by Samuel Small
Sara lifted her hands to the sky. “We did it!” she shouted into the air. Dante looked over to her then cried upward, “Take that you asshole!” Jake smirked and joined in the merriment, calling his own congratulations into the sky, although some uneasiness stirred in the back of his mind, as if something was missing from this celebration. The smile slowly fell from his lips, and he looked about for what might be wrong. Dante and Sara were there as always, Dante shouting insults at the sky. Sara smiled at him, then joined in, calling nothing in particular an ‘asshole’ then bursting into a fit of laughter. That guy was clearly becoming a bad influence on her. Lennon was there, but he wasn’t the source of his uneasiness. He looked back at the spot, fully expecting to see the dragon staring at him, but there was nothing but blue sky and drifting clouds. It wouldn’t be coming back. If it was going to reform, it would have done it by now so what was this—
Elizabeth.
Jake looked around, his eyes wide. She was here only a few seconds ago, asking about how the Sol rifle worked. He told her to get back, but she couldn’t have gone that far, and there was no way some wayward Malice could have taken her out, but then why wasn’t she here? She wouldn’t have taken off again, not with—
Not with that cloaked group after her.
The uneasiness rushed up twofold, and Jake looked around more frantically than ever. Dante caught site of his odd behavior and ceased yelling at the clouds. An eyebrow raised, he stared at Jake.
“It’s Elizabeth! I can’t see her!”
“What? They’ll be plenty of time for you to put the moves on her—” but then he stopped, the teasing smile falling flat. He must’ve caught the look of panic on Jake’s face, and he looked around for the girl too. “She ain’t here. What’s this about?”
“That cloaked group, they tried to kill her a few days ago.”
“What—” Dante called, but then his head turned fiercely in the opposite direction. Jake followed, hearing the swift tread of footfalls. Coming sharply into focus was Elizabeth, her hair strewn about and a thin line of blood running down her forehead. She was looking behind her, but when she turned forward to assess her pace, her eyes focused on the group and she ran even faster until she was before them, hunched over and panting.
“That man.”
“The fast guy?” Dante asked.
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, the—” then her eyes shifted to the side. Striding past Lennon’s unconscious body was the thin member of the cloaked group, whom Thanos had referred to as Raph. He walked leisurely, as if taking a stroll, and that only made Jake feel more uneasy. That casual manner, coupled with the fact that even though Elizabeth had been running away from him, he showed up in a completely different direction, scared the crap out of him. He walked up to the four youths, each of them on guard, and stopped just before them.
“You’ve had your extra time with her, now stand aside.”
“I won’t!” Jake yelled, and reached behind his back. Before his fingers even made contact with his sword, the man lunged for him, although on his way to Jake something rammed into him and knocked his body to the ground. It was Dante, giving him a solid shoulder check. The cloaked man got back on his feet, turning his attention on the orange-haired boy.
Dante looked suspiciously toward Elizabeth, who was standing behind Jake. There seemed to be some semblance of a memory sparking in his eyes, but then he turned his attention back to the cloaked man known as Raph. “What’s this about?”
“Classified. That girl must be eliminated is all you need to know.”
“So you’re in the habit of killing teenage girls?” Dante said, his voice flat. His was head downcast and his eyes were concealed by his dangling hair.
The man was silent.
“I think it’s about time you fucked off!” Dante shouted and thrust his arm outward. His energy flowed out of it in a violent burst and plowed into Raph, who made no attempt to dodge or block. His body was forced backward and he tumbled through the grass. Jake thought for a second that was all it took to take him out, but Dante’s fierce glare at the prone body made him realize it wouldn’t be so easy.
The man made a slow display of getting up, dusting off his cloak, then stood before the group once again. “You aren’t capable of hurting me. Just surrender the girl.” A few icicles bounced off his hardened body and tore into his coat. The tears swayed in the breeze, and Jake could see the skin beneath was glittering silver, but it was smooth – smoother than any armor he’d ever seen.
