Leviathan

[Doomguy]

-Costa del Sol-

You never quite get used the moving through dimensional gates. Or telepoters, or whatever you want to call them. The pull that feels like gravity has decided it hatred your guts and tried to fling you across the universe, the brief moment when you're in two places at once and you can feel the different airs press against you, and the mental whiplash of stepping in a place where you weren't going, not unlike the feeling of missing a step in the dark. I could only thank my stronger constitution that my first time didn't end with me getting killed with my own puke covering the helmet visor, but I don't think it will ever become a pleasant feeling. At the very least, this time it was a step in a pleasant beach, and not the flesh covered house of pain.

The thing that hit me first as I pulled away from the gate was the ocean breeze, the cool wind and salty smell passing through the vents in my helmet and hitting my face. I could hear the ocean waves churning the water and slapping the sand, hungry birds squawking as the circled overhead, and the hustle and bustle people just near the furthest range of my hearing. But what caught me the most was something that I had been deprived of for longer than just my time in Hell: the warmth of the sun shining on me. In contrast to the stark white plane of existence had been stuck with moments ago, this had been the first time where I felt like I had truly escaped from Hell. Then a boneheaded, dick-less, nimrod wearing plastic white armor and carrying a mass-produced toy gun and his four identical compadres went and ruined that when they decided to surround me in a semi-circle with my back to the gate.

The stand off was rather calm. The five soldiers ahead of me had their guns aimed at the ground, trigger fingers on the guard, and maybe they even had the safety on. They weren't amateurs, at the very least. I didn't have a gun out at the moment, and any attempt to reach for my guns will probably get me shot. That they weren't advancing on me either mean they weren't hostile or they though they we safe from me. A poor assumption on their part, but I wasn't going to push the situation into a fight if it meant I could get a better advantage while their guard is down.

"What is your business here in Costa del Sol?" Said one of them who had a different shoulder pad to mark them out as a higher rank, a voice synthesizer making it had to determined what kind of person was. And their skull styled full helmet made them hard to read. Glancing around the area for any clues I saw a massive and stylized sign with "Welcome to Costa del Sol" practically smacking me in the face with it's bright colors, with a dab military tent barely ten feet beside it adding a nice bit of juxtaposition to the whole scene. I raised my hands up to try to play the innocent and hoped these guys weren't the more mercenary military campers.

"I just got here, to be honest. I don't even know what I'm going to be doing. What's with the security team?" I said, eyeing up the soldiers. The sergeant was stoically silent and seemed like he didn't want to put up with my crap, but a greenhorn in the mists answered for me.

"Two primes stole a naval ship not to long before you got here" the greenhorn answer with a very false sense of authority, and got stared down immediately by his CO. The greenhorn bucked and stepped down while the sarge gave the kind of sigh only given by those who have had a consecutive bad day for a very long time in a job they hated. I could sympathizes. I was guarding a waste processing planet for three years before demons decided to pay a visit. The sarge gave one last look over me and then with a wave of his hands the rest stood down.

"Alright, just don't cause any trouble. We'll have you under watch. Welcome to " The sarge said that last bit with major monotone boredom, and the squad left to leave me to my own devices. I simply gave a shrug, happy to not have to deal with whatever screening process or paperwork this place would normally have, and I walked into the town proper.

The place was charming, in that tourist trap kind of way. A hodgepodge set of customs and cultures, pulled in from the universe just like the people, managing to keep a peace with only a little bit of a push from a completely authoritarian government that was one gate over. It would also be the first time I've noticed the people that have been sucked in here as well, or rather the non-humans dotted along them. In my own world, aliens were still considered a part of science fiction even as we were placing colonies around the solar system, so a giant sharkman wearing a wife beater and swim trunks as he explained fishing with a spear over a rod with what was clearly an elf with a surf board was surreal to the point that it felt like I was the least interesting thing here. Being a bit of a sentimental old sod and completely dubious of whatever food I summoned with the Omnilium, I ending up passing by the numerous shops and salons to find a tiki themed bar-n-grill with the name of "The Waning Moon". The smell of cooking meat was enough to entice me in, and I decided to order some dinner while I figure out what I'm going to do.

I was already down two "tropical" drinks as I waited for my order to arrive, leaning back into the seat of a corner both with my helmet lying on the table, and I tried not to overhear anyone's conversation or otherwise draw attention to myself. But unfortunately for me, a trio of sea dogs in the booth opposite of me had one loudmouth in their group and it was impossible to NOT hear him.

"Captain, I protest," said the loudmouth human, who judging by his crew cut and not terrible teeth is or was a naval sailor. "You and everyone else know that Crescent Lagoon base was abandoned by the Imperials because they were calling as many troops back. It's ripe for the picking, and you and the other superstitious gits are just being stub-" the man was cut off when his captain, a green skin beast of a man, slammed his fist into the table to silence the insubordinate seaman. That the smaller human wasn't smacked was either him being a very high rank in their group or a strange show of respect (or he just didn't want to kill the guy.

"Stuff a cork in it, Perry. Me and da other kaptains agreed that the Imp's story is nothing but bilge, and three other ships trying to looted it ended up haven't even returned." The captain explained in a very low accent, only stopping to take a glug from some neon blue drink with a tiny umbrella in his hand "If ya wanta row a dingy dere yourself, then go right a'ead, but I'm not moving an inch" "Perry" weighed his options, then slumped down on the table and pouted in defeat. I on the other hand was much less deterred, and walked to the other table. Perry and the silent sailor gave me a completely bemused look, while the captain was more interested.

"So, where exactly is this "Crescent Lagoon base" I asked the captain, implying that I had something to offer for the information. The two sailors looked between the two of us, but the captain gave a wide smile instead, revealing a row of razor sharp teeth.

"Lets make a deal"

[Doomguy]

Pooling our seats together and making a few more orders of drinks with little umbrellas in them, I was introduced to the gang. The Ork (he insisted on the spelling) was Kaptain Choprot, a large and in-charge brute of a humanoid who was, and I quote from him, "Da boss of dis sad krew of grots". His attire was as pirate as they got, a tricore hat and gold plated teeth with a long red coats not out of place on Captain Hook. But it stood out against the bionics littering his body, including the one that took up his right arm up to his shoulder that ended in a particularly nasty set of mechanical claws, and a massive gun that was almost was a big as he was in the seat next to him. His first mate Perry was much closer to me: Human, military type, and just a pistol at his side. Well, two out of three. He was practically emotionless compared to his rambunctious green superior. The third was a human sized person covered entirely in various clothing of mostly dark colors, long sleeve pants and shirt with a wrapped cloth and goggles covering the face. The only bit of flesh you could see was the hands, and they keep their arms crossed the whole time made it hard to spot them. They did not speak, more inclined to keep a watch of the bar, and when I asked the other two they told me they called the mysterious person "Patches". I introduced myself as "Doomguy", and while Perry gave me a raised eyebrow for the nickname the other two seemed to take it in stride.

"So, ya want to take Crescent Lagoon by yourself?" The nautical ork asked with his big toothy grin "Ya must think you'ze a real tough nob if ya can stomp what's taken three other krews to fail" his beady red eyes glaces over me, and I could tell that he was trying to size me up. Judging by the smirk he was poorly trying to hide, he either believed I could do it or just found my bravado was amusing. The other two looked less sure, but they followed after the captain's lead. "But I bet you'ze new 'ere, and dat's where I come in. Ya need a map and a boat, but nothing comes free" He leans in, waiting to hear out my side of the offer.

"You're smarter than you look" I joked to the captain, which got a great guffaw from the big lug. "Clearly there's something there that you and your crew-cut friend here wants, otherwise you wouldn't be talking about it. I go in by myself, with you nearby for extraction. I wreck shop, take whatever isn't nailed down, we split the loot, and I'll be off with my share" It was a boast, I admit, but it was one I could back up, What could possibly be so dangerous in a naval base that rivaled the demons I've faced before

"That's very generous, for someone willing to put themselves at risk for very little" Perry narrowed his eyes at his me, his suspicion almost palpable. Couldn't blame him. I'd be pretty suspicious if I was in his place too. Crazy guy carrying around an armory on his back and saying he'll happily crash a military base for cash and glory? I'd wonder if that guy was off his rocker, or in it for something else. Not that I'm crazy. Nope. Don't even think It.

"Well, your captain is right" I turned down his suspicion, trying to make it seem I was on the ork's side. "I am new here, and I'm looking just to get my hand on anything that's worth something. I lost a lot of stuff when I got pulled into this shithole by that Omni asshole" The table fell silent at that, and the three sea dogs stared me down with the same surprise. I just sat there dumbfounded, not one hundred percent sure what I said to get that reaction. Perry leaned towards his boss, whispering something that I couldn't quite make out, but the ork thumped the man in the chest with his bionic arm very quickly, causing the first mate to double over.

"I know 'e's a prime, you git! I 'eard 'im meself!" Choprot yelled at Perry, revealing the subject of the attempted whispered conversation and a bit angry. I was left more amused. This is the second time I've heard that term today, and I was of course curious at what it meant.

"What's a prime, exactly? From what I've heard, they are just people that cause problems" I asked, and while captain Choprot harassed a waitress for another drink, Perry managed to unfurl himself from his damaged stomach to explained.

