This was a fun chapter to write. Not quite sure why. It just was.
Chapter Twelve: Assassin
Although the burial had taken them out of their way, they were still the first ones to arrive at the hotel. They took seats around the lobby and waited for everyone else.
Zack, Larka, Angela, and Malon soon appeared. When they entered, Larka commented, "It feels really creepy, being here with nobody else."
"Everyone else must be afraid to come due to the deletions," Zack stated.
"I don't blame them," Mana said with a shiver. Malon barked in agreement.
Rue and Ruecian arrived next, the former still enraged. "Hope, I want an explanation, NOW."
"And you'll get one, once everyone else is here," Hope assured.
"Then they'd better come damn quick…" Rue began.
"This quick enough for you?" Draken asked as he entered with Darche and Kisara.
"It looks like we only need Will and Miles," Darche noted.
Kisara went to the back of the room and brought out her Soul Card. It was a tight fit for Kazel, but she folded her wings and lay down so she could fit in the room. Max released Tenma as well, on the other side of the room.
"Just Miles, actually," they heard Will say when he came in. Neo trailed after him. "He has three minutes to arrive."
"Surprise," Miles said as he popped up from behind the counter at the front.
Nearly everyone jumped in shock, but Rue got over being startled quickly. "Damn it! How long have you been there?"
"Before any of you," Miles told him, leaping over the counter. Gen followed, shaking his head in exasperation.
"You've gotten good at hiding your presence," Zack commented.
"Thanks. Took a lot of work," Miles answered as he flung himself onto a couch. "So, shall we get down to it?"
"Let me tell about what we have learned," Hope began. "Chasity, Amy, and Claire are all in a coma."
"Whoa! Are you kidding?" Neo said.
"Unfortunately, no," Gaston answered. "Angela thinks they were caught in the deletion."
"Damn it! I should have figured that out!" Rue snarled.
"Is there any way to help them?" Gen inquired.
"Yes. Angela said that if we restore the deleted area, they would wake up," Larka said.
"That means we have to defeat all of the Judges first," Draken realized.
Rue clenched his hands into fists. "Fine by me!"
"We should also find out who hired them," Will said.
"I agree," Kazel spoke up. "That might take care of many of our problems."
Brandi thought of a question. "Angela, could you restore the area that was deleted?"
"No," Angela responded. "Not without recovering the data. That is impossible until the one who deleted the areas is found."
"But when we do, if we could recover that data, like from the computer used to cause this… you could?" Darche said.
"Yes," Angela confirmed.
"Great! So how should we go about doing that?" Mana asked.
"Let's start with the Judges," Max suggested. "At least we know that they are a problem."
"'Know thy enemy'," Will quoted. "We need to get more information on them."
"Hey, I can do that!" Miles volunteered.
They all stared at him while Hope summed up what they were thinking. "You?"
"Of course! I'm a spy for the officials, remember? This is the kind of stuff I get paid for!" Miles said.
"Well, that is true…" Draken glanced at Gen. "Is he as good as he claims to be?"
"I would say so," Gen answered. "He may not act like it, but he does have the skills for it. Miles also has contacts that might have knowledge on them."
"There's a contact that I have in mind that could probably get me the knowledge we want," Miles confirmed. "However… it would require me meeting him alone."
"That is risky, considering what the Judges are trying to do," Zack pointed out.
"Yeah! They've already captured three of us!" Mana concurred.
"Three?" Neo said. "Who was the third?"
"A Judge named Ouka took Max," Gaston explained. "Hope managed to save him though."
"All the more evidence that you shouldn't go alone," Draken stated.
"I see your concerns, but my contact won't meet me unless I'm alone," Miles said. "Well, Gen's the exception. But yeah."
There was a silence as they all considered this, and then an unexpected person broke it. "If this is the only way to find information on the Judges… I think we should trust Miles," Kisara said quietly.
"Well… we do need it…" Draken hesitated, and then sighed. "All right. I'm for it."
