"Hmm…that would make sense."
Nero and Kyrie had been explaining about the creature that they had encountered several times while on the way to Annette's office. She gave her analysis in response to Nero's suggestion that the monster had been infected with the G-Virus somehow.
"Self-adaptation, cellular regeneration, and the loss of most of the higher brain functions of the host…yes, it most likely has been given the virus in some way. That will be problematic; we've never had two G-vectors at the same time before."
"Are you worried that they'll work together?" Kyrie asked.
"No; I'm worried that destroying this entire lab and dropping it on them might not work. It's easy enough to corner one specimen, but two…" They arrived at the door to her lab, and as they did, the lights flickered on to full power around them. "What the…how was the power restored? The only way to do it is by replacing the main fuse, and that's nowhere near here."
"It's the others," the woman in white said, smiling. "They've made it here too."
The scientist didn't seem to be quite as relieved as the other two were, but she opened up the lab door regardless and ushered them inside. "It'll take me a few minutes to bring up the program files for the G-Vaccine; you two gather up as many important-looking files and papers as you can. But don't touch anything else, got it?"
Nero drew his revolver, stepping past her and firing. The zombie that had been reaching for them fell, its body (clothed in a decaying old lab coat) collapsing to the metal floor. "Does that count?"
"Oh. Er…right." She drew her pistol as well. "I may have overlooked a step."
It took them a minute to finish off the gathered zombies; fortunately, none of them had mutated or undergone the transformation to become Crimson Heads. After that, Annette went to a computer and switched it on while the other two scanned the office. It was a fairly sterile, bland set of desks and computers. Apart from all the corpses, of course.
Hey, Crabby. You in there? Nero thought as he searched.
Naturally. What is it? And why didn't you use me to carve up those undead humans?
It would've been a waste of your time on such weak enemies. And that's not the point anyways. That Hell Gate…is that how you got here?
Yes. …Ah, so THAT'S what you're saving me for? Fair enough.
Maybe. I was actually wondering who let you through.
Well, isn't it obvious? A human did. How he managed to get the gate open is beyond me…
Nero frowned. A human in this place knew how to open a Hell Gate? How was that possible? And just what did this human look like?
Some scientist, and one with a power complex, no doubt. Who else would wear sunglasses indoors?
He sighed, shaking his head. Son of a…I shoulda known he wouldn't die that easy. We'd better tear down that gate the instant Lady's cure is finished.
If we're quick about it, we might even be able to keep that snobby jellyfish from barging into this world.
…'Snobby jellyfish'?
Mmm. Thinks it's so much better than everyone just because it's older and lives a little deeper in the Abyss…well, let me tell you something! At least I can actually move on land without looking like a drunk octopus, or hold things without risking a poke in the eye! And ANOTHER thing-
Hey, hey! You're getting a little off-topic here. The only thing we should be worrying about after getting those cures is wrecking that damn Gate; I don't give a crap about the squabbles you have with other demons.
…Well, you SHOULD, she responded huffily.
"Mrs. Birkin?" Kyrie called to her. "I found a keycard and something marked 'P. Room Key' on this desk; will we need them?"
"Definitely," she called back, not looking up from the computer screen.
Kyrie motioned Nero over to her, showing him a note attached to the card by paper clip. He looked it over as she unclipped the card.
Dear Fortunates,
I've left the base of the t-Virus cure ("Daylight") at the X marked on the map. Sorry it's inconvenient this way, but there's no other choice; I have a few things to take care of, so I can't drop it off directly.
Remember, after the base, there are two more reagents; T-Blood and V-Poison. It matters not which order they are gathered in, but do not dawdle. The clock is ticking, and the final hour approaches. Hurry; there is more at stake here than you understand.
- M
He flipped the paper over; on the back was a map of the lab complex, and sure enough, there was an "X" to be found on a section that was some distance from their current location. "Yo, Annette. How long will it take to get what you need?"
"About fifteen minutes, why?"
"We'll be right back; just gonna pick up the Daylight starter stuff." He grabbed the other object; the one marked "P. Room".
She stopped typing, turning to stare at him. "You're leaving the room? We shouldn't split up too much at this point."
"We have to; you know about the G-Virus, so you need to keep working at your cure while we make progress on ours. We don't have time," he said, cutting off her protest. "Lock the door while we're gone. We'll knock four times when we're back."
Annette looked between them before sighing and throwing her hands up. "Fine, I suppose you can unlock a few doors while you're out. Take the card with you, and try not to lead anything here after you leave."
"Alright, then. You hold onto this," he said, handing her the radio he'd taken from Lady. "Since the other team's down here, you can call them if you need help while we're gone. We'll try to be back soon."
They left the room, retracing their steps to the security office as dictated by the map. "Do you think she'll be okay?" Kyrie asked Nero as they traveled.
