Oh, can you see me?
Oh, can you hear me?
Can you hear me screaming for you?
I'm afraid I'm gonna die down here
I can't save, can't save myself
Get me out, get me out of hell
I'm suffocating waiting for you
Cuz angels don't fly down here
I need you because no one else can
Get me out, get me out of hell
-Out of Hell, skillet
Leon
The sound of gunfire roared and Leon's ears started humming in an old familiar way even with Mike's fancy new earbuds. Despite that, he didn't pause firing off round after round. A little hearing loss was nothing compared to the loss of his life. The clip empty, he let it drop to the ground as he slid another into place. Chambering another round, he squeezed the trigger.
The horde had them surrounded on all sides. It had been an obvious trap. One they had willingly walked into like a trio of idiots. The bodies were starting to pile up and Leon only had two clips left. Sweat was trickling down his back as yet another empty clip dropped to his feet and he slid his second to last clip into place.
A blue column of light flashed before him before a wall of fine mist struck him. It coated his arms, check, legs, neck, face. Blinking, Leon's eyes tried to make sense of what it was he was seeing. The horde had-miraculously-stopped just as quickly as it had started. They were headless, limbless, cut in half. At his side he became aware of a low growl-the same deep gut reverberations overly loud bass speakers gave off. Vergil stood at his side, sword held in his hand. Again another blue flash, more blood spray.
The few that had continued to move-ehem, twitch-towards them now ceased.
"Damn," Dante grumbled. Looking side to side, Leon realized all three of them looked like they'd been through the ringer. They were coated in black blood and the bodies were nearly piled waist high around them. Taking a deep calming breath, Leon put the entire fight into a box. One he'd open during his next debriefing counseling session. For now, he had work to do.
"What did you do to the bullets?" Leon demanded, turning to Dante.
"Not a thing," Dante retorted, holstering his gun. Leon gave Dante a disbelieving look. "I might've messed with your gun a bit though," he admitted easily. "You weren't going to kill anything with your pussy mortal gun." Leon's mouth dropped open. Growling Vergil cut between the two men.
After two paces he came to a halt, tilting his head back, Vergil took in the castle. His castle.
"She's here," Vergil growled.
"Good. Otherwise this little milk run would be a waste of-"
"She's not alone," Vergil cut his twin off. He glared over his shoulder at his twin and Leon.
"That's the point," Dante retorted flatly.
"We need a viable sample," Leon said. "I don't think it matters if the anomaly sythetic human is alive or dead, so long as we get a viable sample. A living sample just makes it less time consuming."
"Well most things are dead-or dead ish-around here." Dante studied the towers before them.
"Anything will work. Hair, skin, salvia. Anything. We just need a part of him," Leon added, his gaze following the tower upwards as well.
"We go in, save the girl, pound the bad guy into his namesake. We got this," Dante replied.
"Shut. Up," Vergil growled at his brother, his face a mask of contempt. Dante's smirk slipped into a blank expression as his twin glared at him. For a brief moment, Leon saw the red of the sky reflected in Vergil's eyes. Blinking, he wasn't sure if it was a freak of fancy or if the dim light was messing with his vision. Turning Vergil's long strides carried him quickly to the only path through the lava and sulfur pools.
"...," Dante, silent now, following his twin. Sweat still pouring down his skin, Leon took another deep, calming breath before following the demon twins, his gun still holster free.
Chris
"Chris we need to fall back," Jill shouted over gunfire. Her rifle echoed over the once still battle field. Its once still residents were reanimating. It was taking an entire clip to cut down a single foe and their numbers were quickly growing.
"Roger that," Chris roared back. The blast from his shotgun rocked of those things backwards a few paces. Shaking itself, the thing lowered its three horned head and began its slow trudge forward yet again. Christ did these things ever just quit? Chris' hand flicked to his ear piece before returning to the shot gun "Rayne, Jill we're falling back. Hunnigan do you read me?"
"Hunnigan here."
"We're retreating, we need fire support at the portal entrance."
"Support approved. We are waiting for your safe arrival Chris. Get back here on the double."
With that Chris fired his last shell into the chest of the next monster. With a hiss, Rayne swung her arm blade, loping the creature's head off. Falling to the ground, it twitched but didn't get back up.
"All right people. Move out." They back tracked, Chris reloaded his shotgun as he ran. Years of military experience didn't make it any easier to do so. He had two maybe three shells loaded by the time they made it to the portal. Already a trail of creatures was growing behind them. Mangled half cut up things, the ones Vergil's sword cuts had somehow missed.
