Chapter- 4 A Day at the Club
Bad dreams. They were always there, waiting. Waiting for her to fall into that abysmal cavern of sleep. Waiting for her to drop her guard, so they can remind her what she had lost all those days ago. Of course as a reminder, she didn't mind, but it was filled with such pain because it was always the same memory. The day she had nearly died.
It always started off the same way. Some blurred voices that she had forgotten who they belonged to would be spoken. At first she could see nothing but darkness as the resonating voices chattered around her. The way they spoke was always the same way. They spoke rapidly, intently, discussing a topic that required quick action for the consequences of not doing anything would appear to have been foolish. Then, disturbing the important discussion a sound was heard. It was an explosion. As the explosion ended, so did the chatter and only sounds of people scampering up and out came.
That's when her vision came. She looked around and always at first couldn't recognize the room but then realized that it was the battle room in her house in El Diablo. Here was the place that her and the other hunters of the Diablo's had congregated for special meetings. Meetings that involved the hunt for demons that have find a way to the mortal realm of the humans. She had many memories in this place, and they were all warm memories. Save for this one.
She felt herself move forward to the heavy metal table in the middle, covered from side to side with papers, reports and items of incredible diversity. She felt her small hand slide across the top of the table, knocking over papers and the other objects. The cold smooth feeling of the table made her quiver slightly. She then felt herself looking around the to the rest of the circular room. Lining the sturdy steel walls were weapons of a wide array. Axes, pole-arms, swords, shields, bow-guns, daggers, they were all weapons for the Diablo's. This is where it started, and unfortunately this is were it ended.
Suddenly, she felt herself running to the outside, first a world shrouded in darkness, black clouds negating her vision. Then like a veil of despair, it blow away revealing nothing but death and carnage as far as the eye could see. She found herself standing in a sea of dead bodies and burning buildings. Her home, her friends, her family, they all laid beside, slain like pigs at a slaughter. The sight revolted her and angered her at the same time. She looked at the ground, watching it rise up to her face and felt a near tearing feeling in her gut as she spewed any and all remains of the meal she had before. She felt her whole body shudder and convulse harshly as she continued to eject the last few bits. Closing her eyes, sensing the watery hot tears run down her face, she slammed her hand against the ground, away from the puddle of excrement she recently upchucked. Then wiping her mouth, she flipped her head up and screamed as hard as she could, louder then any normal human.
But the scream was left unheard. All the inhabitants of the city were slain. Either left on the streets for the rats to enjoy a meal, or skewered into pieces like dissected lab experiments. Her scream only echoed for a moment then vanished entirely, forgotten like the rest.
The girl tried to stand up, summoned every muscle in her body to move, but she budged not one inch. Her body racked with the tears that came from her eyes. Sobs of both grief and hatred erupted from her. And then a different sound was heard. A sound of metal, like footsteps.
She looked up, eyes red from the moisture that covered her cheeks, and found something she had never seen before. It was some type of demon man. He stood tall, at least nine foot in height. He donned huge fragments of a knight's armor, and in he right hand wielded an incredible mammoth blade. But the arm that held onto the sword was demonic in form. It was at least four times the size of a normal human's arm. It used only three appendages to hold onto the handle of the sword, two claw like fingers and a claw like thumb. That wasn't the worst of it though. The entire arm seemed to convulse with a separate energy then of it's owner. It pulsed madly with it's own power, and quivered as if it was beyond living, and yet beyond death.
She looked up more to the head and found it covered with the same black armor as the rest of it's body, save for that massive arm, no armor could hold that demonic thing in. She stared into the slit that allowed the wearer to see through and found two invincible red eyes that seemed to beam right into her eyes and graft it's image into her brain.
And even though she wanted to lash out with all her energy to kill this thing of the night, she couldn't. Something was holding her back. And it was her fatal error to not attack. The creature lifted up his weapon straight up, pointing to the heavens. And then as if to mock her, used the other 'human' arm to grab it's helmet and slowly take it off, revealing to her her soon-to-be executioner.
Once the girl saw the face, nothing came. She felt her entire being shrink into a near nothingness as she put the pieces together.
