Testament XII: As The Demons Did Theirs

(Queue 'Therefore I Am' by Billie Eilish)

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Shamble's eye twitched as his superior's magnified, grating voice came over the hologram interface, the sound of demonic chanting and Billie Eilish playing in the background of his boss' lair, or wherever he was.

M'UST-BELLLI'VEN-TARAL'HEL-M'UST...

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN THE SLAYER IS ON EARTH?!"

"I can only tell you of what I witnessed, comrade-"

"You must've been blind then, 'comrade'!"

RANAR STER NY'RUUUUUURL…..

Shamble repressed his bemusement at being patronized. Even as a demonic reincarnation of his old self, he still had the discipline ingrained in him from his Soviet days, and he would never-

AL'THPHIR LARKNU REVIN-

"BLYAT, CAN SOMEONE SHUT THEM THE FUCK UP?!" Shamble shouted in fury, aimed specifically at the vague demonic chanting, which was beginning to overlap all the other sounds.

His superior visibly shrugged over the interface, waving a claw through the air, and the chanting came to a halt. For Shamble, it was still a disturbing sight to see someone so demonic-looking act with such casually human characteristics. He'd never met his boss in-person, nor did he know of his name, but he could see his physical features over the interface.

He was, in essence, a sort of tree-like humanoid; His body seemed to be made only out of some black, charred bark. However, every rupture and orifice-like hole on his features was radiating a deep, orange glow, as if possessed by an angry lightbulb. If it wasn't for his clear movements, Shamble would have mistaken him for a Halloween decoration.

"I didn't take you for one to get irritated with background noise."

"Is it background noise if I can't hear your voice over theirs?"

"Fair point. Now..."

His boss turned those malevolent, orange orbs to stare down Shamble over the interface.

"We must plot our next course of action."

Another disturbing trait of his boss, Shamble noticed; He'd switch moods on a dime, almost as if he were on a timer. It mattered not what the occasion, situation or news was - He would rotate through various behaviors like he was trying them on as clothing. It was an unsettling thing to watch, almost like he was possessed by a spirit who was trying to mimic human behavior and was practicing.

"Well...comrade…" Shamble started, beginning to find it particularly difficult to use a term of endearment. "I believe that his appearance means we must adjust our way of waging war."

His boss was silent, a gesture for Shamble to continue speaking. Shamble straightened his officer's cap, then stood at attention, ready to present his ideas, which he had spent a few hours prior constructing as a basis for his plans.

"What are you doing?"

Shamble was interrupted from the start of his speech suddenly, which irked him immensely.

"What...do you mean, comrade?" Shamble hissed through his fangs.

"Why are you standing like that?"

"...It's a formal habit. You say 'at ease' when you want me to speak my point."

His boss stared at him as if he were demented for a few moments (further pissing off Shamble) before eventually saying the phrase. Shamble returned to his original stance, then began outlining his plan.

"I think, for the first plan of action; I would suggest we capitalize on our edge in manpower and technology, and start creating mixed-demons, ones that have more humanoid features but still possess demonic advantages."

He released a visible exhale from his mouth, and an acidic, gaseous substance seeped from his maw and into the air.

"By doing this, I can utilize them for a hybrid form of warfare, where I can capitalize on sabotage, infiltration, counter-attacks and…"

Shamble's face contorted as a malicious grin revealed his rows of mangled fangs, his eyes glowing bright with a red mist.

"...conventional warfare."

His boss stared at him for a moment, as if sizing him up in some way.

"Why would we wage regular, man-made warfare against them when we have demons as tall as skyscrapers to throw at their puny figures?"

Though his boss posed that question, somehow Shamble could tell he was only asking to garner an answer from Shamble himself, as if he knew that his own question could be disproven with Shamble's next words. This only led Shamble's suspicions to arise. How is it that this tree bark demon seemed to know more than he was letting on?

"It sounds as if you know that answer yourself," Shamble replied, hoping for more clarification. There was none. "...Well, while humans on their own are weak, fragile, and pathetic in physical prowess, they have an uncanny ability to collectivize and cultivate plans of action. It should be self-evident from their history that they are a fearsome enemy to deal with."

