Author's Notes: This is a DMC-based series mixing action, adventure and humour as well as parody which I'm writing both as a gift to my excellent friend bustahead, and a test of my own writing skills. Originally it was hosted on her account but for various reasons we decided it was best I put it up myself, so I made my own account and here it is. This story revolves around a very different threat to the series' cast, and I'll be the first to admit this is a strange work and also know OC-based series are looked down upon by some. All the same I ask hopefully that you give it a chance and even if you don't like it leave a review with some constructive advice so that I may improve, and other than that I hope you enjoy my work.
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A starry nebulous cascade, this was the world in which they were reunited.
"Reiko, Zone?" Arson asked warily, as if afraid it wasn't really them, but a trick of this phantasmal realm.
"Arson, you're looking well" Zone responded, distracted by the scenery swirling around them. A galaxy of lights was streaming past them, spiralling and arcing into incomprehensibly grand and intricate patterns. It was like they were witnessing the particles of energy that made the portals they'd been using, on the tiniest level. The stream billowed, Arson's hair and Zone's fur wavering, and it felt warm, like sun-touched glass.
"The path we have taken winds into the nexus of the fandom, coiling around the source of the disturbance, her. We must be in the lifeblood of the world, we're passing through it on our way to her" Reiko explained, floating a little closer to the others. He reached out and caught one of the streaming wisps as it flew by. It burst into a thousand sparkling drops that streamed through his fingers, feeling like freshest melted snow.
"Then, what's all this?" Arson asked, listening out as he did. There was a whistling all around them, but if he listened closely, it sounded like a whispering. In fact, if he calmed his mind, it became a million voices.
"Inspiration perhaps, potential, ideas, I can't say for sure" Reiko said, noticing the streams were coalescing.
"Potential, huh?" Zone thought out loud. Focusing his mind, he drifted up, none of them standing but rather held afloat by the enigmatic force. Coming about level with the others' shoulders, he reached out and struck one of the lights. The wisp burst into an incandescent nova, surging outwards, then upwards, warping into a halo of azure lightning that exploded against what passed for sky here, scribing infinite patterns in the dark.
"How did you do that?" Arson asked, watching the display in amazement.
"I just, imagined something incredible, and it was that… And it happened" Zone replied, surprised himself.
"I think, anyone can do it, this energy gives life to dreams" Reiko theorised. Raising his hand, he touched another one himself, letting his thoughts flow this time, unlike before when his mind had been organised, analytical. The miniscule star shimmered and rippled outwards, becoming moonlight reflected on water's disturbed surface, countless slivers of liquid light undulating all around them. Arson tried it, reaching out and gently grasping another flicker. The moment he squeezed in his hand, it erupted into light, rays of sun-shaded iridescence lancing out, spearing into Reiko's shining current, and forming whirlwinds of rainbows.
"This is, powerful stuff" the hybrid whispered, his eyes wide with awe.
"Sure is" Zone agreed, gazing at the amalgamation of their influences, shimmering spectrums swept against a tapestry of pulsing sapphire patterns sewn into deepest obsidian. Then he remembered something, "Hey, I feel fine, like after I finished the last mission, it was as if all my pain and fatigue just vanished, and you two also seem to have recovered. How did that happen?".
"It was the Blue Orbs. Each secret mission yields one Fragment, and four Fragments make a whole Orb, so, that is three Orbs, one for each of us. They marginally augment your vitality, enough to take one more deep wound for example, but when you first gain a new one, it also totally restores your health" Reiko answered.
There was a pause as the other two absorbed this, and then Zone suddenly burst out laughing, "Hahahaha! I can't believe it, an actual lucky break, that's insane".
"Neat, that is cool!" Arson enthused in agreement, a broad smile slapped on his face. "So like now we have a fair chance at beating Mary Sue, right?" he half-asked, half-encouraged.
"Yes, but, still just one chance, and I think we've almost arrived. Lets do this together, yeah?" Reiko asked.
"Yeah!" Arson and Zone replied together, the three drifting together as the light intensified to pure white…
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A dark scene was playing out on the sovereign and arcane alter of chaos at the heart of the Temen-Ni-Gru. Beneath a hundred leering stone faces, Mary Sue took malicious delight in forcing the sons of Sparda to do her bidding, in her own tradition of disregarding the characters of others.
