Author's Notes: The trio arrive in the DMC2 fandom, but find themselves with a little time to kill. Another big thanks to my reviewers new and old, hand on heart, you people make this worthwhile to me :). A quick note to Sin Oan, sorry about the hints at bestiality in the last chapter, it's just mostly Zone's cheeky, flirting personality. As for the Pikachu and Misty thing, that was a small joke regarding what kinds of stories a surprising portion of the Pokémon fandom consists of, it's probably funnier if you're familiar with the situation it refers to XD. Oh and also, Arson's got a habit of occasionally using movie quotes, and was quoting Samual L Jackson from Snakes On A Plane when he swore, hence his use of foul language. Hehe, I guess I should use author response for these kinds of things, but well, I want everyone to understand. Anyway, this chapter's a bit different, but enjoy :D.
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The sun was sinking behind the horizon like a drunk who had had one too many rounds slipping under the table, as the plane touched down at the Vi Du Marli airport. The passengers disembarked, and most of them headed to their terminals or a café, only using this airport to connect to a flight to their actual destinations.
Zone, Arson and Reiko of course were already at their destination, and so made to leave the airport itself. Hade, who had left the plane with them, noticed this and gave them an incredulous look. "Wait, you're not actually staying in this dump, are you?" he asked, gesturing out the window to indicate the DMC2 fandom.
Reiko sighed tiredly and Arson merely tilted his head in confusion. Zone however, his pride feeling at risk by being association with this place, replied. "Only to deal with a very serious threat" he quickly defended.
Hade's intrigue perked at this, "A very serious threat? Sounds fun" he said, ever ready to go kick some ass.
Reiko's eyes widened in alarm upon hearing this, and thinking frantically, he turned around and put on the most inviting smile he could. "If you want to come along we could really use your help, although of course since we're doing it out of the goodness of our hearts, there's no reward" he said as sweetly as possible.
Hade would not have looked as disgusted if the vampire had hurled his own faeces at him. "No reward?!" he roared in appalled outrage. "I don't think so ukey!" the bounty hunter declared before stomping off.
"I thought he'd never leave" Reiko sighed in relief, rubbing his temples. Noticing Arson and Zone were giving him curious and suspicious looks respectively, he quickly added, "Right, lets go find Matier then!".
So it was that, minus Hade who, being a mercenary to the heart, had left in disgust at the notion of charity work, they exited the airport. The DMC2 fandom was poorly charted, and it was getting late, though there was still time left in the day. Undeterred though, they set off to find the holder of their answers, Matier…
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Reiko peered at the sign, as if trying to convince it to change under close scrutiny. The sign did not comply.
"I can't believe this!" Zone ranted with his typical lack of refrain, "What kind of sage of ancient wisdom is closed on a Sunday?!". The rodent stamped about angrily, although due to his size the gesture lacked effect.
"Umm, a Christian one?" Arson offered helpfully after some thought. Zone opened his mouth to dismiss this, closed it as he realised the teenager had a point, and in the end decided to vent with an agitated sound.
The three of them were stood outside what apparently was the residence of Matier, head of the Vi Du Marli clan of protectors. However much to their dismay, it seemed that the elderly woman wasn't in on Sundays.
Mildly perturbed by this delay, Reiko frowned and pondered their options. Barging in wouldn't make Matier disposed to help them, and she probably literally wasn't in, the building they stood before didn't look like a cosy place to live. Yawning, the vampire realised none of them had had much of a break recently, and looking at things from another perspective, saw this as a chance for some much needed rest.
"Alright, we'll have to wait until tomorrow in any case, we might as well get some rest" Reiko suggested.
The other two looked at him, Arson having had a lot of sugar recently, but he was running low himself. Zone meanwhile realised he was somewhat worn, and hesitantly admitted it, "Yeah… I guess we could".
Reiko glanced at the sky, "There's still a few hours left in the day, if either of you want to go sightseeing or anything" he suggested. It wasn't typical of him to indulge such amusements, but they'd been through a lot.
"Ooh, sightseeing" Arson cheered excitedly, examining the wall besides him as if it were a cultural artefact.
Zone chuckled at this, and while he'd grown to somewhat like the hybrid's hyper enthusiasm, he couldn't share in it this time. "Hehe, no thanks, I think seeing the sights here would put me to sleep early" he remarked, not impressed with what he'd seen of Vi Du Marli so far. "If we've got time to spare, I can think of a couple of useful ways to spend it" he said, indicating he could manage his own day independently.
"Then it's settled, I'll go book a room at that hotel we passed earlier" Reiko said, referring to one of the many nondescript buildings they'd passed while tracking down Matier's place of business. "We should start early tomorrow, so, meet back there at ten?" he suggested, and the other two nodded in agreement.
