt with whatever shit went on at the beach." The woman looked behind Silva and noticed the crew she brought with them. She looked at them while moving some hair out of her gaze to reveal the scar she had across her face.
"These are the Stargazers you have been prattling on about?" She studies them with a questioning look.
"Yes, Captain. They along with Lord Slayer." Silva said and the Captain's attention was brought to Doomguy and she walked over to him to get a better look…
"Hmmm...You do definitely look like a 'Slayer' No doubt you were the one to cause that ruckus with my boys. Ah well, I'll apologize for that; they are a bunch of idiots. No doubt the crew behind you is the Stargazers correct?" She asked and Mashu stepped forward to introduce herself.
"I'm Mashu Kyrielight and They are Master Gudao and Master Ritsuka. The Spherical being is VEGA, A familiar to Doomguy-san." Shielder introduced the group.
"Aye, talk about your band of misfits. I'm Francis Drake. According to Sliva over here, you'd already know my name." The famed Pirate explorer introduced herself, causing much confusion amongst the Chaldeans.
"What?! Again?" Romani said as once again a male figure turned out to be a woman in the flesh.
"You'd think he'd be used to it by now?" Da-Vinci chime into the comms for a few seconds.
"Get back to work!" Romani shouted before VEGA muted Romani to avoid any more interruptions.
"Francis Drake. One of the great heroes that pioneered this world. They are the first voyager in history to sail around the globe and love to tell the tale. England received great fortune from his actions. They bested Spain, who had been dominating the world seas." Mashus said, giving the two masters a short lesson on the famed explorer.
"Now, don't go all wishy washy on me. I get it that you'll need my help for your quest, according to Bloodwater. Normally I would ask for a test of strength, but considering I have seen first hand the kind of monsters, I'll settle for a different test later." Drake said looking a little down with that statement.
"By monsters, you mean...Demons right?" Gudao said, hoping he was wrong.
"Unfortunately, yes. Captain Drake has lost many men to the hellbeasts." Sliva said
"Bloodwater here saved my ass more times than I can count, so I made her an honorary first mate. She might be too military for being around Pirates but she scares the shit out of anyone that complains." Drake said with a laugh while Sliva remained calm throughout Drake's story. It was interesting seeing the duality of seeing a military woman teaming up with a female Pirate.
"...So, here's the deal, you guys need a ship and I have it...But I wanna test if you are worthy of my crew." Drake said with a challenging look in her eyes.
"Captain, I don't recommend fighting-" Sliva stopped her words when Drake refilled her mug with rum then filled another.
"A test of who can handle the most Rum! Now, Who's will be my opponent?" Drake said with great merriment. Silva shook her head at her captain's antics but wasn't surprised at how chaotic working with pirates can be.
"What about you three? Come on! You got yourselves a crew without even lifting a finger." Drake said until Doomguy stopped her. He wasn't going to let the kids get pressured into underage drinking.
"What about you then? Think you can handle this Rum, some of the strongest stuff I have ever tasted?" Drake said and Doomguy nodded. He wasn't trusting of pirates nor Sentinel traitors, but if this gets them a ride throughout this mysterious sea-based singularity…He nods, meaning that they do the meaningless test in place of the Masters.
"Aye! All right, men! To our new comrades. On this island there is no shortage of food and booze! Time to celebrate!" Drake said and the camp lit up in cheers.
"We don't really have time for this…" Mashu stated as she really didn't want to waste any time hunting down that holy grail.
"I'm afraid that we'll have to disembark tomorrow. At this rate none of the crew will be sober enough to run a ship across a small lake." Silva said as everyone instantly started drinking.
"I recommend resting for now, we don't know what threats we will face during our voyage across this unknown ocean. May we have a place for the young ones to sleep?" VEGA asked and Silva nodded.
Doomguy looked back at Silva with a clear gaze of distrust of the woman.
"My lord I-"
"I will observe her, Slayer. You can make sure the crew is satisfied with your…Drinking abilities." VEGA promised and Doomguy nodded due to trusting the AI more than Silva. They all leave as Drake slides a mug of rum to him interested in how he can handle his liquor. Doomguy looks down at the alcoholic drink while removing the lower part of this helmet. He then grabs the mug and downs the drink within a second, Staring back at the Pirate Queen with an unwavering look.
"Aye! I think you and I are going to get along just fine…" She said, refilling her mug as her crew spectated the drinking contest.
False Gods and Grails.
