I'm still amazed at all the reviews I am getting. Thanks again!
The Rose Duelist: Yes, Kuribo=CUTE! That's why Demon Rue hates him… he's too obsessed with being the tough guy. _ And like I said, I don't need a character just yet. v_v
LunaticChaos: Yes, every duelist has their own deck! Indeed it is a lot, but I enjoy making them. Now when I said it could be a monster you never heard of, I meant I could have just as easily made it up. Who knows? As of yet, I need no help, but if I do I'll tell you. Thanks for the support.
Whispering Hope: Which version? I have one holo, and two commons. ^_^
Artemis of the Moon: Aw, why don't you like him? v_v Oh well, not every character can be a bread winner. *Pokes Echecs*
Zander: Right now. =P
*Chapter 7: Old Friend?*
All Olympion could feel was pain. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes again, and slip into unconsciousness.
But he couldn't. He could feel Max's emotions, and they were more crazed than ever. Fear, hurt, and confusion came in waves. He had no way of helping though. While he easily felt Max's feelings, he couldn't tell where they were coming from.
Olympion stood, and slowly began walking out of the forest.
He would search, and never stop until he found his master.
*****
"There you are," Gaston greeted. Hope had been the last to come to the group. They had arrived just outside of the town.
"So where to first?" Mana asked.
"The hotel, of course," Will replied. "We have to find Miles, remember?"
"Oh yeah…" Rue nodded. "Forgot about him for a minute. We'd best get going."
They walked into the town, and quickly made their way to the hotel. When they arrived, they immediately noticed a small commotion.
"Don't try to deny it!" a woman was yelling. "I KNOW you stole my wallet!"
Miles was trying to reason with her. "You just ran here accusing me! Why do you think I did it?"
"Well, just look at your Soul Monster! A White Thief!"
"Congratulations, you identified what Duel Monster card I am," Gen told her. "You want a cookie or something?"
"Upstart bandit! I know you stole it! I had it in my purse, how else could it possibly be gone?!"
Everyone else was simply watching… well, except for Neo.
"Maybe that's it, in your pocket?" he suggested.
The woman checked, and blushed deeply. "Um… er…" She proceeded to run off.
"That was entertaining…" Rue commented. "So you actually came back-I'm kinda surprised."
"I may be a thief, but that doesn't mean I lie," Miles replied. "Anything new come up?"
"Claire is staying home," Mana explained.
"Not much else to say," Brandi threw in. "So where do we go now?"
"To find the comrades of the one who tried to kill your pal?" Miles shrugged. "They'll probably come to us if we are patient. If you want to search for them that badly, then anywhere will do, I guess."
"We've been around the forest and lake," Gaston pointed out. "How about the mountains?"
Rue pulled out some cards from his pocket. "Yeah, I have my Time Capsules with me. It wouldn't be too hard to get to the top."
"Then why not?" Gen agreed.
*****
"Now it is ready…" The figure in the white cloak examined the cards she held.
*****
They had arrived at the base of the mountains quickly, but it took some time to manage to persuade Max to enter the coffin that was to carry him. After some time, they finally made it to the top, and admired the great view.
"There's the chess-like temple…" Rue noticed.
Hope shivered as she saw the cold, grim Chess Demon statues, remembering how they had come to life to behead Echecs and Paul.
"Should we go down now?" Neo asked.
That's when they all felt it. A strange sensation that is nearly impossible to describe. Hope looked at her hand… and noticed that it was fading.
"Guys…?"
"I'm fading fast, pun intended!" Miles commented.
In a matter of seconds, they were completely gone.
*****
Hope rose slowly, trying to adjust her eye sight.
Around her, everyone else was coming to as well. They were lying on a marble floor in a large, white, stone room. Its design reminded her of Greek art, and their grand buildings with their royal columns. Of course, that fact was kind of pushed aside when they noticed that they were trapped in a large, dome shaped, iron cage. There was no sign of a door; just thick metal bars with small, sharp spikes on the outside of it.
"Ugh… what happened?" Rue asked, rising.
"I'm not sure…" Will stated. "Miles, do you know?"
The thief looked around. "This is news to me…"
"Is there any way we can get out?" Gaston inquired. "Hope, do you have any cards that can help?"
It was then that Hope had noticed another important thing.
