This chapter… I don't know, it was easy to write and then got hard at the duel part. The next chapters will be much more entertaining, due to character development and some other things that occur.
Sukara-Nodori: Yep, things are beginning to happen, much to my relief. Getting through some of those earlier chapters made me want to tear my hair out.
John: Don't ask me, Varen isn't my character.
Demon Fan: Sorry to completely destroy your guess, but Varen duels this chapter.
Captain Obvious: Tutor of the Abyss is a magic card that costs 1000 Life Points to activate. You choose a Main-Type and Sub-Type, and your opponent is forced to send a monster to the Cemetery from their hand or deck with what you called. Useful if you know your opponent's deck, otherwise it's decent. Declaration of God is a counter trap card that negates a card effect your opponent plays, and destroys the card. It does cost half of your Life Points though, which is a pretty big ouch sometimes.
Chapter 14: Ambush
It was as though no time had passed. A second ago, they had been in the prison. Now they stood outside in the dark night, with the only light being provided from the moon and stars.
Daine looked around, astonished. He felt somewhat ill, but otherwise he was amazed by what had occurred.
Everyone else seemed equally shocked. Hope looked very pale, and everyone but Varen seemed a bit sickened as well. But their astonishment made up for that.
Varen, on the other hand, felt completely exhausted. He hid it though, not wanting to keep them waiting when it was so vital not to waste time.
Karen was the first to manage to speak. "What… just happened?"
They all looked over at Varen, who seemed very nervous. But Zari saved him from having to explain what had occurred.
"We can talk about it later. Right now, we have to get out of here, and quickly, or else we'll be discovered."
"Zari's right," Daine agreed. "So we'd best hurry on. Which direction should we take?"
"They would expect us to go back to the cliff," Zarek stated. "So I advise going the opposite direction."
"But what if they expect us to expect them to go to the cliff? Then they'll find us anyway," Varen joked, seeming less tense now that they weren't pressing him for answers.
"Then we'd best hope that they will expect us to expect them to expect us at the cliff," Ryei replied. "Because if they expect that we expect that they expect that we will try to go the opposite direction, it can be expected that they will probably find us, in which we can then expect that we will be severely outnumbered."
Varen groaned. "My head hurts just listening to you say that; don't expect me to try to decipher it."
"Then you shouldn't bring up subjects such as that," Ryei grinned. "Unless you can claim to understand the responses you will get, anyway. Isn't that all there is to be expected?"
Daine shook his head to try to clear it from the confusing statements, and looked over to see Valor. The happy expression he had caught him off guard.
"You're smiling," he commented.
Valor looked up, realizing Daine was addressing him. "Huh?"
"In all the time you've been with us, you've never showed any kind of joy," Daine explained. "I'm not used to seeing children like that… so it's noticeable when you smile, that's all."
Valor looked away, blushing slightly. Seeing his reaction, Daine changed the subject. "I'm all for Zarek's plan, even if there's a chance of them going either way. It's more likely that they'll go to the cliff, so let's go the opposite way." Daine looked over at Hope. "Are you alright? You seem kind of ill."
"I feel really nauseous…" Hope managed to say.
"I do too, now that you mention it," Karen said.
"I think we all do," Daine stated. "Except for Varen… is that right?"
Varen looked away sheepishly. "I'll explain later. Sorry about that guys."
"It's fine. At least we made it out," Ryei replied. "Daine, you had to make your way through here to get to this building. I assume you could lead us in the opposite direction?"
"Actually, Gaignun did the leading," Daine said, glancing at the wolf. "But I remember the route we took well enough, and I think I could get us going in the other direction. Gaignun, could you make sure I don't stray off course?"
Gaignun nodded before walking towards the trees, with Daine following. The others came as well.
The trip was silent for the most part. The side effects of what Varen had done faded away pretty quickly, so nothing slowed their pace. Zarek noticed a few minutes into the forest that Ark had fallen unconscious once more, but did not mention it. The more rest he got now, the better, after all.
Valor was, like usual, the first to tire. Zari took up the usual role of carrying him though, and everyone else was able to go until the sun had just begun to rise.
As they entered a small clearing, Varen broke the silence. "How about we rest here? I don't know how long I can go on, and I'm sure most of you are just as exhausted as I am."
"Yeah," Daine nodded. "We won't get very far if we can't even bring ourselves to move. Alright, we'll stay here for a while. But we can't remain too long."
"How about just long enough to eat something?" Hope suggested. "We haven't eaten for at least an entire day!"
"True," Ryei replied. "How about you let me take care of the hunting this time? I thought there were a few things you wanted to do?"
Hope glanced at her pack. "You're right, I do. Alright, thanks."
After he left, she went through her pack and brought out a black bundle. They recognized it to be Ark's cape folded up, probably to keep his bloody shirt separate from the other items. Then she got the black thread and needle she had kept all this time, along with the three water canteens.
