Chapter 4: Progress
After their initiation Vergil left with Ozpin and Goodwitch to discuss his theory on the implications of the Grimm while Dante and Nero were left to deal with the numerous questions asked by teams RWBY, JNPR, Sun and Neptune.
"I can't believe it" Weiss said holding her head "angels and Demons actually exist."
"According to Vergil, technically they don't" Dante assured "at least not on Remnant. Naturally anyway." He added. "But where we come from, there are plenty of 'em."
"So where are you guys from exactly?" Pyrrha enquired "it's obvious you're quite strong so it would make sense that your home isn't so different from Remnant."
"First of all I'm not 'quite' strong okay; I am 'exceptionally' strong" he popped his collar with a smug grin. Weiss and Blake rolled their eyes.
"Secondly my family and Nero are kinda the exception, since my father is the most powerful demon swordsman in hell's history and my mom is one of the most powerful Arch Angel in heaven." He shrugged "so you know, me and Verg are strong by nature, it's just that we're even stronger since our parents don't make us slack off."
"What about Nero?" Blake enquired
"Nero? Aah…." he began scratching the back of his head unsure of what to say but stopped when he noticed something.
"Where is Nero anyway?" Nora questioned.
Everyone started looking around until Dante grunted "that sneaky brat. He ran off when I wasn't paying attention. Dammit he always does that!" he exhaled sharply. "That kid really needs to learn how to make friends." He grumbled.
Yang had Ruby in a headlock "been there, done that" she said amongst Ruby's struggle to get away from her.
Dante smirked at her "I like your style Goldie Locks."
Yang smirked as well "whatever you say hot stuff."
They both started staring into each other's eyes. The moment was interrupted when Weiss coughed in her fist.
"Can you two stop flirting with each other long enough for Dante to answer Pyrrha's question." The heiress demanded much to the ire of them both.
"Whoa calm down ice queen" Yang spoke with a frown.
"Yeah, Weiss so serious?" Dante added with a grin.
Yang and Sun started laughing at Dante's pun. Neptune, Blake and Ren could only shake their heads slowly while Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha just watched awkwardly.
Weiss had her head in her hands "oh Monty, there's two of them now" she said miserably
Nora scratched her head "I don't get it" she said with genuine confusion.
At that the laughing ceased and Dante, Sun and Yang stared at her like she was insane.
"Anyway" Dante began as he started to tell everyone about a wonderful, magical, mystical place called earth.
Meanwhile Vergil was currently inside Ozpin's office, having to explain how he, Nero and Dante truly arrived on Remnant. If Vergil's theory is correct then their presence may indeed upset whatever demon was apparently lying dormant. To say that the news given to them was shocking is an understatement.
Glynda had her eyes wide, reeling from what the young Nephilm's story. Ozpin didn't touch his coffee, his hands were intertwined on his desk and he wore a frown. Vergil himself had a stoic expression and stood perfectly still with his hands by his side, Yamato held by his left hand. The room has been silent for a full five minutes now and Vergil could understand, even though his theory doesn't have any evidence to back it.
Finally, Ozpin wordlessly stood and walked over to the window behind him with both hands behind his back.
"Vergil" he began "this is" he paused "very troubling news." You can hear the anxiety in his voice.
"Are you certain that is the case though?" Glynda spoke out "Do you have any proof?"
He shook his head "not at the moment, no. But keep in mind Mrs. Goodwitch my family has been dealing with demons for centuries now and we're able to see the patterns whenever they are involved and as disconcerting it is to admit it, the signs are especially clear."
"Is there anything we can do to avoid a full scale war with them?" Ozpin questioned "our school, no, our world is equipped to fight off the Grimm not demons."
Vergil closed his eyes "I'm afraid not" he answered morbidly "I don't know exactly what they are planning, anything involving demons always involve conflict, it is what they live for and thrive on. The demons in my realm wanted nothing but the annihilation of angels and the complete and total subjugation of mankind."
He opened his eyes to continue "the fact that there are no angels to hinder them in this world means that they will try and subjugate all of Remnant and I believe it started with the Grimm. I have a feeling that Dust as a role in all of this as well"
"How so?" Ozpin asked now turning to meet Vergil's gaze
"Well in my realm we don't refer to them as Dust, do you have any at the moment? I feel a demonstration is in order, a crystal if you have."
Ozpin nodded to Glynda and she went in the other room for a bit and came out with a yellow dust crystal. Vergil took the crystal and held it for them to see
"We refer to this as a devil star, or at least part of a devil star. It is something created in the demon world, high class demons use it for rejuvenation" the crystal began glowing in his fingers for a moment before disappearing.
Glynda straightened her glasses while Ozpin cupped his chin "you said that it is made in the demon world, then how can it be here?"
"It may have something to do with Remnant itself"
"Can you please elaborate?"
"Remnant may be similar to earth in many aspects but it is completely different, the power saturated in the atmosphere that gives you all Aura is not present on earth. I believe that is how they have been able to create it here."
"Then again" he continued "the fact that you've all found uses for it here even on a mundane level is, very surprising" he mused with a small smirk
"Mr. Sparda" Glynda scolded "please focus."
"I am sorry, it was just a thought."
Glynda exhaled sharply "you said that they would plan the subjugation of Remnant but why haven't they done so already, why wait all this time?"
Vergil cupped his chin in thought "I'm not sure" he finally said.
"Are you certain?"
"There may be a lot of reasons, for example: maybe they underestimated humans when they created Grimm and are in hiding or perhaps they are biding time waiting for more Grimm age and become as powerful as Goliaths before attacking."
"But that would take-"
"Years" Ozpin finished her sentence "many, many years."
"Centuries" Vergil corrected "demons don't have a sense of time since they are, for lack of a better word, immortal. Our parents spent over a hundred years of courtship before they were married and close to millennia before deciding to have children. So in all aspects, time is really on their side."
