Video Two// This threat produced by your local high school theater department

[royalguard_style]

[Dante's been the closest things to diligent and vigilant as he can be since the other foreigners were attacked. Since he saw the initial reason for the meeting as a petty political squabble, he was sound asleep until it was too late to go help with the attack. It's not the worst news that could have come out of that meeting, but it still sucks to find out that a war you were supposed to be fighting turned hot, a bunch of innocents got hurt, and the enemy was nowhere to be found.

So here he was, speaking in front of the console and sitting on a flimsy wooden chair. The video is harshly lit with a black background. Dante wanted answers, but apparently circumstances aren't dire enough to scrimp on the dramatic flair. Things only get worse once he actually starts talking.]

You. Yes, you jerks hiding out in the castle right now.

[He makes an exaggerated pointing motion towards the screen.]

A few of the folks here have been waiting a good long time for a piece of you. You know how much it sucks to sit around waiting for an enemy that doesn't feel like showing it's ugly mug?

[He stands up and starts pacing around the flimsy chair and starts pacing around it, never straying out of the light. All the while, he keeps talking with an increasingly theatrical timbre.]

And then you finally decided to show yourselves! But apparently the people who actually want to kick your ass aren't worth your time. No, you wanted that good-for-nothing emperor, didn't you? That's why a bunch of cowards like you decided to charge into a building full of foreigners.

[He swings back onto the chair and crosses his legs in one fluid motion. Afterwards, his voice drops down to it's normal, casual tone of voice.]

Let me give you a bit of friendly advice. That guy's not the guy you want to worry about. Haven't you heard the news? I'll tell you what: why don't you come on over so I can kick your ass personally. There's a nice little bar not far from here you can try and ambush me at, and you'll have me outnumbered. I'll be waiting.

[And he waves before turning the video feed off.]

Comments

Re: permaction!

[royalguard_style]

I don't like it when people turn down invitations. Even if they would try to kill me if they saw me.

[Dante's seen that kind of subtle agitation before. It was the kind of subtle change that other devil hunters got when it was too long since a good job. This look wasn't supplemented with a ton of complaints, but Dante knew what it meant just the same.]

Better then some of the places I've had to pick fights back home. So, how do you want to do this?

[He kept his sword slung onto his back and withdrew a wooden sparring sword instead. He wasn't comfortable going into any kind of fight without Rebellion, but he clearly doesn't plan on actually using it, either.]

[gistful]

I did not bring a weapon.

[Usually, his sparring matches were hand-to-hand, but sometimes they were bare-handed against weaponry.]

Though you may use one, if you would like.

[royalguard_style]

[He doesn't question the lack of weapon, considering the fact that he seemed to rely on magic. But for someone to fight with hand-to-hand tactics? That was unusual, to be sure.]

I'll stick with this then. I've never been much for fisticuffs.

He strikes a stance with the wooden sparring sword. He had some hand to hand skills, but he was much faster and more skilled with a weapon in his hands.]

[gistful]

Very well.

[He sketches a quick sigil on the wall, where it pulses with a soft light, counting down to ten before it activates fully.]

Timer. We have two minutes to establish a victor.

[Anton takes off his jacket and leaves it on a piece of debris, and when the sigil reaches zero to begin its secondary countdown he attacks, his movements smooth with that benefit of long experience.]

[royalguard_style]

[Dante tosses his claymore off while Anton's busy sketching the sigils. It's not exactly fair to try and use Rebellion's power to try to win, and someone could get hurt that way.]

Should be more then enough time.

[The first attack was always tricky. While some opponents dance around and try and psych their opponent out, that didn't seem to be the case with Anton. Dante felt a fist hitting his shoulder, but struck back without flinching. He lacked the experience or grace that came with a magically-granted long life, but he struck with the ruthless efficiency of someone who started at a very young age.]

[gistful]

[That Dante could take such a blow without flinching was a good sign--Anton may not have been a boxer like Ghastly, but usually the things he punched stayed down. It meant Anton wouldn't have to hold back on this occasion.

