Today is a special day for me and the others that have helped me get this far. 11/14/03 was the day that I wrote and posted the first chapter of Teknisk Wereld v1. What does this mean? It's Teknisk Wereld's first anniversary! Thank you everyone who has been reading this story! It's still going strongly, and I owe a lot to my friends, readers, and reviewers.
As a way to celebrate, I have been writing as much as I could today. I had a ton of homework, but I managed to get a lot done. I wanted to try to get three chapters done as a bonus of sorts, but I am not sure if I can get it all submitted in time, since I am not done. If it doesn't all make it today, the other two will be up by tomorrow.
John: Yes, he was. And do I want to know what a turkey-chicken is?
Captain Obvious: I'm glad you thought it was funny. And that some people were weirdly crazy. And no, they cannot do math.
Chapter 8: An Attempt to End It
When Ender had noticed that Brandi and her companions were not in the house, he had waited patiently for his chance. When Mana had come running into the condo, he waited until the ambulance was gone, and Hime was distracted. Then he had fled, taking his Duel Disk and deck, and was now searching for Thanatos.
It's all my fault. If I had not killed Olympion, then Max would not have turned into Thanatos. I can't believe how chaotic this has gotten. I simply wanted revenge for what I thought was truth. And now I know that it was a lie. And now Thanatos is trying to kill them all. And it's all my fault.
I have to stop him… even if I die trying, I still have to. I gave this monster life, and because of that, I have to take his life with my own hands.
Ender had not known where to look, but had decided to try the forest first. After all, that was where they had first found him. Ender was pretty good at eavesdropping, so he had managed to hear all of the details about Thanatos the group had given. So he knew what he should be looking for. It wasn't like he had any better leads anyway.
Ender stopped in front of the forest, hesitating.
I've come this far… I have to keep going, he decided. So with that, he stepped into the trees.
It was much darker in the forest, since the trees blocked out the stars and moon. He made his way through it slowly, hardly daring to breathe. Every shadow was deadly, for Thanatos might be hiding in it. Or the wind could be his enemy, because it might actually be Thanatos lunging at him. Or he could be waiting patiently until Ender finally gave up, tried to leave, only to die…
No. Thanatos doesn't kill anyone outright, Ender reminded himself. Ender was not frightened easily, and he was not now-he was just being cautious. I will have an opportunity to defeat him.
His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly heard a noise. It sounded like someone landing behind him. He slowly turned, looking at the horror that had taken the shape of his half-brother.
"So you came," Thanatos smirked. "I knew you would seek me out."
Ender did not respond. So this is Thanatos... the one I must destroy.
"I must thank you. You were the one who released me, after all."
"I did not mean to, as you are aware," Ender said quietly.
"Yes, I am. It does not change the fact that you did though. So I shall take full advantage of it." Thanatos activated his Duel Disk. "But I can see this conversation will get us nowhere."
"I came to end your reign of terror. Not to talk," Ender stated. "I do not want to waste any more time. Let's begin."
Ender: 8000
Thanatos: 8000
"I will be going first," Thanatos stated.
I should have expected him to, Ender realized. He knows what my deck is like. If I had gotten first turn, I might have been able to kill him before he could have even entered his first main phase. He looked at his hand. Not this time though; even if I had gone first, I wouldn't have been able to.
"I set one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."
Is he waiting to see what I will do? Or trying to tempt me into attacking?
"I will start by playing Tutor of the Abyss. I pay 1000 Life Points, and select a Main-Type and Sub-Type. You will be forced to put a card with that Main-Type and Sub-Type into the Cemetery from your hand or deck."
"Well, I pretty much have only one Sub-Type," Thanatos stated. "But I have enough variety to discard cards that I do not need. What types can you choose that you are sure will set me back?"
"Your deck may have a majority of Demons, but it has at least one other that is not," Ender replied. "So I call Earth and Warrior."
"Ah, I see… you are attempting to force me to discard all of my Warrior of Zeras so you will not have to face Devil Mazera. You know more about my deck then you should."
"I'm good at eavesdropping."
