The Slayer was preparing the preliminary updates to the restructuring generator, which would need its own time to do the actual update to prepare it for the massive update later. Not to mention how the new arena restructuring drive would see constant use. However, he was having problems. For reasons he couldn't explain, he couldn't completely focus. It was something akin to a headache, mixed with feelings of danger. A fear, but not a personal one. Like someone else was in danger, and only he knew.
He heard the portal activate, Ophelia coming through in her civilian outfit and saluting. "Sir, I've scouted several locations. However, while I was scouting, one location gave strange readings. Someone from Earth is here, but I am unable to pinpoint where they are exactly. All I can say is it's somewhere on the outskirts of Mantle, possibly in town, but also probably not. I can't be certain sir."
"Very good. We'll gather everyone and search," He says, getting on the FOD PA to explain.
Within minutes, Marion, Nix, Daisy and Isabelle were assembled in the command center, weapons in their respective pocket dimensions. "We'll search in town first. After all, that IS the logical place to go. I'm sure if you were near civilization, you would've gone there Ophelia. Or at least, you wouldn't've strayed far. Even if you didn't want to be noticed, civilization would mean you get to learn more about this world's people."
"That is correct sir, though I'll admit I didn't think about it until now. I was just hunting Grimm and living off the land," she answers.
"At any rate, since we're searching in town first, we're keeping a low profile. Hence, why I'm not going armored up. But I do have this," the Slayer says as he shows off the pistol, holstered under a suit coat. "Now, shall we?"
"You know, there's a big question," Daisy asks once they're through. "What are we looking for?"
"Good question actually," the Slayer answers. "Though I guess it would be to look for anyone that doesn't fit in. I will admit I have no idea who's here. Only that someone is."
"Now, where would someone new in town go? Well, a hotel and a restaurant is where I'd go," Nix suggests.
"With no money?" Marion asks. "Yeah, we need to think about where the homeless would go. Hopefully they haven't attracted any cop attention."
There it was again. The headache. It was stronger this time, along with the feeling of danger, but not to himself. "No, let's hope not," the Slayer tells them. "Besides, walking into a precinct for me would attract far too much attention."
They share a small laugh as they wander for a few hours. At least until the Slayer noticed something. Along various rooftops, there were people following them, but trying to be discreet.
"Sir, we are being followed," Ophelia says over the neural link without so much as a slight muscle twitch to indicate anything out of the ordinary.
"I noticed them too," Daisy adds. "Those three think they're being quiet, but rabbit ears hear many things. There's someone in a cafe somewhere that's chewing a bit loudly, as one example."
"Draconic senses are plenty strong as well. Noticed them too Belle?" Nix asks.
"Are you going to tell me the mere mortal human is the only one who didn't notice?" Marion interrupts. "Between two regular faunus, one mythical faunus, one superhuman, and finally a possible war god, I'm left out," She adds with a dry internal laugh. "So, how are we handling this one boss?"
"Act casual for now. Lure them somewhere quiet, somewhere they think they can jump us. Only to turn the tables when they do," The Slayer answers. "But no killing until we learn what they want."
It's not long before they find a spot that would work in the form of a hole in the Mantle wall, damaged at some point and yet unrepaired. "Oh, this goes to show the sorry state of things here. This REALLY needs fixing," Isabelle says angrily. "But no, the money's all going up to Atlas up there."
The Slayer sighed. "Why can't people share? Why can't resources get distributed evenly? Corruption and greed, the two demons I can't kill."
It was then while they were "distracted," that it happened. The three they saw jumped from the rooftops in an attempt to ambush them, yet they all reacted differently. Daisy neatly sidestepped the tanned blonde, the bracers of Assassin's Bite materializing around her wrists as she jump kicks her assailant in the stomach, sending the tanned platinum blonde flying. Ophelia meanwhile did a backflip over her own attacker, arm going around who she discovered was a sheep faunus, blade extending from her arm and right over the girl's neck. Finally, the Slayer got attacked by the tallest of the group, flipped her over himself with his left hand while drawing his pistol with his right. He stood there, holding the girl to the side by the neck, leaving himself completely exposed.
