Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry.
AN: Right I'm back! Sorry I took so long to update and such. Have been extrememly busy at work, doing some gardening, finishing my novel and learning bass guitar! Have hardly anytime for fanfiction anymore, though I will make an effort to put more time towards it once my novel is finished. (I'm four chapters away from the end).
Anyway, this chapter is pure action since it was written before I made the decision to put more romance in. But if I'm remembering right, the romance comes into it after this.
Apologies beforehand for typos! I didn't have time to read through like I usually do.
now onto the reviewers!
croaky: Thank you very much. I'm really glad you're enjoying reading this. It's quite a challenge for me because action really isn't my thing, but it's quite refreshing to write something different. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much! Thanks for the review!
EricDraven201: I'm glad you liked that part. I like to put as much humour into the situations as possible, because that seems to be the case in the games. Even in a bad situation things are made fun. Thanks for your review.
KuteInsanity: That's okay! No worries about long time in reviewing, I took a long time in updating so we're both in the same boat...sort of. Anyways, I tried to do a Dante fighting scene in this one so let me know how it goes. This was actually really hard, just because Dante is...well...difficult! He simply refused to get beaten up too much. I think it sort of went okay though, either way your critic is welcome about how I could have improved it because I'm just not convinced. But yes, I'm looking forward to putting the romance in, I must say I have missed it very much so far.
--
MISSION 3 – SISTERS
--
"Sister! He's here! In this city. I knew I was right!" A middle-aged woman, with light wrinkles hanging from her eyes and the corners of her mouth, entered the room. She was dressed from head to foot in purple velvet, all lace trimmed – a style that had gone out of fashion centuries ago! She did, however, have an aura of authority, helped by the spectacles sitting upon her long, pointed nose. Her silver-threaded hair was pulled back tightly into a bun, giving her the look of a stern teacher. They type you never messed with in school.
Her sister, however, was much younger, no older than fourteen in appearance. She too, was dressed eloquently, though it was clear from the pinks of her floral blouse, frilled skirt and delicate shoes that she was far keener on fashion than the elder woman. Her brown hair was worn in trembling little plaits that framed a small, round face.
"Didn't you hear me?" The older woman asked, closing the door and moving across the room.
"I did." The girl replied. "And I never doubted you, sister. I knew you'd find him eventually." The child was reading a piece of ragged looking paper, seemingly absorbed.
The elder sister snatched it away. "Krayda! Would you stop taking this out of the box! Didn't I say that it needs to stay hidden?"
The girl looked up and beneath the brown hues of her eyes there came an iridescent crimson that flickered and died like candlelight. "And I thought I told you not to call me that. My human name is Sarah; you'd best not forget it."
The older woman scowled and straightened her back stiffly. "Well then, Sarah, we'll agree on the terms again, shall we?"
The child pouted but said nothing.
"Whilst we're here, you are Sarah and I am Rosemary."
"An old-fashioned name for an old-fashioned creature." Sarah snorted.
"Rosemary is a distinctly intellectual name; I chose one that was fitting for my character." She rolled up the parchment and carried it over to a small box that had been left open. It was empty except for a small cutting of black velvet. She set the rolled parchment in the box and closed the lid. Then, turning the key that had been left in the lock, she slipped it into a lacy pocket and patted it protectively.
"Secondly." Rosemary began again. "The scripture stays locked in the box and the key stays safely with me."
"With you?" Sarah hissed. "I don't think so."
"You don't trust me?"
"Of course I don't!" The girl, who was clearly not as young as she appeared to be, drew herself up angrily. "What's stopping you from running off with it, especially when you know where the hunter is?"
Rosemary smiled. "Very well. Then what do you suggest I do with it?"
"Put the key in the lining of the cushion. That way we both know where it is but no one else will." Sarah walked over to the couch and hefted a cushion from its place. "Here, put it in this one."
And begrudgingly, Rosemary did as she was told, releasing the key hesitantly to the lining of the cushion.
"And if I find it missing, I'll strangle you." Sarah murmured, though her threat sounded somewhat childish and half-hearted.
"You can try, sister of mine." Rosemary retorted curtly. "Come now, don't let us argue. Father wouldn't have wanted that, would he? We were blessed with intelligence, unlike most of our mindless, damned race."
"Intelligence can also be a curse. It's what makes me suspicious of you." Sarah made a face and fluffed the ruffles of her skirt.
"Suspicion is a horrible thing, dear." Rosemary teased lightly, seating herself on a creaky old rocking chair. "I do think I could get used to this world."
"I hate it." Sarah scowled. "It's cold and miserable and it's always raining! I liked the heat, the darkness."