"That explains. Very well then." Thanatos took a Warrior of Zera out of his deck and slid it into the Cemetery.
Ender: 7000
Thanatos: 8000
"Then I lay two cards down, and a monster in defense mode. That's it."
"I will first activate Tempest, to destroy your two magic or trap cards."
Ender sighed. "I don't mind losing Candle of Fate, but I did need Last Battle!..."
"A pity, isn't it? I will lay one card down, and summon Infernal Queen Demon. (900/1500)"
"She doesn't seem very strong," Ender pointed out.
"Her effect makes up for that. On each of my standby phases, I can raise one monster with the word Demon in its name by 1000 attack until my end phase. She can't do that this turn, but considering how low most of your monster's defenses are, it should not be a problem. She attacks your defense monster."
Ender smiled slightly. "My Mask of Darkness. (900/400) Its reverse effect now activates. I can get back a trap from my Cemetery and put it into my hand. Guess which one I'm choosing."
"Last Battle!, obviously." Thanatos did not appear to be worried, but he was considering what precautions he would have to take. "I'm done."
"I lay two more cards down, and another monster in defense mode. That's all."
"I lose 500 Life Points because of my Queen's effect."
The Queen went over to him, striking him with her claws. He was not even fazed though.
Ender: 7000
Thanatos: 7500
"Then I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."
"I pass," Ender said, eyeing his card.
Thanatos smirked when he saw what he had drawn. "I must pay for my Queen again."
Ender: 7000
Thanatos: 7000
"On my standby phase, I will have my Queen raise her own attack power. (1900/1500) Then I will sacrifice my face down Death Rook Demon (1100/1800) for Swift Lightning Demon King-Skull Demon. (2500/1200) Then I flip summon Hell Pawn Demon. (1200/200) My Queen attacks your defense monster."
"I activate my trap card, Astral Barrier!" Ender announced. "This is a permanent trap. It lets me choose whether or not you attack the monster you wanted to, or attack me directly. I am going to have you attack me directly."
Even when the Queen slashed him, Ender did not falter. He was young, but also did not know what fear meant at this time.
Ender: 5100
Thanatos: 7000
"Then I will attack it with Hell Pawn Demon…"
"Once again, I choose to have you attack directly."
Again, Ender was slashed. And again, he managed to bear it.
Ender: 3900
Thanatos: 7000
"Then… I attack with Skull Demon…"
"I'll take this one too," Ender decided.
The lightning sent at him was much worse than the swords. But still, they were holograms. With that fact in mind, Ender took the damage without a sound.
Ender: 1400
Thanatos: 7000
He must have a plan, Thanatos realized. Or else he would not risk letting his Life Points drop so low. We'll see…
"It is your move." (900/1500)
Ender seemed relieved by the card he drew. "I play Jar of Greed, to draw two more cards. Excellent… just what I needed. Now I activate Ark of Miracles! First, I must my face down Marshmallon (300/500) and the Death Gremlin in my hand. (1600/1800) Each one is level four, making the total eight. That allows me to special summon Ruler of Heaven Shinato! (3300/3000)"
"So that's what you were trying to do," Thanatos concluded.
"Yes. You know now what I'm attempting. Shinato is stronger than any monster in your deck. If I can activate Last Battle!, I win instantly. If not, I can still destroy your monsters. Since Hell Pawn Demon's effect will not let me attack your other Demons, I'll take him out first! Then I am done."
Ender: 1400
Thanatos: 5800
"I lose 500 Life Points to my Queen and 500 more to my Skull Demon."
The two slashed at Thanatos, who still did not seem to mind.
Ender: 1400
Thanatos: 4800
Thanatos thought for a moment before drawing. And he looked up from his card.
"You almost had me. But not quite."
"What do you mean?" Ender asked. This new confidence Thanatos had was making him feel uneasy, but he did not let that show.
"I could not have done enough damage in one blow to avoid activating Last Battle!... until now." He smirked. But this time, his eyes were beginning to whisper of Ender's death.
