See? I'm getting better at this!
Chapter Twelve: Absolute Trust
When the group came to, they were relieved to see themselves next to the lake shore. Kurtis summed up nearly all of their thoughts by saying, "Let's never do that again."
"Did you mean it when you said you'd go back to her?" Leigh asked Angela.
"Yep! But it can wait until we beat up the bad people!" Angela said.
"Beat up is putting it mildly," Lance muttered.
Courtney was silent, considering what Cally had said. She felt someone familiar. The only two people who have met her before are Aunt Larka and Zack, so that means… Aunt Larka must be nearby! I doubt Zack could hide himself as well. She gave a small, sly smile as she slipped a card towards her Duel Disk. If she thinks she'll be able to find out what we're doing that easily, I'll have to prove her wrong.
"Look out, a wild monster!" Everyone spun around to see Courtney insert the card she had been holding. A white house made of tape sprang out of the ground next to a tree. A faint yelp of surprise could be heard from inside it.
"Wow, I didn't even see anything there," Leigh remarked.
"We don't have time to waste with wild monsters. Let's leave it there and head to our next location," Chasity stated.
"How about the canyon?" Lance suggested. "That's nearby, right?"
"And we haven't been there yet," Kurtis added. "Let's go!"
"No objections over here," Ace said, with Shane nodding.
"All right. It's this way." Chasity led them towards their next destination.
Inside the house, Larka had heard everything, but was unable to do much about it. Her limbs were caught by the sticky walls, leaving her helpless. "Fly Tape House… Did I give away my location that easily?" She began to try pulling her right arm free so that she could reach her Duel Disk. "I'll be able to get out of here, but it'll take a while. Hopefully they won't run into trouble before then…"
…
The ground soon became bare of grass, showing they were getting close to the canyon. The four newcomers looked on in amazement as the towering rock walls became visible. Angela also appeared excited about it, bouncing around the group while chattering. "This is where I first dueled! Some creepy guy with a mask tried to kill everyone, so I taught him a lesson!"
"By that, she means she killed him," Lance muttered, recalling what he had read.
"You didn't have to point that out!" Kurtis said sourly. "Now I'm going to be terrified every time she says she wants to teach us something!"
"We're about to arrive at the beginning of the chasm," Shane said, not having noticed their other conversation.
"The beginning?" Leigh inquired.
"Though it stretches out as far as the eye can see, two parts are referred to as the beginning and the end," Chasity explained. "They are the only sections where the bottom of the canyon is visible."
"I-it's t-that deep?" Naomi stammered, eyes wide.
"Sure is!" Jin said cheerfully. "So don't go falling in there!"
Naomi groaned, hiding her face in Courtney's shoulder. Courtney sighed and said, "You can fly, remember? There's nothing to worry about."
"O-oh… r-right…"
Petra rolled her eyes, but refrained from commenting. Kurtis spoke instead as they started going up a slope. "But the areas where it is visible are still really far down, right?"
"If you fall down any part of the chasm and hit the bottom, you're either dead or not human," Ace said bluntly.
Giving him a glare, Chasity said, "You'd log out, not die."
"Most of the time, yeah, but we don't know how the Enslaved have changed things," Ace pointed out.
"If they can fulfill the conditions of death duels, I'd assume the death barrier can't be taken for granted," Lance agreed.
By this point, they had arrived at the top of the slope, revealing the canyon that spread before them. Kurtis, Courtney, and Lance could only stare at the sight, while Leigh slowly stepped towards the edge for a better look. "You're right, I can see the bottom. But it's really far down…"
"P-please get away f-from there…" Naomi pleaded. "I-it's m-making me nervous t-to watch…"
"Don't worry, she's not about to fall!" Dennis assured her.
Despite that, Leigh took a few steps back. "To be honest, if I looked down there any longer, I'd feel sick."
"We should keep going," Lance said. "It doesn't look like there are any Enslaved here, but further along the chasm, there might be."
As if mocking his words, their hidden enemy chose that moment to make their move. Huge, green vines with thorns sprung from the ground to wrap themselves tightly around the group members. Most were too surprised to react, but Epsilon responded by trying to break free. Even his strength was unable to tear apart the plants. Anyone else who attempted to struggle was pierced painfully by the thorns.
