[?]
Eve led out a sigh as he continued to search.
Papers, writing utensils, chunks of wood, and dozens of transcripts filled with useless information were removed from his sight. Making the already messy room even more of a walking hazard. Broken pieces of furniture and shelves later joined the rest, the sound of splinters flying went unheeded. Eve was more keen on finding something that he hoped resided in this heap of garbage.
'Eve did you catch the book he was reading?' His brother's voice reverberated mentally.
'Fetch me one will you. Than we'll play.'
The machine grimaced at how foolish he was to think this would be a simple game of treasure hunt. This was his fourth attempt at finding that wretched book his brother so badly acquires and nothing was found.
Unlike Adam who's grown to have the personality of a cunning researcher Eve himself found the simple things in life more entertaining. Ancient artifacts detailing the history of architecture would fly over his head as he would prefer the old human art of surfing down the street on a metal slab. Truly there wasn't much that came to what the naive brother wanted in terms of fulfillment, the only other thing that was more important to him was Adam.
Thus it's why he's accepted his request. Nothing is better than to play with his brother.
With that in mind Eve was destined to lack the comprehension of certain topics.
His name for example according to another book his brother made him read was given to a human female. Therefore the name has to be designated to females only, right? Eve himself obviously lacks any sort of feminine attribute so why didn't Adam name him like the other males in the inscription, Cain or Abel? The explanation was short and simple, saying humans don't change names so easily and be more pride in the title Adam bestowed upon him.
Yet, they aren't.
Eve didn't really understand his logic but if Adam says to embrace it than so be it. Afterall it's just a name, nothing than a mere label made to distinguish things.
Going in arm's deep with the intention of flipping more junk away Eve's hands met muddy sludge. He succeeded in removing the hindrance but was annoyed to remove the filth before proceeding.
The naive machine was told to keep his hygiene up. Eve finds sludge to be fun, darting them at unsuspecting Androids always made for a good time. Though his favorite spot had turned red hot with the amount of Resistance Androids deployed to specifically find the culprit they dubbed as the "Mudslinger." It would be a while before he can go back and ruin an Android's day but for today he understands the annoyance of unwanted filth.
Grunting he cleaned himself on some old fabric and continued to dig albeit with less care. Red pupils narrowed as his actions turned more erratic. Shuffling more junk but without prior finesse he hauled away, murmuring under his breath.
"Why does brother insist on finding another one? Why can't I take it from him?"
Eve couldn't understand his brother's fascination with him. Before meeting him the naive machine didn't really have any thoughts on the man in blue. While the things he did was fun to watch Eve saw him no more than a brief period of entertainment before berating Adam to go out and play.
*Crash* A shelf impacted the wall.
Upon first meeting Vergil, the naive machine had a thought. Vergil looks like he has fun reading, Adam too does have fun reading. Let's say he was able to get Vergil to read his brother's books, they will have fun right? Right. Therefore his bookworm double won't need to force Eve to study anything because he would have Vergil do it. A very genius thought, and than when all is said and done the three of them can go out and play. A brand new companion with interest's that matches his brother's sounded too good to be true.
Eve smacked himself. Of course it was.
"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."
First impressions Eve had nothing but malice for the man. Neither of them saw it coming, one moment Adam was reaching for his shoulder the next his entire arm gone. All goodwill placed on Vergil died. Adam is to never be harmed, doing so and may the humans on the moon pray you get a painless death. With the ire of a million machines Eve didn't waste time preparing a fatal blow for the man in blue.
Only for utter bewilderment to completely take hold of him when the injured machine actively went out of his way to STOP him from doing what he believed was right. Never once did Adam raise his voice at Eve but he did and in that moment, he was scared of his own brother.
Eve couldn't understand it back than. He still can't.
Adam now uses a bionic arm, in his words it's an improvement but Eve couldn't look at it. The twitchy sounds of it's joints attempting to imitate the smooth movement of an arm didn't resonate well. All because of him. Adam didn't deserve that, his brother should've been angry, he should've let him-
"AHHHHHH!" He cried out in frustration.