"If you can promise to stay out of trouble and return here as soon as possible, I guess it's all right," Brandi said.
"Anyone disagree?" Will asked.
Nobody spoke up.
"Then I'll do that right away." Miles leapt out of the chair and pulled out his cell phone. "You guys wait here. I'll be back within the hour. If I'm not, something happened."
"It really should not take too long," Gen assured as he followed Miles to the door.
"It'd better not." Despite his words, Rue looked concerned.
"Be careful," Larka said worriedly.
"Of course I'll be careful! It's part of the job!" Miles waved to them cheerfully before going out with Gen.
"The words Miles and careful do not go together," Kazel said dryly.
"It's been seven years. Maybe he learned the definition by now," Draken joked.
Neo shook his head. "There are some things that just don't change. Like Will smacking Rue with books, Miles can't just get… professional."
"Gee, thanks for the comparison," Rue grumbled.
"Oh, speaking of smacking Rue…" Brandi went up to him and slapped him across the face.
"OUCH! What was that for?" Rue yelped, holding his hand to his stinging cheek.
"Don't refer to me as 'woman' in that tone, not even in dueling," Brandi said, heading back to where she usually sat.
"Dang! I thought she'd forgotten about that duel, especially after she forfeited by running away," Rue winced.
"Brandi doesn't forget," Draken said. "Keep that in mind if you want to live longer."
"I try," Rue sighed.
…
This time, when the Judges met, there were only five.
"She failed," Kai said bluntly.
"That's right," Seiryu confirmed, his eyes narrowed. "Ouka was one of our best. Now she is dead."
"If Kasmaru hadn't said she would do fine on her own, this never would have happened!" Alamaru lamented.
"…She probably let her desires get the best of her," Kasmaru said, pointedly ignoring Alamaru.
Pariah had no comment.
"Then we are to try something else." Seiryu drummed his fingers against a wall. "First of all… how did they find out about Obsidian and Crucio?"
"When I went to the group, I noticed that one of the people mentioned was not there," Kai recalled. "The one with the White Thief."
The drumming fingers became a fist that slammed into the wall. "Miles Salum. Of all the people in the group, he was the one most likely to overhear us. That confirms it."
"He acts as a spy for the officials, doesn't he?" Kasmaru said.
"Yes. So he would have knowledge about this." Seiryu turned back to them. "I have sent Brook to confirm the group location. As for our annoying little spy… if he is into information gathering as we suspect, he would probably separate from the group to find out more about us. I believe we should make his death a bit ironic. Let us send an assassin after him."
Kasmaru looked interested at this. "The Gentleman?"
Seiryu nodded. "Quite. He would be delighted for the opportunity. Miles should provide him with the challenge he has wanted." He looked towards the door. "I suppose that is all we need to discuss at the moment. I will remain here and call the two of them. Dismissed."
"I believe this would be a good time to prepare in case we are needed later…" Kasmaru said as they left.
"Shaddup Kasmaru, I'm in charge! And I say we prepare to fight them for later!" Alamaru declared. Kasmaru's sigh was the last thing Seiryu heard before they were gone.
…
When Miles got outside, he punched in a number for speed-dial. He got a recorded message that said, "As you can see, I am not at the phone now, so if it's important, leave a message."
Miles had expected that, so once the phone beeped, he said, "King here. Up for tea?" He pushed the end button.
"I tell you, anyone who heard you would think you're nuts," Gen commented.
"Better they think I'm nuts than realize what I'm up to," Miles replied.
"True."
They walked to the edge of town, where an arcade was located. Miles entered it.
This location was chosen for a good reason; most of the time, the arcade was very loud. That would make it hard to be overheard. It was not the only place Miles met this contact at, but it was one of them. Seeing the building empty and silent sent a chill through him. It was far too unnatural.
"Guess we'll wait," Miles said, passing by the shut-down machines and leaning against a wall in the corner.