"What's going on?" Courtney exclaimed. She tried to reach her Duel Disk, only to wince as she acquired more injuries.
"We've fallen for a trap," Shane stated, not attempting to move.
"Whoever it is sure doesn't have much courtesy," Ace said. "They could have at least let us been in a more comfortable position before attacking."
"That's the least of any enemy's concerns," Chasity snapped. "I was careless, not noticing someone nearby…"
Leigh had been most fortunate. Since she was still near the edge of the chasm, away from the group, only a couple of vines had made it to her. Her right leg was bound, but nothing else had been caught. She carefully began to pull at it, trying to wiggle free.
"This really stinks! Can't someone get us out of here?" Dennis whined.
Arcadia glanced at Sera. "Are you capable of burning these vines?"
"Yes. However, anyone trapped in them would be burned as well," Sera stated.
Jin grimaced. "Ugh! Let's think of another way."
Angela's hair had been whipping around frantically, trying to free her. She soon gave up and yelled, "Let us go, you jerk!"
Her words caused them to look at the two figures that had appeared. One was a woman who had lowered the hood of her white robe. She had long, blonde hair and brown eyes, along with a gold cross that hung around her neck. Black chains clung to her as well. The other, her Soul Monster, resembled a human with a blue t-shirt, matching shorts, a brown vest, and black wristbands. His brown bandanna hid his hair color from view and made his blank eyes hard to see. He carried a bow as tall as himself.
"I regret having to do this, but I cannot go against my orders," the woman said.
"Who are you?" Lance asked.
"My name is Heather. If you met any of the other Enslaved, you will realize that I too should be dead," she said, her eyes holding sorrow. "I wish I could return to where I came from…" Her chains glowed, causing her to gasp in pain. "I have no choice. You will all be slain now."
"You're not slaying us without a fight!"
Heather turned in surprise to see Leigh had broken loose from the vine restraining her. "You must have been out of range of my Ivy Wall." She gestured to her Soul Monster. "Ash, I am leaving this to you. Kill her."
He responded by lifting his bow, which had an arrow already notched in place. Leigh barely managed to duck in time to avoid the bolt he sent towards her.
"Sis!" Without thinking, Kurtis tried to lunge towards Heather, only to get several minor wounds for his troubles.
"He has not had time to warm up, but he will hit you soon enough," Heather stated. Ash's next arrow lodged into the ground beside Leigh's foot, and his third grazed her shirt sleeve as she stumbled aside.
I can't keep this up… I don't even have time to find a support card to fight back… Her eyes skimmed over her friends, all trapped. But I have to do something to save them!
A thought struck her. There is a way! If I had my Soul Monster… She slipped her hand into her pocket, grabbing the card. It showed no signs of warmth, like others had reported when getting theirs. That did not disappoint her this time though. I know you will help me.
Leigh stepped back as Ash aimed his next arrow. She continued retreating until at the very edge, one step from falling.
"Leigh! What are you doing?" Courtney exclaimed.
Ash drew back the arrow as Leigh calmly said, "I trust my Soul Monster." Then she let herself fall backwards, the arrow flying harmlessly above her.
"No!"
The word Kurtis shouted barely registered, for the card in her hand had begun to feel warm. Leigh spoke words that entered her mind at once. "Soar, steed of flames! Our guardian is needed!"
The group heard her cry before seeing a flash. From the gorge flew a white horse with wings made of fire. Its tail, mane, and ankles had flames as well, leaving a trail of embers where it flew. Leigh rode on its back, her hands passing through the flaring mane without even a burn. She did not have to give a command, for the pegasus knew what to do without instruction. It flapped its wings, sending a sheet of flames at the trapped group. The vines burned away, yet did not harm any of them in the process. Once they died down, it landed in front of them with Leigh dismounting.
"What… just happened?" Lance said in disbelief.
Jin stared at them, wide-eyed. "If anyone can explain that, I'd love to hear it too."
"Geez, don't scare me like that!" Kurtis said to Leigh.
She smiled in response. "Sorry. It worked out though, didn't it?"
