Chapter 2:Proof of Heritage

Blake's unsure what to do anymore. It's been an hour since your confrontation with Vergil. Her teammates are still unconscious, all put into beds thanks to the village. You're unconscious, tied to a tree nearby Blake's post. And finally, to make it all worse, the panic has caused a few waves of Grimm to attack periodically, which Blake has been watching out for and terminating. Though, it is difficult to focus thanks to your endlessly talking gun on the other side of the village, repeating the name (Y/N) over and over to the point that it's ingrained in the Faunus' mind.

You're experiencing something similar, but the voice is different. Your brother, Vergil... his voice repeats in your mind. It slowly gets louder and louder until your eyes finally open.

"Power, huh?" You sigh. "I really don't got much..." Your face is downcast from the realization. You know you lost, but what about the town. You look around, noticing movement in the windows. "Hey... is everyone oka- hey!" You look down at your body, tied against the tree. "What the... why?" You violently shake your legs as you try to break free.

Blake turns around, spotting you struggling. "Oh, you're awake," she scans the area quickly, checking for any incoming Grimm. "I have time..." She keeps her blade out as she approaches you, keeping a calm and somewhat intimidating demeanor. "You..." She kneels down and places her smaller blade against your throat. "Who are you? Why do you look like that other one?"

"The other... oh hey, you're one of those girls," you pause for a moment before squinting. "Huh... you have cool eyes."

"Nothing you say will get you free."

"Well that's mean," you frown. "But okay! I'll just... break... out," you struggle some more, but it's to no avail. Blake notices her blade actually cut into your throat while you move about, but the damaged skin repairs instantly."Man... Dante and Vergil would be out of here already... Wait," you perk up and look at the staring woman again. "Did you mean my brother?"

"Brother..." Blake rubs her chin. "Yes... that makes sense. You're acting nothing like him."

"Thank you," you smile. "Vergil is pretty... brooding... or, well, honestly mean is the best way to describe it."

"He almost killed us," Blake's voice trails off. "I thought he was going to, but..." She focuses on you once more, curiosity glimmering. "I was told you stepped in. Why?"

"So I could get tied to a tree," you chuckle, but she doesn't laugh. "Right... well, heh, my brother is pretty serious. I couldn't just watch as you all died. And, heh..." You think back on the weapon he used. "I think he killed the demon I came here for."

"A demon?" Blake raises her brow. "Like... from the books?"

"No, a de- right," you bite your tongue. "People don't know about demons..."

"I can hear you whisper," Blake squints.

"Oh, hehe," you sweat. "D-Don't worry about it. But! You should let me... actually," you raise your hand up as high as you can, just reaching over the bottom layer of the rope. "I'm (Y/N)! What's your name?"

Blake examines you for any deceit, but your eyes and smile seem purer than most. Almost reminds her of Ruby, in a way. She shakes your hand. "Blake."

"Well, Blake, it's great to meet you. I hope all your friends are okay. Could you please untie me... or at least move the blade away from my throat."

Blake thinks of your request. You've mentioned demons, you at least diverted a single man who completely overpowered her team, and your regeneration of that cut intrigued her. She isn't completely sure why, but there's something about you that's special. Blake pulls her blade away and stands up, now looking down on you. In a swift slash, she cuts the rope apart and frees you.

"Hey, thanks!" You hop up and stretch a little. "This is more like it. Do, uh, you know where my weapons are?"

"The big bland sword with a skull on the hilt and the gun that won't shut up?"

You nod. "Yeah, those sound right."

"Your gun is over there," Blake points across the way to the edge of the forest. "Your sword I kept indoors."

"Okay, cool. I'll grab my gun if you could get Force Edge for me?"

Blake cautiously walks away. "Very well..."

You and the girl split up. You jog over to your gun and pick it up.

"Oh finally! Took your sweet time ye did, wee Sparda boy."

"Don't blame me," you grab Kaimira off the ground and carefully place it in the holster. "Vergil beat the tar outta me. And..." You look down at your hands. "I don't know... something drained me in that last fight."

"Well, of course! You released an awful lot of demonic power!"

"I did?"

"Ye did! Impressive, I must say. But none seems to be left. Looks like you only let it out for a moment."

