Sorry if my updates are slow, I'm officially hooked to Legend of Dragoon. @_@
LunaticChaos: I do too, which is why I had it happen. _
YugiFan: You can't make me update! *Looks at newest chapter* …You saw nothing! _
*Chapter 9: A Heated Battle*
Hope stood before the cyborg, not knowing what to do. This was the first time that someone's life had been in her hands. If she said one word, he would die. She didn't like the feeling at all, especially with everyone watching her.
"But why? Why must this be done? Why more senseless death? There's been enough already!" Hope protested.
"It is the rules of the game that I die," the cyborg responded.
"Rules can be broken, and I'm completely sick of them," Hope said fiercely, making up her mind. "I refuse to kill you! I don't care who made up that stupid rule, I'm not following it!"
"…" The cyborg sighed, rising. "I dislike it, but if you insist, I cannot force you to kill me. Normally, I would be more persuasive, but I have no desire to cause you to feel guilt over killing…" Like what I have been through…
"You sound like you know about the matter," Hope commented.
"Hm? No, it's nothing…"
How can I begin to tell anyone about it?
FLASHBACK
The battleground was stained a permanent red from the blood that had been spilled. It wasn't like he could see the ground well anyway. There were too many corpses in the way.
He was the only person alive.
But it wouldn't be that way for long.
In his hand was the switch blade he always carried. Now it was impossible to identify, except by shape. It was covered in so much blood, all from his opponents.
Soon it would be coated with another's.
END FLASHBACK
The past is too painful… no, I cannot even begin to explain.
"So what will you do now?" Hope inquired. "Go to the Commanders of Heaven?"
"I was hired by them, and do not really care about them." He shrugged. "I really have nowhere to go. Still, I suppose I owe you something for allowing me to live, whether I like it or not. So if there are no objections, I shall accompany all of you."
Miles was the first to respond. "I think this guy can be trusted. He looks less shifty than me, and you accepted me, so why not him?"
"You have a point," Draken said. "I have no objections; does anyone else have any?"
Nobody spoke.
"Looks like we have yet another addition to our ever-growing party," Gaston commented.
Hope wasn't completely satisfied though. "What is your real name? You said that you were human once-you must have had a name then. I am not going to call you Cyborg #0001 the whole time I know you."
"…" Normally, I would not tell anyone this information. Why do I explain myself to them?
"You can call me Zack."
"Why do you want to be referred to as Cyborg #0001 when you have a name that's actually interesting?" Neo asked.
Rue broke through the discussion. "That's really nice, but we need to decide what we are going to do next. Zack, do you know any information about where we could find another Commander of Heaven?"
"I have some idea of a location. I think I heard that one would be going to the volcano."
"A volcano?" Hope raised her eyebrow. "I never heard of that area."
"There's an island somewhere beyond the lake," Rue explained. "Remember how we ran into the cold area? Well, there is more than just that. One of the islands has a great volcano. We're lucky it is programmed not to explode, or everyone in range would probably die."
"Wouldn't that be a dangerous place to be in?" Larka inquired.
"Maybe, but I'm willing to bet that they have some way of getting around the hazards," Gen stated.
"True. If that's the case, we can't die either by an eruption," Will pointed out.
"Then that will be our next location," Brandi decided. "I have a Skull Blood Pirate ship we can ride. Let's find a good launching point, and then we can leave."
That being agreed upon, they were soon walking around the lake, Rue leading the way.
Hope and Max were towards the back of the group, which gave her the chance to ask Max something privately.
"Max, why did you save me from Zack's attack? It isn't like you…"
Max seemed to think about this for a few minutes, before answering.
"I think… because I love you." Then he walked to the front of the group.
Hope almost fell over in shock.
Love? What? That's impossible. Max… he just wouldn't love someone besides his sister. Even if he did, he'd never admit it! It's the amnesia… it's caused him to say the weirdest things.
Yet, why do I find myself wishing what he said was true? She wiped her eyes hastily. Why are my eyes watering? Is it possible… that I…
"This is a good location!" Draken called.
She shook her head. She'd think about that later.
Brandi pulled out a card, and out came a black and red ship, with a red skull at the front.
"All aboard!" Miles yelled.
Everyone made it up easily, except for Neo. He slipped and fell into the water, and had to be dragged onboard by Gaston and Darche.
"Nice way to start the trip," Neo grumbled, wringing out his headband.
*****
It took some time to get to the island, as they had to leave the lake and enter the ocean, but they could instantly tell it was the right place. Somewhat large, on the far back of it was the volcano. Three of its sides were completely bordered by the sea. The fourth had a small, cave-like opening, which is how they found their way in.
There was a pathway above the magma thankfully. The volcano was completely lit up by the red glow, so they had no trouble navigating. It was uncomfortably hot though. The Soul Monsters didn't seem to mind the heat. However, everyone else except Fell and Zack was soon showing just how uncomfortable it was.
