-30 minutes earlier prior being summoned-
[Sicilian shipyard, Italy]
It was a foggy day out near a European waterfront. A medium sized ship docked itself in a shipping yard, coming in from a nearby waterway. The senior dockworker signaled the ship, but he received no reply. He frowned and tried again, yet still no message came.
'Maybe just a rude skipper,' he thought to himself.
He shrugged and gestured to his men to take the shipment off. They marched a grand total of two steps before a hand stopped one of the workers.
"We'll take this one."
The group turned to see six figures, various hats obscuring their faces. From their figures alone, they could see that the group was composed of two women and four men.
"That alright with you?" their man in front said to the senior dockworker. He shrugged and nodded, and the groups switched.
"Easier than expected. Good idea, Dante," came one of the women.
"Told ya it would work,Trish," the man in front replied as he took off his hat. His long white hair messily draped down to his cheeks, with a devilish twinkle in his crystal, blue eyes.
The man to Dante's right did the same, removing his blue cap. His gaze, in contrast, was sharp and serious. He took some time to comb his long white hair back.
"I don't quite appreciate the hat hair, brother."
"Aww come on Verg, our gorgeous locks can withstand a little fabric."
"Or is the great and mighty Vergil afraid of a bad hair day?" spoke Lady, "How about you, Nero? You quake in your boots from messy hair like your dad?"
"Why do you think I cut mine?" said the man to the left of Dante as he took off his own hat. His short white hair contrasted the other two greatly, but he still had the same crystal, blue eyes. "Speaking of boots, what's with our outfits, Dante? These look like they came out of the trash."
Nero's gaze went to the ragged clothing he was wearing, a faded red t-shirt that was almost pink, in a white-grey bomber jacket. He had on a pair of cut jeans that was a lighter shade of his bomber jacket. Finally, a pair of dirty, worn out, white laced, mid-calf boots completed his look. They were blue with grey trims and accents.
"That's cuz they did, kid," Dante replied.
Nero recoiled in shock.
"Dante, that's disgusting!"
"Trish and Lady ain't complaining," he said as the women took off their hats, "And neither is V," Dante continued as he gestured to the last member of their group.
Trish's long, flowing, golden hair arched down to her waist, clad in a worn out, black, rock band T-Shirt. There was a red skull in the front, with the words "Red As Your Soul" on the back. Her ripped jeans were just as black, and matching her Chelsea boots. Her golden eyes turned toward Nero as she gave him a flippant smile.
Lady's hair was short. Being a dark black-green, it contrasted her heterochromatic red and yellow eyes. The scar across her nose was barely visible, but the same flippant smile was plastered on her face. Her outfit consisted of an orange hoodie and black Cargo pants. Her choice of footwear were black mid-calf boots with laces.
V took off his hat, as well. His hair was black and at chin level. His eyes were a dark green, and held an air of mystery and mischievousness. He was dressed entirely in black. Black sweater, black sweatpants, and black sneakers.
"Don't like the drip, Nero?" Lady commented.
Nero shook his head.
"I wouldn't mind if they didn't come out of a literal dumpster. I know we're almost always strapped for cash, but you don't have to go dumpster diving for spare wear. I should've realized sooner your "new" clothes were too good to be true."
"Ouch. You're hurting your uncle's feelings here," Dante said as he pressed a hand to his chest, "all jokes aside, kid, do you have any idea what that is?" he said as he gestured towards the boat.
"A boat?"
"Obviously," Vergil spoke, "but do you know what is ON the boat?"
"You mean besides the demon that killed all the crew on board? Dunno. Cars? Food?"
"Too small for cars and too big for food shipments," Lady replied, "take a whiff, Nero. Tell us what you smell."
Nero raised an eyebrow but followed suit as they neared the boat. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. A putrid and rancid smell polluted the air, and Nero had to wave a hand in front of him to dissipate the aroma.
"Think ya get it now, Nero?" Dante asked..
"Wait, you're not seriously telling me that the cargo on board that thing is just heaps of trash?"
"It's a garbage barge," Lady cut in, "it's how some cities move their trash via waterways. No need for a fuel guzzling garbage truck."
"Seriously? What kinda nasty demon's got his claws inside of a garbage dump?" Nero questioned.
"One that's hungry," Vergil replied, "Our target only seems to kill those that sail along the waterways, regardless of cargo. It just so happens that today's shipment held trash instead of valuables."
Nero turned his attention to V. "Did you know we were gonna sift through piles of garbage to find a demon?"
"Not particularly," V replied, "but the denizens of Hell can lurk within every dark corner of the world. Even in the wastes of man. So I trust Dante's judgment if he requires us to change attire."
"Don't ever say "wastes of man" again," Nero replied, "not now at least. I don't wanna imagine that when I go up here."
"I don't think it's a sewer barge, so you'll be fine there Nero," Dante said.
"Wait, I'm still curious, why did you give us dirty clothes?"
"Nero, you wanna go back to Kyrie smelling like rottin' bananas? Unless you got some spare clothes lyin' around we can't just hit the cleaners. So if you get something on ya, ya can just toss this stuff right back where it came from."
"So… you got clothes from a dumpster because in case we smell after being on a dumpster barge we can just throw these back into a dumpster and keep our normal clothes clean?"
"You hit the jackpot, kid."
"In that case, thanks Dante. That's really considerate of you."
The group walked up to the deck of the barge. The stench of rotting food and other unhygienic smells filled the air, but the team focused their attention to another scent. The scent of metallic copper that hid beneath the stench of waste.
"I see no bodies," Vergil said, "and no speck of blood within the waste."