"You're not far off" Perry said, the annoyance in his voice relaying some experience in the area. I was given a not-so-friendly explanation about "primes", interspersed with barbed comments that were likely aimed at primes and me by proxy. But his middle school level burns were weak sause in the multiversal competition of insults, the most greenhorn space marine could have swore him to pastey whiteness by comparison.

"They sound like a bunch of dick" I explained

"You're one of those dicks"

"I never said I wasn't a dick" I retorted, and got another set of loud laughs from the green ork.

"Ha, this grot's funny!" the captain elbowed his first mate, who had a frown down to his chin. "When can ya start?!"

---

Once pleasantries and dinner was done, I was lead away from the town to the docks. Where ships of all kind stood port to starboard. Graceful wooden ships with masts being lowered next to ironclad battleships with cannons gleaming and control decks jutting up against the sky. Sailors, just as varied as the people I saw in town, rushing about with supplies, cargo, and equipment as the night started to settle in. It made me think of the USSMC's spaceports that dotted the planets that could support them. Well, trade the sterile steel catwalks with creaking wooden planks and the bleak, hostile nothingness of space with the slightly less hostile ocean. Captain Choprot's personal ride, was off on the far end of one of the pier, he spoke of of it with pride and joy while Perry and Patches were silent the whole say through the waterfront. I admit I got excited. It had been a long time since I had been on a boat.

Whatever image I had in my head as we passed by more and more ships dropped along with the look of excitement on my face when I saw it. Good thing I had my helmet back on.

It would be a bit to insulting to call it a floating rust bucket. But floating rust bucket it was. It looked like Choprot had pulled parts of a sunken ship from some depths, and then by himself simply plastered numerous layers of plate metal over where there was damage, and it looked that it was damaged everywhere. And I would learn later that he did exactly that. Oh well, I couldn't back out now. My pride would not let me.

We climbed up on deck, as rotten as the rest of the ship, and I saw the scurvy crew i would be staying with for a short while. Most where the same kind of brutish green men that Choprot was, with some slight differences, the rest filled out with a number of other humanoid races, and a few that were beast but seemed just as capable as the rest of the crew. Perry pointed out the quarters to me and the captain called a meeting to the crew, likely to explain what was going to happen in the next few day. I could have stayed to listen, but fatigue was washing over me and I found I could barely keep awake. I opted out, and took to my small quarters with its cot and enough room to just stand in. I flopped onto the bed, weapons and armor and all, and I begin to think over what has happened to me.

Less that eight hours ago, I was fighting in fell to save humanity and Earth itself. When I was first pulled it I was raging at the Omni for stealing my weapons, but now that I had the time to think and realized it was something else. When I returned from Hell the first time, I found Earth in ruins, it's cities laid to waste and the sky clouted and dark. I fought hard to save people, but when I fought in the streets I saw all the massacred civilians and soldiers that died at the hands of the undead and demonic monsters. Even with the Iron of Sin now nothing but a pile of shit on the floor of Hell, I did not know if that stopped the demons that were still alive in the real world. I didn't even know if my family and friend were alive, if they got out in time of if they were slaughters when the hellgate first appeared. Considering that the first thing I found when I got back to Earth was the head of my pet rabbit Daisy on a spike, my stomach turned at the though of what might have happened to them.

Gone from the love and warmth of friends and home for three year, to return in the midst of madness and death, and now I was swooped away for the entertainment of some godly being. I couldn't let this happen. I was the one who stopped Hell itself, and now I couldn't do anything. I had to get home, if only I could look in the eyes of all the people who lost their homes and loved ones and I could tell them that it's going to be okay.

"...It's going to be okay" I told myself, and I drifted off to the first peaceful sleep i had in a long time.

[Doomguy]

Several years in the military service of sleeping in armor has probably ruined my back beyond all hope. But it meant that I actually felt well rested when my internal clock told me to get out of bed, you lazy bum, which judging by the lack of light pouring though the porthole . I threw the bug ridden blanket I wrapped myself in, got to my feet, checked that my weapons were loaded, and got through the morning routine of exercise and hygiene (bar shaving, which I chose to wait on until I was back on terra firma) with minimal amount of kinks and I was out on the deck just as the sun started to rise on the horizon and the morning bell rang out.

I passed by the night crew and a few other early morning risers as on my way to the mess hall , the changing of the shifts and otherwise military setting making feel right at home. Complete with ornery greenhorns trying to drown their sorrows in coffee and the bowl of slop they were feeding everyone. I didn't see what everyone else was on about, it was not worse than the rations the USSMC fed me. I gave a grunt of thanks to the four armed man that handed me the bowl of food, and I was about to find a corner of the room to eat at I felt a hand tugging on the bottom of my backpack.

I spun around, ready to force feed the wooden bowl and the sludge it contained down the throat of whoever felt like such a wiseass to mess with my stuff, when I found blue-skinned hobbit-sized woman wearing smithy's clothes, and holding a gun bigger that she was, looking up at me .

"The boss wants you in the officer's quarters, ASAP" She practically ordered with a stoic and no-nonsense tone, the type you'd expect form a ship's quartermaster (the big gun was also a tip). I gave a shrug, and followed after her, leaving the slop in the unsuspecting hands of some sea dog as I left. I could hear the brawl start before I even got out of the room, and I'd remember to come back to it when I'm done talking to the captain.

---

If you thought that the food in the officer's quarters was any better than what was in the mess, you would be just as disappointed as I was. Disheartened, even. The long dinning table had in the center what looked to be slabs of meat and mugs of alcohol, but the meat was a vibrant red I would normally accommodate with a rotten tomato, and the beer was green and looked to have the consistency of grits. Captain Choprot wolfed down his share, but everyone else at there was just as happy as me to not touch the food as I was, so I kept to just picking at what veggies and fruit that wasn't already nabbed.

"You've been pretty friendly so far, captain" I complimented the ork as I faked drinking my thick green grog. At the very least the little I could eat tasted much better than the slop "We're already on our way, and you haven't even told me what you want out of it"

"We're 'alfway, actually" The ork corrected me, taking a much more real drink of his swill, grabbing Perry's mug once he finished his own "and I generally prefer to not wait. Plus, I find deals go much more smoothly when the other side doesn't know how to get back home" Both me and the captain let loose large laughs at that bit of humor, up until I stop and felt my heart sink into my gut as it finally sunk in that the joke was on me. He was right: They had sailed when I was asleep, and I had no idea which way port was. Even if I could fight my way off and steal a boat, I'd be going around in circles without any kind of map. I stared daggers at the freebooter, who simply gave me a wide and toothy predatory smile. "Aw, don't be sad, 'doomy', I'll keep a fair deal. So long as you 'old up your side.

Once "breakfast" was over, the table was rearranged into a square so everyone accounted could look over the map that the captain spread out upon it. I noted the familiar glum faces of first mate Perry and the quartermaster, and I noted the still completely covered Patches guarding the other maps when I attempted to sneak a look to which way port was. I gave a grunt of annoyance towards the mysterious bodyguard, and focused on the sheet the ork captain had spread out before me.

"What the Imperial gitz left behind isn't what's important to me," He explained to me as he chewed through a bit of red meat he had in his other hand "but I'z splitting whatever you bring back 'alf 'n' 'alf. So the more you get will only be better for you" The words he was using may have made him sound fair, but his toothy grin reminded me that he could take any amount he wanted. And he knew it. "But a rival captain decided to run his boyz into it, and no one's 'eard from him since. Either 'e trapped in there, git him out. Or the git iz dead. In which case, bring back proof of it. 'E 'as a gold ring with a heart shaped ruby, with a star cut into it. Don't ask why, 'e's a git. But it'z unique to 'im, and it would be proof of 'is deff. This will be your way in," At that, he looks down at the map, tracing his finger from a model of his ship to the sole land mass drawn onto the map: Crescent Lagoon, with a set of drawn on boxes with "Imperial Base" written in the largest square, The map was incredibly bare, but I got the impression they hadn't had much chance to scout the place before opportunity feel into their lap. my landing was on the western shore on the "outside" on the moon, opposite of where the base was "It's likely the imp's defenses are still active, so land as soon as you can see it"

"What's to stop me from just running with the loot myself?" I asked. Not because I planned on running, but because I wanted to know how they were going to trap my boat if they were to double cross me.

"There'll only be enough fuel to drive there and back. And if you try one of those sneaky prime tricks, Caral here will blow ya 'ead off" He glanced over to the blue skin girl, who gave a professional nod in confirmation. I could almost respect that stoicism if that rifle wasn't going to be pointed at me. "You got one 'our"

---

The alleged boat was not too unlike it's grown equivalent: A rusty piece of crap that was likely made from the parts of ships that sank years ago. At the very least the motor on the back worked. I had not intention of rowing towards the island that I could barely see at the horizon. Stuffed inside the back of the dingy were several empty duffle bags and, although Choprot claimed it wasn't important, I expected the green lug wanted me to have all of them full before I ran back. No food and only a single thermos of water, they had pretty much taken every precaution for keeping me from just leaving.

A rather needless precaution all things considered, since if I wanted to take everything for myself I would wait to get back on the ship before killing them and taking their supplies. That wasn't completely off the table, since the threat of double crossing was still on the table. I gave the sailor on the deck the signal, the rope tying me to the rust bucket landed in the dingy and I set off towards the island.