The silence was abruptly shattered a few minutes later by Miles' cell phone ringing to the Steel Samurai theme. Miles picked it up at once, saying, "Hey."
"TAY!" The phone line went dead.
"He's on his way," Miles said, slipping his phone in his pocket.
A minute later, a man holding a fiddle entered the arcade. He wore a fox-fur coat (which Miles believed had fake fur, but he was not about to say that) and had reddish hair. His black eyes were sly, and they darted around the arcade for a moment before he went to Miles. He carried his Soul Monster, a Magic Lamp.
"Thanks for coming by, Grenky," Miles said.
"Not a problem, King."
They referred to each other by nicknames because neither ever planned on giving their true names out to contacts. It was safer that way. Miles had chosen the nickname King for 'King of Thieves'. Why his contact called himself Grenky was something he would probably never know.
"I'm surprised you're still in Teknisk Wereld, considering the problems," Miles commented.
"Same to you. I'm here since others are though. So much interesting things to hear these days!" He inserted a card into his Duel Disk that caused the fiddle to float in midair and dance. Then he brought a tea cup out of his pocket, activated a trap card called D-Time, and poured tea into the cup from his Magic Lamp Soul Monster. "Up for some tay?"
"I don't have a cup," Miles said.
Grenky produced two identical ones and poured tea into both before handing them to Miles and Gen. "Now you do!"
"Great. Thanks." Miles was not very enthusiastic about tea himself, but when it came to Grenky, you did not simply say that you did not care for tea. Or tay, for that matter. He drank some of it. Even though Gen did not need food or drink, he did the same to be polite.
"So, what is it you want to know?" Grenky asked after he took a sip. "Not much has happened down below, except for that new kid."
"New kid?" Miles inquired.
"You haven't heard? A boy just showed up. He must have become thirteen very recently," Grenky said. "Despite that, he's a gambler, and he's beating everyone! The most experienced adults fall to this kid!"
"Impressive," Miles remarked. "Maybe you could tell me more about him later. Right now, I need to know about a group called the Judges."
Grenky blinked. "The Judges? Odd request. All right, let's see what I can do. What do you want to know?"
"Everything," Miles said.
"The Judges like to call themselves a group that passes judgment on others," Grenky began. "They are vigilantes who take jobs that interest them. The Judges have about sixty members, roughly speaking, and are led by a man named Seiryu, who wears a gold dragon mask. They used to work together, but that has recently changed."
"How so?" Miles asked.
"It came in a dispute about Teknisk Wereld," Grenky explained. "Some of them, including Seiryu, wanted to help delete it. Those Judges either had an agenda against it, or simply liked the opportunity for money. The other Judges did not want to have anything to do with it though. So there was a split in the group. About forty broke away from Seiryu to avoid dealing with Teknisk Wereld. The other twenty or so stayed with their leader."
"Who hired them?" Miles inquired.
Grenky shrugged. "Even I don't know that one."
"These other forty won't be trying to help Seiryu then, right?" Miles said.
"Exactly right!" Grenky drank some more tea.
Miles mimicked him, despite it being cold. "How good are they as duelists?"
"The ones with Seiryu all have the ability to duel well," Grenky replied. "At least, that is what I have heard."
"I see. Well, I think that covers everything." Miles finished off the drink and handed Grenky his cup, as did Gen. "Thanks for the tea."
"TAY!"
"Right, that. And for the information."
"Anytime, King." Grenky's fiddle stopped dancing and dropped into his hand after he removed the card. "I'll be going now. Call me if you need anything else."
"Same to you," Miles said.
After Grenky exited the arcade, Miles commented, "I'm impressed at how well he collects information."
"Indeed. It's worth enduring the tea for," Gen agreed.
"TAY!" they heard him yell from outside.
"Tay," Miles sighed. "I have no idea how he can hear us when we don't say it, but whatever." He and Gen left the building as well.
