The Devil of Zero
Disclaimer: Neither The Familiar of Zero nor Devil May Cry belong to me.
The Spear
– The Devil –
Classroom, Tristain Academy of Magic
Afternoon
The classroom rang with the sound of chattering students, each a teenager far too immature to keep their mouths shut, at least in Vergil's opinion. The half-devil's thoughts though, were on the same event that concerned everyone else: the breaking of the school's vault and the theft of this 'Spear of Destruction'. The thief had been arrogant enough to leave a note written into the vault's stone walls, signing it 'Fouquet, The Crumbling Dirt'. Everyone was going on about the insult this was to the academy, among other things. Vergil found himself concerned for a far, far different reason.
That feeling…Vergil's eyes narrowed as he recalled it. It was far too much like a Devil…and it only appeared when the vault was first breached…which means that this 'Spear of Destruction…must be a Devil's Arm…
"Ugh, it's so boring having study hall." Kirche said, moving languidly next to Vergil. "But I know a way to keep us entertained…"
"Kirche." Louise growled from Vergil's other side. She'd been eyeing Kirche as though she intended to attack the red-head as she attempted to seduce Vergil again. "He already said he's not interested. Leave him alone."
"Oh, but it's so dull waiting around while they deal with this mess." Kirche moaned, sidling closer to Vergil. "You know, I hear the princess might be blamed for this."
"What!" Louise cried "Why would they blame the princess!"
"Well, there aren't that many guards here and all of them were reassigned to protect the princess while they visited." Kirche explained. "And, it seems the princess came here despite a lot of objections…" Louise looked guilty at that, probably because, Vergil guessed, the princess had mainly come to see Louise and her new familiar. But before the conversation could proceed anywhere, Colbert came into the classroom, looking a little panicked.
"Miss Tabitha, Miss Vallière, come to the headmaster's office immediately." Louise frowned as she rose, following Colbert outside the room with Vergil and Tabitha in tow, as well as Kirche for some reason. Vergil ignored the redhead's continuing attempts to seduce him, keeping his attention ahead. As they exited the tower and headed for the central structure, Vergil's thoughts drifted from the thief to Louse. The fact that the young girl was experiencing his memories in her dreams was…disquieting. Thus far she'd only seen him slaughtering demons and fighting Arkham, and he'd managed to ward off her concerns by focusing on his father's deeds, but if she continued to view the events of his life in a linear fashion…things could get complicated.
The group arrived at Osmond's office, entering to find a sort of meeting between Osmond, Miss Longueville and several of the school's faculty. Louise finally noticed Kirche when the students lined up before the staff, Vergil a step behind them.
"Why are you here?"
"Oh come on, this looks interesting."
"While questioning people in the city," Longueville began, "I was informed of a strange figure entering an abandoned cabin deep in the words. The citizen's descriptions were detailed enough for me to draw this." She retrieved a parchment, upon which was drawn the exact image of the thief Fouquet as Vergil had seen her.
"That's Fouquet." Louise confirmed, Tabitha nodding in agreement.
"We should report this to the palace immediately." Colbert recommended. "They can get the knights moving to go and apprehend this thief."
"No, it will take too long to get word to them and mobilize the knights." Osmond said. "And then Fouquet will escape. No, we will capture Fouquet and retrieve the Spear of Destruction ourselves, and restore our academy's honor. Any volunteers raise your wands." None of the teachers did so. Vergil couldn't help but feel contempt towards them. Here was their honor tarnished, and they wouldn't do a thing to reclaim it? "What's wrong?" Osmond demanded. "Are there no nobles here who wish to gain fame by capturing the infamous Fouquet?"
Louise raised her wand.
"I will go!" She declared, to the shocked gasps of the teachers.
"I as well." Kirche raised her wand.
"Zerbst?" Louise looked confused.
"I won't lose to a Vallière." Kirche said. Next to Louise, Tabitha raised her staff. "Tabitha! You don't have to do this, this is our problem."
"Worried about you two." She replied.
"Thanks." Louise said. Osmond chuckled, twinkling eyes gazing at the trio.
"I suppose we'll have to leave you three to it." He said. "And Vergil, of course." He added upon seeing Vergil's expression. "These two have seen Fouquet themselves, and Tabitha is a Chevalier, despite her young age."
"Chevalier?"
"What, seriously?"
"Miss Zerbst is a member of a military family, and I hear her flames are quite hot." Kirche chuckled. "And Miss Vallière…well…she is of the Vallière family, which has produced many very strong mages…and eh…How should I put this…has a bright future?" Osmond actually sweated under the glare of Louise. "Oh! Yes, and her familiar is a powerful swordsman, capable of defeating many golems such as the ones Fouquet may summon!"
