Underdoom - Chapter 4

With those two words, Hell was unleashed on the underground.

The triple ensemble of barrels on his weapon separated. Deafening blasts of chaingun fire echoed throughout New Home. Royal guardsmen rounded up the civilians, trying to keep them safe from the bloody maelstrom of hellfire and lead while other guardsmen joined the fight in an attempt to aid the Doom Slayer. Their spears and arrows added only marginally to his continuous fire, his massive weapon turning bright red as he swept it from side to side, turning imps and other lesser demons into red mist. A few of the demon's projectiles scored hits on the guardsmen while the evasive Praetor remained mobile to avoid their attacks. The murderous intent of the horde reduced the stricken guardsmen to dust. As Hell's pawns fell to the combined efforts of the Doom Slayer and his newfound allies, the greater beasts of the Umbral Plains strode onto the battlefield, roaring, throwing hellfire, and tearing their hapless enemies to shreds. Upon seeing these men and women perish, the Hell Walker turned his attention from slaughtering his foes to saving the innocent. Ripping the jaws and limbs off of the Hell Knights and imps who were assailing them, he came to the aid of the Royal Guard, motioning them to flee. This wasn't their fight, and as the Underworld's forces encroached ever closer, they began to see his point. The commanding officer called to his men, telling them to flee and leave the fight to the human. They fell back, firing arrows and throwing spears into the horde to cover their retreat. As he found himself alone to fight, the Unchained Predator felt a volatile mix of emotions: for one thing, he felt seething rage and bitterness for having this peaceful existence once again taken away from him. For another, he felt a sick, bloodthirsty satisfaction at finally being back in the saddle. The cries of the dying hellspawn, the sound of their blood spilling, the ring of brass hitting the floor - all was music to his ears. He had rarely seen so many of them attacking him at once, but all the better. All the more demons to kill. All the more hellish flesh to rip and tear. All the more vengeance to wreak upon the wicked who had wronged him, who had the gall to take this away from him, who had the foolish nerve to stand in his way.

"EVERYONE GET TO SAFETY!!" The King called out within the palace. Him and everyone on the rostrum had either fled or were fleeing into the castle, as well as nearly all of monsterkind, who took their exit below the palace, Undyne keeping watch over them and guiding them to safe haven as she watched the Doom Slayer fight his one man battle. She had seen him shoo off the unit she explicitly ordered to assist him, and though it seemed he could fend them off, there was far too much at risk here. That crazed warrior was all that stood between that horrifying mob of demons and thousands of innocent lives. To Undyne, that simply wasn't enough.

"NUMBER 2! Get these people out of New Home and the Core. I need you to coordinate the evacuation!"

"But what about you?!"

"I'm going in..."

"but Undyne-"

"DON'T TRY TO STOP ME, JUST GO!" She said as she ran off towards the battlefield.

Watching from the balcony, Papyrus and Frisk watched the demons slowly surround their friend. "Guys, we have to help him!" Papyrus exclaimed as he observed the bloodbath. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

"We ARE doing it." Asgore retorted. "Our top priority should be getting everyone safely away from New Home. Besides, Undyne sent a good group of her men to help him-"

"They're not there anymore!" Frisk called out.

"They're not?!" He and the rest of the group went out to see what was happening. As they all gathered together, they saw the Hell Walker viciously fending off the horde. Bullets flew almost unceasingly as he continued to fire on them. Still though, it all seemed too much for one man as dozens of them continued to encroach the lone fighter.

"Look!" Sans exclaimed, pointing to a running figure with blue spear in hand. "Undyne's running up there too!"

"They're gonna kill her!!" Alphys shrieked out. "ASGORE WE NEED TO SEND HELP!"

"What can we do?" Asked Toriel. "Didn't you call Mettaton?"

"I did! I thought he'd-"

"Be here late?" Mettaton responded as he touched down in his second form. "What's going on? Why is everyone evacuating?"

