Spirit Inside
"So what happens now," Miles was seated on a particularly sharp rock that was currently cutting into his backside and was not in the most comfortable of positions.
Dylan was busy placing sticks inside a rock circle which Miles presumed he'd use to start a fire, "Now we have to find your warrior spirit. The one that if you had lived here all your life you'd be able to control." He removed a small pouch from his side, "It's pot luck really but don't worry if you're something weak like a Kuribo or a Milus Radient it won't matter."
"It won't?"
"Nope, the card game is nothing like this world. When we fight we gain experience through battle. For example I'm a Dark Magician right?" Miles nodded, "In the game the Dark Magician only has 2500 attack points correct?" another nod, "Well I've been here fighting for so long for all I know I could have the equivalent of 18000 attack points. Every time you…" he seemed a little hesitant about his next word, "Kill an enemy, you absorb his strength, kinda like…Highlander."
"That's incredible," Miles exclaimed, but Dylan just chuckled, "What?"
"Compared to the Mythic Dragon I'm an ant, but if we can get enough people to fight together then we may be able to overrun the Dragons forces and crush him," Miles noticed that Dylan definitely seemed determined, his face was etched in a firm scowl and he seemed deep in thought.
"Well, how many soldiers would it take?"
Dylan turned to face Miles, "Let's just say we're way off at the moment. And that's why we need people like you Miles, brave people who are willing to fight for what's right," Miles felt himself blush, he never had been good at taking praise, "Come on, it's time to begin." Coming forward Miles followed Dylan's instructions and sat cross-legged in front of the fire, "Just close your eyes and let your mind go blank, and then we'll begin."
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Everything was black, pure darkness surrounded Miles as he stood in some sort of…well he didn't really know what the hell it was. Scanning the entire area Miles soon realized that there were three lights about thirty feet away from him, they were small but seemed to be getting bigger and brighter with each passing second until Miles finally had to shield his eyes, they were so bright.
"Miles?" Dylan's voice echoed through the darkness, "What do you see?"
"Apart from complete nothingness, I see three lights," Miles responded squinting at the magnificent orbs.
"Don't be afraid, that's normal, now tell me…what colors are they?"
"Uh," Miles tried to look at the lights but could only just make out what they were, "Green…Red and Yellow."
"Okay," Dylan sounded relieved, "now here's the deal, those colors represent duel monster types. The red means fire, green means earth and yellow means thunder. Whatever color you choose you would become a duel monster of that type. Do you understand?"
'Hell no' Miles' mind screamed at him but he decided to lie, "Uh…I think so."
"Good, now I want you to choose a color and walk into the light," Dylan got no response, "Miles…are you still there?"
"Yeah," his voice sounded unsure.
"Listen Miles, I know you're scared, I was too, but I promise you everything will be fine. There is no way you can harness your powers if you don't choose a light," there was silence and Dylan was actually starting to sweat as he watched the hypnotized Miles' eyebrows scrunch up.
"What if I choose wrong?"
"There is no right and wrong Miles, just trust your instincts. Which was your first ever duel monster card type? That's how I chose my color."
"Silver Fang," Miles whispered to himself, he stared at the green light and slowly but surely walked into it. There was a blinding green flash and Miles was back in the darkness, "Where am I now?" he called into the darkness.
"This is where you'll meet your inner warriors, there will be five in all. Can you see them?" Miles waited patiently
At first Miles couldn't see anything, aside from black. However he started to feel as if wherever he was was beginning to move. He wasn't exactly sure how but he was positive the place was spinning. Dylan watched from his seat on the rock as Miles' expression became one of confusion, he remained silent knowing that in time all would become clear. Miles though felt like he was about to throw up as it became harder and harder to maintain his balance, "Uh…Dylan?"
"Don't worry Miles, trust me, it'll be okay."
Nodding Miles remained focused and gradually the place began to slow down before finally coming to a halt. When it eventually stopped spinning Miles realized that where he was had changed, instead of being complete darkness he now seemed to be standing inside of a room of some kind, it was like an old castle with large blocks arching their way up on all sides until they met directly above Miles' head. A torch donned each side of the room it's glow just enough to illuminate the room. But what intrigued him most were the five doors that were stationed in front of him, they were big wooden doors with steel supports fastened firmly across the strips of wood with iron bolts. Miles stared dumbfounded at them before they started to creak open, taking a step back Miles swallowed nervously and watched as all five swung open to reveal bright green lights.
