Disclaimer: All characters depicted in this story are eighteen years of age or older. Any sexual content involves only consenting adults. This is a work of fiction.
A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 46: Home Sweet Home.
Dante Andromalius.
I hated relying on Yao whenever I jumped between worlds. It grated on me, knowing that in the past, beings like Yao had come to me for help.
I knew it was my pride talking, pride I currently didn't have a way to back up. At least, not yet.
The sealed room below Kamar-Taj felt as unwelcoming as ever, thanks to the Vishanti's power, but at least I could trust that not many beings in the cosmos could peer through the wards without alerting Yao. Many didn't know it existed, and those who did, wouldn't bother me.
I had no way of affecting their decisions, and it was a moot point worrying about them.
I didn't have a shadow of a doubt that both golden bastards knew about my existence, and most abstract concepts did as well.
But… what the fuck was I supposed to do with them at this point?
Worrying over what they could do? Even in my prime, I had to be careful around those beings; if they wanted me gone, I would be gone. In the past, or now, there was no difference.
But they weren't here, so I supposed I didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things.
Who was I kidding? They probably wanted to take advantage of my moves. And they wouldn't bother me when I was this weak. It went against our pride as higher existences.
I chuckled in amusement, and Tandy looked at me curiously as she stopped inspecting the room.
"Is there something wrong, Dante?"
"Don't worry your pretty head about it, love," I patted her head.
"I wanted to ask something, though," she pouted, grabbing my hand.
Putting all my attention on her, I guided her toward some seats.
"Yeah?"
She looked like she didn't know how to start. That wasn't an expression I saw often on my light.
Her eyes, normally clear and almost shining with excitement, dimmed significantly as she glared at the farthest wall.
"What is in there?" she pointed at the wall, glaring at the holy-based seals that thrummed with the Vishanti's power more than the rest of the room.
I stopped cold at that. Didn't I tell her before?
Damn, what a fucked way to start our adventure.
I sighed. "Tandy. He's responsible for what happened to you, at least in the broad strokes. He guided and manipulated the humans who grabbed you after you ran away. Yao was a sweetheart and sealed him there, until we deal with him."
She was almost trembling in anger.
"And why haven't we done anything about it if he's right there?" she gritted her teeth.
"Because we're too weak," I snorted, patting her head. "I never fully explained how vast this world is. Even Kamar-Taj doesn't know everything."
"Then explain properly, please." She took a deep breath.
"Hm. It is difficult, to say the least. But fine," I smiled indulgently at my light, pulling her body towards mine to calm her down.
"Let's say that a normal human is a 0 in my scale. Sounds logical, right? Normal lifespan, weak, no supernatural ability or even magic. In existence, humanity as a whole is one of the weakest races. At least normally. Things have changed a lot since the last time I visited this human world."
Tandy pouted, giving me the stink eye she practiced at hearing me say that, but I wasn't lying.
"Don't pout at me." I rolled my eyes and flicked her ear with a smirk. "I meant baseline. Humanity has always been absurdly evolutive. You have no idea. They aren't completely useless; different eras have shown how dangerous a lucky human can be."
"And how do you know that, mister?" She turned her head to lock eyes with me.
Memories of the start of the multiverse rushed past my head, the explosion of my progenitor that gave The One Above All sufficient energy to create the cosmos and everything that came after that.
"That's a lesson for another day, my light."
"Anyway," I laughed as she glared, "as I said, humans evolve surprisingly fast and in fascinating ways. A trained normal human can maybe hit a limit of 0.5. Sounds good?"
"It doesn't," she scoffed. "You're saying that we're basically ants."
"You aren't," I said firmly, "You're my light. That makes you special."
She smiled cutely at that. I continued after a moment of silence.
"But other humans? Yeah. They… aren't much. You have to understand that the world does not care about sentiments, Tandy. It is the truth, and only that matters." I sensed two presences outside the door and grinned. Maybe Yao could learn something new about that topic, and it would traumatize Wong, so I was all up for it.
"Now, we can go back to us devils. Just to get you a bit calmer," I laughed. "A low-class devil is at 0.7 or so on my scale. The only difference is that their starting point is naturally a bit higher than that of humans. Almost every race has set limits, it depends on the being if they break through or not."
"What about someone like Captain America?" Tandy asked curiously.