'Vergil hurt brother. Vergil has to pay but brother told me no but brother won't need a fake arm if it wasn't for Vergil but brother says it was his fault for not expecting it no noNoNONOITWASVERGILVERGIL'SFAULTANDNOWBROTHERWANTSMETOFINDANOTHERONEOFVERGIL'SBOOKSBUTVERGILHASONEWHYCAN'TITAKEOTFROMHIMWHYCAN'TYOULETMEDOANYTHINGTOHIMBROTHERWHYWHYWHYWHY!'
Eve continued to scream, the black markings on his forearm morphing sporadically. A bright appendage grew from his half-naked body, it stretched and clamped itself onto the upper foundation. He made another appendage and repeated the action, his frustration taking full control. Before he could even think the building fell down.
…
…
…
Adam told him one way humans released their aggression is by destroying objects. Eve looked, sure enough nothing more than a pile of rubble all around. His rage though still present wasn't as strong as it once was. The naive machine now understood what Adam meant by that statement. He didn't bother cleaning himself but his head did clear up.
'Eve. Is everything all right? I've detected strong energy spikes from your systems." Adam's voice bellowed on Eve's frequency.
He didn't answer but instead doing what he sees what Adam does whenever he's by himself, contemplating.
His brother did say he would be replacing his arm. While Eve ultimately hated Vergil his observant copy didn't want them face-to-face. Adam's been working hard as of late. Eve doesn't fully understand it, a deep dive into human history is required and his observant double hasn't stopped going. The Androids don't know the machine network stored a plethora of information. Maybe even greater than what the Androids can ever house. However what Adam wants doesn't exist in their network, it lies in Vergil's grasp.
Eve is sure that's the only book still remaining, it appeared far too intricate to be replicated. There isn't many things he can ever truly understand but maybe this one's an exception.
'Eve.'
"I'm fine brother…just wanted to let off some steam. I've been working so hard to find what you're looking for."
'Good to hear. Did you make any progress?'
"I'm sorry brother I haven't. I…I don't think there's any more. Whatever's left…he has it." Eve experience a long silence before Adam appeared in front of him. He brushed his long silver-platinum hair to the side with his bionic arm.
He noticed the wreckage Eve made with a subtle smile "My oh my what a mess you made."
"Brother…" The unkempt copy hesitated. "I want nothing more than to rip his head off but you don't let me. Why?" The intelligent machine went over and patted his back.
"My dear brother, it's fairly simple that even you can understand despite your challenges. I can't let you interrupt my experiment."
"Experiment?"
Adam gave a snarky nod before striding off to the side. "Yes. Androids and machines are considered enemies to each other, yet when you take us apart we are made of the same wires and gears found in a power tool. The only difference being the masters we served are organic beings of different species. The aliens were nothing more than warmongers with only simple-minded goals to fulfill their simple-minded ideals. If they were to venture towards any other planet in the galaxy nothing would change about them. World domination is all they ever truly knew. Humans however, they are a species with a history so complex it goes way beyond what the aliens will achieve in the next eon."
Eve listened.
"One thing I admire about humans is their drive to defeat adversity. Quite the same as our masters but what those mammals have that sets them apart is something deep inside themselves. Not all humans are willing to fight alongside each other. They can be developed in the same environment, be influenced under the same superiors, but they won't come out the same. Obtaining a mindset that goes against the status quo has happened multiple times in the human's society. Forging rebellions with followers of the same ideals, turning what they considered an insane individual into a legitimate threat. An inevitable battle that leads with the strongest being the group's victor, survival pf the fittest. Isn't that interesting?"
Eve was left scratching his head. "Uhhh. I guess but they don't sound too different than the aliens. What are you trying to say?"
Adam reached over, resting a hand on the naive one's shoulder. "I was getting to that. As I dug into deeper into the archives I stumbled upon some rather interesting records from human society. Let's say those same humans committed unholy genocide, from people of all ages including their infants, the ones they consider to be the most important to protect. They can still love, they can still be adored, they can still be seen as the hero even if they've committed genocide on humans who've done no wrong."
"That…doesn't make sense."
Adam formed an unsettling grin. "That's the beauty of it. Tirelessly I've went back over the same data and I have yet to find the solid reason as to why a human can act so cruel and still have a heart. Makes you wonder why the Androids still look up to them, centuries after they've escaped to the moon."
The gears clicked in Eve's head. "Woah. Humans are way different than our masters." Adam's face grew more deranged.