Whatever defense the captain was expecting failed to show themselves after I had landed. Not for lack of existence, as once I dragged the rickety boat up on the beach I noticed the small concrete housing that held automated turrets that would have sunk me if there were working. Rather easy to spot, as I could see one end of the island to the other and there was little in the way of natural cover. Only a few natural palm trees and a small layer of grass, and there was even less in terms of rocks or hills. Which is probably why it was chosen as a base. Few obstructions that could block sight, or prevent the building the defenses that littered the place. Small bunkers and tank traps surrounded the central base, a collection of concrete blocks and the occasional more interesting cylinder. All of them in some way connecting to the lagoon itself, which had been dug out and whatever local ecosystem it once had replace with machinery which would be used to repair the ships that came in.

It was an otherwise normal military base were it not for the complete lack of any life around it. No men in the guard towers or manning the fence. A chill ran down my spine as it reminded me of the military base on Phobos, where it had been silent outside but completely spewing with demons inside. Scanning across the bunkers and numerous windows that decorates what seemed to be the main building, the largest one which had it's own defensible ramparts and a tower that stuck out a few more stories above the rest, I could not see any movement with in. This looked to be a simply bash and grab, and hope to fine the captain the ork was look for. But I knew it wouldn't be that simple. Nothing ever was.

"Fuck me, I already hate this place" I said to myself, finding my own company preferable to the captain as his crew at this point. I loaded myself up duffle bags, held my pistol in hand, and marched across the island ground into the base proper. The gate was easily pushed over, the bunkers just as empty as I first through (with little in the way of anything valuable). But that chill ran down my spine again once I was inside, and saw just how quickly abandoned the place was. Notes and files were still spread out across table along with half eaten meals. Unfortunately for me, those same people that left their lunches had been less careless with the equipment, as the lockers I broke into held nothing bar the occasional empty ammo pack. I would have to venture deeper into the complex.

A corridor lead into the main building from the outside, large double doors at both ends keeping potential intruders out. There were little work for me, a few hits with the stock of my shotgun causing the locks to break off and clatter to the floor. I easily pushed them open, and I found my first clue that something was not right about this place. A putrid smell of dead fish that almost overpowered me. It was not was I expected. Most people would have probably assume that it had something to do with the food in the mess hall going off, or fish getting caught in the repair machinery. But nothing could have caused this much build up in such a short amount of time by accident.

Something was in here, and made this place it's home. I pulled my shotgun from it's place, and I once again found myself tiptoeing around a base with the only thing between me and whatever horrible monster stalked these halls.

Like good old times.

[Doomguy]

-Crescent Lagoon Inner Sanctum-

An uneasy silence had been poking me in the back of my mind as I entered into the hallway. The idea had been stalking me, that something else might be here. Perhaps there was the chance that it was some dumb animal skulking around now that the humans with guns had left, but the smashed blast door at the end of the corridor proved that the hairs standing up in my neck was just unnecessary paranoia. Something had tried to force it's way out, judging by the bits of metal on my side of the door. Something large. At least Pinky size, and just as strong. If it's as dumb as a Pinky is another question all together. I held my shotgun up, over-watching the massive door, and with a thrust of my elbow into the control panel the two halfs of the door separated. Servos hidden within the wall pulled and struggled to move the wait as the damage done to them had knocked something out of place, and a loud crash as something broke inside the mechanism had one half grinding to a halt.

"Fuck" If they didn't know I was here before, there sure as Hell did now. No animalistic roars or heavy footsteps coming at me, but that didn't mean there wasn't some ten foot tall sack of shit waiting for me on the other side.

I popped the shotgun on the other side of the door before poking my head out. Nothing. I swung the shotgun the other way. More empty hallway. The slow sweep of the base was not my preferred style of fighting, but until I confirmed there was something here I wasn't about to sprint head first into I was looking through every nook and cranny. And there was far too many of them. Unlike the UAC buildings back on Phobos and Deimos, this fortress was built to keep people out. Every hall longer than 10 feet had supports jutting inwards at regular intervals, big enough to hide a humanoid behind to pop out and attack. The corridors randomly jutted at hard corners, reducing the effectiveness of long ranged weapons and explosives. And I could practically sense the hidden windows where those with access to the inner rooms could surprise an enemy, particularly where the hallways made u-turns. This place was a proper military base, and each defense added made more and more labyrinthine.

A labyrinth that smelled like dead fish. I'd say it's like Hell, but, well...

Eventually, through the twists and turns and the constant paranoia of some eldrich abomination pulling itself from the shadow, I finally reached a door that reached further into the sanctuary. Once again I expected the worse as the door rose, and I found what appeared to be the mess hall. Stacked chairs and overturned tables pushed to the walls where soldiers and officers once ate and an overhanging catwalk where news and orders were given from, along with where defenders could rain down firepower on someone coming through. Off in the back I could see where the food was once prepared and served. And what made the awful smell.

It leaned through the doorway leading into the freezer. Standing at 8 feat and twice as wide as me, the slimy creature's scales where a dark and sickly blueish green, which slowly changed to a milky white at the underbelly. It had fins running down the spine and on it's squat muscled legs, and when it turned around to notice it's intruder the creature had the face of a fish: Bulging, dead eyes popping out of a flat wide face with no nose, and a mouth that stretched to twice the size of it's head and filled with teeth. It looked exactly like some deep sea monstrosity that had dragged itself from the ocean to walk on the land. It had been pilfering the pantry before I showed up, but now that a more enticing target arrived it began to sulk it's way towards me. It's stretched it's body out from the slack position it was sloped, long gangling arms reaching out toward me. It seemed that expected that its mere presence would have been enough to tip me into madness.

Which I'm sure it was disappointed when all it got was a silent stare through my helmet and half of its face erased when I fired my shotgun.

Fire and thunder roared out of the barrel as I pulled the trigger, aimed at the fish creature's face, and it fell over backward clutching it's face as blood and bits of bone splattered across a nearby cabinet. It shrieked and flailed in pain from the missing part of its head as it attempted to push itself back up, but I was already right next to it when it recovered, another shotgun shelled pumped in, and I unleashed one more shot into the monster's chest. Ichor splattered across the floor and my pants, and it slumped over. Dead as a door nail.

"Groovy" I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy that. A big smile went from ear to ear as I looked at the corpse. It was dead, I was sure about that. I drove a few kicks into the creature's skull, so if it was alive it would too dumb to do anything about it.

I was about to walk over the corpse and see what was left in the larder when more screeches filled the air from all directions. This monster was not alone, and if I didn't do something I was about to be up to my asshole in more of these fish creatures. A quick glance to my side and I spotted a bundle of cables lead up to the second floor. I raced up as the doors on the other side of the room began to rise, and had flattened myself against the cat walk as three more of the fish creatures walked in. They were on the look out for me, slowly walking towards the corpse of their comrade, and only looked up when they heard the spin of my chaingun speeding up.

"Time for some fishing!" I yelled from the catwalk, and unleashed a symphony of heavy firepower as the chaingun spewed out bullets onto the targets below. It was music to my ears, the din of the bullets firing off and impacting into flesh "Perfect weather for it: heavy rain of lead and blood"

The closest one to me exploded in ichor as I pumped bullet's into its chest, the abomination dancing about from the force of each hit until it the limbs flew off and the torse fell to the floor. The others made a break for it, but I swung it towards them while the gun still fired and caught them both in the sweep. Shell chasing rained down onto the floor below, the smell of spent gunpowder a heavy perfume as I sawed one of the fish men in half and vaporized the brain pan of the other. The upper torso of the half-a-fishman attempted to crawl away, but a burst fire found its way into the neck of the beast and it bled out and died.

"Catch of the day. Going to have to throw those ones ba-" Whatever joke I was going with was rudely interrupted when a heavy hand clubbed me in the back of the head, pushing me into the railing and almost over it where it not for the chaingun giving me a safe margin. By having the casing rammed into the stomach.

I spun around to find that one of the bastards had snuck up on me. It threw another attack at me, attempting to rake it's claws across by chest. But I jumped to the side, the creature instead denting the railing I had almost gone head first over. I attempted to spin the barrels of the chaingun back up to speed, but it was already swinging again and it caught me in the arm holding the gun. the claws dug into the flesh, pain shooting up and the chaingun was nearly ripped from my hand. But I pulled back, and answered the monster's assault by letting go of the rapid fire weapon with one hand and quickly drawing my pistol.

I fired a shot as soon as it had it up, but it hit what I was aiming for: one of the large bulging eyes popped at the small bullet dug into its head. It staggered, reeling back from the hit, but when it hesitated I stuck back. I drove my boot into the chest of the abomination, forcing it backwards, and with one more kick the tall creature toppled over the railing it had weaken earlier and plunged to the floor. It landed onto one of the upturned tables, and both of them snapped in half.

"Biggest fish I ever caught" I took a picture of the broken fishman through the camera in my helmet, and I left the second floor of this messy mess hall in some good humor. No more exploring uselessly on the first floor. Up here is where all the good things were kept. In fact, it only took a quick walk around where the officer's quarters once were when I found a map on some receptionist's desk pointing me out to the armory.

It took a bit of finagling to get through the door to the armory. Doors, actually. It was those kind of systems where you needs to get into a completely separate room to even get into this restricted area, and once I got past that it had the gall of having a keycard lock between me and it. Security was exactly the same, which would be where the keycards are normally. But while poking around the large room that connected them together, the reception desk that sat in the middle had a spare glued to the bottom of it. A little scrapping later and I was inside. Both rooms had been largely stripped, but between both rooms and a latter searching of the officer's quarters I managed to fill several of the duffle bags with the same plastic toy guns I saw the soldiers in white armor using, with a few oddities here and. It wasn't exactly the greatest haul, but there was still more base to search through.

