And at last, an update for this fic as well! We are starting to finally get into the actual plot of the story. Forget fooling around with military men… (although they WILL still show up… if any of you actually like them…) we have to start running into some real villains!

John: Ah, I see. Yeah, Deck Destroying decks are really tricky duels to write, but entertaining at the same time. It's fun to write the bad guy's reaction when he finds out he's out of cards!

Chapter 10: Experiencing Death

Ikari finally stumbled into Capital, grumbling under his breath as he walked though town. He did not seem to notice the strange stares the people were giving him.

"Damn tigers… I was nearly their lunch… that was way too close for comfort…" Ikari touched his shoulder, and winced as pain coursed through his body. "And that dang scratch from one of them still hurts… and of course, I'm scratched all over because of the damn branches… I'm so killing Varen when I catch up with him…"

It was about that time that he ran across the wanted board. He casually looked over at it, and then suddenly rushed over.

"WHAT?! VAREN IS WANTED?!"

"Do you know him?"

Ikari turned to see two military men.

"Um… hi?" Ikari said nervously.

"Are you friends with one of these criminals?" one said.

"Friends?! No!"

"You sound as though you know him though," the other pointed out.

"I do! But not as a friend!"

"Then we'll have to take you in for questioning," the first one stated.

"Hey! You can't do that!"

The first one pulled out a gun. "I can't?"

"…You win."

Ikari followed them miserably, but burning with rage at Varen.

Damn it! You are so dead by the time I catch up with you!

-----

It had been another day and night of relentless traveling. It was just about to be dawn, and everyone there was exhausted.

"Can we please take a break?" Hope requested as they walked on.

Daine looked over to Ryei. "You know this area best. What do you think?"

"We can rest for a short time before we proceed to the cliff," Ryei decided.

"The cliff? We have to climb a cliff?!" Varen yelped.

"No, thankfully we won't have to climb it. There is a steep trail to take up it. But later on, it becomes a sheer rock wall, so we have to go up that trail."

"I won't complain about that," Varen muttered.

Soon they saw the cliff Ryei had spoken off. They could see that the area on top of the cliff also had a forest appearance, and that it was indeed a wall that would be nearly impossible to climb, even with the correct tools. But after more traveling, they began to notice a slight slope. And finally they were at the bottom of the steep trail.

"We should stay here for a few minutes before going further," Ryei stated.

"I'm all for it," Karen agreed, sitting down.

When everyone was as comfortable as they could get, Daine began to ask Ark a few questions that he had been wondering about.

"You use guns?"

"I am experienced with them," Ark said shortly.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"I prefer to keep some details secret."

"Why do you play with an Undead deck?" Varen inquired.

"It fits me."

"…Say what?" Varen said in confusion.

"So I assume we were on the wanted list there?" Zari inferred.

"Correct."

"Damn it… is there anywhere safe now?" Daine wondered.

"If there is, we'll find it. That's our goal now, right?" Varen commented.

"That's most of your goals," Karen corrected. "Yamato and I are just hanging around with you guys for a while, remember? And who knows what Ark wants to do."

Nobody had a response to that, so they spent a few more moments resting before Zarek rose. "I think we should keep going now."

"Easy for you to say-you're a cyborg," Varen muttered, but he got up also, as did the others. Valor seemed kind of tired still, but did not complain.

Although steep, the going was fairly easy. Even Valor was able to keep up with them. It took them a while to make it to even land again, but they finally reached it.

"We should travel nearby the cliff edge," Ryei announced. "That way, I can remember which way we are going easier."

"And if one of us falls?" Karen queried, looking at the drop that would surely kill anyone who should be unlucky enough to experience it.

"Then they're dead. So let's keep away from the very edge," Ryei advised.

"Once more, I'm not arguing," Varen commented.

By about midday, they were quite a distance away from the slope. And once more, their pace slackened.

"I hate to sound like a broken record, but I think we should take another break soon," Hope said.

"Alright. I'll look for an area," Ryei promised.

Before Hope could respond, Gaignun snarled. Humans! They are approaching us!

"What's the matter?" Zari inquired as Gaignun growled again.

"Someone must be nearby," Hope said, drawing her bow.