They were a street away from the hotel when Gen slowed, looking around. "Doesn't something feel wrong? It's like we're… being watched."
Miles was about to respond when he heard a sudden whistle from behind him. Recognizing the sound, he instantly threw himself to the right, desperately hoping that he was not too late.
Had he not been so quick, Miles would have been pierced through the heart and killed instantly. As it was, the white knife instead plunged through the back of his left shoulder instead, the point emerging from the front.
"Miles!" Gen exclaimed, catching him as he fell forward and kneeling with him. "Miles, speak to me!"
In response, Miles opened his eyes. "That sucked."
"Good, you're in a right state of mind," Gen said.
"Yep. You know me." Miles managed to sit up on his own and pulled out the white knife, wincing but not making any noise beyond a small growl of pain as it slid out. He examined the bone-like instrument of death. "But who the hell did that?"
"I am impressed. It has been a long time since I found a victim that did not die by my first knife thrown."
They looked up to see a man standing there. He wore a formal black business outfit with white gloves and hard black shoes. His short, black hair was mostly concealed by a top hat he wore, but what they could see was neatly combed back, as well tended as the fine-trimmed black mustache he had. One of his brown eyes was covered with a monocle. In his right hand he held a blood-red rose with a thorn-less stem.
Beside him stood what had to be his Soul Monster. His outfit was almost completely gray, including his shirt, pants, gloves, top hat, and the outside of his cloak. Only the red inside lining of the cloak and the black shoes broke the trend. His facial features were concealed by the top hat, and he held a gray cane.
"Thanks, but I still hate you," Miles said as he staggered upright. "Who are you?"
"I suppose that you deserve to be told, since you lived this long. I am an assassin called the Gentleman." He held out the rose. "This is my calling card. I leave one with all my victims."
"Sorry, but I'm really not a flower guy," Miles replied. "You're not about to leave it on my corpse…" He was cut off by a sudden flare of pain in his shoulder that caused him to snarl aloud.
"Just because you were not killed by my initial strike does not mean you are safe yet," the Gentleman informed him. He ejected a card from his Duel Disk, causing the knife to vanish from Miles' hand, and then held the card up for him to see. "This is Poison Fang. I modified its appearance for my own uses, but you should still understand what that means."
"I'm poisoned. Do I get a Nobel Prize for figuring that out?" Miles said, trying to ignore the steady pain that would not fade.
"You will die within an hour. The more you move, the less time you have to live." The Gentleman carefully slid the rose into his shirt collar. "Still, if I do not finish the job now, you might manage to heal yourself. I doubt you have a Cleanse Magic with you. However, it is safe to assume that one of your friends will."
"Damn it… he's right… I don't have one of those," Miles muttered. He raised his voice to tell his opponent, "You won't be able to kill me now though. You've revealed yourself. I can defend myself from your attacks now."
"Of course. That is why I propose a death duel. If you can win quickly enough, you might be able to reach the hotel in time," the Gentleman said.
That caused Miles to start. "What? You know where they are?"
"I do," the Gentleman confirmed. "So do others among our ranks. All the more reason to hurry, no?"
"Argh… by the time we're done with this freak, it might be too late to warn them…" Miles said.
The Gentleman raised an eyebrow. "Freak? We really are not that different in profession. Both of our jobs involve silence, stealth, and actions that many consider unpleasant."
"I never said I wasn't a freak," Miles pointed out. "Unlike you, I don't mind hammering myself with criticism." Then he said to Gen, "You should go to the hotel while I duel him. Then you can… warn the others…" Miles swayed slightly at this. "Aw hell…"
Gen took hold of Miles' right shoulder. "You're in no condition to try this on your own."
Miles hesitated. "But…"
"The group can handle whatever comes," Gen assured. "You know that."
"…Yeah… you're right…" Miles activated his Duel Disk. "Then let's get this over with! I'm not dying yet!"
"No sense in delaying the inevitable." The Gentleman did the same.