"That's right!" Colbert exclaimed. "He's the legendary Gand – eh…ahem." He stopped himself before spilling the secret to the entire room.
"The Academy looks forward to your eventual success and return." Osmond finished.
"Old Osmond." Miss Longueville stepped forward. "I would like to accompany them as a guide."
"Oh, would you Miss Longueville?"
"Indeed. I had planned to do so all along." The secretary smiled.
"This is all quite inspiring." Vergil said, moving forward until he was facing Osmond directly. "But before we depart, I would like to ask about this Spear of Destruction. Just what is it?" Osmond's look was contemplative as he locked stares with Vergil, before the old man sighed.
"The Spear of Destruction is a powerful magical weapon, which no mage has been able to use." He began. "I acquired it decades ago, during a time when I worked with a group of fellow mages in clearing the wilderness of monsters and wild beasts for settlers. During one such hunt, my fellows and I came across a place where the earth was scorched to glass and the stone bubbled and ran like water. In the center of this devastation was a being, humanoid in appearance but taller than any man, with black plate armor and a horned helm, bearing two enormous raven wings upon its back." The headmaster stopped, seeming to struggle with the memory. "It saw us, and leaped forth with an enormous spear in hand, black with a glowing red head. Bolts of blood-red flame leaped from that spear and incinerated five of our number without any of our fire mages able to divert the flames. The battle lasted longer than any other, until our water mages were able to weaken the creature enough for me to strike the final blow. The being dissolved into the same strange flames that slew many of my friends, leaving behind only its spear." He paused, glancing around. "You see, of course, why it must be recovered. As it is now, it is merely a black spear, but if Fouquet should somehow find a way to use its power…"
Vergil nodded, as did the three behind him. Fouquet could do serious damage if she ever managed to unlock the Spear's potential. Of course, Vergil had reason to believe that neither her, nor any mage ever could.
Fouquet's Hideout
Evening
The team arrived at the cabin after a long wagon ride, driven by Miss Longueville. The trip was uneventful, other than a small fight incurred by Kirche's continuing seduction attempts and Louise's fury at her. As they approached, Vergil felt it again. Unrestrained Infernal Energy, leaking out of the cabin like it was lit on fire. Unlike the fight earlier, Vergil was prepared for the power.
"What? It just looks like some old lumberjack's cabin." Kirche complained.
"It may just be camouflage." Louise suggested. "For Fouquet to – Wait, Vergil, where are you going!" Vergil ignored her, striding to the cabin's door and kicking it open. Nothing exploded, and no blades sprang out to try and impale him, so Vergil simply entered the cabin, going straight for the source of the Infernal Energy. The cabin was a simple affair, table, dresser, bed. Next to the dresser, straight across for the door was a long box. He heard two of the others enter behind him, but ignored them, instead going to the box and opening it.
There it was. Vergil could feel the waves of power blanketing him.
And then Louise screamed. The cabin's roof was torn off by a giant stone hand, revealing Fouquet's golem. A quick scan revealed that Fouquet was not riding her creation this time. Tabitha and Kirche attacked, first with a powerful gust of wind, and then with a powerful blast of fire. Both proved rather ineffectual. Vergil spotted Louise then, moving behind the golem and raising her wand. Flicking it caused only a small explosion on the golem's back, shattering a small section of stony skin. The golem turned towards her.
"Damn." Vergil muttered. Drawing Derflinger, he darted forward as the golem's fist descended. He reached Louise and 'Tricked' the two of them away just before the fist touched. "Fool." He swore. "What were you thinking?"
"I-I couldn't run!" Louise cried. "If I did, then everyone would make fun of me!"
"Foolishness. Complete foolishness." Vergil muttered, grabbing Louise and 'Tricking' away as the golem smashed down again. "Might controls everything. If you want them to stop making fun of you, grow stronger! Gain power through whatever means you can." Sylphid swooped down from above, Tabitha having summoned her dragon while Vergil was forced to save Louise. "Now, stay with them and let me deal with this." He hoisted Louise up, letting Kirche grab her before he turned to face the golem.
He really missed Yamato now. This construct would have been dealt with easily with the blade that cut through dimensions.
"Well, looks like a big fight partner." Derflinger said.
"Indeed." Was Vergil's cool response. He dodged the golem's next strike, hacking at its leg as he did so. The loss of its limb momentarily inconvenienced the golem, making it stumble before dirt and rock rose from the ground to regenerate.
