03/2020: Hey, if you're starting at this chapter, we have a personal message for our readers posted at the Prologue. If you want to go ahead, you can, however.
Co-author 1: An amateur fight scene then a mellower half of it. Please, no hate, we should get past it by now ioi
Co-author 2/Greg: Yeah, whatevs just read it. One more chapter before I go on a hiatus for this, coz life
Chapter Three: One Long Day
The Seraph's appearance changes their outlook on the battle ahead.
The two hunters find conviction and friendship in the face of uncertainty
Beatrice the Seraph didn't like that at all, not one bit!
And I'm going to take advantage of her being pissed until it's milked dry!
"WORM!" The Seraph countered venomously. "You are nothing! And you shall be nothing! "
As if she couldn't get any brighter, more blindingly radiant and blazingly white-hot the air became so thin, she does so! And since it was still dark morning twilight, her light simulated the break of dawn that keeps escalating to high noon! He didn't dare shield his eyes as she disappeared within her vehemently white-hot aura as she stretches her wings, then flapping them back to prepare to launch herself―!
Where she's launching herself, Dante anticipates! With his wide-legged stance and Rebellion reflecting back the dramatically white light, he was going to catch her helmeted face with the very edge of his blade!
Her wings flapped again, bringing with it gusts of wind that blew back a few of the discarded rooftop items and likely Morrison and Kat, too, if it weren't for the Tall Lady, Cancer and Beard Man she summoned to shield them from the brunt of it! He stayed his ground, observing, waiting as the seconds tick by, watching every movement she makes―!
And like an eagle that dives for prey, she folds her wings tight behind her with her polearm thrust forward to her target!
"Gotcha!" He managed to see the trajectory and lightning-speed of her flight, even if she was literally outpacing a Blackbird jet! The power of her flight left a blazing contrail and forceful momentum that actually blew back a neighboring building's wall!
Swerving his body to catch an angel, he jumps off the giant shell of the crab with Rebellion's point forward, outstretching his left arm, aiming for her head!
The point of the angel's polearm is still a few feet away from the Tall Lady, shielding Kat as she concentrates in keeping her Summoned creatures with her! Knowing he would protect his ally, the angel extends her left arm as she twists her body in midair, manoeuvring her head out of the way as the longsword scrapes against the surface of her helmet at the back as sparks fly!
With eyes on her sucker punch, Dante only has the nanosecond to react as her fist comes for his exposed neck! He catches her gauntleted punch a mere two inches to his skin, but the sheer speed of her arm and the stopping power of his palm make a colliding impact, imploding within their hands as they connect!
BAM!
The impact was a snap of a force, creating a quick gust of air as Kat and Morrison shield their faces from the winded dust! Pulling down their arms to see again, they watch the two creatures smash at each other, giving way to a dog fight in midair!
With all his strength and cunning, Dante contorts his body as he wrestles the angel to submission, who flaps her wings desperately to shake him off as she parries and tries to land a hit with her fists, polearm and her helmeted head!
With the two distracted, Kat jumps into action. "Quick!" She points Cancer and the flying twin fishes, Pisces, to the spot where the Seraph was trapped by Eryx and had burned through the floor. Curiously, besides the large crater created by the huge demon gauntlet, within it bubbles a magma-like substance, seeping inside the architecture of the building!
"That lava could melt through the whole building." Morrison observed. "Damn thing was gonna clean us up with this shit…"
"Not if I'm around…" Kat claims as she commands Cancer, Pisces and the Beard Man, Aquarius, to quell the 'magma'. From the top of the crustacean's shell, Pisces vigorously circles around as jelly-like streams of water materialize; as they do so, they create a floating 'bubble' to be filled full of the purest water for Aquarius to fill inside his large jar. Once inside, the sloshing liquid is cooled as Aquarius decreases the temperature before pouring the contents down to the magma-filled spot, immediately springing up steam as the two substances clash!
With a gust of icy air from Aquarius' lips, the synthesis of the two turn into solidifying lava, hardening from the bubbling dark-grey matter into a flat, uneven rock formation, quelling the fire! With still several of Pisces' Bubbled Water, Cancer and Kat collect them in their respective reservoirs: Cancer's own 'belly' as it distends to fit in the water and Kat's empty bottle.
As he observes, Morrison pulls from his pocket his phone as he contacts backup and firefighters. His tone is cool as he succinctly explains the situation, and nods as he is informed in a matter of seconds. Hanging up, he conveys to Kat what has transpired. "Look, in case some urban catastrophe is coming, I've contacted the fire department to help with the evacuation and with any fire damage that could come. If you could also get my people out of here with that giant crab, that would be great."
She nods and Cancer scuttles to the fallen cops to collect them inside its shell. "And you?"
"Get everybody in this building out. If this collapses…"
Kat shakes her head and clutches his sleeve. "I won't make that happen! I managed to stabilize the whole structure!" She says proudly and gestures towards the stencilled symbols on the rooftop floor. "I knew what she intended to do. It's fixed now."
Morrison looks unconvinced. "I don't doubt your spells or anything. We can't save the people quickly enough, so we have to be smarter."
Nodding her head, Kat understands. "Okay...it's best you go with Cancer. It's not much, but Cancer can scale buildings safely. But also, take this…" She rummages inside her fanny pack and procures a card for him to use. Taking it, she instructs. "You can activate it by simply putting it face up on your hand."
After looking impressed at the card, Morrison pockets it. "Got it."
Just then, an explosion of fire comes from a few blocks where they stood. On another rooftop, Dante can be seen shooting at the fiery Seraph!
"I think Dante's making quite the point with this angel," Morrison chides.
They have been at it for a minute already, with the Seraph consistently on the offensive and Dante on the defensive!