"Think it's down in the hull then?" Lady asked.
"There's more than one entrance," Trish spoke.
There were two doors, one near the front, and one near the end. Both were ominously pitch black, as though the light itself was too afraid to approach the inky black darkness.
"We'll split up. Check both sides. Usual teams." Dante ordered the others. "Two of us should stay up here as lookouts."
"I believe I can manage that. Nero?" V turned to his friend.
"Sure thing."
"So me and Verg got the back, and the ladies have the front."
The group nodded in affirmation.
"First come, first serve on the targets Dante?" Trish asked.
"Wouldn't do it any other way," he replied.
The woman smiled at that, now more eager to find their target.
-
"Sometimes I wonder if we get really lucky with demons, or if they're just really bad at hiding." Lady said as she shot down another demon. Their short break from the boys had led them to encounter several other monsters within the confines of this ship, rather than the singular one they had expected when they arrived.
Lady's SMG clicked out of ammo, and she quickly dropped the clip inside. One of the demons took this chance to tackle her. Lady glared at her foe, taking in its grotesque appearance.
Its head and upper body was that of a ram, with large and bulky horns. The lower half had no fur and became more reptilian, with greenish scales. Its legs merged together to form a snake-like lower half. Despite its reptilian lower body, it managed to move fast enough to break a few ribs. Though fortunately for Lady, she had been hunting demons for far too long to allow herself to get hit so easily. She spun out of the way, and hooked her right leg around to plant her foot to the back of the demon's head. She forced the devil to the floor, pinning it. She quickly took an extra magazine and clicked it into her gun, just before a snake tail coiled around her midriff.
With superhuman force, the devil threw the woman across the room. She flipped and spun in the air, dissipating the force and landing on her feet. She silently gave thanks to her many years of practice as a gymnast.
Another demon appeared behind her, mouth open to display serpent-like fangs. Without missing a beat, Lady forced a grenade in its open mouth and kicked the creature away, not even bothering to take out the pin. The devil that threw her had gotten back to its feet, and dashed towards her with lightning speed. Calmly, Lady trained her SMG towards the demon and emptied a quarter of its rounds, making it bleed out and disappear into a red mist, sent to wherever the afterlife is for demons.
Two more flanked the woman. Taking out a pistol, she spun and hit one of the demons in the back of the head with it. With her SMG, she guarded the second one, its fangs biting the cold steel. Lady positioned her pistol to its midsection, firing off three rounds, weakening the creature. She grabbed the creature and threw it towards the download demon with a grenade in its mouth, making it land on top in a heap. The other devil recovered quickly, and lunged, horns first. Lady merely vaulted over it, allowing it to fly past and join the others. As she landed, she trained her pistol on the grenade, still lodged in the demon's mouth. With deadly aim, she fired, killing the three in a fiery explosion.
Trish fared just as well as her partner, cartwheeling over another demon. In her hands held two pistols, one black and one white, with "Ombra" and "Luce" engraved on them respectively. She shot indiscriminately, each bullet pelting a devil.
"Sometimes I wonder if we get really lucky with demons, or if they're just really bad at hiding," Lady spoke.
Trish stifled a small chuckle when she heard that. Perhaps that was why they always had a slow yet steady supply of jobs over the boys.
Several demons then took the moment to charge at her, one after another, all from different angles. With her slim figure, Trish danced in and out between the charges. When the last one passed by, Trish stepped on its tail, pinning it. Despite the demon's powerful strength, it helplessly struggled in vain. Trish smirked as she aimed her pistols, firing three shots into its back. It sent the demon to the floor, vanishing into red mist. The other three demons glared at Trish, who in turn gave a flirtatious "Come Hither" motion to mock them. With a snarl, they charged.
Trish grinned, as she turned and ran. The demons easily caught up to her, and as the center devil lunged first to sink its fangs into her flesh, Trish somersaulted to her right. Grabbing the horn of the demon as she did, she threw the creature to the wall. As it sank to the ground, another leapt over to charge at her. She flipped over it and planted her heel to the back of its head, sending it crashing into the floor. The third one lunged now, and Trish jumped back. Feeling the wall behind her, she flipped, letting the demon charge into the wall. Planting her feet onto the room divider, she pushed off and flipped once more. Using the momentum, she slammed the base of her foot onto the third demon's tail. It shrieked as all three turned to glare at the huntress. She grinned, and taunted them once more. They snarled again and lunged, trying to either bite or tackle her. Trish merely weaved in between and out, this time not trying to gain any distance from the three. Each time they missed, she taunted them again. After several attempts, the three demons snarled once more in frustration. Trish stood off to the side, smirking.
"Is that all you've got?"
They roared and lunged forward, only to stop in place. Glancing back, the demons noticed their lower half all tangled together.
"Aww, you're all tied up and with nowhere to go," Trish said mockingly. Raising her pistols towards them, they crackled with yellow electricity. "Except back into the hole you crawled out from."
She fired both pistols, the pulsing yellow energy wrapped around the rounds of blazing steel as it collided with the trio of demons. They clashed with a glow of yellow electricity swallowing them whole, leaving nothing behind except a black mark on the floor.
Trish smiled as she holstered her guns.
"Must be nice to not lug around explosives for that kind of damage," Lady said as she caught up to her partner, "Being a demon that can control electricity and all."
Trish smirked. "I prefer those grenades, personally. Lest exhausting to pull a pin and throw one."
"Been over 20 years since you partnered up with Dante to fight other demons and that little fireworks show is tiring? You're getting old, Trish."
A hand came smack to hit Lady.