So they split up to spend the few free hours they'd come into in their own ways, not worried about being alone since they could easily handle any stray demons they encountered in this place alone, even Zone.
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The reality of a fandom is comprised of several layers or planes of existence that form the larger whole.
At the core is the canon plot, characters and events, forming the nexus or nucleus of any fictional universe. This is scientifically known as Absolute Reality and is the primary plane of existence, immutable and solid.
Of course, being a mostly unchanging state, it serves well as ground to build on, but poorly as an actual setting, as development is severely hampered by the inability for characters to affect anything in the least.
Outside of this is the extended canon; facts not directly stated by the canon but which are more or less certain as logical extensions of those facts, much like hitting the ground is a logical extension of falling.
This is most commonly scientifically termed Extrapolated Reality, and can be compared to liquid. In some cases it is fairly insubstantial and can be more or less disregarded. An example of this would be the colour photo of Dante's mother, Eva, seen in the games. This colour picture would indicate Eva was alive during a time period when colour photography existed, which is very recent, and thus the twins cannot be very old.
On the other hand, much like a tidal wave, Extrapolated Reality can seem extremely solid. For example it is never directly stated that Sparda has the ability to assume human form, but it's implied almost indisputably.
Beyond this exists Potential Reality, the air or gaseous state. This is formed by non-canon facts, characters and events built on top of the canon, not contradicting but extending it. Like air it can be completely disregarded and walked through, and one fanfiction need not pay heed to the implications of another. All the same, while air is frail and insubstantial stuff, without it you cannot fly, in fact, you can't even breathe.
What relevance does this have to our story? Not a whole lot, but it is worth noting that, unlike DMC3 which consists of a devastated city, and DMC1 which is based in an abandoned castle, DMC2's canon contains several locations which imply a whole lot. As a result of places like the developed city and oilrig included in the game, DMC2's Extrapolated and Potential Realities are in fact the most developed in the series. Thanks to this, while the place holds little regard at the canon level, it does a roaring trade by offering all of the services of a big city that can't be founded in a disaster-hit, one or in an ancient castle.
For the sake of completeness, there is also the quasi-reality of the fandom; content that contradicts the core canon. A somewhat ethereal realm, this AU is ignored by most, but it does exist, much like a shadow does.
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Having checked into the hotel, Reiko decided to just relax and check out their room, which was on the first floor of the small building. Unlocking it with the key he'd been given, he stepped inside and, having no other baggage to unload, hung his coat on a peg by the door. Looking around, he surveyed their quarters.
It was a modest abode, medium in size and low in content. There were two beds that shared a bedside table, a set of drawers in one corner and cupboard in another. A door led to the bathroom, and there was the desk.
Reiko considered that in all the world, the desk was one of the most symbolic things he had ever seen. For here, in a low rate room with little but the basics where every other expense had been spared, sat a desk with a cheap, but modern PC set up on it. It was a testament to just how much people used the Internet these days, and the vampire guessed even the poorest fans wouldn't stay somewhere without private access.
Wandering over, pausing only to feel the bed, which was cool to the touch and more than a touch inviting to the weary vampire, he sat down at the computer and booted it up, figuring he could browse for any news.
The machine took a while to get going, but after a rickety melody of beeps and whirrs, the operating system loaded. Reiko moaned; it was Windows 98. He'd heard jokes about hamsters running on wheels to power shoddy computers, but given that the only hamster he knew was Zone, the image didn't work for Reiko.
Eventually he reached the desktop, and was further dismayed as he waited for the modem to dialup. The vampire was an ancient and sturdy being, but there were some things no creature, living or unliving, should have to endure. 56K was one of them. Once the machine finally connected, he opened a browser window.
Reiko wasn't entirely sure how to search for what he wanted. Anything like "Devil May Cry News" would bring up countless sites on DMC4's imminent release, and "Mary Sue News" would probably bring up even more. After some diligent work though, he finally found a site covering events in the DMC3 fandom.
"Yoohoo!" the virtual Jester screamed out from the screen. Reiko's head fell in exasperation; the only useful site he could find was co-run by that insane clown, Arius being the other reporter in their news team.
Blocking out his irritation, Reiko browsed the site for any information on the fate of the fandom they were working to save from Mary Sue's invasion. Since they'd only left recently, he didn't find much they didn't already know to begin with. However, after a while he stumbled across a special live report, and clicked it.
"-Whoa I'd hate to be charged with fixing up this décor" the slightly distorted voice of Jester played from the beaten up speakers. On the screen, a choppy live feed showed the demonic clown advancing through what looked like a hall in the Temen-Ni-Gru. Reiko's attention heightened; this looked quite promising.
"For those of you just joining us, we've entered the Temen-Ni-Gru itself to get a live interview with the invading force, Mary Sue" Jester informed his viewers, speaking in a loud whisper. As Reiko watched, he realised they were approaching the chamber where Dante and Vergil would have had their second fight.
