I am very sorry that this took a while to get up. Writer's block is evil.
John: …I'm sure. And yes, it was original, thanks for noticing. Your second review was pretty lame if you'll excuse me for saying that, but it was a nice try. And thank you for reviewing three times, it makes me feel special.
Demon Fan: Yeah, those shows rock. Good enough for an Anime? I can dream on, but thanks for saying that.
Archsaugin: Yay, a new reviewer! (Or I think you are…) Thanks for reading.
Dragran: Ah, you're still reading this. Thank you for the compliment, I hope you continue to enjoy it.
Chapter 27: Mounting Tension
"So the officials are not on our side any more, I assume?"
"That's correct sir."
"Hmph. They were helpful by being decoys, but we can still carry this out without them."
"Sir, do you have any new orders?"
The white cloaked man typed up a couple of commands on his computer, and began going over profiles of previous battles his Commanders of Heaven had dealt with.
"…sir?"
"Yes, I do. My orders are to shut up until you get further commands."
I know I'm missing something… He looked over the duels, dismissing them all. I know all of this! What is it that… His eyes halted on the description of one duel an official had had. One called Guy.
That's it! Now I know…
"I have new orders for you," he announced.
"Sir?"
"Take three Commanders with you. They do not need to have decks, or be any good at dueling. I need physical strength alone."
"And the orders?"
"Capture the boy called Rue. You do know who he is, I should hope. Do not kill him under any circumstances. I want him taken alive!"
"When?"
"As soon as possible. It will be necessary to have him before we can continue. Now go!"
"Yes sir!" Then the connection was cut off as he ended the call.
"I will enjoy seeing this play out…" the man in the white cloak smirked, before going to make preparations.
-----
The man nodded in approval. "Now it is ready. All we need is the boy before finally unleashing it…" He brought out a card from his pocket. "In just a few more days, you will finally be brought forth."
Then he felt it. A shock through his whole body. And almost immediately, it was gone. But he had felt it. It was something he thought he would never feel.
A feeling that spoke of strength… a being that was too powerful to exist. It wasn't right… it shouldn't have ever been created… nothing could control it.
This was the power he sought to tame.
He shook his head. Scared? Feh! It was no more than a feeling. I have come too far to back down now. I will not stop. I cannot stop…
-----
Sarius sighed, staring at the trees. "Normally, being in the forest calms me. Not this time though. But it is understandable. Over just the past few days, so many events have occurred."
The Child nodded, tossing the golden ball into the air before catching it.
It was nighttime. They had spent most of the day resting in the forest, while Sarius considered his options.
"I have found the one I was seeking," Sarius thought out loud. "And I will have to confront her before it Juno does so. But when should I make a move?" He shook his head. "Fell is going to be a problem as well. I do not know enough about him to have a foresight on what he will do." He shrugged. "Oh well. I can worry about that later. Right now, Juno does not even know who she is, and as long as that fact remains, he is of no threat at the moment."
Suddenly, he felt something. It was like a sudden jolt that went through his body, a shock that disappeared in less than one second. But he had felt it.
Raid snarled violently, while Cyrus jumped up. The Child froze, staring at the golden ball in his hands. It was glowing with a soft, gold light.
Then the glow faded just as quickly as the feeling they had all encountered.
"What the hell was that?" Sarius muttered, staring at the golden ball.
The Child stood up, still looking at the ball. But it was not reacting anymore.
Sarius looked over in the direction of the lake. "Could it be?"
Raid hissed as Cyrus looked uncertain about something.
Sarius made his decision. "Come on. We're going to the lake. We cannot ignore this incident."
The Child nodded, following him. Their Soul Monsters came as well, and Sarius led the way.
-----
Hope suddenly opened her eyes, becoming awake in an instant.
What was that? A shock of some kind? But it only lasted for a second…
Then something caught her eye. Normally, she took the orb around her neck off when sleeping, but tonight she had been very tired and had simply forgotten about it. But now it was glowing black.
She stared at it, even after the black glow had faded away. That feeling… it was something I can't bring myself to take lightly. I had best tell the others… in the morning…
Even though Hope was very concerned, her exhaustion overcame her. She was soon asleep once more.
-----
Larka sat up swiftly.
What on earth?
"Malon!" Larka whispered.
The puppy looked over at her, giving an inquiring whine.
"Did you feel something? Like… a jolt of some kind?"
Malon shook his head, and yawned, laying his head back down.
Whatever that was, he doesn't seem very anxious about it. But still… this worries me. I'll tell the others tomorrow, she decided, going back to sleep.
-----
Rue wasn't sure at first about what had awakened him. He looked around, confused, when he heard something.
"So it will come into play… very interesting indeed. I wonder what fool is trying to awaken it?"
"Who's there?!" Rue exclaimed, looking around quickly.
"What's with you, Rue?" Draken asked. He had been awakened by Rue, and wasn't very pleased about it.
"Did you just hear someone?"
"Yeah, I heard someone-you. Now shut up and go back to sleep," Draken replied, taking his own advice.
But… I know I heard someone talking… Rue thought frantically. But after several minutes of hearing nothing, he finally managed to fall asleep.
-----
Hope woke up instantly, taking quick, terrified breaths.
That dream again! Will it ever cease to haunt me?
Her eyes darted once more to the orb, and to her surprise it was once again glowing black. Soon it faded though.
I wish I understood this thing better! she thought before getting up and going into the restroom to change her clothes for the first time in a while. When she came back out, she wore a sky blue t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and a blue ponytail holder to match. Most people would be more concerned about the terrifying dream, but Hope was worrying about what they needed to do today to be thinking about it.
Going down the hall, she ran into her sister, who had on a bright red shirt and black jeans.
"Hi sis," Hope greeted.
"Morning. The others are in the living room. Once again, you were the last person to wake up. I was coming to get you just now."
"That's typical," Hope muttered.
They went downstairs, and entered the living room. Hope was surprise by what she saw.
"Mana! You're already feeling well enough to be up? And your armor is mended!"
"Yep!" Mana responded. "I just needed some rest. I'm fine now. And Brandi fixed my armor. Rue also fixed Ruecian's."
"How is Ruecian?" Hope asked.
"I'm going to check on him in a minute," Rue said. He seemed disturbed by something, but didn't say anything else.
"So what are our plans for today?" Draken inquired.
"We go to Teknisk Wereld and try to find more Commanders to slaughter, I guess," Miles shrugged. "We need to find their leader before they get serious."
"Get serious? What do you mean by that?" Claire questioned.
"Well, they must have some kind of plan. So let's off their boss before they pull it off."
"For once, Miles is right," Will stated.
"Once? That's a record for me," Miles joked.
"Indeed. So when Ruecian is ready to go, we leave. Does that sound alright to everyone else?"
