My dad visited this weekend, so I didn't get to write much. But now that the holiday is over and such, I am back on track!
Erestor Telemnar: Yep, it was pretty one-sided. Shadow and Mach work very well together, as you can see. As for your guess, good one! It looks like you at least have caught onto my pattern.
John: You're looking at a past ban list. The bans have changed so that they are now playable. This was told to the group in the month that we did not get to see, in case you're wondering. On a side note, the ban list will soon be upgraded again, but I will probably not make note of it except maybe in the author's note.
Captain Obvious: Ok. Not much else to say.
Demon Fan: Thanks.
Chapter 7: Illusion of Treachery
The walk through the forest was completely silent for the trio. Max did not seem to be in a talking mood, and Hope did not want to press him. Gaston was tense enough with the idea that a Maverick might already be somewhere nearby, and the uncomfortable atmosphere did not help. He kept nervously fingering his sword hilt as they walked among the trees.
A few hours passed, and still they had come across nothing. Hope was getting somewhat concerned about Max at this point. He had still said nothing; Gaston had attempted a few conversations and she had responded, but they had not lasted long. But despite this, he had not said one thing since they had left the others.
She finally forced herself to speak. "Max? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," he replied, not turning back.
Hope was not convinced. "Max?"
"I said I'm fine!" he spat, turning back and glaring at her.
She stopped, shocked at the exclamation, and could not think of anything to say. Gaston, on the other hand, returned his gaze steadily. "She was just concerned for you. To be honest, I am too. You really haven't been acting like yourself. Actually, you haven't been for a long time, ever since Thanatos showed up. Are you sure nothing's bothering you? We're here to help you, so if something's wrong, tell us."
"Didn't you hear what I said? Nothing's wrong. Now can we just keep going to try and find one of those Mavericks?" Max said, turning away again.
"But Max…" Hope went up beside him, grasping his shoulder. "I can tell that you're being troubled by something. The reason I went to stay at your condo is that I am concerned for you and this new personality of yours. I… I know you may not feel the same way about me as I do for you. But I care about you Max, and I want to hear about what is troubling you. Please tell me!"
"…Fine," Max said. "Hope… it's just that… ok, you say you love me. And… in truth… I do too…"
Hope felt her heart begin to pound even faster than it already had been. Is this true? Has he really felt the same as me?
Gaston watched silently, knowing better than to interfere.
"But…" Max shook his head. "You're wrong to love me Hope."
"What? Why?" Hope asked, eyes burning with suppressed emotions.
"You know what I am," Max said, looking straight at her. "You've seen who I really am. When Thanatos came… was that really another being, or was it me? I've hurt you, and I will continue to hurt you if you stand beside me. You must give up this line of thought, for your own sake."
"That's ridiculous!" Hope exclaimed. "Max… I knew, from when I first said it, that admitting what I felt would lead to hard times ahead. But I told myself that no matter what, I'd go through them, if only to be with you. It doesn't matter what you think of yourself… I know the real you, and that's who I love! This has nothing to do about what you do or don't deserve; if we love each other, then why must you distance yourself?"
"Like I said, I've already hurt you before," Max said, looking away. "And I'll do it again. That's all there is to it."
Before Hope could respond, a familiar voice spoke up. "I think you are talking about the wrong person."
They spun around, Max and Gaston stepping in front of Hope as the figure emerged from the trees.
Hope paled at the sight of Dark Scythe once more. As terrifying as he had been before, she was still not prepared for him this time.
Even Max and Gaston looked shaken, but neither backed down.
"What did you mean by that?" Max growled.
"You, cause her pain? Your views are so flawed…" Dark Scythe smirked. "Tell you what. If you win, you can go on thinking those blissful thoughts, but if you lose, I shall open your eyes to the truth. Of course, the truth will lead to your death… but at least you will know, right?"
"Shut up," Max snarled, turning on his Duel Disk. "I don't need you to show me anything!"
