Author's Note: Rare Hunter fans...beware.
Chapter Four: Last Stand of the Rare Hunters
Kirani slumped against the seat of the car, breathing deeply in order to calm her nerves. She had awoken part-way through the Darkness Game, just in time to see the power that this dark Drake possessed. She left as soon as she could, knowing it'd be dangerous to be around him immediately.
Her first thought was to get in touch with Dalin, the one person she could think of who would know how to handle something like this. The problem with her plan was that she had no idea where Dalin was, and his number was unavailable. The few times he had contacted them before his number had been unlisted and untraceable. He was practically a ghost.
At the current moment she had one final hope to help her out, a secret she had been keeping for a number of years now. The only people she instantly knew of that could help were all wanted for various crimes, most of them relatively minor, but the largest crime was being part of a special syndicate known only to the word as the Ghouls, or, the Rare Hunters.
The Rare Hunters were wanted men, but they were all experienced in the supernatural thanks to interacting with Malik. If anybody could assist her at this moment, at least until she could get together some of the old gang, it would be them. "Let's just hope they're here right now."
Sliding out of the car, Kirani made her way towards the small apartment building. Nobody knew it but her, but the building was in fact rented out exclusively by the remaining Rare Hunters. They still had resources from the sale of cards they had stolen over the years they had operated, and from what she knew it was enough to keep them going. "Come on guys...be there."
She stepped up to the box and pressed the speaker button in order to send her call in. "It's Kirani."
There was a slight pause, and then the door slid open. Releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding, Kirani headed on in. There to greet her were several of the lower ranked Rare Hunters, men and women who hadn't done any dueling for Malik, but had been involved in operations that required force or finesse other than dueling talent. "Welcome back into the fold Kirani."
The chestnut haired girl tilted her head up, and found someone sitting on the steps. Wearing a top hat and a mask was none other than one of the higher ranker Rare Hunters, Arkana. "Arkana, good to see you. I've got a problem that I need help with."
And so she began to explain the situation to them.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Drake pulled on the break, slowing his motorcycle to a halt. Quickly he stepped off of it, and put the stand up. Then he dropped his helmet on the seat and turned, making a cursory inspection of Kirani's car. "So...she's still here."
"Kirani, come on out! There's no point hiding, so come out and get what's coming to you!" He tilted his head to the side, waiting for some sort of response. Finally after several seconds a window at the top opened, and something was hurled down.
Drake's hand snapped out and caught the brick in mid-air, before it could crash into his skull. Dark energy flaring around him he crushed it into powder and glared up at the window. "Very fucking funny. Now get your ass down here, or I'll bring the whole fucking building down around you!"
"To think that you used to be a Rare Hunter, how pathetic. I thought that Rare Hunters were supposed to be powerful, when it seems that all you are is a weakling." The front door opened, and out walked a man in his early thirties, with dark brown hair and a thin face. Drake recognized him.
"Momotoro...you're the same weak Rare Hunter I dueled to become one of you, aren't you?" The man growled and nodded, obviously remembering his defeat against the former rookie duelist. He also knew that Drake's skill had groan enormously since that moment.
"That's right, and I'm here to challenge you to a rematch! Win and we'll let you pass by me. Lose, and you're out of here for good and you don't bother Kirani." He raised his arm, a duel disk clicking into place. (MLP: 4000)
"You're challenging me to a duel? Or perhaps a Darkness Game? Well then, although you're no challenge to me, who am I to refuse a rematch? It'll be fun kicking your ass, so let the darkness begin!" He raised his left arm into the air, and dark fog rolled in around their feet, the clouds above the apartment building darkening as well. (DLP: 4000)
Momotoro flipped his cards out like he was snapping a fan open. He narrowed his eyes, seeing flashes of their past duel. The sting of Drake's ultimate monster's blade still was there. A crushing defeat, and now he would get revenge. "I summon White Magician Pikeru(1200/0) in attack mode!"
A young girl in a white dress appeared. She clutched a white wand in one hand, and had a hat over her pink hair that was like a scapegoat. "During each of my standby phases she raises my life points by four hundred for each monster on my field. Now, I set two cards face down and end my turn!"
