DOOM: Waves of Armageddon

by EmeraldAuthor95

We knew of the four heroes, and of the waves. We knew of our world's impending doom, and how to stop it. At least, we thought we did. We were fools. There are some powers in this world man has no control over. And for our hubris, we are now caught in the middle of a holy war between gods and devils. Now, our only hope is a warrior whose power greatly eclipses the four heroes.

9. The Vigilant VI: What Makes a Monster?

Beta Read by: KobeNiku

(Nori Manor - Fourth Level)

"You spoke with your sibling, didn't you."

The question was sharp and to the point, it stabbed into Mina's mind as an arrow shot straight and true.

"Yes."

Rakshas' eye twitched. "That was not what I had instructed you to do, Mina."

"You had ordered the slave to suffer, and Dyal was going to use holy water on the slave. I felt that…"

"I do not care how you felt! Were you not listening to me? The vermin slave would suffer even if Dyal dispelled the crest! You were supposed to help me kill the Slayer!"

Rakshas leaned in closer to Mina with every sentence, his face twisting with absolute rage.

"I'm sorry father!" Mina pleaded, realizing she'd incurred Rakshas' wrath after all.

"Do not plead girl," Rakshas snarled, "your disobedience nearly cost me my life, you have failed both me and the great Shield God."

Mina paled behind her makeup. "Allow me one chance, I shall face Dyal and…"

Rakshas stormed to Mina until their noses were only a centimeter away from each other, "You will do no such thing. When the time comes, I shall face Dyal, since evidently, you are too weak to face your brother."

Rakshas backed away from Mina.

"Father, how do I redeem myself? How do I re-earn the great Shield God's favor?"

"You can start by retrieving something for me from my magnum opus, no doubt Dyal will bring the Melromarc dog here next," Rakshas snarled, "I will not allow that bastard the satisfaction of reaching Castle Peak."

Mina nodded, "Yes father."

Mina smiled as she glided down to where Rakshas had sent her, putting the little encounter with her sibling out of her mind. Right now her concern was getting back in her father's good graces and redeeming herself to the Shield God. Approaching iron doors covered in little sculpts of human forms in agony. An unseen mechanism opened the door.

On the other side were the remaining slaves that Rakshas kept within the confines of the manor. Rakshas made a point of never letting his slaves see a moment of peace, what was behind the gate was what he called his magnum opus. Even from the outside, Mina could hear the pitiful despair and moans of agony that echoed throughout the chamber.

Mina forcibly suppressed the fear she felt for the magnum opus, the incident with Dyal all but forgotten. She walked through the nightmare gates, a little song on her lips, a cheery tune passed down from a previous Shield Hero.

"Oh be careful little eyes what you see…"

DOOM: Waves of Armageddon

-The Vigilant VI: What Makes a Monster?-

As the horde thinned out Dyal was still trying to come to a solution to his perilous plight internally. So far no solution had presented itself, and Dyal was forcing himself to focus on the combat around him. He spared a glance at his ally the Doom Slayer, he could tell from the look on his face the encounter with Rakshas had left him in a foul mood. No doubt that it would put a strain on his alliance, and add to the complications he was facing.

Truth be told, Dyal couldn't bring himself to care about what the Slayer would do to his father. Hell, he couldn't even consider Rakshas his father anymore, not after his insane display, deliberately choosing to hinder the one person who could stop the waves and take an extra step to torture a slave in front of them. Dyal's only genuine concern regarding his family was Mina.

Mina Nori was a psychological tire fire. She'd done unforgivable things, and Dyal wasn't foolish enough to think the Doom Slayer would forgive them, nor did he think many others would forgive her. From what he gathered, Mina introduced herself to the Slayer through successful homicide. And although he held disdain for the things Mina did, both on Rakshas' insane whims and for her self-proclaimed god, he still tried to reach out to her.

And all of Dyal's attempts had been met with failure, Rakshas' psychological grip on the reaper hakuko was too thorough. Yet that wasn't to say his efforts didn't bear any fruit. Over the years, Dyal had succeeded in at least building a civil sibling bond with them. It seemed that familial love was the one thing Rakshas could not indoctrinate out of her. And for years, that was the reason he kept trying to reach out to her.

But now time had run out. Rakshas was racing toward inevitable doom and Mina was happily following him. Dyal looked at his companion the Doom Slayer and realized that if he wanted his sister to survive, he needed a miracle. He'd learned at this point that miracles were hard to come by nowadays.

Either way, he had until Rakshas inevitably returned for a round two to decide a course of action.

On the other hand, the Doom Slayer spent the duration of the fight silently meditating in the back of his mind, his body killing demons on autopilot.

As bad as Mina was, Rakshas managed to one-up them in a single interaction. The Slayer had noticed during their initial scuffle at the slave market that Mina was more focused on fighting. When she killed, she wasn't focused on drawing it out, with her it was: slice, dead, moving on, with her every kill felt impersonal. Almost like her only goal in the killing was to instigate a brutal fight.

Rakshas on the other hand was more cunning and more tactical in his approach. Preferring to hide behind slaves and powerful magic. Whenever Rakshas killed, it was long, drawn out, and excruciating, and every kill was personal. The foul hakuko took it a step further and claimed all his acts were in the name of the Shield God.

The irony of that sentiment hurt more than tanking a Tyrant's laser beam to the chest.

'Fucking lanky-ass overdressed tacky cockroach.'

Either way, the Slayer knew well enough that Rakshas was the kind of lunatic who would repeatedly antagonize someone he held a grudge against. It wasn't a matter of if he encountered the bastard hakuko again, but when.

-DOOM-

It was several minutes before the demons thinned out enough that Dyal and the Slayer could finally breathe. The Slayer inspected his guns quickly as Dyal took a long moment to catch his breath. There was a tense and uncomfortable silence between the two, the Slayer silently glared ad Dyal judgmentally. Dyal knew full well that he was actually judging his family and not him but made no motion to correct him. He couldn't blame him, after all, he was also a Nori, a family that so far only existed to give the Slayer problems.

Dyal sighed before turning to the young slave Rakshas had sent down. Miraculously, the demons had been so hyper-fixated on the Doom Slayer that they had left the slave untouched. That only left the self-inflicted scratches the slave had given themselves in a desperate attempt to get rid of their slave crest. Dyal walked over to them and kneeled beside them.

"We should get moving…" Dr. Hayden explained, "if we stand still for more than five minutes… another demon horde will close in on our location."

Dyal nodded in acknowledgment, he checked the slave's pulse. "This slave is still alive, but he needs medical attention!" Dyal declared, he looked to the Slayer, "Do you have another of those healing potions?"

The Slayer retrieved another bulbous giraffe-necked bottle of blue fluid from his warp pack and tossed it to the noble hakuko. Dyal caught it gently and carefully poured it down the slave's throat. As soon as the potion was consumed the bleeding cuts on the slave's chest begin to heal before Dyal's very eyes, the flesh stitching up and scars fading instantly. The slave took a deep breath but did not wake yet. Dyal paused for a second in thought. He then looked to the Slayer, "You say, Dr. Hayden, that the demons will likely find us if we stand still for five minutes?"

"Correct."

Dyal nodded, "Then could we buy time by hiding inside the building here? We will need to go past it anyway to access the tunnel."

The Slayer narrowed his eyes at Dyal, the noble hakuko aware of how that looked to the demon killer. He gestured to the slave, "I wish to take the boy with us, but he needs to wake up first."

"That boy will be a liability." Dr. Hayden commented.

"The boy will die if I do nothing, and as you two so astutely pointed out at the tavern, nowhere is safe." Dyal retorted.

'We did point that out, didn't we.'

Dr. Hayden was silent for a second, "You are surprisingly compassionate, sir Dyal."

"Indeed." the noble hakuko said as he carried the former slave to the building.

Dyal entered the premises followed by the Doom Slayer, locating a table with little on it he placed the slave down before turning to face the Hellwalker. He felt it was better to get this over with now.

"So, my father…" Dyal started.

"Is a repugnant and unsavory creature," Dr. Hayden cut him off, "while his death isn't necessary to the task at hand, I do firmly believe it would be preferable if he were terminated."

"Ah, so you think what I suspect you think." Dyal sighed.

The Slayer straightened his back and towered over the hakuko.

'Go ahead, offer some excuse, and see what that will net you.'

"I won't offer excuses or justifications for Rakshas. Hell, I cannot reconcile him as my father any longer." Dyal said, "His death has been preferable for years, and I resigned myself to that fact long ago."

'Oh? Cat boy's compassion has limits after all.'

The Slayer took a step back. Then Dr. Hayden asked the question Dyal wasn't ready to answer.

"What of your sister?"

Dyal sucked in a breath as the Slayer's gaze re-scrutinized him.

THUNK.

Both Dyal and the Slayer looked up at the ceiling. They finally took notice of the distinct noises of several beings shuffling around upstairs.

"I forgot fa…" Dyal stopped and corrected himself, "Rakshas had brought other slaves with him."

The Slayer grimaced, he was fairly certain it wasn't slaves moving around up there.

"Rakshas had them cast a spell called summon rune, which I suspect involved the use of a demon rune."

Dyal felt an unpleasant pit form in his stomach as his ears flattened against his head. "That spell summons a demon…" he stated bluntly.

The shuffling was moving toward the stairwell, followed by sounds of decayed gurgling.

"The spell did," Dr. Hayden confirmed, "It summoned a Baron of Hell, and likely exposed the remaining slaves to an extremely localized hellwave."

The Slayer took note of his surroundings.

'Two civvies, incredibly cramped quarters, all of my attacks will harm these two, and my guns at this range will be just as bad.'

The Slayer silently equipped the Legendary Shield, the only weapon that he could see working with these conditions.

Dyal wasn't faring well, "A hellwave? What does that do?"

The upstairs door smashed open as several Possessed rag-dolled down the stairs, with several more climbing down after.

Dr. Hayden decided to answer Dyal's rhetorical question, "Hellwaves possess people."