"You okay Miles?" he got no response though, smiling to himself he knew it was beginning.
Miles stared at the five duel monsters in front of him, although he wasn't a complete expert in the game he recognized four of the five that seemed to stare at him with dead eyes, it was as if they weren't alive. The four he knew were Uraby, Ansatsu, Hayabusa Knight and Mystic Horseman. But the fifth was a complete mystery to him, two large swords were clutched in each hand and a bright, metallic armor covered most of his upper body complete with a helmet that left only the face visible. "I see them," he whispered.
Dylan though nearly missed those words but luckily had been keeping a ear out for any kind of words, "Miles! You see them?"
"They're magnificent," all five duel monsters were about the same height and it occurred to Miles that maybe every duel monster was similar in size, but which was the best one to choose? Judging from what Dylan told him it didn't really matter which one he chose, it'd all work out the same in the end. "Dylan?"
"Yes Miles."
"Which one should I choose," he called into the darkness, "There's…"
"NO!" Miles stopped talking, "You can't tell me what spirits there are, they find it very disrespectful if you ask for help, this decision has to come from you Miles. And no one else, do you understand?"
Once again Miles didn't, "Yes," but once again he decided to lie anyway. On first impressions he judged that Ansatsu might be the best suited for him, the ninja had to be fast so that could be a good thing. But something kept on drawing him back to look at the sword wielding, armor clad warrior, there was something about him. The way he looked, the way he stood, generally the way he was.
But before he could do anything there was a blinding white flash forcing him to either close his eyes or go blind, Miles felt the room begin to spin again before stopping suddenly. He opened his eyes to see Dylan smiling at him from above; realizing he was lying on the floor Miles sat up and scratched his head. "What happened?" he asked quizzically, "I didn't get to make my choice."
"It's all part of it Miles, if you left it up to your head you'd have doubts so the moment your subconscious decided on what one you were going to be, bam!" he clapped his hands together, "You became that duel monster."
"But…how do I find out what I am?"
"That's the easy part," Dylan explained, "but listen to every word I say alright, you cannot let the sense of power you first feel when you shift into your form overwhelm you. Because if you do, the spirit will take over the body and more than likely won't like the idea of being in a cave very much," Miles listened carefully, keeping track of all the information Dylan was feeding him, "If you can't control your spirit Miles, I'm afraid we may be forced to kill you."
Miles went numb, losing his voice all he could do was nod understandably and try not to act afraid, when in actually fact he was terrified.
"Do you still want to do this?" Dylan's voice was calm and understanding of the youngsters fear.
Miles nodded, "Yes."
"Alright, concentrate on you, nothing else matters at the moment but you. Not me, not your family, not this world, just…you." Miles did as he was told, closing his eyes he focused on himself and concentrated as hard as he could, "Feel your inner spirit within you, I know you don't know what it is yet but you should still be able to feel it."
Miles' eyebrows scrunched up slightly, "I feel it."
"Good, now…your spirit is behind a mental barricade at the moment. All you have to do is take that barricade down, and you should be able to change," Dylan took a deep breath, he was beginning to wonder whether or not this was a good idea, "Give it a try."
Melanie watched from the doorway, keeping a keen eye on Miles she snorted inside of her head, 'There's no way he's gonna be able to do it' her mind said, but she still kept a close of him, just in case.
Miles could feel it growing inside of him, an immense power that flowed throughout his body, it felt incredible. However he remembered what Dylan told him and although he allowed the power to continue to increase he slowed it down. His breathing slowed slightly a calming feeling washed over him before feeling total relief, and then it was gone.
"You alright Miles," Dylan asked kindly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," opening his eyes Miles suddenly felt as though his body was heavier than it should be, feeling his chest he realized that it had an odd, smooth feel to it, as if it were made out of… "Metal," he muttered, his eyes widened as it dawned on him and he took a look at his feet that were now adorned by a pair of boots, "I don't believe it."
Dylan laughed out loud, it was more relief than anything, "Believe it Miles, you're a duel monster," he took a good look at the monstrosity before him.
"W…where…I…" Miles spluttered whiled getting to his feet, reaching behind to scratch his head Miles' hand knocked against something. A handle. Pulling on it he slowly unsheathed an enormous sword that shimmered in the torchlight, reaching behind him with the other hand he extracted the other one from his scabbard and held one in each hand.
"Miles," Dylan drew the youngsters attention and noticed a smile on the monsters face, "Do you know what duel monster type you chose?"
