Reiko heard Trish scream as he felt the wind rush past his ears, tossing his hair away from his face. His hazel eyes widened with surprise and sudden realization as he saw the huge spike that had suddenly seemed to appear from nowhere. He screamed out in panic but then a red mist folded over his vision before going dark.
Dante watched in horror as vampires continued to fall down, blood oozing out of their bodies before they dissolved into a pile of ash. Trish's scream pierced through the air, causing him to look up to see Reiko flying through the air before being impaled by the spike. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he saw that it had missed his heart by several inches, piercing him below, near his stomach. The metal pole suddenly disappeared and changed shape again before merging with the background. Blue blood continued to drip onto the ground, providing a trial for Dante to follow. Reiko was a lot smarter than Dante had taken him for.
Trish ignored the moans of the few who had been left alive, as she made her way to the vampire who had cried blood. She knelt down beside him, her face a picture of distress as she shook him, trying to get him to wake.
'Reiko! Reiko, wake up! Please, Reiko!' she shrieked. There was no reply for a while but then the vampire stirred and looked up at her weakly. His eyes were glazed red as blood continued to pour out of his wound. Trish cursed and shrugged out of her jacket, rolling it into a type of pad. Reiko hissed with pain and struggled as she pressed hard at the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
'It's okay, you're going to be fine. I promise.' Reiko shuddered and his eyes rolled. The blood was still oozing out. Trish closed her eyes as she understood what she had to do.
Dante leapt over bodies as he followed the trial of blue blood out of the guild. He paused as he saw a puddle of blood that was larger than the rest. He raised his eyes and snarled, knowing he had the disadvantage of not being able to see his enemy.
'Mostro, right?' he said, his voice a low sinister whisper. He chuckled to himself, but it was far from a pleasant sound. He heard a low growl in reply. 'You know, I don't understand what Reiko was so worried about. You don't feel that strong to me.'
'Fool. You think I'm really capable of taking this world over?'
'That's what you were planning. And with this crystal in your possession, I believe you to be more than capable.'
'Then you're a greater fool than I thought. I don't have the crystal.' Dante blinked and then scowled.
'You really expect me to believe that?' He could sense another person around here, making him tense. It looked as though he wouldn't be able to allow himself even a moment of relaxation, who knew when he would be attacked from behind? Whatever the case, he'd be ready. He could sense Mostro coming closer, could feel a cold hand on his chin, tilting his head. He snarled loudly and tried to move away, only to find that he was frozen to the spot. His feet were completely encased in ice. A sudden cold feeling swept through him, and Dante recognized it for fear.
'Bastard!' he snarled. He tried to move again, but the ice only compacted around his feet, making it impossible to get away. Mostro laughed as something flew out through the air towards him. Dante turned too late, the dart hitting him in the shoulder. A feeling of immense fatigue washed over him and he felt himself swaying, unable to fall because of the ice.
'You…' he croaked. A feeling of nausea rose into his throat and he coughed. He blinked wearily as he saw Mostro reveal himself. Dark black eyes watched him eagerly.
'Jaal.'
'Yes, Master?'
'Come. We have work to do if we are to regain that crystal.'
'Yes, Master.' The two walked off, their footsteps silent. The ice disappeared and Dante fell to the ground, trembling and shaking.
Trish watched Reiko as he squirmed in pain. His eyes were becoming more and more covered with the red sheen. The blood had stopped a long time ago, but he had lost a vast amount, more than was safe for a vampire. Trish looked around desperately but then saw a large piece of broken glass. Without hesitating, she cut her own wrist and held it to the vampire's lips.
Reiko still seemed to be aware of what was happening. He tried to move his head away, and moaned slightly. A droplet of blood splashed onto his mouth, and when Reiko opened his mouth to protest, another splashed in, silencing him. The red glaze grew darker and more pronounced. He grabbed Trish's wrist with fierce desperation and sank his teeth in. Trish expected it to hurt, but instead some kind of strange pleasure pervaded her senses.
Reiko opened his eyes again, the red sheen gone. Trish sat there placidly, enjoying the feeling. Reiko's hazel eyes widened slightly and he gave vent to a muffled yelp, hastily licking the bite mark on Trish's wrist so then it healed. He quickly sat up and looked around, his eyes wide.
