CHAPTER Three: Lions, tigers, and blood goats…..oh….no?
Dante at once gave Trish over to Matier, and the poor old woman shook from the weight. "Oooof!" Not that Trish was in ANY way heavy or anything, it's just that the tiny ancient woman could barely hold up her own back! Trish moaned a bit, becoming awake, and Dante turned back, "Oh, let's get you two down under"
With that taken care of, Dante and Lucia were already behind Vergil, whose eager self used his gift of instant translocation to stand on top of one of the buildings closer to the entrance into the small village. "Oh yeahhhh," he drawled out, "they're on their way." Then he squinted, "what the-"he stopped, "well, well, Lucia, your high and mighty Arius has sent them in every directional path. The left side, hoo boy!" he whistled long, "We've got your garden variety four legged creatures on their way," Vergil glanced to the right, "and to your opposite end, we've got blood goats!"
Dante casually walked towards the approaching noise;Lucia ran off ahead, screaming, "You two take care of them, Dante take the left and Vergil take the right. I have something to take care of first."
"What?" cried Vergil, "OHhhh sure, leave on us why don't you while me and little brother take care of blood goats." He grumbled, "Never could understand why they're blood-goats anyway."
"Well, they're sure as hells aren't as attractive as our last enemies." Dante called out.
Vergil snorted, "I was just beginning to like them too. It was the first time I thought of a ménage a twaa."
Dante looked at his brother in that funny way, "This coming from a guy who can say tête-à-tête and NOT ménage a trois?"
"Like I took any French in the Underworld!" Vergil called back, then disappeared as he located himself right smack in the middle of the enemy's path. Anyone can hear his grunts and battle cries as he started to hack and slash away with vigor.
"Show off."
Dante grumbled.
Just as Dante headed off in the same direction, the outline of a red circle appeared in front of him, and in the shape of a huge rooster, clanking and clucking its way through, its beak opened and fastened speedily to dip into our demon hunter.
"WTF?" Dante didn't hesitate to move out of the way, shooting at it with deliberate speed.
After its demise, he shook his head, wondering what kind of sicko Arius was. First, automated secretaries, then chickens? A distracted Dante he was not because in that instant, flying goats shot at him from behind, appearing in the invisible structure of the sky. Yellow white sparks hit at his person, causing him to slide back twenty feet up against the corroded wall. "UGH!"
Dante leapt forward, causing a double somersault, evading the attacks left and right, a viewer could note he definitely had two right feet. They gave him no quarter, since they kept showing up several at a time, almost as near enough as the numbers of secretaries, and Dante skipped his way to and fro the assaults, becoming nearly bored of the consistency of their banter.
"Alright, you fucks! That's all the dancing you're going to get out of me.
Play time is over."
BOOM! He never carried around a grenade launcher much, but somehow it conveniently emerged in his hands, blasting away several blood goats, temporarily setting them back, then abandoned the launcher, switching to his pistols, swinging them in that cool manner, a flash of a grin and a free styling flip in the air, empty shells dropping to the ground, one, two, three, and several more to go.
Through all the haze, the blood and the noise of bullets and swords embedding into flesh and machine, Dante had a light bulb flash in his head. At this rate, Arius will just keep sending more and more. Maybe……if. He grinned as the thought brought him a little closer to an insight and as he swung his blade back and forth, setting back blood goats moaning away, disintegrating into dust.
And what was going on with our little redhead Lucia? Lucia decided to confront Arius, (not like that's been done before)
She had him, alright, at least right where she wanted him. The silly excuse of a god had his back to her, and in her cute French accent, tried as she might, sounded deadly and tough for this time, there was a deal to be made. Arius turned to greet her.
"Arius, I offer you something you cannot refuse to end this silly charade." Lucia's right hand extended outward, a curved blade pointed at Arius.
Knives embedded in the area around him and his minions surrounded him. Arius didn't easily get amused for he amused himself with antics constantly, so he snickered, twirling the black mustache with his visible hand. "Oh rea-aaalllyyyy?" he twittered. The other hand had stilled the movements of his underlings preparing to attack Lucia.
"What could you possibly give ME to make me want to stop what I'm doing? I rather like your little recruitment of devil hunters. They give me such entertainment!"
"You fool! Do you think that creating and recreating your minions will stop them?
"What kind of offer?"
"Myself" Lucia lifts her chin.
Arius snorts, "Psfff, what? Is that it? Yourself? I can make a hundred more of you."
"Your secretaries have been eliminated. You can make more but they'll be toast by the time your entertaining devil hunters get to them."
He considers for a moment, vacillating between her offer and then rolls his eyes,
"Ehhhhhhhhh, nope. Don't want it. I want something else and you are not IT!"
Lucia could feel her adrenaline rushing as she faces Arius. This wasn't the first but she hopes, no, knows deep in her mind that this would be the last time she confronts him. Arius as typical as he was as a stupid god would be easy to predict. Though his power is nothing to be underestimating at the moment, he snaps his fingers giving the signal to attack the fiery haired woman.