"No," Miles swung the sword in a wide arc, he noticed that it was as if he was an expert with the things.
"You're a Sword Hunter."
"Sword Hunter? Cool," Miles nodded his head enjoying his first duel monsters experience.
Dylan shook his head with a smile, "You don't seem to understand Miles, the Sword Hunter is one of the most powerful monsters in the game if used correctly. And do you know why?" Miles shook his head, "Remember when I told you that after we kill an enemy we absorb their power."
"Yeah."
"Well when a Sword Hunter kills an enemy he gets the enemies power plus another third of what the enemies power would be, in other words…you have the potential to gain strength and experience much quicker than anybody else. In three years time, if we're still alive you might even have surpassed my power," Miles paid close attention to what Dylan was saying.
"Really?"
"Really," Miles punched the air, all the while being careful not to put his sword through anything, "Get used to your powers, but remember what I said, don't let it go too far."
Miles nodded, "If I wanted to turn back to normal, how would I go about it."
Dylan smiled, "Just do what you did last time, but this time instead of letting your spirit out, push him back in and put up your block again."
"That's all?"
"That's all," stepping out from the secluded room Dylan glanced at Melanie who was standing to his right, her hands set firmly on her hips and a scowl upon her face, "What?"
"If I didn't know you better I'd swear you were playing favorites," she began while following his walk down the corridor.
"Mel," he smiled, "You know that's not true."
"I hope not, because the Kintari troops will be here tomorrow. We won't have time to baby-sit a newbie," Dylan stopped and turned to look at Mel, "What?"
"We."
"I mean you, but I have to watch your back and there won't be any time for that tomorrow," Melanie spat.
"I know."
"Promise me you won't focus too much on Miles, I know he needs training, but get Steve to do it, they seemed to be getting on okay earlier on," Dylan remained silent, "Promise me Dylan."
He sighed, "I promise, Steve can train Miles. And I will think of a way to get us out of this mess, alright?" Melanie nodded, "Thank you, now if you don't mind…I need something to eat, okay?"
"Fine," Melanie stopped walking beside him, she watched him disappear into another cave and sighed; she hoped he knew what he was doing. Miles was a powerful duel monster, but if Dylan started filling his head with ideas that he was unbeatable then they could all be in serious trouble.
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By Boulder
"So what happens now," Miles was seated on a particularly sharp rock that was currently cutting into his backside and was not in the most comfortable of positions.
Dylan was busy placing sticks inside a rock circle which Miles presumed he'd use to start a fire, "Now we have to find your warrior spirit. The one that if you had lived here all your life you'd be able to control." He removed a small pouch from his side, "It's pot luck really but don't worry if you're something weak like a Kuribo or a Milus Radient it won't matter."
"It won't?"
"Nope, the card game is nothing like this world. When we fight we gain experience through battle. For example I'm a Dark Magician right?" Miles nodded, "In the game the Dark Magician only has 2500 attack points correct?" another nod, "Well I've been here fighting for so long for all I know I could have the equivalent of 18000 attack points. Every time you…" he seemed a little hesitant about his next word, "Kill an enemy, you absorb his strength, kinda like…Highlander."
"That's incredible," Miles exclaimed, but Dylan just chuckled, "What?"
"Compared to the Mythic Dragon I'm an ant, but if we can get enough people to fight together then we may be able to overrun the Dragons forces and crush him," Miles noticed that Dylan definitely seemed determined, his face was etched in a firm scowl and he seemed deep in thought.
"Well, how many soldiers would it take?"
Dylan turned to face Miles, "Let's just say we're way off at the moment. And that's why we need people like you Miles, brave people who are willing to fight for what's right," Miles felt himself blush, he never had been good at taking praise, "Come on, it's time to begin." Coming forward Miles followed Dylan's instructions and sat cross-legged in front of the fire, "Just close your eyes and let your mind go blank, and then we'll begin."
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Everything was black, pure darkness surrounded Miles as he stood in some sort of…well he didn't really know what the hell it was. Scanning the entire area Miles soon realized that there were three lights about thirty feet away from him, they were small but seemed to be getting bigger and brighter with each passing second until Miles finally had to shield his eyes, they were so bright.
"Miles?" Dylan's voice echoed through the darkness, "What do you see?"
"Apart from complete nothingness, I see three lights," Miles responded squinting at the magnificent orbs.
"Don't be afraid, that's normal, now tell me…what colors are they?"
"Uh," Miles tried to look at the lights but could only just make out what they were, "Green…Red and Yellow."