Then as the demon brought the blade down at her, only a single word escaped, "Vulger."
But with the end of the swing came the end of her dream. She wiped her head up, finding herself in a completely different environment. She looked around trying to find herself and where she was then realized the answer. But just to make sure, she went through a quick mental checklist.
Her name was Lucia and she was a Demon Hunter. She was located inside the club known as "The Devil's Angel." She came here with another demon half breed known as Dante, the acclaimed "Son of Sparda", supposedly the man she was after but he managed to somewhat delay her sentence upon him. He seemed very adamant in declaring that he had not done the things she knew about, so far to the point that he blames that it was someone else that looks exactly like him. But aside from that, he revealed no further information which Left Lucia very suspicious.
Lucia turned around on the barstool she rested on, trying to locate Dante but only found the horde of humans and demons dancing on the dance floor. She found this environment to be atrocious. It was filled with demons and their worshipers. It had the most barbaric sounds blaring from enormous structures that Dante called "speakers." It was also filled with the most unnerving sensation that seemed to crawl under her skin like a plague. And last but not least noticeable was this incredibly potent odor that seemed to permeate into her very being. It stank of a mixture of human waste products, their sweat, filthy demons, a variant order of drugs and supplements, and powerful wave of alcoholics breathing hard. Anymore of this and she wouldn't make it off the barstool, let along out of the bar.
Lucia slid off the stool and briskly walked to where Dante said he would be tried of the waiting. She could sense all of the disgusting demons and disillusioned humans of all varieties giving her lust filled looks and whispers of want and sex. It was nearly enough to make her gag. She hurried in her search and found Dante sitting cross-legged between two heavily "endowed" women, talking as if there was no tomorrow.
It angered Lucia that Dante was only sleazing about with those types of women when he had a job to do. To the point that Lucia now found herself in front of them with her hands on the handles of her two new scimitars that rested on her hips.
"What in the hell do you think you are doing?" It wasn't the nicest way to ask, but right now Lucia did not have the luxury to be nice.
Dante and his two "friends" turned to her and all she got were one oh shit look and two real dirty looks. Lucia gladly returned the sneers back to their origins and then glared at Dante.
Dante sighed while shaking his head and said to the ladies that rested under his arms, "Well, I think I'll have to cut our time short ladies."
The two of them immediately started protesting but Dante quelled them with a simple reassurance, "Ladies, ladies. I'll get back to you once I finish my business. Then we can talk the night away."
The two ladies each gave him a quick peck on the cheek as he stood up and walked past Lucia, soon on his heels. But as they left, she could have swore she heard one of the sleazy woman called her a tramp.
Dante let out a sigh of annoyance and turned to Lucia as they trotted past some of the more drunken dancers.
"You know, it usually takes me more time then that to get my business done."
Lucia nearly had a conniption. "What on this Earth are you talking about? You were not doing what needs to be done. In fact it seems to me that you merely delaying the inevitable."
"I get that comment a lot." Dante joked.
Lucia gave him such a look that Dante wanted out suddenly. Dante then decided to tell her a little secret, seeing as how earlier he got the fact that she didn't get out often. At least for anything other then demon hunting. He ran his left hand through his silver white hair and used his right to dive into his trench coat pocket and pull out a vial of purple liquid.
"See this?" He rose the small vial up to her face and then said, "This is what I was after. Those two chicks have this stuff on them all the time. It just so happens that it is a very powerful-"
"Drug." Lucia stated in his sentence.
Dante nodded his head and said, "Exactly. This is called Nirvana. It's an incredibly puissant hallucinogenic to humans but even more potent to Demons."
Lucia tilted her head to the side showing an indication that she was not getting this.
Dante finished his little lesson with, "The guy we need right now is an informer. The reason for that is because the only way we can get a start is with information. The informer is a heavy drug addict. Trust me, I know."
Lucia got that "oh" look on her face as she figured out the rest of it, "So we give him this drug as collateral for the information required to start our search."
"Exacttamundo. " He said as he stopped in front of small table that had five demons around the table playing cards. Dante waited patiently for about three seconds before kicking the table to the person that happen to sit on the opposite end. The other four demons suddenly jumped up pissed like hell that their card game was interrupted then realized who they were looking at.
