Welcome to the latest installment of Disgaea: Almost the Hour of Darkness. Friendships are pushed to the test, the right to rule is challenged, and Vic gets…
VIC: aaaaaah! (Hopeful tone)
…absolutely nothing beneficial.
VIC:Awwww!
Disgaea: Almost the Hour of Darkness
Chapter 7: Silo's Challenge
Some random town (3 years ago)
"Just toss her in there. She can't do much." The guard tossed Misha into a dirty cell beneath the house of a well known magistrate. "That's the second one this month. You think the citizens are planning some kind of uprising?"
"I f they are, I'm getting out of here. Too much trouble."
Misha watched the two guards walk out of the cell block and sighed. She hadn't expected to get caught this quickly. Before long, Misha heard a voice whispering to her out of nowhere.
"Psst." The voice said. "Hey! You listening?"
Misha looked around and saw a small little hole on the wall to her right. She crawled over and looked through it to see someone else (or rather, someone else's eye) staring back at her. "That was you, I'm guessing?"
"Yup. So what are you in for?" the voice asked.
"I tried to assassinate the magistrate. I was climbing up the side of the building when they captured me." Misha explained.
"What a coincidence! Same here…well, except I just busted through the front door and mad a scene. I must've taken out about half the guards."
"That explains the lack of security when I first got here, but why would you try something so stupid?" Misha asked.
"Well…I figured they wouldn't expect someone to just attack head on like that and I could catch them off guard." The voice explained, timidly. "Say, why are you after this guy anyway?"
"I was hired by the previous magistrate who lost his re-election campaign. What about you?" Misha pressed her ear against the hole.
"I was hungry."
"…" Misha took a second to absorb the answer. "What?"
"From what I gather, this Magistrate guy is a total dick. Nobody likes him so I figured that if I offed the guy then there would be a huge celebration with all sorts of free food."
"Wouldn't it have been easier if you just stole some food from a grocery stand or something?"
"Yeah…but then I would've gotten thrown into jail instead of the magistrate's personal torture chamber." The voice sounded happy. "I'm next in line on the chopping block, so I'll take him down the second he comes up to me."
"I still fail to see how this is better than a night in jail."Misha was completely perplexed by this guys reasoning. "Hey…what's your name?"
"The name's Silo."
"Mine's Misha."
Laharl's Castle (present day)
Silo flipped through the script which brought back countless memories of his adventures on the way to this castle. "Man…That was so long ago. Misha hit that guy so hard his kidneys shot out of his tear ducts." Silo recalled the memory fondly along with the fact that, after the celebration of the magistrate's defeat, the town they "saved" descended into anarchy and wiped itself off of the map. "I guess this really is a recording of my life…but why is it here?"
Unknown Location
Somewhere, deep in the farthest reaches of the Netherworld, three rather strange individuals met for the first time in several months. Well, I suppose strange isn't exactly the right word. The way each one of them moved seemed almost ghostlike. The fact that they were only silhouettes wasn't helping. It was as if they existed just outside of the boundaries of the physical realm. Close enough to be seen but far enough away that you couldn't reach them unless they wanted you to. The three of them stopped walking as soon as they reached a large clearing in a forest and began to speak.
"So…" One of the silhouettes piped up. "…What is it that's so important you had to drag us all the way out here? Astral projections like this aren't exactly easy to do." The voice carried an arrogant tone and gave the impression that he thought he was too good for this.
"I don't know…I kind of like these meetings. Teamwork is an important aspect to achieving success." The next voice that popped up was kinder and a bit more patient.
"I don't need any of your defender of earth handbook BS right now, okay?" the previous voice replied.
"That's enough, both of you!" the third and final voice was more commanding and loud. It was one that suggested the speaker was used to speaking in front of others from a high position. "We've already lost two members so I want to make sure there aren't any foul ups this time around."
"Why can't we just come in all at once and off the guy, already?" the first silhouette complained.
"If you'd like to take on the prince's army all by yourself, be my guest." The third silhouette offered. He took his colleagues silence as a sign to continue talking. "My sources tell me that we have another comrade to aid us in our cause."
