Chapter 4: The Gunslinger Meets the Hunter Of Dark Blood
Dante stalked along the exterior wall of the abandoned building, pistols drawn. Suddenly a cry like a million high-pitched voices at once leapt through the air as a dot of light shone up as if through the ground. Dante watched as the Savage Golems and Abyss Goats climbed from it, bent on the destruction of The Hunter. Dante back against the wall and lifted his pistols. He squeezed the trigger several times in rapid succession as the bullets cut through the demons. He holstered the pistols and jumped up, kicking off the wall and launching himself into the thick group of approaching demons. A Savage Golem Brought down its fists, beating down Dante, making his attack useless. They surrounded him as he curled into a ball, getting ready to transform into a demonic form known as a Devil Trigger, or DT.
A sudden gunshot cut down an Abyss Goat. The demons looked around, confused. Four more shots rang out, every one of them cutting through a different Savage Golem. A final shot took out another 'Golem as the rest fled. Dante uncurled and stood up as a man approached him. The man loaded his revolver as he walked toward Dante. He spun the cylinder and dropped the weapon into the holster. Dante looked him over, seeing the two guns latched to him with two belts that crisscrossed his waist. The man put out his hand and said in a calmer-than-calm voice, "Hello Hunter. I am Roland of Gilead, the last Gunslinger of the Midwestern world." Dante put out his hand and shook this Roland's. "I'm Dante Sparda, the Demon Hunter."
Roland walked up to a wall and pulled out his knife. He carved a makeshift target and walked back to where Dante stood. "Let's see what you've got, Hunter."
Dante smirked and lifted Ivory, muzzle aimed at the target. He squeezed off three shots, and lowered his arm. Dante stepped away and let Roland step up to the place where Dante had stood. Roland lifted his revolver in his right hand and fired off three shots, all of them closer than Dante's to the middle of the…target. Dante's smirk faded and he holstered Ivory. "So. You got skill. What do you want?" Roland stared at Dante for a moment before saying: "You are destined for another life."
"Bullshit. I am destined for death."
"Yes, but not your own."
"How, How do you…"
"It doesn't matter."
"So, what do we do now?"
"Tell me about this place."
"Well, we are in a place called Zanarkind. It used to be a great city, but a creature called Sin decided to come and tear the shit out of it. That was about 1000 years ago. These ruins are all that remain. Fiends, demon-like entities inhabit this place, and most others. The world is still trying to get used to the fact that Sin is gone for good."
"When was it defeated?" Roland interrupted.
"About three years ago." Dante said. "Anyway, the world isn't… for lack of a better term, moving on very quickly."
"I come from a world moved on too far." Roland said with an almost sad look in his eyes.
"Yeah, well. This world is far from great. I had to make my guns myself."
Roland's eyes widened. "Amazing!" He all but yelled.
Little did they know, they where being watched by a pair of Al Bhed eyes. Rikku stood on the roof of a half destroyed building watching. The Reverend Mother's voice cooed instructions to her. She pulled out her knives that so resembled the cutlasseers that Lucia used…
While Dante and Roland palavered, they were suddenly silenced by an inhuman grunt behind them. They pulled out their guns and aimed all four of them at the creature, a demon that neither recognized. Suddenly they heard a scream that was more like a battle cry than anything else. A blurred image was seen falling from a roof as Rikku jumped down to assault the creature that she knew too well. The onyx colored skin of the Basilisk was impossibly tough, yet her blades cut through it with ease. Rikku jumped away as it slashed at her. Dante saw her, yet Lucia was what his mind saw. Roland opened fire as soon as Rikku was in the clear, yet Dante lowered his guns, seeing that Lucia was there. The creature flailed around as the twelve bullets erupted into its skin. It launched a rock at Dante hitting him and showing him that it was not Lucia. In rage Dante pulled his blade, Rebellion, off of his back and leapt forward, striking until the creature didn't even twitch. They faced each other and said nothing. Rikku looked at one, and then the other before speaking. "So, what are you two doin' here?"
