Daddy, I'm Home! (Sparda and his bloodline only)

Dante wandered into the tower. Place could use a makeover. He drew the Ivory and fired it in less than a second. 2 seconds later a demon preparing to strike fell from the ceiling with a hole in it's head. Dante twirled the gun around his finger and holstered it again before moving further into the tower.

Dante was suprised to note that somebody else was here before him. And even more suprised when he learned it was Nero, which he figured out when the Devil Bringer almost smashed him in the face.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. I thought we had gotten past this part in our relationship. He teased at first but as he got closer to Nero he got more serious. Kid, you need to get out of here. One of the most powerful demons ever is likely to be here. You're going to get seriously hurt if you stick around. He patted Nero's shoulder and began to walk down the stairs into the underground section of the tower, where his instincts told him his father was.

Dante shrugged. He kind of expected Nero not to leave, but he had to try. Back-up? Who says I'm going to fight him? I mean...I might. But that all depends. I'm not really sure what I'll do when I see him Dante's tone had started off jokingly but fell deeper into seriousness as he talked.

Dante began to laugh at Nero's question. What's so special about this one? What, indeed. He's rather famous, I think you've heard of him. In fact, Dante was certain Nero had heard of him. Nero used to be a member of the Order of the Sword, who worshipped Sparda in the past. His name's Sparda

Dante then quiped You can follow me if you want, but don't come crying to me when he kills you. He never missed a step, just kept walking.

"Wait, what!? Sparda!? He's alive... and here...?"

Nero asked, rhetorically, of course. It was pretty clear that Sparda was both alive and here, at least, Dante thought he was here. Otherwise he wouldn't have said it, or even be here himself.

Obviously, Nero had heard of Sparda. He worked for the Order of the Sword. Although he tended to avoid the long speeches and preahing, it was impossible not to know about Sparda. The Order literally worshipped the demon. They practically drilled his name into Nero's head; Sparda this, Sparda that.

"Hmmm..."

That was all he had to say. I mean, he had no idea what else to say. The silence would kill him so the random sound he made was his way breaking it without saying something stupidas he fell deep into thought.

Maybe this could be a good thing. Perhaps Sparda could give him some answers...? Nero was always confused by the higher-ups within the Order, both Sanctus and Agnusseemed to believe he had some sort of blood connection to Sparda. Though, it did make a little sense - he did restor and trigger Yamato's power. If anyone knew for sure, it'd be Sparda.

(OOC: This is my last post until Sparda posts or I learn he's not going to post here. Either way, it only makes sense for me to stop posting about Sparda when he could just come :p MY last post. Go ahead and post again Nero.)

Dante stepped off the steps on the lowest basement. The whole floor was a single room, and the room stank of demon. And the scent was akin to his brother, Vergil's. Of course it probably smells like me too, but I can't really smell myself, now can I?

Dante pulled out one of his guns and fired it into the ceiling to get the attention of whoever was in this dark pit of blackness. Daddy....I'm home.

(OOC: Yes, if Sparda isn't here then this was the room he broke the seal in.)

((I'd been planning to get something approved before I started, but ah, well, it can wait.))

Sparda paced about the small, circular chamber, obviously irritated. Where the hell was Vergil? Ahh, well, one of the brothers would do, for now, and it seemed someone else was with him, someone who's power felt....familiar, but somehow equally unknown. It was maddening.

A Pride materialized a few feet from Sparda, and rushed him, swinging its scythe. Without even bothering to stop, Sparda's Force Edge popped into his sound and flicked through the air. The pride stopped, seemingly confused; What had just happ- suddenly, the Pride slid apart diagonally, the sand forming its body floating down, landing on a floor reminiscent of the Gobi desert; He had been waiting for a while, and was quite irritated; these Hells were nice stress relievers. Sparda continued to circle the small room, muttering darkly to himself, his purple coat billowing slowly around him.

Dante growled in agitation. So nobody was here. Suddenly a small devil popped out of the darkness in a lunge, Dante quickly drew his other gun and mowed it down, the loud gunshots echoing around the rather small room. He kept the Ebony drawn, but holstered the Ivory so he could grab the Force Edge. He began walking into the darkness, slowly as to avoid stepping into a trap. He easily killed at least 2 more devils. D*mn things drawn to this place like flies to a garbage dump. He commented rather loudly. He began to explore the room, hoping to at least find a hint as to where his father went.

(OOC: Since there was no response to his gunshot, he assumes nobody is here. Feel free to prove him wrong)

Well, no response to the gunshots. Nero did the same as Dante, assumed that Sparda wasn't here. Surely if he was, he would have heard it and come out of hiding. Yet, Nero could feel a lot of power nearby; perhaps it was just Dante, but he was fairly sure that someone or something else was causing this feeling of demonic power.

Nero just followed Dante, smirking slightly at his comment about the demons. It was kind of wierd that such pathetically weak demons would attack them here. Did they not even have the smallest morsel of common sense? There was two, maybe three, powerful demon hunters in the room and the only demons that show up are Hell Prodes. What a joke. Though, to be honest, Nero would rather not fight any powerful demons here - it was just too dark to see anything properly. Someone would have to do something about that...