"Actually… I wanted to tell you guys about something that happened last night," Larka announced.
"Go on," Brandi encouraged when she had fallen silent.
"I was asleep, but suddenly woke up when I felt a jolt of some kind. It was as if some tremendous evil was making its presence known…" Larka trailed off.
"You too?" Hope said in disbelief. "I felt something too, and it fits that description. When I woke up, the orb was also glowing black."
"Orb? What orb?" Draken asked, looking confused.
"Oh gosh! I haven't even shown many of you it!" She brought forth the orb, which was now glowing white and black.
"What the heck is that thing?" Miles inquired.
"I wish I knew," Hope replied. "I got it a while back… it's a long story. But lately, it has been glowing black or white at certain points. It's as though it senses something."
"We can worry about that later," Max stated. "Right now, we should find that Commander."
"Right," Rue agreed. "I'm going to go see Ruecian. You guys wait here." He then went up the stairs.
-----
Rue knocked on the guest room door before entering-yesterday's incident had taught him to be more careful. Ruecian looked over at him, sitting up.
"Hey, you're awake. Feeling better?"
He nodded."That's good. I was pretty worried about you." He handed Ruecian his upper armor. "I mended that yesterday. What a pain it was too. Next time you nearly die, please do it in some way that does not involve getting several large holes in your armor."
Ruecian smiled slightly before putting on the armor. As Rue waited, he spoke of his concerns to his Soul Monster.
"Ruecian, I keep hearing this strange voice that nobody else seems to notice. I'm afraid that I'm going crazy. I've heard it twice; once when we were telling Max about what we had done, and last night. Do you think I'm delusional or something?"
Ruecian shook his head before leaving the room.
"I guess that's the best I'm going to get," Rue sighed before following his companion's lead. "Sometimes having a Soul Monster that refuses to talk can really get on my nerves…"
-----
"We're ready," Rue told them as he and Ruecian entered the living room.
"Glad to see that you're feeling better," Hope said to Ruecian. "Well, let's get moving. Claire, are you staying behind again?"
"Actually, no, I'm not. I want to help you guys on the battle field this time!" she replied.
"The more the merrier," Hope stated before looking over at Amy. "We'll see you later sis."
"Yeah, in about three seconds."
"What?"
"I'm coming too."
Everyone stared at her.
"Quit looking at me like I'm a psycho! Even though I am…" she muttered the last part so the others would hopefully not hear it. "I can duel too, you know. I'm sure there will be some way that I can assist."
"Alright then. Now that that's settled, can we get moving?" Perseus suggested.
They took his advice, and were soon unconscious.
-----
"And this time, we've ended up in the forest," Neo realized as they stood up.
"We never would have guessed," Will responded dryly.
Amy had reached into her pocket, bringing forth a Soul Card. In a flash of light, her Soul Monster appeared. She wore a pale orange robe and a dark red cape. Her long hair was a whitish-gray, which had a flower of some kind in it on her right side.
"Wow. Finally, another female Soul Monster!" Mana exclaimed.
The new arrival laughed at that. "Yeah, you'd think it's a conspiracy or something. I'm Sakura, a Big Bangirl. Nice to meet you all."
"Same to you," Gen replied. "Are you aware of what we are doing?"
"Yes, Amy explained everything."
"Then let's get started," Darche suggested. "Where should we look first?"
"Well, let's see… where have we not been yet..." Rue muttered.
Before he could continue, Malon jumped up, barking shrilly.
"What's up with him?" Miles wondered.
Daine's ears perked up. "Someone's coming, but I recognize his scent. You don't need to worry."
Soon the person emerged from the trees. They instantly realized who it was.
"Matt!" Brandi exclaimed.
"Yep, it's me. How are you guys doing?" Matt asked, coming into the clearing.
"Pretty good, considering what we've been through," Neo joked.
"Yeah. Now that we have the officials off of our backs, all's well," Gaston stated.
"And we have you to thank for it," Hope said. "You've pretty much saved us."
"It wasn't a problem," Matt shrugged.
"Let me guess; you're expecting us to repay you," Miles grumbled.
"No, I don't… yet," Matt smirked.
"So reassuring," Rue muttered.
"Why are you here at the moment?" Larka inquired.
"I was hoping you guys would be here. I wanted to tell Brandi about Abby's condition."
"Is it serious?" Brandi asked.
"The doctors do not think it is life-threatening. But the fact remains that she is ill, and needs attention. So she's going to remain at the hospital for a few days. I'll keep you updated on how she fares," Matt assured.
Brandi nodded. "I see. Thanks for helping."
"Not a problem at all. So, how it Max faring?"
"I'm fine," Max stated, stepping forward.
Matt jumped back. "Whoa! Where did you come from?"
"I've been here the whole time, you moron."
"…Wait a second. You actually recognize me. You've recovered?"
"Obviously."
"I'm glad to hear it. Just don't get blasted again, or whatever the hell happened to you," Matt joked.
"I don't plan on it."
"So update me. What's been happening?"
Before anyone else could say anything, another person came out from the trees into the clearing.
"Chasity! What are you doing here?" Matt exclaimed.
"I came to ask you about how mom is doing." She looked over and glared at Brandi. "And to complain. What was the big idea Brandi? Why did you just suddenly hang up on me like that? I was just following Matt's instructions to tell you how mom was, and just because it was bad news doesn't mean you had to take it out on me!"
"I didn't hang up on you," Brandi said. "Max did. He grabbed the phone from my hands and after listening to you hung up."
Chasity just stared at Max for a few seconds before walking up to him, kicking his shin, and walking off before anyone could react.
Max grabbed his leg, wincing. "Geez, for a little girl she can sure deal out a painful blow."
Matt didn't seem to notice Max's plight. "Dang it. She's gone, and without a Soul Monster or Duel Disk pretty much anything could be a threat to her. We need to find her quickly."
"But this forest is huge!" Miles protested.
"To even have a chance at finding her, we should split up," Zack suggested.
"I agree. Let's separate," Matt decided. "If someone finds her, activate this." He handed everyone a magic card from his pocket.
Larka examined hers. "Jade Whistle?"
"Yeah. Just activate it when you find her. Good luck guys."
Without further conversation, they set off, all in different directions.
-----
Rue pushed aside a tree limb that was in his way. "Nothing here. I hope the others are having better luck than us."
Ruecian did not seem to hear him. His hand went to his sword as he looked around.
"What's the matter?" Rue asked.
Suddenly, a white light blinded him. When his vision returned to normal, he could see what had happened. There was a sturdy, wooden cross, and Ruecian was nailed to it by arms and legs. He was obviously in serious agony, judging by the blood running down the cross and his short, painful breaths as he fought to stay conscious.