"However" Vergil continued "I'm afraid that our presence here may sped up whatever plans they might have had. So I think we should be very discreet about our suspicion, it would not surprise me if a demon masquerading as a human or Faunus is in Beacon right now."
Ozpin sighed while Glynda rubbed her temple, the anxiety finally getting to her causing a headache.
"Well then Vergil" Ozpin began in his usual tone "as someone experienced with these things, what exactly do you suggest?"
"Obviously I will need definitive proof, which means I will have to find it" he mused aloud "is there a place close to vale that has a large congregation of Grimm aside from the Emerald forest?"
"Mountain Glenn" he replied and continued "it was meant to be an expansion of Vale, however the plan failed and now the settlement is overrun with Grimm."
Vergil nodded to this "that would be as good a place as any to hide" he muttered while glancing to the side in thought.
"So I take it you'll be investigating the area then?" Ozpin questioned, although he already knew the answer.
"Yes" he replied, now focused again "I'll have Dante and Nero come with me" he paused "on second thought, maybe I should go by myself." He concluded with a sigh.
Both professors gave him a questioning look "how should I put this" he began "I want this to be something of a reconnaissance mission and both of them aren't very good with stealth" he answered their unsaid question "Dante especially" he added with a flat look.
Both professors could agree to that statement although Ozpin had his doubts about sending him alone no matter how strong he is, it just wasn't the way Beacon operated, after all, not everything goes the way you planned or anticipated and anything can go wrong. Glynda seemed to share Ozpin's view and her next statement solidified this.
"Perhaps we can have two of our stealthier students to accompany you?" This got Vergil's attention and with that she continued "may I suggest Miss Belladonna" she concluded.
"Blake?" Vergil said absentmindedly but began to think about it. It was true that she was quiet to a fault, from their first meeting he observed that her footsteps were light and if anything she had experience with espionage. He didn't have any definitive proof but it would explain why she feels the need to hide her heritage: to not draw attention to herself.
Another thing to worry about would be her combat prowess in case they run into any trouble. He's not underestimating her since both Glynda and Ozpin seem to trust her and from what he's heard about the entry requirements for Beacon, her abilities in a fight should be adequate. Still, if they do indeed find a demon and they would have to fight, in a Grimm infested settlement, depending on the demon's strength he would have to take care of it personally, leaving her to fend for herself against a possible horde.
No, he needed another person on this mission just in case a situation like that occurred.
"Is there anyone else who can possibly join this mission?" he asked "even I'm not sure what would happen out there and if I do find a demon, I will have to fight it leaving Blake to fend for herself against a possible horde" he recited his thoughts.
Glynda looked in thought before replying "the only other student I could recommend that is already aware of your" she paused to clear her throat "circumstances, is Lie Ren."
"Lie Ren" Vergil remembered meeting him, the boy who had the one pink highlight, from what he observed he shared much in common with Blake. Both were quiet and seemed to be hyperaware of their environment and seem to always be on guard. The only difference is while Blake's awareness seemed to stem from what he could only describe as experience, with her being a Faunus, Ren's awareness seemed conditioned, as if he was thought to be on guard at all times.
That kind of conditioning Vergil is well aware of as it is similar to his, which means that Ren must have been also trained in traditional martial arts. It was a little farfetched considering that he never actually spoke to him but Vergil has never doubted his observation skills but just to be sure.
"What are his skills exactly?" he questioned curiously.
Glynda saw what he was trying to do and replied "Mr. Lie is a close combat specialist who is able to focus his Aura to deliver fatal one hit strikes" she pushed up her glasses.
'Just as I thought' Vergil commented internally.
"His weapons also allow for mid-range attacks" she added.
"That'll be good" he said.
"Are you sure three persons will be enough though?" Glynda asked.
He nodded "yes professor Goodwitch. I'm more comfortable working with two persons rather than three anyway" he shrugged.
"Very well then" Ozpin spoke "I think enough has happened for today, so why don't you head back to your dorm room, we will contact you and both of them tomorrow."
With that, Vergil excused himself from the room and after exiting the elevator he realized he hadn't eaten anything yet. Not that he needed to eat anything since that dust crystal he absorbed a while ago pretty much filled him up. With that thought eating would probably be moot at this point. He also made a mental note to research other known areas of Remnant that are Grimm infested.
Nero was beginning to get frustrated, he stealthily made his way from the group before any questions were tossed his way. Honestly if any of them were to pester him about his arm he would tear them a new one especially since he had questions of his own.
He looked to his arm which was re-casted, he also wore his black leather glove as well. The more he stared at it the more questions popped up among them being "why now? Why here? Why did Vergil agreed to enroll into this freaking school!? He knew the answer but it still pissed him off to be taking classes, it seemed like Fortuna all over again.
He sighed in defeat before furrowing his brow. He missed Eva, she would always know just how to calm him down, like a mother would and even though she wasn't his he still thought of her as more of a mother than his biological one.
His scowl deepened remembering 'her' and it made his mood even worse. Pushing unwanted thoughts to the back of his subconscious he returned to his earlier problem, that being
"Where the hell's my locker?" he stated in frustration and annoyance.
He loved his weapons very much but the fact that he couldn't just summon them like Vergil and Dante was a problem. Carrying them around with him was an option but that would cause problems with the faculty, not that he gave a rat's ass what they think but he'd rather be left alone than be hassled by them, it just wasn't worth it.
Storing them in their dorm room was the most viable option and he was headed for his room when he remembered seeing something while he was on his scroll the very first day. It was a locker feature and after tapping on the icon he read that students could store weapons and gear in said locker. The most convenient thing about it though is that you could summon the locker almost anywhere you are with the push of a button.
Convenience at its finest right? Well you know what would be even more convenient? If he could find the damn thing!