I was more focused on filling these bags as quickly as possible before I moved on, throwing them out the door once they were fill, when I had heard the footsteps. More of the assholes. Oh well, all I would be losing is a few more shotgun shells. I pulled my shotgun out, loading a few more shells into the weapon as I stepped outside of the armory with a confident stride.

"Alright you knuckle-dragging walking tv-dinners, which one of you want to be tenderized first?" I asked. But what was outside wasn't the fish men. Robed men with automatic rifles stood in front of me, ornate masks covering their entire face, and as soon as I was out of cover they opened fire. Their aim was terrible, but on full auto aim was a secondary concern. Laser bolts slammed into my chest, shoulders, and stomach, bits of armor flying off as they took the blunt of the impact, and I was forced backwards into the room.

"Fuck, where did YOU come from?" I asked, but they weren't answering as they kept up the suppression fire. Already feeling bloodied as I looked over what had hit me, I took the safe bet and blind fired around the corner, rapidly pumping until I heard a grunt of pain followed quickly by another and the firing stop with each. The first was likely the real thing, but they were too far away to have been both hit my the same shot. The other had faked it and was expecting me to come back out to check.

Rather, I loaded another shell into the shotgun, couching down as low as possible, and then spun around the corner. It took a split second for the masked man to re-aim, but it was enough time for me to fire an aimed shot at his leg, which flew off form the damage and he fell to the ground clutching his stump. I rushed over, and before he could pull his gun back up and was above him, and I drove the stock of my shotgun into the face and smashed it to pieces. I was ready to do the same with the other fallen man, but the bloody crater in his chest showed that he was already dead.

As I reassessed the situation, I removed the mask of the human who's head was still intact, and I recoiled back at what I saw. Well, I found out why they were with the fish people. The men weren't human. They looked the part, but they had the same flat faced features. As with a little more searching on their person, I found around their neck a neckless with some religious like symbols of some octopus headed monster, which merely looking at hurt my soul.

"Great, half-fish people cultist. Demons, hostile fishmen. What's next, universe? Want to throw some aliens from beyond the stars at me?" I really had been getting tired of this crap. The job had already gotten harder than I though it was going to be, but it need to be done. I tossed the weapons the attacker's weapons into the bags and headed out to finish what I started, not aware just how much trouble that taunt towards the omniverse was going to land me in.

[Doomguy]

Now that I had access to the rest of the second floor and a keycard at my belt, The res of the place was easy pickings. The upper floor was not any less contorted, crooked hallways and false walls still as prevalent as before, but now these hallways were leading somewhere. Rather than snaking me around defensive choke points and access to the bare outer defenses that overlooked the dockyard. My next stop was the medical bay, more for my own benefit that for loot. I've found that there's always a need for some medkits or a hazmat suit. Once I've stripped that down, engineering. If there isn't any guns in there, there's always tools ready to either me used for converted into whatever makeshift weapon the giant green ork saw fit to swing around.

I expected resistance. There had to have been more of those fish monsters or the hybrids, I could hear the slight tap of footprints and heavy breathing from further below. But I wanted resistance. Still feeling the shots from the earlier shots, I wanted to paint the walls.

No sooner that I turned the corner from the security room did one of the false walls fall over into the hall, and bursting from the hidden room was another fish man. A much bigger one, the sickly blue green much darker than the rest I have killed, and carrying what looked like a wicked spear. It wasn't so much the spear head that looked wicked as much as it was the assortment hands that hung off the haft. Including one which had a gold ring with a heart shape ruby with a star carved into it.

"Well, you my job a lot easier, shithead. Now hold still, and this will be mostly painless" I raised my shotgun up and leveled it at his head "Mostly"

But the creature gave me what could pass as a smirk, and before I could blast the Friday night platter special more fake walls opened up in front and behind me. The whole hallway suddenly filled up with fish men and their spawn, I was ambushed and surrounded by the fishy freaks. And one of them was brave enough to appear through the wall to my immediate side. Brave, but dumb, as I force fed the attacker the barrel of my shotgun and splattered his brains across the wall behind him. With little time before I was the meat in a reverse fish sandwich, I pushed past the corpse I just laid out and headed into the inner defenses.

If you had thought the normal corridors were claustrophobic, then it was only worse inside these narrow passages. Although they lacked the zigzagging maze feeling, they barely had enough room to fit a single person. How they fishmen managed to get through it was disturbing to think about. The passage opened up into a small room, where defenders would once restock and coordinate and hide from their superior officers. Instead there was three more spawn defending a cache of weapons. They had not been expecting me, and were quick to nab any weapons in hand's reach. With a harpoon, longshoreman's hook, and a pistol between then, they advance on me.

"For Father Dago-" The pistol wielding one tried to yell, but I interrupted him when I separated his head from his torso with a close range shotgun blast to his neck, were it flew up and then bounced to the ground. The spearman lunged forward, attempting to impale me through the leg, but I side step his attempt and countered by grabbing his spear, smashing it into two pieces, then twisting the spearhead that he was desperately trying to hold on out of his hand and thrust it through his own stomach. He wasn't dead, screaming in pain as he might have been, but his buddy finished the job when he attempted to skewer me with a horizontal swing of his hook and I managed to duck under it. The hook sailed over my head, sinking into the other spawn's throat, and was pulled back out with a fountain of blood spraying across the floor.

"Damn, that's cold" I joked, but it seemed the hybrid didn't seem have any regret about killing his comrade, and was just as quick to swing again as he did before. This time I wasn't quite quick enough and the hook jabbed into my side, my armor catching most of it but I felt some of my flesh tear as he pulled me closer to himself.

His mistake, really. I jumped forward, and with enough slack I grabbed his fingers holding the hook with my spare hand and peeled them back until they were bent over backwards. He yelled in agony as I broke all the little bones in his hand, and I responded by smashing his face with a helmeted headbutt. The spawn fell to the ground, and I proceeded to stomp the ever living shit out of his throat. If he had any last desperate attempts to fight me, I had already lost interested in his twisted body and left him to die as I scavenged what was left of the weapons and supplies. I could see the fishheads squeezing their way through the corridor, and I made off with what I could carry before making off like a bandit. Only a quick glance over my shoulders saw what happened to the spawn, who seemed to have been crushed under foot by the larger monsters.

It took me a few seconds for the adrenaline to dial back and instincts to stop attempting me to drive me through the wall for me to realize that I still had a hook sticking out of my side. Pulling it out of my side wasn't fun, having to twist it out of the armor a bit before I safely got it out of my body. But once the intrusion was removed, and a bit of bandages from an old medkit, I could ignore that until later. Until I was out of this shithole.

One knocked over false wall and I found myself within one of the outer defenses. A bunker that overlooked the far end of the mechanical repair yard. Like the ones before it, the place was bare or anything of value, but this time there was a hatch that led to someplace below.

"This better be important" I grunted to no one in particular, and with a yank I looked down for find the mother load: Engineering. A big smile creep across my face, now I had something fun to work with. Find an arc welder and melt that big guppy in half and take the ring, run the horde of assholes over with a fork lift, vivid imagery that only further push my little sadistic grin from ear to ear. What was actually down there was much more disappointing: the long room was big enough for a fork life to easly go through, which meant that the previous owners had carted out anything worth stealing, only leaving a collection of broken tools and mismatch weapon parts strewn about on abandoned work stations. There was certainly enough shaved metal and scorch marks to indicated that something was once here that could bowl over anything that chased behind me, but it went away with the the imperials.

"Couldn't have at least left me a rocket launcher?" I asked myself, who only gave a shrug in reply, but looking over the parts I smacked myself when I found that I spoke too soon: parts for a rocket launcher, or rather the part that makes the rocket fly forward and not blow up in your hands. The casing was missing, but I could already visualize the omnilium forming the rocket launcher I had fallen in love with, and with a little finagling I could make this work. And not far from that, in a pile of broken tools, was a chainsaw with a jammed motor. Radios, spent ammo casing, a number of armor shards just left where anyone could take them. Given a few tools and enough time, I could have all of this in top shape.

Unfortunately, time was not something I had. A loud CRASH drew my attention down to the other end of the large room where the garage door had been simply run through: the tarter sauce parade had found me. And they weren't kidding around this time, as they were already running full pelt at me. I switched my shotgun to my chaingun and unleashed hell, but for every one I fell with a hail of bullets another took its place. I scanned the area around me, there had to be something nearby that could turn the tide. Broken tools, up turned tables, bars of scrap. Nothing. They were getting uncomfortably close, enough that I could see the hunger in their eyes, and I was forced down to a burst fire to keep backing up. Metal shelves, weapon parts, large crates. Throwing them in front of me would have only slowed them down a little bit. Bails of wire, ship parts, barrels of oil...

Barrels of oil.

Holding the bullet storm up for a moment, I threw on of the barrels to its side, and with a kick i sent it rolling down towards the fishman in front. He easy jumped over it, showing that weren't going to fall for a simple trick like a rolling barrel.