"Awwwwwwwwwwww," you whine. "Dante told me about that! When Vergil stabbed him with Rebellion," you turn around and start walking towards where Blake went. "He had this massive surge of demonic power that really gave him a boost. Definitely hit harder after that," you chuckle, remembering the sparring session you partook in.

You spot Blake outside of a house with your sword leaning against the stone. She's holding up a scroll and seems to be somewhat distressed.

"Yes, their Aura hasn't recovered yet," she speaks.

"And you're sure he called him Vergil?" A voice speaks from the scroll.

"Yes. Said that he's related to Vergil."

"I see..."

"Hey Blake!" You wave, running over.

"Is that him?" A man asks.

"Y-Yes."

"Please, allow him to hear me."

Blake clicks a button and holds it up. "(Y/N). Our Headmaster would like to speak with you."

"Ah, (Y/N)," the voice almost seems relieved. "Yes, yes, you're from Devil May Cry."

"Huh, yeah!" You stop before Blake and hold out a hand for your weapon, but she doesn't give it to you. "And who're you?"

"Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy. My students were pursuing... special relics that my allies acquired. However, three members of team RWBY are still unconscious, and if your brother is pursuing those same relics then they must be recovered as swiftly as possible."

"Okay... oh!" You clear your throat. "Devil May Cry doesn't work for free," you say with a deeper voice.

"Of course not. I'll send the full payment there right away. A token of trust. Please, accompany Ms. Belladonna to the coordinates and recover the artifacts."

"Devil May Cry is on the case, sir," you salute. "Your items and student are safe in my hands."

"Are you sure, sir?" Blake holds in her hesitation.

"Of course. Keep reporting in on your location. When your teammates have recovered they will regroup with you."

"I... understand," Blake sighs. "We're on our way."

Blake shuts off the scroll and slides it into her pocket.

"We don't have much time. We should start moving towards the second location."

"Where's that?"
"On the outskirts of Vacuo. We'll have to walk."

"Forests, mountains, and desert, huh?" You place your hands on your hips. "Why does Dante get all the easy jobs... well," you grab Force Edge off the wall and attach it to your back. "This'll be my first escort mission. Don't worry, you'll be safe with me. I'm pretty tough."

"But not skilled," Kaimira chimes in.

"That... isn't wrong," you sigh. "But still tough!" You continue to sell yourself. "I'm sure we'll make a great team."

"Right," Blake hesitantly says. "Well... this way," she fakes a smile before heading towards the proper path.

"Of course!" You quickly follow along with her. "So... do you have any family?"

"Parents."

"Oh, that's cool. Are they nice?"

"Yes."

"Do you live with them?"

"Not currently."

"So where do you live?"

"Beacon."

"Oh, that place by Vale? I live in Vale with my brother. Not the brother you met!" You quickly correct, waving your hands frantically. "Another brother. He's a lot kinder... well," you rub your chin. "I guess he's not the kindest ever but comparing him to Vergil..."

"Vergil... the one we fought."

"Oh, yeah," you nod. "He's... well, he's older than me. My brothers are twins. I kinda look a bit different. Just a bit," you hold out a miniscule amount of space between your index finger and thumb.

"Did... you all train somewhere?"

"Mm... no," you shake your head. "Well, not for my brothers. They just seem to be really good and always improve after every single one of their adventures. Me..." You nervously chuckle. "I'm not as talented as them."

"So you're the weakest."

"Well, I wouldn't-"

"Yes," Kaimira answers. "While the elder spawns of Sparda are feared, this one is seen more as an annoyance."

"Hey!" You shout. "You don't have to tell her that!"

Blake unconsciously laughs, but quickly dismisses it. "I'll keep it in mind. By the way," she looks down at your holster. "How is the gun talking? Is your friend on their scroll?"

"Uh..." You rub the back of your head. "Not... exactly..."

"Ye be lookin' at one of the most fearsome demons around, lassy!"

You barely hold in a laugh. "Yeah, you're pretty scary down there."

"I'll shoot you, wee Sparda!"

"A demon..." Blake looks ahead and contemplates the word while you and Kaimira begin arguing. She waves it off as just an exaggerated trait given by the individual. "Hm, there's no such thing."

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Across the forests and through the mountains, you and Blake now have a view of the desert from such a high vantage point. However, the broken moon has taken over the place of the sun while darkness sets on Remnant.