"ARRRGH" Nero groaned loudly.
Seriously though what the hell kind of order system does this place use? Looking at his scroll his locker number was 76859 but there was no order to this place. Locker number 76858 was in the middle of numbers 76532 and 46789, what the hell!? Looking around, the surrounding lockers were like that as well, just random numbers bunched together.
It was like Ozpin was mocking him, remembering the Wizard of Oz the thought of the headmaster hitting a 'shuffle the lockers' button when he spied him heading for this direction wasn't so farfetched. Nero shambled along the very large locker room looking over the numbers but he suddenly stopped as an idea formed in his mind
He looked on his scroll or more specifically his locker's launch codes
"You know what? Screw. This."
Nero was now outside fiddling with his scroll, he looked up with a wide grin when the sound akin to a rocket blasting off. A glance to the sky confirmed his guess as he was staring at his rocket propelled locker on a crash course to his location.
It landed directly to his right with a loud *CRASH* however Nero was unfazed and simply went about using the personal codes on his scroll to open it. After carefully placing Blue Rose and Red Queen inside he closed it and sent it away only he ran inside to see where it would land with the mental consensus of
'No way in hell I'm going through this shit again!'
The locker rocket landed a few ways from the entrance through one of the many circular hatches on the ceiling. Nero memorized that particular spot and looked at the bright side: the way how he was moving to find it before, it would've taken hours if he hadn't thought of that idea.
Now with the locker problem settled he decided to head back to the dorms since he didn't have anything left to do. At that moment the sun was almost setting, the corridor he was walking on was painted in an orange hue.
"How long was I searching for that stupid locker?" the young half demon mumbled before looking out the window, not stopping he was too concerned with the sight of the shattered moon "man, I will never get used to tha-oof!"
Someone or something crashed into him and it was going incredibly fast because it managed to knock him unto his back while letting out an adorable "eep" upon collision. So it was there, on his back that Nero stared at the ceiling or more specifically at.
'Rose petals?' he thought in slight confusion.
Nero was broken from his trance as he heard "ugh" and came face to face with who was now on top of him. Their gazes met she blushed madly and Nero had a tint of red too but mostly kept it in check, choosing instead to address the person gazing at him.
"Ruby?"
Ten Minutes ago…
Dante had teams RWBY, JNPR, Sun and Neptune hang out in team NVD's room, space wasn't a concern since it was a four person bedroom shared by only three persons and the boys packed light. Somewhere during the day the extra bed was moved out so the space was large enough to hold everyone.
All eyes were directed to the Nephilm as he regaled them with tales of his past battles with the demon horde, they were a little apprehensive at first since their Grimm Studies teacher; Peter Port did that too but found that Dante's stories were actually better. Does he brag, hell yes, but he doesn't make it awkward or crack a lame joke in between, plus, somehow his bragging is at least believable, especially after what they saw in initiation.
Ruby and Nora were positively vibrating with excitement, thoughts of going toe to toe with the dark creatures of the abyss. Yang had a similar reaction but more composed, if there were actual demons in Remnant then she'd definitely be the first girl in all of remnant to fight one. Weiss had an indignant look, taking in the story while visibly displeased with his showboating even while not as offbeat as Port's, was nonetheless annoying. In fact, the only thing preventing her from voicing her displeasure was her close proximity to Neptune, whom gave her subtle glances every now and then much to her delight.
Pyrrha and Jaune excused themselves or more like Pyrrha did and literally dragged Jaune off with her to Monty knows where, completely ignoring his protests. Dante didn't mind, if he's learned anything from seeing his parents together it's that when your special lady asks you to do something, it wasn't a question.
Ren and Blake were seemingly ignoring him at the moment; the former quietly enjoyed the distraction of his childhood friend away from him by meditating while actually listening to him. The latter helped herself to one of Vergil's 'other worldly' stash of literature, how he actually got it or any of their belongings into the dorm room was something she wanted to ask but found the current read too engaging to even care. She was halfway through the book, sitting on Vergil's bed next to his small private collection.
The name of the book in that had Blake distracted so much? The title read A Song of Ice and Fire and in her opinion so far, has just made it up the ladder to one of her all time favorites, up there with Ninja's of Love. Blake was so caught up in the book that had yet to notice another presence sneaking up on her.
"Enjoying yourself?" a voice whispered in her ear causing her to almost jump out of her skin.
However she had enough self control to limit it to a slight jolt instead of straight up claw at whoever was brave enough to interrupt her. She turned around to see Sun Wukong looking at her with a grin, no doubt from getting the drop on her. Blake frowned in displeasure; her sharp gaze spoke volumes of how much she hated him at the moment.
It wasn't until Blake subtly showed one of her teeth that the monkey Faunus finally realized just how deep he was in "whoa, calm down Blake" his hands were held up in surrender however it didn't manage to change her expression.
Cold sweat began forming on his forehead in the face of her glare "I'm sorry" he apologized with a pleading expression.
After a few moments of him squirming under her gaze Blake sighed "it's alright Sun" her gaze reverted to the book but she could feel his eyes on her. "Do you need something?" She asked not taking her eyes off the page.
Sun was quiet for once, which was odd considering he was very talkative since they met. She peaked from the corner of her eye to see him staring at her as if contemplating something. With that in mind she sighed again, marked the page where she left off and closed the book to give Sun her undivided attention.
"What is it?" she asked curiously. If anything could get someone like him to be quiet then it must at least warrant her full attention.
"Sooo" he began "I hear there's this dance thing going on next weekend" he paused to gauge her reaction.
Ah that, Blake's heard other students talk about an event like that around, though she didn't see the need for a combat school to have something as pedestrian as a dance when they were supposed to be training to defend the world from the Grimm or terrorists and heck, apparently demons as well.
