I don't own the Royalties, only a copy of DMC4, while my sister owns most of the books. I do not own any recognisable characters, and any own characters are not created with the intention of copying existing persons or characters. Inspiration may, however, be taken from a variety of sources, and flattery through imitation is intended.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Telepathy"
"Demon Lords/Deities"
Mission 3 – Obligatory Training Montage
"Welcome to Devil May Cry: Unorthodox Pest-Control, Demon-Hunters Extraordinaire and all-round supernatural Problem solvers."
Nero peered over his clasped hands, examining each of the Nephilim.
"Introductions: Over there cleaning her cannon, that's Lady. No, she does not have any other name. She's our firearm expert. Then again, you lot don't really care for firearms, do you? That's a rhetorical question, mind. Then we have Trish, she's our resident demonologist. She has an… insider's view… of how Hell works. The next two desks are reserved for two of our members who are currently not present. Lastly, we have Patty, she's our receptionist. We're still not sure how Dante kept track of jobs without her.
"As I said earlier, I'm Nero, the current Sparda and acting High Warlock of Redgrave. Nico is our technician and weaponsmith. Any questions?"
While the newcomers looked at each other, deliberating who would ask what, Lady stood up from her chair and slammed her hands on the desk.
"Yeah, I have one. Nero, what the fuck are you thinking, bringing their sort here? I swear, if that idiot Dearborn wants Redgrave, he'd better bring a fucking army!"
Clary stepped towards Lady, "Do you mean Horace Dearborn?"
"Yes, him."
"He's dead. Ex-Consul Horace Dearborn died "
Lady put down the scope of her weapon, "Dead? Well, damn, and I wanted to put a bullet in his arse."
Alec put his hand on Clary's shoulder, pulling her back gently before he spoke to the room at large,
"Our current Consul, Jia Penhallow, has dedicated herself to fixing the errors of the previous administration. First and foremost, she wants to foster better relations with the various Downworlders, as well as lock down the various Hellrifts and –gates."
"You're telling me that the Enclave finally put someone with a pair of balls in charge? And they're female to boot?"
Isabelle snorted, "Everyone knows we women keep our 'balls' on our chest."
"Ignoring the vulgarity," Alec threw a look at his sister, "Yes. Consul Penhallow is taking far more pre-emptive measures than any other consul than any other in recent history."
"That's all well and good. But it doesn't explain who you are and why you are here."
"I'm Dragoon Alec Lightwood-Bane, my sister, Isabelle and my Parabati, Jace Herondale, are both Paladins," He gestured at the two in question.
"Clary Fairchild is one of the only two fully trained Rune-Witches among the Shadowhunters, and her Parabati is Simon Lewis. He's unranked, but he has training as both a Dragoon and an Artificer. It would appear that you already know Magnus."
Alec took a deep breath, centring himself.
"Our primary objective was to investigate Redgrave City, so as to determine why there is so little reported Demon activity here. Obviously, Devil May Cry is to be thanked for that. Our secondary objective is to make contact with whoever is suppressing the demons here, and extend an offer of alliance with you."
An oppressive weight fell on the room, causing the Shadowhunters to break out into a cold sweat.
The jukebox sitting in the corner screamed, sending the room into action:
The blonde woman, Trish, bolted from her chair towards the bolted door.
Lady blurred reassembling her cannon, slinging it onto her back and picking up an SMG and a handgun.
Patty slammed her PC shut and rushed to the stairs, Nico following her.
Magnus spun on his heel, and shouted, "Permission to hijack your wards?"
"Granted!" Nero replied as he grabbed a single-edged sword from his desk and blasted through the doors, "Everybody who can fight, outside, now! Whatever it is, it's big!"
The Shadowhunter group followed him out, grabbing for their weapons.
Outside, filling the street was a massive doorway made of an otherworldly black stone. A pair of equally enormous skeletal hands, fingers interlocked, held the doors shut until they didn't.
The hands shifted, forming fists.