"Our Duel Disks are gone!"
"And our spare cards as well…" Brandi sighed.
"Hey, you're a mastermind with locks, right?" Neo asked. "Can you get us out even without support cards?"
"I'm a thief, not a miracle worker. I can't pick a lock that doesn't exist, even if I had my equipment, but it was confiscated as well," Miles pointed out. "I recognize this now… it's an Iron Cage of Nightmares. There's no door, or lock, therefore, without support cards we're screwed. Oh, don't bother trying to chop it down," he told Gaston, who had been reaching for his sword. "The bars are indestructible, unless certain support cards are used."
"Then what do you suggest we attempt?" Larka inquired.
"We will have to see who is behind this," Gen said simply. "There isn't much we CAN do."
"Very optimistic," Neo grumbled.
Max had not said anything, just backing away from the bars towards the center.
Fell finally said something after a few minutes of silence.
"Someone is coming."
A few seconds later, and the door opened, as a person in a white cloak stepped in.
"I see that you have all awakened. Very good… now we can begin the necessary procedure."
"Who are you?!" Rue demanded.
Miles swore. "Just great! We're as good as dead now!"
"Acting serious for once, traitor? Our boss was highly displeased that you chose to abandon us when we were so close…"
"Oh shut up!" he snapped. "As if I was going to stick around with you guys after I saw what you were doing!"
"Hm?" The person seemed to be examining the group, and then nodded. "Ah, I see. So the boy with the cloak survived… I can see the fear in his eyes. He lacks his memories, does he not?"
"Oh shut up!" Miles snarled.
"You have a point… I am wasting time. I did not transport you here for no reason… traitor, you of all people should have been aware of what the Twilight Zone Segregation Machine can do. It teleported you all here, with some difficulty." The cloak hood was thrown back, revealing the woman it had been hiding. Her light-brown hair went below her shoulders by at least a foot, but her brown eyes were definitely not as soft. Around her neck was a large, golden cross.
"Now the taking of souls will begin…" She then revealed the item she was carrying; a crystal ball. "Your souls are necessary for our plans. We cannot have interference."
"We don't even get a say in this? Not fair!" Rue protested.
"You have already defeated one of the most powerful groups ever created; you shall not do the same for us." Her crystal ball began to glow with a soft light. "Goodbye."
After all we've been through, we're going to die like this?! Hope thought
Suddenly, a silver sword flew through the air. It smashed into the crystal ball, which broke into more than a million shards of glass. The sword clattered against the marble floor.
The woman spun around, her hands bleeding from the glass shards cutting into her, to see a teen entering the room, his Soul Monster, a knight wearing white and gold armor, with a white cape, following. What shocked everyone was the boy's appearance.
His white shirt and blue pants were the same, as were his white boots. He had changed his blue gloves slightly; now they were fingerless, showing his scarred skin. His silver hair ended at his shoulders, now in a ponytail. His blue eyes were surveying the situation at a glance. He also wore a silver dragon pendent around his neck.
Rue was the first who could speak.
"…Draken?"
"Yep, it's me," Draken assured, walking to the center of the room. "It looks like you didn't forget me… I'm not sure if that's good or bad."
"But how?" Hope asked. "You were killed in that fire!"
The woman hissed. "A General of Hell? Impossible! They all died!"
"As much as I hate it, yeah, I was a General of Hell," Draken replied. "But not anymore… I've changed my ways, if it isn't too late. Oh, can I have my sword back now?"
"But how did you live?" Will asked.
"I'll explain later, ok?"
The opponent had first healed her skin with a Red Potion. Then she had taken out a Soul Card, and now her monster was beside her. It looked almost exactly like a woman with a black outfit on, and long, black hair. In her hair was a feather, and her eyes were green. That was the only strange thing about her… she had a third eye in the center of her forehead, a creepy thing to behold.
"A Black Forest Witch," Miles realized.
"I am called Rika, and my Soul Monster is Rikku. We will be the ones who begin the soul gathering, for winning a duel will be simple! If I win, you are all to die. If you win, I'll release all of your friends."
"So that's how it is, huh?" Darche had already collected Draken's sword, and had leapt over to him. Draken sheathed it immediately. "Then let's get this party started!"
Rue had been searching his pocket for something. He soon came up with a small, flat, wooden box. "Hey! Draken!"
