The Beast Within

Disclaimer: All characters described in this story belong to their respective creators, so there!

< >: Thoughts

{ }: English language

Chapter 12

World Tour Part 1

The Quest Begins

Nabiki Tendo, second daughter of Soun Tendo of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, was currently in deep thought as she leaned over the railing. She was admiring the view from one of the balconies of Castle Talbain. She was also in her hybrid form, having taken off the enchanted pendant.

However, she didn’t have any fear of others seeing her in her lycanthrope appearance. Every member of the human staff had sworn blood oaths never to reveal the secrets of the estate. There was also the fact that a good portion of the residents were nonhuman themselves. Additionally, the castle was well-secluded from prying eyes.

True to the seamstress Arana’s word, the clothes Nabiki wore had adapted themselves to fit the girl’s larger, more muscular and curved frame. The t-shirt she had put on had shrunk down to a kind of halter top which left her mid-section exposed. The slacks had become shorts with a hole in the back to allow her tail to sway. The shoes had become leather anklets.

As she continued to view the landscape, Kasumi and Akane’s sister contemplated the discussion she had with Felicia two nights ago. And all things considered, it was possibly the only option she could take. She certainly couldn’t go home the way she was now. Even with the enchanted pendants, it would only be a matter of time before her family found out that she was no longer human. She could almost hear her father blubbering how his little girl had become a monster.

Becoming a full-fledged werewolf was a big step and her life would be irrevocably changed. Then again, that would bring her much closer to Matthew, which was considered a plus. She would have full control over her powers and would only have to worry when the full moon was out. The Talbains had been able to live among human society for centuries, so why couldn’t she?

She nodded as she made up her mind and went to see her boyfriend and his father.

That afternoon…

“So you’ve decided to go after those other medallion pieces, huh?” Matthew asked as he and Nabiki sparred in the main courtyard. Both were in their human forms. The son of Jon Talbain was currently using a quarterstaff.

“Yeah, well I decided that since I’m already part-werewolf, I might as well get the full package.” She replied as she threw some kicks. Her beau noted that her movements had gotten smoother and more fluid. Her skills had advanced in a short amount of time, validating Matthew’s earlier judgment that Soun should have chosen her, rather than her younger sister, as the heir to the family style.

As he stabbed with one end of the staff toward her midsection, she twisted about and countered with her new weapon, a pair of wooden tonfa. She brought her right arm about and deflected the attack with the side of one of the instruments, then lashed out with her left arm to counter-attack. Matthew withdrew and blocked the strike with his staff.

After making her decision to become a full werewolf, Nabiki had also decided to begin weapons-training as well. Though her father and Genma scoffed at the idea of using weapons, their fighting style made them hypocrites, which made use of any and all advantages in battle. This included cheating and utilizing weapons if available. And after all that she had experienced so far, the short-haired girl had learned that there were some things that one did not want to touch with one’s hands.

At first, she had thought that she could learn to use the nunchakus, but had decided that they really didn’t suit her. Fortunately, the Talbain Wolf Fist style was highly adaptable, and the family armory had a wide selection that she could choose from. The werewolves were not limited to just the sword and chained clubs.

After experimenting with several different types of arms, she had eventually settled on the tonfa, which gave her both an increase in reach, striking and blocking ability. The side handles were also useful for hooking one’s opponent. They were simple and could be used in a variety of ways. They were also easy to carry and hide. Matthew had later taught her the basics of the Hidden Weapons techniques.

At that moment, Jon Talbain appeared on the scene. He motioned the two to stop in their practice. Behind him was the catwoman Felicia.

“You two should get ready to go. The medallion piece has just shown us where to find the first section.”

“Where’s that, Dad?” Matthew inquired.

“A certain place called… Stonehenge.”

In the Conference Room of Castle Talbain…

“So how does this thing work?” Nabiki asked as she, Jon, Matthew and Felicia sat around a large table in the middle of the room.

Matthew’s father nodded as he displayed the medallion piece in his hand. On the table was a large, ancient map that depicted the world. The document was written in a long-forgotten dialect and had several rune symbols on it. He held up the fragment by its chain, and then held up a blue-colored piece of crystal in his other hand.

“This is a gemstone from the Makai known as a Luna Eye. Normally, the medallion fragment will only work under the light of the moon. However, this gem can mimic moonlight, and therefore…”

Jon demonstrated by tilting the gem toward the piece. This caused the jewel to flash, which in turn made the artifact glow with an eerie aura. A beam of brilliant blue light shot forth from the piece and illuminated a certain spot on the map.