"I see I am at a disadvantage now," Heather stated. "Ash can still attack, but he would only be able to earn a few kills before we would be brought down. Would you agree to a duel? It would reduce the bloodshed necessary."
"I'll accept your challenge," Leigh said, her Duel Disk unfolding. She looked at her Soul Monster. "You'll help, right?"
"Yes. I am Ellen, a Fire Wing Pegasus," she replied. "I will protect you and anyone you cherish with my life."
"It sure was worth the wait to see this," Courtney commented to the others.
"Save the best for last, right?" Ace said.
"That's one way of putting it," Lance said. "With her Soul Monster, Leigh should be able to win this without much trouble."
"Let's hope so," Arcadia stated.
"Hope can do it!" Angela declared.
"I don't think she'll ever learn the difference," Courtney muttered before turning her attention to the duel.
Leigh: 8000
Heather: 8000
"You may have the first turn. That is the only help I can provide," Heather said.
Leigh nodded. "I lay a monster and one other card down. Your turn."
"We'll see if your defenses can handle this," Heather said. "I summon Blood Orchis. (1700/1000) Its effect lets me special summon Death Dendol (300/2000) from my hand. I will then union them."
"Union them?" Leigh asked.
"Death Dendol has the ability to become an equipment card for Blood Orchis. After this, Blood Orchis will attack your monster!"
"My Reverse Girepanda (800/1600) is destroyed."
"Whenever Blood Orchis destroys a monster with Death Dendol equipped, a Magic Grass Token (800/800) is created." It appeared on her field next to her other monsters. "Now I can use this token for Ash's Deck Master ability. By sacrificing a Plant Sub-Type, he will destroy one magic or trap card on the field!"
Leigh prepared herself to counter that, but found there was no need to. Despite Heather's words, Ash had not moved at all.
"Ash? Why are you waiting?" she demanded. He remained still.
"Is he disobeying her?" Courtney wondered.
"I don't think so. It looks more like he doesn't understand what she's asking," Ace remarked.
Shane pondered his words for a moment. "Remember the other Enslaved? None of them asked their Soul Monsters to perform their Deck Master abilities. The ones we saw were all automatic."
"Automatic?" Kurtis echoed.
"I understand," Chasity said. "For effects like Dark Scythe's Soul Monster, they activated without any prompt. The duelist did not decide when they were used, they just occurred."
"Robin and Aurora never used their Deck Master abilities, and from what I remember, they were not automatic," Shane added. "Robin could negate traps, and Aurora could pay Life Points to negate certain magic cards. Neither was used unless the duelist wanted them."
"Okay, that's fair enough," Lance said. "But why is it that way?"
Heather broke into their discussion. "I have no idea what the problem is, but I don't have time to try figuring it out. You can take your turn."
"Even if his ability worked, it wouldn't have changed much," Leigh told her. "I flip over Forced Ejection Machine to send your token back to your hand!"
"When a token is sent back to the hand, it vanishes," Heather realized. "Essentially, you destroyed it. Not bad."
"I can destroy your other monsters as well," Leigh said. "I summon Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000) and attack Blood Orchis!"
"When Blood Orchis would be destroyed by battle, if Death Dendol is equipped to it, Death Dendol is destroyed instead." True to her words, the attached Death Dendol was torn apart by the crazed gorilla.
Leigh: 8000
Heather: 7700
"At least damage was done. That's all I can do for the moment."
"I'd best defend," Heather said. "I switch Blood Orchis to defense mode and place a monster. I'll also play a permanent magic card, World Tree." A gigantic tree tore free of the ground, towering over the duelists.
"World Tree?" Leigh asked.
"Every time a Plant Sub-Type is destroyed on the field, World Tree gets a Flower Counter," Heather stated. "I can remove them to get different effects based on how many are used. That's all for me."
"I don't like giving you Flower Counters, but I can't win without destroying your monsters," Leigh said. "I summon Death Kangaroo (1500/1700) and attack Blood Orchis with him! Then Berserk Gorilla attacks your defense monster!"
"You have destroyed my Lord Poison. (1500/1000) When it is destroyed in battle, I am allowed to special summon a Plant Sub-Type from my Cemetery that is not a Lord Poison. I'll bring Blood Orchis back in attack mode. In addition, I have two Flower Counters now."