Dante got the biggest grin on his face and said, "Now Biggum, remember last time you tried to get all pissy with me?"
The bigger demon, Biggum, was your average sized Goatling demon who unfortunately for him had the displeasure of trying to fight Dante once. He had quickly learned the hard way that Dante wasn't the best person to piss off.
"Fuck off Dante, I didn't do shit this time." Biggum growled hoarsely.
Dante's grin only got bigger as he said, "And unless you want me to do something, I suggest you leave me with Crock." Dante hinted to the demon he was pinning.
Biggum finally got the idea and snapped at the other three demons, "Let's go! Crock's in the shit today. Let him paddle out his own fucking self."
The other demons got the idea too as they quickly moved out, knowing that Dante's wrath was not something to mess with. Though one of them tried to get a little too close to Lucia. Just as she was about to whip around and cleave his head off, Dante grabbed her arm roughly.
"We do not need trouble today. They don't know you so they will come after you." Dante warned never turning to her.
Lucia calmly pulled her arm free from his powerful grip and stated, "A fight is what I require to calm my nerves."
Dante smiled and then let go of the table.
The table moved only a few inches but it was enough for Crock, the serpent looking demon, to get some seriously needed air. Dante then grabbed one of the overturned chairs flipped it around and placed it backwards as he sat in it. He lent forward on the back of the chair and exclaimed, "Wassup Crock."
Crock hissed violently at Dante and spoke with a special hiss, "Dante, what isssss it you want? I thought you had no more usssse for my sssservicessssss lasssst time!"
Dante just stared at the snake looking demon for a minute before saying, "You know what? I just realized how much I hate that thing you do whenever you say a word with an s."
"Then go away if you hate it ssssssso much!" Crock shot back. "I can't sssstand the mere thought of you, half-breed-"
Dante reached into his pocket and placed the purple vial on the table.
Crock all of a sudden just shut up and stared hard at the bottle hissing wildly. He didn't have much for sight, but he could taste the aura of that drug and it tasted wondrous.
Dante put one finger on the top of the vial and started tipping it back and forth slowly. Then finally seeing as Crock was about to jump out of his pants, or skin, or whatever the hell he was wearing, he asked, "Wonder who I can give this too? It's worth a lot."
Crock quickly got the idea and lend back, "What do you want thisssssss time?"
"Information." Dante stated. "And it's not your regular stuff either."
"Tell me." Crock stated professionally.
As Dante started with how he met Lucia, Lucia in turn was very impressed at how Dante was handling this. Which lead to a handful of things. The worst case scenario, and she had to see it from that view first was that Dante was trying very hard to convince her that he didn't do it only in an attempt to lie about it. A very elaborate lie but a lie nonetheless. So she had to keep her guard up.
The second possibility and it came truer with each passing moment was that the person that was stating he was the Son of Sparda was indeed someone related to Dante considering what he had said earlier about there being two Sons of Sparda, a brother most likely. But then that lead to two things in itself. Either the fact that someone out there is calling themselves a Son of Sparda is damaging on his pride…….or this true Son of Sparda did something and it wasn't something to let slide.
"And that's why we're here." Dante finished as Lucia returned to the conversation.
Crock looked at him wide eyed and asked curious, " Ssssssshe threw all three bladesssssss at you?"
"Yup." Dante admitted.
"And hit you in the crotch?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes damnit." Dante admitted grudgedly, snapping a glance at Lucia.
Lucia though had no qualms about that.
"And sssssshe tried to blow you and half the neighborhood up?"
"Yes." Dante admitted flatly, tired at where this was going.
Crock looked at him wide eyed and said, "You crazzzzzzy. Aren't you worried that they might not work at their peak anymore? You know, might get a mark or ssssssomething?"
Dante got that oh crap look on his face as he looked down at his crotch, also making mental note to check on his jewels later on. A man has got to have his priorities in check and in good condition too.
"Well Crock, I'll worry about that later." Dante reassured himself he would, then stated brightly, "But it shouldn't matter to you. You're close to getting this vial."