“So that’s where we’ll find the fragment?” Matthew asked.

“Yes.” Jon answered. “We should get going right away.” He rolled up the map and pocketed both the medallion piece and Luna Eye.

Later in Wiltshire, England…

“Come on, Matthew! You’ve just got to take a picture of this!” Nabiki said excitedly as she climbed on top of one of the stone slabs. “My family would never believe I was here!”

The young werewolf shrugged his shoulders as he took out a small, digital camera, and snapped a photo of his girlfriend as she waved at him. She then lightly jumped down to the ground as Jon and Felicia motioned for them to follow them toward the center of the famous ruins. Currently it was near sundown, and the regular tours to the ruins had ended for the day, leaving only the four of them.

“Let’s go you two! We’re not here for just sight-seeing!” Jon called out.

Felicia nodded as she held up the broken medallion toward the stone slabs and sensed that the mystical energies were strongest toward the inner circle. The small group made their way around the various formations until their supernatural senses began to make them more on edge.

Nabiki felt a tingle down her spine as her lycanthrope abilities made her acutely aware of the magical fields surrounding her. She then asked Matthew, “Whoa! What exactly is this place supposed to be?”

“There are some theories that Stonehenge was used like some kind of calendar.” Jon said. “Then there are some ideas that it was actually a place used for ancient sacrifices, or even as a burial ground.”

“And of course, there are the more outrageous ideas, such as Stonehenge being an ancient beacon to signal alien spaceships.” Jon’s son shrugged again. “Well, actually no one’s quite sure what Stonehenge was created for. This place was ancient even before the first Talbain became a werewolf. What we do know, at least in my family, is that it happens to be on top of a LOT of intersecting Ley Lines.”

“Ley Lines?”

“That’s right, Nabiki.” Jon explained. “Ley Lines are described as the mystical channels in which all of the magic on Earth traverse. Stonehenge happens to be a very popular gathering spot for druids, witches and wizards, both in the past and present. In fact, we know of a couple of groups of magic-users who still use Stonehenge to this day.”

Matthew shuddered a bit at his father’s words. “Yeah, and there’s one group of loonies which I hope we’ll never see again.”

“Who?” Nabiki inquired.

“I believe my son is referring to the Order of the Magisters.” Matt’s father explained. “They happen to be a very secretive group of wizards that were quite influential during the Dark Ages. However, their power began to decline when science and technology became more accepted by society. Instead of trying to adapt to the modern world, like our family, the wizards have this crazy idea about bringing a new Dark Age. Matthew and I ran afoul of them some three years ago.” (1)

“Yeah.” The younger werewolf agreed. “Dad and I accidentally stumbled onto one of their secret strongholds. They kept on accusing us of being spies and… well, stuff happened.”

“What kind of stuff?” Soun’s daughter asked.

“Well, not really much. They tried to use their magic to destroy us, and we… retaliated.”

“What my son means, is that we brought their entire fortress down around their ears.” Noting Nabiki’s expression of disbelief, Matthew’s sire quickly added, “Keep in mind that it was all self-defense. Anyways, we’ve got a medallion piece to find, and it’s not like were going to encounter them again.”

It was at that moment that the entire area started to glow with an eerie light. The werewolves and catwoman immediately went into defensive stances as their supernatural senses went into overdrive. Near the center of the ruins, a small, circular spot of energy appeared before them, and then started to grow in diameter. Jon immediately recognized it as a dimensional gate and signaled for the others to take cover.

Matt grabbed Nabiki’s hand and pulled her toward a formation of stones. His father led Felicia to hide in the opposite direction. They all managed to get out of sight as the portal shimmered and the first of the newcomers stepped forward. They were dressed in dark, hooded robes, and were reciting ancient Latin phrases. When the son of Jon Talbain saw their insignia, he let off a groan.

“Oh no! Not these guys again!”

“Who are they?” Nabiki whispered.

“Magisters.”

The two continued to watch as more and more members of the ancient order arrived through the portal. Soon, more than fifty people were crowding the innermost area of the famous ruins. One of the Magisters, most likely the leader of the group, raised a hand and chanted a few choice words in Latin. This caused a bright strobe of light to appear, gaining the attention of his brethren. Once they turned to face him, he lowered his hood and revealed an old, grizzled face with a thin, gray beard. With a low, but commanding tone, he spoke…

{“My Brother Magisters… tonight marketh the beginning of our greatest triumph! Thy loathsome modern world shall be smoten, and a new Dark Age shall cometh, in which we shall once again taketh our rightful place as rulers of all!”}

“Marketh? Cometh? Smoten? These guys sound like Kuno.” Matthew’s girlfriend remarked quietly, and then shuddered at the thought of the wannabe-samurai.

