FIGHT LIKE HELL, FIGHT LIKE DOOM MARINES!

Ch.12: Hazardous Distortion. Part 1.

(Bryan/Doom Marine, Everfree Forest...)

"Bryan, are you sure you want to go looking into that? Not that I'm against it or anything, but..." Luna was on Comms, talking with me and the others. Once Cerberus dropped us off in here, he had to race on back to guarding the Gates of Tartarus.

"Yes Luna. Because I'm planning on getting it back up to operational order." I told her. "Besides, we're gonna check on what we missed out."

"I can tell you that!" She shouted defensively.

"I highly doubt that." Vincent interjected, but he had a point.

"Oh for--! Why must you be so cynical and distrustful towards Government Officials!?"

"Because experience, Luna. You can't always rely on the Government, if they're not gonna do shit." He explained to her. She was about to say something, but he cut her off. "I don't care how things have changed, I'm not gonna follow through with it. You can't convince me. Now if you excuse us, we got work to do!" After that, he cut Comms with her.

"Sir, I'm not sure that was wise." Azurai spoke up, giving his input.

Vincent just scoffed at this, waving his hand off. "Azurai, I completely don't give a flying fuck about what I did. I'll deal with it later, when the time comes." I shook my head at this, and if you think I'm fucking nuts, you don't know just how wrong you are.

During our trek through this forest was very... Memorable. I still remember the many Demons that used to inhabit this entire place, making it their stronghold, more or less. Of course, it had to look and feel home-y to them, so they decorated it with the blood and guts of their prey, giving off that gory scene they enraptured themselves in all too much.

Anyway, making our way through the overgrowth, we came to a familiar castle. Or what's left of it. Luna wasn't kidding about it being in a sorry state. She explained that this is where the fallout between her and Tia happened. Not that she needed to go into details, not when you covered the entire castle with hidden microphones. So, I heard their little argument.

"Jesus fucking Christ man! What the Hell!?" Vincent exclaimed.

"Luna did say that she and Tia had a fallout." I reminded him, while looking over the crumbling bridge. "I'm surprised that damn thing still stands."

"Well, if it can handle our weight before, it can weather it's way through some rough times." Vincent commented.

"Alright, let's go." Moving towards the bridge, I tested it out. It tends to groan and creak underneath, but surprisingly enough, it still holds. We went across it one by one, not wanting to have it break with all of us on it.

Once we all made it, we headed inside, or whatever counts as inside. Because there wasn't much of a roof or ceiling. Most of the things were in ruins...

"So, you want us to split up?" Vincent asked, but I didn't answer him. "Bryan?" Again, I didn't answer him. Sighing, he continued on. "Okay, look, I know it's fucking stupid on splitting up. But this isn't a horror movie, and we're not useless idiots, that don't know shit. We've faced worse shit, and still manage to kill them all. So, it'll be alright, we can take care of ourselves, and whatever comes out, will wish to have stayed hidden."

I rolled my eyes at this, but he has a point there. "Fine. You got Tahilla, and I got Azurai." I answered him.

"Cool! C'mon new blood, we're checking the lower floors!" Vincent shouted, as he grabbed a hold on her and ran off, with her screaming her disapproval about this, followed by the echoes of that dumbass's laughter.

Looking at Azurai, he turns to meet my gaze, as I asked him. "... Do you think she'll survive?"

He shrugs his shoulders before answering. "I'm not certain. All I know is that, if she does, she'll be wanting your head for that."

"Well, it's not like I was purposely signing off her death wish." I retorted at him. "Besides, I wanted to ask you of something, and it's personal." When I said that, he knew what I was on about.

"You wish to know of his highness's daughter." It wasn't much of a question, but I nodded all the same. Sighing, he told me. "I'm sorry, but I cannot help you there. None of us have seen her outside of the castle grounds. Not even the Guard, or the King himself, will give a reason why..."

(Tahilla/Night Sentinel, getting dragged through the lower levels...)

"SIR, STOP!!! YOU'RE GIVING ME BUTT-BURNS, DAMMIT!!!!" I screamed at him, but he wouldn't listen! No wonder why his faction within our Order never seems to slow down!

"HOLD ON, WE'RE ALMOST-- WHOA!?!?!?" He was about to say something, but when he ran over something slippery, we went spiralling out of control, and crashed through a wall. A wall!

Soon enough, I got him off of me, because he was lying on top of me. Honestly, how do the other Lords handle him!? Anyway, I got up and dusted myself off, with Deaths Runner groaning and getting up himself. I fixed him with a glare. "Well, I hope you had your fun, because that could have killed us! You damned moron!"

He laughed this off, of course. "HA! Yeah right! Like that was gonna kill us!" As soon as he said that, a part of the ceiling, where he was standing, fell on him. "OW!!! FUCK YOU MURPHY, YOU BOUNDED CUNT!!!" I snickered at this, as he dug himself out of there. Looking at me, he flipped me his middle figure. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it the fuck up, kid."

"Well, it's clearly not my fault that scene happen as it did." I waved at him.

Grumbling, he went back out into the hallways, walking this time. Following behind him, he searched through most of the rooms, at least the ones that matter to him. I think? Then again, he didn't exactly specify his reasons of being down here.

Although, he did question me on something, something that involves The Bloody-handed Berserker. "Tell me something; did Tia seal up Bryan, by any chance?"