"I'm going to try and mend this really quickly," Hope explained. "I'll also get some water. I'm sure there has to be a stream somewhere around here; hopefully, Gaignun will be able to find it. I'll be back shortly."
She went out as well, Gaignun at her side. The others remained silent, waiting patiently for their companions to return.
Ryei came back first, carrying three dead rabbits. He glanced around the clearing. "Where did Hope and Gaignun go?"
"To try and find water, along with repairing Ark's shirt," Zari explained as she got up. "I'll retrieve the firewood this time. It's hazardous to attempt one here, since our pursuers might see it, but we'll just have to risk it."
"We'll be fine as long as we're careful," Karen stated.
Just as Ryei finished skinning the last of his kills, Hope came back, carrying two more rabbits and the things she had brought with her. "Sorry it took so long."
"So you got some as well?" Ryei said. "I'll prepare them if you want; might as well, since I've already started."
"Thanks," Hope replied, handing them over. "Gaignun went after them while I was sewing. He also got one for himself, so don't worry about him."
"Did you manage to repair it?" Zari asked.
"I did the best I could," Hope answered. "I'm not that good at sewing, but it will stay together at least. The blood was also hard to remove, but since the shirt is the same color anyway, it didn't really matter." She looked over at Ark's still form. "He hasn't woken up?"
"No, but it would be best to bring him around now anyway," Zarek said.
"I've… been awake…" Ark stated, opening his eyes and sitting up slowly.
"Then it looks like you had us fooled," Varen said.
"How do you feel now?" Hope asked, giving him the two clothing articles.
"…Better, thanks." Ark got up and went into the cover of the trees.
After a few minutes, he returned, this time with his proper garments. He tossed Zari's trench coat over to her before sitting down, leaning against a tree trunk.
"Are you sure you shouldn't be resting now?" Karen inquired. "We still have some time before moving on."
"It does not matter," Ark replied. "Since my wounds healed a long time ago… it won't affect me. It just… pains me… but I have had worse."
Seeing Ark did not want to stay on that topic, Daine decided to change the subject, and turned to Varen. "I think now would be a good time for you to tell us what you did."
Varen knew there was no point in trying to get around it. "Yeah… I'll tell you all everything I know about it."
Once he was sure everyone was listening, he began. "I first learned something was strange about me when I was six. I lived with my mother and a doctor, whose name was Dr. Cecil. He had helped her to deliver me when I was born. My father died in the incident twenty years ago. My mother had not understood what had happened, but Dr. Cecil thought she had survived due to the fact that she was pregnant with me. They did tests before I was born but did not see anything unusual. Even when I was born, nothing was apparent until I became six years old. I was very active at this point, and began to do acrobatic feats. I could do anything that professionals could, which caused Dr. Cecil's suspicions to rise again. After several more examinations, he concluded that it was something in my genes that made me as flexible and agile as I am. This genetic mutation probably saved my life, as well as my mom's."
"Why would a genetic mutation make any difference in whether you lived or died?" Daine asked. "Is it because another specific effect from it was to protect you from whatever killed most of mankind?"
"No," Varen answered. "Dr. Cecil said that while most humans died, other organisms lived on. It's possible that what happened twenty years ago only targeted people. If that is the case, then maybe this genetic mutation made it so that I would not be classified as human."
"I could see that theory being true," Ryei nodded. "But continue."
"Over the years, I continued to practice my acrobatic skills. When I was sixteen, I attempted something pretty stupid though. I tried to jump over a deep ditch, but misjudged the distance. If I had hit the bottom, I would have been injured severely. But when I was falling, I suddenly found myself on the other side. Amazed that I had been saved, I looked around, but nobody else was there."
"After thinking over it, I finally realized what I could do. I have the ability to teleport. By triggering something in my mind, I can teleport to any location I can or have seen. However, there are certain limitations that I discovered after much practice. I can only teleport up to two miles. I can bring a small group of people with me, but they usually feel nauseous afterwards. I have never tried moving such a large group of people, but it looks like I can do it… I doubt I would have been able to go a major distance though. If I teleport a larger distance or with so many people, I feel weary, but I get over it pretty quickly. Apparently, the way I can teleport is by opening a gate to a different dimension. But I'm through it so quickly that I don't even know what it's like in there. I probably would have never guessed I was even in one if Dr. Cecil hadn't."
Daine broke the silence. "Sounds pretty interesting… I don't know about the rest of you, but it was so fast that I barely had time to see what was going on."
"Is that why you wanted to look around the prison on your own?" Zarek asked. "So you could see the location outside to be able to teleport?"
"Yep," Varen said. "Sorry to be so secretive back there, but I don't like to tell anyone about my powers unless it's necessary."
