Summary: Some weird idea I got a few nights ago, spawned in the depths of my twisted little mind. A woman from the Baldur's Gate games, one of my own characters, has to enlist Dante and Vergil to help her stop her own great-granddaughter from releasing the sealed power and essences of her father, the god of murder Bhaal, with the aid of the demons of their world.
Disclaimer: I don't own Dante and Vergil. Capcom does. I know the twins, but I can't claim ownership. Nor do I own the Forgotten Realms; that belongs to Wizards of the Coast, and the Baldur's Gate games are their joint property with TSR. Natasha and Laraedina, however, are totally mine. A lot of the other characters mentioned herein are also mine. No taking, or Ebony and Ivory will do the talking. You have been warned.
The First Meeting
Natasha looked at the portal swirling within the forest, and sighed softly, regretfully. She should never have to do this, but it was a necessary thing.
To kill her own great-granddaughter….
She's going to release the power of your sire, and hand Toril to an entirely new set of demons on a silver platter, she reminded herself. There is no method you haven't already tried to convince her not to go through with this; killing her is the only way to keep Bhaal's power in a place where it can do no harm.
But she still couldn't deny the dull ache in her heart at the prospect of killing Laraedina.
Natasha tightly gripped the hilts of Foebane and Answerer, and whispered the necessary spell. She couldn't do this alone, no matter how powerful she was. She needed to enlist the aid of someone who killed these demons for a living, who knew their ways and would be willing to help her hunt down Laraedina and stop her.
The gate swirled crazily for a moment, then flashed open, as red as the blood of her enemies. The spell had locked on to someone with the necessary experience and knowledge.
Natasha took a deep breath, whispered a quick prayer to Corellon Larethian, and entered the portal.
Eerie screams howled through the night air as bullets tore through shadowy forms, the moonlight shining through ragged holes in the demons' hides. The rain of bullets ceased for a moment as a figure garbed in crimson leather shot over the pool of silvery radiance, almost too quick for the eyes of humans to follow, then began again in a non-stop staccato.
The demons raised their scythes and tried to leap onto the devil hunter, but he was gone long before they ever got there. Instead, they met with the unforgiving edge of Rebellion, his treasured sword. Many collapsed into midnight sand where they stood, sliced cleanly in half, their howls of protest ringing in the hunter's ears long after they had disintegrated.
Dante smirked and resheathed his blade. Too easy!
"Behind you!"
The voice was unfamiliar, but he obeyed anyway, spinning to face several new demons who had dared to think that they could sneak up on him. But before he could even grab Rebellion's hilt, a whirlwind of silvered steel tore through them, shredding them where they stood. Dante was unable to see exactly who this newcomer was, but he could see that he or she was very good with swords. The demons hadn't stood a chance.
But more came at them, dropping from the sky like hell-spawned meteors. Ebony and Ivory were already in his hands, ripping through the robes and crypt-gray flesh, but the newcomer, it seemed, had a better way.
He still couldn't see him very well, but he did hear some kind of rhythmic, nonsensical babble coming from a pool of shadows cast by the overhang of a nearby building, and a small spark lit the darkness briefly. He sensed the gathering forces of power, and knew that whatever the newbie had in mind, it would be powerful.
He backflipped away just as a bolt of lightning shot across the street, decimating the enemy ranks in an instant.
Dante cussed profoundly; he hadn't expected lightning. He couldn't see a damn thing.
"I believe that's all of them." The newcomer sounded female, but he had never heard a more - what? Musical? - voice in his life. "I apologize for my abrupt entrance, but I saw no other way of getting to speak with you quicker unless I joined in."
Rubbing at his eyes furiously, Dante was soon able to make out the newbie. Whoever it was, she was obviously female. "C'mon out of the shadows. I can't see you."
She stepped out into the moonlight, and Dante felt his jaw drop. He had expected a lot of things, but this wasn't one of them!
For one thing, the woman was absolutely gorgeous. She was a little on the short side, but had one of the best figures he'd ever seen. Skin as pale as the moon she stood in, waist-length hair blacker than midnight, eyes like emeralds splashed with droplets of gold…. When had he last seen a woman this beautiful?
But what also drew his attention was her attire. This girl looked like she had come straight out of a Renaissance Faire. She wore a silvery cloak, tooled leather boots, leather gauntlets, a headband of green leather, and green chain-mail that seemed to be glowing softly, pulsing with gentle light. There was an azure bag tied with crimson string on her belt, and two swords were strapped to her sides. He could tell just by looking at them that they were extremely powerful blades.