Dyal grumbled the room was too small to use the claymore, but maybe he could utilize the broken end of his heirloom sword. Dyal fumbled trying to bring the broken heirloom sword from its sheath but it wouldn't budge. The small leather latch that held the blade in place when it wasn't in use had gotten stuck. Dyal looked up as the malformed and melted Possessed lunged at him.

'AIRSTRIKE SHIELD!'

The green spectral shield baring the Doom Slayer's mark materialized between the Dyal and the Possessed slaves. Unable to stop their momentum the demons piled into the shield. Dyal fumbled back and the Slayer took his place. The airstrike shield vanished and the Slayer grappled the first Possessed in his path. He tore through the fodder demons like butter, only one managing to get around him.

'DOG BITE!'

The Slayer aimed the shield behind him as the weapon's two Orthrus heads coiled outward closing in on the Possessed that got passed. One head snapped its jaws into the demon's skull and the other gnashed away at its leg. The Slayer swung the Orthrus grappled demon to the floor, spinning around and finishing the undead with a curb stomp.

Dyal observed the tiny scuffle, focusing on the Slayer's shield. When he saw the Slayer use it the first time a nagging feeling of familiarity tugged at him. Dyal couldn't shake the feeling that he should know what that shield was. It was something he found uniquely frustrating, Siltvelt's religion literally had a shield in all its religious iconography, how could…

'Oh…' Dyal realized, 'that's why.'

That couldn't be, could it? The way the Doom Slayer utilized the shield spat in the face of everything Dyal was taught about the legendary weapons, yet after today, Dyal wasn't so sure what was and wasn't possible anymore. But now that the connection was made, a force in Dyal's soul compelled him to seek an answer to the impossibility in front of him.

"Sir Slayer…" Dyal asked tiredly, "are you the Shield Hero?"

The Slayer paused after extinguishing the last Possessed.

'Dammit.'

Dr. Hayden paused for a moment, wondering whether or not the inquiry deserved the honest answer. Given the circumstances, Dr. Hayden figured the truth could gain better cooperation from the young hakuko man.

"The Doom Slayer is the Shield Hero in name only. The Legendary Shield has been made part of his defensive arsenal, to be used in tandem with his other offensive weapons."

Dyal blinked a few times, digesting the information. Given what precedent surrounded the Legendary Weapons and their functions that had been recorded, Dyal knew he should reject that answer. But after today, after facing down countless demons, meeting a warrior even the armies of the Inferno feared, and living through Rakshas' butchery of Siltvelt's faith, the Doom Slayer breaking the rules of the Legendary Weapons and spitting in the face of centuries of religious precedent just seemed accurate.

"Huh…" Dyal scoffed, "Given what was known about the Legendary Weapons, I should call that claim nonsense, but I just can't. That seems too plausible."

"You are taking this revelation… surprisingly well." Dr. Hayden complimented.

Dyal shrugged, "Today has been a day for the impossible, the waves weren't supposed to unleash real demons, just monsters. I've met a bodiless voice and a voiceless force of nature that scares the fearless. My former father probably isn't demi-human, or ever was. Left is right, up is down, and I likely left my sanity in the tavern with the commoners I was trying to save."

'Yeah, he's cracked.'

"Although, if I'm going to just accept the casual butchery of the world's founding beliefs, could I at least know why?"

"The core of the Legendary Shield is made from technology belonging to a race of false angels. Beings of deceit who lead worlds to their doom. There is a substantial probability that your world was their next target."

Dyal nodded. "So, the waves?"

The Slayer nodded. Dyal nodded.

"That being said, we have a vested interest in keeping the Slayer's identity as the shield hero secret, can we trust you to hide this information?"

Dyal paused. "Yes."

Inwardly, the hakuko felt like it was finally becoming too much. He was suppressing the urge to laugh from how funny it all suddenly was.

Luckily for him, the former slave began to stir.

"Ah," Dr. Hayden noticed, "Your newest associate is waking up."

'Oh, thank whatever god is actually out there' Dyal thought to himself as he quietly recomposed himself, he stepped in front of the Slayer intending to greet the boy. The boy groaned as their eyes fluttered open, a hand groggily moved to block out the stinging lantern light assaulting their vision. The boy felt hazy, any memory of the last few hours was a jumbled mess in a broken mind. They tried to move off the table they were on as senses slowly returned to them, at which point they finally took notice of Dyal and the ever-intimidating Hellwalker standing on a pile of shredded demon corpses.

Finally, their memories reassembled themselves and the boy remembered to their absolute horror, what had transpired over the last few minutes. The boy made a valiant if ultimately futile attempt to get away from the hakuko and the Slayer, their unsteady breaths and eyes jumping between the two of them told the two everything they needed to know.

Dyal raised his hands placatingly, "I have no intention of harming you, I've removed your slave seal, so Rakshas Nori can no longer hurt you either."

The boy looked down at their tattered tunic to verify the claim, sure enough, the slave crest was vacant from their chest.

"Hh-ho…"

Dyal inwardly cheered, he'd established communication far quicker than he figured he would.

"Yes?" Dyal asked.

"H-how do I know… that you didn't put a stronger one on me in my sleep."

Dyal frowned, "Unlike Rakshas, I am against the practices of slavery, you have my honorable word that I did not."

The boy eyed him suspiciously.

As much as Dr. Hayden knew the boy needed time, they were still in the demon-infested city and had a job to do.

"Do you have a name by which we can refer to you?" the good doctor cut in.

The boy turned to the Slayer, he swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed in the presence of the man he tried to kill.

"Master called us vermin."

Dyal scowled, "I am not calling you that, is there any other name?"

The boy nodded, "My mother called me Abel."

Dr. Hayden cut back in. "Abel, the individual in the armor is mute, and I speak for him. I am Dr. Samuel Hayden. My mute associate is the Doom Slayer. We are currently on a quest to eliminate the wave boss and stop the spread of demons in Siltvelt. Under normal circumstances, we would not bring you with us. However… due to the present scenario, we must request that you come with us."

"Where will we be going?" asked Abel.

"We are heading into the center of the capital, Castle Peak. Be warned, however, as our route requires the use of a secret passage in the manor of Rakshas Nori, your former master."

"Which I can safely say we will be burning part of the manor down, as Rakshas has done plenty to warrant a world's worth of petty spite." Dyal quickly added.

The Slayer took note of the way Dyal said that.

'Looks like you hate him more than you let on."

Abel shifted nervously, "Do we have to go there, sir Samuel Hayden?"

"Unfortunately, yes. And it is Doctor Samuel Hayden." Dr. Hayden affirmed and then corrected.

"A second conflict is inevitable," Dyal admitted dejectedly, "but on my honor as a knight, I will not let any harm come to you when the fight does arrive."

The conviction in Dyal's voice helped to comfort Abel.

"It's time to go." Dr. Hayden said bluntly.

-DOOM-

The trio of the Hellwalker, the knight, and the boy ascended the hidden passage. Tucked away from the demons, ensuring safe travel to the fourth ring of Siltvelt's capital. Abel was fiddling with a knife provided by Dyal, a measure of self-defense even though Dyal knew it would do little against the demons. Looking at Abel with his knife reminded the Doom Slayer of Raphtalia and the mess with the Empusa Queen, another grisly miscalculation on his part. He could only silently wish Dyal luck, he would need it if the world was as bent on driving Abel into the ground as it was Raphtalia.

"I have an inquiry," Dyal stated.

"Yes?" Dr. Hayden said.

"Say, hypothetically, someone found themselves the figurehead of some nation's religion in the middle of a crisis that they were trying to resolve, but no one knew that, wouldn't it be beneficial for the said unknown figurehead to take control of the nation through their religion to focus resources toward said crisis?"

The Slayer turned and shot Dyal a glare.

Dr. Hayden on the other hand was in a good enough mood to humor Dyal's inquiry.

"At face value, perhaps," Dr. Hayden started, "however, your statement is missing two key details. One, is the crisis contained to that single kingdom?"

'It's not.'

"And two, do the current leaders of the religion truly believe in their faith, or do they view it as mere nonsense to use to manipulate everyone below their station?"

'It's usually both. Ask the Hell Priests.'

"The respective answers to those questions will dictate whether or not taking control of the religion is beneficial in the long run. So, amend your statement… and tell me what you think."

Dyal paused and thought about the statement for a solid minute, then he spoke again.

"What about all the people below the religion's leadership? They believe. That's the whole point. They believe, and it makes them malleable."

"Perhaps," Hayden conceded, "However, the main issue is still the current elite. As long as they hold power, attempting to leverage a figurehead position is inadvisable."

Dyal tilted his head, "Why?" he asked.

"It is very likely that the current leading elite is not motivated by faith but by greed and lust. Moreover, they likely have massive political followings that will either keep them in power or ensure an associated member replaces them if they die."

"That would make it difficult to accomplish anything," Dyal admitted.

"Given the severity of the worldwide crisis, wasting absurd amounts of resources trying to get control of the kingdom is ultimately counterproductive."

Dyal shrugged, "I suppose if all else fails then, it's equally likely that the current hierarchs will implode at some point, given what's going on around them."

'Did you always have this cynical view of your kingdom's religion, or did that come with the demon-induced madness?'

"Yes…" Dr. Hayden agreed, "I suppose so."

Abel looked between the knight and the Slayer in confusion but elected to say nothing. He wasn't sure what brought that conversation on but wasn't curious enough to ask. Rakshas had punished curiosity, as well as confusion and tiredness.

Actually, Rakshas punished literally anything, now that he could focus and think freely. Abel held no desire to think anymore about the sadist he had as a former master, and instead focused on the two individuals he was accompanying. He had a few questions, particularly about the Doom Slayer and Dr. Hayden.

"Can I also ask a question?" Abel asked.

"Go ahead." Dr. Hayden said.

"Who are you people - Dr. Hayden and Doom Slayer, I mean?

Dr. Hayden answered the question without skipping a beat, "I am a scientist and military leader, the Doom Slayer is an ageless warrior whose been waging war against the legions of Hell for an indeterminate amount of time."

The Doom Slayer furrowed his brow.

