I'm sorry about not updating this for a while. They should come much more quickly now!
John: Thanks.
Demon Fan: Nah, Daine loves his Retrained Elven Swordsman. And as for Ark's deck, you'll have to wait and see.
Chapter 7: Rivals
Yamato lunged, his sword at the ready. At the last second though, he managed to change the direction of his blade. It slammed to the left of the girl he had aimed it for, barely missing her.
She wore a blue skirt with dark blue shorts underneath them, and a short blue and white shirt. She had on long white socks, and white and blue platform shoes of some sort. Even with this height boost, she was pretty short. She also had on a blue band on each of her wrists, and a blue and white, round hat. Her hair was an interesting pink and almost hit her shoulders. Her eyes were a soft brown. What was curious about her was her pointed ears.
She had fallen backwards in fright when she was nearly killed. She shakily got up, watching Yamato warily as he pulled out the sword from the ground and put it back into its sheath. She got over her shock pretty quickly though.
"What do you think you are doing?! That could have killed me, nyah!" she exclaimed.
"That was the point," Yamato stated. He was examining her, when he caught sight of her pointed ears.
Those ears… they look like… hers… He quickly shook it off though when the girl started yelling at him again.
"So every new person you meet you try to kill? Have you ever heard of the term politeness?! Nyah! Just because I happen to be a newcomer doesn't mean that you have to slay me!" she ranted.
"We're sorry," Karen apologized. "It's just that we've been followed by some enemies lately. We thought you might have been trying to attack us or something."
"Elly sees… but still, that's no excuse for killing whoever happens to be nearby, nyah."
"Eh? Who's Elly?" Varen inquired.
Hope looked over at her with interest. "You speak in third person?"
"Sometimes," Elly shrugged. "It's just a habit, nyah."
"Yeah, another thing. What the heck is 'nyah' supposed to mean?" Varen asked.
"Again, it's just something I say occasionally out of habit. There's no real meaning to it."
"So what are you doing here?" Daine questioned.
"To tell you the truth… Elly got lost," she said sheepishly. "I'm trying to find a companion of mine, but I don't know this area well."
"I'm afraid we don't either," Zari stated.
"We can still try to help you find your friend," Hope suggested. "After all, it is safer to travel in numbers."
"Thanks, that'd be great, nyah!" she replied.
Gaignun, start trying to find her friend, alright?
Of course.
Oh, by the way, what do you think of her?
She is innocent enough for me to trust her.
They started off again. After a few minutes of walking, Karen beckoned to Yamato. They fell to the back of the group.
"What's the problem?"
"That girl… I recognize her," Karen told him.
"You do?"
"Yeah. Remember when you were battling… him? One time, she knocked you away with an explosion of some sort, right before you were about to kill him."
"Now that you mention it… I do recall that. But why did she help him?"
"We'll find out soon enough. At least she doesn't recognize us yet."
"True."
The trip was made mostly in silence, in hopes that they would hear something that would betray Elly's companion's presence.
At last, Gaignun contacted Hope. I think I might have found him. At least, I have picked up the faint scent of someone.
Good! How far away is he?
Gaignun's ears went up. He is very nearby. He is coming closer this very minute. He will be here in a short amount of time. He snarled out loud.
"What's the matter with your dog, nyah?" Elly inquired.
"He's a wolf, not a dog. And he must sense someone coming," Hope answered.
"A wolf? Elly had no idea. And if someone is coming, it might be the one I'm looking for, nyah."
"Possibly. Let's wait and find out," Hope suggested.
They didn't have long to wait. Just seconds after she said that, they caught sight of the man emerging from the trees.
He wore a blue shirt that looked like a combination of a normal long-sleeved shirt, shoulder armor, and chest armor. The chest armor part had some purple areas on it as well. He also had on dark blue fingerless gloves that had a white symbol on the back of each that seemed to resemble a circle. He wore dark blue pants and blue boots, which had purple soles that really stood out. He also had an elegant blue and white headband, but it was mostly covered up by his short brown hair. His blue eyes were sharp and seemed to miss nothing.