"See for yourself...." Frisk said, pointing to the horde.

"Oh my goodness..."

"I'm going down to help!" Papyrus said as he watched Undyne fight alongside the Praetor. "They can't do it on their own!" Before he could jump the railing and climb down, his brother grabbed him.

"You're not going anywhere!" he said, tightly gripping his brother's scarf. "This is more then either of us can handle!"

Looking his brother sternly in the eyes and firmly taking his scarf back, he replied "Just you try and stop me!" before leaping down the balcony and sliding off the sloped wall onto the floor, taking a running start for the field.

"I cannot call myself King if I cannot defend my own Kingdom..." Asgore said as he put off his cape and unsheathed his trident. "Toriel, take Frisk and Alphys down to the core and keep them safe. Alphys, You take care of security. Make sure everyone is out of New Home and lock the doors behind you. I want laser security all over the place, preventing anything from getting in or out of here... I'm going in too." he said before leaping down and hitting the concrete, "Ohh... I'm getting old." said Asgore, cracking his back and neck and slowly recovering from his fall before charging into battle.

Not long after Asgore's leap did Mettaton follow. "No time to waste I suppose..." he said as he took off from the balcony, flying into the fray of battle.

"Come everyone! We need to get to safety!' Toriel called out as Sans was left alone on the balcony upon their retreat. He stood there watching, not knowing what he should do. "Don't do this..." he said quietly, watching his friends and his brother run towards the fray. "Don't do this, guys...."

As the first wave's last fighters fell to the earth, The Doom Slayer put away his burning chaingun, having depleted its ammunition. He then turned to his new companion, roughly turning her by her shoulder and sternly pointing towards the palace.

"I'm not going anywhere." She replied, unwavering. "This is my home, and I have to defend it!"

The Doom Slayer had little patience for such insolence, especially when lives were on the line. He grabbed her by her collar armor and once again pointed towards the palace, his eyes wide with both concern and boiling impatience. She had become a friend of his, but even though she was decent in battle (she had taken many of them down with her spear), she stood no chance against Hell's full forces, at least in his mind. His tight grip was then broken by an indignant strike from Undyne.

"I don't think you heard what I said." She replied, scowling. "I'll give my life for the people I love, if that's what it takes."

"And so will we!" a familiar voice called out.

"What the... Guys?!" She said incredulously as Papyrus, Asgore and Mettaton closed in. "What are you doing here?!"

"A King must protect his own realm..." Asgore replied. "I've cowered in the shadows long enough."

"Entertainment isn't my only forte, darling." Mettaton said as he produced various weapons from his body: A gun that encapsulated his right hand and what looked to be rocket batteries on his shoulders, coupled with a chainsaw slung over his back. "Alphys designed me to be able to kick some tail, after all."

The Doom slayer wasn't sure whether he should feel reproved or even more concerned and angry. These people, who he had come to care for, would jump into certain death so willingly? It somewhat stung him however to compare his betrayal of his homeland to the undying loyalty and love these people had for their home and people. Supposing it was yet another task of repentance, he resigned himself. If this was what they wanted, so be it. After all, it was a far more courageous decision than the one he had made.

"So where have they all gone to?" Papyrus asked, noticing there was no more demons left.

"Have we arrived late for the party?" Mettaton asked.

No sooner did he ask however, than did the flashing and thunderous noise restart, only much closer. As demon materialized after demon, the group all poised to attack.

"Looks more like the after party's just getting started!" Undyne replied.

"Let's do this everyone!" Papyrus said, arming himself with a barricade of bones and skull shaped blasters. "If we can't talk them out of it, we'll rough 'em up a little and then talk them out of it! I'm sure they'll all-"

"Pap..." Undyne said sternly. "I don't think that's really an option."

"but..." Papyrus stuttered as he processed what Undyne had said. He looked at the horde, all snarling and eager for blood. Although it didn't take long for him to put two and two together, the implications shook him. It really was going to happen. "Alright..." he said as he focused nervously upon Hell's forces.