"Not only that, but they have just received a powerful ally by their side, the 'Slayer' you warned me of. He is indeed more than legendary in his combat abilities, as you have said."

Shamble's teeth gnashed together viciously, a sign that he was in deep thought.

"And yet, he is but one man. He cannot fight on every frontline. But he is unexpectedly powerful, enough so that we risk losing any valuable pawns we may throw at him. Since those humans have cunning, strategy, and a powerful ally, we should not mindlessly throw our forces at them like a horde of animals; But rather we should have calculated, measured planning and strategy, matched with the cunning agility and raw power making up our armies of demons."

"Once we've bio-manufactured these demon-humanoid hybrids, which I will coin the term 'Khimera' to describe them, I will immediately begin initiating training for every Khimera on using conventional firearms, support tactics, artillery structures- all the necessary regimens for developing soldiers of war."

While he was detailing his plan, Shamble himself was already visualizing his demonic aspirations. He could envision rows upon rows of these Khimeras, rifles and machine guns in hand, plane armadas flying overhead, tank divisions rolling over the landscape.

"Furthermore," Shamble continued. "I believe it necessary to implement our own infrastructure and fortifications around the earth, comrade. I-"

"Refer to me as Argados. And that does remind me of something..."

Shamble immediately stopped his sentence as his superior spoke, cataloguing his name for the future. He noticed Argados laser-focusing on Shamble for a moment, signaling he had an important message.

"I hope you remember the very first mission objective I issued."

"I do, comrade Argados."

(Queue 'Cultist Prayer' by Mick Gordon)

Only a few weeks before, when Shamble had been reincarnated into this form from Hell, where he had signed a contract with Argados to be freed; He only remembered emerging from a pit of black tar, crawling out of it slowly and finding himself amongst countless other demons, all of them looking up at a giant holographic image of Argados, who issued their first mandate for the reward of reincarnation:

Conquer Earth and its denizens.

"Why do you bring that up now?" Shamble asked simply. Argados made no indication of hearing it, his glowing orbs of eyes only further intensifying on Shamble.

"Because," Argados began, his gaze unwavering. "When the time comes that we finally conquer this world, it is imperative that we utilize sufficient manpower to conquer OTHER worlds. Ergo, we must keep alive as many 'humans' as possible to advance our interests."

Shamble silenced his spike of rage with a clench of his fist, his nails digging into his skin and letting blood.

"Is it absolutely necessary to keep all of them alive?" Shamble spoke between clenched teeth. He was beset by a conflicting set of goals, from his demonic side and his Soviet side. On one hand, it would be euphoric to make the dreams of Marx come to fruition; To free all lower classes from having to labor for the rich their whole lives meaninglessly. The best way to do that would be to make them all Khimeras, so they could live harmoniously as kinsmen and bask in the riches of the Earth.

On the other hand, the very thought of snuffing out billions of lives, the amount of power gained from that level of death…

Shamble realized he was salivating, and made a small movement to wipe his mouth.

"Entertaining your demonic thoughts, are you?"

Shamble's eyes widened in shock.

"How did you-"

"I did not say you had to keep them ALL alive." Argados continued. "But they are very valuable. Their intuition, their creativity, their tenacity for survival. All of them useful traits beyond compare. You cannot garner the same desirable traits from a demon, as I have tried too many times. That is why I began to find more hybrids, like you. And to my pleasant expectations, you too have seen the capability of such organisms."

"The mind of a human, able to construct behemothic monuments and infrastructure, can manufacture weaponry that can bring ruin to landmasses, mixed with the raw, mighty power of a demon; And thus, we have given birth to a new race of beings."

Shamble quietly took in this information. In truth, it would be far more beneficial if every human he came across was able to be captured and transformed into a Khimera. And it would allow for him to bring Marx's ideology to fruition.

"Very well, then."

Argados raised one hand, palm facing upwards.

"If there is nothing else, you are free to make your exit."

