The Devil of Zero
Disclaimer: Neither The Familiar of Zero nor Devil May Cry belong to me.
The Journey
– The Devil –
Outside Gates, Tristain Academy of Magic
Morning
It would not do to even hint that Vergil lacked patience. Oh no. His human acquaintances, few as they were, had at times remarked that he could probably outwait Death itself and then take its anthropomorphic manifestation to its resting place. What he did lack, however, was tolerance for the tardiness at others.
And so it was that Vergil found himself with Louise, waiting just outside the main gates to the academy's courtyard, with several horses bridled, saddlebags packed and prepared to depart, only to be delayed by what, in Vergil's eyes, was Guiche's inexcusable tardiness. The two of them, Master and Familiar, waited. Louise was dressed in her normal attire, except for her footwear, wearing riding boots that were much tougher and better-suited to the strains of travel than her shoes. As the dawn light turned into morning sunshine, the blond wannabe Casanova finally appeared, and a full hour after their agreed upon meeting time and appearing not at all apologetic about it. Vergil, as befit his demeanor and self-control, never let his companions realize the depths of his irritation.
"Ah, before we depart, might I make a request?" Guiche asked with a little trepidation.
"Yes?" Vergil asked curtly.
"May I bring my familiar along with us?" Vergil considered. Guiche's familiar, if he recalled correctly, was a mole as large as a Doberman. Other than that he knew next to nothing about it.
"If it can keep up."
"Oh, thank you Sir Vergil!" Guiche cried, dramatically sweeping a bow before the half-devil. Vergil, as with most of Guiche's histrionics, quite simply ignored the fop. "Verdandi! Come out!" A small tremor engulfed a patch of ground, from which Guiche's giant mole familiar burst out, snuffling around like a small bear. "Verdandi! Oh, my wondrous and cute Verdandi! Ah, you look so cute no matter how I look at you! Have you eaten your breakfast of earthworms?" The mole gave what was apparently an assenting noise, for Guiche began rubbing cheek-to-cheek with the creature.
"Er, are you sure we should bring it with us?" Louise asked them, a bit perturbed. "I mean, Albion is a floating continent after all…" Apparently, Verdandi just then noticed Louise, and tackled the short, pink-haired girl, snuffling all over her and making her shriek. "Ah! What is this stupid mole trying to do!" She started to roll over trying to escape the prying nose of Verdandi, making her disheveled and…exposing…certain items. Guiche stared, enraptured, while Vergil just repeated an action he'd found himself resorting to much more often in this insane world: He sighed. "You insane mole! Don't go sniffing the princess's ring!"
"Ah, that must be it!" Guiche declared. "Verdandi has a nose for valuable gems and minerals!"
"It's a pest!"
"She most certainly is not! Such an ability comes in handy, and is only natural considering I am an Earth mage!" Before the potential argument could escalate any further, a strong gust of wind burst from nowhere, striking Verdandi and sending the giant mole flying to land a few yards away. Vergil had already tracked the attack to its source by the time it struck, dropping off of his horse and drawing Derflinger. "Who is that!" Guiche cried, ducking behind a horse. A man stepped out of the nearby forest shadows, stout and judging by he held himself, a noble. A wide-brimmed hat with a feather stuck in it, much like the ones in the tales of musketeers, donned his head, and his figure was wrapped in a dark night blue cloak with rampant griffins on either side of the front. His features were handsome, with a short grey goatee and moustache on his face. Similarly colored hair hung down from under the hat, to about chest length on the man's front. Noticing Vergil, the stranger sheathed a strange blunt sword he carried and held up his hands to convey an intention of peace.
Vergil didn't relax one whit.
"I am not your enemy." The stranger assured them. "I was sent by the princess to help you in your mission, as she was worried so few of you would be unable to reach Albion, and sending an entire contingent of soldiers would be far to conspicuous." The stranger hesitated briefly, eyeing Vergil, before sweeping off his hat and bowing. "I am Viscount Wardes, Captain of Her Highness's Griffin Knights." That proclamation brought Guiche out from behind the horse, eyes starry at what Vergil assumed was to be a fairly famous person. The Viscount turned to him. "My apologies for harming your familiar sir, but I couldn't stand to see my fiancé being harassed." Vergil turned to Louise to see the girl blush brightly and sheathed Derflinger.
