by Samuel Small
“What the fuck do you want?” Dante said without turning his head. He pulled his arms back and readied to launch another blast.
“You know why I’m here by now, don’t you? You didn’t obey my commands in regards to the last one—”
“—and nothing happened!” Dante yelled, and let his arms come forward. The hot energy escaped his palms and rushed down the forest, rustling the leaves on the trees. Again, he shifted his hands and bent the beam, but it did little to improve the angle.
“Fuck!” he shouted as he witnessed his failure, throwing his hands into the air in disgust. The demon before Dante looked at him like he was insane, and that only pissed the orange-haired boy off more, but upon seeing his face an idea popped into his head.
“Hey, while you’re here why don’t you be useful? Tell me what I’m doing wrong.”
The demon shook his head. “Our job is to watch and observe the human world, not intervene directly.”
Dante knew that was bullshit, and almost brought up the fact that the very same fucker before him personally took out two countries, but then he thought back to some of the cryptic shit he told him before. He mentioned that he got punished for what he did and that it was in violation of whatever rules were placed on him, even though he didn’t think it at the time. Still, if he could do that and get a slap on the wrist, why not help Dante? He asked the demon again, but the suited boy only crossed his arms.
“As if. Even if I was allowed to help – which I’m not – and even if I wanted to – which I don’t – you’d just use it to kill more of those creatures, which is the exact opposite of what I want to happen.”
Dante looked at his palms to see if they’d received any burns, since the energy he just fired off was pretty dense. He wasn’t paying too much attention to the demon, since he had heard this whole spiel before, but he figured he should at least give him some acknowledgement. “Didn’t you say that it was your fault they were around in the first place? If that’s the way it is, shouldn’t you be helpin’ me?”
“It isn’t that simple. Humanity, no, the planet is in a bad situation without a solution. Ideally, I’d go back in time and not do what I did, but that’s impossible. Right now you lot just need to do some damage control, and that damage control involves leaving those remnants alone.”
Dante lowered his hands and sighed. “Sounds like bullshit to me. Those things are going around killing people, seeking out the most populated areas they can find. I can’t really ignore ’em.”
The demon walked toward Dante, telling him more of the ‘stop doing this bullshit,’ but he extended a hand out and fired a blast of energy at the creature’s feet. He took a step back and stared wide-eyed at the smoke rising out of the hole in the ground. It seemed Dante’s suspicions were correct.
“Listen, you’ve been to see me a fuck-ton these past few months and it’s accomplished absolutely jack shit. I don’t really care whether you visit me or not when I’m alone, but right now you should steer clear of me, at least for as long as I’m travelin’ with other people.” The demon raised his gaze from the smoking hole and looked up at Dante, confused. He understood why so he elaborated.
“Sara won’t be happy if she sees you. I doubt she can do shit to you, but she can do shit me that’ll piss me off and make me do shit to you, capiche?”
“Hardly, you can’t do any—”
Dante fired another blast of energy, ensuring that it exploded into the ground just at the demon boy’s feet. As expected, he took a step back to avoid it then looked up, eyes blazing. “You gave it away back in that village,” Dante said. “You didn’t try to dodge when I punched at you, but when I fired some of my Sol you moved, even if it was just a tilt of the head. After I saw that, I figured I could hurt your astral ass, although I don’t know exactly how it works.” He winked at the creature who scowled and started to dissipate into a mist of rolling fog.
“If that’s the way you want it then very well. With any luck, those monsters will take you out and I’ll have nothing to worry about.” Dante spat at the figured as it faded away, though the glob of phlegm just passed through the fog that was once the demon. He scoffed as the mist rolled back through the forest and out of sight, then focused on the trees in front of him. Like I need that asshole’s help anyway, he thought, as he prepared to unleash another violent burst of energy.
