War-Maid: Chapter 11 A Screamer And Devourer (Patreon)

Year 4500, May 18, Afternoon

Beneath the Iron Graveyard’s Military Base, Floor -5: Containment Floor

The trio cautiously advanced deeper into Floor -5, the tactical flashlights integrated into Lyra’s Maid’s Mercy casting long, pale beams over the rusted metallic walls and floor grates. Their footsteps echoed through the suffocating darkness as they crossed one abandoned corridor after another. Every chamber they passed told the exact same horrifying story. Reinforced blast doors hung twisted and warped from their hydraulic hinges, heavy armored observation windows had been shattered outward, and centuries-old, blackened blood stains painted the steel like grotesque murals. The stale air hung thick with the stench of iron, mold, and decaying flesh.

The silence never lasted for long as suddenly, the scraping noises further down the corridor grew frantic. From the absolute darkness, a mangled pack of undead broke into a frantic, shuffling rush, driven wild by the sudden, rare scent of living flesh. The twisted creatures lurched forward, their jaws unhinging unnaturally as they reached for Diego.

"RRRRAAAHHHHHH!!"

"They're coming!" Diego shouted, instinctively bringing his plasma pistol up into a firm two-handed grip.

Before the horde could even close half the distance, Valerie exploded forward like a black-and-silver comet, her figure blurring as her sapphire eyes flashed with cold intent. She brandished Sun-Slayer in a low, sweeping guard. With terrifying elegance, she cut straight through the front line, the 3,000°C blue crystal-alloy blade bisecting decaying armor plating and mutated flesh with effortless ease.

The superheated edge carved through the next wave of Draggers. One blinding slash severed three bodies at the torso; another arc saw four more collapse into burning ash before their nervous systems could even register the cut. She flowed seamlessly from target to target like a lethal dancer performing a rehearsed routine, severing limbs, torsos, and skulls with frightening precision. Wherever Valerie moved, the undead simply ceased to exist.

Beside her, Diego channeled the hard-earned confidence gained from Valerie’s brutal training regimens. Keeping his breathing steady and controlled, he waited for clear openings rather than blindly panicking, discharging superheated gas only when he possessed a guaranteed kill frame.

Thwip!

A brilliant bolt of blue plasma pierced straight through the forehead of an approaching Dragger. The corpse staggered backward, its skull instantly vaporized, before it collapsed into a smoldering heap.

"One down!"

Rather than wasting precious energy cells like he had during his very first deployment, Diego waited patiently for distinct opportunities. Whenever Valerie forced an undead into the open or whenever a rotted undead stumbled free from the pack being slaughtered, he pulled the trigger. 

At the rear guard beside Diego, Lyra stood perfectly composed, her Maid's Mercy crackling softly in her hands as she calmly picked off the Crawlers and Draggers attempting to flank Valerie. Her lavender optics continuously swept every overhead vent, and dark maintenance duct while streams of calculations flashed across her internal HUD. 

Thwip! Thwip!

Without even tilting her head upward, Maid's Mercy barked twice. A Crawler silently dragging itself across an overhead ventilation grate lost its head before it could even lunge. Another attempted to slide beneath a pile of rusted structural debris; Lyra adjusted her aim by a fraction of an inch and delivered two precise rounds straight through its cranium. Every single bullet found its mark.

For several minutes, the engagement almost felt manageable.

Then, as Valerie cleaved through another dense cluster of Draggers, a frail female undead hidden deep behind the charging crowd suddenly tilted her head back. Her jaw split open unnaturally wide, far wider than any human mouth should allow.

SCCRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

An ear-piercing shriek erupted through the corridor, bouncing off the steel floor and vibrating violently into the trio's skulls. The raw frequency of the wave acted like a localized EMP burst, causing both War-Maids to freeze mid-motion as their artificial optics flickered erratically. Their internal processors suffered a momentary system shock, delaying their response for two crucial seconds.

"AAAGH!" Diego felt the full brunt of the sonic attack, instantly dropping one hand from his pistol to cover his ear in agony. It felt as though white-hot needles were being hammered directly into his brain.

[WARNING: AUDIO-SENSORY OVERLOAD DETECTED]

Lyra’s internal system pinged as she forcibly recalibrated her auditory buffers and optics. Her advanced scanners instantly registered a terrifying shift: the Screamer's high-frequency shriek had triggered a massive adrenaline surge in the surrounding infected, invigorating their atrophied muscles with sudden, unnatural strength. Worse, dozens of new movement signatures were rapidly converging on their position from every adjacent containment block.