From that initial impact, Dante and the Seraph tumbled across the air, entangled with one another's figures, trying to land a hit! Letting the Seraph hit him with her fists twice, he catches them and pushes them against her torso as he curls his legs inward and plants them on her torso as well! Turning it into Ophion, he clamps it onto her armor and, with the unnatural inertia he has, uses her as a platform to wheel her around midair! On the third roll, Dante kicks her to the asphalt below, letting Ophion go as she screams from the dizzying move and landing to the ground in a cracking smack!
Jumping off her, Dante whips Ophion to swing him across from the other building, observing from behind him the angel sitting up and flapping her wings once again, and flies towards him! But this time she hurls flaming balls at his direction, in which he responds by shooting them with Ebony, while his other hand is busy swinging him away from the apartment where Kat and Morrison, and the tenants are in!
"Now those are the fireworks I've been waiting!" Dante taunts as he shoots the umpteenth fireball hurled at him! Like a wild monkey, he swings himself up onto another roof platform on a building and rolls away as another misses him, scorching the floor instead! Gun-spinning his pistols, he shoots a blaze of bullets at her as retaliation, but all are met with a swirling haze of fire from the Seraph's bullet-speed twirling polearm, melting immediately on contact! He smirks as he quickly switches his weapon in a bright blink, revealing Aquila—a pair of glowing, four-bladed throwing stars—and throws them at her direction! They zip through the air to flank her at both sides, but she merely parries the two stars with her polearm, hitting them with a metallic zwing before disappearing into thin air!
But Dante keeps throwing more of Aquila's stars at her, each star growing in size, spinning like giant blades that would cut through walls like grass! And with each one, the polearm furiously deflects and parries them as she dances with it in midair, her form glowing gradually the longer she keeps it up! As the largest star forms in his left hand, he spins his body to make momentum and throws it at her direction, the projectile coming at her like a bright-blue tornado! She wills her polearm to vanish, swerves her body and folds her wings tight behind her as the huge projectile misses her by centimetres! But she outstretches her arms for her hands to grip the middle handle of the huge throwing star and spins it around her, like a creative gymnast! And with all its momentum left, the Seraph hurls his own weapon back at him!
Still with a sly grin, Dante lowers his body to a much more wide-legged stance and, as the rotating star closes in at half a foot, he whirls his body out of the way and lunges for the grip! Still spinning furiously, he wills Aquila to disappear into the light for another weapon and just in time!
The Seraph summons from her a white blaze of flames, bringing out her frustration to purge his presence on this Realm! As she rains down her White Fire at him, she notices that certain licks of her flames are sparking at different directions!
Halting her attack, her eyes widened when she sees him spinning another weapon, glowing a dazzlingly white color as the sound of its blade cuts the air, still licked by a few of her White flames at its sharp edge, before turning into pale smoke. Dante gleefully twirls the weapon around like a baton, grateful for his hunch!
The Seraph murmurs in loathing. "Eva's Osiris… "
Noting her annoyance, Dante twirls the large, curving silvery scythe, Osiris, on to his shoulders, smiling a lopsided grin. "Thing drives you crazy, huh?"
Floating away, the Seraph decides a new tactic. He watches as the angel spreads her wings wider and banks to another course, her sights elsewhere. His face fell when he realized the low blow this 'holy being' is capable of!
"You're fight's still with me!" He roars and runs after her, jumping off to the other end of the platform and, whipping Ophion again, swings! This time he intends to hitch a ride on her armor!
He swings across the rooftops and propels himself to glide more powerfully, catching up enough that he's a few feet from her, no matter how fast she is! Swinging below her, he slings Ophion once again to clamp onto the waist of her armor!
She readied when she realized Dante was coming and so, banked to the side and managed to evade his Ophion,and threw her polearm at him while he's in mid-swing! As the weapon hurtles through the air to its target, he swerves his body to evade the sharp glaive of it, looking like a figure skater doing a quadruple axel up in the air!
After that last twist, he shoots Ophion and this time its maw clamps onto its mark!
She had thought her White Fire would compel his presence and demonic weapons, but Ophion clamped onto her quick before the Fire could take its effect!
As for Dante burning, he didn't care for that!
And for the sake of this mission, the Seraph didn't care anymore if the Nephilim is this up close and personal, if it meant finishing him off!
The Nephilim's body smacks against her torso, with her managing to push him to a few inches away from her, but his guns blazes at her helmet! She screams as she swats the meddlesome weapons away, and parries against his strikes! Willing her weapon to return, it appears in a bright blink and she tries to plunge it at his neck! Bending his body to escape the sharp end of her glaive, he flips his body off her and, ironically, grabs for her polearm as leverage to keep close to her!
Now back, Dante wraps his legs around her torso and pulls on her polearm to open her up for a strike; switching from their fighting earlier, Dante goes for the offensive as he tries to pry away her weapon! Maintaining her composure, she parries his punches, pushing them and grabbing them away from their intended targets, until Dante headbutts her helmet, the impact igniting her anger further!
As a desperate move, she frantically rolls in mid-air at increasing speeds to get Dante's body off her flying form! Knowing her intent, Dante tightens his legs around her as he goes for another round of punches, but the Seraph manages to lock both his arms as she wills her polearm to disappear! Now both empty-handed, the wrathful Seraph retaliates with a headbutt, which is surprisingly more powerful than what he ever expected! He howls from the impact of her helmeted head, sending spittle and blood from his face!
And that was enough for him to slip from her! Free from him, Dante hurtles downward and far behind, and for her to finally destroy the building, if not the whole area, along with the female magician―
―but Ophion's maw clamps onto her again, this time biting deeper inside her armor! The length of Ophion's cord snaps taut and she is unable to move forward!
"HOW?!" The Seraph howls! She turns behind her to find Dante clinging onto an inner corner of a window from a building next to the apartment, with his left arm extended as base for Ophion's cord! Being the only anchor, he pulls onto Ophion to ensure she remains there! She chuckles, "Fool!" And with a flick of her wrist, she creates a fireball and hurls it at Kat—!