"I couldn't stand around with all this newfound information. Thus I looked for any candidates on helping me satiate this feeling. To be fair there weren't many worthy options, there was the curious case of YoRHa unit type 9S. His life or more accurately past lives made him stand out as the ideal subject. However, recently the network was notified of not one but two individuals who proved themselves to be fit for my experiment."
The unkempt machine clenched his fists, knowing who he was referring to.
"The first one we have already met and I take it your opinion on him isn't so positive. The other, well he's just as ambiguous."
"You kno-"
"Of course I do. Let me tell you this I can't let you bother them for they aren't Androids. Even if Vergil is in possession of it, we'll just have to focus on other things for now. Come, we need to get ready." Adam finished, teleporting out of the area. Not even letting Eve speak. He was left sighing, still not knowing what his words meant.
'Eve, don't lag behind now.'
"Yes…brother."
[Bunker]
Sirens blared across the hallways. Red lights reflected off the pearly white walls, and a robotic voice chanted words that struck every unit in the base. Operators old and new immediately acted upon the signals and typed faster and harder than ever before. Scanners hopped on the bandwagon and assisted their respective operators. In the maintenance bay engrossed Healers were startled by the sounds, almost ending the lives they were repairing on. Battlers met up with defenders and marched to the operating room.
Commander White exited her office and uncharacteristically took off in full sprint. She passed by some nervous soldiers unsure of what to do. She barked orders and threatened punishment if they didn't go through. The robotic voice echoed in her ear and all she could do was scowl. One for it interrupted classified blueprints she was working on, two the sheer rarity of this event occurring only meant one thing.
The operating room was the busiest it's ever been. Down below Androids were shuffling about trying to get a better look at the main screen. All the while the blondes exchanged a tsunami of information to one another. Commander walked up to her platform, her presence overshadowed by the room's atmosphere. Ignoring all the noise she viewed the screen with a fascinated look of concern.
"So it is true."
"ALERT"
"ALERT"
"ALERT"
"LEVEL 5 CATEGORY THREAT: ALIENS DETECTED"
The bane of Earth has finally shown itself. White couldn't believe it. They disappeared so long ago their creations took their place as top priority. Are they initiating another super weapon? She can't let that happen. Hope has finally been placed in her grasp and she'll be damned if anything decided to hindered it.
"APPROXIMATE LOCATION: EASTERN HEMISPHERE"
'Not good enough.' Furrowing her eyes she snapped her crop against the railing. The harsh whipping sound momentarily cutting off the sirens. Everyone looked to her with wide eyes.
"COMMANDER!"
The blonde readjusted herself. She looked towards the operators and scanners. "72S, 148S, 57S, 14O, 10O and all the rest, find out the absolute location of the alien's signal."
"Yes! Commander!" They spoke in unison. Diligently the top scanner 72S and his operator commanded the others to different parts of the hemisphere. As they worked Commander looked over to the B and D types on the ground floor. All of them already in formation, patiently waiting for orders.
"Battlers, Defenders. Remember after this we have only beaten half the battle, the machines are still a threat. Go to the armory and suit up for battle. Once we've nailed down on the alien's signal you'll already be departing for Earth."
"Ma'am yes ma'am." The women responded before calmly walking out of the room in an orderly fashion. Their leader didn't led up on her gaze and stood firmly watching the blaring red message on the screen.
"Commander we've already eliminated over 50% of possible locations across the countries. However, no sightings of them entering the atmosphere have been made."
YoRHa's leader squinted at the report. They haven't been sighted from space? Where else could the aliens be?
Someone called to her from behind. Turning around she was greeted by the head of the Weapons Department 44B. "I have terrible news Commander."
White wasn't pleased in the slightest. "What is it?"
The woman handed her a data pad, grabbing it she looked at it's contents. 44B jumped back seeing her boss shatter the device by just a squeeze.
"You mean to tell me our entire line of Flight Units have been dismantled for cosmetic repairs? I didn't even approve of such decision." The flashing red light highlighted the rough outline of her scowl, making her look all the more deadly.
44B blinked frantically behind her visor. Doing everything in her power to not break down in front of her boss. Timidly she answered "64B informed me that you approved of it."
"64B? The same unit who's recently gone MIA two days ago?"
"…yes."
