Chapter theme: Garage /J2RjlTxDdtw
Terminology:
SDT: SUBTERRANEAN DEMON TRIBE, often used to describe sentient and non-aggressive demons.
USF: UNITED SUBTERRANEAN FRONT, the recognized sovereign citizens of the Ebott. Valley demon association.
NNH: New New Home, the town's name. The only city located in the USF.
Central: Central Government, central city, main human settlement where the Grand Senate is instated.
WG: World Government, The coalition of governments, cities and island states, headed the Grand Senate.
WM: World Military, the standing widespread military for the entire world bar a few states and countries.
OTS: Order Of The Sword, a religious faction mainly situated in the city of fortuna, radical Sparda worshippers.
Disclaimer: Certain aspects of this story are based on a loosely fictional and exaggerated version of reality, of what is possible, of what could be, to understand this is to understand that there is no agenda… Make your own conclusions, what you think is right.
I own nothing.
Sin Trigger.
The day was young, many walked the streets of Fortuna with the golden sun shining from above, many men did work in the moderate breeze and many women did as well… And some in ways coveted by the night, of course, they did work too. But to the people of Fortuna, a single person drew their attention above all else, a man capable of distracting them from the unbearable drive to succeed.
He turned heads as he went, if not by his stature, the by the stench of blood.
"It's him… The White-haired devil hunter!"
"I heard he's hard to work with… Cold."
"Yeah but look at him… That's a man right there."
"But… He looks like just killed someone…"
"A demon probably, even hotter."
The group of women thought that Vergil couldn't hear them, they thought wrong. But he was not upset, rather amused actually. It seemed that his actions were inspiring others to actually look towards one another, towards him at least… That was the goal after all, these people were too disconnected from each other… By design of course.
And so Vergil merely glanced toeardst the small group of women who thought that he couldn't hear them, causing a woman in a red dress to blush heavily as he walked by with a single destination in mind, her green eyes widening unlike anything she's ever seen before…
She followed his form as he went further and further into the distance, deaf to her sister's voices.
"Ifalna?"
"Ifalna?"
"Hey, snap out of it!"
Suddenly she shakes her head, turning back to her sisters… "I know, I'm coming… Hey! Don't be too rash now!"
"You fucking SDT prick!"
Crono was currently raving, angrily waving his right hand… Six cards were held. He glares towards the feline-demon, Brandon, formerly Burger-pants, with burning yellow eyes.
The feline chuckles and gives a cheshire grin, pulling the chips at the center of the table towards him. "Can't beat the King baby! That's just how I roll." The feline lights a cigarette only for it to be nabbed by Bianca, his cries of indignation ignored as she kills the light and tosses it into the trash.
She gave him an adoring smile, her green eyes lighting up. "No smoking in the bar Branny, you know this." The feline gave her a disturbing look, which she found adorable for some reason.
"Aweeee…"
He was miffed at her swooning, "Dammit, why can't you damn humans just look at me like I'm a demon for once! I ain't no cute kitty." He tries to appear gruff and intimidating, but it only worsens the effect.
Crono merely grumbled, still upset about his loss. "You ain't look cute to me, that's for sure." Brandon gave the man a side-glance, snorting.
Brandon leaned against the table, "See it'd be nice if it was actually gonna land me some dates, but nah." His orange fur shoots up as the door opens, only to fall back down once he sees the man standing there.
Vergil, drenched in blood and guts.
Bianca was the first to speak.
She pokes him with a broom, her disposition changing like lightning. "Oh hell no buddy, get your ass in the shower and put your clothes in the wash out back. I don't need blood in my bar again, I already have to clean up enough around here!" Vergil blinks once in response to her demands, sighing.
'Is this my fate?'
Vergil begins towards the back exit with a frown, "Do I even get to say anything? Foolish woman." He brushes by the table they sit and grumbles, annoyed at the demand.
