Sorry for the long break. I had terrible writer's block, but it is finally gone! Time to get back to alternation between Teknisk Wereld and this.
John: Um… you're welcome? What do you mean by I used your idea?
Demon Fan: I never thought of using him, that's all. There might still be a chance, but I am not sure.
Chapter 9: Arrival at the Capital
Ikari pushed aside yet another branch in the forest. "Geez! If I had known it would be this hard to pursue him, I wouldn't have bothered…"
Ever since his embarrassing defeat at the river, Ikari had been trying to find Varen to get revenge on him. In the Side Capital, he had heard from someone that a group of people had passed by, and one of the males had had the description of Varen. When told that they had headed for the forest, Ikari had followed. He had never been this deep into the forest though, and now was completely lost.
"But I have come this far… I won't turn back yet," Ikari muttered, stepping into a small clearing. Then he stopped dead in his tracks.
In front of him were two huge, orange, growling tigers. And they didn't look happy.
Ikari could think of only one thing to say.
"Oh crap."
Then he ran for his life, the tigers following.
-----
The past three days had been rather uneventful. Hope and Ryei had taken turns leading the way to Capital, while the others followed. Most of the time, they had been forced to save their breath for the endless trekking, although a few snatches of conversation were to be had. They met nobody on the way, which was for the better to them. There were a few locations where they had to turn back and try another direction, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. The only person who couldn't always keep up was Valor, but Zari carried him when necessary. Other than that, there were no problems on the way.
On the night of the third day, after they found a rather large clearing to stay in, Hope called for their attention.
"The Capital isn't far from here. We should reach it in about an hour from this location. I think we should now take the time to decide what we are going to do."
"We came here in hopes that we weren't wanted here, didn't we? So why not just stay here for a while?" Varen offered.
"Even if word has not made it here yet, it will soon enough," Ryei told him. "We might be safe there for a few days, but then soldiers would be on the lookout for us."
"How far would they go to pursue us though?" Daine wondered. "We helped Zari and Valor, but that isn't as bad enough for them to follow us all over the world to get their hands on us. Right?"
"…It might be," Valor said softly. "The person who is after us is really wants me more than anything. If you got far enough away, but he managed to take me, then he would probably let you leave."
"Then maybe we should leave all of you," Zari suggested.
"No chance. If they caught up with you, neither of you would stand a chance. I'm staying." Daine glanced at the others. "But if any of you guys want to leave, I have no right to stop you."
"I'm not," Hope reassured. "I don't really have a home anyway. I mostly travel."
"I think you know my answer," Ryei said.
"We will remain until another mission comes up," Karen decided. "But if we do get one, we will be forced to leave immediately. I hope you guys will understand."
"Yeah, it isn't a problem," Daine assured. "Zarek? Ark? What do you two have to say on this?"
"I have nowhere else to go," Zarek nodded.
Ark did not respond at first. Then he finally said, "I am not sure on what I want to do yet. I prefer to be alone, but I do not know enough about this era to live in solitude. Until I find a location to settle in, and until I know what I need to, I will stay. But at my first opportunity, I will leave."
"Alright then. So as you can see, for now at least, we're all with you," Daine said.
"Thanks," Zari replied. "It makes me feel better to know we have so many allies backing us up."
Valor nodded, but didn't say anything; he was still somewhat shy of talking around them.
Seeing that the conversation was over, Gaignun got up and left. Every night he went searching for game, usually killing about five rabbits for the group members, along with an extra one for himself. Although this was quite an amount of food, it was necessary after a whole day of eating hardly anything. Hope also searched for edible plants for them, which Valor for some reason always refused. So far, all Valor had wanted to eat was meat, although nobody knew why. Daine ate quite a bit at first, but now he didn't eat as much as before. This was probably because he had been asleep for such a long time. Ark, on the other hand, always consumed the most. He didn't seem to eat because he enjoyed it, but more as though it was vital to eat as much as he did, which puzzled the others, especially Hope, Yamato, and Karen. Sure, he had been asleep for awhile, but Daine had been too, and he didn't eat nearly as much as Ark. As a complete opposite though, Zarek required no food or water, so it kind of balanced out.
