The New World
Dante awoke in a field surrounded by lush green grass. Noticing that the demon he wanted to interrogate was no longer there in his hands, Dante assumed the bastard had run off a long time ago. He looked up in the sky as he got up from the ground and wiped himself off. The sun was just rising as birds flew through the air, across the dawn sky. Morning dew could be seen in the surrounding area glistening off of the sun rise. Scanning the horizon find out where he was at, he could see that in the distance, there was a tall tower. He hadn't seen the tower before in the city, nor anywhere for that matter.
"Well, it's the only lead I have to know where I'm at." Dante thought as he started heading towards the tower. "This is going to be a long walk, isn't it?"
As he walked, the plains seemingly merged in to a forest area. The sun shone through the leaves of the trees as a gentle breeze made the them dance occasionally. Going further into the forest, an opening appeared before him. In that opening were eighteen stone pedestals were were aligned in an arch, around it was a partially demolished stone wall with the same shape. Chess pieces were on the pedestals, eight pawns, two of the rook, bishop, knight, and a king and queen. Not sure what the significance was to this, Dante carried on.
Walking a path that he had found that in the forest, Dante noticed something following behind him for a while; hearing the rustling of the leaves and grass was at a constant distance. He stopped to confront this something, but then was greeted with a large boom and a loud roar inches from his face. Dante turned his head and waved his hand in front of his face.
"I get that you're a monster or something, but phew! Take a step back, will ya?" Dante said while still fanning the breath away from him. Patting down his trench coat to get the dirt off of it from the landing the creature did, he looked at the monsters.
The creature had midnight black fur with bone-like spikes covering the outer body and it's skull had a red pattern bearing resemblance to a tribal symbol. The monster's eyes glowed with a red flare and it did not look pleased. It was about twelve feet in height as it stood regularly on four legs.
After the split second observation, four more identical creatures showed their presence, coming from the shadows of the trees. It seemed that the roar was some sort of signal for an ambush. Dante, not phased by the show of numbers or intimidation, crossed his arms and shifted his weight onto his right leg.
He smiled, "You five looking for some doggy treats? Well, sorry. I don't have any."
The first one who came in contact with Dante charged with a quick swipe from it's claw unannounced. The beast hit air as Dante reappeared in a nearby tree.
"So that's how you wanna play, huh? I guess I got some time to kill with you guys. I still need to work off this anger from letting that bastard get away anyway. I think you guys will do the trick." Dante said, grabbing Rebellion from his back.
The Man in Red disappeared then reappeared above the beast that lunged at him. Dante swung his sword downwards forcefully, causing him to quickly descend with his large sword splitting the creatures head in two. "That's one." He thought. After landing, he rushed the nearest one. The creature swung with it's might and was blocked by the large sword of the demon hunter as he held it backwards. Dante drew Ebony, while still holding off the attack. He fired several shots at it's head, then spun around quickly. Using the momentum of the sword, he aimed for his neck, decapitating the monster. "Two." As soon as the head hit the ground, he was off towards another beast. Putting Rebellion onto his back, he drew Ivory and jumped off the third one's head and into the air, narrowly avoiding the bite that the creature attempted to take at him. While in the air, he flipped upside-down and spun in circles while firing his pistols, causing a rain of bullets to shower down upon it. "There's three." The creature screamed in pain as he collapsed to the dirt road. The moment he landed back on the ground, he grabbed Rebellion, slid across the ground and pierced the head of the fourth one. "One more left." Using the momentum again, he launched himself into the air. While soaring through the sky, he switched to Beowulf, a set of gauntlets and boots that shone with a white light. Lifting his right leg to his chest, he waited for the right moment to strike. As soon as he felt the time was right, he thrust his leg towards the fifth beast in his sight, causing him to launch forward in the direction and knocking the beast to the ground with so much force that the helpless being bounced off the ground and into the air. He swung his left hand in a hook motion, catching the monster in the face. Immediately after with his right fist, he performed an uppercut hitting right beneath the chin, causing the creature to lift into the air even further. He then followed the motion and spun around in a circle on his left foot with his right leg lifted and held in place. As his leg stayed in the air, Beowulf grew brighter with the dim light illuminating from it before now a blinding light. At the exact moment the enemy aligned with his right foot, he let out a flurry of kicks with his right leg. As they struck with a solid impact of each kick, the speed of the kicks increased as well. He switched his stance while the monster rose back up in the air. He raised his right leg above his head, and much like before, Beowulf started shining. As soon as the body hit the ground, he let down a powerful overhead kick, crushing the skull of the body. "And Bingo." With the life of each of the monsters gone, Beowulf disappeared.
