The Dark General

Saera shook her head as Syron sat up. He grabbed his head before leaning to the side. "This is pathetic," Saera said. "I can't believe you let Dorian get away."

Syron wiped blood from his nose. "It wasn't completely my fault. Someone came in and took him."

"Who could have found the fortress? Not even Koromos is aware of our location."

"Selik must have told. It's the only explanation." Syron pressed his back against the wall as he forced himself to stand.

"It doesn't matter," Saera dismissed him. "We can go on without him. We have what we need. What did the intruder look like?"

Syron shook his head as his brain continued to heal. "He was tall, dressed all in black. White hair. He bore some resemblance to Dorian and his mother."

Saera sat up straight as a thought passed through her mind. "Did he give a name?"

"No, but I have a feeling he didn't have to."

"Perhaps not, but that is not important right now. It's time to head for the heart of our target."

"And what about my brother?"

"There is one thing he can do to redeem himself, even against his will." Saera removed a bracelet. She exposed a sharp piece of metal and sliced her wrist with it. Black blood oozed down into her palm. She cupped it until it solidified into a shiny black rock. "Give this to him before he decides to run for his life."

(X)

The First Goddess sat on the head of the statue of the First God. The Fourth God was sitting on the shoulder and watching the horizon beyond the city. Below, hundreds of people had gathered to give offerings and thanks for their prince's safe return. The religious significance of the moment was used by the spiritually advanced to become possessed and mutilate and tattoo themselves, all in the name of devotion. Neither God was paying attention to them, though Dorian would occasionally wave a water balloon over their heads. He was waiting for the perfect moment to let it go. He had no idea that Dante was watching him from a rooftop across the street.

A warm breeze brushed against Lilith's face. She sensed something intrusive in the air. She continued ignoring the people below long enough to stand and look as far ahead as possible. She saw something in the distance she originally thought was some sort of bird. She glimpsed at her father across the street for a consensus before making a move. She heard the metallic whistling as he flew towards the approaching creature. Dorian didn't have time to recover from the sudden assault on his ears before Lilith transformed and followed suit. The brush of air from her initial flap startled Dorian enough that he dropped the water balloon. He leaned over to find the unfortunate person it fell on.

On the edge of the urb, Lilith stopped in midair. She instantly recognized the demon coming her way. He reverted to human form and dropped to the building beneath him. She pointed Marduk at him before landing in front of him. He fell to one knee with his head down as if in submission.

"What are you doing here?" Lilith demanded in her demon enhanced voice.

He did not answer right away. Dante slowly lowered to his daughter's side in human form. "Who are you?" he asked the stranger.

The man raised his head slightly. "He has no business here," Lilith said. "He knows his life is in danger here."

"Why is that?"

"I need your help," the man finally said. "My mother and brother have turned against me, and they're coming this way."

"Your mother and brother?" Dante asked.

"This is Selik," Lilith explained as she pulled back Marduk's hammer with her thumb. "This is the one who betrayed me and kidnapped Dorian. He's Koromos's half-brother."

"Ah," Dante huffed as he forced Lilith to lower her gun. "Stand up and tell me what the hell you're doing here."

Selik took his time in standing. "My mother Saera has ordered my execution, so I fled here. I helped Dorian survive while he was in our custody."

There was a second of silence before Lilith shot Selik in his leg. He dropped to the ground and choked back a scream. "Take him in for interrogation. He's lying."

"Excuse me?" Dante asked. "I must have been away too long."

"What do you mean?" Lilith asked with thinly veiled hostility. "Don't try to pull rank on me, as if you could."

"I can, and I have. I'm your father first, a former emperor second, and a god third. We're going to talk to him like civilized people."

Lilith sighed and stepped to the edge of the roof. "Where's the fun in that?"

(X)

"You must be out of your damn mind," Koromos commented dryly. "There is no way he'll tell you what you need to know. He's my own half-brother, and even I don't trust him." Koromos watched as Lucia tied Selik's arms behind his back as he sat in a plain wooden chair. She paused long enough to grab a hammer and some nails. Selik bit his tongue as Lucia nailed his fingers to the back of the chair. "That's enough, Lucia. I got it from here."