Sun saw her nod slightly in affirmation "sounds pretty lame" she concured "but" he continued and to her slight confusion he gestured to both of them "you and me I'm thinking, not as lame huh?" he finished and Blake couldn't help but notice the nervousness in his voice.
Still nervousness or not Blake was a bit confused with the situation and more suspicious with the blonde before her so with narrowed eyes she said.
"What?"
Somehow the small speck of nervousness left him and he just went with it "the dance next weekend, you wanna go or what?"
"I-uh" she trailed off to think.
Blake wasn't expecting that or at least not so early, of course she was well aware of her appearance and the effect it had on the opposite gender, she just doesn't flaunt it around like her partner. So she was expecting at some point closer to the dance to be approached by boys vying for her affection and intended to reject each and every one of them.
Being caught off guard aside, Sun of all people asking her wasn't something she was entirely surprised about since it was obvious to her that he harbored some feelings for her since they first locked eyes and he winked at her. Another thing Blake noticed that she may have overlooked before was the room, which was, for some inconceivable reason, completely and utterly devoid of all sound.
Blake shifted her eyes ever so slightly to see that behind Sun, everyone was looking at them, of course the boy in question was oblivious to them or perhaps he was purposefully ignoring that fact. Blake could see that everyone gave her and Sun their undivided attention, and yes that included Lie Ren who maintained his meditative position but was undoubtedly paying attention to them.
Blake could see Yang mouthing something to her, at this point she could see the worry in Sun's eyes at her lack of a response, but nonetheless she tried to decipher what Yang was telling her. The brawler was mouthing it consistently next to Ruby who had her hands over her mouth, she looked like she was holding her breath for some reason.
Anyway Blake used her lip reading skills, honed during her espionage days in the White Fang to see what Yang was constantly mouthing. At this rate Yang was basically whisper shouting so instead of lip reading her acute sense of hearing picked up the words
"Say Yes" what? "SAY YES!"
It had been over ten seconds since Sun popped the question and she was about to reject him when a thought came into play.
'Should I?' she wondered internally.
Blake by no means had feelings for the fellow Faunus and didn't exactly want to participate in the upcoming dance. However, if there is one thing that could be said about Blake Belladonna is that she always repaid her debts and she no doubtable owed a debt to Sun Wukong. He was the one who comforted her when she revealed herself as a Faunus formerly of the White Fang and talked her out of dropping out of Beacon.
He also helped her with trying to find out the reason why the White Fang was stealing Dust, though that brought about even more unanswered questions. Still, he had her back throughout that entire ordeal, so the least she could do was endure a night of loud people gathering and dancing to even louder music.
With her mind resolute she answered "sure" with the faintest of smiles tugging her lips.
For his part Sun let loose a breath he had unknowingly held the entire time and beamed at her "GREAT" he exclaimed before coughing to which she couldn't help but giggle "I-I mean uh, great so I'll" he mulled over his words "see you around?"
Before Blake could respond Yang, Ruby and Nora bomb rushed her and effectively tossed Sun out of their new circle, literally. Yang deemed his usefulness done for now and pushed him away so hard he almost landed on Dante. That is if Sun didn't do an air flip to land where Dante was in a perfect sitting position on the bed with a bounce, Dante himself had casually moved to the side to accommodate his new passenger.
The first thing Sun did was fist bump Dante, he then turned to Neptune who nodded at him coolly and spoke "gotta admit, didn't think she'd actually go for it."
Sun grinned "and that my blue haired friend is exactly why I am the leader and you are the nerdy sidekick"
"For the last time it's intellectual" Neptune growled.
"Hey" Dante butted in "where I'm from, if it walks like a nerd and talks like a nerd then we call it what it is" he finished with an expression of utmost seriousness that was mirrored by Sun and both fist bumped without taking their gazes off of Neptune.
The bluenette could only face palm "I hate you guys, so much" he muttered, Weiss could only offer a sympathetic pat on the back, she knew all too well what it's like to surrounded by 'imbeciles'.
"Anyway" Dante began "break it up you girls" at this they all turned to the playfully crossed Nephilm "it's bad enough that I didn't know about this dance, but I will not have the fact that I'm the only guy who doesn't have a date rubbed in my face, in my own room!" he exclaimed the last part.
There was silent before Ruby spoke "Neptune doesn't have a date" she said a matter-of-factly.
Dante gave her a 'really' look before, not so subtly, glancing at Weiss who still had her hand on Neptune's shoulder. By the time Ruby looked at her partner she was already a distance away from the bluenette with a blush present.
Yang made a note to tease her later but for now "we should celebrate Blake finally getting a boyfriend" Blake looked to her partner in horror
"He is not-"
"YEAH!"Blake was cut off by the combined cheering of Ruby and Nora.
"Alright" Yang concluded
"I left the board game in the library" Ruby added quickly.
"I'm surrounded by simpletons" Weiss groaned, mirroring Neptune's earlier position.
Ruby ran outside just as three Haven students passed the door. She ran for a good few minutes across the campus using her semblance until
*CRASH*
"Oof"
"Eep"
Present Time
"…Ruby"
"Yes?"
"Get, off" his tone was dark and it made her eyes widened "..please?" he added after remembering that she gets her feelings hurt kinda quickly.
She immediately got off "I'm so sorry, it was accident!" she said pleadingly
"It's fine" he sat up "so why were you running around anyway" he said more as a way to start a conversation than actually caring, as such he hardly paid attention to Ruby as she recollected the tale of what happened that led up to her running into him. Not that he could understand most of what she was saying anyway since she was talking so fast.
As he dusted his coat off, he managed to pick up what was important for him to know, that is: Dante, Ruby's entire team, half of JNPR, Sun and Neptune were currently in his dorm. This meant that he wouldn't get any peace and quiet in there and the worst part? He didn't have his freaking headphones and you can bet he's not stepping foot in that room now.
