Heya everyone, back again.
So like I said last time, we're gonna be jumping into the next arc today. But I also said something else as well. And that was to keep your eyes open as we go through this arc.
Remember, nothing is random 9/10 times, and trust me when I say there's no 1/10 this time.
So yeah, that's my little pseudo-warning or this arc. Nothing is random, question everything you see.
Other than that, I've got nothing, so let's begin.
Chapter 59: Argus Limited
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Dante let out a sigh as he sat down on one of the benches, dropping his duffel bag before rotating his shoulders to loosen himself up. The early morning before they left their lodgings was… eventful and full of intensity. Thankfully though, there was such a thing that existed called magic, which helped silence any noises from the room that none of the five wanted the others to hear. Noises, which would certainly be questionable, and very possibly mean a death sentence for Dante.
For once, Eclypse's misuse of her powers for extremely lewd escapades was actually beneficial.
"It's already morning, and your head is in the clouds? Honestly, I don't understand how you're as smart as you are."
Dante smiled at the approach of the heiress, "Don't you mean how a degenerate like me is as smart as I am?"
"Well, yes, but that would've been offensive."
"Ah, I wouldn't mind it. I know you'd lovingly call me a 'degenerate'. Like you used to at Beacon." The once immortal pointed out.
"I-I never called you that!"
"You called me that twice. Both of which were occasions where you, Ruby and I were involved in some very questionable accidents."
"Both of which where the fault was yours as a result of your unorthodox methods!"
"Yeah, but my methods are fun at least, right?"
"How is-?!"
Weiss stopped herself suddenly as soon as the embarrassing memories popped up, her face turning red momentarily. Instead of speaking further, her arm shot out, holding a large bottle green tea that the devil easily accepted.
"Same old Weiss… Incredibly easy to wind up. Just like a clock."
"S-Shush you degen-!"
Dante gave the heiress a light chuckle and very smug smile, making the girl punch him in the shoulder, even though it did little.
"You've no idea how much I've missed this."
"What?" Weiss asked.
"This." Dante said, moving his index finger in a circular motion, "Our chats and antics. Though frankly, it's mostly my antics."
"Well… As unfortunate as it is for me to admit this, you are on occasion an entertaining individual. So I guess our… interactions are fairly pleasant most of the time."
Weiss smiled briefly, looking at Dante as she watched him drink his large bottle of tea almost instantly. When he finished, he glanced over, taking the bottle away from his lips as he looked to her.
"What?" he asked, the heiress seeing his eyes flash a platinum color briefly.
"N-Nothing, you just drink very quickly… And your eyes… Were they a platinum color just a moment ago?"
"Ah, well… Don't tell anyone else this…" he said leaning in to whisper to Weiss, "But I'm pretty experienced in drinking. Normally I'd do it on occasion for catching up, traditional or celebratory purposes, but I kind of went on a bender a few times minus the getting drunk part. It was during those times I sometimes did competitive drinking and quickly learned how to chug like a fish."
"I see…"
She'd always known he had a wild side to him, but for the most part he kept himself in line and conducted himself as a proper individual; didn't party too much, didn't participate in illicit activities -at least to her knowledge- , didn't go drinking, or did drugs. He was practically spotless in most cases.
Hearing this was a surprise, but it wasn't all too shocking. With how much of his stories Weiss had heard, particularly some of the more depressing ones, she wouldn't find it surprising that most of those alcohol fueled benders were caused by severe emotional stress or trauma.
In short, she didn't fault him for it or judge him harshly.
"Does no one else know?" Weiss asked.
"Only Eclypse really, since we can share memories between each other. That means not even Inuba or Ruby knows since… well… I'm kind of embarrassed about it, you know?"
"No, I understand. I won't say anything." The heiress assured, "Still, that's a fairly impressive skill, even by my standards."
"Well, if ever you take up drinking and need a buddy, I'm you're guy."
"I'll keep that in mind." Weiss said, almost chuckling, "How are you feeling?"
"Hm?"
"Your injuries… I wasn't present at the time but I heard they were very serious. Have you healed properly?"
"Pretty much. My right leg's basically done, though I can still feel some twinges now and then. My right arm's also pretty much done healing too." Dante said, rolling up the sleeve of his right arm to show the bandage-wrapping on his forearm, "I'd reckon another day or two and I'll be fully healed. Otherwise, I'm basically in tip-top shape."
"That's good, but I hope you take better care of yourself from now on. You fight like an absolute lunatic, and considering you don't have your immortality anymore, Ruby and the others are likely going to be worried."
"Even when I couldn't die they were still worried." Dante chuckled, "Relax, I've been tweaking my style to fit my new situation. I'm good. What about you? Your summoning get any better?"
"They have, but… I'm curious about something."
"What?"
"That night at Beacon… When that lingering curse of yours activated, and we briefly fought… You let me defeat you, didn't you?"
Dante hummed as he got up briefly to throw away his bottle in the recycling bin, sitting back down and crossing a leg over the other.
"Technically speaking, that was Eclypse. Your sister told me about your Summoning Glyphs when she visited, and even then, I had an idea. What would happen if you ever managed to beat me in a fight? I guess Eclypse kept that in mind when she was steering, and figured we'd get separated at some point. So she briefly started a fight she intended to lose so you could beat me and store a version of me in your Glyphs."
"I never quite understood that until now… But it makes sense. Just… How did she manage to think so far ahead?" Weiss asked.
"She's like me when we think about how to help you guys. We think 2,000 steps ahead when it comes to trying to help out our allies. Good to know my theory was confirmed."
That was… actually a bit heartwarming to hear. He'd always take the time to help out their group, spending time with them all together or individually, helping improve their skills or equip them as best he could.
He really went above and beyond…
Weiss couldn't help but raise a hand to heart, smiling all the while. She was glaring a bit when she heard Yang and the others being overly rowdy on the other side of the wall bench, but only sighed since she didn't really have the energy to go over and calm them down.
"You feeling sick or something?"
"W-What?! No!" The heiress said as she turned away.
"Well, alright then." Dante shrugged, "Where's Ruby?"
"I don't know where that dolt ran off to…"
"I'm back! And I have gifts!"
The duo peeked around the corner, seeing Ruby blinking in front of the group with a few bags in her hands.
"She's buying gifts before we leave to Argus?"
Argus…
"That's a town near the coastline, right?"
"You've never gone?" Weiss asked Dante.
"I never left Vale before a few months ago."
"You think it's too early for beach season?" They heard Nora ask.
"It's almost never too late for beach season." Eclypse noted with a twinkle in her eye, likely imagining herself and Dante in various "situations".
"Unfortunately it is too late, but we will be one step closer to Atlas." Ren stated.
"Well, I'm glad you're all excited, but I don't think you appreciate the trouble I went through to leave Atlas." Weiss explained, rounding the corner of the bench with Dante.
"I know you're worried, Weiss, but trust us. We won't leave your side for a second! Promise." Ruby proudly claimed.
"Indeed. We'll ensure your safety." Inuba nodded in agreeance
"No one's gotta be worried with us around!"
The group's attention was drawn to a pair of Huntsmen, the duo confronting them all with proud looks on their faces, holding their weapons.
"I'm already worried for our safety…" Eclypse bluntly whispered with a disgusted look on her face.
"H-Hey…" said the kitsune, nudging the sword.
"Who the hell are you two?" Dante asked.
"Why Dee and Dudley of course! The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen! We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory." The one called Dee said.
"But for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car gets extra special attention should things get dangerous." Dudley added, winking at the girls.
They too took on a rather disgusted look like Ecylpse, only, the platinum haired girl began to raise up her hand, pointing it at the duo.
"No." Dante loudly and sternly spoke out.
She looked to him, and saw the teen shaking his head in disagreement. With an annoyed sigh, she dropped her hand, Dante noticing a few brief shimmers disappearing.
Seriously… She'd kill just about anyone that annoyed her if I didn't keep a rein on her...
"Yeah, I got a tip for ya." A gruff voice spoke out, making the pair turn around and see Qrow standing behind them, "Looks like Mistral's really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days."
"Hey! You're talking to a-!"