"It also explains why they would blindfold you," Ryei stated. "Can you show us how it looks when you alone are doing it? Unless it would tire you out…"
"Nah, just going short distances by myself doesn't affect me," Varen assured.
Then he was suddenly gone, the only evidence that he had been there being a strange purple smoke and the strange 'bamf' sound they had heard before.
Less than a second after he had vanished, he was on the other side of the clearing.
"What is that noise that is made when you teleport?" Karen inquired.
"I think it's the air filling up the gateway that I use," Varen explained. "But that pretty much covers everything… so, what do you guys think?"
"All I have to say is that I'm glad you were there to get us out of that place," Daine replied. "I don't know why you would be able to do this, or how you would acquire such a mutation, but it seems pretty useful."
"So none of you will be holding anything against me?" Varen asked.
"We all have our secrets," Hope said. "It's only fair that we should tell of them when we are ready to."
"I think we all agree with that," Daine stated.
"Thanks for trusting me," Varen said.
"Not a problem," Ryei replied, and examined one of the rabbits that had been roasting. "I think it's pretty much ready… shall we eat?"
As he watched the others eating, Ryei recalled two things that had been said by his companions, and decided to inquire on them.
"Valor? You said you had been through several experiments. Is that why you only eat meat?"
"I don't know," Valor answered. "I was never able to tell what differences were made from the experiments. But I guess it's possible…"
"How about you, Ark?" Ryei asked. "You seem to consume a lot more than we do."
"I assume it is side effects of my instantaneous healing," Ark said. "My body probably requires more energy than most, hence why I feel as though I must eat more than other people."
"I see," was all Ryei said.
When they had finished and had put out the small fire, they stood up to leave.
"Do you need any assistance?" Zarek asked Ark.
"No, thanks. I can handle it."
Just as they were leaving the clearing though, they heard a high-pitched beeping. They turned to Yamato, who reached into his pocket. A second later, the beeping noise vanished.
"That didn't seem to have the same pitch as when you used it before," Ryei noted.
"That's because it has a different meaning this time," Karen said, looking somewhat depressed. "We have to go."
"What? Leave? But what if our pursuers find you two?" Hope asked.
"We'll be able to fight them off," Karen replied. "Besides, this might actually help you guys. If they figure out that we've split up, they won't know which direction to go."
"Possibly… I still regret that we will be parting ranks though," Daine stated. "Will you come back?"
"Doubtful," Yamato said. "It is more likely that we will never see each other again."
"That's downright depressing," Varen sighed. "But there's not much we can do, huh? You did say a while back that you would have to leave sooner or later. So… I guess this is goodbye."
"Travel safely," Zari said.
"Thanks," Karen nodded. "It was nice meeting all of you. Thanks for letting us accompany you."
Then the duo strode away, leaving the group to move on.
…..
"I can't believe how many things have gone wrong," Ikari complained as he walked along on top of the cliff. "Going by my luck, some more soldiers will come out now and tell me I'm under arrest because I'm on lands where Varen and the others are. Yeesh…"
At that moment, a group of five soldiers stepped out of the cover of the trees, and halted when they saw Ikari.
"Um… hi?" Ikari offered.
The head soldier took out his gun, pointing it at Ikari.
That was all Ikari needed to see. Normally he wouldn't mind fighting them, but he only had his sword and would therefore be easily picked off from a distance. Besides, who knew how many friends they had nearby? So he ran into the forest as fast as possible, the soldiers pursuing him.
…..
It was just before evening when Yamato and Karen arrived at their base. To a normal traveler, it would have just looked like a rock wall.
But Yamato and Karen were well aware of what was concealed behind it. Yamato went up to a part of the wall and shoved aside the sliding rock door, revealing a cave. They stepped inside and Yamato pulled the door back into its position before they went down the dark hallway.
As they went on though, the rock floor, walls, and ceiling soon became metal. They made their way through the labyrinth of metal passages, heading for a room near the center of the base.
Yamato knocked on the door, and it slid open shortly. They stepped inside as it closed automatically.
The room was pretty bare, except for a desk with a computer and a table with a few papers scattered about. There was only one person in this room. The woman they had been speaking with via Yamato's device was sitting at the chair at the head of the table.
"So you've finally arrived," Rico said. "Have a seat if you want."
"Thanks," Karen replied as they did. "So why have you called us back?"
"I thought you needed a chance to rest before your next mission," Rico explained.
"Our next mission? What is it?" Yamato questioned.
"I will tell everyone at once. Zoke is currently on an assassination mission, so it will have to wait. He should not take too long though; it's a rather easy assignment."
"Alright. So has anything happened while we were gone?" Karen inquired.
"Nothing of importance," Rico shrugged. "So go ahead and do whatever you want until Zoke returns. Both of you are dismissed."