"In the end, you will thank me for it." Dark took out his Soul Card, and a horrifying monster appeared before them. It was a brown skeleton-like creature that wore a navy-blue and gold joker's outfit. It even had a hat to match, with a blue bell hanging from each of the two points on the hat. There were two blue bells around its neck as well that hung down its front. Wrapped around its claw-like fingers were red strings that glowed with a deadly energy. It had glowing red eyes to top off its fearsome appearance.
Hope took a step back as Gaston held up his sword for a moment longer. Seeing the monster had no intentions of attacking, he reluctantly sheathed his weapon.
"This Soul Monster is a Controller of Spirits-Puppetmaster," Dark Scythe explained. "But he is known as Kankarou. How about you?"
"I don't have one," Max said.
"Hm… interesting," Dark sneered.
"Just get on with the duel!" Max growled, glaring at him before drawing his first five cards.
As Dark did the same, he concentrated on Max. That strange power is still here, but weak… if I can beat him in a duel, perhaps it can be unlocked. For the losing conditions… heh… they should completely overpower this feeble-minded boy.
Max: 8000
Dark Scythe: 8000
"Since you're wasting time, I'll make the first move," Max declared. "I lay one monster in defense mode and three cards down. That's all."
"I lay one monster as well, along with four more cards. Go ahead," Dark said.
"Four? That's ridiculous!" Gaston exclaimed.
Max seemed a bit startled by the large amount of magic or trap cards, but it did not stop him. "Gladly. I flip summon my face down monster, X-E-N-O. (200/100) His reverse effect allows me to take control of one of your monsters, so your face down monster is now mine!"
Dark Scythe laughed at that. "I don't know why you'd want it, but if you're so desperate, then by all means, take it!" He tossed the card over to Max.
Max gave it a look of disgust before flipping it face up. "What the hell is a Wicked God of a Thousand Eyes (0/0) doing in your deck?"
"I remember that card!" Hope said. "Diablos used it… and he played a Sacrifice deck. I think he used it to help him get Thousand Eyes Sacrifice out with Metamorphosis."
"It can be used to fuse Thousand Eyes Sacrifice with Sacrifice," Max told her. "So is that the case? Are you trying to use Thousand Eyes Sacrifice?"
"No," Dark replied. "I have Wicked God of a Thousand Eyes for another reason. Unfortunately for you, the reason will not be apparent until it is too late."
"What a waste of an effect," Max sighed. "Oh well. I summon Gil Gars (1800/1200) and attack you directly with both X-E-N-O and Gil Gars."
Max: 8000
Dark Scythe: 6000
"I end my turn, and you get your Wicked God back," Max finished.
"You just don't know how perfect this is," Dark smirked. "It is time to show you my deck's true power. First, I will sacrifice your X-E-N-O and Gil Gars for Lava Golem!" (3000/2500)
Max instantly found himself in a flaming cage. He looked up to see the fiery creature, and although somewhat intimidated, he did not show it. But for Hope and Gaston, it brought back the memory of when Max had amnesia and had faced Madura and Lavos. The way that match had gone did nothing to reassure them.
"How can you sacrifice my monsters to summon your own?" Max asked.
"Lava Golem is a unique monster in this aspect," Dark explained. "I sacrifice your monsters to summon him, but he is summoned to your side of the field."
"Why would you give me such a powerful monster?"
"Lava Golem does have an effect that deals 1000 damage to you for each of your standby phases, but that isn't really what I am after," Dark said. "I am going to attack Lava Golem with my Wicked God!"
Max watched, stunned, as the Wicked God was wiped out by the Lava Golem. Hope was able to find her voice though. "Why? Even if Dark was new to this game, I don't think he is stupid enough to do that for no reason!"
"He's up to something…" Gaston muttered.
Max: 8000
Dark Scythe: 3000
"You've just taken 3000 damage for nothing. Your Wicked God didn't have any effect, and Lava Golem won't help you out in any way through that," Max pointed out.
