Author's Note: Due to the FF's networks going haywire this was supposed to be posted on November 1st, so apologies for disappointing everyone for a blank page. Kinda freaked out about it, but by the time I posted this, then that means the networks are back to normal as usual. Also, this was supposed to celebrate after passing 100 followers, but now I'm celebrating after passing 2000 views. Enjoy!
What up, guys! And Happy... Mexican Halloween! I would've done it on regular Halloween, but had to delay it to this day to spend a night watching a horror flick for tradition.
Anyways, I am back with another chapter that you guys seem to enthusiastically enjoyed since the first and I hope this will be enough to settle you down before I begin another chapter!
But back on topic, responses will be done at the end of this, so please enjoy!
Doom Fortress, moments before arrival.
The Doom Slayer had defeated the Icon of Sin mere moments ago. He had returned to his fortress to settle down after the long fight. If only for a bit.
The ARC Broadcast was on and became background noise as the Slayer went to his recreational room, but the Slayer heard enough to take in from the report.
With the Icon of Sin disposed of, Hell's forces had withdrawn for now. The Slayer felt a tiny bit of relief wash over him for his work. But he still had work to do. Demons weren't going to kill themselves while he was around.
"I've scanned the whole planet and demon activity has grown silent for awhile now. This will give you some time off. I'll keep an eye out on anything that interests you." Hayden suggested. Not that the Slayer needed to be reminded. He sighed in lament of having to leave VEGA back in Urdak in order to return to Earth. Now his only companion in the fortress was the one responsible for this whole mess.
Dr. Samuel Hayden. Former head of the UAC and now leader of the ARC Resistance. Despite his willingness to aid him and fight off the demons, the Slayer hold him in contempt for his actions back on Mars. The Argent energy, the inhuman experiments, the cult led by Olivia Pierce; all of it was on his hands.
However, his aid and support made him tolerate Hayden's presence to a degree. Somewhat.
Doom Slayer walked towards the recreational room and placed the final piece of his collectibles. An Icon of Sin figurine that dwarfed all the other figurines to the point it took up two shelves to place it among them. He was damn proud of his achievement and admired them all.
But before he could settle down, the lights all over the fortress began flickering uncontrollably.
"You might want to get to the main deck. It seems we have uninvited guests." Hayden alerted. Back on his feet, Slayer hurried torwards the teleporter. All the while grabbing plenty of ammunition before heading out.
Not a few moments in, the teleporter was acting haywire. Hayden had no idea what was going on even as he attempted to override the controls. Doom Slayer summoned his super shotgun and began reloading. He awaited for his threat to come.
What he didn't expect was a voice from the other side.
"I call upon the one named Doom Slayer!" It called out. "I have sought for your legendary skills and I must ask you to enter! Quickly, I can only hold this portal so long! We need your help! Please!"
Lowering his gun in response, Hayden quickly jumped with preparations.
"The destination is far from where we are. Much farther." Hayden remarked. "I'll setup a transfer of the fortress to our new coordinates. It'll take awhile to get there, but in the meantime, let's not make our host wait, shall we?
Doom Slayer needed no response. He walked towards the portal with a clear mind.
It was another day for the Slayer.
White Tower of Hoeth, Ulthuan, moments before arrival.
By the time Tyrion arrived to the White Tower, it was night. Before then, he had sent several messages to make sure Teclis was alright. Most of the time, it was always his famous sharp-tongued responses that was plainly written on his messages. However, he had grown awfully quiet as of late, and it worried the prince. For all his butting heads with Teclis, Tyrion still cared enough for him to visit even if he had several guards looking after him in his tower.
Behind Tyrion were a retinue of eight of the best warriors Ulthuan had bolstered. While they were not needed as the prince was fully capable of protecting himself, it was still mandatory to at least have a couple of guards following him. Regardless, Tyrion handpicked the best of the best in case he was in a bit of trouble.
Which was never.
His stopped his horse as they arrived near the door. The retinue followed suit as well. However, as they did, the doors to the White Tower opened to reveal several guardsmen carrying the body down the stairs. Tyrion dropped whatever he did and rushed towards them. The guards noticed the audible footsteps approached them and were shocked to see the Prince standing before them with anger and fear on his face.
"What happened here?!" Tyrion demanded. The guards had little time to explain before he shoved one of them aside and pulled the blanket. Horror was the feeling when he and his guards saw the face of King Finubar the Seafarer. Dead outside of the White Tower of Hoeth.
Tyrion's feared for what had happened. Had his brother killed his king? If so? Why would he commit a heinous crime. Enraged at the sight of his dead king, the prince looked straight intp the eyes of every single one of Teclis' guards.
"Where is my brother?! He will answer for this!" He demanded. Every guard winced as he questioned them, all while quivering beneath their armor. However, he was soon interrupted as a light glowed bright outside if the tower for everyone from the ground to witness. Tyrion's expression changed from anger to worry as he had realized what the light could be.
"Teclis..." Tyrion looked to his own guards to take command.
"You four." He ordered one half of the guards. "Keep watch on these guards while I'm gone. The rest follow me."
All guardsmen took initiative and followed orders. Tyrion went straight towards the doors and entered.
"Pray that you are innocent, brother..."
Present
Teclis looked on in awe as he stared at the "guest" standing before him.
The Doom Slayer. In the flesh.
While Teclis had seen many marvels come and go, to see a legend come out of the books is a feat on itself.
The Loremaster bowed in honor of the Slayer's arrival.
"Welcome, Great Slayer!" Teclis greeted. "I am Teclis, High Loremaster of Hoeth and Warden of the White Tower. And it is an honor to make your presence."
The Slayer could only stare at him in silence, leaving Teclis a little unnerved at the silent treatment. But he remained polite as possible. Clearing his throat, he spoke up.
"I... understand that I may have interrupted your recent victory. But I can assure you that I will make your time worthwhile." Teclis continued. Again, he was given the silent treatment. By this point, he had taken a good observation of the Slayer.