“Like I said, these people haven’t changed since before the Renaissance Era. Though I am kind of wondering how they intend to bring about a new Dark Age. They may know some spells, but they don’t have anywhere near enough power to do something like that.”

It was at that moment that the leader held up and ornamental box.

{“BEHOLD! THE KEY TO OUR RETURN TO ABSOLUTE POWER!”}

From their hiding spots, Felicia and Jon also observed the ceremony.

“What do you think is in that box?” The feline performer wondered.

“Nothing good, that’s for sure.” The werewolf replied, and then noticed a light emanating from his pants’ pocket. Reaching into it, he withdrew the medallion fragment and was surprised to see it glowing.

<What’s going on? I thought this thing didn’t activate unless struck by moonlight… or if another fragment is nearby…> He looked back at the ceremony and almost gasped out loud as the wizard opened the box and displayed its contents.

It was one of the pieces of the medallion.

<You’ve got to be kidding! The Magisters have a piece of the medallion we’ve been looking for?!>

Unfortunately, Jon was not the only one who noticed that the piece was glowing. The leader of the Magisters then saw the flash emanating in their direction and cried out.

{“INTERLOPERS! THEY HAVE SEENETH TOO MUCH! YON KNAVES MUST BE SMOTEN!”}

In an instant, the wizards turned to attack Matthew’s father and his feline friend.

From their hiding place, Matthew and Nabiki deployed their own weapons and leapt into the fray. Instead of his usual nunchakus, Jon’s son pulled out a pair of sai. For his girlfriend, this would be the first fight with her new tonfa. He motioned her to follow him and stay close.

The Magisters began chanting some battle spells as they threw forth balls of eldritch energies at their foes. Some decided for the more direct approach as they charged with clubs and swords. However, since the area was very crowded, the werewolves and the catwoman had the advantage in close-quarters combat.

Felicia let off a growl as she curled up into a ball and rolled along the ground like a high-speed bowling ball. Several of the Magisters were knocked down like tenpins. She then leapt upwards with claws bared, slashing several more in the process.

{“ ‘Tis some demonic cat demon! Destroyeth the accursed devil spawn!”}

{“Devil spawn?!”} Felicia cried out, clearly insulted. {“I’ll have you know that in Las Vegas, Caesar’s Palace wants to book my show for a month!”}

Behind her, Jon brought out his nunchakus and fought off several of his foes. He had to move carefully as he didn’t want the ruins of Stonehenge to be damaged in the ensuing fight. Also, there was no telling how the spells of Magisters would affect the network of Ley Lines.

Fighting nearby, Matthew blocked a sword slash with one of his sai, and then kicked out with a foot, tripping his attacker. Taking a quick glance behind him, he checked to see if Nabiki needed any help.

“EEEYYYAAAAAHHHH!!!”

WHA-BOOM!

As a Magister went sailing overhead from her kick, it was apparent that she didn’t need much in the way of assistance.

Though she was still a beginner by Talbain standards, Nabiki’s enhanced strength, speed and new weapons made her good enough to defeat the Horde of Hentai in far less time than Akane. Her moves were more refined and didn’t waste as much motion as her younger sister. It also helped that the wizards were not experts in hand-to-hand combat and were attacking in a disorganized mob. Nabiki had some practice against her honorary Amazon sister Shampoo for a few days. In fact, Matthew estimated that the middle Tendo daughter currently had just enough skill to defeat Kuno. He winced slightly as he saw a Magister go down after receiving a hard whack from one of her tonfa.

The leader of the Magisters shook his head in disgust as he saw how badly his side was faring. Though they outnumbered the intruders five to one, they were on the verge of being overwhelmed. He then saw that a trio of Magisters fire off a volley of fireballs at Matthew, who easily dodged the attacks. The resulting blasts caused some considerable damage to the ruins. The wizard leader groaned as he too did not want anything destroyed. He waved off to the three.

{“Bah! Ye doeth more harm than good!”}

At that point, he noticed that one of the intruders was getting pushed back by the sheer number of foes. Seeing that she was most likely the weakest of the four, he decided that she would the instrument to end this fight in his favor. Chanting a small incantation, he threw forth a hand and large fireball streaked toward his target.

Nabiki let off a cry of pain as the magical projectile struck her from behind. As a result, she dropped her tonfa and was immediately dog-piled by at least six Magisters. Two of them managed to grab hold of her arms and she saw something shiny and deadly near her throat. Normally, she would have shook off them off with her lycanthrope strength, but the magical attack had left her dizzy and off-balance.