"You would. No, the sun is nice, even the rain is nice. And the people." She licked her lips. "So vulnerable of their fear of us. The people that lived here, for instance. Didn't you enjoy watching the fear on their faces as we leapt from the shadows to claim their lives?" She cackled. "So invigorating!"
"Invigorating? Pointless I'd say." Sarah hissed. "Besides, we didn't come here to live as humans. We came here for the hunter, or did you forget? As soon as we're done with him we could return." She was the youngest of the two, but less controlled by blood lust. Then again, Rosemary had always been their father's favourite. He'd taught her how to kill and left Sarah behind. Sarah preferred to skulk in the dark, stay out of sight. Rosemary, like their late father, adored attention.
"No I did not forget. I spent the morning spying on him, finding out who he stays with, where he resides. He doesn't look so tough. In fact he looks as weak and vulnerable as the rest of these pitiful human creatures." She smiled wide and there was something demonic in the expression.
"So he hides in human form too?"
"As we must if we are to blend. Besides, you felt it as you entered this world. There is something different about this place. We cannot hold our true forms for long else we lose strength. It must be the same for him."
"Maybe not for him. If he has lived here for so long he may have grown used to it. He may be stronger than he's letting on. What if we're getting ourselves into a situation we can't handle? Maybe we should just forget the whole thing…"
"You're right, we must be wary but we will not turn away, not when we're so close to avenging father. Our target is the son of the traitor Sparda. He has human blood in his veins but there is demonic blood too. We must not forget that. That was father's mistake."
"But you always were more like father." Sarah retorted.
"Don't pick fights over your jealousy, Krayda."
"Stop calling me that, or should I start calling you by your true name, Verallia?"
Rosemary flared. "It's hard ridding yourself of a habit of a lifetime. It's only been a few days. Be patient."
Sarah decided to bring the subject back to the task at hand.
"So, tell me more about this hunter."
--
She counted the money in front of him, filing slowly through each note as if half expecting to find a fake one. She didn't. And when she was done she pocketed the cash and raised her eyes to look at him.
He was watching her from beneath the tresses of his platinum hair, his face expressionless. His arms were curled up behind his head, his feet were astride the desktop and his chair was tilted.
Lady had the urge to push him backwards.
"So, debt paid?" Dante asked, trying to sound bored. 'Or is there something else you want from me?" A mischievious smirk worked its way across his face.
"Stop flattering yourself."
"Well, why are you still here? You don't hang around unless you want something."
Her eyes fluttered slowly from side to side and then she leaned towards him, lowering her voice. "I'm being watched."
"What? Babe, seriously, whose going to want to stalk you?"
"Shh, I'm being serious."
"So was I." Dante grunted.
"Look. I came to your place yesterday but you wouldn't answer the damned door. So, I went back home. Someone was following me."
"Well what do you expect, wearing clothes like that?" Dante waved a hand towards her chest and smirked.
Lady, flushing with anger, straightened her back and turned away. "Fine. If you're not in the mood to be serious then I'm out of here." She moved for the door, opened it and stepped down into the street. But she couldn't close the door behind her without saying something. So she did.
"Just…watch your back, okay?"
And then she was gone.
Dante brooded a moment in silence, thinking over Lady's words. Someone was watching her? He might have joked about it, but he knew Lady and he knew that she was perceptive. If someone was following her than they were damned well following her. But who? And why? It didn't make any sense. Maybe he was reading too much into this. Maybe it was just some guy who wanted to try his luck.
But he didn't think so.
Because for Lady to have gained a stalker the same time as he had seemed too much of a coincidence. He'd noticed that someone had been following him yesterday morning, but then the feeling disappeared, only to return again this morning.
Yes, it was too much of a coincidence. Someone was stalking them and he doubted very much that it was an obsessed fan. No, the only attention Dante seemed to attract was bad attention, usually from demons wanting to kill him for being the son of a traitor.
Either way, the spy hadn't shown itself yet so maybe there was nothing to worry about. Maybe it was just curious. With a wide yawn, Dante shifted in his chair and closed his eyes.
Maybe things would be clearer after a nap.
He woke up a while later to the sound of the front door opening. The proprietor yawned, swung his cramped legs off of the desktop and blinked blearily across the room. "Look, Lady, if you've come to bother me again then—"
"Bother you again?" A young girl stood in the doorway, pretty, but still very much just a kid. Dante looked at her with an arched brow, blinking the sleep from his eyes.
"I'm a lady, yes, but certainly not a bother." She was certainly a well-spoken child.