With a groan that was more felt than heard, the doors swung open.
Nero struck the tip of his sword into the ground and revved the handle. His ethereal wings formed on his back.
Trish held a falchion in each hand. Fire burned along the red blade, while winds twisted around the blue.
Lady cocked her cannon, and braced herself –and it- against the ground.
After some fumbling, the Shadowhunters fell into formation, Jace, Isabel and Simon up front with Nero and Trish, while Clary and Alec fell in with Lady.
Magnus had successfully taken control of the DMC building's wards, arcane energy crackling over the street.
-/\-
Two figures formed between the open doors: Humanoid, with obvious weapons on their person.
"Well, well, well. What a welcoming committee!"
"An interesting menagerie, indeed."
The first figure wore a dark red trench coat over black armour. A great sword with a clawed cross guard sat on his back. His silver mane was long, hanging down his back.
The second was clad in blued armour, banded sode plates over his upper arms. A Nodachi was sheathed at his hip, his left hand resting on the handle. His own silver hair was shorter, slicked backwards.
The red-clad figure raised a hand, "Hey, Deadweight! Who're your friends?"
"Dante?!" Nero's eyes narrowed. He darted forward, his sword low to the side, wings flared, "The hell did you get here!"
"Ha! Funny you should say that Dead-weight, considering that's exactly where we've been the past few years."
The blue-clad man put a hand on Dante's arm in warning.
Nero reached Dante, his wings flared and flames bursting from the hilt of his sword.
With one smooth movement, Dante deflected the Red Queen off his arm, and grabbed Nero's face with his other, slamming him backwards into the ground,
"Calm down kid. We have more important things to worry about than our old argument."
Virgil once more glanced over the people assembled, before speaking, "Hmm, a most interesting group indeed. We will talk inside."
-/\-
After everyone had gathered in the DMC office once more, with Dante and Vergil in their reserved chairs, the younger Sparda brother clasped his hands on his desk. For the first time in any of the Demon Hunter's memory, the silver-haired man looked old.
"There're problems in Hell. Three Pillars are gone, Lilith has not been seen for years, and I killed Mundus myself. The Morning Star hasn't sat on the Throne of Pride for over a century. The Seal on the Outer Realms is cracking."
Alec interjected, "Wait a moment. Are you saying the old legend of the Seven-Who-Fell, about there being demons far beyond anything we can imagine, is true?"
"Yes. While Vergil and I were in Hell, we spoke with Ashtaroth, the Pillar of Sloth. He has been watching the Seal for Millennia, waiting for it to weaken. The True Holy War is coming."
Virgil took up the narrative, "Fortunately, the cracks are still small. We have time to prepare. More concerning is that someone is, for lack of a better word, stealing Legions of Hell. Whoever it may be, they have control of many of Lilith's old followers and a decent portion of Mundus' Legions. If they gain many more Legions, they will be able to break the Seals on our side of the 9th Ring and storm Earth."
The room was still, as everyone absorbed the information. Magnus approached Dante, placing his hands on the desk, Feline eyes meeting Reptilian.
"Dante, you know I have contacts. How long do we have?"
"Magnus? Sorry I missed your wedding, buddy. Time? I'd say a few months at the outside."
"A few months? We can work with that. Now, I have some people here to meet you," Magnus stood up and waved his arms dramatically, "Introducing Alicante's first Seraph Fist formed in over a hundred years!"
Dante composed himself and finally looked directly at the Shadowhunters. His eyes ran along their weapons, examined their stance, and noted the white-knuckled grips on their hilts.
"A Seraph Fist? Well, then, let's test their power."
-/\-
The Shadowhunters met Dante on the roof, along with Trish and Virgil, who stood to one side. Trish placed her hand on a particular post and pushed her energy into it. All along the bannisters lining the roof, demonic runes lit up, a barrier rising as far as the eye could see. Dante swung his sword off of his back and stuck it into the ground.
"Here's the deal, kiddies: you're gonna attack me with everything you've got. I'll defend myself. If you can make me pick up my sword and use it against you, you win and we stop training. Ready?"