"I summon Genocide King Demon. (2000/1500)"
Ender's guilt increased as he saw a copy of the one he had slain emerge before him. Yet he showed no emotion.
"And then I will activate Diskabaado Attack. I have to sacrifice a monster with Demon in its name to activate it, so I will choose my Skull Demon. Now, during this turn, my Genocide Demon King will be allowed to attack you directly," Thanatos stated.
Ender couldn't speak as he saw the Skull Demon fade away with a last roar. It's over… I've lost…
"Genocide Demon King attacks directly, destroying you!"
Ender brought his arms up instinctively, but the sword still went through them, and his chest, and his heart…
Ender: 0
Thanatos: 4800
Then the monsters vanished, leaving the true one, Thanatos, to view Ender with those horrible eyes.
"A valiant effort, but all for nothing," he stated, stepping forward slowly. "Now, you are aware of the conditions of losing, correct?"
"Yes. I will die now," Ender said calmly. "I deserve no less, after I was responsible for you."
Thanatos smiled, a smile that would cause the bravest man's blood to run cold. "You do not deserve less, but you do deserve more. If you want to make up for your sin that badly, then perhaps this will help."
By now, he was right in front of Ender, who was simply watching. What is this feeling? Disappointment? Or maybe fear?
-----
The minutes seemed to be hours in the eyes of the rest of the group. Even though Brandi had not been gone for very long, it seemed that way to them. And all they could do was wait.
Unable to stand the tension, Rue and Claire had a few duels. The reason they had time for so many was that Claire was beating him rather quickly.
"Man, I'm doing even worse than usual," Rue complained. "It must be because I'm distracted."
"That's what they all say," Claire teased, shuffling her deck again.
But before they could begin another one, they heard the door open and close. In a few seconds, Hime stepped into the living room.
"Hime!" Larka exclaimed.
"I'm sorry that I'm late," Hime apologized. "I didn't realize what time it was until it was almost twelve."
"Whoa, wait! It's past twelve?" Rue said in disbelief. "Where has the rest of the night gone?"
"We spent it in the hospital, and searching for Ender," Hope pointed out. "Did you find him Hime?"
"No. And I searched everywhere around here…"
"Brandi went to look for you when you didn't return," Gaston said.
"Then maybe she will run into Ender," Hime sighed.
"But wait! If Ender is out there alone, and Brandi is out there alone… what if one of them runs into Thanatos?!" Hope exclaimed.
"I don't see why Thanatos would be after Ender," Rue responded. "He made it pretty clear that he wants to kill us, but never mentioned Ender. Brandi, on the other hand…"
Mana got up. "I'm going to look for her. I'll come back in thirty minutes, whether I've found Brandi or not. If I don't make it back… well… assume that we've run into difficulties." Then she left.
Hope sat down on the arm of the couch. "I hope they'll be ok…"
"It won't do us any good to worry about it," Rue said. "What happens will happen, and we'll deal with it when it does." Then he put down his deck and drew five more cards. "Again Claire?"
"I guess," she shrugged, drawing six cards of her own.
-----
Brandi looked at the trees that were in the front of the forest, debating with herself about whether to go in or not.
I doubt Hime would have gone in, or Ender, she thought doubtfully.
Then she heard a roar from the forest.
That sounded like… a Duel Monster card. That's the only thing it could be. Where have I heard that particular noise before? Then she remembered Will's duel against Thanatos. Skull Demon! It must be Thanatos! But who would he be dueling? Wait… could he be dueling Ender?! No… Ender wouldn't challenge him, would he? He shouldn't even have his deck with him!
Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, she was charging into the forest, towards the area that the sound had come from.
She soon caught sight of two figures. Brandi was horrified to see one grab the other at the neck.
Before she could do anything, a sharp snap, one even more deadly than the one from Rue's leg, was sounded. Then Thanatos tossed aside Ender's limp body, which hit the ground.
Brandi's mind seemed to go numb as she saw her step-brother fall. She could only think about one thing.
"Please, just kill me!"
This is not Max. This is the side of Max that he desperately wants us to destroy.