They left the room and went down the hallway. They were about to continue on to their rooms when they heard someone speak.
"Hey. Looks like you guys finally got back."
They turned to see two people standing there. One was a woman who wore a full body suit that was blue and white. She also had blue gloves and blue high-heeled boots, which matched her blue helmet. Her hair was the same color, as were her dark eyes.
The other one wore very cumbersome white and blue armor, but did not seem to be effected by it. His midsection was black, and his belt yellow, but other than that the armor completely covered him. Even his head was concealed, although his red eyes were perfectly visible. The strange thing about his eyes was that he had no irises or pupils. They were just blank, red eyes.
"Reiz, Ohgun," Karen replied. "Nice to see you two again."
"Same," Reiz nodded-she had been the one to greet them. "So how did it go?"
"Not well," Yamato stated shortly.
"Blake beat you to it? He hasn't managed to do that for a while," Ohgun pointed out.
"Circumstances came up," Yamato said.
"Oh? Like what?" Reiz asked, seeming interested.
"We'll tell you later," Karen said. "I personally want to have some time to relax."
"Fine. Until next time," Reiz replied, leaving. Ohgun went the same way as her while Yamato and Karen continued to their rooms.
Soon they came to two doors that were across the hall from each other, and were for her and Yamato's use. They split up, and Karen went into hers and set her Duel Disk and pack inside it.
As she sat on her bed thinking over some of the events that had occurred in the past few days, she heard the door across the hall open and then shut. Apparently, Yamato had left.
After a moment of hesitation, Karen left her room and entered Yamato's cautiously.
Ever since she had seen that picture that Yamato had dropped, she had been curious to find out more. That was why she even dared to enter his room. But as she entered his room for the first time in her life, she was shocked by what she saw.
There was one bed that seemed to have been used not too long ago, but there was another in the corner. This one looked as though it had not been used for a very long time though. Also, around the room there were several pictures. Most of them had two occupants in them. One was Yamato, who seemed a bit younger than he was now, showing the pictures had been taken a while ago. The other person in them was that woman that Karen had seen in the photo Yamato carried around. There were a few pictures with just the woman alone, but not many.
Even more curious, she went over to his closet and opened it. It seemed to be clearly separated into two different sections. On the left were Yamato's clothes, but on the right were ones a woman would wear.
Karen closed the closet doors softly, wondering about this new development. It seems like Yamato lived with a woman before he met me. But who is she? And why did he stop living with her?
She was torn from her thoughts as she heard footsteps outside, stopping outside the door. Not wanting to be caught here of all places, Karen went into the safest place possible: under Yamato's bed.
She was just in time. As she slid underneath it, she heard the door open, and Yamato came inside.
Oh no, Karen groaned mentally. This is not good… I really hope he leaves soon…
Karen couldn't even bring herself to breathe as she watched Yamato go over to where he had lain his sword down. He picked it up and carefully felt the edge. With a sigh, he slung it over his shoulder and went back outside, shutting the door once more.
Karen sighed in relief. He must have just come to get his sword to have it sharpened. Thank everything.
Still, she was not about to pass up the opportunity it left for her to get out of there. She quickly came back out from under the bed and went out of his room and back to her own. There she lay down on her bed, waiting for her heart to stop pounding while pondering over what she had seen.
…..
At about that time, the group was still walking through the forest. Ever since the duo had left them, they had been in a heavy silence. They were usually quiet when traveling anyway, but this was much more discomforting.
"Man, I'm depressed," Varen commented as they went on. "Even if Yamato wasn't much of a talker, both he and Karen were good to have around."
"True, but there is nothing we can do about it," Ryei stated.
"I know that. I was just saying…"
"I think we all feel the same," Daine replied. "But even though we will miss them, we can't let it stop us."
Varen gave a resigned shrug as they went on.
Hope was especially missing Karen. She had grown to like her from the short while she had known her. The incident in the prison had only reinforced that for her. But the opportunity to become strong friends was pretty much gone now.
Gaignun cut through her brooding thoughts with a snarl. I smell a large group approaching. It must be more of those soldiers. If they catch up to us when we are still in a weakened condition, I do not know how we will fare, especially if they have that woman with them who put everyone to sleep.
You're right. We should speed up the pace.
"What's wrong with him?" Daine asked, looking at the wolf.
"He must have caught the scent of someone else," Hope explained. "Which means our pursuers might be close by."
"What? They caught up with us? Dang it!" Varen exclaimed.
"We can defend ourselves if we need to," Ryei pointed out.
"It would be wiser to flee than fight though," Zarek stated. "We are tired from all of this traveling and the incident in the prison. If we get overwhelmed by a large force, who knows how it would turn out."
"And if they still have that person with them who caused us to be knocked out, we could be in a very bad position," Zari said. "I agree; it would be a better idea to run."
