"Shit, I look like a fucking mess..." Angel Dust said with a chuckle as he looked at himself in a mirror.
That...was embarrassing. Angel Dust couldn't remember the last time he sobbed like an infant. And to do so in front of Samuel and Doomguy was the worst thing that could've happened. He probably made things super awkward for them.
But there'd be time to dwell on this humiliation later; for now, Angel Dust had to make himself presentable again. Having been escorted to a nearby bathroom by Doomguy after he stopped weeping, he now stood in front of a wall-length mirror to clean himself up. Luckily for the spider demon, he hadn't put makeup on. So, all he needed to do was wash his face to help straighten the messy fur caused by his tears.
After turning on the faucet in front of himself, Angel Dust got to work. It wouldn't take long, only a few minutes. Eventually, he looked so normal you couldn't tell he had recently allowed his bottled-up emotions to spill out.
"There, that should do it." Angel Dust decided, feeling like he was ready to go.
Although the restroom lacked towels of any sort, wall-mounted hand dryers were at both ends of the row of sinks. Walking to the one closest to the entrance, Angel Dust stuck his head beneath it and press the button to turn it on.
"Damn, this feels better than my blow dryer." Angel Dust discovered, now closing his eyes to enjoy it. "I wonder if Sammy boy's got these in consumer size?" He wondered aloud.
Continuing to savor the perfectly heated air for a minute or so more, soon Angel Dust was dry, allowing him to stand back up straight. With that, this sensual spider was ready to face the world again.
"Alright, I'm good to go!" Angel Dust exclaimed while exiting the restroom. Doomguy, who was still there, was leaning against the opposite wall.
With their multi-limbed guest ready and eager to get back on track, Doomguy began leading Angel Dust again. However, when they reached the corridor that led to Samuel's office, Angel Dust was surprised to find they were headed for the elevator at the other end.
"Are we going back to the room I woke up in?" Angel Dust asked, receiving a nod for confirmation. "Is there something wrong? Do I need a checkup or something?" He inquired, this time receiving a headshake.
Huh, this was a surprising turn. But whatever was going on; Angel Dust was along for the ride no matter what. So, he casually strolled into the lift and rode it down with Doomguy. Upon arriving at their destination, they walked to the room where the first thing Angel Dust saw was Samuel at work.
The second thing he saw was a demon. To be specific, it was a demon that looked normal by Angel Dust's standards, which meant that it was a Sinner from his Hell. His reaction to this discovery was precisely what Samuel and Doomguy expected.
"Seriously? You saved someone else?" Angel Dust asked, immediately turning towards the silent hero. "Isn't everything you two are doing meant to be on the down low?" He added.
"It is. But that was before we confirmed the drastic differences between your Hell and the one we're familiar with." Samuel answered, his focus remaining on the unconscious demon. Who, Angel Dust realized as they got closer, was a woman. "Furthermore, my partner cannot stand by when something that irks him is unfolding within his vicinity. Such was the case during his latest survey, which happened simultaneously with the Extermination. Of which, we still know little of." He explained.
"Ah. I get it. You big softie." Angel Dust replied with a smirk, lightly punching Doomguy on his right arm. "You saw a damsel in distress, and like some action hero, you had to go in and save her. It probably happened in an alley, too, right?" He guessed, receiving a nod. "Ha! Holy shit! That is such textbook heartthrob material right there." He said with a chuckle.
"Yes. And now I have another patient to tend to." Samuel continued to speak as he worked. "Thankfully, he managed to arrive before any physical harm could befall her. Her current unconscious state is a result of exhaustion and shock. She was barely through the portal before passing out. However, she did have a few scars and old wounds, likely received during the past few months in your Hell's time. Those are what I'm currently treating." He informed them.
"So, like me, she has no idea what the fuck is going on right now." Angel Dust assumed.
"Correct. As far as she's aware, she's sleeping in her bed. I imagine the only thing she recalls from the ordeal is that someone intervened to save her from the Exterminator trying to end her life." Samuel responded before turning his head to look at the spider demon. "That is what you called them, yes?" He asked, not wanting to misspeak.
"Yup. That's right." Angel Dust confirmed.
"Could you provide more information regarding them and the Extermination?" Samuel requested while returning to his work.
"Uh, sure. I suppose I could." Angel Dust agreed. "Sorry in advance if this isn't the best description, though. I wouldn't be able to give you a history lesson or something else along those lines." He preemptively apologized.
"That's alright. What we need is a greater understanding, not an in-depth analysis. Anything you can offer is valued." Samuel assured.