"The soldier?" I cocked my head as I ran the numbers I saw from a book Tandy had, "Higher end of low-class, maybe? Pushing hard, he could maybe contend against some weaker mid-class, but no more. Around a 1 on my scale."
"That's nothing!" Tandy gaped.
"But appropriate," Yao laughed softly as she entered, with Wong trailing behind her and closing the door.
Taking a seat in front of us, Yao smiled. "As crude as Dante is, he isn't wrong, my dear."
I didn't stand up, but I did grab her hand and kiss it, "A pleasure seeing you once more, teacher."
"I hope everything has gone well. How's the ring?"
"As tiresome as you," Yao said drily.
"Dante," Wong nodded, standing behind Yao. "Tandy. You look happy."
"I am, teacher." Tandy smiled as bright as her light, "You have no idea."
Wong sighed, but a small smile soon grew on his face.
"Anyways!" Tandy jumped out from her seat (me), "Teacher, they are wrong, right? Captain America should scale way higher! He was the hero of the war!"
"He is," Wong corrected, "And he is currently a popsicle under the ocean. But no, Dante isn't wrong. He's impressive against normal humans, but against us? Not that much."
"He could become a monster," I added, mostly for Tandy's sake. I didn't like her pouting so much. "A bit of Touki or life force, as it is called here, and his baseline would grow exponentially. Hell... from what you've said, he'd get along amazingly with Sai."
"Fine," Tandy slumped into her seat petulantly, "what else is there?"
"Rias, Sona, and you are around 1.8 or 2 or a tiny bit higher, I believe. All high-class devils are around that level. Think of people who could level a town pretty easily."
"And here?" Wong asked with tight lips. "Thankfully, we don't deal with many demons since the end of the second world war."
"Hmm…" I pursed my lips, then a smirk grew on my face. "You. Masters of the art, fighting without relics, should be around that level, I believe. What do you think, Yao?"
"Around there, I think," she replied with twitching lips, "You could add that Spider-Man in New York. He has potential to grow, and his intelligence can help him bridge the gap. Many mutants fit that category, too."
"And that's why I say humans can be fascinating," I snorted. "A single, small change in their biology and they start having jumps like these."
"Praise us more," Tandy grabbed my hand with a teasing smirk.
Rolling my eyes, I continued, "So, yeah, basically that. Low class devil around 0.7, mid around 1 and 1.5, high class around 1.8 to 2.5, where Ultimate-class should start. Like Sai."
"As for the human world or other planets…" I racked my brain. I never paid much attention to beings of this level before. They were stronger ants, but still ants.
"Ah… the lizards!" My eyes lit up. "The wannabe conquerors. What was their name, Yao? I believe they crashed on this planet a long time ago."
"You're talking about the Makluan," Yao sighed tiredly, "A human does have access to their technology, though. Who knows, you might meet him soon. He calls himself the Mandarin."
"The terrorist?" Tandy gaped.
"That's the one," Yao nodded calmly.
"He's that strong?" Tandy looked between curious and perturbed, "Is that why you haven't stopped him, Ancient One?"
"My dear," Yao laughed amusedly, "I do not interfere with affairs of humans that often. And he has a path to follow, like most of us."
"Again, Tandy," I sighed, "you must stop seeing things like we're obligated to interfere with small squabbles. Do you think Serafall or Ajuka makes a move every time a mid-class devil causes trouble? Sometimes, it's not worth the effort. Or it turns into an opportunity for someone else to learn."
Tandy turned silent at that.
"You might be more knowledgeable than I am about the current players, Yao. Care to continue?" I turned my eyes to my teacher.
"At least for these numbers," she sighed tiredly, and I burst out laughing when a glob of shampoo dropped onto the ground.
Then my eyes widened, because faster than I could react (Bitch used the time stone), she sent the glob into my open mouth, and I hacked.
She ignored my flailing as everyone laughed.
"Let's see… currently on Earth, there should be multiple people around a 3 and 4, I believe. Charles Xavier's telepathy should not be ignored. Young Jean Grey," she paused and looked at me.
Wonder what that was about.
"She should be a bit higher, for now. Around 3.8. Selene Galio, the black queen and immortal sorcerer, should be around 3.5 too. Namor, the ruler of the ocean, should be around 3.2 or around there."
She paused before laughing.