He stood quite tall as the Loremaster had expected; being around the height of a regular Norscan. Which is still pretty big. His armor was extraordinarily unique. It was unlike anything the Loremaster had seen. Such intricated designs could make a dwarf shed tears for its beautiful patterns. The colour of his armor had an earthly green to it with mix of copper and brown thrown in. Yet, it was close to the mural's depictions of him. His biceps were plainly visible as if to scream "I got balls and you don't because I took them and made mine bigger". Still, they are definite proof of that.
Now that Teclis thought about, the Slayer wouldn't look out of place in an army full of Norscans. Add a couple of spikes and horns, and he would fit right in with the Warriors of Chaos.
In his hand was a weapon that Teclis recognised as by far the most intimidating thing that the Old World has seen. It had the appearance of what the humans and dwarves had in their armies known as a gun. He had seen several of them during his travels, yet none of them had double barrels instead of a single barrel, and it was by far more advance than either of the races' craftsmanships. On closer inspection, Teclis could also see a blade-like attachment potruding at the bottom of the barrels, which he deduced as some sort of bayonet to stab opponents upclose.
The one unique thing that interested Teclis the most was the Slayer's helmet. His visor showed his face quite a bit, if a little dark. Yet, what was interesting was that it had a glass-like protection over it. Of course, appearances can be deceiving and he would like to ask about it.
Unfortunately, the sound of footsteps ruined the chances as the doors to the library behind him soon opened. And the first to enter was his brother - Tyrion - followed by a group of guardsman.
"Teclis! You better have a goo-" Tyrion stopped mid-sentence as he saw the Slayer standing from where he arrived by Teclis.
"INTRUDER!" His brother instinctively pulled out his sword, turning ablaze, along with the guardsmen who did the same. Two archers readied their bows, while a pikeman and a man with a sword and shield took stances and formed around the prince. Meanwhile, the Slayer reacted by raising his gun in one hand with zero need to defend himself out of confidence. Teclis knew where this was leading to and immediately stood in the way of both parties.
"Stop!" He ordered. "As Warden of the White Tower, I demand you all to sheathe your weapons! I will not have blood be spilled on these grounds!"
The look on Tyrion's face was that of confusion, but went back to being serious again.
"Do not listen to him! Not until he gives his reasons!" He ordered. Teclis was a bit relieved to hear his brother coming to his senses. But he needed to act quick.
"I assure you the man behind me was allowed passage! Thus he is a guest in my home!" He answered. Tyrion still kept his emotions hidden behind a grim scowl; not ready to drop his weapon just yet.
"Then explain as to why King Finubar of Eataine was found dead outside of your home, Teclis." Tyrion demanded. This was admittedly difficult to explain to him without looking like Chaos-supporter.
"Finubar came to the White Tower with the intention of delivering tasks to me. None of the guards outside had known that it was him when he arrived. He did not want anyone to know his identity lest he alerted all of Ulthuan. He needed this to be private. It was one of utmost importance."
"Then what was it? Speak before I have both of you arrested."
"I highly advised against arresting the Slayer. For the sake of both you, your guards, and our gracious host."
Everyone in the room were taken aback by the booming voice that echoed from the Slayer. Yet Teclis had noticed that he had spoken in third person. As if he were a seperate entity.
"You... talk? I had mistaken you for a mute."
"Oh, he is. Lost his voice a long time ago. I am merely the mouth piece of the man you're speaking to." The voice replied, much to Teclis' shock. There was another person inside this man? Or was he possessed by this voice?
"Then who is it that I'm speaking to?" Teclis asked.
"I am Dr. Samuel Hayden. Former head of the United Aerospace Corporation and Leader of the Armored Response Coalition. But for now, I am merely a voice within his armor." Teclis had no idea who this "Hayden" was speaking about but they definitely sounded important to consider. However, his brother ruined it by opening his mouth again.
"A possessed armor? Then that makes you either an undead or one of the servants of Chaos! Which means I am within dead rights to execute you on charges of possessing a cursed relic, for serving the Dark Gods, and for murdering our king!" Tyrion declared. The Hayden spirit sounded rather annoyed when he replied.
"I am neither undead nor do I know what this "Chaos" you speak of. And we had no idea that your king had died. And quite frankly, what 'Tech-less' speaks of is the truth. In any case, it would be wise of you and your men to drop your weapons before my companion pulls the trigger."
From what Teclis could see, Tyrion was infuriated at the offended remark.
"Your dare threaten me? A prince with four of the best warriors handpicked in all of Ulthuan?!"
"Coming from the same man who's brought a sword to a gunfight. And I hate to disappoint your archers but those arrows will do nothing against his armor. That is if you actually do hit him..." Hayden goaded. This argument was going nowhere, Teclis thought, so he spoke once more.
"Tyrion - for the love of Isha - will you send your guards away so that we may speak privately? We both know that you're more than capable of defending yourself than be pampered by a bunch of useless halfwits whose real purpose is to simply put up the 'guardsmen' act." Teclis then looked back at the Slayer, still pointing his gun at the guards.
"As for you, Hayden, I would see that you cease your insults against the prince for everyone's best interests. And that includes you, Slayer. So please, lower your weapons.
Tyrion struggled to keep his temper in check but ultimately let out a groan, before sheathing his sword into its scabbard. He then looked back to his guards.
"Stand down, men. Wait outside the door until further notice." He ordered. All of them wanted to protest but knew it was not worth the risk to not to speak against their prince. They had sheathed their weapons and left the room. Likewise, Doom Slayer had lowered his gun and soon magically disappeared from his hand. As soon as the doors were closed, Tyrion exploded in anger at his brother's most recent incident.
"Two weeks... TWO WEEKS! YOU HAVEN'T RESPONDED TO ANY OF MY MESSAGES DURING THOSE TWO WEEKS! AND HERE I FIND YOU WITH OUR KING DEAD DOWNSTAIRS WHILE YOU ARE UP HERE PARLEYING WITH THIS... DAEMON!"