Crock smiled gleefully, (As gleefully as a snake could smile. Never seen that before.) and asked, "What do you need bucko?"
"Info of course. But not just anything either." Dante got real quiet suddenly and asked worried on what the answer might be, "It just so happens that I've been hearing that someone using my name has been going around killing people. What do you have to say about that?"
Crock mused for a moment but came up empty, "Sorry Dante, haven't heard much about that. Then again, it'sssssss been hard to asssssssort all the information that has been running rampant sssssince Hell broke loossssssse."
Dante eyebrows perked up in interest and he asked, "What do you mean? You mean that literally?"
"Actually yeah." Crock started top stare hard at the vial, "You know that Nirvana issssss looking better all the time."
Dante thought about it for a moment and then decided go ahead and give it to him. Crock was trustworthy, as trustworthy as a humanoid rat-eating snake could get. And speaking of which, as Dante gave Crock the vial, Crock pulled out a rat. Dante looked at him questioning and watched as Crock filled the rat up with the drug. That much drug though killed the rat, and just as Crock was about to eat it, lo and behold, Lucia intervened.
"One moment!" She ordered.
Crock stopped as he was about to drop the rat into his gaping jaws and looked at her impatiently. "What?"
"I'm afraid if you take that drug before we get our information, you might be too gone to give us anything." Lucia explained placing her hands on the handles of her scimitars.
Crock rose one brow up in question and asked, "Are you trying to threaten me?"
Lucia grabbed the handle to one of her scimitars and said in a threatening manner, "I'm merely saying that one way or another we will get our information."
Dante, just sitting down watching the two get heated, decided to have a drink and plucked a unused drink that someone had while passing by. They were too drunk to notice that he took it.
Crock though started to get violent as he placed the dead rat on the table, "Look here pretty girl, Dante, I'm afraid of, you are nothing but a pussssshover and I'll ssssslit your throat and happily drink the lusssssscious blood that pourssss from it."
Dante suddenly broke in a smile and looked at Lucia and saw that Lucia was not happy to receive that comment.
In a low menacing voice, she said, "Watch what you say vile demon wretch. I can easily and most happily dispatch of you and all of your fellow brethren."
Dante turned back to Crock and watched him hissed wildly.
"How dare you, you impudent human! Do you have anything to back your increduloussssss claim?!"
Dante was about to turn to Lucia when he realized where this was going to go. He was about to say to Lucia to, 'don't start anything but it was too late.'
"You stupid demon, I am a member of the powerful Diablos clan! I can easily tear you to shreds." She announced proudly.
And just as she finished her sentence the entire bar got quiet. The music stopped, the members stopped dancing and those that were doing sexual things halted their little games.
Dante slapped his hand on his forehead, annoyed that this was going to turn into another fight. Though he didn't admit it, nor wouldn't admit it, he was still a little sore from the fight with Lucia. And even though he was strong, he would end up having problems trying to fight an entire club of demons. But it seemed Lucia had other ideas.
She unsheathed both her scimitars and flipped them both three times before holding them with the blade pointing at the floor. With a near excited voice she sneered at Crock and said, "I hope you are not trying to fight me."
Crock hissed at her again and yelled out, "Kill her!! Kill the Diablo!"
Dante groaned aloud and started to get up ready to toss the sweet elixir in his hand when Lucia shoved him back in his seat. Dante snapped his hand back up and was about to protest when Lucia whispered harshly, "I do not need your help Son of Sparda."
The way she said Son of Sparda made Dante visible angry but he only said, "Fine," and sat back down. He rose the drink up to his lips but Lucia then took that away.
"What the hell?!" Dante yelled but watched as Lucia poured the strong drink in her mouth and then spit it back out against her blades. Then after letting all of the hot drink out, she snapped the two blades together which caused them to burst into flaming swords.
Everyone, including Dante, jumped back surprised by this little light show. Lucia though was ready for a fight. And go figure the DJ decided to start playing some music just as she charged the group of demons now reluctant to fight her.
Dante, watching eagerly, noticed the ironic music playing in the background, "Last Resort, huh? Hats off to Papa Roach."
