I apologize for two things. One is the wait, which is now over. The other is how pathetic this duel is going to be. There was absolutely no way to make a duel between these two decks interesting, thus it is the worst duel in the entire arc, if not the entire fan fiction. Just bear with it and better ones will come next time.
Chapter Fourteen: Soldier
"What's wrong?" Miles asked worriedly, trying to see the hotel. His vision sharpened for a moment, allowing him to witness what Gen had. "…Did I just… see what I thought I had?"
"If you saw that the hotel was completely filled with water, yes, you did see what you thought you had," Gen replied, staring at the windows doubtfully.
"How did that happen?" Miles said in disbelief.
"We'll find out soon enough." Gen helped Miles to the door and stopped, gazing at it. "A lock… I can get rid of that easily enough."
"But if we open the door, we'll be bowled over by the water," Miles pointed out.
"Yes… so we should try to think of a way to avoid that…" Gen trailed off as he saw the water suddenly vanish from inside the building. "…Um…"
"…That's weird," Miles said. "But convenient. Go ahead and deal with the lock."
"Sure thing." Gen picked the lock swiftly and opened the door. He laid Miles on a damp couch before looking around the area.
He did not have to search for long, because the group emerged into the room shortly.
"Oh good, you're all unharmed," Gen said in relief.
"Gen? How did you get here?" Hope asked in surprise.
"Miles and I were returning and we saw the hotel was filled with water," Gen explained. "It disappeared abruptly though. I unlocked the door and we came in."
"Speaking of Miles, where is he?" Draken inquired.
"Over here." Gen went to the couch that he had put Miles on.
Miles weakly raised a hand to the group. "Hey…"
"What happened to you?" Rue asked.
"Poisoned…" Miles managed to say as his hand fell back to his side limply. "Need Cleanse Magic…"
"I have that," Kisara said softly. She placed it into her Duel Disk, and a soft green glow washed over Miles before vanishing.
Miles sat up. "Worked perfectly. Thanks a bunch." He brought out a Red Potion to use on himself. His wound had stopped bleeding a while ago; hence he had not bothered to heal it until now. "So what happened? You guys first, because I think my information will take a longer time to relay."
"A Judge named Brook attacked us," Will said. "Brandi dueled her and won, which resulted in Brook dying."
"Brook used a Water Dragon deck, and Brandi told the whole world that she hates Atlantis," Draken added.
"Damn straight," Brandi muttered.
"So you beat her just as we arrived?" Gen assumed.
"Probably," Mana answered.
"We had an eventful time too," Miles said. "After meeting up with my contact and getting the information, we ran into an assassin for the Judges who called himself the Gentleman. I managed to beat him in a duel to kill him, despite him hitting me with a poisoned knife first."
"That means we have killed seven Judges," Kazel stated.
"Out of about twenty," Gen said. "Not bad."
"Twenty?" Gaston asked.
"Yeah. Let me tell you what I learned," Miles requested.
"Sure, we're listening," Draken said.
Miles nodded. "Okay. The Judges are vigilantes that take jobs they have interest in. There used to be about sixty members that were all lead by Seiryu. When Teknisk Wereld came up, about forty split away, leaving roughly twenty with him. Apparently, most of the group with Seiryu have agendas against Teknisk Wereld, although a few were tempted by money."
"Brook did say her sister had died here," Will recalled.
Miles shrugged. "The Gentleman seemed like one of the few who was in it for the cash. Either way, the other forty or so don't have anything to do with this. Unfortunately, my contact didn't know who had hired Seiryu and his guys. It also seems that the ones with Seiryu are all good duelists."
"Tough luck for us," Neo commented.
"At least we have a good guess at how many there are, unlike how we fared with all the other enemy groups we have faced," Kazel stated.
"That is true," Will agreed. "We can probably assume that the number is twenty-five or lower. That means we should have, at the most, eighteen more to kill, although I would think the number is more around thirteen."
"And that count includes Seiryu, Kai, Pariah, Alamaru, and Kasmaru?" Brandi asked.
"Not Seiryu, but otherwise, yes," Will replied.
Max crossed his arms. "But now we don't know where to find the next Judge."
"Wait…" Larka looked at Angela. "One of your top priorities is to find people who are trying to delete Teknisk Wereld, right?"
