Prolouge[]
Deep within the blast-proof walls of the Terrarian Empire's dungeons, a single, hunched figure sat unmovingly at the back of his cell. Shadow Armor marked with countless scratches of hostile blades covered his muscled body. Beneath the visor of the purple helm, a solitary, red eye gleamed in the darkness of the dungeon. A wicked smile curved around his face. The End was coming, and he would very well embrace it.
Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening[]
In the distant lands not far from the Terrarian Empire, a man was rudely jolted awake from his sleep at the midnight hour by his wife. In the peaceful village of Terrador, life was easy. Farm crops, eat, sleep and repeat. No conflict ever occured, save for the occasional slime. All of that was about to change...
"Honey, quick! It's utterly demonic!" the poor woman gasped. The man poked his sleepy head out of the window, only for it to be wrenched off by a red blur. Outside, it was literally Hell on Earth. A red tinge covered the once-fertile soil of Terrador. Blood-red spiders descended on the hapless victims that were the villagers. Some brave ones tried to fight back vainly, their cheap Tin Shortswords completely useless against the red horde of arachnids. A man vaulted over one only to find himself face to face with a horrifying humanoid twice his height and a jaw long dislocated. Needless to say, he died screaming.
By the next dawn, no sign of human life remained. The creatures were quick in their work, feasting upon the rotting corpses while the red tinge in the ground started spreading. It was horror beyond that of the Corruption.
Chapter 2: Blitz Infestation[]
Following the supposed defeat of the evil Corruption, the town of Hildegard had been in a mood seemed fit only for optimists. Had they known of the further evils coming, they might have been more on their guard. Unfortunately, instead of guards alertly manning sentry posts sounding the alarm, the Crimson rolled over the unwary town as easily as it did with Terrador. By the time 6 hours had elapsed, 90% of the town's population had been devoured by the demonic creatures of the Crimson. Those that had survived fled desperately into the wilderness, attempting to reach the safety of the nearest town, to alert the Empire of its new threat...
They succeeded. One week after the fall of Hildegard, Burt and Uther assembled in Arthas' glorified Throne Room, eerily reminiscent of the meeting before the 1st Corrupt War. Rafale's place stood glaringly empty. Burt avoided looking or even thinking about it.
"Alright gentlemen. The situation is as grim as before. A new threat, seemingly to replace the Corruption, has risen. Let me first warn you, this threat may be more psychologically disturbing. The hellish creatures... they're made like living gore..." Arthas shook his head wildly. Burt gazed stonily at the old King. Uther made a soft grunting noise.
"Sire, what actio-" The whole castle shook, cutting Uther off. "What the?" Burt gazed at the solid stone foundations around him. "The beasts are sieging the castle! Burt, Uther! Rally your men and defend it!" Arthas' eyes glowed with a fire within them. Burt and Uther rushed off to the barracks, leaving Arthas alone in the Throne Room. That was good. He had other plans, plans that they might not have agreed with. He strode off purposefully towards the dungeons. Perhaps someone knew some tricks...
Chapter 3: The Dark Lord's Wisdom[]
Arthas stopped outside a cell. He was in the deepest and darkest part of the dungeons, a place reserved only for mass murderers, war criminals and traitors, and of course, the Lord of Corruption.
"Duncam! If you're not dead, answer me, scum!" Arthas' voice echoed in the damp reaches of the dungeon. A stirring within the cell gave Arthas his answer. Arthas recoiled as the demonic form of the Corruption Lord rose and strode powerfully to the bars. Arthas may be old, but his lifetime was a mere second to the ageless form of Duncam. He was a whole head taller than Arthas. Blood-red eyes gazed into Arthas' green ones, wisdom from eons past echoing within. "May I assist your Majesty?" Upon uttering these words in a deep voice, Duncam gave a mocking bow. Arthas ignored this rudeness and said "The red plague. The evil engulfing our land so similar to yours. The Wizard tells me that you know of it. You will tell me the secrets to its defeat." Arthas' voice did not tremble at even one syllable when addressing the hulking figure, an incredible feat. Duncam said nothing. He thought for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak.
