First duel. Just like last fic, it happens on chapter 5. CONSPIRACY! _

Whispering Hope: o_O I'm sick as well. Yay?

*Chapter 5: The King of Thieves?*

Hope opened her eyes, and found herself in the area near the lake. She sat up, and looked around, seeing that Rue, Claire, Will, and Brandi had already arrived. A second later, Max appeared as well. Nervous at the unfamiliar surroundings, he instinctively crept a little closer to Hope.

"Looks like we all made it," Will announced, looking around.

"Hold on. Two others are coming," Hope replied.

"Two others?" Brandi gave her a questioning look.

Fell and Larka appeared at the same time. Rue nearly fell over, and Max jumped away in shock. Will and Claire managed to hide their feelings well, although both were surprised.

Larka smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about the sudden appearance. Nice to meet all of you."

Hope noted that their ears were completely covered with their long hair. Deciding not to mention it, she responded, "It's fine. Why not introduce yourself to them?"

"I'm called Larka, and he is Fell," she explained. Throughout this whole time, Fell had not said a word, instead eyeing everything with distrust.

Claire was the first to step forward. "Pleased to meet you as well. I'm Claire, my brother over there is Rue, the girl is Brandi, the other guy is Will, the one in the cloak is Max, and I take it you already know Hope?"

"Yep. I requested that we come to this world, and she agreed." Larka took the time to examine the surroundings. "It's so real… how extraordinary!"

"If you think this is good, just wait until you see a duel," Rue commented. He had apparently set aside the fact that they were unordinary, and was ready to begin searching. "You might actually see one today, depending on if we find the one we are looking for."

"Who is it that you are searching for?"

Again, Hope was forced to explain what had happened. She looked over at Brandi, and was relieved to see that she hadn't broken down again. She seemed more curious about the newcomers, and their yellow, piercing eyes.

"That's just wrong," Larka said with disgust. "I can't believe it! In possibly wide open daylight? I agree; we should find this person as quickly as possible."

Fell had made no movement, even while Hope was telling the tale. She began to wonder if he ever displayed emotions.

"We'll start searching right away, but first we should have our Soul Monsters summoned…" Hope reached into her pocket. "Let's go one at time." Gaston appeared immediately.

"Did I miss something?" he asked, seeing Fell and Larka.

"Yep."

Ruecian appeared next, then Perseus. Mana came out after that, complaining that Brandi had not let her leave the Soul Card for three days. And Will had Neo come last. As he appeared, Will made some quiet threats about what would happen the next time a kitchen was destroyed. When he was sure Neo understood, he turned to Hope.

"Shall we go?"

"Yeah. Where first?"

Rue cast an eye over Max, Fell, and Larka. "While looking for the villain, we could show them around. Let's go completely around the lake, and then into the forest. We can sleep there for the night."

"Sounds good to me," Claire agreed. "Let's move out!"

*****

The day passed uneventfully. Most of the other people were in the town, so they didn't see anyone else.

What Hope noticed was that the brother and sister were complete opposites. Larka asked several questions about Teknisk Wereld, always curious to know more, falling silent only when someone else was talking. She was quite friendly, and always tried to be polite. Fell, on the other hand, was silent. He never spoke, and was always a short distance away, viewing everything at once, never missing any movement. A loner, she guessed.

"It's getting kind of late," Will noted. "Shall we get to the forest?"

"Yeah, we'd best do that," Rue nodded. "Let's get over there pronto!"

After an hour of walking, they entered the forest. Hope was relieved that there was still some light, an hour's amount at most. They began to search for a spot to make camp. Fell was distracted though, often looking over his shoulder. He couldn't shake off the feeling that they were being watched, and would have paid more attention, had his leg and shoulder not been paining him so much.

*****

"A group of five, you say?" the boy whispered.

He was hidden on a thick branch of one of the trees, on the lookout for a certain group of duelists.

"Yes, five. Three girls, and two boys. They should be together. Normally, that other one would be with them, but he's already dead."

"Yeah… shut up a second. Someone's coming."

He cautiously looked at the group, and almost fell off his perch. He quickly pulled himself back with a string of colorful language, which he had to use all of his might to keep quiet. He furiously grabbed the cell phone he was using.

"Yo… are you SURE that the boss had the kid with the cloak killed?"

"Definitely. His whole Duel Disk exploded, for Pete's sake."