The head of Weaponry became more nervous when Commander's eyes lit-up with an icy fire which burned daggers into her very core. If it wasn't for the head scanner requesting her attention the battler was sure she would've melted into a pool of oil.
"Your excused for now 44B. Though this puts a huge dent in our operation I would like to have a chat later." The girl nodded nervously and ran out of the room before the blonde turned her back to the boy.
"Commander we've eliminated over 75% of potential origins. We speculate it's somewhere between the coastal regions and the islands. We still have no reports of any of their spaceships."
She pondered. Speculating just exactly is going on here. No aliens have been sighted. No urgent requests from any Resistance settlements have notified her. Violet, who was stationed over the center of Russia, hasn't even alerted her for alien sighting. That could only mean…
'The aliens have been underground the whole time.' Commander thought. While the revelation was shocking she still had a problem. Without flight units her forces were stuck here and the transporters aren't capable of sending an entire fleet of Android data to Earth.
"How many available nearby units?"
"Only 2 units are available at the moment. Units 2B and 9S, I believe they're closer than anticipated." White wasn't happy at the pitiful number but it was all she got. Before she could do anything further Operator 21O spoke up.
"I've just received a signal from my ground unit's Pod. It's the same location from where the Engel units were destroyed. This must be where the aliens reside."
Perfect.
"Patch me through to them."
[Resistance Camp]
"C'mon Sis your so slow." Devola said hurriedly.
"I am sister." Popola shut the door behind them as quickly as possible.
"Jeez P maybe you should lose some weight. Your kind of slower than usual." The devious twin humored, a light punch was inflicted to her arm.
"The machines were faster than I thought. How about we fight more synchronized and not go all out everytime you see one?" Popola criticized her counterpart.
"Sorry. I just wanted to get it over with." The fiery-haired redhead apologized as they went up the steps. A knee buckled unexpectedly causing her to almost slip. "Yeah maybe I did overdo it." Popola rested over her shoulder, securing her in case she falls.
"You can still walk so that's good I guess."
"I guess? What do you mean by that?"
Popola purposefully stayed silent enjoying the upset expression Devola gave her on the inside. They were inside but they still felt a breeze thanks to the tears in their clothing. Some Android needed help getting some rather delicate machine parts that required not destroying it's whole body. The reward being a relic from the past, a dartboard more specifically.
Devola figured it would be a nice thing to play around with but didn't think it was worth the effort. When she told her sister about it Popola proposed to give it Dante instead in case he's ever bored. The devious twin couldn't help but tease her about it being more than a simple gift but they didn't have anything else to do at the moment and a part of her was aching to see him again.
"You don't think he got hurt while he was out there?" Popola asked.
"If he did than wouldn't we've been told about it?"
Hmmm. She supposed she was right but still when mentions of the Goliath spread through camp the twins couldn't help but fear the worst. Luckily Anemone had nothing to say when she got back to camp aside from a tied-down ballistic Jackass. For what she was so furious about they were never told but they still had a feeling something went amidst.
*Knock*
*Knock*
"Maybe he's sleeping." Devola suggested as Popola twisted the knob.
"Just my luck." They picked up on the whispered words. Now in full view was Dante, back facing them as black-fumes eroded from his side. The twins caught on in an instant.
"Dante!"
The devil hunter turned around, his smug demeanor on the full front.
"Hey, there they are. Little bit early to the party yeah? I didn't even set the tables up." His nonsense went over their heads.
Devola was the first to close their distance. Before the devil hunter could blink she inspected the whole array of pockets on his person.
Feeling her touch garnered him a chuckle. "A little touchy aren't we? First base isn't meant to be skipped y'know?" Popola could only shake her head as she investigated behind him, no noticeable pieces of evidence were found.
"Mind giving me a hint?" The devious sister didn't find anything and gave him some space. "Don't play dumb with us. We saw the fumes."
"Oh about that-"
The straight-haired twin cut him off. Using an understanding tone she said "We know you humans have different ways to deal with stress but smoking isn't one of them. Now hand over the narcotics, it's detrimental for your health."
…
…
…
'Just go with it.' With the not so accurate cause of the fumes Dante used it as an alibi. "Well your outta luck, I chucked the rest of it out the window."
