CHAPTER 13

Going as fast as they could the three men followed the path through a narrow winding gorge. Their progress was slower than Vergil had expected. They'd already lost time because of the destruction of Solaris's usual route, and they'd been forced onto an alternative path; one that increased the time it would take to reach Mundus. Potentially a more dangerous route as well. There were good reasons why he had tried so desperately to reach Solaris's route.

By mid-morning they were still running through the narrow valley. The walls on either side were no longer sheer. Rocks were jutting out in all directions and seemed to offer easy handholds.

"Vergil, why don't we climb to the top? We might actually see where we're going." Dante said.

"That would be a waste of time," Vergil answered. "If the rocks don't cut you to shreds going up, they will when you have to come down again a bit further. This path will eventually lead us to the plateau uninjured."

"Can't be that bad. We heal instantly."

Vergil stopped and turned to his brother.

"What you fail to comprehend is that this is the Demon World. It doesn't follow the same laws of nature as the Human Realm. Especially not in this area. We can be injured here. Those rocks will cut you. They can't kill us, but healing will be far from instantaneous. Quit babbling and run."

They hadn't gone much further when paths started to branch out to the left and right, turning the area into a maze.

"Okay, you were right, Bro. We would have had to climb down again. I just hope you know your way through this warren."

Without hesitation Vergil ran on taking an occasional left or right turn. Dante and Dylan followed. It seemed they were finally making up for the time lost on the unstable underground the previous day.

Their mad rush was suddenly halted. Dante skidded into the back of his brother who'd come to a dead standstill, while Dylan stumbled as he tried to stop and fell. His nose nearly touched the barrier in front of them.

"Arachne," Vergil said.

"Another unexpected barrier?" Dante asked.

"Indeed. Arachne have always lived among these rocks, but never this close to a route. Not even this little used one."

"Trespassers, huh. Time to evict them. Here they come. Get ready Dylan."

Dylan scrambled up and joined the two half-devils as the first spiders scuttled from the web. These died quickly, shot by Dante and Dylan. More and bigger spiders came through and one shot wasn't always enough to kill the huge venomous beasts instantly.

Vergil had decided to use Oxun, one of the Devil Arms he'd acquired while on a mission. The silver gauntlets had an instant effect. The silver markings on Vergil's coat shone brightly. Yamato blazed and crackled with lightning, making it more deadly to the Arachne. His Summoned Swords turned from blue to silver. They pierced through the spiders destroying the beasts with an explosion that was even more violent than usual.

Here and there Baby Arachne started to crawl out of the dead spiders.

"Dylan, you deal with those little pests," Dante said. "See if the energy from your Devil Trigger kills them. Otherwise just shoot the damned things."

"Yes, Sir, I will." Dylan answered and triggered, finding that it was as effective as Dante had suggested.

Using the energy of his devil trigger and the gun Dante had given him Dylan destroyed every baby Arachne that appeared near him.

On the other side of the gorge Vergil had found a way to deal with the pests. He slammed one of the emerging spiderlings with his gauntleted fist and lightning jumped from the first baby Arachne to a second, branching off to others, killing all the babies that had emerged from his last victim.

One of the large Arachne scuttled towards him. Still crouched down Vergil pushed Yamato upwards through the spider's head and stood up. The beast wasn't killed, and Yamato was stuck in the narrow cut it had made. Vergil charged his sword with the gauntlets' lightning energy. The Arachne's head exploded freeing Yamato just in time for Vergil to take on the next Spider.

While Vergil killed the Arachne with as little effort as possible Dante kept shooting and hacking at the spiders like a madman. Occasionally he shot one down that was clinging to the wall, stopping it from either jumping on them or attacking from the back. Vergil used his Summoned Swords in a similar way.

Dylan meanwhile had decided to stay in his devil form. Instead of using the triggering energy or shooting the baby Arachne he stamped on them with his hoofs or picked them up and tore them in two. Some he smashed on the ground or against the viciously jagged walls. Most were already dead or dying from being pierced with the young Fanshaah's claws.