Teclis could only wave his hand off as he scoffed at another of his brother's worries.
"Oh come now, that's barely a signicant time frame. You know I'm always busy up here in my tower. Besides he is the very reason why King Finubar gave me such important tasks."
"And what were those tasks, I wonder?" Tyrion dryly asked, barely hiding his outrage at him.
"For one, to find this knight known as the Doom Slayer, as you can plainly see." Teclis raised a thumb and pointed back to the Slayer as he answered. "The other, to bring back Malekith to stand trial for his actions."
Tyrion looked at his brother with the most flabbergasted expression Teclis had ever seen in his life. Especially in regards to the second.
"Those? Those are the tasks that our king had given you?" Tyrion questioned.
"One of them worked, so yes." Teclis quipped. Much to his brother's groaning. Hayden, it seems, decided to jump in on the conversation.
"If I may ask, Teclis, who is this man? And what is the relationship do you have with him? If you don't mind filling us in." Hayden asked.
"Ah, forgive us for bringing you in this family drama." Teclis started. "This is Prince Tyrion. Heir of Aenarion, Dragon of Cothique, Champion of the Everqueen, Defender of Ulthuan... and my brother."
Teclis could hear his brother groaning in annoyance about the last bit but remained silent. Hayden, on the other hand, was far more cordial.
"Greetings, Prince Tyrion. I deeply apologize for our unintended arrival. We were unaware of your deceased king downstairs. And for that, our deepest condolences."
While a sincere gesture on Hayden's part, Doom Slayer just stared at the two Asur with complete apathy. Still, a simple nod was all they got. Much to Tyrion's chagrin.
"I thank you. But on to business." Teclis picked up a chair that had been overturned by the summoning and sat on it. "Before I was so pointlessly interrupted, I had summoned you here for the very task of eliminating an all-consuming threat that is pushing throughout the realms at this very moment. Chaos."
"And what is 'Chaos' that you speak of? Your brother here accused us of serving them as a cursed relic." Hayden remarked.
"The same type of threat that you've been fighting on your world. Demons." Teclis mentioned. Just the mere mention of them was enough to cause the Slayer to clench his fists, as the sorcerer had noticed.
"I believe you have our attention."
Teclis smiled in relief and soon continued.
"Before you had arrived, King Finubar had come to my tower with two tasks. As mentioned before; the first was you, and the second was to bring Malekith to the Phoenix Court to be tried. As you can see, the first was a complete success."
"There seems to be a 'but' in this, isn't there?" Hayden deduced. Which was not entirely inaccurate.
"I am afraid that is correct." Teclis reluctantly agreed. "The second task is far from simple. For you see, Malekith is-
"Malekith is a MONSTER!" Tyrion interrupted in an outburst. "He is a slaver, a tyrant, and a murderer! For thousands of years, he is attacked and raided the shores of Ulthuan along with other lands just to reclaim his place as Phoenix King! He rules the land of Naggaroth with an iron fist! Along with his wretched mother, Morathi!"
Tyrion paused until his brother had calmed down.
"What my brother speaks true. Malekith is a powerful druchii. One who combines both magic and ferocity by tenfold. He is not someone we could bring in, peacefully. He will no doubt fight with every ounce of fire in him." Teclis explained only to see Doom Slayer tilt his head in confusion.
"You'll have to excuse him, but we're not quite familiar with these names and terms you throw at us. Keep it to a minimum." Hayden clarified.
"Ah, I nearly forgot that you are not of this world. You are in Ulthuan, home of the Asur - or High Elves in the human tongue - and the Druchii - the Dark Elves - live in Naggaroth; north of where we are. To simply put, we are a divided people with differing philosophies." Teclis explained in the shortest way he could describe.
"Which means you need him to bring this... 'witch-king' back here, correct?"
"In a way, yes." Teclis replied. "But he needs to be alive so that he could be given trial. Killing him would only hasten the End Times. I ask yo- no, I beg you to bring him alive for the sake of our king's final wishes."
Teclis' pleas were met with only silence again. However, he soon noticed that the Slayer was doing it not of apathy, but studying his character. As if truly judging his soul and motivation. Moments passed, and the Slayer deemed fit to answer.
A respectful nod was all he needed. Teclis sighed in relief.
"He will agree to your terms." Hayden answered. Teclis was content with it, while Tyrion looked stunned.
"You can't be serious..." Tyrion all but said in complete disbelief. "Did you not listen to a word of what we just said?! Malekith is a powerful enemy! And you think you can just drag the Witch-King here without even considering the dangers of heading straight into the Land of Chill?! One does not simply walk into Naggaroth! it is the home to the most vicious and sadistic of our kind! Murderers, rapists, slavers and many more of the worst scum you can possibly imagine! You'll be facing an entire continent even if you bring an army! You are but ONE man against them!"
"Somehow, I doubt that'll be enough to convince him to reconsider." Hayden dryly responded. It was thhe same dryness that Teclis was known for. And much like Teclis', it had the same effect - if not - more amplified to Tyrion's outrage. Before Tyrion could retort, Teclis decided it was time to end this tirade. He stood back up and stood in between the two.
"Brother, please, there's no need to further escalations than it already has." Teclis reasoned. He sighed in defeat. "What transpired here was unfortunate, I know that. And I will take full responsibility and see that this has been resolved. All I'm asking of you is to have faith in me, once more. Both for Finubar and all of Ulthuan."
Tyrion looked conflicted as always whenever his brother became the voice of reason. Through and through, Teclis always broke though him to see the good they could bring to the world. Yet, this time, he may not be so lucky.
Who was he kidding? It worked as always.
Tyrion grumbled, but agreed no less.
"If what Finubar had given to you is true... then I will allow it. But I can't exactly defend... 'him' and his spirit when they're brought to the Court!" Tyrion responded.
"Then I shall stand by for him as his defendant." Teclis calmly replied.
"Do what you will. But the guards will watch him under lock and key, am I clear?"