Lucia flipped forward into the middle of the group and spun around with flaming swords nailing at least three demons, decapitating them all. Another demon, using the flames as cover, came from behind her and hooked his arms under her trying to pin her. Lucia though pushed her arms down just enough to flip the flaming swords around and stab her attacker in the ribcage. The demon howled as the hot scimitars sliced into his chest and he quickly let go in an effort to back off.
Lucia though noticed two other demons rushing to the aid of their fellow demon so she quickly formulated a plan. She yanked out her two, now extinguished blades, and with her momentum lunged forth with a cross-arm slash, decapitating the two demons. Next in a calculated move, she charged forward and sidestepped two more demons, slicing them at the lower hip, severing their legs. Then for the finale, she ended it with a quick leap onto the shoulders of an unexpecting demon and drove both her scimitars into his neck cavity. With a quick twist she relinquished his body of it's head and then she flipped off, letting the headless body crash to the ground.
Dante, while apparently impressed with battle, was still mad that she took his drink. He looked around for another one and was startled when a human came out of nowhere with a drink in his hand. By the time Dante noticed him and figured out who he was, while accepting the drink, Lucia had restarted her extermination of the rest of the fleeing demons.
"Might I ask what you are doing in here?" Dante asked the neatly dressed newcomer.
"It's my story. I can be in here anytime I want." The newcomer stated proudly.
Dante sighed as he took a quick sip of his beverage and snapped, "Damnit David, you need to stop doing this. You aren't supposed to be in here. It throws off the plot."
"Oh shut up Dante." David snapped back, "It's my story, I can do whatever I damn well want to."
Dante gave him a funny look then simply said, "Then get ready for your future flames buddy."
"If I get flamed, then I get flamed." David said while magically creating another drink. "I accept both the bad and the good."
Dante rolled his eyes in annoyance and watched gleefully as Lucia tossed another body across the room. Suddenly, Dante shook his head and glared at David.
David though was smiling through the drinking of his Captain Morgan bottle.
"Since when the hell do I do anything 'gleefully?!'" Dante exploded.
David nearly upchucked his drink as he thrashed out laughing.
"You know……" Dante started.
David stopped laughing and gave him an agitated look as he sipped more of his drink.
"Yeah. Exactly. Since you are writing this story, the almighty MasterAlucard, you know exactly what I'm about to say."
David continued to give that annoyed look then stated, "Beware of what you say Dante. I control your fate."
"Actually," Dante started to explain, "Capcom controls my fate."
"I control you in the damn story!" David yelled as another body flew pass them crashing into a nearby table.
"Maybe but as I was saying, I think you put too much battling in this story." Dante said will trying to sip at his drink but found it missing.
"What do you mean?" David asked worried.
"Make me another drink and I'll explain."
David pointed at Dante's hand and a glass appear in his hand.
"Thank you." Dante took a quick sip of his newly created drink and suddenly spits it back out. "God, this tastes like…….." Dante turned to David who was on the ground in a fit of laughter.
Dante threw the drink at David but missed completely. Dante was shocked that he missed at that range but then realized, he couldn't hurt the author of the story, in his own story.
David finally calmed down from the ecstasy of laughter and sat back in his seat, "Sorry man, I just had to do that."
"As I was trying to say before I drank piss-"
"Dog piss!" David interrupted.
"What!" Dante exclaimed, "Dog piss!?!" He started looking around for another drink that he prayed wasn't contaminated by the other demons or David. He found one and started drinking but quickly stopped as he sensed the familiar taste that just left his mouth only moments ago. He spewed the foul substance from his mouth and turned to David, eyes filled with rage. David though was on the ground again nearly in tears.
"God man, just give me some damn water!" Dante yelled furious.
David pointed to his hand again, though still on the ground bursting with laughter, and created him another drink.
Dante grabbed the drink hesitantly and was about to take a test sip.
"Dog piss!" David yelled suddenly causing Dante to flip out and launch the drink across the room which coincidently nailed a demon trying to strike Lucia from behind .
"Dude, I was just kidding!" David explained through fits of laughter.
