Finally! Last chapter in the frickin temple! I feel like we've been here too long…
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Chapter 8: A New Ally
As Dante blinked groggily, he tried to remember how he had gone from finding a semi-dead devil in his apartment to sitting in an Egyptian temple. And what the HELL was wrong with his leg. He had enough wits to whip out Ebony with one hand and spin around, clutching the Staff as support. A lot of good it was doing him, especially after all the work he'd gone through to get it.
Turning, however, he found the room empty. He glanced back at the wall behind him. No shadow anymore, either. He didn't like it, but he also had no doubt the shadow would reveal itself in due time. His ears picked up a faint flapping noise somewhere in the room for a second. Or perhaps it would reveal itself sooner than he thought.
He holstered the Staff on his back with Force Edge, so that he could have both hands free for his guns. He trudged across the chamber's sand floor, gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg. Damn that thing hurt! He was not in the best of shape to take on some big ass monster right now. Another flap in the chamber and Dante caught a glimpse of the dragon like shadow again, this time in flight against the walls. The torches and acoustics of the room didn't help him at all. The thing could be anywhere, any size…
His leg gave out without warning and he dropped to one knee with a curse. And in that moment, a winged creature landed in the sand not four feet before him. A very small, two foot long, neon purple dragon to be exact. Dante stared at it, wondering if he was hallucinating.
"You're Sparda's son?" the thing asked critically, which made Dante even more certain he must be hallucinating. "I guess you'd have to be with that Staff, but still…"
Dante pointed Ebony at its head from near point blank range. "You're a devil? You'd have to be with that face, but neon purple really isn't going for your scare factor right now, Shorty."
"I'm not someone who likes guns pointed at his head, Mr. Badass Comments," it said sourly. "Now put that damn thing away before you shoot yourself in the foot, and start paying attention to your wound instead."
Dante grunted. "No offense buddy, but I'm not used to taking advice from purple dragons. I am, however, used to pointing guns at their heads." Well, not really, but he'd fought things close enough to dragons.
The dragon flapped off a couple of feet. "Fine, fine, rot down here for all I care. Sheesh. The wound is poisonous though, you know. Comes on the beams. It's meant to stun humans and kill devils, though it can't seem to decide what to do with you. I should know, I helped set the damn things up."
Dante blinked. "You helped…who the hell are you?"
"Name's Catullus, Guardian of the Staff. Now if you want to live," he said flying around behind Dante and pulling the Staff from it's hold, "hold this and try not to think to hard. This might feel a little funny." As Dante grabbed the Staff Catullus thrust at him, Catullus suddenly shot a mouthful of fire down its length. Dante felt his muscles contract involuntarily as fire tapped his blood. He recognized the quickening feel of Devil Triggering, though not one he had ever felt before. Through a red haze he thought he saw bone rip from his wrist, curving back and upwards like twin scythes, and he felt wings rip from his back and flare behind him as the sand around him glowed with demonic symbols. Suddenly everything seemed to 'slosh' back into him, wings and all, like they had never been. Except the pain in his leg was gone now too.
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The figure on the throne opened his eyes in response to some unseen force. It smiled into the darkness. "It would appear he has managed not only to obtain the Staff but use it as well…probably that twit Catullus's doing." He made a gesture with his hand and two dark red devil panthers emerged from the darkness to stand by him. He stroked the head of one and it gave a rumbling purr. "Ready for another try at the hunt, little ones?"
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"You alright there?" Catullus asked, cocking head at him in interest. "I have to say, you're a pretty scary looking guy at times."
Dante got to his feet and glared at the lizard. "I'm fine, though I still don't know who you are or why I shouldn't blow you into the sand." Dante was about to continue when his devil senses picked up a swirl of negative energy. Back at the area of the altar, the air shimmered and ripped into a vortex from which emerged two of the same type of devil panthers he had fought at Sarah's.
"Talk later," Catullus said baring vicious, if small, fangs at the panthers.
[since the didn't work well for mind speaking in Chapter 2, I'm going to try ** now…]
The panthers lashed their antennae through the air making whip sounds as they pawed the sand. *This time you die, halfling,* one of them mind spoke with a hiss. Dante guessed it was the one that had escaped from the last fight, though they all looked pretty much the same to him.
"Heh," he said slinging the Staff onto his back, "don't count on it. Didn't anyone ever tell you history tends to repeat itself?" As they rushed forward with a roar, Dante yanked out Force Edge and flung it boomerang-style at them, knocking them onto their backs before sticking itself into the wall. While they were still recovering, he pulled out Ebony and Ivory and began to pound bullets into them while walking closer and closer. They yowled in pain and spasmed under the bullet barrage, but one lashed out in anger and managed to wrap an antenna around Dante's ankle and trip him. Dante landed on his back with a thud and kept shooting at the thing for moment until a second antenna knocked his guns away. Dante was about to pull out the Staff, even though he had no idea what good it would do him, when Catullus swept in and flamed the panther in the face. It shrieked and let go of Dante in order to swat and Catullus, who zigzagged yet out of the panther's reach. Dante got up and flipped over the pair of devils, one of which was had gotten to its feet, and snatched up Force Edge from its place in the wall. "Come on!" he challenged it, bringing the sword edge up to his face so that his eyes danced like blue flames on either side.