After they were done eating, Daine looked around the clearing. "We should rest now while we have the chance. Hm… Hope kept guard last night… who wants to volunteer for tonight?"
"…I will," Ark said.
Daine blinked in surprise. "Ok… then I guess that's that. Good night guys."
Soon, everyone was asleep except for Gaignun, who rarely slept at night, and Ark, who was just outside the clearing, sitting on a sturdy tree limb that was high enough to not be seen, but low enough to climb down quickly when necessary. He looked over at his companions for a moment, and when he saw them asleep, took an object out.
Zari woke suddenly, hearing something. She looked around for a few second before realizing what she was listening to was… music.
She carefully laid Valor on the ground. Normally, at night time, she covered him with her trench coat after he was asleep, which caused him to sleep peacefully. He didn't even stir as she put him down, and walked over to the edge of the clearing quietly.
Ark was leaning against the tree trunk on the limb, eyes closed while he played a wooden flute. It looked like a rather plain instrument, but the song he was playing was anything but that. It was no tune that Zari recognized, yet it was one of the most heart wrenching songs she had ever heard. It spoke of a pain carved deep into the soul of the player, a lingering sadness that had recovered somewhat but would never completely go away. Sorrow that wasn't her own flooded over her, causing her to be mesmerized.
Then the song ended. Ark looked down at her. "Is there something you want?"
"No, nothing at all. I just happened to hear you playing. That song was the most depressing thing I have ever heard… yet at the same time, it was beautiful. Who taught you to play?"
"…Nobody. I taught myself." Ark looked down at the flute. "It was… necessary."
"What do you mean?"
He said nothing.
"Oh, I'm sorry. If you don't wish to explain…"
I have no reason to explain myself to her. Yet I feel the same way as I did when questioned… by her…
"…At an early age, I was forced to learn how to lock away my emotions. Now, the only way I access them is when playing this flute. When I feel as though I cannot handle my feelings, I channel them into music. All of my songs are original-I make them up based on how I feel."
"I see… do you play for others? Or just for yourself?"
"…Normally myself. Once another." Then he closed his eyes once more, resuming the position she had first seen him in. She assumed that meant that he was done talking.
"Alright then… goodnight." Then she went back to where she had originally been, lifting Valor again and also shutting her own eyes. But she did not sleep. Instead, she continued to listen to the soft, sad notes throughout the night.
-----
Daine woke up, covered with sweat once more.
Another nightmare? They're coming almost nightly now. I'm starting to fear sleeping…
He looked around the clearing, and saw that he was the only one up besides Gaignun and Ark, who was still in the tree. Seeing Daine was awake, he leapt down easily.
"Morning," Daine greeted. "Anything happen last night?"
Ark shook his head.
"Alright then. Guess we'll have to wake these guys up," he said, nodding at their sleeping companions.
Gaignun, hearing what he said, walked over to Hope and licked her face.
"Argh!" Hope sat up quickly, wiping away the saliva. "Gaignun! I told you not to wake me up like that anymore!"
Gaignun walked off towards Varen, ignoring Hope's complaints. Then he leapt right on Varen's chest.
"OW!" Varen exclaimed, being woken up brutally. Gaignun jumped off him, leaving the boy to sit up very carefully.
"My poor ribs…" Varen moaned.
Everyone else had been awakened by Varen's shout. Ryei lifted an eyebrow. "While effective, don't you think this is a little extreme? We still have to walk for about an hour."
Gaignun simply trotted out of the clearing, and soon the others followed, although Varen continued to grumble for about ten minutes before he finally got over the rude awakening.
The forest began to thin out as they got closer to their destination. Soon, there were only about half the amount of trees from before, but they were still close enough so that the group could pass through the shadows to avoid being seen.
Suddenly, Hope halted. "Here we are."
In front of them, they could see several tall buildings that marked exactly where the Capital was.
"It's huge!" Daine exclaimed.
"Compared to other cities, this isn't very large," Zarek commented. "There were far bigger in the past. Now, however… we have been reduced to this."