Shamble bowed his head slightly and began retracting himself from the room. However, before he recused himself out the door, Shamble turned his head once more, a question picking at his mind.

"Comrade Argados, how do you possess all of this knowledge? You have yet to tell me of your own origin."

Shamble felt the nerves on every part of his body light up as Argados' wooden face began to crack, as his mouth widened into a smile.

"You wish to know where I came from, then? It is not a place I can describe in words. But I can give you a glimpse of what it is."

His mouth opened to speak-

FLASHES- MIST- A TUNNEL-

HIS VISION, DISTORTED- A BEING, BEHOLDEN- MANY FACES AND EYES-

APPENDAGES, FACES OF NEW AND OLD- THE DEAD, THE LIVING- EXISTENCE-

BLACK SKIES, THIS ALIEN FEELING- I AM BEING WATCHED-

HE CAN SEE ME- FLESH, TENTACLES, TEETH-

A MASS OF AMORPHOUS GUTS, BLOOD AND BONES-

THE SKY OPENS, ENTIRE STARS IMPLODE, BLACK HOLES RAGING-

And his mouth closed. Shamble was in a deep stupor, unable to prevent himself from the dissociation he was experiencing intensely, as if he had been yanked from his body as a soul and placed back in it.

"You may not have heard of these particular individuals," Argados continued as normal. "But there is a special division of demons I happened to come across during my time of recruitment. You may know them as the 'Seven Deadly Sins'. I have already sent word for them to send one of theirs here. He should find you before you begin your war campaign. Do well. Oh, and you're promoted to Captain. Feel free to assign two lieutenants to preside over the forces you were given."

Wichita, Kansas (2 weeks into Earth's Invasion)

"...Shamble?"

"Er- what? Oh...You two…"

Shamble scrutinized over the two demon-humanoids that came before him. One was around 5'7", a beautiful female with blonde hair tied into a bun, wearing a vague-green Soviet uniform with coattails and light-grey pants tucked into black boots. She looked human in every way; However, her left forearm was made up of some mystical blue energy, resembling a left forearm.

"How did you get that arm?" Shamble asked, deeply curious as to how this came to be. He didn't recall giving instructions to the demons running the facility about modifying their body outside of humanising.

"I am not an exact 'demon', Captain." Helena said. "I was a spirit in the purgatory I hail from-"

"I asked you what happened to your arm." Shamble interrupted. Helena clammed up, this time hesitant to speak, much to Shamble's irritation.

"Is there a reason you can't tell me?" Shamble asked her. She nodded silently, her face having turned white out of fear, somehow.

"I...can only tell you that I lost it, and no amount of conversion will restore this limb. So it remains as concentrated energy."

Shamble nodded, turning to face the other demon.

This one was around 6 foot, and wore only a white hood over his face, which was shrouded in darkness. Chains were wrapped around his ripped torso and arms, as well as the ragged pants he wore.

"I assume you both are done with the Khimera Process, then." Shamble said.

The female soldier saluted, while the other grinned, his pearly whites a terrifying contraste to his unseeable features.

"Yes we have, Captain!" Helena stated proudly.

Shamble nodded his head, turning back to look over the city they had occupied a few days ago. Buildings were being converted into Khimera conversion facilities, or turned into training grounds for his new breed of Khimera soldiers. Obstacle courses, shooting ranges, radio communications; And if they weren't for the Khimeras, buildings were converted into manufacturing plants and R&D centers, which he would staff with newly-converted Khimera scientists once he got the chance.

SKREEEEEEAAAAA!

Shamble growled as a guttural shriek pierced his ears. He looked to the far right; Demons with elongated horns that pointed upwards, crawling across the landscape rapidly with their gnarled claws for hands, their back legs resembling a raptor's; They had no eyes, but a maw filled with messy rows of fangs; A large, diamond-shaped stone was embedded in the middle of their chests, pulsating a bright, orange light.

New Age demons. A new breed of demons that Argados had introduced near the beginning of the invasion campaign. There were a variety of them, though they had about the same communication abilities and raw fighting power as the original demons (that being Barons of Hell, Hell Knights, etc).