"She'll be fine. But we better grab that thing and get back before something else goes wrong; we've had enough of that already." They took the elevator up, finding themselves in an industrial space. Both of them could hear molten metal bubbling far below. "If a molten iron demon pops up, we might have to make a detour back to the lab just to say 'told you so'." They descended on a small cargo lift before making their way across a catwalk. According to the map, they needed to get to a room that was just above them, but the path was high above them, with boxes taller than them stacked next to it. The question was how to get up to them…
Nero boosted Kyrie up so she could grab the top of the upper box. She was able to clamber on top of it, and Nero jumped up to join her a second later. "Well, here we are."
…Oh. That was how.
They used the key on the door in front of them (helpfully labeled "Power Room") and went inside. There was a giant column in front of them, with a large metal catwalk leading to and around it. The two went to the far side of the catwalk, finding a small vial sitting on the metal. Nero took it, and with a flash his arms took the form of the Devil Bringer. Dammit, another demon?! Well, this might come in handy, actually… With another flash, the vial was absorbed into his right hand.
"Die…" a familiar voice hissed from above them. There was a flapping sound, and a giant creature descended towards them. They both recognized it as the G-creature that they had encountered several times, but it had changed since last time. Two wings had sprouted from its back and were flapping to keep it aloft; the wings were shaped like misshapen claws with scaly skin stretched between them. Its four legs were now rearranged in an X-shaped pattern and ending in sharp points, and the mask on its chest had sunk so far into the skin that only the mouth filter could be seen. Aside from the wings, the most striking feature was that it had grown another head; the long neck under it was sprouting from between the muscled-up shoulders. The new head had the outline of a star and a diamond-shaped toothy mouth, and its eyes were glowing a bright orange colour.
Nero felt a pulse of demonic energy coming from the monster, and his eyes narrowed. I think somebody was snacking on a demon while we weren't looking.
The monster landed past them, and they could see a pair of bloodshot eyes sprouting from its back, just above a large, toothy mouth. "Nero, we're running out of time!" Kyrie yelled. "We can make it to the exit if we hurry!"
"No." He glared at the monster, Karkinos appearing in his hands. "This ends here and now. If we let this thing go, it might get away and infect someone else. I don't want another one of these things left behind when we're gone!"
Kyrie gave him a worried look, though she drew her crossbow regardless. "…Please hurry."
"Roger that." He didn't bother to wait for the demon to turn and face them; he ran at the creature's back, slicing downward with the scythes.
The demon whirled around, swiping at him with both its left arm and left wing. Rather than slicing the creature's back as intended, the Devil Arm cut through the beast's wing instead. It roared, facing Nero as it punched its flytrap hands forward. He batted aside the snapping appendages several times before appearing at the creature's flank in a blur of scarlet, scythes simultaneously slashing sideways. The creature stumbled backwards, leaving its front wide open; moments later, three crossbow bolts flew into its neck.
"Teriyah!" Nero's kiai rang out as the Devil Arm vanished from his hands and he brought both into the creature's stomach in a powerful double uppercut. "You like your new tricks, huh? Well, how about THESE?!" Ghostly red arms appeared over Nero's Devil Bringers, and he began pummeling the monster with haymakers; one after another. Over and over he hit the mutant, until finally he stepped back slightly and brought both arms overhead. "Time to die!" He slammed his fists downward, and the ethereal red arms followed, impacting his foe with crushing force. "Well? Had enough?"
The monster staggered to its feet, hissing at him before leaping right over the young Holy Knight. It began to scuttle towards Kyrie.
"Where do you think you're goin'?" The glow of his Devil Bringer arms shifted from red to blue, and he stomped after the beast. However, the mouth on its back made a brief chewing motion before spitting a fountain of blood at him. He leapt up to avoid it, looking at Kyrie in worry. She showed no fear as the enemy advanced on her, scoring another series of direct hits in its elongated neck. It bellowed at her before its wings flapped, taking to the air once more. The G-monster flew at the Order Songstress with surprising speed, its misshapen mouth hissing fiercely.
Time seemed to slow down for Nero. His body felt like it was wading through molasses as he ran towards Kyrie. She threw herself under the attacking demon, but one of its sharp feet caught her left shoulder, cutting through the fabric before the creature had swooped past her.
His heartbeat thudded in his ears. Kyrie…Kyrie! The monster would have been manageable were he fighting on his own, but with both of them fighting, he couldn't be everywhere at once. If only I was stronger…if only I was faster! The mutant spun around in mid-air, and locked its gaze on Kyrie once more. No; I won't let you! Something was bubbling up inside as the heartbeat in his ears grew louder and louder; if he wanted to keep her from harm, he needed more than the Devil Bringer, more than the Devil Trigger.
He needed…
The beast hissed, flapping its wings angrily.
More…
The wings curled up, and it dove at her.
Power.
(such an insatiable one. very well)
Out of the corner of Kyrie's eye, she saw a burst of dark blue color before suddenly Nero was standing above her, facing the demon as he held it back with one hand. She gasped as she looked at him. It wasn't at all like his usual Devil Trigger; there was no spirit hovering over him while he himself was largely unchanged. His coat had taken a scaly look, and there were horns erupting from his shoulders and head. A jagged, sheath-like protrusion was attached to his left arm (with what looked like the handle of Yamato jutting from it), and his right was glowing pale blue. He looks almost like…that spirit that appears when he normally Triggers. Could this be a more complete version?