"Alright, so we're here. Now what?" Varen inquired.
"Now we have a dilemma," Ryei stated. "We don't know whether we are wanted or not here. If we are, then we could be walking right into a trap."
"Yeah, that's true…" Daine nodded. "Hm… Zarek, do you think you could go into town? After all, you aren't on the wanted list, are you?"
"I was supposed to be back in three days, maximum. Since I did not return, they will assume me to either be dead or be a traitor. If it's the latter, I am no better off than you."
"Darn…" Daine muttered. "Hey, wait! Ark, they don't know who you are. Maybe you could go in? If that's ok with you, of course."
Ark considered. "…What would I have to do?"
"Just try to collect information. See if we are wanted here," Daine explained.
"Also, if you could pick up some supplies, that would be good," Hope added, handing him the sack she always carried over her shoulder and money. "We don't want too much, because that would weigh us down, but some flasks for water would be good in case we can't find a stream for a while. There isn't much to ask for in the means of food, but maybe a little for emergencies. I think that's about all that's needed. Wait, actually…" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Maybe you could pick up some sewing supplies too? Nothing too fancy, just some navy thread and a needle. I want to repair Zari's shirt-it was sliced open a while back. She's been ok until now because of her trenchcoat, but I'd like to fix it." Then she raised her voice again. "Anyway, that's it."
"We'll wait here for you," Daine assured. "Thanks for doing this."
Ark nodded, and then turned and walked towards the town.
Zari jumped up. "Oh, I forgot to ask him something. I'll be right back." Then she ran after him.
When he heard her approaching, Ark turned. "What is the matter?"
"I just had a favor to ask," Zari said. She took out some more money, giving it to him. "Have you noticed the condition of Valor's clothes? They're torn up and don't offer much protection. I was kind of hoping that you could pick up some new ones while in town, preferably a dark color. If we are forced to use stealth at night time, it will be much better instead of having white clothes and standing out like a beacon."
"I can do that."
"There should be more than enough in there. If there is anything you want to purchase, feel free to." After that, Zari left, leaving Ark to continue making his way towards the Capital.
Zarek had been correct in saying that this town was nothing compared to previous ones. It was smaller than many, and had too few people to even be considered crowded. But even this small amount of people passing by on the streets made Ark feel uneasy. It had been several years since he had been anywhere nearby other humans. He wasn't even all that comfortable with the group, much less in this place full of strangers.
It was only made worse by the fact that almost everyone he met stared over at him in curiosity. Hardly anyone new came by the town these days, so any travelers were quite interesting to them. However, those who caught site of his red eyes were either terrified, disgusted, or both, and would walk away as fast as possible.
I am already attracting too much attention… I should hurry.
In the center of the town, there were several large bulletin boards that displayed the most current information. Ark quickly looked at the one with the wanted list.
On the list, as the most current people who were wanted, were nine names that Ark immediately recognized.
We were too slow… they already know. I had best get back quickly.
With a new reason to make haste, he went into the nearest store that sold sport supplies and grabbed three water canteens. The person at the cash register seemed surprised at the purchase but did not comment. Then he went to the grocery store, and keeping in mind that these 'emergency supplies' would probably have to last a while, got provisions that could be saved for a long time. By now, as he left the most recent store, he was already sick of being in the town, but he still had two more things to do. He chose to fulfill Zari's request first, picking up a black t-shirt and black pants that would blend well with the shadows. He also saw some sewing supplies on sale. They were out of navy thread, so he just took black instead, and a needle.
"You sure you got the right size?" the cash register person asked, raising his eyebrow.
"I assume this is correct."
"Ok… right…"
Finally, he went to one last location with the spare money Zari had lent him. There was something rather important he wanted to pick up.
After taking care of that, he started back for the meeting point, carrying Hope's sack and the supplies within it.
-----
"It's been almost an hour," Ryei commented, looking at the position of the sun once more.
"He should be back any minute now," Daine replied.
"But wouldn't he be back by now?" Varen inquired.
