Gears of Horror
Chapter 2: The Traditional Protagonist Meet & Fight
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A different place…
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"They come," growled the largest of the three.
"Yes. All is within our benefactor's calculations," said the most methodical of the three.
"It won't last, you know," said the wisest of the three. "Fights like these never do. Especially with who they brought with them."
"All is within our benefactor's plans," growled the large one. "Including the presence of the weaponsmiths."
"And I question having them there," the wise one said. "Especially the big guy. You saw Bayonetta's memories. She only beat him by luck all three times."
"And yet, she has three victories against Rodin, which is more than many can say," the most methodical of the three said. "Luck, friendship, love… I underestimated and undervalued these facets of reality. That will not happen again."
"If you say so," the wise one said. He just hoped that those three idiots hurt each other enough. He was grateful to their benefactor, but this plan smacked of the same sort of pride that got him killed in the first place...
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A cavern in another realm…
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The van arrived first, skidding to a halt as it entered the arena. Not moments later, though, the portals letting Bayonetta, Kratos, and their supports through as well.
"Careful Dante," Nico said. "They look tough…"
Dante, sheathing Yamato at his back beside his own sword, drew his blade, named after himself, and walked forward, resting it on his shoulder. "I'll be as careful as I usually am," he said with a smirk.
"That's what worries me," Nico muttered as the red-coated man started forward.
Sindri hesitated as he looked at Bayonetta and Dante. "...Kratos," he said softly.
Kratos just nodded. "There is no shame in knowing your limits," he said, drawing Leviathan, the axe glistening with icy magic. "I will force answers out of these three."
"Just be careful," Sindri said. "They feel impossibly strong…"
Kratos grunted, glaring at the two, continuing his walk towards them.
Bayonetta held out a hand to stop Rodin. "Hang back," she said. "Their seconds aren't coming forward."
"Want me to keep an eye on them?" he asked.
"Would you, darling? I have some polite questions to ask our guests," Bayonetta said, her voice a growl.
Rodin frowned at her tone. "...Just be careful," he said.
"Naturally," Bayonetta said, the tri-barreled guns on her feet clicking on the ground like regular high heels, butterflies popping up with every step as she sauntered towards the center.
Something about this was bothering him. Bayonetta had been uncharacteristically silent the whole walk through the portal. He glanced over to Nico and Sindri.
...An actual dwarf, not just a short person. Haven't seen one of those in centuries, Rodin thought idly, reviewing what he knew about dwarven magic. The one in the van seems mortal, but she might have some surprises… He was done underestimating humanity after he found out that Singularity was constructed by one. Best to take them out quickly in case they have some tricks up their sleeves to help their pals.
Nico didn't know what to make of her competition. The dwarf, and she was pretty certain it was actual dwarf and not just a short person, was looking around nervously. And the big hot black guy… she was reasonably certain he could kill her by GLARING hard enough. Add into that Dante being more reckless than usual, and she was flat out scared. She went to the back of her van, searching through her gear for her own weapons…
Sindri glanced at the seconds of the others. The big guy with the dark skinned seemed the greater threat of the two, although he wasn't sure what that strange cart the human woman was in was. It was some new form of technology he was unfamiliar with. To add to the issue, Kratos was literally shaking with rage, something he'd never seen him do even at his most furious.
Something was wrong, Rodin, Nico, and Sindri thought at the same time.
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The villains' realm…
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"Rage inducers working at optimal levels," the methodical one said.
"They're close enough," the large one said. "Do it before someone says something!"
"Activating vocal scramblers," the methodical one said.
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The cavern…
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"Give me back my son! Give me back my comrades!" Kratos roared.
What Bayonetta heard: "Stand aside, whelp! The whore is my prey!"
What Dante heard: "Stand aside, whore! The whelp is my prey!"
"Nah, no standing aside here. Any of you know where my brother, nephew, and pals are? Speak quick, the offer to get out of this unhurt is leaving the table fast!" Dante snarled.
What Bayonetta heard: "Nah, stand back, grandpa. I'll have this ho-bag slut suckin' both the floor and suckin' my dick in no time!"
What Kratos heard: "Keep out of this, legs. This guy's the only one keeping me from havin' fun with that little thunderslut girl!"
Bayonetta growled. "You two certainly aren't gentlemanly. But if you give me my friends and family back, then I won't have to do bad things to you."