"Correct," Angela replied.
"Could you track one down? Like… sense one, or something?" Larka asked.
"There is a method I can use to find an enemy," Angela stated. "However, it would require me returning to where I had been previously sleeping."
Brandi and Larka glanced at each other, and then Larka said to the group, "Since we know where it is, we should accompany her there-"
Zack cut her off. "No! The last time you went to that area, you were ambushed! What if that happens again?"
"There is a 67.22 percent probability that we will not be attacked," Angela said flatly. "And if we are, there is a 9.59 percent probability of being overcome."
"It's still risky," Zack said. "Maybe if others could accompany you…"
Brandi hesitated, and then said, "Hope and Kisara can come."
"Huh? Why us?" Hope asked while Kisara gave Brandi a surprised look.
"Well, we're going underwater." Brandi rolled her eyes. "You know how some of the guys would react to that."
"Hey! I object!" Rue, Draken, and Miles chorused.
"What about our Soul Monsters?" Hope asked.
"Kazel can come. Sorry Gaston, you shouldn't," Brandi said.
Gaston shrugged and took Malon from Larka, who barked in protest. "I suppose I'll work on restraining him, since he hates it when you leave."
Zack sighed. "I still do not like this… be sure to come back quickly."
"Don't worry, we will," Larka said, smiling at him.
"We'll wait here for you," Draken stated. "So return here after Angela's done."
"Of course," Kazel assured, moving towards the door. "Shall we go?"
"Yeah. I'll lead the way," Brandi said, going outside with Mana. Hope, Larka, Kisara, and Kazel followed her.
"…Back to boredom," Rue sighed, sitting down. Then he said, "Draken, it's still your turn to-"
"I am NOT playing that game again," Draken told him.
"Oh. Darn. How about twenty questions?" Rue suggested.
"…Anything to shut you up," Draken muttered, finally giving in. That, and he was concerned about Kisara. He wanted to get his mind off her leaving.
Max was not as worried about Hope and Brandi. He was pretty confident that they could handle themselves, especially since Brandi was still pretty annoyed by the Atlantis duel.
Gaston noticed that Zack still seemed to harbor doubts. "Relax. I'm sure they'll be fine, especially with Angela there. They also have Kazel and Mana, and they're strong too."
Zack nodded. "Yeah… I just can't help but be worried."
"Well, it shows that you care," Gaston said. "So at least that's something."
"…I suppose you have a point there," Zack replied.
Back in his corner, Will merely turned another page, refusing to listen to the banter of the trio playing word games.
…
"So where are we going?" Hope asked.
"You'll see," Mana said playfully.
"We are walking to the forest… so you did not find Angela in the lake?" Kazel assumed.
"That's right," Larka answered.
After some time, they arrived at the tree that led to the spring, in which Brandi announced, "Here we are."
"I don't see anything besides trees, more trees, and grass," Hope said.
"Take a look at this particular tree." Brandi stuck her arm into its trunk.
"Whoa!" Hope exclaimed as Kisara and Kazel stared in awe.
"This will lead us to our destination." Brandi went inside with Mana. Everyone else came after her, falling into the tunnel. Luckily, Kazel was the last to enter, and she did so once they had moved out of the way.
The walk through the tunnel was brief, and they soon emerged in the spring. The new arrivals were rendered speechless at the sight of the beautiful area.
"Like it?" Mana asked.
"Of course! How could I not?" Hope said. Kisara nodded in agreement while Kazel sniffed the air, her tail fanning the air in pleasure.
"This is a secret area of ours," Brandi said as she went to the spring and sat at the edge, her legs going into the water. Everyone but Angela and Kazel mimicked her. Kazel's tail entered the water instead, and Angela stood a distance away, carefully watching their surroundings. "Mana and I were the first to be here, but when Larka got injured, I took her here to be healed. That's what the spring does; it heals wounds."
"We considered introducing Kisara and Kazel to the spring as well," Larka added. "But we decided to wait until Hope was back."
"It's wonderful!" Hope said happily, running a hand through the water.
"You found Angela here?" Kisara asked Larka quietly.
"Yes," Larka answered. "She was at the very bottom, inside a crystal structure."