He looked again, to make sure, and pulled back before anyone saw him. "Then whoever dueled him was either blind or lying. I saw the guy passing less than ten seconds ago."

"…This had better not be another of your jokes."

"It isn't! Geez, just because I switch your coffee with Turkish coffee, you have to be so suspicious…"

"Alright, alright, I get the point. But him being alive is impossible!"

"Not really, considering I JUST SAW THE GUY!"

"Calm down. Anything else to report?"

"There is another boy and girl with them. Geez, that has got to be the longest hair I have ever seen… haven't they ever heard of a hair salon?"

"You might find more difficulties."

"Hey, no sweat," the boy grinned. "They don't even have Duel Disks with them."

"You are planning on taking the Duel Disks as well?"

The teen sighed. "No way; they'd wake up for sure. I could still get away, but why risk it? They can always get a new one for free."

"Then why did you point out that fact?"

"Because it means that they AREN'T DUELISTS, GENIUS." He rolled his eyes. "Do I have to spell out everything for you?"

"I do not think like a lunatic, unlike you. Tell me how you do." Then the line went dead.

He tucked the phone away, shaking his head. "Yeesh, he's too serious. Just not my style. Ah well." He leaned back against the trunk. "They should be stopping soon… what a lucky break. This forest will be perfect to do my work in." He looked through a small bag at his side. Satisfied that everything was ready, he waited.

*****

Fell heard a tree rustle as they passed. He looked up quickly, but saw nothing. Shaking it off, he continued to follow the group.

"So it is somewhere around here?" Larka was asking.

"Yep. Ah, here we go…" Rue led them into the clearing. Hope recognized it as the place they had stayed a while back. One of the trees was still burned from when Rue had accidentally set fire on it.

Will made the fire this time, and everyone went to sleep instantly. Well, almost everyone.

Larka blinked as she heard someone move, and looked above. Fell had leapt onto the tree limb over her and was now looking at the woods intently.

"Fell? What are you doing up?"

"…I can't sleep…"

"Don't lie. You are keeping watch, aren't you?"

"…"

"Fell, this area is safe. Please try and get some rest-your wounds need it."

"…"

"I'm not going to sleep until you do."

He sighed, and gave in to her protests, falling asleep on the same limb.

She shook her head. "Poor Fell… those years affected him so much more harshly…" She then proceeded to fall asleep.

*****

The teen quietly snuck into the clearing. To his satisfaction, everyone was asleep. He realized that the long-haired boy was missing, but soon spotted him on a tree limb, and relaxed slightly. He then began to quietly approach the nearest person; a girl with the oddest orb around her neck. On her left arm was a Duel Disk, and her deck was in it.

He silently removed the deck from the Duel Disk, making sure he did not make any noise. He repeated the procedure with everyone else there. He then walked away softly, and wiped sweat from his brow at a considerable distance.

"Whew… I still get nervous doing that. Ah well, it worked out in the end. I'm glad the long-haired guy chose to sleep up there though-if it had been anyone with a deck, it would have been extremely difficult." He slipped the decks into the bag he carried. "Now that that's over with, I can get out of here. I'd best report first."

He took out his cell phone, and dialed.

"Yes?"

"Mission accomplished. I got all of their decks. Can I leave now?"

"No, not yet. The boss wants to know what condition the cloaked one is in, as in how the duel affected him. You are to find out."

"Come on! I risked my neck stealing these stacks of cardboard!"

"I thought you said that you could…"

"Of course I can! Still, it doesn't mean that there is no hazard in it! Why can't someone else look into it?"

"Because you are the only one nearby them. Now get ready to follow them."

"This is so unfair dude!"

"Life isn't fair. Now get moving."

"Hey! I'm not done with you!"

Click.

"Damn it… he hung up!" He proceeded to call his instructor several names that would have made any decent person blush.

*****

Someone was shaking her shoulder.

"Hey, Hope, get up already, would you?"

She rose to see Rue. "What's the matter?"

"We have trouble, that's what," Will explained grimly. "All of our decks were stolen overnight!"

"WHAT?!" She looked at her Duel Disk, and sure enough, her deck was gone as well.

"We got owned, and badly," Rue stated.

"If only I had stayed up, like usual…" Will muttered. "But I thought we were safe. At least we learned that we'll never be completely secure here. From now on, we post sentries."

Larka had woken up to the commotion, and looked up to see Fell still on the tree limb.