"So someone else has awakened to their script?" the second Silhouette asked.
"Precisely. So, before we make any further attempts to take down our target, I suggest we send a greeting to our would be ally." The third silhouette proposed.
"What, do you want one of us to bring him a gift basket and a brochure?" the first silhouette sarcastically remarked.
"Thank you for volunteering Delsen." The third silhouette said.
The first Silhouette, apparently named Delsen, gave an exasperated sigh. "Should've seen that coming…Why can't Glaster go!" Delsen pointed over to his other colleague.
"Because he's stuck on earth and you're all I have left stationed here in the netherworld. You should've known that joining us meant you'd eventually have to do the legwork now get to it." The third Silhouette's voice was calm but carried a hint of irritation.
"Oh fine…" Delsen placed his hands on his hips. "Where is the little sucker, anyway…?"
"Laharl's castle."
"Oh F-k off!" Delsen yelled.
"His name is Silo. Now go!" the third silhouette and Glaster faded away without another word.
Delsen's silhouette just stood there. "Damn it…This better not turn out like Asagi…"
Castle Courtyard
Dear Sirs and Madams
I hope these dark days find you well
However, I, Laharl am deeply concerned over the current state of the netherworld
I am well aware that unnecessary bloodshed is not your desire
Therefore, I am writing to propose a formal challenge. An event with my father's title at stake-the title of overlord.
The rules are quite simple.
On Curse day, in the month of adder, I will journey to the heart of evil carrying with me the official deed.
The one who wrests the deed from my hand will be recognized as the new overlord.
In the event that I reach my destination while still in possession of the deed, I will assume the position myself.
To those with great ambition, I encourage you to come.
Sincerely, prince Laharl
Fleck and the others read the pamphlet carefully and thoroughly. An awkward silence permeated the courtyard. There were no swords clanging against each other, no one playing cards or games and no one at the archery range. All eyes were focused on the pamphlets plastered to the walls of the courtyard.
"Well…" Fleck gulped. "I guess our goose is cooked…" Fleck tugged at the edges of his collar as he broke into a cold sweat. "Isn't today…curse day?"
"I saw a bunch of guys leaving through the gate earlier this morning. I guess this was the reason." Misha pointed out.
"This is gonna suck…" Mill groaned. "Silo, what do you think?" Mill received no response.
"Silo?" Misha turned and saw Silo sitting on the ground staring into the sky. "Silo!" Misha snapped her fingers and Silo suddenly became aware of his surroundings.
"Huh? What?" Silo looked around and saw the crowd of onlookers dispersing. "What's going on?" Silo stood up, hastily.
"Are you okay? You've been acting pretty weird the last couple of days." Fleck asked.
"You're imagining things." Silo brushed Fleck off and walked away.
"Where are you going?" Misha asked.
"Bathroom." Silo entered the castle and darted off back to his room.
"What was that about?" Fleck asked.
Frozen River (2 years and 3 months ago)
"How many of these things are there!" Silo yelled as he cut through zombie after zombie. "At this rate, my axe going to break!"
"Just fight!" Misha and Silo continued their heated escape through the snow covered forest. The two of them had barely finished setting up camp when several dozen of these monsters just popped out of nowhere. They had been fighting for six straight hours.
"We can't keep this up. We need to find someplace to hold up. God, this is starting to sound like a crappy horror flick." Silo said as he crushed the skull of one of his opponents.
After several minutes Misha spotted a small trail of smoke in the sky. "There!" The two of them followed it until they came upon the opening to a small cave. They quickly entered and shoved a large boulder in front to block out the entrance.
"That should do it…for now."Silo said.
"What are you doing! Don't clog the entrance like that, we'll run out of air." A young man's voice echoed from behind Misha and Silo who immediately drew their weapons.
"Show yourself." Misha demanded.
"Relax, I'm not a zombie." A young man with short brown hair and barbed robes. He also wore a chain around his waist like a belt and had large handcuffs on each wrist. "I'm guessing you're new arrivals. My name is Mill, nice to meet you."
"How did you end up here?" Silo asked.