"If I am to deny your Majesty of your so-wanted victory over the Crimson, what shall your Majesty do?" Before Arthas could speak, Duncam cut him off. "I do know of the Crimson. It had once been neither friend nor foe. Cthulu, who controls the Crimson with his own mind, could not enter this realm, for I would not allow it. I have my sovereignity after all. But now, with me placed in this cage, I fear that Cthulu has seized this opportunity." Duncam went silent.
"If you are so knowledgable of this, then you should know of a way to vanquish it!" Arthas said eagerly. Duncam shook his head. "I'll not speak another word til you grant me freedom. Nothing is free after all." Duncam smirked at Arthas' face. "I'll torture you to an inch of your wor-"
"Oh please! With my powers your most painful torture could not inflict a mere fraction of pain on this form!" Duncam waved away the King's threats. Arthas fell silent, brooding. "Very well. I'll grant you your freedom, but in exchange, spread your vile corruption in a realm other than this!" Duncam smiled cunningly. "Of course, your Majesty. May your empire prosper under your reign." Duncam uttered as the Titanium doors slid open.
Chapter 4: The Enemy of my Enemy[]
The whole castle shook as the Crimson descended upon it. Blood Crawlers swarmed over the outer walls and Face Monsters were locked in combat with the Knights below. A murder of Crimeras surrounded the spires of the once grand castle, and lording above the bloodbath and mayhem, was the Brain. Swarms of eyeballs floated around it, occasionally descending to tear apart the unlucky Knight. The mere sight of this gruesome mass, this horrifying Master of the demon Cthulhu, inflicted great psychological trauma on the unfortunate Knights. Among the chaos, few noticed a lone, purplish figure soaring into the sky, newly acquired Flame Wings sending embers down into the battlefield.
Duncam halted several hundred feet above the battle. From his vantage point, he could see the familiar, hated form of Burt swinging his wretched Excalibur in the face of the spiders. Uther was struggling to hold his position with his significantly weaker Mythril Sword. Bringing his hands together, Duncam sent several spinning scythes of pure purple energy hurtling towards Uther. However, not a single Scythe hit him. Face Monsters threatening to devour him were instead chopped up into pieces by the Demon Scythes. Uther, startled at the unexpected help, looked up at his saviour. Upon seeing the Corruption Lord, confusion overwhelmed the battle veteran, but he snapped back into the war immediately.
Back in the sky, Duncam was considering going for the Brain of Cthulu itself, the being that had sought to defy his sovereignity for ages. However, there was the more immediate threat of Crimeras tearing him apart. In his hand, Duncam produced a transparent sphere. Within it, a cloud of purple gases swirled angrily, demanding for release. Duncam crushed the sphere with brute force, and a shockwave rippled out in all directions. Suddenly, in the skies above the castle, the very air begin to warp. Hazy portals appeared, from which hundreds of Eaters of Souls emerged. They sped off towards the spires and the cloud of Crimera and immediately began to battle.
Duncam then materialised a javelin in his right hand. The tip of the javelin was emblazoned with a minature Eater of Souls. Duncam hurled the javelin with all this might into the bloodbath below. No sooner had it left his hand when another replaced it. The javelin hit a Blood Crawler spot on the head, causing it to be blown apart. The javelin wasn't finished though. Two small Eaters of Souls spawned from the tip of the javelin, and immediately seeked out the nearest prey, which was an unfortunate Face Monster. The Eaters charged into the Monster in a roaring kamikaze attack, decapitating the monster instantly. More javelins impacted on the ground as Duncam let fly with an entire barrage. Burt was about to strike down a Blood Crawler when it was penetrated from the side by a pair of little Eaters and violently imploded. Burt's head jerked up towards the sky, where he saw the Corruption Lord, in all his glory, smiting the beasts like some god. Burt's Angel Wings spread wide, and took him to the Lord in an instant.
Duncam moved aside in time to avoid a blazing uppercut from Burt's armored fist. Burt swooped down to face Duncam. "You! Why are you free? Which inhumane being released a beast such as you?" Burt snarled in Duncam's face. Duncam gave an equally angry look, and retorted "I would not address my own king as an inhumane being if I were you, Burt. In the past, our differences may have set us apart. Let me remind you that I was the one who declined the Angel armor, and recommended it to you instead! Instead of resuming our sibling squabbles, let us unite against a common foe, Cthulhu!" Duncam's speech seemed to soothe Burt's anger. Burt lowered Excalibur, but not his gaze. "The enemy of my enemy... is my friend, Brother. You, as learned as you are, must have heard of this saying." Duncam said softly. Burt dropped his angry exterior and said "Very well. Until Cthulu is vanquished, we shall not settle any scores. Afterwards... however..." Burt let his voice trail off. Duncam smiled in relief. Both warriors turned to face the Brain, which had seemingly been enraged by the loss of majority of its minions.