But I cared more about what was inside. I raised the chaingun back up, aiming towards the barrel with one hand and giving the finger with the other. I rattled off a burst from the chaingun, the bullets impacting the explosive barrel

"Go fuck yourselves, scum"

It went of like a bomb. The explosion rocked the building, a massive fireball engulfing everything nearby, flames darting through the obstacles in their way like a wild animal unleashed from its cage . The force itself send body parts and gore to every corner of the room, a bloody mess even sticking to the ceiling above. The horde was decimated, the front wave obliterated and those behind them on their backs, either dead from the pressure wave or stunned from what had just happened before them. I barely escaped the worse damage, feeling like something had punched me in the gut. But battle fever and training kept me up, and I gave the jackasses a smile as I revved up the barrels

My chaingun fell upon the hesitant and stupid, those getting up from the explosion having their head shaved up as bullets carved through their face. What was in the back broke rank, fleeing back to the outside. I could see the biggest one staring at me from the garage flame, but he too was routed as I pelted the wall next to him with lead. I had my victory, but I still had to get the ring. I advanced, chaingun still ready.

Then the chanting started. I stopped dead in my track, a feeling of dread washing over me. Images of demons flooding through the gates of Hell jumped back into my mind. There was something bigger going on. I had to hunt these cultist down, before they caused greater damage than just squatting in an abandoned base and pissing me off.

But when I find those bastards, pissing me off will be the least of their troubles.

[Doomguy]

The chanting seemed to be coming from every direction, yet almost too soft to hear. Just out of the range of my hearing, assuming the voices had a mundane origin. Which it didn't, if you couldn't guess. It seemed to be completely prevalent as I moved across the room toward the smashed garaged door. Peaking out with shotgun in hand, the fishy monstrosities had been completely routed, but they had disappeared out of sight before I could see where they ran off to. More work on my part to track them on this island (assuming their hive is in this base). But before I could hunt them down, I had to get rip this extra weight that was slowing me down. You try to carry twenty duffle bags individually everywhere you went, and trust me you'd have just a much in the back. Fuck me, I think I slipped a disk...

I carted the bags full of weapons and gear back to the boat, on the constant look out for the fish headed freak. The plan was the keep them in there and hide the boat under a bush somewhere. Sadly, the fish men were smarter than I gave them credit for: The boat was completely smashed, planks of wood and sheet metal thrown about, with the engine upside-down in the water to never work again. And judging by how far away some of the pieces had floated away from the island, they'd done then not too long after I landed and entered the base. The sneaky bastards has this set up, they just probably hadn't considered they'd run into someone with superior fire power. Whatever, I'll have to find a new way off when I've cleared this place of the surf and turf brigade. I stashed the loot in one of the guard towers and I set of back to the engineer's bay to prepare.

Repairing the chainsaw was easy. Took the casing off and pulled out the jammed belt form the motor was a practiced motion from how often I've had to clear out the chainsaw I used to cut my way through the demons of hell, although that had been more due to gore rather than something as mundane as a bad belt fitting. With a little concentration and time I had a replacement that fit, and I let rip full the pull cord. An angry buzzing pierced the air as the chain quickly spun around, hungry for flesh... or wood, which ever it got to first.

"Groovy" I put the chain saw down and then took out the rocket launcher parts. They weren't exactly like the USSMC make and model I had used so much in my old world, but like the belt I made the image in my mind what I needed and the omnilium formed the pieces as I wanted. Years of strip cleaning the weapon had given me a good memory of the destructive launcher, and when I had finished it was a prefect recreation. Down to the weight distribution that I liked. And I fished in time, as the chanting had grown steadily in volume and other-worldliness. Whatever tongue they spoke of sounded like nothing that any sane person would speak, and yet there was a strength and purpose that filed me with dread.

Once I've summoned a few rockets into existence, I headed out back outside. Where would the ritual site to summon likely some terrible and eldrich beast into reality by fish people be? By water! Oh yeah, that really thins down the possibilities, moron. Everything is by water here. They had to have come from somewhere. Even if the fishmen could swim that far in the ocean, the hybrids couldn't have, being still very human. It had to be somewhere on the base. My eyes glanced over to the hollowed out lagoon where the ships once docked. Maybe they were always here, like in those horror movies about the monster frozen in ice. As rushed over to once of the buildings closest to the lagoon's shore, and sure enough the smell of dead fish intensified. When I reached the door, I saw a slimey filament covering the door handle, and a feeling of something fragging evil nigh about the place. It had to be here.

This time ready for another ambush, I stood to the side of the door, one hand holding my pistol ready while the other one turned the knob and pushed the door open. Sure enough, some jackass fired a shotgun through the crack in the door , hitting jack squat for his efforts. I rushed in, barely seeing the surprised look of the shotgun wielding spawn's face as I capped him three times in quick fire. Two in the chest, one in the head. He didn't take much damaged before he rolled over dead as, well a fish. Before me I saw where the fish men had fled: a giant fucking hole in the middle of the room, shaped almost like a gapping maw ready to swallow any fool who got close.

I jumped down inside. Time to clear this place out once and for all.

[Doomguy]

Crescent Lagoon Catacombs

There was a noticeable difference to the tunnels under the buildings, something that I could feel even before I landed into the roughly hewed floor below. I could feel the still, moist, cold air cling to my skin after I had been out in the tropic breeze for so long. No longer was it the smell of fish that I had to suffer through, but a overpowering stench of rot that washed over me. And what was the cause was not to far from where I landed. Disemboweled bodies dotted the room, half submerged in pools of standing water and other liquids I'd rather not think about. There was barely enough light coming in from the building above, but I could see the shredded remains of the clothing. Same kind of style as Choprot's crew wore, with small style changes marking. Looks like I found the missing ship crews. And I plan to not be along with them. I stared at the hard rock tunnel ahead of me and steeled myself against what was ahead as I moved forward.

I raced through the corridors, shotgun aimed ahead of me as I dared for something, anything, to pop out of the poorly mined walls. The chanting turned to wailing that pierced through my helmet as I drew closer to the source. Whatever foul deed these monsters had in mind, I had to stop them now. But in this underground expanse there was no landmarks bar the occasional florescent moss, nor was there rhyme or reason to the twisting tunnels, and too many times I felt like they had turned in on themselves. And there was always the constant threat of more of those fish faces popping up and trying to attack me again. But this time I was prepared, and if they wanted to mess with me I would be taking their bits in payment.

For what feel like an agonizing minute of finding my way through roughly carved corridors and crisscrossing passageways, I finally made some kind of headway. A large room spread out before me, long enough that you could barely see the end of it through the shadows and poor lighting. That didn't make the sudden change in architecture any less obvious. Were as the passages I had been running through were shoddily made and much more recent looking, the walls of this room was carved to a flat plane and decorated with runes of some unknown origin, and the layer of crust and vegetation marked is as something very, very old. It felt like something that may have existed longer than the universe itself, summoned in form another dimension like everyone else in the blasted place. And perhaps the people who dug up the base above had a nasty surprise when they dug out the lagoon and had fish faced bastards swarming them. More bodies stacked up here, these ones being a bit more in tact than the refuge in the first room. "Refuge" may have been closer to the truth than I wanted it to be, and this was a macabre stockroom. At least the bodies weren't decorated on spikes and hanging chains, making it still a step up above Hell. But that's a low bar to clear.

Moving inwards I could see the end of the room. A large arch made of stones as big as I am lead into a bigger room, a set of spiral walkways spinning counter to each other with doorways at semi regular intervals, and a view down to the bottom which looked flooded with water. Where the chanting was the loudest, and I could see those fish headed bastards walking through the muck. And the leading fishman with the spear was with them. I could kill two birds with one rocket, and then I was out of this madcap water park. But I couldn't just launch a shot into the hole, as while I was aiming the rocket launcher down I heard a wheezing breath to my side. A hybrid had ruined his ambush for his buddies and a few of the pure fish-men when they had planned to surprise me. And they were about to eat shit for not being a bit quicker.

I wheeled the death dealer in my hands at the attackers, who had now simply tried to bum rush me when they figured I found them, and while they raised whatever ad-hoc weapons at I pulled the trigger and a frag rocket zoomed down at them. The one in the lead, a pure one with a hammer made of some creature's skull, took the explosive like a sack of a crap and when the explosion ripped through with a mighty flash of energy his bits had about the same consistency. His friend closest behind him didn't fair much better, shrapnel embedding in the parts of the body that wasn't turned to chunks, and another to his other side was thrown into a wall and his head smashed inwards like an egg, well, hitting a wall. Those standing behind the exploding fishman were knocked aside, either tumbling down the walkway or off into the expanse below. More of them had a bit of courage and attempted to rush up from further down, while a few hybrids had taken the high ground armed with spearguns and aimed at me.

They had me surrounded. Good, those poor bastards think had the upper hand.

The sound of two whoosh one after another told me when the hybrids fired, one spear clattering uselessly into the wall behind me and the other at the very least logging itself into my chest armor. With about the effectiveness of a thrown piece of butter.

I, on the otherhand, didn't aim at the two amateur-hour ground stompers but at the supports holding up their part of the walkway and unleashed another rocket. The stone crumbled and the boulders fell into the lower parts of the walkway, and fish people went along with it. The ones attempting to assault me were crushed into gore pancakes by the sections of the walkway landing on them while those who tumbled away hit the water with a satisfying smack. Like a fat kid belly flopping off the diving board. The destruction caused the pause in the chanting, and when it returned it lost some of its number.

