Chapter 11
Dante didn't have time to consider how Vergil intended to keep the Phantom distracted as he sheathed Rebellion and raced towards Trish. She glanced at him confused, but Dante couldn't even think to explain as he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her towards the edge of the platform. Across from them the gate stood tall, ominous and impenetrable. It appeared to be made entirely of iron, scorched by fire and impossibly huge – double the height of the Phantom – only some kind of demonic power could force these doors open.
"Dante!" Trish yelled in protest snatching her hand away as they reached the opposite side of the stone bridge. She cast a glance over her shoulder to where Vergil kept the demon occupied (for now) in the middle of the glass platform. "What are you doing? We need to help-"
"Get… the gate open!" Dante panted bending forwards to rest his hands on his bent knees. He was impossibly fatigued; every muscle in his body was screaming and regaining his breath seemed impossible in the assailing heat of the room. Every lungful of air burned his insides and tore at the back of his throat. The heaving breaths pulled at the burns across his chest and abdomen and nausea was creeping up from the depths of his gut. He had to admit being human sucked: dying from smoke inhalation (albeit smoke caused by a hellish demonic spider) was in no way glamorous.
"Dante-"
"Trish just…" he didn't care what she was going to say – that she could beat it? There was no time; the circumstances were not in their favour. Even if Trish could defeat Phantom it was unlikely that both he and Vergil would survive that long. "Open the gate…" He heaved in a deep breath and stood upright, trying not to choke on sulphur. He drew Ebony and Ivory turning his back to the woman so that he could anticipate an attack in their direction. "Get the gate open!"
Trish nodded understanding suddenly the seriousness of the situation. Phantom truly believed she had betrayed Mundus as she had intended. Mundus' Generals had never had much respect for their humanoid counterparts so it really wasn't that hard for the spider to consider that she had gone soft. That being said she had planned to dispatch the spider whilst weakening the twins and drawing them further into dependence upon her. In reality she couldn't kill Phantom and keep them both alive; he wouldn't allow her that. Dante was already in bad shape; drenched in sweat, matted hair clinging to his forehead. Blood trailed from the cut on his cheek a bruise blossoming on the side of his face. His coat was torn and charred, red vest and dark undershirt spattered with holes where the demonic fire had burned through revealing bloodied and blistered skin beneath. That and his sword arm was badly burnt, she doubted he could wield the broadsword at the moment without bindings. This may have been a bad idea; Mundus wanted the sons of Sparda alive not as charred spider food.
She turned towards the huge gateway, now their only way out of the Phantom's lair. Trish knew that she would have to work fast. Raising both hands, fingers outspread she concentrated all her powers and electricity flared across her fingertips shooting outwards to dance across the immense metal doorway. Along the scorched iron patterns formed, demonic words which Dante couldn't possibly read glowing faintly in shades of red and yellow, fading and rising again as she pulled the words from her mind and focused the incantation on forcing the door open. Trish gritted her teeth as she felt the power flare in her chest and rise, shaking tremors of thunder and lightning down her arms and across her finger-tips. She prayed that she could get the door opened in time; she did not want to have to explain her failings to Mundus.
Vergil barely had time to glance across the room at his brother as he dodged Phantom's blows. They were getting faster, more precise; he hadn't managed to land even one offensive attack of his own, every fibre of his being concentrated on avoiding decapitation or worse. Occasionally the spider would change its routine, becoming bored of slashing at him with pincers and stinger it would dip its head towards the glass and call fiery pillars from beneath his feet or spit a ball of flaming stone from its demonic maw. Evading these attacks was challenge enough, but making sure that they were not directed in Dante's direction was almost impossible. He was growing tired, his arms shook from keeping Yamato raised and his muscles screamed with the abuse of constantly being knocked to the ground only have to spring back up again. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up and he was having trouble getting the Phantom to strike the glass below. He wasn't fast enough. The platform was just wide enough for two of the giant spiders to stand on (he hoped that this was the only one in existence), but he couldn't travel fast enough, put enough distance between them to make it worth the creature's while.