What Dante heard: "Someone has to be the one to train that whelp Nero to be a man. And I can't see you doing it, old fool."
What Kratos heard: "Someone has to be the one to train that whelp Loki to be a man. And I can't see you doing it, brat."
Infuriated, all three charged each other, Dante leading with a thrust of his sword as he slid forward. Kratos brought down his axe hard, creating a small glacier, while Bayonetta used Dante's blade as a springboard to leap up and do a spinning kick, one that Kratos ducked and Dante swayed back to avoid. Dante swung his blade down again, moving it with shocking speed, Kratos bringing his axe up to strike with the hilt, but Bayonetta blocked both shots, surprising both men by parrying them with Color My World, her guns. They ducked out of the way of the shots she took. Dante, Bayonetta, and Kratos kept taking swings at each other, each one parrying blows sent towards them, dodging Bayonetta's bullets, no one able to land a clear shot.
Finally, Leviathan, Devil Sword Dante, and Color My World all struck the same point at the same time, sending a surge of magic that knocked all of them back away from each other. For a brief moment, the three warriors stared at each other, feeling a modicum of respect form.
"All right," Bayonetta said. "Now that we've properly said 'hello…'" She thrust forward, the massive hand of her favorite demon partner, Madama Butterfly, shooting out of a portal. Kratos rolled under the attack only to be met by Bayonetta going into a sliding kick, Kratos just barely managing to leap over it in time. He raised up his axe to meet a swing from Dante's sword, parrying it and lashing out with a frigid slash that nicked the edges of Dante's coat. Dante barely managed to dodge it, thrusting forward with this sword and sliding forward, a pulse of demonic magic pushing him forward quickly, his trademark Stinger attack.
Bayonetta and Kratos both dodged out of the way of the attack, Bayonetta immediately turning her guns on the two of them, forcing the two of them to dodge around. To Dante's surprise, though, Bayonetta actually thrust a kick towards him, what he thought had been overdesigned heels turning out to be more guns!
"Damn, girl!" Dante said, holstering his sword and pulling out his own guns, the custom black and white pistols charged with demonic energy that let him fire endlessly as Bayonetta did. "How the heck are you firing from your heels?!"
"Trade secret!" Bayonetta said, twisting out of the way of the barrage of bullets and stomping downwards. This time Dante noticed it – some of Bayonetta's clothing vanished just before a massive woman's foot, clad in high heels, stomped down on him, grinding him into the ground.
Before Bayonetta could do much more, though, Kratos flung his axe at her, the top of the axe striking her in the forehead hard enough to send her sprawling. As she recovered, she saw Kratos lunging at her, the axe returning to his hand. She barely managed to roll out of the way in time, a large shield unfolding on Kratos' arm as he swung it out to the side, catching Bayonetta as she rose and sending her flying. Before she could recover, she had to roll out of the way of a barrage of bullets from Dante, the red-coated man holstering one pistol and pulling out his sword again and turning his attention to Kratos, axe clashing against sword.
Bayonetta growled, and shifted forms, becoming a pixie-like creature with a more revealing outfit, wings fluttering as she charged into the fray again. She spun into a graceful twirl, Madama Butterfly's arms emerging from portals to spin alongside her, battering the two men and sending them sprawling.
Kratos growled, his body aching from the powerful blows. The whelp is a powerful swordsman. That ridiculous blade of his is too damn big, too unbalanced, and yet he wields it easily. The tall woman it seems is a witch, and is capable of powerful magic. Possibly full on summoning. I need to keep my distance from them. He sheathed his axe, and gestured, the gold ring on his finger vanishing and forming into a massive spear in his hands. Time to put Draupnir to work.
Bayonetta fluttered in midair, guns at the ready as she landed and reverted to her human form. She glanced from Kratos to Dante, assessing her opponents. She winced a little as a surge of pain went through her head from where Kratos' shield had struck her. Beardo is strong. Impossibly strong. And I can sense divine power coming from him. Gommorah? No, no, I'm still mad at my little pet… The swordsman has a lot of power behind him as well, along with speed… I need to be careful. Maybe something with a little more oomph to it.
Dante, for his part, was impressed with his opponents, and wished that he could be friends with them. But with what they've said, he doubts that. Grandpa is tough. One of the toughest bastards I've ever faced. Its not gonna be easy dealing with him. I may even need full Sin Devil Trigger to stop him. And legs, hoo boy… Not only is she fun to look at, but she's got some real strength to her… man, why can't I ever meet any nice girls?