The Doom Slayer faced his enemy, pulling out his hinge shotgun and loading its behemoth barrels.

"Smile when you see the flash, darlings...." The automaton quipped as he aimed his armaments at the horde.

The flashing stopped, and the shadow horde roared and loomed over their conceived prey in an attempt to intimidate them into fleeing. The spawn of hell loved to chase down their fearful prey. They bellowed louder in frustration and fury when they saw their quarry remaining steadfast. defiant of the power of the Lords they served. Upon recognizing the Doom Slayer, they shrieked all the louder, as if to challenge him, the Unchained Predator, the Scourge of Hell, in an ultimately suicidal bout. Scowling ever harder, the Hell-Walker charged his prey, his motley gang of allies following close.

First blood was spilled by him, as an imp was blown to minute pieces before the Slayer's shotgun. Undyne let out a great battle cry as she charged a Hell knight, jumping onto its chest as she plunged her spear down the monster's throat. A cacodemon took aim at papyrus, who responded with fire from his blasters, severely injuring the creatures before they were finished off by bones impaling their eye-sockets. The King went head to head with a Baron, readying his trident as the great monster charged him. it raised a claw to swipe at him, only to feel Asgore's hand catch it by the wrist, pulling the creature onto the business end of his weapon. Mettaton's rocket batteries fired constantly, pulverizing whatever imps and Unwilling fell into his range. The battle intensified as yet more demons sprang up, surrounding the group. The Hell Walker reveled in the bloodshed, ripping the monstrosities apart with his hands and his shotgun. A hell knight was knocked to the ground only to look up at a fist caving its skull in. A baron would leap at him, only to have him kick its knee in so he could grab its horn, tear it off and bludgeon it to death with it. Imps were blasted to pieces, and Mancubi were fed their own hearts. His companions fought on bravely, barely dodging the horde's relentless attacks. Fear crept within them, but behind their spears, rockets, fire, and bones they felt secure. Still, as greater demons continued to flash onto the battlefield, rumbling the ground as they walked, they couldn't help but feel a looming fear of death. Just as alarming still was their new friend's prowess and ferocity in battle. They had to steel themselves in an attempt to focus on their own enemies rather than be distracted by his bloodthirsty rampage. It was hard not to be shocked and amazed at how he so brutally effortlessly tore the demons apart. They fought their hardest and their bravest, but one by one, their energy began to wane.

"NNGGAAAAAAAH!" Undyne wailed as she mimicked the Doom Slayer, beating a baron to death with its horn. "*gasp*, Doomguy, I dunno how much longer we can keep this up..."

"My batteries are running low..." Mettaton added. at this rate, I'll shut down in just another half hour..."

The king grunted as he wrestled both arms with a hell knight. turning his arms up, he bent the enemy's arms in backward. it let out a  roar of pain before Asgore pulled it in by its broken limbs and headbutted it, leaving the indents of his horns on its caved-in skull. "This is starting to remind me that battle is a young man's game..." he said panting as he dropped his fallen foe, preparing to engage a encroaching mancubus with his fire magic.

"I think we're beating them!" Papyrus exclaimed, felling another imp with his bony clubs. "Just a little-AAAHH!"

"PAPYRUS!" Undyne called out as a baron leaped at him, its fists hitting the ground in front of him in a near miss. The shockwave alone was enough to send him toppling over, and as soon as he hit the ground, the baron stomped him down, immobilizing him. Everyone looked on in terror, unable to intervene as other demons kept them busy. The beast raised its hand which was enveloped in green fire, ready to tear the skeleton to shreds... before a blue haze enshrouded it.

"huh?!" papyrus squeaked out before his assailant was tossed aside like a rag doll.

"hands..."

Two imps were crushed by the baron's fall.

"off..."