Popola scooted closer to him with the intent of glaring into him. The tactic usually works it's charm, scaring the person right into confession without any form of violence necessary. What she didn't notice or better yet didn't care for was the fact his stature towered over hers and she could only reach up to his neck. Raising her chin up in order to actually see his face, inadvertently giving off the image of pouty child with their parental figure. Something the fiery-haired sister couldn't help but snicker at.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"You could bite me and I'll still say yes babe." Popola squinted her eyes, giving off inquisitive hum as she analyzed for anything peculiar in his words and facial pattern. The devil hunter didn't seem fazed and continued to stare into her orbs. There they stood a good half minute, enough for Dante to make out Popola's eyes. A unique shade of blue with a hint of green making a pleasant aqua fusion. Not realizing it he was transfixed under the glare of the redhead, taking a hold of him in a way he didn't anticipate. Another thing the devious twin noticed.
The straight-haired android backed away, releasing a sigh. "I'm willing to take your word on it but we will not watch you poison yourself. We'll make sure wherever or whoever you got it from won't be there anymore."
"How will you do that?" He couldn't help but ask.
She maneuvered her arms behind her back while giving a grin with her eyes closed. "Don't worry about it." Dante felt a shiver and didn't know why. He looked over to Devola only for her to nod in an odd way.
'Now I know which sister to be careful of.'
Wrapping an arm round her sibling Devola proceeded to relieve the unnecessary tension. "Enough of Poppy haggling you. You know what's wrong for you and that's it. Here we got this for you, happy birthday." She said with an easy-going smile.
"It's not my birthday but Enzo always says if it's free than let it be." He humbly accepted their gift.
"Enzo?"
"Just someone I work with or better yet he forces me to work." Dante answered. "Wonder if he's cooled down by now." The twins titled their heads in confusion. "Did something bad happen?" Devola asked.
The cambion spun the board on one finger. "A few punks wanted to stomp me out. Not my fault their sore losers, Enzo wasn't happy with it and threw me out. A damn shame I was getting some good bucks." He nailed the board on the door.
The twins grew dismayed at what that could entail. "Don't tell us you were hustling?" He didn't answer but instead performed one swift motion that ended with three darts stuck right in the bullseye. The display left the pair in awe.
"I appreciate the gift but uh what happened to your clothes, got into some deep water?" The rips in their fabric were noticed the moment they came in but he didn't want to push it until it was right.
"Oh it's nothing you shouldn't worry about, it's fine." The calmer twin deflected.
"Yeah this isn't our first rodeo." The other supported while taking a step forward. Unluckily her knee buckled bringing her down to the floor but Dante caught her fast. The firmness of his chest brushed against her, a beating heart reverberated from inside. Her hands clamped his biceps and never has she felt so heated feeling. A spike in her body temperature occurred making her mute a gasp.
'There it is again?' Devola thought to herself before being placed back to her feet.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded for no words could be formed. Popola saw the odd change in her personality, noting to address it later.
"This rodeo must've taken a lot out of ya. What happened?" He asked again, genuinely concerned for their well-beings. Seeing the actual concern made Popola brighten up. No one ever asks how their feeling, they rarely ever talk to anybody. Having someone like Dante fretting over them was enough to make her confess.
"We've went scavenging for machine parts. Some of them were hard to put down but it was worth it."
"For what?"
"For…your gift."
Dante looked at the dartboard and back to them. "You didn't need to do that. Losing a limb for someone like me isn't all that important."
The devious sister cued in "We know but we did it anyway. Out of the kindness of our hearts we wanted to show you our appreciation for respecting us. Despite our mistake."
Dante lifted a brow. "Respect? Mistake? What are you talking about?"
The twins blinked at him. "You don't know?" He shook his head no. They've shared a wide-eyed glance and stayed frozen for an uncomfortable amount of time. Dante had to snap them out of it.
Devola was getting ready to speak but Popola covered her mouth in a hurry. "Well that's something you definitely don't need to worry about. And our visit wasn't supposed to last this long anyway, do you need anything before we go? Food? Water? Anything?" She spoke while her sister tried her best to break free to no avail.
The cambion was very confused by all of this. "No. I'm good go take care what you need to do. Thanks for the gift by the way."
"Your welcome. C'mon sister let's go." The lead sister announced their departure as a struggling Devola was practically dragged out the room. Holding his chin Dante was a bit amused by the sudden goofiness they displayed. What did they mean by not knowing? What mistake? And why did Popola tried so desperately to hide whatever her sister tried to say?