Eventually they came to a very large door, which would have put an end to their progress there and then, only fortunately it was open. "This is it kiddies" Jester promised excitedly, as he pushed open the doors…
As the door swung back, it slowly but mercilessly revealed a scene that would require such description that, before any such attempt could be made, Jester slapped black blank-outs on all the naughty bits. After all, the clown might be insane, but he still valued his ratings, and what Dante and Vergil were doing would have killed them, save for that niche demographic with particular tastes. "Oops, still kiddies up" Jester said.
Reiko could only watch on as what happened next transpired. Mary Sue was in the room with Dante and Vergil, and was obviously responsible for the act the twins were caught in before Jester wisely and much to Reiko's relief censored quickly. It was all over so quickly; Jester scooted up to Mary Sue and began to ask her for an interview. The blonde woman turned, scowled at him, and then destroyed him with a ruby blast.
Reiko blinked, and took several seconds to digest what he'd just seen. Evidently the playful Mary Sue was no more, this one was quite literally, deadly serious. Turning to the camera, causing Reiko to wonder what poor soul was operating it, she growled "You're not invited". With a flick of her hand, the camera was sent flying back through the door they had come through, which slammed shut shortly before the live feed cut.
Sitting back in his seat, the vampire was caught up in a whirlwind of emotions clamouring for priority. Embarrassment, pity and disgust all wanted a shot at what he'd seen the sons of Sparda being forced to do. Shock and mild regret vied for Jester's sudden demise, as while he couldn't stand the demonic clown, he didn't think he deserved death. Lastly, a quiet rage at the perpetrator of it all built up underneath the rest…
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Meanwhile, in another place far removed from the entire fandom, Zone was hard at work using his time.
It hadn't taken him long to locate one of the golden statues dedicated to the God of Time. It was quite surprising how liberally the ancient and powerful artefacts were scattered around actually, he thought.
The statues served to allow most to acquire items and powers in exchange for Red Orbs, but the hamster could put them to another use. Through the statue, he was able to leave the fandom, and come to this place.
This was his laboratory, his own personal space, his little universe. This was his home, basically, his own little piece of reality, not much as it was sustained only by himself, but it was his, and he was fond of it.
Not being attached to any fandom or fiction other than his own being, no one could come here but him, unless he was to bring them into it. It was in a way a dream of his made real, but then again, wasn't all fiction? In any case, it gave him privacy, and a place to work or rest, doing things to further his goals.
For example, it was here he had developed his lightsabre, for Zone was in fact very technologically adept. The weapon was an advanced piece of work, and he knew how to make it by heart. It wasn't the only thing he'd made of course, but it was his favourite so far, as it was both stylish and suited him excellently, since it didn't rely on strength for effectiveness. For a six-inch tall rodent, strength obviously wasn't an asset.
However for a long time, he'd been planning and devising something to complete his arsenal, something he could always have to rely on. His lightsabre was great, but he needed something else, and now, he had it.
In front of Zone lay Artemis, the demonic weapon under surveillance by numerous analysing devices. Zone was smart, but it still took a lot of knowledge to create technology, and especially to make a weapon that was effective against human-sized or larger targets that a hamster could employ. But he had finally done it.
Lifting up the device immediately before him, between the rodent and Artemis, Zone marvelled at it. The sleek black pod didn't look like much, but it was in fact the culmination of an incredible amount of research and experimentation. Now, at last, studying Artemis had given him the last pieces to the puzzle.
Put simply, it was a laser, not a blade but a projectile weapon. Not much larger than the solid handle of his lightsabre, the weapon didn't look capable of any real damage. With an anticipating grin, Zone squeezed it just the right way. The weapon opened up smoothly, splitting into two halves held together by a diagonal handle going from the front at the top to the back at the bottom, making it look like a black curved-top Z.
Zone loved that; it was symbolic of his name and everything. The laser was designed to complement his lightsabre so that the latter could be inserted into the former, and he could wield the blade while holding them both. This was useful as when using both weapons, he could quickly combine them to focus on the sword. This helped since, lacking opposable thumbs, he needed both paws for more advanced techniques.
As mentioned before, it was extremely difficult to develop weapons he could use that would have any effect on most opponents for Zone. Even a pistol would be larger than his entire body, and useless to him.
But this laser, this laser was different. It gathered and stored any compatible form of energy available, and could release part or all of it when fired. As a result, it overcame the weakness of being so small by acting to store and conduct powerful sources of energy. So for example, the weapon could store the power of Red Orbs, and if Zone stored enough Red Orbs, could unleash a blast of truly staggering power. The downside was this limited his ammunition to what energy he could find to supply the weapon, and it wouldn't run on anything feeble, like solar power. Still it gave him a means to over time accumulate limited, but vast power.