"I just left my village in search of adventure but found a ravenous gang of zombies waiting for me instead. They chased me into this cave where I have been stuck in for the past…I don't know, 3 months." Mill explained.
"You've been here three months? How have you survived this long?"
"Oh, there's food everywhere if you know where to look…and have no intention of keeping your dignity…" Mill sounded a little sad at the last part. "Anyway, now that you're here, my plan will go by much faster!"
"Plan?" Misha raised an eyebrow.
"I've been digging my way out of this cave and I think I've already gotten about as far as 3 Kilometers in. If my map is correct there should be a town not far from this forest."
"Define 'not far', exactly." Silo questioned.
"About…6 miles." Mill said casually. "Well, that tunnel isn't gonna dig itself."
Laharl's Castle (present)
"That's in here too." Silo recalled the few days they spent with mill in that harsh winter. "I remember Mill decided it would be simpler if we just blasted our way out and we managed to escape with most of our stuff still intact."
He remembered –San's monologues about being a scrapped main character. "Does this mean I am one of them as well?" Silo skimmed through the story printed on the pages. It wasn't anything unique and it followed the basic formula of an adventure story. Silo put the stack of papers down and thought. "I guess I'm not really a "scrapped" main character since I'm still here. If anything it's more like I'm "repurposed." Silo scratched his head, trying to make sense of everything. "At this point I have two options. Option 1, I ignore this little detail and keep going as I have been…Or option 2 I challenge fleck and join the other rejects…But if I do that…then I'd betray the prince and to betray the prince means to betray King Krichevskoy…" Silo took another look through the script. "But in this story…me and Misha…nnnnnggh!" Silo was in complete conflict within himself. Before he could come to any sort of resolution, the alarm sounded. "Damn it…" Silo half-heartedly grabbed his axe and sulked to the dimensional gate.
"Is it me…or has our fighting force been severely reduced…" Krugis said with a hint of concern in his voice.
"Not surprising…The poster did say that anyone could participate." Lyra said.
"I realize that but…still."
"Whatever, we'll make do with what we have!" Fleck yelled, confidently. "Besides, I'm sure it won't be that bad. I mean, we're talking about an overlord here. How many people do you think have the balls to take on someone like the prince?"
30 minutes later
Fleck stared with a mixed expression of horror and amazement at the sight before him. No less than 5 feet into the designated are, they had come to an anime convention's worth of adversaries clustered together right in front of them. Fleck even recognized a few of them as former allies who he fought with in previous adventures.
"Oh! I'm sure it won't be that bad! Who would want to take on the prince!" Mill repeated flecks words mockingly.
"Sh-shut up!" Fleck stammered.
"Hell of a first day, huh?" Gwen suddenly spoke up and cracked her knuckles.
"What the…Oh yeah, I forgot…you joined up." Fleck said, suddenly very depressed.
"At your invitation. Don't forget that little detail." A confident grin spread across Gwen's face. "Now then…Let's cut loose!"
Within seconds the two opposing armies charged towards each other and erupted in a frenzy of violence and signature moves being called out simultaneously. The only one who stayed back was Silo who was still feeling conflicted over his recent discovery.
"I can't believe I'm actually considering letting Fleck die. I mean, yeah we started out on the wrong foot but he's actually pretty capable when push comes to shove." Silo started talking to himself as the battle raged on around him. Little did he know, someone was tracking his every move…sort of.
Off in the distance on top of a large hill
"What the hell? He's just standing there…" Delsen stared at Silo frustratingly through his binoculars. "And why is no one killing him? He's a sitting duck, come on!" Delsen stuffed the binoculars back into his coat and sat as the base of a tree as he watched the battle unfold.
Delsen wore a white suit that looked better suited for a formal ball than a battle. He also had black, fingerless gloves and a rapier strapped to his belt. He was Caucasian and had messy blond hair and piercing brown eyes. Basically, he was the definition of a douche bag, aristocratic pretty boy.
"I don't think I should attack them just yet, it would get too messy." Delsen stood up and walked deeper into the woods. "I wouldn't be able to make a proper entrance anyway."
With Fleck and the others
"Hell yeah!" Fleck stood triumphantly over a small pile of fallen enemies. "Who survived? I did!"