The panther crouched, but growled in frustration. *Come!* it yelled to its companion still flailing at the agile flying Catullus. The other halted it's movements. *But the master--* it began to protest. *The master can wait,* snapped the other. *This information is enough.*
Dante, realizing the panthers were about to disappear again, took a plunge at one, hoping to pin it and get some answers from it, but the two darted back into the shadows and his sword pierced only the air. "Tsk," he said, and proceeded to gather up Ebony and Ivory.
"Tsk yourself there buddy. Just be glad I was there to help," Catullus sang out. "You're going to be a difficult to protect I tell. I swear it must run in the family."
Dante gave him an odd look. "You knew my old man?"
Catullus snorted, which sent a small smoke ring from his nostrils. "Knew him? I served as he his right hand man for over a half millennia. Sort of a personal guard. Most of the devil bigwigs had one of us, though dragons are the rarest. Some had wolves, like your father's adversary, Bolverk. Dragons are used only by--hey! Where are you going?"
Dante had begun to walk away. "Tell me later Shorty," he said with a yawn. "Right now I'm bushed. I trust you enough for now, so you can tell me later in my apartment after I can plunk down this Staff. Just help me get out this goddamn sand trap for now."
The minute dragon bristled. "It's Catullus, not Shorty!" he yelled, but then flew after him grumbling. Somebody was going to have to help the idiot out of here.
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On the plains of Giza, a lone figure dozed against an ancient pillar, jerking his light green eyes open as sand falls inward on itself to form steps leading down. Stepping out of view behind the pillar, he watches the red clad figure and small flying form climb out and head east tiredly. He taps a finger to his lips thoughtful. "So what to do now, what to do now…" Lannister whispered to himself before shimmering into nothingness.
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Yosh! And so the story continues. I'm really excited about writing the ending because I thought of something excellent to do. Mwahaha….too bad it's yet so far off… ^_^
Next Chapter: Home Again
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Chapter 8: A New Ally
As Dante blinked groggily, he tried to remember how he had gone from finding a semi-dead devil in his apartment to sitting in an Egyptian temple. And what the HELL was wrong with his leg. He had enough wits to whip out Ebony with one hand and spin around, clutching the Staff as support. A lot of good it was doing him, especially after all the work he'd gone through to get it.
Turning, however, he found the room empty. He glanced back at the wall behind him. No shadow anymore, either. He didn't like it, but he also had no doubt the shadow would reveal itself in due time. His ears picked up a faint flapping noise somewhere in the room for a second. Or perhaps it would reveal itself sooner than he thought.
He holstered the Staff on his back with Force Edge, so that he could have both hands free for his guns. He trudged across the chamber's sand floor, gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg. Damn that thing hurt! He was not in the best of shape to take on some big ass monster right now. Another flap in the chamber and Dante caught a glimpse of the dragon like shadow again, this time in flight against the walls. The torches and acoustics of the room didn't help him at all. The thing could be anywhere, any size…
His leg gave out without warning and he dropped to one knee with a curse. And in that moment, a winged creature landed in the sand not four feet before him. A very small, two foot long, neon purple dragon to be exact. Dante stared at it, wondering if he was hallucinating.
"You're Sparda's son?" the thing asked critically, which made Dante even more certain he must be hallucinating. "I guess you'd have to be with that Staff, but still…"
Dante pointed Ebony at its head from near point blank range. "You're a devil? You'd have to be with that face, but neon purple really isn't going for your scare factor right now, Shorty."
"I'm not someone who likes guns pointed at his head, Mr. Badass Comments," it said sourly. "Now put that damn thing away before you shoot yourself in the foot, and start paying attention to your wound instead."
Dante grunted. "No offense buddy, but I'm not used to taking advice from purple dragons. I am, however, used to pointing guns at their heads." Well, not really, but he'd fought things close enough to dragons.
The dragon flapped off a couple of feet. "Fine, fine, rot down here for all I care. Sheesh. The wound is poisonous though, you know. Comes on the beams. It's meant to stun humans and kill devils, though it can't seem to decide what to do with you. I should know, I helped set the damn things up."
Dante blinked. "You helped…who the hell are you?"