“NABS!”

The entire melee stopped with Matthew’s shout. Felicia and Jon also ceased fighting as they saw Nabiki being held hostage, with a Magister’s ceremonial blade near her jugular. A ceremonial knife made of silver.

The lead Magister smirked in triumph and said, {“Thou will lay downeth thine arms and surrender, if you doth value her life!”}

There was a long silence as the Talbains and Felicia considered their options. Then finally, Jon nodded to his son and dropped his nunchakus to the ground. Matthew followed suit with his sai. In that instant, they too were captured.

Later…

Nabiki struggled against her bonds, as she, Felicia, Matthew and Jon had been tied up against a large column of stone. Despite being stronger than a normal human, she was unable to snap the ropes. If she wasn’t wearing her enchanted pendant, she was certain that her hybrid form would have no trouble.

Matthew shook his head to her attempts and whispered to her. “Don’t bother Nabs. I think these ropes have been enchanted. I can’t break these things either and I think they’re preventing me from transforming.”

“Good guess, son.” Jon concurred. “These ropes may have some Mythril woven into their fibers.” He glanced over to Felicia. “Any luck?”

The feline performer strained around her back, then shook her head and whispered back. “I’ve been trying to cut through with my claws, but my hands are tied at a bad angle. I just got my right pinky working on them. I’m glad I didn’t have my manicure done tonight.”

It was at that time that the leader of the Magisters and his followers approached them. Several other members began taking positions around the circle of stone slabs and began working their magic. Soon the entire area was surrounded by a ring of mystical energy.

The old wizard pointed an accusing finger at Jon. “{Denyeth it no further! Thou wast intending to interfereth with the Magisters!”}

{“To be honest, I didn’t think you people were still around, let alone know what you were planning to do here.”} Jon admitted. {“We were actually looking for that medallion piece you got there.”}

The leader snorted as he held up the object in question, and then held up the piece that he had taken from Matthew’s father. {“And I thanketh ye for bringing us the means to hasten our greatest triumph! Since ye already knoweth too much, I shalt revealeth to ye, what no man knows… the true purpose of Stonehenge!”}

{“And WHAT might that be?”} Jon inquired as he continued to struggle with his bonds. However, unknown to his captors, his movements had a secret purpose. Tucked in its case on his belt was his cell phone. He managed to activate it, which dialed a certain number. As a result, a very important person received the signal and began listening in on the conversation.

Not knowing that he was revealing his plans to more outsiders, the Magister Elder continued to boast. {“We Magisters have discovered it to be a magical weapon of MASS DESTRUCTION! However, we lacketh the key in order to use it… until now!”}

At that point, the Magisters surrounding the ruins began to chant even more vigorously. The leader then placed the two medallion fragment onto an ornate pedestal. They both started to glow with the same magical aura.

{“With these artifacts, the spell we conjureth shalt bring forth a massive blast, which will broil yon London town! With each attack, we shalt destroyeth every major city, plunging the world into a new Dark Age, where we shalt rule, once more!”}

There was a long pause as his words were being digested, then Matthew let of a snort of disdain at the so-called master plan.

{“Geez, you guys are even loonier than the last time! Stonehenge is a weapon of mass destruction?! Have you guys been drinking sour mead or something?”}

{“You dare to mocketh us?!”}

{“Tch. What was your first clue? You accuse us of knowing too much, but I think it’s more like YOU DON’T KNOW ENOUGH!”}

As Matthew continued to taunt the Magister Elder, Felicia looked about at what was happening. She noted that the wizards were so intent on completing the spell, that they didn’t seem to noticing anything else around them. That included a very large shadow that was approaching them from the far end of the ring of slabs. That shadow, and its scent was familiar. The catwoman turned to Jon and gave him a knowing smile. Matthew’s father nodded and smiled back at her.

{“SILENCE!} The Magister leader roared. {“Thy insolent tongue shalt be stilled this night! Once the spell is complete, thy doom shalt be certain! Doust thou have any last words?”}

{“I’ve got something to say!”} Felicia said out loud.

The Magister gave the feline woman a snort of disdain. {“And what would the demon spawn like to sayeth?”}

{“Just this… GO GET ‘EM VICTOR!”}

BOOM!

As if on cue, nearly nine feet of reanimated human parts smashed through the mystic circle.

