Good grief, again I had really bad dueling errors. But they're good now so on with the chapter!
Erestor Telemnar: Yeah, Wave wasn't very good compared to the other Mavericks. Glad you enjoyed.
John: You had sanity? Oh how I envy you. Or not. Sanity is overrated.
Captain Obvious: I never saw it either, I'm just explaining where the saying came from. Thanks, I enjoyed that chapter myself. And yes, discarding all your hand is hardly ever a good idea, if ever.
Demon Fan: Whoa, take a breath there. Good for you for finishing your report, you'll see who duels soon, Demon Rue will show up eventually, and you'll see his new deck then.
Chapter 12: Solitary
"And here we are!" Miles announced as they stepped into the town. "It took us until nightfall to get here, but we made it!"
"I think the reason it took so long was because you slowed us down," Gen pointed out.
"You don't need to bring that up," Miles muttered.
"What will we be doing here?" Daine inquired.
"Staying in the hotel over there," Miles replied, indicating to it. "I have enough money for both of us, Fell, so don't worry about that. The Soul Monsters… well, they get in for free as long as their companion is staying. That sound alright?"
"…I would prefer to stay outside," Fell replied.
"Oh yeah. Duh." Miles smacked himself over the forehead. "I forgot that you're weird like that. Be my guest though. It saves me some cash. But where will you be? I want to know in case I need to contact you."
Fell considered for a moment, looking around the area. He quickly confirmed that nobody was around, which was not uncommon at this time of night anyway. Then, as Daine returned to his Soul Card, he went to the card shop building and jumped up onto it.
"What the… hey, wait! You can't do that!" Miles protested.
Fell showed no sign of having heard him, although Miles was sure he had. Instead, he went into one of the more concealed corners, and curled up against the short stone wall-like structures circling the whole top, closing his eyes.
"Why can't he do that?" Gen asked.
"Because it's… um… actually, that's a good point," Miles said. "I can't think of anything that says he couldn't, but it seems wrong somehow…"
Miles was cut off as the door opened, and Hector stepped out, looking quite tired. "It's almost time for me to close up. Is there something you wanted?"
"Nothing, thanks," Miles replied. "But let me give you the heads up. My… well, I don't know if I'd call him my friend… alright, my companion will be sleeping on top of your card shop. Hope you don't mind, because there's no way we'll be able to get him down. Thanks for understanding, see you later!"
Before Hector could respond, Miles grabbed Gen's arm and took off running towards the hotel.
"Huh? Hold on a second!" Hector yelled. But by then they were long gone into the building. Hector blinked a few times, and looked up at the top of the card shop. Even though he tried, he still could not make out anybody on it.
"Whatever… I think I'm getting so tired that I'm seeing and hearing things…" Hector muttered before entering his shop again.
After a few minutes from their mad dash into the hotel, Gen was finally able to catch his breath. "Was that really necessary?"
"Yep. If he doesn't like it, he can complain to Fell," Miles stated as he went up to the desk to get a room.
…..
Fell's peaceful slumber was soon broken as he awoke suddenly. He instantly got up, looking over at the direction he had heard something. As an extra precaution, he brought out his Soul Card. Daine emerged, immediately on the alert.
From the front of the building, a figure took the same route as Fell had to make it to the top. Fell instantly recognized him as he landed.
"…Sarius," he said emotionlessly.
"You don't seem surprised," Sarius stated.
"…I cannot say that I am, or am not." But something was bothering Fell. There seemed to be something… missing.
Sarius looked over the side at the town. "Nice view from here. You choose good locations to stay in."
Fell eyed him suspiciously. "Get to the point. Why are you here?"
"No time for light conversation? Very well." Sarius turned back to him. "Juno wasn't the only one who brought reinforcements. I did as well. But they are not here to kill you or your companions, like the Mavericks are. Instead, I had them go out today to test all of you. As for Larka, I do indeed want her Limiter power. The time will come when she and I will face off. I am hoping it will be sooner than later, so Juno does not get the same chance." He paused for a moment before going on. "Tell me… do you see me as an enemy?"
"…No."
"Oh? Even when I am attempting to fight your sister, who you swore to protect?"
"…"
"So then, do you think of me as an ally?"
"…No…"
"Then what do you think of me? If I am neither friend or foe, who do you assume I am?"
Fell considered the question, and after a long moment answered. "I see you as someone who is in the middle. You care about what happens with us, yet you fight against us for your own purposes. You are against Juno, but when it comes to your side and ours, you walk the fine line of neutrality…"
Sarius nodded. "You could say that. I of course want my side to win… but I do not know if you could call me your enemy. There is a reason I am the Emissary of Balance, after all."
"…You said your side was to test ours," Fell stated. "Are you here to test me?"
"Yes," Sarius replied. "I wanted to be the one to face you. I do hope you live up to my expectations."
"…I understand why you're interested in Larka now," Fell said. "But why me?"