Damn. At this rate of regeneration, I won't get anywhere slicing away at it.
"Vergil!" He glanced up, seeing Louse…dropping the spear? As the wrap fluttered away from it, Vergil could see the black metal that it was made of, sucking in the light to illuminate the script that covered it butt to head. Vergil reached with his free hand, catching the spear.
"Bah. What fool Mortal dares to try and wield me now!" The deep, rasping voice filled Vergil's mind, a presence ancient and powerful peering into his soul. "Who dares try to wield Abaddon The Destroyer!...This feeling…is that you Sparda!"
"No. I am his son." Vergil responded quietly, even as the golem moved towards him.
"Really? How is he these days?"
"Dead."
"I should have guessed. This makes me the last of the Old Guard then…Well then. You seem to be in a spot of trouble Young Sparda."
"A little." Vergil admitted, 'Tricking' backwards and out of the golem's reach.
"For old times' sake then, I'll lend you my power, Son of Sparda… that, and it's pretty boring being holed up in a vault." The Spear – Abaddon glowed, the inscriptions in its shaft brightening with fire as the blade heated white-hot, erupting in blood-red flames.
"My apologies Derflinger." Vergil sheathed the intelligent sword, flipping Abaddon about in his left hand and gripping with his right hand closer to the butt. And frowned.
How do I know this stance? Unlike Dante, Vergil's self-training was more disciplined, focusing on use of Yamato and his martial arts, later on incorporating training for large swords when he'd figured out he'd need to obtain Force Edge. He had never touched a spear, and had little idea how to handle one. The conundrum, however, would have to wait as the golem struck with its fist heading straight for Vergil. Vergil stepped back, right side going back and lifting the blade up to stab forward into the golem's fist. As it embedded into the appendage, Abaddon's tip flared red, flames coursing throughout the golem's hand and scorching the stone and packed earth until the hand disintegrated.
"Hm. Very good."
Vergil withdrew the spear and 'Tricked' up to the golem's torso, stabbing it in the center before hanging onto the embedded weapon and jerking it down, tearing a large gash before he fell, taking up the stance again.
"Now, the finishing blow!" Vergil stepped his right foot back again, releasing Abaddon with his left hand and twirling it in his right until he gripped it in its exact center of balance. Then, stepping forward, he threw the weapon with all his considerable strength, aiming straight at the golem. For an instant, Abaddon hung in the air, its blade glowing brighter until Hellfire enveloped the spear, and then it launched forward, causing a massive shockwave of air to gust about behind the weapon as it pierced the golem…and exploded, blood-red flames engulfing the golem and all about it, hungrily consuming the construct, the cabin, and the grass all about.
Vergil stood back from the inferno, when something heavy landed on him from above.
"Ooh, Darling! So impressive, and the flames, so hot!" Kirche rubbed her body on Vergil's back, clinging to him.
"Indeed, that was impressive." From the forest behind them, Longueville stepped out, as Tabitha and Louise dismounted Sylphid in a more conventional manner than Kirche. "But, the Spear…"
"My apologies." Vergil said. "But the energy required to destroy the golem were great…too great for the spear."
"I see…that's a shame." Longueville sighed. "Well then, we should return to the academy, and inform the headmaster about our failure."
"Not quite yet, I think." Vergil said, stopping the group before they could move. "We still have a job to finish."
"How?" Louise asked. "The Spear is destroyed, and Fouquet was never here."
"Actually Louise, Fouquet was with us the entire time." Vergil explained. "Right, Miss Longueville?" The secretary looked startled, before chuckling and reaching around to free her hair, removing her glasses too.
"…How did you figure it out?"
"In truth, I merely suspected. But the resemblance between you and Fouquet started it, and your position as Osmond's secretary gave you plenty of opportunity to learn about the vault and positioned you to steal. Thank you for confirming my suspicions though." Vergil turned, drawing Derflinger as he went. "Now, will you come quietly?" Fouquet didn't respond with words, instead incanting a spell and firing spikes of stone at Vergil. A 'Trick' teleported Vergil away from the spikes and behind Fouquet. A simple knife strike to the back of her neck disabled her, allowing the four to restrain her with manacles.
Tristain Academy of Magic
Night
The trip back to the academy was as uneventful as the trip away, only becoming somewhat tense when Fouquet awoke halfway back to the school. However, without her wand, she was effectively disarmed, and gave little trouble. The debriefing by Osmond had been simple, and straightforward. Vergil explained that the Spear had been a Sorcerous Weapon from his world, created to fight powerful creatures, and he had been forced to use it to deal with Fouquet's golem. He could tell that both Colbert and Osmond had only grown more curious as to Vergil's origins, but they didn't ask about it.