"Think you've got the wrong place, kid. Try the doll shop round the corner." He stood, ran fingers through his dishevelled hair. Damn, he could do with a shower…and a shave. He rubbed fingers against the faint stubble on his chin and grimaced. So maybe there was some truth to Lady's insults - or some of them at least.
"So you aren't the famous hunter I heard about?" The child looked uncertain now.
Dante's eyes snapped up. "Where did you hear that?"
"This guy, he mentioned the name of your place and told me to come here."
"I don't take kids as clients, go to the police."
"But you don't understand." She was crossing the room now, eyes wide and pleading. "It's my mother; she was taken by…by..." She shook her head. "The man that gave me your name, he saw it too, so I'm not lying. He said you'd believe me. You do believe me, don't you?"
"What is it that I'm supposed to be believing?"
"Monsters! Monsters took my mother away!"
She had Dante's interest now. "And you want me to find your mother? Listen kid, these monsters, they don't have a heart. They won't…" Damn, he could say this easily to an adult, but to a kid? "Listen, I'll see what I can do."
"You'll really help me?"
"I don't work for free. Unless you've got a lot of pocket money saved up then I can't help you." He wasn't just being heartless. A part of him knew that the kid's mother was already dead and he really didn't want to be the one to break the news to her. Sure that she wouldn't be able to pay the price took that pressure off of him.
He did a double-take at her reply.
"Oh of course. Here." She held out a small cloth purse, clasped shut but bulging. Dante took it from her and opened it. It was filled with money but probably not enough.
"This it?"
"No, my mother is rich. If you do all you can to help her I'll make sure you're rewarded. Just please, bring her back."
"Rich, you say?" Dante perked up a little, but hesitated. Yet as he looked at the pleading child, desperate for a chance to have her mother back, he remembered a time when he had felt the same pain, the same agony at losing his mother. The only difference was that he knew his mother was dead. At least he had closure. This girl didn't and if he didn't help, then who would? "Okay kid, I'll take the job. Give me the details."
--
"So?" Rosemary sat up the moment Sarah entered the room.
The younger sister smiled, but it was a forced smile. "He's a fool, a handsome fool, but a fool nonetheless. He's no better than a greedy human. He's lived among them for far too long." But she didn't really believe what she had said. She had a feeling that he had tried to wriggle his way out of the work because he knew, just as well as she did, that if a woman had been taken by a demon she was most likely dead or dying.
The son of Sparda held great compassion.
No one had ever looked at her kindly before. Not her father, not her sister…not any demon she had ever met. Demons were not kind to one another. They worked together to achieve their dark goals but often turned on one another when they were complete. Demons were often so angry, so violent, that they barely recognised their own kind from another; or the lesser demons in any case. However, just because she was a greater demon didn't mean that she had experienced anything differently. She and her sister always fought and her father had always looked down at her because she had been surprisingly weak for a greater demon.
"A fool, you say? But still, he was strong enough to kill our father."
"Father was like you. He was all brawn and no brain. No offence meant of course."
Rosemary bristled. "Father underestimated him, just as you are now, which is odd since you were lecturing me on that not too long ago."
"Are you afraid of him, sister? Is that why you spied and nothing more?" Sarah goaded.
"You certainly are childish, Sarah. No one would guess you're almost sixty years old! It's time you grew up and accepted that I am the better sister. Nothing you say is going to make me feel otherwise. Spying was part of the plan, the same as you putting on your innocent act. If we make our appearance too soon we'll end up like our dear departed sire. If I had attacked him I would have died, though I suppose you would have wanted that."
Sarah's eyes flashed dangerously, but she said nothing.
They were silent for a few moments and then Rosemary cleared her throat. "Come, tell me what happened."
"As I told you, the moment I offered him money to help my 'poor mother', he jumped at the chance. My act went down a treat. I told him where it happened, what direction the demon went in. Now all we have to do is wait and watch for him to spring the trap. Everything is going according to plan." There was a bitter tone in her voice.
"Revenge." Rosemary laughed. "And glory! Can you imagine Kr—Sarah, the glory in beating Sparda's dirty hybrid child? We'll be queens of the demon world!"
"But there is a problem." Sarah added.
"A problem?"
"Yes, well…maybe not. You were right. The hunter keeps unwanted company."
"You saw the woman I told you about? The one I followed?"
"Yes. She was leaving just as I arrived. She gave me a good hard glare as I passed by. It was almost as if she knew what I was. Then again, if she had I'm pretty sure she would have tried to kill me. Unlike Dante, she has to be suspicious or she'll end up dead. She's not as likely to be as easily fooled as he is."