"You know something's wrong with your career choice when your main goal in life is to see the next sunrise." Gwen commented.
"I don't want to hear that from someone like you." Fleck retorted. He leaped down from the pile of bodies, still beaming over having survived. He saw Silo standing off to the side and called over. "Hey, Silo! Come on man, we won!"
"Y-yeah…" Silo forced a smile.
Fleck gave Silo a strange look and walked over to Misha and Mill. "Hey, what's eating Silo? He's starting to depress me a little."
"I don't know what's wrong. He's been like this ever since you're sister joined." Mill said.
"I can understand him being scared of her the first few days, but she hasn't physically harmed anyone besides me the entire time she's been here." Fleck said. Their conversation was soon interrupted by several of their allies screaming and flying through the air. "What the hell?" Fleck saw a single swordswoman standing in their way.
"Guys we need your help!" Celeste called ahead.
Silo was about to rush in when he felt a strange presence. "Huh?' Silo turned around and looked out into the distance. "Is someone there?" Silo looked back at Fleck and the others who were engaging the swordswoman and then back out into the distance. "Damn it, I know someone is out there." Silo darted off, deep into the woods.
"Damn, this chick is tough…" Fleck said after getting knocked back for the seventh time. "Silo, we could use a hand here…or an axe since that's what you're good at." No response. "Silo?" Fleck saw Silo disappear into the foliage. "Silo!"
Mill and Misha exchanged concerned looks and decided to follow after him.
With Silo
"I know you're here! Come out!" Silo had stopped in the middle of a small clearing. The presence he sensed earlier was somewhere around here, he could feel it. "Come out, I want to ask you something."
"You found me this quickly, huh?" Delsen stepped out of the bushes "What's your name?" Delsen asked, examining Silo from head to toe.
"It's Silo…"
"Oh, good. That means I don't have to fight you just yet." Delsen seemed relieved. "Greetings! My name is Delsen." He gave Silo a bright smile.
"Are you…one of those 'main character' freaks?" Silo asked.
"I don't really like the idea of being called a freak. Especially not from one of our own." Delsen said. "Yes, I know about the script you found. We all have one." Delsen pulled out a stack of papers. "This one's mine. To be honest the story is pretty much crap…but I always came out on top one way or the other. I've done alright so far and as you can probably tell, I've had a privileged life style." Delsen stuffed his script back into his coat. "To be honest, the only reason I want the position of Main character is to ensure my good fortune."
"So…are you here to kill fleck?"
"That and I'm also here to recruit you." Delsen said. "Since you've awakened to your script, which makes you one of us."
"I want to ask you a few things." Silo said. "How many people have their own script?"
"Hm…that's a tough one. It's tough because there isn't any way to tell who has one and who doesn't. Hell, I'll bet some people found theirs and never even acted on it."
"What happens after fleck is gone?" Silo stared at Delsen intently.
"What do you mean?"
"After fleck is defeated, who takes over as the main character?" Silo stepped forward. "From what I gather, you guys are all working together. But what happens when there is no common enemy? There can only be one lead character so who is it going to be?"
Delsen thought for a moment. "I guess…the one who defeats fleck…becomes the new target." Delsen said. Mere seconds after he finished that statement, Delsen brought his rapier up and blocked an attack from Silo. "Well now…" Delsen's eyes were fierce and cold. "…Should I take this as your answer?"
"What do you think?" Silo pushed Delsen away and charged forward for another strike. "I don't see the point in making an alliance if you're just going to turn on each other eventually!" Silo continued to attack Delsen, missing every time. "The way I see it, I should just skip to the part where I kick your ass!" Silo smashed his axe into the ground, causing a huge fissure to erupt in front of him, knocking Delsen off balance. "Consider this my challenge for the position of main character against you!"
Delsen glared at Silo in frustration and then sighed. "Exactly like Asagi…" Delsen stood up and dusted off his suit. "Just so you know, me and the others aren't like –San or Alice. We won't settle for playing second banana to one of the worst classes in the game."
"What are you talking abo-" Before Silo could finish; Delsen drew his Rapier and rushed him. Silo's axe was cut clean in half.
