WARNING: This chapter might offend highly religious people. I mean no offense!

*Chapter 12: Without Options, Loss Is Inevitable*

Ruecian walked over to the cave he had seen Gaston enter and pointed at it.

"So, this is where he went?" Rue asked. His Soul Monster nodded, and Rue sighed. "Good. I was getting tired."

Max walked in without a moment's hesitation. "Are you coming?"

They filed in the cave, and immediately realized a problem.

"It's pitch black in here!" Rue complained. "How are we going to find Gaston in this?"

"Anyone got a Dark Piercing Light?" Max asked.

"Nope," were the only responses he got.

"Great. Remind me to buy one when we get back."

Neo thought for a minute, and then said, "I'll go ahead and look."

"I'm not stopping you," Will responded.

Neo went off, and they stumbled blindly forward.

"I am really sick of this place," Rue complained after tripping for the fourth time in ten minutes. "Where has Neo gotten to already?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Neo came running back from the darkness.

"What the heck is wrong?" Will asked.

"Oh, it's just Dark Bats," Neo said sheepishly. "I can't stand the things."

Will facefaulted.

"So you came back to hold our hands?" Rue said sarcastically.

"Actually, I had an idea too," Neo announced. He held his finger out, and it began to glow, spreading light around them.

Rue slapped his forehead. "You JUST thought of this?"

"It's better than nothing," Will said. "Let's just go on…"

They kept walking forward, Neo in the lead, when Rue saw something.

"Are those… bars?" Rue ran forward with the others, just in time to here a man speak.

"My name is Zenith. I am one of the General's of Hell!"

"A General of Hell? What is that?" There was no mistaking the voice.

"HOPE!" Rue ran forward to the bars, and saw Hope facing a man. Gaston was beside her, and there was also his Soul Monster.

It had the stature of a human, but nobody could call this thing a human and not be lying. Its blue skin stood out very well; all it wore was some form of a chest guard and a purple robe on his lower half. Large, silver claws gleamed in the darkness. One of its eyes was gone forever; its other one stared at the girl, the purple eye boring through her.

Hope turned around to look. "Huh? What? How did you find us?"

"We followed Gaston," Neo explained. "You could have gone slower you know…"

"My apologies," Gaston said, keeping his eyes on the creature.

Zenith looked at them and laughed. "Ah, your friends are here. What luck; I need to kill them too."

"What the?! Bastard!" Rue yelled. He drew a card from his deck. "Cyclone!"

The mighty wind tunnel hit the bars, but they held firm.

"Don't waste your time," Zenith taunted. "The Nightmare Steel Cage will only fall when one of us wins this duel. Of course, the loser will die."

"Hope! Why did you accept this duel? It's too dangerous!" Rue shouted.

"It's either duel and pray that I win, or just die in here," Hope shouted back. "I prefer the former!"

"Actually, it's worse this way, you stupid girl," Zenith said. "When I defeat you, your soul will be helping several others I get to revive Satan himself!"

"What nonsense are you babbling about?" Max said coldly. "Satan? He doesn't exist. Nor does God. You are foolish."

"Or am I? When the sacrifices of defeated souls are made, Satan will arise. He will cast down all of those unworthy, and makes those who stood by His side kings! The Generals of Hell are here to revive him, and make sure nobody gets in our way! Like you four brats! I have Hell's own fire to guide me in my mission!" Zenith stroked the orb hanging around his neck.

Hope stared him in the eye. "Even if this is true, I won't let you get past me!"

"Big words for someone who has never won a duel," Zenith laughed.

Hope started. "How…?"

"You would be surprised at what we know. Enough talk; they say actions speak louder than words. They also say ladies first."

"How gentlemanly," Hope muttered as she drew. She looked at her hand and grinned. "Alright, a good hand! This is a first. I set one monster in defense, and lay two cards facedown. End turn."

Zenith smiled at his hand as well. "Well, this will be over soon enough. I play Steadfast Guard!"

"What does that do?" Hope asked.

"I look at your hand, and choose one card. You shuffle that card into your deck."

Hope grimaced. "I have Thunderbolt, Buster Blader, and Warrior's Return. So, you choose Thunderbolt?"

Zenith smirked. "You would like that, wouldn't you? Actually, I choose Buster Blader."

