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Chapters 1 – 39 Archive

The glass shattered as Ronove’s body slammed into it. Doug leapt in after it and ran to Charlene. She tensed in fright as Doug touched her. “It’s okay; it’s me. I’m going to get you out of here.”

She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Doug? I’m so sorry for all of this. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. There’s nothing to it. We just–”

Doug felt as if he was slammed by a tree and was knocked across the room. “Ronove’s plans were to have me inflict pain on the other and leave you be,” said the terrible voice of Loch. “I don’t see why I can’t just tear the both of you apart.”

Doug grabbed his sword and stood back up. “Is that all you got, you little bitch?” He looked around the room; it was empty except for him, Charlene, and Ronove’s crumpled body. It did seem hard to fight someone who didn’t even exist in Doug’s dimension, but he had his theory on it.

Five daggers ripped into Doug’s back. They then pressed upwards, lifting him off his feet. Doug couldn’t even scream in pain, but Charlene was screaming enough for the both of them. He realized he was being lifter up by a massive claw, and the pain was so unbearable his body just wanted to shut down. “I am just beginning, human,” Loch said. “You may not be able to imagine a greater pain, but soon you will not have to imag–”

Doug had turned around his sword and stabbed backwards, and it hit something. Doug was dropped to the ground, and looked up to see a winged demon standing over him. It appeared to be a combination or rock and muscle with giant horns upon its head which were both threatening and somewhat clichéd. Doug’s sword stuck out of its midsection. Doug stood up, his head coming to about its chest, and looked up to its red eyes which seemed to be staring back in shock. “You don’t seem to like taking form in this world,” Doug said to it, “and I think I know why. You’re scared. I may have been smacked around my entire life, but I will not be done in by a worthless coward!”

Loch roared, shaking the room, he swung down, breaking the sword sticking out of him. “You think harming some physical form I made means anything to me?!”

Doug shrugged. “Yeah, sorta, I guess.”

Loch spread his powerful wings, smashing apart the walls beside him. He then snatched Doug with one of his massive claws, and shot up into the air, breaking through the ceiling above him. Doug tried to pry open the fingers, but there was no moving them. Soon he was let go, though, and fell to the hard ground. He was back on top of his Loch’s ship, and flames erupted all around him. Against them, he could see the silhouettes of hundreds of Loch’s creatures. Up against the purple sky floated the massive Loch, the sky cracking with thunder behind him. It seemed like quite a bit of overkill to intimidate one man, and Doug couldn’t help but feel it was a bit pathetic. Frankly, the whole fighting a being beyond his understanding was going a lot better for Doug than he hoped.

Doug stood up as Loch went into another monologue about how Doug was nothing compared to him and how the pain he inflicted would be super bad and Doug would not care for it at all. It was getting quite tedious. “Are you going to do something?” Doug called out. “Or are you just going to float safe up there like a little sissy?”

Loch did not respond right away.

“Okay,” Doug said. “I’m going to go find my friends and get off of this ship, and you can stay up there talking about how powerful you are.” Doug turned to leave and then felt like he was hit by a truck. He was back on the ground with Loch on top of him. A claw grabbed him by the head and lifted him in the air. Doug held on with one hand and swung out at hard as he could with the other. It felt like he punched rock, but the hand released him and he landed back on his feet facing Loch. “You really can’t take it, can you?”

Loch roared, and spires of rock shot up around Doug. “I can twist this universe apart if I so desired!”

“No you can’t; you suck!” was the best Doug could come up with a retort at the moment. He then charged Loch, ramming him with his shoulder and knocking the beast against one of the rock spires, shattering it. Loch was back to his feet quickly and swung his claw at Doug. Doug blocked it and was just barely able to keep standing. “You hit like a girl!” _A really large one made of rock._

Before Doug could react, Loch had snatched both Doug’s arms and lifted him into the air. “Enough of this. Now I rip you apart.” He then began to pull Doug’s arms out while he hung there defenseless.

Loch cried out and dropped Doug. Behind Loch stood Charlene who let out another kick to where would be Loch’s kidney if he had them. “You’re not looking quite infinitely powerful right now,” she said while trying to look brave, but she seemed even smaller than usual compared to the massive beast. Loch turned towards her.

“Don’t you touch her!” Doug tackled Loch, but Loch grabbed him by the leg and swung him into Charlene. Charlene was back up first and tried to punch Loch, but Loch grabber her arm and struck it with his fist. There was an audible snap and Charlene screamed in pain. Enraged, Doug ran at Loch again, but was stopped as a claw shredded into his gut. He fell to the ground next to Charlene, his hand covered in blood as it held the wound at his belly.