The others immediately reached for their weapons, waiting for the other people to emerge.

A few seconds later, Gaignun let out a fierce snarl at the forest.

"Quit hiding!" Hope shouted. "We know that you're there!"

From out of the trees came about fifteen soldiers, one as a second in command. Then another person came out. This person was covered with a black cloak, concealing their features.

"Who are you?" Daine demanded, gripping onto his sword.

"Your executioner," the figure said. "We have been ordered to slay the one with the marked hand, and any comrades he might have. So that is what we will do."

"Marked hand? What do you mean?" Ryei questioned.

"Hm… so he never told you? Then you will never have the chance to learn, unless you all meet up in hell!"

The soldiers attacked without warning, their swords out. One tried to go after Ryei, but he was ready. He easily dodged the blow, and brought his kunai down into the man's throat. Another fell to Yamato's huge sword, and another to Zarek's switchblade. Another that came towards Zari and Valor was slain by her twin blades. Ark had stepped back towards the cliff edge, to stay away from the melee combat, and shot down two more soldiers. Hope was a bit closer to combat, and aimed at one soldier, but missed her shot. The soldier leapt for her, only to be hit in midair by Gaignun. The wolf closed his jaws around the man's neck, tearing his windpipe. Karen stood nearby Zari and Valor, waiting for a chance to use her bazooka, but could not when everyone was so close together. Varen used his katars to kill another soldier that had lowered his guard.

One of them went straight for Daine, bringing his sword down. Daine blocked it, but the man's strength was far greater than the teenager's, and he was forced to jump backwards. He thrust the point quickly into the man's chest, killing him. As the corpse fell, Daine looked up, towards the black cloaked figure.

There was no time to dodge. The dark energy blast slammed into him, causing his sword to fly out of his hand, and sending him flying off the edge of the cliff.

Hope had seen the energy blast, and saw him fall. "Daine!"

Damn it… what a time to let my guard down… I guess this is the end… Daine thought as he began to fall.

But Ark had heard Hope's scream, and did not hesitate. He dropped his pistols, and leapt over to the edge, managing to barely grab Daine's right hand with his own.

Daine looked up. "Ark!"

"Hold on!" Ark said as he grasped onto the side of the cliff with his left hand.

This feeling… what is it? His right hand… no… I can't think about this now, Ark reminded himself.

"Nice try, but you're too late."

The figure's voice was the only warning they had before another energy blast hit Ark, sending him off the edge, Daine falling with him.

Everyone turned when they heard the two cries.

"No!" Hope exclaimed.

"What happened?!" Varen asked.

"Daine… and Ark…" Karen managed to say. She too had seen them fall.

Daine still had an iron grip on Ark's hand as he fell, but that was from instinct. His mind could only think about the hopelessness of it. So I'm going to die… it's so sudden… it was too short of a time… why must it end like this?!

But then Ark pulled him over, wrapping his arms around Daine's waist.

"What are you doing?!" Daine exclaimed.

"I'm trying to save your life."

Then they went down through the trees, and Daine knew no more.

-----

"They could not have survived a fall such as that," the cloaked person said.

Although stunned by what had happened, most of the others forced themselves to bring up their weapons. There were still six other soldiers, including the second in command.

"Why? Why did you want to kill Daine?!" Hope cried.

"So you knew he was the marked one all along?" the figure inquired.

"Only Hope, Yamato, and I knew," Karen replied.

"I'm lost," Varen complained.

"We'll explain later," Karen told him.

"It was our orders," the figure stated. "We were to kill the marked one, for reasons one as low as I have no business in knowing. I just follow my orders."

"What did you do to Daine and Ark?" Hope asked. "You hit them with… energy of some kind?"

"Yes. Magic."

"Magic? What the hell? There's no such thing as magic," Yamato stated.

Gaignun?

Magic… it could be true. This man has killed many on the quests he has been sent in. Although he has never even had to have blood splash onto his hands, he is coated with the scent of it…

"Believe as you wish." Then the figure lowered the cloak hood, revealing his face. The man looked to be about thirty. He had dark brown hair and light brown eyes that observed the group carefully. "You may call me Stephen. I can see that in a fight, I am outnumbered. I could probably still win, but it would exhaust me, something I do not like the idea of. So I challenge one of you to a duel. The winner will leave with their companions. The loser will die, along with their allies."

