Author's note: For those who find the Sero-Atra character confusing, better get a paper and pen out because you'll need it.
Chapter One: Styling
Send them grounded.
"You're rusty Sero." Dante said as his sword pierced through the heart of a demon behind the teen, reducing it to dust.
One of Sero's bullets completely missed the target demon but the other managed to put a hole through its head, again reducing it to dust.
"I guess I am." Sero said, looking at his guns, Omni and Beatrix in a curious matter.
A loud crash was heard outside and Sero switched back to Atra again. Dante and Atra made their way towards the door casually, as if nothing has happened.
"I should have gotten used to this by now." Patty said to herself as she gave a sigh of relief. The door to the office closed with the ringing of bells.
Dante and Atra stood outside, looking up at the sky. Black cloaked creatures flew overhead, casting their shadows down on the humans running in terror. One of the flying creatures landed in front of the two, brandishing its scythe. The demon took the form of a cloaked skeleton. Nothing was particularly special about the monster other than the fact that it can fly.
"I'll leave this to you then." Atra said, squatting down. "I'll be making my own fun."
He jumped and left a trail of black smoke behind. Kicking a skeleton in mid air and launching himself using the demon as a platform before sending it down to earth where Dante swung his sword with ease at the hundreds of incoming demons. Dante coolly steps aside as the demon crashed beside him. Atra drew one of his swords which glowed black before turning into a whip with a bell attached to the end, Abaddon. He swings it to bind an oncoming skeleton, using the demon again as leverage to pull himself higher. When the whip released its victim, the bell at the end rung and the skeleton was engulfed in black flames.
Back on the ground, Dante sends a kick into an approaching skeleton, knocking it into another before throwing his sword which pierced both creatures through the head, turning them into dust. He drew his dual handgun, Ebony and Ivory and blasted the surrounding enemies with a mixed of swinging and spinning. He jumped back and stood on his sword which pierced itself above a door to a café, and started shooting from there.
Without warning, he falls sideway and held onto the handle of the sword with his legs while firing his gun inside the café where a bunch of skeletons were attempting an ambush and at the skeletons outside.
"This is to easy. I can do this all day long." A burst in the sky created a ring of flames, engulfing the skeletons which fell to earth like falling stars.
Dante swings back to his feet and pulled his sword from the wall, putting a final bullet through the head of a skeleton trying to get up from a fall.
"Ignus, you're stealing away all the fun." Dante said as a spiky red headed teen landed beside him.
Ignus smiled. "Sorry about that. Demons like these are good for burning." He said, pointing particularly to the cloaks the skeletons were wearing. He had a rough voice. Two of the four swords were missing from their sheaths, and instead, two red gauntlets with gold linings reached up to the elbow were on his hands. The gauntlets were the Devil Arm, Icarus.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Dante asked.
"Have some patience you asshole." Ignus said. "Someone is digging a hole into hell and reviving some of the demons you and I and other hunters send back. I don't know more than that."
Dante's interest was mildly picked. "So will I get paid if I do this?"
"That depends."
"I'm going back to bed." Dante yawned and headed back to the office.
"A hundred bucks for each kill." Atra continued.
"What?" Dante's attention was caught for the second time that day.
"You know Toby. He likes a little gamble. He's having a little wager with some rich dude about who's going to end this little situation first. The winner gets five hundred for each kill their team makes." Atra showed Dante a watch on his wrist with the number seventy nine above the time of three forty six. "This tells us how many demons we've killed. We need one more for our team."
"The world may end and you guys are betting on who gets to kill the most demons and save the world?" Atra nodded to Dante's answer. "It's all just a game to you isn't it?" He nods again. "What the hell, the money's always good."
"Anyway, how do I know you are Dante?" Atra asked.
Dante replied to that by holding Ivory up at point blank at Atra to which Atra smiled and turned away. "So you noticed it too huh?"
"Yeah, the question is, where?" Dante finished, returning his guns to their holster.
XXX
Atra and Dante walked up towards a large white mansion. A fountain stood at the entrance, casting rainbows within their reach. The windows blindingly reflected rays from the sun and everywhere outside the house is either filled with trees or bushes of flowers except for the path up. To a normal human, the place would seem like paradise. What they don't see is the dark aura emitting from the building.
The large metal gate opened and creaked in feared welcome of the visitors. The stone footpath clank as they move and a few birds flew out from within the bushes as they pass. A butler greeted them at the door as they entered the familiar building. Heading up the winding stairs on the left and turning into a long corridor, they saw a butler coming out of the last room, holding an empty tray. He greeted them as they past.
"In here." Atra said, pulling the door wide open.
Inside, Toby sat behind a mahogany desk with numerous files piled up to his side. Opposite him and apparently, someone who was having a conversation with, stood up from his chair as he heard the door opened.
"Atra," Toby greeted. "I and Richard were just talking about you."