Dark flipped over a card that was face down. "But I do have this, the key to your defeat. It is my instant magic card, Hell Tempest!"
"What does that do?" Max asked.
"I think I will begin this explanation with how it is activated," Dark said. "It can only be activated when I lose 3000 Life Points due to battle. But even though the cost is steep, the result is devastating. It removes every monster card from our decks and Cemetery from the game."
"That can't be!" Gaston protested. "Without monsters, Max has no way of winning!"
"Which is why he should have brought some cards to bring back monsters removed from play, or some direct damage magic and traps," Dark sneered. "Of course, he still has Lava Golem and monsters in his hand, but they won't make a difference. I activate my trap card, Forced Ejection Machine. It sends one monster on the field to its owner's hand, so Lava Golem comes back to me."
As the cage vanished, Max fell back to the ground, but landed on his feet easily. Although shaken by the card's effects, Max was not ready to give up just yet. Not only that, but he had seen one large flaw in Dark's plans. "I don't see how this benefits you. You lost all of your monsters as well."
"That I did," Dark agreed. "But they were removed from play, which is exactly where it is easiest to retrieve them. For now I activate my trap card, Return From the Twilight Zone. This allows me to special summon as many of my monsters that have been removed from the game as I can until the end of my turn. So I special summon three Raremetal Dragons, (2400/1200) and two Red Lotus Beasts, Da Iiza. (?) My Iizas' stats are focused on how many of my cards are removed from the game; their stats are 400 times the amount of my cards removed. Since I have thirteen removed, that means their stats are raised to 5200! (5200/5200) "
"That combo… it's way too devastating!" Hope said. "There has to be a catch!"
"Well, Return From the Twilight Zone usually costs me half of my Life Points," Dark responded. "But Kankarou solves that problem. His Deck Master ability makes it so that I do not have to pay any Life Points to special summon monsters. Quite fitting, if I do say so myself. Now, I will have my Raremetal Dragons and Iizas kill you in one blow!"
"Think again," Max growled. "I activate Holy Life Barrier! By discarding my Early Burial, all damage you do to me this turn becomes zero!"
"You think you can stay alive with such simple tricks?" Dark laughed. "I'm afraid I will have to show you reality. I activate Imperial Control! This negates all trap cards besides itself, so your Holy Life Barrier does nothing!"
Max looked over his hand, and then up at the monsters coming forward. "That's it then. You've won."
"What? You can't do anything?" Gaston said.
"Nothing… it's over for me…" Max replied, watching as all five monsters sprung at him.
"Max!" Hope cried, stepping forward but realizing she could do nothing as the attacks hit Max dead on, sending him flying into a tree behind him.
Max: 0
Dark Scythe: 3000
"So that's it, huh?" Max said, standing up slowly. "You're going to kill me now?"
Hope watched the scene unfold, hardly daring to breathe. Gaston grasped his sword hilt but did not draw it, afraid of provoking Dark.
"Me, kill you? No, not I; all I will do is show you the truth," Dark told him. "As for who will be your executioner… you will see for yourself."
Then Dark made the same gesture as he had made the first time they had met, bringing forth his scythe. After a quick, complex sequence of twirls, he pointed it at Max.
Hope and Gaston waited, tense, but nothing happened. Dark remained still as a statue, his scythe still pointing at Max, while Max remained motionless as well.
But even though Hope and Gaston did not see anything occurring, Max was viewing a far different sight. One moment before, he had been standing in the woods, gazing at Dark. Now he found himself in one of the most disorienting places he had ever been in. The whole area was black, empty space, much like the area they had found Alene in. The only area that wasn't just blackness was where Max was, which was bathed in light, such as a spotlight would create. But what disturbed Max was that he was bound upon a cross of some sort.
"What is this?" he muttered, looking at the bindings.