But it was instantly snuffed out, colliding with a liquid substance that dissipates its form! Looking at the rooftop, the Seraph realizes more of the liquid are thrown at her direction!
With a slingshot, Kat shoots a Bubbled Water at the Seraph, along with Pisces and Aquarius, with the Tall Lady, High Priestess, protecting them with her floating sigils! Outraged, the Seraph's White Fire engulfs her and bestows the rooftop with its intense ray of snow-white flames! The Bubbled Waters dissolve into steam immediately at contact; and Ophion's maw, defiantly clamping onto the armor, is melting at the most intense temperature! The long cord is licked with the White Fire, reaching Dante's arm, immediately setting fire on his sleeve and on his very skin! But he holds on, so long as Ophion is still there! He grits as the white flames spreads all over him!
The Seraph laughs as the High Priestess' glowing barrier bars her fire but not the unbearable heat! The flames scorch the façade of the building and it's only a matter of seconds! Whatever magic she made, it won't hold for long! The building will start the fires of the Purge on this area!
She gazes at the Nephilim and is satisfied to see his efforts won't last, either! This poor Nephilim's defiance has been for naught!
Still holding onto the building and onto the Seraph, Dante's skin bristles at the blazing fire swallowing him into oblivion! His body's response is to fight back at the flames and, with the remnants of his strength, he pulls harder on the angel. The Seraph smirks at him and increases the flames' volume on the apartment building, bathing the whole area in a choking white brightness!
"I can pull you off the building," she snidely remarks as she tugs at the cord of Ophion and Dante grunts against her strength. He tugs back at her, but she grins at his effort. She stares at Ophion's form, already losing shape. "The rope can just melt, or burst into flames, or snap!"
Still in a tug of war, Ophion's cord threatens to snap as both beings challenge the other's strength. But Ophion's durability is becoming questionable; the cord thins with each passing second.
"Or I can burn you. Imagine, finally bursting into ashes!" Her smile infuriates Dante, who glares at her. His clothes have drifted away as ashy particles into the wind. He closes his eyes as he pulls on Ophion, the cord turning into a threadbare rope burning away!
Kat kneels behind the protective sigils, her arms outstretched, imitated by the High Priestess, whose hands glow with power, to maintain the sigils' forms. But she was beginning to have doubts, as the fiery temperature surrounds them and the sound of destruction is followed by the quaking shift beneath her! Oh God…
A lilting laugh comes from the angel as magical sigils appear all over the apartment building, prompting the spell to stabilize the whole structure. Yet, the multiple cracks and snapping materials of concrete, wood, metal and glass prove the dissipating efficacy of Kat's spell! Screams from evacuating people from below, as well as sirens accompany the cacophony of the blazing White Fire and an impending collapse!
But a most inhuman roar cuts through the noise, echoing across the district! Without a second's thought, Ophion's maw snaps off her armor and is met with a knee on her face!
The imploding impact halts her White Fire, sending her almost flying into unconsciousness and, for the first time in her life, Beatrice the Seraph tasted her own blood!
A strange, powerful figure had kneed her in the face, all nude and white-haired, and a powerful, unknowable force carving through his very skin! Dante had Triggered!
He had been holding back, unsure how volatile his transformation would be! He feared it affected the area within a few feet and he didn't want to destroy the building!
Oh FUCK IT!
It was too late for anymore second guesses! He should've went for the kill and stop hoping he scared her off! But he knew better now!
Sure enough, the wall of the building he had been clinging on fragmented when he bolted from it, as pieces of wall debris are sent flying off and tumbling below! Like a rocket, he goes for her face, his left knee first!
BOOM!
And when he made violent contact, he roars triumphantly, as not only does her helmet's visor shatters , the Seraph's blood rivulets out like a fountain!
Not done with her, he whips Ophion once more—newly reforged, with an armoured, heavily-spiked snake for its head and a cord that reveals its thorns for better grip on either obstacle or opponent—twisting his body in the air to collect momentum! Made as a flailing weapon, Ophion's sharp head collides against her armor, impacting a large dent on the sternum! The Seraph makes a choking sound while she howls in agony, almost tumbling down as her wings try to flap and drag her higher!
Diving headfirst, he slings Ophion one last time as it clamps onto another building, swinging him onto the building's façade, kicks against it to launch his body high up and going for the Seraph! Still in his Trigger State, the Seraph felt her body becoming frozen in midair and realizes in horror what Dante has become! Is this one of their powers? I cannot control my body!
Ophion disappears in the light and from it, a longsword emerges!
A victorious roar frees from Dante's lips as he swings Rebellion towards her back—the exposed flesh and the outstretched wings!
SNAP!
The crimson-soaked fine feathers of her wings scatter from behind as the searing edge of Rebellion travels across her skin! The Seraph screams in pain as streams of blood escape from the deep cut across her back!
And she was given no respite! Immediately, Bubbled Waters are splashed all over her body, quelling any remnants of her White Fire! Though able to fly, the open wound and the weight of the waters prove she cannot cover a distance in a second!
As if the water wasn't enough to silence her fire, she screams as a sharp icy pain traps her whole body! Staring at the rooftop, she sees the human―Kat―had commanded Aquarius and High Priestess to create icy stalagmites that encase her form inside, connecting from the edge of the rooftop. The sharp edges look like icy knives, pricking her exposed face and digging into her armor! Now presented for the whole public to ogle at, Kat glares at her as she squirms inside her frozen prison.
The screams of desperation and fear are so opposite from her poised and intimidating presence from earlier, that Dante is finding it hard to believe and also amusing. He swings on the apartment's rooftop and crouches next to the icy trap, grinning at the Seraph. "Aww. Uncomfortable?"
"Killing me is the only resort!" The Seraph said, almost pleading. "But there are… more ! More of us will come and we will stop at nothing to ensure the Coming World will never be summoned from either of Eva's children!"