"Name's Catullus, Guardian of the Staff. Now if you want to live," he said flying around behind Dante and pulling the Staff from it's hold, "hold this and try not to think to hard. This might feel a little funny." As Dante grabbed the Staff Catullus thrust at him, Catullus suddenly shot a mouthful of fire down its length. Dante felt his muscles contract involuntarily as fire tapped his blood. He recognized the quickening feel of Devil Triggering, though not one he had ever felt before. Through a red haze he thought he saw bone rip from his wrist, curving back and upwards like twin scythes, and he felt wings rip from his back and flare behind him as the sand around him glowed with demonic symbols. Suddenly everything seemed to 'slosh' back into him, wings and all, like they had never been. Except the pain in his leg was gone now too.
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The figure on the throne opened his eyes in response to some unseen force. It smiled into the darkness. "It would appear he has managed not only to obtain the Staff but use it as well…probably that twit Catullus's doing." He made a gesture with his hand and two dark red devil panthers emerged from the darkness to stand by him. He stroked the head of one and it gave a rumbling purr. "Ready for another try at the hunt, little ones?"
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"You alright there?" Catullus asked, cocking head at him in interest. "I have to say, you're a pretty scary looking guy at times."
Dante got to his feet and glared at the lizard. "I'm fine, though I still don't know who you are or why I shouldn't blow you into the sand." Dante was about to continue when his devil senses picked up a swirl of negative energy. Back at the area of the altar, the air shimmered and ripped into a vortex from which emerged two of the same type of devil panthers he had fought at Sarah's.
"Talk later," Catullus said baring vicious, if small, fangs at the panthers.
[since the didn't work well for mind speaking in Chapter 2, I'm going to try ** now…]
The panthers lashed their antennae through the air making whip sounds as they pawed the sand. *This time you die, halfling,* one of them mind spoke with a hiss. Dante guessed it was the one that had escaped from the last fight, though they all looked pretty much the same to him.
"Heh," he said slinging the Staff onto his back, "don't count on it. Didn't anyone ever tell you history tends to repeat itself?" As they rushed forward with a roar, Dante yanked out Force Edge and flung it boomerang-style at them, knocking them onto their backs before sticking itself into the wall. While they were still recovering, he pulled out Ebony and Ivory and began to pound bullets into them while walking closer and closer. They yowled in pain and spasmed under the bullet barrage, but one lashed out in anger and managed to wrap an antenna around Dante's ankle and trip him. Dante landed on his back with a thud and kept shooting at the thing for moment until a second antenna knocked his guns away. Dante was about to pull out the Staff, even though he had no idea what good it would do him, when Catullus swept in and flamed the panther in the face. It shrieked and let go of Dante in order to swat and Catullus, who zigzagged yet out of the panther's reach. Dante got up and flipped over the pair of devils, one of which was had gotten to its feet, and snatched up Force Edge from its place in the wall. "Come on!" he challenged it, bringing the sword edge up to his face so that his eyes danced like blue flames on either side.
The panther crouched, but growled in frustration. *Come!* it yelled to its companion still flailing at the agile flying Catullus. The other halted it's movements. *But the master--* it began to protest. *The master can wait,* snapped the other. *This information is enough.*
Dante, realizing the panthers were about to disappear again, took a plunge at one, hoping to pin it and get some answers from it, but the two darted back into the shadows and his sword pierced only the air. "Tsk," he said, and proceeded to gather up Ebony and Ivory.
"Tsk yourself there buddy. Just be glad I was there to help," Catullus sang out. "You're going to be a difficult to protect I tell. I swear it must run in the family."
Dante gave him an odd look. "You knew my old man?"
Catullus snorted, which sent a small smoke ring from his nostrils. "Knew him? I served as he his right hand man for over a half millennia. Sort of a personal guard. Most of the devil bigwigs had one of us, though dragons are the rarest. Some had wolves, like your father's adversary, Bolverk. Dragons are used only by--hey! Where are you going?"
Dante had begun to walk away. "Tell me later Shorty," he said with a yawn. "Right now I'm bushed. I trust you enough for now, so you can tell me later in my apartment after I can plunk down this Staff. Just help me get out this goddamn sand trap for now."
The minute dragon bristled. "It's Catullus, not Shorty!" he yelled, but then flew after him grumbling. Somebody was going to have to help the idiot out of here.
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On the plains of Giza, a lone figure dozed against an ancient pillar, jerking his light green eyes open as sand falls inward on itself to form steps leading down. Stepping out of view behind the pillar, he watches the red clad figure and small flying form climb out and head east tiredly. He taps a finger to his lips thoughtful. "So what to do now, what to do now…" Lannister whispered to himself before shimmering into nothingness.
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Yosh! And so the story continues. I'm really excited about writing the ending because I thought of something excellent to do. Mwahaha….too bad it's yet so far off… ^_^
Next Chapter: Home Again