"I understand." Teclis answered. Tyrion departed soon after. His voice ringing outside the doors as he taken orders. Teclis turned back to the Slayer, who waited patiently throughout the heated argument.
"I am terribly sorry that you had to witness all of this. Your arrival has been very mis-timed. And I cannot apologize enough for the troubles I heaped on you. But you are welcomed in Ulthuan, in spite of what transpired. I will have you located to a housing where you can rest. However, you will be closely supervised by my brother and his guards for the duration of his stay." Teclis explained in detail.
"Thank you, Teclis. It was a pleasure doing business with you. It is not the first time he was treated with hostility. Yet I feel that we hold responsible for killing your king. We were not aware he was even here when we arrived." Hayden lamented. Teclis nodded in gratitude.
"I thank you for your gesture, but there's no need for it. King Finubar believed that the Slayer holds the key to saving our world. Doing so will alleviate the burden."
Slayer silently nodded. Teclis gestured the both of them to follow him back downstairs.
"Shall we?" Doom Slayer needn't respond. Only walked when he did.
"I have a feeling that we will get along just fine."
Later in Eataine...
Tyrion was livid with Teclis' recent disaster.
Not only did he had to break the news of his long-time friend's passing to both the Phoenix Court and the Everqueen, his brother was now playing host to that savage and his spirit!
The thought of Teclis consorting with the beast made his blood boil.
Did he honestly believe that his "guest" could seriously bring back Malekith in one piece? If it was his head, Tyrion would doubt less, but alive? Not a chance that'll ever happen!
But here he was! Riding with the rest of his entourage of guards with his brother riding beside him. The body of Finubar was carried in a cart hidden with Teclis' magic, disguised as a wagon full of supplies. But that did not sway his worries.
The spirit within the stranger was exchanging his foul words to his brother in public. Without shame!
The audacity!
He knew Teclis can be curious of the outside world, but this? This was an affront to Ulthuan! Asuryan was damning his soul by now for this sacrilege! He just knows it!
It was fortunate that he had enough guards to keep an eye on the stranger. Yet he probably wished he brought more. Taking a glance, he could sense the stranger was more than capable of taking all eight at once. Even the guards were growing tense as the void in his helmet revealed eyes that were in a perpetual state of anger. One snap would've been enough to break their resolve despite years of discipline instilled in them.
How lucky was it that Teclis had summoned a portal to shorten their travel. They were in Eataine as of now, and it was rather depressing to know that it won't be the same with Finubar out of the picture. It was still night as usual, which Tyrion was thankful for since none of the citizens were awake at this hour. Yet, even with the illusion on, had it been daytime, the crowd would be in riot and the Court would be at each other's throats on who would become the next king.
He expected Teclis to do better than this. Yet, time and time, fate has told him that his brother would always be right in the darkest hours. But for how long could he keep this up? Explaining to the Court that Finubar died in Teclis' tower only to have this hulking behemoth appear right after would've brought him under massive scrutiny.
Whatever tricks his brother had, he better use them all.
Shifting his thoughts, he looked to the scenery around him. They had just passed several vineyards and were about to set foot in Lothern. The sight of its gates were one of many marvels that Ulthuan had been known for. And that was merely scratching the surface. Inside was perhaps the most bustling city that the Island had ever boasted. Many of its dwellers were comprised of not just Asur, but also humans and dwarfs. It's placement near the waters made it a mercantile cosmopolitan; where trade and commercial goods were the norm, and many facets of life can co-exist without fear and prejudice. Tyrion was never one to show much care for the latter two races - showing his preference towards fellow Asur - he respected Finubar's policies and efforts to repair and improve relations with the outside world.
Something that Eataine must live without. And with his friend long passed from this world, he would soon have to take up the mantle as Eataine's ruler. Along with maintaining the relations that he once looked down upon.
Arriving at the gates, the guards overlooking the passage recognised their liege and soon opened the gates for him and his company.
Home, sweet home.
Lothern
The City Gates - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim OST
Doom Slayer was never much into the architecture in most cities. But the city he had entered made him appreciate the beauty of the structures.
Despite being night by now, where most folks were asleep, the city of Lothern had its charm.
Towers that reached the skies, cobblestone roads leading to different various places, and a port by the sea that showed several merchant ships moored nearby, and a hundred shops or more where trade could be made.
It reminded him of Argent D'Nur, or perhaps a city on Earth. From a time before Hell's invasion. How regretful it was to know that this will be just one of many ready to be besieged by a malevolent force.
The company stopped as they arrived at their destination. A parliament building made from what was presumably white marble. While beautiful to the truly curious, in the eyes of the Slayer, it was an eye sore. There was not much he can take into detail, save for the architecture resembling that of Gothic Revival-style, and its flags that had the emblems of a blue shield with a red gem at the centre over a white background.
They arrived at the stables and mounted off of their horses. Doom Slayer patted the horse gently to thank it. It had gotten tense when he rode on it but he hoped the pats were enough to calm it. The illusion spell soon dissipated and the guards quickly but carefully carried Finubar's body from unseen eyes. They entered the building, and Tyrion announced his intentions.
"There's a mortuary inside. We'll have to place him there until dawn. Then we will hold a funeral and the Court will answer to it. Not a word gets out of here. If I find out one of you spilled out about this, you can expect a flogging and leave in disgrace without pay! Am I clear?" Tyrion stated. Every guard nodded out of fear and did their duties to avoid the prince's wrath. Doom Slayer watched with amusement as they made careful steps as they carried the King back further in. He soon brought his attention to both brothers.
"While they are gone, I will see to it that you are given shelter for the time being." Teclis suggested. Tyrion could only sneer.
"Tsk! You still treat him like he's a noble. Ought to just throw him in a cell and be done with it."
"We appreciate the concerns you have, Prince Tyrion." Hayden replied. "But your brother means well."
"Don't even think of poisoning me with your words, spirit!" Tyrion retorted. He left the two in anger, leaving Teclis to sigh in disappointment. Leaving out of earshot, Hayden spoke much to the Slayer's annoyance.
