Dante and Cypher slowly walked down the endless corridors, keeping to one side and always making sure that they were in the shadows.
'I don't think it would be a good idea if we constantly got into battles.'
'Why not?'
'You seem to forget, Son of Sparda, that my father's soldiers have become stronger and bigger. If Orissa was right, then you were defeated by a Massada…one of our lowest ranking soldiers.' Dante said nothing but carried on walking in steely silence. Cypher said nothing else but watched him carefully through the corner of his eye. The two had already found that they hated each other, but were yet in each other's debt. Dante cursed inwardly. He hated this feeling, that he owed Cypher something. But he was his only ticket to Trish. The feeling was mutual but Cypher felt he had no choice but to help Dante. Dante wondered how it was that a son could hate his own father that much. Even if it was Mundus he was talking about.
Cypher suddenly paused and looked around warily. Dante also stopped, the scent of the demons thick in the air. He looked towards Cypher quizzically. His associate sighed.
'Guienas. One might think that they are related to Puias because of the very slight similarity in their name…but they would be sadly mistaken. These have the ability to spit out deadly toxins which are immediately absorbed through your skin. The effects result in a slow, painful death.'
'How do we destroy them?' Cypher suddenly glared at him. Dante drew his sword and scowled back. 'If you want me to do this favour for you, then I have to know their battle tactics.' Cypher said nothing. 'You understand, don't you?' Dante pointed the sword at Cypher's throat, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. 'Don't you?' Cypher's green eyes blazed out cold fire.
'Kill me and you'll be killed yourself! You can't do anything without me!' he spat. Dante growled with frustration and sheathed his sword, knowing that what he said was right. If he "accidentally" killed Cypher, then he would never find Trish. He suddenly felt startled to realise that she was his main motive for action. Why? He cursed angrily. He had refused to have any feelings of any sort towards her, and now it all seemed to be coming out. Cypher saw the anger in his eyes and drew back, mistaking his fury.
'I'm not going to kill you, Asshole,' growled Dante venomously. The relief in Cypher's eyes were slight, but Dante noticed it all the same. It filled him with an odd sense of satisfaction. He liked the power that he wielded, the power to make people shiver when they looked into his eyes. He smiled thinly at Cypher before he started moving on. Cypher swallowed hard and followed behind.
'To defeat them…you must be wary of their skin. One touch, and you will be poisoned.' Dante raised his eyebrows.
'How are we meant to kill these things if we can't even touch them?' Cypher laughed hollowly.
'We? Don't you mean you?'
'I said we and I meant we. Understand?' Again Dante raised his sword. Cypher flinched.
'All right…' he whispered at last. 'Use your guns.' Dante frowned.
'No can do. They were taken from me.'
'Then we will not be able to go any further. We must find the rest of your weapons.' Dante cursed again. It seemed as though they were going to be delayed. 'I know where they are being kept. Everything that is taken from our prisoners is kept in one single place.' Dante followed him back through the passage, but he had his misgivings. Where was Mundus? And that crazy girl? This all seemed too easy. Already they had been roaming around the corridors of the fortress. They could have been easily caught. Dante narrowed his eyes.
'This better not be a trap, Asshole,' he snarled. Cypher looked back at him but said nothing. Instead he sighed and shook his head, as though in exasperation.
'My name is Cypher. Not Asshole.'
'Whatever.'
'We agreed that we would help each other. However, we did not agree that we could hurl insults at each other.' Dante raised his eyebrow again. Cypher sighed. 'Look. We both want something and unless we work together, we'll never get it. You'll never find Trish again and I won't be able to see the death my father deserves.' Cypher had dropped his voice to a whisper, just in case anyone happened to be listening. Dante folded his arms.
'Stop wasting time. Let's go.' Cypher bit back his tongue to stop himself from yelling at him at the top of his voice. Instead, he took the lead, making his way to the storeroom. Dante smiled thinly, sensing his fear. And Cypher shivered.