"What?" He turned, and barely managed to catch the box. He opened it, and inside were his three Blue Eyes White Dragons.
"I told you I'd keep them safe!" Rue grinned
"I owe you for this…" Draken slid the three cards into his deck, and then began to shuffle it. "Those were the only things my new and improved deck that were missing… yeah, that's right, I had to rebuild the whole thing from scratch. What a pain."
"Quit stalling!" Rika snarled.
"I'm ready…"
Draken: 8000
Rika: 8000
"As challenged, I shall go first," Rika declared. "I play Distressing Choice. Now you must select one card out of five from my deck for me to keep, while the rest go to the Cemetery. I choose Sealed Left Arm, Sealed Right Arm, Sealed Left Leg, Sealed Right Leg, and Sealed Exodia. Which do you choose?"
"Is she stoned?!" Miles exclaimed. "She could have gotten an instant win with that, but she's throwing away the pieces instead!"
Draken thought for a minute. "You might be trying to play Reserves, so the Sealed Exodia should definitely go… alright, keep the Sealed Left Arm."
"I will lay one monster in defense mode, and a card down."
"I summon Spear Dragon! (1900/0) Now I activate Stomping Crash! This magic card destroys one of your magics or traps if I have a Dragon Sub-Type. It also deals 500 damage to you."
"You have destroyed my Magic Cylinder…"
"Good!"
Draken: 8000
Rika: 7500
"Now Spear Dragon will attack your set!"
"It was only my Critter. (1000/600) Now I search my deck for a monster with 1500 attack or lower."
"You also lose 1300 Life Points."
"What?!"
"My Spear Dragon has an effect known as trample! Any damage exceeding your monster's defense is dealt to you! But after attacking, my monster goes to defense mode."
Draken: 8000
Rika: 6200
"It matters not… do you end?"
"Not before I lay two cards down."
"I summon Exclusivity Virus! (1600/1000) Its special ability is that when I discard a card from my hand, I can name a Sub-Type. All monsters on the field that are of that sub-type are then destroyed."
"Drat! Almost all of my monsters are dragons!"
"That is exactly why my Virus is so deadly! I discard Sealed Left Arm and call Dragons! Now Exclusivity Virus attacks directly!"
"My Attack Nullification has other plans!"
"In that case, I play Emissary of Peace. Now no monster with 1500 attack or above can attack. Then I lay one other card."
Draken winced at his draw. Ouch! If I summon a monster in attack mode, her Virus will make short work of it… I'd better be more careful than that…
"I lay one monster in defense mode."
"There isn't much else you can do! I will pay for Emissary of Peace. Oh, did I forget to mention that part of its effect? I have to pay 100 Life Points each standby phase. If I don't, it is destroyed."
Draken: 8000
Rika: 6100
"Now I play Jar of Greed. Then I lay one card down, and end."
"I pass…"
Rika smirked at her next card. "Now it is over. I will not pay for Emissary of Peace. Instead, I activate Pact with Exodia!"
"What does that do?" Draken asked.
"I can only activate this card when I have all five pieces of Exodia in the Cemetery. It allows me to special summon Exodia Necros! (1800/0)"
"It appears to be weak…"
"Oh, you'll see how wrong you are soon enough… I will also activate my face down card, Imperial Command! As long as this trap is on the field, all reverse effects are negated!"
To her surprise, Draken could only laugh at this.
"The joke's on you. I don't have any reverse effect monsters!"
"Damn it… oh well. At least I know that you cannot stop me. Virus attacks your defense monster."
"You've run straight into a trap! I activate Holy Barrier-Mirror Force! This destroys all of your attack monsters!"
A blast of rainbow-colored light was fired at both monsters. The Virus was cut down on the spot, but the Exodia Necros didn't even flinch as he was struck.
"Impossible! You don't have any traps besides Imperial Command-how can your Exodia Necros still be alive?"
"Exodia Necros won't fall to such cheap tricks. He is unaffected by traps that would destroy him. Now my Exodia Necros will attack your defense monster!"
"My Dol Dora… (1500/1200)"
"I end my turn."
As she stated this, the two headed dragon appeared on Draken's field again.
"What? How can your Dol Dora be back?"