"Are you stoned? That's the worst card in my hand!"

"Ah, I have my reasons. Shuffle it in now!"

Hope did as she was told. "Ok, if you insist…"

"Hope, he's probably going to get rid of our Thunderbolt another way!" Gaston said.

"Exactly. I play Mischievous Demon Twins! At the cost of 1000 Life Points, I randomly discard one card in your hand, and then you have to discard another!"

"But that means I lose my whole hand!"

"You catch on quickly."

Hope: 8000

Zenith: 7000

"This won't bode well… Gaston, what should I do?"

"Pray to draw Jar Of Greed!"

"Very funny."

"I lay two card face down, and summon Critter! (1000/600) Attack the set!"

"You ran into my Iron Knight: Gear Freed. You lose 600 Life Points."

Hope: 8000

Zenith: 6400

He laughed. "It's of no matter. I'm done with my turn."

Hope drew.

"I activate my face down card: Lost Property! You must discard the card you just drew!"

Hope snarled. "That was my Black Hole…"

"I'm pretty lucky, aren't I?"

"I switch Gear Freed to attack mode! Now slaughter that Critter!"

Hope: 8000

Zenith: 5600

"Aw, what a pity. Actually, it helps me all the more. I get to choose one monster in my deck with 1500 attack or less and put it into my hand! Also, you activated my Deck Master's ability! The Hell Poemer! Go Poe, destroy the top card in her deck!"

"Huh?"

"Whenever you destroy one of my monsters in battle, Poe's ability activates. You are forced to discard a card in your hand, or if you have none, discard the top card on your deck!"

"I lose Executioner Makyura… End turn…"

Zenith drew again. "This is so much fun. I summon Don Zaruug! (1400/1500) Now I equip him with Demon's Axe! (2400/1500) Attack!"

Hope: 7400

Zenith: 5600

"Normally, I would have Don Zaruug get rid of a card in your hand, but since you have none, I choose to have you discard the top two cards in your deck!"

Hope looked at them, and then slid them into the Cemetery. "You got Buster Blader and Holy Barrier-Mirror Force."

"Then I'm done. And when you draw, I activate another Lost Property!"

"What?! No… that was my Goblin Strike Team!" Hope gritted her teeth. "I end…"

Zenith snickered. "This is way too easy. I have the card in my hand that will finish you right now!"

"What?"

"Allow me to introduce Eight Giant Crows! Whenever this monster hits your Life Points, you can't draw next turn!"

"But that means…"

"Then you will be locked down!"

Max shook his head. "A Yata-Lock… she's doomed."

"Maybe not…" Will said. "She still has one card down."

Zenith shook his head. "The idiot would have used it sooner, and I already got rid of her Mirror Force! Go my Eight Giant Crows, and Don Zaruug! Attack!"

Hope shook her head. "Who's the idiot? I use Cry Of The Living Dead, reviving my Buster Blader!"

Zenith swore. "I had you right where I wanted you! Ok then, no big deal. I will just switch Don Zaruug to defense and end my turn. And when I do so, Eight Giant Crows goes to my hand!"

"Say what?"

"It's a Spirit monster Hope. They go back to the players hand at the end of their turn," Gaston explained.

"Oh, ok. Now… I draw." Hope concentrated on her deck. This card could mean the difference between defeat and victory. She held her breath as she drew, and let it out when she saw what it was.

"I lay one card face down, and attack Don Zaruug with Buster Blader!

Hope: 7400

Zenith: 5400

"Poe's ability is activated. Discard your top card."

Hope looked at it, and smiled. "Thanks. You made me discard Undefeated General: Freed-how useless that would have been now! Anyway, I'm done."

"Good, because I just drew the card of your doom! I set one monster, and end my turn."

"Some card of doom," Hope said sarcastically. "I play another card face down, and attack with Buster Blader!"

"You destroyed Killer Tomato. With his effect, I get another Killer Tomato."

Hope was forced to discard Calling Reinforcements. "That's all for me."

Gaston frowned. "There's no reason for him to get another Killer Tomato… unless he plans to sacrifice it!"

"You are quite intelligent. I sacrifice my Killer Tomato… and summon Hellish General-Mephisto! (1800/1600) Now I play Demon Axe! (2800/1600) Attack Buster Blader! Since you have no cards in your hand to discard, I end my turn."

