Sorry for the delay, I was feeling lazy again.

Captain Obvious: But it's so much fun to use Captain Obvious. Thanks for the compliments BTW.

John: Think as you will.

Chapter 8: Destructive Collision

"So, what will your Deck Master be?" James asked. "I'll be using Hellish General-Mephisto!"

They instantly saw why it was called Hellish. Although its stature was one of a human's, the devilish horns that came from his silver helmet made them think again. All of the armor he wore was silver as well. He had long, flowing blonde hair, and a black cape. His face was concealed by his helmet, except for his glaring red eyes. He carried a huge double-bladed axe in his right hand. He was mounted on a black horse that wore silver armor too. Its tail seemed like a rat's though, except for the end, where blonde hair finally showed. If it had a mane, it was hidden under its armor, but it did have two devilish horns that were much more curled and smaller than its masters. Its red eyes were just as cruel as his though.

In response, Ryei brought out his own monster. She looked like a human woman. She wore a long and pale purple robe, and light blue shoulder armor that had many curious gold symbols on it. Her purple hair went beyond her shoulders, although part of it on each side of her head was done up in two loop-like buns. On her right cheek was a blue symbol. Her eyes were the same color as her shoulder armor.

"I have chosen Tsukiyomi, also known as Moon Diviner," Ryei announced. "So what are the stakes?"

"If I win, you are all to come quietly. If you win, I will not harm you."

"Very well. Let's begin."

Ryei: 8000

James: 8000

"Who will go first?" Ryei inquired.

James brought out a coin. "Call it in the air." Then he flipped it.

"Heads."

James bent down and picked it up. "Heads it is."

"Then I'll go first." Ryei looked over his hand. "I first play Jar of Greed, to draw two cards. I'll lay one monster in defense mode, and one card face down. I also play a permanent magic card called Grave Keeper's Familiar. And then I'll play another one. It is your turn."

"And I'll start with Confiscate. By paying 1000 Life Points, I get to look at your hand and discard one card from it."

Ryei: 8000

James: 7000

"I have a Book of the Moon, Sacrifice-Sealing Mask, and Goblin Zombie."

"Get rid of Book of the Moon. Now I summon Killer Tomato. (1400/1100) It attacks your defense monster."

"A card based off of a tomato? Now I've seen everything," Karen commented.

"You've attacked my Needle Worm. (750/600) Its reverse effect forces you to discard the top five cards from your deck. Also, you have triggered my Grave Keeper's Familiar's effect. For each one, you have to discard a card off the top of your deck when you attack. Because I have two, you must discard the top two cards from your deck. In other words, you have lost seven cards from the top of your deck."

"Damn it all… I lose White Thief, Jar of Greed, Killer Tomato, Rotting General, Cyclone, Thieving Goblin, and Hand Obliteration. I lay three cards down, and end my turn."

When Ryei drew, James flipped over his face down card. "I activate Lost Property. This forces you to discard the card you have just drawn."

"Just my Dark Corridor," Ryei shrugged. "I'll lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"I will summon White Thief. (1000/700) Killer Tomato attacks your defense monster."

"I'll activate my trap card, Gravity Release. All of our face up monsters change positions. So your Killer Tomato and White Thief go to defense mode."

"Fine. I end my turn. And I'll activate Lost Property again."

"My Needle Worm is gone. I'll flip my Goblin Zombie face up. (1100/1050) Goblin Zombie attacks and destroys White Thief. Then I end my turn."

"I switch Killer Tomato to attack mode, and attack your Goblin Zombie! And I must discard for that accursed Grave Keeper's Familiar… I lose my Critter and White Thief."

Ryei: 7700

James: 7000

"You have one card in your hand?"

"Correct."

"Good. Mephisto forces you to discard a card in your hand every time one of my monsters destroys one of your monsters, as long as your monster is in attack mode. So discard your card."

"It is only my Sacrifice-Sealing Mask. It wouldn't have helped me anyway."

"Why do you say that?" Hope inquired.

"He's playing a Hand Destruction deck, and they hardly ever use sacrifices."

"You are correct," James confirmed. "In fact, I do not use any sacrifices. I will lay one card down and end my turn."

He looked at what he had drawn. "Not good… I end."

"My turn, eh? I'll summon Don Zaruug! (1400/1500) Whenever this monster does damage to you, I decide whether you should discard one card from your hand or discard two from the top of your deck. So all of my monsters attack! You must also discard two cards from the top of your deck."

