Dante and Nero had found their way to the fighter's guild easily enough. They strolled up to the door and then Dante kicked the door so hard it flew off its hinges and smashed into the wall. "Show off..." Nero grumbled while the adoring fan praised Dante for his amazing strength. Dante simply stood there and grinned. A man dressed in full steel minus the helmet instantly appeared. He stared at them and then drew his sword.

"Take us to your boss, we're here to sign up," Dante demanded. The porter looked surprised.

"I thought you were attacking us," he said uncertainly.

"Nah, Dante is just abusive to doors," Nero said.

"Oh, well, I'll take you to him the-" the porter began but before he could finish an angry-looking orc stomped downstairs.

"What's going on here?" He growled.

"We're here to join," Dante said.

"Get out," the orc said.

"What? You haven't given us a test or anything!" Nero exclaimed.

"I can just look at you and tell you don't have what it takes, now scram," the orc replied.

"Make us," Dante jeered.

"Are you suicidal or something? I could snap both of you like twigs!" The orc growled.

"Oh really? Come on, then!" Dante said. They both drew their weapons. The porter jumped in the way.

"You can't fight here, the guards will notice. Burz gro-Khash, they have proven they have physical strength, Dante kicked the door right off its hinges," he pointed out.

"I don't care, I could do that much!" Burz gro-Khash snapped.

"An ugly name to fit an ugly face," Dante sneered.

"I'll pound you into mush!" Burz yelled in rage. But before he could attack Dante's suddenly collapsed and started coughing up blood. Burz stopped in his tracks and stared in confusion. Nero dropped to his knees beside Dante.

"Dante! Are you all right? What's wrong?" Nero asked urgently.

"I-I don't know," Dante managed to get out. Then Dante doubled over and started coughing up blood all over the floor. He gave a moan of pain then collapsed.

"Noooooo!" the fan wailed in horror.

"Take him to the chapel, maybe the healers can help," the porter said. Nero nodded and then picked Dante's limp body up.

It shouldn't be hard to find a chapel, they're usually big, fancy, and white Nero thought.


A Half Hour Later


Dante groaned and sat up. "Where am I?" he asked. A young girl was standing over him. She was pretty and well gifted in certain areas. "Am I in heaven?" he asked with a grin.

"No, you are at the Cheydinhal chapel. Your friend brought you here," she said. Nero spotted him and ran over.

"You're awake, good. I was thinking I'd have to wreck this place by myself," he said with a relieved grin.

"I doubt you could. Anyway, what happened?" Dante asked.

"You had a strong poison in you, it was a miracle you were still alive," the girl said.

"Oh, I guess that assassin's poison affected me more than I realized..." Dante muttered.

"The stupid fan was a pain in the butt. First, he demanded that he carry you here and then he said that I probably poisoned you out of jealousy. Then the priests had to pry him away from you. Guess he thought if he stood next to you and wailed loud enough you'd wake up fully healed." Nero said.

"Where is he now?" Dante asked.

"I think he went to drown himself in a river or something, no great loss," Nero said with a shrug. Just then the fan came racing into the room and tackled Dante.

"You're alive!" he wailed.

"Yeah... You can get off now," Dante growled as he pried the fan off of him.

"Ready to go back?" Nero asked.

"Yeah, I got a score to settle with the ugly green dude," Dante said as he stood up.

"Wait! You can't leave now, you still need to recover!" The girl exclaimed.

"I'll stay on one condition, we go on a date and you buy the beers," Dante replied with a grin. While the girl was stuttering in shock, Dante marched over to the door, kicked it open, and left with Nero and the fan.


Back at the Fighter's Guild


"That punk was so weak he collapsed at just the thought of fighting me!" Burz bragged. The porter just shook his head and didn't reply.

"I'm back!" Dante announced.

"What!? Aren't you supposed to be dying or something!?" Burz exclaimed.

"Nope, just a minor setback," Dante said with a smirk.

"You've got to admit, he seems tough, not to mention fearless, challenging Burz like that," a Fighter's Guild member pointed out.

"Shut up!" Burz yelled.