Dante rubbed the back of his head and said with a disappointing tone, "Really? That's all you had? Geez, not even good enough for a morning workout..."
Dante continued to walk as the sound of crunching came from beneath his feet from the rocks on the path. He looked up in the sky once more with his hands shielding his eyes. The sun was almost directly up in the sky and clouds were nowhere in sight, but the tower was just a minute away.
The dirt path merging into a concrete walkway, Dante took note of the cleanliness of the place. He walked to the entrance gate and was met with the tall tower that he had seen. Light posts placed at each side of the walkway at certain intervals. A fountain surrounded the walkway with a statue in the middle. The door to the building was right behind the statue. The tall tower branched out into different buildings, while the entire front entrance was surrounded by decorative arches. While mentally noting all of these features in the area, Dante wandered towards the statue in the pathway. It was of two young girls, brandishing weapons, standing on top of a rock. They looked down upon what looked like a smaller version of the previous beast-like creatures he had fought a little while ago.
"It's a nice statue. I had it placed in front of the school to be sort of a center piece of the entrance." A voice commented behind Dante.
"So it's a school, huh?" Dante said as he gazed unto the statue.
"That is correct. This school is called Beacon Academy. It's purpose is to train Hunters and Huntress' from all over Remnant. There is one academy on each continent."
Dante turned around and was met face to face with a middle aged man. He had silver hair and small brown eyes, complimented by small black spectacles he was wearing. Around his neck wrapped, a dark green scarf that had a cross-pendent pinned onto it. He wore a black jacket that was unzipped and had a black vest beneath it with dark green pants and black casual shoes. In his hands, he held a cane in one hand, and a coffee mug in the other.
"Remnant?" Dante question.
"Yes. Remnant. The place we live." The middle-aged man said with a cocked eyebrow.
"Remnant... So, I guess the bastard really did send us to a different world." Dante thought.
"Hmm... An unnatural and inexplicable instance of a bright flash from deep in the woods, a man who does not know the planet's name. In which he came from the direction of this light and wields unusual strength and abilities to switch weapons in an instant and teleport... Interesting." The man said, drinking from the coffee mug.
"You say that like you've been watching me."
"I have. You see, the forest you were in happens to be training grounds for my students. Naturally, I would have to watch my student. So there are cameras hidden all through out the forest."
"Your students? So, I take it that you're a teacher here then." Dante asked curiously.
"Yes, I am Professor Ozpin. I am the headmaster for this school. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The name's Dante. Also known as The Man in Red and other names I can't keep track off."
Ozpin asked, "So, why are you here Dante?
"That's one of the many questions I want to know the answer to. Apparently, some douche bag had it in for me. I got a call to try to find some missing people and the person on the other line led me to a Cathedral. Turns out it was just an ambush for me as he called me just to try to get rid of me. He tried to send me to another world as his solution, but I ended up grabbing him while he attempted to do it. A blinding light came over me and before I knew it, I woke up lying down in the grass in this world. I have to say though, I've fallen asleep in worst places." Dante explained.
"That's... a bit hard to believe."
Dante sighed, "I find it hard to believe as well. Some people just can't resist trying to kill me."
"Even if it is hard to comprehend, I'll believe it anyways. There's been commotion down in the city of an unexplained event." Ozpin pulled out a device that had a screen with visuals on it when he extended the device, "It seems your situation is a bit complicated even for me to understand fully."
"Hmph. Interesting object you got there."
"It's called a scroll." Ozpin showed him the device.
"By the way, have you seen the bastard? He's about neigh high, wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase. Brown hair, red eyes. Uses magic. Ring a bell?" Dante motioned while asking Ozpin while he messed with the
"I have actually." Ozpin turned towards him presenting the device. "Here's the reason why I'm inclined to believe you."
On the screen, it showed a man in business suit drawing a pentagram on the sidewalk in public. People seemed to stare at him with confused expressions as they walked by, but the expressions grew from confused to frightened when a demon started raising up from the ground. After that the screen went static and left Dante groaning.
"Great... The bastard is already causing trouble in this world."
"It would seem so. Although, you don't have reason to rush at the moment. There were huntsmen in the nearby area and killed what was spawned from that circle." Ozpin started heading towards the front door. "Come. Please. I have an proposition for you."
Dante, not having a better lead, decided to follow Ozpin into the building. The hallways were clean and it looked like a natural school, with the exception of the new technology that he was still trying to fully understand. Sticking close by to Ozpin, he noticed something off about the school as they walked up a stairwell. There were no students here, none in the hallway and none in any of the open rooms they passed.