Chapter 5: The Brain strikes![]
Both brothers floated silently in the air while the war raged beneath them. Their eyes, one pair glaringly red and the other serenely blue, stared at the Brain as it rotated slowly towards them, searching for the troublemakers who had eliminated so many of its minions. In a blur, a swarm of eyeballs sped towards the two brothers. Duncam sent a purple scythe rocketing back at them, slicing 5 eyeballs into bloody pieces. Burt rushed forward, Excalibur held ready. In one blazing whirlwind, the eyeballs were mutilated by Excalibur, their remains falling down into the raging battle. At that instant, the Brain roared. It was a terrifying sound. It echoed across the battlefield, drilling deep into the souls of all who heard it. Burt was knocked backwards but held his altitude, while Duncam conjured a shimmering shield of dark energy, deflecting the blast. Burt struggled to focus on the battle and clear his mind of the horrifying sound, when a purplish blur rocketed past. He glanced up to see Duncam speeding towards the Brain, Night's Edge out and ready. An evil grin slashed across his face in anticipation of the slaughter that was about to happen. However, just as the tip of the dark sword touched the Brain's fleshy surface, the Brain was no longer there. Duncam pivoted in the air confusedly and roared "What!? Come back, you worthless coward, Cthulhu!"
Burt was stunned. The Brain just vanished! He whirled about in the air, looking for the familiar shape of the Brain. Suddenly, a searing pain cut through him as an invisible force knocked him out of the air. As Burt tumbled to the raging battle below, he caught sight of his opponent hovering menancingly above him. The Brain glared down at his fast-receding form, revelling in its truimph over one foe. The familiar swarm of eyeballs spurted out from behind the Brain's massive form and dived towards Burt, chasing their prey.
All of a sudden, a demonic roar came from above and the Brain turned to see Duncam's muscular form rocketing towards him, eyes blazing in fury and his Night's Edge ready to taste blood. Duncam reached the Brain and brought the Night's Edge down on the Brain's fleshy surface. To his surprise, the blade's purple edge simply passed through the crimson surface! The blade cut well and true into the Brain, but no wound appeared on its flesh. For it's part, the Brain simply jerked forward, slamming into the Dark Lord. Duncam recoiled, his blade held extended. His red eyes blazed with raged and he lifted a hand to summon more scythes. However, the Brain ignored this and calmly teleported away, its eyeballs trailing after it.
Burt fell through the air, wind roaring in his ears. The inhuman roar of the Brain still echoed in his mind and Burt struggled to push it out. His body cockscrewed towards the ground, ensuring certain death should he hit the battlefield. At the last moment, Burt righted himself and his Angel Wings beat again, lifting him parallel to the ground, Excalibur accidentally taking out a Face Monster in the process. Burt soared upwards as his vitality regenerated, heading back into the battle with the Brain. A purplish-white light slowly grew in his hand as Burt summoned what magic Angels had.
Duncam glared at the Brain. The godly creature had suffered nothing from his attacks and the eyeballs which he had slain had now been replaced by more. The Brain leered at him, mocking him, Burt apparently forgotten. The Brain sent an unheard signal, and the eyeballs surged forth at Duncam again. Duncam thrust his hand forward, sending a flurry of scythes at the eyeballs, shredding them where they flew. Duncam then aimed his hand at the Brain, a spiral of flames forming within his palm. With a flash of light, a massive ball of Cursed Flames erupted from the Dark Lord's palm and rocketed towards the Brain. With a derisive snort, the Brain turned ethereal again, the fireball passing harmlessly through it. Duncam growled with anger, starting to charge another fireball.