"Viscount Wards…" Louise seemed to complain, probably about their relationship being so matter-of-factly revealed.
"It's been such a long time. My Louise, my dear Louise." Wardes said warmly, stepping closer to Louise and picking her up in a hug.
"Viscount, please! There are people here!" Louise squealed, her blush becoming luminescent.
"Ah yes, your companions. Would you care to introduce me?" Louise flushed once more, righting her clothes from both Verdandi's assault and Wardes' hug before speaking
"This is Guiche de Gramont, a classmate, and my familiar, Vergil." Guiche was unable to meet Wardes' eyes, but both Vergil and Wardes studied the other.
"I've heard a lot about you Mister Familiar." Wardes said with a reflective look on his face. "Thank you for taking care of Louise for me."
"It was no trouble." Vergil responded. "I owe her."
"Indeed? How so?" Vergil noted Louise and Guiche leaning closer to listen, the latter probably because this was the first he'd heard of Vergil's debt, and the former because she was curious as to just what she'd taken him from.
She could wait longer.
"Let me just say that her summons came at a…opportune moment." Vergil replied. He examined Wardes again, more discreetly, noting the noble's far better physique than any he'd seen yet in this world, and the blunt rapier-like sword that apparently served as his foci for magic. Wardes either didn't notice or ignored the study, whistling into the sky. Moments later, another beast of the like Vergil had only seen imitated by Greater Demons and Devils appeared, a beautiful white griffin. When it landed, Wardes mounted what Vergil presumed was his familiar, and reached out to an apprehensive Louise.
"Come on Louise, he won't bite." Wardes admonished his reluctant fiancé, before just scooping her into the saddle before him. With Wardes and Louise mounted, Vergil climbed back into his horse's saddle, Guiche following suit only moments after. "Well then," Wardes said, seeing that they were all mounted. "Let us be off!" They started then, Wardes's griffin leading them forward. Both trailing travelers were quiet, Guiche because he was apparently overcome with admiration for Wardes, while Vergil…
"What is it that has you so quiet Young Sparda?"
"I may have found a halfway-decent opponent."
– The Zero –
Vicinity of Port City La Rochelle
Later
Wardes set a near impossible pace with his griffin, not stopping for a moment the entire trip. Despite both Guiche and Vergil having to switch to their back-up horses, and then back again, his griffin seemed just as tireless as Wardes and Vergil. Guiche, being neither a hardened knight nor a half-devil with supernatural constitution, was ragged and tired, barely able to keep his seat on his saddle.
"Er, Viscount Wardes? Shouldn't we stop and rest?" Wardes gave Louise a look.
"Louise, there is no need to be so formal when we are betrothed, together again after a long time apart…and as for resting…I had hoped to finish the journey in one go."
"We've made great time thus far." Louise said. "Surely it wouldn't hurt to stop for a few hours, allow the horses to rest?"
"Couldn't we just move ahead in that case?" Wardes countered. "They could stay and rest up and rejoin us later."
"B-but I couldn't possibly abandon them! It wouldn't do for a mage to abandon her familiar…"
By now, they had reached a narrow mountain path between two peaks, when suddenly torches fell from the peaks, illuminating the area around the group. Frightened by the flames, Guiche's horse tossed him, while Vergil had almost instantly disappeared. From the peaks, a hail of arrows rained down, many of them aimless, while others had specific targets. Wardes drew his wand-blade, summoning a gust of wind that blew the arrows away.
And then the screaming began, echoing down to the group from the right-hand peak. Louise shuddered at the thought of the scene atop those peaks, remembering how Vergil had dealt with the bandits that had kidnapped her. He hadn't merely killed them, but butchered them like animals.
Then, strangely enough, there was more screaming from the other peak, and Louise briefly thought Vergil had somehow managed to be in two places at once, before she heard a familiar flapping noise, not like Wardes's griffin, but leathery, like…
Arrows shot up from the left-hand peak into the sky, towards a familiar blue dragon. A small whirlwind simply dashed the projectiles onto the side of the peak, before another, larger gale brought the archers tumbling down into the valley. The dragon descended, and Louise positively identified it.