"We're also not nearly as weak." Delsen turned around and started taking repeated thrusts at Silo's head with his sword.
Silo turned around to face Delsen. "What do I do?" was the main question bouncing around in his head. As Delsen prepared for another attack, several familiar voices rang through the air.
"Silo!"
"Don't worry, we're coming!"
Silo looked over and His squad, Celeste's squad, and Krugis running towards him. "You idiots, get away from here!"
"You're the idiot here!" Fleck yelled out. "What were you thinking running off on your own like that!"
"What the…Delsen!" –San yelled.
"Well if it isn't the traitors. Looking good there, Alice." Delsen taunted.
"Piss off." Alice said.
"This actually saves me a lot of trouble. Now I can kill two birds with one stone." Delsen rushed at Fleck only to be blocked by Misha.
"Worthless." Misha along with Lyra and Krugis attacked Delsen repeatedly but only managed to land a few shallow scratches.
"Keep it up! He can't take us all at once." Krugis said.
"I won't go down that easily." Delsen swung his sword which sent a large gust of wind that sent everyone flying backwards. "I'm not even after you morons anyway. I'm just here for them." Delsen pointed his sword at Fleck and Silo.
"Silo…you might want to run." Fleck said.
"I'm surprised to hear that coming from you."
"You don't even have your weapon! Besides, why would you even consider going up against this guy alone? You know that's suicide right?" Fleck scolded.
"I have my own reasons!" Silo yelled back.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Delsen attacked but was blocked by Fleck. "Not bad for a thief."
"Why are you guys so persistent! I don't even want to be the main character if this keeps up!" Fleck yelled. He made a few feeble attempts to attack but they all did very little in the way of actually harming Delsen. "Can't I just say 'I quit' and be done with it?"
"Not quite that simple, I'm afraid. You could just sit there and let me kill you, but you have to participate in this in one way or the other. Anyone who has their script should know that by now." Delsen explained.
"What script?" Fleck asked.
"Don't play dumb. You have it just like me and your little buddy over there."
"I don't have a script." Fleck said again.
"…" Silo looked into Flecks eyes and could tell that he wasn't lying. "You really don't know?" Delsen pulled out his script. "This. You haven't found anything like this?"
"Dude, I'm telling you. I haven't found anything like a script. Well…Silo did a couple days back but not me." Fleck said, a confused look on his face.
"But…but I thought...We were told that we were supposed to…" Delsen seemed genuinely distressed. "But…If you haven't even awakened yet then that means…" Suddenly, Delsen looked like he had realized something. "That bastard…"
"What are you talking about?" Fleck asked.
"Looks like there's been a bit of a…a miscalculation of sorts." Delsen explained.
"So does that mean you don't have to kill us?" Fleck asked.
"Actually no, I still have to murder you. I could be wrong so It would be better just to get rid of you know in case I am."
While Delsen was focused on Fleck, Mill staggered up and channeled a star spell in his hands. "Suck on this!" Mill fired his spell and burned off the entire back side of Delsen's suit and scorching the skin underneath.
"Gyaaaaah! You…you sneaky little bastard! Do you know how much this thing- guh!" Delsen received a punch in the face from none other than Gwen. "Where the…"
"Yeah! Right in the face!"
"When did you get here?" Fleck asked.
"I went looking for you after we encountered some rogue prinnies." Gwen explained. "They actually challenged us to a game of baseball, can you believe that?"
"How'd that go?"
"I don't really know. I left the moment the prince started slaughtering everything."
"So where is the prince now?" Silo asked. The moment he finished, a large pillar of fire erupted in the distance; screams of terror could be heard. "What the hell was that?"
"I guess our little prince is hunting bigger game!" Gwen said, excitedly.
"We have to help him!" Silo started to run but was stopped by Misha.
"Did you forget that you're unarmed? You'd be a nuisance as opposed to an asset." Misha explained it bluntly but truthfully.