"We should probably get some sleep," you say before yawning. "We've been walking forever..."

"We need to keep going," Blake says, taking steps towards the make shift path.

"Hey," you grab her shoulder. "We need rest... and food. We can leave first thing in the morning."

Blake looks over her shoulder, a cold glare trying to put you down. You shutter for a moment, but you also know this is the right thing to do.

"You shouldn't push yourself, Blake. We all need to sleep, you know."

"Fine," Blake submits. "This area is flat and covered by the mountain," she points behind you. "It should work."

"Perfect," you smile, patting her shoulder. "You get ready. I'm gonna go find food and wood."

"What? That's all the way back there!" Blake contests.

"Hey, don't worry," you turn and head in the direction of the forest. "I'm really fast!"

You leap forward, soaring in the air before slowly falling. "Wait, wait, wait, rocks! I didn't go far enough!"

You land on rough rocks, knocking you off balance and causing you to tumble down the mountain. Blake hears every cry and every thud.

"Is he alive?" She looks over the edge.

"Ah," you stand up, knocking your broken arm and leg back into place. "That wasn't my greatest moment."

"Did he just... strange," she turns around.

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You and Blake sit closely to a fire, absorbing all the heat it will give off. Situated over the controlled flame is a deer you managed to find and capture. It wasn't the most gracious catching of prey, but you eventually managed it... after an hour.

You grab another piece of meat and start digging in.

"You know, it's a good thing you know how to do this. I don't really know how to make a fire."

"Have you ever lived in the wilderness?"

"Mm... nope," you shake your head. "I was kind of a city boy, I guess."

"I see," Blake pats off her mouth. "Well, you can have the rest. I'm going to sleep."

"Oh... okay."

"You still have me to talk to, Son of Sparda"

"Oh, true," you happily say while taking a bite. "So, what did you look like before you got gunnified?"

"That's not even a real word!" He shouts. "And if we're gonna talk ye could at least take me out of this horrid prison!"

"Sure," you grab the gun and place it at your feet, closer to the fire. "Can... can you feel the warmth?"

"It's very nice."

"Hehe, that's cool," you smile.

"Ah, but my prime. It was amazing, laddie. I ruled an entire section of the demon realm. My name sent shivers down other demon's spines!"

"Until my brother beat you?"

"I... well, pfft, I... yes. Until your brother beat me."

"He tends to do that," you nod. "I haven't actually beaten a big demon before," you look up at the moon. "I really wish I could... but I just never get the chance... and I honestly don't even know if I could."

"You're... a boy of Sparda. You have great power."

"Heh, yeah," you snicker. "I'm a great punching bag. I couldn't even get Trickster down right... that's the easiest one..." You let your head fall. "And my form for Royal Guard is so sloppy."

"I don't know what to tell you, boy."

You look at the gun and smile. "You don't have to say anything. I'm just kinda rambling," you gulp down the last of your food and stand up. "Well, I might as well get some training in before I go to sleep. You want to come with me?"

"I'll stay here. Better warm," Kaimira responds.

"Alrighty! Now," you look around. "Where another clearing I can practice?" You jump over a ledge and leave the camp behind.

Blake, who's been attempting to sleep, rolls over. She definitely can say that you're speaking about things beyond her scope... for now.

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You pant, standing atop the mountain with the moonlight shining over you. You've been attempting to land your Trickster movement properly, but every time you either overshoot it or undershoot it.

"Well... that's why I practice," you shake your head and get back into position, looking at Force Edge that's planted in the ground to simulate a target. "Maybe one day I'll make a style of my own!" You seemingly disappear and reappear horizontally over your blade. You fall, slamming your head on the guard and landing beside it. "Ooooooow!"

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With the sun warming the people of Remnant, Blake is awoken to this pleasant sensation. She slowly raises herself off the heated stone and stretches. She examines her area, noting that there's still leftover food, the fire is out, and you're resting not far away. She notices you sleeping a short distance away. You're not sweating, despite the layers of clothing on you. She does find herself fond of your hair, at least when looking at it. The messy white hair falling along your face and resting on the stone... it's a pleasant sight. Though, that white hair gives her a quick flashback of Vergil cutting through her team like nothing.

"Good morning, lassy," Kaimira speaks atop the log he was placed on.