Ryei: 4900

James: 7000

"I have lost my Metamol Pot and Attack Nullification. You?"

"My Angel's Gift, Lost Property, Demon's Axe, Cyclone, Black Forest Witch, and Killer Tomato are all gone. I lay one more card down and end my turn."

Ryei sighed in relief at his draw. "I got lucky… one card face down, and then I end my turn."

"I summon Zombie Tiger! (1400/1600) Now he attacks!"

"…I hate to do this," Ryei stated. "But I activate Holy Barrier-Mirror Force. It destroys all of your monsters that are in attack mode."

"Damn you!"

"And you still have to discard for that."

"My Power of Teamwork and another Zombie Tiger… I end."

"Why did you regret doing that?" Varen asked.

"I love tigers-they are my favorite animal. So of course I hate destroying them."

"Just get on with it!" James snapped.

"Alright, it's your funeral." Ryei looked at his next card and nodded. "I believe I have nearly won this duel."

"How so?"

"All I have to do is summon Samurai of Strange Behavior. (1000/1000)"

"That thing is weak!"

"Obviously. Now it attacks you."

Ryei: 4900

James: 6000

"Now my Samurai's effect activates. You are forced to draw until your hand has seven cards."

"But that helps me!" James protested as he drew.

"Until I activate the other card I have, which is Hand Obliteration. We both discard all of the cards in our hands, and draw until we hold the same amount. So I lose my Book of the Sun, but I get to draw one other card."

"Damn it… I discard Steadfast Guard, Power of Magicians, Rotting General, Cursed Coffin, Don Zaruug, White Thief, and Demon Axe." He quickly drew seven more cards, and then grew pale.

"You bastard! So that was your plan!"

"It took you this long to figure it out?" Ryei smirked. "I end my turn."

James didn't draw, just staring at his Duel Disk. "I only had forty cards in my deck…"

"What happened?" Daine asked.

"I'm using a Deck Destruction deck," Ryei explained. "I try to make the opponent deck out by forcing them to draw and discard, which causes them to run low on cards. Most duelists try to have forty cards in their deck and not go over that, so they are much easier for me to defeat."

"So he decked out?" Zari inferred.

"Yep. That was fourteen cards he was forced to get rid of, and that was all of the cards he had. So now he can't draw on his draw phase, causing him to instantly lose."

Ryei: 4900

James: Decked out

"I can't believe that happened!" James growled. "You'll pay for that!"

"I thought that you agreed to leave?" Ryei reminded him.

"I said that I would not harm you, but I never said that my companions would not!"

In an instant, the other ten had their guns out.

"I doubt that any of you, let alone all of you, can run faster than a bullet," James stated.

"Nice play of words," Ryei complimented, seeming unworried about the ten weapons.

"Thank you. Now surrender, before we are forced to…"

He didn't get a chance to say anything else. Suddenly, something shot out from the trees, slamming into James with a snarl. He didn't even get a chance to scream before his neck was snapped in half by the creature.

Everyone stared at the huge orange tiger as it lunged at another two men. Both went down to its claws and teeth. It wasn't the only one attacking though. Another tiger, just as big and the same color of orange, had also emerged. It easily brought down another of the military men.

The other men were too shocked and horrified to react as the two tigers slaughtered them. Only one had the sense to fire at them, but the tiger easily dodged the bullet and brought him down as well.

It was over quickly. The tigers ignored the eleven corpses, turning to examine the others. Ryei raised his hand, making a motion that seemed to say 'calm down'.

"Do you think they will attack us?" Daine said.

"It's alright," Ryei assured, walking over to them. He knelt in front of them, petting their heads. They began to purr as he talked to them. "It's fine, these are friends of mine. Thanks for coming to help us; you had perfect timing."

"You know them?" Zarek asked.

"That's right. Meet Tsuga and Clem. Tsuga's male, and Clem's female. They are brother and sister. You can tell them apart by their eye color-Tsuga has yellow eyes, and Clem has green ones. Oh, and Tsuga usually has his mouth somewhat open, so his teeth are visible. The suffix –ga means fang, see why I call him that?"

"Are they friendly? Do they eat humans?" questioned Varen.

The tigers looked at each other and made a noise that sounded like they were gagging.

"They won't try to harm you unless you try to hurt me, and they will not eat humans," Ryei told him.