"Then let's keep up the pace!" Varen advised as they went on.
A few minutes later, the trees suddenly thinned out, before leaving them in a new location. A short distance from the trees was a gorge. It was a fair distance to cross, and it did not look as though they would be able to get over it in any way except for one. A rope bridge was the only way to get over it.
They went over to the edge of the gorge and found that it was a long drop to the swift river below.
"Damn it! Why did a gorge have to be here, out of all places?" Varen complained.
Zarek had gone over to the bridge and was looking over it. "I can't tell how safe this would be to cross…"
"I think it's way too risky!" Varen growled, glaring at the bridge. "Geez, in our day and age you'd think they wouldn't have any of these kinds of bridges!"
"Still, we have to try it," Zari said. "If we stay here, we'll be caught for sure."
"Besides, we can gain an advantage once we make it over there," Ryei stated. "If we cut down the ropes that support the bridge, then any chance they have of following us will be eliminated."
"That's true," Hope agreed. "It's also the best plan we have."
"Well, the only other way across is to have Varen teleport us over," Daine said. "But after how we felt last time, with such a short distance, I don't think that would be a good idea. We may have two less people than before, but with such an increase in distance, Varen would probably be too tired to move for a while and we would be too nauseous to stop the soldiers from coming after us. The bridge is really our only option."
"I guess so," Varen sighed. "Can we at least go one at a time? I really don't trust that thing."
How far away would you say they are now? Hope asked Gaignun.
A few minutes away. We will not all be able to get over there before they arrive if we do what Varen wants.
"I don't like it either, but we can't afford to waste time by being cautious," Hope said.
"If we put too much strain on certain sections of the bridge though, it will break apart," Ryei replied. "So I suggest we do this. Gaignun is probably the most surefooted among us, so he goes first. Hope and I can come from behind. After a few steps, the next two proceed, and then the next two, and then the last two."
"Better than all of us going at once," Zari agreed.
"Ok then. Gaignun, let's go!" Hope ordered.
Gaignun went over to the bridge and stepped on it, testing it for a second. Then he began trotting across, seeming completely unworried by the drop.
Feeling a bit more confident from Gaignun's unconcerned walk, Hope went after him, as did Ryei. Hope still kept one hand on the rope handrails but Ryei walked on without even glancing at them.
"Zari, Valor, you two should go now," Daine said as the trio got a fair distance across the bridge.
"Ok," Zari nodded, and took Valor's hand. "Ready?"
"Yes." Valor was somewhat nervous still, but he wasn't about to let his worries slow down the others. So they went onto the bridge as well.
"Varen, Zarek, you're next," Daine told them.
"No. You three go first," Zarek said, bringing out his switchblade. "I'll stay here until all of you make it to the other side."
"What are you thinking? The whole reason we're going this way is to avoid a fight!" Varen said. "And you want to stay here to get into one?"
"I will not stay," Zarek stated. "I just want to be the last across."
Daine understood why then. "It's your body, isn't it?"
"Although I do not weigh that much, the metal parts I am made out of make me much heavier than anyone else," Zarek explained. "If the bridge were to break apart at some of its weaker points, it is better that I be the last one."
Daine saw his point, and knew they didn't have the time to argue over it anyway. "Ok then. Varen, Ark, let's go."
"If Zarek's going to be the last, then I'll be the second to last," Varen declared. "Two at a time is less risky than three. You and Ark should go now."
"Fine," Daine sighed, starting over. Ark looked over at the last two for a moment before following.
Varen waited until they were a short distance away before stepping on himself. "Come on. We have to get moving now!"
"Very well." Zarek came onto it as well.
Gaignun, still in the lead, was about two thirds the way across the bridge when he suddenly stopped, snarling as he looked back the way they had come.
Everyone turned to see a large amount of soldiers step out. But the soldiers did not seem concerned about them. They merely watched, not attempting to come any closer.
"I don't like this," Zarek stated. "They could gain an easy advantage over us when we're in a narrow space such as this. Why aren't they attempting to?"
"Because they know I have complete control over the situation."
Everyone spun around just in time to see a black cloaked figure on the other side, where they were headed, throw two objects. With a black flash, the objects cut through the ropes suspending the bridge on the other side almost instantly. But as they had been soaring for the other side, he had produced two more and sliced through the ropes on his side as well.
The bridge immediately tore away. There was barely any time to respond before the group members began to fall.
Daine was unable to do anything before he struck the water, instantly falling unconscious from the impact. Ark met the same fate.
Hope was luckier though. Her breath was torn from her as she landed in the water, but she managed to stay conscious, even through the pain. Ryei also was able to keep his wits about him, even as he found himself submerged.
Valor had still been holding onto Zari's hand when the sudden collapse had occurred. She managed to wrap her arms around him, like Ark had done for Daine when falling off the cliff, before they struck the water.