He makes a nonchalant expression on his face, shrugging his shoulders at her. "Whatever makes you happy, angel. "
She continues her declamation. "I, Beatrice, of the holy sphere of Seraphs, will forevermore bow not to the malignity, pestilence and devilry of this Realm! And despite my defeat, I am more than honoured to have fought valiantly against evil! So go and commit murder on me, the angel, your Deliverer of purity, lest I return!"
Dante merely sneers at her. "You're really over dramatic."
But he knew she was right. She'll regain her strength and she'll escape. Those wounds are nothing and will heal, and for that alone, Dante knows it's just a matter of time. Looking at her face closely, he does feel a tad remorseful and disappointed.
Pretty girl happens to be an enemy. Just our luck…
Despite the elaborate visor earlier covering her face and the blood pouring from her nostrils, she is indeed beautiful; and from the way she had stood up moments ago, she was actually inches shorter than Kat, a petite beauty. Her eyes are round and hazel in color; her nose was uniquely strong looking, like a sharp Roman nose: it has a distinct bump on the top of her nose bridge, sloping to a slender pointed tip. Her lips are full, but not pouting, with her lower lip rounded and they open to reveal a set of evenly-shaped teeth. Her facial shape was square-like, contorting towards prominent cheekbones and supple cheeks, which blushes a stark pink against her pale skin, likely from stress. Underneath her shattered helmet are strands of golden-red hair.
"I noticed, by the way, that you're a redhead, eh, Trish? " Dante asks, with Rebellion idly swinging from his fingertips. "My mom's a redhead. Are all angels redheads?"
Below them, Cancer scuttles upwards on the building, with Morrison balancing on its pincer. Stepping onto the platform, his eyes glazed with fury against the angel. "You're no good dead to us. I'm bringing you in. We have a special containment for the likes of you, a remnant of Mundus' era."
Despite her predicament, she chuckles. "Ha! You'll regret trying to interrogate me! It will all be futile!"
Morrison scoffs at her. "Then you'll have fun in containment."
Gazing at Kat, Morrison wordlessly signals her and she nods; commanding Cancer, it obediently pries the stalagmite encasing from the building. To prevent it from melting or breaking, Aquarius and Pisces reform the icy stalagmites on it with their icy breath and endless water; with new sigils, High Priestess strengthens its longevity. As Cancer successfully separates the trapped angel from the building, the Seraph looks onto Morrison, Kat and Dante, who grins and salutes at her.
"I am more than honoured to have valiantly fought against evil!" He echoes arrogantly, which she responds with a grunt of disgust.
Then a flash of lightning struck the Seraph!
The clap of lightning and ominous clouds came from nowhere! Kat points upwards, where lightning flickers dangerously! The morning pink light was slowly streaming in to illuminate bright clouds, yet the thunderous clouds above them was a stark contrast, a hazy dark-grey—!
"Dante!" Morrison yells in a panic. "Don't let her escape!"
The Seraph began to cry in joy.
"O Heavenly Power!" She cries, tears streaming as another white lightning strikes at her! Dante launches from his spot, Rebellion ready for a swing! She continues her praise, "You have shown Mercy despite my unworthiness! Forgive me!"
Another lightning strikes, illuminating the dim district with its color and electrifying surge, tingling the surface of everyone's skin. For Dante, however, the lightning was a force! It hit his form, reverting his Trigger State back to normal, his white hair turning jet black, and the carving force that ripples across his skin dissipates, and sends him falling back; but it wasn't painful enough for him to lose consciousness, as he wills Aquila in his left hand and flings it towards the 'clouds'…
…and the blue glow from Aquila reveals the true nature of the Seraph's rescuer!
"What in the world ?" Never has Kat been this baffled and fearful, except the first time she had realized her psychic powers and the demonic forces behind the orphanage she once lived in, but that was a long time ago. Her skin bristles as she makes a mental link at the 'clouds' above them, which, in estimates, is only thirty feet above them!
The 'clouds' is just one giant creature ! She cannot fathom the monstrosity that floated above this area as it stares at…well, everything! As best as she can see and understand, the creature is a massive circular shape, covered in a haze of black clouds and appears to have eyes all over its 'body'!
"It's an Elder." Morrison mutters, his tone echoing a sort of surrender. Kat shakes her head in anxiety. "I guess I'm gonna have to need a bigger containment…"
Cancer manages to save Dante from crashing onto the side of the building and wills Aquila to disappear; he clings on its shell as it scuttles up and over the rooftop. He looks on in horror as, what appears to be a 'rope' of lightning frozen in form, its long white root touching the Seraph at her head, still trapped inside the ice, hovering in midair! The spikes of lightning dance across the Seraph as she whispers her prayer.
"Oh Pure, Heavenly and Immortal One! I heed your call! Make me your worthy Servant again and I shall help in bringing our everlasting victory!"
And with those words, lightning flashes, cutting through the atmosphere as its deafening crack explodes through the scenery, threatening to implode the eardrums and blind anyone even with their eyes closed—!
And they are gone…
Kat once again points at a certain direction! Against the morning pink clouds, sure enough, they see a trail of flickering lights, moving across the distance.
Morrison clicks his tongue. "That's north…"
"To Wolfhaven." Dante murmurs, his eyes round.
"They're mobilizing." The old man further illustrates with a sigh. "They're after your twin, although I'm not holding my breath that they're all there."
Concerned, Dante points out, "How are you gonna handle them if they are here?"
A warm smile curls Morrison's lips. "You don't worry about us , kid. We got this situation. You and Kat, on the other hand, will have an impact that's going to change the tides."
"Yeah, no pressure." Dante chides to the old man. "And just to clear it up again, I still don't a hundred percent trust you. But you're all we've got."
He chuckles at Dante. "I'm keeping my word." Then he motions for the only subordinate he has, who became conscious again minutes ago, to come close.