During his thoughts he forgot that Ruby was still talking and so he put a hand over her mouth "Ruby"
"Yeph?"
"Can you lead the way?" he removed his hand from her mouth.
"Sure" she said elated but it became uneasiness "but weren't you on your way to the dorms?"
He looked in that general direction before shrugging "I was looking for a way to kill some time anyway, might as well go to the library" who knows, he might be able to scout a secluded spot away from prying eyes in case he needed to hid-er 'get away from it all.'
Ruby nodded and turned her back to him to lead the way to the library. Nero was oblivious to the victorious grin at her progress with Nero as a friend.
Vergil found himself in a peculiar situation, earlier today after leaving Ozpin's office he went about exploring the academy but stopped. Why you ask, well truthfully, he was drawn to something there. Vergil had sensitivity to certain types of energy, unlike Nero who can't sense them properly and Dante who had poor sensitivity towards them.
What he was sensing was definitely unique in nature, it was akin to a weaker version of demonic or angelic power. This feeling led him to the roof entrance, slowly without a sound he cracked open the door to peek through and what he saw made his eyebrow arch.
Right there, on the roof, was Jaune and Pyrrha, holding hands while meditating which wasn't as odd as the phenomenon he was seeing. Pyrrha was surrounded by a faint red glow.
'This must be Aura' he assessed.
He then turned his attention to Jaune who had a similar outline only his Aura was pure white and to Vergil, it made him look almost, benevolent. Then something clicked, he sensed something else coming from the blonde knight, it was faint, very much so but
'It can't be' Vergil thought before he closed the door quietly and made his way from the scene all the while pondering what he just saw and felt, not to mention the implication if he were to tell this to Ozpin.
Vergil was so deep in thought he didn't pay proper attention to his surroundings and as he rounded the corner past two students he bumped into someone, thankfully it was really a bump and both of them merely took a step back from the initial impact.
Vergil went to apologize but had to do a double take at the person's appearance. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl he has seen in Beacon so far and every girl he has met since his enrollment was above average in the looks department. She had pale skin, her hair looked silky smooth and would have reached her back if it wasn't neatly over her shoulder, from there Vergil could see that near the tip of her locks the colors shifted from deep black to ash grey.
Her left eye was also covered by her hair but the visible eye was yellowish-orange which was unique. In fact it was her eyes which garnered his attention as he peered into them, they conveyed a deep sense of mystery to the Nephilm and he subconsciously believed he would be able to solve it if he kept his gaze on it.
His father however has thought him better than that and he schooled his emotions which were more of curiosity that anything else, especially since the woman in question was looking at him.
"I apologize, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going" he apologized.
The woman gazed at him for a moment before smiling at him; it was the type smile that would make a weaker man shudder. Except Vergil has seen that gaze before, many times and was accustomed to it, although now he was very suspicious of her.
She approached him, her gaze attempting to burrow into his very being yet he didn't even flinch under it.
"It is quite alright, young man" her voice was sultry yet he feels it is unintentional, it could easily send shivers of ecstasy down a normal teenager's spine. To Vergil though, she was simply confirming his suspicions.
She stepped into his guard, invading his personal space and placed a hand on cheek before tracing the contours of his jaw, sensually.
"Do be careful in the future" she continued "or you might hurt someone" she finished with a smirk as Vergil blinked at her boldness.
From what he could tell, she was enjoying this, very much so and for some reason that didn't sit right with Vergil. Suddenly he could hear the voice of his brother urging him to "put this chick in her place."
And so, Vergil gently grasped her hand leaned even closer, forcing her to lean back. Vergil smiled warmly to her subtly shocked expression, it wasn't much as her smile was replaced with a barely opened mouth and her eyes widened slightly. As mentioned before it wasn't much of a change but to Vergil it was enough because she didn't expect to be on the receiving end of someone's boldness for once.
"I will keep that in mind, miss?" he left the question hanging.
Her coy expression returned as if to accept his challenge "Cinder~" she practically purred while straightening her posture "Cinder Fall" she concluded.
"Vergil Sparda" he replied before bowing slightly with on hand grasping her hand tenderly while the other one was behind his back.
With his brother's imaginary urgings, his mother's teachings, his father's etiquette training and just generally feeling bold, Vergil kissed the back of Cinder's hand. He didn't see the more pronounced shocked expression she gave before it faded away as fast as it came.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance" he said before letting her hand go.
"Charmed" she replied looking over the man before her, her smile never fading but on the inside she was assessing him thoroughly.
It was obvious to Cinder that he was more than meets the eye, but no matter how much she looked he was as much of a mystery as perhaps herself. That's it, he was an unknown and if there was anything she disliked it was an unknown especially for her plans. She would have to investigate him.
"Well then Vergil if you'll excuse me" she went to go around him but he stepped to the side and gestured for the now clear path where her two cohorts who were gawking at the entire exchange, the tan skinned girl even more so.
Cinder glanced at Vergil who maintained his smile and stood in place, a slight frown was shown as she walked away 'is he mocking me?' she wondered.
"I hope we meet again Miss Fall" he said earnestly. Her reply was to look over her shoulder and walk past her teammates. Vergil rounded the corner and couldn't help but chuckle at her subtle reaction of dissatisfaction.
Cinder frowned, that had not gone the way she had expected a situation like that to have gone. She actually enjoyed flirting, if anything to just watch the reactions of the boys, she relished in watching them squirm, it was one of her small pleasures. Though, no one has ever turned it against her like he had, oh they would try but would ultimately end up stuttering like fools under her sharp gaze. It wasn't a competition, yet she couldn't help but feel she lost that little confrontation.
"That guy was smooth" Mercury commented impassively.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emerald questioned or more like ordered.
The grey haired boy merely shrugged "just saying, never seen boss lady get one over her like that before. You gotta admit he handled her like a pro" he finished, seemingly forgetting that the person in question was within striking distance of him.