"Gah!"
"And you're slowing down. Guess I'm not the only one showing her age."
"Oh, you're asking for it sweetie."
The sound of whooping caught their attention, followed by a rumbling from the top of the hull.
"Guess the boys found the leader. We better hurry before they hog all the glor-" Lady turned to Trish, only to see her already gone, racing up the stairs back up to the top of the ship.
"That witch! Hey, Trish, wait up!"
-
The walls of the hull were quiet and cold. Splashes of red blood were the only change as Vergil and Dante strolled through its interior.
"No bodies," Dante spoke.
"Consumed most likely. This will lead us nowhere. We're running out of time. If it seems there are no more morsels to eat on this vessel, it'll most likely retreat and wait for its next meal."
"Preaching to the choir here Verg. Now just how the heck do we draw this thing out…"
A small rumbling vibrated throughout the halls. The two brothers quickly shifted their stance to brace for the unsteady floor. Several gunshots followed.
"Why do the girls always have all the luck?" Dante said as he placed a hand on his head. "C'mon Verg let's go and box it in."
"One step ahead of you," he said as he rounded the corner.
His quick reflexes were the only thing that saved him from a fast moving object aimed at his face.
Sliding on the floor, Vergil spun around, facing the creature that had just swiped at his head.
"I had a feeling that there was more than one hungry critter on board. This place may be small, but there were a bit too many crewmates invited to the party for just one host to handle," Dante said as he approached the demon, "thanks for the warm welcome, so, you gonna call your friends, or are they still sleeping off the hangover?"
As soon as the Hunter finished his words, red cracks appeared in the air around them. A red liquid seeped down, thick and deep in color. It looked almost like blood, if it were not for the fact that the liquid disappeared before it hit the ground. The cracks split open, and several more demonic entities seeped out. Their claws sharp, and their fangs dripped with saliva. They hungrily stepped onto the cold corridor.
"Fur and a goat-like appearance, but with a lion's claws and fangs. A Chimera of sorts then?" Vergil spoke.
The demons in question roared, and lunged at the man in blue. Hastily he pulled out a pair of revolvers, two heavily customized Deluxe Alchimista IlIs. One was black with the word "Blackout" inscribed on it, while the other was white with the word "Neon" inscribed. He swiftly aimed and fired four rounds towards the demons, heavily damaging three with shots to the head. The fourth managed to avoid most of the damage by rotating itself, but still suffered the blowback as it collided with its body.
"Weaker than I expected," Vergil coldly remarked.
"Thought Chimeras preferred to live in Greece, and usually as the pet of a witch," Dante said, scratching his head.
"Usually. They are not natural denizens of the Underworld, that is for certain."
Two more chimeras jumped at the man in blue, who quickly trained his guns on them. However, with these demonic entities comes their demonic speed. In a blur they pivoted and circled around, closing the gap, hoping to rip the foolish hunter's arms before he could even react. However, with Vergil's age comes years of practice and experience. A quick and accurate reflex that allowed him to keep pace with his underworld enemies. With a bored look, he dispatched the two would-be predators, his guns and aim never once leaving the sight of the demons. With three shots each, their bodies flew across the hall, and no longer able to hold their form, they vanished into a bloody mist.
Another leaped from behind the man in blue, claws out to tend his flesh. Two more encircled him, dashing with inhumane speed. Sparing only a glance at his three foes, Vergil first sidestepped, shooting the Chimera behind him with his black revolver. He stepped away from a pair of claws, both barrels trained towards three targets. Bullet after bullet flew from his guns, pelting the Chimeras in a shower of hot steel. The three turned into crimson mist not long after.
"C'mon Verg. not gonna leave any for your adorable little brother?"
Vergil gave Dante an annoyed look before giving a snarky smirk. "I thought you agreed it was first come first serve on the targets."
"Ah got me there," Dante replied.
Behind Vergil more crimson cracks formed, releasing nearly a dozen more Chimeras. One formed behind Dante as well, the demon's mouth watering as it lept from its dimensional hiding spot. The man in red glanced behind with one blue eye, and quickly took off in a dash forward. Yet, the Chimera was relentless, and would not let its meal get away so easily. As soon as the demon's claws touched the ground, it hastened itself towards the demon hunter. Ready to rend his flesh, it stretched out a hand to swipe, its sharp razor like fingertips mere inches away from his body.
Yet its claws never meet the man in red.
The hunter had backflipped, and was now looking down upon the demon with a playful smile on his face. One hand was outstretched, armed with a modified black Colt M1911 pistol in hand, the word "Ebony" written on the side. A powerful shot pelts the head of the demon, sending it sliding onto the floor, but still alive. Dante was not finished with the demon yet. Landing on top of the demon, he pushed off the ground, using the downed Chimera like a skateboard. His left hand retrieved a second matching white handgun inscribed with the word "Ivory". With both hands outstretched he fired shot after shot towards the demons, using the unusually heavy recoil from the guns to cause him to spin across the hall.
"Woo-hoo-hO-Ho-hooo!" he whooped in joy as he spun in a vortex of death and steel.
Vergil sighed as he watched his younger brother yell in joy down the hallway. He then followed suit.
Nearing the end of the hallway, with the rest of the demons vanishing to red mist, Dante backflipped off the sliding Chimera. The demon smashed into the hallway wall, and bounced off the hard steel. Dante was not finished with the demon, however, as he trained his guns down toward the airborne Chimera. Twisting his body to spin in, he fired countless rounds from his handguns like a gatling gun, creating a Rainstorm of burning lead to chew through the flesh of the Chimera, turning it into a red mist.
