> The Devils of Canterlot > by Zeroraid > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The rain had stepped in a few days ago, and from the news reports it seemed that it would be sticking around for a few more days before letting up. Knowing this some of Limbo’s residents had chosen to bide their time – waiting out the storm that was still going on. That being said, there were always a good number of those who were willing to step outside and brave the rain in order to reach their place of work. After all bills had to get paid somehow, right? Of course, with that being the case, there were very few who actually wanted to step out and embrace the rainfall, which of course wasn’t too surprising. Only time someone really liked getting wet was when they were either in the bathroom or the bedroom. For one young man in particular though, neither option seemed available at the moment. Staring out at the city from its tallest building, the Silver Sacks Towers, he couldn’t help sighing in annoyance as he watched the rain come down. “Hell of a view.” The figure muttered as he stared outward, attention focused on the rain that continued to fall across his city. Limbo, that was the name the world gave it. It was a strange name, truly, but it was no different from naming cities like Red Grave and Enamel. Still, why the founders chose to call this place ‘Limbo’ of all things was honestly beyond him. The city wasn’t situated in Limbo after all - ‘the Edge’ where the borders between realms was weakest. Regardless, the figure pushed such thoughts away as he continued staring out at his city. Disregard the rain, it didn’t look any different from any other city out there. It was a well developed metropolis with skyscrapers and boroughs. He couldn’t see the people from up here, but that was fine. He didn’t need to see them, not really; but if he wanted to, all he had to do was look through the CCTV cameras installed throughout the city. While he was busy looking outside his office phone went off, and it was with a bit of reluctance that he found himself stepping away from the window that he was next to headed over to his desk as he picked up the phone. “Yes?” “Artemis and Lohengrin have returned.” “Good.” The figure muttered as he circled around his desk and settled down. “Send them in.” He told his receptionist as he hung up the phone and waited. He didn’t have to wait long. Walking into his office, two young men - one with a head full of white hair and one with black - made themselves known. “Hey boss.” The black haired one, Lohengrin did this light wave and smiled as he walked over to one of the office chairs and settled down. “Sorry it took so long to get back, traffic was a nightmare.” “I bet it was.” Their boss muttered as he looked to Artemis who seemed to just be standing at attention and waiting for something. He just made a gesture, allowing the white haired youth to sit as he gave an appreciative nod. “So, what’s your report?” “It’s as you thought, Mr. Ryder.” Artemis stated. “The uproar in Red Grave was caused by the Qliphoth appearing in Red Grave.” He admitted. “And as you predicted, Dante got involved.” Lohengrin stated as he made a swinging motion with his arm. “Took him a month, but he finally chop the damn thing down.” “I’m not surprised.” Ryder muttered as he rested his cheek on his knuckle. “Still, who was it that planted the seeds of the Quiphoth?” “Some guy named Urizen.” Lohengrin stated with a shrug. “Never heard of him.” “Likewise.” Lohengrin grumbled. “Arte glanced through Lemegeton's Guidebook, and couldn’t find a damn thing about this Urizen guy, so he’s not from the Demon Realm.” “That means he was probably from this side.” Artemis stated. “I see…” Ryder muttered as he seemed to think. “If that’s the case, how were they able to reach the Demon Realm and the Qliphoth?” “Nero.” Ryder raised an eyebrow. “Dante’s heir?” “Think so.” Lohengrin stated as he raised his right arm and tapped it a few times. “Saw him sporting a prosthetic.” He admitted. “Seems Urizen ripped that demonic arm off and pulled the Yamato out of it. And given that Yamato can cut through dimensions~” “They used it to reach the demon realm and acquire the Qliphoth seeds.” Ryder rubbed his temples. “Makes sense… and what else is there for you to report?” “For one, Dante got his ass handed to him before settling things.” Lohengrin stated as Artemis reached for something he had carefully wrapped up and presented it on the table. Ryder’s eyebrows shot up slightly. “Rebellion?” Though they could have been mistaken for the shards or any random blade, he knew on an instinctive level that these shards belonged to the Demonic blade known as Rebellion. “Yes, it seems that the Rebellion was shattered during combat.” Artemis stated. “We’ve collected a few shards, but the remaining pieces as well as the handle are still missing.” “More than likely it’s still in Dante’s possession.” Ryder grumbled. “Regardless, even