"She won't need to be a part of our plans. So long as she stays away, she'll never know what transpired between us and the hunter." Rosemary concluded. "Forget her. We must prepare. Fetch the parchment so we can go over it one last time."
Sarah, turned her back to hide her angry glare, but obeyed as she always had; with bitter resentment.
--
Dante strode through the streets, hardly looking up as he traversed through the city. His mind was elsewhere. He thought about the job he'd just been given, the reward he'd been offered. He remembered the child's words and couldn't help but think them odd. She'd entered the room as a proud little woman and then become a snivelling child as if on cue. He wasn't very good with kids, but he knew something was up.
When she had been there he had pitied her, pitied her because he understood what it was to lose a parent. But now that he was over the revival of his own sad memories, he began to realise that something had been out of the ordinary with her.
Apparently he wasn't as foolish as Sarah had thought.
Dante had fought enough demons and witnessed enough to know when something wasn't right. Coupled with the fact that someone had been spying on him he couldn't help but be suspicious, even if the child was genuine. What if the demon had stolen the woman knowing it would lure him there? Was he walking into a trap?
Probably, but when wasn't he? In this line of work he was always blundering into places that he shouldn't. He was used to it by now. Besides, he liked to improvise and he liked a challenge. Maybe if this was some ploy to trap and kill him his skills would be tested. If not he'd make some easy cash and get a chance to gloat next time Lady came around to complain about the lack of work.
After listening to all the child had to say he had a feeling he knew where the demon was hiding out: an old derelict factory only a few blocks away from where the child lived. Demons liked somewhere they could retreat to, somewhere humans didn't roam. A derelict was the perfect place for a creature in hiding. It also knew that it would be the first place Dante would look, suggesting that this was indeed some devilish ploy.
Another half hour and he was approaching the huge derelict building. It had once been a fully working factory, providing jobs for hundreds of men and women. And then part of the wall on the far side had collapsed and it was deemed structurally unsafe. The factory had closed and moved on and the building had been left, the skeleton of it's once energetic body all that remained.
He followed the road up to the door and pushed against it. As he suspected, the door was locked and shrugging Rebellion into a more comfortable position on his back he followed the wall along until he found where it had collapsed. He stepped carefully over the rubble and ducked to avoid hitting his head. The sun cast orange shapes through the windows, lighting the floor and turning the dust to embers.
"Anyone home?" He called loudly, pausing to listen. There was no scampering feet, no screeching demon readying itself for attack. Nothing. "Helloooo? Anybody in here?"
And then there was something. A muffled cry that was so quiet he was surprised he heard it at all. He listened closer and sure enough he heard it again. It was hard to distinguish where it was coming from, but eventually he decided it must be emanating from upstairs. So, as quietly as possible he slunk to the staircase and ascended, one step at a time. His breath was quiet, his footsteps barely made a sound. Not that it actually mattered considering his yells beforehand had alerted the demon to his presence. He wasn't often one to sneak around, he liked loud and brash. He wanted a challenge!
He heard the scuff of a shoe against hard floor and came to a halt, listening. And then the muffled cry sounded again. If he didn't know better it sounded like a distressed woman. The child's mother, perhaps? He swept around the top of the stairs, swung rebellion from his back and sliced forwards.
But there were no demons, no nothing. Just a terrified woman, gagged and tied. She had silver-threaded hair pulled back in a bun, though some of it had come loose. Her spectacles hung from her nose, one lens broken. She struggled to get free when she saw him, her eyes widening in fear.
Dante lowered his weapon, slung it back into place and strode forwards. The woman tried to scream but failed and Dante tried his best to hush her.
"Be quiet for a sec, will yah?" He started untying the rope at her ankles. "Let me…get you free." He tugged the rope free and moved to her wrists, deftly unbinding them. What demon would tie up its victim? None of this seemed right. In fact he knew for sure that he'd been set up, not that it mattered. He wasn't exactly surprised or anything.
He tore the cloth tied around her head and the woman spluttered.
"T-thank you!" And suddenly she was throwing herself at him, wrapping her surprisingly strong arms around his neck. "I thought I was going to die. My hero!"
"I'm no hero. I did it for the money." He replied grimly, trying to untangle himself from her hold. "Come on, follow me." He staggered to his feet, pulling her with him.
"My daughter sent you, didn't she?" The woman choked. "Dear little Sarah."
"Didn't you hear me? Come on, I don't have all day."
A crescent-moon shaped blade whizzed through the air, just past his head. Dante ducked, swung Rebellion from his back and span elegantly on a heel. The sword met with the body of a giant demon, knocked it flying backwards. It reeled and struggled to get up. Dante wasn't one to wait around. He leapt, reached for Ivory and emptied a cartridge into the demon, watching as it screamed and writhed in agony. Then it went limp and exploded in a cloud of black dust.