He parried a slash from Phantom's stinger, the heat seared by his face; he felt the pale skin of his cheek burn. Yamato's blade barely scratched the demon's carapace. He felt useless, without his demonic strength he was little better than an insect to this demon, the thought made something in his gut twist.
"Give in human," the molten spider spat, fire flying from its clicking mandibles. "You are no match for a General of Mundus!"
The roar was deafening, Vergil winced and turned to face the Spider, icy blue eyes scanning the demon's eight fiery red ones. "If that's true," Vergil shot back tone even despite his exhaustion, "then I suspect Mundus will be happy for me to dispatch such a blotch on his record."
"Insolent whelp!" The Phantom roared, but Vergil saw his opening as the demon raised its fore-legs enraged, slashing at the air, sparks flying with each swing. It was something Dante would do, not that Vergil would ever admit that as he raced forwards, head-on towards the demon. Just before he collided with Phantom's fiery maw Vergil let his legs slide out from under him, feeling the heat scorch his skin as he slid beneath Phantom's hulking form. Fire dripped from the demon's body, burning holes in the silk of his coat, searing his pale skin. Jagged glass from the floor below cut into his thighs, but Vergil put aside the pain, the overwhelming heat which clouded his mind, and raised Yamato, cutting a deep groove in the underside of the Spider's belly.
Fire spurted from the wound and burns danced down Vergil's forearms raising angry welts. The smell of burning flesh and stone filled his nostrils. The pain was severe, for a moment Vergil's head span and he wondered if he would lose consciousness as his ears rang and his vision swam. Above him the demon let out a satisfying scream, which shook the room and cracked the glass below them. It took Vergil a moment to realize that his attack had had the desired effect. The Phantom leapt into the air, nearly taking Yamato with him as Vergil struggled to maintain his grip on the blade. The elder twin barely registered the need to move and rolled sideways as the spider crashed back down a serrated claw piercing the glass where he had been laying moments before.
Vergil pushed himself onto his hands and knees uncertain whether he could stand. Beneath his outstretched palms he felt the glass cracking. It was working; the glass was breaking beneath them, chunks falling away into the lava below. He heard Dante call his name from across the room and somehow found the strength to stand. It was seconds too late – or early. A burning limb struck him in the back and he flew forwards sprawling head first into the shattering glass.
"Vergil!" Dante yelled when his twin made no sign of movement. Next to him Trish was still in a state of deep concentration, arms raised. It had barely been a minute, but Dante could hear the gate shuddering, the iron buckling from the force of the demoness' incantations – just a little bit longer.
Phantom was distracted by the younger twin's cry and rounded on the pair. Dante didn't hesitate in unloading a clip into the monster's glistening eyes. The spider hissed and shook its hideous head, raising its forelimbs to protect its vulnerable orb-like eyes. For a second Dante dared to glance back to Vergil's prone form. He wasn't moving… Panic flared in Dante's mind, a kind of choking feeling he didn't know he was capable of having anymore; that he might lose someone he loved.
There was a rumbling sound, gurgling and hissing, it snapped Dante back into the present. Vergil was alive. Dante didn't have time to dwell on the alternative. He reminded himself to tease Vergil for this later; that he had been beaten by hell-spawn twice by now whilst Dante had been somewhat more successful. Not that that wasn't largely down to Trish…
The Phantom was laughing. A deep guttural sound that rung with explosions and the popping of molten fire. "Shame the fly was swatted so easily…"
With horror Dante realised the spider was shifting its attention back towards Vergil, huge flaming limbs rising slowly to crash back down onto the glass. From each iron-clad pincer fractals spun away fracturing the glass dais further. Before he knew that he was even moving Dante was running forwards blindly. He couldn't use Rebellion, his hands were too badly burnt, the sword was a dead weight on his back slowing him down… he would never make it to Vergil in time.
"Time to burn," the last word spoken from the spider's mouth reverberated throughout the room, catching somewhere in Dante's gut. He wasn't going to make it. The Phantom lowered it's head, light burst from the cracks in its carapace glowing white hot as it readied a final attack. Dante wasn't sure, but he was certain that despite the immense effort the creature was still laughing.