"Go," Chris ordered Jill and Rayne. Turning he open fired on the nearest creature as it sought to lunge after him. Two of them toppled to the ground, twitching before they rose up again. Turning Chris threw himself through the portal. He was greeted by a firing line of Hunnigan, Jill, Rayne, Lucia and Trish. The later three held blades of some kind.
"Mike, put Delta two on Lock down Now," Hunnigan shouted over to the technie. "Get firepower support over here ASAP."
"Already on it," Mike retorted, walkie in hand. Turning, Chris greeted the first wave of monsters with his shotgun. The creature flew backwards into the portal.
"I need to reload," Chris shouted, back peddling.
"Then do it," Trish shouted back, stepping up to take his place. With a swing of her giant blade, the limbs protruding from the portal went flying. Lucia was at her side, her knives a flash. Just behind them, Rayne waited, both arm blades bared.
"What's the plan, Chris?" Jill demanded as her hands flew over her rifle.
"Choke point. We hold'em here until the others get back." The last shell slid home and Chris chambered a round. Jill glanced at him, a steadiness and knowingness in her eyes. She understood what they didn't say. They held the choke point until the others got back or until they died, whichever came first. No doubt it would take more than a few hand grenades to close a portal to hell, hand grenades that were in short supply these days.
Vergil
The ornate doors to the great hall swung open soundlessly. Vergil entered the stillness of the red domed room. The black obsidan floor-with its inlaid gold veining-squeaked beneath his blood soaked boot heels. The room was cloaked in shadows.
Eyes casting about, it was the corpse of Nevan that held his attention. Crossing the great room, Verigl knelt beside the demonness's corpse, sword in hand. She had died an ugly death. Her soul-it was gone. Her body was limp and cooling. It wasn't uncommon for a demon to die. It was uncommon for a demon as old and as powerful as Nevan to die without leaving behind a soul arm.
The weapons that embodied the truest aspects of their souls-yes even demons had souls after a fashion-were a way for a demon to live on. There were ways for demons to regenerate their physical bodies from their soul arms given enough time. As Nevan had done once before, however, she wasn't going to regenerate from this.
"What have you done?" he demanded, looking up.
Lauren emerged from the shadows behind his throne. Her long black hair was wild and unkempt. She donned a feather light, white dress, it was see through enough to show off the curves of her body. She studied him with blank eyes.
"She said she preferred death," Lauren responded after a moment. "I granted her wish." At that Vergil rose to his feet, scenting the air. Lauren's scent was in the room, but it was muted. Diluted. Weakend. Instead there was a noticeable absence of her scent.
"Was that before or after her soul was eaten?" Vergil demanded, growling. At that she smirked, it was a cruel smile that didn't fit her. Easily, Lauren sat in Vergil's throne, crossing her legs at the ankles demurely. It was at odds with the casual sadism that entered her voice when she spoke next.
"During, I think. After?" She tilted her head to the side, toying with the tips of her hair with a hand. "Before?" She shrugged. "I can't be sure." Vergil narrowed his glare. In response, Lauren offered him another smirk before her gaze shifted to the door.
"Dante, Leon, welcome." There at the door Dante took in Nevan, Vergil and Lauren in one sweep. Uneasily, Leon glanced to Dante then to the scene unfolding before them.
"Nice room right?" Lauren gestured to the great room. "You always did have good taste Vergil. I mean, you were sitting on this throne for what? Nearly ten years? Can you believe that?" She gave Vergil a sugared smile that held knife blades in its corners. She traced the arm rest of the throne with her finger tips. "Nice to know I was sacrificed for a pretty chair." Vergil growled at that. Nonplussed, Lauren shrugged, amusement clear on her face.
"Well, you can sit in this chair, but there's nothing here worth ruling. Although, that's no less than you deserve, Vergil." At that Lauren rose to her feet. Vergil tensed, watching her. Lauren crossed the dais, approaching the demonness's corpse.
"You know she gave her life to stall me?" Lauren asked him. With a barefoot she nudged the still body with a toe. "She thought you'd come here and save the day, Lancelot." Lauren chuckled, "I could have told her how that was going to play out."
"You don't seem well, Lauren," Vergil said slowly, his fist tightening around his blade. At that she looked back to Vergil.
"I don't 'seem well'?" Lauren repeated his words, blinking. Annoyance chased away the mirth, dissolving quickly in a blind anger. A silver scythe flickered into being in her right hand. The curved blade shimmered in the darkness. Easily she held the weapon in her hand. Feral eyes glared at him.
"I am better than well," Lauren sneered. "I am better than I have ever been."
With that she lunged. Side stepping, Vergil avoided her blow, moving out of her range of reach.
"I have purpose," she snarled, the scythe lashing out. With Yamoto's sheath, he blocked the blow.