The two tigers looked over at Gaignun and growled softly.

"Of course, they might think Gaignun is competing for their territory," Ryei commented.

Gaignun walked slowly over to them, his tail as low as he could possibly put it. When he got right in front of them, he lay down and rolled over, showing his stomach to the two wildcats.

"What is he doing?" Zari inquired.

"He's telling Tsuga and Clem that they have dominance over him," Hope explained. "In wolf packs, only the alpha-that's the leader wolf-is allowed to hold up his tail, unless another wolf wishes to challenge him. Holding up their tail shows that they are dominant over others. That's why wolves usually hold their tail low. Rolling over on his back also shows his most vulnerable area, which means that he's basically surrendering his life to them. That way, he is of no threat to them."

Tsuga and Clem were sniffing Gaignun carefully. Eventually, they turned back to Ryei, ignoring the wolf.

"That means he's ok in their book, as long as he knows his place," Hope concluded as Gaignun went back to her.

"Let's hope he does," Karen commented, eyeing Tsuga's fangs.

"I doubt he would forget." Hope looked over at the tigers. "They're beautiful… but this doesn't seem like an area they should be in."

"My great grandfather was quite obsessed with tigers," Ryei told them, as they watched the tigers lick away the blood on their chops. "So he brought a few here."

"So now we have two animal nuts," Varen muttered.

Hope ignored him, walking over to the tigers. Before Ryei could warn her, she had reached over and begun to stroke Tsuga.

The tiger looked somewhat surprised at first, but then closed his eyes, purring loudly. Clem walked over to Hope and nudged her, as if saying she wanted to be petted too. Hope laughed at that, and started stroking her too.

Ryei shook his head in amazement. "I can't believe it. Even after I assure them about who to trust, they are testy with anyone but me. Yet they don't seem to mind you."

"I'm just good with animals," Hope said modestly.

"I can see that." Ryei looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. We should get to my house now."

"What about them?" Varen inquired, looking over at the two tigers.

"They'll stay with us until we leave. We don't get to see each other too often, so when we do, I make sure that I give them attention. Well, shall we go?"

They followed Ryei through the forest without further conversation. The tigers were in the back, although Daine was unsure about whether they were guarding the group or watching them for any wrong moves. Perhaps it was both.

Just as it was getting dark, Ryei halted. "Here we are. Welcome to my home."

Everyone stared at it, before Karen voiced what was on everyone's minds.

"You live in a tree?"

"That's not quite accurate," Ryei stated, walking over to the tree. He knelt down in front of it and grabbed what looked like a root of some kind. But it was obviously a door handle, because when he pulled it up, a cleverly disguised door came up as well, showing everyone a tunnel of sorts.

"I actually live underground," Ryei explained as he jumped into it. "Follow me."

They went after him, the tigers still bringing up the rear. Zari stayed behind to close the door before following the others.

Soon they had arrived in a large room. They were all rather surprised to see that the room had access to electricity-there was a light in the middle of the room.

"My great grandfather was good with electrical things," Ryei said before anyone could ask.

There were a few pieces of furniture and such, common things that you would expect to see. But what caught their attention were the books. There were several bookcases, and all of them were filled with books. The only place Daine had ever seen this many books was in the library in the mansion.

"Someone enjoys reading," Hope commented.

"Get used to it. There are bookshelves all over my house. Feel free to read any of the books you want to, but be sure to put them back in their proper area."

"Where does that lead?" Karen asked, indicating to a locked door.

"A laboratory that my great grandfather, and eventually my father, used. I'd prefer that we stay out of there." He pointed at one of the two hallways. "That leads to the kitchen and pantry. We'll eat there tomorrow before setting off." He led them into the other hall way, which branched off to several rooms. "There are two guest rooms, my parent's bedroom, and my own bedroom. The couch in the living room also folds out into a bed. One guest room has two beds, the other one has three. I'll be occupying my own room, of course. Tsuga and Clem will be with me. The rest of you can choose where you want to sleep."

"Your parents…" Hope started, but trailed off.

"They're dead. So choose whichever rooms you would like." He went into his room, shutting the door.

"I shouldn't have said anything," Hope sighed.

"It'll be fine. So who should sleep where?" Varen inquired.

"Us girls get one room and the guys get another?" Karen shrugged.

