Disclaimer: Castlevania © Konami. "Sympathy for the Devil" and all original characters and places © Christine J. Burke.

Sympathy for the Devil

Chapter 4: Complicated Simplicity

On the one hand, Hector could understand Trevor's concern over the possible sabotage of his sword. On the other hand, the Belmont has clearly forgotten that Hector himself is a Devil Forge Master. Perhaps their friendship over the past two years has clouded his judgment. Perhaps Trevor remembers how he expressed his remorse over being unable to save Isaac from the Curse. He'll admit that he was barely able to save himself.

Hector watches Isaac's proud form walking to his forge. He can tell the other Devil Forge Master is ill at ease with their presence. However, Isaac was never one to let his fears control him. Between the two of them Isaac was always much more hotheaded. Much as anyone who has seen the worst the world has to offer, Isaac's devil-may-care attitude seems insanely reckless to someone who has not seen the worst of human depravity.

Hector glances to the side where Julia is tight-lipped and stony-faced. She's the only one who knows about Isaac's true past now. He's not sure if even she knows the full truth. Though they were rather close when both he and Isaac worked in Dracula's Castle, Isaac never spoke much of his past. In fact, Isaac never spoke of his past at all. It took the affair two years ago to discover that Isaac even had a sister. Since then Hector has learned some of Isaac's past from Julia but Hector is loath to continually bring up such a sore subject to her. In spite of her quiet, accepting nature, Julia did not take her brother's apparent death very well.

Hector watches as Isaac's back tenses when Trevor follows behind him. He's convinced that Isaac is concerned about an attack from behind. Two years ago, Trevor Belmont almost met his end due to Isaac. The fiery smith had attacked Trevor from behind and almost killed him. The vampire hunter clearly still holds that event as a sore point between them.

Much like his sister, Isaac has always been an accepting individual. He never questioned Lord Dracula's orders. To Isaac, the word of his lord was given law. If Lord Dracula wished to destroy the human race, it had nothing to do with him. Hector could never agree with that. He could never understand it. He couldn't use his power to take innocent lives. Isaac clearly had no difficulty with it.

When Isaac throws open the door of his forge, Hector draws himself out of his thoughts. His eyes widen in amazement as Isaac pulls his newly forged sword from its sheath. His damaged, broken, chipped and scarred blade is given new and deadly life. Isaac holds the blade before him so everyone present can inspect it.

Isaac's voice brooks no distraction. "The blade is tempered with precision. I've added a few elements to strengthen it and keep its edge keen." He glares at Trevor. "I trust it is to your satisfaction."

Trevor's eyes narrow. "I want to see it in use. Prove to me that this blade will serve us well."

Isaac frowns. "Tell me why I would sabotage the blade that will keep my sister from harm."

Trevor's eyes glint wickedly, the scars crinkling in his scowl. "She betrayed you."

Isaac actually snorts. "If I had any intension of seeking retribution this would not be my choice. I have better taste than that. Even under the Curse's influence I had better taste than that."

"Two years ago, to exact your revenge upon Hector, you had him undertake a nearly impossible quest to destroy you. It would suit your tastes to try something so underhanded."

Isaac rolls his eyes in irritation. When he looks back at Trevor he says with a deadly edge to his voice, "Yet that entire affair was only to force Hector to regain his powers." He waves his hand. "None of that matters. If you require a demonstration of the blade, so be it."

Hector watches in fascination as Isaac gathers several bundles of tightly packed straw and sets them up side by side near the outer wall of the forge. Without any sort of posturing he swings the sword with the easy grace he's always remembered. His eyes widen as the sword slices cleanly through each bundle in one swipe. Not a splinter can be seen. The sword doesn't catch on any of the fibrous fragments. Hector is already impressed with the blade.

Isaac glances at Hector for a moment before leveling his gaze on Trevor once again. "Did you need a further demonstration?"

Trevor is also impressed with the craftsmanship of the blade but he still has his misgivings. "You boasted that the sword would be effective against stone beasts. I want to see proof."

Isaac growls under his breath but he leads them outside to the yard where he tested the blade on the granite earlier. Much like with the straw the blade flies in his hand with precise ease. Everyone's eyes widen when they see the smooth cut that shears a large chunk from the rock, everyone but Isaac.

Isaac's eyes are focused nearly entirely on Trevor. "Any further tests?"

Trevor moves back inside the forge, making his way to the side of the sweltering building where Isaac keeps much of his saleable work. He picks out a smooth sword with a light heft and near-perfect balance. He lifts the sword to examine it. "No. Just one more test." He glances at Isaac. "How will the blade stand up in battle?"

Hector shouts, as Julia makes a cry of denial, "What are you doing, Belmont? We did not come here for this!"

Isaac remains eerily calm. "Did you not say to me last night not to equate you with the likes of myself? Yet, I am the one who must watch for treachery. Do you truly seek a test of the blade or are you looking for an excuse to do me harm?" He raises an eyebrow at Trevor. "There is a fine line between justice and revenge, Belmont. Which side are you on?"

Trevor's eyes become guarded but something in his expression suggest he's taken the chastisement to heart. "You have a forked tongue, fiend. Yet I know you speak the truth." He nods to the forge's doors. "I still desire to see the blade in action. I am impressed with your work thus far. Let us see just how good your work truly is."

Isaac shrugs and proceeds to follow the vampire hunter out the door. It hasn't escaped him that Trevor may be ill at ease with turning his back on him but he won't let his distrust make him seem weak. That's not to say Isaac even thought the vampire hunter was weak. He just couldn't understand how this single human being could be the integral factor that brought about his lord's death.