Crono sighs and leans against his chair, the game of poker over. "Get used it V, she's a real slave-driver." At that, Bianca bonks him in the head with a tiny fist, causing him to smirk at her.
She isn't amused, "Just for that, you get to go meet Credo on his way back from school." The man shrugs, taking a swig of his beer only for Bianca to stop him before the glass touches his lips.
He gives her a 'look', answering. "My fuckin pleasure, darlin'." Speaking in a way that makes Brandon and Vergil both want to hurl, Bianca chuckles and shakes her head.
She lets go, "We aren't teenagers anymore Cronie, get over yourself."
Crono is a little tipsy, "Hey, you know what they say in Sparda study, love yourself to love another eh?"
"Pay the bills, and then you can love yourself, Cronie."
He slammed his bottle down, "Hey! Who the hell worked his ass off for three years so you could buy this joint!?" His indignation was met with a kiss on the cheek by his lover, silencing him instantly.
She brushed loose strands out of his face, cupping his cheek. "And I love you for it, you made my dream come true, darling." Brandon gags at the sight.
Suddenly, the door opens again, revealing Blooke… Unlike Vergil, Blooke doesn't own the room, his eyes immediately look towards the floor and he levied a half-assed wave, coming over to sit at their table.
Bianca calls over, "Hey Branny, can you help with my shipments?" The orange feline grumbles and gets up, mumbling about never being free from slave labour. "Don't talk to me about slave labour, every darn day I slave away just to keep this place afloat!"
"Yeah yeah."
Leaving Crono and Blooke by themselves, silence reigns.
His yellow eyes stared anywhere but his SDT companion, twiddling with his figures and whistling with a vacant expression.
…
"So..."
An idea pops in his head, "You uh… Like music, right?" Blooke nods apprehensively, a small smile appearing on his artificial lips.
Crono gives him a shaky grin, "Fucking nice." Reaching out for a fist bump, but…
Blooke recoils at his vulgarity and outstretched fist, a shocked and fearful expression forming across his features, Crono rubs the back of his head in response. Whistling, he really hadn't been around much.
"My bad."
…
The warm water was incredibly cathartic against his scarred body, countless years of fighting and protecting, defending, slaying, not even his regeneration factor could stop every scar from forming. But he did not mind.
Vergil released an audible sigh as he lowered himself into the tub. His clothes hanging on the dry lines, Vergil held his eyes shut for a few seconds as the blistering hot water soothed his muscles. The clouds in the sky seemed so interesting at this time, he missed those days when he had two others just like him to watch with…
Staring directly above, he watched the clouds go by as the blue reflected in his eyes. Letting them shut, Vergil let his body fully relax for the first time today.
'Long week…'
It's been almost two weeks since the incident with Crono, and since then… Things have gotten a lot less hostile, around here at least. Vergil had gone on many jobs and defended those who called RISE fearing for their lives with a 100% success rate, not to mention his skills could be used for various things… His strength and speed for example allowed him to finish construction projects in hours that would usually take the men a month, a fact that certainly helped around the bar.
Memories of Crono teaching him how to properly nail a roof together, for all his power, such a trivial task seemed harder than anything else. But…
It was… Nice. Before he'd been aimlessly searching and searching for a sign of Dante, by now he'd scoured almost every region on Earth for clues… Except for central, which was… A place he wasn't allowed, no devil hunters were allowed there. It was arduous, but he couldn't give up hope that Dante was still kicking…
That's what led him to this place, Mettaton had made an offer towards him quite some time ago… Explaining how it was hard for SDT's to live in a place with such an anti-demon sentiment, the locals originally fought against the occupation of Fortuna by any SDT… But Mettaton was able stave off their aggression, if only a little… Thankfully, the bar was a safe place for his friends. Mettaton however wasn't finished. In the hearts of man, Mettaton seeked to be there.
And so he recruited Vergil, asking him if he could help change the minds of the people, and to overtake this city from the Order… The order of the sword. Sparda worshippers…
It was not misguided perhaps… But still, foolish.