Drake looked through his own hand of six cards, looking for potential strategies. "Ah, this should do nicely. I'll set two cards face down, and then end my turn."
Momotoro looked at him oddly, but was already in the process of playing a card. "In your end phase I trigger Scapegoat, one of my two face down cards. And now...I draw!"
The moment he drew Pikeru raised her wand, and rays of pink light slammed into Momotoro's duel disk. "Since I have five monsters Pikeru will now grant me two thousand life points!"
"Dumbass, I already knew your strategy from last time, and I knew you would have set Scapegoat. You were something of a challenge way back then, but now I'm far stronger. So, I reveal Bad Reaction to Shimochi!" Momotor's eyes widened as the energy turned red, and burned at his arm. (MLP: 2000)
The older man clawed at his arm, the red hot duel disk searing his flesh. "Get it off!"
"Better end your turn old man, your chances of winning this duel are already zero, so you should just finish up faster." Momotaro groaned in pain, grabbing at his arm. At the same time he looked over his hand of cards, trying to think of a counter strategy.
'All I have is Dian Keto the Cure Master, Armored Lizard(1500/1200), Royal Keeper(1600/1700), and Draining Shield. My face down card is also Draining Shield...so in the end it's useless. Unless I attack now!' Desperate for an answer he looked up at Pikeru.
"Attack him directly!" Pikeru raised her wand...and then quivered and dropped into a crouching position, shielding her face from Drake.
"Fear's Release is a continuous trap card that forces all monsters into defense and keeps them there. And if I'm right...you lose since Pikeru's effect isn't optional." Momotoro glanced back at the door, knowing that he was going to fall. So he saw only one choice...and placed his hand over his deck. (M: Forfeit)
His body began to spasm wildly, and it started to squeeze together. Snapping sounds could be heard, and those who had been watching from the apartment building all turned away. The only one still watching as Momotoro's body was compacted into a tiny ball of human flesh was Drake. "Now that's pretty cool. I didn't know a human being could get so small."
Grabbing the ball of flesh that was once Momotoro in his hand, Drake pulled his arm back and hurled it into the air, sending it sailing directly through the window. "Kirani, that's exactly what awaits any of these fools who dares to get in my way! Do you still intend to send them to their deaths just to protect your sorry ass, or will you come down? If you don't, I'll rip through each and every last one of them one by one!"
"She didn't ask us to protect her, we're doing it because if Malik was the father and leader figure of the Rare Hunters, then Kirani was the mother, who tended to us no matter what the situation was. So we won't let anyone touch her, even you." Drake looked back to the door, where a blue haired man with sallow skin was standing.
"Oh, Zane, the self-proclaimed Rare Hunter. Still cowering behind your fake Exodia cards, or have you gained a strategy to go with a much needed spine?" The Rare Hunter growled in irritation, even as the fog swirled around his feet, initiating the Darkness Game. (DLP: 4000)
"I'll show you Drake! You were a cocky punk even when you joined us, thinking you were too good for the rest of us. But now, now you're going to get what you deserve! Exodia will obliterate you!" Drake just smirked, not bothering to tell this man that once his other personality had defeated three duelists who used the three different methods of instant win. (ZLP: 4000)
Upstairs in the building Kirani watched, horrified at seeing what the man she loved was now capable of. This personality that had been released, it was terrifying to watch. Yet still, the Rare Hunters in the room wouldn't let her go down. Instead they were trying to use various methods to get in touch with Drake. "Trust us Kirani, he wouldn't duel you, he'd just kill you. We can defend you, and if we win he'll be set right. So stay here, and we'll take care of it."
Unable to make a true protest, Kirani could only watch as the duel between Drake and Zane got underway. Zane was already deciding on his first move. "I start by setting a monster in defense mode. Then I activate Magical Well, which places a magic card from my deck to my hand. This magic card cannot be set or activated in this turn. And that's all."
Drake eyed his hand of cards, deciding on a path of action. 'Although he doesn't know it yet, Zane has the best chance of beating me of any of these Rare Hunters. His strategy is a defensive one that reaches for Exodia. Normally I could still beat a defense player, but it takes longer, and if he gets the Exodia parts first...then I'm finished.'
