"The tower is raised." Arkham murmured, almost to himself though Vergil stood not six feet away, in the very centre of the tower's platform , "The demon world will soon be opened, and all will come to pass as was promised." he closed his book, smoothing the cover lovingly for a moment.
"Arkham what are you babbling about?" Vergil snapped irritably, he'd been in a non-stop bad mood since the previous night.
"Oh, nothing." he raised his head to stare at the son of Sparda.
Vergil snarled, "Then don't make such noise!" before he snapped his gaze back to the view.
Arkham smirked, rising to his feet unbefitting to such a visage. "If I may, I do have something useful to say. You already have both parts of the amulet correct? So why do you linger up here, why not begin your journey to the control room now?" He walked over to stand beside the silver haired teenager, "I imagine your esteemed father and brother have noticed the Temen-Ni-Gru has risen, and are probably on their way here to stop you."
"Stop me…" Vergil looked down at his hand, Arkham was now able to see that in it rested both parts of the amulet, the chains wrapped together around the young Sparda's arm.
"Yes, as wise as your father is…" he didn't let his contempt sound too much, "He did seal this tower away, I doubt he'd like to see his handiwork being undone. Especially by his own son. Wouldn't you agree?"
Vergil stroked his thumb over one softly glowing jewel before closing his fist and letting his arm drop down by his side. "I'll go when I am quite ready Arkham, not before."
"Yes, of course." Arkham bowed the smallest bit and backed away, "You do know best after all."
Vergil didn't pick up on the small amount of sarcasm in Arkham's tone, either that or he simply wasn't listening anymore, too caught up in his own turbulent thoughts.
Ten minutes later the eldest Sparda child walked towards the edge of the tower.
Two steps from the lip he looked back suspiciously at Arkham, who had not moved an inch, "You're not coming?"
"Forgive me, but there are things I must attend to. An unexpected guest has arrived." He bowed his head, for all the world looking like he was praying with that book in his hands.
Vergil watched him uncertainly for a moment, "Fine, I don't care what you do." he finally snorted before walking swiftly onwards and leaping down into the darkness, his coat flaring out behind him.
Arkham waited patiently until he was certain the Sparda boy was gone before rising and leisurely walking to the edge of the tower. The younger son had just entered the tower, the father rushed to prevent disaster. Dear Mary roared closer in the name of vengeance.
So many pieces, each carefully set on the chessboard. Now was the time for the skilful hand of the main player, guiding all to their correct place, ready to enact the final move.
One to be guided.
Two to be delayed.
All to die.
Yes, this would be the greatest game ever executed on the earth.
As the first thunder sounded, the laughter of a madman echoed along with it.
----
Dante huffed, he shouldn't have.
He really, really shouldn't have.
Somehow though, when the gigantic spire shoved itself out of the earth looking like the tower of Babel's retarded cousin everything his father had drilled into him went out of his head. Replaced instead by shock, then anger at how stupid Vergil was being, then for a while it was a killing lust as he slaughtered every demon in his way to get through to the entrance and beyond.
Now he stood panting in the empty entrance chamber, in one hand clutching his fancy new Devil arm whilst the other used Rebellion to give him something to lean on. Defeating three headed dogs, easy. Yeah.
Grunting he made himself stand up straight, taking a moment to discern whether his strength really was all back or not, seemed that way. He sheathed Rebellion and stowed Cerberus away in his coat. There should be a God of Time statue somewhere around here to stow it in if it became a burden, but right now he was eager to try out the new toy.
His sharp ears twitched, picking up the sound of an approaching engine. What the hell was that?
His question was answered in the shattering of the large ice formation behind him, caused by Cerberus' breath when he first insulted the huge demon dog. Dante whipped around to see a motorbike falling through the air towards him, he barely had time to throw himself backwards, limber as any contortionist, to avoid getting his face run over.