But as it fell another two appeared. Each of them bore an odd blade; curved and dangerously sharp. They were huge, thick through the chest and arms, with long, elongated heads that bore a pair of flaming eyes. These two were not so eager to give up their weapons. They moved side by side, slowly but surely towards their enemy.
Dante slipped Ivory back to its holster and balanced Rebellion in his palms. A smirk spread its way across his face and in seconds he was lunging forwards, pulling Rebellion back and then lunging with full force. The heavy sword sang through the air and sent sparks crackling through the air.
Both demons had raised their blades and both had met Dante's strike with one of its own. They were slow at moving their feet but fast and skilled at swordplay.
Dante laughed, sprang back and then swung again, lower this time. But again the demons parried his strikes, forcing him to take another swipe. But Dante was playing, judging, learning. They were good on defence but what about offense? He purposely left himself open and within seconds one of the demons was moving for the opening, piercing the flesh and working between his ribs. Gasping with pain, but secretly admiring their skill, Dante pulled himself away before the blade could sink too deep.
"You've got skill, I'll give you that much, but you're no match for me." And he leapt, twisting midair, bringing Rebellion with him. It whistled with him, crashing against one of the demon's blades, sending it reeling. And then he was upon it, driving Rebellion between its eyes which bulged and flared then turned to dust. The other demon gave an angry scream and leapt, intent on knocking Dante to the floor.
No such luck.
The devil prepared himself, spread his feet and absorbed the blow on Rebellion's edge. There was a screech of metal rasping along metal, paired with a shower of sparks, and then Dante shoved upwards, freeing a hand to give him just enough time to grab Ebony and fire three good shots into the creature's chest.
It gargled but did not fall.
Instead it went berserk. It flurried an array of attacks upon him, raining strikes that Dante was only just able to block. The demon's fury was overpowering, it had the air turn electric around it. And then it began to weaken. It caught Dante in the shoulder but was unable to put any force behind the strike, allowing the wounded but quite capable half-breed to pull the crescent blade from its twisted hand.
Even still, the erratic motion of the moves, the rage behind the swipes had Dante on his toes and three times the blade cut through the material of his coat. He side-stepped, ducked, jumped, parried and dodged and then the attacks became easier to dodge.
The demon was tiring.
"Sorry pal, its been fun but even the best of parties have to come to an end."
The demon's defiant scream was cut short, the sound of a gunshot echoing throughout the derelict building. Satisfied, Dante holstered the weapon and turned back to the middle-aged woman only to find her face filled with terror. She pointed past him, taking a wary step back. And as Dante turned she screamed.
A flash of red darted towards him, crashing into his chest and sending him hurtling from his feet. He landed shoulder first against the ground, grunting as he felt muscle twist painfully. What the hell was attacking him now? Something picked him up and shoved him roughly aside, knocking him into the wall where he lay, waiting for the pain to subside. And then he heard the creature's hissing laughter. He cracked open one eye and saw it. The demon was large and resembled a scorpion of sorts. It had a human face attached to a long, six-legged body and curling up over it's back was a spined tail dripping with fluid that had the floor sizzling where it landed.
"Well hello there ugly. You're a bit late, but better late than never, right?" He used Rebellion to support him as he stood and then he straightened and pasted the smirk back onto his face. "Well then, you had your chance to kill me. Now it's my turn." His hand found Ebony and he shot, punching holes through the creature's torso. It flinched and shrieked and its whipping tail splattered the acidic substance about the room. It burnt a scattering of holes in the tails of Dante's coat.
"Great, now I'm going to have to buy a new one." He shook his coat as if it might help repair the damage and then turned back to the flinching scorpion. It looked wounded but that didn't mean it couldn't still fight. Dante lunged forwards, swinging Rebellion up and knocking the creature up into the air. He leapt after it, the speed of his swings enough that he could get three more strikes in before it hit the ground. His third strike opened it across the belly and spewed a wriggling mass of green entrails onto the floor.
He sidestepped its lashing tail, watched as the dangerously sharp point dug into the concrete of the floor and got stuck. Flailing like a fish out of water the scorpion demon screamed and lashed out with its legs. Dante kept his distance, waiting for an opening, and then he found it. He careered forwards, driving Rebellion deep and twisting just for good measure. The scorpion screamed, caught him across the chest with sharp, flailing legs and splattered acid onto his shirt. He felt it burn through the material and begin to eat its way through skin and flesh. Hissing in agony, Dante used his glove to mop the acidic fluid from his skin, surprised at the damage that it had caused in the few seconds it had been in contact with his body. A few more moments and it'd be eating right through him!