This time, Bayonetta led the charge, swinging a massive club at least thrice her size, with what looked like a monstrous maw and horns that sent both men flying back, astonishing both of them.
What Dante said: "Geez, lady! How strong are you?! You're as tough as you are gorgeous!"
What Bayonetta heard: "Damn, I knew you had the rockin' slutty bod, but you're strong, too? Can't even tell you're using steroids!"
Bayonetta scowled. "Uncouth vermin," she snarled, during the club around and revealing that it was also an anti-material rifle. She fired a massive energy blast from at the two men, scattering them. Kratos flung his spear, piercing Bayonetta through the gut.
She gripped the spear. "Not bad, old man," she said. "But I have your toy now, and-" Another spear appeared in Kratos' hand, and he slammed it down, the spear exploding, sending a spray of blood up from Bayonetta and knocking her to her knees.
What Bayonetta said: "Well… Certainly unexpected. More to you than meets the eye…"
What Kratos heard: "This still won't get you your family back, you know…"
Kratos snarled, ready to attack again. "You will tell me where my family is, or I will-" he had to back down. Dante had switched weapons, donning a demonic pair of gauntlets, grieves, and spiked shoulder pads, all glowing with heat. He swung a strong hook at Kratos, staggering him back. Kratos glowered at Dante, who was standing in a boxer's stance, ready to move, a rapidly healing Bayonetta picking herself up in the background and… sucking on a candy on a stick of some kind? What?
What Kratos said: "You have skill, boy. But I'm in a hurry. Tell me where my family is or face my wrath."
What Dante heard: "Pathetic punch, brat. You'll never be able to save your comrades like that."
Dante sneered. "We'll see about that," he snapped, launching a quick flurry of punches and kicks at Kratos, the demigod just barely able to match Dante blow for blow. Kratos met Dante's attack head on, striking, thrusting, and stabbing to counter Dante's quick attacks.
Finally, Kratos managed to get in a blow, jabbing Dante and breaking off one end of the spear, which quickly regenerated, leaving an explosive spear in the red-coated devil hunter's chest. It detonated, tearing a hole in his chest, which slowly began regenerating.
Before Kratos could capitalize, however, Bayonetta slammed her club down on them, the comparatively small woman swinging it around and sending him sprawling. Kratos managed to right himself up, but Bayonetta was already on him. She'd shifted forms again, gaining massive claws on her hands and feet, most of her body covered in black, scaley armor, a pair of large, almost whip-like horns on her head. A roar escaped her as she slashed and kicked at Kratos, generating large claws of energy that he was barely able to deflect.
Dante, pulling a green orb out of his pocket and pressing it against the explosion wound, grimaced as he healed himself. "Okay…" he said, mainly to distract himself from the pain. "Legs can shift forms… most likely depending on what weapon she's using, cause she was a pixie when she used the guns… The old man's the most practical fighter here, so something eclectic might be best against him…"
He reached into his subspace pocket, intending to reach for the motorcycle saw Cavaliere,… and pulled out Agni and Rudra instead.
"What the fuck?!" Dante said, looking in shock at the swords in his hand.
"Master Dante!" the blue sword, Rudra, said, the head on its hilt smiling.
"We are so glad to see you!" the red sword, Agni, said, the head on its hilt looking relieved.
"The person we were sold to was so mean!" Rudra wailed.
"He just locked us away, never used us to fight!" Agni wailed.
Dante just stared, confused. He'd sold these idiots years ago to pay off some bills! Why were they here?!
Bayonetta barely noticed, using her weapon's Demon Masquerade form to savagely attack Kratos, the demigod switching back to his axe and raising it high, generating a vortex of freezing energy that send her staggering back, forcing her back into human form again.
Okay, Bayonetta thought. He's strong. But I'm not done yet. She usually carried two weapons at a time, but could mentally shift through an 'inventory' and trade them off. She reached into that inventory and pulled out…
A lightsaber.
Bayonetta blinked. "Wait. I put Pillow Talk in a display case years ago," she said. "Why do I still have it in my inventory?!"
Kratos growled as Bayonetta reached for a new weapon. Fine, he said to himself. If they wish to bring more violence, then so will I. He holstered his axe, and reached for the Blades of Chaos on his back… pulling out the Nemesis Whip instead.
