Man in Black

Chapter six

Chapter VI

Lance had an odd feeling while he headed up the deserted path following the wagon trail, but he kept pushing forward. He was going to avenge his family. Ludivico had finally begun to sober up, something he rarely let happen.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked quickly, but nobody replied. Ludivico shrugged and pulled a flask from his jacket and drank.

Eventually the trio reached the stolen wagon sitting at the beginning of a cobblestone path leading to a mansion.

"There you are," Lance muttered. They had found the home of Countess Nadine Portier.

The group walked in through the front doors that were left wide open. This was obviously a trap. The trio proceeded into a grand dining room. The table completely set as though awaiting a large dinner party. Ludivico saw this as a grand opportunity and picked up a large bottle from the center of the table, drinking the entire thing in a matter of seconds. By the time Ludivico finished his third bottle of liquor from the table, an elegant figure entered the dining room. It was the Countess herself.

The men drew their weapons only to be pushed back by an incredible force. With a simple gesture of her hand, Nadine was able to push all three men across the entire room without even touching them. Ludivico was the first person to get on his feet; despite being as drunk as ever, he was still quite agile. Ludivico grabbed one of the bottles from the table, finished drinking it, then smashing it on the table and charged at Nadine with his makeshift weapon.

Nadine dodged Ludivico's charge in an elegant spin and stabbed him in the back with her pointed scepter. She bit him in the neck, drinking his blood. The effects of the alcohol in Ludivico's blood quickly came over Nadine as she rapidly began to feel tipsy. Nadine, knowing she was not fit to fight the remaining two men, left the dining room.

Lucifer entered, his face covered with a bandana.

"I must say, you look better when I can't see half your face," Pace joked. Both him and Lance were back on their feet. Lucifer grabbed a large knife from the table and took on a monstrous form, flying towards Pace as he crossed the room. Lucifer returned to human form and slashed Pace across the chest.

"No!" Lance screamed and dashed at Lucifer. Lance and Lucifer clashed on top of the dining room table, parrying back and forth. Lucifer was obviously a very skilled fighter and it seemed that Lance might have met his match.

Suddenly, from the side of the room, a silver card flew and stabbed into Lucifer's shoulder. Lucifer let out a pained yell giving Lance the opportunity to strike. He slashed Lucifer several times and knocked him back. Pace threw one last card at Lucifer, one that went right through him, killing him instantly.

Lance and Pace rushed to Ludivico's side.

"I'm done for... just give me a pint and let me be."

Lance gave Ludivico a bottle from the table and he and Pace left the dining room. Walking through the halls, Lance and Pace saw a girl with light brown hair. All three stopped dead in their tracks, staring at each other. Lance felt something familiar about the girl: she had his eyes.

"Rosa..." he started to say, but the girl ran away. Lance and Pace followed. When they turned a corner, Lance was greeted by another familiar face.

"Remember me?" Salem chuckled once again.

"How..." Lance muttered under his breath. Salem drew a sword and walked towards Lance and Pace. Pace pulled out a cane with the end styled to resemble a cat's eye. The three men dueled in the hall in a storm of sparks and dust as the weapons collided with the ceiling and the walls of the narrow halls. Pace unsheathed the blade hidden in the cane, but Salem still matched both Lance and Pace in the fight.

The duel made its way to an outdoor patio, where the three men fought in the light of the full moon. Salem held his ground against the two men making constant advances towards him with their swords. Salem then stabbed Pace through the shoulder and before he could remove his sword from Pace's shoulder, Lance cut off his arm. In the same motion, he cut him in half. Salem turned to ash once again and Pace fell to the ground.

Lance caught Pace and held him in his arms.

"So this is it, huh?" Pace said with a slight attempt at a chuckle. "Believe it or not, I've never been stabbed before."

Lance looked up and saw Rosalee standing in the doorway to the patio.

"The chamber behind the throne room, take him there," Rosalee said then ran away.

Lance carried Pace to the throne room, Pace making the occasional humorous remark. He found the door to the chamber and entered.

"The fountain..." He placed Pace in the water of the fountain and prayed for the best. A powerful light emitted from the fountain. Pace emerged from the light, as healthy as ever.

The duo walked down the empty halls of the mansion but found no trace of Nadine or Rosalee. They made their way back to the dining room where Ludivico lay.

"He's.... gone," Lance said.

The bottle Lance had given him was empty.

"At least he died happy."

"He was never happy," Lance grimly replied. "Good bye... friend..."

Lance and Pace then left the mansion and started down the path back to the city together.