Emerald's eyes widened and she looked to Cinder who had her back turned, she gave no outward reaction to Mercury's accusation.
"Shut up Mercury" she warned through gritted teeth with a threatening look.
He held his hands up in surrender "hey I'm just calling it how I see it and what I saw was the guy working ove-"
"Children" Cinder's voice interrupted "be quiet" she finished. Her voice was the same although if one were to record it and play it over a couple of times then an analyst might be able to pinpoint that slight edge it had.
Vergil had a smile, he thought that went pretty well (for him) but he really did hope they meet again. He would never admit it to anyone but he loved a good mystery, if Dante craved adventure and the thrill of action then finding and solving mysteries would be his thing. So far he hasn't been enrolled in Beacon for a full day and there are already several mysteries for him to solve.
Vergil swiped his scroll on the pad next to his door and he opened it to see Dante, Sun and Yang conversing, Nora babbling to Ren who was trying to meditate while Neptune was talking to a giggling Weiss and Blake reading from his private collection.
"What's up Verg?" Dante called out and everyone else now took note of his presence.
Blake in particular looked as if she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar though it hardly showed, her eyes merely widened. He raised his hands to signal that it was alright, she nodded and continued to read.
"I wonder what's taking Ruby so long?" Yang mused aloud.
"She's only been gone for like ten minutes" Dante said "Isn't the library almost on the other side of beacon?" he finished.
Yang chuckled much to his confusion "trust me D, she's faster than you think."
"Speaking of" Vergil walked from the door to his bed where Blake was "where is Nero?" Vergil asked.
"Dunno" his twin replied "he escaped when I wasn't looking."
Vergil hummed before whipping out his scroll and check the team tracking feature.
"It looks like he's in the library" Vergil said after a few moments.
Suddenly the room became deathly quiet, Yang, Dante, Nora and Weiss looked to him and the only word that escaped Dante and Yang's mouth were
"What?"
"It says here that his scroll is in the library" Vergil clarified.
Dante and Yang took out their scrolls and searched for their younger members, both stood side by side to compare scroll locations and soon enough it showed both Nero and Ruby as being in the library. It also showed they were in close proximity to each other, now what would two unsupervised hormonal teenagers be doing in an almost deserted building?
It was Weiss who spoke after standing up "are the both of them?"
Dante and Yang shared a look before bolting out the door so fast you'd think a gust of wind blew through the place
"W-wait for me" Weiss shouted as she tried to catch up to them. Ruby was her partner and despite her partner's intentions, Nero doesn't strike her as the friendly type and excluding his 'arm' she sees Nero as a bad influence on her leader.
"Come on Ren" Nora chirped dragging the boy to his feet "I don't wanna miss this!" she finished but a hand on her shoulder stopped her, she turned to see it was Vergil.
"Actually Nora, I'd like to speak with Ren for a moment" Nora and Ren had a puzzled expression.
Nora spared Ren a glance and he gave her a barely noticeable smile "go on Nora, I'll meet you at the dorms"
Nora shared an unsure glance between her childhood friend and her new friend before nodding "okay Renny I'll tell you the details later!" she said with a bright smile before running out.
Vergil then turned to Sun and Neptune, they got the message immediately as Sun got up and stretched
"Whelp, it's getting pretty late, right Neptune?"
His partner agreed "yeah, we better get going before curfew, see you around Vergil" he did a two fingered salute and casually headed for the door.
"See you later Blake, Vergil, Ren" Sun added before closing the door behind him.
Blake stood up with eyes on the book and began to walk away.
"I want to speak with you as well Blake" Vergil interrupted her causing the Faunus-in-disguise to glance at him before returning to her former position.
Ren sat on Nero's bed and Vergil took Dante's, he lurched forward, interlacing his fingers and propped his elbows on his thighs. He looked between Ren, who was looking at him with a stoic expression while Blake was still reading but he had no doubt that she was paying attention as her bow wasn't arched slightly in his direction.
"As you have heard me stated earlier today, I believe that demons are responsible for the incursion of Grimm on Remnant" he said coolly.
Ren nodded slowly while Blake's eyes glanced from the book, the look on his face and his tone meant that this was something worth her undivided attention. She sighed and marked the page before closing the book.
"About that" Blake began "how exactly could demons be responsible for the Grimm?"
"That is a good question Blake, but let's get something straight" he paused "the Grimm are demons or that is what I believe."
"Are they any different from the ones you've encountered before?" Ren asked.
Vergil nodded "yes and no" he paused before continuing. "I've never seen demons like the Grimm before however their actions, the feeling of emptiness I get from them and even the way they disappear into black ash, are exactly like demons."
"That still doesn't answer my question" Blake interrupted.
"Yes well you see, I believe at some point a demon or a group of demons came to Remnant and created the Grimm, for whatever reasons I am not 100% sure."
"How are you sure it's not just a demon native to Remnant?" Ren questioned.
Vergil seemed to mull over his words "because if it were, I would have sensed demonic energy, high class demons may be able to mask it but if it was a native demon then there would be more of them and I'd be able to sense them."
Ren hummed in response,
Vergil turned his attention to Blake "now to answer your question Blake. When a Grimm dies it evaporate into black smoke correct?" she nodded in affirmation.
"It is common knowledge in my world that demons have found a means to, for lack of a better term, recycle low level demons."
"What?"
"It's simple, there are certain types of demons capable of actually recreating other low class demons using the essence of the ones that died. I believe that black smoke is what they use, eventually it will be collected by that demon and more Grimm would be created from it" he stopped to gauge their reactions.
They both looked as impassive as ever however Vergil could tell that they are thinking thoughtfully about the information. It was an alarming thought indeed, knowing that for every one of those monsters you kill another is being created somewhere by something not thought to have existed. In that case wouldn't it mean that the war with Grimm was futile?