Varen reacted out of pure instinct. With a 'bamf', Varen was gone, crashing into the other side of the gorge. Zarek landed there too, and although stunned by the quick events and by hitting ground hard, he forced himself up and looked over the side of the gorge.
But it was too late. Any trace of them was gone, swept away by the waters.
…..
Hope was very thankful at this moment that she was a good swimmer. She quickly surfaced, but could see nobody else.
"Is anyone here?" Hope called, trying her best to tread water in the fierce current.
In response, Gaignun suddenly emerged from the water, swimming over to her.
"Gaignun!" she exclaimed, wrapping one of her arms around his neck so they wouldn't be separated. Did you see anyone else?
No. They could be anywhere.
This is bad… I don't know if anyone else could swim.
A new voice cut into theirs. At least one of us could.
They looked over to see Ryei swim over too.
"Ryei! I'm glad to see you made it,"Hope said.
"Same to you and Gaignun. Unfortunately, I have not been able to see anyone else."
"That's not good… should we look?"Hope suggested.
"No," Ryei replied. "Even if we are good swimmers, we won't be able to stay above the water with this current for very long. We should get to dry land as soon as possible."
"I hate abandoning them… but you're right. There's nothing we can do…" Hope sighed.
The three of them began to make their way towards the side of the gorge, looking for the first place that they could emerge.
…..
Valor felt Zari's tight grasp on him loosen as they sunk deeper into the water. He twisted free of it, but kept a tight grip on her arm.
He had never had the chance to swim before, and he knew he was not strong enough to support Zari. But he couldn't just leave Zari to drown.
However, Valor had no idea on how to help her until they crashed into a large rock in the middle of the river.
With the fierce current, they normally would have been pushed away from it instantly. But Valor reacted swiftly. With a burst of adrenaline, he grabbed onto the rock with one hand and keeping a tight grip on Zari's arm with the other. Then, using his legs as leverage, he burst out of the water and pulled himself onto the rock, dragging Zari up with him.
He suddenly found himself to be very weary. Whether it was from the strength he should not have had or from nearly drowning, he found himself unable to keep his eyes open.
…..
Varen looked over the side, his face pale. "A fall like that… Would they… have made it?"
Zarek turned back to their attacker, switchblade at the ready. "I don't know. But we won't be able to find out until we deal with this man first."
The soldiers on the other side of the gorge appeared to be too shocked to do anything. The black cloaked man did not seem to be worried though. He calmly lowered the cloak of his hood, revealing his short, black hair and brown eyes.
"Indeed you will. So, it seems you have the ability to teleport. Well, why didn't you rescue your friends with it?"
Zarek looked over at him. "I was wondering that too. You saved me, which I am grateful for; I could not have survived being submerged in a body of water like that. But why not the others?"
"That was a limitation I forgot to mention," Varen said bitterly. "If I was to teleport to the ground while falling from the gorge, I would still hit the ground with full impact from the fall. You must have noticed that the landing was rougher this time than last time. So if I had tried to save them, they would have died from such an impact."
"I see…" Zarek eyed the attacker warily. "So you're another of the ones after Daine. How do you wish to settle this?"
"A duel would be more preferable," the man replied. "I have no interest with you in hand-to-hand combat. And if you agree to this, then you won't have to worry about the other soldiers."
They looked over at the group, which were armed with rifles.
"Alright then. I suppose this will be the best option," Zarek agreed, sheathing his switchblade. "The less deaths there are in these times, the better."
"Hold on." Varen went up to them and turned on his Duel Disk. "Let me duel him. I'm officially ticked off at what he's done, and that I couldn't do anything to help the others. If I can make up for it a bit by getting this guy out of the way, then I will!"
"If that is what you wish," Zarek said, stepping aside.
"Fine, I don't care who I duel," the man shrugged. "As for introductions, I am Eric."
"I'm Varen, he's Zarek. So are you ready?"
"After choosing my Deck Master." Eric took out a card from his deck. A second later, the humanoid monster had appeared. He had on a gray, sleeveless shirt, and gray pants, with matching gray boots. Strapped over his shoulder was a green ammunition holder that went down to his waist. He wore a wristband on each of his powerful arms, and carried two guns, the holsters at his hips. His silver hair went down to his shoulders. He also had a green and brown eye patch over his right eye, but his other brown eye remained uncovered.
"Don Zaruug is what I chose," Eric said.
"I'll pick Mermaid Knight," Varen stated, bringing it out.
"Not exactly a card that fits you," Eric smirked.
"Maybe not in looks, but her effect will have you begging me for mercy," Varen said. "Not that you should expect me to forgive you or anything."
"Hm. We'll see if your boasts are accurate soon enough. So, shall we play without shields?"
"Fine by me!"
Varen: 8000
Eric: 8000
"Mind if I start?" Varen requested.
