Dante tumbled out onto the hard, scorched earth rolling and bouncing across the ground. Mezmer soon followed using her wings to slow her down. She collided with Dante as he was getting to his feet knocking them both forward. Mezmer was able to keep on her feet but Dante toppled over again landing with a groan. Standing he brushed himself clean and glared at the girl.
"Well that was pleasant," He growled. The girl promptly ignored him and stepped out into the dark plain. The smell of sulfur in the air was overpowering. To Dante it was like a kick to the stomach, but Mezmer sighed and gulped in deep breaths.
"You'll be ok, just try to keep your breathing slow and shallow while were in the wastelands," Mezmer cooed as she sniffed the air and bent to test the soil. "Damn it all..the ground is practically obsidian. We're way to close to the magma pools, no where near where we should be." She sighed heavily and whistled. A scorpion as black as the shattered earth it stood upon clawed its way from the obscure vapory distance and lowered its self waiting for further command.
Dante shook his head. "No way I'm getting on that thing. No way."
"Just think of it as a bus." The little devil laughed boarding its back. "Not very fast, but it's better than walking, now get on."
Dante grumbled and carefully climbed onto the beast. It rose and began clicking its way across the flat, featureless world. Dante tried to find a way to keep his self occupied so he scratched doodles and things into the scorpion's exoskeleton. Looking over to where Mezmer sat half asleep he decided a nap would do him well. He laid back against its tail and dozed off.
When Dante awoke the dreary depressing atmosphere had increased. It was now nightfall, the world around them a depressing black pit. Mezmer was still watching ahead looking for the demon village she called home. Suddenly, it began to snow. At least it appeared to be snow, but as the fat white flakes floated down it was made clear they were shavings of ash. As the scorpion taxi crawled further the burning wreckage of buildings could be made clear in the distance. The smell of boiled and charred flesh filed the air. Mezmer made a sick choking noise as she attempted to slide from the scorpion. Falling she crashed into the Earth hard earning herself a pair of scratched and bloodied knees and a scraped up hand. She slowly got to her feet and gazed about in horror.
"I was too late…" She moaned out breathlessly stumbling forward. "They're all dead."
Dante rushed out into the destroyed hovel searching for signs of life. He found nothing but corpses and bones. Returning to Mezmer's side he put a hand to the girls shoulder and draped her cloak over her eyes.
"Don't look. Its best if you don't see." He whispered comfortingly guiding her through the debris. The path of destruction was hard to follow but going by the burn damage Dante could track what direction the beast had gone. Dante removed the girl's veil after clearing the town. Feeling her tremors reduce slowly he released his grasp on her shoulder and plunged deeper into the strange rocky terrain. He could track the demons energy and as he did so it lead him up a high embankment that looked like it was once a tower. Years of weather had toppled the tower are reduced it to a crumbling tilting platform with a broken staircase and no roof. There the thick primal breathing of something inhuman could be heard. Dante stepped into the spacious ruin.
"Knock knock, anybody home?" He called grinning wildly. The monstrous devil emerged from the shadows, fangs dripping blood and saliva. He had looked just a few steps away from being human, his regal looking coat and shirt split and ripped down the back to allow a thick mane of hair and wide beastly mussels to grow. His jaw was enlarged, his ears long, and his eyes wide with psychopathic delight. He attempted to snarl out words but howled instead. Dante wished to waste no time and drew his sword. Spying Mezmer standing near the exit the beast let lose a rumbling growl.
"Unhand my wife...half-breed!" He hissed and spat.
"I'm not your wife anymore you sick bastard!" Mezmer screamed back.
"I beg to differ…you see, I still have your ring." The devil chuckled holding up his great clawed hand. As he did so Dante sliced it clean off. The beast howled and screamed trying to staunch the streams of blood leaving his arm. Mezmer collapsed in shock. Dante made no attempt to taunt the beast and instead attacked right away. Things couldn't be quite that simple. The demon was strong, and despite his injury, he could avoid Dante's attacks well. The man-beast darted past Dante snatching up Mezmer's limp body. He cradled her body against his chest keeping Dante at bay as best as he could. The beast managed to sink its teeth into Dante's shoulder, but in doing so he sealed his fate. Dante raised his sword and skillfully slit the crazed monster's throat. A thick spray of blood shot across Dante, then as the monster fell to one knee, it pooled between them. Rather than cursing Dante, the beast laid Mezmer aside cooing sweet nothings to her. The beast's face and body slowly reverted to that of a handsome man with pain and sorrow in his eyes. Mezmer woke, startled by what she saw for a moment before tenderly laying the mans head on her lap.
"Zer-Taiel…I'm sorry.." She wept tearlessly as the man gargled out a final "I love you" choked by his own blood. Then, the man died. Mezmer wept harder, her entire body shaking. Dante sighed and shifted from one foot to the other, unsure of how to proceed. Suddenly, there was a pale white hand on Mezmer's shoulder. The hand was connected to the arm of a fantastically beautiful woman who seemed to glow from within. Her gray eyes smiled sadly as she knelt beside the succubus. Mezmer leapt into the woman's arms and the woman held her tight, not unlike a mother. As the woman's dark curls intertwined with Mezmer's white tangles, they began to whisper to each other.
"I know, I know..." sympathized the mysterious woman.
"Master, I loved him so, please do not take him!" Mezmer choked into the woman's shoulder.
"I must."
"If you must, take me as well, I beg you don't separate us!" She screamed.
"It is not your death, you still have time to spend in this world."
With that, the woman bent over the mans body and took his broken metal collar. The woman sighed and turned to look at Dante.
"Can I trust you to protect her? I hope so…" she whispered. Again she kneeled in front of Mezmer, this time she took her ring, the ring of the fallen demon already in her hand.
"You, Mezmer, who was born into so much pain and confusion, a mutant with human emotions and only a demon body unfit for expressing them…I grant you two gifts. First, I return these chains of love to your body…" the rings glowed and vanished.
"Second, I grant you the gift of tears. You shall from now on weep the salt tears of the humans at your own desire."
She then turned her focus on Dante.
"The only way to keep from destroying Za-Juel is to register that you won the right to be her husband in a duel with Zer-Taiel. Should you refuse the ring, she will burst into flames and die….And now, you must leave. She must be far from this dark place. To you, for riding us of the beast, I open a gate, return to your own realm."
With that a great cracking noise rang out and white glittering light poured down upon Dante and Mezmer, whisking them back to the realm of man.
To be continued in part 5
Ha ha, sorry it is a lot this time but it has been awhile since I posted so I hope you enjoy it!