Dr. Hayden switched to the Praetor Suit's private comms and spoke straight into the Slayer's ear. "We haven't endeavored to hide our true natures before. And it is likely the further we explore the mystery surrounding the waves, the more people will become aware of who you truly are. If we inform Dyal of the bigger picture now... It could make him a more valuable asset later down the line."

'Fair enough.'

"So my suspicions are correct," Dyal said morosely, "the demons present in the wave truly did come from the land of fire."

"Indeed, however, I believe there is still hope for this world."

"Why?" asked Abel, "Because sir Doom Slayer is the demon's enemy and he is here to fight them?"

"Among other reasons, yes."

"Well," Dyal commented, "I suppose when there is an ageless warrior of unimaginable power working to push evil off your world, it would give people a reason to hope."

"True." Dr. Hayden added.

'Just ask Elena, try not to turn out like her, I don't want zealous worshippers.'

"But what's the bad place got to do with the waves of catastrophe?" Abel questioned.

"We don't know… yet." Dr. Hayden answered.

Abel and Dyal both went silent, processing Dr. Hayden's last answer.

-DOOM-

The trio finally reached the exit of the tunnel and stepped into the fourth ring of Siltvelt. The way had them enter a secret section of a checkpoint between the two layers. They passed into a cramped hallway, doors to two dozen interrogation rooms synchronously lined both walls. Of the two dozen interrogation rooms, a handful was open, allowing the Slayer, knight, and teen boy access and a view of the room's contents.

"Is it a good or bad thing I don't know what some of this equipment does?" Abel asked.

Dyal took a long look at the esoteric-looking interrogation device. He thought about how much of a sadistic monster Rakshas is, and what Abel likely experienced because of him, and then answered. "Yes."

Siltvelt's secret police force wasn't so much sadistic as they were just plain weird, at least when compared to, certain other parties within the kingdom.

Abel whined at the deliberately unhelpful answer but was cut off by Dr. Hayden before he could rebuke him.

"Gentlemen, need I remind you both that we still have to make it to the fifth ring?

Dyal and Abel both looked at the Slayer.

"Wasn't it you, Dyal, who pointed out that staying in one place too long attracted demons?"

Dyal turned sheepish for a second, "Well, if we're out in the open, yes?"

The Slayer gave Dyal a deadpan stare. Dyal had the sneaking suspicion that Dr. Hayden wanted to provide him with one too.

"Let's ah, just go." Dyal awkwardly changed the subject.

"Yes, let's."

The group left the secret police portion of the checkpoint and into the normal checkpoint area. The Slayer looked around and couldn't help but think of a DMV, except in medieval fantasy style.

How decidedly, normal, for a kingdom that had defined itself by its sins so far.

They lingered no longer than was necessary at the checkpoint. Abel looked around nervously as they began to traverse the artificial forest that surrounded the noble manors of the fourth ring. The trees provided enough cover so that both flying enemies couldn't see them, but they in turn couldn't see any demons trying to creep up on them.

The Doom Slayer stood at the back, Heavy Canon in hand, he held it in such a way that he could easily hold up the precision scope on a moment's notice. Dyal was up front, holding his borrowed claymore slung over his shoulder, his cloak and shoulder pads protecting him from the dulled and waxy blade, leading the group to the manor. Abel was positioned between the two, armed only with a knife and the tattered rags he had for clothes. It wasn't perfect protection, but it was the best that could be done.

Yet the journey through the fourth ring's artificial forest was uneventful. Disturbingly uneventful. While Dyal was glad for the break in the carnage he felt a little put off by the non-presence of the demons in the trees of the fourth ring. It felt like an omen, one that he couldn't translate.

The Slayer on the other hand could translate just perfectly. They were coming up on Rakshas' manor, and there was a similar feeling in the air to Rakshas' slave market. The same feeling the demons picked up on. The real reason that there were no demons here was that Rakshas had brought a piece of Hell here, the same as the market. Ergo, the demons felt no need to immediately ravage the place, since as far as they were concerned, this place was already theirs.

-DOOM-

The manor of Rakshas Nori looked unsettlingly normal from the outside. The Slayer was almost disappointed, Rakshas wore his evil on his sleeve, he'd honestly expected the outside of his manor to look like one of the many strongholds that belonged to the demon elites in Hell. But, he supposed Rakshas wasn't foolish enough to telegraph his true colors to any potential political allies or investors to whatever evil scheme he was cooking up at any point.

"Well. Here we are," Dyal said, fidgeting uncomfortably in place, "the home-sweet-hell of Rakshas Nori. The less time we have to spend here the better."

The Slayer looked down at Abel. The poor boy was trembling much the same way Raphtalia did when the Orthrus appeared. Dyal appeared hesitant to enter the mansion, he likely had good reason to, the Slayer figured. But, this was his idea, and it was too late to back out of it.

"Where is this secret passage you spoke of Dyal?" Dr. Hayden asked.

Dyal was silent for a minute, "The passage is located at the back of the house, hidden in the back of a massive storage room."

"I know of this passage," Abel confessed, "the one that leads to Castle Peak. Master keeps it marked with the sigil of the Mad King."

'Of course, he does.'

Dyal stood staring blankly at the manor, lost in thought.

"Are you alright, Dyal?" Dr. Hayden asked with minor concern.

"I am alright," Dyal retorted unconvincingly, "I had forgotten just how normal this place looked from the outside."

"It is too late to back out." Dr. Hayden reminded him.

"I know. Let's get this over with."

The three entered the mansion, the Doom Slayer kicking the massive ivory front doors off their hinges. Continuing the trend of deceitful appearances, the manor's front hall looked too normal. The room was at least three stories high, with elevated open halls leading off to other rooms running across the left and right. At the very back wall was a portrait of Rakshas during his glory days of the Siltvelt-Melromarc war, leading a charge against human forces. The painting matched Rakshas' inflated ego, with the man himself being depicted as a golden angel, and the humans he ran down looking like rats, monsters, and demons.

'Delusional cockroach.'

"Follow me, sir Slayer, young Abel. I do not wish to stay in this place any longer than needed."

The Slayer was perfectly fine acquiescing to that request. There would be time to round back and light something on fire later. Abel didn't need to be told twice to leave the manor. And Dyal did what he could to clamp down on the memories he had of this place.

Things only started to appear weird to the Slayer once they entered the storage room the passage was located in. The shelves held up bones and skulls, many were human, and many were monsters. Rusted blades lined the walls, cleavers, carvers, and corkscrews. The whole storage room, the Slayer realized, wasn't being used for storage but aesthetics, it was deliberately set up this way.

At the back of the room was a set of not-so-subtle secret doors, marked with the sigil of the Mad King of Siltvelt. The Slayer narrowed his eyes at the golden-engraved symbol.

"The sigil of the Mad King," Dyal scowled, "it was the mark of the royal family going back to the days when the angels aided the Shield Hero in the founding of Siltvelt."

The Slayer let a low growl escape his throat, Dyal and Abel assuming it was due to the nightmarish history the Mad King gave the mark. In reality, the Doom Slayer was upset by something else.

'So that bitch did have a foothold here.'

Dr. Hayden silently processed the knowledge that the Maykr's involvement in this world may have been more convoluted than he first thought. Something for further investigation, at a later date. Dr. Hayden also took note of how the anomalies of the world they were currently fighting on were stacking up.

Dyal gripped a heavy latch in his hands and pulled. There was a series of locks clicking open as the doors began to swing open.

And the three of them collectively groaned. It seemed Rakshas wasn't done interfering with their plans just yet. Right behind the door was a wall of translucent orange pentagrams, a Hell energy barrier.

"Oh, what is this nonsense! How did the bastard set this up!?" Dyal growled.

"It would seem Rakshas has more ties to the demon world than we first thought." Dr. Hayden commented.

The Slayer gazed around the room for anything that resembled a gore switch or a lock. Something that might force the barrier to dissipate. His eyes landed on a folded parchment nailed to the doorframe by a knife. The Slayer brushed past the fuming Dyal and pulled the message from the frame.

Dyal managed a look at the parchment as the Slayer held it up, and saw the wax signature of Rakshas. The Slayer unfolded the parchment and read the message silently.

Melromarc Dog,

You will find that the way forward is not so accessible at the moment. Do you wish to continue to Castle Peak? To disgrace its hallowed halls with your unholy presence? You will have to work for that honor, to be in such a sanctum, wretched dog.

But, I am nothing if not a sporting man, so there is a way to make the barrier fall. Four dark relics are channeling power to the barrier, simply destroy these relics and the barrier falls.

I'll even leave hints for you, do ask Dyal about them.

Sacrifices, all lined up. A feast for the Shield God, and the righteous followers. Carved from the unworthy vermin.

A sanctuary. The place of repentance, where only the Shield God can reach them.

The domain of a wretched witch. Buried and forgotten like all who stray from the ways of the Shield God.

A monument to those who oppose the way. An ultimate testament to the will of the Shield God. My magnum opus.

Do come here quick, I am aware you intend to end the wave, and I will make no move to kill the wave boss until you get here. I will then kill you then end the wave boss myself.

Siltvelt burns because you are not worthy to tread the path of the Shield God, this chaos and death are all on you, Melromarc dog.

Signed, Lord Rakshas Nori,

Most devout of the Shield God and one who is bound for paradise, unlike you.

"Sir Slayer, what does it say?" Dyal asked.

The Doom Slayer handed the message to Dyal. Dyal held the parchment to his face and began to read. His face twisted with anger.

"That bastard…" his teeth grit from the hate in his soul.

"Do you need a minute?" Dr. Hayden asked.

"That bastard! Sporting? SPORTING!? He probably simply realized he couldn't stop us from reaching Castle Peak!"

Abel took a step back and curled behind the Slayer as years of Rakshas' abuse finally exploded.

"And who the FUCK does he think he is? Siltvelt is literally burning, her people are being carted off to Hell by the score, and his first thought is to hinder the people who can stop it!?"

'Yeesh, been there. Let it all out.'

"And to cap it all off, our escape is barred by a tour of all the repugnant things he's done! Just… GAHH!"

Dyal snatched up the first skull on the shelves within his reach and smashed it against the wall in a fit of rage. He stood there, breathing heavily. Rakshas had officially pulled on the last straw.