"Hey, Fell! Can you please come down and help?"

He opened one eye and looked back down at her.

She sighed in impatience. "Ok, I'm sorry that I was wrong! Now come on down, would you? This is important to them!"

After a few minutes of silence, he jumped down.

"My instincts were correct; we were being followed."

"Why didn't you tell me that you thought someone was stalking us?"

He shrugged, favoring his right shoulder.

"Just great…"

"I found nothing," Brand announced, walking back into the clearing. "Where else can we look though? This is a very large area, and the thief is probably long gone."

"…" Fell turned and looked at a tree that was a short distance away.

"Something wrong?" Larka asked.

"…Someone is over there."

Damn it… how the hell did he know I was here? The boy ran off, abandoning the thought of staying for more information.

"Guys! Over here!" Larka called. Fell had immediately begun to run after the boy, and she was soon following.

"What the…?" Rue looked around as everyone followed them. "Did I miss something?"

"Just come on!" Hope shouted to him. She had grabbed Max's hand and was leading him in the correct direction.

"At least I'm not the only one who's confused…" Rue muttered as he ran after them.

The thief had been to the forest many times, and knew his way around very well. He knew exactly which paths to take to throw off his pursuers… or so he thought. To his amazement, the long-haired boy was keeping up very easily. In fact, he was overtaking him.

In a matter of seconds, Fell was right behind him. He lunged, bringing his hands down to tear the thief to shreds, when a barrier suddenly appeared. Fell was thrown back with a snarl. The boy turned to run further, but Larka was standing in his way.

By this time, everyone else had arrived, and saw who the thief really was.

He had a dark green t-shirt and dark blue shorts. His short hair was a light brown, and his eyes were green. Around his neck was a red bandana of sorts, which really stood out.

A Soul Monster appeared next to him. It looked exactly like a human. He wore a very official blue suit, with matching pants, and a long, white cape. The cape was fastened by a small, red bow tie. He also wore black shoes, white gloves, and a white top hat. He had black hair and a very noticeable mustache. His black eyes were something you did not want to look into for very long.

"Well, looks like you caught me," the boy said easily. "Nice to meetcha all. I'm called Miles, the King of Thieves. I can steal anything!"

The Soul Monster rolled his eyes. "He means anything but a woman's heart."

"Would you shut up about my failures and look to my successes, Gen?" Miles complained. "Well, it's been fun, but I have other places to go now… I take it you won't just let me leave quietly?"

"No chance," Rue growled.

"Why steal our decks?" Will inquired.

"Unlike most, I prefer not to have any deaths. You are going to be killed sooner or later, so I volunteered to take the thing that made you dangerous to us."

"Deaths?" Hope asked. "Someone wants to kill us?"

"Yeah. The one in the cloak was already supposed to be dead, but apparently, the one assigned to that job messed up, and big time."

Less than a second later he found himself on the ground, in a stranglehold by Brandi.

"YOU WERE BEHIND THAT?!"

She was then thrown back by yet another shield. Miles got up, coughing weakly.

"Geez… it's a good thing I set up these Attack Nullifications, or else I'd be a goner…" He felt his neck, and winced. "No, I didn't try to kill your pal… someone else in our group did. It looks like he managed to live, although I don't know how… pretty lucky guy."

"You call amnesia lucky?!" Claire cried.

"Amnesia?" For a second, Hope thought that she saw a sad look in his eyes, but it was gone too quickly for her to be sure. "I see… either way, I need to leave, and now. I have many barriers set up-don't bother trying to stop me. To get your decks back, you'd have to beat me in a duel… but that's kind of impossible, right? So, see ya guys later, if ever!" He then turned to walk away.

"Wait." Fell stepped forward.

"What do you want?" Miles asked.

Fell turned to Hope. "I need to borrow your Duel Disk."

Surprised that he had addressed her, she handed it over to him.

He fastened it on to his left arm easily, and inserted a deck. "You say that if you are defeated in a duel, you will hand over the decks? What is the catch for me?"

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"You had a deck?!" Rue exclaimed.

"What the hell?" Miles snarled. "Damn! I thought I had gotten all of the decks you had… fine then. I'll duel you, and if I win, you relinquish all of the cards in your possession, and you promise not to ever bother me again."

Fell readied the Duel Disk. "Deal."