Dante though was now more pissed then ever, "Why may I ask do you help Lucia and only torture me!?"
David hummed to himself for a moment then said, "Simple. She has tits, you don't. Can't get more simpler then that."
"Sexist." Dante spat.
"No. I'm a man. There is a subtle difference." David said, finally through laughing.
Dante though was tired of this, "I guess you don't want to know what's wrong then."
David suddenly got quiet and then mumbled a few profane words while waving for him to continue.
"Thank you. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted-"
"More like just drank some bad liquor." David squeezed in.
"……..Whatever." Dante snapped as he watched two bodies bounce off each other in mid-air. Then with a quick sigh, he shouted, "You put way too many battles into your story!"
David got that agitated look again and Dante decided, though he was innately sacred of David, he knew what he could do. That in itself was enough to make anybody cower.
So now he choose to hurry up, "You've had a battle in every chapter so far."
"But I've only had four chapters. Besides, how do you know about the other chapters? You've read them?" David asked suspiciously.
"No. I just know this things, I have a little friend who tells me things." Dante admitted.
"Right……." David was no longer sure about this man's sanity.
"Anyway, you're placing too much emphasis on the battles."
"Not really. I have plot in too." David defended.
"Yeah, a little. But too many battles too quickly." Dante attacked.
"But!" David stated holding up his index finger at Dante, "The next two chapters aren't going to have battles."
Dante sighed exasperated, "Now you've ruined it for the readers."
"………" David looked away for a moment then turned back saying, "You know what you can do Dante?"
"What?" Dante asked unafraid.
David merely smiled as only a second later a demon body came out of no where and nailed Dante, flipping him over the chair he sat in. "That's why I screwed up your doors. Ass." David retorted angrily then stood up and left.
As David left, Lucia came back to where Crock was, eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets due to the extravaganza that Lucia just had. And even though she didn't show it, damn she felt good. She had all that pent up since before the fight with Dante even though she got rid of some then she gained a ton after her little battle with him. Now, it was time for her just reward. But where was Dante?
Dante, who was laying on the ground in such an awkward angle that he knew he was going to feel it in the morning, and with a heavy weighted body on him, was now beyond all hope of calming down. He had just found the perpetrator who was making his little time with his doors such a hard time. He shut his eyes and started counting with some hope that he could calm himself down but his blood was boiling and his mind only saw destruction of anyone unfortunate to cross his path now. So he got rid of the frustration and anger on the closest person next to him who didn't have the capability to fight back.
Dante grabbed the dead weight on him and launched it to the side. Then in one fluid motion, he flipped up, lashed out at the chair shattering it into pieces, then stood up, grabbed the edge of the table, lifted it high into the air and flung it to the bar, wiping out most of the drinks and nearly nailing the bartender who was still there surprisingly.
Dante, seething with anger beyond anger, turned to Crock who was now shit-out-of-luck and looked that way too, walked up to him and quite forcefully grabbed him by the collar of his "I love Satan" T-shirt and slammed him into the wall hard enough to the point of making quite a large depression in it.
"Ummmm, Dante?" Lucia quipped unsure of why Dante was acting this way.
But all Dante did was turn back to Lucia with his dark menacing glare and she felt very small, very quick. In a effort to save them both from any more trouble, she choose to stifle it.
Dante turned back to Crock, who at this point was trying to turn the situation he had gotten himself into, a bit better. "Wow Dante." He hissed through gasps of air, "From the way you look now, I'd ssssssay you were the one who kick everyone'sssss assssss."
Dante face contorted back to furious anger and he unconsciously smashed Crock into the wall again.
"Ow the pain." Crock hissed trying to writhe out of Dante's fierce grip.
"Information now. Or we take a trip down memory lane together and revisit 'Baby.'" Dante said with his trademark smirk.
Crock suddenly got the message after vividly recalling the horrible events that let to the Baby scenario. It was a nightmare too horrid and vile for words. But his mind did linger for a moment too long for him to start yelling out in a desperate fervor, "It wasssss everywhere! The damn thing jusssssst exploded on me!"
"Whatever." Was Dante's uncaring remark.