The scorpion's legs twitched and then it turned to dust.
"Well that sure was a nice surprise." Dante muttered, lifting the edge of his coat to peer at the damage. Four charred holes had been bored straight through the red leather and even now the edges steamed, increasing what had been small splatters to gaping holes.
The pain in his ribs was present but fading, his shoulder felt bruised and stiff and his chest burned painfully. However, he found himself feeling rather satisfied. Yes they'd been the mindless, minion demons, but they'd been rather good competitors if he'd lowered his fighting standards to match theirs. With most minions he didn't even consider it worth while to do that. A shame. If the sword demons had been a touch faster then the fight would have been far more exciting, and if the scorpion hadn't been so stupid then it could have killed him quite easily. Why was it that for all their strengths they had just as many flaws?
"I suppose I should have known better."
"Yes, you should."
He turned to see the middle-aged woman at the far end of the room, she was stooped over a little but her eyes bore an ominous, unnatural glow.
"What the hell? Come on grandma, I haven't got time to play games. My coat is in tatters and I feel like I've taken a tumble over a cliff." He knew this was no ordinary woman and realised then that she was the one who had set up the trap.
The woman cackled and straightened. Her eyes drifted past Dante to the girl hanging back in the doorway. She had been hiding, watching and now she stood silently, waiting for her grand entrance.
"So, you're after your part of glory too, right?" Dante sighed and made a great show of looking unimpressed.
"What?"
"Who are you?"
"My name is Rosemary."
Dante laughed, swinging Rebellion over one shoulder. "Odd name for a demon, isn't it?"
"A traitor does not deserve to hear my true name." Rosemary spat.
"Sure, sure." Dante shrugged. "So, what brought you here, then?"
"Revenge, the glory was just an added perk." She smiled and her face seemed to shift slightly.
Dante quirked a brow. "Revenge?"
"You don't know? Then let me enlighten you. Seven days ago you fought and killed a demon going by the name of Remondis. That demon was my father."
"Hey, it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it. Can't have demons disturbing the peace now, can we?"
"Do you think that because we are demons we do not care for family? I was there when Remondis died, I was there when he breathed his last words. Do you know what he said to me?"
"Let me guess." Dante laughed. "Something along the lines of; 'kill the son of Sparda' right?"
Rosemary gritted her teeth. "'Avenge me', he said. 'See the fault of that Traitor Sparda put right. Restore the balance.' You are unnatural, your whole existence is the product of some foul desire."
"Born of love." Dante corrected. His brows knitted angrily, his knuckles whitened as his grip strengthened on Rebellion. "Not that you could understand that."
"Oh but I do. If I had not loved my father I would not be here now."
"It's not love that drives you, it's your want for power, your want to prove yourself better than even the demon that sired you. You want the power that comes with bringing my destruction. Remondis knew the risks before he came here. He came here, like you, with the intent of causing pain. It was what drew me to him and what led to our fight. Now he is dead. What makes you think you'll fare any better? Or do you have some wildcard up your sleeve?"
"Why did you chose humans over demons?"
"I didn't choose." Dante hissed. "The choice was made for me. I saw the good in humans and the evil in demons. My father saw it too and that is why he turned against you. Now enough about my father. Make your choice. You can stay and play or you can go back home. But if you stay, you better not disappoint me. After all this effort you've gone to I expect you to test my abilities." He flexed his shoulders.
"You may be strong, but you're only half demon. You have your mother's weak blood in your veins. Why couldn't my father beat you? Because my father was a fool! A FOOL!!" The demon ripped through her human skin like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. But it was no butterfly that emerged, it was a demon, spiked and slender and shining in the fading light.
Se screamed: "I will tear you apart and I will spit on your mother's grave for all those your father destroyed."
Anger coursed through Dante's body. The air around him crackled. His appearance flickered. Sarah, who was watching from her place in shadow, saw the change. He had been a man, then a devil, and then in a second he was a man again.
Only half a demon?
Sarah felt a shiver of fear run through her.
It had only been for a second, but the image of Dante in his 'true' form was imprinted in her mind. A slender but powerful demon , as red as the coat that he wore. His hands clawed, his body toned and strong with two pointed wings arching up behind him. And the power that emanated from him; an angry, violent power!
"Sister!" She screamed, running from her hiding place. She had heard her sister's words, knew that the bloodlust was taking over, just like it had done with father. She had to do something!
But without warning Dante swung and caught the younger demon by the throat, pinning her to the wall. Sarah looked into his face and into his eyes that coursed with anger. Rosemary had found his weakness alright, but that weakness was fast turning into his strength. Insulting his mother had not been the wisest of moves.