"He's been asleep for a long time, and therefore hasn't had much human interaction for a while. I can see it taking him longer than it would for us," Zari shrugged.
"That's true," Varen realized. "But I'm getting nervous by just staying here. What if we are attacked?"
Gaignun was currently asleep, being exhausted from staying up all night. The others were waiting for Ark to return anxiously, in fear that they might be discovered.
After a few minutes of silence, Karen suddenly stood. "That's strange… I thought I heard someone…"
Before she could continue, a man leapt out from the bushes, seizing Valor and putting a knife to his throat. Before the others could react, five other men emerged, all armed with swords and guns. From their uniforms, it was easy to tell that they were from the military.
The man who had Valor seemed to be the leader. He had the gold pin on that showed his rank, along with blond hair and hazel eyes. His second in command was a man with a silver pin, light brown hair, and light green eyes.
Gaignun leapt up with a growl, but the man pressed lightly against Valor's neck with the knife, causing a little bit of blood to run down it. "Relinquish your weapons, and call off your dog."
"He's a wolf," Hope growled, dropping her bow and arrows in front of herself.
"Looks like we were no safer here," Daine sighed, unsheathing his sword and stabbing it into the ground.
Karen did not get out her bazooka yet though, and Daine could see that she meant to have the element of surprise with it if necessary. But since the soldiers were so close by, if she tried firing, they would all be killed. So she was waiting, hoping things could be resolved without needing it.
"Took us a while to track you down…" the leader said. "I expected more resistance."
"We are not heartless enough to betray one of our friends," Daine replied carefully.
"Hmph. Comradeship. We'll see how far you get with that."
Seeing that his captor was distracted, Valor decided to try and attack him. He didn't want to be as helpless as he had been when Zarek had assaulted them. And without hesitation, he bit the leader's arm.
"ARGH!" he exclaimed, having not expected an attack from the seemingly defenseless child. "Alright, forget the orders! You aren't making it out alive!" Then he lifted his knife, about to stab the boy, when two gunshots rang through the clearing.
Valor was able to leap to the ground and get out of the way before the leader's corpse fell, blood coming from the back of his head. Another man also fell, while the others turned to see who the new threat was.
Ark stood a short distance away, aiming two pistols at two other men in the group. And before either could respond to what they were seeing, two more bullets took their lives.
The last remaining common soldier ran for his life, and before Ark could kill him as well, the second in command drew his own gun. "Halt!"
"I can shoot faster than you," Ark said calmly.
"My bullet does not have to travel as long of a distance," he responded, aiming it at Zari, who happened to be closest by; she had come forward to get in front of Valor when he had been released.
"Then shall we do this another way?"
In response, the second in command brought out a Duel Disk. "A duel to the death then."
Ark got his out as well, inserting his deck into it. Then, on an afterthought, he threw Hope's bag over to her. "I got what you asked for."
"Oh… uh, thanks," Hope said, surprised he would bring that up now.
"Nice timing, by the way," Varen joked.
"Let's see if you are as skilled with cards as you are with firearms," the second in command snarled. "You took me by surprise before… I didn't expect there to be another one with this group… but now I am prepared. Who are you, anyway? I'm called Ryan."
"Refer to me as Ark," he said shortly.
"Alright. As for Deck Masters… I select Mask of Darkness."
A brown mask appeared, hovering next to Ryan. Above the left eye was a crack in the mask, and it had a red, X-shaped scar on its left cheek.
Ark's Deck Master appeared as well. He looked like a man, yet there was something very inhumane about his pale white skin. He wore an elegant purple suit with hard, black shoes. He also had on a cape that was purple on the outside, but red on the inside. On the shoulder area of the cape were pink claw-like items, attaching the cape to him. He had short, green hair, and yellow eyes, with a very sharp pair of fangs.
"Vampire Lord," Ark stated.
Valor got up slowly, tasting blood that wasn't his own in his mouth. But what terrified him was that… it was, in a way, good. He had defended himself, and with that, he was growing stronger, and when the time came, he would be able to kill too.
No! What am I thinking? I don't want anyone to die because of me! I don't!