Then two more lights came on. He looked up and saw Hope in one, with Gaston in the other.
"Hope? What's going on?" he asked, but trailed off as he saw the expression in her eyes. Those normally innocent blue eyes now gleamed with a fierce expression that spoke of a lust for pain, and a joy for the suffering others would experience.
Hope lifted up her bow, an arrow in place. "Since you could not understand from subtle hints, I am showing you what I am doing to you in this manner."
"What?"
Before he could continue, she released the arrow. It struck him in the chest, causing him to cry out in pain. But before he could recover, Gaston lunged forward, slicing into him deeply in the same area before jumping back over to Hope. As he looked up, Max could see that his eyes held the same look as Hope's.
"Hope… Gaston… why?" Max managed to say.
"You still don't get it?" Hope loosened another arrow, which hit his right hand. Gaston cut into his chest once more as she continued to explain. "It's simple. All the time we've known each other, I've been working on making your life even worse than it already was. You've suffered before, so you were such an easy target. Pain, anger, despair… how it pierces me, but how I love to accept that agony! Your emotions continue to grow, and I continue to feed off them. You thought I loved you? Quit blinding yourself! I only said that so I could get closer to you, to toy with your emotions even more, so that you could easily be broken!"
"That… that can't be…" Max said softly.
"See? Even now, when the truth is right in front of you, you deny it!" Another arrow buried itself into Max's chest. "But you cannot say you do not feel this pain that I am bringing!"
Max closed his eyes as Gaston stabbed him again. After getting a hold on himself, he spoke again. "I still… can't believe… this…"
"And why not?"
Max looked over to his left to see Dark standing in another spotlight, his scythe at his side. Hope and Gaston did not seem to notice him; perhaps they could not even see or hear him.
Max winced as another arrow and slash connected. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it. Who got you into all of these problems in the first place? If you had never met Hope, would you be where you are today?" Dark sneered.
Another two hits caused more blood to spill, reinforcing the claims.
"But Rue was there as well…" Max pointed out, but it was a feeble argument. He felt something boiling within him… something more than hurt from this betrayal.
"At Hope's insistence. In truth, she has taken everyone into this agonizing adventure," Dark said. "But you are the one she has affected the most. She pretends to love you while exposing your emotions, and then using them to tear into you. I said I would open your eyes to the truth, and I have. Hope will continue to torture you, as will her Soul Monster, until you finally die from it. And that day is a very, very long ways away. All because you trusted her… what a foolish mistake, eh?"
More pain coursed through him as another arrow struck. But something else came with it. Now Max felt the anger within him going beyond his control.
"…So she was against me all along, like everyone else," Max growled, his voice rising with every word. "Then no more! I have had enough of being controlled! I will be nobody's puppet! I am my own master!"
The area around him began to crack, and then suddenly shattered. Max found himself standing in the forest, the pain completely gone and no wounds to show for his experience.
Dark, who was still standing in front of him, lowered his scythe. But Max did not care about Dark at the moment. His hatred at Hope was increasing, and he did nothing to stop the power he felt coursing through him.
You will be nobody's puppet? How ironic that you have just become mine, Dark smirked. Now that the power is coming into play, I think I will take my leave. I would rather see how strong this is from a distance than up close.
Kankarou, sensing Dark's intentions, vanished into his Soul Card. Dark looked over at Hope and Gaston. "Farewell, for now. I doubt we will have the chance to meet again though." Then he walked out of the clearing.
Hope watched him go before running over to Max, who was still standing still. "Max! Are you alright?"
For a second, he remained where he was. Then he suddenly spun around.
It was so fast that Hope did not understand what had occurred at first. She found herself on the ground, her head hurting terribly as something ran down her face. It took her a second to realize that it was blood.
Although dizzy from the blow, she still heard what Max said next, and the shock it sent through her hurt much more than the injury.
"You manipulating bitch! I'll kill you!"
To be continued…