"Sylphid!" She exclaimed in shock, and as it landed a certain red-headed Germanian hopped off of the dragon, flipping her hair back.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting." Kirche said.
"What do you mean 'sorry for keeping us waiting'!" Louise fumed, jumping down from her perch on Wardes's lap. "What are you even doing here!"
"Well, I saw you and Guiche and Vergil all getting on horses and leaving this morning, so I woke up Tabitha and followed you." Kirche explained, gesturing to a still-mounted Tabitha, clad in her pajamas. "By the way, where is Vergil?" They only had the warning of Tabitha glancing up from her ever-present book when Vergil suddenly appeared before them. Derflinger was held in his hand, the sentient weapon's blade slick with gore and blood dripping off of its tip, even as the blade chattered excitedly.
"Partner that was some Sweet action! When you stabbed that one guy, took his arrow and stuck it in that other guy's eye…" Thankfully, the sword trailed off as Vergil strode back to his horse, retrieving a rag that he began to use to scrub the viscera off of Deflinger. Everyone had frozen when the half-devil had reappeared, eyes on the bloodied blade. Even Kirche, who had been known to pursue her interests in the most ridiculous of circumstances, seemed hesitant to engage Vergil, at least, not after one of his butcheries.
Louise shook off Vergil's sudden and disturbing reappearance, turning back to Kirche.
"Kirche! We're on a secret mission! You can't just-"
"Oh! A secret mission? You should have said so earlier! How would I have known if you hadn't told me about it? Anyways, be thankful to me, for I have apprehended…some…of the people who wanted to ambush you!" Kirche waved in the general direction of the ambushers, who were quite hurt by their fall, unable to move, and had been yelling imprecations at the group when Vergil had reappeared, whereupon they realized just what had happened to their fellows on the other peak and had wisely shut up in the hopes of keeping themselves in one piece. Guiche moved towards them and began questioning them, gesticulating wildly during his interrogation.
Louise just looked crossly at Kirche. "Oh don't be mistaken Vallière, I'm not here to help you." Kirche moved to Wardes, leaning on him and rubbing her 'assets' against his side. "Ne, handsome, your beard makes seem so manly…do you wish to see what passion looks like?" She said slyly. Wardes spared only a glance for her, before gently shoving her back away from him. "Huh?"
"Please, don't approach me like that ever again." Wardes asked. "I appreciate your aid, but I don't want my fiancé to misunderstand." Kirche turned towards Louise, wide-eyed and –
"If we are quite finished with greetings, could we move on?" Vergil asked, already mounted. "I believe we have almost reached the city." He drove his horse forward at a trot, passing Wardes and proceeding down the path. It was only after a few exchanged looks that the rest of them followed, leaving the ambushers to recover on their own.
Soon, they beheld the Port City of La Rochelle, sandwiched between two cliffs and glimmering with light. Before they proceeded towards the city, Louise noted Vergil hesitate almost, his normally stoic expression creasing into a suspicious frown.
– The Devil –
La Rochelle
Night
To any other person in their group, the night-time atmosphere in La Rochelle was pleasant, if a bit louder than they were used to. It was much the same for Vergil, except for one thing: A hint of the Infernal in the air. This had drawn him out of the hotel where the rest of the group settled in, into the twisted alleys of the Port City, following the ever-so-slightly strengthening taint of Hell-spawned creatures. Abaddon helped in this instance, even identifying the beast as one aligned with ice.
"There." The fiery Devil Arm growled as Vergil approached a small side-alley. "That is where the scent of this frozen spawn emanates from."
"I'm guessing there's no love lost between Devils of fire and ice, neh?" Derflinger commented.
"Of course not." Abaddon hissed. "Crazy snow-brained freaks always thought they were closer to Lucifer than the rest of us. The arrogance!"
"Enough." Vergil ordered. He strode into the alley, drawing Derflinger and ready to summon Abaddon from his Armory. Ahead, the alley turned sharply to the right, and Vergil beheld his quarry. In the broadest sense, it resembled the reptilian Frosts that he had dealt with at several times in his life, including in some frozen peaks near the city of Fortuna, and on Mallet Island. It differed greatly in several ways, first and foremost its size.