About an hour passed with Dante firing blast after blast, making zero progress on the bend of his beam throughout the entire session. When his body refused to create any more energy no matter how much he willed it, he collapsed onto the cool ground, sweat dripping from his forehead as he jerked forward and down. He panted on the grass in the moonlight, happy to be exhausted. Once he felt he had the strength to stand up, he’d just head for his hammock and fall asleep.
Or at least that was what he thought until he heard the rustling of bushes up ahead. He scowled at the moving brush, angry that anything would interrupt his post-workout ritual. Out of the shaking vegetation emerged a girl with silver hair, wearing loose fitting clothing that must have been her nightwear. When she came into view he sighed and sat up. “The fuck do you want?”
Sara ran a hand through her long hair, pulling out a few leaves and stray pieces of brush. When she was satisfied it was clean, she pushed it back with a firm flick of her wrist and stood in an commanding position, her hands on her hips. Before she even opened her mouth Dante grimaced, as her posture already indicating what direction the conversation was going to take.
“I just got out of a nice clean bath and I have to go trekking through the dirty woods just to find you.”
“Yeah, well nobody put a gun to your head and made you go looking for me,” he said while rising to a stand. Now that he was level with her, he could see that her skin was smooth and unblemished. The girl definitely did just get some serious cleaning done. She must’ve been happy to have some big fancy bath, but then girls were like that. Only that wasn’t what she thought he was thinking. She must’ve thought he was checking her out or something, because she narrowed her eyes, then jerked her head to the side, scoffing.
“Somebody might as well have, and I’ll have you know that very person is in this forest. Yes, someone who only has one outfit, trains and gets all sweaty on a nightly basis, and wasn’t planning on taking a bath.”
She may have been a nag, but the way she nailed him to a ‘t’ was fucking ominous. He took a step back, in awe of her weird awareness of his little habits. When she saw him do so, her lips curled into a thin smirk, and Dante knew he had fucked up. She strode toward him with her fists clenched, then grabbed him by the collar and pulled. “You’re taking a bath.”
Dante’s drawn-out obscenity echoed through the forest in the gloaming.
Chapter 2
Jake was happy to finally have all the work done as he sat in the warm steamy bath, his arms outstretched to either side and resting on the edge of the rock. He looked about and marveled at how much of a luxury it must be to be able to bathe in comfort outside. Although the area was surrounded by a wooden fence to block the view of casual onlookers, a few trees sprouted here and there that added to the sense of privacy. It was a nice change of pace from the metallic showers he was used to, and he loved soaking his entire body in the calming warmth of the water. He smiled, tilted his head back, and prepared to doze off.
“Take your jacket off!”
“I already fucking said I’m not into you!”
“And I’m not into you!”
“Then why are you trying to take my clothes off!?”
“So I can wash them for the first time in forever.”
It sounded like a very hard-fought battle was being waged on the other side of the fence. Jake shut his eyes tight as his brow twitched. He just hoped the door didn’t fly off the hinges and hit him dead in the face.
Somebody heard Jake’s prayers as the door only flew open, prompting him to open his eyes, see Dante and notice that his trademark jacket was oddly absent althou
gh the rest of his wardrobe (thank God) was intact. Through the entryway Sara yelled loudly, but was cut off when Dante slammed the door shut by placing all his weight against it.
“Don’t come in, I’m takin’ ’em off!” he shouted, then began to frantically undress. Jake turned his head away, afraid that he might view a sight far worse than any Malice he’d ever fought. He heard the door creak open, followed by the soft clump of clothes meeting open hands, and then the door was closed. He didn’t dare open his eyes until there was a very loud splash, and warm droplets of water sprayed his face.
Dante rose from underwater and screamed. “Ah, that’s fucking hot!” He waved his arms frantically, splashing water all about. Jake sighed and waited for the boy’s fuss to be over. When Dante sat up, placing his arms to either side, Jake’s eyes widened.