"Family drama can be quite a burden at times. Believe me, I have seen my fair share of it."
"Aye, but he means well. Always there for me when I was in a bit of rut. Whenever I fell down, he always picked me back up again. But I have placed too much on his shoulders, and the coming days will see to that." Teclis reflected on. He then gestured the two to follow him.
"If you'll follow me." Doom Slayer walked alongside him. The two exited the parliament and walked through the many districts that populated Lothern. Behind the two were a couple of guards currently tailing them.
"My brother's men have been instructed to keep an eye on you, Slayer. I hope there's no hard feelings between us." Doom Slayer shaked his head in response.
"Your brother has every right to do so." Hayden agreed. "We are strangers in this world. Can't convince him to change his mind, otherwise."
"Of that, I'm well-aware." Teclis replied. They continued for another ten minutes before they arrived at what was presumably a luxurious inn. Voices were heard from within, the sounds of boisterous laughter and old tales of nostalgia filled the air. As soon as they entered, however, the sight of their presence had silenced the entire room. The High Loremaster and his guards escorting a strange-looking knight made quite a scene, as it was expected. Although, now that it had occurred to him, Doom Slayer realized that a lot of these patron staring at them were comprised of elves, humans, and dwarves.
He was in a freaking fantasy world.
Granted, Teclis did mention "elves", he just wasn't paying much attention to all of that exposition he had to sit through. But still, it was something out of The Demon's Scroll VI: Slayerborn. Teclis walked up to the innkeeper; another Asur who had been looking nervously as the loremaster approached.
"I would like a room for one please. Your finest."
"A-At will, my lord!" The innkeeper hastily went under the counter, and took out a pair of keys before leading them upstairs.
The room was large and lavish. Full of marble and and pristine stone, it boasted some of the finest furniture the inn had to offer and catered only to the wealthiest. Maybe not for a king, but definitely for a minor noble or wealthy merchant. The innkeeper was doing his best not to be overly excited by Teclis' appearance, which was rather hard to do since the sight four important looking men were really nerve-wrecking.
"Thank you, innkeeper." Teclis said in gratitude. "Put this on my tab, will you? I believe this is where we part ways."
"O-Of course, milord!" The innkeeper soon left in haste, closing the door behind. Teclis look to the guards.
"Remain outside while I part words with the man before my leave." The guards did as ordered, and awaited outside of the room. Teclis quickly made a hand gesture and a dome surrounded both men.
"You'll have to forgive the magic, but I've neglected some important details back at the tower. Details that none must know until it has been done."
Teclis sighed heavily, but Doom Slayer, and presumably Hayden, waited patiently for the spilled secrets.
"I didn't lie when I begged of you to retrieve Malekith. However, what I've failed to mention were the reasons for it." Teclis then looked straight into through Doom Slayer's visor.
"I need him alive so that he may be put through the Flame of Asuryan. So that he may become Phoenix King."
Doom Slayer could only clench his fists in anger at more secrets, but held back to allow the Asur to explain further. Teclis noticed and carefully thought of the next words before speaking. How fortunate of Hayden to speak his mind.
"What you are asking is of grave consequence. It will be a blow to your people. Your brother said it himself, he is a 'slaver, tyrant, and murderer.' Loud and clear, in fact." Hayden repeat. Teclis' face soured with the reminder.
"I know, Hayden. And I wish to see him be brought to justice as much as my people!" Teclis exclaimed, before calming down. "But by doing so, I would break my promise to Finubar. And besides that, I had tried to find the answers elsewhere. All of them either futile... or require sacrifices. Sacrifices that I will not bring myself to do."
Teclis looked back at him with regret. "I know what you are. Who you are. And I won't make the pretenses that the limited choices I had before your arrival would've brought the world to shame because of my actions. You are the only person who could perhaps do the impossible. You are the only one who stands between the world and Chaos. I could ill afford to allow myself to do the things only the most monstrous could."
Doom Slayer studied him carefully. He had been listening to his words since he pleaded. That was always an early sign of manipulation. Second sign was knowing what he was, then the "using everything in his powers" speech. All too much like Hayden.
He learned a lot from the doctor, and the bastard was lucky enough to not be placed on his shitlist of people he's killed. Right behind demons, Khan Maykr, the Hell Priests, and Olivia Pierce. He let it slide, however, due to his resourcefulness and enough of a heart to fight for home. For the time being, of course.
However, seeing the Asur's eyes, there was never an ounce of lying. No manipulations, no cheating, no cutthroating. Only cold honesty and bitter truth. In response, he relaxed his shoulder. Hayden - to his credit - spilled some of his beans.
"You have my empathy. I, too, would do the same for my world. Unfortunately, the sacrifices I made for the betterment of Mankind was pointless... and far more sinister than I had bargain for."
Doom Slayer did empathise as well. However, the difference between him and Hayden had the same distance between the Sun and Pluto. Still, he appreciated the Asur's honesty. Teclis could only look on in surprise, but a small smile was enough to give him composure.
"Thank you..." Teclis said, gesturing his hand once more to remove the dome. "We'll discuss this further another time. Away from prying ears. I will escort you by next morning to attend the funeral. For now, enjoy your stay."
"Thank you, Teclis. Have a good night." Hayden replied. The loremaster soon left the room, with only the guards still staying outside the door at Tyrion's behest. Doom Slayer looked and figured what his next steps would be.
"Might as well rest up now. Can do no wrong for such." Hayden suggested. There was a truth to that. Doom Slayer decided to take a look over the balcony and witnessed the best scenery for a long time.
The lights dazzling in the streets below and the stars ever shining above him. In the skies, he saw two moons. One that was not unlike Earth, except whole again. The other a sickly-green coloured that orbited ominously next to its twin. A strange view, but it was reminiscent of time forgotten.
It was time for bed, Doom Slayer thought. He turned off the lights and proceeded for the comfy-looking bed.