Despite the odd situation, he had no intention of losing to a pathetic coward like Zane. He despised the Exodia strategy, since it seemed like a weakling's way of gaining success against a stronger opponent. "I set three cards face down, and then I activate Death Awaits. Each of your turns you'll lose one hundred points for all of my set cards. Go."
Zane frowned, not quite sure why his opponent was being so swift with his moves. But his mind was taking off of that when the sharp blade of the reaper's scythe pressed against his throat, drawing blood. "Damn you..." (ZLP: 3700)
Drake didn't even respond in words, he merely folded his arms across his chest, waiting for Zane to make his move. "So confident...but I'll show you! Activate Card in Hand, which lets me place one monster from my deck to my hand."
He flipped through his cards, finally settling on the Left Leg of Exodia, which he placed in his hand. "Next I play Blast Sacrifice, which lets me sacrifice one monster on my field to destroy two face down cards on your field, so say goodbye to your two!"
Two of Drake's face down cards exploded into millions of fragments, but one of them reformed into the imagine of a severed green hand, dripping blood onto a canvas, spelling out words. "You destroyed Bloody Hand of the Demon Prophet. Now I get to guess the bottom card of my deck's type, and if I'm right I draw five cards. Of course it's a trap."
He held up the drawn card, revealing it to be Dark Mirror Force. So he slid the card into his graveyard and grabbed up five cards off the top of his deck. "So what? I sacrificed Sangan(1000/600) so I now get to add a monster with fifteen hundred attack or less from my deck to my hand!"
Zane plucked Right Arm of Exodia from his deck and added it to his other cards, giving him a grand total of six cards in his hand, two of them being Exodia pieces. "I play Monster Reincarnation, discarding Blast Held By A Tribute from my hand in order to pick up my Sangan."
He slapped down the card, bringing the furry vicious demon back into play. "Sangan, attack him directly!" The demon charged in, slashing its claws at Drake.
"I see...so you want me to kill Sangan in order to give you another Exodia piece, or to just let you have it pass by and hit me? Fine, whatever." The claws raked his chest, but he responded by punching the demon square in the face, sending it tumbling backwards. (DLP: 3000)
"You didn't fall for it, pity. Fine, I'll just set one card face down." The card appeared behind his Sangan, and then it was Drake's turn again.
Drake glanced at the eight cards he was holding, and then at his two cards on the field. "I guess it's time to heat things up a bit. First I activate Expanding Shadows, which doesn't take up a zone and doubles the number of magic and trap cards I can place in a zone!"
Because of the shadows that were already creeping around the field there was no visible change, but even Zane could see what was coming next. "Now I set the remaining seven cards I hold face down on the field and end my turn."
Zane drew, but was immediately injured by the effect of Death Awaits. "I'm not going to give in because of one magic card, I'll get Exodia before your effects can defeat me!" (ZLP: 2900)
He glanced down at his set card, and then pressed a button on his DD2. "Activate trap, Assault on Goblin Head Quarters! This destroys one monster on my field to blast two off your deck. So you lose two cards, and Sangan's effect lets me grab another weak monster!"
Using Sangan's ability he grabbed Right Leg of Exodia, giving him three pieces and three other cards to work with. "I play Spell Reproduction, discarding Double Spell and Card Destruction from my hand in order to grab a magic card from my grave. Now...I play Card in Hand!"
With his magic card's effect he grabbed Left Arm of Exodia, leaving him with four of the pieces in his hand and no other cards. Although he was defenseless, he knew Drake wouldn't be attacking him. "I end my turn at that."
Drake drew, and then slid the card onto his duel disk. "I'm guessing by that quick end that already you hold four pieces of Exodia. Guess I'll just have to destroy you before you can grab the final piece. Isn't that right?"