The older man immediately raised up his license, "A professional Huntsman, right. Well, it seems one of you heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open. It'd be a shame to lose your job before it even started."
"I... I didn't do it!" Dudley spoke out.
"Come on, dummy." Dee forcefully nudged, promoting the two to move on.
"So, you kids ready to go?" Qrow asked.
"We're all ready." Dante noted.
"Bike all loaded up?" The man asked Yang.
"Yep!" The blonde said.
"It would seem we're waiting for Ms. Belladonna at the moment." Leo stated.
"Where did she even go?" Ciel asked.
"She went to say goodbye to her chameleon friend." Athyra spoke out, drawing their attention as she and Blaire rounded the corner, "I think her monkey friend is just about there to say his goodbyes too."
"If that's the case, then we can start boarding." Dante explained as he stood up, "She's got her ticket, and she knows where our seats are. We should start boarding and-"
Dante's eyes went wide momentarily, a brief high pitched ringing traveling sounding through his ears for a quick moment as he spun around. His eyes searched the area, quickly looking around and finding nothing around him that would cause such a reaction. The only thing he could see was a few passengers boarding the train, while others simply went on their way.
"You alright big brother?" Ciel asked, aligning her bag over her shoulders.
"Yeah… Just got a little distracted…"
That wasn't just a distraction.
Dante turned his head to Eclypse, seeing her stare at him as she nodded at him.
It was Resonance, wasn't it?
No… It wasn't like the other times I've resonated with someone. That was more like my instincts acting up. Though… I think I might've imagined it.
Surely-
Even now I'm a bit on edge. I honestly think I might be overreacting. I can't just undo years of instinct and training. It's almost like trauma, but beneficial instead. With everything so deeply ingrained it's impossible to just tell it to go away.
It's hard to believe to be honest…
Is it so hard to believe? I really am nervous. Even with all of us here and ready, I'm nervous because this is the next step in our journey.
What have you to fear? You who have slain Gods and Devils?
I may have done all that in the past, but that was a different time, a different me and a whole different spectrum of power. This is the me of now, and I'm still building myself up. I'm not the best, nor will I be the best, but I'll still try. In addition, everyone here is my concern. I want to make sure everyone makes it above all else.
A highly optimistic goal… But it's still a rather entertaining one. Especially when I get to see you struggle a little.
Dante saw Eclypse lick her lips with a devious smile on her face, making him chuckle in response.
It's not so much the concept of seeing a struggle that exhilarates me you know.
It's the result of the struggle that interests you the most, right?
Precisely. It's why I enjoy watching you and I struggle the most. It's always a grand spectacle. And… the results are always uncertain for both sides when you're involved. That's why… when you win, it's always such an exhilarating feeling for me. The pleasure it provides me is only second to having you directly "pleasing" me.
Dante sighed as he saw Eclypse wink at him, the teen picking up his bag as Yang slapped him on the back.
"Come on man, you tell us to get ready and here you are standing around."
"Right, sorry." The teen spoke up.
He turned around to Eclypse and nodded his head towards the train, prompting the girl to dissolve into Aura and vanish from sight.
"Hey, idiot son! Come on already! The train's leaving in five minutes!" Athyra shouted from one of the passenger doors.
"Tch… What a pain in my ass…"
"That may be, but she does want to be as close to you and your siblings as possible." Inuba spoke up as she walked up to Dante, "It's only understandable, given her circumstances."
"Yeah, I-"
Dante froze up when he saw Inuba, taking a step back to see her fully.
Her outfit was a little different this time. She was wearing what could only be described as a half-kimono; the ends were very short, reaching just a little above the center of her thighs, and the sleeves were absent, cleanly cut away to expose the entirety of her arms, and a small region of her underarms. There was a special gap near the rear of her half-kimono that allowed her nine tails to move freely without lifting the fabric up.
The fabric of the entire clothing was pure white, the edges lined in black. The half-kimono was wrapped together by a black sash, a tail end dangling off her left side. Around her neck was also a long and wide black scarf, which given its width, allowed the fabric to wrap around and drape over her shoulders a bit. The two long ends hung behind Inuba, reaching all the way down to the back of her luscious thighs. In particular, the two ends were cleanly cut into four elongated triangles each.
There was also the new addition to the kitsune's attire. She wore thigh high black socks beneath black, thinly padded, flexible, hard leather grieves, which ran up from her feet to near the top hems of the fabric clinging to her legs, the bottoms wrapped around the entirety of her feet. Looking carefully, the padded hard leather was seemingly molded to the form of her legs perfectly.
The same material and flexible, padded, black hard leather sat snugly on her wrists and up over her elbows to her high upper arms, each arm's cloth linking over her palms but leaving her fingers and thumb free.
To add, she now wore a black ribbon tied up into a cute, large bow, which held her hair up at the back of her head.
Lastly, she carried a long black cloth strapped on her shoulder, likely concealing a weapon. Last he remembered, Inuba's sword had also been shattered when she transformed during the Scylix conflict. Her mother, Kareina, must have gotten her a new sword.
"Y-You've been staring quite intently…" Inuba said, nervously pressing the tips of her fingers together, "D-Does it not suit me..?"
"N-No..! It's actually perfect!" Dante hurriedly told her, "It was just… really surprising… But more importantly…"
The teen's eyes drifted lower, and Inuba's eyes did as well, her face blushing once she realized what he meant to ask.
"I-I may not be wearing a skirt, b-but…"
The kitsune's fox ears folded against her head as her hands slowly drifted to the short hem of her half kimono, her fingers lifting the fabric up. Dante meant to force the fabric down once he thought he was going to see something he shouldn't, at least not in public, but stood still.
Instead of wearing only panties underneath like he originally assumed, she was actually wearing a pair of black compression short-shorts that had a one inch seam, exposing much of her thighs. What made it especially more dangerous was how the fabric tightly clung to Inuba's already perfect curves, further accentuating her figure dangerously.
Bits of his mind were firing off uncontrollably, but before Dante made a racy decision, he quickly lowered Inuba's hands, his own face beet red.
"I-It's perfect… Too perfect…" The teen replied.
"I-Is that so..?" Inuba said as her tails whipped about rather frantically.
"Hey, you lewd Fox…"
The pair turned their heads to see Eclypse emerging in a burst of Aura, grabbing hold of the kitsune's hands as she dragged her off towards the train.
"W-Wait a moment Eclypse..!"
"No, we're not waiting. If I leave you two alone, you'll start taking each other right here on the platform. As hot of a scene it'd be, it'd only serve to make me horny and frustrated until I get my turn. Therefore, I'm dragging you away so that you don't intoxicate him with your lust, and vice versa. Come."
Struggle as she did, Inuba couldn't stop Eclypse from dragging her away into the train. And amazingly enough... Dante felt a slight bit of disappointment.
…
It likely had to do with him being more "normal" now, allowing him to genuinely act upon his emotions and inner desires that he had suppressed for many years.
There was also the chance that Eclypse's baser, erotic nature was also influencing him on a deeper level than he realized at first.
Not that he entirely saw it as a problem really…
Dante watched the last few passengers filtering into the train, the teen following behind at a slow pace as he stopped suddenly, eyes looking off to the side.
…
Was it really just his imagination? Or did he truly feel something ominous, his instincts acting up based on past fears? He didn't know. He didn't want to know. He preferred if he didn't have to think about it.
But it didn't mean he wasn't going to stay on his toes.
"No fair! You definitely cheated!" Yang blurted out.
"No, you just suck." Dante noted as he closed up his Scroll and stood up, "You need more training is all."
"I agree with Yang. There is definitely something fishy with your play style." Weiss added.
"No cheating or anything. I'm just that good is all."
"Yeah, big brother doesn't cheat." Ciel said with a sigh as she closed her own scroll, "He's just an absolute lunatic is all. Always doing what people least expect, and making the seemingly crappiest of strategies or items actually useful."
The younger sister quickly laid herself down in Musashi's lap, taking comfort in the tan, dragon Faunus' legs as she closed her eyes. Admittedly, the tough-girl dragon was a little embarrassed, but she wasn't really opposed to it.
