Dante and Trish followed the vampire through the night, Dante grumbling and Trish giggling with laughter. As for Reiko, he was as silent as ever, padding through the streets softly, his eyes fixed straight ahead. He paused and grew tense, looking to both sides before he carried on. Dante gripped his sword, feeling reassured when he felt the familiar cold steel rest again the warmth of his glove.
'Reiko?' whispered Trish. 'Something wrong?' No answer. Reiko strode forwards, his feet making no sounds. Trish became painfully aware of the sound her boots were making. Dante nor Reiko seemed to notice, and if they did, they didn't ask her to try and silence the noise. Trish relaxed, she was probably just being too self conscious.
Reiko at last stopped walking and smiled.
'We're here.' Dante blinked and looked around. There was nothing but old buildings that had been boarded up. Glass lay shattered on the ground, crunching as Dante paced about impatiently.
'I don't see anything.' Reiko grinned.
'That's just the point. We don't want to be seen by others. Not humans anyway.' Trish suddenly had a thought.
'Reiko?'
'What?'
'If you don't drink human's blood, then what do you drink?' Reiko ignored her and then walked forwards, into the dark gloom of the alleyway. Trish pattered after him, determined to get her answer. Reiko paused, seeing the dead end but then with a single bound, managed to cling onto the top of the wall by his fingertips. Slowly, he hoisted himself up over the wall and dropped down to the other side. Trish paused, hearing him land softly and turned to see that Dante was still standing in the open, a scowl on his face.
'Dante, c'mon!'
'I don't like this.'
'Dante…since when have you started acting like a chicken shit?'
'Since never. I'm using my common sense. We don't know anything about him. What is it's a trap. And how the hell did he knows about Nelo Angelo?' Trish frowned at him. 'How did he know that he was my brother?' Trish blinked and thought about this, slowly coming to a decision.
'You know, Reiko's a vampire.' Dante glared at her.
'Tell me something that's news to me.' Trish rolled her eyes at him.
'Just give him a chance.'
'And why should I?' Trish was silent but then looked up at him.
'You gave me a chance, didn't you?'
'Babe, I've given you hundreds.'
'And you won't even give Reiko one.' Trish turned and walked down the alley again, leaping and managing barely to get a grip on the wall top. She scrabbled wildly for a moment before she pulled herself up. Her guns hit lightly against the wall as she righted herself. She looked down behind her to see Dante sizing it up. A cocky smile grew on his face as he stepped back a few paces, picking up a good-sized pole that lay conveniently on the side. Trish looked disgusted.
'God Dante! You don't know where the hell that's been and you just pick it up?' Dante ignored her completely and sized up the wall again before finally smiling. Trish watched, unimpressed as he rammed the pole into the ground as he ran, soaring through the air and landing gracefully on the other side. Trish scowled at him while Reiko watched him, silent as ever.
'Show off!' yelled Trish. Reiko smiled secretly to himself. Dante caught the look on his face and scowled. Reiko blinked and stopped, clearing his throat before he started moving carefully along. Trish, not to be deterred from her last question followed behind him.
'So, if you don't drink human blood, what do you drink?' Reiko's voice was barely a whisper as he replied. 'What?'
'I said I drink the blood of animals.' Trish walked along, thinking this over. Dante looked surprised.
'You're willing to do that?' Reiko nodded.
'I won't risk the lives of others in order to feed myself.' Trish looked confused. Though she had often fought many and knew their weak-points, she didn't understand anything to do about vampire lore. She didn't know anything. She looked up at Reiko innocently.
'What's so bad about drinking animal blood?' she said loudly, forgetting to keep her voice down. Reiko gulped and looked at her in shock. Dante clapped his hand over her mouth.