Spider after spider kept coming from the web. None got past the two half-devils. Some spawned baby Arachne that were dealt with instantly by Vergil or Dylan. The three men lost track of time. Light was starting to fade when the stream of spiders became a trickle. Eventually Dylan threw the last of the baby Arachne against the rocks. Its body burst on impact. Some of its legs flew towards Dante and one of the larger spiders he was fighting. The spiky body parts went over Dante's head into the giant spider's eyes. Dante took advantage of the spider's confusion and pain to push Rebellion deep into its body. It died with a screech. Meanwhile Vergil had pierced an Arachne that was clinging to the wall with his summoned swords. Only one spider remained. With a lightning charged drawing strike he cut off the spider's head and destroyed the spiders' webs that had been blocking the path.

"Glad that's done. Didn't know those bastards would crawl over the walls. What about cutting them to ribbons, Bro?"

"They live here," was Vergil's short reply.

Dylan was as always more helpful with his information. "These are a mutation of the normal Arachne, Sir. They've adapted to this place. They're the only creature that can climb those rocks, but even they can die if they fall, and their spiderlings are as vulnerable as any other creature."

"Thanks, kid. That's one species I'd love to see on the extinct list."

Side by side the men passed through the gorge that that had been the Arachne's home destroying webs on the way but not seeing any more spiders.

"What a road to take to your holiday retreat," Dante commented. "That Solaris is one weird bitch."

"Like a said before: this is not the real road." Vergil sounded irritated. "We've lost time having to come this way. I was not aware Solaris's route would be so badly neglected."

"I'm very sorry, Sir," Dylan apologised. "We didn't know either. Our people haven't come this way since Solaris decided to remain in Mundus's place."

"I don't blame you or your people, Dylan. I chose to come through the jungle. It did not turn out as I expected. More has changed since my escape than I realised."

"So you can make a mistake just like normal people? Who would have thought?"

Vergil decided to ignore his brother's taunt. His hands itched to unsheathe Yamato and plunge it in his brother's gut, cut off his head and finish him for good. But unfortunately he needed the fool to complete this quest.

They continued walking as evening started to fall. Just as they thought it was becoming too dark to continue a very bright red moon arose.

"Never saw that when I was here before. That a blood moon?" Dante asked.

Since Vergil didn't reply Dylan answered, "No, Sir. It's just a moon. It's different here in the Demon Realm. There are two moons. One shines red, the other yellow. They alternate, but it's random."

"Even the moons have demonic minds of their own. At least we see where we're going."

With the strange moon illuminating their way forward they continued at a good, steady pace. When the path started to climb it was so gradual that it didn't hinder their speed and the three men kept going through the night.

When the new day had turned their surroundings from shadows into multi-coloured objects again Dante suddenly stopped.

"Hey, Vergil, do you think we can stop for breakfast?" he asked. "There are some bushes here with big juicy-looking fruit. Peaches I think."

"Don't touch them! They are poisonous!" Vergil warned. "We will stop when we find something edible."

Some hours later Dante felt it was well past breakfast time and Vergil still didn't show any sign of slowing down. The road had become steeper as well. Sometimes they were more climbing than walking.

When they came upon a cluster of stunted trees Vergil and Dylan started picking the prickly fruits that covered the crooked branches. Dante looked with disgust at the ugly, spikey, green … things he'd been given.

"What is that stink? It's as bad as a sewer, he complained. "You sure this isn't poison?

He carefully sniffed one of the fruits. "What the hell is it?"

"Breakfast. Eat it. There is nothing else." Vergil said, his voice sounding as impatient as always when he addressed his brother.

Dante took a bite and nearly spat it out.

"It tastes like shit," he said. "This isn't edible."