Abel stood behind the Slayer with a slight tremble, for a split second, Dyal's rage reminded him of Rakshas' wrath. The Doom Slayer looked at Abel and gave him a pat on the shoulder, a small and very needed comfort to the teenage boy.

"Are you feeling better now?" Dr. Hayden asked.

Dyal took a nice, long, and deep inhale of stale air. He stood trembling in place for a few seconds before responding. "I apologized for losing my temper there. It's all becoming a bit much, is all."

"There is no need to explain," Dr. Hayden explained, "I would be more concerned if you weren't experiencing some form of psychological breakdown."

"I am… relieved to hear that?" Dyal said, unsure what to think of that.

Abel shifted from his spot behind the Slayer. Dyal got sight of the boy and was slammed by guilt. 'Bollocks, Abel's likely seen worse feats of wrath from Rakshas, and appropriately fears them.' he thought to himself.

Dr. Hayden only gave Dyal a moment's rest, "Do you know of the locations referred to in these riddles?"

Dyal winced, "Yes, I know all four of them. More than likely, he wants you to fall into despair, thinking that by showing you, 'the will of God', it'll make you give up."

The Slayer scoffed.

'Irony is a cruel, cruel bitch.'

Dyal sighed, "Let's get this over with. The first location is the kitchen."

Dyal sulked out of the room, the Slayer and Abel following behind. The Slayer glanced at Abel. The young boy had closed off their body posture and was doing all they could to not look up. Chances were, the Slayer concluded, Abel also knew of at least what was inside the kitchen.

The Slayer then looked to Dyal in all his enthusiastic anger, whatever it was Rakshas wanted them to see, the Slayer deduced that he himself may be the only one who walked away unchanged. If only because he'd seen worse.

-DOOM-

Dyal led the group right to the kitchen door, and paused, "The dark relic is in the room ahead, but I do not know where Rakshas would've hidden it.."

Dyal held in a breath, and pushed open the door, walking in. Abel moved to follow but was held back by the hand of the Doom Slayer.

"Perhaps stay here, young man." Dr. Hayden suggested.

Abel paused, then nodded. The Slayer brushed past him and strode through the door. The Doom Slayer moved past the standard kitchen fare, tools, cutlery, pots, and pans, a massive wood-fired stove the size of a cow in the center of the room, and enough gold-tinted fine china to bleed decadence out of every gathering, from small dinners to grand balls.

He found Dyal standing at the rear of the kitchen, in front of a sealed iron door. The Slayer's first thought upon seeing it was, meat locker.

"I had hoped that I wouldn't have to talk too much about Rakshas for the duration of our alliance, sir Slayer, Doctor Hayden. But alas, the foul man makes a point of being the most obtrusive thing in existence." Dyal scowled.

"When the first riddle spoke of sacrifices…" Dr. Hayden began to ask, "there are humans in this room ahead."

Dyal's only response was to open the door. A blast of cold air slammed the duo. The Slayer wanted to be surprised by what he saw, but Rakshas had unintentionally shown his hand in their first encounter. The Slayer did not react to the sight of butchered body parts in the icy room.

'A tacky asshole, flagrantly a demon worshiper, and now a cannibal.'

Dyal was doing his damnedest to not look at the once humans hanging in parts from hooks on the ceiling.

"I haven't eaten any meat since I first saw this room."

The Slayer swiftly turned his gaze to Dyal.

"Even now that fact still haunts me. Perhaps the real reason Rakshas put that in the riddles wasn't for you, but for me. A casual reminder of what I wished to forget about myself."

Dyal's breathing had gone shallow. He had a faraway look, as if his soul had been hollowed out.

'Need to get this done, ASAP.'

The Slayer drove into the room, his eyes scanning for the dark relic hidden within. Dr. Hayden set the Praetor Suit's sensors to detect any trace of Hell or Argent energy that such a relic would likely give off.

"Slayer, on the body in the back of the room." Dr. Hayden pinpointed.

The Slayer moved to the spot Dr. Hayden had described. It was a recent arrival, not likely been here for long, nor were they fully carved up either. The dark relic was placed in the empty chest cavity where their organs should've been. The Slayer pulled the dark relic from the body with a sickening crunch and examined it in his hand for a second.

A spherical glass tinted red and sealed by hellish growths on either end. Suspended in the center of the container was a dark material acting as a conductor for the glowing scarlet Argent energy held within.

"How in the name of the Father did Rakshas Nori acquire an Argent cell?"

"Is that what those bastard items are called?" Dyal asked.

The Slayer glanced at Dyal whilst holding the makeshift Argent cell up.

"You know of these?" Dr. Hayden inquired from Dyal.

Dyal scowled. "The culmination of decades of research and hundreds of dead slaves. He wanted to try and harvest the souls of humans to use when Siltvelt went to war with Melromarc again. Truthfully, I have no idea how he made those things."

"It would appear the Melromarc cult are not the only ones who could produce pseudo-Argent." Dr. Hayden commented through the private comm.

The Slayer looked down at the pseudo-Argent cell.

'Which he's now using to impede my progress.'

The Slayer tightened his grip on the cell, cracks began to form in the glass.

"Uh… sir Slayer?" Dyal said nervously.

The Slayer crushed the cell in his hand the surge of power cascaded down his arm and faded. his HUD warned of the surge.

-MINOR POWER SURGE-

-REROUTING TO SUB-SYSTEMS-

"You uh…" Dyal shivered, "you just absorbed the tortured souls of at least two dozen dead humans."

"And my they finally find peace, now that they aren't tethered to the living world anymore."

Dyal paused. "Yes, right." he didn't question this, the Slayer was just as much an anomaly as everything else.

"Where is the next location, Dyal?" Dr. Hayden moved on.

Dyal checked the parchment and winced.

"Follow me."

Dyal exited the meat locker, the Slayer right behind.

"Did you find the relic?" asked Abel.

"Yes, now come, young man," said Dr. Hayden.

Abel followed after the Doom Slayer as Dyal lead them to another room of the house he knew all too well.

-DOOM-

The trio approached a decidedly basic spruce door. With no carved patterns or defining markings. Dyal gently pushed the door open and welcomed the Slayer and Abel inside. To the Slayer's confusion, the room was rather spartan and very cold, save for the overly-elaborate shrine built into the back wall facing the end of a single ratty bed. To the immediate left of the ratty unkempt bed was a closet where two black dresses and a pair of pajamas hung. To the immediate right of the ratty bed was a window blocked by black curtains that billowed in the breeze.

The shrine itself was a massive recreation of the Legendary Shield, along the edges were portraits of who the Slayer suspected were previous wielders of the Legendary Shield. Above the shrine's center gemstone was the phrase, and by the blades of the Shield God's chosen people will the unrighteous be cast into Hell, written in Siltvelt's native language. Right in front were a small table, candles, a copy of the Siltvelt's holy scripture, and a small box sprawled atop it.

If the Slayer had to guess, the next dark relic was located in the box on the shrine.

"What is this room?" Abel asked, "It feels… contradictory?"

Dyal took a moment to quell the rage in his soul. He walked over to the window and pushed the curtains aside, revealing that the window had been torn out and replaced with bars. He put his face to the bars and closed his eyes.

"The term Rakshas used in his massage. Sanctuary. It was a lie, when we were kids, Rakshas would lock us and starve us both in this room for days on end to 'repent'. A fancy way of saying we weren't serving his every twisted whim. I eventually ran, and this room became Mina's permanent abode."

Abel had tears leaking from his eyes, "You mean… mas- Rakshas treated you like me?"

Dyal looked to the ground in shame.

"Rakshas never wanted sons or daughters, he wanted sick little killers who shed blood at the slightest mention of the Shield Hero. He failed to indoctrinate me, but all that did was keep me sane enough to watch my sister become a blood-lusting maniac."

"Could you please elaborate on that?" Dr. Hayden asked, catching Dyal off guard.

"Um, why?" he asked.

"The way you speak of your sibling runs in slight contradiction to what we have determined about them. I am hoping you could settle the matter."

Dyal paused, although he didn't know the details, he knew Mina had introduced herself to the Slayer in a way that left little room for interpretation. He sighed, then nodded, and finally, he spoke.

"Rakshas raised Mina to believe that the will of the Shield God and his twisted goals are one and the same. She also developed a taste for combat and bloodshed that made it easier for Rakshas to control her. His indoctrination and control over Mina are so thorough that to the uninitiated, Mina Nori is nothing but a monstrous psycho."

"And, are they?" Dr. Hayden inquired further.

"The hell's with this line of questioning doc?'

Dyal paused, he noticed that Dr. Hayden wasn't trying to hide his attempt to gain tactical insight into Mina. Perhaps he could use the attempt to try and at least subtly sway his opinion of her, "Mina is the way she is because of Rakshas, he acts as a safety net, puppet master, and an enabler. Without that, Mina wouldn't be able to handle the consequences of the sheer evil they've been a part of."

"Are you certain of this?" asked Dr. Hayden.

Dyal bit his lip and looked to the side.

"...I see," Dr. Hayden filed that piece of information away for later.

Abel shifted uncomfortably from the strangeness of Dr. Hayden's sudden questioning, whereas the Slayer took note of Dyal's answer and moved back to the task at hand. The Slayer turned to the shrine and opened the box, finding the second pseudo-Argent cell, and a note addressed to Dyal.

"Dyal." Dr. Hayden summoned the young hakuko man.

The Slayer handed Dyal the note, the knight read it while the Slayer crushed the second pseudo-Argent cell. A notification popped up on the Praetor Suit's HUD indicating the surge was being rerouted to the armor's repair functions. The Slayer analyzed the readings. The cells were nowhere near as potent as the Argent cells he encountered on Mars. At best the cells would've acted as a minor boost to his already insane abilities.

"Sir Dyal?" Abel asked tentatively.

The Slayer looked at the hakuko, who just stood there frozen stiff. Dyal stared at the parchment, floored by the audacity of the message left behind by Rakshas. The Slayer promptly snatched the paper and reviewed the contents for himself.

