DMC5 AU (For @whollyconsumed)

[superstylishsquid]

[It's not often that Alastor lingers outside of Movieland after paying a visit to his friends on this side of the silver screen, but this time...this time something's wrong. A deeply unnerving type of wrong that's far too familiar. The demon bugs, Empousae, only enter this world to feed a Qlipoth sprout. Checking the news confirms his fears, and gives him a location at that.

Joe, Silvia, and Jet are doing their best to protect people from the wandering demons, but Alastor knows enough to head for the source. He doesn't bring them with him, not for this. Anything else, maybe...but he knows what he's going to see when he gets there, and it's not a sight he wants to inflict on them. Not one he's sure they could handle, spared the horrors of truly gruesome deaths as they have been.

What he sees is what he'd expected. It's a scene from a nightmare. Last time, he'd held back and tried to stay out of things. That had resulted in Mundus, to say nothing of countless innocent lives lost that he might have saved. This time will be different. This time, he'll tear this infernal plant up by the roots if he has a chance, even if it risks all of Hell knowing he's escaped his prison.

The first step to that is loosening those roots. Flying above the carnage of the city, it's easy to spot their weak spots. He's surprised to also see something human shaped moving down there, but the root is the first priority. Calling a replica sword to his hand, he takes a plunging dive down, blade point first, to tear open the straining membrane of the root. It's messy, the boil-like protrusion bursting open in a shower of blood, but it's efficient...and he rather thinks the image it results in, of him kneeling with his sword buried in Qlipoth flesh and surrounded in blood splatters is a striking one. Even if he is going to have to wipe the bloodstains off his armor and clothes.]

Comments

[superstylishsquid]

[He catches sight of the battle below and banks, then dives into a swoop. Never one to pass up an opportunity for a dramatic entrance, he flies directly over the largest concentration of demonic pests and uses his free hand to throw out a web of electricity that forks and jumps from place to place with the intensity of genuine lightning...though thankfully accompanied more by loud crackling than actual thunder.

By the time Nero is likely to have processed what just happened, Alastor has both hooves on the ground and is lowering V onto his feet.]

[brokenfuse]

What the FUCK?

[ Nero has no idea what just happened! Meanwhile, V winces at the loudness of his voice. ]

[superstylishsquid]

Sorry, never could resist an opening for a dramatic entrance.

[Unlike when he apologized for knocking V over, he doesn't sound remotely sincere.]

[brokenfuse]

I'll say.

I was fighting those fuckers! You just take them all out at once?

[ Nero sounds torn between being angry and impressed. V snorts. ]

[superstylishsquid]

They were mooks at best. Are you going to tell me you considered that actual exercise?

[He grins, showing off a mouth full of sharp looking teeth.]

[brokenfuse]

I was passing the goddamn time while waiting for this asshole!

[ Nero points at V. V just shakes his head. ]

Did I forget to warn you how loud he is?

I'M NOT LOUD YOU FUCKER

...my mistake.

[superstylishsquid]

He had some errands to run.

[He shrugs and stalks over to start picking through the remains of the fried demons. Maybe one of them had enough magical energy left to replace what he gave to Dante...]

And some pests were making themselves inconvenient.

[brokenfuse]

Wait, why are you going through the bodies?

[ Nero looks perplexed, and V just looks at him. ]

He's probably going to eat one for the energy.

What? Gross.

I eat demons too, you know.

WHAT? GROSS.

[superstylishsquid]

I gave some to Dante to get him back on his feet...and how is it any grosser than eating any other kind of meat? At least these aren't entirely raw anymore.

Besides. [He rips an electricity fried limb off of something.] Demons eat much worse than this sometimes.

[brokenfuse]

They smell like shit! Don't they taste like it, too?

Oh, they do. But when you have nothing else to eat...

[superstylishsquid]

Most humans think blood tastes awful, too.

[He at least turns so his body and wings are blocking the view of his meal...which also gives Nero a clear view of the sword clinging to his back.]

[brokenfuse]

Huh, really? It's pretty okay.

That is your part demon side speaking, Nero.

Oh.

[ And then Nero spots the Sparda and points, getting loud all over again. ]

Why does he have that?

[ V shakes his head and closes his eyes, pinching his nose with his fingers. Headache incoming. ]

[superstylishsquid]

[He sighs. This guy is starting to remind him of Joe on a bad day. His tail lashes, and he takes a moment to swallow a mouthful of meat before answering.]

Because I need it if I'm going to clean up this mess. Especially since there's no guarantee I'll be able to keep Urizen from eating the fruit.

[brokenfuse]

So we're having him eat the fruit, first.

[ V prepares himself for a reaction, but not well enough. ]

WHAT?!?!?!?!

[superstylishsquid]

[His wings curl in a cringe, and his tail swishes hard enough that it's fortunate he's not standing next to anything. He turns, face mercifully clean of any evidence of his meal's nature.]

There's a reason I was holding off on that part. Look, our options are destroy the fruit, let Urizen have it, or give it to someone who won't go on a murderous rampage with it. One of those options actually improves our chances of stopping the guy who planted an enormous vampire tree and let it eat an entire city.

[brokenfuse]

Sure, sure, that's logical. Look, V.

[ Nero turns to V, not putting eyes on Alastor at all anymore. ]

This guy is outta nowhere and you're giving him a hell of a lot. Be honest: is he fucking you?

Oh my GOD.

[superstylishsquid]

Please, anyone could give him that.

[Somehow, there's a sense that he's rolling his eyes...maybe the fact that he's also crossing his arms.]

No, I gave him information. I was around when Mundus pulled this same stunt, a couple thousand years ago. Not to mention the whole 'sharing some of my magical energy to wake Dante from his beauty nap' thing.

[brokenfuse]

I guess I shoulda known better. You'd probably break him, you're so big and he's such a damn stick.

Nero, shut up and listen to what we're saying. There's a new plan.

Yeah, I get that. Where am I in this plan?

[superstylishsquid]

Keeping that stick in one piece. He wants to be there to deal the finishing blow, for personal reasons. I'm expecting to need to focus on Urizen, and I don't think any of us want him deciding to hold the only human there hostage, or just attacking him outright.

[brokenfuse]

Yeah, sure, I can do that. [ Nero looks determined. ] Are we heading off, then?

If he's done with his meal.

[superstylishsquid]

I've had enough for now...it's just an appetizer, after all.

[He hasn't had fresh blood in so long...disgust at how it was cultivated is the only thing keeping his mouth watering at the thought of that fruit. Even so, he can't help looking forward to it at least a little.]

I'm sure we'll have to fight our way down, so we don't exactly have time for me to take a full lunch break.

[brokenfuse]

Good thinking.

Then let's go! [ Nero pushes V a little, and he stumbles hard. ]



....sorry.

[superstylishsquid]

[He moves toward V just in case, but it looks like he's fine this time.]

That vitality potion did good for you, huh?

[brokenfuse]

I suppose so.

Vitality potion?

Don't worry about it.

[superstylishsquid]

Just something I gave him when I noticed how sickly he is. I'm sure we all agree that the only one him collapsing halfway down would benefit is Urizen.