'Please don't say that too loud,' said Reiko quietly, his voice nervous and pleading slightly. 'If the others of the guild found out, then they'd kill me themselves.' Trish frowned. 'You see, to drink the blood of animals curses you. It's like an unwritten rule of vampirism. To drink an animal's blood and not a human's means that you become eternally damned, an outcast.' He sighed and lowered his eyes as he recognised the word he had just uttered. 'Look, let's just go…' Trish frowned, seeing his downcast face. Dante said nothing but he had stopped scowling a long time ago, instead looking almost apologetic.
'Reiko?' said Trish uncertainly. Dante shook his head and raised a hand for silence as Reiko walked off quietly, pausing every so often as though trying to sense something, like a wolf being hunted by man, and knowing it. Dante felt his guard rise without explanation and looked around quickly but he could see nothing.
'There's something here,' he growled. Reiko nodded.
'He's here.' Trish grinned with excitement.
'He is? Well what are we waiting for? Let's go after him.' Reiko shook his head and suddenly ran forwards, his black coat billowing out behind him, like some kind of cape. Dante wordlessly followed behind, Trish lagging behind. Reiko closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, golden light surrounding him. For a wild moment, Trish thought that he was going to burn to death, and that the sun had come up. The light quickly faded and Reiko was unharmed. He motioned for Dante and Trish to walk forwards, into the wall. Dante blinked and then walked forwards, his face an unreadable mask. Trish looked at Reiko in surprise.
'Are you crazy?' Reiko wordlessly pushed her in, uttering only one word.
'Sorry.'
Dante could hear the sound of chatting. Both male and female voices talked gaily. The sound suddenly stopped. Several vampires jumped to their feet and circled around Dante and Trish, scowling. Dante said nothing but stood there calmly, a cocky smirk on his face. Trish was livid with rage.
'You were right! He tricked us!' Dante said nothing but looked around coolly.
'Do you have any idea who I am?' One vampire snarled and glared at him, his nose twitching. Apparently, he caught something he liked and motioned to the others to stand down.
'To be frank with you, no. But you are human. This makes for an interesting event. Do you not know who we are?' Dante grinned easily.
'He knows, and trust me, he's much more than a human,' said a voice. The vampire's face grew even paler than was normal for his kind and he actually bowed down.
'Master!' The rest of the vampires followed suit, much to Dante's confusion. Reiko stood forward, standing tall, his back straight, looking down regally at them, his eyes suddenly blazing with something akin to rage.
'Look at you all, a rabble when I'm not around. I surprise even myself. It is a mystery to me as to why I haven't kicked you out of here yet.' The vampire that had earlier spoken looked up quickly.
'Please no! He'll get us.'
'I know he will, and after the way you treated my guests I think it would be suitable.'
'No,' he moaned. Reiko looked down at him mercilessly. 'I'm just…so hungry. I could smell that he's a human.'
'You're a fool. Do you not know of Dante, Son of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda? Do you mean to say you didn't recognise him?' The vampire's eyes had widened and looked upon Reiko with a mixture of fury and fear. Reiko turned away from him and paced about the large hallway they were in. Everyone was still positioned on the floor. 'I'm feeling merciful today. I'm giving you one last chance. This is not the first time you have acted out of line. I still remember the day when you made an attempt on my life. Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for you, the silver almost killed you that time.' Reiko blinked and then nodded. Everyone rose and stood about, whispering nervously.
'Remy!' Reiko suddenly yelled. Another smaller, wiry vampire came forward, bowing slightly.
'What is it?' Reiko smiled at the rest of the vampires. They chuckled slightly out of nerves and then talked as though Reiko had never entered the guild. Reiko turned back to Remy and smiled. 'There's no need to bow to me. You've been an old friend of mine for a long time.' Remy grinned but shrugged.
'Maybe so, but they don't know that. Besides, better to treat me like everyone else so then I don't appear conspicuous.' Reiko nodded and then stepped to one side, bringing Trish and Dante into view.
'Remy, I've found more help. Dante Sparda and Trish have agreed to help us.' Remy nodded once and then smiled. A sudden movement caught his eye.