Dear Dyal,

Are you happy to be back? Glad to return to your place of origin? I hope you gaze upon my work and understand how futile your struggles against me are. I am the chosen of the great Shield God, and you are naught but a heretic.

But, redemption is still an option. The great Shield God is nothing if not forgiving, so, follow your sister's example and REPENT for your sins. You've been close enough to the Slayer, so kill him. Trap his body in the magnum opus and bring me his armor at castle peak.

The tool you will need for the deed is located in the witch's lair, where the third dark relic is located.

Do not let him see this message, your success will ride on it.

Do this, and all is forgiven.

Signed, your father,

Lord Rakshas Nori

"That man's arrogance is truly staggering if he believes this had any chance of working." Dr. Hayden said dryly.

"Yes. Truly." Dyal said in a faraway tone.

The Slayer gave Dyal a sideways glance, unsure where the hakuko's head was at. Abel tugged on Dyal's sleeve.

"Sir Dyal?" Abel asked.

"Are you well?" Dr. Hayden inquired.

"Forgiveness," Dyal mumbled, "what a joke."

'Well shit. The cat boy finally broke. Not ideal.'

"As much as I would like to help you with this problem, I'm afraid we're still going against the clock. Where is this so-called witch's lair?"

Dyal was silent for a moment. "Yes. I know where that is. Let's go, I can't stand this room any longer," he then scoffed, "not that this next room will be any better."

The three left the cold room of cruel abuses unspoken and dark control. Dyal mentally braced himself and Abel silently wept for all the things the hakuko man had to experience at Rakshas' claws. The Doom Slayer only gave the room one last glance, he could feel himself growing concerned for the state Dyal was rapidly sinking into. Dr. Hayden simply opened a new file and titled it Case File. Subject: Dyal Roshani Nori.

-DOOM-

Riddle three brought them to a dark wood door covered in carved concealment runes. There were several boards and nails scattered across the hallway floor around the door. The Slayer looked over to his tour guide for the demented manor, Dyal visibly struggling to come close to the new room. Abel stood back to the wall behind them. Rakshas had spun many a tale about the witch's lair, leaving him wary to go inside.

The Slayer wasted no time and kicked the unsealed door off its hinges. Like the previous room, it was spartan in decor, but this room had gone a step further. The windows had been boarded up, and paneling stripped from the walls. The floorboards were rough and had sharpened rusted nails pointed upwards, indicating the smoother layer had been torn up.

"Stay out! Young Abel." Dr. Hayden warned.

The only thing of note in the room was a coffin. A coffin made of metal and clamped shut by heavy-duty Zeltoble steel chains. Nailed to the wooden supports left and right of the metal coffin were two more runes. The Slayer recognized these runes as runes of concealment. He knew these runes well, many, many, many demon lords had attempted to hide away from him using these. Atop the coffin sat another small box. The pseudo-Argent cell, no doubt, as well as whatever it was that Rakshas wanted Dyal to find.

The room made little sense to The Slayer, Rakshas had proven himself the sort of man who did not shy away from the devils he kept off hand. So what was it that Rakshas so desperately wanted to hide away?

The Slayer could hear stuttering breathing from the doorway He looked over and saw Dyal supporting himself against the door frame. He stared, unblinking, at the metal coffin. The Slayer recognized the look in his eyes. Hate, sorrow, agony. All things he was all too familiar with. The look Dyal gave the metal coffin, the Slayer noted, was the same look he'd given the day he found the corpses of the family he held dear.

"If there was one thing I hate Rakshas for beyond all else. It is this." Dyal mumbled with a noticeable tremble in his hands.

'The domain of a wretched witch. Buried and forgotten like all who stray from the ways of the Shield God.'

"Am I correct in assuming Rakshas sealed your mother in the metal casket that is in front of us?" Dr. Hayden surmised.

Dyal gave a faint nod, indicating that the good doctor was correct. The Slayer looked back at the coffin. All the evil Rakshas had conjured and wickedness he'd produced, and this was the one that floored him.

"But… why?" Abel asked, "Didn't Rakshas love his wife? Why would he do this? There is no reason!"

"It's not about reason, Abel." Dyal retorted bitterly.

Dyal took a deep breath. He held the air in his lungs for a few seconds before exhaling and continuing. "Mother was as opposite to Rakshas as she could get. When she finally died, Rakshas wasted no time declaring her a heretic and a blasphemer. He made me watch as he systematically entombed her in this room. I suspect if given the choice he would've made Mina watch as well, but she was still a baby when this happened."

The Slayer took another look around the tomb. Dr. Hayden analyzed the tomb's contents, then spoke.

"By the presence of the sealing runes and the wording of the riddle, I'd hazard a guess that he led you and your sibling to believe that the tomb entrapped their soul, and condemned them to be forgotten by the people of Siltvelt?"

Dyal clenched his fists. "All because she didn't align with his twisted and sadistic worldview."

With that last statement, the Doom Slayer turned and snatched the box off the coffin sparing a glance at the sigil of the Mad King that was attached above the lid by four metal pegs. He retrieved the pseudo-Argent cell, crushing it in short order. Another power surge, this one being re-routed to the Praetor Suit's maneuvering gear. The Slayer checked the box again, seeing the second note at the bottom, Dyal's name inscribed visibly on top.

The Slayer didn't even bother giving the new note to Dyal, instead just reading it himself.

Dear Dyal,

Glad to see your wretch of a mother again? Since I know you still care about that heretic, for some unfathomable reason.

For your task, take your mother's dagger. I've put it in a little case behind the tomb. Perhaps even from Hell, she can be redeemed in the eyes of the Shield God.

Aim for the neck, it is visible beneath the helmet.

Signed, your father,

Lord Rakshas Nori

The Slayer could only roll his eyes at Rakshas' blind arrogance. It seemed his sense of self-importance quickly undermined his tactical cunning. Since this was apparently how he thought he would beat the Hellwalker. Just how stupid was Rakshas anyway? Leaving the notes in the same box as the pseudo-Argent cells, and not expecting the Slayer to notice something fishy.

Then again, the man's arrogance overran his tactical cunning easily, it was just as likely that Rakshas believed the Slayer was that foolish.

The Slayer folded up the note and held it up. Not to Dyal, but away from him, and a safe distance from any wood.

"Sir Slayer?" Dyal asked.

The Equipment Launcher unfurled over the Slayer's shoulder, and the flame belch subsequently incinerated the note, the Slayer masterfully ensuring nothing else was set on fire in the process.

Dyal couldn't help but jump back a bit at the display, with Abel hearing the hiss the flame belch had made and peeking his head through the door carefully.

"What was that?" Abel squealed.

Instead of answering, the Slayer walked behind the metal coffin, instantly finding the case the supposed dagger was in. He picked up the case before walking back around the metal coffin and handing the case to Dyal.

Dyal, rightfully confused, opened the box and saw a beautiful silver dagger. A wedding gift from Dyal's grandfather to his mother. Last Dyal checked it was supposed to be in the manor's armory.

"Wha... how? Why?"

"According to the note Rakshas left, you are supposed to use this dagger to kill the Slayer."

Dyal held the blade gently. "This blade has never tasted blood. Mother never used it."

"If that dagger must be used," Dr. Hayden advised, "then perhaps use it to prove Rakshas wrong."

Dyal looked up, "About what?"

"Everything."

Dyal looked at the Doom Slayer. There was conviction behind the helmet. The Hellwalker as he always had stood unshaken, and was hellbent on seeing things through. Dyal straightened his posture and willed himself into continuance.

Dyal exited the tomb, Abel asking if he was alright and Dyal simply responded with a nod. The Slayer came behind but stopped in the door frame. Dyal took notice that the Slayer wasn't following.

"Er, sir Slayer?" Dyal questioned.

Dyal spotted a ponderous look on the Doom Slayer's face behind the visor. A thought had just occurred to the demon killer.

Without words, the Doom Slayer equipped the Legendary Shield and reentered the tomb. A stunned Abel and Dyal returned to the tomb's door and watched what came next curiously.

The Slayer started by ripping the two sealing runes off the wooden posts. He took them in hand and ground them to dust, letting the sand slip between his fingers, the rune carvings glowing as the artifacts caved in the Doom Slayer's mighty grip. No more bars blocking the way beyond.

Dusting his gloves off, next came the chains. Zeltoble steel was lauded as being the strongest and most expensive metal on the planet. The Doomblade cut through them like butter. The Slayer cast the chains off the metal coffin. No more restraints keeping them trapped.

Next came the sigil of the Mad King, the Slayer managed to get a good grip on the damnable thing before tearing it off the coffin, crumpling it like paper. No more marks of evil.

The Doom Slayer glanced upward and noticed a chandelier hanging just overhead. A finishing touch.

'AIRSTRIKE SHIELD'

The Slayer used the ghostly green shield ability as a stepping stool, bringing his face level with the chandelier. There were old candles in all the little slots, it appeared Rakshas was too lazy to remove this bit of decor. The Equipment Launcher came over the Slayer's shoulder, and a single controlled burst from the flame belch lit all the candles anew. Back into the light.

The Slayer hopped down as the skill he cast timed out and the spectral shield vanished. He stood back and analyzed his work. Remembered, not forgotten. He smirked, satisfied.

'Fuck you, cockroach.'

The Doom Slayer put the Legendary Shield back into his warp pack and exited the tomb. Abel lacked all context, and as such was left utterly baffled by what he'd just witnessed. Dyal on the other hand took a second to realize what had just happened, what the Slayer was trying to say without words. The Slayer began to walk down the hallway. Dyal came up behind him.

"Sir Slayer…"

The Slayer looked at Dyal.

"I… don't know if what Rakshas had claimed about that room was true. If it really did trap mother's soul, but…" Dyal looked up through the Slayer's visor, "thank you."

The Slayer nodded as a curt way of saying you're welcome. He patted the young man on the shoulder as he wiped a tear from his eye before Dr. Hayden got everyone back to business.

"The final riddle, you know of it?"

Dyal inhaled a deep breath. Time for the unpleasant one.

"Right this way."