Leo almost found himself in a similar situation given Bailey's attempt to rest his head on her lap. However, her sister Alice had already caught on and was trying to do the same, with Leonard painfully stuck between between two sisters trying fight over who would have the privilege to comfort their man.
While their attempts had pure intentions, for everyone else, it looked like they were trying to rip his head off…
One thing Dante did notice as he stretched his limbs was that Bailey was no longer wearing her tactical blindfold.
Maybe she upgraded to contacts?
Regarding the other sister Alice, she changed her outfit a bit. Instead of her normal compression short-shorts and black knee high socks, she traded them in for leathery-black jeans and grey, heeled boots with white fur around the top line. She even wore a black jacket suited for the snow.
Seems like a few people were upgrading a little…
"Well… It's thirsty work killing all of you in Phantom Souls, so I'm dipping for a while. Later guys." Dante waved.
"Ah! Wait, we're gonna start the next tournament soon!" Ruby pouted.
"Play this round without me. Besides, it'd help your guys' morale a little if the same guy that was kicking your butts three times in a row wasn't here."
…
None of them could really argue there…
"Then I'm off."
Giving them another wave, he left the private room he had rented for everyone to hang out in for the ride, and made his way over to the dining car, passing by a few empty seats.
He actually glanced over to the left and saw a rather giddy couple together, where the man was putting a ring on her finger.
It would seem they just got engaged. Eclypse's voice sounded through Dante's head.
Good for them. They look good together.
Speaking of getting engaged…
I said I'd get you guys a ring sooner or later right? It's just not the right time now. Besides, I'd like them to be special, and not some cheap crap you can buy anywhere at the store.
Ho… Am I to interpret that as you making the rings yourself?
You bet. I've already got ideas in mind for what I'm gonna use and how I'm gonna design them, so don't peek into my head or anything.
Fine fine. I'll allow it to be a secret then. Do your best to impress me, Master.
Dante chuckled to himself, stopping suddenly as he bumped into someone.
"Sorry, I… Huh?"
The teen looked directly ahead to find no one in front of him, so he looked down instead, and found a very tiny old woman in his way. Her clothing was colored blue and white, being thickly layered for the cold elements outside. However, the thing that drew his attention was the strange pair of goggles she wore that had glowing cyan lenses. Not only that, she had some sort of wooden staff with a blue skull acting as the handle.
"Uh… Yeah, sorry for running into you. I was thinking about stuff and not paying attention."
Like what techniques you'll use to please me tonight?
Not the time, Eclypse.
"Oh, no worries young man. It happens from time to time."
"Right…"
"Would you happen to be a Huntsmen, young man?"
What a strange question to ask someone you've just met… Who knows, she might be some kind of Yoda and can tell things about people just by looking at them. It's not entirely outside the realm of probability that she could be an assassin, but… she doesn't give me that impression.
"Not officially I'd say. I'm just a guy with a pretty sword that also happens to be pretty scary."
I'm not that scary…
You're pretty damn scary when you mean to be.
True, I guess.
"Why do you ask?"
"No particular reason." The old woman answered, "You just seem to be an individual that carries a lot of weight on his shoulders."
That wasn't too far off if he thought about it carefully enough…
"Not to mention you have a very powerful Aura about you."
Dante snapped to attention, looking to the woman who passed him by, "You can see my Aura?"
"Not quite. The presence alone is pretty impressive for someone your age."
Considering my connection to Eclypse was properly completed, it'd make sense for my Aura to become significantly stronger as a result. But strong enough that other people can just feel it by me walking by them?
Dante's eyes darted to the googles moments after.
Is she blind? Is that why she's wearing them? Are they visual prosthetics? How interesting… In my old world, we simply fabricated new eyes that served as implants. I doubt the people of Remnant in this day and age haven't developed such technology given how sophisticated it already is. Either she couldn't afford it, or she suffered damage too great for implants to be installed.
"Young man… If you shoulder so much weight on your own, it'll crush you, you know? Try your best to share the burden when you can." She spoke before she walked off to the next car.
She's a bit of a basket case, isn't she?
"I wouldn't say so…" Dante answered out loud, as he opened the door to the next cab.
A few steps forward and the teen let go of the door as it slid back into place to shut itself. His eyes trailed the few seats in between, seeing that the whole car was empty, save for the bartender lady and a fellow at the bar.
The young man had to be his age by the looks of it, and almost as tall as Dante was. He was a bit pale, and was more on the slimmer side. His hair was pitch black and a little curly, framing the sides of his face as his platinum colored eyes shined under the light of bar.
His outfit consisted of a white button up shirt under a dark gray vest, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up above his elbows. A black coat that likely reached last his knees was draped over the chair behind him, while a line of black cloth ran through three loops on the back of his coat, likely to tie it together if he didn't want to use the buttons.
Lastly, he wore a pair of black slacks, as well as a black belt that hung off his right hip, and a pair of fancy black, low-arch shoes that had a glossy shine to them.
However… the thing Dante noted was the book the young man was reading. The book's cover was colored white and made of leather-like material, while having black embroidery with a large, twisted L on the cover. As Dante walked closer, he saw the book had pitch black pages, and that the words on them were a glowing white color.
The man was intently reading the book with a small smile on his face, taking up his glass of wine and taking a slow sip before he set the glass down. The once immortal look around the cab briefly to make sure no one else was around before he sat down one seat away from the stranger.
"Welcome sir, what may I get for you today?"
"Hmmm…" Dante stared at the wares on the shelf, looking over at the man, "That wine any good?"
"The best I've had in a good while." The man spoke, his voice gentle and smooth with a slight reverb, "I would recommend it."
"Right… I'll have what he's having then."
The woman bowed briefly before she stood on her toes, grabbing the bottle of wine from the top shelf and pouring it into a glass for Dante. From what the teen read on the label, it looked like it was from Atlas.
No wonder it's good… And why it's expensive… This costs 200,000 Lien a bottle, and 20,000 just to have a full glass! This guy's got expensive tastes…
"Here you are, sir." The woman said as she traded off the glass for the card of Lien, "Please enjoy it."
Dante raised the glass up and took a sip, feeling a cool delight as his eyes went wide.
"Hey, this is actually pretty good!" The teen commented as the bartender read a message on her scroll, and immediately took off.
"I may not enjoy Atlas, but at the very least they can make some good wine." The stranger spoke.
"You and me both…"
"Are you on your way to Atlas?"
"Sort of. We're stopping in Argus for a while before we move on. You?"
"Coincidentally the same. I have business to attend to in Argus before I move on to Atlas."
"Huh… How about that…" Dante chuckled a bit, "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"I see why not."
"You and me have never met before, right?"
"I don't believe so." The stranger answered, "This is the first time I have ever made your acquaintance, White Swordsman."
"Oh, so you know about me?"
"To an extent. In the last few months alone, you've become quite famous across Anima. Many have offered excellent testaments to your bravery, kindness and skill. Even Maria Friede of the City of Faestion."
Maria Friede… That was a name he hadn't heard of in months. Dante and his group at the time stayed in Faestion, a city located close to the border of Anima. At the time, Jonathan Friede, Maria's brother, was in charge, and turned out to be a psychopath of epic proportions. Dante slaughtered his soldiers after he was attacked by them, and brutalized Jonathan to the point of breaking his mind, even if the man possessed regenerative abilities.
After the conflict, Maria arrested Jonathan immediately that night, but it wouldn't matter. The next day, Jonathan was found dead in his cell, completely charred. The once immortal had nothing to do with the murder, and still wondered at times who could've done it. Thankfully, despite the dispute, Dante left Faestion on amicable terms with Maria, though they haven't contacted each other ever since.
He'd have to write to her sometime…
Still… This guy…
"You been tracking me down?" Dante asked.
"It took some time, but I did manage to find you thanks to your good reputation and standing with everyone you've come across." The young man said, sipping some more wine
"Okay… So why have you been tracking me down then?" Dante asked as he took another sip himself.
"For a very simple reason." He stated, closing his book shut and laying it down on the table, this time looking directly at the teen, "Dante Aetherveil… My sole reason for seeking you out… is so that I can ally myself with you."
…
Ally himself..?