"If you don't recruit him, he'll probably join Black Wood Company," another member said.

"Fine! You both can join! But that means you follow MY orders. Got that?" Burz sneered.

"Whatever, as long as we get paid good," Dante said with a shrug. The porter was staring at him. "What's that look for?" Dante questioned looking creeped out.

"You're the Grand Champion!" the porter exclaimed.

"Oh, well, yeah," Dante said.

"What!? This punk!?" Burz exclaimed.

"I was the champion of blue team," Nero added. Burz was at a loss for words. "Well, what's our first job?" Nero asked. Burz quickly explained it to them while looking so angry his head might explode. When the three of them left the other guild members tried to, erm... 'Comfort' Burz.

"Aren't you glad you didn't fight him? He might've killed you," one of them pointed out cheerfully.

"You might have stood a chance against the other one, he was only a champion," another said.

"I'll kill you all if you don't shut up!" Burz yelled. They laughed and ran off while he grumbled.


At the Desolate Mine


Nero and Dante had arrived safely at the mine and proceeded inside. They found the three guild members and gave them their weapons. Dante and Nero were both killing all the goblins before the other members had a chance to land even a single blow. Rienna and the other guy were impressed, but the orc was angry. "I wanted to bash some goblin skulls!" he kept whining. Dante and Nero ignored him and continued to kill all the goblins. The orc kept whining.

"You snooze you lose, it ain't my fault you aren't as skilled a fighter as us," Dante pointed out. Nero nodded in agreement.

"You're just new recruits, you shouldn't be better than me!" the orc exclaimed. Dante just smirked and left to find more goblins, or at least, that's what he tried to do. He took two steps forward, walked into a tripwire, and was buried under a pile of logs.

"Ow," Dante said as he shoved the logs off of him. The orc laughed at him. "Laugh all you want, I bet you wouldn't have survived this," Dante grumbled.


At Anvil


They had finished their mission and got their reward from Burz. Now they had just arrived at Anvil. "Let's look around the docks before we go find the Fighter's Guild," Nero suggested. Dante agreed, and they went out of the gate. Dante looked around with slight interest until he suddenly perked up.

"My beer senses are tingling. I believe there is a tavern nearby!" he announced.

"Fine, you go get drunk and I'll look around," Nero said. Dante dashed off to go find the tavern. Nero decided to check out some of the ships. He noticed a distressed-looking woman on the deck of one of them. "Hey, you look upset. Is something wrong?" he asked her.

"Yes, my ship is haunted by wraiths. I have an item in there I need but the ghosts of the crew injured me so I can't get it," she said sadly.

"Don't worry I'll get it for you. Just tell me what it looks like," he said.

"It's a crystal ball, my mom gave it to me before she passed away," she explained.

"I'll get it," he said and then he went down into the ship.


Meanwhile, at the Flowing Bowl


Dante was drinking some beer when he noticed a pretty woman in the corner. "Hey, let me buy you a drink," he offered.

"Why thank you, I wouldn't mind some wine," she said while smiling at him. He bought it for her and then sat down next to her. "What's your name? Mine is Faustina," the woman said.

"Mines Dante," he replied. They chatted until she finished her drink.

"Well, I'm feeling rather tired. I know it's the middle of the day but I stayed up most of last night working so I could use some rest. Would you like to accompany me home?" Faustina asked.

A girl who isn't a creepy stalker just asked me out! Dante thought happily. "I'd love to, babe," he answered. Then the two of them set off.


On the Ghost Ship


Nero had just finished off the last of the wraiths and retrieved the crystal ball. "Here you go," he said while handing it to the girl.

"Thank you so much! What could I ever do to repay you?" she asked.

"Wanna go on a date?" he asked jokingly.

"I would love to!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, seriously?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course. I've never been on a date before and you're kinda cute..." she said.

"Oh, well, my name's Nero, what's yours?" he asked.

"Varulae," she said with a smile.

I finally get a date and she's not even human Nero thought with a sigh.


