A strong breeze blew by as dark clouds approached from the distance. It wouldn’t be long until they covered the sky and the sun. Amongst the changing weather, Dante held his Glock right at the deformed impostor.

A wide smile stretched its face as it bolted out right towards him.

Bang! The gun fired another shot but the scaled shapeshifter easily dodged and charged right for Dante. Before he could get another shot off, it formed a fist and launched it straight for him.

“What!?” it said as Dante caught his fist without any trouble, “AH!” it screamed out as it felt the increased pressure upon its knuckles.

Let’s end this quickly. He thought but soon realized something. I should take it alive, I could problem get some answers from it.

While Dante was holding off the foe before and contemplated what to do. Unbeknownst to him, another enemy lurked nearby.

“Hm?” the turned as a sudden rustling grabbed her attention, “Aaah!”

“Tina!” Marilyn turned as she heard the girl’s scream.

“What’s wrong?!” Dante asked as he turned his attention to the girls.

Another scaled woman appeared from the bush and went straight towards Tina. Marilyn immediately tried to intercept while channeling a spell, however…

“Ugh!”- Marilyn voiced out as it grew a large tail from it’s rear and whipped it right into her face. The strength of the attack sent her tumbling unto the ground, where she remained motionless.

“Marilyn-ah!” Tina cried out as the scaled woman grabbed her.

“Heh… what are going to do no-” as the failed impostor tried to talk, Dante sent a punch right to its face which caused to fly back right into a nearby tree trunk. Blood ran out from its nose as it laid on the ground unconscious.

“Not so fast!” The scaled woman said as it held onto Tina, “Surrender or this youngling die-” Its words were cut short as red spattered out, even covering Tina a bit. Soon its hold on her weakened and it soon fell to the ground.

Tina turned to look at it only to see the grotesque look of a stone jammed right into what was once its face.

Bullets might not work, but I’m glad to see stones thrown at high speeds seem to. Dante voiced in his mind as he gazed at the defeated foe.

“Tina, you alright?”

“M-mhm,” she nodded as she was still a bit in shock, go check on Marilyn I’ll finish here.

As he said that he approached the one he punched unconscious. Now I should tie him up just in case, but with what… His golden-brown eyes scanned about, then a long green vine entered his view. That’ll work.

 

---

 

“Marilyn,” Dante said as he ran up to her body. A line of blood trailed down her face as she laid unconscious from the attack.

“W-will she be alright…?” Tina timidly asked as she stood next to him with her eyes filled with tears.

Dante quickly pressed his hand on her neck, as he felt the pulses through his fingertips a sigh left his mouth, “She’s fine, just unconscious is all.”

While Tina gave a relieved smile as she heard him, Dante’s face still held on to concern as he gazed upon Marilyn. It’s just like back then… he thought as memories of a battered woman lying in blood and another crying out at him entered his mind.

“This is all your fault! Why did we ever meet someone like you!” he could still vividly recall the words she told him that day. Dante tightly made a fist as he gritted his teeth. Only to loosen it all with a sigh soon after.

“What do we do now?” Tina asked him.

Dante took the unconscious Marilyn in his arms; her voluptuous body was still as light as the last time he carried her.

“We’re heading back to the village,” he turned around and replied to the young girl.

“But Lacey and Kayla… They were acting strangely and even attacked Marilyn!”

“Don’t worry I’ll handle those two,” Dante said with a serious expression. He glanced back at the dead body and the one unconscious one which was still tied up before heading off back to the village.

Those two…are they impostors as well? As he thought that, the bird creature continued to observe from afar.

 

---

 

Up above, Dark clouds engulfed the sky as they returned to the village. A distant burst of Thunder could be heard as the wind grew strong and blew throughout the area, sending the loose leaves of the trees scattering.

“Tina, no matter what, stay behind, understood,” Dante said as the shouts and clashes of blades sounded out up ahead of them.

“Mhm,” Tina nodded her head as she walked behind him.

“You’re nothing but a royal suck up! Always trying to earn favor with Her Majesty!” Kayla yelled as she dodged Lacey’s spear thrusts.