"It isn't like we have much of a choice," Hope realized, putting her bow back over her shoulder. "Alright then. If it's ok with the rest of you, I'll duel Stephen. He won't get away with killing two of our friends."

"Go ahead then," Karen nodded. "You've known Daine the longest out of the rest of us, so it's only right. And Ark… well, we all knew him equally, which in other words means 'not much'."

"Then let us do one thing," Stephen said. He brought up the menu and his Duel Disk, went to the Options tab, and pressed it, bringing up several more buttons. He selected the Shield Command, and set it from on to off.

"Are you insane?!" Hope exclaimed. "Without having the Shield, we can get injured by monster attacks! Having it off means we'll die when our Life Points are 0!"

"That is the point," Stephen said. "The loser will die instantly, and the winner will be in pain for a while. So are you ready?"

"…Yes," Hope nodded, turning her Shield off as well. "As for Deck Masters… I choose Fenrir."

"And I will select Exclusivity Virus," Stephen announced. In front of him appeared an object. Hope took a closer look, and staggered back.

"A cat's carcass?!"

"Yes. You might call it my Virus' home."

"You're sick…" Hope growled. "Now I really want to take you down."

Hope: 8000

Stephen: 8000

Hope took out a coin and flipped it. "Call it."

"Tails."

"…Nope, it's heads. I'll go first. I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode! (2000/1600) Then I lay two cards down. It's your turn."

"I shall begin by playing Distressing Choice. This allows me to select five cards from my deck and show them to you. You choose one, and it goes to my hand. The rest are discarded. I have chosen Sealed Exodia, Sealed Left Arm, Sealed Left Leg, Sealed Right Leg, and Killer Snake. Choose one."

"Whoa, wait! He has Exodia, but he's discarding the pieces? That doesn't make any sense!" Varen said, confused.

"What is Exodia?" Valor asked.

"There are five pieces for Exodia: Sealed Exodia, Sealed Left Arm, Sealed Right Arm, Sealed Left Leg, and Sealed Right Leg. If you have all five pieces in your hand at one time, then you instantly win the duel," Zari explained.

"Then why is he discarding an instant win combo?"

"I'm not sure… he's up to something though. Hope had better be careful."

"Keep your Killer Snake," Hope decided. "I know his effect-if he is in your Cemetery at your standby phase, you can put him back into your hand. So it won't matter if I don't let you keep him."

"That is correct. Now I will activate my Deck Master's ability. By discarding one card from my hand, I can declare a monster's name. All monsters of that name are instantly destroyed. I can only do this once per turn though. So I discard my Sealed Right Arm and call Panther Warrior."

The armored panther roared in pain before collapsing. The carcass was slowly decomposed before vanishing from the field.

"You really do take pleasure in suffering, don't you?" Hope said in disgust.

"Not as much as some. But yes, I do. That should be the least of your worries though. I now activate Pact with Exodia! I can only use this card when I have Sealed Exodia, Sealed Left Arm, Sealed Right Arm, Sealed Left Leg, and Sealed Right Leg in my Cemetery. When I use it, it allows me to special summon the monster Exodia Necros! (1800/0)"

"He doesn't look very strong," Hope noticed as the terrifying creature appeared.

"Perhaps not now, but soon enough, he shall be. Exodia Necros attacks directly!"

"Nice try, but I activate Destruction Ring! This destroys your Necros, forcing us both to take damage equal to its attack!"

The ring of grenades surrounded Necros, and exploded. But when the smoke cleared, the Necros stood their, still unharmed.

All Hope had time to say was, "What?!" before she was blasted by the Necros' attack.

Gaignun pushed her with his head. Are you alright?

Yeah… it just hurts because the Shield is gone… ouch… I'll live… Hope forced herself to get back up.

Hope: 6200

Stephen: 8000

"My Necros cannot be destroyed by magic or trap cards," Stephen explained.

"I wish I had known that sooner," Hope muttered. "We'll see how long it can assist you though! I summon Mad Dog of Darkness! (1900/1400) He attacks your Necros!"