"My Dol Dora's special ability allows him to be resurrected, in defense mode, the first time he has been destroyed, on your end phase. His stats are lower though, to make it a little fairer. (1000/1000)"
"Fine then…"
"I will now summon Sapphire Dragon! (1900/1600) Attack the Exodia Necros!"
The Sapphire Dragon sent wicked blue flames at the Exodia Necros, yet once again it didn't appear to be harmed.
"It's unable to be destroyed in battle too?!"
"Indeed. I still take damage though."
Draken: 8000
Rika: 6000
"Let me guess-it's immune to magic and monster effects too?"
"Yes, he is not harmed by magic cards that would destroy him. However, monster effects do work."
"Just my luck," Draken muttered, looking at his deck. "I don't have anything that can destroy him then…"
"Then do you wish to surrender?"
"Not on your life! I don't care how invincible that Exodia Necros is-it is still weak! I lay one card down, and end my turn."
"Weak? Take another look. Each standby phase of mine, he gains 500 more attack points. (2300/0)"
"This is overkill…" Draken complained.
"I will not use Rikku's effect. By paying 1000 Life Points, I may put one monster with 1500 defense or less that is in my Cemetery into my hand. I choose Exclusivity Virus, and summon it. (1600/1000)"
Draken: 8000
Rika: 5000
"…I'm screwed."
"Put frankly, yes, you are. I discard Big Shield Guarder (100/2600) and call Dragons. Then I play Sleeping Valley of the Pharaoh-Necrovalley! This field magic makes it so that we cannot remove anything from the Cemetery."
"What good will that do for you?"
"I have to have all five Exodia pieces in the Cemetery to keep Necros alive. If even one leaves it, Exodia Necros is destroyed."
"So now I cannot play Raise Dead, or Kaiku, or anything like that to stop your advance?"
"That's right! I also play Cyclone on your face down card."
"My Cry of the Living Dead is gone…"
"Now both of my monsters attack directly!"
Draken: 4100
Rika: 5000
"I should have known this would happen…" Will realized.
"What do you mean?" Hope inquired.
"Draken said that his deck hasn't been complete until now. Don't you realize what that means? He hasn't dueled for at least a month. His skills are still rusty."
"That doesn't mean he automatically loses," Rue argued. "Have a little more faith! He's trying to save us-the least we could do is cheer him on, right?"
"Can't argue with that," Mana replied.
Draken looked at his next card. "Looks grim… but I can buy myself some time with this. I summon Knight of White Dragon! (1900/1700) Then I sacrifice him to special summon Blue Eyes White Dragon! (3000/2500) Blue Eyes white Dragon attacks your Virus!"
"How can you do that? The Knight of White Dragon requires a ritual! Even then, the Blue Eyes White Dragon has to wait one turn before it can attack!"
"You're not the only one with a Deck Master! Darche negates those annoying requirements."
Draken: 4100
Rika: 3600
"Not bad at all. Your Dragon doesn't stand a chance though. I play Thunderbolt, destroying him. Then Exodia Necros attacks directly! (2800/0)"
Draken: 1300
Rika: 3600
Draken nervously drew, sighing in relief at his card. "Hey Rika… I just found a way to thrash you."
"How do you expect to? The only thing that can stop my Exodia Necros are monster effects, and you admitted you don't have anything that can do that. Not only that, but you cannot revive my Virus because of Necrovalley."
"Who said I was going to destroy your Necros?" Draken grinned. "I actually plan on taking it as my own! I play Change of Heart, stealing your Exodia Necros!"
"What?! No!"
"Now I summon Kaiser Seahorse! (1750/1550) Kaizer Seahorse and Exodia Necros attack directly!"
Draken: 1300
Rika: 0
"Fine… as the conditions stated, I am to release all of you." She took out a remote control, and pressed a button on it. The cage vanished instantly. "But those were the only stakes! I can still kill you all, with this!" She showed them the card she held. "I hate being dragged to the Generals of Hell's level, but the Commanders of Heaven are too close to fail! Therefore, I will resort to this! My Thunderbolt will slay you all!" She then began to insert it into her Duel Disk.
It was too quick for them to see. A brush of wind was all that everyone felt when Fell lunged at the woman, plunging his hand completely through her body. Rika didn't even know what had killed her as she was run through the heart. She collapsed, blood flying everywhere.
To be continued…