Before Rue could react, someone grabbed him, slamming his fist into his stomach. Rue was out cold instantly.
One of the Commanders of Heaven looked over at his leader. "What did you use on that Soul Monster?"
"Witch Hunt," he replied, showing him the magic card. "In the game, it destroys all Magic Users on the field."
"Fitting," another Commander of Heaven said.
The third one, who had knocked out Rue, was detaching the boy's Duel Disk. He threw it aside and brought Ruecian's Soul Card out of Rue's pocket. "Should I tear this?"
"Don't bother. He'll die soon enough of blood loss. The others won't find him in time."
"Why do you say that?" the first man asked.
"Castor and Pollux will be distracting them for a while. We will have more than enough time to get back to the boss."
"Good, but I still dislike taking chances," the third Commander stated. "Let's get there quickly."
-----
Amy treaded carefully through the maze of trees. "Sense anything, Sakura?"
"Not a thing," her Soul Monster sighed. "She could be pretty much anywhere by now."
"Still, we can't give up just yet," Amy stated. "Let's go… this way." She set off to the right, Sakura following.
After a few more minutes of silence, they emerged by the river. Sakura immediately got in front of Amy.
"Be on guard. There is someone else here," she said to answer the unspoken question.
The girl that was walking by the river had also spotted them, and started coming over to them. She looked to be in her teens. She wore a bright yellow t-shirt and black pants, with black shoes. She had dark brown hair, and light brown eyes.
"About time one of you finally found us," the girl told Amy. "We've been waiting for quite some time."
"Who is we?" Amy asked.
"My sister and me, and someone else you should be familiar with," she smirked. "Hey, Castor! Get over here!"
Another girl appeared from the trees. She looked identical to the first one, except for the fact that she had a dark blue shirt. She also was grasping, by the arm…
"Chasity!" Amy exclaimed.
Chasity looked at her, eyes speaking of pleads.
"Oh, so that's her name? We never bothered to ask," the first girl shrugged. "We are well aware that this girl means something to you and your friends, so we thought that maybe she would be of use. If you want to save her, it will require a duel. Call the rest of your friends here, and then we can all discuss the terms."
Amy looked over at Sakura, who nodded. "We have no choice but to do as they ask for the minute."
"Alright then…" Amy brought forth the Jade Whistle card and inserted it into her Duel Disk. A beautiful, pale green whistle appeared in Amy's hand.
"Let's see how this works," Amy muttered, putting it to her mouth.
-----
Will and Neo were making their way to the river when they suddenly heard a loud, shrill whistle.
"Yikes! What is that?!" Neo yelped.
"The Jade Whistle, obviously," Will stated. "It came from the river. At least we're near there... what's the matter now?" he asked when he saw Neo had gone completely still.
Neo indicated to the trees. Will turned around to look, and could only think of three words to say.
"We. Are. Screwed."
-----
Zack pressed a button on his wrist, and sighed. "No signs of life here either. Might as well move on…"
That was when he heard the piercing whistle cut through the silence.
"Good, someone else found her. I wasn't having much success…" He changed directions, heading for where the sound had come from.
As he cleared his way through the trees, he abruptly stopped. He had caught sight of a large, wooden cross.
"What is that thing?" he muttered, advancing on it cautiously, and jumping back quickly when he saw who was attached to it.
"Ruecian! What on earth…" He trailed off, seeing how pale Ruecian was from blood loss. "Damn it. I hope it isn't too late." He grabbed the nail that pierced the Soul Monster's legs with his left hand and, using all of his strength, managed to pull it free. It would have been impossible with about anyone else, but with an armored hand and the extra power his mechanical body had, he was able to get rid of it. He got rid of the other two as well, catching Ruecian as he fell and laying him on the ground. Zack was relieved to see he was still breathing, and brought forth a Red Potion.
"There isn't much I can do for him though…" Zack muttered. "And there's no sign of Rue. It looks like I'll need some assistance."
-----
The Whistle vanished from Amy's hand, its purpose complete. Amy stared at where it had been.
"I wish Matt had warned us about how loud that whistle was going to be!"
"And I wish you had warned me," the first girl complained, rubbing her head. "I'm going to have such a headache from that thing."
Castor remained silent, keeping a tight grip on Chasity. There was an uncomfortable silence for the next few minutes, when it was suddenly broken by a loud crashing coming from the forest.
"What the heck is that?" Amy asked. They turned to see Will and Neo running out of the forest. "Oh, there you guys are. What took you so long?"
"There's no time for that! THE INSECTS ARE COMING!" Will yelled.
"The what?!" Amy shouted.
A huge spider came crashing out of the forest. Amy instantly recognized it as the monster Insect Queen. Following her were several other bugs that she knew about; Emissary-Eating Insect, Man-Eating Bug, Insect Princess, Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, Great Moth, Leghul, Hercules Beetle, Guillotine Beetle, Killer Bee, and Blood-Sucking Flea, to name a few. They were all enraged and charging after Will and Neo.
Amy quickly brought out a magic card and immediately activated it. A glowing, yellow, net-like barrier that sparked with electricity came up instantly. Will and Neo, not expecting it, were unable to stop in time and crashed right through it. Surprisingly, they were unharmed, and the barrier was not affected. But when the Insect Queen ran into it, she was fried by the electricity. A high-pitched scream came from the monster as it fell, and vanished. The other insects hissed angrily for a few seconds before fleeing back to the forest.
"What did you activate?" Neo inquired as he and Will got up.
"Insect Barrier. I always carry one around. I can't stand bugs."
"I'd feel more grateful to you if I didn't think it was your Jade Whistle that caused them to go crazy," Will told her. "It would be nice if Matt gave us all of the details on these support cards before we used them."
"Can't argue there," Amy shrugged.
"Did you find Chasity?" Will questioned.
"What are we, chopped liver?" the girl asked crossly.
Will looked over at her. "In case you didn't notice, we were nearly crushed to death by a bunch of over-sized, angry insects, so please excuse me for missing some details. With that being said, who are you?"
"I'll introduce myself when all of your friends arrive," she stated.
Will had also caught sight of Chasity. "May I request some information?"
"Sure. Those two are the bad guys, and we're supposed to beat the living daylights out of them, but we can't as long as they have Chasity under their control. That enough details for you?"
"It will do for now," Will nodded. "So where are the others?"
"They should be coming any minute."
As she said that, another high pitched whistle came from the forest.
"Another Jade Whistle! But why would someone else be using it?" Neo asked.
"They might be in trouble," Will stated. "Amy, can you cover the situation here? We'll go to try and help whoever is trying to contact us."
"Sure. Be careful."
"I will, but I don't know about Neo." They ran back into the forest.
-----
Hope stopped abruptly as she heard the whistle. "Another? But which way should we go?"