Blake is pulled out of her mind, but she doesn't bother answering.

"How rude!" The gun screams.

"Rude?" You say in a sleepy daze. "Come on... I left some," you lift off the stone and yawn. "Oh, hey Blake. Sleep well?"

"I'm ready to go."

"We haven't eaten," you approach what's left of your food. "Let's refill then head out. You said we'd reach it by midday," you tear off some meat and start eating.

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"Are we almost there?" You ask, trailing behind Blake as you traverse the hot, dry desert.

"I believe so," the woman checks her scroll. "The coordinates are pointing not far ahead."

"Man," you wipe your forehead. "It's so hot."

"Look at what you're wearing," she remarks.

"It's... my outfit," you pout. "WHOA!" A massive wave of sand whips through the air, distorting your view. "Blake!" You grab onto her shoulder.

"It's... a strong wind..." She struggles to move forward. "Where did this come from?"

You push ahead, sliding your hand down Blake's arm and grab her hand.

"H-Hey!"

"We can't get seperated. Come on!" You manage to keep walking, keeping Blake with you. "Just straight ahead, right?"

"Yeah!"

Another voice echoes through the wind.

"Sparda..."

You pause, looking around for any signs of demons.

"You heard that?"

"Yeah," Kaimira replies. "There's a powerful demon in this desert."

"That's what called your name? A demon?" Blake shouts.

"I'll... I'll explain later! Come on!"

You pick up the pace, making quick work of the sudden sandstorm. Soon enough, you make it to a collection of small town. All the doors and windows are closed, any rope or loose material is flapping in the wind. You kneel down beside a building and hold Blake close.

"Why do you keep."

"Sorry," you look down at her while chuckling. "I'll let you go when the storm is gone."

Blake avoids eye contact with you, showing utter uncomfortability with being so close to a stranger. But, given the intense circumstances, she doesn't struggle.

It takes some time for the storm to pass, but it does. You and Blake stand up, the girl quickly stepping away to get her own space. The town soon begins to wake up, windows opening, people exiting their homes. You place your arms on your hips and smile.

"Looks like they're used to this kind of thing."

Blake keeps her eyes out for their contact. She remembers Oxpin saying they're sisters, so it's likely she'll look similar to the body they say back in the last village. To Blake's luck, she spots a woman with long black hair, blue eyes, slim figure. The woman leaves her house and lays eyes on you immediately. Blake notices she hesitates for a moment, almost like she's surprised or afraid.

Blake takes the initiative to approach her.

"Hey, wait up!" You quickly follow the student.

The woman drifts her eyes to Blake, recognizing her as the Beacon student she's supposed to meet. She calms down a bit, putting a smile on to greet you.

"Hello! Welcome to our village."

"We're here to pick up an artifact."

"Mhm," you nod, attempting to be interactive.

"Well," the woman smiles at you both. "I don't... have it. I just know where it is."

"Oh, that's easy," you wave off. "Where is it?"

"Well, it's a good thing you're here," she focuses on you. "It's being guarded by a... well, a powerful demon is protecting it."

"Again, demon," Blake says with frustration. "You all speak so casually! Demons don't exist!"

"Heh," you pat Blake's shoulder. "They do, Blake. Trust me. Welp," you roll your shoulders. "I was hired for a reason. You stay here, Blake. I'll handle the demon."

"What? Why would you go alone?" Blake shows concern.

"It's what I do. Where is the demon? And, if you know, what kind is it?"

"A powerful demon called Balrog."

"That bastard is here?" Kaimira speaks up. "Boy Sparda, you have to be careful!"

"I'll keep that in mind," you pat your holster.

"It's there," she points west. "And it has followers."

"Will I know the thing when I see it?" You raise a brow.

"Likely," she nods.

"Alright," you start walking. "Stay here, Blake. I don't think you're up to fighting demons."

You start running in the pointed direction. You don't really know how to get into the mindset of battle like your brothers, but at least you know you're going up against a bigger demon.

"So, Kaimira, tell me about this Balrog guy."

"A very powerful fire demon, Sparda boy. A strange one, truly. Honourable fellow."

"Really? Honourable?"

"Yes. I don't think he'll try to ambush you."

"Well, that's a positive. I'm not very adaptable. Anything else?"

