Note: Devil May Cry 2 rocks!! Yahoo! ^__^
Well looks like fanfiction.net doesn't want the to face the right directions when the panther's talked. I'll probably change the way I did that in the future.
Happy Readings!
Chapter 3: Hierarchy
A very pissed off Dante drove up to Devil Never Cry. He'd only been awake for about five or six hours today, yet in that time quite a load had fallen into his lap. Wandering into the building, he tossed his keys on the desk in the main foyer and dropped into the chair behind it, propping his feet up on the desk. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and grabbed a beer out of the mini fridge beneath his desk with the other.
Dante was a professional demon hunter, and thus had no small knowledge of devils. Yet despite this, and his half-devil heritage, he really had no knowledge of the devils themselves. Thinking about all that Barthalanus had said, he realized how little he knew of demon society. He knew his father had always been known as 'The Dark Knight," but now Dante wondered exactly what that meant. Barthalanus almost made it sound like they had a feudal system or something.
Fortunately, Dante knew exactly who to contact in such a situation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dante stood outside an impressive two-story house in one of the better sections Chicago, feeling weird in his jeans and jacket. Guess that just goes to show he wore red leather too often. In this part of town, however, red leather trenchcoats and spikey gloves attracted a little too much attention, Dante mused as a passing neighborhood police car drove past. Ebony and ivory were strapped inside his jacket. No way he was walking anyway unarmed, regardless of how many cops were running around.
He rang the doorbell and heard it echo throughout the house. Seconds later his demon hearing picked up the patter of footsteps. The door opened with a click and Dante found himself face to face with a young man of about 23 with mouse brown hair and boyish bright blue eyes behind a pair of glasses. Dante read his shirt: 'Who's General Failure and why's he reading my disk?'
"Nice shirt, Ray," Dante commented.
"Dante!" the young man cried surprised. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in months. Oh," he said giving himself a shake, "Come in, come in."
Dante stepped into a lavish main hall that looked like it was decorated partly by Picasso and partly by Martha Stuart [speaking of devils ^_~]. A single metal spiral staircase rose up into a hole in the domed ceiling, which had a myriad of eye twisting sculptures and shapes painted on it in an almost mockery of the Sistine Chapel. The furniture was wooden, old, and simple. Decorating the tables and shelves were pots of flowers, books, expensive wine bottles, etc.
Dante had become used to it. After the first five or six visits. Maybe seven.
Ray grinned at him. "So what ARE you doing here? If you're looking for a friendly visit I can make up some tea?…"
Dante shook his head. "Sorry. It's bussiness." At Ray's crestfallen look, Dante added, "I could have a beer though…"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Upstairs, Dante studied Ray's "work room." One side of the room was literally riddled with books. On selves, on stacks on the floor, scrambled on the tables, everywhere. The other half the room looked like something out of a scifi movie. Four different computer monitors on a desk flipped through various screens, scrolling though pages of codes and pictures. Various blinking equipment were hooked together by a mass of twisting cords that ran amuck into a very unhappy looking wall socket and surge protector.
Ray was an old friend he had met a few years ago, a fanatic for devil lore and a scholar on all things weird and unworldly. He was one of the most knowledgeable people Dante knew, though when it came to street smarts and girls Ray was at the losing end. The guy was a hopeless loser, though he happily acknowledged it. Ray was from a wealthy family who had left him the house (though the remodeling was all Ray's) and a sweet fortune which propelled him into MIT…where Ray quickly found he knew more about computers than half his professors. After a few weeks back home Ray's parents were attacked and killed by devils while on their anniversary.
Ray made a few contacts and phonecalls and met up with Dante, who dispatched the devils. And who took a heavy knock to the head that knocked him unconscious. Ray was, to say the least, a little surprised and suspicious when Dante woke up an hour later seemingly recovered from a wound that would have killed most people. For this reason Ray was one of the few people who knew Dante's true heritage. From there Ray used his money and computer smarts to establish himself as one of the city's top sources for supernatural information. [if you watch Angel, think of Wes…but more of a pacifist]
Ray sat on a swivel chair in front of the four monitors. "So what can I do for you? Looking for a particular demon? Mystical healing items? Long lost possessed jewelry?
Dante looked at him like he was crazy.
Ray sighed. "You wouldn't believe half the stuff I've gotten this week. One lady wanted help finding dragon eggs."
Dante blinked. "Dragons exist?"
Ray grinned. "Beats me. I referred her to a friend who specializes in dragons."
Dante took a seat d. "Does 'Staff of Power' ring any bells? Or 'The Ten'? I'm guessing the first is some sort of demonic weapon or symbol, and the other is a group or clan of some kind."