Meanwhile, Ritsuka and the others found themselves a private spot to set up camp to keep away from the noise. They set up camp and started snacking on some prepared food that was stored in the VEGA Drone. The alliance with Francis Drake went on way smoother than expected. However, there was still the elephant in the room of Doomguy pulling his gun on Silva.
"Feel free to ask Questions, Young ones." She said, sensing the building curiosities of the three as she looked into the freshly made campfire.
"Oh, umm...If you don't mind us asking Would you know why Doomguy-san acted that way towards you?" Mashu asked.
"Yeah, I don't know why he would do that." Ritsuka said she was still slightly disturbed about that situation.
"It's because I am a traitor…" Silva said while looking deep into the orange flames of the campfire. Mashu tensed up as her instinct wanted her to get into a battle stance but Silva's body language showed no sign of fighting against them.
"Traitor? To whom?" Gudao asked, confused.
"You were a Maykr Loyalist Sentinel, weren't you Ms. Bloodwater." VEGA said and Silva nodded.
"Maykr Loyalist?" Both masters said, confused as they know of the sentinels and King Novik but nothing on these so-called Makyrs.
"Oh, I see. You were part of the faction that was against Doomguy-san and King Novik." Mashu said as she spent her free time reading up on the sentinel history due to natural curiosity.
"Glad to see at least someone has been reading the provided material." Romani said as VEGA unmuted him.
"Sorry about that..." Ritsuka said, rubbing the back of her head.
"So, what's a Maykr anyways?" Gudao asked.
"A race of Angels, they came to our homeworld enlightened us with their technology, wisdom and promise of a haven for our fallen warriors. With their blessing they allowed our people to push back against the brutality of our homeworld and expand beyond the sky's of our homeworld. We have accepted them as our new gods and never questioned their judgement. It was like that for thousands of years until...The outsider came to our world." The Sentinel woman gave a brief explanation of the Makyrs relations to the warrior race.
"Who's the outsider?" Ritsuka asked.
"The man that protects you, The Doom Slayer…"
"Ahh! You can really hold your own when it comes to drinking! I am beginning to understand why Bloodwater respects a man like you!" Drake said as she poured out another mug for her opponent. Doomguy was still going strong after what seemed to be hours of drinking against the pirate queen and her crew. He had to admit the drink was good but could barely compare to what the people of Argenta drank; some ale from the city for Exultia would put most of these people into a coma for days.
However, this contest did pull some interesting information.
"I...Don't Believe it...She has a Holy grail...but it's not the one we are after." Romani commented via Doomguy's private comm channel. Ever since they stepped foot on this island his scanners were detecting a Holy Grail energy signature. The Director assumed it was a glitch but repeated system restarts and diagnostics proved otherwise. It wasn't until Drake pulled out said golden chalice to show off to Doomguy. Romani freaked out and reported it to Vega which he too assisted in the scan while watching over the masters.
Unfortunately...it wasn't the one they were looking for, it was just a powerful magical artefact that provided limitless food and drink for its wielder. So much for an easy victory…
"...So, Doomguy-san wasn't a native to your world?" Mashu said and Silva nodded as she explained how the slayer came to them as nothing but a man wearing foreign armour and archaic armaments.
"After the priests looked at him. He was taken to the arena where criminals regain their honour through combat and joining the Army as frontline warriors. He was strong but his mind was completely shattered. Constantly raving about monsters from hell that will come to ours." The ex-maykr Loyalist stated to the three and all looked very shocked at how they treated the man who was trying to warn them.
"Isn't that…A little harsh to do that. He needed help." Ritsuka was not happy with how her servant was treated in the past.
"Master Ritsuka, Sentinel laws and rules are very different from Earth's." VEGA reminded her that they were from another planet.
"I'm sorry…" Ritsuka said not wanting to be disrespectful.
"It's alright, you are children. I understand your disagreement with our laws. Back to the Slayer. He became one of the strongest warriors in the arena, creating a following of admirers that filled the stands in order to see him fight. Due to his success in the arena he was selected to be on the frontlines whenever the army went to war. It didn't take long before he was sent out to battle…" Sliva recited the Sentinels experience with Doomguy.
"Against the Demon's, right?" Ritsuka asked and Silva nodded.
"One the Eve of the Black star, The dark ones came to our world from the depths of their own. We attacked with our weapons in hand, but only one person ever returned. The Stranger from a foregin land would always return, wounded beyond belief and yet asked for no aid. Commander Valen would train him until-" Silva was then interrupted by Doomguy walking over to them which startled her a bit.