The sand whips around you as the wind picks up. Unknown to you, this pushes back the Huntress-in-Training following you. Blake couldn't just let you go on your own. She isn't some weakling. Besides, if these demons you speak of are real then she wants to see them.

"Sparda..." The words echo through the wind. "I'm waiting for you, Son of Sparda."

"Well, at least there's that," you slide to a halt. "Show yourself, Balrog! Give me the... thing. Relic... damnit," you whisper to yourself. "I don't know what it is."

The sand suddenly stops, a calm only lasting for mere seconds before a massive fire tornado erupts before you.

"Gah, hot," you jump back. "Really, really hot!"

The tornado clears, but the fire persists. Not only is there a large demon before you, but small flying fire demons, more animalistic ones, and bipedal demons all stand behind Balrog. The big demon, standing over three stories tall, is constantly wreathed in flames. It stands on two legs, being mostly a dark grey tone with talon-like toes and sharp fingers. Horns detail his shoulders and knees. His sharp yellow eyes look down on you, but not with the usual contempt you recieve from demons.

"Son of Sparda... the black sheep of the family," his deep voice booms, shaking some of the sand on the ground.

"Well that's not very nice," you frown. "I prefer to call myself the nice one. Or... come on, quips, quips..." You desperately try to come up with something. "Well, at least I'm not the hot one of the family!" You say with pride. "Wait... damnit."

"Are you serious?" Blake says, hiding behind a group of rocks not too far away. "What are those things? And how is he so calm?"

"You come for the relic?"

"Yeah!" You point at him and smile. "So... can I have it?"

"No."

"Of course," you slouch. "Well, I guess that means I have to fight you for it!"

"That's not wise, Sparda boy," Kaimira advises.

"Kaimira, is that you?" Balrog leans down. "You were defeated by this wretch?"

"Of course not! It was the older one, Dante."

"What do you mean, 'of course not'? I could beat... whatever you were."

"I highly doubt that."

"Enough!" Balrog shouts. "I wish to test my mettle against one of Sparda's kin. If it must be the weakest one, so be it."

"Not even sugar coating it," you roll your eyes. "Alright, Balrog," you grab your sword and swing it around your body and to your side... but you lose grip and impale it in the ground beside you.

"Crap," you slide over and pull out the sword. "Alright, Balrog, then let's get it going!" You grab Kaimira and aim it at the demon.

"He's actually going to fight that thing?" Blake readies her weapon. "I can't just let him-"

"This party's getting whacky!" You shout before firing at Balrog, who raises his arm to block the projectiles, then throws a punch where you are.

The kickback of the gun knocks you over. Your head slams against the ground, but the sand somewhat lightens the impact.

"Gah... what was that?"

"I'm using more power!" The gun responds.

"You can control that?"

"Focus!"

Because you're on the ground, Balrog's fist passes over you. The flames spouting from his arms, however, nearly get you.

"Hey, hehe, that's lucky."

With another shot from Kaimira, you push yourself to the right and get out from under his arm.

"And you said I can't adapt!" You brag while stumbling to your feet.

"You said that!" The gun yells back.

You sprint towards the demon with a tunnel vision that prevents you from noticing that the arm you dodged is now sweeping in your direction.

"Trickster!" You shout before teleporting a few centimeters off the ground. "Eh?"

Balrog's fist slams you across the desert, making you bounce off the heated sand below. He throws his hand towards you, sending a twister of flames from his arm to follow. You roll to stop and slowly push off the ground, totally unaware of the flames coming.

"Jeez, that hurt. Why did my- aibduhjbsdjh," the flames overwhelm your body.

"(Y/N)! Blake runs out from behind the rocks, getting the attention of all the demons. The girl freezes in place with all the tension facing her right now. She's long since been desensitized to Grimm, but these new enemies and the heat they're giving off. It paralyzes the Faunus.

Without orders or hesitation, the small demons rush after the frozen Faunus. They slash into the body, imaling deep in various locations... but it's not Blake's body. Blake is on the ground, looking up at you with shock. The blood dripping down the blades and your clothes is horrifying. You're not shaking. You're not panting. Your body isn't even reacting like it's been stabbed multiple times.

"Blake..." You look over your shoulder fairly casually. "I told you to stay back, silly."

You move your left hand over to grab the handle with both hands and cut through the four demons before you.

