The Angel's Demon
Chapter 8: Shatterproof
"Angela, your kind of a damsel in distress at the moment so I suggest you leave this fire demon to me." He said pointing at Sidrea with Rebellion.
Angela had been able to control her powers these last few times, even though the chances of her using them in this encounter weren't guaranteed, "I have as much place in this fight as you after all she owes me for what she did, be it with her own life." Angela said seriously.
"Not backing down are we, I expected a good fight from you two but I will not make the same mistake again!" Sidrea flared up and within instances the library was shrouded in flames. The intense heat and humidity in the air was concentrated in that area. Sidrea had closely planned her next actions, she did not want to disappoint her master. While Angela and Dante were dodging the flame eruptions, Sidrea concentrated her flame power into creating a high pyro wall to divide Angela and Dante. She knew Angela was nothing without the son of Sparda, completely defenseless infant.
"Dante!" Angela screamed as she caught the last glimpse of Dante on the other side of the wall. She got close to the wall feeling the heat intensify, stinging her skin she did not go any closer. Angela turned around to face Sidrea who was just watching her with a delighted smirk.
Sidrea couldn't believe that the ancient demonic powers of the Dacelai belonged to such a feeble girl. She did not come all this way not to have any fun with her prey, she wanted to toy with Angela for sport. "The daughter of Light, tell me what does it feel like to be alone?" Angela swallowed, still staring at Sidrea, the scorching flames surrounding her threatened to consume her. Sidrea would tug at Angela's wounds farther "I was amused as she begged for her life, she writhed with pain as I set her on fire." Sidrea made sure that her words breached Angela, she wanted to provoke her and finish her in one blow, it was much easier to travel with an immobile body.
Angela was unafraid of Sidrea, she bald her fist and only permitted a single tear to fall before she raced towards Sidrea with such speed that she was unable to stop Angela from ramming her through the library walls.
Dante who was separated from her, heard the crashing noise and furiously using Rebellion to slash through the fire wall to reach Angela. When that didn't do much damage to it he took out his girls as he called them Ebony and Ivory. Rapid shots hitting the wall continuously in the same spot. After a few intense moments of ground pounding the wall, he was able to breach it, giving him a window to be able to jump through. The hole was pretty tight and maybe a very close fit but there was no other way. "Shit another repair to my jacket." He said annoyed as he jumped through.
The ends of Dante's jacket caught fire and as much as he didn't want to leave his precious jacket, he tossed it aside and sped through the opening in the library.
Angela was quickly dodging some fireballs thrown by Sidrea who was hovering high in the sky, a trail of fire beneath her. Dodging was all that Angela could do considering she had no fighting experience and it was as if her powers only activated when she was directly in peril not on her will.
"That was a cheap trick babe! It's my turn to pull out the ace of hearts from under my sleeve!" Dante said firing his guns at Sidrea. Sidrea used her fire to shield herself from Dante's barrage of bullets, she knew it wasn't so easy to hurt Dante but it was much easier to get to Angela. Her master had warned that he didn't want a scratch on the girl but if she was a demon after all she would heal.
Dante seeing Sidrea's eyes now on Angela warned her, "Angela get behind me!" Angela quickly ran avoiding the already spreading fires and tried to get to Dante. As she did a tall burning tree fell in her path, quickly she leapt high gaining momentum as her wings flapped and guided her safely down passing the flaming tree.
She eventually got to Dante who had not ceased fire and Sidrea was too preoccupied with dodging his sea of bullets. "Do you think you could cast a shield on me?" Dante asked turning his head slightly to meet Angela who was cringing behind him. "I have a plan to get her out of her high tower."
"I'll try." Angela said fearing that her powers would not cooperate with her state. She took a deep breath and stretched her fingers out, "ready."
"I'll be moving around so try to cover me as best you can but promise me you won't let her get you." Angela nodded, Dante smirked in response, "On three, one…two…THREE!" They split up, Dante unhinged Rebellion from his back holster and began to slash the trees from there trunks to unbalance Sidrea who was high in the air. Meanwhile Angela ran in a zigzag avoiding Sidrea who was targeting her while focusing a faintly translucent, violet shield around Dante.
