Hey everyone, sorry I'm late. Good news is that I'm out of college so I should have more time to do this fic. I just hope people still read it.
Anyway, Read and enjoy.
"RUN LIKE HELL!"
-Zoey from Left 4 Dead
It had barely been an hour, and the mission was already a nasty FUBAR. Not only had his 'teammates' deserted him for their own reasons, the only guy who had been willing to help him out had ended up dead no less than a few minutes when they arrived. Now Bloodtail was on his own, in the old abandoned ruins of New York, with who knows what leaking in the alleys.
Keeping his fingers on the triggers of his pistols, Bloodtail decided to take the higher ground; the alleys were perfect for ambushes, and staying out in the streets would make him a big target. With a quick jumping maneuver, he climbed onto the rooftops, and as he leapt from complex to complex, the half-demon kept his senses on full alert. As he continued, he took a moment to look at the devastation of what was once called the greatest city so long ago. He could even see the remains of the Empire State Building, now nothing more than a giant skeleton of rusted steel and worn concrete, a tomb for those killed in the Xorda invasion.
Kind of sad, really, lamented Sparda with a sad sigh. I actually used to like this city when it was around. The original Times Square was always perfect for a New Year's celebration, and seeing the Yankees play the World Series was always memorable.
I'm more of a Mets kind of guy, responded Bloodtail, putting more power into his jump to leap across a street. He made a perfect landing into an open window, finding himself in a dusty, moldy office complex about twenty floors up from the ground. The fox looked around for any and all threats, and when he was convinced of the safety of the vicinity, he put his guns away.
He carefully made his way across the room, noting the damaged computers and turned over desks, and peered down below from another window. Using his enhanced sight, he tried scanning over the area, looking for clues as to what direction the excavation team might have taken or if there was any sign of his fellow hunters. Damaged cars, trash cans, McDonalds – huh, they really did have those even back then –, a telephone, a port-a-john near some construction site…
There was nothing.
Sighing in frustration, Bloodtail leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Two hours leaping around like a hyperactive flea for not a single clue. Jex could have at least given us some more information other than 'look around'. Even a fricken' address where they'd last been seen would have been nice."
At least you haven't run into any trouble yet, the dark demon knight pointed out.
"True, true."
Seeing no other place to turn to, Bloodtail prepared to take his investigation somewhere else. Then, he heard something. Concentrating, he was able to tell what it was. Is that… crying? After drawing Ebony for its holster, he slowly made his way across the room, where it got darker and more grim. From the left corner, he could barely make out the figure of a female huddling on her knees, hunched over. From what he could see, she was pale and with dirt all over her ripped up clothes.
"Hey, are you from Takeda's team?" asked Bloodtail, lowering his gun. The crying continued. Shaking his head, he reached out and touched her arm. "Hey, I said–"
"Raaaah!"
Bloodtail cursed as he felt three sharp slashes against his chest, an attack that knocked him off his feet and into a wreckage of a cubicle. Looking up, he saw that his 'survivor' was anything from normal. She was pale as a ghost and so skinny the bones were visible underneath her skin, which, considering her power, was quite a surprise. Her hands were claws with extended fingernails, and her body was completely hairless, except the stone-grey mop on her head. Finally, there was her face, sullen and almost skeletal, with eyeballs completely gone and replaced with wispy motes of white mist. It then unleashed a horrifying scream.
(The Music of Welcome Home By Coheed and Cambria plays)
…Dark Side of the World Presents…
… A Sonic the Hedgehog fanfic…
…crossed over with material from Devil May Cry….
…as well as information of Demonology and Angelology….
...edited by REV6Pilot...
BLOODTAIL: THE FIRST DEVIL TRIGGER
Disclaimer: The author owns nothing that is not his….
(Music ends)
Like a banshee, she screamed again and charged at Bloodtail with her blood soaked fingers. His response was to fire non-stop at the monstrous human-like thing, blowing bits of her body away. With one final bullet, the creature gave one cry as she dissented to her knees. The white mist evaporated from the body, leaving behind but an empty husk.
Bloodtail kept his sights lined up with the body as he got up and carefully stepped towards it. After a quick kick to its gut for good measure, Bloodtail asked his demon partner a simple question: What the fuck was that?
I think that was a Weeper, said Sparda. Bloodtail raised an eyebrow, asking for a detailed explanation. A Weeper is a soul that can't accept it's died, so it possesses a dead body, sometimes its own and sometimes another's. When in that body, it can actually feel again; in fact, its senses are roughly ten times that of a normal human. However, the body's memories collide with the soul's own, causing a great deal of pain, so much so that it risks going insane. If it does, you get a Weeper.