Suddenly, the Brain roared with pain and rage as a hailstorm of crystal shards assaulted its side. Burt flew up towards the Brain, Excalibur extended and his hand still spraying shards. At the same time, a massive green fireball smashed against the Brain. The Brain thundered with pain as both spells, Light and Dark, hit it from both sides. Its fleshy surface was pockmarked with shards while also ablaze with green flames. In its rage, it roared again, sending out a shockwave. Burt raised his Paladin's Shield, completely deflecting the blast. Duncam, powered by pure rage, simply resisted the blow, his body vibrating from the force. Undeterred, Burt sped upwards towards the Brain's underside, Excalibur gripped with both hands. Duncam thrust himself forward equally powerfully, Night's Edge extended and crying for blood.
Both warriors struck the Brain at the same time. Distracted and dazed by the assault, the Brain was defenseless against the combined attack. Light and Dark penetrated the unholy surface together, power flowing from their masters through them and into the vessel of Cthulhu. With a final, agonizing cry, the Brain shuddered violently. Purity and Corruption met together as one, uniting in a massive surge of energy. A light seared the crimson sky as the Brain imploded, energy from both worlds crushing it from inside-out. Knights far away on the ground shielded their eyes as the roar of the Brain echoed across the battlefield for a final time. When the lightshow was over, as the people raised their eyes to the heavens in fear and wonder, all was silent. An instant later, an absolute cry of victory rose from the crowds of men.
However, the roars of triumph slowly turned to cries of shock. The crimson clouds spiralled towards where the Brain had been, merging to become a familiar shape. In the sky, Burt jerked backwards, registering only shock on his face. Duncam retreated, Night's Edge held ready. A smirk appeared on his face. I know you all too well, Cthulhu. You're too stubborn, too hateful. Sometimes, it's just better to die outright, you know... Duncam spoke to Cthulhu in his mind. In response, a sheer shockwave of bloodthirst assaulted the Dark Lord's mind. Cthulhu spoke, "THE LAND SHALL BE MINE. YOUR CORRUPTION IS FOUL, THE HUMANS WORSE. I SHALL SPREAD GORE ACROSS THE WORLD, AND NOTHING SHALL RESIST ME. NOT YOU, NOT THE MORTALS, NOT THE WALL. NOTHING!" Duncam deflected the mind-melting mental shockwave using pure, uncontested willpower. He growled angrily and Duncam's mouth curled in a sneer. The red clouds continued swirling , gathering and slowly filling in the silhouette of their master. Gradually, flesh and blood solidified. Burt grimaced as the familiar, infamous surface of the dead creature formed. A deafening blast sounded, a sound of pure evil and chaos. The Brain was reborn.
Chapter 6: Rebirth[]
"Damn you! Why don't you just bloody die!" Burt swore at his reborn foe. The Brain jerked in midair, turning its "face" to meet Burt's glare. Burt gasped and recoiled as he saw the Brain's foul visage. The Brain had split down the middle, both sides tearing apart to reveal a massive, beating heart. A solitary, bloodred eye stared out from the flesh. The eye folded downwards in a glare, meeting the intensity of Burt's. Burt pushed aside all fear, raising Excalibur wearily. Suddenly, the Brain rotated a full 180 degrees, just in time to face Duncam's Night's Edge.
"TSEWWW!" A loud, laser-like noise sounded as the opposing energies of the Corruption and Crimson collided. The Brain had erected a shield out of pure energy, completely blocking Duncam's attack. Duncam withdrew and with lightning speed, charged again. Once again, the Brain countered the attack. Suddenly, it lunged forward, smacking into Duncam. Duncam grunted in pain and withdrew. It tried to pursue the Dark Lord, but Burt drew its attention with a series of blows from Excalibur. The shield surrounding the Brain was no less weaker at its rear. The Brain spun and stared straight into Burt's eyes. Unfazed, Burt thrust Excalibur forward towards the split in the Brain. With surprising swiftness, the seams of the split came together, closing over the heart of the creature. Excalibur rebounded off the field harmlessly, pushing Burt off-balance. The Brain lurched forward relentlessly, slamming into Burt and disorienting him even further. Just as the Brain was about to cast the finishing blow on the dazed Angel, Duncam roared towards the Brain from behind, blade hungry for blood. The Brain whirled around and conjured a mass of disembodied limbs from thin air, causing Duncam to smash into them, disorientating and slowing the Lord of Corruption. Not done with its foe, the Brain let out a deep growl. Instantly, the sky above Duncam turned an eerie crimson, polluted with bloody. As Duncam looked up, the bloodied clouds above him disengaged their burden, sending torrents of bloody crashing down on the Dark Lord.