"I don't understand." Dante told him plainly.
"What isn't there to understand? After hearing so much about you and your exploits, it's hard to not have my curiosity piqued. Others can speak for your character, but I wanted to see you for myself. Now that I have… I am certain about my desire to become your ally in your travels."
"Is that right..." The teen spoke, gently placing his glass of wine down on the table, "So… You came all this way here, and even got on the same train as me to find me, just so you could ask to be my ally?"
"That's correct."
"So you wanna be my ally… Alright." Dante nodded, pursing his lips together, "Just to confirm, you really want to be my ally, right? Then can you answer this next question for me?"
The young man nodded, setting his glass down on the table.
"You and I have never met before, and have had no previous connections to one another at any point in time. This is our first meeting ever." Dante stated the facts before giving the man a serious glare, "So then… How is it that a complete stranger that I've never met before in my life came to have my uncle's Grimoire?"
The stranger smiled a little, "I don't-"
"Don't fuck with me. I know what his Grimoire looks like, even if I've only ever seen him use it once. The power that thing is giving off is the exact same as it did last time and in no way different. So you can't give me the 'this is mine' excuse."
The young man's smile grew wider as he let out a light chuckle.
"May I reach into the book?"
"Sure." Dante answered, "But if you try anything funny, know that I'm gonna shoot you."
The man took up Lucifer's White Grimoire, flipping through its pages all the way to the back cover, where a scrap of paper remained tucked away. Taking the paper out, he handed it to the once immortal, who unfolded the sheet and read the letter
Dante. Should this letter reach you, then I suppose the man now carrying my Grimoire has managed to find you. Do not suspect him of ill intent. I willingly bestowed him my Grimoire and cane, seeing as I have no use for it now as I plan to devote my time to finally creating peace in the Dark World, thus having no intentions of fighting.
I came across this young man before you when he was on the brink of death, and after granting him salvation, I decided to see into his heart. Doing so, I saw a great power within him, and judged him worthy of succeeding my Grimoire and cane. After doing so, I directed him to come find you, and join you and your group on the journey ahead. He will be of use on your travels, therefore I implore you to accept him into your company.
He lacks experience in working with groups, so I hope you'll teach him well as he goes. He understands the power bestowed upon him, as I took it upon myself to educate him thoroughly on how to use the power of my Grimoire and cane. Rest assured he'll act responsibly per my guidance provided to him, and will be of great help to you.
Know this. He has his own reasons for seeking power and moving forward. I do not suspect any ill intent from the short time we spent together, so I ask that you treat him fairly.
He gave him the Grimoire and the cane? To this stranger he found half dead one day? It seemed too far-fetched at first, but given how well Dante knew Lucifer's altruistic nature, he didn't entirely put it past him to do such a thing. Besides that…
His Uncle took the time to judge this stranger, and found him worthy. As the King of the Dark World, his judgement of one's character was practically flawless with his Eyes of Truth. So if this letter was really written by Lucifer… then everything he said was true.
As he thought this, more words appeared on the bottom of the page in purple lettering. Just by glance alone, he could tell it was his Uncle's Aura by the powerful feeling it gave off, and his familiarity with the Aura Signature. This was here as proof that it was the Dark Entity King who indeed wrote this letter, and it wasn't some fake produced as a cover up.
Dante didn't quite understand his Uncle's final words in the letter. Rather, he didn't understand why they were placed there.
Continue to believe in your own justice, my nephew.
Just as much of a mystery those words alone produced, they also served as further authenticity. How would some stranger know that Dante and a Dark Entity King were related? Let alone know what a Dark Entity was.
It was as true then. Every word. But…
What other motivations could this man have for joining Dante?
The last few words on the page vanished, and the teen handed the letter back to the stranger next to him, who made sure to tuck it away in the back cover.
"So it's not bullshit then…" Dante spoke, drinking the last bit of his wine.
"I'm afraid not. For your uncle to find me when he did was nothing short of a miracle." The man explained, "I owe him a great deal for ensuring my survival, you see. Therefore… I wish to repay him as best I can. If that means becoming your ally, then I will gladly do so."
"You're not on the team quite yet, uh… Who are you?"
"Noland."
"Noland… Well Noland, we're gonna do a trial run, you and I. You might have my Uncle's approval, but I need to see what you've got for myself. So don't get too comfy just yet."
"A test then. I see… Very well, I will do my best to meet your expectations."
"Don't do it just to meet my expectations, Noland. Fake nothing and be real with me. That's all I'm gonna ask you to do. That being said… what even lead you to being nearly killed?"
"I don't wish to say just yet." The young man explained, folding his hands together.
"Fact is I don't trust you entirely just yet, so if that's going to change-"
"The wounds of the past are still quite fresh. I would ask that they heal first before I bare them to you."
…
…
"I guess that's fine. For now anyway. But when I ask you about it next time, there's no skirting around it. You're gonna spill your guts to me, got it?"
"I understand." The man spoke with a smirk, "Though… I suppose now would be a good time for you to evaluate my capabilities?"
"Hmm?"
Dante's eyes narrowed towards the window behind the bar, seeing a very angry Manticore Grimm flying towards them.
"Well well… You sure you got this one Noland? Manticores are pretty nasty…"
"Naturally."
"'Naturally', he says… Alright then, give it your best."
As he spoke, the loud roaring of the Manticore could be heard as it crashed into the car, it's whole head passing through the glass. It's maw was wide open, threatening to chomp on the two teens in front of it. However, they both remained perfectly still, Dante's eyes shifting to Noland as he watched Lucifer's cane rise up next to him, a result of the car being hit with such tremendous force.
It was indeed the same black cane with a silver Fritz handle design, where the black portion of the cane seemed to look as though it were a thin, double edged blade, its end sharp and pointed. With a swift motion, Noland grabbed the sword-like cane out of the air, giving it a brief twirl before he thrust it forward, the pitch black point entering directly into the Manticore's forehead as it ceased movement entirely.
Something strange happened though. The usual rate of decay for a Grimm's body, no matter the size, was always between ten seconds to a minute. Yet, when Noland had just killed the Manticore, it's body immediately turned into the usual black dust within a mere second. Not only that… but the dust turned pale a little before it vanished.
Dante never knew what else the cane did besides act as a sword for direct combat, and a catalyst for directing magic more appropriately. But… maybe it had other effects that affected all manner of beings. For instance, maybe it had some special attribute to it that specifically targeted Grimm. If that were the case…
Then Noland would actually be a beneficial member to have.
Not only because he potentially had a Grimm Killing effect in his cane that would make them easier to kill, but he doubled as a mage if he could use the Grimoire's spells properly. Dawn was already the mage of the group, and a very talented one at that, but having another would boost support capabilities by a large margin.
"So? Does this suffice for the moment?" Noland asked, confidently smiling at the immortal as he tapped his cane on the floor.
It took him a few moments to think about it, but the teen let out a sigh as he stood up from his chair, grabbing Noland's coat and tossing it to him.
"Alright. You've got some style, I'll give you that. And you also seem to have some scarily good reflexes for a normal person."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning you're coming with for now, newbie. It looks like we've got a situation on our hands, so we're gonna go deal with it. Depending on how you do, I guess we'll take you in."
"I'm honored."
"Don't get too comfortable." Dante pointed to Noland, "I'm gonna be watching you like a hawk the whole time. I don't care if my uncle sent you my way because you've got some talent. You turn out to be a screw up, I'm kicking your ass back to wherever the hell you came from, got it?"
"I'll do my best to meet your expectations then." Noland said with a bow, "However, for the time being, should we not ensure the safety of the passengers?"
…
He just thought of something…
"Alright smart guy, how about this? If there's passengers behind us, what do you think we should do?" Dante asked.
"Logically speaking, I would say that it'd be preferable to move the passengers to the very front of the train. From what I was able to determine before boarding, the train is not only heavily fortified, but also weaponized to a great extent. In addition, from what I saw, the fortifications are heavier at the front of the train." Noland explained, crossing his arms all the while, "Lastly, in the event the train cars are separated, or need to be separated, it would be wise to have the passengers moved to the front of the train. That way at the very least, the passengers can safely flee."