'Reiko. I don't like the way Jaal's been acting recently.' Reiko raised his head slightly and spotted the vampire that had accosted Dante and Trish.
'Let him be.'
'Even after he tried to kill you?'
'I can't not give him safety. Especially with Mostro about. No one deserves that kind of death.' Remy looked doubtful but then sighed.
'I still thinking you're making a huge mistake in keeping him here. I say we kill him while we can.' Remy stopped. 'I know that you created this place for anyone to gather here if they were victims of Mostro's attack but this is foolishness. He's going to cause us trouble.' Reiko shrugged.
'If he does, he does. It's nothing I can't handle.' Dante raised his eyebrows and looked around while the two conversed. Trish did the same, her eyes sparkling with interest.
The guild was dark, lighted only by dim lamps that hung at the walls, held up by wall brackets. Dante looked up at the ceiling that appeared black because the light could not reach there.
'Amazing,' breathed Trish. I wonder how they managed to keep this so secret. It's huge.' Dante looked around and then blinked.
'Looks like they redid the abandoned factories here.'
'But I didn't see anything.'
'Could be some kind of illusion that was cast over it.'
'Very clever. You're right. We needed all the secrecy we could get, so Remy cast several spells, having learnt the skills to do this,' said Reiko. Trish blinked and watched him intently. Reiko had seemed to gained a lot more confidence, talking more than he ever had done before. She smiled at him shyly and he smiled back. Dante saw this and moved so then he was standing in front of Trish, shielding her from Reiko's sight.
'We didn't come here just to stand about. Let's get what we came for and then go.' Reiko nodded once.
'Keep up the work, Remy.' The other vampire nodded and then took his leave as Reiko crossed the threshold and walked up the iron steps at the far corner. Trish smiled as she noticed that as Reiko walked past, the crowd parted so as to give him a clear pathway to follow. Dante was silent but he glared as he saw Jaal staring at him malevolently. With a low growl, Dante forced himself to look away, thinking he would deal with Jaal himself later on.
Reiko slowly sat down and got out a small black bag and upended it on the table that lay in front of him. Trish and Dante took seats also. Trish squealed with delight as she saw the multi-coloured gems scatter across the steel table noisily.
'This isn't payment,' said Reiko softly, reverting back to his old ways of silence. 'These are the healing items I told you about. They're remarkably powerful and they are quick to heal you. However, I suggest that you keep several yellow orbs handy.' Reiko suddenly paused. 'You might need them.' Dante blinked and glared at Reiko.
'What about you? Are you trying to say that we won't be able to handle ourselves as well as you?' Dante's eyebrows had raised challengingly. Reiko shook his head.
'If I die again, at least you'll be able to continue on the fight. If I die again, those orbs won't be able to revive me. I have only one chance and if I blow it, I die.' Reiko suddenly stiffened and stood up. Dante did the same, spinning around, sword in hand already. Remy crashed up the stairs and slammed the door open.
'Reiko! It's Mostro! He's found us!' Reiko's eyes widened as he ran forwards, pushing Remy out of the way. Dante and Trish quickly followed behind, Dante quickly taking in the scene that lay below. Vampires ran panicked in every direction, screaming and crying out with terror. Dante scanned the area but he could see no demon. Instead, vampires fell left and right, blood splattering everywhere. Before Dante's eyes, a vampire suddenly fell, blood streaming out of his back, from a wound that had not been there a second earlier.
'What the hell is happening!' he yelled. Trish looked confused and just as scared as the terrified vampires. Reiko looked around calmly, his eyes narrowing slightly.
'There!' He quickly flung out a dagger, it was suddenly stopped in mid air and hovered about wildly. Blue blood gushed out onto the floor and there was a high-pitched roar. Reiko smiled, looking childishly pleased that he had hurt his enemy. His relief was short lived as he was suddenly knocked from the stairs and down onto the ground below.