'They don't realize that his very own son lives amongst them… Ironic.' Vergil snorts, causing a few bubbles to appear in the water.
It almost reminds him of the time where he traveled through the underground as the son of Sparda, without a single SDT knowing his true identity… How many laughs they've shared about that, surely it must be-
Suddenly an unwanted thought appears in his mind, his body getting warmer than intended. Vergil releases a sigh and exudes the memory from his being, not allowing it to take place otherwise… He'd succumb to his urge.
Not yet…
Not while…
He still lives.
Vergil clears his mind fully, allowing him to fully relax into the tub without any worries…
Of course, this is a mistake.
Suddenly cries of fury sound out through the air, three men jumping out of the bushes with swords raised high in the air preparing to plunge into the half-devil.
And then, in the midst of his daydreaming. One pushed through his stomach, one through the chest, and the other through his arm. Still motionless, His eyes didn't open. Blood filled the small tub up as liquid red pooled and onto the ground below.
And then he stood up.
Sighing as he stepped out of the tub with the blades still lodged in his body. Vergil shook his head as he reached for the towel, drying himself off with two of the assassins still holding onto their blades lodged deeply into him.
They all watched in stunned silence as the half-devil washed his hair, "I just got the blood off me… Foolish humans, you never know when out of your league."
One spoke up with a struggling voice, "W-what the hell?" Vergil dislodged the swords out of his gut one by one, his naked body glimmering in the sunlight and the wounds sealed instantly.
One of the assassins took a single step forward.
In a flash of speed, Vergil dunked his head in the pool, holding him there for a few seconds before pulling him out and tossing him away.
He grabbed a towel to clean himself off, "So… You tried to kill me, any reason why?" The two other assassins helped the now bloodsoaked one up, they all wore hoods with masks.
Vergil then snapped, dozens of summoned swords appearing around them. The flaming blue lit their face-covers.
"Must I ask again?"
The three assassins then kneeled to the floor, shaking at the display of power. It was almost too easy, then again… Three humans would be no match for someone who's managed to match a God in combat.
And yet… They sounded far too young… "We… We were tasked to kill you…" The middle one struggled to speak, as if his tongue was damaged or impaired.
"We… Do not know why." Now that they were still, Vergil noticed just how small these warriors were…
Vergil shook his head, they were trained child assassins, pawns, not actual people… Raised to kill and nothing else, with that symbol on their masks symbolizing Sparda… It was obvious who set them off, Sanctus was trying to keep things quiet before RISE became too big.
"The Order is getting a little feisty huh…" It's only been slight over a week, and he was already this much of a threat? It almost made him chuckle.
He waved them off, "Get out of my sight before I lose myself." The three assassins slowly inched away, suddenly dashing towards the fence and leaping over in one bound…
Vergil tsked, turning around towards the bar and seeing a red-faced Bianca staring at him. Once again bathed in blood, this time his own. Along with the rest of the backyard being in a general state of disarray.
"Vergil, what the fuck?" He merely grimaced in response only for a mop and a bucket to be tossed into his arm, silencing any response he could've made.
After thoroughly cleaning the backyard, Vergil finally was able to relax again in the safety of numbers. Taking a seat next to Brandon and Blooke in the bar, Crono is long gone.
Going to pick up Credo on his way home from school, Vergil was glad that those assassin's didn't jump into the fray with Credo around… The young boy was too innocent to be exposed to violence.
'The Order better watch out… I've avoided going up against them directly, but if this incident repeats itself…' Vergil thought, noticing the trepid gaze of Blooke.
The robotic demon seemed worried, "Uh… Vergil? Did they…" Nodding with a slight annoyance, the half-devil cracked his knuckles.
Taking a drink from his cup of water, "They feel threatened by us, rightfully so. After all, how could humans compete with a half-devil?" They were feeling their grasp on Fortuna finally lessened, competition marking less profit for them…
But better service for the people.