"Not to mention that you still have me to deal with!" Delsen got up, a trickle of blood coming from his lip. "Don't you dare treat me like some annoying side character!" Before Delsen could attack, Krugis appeared behind him. Just as he was turning around, Krugis grabbed Delsen face, his palm glowing brightly. Delsen immediately began struggling desperately to get free. "Grrraaah! Stop it! Stop it, please! Let go!"
"It'll all be over soon enough."
"What are you doing, dood?" Vic asked.
"I'm force feeding images into his brain. It's a basic spell but it works."
"What kind of images, dood?"
"I'm forcing him to read the Bleach manga."
"What! That isn't so bad." Fleck complained.
"It's the Fullbring arc." Krugis replied gravely.
"It's just so horrible!" Delsen yelled.
"Stop it, you're killing him!" Fleck immediately reached for Krugis' arm.
"NO! don't tough the-"
As soon as Fleck toughed Krugis' arm, he experienced everything that Delsen did. The poorly constructed story, the horrible characters, and every half assed plot twist.
"No…no…NOOOO!" Fleck was pulled back into reality by Celeste who was holding him in her arms. "Oh god…"
"Don't you ever do anything like that again!" Celeste said.
"You idiot! I almost had him!" Krugis yelled.
"No one…deserves that…" Fleck gasped.
"Almost…didn't…make it…" Delsen was tired and had bags under his eyes.
"You guys are so melodramatic, dood." Vic said. "I actually like that arc…"
"That was playing dirty…" Delsen said. "Ordinarily, this is the part where I surrender and become a begrudging member of your group. But…I don't think I'll resort to that option just yet. There still some things I need to make sure of." Delsen threw a smoke bomb and ran away as far as he could. "I'm not through with you yet! So don't you dare forget about me!"
"That guy was a lot stronger than I thought." Silo said. "Way stronger than you guys." He looked at –San and Alice.
"Hey we just saved your ass!" Alice yelled.
"Can we just go? I honestly think staying with the prince is a lot safer than hanging around this place." Fleck said.
Everyone grabbed their weapons and made their way towards the princes last known location. Eventually they found him laughing in the Heart of Evil over a pile of bodies constantly yelling "Overlord" in a triumphant tone. With the battle won, Laharl and those who remained Loyal to him returned to the castle.
At the Castle, on a balcony…
"So that's what was bugging you…" Fleck said. He along with Vic, Mill, Misha, and Silo had gathered on a balcony overlooking the lava moat that surrounded the castle. "I have a feeling…that we're going to be haunted by this "main Character" business for a long time, huh?"
"Looks that way, dood." Vic said.
"And what was he talking about when he mentioned those scripts?" Silo said, flipping through his. "I mean, do they do anything? I wonder what would happen if I destroyed it?"
"I wouldn't try it out on purpose, dood."
"Whatever's happening, both you and Silo are in this together now." Misha said.
"Well…if they're allowed to form an alliance then I guess its okay for us as well." Silo said.
"We should talk to Alice and –San when we get the chance. Maybe they'll know more about this." Fleck said.
"I'm sure we can handle it! We've gotten this far, haven't we?" Mill said. The five of them stared out into the distance, wondering what would be thrown their way next.
NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW
FLECK: The semi finals of the Netherworld Grand Prix are fast approaching but Fleck is locked in a deep state of depression.
VIC: It's a racing title now, dood?
FLECK: what's worse, Fleck replacement rider, Krugis, gets knocked into a deep coma after an accident on the race track!
KRUGIS: Why is it always me! Well…at least I'm not the villain anymore…
FLECK: With no other choice left to him, Fleck enters the race in this troubled mental state. While on the track, he encounters a dangerous new mystery racer!
VIC: Did he even say what he was depressed about, dood?
FLECK: Next time on Invincible Speed Demon Disgaea! Flecks Resolve! The mysterious masked racer.
VIC: I can never take you seriously anymore, dood…
Afterword
And here we have the seventh chapter. There wasn't a lot of humor in this but it's surprisingly hard to think up jokes that don't sound forced.
Anyway, Sorry to all the bleach fans out there but the current arc is just terrible. I lost what little respect I had left for bleach once I realized it was still going to continue. I'd elaborate on that but this isn't the place to do a rant so I guess I'll see you next time!