"Okay, here goes." Angel Dust started, followed by a quick inhale to get himself ready. "The Extermination, or the Cleansing as Heaven calls it, is an annual event to deal with the overpopulation of Sinners. Actual Demons and Imps who aren't former humans can sometimes get caught up in the slaughter. But that typically only happens if they're stupid and leave themselves out in the open or try and pick a fight with one of the Exterminators. Even Overlords, powerful Sinners, are up for grabs if they make it too easy for the angels to get them. But the ones who Heaven's hitmen can NEVER kill are the Nobles and royal family. They keep Hell as shitty of a place as it is. Oh! And I nearly forgot to clarify that when an Exterminator kills one of us, it's different than normal. Nobody knows how it works, at least not to my knowledge. But when a Divine weapon kills you, it's like a final death. Yet if a Sinner, Demon, or Imp is killed by anything else, they'll come back to life in Hell." He told them, taking a brief second to think. "And...I'm pretty sure that's all I can tell ya. Other than it happens once a year and only lasts for a day. Sometimes, it can go for another day if the Sinners got good at hiding that year, but that rarely happens." He concluded.
Silence followed afterward. Even without readable faces, Angel Dust could tell Samuel and Doomguy were intensely thinking about what they had just heard.
"...That's not possible," Samuel spoke after a few minutes, confusing the spider demon.
"What...exactly are you referring to, Sammy?" Angel Dust questioned.
"The final death, you mentioned. It's not possible." Samuel clarified. Unfortunately, this only worsened the arachnid's confusion.
"And you would know this, how?..." Angel Dust inquired.
"Because despite the differences between our realities and the Hells we know, there are some things that remain unchanged. One of which is that a soul cannot be destroyed." Samuel stated.
Now, this was quite a shocking revelation to Angel Dust, as it would be for anyone from his reality. The general perception of an Exterminator or Divine weapon killing someone in Hell was a total erasure of that person. Yet here, Samuel claimed it wasn't, something that he would need to elaborate on.
"Could you tell me more?" Angel Dust requested. Their roles were now reversed as he needed answers.
"Certainly." Samuel agreed, having no issues with that. "A soul is malleable. It can be altered and used in a seemingly infinite number of ways. However, it cannot be depleted of its energy nor cease to exist. I've conducted several tests regarding this and have never been met with a different outcome. So, I can safely say that whatever happens to a soul when it meets the Divine weaponry of your reality is not deletion. My best guess, at this time, is that the soul is either collected or teleported." He explained.
"But what if the souls from my reality are different than the kind you two know? What if they have different properties or something? Isn't that possible?" Angel Dust suggested.
"A sound theory. This is why we confirmed this wasn't the case through more experimentation. It was not conducted on you or our new patient, mind you. Instead, we used the souls of your attackers." Samuel replied.
"You guys have those assholes' souls? For real?" Angel Dust asked with widened eyes.
"Indeed we do," Samuel answered before turning to point at Doomguy. "See that red dot on his chest? He has several throughout his suit. They absorb the souls and other present energy of those he kills. One of the armor's many features is it acts like a mobile storage unit for souls. Additionally, while they are within the suit, he receives power from them. But he does not lose it once the souls are removed. Think of a soul as an infinite source of energy. He maintains all he receives from those he's defeated as it is now a part of him, while the other party doesn't lose anything of itself. They'll feel drained and exhausted, of course. But they'll recover before long." He explained.
"Fuck..." Angel Dust said. It was the only thing he could think to say after that. "So...you're, like, infinitely powerful then, right? The more shit you kill, the stronger you become." He inquired, now speaking to Doomguy.
In reply, Doomguy nodded his head.
"Wow...just, wow..." Angel Dust muttered in disbelief. This dude could legitimately be a god killer or something similar. "...Hold on, what'd you do with the souls after you removed them from his suit? They ARE out of his suit, right?" He asked, looking back to Samuel.
"They're in a specially made containment cell. As of right now, they're in something akin to stasis. They don't feel anything. They're not conscious. It's more or less like they're in a coma." Samuel answered.
"Huh. Well, serves them right." Angel Dust said while folding his arms over his chest. "Trying to tap this ass without paying is one of the worst crimes you can commit." He added.
"Oh, and just so you're aware, we also have the souls of the Exterminators my partner killed," Samuel informed, once more surprising the spider demon.
"WAIT. YOU KILLED ANGELS?!" Angel Dust shouted in disbelief.
"I told you his rescue of this woman was during the Extermination. What else did you think he did to save her life?" Samuel questioned.
"I don't know! Maybe just...picked her up and ran?" Angel Dust guessed. "But...to think that you killed angels. That's...crazy..." He said.
"Has that never happened before? Or something of lesser significance, like an injury?" Samuel inquired.