Flashback to three hours ago, just a mile from Stonehenge…

“You and Emily stay here with the van, while I go with Jon and the others. Okay?” Felicia instructed. Along with the Gerdenheim siblings were two of her catwoman co-workers.

“Okay.” The large, electrically-driven golem nodded.

“How long will you be gone?” Emily asked.

Felicia shrugged her shoulders. “Not really sure. We might find the medallion piece right away, or it could take hours. Tell you what. If we’re not back in about three hours from now, you can come get us. There won’t be any tourists around so you won’t have to worry about anyone seeing you. Is that all right with you?”

“Okay. Victor will find in three hours.”

End of flashback…

At this point, Felicia and the others were very grateful for Victor’s timely arrival as he bulldozed his way toward his employer. The Magisters were knocked down like dominoes as Victor smashed anyone who got in his way. Several volleys of fireballs struck him, but they were as effective as cotton balls. Emily’s brother let out a roar then raised a massive fist above his head before slamming it down. Upon impact, he sent a massive amount of voltage through the ground, and shocked several of his foes into unconsciousness.

Back at the column, Felicia let off a cry of triumph as she finally cut through one of the ropes that bound her hands. With her right hand free and her claws bared, she quickly made short work of the remaining bands. Once released, the Talbains and Nabiki swept up their weapons, which had been discarded to the side when they had been captured. Not wanting to take any more chances, they all shifted to their hybrid forms and leapt into the fray to aid their rescuer.

On the pedestal, the two medallion pieces glowed even brighter as the spell was nearing its completion.

“DRAGON CANNON!”

A blast of ki and magic laid down several more Magisters and gave Victor some elbow room. The big golem nodded his thanks to Matthew’s father as he continued to fight. Soon the conflict moved outside the ring of slabs and into the open.

However as the battle raged on, the Magisters who surrounded Stonehenge in a mystic ring were close to finishing the spell. The center of the ruins was enveloped in a blinding bright light. Nabiki noticed the event and called out to Jon’s son, just as she was slamming another of their foes to the ground.

“MATT!”

The younger Talbain nodded as he charged in and knocked out three of the wizards. On the other side, Felicia took out four more. Without them to sustain the magical field, the ring of power began to falter.

{“NO! YON SPELL MUST BE FINISHED!”}

With these words, the lead Magister focused all of his power and projected one massive blast into the center of the ruins. This caused Stonehenge to let off a titanic beam of light, which it shot straight into the sky. Everyone looked up at sight, while the villain let off a shout of triumph and waited for the utter destruction of London.

And waited… and waited… and waited…

There was a long stretch of silence as both sides stopped in total disbelief. Finally, the Magister Elder spoke.

{“London town be not destroyeth? Then what dost this Stonehenge doeth?”} (2)

Matthew also stared up at the sky, and then he said. “Wow. I guess it really is a beacon for UFOs.”

At that moment, several bands of armed men appeared around the ruins and surrounded the Magisters. They were all dressed in black uniforms and sported the insignia of the Hellsing Organization. These men belonged to the branch that operated in Europe.

Jon smiled as he took out his cell phone and called the special number that Sir Integra had given to him before he had left Japan.

Later…

As they group rode back to Talbain Castle in the van, they discussed the night’s events.

“So what’s going to happen to the Order of the Magisters?” Nabiki asked.

“Sir Integra and the Hellsing Organization will make certain that they will never trouble anyone ever again.” Jon assured as he held up the two medallion pieces. The artifacts immediately joined into one larger piece, then glowed in unison. “In any case, we got what we came for and it’s time to see where to find the next piece of this puzzle.” He then brought the unified fragment toward the window of the van and let the moonlight shine upon it. Immediately, it let off a beam of light which illuminated a spot on the map, then faded away.

Matthew’s father nodded as he declared their next destination. “Pack your bags for our next stop… Paris, France.”

Meanwhile, somewhere out in space…

The beam of light that Stonehenge had emitted continued to streak out into the void of space. Unknown to all those involved, the medallion had another function than just the ability to turn Nabiki into a full werewolf. Encoded in its beam was a hidden alien code, which only one being in the cosmos would receive. It was a signal for the most malevolent being in the entire universe. He was known by many names, such as the Bringer of Extinction, the Eater of Worlds and the Ultimate Destroyer.

Pyron.

To be continued…

Author’s Notes

That takes care of Part One of the World Tour story arc. As for the appearance of Pyron and the other Darkstalkers, well stay tuned. I’m just getting started!

(1)I got this idea from an episode of Jackie Chan Adventures.

(2) Couldn’t resist this phrase from the above episode of Jackie Chan Adventures.