Red warning markers began appearing throughout the map displayed inside her HUD as entire corridors suddenly lit up.

"Master!" Lyra's normally serene voice sharpened with cold urgency. "Multiple hostile contacts converging from all sectors!"

The distant guttural moans swelled into a deafening, terrifying chorus as Valerie violently shook off the stun effect, her Sun-Slayer flashing back to life as she resumed carving through the surge.

"They're way faster now!" Diego yelled, pushing through the ringing in his ears to fire another plasma bolt into a fast-approaching undead.

"The Screamer’s shrieking has forced surrounding entities into an hyper-aggressive frenzied state," Lyra answered, her processors rapidly running engagement models. "Our priority should be to eliminate the Screamer immediately."

Lyra raised her dual suppressed handguns, attempting to lock onto the pale creature in the back. However, the newly energized horde pressed forward in an overwhelming wall of flesh, completely blocking her line of sight. Every clean firing angle was obscured by dozens of thrashing, shambling bodies and no matter how many she eliminated they just kept protecting her.

"Unfortunately I had no clear line of fire on target," Lyra reported with disappointment.

Valerie cleaved another three Draggers apart before casting a swift glance over her shoulder at another corridor overflown with undead approaching. "They are attempting to encircle us!"

Diego looked down the length of the main hallway and the side arteries. The situation had degraded in seconds; every corridor was filling with frantic, shadow-draped movement. The Screamer's alarm had awakened the entire sector.

"We're pulling back!" Diego ordered without hesitation. "Retreat!"

"Affirmative!" Both War-Maids responded.

Without missing a beat, Valerie executed a controlled tactical withdrawal, stepping backward in perfect sync while keeping Sun-Slayer spinning in a whirlwind of plasma-hot steel to bisect anything that entered her reach. Lyra seamlessly covered the retreat, placing precision suppressed rounds into the surging crowd to disrupt their momentum whenever they threatened to overwhelm Valerie's guard. Diego laid down supporting fire between them, picking off stragglers to ensure nothing bypassed Valerie's flanks.

Together, the trio executed a successful withdrawal as they sprinted backward down the reinforced corridor while the endless, enraged growls and the Screamer's haunting cry continued to echo off the dark, rusted walls behind them.

—--------------------

For several agonizing minutes, they sprinted through corridor after corridor, the clatter of their boots echoing off the floor until the furious snarls and shrieks finally began fading into the distance. Eventually, they ducked through a heavy, reinforced blast door, ducking into what appeared to be a vast, damaged containment staging area. Rows of overturned steel cargo containers provided scattered cover, while massive support pillars disappeared into the suffocating darkness overhead.

Diego slumped heavily against the cool, reinforced wall, clutching his chest as he desperately tried to catch his breath, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Haa… Haa… Girls, tell me..." He inhaled deeply, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "...Tell me they aren't right behind us."

Valerie immediately pivoted toward the threshold they had just crossed, holding Sun-Slayer in a low, ready stance. "No immediate pursuit detected. We must have lost them."

Lyra’s lavender optics swept methodically across the perimeter of the staging area, her HUD cataloging every entry point. "This chamber appears temporarily secure, Master."

"Gracias a Dios..." Diego exhaled a long sigh of relief before wiping his brow and looking between his two War-Maids. "Status report. Valerie, Lyra... how are your core batteries holding up?"

Valerie crossed her arms beneath her chest, her blue cybernetic circuit lines pulsing with a steady rhythm of her black bodysuit. "Current energy reserves: seventy-seven percent. High-frequency engagement causes a temporary spike in discharge, but my operational efficiency remains optimal."

"Eighty-six percent. Ammunition expenditure remains within acceptable mission parameters," Lyra added seamlessly, her classic maid uniform looking miraculously immaculate despite the frantic sprint.

However, before Lyra could finish her full diagnostic assessment, the entire chamber violently shuddered.

THOOM.

The shockwave rattled through the soles of Diego's boots. He froze, slowly turning his head toward the blue-haired War-Maid. "...Please tell me that's just a small earthquake."

A deep, structural vibration resonated through the steel floorboards beneath them. Lyra’s optics flashed a sharp, luminescent lavender as her acoustic tracking suite locked onto the source. "My apologies, Master, but the high-frequency tremble I detected earlier during our entry has arrived. The mass signature is directly outside this sector."