Rayne burst into Dawn's room like a hurricane, his red rimmed eyes panicked.
'Arson's gone!' he yelled. Dawn jumped to her feet, her brown eyes confused and troubled. Rayne waited for her reaction, saw none and then decided to repeat his last statement. 'Arson's gone! I went into his room to check on him and he just wasn't there! It's like he's vanished!' Dawn sank down to her feet and looked at the floor numbly. At last, she frowned and looked up.
'Do you think he teleported?' Rayne shook his head.
'I don't know. I just don't get it! Arson's never acted like this!' Dawn looked at him, sad and confused.
'What d'you mean?'
'He's just…I don't know…he doesn't just go like this. In fact, ever since you came along, he's been acting strange. It's like he's hell bent on just one thing. Usually he keeps a cool head, but this time…he just explodes…y'know?' Dawn nodded.
'I was surprised. I didn't think he had such a temper.'
'He doesn't. That's the thing.' Rayne paced about the room, but he made no sound as he did so. Dawn's troubled eyes followed his movement. Her eyes met with his for a moment, and he stopped. Then he started pacing again. Dawn stared blankly at a wall, too shocked to know what to do, what to say. At last, she looked up.
'Do you think he has been taken by a demon?' she whispered, half afraid to even say what she was suggesting. Rayne stopped and then shook his head.
'No. I don't think he has been. We would have sensed it. We would have known.' He paused, as though collecting his thoughts. 'I'm not the most experienced fighter. Neither is Arson or even you for that matter. But we can still pick up these things. I know that nothing entered his room. Apart from us.' Rayne grew silent, and then started moving to and fro across the room. Dawn hung her head.
'Now what do we do?'
'We fight. What else?'
'But how can we? I was sent here because of Arson. We thought that he would be the only one who could possibly put a stop to Mundus.' Rayne looked at her, as though bewildered.
'But he's just a kid! He doesn't know how to deal with even the lowest of that guy's soldiers! How can he defeat Mundus, if he didn't stand a chance against a Massada?'
'It's all written. You know about the legacy of his grandfather, don't you?'
'Who Dante? Yeah I know all about him. Who doesn't?'
'It was written that he would rise and carry on the legacy of his father, Arson's great grandsire, Sparda. Arson hasn't spoken to you at all about his father, has he?'
'No.' Dawn stopped, as though hesitating.
'Then it is not for me to say. However, just as it was written that Dante would rise to become a legend, it is written that Arson shall too rise and carry on the Sparda legacy. We thought that maybe now was the time to let Arson show us what he could do. Maybe this was the opportunity he needed. Maybe this is his time to rise.' Rayne shrugged.
'Whatever.' Dawn looked at him sharply.
'Whatever? Whatever?! Rayne, we can't do this without Arson! We need him with us!' Rayne whirled on her quite suddenly.
'Do we? Listen, I've never had to depend on anyone during my life. I'll be damned if I'm to start now!' Dawn lowered her eyes and breathed out deeply. Rayne saw the look of immense hurt in her eyes and he immediately regretted raising his voice. 'I'm sorry. Look, it's late. We'll start looking for him tomorrow. If we can't find him after three days, then we have to continue, with or without Arson.'
Three days passed. Arson was not found. Rayne and Dawn looked at each other in desperation and then carried on their quest. They had given up.
Arson: Must I do this?
Busta: Yes! (holds up her magic pencil)
Arson: Bustahead or Busta does not own Devil May Cry or any of the characters that appear in either game. Unfortunately…
Busta: (holds up her magic pencil again)
Arson: I meant fortunately Dawn, Rayne, me, Massadas, Cypher, Orissa, Pharmakos and now Guienas belong to her. (starts to weep)
Busta: Thank you! (pours a bucket of cold water over his head)
Arson: ARGH!!!
Busta: Expect an update sometime soon! Oh and have pity on me. I'm only mortal! Read and Review??? Puh-lease???