Jace darted forward, his seraph blade – the regular short one – in one hand and a long sword in the other. Isabelle followed in his shadow, her electrum whip uncoiling from her arm. Behind them, Alec and Simon drew their bow and crossbow respectively. Clary had her Crimson Tome out, and her stele drawn.
"Demon Hunting One-Oh-One, First lesson: Swords," Dante deflected the long sword off of his arm, the mortal steel not leaving a scratch. He spun around Jace, launched a mule kick at his back.
"Any Primus demon that has a sword, or any melee weapon for that matter, is termed a 'Knight-class' demon. They are fast, so you have to be faster. Or-"
Isabelle's whip interrupted Dante, striking across his face.
Before she could retract it, Dante bit the metallic cord. With a yank of his neck, Dante sent Isabelle flying into his outstretched arm, clotheslining her.
He dropped his arm and turned towards Alec and Simon.
"Or you have to be smarter. Lesson two: Range."
The Slayer appeared before the archers, inside their guard. A fist lashed out, striking Alec in the armpit. A second strike cratered Simon's still expanding riot shield. A third hit him in the diaphragm.
"Most demons, if they use range, use magic. These are termed 'Bishop-Class'. Get in their guard and you can overwhelm them in seconds."
With a blur of motion, Dante knocked out the two before turning to face Clary. The redhead had drawn a glowing rune on the ground, white light emanating from the fissures that formed around it.
Dante stepped on the rune. His Red-black energy overtook Clary's white, and the rune imploded.
"Or you can just brute force your way through their spells."
Once more his fist shot out, hitting Clary's temple and stunning her.
"AAARRRGGG!"
Jace's seraph blade plunged into Dante's shoulder. Turning his head, Dante glared at the bland.
"And finally, 'Rook-class' demons have unparalleled endurance and strength. They can shrug off all but the most powerful of attacks. To beat them, you must either find their weak point or outlast them, chipping away at their defence."
Dante turned fully, jerking the sword out of Jace's hand. He walked forward, each pace matched by Jace's retreat. Dante pulled the blade out of his shoulder, steam hissing from his hand, the angelic metal burning demonic flesh. Another blur and Dante disarmed Jace. A Spartan kick to the gut put the final Shadowhunter on the ground.
"And that's time. If regular Primus can be classed as Knights, Bishops and Rooks, what is a Queen? And what is a King?"
The Shadowhunters pulled themselves upright, nursing bruises.
"When a Primus recognises another as superior, the stronger Demon is a potential Queen or General. Any Primus who has more than 10 demon arms not their own, is automatically a Queen."
Dante walked over to his oversized sword, pulled it out of the ground and slung it over his shoulder. He grinned over his shoulder at them,
"A King is any Demon – or Warlock – with the potential to be a Pillar. Me and Virgil? We're both King class. Grab a bed, get some sleep. Meet us in the foyer tomorrow morning, at 7 am. Training starts then"
Dante sauntered down the stairs, followed quickly by Virgil and Trish. The demon ward around the roof collapsed behind them.
-/\-
5 bleary-eyed Shadowhunters stood in the foyer of Devil May Cry, glaring at Dante. The demon hunter was sprawled, bare-chested, in his chair, his boots up on the table. His coat and pistol belt sat in a pile next to his legs. Through the window, the first rays of sunlight could be seen in the sky.
"So, next lesson: Demons don't have a schedule. Here's the deal: Four of you have personal Angel Arms, and three of you have devil arm contracts. And yet, not one of you tried to use them yesterday. What gives?"
The Nephilim glanced at each other nervously. Alec spoke first,
"We, er, we don't know the names of our Seraph Blades yet, and devil arm contracts? What contracts?"
Dante dropped his hand on his face, "What has Alicante been teaching? Ok, crash course: Demons respect strength. If you've beaten and or killed a named demon in combat, chances are they gave you a devil arm contract. You complete the contract; you get to keep their devil arm. And, yes, you do actually know your weapon's names; you just don't know you know them."
