Forces of Darkness

Chapter 18: The Longest Hour -- Acte I

(Scene: The Main Foyer of the Manor.) 2130 hours...

From the moment Daisuke stepped into the candlelit halls of the medieval-like cathedral, he did not like it. For one thing, the areas beyond the first row of candles were near pitch black, making it difficult for anyone to see their hand in front of their face. The second... the entire place reeked with the smell of blood -- a smell that Daisuke could not stand.

But, this time, the smell didn't affect him: not once feeling dizzy or ready to throw up. It was as though he changed into a totally different person within a matter of hours.

He took in a deep breath and shouted, "Mistress Altena, if you can hear my voice, please respond!" He knew that his voice was loud enough to wake Chloe up, but he did not mind it. He was ready this time. ...Better now than never... he thought.

"Who, may I ask, is it and what is your purpose for coming so late at night?" A voice echoed from the hallway on his right.

Daisuke turned and unconsciously followed the voice while replying, "I have endured nearly a week's struggle for survival against the assassin known as Noir. Now, I have come, as promised, to return the sword know as Tadlos and ensure my freedom."

"I accept your offer." Altena said in her eerie relaxed manner. "Step through the door on your left and I shall be there..."

Sure enough, the door that Daisuke stood before was the one where Altena's voice was coming in loud and clear. He slowly opened the door with his left hand and readied the gun with his right.

He hesitated for a moment, sensing another presence aside from him and Altena...

"Come, child." Altena said softly. "There is nothing for you to be afraid of..."

Not really taking that into consideration, Daisuke pushed the door open and drew the gun at Altena, who sat in the small study, reading by candlelight. Realizing his mistake, he quickly drew the gun back inside the cloak. "So, you're Altena." he said.

The brown-haired priestess looked to the cloaked teen with her calm purple eyes. "Yes." she replied. "And you must be Daisuke, correct?"

Daisuke's eyes widened then quickly narrowed. "I guess Chloe has told you much about me, huh?"

Altena nodded. "She also said that you're quite the stubborn one..."

Daisuke bursted out in a brief, nervous laughing spell. "I guess I am!" he said, quickly recovering. "But, let us hold off our casual conversations for now..."

"Yes. There is something that you wish to return..."

Daisuke unsheathed the silver reverse-edge sword once more and presented it to the priestess, his right hand grasping the handle and his left placed carefully under the blade.

"Even after eight hundred years, it still is able to retain its glimmer." Altena commented.

Daisuke slowly made his advance towards the priestess, still holding the sword as though it was a fragile piece of art. "And it still has kept its ability to pierce the hardest of armor and draw blood at the same time." he added. He knew now, without a doubt, that there was someone else here aside from him and Altena. He took his left hand away from the blade and slipped it inside the cloak. At the same time, with his right hand, he rose the sword out in front his face and just off to the right, aiming at a shadowy area of the study. He closed his crimson eyes and asked, "Would you care to demonstrate, Blackhawk?"

The blade of another sword appeared from the dark area. With it, the hell-bent Blackhawk, ready to hit Daisuke in one blow. But his blade connected with Daisuke's, casting whatever force, he put into his sword, aside.

Daisuke countered by taking the golden gun into his left hand, revealing it to Blackhawk and pulling the trigger...

(Scene: A cliff overlooking the Manor.)

The shot was loud enough that Mondo could hear it from where he set up the mini base. He watched intently through the binoculars to see any signs of movement, but all he saw was five nuns making their advance to the Manor.

"That's it, Daisuke." Otaku said over the dispatcher. "Get the hell outta there!"

"How do you know what's going on over there?" Mondo asked.

"Thanks to the wonders of technology, I have a couple spy cameras set up around key parts of the Manor, and then some set up in the sleeping quarters... Where everyone should avoid it right about now!"

"Why?"

(Scene: Sleeping Quarters' Hallway.)

The five nuns slipped in through the open window and snuck down the hallway, avoid every chance to be seen.

"So, tell us again why we had to dress up as nuns?" Cassidy asked.

"It's all part of our perfect scheme to steal any rare treasures that this place might hold..." Jessie began.

"And, save Daisuke at the same time!" James added.

"But, to cross-dress as a nun?" Butch asked.

"It's better dan comin' over in our Rocket uniforms!" Meowth said, standing on top of Wobbuffet's head.

"WOB-BUFFET!" Wobbuffet added, hiding inside the robe that Meowth wore.

"That's strange..." a person who stealthily hid in one of the doorways said. "I see five nuns but I hear six voices..."

The disguised Rockets turned their heads to the direction of the voice then quickly backed up to the wall behind them, hoping that what they saw in front of them was nothing more but a figment of their imagination...

Meowth, snapped out of shock, realizing of what he said back over by the vineyard. "C'mon, guys!" he called to the other Rockets. "Now's our chance to attack!"

The rest of the team snapped out of their shock and pulled out the handheld blaster bombs, hidden within their sleeves.

As soon as the bombs were lit, they were thrown to the green cloaked target...

...Who merely countered by slipping back into her room and closing the door in front of her, letting the bombs ricochet off of the door and back to the Rockets...

...BOOM!...

As soon as the sound of the blast subsided, Chloe opened the door and inspected the damage. A small crater was left on the floor where the Rockets once stood. That didn't surprise her. But she was surprised by the hole in the ceiling left by the team. She stood silently, staring up at the full moon through the broken ceiling. She then smiled, and began to walk down the hallway...

(Scene: The sky above the Manor.)

"Well, whaddaya kno'..." Meowth said as he and the other Rockets flew through the air. "Chloe is stronger than we'd thought..."

"Makes you wonder how Daisuke's going to be able to put up a fight..." James noted.

"Hopefully, he'll find a chance to run for it." Jessie replied.

Silence fell upon the team.

"Y'know..." Butch said. "throughout this entire fanfic, I'd never thought that we were going to do one thing."

"What's that?" asked Cassidy.

"To say that one line..."

"Oh..." Cassidy said, displeased. "that one..."

And everyone joined in the chorus... "LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

"WOBBA!" Wobbuffet added before the team became a shining star in the night sky.

To be continued...