-DOOM-

The Doom Slayer was more than a little miffed about how things had been going. If it was just himself, it would've taken too damn long to locate the pseudo-Argent cells. But Rakshas was crafty, he knew the Slayer was bringing his son Dyal along for the ride, so he tailored this little game to try and break Dyal mentally, in a scheme to torture Dyal into joining him.

A fat lot of good it did, however. Rakshas was thoroughly unaware that the god he'd been claiming his sins was for was watching point-blank and was thoroughly unimpressed. It annoyed the Slayer how he couldn't smash the irony over the bastard's head, but he took consolation in the fact that Rakshas may have sealed Dyal as a worthwhile long-term ally.

"We're here…"

The Doom Slayer, Dyal, and Abel stopped before the terrible iron gates adorned with small sculptures of humans trapped in the fires of Hell.

Abel had seen what became of the people who returned from this room, driven insane, often crippled, scarred head to toe, Rakshas often handed the survivors a knife, just to see what they'd do. The teen boy remembered friends being sent there, dragged away in abject terror, never to be seen again. The memories of the screams flashed in Abel's mind and the boy trembled, not daring to approach the iron doors any further.

Dyal had seen the magnum opus exactly once. A machine of dark mysticism and arcane engineering. Its existence felt wrong, like a perpetual blight on the world. Just looking at the contraption had given Dyal nightmares for weeks. The sight of the living humans that had been attached to the machine hadn't left Dyal. And to make matters worse, Rakshas had made a habit of bringing both him and Mina down into the chamber whenever a new victim was attached to one of its many apparatuses. Dyal felt what was left of his will vanish in the presence of the iron doors, freezing him on the spot.

The Doom Slayer analyzed the iron doors. The doors reminded him of the Gates of Hell, not the real gates, but the sculpture created by the artist Auguste Rodin. The Slayer remembered seeing it when he was a child, many eons ago. He took note of how Rakshas was tripling down on the Hell aesthetic in this area, it gave him a vague idea of what this so-called "magnum opus" actually was. Hell-tech and human arrogance, it couldn't be anything else. Likely derived from whatever remnants the Maykrs left behind when they were here centuries ago.

"Rakshas had been working on this wretched thing for several decades. He discovered a hellish device in his youth and built it around it. If you want definitive proof that Rakshas is of demon-kin and not demi-human, here it is."

The Slayer looked over the twisted iron doors one last time before he stepped up to it and pulled his arm back. In a single Blood Punch, the iron doors exploded off their hinges in an explosion of golden divine energy. The Hellwalker stood on the edge of a staircase leading down.

"I assume you two will remain up here?" Dr. Hayden asked.

"I am sorry, sir Slayer, Dr. Hayden, but that thing is one thing I cannot face again."

Abel came to Dyal's side, cowering behind him while Dyal trembled frightfully.

'I'm on my own for this one. Understandable.'

"No need to explain, Dyal," Dr. Hayden assured the hakuko, "but just in case, ready your dagger, in case something other than the Slayer comes up the stairs."

Dyal's hand went to the hilt of his mother's dagger, seeing this the Slayer nodded. Drawing the Combat Shotgun and loading a shell, the Slayer descended into the subterranean home of Rakshas Nori's magnum opus.

-DOOM-

The base of the stairs exited into a massive cave. The size of a grand court and carved in the style of evil. At the center stood the Rakshas' infamous magnum opus, matching everything the Slayer expected. Twisted metal and slaves that had their bodies fastened by bolts and nails to the machine. Grinding gears and spouts of flame, hellish pentagrams carved into skin and metal alike. A thing that belonged in Hell, in Rakshas' own words, it was a monument. A monument to a god that didn't exist. And the Doom Slayer was going to tear it down.

The Doom Slayer approached the magnum opus, trying to spot where the last pseudo-Argent cell could be hidden, meanwhile, Dr. Hayden began to run countless scans of the abomination before them, trying to discern the machine's function. The Slayer moved behind the magnum opus and found a small table. The only content of the table was a crystal ball held in place by a wire stand. The Slayer cautiously approached the small table, seeing no other item within the cavern.

'Is this the last artifact? I was expecting another cell.'

He reached to grab the crystal ball, but the moment his armored fingers grazed the object, the curious artifact suddenly projected a screen in the Slayer's face. The Hellwalker was forced to take a few steps back to fully see what was being projected. He was met with a recording of Rakshas' unpleasant face, which began to speak after using a moment to clear his throat.

(The Government Sector - Dead Space 2 OST, Jason Graves)

"Greetings, Melromarc Dog…"

'Not expecting Dyal, cockroach?'

"By now, I'm certain that you've noticed my instructions to Dyal, and surely you've taken it as a surefire sign of betrayal, and killed him in retaliation."

'Pretty sure you only made him hate you more.'

"And surely you feel the corruption of my soul traps turning you into the unholy wretch you humans truly are."

'I appreciate the power boost, but I still hate you.'

"And so finally you find yourself here, weakened, and alone."

'Angrier, not weakened.'

"Ha ha ha. Gaze upon my magnum opus, Melromarc Dog. Gaze upon it and weep in its shadow.

'Eh, seen worse.'

"Gaze upon it and know this. I did not build this alone. I was aided by divine emissaries from the heavens. Servants to the Queen of Angels herself! Gaze upon my fell contraption and know it has the blessings of divinity and the approval of the great Shield God!"

The Slayer grit his teeth.

'No, it doesn't.'

"A glorious machine meant to harvest the souls of you wretched humans and bottle them, so your kind may finally serve the true gods!"

'So that's where the cells came from.'

"You will die. For you see, the angels built a secret function into my magnum opus, one that only I can activate!"

A portcullis suddenly dropped, The Slayer looked around the magnum opus and saw that his exit was once again blocked. With his strength, however, it was of no consequence.

"Now, Melromarc Dog, gaze upon my magnum opus… and die."

(1:00)

The crystal ball projection cut out as the magnum opus began to light up with Argent energy. The slaves that were fastened to the machine began to scream and wail in agony as their flesh began to melt and fuse with the machine. Amidst that, the mechanical parts of the machine began to transform before the Slayer's eyes.

The machine tore itself from the ground as metal forced its victims to stretch and compact lethally. Upon final transformation, the unfortunate souls caught in the monster's rotund body had been compressed into a fleshy mass of twisted limbs, whereas the victims caught in the monster's two massive arms had been stretched until all that was left of the limbs were metal, wires, and bones. A pair of gears forced their way out from beneath the monster and acted as wheels for the monster to drag itself around on. A single malformed human head seemed to act as its eyes and ears.

A notification appeared in the Slayer's vision, courtesy of the Legendary Shield's HUD.

Soul Cage LV: 13

The Slayer held his Combat Shotgun aloft, he really shouldn't have been surprised at Rakshas by this point.

'What a prick.'

The fight was initiated with a side dash, the Slayer moving to dodge a swipe from the Soul Cage. Two well-placed sticky bombs stuck to the Soul Cage's left arm, the detonation sending shards of bone flying. The Slayer ducked behind the artificial demon and fired the Combat Shotgun into its back.

"If this thing has a central core of Maykr design, perhaps damaging its core will cripple it in short order. You will need to use a heavier weapon to accomplish this, however." Dr. Hayden advised.

'Heavy weapon time.'

The Slayer drew his Rocket Launcher, checking to make sure the lock-on mod was attached before targeting the monster's torso. The three rockets collided with the Soul Cage, detonating and violently tearing chunks of its human bodies off of it. The monster reared back in pain before it charged the Doom Slayer.

The Slayer charged at the Soul Cage and jumped, leveraging the gaps between the monster's flesh and metal to launch himself higher. The Slayer swapped to the Ballista, hip-firing a single blast between the Soul Cage's shoulders. The momentum of the monster and the force of the strike threw the Soul Cage to the ground.

The Slayer was carried back by the momentum of the Ballista's shot to the other end of the chamber. He analyzed how the Soul Cage moved. It was too big, its limbs weren't designed with speed in mind, and the creature moved with little grace or agility. The Slayer had an idea to end the fight fast.

The Slayer traded the Ballista for the Chainsaw, a cruel smirk forming behind his helmet. He waited for the Soul Cage to regain its bearings, the monster turned around and started crawling toward the Hellwalker again.

At this point, the Slayer retaliated by launching a single ice bomb from his Equipment Launcher. The Soul Cage was stopped dead in its tracks as its flesh and circuitry were frozen up to the shoulders.

'Fucking love the ice bombs. Brilliant idea, VEGA.'

Using the brief window the ice bomb granted, the Slayer ran forward and climbed up one of the Soul Cage's immobilized arms, and perched himself on the monster's back. Revving the Chainsaw, the Slayer carved into the twisted metal and limbs of the Soul Cage's hunched back. There was a grinding noise, a sign the Chainsaw had grazed the monster machine's core.

The Soul Cage attempted to thrash until the ice finally melted, then it threw itself around harder trying to toss the Slayer aside.

"There's the core. Rip that out and the beast will cease to function." came the voice of Dr. Hayden.

The Slayer pulled the Chainsaw out of the monster's spine, using the second he had before the Soul Cage launched him away to identify the core of Maykr technology just below the gap he carved.

The Slayer rolled across the floor as the Soul Cage screeched in pain. He stood up, drawing the Legendary Shield instead of a weapon.

"I fail to see how that shield will be of use in this predicament." Dr. Hayden interjected.

'Broad strokes, doc!'

The Slayer and the Soul Cage charged for the third time, the Soul Cage raised its right arm to squash the Doom Slayer. It brought its arm down with enough force to shatter the bones tangled into it, the Slayer eyeing the motion closely, waiting for his time to retaliate.

A second before the attack could connect the Doom Slayer parried the blow with even greater force. Sparks flew around as the Soul Cage's metal components ground against the Legendary Shield. Wasting no time, the Slayer willed the shield into its Orthrus Shield configuration.

'DOG BITE SHIELD!'

The two Orthrus heads of the Orthrus Shield coiled outward, their jaws clamping down on the Soul Cage's neck and shoulder. Before the Soul Cage could find its footing the Slayer used his newfound grip to pull the monster's head to the ground. Letting the Legendary Shield fade back into his warp pack, the Slayer grabbed the Soul Cage's head and forcefully slammed it into the hot stone floor repeatedly until the creature could only twitch.