Dante kicked out, spinning his chair around and flipped over the back, landing on his feet. With one motion, he slipped on his bandolier and grabbed his coat.
"So, here's your training plan: Today, you," Dante pointed at Simon, "are going down to the garage with Nico. She'll help ya with those gadgets of yours. The rest of you will be meditating, soul searching, whatever. If you haven't got names by suppertime, you'll have to keep looking on your own time. Tomorrow, we'll cycle you between us for three days: Melee with me, range with Lady and magic with Trish. Beyond that, you'll spar with each other – and us – in varying mixes. By the end of two months, we'll make you lot a force demons run from.
-/\-
"A̴̩͉̳͗̃́̏̌̇̐̿͠Ǧ̶̢͍͕̪̙̱̞̲̬͖̳̜͇̣̐̑͗͆́͌̀̊͘͝R̶̢̮̤̺̬̪͚͔̦̣̄̿̽̒͒̈́͒̆͗̍̇̚͜͝Ą̵̺͖̟͓̰͉͉̬͈̦̳̹̹̏̃͒͗̆̕̕͝M̴̧̼̜͆͛̅͐O̸͇̼̻̱͈͎̥̯̻̒̔̕͜ͅṆ̵̨̨̛̼̻̬͍̥̜̩̥̎̐͗̓̆ͅ!"
A black and orange keytar appeared in Jace's hands. The room around him seemed to cool down, just enough to be uncomfortable.
Dante looked at the instrument for a moment, before reaching out to his side, "Ǹ̴̝͍̮͎͓͙̺̞͓͉͉̝̐̾̇̇e̷̡͕̹͎̗͐́̌͑̃̆͘v̶̢̢̜̤͎̳̺͔̤̝͎̹̬̦̓͊́͝ͅà̸̪͙̙̀n̶̢̘̰̯̩̳͓̗͓͚̰̊̈́͛."
A purple guitar formed out of something. Lightning crackled along the neck in place of strings.
"Well, kid? Let's rock!"
-/\- Insert training Montage music (Author's recommendation: Killers with the Cross – Powerwolf) -/\-
-/\-
The redheaded Nephilim sat curled up in an armchair, her Crimson Tome open on her lap. A fountain pen rolled in her fingers.
Circular script was drawn on the pages of her book, some incomplete. Occasionally, her pen would move in circles above a page, but not touching it.
"High Enochian?" an acidic voice came from over her shoulder.
Clary started, turning to see the blue-clad Sparda, Virgil.
"Peace, Rune Witch. In my youth, I studied many languages, such that I am somewhat a polygot, albeit for the mystic languages."
"You can read High Enochian?"
"No. I can recognise the script, but I am fundamentally incapable of understanding it. However, most human-based mystic languages are within my grasp: Latin, Ancient Greek, Futhark – both old and new – High Japanese, lesser Enochian and a few others."
"Wow. Wow, that's a lot."
"Hm. You are a Rune Witch are you not? Languages are the baseline for your abilities."
"No, I mean, I can read and write Kanji, as well as the Greek and Elder Futhark runes. But that many languages?"
"My whys are of little concern to you. Come with me. I will test your runecraft, then we shall see what you can learn.
-/\-
Alec spun his tonfa, lashing out at Nero. Sparks flew with each impact.
Rolling backwards, Alec slammed the short ends of his tonfa together with a wordless yell. The weapon began to glow a brilliant blue, lightning crackling around them as they warped.
The light died down, revealing a new bow in Alec's hands. A counter arced grip sat in the middle, resting in Alec's left hand. The arms of the bow were formed of golden wood lined with Seraph Steel latticework, while crackling electricity formed the string.
Nero lowered his sword and laughed, "Well, would ya look at that. You have a Thunder Bow. Do you know its name?"
Alec tested the draw, a literal bolt of energy forming on the bow. He loosed it at a target with an echoing crack. The target was vaporised in the subsequent explosion.