Sarah choked and tried to loosen his hold on her throat. "Verallia!" She choked. "Help me!"
"Bastard, release my sister!" Verallia screamed. She was tall and thin but lightning fast with hands that bore claws as deadly as knives. She lashed out at him, intent on severing his head from his body. But she missed.
Dante had dropped Sarah and was dancing backwards, sparing a few seconds to whack a full magazine into Ivory. He squeezed the trigger, sent a bullet punching through Verallia's shoulder. The demon convulsed and screamed then she lashed out at him again, so quick that he didn't have time to ward her off with a swipe from Rebellion. The sword was knocked from his hand and he was pressed to the floor, crushed beneath the demon's weight.
He stared into the demon's face, refusing to look away. And then a slow smirk spread its way across his face. "Is that the best you can do?"
"Don't mess with me, half-breed!" Verallia hissed. She pressed a clawed hand to the centre of his chest, humming with pleasure at the steady thump of his heart beneath her palm.
"Sister! Verallia. Please." The younger girl rubbed at her throat. "You've made a mistake!" For though she had no love for her sister she had no will to see her die, either. Family ties in demons was odd. They despised one another and yet, for the most part, they were loyal – especially the younger siblings to their older ones.
"Are you forgetting yourself, lesser being? Keep to the plan or you'll be of no use to me." Verallia hissed, a long, forked tongue flickering from her grotesque mouth.
Dante attempted to get an arm free so that he could reach for a gun.
"Verallia. I saw him. I saw his true form!"
"Krayda!" Verallia growled, turning her head to regard her sister. "Shut your mouth and do as your told. Downstairs, now!"
Dante, using the distraction to his advantage, felt his fingers brush against Ivory and slowly teased it towards him. Almost…almost…there! He wrapped his fingers around the gun and found the trigger, firing once. The bullet ricocheted off of the floor and pierced Verallia's underside. She screamed, releasing her hold upon him. Then, curling his legs up against his chest he used his feet to kick her off of him and rolled to safety, gathering Rebellion on the way.
"Down!" Verallia ordered and she followed after the girl-demon.
Dante, wiping sweat from his eyes, followed in hot pursuit, all but leaping the stairs in one. He landed neatly and straightened just in time to see what was happening.
The girl, Sarah, was reading from a sheet of paper in her hands and around her Verallia was moving, mopping blood onto her hands and spreading it out across the floor. Dante's heart skipped a beat, he raised his gun, intending on putting an end to this when Verallia completed her bloody circle. A flash of light erupted, the blood on the floor bubbled, throwing out beams of incredible crimson light. And then suddenly the two demons inside turned to flame.
Dante raised an arm to shield his eyes but it was only necessary for a moment. Then the light faded and all went dark. Horribly dark.
And then he felt the air move and jumped aside just in time to avoid the sweeping claws of a new demon.
But it wasn't a new demon. It was the sisters, but not as they had been. Now they were merged, two demons as one, using their abilities together. Dante wasn't sure if the change was permanent or how it would affect the sway of battle, but he supposed it didn't really matter. Stronger or not, he had to win.
The merged demon roared, it's double jaws unfolding and its four eyes blindingly hot. To look, it almost seemed as if each sister owned one half of the body, sewn along the middle like some Frankenstein monster. It lurched towards him, raking a great clawed hand to swipe him clean from his feet. Dante leapt over the claws and ran for the exit.
"Stop!!" The creature's voice was odd. Dante could hear both voices in one, echoing one another, complimenting one another. And then he heard it crashing towards him, knocking out pillars and sending shelves and cabinets crashing to the floor. Suddenly parts of the ceiling began to give way and Dante dodged a chunk of debris that threatened to crush him beneath it.
He broke into the evening light a few seconds later and put on an extra burst of speed, heading down into the streets. The merged demon gave chase, moving with such speed that Dante had no hope to outrun it. Soon it was at his heels, snapping and clawing. Dante felt like he was the mouse being chased by a cat. Somehow he had to outsmart it, or he'd end up dead.
And then the demon's claws caught him and knocked him violently from his feet, he regained them a second later to find himself cornered. The demon had four legs and four arms and two pairs of grotesque eyes. It's gaping jaws opened and closed and it's body was armoured and spined in every place possible. It reached towards him with long, twisted claws, cackling monstrously.
But in two of those eyes he saw fear.
He was breathing heavily now, from the running and from the last attack. But the fight was far from over. He had plenty of fight left to give.
He swung Rebellion forwards, strengthened his posture and dared the merged demon to approach.