Ray looked thoughtful and nibbled on the end of his pencil. "The Ten…The Ten…damn that sounds familiar…" Jumping up, Ray headed to the bookshelf and after a few seconds search he pulled out an old volume whose title was in Latin. "Liber de Diabolo Regno" [which if my 5 years of Latin taught me anything, which is doubtful, should read 'Book of the Devil Kingdom']. "I remember something about one of the ruling circles," Ray said while flipping pages. "The Ten was second in command I think."
Dante frowned. "Ruling circles? What, the devils had Congress or something?"
Ray held off a politician joke and instead said, "For the guy who banished the devil Emperor you sure don't sound like you know what you're messing with."
Dante muttered, "I've been realizing that of late."
"Ah!" Ray exclaimed laying a finger on a page. "Here we go. The theory is that there is a sort of hierarchy in the Underworld. Any devil that's powerful enough can claim the throne for him or herself and become Emperor. The devil's siblings, since they are usually also very strong, are promoted to positions of power as well. The group of siblings and the Emperor form the top group, which is given the number in the group."
"The Ten," Dante said.
Ray shook his head. "Nope. Your friend Mundus became Emperor a few years before this book was written, and apparently the group was known as The Five, meaning there were four other siblings."
Dante was quickly getting bored with the lecture. "So who are The Ten?"
"I'm getting there," Ray said. "Each of The Five picked two demons of their choice to act as their right hand men. It was considered a great honor and usually went to the most powerful devils in the realm." Ray snapped the book shut. "That's about all there is. Five times two is "
"Ten," Dante finished for him. So ten of the highest ranking devils in the Underworld… Dante looked at Ray. "Hey, what do you think Griffon ranked?" After Dante returned from Mallet Island, Ray had wanted to know every little detail of information on the devils he had fought.
Ray looked thoughtful. "Hard to say. I'd guess a First Lieutenant. The same for the Phantom too."
Dante's ears pricked up. That was what Barthalanus had called that Occasus guy or whatever his name was. "Wait a second. What's a First Lieutenant now?"
Ray sighed. "There's got to be a faster way to explain all this," he muttered. "Okay," he said, plopping back down in his swivel chair, "Bear with me for a second. The Five are the current ruling family, led by Mundus. Below them are The Ten. Below them," he said making an imaginary ladder with his hands, "are the First Lieutenants. They're basically dark generals and such, and there's usually a total of about thirty of them. Beneath that are Second Lieutenants, the last rung in the power ladder. A strong Blade might qualify as one, but it's unlikely. All your thousands of lesser devils don't belong in a group. And that," Ray concluded, "is the devil Hierarchy." Ray was getting that misty look he got in his eyes when his brain went out to lunch into demon theology.
Dante absorbed in all the info. "Okay…." he said. That told him a little bit more about what he was facing, but not much. He also didn't know how much more devil history he could take. Not that it wasn't interesting, but…well ok, it really wasn't interesting to him.
Dante sighed and took another beer from Ray's fridge. "Right," he said taking a swig. "What about that Staff of Power thing?" He hoped this explanation would be shorter.
Ray looked thoughtful. Again. It was starting to piss Dante off. Ray was a good guy and great info source, but really not the type Dante could see himself hanging out partying with. "The two are actually more closely related than you might think. Each of The Five had a special staff that was the symbol of their power and rank. The Staves also were powerful demon weapons of undeniable strength and destruction."
Dante frowned. "Why didn't I see anything like that when I fought Mundus then? Or his two of The Ten," he added recalling that suddenly.
Ray typed away one of the computer keyboards and brought up a cheesy looking website adorned with badly animated flames and laughing skulls. Ray noticed Dante's disbelieving look. "Yeah I know, the layout is crap, but the guy knows his demon history." After bouncing through a couple of links, Ray tapped the screen. "Here. Apparently when Sparda rebelled against Mundus," he said giving Dante a significant look, "he killed four of The Ten, including both of Mundus's. He also is rumored to have taken Mundus's Staff and either destroyed it or sealed it away somewhere." Ray sat back and shrugged. "No one knows for sure, except that Mundus didn't regain his Staff."
Dante said nothing, just sat quietly and stared into space with a look of concentration. It didn't make sense. Barthalanus had wanted him to find Sparda's staff hadn't he? Could he have meant Mundus's? Dante shook his head. Something felt like it was still missing….but he had no idea what that was.
What he did know was that he'd been sitting down too long squashed between musty smelling books. He stood up and stretched. "Thanks Ray, you've helped a lot as usual. If I find any new species of demon or something I'll drop you a line. Or a head" Dante headed out the door and down the stairs.
"No problem," Ray called. "And please don't, I just vacuumed."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that's that! Hopefully all that learning wasn't too tedious. And yes I didn't get to the silly stuff I promised. One of these days.