"I didn't think a child of the humansssss, esssssspecially ssssssome five pound baby had ssssso much crap jammed up it'ssssss-"
"That disgusting." Lucia quietly said after understanding what they were talking about.
"You're damn right it isssss! No wonder you human are alwayssss in ssssuch a bad mood. You have three tonssss of sssshit sssstuck up your-"
Dante decided to shut him up now by slamming him into the wall again just a little bit harder then last time.. "So now you got my message! Now, info!" Dante suddenly dropped him back onto the chair and waited with anger readily apparent on his face.
Crock adjusted himself upright on his chair then started rubbing his smooth bumpy neck, hissing at Dante, "That hurt you know."
Dante suddenly got that, 'I'll hurt you more then that' look on his face and Crock decided to fess up. While continuing to caress his sore neck he started, "Basically the entire underworld is up and about for some reason."
Dante nodded and Lucia move closer trying to absorb every piece of useable information from this slithery creature.
Crock hissed again and said, "Ssssssomeone must have really pisssssssed off the underworld cuzzzzzz Hell is on the run and everyone is pretty much sssssscrewed."
Dante sighed impatiently, "What the hell are you talking about? I put Hell back in it's place a few months ago."
Crock shook his head, "No, you only took out Mundussssss, King of the Underworld, preferably called Limbo."
Dante got that oddball look on his face and Crock decided to explain it in layman's terms. "There are basically two parts of the Underworld. What Mundus ruled was 'the Underworld', which is just a fancy title for one castle on the surface and about 300 acres of demon territory."
"I could have sworn it felt like more then that." Dante vividly remembered some detail that was left out.
"You mean the temple of the Forsaken Ones?"
Dante cocked up an eyebrow displaying his uncertainty.
"A fancy looking room dressed up like an old but surprisingly new roman temple?" Crock asked.
"That was it!" Dante exclaimed remembering that room and the events that occur d there. The weren't the best memories, but they were memories that affected Dante in ways he never thought possible.
"Yeah, well that's only about…….2% of the entire demon world."
Dante turned quiet. All that running he did and it was only two percent of the whole thing? That's not good.
"Anyways, the rest of the demon world? That's the part that is actually called Hell. That they are pissed as hell."
Lucia decided to chime in now, "So our enemies are there?"
Dante turned to Lucia and found it interesting how she said 'our.'
"Yeah, I guessssss." Crock shrugged his shoulders. "But in that casssssse, you might want to look the other way."
"Why's that?" Lucia asked.
"Let'sssss jussssst sssssay that there issssss a force in Hell that you don't want to messsssss with. More like forcessss." As Crock spoke, he seemed to start fidgeting as if this was a bad topic.
"Explain." Lucia demanded.
Crock looked away for a second and warned, "I'm telling you, don't fuck with thesssse guysss."
Lucia only stared at him harder.
"Fine." Crock snapped, "If you want to die, go ahead. If fact….yessss pleasssse go and get yourssssself killed. I think they would be happy to kill of the lassssst Diablo, if my sssssourcesssss are right."
Lucia nearly pounced on him but Dante rose his arm up head level and said, "Don't. We need him now." Lucia calmed herself and crossed her arms patiently. His time would come.
"All right then. They're called the 12 Generals. Each one is a powerful demon with an army a hundred times bigger then Mundus's full army."
Dante's eyes got wide from that info. He remember how the minions of Mundus seemed endless. But these guys each have an army 100 fold larger? That was too much.
Crock sighed, "Yup. Not the best odds to fight against. But honestly, it's the army that is the least thing to worry about. The way they use General is different then a humans definition and yet similar. For us demons, it shows that the demon who rightfully owns that name is literally among the best and most powerful demons ever. And when I mean ever, I mean since the first demons rose in the cosmos."
For some odd reason, Dante did not like the information he was receiving. And yet……something inside him wanted to know more.
"Each of these Generals are massively powerful. They each make Mundus look like a packrat." That comment reminded him of that rat that he had earlier. Where was it?
"Hold on." Dante gave him an incredulous look and asked, "You mean to tell that Mundus was nothing to them? How powerful are you talking about?"