"How much farther?" Miles groaned, wiping sweat from above his eyes. "This lava is too much!"
"Hopefully not that much farther," Rue called back. He was leading. "This isn't that big of an area, so it shouldn't take too long."
"And technically, this is magma, not lava," Will corrected. "Magma is still inside the volcano, while lava is outside it."
"Wise guy," Miles grumbled.
A few minutes after that, they stepped through a low-ceiling tunnel. There was a moment when Neo accidentally got stuck, and had to teleport out to retry. Eventually, they all made it through, and examined the place they had come to.
There was a platform, which was what they were standing on. There were also a few rocks which could be used as stepping stones to another platform. Other than that, the area was completely filled with magma.
"A dead end," Darche stated.
"Very observant," Miles replied. "Now what do we do? Call 1-800-Kill-A-Commander and tell them their member is late?"
"Ha ha," Draken said dryly. "Somehow, I doubt that would work."
That was when someone suddenly teleported in. She was a woman with short, red hair, and brown eyes. She wore a white cloak, but threw it off to reveal a yellow t-shirt and orange shorts. Around her neck was another one of those large, golden crosses.
A massive creature rose from the magma at the same time. It was a horrifying sight. The monster looked to be made out of lava, and had a distant shape of some terrifying beast. Its eyes and mouth were black, and in its hand it carried a cage.
The woman looked them over. "Ah, so you are the ones who keep interrupting us?"
"Probably so," Gen agreed. "And you are…?"
"Madura is my name. My friend here is Lavos, a Lava Golem. So you came here, thinking you could stop me? It won't be that easy." She pressed a few buttons on her Duel Disk. "I have just set the conditions for this duel. I will be challenging one of you to a duel. If you win, you may all leave freely. If you lose, not only will the duelist be burned to death by Lavos, but the rest of you will be slain as this volcano erupts!"
"Just great," Rue snarled.
"Don't even bother trying to teleport," Madura warned. "I have put up a shield that stops all forms of teleportation. That includes my own Duel Disk. Now that the rules have been stated, it is time to choose an opponent. Lavos! Reveal the one with the weakest spirit, soul, and heart!"
The Lava Golem held out the hand that did not have the cage. It began to glow with a red light.
Everyone stared in awe as Max began to glow in the same manner. He stumbled backwards, staring at his hands, as the glow faded.
"Then you will be my opponent!" Madura declared. "Refusal will be the same as losing; the volcano will explode, killing you all! So I advise you accept!"
Max stared at her in fear, shaking his head. "I can't…"
Hope went up to him. "Matt and I helped teach you how to play, remember? You're a great learner, and I'm sure you can do well here! All you have to do is remember what you have been taught, and you'll be fine. Remember that as long as you stand strong, you cannot lose. Try your hardest, and you will prevail."
Brandi approached him as well. "We have complete faith in you," she said. "I always will, as I have before."
Max gave her a confused look.
"We're all right behind you," Hope assured. "So go ahead. We know you can do it."
Even though he was still very unsure about this, Max couldn't bring himself to just hand over all of their lives.
"…Alright…"
"Then let us begin!" Madura announced. Lavos suddenly swung the cage at Max with blinding speed, causing a bright glow to blind everyone.
When they could see again, their eyes were greeted with one of the most horrifying battlegrounds. The cage Lavos held was suspended over the magma, Max inside. Max staggered up, only to become petrified as he stared into the eyes of the beast that was before him.
Mana grabbed Brandi, who had been about to jump at Madura. "Don't!" she hissed. "One wrong move and Max will suffer even worse!"
This caused her to calm slightly, but her glare grew no softer.
"It'll be ok!" Hope shouted to him. "As long as you believe in yourself, it'll be ok! And we believe in you, so you have every right to believe in yourself!"
This caused Max to break out of his paralyzed state. Although his hands shook madly from fright, he still managed to press the buttons on his Duel Disk.
Max: 8000
Madura: 8000
"I think I will take all honors in going first," Madura declared. "I play Hellblaze! This magic card causes me to lose 500 Life Points, but you lose 1000!"
Max cried out as he was slammed by a wall of flame.
Max: 7000
Madura: 7500
"Now I will activate Lavos' ability. By discarding one card from my hand, you lose 1000 Life Points. So I discard this Death Koala (1100/1800), and you lose 1000 Life Points!"
The cage erupted in flames, the roaring fire muffling Max's scream.
Max: 6000
Madura: 7500
"Now I lay three cards down, and one monster. It's your turn."
Max got up shakily, looking at his hand. Although he was terrified, he had to continue.
"I… play Executioner Makyura… (1600/1200)"
"Geez Hope," Rue said. "I knew that he liked you, but he even imitated you deck?"