[Dante fought like Dexter--quick and ruthless and brutal. Brawlers. Anton shifted his style to quick jabs and dirty-tactics, using his shoulders and forearms as cover for the blows he couldn't parry but taking advantage of his benefit of experience to widen his footwork. It gave him a greater range of area--and it meant that, when he got the opportunity he was watching for, he could surprise Dante with a quick change in styles using his feet and knees.]

[royalguard_style]

[While that first blow did hurt, Dante was simply too used to being hit hard to stop after one hit. Some of the harder subsequent blows may have made him briefly clench his teeth, but he wasn't stopping until he fell over. He's fought enough opponents like this- graceful and with decades on them. Men of their craft. Unfortunately for Dante, this one was willing to fight dirty.

He continues trying to take aggressive strikes, trying to take advantage of how light his sparring sword was. With the way Anton was blocking those attacks, his best bet was going to be to wear him down until he slows down. He's used to dealing with dirty tactics, but it's the sudden change of style that catches Dante off guard- it was a technique he only recently figured out himself, and he was thus hasn't seen it properly countered yet.]

[gistful]

[Anton was quick to take advantage--he held Dante in close to break through his guard with his knees, aiming to wind and bruise and try to bring Dante to the ground. Anton wasn't an acrobat, not like some others among the Dead Men, but he could still kicks as well as fists to rain down pain atop an opponent--though his style admittedly leaned toward bludgeoning his foe with force and speed, regardless of whether he was uses fists or feet.]

[royalguard_style]

[Dante clearly was not going to win, but he refused to go down. He tried keep-away tactics when he could, and endured the barrage when he couldn't, trying to get the odd swipe in where he could.

He was reckless and foolhardy enough to keep going, but he was saved by the bell, or rather, the timer sigil going off. He was breathing more heavily than usual and showed some signs of slight bruising, but otherwise seemed unharmed.]

It's been a while since I've seen anyone fight like that. Sheesh.

[gistful]

[The moment the chime went off Anton grunted, aborting his motion midway, pausing to a standstill before relaxing and straightening to at-ease. His arms were aching, which said a great deal; likely he was going to bruise, temporary though those bruises would be once he could attend himself. His breathing is controlled rather than ragged, but hard. He'd been exerting himself, and that said a lot too.]

It's been a while since I've had anyone able to stand up to it.

[There's satisfaction in his voice, in his stance, in the gleam of his eyes.]

I'm pretty sure you're asleep, so please ask me to edit if you don't want Dante figuring this out.

[royalguard_style]

[He would have to tend to his own wounds when nobody was looking. After taking a beating like that, it was probably fairly obvious that he wasn't human, but the less anyone knows about the specifics, the better.]

How long have you been doing this, anyway?

[He had his suspicions, but he wasn't about to say anything until Anton said it himself. There were plenty of people who could best him in matters of skill, but the bulk of them tended to be at least half a century older then him.]

this is fine, it's great!

[gistful]

[Anton has to actually stop and consider that, even while rolling down his sleeves and wiping away the sigil with a hand. He had been a field-labourer as a youth, but when he took the gist he'd been forced onto the streets. Brawls had been common-place then--when he was nineteen. True style had only come later.]

Five-hundred and twenty-three years. And you?

[He picks up his jacket and turns to face Dante with curiosity. Few people could stand up to him without magic, and usually only because they knew him well. Chances are Dante has some of his own, or is long-lived enough to have that experience.]

[royalguard_style]

So you are immortal, then?

[The admission that he was several hundred years more experienced solidified his theory, even if it was technically wrong.]

About thirty two years, give or take a few.

[He most likely had a normal lifespan, so magic. To be specific, it was a combination of his demonic heritage, magic, and diligence. His father had made him start at an early age, his mother took over when he disappeared, and then finally plain old necessity made him complete his training himself. His claymore also augmented his own skill during real battles, but that's exactly why he didn't use it during the match.]