With the Soul Cage on the ground, the Slayer made his move. He jumped over its arm and dashed up its back. Locking onto the core, the Slayer extended the Doomblade and plunged it into the gash in the Soul Cage's back. The Doomblade pierced through the core, destroying its circuits. The serrated edge of the Doomblade latched on as the Soul Cage made one last desperate throw to tip the battle in its favor. But it was for naught as the Slayer pulled the core from the monster, sparks, oil, and blood splattering as the core tore loose critical wires and power cables.

The Soul Cage squealed one last time, before finally collapsing down dead. The short-lived battle was over, and Rakshas Nori had failed spectacularly.

(End Music)

The Slayer pulled the Maykr core off the end of his wrist-mounted blade, examining it closely.

'What interest did the Maykr's have here? Did the Bitch Queen of Urdak have an interest in the Mad King's war?'

"Slayer. Would you kindly store that in your warp pack and bring it to the Fortress?" Dr. Hayden inquired, "I would like to study it."

The Slayer gave a half-hearted shrug as he tucked the device away in the Praetor Suit's warp pack. Wasting no more time, the Slayer walked to the portcullis.

"Are you not going to search for another pseudo-Argent cell, Slayer?"

The Slayer only offered a grunt. Dr. Hayden paused to think.

"I suppose it is likely the… machine… was the last artifact. The way should be open now."

The Doom Slayer lifted the portcullis with one hand and slide under it. He let it fall back into place as he walked back upstairs, back to the surface.

-DOOM-

The Slayer was greeted by a very jittery hakuko and a petrified teenager at the top of the stairs. Both of whom had been severely rattled by the sounds of the Doom Slayer's battle in the cavern below.

"Sir Slayer!" Dyal exclaimed, running up to the armored demon killer, "What happened, are you alright?"

The Slayer nodded, and Dr. Hayden offered a summary. "Rakshas' machine turned into a bio-mechanical beast and the Slayer terminated it."

"What?" Abel asked.

"Rakshas Nori had been in contact with otherworldly powers that taught him the dark magics of Hell and helped him build the machine. An unholy union… one we have put to an end." Dr. Hayden explained curtly.

Dyal and Abel exchanged glances.

"It is also highly likely the machine was the fourth relic, assuming the barrier was ever tied to relics… and not a battery that would've drained some time ago." Dr. Hayden noted bitterly at the sudden deduction.

'Fucking cockroach is laughing right now, I know he is.'

Dyal practically keeled over at that last statement. "So all that…" he said hoarsely, "the sacrifice locker, Mina's chambers, m-mother's room? For nothing?"

"I wouldn't say it was for nothing." Dr. Hayden stated, earning puzzled looks from the Slayer's two companions.

Dr. Hayden elaborated. "We were able to destroy a machine designed to create devices empowered by the essence of Hell. Something that would've become a problem later."

'Not to mention that business in the tomb.'

Dyal gave a nod, realizing that even if their detour wasn't necessary, it still netted positive effects. The noble hakuko felt a tug on his sleeve, he turned his head and found Abel looking at him in sorrow.

"Will you be alright, sir Dyal?" the boy asked.

Dyal took in a deep breath, "I will be fine. Try not to worry about me, young Abel."

Abel blinked away some tears and nodded back.

"If we are quite done…" Dr. Hayden redirected attention, "we should depart for Castle peak. There is still a wave to end."

"Right," Dyal remembered their goal, "let us be rid of this hell hole."

-DOOM-

The trio of the Hellwalker, the knight, and the boy stood before the hidden passage to Castle Peak, the barrier finally gone. In front of them was a dimly lit masonry passageway that lead to what they knew would be a final confrontation, a fight that would determine more than just the fate of Siltvelt.

The Doom Slayer led the way into the passage, Super Shotgun in hand, after battling across the dread kingdom of Siltvelt for hours he was eager to end the terror the wave had wrought. Behind him stood Dyal Roshani Nori, the shattered heirloom sword in one hand and his mother's dagger in the other, thoughts of vengeance against his vile father and fear for his sister roiling in his mind. And just behind them was the former slave Abel, a knife in hand, hoping that the gods would let him live well past this nightmare, optimistically wondering what he would do after.

The three marched onward, and in Castle Peak was a monster and his servant, waiting blissfully unaware of what was coming towards them.

And in the background, a demon of hellish scaly steel hid in waiting. The demon called a hunter lay in waiting for the perfect moment to reveal itself and challenge whoever was foolish enough to face it.

-DOOM-

Codex Entry - Personnel: Rakshas Nori 2

[Excerpt taken from a memoir of a veteran of the Melromarc-Siltvelt war]

At that point in the war, we'd seen probably the worst both our kinds were capable of. We'd grown desensitized to seeing Melromarc imprison demi-human soldiers and peasants alike in grisly slave camps and used to aiding Siltvelt's king in the torturous extermination of countless humans.

But that noble, Rakshas Nori, that's a fellow that always scared the hell outta all of us. The things that man orchestrated for the king were regarded as unspeakable to even our extreme standards. It's no wonder the king made the bastard a top advisor, it went unspoken, but many of us had begun to question just what the king was trying to accomplish with this war.

Making the question more complicated were the angels, or Maykrs as they call themselves. The king claimed that they offered counsel and only counsel, but no one bought it. The king spoke to them behind closed doors many times, Rakshas was present for all those meetings. To my knowledge, Melromarc never found out about their presence in our kingdom, as all records of their intervention were wiped away before they could see it. And that may be a good thing, cause I know damn well the Maykrs are name-dropped multiple times in the Three Heroes cult scripture.

What truly unnerves me, however, is the fact that Rakshas Nori had personal meetings with the Maykr angels. I have no clue what he was up to, but I do know this. The Maykrs helped him build something. I dunno what, but I know they did. You can call me crazy for saying that, but I've got one experience that ought to convince you.

I and my platoon were assigned to bodyguard Rakshas at his home, and that was where I saw it. I witnessed the Maykrs gift Rakshas Nori the strangest contraption I'd ever laid eyes on. Just glancin' at it made my skull ache. They brought it straight underground, below the manor.

A few days later? Around thirty or so visibly tortured human slaves were sent down there as well. A few hours later the sounds that drifted back up could only be described as Hell incarnate. That's when I finally figured it out. We were aiding the king in something unforgivable. When we were reassigned again, that was the best day of my life. If I ever lay eyes on Rakshas "the devil" Nori again, it'll be far too soon.

-Page Directory-

Codex Entry - Personnel: Dyal Nori 1

-OPEN REPORT-

Name: Dyal Roshani Nori

Species (Hakuko sub-species)

Age: 23

Physical Appearance: Similar to their sibling Mina Nori, Dyal Nori sports snow-white hair with dark stripes streaking throughout, golden eyes, a pair of white tiger ears in place of human ones, and a matching tail.

Medical Profile: As a knight, Dyal sees the rigorous physical activity that comes with frequent battles. Of our current associates, Dyal is in far better fighting shape than our current associates. Tellingly, he can hold his own against multiple demons ranked as heavy and sub-heavy with sub-optimal weapons. That being said, Dyal's mental health has taken a blow from the events of the Siltvelt wave, the extent of which is still undetermined. However, we may have had a hand in the altering of his worldview.

Doctor's Notes: Regardless of how our relationship started, the Siltvelt wave cemented Dyal as a worthwhile ally, one with that we should take steps to secure their loyalty for the battles ahead.

-DOOM-

(A/N):

42 pages.

42 pages of story content and I somehow achieved this in only a month. How the hell did I pull that off? Oh well, I guess that means there's a chapter before the major winter holidays. Just so we are all on the same page, I wasn't planning on this chapter being this THICC. It just sorta happened. Hopefully, the next chapter is not be this long.

Speaking of the next chapter, It'll be the last chapter of The Vigilant arc, The Doom Slayer will kill the wave boss, and Rakshas will be exterminated like the cockroach he isThen it's back to Melromarc and the lead-up to the next wave.

For this chapter, yes, there aren't any major demon battles this time, I don't count the Soul Cage, the point there was that Rakshas' ego trounces his intelligence. Instead, this chapter was focused on Rakshas' character, and his half-assed attempt to eliminate the heroes.

I changed Mina's motivation from the last chapter if no one's gone back to check that. Instead of a need for approval, Mina is driven by a need for combat. Mostly to satiate the bloodlust Rakshas' teachings taught her. She covers that up with the veneer of Siltvelt's religion because she doesn't want to admit she may be a monster.

Also, have you ever seen Evangelion and thought, "this could use more Transformers?" Think about it, instead of being raised by neglectful relatives, Shinji could be raised by the Autobots, effectively getting Optimus Prime as a father figure and Bumblebee as a brother figure. The Decepticons could battle the Angels for the Earth because of all the Energon buried here. There could be a five-way battle between the Autobots, Decepticons, Angels, NERV/SEELE, and the Quintesons. The Second Impact could send a ripple across the galaxy that draws multiple hostile alien factions to Earth that the Autobots and Decepticons would have to battle. Megatron could out-scheme and out-bastard Gendo. The possibilities are endless.

Anyways, December 2022, it's Holiday Omake time:

Space Holiday:

There wasn't any true winter holiday if you lived in space. Even if you keep track of time and date relative to Earth there wasn't any designated winter holiday in space.

That fact did nothing to stop the Doom Slayer and company from lightly decorating the Fortress of Doom when the holidays rolled around on Earth.

Raphtalia was currently tightening some screws at the base of a tree stand as the Slayer held up a seven-foot-tall pine tree that they'd harvested planetside from Melromarc, much to the annoyance of the local noble who owned the forest.

"So, what's this holiday all about?" Raphtalia asked.

"There are three major holidays on Earth around this time of the solar cycle, and I suspect the Slayer prescribes to none of them." Dr. Hayden said bluntly.

"Oh."

"However, the winter holiday season in general, regardless of your religion, is always regarded as a season of giving. To both family and friends."