That… was more or less the answer I was looking for… Alright… This guy has pretty sound thinking… And he at the very least knows how to prioritize non-combatant lives. Still… he might just be saying that to tell me what I'd like to hear.
Dante shook his head as he quickly moved down the rows with Noland following behind, a few passengers passing by them frantically to make their way to the front of the train. When he passed the private room he and everyone else was housed in, he saw that everyone was already gone.
Though, the gunfire and shouting up above immediately told the two their allies were up above. But considering they were down below, it was best to guide the passengers to the front of the train before joining them up above.
"Please move to the front of the train everyone!" Dante shouted as he guided the passengers passing by, "You'll all be safer there! Please keep moving as best as you can in an orderly fashion! This isn't a race for first place, so please don't trample each other!"
"You seem to be an eloquent speaker…" Noland commented with a smile as he helped shepherd the fleeing civilians.
"Haha." Dante rolled his eyes at the sarcastic comment, "You think it'd be better if I said 'if you all don't move to the front of the train you're all gonna die'?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not." the newcomer shrugged.
Noticing practically everyone had been moved, the devil and the young man hurriedly traversed the car until they could find a side door to open. Once they passed through, they could already feel the cold elements upon them.
Dante inhaled deeply then exhaled as platinum colored Aura coated his body from the neck down, allowing him to adorn his combat attire. He clenched his black-gauntled fists a few times and patted down his platinum coat, while lastly tapping the tips of his black metal greaves toes against the floor.
"Alright… Time to disco."
As he spoke, the once immortal grabbed the top ledge and swung himself out, still holding on for a brief moment as his momentum flung him onto the top of the train. Noland simply climbed up the side ladder quickly, keeping his Grimoire handy as its pages opened on their own.
(Devil May Cry 5 OST - Devil Trigger (Devil Shocker Remix) Extended
"Alright new guy, you can handle a Grimm solo pretty well. How about a few couple dozen of them flying around everywhere like pigeons?"
"It shouldn't be too troublesome of a task I wager." Noland commented, "Not while I still have some tricks up my sleeve."
A few manticores roared as they headed their way, Dante raising up his hand as Eclypse appeared in her double barreled revolver form.
(0:26)
Before the teen could fire off a shot, large spikes of black ice and tendrils of shadow moved past him, skewering the four manticores and shredding to pieces. Bodies crashed onto the topside of the train before sliding off, and limbs flew past the once immortal as he lowered his gun and turned around, letting out a small hum.
(0:35)
Are those..?
"Grimm." Dante spoke out, resting his gun on his shoulder.
Next to Noland flew a smaller than usual Nevermore, no bigger than a child really, and an alpha Beowolf on all fours, snarling quietly. What was unusual about their appearance was that their eyes glowed an indigo color rather than red. The mask markings were also the same indigo color, only thinner and a bit more… elegant.
"Seems like you've got a few pets you never told me about…" The teen commented.
"I don't recall you asking if I did." Noland replied.
"Probably should've listed in your resume you've got pet Grimm with you."
"What~? Something unusual for you?"
The Nevermore… just spoke… And it was sassing him too.
It's voice was a little high pitched, if not a little nasally too. The voice sounded hollow, and echoed faintly too.
"This one speaks too much at times." Noland commented, scratching under the bird's chin as it perched itself on his extended arm, "Yet strangely enough, this one can't speak. Or perhaps refuses to."
The Beowolf growled as it's head nodded towards its master.
"Uh… He says us Nevermores can do it because our maker thought it'd be funny for us to be able to talk." The bird spoke.
"Huh… So you're like a parrot. Pretty interesting." Dante noted as he tapped his gun on his shoulder, "As much as I'd love an explanation for this… weirdness, we'll save it for later. You of any use besides chitchat?"
"Ohohoho! The bigshot kid's calling us scrubs! We gonna show him up?" The bird looked down to its brethren wolf.
The Beowolf growled, almost in agreeance before snapping to the front, forcing Dante to look behind him as more Manticores soared towards them. Lowering his weapon briefly, the teen shrugged his shoulders before he dashed forward.
(2:31)
Dante slid under the first lion-like creature, slamming his foot into its underside as it flipped over him entirely off balance. A moment after, the Grimm moved towards the Beowolf, who's arm unexpectedly grew larger and formed into an extremely large, three clawed hand that sliced the creature in half.
Chuckling in disbelief, Dante looked up and raised his gun, firing off a few shots and nailing three of the Grimm out of the sky. A quick flick of his wrist and the chamber slid out, the teen not taking even a second to reload before he flicked his wrist again to close the chamber. He spun his weapon around and Eclypse transitioned into her longsword form, Dante leaping up to avoid a headbutt.
The Grimm rebounded from its crash into the mountain, allowing the teen to swing his sword like a batter and slice its head open, the body toppling off the side of the train. As Dante pressed on, the allied Nevermore swooped above through the snow, cackling as each flap of its wings sent out dangerous projectiles of black ice, lightning or blackened wind. Impressively, the elemental attacks tracked their targets seamlessly through the air, some of the ice spikes and wind-like blades cutting more than one Manticore in a single attack to clear the skies a little.
Dante and the Beowolf continued shredding their enemies up ahead, the creature's amorphous body shifting parts of itself at times in order to gain more range. It even extended parts of itself to aid the teen with platforming or leaping, allowing him greater mobility on the train without worrying about falling off. The Beowolf suddenly swapped to act as the rearguard while Noland came up behind Dante, pointing his cane at the targets above them. He was quickly popping them out of the sky with bolts of black and indigo energy firing from the tip, while Dante cleaved anything getting too close.
With a large group coming from all sides, Noland's Beowolf leapt into the air as its tail expanded and grew large, shaping into what seemed like a large, jagged, curved blade. In one clean sweep, the wolf hacked apart the Grimm like they were paper as limbs and bodies thudded on the train's hull like lobbed bricks.
(3:43)
"Alright, so guys aren't useless. Good to know." Dante noted.
"Yeah, no shit Prince Charming. We ain't average run of the mill. We're super souped up thanks to Mr. Poet here" the Nevermore commented as it flew next to the teen.
"Shall we proceed?" Noland asked.
The once immortal lead the way, quickly walking forward as he spotted Inuba and his siblings further up ahead.
"You got anymore Grimm you hiding?" Dante asked.
"I do indeed possess one more. However, his talents aren't needed at the moment given his size."
"Ah, so he's like your trump card for big guys. I get it." The teen nodded as he continued walking, "Heads up..!"
(4:19)
Noland shifted back behind Dante as one Manticore rushed the side, the teen simply punching the creature in it's skull to completely shatter its head. As it's carcass fell off the cliff, the duo rushed forward, weaving in between Leo and the Lianna sisters as they dealt with their own group of Grimm flying around them. Dante's younger brother was dealing with them quickly enough with his own guns, but being an elder brother, the teen popped off a few shots to help clear the air. Noland did the same by directing his Nevermore into the masses, firing off black and indigo lightning shockwaves to stun the Grimm and make them easier targets to pick off.
Ciel and Musashi stuck together as a pair, the dragon Faunus guarding the small devil from fireballs while she cleaved many of them out of the air with her extending scythe's wide swings.
"Who's this dude?" Ciel asked as Dante approached.
"He's the new guy! Questions later!" The teen said as he kept gunning Manticores out of the sky.
"Right right!"
As Dante and Noland progressed a bit further, one of the manticores breathed a ball of fire of them, promoting the devil to shoot the flaming sphere out of the sky as the beast tried to ram him. Stepping to the side, Dante grabbed the creature's throat and slammed it down into the train, allowing Noland to swiftly stab it in the head with his cane to kill it before they moved on.
Trekking ahead through the small blizzard, the duo spotted Inuba ahead, battling an enormous Sphinx by herself. For something it's size, it was remarkably quick with its attacks, making it all the more harder to hit with its snake-head tail. After a quick second of reloading, Dante emptied the fresh clip into its front foot to make it kneel, where Noland sent out bolts of black and indigo light to its other front leg to make it completely collapse.