with the broken Rebellion, Dante managed to pull through in the end. That’s good at least.” He muttered as he seemed to stare at the fragments of rebellion for a moment. “Now for the bad news.” “Well, in order to seal off the Qliphoth, Dante would have needed to go to the Demon World and sever the roots himself.” Artemis stated. “Not to mention seal the portal it created with the Yamato.” Ryder didn’t say anything, letting the words echo into his head before taking a breath. “I see, a one-way trip.” “That’s right.” Lohengrin muttered. “But knowing his luck he’ll find a way out again.” “Till then the Legendary Devil Hunter is gone.” Artemis added. “And as such he’s out of our hair.” Ryder muttered as he made a face and started fiddling with a piece of Rebellion. “So.” Lohengrin spoke up again. “What’s the plan, boss?” Ryder didn’t say anything, just chose to continue fiddling with a fragment of Rebellion and made a noise. “To start, we ensure Dante can’t get back to this side.” “Oh?” Ryder just stopped messing with the fragments of Rebellion and seemed to look at his guests. “The Qliphoth opened a portal to the Demon Realm, but as you know it’s not the one.” He stated. “Two thousand years ago, Tenen-Ni-Gru was created by mortal hands to act as the true gateway, and countless other structures were created to act as portals as well.” Ryder stated. “If every last one of them is destroyed…” “Then we ensure that Dante can’t return.” Artemis whispered as Ryder gave him a nod. “I get it… but if we destroy all the Hellgates, then won’t more demons be unable to cross over?” Lohengrin asked. “No actually.” It was Artemis that answered him. “Even without the Hellgates, demons can still be brought over, mostly through some form of medium like sand.” He stated. “Dante however… can’t, or at the very least he’s never shown the capacity to do so.” “Ah~” Lohengrin leaned back in his seat as he put his hands behind his head. “I think I get it.” Was all he said as he seemed to think. “Well if that’s the case~.” He smiled. “When do we start, boss.” “You in particular?” Ryder began as he sighed to himself. Without a word he reached for something in his desk before pulling out a file for the two. “Ever heard of Canterlot?” Artemis nodded as Lohengrin raised an eyebrow. “Never heard of it.” Lohengrin admitted as Artemis reached for the file. “Must be somewhere in the middle of nowhere.” “Well, you aren’t wrong.” Ryder admitted with a smile. “There’s no airport, there’s no trains, just a single road leading to a beach and beyond.” “Wow that is in the middle of nowhere.” Lohengrin muttered as Artemis continued looking through the file. “Either way, we’re to destroy the hellgate there?” “Yes, though we aren’t entirely certain if it’s a Hellgate at all.” Ryder admitted. “Regardless, there is a portal there. “And if theres a portal that means that theres a possibility that Dante can come through it.” “So where is the portal?” Artemis showed Lohengrin the file as his eyes shot up and he started to laugh. “It’s in front of a school? Who puts a portal in front of a school?!” “I’d love that answer myself.” Ryder stated, shaking his head. “Regardless.” “Right.” Lohengrin returned the file to Artemis. “We’ll get right on it, boss.” > Prologue part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The silence that permeates the world is only broken by the sound of a bottle hitting the table, and it is a noise that seems to echo out before quickly fading away. Sitting at his desk, a man just sighs to himself, as he drinks from his cup before setting it down beside the bottle he had on his table. His expression isn’t twisted by annoyance, or regrets, or even that drunken high, rather it’s laced more with boredom than anything. He pours himself another glass and starts to down it, stops half way before leaning back to make himself more comfortable. In glancing to the side of his desk the man finds a collection of notes both in his writing as well as in his forebears and takes a moment to look them over. The notes concerned, as he liked to put it, magic bullshit; not that stagehand bullshit you see at parties but actual magic bullshit. Or at the very least the closest people could get a hold of; demon magic. That was what ‘human’ magic was at the end of the day; demon magic that they managed to get a hold of through either some kind of demonic pact or objects. Either case, what humans could grab hold of was nothing in comparison to what a demon could pull off. With a light flick, the man returned the papers to his desk, not even bothering to check where they might end up before just leaning back and seeming to think. Demon Magic… never quite understood why Devil’s went about sharing their dark gifts with humans. But he figured that it was something that helped them better influence those they turned their gaze to. Either way, getting ahold of those dark powers allowed human to recreate some of the demon's more esoteric abilities. Some used them to create ‘miracles’ some used them to create ‘curses’ or other abominable things. And he’d seen many abominable things brought into reality by demon magic. With that being said it didn’t stop him from studying the art; trying to break it down into a scientific method he could accept and share with others.  