It was too quick for anyone to understand. Yamato threw himself at the man with a howl of rage, his sword slicing through the air as it came down at the man. The man was ready though. He quickly drew forth a silver katana. Although it looked much more thin and frail compared to Yamato's sword, he successfully blocked the strike aimed for him. Yamato dropped back, glaring at him with hatred.
"Hey! Elly thought you didn't normally try to kill those you have just met, nyah!" Elly protested.
The man's eyes darted over to her. "Elly, get over here."
"Alright," she responded, darting over to his side.
"What were you doing with them?"
"Well, they volunteered to help me find you…"
"And why weren't you waiting where I asked you to stay?" he demanded.
"Elly got… kind of bored…" she muttered, not looking him in the eyes. "So I wandered off…"
He sighed. "And you accepted their help? Don't you even know who those two are?" He indicated to Yamato and Karen.
Elly looked over at them. "I kind of thought they looked a little familiar, but I can't tell where I've seen them before, nyah…"
"Simple. He's Yamato, and she's Karen, and they are part of the Black Hounds."
Elly's eyes widened. "Oh! Now Elly remembers them!"
"I'm completely lost," Varen complained. "Who is that guy, and what are the Black Hounds supposed to be?"
Karen was looking at the man warily. "His name is Blake. I mentioned before that we are bounty hunters, right?"
"What the hell?!" Varen shouted.
"That's news to me," Ryei stated. "It seems you forgot to mention it to some of us."
"Oh, that's right. I told Daine and Hope, but the rest of you weren't there at the time. Yamato and I are bounty hunters, but we don't have a mission right now. We did, but our target was killed first. That's why we decided to stay with Daine and Hope until Hope paid Yamato back for his motorcycle, since she kind of caused it to explode."
Varen looked over to Hope. "You are going to tell us all of the details on that later. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah," Hope grumbled.
"The group that we work with is called the Black Hounds," Karen explained. "This man, called Blake, often intercepts our missions, killing our victim before we can. That was what happened on the mission we had before joining up with you guys. However, we are usually quicker and can kill who we were assigned to before he can. But if anyone ever beats us to it, it'll be Blake."
"What part does Elly play in this?" Daine inquired.
"We've only seen her once," Karen shrugged. "Yamato was about to kill Blake, but Elly sent some kind of blast at him, catching both of us. When the smoke cleared, they were gone. We didn't see her again afterwards, so we never found out much about her."
"I'm surprised," Blake stated. "You two often stay alone. To put yourselves with a group of other people is quite unusual."
"Don't get used to it," Yamato growled.
What do you think about all of this? Hope thought.
It is strange. Yamato and Blake smell somewhat similar.
Similar?
Yes. They both have a scent that is definitely not identical, yet a little bit alike. As for what I think of Blake himself, he has killed many, yet there is more to him than meets the eye.
Blake shook his head. "I doubt you will let me leave without a fight?"
"You'd best believe that," was his reply.
"Actually, I'd prefer a duel," Blake told him. "That way, nobody will get hurt… namely, me."
Yamato glared at him before sheathing his sword. "Fine."
"It's strange," Karen commented. "In all of the times we've fought him, we've never seen Blake duel. I wonder why he felt like dueling this time?"
"Who knows?" Varen shrugged. "It could be that he's outnumbered, that Elly is here, or maybe he just doesn't feel like fighting."
Before anyone had time to consider that, the two duelists were ready to begin.
"I will use Jackal Paladin as my Deck Master," Yamato announced as the Egyptian monster appeared.
"Very well. I will choose Servant of Horus."