Thanatos was not aware of the girl until she was already on top of him. Using all of her speed, she attacked, her fury being converted into energy. Caught by surprise, Thanatos was not able to defend in time. Another crack sounded, this time from Thanatos' chest. Brandi had broken more than one of Thanatos' ribs.
But he recovered quickly. The broken ribs didn't even slow him down. Even at top speed, he could see her movements and stop them. He grabbed her right arm easily, and twisted it. Yet another snap was sounded, this time due to her broken arm. While distracted by the pain, Thanatos slammed her in the chest, breaking far more ribs than she had accomplished against him. Then, with a vicious kick to her wounded chest, she was sent crashing into a tree. She collapsed, trying not to show her pain, but failing.
Thanatos gazed at her coldly. "I would normally do more than just this, but I know it will all be healed by your Soul Monster anyway. And I am not quite ready to kill you yet. You, in particular, are a fun one to torture. Just my existence causes you to suffer." Then he walked out of the forest as though nothing had happened.
-----
Mana was nearby the forest at around that time. "I wonder where I should start looking?"
Her mind was made up when she heard a sudden cry of pain from the forest.
"Brandi!" she gasped, running into the forest.
She halted at the clearing, seeing Brandi lying at the base of the tree. She instantly put her hands onto Brandi's chest, light pouring from them. Even though she was exhausted, she continued to heal her, repairing the broken arm, ribs, and torn leg muscles. By the time she was done, she was completely worn out, and leaned against the tree.
"…Mana?" Brandi said softly. She tried to sit up, but very carefully-her chest still hurt, even though it was in perfect condition now.
"Are you alright?" Mana asked. "I heard you scream…"
"It was Thanatos," she explained. "He was… Ender! Where is he?"
Even with the way she felt, she forced herself to get up, walking over to Ender. His skin was very pale, and his back looked unnatural. She did not risk trying to examine it though, knowing that she might make it worse. Still, Brandi forced herself to take off his Duel Disk.
"We need to get a doctor here, right away…" Brandi said. "Mana… I know you're tired, but can you go? You'll be quicker than me…"
"Of course," Mana replied, rising. "I'll be back as soon as I can." Then she was off, putting aside her tiredness in her haste to get back to the condo.
-----
"Rue, how can you beat Generals of Hell and Commanders of Heaven, but you cannot win a free duel to save your life?" Hope inquired as Rue lost yet again.
"Aw shut up," Rue muttered, gathering his cards up.
"Actually, Rue wins most of the duels that he needs to win to save his life," Gaston joked.
"You have a point there," Hope admitted.
Their conversation was cut off when the door slammed open. They looked down the hall to see Mana sprinting over to the phone and hastily dialing 911 for the fourth time in the past two days. Mana quickly stated that there was an emergency, and then gave the address before hanging up.
"What happened?" Hope asked.
"It's Ender," Mana said grimly. "Thanatos found him. And… well… he isn't in good shape."
Everyone was silent until Larka spoke up. "What about Brandi?"
"She'll be fine. I healed her," Mana responded. "That's the only good news though."
In a few moments, they heard the ambulance. Hime stayed behind, and Claire volunteered to so that Rue would not grow bored again. He insisted that she went though, saying she would be completely out of her mind in worry if she didn't. So after Gaston, Perseus, and Daine had retreated into their Soul Cards, they went outside, meeting the two familiar men.
"I hope you folks have some darn good health insurance," the first one said as they got out. "So who is hurt this time?"
"He's in the forest," Mana told them hastily. "I can lead the way. It isn't too far in."
"Alright. Show us where he is."
-----
Those minutes were some of the most anxious and tense ones Brandi had ever been forced to experience. She could only sit beside Ender, waiting for Mana to return with help.
I hate not being able to do anything, Brandi thought. I wish I could help Ender somehow… but all I've managed to do is injure Thanatos a little. He didn't even act as though he was hurt.
Even if Max is inside of him, we can't let Thanatos go on… we can't…
At last, she heard them coming. The two men instantly looked over Ender. The rest of the group viewed him from a distance, in a combination of worry and horror.