The demon, one Vergil was certain would be classified as a Greater Demon, was slightly larger than Sylphid, and had the general shape as well, with large wings made out of white, frosty membrane shot through with blue veins, standing on two digitigrade legs and with muscular arms that ended in sharp talons made out of otherworldly ice. The typical armored crest of ice on its skull was enhanced with two tusk-like horns that swept back behind its head, and dagger-like protrusions stabbed down next to the mouth. The tail that protruded from the back of its neck rather than its rear as was usual for most creatures was tipped with a wedge of ice. Its head was already turned to face Vergil as he turned the corner, with blood streaking its claws and maw from the corpse it gnawed on, another body crushed underneath its foot. It turned its head to the side and spat the body out, the corpse – a woman judging by its dress – hitting the alley wall with a sickening crunch before falling back to the ground.
"I thought I smelled something Infernal and Human." The draconic Frost growled, in a voice that rumbled and hissed. "Mistress Zima will be pleased when I bring her back the corpse of Sparda's spawn."
"So there are other Devils here." Vergil commented, advancing towards the Demon. "I suspected as much." Before he was halfway to the creature, it shivered and seemed to dissolve into vapor. Vergil Tricked up as it reformed behind and above his previous position, frozen claws slicing into the ground as he brought Derflinger down on its head. One of the horns broke off, and the demon displaced itself again, retreating back down the alley. A swipe of its claws sent a flurry of sharp icicles flying at Vergil. None connected, the half-devil simply sweeping Derfligner through them and shattering them. Vergil Summoned Swords, sending the deadly sorcerous constructs stabbing into the uberFrost's right wing and shredding it. A growl preceded the demon stabbing its claws back into the ground, a wave of ice spreading for Vergil's position. Vergil simply Tricked behind it again, Derflinger biting through its tail and severing the icy wedge-shaped blade. Another displacement and the cold-blooded reptile appeared a few yards away. However, Vergil had Tricked with it, and this time, its reformation was met by Abaddon as Vergil drove the spear into the creature's foot and pinning the super-Frost to the ground. A sweep of Derflinger, and Vergil removed the demon's wing, dark blue blood spilling out into the air and splattering on the ground, creating clouds of mist as it spread. A pained shriek seemed to emanate from the Frost's entire structure, like reverberating crystal.
"Now, I believe you have some things to tell me."
– The Author –
Alright, and that's Foreshadowing.
…
Damn TV Tropes! I would have gotten this chapter out earlier if it hadn't ensnared me during my research for the story! Just one, little, tiny link in Dante's character entry, and three hours later I find myself reading about Moe.
How the hell did that happen!
Review Replies:
pyromania101: It was Abaddon talking. He's a Devil, you can't expect him to be anything but blasphemous.
He'll be getting several Devil Arms, and I have a plan to get him a katana…
EVA-Saiyajin: Well, if you think about it, Edward can't be much harder to swallow than a Paladin.
Takeshi Yamato: Oh yes, it can.
Lots of stuff.
Anything specific you want for the Celeste?
Orchamus: What, a dozen Neros? Yeah, that would be…not so good for certain people.
I didn't really do much, just wrote down my description of the fight in DMC3 as it went for me. Vergil on Dante Must Die…eugh…
Kamigawa Nagamaki: Azrael was the Spear of Longinus and the poor tax-evader is the arguably most famous person in the world.
HolyKnight5: Oh yes, there will be blood.
I'm planning it now…
Nivek Beldo: Thank you.
It was in the novels.
You got my PM, right?
SilverBack354: Thanks.
Lunatic Pandora1: Yeah, so there's really no reason for Vergil to have another spear…
Eh, sounds just about even with Abaddon, only focused on single-target slaying rather than mass annihilation.
bakapervert: You're Welcome.
Drake202: Thanks!
It's going to be a long time before I even start to consider any love interests for Vergil, if any.
Raditz: DotA Arms? Huh?
Kojiro Kun: Thank you.
Knightmare Gundam of Ni