Zane didn't answer, instead he drew. He gritted his teeth, holding perfectly still as the blade pressed against his neck, drawing even more blood from him. There was very little he could do at the moment to stop that, but all he needed was one piece and then he'd win. 'Just need to last a little longer.' (ZLP: 2000)
"I play Different Dimension Capsule! This lets me place one card from my deck face down out of play, and on my second standby phase after activation it gets added to my hand." Quietly he placed Exodia the Forbidden One face down, and a casket appeared in front of him. In two turns it would open, and he would win.
"You're confident aren't you? On your second turn from now my Death Awaits will only have drained you of all but two hundred points, whereas you'll get Exodia completed. And since my field is full I can't play any new cards. Tough nut to crack...so I end my turn." Drake smirked, spinning the newest card he had drawn between his fingers.
The Rare Hunter frowned, not quite sure why Drake was so confident. As far as he could see there was no flaw in his plan, and so long as he didn't make a foolish attack he would win. "One more turn, and then victory is mine. Since you can't attack me...I end." (ZLP: 1100)
Up in the building, Kirani could barely watch. She knew Drake, even this new one, and she knew how he would duel, somehow she knew. "Zane...his face down cards...he can still play them even if you don't attack. He's going to destroy you with them before you get the last piece of Exodia."
Indeed, Drake was smirking even before he had looked at the card he had drawn. "You're so confident because you're an idiot. You fail to realize that not all traps require an attack to activate. So, I activate Cemetey Bomb, which deals one hundred damage to you for each card in your graveyard."
An explosion rocked the area, shattering the pavement and tossing Zane backwards. He rolled to a stop, his body looking beaten and bloodied. "No...ten cards in my grave...and all you needed was two." (ZLP: 100)
"Idiot, I won't even wait for your next turn! Reveal trap, Second Wind! This lets me reactive the first trap card that was played this turn, so get a second taste of Cemetery Bomb! This time it will blow you apart!" The detonation occurred directly below Zane, and his body was torn to pieces by the blast, leaving nothing but fried hunks of flesh left over. (ZLP: 0)
Not bothering to banish the darkness, Drake spread it out, encompassing the base of the building. "I'll destroy the next one as well Kirani. Surely you'll come down to save them from such a fate? Or perhaps you're not the kind person you think you are? That's it...you're just a cold hearted bitch!"
Kirani's sobs and desperate replies were halted by the hand that was over her mouth, as the Rare Hunters in the room held her back. They were doing their best, and they knew she couldn't go out there. But now, someone else was coming out to face Drake.
Wearing a nice suit, a top hat, and a fancy mask was one of the higher ranked Rare Hunters, Arkana, the so-called Master of Magicians. "Drake, you know the Rare Hunters aren't good guys. We're the bad guys...but you, you're something more than that as you are. And in order to gain redemption for the cruel actions in our past...we'll protect Kirani even if it requires piling our bodies up as a wall!"
"Bodies as a wall? Is that really what you want Arkana? Well then, who am I to ignore such a request. I'll make my way to the top of the building by building a rampart from the bodies of dead Rare Hunters...and I'll start with you!" Arkana felt a chill as the Darkness Game initiated. And he knew he had to do his best, and he had to win. (DLP: 4000, ALP: 4000)
Drake immediately fanned out his six cards, and then slid three of them onto his duel disk. "I'll start by going easy on you with these three face down cards. Then, that's the end of my turn."
Arkana drew, glad to see the image of his red robed Dark Magician(2500/2100). "I set two cards face down, and then I set a monster in defense mode. End."
The russet-haired duelist frowned, surprised that Arkana hadn't attacked. It seemed that these duelists were becoming progressively smarter, and maybe Arkana would be a real challenge. "My draw...and I set one card face down. End turn."
Once again it was Arkana's turn, and he looked determined. "Open face down card the first, Dust Tornado!"
A whirlwind shot out of the card, slamming into Drake's leftmost face down card, blowing it apart. He frowned, but otherwise didn't comment. "That it?"
"Not in the least! Second card activate! Cyclone!" Another blast of wind crushed the card that had been next to the previous one, leaving Drake with merely two face down cards on the field. But those would do the trick.
"You still look confident, so I'll crush that confidence by summoning Breaker the Magical Warrior(1900/1000) and I'll sacrifice his counter to destroy another of your set cards!" The second to last in the row blew apart, and now it was just one set card down on the field.
