Suddenly, I found myself alone. Dante and Vergil literally charged the demon. Kamikazes. Looking behind I saw Trish contending with the spiders. She caught me staring at her.
"Get the chalice you stupid human!" Her sword sliced through a spider's thick abdomen like butter, it's entrails oozing a bright green onto the floor. Disgusting, gross and repulsive, all spiders on the world should be flushed down a toilet. Dodging forward was not the brightest idea in retrospect and here's how I figure: the demon had three heads and there were only two half-demons fighting it.
The demon reared as Dante and Vergil began their assault. Who the hell pisses off a demon that big for fun? As it fell down onto all fours again, the third head lunged at me, teeth bared. For a big guy, he moved fast. Skidding to a halt I tried to get out of the way, but the ground I was standing on buckled and rose up under the demon's weight. My worn combat boots made me land on my butt as I tried to stop the downward slide towards its maw. It was like a slipe n' slide, only at the end I'd get eaten. Oh goodie.
The demon glared at me with hungry red eyes. Oh Crap. I crashed into Vergil's boot heel. If there wasn't a hungry meat eating demon behind him, I'd break his leg for putting his boot there. Turning, he slashed the demon's nose just so as it leaned forward to bite his head off. It snarled, reeling backwards, the other heads howling with an ungodly out of tune voice. Vergil glared at me.
"Move your ass," he flatly.
"You're a fucking liar," I snapped, getting up. The dog began to flail as Vergil joined the fray again. It's feet were landing all around me as it tried to shake off those two idiots. Surviving that was worse then playing co-ed football in high school with all the maneuvering I had to pull off.
I made it to the door in one piece, more or less. It was huge, a freaking fifteen foot demon had just walked through it. How in the hell was I suppose to open that? And what was with the skulls and cross bones floating over the wood like glitter? It gave off a demonic aura too. Great, Vergil wanted me to open a door that would probably eat my soul the minute I opened it. I looked over to the fighting demons. Trish had joined the fight now, and between the three of them, I didn't think the dog demon was going to last very long. The last thing I needed was for them to finish off the dog demon and start in on me for not doing my part. It's always better not to step on the toe of the foot that kicks harder than the rest and I was pretty sure I wouldn't walk again if all three of them consecutively kicked me.
"Give me a break," I groaned, sizing up the doors. It would be a miracle if I got one door open let alone both. I put my entire body weight into it, pushing against the smooth dark wood. The damn thing barely budged. It took me a minute of grunting and swearing to get the door to open and I was just able to slip through the skin tight opening before it slammed shut again. Panting I leaned against the door, trying to catch my breath. Doing this drunk was not a good idea. I groaned when I saw the circling stone stairs. You'd think there'd be an elevator or something a bit more handicap friendly. Or at least drunken friendly.
I took the stairs two at a time. At the top there was another circular room with a glass dome ceiling. In the middle of the room a goblet rested on a stone alter. Well Vergil was right, there was a chalice, but there were about a six more of them littered through out various places in the room, each on their own little alters too. Way to be specific, there Vergil boy. At least I knew that the weirdest looking one was the right one. I don't know how I knew,I just did. I picked it because it had a demon aura all on it's own. The others didn't. Only this one was unique. It almost felt like the chalice had been waiting for me, and just me. Like it was whispering in a voice all it own. Telling me of all it's secrets, telling me everything I needed to know. Telling me I needed it as much as it needed me. The chalice was ready to fulfill the role destiny had allotted for it. Whether or not it would fulfill the role it had in my life was yet to be seen, yet I needed it. I shook my head, clearing it. What the hell had that been about? Damn you Vergil.
"I really need a cigarette," I grumbled out loud as I picked up the red and black stone chalice. It didn't look like anything special. It looked like the crap you could buy at the dollar store. As I picked it up, hell broke loose. Again. Man that was starting to get old.
Skeletons with scythes and other various blades strung up out of the gound. Goddammit, what was with demons and the ground? Vergil was going to hear me bitch till I was blue in the face if I had my way. I had not wanted to do this tonight. Carefully I set the chalice back down on the pedistal. I shrugged off my jacket and put it next to chalice along with my cigs. I didn't want them getting sliced up in the fight, cigarettes are expensive. I could tell this was going to be interesting, already the demons were swarming like a plaque.
Marionettes, I remembered suddenly. I could practically see her face as she showed them to me, lurking in the darkness of the ally way. Behind her Sion hadn't looked too pleased, but he made no comment. Not even when he had to carry my limp hurt body back inside. They were all marionettes, lower ranking demons I remembered. They moved slow but one shouldn't underestimate them for that fact. The usual conventional fighting techniques were pretty effective against them. I sighed and took up a defensive stance.
Already I knew I was going to be sore tomorrow. I hadn't fought in a couple of months, let alone stretched like I should have been doing. I'd been too busy drinking. Vergil, old buddy old pal, I could give you a point for letting be beat the crap out of lifeless dolls. Especially now that I'm so much more pissed at you for lying in the first place. I cracked my neck. However much he annoyed me, I was still going to have a blast tearing these demons to shreds.