Nero shoved the G-creature, making it hurtle backwards through the air. He hunched over, and in a blur, it almost looked like his hand had went to the sword before retracting. Several blue lines appeared across the monster's skin, cutting into it before the mutant smashed into the wall.
"Nero…" she breathed. It was one thing to see how strong he was usually, but…had he been holding back this entire time?
Nero turned to her, casting a dispassionate look down at her. He bared several long, sharp teeth, and she scuffled backwards on instinct. Something about the look in those eyes just felt wrong…
There was a flash of blue light, and Nero had returned to normal, dropping to his knees and gasping for breath. "What was…" he managed, looking at her with the look of someone utterly lost. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, feeling relief spread through her. "I could ask you the same."
He got back to his feet, taking her hand and pulling her up as well. "I don't know what that was, but let's figure it out later." He turned around to face the mutant once more, his newest weapon appearing in his left hand in a brief flash of light. "Time to put him down."
The monster writhed in the air, swiping its arms in anger and pain. It roared miserably, its head swinging back and forth even as its voice hissed from the gas mask. "D-Death…c…ca…cannot…!"
Nero raised the modified Spark Shot with his left hand, his face showing no emotion as demonic power coursed into the weapon. "Die."
CRACK!
A massive arc of electricity burst from the prongs of the experimental weapon, with a sound like thunder echoing around them. The lightning crackled around the monster, racing through and across it. It spasmed violently, and its wings locked into a stretched position. Without its means of lift, the mutant plummeted, falling down, down, down…
Far below, they saw it impact a pool of molten steel. It shrieked, struggling desperately to swim to the edges, but the thickness of the liquid prevented it from escaping; it slowly sank deeper into the boiling fluid, still scrambling for freedom even as the mucus on its skin evaporated and fire spread across its body.
"Nero," Kyrie said, looking miserably at the trapped creature. "Let's go. We don't need to see-"
"We have to." Nero placed a hand on the railing and stared down at the creature that had once been a man, trying to squash the feeling of pity he felt. "We have to make sure it's dead this time."
Even as the wings melted away, new ones began sprouting from its back, only managing to form halfway before they too were roasted by the heat. The monster's forearms became wider and wider, trying to increase its ability to paddle through the material trapping it, despite its hinged hands becoming charred and crumbling. Its neck stretched up as its body sank into the steel, roaring out one final time before it submerged completely into the steel.
He sighed, reabsorbing the lightning-thrower into the Devil Bringer. "Rest in peace." He left the railing, exiting the room with Kyrie close behind.
The others, meanwhile, were continuing through the corridors, searching for any sign of their comrades or locations that might hold suitable ingredients for Daylight. Leon had tossed aside his torso combat armor, as the ceramic plating had been severely cracked by Tangaroa's crushing tendrils ("A damn shame; I actually kind of liked that stuff" he muttered as he did). Dante was their point man; a.k.a. the one they sent in first to make sure whatever was beyond a door wouldn't kill them instantly.
Claire, for her part, was watching their red-coated ally carefully.
"Dante, I need to ask you something."
He turned around, looking at Claire. "Yeah?"
"What was that that you did back there?"
He shrugged, but the casual stance he took was nowhere to be found in his eyes. "It's a kind of magic."
"Is that what you meant by 'half-demon'?" Leon cut in.
The Devil Hunter gave him an approving look. "Hey, you remembered! Yep; what I did is called a Devil Trigger; basically using that half to kick more ass." He looked between the two. "…So, have I completely lost your trust yet? Gonna try hitting me with holy water, or shooting me with a silver bullet while my back's turned?"
"What? No!" Leon said, indignant.
"Oh, good, because neither of those will work. Might not be a bad idea to have some holy water handy anyway, though; it does work on most full-blooded demons. How about you, Claire?"
"Why would I do that now?" she asked. "You've been helping us so far, and the only thing that you've taken in trade is our patience. Besides, we're both trying to do the same thing, aren't we? Saving someone that's in trouble, I mean."
"…Yeah, I guess so." His smirk became a genuine, grateful smile for a brief moment. "Thanks."
"Of course, once we're done with that, I might reconsider."
"Aww, c'mon. You know you love me."
"You wish." And to think this goofball was actually worried that we were afraid of him! she thought in amazement. Still..."Is there anything else we should know about you?"
"I love pizza and know how to pilot an airplane. Not to mention I like long walks on the beach and talking about my feelings."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, ha ha…"
CHAPTER END
And another one finished! I hope you're enjoying the chapters so far; I'm having a lot of fun writing them. I'll update the section of my profile with Devil Arms right away, just need to fine tune a thing or two first.
Thanks for reading, and see you tomorrow!