His body was toned, as Jake would expect from his workouts, but that wasn’t what shocked him. Over the entirety of his torso were little scars or marks from wounds that were deep or not properly healed, but they seemed insignificant compared to the injury on his left forearm. Across it was a large burn that Jake couldn’t conceive he had failed to notice, but his mind started working and he realized he never really had seen the boy without his trademark jacket on. Even in the winter he wore it underneath his black coat or cloak. Hell, even when he trained in the gym he had it on.
Still, the injury looked like a bad burn. The skin along it was uneven and rigid, and there was a slash on top of the burn mark, making his forearm a mess of lumpy keloid and scar tissue. Jake stopped looking at the arm and examined the boy’s face, only to see it twisted into a disgusted scowl. “Quit checkin’ me out. I know I said I’m not into any of the girls, but that don’t mean I swing that way either.”
Jake shook his head frantically, trying to get as many “nos” as possible with the motion. “Like hell, I was just noticing that you have a lot of scars.”
“You’re one to talk. You’ve got an awfully bad shiner right there,” he pointed to Jake’s kidney, where the bruise he received from the demon shone dully, a patchwork of green, red, yellow, and purple. He covered it with his hands. Not seeming to care about Jake’s odd gesture, Dante reached for the soap, rubbed it all over his hair, and began to bathe. Jake sighed and got out of the water. He really didn’t want to know what kind of weird idea of clean Dante had.
After promptly drying off, Jake wrapped the towel around his waist and proceeded through the door. He heard some mechanical noises, and when he peeked around the corner he saw Sara staring intently at a metallic heater, which was drying some clothes. Dante’s clothes, Jake noted. Had Sara become his personal assistant or something?
He thought it was a bad idea to let the girl see him in just a towel, even if he had a perfectly good explanation for it, so he had to get past without her noticing. He took note that she was staring at the flickering heater as if it was some kind of strange ritual, and hell, maybe it was. Thinking that it was better to not be around when Dante got out, Jake slowly crept past the girl. When he got to the door, he tore it open, ran through, then slammed it shut behind him. He hoped that she wouldn’t bother to check who just passed her as he jogged down the hallway.
Luckily he encountered no more obstacles on his way to his room, and he had his sword sharpened and his Sol rifle polished within a few minutes, and was in bed soon after. He was able to get a few minutes of tranquil peace before the door burst open and Dante’s wet feet smacked against the wooden floorboards. Jake rose out of bed even though he wanted to continue sleeping, since Dante was going to be loud and keep him up no matter how much he wished for peace.
Sure enough, Dante stood there with a towel wrapped around his waist, muttering to himself as he slammed the door shut. He looked up and didn’t waste any time explaining what he was ticked off about. “That bitch got my clothes all wet, and they won’t be dry until tomorrow. I’m gonna have to sleep naked like some asshole!”
“Like me you mean?”
“Yeah, like some asshole like you!”
“It’s karma for what you did to me earlier,” Jake said, and looked at the clothes that were hanging off of his bed. Dante caught his eye and scoffed.
“As if, it’s hardly my fault that you can’t handle some porn monster.”
Jake realized the argument was going to go nowhere fast, and so sat up in his bed, scratching his messy hair. “You shouldn’t be so hard on her, she’s doing you a favor after all.”
“Like I asked her to! I like you and princess a lot more, at least you don’t inconvenience me with your kindness.”
It was the first time Jake heard someone prefer to not have kindness imposed upon them. Although he wasn’t actively mean to Dante, he wasn’t exactly nice to him either, and Elizabeth certainly wasn’t. It was weird, but that was Dante for you, and Jake was almost ready to dismiss it as just that, but his mind drifted to the scars that covered the boy’s body and he muttered, “Dante… are you just not used to any form of kindness?”
“What was that?” Dante asked from over his shoulder, his arms gripping the blankets on his bed. He tore them off and allowed them to fall to the floor in a heap. He soon followed, draping the blanket over himself on the wooden floor. That figures.