"Wh… How?! This was destroyed in the battle with Zeus!" Kratos exclaimed, looking over the electrical chain whip with the extendable blades at the end.
The three warriors looked at each other, seeing the confusion mirrored on each other's faces. Confusion that quickly turned to anger as they thought about their comrades.
Fine, they thought in almost perfect unison. More weapons, more options to force answers out of these fools. And they charged in again, energy blazing from their attacks.
As the others fought, the weaponsmiths were having their own battle. Nico, who had been rummaging around in her van since the three started fighting, came out wearing a bright blue cannon on her arm. She whirled, seeing Sindri charging her, and fired the cannon, an energy pulse shooting out.
Sindri vanished, the pulse missing him by centimeters, and reappeared behind her, striking her in the back with his hammer and sending the human sprawling. Nico snarled and quickly whirled, blasting away, Sindri teleporting rapidly before getting in close enough for a clash, Nico blocking his hammer blow with her arm cannon.
"I don't know what you and your friends are doing," Sindri snarled. "But you're gonna return every one that you took from us!"
"That WE took?!" Nico shouted. "You're the dirty family-stealing criminals!"
Sindri and Nico gave each other confused looks, that quickly turned to realization.
"...Fuck," Nico muttered, slowly backing away. "We've been had, haven't we?"
"I'm starting to think so," Sindri muttered.
"Good," rumbled Rodin. "Then I won't need to knock heads to get you two to listen."
Nico and Sindri whirled, and both of them felt fear fill them, Rodin looming over the two of them, having somehow walked up on the two without them noticing. Rodin pulled a cigar out and flicked his thumb out, a purple flame forming on it, which he used to light the cigar.
"Um…" Nico stammered.
"Name's Rodin. Proprietor of the Gates of Hell, weaponsmith to Umbra Witches," he said.
"Nico Goldstein," the female weaponsmith said, gulping hard, hand still on her arm cannon. "Latest in the Goldstein weaponsmith line."
"Sindri. Last survivor of the Huldra Brothers," Sindri said, holding her hammer up warily. Not even Odin intimidated him this much…
"Sindri… I know that name. Part of the team that made Mjolnir, right? Leastaways, that's how it was on our version of Earth…" Rodin said.
Sindri blinked, confused. "Your version of Midgard?" he asked.
Rodin nodded. "I'm guessin' we're all from different worlds," he said. "And those goofballs currently trying to kill each other all did some savin' the world shit in the past, right?"
"Yeah…" Nico said, looking over at Dante, Bayonetta, and Kratos.
Sindri, listening in to their conversation, blinked. "Wait… Their responses aren't matching up to what's being said?"
"Good ear," Rodin said. "Pretty sure that they're being manipulated." The big black man cracked his knuckles. "Better bring them back to their senses before Bayonetta-"
"CIAOFI BALZARG!"
Rodin sighed. "-escalates." At least its not Gommorah this time.
To the shock of those unfamiliar with Bayonetta, her clothing suddenly dissolved into heir, swirling around her and extending down into a portal beneath her. A larger portal appeared, a titanic, blue-skinned, ridiculously curvy, fairy-winged demoness clad in black emerging through the swirling hair in the portal.
"Madama Butterfly! These fools either have our comrades or serve those that do! Help me capture them!" Bayonetta intoned.
The massive demon woman nodded, cracking her knuckles. Kratos and Dante were shocked, but they recovered quickly, nodding at each other and bringing their weapons to bear.
Before any of them could start fighting, though…
"Yeah, not happening," Rodin said. In about half the time it took to tell, Rodin charged in, taking the startled Madama out with a single blow, and utterly flattening Bayonetta, Kratos, and Dante all at once with a single kick, dragging them back to Nico's van.
"...Biiiiig ol' titties," Nico said, staring at where Madama Butterfly had been. Rodin snorted, while Sindri rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers in front of her.
"Focus," the dwarf said, Nico blushing and coughing nervously.
When the trio woke up, they found themselves tied up in Nico's van all against each other, the weaponsmiths all looking at them.
"...Nico, I'm appreciative, but I ain't into this sort of thing," Dante said. He started to say something else, but Rodin held up a finger. Something about the man made Dante feel like disobeying him was a bad idea.