"Who are you people?" The blonde asked as she got up, clutching her stomach. "And you know the point of a hostage is so someone else doesn't just kill you outright?" She asks, a fan-shaped crossbow unfolding on her left arm.
"There's a good reason," the Slayer answers, noticing a stillness in the air on one of the rooftops. "Oh, but first," he sets his pistol to a stun setting calibrated for Remnatians, then shoots center of mass of the stillness. A blue-haired girl materialized from nowhere and fell, but Nix caught her before she hit the ground. The other three assailants looked on in shock. "Before you get any ideas." The blonde's eyes went wide.
"H-how did you know she was there?" Ophelia's hostage asks terrified.
"Fear not, that was the stun setting on this thing," the Slayer explains. "If I wanted to kill, I would have." It was then he noticed through the hole in the wall, one of the smaller Grimm sneaking up on them and investigating the emotions, just behind the tanned blonde, but not visible to anyone else because of angles. "You want to see this gun kill?" He charges it to kill, and aims it, seemingly at their assailants' leader, and fires, cleanly missing her.
"You have bad aim," the girl said at first, but then heard the roar as the Grimm behind her died, and turned into dust. "Or, you have great aim."
"And finally," the Slayer says, as he charges the weapon up all the way, to the point it began beeping a warning. Everyone, even his own allies, was afraid at that point. Ophelia was good at hiding it, but the Slayer could see the subtle shift in her eyes. He waved it around threateningly, when in an instant, pointed the gun at his own head and fired. The energy of the shot washed over him, and he felt the air heat up around him from the shot. For most, a shot like that would've turned their head into vapor, but for him, it didn't even leave a burn.
"Y-you...no Aura. Even with Aura, that should've killed you. Who are you? No, what are you?" the platinum blonde asked. For her and the other two, they had clearly gone from fear to terror. The Slayer's own allies now had looks of concern.
"You first, you attacked us," the Slayer says, releasing his hostage and lowering his gun. "Oh, and before you think you're faster than me, you're not." Everyone else lowers their weapons, Ophelia releasing her hostage. The Slayer puts his gun back in the holster.
"Robyn Hill," the tanned blonde introduces herself as the rest join her side. "Fiona Thyme," the sheep faunus smiles at them, though clearly still afraid. "Joanna Greenleaf." The tallest of them nods while giving the evil eye, but tempered by fear. "And May Marigold." The blue-haired girl was waking up, and got up from the ground though backing away from the Slayer's group with wide eyes. "We're the Happy Huntresses." Robyn then walks up to the Slayer, extending her hand. "Now it's your turn. Take my hand."
The Slayer did so, though it was less taking her hand and more grabbing it, as Robyn's hand looked tiny in the Slayer's own, and he noticed the pale lilac glow forming around their hands. We're from around here," he says as a test, and the glow turned red, and Robyn glared at him. "Yeah, that's what I thought, you're a lie detector. That's why you want me to hold your hand." And no golden lasso required. "OK, these four are...well, they're more local than Ophelia and I. They're from Vale." The glow shifted green to confirm his honesty. "Now, ready for what will sound like absolute bullshit to your ears, but this," he points to their hands, "will say otherwise?" Robyn raises an eyebrow, but lets him continue. "I am….enhanced. Some worship me as a god. Am I a god? I don't think so, but that won't stop people worshiping me as such. I'm not from this universe. I have lived for….even I forgot how long. I have seen the birth of universes, their entire lifespan, and their eventual death. I have been to many universes, all in my quest to stop Hell. Hell...is best described as, or possibly was, or even wants to be, the one realm to rule them all. One realm to find them. One realm to bring them all, and in the darkness, bind them."
He pauses for a bit, to let the Happy Huntresses digest the information, all four of them had stunned looks. They wanted to call him out, say it was a good story, but Robyn's Semblance told them otherwise. "Hell is, or was, a parasite. The demons of Hell fed on the souls of innocents. Monsters that make the strongest Grimm you ever faced look weak. Entire realms became corrupted and consumed. They feared nothing." Their hands turned red again. "Almost nothing. There is one they fear. One who taught them fear. One who's name they say only in hushed whispers. The monster under the bed, of the monsters under your bed."