"Vergil!" His voice was hoarse; the cry came out as a rasp. Where was Trish?
But she wasn't needed. A sudden stifled cry filled the air followed by a deafening screech. From where he was laying on the cracked glass Vergil had suddenly shot upright shoving Yamato's blade straight through the creature's chin. The fireball which had been building in the Phantom's gut was released, but instead of annihilating the eldest son of Sparda it shot upwards blasting a hole in the dark stone above. Seconds later stalactites of dark red rock plunged downwards and pierced straight through the Phantom's glittering web. The creature screamed as Vergil yanked Yamato free and rolled sideways this time deftly avoiding a flying pincer.
"Run Dante!" Vergil barked ducking again and racing forwards. They had seconds maybe, as soon as the spider moved the floor would collapse. The sound of breaking glass was harsh in the quaking cavern, reverberating off the walls sending tremors up Vergil's legs as he ran, crossing to where Dante was.
Just as he reached his twin the floor gave way. His final step met nothing but air. Vergil was strangely thankful that Dante had regained his wits in time to reach out for his brother and grasp his hand, a memory flashed through his mind of a waterfall somewhere on the edge of Hell, but as he slammed into the jagged glass edge of the remaining webbing that was quickly forgotten. Behind him Phantom roared in fury huge legs swinging helplessly as the glass web splintered beneath the spider's feet. Dante watched the creature fall blazing red eyes wild with rage as the giant spider tumbled with a pathetic scream into the lava below. Of course lava would not kill the thing so time was of the essence.
Dante felt the ground below his feet shake as he hauled his brother up and dragged him forwards. They needed to get to the other side of the bridge, away from the glass… and even then it was questionable if the rest of the structure would hold true. As they neared Trish there was a sound like a thunderclap and it took Dante's tired mind a moment to understand that it was the heavy iron gates finally giving way. Some part of him was relieved, but he had no time to dwell on it as he saw the gateway swing slowly open and Trish lowered her arms gasping for breath.
Trish turned just as the twins reached her a strange feeling of relief rising in her gut even as she saw the glass floor literally giving way as the passed over it. Somehow they had made it, but it had been too close a call. It had been foolish to bring them through here, but now at least beating them would be child's play. She watched as Dante half dragged his brother across the remaining distance from the edge of the bridge. But Mundus had explicitly warned her that the twins were needed alive and she intended to deliver them in such a state.
"Trish! Move!" Dante yelled and shoved her forwards as he finally neared her. The brothers were nearly falling rather than running, the uneven ground making it impossible to keep a steady pace. Trish was startled back into the present, the hissing and roaring of fire and magma below them, the rumbling as the whole room shook and the huge chains rattled against the shattering walls. It felt as though the chamber would cave in on itself at any second and she understood with some urgency that even she might not leave alive if they did not get out. Still the gateway was open now, uninviting darkness gaping at them – their only shelter from what felt like the insides of a volcano.
Dante felt some relief as his feet touched (semi-)solid ground and he felt Vergil mange to get his footing once again. He relinquished his vice-like grip on his brother's arm (one he did not even notice until he felt its absence) and focused single-mindedly the gateway beyond. Beside him he felt Vergil do so too, both putting all their remaining efforts into getting through that doorway. What happened after, what was lurking in the darkness beyond would be for them to deal with once they reached the threshold.
Just as they seemed like they were going to a fireball shot from the lava pit below. It rent the stone bridge beneath their feet and sent all three sprawling forwards. Vergil was thrown the furthest, to the edge of the gateway itself. He turned to see Dante on hands and knees shaking his head to clear his vision of the sweat and smoke. Trish was nowhere to be seen… At least not instantly, but then he noticed the demoness' long pale fingers clutching at the crumbling edge of the bridge. The blast had thrown her clear and she was barely hanging on.
Dante gasped and tried to catch his breath, but he felt that all the air had been forced from his lungs and replaced by fire and sulfur. He was drenched in sweat, blood, dirt and ash and his eyes stung. They cast about wildly for his brother, who he noticed was at the edge of the huge darkness of the gateway… but where was Trish? He blinked to clear his vision then followed Vergil's gaze to where he could just see the blonde haired woman clinging to the edge of the precipice.