Hope looked at her next card. "…Good. I set this monster down. That's all."

"Idiot. I play one card face down. Now, I summon Eight Giant Crows! Mephisto, attack the set!"

Hope flipped it. "Oh well, there goes Falcon Knight. (1000/700)"

"And there goes 2100 of your Life Points."

"How?!"

"There's only one way he could do damage… Trample," Gaston stated grimly.

"Indeed. When my attack is higher than your defense, you lose Life Points equal to the difference! Now, Eight Giant Crows, attack!"

Hope: 5100

Zenith: 5400

"No… I'm left open!"

"Correct. I'll just keep repeating my deadly cycle. You can't win!"

"He's right… I'm finished," Hope said gloomily.

"No! You can't give up!" Gaston said. "What about your face down cards?"

Hope brightened. "Oh! That's right! I still have something I have been saving… Jar of Greed!" She drew the two cards, and shook her head. "It's no use… I've lost."

"Let me see what you drew," Gaston commanded.

She showed him Surprising Matasa and Thunder Sword. "See? It's no use. And my face down card won't help. We've lost."

 Gaston grinned. "No, we haven't. Summon your monster. Now!"

"What?!"

"Just trust me!"

Hope's instincts argued, but in the end, her loyalty to her companion won. "I summon Surprising Matasa in attack mode! (1300/800)"

"You are more foolish than I thought."

"Or you just don't understand our strategy!" Gaston said. "Use the other card in your hand!"

"I equip my Surprising Matasa with Thunder Sword! (2100/800)"

"And your point it?"

"Gaston, what are you planning?"

"Well, did you forget that I have a Deck Master ability?"

Zenith snickered. "Like that will do you any good."

"Oh, it will. You see, my ability let's Hope, for the cost of 1000 Life Points, bypass your monsters if they are all in attack mode and hit your Life Points! My ability does only work for Warriors, but that isn't a problem, seeing as all of Hope's monsters are Warriors in the first place!"

Hope grinned. "So that's what you were planning! I see what you mean to do now! Ok, I call upon Gaston's ability to give to Surprising Matasa!"

Gaston threw his sword to the Surprising Matasa, who held it at the ready.

"Now, attack his Life Points directly twice!"

"What?! You can't attack twice!" Zenith protested. It was no use though.

Hope: 2100

Zenith: 1200

"Surprising Matasa can attack twice in one Battle Phase. Although I can only select one monster to use Gaston's ability on, the price increases by 1000 Life Points if I can somehow attack twice with that monster. It also seems that I have to pay an additional 1000 if that monster has an Equip."

"Very clever, I'm sure. It was a good duel, but now you have lost. Your Deck Master requires too much cost to use. All I have to do is lay this monster in defense mode…" Zenith said.

Hope smirked. "Just what I was waiting for."

"What?"

"Reveal my face down card; Cease-Fire Treaty!"

"What does that do?"

"Well, it flips every face down monster on the field face up, and negates all Flip Effects."

"Then that was a waste! All you revealed was my Eight Giant Crows!" Zenith smiled.

"You didn't let me finish. The real reason I used it was because for every effect monster on the field, you lose 500 Life Points!"

"What?! No! That can't be!" Zenith shouted in horror as his Life Point counter went down.

Hope: 2100

Zenith: 0

Zenith sighed in deep regret. "I've lost, and failed my Lord. So I must reap the penalty. But you WILL be defeated… you will!"

After those words were spoken, two huge, black hands extended from the floor and grabbed Zenith and Poe. Their yell of pain was cut short as they were brought down through the ground.

Hope shuddered. "That's what would have happened to Gaston and me if we had lost…"

Gaston had, in the meantime, found the switch operating the Nightmare Steel Cage. He pressed it, releasing the bars. Rue immediately ran in, Will and Max following.

"You won! I can't believe it! You actually won!" Rue said, amazed. "What a comeback!"

Gaston shook his head. "I can believe it. Hope has the ability to win; she just needs more confidence."

Hope shrugged. "That's one General down… but how many more are there?"

Will frowned. "Probably too many."

They spent a few moments in silence before Neo decided to suggest something. "Can we leave? This place creeps me out."

"Finally, something sensible," Will commented.

To be continued…