Vergil didn't answer. Dylan would have but was stopped by a short "Eat!" from Vergil. After a deep sigh Dante took another bite and quickly swallowed the less than pleasant tasting foodstuff. He'd never seen the fruit before but had to admit that, unlike Vergil and even Dylan, he had never been in that part of the Demon Realm before. In this case his brother did know better.

Despite the bad taste and awful smell they felt better after eating the fruits. They had more energy to continue climbing until they finally reached the top of the plateau.

"Jeez, we walked three days and we're still no closer to Mundus's place," Dante said, looking towards their destination.

"The more reason not to hold us up with useless complaining," Vergil answered.

"Okay, okay. Let's go then. Straight ahead? Or will a hole open up under my feet if I do? It's your home turf, Vergil. You tell me where to go and I will follow."

"Finally you talk some sense. Follow the path. It should be safe."

"Should be safe? That's reassuring," Dante mumbled.

The road ahead was easy-going, flat, and nearly straight. They made good progress all morning. By midday, a short descend had brought them to a lower level. Here they lost the advantage of the open space. The path wound around giant boulders and rock formations. Though still walking at a good pace, the men remained as quiet as possible, listening for any sound that might warn them of potential danger ahead.

It was late afternoon when they entered a large area clear of rocks, like an arena.

"We will stop to have some refreshments here," Vergil said. "Then we will continue through the night."

"Another all-nighter? I'll have to catch up on a lot of Zees once this mad rush is over. Between lack of sleep and lack of pizza I'm becoming as weak as a new-born kitten," Dante said.

"Foolishness. We must make up for the time we lost coming this way," Vergil said.

"Not to mention trying to climb that impossible hill," Dante said.

Vergil declined to take the bait. Disappointed Dante turned towards Dylan and the food the young demon had foraged on the way.

"What goodies have you got us this time, Dylan? More 'deliciousness' like this morning?" Dante asked.

"Yes, Sir. The best the Demon World has to offer," Dylan said.

Dante sighed. His barbs had bounced off both his companions. No fun.

As soon as they had finished their frugal meal and Dylan had packed up what was left they were ready to continue their journey. That's when they became aware of the noise of marching feet.

"Are you sure the enemy is here?"

The voice was so clear that it seemed as if the speaker was standing near them.

"Yes Sir," another voice answered "I felt his power. Not long, but definitely him; the son of Sparda. I recognised it."

"You've had an encounter with the son of Sparda and lived to tell the tale? That is commendable, soldier," the first voice, clearly the leader, said.

"No, Sir." The answer was barely audible. "I saw him from a distance. Felt the surge of his power. Then he whooped and laughed as he cut down a whole group of Blades. It's something you don't forget in a hurry."

"No hiding today, soldier. We will attack and destroy the sons of Sparda."

"I know, Sir. I'm counting on it," the soldier said, with a tremor to his voice that belied the confident statement.

To Vergil's relief Dante didn't make any comments. He just indicated where he would position himself to await the arrival of the demons. Vergil did the same. Then he pointed at Dylan and the spot he wanted the young Fanshaah to occupy.

The noise of the marching demons suddenly disappeared. Vergil was in no doubt that the enemy was still approaching and signalled to Dante and Dylan to stay put. Some strange phenomenon, akin to a whispering gallery had warned them of the danger. They just had to wait for the enemy to arrive.

An eerie silence lay over the arena. No breeze stirred the sand. No tumbleweed rolled across the open space. No cicada song sounded.

Vergil looked at his companions. Dylan sat motionless. The youngster had adapted well to the fighting. His training had obviously been thorough. The boy's father had seen to that. Vergil shook his head in wonder. Perhaps he had underestimated the Fanshaah leader.

There was no sign of life at the far end of the arena where Dante was hiding. Remembering the episode at the bridge Vergil had feared his brother might not have the patience for this waiting game. He should have realised Dante was a professional demon-hunter. Waiting for somebody to finish a game is one thing. Lying in ambush something entirely different.