Tilting his head in confusion, the female rookie cop Dante had supposedly pranked came with a large towel and, with an infuriated expression, bundles Dante's nude body!
"Oh! Right!" He says sheepishly, pulling the blanket close, turning pink. "Uh…thanks."
She harrumphs at him as she walks away, but marches back at him when he whispers, "Nice excuse to touch me, though."
Morrison groans and pinches his nose as his rookie punches Dante's face! Kat hisses at the embarrassing situation and retorts, "You started it."
Reeling from the hit, Dante presses his lips together as he gazes back at the rookie walking away. He's already recovering from the punch, but he should've expected that.
As Morrison ignores the short trifle, he continues and briefs them about the information he's supplying them, as well as gear to communicate with him directly or to any officer active in the vicinity they're going. They are also provided with transportation, a tourist map of Wolfhaven and emergency supplies.
And with that, Dante and Kat get to packing. Two of Morrison's police officers—the rookie and another cop—wait outside their apartment door. While Kat takes all her witchcraft supplies and clothes, Dante stares at the nook of the living room, where the only couch is. That couch had been his own private area, a 'thought space' while he reads everything he can get his hands on. That little nook, plopped on the couch, Dante read Vergil's journals, Phineas' 'history' books, some of Kat's magic tomes, online news, a music sheet, fashion magazines, comics, chat heads from people who exchanged usernames…
It was a quiet place and a sober place. In the past three days, not once did he get drunk or ingested some questionable substance, not even when he was out on the 'field'. He was clean . He was more himself…
…And more curious, more in doubt and more eager than ever before. When opportunity presents itself, Dante's instinct to doubt was always the best option. But this opportunity is too personal to ignore and too catastrophic for him to deny.
He stares at the belongings he stuffed inside his backpack, sling bag and one small spinner luggage, all of them with him…
…and he gazes towards the front door, where the hot rookie cop and an older cop are likely yawning in boredom on the other side, as they respond or listen to the crack of their radio or the ringtone of their phone, patiently waiting for them to exit and leave…
…leave.
In between packing, they ate their breakfast, which fuels Kat so she can wonder how a shoebox apartment had managed to present itself six luggage of personal items! Perhaps the professional luggage full of their techno gear is understandable, but she had never considered her magical items to be so burdensome!
"Hey, Dante!" She calls him as she scratches her head in annoyance, wondering how exactly she is going to put two chests of fragile items in one luggage. "Give me a hand. Maybe I'm gonna have to put some of the more durable items on the trolley to be tied up instead…"
Without a word, Dante trots in and gauges the issue, listening to Kat's orders with an absentminded glaze on his face and sets to work. She doesn't notice this at first, but when he doesn't answer her after a few seconds of silence, she calls his name.
"What?"
"I asked," Kat reiterates. "If you packed the sandwiches or are you gonna finish them all?" She looks him over with her eyes, surveying his slumped shoulders and disinterested demeanor.
Sitting cross legged on the floor, Dante's arms are over the luggage of her clothes, his eyes betraying he's deep in thought.
"I finished them all." He says casually, his eyes on the luggage as he taps his fingers on it. "Is that all?"
She decides to sit next to him, sighing as she does so. "Are you nervous?" She asks as she props her hand on her face.
He flicks his gaze at her, then away from her, still tapping at the luggage. "I'm feeling a lot of things. We might bump into Vergil the moment we get there without any clue about it."
She takes a deep breath before clicking her tongue. "So what? A fight will break out, I try to make sure no civilian's in sight, we make him surrender and …well, I don't know . We won't know until we get there. I'm nervous , too, and that's normal."
He shakes his head, his expression sour. "Well, I'm not nervous." The breath he exhales is long and heavy, and seconds tick by before he answers. "I'm not nervous. Hell , I'm not scared."
Skeptical, Kat unfurls her legs and stretches, getting comfortable sitting on the dusty floor, whilst caressing her splinted left arm. Dante gazes at how she readjusts the splinted arm, fury and empathy flickering together inside his mind; her arm is not as bad as it had been, all freshly-bloody, with a gaping hole from when the bullet pierced her skin and welted from the torture they did to her. Yet, here she is, now just sporting scars as if they are nothing, comforting him and dealing with a dilemma about luggage. He doesn't deserve good and courageous friends , but fate did give him one . And for that, he feels lucky.
"How's the arm?" Dante asks softly and Kat's smile widens. "Hope that surprise stunt from the angel didn't push you too far."
She beamed at him and even flexes the left arm, although because of the way the braces limits her and her broken bones are still mending, she flexes it slowly, like a robot with a few joints. "This arm is meant to fight evil."
He chuckles. "Oh man, I better retrain my left arm! I won't be able to deflect those moves!"
And from there, the two friends play fight, with Kat pretending to punch, elbow-drop or parry his punches, as Dante mocks a losing battle against her one-arm attacks.
"Kat the Witch wins!" She triumphs softly as Dante gurgles out sounds of defeat as he flails on the ground. "Okay, you're overselling it." She chuckles, in which Dante goes overboard with his acting, wheezing out a death rattle and twitching his fingers, before going completely still.
After two seconds, he looks up at her. "Award-worthy, yeah?" He asks, his arms folded like a relaxed puppy would with their pink stomachs exposed.
"For Worst Death Scene." She quips.
He shrugs. "I'll take it!"
But her face becomes stern just as quick. "But you won't have a Death Scene in where we're going…"
And with that shift in tone, Dante drops his 'puppy arms' to his sides, groaning loudly. Kat patiently sits at her spot as she exhales a long breath, observing his face. His eyes are busy reading the ceiling as the seconds tick by. When he does sit up, he does so gradually, breathing out a long sigh, which Kat takes as a sign that he had contemplated the right words to say.
Folding one leg to prop his left arm, he takes a deep breath before he lets his somber voice carve another newfound respect that Kat thought she already has for him.