'She's already mentally over the assassination attempt…' Vergil thinks as he follows the woman in question back into the bar, not as if he was in any danger.
Reno then walks through the front with a smile, "Hey guys. Uh, where is Crono?" Bianca dumps a box of dishes into his arms suddenly, causing the young man to falter.
"Getting Credo." She then turns to the rest of the group, "C'mon guys we gotta get ready for happy hour!" Reno grumbles and gets to work on cleaning up, all the while Vergil looks at the television with a worried glance.
The headline particularly, 'Large gold deposits discovered in the underground beneath the USF, Ambassador Dreemurr rejects further investigation?' Of course, Ambassador Dreemurr was nowhere to be seen, she routinely denied interviews.
'Those crony bureaucrats at Central… They want our gold now too?' No wonder the supply of gold was so low on the surface world, relatively to the underground… Which held countless upon countless deposits.
Shaking his head suddenly, Vergil tries to forget about it for now…
His robotic friend noticed this as well, "They are going to be alright… I'm sure Undyne will protect them…" Vergil gives the SDT a half glance, grunting before looking towards the floor.
It was a sensitive topic.
'But… I wish to see them all again, even if…' The swordsman partially covers his face, sighing into the palm of his hand.
'Even if I…'
The door to the bar slams open suddenly, shocking Vergil out of his musings and revealing an out of breath Crono, blood drying over his face. The man is wounded and propping himself up haggardly, sharp pains fill his body after every breath, the sight of Crono so beaten stuns everyone bar Bianca.
His lover practically trips over to reach him, "Crono!" Bianca is tearing up already seeing the liquid crimson. The rest of the bar quickly surrounded them, worry etched across their faces. Vergil was scowling, quickly connecting the dots on who could've-
The beaten and bloody Crono coughed a few times, "Credo…" He only just manages to choke out, gasping in pain. "The van!"
He's hyperventilating, "They took my boy, they took him." Crumpling against the ground, Crono claws at the hardwood floor and groans for his son, cries out for him. Was this his punishment? His eyes scrunch up as his fingernails begin to bleed, he looks towards the dark figure standing ahead of him, begging for help.
Like a chilling mist, the room became shadowed by concentrated anger. Cold. Indifferent. Bianca was crying out for her child, the hysteria of a mother… Of a lover, seeing her other half laying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood.
Her face is burning red, "VERGIL PLEASE! PLEASE S-SAVE MY B-BABY, SAVE MY BABY! I… I can't lose him too…!" The cries of the young mother made something infernal grow in the pit of his stomach…
Vergil could draw the line at his own life… But when the lives of innocents… If a child is involved, there is no time for doubt.
Gesturing to Blooke with a leveled headed glare, his eyes narrowed into slits. "Get Crono a star, and then hack into the cameras in the city… Keep me updated." Tapping against his earpiece, Vergil waits until Blooke has composed himself enough.
He is shaking, almost guilty. "I'm… Is this our fault…?" The SDT breathes in and out rapidly, artificial teeth clattering. "Are you going after them…? Is that a good idea…?" His eyes darted between the darkslayer and Crono.
Scoffing before reaching for the doorknob, "There's no time for doubt, I know what must be done." And with that, Vergil exits the bar with a similar gait he once held in the very same bar.
'Their true character is revealed… I had my suspicions when they sent assassin's against me.' The humor of his musing was not lost on him,
"Those boys were no children… They were robbed of such; they were tools, expendable… I can't let that happen to Credo."
Scanning the vicinity for any trace of the Order, Vergil sees where the trail of blood originates from. Crono's blood. The man fought with all he had to protect his son… Admirable.
Vergil balled his hands into fists, to commit such treachery… "I'll get him back, and they shall rue the day they crossed a son of Sparda." A single step cracked the concrete sidewalk below, and the half-devil began towards the direction of the blood spill.
This was his fight now.