"This is fun. I should add it to the memoirs for the sorcerers in training."
"Already on it," Wong grunted, already writing.
"Agatha Harkness should be around 3," Wong added.
"Hebert Wyndham is a 4-4.2," Yao almost sneered before she controlled herself.
I whistled. "Now we're getting into the adult pool without the assholes."
"A casual Satan-class and the higher end of Ultimate class should be around 4," I turned to Tandy, "Sirzechs and Ajuka are higher, obviously. I haven't seen them fight seriously, but as a guess… Around 4.6. They are beings that could destroy continents if they wanted, and probably the stability of a planet if they truly tried."
"There are some mutants of that level. They're called Omega Level, or so I've heard. Magento, Apocalypse, to name a few. Bruce Banner could reach that level if certain technicalities are met. Some, if not most, gods are around there."
"Like Odin?" Tandy asked curiously.
I laughed at that, "the cunt is higher. The ones called sky fathers are on a level of their own; have some patience, my dear. Think of Thor, Fenrir, Ares."
"Zeus should be around 4.8," Yao continued in distaste, "I can only be thankful that the Greek faith has lessened with the years; having him at the peak of his power is not good for anyone."
"What about the ruler of Latveria, Teacher?" Tandy raised her hand like she was in class.
"Five," Wong grunted.
"5.2, or maybe 5.5 with enough preparations," Yao said direly.
And I understood why.
"Really?" I couldn't help but ask, "That high? I would put you around 5, Yao."
Yao nodded seriously, "There are two humans I don't want you meeting, Dante. I don't… like the idea of the aftermath of any of those. You will want to kill the first, and the second one will want to kill you for what you are. Reed Richards is perhaps the most idiotic, intelligent man in this part of the cosmos. He creates as many threats to the world as the times he saves it."
"How bad could it be?" I rolled my eyes.
"Annihilus."
I stopped for a moment before snorting in disgust.
"Really? He's that much of an idiot?" I shook my head in disbelief, "The negative zone was left alone with the sole purpose of that bug dying once and for all. No one wants to deal with that bastard in the positive world."
"His immortality is so troublesome that very few beings can contest," Yao explained to Wong and Tandy, who looked creeped out, "The few who could have no reason to interfere in that kind of squabble."
"Did he come out? What happened?" I asked somewhat seriously. She wasn't exactly panicking, so I wasn't going to start. Annihilus was a problem, though. Enough so that even at my peak, I didn't interact with him lightly.
Especially when he got that weapon of his.
Those energy blasts were no joke, and that was the least troublesome of its abilities.
"He didn't. I made sure that Reed wouldn't interact with the negative zone by sealing those memories. I don't know how long that will last, but in the short term, there shouldn't be a problem. I personally confiscated everything he had."
"Good," I nodded, "He's genuinely a problem. But at least the overgrown bug is predictable. What I don't particularly like is having such a dumbass touching things mortals shouldn't know about."
"He's a hero," Tandy looked conflicted.
"Heroes can be idiots too, Tandy," I said simply, "He must be a brilliant man, and probably one of the smartest mortals alive, but that doesn't mean he cannot make mistakes. In fact, it is the intelligent who fuck everything up the hardest. Believe me."
"He's not exactly wrong, dear," Yao sighed and pursed her lips, "His own arrogance makes him reckless, even when he means well."
"Now, I expected to make you a bit more… angry or something, Dante," Yao lifted her eyebrow in my direction.
"What, throw a tantrum?" I rolled my eyes and smirked, "Maybe I should, but I trust my teacher to take care of everything while we mortals cheer for you."
Yao rolled her eyes.
"Anyways, we started this because of D'spayre. He's around 4.8 or so; depending on the situation, he could grow stronger. He's not someone we can face as we currently are. When the time comes, you'll get your hands on him. After I take what I need from him. Sounds good? Just so that you get an idea, I give Red a 5.7 on the scale, I think."
Tandy nodded, her expression hard.
"Fine. I can wait longer. I want to be the one who beats and kills him."
Wong's expression of fear was hilarious.
"We're leaving, Yao. But we'll visit more often. If something important comes out, just send a message."
"Are you planning on answering this time?" Wong scoffed as the Dark Force started enveloping Tandy and me.
