Sorry about the slow update kiddos! I hit a major writers block halfway through this chapter.
Anyway, Celeste has a secret... and it lands Virge in a Hell of a lot of trouble. Ha! Get it? Hell? Yeah I know it stinks... on with the story...
The next morning, Virgil woke to hear the echoes of somebody muttering travelling down the hallway. Rolling over with a groan, he opened his eyes to slits and read the time on his watch.
5:48am
"Oh my fucking God." He slid a hand over his eyes and turned back over, savagely jamming a pillow over his head. It was no use… her voice seemed to travel through solid rock. It didn't even sound like English, just some mindless chatter like a person would develop after a few months in solitary confinement.
"Crazy talk… why does this not surprise me?" Virgil murmured as he dragged himself out of the bed. He stretched, cracking the vertebrae in his back one by one and slid on his coat, sliding his sword onto his back out of habit.
She was probably doing this on purpose, but it didn't really matter anyway; there hasn't been a night since the age of 12 that he'd slept unbothered…
He brushed the thoughts away and rounded the corner that led to the Lycan's little 'church'. On the alter to the front of the room, Celeste was kneeling. Virgil resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he realized that she was praying.
She stopped suddenly and spun around,
"Well?"
"Well what? You praying for sunny weather or something?" She growled and got up, snatching her rosary beads from the alter,
"You know, believing in something might give you something else to focus your time on… instead of harassing me." Virgil laughed as she stalked past him,
"I hate to disappoint you but in this world there's only one man I believe in, and that man is me."
"Well there's a surprise!" She snapped and slammed a door open, revealing a large kitchen. Virgil decided to let her cool of for a while and disappeared back into his room.
There was a moment of silence in the hall then a shadow moved.
Celeste slammed the door to the huge fridge closed, not even blinking when a black figure suddenly appeared whilst she had had her head in the fridge.
"How do you bear that?" He asked.
"I don't." Celeste snapped and dumped some milk into her cereal.
"Aren't you afraid I'll try to attack you again?"
Celeste swallowed a mouth full of cereal and looked the Vampire up and down.
"You know what they say; the enemy of thy enemy…"
The Vampire's eyes flashed,
"I'm not your friend."
"Then why aren't you attacking me?"
"That is not what I came here for."
Celeste paused and cast a glance to the door. The Vampire grinned,
"The Demon is still at least twenty meters away."
"So speak, bloodsucker." She snapped.
"I came to warn you."
Celeste raised an eyebrow,
"About what? Power-hungry Demons planning to kidnap me?"
"No. The one you're hiding from." The Lycan froze, spoon poised over the ceramic bowl. The Vampire continued, "He's here. And he knows exactly where you are."
The bowl in Celeste's hands slipped from her grasp and shattered on the stone floor.
Virgil heard the bowl shatter on the floor in the hallway. He pushed open the door to the kitchen, seeing the Lycan bending to sweep the broken pieces of crockery into a dustpan.
"Not quite awake yet?"
The Lycan didn't reply but brushed past him. Virgil clamped a hand on her shoulder.
"What?" Celeste snapped. Virgil looked back at the kitchen then at her.
"Who were you talking to?"
"Talking to? How could I have been talking to-"
Virgil suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth and pushed her behind a wall. He frowned and flicked his eyes to the pews in the direction in which they'd come, swearing that he'd heard a step of leather shoes.
"Now what?" Celeste sighed when he took his hand off her mouth.
"Shut up." He muttered, "Who else knows about the Den?"
"No-one but the clan. I don't-"
"And you're sure they were all killed at St Peters?" Celeste glowered at him,
"Positive."
Virgil slowly slid his sword from his back,
"Then it seems we have a mystery guest."
Celeste's wolfish eyes suddenly scanned then room, her pupils moving like a camera lens as they focused on the shadows dancing in the candlelight. She drew a gun in her right hand, gritting her teeth.
"I hope whoever it is, is here to rip you limb from limb." She whispered.
"Oh, so you do care."
"Screw you." She growled and peered around the corner of the doorway. Celeste blinked, her gun lowering to the floor.
"What the fuck?" She frowned, "There's nothing there."
"At least that you can see, Werewolf, how many hidy-holes does this place have?"
"There's nothing there." Celeste said more firmly, "I'd be able to smell them… or at least see them. I'm a Lycanthrope, remem-"
Suddenly the shadows melded into one and a set of massive jaws snapped around her waist, snatching her from the floor. Virgil bent backwards just in time to avoid from being beheaded by the Hellhound before it turned tail and ran kicking a column over in his path.