Across the Inn
Kroch Bonepicker watched from a distance as the strange man-thing entered the inn. He had been tracking them since he had entered the city. And there were many surprises he had discovered. From the knife-ear king's death to the odd man-thing coming out of nowhere, he just had to know a lot from them before he reported back. However, Clan Eshin had recieved orders by the Council of Thirteen that they were to eliminate the man-thing that knife-eared wizard had summoned.
And what joy it was that they picked him for this mission.
Kroch had been doing the occasional assassination hits on minor nobles or other ambitious skaven for the past twenty moons. He had grown tired of the miniscule work involved. Poisoning and stabbing in the shadows. All of his targets were practically walking around the corner in the Skaven's view. All he had to do was pull out a knife and run for it.
Yet, he dreamed of rising above his station. He wanted to stand above his peers and became the greatest Skaven assassin from the likes of Deathmaster Snikch. He desired the thought of killing the Emperor Karl Franz or King Thorgrim Grudgebearer. Then, he would have everything he wanted.
Breeders, warpstone drugs, and respect.
So, how excited it was that his target had the most intriguing appearance. He dressed like one of those weird shiny armored men who had terrible accents and even worse egos that enjoyed killing in spare time. Except his armor was very strange even by dwarfen designs. So many things about it would probably be mouth-watering to the dwarfs even. But he'll take it before any could grab with their stubby little paws.
"Must have-take shiny bits for mine-own. Make Kroch look-see better by skaven as great assassin-killer." He squeeked. He spied on the two and saw that they had the shiniest room the inn picked for them. After some chatting with the innkeeper, it was only the knife-ear and stranger man-thing that remained in the room. However, he had to wait as a magic dome covered them both of them. He was frustrated that he was unable to get in a word of anything inside the dome, and probably would've jumped both of them for a quick kill. But waited since it was not ideal to attack a powerful wizard. So he focused on the man-thing instead.
The dome soon disappeared and the elf wizard soon left. Now it was just the man-thing only. Thus, he waited.
Later that evening...
A few hours had passed. By this time, the man-thing would've drifted off to sleep by now.
Kroch made his move. He ran through the roofs and jumped off the balconies and began climbing to where the man-thing was. Reaching the highest balcony of his inn, he slowly climbed to find the door to his room left open. It was a good thing since he didn't have to pick through the lock as he usually. Tedious work, it was. Carefully but slowly, he snuck his way without a single noise. He looked towards his surroundings, before eyeing on the bed. There he was, sleeping like a rat pup. Snoring loudly like a dward. He still had his helmet on for some reason, but he figured he would be prepared for an attack.
Still, not prepared enough to be awake at this moment. Reaching for his warpstone daggers, he relished the moment that came with the kill and plunged his blades deep within the man-thing, after.
Or that what was supposed to happened until the body before him actually exploded with feathers instead of the blood he expected. Confused, he pulled the blanket over to find a pile of pillows bundled up together to look like a body.
Kroch had made two of the biggest mistakes an assassin would ever make. One was not inspecting his target closely to see if he even was asleep. And two, he fell for a trap.
*BANG*
The loudest noise rang through the air. So loud, it must've woke the entire inn and half the city. Kroch witnessed blood splatter all over the walls and bed frame. Except it was his blood that painted the walls red. He felt a sharp pain and lifted a hand over his chest... only to find a hole where his heart used to be. He coughed up blood and fell over to his side. He could hear the footsteps approaching his dying body, and saw his killer before him. He saw the man-thing helmetless standing over him. And never in his twenty moons had he seen so much hatred behind those terrifying gray eyes. The man-thing would look down at the Skaven with utter disgust.
A kick to the door could be heard, but Kroch's last few moments were met with the man-thing's boot pressed onto his face, before the his head caved under the pressure of the crushing boot.
Doom Slayer looked at the thing below his feet. It was a disgusting rat-looking creature that attempted to murder him in his sleep.
Before, he had noticed the faint movement of something in the shadows outside as he looked over the balcony. A lifetime of surviving in Hell and fighting with the Night Sentinels had honed his senses to be sharp enough to detect the faintest dangers ahead of him. He set up a trap to lure in that rat-thing. Which wasn't that much complicated. It was practically a beginner's example that even a child could do.
And the thing completely fell for it!
He was kind of expecting a bit of danger involved but wound up in disappointment. The rat died pretty stupidly.
His super shotgun made one hell of a racket in the inn as the guards kicked down the door behind him. He casually put his helmet on before any of the guards got a closer look.
"What happened?! Do you nee-oh." A guard said, before he realized there was no need to assist Doom Slayer. Both guards looked on in shock to see the man walk away from the corpse of the rat creature. As always, Hayden spoke for him.
"I believe we have had a intrusion in our quarters. But don't worry, it's been taken care of."
The guards could only stare each other, contemplating on what to do next.
"Th-Then I suppose we will inform the Prince about the attack, then." One of the guards said.
"No need. Inform the loremaster in the morning. We'll book another room. Get someone to clean up this mess. Goodnight."
On cue, Doom Slayer walked off and the guards moved aside without hesitation. He exited to see a bunch of inn dwellers looking on in shock as the Slayer made his way downstairs.
This time, he was picking one of the more rustic rooms. And place it on Teclis' tab.
The Realm of Blood
Khorne chuckled as one of the the Horned Rat's spawn attempted to murder the Slayer in his sleep.
As if it could ever succeed.
Not a day in, and the Doom Slayer had already left his mark on the world. And the coming days would bring so much glory. Shame that they were on opposite sides, for he would've been a worthy champion. Alas, his hatred for all daemons was very much clear. If admirable.
For some time, he had been rebuilding the skull throne back to its original form, if a bit of a back tracking. Any other time, he would've been royally pissed. But with the Doom Slayer, he gave him an exception.
As he continued rebuilding, two individuals had made their appearance before him.
First was his beloved chosen, Valkia, who walked with the grace of a warrior ready for battle. Her horns flared up with the flames of wrath and her armor and weapons were plain in sight. She was the Eye of the Beholder for the god. Her expressions, however, were that of concern.
The second, however, soured his mood quite a bit.