"Not good at all," the second one flinched. "Let's hurry."
Even though Brandi was still in much pain, she did not show it as she got up and walked back to the ambulance with them.
The trip back to the vehicle and to the hospital was a completely silent one. Even the other two men seemed graver as they drove them there.
When they arrived, they were told to stay in the waiting room until further notice. Since visiting hours in the hospital were over, they could not go to see Will or Miles, so they remained where they had been asked to stay. And again, they were painfully aware of how slowly the minutes ticked by as they watched the clock. Besides Malon's occasional whimpers, it was completely quiet.
Then, at long last, a nurse came into the room. They stood up instantly, looking at her.
She sighed. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news… but here is what we have been able to determine. The only good thing I have to say is that he will probably live. But the location his spine was broken in… it is highly likely that he will be crippled for the rest of his life."
Once more, silence greeted the statement.
"I'm sorry… that's how it looks now," the nurse said sadly.
"Is it definite that he will be crippled?" Hope asked softly.
"I am afraid so," the nurse stated. "We will call you if any new details come up, ok?"
Brandi slowly nodded.
"We'll do the best we can," the nurse nodded. "But I'm afraid there isn't much we can do. We will try our best though." She then left the room, going back the way she had come.
-----
Neo could not fall asleep. He was exhausted, but he did not want to drift off. What if Will became delirious again? He had to be awake to help him.
He suddenly realized that Will seemed to be saying something. He went over to him quietly, trying to catch the whispered words.
"Draken… who is she? Is she alright now?" Then he was silent once more.
Neo shook his head. What does all of this mean? I wish I knew…
-----
While walking home, the Soul Monsters emerged. Hope said that they would explain what happened when they got back to Hime, Rue, and Ruecian. That was the only words that were exchanged the whole time.
They entered the condo, and went into the living room. Rue was asleep, while Ruecian and Hime were sitting on the edge of the bed. When they came in, Ruecian reached over to Rue and shook his shoulder.
"I swear I didn't steal your doughnut…" Rue mumbled, still out of it.
Seeing that he wouldn't rise any time soon, Ruecian smacked him over the head.
"Ouch!" Rue sat up instantly, wincing. "Did you have to wake me up so roughly?"
Ruecian nodded.
"You do know that being hit won't help me recover any more quickly, right?" Rue complained. Then he saw the others. "Hey guys. So what happened?"
Hope finally answered. "Ender will live. But he will probably be crippled for the rest of his life."
"What?!" Rue exclaimed. Then he looked away. "Damn… I thought Miles was bad off. But at least he has a chance to recover, right? What about Ender?"
"The way the nurse put it, there isn't a chance at all," Claire sighed.
"Poor kid…" Rue muttered. "He may have caused this mess, but that is just too much."
Hime closed her eyes, but said nothing.
"What now?" Gaston inquired. "Thanatos is still out there, and he's still planning on killing the rest of us. As much as I grieve for what has happened to Ender, we have to start worrying about the present. What should we do?"
Brandi had been watching them dry-eyed, saying nothing. But she finally spoke up.
"We will follow him."
"What? What do you mean?" Claire asked.
Brandi quickly explained what was on her mind. It was like she couldn't stop, for the fear of not continuing. "Up until now, we have been breaking away whenever one of us is injured. But this allows Thanatos to recover too. That wound Will gave him has had time to be treated, for example."
"But it was not," Fell stated.
Everyone turned to him in surprise. Hearing Fell say something without being prompted was very uncommon, after all.
"…On the rooftop, there was blood," Fell explained. "It could only have come from his wound."
"He didn't tend to the wound? But why?" Hope wondered.
"I also broke a few of his ribs," Brandi told them. "But he did not seem to notice. Maybe he cannot feel pain."
"Very possible," Daine agreed.
"But he is still having time to plan his next attack," Brandi stated. "And that is why we shouldn't give him that chance. We must go after him, and continue to attack him until he finally falls."
Hope shook her head. "But… what about Max?"
"I don't know. But what I do know is that Thanatos must be stopped, at all costs," Brandi replied. "There are only a few of us left. This is the last thing we can try. Are you all with me?"