"That's only one card," Gaston pointed out. "For all we know, he could be using a Dark deck."
"Attack…"
"You have run straight into my Emissary of Harmony!"
"…Five cards down… end turn."
"WHOA!" Miles exclaimed. "FIVE?!"
"Overkill, much?" Neo said, equally amazed.
"It makes no difference! I summon Cannon Soldier! Now I flip over Metamol Pot. (700/900) This forces us to each draw five cards. Then, I activate my trap card, Rapid Machine Gun! This does 200 LP damage times the number of cards you have on the field and in your hand! That is eleven, so 2200 damage!"
Max: 3800
Madura: 7500
"Then I play Torture Room of Nightmares! Whenever I do direct damage, you take 300 more damage then usual!"
Max slowly flipped over one of his face down cards.
"Curse of Magic-Sealing…" He discarded an Exploding Sacrifice Embrace.
"That means my other one is useless as well… dang it! In that case, I activate Destruction Ring on your Executioner Makyura!"
This time, Max was ready, activating his Bandit's Swiss Army Knife.
Max: 2800
Madura: 7500
"Damn… I sacrifice my Metamol Pot, and Cannon Soldier. Then I play Black Hole!"
Max: 1800
Madura: 7500
Max played a card from his hand.
"Avatar of Apophis… (1600/1800)"
"What?! That's a trap from your hand?"
"An Apophis? What the heck?" Draken muttered.
"I see… a trap deck?" Gen realized. "Interesting idea."
"And Executioner Makyura is perfect, since he allows Max to play traps from his hand," Hope continued.
"Argh! I can only end…"
Max looked at his next card. "Pharaoh's Shrine…"
"What does that do?" Madura asked.
"All of my traps do not need to wait to be activated… one card down, attack, and end…"
Max: 1800
Madura: 5900
"Pathetic! That is what this is! I discard Babel Tower to do 1000 more damage!"
The fires were not any less painful. When it was over, everyone could see the burn marks that covered Max's body.
Max: 800
Madura: 5900
"Then I lay one monster, and two other cards!"
"Activate face down card… Avatar of Apophis… (1600/1800) Sacrifice one to summon Holy Beast Selket. (2500/2000) Selket attacks…"
"My Balloon Lizard! (400/1900)"
"Then Avatar attacks…"
"Activate Scape Goat! You must destroy my sheep to get to me!"
"Selket's attack raises by 500 for every monster it destroys… (3000/2000) End turn…"
She drew, and smirked. "I play Jar of Greed. You see, for me to use Lavos' effect, I must have two cards or more, therefore…"
"Spirit Mirror… direct the Jar of Greed's effects to me…"
"If only I had not been overly confident!" she snarled. "End turn…"
Something's not right, Zack noticed. Even thought she is losing, and is furious, she still seems somewhat unconcerned… He quietly walked away from his companions, closer to the magma. Nobody noticed him leave.
"Attack the goats, end…"
"No! This won't help! I can only lay one monster and end…"
"Draw, and play Raise Dead on Cannon Soldier. Summon Blood Vors. Cannon Soldier attacks the last goat… Blood Vors attacks your monster…"
"My Stealth Bird! No! (700/1700)"
"Apophis, Selket, attack directly…"
Max: 800
Madura: 1300
"Now sacrifice my three monsters for Cannon Soldier to win…"
Max: 800
Madura: 0
"Brilliant!" Rue exclaimed.
"More like she screwed herself," Miles joked. "She shouldn't have played that Cannon Soldier."
Madura's calm face was now twisted in anger. "I cannot believe this! Cannot! It's impossible!"
"It just happened," Neo disagreed.
"Enough of this foolishness! Lavos, kill him!"
The Lava Golem seemed to concentrate, and the cage lit up yet again, this time much fiercer. Max's scream of pain was an awful thing to hear.
"He'll die if this keeps up!" Larka cried, pale.
Hope had already grabbed a card out of her pocket, and was now sliding it in. She waited a second, and then activated it. "Attack Nullification!"
The flames were too thickly crowded for them to see Max, but they seemed to part from the middle.
They had been too worried about Max to notice Brandi. That's why her voice surprised them.
"That bitch… I'LL KILL YOU!"
Everyone stared in shock as she leapt over the stones, landing in front of Madura, and slammed her fist into her rib cage. A sharp snap sounded. Then Brandi slammed her into the ground, breaking her left arm, which is when Madura pressed a button on her Duel Disk with her right hand.
"Too late girl… the volcano will explode anyway. You're finished. And your brother will never make it."
With a howl of rage, Brandi punched Madura with all her might, to the skull. To her shock, her fist went through the skull, crushing it completely.
Brandi nervously stepped away, her hands dripping with blood, bone, and brain matter. She looked at her hands, horrified at her own actions.