Archaon. The Everchosen. The latest line of disappointing warlords to ever grace his halls. While Khorne was content with him leading the armies of Chaos, he never found Archaon to be that much worthy in his eyes. The only reason he still lives was because of a pact he made with the other gods that they agreed on picking a warrior outside of the Chaos Horde, where he neither favored any of the Four, yet could cull in their army to attack the rest of the Old World.
He was still displeased but kept up the stoic act.
"What do you seek, Everchosen?"
"I seek answers, Blood God." Archaon demanded. Khorne was slightly infuriated by his tone, but let it pass for now.
"Find answers elsewhere, little man. I hear Tzeentch's circle is always available to your needs."
"I would have done that earlier but his followers have been babbling worse than mad men. Along with every follower of Nurgle and Slaanesh."
"Pity." Khorne carelessly replied. "Tzeentch has always been the talkative one. And as you can see, I am very much preoccupied with other things."
"W-What happened here, my love? Why has your throne collapsed?" Valkia sincerely asked with a soft tone.
"Nothing to worry about, my dear." Khorne affectionately replied. "Needed a little touch up, that's all."
"And what about my concerns?" Archaon questioned in irritation."Nearly a quarter of my army is barely left standing, while the rest go insane from some sort of illness! You, of all the Gods, are the only one who's been stable as your Khornates show! Never have I seen such organization from the likes of you!"
Khorne was beginning to get angry at the increased tone. But with some effort, he was able to hold on a bit longer.
"Mind your tongue, boy." Khorne warned, without even so much as looking back. "You may be the Everchosen, but I am a God of Chaos. One more insult, and you will lose my favour - along with my followers - leaving you to deal with the others. As you have said, they have gone madder than mad men. Care to push further?"
Khorne could sense Archaon was fuming underneath his helmet. The Everchosen was about ready to lash out, but decided to wisely bite his tongue. Valkia, gave a mere scornful glance towards her companion, not approving of his demeanour in front of her paramour. She then spoke up in turn to try and reason with him.
"My love, he does speak true of our army's current morale. We do seek the answers but you are the only one who knows what's happening. The other gods... are less than sound to deliver."
Khorne could only catch his breath and turned to look at Valkia with genuine affection.
"There is... a new arrival. In Ulthuan." He answered. "A warrior. Beyond this realm. He has made a distinction by claiming thousands of souls. Demons, in fact. For eons, he has brought reckoning and destruction against the horde. Chaos included.
We were there when his world was destroyed. The leader of the Horde, Davoth, promised us that he'll share his power, in exchange for our armies. In return, we revelled in our own glory."
Both champions listened intently as the words flew out of the God's mouth.
"At the time, it was but another world riped for our taking. Destroyed like so many others. The screams of a billion souls were enough to temporarily quell our hunger. Of course, there was a complication. Only one soul remained.
His name has since been long forgotten but was a very determined one. Always fighting to the last breath. The demons thought he'd eventually tire out and attempted to kill him from time to time. But no matter how many of their numbers they threw at him, he would come back up bruised and bloodied... and win. His hatred proved to be strong against the horde, and it made demons frarBad enough that we had to send in our own. Didn't stick, quite frankly."
Khorne shortly reminisced of the Slayer's work, taking a brief break from talking before continuing.
"I'll admit, he had my respect - as did the others - but by then he was insignificant to us. Even when he killed scores of our legion, he was... wasted potential. But as he kept killing, the Demons had lost complete control of trying to get rid of him. So bad that he wound up trapping himself in Hell for a brief period. Sensing weakness, we turned on them and left to fend for themselves. But by then, I missed him."
Valkia looked at him pleasantly as he told his story. Archaon, on the other hand, became impatient and would've interrupted had Khorne's Bride not give him another scornful glance. The Everchosen grumbled and kept his mouth shut until the end.
"It wasn't until we arrived on the realm of Argent D'nur - right around when our old 'associates' returned - did we finally meet again. And then, did his potential become... greater. Before, he fought like an animal. Always sluggish and sloppy in his techniques, I would've found him unworthy of my time. But his time spent with the Argenta had made him the perfect killing machine. His anger, no longer an uncontrolled blaze, instead was replaced with controlled hatred. Thousands of legions had fallen at his hands with great ferocity and unmatched skill. We sent titans and champions in an attempt to break him and destroy his new home in the process... but no.
His resolve was unbreakable. His will indomitable. Rage... perfected. And soon, the demons feared him. And then... to us. He has caused quite a nightmare for everyone of us. As we speak, Tzeentch is screaming his head out; Nurgle is crying himself with snot and drool flooding out of his tear ducts; and Slaanesh... well, She has been unresponsive. Best we don't speak about hir feelings. As for my myself? Heh. Rejoiced to see his return."
So far, Archaon lost all of his anger and was instead replaced with fascination. A man who the put the fear in gods? That stirred his mind quite well. Valkia, on the other hand, was nothing more than astonished to hear of such a legend. Yet, fearful of what he was capable of. Still, the Everchosen remained curious.
"What is his name? If I may ask."
Khorne sighed when asked.
"As I said, his name is long forgotten. But the demons gave him many. The Unchained Predator, The Hellwalker, Hell's Bane, The Hound of Argent D'Nur... but only one stood out among many. One named by the Argenta themselves... Doom Slayer."
As he said it, many of the Bloodletters shivered and cowered in fear at the name. While Bloodthirsters hissed and cursed his name. Something neither of the two champions had ever predicted. Khorne finally had enough and finished his words.
"The Doom Slayer now walks among us. So intent of annihilating our hold in this world that fear has gripped the others with terror. Be wary of him, and do not underestimate his power. Where ever He goes, Death follows."
Archaon, feeling satisfied with the answer recieved, bowed in respect.
"I thank you, master. I humbly apologise for being rude. Your wisdom has been greatly needed."
"Tsk. Don't be. Think on what I've said. Death awaits for the foolish. Return to your army, for they are without a leader."