"I am," she slashed at him viciously, "the best I've been since I met you." Again he parried. SHe lunged forward, forcing him backwards. Vergil side stepped, avoiding yet another blow.
"Be done, Lauren," Vergil growled. "I've no desire to fight you."
"Well I have a desire to fight you." Her voice carried an animal growl. Cocking her arm back, she threw the scythe, twisting it end over end. Reaching forward he grasped the weapon's handle. Screaming angrily, Lauren was on him. Holding up the silver weapon, the bar slammed into her shoulders, holding her an arm's length from him.
"Be. Done," he repeated.
"No," She replied, snarling. She sheer force, she ripped Maelstrom from his grasp. "Not until I have your Legacies. He wants them."
The pointed butt end of Maelstrom jabbed through the air, over and over. Once again, Vergil side stepped, the weapon narrowly missing gouging out his eye, his shoulder, his stomach. Pivoting the blade in her palm, the curved point swung towards Vergil, aimed at the space beneath his chin. Darting in, he trapped her hand against scythe's long handle with his own. Jerking on the weapon, he pulled her off balance.
"Who is he?" Vergil demanded. She socked him with a left hook. He staggered. He had heard several of her hand bones break with that fist. He could taste blood. Her foot hit him hard in the side. Trapping her ankle beneath his elbow he drove a fist into her gut. One she promptly blocked with the scythe's handle. She caught his gaze, a ruthless, hungry smirk on her mouth.
Jumping forward, she wrapped her legs around his waist as maelstrom dissolved, her mouth opening. Bright teeth careened towards his neck. Quickly, he shoved his forearm into her mouth as her jaw snapped shut. Vergil forced her from him, backwards, his forearm wedged firmly in her jaw as she clutched at his arm with her nailed hands. Easily he threw her aside, striping the rest of her from his body. Blood trickled down his arm. Her teeth had cut his skin through the leather.
Twisting through the air, her bare feet kissed the ground first. Feet sliding along the smooth floor, Lauren went into a forward crouch, leaning forward, as she slid to a stop. Her fingertips brushed the ground as she regarded him with calculating eyes.
"Stop this, Lauren," Vergil growled.
"Is that what you would like?" she asked, again she tilted her head to the side. With that she straightened into a stand. The silver scythe maelstrom appeared in her hand again. "I will when you've given me your legacy, Vergil. Hand them over and we can live peacefully."
"I refuse." he was stone faced. At that Lauren licked her mouth, the tip of her tongue playing with the tip of one of her canines.
"I was hoping you'd say that." The scythe shimmered in the darkness as her eyes glowed ethereal gold.
Again she lunged, scythe in hand. He didn't hesitate to draw his blade this time. He parried, lunged, parried, side stepped, doged and parried. Lauen followed him, rabid and relentless in her attacks. Her fighting style was unrecognizable. The scythe twisted end over end, hitting yamoto thrice for every blow he got in. It didn't matter. Timing was key in a circle based attack. The gap in her defense was obvious and his window of opportunity came soon. With a foot he booted her, once again sending her sprawling.
Growling, she glared at him from her place on the floor.
"Stop this Lauren," he demanded.
"I refuse," she sneered back. At that he gave her a cold smirk.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
He went on the offensive, lunging for her. Lauren was gone by the time his fist hit the ground, cracking it. Glancing up, he darted to the side as she unleashed a series of auric attacks. The floor erupted into a volcano of debris as the gold energy waves slashed the ground. Through the hazy dust coating the air the silver scythe swung end over end, a rotating circle of pain.
Growling Vergil knocked it aside, only to be greeted by Lauren's knee. She drove it upwards, into his gut. With a closed fist she punched the arm he'd thrown up to protect his face. Grasping his wrist, she turned and pulled, throwing him bodily with a strength that surpassed what Lauren should have possessed. Landing, boot heel firmly placed on the wall, he pushed off, his blade coming free. Yamoto slashed at the air, checking Lauren's onslaught. Rolling to the side, she threw the scythe at him again as he crossed the room. The silver blade gauged a trench out of the floor on its way towards him.
Quickly he slashed again, knocking the blade aside. Catching the weapon by the staff she landed, cat foot, glaring at him.
"Are you done?" Vergil growled at her. Her eyes were blank, the gold in them dying to a blackness, black angel scrollings flared to life in her skin moving sluggishly despite the aura emanating from her.. When she spoke next, it wasn't Lauren who spoke. Of that much he was certain. He gave pause, wondering how much of their conversation had actually been Lauren.
"No. Give me your fucking soul, Vergil."
"No."
"So be it."