Raphtalia seemed to light up.

'That, and is usually a neighborhood-wide competition to see who could overdecorate their house and make appealing the best.'

The Slayer held fond memories from before he was the Slayer of his family, particularly his wife Natalie's attempts to out-decorate the across-the-street neighbors.

"Curse you and your inflatable AT-AT Sheryl!"

"Natalie, please."

The man the Doom Slayer was attempted to stop Natalie from marching over and taking a rock to the inflatable decoration.

"Silence Flynn, this means war! To the department store!"

The Slayer, Flynn, watched as his wife stormed to the car, plotting to spend exuberant amounts of cash on new decorations.

"Natalie, it's not worth it. Sheryl just trying to get a rise out of you."

Natalie opened the driver's side door of the car.

"WAR!"

Natalie reversed the car out from the driveway and sped off. Flynn sighed, Natalie always got a little zealous around the holiday season, especially with decorations.

Flynn stepped inside their home and navigated the mess of boxes to a small cage with a little brown bunny in it.

"You won't go decoration-crazy on me, will ya' Daisy?"

The rabbit only offered a sneeze in reply, then they went back to the lettuce they were snacking on.

The Slayer couldn't help but smile fondly behind his helmet at the memories, silently banishing the thoughts of what Natalie would think of him if she saw him now.

'There was nothing quite like a Blazkowicz family holiday season.'

The Slayer retrieved a box that he'd set aside, one full of ornaments and lights.

"What's all this for?" Raphtalia asked.

"It's to decorate the tree with." Dr. Hayden.

Raphtalia picked up one bauble and eyed it curiously, she watched as the Slayer hung one on a branch of the tree. Raphtalia nodded in understanding, stepping to the tree, she hung the ornament she held on a branch.

Raphtalia's ornament slide down and off the branch, prompting the tanuki girl to scramble to catch it before it shattered on the Fortress' cold metal floor.

"Eep!" she squeaked as she finally caught it.

She regained her balance and looked at the ornament sadly. The Slayer patted her on the shoulder as Dr. Hayden offered a piece of advice.

"Try hanging ornaments on sturdier branches."

Raphtalia nodded and tried again. This time the ornament stayed on the branch she put it on. She smiled and grabbed another one to put up. The Slayer nodded and pulled the roll of lights out of the box.

-DOOM-

It had been an hour and the tree was finally done, the Slayer and Rpahtalia stood back to admire their work. Dr. Hayden dimmed the lights on the bridge and lit the tree they'd decorated.

Raphtalia still didn't quite get why they'd decorated a tree but admitted to herself that they'd done a good job doing so. After basking in the glory of the Christmas tree for a solid minute, Raphtalia yawned. She blinked a few times as she realized how tired she was.

"Why don't you go get some rest, Raphtalia?" Dr. Hayden suggested.

Raphtalia gave a thumbs up, "Sure," she lazily wandered off to her little abode within the Fortress of Doom's lower levels.

Leaving the Doom Slayer to finally solidify the next goal he had in mind for this little side adventure. What gift was he going to give her? A question that he'd found wasn't easily answered. He had an idea, but it was a decidedly crazy one.

Once he was certain Raphtalia had fallen asleep, the Doom Slayer stepped to the Slipgate and pressed the activation stone.

-DOOM-

Everything was on fire. EVERYTHING WAS ON FIRE! Why was everything on fire?

Idol Rabier had long since lost track of the chain of events that had led to his mansion being on fire. All he knew was that something had carved its way through the guards, disappeared into the maze-like hallways of the manor, and now the grand ballroom was up in flames.

The fat noble was now running away as the footsteps of whatever had caused this stalked him throughout his home. He rounded a corner and ran face-first into a hulking green death machine that stared at him in cold fury. Rabier snarled.

"You dare! ? Do you know who I am, you cretin?"

"A dead pig." Dr. Hayden retorted.

Before Rabier could voice his anger the Slayer grabbed him by the face, at which point, Idol Rabier screamed in terror.

-DOOM-

The Slayer walked away from Rabier's burning mansion, a wad of papers clenched in one fist and a dog-type demi-human walking beside him, staring at him in stunned silence. The surviving slaves Rabier had kept in his dungeon were following closely behind him watching in awe at the destruction the Slayer had caused.

Part one of Operation: Locate all of Raphtalia's Friends had gone off perfectly. Now for part two.

The Slayer slipgated back to the Fortress, where he put the stolen documents aside for Dr. Hayden to index and scan. After slipgating the remaining former slaves to a safe zone, the Slayer moved on to the second part of the plan.

-DOOM-

Things weren't going as smoothly in Zeltoble, but progress was still being made. His biggest obstacle was the asshole prince who didn't know when to give up.

"You can't just take every slave I have that came from Melromarc! You have to pay for that!"

The Doom Slayer growled, his grip on the slimy bastard's neck tightening.

"Your operation is illegal even by Zeltoble's laws. As such, your money, or your life. You cannot have both." Dr. Hayden warned.

The price looked around at all the dead guards and destroyed property the Slayer left in his wake.

"SCREW YOU!"

'Your life it is.'

And that was the last anyone heard of that particular prince. Things were relatively smooth from there, slipgating the liberated slaves out of Zeltoble, sorting through them to identify any that originated from Raphtalia's home village, slipgate the rest to safe zones, rinse-repeat a few times.

Then the Slayer ran into the Orca woman.

"I do not know what you need all these slaves for, but I will stop you, for the good of all you've taken!"

"We're trying to rescue the residents of Lurolona, you do not have to impede us." Dr. Hayden explained.

The Orca woman narrowed her eyes at this, "Why?"

"For reasons that are our own." Dr. Hyaden bit back.

The Orca woman took a battle stance, "I cannot trust you then."

"You do not want this fight."

"Oh, I think I do."

The Slayer just stood impassively. If this Orca woman was going to instigate a fight, it would end with them eating the dirt in seconds, he had no time for this nonsense.

Dr. Hayden on the other hand spent a moment pondering. "What is your connection to Lurolona?"

The Orca woman grit her teeth. "I was a resident there, and I've spent the last few months trying to fight for the survivor's freedom. I won't allow you to subject them to worse!"

Dr. Hayden cycled through a record of people Raphtalia had claimed were from her home village before landing on one that matched the Orca woman's description.

"You're Sadeena." Dr. Hayden stated impassively.

Sadeena doubled down on her stance, "How did you…"

At that point, however, the Slayer had heard all he needed to hear. Before Sadeena could even react, the Slayer closed the gap between them, he ripped the harpoon she was holding out of her hands and delivered a precise strike to the pressure point on her neck. The Orca woman collapsed unconscious.

'My work here is done.'

-DOOM-

Keel held an ice pack to the bruise Sadeena had collected when she hit the ground.

"So, was knocking her out necessary?" Keel asked.

"The situation wasn't handled as well as it should've" Dr. Hayden admitted.

Keel rolled their eyes. "Whatever. Is this everyone?"

"There is one more." Dr. Hayden stated.

"Who?"

Instead of answering the dog demi-human, Dr. Hayden addressed the Slayer. "According to the records, the demi-human Rifana was sold by Rabier directly to a third party. I would recommend inquiring about the identity of this person with our informant. The Slipgate is ready when you are."

"Wait, Rifana?" Keel asked shocked.

"The purpose of this little side-job is to try and reunite Raphtalia with her old friends." Dr. Hayden deadpanned, "The Slayer isn't going to stop short."

Keel blinked, "Well, good luck then."

The Slayer nodded, and then pressed the Slipgate activation stone.

-DOOM-

The Doom Slayer's luck had finally run out. The informant hadn't been able to help, as it would turn out the name was a pseudonym utilized by an unknown. All the informant was able to glean was that they likely needed an extra set of hands and bought them for cheap.

From there the trail went cold. Whoever it was that had purchased Rifana off of Rabier had done a sound job covering their tracks. So thoroughly in fact that the Slayer was convinced that it wasn't the Melromarc cult that was responsible. The cult never covered its tracks, and when it did, it didn't do it well.

With no more leads to pursue, the Slayer returned to the Fortress, he met the saddened look of Keel head-on, Dr. Hayden only offering that their missing friend may yet still be alive.

After taking a moment to mourn, it was showtime.

-DOOM-

Raphtalia was rudely awakened by Dr. Hayden telling her there was an emergency on the bridge. After changing into her casual attire, the tanuki girl ran up the command station's bridge.

"What is it? Did the airlock burst again? Do we need to…"

"SURPRISE!" cried the residents of Lurolona as Raphtalia arrived at her destination.

Raphtalia did a double take. She looked over the group that was crowding the Fortress of Doom's bridge until she began to recognize the faces before her.

"But… how?"

"By multiple counts of arson and political assassination." Dr. Hayden answered.

"Mr. Big Green killed off Rabier then raided Zeltoble!" Keel explained exuberantly. "He also brought Sadeena along," Keel added while pointing to the Orca woman who awkwardly stood amongst the crowd.

"Why?" Raphtalia whispered.

"Well, as it was stated while we were decorating the tree, the people of Earth consider the winter season to be one of giving. The problem was that we weren't sure what we could give you." Dr. Hayden explained.

Instead of responding, Raphtalia went up to the Slayer and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you…" she cried.

Soon after Keel joined in the hug, followed by several other former villagers. Eventually, even Sadeena joined in.

"I'll admit, this is not what I was expecting," Sadeena stated, "guess I owe you an apology, and a thank you."

Raphtalia continued to let loose tears of joy from within the hug.

'Happy holidays, kiddo.'

-DOOM-

"THE ECONOMY HAS IMPLODED! EVERYONE PANIC!"

There were very serious consequences to the Doom Slayer's actions, but alas all the people who could tie him to the casual destruction of the world's trading network and the termination of dozens of political figures were either dead or on his side.

No one would ever figure out that the global economic collapse was because a space god had attempted to give his kid the perfect holiday gift.

(A/N):

Unfortunately, this omake is non-canon, as it derails the plot.

Except for the bit where the Slayer's name was Flynn Blazkowicz. That bit's canon.