Fouquet was taken to the palace, and Louise and Kirche were to be knighted, with a ball celebrating them and Tabitha going on right now.
Vergil did not attend. Instead, he stood on a tower's roof, gazing into the night. And then, he held out his hand.
Coils of Hellfire drifted into existence, spiraling up and down in helixes until uniting into Abadddon.
"Heh, that was a good story you fed them, Son of Sparda."
"It was true enough in the facts." Vergil replied. "And if I left out that you reconstituted after the golem was destroyed, well, they won't know for a long time."
"Man, you two are some sneaky Devils." Derflinger popped out of his sheath.
"Well, after over six thousand years of life, I'd think even I picked up some subterfuge."
"Eh, you're six thousand years old! So am I!"
Vergil sighed.
Devil Arm File: Abaddon, The Spear of Destruction
A famous Devil renowned for his destructive might, Abaddon was once an Archangel charged with the destruction of Heaven's foes, but turned against his fellows with Lucifer and the other Fallen, using his abilities to slay many angels and devastate the Earth. When the Devils were imprisoned in Hell, Abaddon was given a domain in the region of Gehenna to rule over, and there he created his Kingdom of Destruction, a wasteland of volcanic ash and obsidian, charred by the fires of his throne. Abaddon has not been heard from since the Fall, and no Demon sent into his realm ever returns.
Somehow, Abaddon was transported to Halkeginia, where he was eventually confronted and defeated by a younger Osmond and his companions, sealing himself in his spear to prevent his death.
As a Devil Arm, Abaddon takes the form of a black-shafted spear, inscribed with Infernal script of his victories, tipped with a glowing red-white blade, so hot that the air around it is burned into Hellfire. Abaddon can gather and fire this Hellfire in bolts powerful enough to reduce several humans to ash. As its ultimate technique, Abaddon can, when thrown, turn into a bolt of super-concentrated Hellfire that can match the force of a thousand mortal explosives, if desired, creating vast devastation.
Sorcery File: Dimensional Armory
Sparda's trademark sorcerous technique was a spell that created a pocket dimension, from which he could access any of his weapons with ease. Dante and Vergil both inherited their own versions of this spell, although only Dante repeatedly used it, and he emptied it out after every job to store the numerous Devil Arms and guns in his weapons room. Apparently, he preferred to 'keep things interesting'. Vergil, having trained solely with Yamato, saw no need to use his Armory, having no other weapons to store. Part of his bid for Sparda's power included access to his father's Armory, which contained countless Devil Arms, each with enormous power.
– The Author –
Well, that's Fouquet finished for now. I suppose I was overestimating it as a 'big battle'…But now, Vergil's armory is expanding. And for the first time, he consciously feels the effect of Gandalfr. Because honestly, the man can teleport, and has enough regenerative power to heal from being stabbed multiple times in the chest. Compared to that, the only thing the runes will do for him is allow him to effectively use unfamiliar weapons.
And the Spear of Destruction is revealed. Honestly, I'm rather surprised that they didn't already have a Devil Arm named after Abaddon in the DMC games, but, meh.
Review Replies:
Orchamus: Oh, it will be.
I'm just uncomfortable writing romance, and most of the characters at this point in the story don't feel like anyone Vergil would fall for…if he can fall for someone.
Victoriousvillain: Dante took Beowulf from Vergil during DMC3, so no.
EVA-Saiyajin: Yep.
Takeshi Yamato: Not so much, because she is a thief, but maybe soon in the future. Actually, come to think of it, possibly next chapter…
Yep.
Well, it's not going to happen anytime soon, you know…
Nivek Beldo: Yeah, I guess…
Bradley McCloud and Trife: I understand what you guys are getting at, I do. But logically, most of the events were progressing regardless of who got summoned by Louise. Going by that, most of these would only change when Vergil got involved, at least not until later in the story when Vergil gets more of a reputation in Halkeginia. If you guys have suggestions though, I would like to see them, PM me.
bakapervert: No Problem.
pyromania101: Well, I'm also trying to write him as changed by both DMC3 and his servitude under Mundus…I can't really tell if I'm succeeding though…
crimsonkyuubi: Thanks.
…You're talking about Agnes right? I can't quite keep track of all the FoZ characters…
Kojiro Kun: She is a thief, I think she'd be interested in avoiding confrontation…
Knightmare Gundam of Ni