"I'm not saying I'm not completely scared. But I'm not afraid of doing this or feel any apprehension of whatever we will face. I'm actually really just eager to know...heh, is that even the right word, eager? Maybe, impatient...I have a lot on my mind what we could be dealing there. I mean, wouldn't you? I've been in the dark about who I am for the last twelve, thirteen years of my miserable, pathetic life. All I've ever done to myself and to other people had been just as equally bad as what the demons are doing. I've been nobody, just another strain of who the fuck they are , and the hell they're doing to this world...but when you and Vergil came to my life, I had that glimpse of hope. And just getting here , to start another crazy journey that we're going, instead of me being in an endless loop of abusive nothingness… we're going somewhere because actual people need us, even if we're not exactly who they expect...we're free, more free now because everything is naturally uncertain and it's in our hands! And it all started with you getting me out of my stolen RV trailer! It was the best thing someone's ever done for me."
Kat shifts uncomfortably, not only of hearing Vergil's name, but of being complimented. Dante's a good liar, but only because he knows how to act the lie out genuinely; and when he is being genuine and honest, he says it ever so bluntly.
"I―I did what I can." She says, turning pink, her greyish-green eyes gazing at his icy blue ones, his full lips curling in a rare warm smile; Dante is very good-looking, youthfully athletic, and boyishly-rugged: both in an uncouth, vulgar way, and surprisingly in a charming and hilarious way, genuinely tenderhearted to the few he befriends. And she is lucky, so lucky to the point she saw him as a brother she would want to protect and have a joyous life, and wholeheartedly wish him a life away from the destined burden he and Vergil have been born into.
He scoots closer and Kat drinks in the details of the best person that's existed in a long time. The way he murmurs reveals a gentle, boyish quality in his deep voice. "Yeah. Not many would stay their ground at the things you've been through. And you've gone through me, too."
She represses a giggle, shaking her head as her heart beats.
Her heart used to flutter too fast when Vergil praises her; back a few days ago, when it's just Dante who's looking after her injuries, her heart fluttered familiarly as well, especially since he looked at her a certain way …
...Dante expressed interest in her, confesses he crushes on women who see right through his looks and the obvious cracks in his outward physique, and that they are out there, proof of good-natured people trapped in this condemned world, no matter how few and far between; compared to the women who mutually desired him when he's only drunk or have a wad of cash…
Kat can feel it on her skin his palpable feelings and his sympathetic past, and her heart races faster…
...but that fluttering heart sent a bad message…
Kat confessed her turmoil to him, about the slow recollections of memories of Vergil's feelings towards her, and her own feelings to his twin. And how absurd it all is, how she had been so naive, so weak to have fallen in love and fallen for their own cold decisions to remain 'professional acquaintances' through brainwashing magic, erasing their time together as their most potent act of denial…
And Dante was so appalled to have learned this, that he berated himself at having not gotten any hints between them at all! And how his twin's detached demeanor made more sense than being some virginal nerd (which Kat laughed at)! And Dante apologized profusely and frustratingly told her to speak up against him!
"I thought we trust one another! WHY didn't you say no...well, you said no now! I mean, I touched your BUTT! Back at the playground after I fought Vergil!"
"Then I dick-punched you."
"THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!"
And that was the start of something beautiful, amazing and revelational between them!
The warm smile on his lips turns into a funny giggle. "Well, look at that shade of pink!"
Her heart flutters, but it's much more powerful, much more empowering! "I guess I did a pretty good job getting you out of your own asshole!"
He chuckles at her off-color joke, then takes her in his arms in an embrace. Kat leans her head to his neck, liking the tenderness he employs with her splinted left arm. If only there was a spell to never break this moment, or bottle it up somewhere for her to review in times of coldness or dark days...
But Kat suddenly recalls something and pulls away. "Wait! You said that RV trailer was stolen all along?"
"Shhh…" Dante hushed quickly, pulling her again in the embrace and patting her back. "We're having a moment, right?"
He knew she wasn't going to drop the subject for a long while, at least for the next few minutes, so she would bluntly remind him about the torn vehicle or sneak in questions regarding the hapless RV trailer he once called his shelter. He ignores them as best he can, not once did he say anything at all about its history, where he had stolen it, how long he had gotten away with it and, since Kat really wants to know and is getting him riled up (ineffectively, in his opinion), if the clothes in the trailer were from the former owner.
"From your expressions alone ," Kat surmises, her eyes squinting suspiciously, "I'm beginning to think you stole it from a rock band... probably during a live concert or outdoor event."
Dante scoffs, not meeting her gaze as he closes the last spinner luggage full of her magical objects and clothes. With a click of the lock, he smirks at her. "Very cold, Kat. And I thought you have data about me through the Order?"
She glares. "In my defense, we tracked you through magical means and Vergil has been doing his best to erase or edit any records of you, but pretty soon, I'll find out."
Her challenging tone puts a proud smile on his face, but not giving in, he starts pulling all her closed luggage and walked off to the living space without another word, leaving her with her tongue against her cheek and her hands on her hips. For now, Kat is dropping the mystery , but she smiles and caresses the magical splint on her left arm and fondly remembering some of the words he told her.
She closed the door of the bathroom and started peeling her clothes off to shower. She had met Morrison and fought against the Seraph in ratty pajamas, so she's ready to actually wear appropriate 'demon-hunting' attire. She feels a bit nostalgic, knowing she's experiencing the last warm shower in this apartment. She had hanged on the hooks of the door a recognizable outfit: her blue hoodie with an orange body and denim shorts.
As she's scrubbing herself, she can hear the front door swinging open and a slew of voices are coming inside. Dante had let in the two cops waiting and guarding their door outside. From the sound of things, they seem to be in amicable terms, at least as far as Dante could make it so, since he had pranked these cops. After toweling herself dry and started putting on her bra, she overhears their conversation and shakes her head incredulously.