"Hers? Of course I will," I sent a smirk his way before smiling genuinely, "Pay us a visit one of these days, Tandy missed her lesson with you."
Wong nodded minutely.
"We can share a drink over the lesson," I said genuinely, "It's been a while since we talked."
He didn't show any expression, but I could see he wasn't against the idea.
He knew that I wasn't truly angry at him, and most of what I had done was just to fuck with him.
Sending a final wave, the Dark Force ate us whole.
Three days later.
It was… strange how different it felt to return to the ninth circle. It was the closest thing I had in both worlds to the normalcy of my past life. The place I could act as I did when I was Seere without caring about anything.
There was something juicy about mortals and their desires. And it never stopped making me feel nice about myself.
Obviously, I didn't cheat them. I wasn't an asshole, and it went against my very nature, but still… they made it just so fucking easy.
Day after day passed, while I wondered if I was doing the correct thing about leaving Reed Richards alone. But despite everything, I trusted Yao.
She knew what she was doing, and I was neither in the mood nor obligated to keep an eye on idiots.
Which… there were a lot on this planet.
Including the few mortals who have been visiting my business to keep an eye on me.
The only reason I noticed was that I found it curious that someone without a soul was inside the café. The redheaded mortal who turned into a regular during the last few months, according to some of the workers.
A body without a soul.
In fact, I didn't know if I could say he was the original.
"So, what's new, Dum Dum?" I asked the soldier turned spy turned... android? Did he even know he wasn't the original?
He was surprisingly well-versed in the occult, though he didn't admit he was spying on Tandy and me. He did explain that he fought along with Captain America during World War II, but nothing about what he did after the war.
My lips quirked a bit, and he hid a flinch.
He didn't know what I was, only that I was dangerous.
"Retirement is the same as ever, lad," He replied after sipping on his drink to hide his nerves, "This is the most interesting development since the war ended, I tell you."
"Where's the lass?" he asked, his eyes looking around the store and cataloging everything.
"She's busy with her training," I grinned, "You know how people get when they learn that magic is real. So... wanna trade stories once more?"
Another customer entered the store, once more, working for the same organization as Dum Dum, yet… they weren't on the same side.
Hydra, huh.
How amusing. Cut one head, two more grow back. It was fitting.
Dum Dum Dugan ignored the other spy. In fact, both of them did a marvelous job of ignoring the existence of the other one.
"What do you have in mind?" he asked.
"What can you tell me about Hydra? Your unit fought against them directly, right?"
"That's classified, kid," he rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on," I rolled my eyes, taking a seat on his table and enjoying the uncomfortable expression that grew on the other spy's face. "You know, I'm really knowledgeable. Why don't we trade secrets?"
"Hell," I winked at him, "I suspect I know more things than even you do, Dugan. A lot more."
"And yet, no one knows who you are, kid," he replied gruffly, "Like smoke, you just appeared one day and made everything possible. Out of nowhere."
"Shall we drop the games, then, agent?" I laughed.
His eyes widened, but much to my surprise, he didn't make any overt moves.
He controlled himself like the veteran he was.
"You know a lot," he said cautiously.
"A lot more," I repeated, looking at his unnatural body that wasn't any different from a normal human.
What a fascinating creation, even if I wasn't interested in making deals with him.
Someone without a soul wasn't a real person. At least, it was like that for us demons.
"I know what you are, Dugan. And more importantly, I know who you work for," I leaned back in my chair. "I find it curious that such a high-ranking member of SHIELD is the one sniffing around my business. Someone like you shouldn't be bothered with field work at this point in your career."
Dugan's expression didn't change. I also disliked that he didn't have a soul; I couldn't simply read through him to know his true feelings.
"Not many inside the agency believe in the supernatural, kid. The higher-ups much less. We tried to send other members, but somehow, they couldn't find the entrance to your café, wizard."
I nodded, amused despite feeling offended. "Is that how you've categorized me? A wizard? As for not finding the place... I don't particularly care for narrow-minded people. I decided a long time ago that only interesting mortals should find their way inside, keeps things fun, don't you think?"
Dugan rolled his eyes, finally setting his cup down. "You really want to keep up the 'demon' game, lad? Making deals, cryptic talk… It's a bit much, don't you think? Despite the lack of information about you, you feel as human as they come. Also, if you're that knowledgeable, you should know that demons are only interdimensional beings. Not the kind spoken by the Lord."