"Now then, where do we have to go to find the big boss?" Dante asked, only for a loud rumbling to come from above. "Well that answers that. Better hurry before the kid and V take all the shots."
-
Nero held his custom revolver in his hand. An extremely modified Smith and Wesson Model 500 double-action revolver, with two barrels and a six round ammo clip. Light blue paint has been ornamentally drawn onto it in the shape of flowers and vines. Thus was Nero's name for it: "Blue Rose". His grip was tight as he stalked the deck with V.
"I don't think you'll be needing that Nero," V spoke.
Nero turned to look at his comrade.
"What makes you so sure?"
"The dock workers," he replied.
Nero raised a brow in question. "Thought we were supposed to protect them from the demon?"
"Of course, but not quite what I meant," he said with a wry smile, "The sound of gunfire might bring unwanted attention. This is supposed to be a routine shipment of garbage in their eyes."
Nero widened his eyes, and mentally slapped himself for forgetting. Holstering his gun he wondered if the others would not use their guns as well.
"They probably will," V siad, surprising Nero, "I figured that's what you were thinking. Fret not, the hallways of the ship would deafen the sounds of gunfire. Though the same cannot be said for up here. A quieter weapon would be preferable," he said as a flash of purple light shone in his hands. The light then split into smaller wisps, leaving behind an intricate silver cane. Metallic and somewhat sharp at the bottom end, V placed his hand at the top and clacked it down to the ground.
"Y'know, sometimes I forget that you can use the same demonic energy that demons use, despite being human unlike Trish."
"It's been a few years since I came back Nero, is this really that surprising?"
"Sometimes. Heck seeing you here yourself is a sight I'd never thought I'd see again."
V chuckled.
"Well, better call up the Red Queen then."
Blue lights gathered up Nero's left arm, forming into a bright white. The light shaped and morphed itself as the young hunter moved it towards his back. The white light then burst into wisps, leaving behind a massive single edged blade. The sharp ends curved inward as it left the base, pushing out near the middle before one more curving in at the tip. A modified red colored exhaust was installed on the rain guard, with the handle having a grip like a motorcycle, complete with a clutch-like trigger.
"Seems Dante taught you well. You're using your own demonic power to store and call your weapons now."
"Yeah well, gotta learn to use that quarter demon blood sooner or later, right? Dante and Vergil use their half demon blood like a third and fourth arm. Might as well take a page from their book."
"'Vergil'? Not 'Dad'?" V asked bemused.
"Eh… sometimes it's kinda weird sayin' that."
"Nero, your grandfather was a demon that protected the human world," V began, "your father and uncle are the ones that took up his duty. Among their acquaintances there is a blonde Devil that can control the forces of lightning; and a woman who was caught within a battle with the underworld, all due to her demon worshiping father. You and your fiancé are survivors of a similar demonic cult, of which you yourself had a hand in taking down, and yet, calling your father 'Dad', is a 'weird thing'?"
Nero stared at the gothic man before him.
"Well when ya put it that way it's kinda hard to argue against. But hey, don't leave yourself out of this. You're as much connected to my demon lineage as me. You might not have Sparda's blood, but you're still one of us, V."
The man in black smiled.
"And for that, I'm always grateful. But… you should still try to spend some more time with your father while you still can."
"That's… pretty ominous V."
"I merely speak from experience. Sometimes you might not have as much time to spend with family as you think. So I cherish every moment."
"Even ones like these, eh?"
"Even in a conversation like this, yes. It's a more than welcome change compared to solitude."
"Heh. Didn't know you were such a sentimentalist V."
"'The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.' So it is written."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"That the comfort of home for us, lies with the people we befriend in our lives," he said as he turned towards Nero, "William Blake, Proverbs of Hell."
"Kinda weird that a poem like that is in a book called 'Proverbs of Hell.'"
"No weirder than our demonic lineage. Speaking of which," he said as he turned, his face furrowed towards some unseeable foe.
"Yeah, I feel them too," the white haired man said as he turned around, "Hey! Don't you know it's rude to watch a heart to heart talk between two people? Even for demons, I expect at least a little bit of politeness when it comes to talking about family matters."
Crimson cracks appeared all around them, and from the tears came monsters with a serpent's green tail and scales. Its upper half was covered in orange fur, and its hands were three fingered claws. The demon's head was that of a lion, jaws lined with razor sharp teeth. As the devils landed on the ground, a larger crack formed. The sound of glass sounded as the wall between dimensions shattered before the two hunters. The crack tore into an enormous swirling crimson hole, aligned with dark spots. A lion's paw emerged forth, followed by another. Its head came into view, that of a ram, with dark purple horns, but it held a lion's mane. Its eyes were blood red in the middle of black sclera. The face of the ram seemed to be made from white bone, with its teeth yellow and adorned with a second set of fangs. Its body was that of a lion, but its fur was a dark red, stained nearly black. Its claws shined with a silver glow, and left small marks on the deck just by stepping onto the ground. Its tail finally came into view, but it was no ordinary lion's tail. It was blue and covered in serpent scales. In fact it was a serpent. The tip of the tail was the head of a viper, with yellow eyes nestled in green sclera. It hissed, showing its sharp teeth that dripped with purple venom. The tear behind it closed, snapping shut as the barrier between dimensions was healed.
"Huh, you know I have a doll for the kids that looks just like you. Cept you look a lot more harmless," Nero said.
The beast huffed.
"Foolish human. I heard your boast of being one of Sparda's kin," it said as it neared the two hunters, "And I do not tolerate liars."