Leigh frowned at the reappearing monster. "I'm done."
"I summon Gigant Cephalous. (1850/700) As long as he is face up, whenever a Plant Sub-Type is sent to the Cemetery, his attack raises by 200. I will attack Berserk Gorilla with Blood Orchis!"
"You're committing suicide to raise your monster's attack?" Leigh assumed. (2050/700)
"That, and to get an additional Flower Counter. I have three now. Gigant Cephalous attacks Berserk Gorilla! That ends my turn."
Leigh: 7950
Heather: 7400
"I don't have anything strong enough to defeat that," Leigh said worriedly. "I lay a monster in defense mode. I can't do much else."
Heather gave the card a suspicious look before saying, "Gigant Cephalous attacks your monster."
"You've hit my Quick Squirrel. (1000/100) When sent to the Cemetery by battle, I gain 1000 Life Points and can bring out as many cards with the same name as I want in face down defense mode. I'll get two more," Leigh said.
Leigh: 8950
Heather: 7400
"In that case, I will summon Botanity Girl (1300/1100) before ending my turn."
Leigh examined her hand, nodding to herself. "I summon Voltech Kong (1800/1000) and flip my Quick Squirrels over."
Heather raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning?"
"By doing this, I will benefit greatly from this instant magic card, March of a Hundred Beasts! It increases the attack strength of Animal Sub-Type monsters on my field by 200 times the amount of them I have on the field until the end of my turn. Since I have three Animal Sub-Types, they each get an increase of 600!" (2200/1000) (1600/100)
"Not bad," Heather admitted. "Are you going to attack?"
"Yes. Voltech Kong destroys Gigant Cephalous!" Once Heather's monster was gone, Leigh said, "When you take damage from him, you have to discard a number of cards from the top of your deck equal to the amount of Light Main-Types I have on the field. Since Voltech Kong is the only one I have, you discard one card."
"Very well. I lose my King of Faeries-Oberon."
"One of my Quick Squirrels will attack Botanity Girl, and the other will attack directly if you can't stop it."
"Though I can't, Botanity Girl's effect does activate," Heather said. "When she is sent to the Cemetery from the field, I can add a Plant Sub-Type with 1000 or less defense to my hand. I choose Rekunga."
Leigh: 8950
Heather: 5150
"I'm done," Leigh said. (1800/1000) (1000/100)
"So she runs an Animal deck?" Ace assumed from the sidelines.
"That's right. Sis wants to become a veterinarian when she grows up," Kurtis explained. "She's always liked animals."
"Animals and Plants? We need a druid to moderate this battle," Jin joked.
"Leigh may have the advantage right now, but she's not home free yet," Lance said. "I think Heather has something up her sleeve."
Heather proved his words true. "I have five Flower Counters right now. By removing three of them, I can special summon a Plant Sub-Type from my Cemetery. I will bring out King of Faeries-Oberon." (2200/1500) Roots came from the ground in a bundle, and unwrapped to reveal Oberon. "He increases the stats of Plant Sub-Types by 500 when in defense mode, but I prefer to keep him in attack mode for the time being."
Leigh groaned. "I set myself up for that one by using Voltech Kong…"
"After that, I summon Rekunga. (1700/500) He allows me to remove two Water Main-Types in my Cemetery from the game to special summon a Rekunga Token. I will do this by removing Lord Poison and Botanity Girl. (700/700) Then I play Fragrance Storm!"
"Talk about flower power," Kurtis muttered as a storm of petals wiped away her Rekunga Token.
"This magic card requires that I destroy a Plant Sub-Type in face up attack mode on my field. By doing so to my Rekunga Token, I can draw a card. If the card I draw is a Plant Sub-Type, I show it to you to draw one more card." Heather drew and showed her it. "Since I got Botanical Lion, I draw again. This also means that I get another Flower Counter, bringing my total to three."
Leigh winced. "That means you can special summon again."
"However, I will not. Instead, I attack your Voltech Kong with Oberon, and one of your Quick Squirrels with Rekunga!"