“It’s against my interests to harm you,” the man said to Dante, “and it’s not as if I have anything personal against the others. Just hand over the girl and the rest of you can go.”
There was a brief silence in the grass at the edge of this strange and tiny world. Dante and the cloaked man seemed to be locked in some kind of uncanny standoff. Jake didn’t dare say anything for fear of rousing whatever malevolent energy seemed to radiate from both of them.
“You know something, don’t you?” Dante said at last.
Again, the man was silent.
“About that group with the lightning bolts!” Dante said, charging for the hooded figure. He stood still, and awaited the boy’s onslaught. Dante punched into him several times, the attacks clearly powerful and enhanced with energy. It flattened the grass around them and caused the tails of the man’s cloak to lash out, but he didn’t budge. Dante took a few steps back, wincing from the pain that was no doubt screaming from his knuckles.
“If you won’t listen to reason,” Raph said, then his hands elongated and sharpened, tearing his gloves into strips of fabric that fell to the ground. His fingers were shining and glittering, that same silvery material that was visible underneath his cloak, and Jake realized that was his ability: his unique Sol. He swiped his clawed hand at Dante, who dodged back to avoid it, although he wasn’t done. He threw hands quickly and with ease, mixing in feints and changing the rhythm of his attacks. Dante blocked all of them, although his wide eyes indicated that he was just as surprised as Jake.
His combat skills were good, that was for sure. Jake unsheathed his sword and charged at the hooded man, who was still unleashing a combo at Dante, but before his sword could even make contact the guy sent a firm foot tearing into his gut. Jake coughed and doubled over, and Raph continued to attack Dante.
A few icicles whizzed past Jake’s head, but they did little to harm the man, bouncing off his armor-like skin. He continued to tear into Dante who was forced to back up. Thanks to this guy’s unique ability, it was pointless for Dante to counterattack since it did no damage, but Jake couldn’t think of anything else. Their attacks seemed to have no effect, so what else was there to do but delay the man’s inevitable victory?
Aiming to once again step forward and punch at Dante, Raph looked down, just then taking in the ice that was spreading up his ankle. He turned his hood to Sara. Jake regained himself and brandished his sword, ready to tear into the cloaked man now that he was trapped.
“Let ’em go!” Dante shouted. Jake lowered his sword and looked at the boy, his mouth agape. He turned to Sara, and she seemed to be just as confused.
“What do you mean? He’s going to hurt you.”
“So what if he does!? This shit don’t concern you, so stay the fuck out of it!” His distant eyes focused on Sara, his chest rising and falling with anger, and the ice entrapping the cloaked man’s feet melted into a pool that spread through the grass. Confused, Raph straightened up.
“Then I suppose you have some sort of plan?” he asked.
“Why don’t you come and find out?” Dante said, and dropped his posture down low, his hands at his sides, hardly a proper fighting stance. The man accepted this challenge readily, and placed his fists up before his face. In an instant he stepped forward and swung at Dante, but the boy avoided it.
Looking at the battle now, Jake could see a clear skill gap between Dante and this man. Sure, Jake thought he was tough, but that didn’t mean Dante did. Despite the b
oy’s less than stellar posture, the reason for which Jake didn’t understand, he was still dodging every one of his opponent’s attacks, even the tricky feints and odd angled ones. What Jake thought was especially strange was that despite this obvious combat advantage, Dante wasn’t taking advantageous angles of attack or moving the fight in his favor. Quite the opposite, in fact – he was allowing the cloaked man to back him up, closer to the edge of the floating nation.
Dante’s foot scraped along the very limit of the land, but his face wasn’t the shocked expression that Jake expected to see. Rather, he smirked at his adversary, then dropped low and attempted to grab the guy’s legs. At the last second, the man dropped his hips and scooted his legs out so they were just out of Dante’s reached. He pressed his chest into Dante’s head, pinning the boy.
Dante muttered something at his hooded adversary, struggling to raise his head, and Jake heard the soft muffle of a reply but they were too far away to hear properly.