"As you will it, master." Archaon turned his back and departed from the realm; returning to the Old World. Valkia was about to leave as well, but Khorne stopped her from doing so.
"Valkia, I must ask you to stay. For a bit, at least."
His bride looked on with confusion and worry.
"Is something wrong, my love? If you'd like I can stay here an-" Khorne raised his hand and stopped her worries. His form changed to that of a great warrior in human form. His armor ever gleaming and face, strong as a mountain and bearded as the snow at the peak. His smile warmed her just as he caressed her cheek with one hand.
"There is nothing you should concern yourself with. Fear is what our enemy understands. Not you."
"But the way you describe the Slayer... he represents an anathema... to the glory that is you... and the wretched that are the other gods... you know that is something I cannot just wash away from memory."
His smile revealed a tinge of sadness as she spoke. Out of everything that wasn't blood and war, she was the one that he had grown attached to the most. Since her birth, her devotion to him gave new life inside that he had never predicted. It was different to all that he experienced. And something he would never admit. Especially Slaanesh. But he did his damndest to be as caring as he could. He looked her in the eyes, and spoke.
"I cannot change what is in your mind, but remember that I am not a mortal. My domain is in War. It is to be expected that I must express what I represent and I have nothing to fear against him... which is why you must never face him, head on."
Valkia could looked on in shock at what he requested. Khorne was the God of War and Blood. And he requests her to flee from this man? This... Slayer? It was unthinkable! She wanted to protest and rebel at the thought.
"My beloved, that is unthinkable! Why woul-"
"I know what I said contradicts before. I do not fear him for I am War itself. But for you... that is different. You have no idea what he is capable of. Promise to never face him head on..."
A thousand emotions were screaming inside her. So many things that she could have been said from her. But she relented, and looked at him solemnly.
"...If that is your request, then I shall obey your will, husband." She accepted. Khorne smiled, if only sullen for his request.
"Good. Do return to this realm when you have the chance. Your presence has been oft longing around here."
"I will, my love." Valkia looked back at him again, one more time before leaving.
Now, Khorne was left to his own device. Figuring out which skull to place next.
Chaos Wastes
Valkia returned to the Old World, right after the worrying experience in Khorne's realm.
Did the Gods truly fear this man? What makes him so terrifying that they themselves cannot fight on their own? And is there a way to even stop him from murdering her greatest love?
So many questions raced in her mind that it was hurting her. She quicked shaked the feeling off and returned to the others.
Archaon was awaiting at the top of the hill of where he oversaw the entire army. Much had been quieted down after the huge wave of madness. Now, everything has been calmed for the time being. Tzeentch's followers were still raving but have mostly kept to isolating themselves; Nurglites were quiet and stopped crying but stayed eerily stiff to the point most of the Warriors just thought they were dead... and stayed away from them as usual. Slaaneshi, however, were practically restrained in chains and struggled in futile to release themselvess. They've been trying to scream even as their mouths were gagged with cloth, with some biting their own tongues off just to release themselves from the pain.
Only the Khornates and Chaos Warriors were left to their own idle hands. It was quite strange to see the Followers of Khorne doing... normal work. She had seen several of them chatting and minding their own business like they had just taken a break from working the fields. Even the Chaos Warrior were relatively freaked out by this new developement and wished they would just go back to going berserk. Given Khorne's demeanour, it was indeed odd, she thought.
She walked up to him and awaited his orders.
"Everchosen, shall we wait until the Chaos are back in order? Or do you wish to continue as planned?" She asked. Archaon stayed silent, barely registering her appearance.
"... It is strange to hear the Gods being so afraid." He started, causing Valkia to raise an eyebrow "Since their birth, none have been opposed save for the likes of Sigmar or Aenarion or whatever martyrs the Southerners praise these days. Chaos grows strongers while their gods grow weaker... until now. And only one man was able to do all of this just by stepping into our world."
Archaon pointed a hand into the crowd below
"What are you getting at, Archaon?" Valkia questioned, accusatively.
"What I'm getting at is that there's a being more powerful than Chaos itself, and it could rival them not unlike Sigmar. If that is true, then he must be dealt with, immediately."
"But what of the army? Most of them can barely hold themselves together without pissing themselves in the middle of a march!"
"No... but the Khornates seem just fine enough." Archaon turned back to Valkia with a neutral expression. "We will continue our plans as scheduled. Gather your troops and march them off to Naggaroth. Then you will bring me the head of this... 'Doom Slayer' that the Gods fear so much about in Ulthuan. We are done here."
Valkia struggled on whether to obey her husband's or the Everchosen, but decided to choose the latter, for it was not worth worrying about.
"As you wish, Everchosen." She bowed in respect and walked back to the Khornates.
Valkia continuously wondered about the Doom Slayer. What could he possibly be to make himself the nightmare of Gods?
She was already heading towards Alfheim after dealing with the Dark Elves, so it couldn't be that bad... could it?
To be continued...
I am done! And HOLY SH*T! I NEVER expected the overwhelming positive reception from all of you guys! Seriously. One chapter! Just ONE, and in just one week only, I manage to get 100 followers and pass over 1,000 views because of all of you!
I am honestly touched by this! I didn't think it would gather this much attention when I brainstormed this! Just played Doom, wrote about it, and then BOOM! Profit!
But in all seriousness, I honestly appreciate the warm reception.
Anyways, some important notes: I actually thought about making this chapter a bit of a slowburn (as in no ripping and tearing just yet)... buuuuut it wouldn't really be a Doom crossover if it didn't involve some healthy dose of violence. Didn't want to give you all blueballs. ;)
Also, I will be also giving some layers to Chaos and their minions. Please, let me know if I'm doing it wrong. I have a tendency to give the villains some humanizing moments. A bit of a habit when you read too much about morally ambiguous characters. I know!
And now, I get answer some reviews that were begging me to write about, so hopefully I can respond them with love!
As for the rest of you guys, I thank you for all the positivity! See ya back when I have the next chapter ready! Peace out to all! Bye, guys!