"The first one sounded closer," Gaston offered.
"Alright then, we'll continue that way." She ran ahead, only to crash into someone and collapse.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" Brandi snapped, jumping back up; she had fallen as well.
"Oh, sorry! I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."
"Obviously. Where are you headed?"
"The place where the first whistle was sounded from."
"Then let's go there together," Matt suggested, walking up. Max was with him. "Hopefully, the others will try to assist the second one."
"Yeah," Brandi agreed.
Matt led the way, and the others followed him.
-----
Larka gingerly took her hands away from her ears. "Those things are way too loud! The first time was bad enough, but a second time too?"
Malon whined and Daine shook his head, as though trying to clear the sound from his mind. "Which way should we go?"
"The second one sounded closer. Let's head that way!"
-----
"Jade Whistles?" Sarius muttered. "Who the heck… oh well. We don't have any time to waste. Until later, we'll just ignore them."
The Child nodded solemnly, and they continued walking to the lake.
-----
"What was that?" one of the Commanders asked.
"Possibly those other brats' way of communicating," the leader suggested.
"Should we investigate?" the third one proposed.
"It isn't part of our mission. If you're so worried, then stay behind to look into it," the leader shrugged.
"Alright, I will. You two continue on." Without further conversation, he left.
-----
The four teens finally left the forest, emerging into the clearing with the river. Hope caught sight of her half-sister right away.
"Amy! What is going on?"
Before she could answer, Matt exclaimed, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
That caught the other's attention. They looked over at Castor and saw who she was restraining.
"Chasity!" Brandi cried. Mana was too shocked to say anything, while Olympion growled at their opponents.
Max didn't need any hints to tell him who was the enemy. "Let her go."
"All in good time," the other girl smirked. "This isn't quite as many people as I had hoped for, but it will do. I am Pollux, and that is my twin sister, Castor."
"Get to the point," Max snarled.
"As you wish. We were ordered to kill all of you via duels, but we had no way of forcing any of you to duel… until now. This girl just happened to cross paths with us, and we couldn't let such an opportunity go to waste, now could we? If you want the girl back, then you will have to duel us."
One look at Chasity's terrified expression was enough to convince Max. "I'll duel. Which one of you am I facing?"
"I said us for a reason. This will be a tag team duel."
"I see." Max fell silent for a minute, and then inquired, "Will each player have their own field?"
"Yes."
Excellent. That means it will work… but who to choose as a tag team partner? Amy and Brandi are out of the question, they use too many different Sub-Types. Matt uses Demons too, and if they had some kind of counter for my cards, they would work against him as well. That only leaves me with one choice…
"Hope. Will you be my partner?"
Hope started. "What? Me? But why?"
"I have my reasons."
"Well… if you want me to, then I have no choice but to accept!"
"Then let's get this show on the road!" Pollux stated. "As for my Soul Monster…" She took out a Soul Card, and her monster instantly emerged. It looked like a huge flower, but there was nothing pretty about it. It had large, red petals with small white spots all over them. The center of it was red with white spots too, but it was also a mouth. It had purple lips and white, knife-sharp teeth. It also had two green tentacles that looked as though they were woven out of grass.
"Ugh! What is that thing?!" Amy asked, disgusted.
"Lotus, a Mirage Flower. Isn't she lovely?" Pollux said.
"I'm sure," Matt replied sarcastically. "What about you, Castor?"
In response, she brought out her own Soul Card. A light-purple dragonish creature came forth. It had two deep purple bat-like wings. The lower part of its body was covered with yellow scales. It had two thin legs with white claws, but it had no arms. What was really remarkable about it though was that it had two heads. Both heads had two white horns, along with two tusk-like fangs. The head on its left had red eyes and a red mouth, while the one on its right had blue eyes and a blue mouth.
"Dol Dora. Call him Duo," Castor told them.
"It's hard to believe," Mana muttered.
"What is?" Brandi questioned.
"We've found someone who speaks less than Fell does."
Pollux ignored them. "So you will be facing us with an Elven Swordsman and Genocide Demon King. Do you know how to compete in a tag team duel?"
"I've played in one before," Hope answered.
"I am aware of how it works," Max nodded. "Shall we begin?"
-----
Zack looked up as Fell and Larka entered the clearing. "Thanks for coming."
"What's the problem? Did you find Chasity?" Larka inquired.
"No, but I did find this." He indicated to Ruecian.
"What happened to him?!" Larka exclaimed as she kneeled to examine him.
"He was trapped on that," Zack explained, nodding to the cross. "I have no idea who did it, but whoever it was probably has something to do with Rue not being here."
"Rue's gone?" Larka asked.
"Yes."
Malon suddenly barked, drawing their attention to him. He was sniffing two objects on the ground.
"Rue's Duel Disk!" Larka realized, picking it up. "And Ruecian's Soul Card. Do you think he knows something about what happened to Rue?"
"Perhaps," Daine agreed. "What should we do?"
"I'll stay here with Zack and look after Ruecian. Fell, Daine, how about you two go and try to find Rue? Fell, don't give me a hard time about it! We have to work quickly, or else the attacker-or attackers-will get away!"
Without a word, Fell ran off, Daine following. Larka got out another Red Potion and used it to heal the wounds further. "I wish I had more of these, but that's all I have at the moment. But what about the amount of blood he has lost?"
"I used Compensation of Blood," Zack assured. He sat down, leaning against a tree. "Now all we can do is wait."
Larka also took a seat at the base of a nearby tree, and looked over at Zack. "May I ask you something?"
"If you want to."
"What are you going to do after we defeat the Commanders of Heaven? You seemed highly upset with about what happened with Heather. You mask it well at the moment, but I can tell that you are still very hurt over the whole thing."
"…That's true. I may be a cyborg, but it doesn't mean that all traces of my feelings as a human have vanished. I wanted to delete my memories, but it is no use-they are too deep inside of me to get rid of without serious injury. And, as you know, I am not allowed to injure myself on purpose."
"So what will you do?"
"I can only think of one thing," Zack sighed. "To shut myself down completely, until I am wakened by someone else. That way, I will have no emotions to concern myself over. Perhaps I can find an area where I will never be awakened again."
"You would just put yourself into a state like death?" Larka asked, shocked.
"Why not? It is the only way out of this reality that I can see."
"But you can't just give up that easily!" she protested.
"I see no reason to change my decision."
"What about your family? They care for you, even in heaven! How do you think they would feel if you put yourself to rest permanently?! Then they'd never be able to see you!"
Zack froze.