"Fine by me."
"I'll lay one monster in defense mode, and one card down. I also play The Legendary City Atlantis."
Eric braced himself as the tidal waves rushed in, engulfing the field in water.
"This field magic card raises all of my Water Main-Types' stats by 200, and lowers their level by one. It's your turn."
"Already it looks like I can take advantage of the situation," Eric stated, seeming unconcerned by Atlantis. "I summon Black Scorpion-Trap Remover Kurifu." (1200/1000)
Zarek watched as the monster appeared. "Black Scorpions…"
"Do you know anything about them?" Varen asked.
"I know enough to be aware of how deadly they are," Zarek said. "They are weak when it comes to stats, but their effects more than make up for it."
"He's right," Eric confirmed. "For now I will activate Don Zaruug's Deck Master ability by paying 500 Life Points."
Varen: 8000
Eric: 7500
"I choose one monster with the words Black Scorpion in its name, and its attack is lowered to 100. However, in exchange for this, it can attack directly. So I will use it on Kurifu. Now he attacks!"
"Not happening," Varen said. "I activate Tornado Wall! This card makes all battle damage you to do to me zero as long as I have an Atlantis on the field."
But the Kurifu leapt right around the water tornados that sprang up, slashing Varen.
Varen: 7900
Eric: 7500
"How is that possible?" Varen demanded.
"The monster I select for Zaruug's effect also gets another benefit. You cannot affect its attack with your magic or trap cards. So my Kurifu's attack was unhindered. And since he has done battle damage to you, his effect now activates. I can choose to either have you discard two cards off the top of your deck or destroy one magic or trap card on your field. I will choose to destroy your Atlantis."
"Curses," Varen muttered as he slid it into the Cemetery slot. "That also means my Tornado Wall is gone, since it's destroyed when Atlantis is."
"All the better. I lay one card down and end my turn."
"I'll pass…" Varen said, looking over his cards.
"I summon Spiteful Miine. (1000/1800) Then I activate Don Zaruug's Deck Master ability and use it on her."
Varen: 7900
Eric: 7000
"Spiteful Miine attacks you directly!"
Varen: 7800
Eric: 7000
"Her effect activates, since she did battle damage to you. I search either my deck or Cemetery for a monster with the words Black Scorpion in its name and add it to my hand. I'll search my deck… ah, here we go." Eric shuffled his deck for a few minutes before returning it to his deck slot. "It's your turn."
Varen sighed in relief. "Now I can finally start attacking. I will start by activating Terra Forming! This magic card lets me search my deck for a field magic card and add it to my hand. I'll get Atlantis and play it!"
"Kurifu will just destroy it again," Eric stated.
"Not if I kill him first! Since my Atlantis is out, and lowers my monsters' levels by one, I can summon Giga Gagagigo for no sacrifices. (2650/1700) I'll flip summon Water Configuration Bakross MK-3. (1700/1500) Now I activate Mermaid Knight's Deck Master ability! I choose one of my Water Main-Types, and it can attack twice if Atlantis is out. So I choose Giga Gagagigo. Now, he attacks Kurifu! Then Miine! And MK-3 attacks directly!"
Varen: 7800
Eric: 2200
"Impressive," Eric said. He seemed severely weakened by the attacks but still stood up straight. "I suppose your Deck Master is good. Is that all?"
"Yep."
"Then it's time for me to go on the offense," Eric announced. "You may have gotten rid of two of my Scorpion cards, but Miine managed to get me the last card I needed before she was destroyed."
"What do you mean?" Varen asked.
"First I play Jar of Greed. Next I will summon Don Zaruug. (1400/1500) Then I activate a magic card, The Black Scorpions Assemble! This can only be used when I have a Don Zaruug on the field. It allows me to special summon as many cards from my hand with the words Black Scorpion in their name. I can only summon one of each but it will accomplish exactly what I want it to. For now, I can special summon Trap Remover Kurifu, Spiteful Miine, Running Chikku, (1000/1000) and Strong Googu!" (1800/1500)
"I'd be threatened if they weren't so weak," Varen said dryly.
"Their strength doesn't matter; it is their effects that will tear you apart. For now I activate my trap card, Deadly! Black Scorpion Combination!"
Varen eyed the five Scorpions again. "Do I want to know what that does?"
"Probably not, but allow me to explain what Black Scorpion Combination does anyway. It lets me attack directly with all of them. If I choose to do this, their attacks are lowered to 400, but it's well worth it."
"Then… that means they'll all nail me with their effects!" Varen realized.
"Exactly. Now I'll have my four remaining Scorpions attack directly."
Zarek winced as he watched the four Scorpions attack Varen at the same time, sending him flying back. "I don't envy you."
"Shut up," Varen grumbled as he stood up, his several wounds bleeding.