His demonic senses flared up, pulling him out of his thoughts. "It could wait."
Dante turned to the window. Didn't look like there was alot of activity in camp so it was still the perfect time. Concentrating, black fumes sprouted from his body, it morphed into squiggly tentacles at first before forming a black smoky mass. Red eyes stared at him as it transformed for the final time. An exact copy of Dante stood beside him, the red eyes dying out into normal human ones.
"Now y'know the plan. Stay here while I go check out whatever the hell's got my devil side so riled up." Doppelgänger nodded a sadistic smirk growing on it's face.
Narrowing his eyes Dante snapped his fingers."And don't kill anyone." The shadow demon was flabbergasted, no killing? But that's what a demon's supposed to do. Plus they aren't really alive, just walking pieces of metal so it's not really killing anything.
"You knew the deal when we made our pact so either face it like a good demon or I'll get rid of you. For good." His dark copy grunted, clearly not happy that it's being treated like a child. Also the room's light was bugging it, it broke the light bulb. It stared happily at the dying light, now it can relax.
"Good idea. I didn't even think about your whole dark getup." Dante uttered. Raising the window up he gave it a final set of instructions "Close the window when I'm out don't want it to be chilly when I get back."
With that the devil hunter smoothly himself onto the roof. He ran across the rooftops until he was out of the camp's territory and back into the city ruins. He traveled upward onto tall rooftop. His demonic senses started to go wild, down below him was the crater.
"Guess I'm not the only one to get an invite." Looks like 2B and 9S beat him to it, they just finished off this worm-like machine and dove even deeper into the crater.
"Strange world. What do you got for me today?" He renounced as he leaped off the building.
[Forest Kingdom]
A2 stood up, extending her limbs making sure everything was back in order. She may not be a healer but she had the time to learn basic self-maintenance procedures and that's all that really matters. A satisfying way to ease her body after the embarrassment she made of herself with the human.
While Vergil's etiquette took away from it the bittersweet loss she felt did cloud her mind for a bit. You just got your ass handed to you, by a human no less. How are you suppose to get up after that? Well, somehow she did and now she's helping him.
It still befuddled her on why he chose to toy with her knowing that he had the upper hand the whole way through. Logically just ending someone you know isn't a challenge for you is the most ideal way to go. Maybe it was just for the thrill, a powerful man capable of besting her, the most wanted rogue unit without even putting in his all. What a sick way to get inside the enemy's head, crushing all of their hopes of survival in an instant. However she would be lying if she didn't do the same in her fights.
No, it was his way of testing her. To see if she had what it takes to be by his side, it was the only thing that made the most sense. If you could consider surviving by the whims of your opponent as passing than A2 undoubtedly passed.
"Had enough time recuperating?" It'll take a while to get used to his voice. Vergil's figure stood beside her, while they were no longer strangers he still had predatory eyes.
"I guess." The withered Android felt him look her all over. Her mind spewing phrases like 'Back off pervert' or 'Look any longer than I'll break your face' before remembering who she was with. She had her fair share of creepers spying on her resulting in a defensive reflex she had to prevent.
"I suppose your right." Vergil led up on his gaze. The rogue woman was relieved to find he wasn't another pervert. Instead she was face-to-face with the same book he's been reading.
"Do you recognize this?" A2 shook her head no. The man in blue wasn't disappointed but offered her to read it.
"It's an aged textbook so be extra careful with it."
A2 read over the strange characters written in the pages. In the next ten minutes she flipped back and forth simultaneously, trying to find anything of familiarity. The human was right in it being an old artifact, she had no idea what the hell any of this meant. No wonder he had a hard time, nothing in this book looked familiar.
She witnessed a few illustrations that made her cringe. The weird drawing of that naked lady and dragon really creeped her out. Just what the hell has gotten this man's attention? The vulgar android went through her memory files to possibly aid her.
It felt weird admittedly, countless days she spent on the run she actively blocked out anything regarding her earlier years.
Kind of felt like a slap to the face but this wasn't on her own accord. Feeling the same gaze on her A2 acknowledged Vergil's stare. His ability to appear intimidating was exceptional.
"Is something bothering you?"
"Yeah, your eyeing me like a pissed-off drunk." The human titled his head.