Next Chapter: Dark Link
Well looks like fanfiction.net doesn't want the to face the right directions when the panther's talked. I'll probably change the way I did that in the future.
Happy Readings!
Chapter 3: Hierarchy
A very pissed off Dante drove up to Devil Never Cry. He'd only been awake for about five or six hours today, yet in that time quite a load had fallen into his lap. Wandering into the building, he tossed his keys on the desk in the main foyer and dropped into the chair behind it, propping his feet up on the desk. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and grabbed a beer out of the mini fridge beneath his desk with the other.
Dante was a professional demon hunter, and thus had no small knowledge of devils. Yet despite this, and his half-devil heritage, he really had no knowledge of the devils themselves. Thinking about all that Barthalanus had said, he realized how little he knew of demon society. He knew his father had always been known as 'The Dark Knight," but now Dante wondered exactly what that meant. Barthalanus almost made it sound like they had a feudal system or something.
Fortunately, Dante knew exactly who to contact in such a situation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dante stood outside an impressive two-story house in one of the better sections Chicago, feeling weird in his jeans and jacket. Guess that just goes to show he wore red leather too often. In this part of town, however, red leather trenchcoats and spikey gloves attracted a little too much attention, Dante mused as a passing neighborhood police car drove past. Ebony and ivory were strapped inside his jacket. No way he was walking anyway unarmed, regardless of how many cops were running around.
He rang the doorbell and heard it echo throughout the house. Seconds later his demon hearing picked up the patter of footsteps. The door opened with a click and Dante found himself face to face with a young man of about 23 with mouse brown hair and boyish bright blue eyes behind a pair of glasses. Dante read his shirt: 'Who's General Failure and why's he reading my disk?'
"Nice shirt, Ray," Dante commented.
"Dante!" the young man cried surprised. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in months. Oh," he said giving himself a shake, "Come in, come in."
Dante stepped into a lavish main hall that looked like it was decorated partly by Picasso and partly by Martha Stuart [speaking of devils ^_~]. A single metal spiral staircase rose up into a hole in the domed ceiling, which had a myriad of eye twisting sculptures and shapes painted on it in an almost mockery of the Sistine Chapel. The furniture was wooden, old, and simple. Decorating the tables and shelves were pots of flowers, books, expensive wine bottles, etc.
Dante had become used to it. After the first five or six visits. Maybe seven.
Ray grinned at him. "So what ARE you doing here? If you're looking for a friendly visit I can make up some tea?…"
Dante shook his head. "Sorry. It's bussiness." At Ray's crestfallen look, Dante added, "I could have a beer though…"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Upstairs, Dante studied Ray's "work room." One side of the room was literally riddled with books. On selves, on stacks on the floor, scrambled on the tables, everywhere. The other half the room looked like something out of a scifi movie. Four different computer monitors on a desk flipped through various screens, scrolling though pages of codes and pictures. Various blinking equipment were hooked together by a mass of twisting cords that ran amuck into a very unhappy looking wall socket and surge protector.
Ray was an old friend he had met a few years ago, a fanatic for devil lore and a scholar on all things weird and unworldly. He was one of the most knowledgeable people Dante knew, though when it came to street smarts and girls Ray was at the losing end. The guy was a hopeless loser, though he happily acknowledged it. Ray was from a wealthy family who had left him the house (though the remodeling was all Ray's) and a sweet fortune which propelled him into MIT…where Ray quickly found he knew more about computers than half his professors. After a few weeks back home Ray's parents were attacked and killed by devils while on their anniversary.
Ray made a few contacts and phonecalls and met up with Dante, who dispatched the devils. And who took a heavy knock to the head that knocked him unconscious. Ray was, to say the least, a little surprised and suspicious when Dante woke up an hour later seemingly recovered from a wound that would have killed most people. For this reason Ray was one of the few people who knew Dante's true heritage. From there Ray used his money and computer smarts to establish himself as one of the city's top sources for supernatural information. [if you watch Angel, think of Wes…but more of a pacifist]
Ray sat on a swivel chair in front of the four monitors. "So what can I do for you? Looking for a particular demon? Mystical healing items? Long lost possessed jewelry?
Dante looked at him like he was crazy.
Ray sighed. "You wouldn't believe half the stuff I've gotten this week. One lady wanted help finding dragon eggs."
Dante blinked. "Dragons exist?"
Ray grinned. "Beats me. I referred her to a friend who specializes in dragons."
Dante took a seat d. "Does 'Staff of Power' ring any bells? Or 'The Ten'? I'm guessing the first is some sort of demonic weapon or symbol, and the other is a group or clan of some kind."