"Hey, Oz. Where are the students? I thought you said this was a school." Dante asked while Ozpin took a sip from his mug.
"Yes, it is a school. The students are currently on vacation, while the teachers and I make arrangements for the new first years that will be coming in later this week." Ozpin stopped and opened a door. He looked at Dante. "Here is my office. Please come in."
Dante stepped inside the office calmly and relaxed as always. The office was neatly organized and had a single office table in the middle with a single chair behind it and three in front. In the back of the office was a large window that served as a large functional clock. It seemed this office was at the top floor and the clock was the one on the outside. Ozpin walked around the desk and sat in chair in a formerly manner.
"So, Oz." Dante grabbed the chair, spun it around backwards and sat in it with his arms folded on the back of it. "What's this 'proposition' you have?"
"Straight to the point, I see." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "I'll make a deal with you, Dante. I want you as a student here, housing and expenses will be paid as they are for all students. However, you will have to deal with this person that came from your world... and I can help. For us, we don't want someone with the ability to summon Grimm-like creatures. It will cause us major trouble in the long run, and our professional hunters and huntress' already have their hands full taking care of the Grimm from this world." Ozpin said as he interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them.
"You want a newbie like me? I'm just a regular swordsman. What could I provide that these students couldn't?" Dante replied, pleading ignorance with a smile. "And you called that a grimm? I guess that's what you call the beasts that attacked me in the woods here, but I can assure you that the creature that the man summoned is not a Grimm." He said while rubbing his head. "I know nothing about this world and..." He paused. His nose picked up a smell that was far too familiar to him. A pizza that was topped with pepperoni was being made in the dining hall. The aroma of the heavenly food was strong and irresistible and Dante couldn't help but notice.
Ozpin confused as to why he stopped mid-sentence asked, "And?"
"And I smell pizza. You guys serve pizza here?" Dante asked. As if on queue, his stomach growled. "That pizza's calling to me, and I'm pretty hungry."
"I would think you would be hungry. You haven't ate since you landed in this world."
"Almost creepy how much you've watching me, Ozzy. Let's go grab a bite before I make this decision." Dante suggested as he got up from the chair he was sitting in.
"Actually, I have work to do here at the moment." Ozpin said as pulled out the device he referred to as a scroll earlier. "I'll let the other members of the staff know that you are allowed here at the moment and that you are allowed to eat in the dining hall. Just follow the signs on the wall and you will get there with no troubles."
"Alright. More for me then." He replied as walked towards the door, waving his hand.
"Dante. Before you go." Ozpin reached into a drawer in the desk. He pulled out a scroll and walked up to him. "Even if you don't decide to join the school, having a scroll is almost necessary in this world."
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Now where's that pizza?" Dante said as opened the door and walked off with his voice trailing behind him.
Dante followed the trail of signs to the dining hall as he was messing with the scroll he was given. Passing by room after room, he thought about the situation he was in. He had a demon on the loose and had no idea what his intentions were in an unknown world that had unbelievable technology and different functions than what he knew. It seemed like the natural enemies to this world were called Grimm, which seemed to be the equivalent to demons in his world. He had a new device that was the same as a phone, but it was wireless and had additional useful features. Staying with the school is definitely the best option, but attending a school was something that made him scoff in his mind. Time flew by as he thought and he found himself at the entrance to the dining hall.
"Excuse me. What are you doing here?" A stern female voice said from behind him.
"Why do people feel the need to always talk to me from behind? It's getting old." Dante commented. "I'm looking for the end of the rainbow, just so you know." Dante continued while looking around the room, "And I think I've found it." Dante's eyes focused on the pizza that sat on the serving counter. He started walking towards it, but a hand was placed on his left shoulder that forcefully turned him around. He saw a blonde woman who seemed to be in her twenty or thirties. She had thin glasses that rested in front of her green eyes. Her hair was in a bun, but had a curl that hung down from the front right of her head. In her hand, she held a scroll by her side. She had a long sleeved top on that had a keyhole neckline and cuffs around her wrists. She had a high waist skirt on that hung to the top of her knees. A cloak hung from her back that was black on the outside and purple on the inside. She topped it all off with black boots that had brown heels on them.
"Excuse me! I don't believe you have permission to be here!" The blonde hair woman exclaimed.
Dante raised his voice slightly while slapping her hand off of him, "And I think I do lady. Maybe you should check that thing in your hand a bit closer before making accusations like that."
"Don't move while I check on this."
He groaned, "So close to paradise, yet so far away..."
She had a stern look on her face still, but was changed to surprising as a noise was made from her scroll. The woman looked down at it and swiped her finger on it in multiple directions. She paused for a second, then looked up from the device. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.