"Yeah, this is Iskander."
-/\-
An explosion threw Simon and Nico away from the workbench. Picking himself up off of the floor, Simon pulled out a notebook,
"O-kay, trial no. 67: refined Ifrit dust is a fail. I guess flame arrows are not on the cards."
Nicoletta picked up her swivel chair, whipping soot off of the seat.
"Yeah. I don't think fire is your element," she rummaged through a box, pulling out a claw, "Here, try this: Hellhound claw, shadow element."
Simon took the claw and sat in the lathe. It filed down into a small dart, wisps of darkness floating from it. Simon touched a silvery pin to the blunt end of the bolt. It warped and extended, shadowy tendrils spiralling lazily from the tip.
"And Shadow works."
"Hell, yeah! That's one of the best reactions I've seen from any shadow demon parts. Besides, yanno, high-level demons. Ya got any demon blood in ya?"
"Not exactly…"
-/\-
On the roof of DMC, Alec drew his bow. He twisted sharply, loosing an arrow into a wooden board. Rolling forward, another arrow flew into a second target.
Multiple wooden targets danced around the roof, flipping at random. On one side, a pink smiley face was drawn, on the other, a red angry face glared. Arrows flew at the angry faces constantly, occasionally missing.
On the side, Lady cleaned (another) pistol, keeping a keen eye on Alec's progress.
-/\-
Clary held an orb of energy between her hands. The ball seemed to cackle as it shuddered.
"So, you have a bishop class devil arm? Any clue whose it is?" Trish, lounged against the wall, watching Clary's progress.
"I think so, but if it's her… Well, it might explain some issues…"
The orb collapsed, releasing a flash of light. For an instant, Clary's shadow had wings, then it returned to normal. Trish stood up and sauntered over to the Nephilim.
"And? Who do you think it is?"
Clary met her eyes, a shadow over her face, "The Pillar of Lust, Lilith."
-/\-
Alec sat on a couch, Magnus' head on his lap. The warlock had returned –briefly- from his recruiting trip to visit his husband.
"Hey, Magnus?"
"Yes, Alexander?"
"What do you know about Devil Arms?"
Magnus sighed, "I suppose Dante put you up to this?"
"Well, he did say that I had something called a 'Devil Arm Contract'."
Magnus rolled upright. He put his hand on Alec's chest, over a pendant that rested under the Nephilim's shirt.
"You know that I, for the most part, reject my father's heritage?"
"Yes…"
"Well, a long time ago, I experimented with my demonic power. What I saw, what I found… It scared me. I broke my demonic power in two and crafted two Devil Arms a few centuries ago. This pendant, it's called "The Wise". Its sibling, "The Fearsome", is sealed away, where no one will ever find it unless I tell them."
Alec placed his hand over Magnus', interlocking their fingers.
"Alexander, you literally hold half my soul. Know this, if you ever have the need, you can call on my power. I cannot tell you what it will do, but it is of me, and I will always protect you.
-/\-
A silver blur danced around the dark-haired Paladin. Isabelle danced through her forms, adapting her existing skills to her new weapon, her motions akin to that of a gymnast.
Simon Lewis leant on the door frame, watching her with his phone out.
"Simon, you had better not be recording me."
The phone disappeared into Simon's pocket.
"I will stab you."
"Leaving that for later, how is that sword working for you?"
Isabelle slowed the whip-sword, letting it retract as she came to a stop. When she clipped the handle to her belt, the blade wrapped around her waist, appearing for the world to be a fashion statement.
"It's great, but I feel like I'm missing something."
"Maybe a name?"
"Very funny, Simon."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out. Anyway, Trish said something about all of the ladies going shopping or something. Apparently, you're to meet in the foyer, and you'll take the van.
-/\-
Seraph Steel struck Gilgamesh Steel as Jace and Dante clashed.
"Come on, kid! Add some style to your sword!"
Jace gasped, trying to catch his breath, while Dante twirled his sword about his body.