"You heard that!" I screamed into the pit "Let me give you an encore!" I jumped down the levels and with a short time I was down to their level, with the water up to my waist. I had thought it would be some small ritual chamber, but I found was a vast cavern, large enough it could have fit all of Crescent lagoon base inside of it, a raised platform almost a story tall overlooked by a massive statue of the creature depicted in the symbols I had seen before: a tentacled headed beast, with dragon like wings spread out beyond it's long, scaly arms. And all around it was a horde of abominations, most of them fishmen but some creatures that were completely inhuman were among their ranks, and atop the platform was the spear wielding creature with another roped hybrid, once wear a mask aping the eldrich being they worshiped, leading the ritual. And they were all looking at me.

"Damn it, I got to stop doing that" I said, a horrid sound echoing off the cavern's walls as they mob readied to tear me apart and I reached for my chaingun.

[Doomguy]

As I fought my way through the deep, dark waters filling the cavern, I realized that I was completely at a disadvantage against the fish men. I was in their home field, and while I was having difficulty just getting back to the stairs several of the bastards had submerged and raced towards me as shadows under the surface. When they had been on land they were sluggish and easy to deal with, but now that they were in the water they were as fast as, well, fish in water. If I didn't get back to dry land, there wouldn't even be a fight. They're just drag me under the water and they'd hold me under, and I'd drown like a dumbass. I had to get back to where I could move freely, and judging by the shadows getting in between me and the walkway they knew as well.

The barrels of my chaingun revved up as it got to speed, and I spewed bullets at anything that dared get near. Wherever water was hit it sprayed up and obscured my vision in mist, with only a plume of red long with it telling me that I've hit something that bleeds. But nothing come from quick hits to the shapes, and only though focus firing one them did I get a fish man up to the surface to do the deadman's float. BUt by the time it took for me to kill that one, I was already surrounded by far more of them, encircling me and ready to strike on me in a feeding frenzy. The only dry cover I had nearby was some of the large boulders that I had knocked down earlier with my rocket launcher, and I had to take it. I jumped for it when one finally picked up the courage to attack, dodging under the abomination's tackle as I reached the stone. Another grabbed me by the leg, and they began to swarm, but I had wrapped my arm around the rock and held myself above water as it attempted to drag me under. I was safe from drowning for now, but I still had monster's to deal with.

The creature of the black lagoon's uncle popped its head above the water, it's dead eyes staring at me to discern how to pull my off my ledge, but what it probably saw was me pulling the cord of my chainsaw with my teeth, and dropping the roaring blade onto it's shoulder with my free hand. Ichor and gore flew everywhere as the teeth of the saw tore through it's body, its gurgling death call drowned out by the angry scream of the chainsaw motor as it bit and tore through my attacker. Seeing it be ripped to shreds pushed me onward, a small smile peaking out as I turned my chainsaw onto the next target. I jabbed it into the water where a shadow passed near me, water spraying everywhere as it was sent flying from the whirling blade, but I hit something solid and was rewards with blood tainting the pool and the shadow racing away from the pain.

"Come on, you cowards!" I screamed, slashing at anything that got close, but they seemed to have learned this time as the spread out away from me. If fact, it seemed like they were all keeping distance away from me for some reason...

I knew it was a sneak attack. I barely had time to dive away as the rock I clung onto was thrown aside by a team of fishmen, and the rest rushed forward, spears thrust forwards in an attempt to skewer me while others with nets flanked me to prevent my escape. One net wielder was a little smarter that his fellows, and attempted to follow after me with a look of hunger and rage. But I was quicker, drawing my pistol in my free hand and firing off a burst of bullets that punched through the creature's chest. It staggered, and a wild swing from the chainsaw finished it as I ripped out the front of its throat, leaving the creature to bleed out.

While I had sent a few to the depths, I was still now without something to hold on to, and the beasts doubled their efforts. The spearmen turned to after their initial missed and lunged again, and I had nothing to my back this time. Spears pushed their way through my armor and backpack to hold me down, while others pierced my exposed flesh. Pain shot through wherever I was hit, feeling the barbs of the spearheads pulling at where they made purchase. And I could already feel some of them pull me down into the muck.

But I was not dead yet, and these mutant didn't know who they were messing with.

One plucky hybrid attempted to go for the throat, but I saw the attack coming and scrunched the bottom of my helmet to the chest armor and deflected it off to one side, and I countered with pistol shots to his head. A swipe of the chainsaw across my front arc shattered the hafts of most of the spears, and I could pull away from the most of the others than stuck themselves in my armor. I was temporarily free, but I was still in the middle of a mob of bastards, and it looked like the blood in the water was causing them to frenzy. They pressed the attack even with broken weapons and some just went in with tooth and nails, while those with better control waited back to jump in when their raging comrades were cut down. I had to take them down fast and hard.

With the little free space I could muster as I kicked back a few of the monster, I pulled the rocket launcher from my back, and aimed at the creature right in front of me. At this close range a rocket would not just kill my target by pulp my insides along with it. Not that there was much of a choice, surrounded by jackasses and I wasn't going to make it to the stairs before they swarmed be again. I held my breath, ducked my head under the water, and fired.

A muffled explosion reached my ears as a bright yellow fireball graced the surface of the lake barely five feet away form me. The water churned as the pressure slapped against it, my bones and organs along with it, and I could feel the shrapnel hitting the part of my arms that were still above water. But it had the desired effect. Chunks of fish people gore flew up into the air and splashed down with a hilarious boosh and when I jumped back out of the water to survey the damage there was more than enough fish creatures floating face down to satisfy my need for vengeance. Now I could escape back up to the walkway and come back patched up and with a game plan.

Oh, do I wish I could have done that. I was barely a inch closer to the rendezvous when I felt the breath literally stolen out of my lungs, and pain wracking through my entire body. I could barely move from what felt like every little bit of me being pulled apart, and the health monitor in the HUD was dropping at a terrifying rate. It was as if my life was being drained out of me. I scanned around me as saw the perpetrator: The big guy was pointing his gruesome talisman at me, as barely at the edge of hearing he was chanting in some soul-searing, dark language. He was using some kind of hex on me. It wasn't until now that I ever thought that the supernatural was real within the Omniverse, and this was the worse time to find out. This coward was going to kill me without even being in arm's reach of me.

With my vision starting to blur, the feeling of stomach wanting to purge breakfast, and fish men on either side of me building up courage again, I had to do something fast. I leveled my shotgun at the fish face, with every intent of reducing him to the consistence of tapioca pudding, but even if I hit him I didn't know if it would kill him in one shot. And by the time I chambered another shell, I'd be a husk. I had to stop him now. I shifted my aim it's right, sights over the spear it carried, and unleashed buckshot. The edifice exploded as the pellets send bits of hands and stone scattered across the platform, and I felt my breath return.

The look of surprise cross the bastard's face, looking to what was left of his spear as he realized what I had then. Then it was replaced with a look of pain as I pumped another shell into the barrel and pulverized his knee caps.

"Fuck you, you overgrown crustacean! I'll fry you with peanut oil and eat you with tartar sauce!" I yelled back at him as he fled deeper into the cavern with his perforated knee caps. More shots rang out as I reduced some of the others down to size. They all fled from me, which only made it easier to shoot them in the back. I marched towards the platform, to get that damn ring so I could leave, and anything that got close was cut down. I had had enough shit for today.

The only thing that stood in my was the cultist with the elaborate mask. He stood before me as I climbed the stairs onto the higher levels of the platforms, raising no weapons and only giving me a crazed smile. I socked him in the stupid mask, and crumpled like fish tacos. I saw the ring lying on the floor, still attached to a bit of finger. I scooped it up, and I was done for the day. BUt when I turned to leave the masked cultist was up again.

"Alright, stupid, want a bit more sense knocked into you? Good, I need something to vent on" I cracked my knuckles to further prove the point, but his stupid smile never left him.

"Father Dagon shall devour your soul, mortal, and I shall be his-" That's about as far as he got before I caved his head in with another punch. He wasn't getting up this time. I began to walk away, heading to the stair up and out of this cave, when I heard a meaty explosion. Behind me, the cultist's body gained several tentacles, and it grew, and grew, and grew, and...

I didn't quite see how big it got before I sprint out of there, and back to the surface.

[Doomguy]

Vs Leviathan

Getting out of the rocky tunnels underneath the base was a lot quicker than going down through them. If I had to give the USSMC some credit, they at least know how to program a good mapper. Or pay someone else to make a good mapper. The effect is the same: not getting stuck in a goddamn cave. Anything that got in my way was promptly ignored, Pushed aside with a strong arm to the chest and then running past them, leaving the confused creature sitting on their ass in bewilderment. That worked pretty well until I was back to the basement leading back to the surface, in which case I clambered out of the caved-in floor and was out the door back into the sunlight. I could have maybe appreciated being out of the dank caverns and back into the tropical sun and salty air if a roar of unnatural origin didn't reverberate out of the tunnel behind me and reminded me why I was running in the first place.

After sprinting across the barren sands of the lagoon, I made it back to the hidden weapon cache in short order. Everything was still there. Good. Boat was still smashed, not so good. And it seemed like that there was nothing left in the docks when I had a chance to look over it. I didn't have the time to go looking for the tools and material needed to repair the thing. That could take hours. And fuck swimming in this water. I hoped that this Omnilium crap was as capable as the silhouetted shit-eating kidnapper advertised.