Duncam was slammed to the ground by the unimaginable weight of the blood, leaving a large crater that quickly filled with blood. A heart-rending scream emerged from the froth. Time seemed to stand still as the weight of the clouds slowly ran dry, the torrent eventually stopping. All around the castle, in the sky or on hard ground, all combat ceased as the soldiers of the warring armies turned to look at the flooded crater where Duncam lay. The surface of the blood-filled crater was still with no sign of movement. It was calmer than a mirror's edge, as though the grip of Death had come to hold it.
Chapter 7: The True Power[]
Time was frozen as the Knights and Crimson Monsters both watched the crater, eyes lit expectantly, waiting for the Dark Lord to rise in all his might. However, as the seconds ticked by, the blood within the crater remained as still as ever, giving no illusion of Duncam rising. In the dead silence, the Brain suddenly let out a roar of triumph, its solitary eye arched in gloating. Suddenly, all battle seemed to resume, the Knights returning to fending off the Crimson Monsters. The dogfights between the Crimera and Eaters resumed high above the spires of the castle. Burt stared disbelievingly at the crater, eyes widened in shock. His brother had been annihilated before his very eyes. Despite their differences and clearly antonymic powers, Burt did care about his brother, with Duncam wrenched from him by the powers of darkness in his infant ages. Burt slowly drifted to the crater, all else forgotten. Horror wrought his face as Burt fell to his knees at the edge of his brother's grave. A single tear dripped out of his Hallowed visor as he wept for his fallen sibling. "We were brothers once, and brothers we shall forever be." Burt uttered those solemn words through his agonising cries of sorrow. The tear which had leaked out of his visor trickled down the visor's scarred surface and dripped from the helm into the pool of blood. Instantly, the tear dissolved into emptiness, sending ripples into the pool.
As Burt held his head in his hands, all thoughts of victory gone, all sounds around him gradually vanished. The death throes of the Knights and Monsters, the clashing of steel and the singing of arrows slowly receded into nothing, until only one sound remained. A soft, melodical hum weaved itself around Burt's ears. Burt took comfort in its warm embrace, his mind slowly relaxing and his body, which was tensed with grief, loosened. The melody seemed to be whispering to him, pulling him into the realm of light. As Burt embraced the soothing voices within the tune, the voices grew different. A dark tone had induced itself in the once-peaceful tunes, whispering secrets of death, of evil, of blood, of corruption. To Burt, the new voice sounded familiar. Bloodlust raged within it, hungering for revenge, for conquest, for slaughter. Evils of eons past echoed in the now-polluted tunes, straining for vengeance to feed its eternal hunger. The voice seethed with power, sounds of corruption whirling in Burt's exhausted mind. For the first time, the corruption spoke to him, "The enemy of my enemy... is my friend... brother..."
Burt's watery eyes shot open, his head tilted upwards, all his senses returned. "B-brother...?" Burt mumbled disbelievingly. The bloody crater in front of him had began to churn violently. Shockwaves rippled outwards from the epicenter of the crater. Burt stumbled backwards, the shockwaves becoming more and more violent by the second. Once again, all fights were forgotten as both armies turned to stare at the crater. Even the monstrous Brain of Cthulhu ceased its massacre of Eaters to face the churning crater. As all eyes focused on the crater, the power of the Dark Lord reawakened.
The blood-filled crater erupted as the gargantuan form of Duncam rose into the air. The new form bore barely any resemblance to the previous Dark Lord. While the old powerful, battle-scarred body of the Dark Lord had already been large, this new form utterly dwarfed it. At 15 meters in height, Duncam now wore black robes that swept beneath him as he rose into the air, replacing his old Shadow Armor. Twin massive black demon wings beat the air as they pushed their master upwards. A scarf of raven feathers regally lined the Dark Lord's shoulders. A hood descended over Duncam's new face, engulfing it in darkness. A massive, alien-like scythe was clenched in one fist, its dark edge resonating with unholy energy.