If he could do so, the things that could be done for humanity… The man chuckled lightly. “As if I originally planned on doing this for humanity.” His reasons for studying demon magic, and everything related to it; were all to further his own personal goals. Really that was probably the reason a lot of people studied anything. Or maybe it was just him. “Honestly, it doesn’t really matter.” It really didn’t. Pouring himself another drink the man took a minute to relax for a moment longer before deciding to get to his feet and headed over to his coat rack and grabbed a coat and threw it on. That done he retrieved his bottle and started heading out. Walking down the halls of a building complex, the man took the time to run a hand through his charcoal colored hair as he checked in on the others as he made to leave. “Adrian.” Stopping, the man turned himself away from the bottle as he saw one of his associates leaving a room. They looked exhausted, not to mention annoyed. “Yo.” Adrian greeted them as he returned to his bottle and took a drink before passing it over. His associate didn’t even question the bottle being offered, instead chose to practically snatch it away before downing what he could. “Rough day?” “Is that a rhetorical question?” Adrian shrugged as he grabbed his drink and looked at how much was left in it. “What do you think?” He remarked, shaking the bottle before finishing it off. “Let me guess, we lost a few more.” “Fraid so.” His counterpart grumbled as they both started walking away from the room they had resting across from them, as well as the corpses lying lifeless on the tables. His companion reached into their pocket, pulled out a pack of smokes and bit into one as he pulled it out. “Careful with those.” Adrian grumbled. “You keep taking those your lungs are gonna give out one of these days.” “You’re one to talk.” His companion grumbled, before lighting his smoke up. “You should have liver problems by the end of the day.” “Should is the key word there.” Adrian muttered as he tapped where his liver would be. “But this thing ain’t gonna kick anytime soon.” “So you say.” His counterpart let out a trail of smoke as they walked on. “I can’t seem to get a break.” They said after a while. “Even with the notes we picked up from the Order, we’re still having some difficulty binding demonic energy to human tissue.” “It can’t be helped.” Adrian stated. “We have Agnus’ notes, but only what he felt a need to write down.” Adrian admitted as he raised a finger. “Everything he didn’t write down concerning his Ascension Ceremony, was likely stored up here before he died.” He tapped his skull as his counterpart made a noise. “Yeah, I know… still.” The smoker muttered. “If we could have extracted the stuff straight from his head that would be great. It would help with the Devil Eater project we’ve been entrusted with.” “You’re right.” Adrian admitted as the two walked on, stopping as they reached the breakroom and took a seat. “Still, in the words of our esteemed Director; to ensure the survival of humanity, we must succeed.” He declared, almost mockingly. “And we have, to an extent, anyway.” Adrian admitted as he leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. “We have succeeded in recreating the Order of the Sword’s Ascension Ceremony, and with it we’ve successfully created several Devil Eaters.” He admitted. “But we have more failures than successes.” He stated. “Less we can find a safer way to bind the demonic power to humans, our body count is going to eventually surpass the demons. “Agreed.” The smoker admitted taking another puff. “I wish this was easier.” “Anything worth doing is never easy.” Adrian muttered. “Still, if we’re talking about continuing to succeed in this Devil Eater Project, I recommend a more thorough screening concerning potential volunteers.” “Oh? Why’s that? His counterpart asked. “Getting concerned for the wellbeing of those we bring in, that’s not like you.” “You’re right, it’s not.” Adrian stated. “But I have noticed something throughout our trials and errors.” He admitted. “Those who survive the process of becoming Devil Eaters possess more than just a strong body, they possess a strong will as well. Without that factor they have a far greater risk of becoming a demon we have to put down.” “I see~” Adrian’s counterpart muttered, leaning against a wall as he took another drag from his smoke. “A strong mind to match a strong body.” They muttered. “Yeah… that make sense. If the mind can’t handle the stress from being introduced to demonic magic, then why would the body be able to