The wait was longer than Vergil had expected. Finally the first demons appeared in the clearing. The hunters waited a while longer until the last of the company had entered the arena. Then Vergil gave a signal and Dante jumped out of hiding, hacking, and slashing any demon within range, and occasionally shooting one that thought it had gotten away. Vergil waited with his usual calm for the enemy to come closer. Observing Dante he had to admit that his brother's approach was highly effective. Totally lacking finesse of course. Like a bull in a china shop, but useful to have on your side in any fight.

Vergil focused on the demons that were trying to encircle him. A smile flitted across his lips as his drawing strike cut through them. He had time to check on Dylan and noted that the Fanshaah must have been formidable warriors and would be again if they regained their powers as Dylan's father expected.

After that he concentrated on the fight. He used his favourite move to destroy a second line of demons. Incensed by his casual decimation of their colleagues the enemy went for him. Wave upon wave of enraged demons threw themselves at him, but Vergil was like a rock in the storm. They could not get close, could not touch him. Row after row fell to Yamato. In Vergil's hand the blade moved like a scythe through corn, always finding a target, always deadly.

Dante was enjoying the fight, whooping, and laughing as usual.

"This is the kind of party I like best," he shouted. "You're not leaving already, are you?" he added, shooting a demon that was trying to flee.

Most of the demons went for either Vergil or Dante, the hated sons of Sparda, though Dylan had his fair share of opponents. The young Fanshaah had triggered, and the demons seemed unsure of this enemy. Just like before he enticed them to come to him, and they couldn't resist. Fallen under the spell of the hypnotic voice they could only approach the Fanshaah and wait until he killed them.

As the Demon troupe was being decimated a few of their number tried to escape. Dante pursued them up a slope, quickly followed by Vergil and Dylan who had dispatched the remains of the troupe.

Vergil saw his brother wasn't wasting time on 'having fun'. A few short bursts from Ebony and Ivory got rid of all but one of the demons. This last one ran full tilt along the narrow land bridge that joined the arena with the higher plateau. Despite running close to the precipice, he kept looking back to check his distance to his pursuers, a fatal mistake. Suddenly he stumbled and, unable to check his speed, fell into the abyss.

Dante reached the place where the demon had fallen over the edge.

"Man, that's deep. He's gonna have some headache when he lands."

Vergil, seeing where his brother was standing, shouted at him, "Get away from there, you fool, before you fall in as well."

Dante turned to face his brother, but any quip died on his lips as the ground crumbled under his feet. As he started to fall Vergil tricked towards Dante stretching out his arm to grab his brother. Dante didn't hesitate to reach for his brother's hand.

"I've got you, little brother," Vergil said as his hand closed around Dante's.

With a little effort he pulled Dante to safety. Hand in hand they stood on the edge of the precipice. Dante looked down at their interlocked hands, then up at his brother's face where he could still see a glimmer of relief.

"See, Vergil. That's how easy it is. You should have let me grab you too that time at Temen-Ni-Gru. Would have saved us a heap of trouble."

Vergil let go of Dante's hand.

"Foolishness, Dante. Mundus would have pursued us anyway. He always wanted to eradicate Sparda's bloodline. The nature of the trouble might have been different, but it would have found us eventually."

"But we could have faced him together."

"Useless talk," Vergil said, turning away from his brother. "The past is over and done with. We are here now. We have to destroy Mundus now."

Dante put his hand on his brother's shoulder and turned him, so they were face to face again.

"We will, Vergil. Together," he said.

Vergil saw the serious, determined look on his brother's face and wondered how this could be the same man as the fool who kept irritating him. For the first time he wondered whether his brother's foolish behaviour was a way to cope with their past, just as he had chosen to detach himself from human feelings.

"Yes, together," Vergil said.

Side by side the sons of Sparda walked on, followed by Dylan.

ooOOoo