Lucia felt herself shaking slightly in anticipation for the answer. The more that was explained about this subject, the more she felt herself moving away from her resolve.
Crock thought about it for a moment and then came up with the perfect analogy. "Take everything that Mundussssss has in termssssss of physissssscal power, not material, and focussssss it into one punch."
"They're that powerful?" Well, that wasn't as bad as Dante thought.
"No. You didn't let me finisssssh." Crock explained with a bit of a sinister smirk to his serpent like head. "If Mundussssss hit them with that, they could block it with a ssssssingle thumb."
And thus came the moment of astonishment, fear, and that-should-not-be-possible style silence. Needles to say that it took everything that Dante had to take out Mundus, and more actually considering Trish helped him. And even if Lucia could help fight, she was somewhat weaker then Dante and Trish was only as powerful as Dante. It would be nowhere near enough. So what now?
Crock noticed the looks on their faces and only started to laugh. He loved it. The fear, the realization that they can't win this. It was wondrous to see Dante that scared. And yet……something was wrong. There was something else in his face. In the way he gazed forward with eyes that seemed to drift away. Crock turned to Lucia and could only see fear but looking back at Dante……. No……. It couldn't be…….. He wouldn't!
"Dante?" Crock called out suspiciously. "You're not going to….."
Dante on the other hand couldn't hear him. He was still thinking about how powerful these guys are. It was monstrous, it was insane, and yet it was so damn invigorating. Just the thought of demons that powerful ready and willing to duke it out with him made his skin crawl all over. He could actually feel his demon power boiling, bubbling to the surface. It seemed to swarm through every millimeter of his body focusing itself, empowering him. It was stupendous and it felt just damn good.
Dante, in a much better mood then two minutes ago, stood up and looked at the ever impressed Crock. "Where are they?" He asked.
"Don't know that one, you insssssane basssssstard." Crock couldn't believe this madman was still going to fight them. It was insane. Hell, it was pure suicide……..And the faster it happens the better. "But I do know two guysssss that can help you on that. One is a mob bosssssss named, Jack Giovanni. I think you know him."
Dante's pleasure filled grin suddenly turned sour.
"Yeah, exactly but I think sssssshe'll do." Crock pointed to Lucia who at the moment was still reeling from the shock of how powerful her adversaries were.
"And the other?"
"The other issssss called 'The Wanderer.' And that is all I know of him. He'sssssss not exactly a public guy. But Jack might know about him." Now was the time to find his rat. His business with Dante was done, hopefully.
Dante nodded solemnly finding the two new targets to be more of an annoyance then a challenge. It was these twelve generals that caught Dante's eye. The more he thought about them, the more he wanted to fight them. He stood up abruptly and turned to Lucia. Finding her in that state of shook really didn't surprise him. Not only two seconds ago he couldn't feel his legs.
He softly squeezed Lucia arm taking her out of the little empty eyed gaze and said, "If you don't want to continue then don't. The only reason I'm going is to find out the truth about that Son of Sparda rumor. If I happen to find those Generals along the way, then I'll just have me some fun."
Lucia stared at him wanting to yell at him for taking such an enormous threat so lightly but instead merely nodded. She really didn't know what to do. She had to find out the turth about this Dante, whether or not he was the one that killed her family and friends. And if he wasn't, then she had to kill the man or demon that did do it. She owed it to her comrades.
"I'm coming with you." She said with a steely voice. She felt her resolve slowly coming back from that dark pit of despair that tried to consume it just moments ago.
Dante nodded, somewhat glad that she decided to join him even with enemies like that waiting for them. She had the skills to fight so that would help. That and she was light on the eyes. That helped a lot.
Turning back to Crock, and back to his stylish self again, he said, "Well it's been real and it's been fun. But it hasn't been real fun. Hope you choke on that rat of yours." With that Dante started to leave with Lucia close behind him.
"If I can find it!!!!" Crock snapped back angrily.
Well that's the end of this one. I hope you liked it. For some reason, I felt bad about this one too, don't really understand why. I'm going to try to finish the next chapter soon. Doubt it, but I'll try. Till then peace out.