Unto this travesty a shining light beamed unexpectedly, interrupting proceedings, much to the relief of two of the three present. A column of pure energy rushed up from the floor like a geyser, illuminating the room brightly for a few brief moments, and then dissipating to leave Arson, Reiko, and Zone in its wake, the last of who fell to the floor with a tiny thud, since he had been level with the other's shoulders, landing upright.
There was a heavy silence, the two groups staring at each other in speechless amazement. Dante and Vergil were surprised to see the unlikely heroes again, as was Mary Sue, only she was also angered. Meanwhile the newcomers were shocked, horrified and appalled by the scene, which for the sake of the reader's sanity we won't elaborate on, that they had interrupted. Let us just say it was non-consensual and go no further.
The silence grew pensive, tense, strained. Then it broke, "I remember defeating you, and you not only lack the common courtesy to die but now have the audacity to come and challenge me again?" Mary Sue spoke.
She received no reply; her audience still mutely captivated by what Vergil and Dante had, against their will, been doing, and were now stuck paused in the middle of. Arson gently nudged Reiko, "Is that even allowed on fanfiction?" he asked, to which he got a shrug in answer, the vampire not knowledgeable in, such things.
"ANSWER ME!" Mary Sue screamed so loud it was almost underlined too. Throwing her arm back, black tendrils of negative power flew towards and enveloped Dante and Vergil, which at least granted them some decency. They were swiftly consumed in an obsidian sphere, which was in turn levitated to reside inside the dress, which doubled as a bell, of a fallen angel statue hanging from the ceiling.
With the embarrassing distraction removed, it was easier for the trio to focus on their adversary. Zone did what he usually did next, and broke the ice with a completely inappropriate comment, "Hey, I just noticed, that angel has a bell-end up her dress" he remarked with a smirk. Arson blushed and Reiko shook his head.
"Why are you here?!" Mary Sue hissed, seething at them furiously, refusing to let her questions be ignored.
Reiko opened his mouth to give a formal reply, hesitated, and then just spoke his mind. "We're here to stop you. I know we failed before, but we've grown and become more, and plan to put an end to your parasitical infestation" he answered, drawing his staff and pointing it at her in challenge. With a hiss of fire and a hum of energy, Arson and Zone likewise readied their weapons.
"Original characters, you're like insects, pests that just don't know when to die" Mary Sue spat with naked contempt. But despite her harsh words, she was clearly fairly irritated. The three that opposed her had dared show a flicker of actual resistance before, and now, it turned out, had also survived her attempt to kill them.
Conversely the trio were more composed, more sure and unified than before. Forged of shared experiences, they had a bond found together, and tempered through their continued unity despite all adversity. Now, that strength was about to be put to the greatest test of all.
"Maybe, but these insects were enough to eliminate your minions" was Reiko's measured, factual response.
Mary Sue's look changed to one of amusement, "So, you defeated the Puppet Master, Blind Seer and Wild Card? I knew you would, I made sure you got this far so the game would be more fun for me" she smirked.
"Wasn't she like, enraged and surprised we got here a minute ago?" Zone asked with typical lack of refrain.
"Yeah, she was, no character continuity at all" Arson replied, shaking his head in theatrical disappointment.
"HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME?!?!?!" Mary Sue thoroughly raped the punctuation, throwing her hand up to summon her sword and massacre these belligerent scum, temper blazing with over-romanticised passion.
As the crimson blade materialised, the hybrid, vampire and hamster looked at one another. This was it, they knew. Whereas last time they fought they had been unsure, divided, and lacking in drive, they now had new confidence, trusted one another, and knew exactly what they fought for. They could still lose and could still die, but now they were sure of themselves, and of each other. It showed, even in how they didn't indulge in much pre-fight banter, confident enough to disregard the standard repartee, to not play along and rather just be themselves. They were far from invincible, but they knew that if they fought together they had a chance.
Reiko breathed out slowly, calming and focusing, easing into a combat stance, "OK, this is it Arson, Zone".
Zone gave a couple of flash spins of his lightsabre, grinning confidently and eagerly, "Yeah, let's end this".
Arson nodded, bouncing from foot to foot while shadowboxing a flurry of punches, "This is gonna be fun".
In each other they had found more strength than in themselves alone. Now how much strength, and whether it was enough or not would be learned, as they charged Mary Sue together, who ran to meet their challenge.