"Hey, I don't lie, scout's honor!" he said as he struck a pose, "though if talking about ol' gramps was enough to bring you out from the pocket dimension you guys love to make and hide in, I'd have thrown his name around sooner."
The demon let out a loud roar, with Nero and V's hair and clothes flutter.
"Lies! Sparda does not have such weak looking kin! And the scent of your power reeks of nothing of the great Dark Knight!"
"Pee-yew! And your breath reeks of something else all together! Don't you guys use mouthwash?"
"Mock me all you want. Me and my brethren will feast on your flesh, and those of your pathetic comrades. Kill them!"
The other demons roared and lunged towards the two.
"Ready V?"
The man in question hit his cane on the floor, catching the cane as it bounced up into his hand.
"Try to keep up Nero."
Both dodged out of the way as the demons crashed into the floor.
The two jumped back, landing on top of the mountains of trash.
"Ugh. I guess Dante was right," Nero said as he turned to V, "So what are we dealing with?"
"Chimeras by the looks of it."
"Chimeras? Like the things from Greece?"
"One in the same, though mostly in name only. However, Japan has them as well. They call them Nue."
One of the Chimeras charged at Nero, and he deflected the beast with a swing of his massive blade, the Red Queen. Another came towards him, and gripped his blade with its claws. It lunged towards Nero's face, snapping at him.
"Ugh, seriously brush your teeth before doing this!" Nero said as he landed a punch towards the beast. It recoiled, but immediately turned around and began snapping at him one more.
V dodged the claws of another, and readjusted the grip of the cane to grab towards the pointed edge. He swung the underside of the handle towards its wide mouth. Hooking the cane around its jaw he snapped the maw shut and spun it around, throwing it towards the ground. He stepped on its head, trapping it beneath its foot. The Chimera then swung its tail towards the cane wielding hunter, attempting to coil and constrict the man to death. Seeing the approaching tail, V adjusted his grip once more, holding it closer to the handle. Extending the tip forward like a rapier, he pierced the tail, causing the demon to spasm in pain. Its tail retracted and V immediately stabbed the head with the cane. The demon turned to red mist, dying from the puncture.
"Hey V!" Nero called out, "Got any tips?" he said as he hit the demon with another right cross.
"These weaker Chimera are most likely failed attempts to create a true one," he said as he pointed the tip of his cane towards the taller demon, "they're simple minded and have the weakness of their animal parts."
"So just use common sense huh? Suppose that's easy enough."
The chimera snapped at Nero again, and the hunter reacted with another right cross. However, the demon he threw off earlier had gotten back to its feet. Seeing the open backside, it lunged towards the vulnerable hunter, only to have V's silver cane pierce its body. V's throw pinned it to a pile of trash. A purple phantom appeared in front of the demon, materializing into V. His hands gripped his cane, and he sharply pulled it out from the demon.
"'In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.' It's funny. Years ago I never imagined myself having enough strength to fight like this, though time and effort have changed that greatly."
Gripping the cane with both hands, he stabbed the demon through its head, ending its life.
"I recommend hasting your approach, Nero."
"Yeah, I hear ya!" he said as he moved his head back to avoid the fangs of the Chimera.
"Okay Fang-face, you're part snake right? Then I guess you must hate the heat. Too bad for you, I always bring the fire!"
Grabbing the clutch of the handle with his left hand, he twisted the handle, revving it like a motorcycle. This was Red Queen's special function. The blade spewed forth a flammable liquid, igniting on the heat from the motor. The searing flames traveled down the blade, burning the hands of the Chimera. Nero quickly drew his blade, using the opening to slice the demon. The flames scorched the blade and traveled to the Chimera's body, allowing for a clean execution as it was cut clean in half. The flames burned off the fuel, and Nero readjusted his grip as he set his sights towards the approaching group.
"C'mon, I got enough flames to burn every last one of ya."
"Cold," V interjected.
Nero paused for a second and turned to his comrade.
"...What?" Nero asked in reply.
"It's the cold. Snakes prefer the heat as they are cold-blooded."
Nero's face flushed red with embarrassment.
"I-I knew that."
"Then why did you say 'heat'?"
"Cuz… just forget about it, alright!?"
One of the Chimeras jumped off a mound of garbage, and Nero saw it as a direct challenge. He leaped in return, spinning once at an incredibly fast speed. He revved Red Queen as he did, leaving a circular arc of flames as he Streaked towards his opponent. The blade cut in the demon, but it was not dead yet. Gripping the blade tightly, he slashed into the demon 3 more times before sending it into the ground with a hard strike, turning it into red mist.
Nero glared down toward his remaining enemies. He formed a platform of white demonic energy at the base of his feet, and kicked off towards the ground. Gripping Red Queen in a reverse hand grip, he stabbed her lengthwise into a Chimera, killing it instantly due to the size of the massive blade. Before the others could react, Nero swung the Queen overhead, cleaving the head of another Chimera, letting it join its siblings. He then turned and stepped forward, and swung his sword to separate the head of another Chimera from its body. The demons reacted now, yelling and lunging forward. Yet they were too slow for the grandson of a demon knight. He spun once more in a circle, using his Streak technique with additional force to cleave them all in half.
Other Chimeras a slight way off shrieked at the sight. They were not bothered by the loss of their brethren, no. These beings had little concept of the word camaraderie. They merely yelled in an attempt to intimidate their opponent. Before any one of them could move, however, one was impaled by a silver cane. It keeled over, but the cane kept it upright. The shadowy purple phantom of V materialized at the silver staff, gripping it. He then cast off his ghastly form, and removed his weapon of choice, before reintroducing it through the demon's head.