Varen: 5700
Eric: 2200
"Now, to explain their effects. Miine's you already know, so I'll search my deck for another Black Scorpion. Running Chikku lets me look at the top card in your deck and leave it there or put it on the bottom of your deck. But I would prefer to use his other effect instead, which allows me to choose one card on the field and send it back to your hand. I will choose MK-3. Then we have Don Zaruug's effect, which discards one random card from your hand or two cards from the top of your deck. I prefer the former"
Varen shuffled his cards around and selected one without looking. "MK-3… just great."
"And Googu's effect sends one monster to the top of your deck or discards one card from the top of your deck. So Giga Gagagigo goes back to the top of your deck."
"Ugh. This sucks," Varen complained. "My turn?"
"I lay one card down and end."
"I wonder what I'll get this turn," Varen said sarcastically as he drew. "Still, I might be able to get some damage done. I summon Sea Dragon Warrior of Darkness. (1800/1500) He attacks Don Zaruug!"
"I won't allow it," Eric said. "I activate Magic Cylinder, negating your attack and dealing damage to you equal to your monster's attack."
Varen: 3900
Eric: 2200
"Dang it," Varen growled. "Only thing I can do is lay one card down…"
"I pay 500 Life Points for Don Zaruug to use his Deck Master ability on Kurifu once more."
Varen: 3900
Eric: 1700
"Now Kurifu attacks directly, destroying your magic or trap card."
"That was my Holy Barrier-Mirror Force…" Varen said as it was destroyed.
"Very good. Now Googu attacks, killing both of our monsters! Then the other three attack directly!"
Varen: 400
Eric: 1700
Varen got up slowly, wincing as his injuries flared with pain.
"Don Zaruug forces you to discard a card in your hand, Miine allows me to get another Scorpion, and I will use Chiiku's effect to look at the top card in your deck."
Varen shuffled around his two cards, and took one out. "My Giga Gagagigo…" Then he drew his top card, showing it to Eric.
"Sealing Swords of Light? Send it to the bottom of your deck."
"Damn it," Varen muttered as he put it at the bottom of his deck. "This doesn't look good for me…"
"Can you still win?" Zarek asked.
"Well, possibly… he doesn't have many Life Points left. If I can just get the right cards, then maybe…"
"Take your turn," Eric said, slightly impatient.
"Let's see how this goes," Varen said, drawing his card. He looked over it. "Hm, that works… I'll take a leaf out of your book and play my own Jar of Greed. Alright! Now I play Angel's Gift! And… I've just hit the jackpot," Varen grinned. "I discard Legendary Fisherman and Thunder Fish. Then I play Salvage! This allows me to get two Water Main-Type monsters from my Cemetery that have an attack of 1500 or less. So I choose Thunder Fish and MK-3. Then I activate Magic Shard Evacuation! By discarding two cards from my hand-Thunder Fish and Magic Guarder this time-I get a magic card from my Cemetery. So I take back Atlantis and play it! Then I summon MK-3!"
"Even if you can attack twice, that will not do enough damage to kill me," Eric pointed out.
"You're overlooking the fact that MK-3 has an effect!" Varen said. "If I have Atlantis on the field, he can attack directly, and I'll have him do so!"
Eric watched the MK-3 lunge at him. "It looks like I will die after all. Even the smallest mistake in a strategy can unravel everything; I deserve this fate…"
Then the machine tore him apart before fading away, leaving only the scraps of black fabric, blood, and the mutilated body to show what Eric had once been.
Varen: 400
Eric: 0
"Ugh…" Varen stumbled backwards, looking sickened. "There was no way around it, but that's just nasty…"
"Sometimes we have no choice but to kill," Zarek stated.
"Yeah… doesn't make me feel any happier." Varen sank down to his knees, shaking slightly.
"How badly are you hurt?" Zarek asked, coming over to him.
"I have a lot of wounds but they're shallow mostly, since the Scorpions kept hitting me with weakened attacks." Varen looked over at the soldiers on the other bank. "We can worry about my health later. If we stick around here, we're dead."
The soldiers were talking amongst themselves, but they fell silent as their leader said something. Then they turned and went back into the forest.
"Hey, what do you know? They're following Eric's instructions," Varen said. "Nice to know that not all of them are brainless savages."
"Indeed." Zarek looked back at the gorge. "Now that they are gone, what do you want to do? Do you wish to rest so your wounds can heal, or go to search for the others?"
"We should search," Varen answered. "I can teleport us down there even if I am injured."
"You are sure?"
"I can't just stand still while they're down there," Varen answered. "They could be anywhere now, but if we wait it'll be even harder to find them. So let's start looking."
"Very well," Zarek nodded. "If that's what you want."
"It is. Ready?"
"Whenever you are."
Then they were gone with a 'bamf'.
To be continued…