Reiko's staff clashed with the bloody sword, the vampire immediately forced on the defensive as Mary Sue tore into him with a furious flurry of slashes. Reiko defended as best he could, but she managed to break his guard and struck out for his chest, only for Dragon to intercept her swing.
Phoenix arced towards the back of her head, but her weapon had already reversed to cover that angle, the immaculate warrior trading blows with Arson, who was able to at least hold even temporarily thanks to his twin blades. Mary Sue's sword swept low and caught one of the flaming swords, bringing it up and round to parry the second too, as she spun and somersaulted out of the path of a burst of laser, flipping over Arson and kicking him in the back forwards, sending him stumbling forwards.
As the hybrid tripped, Zone ran between his legs and leapt upwards at the exposed back of their enemy, lightsabre raised, but she turned on a dime as she landed and slashed out horizontally, parrying the attack and Zone with it. Sent flying, the hamster fired a laser burst, reversing his direction in the blink of an eye and flying towards Mary Sue for a follow-up attack while her weapon was still out to the side. She was forced to step back to bring him into her weapon's arc, as she hastily swung her blade up and launched Zone vertically, the rodent meeting the red blade with his own, surviving but disorientated by the impact.
The hamster peaked in his ascent and tumbled back down, too dizzy to orientate himself and get clear of the danger with a laser burst. Mary Sue went to finish him off, but a descending staff turned her uppercut into a parry, Reiko leaping over Arson to intercept the attack. The hybrid jumped up as well and threw his weight into the deadlock, the additional inertia repelling Mary Sue skidding back across the stone surface.
There was a momentary pause as the opponents were separated, in which Zone dropped out of the air and rather than being met with a blade, Reiko caught him neatly. Given a chance to regain his bearings, Zone cleared his head with a shake, and then gave a nod of thanks, jumping off to the ground beside his friends.
"Well, we're doing better, than last time" Reiko remarked, his breath a little heavier than before. He was right too, as although they hadn't actually hit their nemesis, they hadn't suffered any injuries themselves.
"I think, we need to do better still, though" Arson remarked, as although unhurt, such intense combat was draining, their breathing more laboured, while Mary Sue, although infuriated, seemed otherwise unphased.
"Well, Rome wasn't built in a day, right?" Zone chimed in, the dizzying vertigo that had shaken him gone.
"I'm going to grind you into your composite elements and shatter them to nothing" Mary Sue promised. A visible aura of crimson energy was pulsating around her as her rage seethed, furious at the audacity of her enemies to mar her perfection by surviving battle with her. Screaming zealously, she literally flew at them.
The trio barely had time to react as she tore across the ground horizontally without touching it in the blink of an eye. Reiko barely avoided a lunging full-body that would have impaled a tank, but even as he moved aside she twisted and lashed out at his torso, sword clashing with staff so hard he was thrown off of his feet.
As he neared the floor, she stepped forwards with inhuman speed and raised her blade to plunge it through him and the floor, nailing the former to the latter. Her sword rose high over her head, but as she down, it was caught by a cross-lock with Dragon and Phoenix. With a cry of anger, Mary Sue spun like a cyclone, throwing Arson to the side as she jarred her sword free of his, continuing round to swat Zone from the air.
Reversing her direction she smacked aside the hybrid's weapons, as he had brought his own momentum round much like she had, but she'd been better at it. As Arson staggered off balance, she thrust forwards, meeting little resistant as her sword ran through his side. Not even pausing to taunt, Mary Sue started dragging the sword up through him, but was forced to halt as she caught Reiko's weapon in her hand.
Yanking the blade out, she swung around and slashed across his front, cutting a deep wound against the defenceless vampire, his staff trapped. Kicking him away, she looked up in time to see Zone descending toward her head rapidly, having been riding Reiko's shoulder and leapt up from him for a combined attack.
Her sword flashed up, and determined to finish the pesky hamster off once and for all, she clipped him with one swipe, and then reversed it, her blade cutting into soft flesh and fur as Zone was hacked away from her.
As Zone sailed through the air, he was painfully aware of the gaping hole that wasn't so much in the side of him as it almost rendered him cut in two. However even as he experienced the excruciating sensation of his insides not staying inside, a blue glow radiated over him, the pain rapidly fading as his body repaired itself.