"I-I should take my leave then. I was just telling them about your history with our people. My lord." Silva said standing at attention and shortly leaving as she didn't want to intrude on any conversations between him and his master, thus causing an awkward end to her storytelling session.
"Well, That was something...How did the uh 'Test' go?" Gudao asked and Doomguy gave him a thumbs up meaning everything went well.
"Glad to hear it, We are going to need Drake's ship if we are going to get anywhere in this oceanic singularity." Mashu said as Doomguy sat down next to Ritsuka. With his return, there was one burning question that was stuck with the red-haired master and she could not avoid asking it anymore.
"Doomguy...You're not going to kill Silva, right?" She asked and he looked back at her. He really did want to kill her right then and there, most Maykr loyalists eventually became The Marauder demons due to the deal the false angels made with hell. A false promise of eternity that was actually a slave deal to hell.
All of that and perhaps his unstable rage fueled his action against Silva. But, then he remembers the one law of Sentinels that he respected most and probably saved his mortal self.
Criminals can find their honour once again through battle…
If he can forgive what Valen did, Maybe he can do the same for one traitor or two…
He nods and pats her on the head for assurance. He'll be keeping an eye on Bloodwater for now, just in case she tries anything against him or Chaldea.
Mashu, Gudao and Ritsuka all sighed with relief.
"Interesting, I understand your trusting of Valen but even this outcome was unexpected." Vega started raising some eyebrows.
"What was the issue with Valen?" Mashu asked curiously after their experience with him back in Rome.
"He, in Sentinel history, is known as 'The Betrayer'. In summary, the demons manipulated him when he was emotionally vulnerable. Resulting in the Death of the Elemental Wraith's, the source of power for all Novik Loyalists. Leading to the death of King Novik himself and trapping The Slayer in Hell." Vega explained and Chaldea felt sad for Valen, he must've been going through so much pain that it blinded him of his own actions. The three youngsters felt pity for the man, but he atoned with sins by helping them on this journey.
"You've been through alot, eh Doomguy?" Ritsuka said but didn't get a response from her servant...He was just sitting still, appearing to be looking into the campfire.
"Doomguy?" Ritsuka said while waving her hand in front of his visor.
"Is something wrong with Doomguy-san?" Mashu asked, looking worried as Vega did a quick bio-scan on The Slayer and found something he has never seen in a long time.
"Do not be worried, he is just asleep." VEGA confirmed.
"Really? I've never heard of him just randomly falling asleep, or going to sleep at all?" Gudao said surprised.
"Maybe it's ungodly amounts of rum Captain Drake made him drink. I'd sure love taking a nap after party drinks." Romani commented.
"We'll think Doomguy deserves a nap after all the help he has done for us." Ritsuka said while patting him on the shoulder plate. Mashu and Gudao decide to turn in for the night to get ready for their journey. Ritsuka grabs a spare blanket they had and drapes it over her servant's shoulders.
"Goodnight, Doomguy." She said before slipping into a sleeping bag.
Meeting of Two Eternals...
"The sound of winds howling, the sensation of falling...what is going on?," Doomguy thought to himself before opening his eyes to find himself falling into the unknown.
"Where am I? This a dream?" he thought as he fell towards the cursed lands. He tried to contact Ritsuka and Vega, only to find that he was alone in this forsaken landscape. Eventually, his feet hit the ground causing the barren land to crack around him and dust was sent flying. Doomguy looked around the arid landscape, nothing but dust and a dark, starless sky. He takes in a glimpse of the zone, it was devoid of all life. The landscape, the grey sky, he could feel this was a cursed land, but that was irrelevant the moment he saw the spawning ground of a gore nest while he was falling.
With his instincts kicking in, he runs towards the Gorenest beacon which eventually leads him to a hill that gave him a better view of the area.
What he gave him some information on where the heck he was...The place was the home to spirits, he can see them drift about the shadowy landscape below. Looking to the distance he can see the only man-made structure, a castle or stronghold showing that someone must rule here. The spirits take notice of him and drift towards him with a look of wanting in their dead eyes.
"This one has seen the gates many, many times...Now they find themselves in this land…Not dead…But living...Not fair…Not fair at all…" All of them whisper as their hands turn into ethereal claws to impose fear on what they think is prey…
The Slayer looks at them with unwavering bravery...And extends his Doomblade to five of them down within barely a second.
"Hisss...This one is similar to the Queen...Not worth hunting…" The rest of the phantoms scattered in fear of him. Those were clearly not demonic spirits, but rather of the denizens that must live in this dark world. No matter, he needed to get to that nest and destroy it. Somehow, he knew that this world might be connected to Ritsuka's world.