"As I said before, you hold potential," Sarius told him as he turned on his Duel Disk. Fell did the same as Daine went to his side. Although not completely sure of what was going on, Daine held back his questions for the time being.
"Do not worry about anyone seeing our duel," Sarius said as he brought out Raid. "There is nobody in the town besides the people staying in the hotel, and I wouldn't be concerned about them intruding."
Fell nodded.
"I've already seen your skills when with your sister. But I want to see how you stand when it comes to being alone," Sarius said.
That was when Fell realized what was wrong with this situation. "Where is The Child? I have never seen you before without him…"
"He has another matter to attend to, so we had to split up," Sarius explained. "We sometimes have to every now and then, but we often do not."
"…"
"Oh, and one more thing before we begin. If I were to try to hurt your sister… would you kill me to save her?"
Fell gazed at him for a moment before responding. "…I would protect her…"
"But what if that meant killing me? What then?"
"…"
"I see. Well, enough talk. Let's begin."
Fell: 8000
Sarius: 8000
"The honors are yours," Sarius invited.
"Fine. I summon Lamp Spirit-Ra Djinn. (1800/1000) Two cards down, that is all."
"Interesting choice of a monster," Sarius commented as it appeared. "I thought you preferred Dark Main-Types with 1900 attack?"
"My deck has changed since the last time you saw it," Fell stated.
"As has mine. So we both have to be wary of each other, wouldn't you agree? I summon Wandering Hero, Freed. (1700/1200) Of course, you must remember that Raid's Deck Master ability raises all my Light and Dark Main-Types' stats by 500." (2200/1200)
"I chain to your summoning with Ambush," Fell said. "I can special summon one Dark Main-Type that is level four or lower. Call forth Blood Vors." (1900/1200)
"Ah, that's more like your old deck," Sarius nodded. "Or, at least, the Blood Vors is. Anyway, Freed attacks Blood Vors. Then I lay one card down and end my turn."
Fell: 7700
Sarius: 8000
"…Sacrifice Ra Djinn to bring out Demon Summon. (2500/1200) It attacks your Freed."
Fell: 7700
Sarius: 7700
"Now that is even more of an odd decision. Why Demon Summon of all things?" Sarius inquired.
Fell shrugged. "I am done."
But as Sarius drew, Fell flipped over two other cards. "Activate Skill Drain and Final Assault Order."
"I remember those," Sarius sighed. "Skill Drain costs you 1000 Life Points but negates all of our monsters' effects. Final Assault Order forces us to summon monsters in attack mode. Normally I would not mind that, but with Skill Drain and Demon Summon… how irritating."
Fell: 6700
Sarius: 7700
"No matter though. I can get around that soon. I summon Twilight Zone Female Warrior. (2000/2100) She would me much more useful to me if Skill Drain wasn't out… oh well. It's your turn."
Fell looked at his new card, and placed it in his Duel Disk at once. "Activate Dark Assembly Line. I choose two normal, Dark Main-Type monsters and place them into my hand. Retrieve Blood Vors and Ra Djinn. Summon Blood Vors and activate Dark Zone."
Sarius watched as the field became blackened by the dark, purple clouds that emerged over it. "A field magic card that raises all Dark Main-Types attack by 500 and lowers their defense by 400, right?"
"Yes. (3000/800) (2400/800) Demon Summon attacks, and then Blood Vors follows up. End turn."
Fell: 6700
Sarius: 4300
"That was a heavy loss, but don't get overconfident from it. Remember that Dark Zone can support me as well. I play Angel's Gift, to draw three cards and discard two others. In this case, I'll discard Turner of the Dead: Kaiku and Twilight Zone Survivor. Then I remove both Kaiku and Black Warrior Werewolf for Chaos Soldier -Messenger of Creation-. (3500/3000) He may not have an effect thanks to Skill Drain, but he's more than powerful enough to destroy your Demon Summon. I attack it, and that's all."
Fell: 6200
Sarius: 4300
Fell eyed the Chaos Soldier before drawing. Then he placed a magic card into his Duel Disk. "Activate Force. Your Chaos Soldier's attack is cut in half, and my Blood Vors' attack is increased by the amount lost." (1750/3000) (4150/800)
"I'm thrilled," Sarius said as he watched his Chaos Soldier kneel, weakened, while the Blood Vors absorbed his power.
"Then I summon Ra Djinn. (2300/600) If you cannot stop me, I have won."
"Luckily for me, I can," Sarius replied. "In response to you summoning Ra Djinn, I activate my trap card, Tidal Wave. It destroys all monsters on the field."
"…In that case, Daine will use his Deck Master ability," Fell stated.
Daine let out a long, mournful howl, and in response a Mad Dog of Darkness appeared on the field. (2400/1000)
…..
Gen was resting nearby the window in the hotel room when he distantly heard the howl.
