February already… the months are just flying by.
John: Yep, more will come after them. Ketchup? Ugh, I can't stand the stuff. Then again, there's a lot of food I can't stand.
Demon Fan: Ok, nice as that sounds, that's not going to happen. As for Dark Scythe's scythe, yes, it is a very nice weapon.
Erestor Telemnar: Thanks. With all the people that are insisting on me updating, I think I shall keep them coming as fast as possible. I hope some of that advice helps sometime.
Chapter 4: Accumulative Strength
Larka knew that until Zack had recovered, they would be forced to remain in the Sky Temple. This might be a problem in the morning, she realized. If he was not fit to move by then, they would not be able to leave, so the group would probably become concerned for them. She hoped that they wouldn't panic over their disappearance if that happened.
Relax, she told herself sternly. Worrying won't change anything. If we can't make it down there tomorrow, someone will probably come to find us. Maybe they can help us leave this place-I'm not sure how we will make it out anyway. But we'll deal with that when we have to. Right now, all I can do is act as a sentry.
Although Larka was firm in her decision to keep a watch for any enemies approaching, she was exhausted from the events that had occurred. Combined with her worries, she could not help but fall asleep, still leaning against the wall as she did so.
Malon went over to her, looking at her still form. Knowing his master needed rest more than anything at this moment, he curled up beside her. But his ears remained perked for the slightest noise of an enemy approaching.
-
Larka did not recognize the area she was in at first, still consumed by the dreamless sleep she had experienced. But in a few seconds, she remembered they were in the Sky Temple. From there, she was able to guess why it was much darker than before.
Of all the things to do! Larka berated herself. I was supposed to be watching out for enemies, and instead I fall asleep!
She hastily looked around the area, but all was as she had left it. Zack still lay there, and Malon was next to her. He looked up at her as she stirred and whined softly.
She smiled at him. "You stayed awake this whole time? Thanks." She stood up, stretching, and making a mental note that sleeping in a sitting position was very uncomfortable. "Why don't you get some rest now? I'll stay awake for a while."
Malon had no objections to that. He crawled into her arms and soon drifted off.
Taking care not to wake him up, Larka stood and placed him on the stones before walking outside of the Sky Temple.
When she arrived, she saw that it was dusk. The normally clear, blue sky was now a beautiful mixture of orange, pink, and purple. Although Larka had indeed seen sunsets, this was by far the most stunning one she had ever seen. She stayed outside, sitting on the stone steps while gazing in wonder until the sunset had faded into the blackness of night, which was only broken by the stars and moon.
Just beautiful…Larka thought as she got up. I wish Zack had been able to see it as well. Maybe I can convince him to come back and see it sometime. Yeah, I think I'll ask him when the Emissaries and the god cards are taken care of. With that settled, she went up the steps and into the Sky Temple.
-
Bolt Katana watched Larka from his position behind one of the pillars. He had arrived there before Larka had come out, and had been waiting for nightfall before going inside. He had been checking over his deck one last time, to make sure that he understood the game for the encounter he would soon have.
But when Larka had emerged, he had decided to remain in his position to avoid alerting her of his presence. She was completely unaware of him while watching the sunset, and he knew that if he wanted to, he could kill her before she would even be aware of him.
But where's the fun in that? he thought. If they never get a chance to fight back, then this mission will be just plain boring.
So he patiently waited for her to go back inside before doing a few last minute checks on his equipment.
-
Larka saw that neither of her companions had awoken when she arrived back into the room. She sat down next to Zack again, and gently lifted Malon. The puppy stirred for a second, and then settled in her arms. She stroked him as she listened for any signs of someone else. But the night remained silent.
A while later though, as she was watching her companion, he slowly opened his eyes.
"Zack! You're finally awake!" she said, relieved. "How do you feel?"
He tried to sit up, and even though it pained him, he managed to. "Terrible."
"Don't worry. You'll be healed soon," Larka assured.
"Hm? No, that isn't it," Zack said. "I'm just ashamed that I could not help you."
"What do you mean? You did help me!" Larka replied. "If you couldn't defeat Lario, I know I would never have stood a chance against him." She looked away shyly. "You saved me from a lot of pain… I just wish I could have done something, so you wouldn't have to experience it in my place."
"You've had enough agony to last your entire life," Zack stated.
"But still… that is no reason for you to have to take the blows for me…" She trailed off, not knowing how to go on.
"I prefer it this way," he said. "It is not as painful to suffer from wounds you have as to watch others with them. So don't worry about that… I have no regrets except that I could not protect you any more than I tried."