"No! Exterminators are unstoppable! Even if an Overlord tried to do some stupid shit, they'd get put in their place IMMEDIATELY. You don't fuck with the Divine, no matter how powerful you think you are. They are legit the apexes of where I'm from." Angel Dust responded, needing to stress how unbelievable this was.
"And yet, they died so quickly. Perhaps they're not as powerful as they'd like to think." Samuel proposed, receiving a nod in agreement from Doomguy.
"Man, just when I think the two of you can't knock me off my feet anymore. Hot damn." Angel Dust carried on, still trying to process this. "Out of curiosity, what're you going to do with them? Are you going to keep them as prisoners, guinea pigs, what?" He asked.
"We're keeping them to study. But we plan to return them to your Hell once we've learned as much as possible." Samuel answered.
"How do you think that's going to go?" Angel Dust inquired.
"Exactly as we expect. Our existence will become known eventually; we can't remain unknown forever. But we'll be ready for that if nothing forces us to reveal ourselves before those souls are returned." Samuel replied.
"Huh, I guess you've got it all figured out, then." Angel Dust said before focusing back on the still-slumbering Sinner. "What about her? Are you gonna fill her in like with me? Or will you try and sneak her back into Hell before she wakes up?" He asked.
"It would be cruel of us to try and make her think what she experienced was only in her mind. We plan to show her the same courtesy and respect you've received." Samuel answered.
"Heh, I should've known." Angel Dust admitted with a smile. "So, is that it then? For now, I mean. Do we have anything else we need to talk about?" He inquired.
"No, I believe that is it. My associate will take you to the Slipgate when you're ready. I'd advise doing so sooner rather than later, as we don't want your absence to be noticed." Samuel replied.
"Yeah, it has been a bit. The others will start getting suspicious if I don't leave my room by now." Angel Dust agreed before turning around.
Waiting for Doomguy to take the lead, which he did a moment later, the duo returned to the elevator and headed back upstairs. The walk to the Slipgate was quiet. Even if Doomguy wasn't silent, there wasn't much more they had or wanted to say to one another for now. Yet when they reached their destination, and after the Slipgate had been activated with Angel Dust's room locked in, Doomguy prevented him from departing.
"Is something wrong?" Angel Dust asked, unsure of why his mute companion was now standing in his way.
In response, Doomguy held out both of his hands. A second later, two pistols suddenly manifested in his palms. But they weren't normal handguns.
"...Holy shit..." Angel Dust said quietly as he slowly took the firearms. "These...are mine. I...I lost them when I was attacked." He realized, beginning to look them over. "And...they're different. They have the same colors and customizations, but these beauties got an overhaul. I'm sure of it." He discovered before looking back at Doomguy. "Did...you do this?" He asked.
Although expected, Doomguy's nod in reply still floored the spider demon. This man not only saved Angel Dust's ass but also worked on and improved his pistols. Once that fully registered with Angel Dust, he couldn't keep himself from acting on impulse. Which, in this instance, was throwing his arms around Doomguy.
"Thank you." Angel Dust whispered as they embraced. That was all he could think to say, a simple expression of his ever-growing gratitude.
However, Doomguy didn't return the hug. But Angel Dust didn't think anything of it since it was a sudden reaction on his part. Plus, it only lasted a few seconds since he didn't want to make things awkward.
"See ya next time, big guy." Angel Dust bid farewell with a smile, followed by his departure through the portal.
Watching the spider demon disappear as he made it to the other side, Doomguy would shut off the Slipgate afterward. With their guest safely back home, he returned to the elevator to rejoin Samuel. Knowing that the robotic man would want to speak with him
"Before anything else is said, I would like to thank you first." Samuel began, his back facing his partner as he entered the room. "I know how difficult this has been for you. Or, to be more accurate, how strange. But it would seem that my assumption about this new Hell was true. It isn't the same as the one we know. Even when talking about the actual Hellspawn of their reality, they aren't beasts or monsters." He continued, now turning to face him. "Still, I'm aware of your restraint, and I am grateful for how you interacted with Angel. We must show him and everyone else that we are not their enemy." He stated.
In reply, Doomguy nodded his head. But he also tightened his fists, which needed no explanation.
"Don't worry. It's not as if I've forgotten about Doom." Samuel promised. "But we need to focus on this situation first. We need to establish a diplomatic relationship with the powers that be of this new reality. Once that's been achieved, we can reveal Doom's existence and the danger it possesses. Allowing you to resume your one-man crusade while I handle the politics and everything else that'll come with it." He told him.
Once again, Doomguy nodded. With his fists still clenched, he left the room.
"Hmph, good talk," Samuel said as he returned to treating his patient, whose care was nearly complete.