"On the other hand I was being spied on for an indefinite amount of time yet you can't handle your composure for not even 5 minutes?"
The vulgar woman scowled at him for bringing that topic back up. Embarrassment returned to her body just as it did before. "I've already apologized you don't need to be such an ass about it."
"You should watch who you're referring to Android. I am not to be called an ass."
"And my name isn't Android it's A2. So how about you ease up with the crazy eyes?"
"My eyes invoke nothing but confidence and honor."
"We have the same shade of sky blue. Yours just have squiggly red lines on the corners."
"Eyes are spherical. They don't have corners what you're referring to are called scleras…" Vergil paused "We're going off topic. Can you understand anything from the book?"
A2 huffed. So far his focused mindset is his biggest highlight, it saves the embarrassment of referencing her past actions. A translation program appeared on her right optic field. Numerous line-ups of text flashed everywhere in her vision before everything went blank. A loading bar appeared with 1% of the data downloaded.
Estimated download time: Inconclusive.
She sucked her teeth. "I don't actually know what any of this fucking means-"
"Watch your tongue." Vergil quipped in. A2's eye twitched before continuing.
"Part of it I may be able to match it with something used centuries ago but I'm not really sure. I'm not a scanner but I did activate this old translation program in my head so hopefully I can get something to make this all sound right."
Vergil listened and nodded. "Some minor setbacks won't do me any harm. Very well if that's all for now you can hand it back over." She returned his belonging. The man cradled it in his hand before storing it under his coat.
"Say can I ask you something?" The vulgar android inquired.
"If it's appropriate."
"Why are you here?" The darkslayer gave her a side glance.
"You know your not supposed to be here on Earth right? Every human should be on the moon until the war is over."
He looked away from her.
Silence pursued.
"It would be a mistake if your implying that I should go back."
The ruffian was caught off guard. "I'm not. I won't. I can't even if I did bother."
Vergil perked up at her sentence. "How so?"
A2 stiffened up. If she would to take him to the nearest settlement, she would be compromised. The probability of him knowing her infamous outlaw status was highly unlikely. She doubts the bitch had mentioned any form of her to the humans. A slip-up like that may cause her position to be revoked and years later she's still there.
If Vergil did know than he wouldn't have bothered making a truce with her. It still doesn't explain why he himself is on Earth, entirely alone by himself.
The gears in her head stopped turning when an obscure light bulb lit up.
'Maybe he's just like me.' It would explain his unwillingness to go back to the moon. It would explain why he hasn't been with any sort of YoRHa protection. It could explain how he's willing to spare her life.
Though than that would mean humanity themselves have abandoned one of their own. Woah, that's an entirely different can of worms the withered Android wasn't keen on delving into. She already had enough surprises for today.
Maybe some things are better left unsaid.
"Never mind, forget I asked."
"Likewise." Vergil voiced.
*Clank*
He turned and saw the vulgar woman on her knees. A profanity left her lips as she got back up. That same sound was heard during their brief exchange of blades, he didn't hesitate to press on.
"Despite your efforts some failures within your metallic body would be present. I was right on my assessment." He witnessed one of her fists twitch into a clench.
"Yeah. It's been with me for some time."
"Yet, you haven't done anything to resolve your issues?" He gave a skeptical look.
A2 got visibly upset. "I didn't agree to this to get lectured on what works in my body you jacka…Vergil I've agreed to help you. What else can I do to help you make your life easier?" Her tongue throbbed from the self-inflicted bite.
"Your learning." He commented which only made A2 cross her arms. "I need nutrients in order to sustain my body. The local wildlife should provide you enough game, though try to bring back some deer. Pork isn't all that good of a food choice."
The ruffian nodded before leaving the castle in a silent stride. Vergil watched her perform a mighty leap on top of the broken walls and diving out of sight. He stroked his chin, first impressions she was one of those kinds of people to lash out at anyone if they annoyed them just a little. You could say he was one himself but in order to become a great warrior he inherited an excellent amount of patience. However his brother always manages to get under his skin no matter how hard Vergil tries he can never stay calm around him.
'Now then, time to investigate.' Vergil traveled across the castlegrounds. His demonic senses leading taking him through the rooms.