"Okay, so you've done well in eliminating my cards so far. But really, that won't do you any good. I can't be defeated by someone like you." Arkana sneered, confident that he could break Drake's strategy in this turn.
"You say you can't be beaten by me, but I beg to differ. That's why I flip summon Apprentice Magician(400/800) whose effect now places a magic counter on Breaker. And of course I sacrifice that counter to destroy another of your set cards!" Drake's eyes went wide as his final face down card was blown apart, leaving him with absolutely no defenses.
"I could attack you directly with these two...but instead I play Secondary Summon, which lets me pay five hundred life points to normal summon again this turn. So I offer both my monsters for the Dark Magician(2500/2100)!" The red robed and white haired version of the famous monster emerged from Arkana's card, now being the only thing in play. (ALP: 3500)
"You...you're much better than I ever would have guessed. But that doesn't mean you've won, not by far." Drake growled, irritated that this nobody had managed to break his line of traps so quickly.
"I may not have won yet, but I'm more than half way there. Dark Magic Attack!" Streamers of energy collided with Drake, shoving him backwards somewhat. But the Heart of Darkness pushed away the energy, keeping him safe. (DLP: 1500)
Drake sneered as he drew, knowing that all he had to deal with was the Dark Magician, and Arkana had only one card in his hand. Had he managed more than just one attack that turn, the duel would be done. But Arkana had failed the follow-up, and that would cost him. "Get ready to die Arkana, because I start off by activate Death of Trio Power!"
"According to the effect of this card I can discard one card from my hand to place any three cards from my deck to the grave that have the same name. And I know just what I want to place in the grave..." A quick scan of his deck gave him the cards he wanted, and he discarded them.
"What did you discard?" Arkana was nervous, not quite sure how to take Drake's newest play. Sending monsters to the grave made sense, but Drake's deck was purely magic and trap cards. So why place them in the grave?
"I chose each of my three Death Meteor cards. Their ability lets me deal one thousand points of damage to you. Of course I couldn't just count on drawing them, so I had to send them to the grave." Arkana's eyes showed fear behind his mask, as he began to realize that perhaps Drake intended to retrieve them all right now.
"I can see by the look in your eyes that you think I'm going to grab back my Death Meteors. Don't worry, I have no way of placing them in my hand right now. I have something different in mind." Despite this knowledge, Arakan didn't feel any better about the situation. Somehow he had a bad feeling about this.
Taking one of the two remaining cards from his hand, Drake held it up above his head, gathering power into it. "Get ready to become a part of my rampart Arkana. I play Armageddon Meteor!"
A massive ball of black flame swirled in the sky above, and came shrieking down towards the building. Or more specifically, towards Arkana. "Armageddon Meteor? What...what does it do?"
"Standard upon activation deals one thousand damage to your life points. But, the damage changes per Death Meteor in the grave. And with all three...its damage is set at the maximum of five thousand! Now, become my rampart to Kirani!" Arkana screamed as the fire of the meteor boiled away his flash, and melting the ground around him. (ALP: 0)
When the meteor faded away all that was left of Arkana was a burnt corpse with no flesh. And with a flick of his wrist Drake tossed the body against the side of the building. "That's the first step of the rampart. Who will become the second?"
Fear flickered through the Rare Hunters, as they understood perfectly that they faced a foe whose strength was much greater than their own. He wouldn't play around, and he wouldn't be afraid of anything they did. He was a foe that was beyond them in every aspect. "You understand now that you can't win...so what next?"
One of the younger Rare Hunters shook as he stepped out of the building, a duel disk shaking on his arm. Drake stared at him, and then past him at the rest of the building. "What is this? Where are the remaining strong members? Strings? Umbra? Lumis? Is a weakling like this all that the Rare Hunters have to offer me?"
The quivering Rare Hunter managed to stutter out a response. "T-they...they were arrested!"