"Baldy. Repeat what he said," Rodin said.
Kratos growled, but did so, matching him word for word. Bayonetta did as well. Sindri examined all three of them. "Yeah. You knocking them out broke the curse," he said.
"Thank fuck," Nico muttered.
"Curse?" Bayonetta asked. "What curse?"
Kratos was faster on the uptake, though. If their weaponsmiths were working together, then, "Someone cast a spell that changed what we heard when we talked to each other. Trying to goad us into a fight," he muttered.
Dante groaned. "That makes too much goddamn sense," he said.
"Blast…" Bayonetta growled. She hated being fooled. "Well… Sorry gents, for the rather rough greeting. I'm Bayonetta."
"Dante," the red-coated man said. "And don't worry about it. Remarks aside, fighting you two was kind of fun."
"Kratos," the former Olympian said. "And while I wouldn't call anything about this situation fun, I will concede that you two are very powerful opponents."
Bayonetta gave Rodin a pained look. "Is this some multiverse bullshit again?" she asked. At Rodin's nod, she groaned. "Fuck…"
"You've been through this song and dance too, huh?" Dante asked.
Kratos looked worried. "We all have, it seems," he rumbled. Sindri gave him a surprised look. "I have led… an interesting life," Kratos clarified.
"In the Chinese curse sense, from the sound of it," Dante cracked as Nico cut all of them free. "So… team up to get our families back?"
Kratos nodded. "Fair enough," he said. He didn't like the idea too well, but solitude had done him few favors over the decades.
"I'm in," Bayonetta said. "The less people I have to fight to get my loved ones back, the better."
Rodin, Sindri, and Nico all traded pleased looks as their fighters all re-armed themselves with their regular weapons. Maybe this would work out.
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A different place…
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"Well, that was a waste of seven minutes," the wise one said.
"The fact that they would overcome the audio manipulation was foretold. The fact that they are so easily joining forces is… distressing…" the methodical one said.
The large one frowned. "Shall we confront them?"
"No…" the wise one said, looking lost in thought. "Not yet. No need to give away our involvement this early. Send the talking head. Tell him to be as much of a jackass as possible to lure them into our trap."
The large one chuckled. "So have him act as he usually does, then?"
The three chuckled, contacting their minion of choice.
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The cavern…
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As the six were starting to compare notes, out of nowhere, a TV screen appeared in midair, playing a network news theme.
"What in blazes…?" Kratos asked, frowning a little as an ugly man with a combover in a dark, blood red suit and blue tie was displayed in various poses meant to make him look tough.
"'Raptor News Network?'" Dante asked, baffled.
Bayonetta grimaced. "He looks like an uglier version of Enzo," she snarked, Rodin chuckling a little.
The intro switched to the ugly, red-suited man in a studio. Behind him, smaller TV screens flickered into view, forming vague shapes.
"This is Bob Barbas with the Raptor News Network! Just doin' the Goddess' work," the man said, grinning viciously at the six heroes. "In Tonight's Story, we meet up with and interview the latest victims of Her ultimate power. The fallen disgrace known as Rodin..."
"Watch it," Rodin growled.
Bob continued, unafraid. "The bastard daughter of the twisted mad scientist Agnus…"
Nico looked away, scowling.
"The cowardly, germophobic Sindri, who denied his brother Brok a proper death because he was 'too scared to be awone… awww…'" Bob mocked.
"You don't deserve to SPEAK HIS NAME!" Sindri snarled.
"Then of course, there's the slutty nymphomaniac cocktease Bayonetta," Bob said, grinning.
"That's right, just keep giving us reasons to hate you," Bayonetta growled.
"The walking genocide himself, the God of War, the man who murdered Greece itself, Kratos," Bob teased.
"There are less painful ways to commit suicide," Kratos snarled.
"And of course…" Bob's lip curled in disgust. "Dante. Son of Sparda. And somehow more of a douchebag than the one from my world."
Dante bowed grandly. "Happy to be of disservice, dickhead! Why don't you show us that smilin' face up close? I'm sure a live, in-person interview would be great for your ratings!" he said, the smile on his face belying the fury in his eyes.
"Nuh uh," Bob said. "I've learned my lesson since my Goddess revived me. Sorry, kids, but the studio is closed. The show, however, is just beginning. So brace yourselves, fuckers. 'Cause we're doin' this live."
TO BE CONTINUED...