Though hurt by the strikes, the Quick Squirrel healed Leigh enough to make the damage barely noticeable.
Leigh: 8850
Heather: 5150
At least I still have one monster. I can get out of this thanks to that… Leigh thought.
"To get rid of your other Quick Squirrel, I'll use another of World Tree's effects," Heather said. "By removing two Flower Counters, a card on the field is destroyed. I choose your only monster."
Leigh froze as the tree's roots sped towards the helpless squirrel. Just before they could hit, a wall of flames emerged around the squirrel, causing the roots to retreat hastily. All Leigh could do was stare at her Soul Monster in astonishment as the fires died down. "Did you do that?"
"Once per turn, you can pay 500 Life Points to activate my Deck Master ability," Ellen stated. "It will negate and destroy a card effect that targets an Animal Sub-Type on your field."
Leigh: 8350
Heather: 5150
"That's really useful." Leigh sighed in relief. "I thought I was in trouble for a minute there."
"Do not worry. I will do everything in my power to protect you," Ellen said, her orange eyes glittering with sincerity.
Leigh tried to respond, but found herself unable to speak. Heather took advantage of her silence to say, "I only have one Flower Counter left, so there is little else I can do. I will lay a card down and end my turn."
Recovering from her muteness, Leigh said, "I sacrifice my Quick Squirrel to summon Twin-Head Beast! (1700/1900) Then I play a magic card, Wild Burst! The Animal or Animal Warrior Sub-Type I use it on will be destroyed at the end of my turn. Yet it's worth it, since it adds that monster's defense stat to its attack! (3600/1900) Twin-Head Beast has the ability to attack twice, making this even more deadly! He attacks Oberon and Rekunga!"
Heather cringed as her monsters were bit in half by the fierce creature's bites. "I may earn two Flower Counters, but it was for a great price."
Leigh: 8350
Heather: 1850
"That's all I can do," Leigh said. Her Twin-Head Beast exploded at these words, leaving her defenseless.
"I could special summon a monster with my Flower Counters. Unfortunately, that would leave me unable to destroy any threats that you might come up with," Heather said. "Instead, I will summon Botanical Lion. (1600/2000) His attack power rises by 300 for every Plant Sub-Type I have on my field, including himself. (1900/2000) As a bonus, he cannot be taken control of while face up either. I will remove one Flower Counter to activate World Tree's final effect. It increases the stats of all Plant Sub-Types on the field by 400 until the end of my turn. (2300/2400) Botanical Lion attacks directly!"
Leigh did her best to suppress a cry of pain as the lion, powered by the tree's roots, clawed her stomach.
Leigh: 6050
Heather: 1850
"I will lay one card down," Heather concluded. (1900/2000) "Go ahead."
"I can't afford to leave your Botanical Lion out," Leigh said. "I summon Mad Dog of Darkness! (1900/1400) He'll attack your Botanical Lion, destroying them both!"
"It won't be that easy," Heather stated. "I activate my trap card, Plant Connection. It becomes an equip card for a Plant Sub-Type to raise their attack by 500." (2400/2000)
"So much for that idea…" Leigh muttered, watching her Mad Dog get ripped apart by the Botanical Lion. "I lay a card down and end my turn."
Leigh: 5550
Heather: 1850
"I summon Rigorous Reaper (1600/100) (2700/2000) and remove two Flower Counters to get rid of your face down card," Heather said.
Leigh flipped it over. "I'll chain it. My Emissary of Harmony causes all monsters to be unable to hurt me in battle for this turn!"
"I would rather do damage to you while I am able," Heather said. "I activate my own trap card, Pollinosis. By sacrificing a Plant Sub-Type, I can negate and destroy a magic, trap, summoning, or special summoning. I choose to get rid of Rigorous Reaper. Your Emissary of Harmony is useless." (2400/2000)
Leigh braced herself. "I'm open for attack…"
"Indeed. Botanical Lion attacks directly."
The second blow did not hurt as badly, but Leigh was still having trouble remaining upright from the accumulated damage.
Leigh: 2650
Heather: 1850
Heather considered her hand before saying, "I'm done."
"She's in bad shape," Courtney said worriedly.