"Really?" Kazel stood up, eyes glinting mischievously. "How about I go down and check?" She abruptly took off, flying up, and then dove into the lake at full speed, splashing all but Angela with a huge tidal wave.
"Kazel!" Hope protested with a laugh. "You didn't have to do that!"
But the dragon was long gone, probably to the very bottom of the lake.
"Angela, why don't you join us?" Larka suggested.
"Your previous concerns led me to believe that I should stand guard," Angela replied.
"I'm sure you'll be able to detect danger if it comes," Larka said, patting the ground next to her. "Come on, don't be shy."
"As you wish." Angela sat next to her, copying her position.
Hope gazed at Angela with a trace of sadness in her eyes. "She can't even enjoy this area…"
"I know. She seems human in every way, yet when it comes to emotions, we could not be more different." Larka sighed. "I keep bringing that up, and I keep thinking about it, but I can't see any way around admitting it."
Hope turned her eyes back to the spring. "Well… if anyone can change her, it's you, Larka."
Larka smiled slightly at that. "Thanks."
Kazel burst out of the spring without warning, subjecting them to another drenching.
"Kazel!" Hope exclaimed again as Kisara began to wring out her hair, blushing slightly at her Soul Monster's behavior.
"I saw what you meant," Kazel said to Larka. She slid out of the spring, lying on the rocks with her wings fanned out. "There was a section of the wall caved in that was quite noticeable from the bottom of the lake."
Larka nodded and looked at Angela. "Are you going to try to find a Judge?"
"If you wish for me to," Angela replied.
"I do. Go ahead and do it," Larka said.
"Affirmative." Angela took a hair from her head, which came off easily, and put one end to the ground. It wriggled in her hand before leaping into the ground like it was water.
It was at that moment that an explosion sounded from the trees. Before any of them could react, Angela's hair came flying out to surround them all like a barrier. Another explosion sounded as something hit the barrier, but it was not broken.
"What was that?" Hope exclaimed.
"Damn. I was too slow," they heard from outside.
"We can't see anything like this," Brandi said. "We need to get rid of this barrier!"
"Angela, would you please lower the barrier?" Larka requested.
"Affirmative." The hair whipped away, retracting back into Angela's head.
Standing before them was a woman who wore a navy long-sleeved shirt and pants with a black vest, gloves, and boots. Her dark-brown hair went to her shoulder blades, and her light-brown eyes watched them intensely. Attached to her right shoulder was a huge brown bazooka with a green snake-like object carved into it.
"Not even a Gravekeeper Gunner's weapon can punch through the Guardian's defenses," the woman said as the bazooka vanished. "I suppose dueling really is the only way."
"Enemy detected. Preparing to counterattack," Angela said.
"Angela, don't strike yet," Larka requested. "Let's hear what she has to say."
Angela remained tense, but said, "Affirmative."
"Who are you?" Hope asked.
"My name is Harva, and I am here to take your lives." She pointed at Larka. "Namely, yours."
Larka looked shocked at being singled out. "Me?"
"Unless you might happen to know the location of your brother, you will have to do," Harva stated.
"My brother is not here anymore," Larka said. "But why-"
"Then it is settled. We will duel, and if you refuse, I will take the liberty to shoot you down," Harva declared.
Brandi bristled at that. "Larka doesn't have to duel you if she doesn't want to! You're the one who started attacking us in the first place!"
"Indeed. I see no reason for us to accept your proposition," Kazel said, baring her teeth.
"Hold on." Larka stepped forward. "I will accept."
"What? But Larka…" Brandi protested.
"I'm sure she has a way to combat us. I want to take the path that will not result in any of you being at risk," Larka said.
"And you want to know why she's after you… right?" Hope guessed.
Larka nodded.
"Well… I don't like it… but all right," Brandi said reluctantly.
"Good. We will begin at once." Harva brought out a Soul Card. From it emerged a woman. She wore a green dress with a brown collar and a blue jewel in the center of it. Two white feathers were tied into her brown hair. On her forehead was a purple eye that stared at them, while she kept her other two eyes closed.
"My Soul Monster is Goddess of the Truthful Eye, nicknamed Aseis," Harva said.
Larka winced. "My Soul Monster is elsewhere… I will have to duel without him."