The baron attempted to recover before that same haze enveloped its head, twisting it until its neck snapped in a sickening crunch.

"my..."

A hell knight was impaled with a massive, jagged bone before it could reach Papyrus.

"brother."

The Knight's corpse was thrown at a nearby cacodemon, impaling it through the mouth by the same bone which killed its comrade.

"Sans!" exclaimed Papyrus. "I wasn't sure you were coming!"

"At first, I thought I'd just hang back and take it easy..." he said before blasting away several imps. "But bad things happen when people like me take it easy."

As more demons sprang up, the group continued to fight. San's aid was felt by everyone, but only so much could truly help them as the horde continued to close in. Everyone fought tooth and nail in an attempt to protect the underground. Sans put aside his existential nihilism for the moment, knowing that even if all can be reset, it wouldn't change the fact that his laziness could have meant his brother's death. Undyne continued to charge into the horde, keeping in mind those she loved and cared about, some of which were fighting alongside her, and others, such as Alphys, beyond the entrance to New Home. The thought of their safety was all that mattered to her. Asgore continued to scorch and impale his foes, tossing them aside in his unrestrained might. All this time, Toriel had been right about him; he was a man caught between his kindness and his cowardice. No more. If he would die anywhere, it would be here, standing between his people and the armies of hell. Mettaton was thinking about more than vanity or fame, as he usually did. He never though he was capable of such violence, and it perturbed him somewhat. Still, the thought of making sure humanity and monsters were safe fueled him on, despite his waning energy. Papyrus wasn't sure how to feel about the violence he was unleashing. All this time, he had been so peaceful. He had been tempted to talk the demons out of the fight when everyone was readying to charge, but as he saw the evil in their eyes, he knew there was no other alternative, and it began to truly bother him. Meanwhile, all the Doom Slayer could think of was bloodshed. Kill them all. Wipe them all out. let them all come. They'd fall to him, one by one. Let Hell empty itself here if it wanted to - it would all go to waste. Should he run out of ammunition, he would use his saw. Should his saw run out of fuel, he would use his hands. His war would not end until they were all dead. It mattered not where they chose to die.

The enemy began to wane in numbers, and the exhausted group felt relief as the last few demons began to falter before them: just three Hell knights and two barons. everyone opened fire on them, knowing the brute strength of these massive beasts. Before long, the enemy had been defeated, and the second baron fell to its knees, scorched by Asgore's fire.

"We did it..." Papyrus said, gasping for breath. "I can't believe we did it!"

"Yeah, neither can i...." Sans remarked. "I'm pooped..."

"You're pooped>?!" Undyne retorted. "You got to the party late!"

"And to think, my battery is only at 12%." Mettaton added. "I'd like to think we finished just in the nick of time..."

"Alright everyone." Asgore said. "We don't know if that's the last of them..."

Mettaton interrupted, pointing frantically in front of the King. "LOOK OUT!"

The baron wasn't totally dead. It stood up briskly, gripping Asgore by the throat and readying a fatal, fiery green blow. Everyone aimed at the creature, but it died before they could hit it. A gunshot echoed throughout the streets, and the firer stepped forward as the beast toppled to the floor for a final time. He stood in the shadows of an alleyway facing the group, concealed from their view. A blue glow emanated form therein.

"I guess I'll have to take responsibility for this..." he said in a deep, mechanical. growling voice as he stepped out of the shadows, holding what appeared to be some sort of sniper rifle. He was tall and seemingly entirely robotic. A single, vertical blue optic adorned his head. His body was painted white, with grey metal underlying, tubes sticking out form a skeletal frame. "I apologize sincerely. I had no idea any of my actions would have such far-reaching consequences." Every word he spoke seemed to enrage the Doom Slayer, and his grip on his weapon grew ever tighter with every step the robotic figure took.

"My name is Doctor Samuel Hayden, the CEO of the United Aerospace Corporation." he said, stopping in front of the group. "Pleasure to meet you all."