Virgil devil-triggered, leaping over the column and following it into the darkness. It was purposely using a curse to make the tunnel dark - Virgil recognized it – because if it had been natural dark he would have been able to see clear as day. The metallic tang of Celeste's blood also helped and the wolfish howls as she slashed at the creatures face.
With a loud crackle, Virgil sent a ball of lightning down the unnaturally dark corridor, striking the Hellhound on its right shoulder. With a cry of pain, it dropped the black Werewolf from it's jaws. Celeste rolled across the floor and closed her bright yellow eyes, using the Hellhounds own curse against it – with the blackness of her fur and the dark of the cursed corridor, she was all but invisible.
Virgil ducked to the side to avoid the Hounds tail once more, noticing that this Demonic dog seemed a lot more dangerous than the one he'd encountered in St. Peters Square. Hounds were all unique - much like people - and whereas the Hound at St. Peters had seemed to be comprised of snakes, this one was a collaboration of knives, blades and sharp angles. He leapt into the air and drove his sword deep into the back of the dog's neck.
"Heel boy." He growled. The giant dog snorted and rammed a massive paw into the ground, raking it's claws through the cobblestones. It shook it's head violently and Virgil was forced to abandon his sword or face being sent flying. The cobblestones below the Hounds feet were uprooted like daisies and flew behind the hellish dog as if it were digging a hole.
Momentarily blinded on its left side, Virgil leapt onto the Hellhounds left leg, then onto the head, ramming his sword deep into the giant dog and quickly jumping off. The Hellhound was silent for a moment, wavering on the spot, and was still for a moment. With his back to it, Virgil sheathed his sword,
"Lay down, Fido."
With a grunt, the dog crumpled to the floor, twitching. With one last effort, the Hellhound growled and struck out with a claw. Virgil spun, drawing his second sword in one fluid motion and slicing off the dog's taloned claw. It howled in pain and fury.
"Play dead." Virgil sheathed his sword once more. The Hellhounds head suddenly fell to the side with a crash.
The curse on the hallway started to dissipate, the darkness giving way to a faint natural light. Of course, there was no sign of the Lycan. Only the sound of fading footsteps. Virgil resisted the urge to sigh and started after her, casting a glance back at the dead Hellhound behind him.
"Good Dog."
She had barely reached the large entrance hall of the Lycan's Den when Virgil caught up with her. She leapt to the side, pushing off from a large pillar and snatching one of the hanging dishes that were filled with embers and sending it flying like a deadly discus towards the half-demon. He twisted painfully to avoid the projectile however the edge clipped his throat barely, bruising his windpipe and making him gasp. Celeste shifted into wolf form once more and galloped through the dark hall to the entrance to the surface.
With one hand to his throat, Virgil painfully swallowed through the forced lump in his windpipe. Snarling, he sprang after her letting himself shift form slowly. They clashed in the darkness, whilst the stone door crawled open.
Celeste twisted to the side, feigning a swipe to her left and striking out with her right foot, sending the Demon sprawling.
"I think your losing your touch, Demon." She sneered. Virgil gritted his teeth and used the wall to spring through the air, slamming her against the other side of the tunnel. She slid to the ground, winded, as Virgil got to his feet once more.
"No. I'm just messing with you, Werewolf."
Celeste leaped out of the tunnel onto the ground of the church, whirling around to face the Demon behind her, snarling and bearing her fangs. She froze for a moment and turned around, shrinking back, one paw still raised in the air. Virgil stopped at the base of the stairs, noticing the bolt of fear that visibly shook through the Lycan.
"How did you get here?" She stammered. The sound echoed off the ancient foundations of the church.
"The same way I got to France, Vietnam, Germany and Russia, my dear." Answered a smooth voice. Virgil frowned, still remaining hidden in the Priest's Hole. He'd heard that voice before…
"Honestly," The voice continued airily, "I thought people were supposed to learn from their mistakes. Not only have you allowed yourself to be lured out of your little hiding place, but you've allowed yourself to be seen on 27 separate occasions in the last week… how did you expect to stay hidden if you're walking around in broad daylight and following every suspicious noise?"
"You were on the other side of the world." Celeste snarled, her fur bristling.
"You know what they say; It's a small world after all. Now let's all go home and forget that this ever happened."