Seeing that she was getting somewhere, Larka continued talking. "They would want you to live on, and enjoy the rest of your life. And if you put yourself to sleep, then they would spend all eternity waiting for you for nothing! And not only that, but if they love you, then they would want what is best for you. As for Andrew, he was only doing what was ordered of him. I bet he regrets the fight you two had, but not only because he died. Because you killed yourself for him. He too wouldn't want you to be gone. Heather would also realize what the truth was when she sees Andrew again. Actually, I doubt she believed that you had killed her husband. She just wanted to place the blame on someone so that she had a goal to focus on, to lessen the pain in her heart. Now that she is dead, maybe she can finally find happiness. But they will feel even more guilty if you try to embrace darkness forever, blaming yourself the whole time. So live, for them at least."
Zack was silent for several minutes. Larka didn't say anything, letting him consider what she had said. Finally, he replied. "I will reconsider. I might still shut myself down, but your words have made me want to rethink the situation. I am surprised by how vivid you can speak."
Larka blushed slightly. "I had to learn. It was the only thing that kept me and my brother from giving in to despair when we were specimen."
"…I see." Zack could think of nothing else to say, and Larka did not mind the tranquil moment.
-----
Hope: 8000
Max: 8000
Castor: 8000
Pollux: 8000
"In what order should we go?" Hope asked.
"I'll start, then you, then Castor, and your partner last," Pollux stated. "Is that alright?"
"Fine," Max growled.
"The ones that drop out of the tag team match will die. If both of you die, this girl will die as well. If at least one of you wins, then she will be unharmed. There will also be a Life Point penalty, but you'll see what it is soon enough."
Max glared at her. "Just get on with it."
"It's your funeral. I will start by laying one monster in defense mode, and two other cards face down. Your turn!"
"Alright… one card down, and a monster in defense mode. That's all for me."
Castor examined the card she had drawn. "I play Foolish Burial."
"What does that do?" Hope inquired.
"A monster in my deck is sent to the Cemetery." She inserted one card into the Cemetery and shuffled her deck. "One monster in defense, one other card. That is all."
Max swore as he saw what he drew. "It isn't a Demon… I can't use Olympion's effect."
"Tough luck for you," Pollux sneered.
"Will you just shut up? I summon Giant Orc, (2200/0) and lay one card down. I'm done."
Pollux smirked as she looked over her hand. "This'll be fun. I'm first going to activate Lotus' effect. Once per duel, I can take control of an opponent's face up monster. So I'll just borrow your Giant Orc. Then I'll sacrifice him and my face down Quick Squirrel for Wind Guardian: Hyuga! (2400/2200) I'll also activate Cyclone on your face down card."
"Damn it… my Torture Wheel…" Max muttered.
"Now Hyuga attacks you directly!"
Max braced himself as the Hyuga began to absorb energy for a wind spell, when black chains suddenly sprang out of thin air and wrapped around it.
"What's going on?" Pollux demanded.
"You forgot about my face down card!" Hope told her. "Curse of Darkness is a trap card that stops your monster from attacking. It also lowers its attack by 700! (1700/2200) As an extra bonus, you can't switch the mode of your monster."
Pollux glared at her. "I was going to take out that other guy first, but you look like a much better target. Take your turn."
"Alright… your Hyuga should be easy enough to kill…" Hope murmured, grasping a card.
"Hold on. Don't play anything yet," Max ordered. "Something suspicious occurred to me. Most monsters with 2400 attack are only one sacrifice. This monster probably has an effect that we don't know about just yet."
"You're smarter than I thought," Pollux commented. "Once per duel, Hyuga can reduce a monster's attack power to 0 if it is attacking him."
"That could be a big problem," Hope admitted. "But at least it can't attack us at the moment. I summon Legacy Hunter! (1000/1500) He attacks Castor's face down monster!"
"That was my Demon's Familiar, (500/500)" Castor said. "All of us get to choose one monster from our Cemetery and place it on the field due to his Reverse effect. I choose Electric Guardian: Sanga. (2600/2200)"
Hope grimaced. "Just what we needed. I have no monsters in my Cemetery though."
"I'll place my Quick Squirrel in defense," Pollux stated.
"My Giant Orc will come in attack mode," Max announced.
"Also, my Legacy Hunter's effect is activated," Hope told Castor. "Since he destroyed one of your face down defense monsters in battle, you have to send a random card in your hand to your deck. I choose your middle card!"
"My Raise Dead," she said calmly as she shuffled it back into her deck.
"I'll end my turn."
Castor gave a small smile as she looked at her hand. "Pollux?"
"Alright, I understand," Pollux grinned. "I activate Metal Reflect Slime! This trap becomes a monster when activated, and goes to defense mode. (0/3000)"
"How will that help?" Hope asked.
"I will sacrifice both my sister's Metal Reflect Slime and Quick Squirrel to summon Water Guardian: Suga. (2500/2400)"
"This doesn't look good," Gaston commented.
"Now, I will sacrifice Sanga, Suga, and Hyuga to special summon Gate Guardian! (3750/3400)"
They all stared at the monster in awe. Only Max could think of some suitable words to say for the situation.
"Well, this sucks."
-----
Larka and Zack looked up as Will crashed through the undergrowth.
"Will! What kept you?" Larka asked, relieved.
"Neo being slow. I also ran into Draken," he said as the teen followed him out of the trees.
"So what's going on here?" Draken inquired.
"I'd like to know too," Miles told them.
Draken jumped back. "Whoa! Where did you come from?"
"The nuthouse," Miles said. "But really, I just followed you guys, since you seemed to know where you were going."
"Where are the others?" Larka questioned. "Hope, Max, Matt, Brandi, Claire and Amy aren't here."
"I'm right here," Claire interrupted, emerging. "But Rue and Fell aren't here either. What about them?"
Perseus was distracted by Ruecian. "What happened to him?"
"I wish I knew," Larka sighed. "Zack found Ruecian here, nailed to that cross, with Rue gone. He called for assistance, so Fell and I came here. Fell went to try and find Rue after we found his Duel Disk and Ruecian's Soul Card." Larka handed the objects to Claire. "Ruecian will be ok, but it will take some time before he wakes up. All we can do is hope that the others are ok, and that Fell can find Rue."
"Oh…" Claire looked at the items sadly.
To try and take her mind off of the situation, Larka brought up another topic. "It's possible that the others found Chasity. After Fell comes back here, we should go check on them."
"Good point," Will agreed. "Ok, when he gets here, we'll set off."
-----
The Commander was finding his way through the forest rather easily. His goal was to get back to the Soul Monster and kill him. If left alone, he might tell them of where his companions were going. He shook his head, mentally berating himself. He knew that he should have slain the Soul Monster when he had the chance, and now it had to come to this.
He froze suddenly, thinking he had heard something. When he saw nothing, he started forward again, only to stop instantly.