Sidrea avoided the falling oaks as best she could but she was thoroughly irritated with the situation, she did not understand the importance this frail girl served for her master and frankly she was just jealous and so if she were to die she was taking this girl with her. "YOU ARE A PEST! WHY MY MASTER IS INTRESTED IN YOU IS BEYOND ME! DIE YOU FILTHY HALFBREED!" Sidrea brought both of her hands together and unleashed a fire blast directed completely at Angela.
There was no running from it, Dante looked on as Angela stared at the fiery blast about to hit her. She outstretched her hands bracing for the clash. The fire did not breach her force field, Angela was much stronger than she looked but the force of the blast was pushing her back. Dante took advantage by slicing one final tree next to the distracted Sidrea and readied his gun.
"Dante hurry." He heard Angela's faint voice at the back of his mind say out of breath. Skillfully he slashed the tree and with a heavy creaking noise it began to descend upon Sidrea. She was too focused on killing Angela when something began to push Sidrea down.
The fire blast upon Angela stopped, she dropped her shield and fell to her knees out of breath. She looked up to see Sidrea fighting against being squashed by the burning oak tree but she heard someone say "jackpot" soon after there was a gunshot and Sidrea was no longer fighting the tree, she was falling towards the ground.
Dante shot her down from where she was floating but before she hit the ground Angela trapped her in a telekinetic ball and pulled her away from the falling oak that crashed to the ground soon after. Angela came towards Sidrea, angrily Sidrea shot fire from within the ball to try and break the force but to no avail it was truly impenetrable.
Most of the fire around them had disappeared considering Sidrea was no longer in control of the situation. Angela slowly approached holding out her hand wide open towards it, she stopped just a few inches from it. "Do you want me to beg for my life, like your pathetic human mother?!" Angela eyes goldened and full of hate concentrated. Slowly she began to compress her open hand and in doing so the telekinetic ball began to shrink in size.
Dante watched close behind as Angela did this, after all it was her decision whether or not to end Sidrea's life.
Angela was close to tightening her fist but her eyes let back up into the shade of saphire and the telekinetic force trapping Sidrea vanished. Angela watched Sidrea as she caught her breath, Sidrea looked up at Angela angrily, "as much as I hate you, I am no murder," Angela stated. She wanted nothing more to do with Sidrea, if possible she never wanted to see her again but it just wasn't in her to kill another person being a demon or not. Angela turned around and gestured Dante that it was time to leave, Sidrea keeping a close eye on them from the ground as they were departing.
"But…I AM!" Sidrea from her flame powers had created a knife and threw it at Angela which pierced her side. Angela fell over but before Sidrea could do or think anything else, Rebellion was lodged in the middle of her chest. Sidrea's eyes were glossed and widened with shock as she stared at Dante. She got up and inched towards Dante, each step she took lodging Rebellion further in until she was face to face with him. Her voice a mere whisper as she spoke, "you will fail in protecting her, you will be her undoing and Lord Creeve will succeed."
Sidrea's body started to glow and emit a red light, she began to dissolve as the light particles began to separate until they merged with the air and they were no longer visible. Every last fire ceased as well only leaving the smell of burnt wood and ash behind.
Dante turned back to grab Angela from the ground, her shirt was ripped on her side and the knife was still lodged in. "Shit!" Dante exclaimed as he held the unconscious Angela in his arms. At least she won't make a fuss if I pull it out right now. He grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled it out swiftly, the knife stung his hand upon contact as if he were touching a fire. He pulled it out but as soon as he did it disintegrated like ash. Dante expected Angela to wake up to the pain, to see blood spill from her wound but much to his surprise, as he scanned her abdomen for a wound he found none, not even a scratch.
"Dante?!" Angela said opening her eyes, tear filled as she got up to hug him.
Dante always reacted by hugging the female back and hugs usually became touchy with him but with Angela he had different sentiments. He held onto her lightly as if she would break if he hugged her tighter, "that was one of the most stupid and reckless acts, more so than the ones I make, the deal was you weren't suppose to get hit. What am I going to do if you're killed huh?" He said in a sarcastic scolding manner.
Angela didn't respond she just held on tightly to Dante, "Sheesh, don't ever turn your back on anyone you never know what crazy bitch is ready to stab you in the back." They lingered in that hug a few seconds more until Dante unwrapped Angela's arms from him, he let out a cough before speaking, "We should get going unwanted company is bound to show up."