At Gweden


Dante and Faustina walked into the house. On the outside it looked poor but inside it was richly decorated. There were wine bottles everywhere. Dante looked around in amazement. I've hit the jackpot! He thought gleefully. Faustina laid down on the bed and smiled teasingly.

"Want to join me?" She asked with a playful smile. He grinned back.

"Of course," he said. Just as he was walking toward her something smashed him in the back of the head. "Why are there so many stars?" he questioned drowsily before collapsing. Faustina and some other girls, who had been hiding nearby, then stripped him of all his possessions. When he woke up to find the Rebellion, his expensive leather outfit, and all his money gone he almost fainted again. I'm going to kill her! He yelled in his head. He looked around and realized they had dumped him on the side of the road somewhere near the docks. Crap, Nero's gonna laugh his butt off at me. Dante thought irritably. Just then a traveler came walking up the road. He stood and stared when he saw Dante in nothing but his underwear. Dante leaped on him, knocked him out, and stole his clothing. It'll have to do Dante thought with a sigh.


10 Minutes Later


Nero had just finished his date with Varulae. It had gone relatively well. He had gotten over his mourning for the loss of Kyrie and was ready to move on. He just wasn't sure if she was the right one yet, he would prefer a human but an elf was the next best thing. He had walked her home and was currently looking for Dante. Where did that fool disappear to now? He wondered irritably. Just then a disheveled and forlorn Dante came trudging up. He was wearing poor looking clothing and the Rebellion was no longer on his back. "What happened to you?" Nero asked.

"A gang of women robbed me," Dante muttered. Nero burst out laughing.

"You're hopeless, but at least they didn't hurt you," Nero said while trying to control his laughter.

"They hurt my pride badly enough..." Dante growled.

"What are you gonna do now?" Nero asked.

"I'm gonna kill them, that's what!" Dante snarled.

"Oh really? They're probably long gone by now," Nero pointed out.

"I know! You can go into the tavern and see if they show up. You'll be the bait and I'll force them to give my stuff back!" Dante exclaimed.

"It won't work, we look too much alike," Nero said.

"Well I'll make someone else do it then! I've got to get the Rebellion back, it's irreplaceable! Not to mention all my money!" Dante whined. Just then a young man came walking by. Dante grabbed him and dragged him into a small space between two houses. "Listen here, you're gonna be the bait for a trap of mine," Dante growled.

"W-what?" the man stuttered.

"Dante! What're you doing!?" Nero exclaimed.

"Shut up, Nero, I gotta get my stuff back! Now then, I'll explain the plan to you and I'll pay you when I get my money back," Dante said. The man just stayed quiet. Dante explained what he needed done. "You got that? Now go get it done!" Dante barked. Nero shook his head and sighed. The man nodded and walked into the tavern.

"You know, I'd watch your back if I were you, that guy started giving you the sorta looks that could kill after he got over the shock of being grabbed," Nero pointed out.

"Eh, he'll stop caring when he's got a wallet full of money," Dante said. They waited for a little while then the man came out with a girl. That isn't Faustina. I guess it must be one of her henchmen Dante thought. He and Nero followed the two of them to the house. They waited till the two went inside and then pressed their ears to the door. "I'll burst in when the time is right," Dante whispered. Nero just nodded. All of a sudden they heard screams coming from inside the house.

"What the hell?" Nero said in shock. Dante kicked the door down and stared at the sight before him. The man had apparently had a dagger on him and instead of yelling for help when the girls attacked he'd brutally killed them. Blood and bodies were everywhere.

"Dude, why didn't you tell me you could fight? Wait, you stole my revenge!" Dante exclaimed.

"Maybe it was because you never gave him the chance to talk. Anyway, the jobs done so don't complain, just go find your stuff," Nero said.

"What's your name?" Dante questioned the man.

"Mathieu Bellamont," Mathieu said.

"I challenge you to a fight, Mathieu!" Dante said.

"But I did as you asked, shouldn't you be paying me?" Mathieu questioned.

"You stole my revenge from me! How would you like it if I killed someone you wanted revenge on!?" Dante exclaimed.