It did, and with surprising speed too.
He leapt just in time, landed on the top of its head and then propelled himself over it. He landed elegantly on the ground behind the demon and twisted, cracking the edge of his giant sword against its back. But the armour held and Rebellion clinked harmlessly off of the thick plating.
The merged demon laughed aloud and before Dante knew what was happening, it was lunging again, ploughing into him, crushing him against the wall of a building. He felt ribs crack, felt fire in his lungs. He choked and blood splattered from his mouth. But despite himself, he smiled.
"Finally." He croaked. "A challenge." And swinging Rebellion high into the air he grasped two of the demon's horns and gave it a violent shove away from him, catching rebellion just in time to stab forwards and put out the angry light in one of the four eyes.
The demon attacked through the pain, lashing out with a hand, claws intent on rending flesh. They slid easily through the red leather of his coat as Dante slipped sideways, parrying the next strike with Rebellion.
Then again they parted, Dante drawing the back of his hand across his mouth, wiping away the blood.
"You work well together." Dante complimented. "But what are you going to do about a name now?"
"Verayda!" The demon hissed. "That is our name. Know this before you die, half-breed. We will make this world a second hell. We will turn this city into a place of torture and we shall maim every human in our way, starting with the woman you call your friend."
"Lady?" Dante smirked. "Hell, if you do manage to kill me – which I must say is doubtful – there's no way you'll get past Lady."
"She is nothing more than a pathetic human woman."
"Don't let her hear you say that." Dante warned.
Verayda laughed. 'Look at you bleeding. To think, that we of all demons, will be the ones to bring down the son of legend!!" She reared up, jaws gaping and that was when Dante saw it.
A small, glowing symbol, hidden beneath the armour plating on her neck: the source of the spell that had merged them. Dante had to admit that he had been reluctant to kill the demon whilst it was still merged. Verallia was the one he wanted to settle things with, not the other, younger demon.
He dropped Rebellion at his feet and raised both arms up as if in surrender. "Come on then, kill me already. It's about time someone introduced me to hell."
Verayda hissed with laughter and brought back an arm to bring him a deadly blow.
A gunshot filled the air.
The demon gurgled, its three glowing eyes bulging in horror. "N-n-n-no! NO!" It's whole body shuddered and then it seemed to split in half, its agonized scream filling the air.
Dante lowered Ivory and watched the whole grotesque scene. Verallia, now in her own body, was whimpering and quavering weakly. One eye socket was dull, the other arm hung limp from the earlier gunshot and there was a bloodied wound at the base of her throat.
"W-w-what…have y-you done!?" Verallia shrieked. "Kr-Krayda, help…me!" The gunshot in her the side of her neck was making it difficult for her to speak.
Krayda, grasping at her own throat, shook her head. "I…will…n-not throw m-my…life away f-f-for a legend and a… father who had n-no love…for me."
Dante, nodding, raised his gun to Verallia's head. "Say hi to your father for me, will you?"
He fired and Verallia's remaining eye went dark.
Then he turned and moved away.
"D-Dante."
He paused, glanced back.
Sarah, or Krayda as she was truly known, was pulling herself to her feet. She lolled slowly towards him, looking pained. The transformation had taken its toll on her body. It had messed with her form, leaving her oddly deformed. Whilst most of her had returned to its human form, some of her shape was in demon form. One eye was a demon's eye, orange-red in shade and far more slanted than her human one. Her skin was blotched with patches of demon skin, contrastingly dark. And as she opened her mouth to speak he saw her pointed teeth.
"You'll heal." He said after a moment. "Give your body time to rest and the deformities will fade."
"Y-you're going to let me g-go? W-w-why?"
"Why not?"
"B-b-but I'm a demon!" She rasped and choked.
"So am I…partly." Dante replied, uncharacteristically serious. "But there's something that makes you and me different from other demons."
Sarah shook her head, not understanding.
"You found your heart. You tried to save your sister despite the fact she used you and…I saw your fear and regret. A demon doesn't feel that unless it has found a sense of humanity."
She blinked at him with her two very different eyes.
"Go back or stay here, either way I won't hunt you unless you give me reason to."
He turned, and started off across the street, feeling suddenly tired from the fighting.
"W-w-wait!"
He turned and looked at her. She didn't need to speak for him to know what she wanted to ask. "Come on then, you better stay with me until you're healed. Can't have you disturbing the neighbourhood."
The girl-demon nodded but paused to scoop up a handful of her sister's ashes. She looked at them a long moment then scattered them to the air.
"What did you say your name was again?"
"Krayda, but you can call me Sarah."
--
To be continued...