What was a woman like her doing fighting demons in that getup?
"No guns, huh? Must be pretty cocky, to not want gunfire," he commented, looking her up and down with an experienced eye.
She gave him a questioning look. "What are 'guns?'"
That one comment nearly made him fall over. "Jeez, where have you been for the past few centuries?" he wondered. "And for that matter, what is a chick like you doing fighting demons anyway?"
"So those are the demons." The woman ran a hand through her hair, not catching Dante's startled look. "As for my reasons, I shall tell you later, when we have reached a place of safety. Tell me, is there anywhere nearby where we could talk? An inn, perhaps, or a tavern?"
This woman just kept the surprises coming, it seemed. Dante shoved a hand through his silvery hair, and started away. "Yeah, I do. My shop is safe. C'mon."
As they started away, he couldn't help himself. "Where are you from, anyway?"
"Abeir-Toril, another world far removed from this one. What is this world called?"
Surprise of all surprises, she was a freaking alien. Dante really wasn't all that surprised. Man, Vergil's gonna eat this up……
It had been a peaceful evening for Vergil. His brother had gone out to some bar several hours ago, and he had been left to his own devices for the night. Currently he was relaxing on one of the couches with a favorite book, a cup of tea, and a cd of classical music playing on the stereo. So much better, whenever Dante's out, he thought contentedly as he turned the page. The Count of Monte Cristo, one of his favorite classics.
"Crappy music, bro."
Vergil rolled his eyes as the door slammed open, heralding the entrance of his little brother into Devil May Cry. "I thought you were going to be out all night," he commented sardonically, getting up to turn off the stereo. "It has only been a few hours since your departure. Has your sense of time gotten so bad as to mistake a few hours for an entire night?"
"Nope. Some old friends dropped in, I kicked ass, and decided to come home. Met an alien chick on the way back." Dante gestured to the door, drawing Vergil's attention to a woman stunning enough to draw even his eye in admiration.
And more than a little bit of lust.
"Are we safe here?" she asked. Her voice was like music, beautifully pitched and utterly perfect, a symphony out of her throat.
"Safer than we were out there." Dante dropped into his desk-chair, tipping back the chair and resting his legs on the desk, as always. "Now, are you gonna tell us why it was so important that I bring you here?"
"Have you no manners at all, brother?" Vergil chided. "What's her name?"
Dante shrugged.
The elder brother sighed. It was just like his younger twin to bring a lady home without even asking her name. "What are you called? I am Vergil, he is Dante."
"Natasha Nightsinger of Candlekeep, once Natasha Delryn of Athkatla." She looked around somewhat warily, and pushed her hair back from one ear. Vergil was somewhat shocked to notice the pointed tip of that ear. "I have….business of some urgency to speak of with you both."
"What's the job?" Dante asked from the desk. "And what the fuck is Candlekeep?"
"I already told you, I am from Abeir-Toril. This is not my world, and I shall return to Toril once my work is complete. To that end, I require your aid. I have already seen how skilled in battle you are, Dante, and I can only assume that your brother is likewise skilled. Will you hear me out?"
"See? Wha'd I tell you? She's an alien."
Vergil sighed again. His brother was so dense sometimes. "She's not an alien, brother. She's an elf." He turned to the woman. "Am I right, Natasha?"
"Aye, you are correct. A moon elf, to be exact."
Dante threw his head back. "Why are the beautiful chicks always the ones who aren't human?"
"Shut up, Dante." Vergil nodded to the woman. "If you will have a seat, we will hear you out."
"Thank you for your courtesy." She made herself comfortable on the other sofa, taking care to sit so her swords wouldn't inconvenience her or poke holes in the furniture. "I have need of your aid, if my spells pointed me in the correct direction. You both have experience with the slaying of demons in this world, am I correct?"
Both brothers nodded. Vergil sat back down across from her, suddenly very interested in what she had to say.
"It's a long tale, but it is necessary that you hear me out. See, in a way, this is very much all my fault…."
DDQ: Oooo, if there's anyone out there reading this who's played the Baldur's Gate games, they can probably already see where this is leading! Review please, or (grabs hold of Dante, pulls Ivory out of its holster) the demon hunter gets it!
Dante: No, I can't be hurt by bullets, but she's pretty damn creative as to exactly where she shoots!
Vergil: Please leave a review while I separate these two maniacs… (drags Queen and Dante out of room, readers hear Yamato leaving its sheath).