"You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" he asked, a cocky smirk on his face. "'The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow, nor the lion, the horse, how he shall take his prey.' Whaddya say, little horsies?"
V extended his cane towards the group, who yelled back at him in response. V's smirk never left this face. He drew his cane back, and placed his left hand next to his right. Slowly, he slid his left down the length of his weapon, coating it in an ethereal purple. He swung the glowing cane, now covered in the demonic energy that V wields. The Chimers felt no fear, however, and slid towards him in haste.
"'A dead body, revenges not injuries,'" he said as he swung at the approaching group. His cane easily passed through the flesh of the demons, the concentrated energy allowing the silver metal to rip through the weaker bodies of the demons. Weiding it like a sabre, he cleaved foe after foe in half, leaving behind carcasses that vanished into red mist.
The blood red Chimera watched as its lesser brothers were being slaughtered by the two. He had only a few more left with him in an attempt to weaken the hunters, but he fretted not. The others he had sent to eat the rest of the prey that had walked on board had surely eaten their fill, and would be back soon enough. Indeed, he heard the doors from both ends swing wide open, and reinforcements had arrived. Though not for the Chimera.
"Hey Nero! Ya gonna save some for your dad and uncle here!?" Dante called out.
"What?! Impossible!" The blood red Chimera spoke.
"Nuh-uh, "first come first serve", remember Dante?!" Lady shouted from the other end, "Although, you are gonna save a few for your dear auntie Lady, aren't you Nero?"
"The heck?" he said in a mocked tone, "Get your own dam demons!" Nero called back, "Besides, didn't you four already smoke some down there?"
"Let the boy have his fun. He needs the exercise," Vergil said, "We have bigger game to hunt."
"You're right Verg," Dante replied, "So what's your story big guy? A young witch did a really bad job in a coloring book?"
"Grrrr… mock me all you want. I am a being far beyond your comprehension, oh so called Son of Sparda," the demon growled back, "But you are partially correct. A young witch did create me to become her familiar, as she did the rest of my pack. However, we were attacked, and thus separated. Since then I have been hunting for meals with my weaker older brothers and sisters."
"So you're just a stray that lost his way huh? Almost feel bad about puttin' ya down," Dante replied, "But these hunts of yours are bad for the community."
"Hah, as if I care for those weaker than me. I am a demon, a mighty one at that! Call me… Afráto."
At that, V, Vergil, Dante, Lady, and Trish attempted to stifle their laughter.
"What is so humourous to you humans?"
"Seriously? You chose that name and don't see why they're laughing?" Nero asked as he swung his blade at another Chimera, cleaving its midsection.
"What about it inspires such laughter? I am Afráto!"
At that the other five could not hold in their laughter.
Nero had a bit more control, but his face conformed into a smile as he cleaved another demon. "Dude, I don't know if you ever tried to translate that from Greek, but 'Afráto' is just the word 'Fluffy' in English."
"What? I do not understand. This name was given to me by my mistress, it embodies my entire meaning of existence, it signifies terror and desecration!"
The group laughed even harder after that explanation. Even the usually stoic Vergil could not stop himself from holding his sides as he heard that.
Nero had grit his teeth to stop himself from bursting into laughter himself. "That's not what 'Fluffy' means. It's a noun that means something is covered in fur or fluff. Like a bunny."
"A… A bunny…" it spoke, it's voice lowering.
The others began to quiet their laughter.
"A… A BUNNY?!" it roared, "I…Impossible! You lie! I will rip your false tongues from your throats!"
"You should quiet down. There are people working here," Vergil managed to say between light chuckles.
"I will fill the air with your SCREAMS!" Fluffy began to roar, only for the hunter in blue to appear in a blur in front of him. His right hand held an unnaturally long katana in its dark blue sheath, the length of which neared the hunter's own body. The guard and hilt was gold, and the grip was tied down with fabric, in a Japanese style of wrapping. A dark blue ribbon was tied around the sheath for a finishing touch. He swung the covered katana down towards the demon's head, forcing its mouth shut and sending it crashing into the floor.
"I told you to be quiet."
He then gripped the sheath of the katana with his left hand.
"Don't struggle, I'll make this painless."
"Never… kill them!" he ordered his weaker brethren.
They screeched, but were soundly stopped by the combined efforts of V, Nero, Trish and Lady.
"Guess that leaves you and me to deal with Mr.Cottontail Verg," Dante said as he stepped next to his brother. Holding out his right hand in a fist to his side, he shook and unclenched it. In a flash of orange fire, a giant claymore appeared in his hand. The blade looked demonic, with the guard having the appearance of solid demonical black flesh. It extended outward towards the grip in four directions, ending in what looked like talons. The guard looked as though black tape was bound around it, but the hilt held a bright red jewel. The body of the sword was covered in the same black material, only the razor sharp edges were exempted from the demonic pattern. It was perfectly mirrored, and its length was as long as Vergil's katana. However, this blade was nearly a foot and a half in width, almost enough to split a man in two with just a single thrust. This was Dante's trusted blade, as the katana was Vergil's.
"Demonic swords… so there is some truth to your strength after all," Afráto said as he glared the two down.
"I don't get what's so hard to believe," Dante replied.
"Fool. You do not know the might of the Dark Knight Sparta. His spawn would surely extrude a far greater demonic energy than you. And apart from your blades, I sense nothing."
"Hmph, nevertheless you should never underestimate your opponents, I should know," Vergil replied.