The Legions of Hell roared as they charged against the Queen of Shadows, Scathach. She has been on a warpath ever since these beasts invaded her territory of the dead. Her spears have pierced, stabbed and sliced many of these hellspawn's causing them to be pushed back towards a beam of red light. However, things appeared to be at a stalemate as these beasts just kept on pouring out of their nest in the distance. However, The Celtic warrior prevented any further into her realm and wasn't going to stop now.
Until the ground below her turned fire red and an explosion knocked her back into a cliffside. Was about to get back up but then something invisible crashed into her sending her skidding across the ground.
"Gah...You beasts...No honor amongst you all. Only destruction." She said as she pushed herself on her feet and looked back at the horde approaching her with bloodlust in their eyes. She quickly cast a healing rune to patch herself up before she had to quickly dodge another explosion at her feet.
She gazed at the enemy's blacklines and saw two large humanoid demons with flames in their hands. They raise their hands causing more demons to spawn around her, proving they are commanders of some sort. Hurt train of thoughts was interrupted by the screeches of the pink-skinned Demons as they charged at her with increased speed.
"They are glowing with a red aura...those tall not only summon, but bolster it's minions." Scathach said as she read herself for combat.
KA-BOOM!
An explosion echoed throughout the area followed by several projectiles raining from the sky and detonating the beasts. Sending chunks of demon flesh flying everywhere and stopping the horde in its tracks. A loud thud was heard from the dust clouds and when they settled, A large man in green armour that clearly wasn't from the era she originated. It took a few seconds for her wisdom of Dunscaith to start filling in the details. That man was from another era way into the future, and he was somehow connected to these beasts that invaded her land. The Demons paused, at the man for a few seconds before screeching and roaring as they all swarmed him at once.
Scathach was about to quickly go help him but was stopped by the sights of his combat skills.
His speed as he dodges and dashes around the Demons attacks while keeping up with them.
His strength allowed him to rip apart the creatures with extreme fervour that left them in pieces.
His Expert skill with his many armaments proved he was a master of all kinds of weapons along with his fits.
Who is this man?
Doomguy dove right into the horde after a long rocket jump and now he was in the thick of it. Two Arch-viles were supporting the horde of various demons that appeared to be the vanguard for that proto-nest nearby. Another day in the offices for Doomguy as he revs his chainsaw to cut several prowlers and Hellknights like trees in a forest. A pack of Pinky's charge at him, but he backflips over them while swapping to his combat shotgun. While still in the air he fires a sticky bomb into each Pinky's soft backside. When he lands back onto the ground they were already blown to bits by said explosive ordinance. Doomguy braced himself for the sudden burst of blind rage after a multi-kill, however, he still felt in control...His sharpened, honed rage was in control rather than the madness enhancement…
Taking this advantage he swiftly kills the horde and makes his move against those damned Arch-viles. He blasted through several imps and gargoyles with bolts of plasma, Decapitating hell knights and ripping the heart out of a Mancubus. Screeches echoed from the sky above followed by a volley of rockets. He dashes, out of the way and looks up to fight a squadron of the skeletal monstrosities known as a revenant. A twisted creation that came out of the UAC's meddling with hell energy and cybernetics.
He was about to counter with his ballista but heard something behind him. He quickly spins around as he spawns his Super Shotgun in his left hand, expecting a Prowler or a Marauder…
Instead, he saw something that was something that he did not expect at all…
There was a woman wearing a very form-fitting dark coloured bodysuit with silver pauldrons. Her Purple-brown hair blew in the wind as she pulled her spear out of a dead marauder's torso.
Hearing the screeches again, the Slayer returned his attention to the Demonic threat and just hoped that the woman was on his side. He swiftly snipes the screaming revenants while dodging their rockets thus marking the near depletion of this current horde. Doomguy triggers Overdrive and closes the distance on one of the Arch-viles. It tries to teleport away to summon more of the horde, but its efforts were in vain as it meant its gruesome death by being sliced to bits by a blazing crucible blade. Strangely the remains started to pulse in energy and at an increasing rate…
The remains shortly explode with a force comparable to a massive cluster of argent missiles. Doomguy was knocked back but landed on his feet with not even a scratch on his armour.
