The Countess and The Demon (Resident Evil X Devil May Cry)

Chapter 3: Change of Plans

As Dante passed through the archway, he looked up to see the castle. His answers regarding the Yamato could be so close.... or a total bust. As he turned his eyes ahead once more, he heard a familiar voice, distant, almost like a whisper, call out to him. That voice, no, it couldn't be... he looked up once again at the castle, and for a second, he thought he saw a familiar figure, taunting him, almost mocking him. Before he knew it, he was back in that courtyard on Mallet Island, except... it couldn't be. That island was blown to hell and back, literally. Yet here he was, and once again, his brother, twisted and warped by Mundus, stood there, taunting him, egging him on, trying to provoke him just as he did, 3 months ago. "What the hell is this?"he asked, looking around. It looked like an illusion. If he focused, he could still see the grounds of Castle Dimitrescu. But for the most part, it was that dilapidated courtyard where he first fought his brother on the island. To his right and left, he could see the crumbling walls, as well as behind him. In front of him was the castle itself, and some 40 feet above him, he could see the balcony of the bedroom from which he'd jumped, in pursuit of the mysterious figure. Closing his eyes, he shook his head, hoping it was all just his mind playing tricks on him. Sadly, all that changed was Nelo Angelo rushing him, blade in hand. He quickly looked around, looking for something he could use to fight him off with. Frowning, he remembered the Spiral MKII that Luiza had given him. "Yeah, this'll do," he said as he fired the rounds at the nearby walls, causing them all to ricochet, crashing into Nelo Angelo's armor, shattering it in places and setting him ablaze thanks to the incendiary rounds. As Dante looked around, he noticed that the more damage his adversary received, the weaker the illusion became. Dante rushed Nelo Angelo, who attempted to stab Dante, only for Dante to disarm and redirect the blade back into its owner. As soon as the blade pierced the armor, Nelo Angelo... vanished.

The illusion evaporated, leaving him there with several burning patches of snow and an extremely oversized rifle. Why the fuck is this happening to me, he thought to himself as he proceeded towards the castle. Soon enough, he came to a sort of store room and last barrier near the castle. To his right was another door, this one locked, and all around him were wicker baskets of produce, such as potatoes, grains, and a few piles of rubble. Ahead of him lay a metal gate with a lever next to it, bound in yellow tape. Probably a trap, he thought to himself. Sure enough, as soon as he laid a hand on the lever, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. As he turned around, he had time to take in the figure. Male, about 6 feet in height, rather grungy, smoking what appeared to be a cuban cigar, with sunglasses and a broad rimmed hat, along with a gray trench coat that looked like it needed a wash. The figure before him reeked of motor oil, almost like he took a bath in the stuff.
What really put Dante off was the oversized custom hammer the stranger wielded on his shoulder, along with the fact that every metal object in the room that wasn't tied down began levitating, almost like the figure before him was controlling them. "Well, well... I didn't think anyone was left!"he said, laughing. "You must be pretty tough, huh?"He continued, sizing Dante up. "Nice outfit, grease rat. Did your mommy make it for you?"Dante asked, matching his tone. The figure stopped about 3 feet from Dante before frowning. "You're not from around here, are you?" He asked, in almost a whisper. All of a sudden, a pipe from behind Dante flew forward, impaling him through the stomach and wrapping around his upper body, effectively immoblizing his arms. Before Dante had time to react, all the metal in the room flew at him, forming a metal cocoon around him, suffocating him. Before he blacked out, he heard the figure say something: "Mother Miranda's gonna love you..."

Time passed, and Dante had no clue what was happening around him due to the metal covering his face. He felt himself being dragged along the ground, his feet in shackles, upper body still restrained by the pipe. He could feel it jostling his insides, but it didn't hurt; he was used to being stabbed with sharp objects on a nearly daily basis. But being dragged around like cattle? That was a new experience for him. He figured he'd get his answers anyway, and he could break out any time he wanted. I might as well see where this goes, he thought, and decided to take the break to catch up on some sleep. A little while later, he woke up to the sound of voices speaking in a heated manner. As he woke up, he was greeted by the sight of the most hideous doll he'd ever seen, along with the most deformed hunchback he'd ever laid eyes upon. He thought back to the photos that Luiza had showed him in her house before he left.... what was this hobgoblin's name again? Moreau, yes, that was it. One of the lords. Now that he thought about it, the man who captured him looked familiar. Another of the lords, he remembered. Karl Heisenberg, the most dangerous of the 4 lords. Then the doll started talking. "HEHEHE, he's awaaaaake! Move over, Ugly, I wanna see!"She said as the hunchback moved in front of her to get a better view of him. He suddenly realized that there was no longer a pipe wrapped around him and that his hands were chained to the floor. His guns were missing, too, hanging from a wall about 10 feet to his right. But for now, he focused on the scene before him. A tall lady, about 10 feet tall, Lady Dimitrescu, was arguing with Heisenberg about something when out of nowhere he yelled at the doll to shut up. Immediately, the doll ran over to a woman in the back, Lady Beneviento, he presumed, and hopped up on her lab before becoming inanimate. The hunchback walked towards the back, where he stood next to a woman, about 6 feet tall, with a golden bird mask and what appeared to be 6 crow wings growing out of her back. So these are the lords and Mother Miranda, he thought. Eventually, they noticed him, and returned to their seats. "Mother Miranda, I must protest. I do not think it is wise for the intruder-she stopped to glare at him with almost bloodthirsty eyes, smiling in a way that sent shivers down his spine- to be placed in the care of House Heisenberg, and you know how my daughters love... entertaining foreigners..." said Lady Dimitrescu, which immediately set Karl off. "OOOOOHHH no, I found him fair and square, bitch! Go find your food somewhere else!" "Quiet, child, the adults are talking!" Said Lady Dimitrescu with a sneer. "SILENCE! REMEMBER FROM WHENCE YOU CAME!" Shouted Mother Miranda, growing tired of the bickering between her "children. "