Miles: 8000
Gentleman: 8000
"I am one for ladies first, but since neither of us fit that category, allow me to do the honors," the Gentleman said. "I place one monster and a card down."
"We have to win this quickly," Miles told Gen. "Try to grab something good, all right?"
"I'll see what I can do." Gen vanished.
"What?" The Gentleman looked around warily.
"Leave the thieving to us. You stick with your knife throwing hobby," Miles said as Gen reappeared next to him and handed him a card. "Gen's Deck Master ability allows me to take one card from you and use it as my own."
The Gentleman examined his hand. "I see. And what will you accomplish with that?"
Miles gave the card a disgusted look. "Nightmare Horse? Why is that in your deck?" He sighed. "Oh well. I summon Falcon Knight (1000/700) and lay a card down. Falcon Knight attacks!"
"I activate my instant magic card, Book of the Moon," the Gentleman said. "Your monster is flipped to face-down defense mode."
"Fine. Your turn." Miles did not like how this was going. If the Gentleman had more cards that could block attacks, this duel could last a long time. He lacked the luxury of taking that amount of time.
When the Gentleman drew, Miles said, "I activate Lost Property! That forces you to discard the card you just drew."
"It was my Drillago," the Gentleman said without any trace of concern. "I flip summon Unknown Follower." (700/500)
"That does… what?" Miles asked.
"He can attack directly. I also summon Sneaky Fire Spirit. (100/200) She holds the ability to attack directly as well. Each time she is successful, her attack raises by 1000."
"Lovely," Miles said sarcastically. "All low-leveled monsters. Going to attack me?"
"In a moment. First, I wish to activate my own Deck Master ability. My Soul Monster is a Charismatic Thief named Cameo." Cameo took his cane and pointed it at Miles. "Now I attack directly with both of my monsters."
The Unknown Follower's blast of water caught Miles off guard; it was more forceful than he had expected. The Fire Spirit did much less damage; the tiny sprite merely burned him lightly before retreating. She seemed stronger when she returned to the Gentleman's field though. (1100/200)
Miles: 7200
Gentleman: 8000
"Now Cameo's effect is activated." The Charismatic Thief vanished in a flash of gray. He reappeared in front of Miles and smacked him with his cane twice before vanishing again. As Miles tried to recover from the two brutal strikes, the Gentleman said, "For each direct attack that was done, you discard a random card. Since two were done, you lose two cards."
Miles shuffled around his hand and pulled out two cards. "You made me discard Troop Commander… and your own Nightmare Horse."
"Quite good. I can only do that effect once per duel, but it was well worth it. I lay a card down and end my turn," the Gentleman concluded.
"Gen's effect can only be used once too, but seeing as how crummy that Nightmare Horse was, I don't really mind." Miles drew a card and shrugged as he looked at it. "Why not. I summon Century Thief. (1000/1000) I flip summon Falcon Knight. Then I equip Century Thief with Demon Axe." (2000/1000)
"Now seems to be a good time to activate my trap card, Menacing Roar," the Gentleman interrupted. "During this turn, you may not declare an attack."
Miles gave him an annoyed look. "I thought gentlemen were polite, yet here you go, rudely cutting me off. I'm done."
"My apologies," the Gentleman replied, bowing slightly before drawing. "I suppose you have a point, even if you are merely a thief… sorry, a spy now."
"Less talk more action," Miles said, swaying slightly again. He was feeling weaker than before.
The Gentleman nodded. "As you wish. I switch Unknown Follower to defense mode, lay a card down, and have Fire Spirit attack directly."
This time, the sprite's flames hurt a lot more than before. Miles winced from the pain. She retreated once more, this time even stronger. (2100/200)
Miles: 6100
Gentleman: 8000
"Fine by me. I have Century Thief attack your Unknown Follower!" The Thief cleaved the strange creature in half. "I switch Falcon Knight to defense mode."