“I know you have info on them!” Dante shouted and hoisted himself out from underneath, trying to take his opponent’s back. Raph spun around and faced Dante, then kicked the boy off of him. He rose to his feet, and the two charged and began to grapple, the roles reversed and the cloaked man now on the verge of falling off the edge.
Jake now realized that was likely Dante’s plan all along. The low stance, the way he allowed himself to be backed to the edge. Strikes were no good against this guy, even a full swing of Elizabeth’s sword did nothing, which is why Dante opted for grappling moves. The unfortunate thing, however, was that this man also knew how to handle himself in this manner, and since Dante primarily focused on striking, his grappling was therefore lacking, leaving the two fairly evenly matched. Jake took a step forward. Now that he knew the plan he could certainly help, but Dante called out to him and locked up with the man.
“Stay out of it!” he ordered.
The two fought for dominants grips on each other, grasping at wrists and then pulling away, frantically trying to get any kind of advantage over the other. Their clothes were the most optimal, and soon each had two hands locked into the other’s collar. Face to face, the two had yet another inaudible exchange, then Dante turned his eyes away from Raph’s shadowy hood and to Jake, but for only a moment. His eyes glimmered with confusion, but there something just underneath the surface. Jake thought it was rage, before the boy faced his opponent once again and grabbed him.
The man grasped Dante’s lead arm with both of his hands and dragged the boy forward, then spun around. Now it was Dante facing the edge. They locked hands and smashed foreheads. A line of blood dripped down Dante’s face and ran down to his chin, but he didn’t seem to notice at all, too busy glaring at his shadowy opponent. He pulled his arms away and locked up with the man again. Dante had one arm deep within his opponent’s armpit, so deep that he hoisted the man up and to his side. In close, he said something to Raph once again, who responded. Dante’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped open, then he clenched his teeth and turned into the man, throwing him over his shoulder and off the island. Raph offered no resistance, and seemed to allow Dante to land the final move. Dante watched him plummet.
All was quiet, except for the crunch of the grass as the three made their way to Dante. Jake could only see his back as he stared into the drop, dangerously close to the edge. His fists were clenched and trembling with rage. Jake wanted to thank him for dispatching such a powerful foe, but something made him hesitate. The end of the fight was too unnatural, as if the man let Dante throw him, and Jake didn’t know what it was the two exchanged either.
More than anything else though, there was a lingering sense of danger that niggled at the back of Jake’s mind, seemingly coming to the fore with each step he took toward the orange-haired boy. This fear cause Jake to hesitate, and his pace slowed, so he was not the first to reach him. Rather, Elizabeth came into view and stood at the boy’s side. He did not turn to see her when she reached for him. If anything, his hands seemed to shake even more.
“Listen,” she said, “I know I’m not always the nicest person to you, but you really saved me back there despite my behavior. I wanted you to—”
But that was all Elizabeth got out before Dante grabbed her by the throat. She placed both her hands on his and struggled to free herself, but it did little to stop him. His head was downcast, so Jake could not see the true intentions burning in his eyes, if he’d see anything at all. He raised her up until the girl’s feet dangled off the ground.
“Dante what are you—” Sara began, but the boy looked over, making eye contact with her, and she froze. They shifted to Jake, and his hand immediately left his sword and his legs felt weak. Those eyes, they were completely empty, yet all-knowing. He seemed to consider everything with an uncontrollable rage, only contemplating if they were worthy of destruction. He then turned those dead eyes back to Elizabeth.
She desperately kicked at Dante’s stomach, but without the ground to root her weight it was nothing more than the feeble outburst of a defiant child, and it did nothing to loosen the grip that was choking the life out of her. She began to inch her hand toward the hilt of her sword but Dante extended his other hand out and blasted the entire sheath – including her weapon – off of her waist. It spun over the edge of landmass and headed for the ground far below, never to be seen again.