"That leaves one room open… and the fold out bed…" Daine stated. "How about this? Zari, you and Valor take Ryei's parent's room. Hope, Karen, you get the guest room with two beds. Varen, Yamato, and I could sleep in the other guest room… unless you want to be there Ark?"

Ark simply walked away, towards the living room.

"I'll take that as a no… What about you Zarek? You staying with Varen, Yamato, and I?"

"Yes."

"Then it's settled. Good night guys," Karen said.

They split up, going to their sleeping locations. Hope, however, looked over in the direction of the living room.

"I'm going outside for a bit, ok Karen?"

"Sure. See you soon."

Hope went down the hall and through the living room, Gaignun following her. She saw Ark, who seemed to be in deep thought and said nothing to her. She went on silently towards the door.

She opened it and was just climbing out when she heard something approaching. She turned to see a one of the two tigers following.

Tsuga That's your name, right?

Correct.

Why are you here?

I prefer to keep an eye on things occurring.

I see. What about Clem?

She is with Ryei.

You are very loyal to him, aren't you?

Yes.

By this time, Hope was out of the tunnel and leaning against the tree trunk. He seems nice, if not mysterious.

He has his reasons.

Gaignun looked over at Tsuga. I do not understand. He has made it to his territory, yet he is willing to leave it. He could hide here to easily avoid predators. Why does he want to continue traveling with ones who are not of his own pack?

Ryei is faithful to those who are his friends.

Friends? But we just met, Hope said in confusion.

Maybe so, but he still trusts all of you.

He follows his instincts? Hope inferred.

Yes.

"Who are you talking to?"

Hope jumped with shock. Ryei was standing behind her. Clem was there as well.

"Ryei! I didn't hear you."

"Not many can." He stroked Tsuga's head. "So who were you talking to?"

"Talking to?"

"Yeah. About instincts and such? I didn't hear much, but I've never heard the voice that answered you."

Hope stared at him. "You… could… hear me?"

"Of course."

Hope decided to try something. Instead of speaking out loud, she spoke as she had to Gaignun and Tsuga. What about now?

"Yeah, I hear you. It doesn't seem the same though… more like I heard it with my mind, instead of ears."

Hope shook her head. "You're the first person who has ever been able to hear me when I talk to animals."

"You can talk to animals?"

"Yes." Hope looked away. "It's a talent of mine that's both a gift and a curse."

"It sounds very interesting to me," Ryei stated, sitting beside her. "Can you teach me how?"

"Teach you? It isn't something that can be taught… but you can hear me speak in my mind. Maybe…" She thought for a moment. "Ok, I want to try something." She turned to her wolf companion. Gaignun, say something to Ryei.

Ok. Ryei, can you hear me? If you can, answer me.

Ryei looked over at Hope. "Isn't Gaignun supposed to be talking to me?"

"You couldn't hear him?"

"No."

"That's odd… let's try it with Tsuga." Tsuga, you do the same as Gaignun did.

Alright. Ryei, respond if you hear my voice.

Ryei started. "Was that… Tsuga?"

"Yeah. You could hear him, but not Gaignun? How strange. Clem, let's have you try as well."

Very well. Ryei, reply to me. Am I contacting you correctly?

"I can hear you as well."

"I don't understand," Hope said. "Is it because you know Tsuga and Clem better than Gaignun?"

Or is it because we are tigers? Clem suggested.

"Maybe… that could be it. Ryei, it's possible that you can only hear tigers speak."

"I suppose so… but then why can I hear you?"

"Any animal can hear me talk… maybe that's why?"

"Possibly. Maybe we can experiment at another moment, when we have more time. For now, let's remember that we can speak through the mind. It might be helpful in the future."

"That's true." Hope got up. "I'm going to go back down. Good night."

"Same to you."

They went back down, where they went into their separate rooms. Hope walked in to find that Karen was already asleep. She got into her own bed quietly, and was soon sleeping as well. Gaignun lay on the floor, asleep at the moment yet ready to wake at the slightest sound.

Ryei had gone into his room, getting on the top bunk of his bed. Clem had jumped onto the lower bed. He had grabbed a book from his shelf called Mossflower.

"Strange indeed…" Ryei muttered. "But I can still see why this could be happening."

Outside of his door was where Tsuga lay. He did not sleep, instead choosing to guard the room he was in front of.

-----

Valor looked over at Zari. "What are you doing?"

"I just wanted to read a little bit before falling asleep. I haven't had a chance to pick up a book for a long time." She looked over all of the titles. "Most of these deal with the supernatural though."