"So what happens when the body is destroyed?" asked Bloodtail. "Does the soul move on?"
No, it's not like normal spiritual possession. The soul just becomes hungrier to live again, so it looks for another corpse to possess. Unless you know exorcism, it'll remain around. Another thing about Weepers: if there is one of them lying around…
A loud series of screeches echoed across the building, followed by more from the outside.
… there are usually more of them.
As the sound of tremulous footsteps grew closer from the door on the opposite side of the room, the demon hunter twirled his guns with a smirk. "Okay, so how many we talking? Dozens? Maybe a hundred of them?"
Oh yeah, sure… a hundred… times ten…
Bloodtail stopped his twirling, an eye twitching. "What?"
The lowest number you'll ever find when dealing with Weepers is seven hundred. And judging by all that screaming, I'd say they're coming to your location right at this very minute.
Gulping, the teenager looked towards the door, which rattled so violently, it was starting to gradually lose its hinges.
Options?
Run like hell.
Sounds like a plan.
With that, just as the door was torn off and in came dozens of screaming Weepers, Bloodtail bolted towards the nearest door. Like beasts, the army of pale undead dove for the demon hunter in the adjacent room, who just barely managed to smash through the nearest window before the nearest one was about to claw him. Despite being many stories up, Bloodtail kept his cool and allowed himself to fall freely. He turned his head upwards, only to see the Weepers jump right out the very same window, while other levels he passed by had groupss of them smash through the glass panels, either falling as well or using their inhumanly mutated appendages to crawl down the walls. The numbers indeed ranged in the hundreds, making it look like an entire waterfall of grey monsters was coming down upon the streets.
(Now Playing: Ultra, Artist: KMFDM)
Time to see if all those parkour lessons were worth it, Bloodtail thought as he rotated himself in the air. Slamming his feet against the wall, he directed his demonic energy into them and pushed off, to two effects: a large red shockwave spread out of it, and he sailed across the entire street's width. The shockwave spread and dissipated, with all the glass and some of the bricks within its reaches shattering from the sheer kinetic force a split second later. Numerous Weepers were pushed off as well, but most jumped off in time to keep following the demon hunter.
The demon hunter smashed through another window from a building across from him, rolled to his feet and started running towards the other end, with some of the living corpses from the swarm already hot on his heels. Bloodtail jumped, rolled, and flipped his way over desks, chairs, and the occasional debris.
Two Weepers caught up and tried to leap-tackle him from both sides just as he was making his way towards another desk. He was quick to slide down, which left his enemies without a target except each other, and they collided mid-flight. Mid-slide, Bloodtail raised his foot and easily kicked through the rotted wooden panel panel below. Back on his feet and with both guns drawn, the mobian wasted no time in jumping onto an old platform truck, which thankfully had working wheels, ensuring that his momentum was put to good use in the escape effort.
They're like a damn swarm! he thought as he kicked another Weeper in the face. As it flew, his eyes trailed off a weakened, loose pipe connected from the ceiling to the floor, and he reached out and grabbed it. Using the pipe as a fulcrum, he forced the platform truck to turn around and towards a set of double doors. Too frail to take the stress, the length of metal tore out from its place; in a heartbeat, the demon hunter was poised to use it as a quarterstaff, whacking three Weepers back with a single broad swipe.
Bloodtail held the pipe as a battering ram, smashing the double doors open with its tip, his unhindered trajectory leading him to a set of stairs that only went halfway down, the large gap below leading to another group of Weepers. Still keeping the length of metal held tight in both paws, Bloodtail went to the front of the truck and slammed it on the ground, pole-vaulting over the gap towards the wall, which yielded to a mighty kick. He landed on a roof of a nearby apartment complex after jumping through, and before he could take a minute to breathe, the screeches of the possessed corpses alerted him of the streets and other nearby buildings, all of which were also starting to crowd with the creatures.
"Goddamnit…" he muttered Bloodtail, blasting off into a sprint across the roof, the hordes of the Weepers getting closer as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop in chase.
No matter how many times he jumped across ledges and climbed up walls, there seemed to be no escape from the vast horde. Any bright ideas?! he mentally screeched to his demonic partner.
Thinking! I'm thinking! Sparda yelled back. Wait, wait, look to your left! That church over there!
Obeying his mentor, Bloodtail did so, and indeed, he could notice an ancient church with a bell tower. What about it?!
Just get your fuzzy ass over there!
With no other options available, Bloodtail jumped off the roof, aiming for another one when one of the Weepers managed to tackle him in midair. He kicked the monster in its stomach, and it staggered away, but already a small mob had surrounded him, clawing over each other to get a slice at their prey.