The dog savagely tore at Necros, but once again it did not seem to be injured, even though Stephen lost the proper Life Points amount.

Hope: 6200

Stephen: 7900

"He also cannot be destroyed by battle," Stephen told her. "I still do lose Life Points though."

"Now you tell me… what about monster effects?"

"If you can somehow get out an effect monster, then go ahead. That is one of the only ways to stop Necros. Is it my turn?"

"Yes…"

"On each of my standby phases, my Necros' attack is also increased by 500. (2300/0)"

"And I was wondering how it could get worse," Hope groaned.

"I will lay one card down, and then discard Killer Snake to call Mad Dog of Darkness. Now Necros attacks directly!"

"Not this time! I activate Emissary of Harmony, which causes your monster to do no damage to me."

"Very well. I end my turn then."

Hope looked at her card, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I lay one monster in defense mode, and one other card down. That's it."

"So, you got an effect monster? Too bad it will not help you! First of all, Necros gains another attack boost. (2800/0) Then I activate Ceasefire Treaty! This trap card forces all face down monsters to be flipped face up. It also makes it so that no flip effects are activated."

"Damn… this is gonna suck…" Varen winced.

Hope held her hand over her eyes. "No… all is lost… you flipped my Soul Tiger! (0/2100)"

Varen face faulted.

"Hey Hope, did I mention that I like your deck?" Ryei commented.

"Thanks," Hope grinned.

"Only because of the tiger," Varen muttered, getting up.

Ryei casually tossed a kunai into the air and caught it. "Care to repeat that?"

"I'll pass."

"A lure? Bah! You still lose 500 Life Points for each effect monster on the field, which means you lose 500 from my Necros."

Hope winced as she felt something on her right hand. She brought it up, and saw the number '500' carved into her flesh on the back of her hand before it faded away, leaving her hand stinging.

Hope: 5700

Stephen: 7900

"I discard Killer Snake to call Soul Tiger."

"Hope, be sure to torture him before you finish him off," Ryei ordered.

"Why did we even agree to go with these guys?" Yamato asked, looking at Varen and Ryei.

"The world may never know," Karen joked.

"Then I attack with Necros and end my turn."

This blast of energy was a lot more painful than the last one. Hope struggled to rise, still feeling burned from the blast.

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 7900

I need a miracle here… Hope thought as she drew.

"I will lay one monster in defense mode, and one more card down. That is all."

"Again? Well, let's see how you react to this. Of course, my Necros gets a power boost… (3300/0) Then I summon Exclusivity Virus! (1600/1200)"

"You have another in your deck?" Hope asked.

"Yes. It comes in handy at times, since it can wipe out all of one Sub-Type, and its effect can be used multiple times. Now, I'll have my Virus attack!"

"You fell right into my trap," Hope smirked.

"What?"

"I activate Emissary of Harmony, which protects my monster, but still flips it face up. It's my White Tailed Black Cat! (800/500) Its effect allows me to return two of your monsters to your hand, and one of my monsters to mine! So I return my own Cat to my hand, while you lose both of your monsters!"

"You… oh well. I can still just use this. A second Pact with Exodia!"

"Not this time!" Hope declared. "I activate Magic Jammer! By discarding my Black Cat, your magic card is negated and destroyed!"

"Damn it… then I have to end…"

"I'll lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Hope said.

"Argh… I lay a monster of my own in defense mode… and end."

"I'll play Jar of Greed to draw two more cards… perfect!" Hope grinned. "I'll activate Change of Heart on your face down monster!"

"My Killer Snake… (300/250)"

"Ok. I'll sacrifice your Snake for Manticore of Darkness! (2300/1000) Then I flip summon my Blood Vors! (1900/1200) Both of them attack!"

Both monsters leapt at Stephen, hacking and slashing at him, leaving several deep cuts all over his body.

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 3700

"I also lay one card down before ending my turn."

"Not bad," Stephen sneered. "But did you think you could beat me that easily? You must have completely forgotten about my Exclusivity Virus! I summon him now!"

"I did not forget," Hope said calmly.

"I discard Killer Snake to call Animal Warrior, destroying both of your monsters! Now he attacks directly!"