"Like Hell!" Celeste howled and launched herself at the person Virgil couldn't see. She was instantly thrown back against the rotting wooden cross that marked the entrance to the Lycan Den. It splintered, raining down on Virgil's position, and she fell to the stone floor behind him with a bang. There was a splintering sound of wood and in an instant, Virgil leapt into the air; his sword cleaving the pew that was heading in his direction in half.
"Relative of yours?" Virgil raised an eyebrow as she shakily heaved herself to her feet. She shifted to her human form and spat blood on the ground,
"Fuck you." She snapped.
"A bundle, isn't she?" The man standing in the door wore a pure white suit and black tie. His coal-black hair was streaked with silver strands and fell just below his jaw-line. He gave a dazzling smile,
"Well, isn't this a surprise? Tell me, you wouldn't happen to be Nero Angelo, would you?" Virgil half-smiled,
"I haven't been called that in a long time." The being laughed,
"Well Celeste, I have to commend you on your choice of protectors, but I'm afraid even the ex-Lord of Hell won't be enough to stop me from bringing you back with me." There was a ripping sound and large leathery wings tore from his back, "But don't worry," He snarled as his faced started shifting form too, "I'll make his death fast and painless like all the others." He snapped his large jaws and grinned a wolfish grin before launching himself into the air.
Virgil only had enough time to bring his sword in front of the huge talon-like claws that were reaching for him and he was carried backwards with the Demon, smashing through the rows of old pews.
"I'll warn you now, boy." The Demon snarled, saliva dripping from his teeth, "There has been no-one in this world who has been able to stand between me and her."
Virgil gritted his teeth and used his legs to kick the Demon off him. He hit a stone column and slid to the ground, cracking the plaster.
"First of all," Virgil got to his feet and cracked his neck, "You really need a heavy-duty mouthwash, because I can understand why no-one would want to get between the Werewolf and that thousand-year-old stench." He drew his other sword from the sheath on his spine; it was somewhat shorter, but Virgil figured it would help. "And second of all; she's my Lycan. You can go find your own to bully around, but until I own this city…" He struck a ready stance with both swords as the Demon got to his feet, shaking off the plaster, "This Werewolf is going nowhere."
Celeste shifted to her Wolf form on his right, snarling,
"I'm not your anything, Demon." Virgil smiled,
"Say you." Then he Devil-Triggered. Lightning coursed down his body and his skin thickened, turning the same mix of red and green as his massive wings. The Demon wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth,
"Impressive, laddie, but the girl's right. She's not your anything... " He suddenly flapped his wings and landed both talons on the Demon Hunter. They rolled twice, before coming to a smashing halt at the altar. Virgil's head hit the stone with a loud crack and he was momentarily frozen as spots crossed before his eyes. He winced as he felt the claws dig into his chest.
"…she's my Hellhound." The Demon grinned, teeth glistening.
"He's lying!" Celeste snarled again, leaping on the Demon's back. The added weight of the Lycan forced the Demon's claws further into Virgil's flesh. The Demon roared in pain and threw her off him like a ragdoll, twisting his claws further into Virgil. Celeste twisted in the air, landing on all fours on the wall and raking her claws across the Demon's face. He stumbled back, clutching his face, then hissed,
"Now… you're really starting to piss me off." He snapped his jaws. Virgil drew his hands together, then grabbed onto the Demon's ankle,
"Ask me if this is the part where I care." He growled and sent a massive jolt of electricity into the Demon. He flew backwards and skidded across the ground whilst Virgil drew himself to his feet. The Demon twitched then dragged himself to his feet, wavering.
"Very impressive, boy… but I'll be back." He snarled, "Nothing can keep a Hellhound from it's Master." The air around him suddenly turned to glowing ash and he disappearing a whirlwind of red and black.
Virgil slowly bled back into his human form, catching his breath. The Demon had been incredibly fast… faster than him. He'd never had that much trouble fighting a Demon before, except maybe his little brother. He winced as a deep breath caused a healing talon-wound on his chest to tear open again.
"Well," Celeste shifted and snapped her shoulder-joint back into place, "It's not what I hoped for, but at least he almost ripped you apart." Virgil suddenly spun, clamping a hand around her throat.
"Okay Werewolf," He growled, "You're going to tell me what the fuck is going on… and you're going to do it right now."
Oooh! Mystery! Intreigue! Blood and Gore!
Next update is coming soon. I promise! X my heart and hope to be carried away byan attractive - evil -son of Sparda:P