"Zack…" Larka said. But before she could say anything else, they heard a voice by the door.
"Nice speech," the man said, stepping inside with a sneer. "But I didn't come to hear any gallantry."
Larka leapt up, causing Malon to tumble to the floor with a yelp. She ignored that though, more concerned about the new opponent.
He wore a robe that was completely black, except for the white and purple lining on the area where the robe closed over his chest. He also had a crimson and lavender striped belt over it, along with beige sandals with one black strap on each. His black hair had a roughened appearance, and normally would have made it hard to see his eyes. But the red eyes were impossible to miss, even when somewhat covered. At his side was a katana with a brown handle and silver blade.
The cocky grin he wore, along with his red eyes and weapon, intimidated Larka greatly. But she forced herself to approach him. "You're one of the Mavericks?"
"Of course," he answered. "I'm known as Bolt Katana, often considered the strongest of the Mavericks. Juno himself sent me to deal with you. How about you?"
"Larka," she replied. "My companion is Zack, and Malon is my Soul Monster."
"Juno said that dueling was the only way to fight in this world." He smirked, and drew his katana. "But… I was always one for physical battles. Show me just how strong you are without your precious cards!" Then he lunged.
Larka barely managed to leap away from his katana. Even so, it tore her left sleeve.
He's fast! she thought. But she didn't have time to think about his skills as he came at her again. This time, she went at him as well.
"Larka!" Zack exclaimed, trying to stand up but failing. But as he watched, he knew there was nothing he could do. The fighters were moving so fast that it was impossible to keep up with them. He could only hope that Larka would be alright when it was done.
Malon got in front of Zack protectively, but he was nervous as well and kept whimpering.
It ended as abruptly as it had started. One minute, the black and white blurs had been attacking at a ferocious speed. The next, Larka slammed into the floor, and Bolt had his katana over her neck.
"Not bad," Bolt commented. His arms had several claw marks, but they were shallow and he ignored them. "You were fast enough to keep up with me for a while."
Larka did not respond, knowing that she was at his mercy. Her shirt had been cut several times by the katana, leaving many small wounds on her body. Her right arm in particular had been badly injured, with a long cut that she had gotten when she had tried to disarm him.
Zack and Malon stayed still, not wanting to provoke Bolt into killing Larka. But this only reinforced the guilt Zack felt at not being able to help.
Bolt regarded Larka for a moment before lifting his katana, and swiping it across her, staining her shirt with the blood the katana had obtained but doing no more harm.
"But I have had much more training than you could hope to ever acquire," Bolt stated. "Killing someone with fighting who doesn't even have that much experience in battle is a boring thing to do. So let's see if you're any better at dueling than you are at fighting."
Larka stood up shakily. "Alright…" She attached her Duel Disk, which she had taken off a while back before falling asleep. She was quite grateful now that she had, or else it probably would have been hacked apart in the fight.
Bolt had left his at the door, and put it on now. Even though Bolt was not familiar with many support cards in Teknisk Wereld, he knew enough to be able to use a Red Potion to heal his wounds. Larka did the same, ignoring the pain that lingered.
"Are you going to be alright?" Zack asked, concerned.
"Y-yeah… I'm just a bit nervous…" Larka looked at Malon as he came to her side. "But we stand a better chance at dueling than a physical fight. So let's start this duel!"
"Let us," Bolt agreed, bringing out his own Soul Monster. It looked humanoid in structure, but its skin was purple. It wore black armor that covered its shoulders, sides, back, and legs, leaving its chest exposed. On each of his knees was a skull, and below the skull, the armor became deep blue with gold lines. The armor that covered his arms and ended at his hands as fingerless gloves was identical to his armor on the lower parts of his legs. His ears were very long, and came up over his blonde hair. His wicked red eyes matched Bolt's, and he carried a huge sword. The blade had ridges on the broad side of it, and it had a purple handle with two wing-like designs flanking the blade, and a red jewel in the center.
"This is Guardian Baou, my Soul Monster," Bolt said. "I find him to be quite fitting. Now, if you are ready?"
Larka: 8000
Bolt: 8000
"You lost in our battle, so I will let you go first," Bolt offered.
"Alright… I'll start off with Jar of Greed, to draw two cards. Then I lay one monster in defense mode, and two cards face down. It's your turn."
"A good start for me," Bolt stated. "I play Tempest, destroying all magic and trap cards on the field."