"Y-you?" May asks, clearly trying not to show fear.
"I am stronger. Faster. More relentless. More durable. I do not tire. I do not fear. I ignore pain, hunger, sickness and thirst, even back...before I became what I am now. Now...none of that happens to me anymore." The hands turned red. "OK, I can feel pain, but you have to REALLY hurt me for that to happen." They turned back to green. "I have been called many things. The Hellwalker. The Unchained Predator. The one dominant life form in this universe, or any other. Or, as the demons themselves say in one of their testaments about me," he paused to give them a moment as he cleared his throat and dropped the pitch of his voice. "'Those who tasted the bite of my sword, named me….the Doom Slayer.'"
The Happy Huntresses looked nearly terrified at this point, and Robyn tried to pull out of his grip, but the Slayer held on. "I'm more than anything you know. I'm a force of nature. The blood of gods has stained my blade," He continues, extending the Doom Blade. "I have absorbed the strength of the monsters I have slain, and I have slain—"
"Brothers, we get it!" Robyn interrupts, yanking her hand free. "So why are you here?"
"Me specifically, on Remnant, I'm actually not sure. I woke up here. If you're asking why we're all in this area...someone from my world is here, but we don't know where," the Slayer explains, feeling the headache and sense of danger, but stronger. "Though I have a feeling if we don't hurry, there won't be anyone to rescue."
"Well, nobody new came into Mantle recently, so they have to be outside," Robyn says as she steps out the hole. The rest follow suit, weapons emerging from PDD's.
"I thought I was the only one with a pocket dimension," Fiona says with amazement.
"Through a Semblance, yes," Daisy explains as she shows off her own PDD. "Being friends with the big guy has...a LOT of perks."
"Speaking of, where is he?" May asks, Slayer stepping out through the hole last.
"Give me a second," he says as he steps through, tapping a few things. "Need to get dressed."
"What do you mean get—oh," Joanna asks, but stops herself quickly, as the Happy Huntresses watched the Slayer's armor materialize around him, eyes widening as the heavy cannon materialized in his hands.
"Wait, I think I remember you. You knocked out that Schnee girl in one punch, according to the news," Robyn recalls. "And something about taking out a whole army of Atlesian robots with one shot?"
The Slayer then pulls out the BFG in his other hand, shows it around for a bit, then puts it back. "Is...is there no end to what you can do? The weapons you carry?" Robyn asks. The Slayer only answers by smirking, and they set out.
They encounter some Grimm in their search, but nothing they couldn't handle. However, too few for the Slayer to really show what he can do. "Better us than Ironwood's lapdogs, Ace-Ops," Robyn remarks. "They would not want to play nice with you, and might even attempt to kill you. Though, from that stunt back there….I have to ask, what can?"
"Good question. I've survived things you'd never even think about. Threw a moon once. Could probably shift a few tectonic plates around," the Slayer answers casually.
"So, you could catch Atlas like it's nothing," Fiona says with wide eyes.
"Funny thing, physics gets funny at those levels. Takes a bit of mental will and other trickery to distribute the force, otherwise you just punch through whatever you're trying to pick up, especially if you're picking it up in a way it's not meant to," the Slayer points out. "Cars, buses, trucks, planes, they all have the same problem. Or the object tears itself apart as you pick it up."
He was about to say more, but the headache and feeling of danger came again, stronger, but there was something new. "I fear you not, for the Slayer is with me," He heard in his head faintly, mixed with something akin he would best describe as organic white noise, as he looked around, he felt it stronger in one direction. "This way," he says as he heads in that direction, mentally tuning out the girls who were introducing themselves to each other. Though the big highlights were when the Happy Huntresses learned of Ophelia's heritage, as well as Nix's, the latter earning a comment about the "Mythical faunus who live beneath us," with a desire to learn more, and to contact any living under Mantle.