Drake rolled his eyes and sighed, irritated to discover that the other three remaining strong Rare Hunters would be nowhere to be found. And since the most powerful of the actual Rare Hunters besides them was Rishid, there was no chance of a good duel from them anymore, since Rishid wouldn't be here. "Weaklings...every last one of you. And I have no intention of wasting time against opponents who cannot hope to even touch me. So...I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!"
The Rare Hunter never stood a chance as Drake came at him like a rocket. A blow to the sternum shattered the bones, including his ribs, dropping the boy like a stone. Immediately Rare Hunters surged out of the building, holding household appliances as weapons and ready to fight. "You want to challenge me in this manner? Bah! You can't beat me, I'll take you all on!"
The first one up hurled a television set at him, but he stepped to the side, letting it sail harmlessly past. Another rushed in, swinging a VCR like a baseball bat. Drake dropped under his swung and drove his fist up into the man's gut, dropping him like a rock. "This is nothing! Where's your strength? Where's the ferocity, the power of the Rare Hunters!"
A casual kick by the super-powered dark Drake snapped the neck of a Rare Hunter who had tried to attack him with a kitchen knife, and seeing this some of the others backed off, trying to encircle him. "So this is it then? This is the last stand of the Rare Hunters? You won't die shaking in fear like cowards, but instead embracing your deaths. If that's the case then I'll rip you apart in mere seconds as a matter of pride and honor!"
The massive group of Rare Hunters charged in, bringing their various and sundry weapons to bare on the dark duelist. Black flames leapt from his hands, incinerating them one by one, yet they didn't break their charge, and they died as they came after him. "I'll burn you all and send you to hell!"
"NOOO!" Drake's eyes went wide as an explosion of power rocked the building, and suddenly his black flames were hitting glowing barriers of red energy. The Rare Hunters looked as shocked as he was.
"Impossible! Normal magic shouldn't be able to stand up to the Heart of Darkness...so the only thing that could, is another Heart of Man." He pivoted on his heel, and found exactly who he was looking for. Wreathed in the red glow of the Heart of Love was none other than Kirani, and she was floating down from the top of the building.
"I've had enough of seeing this, so I'm here. Even if standing before you like this means my death, it's something I have to do. Even if you were Shinegami, the god of death I would still stand to face you. I love Drake Ihachi, so I won't stand down, and I won't let you hurt anyone else." Her power blazed, and Drake found his own power forced backwards by it. It was at least as powerful as he was, almost exactly even.
"You won't let me? Wench, you just don't get it do you? Nobody can stop me, not you, not Hikari, not even your precious savior Dalin. As I am now, there isn't a single person on the planet who can defeat me. Stare into the Heart of Darkness, stare into the eyes of your former lover, stare into the eyes of the darkness incarnate!" His dark power flared, forcing her power backwards.
"Any last words bitch?" He sneered, his eyes boring into hers, awaiting her final words in this life.
"Yes. I love you." His eyes widened, and then narrowed to mere pinpoints, fire growing in them.
"Wrong answer bitch! Now DIE!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Author's Notes: Lots of death...kinda freaky isn't it? Oh well, they were just Rare Hunters.
Next Time: The Rare Hunters have fallen. Now all that stands between Kirani and the darkness of her lover's heart is love itself. Kirani must now take action and try to reach through the shadows and recover a fragment of the man she loved. But does any part of the Drake she knew remain?
See it all in, Kirani's Plea to the Darkness!
Review Response
The White Mage: Drake's got MPD. MPDMultiple Personality Disorder. He's also Obsessive Compulsive. Sucks to be him.
Time Mage: Your guesses about the Heart of Love were pretty accurate. Good job.
G.O.T. Nick: Now you know what I meant. In addition, you guessed right, Hikari is the third.
WolfGeneral: I thought it was a cool Punishment Game myself. I was hungry and thought about 'eating yourself to death' in the sense that you eat too much and die, and I came up with that punishment.
Original Cards
Drake: Fear's Release, Death Awaits, Bloody Hand of the Demon Prophet, Expanding Shadows, Second Wind, Death of Trio Power, Armageddon Meteor
Zane: Magical Well, Blast Sacrifice, Card in Hand
Arkana: Secondary Summon
Anime/Manga Cards