"No Dante!" Vergil shouted across the space seeing that his brother had noticed the demoness. "We have to go! Leave her!"
The words caught Dante off-guard. Perhaps Vergil was right, it was too dangerous and to help someone who was clearly not to be trusted, who wore his mother's face… but that may have been why he could not even contemplate leaving the dmoness to fall to her almost certain death. He scrambled to his feet fingers bloody from scrabbling at the uneven surface of the rock.
"Dante!" Vergil implored, on his feet now and ready to step into the darkness beyond, but he needed his brother.
Dante wasn't listening, however as he thrust an out-stretched hand down towards Trish who looked startled to see him there. "Take my hand!"
If Trish hesitated it was only for an instant to suppress her shock that a son of Sparda would actually be willing to save her life… to treat her as a human being. She gripped Dante's hand strongly and he began to haul her up with rapidly waning strength. It took him an agonizingly long time just to lift her so that she could get a foothold on the bridge's frayed edge and manage to push herself up.
"Dante come on!" Vergil yelled unable to suppress the growing anxiety in his gut that they were all about to be plunged into the lava below, that their small victory had been for nothing.
And then Dante was up and pushing Trish forwards, all of them bowling through the ominous gateway and plunging into darkness.
Lady's chance to escape presented itself to her within the next couple of minutes. Theo was making some show of his power explaining to her that they would now be moving on to the main event where they would wait for Trish so that the 'fun could begin'. Except that in this mockery of childish glee he had made the foolish assumption that Lady was defeated. That the torment of the last few days – or was it hours? – had worn her down and meeting the king of Hell had been the final straw… Except it wasn't.
Theo had conjured a portal at his feet to take them to wherever they were going. Apparently it was the easiest way to travel through Hell and Lady saw her moment of opportunity. Before the shining silver ring was even formed she leapt in front of the demon pushing him aside and falling…
Lady hit the ground hard; the wind knocked out of her as she rolled to onto one side and hauled herself up. There was no time: she had to move. Theo would realize what had happened any second and then he would be after her. She had to get away, she had to hide.
She was upside down.
Lady balked, vertigo kicked in and she felt dizzy. Beneath her feet was pale stone, above her head – or below? – was a grey fog swirling silently past compelled by some invisible storm. Closer were staircases passing diagonally and laterally past her, some the right way up, or the wrong way, others not… She felt ill and could barely fight the compulsion to cling to the ground below her so that she didn't simply drift away into nothingness. She had to run. Slowly, as though weighed down by the fog pressing in around the structure she forced herself forwards towards a platform at one end of the stair. It was nauseating and infuriating to feel that at any moment your feet might simply become detached from the ground, but she had no choice. Lady realized that she had to trust that whatever madness this was it was at the very least consistent.
Lady reached the next platform and leaned forwards with her arms intending to cling to the landing below and somehow clamber to the next stairway. But then she was crouched in a bizarre handstand mercilessly right way up if not feeling a little foolish. Gingerly she allowed herself to stand, placing two feet onto the solid landing. She shook her head trying to clear it, but it made the situation no less bizarre. Ornately carved pillars and arches stretched into nothingness. Above her head she stared up into another upside-down stairwell. Her sense of balance seemed impossible to reclaim, it felt as though the world was sliding out from under her feet, that she might just fall…
Then she heard a whom and a cackling laugh behind her announcing Theo's presence. "This place isn't for humans Mary, you won't survive long here!"
Lady looked back the way she had come to see Theo heading towards her, walking at a brisk pace but not allowing himself to break into a run. It was almost comical him now at a right angle to her, looking at him for too long made her feel off-balance. Not that she allowed herself to. Instead she ran without thinking down the next stairwell thankful that at least this one was upright in relation to her landing. However when she reached the bottom and had to run straight down onto the next landing her knees finally gave out. Panic kicked in in some part of her mind that thought she was genuinely running off the edge of a precipice and she fell rolling headfirst through a glowing purple portal in a headstone at the edge of the platform.
"You walked us into a trap!"