"I want to apologize. It seems I was late in receiving the details of your situation. I am Glynda Goodwitch. I am a teacher here at this school and am responsible for overseeing the students." She presented herself. "It seems Headmaster Ozpin has taken an interest in you for some reason unannounced to me. You must be special, just like that girl."
"That's nice, lady." Dante turned around. "Now, if you don't mind. I'm going to go grab a slice, unless you wanna try to stop me again." He headed towards the pizza that he's been wanting. He stopped in front of the tray, and grabbed three slices in one hand. He looked like a snake as he took a huge bite out of all three at once. Goodwitch, still watching, was confused and disturbed by the act she just saw. She looked down at her scroll again trying to forget it. Finishing the ones Dante had in his hands, he grabbed one more piece and headed over towards the teacher.
Dante took a bite then said, "You know," He swallowed. "this isn't half bad."
"We try to make sure the student's here are comfortable with everything. So naturally that means the food as well." Goodwitch commented, not looking up from the screen.
He finished off the pizza he had in his hands and sucked the grease off of his fingers. He wiped his hands on his pants. He let out a sigh of relief as he put his arm in the air and stretched.
"Alrighty! That hit the spot." Dante straightened his coat and adjusted his jean. He looked over at the woman and pondered for a second. He smirked, "So, you do have a pretty side to you when you're not yelling."
Goodwitch looked up and slightly blushed. "That's no way to speak a lady, let alone a teacher." She said as she tried to regain her composure.
Dante, still smirking, "Yeah, yeah. Tell Ozzy I'm coming back up with my decision, would ya?" Before she could respond to anything, he walked out of the dining hall and headed back towards the headmaster's office. Passing by the same rooms again, he finalized his choice in his mind. It made sense to him to be in a school that would be willing to accept him. He knew absolutely nothing about this world he was in. No knowledge of the geography of this world, science or how anything worked, the history of major events or their values, anything at all. He could learn all of these things unknown to him here and the more he learned here, the better chance he had of finding Roland before he could do any real damage. He finally reached the headmaster's door and opened it.
"You know, blondie down there has a pretty short fuse." He said walking in the door and closing it behind him.
Ozpin was standing, looking out of the clock window. He took a sip of his mug as he turned around. He walked towards the desk to set his coffee mug down and took a seat afterwards.
"So, I take it you have made a decision?" Ozpin asked as he set his elbows on the desk, making a clasping his hands together in front of his mouth.
"I'll join this school of yours, but on some conditions."
"Go on."
"First, as you said before, you have to help me catch this man before anything can get out of hand. Second, no curfew. As a school, I would expect for you to have, at the very least, some on your students. Third, absolutely no uniforms. As for forth," Dante stopped as he sat back in the chair he had spun around and sat in the same fashion. "pizza and strawberry sundaes on the menu everyday, capisce?"
Ozpin smiled, "Consider it done. I'll have Professor Goodwitch show you the rest of the school and to the room that will be yours." He stood up as the office door opened. Goodwitch walked in holding her scroll like the first time Dante saw her. Ozpin walked over towards her as she looked glanced at the new student-to-be and looked at Ozpin.
"Sir, just who is this man?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow. "I found him in the dining hall just fifteen minutes ago, right before I received your notice to let him eat there."
"This man will be one of our new students and his name is Dante. I need you to show him around the school and to his new room. Room 203." Ozpin said as he held the door open for them to leave. "At this moment, I have business to take care off in the Emerald Forest with Professor Oobleck."
"Very well." She started walking out the door. "Dante, if you would follow me around campus. To start, I'll show you the Lecture Hall."
As Dante went to follow the professor, he was stopped by Ozpin.
"For now, try to keep this deal not known as well as your situation. It will just confuse people if they knew about the real reason you're attending this school, including the teachers. If anyone asks, tell them that I recruited you for your uncanny abilities. Understood?" Ozpin said softly as he kept looking in the direction as he was previously.
Dante smirked, "Sure thing Ozzy."
Dante caught up with the female teacher as they ventured of down the stairwell while Ozpin stayed behind. Goodwitch stayed in front of Dante as he put his arms behind his head. They reached a large room that was labeled "Lecture Hall".
"This is the Lecture Hall. Here we hold classes so the students can learn what it means and takes to become a Huntsmen and Huntress." Goodwitch recited. The immediate sight after walking in the doors were a black chalkboard with a dark wooden half-circle desk in the middle as the Beacon emblem hung above it. On the both sides of the room were bookcases, one on each wall. In front of the lecturer's desk were more desk with seats that the students sat in to observe the lecture.