"Two hands was a good idea. I still almost lost it," you chuckle. "Balrog, tell your demons to leave her alone. This is you and me, right?"

"Hmph," Balrog's heavy steps shakes the ground. "Very well."

"Glad that's sorted."

"You're..." Blake sees the holes are no longer there once you pull the blades out. "What... are you?"

"Heh," you look back at her, eyes closed and smile wide. "I'm (Y/N)."

You turn back to Balrog and charge forward, Force Edge in hand.

"Quite a tenacious one. But that's nothing in comparison to my fire!" Balrog spawns various pits of fire in your path.

One bursts right in front of you, the sudden spout surprising you so you fall on your butt. You look down to see more fire swirling below.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap!" You scurry to your feet and just manage to get out of the way.

"Not even a spawn of Sparda can withstand my fire!" Balrog boasts.

"Maybe you should try hitting me instead of throwing flames at me!"

"Very well!"

The massive demon begins running towards you, the imposing figure darkening out the sun.

"Hehe... I regret that..."

"Move!" Kamira commands.

"Y-Yeah!"

You turn around and jump forward, avoiding Balrog's slamming attack. The massive demon starts chasing you, slamming his fist down one after another to try and crush you. Thanks to your tripping and erratic movements, Balrog isn't able to hit you swiftly. But each attack gets closer.

"Crap, he's gonna get me!" Your face becomes stoic. "Time to be cool."

"Now's not the time!"

You start to spin around, spotting Balrog's fist swirling in flames and coming closer.You grab Force Edge with both hands, planning on parrying his fist. You use the momentum of the spin to strengthen your swing. It connects with Balrog fist, but your strength is nothing in comparison to his. You're hit with the full force of his fist, burying you into the sand. Balrog pulls his fist back only to thrust his other onto onto you. He repeats this over and over, his natural flames becoming larger and hotter, mostly around his shoulders, fists, and feet. He finishes by crushing you with both fists, then releases all that built up fire directly onto you. A fire unparalleled erupts from those fists, swirling through the air and making it hard for the Faunus to breathe.

Blake is unable to even watch anymore. You're just being beaten down by this monster. But you seemed so confident... why? Everything she's seen is you being incompetent.

But that thought process is cut short when your sword soars out of the flames. It's going in Balrog's direction, but it's way too high. You suddenly appear above Balrog.

"Hehe, it was either undershooting or over shoot- gah!" Force Edge pierces through your back and out chest. "Ah, man," you grab the blade and try to push it out your back. "I thought I had a cool plan..."

Balrog looks up and sees you with a sword through your body.

"I hit you with all that fire... and you're still like this?"

You release the blade from your body and turn around to grab it, but your hand merely hits the blade so it spins all around and cuts through your stomach. This tomfoolery results in you and the sword falling to the ground. You get to your feet with your sword in hand.

"Okay... that plan didn't work... I can't brute force him, I can't trick him," you list off. "What do you think.

"I don't know how you're alive, wee one," the Devil Arm reples.

"Haha, I know, right?" You say with a relief. "Thank goodness for my demon blood. Makes up for my bad battle sense."

You roll your sword arm. "Okay... let's try again," you spin around and throw Force Edge at Balrog's chest.

His followers are actually surprised at how passive Balrog is now being. He's letting you recover and attack again. He was clearly more offensive beforehand. It's not like he used all his power in that one attack, so it's curious why he's now more passive.

You pull Kaimira out of the holster and use Trickster to reach your sword. At this point, you know you're not going to appear exactly where you want, which is why you're banking on that. You appear diagonally - ahead and below - to the sword, which is workable for you. With a hardy jump, you reach for your sword, which you just miss as it passes you.

"Come on, (YN)!" You aim the gun behind you and fire, springing yourself forward to chase the sword. You reach out and grab the sword, seeing Balrog ready himself for whatever attack you have planned.

Admittedly, you don't have anything special planned. Just a bait and switch. Attack from the from, then appear somewhere else and attack. It's all you can do right now. So, when you spin around and attempt to teleport elsewhere... you don't.

"Huh?" You look down at yourself. "Hey! Where's my sword?"