The monster that appeared resembled a man. He had on a white shirt with no sleeves and long white pants. On each of his hands was a gold, white, and blue fingerless glove that covered his wrists as well. Further up his arms was a gold armlet. He had a royal blue cape on as well. His face was concealed by the gold hood that he wore. His clothes resembled something an Egyptian would wear, and Daine found it ironic that both of their Deck Masters would have that similarity.
Yamato: 8000
Blake: 8000
"Since I challenged you, you may go first," Blake offered.
"Gladly," Yamato snarled, drawing. "I lay two cards down, and one monster in defense mode. Your turn."
"I will summon Spear Dragon. (1900/0) Spear Dragon attacks your defense monster."
"You've destroyed my Poison Mummy. (1000/1800) Due to his reverse effect, you lose 500 Life Points."
"And you lose 100."
"What?"
"Spear Dragon does damage to you even if your monster is in defense mode. However, my Spear Dragon goes into defense mode as well."
Yamato: 7900
Blake: 7500
"I will also lay a card down, and then end my turn."
Yamato smirked when he saw when he had drawn. "While pathetic, this will work. I summon Swarm of Scarabs. (500/1000) They attack your Spear Dragon."
"…You must be kidding me."
"Not at all. On main phase two, I use my Scarab's effect to flip them to face down defense mode. Then I end my turn."
"I will summon Black Forest Witch. (1100/1200) She attacks."
"And I activate Magic Cylinder. Your attack is negated, and you take damage equal to your monster's attack."
Yamato: 7900
Blake: 6400
"Fine then. It's your turn."
"I'll flip my Swarm of Scarabs. This allows me to destroy your Black Forest Witch. Now I summon Royal Bodyguards. (1600/1700) Both of my monsters attack directly."
Yamato: 7900
Blake: 4300
"I will flip my Scarabs and Bodyguards face down, and lay one card down. It's your turn."
"It looks like it is time to get serious. When you destroyed my Black Forest Witch, you triggered her effect, allowing me to search my deck for one monster with 1500 defense or less and add it to my hand. I just need to finish shuffling my deck… there, done. Now I summon Black Flare Dragon of Horus lv 4. (1600/1000) It attacks your Scarabs. Then I end my turn. This allows me to activate my Horus' effect, since I killed a monster with him in battle this turn. By sacrificing him, I can special summon a Black Flare Dragon of Horus Lv 6 (2300/1600) from my deck."
"I'm not exactly impressed," Yamato stated.
"You shouldn't be yet. Just wait until next turn," Blake smirked.
"If you say so. I lay one monster in defense mode, one card down, and end my turn."
"I lay one monster in defense mode as well, and then order Horus to attack your new defense monster."
"I will activate Traveler's Riddle in response. Now you have to guess whether the card in my hand is a monster, magic, or trap card. If you guess correctly, your attack goes through. If you don't, then your monster is sent back to your hand. I only have one card in my hand, so take a guess."
"Hm… monster."
"You're right… it is my Locust Soldiers. (1000/500) Horus destroyed another Poison Mummy."
Yamato: 7900
Blake: 3800
"Then I will end my turn. Now I can activate my Horus' effect, as he destroyed a monster in battle as well. By sacrificing him, my Black Flare Dragon of Horus Lv 8 (3000/1800) is special summoned from my deck."
"It may have high attack, but I can destroy it," Yamato told him.
"So you think. Take your turn."
"With pleasure. I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card down. I'm done."
"Then this will have to be game."
"What makes you say that?"
"I sacrifice my face down Cave Dragon (1300/2000) to summon Android Psycho Shocker! (2400/1500) This will negate all of your trap cards."
"That's going to be a problem," Varen commented. "His Traveler's Riddle is useless now."
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Yamato said sarcastically.
"Android Psycho Shocker attacks your Royal Bodyguards. Now I'll have Horus attack your new monster as well."
"I activate my Book of Moon! This instant magic card forces your Horus to go into face down defense mode!"