"Demons in the darkness, huh? Never gets old..."

That was when he suddenly thought of something; his arm, it glows. Maybe he could light the room a little, perhaps enough to see a tiny bit better. And, hopefully to see anyone else in the room. The best way to he knew to light up the power of the Devil Bringer was to power up his gun with its power. So, Nero grabbed his gun from within his coat and held it out into the darkness with a straightened arm. A glow of light blue flowed through him and onto his gun, gathering both power and a pulsating cyan light. Perhaps that would be enough to truly see whether Sparda was here or not.

( Charge Shot III --> -30dp = 0dp left. )

((Had to have a nice, dramatic entrance, y'know?))

Sparda looked down, feeling a small surge of power. So that's where they were. Idiots. With a sigh, Sparda stepped into the center of the room, and stabbed Force Edge hilt-deep into the floor. With a small cracking sound, and a flash of light, the Force Edge went into its Released form, becoming the Sparda. The floor crumbled apart, sending Sparda, along with a large amount of sand and rubble, to the floor below, where Dante and Nero were waiting. Sparda frowned, wiping the dust from his hair; that wasn't the brightest idea.

Sparda looked over at Nero and Dante, his face puzzled; They looked eerily similar; except for Nero's glowing arm, of course. Sparda pointed at Dante, beckoning him over.

"You're Dante, right? Haven't seen you since you were eight, but I'd recognize that stupid mug of yours anywhere. You're getting rather famous on Earth, I hear. Mundus is pissed at you, seems you're a thorn is his side and a pain in his ass. Glad to see you're not worthless after all, kiddo. C'mere and give your old man a hug; haven't seen you since you were knee-high."

Dante's jaw dropped. All of his cockiness was immediately gone. F-father? His sword dropped from his hand, collapsing with a clang to the floor. Y-you're really.....really him, aren't you? His left hand, still grasping the Ebony, was making small twitches, it appeared he might accidently fire the thing at any time.

Dante really wasn't sure whether to hug Sparda or shoot him. He'd been left, and he didn't know why. All he could do right now was stand in shock as his father made his first reappearance since Dante was 8.

Sparda walked up to Nero, curiosity etched on his face; who exactly was this person, and why did he feel so irritatingly familiar?

"Since Dante seems pretty mute, I guess I'll ask you myself; What's your name, kid? And why do you feel so familiar? Your aura is similar to Dante's, and, hell, you sort of look like him."

Suddenly an emotion filled the void caused by the lack of cockiness. It was rage.

Dante's demonic aura seemed to snap just as much as his mind, it began to rival even that of Sparda's. The Ebony came up and fired right at Sparda's face, possibly grazing his cheek. WHAT THE F*CK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?! You LEFT US! If you'd stayed, Mom might still be alive! Is your demonic power really more important than your own FAMILY!? Dante shot three more bullets, not properly aimed, but still fired in Sparda's general direction. ANSWER ME DAMMIT!

He stormed towards Sparda. Oh, you thought I'd welcome you back with open arms, is that it? He fired again. I thought you'd gone to Hell, and this time I'll be f*cking sure of it. He aimed his gun right up towards his father's forehead.

He pulled the trigger.

(OOC: If Sparda doesn't survive this than he must be REALLY weak)

Sparda didn't even flinch as the bullets struck home, but his eyes clouded over with pain at Dante's words. Sparda simply stared at his son, his dead man's eyes glassy in the light.

" I did what I had to do. For the same reason I came to earth in the first place, why I'm whispered about still in the darkest of areas; Sparda, the hero. Sparda, the Dark Knight. Sparda, who gave up power, position, everything he had to stop the war, and be with a mere human woman. Mundus will not stop. What will you do if he attacks? Oh, sure, in a fair, one-on-one fight, you could beat him, maybe. But could you beat his army, huh? Could you kill ten thousand demons? A hundred thousand? That's what we're facing, if he ever comes back; Armageddon. He's managed to get his slimy claws through the barrier a couple times, now. He's almost back at full power, and his army has only grown in numbers and strength. I chose what I had to; I chose the human race, over a peaceful, quiet life with you. You pitiful little urchin, you understand NOTHING of the pain I've dealt with! NOTHING!"

Sparda shouted at his son, shaking slightly, his human image wavering ever so slightly. Sparda pulled out Luce and Ombra, and pointed Luce at Dante's forehead, his voice going deadly quiet.

"If I didn't need your help, boy, you would already be dead. Son or not, I will kill you if you ever blame me for what happened again. The two of you already held all of my power; Yamato, the Amulet, and Force Edge. Yamato for your brother, Force Edge for you, and the Amulet for your mother. I gave you the power to protect her, to protect yourselves; you failed. Don't blame me for your pitiful weakness."