Before Dante could realize what was going on he heard his brother's voice. He blinked in the darkness, eyes adjusting steadily from the blazing light of the Phantom's chamber to the sudden gloom. The gateway had been a portal that much was certain, no sulphur seeped through to burn his nostrils and the air was thankfully cooler. The ground below him was harsh and cracked and just in front of his face the pitted eyes of an inhuman skull stared back at him. With a feeling of unease he realised the floor of the chamber was made of bone, the walls oozing bloodied flesh. Well what could you expect from the inner-circles of Hell?
"Vergil!" Trish's voice, high, panicked, snapped Dante out of his reverie. He rolled slowly onto his back each muscle in his body protesting the movement in turn and then shot up to his feet when he understood what was going on between his brother and the demoness.
Vergil, coat charred and torn, hair disheveled, eyes wild, had Trish pinned by the shoulders against one of the bleeding walls. His fingers would have bruised her pale skin were it not for her demonic origins, and even with Vergil in a weakened state, not to mention human, the demoness appeared afraid.
"Vergil stop! I didn't-"
"Of course you did! You led us there to kill us!" Vergil accused her. The accusation appeared wild to Dante, but he couldn't rule it out.
"Vergil-"
"We should have left you back there to burn!" Vergil spat blue eyes shining with rage and then he yelped a second later when Trish's arms flared with lightning. Jumping back in shock he put his hands to his aching temples trying to find some source of inner calm. It was waning rapidly. This place, being in the inner-circles of Hell… he could feel him… The memories welling up inside made him want to vomit.
"I'm sorry," Trish said half-heartedly turning pleading eyes on Dante when Vergil didn't acknowledge her apology.
Dante stood thoroughly bewildered, and too exhausted to think straight, still one thing stood out in his mind. Vergil was behaving irrationally. He seemed confused, lost, completely un-Vergil-like. Considering the impressive display he had given in his fight with Phantom it was disturbing.
"Verg…?" Dante asked hesitantly, concerned for his brother and almost afraid. What was happening to his twin? Vergil never showed any kind of emotion… Vergil merely shook his head to acknowledge Dante's question. He couldn't answer. He couldn't give Dante an answer. To admit to the lowest point in his existence…
"It's alright Vergil," Trish said her voice soothing, motherly, she reached a hand out to him, but remained where she stood against one of the pulsating walls of the chamber. She appeared both caring and distant, her eyes filled with emotion, but almost too much. If Dante had been paying more attention he might have realised that she was trying too hard.
"I'm fine," Vergil hissed, fighting to get his breathing under control. It couldn't all come out now.
There was a sudden crack and a laugh echoed harshly around the walls of the chamber, filled with childish glee. "Fine? You were the king of Hell's plaything and you think you're fine?"
Dante whirled around mind addled, Theo stood in the centre of the chamber some mere meters away his lips were quirked into a grin. Vergil had spun around too, suddenly alert, Yamato drawn, but Dante could see the strain in his features marred by scratches where the glass of Phantom's web had skittered across his face and the demonic fire had blistered his skin.
"Where's Lady?" The younger twin demanded eyes searching for any sign of her presence. There was nothing to allow him any clue of her whereabouts just mirth glimmering in Theo's eyes.
"Oh you mean Mary?" Theo glanced at his fingernails and then rubbed them on his lapel. He appeared as though he were about to divulge some big secret. "Don't you know I found her to be such an interesting creature I thought I'd keep her as a pet."