I held my hands out, focusing on what I was looking for. A boat, with an engine, anything that goes fast. Personal craft, powerful enough to get me and my baggage far away from here. The metallic prism-like liquid poured out in a mist, forming together into a larger sphere that grew in size the more I concentrated on it. After a certain size it began to take shape, forming into a personal water craft. A jet ski, if you're going to be civilian about it. The shape solidified, the strange material turning to more familiar metals and plastics, and it finished with a black and green paint job with the USSMC logo plastered on the front. What would have taken me hours was only several minutes.

And it was good timing too. Another alien scream rattled the entire island, reverberating across entire ocean. Fuck this place. Time to get the Hell out of Dodge. wrapped the handles of the duffle bags around anything that could hold it, pushed the little boat out to see, and with a push of a button the engine roared to life and I was out. With twenty odd and uneven bags of weapons, driving the little vehicle was like trying to control a run-away bull. Down hill. At eighty miles per hour. There was the constant threat of the thing bucking over and send me along with the kit head first into the drink, but a combination of determination, adrenaline, and remembering what's behind me kept me from just slowly down and taking it safe. The ship grew close as I sped onward, and when I pulled up to the side they seemed a bit more worried why I was in a different boat then why I was speeding so fast.

"Throw up da loot, ya git!" Kaptain Choprot was as friendly as always, aiming his gun down at me as he waited for me to toss the kit up. I threw one of the bag up, caught by one of the crew, but I refused to give any more up until I was safe on the boat. IN these kinds of situations, you never play your entire hand.

"That's proof I did the job, now get me on board or I'm tossing the rest to the bottom of the ocean!" I heard a zip of the bag being opened, and one of the crew pulling out one of the laser rifle, proving my claim. But they seemed to think they had the advantage and were about to shout down for the rest when I cut them off "Look, I don't have fucking time to explain, just pull me up!"

There was some hushed yelling up on the deck, the officers trying to figure out what game I was playing at, when any and all discussion was interrupted by an unearthly call that seemed to reach out from the depths itself. A hunter's howl from a creature not of the mortal realm and instilled a sense of dread in all living beings. The crew fell silent, and in the next instant they were rushing to battle station. For a brief moments I thought the sea dogs were going to abandon me to die in this pond jumper when someone threw the rope ladder down and I scrambled up to the relative safety of the SS Pile O' Junk.

Weapons of all kind traded hands as the crew steeled themselves for combat. Most had some kind of ranged weapon, rifles and pistols with the something more powerful along them. Some seemed to be more traditional as they pulled out bundles of harpoons and boarding spears, but those that took them were about twice my size and looked about as burly as the Kaptain, so as long as they could use them (and I didn't doubt that they could) then everything was fine.

"Alright ya miserable grots! Ready everything ya got, we got a fight!" Choprot bellowed to the crew, while first mate Perry handled the more subtle nuances of tactics. I dropped all the bags into the deck below and pulled the rocket launcher from my back. Whatever was going to rear its ugly head, I doubted that bullets were going to cut it. This was only confirmed when I felt the entirety of the ship shift as something hit it from below, knocking most off their feat and sending a lot of loose items flying.

"Oh ho ho, a big one! I told ya the armor plates would work, Perry!" The first mate only rolled his eyes at his captain's exuberance at the prospect of battle. I would too, normally, if I was standing on solid ground and not in a tug boat in the middle of the ocean. I was restricted, it wasn't. Nothing I couldn't handle, obviously, but I never liked to fight at a disadvantage. The creature smashed and battered at the bottom of the ship a few more times for little effect now that everyone was expecting it, some of the feistier sailors firing shots down into the murk in retaliation (with about the same effectiveness). The Kaptain's disposition changed from eager to in enraged as he felt denied his fight ""Sail to the shallows, and force it out with da depth charges!"

I kept my own eyes peeled out from the upper deck. Any shape under the surface of the water caught my attention as I scanned the area. The fear pricked across my spine as I thought of the creature attacking as the ship moved towards a nearby shoal and some of the stronger men rolled large barrels of explosives out the hold. A shadow in the deep was circling us, scheming with an unfathomable mind. Like the fishmen, it was smarter than it would appear to be. But what was it waiting for? I followed after it with my weapon as it moved towards the stern, put us between it and the shoal we were sailing towards. Which meant-

"It's going to trap us!" I yelled to everyone in earshot, but it was a warning too late. A massive weight smashed into the stern, rending it asunder with far more force than before. It wasn't attacking, it was testing the ship! Armor shards exploded in all directions as unimaginable appendages forced their way into the heart of the ship, striking out at the engine that drove the ship froward and pulling flat footed soldiers to a gruesome death. At the same time it pushed the entire ship up onto the shallow sand, running us around. It had us were it wanted.

Tentacles ripped across the surface deck with unnatural speed, impaling the unlucky and dragging them into the depths. Shots fired ineffectively at anything moving, some managing to blast some of them away. My own rockets found their mark into the larger ones that attempted to peel off the armor plates like the skin off an orange, sending them to retreat back into the depth. But for every bit torn off it merely reformed again, and the attack renewed. It gripped onto the side of the ship and it thrashed, sending men to their doom over the side. I managed to keep on by holding into one of the remaining mast, but now we fighting on slanted ground against something that was already running uncontested against the rest of the troops.

It only got worse, though. Like a fucking cyberdemon out of a pit, it rose from the water's depths. It's serpentine body glistened with scales and sickly skin stretched out upon it. Uncountable soulless eyes stared down on us from it's bulbous head, the same milky white like a creature from where no light shone. It's mouths, terrible to look at, were surrounded by smaller tentacles than the ones it has assault us with before, and were instead used to pick up any crewmen that failed to flee in time and pushed inside to be devoured like tiny morsels. One crewman, either out of bravery or insanity, charged at the beast, only for one mouthed tentacle from the cent of the monstrosity's head to latch onto the ,am, the sailor's organs immediately sucked out and leaving the corpse a withered husk. The sight of it caused the fragile sanity of the crewmen to shatter, some clawed out their own eyes and babbled incoherently, other fainting dead away. A few took the quick way out, deciding that eating their own gun was preferable to what the beast would do to them. Even Choprot looked manic, smashing his own crew in a desperate attempt to get them to rally out of fear for him over the eldritch abomination.

For me, I'm sad to say, it was a normal proceeding. If I felt anything as the mind flaying beast reared it's ugly head, it was that I finally had something to shoot at looked relatively like a weak point. I aimed at the head of the creature, still chewing on a few crewmen, and fired a rocket into a bundle of its eyes. The explosion rocked the beast, sending gibs all across the deck. But if it reacted to the pain it didn't show it, and the wound was already beginning to heal over.

"WAAAAGH!" Kaptain Choprot roared, a few of what was left of his still sane crew charging full tilt at the creature. The kaptain himself was a whirlwind of blades and poorly aimed shots from his giant gun, Patches keeping close behind swiping away with twin scimitars any tentacle attempt to get the captain's flank. The quartermaster and Perry seemed absent, my guess was either dead or spending their last moments sprouting gibberish and bashing their head against the wall, when a large trap door beside me opened up and an artillery cannon elevated into place. The both of them were armed at it, Perry aimming the weapon while the quartermaster spotted with her massive rifle.

"Need help?" I asked, but I didn't wait for an answer. I fired wherever appendages drew near, rocket after rocket reducing the limbs to gibs. My mind wondered back to Hell, where Lost Souls streaked towards me like flaming skull-shaped missiles in an attempt to take a bite out of me, but I was too quick for them as I shot them down one by one. I yelled as another attack came towards us, and I reduced it to a rain of ichor and gore. I bathed in it, for I was knee deep in the dead.

When it seemed like we were about to be overwhelmed, the artillery cannon rang out, what was left of the ship shuttering as the massive shell slammed into its target. The massive explosion tore a hole into the abomination, sending it reel backward from the force and loosing it's grip from the ship. It seemed like we had finally slain it, as everyone gave a triumphant cry.

But it was not dead. The smoke cleared, and despite the hole though it's body, it cared not. If felt no pain, it could not die.

"We can't kill it!" Perry screamed, all hope lost for the human, and he crumpled to the ground to curl into the fetal position. "We're going to die! We're going to die. We're..." he repeated incessantly, cradling and thinking happier thought. The small quartermaster kept her wits about her, but could only watch in horror and fire more useless rifle shots at the monstrosity. A tentacle got past my defenses as I was reloading the rocket drum and smashed the deck we stood on, scattering the three of us in different directions. Choprot kept trying to push towards his enemy, but resistance was too great even for him. One of the tentacle wrapped around his leg and pulled him into an awaiting mouth legs first. Patches rushed forwards to cut him free, only for another limb to simply bat them aside and overboard. More tentacles gripped onto the ship, and soon the deck began to buckle and break. It planned to pull the whole ship apart and feast on what remained inside.

I was sprawled out on the lower deck, my insides in agony as fell about ten feet from where I was standing. My rocket launcher had rolled away from me into some deeper part of the ship. The fatigue and pain that I had for the entire day decided to all rush up on me at the same time, and I felt like shit in general. Most of the crew was dead, or insane, all indirectly due to me. And I was about to follow after if didn't do something now. I scanned the area. There had to be something. That artillery cannon must have had some explosives on them. But those were somewhere inside the ship's magazine, and I would be sleeping with the fishes by the time I got there. There had to be something on top that I could use, something, something-

The depth charges.