Force Edge drops down with intense speeds, piercing Balrog's neck while he was distracted by you. The demon falters, thus he doesn't stop your approach. But without your sword, you don't have anything to attack with. You maniacally scream until you slam into the demon;s shoulder. and start sliding down. You frantically attempt to grab hold of him so you don't fall, thus you accidentally grab your blade and pull down, cutting through the demon from the neck down to his chest.. A wave of fire knocks you and your weapon back, both rolling across the sand while Balrog suffers from this intense attack.

"You... you tricked me," Balrog falls to one knee, holding his wound. "I... believed you a fool. But it's a ruse, isn't it? To lower my guard and you to finish me."

You cough as you stand up, a little disoriented from everything that just happened.

"I what?" You wave the dust out from your face.

"Son of Sparda... you... are worthy. "

"I am?" You say through your cough.

"I will accompany you on your journey... and fight again when I'm stronger."

"You're what?"

Balrog starts glowing and morphing into a small ball before shooting towards you. Upon contact, a set of grieves, gloves, and shoulder pads modeled after the demon take form on your body.

"My power... is yours..."

"Whoa..." You look at your new weapons.

"You... you beat Balrog?" Kaimira questions, not even believing the words he's saying.

"Ha... haha..." Your smile grows wide as your laugh gets louder. "Ha... HAHAHAHA! YEAH! I DID IT!" You scream to the heavens. "I GOT MY OWN DEVIL ARM! ALL BY MYSELF! OH YEAH! POTLUCK, BABY!" You turn to Balrog's demonic followers, all now fearful. "You see that? I did that!"

"Run! He beat Balrog!" All the demons flee in blazes of fire.

Blake is still awestruck at the fact that you survived all those attacks, and now that you've actually beaten that monstrous being. You run back to Blake, a rush of confidence running through your half breed blood.

"Blake! Check it out!" You show off Balrog. "I did it! I beat him! Haha... I've never done that. I always lose!"

"You..." Blake can't muster up the words.

"Haha... aaaaaah," you turn around, hands on your hips. "Well, we should find this relic thingy. She said we'd know it when we see it."

You look down at your new weapon and focus for a moment. It dissipates into fire, but does not leave you. You can feel the connection to that weapon, the ability to summon it when necessary. This is your weapon. The first one you've ever earned.

"Oh man, Dante is gonna be so proud of me. I'm getting us money, I'm getting new Devil Arms."

"I must say, that was very lucky, boy," Kaimira chimes in.

"I know, right?" You laugh. "I thought I was a goner."

You keep your eyes open for anything abnormal in the desert. Something shiny catches your eye, buried in the sand. You jog over and brush it off, finding a small octogonal base with a red jewel.

"I... guess this is it. We should go ask to make sure!" You look over your shoulder at Blake. "Let's head back, alright?" You run towards her.

"Right..." Blake says with little energy before following you back to the village.

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"This is it, yes," the woman examines the artifact. "Good job. You managed to beat the demon?"

"Yep!" You cheerily answer. "It was awesome! I think I kinda get why Dante enjoys it. Though he's a lot more stylish..." You say, but your confidence isn't going down.

"I arranged a transport to take you from Vacuo to Atlas. Please, make your way there as soon as you're fit to travel."

"Cool. Blake," you turn to her. "We should get some water and food before we go. I think we can make it before the sun goes down."

"If... you think so."

"Are you okay?" You kneel down a bit to look her in the eye. "You seem... less cold and more absent."

"I'm fine. Let's just get what we need and go."

You're well aware she's not okay. You're not dumb. Sure, you're not the greatest fighter but your people skills are definitely up there. But, it's best not to pry. You don't know Blake, so you have no reason to delve into her life. However, if she remains this way you may press just a bit. You don't want her too distracted.

But for now, you need to prepare for your journey. You need to collect the last two relics, and find some way to get the last one from Vergil. Even with your new Devil Arm, you know you have absolutely no chance against your elder brother. But that's later. Right now, you're on a roll and there's no reason to stop. Next target: Atlas.

Yeah, I know, it's been a while since I last updated this story. Don't worry, I'm going to be finishing this story! I'm sticking here until it's completed. Three more chapters, not too long, but a lot of fun to write. I'm really happy about the plans I have for this character, even if it is just a short story. I could do more if it was longer... but whatever. This is more than enough. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stick around for the rest! I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Anyway, I'll see you guys soon! The next chapter shouldn't take too long!

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