"If you've hurt her-" Dante growled through clenched teeth. He wanted to attack, wanted to break Theo in two, but he knew it was impossible. He was sore all over, the burns that had lanced across his skin stung and he could barely even lift Rebellion let alone fight. This was it, he realised, unless they could trick the demon, keep him talking, they had no chance. Never mind finding out about what had happened to Lady – though he prayed to god she was safe – at the moment Dante wasn't sure he could stand another fight. A strange feeling of dread began to creep into his gut and he fought it back bitterly. Theo had the ability to kill them both right then and there with perhaps only Trish able to stop him though her powers were drained from opening the gateway to Dis. Of course the yellow-eyed demon had had the opportunity to kill them before and for whatever reason had been prevented from doing so. That didn't mean the situation was still the same. Though he doubted any demons would let them have a quick death anyway…
"Mary is doing just fine," Theo assured him grinning and taking a step towards Vergil eyes locked on the elder twin. "If I were you I'd be more concerned about your brother." Theo stopped at the edge of Yamato's range sneering at Vergil. The elder brother merely averted his gaze from that horrible smirking face. The smile was pulled too wide; the teeth that appeared to be a glimmering white were, up close, a rotting yellow. The creature's pristine outer shell was merely a mirage. "He's stronger here," Theo spoke softly to Vergil trying to gain eye contact and tilting his head when the elder brother remained unwilling, trying to block him out. "You can feel him…"
"Verg…?" Dante felt his whole body go lax, all the fight was fading out of him. For once the demon hunter didn't know what to do. He had been so certain they were getting somewhere. Sure the scrape with the blob and the giant lava spider hadn't exactly been ideal, but they were getting somewhere. Now everything had come to a grinding halt. Trish appeared transfixed, he was completely useless (although his blistered hand rested firmly on Ivory's grip) and Vergil was hiding something, apparently a very big something. Of course he had never expected his brother to be straight with him, but anything, which might cause one to have a mental breakdown, should be pretty high up on the list of things you told people. "What's he talking about?"
He saw Vergil swallow and a vein in his jaw jumped. Perhaps he shouldn't have asked, perhaps it was making it worse but Dante knew this might be his only chance to find out. He also had no idea how else to distract Theo, neither he nor Vergil could fight much longer and Trish, still standing against the pulsating fleshy wall, was strangely silent.
"You haven't even told your dear brother?" Theo simpered feigning disbelief. "But this is just the best piece of gossip since… well since the death of Sparda and his beautiful human wife." He drew the words out slowly then turned to Dante, grinned widely. "Your brother-"
"Be quiet!" Vergil barked his voice was cracking, he seemed on the point of hysteria, or tears. Dante couldn't tell and he couldn't understand what was making his twin behave this way… Nothing rattled Vergil, his brother had always been calm and collected, it was in his nature. Maybe being human was having a bigger effect on him than either of them thought it would.
"Well if you won't tell him someone has to!" Theo chided turning wicked yellow eyes back to Vergil. "Why don't you tell him Vergil?"
Vergil's eyes slid finally to stare into Theo's shining yellow ones. "I'd rather die," Vergil hissed beneath his breath so that only Theo could hear him, and then with speed he didn't know he still possessed the elder twin launched himself at the demon.
The fight was over before it started. Dante raised Ivory, but didn't have time to react. Theo sidestepped Vergil's swing, caught his arm and span him round so that he swung bodily into one of the bone pillars supporting the pulsating ceiling. The demon slammed Vergil's sword arm into the jagged bone until Vergil dropped Yamato with a clatter, his free hand smashed Vergil's head into the pillar fingers tight about his throat. Theo forced Vergil's head back grinding his skull into the broken bone pillar exposing the column of pale skin to his clawed fingernails each of Vergil's breaths restricted by his harsh grasp. The demon stood a few inches shorter than the elder twin glittering eyes filled with something akin to hunger if Dante didn't know better he would have thought Theo was considering sinking his sharp canines into Vergil's neck.
"There's no need for dramatics," Theo drawled, he sounded bored and he was, bored of these useless whelps, bored of babysitting that woman. Thank god that was over… He was anxious to get to the main event. He leaned forwards until his face was inches from Vergil's own, the creature's yellow eyes flashed and the stench of death seared Vergil's nostrils. "Just tell your brother what happened to you down here."
"No," Vergil hissed. He kicked his booted feet into the ground trying to find purchase to throw the demon off, but it was useless. He was pinned against the pillar, his sword arm trapped harshly against the jagged bone by the demon's other hand. He was at Theo's mercy; the thought sent a rush of shame through him.