She lifts her knives, already flying in the air, discharging at the minions descending towards her. Several noisy chunks embed its way into several bodies. She uses her other hand, grasping a sword like weapon to slice her way at the enemies' arms and legs.
Damn, she thought as she flies in the air, swerving her body back and forth to the rhythm of her battle dance, damn damn damn, and a litany of curses invade her mind, wondering what Arius really wants. Could it be?
At this time, Trish awakens in that small corner of the room beneath the towns cobbled streets.
"Whoa! Ah crap!" she holds both hands on her head, massaging the pain there and sensing someone coming, she reaches for her pistol.
A chuckle emits from the stranger, the small candle in the room illuminates the figure approaching, revealing Matier. "Do not worry. It is only me. I have come to bring you something for your pain."
Never one to be impolite at another's hospitality, she thanks her and accepts the proffered warm drink.
"Where's Dante?" immediately sensing that something was not right.
"Why, he and his brother along with my little Lucia went to fight Arius' monsters."
"I've got to help. They need me." Trish stands up, dizzy from the quickness of her movements.
"Is that wise?" Matier inspects her wounds, already healing. "Do you not think three of them can handle what comes?"
"Something tells me that it is impertinent." Without a moments hesitation, Trish arms her weapons, pistol reloaded, sword wiped clean and sharpened now sheathed at her back.
Dante and Vergil finished off the remaining foes, blood dripping on the sleeves of their arms and sticky dry blood clung to their swords. Dante twirls Ebony and Ivory, both used excessively round after round as they had been pumping magic bullets into their enemies. The open holes of their chambers emitting smoke, the aroma of heavy ammunition blessing the air and to Dante it was the smell of sweet success. He kisses his babies, whispering, "That was beautiful."
"Let's go and get Lucia." Dante motions to his brother. Vergil said nothing. He was unusually silent as they devil triggered in flight mode to Lucias location.
It wasn't hard really to find her. Dante had the instinctive feeling she'd go and do the stupid thing and be a heroine. Face the king at his throne. Typical Lucia.
As they arrived, they were expected, the face of Arius a happy delight, clapping his hands, "Well, what we have here? Two devils come to play? You've been expected boys. I've got something planned for you two and you're going to LOVE it!" he ended with a gleeful high soprano.
"Whatever." Dante replies.
"You see there." Arius points at Lucia in bounds, AGAIN! Dante groans. Shakes his head and sighs, "Okay, blah blah blah, let's get this over with."
"Not so fast, pretty boy." He sneers, "I have a proposition for you two. Enter my battle arena with the chosen opponents and you get to have the princess!" he mocks as he nods his head towards the imprisoned Lucia.
Lucia screams, "No! Forget about me! Get him! Both of you can take him down!"
"Lucia, last time that happened, ahhh, forget it." Dante sighs.
Arius continues, "You see, my offer is for you two to have the girl and ME. Yes, me, I will surrender." Then mumbles to himself, "As if that's going to happen."
"You two can't lose," continuing, "Being part demons you both want to be in a fight, a challenging fight. It'll be very tempting don't you agree? I'll give you foes that will make you break a sweat. Nothing compared to these ridiculous minions I've sent after you, they were only planted for the use of a set back." Twirling his mustache, he hisses, "a delay as you will, for you see, I needed Lucia to come after me to get you both here."
"Stupid plan. We were going to come after you anyway." Scoffs Dante.
"Well? What's it going to be?" impatient now, Arius's eyes took on a strange light. "Let me introduce to you, Cornelius, one of the many challengers."
A great big dark lizard steps up, his tongue snakes out, "Your ass is mine, demon hunter"
Dante smiles tauntingly back "Bring it on."
Vergil who was silent the whole time, steps up from behind the shadows. "Dante, look"
Both brothers looked to see more challengers appear, all different races of monsters imaginable, from the deepest recesses of mankind's nightmares. Snake like creatures, wizard type beings cloaked in long gowns, cowl faced demons, long arms, legs, even robotic creatures ready to do some action, holding axe like weapons, the sockets of their eyes fathomless.
"Oh, yeah, I see alright." Dante nods to his brother.
"I don't know about you, bro, but I'd like to taste some victory if you know what I mean."
But of course, what's two half demons going to do? Say no to a challenge? Or rather to a bunch of challenges? Ah yeah, it was the most tempting offer, a palate of delectable daring to liberate two brothers for the chance at conquest.
"But first you let Lucia free. She comes with us." Vergil challenged. "I think she'd like to fight too."
Arius nods. What the hell he thought. That irritating Lucia can serve her purpose as well.
Lucia gives Vergil a look of something between gratitude and annoyance. She was glad of the offer and as she was being freed from her bounds, she stands next to the brothers.
"Then come, Sons of Sparda, come into my lair." Arius lets out a giggle. His white suit spotless, he motions for his adversaries to follow him into a portal that was immediately created by the snap of his fingers. How he attained such power, Dante was going to find out.
"Not without me!"
Everyone turns to see Trish at the doorway, her body tense with the heavy blade of Sparda at her grip. She takes off her dark sunglasses with the other hand. Shaking off her blond tresses to the side, her eyes defying Dante.
"Fuck if I'm going to be left behind."