"Don't worry, she'll win," Kurtis promised. The others watched silently.
Leigh hesitated to draw until Ellen said, "You have nothing to fear. You are too strong to lose here."
"I… hope you're right." Leigh looked at her newest card. "...It's over."
"Oh?" Heather's expression betrayed none of her feelings.
"I summon Rescue Cat! (300/100) I can send it from my field to the Cemetery to special summon two level three or lower Animal Sub-Types from my deck. They would be destroyed during my end phase, but the duel will be over before then! I'll send away my Rescue Cat to bring out X-Saber Airbellun and Koalakka!" (1600/300) (100/1600)
"I assume they have effects to make up for their poor stats," Heather said.
"Koalakka's is the one I was really after," Leigh said. "When another Animal Sub-Type is out, I can reduce one of your monster's attacks to zero! (0/2000) All I have to do now is play another Wild Burst on Koalakka!" (1700/1600)
"I'm finished…" Heather murmured.
"X-Saber attacks your lion, and Koalakka attacks directly!" The two monsters sprung forward, quickly putting an end to the match.
Leigh: 2650
Heather: 0
Though Leigh had won, she continued to watch Heather cautiously, afraid that she would not accept her defeat that easily. To her surprise, Heather instead appeared immensely relieved. "Thank you."
"Huh?"
"Now that you have won, my work here is done. I can at last return to my husband." She smiled at Leigh's confused expression. "Really, I'm grateful. In return, I'll tell you an important detail. Someone you care about is still here, and is in trouble. You should not leave here just because you are done with me."
Leigh hesitated before saying, "All right."
"I wish you the best of luck…" Heather's voice grew faint as her body vanished. Ash disappeared as well, leaving no trace of them behind.
"Victory!" Dennis cheered.
"We've all managed to get past at least one duel," Courtney said.
"Way to go, sis!" Kurtis said. "We all think you did well!" He glanced at the others. "Right?"
"I suppose," Chasity admitted.
"Thanks…" Leigh turned to Ellen, staring at her. She suddenly flung her arms around her Soul Monster's neck and buried her face in her fur, breaking into sobs.
"Leigh! Are you hurt?" Ellen asked in alarm.
"N-no… I just can't believe you're finally here," she managed to say. "I thought something was wrong, that I didn't deserve a Soul Monster, but now…"
Ellen nuzzled her neck in an assuring manner. "You did nothing wrong. I was not to emerge until absolutely needed, that's all. Until now, others could handle the situations that occurred. But you needed me, so I came."
Leigh gave a small nod as she wiped her eyes. "I'm glad you did…"
"I didn't know she was so dead-set on getting a Soul Monster," Jin remarked.
"We've been raised alongside Soul Monsters," Kurtis said. "They've been our friends and part of our family."
"Leigh always enjoyed talking to them, even when younger," Lance said. "I remember one of the first times we met, she spent hours speaking with my mother's Soul Monster, a Red Eyes Black Dragon."
"Even if some Soul Monsters are humanoid, there are many animals too," Courtney added. "Talking animals… I guess they really appeal to her."
"That, and once you have your Soul Monster, you're never really alone," Ace said. "Arcadia's been keeping me going through the toughest of times."
Arcadia looked flustered by that. "You praise me too much, my lord."
"No, I'd agree." Shane patted Jin on the head. "I can't count how many times Jin's helped me out."
"Hey, I've told you I don't like that!" Jin said, scowling as he roughed up his hair again.
"Will they play with you?" Angela asked, giving Sera a thoughtful glance.
"Uh… I guess they could," Courtney said.
Angela clapped her hands together. "Then we should do that! What do you think, Sera?"
"I do not know what the word 'play' means," Sera said flatly.
Angela gasped. "How can you not know that?"
Before they had a chance to go further off topic, Leigh and Ellen walked over to the group. "Sorry for my outburst. I'm ready to go on."
"Should we trust Heather and keep looking around here?" Lance asked.
"I don't think she'd lie to us," Leigh replied. "Let's go further in."
"Anyone disagree?" Ace said. Nobody answered. "Then it's settled."
"This way would be the easiest to continue," Chasity said. She continued to lead them onward.
To be continued…