Hector steps forward to stop Isaac with a hand on his arm. "You don't need to do this."

Isaac's colorless eyes, glowing with the flames of the forge, just gaze back at Hector. "None of you will leave until he is satisfied. I won't mince words with you today, Hector. I want you all gone from this place. Do not come back here."

Hector winces at the cold dispassion he hears in Isaac's voice. This man before him speaks as one already fatally wounded. There is still fire in his eyes and voice but it's a cold fire and it chills him to the core. "I…"

Isaac jerks his arm from Hector's grip. "Say nothing. I will prove my craft to Belmont and give you your sword. You will then take the blade and go." He doesn't wait for Hector's response as he walks out the door with a final parting shot. "Twice now you have left me for Death, Hector. One day you will find out what that really means."

Hector frowns in confusion and glances at Julia. The fair-haired witch looks back at him with sad eyes but doesn't say anything. When Hector finally gathers himself to follow the other Devil Forge Master out of the door he is greeted by the sight of Isaac and Trevor squaring off in the large yard. Both are armed and both are deadly warriors.

Isaac rolls his shoulders and gives the blade a few test swings before settling in a guarded position. Hector can see, from all his knowledge of Isaac's fighting style, that the fiery-haired smith won't make the first move. Isaac is already on the defensive and Hector can't fathom why.

Trevor Belmont is also well aware of Isaac's apparent unease with the situation. His scarred eyes watch Isaac's every move. Nothing about the way the other man moves suggests weakness. However, Trevor has no intention of taking any chances. He's not unfamiliar with a sword but he's been using the Vampire Killer for so long he almost feels like a traitor to be wielding a sword now.

Trevor's hand twitches towards his hip where he keeps the trusted Belmont whip. Isaac's stance changes ever so slightly. The lithe man is wary of the whip. Trevor's eyes travel to meet Isaac's and he sees concentration, and a small but obvious trace of excitement, reflected in the other man's eyes.

Before Hector can even blink, Trevor makes his first move. With a lesser warrior the battle could have ended right there. However, Isaac is not a lesser warrior. With a swing of his hips and a quick re-adjustment of the position of his feet he barely moves but is quickly out of the way of Trevor's sword.

Hector is immediately concerned. Isaac didn't parry the blow as he expected. His impression that something is wrong only increases when Isaac dodges the next three strikes as well. He makes no move to retaliate.

Trevor calls to Isaac as he steps back from the other man to watch him carefully. "Have you lost your spine these past two years? Why do you not attack? Show me what I wish to see. Prove to me your blade is as good as you say."

Isaac's annoyance is a palpable thing. He glares at Trevor but darts forward to attack the other man's sword. At the last moment he adjusts the angle of his blade so that it only slices cleanly through the other blade, near the hilt, and not the man wielding that blade.

As Hector and the others stare at the spectacle with dumbfounded expressions, Isaac says, "Now you owe me twenty five gold pieces for the time and expense it will take me to repair that sword you borrowed for this farce."

Trevor falls back on his heels, off balance, as he stares up at Isaac, who is calmly examining his new blade. He's completely shocked to see the blade seems as flawless as when the battle started. However, that is not the true extent of his shock. If Isaac hadn't altered his swing at the last moment the blade would have clove him in two along with the sword he was wielding. "Why?"

It takes Hector a moment longer to realize the extent of the true outcome of the battle. His gaze immediately and acutely focuses on Isaac. Isaac takes out a piece of soft, oiled leather and cleans the blade before replacing it in Hector's sheath and presenting the sword to him. He's completely ignored Trevor's hushed question.

Isaac looks into Hector's eyes as the blond man accepts the blade. "If my sister dies on your journey I will hunt you down and you will be grateful for Death's tender arms before the end."

Hector accepts the blade with amazingly steady hands. He nods once before looking Isaac in his clear blue eyes. "You've no need to concern yourself with thoughts of revenge, Isaac. Should anything happen to Julia you can be sure that I've already gone to prepare the way for her."

Isaac actually smirks. "You're too honorable for your own good, Hector. Just take care of her…and yourself." He turns away from them and walks over to the broken blade to pick it up. He examines the pieces lightly.

Trevor storms forward but Isaac suddenly turns on his heel and the broken hilt with nearly four inches of dangerous blade, is at Trevor's throat. Isaac hisses, "Why, you ask? Why didn't I kill you?" Isaac snorts, more of an exasperated huff. "You'll see it when I choose to destroy you. If I choose to kill you I want you to make no mistake that I planned to kill you all along. I don't need to attack you from behind to kill you. Your thoughtless foolishness proved that today. I used that blade to cut solid stone, Belmont. What did you honestly believe it would do to a simple iron short sword?"

Hector looks as if he would move forward to stop the fiery smith but he realizes that from this distance, nearly twenty feet away now, he would have no chance of saving Trevor's live if Isaac decides to kill him. He steps back and moves his hand to a pouch on his padded vest, ready to summon Asp, his most loyal and agile devil.

Isaac takes the broken blade from Trevor's throat and steps back. "As I said, you will see it when I finally decide to kill you. Let us both hope it never comes to that. I'd really rather not deal with it." He turns to head to the forge, his back stiff yet still oddly fluid as he turns it to his two most dangerous opponents.

Isaac has given a clear statement in Hector's mind. Isaac may not like the situation he's in but he's been in control the entire time. As impressed as he is by that idea, Hector also finds it increasingly frightening.