"So...I mean, you're not human and all, but what's a Nephilim? Because you look human, what makes a Nephilim different?" The older male cop is asked.
"I actually still don't know." Dante replies with a sigh. "But I hope to find the answers soon. Maybe in Wolfhaven."
The female rookie speaks. "Well, it's pretty clear he's got forums theorizing, especially with lonely bachelorettes and gym buffs regarding your body. Objectification much…"
He may not be making a sound, but Kat can hear him smirk at the idea. "I've been used to that."
The rookie cop audibly smirks. "Yeah, but in admiration, this time. Back then, they fetishize on how criminals should suffer."
"And all that because an 'angel' burned your clothes." Said the older cop sardonically. "If we can call that an angel."
Smiling, Kat realizes that they must be talking about the new viral videos the witnesses took a few hours ago: of Dante's clothes bursting into flames and nothingness, leaving him nude while continuing his battle against the Seraph in all his 'glory'.
She shakes her head again at the memory of their first time meeting. If there was some magical eye bleach, I would do that. But there's only a spell to simulate amnesia of certain events, and even that is risky…
Then she remembers the way his arms encircled around her, telling her how he feels lucky to have found someone like her …
Vergil…
She clasps the bra behind her and pulls on her panties, fully ignoring anymore of those memories and even the ridiculous conversation outside, as the rookie makes fun of Dante's manhood.
"You know, legends say Nephilim are actually giants," the rookie comments in a backhanded tone. "But even if you were, I think you'd make a good 'David' model with your junk."
The older cop is kinder but unable to salvage the rude attitude of his rookie. "Don't be like that."
"Hugh here's a pretty great amateur historian," the rookie continues dryly as she gestures at her veteran coworker. "You think Michelangelo or other Neo-Grecian sculptors would like him?"
Dante merely chuckles at her. "Well, better a David than a Goliath. I don't think you'll be able to handle a gigantic barbarian, might cause public unrest."
Hugh gives her a sympathetic look as she turns pink, chuckling. "Oh, Therese…"
The flushed rookie, Therese, gives Dante a salty look, who maintains his triumphant grin. "Oh, you don't know what I can handle, Wanted Man."
He slyly gazes at her, his icy blue eyes intensely framed by his jet-black lashes. "You're right, there's still a lot of ground I don't know about you. You can show me the ropes, if you want."
Therese remains snappy, her arms crossed. "Watch it, Wanted Man, or maybe I will bind you up real good somewhere."
Dante rebuts in a low voice, " Ooh, you'd want that, wouldn't you?"
"Right!" Hugh claps his hands for a change of subject, as Therese, scowling, goes for her taser. "Let's just get along!"
Finally dressed, Kat opens the door of the bathroom and joins them, telling Dante of his turn to shower. Therese adds skeptically, "Wait, I just realized, didn't his clothes burn earlier? How are you wearing the exact same ones?"
All Kat could do is suppress a knowing grin, as she eyes Dante's outfit: the same worn-out tank top, old leather coat, slim dark-wash jeans and dirty work boots; the exact same ones that burst into particles from the Seraph!
The only response Dante gives is him wiggling his eyebrows before entering the bathroom and locking the door behind him.
Therese makes a disgruntled sound. "Weirdo."
Kat agrees with a sheepish grin. "He can be sometimes."
Dante's voice echoes behind the bathroom door. "Heard that!"
Unlike Dante, the two cops make a more pleasant talk with Kat, telling them of their experiences as cops within Mundus' reign and of themselves. She finds this insightful and quite pitiful, realizing they are as much of a victim of the former system, as well as any lower-class citizen or marginalized individual was.
"I wanted to get into Law school, but was declined and the scholarships I pre-enrolled all cancelled my chances," Hugh elaborates. "So I went to criminology and to a police academy. In my opinion, did a great job as an officer for the last twenty-five years of my life. Some of the heavy cases I reported either went unsolved or are fixed immediately , and Limbo Metropolitan Police sure has a 'good, clean record of quickly-acting police authorities that solve cases and ensures criminal acts are punished and rehabilitated, for the protection of its citizens', or so many glowing reviews from news anchors or tourist channels say. But if so, I never once got promoted to the positions I wanted. Definitely not detective or K-9 Unit. Only recently did I manage to land as a trainer. I love my trainees, but some of them...they quit only after a week or so. Office harassment, peer pressure or perhaps, blackmail. I knew there was, but...the police would keep that quiet. Therese and the twenty more that are recently helping Commissioner Morrison had been under my wing." He finishes rather proudly.
Therese shares hers, as well. "From a suburb in New Kali City, rowdy and mostly lower-class. It gets by and I wanted to get by, and probably bring along what I know, once I get transferred for Patrol. New Kali may not be Limbo, but at least Limbo can back up their talk about sweeping away any unwanted under their rug, and into their hellhole. New Kali is exactly the urban jungle dream rife for thugs and street wars. The thing is, it's a beautiful city, all the races, cultures you can think of, they immigrated and made a community there thousands of years ago , and I have a friend who works for an archeological team to prove it. It's sad, that my old suburb is lagging behind."
Her eyes brimming with sympathy, Kat leans close to Therese with a warm smile. "Maybe after the Wolfhaven case, if we have time, maybe you can show us around your favorite places."
"Hmph!" Therese smirks and shows her right hand for Kat, who takes it for a handshake. "Deal! Just keep that horny puppy on a leash, though. Kali girls are way smoking hot than these bony Limbo dancers."
Kat sighs and looks apologetic, in which Hugh chuckles. "Dante's... well-behaved than his public profile is led to believe. I mean, he may like ruffling feathers the wrong way, but he's the type to want to get invited first before he pounces."
There was no denying the spark in Therese's green eyes and suppressed grin. "Well, okay, we'll see."