"Daine?" He got up and looked out the window, and saw several purple clouds over where Fell had been staying. "A duel of some kind? We had better check this out." He went over to Miles, who was asleep.
"Miles! Get up!"
"No… leave me alone… I didn't steal your cookies… Al Gore did it…" Miles muttered, shifting slightly.
"This is why I hate trying to wake him up," Gen muttered before smacking him.
"Ow! What was that for?" Miles exclaimed, sitting up while holding his hand to the side of his head, where Gen had hit him.
"Fell's in a duel. We have to go and see what's up, literally."
"You've got to be kidding. It's midnight!" Miles said, pointing at the alarm clock next to him.
"Which is an ideal time for a Maverick to attack."
"I hate it when you're right," Miles grumbled, throwing off his covers. "Fine, we'll go see what's happening."
…..
"I saw that coming," Sarius muttered.
"Then attack directly, and end my turn."
Fell: 6200
Sarius: 1900
"Ah, perfect," Sarius said. "I remove Twilight Zone Female Warrior and Twilight Zone Survivor for Chaos Sorcerer. (3300/2100) Then I summon Mirage Dragon. (2100/1100) Chaos Sorcerer attacks, and then Mirage Dragon attacks directly."
Fell: 4200
Sarius: 1900
"…Lay one card face down, and summon another Ra Djinn. (2300/600) Then it will attack Mirage Dragon, and my turn is over."
Fell: 4200
Sarius: 1700
"Not good enough," Sarius told him. "I attack Ra Djinn with Chaos Sorcerer and end my turn."
Fell: 3200
Sarius: 1700
…..
Miles and Gen stopped in front of the building, unsure of what to do next.
"Well, we're here. So now what?" Miles asked.
"We can't go up there when they're in the middle of a duel, especially when the area is covered with the Dark Zone," Gen stated. "We have to wait."
"Couldn't you have let me sleep a little longer before we went out then?" Miles complained.
"Quit whining. If you want to be doing something, give Fell your support."
"When he didn't give me any? No thanks."
"Suit yourself," Gen shrugged.
…..
Despite what his Life Points were at, Fell still did not seem worried. "Activate a trap card, Mythological Age. It allows me to bring back one normal monster in defense mode. Choose Demon Summon. (3000/800) Due to Final Assault Order, he switches to attack mode though."
"Cute trick," Sarius commented as the Demon Summon rose with a snarl. "But it isn't strong enough to destroy Chaos Sorcerer."
"Activate an instant magic card, Enemy Controller, which will switch Chaos Sorcerer to defense mode…"
"…Damn it. But you still can't kill me this turn, since you only have one monster," Sarius pointed out.
"Which is why Daine will come to the field," Fell told him. Daine sprang out to the Demon Summon's side and bared his fangs. (2400/1000)
"Joy. Looks like I've lost."
"Demon Summon destroys Chaos Sorcerer, and then Daine attacks directly."
The Demon Summon brought forth several bolts of lightning, instantly reducing the Chaos Sorcerer to a smoking heap as Daine leapt at Sarius, tearing into him with his claws.
Fell: 3200
Sarius: 0
"Looks like you can win on your own too," Sarius said, shutting off his Duel Disk. "Which is good. But don't get overconfident. The next person I probably will face in your group is your sister. And believe me, that will be no test. I will not hold back for her like I did for you."
"…"
"Keep an eye out for her though. You never know what Juno may attempt next," Sarius stated before mounting Raid. "Now that I've seen what I've wanted to, I have a meeting to attend. So until later." Then Raid leapt off the building, flying away.
…..
"Hey, it's clearing up!" Miles realized as the Dark Zone vanished.
"But who won?" Gen wondered.
Suddenly, they saw Raid leap off the roof and go soaring away.
"Raid! So it was just Sarius? Dang it Gen, you made me wake up for nothing!" Miles said. "He wouldn't have killed Fell for crying out loud!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know it was Sarius? It could have been a Maverick," Gen pointed out.
"Could have been, but it wasn't. What a waste of time," Miles sighed.
"…How long have you been here?"
Miles leapt backwards with a yelp, gazing wide-eyed at Fell, who had been standing right behind him.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Miles said, trying to catch his breath from the sudden shock. "Not too long, just enough time to see your Dark Zone and then see Sarius fly off. What happened?"
"…Nothing that concerns you." Fell then leapt back up the building.
"Real nice guy, isn't he?" Miles commented before walking back towards the hotel, with Gen following.
Fell soon reached the top, and settled back to where he had been. Daine had already gone back to his Soul Card, so he settled back into a comfortable position.
But now it was even harder for him to fall asleep than usual. Sarius had brought up an offer he really wished to consider, but Larka was the main factor that had to be thought on. What would she want to do? His decision relied solely on hers.
Feeling very uneasy about the whole matter, but still tired out from everything that had happened, he finally managed to drift off.
To be continued…