Everything was stunned into silence by the reemergence of the Dark Lord. Not a single sound could be heard, the air deathly still. Burt held his breath, not daring to even make his presence known to the behemoth that he believed had been his brother. Once again, the Brain broke the eerie silence, roaring its challenge to the resurrected Dark Lord. The demon raised its head, face still engulfed in impenetrable darkness. Suddenly, a red light pulsed forth from the black. A solitary eye opened, it's red light wrought with evil. The demonic eye stared deep into the Brain's enraged one, considering the challenge. Another flash of red seared the air, and the war between the Gods began.
As the legions of Man, Monster and one Angel watched, the two beings of evil clashed. The Brain lunged forward, a spear of bloody energy raised, ready to pierce the soul from Duncam. The Dark Angel simply waved a hand and darkness burst forth from nowhere to form a shield. The spear shattered instantly on contact with the shield, causing the Brain to roar angrily. In response, the solitary red eye blinked, before Duncam swept the air again with a hand, sending a ball of dark energy catapulting towards the Brain. The Brain immediately conjured its psychic shield, but its defence was pathetic as compared to the power of the Dark Angel. The ball exploded through the psychic shield and collided with the Brain's calloused surface, causing a geyser of blood to spout forth. The Brain cried out in pain for the first time, but even as its demonic wails echoed in the air, its flesh was already mending! The creature beneath the black hood snorted, clearly expecting it. Suddenly, a swarm of red encircled the hovering demon. The Crimera were attacking Duncam! The Brain's evil laughter echoed through the battlefield, apparently thinking Duncam vulnerable. The horde of Crimera completely blotted out any sight of the massive Duncam. The Brain rose into the air, conjuring a shimmering spear of bloody energy, ready to be hurled into the defiantly red eye of the Dark Angel. However, as the Brain would soon learn, the power of the Dark Angel was not to be doubted.
Without warning, the air around the swarm began to ripple. In an instant, the air ripples had turned into a thundering void. The desperate shrieks of the Crimera cut the air as they were pulled into the black hole. Before the Brain could even attack, the entire swarm of Crimera had been wiped out, crushed into emptyness by the power of the black hole. The Dark Angel simply closed his palm and the black hole vanished. The Brain was utterly dumbfounded. Too late it had realised that it had gotten itself into a mess that it could not remedy.
Chapter 8: Cerebral Haemorrhage[]
Desperate, the Brain sent the spear of energy shooting towards the Dark Angel. Duncam easily deflected the blow with a shield of darkness. The single red eye blinked again and this time, Duncam moved his other hand, raising the Death Sickle high into the air. In a swift downward motion, a spinning ethereal sickle was sent flying towards the Brain. The Brain teleported to another location, but the ethereal sickle simply veered towards it again! The surface of the Brain was ruptured as the sickle seared straight through it. The Brain roared in pain and faltered. Duncam showed no mercy to his weakened foe, instantly swooping forward and stopping in front of the Brain. As the wound healed and the Brain looked up to face its foe again, it found itself staring straight into the face of death. The Dark Angel's solitary eye gazed down into the depths of the Brain's pulsating heart, looking through ages of hate, genocide, murder. Before the Brain could do anything, the red eye of the Dark Angel blinked for the final time.
As the twin halves of the Brain fell through the air, fountains of blood raining down on the battlefield, Duncam remained hovering in the air, unmoving. The single eyeball of the Brain lay impaled on Death Sickle's alien edge, still spurting blood. The unholy artifact would spread its gore no more. Down in the wastelands of the battlefield, the creatures of the Crimson began imploding one by one in explosions of blood. Face Monsters wailed and Blood Crawlers screeched as their unholy energies collapsed along with their bodies, their master dead. A roar of victory exploded forth from the battle-weary Knights. Burt fell to his armored knees, tears of joy sprinkling the ground.
Suddenly, the gargantuan form of the Dark Angel slowly dematerialised. As the slowly-shrinking body of Duncam lowered itself to the ground, it began to take on the old shape of the Lord of Corruption's powerful body. Once more, the Shadow Boots of the Dark Lord (Lord, not Angel) touched the soil, demon wings shrinking into dust.
Epilogue[]
Too lazy to do now, some other time.