"My Cry of the Living Dead and Destruction Ring are gone…"
"Excellent. Now I summon Igzarion Universe. (1800/1900) He attacks your defense monster, and I will activate his effect."
"His effect?"
"In the battle phase, I can use it. His attack is lowered by 400 for the rest of the turn, but he can also do damage to you if your monsters are in defense mode."
"Dang it," Larka groaned. "That was my Saint Magician… (300/400)"
Larka: 7000
Bolt: 8000
"But her reverse effect still activates," Larka said. "I can place one magic card from my Cemetery into my hand."
"And, of course, Jar of Greed is your only option," Bolt concluded. "I'll deal with that. I lay two cards of my own down, and end my turn."
"Yes, I got back Jar of Greed, and now I activate it. Now I summon Ninja Master-Sasuke! (1800/1000) Then I play Shine Spark."
Bolt closed his eyes as the field suddenly brightened fiercely. In a few moments, he was able to cautiously look again.
"This field magic card raises all Light Main-Type monsters' attacks by 500 and lowers their defense by 400. (2300/600) Then he attacks Igzarion Universe!"
"I'll let you get away with that," Bolt said as he watched his monster be destroyed.
Larka: 7000
Bolt: 7500
"I end my turn at that," Larka concluded.
"Hm… this will do well. I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."
"I summon Wandering Hero, Freed. (2200/800) He attacks your defense monster!"
"You have destroyed my Shine Angel. (1900/400) When destroyed in battle, I am allowed to special summon one Light Main-Type with 1500 attack or lower. So I choose my Satellite Cannon! (500/0)"
Larka looked around in confusion when the monster did not appear. "Where is it?"
"It won't appear on the dueling field," Zack explained, knowing what it did since he had used it before. "You will only see it when it attacks."
"Oh… still, it doesn't seem that strong. Even though it's not on the dueling field, I can still attack it, right?" Larka asked.
"Correct," Zack said.
"Then I will!"
The Sasuke vanished, and shortly reappeared as Bolt's
Life Point counter decreased.
Larka: 7000
Bolt: 5700
"I may have lost Life Points, but you failed to destroy my Satellite Cannon," Bolt told her.
"What? How?"
"It's part of his effect," Zack stated. "Monsters that are level seven or lower cannot destroy it in battle."
"Oh well; it's still weak enough to deal with," Larka said. "I'll end my turn at that."
"But for how long will it remain that way?" Bolt smirked. "I lay one monster in defense mode and one card face down, ending my turn. This also triggers my Satellite Cannon's effect. It gains 1000 attack points at each of my end phases. (1500/0)"
"And since I can't destroy it… it'll just keep getting stronger until it has too much attack power to deal with!" Larka realized. "But there has to be a way to destroy it… and I'll find it. I lay one monster in defense mode, and then attack your face down monster with Sasuke!"
"I activate Cyclone, destroying your Shine Spark," Bolt declared. The room instantly became dark again. (1800/1000) (1700/1200) (1000/0) "You have attacked my Aztec Statue. (300/2000) You lose 400 Life Points."
"What? How? I should only lose 200!" Larka protested.
"Aztec Statue doubles the amount of damage you take when you attack it in defense mode."
Larka: 6600
Bolt: 5700
"Alright then… I guess I'll wait until next turn to kill it. Freed attacks your Satellite Cannon!"
"Not this time. I activate my two trap cards. My first is Standing Against a Formidable Enemy. This forces you to attack the monster I choose, and I choose Aztec Statue. My second trap is Cross Counter. If your monster's attack is weaker than my monster's defense, you lose double the amount of Life Points you normally would. Your monster is also destroyed. So you lose 300 from Aztec Statue, which is doubled to 600, and then doubled to 1200. Freed is also destroyed."
Larka: 5400
Bolt: 5700
"Argh… all I can do is end…"
"Perfect," Bolt said. "I sacrifice Aztec Statue to summon Legend Devil! (1500/1800) Then I activate Baou's Deck Master ability. I discard a card from my hand-in this case, Falling Bow of Stars-Shiiru-and choose a monster on my field. Its attack is raised by 1000. I choose Legend Devil for this. (2500/1800) Legend Devil attacks Sasuke! Then I end my turn. Now my Satellite Cannon is ready to attack you as well, on my next turn. (2000/0)"
Larka: 4700
Bolt: 5700
Larka looked over her hand. "There isn't much I can do, besides set one monster in defense mode…"
"On my stand by phase, Legend Devil's effect activates. He gains 700 more attack points. (3200/1800)"
"So that's the purpose of his deck," Zack realized. "He tries to raise his attack power as high as he can to overwhelm the opponent in one turn."