"Whoa, you going to the party too?" he asked, turning round with a grin, his hands held up in mocking peace gesture as he heard the bikes brakes squealing. His grin widened even more when he saw the passenger. Damn, despite the scar and bizarre eyes she was pretty hot. Plus he just dug the cute Catholic schoolgirl outfit.
However he didn't dig getting his answer in the form of a large rocket launcher, he sidestepped the missile in a blur of speed. Then, just because he felt like showing off (he couldn't help it when hot chicks were around) he grabbed hold of the tube shaped thing and swung himself upwards, riding it like it was a surfboard.
This was one hell of a rush!! Shifting his weight he was able to control just where it flew as well! A cacophony of whoops and yells flew out of his mouth as he zoomed about the chamber like he was the Silver Surfer or some shit. As he felt the fuel in the rocket begin to give out, the missile shuddering in midair and using his feet to angle it at the ceiling he leapt off, landing catlike on the ground to grin at the girl.
She didn't look impressed. More like super pissed off.
His face fell into a childish pout as the explosion rocked the room and glass shattered. Why did everyone he met keep giving him that expression lately?
The bike's engine gunned again and he watched as she drove right for him, rearing her bike upwards and igniting the nitro's that were built into the back to send her sailing up through the air, missing his face by scant inches, then she was gone. Right through the hole he'd just created.
"Crap, why do all the good women hate me?" he muttered, scratching the back of his head in puzzlement before shrugging it off. He stuck his hands in his pockets and whistled, walking towards the door out.
He made a note to remember to see about getting a bike like that, must be one heck of a ride.
Twenty minutes, many passageways and a heck of a lot of dead demons later he was stuck. Who the hell built this place?! Didn't they ever hear of maps? Maybe a latch?
No, everything had to opened with some mystical magical key, he'd just spent ages looking for a way to get the last one!
Right, calm down, think. He scanned the area surrounding the door carefully, no sign of a keyhole, just a weird stone protruding from the wall. Frowning Dante walked forward, bending over to examine it, his fingers traced the engravings lightly. Was there meaning behind them? Or were they just there to look pretty?
He was fairly certain this had to be what opened the door, but there was no slot to insert an item or discernable knack to it. He remembered a saying his father used to quote to him when he was trying to figure out a problem, 'Sometimes the right answer is the one staring you in the face.'
Basically it was Sparda's way of saying that something might look complicated, but be a trick to hide the truth from you.
"So what's the obvious way to make this thing work?" he muttered, then he brightened. One of his favourite way of course, break it! He grasped Rebellion's hilt firmly and brought it arcing down in a firm swing, right into the middle of the stone.
It didn't break, but the blade in his hand resonated softly. From inside the wall came the clanking of hidden gears and to his delight the door opened up. "Yes!! Time to head on up!"
"Bravo! Bravo my boy!!" A high pitched voice cackled, "You figured it out, and here I was wondering that you weren't too bright!"
Dante spun, a blur of movement that had Ivory pressing hard against the nose of the grotesque looking clown before him. Rebellion ready to sweep in like a meat cleaver and saw the weirdo in half. "What were you saying freak? Careful, else I'll pierce that oversized nose of yours." he smirked.
"Ahh… nothing, nothing too important." The clown babbled, "Now er, say there sonny jim, how about you put the pig shooter away and we can talk? I've got lots of interesting things to say!"
"Yeah," Dante tilted his head, shoving Ivory harder into the clowns face. "Like what?"
"Oh well, I can tell you were your brother is! Yes that I can do!" he giggled aimlessly.
Dante narrowed his eyes, then pulled Ivory back and away. Not like he couldn't shoot clown boy without being at point blank range. "Start talking banana nose, else I'll make you."
"Oh my! Such a firey temper! Not at all like your dear brother!" he shuddered theatrically, "Colder than a Polar bear on ice that one!"
"Now clown!" Dante snapped, shooting off a few warning shots.