Another bone-jarring impact struck the reinforced walls.

THOOM.

Closer now.

THOOM.

Heavy footsteps reverberated throughout the chamber, each one accompanied by the grinding scrape of something dragging across reinforced steel. Dust drifted from the ceiling. The steel containers rattled. Then Lyra’s lights caught a silhouette that dwarfed the basic undead. A massive Devourer emerged from the shadows, its hulking, mutated frame scraping against the reinforced steel floor. 

Then, the tactical flashlights on Lyra’s handguns caught a towering silhouette that completely dwarfed the basic undead. A massive mutant emerged from the dark, its sprawling, mutated frame scraping against the steel ceiling as it bursts through.

It stood well over three meters tall. Its bloated, heavily armored body looked like a grotesque fusion of mutated muscle tissue and calcified bone wrapped beneath layers of hardened chitin. Thick plates of blackened bone plating covered most of its torso, while powerful, elongated arms ended in monstrous, jagged claws.

Its most horrifying feature, however, was its face. Its cavernous mouth stretched unnaturally to its upper chest all the way up to its forehead, lined with rows of needle-like, jagged teeth.

Diego froze in place. A Devourer.

According to G.O.D.’s briefing, the vast majority of organic, biological anomalies should have perished from starvation over five centuries of complete isolation. Yet, this nightmare was very much alive and operating at peak strength.

The horrifying answer to its survival lay dangling directly from its cavernous maw: shredded, rotted meat and cracked bones were wedged tightly between its rows of yellowed teeth. It had survived the centuries by feeding on the supply of undead trapped on Floor -5, turning the containment sector into its personal hunting ground.

The giant slowly raised its heavy head. Beady, crimson eyes embedded beneath its bone armor fixed directly upon the trio.

Then, its split jaw closed into a disturbingly intelligent, cruel smile.

"So..." Diego muttered, his grip tightening around his plasma pistol until his knuckles turned white. "...This one's different."

Without warning, the beast let out a gut-wrenching roar and lunged forward, the steel floor grates buckling and snapping beneath its immense weight. The trio had to duck and move to dodge the massive mutant.

"Valerie!" Diego barked. "Keep it occupied!"

"Understood!" Valerie dashed forward, Sun-Slayer blazing as she swung.

However, the Devourer's apparent intelligence proved deadly accurate. Unlike the mindless, shuffling undead, the mutant instinctively anticipated her trajectory. With a burst of agility that defied its massive size, it swayed its heavy torso, dodging Valerie’s slashes with terrifying speed.

Landing the mutant then used its long arms and massive claws to attack Valerie but thankfully Valerie was quick enough to move away.

Lyra instantly unleashed a rapid, suppressive volley from her Maid’s Mercy, while Diego lined up his sight and fired two superheated plasma bolts. But the high-caliber rounds and plasma charges deflected harmlessly off the monster's thick, calcified chitin plates.

Valerie was about to attempt another swing but as if recognizing the lethal, searing heat radiating from Valerie’s thermal katana, the beast twisted its body with explosive force, narrowly avoiding another sweeping arc of the blade.

Seeing that nothing they did worked, Diego’s mind raced through everything Valerie had taught him and everything G.O.D. had uploaded into the Learning Pod. Then an idea formed. “Valerie! Stop attacking, step back and wait for my opening!”

"Master?!" Valerie voiced her confusion, but her programming superseded her instinct. She instantly disengaged, executing a clean backflip to create distance.

Diego stepped directly out from behind the cover of an overturned container, placing himself squarely in the beast's direct line of sight. "Hey! Over here, big guy!"

As the creature snapped its head toward him, opening its split jaw to snap at the easy prey, Diego raised his plasma pistol with absolute composure. He squeezed the trigger, sending a superheated bolt of blue plasma straight into the creature's exposed crimson right eye.

The bolt detonated on impact, blinding its right optical cluster. The Devourer let out an enraged howl, its attention completely fixated on Diego as it charged.

Seeing how effective the blind tactic was, Lyra synchronized instantly with her Master's strategy as she ran toward the monster’s left. Then Maid’s Mercy barked twice in rapid succession. Two high-caliber rounds struck with surgical precision, shattering the monster's remaining left eye.