Loch stood over them. “You things never realize the futility of your existence until its–”

A wall exploded behind Loch, toppling him over. As the dust cleared, Doug saw numerous figures emerge from inside the ship. Loch stood up at roared at them.

“Oh crap,” Bryce said. “Um… before you get too angry, realize this wouldn’t have happened if you had an easier to navigate ship layout.”

Lulu stood next to Bryce. “So, we see you can become the form of a powerful demon, but I bet you can’t turn into something small like a mouse.”

“Now I end you all!” Loch screamed.

“We’re not scared of you demon!” Chimezie called out.

Bryce stepped behind Chimezie. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“I will crush you fleas!”

Doug got back to his feet, one hand clutching his wound as the other helped Charlene back up. “If you’re so powerful, then strike me down.”

“I have nothing to prove to any of you!” Loch shouted, the whole ship shaking at his words.

“Well, I have something to prove.” Doug walked towards Loch, his left hand over his stomach and his right hand in a fist. “So I’m going to give you a proper ass-kicking in front of all these people. How does that sound?”

Loch roared as he swung at Doug, but Doug left hand came up and blocked it as he hooked Loch in the face with his right. He felt blood spatter, and the blood burned his skin like acid.

It was a good hurt.

Doug smashed Loch in the face again and he fell to the ground. He didn’t look massive or powerful anymore; just a pathetic writhing little goblin. Doug reached down and grabbed him by the neck, held him, and slammed him against a wall. Loch tried to feebly claw apart Doug’s grip, but he could hardly even feel the effort.

“You can’t–” Loch shrieked.

Doug tightened his grip on Loch’s throat. “Shut up! You listen to me now! You tell the others they can’t push us around anymore! This isn’t your world, and if you want it, you’ll have to fight us for it!” Doug threw Loch aside. The flames were now gone and Doug couldn’t see anymore of Loch’s creatures. It was just Loch, cowering as he looked at the people around him. He scampered for the edge of the ship and jumped off.

“Ow!” Doug finally exclaimed as he clutched his wound at his stomach and back and fell to the ground. The others quickly ran to him.

“Do you see the power of faith now?” Chimezie asked him.

“I think… something like that,” Doug answered weakly. “Can you die from stomach wounds?”

Bryce knelt beside him. “No, the stomach is one of those useless organs like tonsils.”

Charlene sat next to him as well, holding her arm. “Just hang in there, please. We’ve kinda been through a lot to see you die now.”

“Yeah, don’t piss us off,” Lulu said. “If you die, you’re out of the group.”

“You hero. You save us,” said one woman, smiling. The rest of Hellbender who Doug still didn’t know very well stood around him looking at him in awe.

“What have you done?” cried out another voice. Ronove’s broken body now stood on the surface of the ship.

“I guess we stick to the plan.” Lulu walked towards him, and before he could say another word, she punched him in the face.

Ronove’s body fell to the ground. It stirred for a moment, and then ripped apart as a being of massive being of blue light sprung up from the corpse and towered over Hellbender. “Do you think you can win this?” it screamed. “We are eternal beings! In due time, we will end you all!”

Lulu took a few steps back in shock, but Bryce came up and stood beside her. “So, are you going to deal with us now or later?”

Ronove floated above them for a moment more, and then faded away.

“Good. Later works better for our schedules too.”

Suddenly the darkness of the wasteland ripped away and there were out into blue skies. As their eyes adjusted to the light, they could hear explosions and gun shots around them.

“What’s happening?” Doug called out, trying to stand back up.

Charlene looked over the edge of the ship. “Asmod and Serpine are still fighting.”

“I think they’re avoiding us because we have the big scary ship,” Lulu said, and then leaned over the edge. “We beat up two gods today! You’re nothing! Bring it!”

Doug limped over to take a look. He could see fighter ships and winged beasts, but they were all heading away from their craft. Loch’s vessel kept moving, and soon they were away from the warzone and over green fields with a blue and lightly cloudy sky above them. The others they had freed with Chimezie looked about with hopeful smiles. Doug walked over to Charlene and put his arm around her. Despite the loss of blood, he couldn’t help but smile himself. “It’s a pretty world, isn’t it?”

“It can be.” She smiled back at him. “So how the hell do we get down from here?”

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