The tight wearing idiot danced aside. "Sorry my boy! Sorry! Righto! My name, is Jester." he paused for a moment like he was expecting applause, then sighed when none was forthcoming. "I know a lot of things about this tower, and what's going on inside it! And I can tell you, that up is the wrong way to go!"
"What the hell you on about freak?"
"Vergil's going down to the control room in the basement!" he sing songed merrily. "He's got those two spiffy amulets of your mothers and plans to take this tower for a test drive!"
Dante growled before saying demandingly, "Test drive?"
"Tut tut, surely daddy dearest told you about this tower and the spell he used to seal it? This great shaft that causes women to shudder." the fiend gave a shudder of his own alongside a womanly sigh. "Is not just a tower, but a tunnel to the demon world. And that shiny amulet is what he used to seal it away!"
Dante felt like his stomach was doing a triple somersault, "Vergil's going to open the portal to the Demon world…"
"Correctamundo!" Jester clapped merrily, "So bright kids these days."
"But why?" he stalked forward, Rebellion ready to strike for an answer.
"Oh sorry my boy I don't know, I don't do reasoning myself, far too boorooing!" He cackled, "But I'll tell you this, if you want to stop him you'd better get down there lickity split!"
"Oh yeah? And I suppose you'll be kind enough to point the way for me?"
"Certainly!" Jester bowed, his eccentric attire swirling about his skinny form. "Through the door, up the stairs and out the back corridor! Then hop, hop, hop skip and jump down into the underground levels! Down to the basement…." he grinned evilly. "Vergil will be waaaiiitiiiing! Hahahahahahhahaahahaaaaaa!"
Suddenly the discomforting glow of Jester's eyes were peering at him from the ceiling, skipping madly away as if gravity had reversed itself just for him, his mocking laughter echoing back to the young Devil hunter.
Dante growled and shot off a few rounds, all missing before he lowered his gun. "God damn freaks, I need to talk to the guy in charge of demon emigration." he stowed away his weapons, "Standards are far too loose for my tastes."
He shook his head and after a moments hesitation went the way the clown had pointed out to him.
"Damn it Vergil, just what the Hells got into you?"
----
Outside Sparda was having problems of his own, Leviathan sized problems.
The moment he had gotten near to the doorway the great demon fish had suddenly dive bombed from the air towards him, and now it was doing a pretty good job of keeping him from entering the tower. Guns, he needed guns. Swords were excellent for bludgeoning your way in but he'd feel more comfortable being able to shoot at this one.
Of course, he doubted even Luce and Ombra would have had much of an effect. Oh how he lamented the loss of those guns. Taken by Mundus, most likely destroyed.
Most annoying of all was that there was neither hide nor hair of Dante. His spontaneous younger son had obviously ran right in, when he caught up to him…
He had no time to finish that thought as he dodged a ball of crackling energy that spiralled his way. The road exploding into tarmac fragments beneath him.
He had to get past Leviathan quickly, he hadn't the time to kill the monstrous fish. To do so would likely require cutting away through every layer of flesh and muscle until he could destroy the great demons organs. He hadn't the time!
Shadowreaper sang its approval of the plan, but Sparda cowed the black blade with a firm execution of his will. "Calm, you will get more blood tonight, unfortunately we must allow this one to live."
He had an idea, gazing into the tiny pig-like eyes of Leviathan he raised his arm and called forth an orb of his own power. He prayed the demons mass was equivalent to that of a dinosaurs when it came to brain capacity.
Throwing the orb he moved straight after it, using the energy like a living shield. As he expected the huge fish shut its eyes to protect them from the burn of power. His orb shattered almost harmlessly on the thick armour like skin, but Sparda sailed onward, up and over onto Leviathan's back.
He literally flew along the broad expanse, his feet never seeming to touch the floor, rather float across it. When he reached the tail he leapt off, sailing through the air onto one of the outer walkways of Temen-Ni-Gru. He plunged his blade through a shocked Hell Pride and rolled to his feet, running, running hard along the path and dodging into the first entryway he found.