"Basically," Bolt confirmed. "Now, Satellite Cannon attacks your defense monster."
A white laser suddenly came crashing through the ceiling and hitting Larka's defense monster, causing a huge explosion. It took them all a while to be able to see again, but when they could, they saw that the monster was long gone.
"My Dunamis Valkyria didn't stand a chance… (1800/1050)"
"When Satellite Cannon attacks, its attack power goes back to zero. (0/0) Now Legend Devil attacks directly!"
Larka: 1500
Bolt: 5700
"I lay one card down. It's your move."
Larka looked at her hand, and then at her deck. "I can't hope to live for another turn, unless I draw something this time… I have a plan, but I don't even know if I have the cards in my deck to pull it off!"
"You can win," Zack assured her. "I've seen you play several times, and you have the cards to pull it off. All you need to do is draw them."
Larka smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I'm glad you have confidence in me." Then she drew, and nodded. "And this will work. I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"Legend Devil's attack raises by another 700. (3900/1800) Then I attack your defense monster with Legend Devil!"
"Too bad for you," Larka grinned. "It's my Marshmallon. (300/500) Since you attacked it when it was in facedown defense mode, you take 1000 damage. Also, Marshmallon can't be destroyed in battle, so trying to destroy it with your Legend Devil is useless!"
Larka: 1500
Bolt: 4700
"Stalling with that thing won't last very long," Bolt pointed out. "I end my turn. (2000/0)"
"It'll last long enough," Larka replied. "Because I just drew the other card I needed. I lay another monster in defense mode and a card face down. Then it's your turn."
"And my Legend Devil's attack raises by another 700. (4600/1800) Legend Devil attacks your new defense monster."
"I activate Emissary of Harmony! This lowers your monsters' attacks to zero, so my Blade Knight survives! (1600/1000)"
"Very well. That is all."
"Then I have you!" Larka announced. "I activate Malon's Deck Master ability!"
Malon let out his chilling howl, and another Dunamis Valkyria emerged.
"What did you do?"
"Malon allows me to special summon one Light Main-Type monster from my deck that is level four or lower once per duel. I chose to special summon Dunamis Valkyria."
"She won't help you," Bolt stated.
"Actually, she will. For now I sacrifice her, along with Blade Knight and Marshmallon, to summon Gilford the Lightning! (2800/1400)"
"You sacrificed three monsters?" Bolt asked, confused.
"It's his effect. If I sacrifice three monsters to summon him, then all of your monsters are destroyed!"
"What? I guess that leaves me only one choice. I activate Tidal Wave in response to your summoning. That destroys all of the monsters on our fields."
Larka glanced at her hand worriedly. "I lay one card down and end my turn."
"You may have rid me of my strongest monster, but he is still strong enough to finish you off!" Bolt said. "I activate Early Burial. This equip magic costs 800 Life Points to use, but it brings back my Legend Devil. (1500/1800)"
Larka: 1500
Bolt: 3900
"Now he attacks you!"
"I won't lose that easily!" Larka declared. "I activate Magic Cylinder, negating your attack and dealing direct damage to you that is equal to your monster's attack!"
Larka: 1500
Bolt: 2400
"It doesn't make a difference; you won't be able to win," Bolt replied. "I discard Devil's Sanctuary to raise my Legend Devil's attack by 1000. (2500/1800) That is all."
It doesn't look good… but she can still win. No, she will. I have to believe that, Zack thought.
I need to pull a winner here! Larka thought as she drew. She sighed in relief as she saw what it was. Perfect!
"I summon Volt Girl! (1900/800) Then I equip her with Shine Castle! This raises her attack by 700, which is just enough to deal with your Legend Devil! (2600/800) Volt Girl attacks! I end my turn at that."
Larka: 1500
Bolt: 2300
"Argh… just because I let my guard down one minute, I'm about to lose," Bolt growled. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"Then you've lost," Larka said. "I summon Twilight Zone Female Warrior! (1500/1600) She attacks your defense monster!"
"It's another Aztec Statue. (300/2000) You lose 500 Life Points; actually, it's 1000 with my Statue's effect."
Larka: 500
Bolt: 2300
"What a waste of an attack," Bolt sneered.
"Afraid not," Larka replied. "For now I activate my Twilight Zone Female Warrior's effect! Since she was in battle with your Aztec Statue, I can choose to remove both my Female Warrior and your Statue from the game!"