Completely blinded and overwhelmed by pain, the giant mutant shrieked, throwing its head back and exposing the soft, unarmored lining beneath its massive maw and throat.

That was the exact opening Valerie needed.

With a fierce battle cry, Valerie spun low to the ground, channeling the full kinetic output of her body directly into a single, devastating upward slash as Sun-Slayer tore through the air in a brilliant blue flash, cleaving cleanly through the monster's unarmored interior tissue and splitting its massive frame in two.

The two halved masses of the Devourer crashed heavily against the steel floor grates, sizzling as the intense thermal heat instantly cauterized the mutated flesh.

Silence fell over the cavernous staging room, broken only by the hum of Valerie's cooling blade.

Diego slowly lowered his pistol, staring at the smoldering remains in disbelief. "...We actually did it."

Valerie turned back toward him, her thermal blade vanishing back into her palm as a soft, proud smile lit up her face. "An exceptional command, Master."

Lyra smoothly holstered Maid's Mercy at her hips, bowing her head in a crisp, respectful nod. "Your battlefield leadership and tactical adaptability exceeded all projected expectations, Master Diego."

Diego felt a sudden wave of heat rush to his cheeks, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, come on, it really wasn't anything special... I just remembered what G.O.D. showed us. But look, our six hours aren't up yet, but we've already secured a foothold. Let's pull back to Floor -7 to recover and let the rest of the horde disperse for the night. Hopefully by tomorrow, clearing the rest of Floor -5 should be a lot easier."

"Agreed," Valerie said softly, her sapphire eyes gleaming with a warm, affectionate light. "You have exerted yourself well today, Master. Rest is essential."

"Indeed," Lyra added, her lips curving into a gentle smile as she stepped to his side. "Once we return to our quarters, we can undergo a full bio-sync cycle to optimize your physical recovery and recharge our core systems."

At the mention of the bio-sync session and the undeniable intimacy that came with it, a faint, charming blush dusted across both War-Maids' cheeks as they turned together to escort their Master safely back to the elevator.

—---------------------------------

Beneath the Iron Graveyard’s Military Base, Floor -7: Secret Laboratory

The sterile white lights of the Secret Laboratory bathed the room in a soothing, familiar glow. Automated spider droids and octopus drones moved rhythmically as they navigated the area, hauling salvaged metal and wiring back into the storage compartments of floor -6.

At the center table, Diego sat slumped over, holding a thick tube of gray nutrient paste. Exhaustion pulled at his limbs from the brutal skirmishes on Floor -5. With a soft sigh, he squeezed a thick blob of the gelatinous mixture directly onto his tongue, his face instantly contorting into a grimace as he forced himself to swallow.

"Man... it really never gets better, does it?" Diego muttered under his breath, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "It still tastes terrible..."

Standing just behind his seat, Valerie and Lyra stood side by side as G.O.D. floated silently before them. The smooth black sphere suspended itself in the air, its single blue optical lens rotating smoothly as it processed the detailed diagnostic logs being transmitted directly from the War-Maids' HUDs.

"A Tier 2 mutated entity... designated as a Devourer," G.O.D.'s synthesized voice chimed smoothly, humming with anti-gravity harmonics. "Your swift coordination in neutralizing the target before it could fully adapt to Vanguard-01’s attack patterns was exceptionally effective. However, the presence of such a specimen on Floor -5 indicates that more biological anomalies might exist and I worry what else is still around. Tell me what did you learn from fighting that creature?"

"The creature utilized a biological armor and used heavy physical strikes to attack along with its weight. It also proved to be more athletic than what could be considered possible as it was able to dodge my strikes." Valerie reported, her tone crisp yet laced with pride as her glowing sapphire eyes flicked over to Diego. "However, under Master Diego’s commands, plus Lyra providing support. I was able to execute a full slash to cleave the beast in two."

Lyra inclined her head respectfully, her hands clasped neatly over her spotless maid apron. "We also encountered a Screamer unit that alerted surrounding undead clusters, creating a sub-optimal environment for us to fight. Nevertheless, Master Diego's orders allowed us to break through and retreat safely."

"Fascinating," G.O.D. hummed softly, its optical lens pulsing faint blue light. “Hopefully with its termination, the remaining threat density consists primarily of low-grade Draggers and Crawlers. However, conducting extermination operations in low-light environments places an unnecessary cognitive strain on Master Diego's vision."