"Anything interesting?"

"This one." She picked it up. "It's about dreams."

"Dreams? What are those?"

"Nobody has ever explained what dreams are to you? They are images, emotions, and such that you see or feel when you are asleep. Ones that cause you to be frightened are called nightmares."

"So that's what they are called? I've had several of each, but I have never heard what they are called."

"I see." She flipped through the book. "Many people have different theories on dreams. Some believe they can tell the future, others believe that they are simply ideas you have had in that day."

"So nobody really knows?"

"Correct." She flipped through a few pages. "It is an issue that nobody really looks into these troubled days. But I am still intrigued by it."

-----

He stood alone in a barren area, which was stripped of anything living. Corpses decorated the ground, while grass and plants had been scorched away. Only dirt stained with blood and bodies remained. Their dying expressions were identical; they were all terrified. They had seen something that was too powerful to have a right to exist.

Death surrounded him. But he enjoyed it, savored it, for it was what he had longed for.

Daine bolted up, gasping.

What… was… that? It was so real…

"So you're finally up," Zarek said. He had been leaning against the wall, waiting for Daine to rise. "What is the matter?"

"Just a dream." Daine got out of bed. "It's no big deal. Where are they now?"

"In the kitchen, eating."

"Alright, I'm coming. What about you?"

"I will be waiting in the living room," he stated, leaving. Daine followed.

"Hey, about time you got up!" Varen greeted.

"Morning," he replied, sitting down at the table in a vacant chair. "So everyone else is here?"

"Except Ark," Ryei responded. "He has already eaten."

"What's with that guy?" Varen complained. "He doesn't even talk to us much, if at all. If he doesn't want to hang around with us, why doesn't he just leave?"

"I'm sure there must be a good explanation," Daine stated, taking some bacon from the plate in the middle of the table. "So will we be leaving soon?"

"Yes, right after we are done," Ryei replied. "We need to get an early start."

"Indeed," Daine agreed.

Once they were done eating, they went out into the living room. Zarek was leaning against the wall once more, while Ark sat on the couch. They looked up as the others entered.

"So are we leaving?" Zarek inquired.

"Yes," Daine nodded. "Ryei, are you sure you want to come? You could stay here, after all."

"I know, but I still want to come," Ryei stated. "Don't ask why-you won't get an answer until I feel like telling."

"Alright then," Daine shrugged.

"What about Tsuga and Clem?" Zari asked. "Will they be coming?"

"No, they prefer to stay here," Ryei explained. "But they'll accompany us until we reach the edge of their territory."

"At least we won't have to worry about being eaten in our sleep," Varen joked.

Tsuga's tail shot out, tripping Varen and causing him to fall into a bookcase. The books rained down, burying him.

Ryei picked up one of the books that had fallen on Varen, looking at it. "Well, he's History, literally."

"Shut up," Varen grumbled, pushing the books off of himself so that he could get up.

"I'll put these back in order later. Just help me put them back on the shelf."

After all of the history books were back on the shelf, they went outside. Ryei came out last, shutting the door.

"So how far away would you say the capital is?" Daine asked Hope.

"About three days away, I believe."

"Why build two highly populated areas so close together though?" Daine inquired.

"It's more convenient," Ryei replied. "There are very few humans left, so there are not as many people to do certain jobs that are necessary, such as grow food. They do not want to worry about other unnecessary jobs, such as transportation. Also, this makes it easier to get to another large city in case something happens to one of them."

"I see."

The walk through the forest was uneventful. Ryei led the way while the tigers once more brought up the rear.

After some time though, Ryei suddenly halted.

"This is as far as Tsuga and Clem's territory goes. They will be leaving now."

He went to the back and stroked them one last time. "I'll be back soon."

The tiger's response was purring. Then they turned and ran off, into the depths of the forest.

"Shall we go on?" Ryei suggested. "I have been to the Capital a few times, and I remember the way."

"Then lead on; your memory is probably better than mine," Hope stated.

-----

He got up from his desk, leaving his computer on. After all, what he was doing usually took no more than about three minutes.

He walked across the room to the opposite wall, where there was a safe. It only took a few seconds to enter the pass code-he had memorized it a long time ago. Opening the safe, he took out one of the devices inside it.

He looked at the screen on it, and froze.

"So he has awakened. But how?"

To be continued…