"I think not," Blake smirked. Horus examined the magic card that had just revealed itself for a minute before shooting a black beam out of its mouth at it. The Book of Moon was pierced through, and shattered.
"What the hell was that?!" Yamato exclaimed.
"Horus has quite a unique effect. As long as he is on the field, I can choose to negate any magic card you play."
"...Damn you."
"Now, what monster did Horus destroy?"
"My Locust Soldiers. My turn, I assume." Yamato stared at the card he had drawn. "Well, I can't do anything else anyway. Activate Black Hole, destroying all monsters on the field."
"Horus can use his effect as many times as I want. With no cards in your hand, it is safe to assume that you have lost. I summon Black Flare Dragon of Horus Lv 4. (1600/1000) Then I activate Raise Dead on your Royal Body Guards, just to add some insult to injury. Now all four of my monsters attack you."
Yamato: 0
Blake: 3800
"I have three words for those Horus cards," Varen stated. "Cheap. As. Hell."
"Not bad Yamato," Blake said, turning off his Duel Disk. "You lived longer than most that face me. But still, I expected more from you. You aren't as good of a duelist as I thought you would be."
"Care to say that again?" Yamato snarled, drawing his sword.
"Actually, no, I do not. I know not to push my luck too far. Elly, we're leaving."
"Alright." She waved to the others as they walked off. "Bye, nyah!"
Soon they were gone, lost among the trees.
"I'll get him next time," Yamato muttered, putting up his sword.
"Yeah. When you face him again, you'll know what to expect," Karen agreed.
"Will that be enough though?" Varen wondered.
Yamato glared at him.
"I mean, of course you'll win!" Varen said hurriedly.
"As entertaining as that was, we should be moving on," Zari pointed out.
"Yeah, let's go," Hope seconded.
They started walking again. After about ten minutes though, Ryei called a halt.
"I have a brief request," Ryei stated.
"Alright, let's hear it," Hope replied.
"See this tree?" He indicated to a tree nearby that seemed much bigger and older. It looked like some sort of oak tree. "I recognize it. We are nearing my home. I was wondering if we could stop there for the night."
"I don't see a problem with that," Daine said. "In fact, it would probably be for the better, since it will save us from having to sleep outside. Does anyone have any objections?"
Nobody spoke up.
"Then that settles it," Hope concluded. "Just lead the way Ryei."
"Sure, thanks." He started to walk in the correct direction.
That was when Gaignun suddenly snarled.
Someone's here!
Before Hope could warn anyone, a crack sounded through the clearing. Hope dived at Daine, knocking him down as a bullet flew through where Daine had been standing seconds ago.
Everyone immediately brought forth their weapons besides Ryei, since he only brought them out at the last minute of an attack, Valor, and Ark. In fact, now that Daine thought about it, Ark didn't have any kind of weapon.
"Nice assassination attempt, but as you can see, it failed," Varen said.
"We were hoping this would be easier, but it seems as if it won't," a man replied, stepping out from the trees. He had blonde hair and light brown eyes. Following him were ten other men. Judging by their official uniforms, they were soldiers.
"And what do you all want?" Hope demanded, although they all had a good idea of what it was.
"We are from the military. Since you are on the want list, we have been ordered to hunt you down and preferably capture you all. However, if we will have to kill, then so be it. Surrender quietly so that we will not have to resort to that."
"What makes you think we will do that?" Karen asked. "After all, you must notice this weapon of mine. It has the potential to kill all of you in one pull of the trigger. Even if some of manage to survive, we always have other fighters."
"Then let us do this in a way that does not involve bloodshed," the leader proposed. He brought forth a Duel Disk. "I challenge one of you to a duel. Who would like to accept?"
"I haven't dueled in a while," Ryei stated. "I'll accept."
"Come to think of it, we haven't ever seen you duel," Daine said.
"Well, now you will."
"And your name?"
"I'm called Ryei. You?"
"Call me James. Let us begin!
To be continued…