"He has a right to know," the demon reasoned, glancing at Dante with mirth in his eyes before looking back to the elder twin. Vergil shook his head, or tried to under Theo's grasp. He didn't want to beg, but he knew his eyes were pleading. Anything to stop Dante from finding out, his brother didn't need to know, but the demon was enjoying tormenting him. Theo grinned wickedly at the elder twin then raised his voice making certain that Dante could hear. "Tell him how Mundus tortured you until you begged for him to take your life!"
Whatever news Dante had expected, and whatever reaction from his brother… it hadn't been this. He saw Vergil let out a shuddering breath and close his eyes, tears inadvertently spilled from beneath his soft lashes and tracked through the dirt and soot plastered to his cheeks. Dante's world shifted, he felt as though he were falling, his stomach sunk and something caught in the back of his throat. So that was what Vergil had been doing down here. He had been at Mundus' mercy, the same demon who was responsible for killing both their parents, for destroying their lives. And Dante hadn't been there to protect his twin… he should have jumped into Hell right after him.
Theo shook Vergil roughly trying to get a response out of the elder twin who had gone rigid and numb all except for those few tears which ran to the sharp curve of his chin. "Tell him-!"
"No!" Dante yelled his voice was deep and commanding. He would not let Theo humiliate his brother any longer. He mustered all of his strength, aimed Ivory at Theo's head and pulled the trigger.
The demon skittered backwards barely dodging the bullet. It sliced the skin across his cheek drawing black blood. Vergil slumped against the pillar eyes open and glassy, and one hand rising inadvertently to touch his throat. He was seeing things that weren't there, phantoms in the back of his mind. Somehow if he could have kept it from Dante he could pretend to himself, pretend that he was the same person who had stepped into the abyss a year ago… he wished it had been only a year in demonic terms.
Dante grimaced and drew Rebellion as Theo darted towards him, he had little strength left and the fight would be over quickly, but he didn't plan to go down without one. He raised the broadsword intending to bring it down for a blow, to block Theo's attack… and then lighting lanced up his spine, his body spasmed and he fell with a harsh cry Rebellion landing on the ground below with a resounding clang of steel on bone. Dante caught himself on all fours grimacing and trying to understand what had happened. Before he could another shock of electricity raced through his body, he felt as though his skin were on fire, that his bones would snap… When the jolts finally ebbed he found himself laying prone on the cold ground unable to command his body to move.
"T-rish," his vocal chords felt burned, he was surprised any sound came out. It could only have been Trish, even with thousands of volts jolting through his body he had still managed to work that one out. But why…? It was Dante's final thought before another harsh jolt tore a cry from his lips and he fell into unconsciousness.
Lady blinked, rubbed her eyes, and blinked again. She was in total darkness, it was as though she had fallen into a void, the touch of her own skin on skin and then that skin on cool ground was the only thing which told her that she had not become completely disembodied. Still it was disconcerting and having been falling from that room which resembled an Escher painting didn't make it any less confusing. Lady was starting to regret finding the expansive white marble hallways boring, now she would give anything to be able to see, and to be out of hell, and to have her weapons back…
"Anything?"
The voice sounded close to her ear, it rang in the darkness sounding alien in the still black. Lady leapt to her feet somehow maintaining her balance hands circling her quickly to feel for whatever had spoken to her. If indeed something had spoken and she wasn't going mad.
"I think you'll find we're all mad here," the voice said in mock seriousness. Lady felt the warm breath ghost across the back of her neck and shivered; when she reached her arms backwards again she felt nothing. Even if this thing was speaking to her she was inclined to think it was all in her head. After all there was something disturbingly familiar about that voice…
"My dear Lady I really think you should hear me out! After all, even if I am the voice in your head, you can be certain of some good advice!"
"Who are you?" Lady growled not liking the way the voice circled her so close she could feel the breath on her shoulder and yet too far away for her to reach out and touch.
Then suddenly in the darkness two glowing orbs appeared before her, bright and huge shining with an eerie demonic light. Two eyes, one red the other blue, gleamed at her with an evil mirth set into the edges of an eerily pale face.
"Not what did you expected?" The eyes gleamed in the darkness before her. Lady took a step backwards, even with two eyes and the edge of a face she could remember the demonic clown from when her father had tried to kill her… but Arkham was dead. The mirth in those glowing eyes chilled her to the core, despite the glimmer of amusement, below that was evil.