"Great." Dante yawned. "Next."
Goodwitch started moving to the next room to show as she said "Why Ozpin has accepted you as a student and taken an interest in you is something that I won't be able to understand."
"Probably for my looks. It'll increase the rep for the school." He smiled, hands still behind his head.
"Next is the library. We have a large number of books that the students can take and study." She commented. They stopped in front of two large double doors that looked like they belonged on a temple for how large they were. As the doors opened, it was an incredible sight of a library that was more than he expected. There was a large window at the top of the room as another smaller window rested next to it. They let light into the room as particles of dust were shining as the glided across the room. Bookcases sat below the windows on the second story as they were lined up against the wall. From the second story, were curved supports on the side that ran up walls to bevel in the ceiling with windows shining light through between these supports. It would seem that bookcases were in a single column on each side of the room. On the ground floor were white tables with seats. The students would sit here and read books as they got them from the shelves. From there, you could see that the second story was held up by black beams that had a stone base. In between these beams were even more bookshelves that reached the second story as well.
"Vergil would have a field day here." Dante thought.
As his eyes wondered the impressive sight, He saw a man in burgundy down one of the aisles, whom seemed to be looking for a certain book. His eye went up and down while steadily moving to left scanning each book carefully.
"Ah, Professor Port. I didn't expect you to be in here at this time." Goodwitch walked over towards the gentleman.
The man looked over to his right to see Goodwitch walking towards him, "Professor Goodwitch! So very nice to see you!" He turned to meet her face to face and notice Dante following behind Goodwitch. "Who is that behind you?"
"This man is Dante." Goodwitch said as Dante gave a two-finger salute. "Apparently, Ozpin has taken a liking to him and decided to offer him to be a student here."
"And I accepted. I thought that being here would give me a chance to meet the ladies." Dante grinned as he leaned against the bookshelf.
The man laughed, reminding him of himself, as his belly followed with his pace of laughing. He looked to be of an older gentleman. Grey hair with a mustache and very narrow eyes. He wore a burgundy suit with golden lining and golden buttons. His pants were tucked into his green boots which looked like military boots to Dante.
"I think you and I will get along just fine." The man smiled. "I am Peter Port. I teach the students about combat and the history of grimm from time to time."
"Will there be fighting in the class?" Dante asked.
"Yes. I occasionally bring grimm captured from the forest for the students to fight as a test."
"I guess I have another thing to be looking forward to then."
"It looked like you were looking for a book, Professor Port." Goodwitch asked.
"Yes. A book about a certain kind of grimm. Apparently, I can't seem to find it."
"Well then, I'll leave you to it. I hope you find what you're looking for." Professor Goodwitch turned around and walked towards the door signaling for Dante to follow her. Dante complied and followed her towards the door.
"Where to now, teach?" Dante asked stretching. He looked out the window and it seemed the sun was now setting.
"I will now show you to your dorm room. I take it you have a scroll on you, yes?" Goodwitch asked.
"Yup." Dante took the scroll out of his pocket and spun it on his index finger.
"Good. It will serve as the key to the door." She continued.
They headed down the hallways with just the tapping of the professor's heels and Dante's boots echoing throughout the building. They went up on story on the stair well and continued to travel through the labyrinth of hallways. Eventually, they reached Section 200 of the rooms.
"200, 202, Here we go. 204." She stopped at the concurrent room number and looked at the door. "Give me your scroll, please."
Dante listened and handed her the scroll. "So. Now what?"
The teacher swiped his scroll over her's as it made a beep sound. "Alright. To open the door, just hold up to the doorknob to lock and unlock it." She handed him the device back and stood back with her hand held up, gesturing to try it.
Dante walked up to the door and held it to the knob of the door. It lit red for a second, then switched to green. A switch sound came from the doorknob. He then turned the knob and opened up the door. He walked in and noticed four beds evenly spaced apart pushed up against the walls. There was a bathroom on the left hand side of the room and a night stand in between the second and third bed. Above the night stand was a window that rays of light were shining through hitting the carpet. It was currently dusk.
"This will be your room while you stay here at beacon." The teacher pushed her glasses up and continued on. "If you have trouble understanding something, don't hesitate to ask a professor."
"Alright. I'm about to take a shower." Dante said while tossing Rebellion onto a bed. He looked over his right shoulder at the professor and grinned. "You wanna join me?"
"Goodnight!" She screamed while blushing. She slammed the door closed. Dante could hear heavy footsteps trailing off on the other side of the door.
"Knew that would get rid of her." He said smiling. He walked over towards the window.
"I got a feeling that I'm going to be here for a while."