Spinning the laser around by the central handle in his paw, he deftly drew his lightsabre, inserted it into the weapon, and closed it around the handle of the blade. He activated the lightsabre through the integrated controls on the laser and spun the weapon around experimentally. It was perfect, insertion, balance, the integrated controls, everything. The laser was even made from very durable materials, and even in the unlikely event that it was destroyed, he'd memorised the design. It was part of him now, part of his identity.
"Hehe, awesome" Zone said to himself quietly, licking his lips in anticipation of trying out his newest toy.
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While Reiko had in the strangest way ended up finding pornography on the Internet, and Zone had used their spare time to arm himself powerfully, Arson, was sightseeing. He had just found a weapons shop.
"Ooh, toys!" he yelled excitedly, bounding into the shop so hastily the little bell that rung when the door opened was sent flying. Looking up from the counter, the owner of the store watched the teenager warily.
Arson stared at the various weapons on display, and eventually the clerk asked "May I help you sir?".
Arson looked over as if seeing him for the first time. Then he shook his head and smiled, "That's OK, I got it" he said cheerfully, and he reached out to the massive blade in front of him, and effortlessly picked it up.
The shopkeeper watched in growing alarm as the young man held the giant sword in one hand, turning it this way and that curiously, then chucking it up and catching it. "What's this called?" he asked curiously.
"Um, that's the Vendetta, sir" the shopkeeper replied, the potential of a sale overriding his nervousness.
"Vendetta huh?" Arson thought out loud, scrutinising it closer. "Does it do anything?" he asked eventually.
"Uh, well, it can do a Stinger" the storeowner offered helpfully, realising a little bit too late it was unwise.
"Oh, cool!" Arson said enthusiastically, and raising the Vendetta, he charged forwards and did a Stinger.
"… Um, s, s-satisfied?" the clerk asked. The tip of the thick sword was mere inches from his sweating face.
"Well, it's alright" Arson said noncommittally; it was a decent Stinger, more than his swords could do, but nothing amazing. "Does it do anything else?" he asked hopefully, lowering the sword to the owners' relief.
Moping his brow, the owner considered mentioning that it could High Time, but glancing up at the low ceiling, decided against it. Besides, High Time came as default on those kinda swords, "Um, not really sir".
"Oh" Arson said, somewhat disappointed. He'd expected more, since even the most basic weapon usually had a couple of techniques. "Uh, got anything else?" he asked, looking around, then spotting something.
The owner was about to answer, when Arson trotted right by the long, thin ornate blade Merciless to the guns section. Most of them he recognised, but pointing to a pair he didn't, he asked "Ooh, what are these?".
"Those are sub machineguns" the shopkeeper replied helpfully, then as he saw Arson reach out to grab them, he hastily added "Those are for display purposes only though!", not wanting to see his shop shot up.
The hybrid pouted, then lowered his hands, and looked about a little bored. "Well, is there anything else to see?" he asked, most of the hope gone from his voice. The guns looked fun, but now he couldn't use them.
"Well, there's the Heart store across the road" the merchant admitted, for though he didn't like to pass on trade he could have himself, he was an honest man. He had little to fear though, for while the idea of the transformation enchanting Hearts intrigued Arson, it was overruled by a higher need as his tummy rumbled.
"Ooh, I'm hungry, where can I eat?" Arson asked, rubbing his tummy with one hand. Realising he wasn't going to sell anything, the owner happily gave him directions to an ice cream shop; away from his guns.
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It was later on, and Zone had returned to the fandom and the hotel. Arson had come back too after burning down the ice cream shop (he was allergic to it); the hybrid having satisfied his hunger at a hot dog stand.
The two of them headed up to the room where Reiko was relaxing on one of the beds. He briefly recounted what he'd seen on the Internet to them, but all three of them were pretty weary, so they left it until morning.
Zone briefly complained about not having his own bed. But he was tired from the intense focus completing his new weapon had required and quickly settled for sleeping on a spare pillow placed on the bedside table.
Arson went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later dressed in his Sonic The Hedgehog pyjamas. Zone, who was half-asleep already, looked at Reiko quizzically, since none of them had even brought any baggage, but the reclining vampire shrugged and gave him a "don't ask" look, so he didn't.
The vampire was already resting peacefully before they got there, and resumed doing so as Arson folded his normal clothes and set them by his bed. Pulling back the covers, he climbed into bed and glanced over at the other two, noticing Zone had already fallen fast asleep. The little hamster was lying flat on his front in the middle of the pillow, which was more than large enough a bed for him. Reaching over carefully, Arson gently rubbed a couple of fingers between the rodent's ears, stroking the top of his soft, furry head, causing him to smile slightly in his sleep. "Night Zone" he whispered, and then pulled his hand back and looked over to the other bed. "Night Reiko" he said to the resting vampire, and then he lay down to sleep…