Shamble couldn't hide his grin. His plans were unfolding steadily. Once he had this Khimera colony set up, warfare and occupation of gained ground would be far easier. No longer would he have to rely on a bunch of idiotic, frothing demons that were no better than wild animals.

Everything was coming to fruition. Soon enough, he would have tens of thousands of new demonic soldiers, bred for war as the perfect combination of demon and human...and yet…

Shamble turned to face the two now standing before him.

"Tell me your names."

The blonde female stood at attention.

"Helena, Captain!"

"Derek…"

While Helena's voice was normal, Derek's voice was grating and deep; It felt as if Shamble were sifting through sand as he listened to him speak.

"Derek, is there a reason you decided not to don the Soviet uniform you were given?"

Derek's smile was persistent, and only accompanied by two glowing, orange orbs floating in the darkness of Derek's features.

"It is...not my style."

While Shamble was irked by Derek's lack of discipline, he was intrigued by the powerful aura he was giving off.

"Very well, then. I brought you both here because I want you both to assist me in leading my forces."

Shamble held one finger against the side of his head, then pointed one finger at a spot a few dozen meters away from where the three were standing. After a few moments, Khimera soldiers were seen running to the spot, lining up in perfect formation. Counting them, Shamble confirmed all 500 of them.

"You two will take command of 250 Khimera soldiers. You will move around this state, capturing any humans you happen to find in towns, villages, cities or rural countryside, and bring them back here for conversion. Once you've done that, you'll report to Kilgore, my 2nd in command-"

Crack!

Shamble, interrupted by the small but significant sound, looked to the left, where several small bridges branched over a decently-sized river, leading into Wichita.

(Queue Barging In by Mick Gordon)

The river began to swirl more and more, as if slowly forming a typhoon. The color changed from blue, to brown, and eventually tar-black. More cracking sounds followed as the swirling intensified, until it eventually exploded outwards with force. The black tar, which was originally water, shot out from the river in every direction- At buildings, landscape, equipment and demons. Everything it touched began to melt upon contact, causing panic in the camp as Khimeras gathered their weaponry and pointed their firearms at the river, which was beginning to calm.

At the point where the river swirled, the tar-like substance cleared away, as if pushed by an invisible force, leaving a large ring of water around a patch of dirt.

"Tooiiiling, tooooiiiling, tooooooiiiiliiiing...IIII'm geeeettiiiing sssssiiiiiick of the toooooiiiil. IIIII wiiiiiiiish to baaaaaassssk in the comffyyyy exiiiissssteeeeeeence IIII waaaas giveeeeeeen."

From the cracks of the ground, steam shot out from the magma releasing hot air, and with it a mangled hand, with claws for extremities, firmly grasping the ground as it pulled out the rest of its body, that same tar beginning to shoot up from the crack in the ground and pooling around the entry.

"If oooonnnllllllyyyy IIII spaaaaaaawwwnnneeeddd wwiiitthhh Prriiidddeee…."

Despite having been around enough gore and horror in his time, Shamble still recoiled at the awful sight before him. The demon crawling out had the most pale skin he had ever seen, and it was melting from the demon's body, only to reveal more pale skin under the boiling flesh. Its small, beady-black eyes stared into the gray, roiling sky, its needle-like teeth lining every inch of the demon' mouth, with multiple forked tongues moving around tentatively as they darted in and out of the mouth. A tar-black, acidic substance oozed from its pores and onto the ground, melting through plant matter and causing the dirt to sizzle. Short, twisting spikes protruded from its back, running from the back of its neck all the way down to its tailbone.

"Bozhe! What the hell are you?!" Shamble shouted.

The monster's beady eyes turned to Shamble, who recoiled at the unsettling sight. The monster's face pulled apart as a giant smile caused its jaw to unhinge, allowing several forked tongues to fall out and putting its jagged fangs on display.

"IIIIIII…..aaaaaammmmmm…..SLOOOOOOOTTHHH."