"How- how can you treat a fight like- like a dance," panted Jace.
"Ha, kid, I've been doing this since you were a twinkle in yer old man's eye. Add to that a demon's physique, and I'll keep fighting until I drop dead. When you combine a human's potential with a demon's – or in your case, an angel's – starting point, well, our power might as well be unlimited."
Jace stood up, lifting his unnamed sword to a high guard, "So, what, you're so strong, you can afford to mess with your opponents?"
"Exactly. Do you know hard it is to find a decent fight when you're at the top?"
They dashed towards each other again, swords sending sparks. Jace tried to overwhelm Dante's guard but was forced back on the defensive.
Jace pulled back a pace, rolling with one of Dante's strikes. He grasped his sword with both hands and charged Dante with a roar. The rune marks on his body flashed gold.
Dante caught the attack with his Demon Blade, looking over the sword lock with a feral grin.
"That's what I'm talking about!"
The silvered sword was a blur, battering at Dante's defence. Dante, for his part, led the raging Nephilim in a merry dance around the roof. With a flurry, he struck at Jace's wrist, disarming him.
Jace dropped to the floor with his sword. After a moment's pause, he collapsed backwards, his body drained of energy.
"Well, kid. You might just become a worthy challenge."
Author's Note:
Took a while, but it's finally done. This is what originally inspired this story – the question "What can DMC teach the Shadowhunters?"
Obviously, there is a lot more to learn, over a century of combined XP cannot be taught in a couple of weeks.
If you look at it realistically, Dante and Virgil have very few in-universe rivals, power-wise. Especially for someone like Dante, it would get incredibly boring if he wins every fight just by flexing his power. So he deliberately handicaps himself so that he can enjoy a good slugfest. Virgil, however, does not consider most riffraff to be worth him taking seriously.
The Shadowhunters, while arguably stronger than their peers in Alicante, are woefully lacking if put in the DMC universe. Hence bringing them up to speed, and giving them all a few buffs. What are your thoughts on each Shadowhunter's new skills/weapons/whatever?
On Weapons (Written by Nicoletta Goldstein with input from various sources)
Gods and Angels have their divine weapons and symbols of power. Demons have their Devil Arms. Humans? We have ingenuity.
Seraph Steel is metal forged on one of the highest mountains in the Alps and quenched in Holy Water. Throughout the process, the Iron Sisters imbue the Steel with Holy energy, making these blades the most effective tool against Infernal Beings. Many legendary swords are forged of Seraph Steel, including Clarent: The Sword of Divine Choosing; Ascalon: The Dragon Slayer; and Durandal: The Peerless Sword of Miracles.
Gilgamesh steel is named for the Sumerian King of Heroes, Gilgamesh of Uruk. The chains that he and Enkidu used to bind a Holy Bull were the first time humans used the infernal metal. The metal is mined in Hell, and quenched in blood; it is used in most demonic weapons. Notable weapons include Gaë Bolg: The Boar Gutter; and the many blades forged by Sengo Muramasa: The Demon Swordsmith.
Cold Steel, while not inherently effective against demonic and divine beings, is equally unhindered by those same beings. Countless regular humans have acquitted themselves with regular steel weapons against various things that go bump in the night.
For the most part, Lesser Enochian Runes do not mix well with gunpowder, hence the Clave do not use firearms. There are some exceptions, but they are few and far between. Outside the Clave, many demon hunters utilise firearms for suppression, while a few elite hunters have taken it to the3 extreme. Most notably is DMC's own Lady and her BFG, Karolina Anne.
Feedback Corner:
As of 29/03/2021:
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Reviews for Mission 2:
Smokey Panda: Approximately, yeah. Timeframe in the DMC games isn't exactly logical. I tried to synchronise the events of DMC5 with a Demon invasion in the second Mortal Instruments book and worked from there.
Guest: Chalk it up creative liberties. Even excluding Devil May Cry: DMC, the timeline of the games is rather blurry. I'm mucking it up even more.