Inuba took the chance to chop the snake-head off with her flaming hand before flipping backwards while kicking the underside of the beast's chin, disorienting it as the kitsune readied herself. As she landed, Dante was already at her side, the two partners dashing forward quickly while the devil uppercutted it with a powerful strike. With a new opening, Inuba used the kneeling Dante's back as a stepping stone, leaping up to cleave the Sphinx's head from its neck with a flaming hand-chop.
(5:43)
"Where's Jaune and the others?" Dante asked the kitsune as he approached her.
"Ms. Blaire, Jaune and his teammates are down below at the front of the train to guard the passengers. You weren't present, but we've decided to split up with Jaune's group so they can escape safely with the passengers while we meet them later in Argus."
The teen nodded at the information, "Tell Ciel and Leo that their group is going with them also."
Inuba nodded, her eyes drifting to the on guard Noland as his Beowolf and Nevermore circled him in a defensive formation.
"I'll explain later." The once immortal nodded towards the new ally.
He leaned forward quickly to give Inuba a quick kiss and a hug, while she reciprocated with a tight hug of her own.
"Follow us after you tell them, yeah?"
"Understood."
With one last hug, Dante and Noland proceeded forward as Inuba rushed over to the others behind them, to notify them of the small change in plans while dealing with a few Grimm on the way.
Where's my kiss? Eclypse complained.
Later! I'll give you all the kisses you want when we're not in the middle of fighting!
Spotting Oscar, RWBY and Qrow up ahead, Dante gestured to Noland to pick up the pace as they rushed over. Considering they were being swarmed by Manticores and a Sphinx, it was making the fight all the more tougher.
(6:07)
The farm boy was having difficulty dealing a killing blow to the massive creature he was facing given how much it thrashed about. But a swift elbow drop from Dante right into its back stunned the creature as it sank down, allowing Oscar to bat it across the face. Before it flew off the train, the devil leapt off its back and glanced at the boy briefly, giving him a high five.
"Good work farm boy! Now take care of the rest!" Dante spoke as he and Noland rushed over to RWBY and Qrow.
The once immortal wanted to do something about the swarm of Manticores flooding the skies around them. With a look to Noland, he nodded at the young man, the mage directing his Beowolf to help by having its head extended forward like a large, long spike. With this, Dante was able to jump on the spike and run across it, reaching its tip and jumping high into the sky.
An unlucky Manticore passed by, allowing Dante to land on its back as he twirled Eclypse into her sword form and stabbed the creature in the back. Using his sword as a sort of joystick, the devil used the Grimm's pain to steer it into more of its kind. Each one he got close to, he bashed them out of the sky using his ride's massive body, the once immortal clipping their wings with projected Aura Swords to ensure their doom.
With the last few Manticores knocked out of the sky, Dante steered his own Grim directly into the mountainside, it's heavy body shaking some rocks loose. Leaping off of it back onto the train, the once immortal watching the heavy body fall into the abyss below. Quickly looking behind him, he saw the Sphinx RWBY and Qrow were fighting still in the game, and moved to his next target.
He fanned his left hand outward, sending out a few dozen Aura Sword directly into the creature's back legs to make it kneel, watching as Weiss froze its wings while Ruby shattered them with shots from Crescent Rose. As he ran up, the Sphinx's snake-head shot at him like a bullet, but the teen quickly slid to a stop and grabbed hold of the tail, ripping it off easily.
With the last obstacle out of the way, Dante jumped onto the Grimm's back, shanking it quickly with Eclypse to weaken its strength as it bucked around like a bull. Once it had given up, the devil moved up its back and grabbed the top of its head with both hands, pulling backwards as far as he could. This gave Ruby the opening she needed to rush forward with her Semblance and decapitate it in one swift strike.
(7:31)
"You okay?" Dante hurriedly asked, checking over the little reaper quickly.
"I'm fine. Are you?" She asked, doing the same.
"All good. There's still-"
The two heard a ghastly roar up ahead that shook the whole train, and even pushed the snowflakes of the blizzard in their direction. Unfortunately, the blizzard screened whatever abomination was further ahead, making them unable to see what exactly it was.
"We should take care of that quickly, no?" Noland spoke as he ran up, his Grimm gone from sight.
"Who're you?!" Ruby asked.
"A friend, but we've a more pressing matter to attend to rather than introductions, don't we?"
"R-Right…"
They all heard the roars of more Manticores, seeing them circle above the train through the snowblind and starting to descend.
"Go! We'll take care of them while you take down whatever made that really creepy noise!"
"Got it! Stay safe!" Dante said, waving for Noland to follow him further up the train.
As they approached closer to the rear of the train, they could feel the transport shaking quite violently, still blind to whatever creature lay in wait for them.
"It would seem the passengers and our split group have been safely decoupled…"
"Now we deal with this mess."
(7:55)
Dante sidestepped a massive, scaly tendril with a solid bone point that both he and Noland ducking under its quick sweep shortly after, letting them take a few steps back. Another tendril shot out from the snow storm heading directly for the young man, but his amorphous Beowolf shapeshiftted it's head to become like a spear point, directly intercepting the tendril.
Dante didn't have a direct target because of the snow blind, but judging by the angle the two tendrils came from and attacked, he had a good enough guess. As such, both he and Noland's Nevermore fired off into the snowblind, focusing their shots of lightning blasts and bullets as best they could.
Given the tendrils still kept going without any slack, long range fire wasn't doing much for them. Even so, as Dante tried to move up, another bone coated tendril shot out from the blizzard to stab, making him hit the floor quickly on his back before he kick flipped himself back onto his feet.
Noland's Beowolf stood at the front of its master, using its own amorphous, reinforced body to deflect the tendrils with its own to keep him safe.
"Hey mr. Hotshit, this isn't working!" The Nevermore commented.
"Noticed!" Dante said, dodging another attack.
He twirled Eclypse back into her sword form, and waited, thinking of what else he could do.
Let it attack from a high angle. She spoke out in his mind, That way when it does strike…
The tendril will get stuck if we ice it!
"Hey new guy! When that thing sticks its tendrils in the car, freeze em on there!"
"Understood!" Noland affirmed, opening his Grimoire to keep it ready.
He took a few steps back for safety, and Dante moved forward instead, drawing the attention of the three tendrils as they whipped and thrashed about. Try as they did to skewer or sweep him off, they could not touch him as ducked and leapt over them.
Finally, his chance came when all three tried to pierce him from above, but instead, shot into the train car instead as Dante dodged to the side. When they tried to retreat, solid ice layered them, fusing bone, flesh, ice and metal together, all to prevent escape.
Having his chance, Eclypse charged up with a small torrent of platinum Aura, allowing Dante to cut all three tendrils in one slash. A pained cry echoed further at the back of the train, the severed tendrils retreating behind the blind before the devil lashed out again, sending out a wave of his platinum Aura.
(9:19)
As the deadly wave of Aura quickly sank into the snowblind, it left a large gap behind, seemingly sucking in the blinding snow as it blew away, revealing the creature.
It was some sort of lizard like creature that latched itself onto the back of the train, resting its body on top. It's claws dug deep into the car it rested on, a few tendrils stuck in the sides to keep it in place. It was then he noticed a large gash on its face made by his last attack, specifically around its nostrils.
"I see now. The snow up until this encounter wasn't so thick as to obscure our vision." Noland noted as his Grimm surrounded him, "It was the product of this creature's ability."
"Intentionally making a smoke screen by using those huge ass nostrils to control the flow of wind around it… Smart. Hides the body and its tendrils."
Now looking at it, the creature had eight large tendrils at its disposal to use, which only upped the difficulty if only by a little.
"Let's finish this bastard off!" Dante shouted.
(9:43)
He took the lead as he dashed forward, slipping through sweeps and jabs while using Eclypse to parry the tendrils he couldn't quite avoid on time. With the focus on him, it allowed Noland's Nevermore to fly high above and out of sight, and the Beowolf to shift its arms into large blades to start chipping away at the scaly bone hide.
With Dante pressuring it to attack since he was closest, it allowed Noland to sneak in quite a few hits to whittle it down. When close enough, the devil began to strike back, keeping his sword cloaked in a small torrent of platinum Aura to add more force behind his attack. Now, with each swing, he cut deeper and deeper into its thick armor, eventually reaching the flesh.
