Hey everyone! Sorry this took so long, I've had a lot going on lately, including my birthday. But the good news is that I managed to get the next three chapters ready to upload, this being the first of them! Thanks again for all the reviews, feedback is always appreciated. The second half of the school year has started, bringing with it the start of Creative Writing and Public Speaking classes, so with luck the quality of my work will improve as this story rolls along. Just to clarify, Keeley is the oldest and their ages are estimated to be within several months of each other. Keeley is 18, Kate recently turned 18, and Shawn is 17.
Pretty sure y'all know by now that Capcom and Ninja Theory own Devil May Cry and DmC: Devil may Cry, respectively. I'm just playing with the toys they've provided us. Though I must question if I have to do this every time I post a chapter. I'll do it, I just fail to see the logic behind it
Welcome to Hell~I mean Fortuna!
Chapter Four-Deals with Devils
It didn't take a mind-reader to tell that all three of them thought Vergil's ghost looked menacing in the red-orange light.
"Katie…" Shawn began, looking at the friend in question. "You know I was only joking when I asked if you could see dead people, right?" Keeley also turned her attention to their silent friend.
"What was it you were saying about following your instincts?" she asked sternly. The elder son of Sparda sighed slightly.
"It was a lie of omission. She knew it was in your groups best interest to listen to what I said, even though she was the only one who could hear." He explained. Kate rolled her eyes.
"He says as though I could refuse his aid without consequence." She mumbled sarcastically. "So, you were saying something about a proposition?" the brunette asked, hoping to change the subject. Vergil nodded somberly.
"To business, then. As I've mentioned earlier, Katelyn, there are a few loose ends I need to attend to before I truly pass on from this world. Things which require a living body to get done." He stated, putting an emphasis on living. "Out of the three of you, only one could see me without the use of this circle." He continued, gesturing to the circle at his feet. "But my long-term goals, the more I think of them, will be impossible to attain with just one person. And so I offer this: in return for your assistance, I will train you in the use of your powers. All three of you have potential, but have yet to truly awaken it." He finished. Kate looked over her shoulder.
"Keeley, Shawn, what do you guys think?" She asked. The other two looked at each other.
"What exactly do you mean by powers?" Shawn asked. Sighing, Vergil looked over at his former host.
"Why don't we begin with the Shrew here? Like I said, she is the only one who can see or hear me unaided by outside magic. It's possible that she was born able to do so, but the ability remained dormant until this point in time. Any spirit, with her consent, may take over her body and use it as the spirit could before their death. In return, that spirit lends her any knowledge or abilities they once possessed. However…" he paused, gazing intently at something behind the "Shrew." (As he now called her.) "Kate, come here will you?" he asked calmly. Confused, she did as he asked, stopping just before the circle.
"I apologize in advance for doing this again so soon." He whispered gently before possessing her a second time. He made her step to the side as another ghost apparently lunged at her. (Or them, still need to figure out this whole possession thing.) Vergil looked at Shawn and Keeley through their friend's eyes. "Fools such as this one will not ask, merely take. Which is why some spirits offer protection, as well as their power." He explained, staring at the new ghost in the circle. It was a robed figure, one that apparently recognized the stronger ghost and fled. Walking Kate into the circle separated them again. But as her legs failed her a second time, Vergil caught and steadied her.
"Inhale through your nose, exhale with your mouth." He instructed. "In this circle, I attain a tangible form. This is how you two can see me." He explained as Kate steadied her breathing. She could feel the leather of his jacket under her hands, faintly noting a sweet smell that something deep down told her was death. She also smelled something metallic, one she recognized as blood. He had no heartbeat, no warmth, yet he firmly held her there until she could stand again.
"How do you feel, Kate?" Keeley asked, concerned. The brunette managed a smile.
"Well, I didn't dry-heave this time. It's a start." She replied. Vergil turned his attention to the other woman in the room.
"I noticed that Scarecrow cut you rather deep. Under normal circumstances, a wound of that severity going unattended for this long would lead to the person bleeding out. But you've fully healed, haven't you?" The raven-haired woman looked at him in shock.
"You knew?" The spectre nodded.
"I doubt it's fully awakened, but you appear to have a healing rate similar to that which my idiot twin brother and I possess, Keeley. As for you, Shawn…" Vergil paused, looking at the group's only guy. Shawn raised the sword in his hand.
"Talking about this, aren't you? Look, last time I checked I grabbed a crowbar, not a fucking katana." The Dark Slayer nodded.
"That's true. However, some people can turn one thing into another through a process called transmutation." Shawn shook his head in disbelief.
"So you're saying I'm an alchemist? Ah, for fuck's sake…" he muttered. Stepping away from the circle, Katelyn shook her head and sighed.
"Alright guys, huddle up." She said. The three of them stood with their backs or sides to the dead son of Sparda. "The choice is yours, guys. I already told him I would cooperate." She admitted softly.
"But what's he up to? What if he kills you when he's achieved his goals?" Shawn asked.
"Then I learn what I can and try not to die." She replied. Keeley looked at Shawn, then Kate, and finally glanced at Vergil.
"If mastering my powers increases our chances of survival, then consequence be damned." The eldest of them decided. Shawn sighed.
"Ah, for fuck's sake…Fine, count me in." he said reluctantly.
"An agreement has been made, I hope?" Vergil asked as they faced him once again. Kate nodded.
"We'll help." She said calmly.
"But you'd better not try and kill us afterward!" Shawn added. Vergil chuckled.
"Don't worry; if any of you die it will not be by my hand. Get some rest now, you three had a long day and your training begins tomorrow…"
I believe I mentioned in the last chapter that I have an interest in the military slang of WWII, so I will also have to apologize for some other things. The fact Vergil called Katelyn a shrew ties in somewhat to what was previously mentioned about superstitions of the Elizabethan era, mostly pertaining to William Shakespeare's works, of which I am also a fan. The ghost of the dead King in Hamlet, Banquo's ghost in Macbeth, and then we have one of the shortened versions of Katelyn's name: Kate. For those of you who are familiar, Kate is the nickname of Katharina Minola (love that name) in Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew. Personally, I hate how the play ends and if I were her I'd let him think he's won, then smother him in his sleep. But that's just my opinion, no need to go spreading it around. Anyway, women back then (aside from the Queen herself) were supposed to be quiet and obedient. If a woman didn't meet those standards, say if she were a nag or she could verbally rip any man a new one, she was referred to as a "shrew." Our modern day equivalent would likely be calling her a Bitch. Why does Vergil call Kate a Shrew? Because he can. For once he is acting like the older brother we never knew and enjoying the discomfort that he's causing Kate. She is familiar with both sides of the fence in regards to siblings, being both an older and a younger sister herself, and she can tell that her reactions to Vergil's antagonism amuse him. It's also why she puts up with it, to an extent. Kate's got her boundaries, and should Vergil ever cross them she will kick his ghostly ass. Maybe not physically, but she's a crafty one. She'll figure something out. Well, hope ya'll enjoyed. Please review! :)