"Though I am surrounded by creatures unspeakably foul, I walk in the footsteps of He who walks through Hell," the voice in the Slayer's head continued, but clearer. "Through His Will, I find the strength to persevere." It was then that he realized he knew that voice, and almost stopped dead in his tracks. It was a voice he had heard only through a series of four audio logs, each one about him. That realization fed others. Now he understood his headaches and his sense of danger.
"I know who's here," He says out loud, making everyone else stop. "Dr. Elena Richardson is here."
"How do you know that?" Marion asks. "I haven't heard anything to indicate where we're going, yet you seem so sure. Let alone knowing WHO we're looking for."
"I've caught you up about her, right? Made you listen to her logs about me?" The Slayer asks, and turns to the Happy Huntresses. "To catch you up, scientist from my world who's studied me. Over time...she convinced herself that I am a god." He glances at all of them. "I hide it well, but all day I've been having strange headaches, and feelings of danger, though not for me. I understand now, likely because of proximity." He pauses. "Dr. Richardson is here, and she's in danger. And what do the religious do, when they have great need, especially if they're in danger?" He asks.
It took them a bit, but it was Daisy who spoke up. "Brothers….she's praying to you! Do you mean to say you hear it?"
"In my head, yes," the Slayer answers to stunned faces. "Which means we have to move. Double-time," He orders as he picks up speed, opening notes of BFG Division beginning to play, and everyone followed suit, feeling faster because of the music.
Before long, they hear sounds of Grimm, as well as gunshots. They came upon a lot of Grimm, closing in on someone they could barely make out though them all, not that it mattered, though at one point they heard a loud scream of pain that made blood run cold. The Slayer switched to his chaingun, making sure the shield was attached. "She's the priority," He orders, blood punching some Grimm out of the way as the music swelled. "You all, stay here and protect her. Isabelle, I think she's injured so stabilize her. I'll handle these," He further orders. Robyn gave a look like she wanted to complain but didn't argue, as the nine ladies took up defensive positions around Dr. Richardson.
The Slayer meanwhile, got to work. Since there were innocent lives on the line, he went more in than he usually did, though it was still a gruesome sight, and would've been more so if Grimm had any blood or guts. Still, it was enough for him to show off to his new allies, who while they defended where they had to, also had no need to worry about death by Grimm. Lead flew while casings hit the ground. Buckshot tore holes in Grimm while shells formed a carpet. Rocket detonations formed a thunderous cacophony that nearly deafened. A nuclear reactor's worth of plasma heated the air to levels that would've caused minor burns. All while BFG Division blared in all its loud glory.
When it was all over, the ground could barely be seen, as it was nearly hidden under the red and gold of spent shells and brass. "You…little wonder why you're so revered," Robyn says with awe.
"How is she?" The Slayer asks, eager to meet the woman who's voice he had heard so often now, the woman who believed him a god.
They part to reveal woman with long dark hair, dressed in something resembling a high tech hazmat suit, pistol by her right hand and her left clutched around something, laying unconscious on the ground with wounds all over her that Isabelle was attending to. "How is she?" The Slayer asks.
"Damn lucky. Plenty of lacerations from Grimm claws, but nothing I haven't seen before," the faunus doctor answers. "With your tech, it won't be long for her to recover. Though there's a few issues to address." Isabelle holds up a pair of slender glasses, one of the lenses broken beyond repair. "This lady's got some severe myopia," she continues as she looks at the Slayer through the good lens. "All that time in the classroom, not enough outside." Isabelle continues. "Second, there's the question of how to get this off of her. What even is this? Though, some features I get. It protects the vitals decently enough. And there's this." She holds up one of Dr. Richardson's arms, showing a screen that displayed vitals. "Useful bit of kit. Amazingly, this thing has a PDD and neural collar as well. Inventory reads as survival gear, civilian clothing, even a lab coat, as well as toiletries, though it won't let me access anything, only view the list. Also, a few magazines for that," she adds as she points to the gun, which the Slayer picked up.