"It is you…" Afráto said as he scraped his left claw on the ground, the sharp talons leaving large marks and sparks, "Who underestimates me!" With a crack of speed it burst towards the two hunters. Vergil disappeared in a blur, leaving behind Dante. The man in red held his blade out in front of him, pointing the tip of his blade towards the devil. Adjusting his stance, he breathed out, relaxing himself. He let Afráto draw closer and closer. He was picking his moment to strike, and now was the time. He stepped forward, pushing off his back leg with immense force. Red energy surged around his massive blade, with streaks of black weaving in between. He called this technique "Stinger". It was an extremely fast fencing thrust forward, enhanced with a hint of his demonic energy for power. Charge for charge met in a fierce clash, the two forces stopping each other in their tracks.
"Guess this is what happens when the unstoppable force meets the unstoppable force," he said, as the tip of his blade paused upon the skull of Afráto, "Pretty thick head you got there, I can barely pierce through."
"Hah, my head is made tougher than any steel in the mortal realm. Even blades from the Underworld would have difficulty piercing my flesh."
"We shall see about that," came Vergil's voice.
Afráto looked forward, seeing the man in blue a short distance away. In an Iaido stance, he focused on the demon in front of him, his right hand hovering over his blade. In a flash he drew the sword and sprinted forward, cleaving Afráto's head with his blade combined with a bit of demonic power. A simplistic technique, and thus Vergil gave it a simple name, "Rapid Slash".
The sword, unsheathed, revealed a glistening dark purple blade, almost black in its appearance. The demon flinched as the dark blade met his head, yet even this strike failed to end Afráto, though it did leave a mark within its forehead.
"Hmm, quite sturdy… but there is nothing my blade cannot cut. You will be cleaved in two."
"Do not become cocky, mortal…"
Its snake head perked up and stared them down. It opened its maw, and a purple mist shot out at the duo.
"Demonic poison shall corrupt even your bones!"
"Not bad, but Nero's van reeks way worse than this!" Dante said as he threw his weapon, while Nero yelled at the man in red from a distance in minor annoyance. The sword spun like a helicopter blade, pushing away the purple mist back and away from them. Afráto hurriedly withdrew his snake head to avoid the deadly sword as it looped back to its owner, grazing the demon's head and leaving a mark. Dante rushed forward, and Afráto saw his chance to swipe at the devil hunter. He lashed out with high speed towards the man. Dante did not fret, and altered his speed to slow himself down, letting the claw strike the boat. He leapt up the demon's arm, and Afráto swiped at him with his other paw. Dante leapt once more, landing on the other limb, before jumping once more. His spinning blade, sensing its master's new location, twisted its trajectory and flew straight towards Dante's open hand. Gripping the dark blade, he brought it down with a Helm Splitter, cutting deep into the Chimera's tough skull. However, the sword did not carve all the way through, and the man in red hung off the stuck demonic weapon.
Afráto yelled. The pain had cost him his balance, and he nearly collapsed into the ground. Swiftly, he regained himself, and compelled his tail to stretch and round to his front, fangs open to take a chunk out of Dante's flesh.
"Hold your tongue!"
Vergil flashed into the air, drawing his blade as a glimmering blue light enveloped it. He spun around upwards with the katana, his blade cut into the snake head, leaving an orange gash within its flesh. "Rising Star" Vergil called this move.
Afrato's tail yelped and recoiled, just as Vergil landed on the hull of the ship
"Dante, quit fooling around!" he exclaimed, scolding his brother.
"Just trying to make things interesting, Verg."
He tucked his legs in and placed his feet on the demon's skull. Hands tight on his blade, Dante kicked off the monster, pulling himself and the blade free in a spurt of blood. Afráto yelped in pain as Dante landed a short distance away. Virgil vanished from his spot and appeared next to his brother in a blur, "Trick" Vergil and Dante were taught to call it when they learned it from their father.
"You… You miserable worms! I… I will… end you!"
Afráto charged towards the duo once again, yet neither moved. They merely stared him down. At the last second, the two grinned and vanished using their "Trick" technique. Afráto passed by completely with his reckless charge. He was stopped completely in his tracks, however, when a powerful force held him back. He felt two strong grips clench around his snake head, choking it. Turning around, he caught sight of the duo, each with a hand around the snake neck.
"Release me!"
"If you say so, Verg?" Dante asked.
"Very well."
Both brothers let their grip go, and Afrato was propelled forward..
"Fools, now feel the wrath of-"
Turning forward, he spotted Nero, Streaking towards the Chimera in a circular blaze with the Red Queen. Revving it to the maximum output, Nero slashed at the demon with all the force he could muster. The blazing inferno of his blade assisting in the acceleration of this sword, not just slowing, but even pushing back the Chimera. A large crack and scorch mark was left on his head.
"Insects! Rotten humans! How dare you!" He yelled as he raised his front paws up in pain and a loss of balance. He pushed his limbs to the deck as he grimaced from the pain.
"You don't have to keep lion, just cuz the dice came up snake eyes. Chin up, someday you'll be the goat," Nero said as he pointed the tip of the Red Queen towards the Chimera, "just not today."
Trish, V, and Lady also encircled the demon, its brethren all salin.
"Checkmate," V said.
"No… not yet, this cannot be my end…! I will prevail!"
"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers, Heed my summoning…" A voice called out.
"What? Who's that?" Lady asked, as she glanced around the surroundings.
"Someone else is here?" Nero questioned as well.
"And bring forth…"
"No…" V spoke up, "A call for a summoning?! Here?!"
"Can it be… my mistress?" Afráto spoke with a hint of glee.
"My familiar!"