"No one is ever happy to see me!" The demon cackled feigning hurt. "To think that you and your little friends wouldn't have survived that tower without me! Now I have a bit of advice for you young Lady so I think you should hear me out – beats hanging around in the dark by yourself right? Unless you're into that sort of thing."
"You're dead," Lady said stupidly not knowing what else to say. She could feel the panic rising up inside her as the clown smiled impossibly wide and the light shone down to reflect off his yellow teeth. She wanted to run, but where…? There was no way out. Lady realised with growing dread that she could be stuck here forever. The thought made her break out into a cold sweat and her mind raced wondering how she was meant to escape.
"Oh no, no, no, no! My dear Lady you have mistaken me for someone else!" The light disappeared for a second and Lady imagined the clown bowing low though she could not see the movement. When the voice returned it was to her right making her jump and turn to face the glowing eyes once more. "Your father is dead. You made sure of that… splattered his brains like confetti… but a demonic disguise is not without its price! And things work differently here in Hell don't you know, what with him dying so close to the gate."
"So what are you?" Lady asked hoping that she didn't sound as afraid as she felt. Demons never scared her; nothing scared her – except her father. "Why are you here? Where is this?"
"Questions! Questions so many questions!" The Jester mocked his eyes glistening with excitement. "One at a time little Lady! What I am is quite irrelevant, I think we need to get to where we are and why I am here – which is quite simply to help you get out of here!"
Lady took a breath and folded her arms. The protective barrier was comforting, but those eyes unnerved her as they stared, unblinking, back into her own mirrored red and blue orbs. The demonic clown was truly the stuff of nightmares and the memories of her father only made it worse. But she was hopelessly lost, possibly forever, without some form of a guide.
"What are you waiting for then?" Lady asked, challenging the Clown to at least take her out of this impenetrable darkness. Maybe then she could escape… but where? She had already escaped Theo and that had gotten her pretty much nowhere. "I need my weapons."
The eyes flashed with mirth, happy to finally be offered a challenge. The demonic clown rubbed his hands together in front of his long nose, the bloody, talon-like nails made Lady grimace. "Whatever my Lady demands!" The eyes turned from her face and Lady felt horror rush over her as she thought she had failed some test and was about to be left along in the darkness. Another part of her felt more horror still that she would rather be with the demonic clown than completely alone in the pitch black forever.
Then, to her relief she saw a flicker of light emerging from somewhere to her right. It took Lady a moment to realise that it was a large doorway slowly opening as the jester heaved it backwards allowing more light to flow into the darkness. When the doorway was finally opened wide the clown danced forwards, the golden bells on his hat ringing, and bowed low gesturing for Lady to pass through.
She hesitated for a moment wondering what kind of horrors lay in store beyond. Before her a stone spiral staircase twisted upwards, the light was dim, that of a torch that must have flickered somewhere just beyond the curve of the stair.
"You will get me my weapons?" She asked the clown, not moving from where she stood in the darkness.
The clown raised his head a little, his face pulled into a grimace. "You don't trust me to keep my word? My dear Lady I am more than happy to leave you to find your own way out…"
"No!" Lady cut him off, her voice a little more desperate than she would have liked. Then she regained composure. "You first."
The jester's grimace curled at the corners, formed into a sly grin. "Oh no I must insist – ladies first."
A/N: Argh I really wanted to do the big reveal this chapter, but I needed to get it up so I hope you don't mind another kind of filler one. The next one though will be the beginning of the end in terms of angst and drama so stay tuned :) I think about this fic way too much and write too little, but I am so committed to finishing it. Thanks again everyone for the reviews they mean so much to me! (ALSO omg Vergil in DMC4 Special Edition I nearly died! It's been 8 years since that game and finally we get some Vergil!)
Also do please give me critique if you can! I am always worried about going OOC and I appreciate that everyone may go OOC occasionally for reasons (Vergil, this chapter, you will find out why :)), but if something about my characterisation is particularly bothering you please let me know.
-Lady Luce