The AI paused as a quiet ping echoed from the datapad resting beside Diego's lap.

"I have uploaded the schematics of where the power grid is located to Master Diego’s datapad and synchronized the coordinates with Vanguard-01 and Logistic-04's HUD systems," G.O.D. announced. "Your primary objective for tomorrow's deployment will be to find and repair the sub-station power grid located in Sector B. Restoring primary lighting and automated security turrets will dramatically increase operational efficiency and minimize risk during floor clearing."

"Understood," Lyra replied smoothly, her lavender eyes glowing faintly as the map data integrated into her navigation processors.

G.O.D. drifted slightly higher, its spherical chassis tilting. "Additionally, analyzing the swarm density reported during the Screamer's alert phase suggests that two War-Maid units may reach operational limits when facing simultaneous wide-area engagements. I am currently calculating the viability of initiating the awakening protocol for a third War-Maid unit tomorrow morning."

At those words, Valerie’s silver eyebrows instantly furrowed. Her posture went rigid, and her arms immediately folded tightly beneath her bountiful chest as a deep, visible pout formed on her lips. She shot a tiny, possessive side-glare toward G.O.D. and then toward Lyra.

‘Another one?!’ Valerie thought, her mind immediately throwing a flurry of jealous warnings. Sharing her Master's affection, attention, and night-time Bio-Sync transfers with Lyra was already testing her absolute limit! Not to mention that knowing she wasn’t enough to protect her master made the feeling worse.

Lyra, on the other hand, remained completely composed, a subtle, serene smile gracing her soft features. "An additional combat or support unit would increase our efficiency by thirty-three percent, allowing us to perform more duties." Lyra noted calmly. "Plus a fresh pair of hands would also allow us to keep Master Diego’s quarters and personal equipment in absolute pristine condition with much greater efficiency."

Meanwhile, Diego perked up from his seat, swallowing his last bit of nutrient sludge. He blinked in surprise, looking between the floating AI and his two stunning android companions. ‘A third War-Maid already?’ He thought, his heart skipping a quick beat. His mind raced through the possibility of who it could be, a long-range sniper, an airborne assault specialist, or maybe a heavy defender? Either way the War-Maid must be incredibly beautiful like Valerie and Lyra.

"In light of today’s combat exertion, it is wise that you retreated early," G.O.D. stated, bringing its lens back down toward the trio. "The night cycle will cause the wandering undead above to disperse. You are instructed to spend the remaining hours resting and restoring your physical and synthetic energy reserves. Tomorrow, we shall proceed with the new War-Maid awakening."

"Understood, G.O.D.," Diego nodded, letting out a breath of relief.

"Rest well, Master Diego," G.O.D. buzzed softly before turning its anti-gravity units and hovering away toward the central laboratory to oversee the automated repair droids.

As the heavy mechanical doors slid shut behind the AI, the atmosphere in the lab instantly relaxed. Diego stretched his arms high above his head, popping his back with a satisfied groan.

"Man, what a day," Diego said, standing up from the table. He looked over at Valerie and Lyra, giving them a warm, grateful smile. "Since we've got the whole evening off to take it easy... I was actually thinking of heading back to the room and finishing up the rest of Dragon Ball Super. What do you girls think?"

Valerie’s sulky, pouty expression vanished instantly, replaced by a radiant, glowing smile as her sapphire eyes sparkled with devotion. She immediately stepped close to his left side, wrapping her slender, powerful arms firmly around his elbow and pulling his arm against her soft chest.

"Whatever the Master desires brings me absolute joy!" Valerie chirped sweetly, her silver hair brushing lightly against his shoulder. "I shall prepare the gray blankets and make sure you are completely comfortable!"

Lyra stepped up to his right side, walking with graceful, measured steps as she smoothed down her maid skirt. "I will ensure the quarters are fully sanitized, adjust the room lighting to optimal cinematic parameters, and prepare fresh water for Master Diego," she offered with a gentle, polite bow. "If it makes the Master happy, then it is our highest priority."

Diego chuckled nervously, his face warming up slightly at the immense devotion radiating from both breathtaking women. "Awesome. Let's head inside and kick back."

Together, the modern human and his two ultra-advanced War-Maids walked down the quiet corridor toward his private quarters, ready to enjoy a peaceful, comfortable night before the next awakening tomorrow.

Done. Tell me what you think and if I made any mistakes. Do give suggestions and ideas of what should happen next?