Hugh is more optimistic. "We will see. "
The rest of the few minutes becomes a comfortable atmosphere of making new friends. After his shower, Dante exits with his towel draped all over his head and onto his bare shoulders, meeting Kat and the two cops sharing online things through their phones on the small living area. He scrunches the towel over his jet-black hair before pulling it off and placing over his shoulders; inside his jeans pocket, he procures the one heirloom he managed to keep all these years.
"Cute," Therese teases, glancing up from her phone's screen; she had been discreetly eyeing Dante up and down, making a quick review of his bare torso.
Now usually, Dante's face expresses a coolly, sometimes jeering face, except with Kat (but also, except when they're joking). But since it's their first time taking note of the jewel, Dante's face becomes tender as his fingers rest on the bright ruby-colored gem of his pendant, its simple black woven chain hanging loosely down his forearm. He smiles warmly at it. "Yeah...my mom gave it to me."
Kat can feel the teasing mood drain away from her. Therese nods, "Must be a fortune."
He puts it on, over his head and lets it rest on the middle of his collarbones. His face contorts into a deep, somber look Kat is familiar with, whenever he read a passage in one of the journals. "Yeah...maybe." A mother wouldn't mind paying a fortune or her own soul for her sons.
Before the awkward silence could get the mood down, Kat stands up and pulls on her carry-on bag. "Okay, once you're fully-dressed , we should get going."
Imitating her, Hugh stands up as well, looking excited. "Yes. We proposed to the Commissioner that we should, at least, all get some get-together lunch. Good for morale and good overall!"
A brighter smile curls into Dante's lips. "Sounds good."
And that was that; getting his tank top and leather coat, Dante takes all his carry-on with him as Kat finishes putting on her lip balm while she and Therese hold a conversation about history, mehndi tattoos and festivals in New Kali.
"You two ready?" Asks Hugh, after he opened the front door for them to exit first. As they did so, Hugh is the last to exit before Dante shuts the front door, with the apartment keys in hand. He inserts it and clicks it locked, its sound echoing at the empty hallway. Kat gazed at the door keys longingly before he goes to hand them over to Therese. She assures Kat that they were going to smoothen the details to the landlord and that the place will be 'swept clean' as much as possible. The two hunters looked at one another and, sensing the feelings of the other, they nod their heads solemnly before leaving with them.
"Let's go." Kat murmurs and the cops take the lead without anymore preamble.
With all their luggage with them, Kat and Dante follow the two escorting cops down the stairs (the elevators remain inaccessible due to the attack and for check-up by some firefighting and technician crew), as Therese explains the next agenda. "Commissioner still wants to see you. He's inside the cargo van, as we got new info regarding Rochenmore Town. You are also provided with a sedan, as I think he's discussed already. It's second-hand and should be enough for you and all your gear." Then her tone becomes waspish when she talks to Dante. " Don't get it wrecked on the way out, Wanted Man!"
"She's driving." He corrects her, gesturing at Kat, who confirms it with a nonchalant sound. "And when will you ever say my name so softly, Ms. Officer?"
Therese mockingly considers the question. "Oh, I don't know, when you will respect me, Wanted Man."
He simply gives her a devious smile, which further heightens Therese's annoyance...and pink cheeks! He adds with mocking, but still a very pleasantly timbered tone of adoration, "I may be wanted, but I can be your man, Teresa!"
The next few moments shouldn't be surprising as both Kat and Hugh are left behind while Dante sprints down the stairs of the apartment, avoiding a taser and a whipping baton! Therese hurls insults and swearing as she chases after him, his luggage bouncing along in loud thumping noises and the clacking of heavy boots following after him!
"You know, I can help you with that spinner bag," Hugh offered to Kat, looking at her left arm. She grins politely and assures him she can carry the two carry-ons pretty well, as he's already pulling two big ones.
When they finally reach the ground floor and the exit, Kat is immediately assisted by another cop and ensures all their luggage are secured. She lets her bags be taken away and into a trunk inside a cargo van, while her eyes gaze at a group of police officers, firefighters, medical crew and other professionals tending to the wounded, panicked, evacuating and confused. The noise outside had nothing been ambient sound, having grown desensitized to the urban chaos; but perhaps because most have been whisked away, it doesn't change the fact that they had been attacked.
And the multitude of expressions she's seeing heightens a kind of awareness Kat is all familiar with when she needs to undertake a very dangerous and difficult task ahead. It is humbling and frightening, knowing she looks just like them, feels just like them.
She closes her eyes as she takes a very deep breath…
...and she takes in the scent of all their fears, their hopes, their ambivalence to the harsh phenomenon they have been witness to. She feels the touch of their essence as they look around them, huddled close to their family and friends, or briskly walking to get inside another provided transportation, its bustling engine a whisper inside her soul…
...each and everyone of them will be whisked away, escaping the nightmarish reality of a new, authentic world, but where 'Heaven' and 'Hell' are not quite what they seem…
She releases her breath and suppresses a tear coming down. She glances around her and it seems not second has passed by at all.
We got this. We got this…
She sees Dante turning all around him until his eyes meet hers, then gestures her to follow him. Morrison peeks his head outside a large cargo van as Dante hollers her attention.
She takes another lungful of air and briskly trots towards their direction. It's gonna be one long, helluva day.
"Yo! Kat! We got new info!"
She chuckles. "Yeah, I can hear you very well."
He looks more stressed and older, even though just a few hours has passed by, as he brushes back his greying brown hair; despite this, Commissioner Morrison gives her a placid smile. He fishes inside his pocket and pulls out a thin card. "Thank you. But I wasn't able to use it."
Kat counters him with the same smile, shaking her head as she pushes the card―her Summoning Card―back to him. "I can make more of the same for myself. I think you're gonna need it more."
A wider grin stretches across his lips and Morrison peers at the Summoning Card's image and inscription: a depiction of a woman embracing a fierce, large tiger; the word 'STRENGTH' is laid across below the image. He tucks the card back in and says, "Yeah. I'm gonna need it."