The teen that was in front of him was one he recognized from the reports and pictures he had seen from his leader. What was his name? Fell, yes, he remembered now. He also recalled the unnatural powers this boy had.
The Commander didn't know what to feel, besides the fact that he had no concerns with the other Commanders anymore.
"If you're looking for the boy, it's far too late. He's already gone," the Commander told him.
Fell just gazed at him for a few more seconds before turning and leaving. He did not bother to look behind, not even when the Commander's scream echoed through the trees.
Daine ran up to accompany his master, his teeth now stained red.
-----
"Hey, Castor, leave the girl to me!" Pollux ordered. "You take out that other guy."
"Gate Guardian, attack Giant Orc," Castor commanded.
The explosion blinded them for a minute, but soon the field was in view again. Except the Giant Orc was now gone.
Hope: 8000
Max: 6450
Castor: 8000
Pollux: 8000
Max suddenly kneeled over, coughing violently.
"Max! What's wrong?" Brandi exclaimed.
"I'm… fine…" he managed to say, before abruptly throwing up a bunch of red liquid. Hope winced when she recognized that it was blood.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Matt snarled as the rest stared, shocked.
"That's this duel's Life Point penalty," Pollux explained. "Whenever someone is injured, you lose a certain amount of blood. By the end of the duel, you'll have lost enough blood for it to be fatal."
Brandi forced herself to look away from her brother, and over at Castor. What she saw stunned her.
Chasity was slowly becoming encased by ice. It had wound itself around her feet, anchoring her to the ground."What are you doing to her?!" Brandi shouted. This caused everyone to look over to Chasity.
"Oh, I meant to mention that. Must have slipped my mind," Pollux shrugged. "Whenever you take damage, your friend here will start to become encased in ice. If you lose, then we'll have a pretty ice statue to decorate the riverside."
"Leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this!" Max demanded.
"I think you mistook me as the person who gives a damn," Pollux sneered. "Get on with it, or are you too weak from that small amount of blood loss to continue playing?"
"If you're trying to provoke me, you're succeeding so far," Max growled, rising. "I'll make you suffer… I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."
"Sorry, but I can't bring myself to take your threat seriously. I'm going to play Angel's Gift, drawing three cards and discarding two. I think I'll rid myself of Kaiser Seahorse and Electric Guardian: Sanga. Then I play Raise Dead on Sanga. (2600/2200) Sanga, attack the Legacy Hunter!"
Hope: 6400
Max: 6450
Castor: 8000
Pollux: 8000
Hope kneeled down, blood flowing as she spat it out of her mouth. Amy closed her eyes, wishing that she could help somehow. Gaston whispered a few words to Hope, and in response she nodded and got up.
Although the ice was growing around her, Chasity didn't cry out. She wasn't sure whether this was because she was too frightened to do anything, or because she was growing too numb to think from the ice.
Hope brightened when she saw what her next card was. "This will work! I summon Initiate Troops. (1000/1000) Then I activate their effect! By sacrificing them, your Gate Guardian is destroyed. Then I flip summon Goblin Strike Team. (2300/0) Attack Castor directly!"
Pollux smirked. "You do know that I could simply have my Sanga block them?"
Hope paled. "I forgot about that!"
"Don't worry, your brutes will be spared for a turn," Pollux laughed.
Castor flipped over her trap card. "I activate Magic Cylinder."
Hope: 4100
Max: 6450
Castor: 8000
Pollux: 8000
This time, Hope was forced to cough up much more blood than previously. She felt somewhat lightheaded as she rose again, and tried her best to concentrate. "I'm… done…"
"I play Jar of Greed, and then Theft, which allows me to gain control of your Goblins. Then I activate Duo's effect, allowing me to bring forth a monster from my Cemetery with 500 attack and defense less than previously. I'll bring out Demon's Familiar, (0/0) and sacrifice both monsters for Water Guardian: Suga. (2500/2400) Suga attacks you directly."
As the water shot out from Suga's mouth, something jumped in front of Hope. She realized it was a Twilight Zone Trainer (100/2000) right before it was destroyed.
"As if I would let you kill my partner that easily," Max said.
Castor looked unconcerned. "It is your turn."
"I'll take it gladly. And I'll start off by playing Black Hole, which wipes out everything on the field!"
"Not so fast," Pollux chastised. "I activate Magic Jammer. By discarding Higeasokou from my hand, your magic card is negated and destroyed."
"Argh… I lay one monster in defense mode, and one other card down. It's your turn."
Pollux grinned at her next card. "Well, this is quite helpful. I play Raise Dead, bringing forth Gate Guardian! (3750/3400)"
"I activate Ambush!" Max announced. "This lets me special summon Demon Soldier from my hand! (1900/1500)"
"Gr… Sanga, Gate Guardian, direct attack!"
"I block both!" Max declared. His Gil Gars (1800/1200) was slaughtered by the Gate Guardian, while his Demon Soldier electrocuted to death by Sanga.
Hope: 4100
Max: 5750
Castor: 8000
Pollux: 8000
Hope watched in horror as Max started coughing up blood again. Why is he doing this? He's risking his own life to keep their monsters from killing me…
"Make your move," Pollux volunteered. "Unless you'd rather wait for your friend over there to quit being sick."
Ignoring the jest, Hope looked at her hand. This just might work… at least, it will to keep them from hurting me. But Max… this won't be able to help him. I can only hope that he will be able to fend for himself.
"I activate Calling Reinforcements, to get a level four or lower Warrior from my deck. I choose, and summon, Troop Commander! (1200/400) His effect allows me to special summon a level four or lower monster when he is successfully summoned. So I special summon another Troop Commander!"
"Remind me of what good that will do you?" Pollux sneered.
"As long as I have another Warrior on the field, Troop Commander cannot be attacked. That means that you can't score any damage on me!"
"A small set back," Pollux shrugged. "We'll just kill that guy first. Anything else you are going to do?"
"I end my turn…"
"Strange, isn't it? Hope is the only player that has cards in her hand," Matt commented.
"It's all up to luck now…" Amy said.
Brandi could not bring herself to speak from fear for her family.
"I lay one monster in defense mode. Then I attack directly with Suga," Castor decided.
Hope: 4100
Max: 3250
Castor: 8000
Pollux: 8000
Max spent much time throwing up all of the blood he was losing. He forced himself to his feet, and saw that Chasity was now frozen to her waist.
With a growl of rage, Max drew and cautiously looked at his card. "I play my own Jar of Greed… whew, saved. I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card down. That's it."
"I lay one monster, and attack you with Gate Guardian!"
"You've fallen for my trap!" Max said triumphantly. "I activate Division of Ranks!"
"What does that do?"
"We each declare a Sub-Type. Any monster on our field that isn't of that Sub-Type is destroyed."