Fell: 8000

Miles: 8000

"This is Fell's first duel…" Gaston realized. "Won't he be at a disadvantage?"

"We'll see soon enough," Neo replied.

"I think I'll take all the honors in going first," Miles announced. "I will lay two cards facedown, and summon Falcon Knight! (1000/700) Your move, person-who-never-gets-their-hair-cut."

"…" Fell looked at his draw, and instantly summoned it.

"Mad Dog of Darkness… (1900/1400) Attack your monster…"

"You've run right into a Gravity Bind!" Miles declared, flipping it over. "Now no monster above level three can attack."

"…One card down, end…"

"Not much of a talker, are you?"

"…"

"Man, you're no fun. I equip my Falcon Knight with Demon Axe. This raises his attack by 1000! (2000/700) I also flip over my Thieving Goblin! Now whenever I inflict battle damage to you, you lose a card in your hand! Falcon Knight, attack the poodle!"

The monster sliced the Mad Dog in half with one thrust.

"One card is randomly picked from your hand and discarded."

Fell turned his cards upside down and shuffled it around, picking a random one.

"My Black Forest Witch… (1100/1200)"

"Good! Now Falcon Knight attacks directly!"

The Falcon Knight suddenly grasped its chest as white energy began to shoot out of it.

"What the…?!"

"I activated Skill Drain by paying 1000 Life Points," Fell explained. "Now all face up monsters have their effects negated."

"…" Miles swore. "Not cool dude. My deck is BASED around effects… I'm going to have to trash that Skill Drain somehow. Until then, I end my turn."

Fell: 6900

Miles: 8000

"One monster in defense, and a card down…"

"Whew, lucky top deck. I play Cyclone, destroying your Skill Drain! Now I summon Troop Commander! (1200/400) Using his ability, I call forth Injection Angel Lily! (400/1500) Now, I attack with Falcon Knight!"

"…Attack Nullification…"

"Rats! And I'm low on cards in the hand… I think it's time to use my White Thief's ability. Hey Gen, go pay our friend a visit!"

The Soul Monster nodded, and vanished.

"What?" He looked around the clearing.

"Try examining your hand!"

Fell glared at his hand. "It looks like your White Thief lived up to his name…"

"Yep! Gen's a master at this. Once per duel, one random card from your hand is selected, and I get to use it. Of course, when it's used, it goes to your Cemetery." Gen reappeared, and handed Miles the card he had stolen. "Hey, that's perfect! I'll use your Emissary of Obliteration to remove your face down monster from the game!"

"Skilled Black Magician… (1900/1700)"

"What kind of whacked-out theme are you playing? I end my turn."

"Summon Magic Warrior: Breaker. Using his effect now; by removing his magic counter, your Gravity Bind is destroyed."

"…Crap."

"Lay two cards, and attack Troop Commander."

Fell: 6900

Miles: 7600

"Man… this sucks. Oh well, I can live with it. I summon Critter! (1000/600) Then I play Magic Box of Death! This magic card destroys one monster on your side of the field, so say farewell to Breaker! You also get control of my monsters, so here's my Critter! Now Falcon Knight attacks twice! Injection Angel Lily also attacks! By paying 2000 Life Points, her attack is raised by 3000, so you're in for a world of pain! No cards are discarded though, since you don't have any… Oh, and I also get my Critter's effect."

Fell: 500

Miles: 5600

"…" Fell examined the card he drew, then played it. "Jar of Greed… Black Hole… end turn."

"You lucky… ok, I summon another Falcon Knight. (1000/700)"

"Activate Ambush. One Dark Main-Type can be special summoned, so special summon Blood Vors. (1900/1200)"

"Damn it! Lay one card down, and end… and on your turn, I activate it! It's called Sixth Sense! I call two numbers, in this case five and six. Now you roll a die. If it is one of those numbers, I draw that many cards. If it isn't, that many cards are discarded from the top of my deck to the Cemetery."

The die landed on a four.

"As bad at gambling as ever," Gen commented.

"Can it. I lose my Angel's Gift, Gravity Bind, Troop Commander, and Attack Nullification…"

"Sacrifice Blood Vors to summon Android Psycho Shocker. (2400/1500) Attack Falcon Knight."

Fell: 500

Miles: 4200

"Great. I'm screwed. I lay one card…"

"Summon another Blood Vors. (1900/1200) Both monsters attack directly."

Fell: 500

Miles: 0

To be continued…