Lavos immediately stopped trying to burn Max, staring at his master's corpse in surprise. Although weakened, Max had seen the whole thing. What had happened to the nice girl who had tried to comfort him? How had she turned into this cold killer? Even though she looked the same on the outside, the gruesome remains on her hands were enough to tell him that she was a monster.
Then the volcano began to shake. The eruption was about to begin.
Lavos had been severely weakened when Madura had died. As part of the ceiling collapsed, hitting him, it was the last thing he could take. With a howl, he fell towards the magma.
When he fell, the cage exploded into flames. Max fell through, and unable to stop himself, plunged towards the lava.
Brandi had been in a shocked state ever since she had slain Madura. But the sight of her brother about to die drove her thoughts away from the murder.
"NO!" She was about to leap after him, but Mana grabbed her firmly, dragging her away. "LET ME GO!"
"It's too late!" Mana cried, pulling her out of the room.
"Evacuate!" Gaston yelled to them. "We'll be burned to death otherwise!"
They barely managed to leave the room in time, as Lavos crashed into the magma, never to emerge again. The magma splashed around the room. If they had stayed, they would have been killed, as Gaston had stated. But it made Brandi no happier.
"Max… MAX!" She tried to escape Mana's grip again.
"Brandi, stop! Nothing can be done now!" Mana sobbed. "Don't make the death toll go up even more, please!"
Neo ran over to help restrain her.
"We have to leave, now!" Will shouted. "If we run fast enough, we might make it!"
It took both Neo and Mana to manage to tug Brandi along, as the rest ran for it, almost losing balance several times because of the shaking mountain.
Hope looked around the group. I feel like someone's missing… Max of course… why? Why did he have to die?!
*****
They ran outside of the volcano, and after making it a respectable distance, looked back.
Brandi had given up trying to run back, just staring at the volcano. "Max…"
Hope clenched her fists, willing herself not to cry. Not yet. They had to get away first.
"The ships are ready!" Rue announced. "Let's get in, quickly!"
Hope cast one last look at the volcano entrance. That was when she was it. A figure running towards them.
"Guys! Over here! You won't believe it!" Hope shouted.
It was Zack. He had several burn marks all over, but seemed alright otherwise. In his arms was Max. Although severely burned, and battered, he still breathed.
"Zack! But how?!" she asked as he arrived.
"No time to explain," he cut off. "We can't stay!"
"Too true!" Miles agreed as Zack jumped onboard. "Let's make like Christopher Columbus and set sail!"
"That made no sense," Gaston pointed out as Draken spun the wheel on the ship, moving it away from the island.
An explosion sounded. The volcano had begun to show eruption signs on the outside.
"It wasn't supposed to. I'm too weird to make sense," Miles replied calmly, as if nothing had happened.
Brandi had ignored all this, running over to Zack. He laid Max on a more stabilized area of the ship, and Brandi instantly examined him, checking his pulse. It was there, weak but steady.
"I might have something to treat burns…" she muttered, searching her pocket. Luckily, the blood and grime had washed away when her hands had been in the ocean. "Here! Goblin Secret Remedy should help." A few emerald green, shining leaves with blue dewdrops appeared in her hand. She carefully pressed them against her brother's burned skin. The skin healed a little, but was still severely injured by not only burns, but cuts and bruises.
"It's too severe… he needs a doctor," Larka stated, kneeling beside Brandi. Hope joined them as well. "We should take him to Claire. She could help, right?"
"Possibly," Hope said, grimacing at the wounds. She then turned to Zack. "What happened in the volcano?"
"I thought something was amiss; Madura seemed too confident. I strayed from the group, in case something should happen. When Lavos fell into the magma, you ran, but Max was higher in the air. One of the special devices I have are these… what would you call them? Hoverers, I guess. I can remain in the air for a short amount of time. My metal body is designed to withstand any kind of heat conditions, so it was no trouble to fly over, grab Max, and get back to land. I almost didn't make it in time, but managed to stay in the air long enough to land safely. Then it was just a matter of running."
"Thank you for saving him," Hope said. "I'm sure Brandi is grateful as well."
She nodded absentmindedly, more worried about Max, as he suddenly stirred.
"Larka and Zack, please stand back," Hope requested. "We can't have him feel too crowded."
They obliged, and Max's eyes opened. The first thing he saw was Brandi, her face clouded with worry over him. Immediately remembering what had happened in the volcano, he tried to back away. He managed to move a little, before dropping with a moan of pain.
Hope tried to comfort him. "Max, it's ok! It's just Brandi!"
But he would not be reassured. He kept trying to rise, even though he was too weak to even move one inch.
Brandi looked at her hands, remembering the feel of the warm, sticky blood on them. And she knew what Max was thinking; the same thing she was.
She had killed someone, and was now a monster because of it.
To be continued…