Not long before A2 arrived his body picked up on a very faint trail of magical energy. It wasn't anything he's experienced before but it was enticing, very enticing. Vergil was keen on going but due to the Android spying on him he was now stuck being watched. His relied on his patience on this one, let the woman leave if he continued doing the most mundane of things. Eventually once it was clear she wouldn't be leaving him alone he made his move.
The darkslayer arrived in the library. He leaped over the railing, landing on the ground floor, in front of a huge wooden door. Vergil attempted to open it but found it was locked, he would need to find a key in order to proceed.
He chuckled and readied his fist before the mighty door fell down. As soon as he approached the now empty doorway he halted. He could sense more easily now, the trail of that same alluring magical energy became stronger. Vergil stored the book away and ventured into darkness, following this odd path.
How strange this energy felt. He wouldn't classify it as demonic energy, it lacked the frightened smell of dread and despair but it wasn't pure. Whatever it may be Vergil was going to find out.
An exit door was found and he didn't need to destroy it this as it flew open just by his push. The darkslayer took a deep breath, the energy became more potent than ever. He walked past the forsaken rows of broken water fountains. His demonic senses craved more hungrily with each step. Vergil didn't notice the two mile walk from the castle to his destination.
"There."
Forever hunched into the ground lied the corpse of a grand-looking Biped machine. It's shell decorated by nature's moss. An inscription laid in front of it's ever sleeping body.
Here lies the Forest King Ernst,
his exalted individual was the earliest among us to awaken to his own will, and for this reason did we name him our regent.
Looking to sow the seed of this will in others, His Highness distributed his own precious parts. His retainers were the first to be so blessed, followed by his subjects. With his beloved jeweled heart serving as the only exception. And in doing so, he brought forth a paradise—one made for machines alone. Through his gifts did we learn of the thing called ego, and eventually of our own selves. And just as ego gives way to emotion, so too did emotion lead us to feel great loyalty to our king.
But our king was too great—and too kind. Having distributed his parts, it became difficult for him to function, and he soon fell into a deep and silent sleep.
Your spirit lives on in us, O great king. And so we implore you to rest in peace.
—The Forest Kingdom, Its Citizens, As One
Unfortunately Vergil didn't care for the former King's grave as a sphere of slashes encircled the machine. In a few seconds it was annihilated with the pieces of the King falling into a pile of neatly cut pieces. The darkslayer reached into the mess before grabbing what he was looking for.
At the same time he felt a reaction coming from the book.
A beautiful looking silver jewel, shining ever so brightly under the sunlight and was the source of it all. Vergil was delighted by this new development and inspected the strange and alluring rock more closely. At this point his demonic sides was struggling to keep itself composed and beckoned him to absorb the magic. He smiled voraciously and consumed a small portion of it's aura.
*Boom*
Vergil skidded afar, nailing his katana into the ground to stop his inertia. A yard away floated the jewel now accompanied by an aura. It rotated to speeds so fast the standing air around it became a violent vortex. Surprisingly Vergil found it troubling to hold his weight, the jewel was far more than expected.
The clear aura faded into a menacing purple and overtook the jewel, it grew bigger and bigger, leaving the darkslayer to wonder just what the hell is happening. The wind stopped and Vergil was all the more prepared for anything.
Two sets of yellow eyes met the cambion's gaze. Out from the thick aura came two statue-like beings, their features totally obscured for they were shrouded in black. Their bodies fortunately were distinguishable, their eyes took a massive portion of their torsos leading to the idea of a giant face being the main part of the body. The arms and legs weren't as big but were a considerable size with peculiar orb-shaped spears clamped in each of their grasp.
"A trap." Vergil deduced. One of the beings took a hostile step forward.
"DEMONIC PRESENCE DETECTED! ALERTING OBSERVER UNITS OF ENEMY THRE-ERROR SYSTEM OFFLINE!" As if they were the other's reflection the beings waved their spears in perfect harmony before pointing them at the darkslayer.
"ACTIVATING OFFLINE PROTOCOL: ELIMINATE THE DEMON!"
These beings obviously weren't some machines he could just throw to the side without a mere glance. It was a legitimate threat, they knew of his demonic origins and if the statement it made was accurate this must've been part of a protocol used long ago. The darkslayer smiled.
"You sparked my motivation. Very well I'll take you up on that challenge, bear witness the true power of Sparda."