From outside Leviathan's mournful cry for its lost prey throbbed through the air.
Sparda sighed in relief, he had made it into the tower. Unfortunately the stunt had cost him. He now had farther to travel downwards than if he'd managed to go in the front way. He was growing steadily more livid with Dante, he was seeing red. He just wanted to catch up to his errant brood, then smash Dante's head (lovingly) into a wall, and attempt to talk to Vergil.
If he believed this was all just Vergil's idea then he wouldn't have been too worried, he'd gone to the farthest lengths to destroy any record that detailed the ritual he'd used. Anyone who had known had been sworn to secrecy and were long dead, the only person he'd told since then had been Eva. Neither of his sons should know the truth, that a mortal woman's blood had also flowed to seal the gate.
It wasn't that he thought they would think less of him for it, but simply that if he was the only person who knew then the safer the world would be. Another lock on the demonic tower.
But he was certain someone else pulled the strings here, he could feel the malevolence, not that which was embedded in each stone of the tower since its foundations were laid. Something newer, with a tang of human. He didn't know if the priestesses line had survived the centuries, but he couldn't afford to take the chance that someone had discovered the truth.
Sparda shook his head and walked towards the door of the chamber, kicking the lock apart. It was well that he remembered the layout, if he was exploring for the first time he would be sorely worried.
Striding towards the nearest stairwell he calmly sliced apart everything in his way.
----
Arkham watched with displeasure in his mismatched eyes.
Curses, he'd hoped Leviathan would keep the Dark Knight busier for much longer than that!
He glowered at the monster for its failure, but had no time to do anything about it. He must throw everything possible at Sparda, and guide the younger son through the dangers whilst also wearing him down.
A lesser man would have quailed at the challenge, he merely relished it.
Luckily Temen-Ni-Gru had plenty of pawns for him to sacrifice.
----
Here it was, just like Arkham had told him it would be. He'd fought his way down here as fast as his abilities allowed. He'd slain most that opposed him, other he left alive for any who would follow. Like that Succubus woman.
But it was worth the exhaustion and beating he had taken in bludgeoning his way down here, he'd reached his goal and would gain the power he'd coveted for so long.
Vergil walked slowly around the circular chamber, studying the strange spiral designs carved into the floor. The centrepiece of the design was a small circular hole, filled with a distinctly glowing blue liquid, providing the light for the entire room.
In his hands the amulets resonated in response, he could feel their power waking up, their yearning to join together and become one again.
He walked forward, standing there with an amulet in each hand. Then after a moment he released his grip, watching in slight amazement as they rose up into the air, each glowing with light. Then they spun around, moving closer until back to back they twisted, the gold and silver chains twining about each other in a fashion that seemed almost loving.
Then abruptly they dropped downwards, still twisting through the air until the blue light swallowed them up, gone from his view.
His first instinct was to dive down after them and pull them back.
He clenched his fist in denial of that thought. This was completely necessary, he would do what he must!
Kneeling in front of the circle he drew out Yamato, raising his hand in preparation to spill the blood needed to unleash hell. It was a momentous moment, his palm placed against the keen edge of the blade, just a little more and he would bleed. It would begin.
So why wasn't he doing it?
He wanted to do this didn't he?
"You wouldn't believe how sorry Vergil, I want to make it all right again. Now you're here, we can be a family."
He shook his head viciously, trying to knock his father's voice from his mind.
But oh, it was tempting. Those words, he'd dwelled on them since he had run from Sparda's kind touch. To be with his family again, no more loneliness. He didn't know though, the bitter resentment of his years of solitude were firm in their foundations. Could he ever let go of it?
And what he was doing now, was it not the deepest betrayal of his father ideals?