Dante kept the gun aimed at his father's head, his finger twitching on the trigger, though not pulling it. He stood that way in a stand-off for perhaps an hour, maybe just a minute, he wasn't quite sure. Then he lowered his gun and turned away, grunting. Whatever. In truth, all he'd done was drain away all his resentment towards his father, even if that hadn't been his plan. He stepped away, suddenly feeling very apathetic. He stared off into the darkness, suddenly finding a certain section of it very interesting.

Eyes darting from one to the other, quickly switching between Dante and Sparda, Nero didn't know what to do or what to say. Nor did he know who was truly in the wrong here. Perhaps Sparda was right, maybe he did have to stop Mundus. But, maybe there was another way. Maybe he could have come and seen his sons every so often. Though this was all speculation. Nero didn't know exactly what had happened. And that was why an uncharacteristic silence fell upon him - he still remained completely speechless.

Though, with guns pointed in both directions, Nero slowly raised his left hand to reach over his shoulder and take a grip of his sword, Red Queen. He didn't draw it just yet, but it was good to be ready just in case...

( ooc: Sorry for these short posts, I normally do longer ones. It's just, Nero's not really doing anything at the moment. )

((Was sort of giving you the chance to try and introduce yourself, since Dante cut you off. *grin*))

Sparda sighed, rubbing his forehead with his free hand; today was a hell of a day. And it was only getting worse. Sparda blinked; he had forgotten Nero, for a second, and it was time to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Sparda pointed at the young Demon slayer, and, voice filled with curiosity, tried to introduce himself, since he had been interrupted the first time.

"Well, as you've heard already, the name's Sparda. What's yours? And how do you know Dante? Spill it."

Sparda tapped his foot impatiently, staring at Nero; Sparda didn't like mysteries, and there was a huge one staring him smack in the face.

( ooc: Sorry to break posting order. Just thought It'd make sense to post now since Sparda is speaking to Nero now. )

With Dante turning away from his father, Sparda's attention seemed to flash back to Nero. Who was, still hesitant to butt in, but at the same time didn't want to disrespect Sparda by ignoring him. So, he decided the best thing to do was to answer but keep it to a minimum; answer the questions asked - no more, no less.

"I'm Nero, a devil hunter. I met Dante a short while back during one of Dante's missions to kill a group of demons that were opening Hell Gates. Dante saved my life, in fact."

Nero chose to leave out the parts like the fact that he was apaart of that same Order. Obviously, he didn't know they were demons, nor did he know what they were planning. Yet, he didn't want Sparda to suspect him of anything like that. He'd rather not try and explain how blind he was to all that was going on around him previously. Though, there was one other key piece of information that he had decided to leave out; the fact that they also worshipped Sparda. Nero thought that he wouldn't be particularly happy to hear what was being done in his name. But it was in the past. It wouldn't matter now. He just didn't want to get on the wrong side of this guy, knowing how powerful he was.

Slowly releasing his grip on Red Queen's handle, Nero tried to relax a little. He let his hand come down from the weapon and crossed both of his arms across his chest. His eyes then shifted across the room at both Sparda and Dante, his main notice of their guns.

"Now that all the anger is out of the way, how about we all put the weapons away, okay?"

Nero asked, trying to keep things cool. Although the guns were no longer pointed at one another, Sparda and Dante still had their weapons in their hands. At least they weren't shooting each other, but they could do without the temptation of pulling the trigger again...

(Is okay, you saved me the embarrassment of a super short post)

Dante grunted, but holstered his gun. He know longer had the need to shoot Sparda. He didn't regret shooting his father, it had eliminated all of his resentment, now he felt nothing but apathy for the demon. He walked over to where he dropped the Force Edge and slid it back to it's original position. Then he turned back to Nero.

You neglected to mention that this "Order" worshipped a certain demon. He wasn't going to tell Sparda that Nero was a member of the Order of the Sword, that would accomplish nothing but breed distrust. He looked over at his father, staring him in the eye. They worshipped you. He said, with the hint of a smile on his lips. He wasn't quite sure how Sparda would react, he hardly knew his father. He simply wanted to know if his father would be angry or amused that a group of devils went around opening Hell Gates in his name, the exact opposite of what Sparda had been doing.

((Sorry for the late reply, was kinda busy))

Sparda looked, quite understandably, pissed. Some idiotic humans were opening Hell Gates, the very thing he had fought to stop, in his name. Sparda shook with quiet rage. Glaring at Dante, Sparda asked the one question Nero was probably hoping had never even crossed his mind;

"Are there any members left alive? I think, perhaps, it's time to teach these cults that keep popping up a lesson, and this would be the perfect time to reveal myself to the world at large."

Unpleasant thoughts were running through his mind, thoughts of what he was going to do to any members if he ever got his hands on them. Oh, they would pay, he promised himself. They would pay.

Dante cringed as Sparda asked the one question that he didn't want to have to answer. Nero saved him the trouble, and as soon as Nero finished speaking Dante stepped between him and Sparda.

Was being the key word. They kicked him out and tried to kill him. I trust him, and if you try anything I won't be on your side.

Dante had his hand resting on the hilt of the Force Edge as he spoke, readying himself for his father's attacks that he was afraid were coming.