That was what he told himself, anyway.
Ark: 8000
Ryan: 8000
"So, who will go first?" Ryan inquired. "Shall we have a coin toss?"
"Fine. Heads."
Ryan flipped a quarter into the air and caught it. "You're right."
"In that case… I lay one monster in defense mode, and one card face down. That is all."
"Then let's start the assault! I lay two cards face down, and summon Giant Orc. (2200/0) Giant Orc attacks your defense monster!"
"Soul-Hunting Spirit, (300/200)" Ark said as the monster appeared. "It cannot be destroyed in battle."
"How annoying… my Orc's effect also activates. He is forced to go into defense mode after attacking, and will remain that way for the next turn. It is your turn."
"I summon Zombie Tiger. (1400/1600)"
"I like his deck already," Ryei commented.
"So, an Undead deck. It's an interesting theme," Karen said.
"I switch Soul-Hunting Spirit to attack mode. Zombie Tiger attacks and destroys your Giant Orc. Then Soul-Hunting Spirit attacks directly. Because of another effect, you are forced to discard a card from your hand when he attacks directly."
"Hm… I can't let that happen, so I'll activate the trap card Skill Drain! By paying 1000 Life Points, I can activate this card. All monsters' effects are negated."
Ark: 8000
Ryan: 6700
"That makes my Soul-Hunting Spirit useless…" Ark realized. "I end my turn."
"I will summon Goblin Strike Team! (2300/0) They also have the annoying effect of being forced to go into defense mode after an attack, but Skill Drain negates that. Goblin Strike Team attacks Soul-Hunting Spirit!"
"I activate Attack Nullification, which negates your attack."
"Gr… not much else I can do then."
"So Ryan is using a Skill Drain deck?" Varen assumed.
"Undead cards don't have a lot of attack power most of the time," Ryei stated. "That means they have to rely on effects. Skill Drain is probably one of the worst things Ark could be up against right now."
Ark looked at his next card, and played it instantly. "Cyclone. This destroys one of your magic or trap cards, and I choose Skill Drain."
"Oh no. It's the end of the world," Ryan said sarcastically.
"Then I activate Theft. This allows me to take control of your Goblin Strike Team. Then I sacrifice them for Vampire Lord. (2000/1500)"
"Damn," Ryan muttered as the Vampire Lord appeared.
"Vampire Lord attacks."
"I activate Cry of the Living Dead! This brings one of my monsters from the Cemetery to the field in attack mode. So I revive Goblin Strike Team. (2300/0)"
"Call off the attack. I switch Soul-Hunting Spirit and Zombie Tiger to defense mode and lay another card down. That is all."
"Let's see… I think now is the time to activate my Deck Master's effect. Mask of Darkness allows me to get one trap card from my Cemetery and add it to my hand, so I choose Skill Drain! I lay one card down-take a wild guess at what it is-then I summon Dark Hero: Zombire. (2100/500) I will also equip Zombire with Demon Axe. This raises his attack by 1000! (3100/500) Zombire attacks Vampire Lord."
"Activate Magic Cylinder. This negates your attack and causes you to lose Life Points equal to the amount."
Ark: 8000
Ryan: 3600
"Argh… In that case, I attack Vampire Lord with Goblin Strike Team!"
Ark: 7700
Ryan: 3600
"…I pass."
"Looks like you're hitting a dead end. I summon Dark Elf. (2000/1000) Then I activate Early Burial, to bring forth Giant Orc from my Cemetery in attack mode. (2200/0) It costs me 800 Life Points to do this though."
Ark: 7700
Ryan: 2800
"After that, I activate my Skill Drain once more!"
Ark: 7700
Ryan: 1800
"Dark Elf attacks Soul-Hunting Spirit, Giant Orc attacks Zombie Tiger, and Zombire attacks you directly!"
Ark: 4600
Ryan: 1800
"I hope he dies a slow and painful death," Ryei muttered.
"You're way too obsessed," Varen commented.
"I play Jar of Greed… and then activate Tempest. This destroys all of your magic and trap cards."