"My turn? In that case, I summon Grudge." (0/100)
"Another direct attacker?" Miles guessed as the floating red blob appeared. "And another monster below level four…" he muttered to himself.
"Yes, but it cannot do much now. I will merely have my Fire Spirit attack Century Thief," the Gentleman said.
Miles grimaced as he saw the Fire Spirit burn away the Century Thief. He was not sure he would be able to stand up to an attack as brutal as that in his condition.
Miles: 6000
Gentleman: 8000
"This has got to be a trap," Miles sighed. "Nevertheless… I switch Falcon Knight to attack mode and attack Grudge!"
"Indeed it is. I activate my trap card, Chained Boomerang," the Gentleman announced. "This switches your Falcon Knight to defense mode. It can also be equipped to one of my monsters to raise their attack by 500. I give it to Grudge." (500/100)
"I get the feeling that won't be good," Miles commented. "I lay one monster down and end my turn."
"Not for you," the Gentleman agreed. "I summon Rocket Jumper." (1000/800)
Miles' eye twitched. "What level is it?"
"Three," the Gentleman answered.
"Oh go to hell," Miles muttered.
"Rocket Jumper can attack directly when all of your monsters are in defense mode," the Gentleman informed him. "I have him do so. Then Grudge attacks. When it inflicts damage, its attack increases by 1000. Fire Spirit finishes up the assault."
The Rocket Jumper crashed into Miles, nearly causing him to fall over. The Grudge added to difficulties by hitting Miles with the Chained Boomerang and gaining more attack power. (1500/100) The Fire Spirit was the worst though. The burns that she inflicted on Miles would have made him to collapse if Gen had not been there to keep him upright. To make matters even worse, the Fire Spirit grew in attack power once more. (3100/200)
The Gentleman looked pleased by Miles' condition. "In addition to this, I activate an instant magic card, Sebek's Blessing, from my hand. When one of my monsters directly attacks, I gain Life Points equal to the amount you lost. That is all."
Miles: 2400
Gentleman: 10100
Miles tried to straighten, but that sent a wave of pain through his body that forced him to lean against Gen once more. "Not a good situation, huh?"
"Will you be able to keep going?" Gen asked worriedly.
"Yeah… I'm not about to give up!" Miles drew a card to prove his point. "Hah, I've got him! I summon Critter!" (1000/600)
"Oh? How do you expect Critter to save you?" the Gentleman inquired.
Miles smiled slightly. "It's not Critter that will help; he's just a bonus to this play. I activate Magic Box of Death! This destroys a monster on your field and gives you control of one of mine. Your Fire Spirit dies, and you can have my Critter."
"Ah… that is regretful," the Gentleman said as he watched swords fly into the box, killing his Fire Spirit. "Anything else?"
"Yep. I flip summon White Thief! (1000/700) Then I play Force!" Miles said. "That cuts one of your monsters' attack in half and gives it to one of mine. I'll have it affect Grudge and power up Falcon Knight. (750/100) (1750/700) White Thief attacks Grudge! Then Falcon Knight attacks Critter and Rocket Jumper!"
This was the first attack that had actually hurt the Gentleman. He did not seem to notice the pain though. The attacks were too minor for anything serious.
Miles: 2400
Gentleman: 8350
"How could Falcon Knight attack twice?" the Gentleman asked.
"It's a special effect of his," Miles answered. "Now for the other effects. White Thief would normally make you discard a card from your hand, but you don't have any, so we can disregard that. However, Critter's ability helps me. When he is destroyed, I search my deck for a monster with 1500 attack or less and put it into my hand. I'll take Surprising Matasa. I lay one card down and end my turn."
"It seems I am without any monsters," the Gentleman observed. "I lay one down."
"I'll summon Surprising Matasa." (1300/800) As Miles placed the card on his Duel Disk, his vision briefly blackened, and then returned to normal. "Grah… I have to hurry. Matasa attacks!"
