Of Devils and Swords

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Devil May Cry or any of its associated characters, they are Capcom's.

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Family? Hmph…ever since I was a kid I've had to live with the fact that I was a half-breed. Created from the seeds of a human mother and a demon father. My dad was "Sparda"; the great demon knight who rebelled against the demon lord Mundus 2000 years ago. My mother was Eva; a human woman my dad met towards the end of his life. I've got a brother…Vergil…a twin…between us, we have two amulets my mother gave us when we were kids. We also have the demon swords created by our dad. He gave me the broadsword "Rebellion" and Vergil got the katana "Yamato". They were keepsakes passed onto to us before he died. Both of the blades contain his demon power that now flows through us.

My brother and I never really got along that well. I've always…enjoyed life more than him, I guess. He's always looking for power…that next big thing for him to obtain. Years ago he tried to resurrect this ancient tower…thing that was supposedly something dad had sealed away a couple centuries ago. Heh…we all got played for fools on that one. He also became a brainwashed minion of Mundus when he tried to invade this world. Mundus turned him into a dark knight by the name of "Nelo Angelo" who he used to try and stop me. He vanished before I sent Mundus back to the demon world. That was a couple of years ago…I haven't seen him since then.

But who knew that was about to change?

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Proposal

"Errrawhhhh…" Dante yawned. It was morning and he had just woken up. He looked at the clock near his bed and saw it was 7:24. "Well…guess it's another day…another dollar…"

Dante rolled out of bed and made his way downstairs to the bathroom of his shop. He showered and threw on a pair of black leather pants. He made his way to the kitchen and opened his fridge.

"Pizza…pizza…oh, there it is," he said to himself, searching for his primary form of sustenance. He put two slices into the microwave and set the timer for 90 seconds. When the microwave dinged, he pulled out the plate and walked to his desk in his office.

Dante's paranormal extermination business, "Devil May Cry", hadn't seen too much traffic lately. "Man, do I even want to open today?" he mumbled, unsure if he should even bother since the flow of customers had been slow for the last few weeks. "Whatever."

He walked to the door and flipped the sign on the window from "Closed" to "Open" before returning to his desk to finish his pizza, throwing his legs onto his desk as he often does while eating. Just as he sat down, the door to the shop opened.

Eh? Someone here already? Dante thought while in mid-bite. He looked up from his pizza to see a man standing in front of him. He wore a black suit with a black necktie. His hair was slicked back smoothly and he had narrow black eyes.

"Morning," Dante said, somewhat unenthusiastically. "What brings you to my…humble shop? Demon giving you problems? Got a couple of ghosts in need of exorcising? Haunted house on top of the hill that needs a good cleaning?"

The man looked Dante straight in the eye, not really acknowledging his quips. Dante frowned when he got no reaction from this potential customer. "Alright, you seem like you've got something to say," Dante continued, a little more seriously now. "What's on your mind?"

"Are you one of the sons of Sparda…" the man began, ominously. He spoke with a proper British accent and conducted himself with class. "The one named…Dante?"

With that comment, Dante's eye twitched. He pounded his desk with his free hand and one of the drawers on the desk flipped open, popping a black handgun into the air. Dante caught the gun in mid-flight and pulled his legs off the desk, setting his pizza down in one motion. He twirled the gun on his left hand before pointing straight at the man talking to him. He gritted his teeth before speaking in a very concerned tone.

"I'm…so sick of that line. Every time I hear it, something bad happens one second later," Dante said, rage building in his voice. "First time someone said that to me, my shop got invaded with demons and the place ended up trashed. Then when I heard it again, this crazy bitch stabbed me with my own sword and then tried to toss a motorcycle at me. All that line has ever brought me is trouble…so either get the hell out or I'll have to get a mop for what I'm about to do…"

The man seemed unaffected by Dante's threat, instead stepping closer toward Dante's desk with a calm and slow walk. He walked to Dante's arm's length before gently pushing the gun down with his index finger. "You must be Dante. No one else would have his famed demon-powered gun 'Ebony'," he said. "I'm sure you'll want to hear what I have to say once I show you this…"

With that, he pulled out a long object and tossed it onto Dante's desk. Dante took a quick look at the object before instantly knowing what it was. He retracted his gun and put it into the waistband of his pants. He picked up the item and leaned back in his chair, his right foot propped against his desk.

"Where did you get this?" Dante asked, who was now interested in what the man had to say.