Ray looked thoughtful and nibbled on the end of his pencil. "The Ten…The Ten…damn that sounds familiar…" Jumping up, Ray headed to the bookshelf and after a few seconds search he pulled out an old volume whose title was in Latin. "Liber de Diabolo Regno" [which if my 5 years of Latin taught me anything, which is doubtful, should read 'Book of the Devil Kingdom']. "I remember something about one of the ruling circles," Ray said while flipping pages. "The Ten was second in command I think."
Dante frowned. "Ruling circles? What, the devils had Congress or something?"
Ray held off a politician joke and instead said, "For the guy who banished the devil Emperor you sure don't sound like you know what you're messing with."
Dante muttered, "I've been realizing that of late."
"Ah!" Ray exclaimed laying a finger on a page. "Here we go. The theory is that there is a sort of hierarchy in the Underworld. Any devil that's powerful enough can claim the throne for him or herself and become Emperor. The devil's siblings, since they are usually also very strong, are promoted to positions of power as well. The group of siblings and the Emperor form the top group, which is given the number in the group."
"The Ten," Dante said.
Ray shook his head. "Nope. Your friend Mundus became Emperor a few years before this book was written, and apparently the group was known as The Five, meaning there were four other siblings."
Dante was quickly getting bored with the lecture. "So who are The Ten?"
"I'm getting there," Ray said. "Each of The Five picked two demons of their choice to act as their right hand men. It was considered a great honor and usually went to the most powerful devils in the realm." Ray snapped the book shut. "That's about all there is. Five times two is "
"Ten," Dante finished for him. So ten of the highest ranking devils in the Underworld… Dante looked at Ray. "Hey, what do you think Griffon ranked?" After Dante returned from Mallet Island, Ray had wanted to know every little detail of information on the devils he had fought.
Ray looked thoughtful. "Hard to say. I'd guess a First Lieutenant. The same for the Phantom too."
Dante's ears pricked up. That was what Barthalanus had called that Occasus guy or whatever his name was. "Wait a second. What's a First Lieutenant now?"
Ray sighed. "There's got to be a faster way to explain all this," he muttered. "Okay," he said, plopping back down in his swivel chair, "Bear with me for a second. The Five are the current ruling family, led by Mundus. Below them are The Ten. Below them," he said making an imaginary ladder with his hands, "are the First Lieutenants. They're basically dark generals and such, and there's usually a total of about thirty of them. Beneath that are Second Lieutenants, the last rung in the power ladder. A strong Blade might qualify as one, but it's unlikely. All your thousands of lesser devils don't belong in a group. And that," Ray concluded, "is the devil Hierarchy." Ray was getting that misty look he got in his eyes when his brain went out to lunch into demon theology.
Dante absorbed in all the info. "Okay…." he said. That told him a little bit more about what he was facing, but not much. He also didn't know how much more devil history he could take. Not that it wasn't interesting, but…well ok, it really wasn't interesting to him.
Dante sighed and took another beer from Ray's fridge. "Right," he said taking a swig. "What about that Staff of Power thing?" He hoped this explanation would be shorter.
Ray looked thoughtful. Again. It was starting to piss Dante off. Ray was a good guy and great info source, but really not the type Dante could see himself hanging out partying with. "The two are actually more closely related than you might think. Each of The Five had a special staff that was the symbol of their power and rank. The Staves also were powerful demon weapons of undeniable strength and destruction."
Dante frowned. "Why didn't I see anything like that when I fought Mundus then? Or his two of The Ten," he added recalling that suddenly.
Ray typed away one of the computer keyboards and brought up a cheesy looking website adorned with badly animated flames and laughing skulls. Ray noticed Dante's disbelieving look. "Yeah I know, the layout is crap, but the guy knows his demon history." After bouncing through a couple of links, Ray tapped the screen. "Here. Apparently when Sparda rebelled against Mundus," he said giving Dante a significant look, "he killed four of The Ten, including both of Mundus's. He also is rumored to have taken Mundus's Staff and either destroyed it or sealed it away somewhere." Ray sat back and shrugged. "No one knows for sure, except that Mundus didn't regain his Staff."
Dante said nothing, just sat quietly and stared into space with a look of concentration. It didn't make sense. Barthalanus had wanted him to find Sparda's staff hadn't he? Could he have meant Mundus's? Dante shook his head. Something felt like it was still missing….but he had no idea what that was.
What he did know was that he'd been sitting down too long squashed between musty smelling books. He stood up and stretched. "Thanks Ray, you've helped a lot as usual. If I find any new species of demon or something I'll drop you a line. Or a head" Dante headed out the door and down the stairs.
"No problem," Ray called. "And please don't, I just vacuumed."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And that's that! Hopefully all that learning wasn't too tedious. And yes I didn't get to the silly stuff I promised. One of these days.
Next Chapter: Dark Link