It was Ren who asked the question Vergil didn't expect "you want us to help you find this demon, correct?"
Vergil liked Ren, he's more critical than most, nonetheless he nodded "you haven't received the mission from professor Ozpin yet but I will be leading a small reconnaissance team into mountain Glenn in search of such a demon, if there is one." He added.
"You aren't sure there is one?" Blake asked.
He shook his head "not really, it's purely speculation at this point. Anyway I just wanted to give you two a heads up before so you could clear your schedule. The mission will be on the weekend" He concluded before looking at the book Blake was reading.
"I see you've helped yourself to my private collection" he commented.
Blake was at a loss for words, personally she wouldn't like it if someone went through her private book collection especially without permission. Truthfully though she was just curious about them at first since Dante said they were from his world, she wanted to maybe read a little and then put it back and if she liked what was read would ask Vergil to borrow it later, after all it's not every day you can read a book from a different dimension.
The book she chose however, was so good that she became immersed in the story, ah the story of love, lust, war and most prominently, betrayal.
"If you like I could lend it to you, along with its continuation series"
Her bow perked, there's more?
Vergil looked to Ren "what about you Ren?" he asked.
The stoic boy looked to both of them before saying "I read in my spare time" he answered.
And so the Beacon Secret Book Lovers Club was established
The sun had gone down fully, now replaced by the shattered moon, it would serve to be a peaceful night where students were peacefully chatting and walking about.
"OUTTA THE WAY!"
Except for four students
"Coming through" Dante said as he skillfully bobbed and weaved his way pass the students, a grin on his face. His face was set like that ever since he found out that Nero was alone, with a girl, his age, in close proximity. He looked to his scroll again to see that his younger teammate hasn't move from his spot in the library
'Time for my boy to be a man' he shouted in elation internally.
Yang was running beside Dante every step of the way except her expression was set in a cross between anger and worry. It was one thing to tease Ruby about having a relationship with Nero, heck who wouldn't, Nero was her age, he was good in a fight not to mention as socially inept as her, maybe even worse and is apparently a weapons geek.
Still his attitude was far from Ruby's, Dante makes light of it and she can trust him since he's a lot like her, the thrill seeking life of the party who knows when to get serious. Nero on the other hand is another story, she would agree with Weiss in saying that he would be a bad influence on her, as painful as it to admit agreeing to anything with the 'princess'.
Yang saw the smile Dante sported and somehow it seemed to her that Dante wanted Nero to be alone with her little sister. Then she remembered how he introduced Ruby, like they were on some dating show. That rubbed the blonde brawler the wrong way and she gritted her teeth when she spoke
"You better hope your teammate isn't doing anything to my sister!" she shouted.
Dante's smile dropped as he looked at Yang in confusion "what?"
"You seem happy that Nero's alone with Rubes"
"Yeah I am, so?" he asked again, not liking the look on her face.
"So~" she began, her voice with fake mirth but her expression turned dark "I hope for his sake he doesn't do anything 'inappropriate' with Rubes" she finished.
Dante stared at her with a blank expression before he frowned, then narrowed his eyes until his expression mirrored Yang's. Dante was a laid back person and it isn't easy to rile him up, even when lives are stake his attitude is always a solid go with the flow. If there is one thing that could royally piss off Dante Sparda, it would be when someone insults his family not him but his family, especially when they don't know what they're talking.
As they reached the library Dante grabbed Yang by the arm and with an impressive show of strength slammed her into the wall beside the entrance. Yang found herself face to face with a scowling Dante glaring at her.
"Now you listen to me blondie, you don't know what you're talking about" he began right before Yang swatted his arms away and glared back at him "who the hell are you to judge him huh!?" he spat.
Nora ran up to Weiss who witnessed the entire exchange, she had a blank expression.
Ignoring the tension she asked "what's going on?"
Dante and Yang eyed Nora and the boy spoke "nothing, just getting something straight" he turned to Yang "listen Xiao Long, you don't want Nero to be friends with your sister fine, just say the word and I'll tell Nero to avoid her" he stepped closer "but, if you ever threaten my family again" his eyes glowed a ethereal red with white irises and red vein like cracks ran across the surrounding skin "you and I will have words" his face reverted back to normal and he left the stunned blonde.
Nora and Weiss watched as he walked inside the library, the only movement from Yang was to lower her head so that the bangs shadowed her eyes. She slowly eased off the wall and walked inside the library as well.
Nora's bubbly nature was gone, replaced with shock and maybe a twinge of fear but nonetheless she tried to maintain it by laughing it off, albeit nervously
"I guess he really is, half demon, huh?" she said awkwardly.
Weiss could only nod, she'd never felt something like that before in her life, for a moment it was as if he had turned into a Grimm, no, even the Grimm didn't give off anything like what she felt from Dante. Compared to Dante the Grimm might as well be, nothing. She and Nora then walked inside the library only to see Dante and Yang hiding behind a bookshelf, peeking through a few books to view the other side.
Weiss and Nora looked to each other then at their friends, it was as if what happened before never did happen. Both girls approached them
"Hey" Nora greeted
Dante and Yang snapped their heads to the two newcomers, almost like startled animals
Weiss arched an eyebrow and continued where the bubbly girl left off "what are you two do-"
She didn't get to finish her question as Dante and Yang grabbed them and held them against their chest behind the bookshelf. Both had their mouths covered, Dante had to clamp his hand down on Nora's hard because she was still trying to talk a mile a minute, completely unfazed.
Weiss on the other hand glared at her teammate silently while Yang placed a hand over her lips, gesturing her to be quiet. Dante on the other hand went for a verbal approach
"Nora"
The hammer wielder stopped her muffled talk to respond "Yepgh?"
"Could you not say anything for 5 minutes?"