The crowd rose higher and wider with each passing second, the berserking undead mad to the point of fighting amongst themselves for a chance to reach the center, until suddenly, a bright red explosion scattered every single Weeper in the dogpile, the closest ones to the focal point getting dismembered, eviscerated or just plain evaporated by the kinetic blast. In the middle of the pile, a bleeding, heavily cut up Bloodtail stood up, oozing the remains of the demonic energy he had used up.
With the church only a block away, Bloodtail struggled to make a run for it, the rest of the horde soon gaining up on him. Just as he reached the gates, he tripped and landed on his stomach. The Weepers were only a few feet away and closing in.
THE BELL! HIT IT!
Fumbling with Ivory, Bloodtail closed his opposite eye for a better aim, and fired a single shot. The demon empowered bullet sailed through the openings of the gate and nailed the bell in the tower, causing an unbelievably loud ringing noise that was carried by the stagnant air in all directions. Along with that ringing was the sound of nearly a thousand screams of acute pain.
Bloodtail's jaw would have dropped if it could through its pain-induced clench as its owner saw each and every single one of the fearsome crowd holding their ears and staggering drunkenly. He took aim and fired at the bell again and again, each ring followed by more piecing screams.
The Weepers were unable to take any more of the noise, and began scattering. In less than ten seconds, the streets that had been crawling with undead were now devoid of any life except for one actual living being.
(End song)
Bloodtail sighed in relief, sleepy all of a sudden. Ah… this must be... blood l-loss….
His eyelids fell, and he blacked out.
"Hey! Hey! Doctor Yin! I think he's waking up!"
As he lifted his head, a mobian fox groaned against the pounding migraine wracking his neurons. He felt a pair of human hands help him sit up, and slowly, he opened his eyes, revealing four humans in white uniforms, three males and one female, all of them staring at him. Their uniforms, which had the logo of Takeda's company on it, looked more like rag patchworks from so many cuts and dirt stains. Three of them looked at him with concern and hope, while the last one, a bald African American, eyed him with distrust.
Upon viewing his surroundings, Bloodtail realized he was inside the church he had passed out in front of. Place's certainly seen better days, he thought idly when his eyes fell on the broken pews and windows.
As he got up, the one glaring at him reached for his gun and pulled it out. "Hold it right there, buddy! Don't make any sudden moves, or–"
"Settle down, Rex," the female, a Caucasian with long, black hair and a fierce gaze that reminded Bloodtail of a tiger, said evenly. "It's pretty obvious that he's part of the rescue team. And besides, what good do you think that popgun will do? He went from bacon strips to fully healed by himself, you saw it happen."
Rex shifted his eyes between both the girl and the mobian before hesitantly withdrawing his piece. She turned around and smiled at Bloodtail. "Sorry about that, Rex has been on edge since day one. I'm Jacqueline River, Jackie for short." She turned to and aged man of Chinese complexion. "This is Dr. Mao Yin..."
The man nodded. "Greetings."
"... Robert Dimeal..."
The white male saluted Bloodtail with a hand wave.
"... and you've already met Security Chief Rex Ryan," Jackie finished, pointing a thumb behind her.
Rex, for his part, just snorted and leaned further against the broken pew he stood next to.
Jackie cleared her throat. "So, are you part of the rescue team?"
Bloodtail stretched his back. A quick check of all part of his body only yielded a few scars. Those looked cool, he liked them. "I'm really just trying to get into the tournament your boss has in the brew stand. Jex said that, if I bring you and whatever you found with me and a couple of other guys, I'd be let in. So yeah, I supposed that counts."
The humans all looked at each other nervously in a silence that Doctor Yin broke with a sigh. "Unfortunately, we don't have the items we found. The other group we were with was carrying it when we spit up."
Bloodtail sighed himself. Great. I knew this was too good to be true.
"So, what happens now? Do we leave?" asked Robert, smiling hopefully.
"Sorry, but not yet. I can't leave without the merchandise," Bloodtail popped his bubble, watching the rest of the science team deflate. "What the hell we're you guys doing in here anyway?"
Rex stepped forward, glaring at Bloodtail from behind crossed arms. "That information is restricted to anybody who's not part of the research team, merc. I suggest you stop asking pointless questions and figure out a plan to get us outta here alive already."
Bloodtail glared right back at the tough-guy, but shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, not like it's my business anyway. So where can I find the other group?"
"Last time we saw them was before we spit up, a few streets down south of here," said Jackie as she walked towards one of the windows. She peeked through the broken glass and shook her head. "It doesn't look like it, but those demons are out there, waiting for you to come out so they can tear you to pieces. We had another guy with us... he thought it was safe to go out. It wasn't." Then, she pushed off the wall and turned around, making eye contact with the young hunter. "How did you get them to leave anyway? We all thought we were going to be overrun until you did that thing with the bell."