[gistful]

No. It only seems so, at times. Magic in my world frequently comes with a rejuvenating effect--eight-hundred to a thousand years is usual, though few of us reach that age before we're killed for one reason or another.

[He pulls on his jacket, giving Dante another glance-over, and nods.]

Impressive. You've magically-enhanced skills or attributes, then, yes? Few people can hold their own against me without experience or magic to aid them.

[He said 'few people', but really, it was 'none'. Everyone needed one or the other. Only one person had been able to beat him outright on a regular basis, and her magic had been as martial as his.]

[royalguard_style]

I have a feeling a lot of questions I would have about you could be answered with "Magic". As for me, I guess you could say that. I had a lot of magical help learning how to fight, and I come from a family of folks who can take a few hits.

[And hopefully, this guy wouldn't figure out that that meant "demonic heritage". He summons Rebellion back to himself, and straps it to his back again.]

[gistful]

You've non-human blood. It's understandable you'd want to keep that secret, given humanity's propensity to fear what it doesn't know.

[What else could a 'family of folks' mean? Werewolves, giants, witches ... there were any number of non-human beings in Anton's own world, and many human ones who presented as inhuman. Anton cants his head at Dante.]

You have questions?

[royalguard_style]

[SHIT. He never really wondered what others would think of him, but he was enjoying the fact that nobody knew who he was here.]

Well, now that you've figured it out, I'm guessing I don't need to tell you I don't like folks finding out.

As for my questions, I'm pretty sure you've heard them before. "How the hell did you get that hotel here", "What the hell is going through your mind anyway?". You know, the usual.

[He's not at all shocked by anything he's seen or heard. Just curious.]

[gistful]

I've no intention of telling anyone.

[He didn't even need to ask what sort of blood it was. It gave Dante an edge in a fight and he knew better than to flaunt it. That was enough for Anton.]

The Hotel was an accident. Its wards caught on my soul as my soul was taken, and because of the massive magical presence it has after a century it cast an echo of itself in Keeliai. As for the second ...

[He smiles suddenly, and it's almost mischievous. Almost.]

If I told you, where would be the fun in making you guess?

[royalguard_style]

[Dante knew better then to flaunt his heritage, but make no mistake, he accepted this duel for the sake of showing off. He simply didn't expect Anton to be as skilled as he was.]

Well, I assume you got your soul back, even if it comes with some extra baggage.

[Despite the discovery and the sudden smile, Dante's facial expression has not budged.]

Well, I guess I have time to find out the old fashioned way. It doesn't look like I'm going anywhere as long as the squatter who lives up in that castle's around.

[gistful]

In loose terms given where our souls are currently housed.

[He wasn't too happy about the lanterns, but who was? Anton glances toward the palace.]

With luck, and perhaps skill. I wonder how many of those who have left this place have done so because they were truly sent back?

[royalguard_style]

Oh, yeah, that. Almost forgot about that. But who knows? Maybe this magic isn't as good at keeping people around as the emperor likes to make people think it is.

[Or maybe Malicant got to them. But he doesn't want to think about that.]

[gistful]

Perhaps. There are too many variables to know for certain, without being told by someone knowledgeable in the subject.

[It's one of the things he doesn't like about this place. It's a war-zone yet it's still run like a government. Either way, he at least feels less restless.]

Have you secured regular work as yet?

[royalguard_style]

I guess that means nobody has any idea, then.

[It feels just like home to Dante. He was almost certain the government had no idea that demons even existed until minor government agencies started going to his friend with jobs. Honestly, he's impressed that the emperor is even acknowledging the current threat.]

Huh? I've managed to nab a few odd jobs here and there, why?

[gistful]

I would like to hire you for the Hotel on a more secure basis.

[royalguard_style]

[This... might actually be a good idea. The hotel might become an important base of operations and it's already a known meeting place for the types of folks who would have even more jobs for him. If he worked there, he'd probably be able to make connections to potential clients easily. And if those clients had a beef with the cultists or Malicant, then jackpot.

But on the other hand, normal work.]

Doing what, exactly?