Nora nodded vigorously and he slowly uncapped her mouth, Yang did the same with a now annoyed Weiss who geared to lecture both of them but was shocked to find Yang and Dante promptly ignore their presence.
Weiss had a gaped expression when she heard a silent squeal from Nora who was mimicking their position with a book pushed aside to view the other side. Now curious as to what these 'dunces' were staring at she went beside Yang and pushed a few books aside. What she saw on the other side, well, shouldn't be as surprising to her as it was when she thought about it later but nevertheless was caught off guard by it.
There, sitting around the table, Team RWBY was at not so long ago was Ruby and Nero who looked to be enjoying a game of 'World of Remnant.' Actually, 'enjoying' seems to be an exaggeration seeing as how Nero and surprisingly even Ruby had the most serious expression her and Yang have seen outside of a battle, or when someone messes with her cookies.
*Epic Battle Song* And it was there, that the New Sparda Republic (NSR) was caught in a deadlock with the Red Rose Empire (RRE). After a successful assault by the queen of the RRE the NSR have now found its food supply cut in half. Its general seeing no way out has no other choice but to surrender and soon the title of Remnant's ruler shall be Rub-
"Would you knock it off with the monologues already?" Interrupted a voice, "It's embarrassing" the voice finished.
*Record Scratch*
Nero glared at Ruby who, in the middle of her tirade, was posing on top of her seat dramatically. She then proceeded to look at the few people glaring at her, some from behind their books, turn red with embarrassment before coming down whilst laughing nervously. Nero shook his head slowly
'And to think, we're the same age' he thought dejectedly.
Behind the bookshelf Weiss also shook her head slowly at her leader. Meanwhile Yang had a mile wide grin and turned to her accomplice
"Please tell me you're getting this" she asked Dante who was videoing with his scroll
Dante turned to her with a 'really' look "you think I'd miss out on capturing the perfect teasing material?"
Yang could only grin at him, now why was she angry with him again?
An overly dramatic "nooooo" was heard coming from Ruby. Looks like the NSR made a comeback. This went back and forth for another ten minutes with a steady deadlock, neither truly gaining an advantage for long on the other.
Weiss sighed and broke away from the group, she originally came here because she was worried about Ruby but since they aren't up to anything scrupulous the heiress had no reason to stay.
"Where are you going princess?" Yang asked.
Weiss sighed indignantly before whirling around "it's obvious they aren't up to anything. I see no reason why we should be staying here spying on two children playing a board game."
Yang blinked at her answer, even Dante and Nora turned to look at her. Dante's gaze softened and he stopped recording to truly look at scene before him. Nero was actually having fun and for once it wasn't inside of a fight.
'It's a start' he thought before pocketing his scroll.
Yang saw this and shrugged "guess you have a point" she mumbled taking one last look at the duo before leaving with Weiss.
Dante walked off before coming back and yanking Nora away"come on Nora, let's give the love birds some privacy."
"Aww" she moped.
They were almost out the door when they overheard some comments
"I'm glad that idiot Dante isn't here right now" said boy stopped in his tracks "I swear sometimes I think he gets his kicks from messing with me."
"Ugh, tell me about it" Ruby agreed "Yang's the same way." The blonde stopped opening the door halfway.
They both made eye contact before a mischievous grin formed on their faces 'my teasing sense is tingling.'
"Shall we?" Yang questioned
Dante let go of Nora and "ladies first" he replied with a courteous bow while gesturing her to go ahead.
"Ooh, a gentleman, I like~" she purred to which he winked.
Weiss face palmed while Nora looked on in amusement, stifling her giggles
"Say our names and we shall appear!" they both yelled in unison
"Eek!"
*Groan* "dammit!"
Weiss had enough and just walked away, having been fed up with them.
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: Sorry if this chapter didn't contain any action but I'm trying to take this one slow, Monty knows I have to with how long each chapter is. Plus I hate rushed work, so yeah, I'm going to be fusing the main stories along with some fluff on the side, which will be random on my part, while doing character development and progressing the story. Then again I specifically say that this is a romance fic so you should be expecting fluff.
I will be honest I don't know if I captured the RWBY characters well because most of this stuff I got from reading a lot of RWBY fanfics along with my own speculations so they may be iffy. An example of this would be Weiss in the beginning, I used first season Weiss accidentally, instead of the slightly more mellowed version in season 2.
Some of you might be taken aback by Vergil and as you can see he isn't like his classic counterpart or the reboot version. Well this is my interpretation of how Vergil would be if he was raised properly by his parents along with Dante into his late teens. So of course being around Dante for so long, some of his brother would rub off on him and vice versa.
I suppose I don't have to explain Dante so much since from what I learned from the reboot game, he's always been impulsive and his mother loved him for that so the only change would be that he doesn't curse as much. He doesn't act like an asshole in the fic like he did in the game because he had a loving family and wasn't alone in his fight against demons. And it is because he experienced love growing up that he wants the same for Nero, by having Ruby become his friend.
Nero's personality is the same for when he is in DMC4 except he never knew Kyrie so he's basically an angry kid who doesn't give a crap about what people think, spits on authority and generally doesn't give a shit. How he has demon powers connected to Sparda? I'll explain it somewhere down the line but for now, I'll leave it up to your imaginations. Hint: he is not a clone and Sparda did not have an affair.
One final note and fair warning: I would like to try and make every RWBY character have an important role in the events to come and in the end everything works out for the better. So yeah, if you think that when the big showdown occurs that it will be just the main characters getting screen time you are very mistaken, oh no when this fic near its end I want it to be like that final battle in Lord of The Rings, a battle on Epic proportions, hopefully I will still be writing (I hate long hiatus' so I try to not do that) and this would have become the number one RWBY/DMC crossover with over a thousand favorites. I can dream can't I? With that I have reached over 10,000 words on Microsoft word.
Also expect updates to be longer, College is being a real Bitch right now.