"I would be very angry, and unfortunately, that's already happened. A man I wanted to kill was captured and tortured in the Cheydinhal dungeons, my life's work has been ruined!" Mathieu said angrily.

"Um, that man's name wouldn't be Lucien Lachance would it? Cause I'm kinda the guy that caught him..." Dante said.

"What!? How dare you!" Mathieu screamed. He leaped at Dante with his dagger. Dante dodged just in time and grabbed his hand.

"Chill out, dude," Dante said.

"You've got no room to talk..." Nero muttered.

"Ever since he killed my mother when I was little I've been after him and the Brotherhood and now you've ruined it!" Mathieu screamed.

"Dude, his guild is still around, just go back to Cheydinhal, bust him out of prison, and interrogate him yourself," Dante said.

"Oh, I guess I could do that... But now you know too much!" Mathieu yelled as he took another swing at him. Dante dodged and kneed him in the gut. Then he smashed him in the back of the head and knocked him out.

"Let's give him to the guards and tell them what happened, they can decide what to do with him," Nero suggested.

"Sounds like a good plan to me."


At that Anvil Fighters Guild


The two of them had been praised by the guards for finally getting rid of the gang. The guards assured them that Bellemont would be taken care of, they didn't ask what they meant by that. They had asked for directions and then headed for the guild. As the walked up to the doors Dante suddenly got a puzzled look on his face. "What happened to the adoring fan?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, him. I don't know, I think he ran off when those trolls attacked us on the road to Anvil and I haven't seen him since," Nero said with a shrug.

"Oh well, I only noticed cause he wasn't praising me along with the guards," Dante said. The opened the doors and they walked inside. Something tackled Dante.

"O' Wonderful One I thought I'd lost you forever!" the fan wailed.

Crap, I only pretended to like him to annoy Nero; I was hoping he'd leave soon... Dante thought. Not that he didn't like having his ego stroked, he just got tired of the fan's prattling. Nero smacked his forehead and sighed.

Why is it that every time one of us mentions him he shows up? Nero wondered. A porter popped out of nowhere and looked at them suspiciously.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"The new guild members, Burz hired us," Dante said.

"I remember him mentioning a red-clad guy with a big sword and white hair. You both have white hair and that's it," the porter said.

"He didn't mention me?" Nero asked.

"Nope, well, he said there was some annoying little fan following him around. Guess that's him," the porter said nodding at the fan. Nero stood in a corner muttering dejectedly.

"I forgot to get my stuff back!" Dante yelled in horror. He dashed out the door and then came back a little while later wearing his old outfit with the Rebellion slung across his back. The porter looked at him carefully.

"Okay, you fit the description," he said. Then he disappeared as suddenly as he has come.

"Those guys are awfully sneaky for wearing all that armor," Nero said. Azzan walked into the room.

"Perfect timing, I just got a new contract for you," he said.


At Arvena Thelas's House


They both strolled inside and marched upstairs. "So, ya got a rat problem, eh?" Dante said.

"Yes, you must protect my babies! They're in the basement being attacked by mountain li-" she began.

"I'll kill the vermin for ya," Dante said and then he and Nero ran down to the basement. They saw the rats and killed them. Just then the mountain lion leaped at them. Nero slew it quickly. "I don't see any babies, do ya think they've already been eaten?" Dante asked.

"That's terrible, I hope the mountain lion ate them instead of the rats, at least it would've killed them quicker," Nero said. They walked back upstairs.

"Did you kill it?" Arvena asked.

"The rats and some mountain lion that got down there too," Dante said smugly.

"Noooo! You were supposed to protect my rats, my babies!" Arvena wailed.

"Why didn't you tell me that to begin with!?" Dante exclaimed.

"I tried to! Now get out! I'll never hire you again!" she screamed as she chased them out.

"Well, maybe Azzan will be more understanding," Nero said hopefully.


Back at the Fighters Guild


"You're fired!" Azzan yelled.

"That's not fair!" Dante whined. Just then a bunch of porters slid out from every place possible and pulled out their swords.

"We'll be going now," Nero said as he dragged a shouting Dante out of the guild.

"I could take all of you on!" Dante shouted.