Lucia twisted the ropes once before standing to leave. Lilith waved a hand at her as Lucia passed her on the way out. Koromos waited until the door closed before speaking. "I seriously hope you cooperate," he told Selik. "It will hurt more if you don't."

"Stop trying to be nice," Lilith demanded. "I want to know what the hell he wanted with Dorian." She glared at Selik, who refused to meet her gaze. "What did you do to my son?"

Selik remained silent. With a devious grin, Koromos walked to a table behind Selik. Selik tilted his head as he listened to Koromos rummage through plastic and metal. Koromos returned with an electric drill. "This is the only time I'll be nice," Koromos warned. "If you don't speak by the count of five, I'll make sure you never walk again."

Selik looked up defiantly. "I'd rather speak with your lovely wife over there." Before anyone could appreciate the comment, Koromos drove the drill into Selik's left knee and held down the trigger. Lilith cringed at the sound of metal boring into bone. Selik bit through his tongue again. Blood spilled out of his mouth as he fought the urge to scream. Koromos released the trigger.

"Okay," Koromos encouraged, "are you ready to speak now?" Selik did not speak. "That's sad," Koromos said. "You seemed eager when you first showed up."

Selik held his head up. "Food. Your son was intended as food."

"For what? Are you trying to resurrect something?"

"You know about that?" Lilith asked.

"It wouldn't be the first time." Koromos tapped the drill against Selik's temple. "What happened? Who is it, and what does Saera intend to do with him?"

"All she needed was blood. She's done summoning its spirit. She just needs a vessel for it."

"You were going to use Dorian, weren't you?"

Selik twitched and looked away. Koromos pressed the drill against Selik's temple. His finger jerked against the trigger. "Don't play around. Just make this as painless as possible."

"Wait!" Lilith placed a hand against Koromos's shoulder and pushed him aside. She took his place in front of Selik. Koromos continued holding the drill against Selik's head. "With your mother having had children, why is she still alive? And what does she want with Dorian? What is it about him that she needed him, as opposed to any other demon?"

Selik stared at her. "My brother and I never had a naming ceremony. Unlike Koromos's mother, the First Wife, our mother was a simple concubine. She was denied the honor." Selik leaned as far towards her as his restraints would allow. "Actually, she wanted to use you. Your son was just the next best thing."

"Why me?"

"Why not? If you want to pull off a coup, you go for the head, of course. This time, she settled for the shoulders."

"He's not my shoulders," Lilith commented pensively. "I am his."

"Spoken like a true mother."

"Enough of this," Koromos said while pressing the drill further against Selik's skin. "Just tell us what you want before I kill you."

Selik stared straight into Lilith's eyes. She didn't realize she was cringing. A thick mercury silver liquid began to ooze from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Lilith moved to back away as long buried images of Vergil flashed through her mind. Before Koromos could press the trigger, the dark silver ooze launched itself and hit her square in the face. Koromos kicked the chair over and sat astride Selik's chest. He quickly plunged the drill into Selik's eye and hit the trigger. More silver ooze spirted into the air. To Koromos, it took forever for Selik to stop writhing and screaming. The slime bubbled as the last of it slithered out of his body. It wasn't until Koromos heard Lilith moaning on the floor that he remembered her at all.

Koromos tossed the drill aside as he stood. He stared at Selik's body a little longer before dropping to Lilith's side. She struggled with a muffled voice as the slime tried to force itself into her nose and mouth. Her whole face was covered with it. He tried to scoop it up, but it seemed the more he took off, the more it multiplied. He flung it away in every direction as quickly as he could, but there seemed to be more than he could handle. Lilith began convulsing as she felt it slip into her lungs.

Lilith could no longer see. She felt Koromos push against her as he stood. She heard his footsteps recede down the corridor and up some stairs. She arched her back and screamed as she felt something bore into her spine.

(X)

Dante slowed down as he approached the door. He kicked it aside and came to a complete stop as he stared ahead in silent shock. Lilith was floating upright. A large black and silver mass of fluid spider legs protruded from her spine. The tips were attached to the ceiling, walls, and floor as they suspended her. Ooze clung to her face and neck in artificial spider leg tattoos. It was Dante's turn to cringe; he knew what he was looking at.