Unlocking the gates of Hell which he had sealed to protect humans. Vergil had killed many humans over the years, despising their weakness, his mother had fallen because she was weak, human. And yet…
Had his father not also fallen? Been caged by his greatest enemy for five years, his wholly demon blood not enough to save him.
No, that could only be because his father's power was sealed here. And that was precisely what he had come for. He didn't want to unleash Hell on earth, but gain the power, with Force Edge he could not fail to prove his strength in the underworld and gain vengeance for that which had ruined his life.
Still, he could not move the blade.
He groaned aloud, something he would never have let himself do in front of others.
All his desires, all his want for power were being held back, stunted by the memory of his father's face. His soul ached for his parent and twin and he cursed this… weakness. It had to be weakness, true strength was being able to sacrifice whatever it took to achieve your ultimate desire.
Yet here he knelt, hesitating. Unable to do the final deed.
Vergil gritted his teeth, he could do this. One quick cut was all that was needed.
But instead his hand moved downwards, letting Yamato rest against the floor, the metal scraping against intricately worked stone lightly. Bowing his head, he realised that he could not, he just couldn't.
He had to speak to his Father again. He had to find out if that look in his eyes, if those words were truth. He could not bring himself to close the door on that path.
Decision made he reached down, seeking to regain the amulets from the glowing circle.
Vergil suddenly choked. His lungs strained and hot liquid bubbled up from his throat, flooding his mouth and spilling out from his lips down his front. Blood, that salty taste, it was blood.
Shuddering he lowered his eyes to his chest, to the skeletally thin white arm capped with wicked nails that crackled with electricity that erupted from his ribcage. Blood ran off it in rivulets, down into the waiting lock. Even that which fell upon the stonework slid towards the blue glow, the once clear liquid becoming tainted by red.
With the realisation of what had happened came pain, his nerves roaring into unwelcome life and informing him of every agony they suffered.
"Wh- who?" he gasped, blood bubbling from his lips with every word.
"Dear, dear Vergil, I worried you know. That after talking to Daddy dearest you wouldn't be able to pull off the ritual." The voice was annoyingly high pitched, "And lo and behold, I was right!"
Vergil sought to bring Yamato up and behind him but his wrist was shattered by an oversized foot, clad in purple.
"Ah ah ahhh! Don't be naughty Vergil!" a malicious cackle came loud and painful in his sensitive ears. "Else Daddy might have to give you a spanking! Oh but wait, you've already been so disobedient haven't you? He's probably coming to do that anyway!"
Vergil snarled, he had to free himself, but each movement was a fresh rip in his flesh. The crackling power somehow preventing his regeneration.
"Whatever would you mother say?" The owner of the voice said gleefully, "Or the neighbours? Can you imagine Vergil?! 'Oh that Sparda boy! So wild and hedonistic! The fault must be with the parents!' " The imitation of a woman was feeble at best.
"Of course I know the answer to that Vergil…" he turned his head as the creatures head peered round his shoulder at last, a disgustingly frightful mockery of a clown. The demon licked its lips almost hungrily.
"More DISCIPLIIIINE!" He cackled wildly and Vergil screamed as the hand ripped upwards, parting flesh, organs and bone. From chest through to his shoulder and the spray of blood was like a waterfall upon the seal.
The pain was unbearable.
Jester giggled, jumping up and skipping about merrily as the form of Vergil slumped forward, a dead weight upon the lock of the gateway.
"Good night sweet prince!" he bowed, giving the limp body a kick for luck before skipping away merrily. "Ohh what a grand day! Time to welcome the next guests!"
I know, I said that I'd do everything in one last chapter. but after chatting to Darkiepunk she suggested I split it, as it was already at 13 pages with qite a bit more to go. And besides, y'all get a cliffhanger now. Ain't that nice? XD
You won't have much long to wait for the next chapter, as there's already a good portion of it written. Before Wednesday I should have it done. :3 Thanks for reading!