Dante pointed his free arm outward and fired a few concentrated blasts. Jake was not initially sure what his target was until Sara’s icicles came into focus and promptly exploded. He then turned those dead eyes on Sara once more, but for whatever reason she seemed to be able to fight it. More ice lashed out at him, and he blasted them all away with his free hand, still keeping Elizabeth held into the air with his right. Jake could see the fight steadily draining out of her and that broke him from his shock. Finally he grabbed his sword. Dante turned those dead eyes on him but Jake fought through it and charged, brandishing his sword in front of him. As he swung, Dante fired his Sol into the sword and forced it backward, and Jake stumbled to keep it in his grip. While he was distracted with Jake’s attack, Elizabeth sunk her teeth into the boy’s forearm and he shouted in surprised pain and dropped her, grasping at the injury. While she was coughing and struggling for air at his feet, Dante lunged over and grabbed at her neck once again. From this range Jake could see it – the hot energy at his fingertips searing the girl’s skin. It was enough to drive his anger to full force and he swung at the boy once again.
The thing that turned to Jake was not the Dante he once knew. Not the playful, crude, and brash Dante he expected. The thing that now looked straight through Jake was far more terrifying than even the demon they had encountered together in that abandoned town. The orange-haired boy extended a hand out and gathered energy there, and Jake was sure he’d show no restraint. It was all going to be a matter of who would be faster – who would kill who first.
Spiraling backward, wind tearing at him, Jake hit his head as he rolled across the field. He came to rough stop, smacking into a tree, and he looked up groggily to see who’d awakened. Lennon, with his hand outstretched, dead serious.
“I don’t know what happened when I was out but—”
“Stay out of it!” Dante screamed and threw Elizabeth to the ground as he fixed his murderous gaze on Lennon. Lennon’s eyes widened at the change in behavior, but he looked down and shut his eyes anyway, seeming to accept the inevitable battle.
Dante shot his energy at Lennon, far brighter and more ferocious than Jake had ever seen from him before. Lennon dashed forward, and the energy seemed to hit him, but then split in two and rushed around either side. The point of contact grew closer as Lennon closed the distance, his wind protecting him from Dante’s attack. Soon he was before him, and Dante threw a quick combination. Lennon took the two blows, knocking his head back and forth, while shooting forward at an inhuman speed and planting a fist into Dante’s gut. The boy coughed blood as he soared into the air, and Lennon flew after him. When the boy reached hi
s apex, he made one last feeble kick at Lennon, who caught it, then chopped him in the back of the head.
Dante fell unconscious and Lennon caught him in his arms, then slowly lowered him to the ground.
***
“So, you’re going with him?”
Sara didn’t respond to Jake, not initially. It was dark now, and Elizabeth was receiving treatment for her injuries. They weren’t severe, and she was going to be let out of the hospital tomorrow morning. Dante was to stay in prison until a few days after she left.
Jake leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets, just outside of the hospital. The night air was uncomfortably warm yet distant. He awaited Sara’s response, but she was having trouble finding the right words to explain her position. Jake turned his head forward. He wasn’t sure they existed.
Today had been hectic anyway. Almost immediately after he’d knocked him unconscious, Lennon rushed Dante to the prison, and gave Jake directions to this hospital. They’d all been treated and when Jake was free he was met with a horde of unexpected visitors.
The entirety of Icarus’ military, in fact, baring the Grand Priest.
Apparently, Lennon came around and explained to them exactly what that thing was, and exactly what happened when they killed it. When no end of days or whatever followed, the corruption of the church was revealed, and the entire military was in unison about a complete cultural reform. Since this place was very selective about who got to become warriors, and all of those warriors were in agreement, Jake had no doubt that they’d accomplish their goals.
Sara’s lips parted with a slight smack and she held them open for a moment, seeming to still be gathering her thoughts. Jake was almost about ready to turn away from her and get lost in his own before she spoke.
“Dante… isn’t like that—”
Sara stopped when she heard Jake click his tongue. He gripped the inside of his pockets tightly and glared at the ground. Evidently, Sara, he is like that, he thought.