A blue wavy portal then appeared next to the group.
"Quick, stop him!" V yelled.
"What? What's going on?" Nero questioned.
"My mistress… she's calling for me!" Afráto said as he dashed for the portal.
"Agh, carp!" Dante said as he ran towards the Chimera.
Nearing the portal, Afráto quickened his pace to escape through the opening. Dante rushed the demon, pouring all his strength to ram into the demon and throw him off course. The devil overshot the portal, but before he could charge again, Vergil appeared in front, blade drawn. Afráto whipped his snake head towards the hunter, fangs bared. Vergil parried all the strikes, determined not to move from his spot.
"I don't understand, V what's happening?" Lady asked.
"Someone with magical talent is attempting to summon a familiar. That blue light is a portal to the mage! If he gets in he'll escape and be bound to that wizard as a familiar. It may take us years or a decade before we could track them down. Their power could grow tremendously by then as well."
"What? Chip!" Nero exclaimed as he ran to join his uncle. He jumped over the portal, Dante, and Vergil, determined to defeat the chimera before he could escape.
"Nero, wait!" Dante called out.
Afráto saw the young hunter approach, whipping his tail behind him, he grabbed a large mound of trash, and flung all of it towards the hunters. Nero was struck in mid air, landing on the ground with a harsh thud. Dante was also pelted with something large and heavy, as well as a plastic bag that wrapped around his head, blinding his vision. V, Trish, and Lady were also hit by the garbage barrage. Vergil however, managed to avoid damage by cutting them with his blade. However, his priority was his son, who was on the floor groaning in pain. Afráto, not wanting to waste the opportunity, stood on his hind legs, charging demonic energy into his front paws. He slammed them down, creating a shockwave of pure demonic power.
"Nero! Are you okay?" Vergil called as he knelt down near his son.
"Yeah I'm- dad, look out!" Nero exclaimed too late. Both were swept by the wave of energy and flown backwards.
Dante stood, a bit wobbly, but nothing his demonic blood would not heal. One of the benefits of being half demon was the ability of superhuman self healing. His sight was still blocked, as the plastic stubbornly clung to his skin, wet with something unsightly. When he finally tore it off, he was immediately struck by the mass of the two other hunters from ramming into him, as they flew even further back. They were flung directly into the blue portal they desperately tried to keep Afráto out of.
"NO!" Lady exclaimed.
"AH! My mistress! I made a miscalculation!"
Afráto quickly tried to rush towards the rapidly collapsing portal, desperately trying to squeeze himself through. A silver can pierced his head, through the cracks made by Dante and Nero. V materialized in front, holding another cane. Spinning in mid air, several see-through violet canes formed in mid-air in front of V. Their shadowy forms then solidified and were cast forward with extreme speed, pinning Afráto's paws and piercing his face. The Chimera screamed in pain, just as the blue portal closed behind V.
"You're not going anywhere."
"ARGH! My mistress called for me! AND YOU! YOU STOPPED ME! I WILL KILL YOUUUUUUU!"
He roared extremely loudly, enough to catch the attention of the wrong crowd.
"What's going on here?" the voice of the senior dock worker called, "It's been 30 minutes and I haven't seen a single one of you unload anything. If you're just gonna yell your heads off here, do it some… where… else…?"
His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he spotted the Chimera.
"Wha- what in the world is that?!"
The group of hunters stared back at the man in shock, their worst scenario realized. Afráto, seeing the opportunity, ripped his paws from the ground and jumped over the devil hunters. He crushed the dockworker beneath his paws, and dashed down the ramp towards the docks, squishing other dockworkers as he did.
"Dang it!" Lady called out
"Stop him!" Trish yelled.
V cursed himself as he attempted to pursue, only to collapse to one knee from a heavy pain in his left leg. The women, noticing their co-worker on the ground, hurried to his side.
"Apologies… there must have been something quite strong and heavy in the garbage he flung."
"Not your fault V," Trish said, "But what are we gonna do now?"
"Dante… Vergil and Nero. They're gone… to wherever his dang mistress is."
V began laughing as soon as she said that.
"You think this is funny V?" Lady asked.
"'Excess of sorrow laughs, excess of joy weeps.' William Blake, Proverbs of Hell," he replied, "when in despair, the only thing you can do is laugh. However, I will not leave things here. I am going to find them, and that Chimera."
"You and us both, but let's take a look at that leg first," Trish said.
V nodded and the three began to leave, down the bloody ramp that led down from the ship. As they traveled down the path of the demon's carnage, Lady took one last look at the ship.
"Just where in the hell did those three end up?" she asked.
-
"Uhh…" Dante groaned. The three of them had been thrown through the portal, and ended up in the air. Gravity made their descent come even faster, kicking up a cloud of dust as they landed.
"Didn't… didn't see that fall comin'." Dante said as he rubbed his head.
"Now exactly how are we going to return? The portal has probably already sealed itself," Vergil replied as he sat up. He quickly checked Nero's condition before returning his attention to Dante.
"Could be worse. We could've landed in lava. It's not like we're completely surrounded or anything," Nero perked up, rubbing his arm.
As the dust settled the three hunters then took stock of their surroundings. Several dozen people stood around them, eyes all fixated on fallen warriors.
"You were saying?" Vergil replied, glaring at Nero.
"Well… I guess we're not in Kansas anymore," Dante replied as his eyes wandered over to a girl with long pink hair.
-Chapter 2 End-
AN: Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoy chapter 2, and that it's arrival answers some of your questions! Thank you very much for reading and reviewing this work, and I'll a see you all in Chapter 3!