That actually surprised me. "Wait! How did you know that!?"

"I had a hunch... But I also dreamt of it happening, seeing it all unfold in front of me."

"Oh..."

"Still though, that was one of the many things that was gnawing at the back of my head." He stated. "At least he didn't outrightly kill her. That would have gotten her parents rolling in their grave."

"But wouldn't they be disappointed in her; as well?" I asked him, which he snorted at.

"Maybe so, but Tia didn't try to kill him. Besides, those two really need to sort their shit out. Especially Tia." He answers, before his right leg dropped through the floor. "SHIT!!!" Before he could fall on through the floor, I grabbed him and pulled him away from that hole.

Sighing, I spoke up. "Seriously sir, you need to stop what you preach out next." I suggested to him.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever!" He said as he got up, dusting his boots off. "I just want to find something that..." He trailed off, before running towards another room. "Oh please be here. Please, please, please..." He said as he entered on through.

"Uh... Okay?" I didn't know what to make of this. I mean, I've never heard of them running off in a panic. Walking up to the door, I heard him shuffling a lot of stuff around in there.

"Alright, alright, alright... Now where did I last left it... Oh!" 'Left'? Where and what did he left? Moving inside, I saw him lifting an old bed up, throwing it off to the other side of the room, and lifted up one of the floor tiles up. Revealing a metallic briefcase inside, which didn't look a millennia old. "Oh thank god." He sighed in relief, as he grabbed it.

"Uh, sir? What's in the briefcase?" I asked him, curious about the context inside it.

"Blueprints!" He said excitedly. "Blueprints of a couple of mods to add, and some new upgrades to some of our weapons. Especially to our Pistols." He explained. "Anyway, we should get back with the others."

I was about to question him, that is, until we heard crackling within the floor. I thought it was going to cave in on us, but it turned out to be much worse than that. I saw antennas sprouting out, before the heads pop up next...

"... COCKROACHES!!!!" I heard him shouted, as he pulled out his Pistol and started shooting at them. And by the Red Sands of Tartarus, they were big! Grabbing out my Hellshot, I started shooting at these things as well.

Moving out of the room, he threw a Frag inside there, blowing up those disgusting creatures. "Goddammit! How the fuck did they end up like that!?"

"You mean, they're not usually that big?" I asked him.

"No! Not unless they were exposed to radiation, or some form of chemical reaction! But yes, mostly radiation!" He answers me. I remember how he and his brothers told us things, things that their kind have invented, and/or discovered. Although, most, if not all of it, came out from the wars they have had, over the courses of human evolutions. Some things, that have nothing to do with war, were created to show the many good things they can do for everyone. The unfortunate part is, those things tend to get weaponized, whether by choice, or otherwise.

"So, now what? There could be more." I spoke up.

"No shit. Because there is more!" And just to prove his point, those damned things started coming out of the walls. Which in return, destabilised them, making it crumble before us. "Ah, crap..."

(Bryan/Doom Marine, the old Library...)

"... Alright, that's done." I said, as the disc-like scanner drone was finished with scanning the entire library's old tomes. Don't ask me how this thing works, I'm still figuring that part out. Well, was, but I gave up on it, and went with it. No secrets lying and hiding about in here, seeing as someone already discovered something that wasn't suppose to be founded. So, I'm guessing Tia had something to do with forgetting it was there in the first place. Something dangerously stupid, no doubt.

Still though, when I grabbed it and placed it away, my mind just went back to her. From what Azurai has told me, of what he knows so far, it's that she's still alive. Now, I'm relieved about that, but that still doesn't explain everything. He even stated that she looks...different. Nothing too drastic, she just sounds and looks more beautiful. Even going so far as to looking exactly like her mother, within appearance and shape.

When we get the time, or more preferably, gather our last two brothers, we'll head off to Tartarus and see the Royals there. I need to know what happened to her. No, it's nothing like that. None of the sort... I hope. There was a rule I placed upon us, to which was carried, unanimously. That we were to never have any relationship with anyone. Because we knew it wouldn't work, and that will only put more lives in unnecessary danger. Demons are Demons, they'll try to get leverage over you.

Shaking the thought away, me and Azurai walked out of there and headed off. Only to hear a Grenade go off.

"What the Hell?" I muttered.

"That sounded like it came from the lower levels." Azurai stated.

I used my Comms to ask what those two idiots were doing, only to hear screams, yelling, gunfire, and the like. That was more than enough to make us both haul ass down there. Passing through some corridors, down a flight of stairs, and nearly slipping up, we found them. And boy, were they not alone! Just how the fuck did those Cockroaches get that big!? Nope! Shoot/Squash first, find out later!

Whipping out my H.A.R. (Heavy Assault Rifle), I switched out the mods for Tactical Scope, kneeled, wait for a clear shot, and took it. Short controlled bursts, each and every bullet making its mark. Of course, Vincent would let some close, only for them to get crump stomped by his boots.

Once we were all together, we made a run for it. The only problem was, the floor gave way underneath us, and we fell through it. No idea what was down here, but hopefully some answers...

Author's Notes:

Hey guys, sorry if this wasn't enough. I've been feeling sick, and it wasn't doing any good on my writing, whatsoever. In this chapter, we get to learn a little bit about them, and I'll be breaking it into parts. Although, I am feeling better, but I still got some ways to go.

Thanks for reading.