Larka: 8000
Harva: 8000
"Due to not having your Soul Monster, I will let you go first," Harva stated.
"Okay. I lay a monster and a card," Larka said.
"I will start by activating Aseis' Deck Master ability," Harva said. "By discarding a card from my hand-Magic Jammer this time-a face-down magic or trap card on your field is activated. I choose the only card you have there."
"It is my Holy Barrier-Mirror Force… what happens when it is activated?" Larka asked.
"Since it was activated incorrectly, it is shuffled into your deck." Harva waited until she had done that, and then continued. "I summon Dark Hero: Zombire. (2100/500) He attacks your monster."
"My Blade Knight is destroyed…" (1600/1000)
"That means Zombire's effect activates," Harva said. "When he destroys a monster, his attack decreases by 200. (1900/500) He also is not able to attack a player directly. I lay one card down and end my turn."
The card made Larka hesitate, but she said, "I summon Volt Girl. (1900/800) Then I equip her with Shine Castle, to raise her attack by 700. (2600/800) She attacks Zombire."
"I activate my trap card, Curse of Amanojaku," Harva countered. "This reverses the effects of stat increases and decreases. Instead of having Zombire's attack be reduced by 200, it is increased by 200, and your attack is lowered by 700 instead of increased." (1200/800) (2300/500)
The Zombire took the Volt Girl's attack without a flinch and proceeded to tear her apart.
Larka: 6900
Harva: 8000
"Then all I can do is place another card down," Larka said.
"I discard another card, Material Supplier, to activate your card," Harva said.
Larka held the card up to show her. "It's my Emissary of Harmony, which reduces all battle damage to zero."
Harva shrugged. "It is your turn."
"I lay a monster down and end my turn," Larka said.
"I attack your monster," Harva said.
Larka slid it into her Cemetery. "Mirage Dragon…" (1600/600)
"Zombire's attack drops again. (1700/500) I lay a monster and a card face-down. That's all."
"I don't get what her deck is centered on," Hope remarked.
"Judging by the Material Supplier, I'm assuming it's a deck based on a fusion monster," Brandi said.
"Material Supplier?" Kisara asked.
"Yeah. Its reverse effect gets back two monsters that were sent to the Cemetery by a fusion," Brandi explained.
Larka looked at her hand and shook her head. "I pass."
Harva smiled slightly at her cards. "I flip summon my Magic Absorber. (900/900) Next I activate my trap card, Sub-Space Matter Transportation Device. It removes one of my monsters from the field until the end of my turn. I choose Magic Absorber. Then I play my magic card, Fusion. By fusing Zombire and The Marsh Guardian King as a substitute for Magic Absorber, I call forth Final Soldier From Another World!" (2350/2300)
The humanoid that appeared was well-muscled and had browned skin. It had metal shoulder armor, the left one with a gun attached. The right arm had a clawed hand, designed for tearing and crushing. Its red eyes lacked pupils and were glaring at Larka.
"I lay a card and have Final Soldier attack you directly," Harva stated.
The Final Soldier shot out of the gun on its shoulder, hitting Larka brutally.
Larka: 4550
Harva: 8000
"Now let me explain what Final Soldier does," Harva said. "When special summoned, he destroys all monsters on my side of the field, and as long as he is on the field, nobody can summon, reverse summon, or special summon any monsters."
"That means I will have to use magic or trap cards to destroy him," Larka realized.
"Traps will not work due to Aseis' Deck Master ability," Harva pointed out. "The majority of them will not, anyway. As for magic cards… I have my own methods of dealing with those. I will end my turn, which causes Magic Absorber to return to my field."
Larka glanced at her hand worriedly. "I can't work with these… I play Angel's Gift to draw three cards."
"I will not let you," Harva stated. As she did, the Magic Absorber on her field drew in the Angel Gift's power and vanished. "By sacrificing my Magic Absorber on your turn, I can negate and destroy any magic card you play."
Larka's concerned expression vanished as she smiled. "I figured it would have an effect like that. That's why I waited to play this, my Sealing Swords of Light! You cannot attack for three turns now!"
"Not going to happen," Harva retorted. "I activate my Magic Drain to negate and destroy your magic card, unless you can discard another one."