I'm actually curious myself, thought the mobian. Yo! Sparda! What was up with the bell doodad?
*Snoooreeeee...*
Bloodtail's right eye twitched. "Oh, for crying out…!"
"What?" asked a curious Jackie.
"Nothing, just a voice in my head that fell asleep…" he muttered. The way the humans raised their eyebrows and backed away quietly was lost on him as his mental eye focused inwards. Oi! Mr. Demon Knight from Hell! Wake up!
Wha...? Oh, you're awake… Sparda yawned. What do you want? I dreamed I was having a nice vacation on a hot beach with waitresses from Hooters serving me fries and wings, and you come waking me up...
Mind explaining how shooting a bell managed to stop an army of possessed dead bodies?
Oh, that, the dark knight said sagely. Remember when I said that Weepers have extra acute senses? Well, here's the thing: the more accurate a measurement is, the easier it is to go off the scales. The sound of the bell wasn't too loud for a human or even a mobian with good ears, but to them, it's torture. I'm dead sure that the same would happen if you'd overloaded their sight or sense of smell.
That makes sense... Appreciate the heads up. His thanks said, Bloodtail turned his attention back towards the physical realm. "Alright, people, listen up. I need to know all you can tell me about this place and what you were researching –"
Rex made an effort to open his mouth.
"– provided it's not some unhelpful classified bullshit."
The three humans turned towards the scowling black man. "Fine, but only the lesser core details."
Jackie nodded. "This city used to be the old New York. There are lost treasures to be found here, even after the thousands of years it's been buried for. Normally, people just send search drones to scan the area for anything of value, but one of Mr. Takeda's managed to find something of really high scale... The thing was so powerful that the drone short circuited.
"A fifty-large group of us was sent down here to collect the item and bring it to Mr. Takeda. When we found it, that's when those demons started showing up," followed up Robert with a noticeable creep to his tone. "They came out of nowhere, slaughtered us like cattle. We barely managed to send the distress signal before we had to flee for our hides."
Do Weepers normally behave like this? Bloodtail asked Sparda.
Sometimes. Usually they stay dormant unless something wakes them up. Whatever it is that they uncovered, it must have unleashed enough demonic energy to awaken nearly every one of these guys in the city.
Well, ain't that perfect, the fox snarked. Making his way to the door, he sighed and turned around. "I'm going out to find the others. If any of those monsters come here, ring the bell. The noise causes them pain."
"I'm on it," called Robert as he headed to a nearby flight of stairs.
"There are also others beside me," Bloodtail continued. "Another mobian, a half-demon like me with a katana, and a samogloth. If you see either of the first two, let them inside." His expression soured. "The last guy? I suggest leaving him alone."
The three researchers shivered at that. Apparently they knew of samogloths, and the thought of such an abomination seeking them, even if it wasn't with hostile purposes, was disturbing enough. Bloodtail jotted that down on his mental agenda as his physical self opened the door.
He was about to step outside when Jackie tugged his shirt. She let go and gulped nervously. "Um... if you manage to find them, please bring them back safely. Some of them are good friends I've worked with for a long time…"
Giving her a smile and thumbs up, he nodded. "I'll bring them back safe and sound."
"Thank you." She walked away with hope in her eyes.
With everything said and done, Bloodtail opened the door and shut it as soon as he was through, finding himself back outside on the streets. Once again, they were devoid of any life, but now he knew that there was an army of revenants looking to tear him a new one. Turning south as he summoned his demonic energy for an extra boost in speed, Bloodtail set off, dust following in his wake.
"You were right," Domino said, watching the other mobian make his way down the road. He and Ren were looking down below from the top of a nearby building, their focus on the little demon hunter, who Domino admitted was quite the fighter: not only had he managed to escape certain death, but he also got his second wind quite quickly. "There is something interesting about him."
"At first, I thought he was nothing more than a simple child going in far over his head, but before I left, I sensed the sheer power in him," Ren explained, lazily clenching his katana. "No half-demon at that age has such power. Even I didn't."
"Is there a reason that you needed me to come with you?" asked the bull, growling with impatience.
"You were raised by shamans," answered the other, never taking his eyes off the retreating fox. "I heard that some shamans can use their powers and peer deep into the souls of individuals. Is that one of your abilities?"
"I am not as powerful as my teachers, nor do I possess much magic except for my axe," Domino pointed out. "But I do know the technique you speak of. Why?"
Ren smiled a predatory smile. "I want to know what I'm planning to fight against beforehand."