"Okay," Dylan sounded relieved, "now here's the deal, those colors represent duel monster types. The red means fire, green means earth and yellow means thunder. Whatever color you choose you would become a duel monster of that type. Do you understand?"
'Hell no' Miles' mind screamed at him but he decided to lie, "Uh…I think so."
"Good, now I want you to choose a color and walk into the light," Dylan got no response, "Miles…are you still there?"
"Yeah," his voice sounded unsure.
"Listen Miles, I know you're scared, I was too, but I promise you everything will be fine. There is no way you can harness your powers if you don't choose a light," there was silence and Dylan was actually starting to sweat as he watched the hypnotized Miles' eyebrows scrunch up.
"What if I choose wrong?"
"There is no right and wrong Miles, just trust your instincts. Which was your first ever duel monster card type? That's how I chose my color."
"Silver Fang," Miles whispered to himself, he stared at the green light and slowly but surely walked into it. There was a blinding green flash and Miles was back in the darkness, "Where am I now?" he called into the darkness.
"This is where you'll meet your inner warriors, there will be five in all. Can you see them?" Miles waited patiently
At first Miles couldn't see anything, aside from black. However he started to feel as if wherever he was was beginning to move. He wasn't exactly sure how but he was positive the place was spinning. Dylan watched from his seat on the rock as Miles' expression became one of confusion, he remained silent knowing that in time all would become clear. Miles though felt like he was about to throw up as it became harder and harder to maintain his balance, "Uh…Dylan?"
"Don't worry Miles, trust me, it'll be okay."
Nodding Miles remained focused and gradually the place began to slow down before finally coming to a halt. When it eventually stopped spinning Miles realized that where he was had changed, instead of being complete darkness he now seemed to be standing inside of a room of some kind, it was like an old castle with large blocks arching their way up on all sides until they met directly above Miles' head. A torch donned each side of the room it's glow just enough to illuminate the room. But what intrigued him most were the five doors that were stationed in front of him, they were big wooden doors with steel supports fastened firmly across the strips of wood with iron bolts. Miles stared dumbfounded at them before they started to creak open, taking a step back Miles swallowed nervously and watched as all five swung open to reveal bright green lights.
"You okay Miles?" he got no response though, smiling to himself he knew it was beginning.
Miles stared at the five duel monsters in front of him, although he wasn't a complete expert in the game he recognized four of the five that seemed to stare at him with dead eyes, it was as if they weren't alive. The four he knew were Uraby, Ansatsu, Hayabusa Knight and Mystic Horseman. But the fifth was a complete mystery to him, two large swords were clutched in each hand and a bright, metallic armor covered most of his upper body complete with a helmet that left only the face visible. "I see them," he whispered.
Dylan though nearly missed those words but luckily had been keeping a ear out for any kind of words, "Miles! You see them?"
"They're magnificent," all five duel monsters were about the same height and it occurred to Miles that maybe every duel monster was similar in size, but which was the best one to choose? Judging from what Dylan told him it didn't really matter which one he chose, it'd all work out the same in the end. "Dylan?"
"Yes Miles."
"Which one should I choose," he called into the darkness, "There's…"
"NO!" Miles stopped talking, "You can't tell me what spirits there are, they find it very disrespectful if you ask for help, this decision has to come from you Miles. And no one else, do you understand?"
Once again Miles didn't, "Yes," but once again he decided to lie anyway. On first impressions he judged that Ansatsu might be the best suited for him, the ninja had to be fast so that could be a good thing. But something kept on drawing him back to look at the sword wielding, armor clad warrior, there was something about him. The way he looked, the way he stood, generally the way he was.
But before he could do anything there was a blinding white flash forcing him to either close his eyes or go blind, Miles felt the room begin to spin again before stopping suddenly. He opened his eyes to see Dylan smiling at him from above; realizing he was lying on the floor Miles sat up and scratched his head. "What happened?" he asked quizzically, "I didn't get to make my choice."
"It's all part of it Miles, if you left it up to your head you'd have doubts so the moment your subconscious decided on what one you were going to be, bam!" he clapped his hands together, "You became that duel monster."
"But…how do I find out what I am?"
"That's the easy part," Dylan explained, "but listen to every word I say alright, you cannot let the sense of power you first feel when you shift into your form overwhelm you. Because if you do, the spirit will take over the body and more than likely won't like the idea of being in a cave very much," Miles listened carefully, keeping track of all the information Dylan was feeding him, "If you can't control your spirit Miles, I'm afraid we may be forced to kill you."