"Is there a difference?" I asked with a smirk.
A man of faith, huh. How fun.
"But tell me, do you believe in the Bible? Because the 'serpent' that tempted Lilith does exist. It was Mephisto, but after everything he did with mortals, calling him Satan is completely acceptable. It's a fascinating story, you know? He cucked Adam and laughed while his life broke to pieces. He's an asshole like that."
Dugan stiffened. I could see the old-school Christian in him flare up, his jaw set in a tight line.
"That's enough," he grunted.
"Is it?" I closed my eyes and focused on my domain. "I don't lie, Dum."
From the office door behind the counter, a heavy, leather-bound tome slid through the air.
My clan trait ensured that no one focused on the magic. Grabbing the tome, I put it on the table between us with a growing smirk.
Flipping through the pages, I laughed at the images. Kamar-taj had really detailed history books.
The title was written in red ink, almost like blood. And it was 'Mephisto and his first wife'.
Dugan looked down. He read in silence, not looking up from the book.
I looked at the other spy from the corner of my eye as he tried and failed not to look like he wanted to know.
Hydra was more into the occult than shield. It was interesting to know that things hadn't changed after their supposed destruction.
Before he could find his voice, the same door the book had come from swung open.
Tandy walked through, her hair a bit frazzled from the training with Wong.
She did have a victorious expression. Wonder how that went.
Her eyes lit up when she saw Dugan, but the moment she saw his pale, shell-shocked expression, she smacked my arm with a pout.
"Dante! What did you do to him?"
"Just sharing a bit of history, love," I said, looking as innocent as I could manage.
Tandy ignored me, sliding into the seat next to Dugan with a bright smile. "Don't mind him, Dum Dum. He's being a brat. Tell me another story about the Captain? The one about the train in the Alps?"
I rolled my eyes and tuned them out. Something more interesting required my attention.
Outside the glass, two bright souls were approaching.
One belonged to a big man. Like… damn. He was double my size. His soul was interesting. Protective, to an insane degree. The woman next to her was literally more important to him than his own life.
His soul was surprisingly... simple. An honest man.
My lips quirked.
But I couldn't focus too much on him, as amusing as it would be to corrupt him. No, the other… the woman? She was a fucking beacon.
The chains of fate were blinding inside her soul. A sad, almost unbreakable fate. It wasn't she who did whatever important act would happen in the future, but she was a key to that event. How curious. She was like the fourth woman I had seen with such fate inside my café since I opened it.
The door opened, and the two walked inside.
The woman led, despite the frown on the dude's face. Her red hair shone under the sun until she entered fully. She was hopeful, but there was also a lot of doubt inside of her.
She didn't care about that. She was truly desperate.
The man behind her looked like he wanted to be anywhere but inside my establishment.
I stood up, leaving Tandy and the veteran to their war stories.
"How curious," I murmured to myself as I smiled at the redhead.
"Hello, miss. What can the ninth circle offer you two today?"
"Dante Andromalius?" she asked me, offering her hand. How businesslike.
"In the flesh," I grinned, "And you are?"
"Potts," she almost slumped in relief, "Pepper Potts. And I heard many things about this place."
"Good things, I hope?" I smiled.
"Unbelievable things," she corrected.
I opened my mouth, but before I could utter any words, Dum stood up from his seat.
"Pepper? Lass? What are you doing here?" he asked worriedly.
"Dum?!" Pepper gasped, "It's been years since the last time I saw you. Haven't you heard what happened?"
Dum frowned, looking between Pepper and me. Tony Stark. Last time seen in Afghanistan, according to Pepper. Three weeks without communication, but she believed he was still alive.
Did SHIELD know about this? I peered at the other spy in the café and realized that they did.
And they weren't doing anything about it. Interesting.
A smirk started growing on my face.
"I believe I can help you with whatever problem you have, my dear." My voice smooth as I cut over Dum, I motioned to my office and nodded at Tandy to take control of the store while I was gone.
My light nodded, looking at the veteran and the redhead in curiosity for a moment.
"Shall we? I find that the best deals are made in private."
The man behind Pepper frowned, but she nodded and started walking inside.
I sent a final grin at Dum, who was ignored by the woman at the opportunity of finally having a solution.
This smelled like an adventure.
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