"Argh! My Skill Drain, Demon Axe, Cry of the Living Dead, and Early Burial are all gone… and with them, my Goblin Strike Team and Giant Orc. Damn it! And Zombire's attack is reduced… (2100/500)"
"I now activate my Deck Master's ability. By discarding a card from my hand-in this case, my Rotting General-I can special summon an Undead Sub-Type from my Cemetery in face up attack or defense mode. I choose Soul-Hunting Spirit. Then I lay one monster in defense mode, one card face down, and end my turn."
"Dang it… my Life Points are too low to risk attacking with Dark Elf. She forces me to pay 1000 Life Points whenever I wish to do so, and that is a sacrifice I cannot make… so I will attack your defense monster with Zombire."
"Another Zombie Tiger. (1400/1600)"
"I bet you aren't too happy by now," Hope said to Ryei.
"Don't make understatements."
"My Zombire's attack power lowers by 200 for every monster he destroys. (1900/500) That is all I can do."
"I will activate my Deck Master's ability again. By discarding Pyramid Turtle, I can bring Vampire Lord back to the field in attack mode. He attacks Zombire."
Ark: 4600
Ryan: 1700
"Whenever Vampire Lord does damage to your Life Points, I am allowed to call monster, magic, or trap. For whichever one I call, you are forced to remove one of that kind of card from your deck. So I call trap."
"Heh, easy choice there… I discard Destruction Ring. I can't use it now anyway, seeing as how low my Life Points are."
"That is all."
"Argh… I hate having to take risks like this, but it's necessary… First of all, I know your Soul-Hunting Spirit can be automatically destroyed by targeting it with a magic or trap card, so I equip it with Demon Axe, automatically destroying it. Then I summon Landmine Spider. (2200/100) I will have Dark Elf attack Vampire Lord, destroying both."
Ark: 4600
Ryan: 700
"Now I have Landmine Spider attack directly. Whenever I declare an attack, I am forced to flip a coin. If I call it correctly, the attack goes through without a problem. But if I am wrong, I lose half of my life Points. So I call tails!"
They watched as the hologram coin flipped through the air, landing on…
"Heads! Curses!"
Ark: 2400
Ryan: 350
"It's all down to luck now… I end my turn…"
"I have no choice but to pass…"
"Then I win! I summon another Landmine Spider!"
"Activate Tidal Wave. This can only be activated when a monster is summoned, flip summon, or special summoned. It destroys all of the monsters on the field."
"Damn… it… ALL! I end…"
"...I discard Soul-Hunting Spirit to special summon Vampire Lord. He attacks you directly."
Ark: 2400
Ryan: 0
"Blast it all…" Ryan growled. "Fine. As much as I hate doing this, it's necessary. At least my purpose is served." Then he drew his sword, and before any of them could respond, he stabbed himself, collapsing.
"Well, he kept his word," Varen said, staring at the corpse. Nobody else really knew what else to say. But finally, Zarek came to his senses.
"We have a problem though," he pointed out. "That other soldier… he fled. He will probably be getting reinforcements."
"Ugh… and he saw Ark too," Daine groaned. "Looks like none of us will be able to visit any towns for a while now. But we can think about that later. If that guy is going for reinforcements, we should get out of here as quickly as possible."
"Right," Zari nodded. "Let us go now… Valor? What is wrong?"
Valor was staring at the corpse, but when he heard Zari, he tore his gaze away. "It… it's nothing…"
I keep forgetting that he has probably not seen death until now, Zari thought sadly. In the past few days, we have had three fights, all three ending with our enemies being slain. He isn't ready to cope with it…
"But where can we go?" Varen wondered.
"We should find an area where we can stay to make plans," Ryei suggested. "Maybe an abandoned town, or something similar. I think there's one that's nearby here. Should we look?"
"We don't have any better options," Daine said. "Ryei, do you know the way?"
"Kind of. I looked at a few maps a while ago, and I distantly remember where this one is. If we go to the north some more, we should be able to find it… follow me. I'll try to recall the way."
And they left instantly.
To be continued…