“Is that so! Well, at least people actually like me! Unlike a fat chested, sharped tongued woman like you!” Lacey shot back her own insults.

“Fat-chested?! You’re just mad cause yours aren’t very big in the first place!” Kayla said as her blades collided with the pole of Lacey’s spear.

“Well, if I kill all the fat-chested women, then by comparison I’ll have big breast, then Dante will fina-”

“That’s enough you two!” a loud voice shouted at them. They instantly knew who the owner was and quickly turned to face him.

“Dante!” they both said as he stood before them. However, their gaze soon turned bitter as they saw the person being held in his arms.

Why is she…Lacey thought as she grit her teeth.

That little witch! Kayla mentally cursed at her as she gripped her sword.

Judging from their actions and their looks, they must be the real Lacey and Kayla, Dante thought as he gazed at them, but why are they fighting each other…For now I guess I should stop them.

“Listen, you two,” Dante began talking to the two women, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you but rig-,”

“Dante…” Lacey voiced his name in a low voice.

“Why… are you with her!” Kayla also spoke out.

Dante’s words stopped as he noticed the violent aura around the two women. A burst of thunder echoed throughout as the two knight maidens readied their weapons and glared straight at him and the unconscious girl he held.

“Tina, come with me!’ as he said that he grabbed her and ran off.

“Wait!”

“Get back here!”

The two shouted out as they ran after them. Dante ducked into one of the piles of rubble in the village. And rested both girls there.

“Stay here, and stay out of sight. I’ll deal with Lacey and Kayla.” As he said that the little girl gave a slight nod to him. Dante soon got up and ran out to face the two rogue knight maidens.

“Dante!” Kayla yelled as she saw him emerge from the rubble, “Why was Marilyn in your arms,” her nostrils flared as she spoke, “after you said I was all you need!”

“Huh?” Dante became confused at her words, “Kayla…what are you-”

“No way! He said if I proved myself, he’d be with me!” Lacey interjected.

“Listen, you two! I don’t know what’s going on, but I never-” his words soon stopped as they frowned at his words.

“You…Don’t know…” they both voiced as they held on tightly to their weapons, “Liar!” they yelled and immediately attacked him.

Shit, I’m not getting through to them! Dante thought as the strong breeze from their attacks blew against him as he easily dodged.

“I was so embarrassed last night, but I was happy it happened,” Kayla said as she swung her sword, “then you said those words this morning, only to come later and say you wanted me…” tears streamed done her face as a red aura emitted from her eyes, “why… are you messing with me?!”

“You did all of that with them, yet when I asked you turned me down…” Lacey also began to speak as she barraged him with her spear, “why…why them! And not me too!” a red aura also appeared in her eyes.

Kayla…Lacey… Dante felt the guilt raise in him as he heard their words. He noticed the strangeness in their eyes, but even if they were being controlled, he could tell there were true feelings behind their words. I’m sorry, really…

“Huh?!” they both voiced as Dante caught both of their weapons mid-attack.

“I’d very much would like to talk to both of you, however…” as he said that he pulled on the weapons, causing both of them to come flying straight towards each other, “you’re both not in the right frame of mind nor is this the situation for that,” with those words the two slammed face to face with each other, before falling to the ground, “Sorry…” Dante apologized to them as he looked down at their defeated state.

 

---

 

Droplet after droplet fell from the darkened sky above. Dante continued to stand over the two ladies as they laid unconscious next to each other.

“Why did they do this?” Tina asked as she returned from the hiding place.

“I don’t know but for now let’s get everyone out of here,” as he said that he grabbed the two girls and rested them over each shoulder, “I’ll get Marilyn, head to the jeep in the meantime, Tina,”

She nodded at his words, as the cold droplets began to increasingly rain done upon them. Dante approached Marilyn’s body, but as he stooped to pick her up, her body suddenly glowed brightly.

“We meet again, man of earth,” the familiar childish voice left Marilyn’s mouth, “thou seemed to have been very busy since our last rendezvous,” she gazed up at him with glowing white eyes along with a mischievous grin that parted her lips.