Toby was an average looking man. His well kempt blue hair shined under the room light. He had some troubles with his eyes due to a 'job' he took on back when he was a hunter and had to wear glasses. A choice of oval for his spectacles tinted with green went perfectly with his brown jacket and long black silk pants.
Richard, the man who was standing now, turned to greet the two. He carried a large black rectangular bag on his back and wore a black and white tuxedo. His hair is a color of black with a line of white to the left.
"It thought you said there were four hunters here?" Dante asked Atra.
Toby took the liberty of explaining. "Our forth member is currently taking a short bathroom break right now. She'll be joining us soon." Toby spoke with a British accent.
Behind the closed door, a gunshot came ringing.
"That must be her and our…uninvited guest." Richard spoke. He had a small pinch of Mexican accent in his voice.
Dante and Atra stepped back and the door flew opened as a female, around the age of twenty came flying through, barely landing on her feet. She had short jet black messy hair and a small, almost unnoticeable scar on her nose. Her right eye is a mix of sea blue and leaf green while the left is reddish pink. She wore a white tank top and black denim, carrying a rocket launcher on her back with multiple guns which range from pistols to sub machine guns strap around her thigh and waist.
"Dante, this is-"
"Lady." Dante cut in.
"Now why do all the cute ones seem to flock around you?" Atra asked.
Richard stepped in. "If I were a girl, I'd think he's hot too."
Dante gave a sigh. "I do not flock around him." A voice came from the door.
Another Lady, with exactly the same feature as the one who stood inside the room held the rocket launcher; Kalina-Ann in her hands entered the room.
"Well now, what do you think At- oh, it's you Vann." Toby wanted to ask Atra for his opinion but another of his personalities surfaced.
Vann has a much calmer look than the other personalities and he has blue wavy hair. He remained silent for a few moment as the two Ladys argued over who was the real one.
Quickly and almost a whisper, he spoke. "Mary."
The Lady closest to the door pointed her launcher at Vann and fired and Dante rushed forward at the other with his gun, kicking the shape shifter into the air before jumping up and stomped it back down. By then the creature return to the form of a black man size figure, struggling under Dante for sometime before finding a bullet through its head as it evaporated in black smoke. The rocket that was fired at Vann was suspended in mid-air by what seems to be a levitation spell created by Vann. The rocket exploded but the explosion was confined within a small invisible sphere and it ended up looking like a floating television screen.
Vann look up towards Lady and said in the same soft voice, "Sorry bout' that."
Author's end note: Now, at the bottom of every chapter, I'll give more information about the weapons and relics found in the story. Am I nice or what?!
Guns
Omni and Beatrix: Sero's preferred choice of firearm. They are two powerful LeMat Revolvers with six rounds each. Engraved on the barrels is "Ace's code" on Omni and "One Shot" on Beatrix. Omni has red linings on the edge and Beatrix has gold.
Ebony and Ivory: Dante's preferred choice of firearm. They are a pair of Dual handguns with endless amount of bullets. The guns are hand-made with "For Tony Redgrave By.45 Art Warks" written on Ivory and the names of the guns on Ebony.
Kalina-Ann: Lady's preferred choice of firearm. It is a customized missile launcher with her mother's name. It has a grappling hook which can hoist up the user or drag the enemy in for a close range blast.
Devil Arms
Rebellion: A sword given to Dante by his father, Sparda. It is Dante's preferred choice of weapon.
Keeper: The four swords dangling by the side of the persona. The original owner of the sword remains a mystery and so does the origin of the weapons. The four swords have the ability to absorb, release and transform into Devil Arms it absorbed. The swords themselves have been known to cut through steel and more recently, demons. Each blade has the letters "Y", "R", "N" and "A" engraved on them separately.
Abaddon, the Whip of Destruction: A black whip with a golden bell attached to the end. It is Atra's preferred weapon of choice. When the bell at the end is rung, any creature, living or dead shall be transported immediately to the deepest pit in hell.
Icarus, Gauntlets of Flame: Ignus's preferred weapon. It is a pair of red gauntlet with golden lining around the edge. They can be activated to create wing like fire blades from the side.
Forms
Atra: The dark form. Preferred weapon of choice is Abaddon. Can jump to great heights and can temporarily give his cloak the ability of gliding. Also has the ability to manipulate the shadows.
Sero: The nature form. Sero likes to fight at range with Omni and Beatrix. Has great reflexes and is capable of dodging multiple attacks and has great accuracy. Uses his powers to manipulate plant to turn the field to his advantage is his favorite strategy.
Ignus: The fire form. Enjoys close range fighting and prefers the gauntlets, Icarus, as his weapon. Have incredible strength and the ability to control fire. Has a short temper.
Vann: The water form. Uses spells instead of weapons. If needed to fight up close, he usually relies on outsmarting his enemies. Though proficient in spells of other elements, his best would be healing and water spells. His superior intellect allows him to think of plans and ideas in a flash.