Pollux swore. "But… we use so many different Sub-Types!"
"That was the point."
"Damn it! I choose Warrior!" The Sanga on her field faded away.
"Water," Castor chose.
"Of course I'll choose Warriors," Hope stated.
"And I pick Demons," Max smirked.
So that's why he wanted me to be his partner! Hope realized. Since I only use Warriors, his Division of Ranks was no hinder to me!
"Gate Guardian, obliterate his monster!" Pollux snarled. Max's Cursed Gyura (1500/800) didn't stand a chance.
Hope looked at her card. "This might be one of our only chances to get rid of Gate Guardian… I'll do it."
"What are you talking about?" Gaston asked her.
"I summon Twilight Zone Female Warrior! (1500/1600) Attack Gate Guardian!"
"What? That's suicide!" Pollux exclaimed.
"I also activate her effect! When she battles another monster, I can choose to remove both monsters from play!"
"Call off the attack!" Gaston pleaded.
"No way. This is one of our only chances of getting rid of that ugly excuse for a warrior!"
Hope: 1850
Max: 3250
Castor: 8000
Pollux: 8000
Hope couldn't do anything to contain the blood that spilled from her lips. Gaston knelt down to her, and she managed to say, "I-I'm… done…"
Castor looked over inquiringly, and Gaston nodded. She drew, and sighed. "Suga attacks directly. I lay one card down, and end my turn."
Hope: 1850
Max: 750
Castor: 8000
Pollux: 8000
-----
Malon yipped excitedly. They soon saw why, as Fell and Daine entered the clearing.
"Did you find anything?" Larka asked.
Miles looked at Daine's fangs. "I'd say they found something, judging by the color his teeth are."
Daine licked his chops. "We found a Commander of Heaven. He said that they had taken Rue away already. I doubt we have much chance in finding him. I killed him so that we wouldn't have to worry about him later.
Claire looked at the Duel Disk she held. Why did it suddenly seem blurry?
"We can't give up that easily," Larka protested. "Maybe Ruecian will know something when he wakes up."
Perseus kneeled. "We can ask later, but what about the others? We should get to them. I can carry Ruecian until he wakes up."
With no better ideas, they took Perseus' advice. Neo and Darche managed to get Ruecian onto his back, and then they set off.
-----
Brandi shuddered as she saw Max fall to the ground, weakly coughing. Tears threatened to escape her eyes. Matt, seeing the state she was in, simply wrapped his arm around her shoulders. It was a small gesture, but it calmed her immensely.
Max staggered upright. Now he knew something was definitely wrong. His mind felt fuzzy, and he was finding it difficult to keep focused. He looked over at Chasity, and saw that her arms were frozen. This should have made him worry, but he couldn't bring himself to care…
Then he felt something. A clear thought, one that spoke of death… it was terrible somehow, Max knew that. He shouldn't trust it. But it was something solid, and he grasped onto it with all his might.
Hope looked over at Max, and started with shock. Something was surrounding him… a blood-red aura… was she just imagining it from blood loss? No, it couldn't be… it was too evil to be from her mind…
"One monster in defense mode. That's it."
Max's voice, once disoriented with pain, seemed firmer somewhat. Or was she wrong?
"Curse that Division or Ranks!" Pollux growled. "I pass."
I need to stop that Suga somehow! Hope thought desperately. She looked at her card. This might work… I hope Max has a plan though. "I play Cyclone on your magic or trap, Castor!""It is Emissary of Harmony. I chain it."
"It doesn't matter; I wasn't going to attack. I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"…Suga, attack his defense monster."
"I block it!" Hope declared. "With my Retrained Elven Swordsman! (1400/1200) This monster cannot be destroyed in battle with monsters that have 1900 attack or more."
"I end my turn."
"I play… one card down. And end."
Olympion's eyes narrowed. Hope saw the black aura around Max slowly start to flow towards Olympion. The others didn't seem to notice it.
Pollux let forth several colorful words. "For crying out loud! I pass again…"
Hope shrugged. "I might as well try this. Troop Commander, attack Castor's defense monster!"
A small hamster appeared on the field, and squeaked in terror before being sliced in half.
"A hamster." Mana shook her head in disbelief. "A hamster? Why in the name of all that's holy did they make a hamster card?"
"My Death Hamster (900/600) allows me to get another, due to its Reverse effect, and play it in defense mode."
"Death Hamster. That has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard of, aside from Killer Tomato," Mana commented.
"My second Troop Commander destroys the new one."
"I get a third."
"I'll end my turn."
"Suga attacks your defense monster," she said, indicating to Max.
Max smiled coldly. "I activate Magic Cylinder. Isn't it nice to have your own cards turn against you?"
Hope: 1850
Max: 750
Castor: 5500
Pollux: 8000
Castor collapsed, vomiting blood. Max did not seem to notice.
"I flip over X-E-N-O, and take control of your Suga due to his Reverse Effect. Due to Division of Ranks, Suga is immediately destroyed. Then I sacrifice X-E-N-O for Demon King of the Underworld: Hades. (2450/1600) Hades will attack your defense monster, Pollux."
"My Giant Virus is gone. But his effect causes you to lose 500 Life Points, and let me special summon up to two more."
"Hate to disappoint you, but while Hades is on the field, my Demon Sub-Types negate the effects of monsters that they destroy."
"…That sucks," Pollux groaned. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"I switch Retrained Elven Swordsman to attack! Troop Commander attacks Death Hamster. Then my Retrained Elven Swordsman attacks Castor directly!"
"I'll intercept him with another Giant Virus!" Pollux cried. "But I won't special summon any more."
Hope went to the ground. "Troop Commander… attacks directly… to Castor…" Then she began violently coughing up more blood. Castor was soon doing the same.
Hope: 1350
Max: 750
Castor: 4300
Pollux: 8000
Hope finally managed to rise, leaning on Gaston's arm for support. "I lay one card down, and end my turn…"
"…I pass."
"What?!" Pollux exclaimed. "No, you can't just end without playing something!"
"I have nothing…"
"Not even a life," Max sneered. "For I am about to end yours. I remove Gil Gars, Demon Soldier, and Giant Orc for Dark Necrophia! (2200/2800) Both of you, slaughter her! Do not relent! Leave nothing remaining! Kill her, and end her pitiful existence forever!"
Hope: 1350
Max: 750
Castor: 0
Pollux: 8000
Everyone stared at Max for a minute, shocked at what he had said, before turning to Castor. The girl was on the ground, weakly coughing, barely able to even do that. Pollux had rushed over to her, and was talking to her. Although the others could not hear what she said, they saw the tears that ran down her face.
Castor responded faintly, before closing her eyes and becoming still. Duo gave a sorrowful roar before fading away.