He never saw an Arch-vile explode like that over his years of slaying demons. He looked over to the Proto-nest beacon and saw it was about half as bright as it was before. As if the beast was somehow powering the nest...Or perhaps this realm required Arch-vile to properly anchor the nest? If Vega was with him now, I doubt he'll have the answer…
The sound of an Arch-vile roaring snapped him out of his train of thought and filled him with a sense of dread…His body glows yellow again as he runs over to where the remaining Arch-vile was.
Scathach was able to clear her own path through hellspawn and reach the summoner that refused to engage her directly. She spawns copies of her spear and launches them at the beast. It projects a barrier of flames to protect itself against the barrage of weapons. Its shield gave way and was pinned in the leg and desperately trying to free itself.
Only to meet its end as it sees a spear tip breach its torso through the front...It falls to the ground as its unholy life fades from its yellow eyes. However, the body started glowing and pulsing with energy...
She didn't know what it was until it was too late…
A massive explosion assumingly engulfed her as she closed her eyes…
Moments passed as Scathach didn't feel any pain, rather she felt something else...As if someone was holding her…
She opened her eyes to find herself staring right into the visor of the armoured man from before. There was a pause as both stared at each other for a moment, Scathach moved her head a little closer to try and get a better look at his shrouded face.
Doomguy just made it in time, the explosion that nearly killed her was twice as volatile compared to the first Arch-vile. He manages to grab her and shield the woman from the blast with his armoured self.
Now he found himself staring directly into this masked woman's face. Particularly her ruby red eyes...
After a moment he lets her get on her own feet and she lowers the cloth mask that covers the lower half of her fair looking face.
"Thank you for saving me from the explosion. However I won't die that easily... If only if it was that simple for a eternal like me." She said while walking towards her weapon that was sticking out of a nearby rock. Doomguy 's eyes went to the spear and instantly recognized the weapon as it was a near-identical copy of Gae Bolg. The Spear that was given to the Hound of CuChulainn by his teacher…
That would mean that this woman was none other than that very teacher: Scathach.
"I see you recognize this spear but not me. That would mean you know of my disciple Setanta. The hound of Cuchulainn." Scathach said as she retrieved her spear from the stone.
Doomguy shakes his head. He instantly figured out who she was as the Lancer-class servant mentioned her before.
"Oh, I see so you do know of my legend then. Interesting…" She said walking around the man.
"Well then I will cut to the chase. I am the Queen of this land ment for the dead. A Land of Shadows." She then looks over to the dead demon's bodies that scatter the immediate landscape.
"As you can see I was defending my territory from these vile invaders. But it would appear that they are not the only ones to reach this realm." The Celtic warrior then stops in front of him.
"...Which begs the question. Who are you?" She asked, looking directly through his visor. Doomguy remained silent however she didn't seem to be offended by it.
"...I see you are a man of a few words. Well, I will have to guess then. One of the more verbal demons mentioned a 'Doomslayer'. Judging from your ferocity against those beasts. That being must be you correct?" She asked and Doomguy nodded as an explosion echoed in the distance. Both looked over to the source and found the beacon was gone and the demonic remains around them turned to ash. Doomguy scanned the area with his praetor suits systems and confirmed that Demonic energy levels were at an absolute zero. This place must've been difficult for hell to breach and needed those Arch-viles to spawn more nests.
"Looks like their attempt at breaching my world has failed. I doubt they would've been successful in the first place." She said with a small smirk on her face that quickly vanished.
"I must thank you for assisting me though. Your skills in combat are remarkable. A mix of swiftness and brutality that speaks years beyond that of a mere mortal." Scathach words made Doomguy raise an eyebrow. She knew that he was not a mortal man by just looking at him?
"Surprised? I spent eons fighting to the point I have reached my own form of divinity and became ruler of this land." She said with a small laugh but then her face turned sombre. Doomguy sensed something was off with her...Not anything bad, she was wanting something...Something that she could not have. He then looks about these lands...Nothing but dust and the constant threat of undead monsters to fight...
This was her hell...
For a rare moment...He wanted to speak...To talk to someone
He was about to speak but his body started to fade away.
"I see, Perhaps you were sent here to kill the Demons...Well, I wish we could speak more but something tells me you are needed elsewhere." She said as it seemed that the nest was the only thing that was keeping him here.
Mission accomplished.
"Farewell, Slayer. I wish you luck in your future journeys." Scathach, the Queen of Shadows, said her goodbye.