Miles went numb, losing his voice all he could do was nod understandably and try not to act afraid, when in actually fact he was terrified.
"Do you still want to do this?" Dylan's voice was calm and understanding of the youngsters fear.
Miles nodded, "Yes."
"Alright, concentrate on you, nothing else matters at the moment but you. Not me, not your family, not this world, just…you." Miles did as he was told, closing his eyes he focused on himself and concentrated as hard as he could, "Feel your inner spirit within you, I know you don't know what it is yet but you should still be able to feel it."
Miles' eyebrows scrunched up slightly, "I feel it."
"Good, now…your spirit is behind a mental barricade at the moment. All you have to do is take that barricade down, and you should be able to change," Dylan took a deep breath, he was beginning to wonder whether or not this was a good idea, "Give it a try."
Melanie watched from the doorway, keeping a keen eye on Miles she snorted inside of her head, 'There's no way he's gonna be able to do it' her mind said, but she still kept a close of him, just in case.
Miles could feel it growing inside of him, an immense power that flowed throughout his body, it felt incredible. However he remembered what Dylan told him and although he allowed the power to continue to increase he slowed it down. His breathing slowed slightly a calming feeling washed over him before feeling total relief, and then it was gone.
"You alright Miles," Dylan asked kindly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," opening his eyes Miles suddenly felt as though his body was heavier than it should be, feeling his chest he realized that it had an odd, smooth feel to it, as if it were made out of… "Metal," he muttered, his eyes widened as it dawned on him and he took a look at his feet that were now adorned by a pair of boots, "I don't believe it."
Dylan laughed out loud, it was more relief than anything, "Believe it Miles, you're a duel monster," he took a good look at the monstrosity before him.
"W…where…I…" Miles spluttered whiled getting to his feet, reaching behind to scratch his head Miles' hand knocked against something. A handle. Pulling on it he slowly unsheathed an enormous sword that shimmered in the torchlight, reaching behind him with the other hand he extracted the other one from his scabbard and held one in each hand.
"Miles," Dylan drew the youngsters attention and noticed a smile on the monsters face, "Do you know what duel monster type you chose?"
"No," Miles swung the sword in a wide arc, he noticed that it was as if he was an expert with the things.
"You're a Sword Hunter."
"Sword Hunter? Cool," Miles nodded his head enjoying his first duel monsters experience.
Dylan shook his head with a smile, "You don't seem to understand Miles, the Sword Hunter is one of the most powerful monsters in the game if used correctly. And do you know why?" Miles shook his head, "Remember when I told you that after we kill an enemy we absorb their power."
"Yeah."
"Well when a Sword Hunter kills an enemy he gets the enemies power plus another third of what the enemies power would be, in other words…you have the potential to gain strength and experience much quicker than anybody else. In three years time, if we're still alive you might even have surpassed my power," Miles paid close attention to what Dylan was saying.
"Really?"
"Really," Miles punched the air, all the while being careful not to put his sword through anything, "Get used to your powers, but remember what I said, don't let it go too far."
Miles nodded, "If I wanted to turn back to normal, how would I go about it."
Dylan smiled, "Just do what you did last time, but this time instead of letting your spirit out, push him back in and put up your block again."
"That's all?"
"That's all," stepping out from the secluded room Dylan glanced at Melanie who was standing to his right, her hands set firmly on her hips and a scowl upon her face, "What?"
"If I didn't know you better I'd swear you were playing favorites," she began while following his walk down the corridor.
"Mel," he smiled, "You know that's not true."
"I hope not, because the Kintari troops will be here tomorrow. We won't have time to baby-sit a newbie," Dylan stopped and turned to look at Mel, "What?"
"We."
"I mean you, but I have to watch your back and there won't be any time for that tomorrow," Melanie spat.
"I know."
"Promise me you won't focus too much on Miles, I know he needs training, but get Steve to do it, they seemed to be getting on okay earlier on," Dylan remained silent, "Promise me Dylan."
He sighed, "I promise, Steve can train Miles. And I will think of a way to get us out of this mess, alright?" Melanie nodded, "Thank you, now if you don't mind…I need something to eat, okay?"
"Fine," Melanie stopped walking beside him, she watched him disappear into another cave and sighed; she hoped he knew what he was doing. Miles was a powerful duel monster, but if Dylan started filling his head with ideas that he was unbeatable then they could all be in serious trouble.
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By Boulder