"Wait, I know this gun," the Slayer says as he clicks on the safety and unloads the gun. "My very first demon kill was with this model," He says as he holds it up for everyone to look at. "The Beretta 92FS. I wonder if she knows?" He puts the gun in his own inventory. "Is she stable enough to be moved?" When Isabelle confirms it, he gently picks up Dr. Richardson, putting her over his right shoulder. As he moved her, her left hand opened, revealing his mark. The silver symbol shone up at them, hanging from a chain around her neck, and the Slayer made sure to keep it as well. "Well, thanks for the help," he says turning towards Robyn, extending his hand. "You know the area, I'm sure you can find your way back," the Slayer says. "As you can see, we got what we came for, and now we have to nurse her back to health."
When Robyn took his hand to shake it, he noticed May holding up her Scroll and recording them. Before he could ask why, Robyn answered, and the Slayer noticed her Semblance activating around their hands. "She's recording because I asked her to while you were busy with her," she says, nodding towards the unconscious woman on his shoulder. "It's because I want video proof." She clears her throat. "You come here from worlds unknown, the terror of monsters unknown to us. You have saved countless worlds by yourself, and the lives you've saved are beyond counting. Miss Muscles over there calls you her king," She continues, nodding towards Ophelia. "And that lady you're carrying calls you her god." Robyn stares hard into the Slayer's eyes. "You know how my Semblance works. I am therefore asking." She gets more serious. "Are you a god? The same as the Brother Gods that created Remnant?"
The Slayer had a feeling this question was coming. There was no degree of divination, no psychic trickery that was required to show that he would be asked, once it was revealed that Robyn was a lie detector. He pondered how to answer, but then simply said "No." Robyn's Semblance took on an interesting reaction. Red and green mixed together, swirling around their hands in equal measure. Before Robyn could pull her hand away, his grip tightened. "Yes," he answers this time, with no change. "Maybe." Also no change. "I am something above a god. Above the Brothers that made Remnant." Her Semblance went greener, but it still acted like it was unsure of the answer. "I'm still human inside." Similar response to the last question. "I can be many things. Mere human, god, and something greater, all at once." More green with that answer. "No, I don't go around proclaiming it. I'm not sure of what I am exactly." Full green. "This was as much a learning experience for me as well as you." Some were getting ready to bow, but he was quick. "No, don't bow. I don't go around desiring worship. Once, I tried to stop it, believing myself unworthy of it. This didn't always work. Then I decided that so long as they weren't harming anyone, physically, mentally, or emotionally, I would allow it. If it makes people feel better, than there is really no harm being done. I understand why I am worshiped," He concludes as they drop hands.
Everyone was looking shocked at the revelations, with May confirming that yes, the whole exchange was caught. "What will you four do now?" The Slayer asks.
"Stop Ironwood," Robyn answers. "I'm hoping to get elected to the council. I take it given his current disposition towards you, I have your support, Your Majes—"
"I'm not your king, and here that title matters little. Besides, I was born in a democracy. Where I come from, we overthrew a king a long time ago," the Slayer interrupts. "But yeah, I'd support you. I know I can't vote, as I'm not a citizen, but…"
"Fair enough," Robyn says with a small smile. "Oh, but before you go, since you have an injured person to bring back to your space castle," she pulls out her Scroll to give her number. "Though I take it you have...quite a few ways to reach me if you have to." The Slayer nods. "Then we'll meet again Armored Giant," She concludes as they shake hands one last time, portal opening behind the Slayer's group, the first few heading through as the handshake was happening.
Once the Slayer and Isabelle were in sickbay with Dr. Richardson, the Slayer laid her on one of the beds, and began looking her over as his armor faded around his body. "We have to get her out of that thing," Isabelle says as she gives the dark-haired woman another look over. "Question is how."
The Slayer finds some seams, undoing various fasteners until pieces of the suit came off her bit by bit. Eventually, he was able to pull her out of the main bodysuit, revealing an undersuit resembling what astronauts wore, though the zippers were more visible on this. "Think you can take it from here?" The Slayer asks. "I don't think there's much under this, if you know what I mean."
"I understand," Isabelle says with a nod. "Don't worry, I got this. I'll let you know when she wakes up," she says as she prepares to further dress Dr. Richardson's wounds, as the Slayer leaves her to it.