The Gentleman smirked. "You have run into my Soul-Hunting Spirit. (300/200) He cannot be destroyed in battle. Done?"
"Yeah…" Miles said reluctantly.
"I lay a card down and end my turn," the Gentleman concluded promptly.
"I summon another Surprising Matasa and am done…" Miles was getting nervous. If he could not get rid of the Soul-Hunting Spirit soon, the poison was more than certain to finish him off.
Fortunately for Miles, that turned out to not be a problem when the Gentleman made his play. "I activate my trap, Cry of the Living Dead, to revive Nightmare Horse. (300/200) Then I play Fusion, using Soul-Hunting Spirit and Nightmare Horse to form Nightmare-Riding Spirit!" (800/600)
Miles gazed at the Grim Reaper-style monster riding the fearsome horse. "Oh freaking boy… this ought to be good…" Then he blinked. "Wait. That monster… its level…"
"My Nightmare-Riding Spirit can attack directly, so he does!" The horse sprang forward while the Spirit raised his hand, ready to bring down his scythe…
…Only for the horse to abruptly crash into the ground, neighing and struggling uselessly as it tried to rise.
"Hah! I finally get to use my Gravity Bind!" Miles said triumphantly. "I've had it all duel, but until now, you hadn't played a monster that was level four or above! Anyway, you can't attack with monsters that are level four or higher now."
"This could be a problem," the Gentleman said, looking slightly anxious. "I end my turn…"
"Your Nightmare-Riding Spirit makes a good target," Miles said. "I'm willing to bet he can't be destroyed in battle either, but I can still cause a fair amount of pain. I summon Century Thief!" (1000/1000) Miles looked at his five monsters and smiled faintly. "It's a pity you have no cards in your hand, but that can't be helped. My two Matasas and Falcon Knight attack twice while White Thief and Century Thief each attack once!"
The eight attacks slashed and punctured the Nightmare-Riding Spirit, which kept reforming only to be attacked again. The Gentleman staggered slightly under each blow.
Miles: 2400
Gentleman: 5550
"I am out of options… I switch Nightmare-Riding Spirit to defense mode and lay a monster down," the Gentleman said regretfully.
"Then it's over!" Miles declared. "I play Demon Axe on Nightmare-Riding Spirit! If he works like Soul-Hunting Spirit, being targeted by a magic card should destroy him!"
"It does…" the Gentleman said as his monster exploded.
"Then I equip Falcon Knight with Power of Teamwork!" Miles said, grinning as the Gentleman's eyes widened. "This raises his stats by 800 for each monster on my field. (5000/4700) My White Thief attacks your defense monster!"
"My Dweller of Darkness Shadowkiller…" (1400/200) The Gentleman closed his eyes. "I am finished…"
"Falcon Knight attacks you twice!" Miles declared.
The bird warrior slashed the Gentleman twice with such brutality that his body was cut apart under the force of the blows. Cameo vanished; his Soul card had apparently met the same fate.
Miles: 2400
Gentleman: 0
"That'll teach him to try and assassinate me," Miles said. Then he nearly collapsed, his vision blackening again. "Aw heck…"
"Miles!" Gen strained to keep him up. "We have to get to the hotel. Come on, you can make it!"
"Not so sure about that myself… but I'm not one to give up…" Miles attempted to step forward and would have fallen if his Soul Monster was still acting as support.
"You've changed in that aspect," Gen remarked as they went forward, trying to keep Miles' mind off the pain.
Miles managed to smile at that. "Yep… got the group to thank for that one, and you. Suppose I should thank you for sticking around now too."
"Not a problem," Gen replied. By this time, they had reached the corner. "Thank everything that the hotel is close by. We are nearly there."
"That's good… my vision's going bad again…" Miles muttered, blinking a few times in a vain attempt to clear it.
"Don't worry. I'm sure one of them will have the card you need to be healed from…" Gen trailed off as he saw the hotel and stared. "What… on earth… happened here?"
To be continued…