I saw one of them go overboard when the creature and turned the ship on it's side, but luck was with me today: the one one was nestled in the corner, held onto a corpse of the one holding it when he was crushed by it in the fall. It still held on, as if in false security of the explosive. I commandeered it, hefting up up on my shoulder, and I rushed right at the sanity blasting being from under beyond thw stars. I got close, and grabbed its attention in the best way I knew how.

"I pissed on your father and fucked your fucking mother!" At least some attention was drawn away from the rest of the crew as the thing heard me "Yeah, that's right! You're nothing but an over-sized pile of fish guts! You sicken me, I'd call you ugly if that wasn't disrespectful to the ugly! I've seen national guardsmen tougher than you, you big sponge! I'll kill you like I've killed the rest of your sea friends! You know who I am?! I am the Doom-fucking-Guy!" If the creature actually understood me or it just noticed the little ant yelling at it, I didn't care. I had its attention.

The feeder limb rushed towards me, the end opening up to reveal lamprey like barbs larger than my hand. I waiting for the right moment, and then pushed the explosive in the way. the teeth lanced into the barrel, and the tentacle pulled back in surprise. It took the entire barrel with it, reeling it in until it was right up to the face. The proud captain, down to his stomch in the beast's knawing gullet, saw what I was about to do. I looked at him, regrettably, but he under stood what had to happen. "DO IT! DO IT!" he screamed as more and more of him was eaten away

With one hand I pulled my shotgun and leveled it at the barrel, and with the other I gave the leviathan the one finger salute.

"Go fuck yourself!"

I fired, pellets flying into the barrel's shell, and the explosive went off in a brilliant Kaboom!. A bright white light blinded everyone, and most still standing were knocked down by the pressure wave. I stood my ground, watching as my target came back into view. it still lived, but it's entire face was now simply gone. Its protective cranium fell apart from the massive force hitting it at point blank range, exposing the creature's fleshy brain. I was stunned, and was pulling back. Even if it didn't feel pain, it knew it was vulnerable.

But I wasn't about to let it go. Rage over took me, and I let loose everything I had. I pumped another shell into the chamber, and let loose. It gave out a terrible sound as I hit the brain. Another, and another, each shotgun shell spinning out of the side I filled the brain full of buck shot. It spasm and it shook in pain. I hammered home another shot, the shotgun ringing true as I walked forward towards the pained beast. As I got closer, the less I cared about accuracy, fired wildly to get as many shots in as I could. When the shotgun ran out of arm, I simply cast it aside and unleashed my chaingun instead. The monstrosity bucked as the hot lead pierced through and fell onto the deck as I continued my storm of vengeance. I was right up into it's face, the thing weakly attempting to fight back, but I drove the chain gun into the skull and let the whirling barrels tear it apart.

Ichor and gore splattered everywhere, tainting my armor and covering my helm, but the damage was done. With one last shutter the creature pulled away, the inside of its cranium now just burnt and mangled piece of flesh, and it fell back into the sea with a thunderous crash and died on shore it had beached us on. I stood there among the ruins, the barrel slowed its spinning after I had let go of the trigger. I stood there, breathing heavily as I took in what had happened.

Many were dead. But it was still my duty to protect those still living. I put away my weapon, and I began to looking for what was left of the crew.

[Doomguy]

I watched the person across from me with suspicious thought, their beady eyes watch me with the same vigilance as they waited for their chance to strike. I was ready for whatever came with my own arsenal, both of us trapped in a game that could spell the doom of the Omniverse, nay, the entirety of space and time itself!

"Queens and jack high" The quartermaster, who I've learned went by the name of "Janna", put her cards down and waited for me to play my own hand. I looked at the cards I owned: three aces, better than anyone at the table had. That nice plate of cooked fish was mine. But as I was ready to scoop the pot into my side of the makeshift table, I noticed the broken arm in a sling around Janna's shoulder, the thousand yard stare from one crewman who was far more interested in the wall across from him than the cards in his hands. and the screams below us as some poor soul relived the terror in their sleep. I folded the hand face down, and put on my best "Gee, I lost" face. It was omnilium summoned rations for me that night.

It was night time since the battle with the abomination, and those still able (of which there were few) kept watch for any passing ships and making sure the lights and signal flags were all showing. The ship was still aground, propped up on the sandbar, and completely unable to sail even if it wasn't from the damage done to it in the battle. It didn't help that the corpse of the creature was laid out right next to us, trapped on the same shallows. Blowing up most of it with the explosives that were still stashed on board did little to alleviate the dread it held. Not even the seagulls wanted to pick at it.

Everyone was jittery and scared, either in fear that the beast would rise up from its grave to attack again, or the far more mundane possibility that no one would come to save us. The crew had been reduced to a handful of its original number, and those alive weren't in the best shape mentally or physically. Not enough to try to make it to land in the life boats. They weren't going to let me run off on my own to get help, being the most able body here and being a prime meant I would heal my wounds overtime. And probably because they assumed I'd just run off on them. I had no intention of it, but they were smart to think so.

Janna was suffering from the aforementioned broken arm, crushed ribs, and possibly worse when the artillery cannon rolled onto her in the fall and pinned her. I suggested rest, but she told me she wouldn't until they were rescued. Perry had calmed down since his first outburst and only suffered minor damage, but mentally he had been sitting quietly in the corner of his old room for hours before breaking in a violent outburst that I had to deal with. He's since been restrained for his own good, and it was doubtful he'd recover completely. Patches had a concussion from the hit they took and nearly drowned, but was thankfully fished out of the water and resuscitated, and now is just laying on one of the cots in the ad hoc med bay. The kaptain...

"Oy, ya grot, 'and over some of dat dere" was still fucking alive and sunny as ever. Apparently his species are known for being inhumanly tough, as he was still kicking ever after having the lower half of his body chewed off by an being from beyond the stars and one of his arms blown off in the blast. Thankfully he was mostly mechanical in the first place, and he seemed none to concerned about his wounds. Janna slowly moved the plate closer to where the captain was laid out, and he took his half and happily gobbled it down.

"I really am sorry for what happened. This could have been avoid If I just gone the way from you" I said as I shuffled the deck. Considering that I had been the one that led the thing to them, I was surprised they hadn't chained the anchor around my neck and thrown me into the ocean. But the Ork waved me off with his only good arm.

"Gah, it was a good fight!" I could probably respect that kind of attitude if there wasn't such a massive death toll attached to it "Wounds heal, da boys will come back soon enough, the ship will be fixed, and we'll be up and looting again soon enough" He ate a bit more ",'sides, you'ze a Prime. Ya'd just respawn back at the nexus if'd killed ya" Well, thank god for small favors then

"Besides, it probably would have just killed you if you ran the other way, and then it would have attacked us. You saved us with your stunt" Janna added with only a slight pained breath as she looked at her cards.

"I sure as Hell doesn't feel like it. People seem to keep dying around me, and I'm just the lucky one who killed the monster. In this shit hole or back home." I put down my bum cards and drew a few more. "The blood might as well have been on my hands" Maybe I didn't really believe that, but when I thought back to the squad I was with when we hit Phobos, and how they were massacred while I was left to secure the hanger, it felt like an unfortunate trend in my life. It was hard to even remember their names, the memories all a bit fuzzy after my arrival. I couldn't help but feel a little survivor's guilt, even though as a soldier (and one of the best) I should be long past the point of being traumatized by death.

Although it might be for the better in the long run that I care about the death of others.

"Don't go soft on me, Doomy" Choprot told it to me straight "I don't need another blubbering git on me ship. Got enough of those already!" I simply gave the captain the finger and he laughed in response."To bad ya couldn't get dat ring. The shootas are nice, but dey ain't gonna cover the cost of fixing this boat at the Mek's."

I sat staring vacantly for for a second as I realized I had forgotten about the real mission in the chaos that had unfolded. I procured the ring in question from one of my many ammo pouches and held it up like a tasty morsel in front of a trained dog.

"You mean THIS ring?" I asked with a sly smile. If the ork Kaptain wasn't missing both his legs and one of his arms, I'm sure he would have jumped up and hugged me.

"Ya sneaky grot! Toss it over!" He yelled at me with an big toothy grin, loud enough that I think it hurt Janna, and when I tossed it over to him he looked over it in the most minute detail. His smile only got wider the more he looked over it, confirming that I had found the real thing. "Oh, Doom Boy or whatever zogging stupid name ya calling yaself, I oh ya a big favor for dis!"

"How about a part of that fish as a start?"

--

Rescue did eventually find us later in the night. A fishing trawler passed nearby when it saw the light from the signal fire and pull up as close as it could get. Choprot suggested we try to take it over, but that was quickly shot down when it was pointed out that there was only two life boats to ferry us across and most of the men could barely hold a knife let alone fight. We loaded up on the trawler (along with whatever illicit cargo could be reasonably carried) and took comfort in what little the fisher could provide. They were a bit supcious when the walking armory named "Doomguy" stepped on board, but I told them I was a Prime and they seemed to let it slide.

As we headed back toward Costa Del Sol, I stood out on the main deck, watching the stars and as Crescent Lagoon disappeared in the horizon. I thought about the stars at home, and how different this place it to home. Until I found my way back to the green fields of Earth, I was suck here. And I will have to live here. And fight. And perhaps die.

Until I was face to face with Omni itself, and I found the way back for everyone.