He landed on all four paws, and ran one of them through the stainless fur where a large portion of him was missing only a second ago, gaping in utter disbelief. Reiko, who was nearby, staggering to his feet after the painful wound he had received, saw this and explained through gritted teeth, "It was the Blue Orb, it healed the damage, but its energy is probably drained, now".
Zone gave a slow nod of comprehension, still shocked that he was alive. "One-time deal, eh?" he said, less than disappointed, since he'd otherwise be dead, though he'd still experienced the pain of being cut in half.
Arson had managed to rise and stagger away from Mary Sue to join them. Their Blue Orbs had also healed both him and Reiko, but the effect was less noticeable, whereas since Zone's body was tiny, his wound was totally reversed. Still, the vampire's deep gouge had been reduced to a mere flesh wound, and the worst that the hybrid had suffered was dealt with, life-threatening injuries to internal organs undone, though there was still moderate damage round where the blade went in.
"That didn't go so well" Reiko said, watching warily as Mary Sue stalked towards them, a slow, implacable advance matched by her merciless expression.
"… Any ideas?" Zone asked tentatively, open to suggestions.
"We need to create an opening, not try to land a hit ourselves, but make opportunities for each other" Arson said. His expression was focused, serious, no trace of his normal, light-hearted demeanour about the hybrid.
The other two nodded, seeing the sense in this strategy, and as Mary Sue came within a half-dozen paces of them, Arson led the attack. Channelling his power into his swords, he swung Dragon round, sending a band of horizontal, roaring flames towards Mary Sue. Barely breaking her stride, she leapt up over the attack, but the hybrid turned with his swing, and brought Phoenix up, a vertical column of fire racing toward his target.
Mary Sue lurched to the side as the pillar swept past her by means unknown, but Reiko and Zone followed the attack on either side, Mary Sue moving towards the vampire. As she dropped, Reiko swung up and was blocked, sword and staff locking as she landed. He wasn't to attack and her overwhelming strength brought him to his knees in a moment, but so occupied she was barely able to avoid Zone's leaping slash at her side.
The rodent sailed past her as she twisted away, Zone cursing as he'd been an inch from landing a blow. Her foot rose up to kick him out of the air, but was caught by Reiko's hand. With only one arm resisting her, his staff instantly gave way to her sword, but as it descended towards his head, was caught by Dragon, Phoenix rising a split-second later to smack her weapon away.
Mary Sue stumbled back slightly, and, seeing their opportunity, Arson, Reiko and Zone, all balanced, ready and united right in front of her, attacked. Arson leapt forwards and struck out with one sword that Mary Sue blocked it, but as his second hit her hastily erected guard buckled and she barely stumbled out of the path of a powerful laser beam aimed right at her head, her blade swinging to clumsily parry Reiko's incoming staff.
Then it happened. Reiko reversed his attack and locked his weapon with hers, holding it to the side so that she was left vulnerable. She strained to break it free, and it only took a moment to overcome the vampire's strength, but in that moment Arson and Zone acted, the hybrid unleashing a torrent of fire as Zone let loose with a massive blast of laser energy from below and in front of him. The two attacks melded into a surging, roaring inferno of heat and light, erupting forth and smashing into Mary Sue as Reiko backed off before she could dodge, barely having time to see the onslaught.
The attack consumed her whole, the uber-warrior screaming furiously as she was enveloped. With a mighty explosion of crimson energy the entire room was shaken, and when the dust finally settled nothing was left.
"H-hey, did we win?" Zone said, blinking in surprise.
"… It, appears so" Reiko commented, looking at the smoking ground where their nemesis previously stood.
"Phew, it's about time! She was hard" Arson sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from his brow. He had put a lot of energy into the fight, especially his final attack.
The trio relaxed, smiled; it was over. Or so it seemed.
Suddenly a powerful rumbling shook the room, making them stumble where they stood. With a deep roar, a bloody red portal ripped itself into existence where Mary Sue had fallen. From within its depths malevolent eyes glowed, a dark, large shape becoming apparent, and moving forwards, slowly emerging into the room.
"I should've guessed" Zone sighed as he turned his lightsabre on again. "Final bosses always have multiple forms" the rodent said as he, Reiko and Arson backed away and regrouped, waiting to see this new threat…