handle it as well?” They muttered. “Isn’t there some old martial arts saying about that? Mind and body being in harmony or something?” “Yeah something like that.” Adrian muttered. “If I’m right, a more thorough screening for mental fortitude will result in far better results. It should also weed out those that can’t handle the pressure, without the risk of needless deaths.” “Agreed.” His counterpart muttered as they pulled out their cellphone and started making a call. “Hey boss, it’s Lumen.” He started. “You got a minute, Adrian just brought something to my attention.” Seeing that his counterpart was drifting away now, Adrian took a moment to lean back in his seat as he took the time to look at his watch. “11:45…” He muttered to himself before lowering his arm and just stared at the ceiling for a moment. “I’m gonna check out for a bit, go for a quick walk..” Lumen just gave him a thumbs up as Adrian got to his feet and started to leave. “Yes… sir?” Lumen muttered as he seemed taken back by something. “Oh… ok… Adrian?” Adrian paused as he turned to his colleague. “Before you leave, someone wants to talk to you.” “Of course.” Adrian grumbled as he rolled his eyes. “This person got a name?” “A Mi Amore Cadenza.” Adrian froze for a moment before taking a breath. “God fucking damn it.” Mi Amore Cadenza. That was a name he hadn’t heard in a long time. He saw her as a friend once, a close friend at that. Course that was a long time ago; Before they got in that fight that ended things. Well, if you could even call it a fight, he remembered her yelling a lot; questioning what he had done. Walking to the main lobby, Adrian ran a hand through his hair as he took a breath. “Fucking hell.” He muttered looking ahead. “It’s been a while Cadenza…” Mi Amore Cadenza… Cadence She was without a doubt beautiful. Probably one of the most beautiful women you’d find in her age group. Often she had a smile that would light a fire in a man’s heart… not to mention his loins. She didsn’t have that smile on her face this time, it wasn’t flipped upside-down either, now was it locked into a fine line. It was… uneasy, perhaps that was the right word. “Adrian…” Cadence muttered as she looked at the man. “You look well.” “You look like you could use a nap.” “I probably could.” Cadence admitted as she looked elsewhere for a moment. “How have you been?” “What do you want?” He wasn’t going to do this today. He had no interest in beating around the bush and trying to make small talk to ease into things.”I know your here for something, so lets cut to the chase.” “Right…” Cadence muttered as she looked around. “Is there somewhere where we can talk in private?” “The closest thing I can get to privacy is the cafeteria, or outside.” The man stated. “Take your pick.” Cadence turned slightly, looking to see the entrance of the building that she had just come through and peeked at the outside world. “The cafeteria is fine.” “Alright.” Adrian muttered, turning around so he could lead the woman further into their complex. “Stay close, I don’t want you to get lost.” It’s not that long of a walk  to the cafeteria, but that doesn’t mean it feels like one. The silence between the two makes it feel like time has slowed to a crawl. “Adrian I’m…” Cadence begins as they walk on. “I’m sorry.” She confessed. “I was in the wrong, I shouldn’t have…” “I know.” Was all Adrian said. “Let’s leave that in the past eh?” “Adrian-” “I don’t want to talk about it.” He said, a sense of finality in his words. “Right.”Cadence fell silent as they walked into the cafeteria and found a seat somewhere. “So…” Adrian began. “What can I do for you?” “I… we need your help.” Cadence muttered. “No doubt you know how things have been since that giant tree showed up in Redgrave.” “Qliphoth.”  “What.” “The demonic tree.” Adrian rolled his eyes grumbled. “It’s called the Qliphoth.” “You know it's name?” Cadence paused for a moment. “Of course you know it’s name, your well versed in all things demonic.” “Ain’t that the truth.” “Anyway… since that tree appeared, there’s been more demons popping up all over the world and Auntie… she’s worried they might be coming to Canterlot soon.” “So she want’s someone there in case something happens.” “Yes.” “She want’s Dusk there, doesn’t she?” “Yes.” Cadence repeated. “I know she said it’s just for work, but… I know she want’s to try making amends for… everything that happened.” She admitted. “She knows it won’t be easy, but… she want’s to try…” “Not surprised.” Adrian muttered as he looked elsewhere. “You know I can't guarantee that Dusk will want to go back there “I know.” Cadence muttered. “That's why we're willing to accomidate him for his time..." She admitted. "We'll pay for his services..." Adrian fell silent as he looked back at Cadence. "A parent shouldn't have to pay their kid to see and spend time with them." Adrian muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I'll see what I can do..." "Thank you..."