"Of course," Larka said instantly.
"Yes," Hope responded. She still felt kind of uneasy, but she was not about to let down her friends.
"If I can help, I will," Claire assured.
Fell nodded, which was again a surprise; they hadn't been expecting a reaction.
What has happened to Fell? Hope wondered. He has been acting differently lately, and I must say that the change is for the better. But why?
She concentrated on him, and saw his aura. But it was not the same one she had viewed earlier. Before, he had been completely cold, uncaring to anything. But there had been a small section of light that refused to go out. That light had spoken of loyalty to his sister, the last person he felt he could trust.
This new aura was more difficult to read, but Hope got it in a few seconds. His emotions were confused. He was used to ignoring everyone and everything except for his sister, but now he felt as though he had to start paying attention to others, and possibly even try to help them. He felt as though he should trust this group he had been accepted into, but could not be sure if it would be safe to. He acted as he always had due to habit, but he was not sure if that was the correct thing to do anymore.
Pondering this, Hope let the aura fade from her sight, turning back to Brandi. "So when will we start?"
"Tomorrow afternoon. I have to get Rue to the rehab center, and… tell mom what happened to Ender."
They could see how painful this would be on both Brandi and Abby, but did not say so. They knew Brandi wanted to deal with this herself.
"Until then, we should get some sleep," Hope suggested. "We've been busy all day, and it certainly has been a long one."
"True that," Rue replied. "Good night guys."
As Fell left to go to the rooftop, Larka went after him. At the door, he turned to her.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Not at all," she said. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really happy that you're beginning to open up to the others."
"…What do you mean?"
"You're trying to help us all against Thanatos. Before, you would not have even attempted to try. But you're starting to show that you care. I'm just glad that you are attempting to assist them."
"…Is that it?"
"Almost." She suddenly embraced him. His first reaction was to stiffen, and he felt an urge to escape her grasp. Instead, he forced himself to relax. And then, rather awkwardly, he wrapped his arms slowly around her.
After a few seconds of this that seemed to last forever, Larka released him, which prompted him to do the same. He tried to avoid doing it quickly, as though he had been anxious to get out of that position.
"I think that's the first time you've ever hugged me back," Larka said, smiling. "You don't know how much it means to me…" She paused. "Well, I guess we'd better get to sleep. Good night." She reluctantly went back to the living room.
Fell watched her until she was out of his sight, and then went through the door, Daine following. When they were on top of the roof, Daine turned to him.
"Master, what brought that about? It is very unlike you. I know you love your sister, but you have never shown her that you do."
Fell gazed at the night sky.
"…I promised that I would try to pay attention to my feelings, and express them. And I am attempting to. That is all."
Daine looked up as well. "I see. I know what your emotions are, as does Larka, and possibly Malon. But nobody else does. It is good that you are trying to show them now."
"…Perhaps."
They exchanged no more words that night; there was no need to. They knew each other well enough that they did not need to talk to show their current feelings.
-----
Three people had been listening, not speaking until they were certain all of them were asleep.
"So, they will pursue Thanatos," one said. "They are quite brave, aren't they?"
"They are, as you will soon see," the second stated.
"Thanatos will slaughter them," the third hissed. "That is not something I am quite content with…"
"It is very possible that they will manage to escape with their lives," the second replied. "Do not underestimate them."
"Either way, Thanatos is being exactly what we need him to be," the first said. "He makes a very good diversion indeed. If he can kill some of them, then that will be even better."
The second one shook his head, laughing quietly.
"What is so funny?" the first inquired.
"Oh, just something that could be considered an inside joke. Nothing more. So will we leave this to Thanatos?"
"Yes. It might even be what he wanted all along."
"I would not doubt it," the third stated. "Still…"
"Enough of that. This job belongs to Thanatos. We have our own roles to play, as you both know."
"Of course, sir."
"Right," the third said, with some regret.
The first got up. "Now, back to work. I will call you both when we are to do this again."
"Yes, sir."
"Very well…"
To be continued…