"I won't," Larka said. "Instead, I'll play my third magic card, Theft! I equip it to your Final Soldier, making him my own! He attacks directly!"
Larka: 4550
Harva: 5650
Harva grimaced from the pain the shot had caused. "Are you done?"
"Yes." Larka waited until Harva had drawn, and then said, "On your standby phase, Theft gives you 1000 Life Points."
Larka: 4550
Harva: 6650
"I pass," Harva said.
Larka paused after drawing. "Please tell me… why do you want me to die?"
For a moment, it looked like she would not answer. Then Harva bitterly said, "You and your brother killed many people on that night. You were the one who slaughtered officials. It was your brother that killed the people in the town. One of the victims… was my husband."
"…Oh…" was all Larka could say. She knew her words would not help.
"I was a soldier who fought for my country," Harva spat. "I always thought that I was the only one who had to worry about an early death, that my husband would be safe. Your brother's actions taught me the harsh truth. Death is among us all, and he can strike at any time. Since your brother is not here, I was to unleash him upon you!"
"Larka…" Kisara whispered as Kazel growled. "She… slaughtered officials…?"
"It wasn't her fault!" Brandi snapped. "The full moon caused her and Fell to go crazy. They didn't know how to stop it at the time!"
"It's all right, Brandi," Larka said softly. Then she said to Harva, "I am sorry for your husband, but that does not excuse your actions. You are putting other people's lives at risk for solely revenge."
"No! I am trying to stop others from dying like he did!" Harva shouted. "We have talked long enough! Take your turn!"
"All right… Final Soldier attacks, and I place a card down," Larka said.
Larka: 4550
Harva: 5300
"I set a card," Harva said.
Larka flipped over her card. "I activate Cyclone to destroy it."
"That was my own Holy Barrier-Mirror Force… I cannot do anything else…"
"Final Soldier attacks again, and I am done."
Larka: 4550
Harva: 3950
Harva was covered with wounds now, but she continued to stand straight. "I pass…"
"Attack."
Larka: 4550
Harva: 2600
"This is painful to watch," Hope commented.
"I… I have to pass…" Harva forced herself to say.
"He attacks again." Larka looked a bit sorry as she said that, as if she did not want to prolong the duel this much.
Larka: 4550
Harva: 1350
"…Locked by my own card," Harva said with a short, harsh laugh. "Then finish it. I wanted to take you down, at least, but… finish it."
"I will," Larka answered. "If you really do wish for me to die…" She looked away. "…Kai will see to that."
"I had no idea someone else was after your blood," Harva said. "Maybe I can rest in peace after all…"
"…Final Soldier attacks," Larka said. "Goodbye, Harva…"
The Final Soldier shot her one last time, causing her to fall.
Larka: 4550
Harva: 0
"I cannot leave her here…" Larka went to Harva's corpse slowly; Aseis had vanished upon her death. She pressed the menu button on Harva's Duel Disk and logged her out.
"Larka… are you all right?" Hope asked as Larka returned to them.
"Yes, thanks." Larka glanced at where Harva's corpse had laid. "At least she is with her husband now."
"I hope so," Kisara said.
Kazel gazed at Larka. "Kai is after you?"
Larka nodded nervously. "He came before Crucio… started the torture. I had… killed his brother, in my berserk state…"
"Larka…" Brandi trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"According to what knowledge I have gathered, you are not to blame yourself," Angela stated.
Everyone else turned to her in surprise.
"You're trying to reassure me?" Larka said in disbelief. "I thought…"
"I can reassure you on facts," Angela said. "You might have doubts on what is fact, and that I can help with. Emotional matters are beyond my abilities."
"…Still, you are trying to help," Larka said, smiling slightly. "Thanks."
"I am happy to be of service." Angela put her hand to the ground, and the hair strand came out of it, coiling around her finger before attaching to her head again. "There is an enemy in Sector 8045."
"Where is that?" Mana asked.
"The Snow Lands," Angela stated.
"Ugh… I hate the cold…" Hope groaned.
"It can't be helped," Brandi said. "Let's go back to the hotel and tell everyone about this."
"Yeah…" Hope sighed in a resigned manner as they went to the tunnel to leave.
To be continued…