"I activate Magic Cylinder, negating your attack and doing damage equal to your monster's attack power to you."

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 2100

Stephen got up, coughing weakly. "It's not over yet… I may have to end my turn now, but we'll see how you fare next turn."

"Pretty well, actually," Hope commented. "I summon Ninja Wonder Dog. (1800/1000) He attacks your Virus! Then I end my turn."

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 1900

"Oh, and you can't draw this turn due to my Deck Master," Hope told him as he reached for his deck. "When one of my Animals or Animal Warriors destroys one of your monsters due to battle, you're forced to skip your draw phase."

"Damn it… I discard Killer Snake to call Ninja Wonder Dog, and then end my turn."

"…I pass…" Hope said regretfully.

"Hm… this will do… I lay one card face down, and one monster. Then I end my turn."

"I summon another Blood Vors and attack your monster."

"My Killer Snake. Is that all? If so, I will discard Killer Snake, calling Blood Vors. Then I lay another card down and end my turn."

"…Good," Hope nodded. "I summon Dark Warrior Werewolf! (1600/600) Then I activate Wild Burst! This takes his defense value and adds it to his attack value! (2200/600) Now he attacks!"

"Now you have fallen into my trap," Stephen smirked. "My Magic Cylinder will negate your attack and force you to lose 2200 Life Points!"

"Oh, it looks like I forgot to mention my Werewolf's ability," Hope said. "When he's face up on the field, you aren't allowed to activate traps during your battle phase."

"…Damn it all…" Stephen paled as the Werewolf charged towards him.

Hope: 2900

Stephen: 0

The Werewolf suddenly started so fast that it was a black blur. It sped right through Stephen and the soldiers, slashing them all before vanishing. And right when he vanished, the corpses fell, blood flying everywhere.

"…I guess… that I won…" Hope shivered.

"Good duel," Varen congratulated her. "Don't feel too guilty about that jerk. Remember… what he did…"

"…Yeah…" Hope walked over to the cliff edge, looking down. "It's so… far down…"

"They wouldn't have stood a chance," Zarek sighed. "I hate to have to sound so harsh, but there's no denying what happened. We cannot waste time here while we are still being pursued. We can mourn once we are safe."

"…I suppose so…" Hope said softly. "But…" She wiped away a solitary tear that had escaped from her eye.

He speaks the truth. We need to go, now. Those others came upon us without warning-if it happens again, we might not manage to fare as well.

You're right… I just wish… I could have helped… Hope walked over to where Ark had dropped his pistols, and carefully picked them up to store in her sack. As she moved things aside, something caught her eye.

"What… is this?" Hope asked, lifting up the wooden flute she had found.

"It's Ark's," Zari said, recognizing it. She had been silent up to this point, thinking about their lost comrades sorrowfully. "But I do not see why it would be in there."

"Maybe he put it in there when he went to get supplies for us," Varen shrugged. "Either way, let's leave it in there. As a memento of sorts for Ark. And his pistols. We can have Daine's sword be one as well."

"True…" Hope carefully picked up the sword. "But without a sheath, it will be hard to carry along with us."

"I can hold on to it," Zari volunteered. "I have two spare sword sheathes in case something happens to mine… his looks to be about the same size as one of the spare sheaths I have." She slid the sword into the sheath. "It's not perfect, but it will do for now."

"Can you use three sword style?" Ryei asked with interest. "I've heard of it before."

"I know a little about it, but not enough to actually use it," Zari replied.

There was a pause as everyone stared over the cliff edge. All they could see was many tree tops, but each of them thought of their lost friends, having a few words for each in their hearts. Even though they had not known each other for long, they still felt the pain of their deaths. Valor in particular felt more shocked and depressed than most of them. He had finally felt himself start getting used to the entire group, and then two of his new friends were suddenly killed. And he had had hardly any friends in his short, yet painful life. Daine had tried to look out for him and Zari, and Ark had saved his life… it was hard to grasp onto the fact that they were gone. Even Zarek felt sadness, although he had lost far more than this before. Having faced harsher times did not soften the blow though.

"I guess… we should move on…" Hope sighed.

And without further conversation, they began walking onward, none of them looking back.

To be continued…