In pain, it had no choice but to switch up its limbs, resting the damaged others behind it as the combined force of Dante and Noland wore it down. And as they continued, the duo could eventually see their moment of opportunity flying right for them.
"FRY YOU SCALY FREAK!"
The Nevermore's voice echoed through the blizzard as violent thunderbolts struck the lizard beast's back in the multitudes, continuously striking it as it yet again cried out in pain.
In a last ditch effort, the Grimm lashed out randomly at the duo, anything to keep them away from it. Dante simply used the thrashing limbs as stepping stones to get closer, while Noland's shapeshifting Beowolf served as both his shield and stepping stone to keep up with Dante's charge.
(10:49)
When the two got close enough, one final leap into the air was all it took as sword and cane pierced the top of the creature's skull. Both Dante and Noland dragged their weapons down through its face all the way to the Grimm's chin, ripping their tools free immediately after getting to the lowest point.
(10:56)
With the beast weakened to near death, it thrashed about weakly as black blood oozed from the deep gashes in its head. With a single swipe, Dante made Eclypse vanish out of his hand, the teen cracking his knuckles quickly before he ran at the creature a final time.
He delivered a swift punt kick that raised up the whole massive creature's body from the train, unlatching it's claws and tendrils entirely before he delivered a powerful punch to its chest, caving it in.
"Outta my face!" He screamed as the creature flew off the back of the train, and tumbled down cliffside.
(11:07)
The once immortal let out an exhaled as he watched the corpse vanish out of sight, Noland standing at his side as the two looked to the skies to see them clear of Manticores. Dante did a quick check using his Aura Sensing, feeling all of the Aura Signatures of his friends and allies. With everyone safe, he felt like he could relax now as he stretched out his limbs.
(End Song)
The devil chuckled lightly, giving Noland a strong pat on the back that made him stumble forward a little.
"You did good today, new guy."
"Do I sense a 'but' on approach?" Noland asked.
"No buts. You prioritized civilian safety, helped out your team as needed, didn't run away like a coward, and you were pretty damn useful. Even if that damn chicken of yours has a mouth on him."
"Aw, did Prince Charming get his feelings hurt?" The Nevermore asked as he flew above his Master's shoulder.
The bird was immediately pulled down by Noland's cane handle, making it squawk as it was forced down towards the ground.
"Your praise honors me. I am glad I could be of service to you so far." The young man said as he bowed to Dante.
Can we trust him fully?
…
Hard to say. He didn't make any sort of moves or attempts on his life or the others the whole time. Yes, he used Grimm as his familiars, but that wasn't necessarily a reason not to trust him. Noland had them perfectly reigned in, and they weren't mindless beasts either. They had a form of sentience and intelligent thought. Especially that bird, regardless of how mouthy he was.
It still seemed a little strange. His uncle, The True King of the Dark World, found and nurtured a random human back to health, and even passed down his legendary tools to this individual. His judgement was almost always spot on, so there wasn't a need to entirely doubt him.
…
Maybe it was a part of some plan he had. Lucifer said he couldn't stay here to help Dante further in his journey. So what if Noland was his Proxy, acting on his behalf to aid and support Dante? What if Lucifer specifically planned to pass down his Grimoire and Cane to a worthy individual that would aid Dante, considering he couldn't do so?
His uncle… Always with the smart plans and thinking ahead. Dante could actually understand for once where it came from.
After today's battle, and his close examination of Noland, he could trust the young man a lot more than when he first met him. But to gain the teen's full trust…
That needed some more time.
He's not our enemy. So we'll trust him enough for now to come with us. He proves himself further, then I'll put my trust in him fully. He acts up…
We drop him. And we take back the Grimoire and Cane.
"Dan-!"
Dante raised a hand up to his ear, hearing Ruby's voice only to have her cut out frequently. With the constant cutting out, the only thing he could make out in the end was one word.
Headed.
The devil spun around immediately, prompting Noland to do the same as someone crashed into Dante and forced him onto his face. A hooded figure sat atop him, a porcelain mask adorning their face with only two eyeholes, their entire arms crystal clear and smooth like glass.
As the figure raised up its arm to attack, so to did Dante in order to retaliate. But unknownst to him…
That was exactly what it wanted.
The glass-like hand shimmered with white light as it grabbed hold of Dante's forearm, his flesh sizzling as he could feel the burning pain surging through him. A moment after, Noland ran up and batted the teen's attacker across the face with his cane, sending them flying as he helped the devil up onto his feet. The last thing they saw the figure do was sink into a small blot of darkness, completely vanishing out of sight.
When Noland looked down with Dante at the devil's arm, they could see a mark now present on his forearm; a white, hollowed out diamond stretched across his entire forearm, the white lines glowing faintly.
Both young men looked up when they felt the train jump up, seeing an explosive blast further up ahead. Without a word, Noland stabbed his cane into the top of the car, his Beowolf appearing in front and morphing. It's inky black body expanded and formed a sphere around them.
"You may wish to hold on. I can guarantee our safety from the outside, but I can't quite guarantee you won't be scrambled if you don't hold on."
The teen did so, getting onto his knees and grabbing the lower half of the cane as both he and Noland rode out the turbulent shaking, and the inevitable crash of the derailed train.
Dante and Noland were thrown a good distance into the deep snow, the once immortal pushing himself up slowly as he looked around. The teen's hand reached down beside him, quickly pulling up Noland as the young man took a deep breath.
"T-Thank you…" he commented as the duo stood up, Noland sighing as he rolled his arms.
"Nothing out of place?" Dante asked.
"Seemingly no, everything is in order." The young man said as he scraped the snow off his coat with his cane, "Our other allies?"
The once immortal nodded, looking around the train wreck as he cupped his hands around his mouth, "HEY! EVERYONE STILL ALIVE?!"
"Here!"
Hearing Ruby's call, the two swiftly moved around the wrecked train car, seeing everyone steadily rising back up as the devil sighed in relief.
"Great! Just great!" Yang said as she tried yanking her motorcycle out of the snow, "We're stranded, we lost more than half our guys, and we've gained a defenseless old lady!"
With one final heave, Yang managed to extract Bumblebee, falling over to the ground with her motorcycle following suit as she became caked in snow.
"Old lady..?" Dante's eyes carried over to one of the cars, a bar from the looks of it, and saw the old woman he bumped into before, "You're kidding…"
When he looked up, he saw his mother exiting the car with Dawn following behind her. Amazingly enough, the once-angel was holding a bottle of champagne in her hand that was completely unscratched, yet freshly opened.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Dante said a bit irritated, "We were fighting for our lives up there and you were drinking?"
"Hey, I told you I was kind of useless for now when it came to fighting. I'm still getting my mojo back." Athyra pointed out, "Besides, Dawn and I were keeping this little badger safe in the car."
The small woman laughed with Athyra, although it was more like the two were cackling a bit, something that sent a shiver up Dante's spine.
"My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless! I'm just a little hard of hearing. And blind without my eyes, that are in desperate need of repair."
"Yang, knock it off, will ya? If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting even more Grimm." Qrow stated as he approached the group, brushing himself off.
"Does that even matter?" Blake asked, "Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven."
Dante's eyes narrowed a bit, remembering the short conversation they had about the Relic of Knowledge before they left Mistral. It could answer any question the holder has, but it can't give answers as to future events yet to come. The limit was three questions for every 100 years, after which the Relic would go dormant and recharge.
But to think it attracted Grimm… No, that shouldn't be too surprising. If the Relic could do as advertised, it would only make sense that the power it gave off would attract unwanted attention. For Dante it was faint, like a small tug on his senses drawing him towards the Lamp.
"What happened to 'no more lies and half truths', huh?" Yang asked.
"Yeah... I think it's time we got an explanation…" Oscar noted.
His eyes glowed as the trademark of control of being given to Ozpin, who furrowed his brow at Yang's accusation.
"I did not lie to you."
"I don't think you told us the whole truth either." Dante noted as he crossed his arms, "Lie of omission isn't that much different."
"Please, now is not the time."