Pollux buried her face into her arms, sobbing. Max didn't look like he cared though. He had a strange smile on his face… as though he had enjoyed doing that.
Olympion gave a low growl, and the aura began to flow towards him faster… when it suddenly broke away completely. Olympion stepped back, looking surprised. The others gave him a puzzled look, not understanding why he seemed shocked.
That aura is causing Max to change, Hope realized. But why can't Olympion stop it? Is it too strong?
She forced herself to let go of Gaston, who was too preoccupied by Max and Olympion to notice. She then walked weakly over to Max.
"Max… why? Why did you want her to die so badly?"
"She was nothing," Max growled. "Pathetic humans… they are too weak, unworthy of living. I shall be their executioner!"
"But Max, you risked your own life to help me out, and your younger sister. You care about several of us. Sure, there are bad people out there, but there are also good ones, as you well know! Max, I know you care about your family, and friends, and that you don't take pleasure in killing things! You only slay when necessary, that I'm well aware of! So please, remember that!"
Max gazed at her before shaking his head fiercely. "What the hell just happened?"
"Max?" Hope asked.
He caught a glimpse of Castor's corpse. "She's dead? But how… what happened? I can't remember anything…"
"But you were the one who killed her!" Pollux shouted, rising. She did not bother to try and hide her tears. "You slew her, and enjoyed doing it! I'll take the same delight killing you, you bastard!"
Max just stared at her blankly.
Pollux looked at her card, and started crying again, out of sorrow and frustration. "I summon Quick Squirrel! (1000/100)"
The squirrel faded away as quickly as it had appeared.
"And end my turn!"
The poor girl doesn't care if she lives or dies, Hope thought. She may have been trying to kill us, but I can't help but feel a little sorry for her… the least I can do is put her out of her misery, I suppose.
"I summon Surprising Matasa. (1300/800) Then I equip him The Fused Weapon, Murasame Blade. This raises his attack by 800. (2100/800) Matasa also has the ability to attack twice. So Matasa attacks two times, then both my Troop Commanders attack, and Retrained Elven Swordsman finishes you."
Hope: 1350
Max: 750
Castor: 0
Pollux: 0
Tears and blood mixed as Pollux fell to the ground. Lotus vanished when she finally ceased moving.
The ice trapping Chasity melted away as well. But the young girl was too horrified to do anything but remain where she was, shaking from terror from what she had seen.
Brandi forced herself to cross the stained ground so that she could reach Chasity. She lifted her, whispering, "It'll be alright… it'll be alright…" but she wasn't sure whether she was trying to convince her younger sister or herself-probably both.
Matt brought out two cards, handing one each to Hope and Max. "Use these. It'll help with the blood loss."
Hope marveled at how he could keep himself calm after witnessing such a gruesome scene before activating the card. Instantly, she felt her mind begin to clear.
"It's called Compensation of Blood," Matt explained.
"Thanks…" Hope looked over at the two bodies. "Can we bury them somewhere?"
"Sure. But let's do it elsewhere, a place where this blood will not violate their resting place." Matt walked over to where Brandi and Chasity were. "Chasity, you should leave now. I'll be back soon. Don't leave the house, and don't come back here."
She nodded. "I-I'm… sorry…"
"There's nothing to apologize for," Brandi said. "Just go back home for now, ok?"
"Alright…" she agreed before vanishing.
"Poor girl. She will be scarred from this for a long time, if not forever," Gaston stated.
"Yeah…" Hope said.
"Let's worry about that later," Matt advised. "We need to bury these two, right now. Then we should try and find the others. I hope they are alright…"
"Will went to help," Amy reassured. "We ran into each other before he left… oh, and speaking of which, I wish you had warned us about those Jade Whistles Matt! Will was nearly killed by stampeding insects."
"Whoops. Guess I kinda forgot to mention that," Matt admitted sheepishly. "Certain details tend to slip my mind."
"I can see that," Amy said dryly.
Gaston lifted Pollux, and Mana got Castor. Then they left the bloody riverside to find a place to bury them.
-----
"You're sure we are going the right way?" Draken inquired as the group followed Daine and Malon.
"Yes. They were by the river a while ago."
Malon barked in agreement.
"But something does not seem right," Daine continued as they went on. "I can smell much blood…"
"That doesn't sound good," Larka commented. "We'd better hurry!"
They finally emerged by the river, and could do nothing but stare.
An area nearby the river was totally covered with blood. It was like staring at a spot where several people had been massacred, and then chopped apart to coat the ground with red.
"Daine? Whose blood is it?" Larka asked tensely.
Malon howled mournfully. Daine shook his head. "I do not recognize two of the blood scents. But there are two more scents, and those are of Hope and Max."
Draken paled slightly. "You mean… that they are…"
"It seems that way," Will said grimly.
Larka covered her face, and Claire closed her eyes to mask the sorrow in them. The rest could not take their eyes from the spot.
"Poor Hope," Miles sighed. "She was a great person until the very end."
"What about Max?" Draken asked.
"He was a jackass, so I don't care as much," Miles shrugged.
"Thanks," said Max sarcastically. "I'll remember that for future references."
Miles jumped backwards with a yelp of shock as Hope, Amy, Max, Matt, and Brandi came out of the forest, looking weary but very much alive.
"Oh, joy. I've finally gone insane," Draken sighed. "Now I'll start saying completely random and idiotic things, like Miles."
"What? Did I miss something?" Brandi asked.
"We thought…" Larka pointed over to the bloody grounds.
"Ah, that. We're fine," Hope assured. "It was just a Life Point penalty. Every time we lost Life Points, we lost some blood. But we're ok now."
"SOME?! More like all of the blood inside of you!" Neo exclaimed.
"Let me guess: you're going to kill me," Miles said to Max.
"Nah, not yet. I'm going to get you when you least expect it," Max smirked.
"That really makes me feel better. No, really," Miles muttered.
They left the riverside, and went to another nearby clearing. Once everyone was settled down, Draken turned to the five who had found Chasity.
"So, who is going to tell the rest of us about what happened?"
About three seconds passed, and then Amy, Max, Matt, and Brandi yelled, "Not it!"
"Alright then, you explain," Will said to Hope.
"Wait… what just happened?" Hope asked, confused. Getting uncomfortable under everyone's gaze, she sighed. "Oh alright, I'll explain…"
When Hope concluded the tale, Will was looking over at Max. "And you have no idea on what happened?"
"None," Max confirmed.
"What about all of you?" Hope inquired.
"I'll tell you about it," Larka volunteered.
Rue's disappearance disturbed the others. "So we have no idea on where he is?" Hope asked.
"Pretty much," Draken nodded. "We have no leads, unless Ruecian knows something we don't. We can only hope that he does."
To be continued…