"Ah, so you know of the demon blade 'Yamato'…oh, of course you would; seeing as it belonged to your brother Vergil," the man said, now smiling somewhat sinisterly.

The object Dante held was a sheathed katana. The sheath was elegantly designed with ornate Japanese characters and the handle had carefully woven blue fabric wrapping around it. It was the sword given to his brother Vergil by their father, Sparda. He unsheathed the sword to reveal a mirror-polished blade. Dante carefully inspected the sword to ensure it was indeed the demon sword before putting it back into its sheath and laying it back on the table. "I'll ask again; where did you get this?" Dante repeated himself, now with a fully serious tone in his voice.

"Have you ever heard of a society called the 'Holy Order of the Sword'?" the man asked Dante. Dante slowly shook his head. "They are a legion of followers of the great demon knight Sparda based in the city known as 'Fortuna'. I myself live in a village near Fortuna as well as being a former member of their clan."

"Who would anyone form a clan just to honor what my dad did? What's the big deal with that anyway?" Dante said, perplexed by the existence of such a group.

"I can't tell you everything but if you choose to pursue this; you will find out for yourself," the man said, handing Dante a folded piece of paper. Dante unfolded it to reveal a map of a compound of some sort.

"What is this, a map?" Dante asked, still not fully understanding what the man was proposing.

"Yes, it is a map of the Order of the Sword's fortress. I was traveling in the forest nearby the fortress a week ago when I stumbled on this sword. From the teachings that I obtained when I was a member of the Order of the Sword; I recognized the sword as Yamato, one of the two demon swords Sparda brought back with him when he conquered Mundus 2000 years ago," the myseterious man explained, pausing to gauge Dante's reaction. "I was astonished to see the blade with my own eyes and, as a man who believes in omens, knew it had been placed before me for a higher reason. I sensed there was something gravely wrong with the motivations of the Order of the Sword and that they were likely responsible for the placement of the sword where I found it. I believe the Order of the Sword is planning something and it involves capturing your brother Vergil. I think he is being held hostage inside the Order of the Sword's fortress and with your demon power; I felt you were the best person to investigate."

Dante slowly nodded, looking at the sword again. "And…what's in it for you? Why should I accept your request?"

"For you, it is merely a matter of discovering what happened to your brother. I'm sure it's been on your mind since the Mallet Island incident," the man responded, saying it in such a way as to pique Dante's curiosity. "I have heard rumors that a mysterious white-haired man dressed in blue has been seen in the villages near Fortuna for the last few months, said to be wielding a katana. They have been saying that he was giving off a dark aura and that anyone who crossed him would be sure to face a grisly fate. I knew the description fit that of your brother and the connection between him and the work of the Order of the Sword was undeniable. That is why I was wandering the area near the fortress: to confirm these rumors for myself. However, as I am no longer a member of the organization; I couldn't get close enough to the source to learn everything. I want you to go to Fortuna for me to discover the truth behind what they are planning. Why they needed to capture your brother and what it is they intend to use him for; if he is indeed being held hostage by them."

Dante rocked back and forth in his chair, looking at the ceiling in silence. After a couple minutes, he returned eye contact with the man. "Okay, I'll take your job," he said, holding his hand out for a handshake. The man shook his hand then turned around to leave.

"Wait, who are you? I guess I should get your name before I do this," Dante asked, just as the man had reached for the door.

"You may call me 'Treyor' and I will meet you once you arrive in Fortuna. The map has directions on how to reach the fortress as well as how to navigate it. When you have completed this job, I will know," Treyor responded as he walked out the door.

Dante looked over the paper one more time, munching on the remainder of his pizza, before putting on an undershirt and boots. He walked over to his coatrack and took his red coat off and threw it on his right shoulder. Fortuna, eh? He thought as he picked up his handguns and Rebellion broadsword. Wonder what I got myself into this time…

He slung the Yamato sword over his other shoulder and strolled out of his office.

To Be Continued…

(A/N: This is just something I thought up while watching preview footage of DMC4. I wanted to come up with a reason why Dante would visit Fortuna in the first place not knowing what the official story is. I know that Vergil will probably not show up in the game so this is just entirely my idea of a prologue (if you're familiar with my fanfics; my adherence to canon is often very high so this is rather unusual for me). I might continue this so please leave your thoughts about it.

Oh, about the title. Yeah, I know it makes no sense and I actually don't like it myself but I really can't think of anything better. I may retitle it later but right now I just don't have any better ideas for a title.)