"No, we're past that!" Yang shouted as she walked towards the controlled Oscar, "I wanna know why you're still not telling us everything!
I"t is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable." He started with a sigh, "I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option."
"You know, I'm getting real tired of people choosing what's best for me." Weiss stated.
Dante's eyes lit up a bit, realizing something rather dangerous.
"You knew about Lionheart..." the devil spoke.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth." Ozpin answered the teen, "And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years."
"Missteps?!" Yang shouted.
"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets?" Ozpin argued, "You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him."
"Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you!"
"Do you really think Leo was the first?!" Ozpin shouted back.
Everyone froze at the sudden outburst, never having heard their previous Headmaster so much as raise his voice before now.
"Do you think that he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I…"
…
Now it made sense to Dante. It made sense as to why Ozpin communicated with Dante frequently and had chats with him back at Beacon. It made sense as to why he personally invested so much time with him.
They were more or less the same once upon a time.
"Where's the Relic?" Ozpin asked.
"Right here." Ruby answered, lifting up the lamp.
"Please, hand it over."
Ozpin reached his hand out but Ruby recoiled immediately. Noticing this, Dante gestured for Noland to hold his position, glancing at Inuba to do the same as he slowly made his way over to Ruby.
"All those times you talked about having faith in humanity... That was just for everyone else?" The little reaper asked, eyes narrowed sorrowfully.
"That's not what I meant to suggest. Miss Rose, the Relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear."
"But, you said it couldn't do anything right now." Ruby pointed out.
That's right. Ozpin said that he used up all the questions already.
"Then why does it matter who carries the Relic?" Inuba asked, eyes carefully focusing on Ozpin.
"Please listen to me-!"
Ozpin reached his hand out but suddenly stopped, completely frozen.
Oscar's voice carried through, his body shaking violently, "Hurry..! He's..! Trying to stop you!"
"Stop her from what?" Yang asked.
"He's afraid..! You'll find out what he's... hiding!"
Oscar suddenly collapsed, everyone glaring at the boy with intense looks while Ruby held onto the Relic of Knowledge defensively.
"Her name is Jinn… Say her name to summon her…" Oscar stated weakly.
"Her name?" Ruby asked.
The wind picked up suddenly, blowing the snow around them even harder. As it did, the Relic started to glow in Ruby's hands.
Freezing up for a moment, Oscar groaned painfully before he looked up and rushed Ruby. Everyone moved, but immediately froze, seeing no need to with Dante standing at the front, eyes wide in surprise.
The only thing that stopped Ozpin from moving any further was the barrel of a gun he was staring down. Dante had brought out Eclypse in her gun form, keeping her steady and pressed against the forehead of Oscar's body. The devil himself was glaring at the boy he had at gunpoint, knowing full well Ozpin could see and feel his piercing stare.
"Try it, jackass. See how far you'll get."
"Mr. Aetherveil-!"
"Don't 'mr. Aetherveil' me douchebag." Dante coldly stated, "You think just because you're using the kid as a meat-suit that I'm not gonna shoot you? You'd be dead wrong. Literally, with how this is turning out for you so far."
The once immortal looked back, nodding toward the little reaper.
"Go ahead, Ruby."
The girl nodded, raising up the Relic, "Jinn?"
As quickly as she spoke the name, something completely unnatural happened around them.
The snowflakes floating around them completely stopped, suspended in midair. Even the wind had stopped blowing too, giving the group some alleviation from the harsh cold.
The Relic Ruby held onto was pulling away from her on its own, prompting her to let go of the Relic as it floated a short distance away, cyan smoke emanating from it. Suddenly, the lamp was enveloped in the smoke entirely, and from it, a giant, semi-nude feminine figure emerges. Her skin and hair was colored blue, and decorated with some gold jewelry and ornaments. As she materialized, the entity stretched herself out as she floated and moaned in relief, now awake.
"Wonderful." The entity spoke as all eyes fell on her, "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?"
No one spoke, but it was clear Dante made to say something, only to stop as Jinn spoke first, staring at him.
"Asking my identity does not count towards the limited questions, young man."
Nodding his head, the devil spoke, "Mind telling us who are then? And why you're in the lamp?"
"I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-"
"That's enough!" Ozpin shouted.
Dante rolled his eyes as he harshly smacked Ozpin across the face with the barrel of Eclypse, making him cry out in pain as he fell into the snow. He was pulled up by the scruff of his collar, the devil's hand soon wrapping around his throat and lightly choking him.
"Let me make something clear Ozpin. Today, you're my little bitch. So I suggest you keep your mouth shut unless you want me to shoot you becuase you're annoying." The once immortal spoke before looking back to Jinn, "Sorry, he doesn't have any manners. You were saying?"
The entity smiled at the teen, raising her hand up, "As of now, I am still able to answer two questions this era."
"Oof… The lies are piling up. Maybe I will just shoot you in the end." Dante said.
"Ruby, please... Don't." Ozpin managed to gasp out.
The little reaper was conflicted, looking to Dante for answer only to get a shrug from him.
"If you want to ask, then ask. I say do it, but it's up to you since you're holding the Relic."
Lastly, she looked over to Qrow, who only sighed as he scratched the back of his head.
"Do whatever you think is right, kiddo."
With the answers she needed, she gave her uncle a nod, pondering her question briefly before staring at the entity floating above her,
"Jinn…"
With her name called again, she gave the little reaper a curious look, all while Ozpin grit his teeth in anger, trying to escape. Dante admired that even if he was being held by his grasp, the man was trying to escape.
That didn't change Dante's mind as he squeezed harder to deter Ozpin.
"What is Ozpin hiding from us?
As she asked, Ozpin had punched Dante in the face before striking his elbow to release him, allowing him to escape and run straight for Ruby. The once immortal immediately raised his gun, and faintly squeezed the trigger, stopping just before he pulled it fully as he saw something strange.
Everything was gone.
Specifically, he was in an empty, white space, all alone.
"Eclypse?"
"I'm still with you, Master."
"What the hell is going on here..?"
Dante quickly spun around, aiming his weapon at nothing as his environment changed. A field manifested before him, showing a path leading to a castle in the distance. Even if the devil did not move, he was getting closer to the castle, hearing a woman humming as he did
"Once upon a time, there stood a lonely tower…"
He heard Jinn's voice clearly speak out, yet she was not present. It was like she was narrating a tale...
"That tower sheltered a lonely girl."
Inside the tower, he could now see a rather beautiful, blond woman sitting in front of a mirror, quietly and slowly brushing her hair with a comb.
"Her name… was Salem."
Dante's eyes went wide as he lowered his gun completely almost jaw dropped. The weapon dissolved into black Aura, Eclypse taking on her human shape in her armored combat attire with an equally surprised expression.
Both of them were going to listen to this tale of Salem, and perhaps learn the real truth of the journey they were on.
There you have it. First chapter of the new arc. And hey, we got a new guy on the team now as well! Noland's origins are indeed mysterious, but everything the letter said about him was true. The only thing that remains to be seen now, is his history, and what lead him to Lucifer in the first place. After all...
The story isn't altogether there yet.
Other than that, exciting developments to come in the few chapters ahead. You won't want to miss it. That's all I've got to say for now, so with that...
I highly recommend you all go check out the freaking amazing story Rogue Huntsman written by Xera Stark. The story overall is absolutely fantastic and is a must read, so I suggest you seriously read it. You won't want to miss out on this story. Plus, I'm working on it with him as a co-author, and my characters are in it too. So if you want to see a sort of alternate story and such with my characters in it, go on over and give Rogue Huntsman a read.
And hey! Go check out HydraFLow's story Lost in Binary! It's equally as awesome and entertaining, and tells Rogue Huntsman's story from his characters' perspective, like how Knights of White and Black (my alternate story) tells the tale from my character's perspectives.
Questions? Ask them anytime. I will try to answer without spoiling.
Please remember to review, follow and favorite this story if you really enjoyed it and want to continue seeing more of it. And hey, even tell others about this story! Remember that your support is what helps make this story grow even larger and what helps improve it. With that, I bid you all an excellent week/weekend!
Bye-bye now!