“What the fuck? Is this shit wet?” he mumbled, and Jake felt a slight twinge of anxiety. “Nah, it’s probably just cos I’m still wet from the bath or something,” he finished, and relief washed over Jake.
***
The following morning Jake awoke to his uniforms dry and Dante still sprawled out on the floor, the blanket barely covering his less than stellar features. Jake began to put on his Republic uniform, happy that the damn thing was dry. Someone knocked on the door just as he threw on his blazer, and he walked over and opened it.
There was Sara, a bundle of clothes in her hand. She tried to peer through the cracked door and behind Jake as she asked if Dante was in, but he quickly stepped within the narrow space. “Uh yeah, but he’s sleeping.”
“Well, can you wake him up?”
“I very much enjoy living.”
“I’ll do it myself then,” she said, and tried to squeeze her body through the narrow opening. Jake sensed impending doom as the possibility of Dante rolling over, exposing himself, then her freezing the room in horror flashed through his mind. He tried to shut the door, but her body blocked the way. She squirmed forward, asking him what the hell he was doing, but it wasn’t as if he could explain the entire situation right then and there. He only shook his head and put more force into keeping the door shut. He thought she was about to give up, but then something cold blew through the air as the door shot open and Jake went reeling backward. He stumbled and fell onto his rear.
Ice wedged the door open, the angry girl striding into the room. Jake reached out for her, but she looked down and widened her eyes. Dante hadn’t moved as Jake imagined, but Sara wasn’t happy about the sight. She averted her eyes from the sleeping boy and locked them with Jake. They were narrowed and seemed to say ‘you could’ve just told me.’ Then she threw the bundle of clothes on top of Dante, who flinched and then sat up. Sara turned and walked out the room, slamming the door shut.
“What the fuck…?” Dante began, then saw his clothes on his lap. He turned to the door and muttered something, Jake could’ve sworn it might have even been ‘thank you,’ but he wasn’t sure, then he continued to get dressed. As Dante slid an arm into his jacket, Jake grabbed his sword, sheathed it, then slung his Sol rifle on his back. Dante looked at the piece of technology suspiciously for a moment, but soon lost interest and shrugged, then fixed his jacket.
“You ready?” Jake asked.
Dante nodded.
They met up with the girls outside and without a word set off, although there was some awkward eye contact between Dante and Sara. They traveled out of the hotel and further across the landscape. Ordinarily they took regular breaks on their journey but Dante opted to forgo them today, since if they really tried they might be able to make the
ir destination the following night. Everyone seemed to be in agreement, so they were on their way.
Surprisingly, they didn’t encounter any problems on the journey, although that may have been in part due to Dante’s wary eyeing of anyone who crossed their path, which was usually followed by a scolding from Sara. Whatever bandit or thief may have been considering the group as a target had to have realized that they were too crazy to be worth the trouble, and they continued their journey unmolested.
What was especially odd was the number of potential bandits and shady characters who Jake saw along the way. There were numerous, and he was surprised that they weren’t attacked several times on the trip. For the first time in ages he was grateful for Dante’s odd behavior, as it probably saved them from an altercation or three.
Still, that shouldn’t have been the case. They weren’t far from a major nation so there shouldn’t be too many criminals around them. He was sure soldiers and officials from Icarus traveled around the area for goods and services, which would have kept the immediate area relatively crime-free, but as Jake wandered the pathways he would’ve thought he was in the middle of somewhere infested with criminals like the Great Desert or something. He thought back to his schooling and whatever lessons he’d learned about the floating kingdom.
There wasn’t a whole lot he could actually recall. The kingdom was isolationist, so they rarely interacted with other nations. As proof of that, they failed to send a representative to the All World meeting a few months ago, and as far as Jake knew they hadn’t tried to make contact with any other nation since the Malice showed up, despite he and his group suspecting that they were dealing with one on par with the monster they fought in the Republic.