"Wait-" Doomguy was about to say something but he was transported away from the land of shadows. Scathach was now alone once more...She was used to it, She was to stay here until someone comes and finally gives her the death she desired…
But then her thoughts were filled with questions about the man the Celtic woman just met. Who was he exactly? Her Wisdom only gave her minimal details of the visitor. If she had more time with him, would he answer her questions? And what about those hell beasts? They were nothing she had ever experienced before and wondered where they came from.
So many questions, but no one to answer them.
"Now you left me with these questions…Perhaps I should journey from these lands?" Scathach thought about the one possible way that she could leave her realm. Become summoned as a servant to a master. However, there was an issue with that…
She wasn't dead and wasn't sure her nature would be compatible with summoning. But, if those creatures got into her world, something must be happening in the outside world.
Perhaps a crisis that would need a God-slayer like her.
"...We will meet again. Doomslayer."
Chaldea was now out at sea on the Golden Hind, Captain Francis Drake's flagship of legend. Nothing but clear skies opened up hopes of finding an island to explore...and the odd Ghost ship filled with its own Phantom pirate crew. Fortunately, blades and bullets still worked on them so they were swiftly taken down and the ship sent to the bottom of the ocean.
"...well that's another job well done, Eh Doomguy?" Ritsuka complimented her servant. Doomguy took a second to give her a nod before walking over to the side to look out onto the endless sea. Ritsuka could tell something was bothering him so she stood beside him.
"Are you okay, Doomguy?" Ritsuka asked. Doomguy looked at her, there were many things bothering him. One, he still had the Madness Enhancement that was screwing with his head. Another thing was that "Dream" he had last night involving the Celtic warrior Scathach. It had to be real because Hell was invading and it was more than the nightmares he used to have a long time ago. Was this another effect of the divinity machine? Being pulled into other realms through dreams? Why was his mind clear during his time here and not now?
"Doomguy?" Ristuka said as he seemed to be staring off into space. Doomguy stopped his train of thought and pats her on the head to tell her that nothing was wrong. She doesn't need any more things to worry about right now, he can deal with his own mysteries.
Up at the helm, Silva viewed them from her standing beside Drake as she manned the ship. During her time before the civil war, she only heard stories and saw him once in the Arena from the stands. It was even more shocking when King Novik made him the next in line for the throne. That alone caused many fractures among her people and gave more political power to the Priests and the Khan Maykr. She ended up joining that faction, falling to the Khan's false promises and ignoring the truth.
"Something on your mind, Bloodwater? Still not used to being with us pirates?" Drake asked, noticing her second in command in deep thought.
"N-no ma'am. I am already acclimatized to your ship and your leadership." She answered.
"Hah! You need to loosen up! This ain't a military vessel. We are explorers, seeking the hidden wonders that this mysterious sea has to offer." Drake said smiling.
"I'm sorry, I was strictly military for most of my tour of duty…" Silva apologized honestly.
"Ah don't be like that! Stick with my crew and you'll see the wonders a little exploring can do for you. Maybe Share a drink or two over some stories afterwards eh?" Drake said, winking at Silva.
"I-I'll think about it…" The ex-naval commander said, unsure what her captain's intentions were.
(This Chapter was Beta'd by Darklord331)
AN: It's all smooth sailing into Okeanos! Captain Drake is all set to go about this adventure along with her Sentinel Second in command! Much to Doomguy's dismay due to the crazy Politics that went down during the downfall of Argent D'nur.
Silva Bloodwater is obliviously an OC I made up to add some more Sentinal Characters for Doomguy to run into other than Valen or Novik. Since this was a sea base singularity I decide on making her a sea captain of a Sentinal Battleship and make her an Ex-Maykr loyalist. I'd imagine that not all of the loyalists were keen on turning into marauders thus exiling themselves from both sides. Unlike Valen, She will have to prove herself to Doomguy if she is to get any respect out of him. Ritsuka is really the only reason why he didn't pull the trigger on her... Right nows she's a servant like Valen but her powers will be shown later. Nothing too nutty but unique to separate her from Valen.
Also, I hope you guys enjoyed the Drake VS Doomguy drinking contest. I thought it'd be funny to have him instantly going into papa mode and making sure no underage drinking occur. Not under his watch!
(Drinking contest between Doomguy and certain Oni next?)
Also provided me with an excuse for Doomguy to get Yoinked to the Land of Shadows via a dream. Similar to what happens during Scathach interlude/Trial Quest in FGO.
Why did I have Doomguy meet Scathach WAAAAY earlier before the American Singularity you ask?
Reasons...*innocently whistles*
Anyways! I hope you enjoyed this Chapter and, As always...
Have a nice day!