"Wait." Angela ran back inside the mansion, the fire ceasing since Sidrea was no longer there to control it, but the remains of fall ceiling and burnt books remained. Dante followed Angela back into the library where he picked up the remains of his burned jacket. Angela went to her father's desk which seemed untouched by the fire and retrieved her father's journal. "I hid it in there while Sidrea was distracted."
"Good call." Dante said swinging his jacket over his shoulder, he couldn't wear such a battered jacket, he needed to get it fixed first.
Angela took a deep breath before speaking to him again. "Dante I'm sorry to impose on you the way I have but I have one more favor to ask of you." She looked up at him trying not to feel embarrassed considering the way she had reacted beforehand, clinging onto him like a child.
"What is it?" He asked stuffing his hands into his pocket, already in a laid back manner.
Angela looked around observing the burned remains of the library and then back at Dante, "could you train me to fight?" If she could prevent events like these once again she would do all in her power.
Dante looked at her, he smirked slightly even if her request was not a joking matter. It reminded him a little of himself, he saw the fire and fear in here eye: a look he held once before. He knew why she was asking this of him but he had to ask her something first. "If I do you have to be ready to kill someone, in this business it's either you or them."
There was nothing funny about his tone and Angela knew he was right, she really did want to know the truth about her situation and she had to be willing to do whatever it took. Hesitant, Angela nodded slowly, "I won't make that mistake again."
Afterwards...
The tower chess piece was turned to dust when Creeve clutched it in his hand. He wasn't furious at all, more so he was contempt, he foresaw an outcome like this. "So the game has become more serious." He leaned onto the table, resting his chin next to the chess board, "your all mighty at the moment my queen, surrounded by other powerful figures," He shifted his eyes towards the knight riding the stallion, he glared at it furrowing his dark eyebrows.
He sighed loudly and sat back up, regaining his regal seating posture. "No matter, I just have to find another angle." He said staring pensively at the board. After a few moments of intense thought a sinister smile crept onto his face. "Tempus." He murmured.
A dark overcast took over the bar and was still, a dark figure shrouded by a gray cloak appeared. You could not see what was underneath but judging by the grotesquely green looking hand with sharp dirty nails, something horrid lay beneath. "I knew you would call at this precise moment." Tempus reached into his cloak pocket to take out a silver pocket watch, he flipped it open to reveal many series of numbers piled up. "You are in need of my assistance are you not." Tempus said stating what he knew.
Creeve looked at him but then closed his eyes and smiled, "as usual you are precise in your predictions." He opened his eyes to look at his chess set, Creeve pondered over his assortment which pawn Tempus would be.
"You have assigned me the position of knight on your board." Tempus said pointing at the knight figure.
Creeve looked at him and smirked, "I see you are never wrong, seeing the future and controlling time must be ever so fascinating, but answer me this, is a course always set for sure?" Creeve said taking the knight figure in his hand, twirling it as to examine it. "I could change my mind."
"While that is true my Lord, there all also facts that influence in decision making for example, I am the strongest of your allies therefore an important piece in your game and so I am assigned a chess piece worthy of my stature, I am correct." Tempus stated as a fact.
"True, will you be able to handle my queen and her knight?" Creeve looked at him with sharp eyes.
"Considered the deed done." Tempus said pocketing his watch and bowing.
"Is there anything else I should know?" Creeve asked.
"She has recovered the journal of truth, all that is left is to react quickly and not let her read to deep into it." Tempus said in his raspy voice, things would become complicated if Angela learned too much from the book which Tempus knew for a fact.
"Go now, bring her to me unharmed and kill everyone else, give a special death to the Son of Sparda." Creeve placed the knight figure onto the board and moved it to meet the opposing knight and the queen figure.
"As you wish my lord." Tempus agreed to, his voice echoing through the empty halls as he fell back into the shadows.
A/N:
So you all know my main villain's name now: Lord Creeve who's name I derived from the word "crave". I like my characters to have symbolic names, the theme for this story is the Latin language.
Sidrea is a latin word for Sunlight.
Tempus is latin for Time. Which reminds me what does Tempus have planned for our heros?
I hate weak females, so defenseless all the time, typical damsels in distress that's why I thought it was about time for Angela to visit Dante's bootcamp of kick ass! Maybe some other characters will help whip her in to shape *cough, Lady and Trish cough*...
Thanks to those of you who read this and thanks a load for leaving me those wonderful reviews and for believing in my work!
Till next update
-roseimagine