'Oh God…' he whispered. Trish saw the look of sadness on his face as he witnessed the carnage that Mostro had left behind. She slowly stood up, her vision swimming slightly. It gradually calmed and Trish found herself placing a hand on Reiko's shoulder as he sat there, stunned into silence.
'I'm sorry, Reiko.'
'…'
'There really was nothing that you could've done to help the situation. You tried everything.'
'…How could this have happened? He should have never found us.'
'I don't know.'
'We were hidden from sight. No one knew about this but us and now you and Dante…how could Mostro find us? He can't sense demon or vampire taints.' Reiko's face had lost all colour. Trish found herself hugging him close. Reiko didn't pull away.
A door clicked open and he heard a whimper tear itself from Reiko's throat.
'Reiko…' she whispered, trying to calm him.
'All those innocent lives lost. I thought we were protected here. I was wrong. We should have all kept on the move. I was too confident and because of my foolishness all of them are dead.'
'You weren't to know…'
'They trusted me! And I've failed them!'
'Reiko,' said another voice. Trish looked up, as did Reiko. 'It was Jaal. He betrayed us.' Remy slowly descended the flight of steel stairs and came to kneel beside the two. 'He led Mostro here and told him about the guild, and about the illusions and spells I had cast on it.' Reiko pulled away from Trish and swallowed hard, staring blankly into space. Trish shook her head at Remy, trying to show him that he should not say anything else on the matter. Remy got the hint and bowed his head as his friend and leader struggled with himself to come to terms with the tragedy.
'Um…' said Trish, breaking the silence. 'Reiko?' No response. 'Now might be a bad time…but…where's Dante?' Reiko jumped to his feet.
'Dante!' He whirled around and streaked out of the building, his black coat swirling around his knees as he ran. Trish followed behind, as did Remy, anxious to stay by Reiko's side. Trish dropped behind so then her pace matched that of Remy's as Reiko ran ahead.
'Remy?'
'What is it, Ma'am?'
'Just call me Trish. I was wondering, how do you and Reiko know each other? And why did Reiko make this guild in the first place?'
'I guess he wanted something to do…something to keep himself focused and living for some kind of cause. As for how us two know each other, Reiko's like an elder brother to me.' Remy smiled and loped along, feet silent as a cat's, eyes as alert like a wolf's. Trish kept running alongside him but then sped up as she heard a sudden yell.
'Dante! Dante!' Reiko shook the demon hunter. Trish gasped as she came to halt. Dante was on the floor, his face as white as a sheet, his lips a faint tinge of blue. Froth leaked out of the side of his mouth, and his glazed, clouded eyes rolled in his head as Reiko moved him so then his head was cradled in his lap. 'Oh God…'
'What happened to him!' shrieked Trish. Remy blinked.
'Poison. Mostro poisoned him.' Reiko saw the dart in Dante's shoulder and wrenched it out fiercely.
'Should he have been able to fight against it?' he said quickly, looking at Trish. Trish examined the condition of her partner and blinked.
'He…has been. It's the only reason why he's still alive.'
'Shit,' cursed Reiko. He nodded at Remy, who bowed his head once and ran. Dante continued to tremble, unintelligible words coming out of his mouth as he tried to communicate with Trish. Trish could only hold him close, tears threatening to spill over. She had never seen Dante in such a state before. He'd been poisoned before, but Dante's demonic blood had always been able to cure his body. It seemed as though the poison was able to override his body's powers.
Remy soon returned, carrying a handful of the jewels that Trish had seen earlier that night, only minutes before the massacre. Reiko took one from him, an emerald green one and pressed it to Dante's forehead. Almost immediately, Trish saw a change. Dante's eyes cleared and closed, and his breathing, which before had been laboured began to ease as he fell into a deep sleep. Reiko slowly stood up and tensed, as did Remy. Reiko looked hastily at Trish.
'Look, get Dante back to Devil May Cry. Don't worry about the poison; it's gone. But he'll run a serious fever because of the after affects of the poison. Keep him safe.' The two dashed off, just as the sun rose.
Trish was left holding a very weak Dante close to her. She slowly looked down at him and got up.
She only hoped that whatever this Mostro was, he'd keep away from them until Dante was completely well once again.