"Damn it!" Bolt swore. "And I have nothing else to block your Volt Girl…"
"That's right. She attacks, ending the duel!"
Larka: 500
Bolt: 0
"It seems you're better at this card game than you are at battling," Bolt commented, shutting down his Duel Disk. Baou vanished as he did so. "Now that I've lost, I guess I'll have to back off for now." He smirked. "But you're still going to be pursued by the rest of us, so I wouldn't relax just yet. Even if I am the strongest fighter of the Mavericks, I am more merciful than many of them. Some would not hesitate to kill you, even if you managed to win. So I advise that you be careful in your next encounters with us." He turned, and as he walked away, he called back, "If we face each other again, expect the outcome to be different! I am new at this style of battling, but I will still be able to defeat you in our next battle, if we have one!"
In truth, Bolt did not mind losing in the slightest. He had to admit that the duel they had played was pretty interesting, and he was getting the hang of it quickly.
I mainly came here to have some fun anyway, Bolt reminded himself. Well, and to serve Juno of course. But my main goal is to enjoy myself, and I must admit I'm certainly doing that.
Still, there's one person I still want to face. Even though he has defeated me several times in the past, I can't help but want to face him. Even if I haven't won yet, I have quite a bit of entertainment facing off against him. If so, then why should I care about winning or losing? A chance to win would be nice though, so until then, I'll keep honing my skills…
-
Malon let out a triumphant howl as Larka turned off her Duel Disk with a sigh of relief.
"Well done," Zack said. "I knew you could win."
"Thanks," Larka smiled. "I'm grateful for your belief in me; I know I don't have enough in myself."
"You should have more confidence in yourself. You are certainly capable of taking down anything you must," Zack stated. He looked over her blood-stained shirt in concern. "Are you alright now?"
She looked at her right arm, somewhat surprised by the pain she felt. "That's odd… I didn't even feel anything during the duel. I must not have noticed."
"I'm sure it will be fine soon." Zack winced as he felt agony course through him. "Hopefully, you will have recovered from it by tomorrow."
Larka had not missed his pained expression. "What about you?"
"Truthfully… I should have shut down a long time ago," Zack admitted.
"Why didn't you? It would have been safe to while Bolt and I were dueling," she pointed out. "He wouldn't have attacked you or anything."
"I was worried for you. I couldn't have let myself fall unconscious when you were fighting for your life," Zack said.
Larka sat next to him, and Malon went into her lap again. "Thank you. Your presence helped me get through that."
"I'm happy I could have helped." He pressed something on his wrist. "It's been a long day, and night. You should rest. Don't worry; if anyone else approaches, I will wake up instantly. So you and Malon can get some sleep before we have to go tomorrow."
"Thanks," Larka replied, leaning against the wall. Even though she knew she would be uncomfortable upon awaking, she knew she would be unable to fall asleep lying down due to her injured arm.
Zack had decided to not begin recharging until he was sure Larka was sleeping. Malon had almost instantly dropped into slumber. But as the minutes passed, he could tell Larka was still not asleep.
"What is the problem?" he asked quietly.
She looked up, surprised to see him still conscious. "I can't help it… I'm scared. Sure, I've been pursued by Viken before, but I've never been chased by ones like these Mavericks. To think they want to kill me… it frightens me…"
Zack considered her words. "Well, I don't blame you. Anyone would be scared of having murderers after them. I can understand your fears."
He hesitated for a second, and then put his arm around her shoulders. She tensed, unused to any kind of comforting gestures; she honestly could not recall the last time she had felt anything like that, except for when Fell had embraced her. But then she accepted it and came closer to him.
"But you have a lot of people who care for you, including your brother and your friends. They may not be here with us, but they are fighting for you, as I did today. They will continue to until you are safe, as I will. Even if I am injured, I will not hesitate to do anything to protect you. So please, let yourself relax."
The words had the desired effect. She pressed up against him, ignoring the solitary tear that escaped her. "Thank you… Zack…" Then she was asleep, but still with a smile.
Zack considered what he had just said, and what he felt at this moment. I haven't felt these kinds of emotions in years… not since I knew Crystal. Could it be that…? He glanced at the sleeping girl. It's true. I can't deny it any longer. But how can I bring myself to say what I am feeling?
Still unsure of what to do, but glad that he had been able to help her at least tonight, he let himself slip into darkness. But even then, he held onto Larka. Although she was asleep, she still felt, in her dreams, as though she was completely safe, for the first time in the past few days, if not in a very long time.
To be continued…