"Xasho," he muttered. "You're what they've wanted all along."

Lilith spread her arms as if to invite him into a deadly embrace. Without hesitation, Dante whipped out Ebony and Ivory. Before he could get off a single shot, the silver-black ooze encased itself around Lilith and pulled her up. They both melted into the ceiling. Dante silently cursed as he backed out of the room.

(X)

"What is Xasho?" Dorian asked as he rested his head against his folded arms. He leaned against the coffee table and watched his grandfather stuff another Jolly Rancher into his mouth.

"The Dark General," Koromos answered. "The Eater of Souls."

Sharice looked at Dante. "The Eclipse of Hope. The Bride of Annihilation."

Everyone, except Dante, showed surprise that she knew anything about it. Dante felt his left eye twitch. "Xasho was the real menace when Vergil and I were at war down there. She would eat everyone, body and soul, who died on the battle field, friend or foe, which made her stronger. The black ooze was her essence, and if it infected someone, that person would morph into any kind of creature she or Mundus could think of. The only way to dispatch her was to rip open her heart, and even then it didn't kill her. Her essence was preserved, as was the slime it created. It's the same slime that was used on my brother."

"What did she look like?" Dorian asked.

"All right," Koromos said with an edge of concern. "Your sense of curiosity is getting the better of you."

"It's all right," Dante said. "She was a shapeshifter. Most of the time she appeared human, but in battle, she appeared however she pleased. Her natural form was so horrifying, any human who laid eyes on her would either go insane or drop dead from fright. She was Mundus's favorite pet."

"Yummy," Sharice said. "What will you do to get it out of Lilith, especially since she's pregnant?"

"I'll kill her if I have to," Dante said without flinching. Dorian gasped as he lifted his head. Dante deliberately ignored his gaze.

"No, you're not," Koromos threatened. "My child is growing in there."

Dante leaned forward slightly. "I won't let it be born with that poison flowing in its blood. I just said I was willing to kill my own daughter if I had to. It's not something I'm new at."

"Before either of you come to blows," Sharice interrupted, "you have to find her. Who knows what she could be doing out there?"

"So what will you do?" Koromos dared. "I can only hope you make the right decision. I leave her destiny to you."

"Will you?" Dante dared to glance at Dorian before standing. "I'm going to the Mishra Tower. That was the last place she went for the last time we dealt with her." No one said a word as he walked out of the manor.

"Will he kill my mom?" Dorian asked Sharice in a shaky voice.

She turned away before answering. She felt Dorian lay his head against her leg. "Not if he can help it."

(X)

Dante kept his head down as he approached the Mishra Tower by foot. The streets were littered with bodies of the dead. Their faces were frozen in exaggerated expressions of terror. A few people crawled through the streets in insane rages. They tore at their own eyes, hair, and skin as if trying to erase the memory of what they had seen. Dante closed his eyes as he mentally prepared himself to look at Xasho for the first time in almost 300 years. As if in answer to a silent prayer, a legacy of blood leaked from his eyes. With Sparda's Sorrow, he would have an extra defense against what he was about to see.

Dante slowly held his head back to get a good look at what was hanging from the top of the tower. Xasho was suspended there in all her natural glory. Dante defiantly watched her transform out of her horrid natural form into a human one. He watched Lilith slide down the tower. When she reached the ground, the silver-black ooze retreated into her spine. She met him halfway.

"Do you want something?" Lilith managed in an innocent voice.

"You know what I want, Xasho."

Lilith raised her arms and turn her palms up. "You can't have it." As soon as she finished speaking, a large mass of clear crystal burst from the ground around the tower. The crystal literally crawled up the walls until it closed up at the top. It glittered like ice and felt just as hostile. Lilith sighed and spread her arms. An invisible force threw her up and back against the crystal.

"If you want it that badly," Dante clearly heard Xasho say in his mind, "then come tomorrow at sunset, and let me kill you then. Until then, this area, and your daughter, are off limits."

"If I want them now?"

"Then she, and her little passenger, will die now, without question." The spider legs pulled themselves from her spine and carried her towards the top of the crystal covered tower. "Tomorrow at sunset!" she called. "Come any other time, and you automatically lose!"