Chapter 10- Road to the Docks

Drake woke up from an undisturbed sleep while the sun was just coming up. The sky was still red. Everyone else was already up.

"Good, you're up." Matt said. "You've slept for nearly six hours."

Six hours?!? Drake thought in disbelief. But that means that Matt only has 42 hours left!

"Alright, let's go." Keith said, slinging his rifle. "We need to go bust Flynn out before the fiends get there."

Drake jumped out of the bed and grabbed his rifle. "Let's get going then!"

"One problem." Matt said. "We're surrounded."

"What?" Julie said. "I don't see-" She was interrupted when a bullet shattered the doorpost. She threw herself back into the room. "I guess we are."

"Yeah." Matt said. He continued to stand in the doorway despite all the bullets that were flying past him. "So, here's the plan… we're going out the back."

"Uh, Matt, there is no back door." Drake said.

"Really?" Matt walked to the back of the room and kicked a hole in the wall large enough for even Bentz to walk through. "Now there is. Go!" Julie jumped through the hole, closely followed by Keith and Bentz. Drake grabbed the rest of his stuff off the desk and jumped out after them. They all met up in a clearing about forty yards from the dorm. Matt joined them a few minutes later. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah." Julie said, massaging her upper arm. It had been creased by a stray bullet.

"I'm good." Keith said. "Now where do we go?"

"This way." Matt said, and lead them through some very thick underbrush. They cam out near the airstrip.

"Uh… isn't this the wrong way?" Bentz said. "Shouldn't we be going towards the docks?"

"Yeah, but that might result in an inconvenient ambush because we haven't been there before. This way." He set off down the road next to the airstrip. Everyone followed.

"So, how far is the airstrip from here?" Keith asked Bentz.

"Pretty far. The path winds through the forest and across the beach." Bentz said. "As Matt said earlier, the designers of the campus were stupid."

"Great. That means that we have to waste more time getting there." Drake said.

"Stop!" Matt said from the front. Everyone fell in behind him. "There's a pocket of fiends ahead. None of them seem aware that we're hear yet, but I don't want to take any chances. So, let's see… what to do? There's an intelligent one and about twelve brutal ones."

"Anyone have a hand grenade?" Keith suggested.

"No." Matt said. "Even they won't miss a grenade flying at them. So…" He pulled out several kunai. "We hit them hard and fast as usual. Make sure you hit the ones that can be killed. We wouldn't want to waste ammo."

"Got that right." Drake said. "We have very little as it is."

Matt checked on the fiends. "What the heck are they doing?"

"What?" Drake looked at the fiends. Some of them started to run away. "This doesn't look good."

"No, I'll bet you anything that they're going for Flynn!" Keith said.

"Yes, which means that we have to move quickly." Matt said. He jumped out to confront the fiends. "Hello, fools!" Several of the fiends roared at him, leveled their rifles, and began to shoot. With inhuman speed that seemed to be characteristic of him, Matt deflected the shots with the array of kunai in his hands. "Come on, you won't get me like that!"

One of the fiends pulled out a rocket launcher. Drake, suddenly getting why Matt had jumped out, shot the fiend three times in the head. Dazed and confused (and also very dead) the fiend fell to the ground. Confused as to where the shots were coming from, the fiends roared and renewed their assault on Matt. Drake, Julie and Keith shot them all down with little trouble on their parts.

"That was easy." Julie said. "Almost too easy…" Just then, a fiend came running out of the forest, roaring. Drake tried to draw a bead on it, but it had already reached them. Julie was closest (What else is new? Drake thought) and the fiend almost removed her head from her body. Fortunately, Matt wasn't about to sit idly by and just watch it happen. He rammed what seemed to be a glowing blue sphere into the fiend's chest. His arm came out the back of the fiend.

The fiend's eyes grew wide and it keeled over. Matt pulled his arm out of the fiend's dead corpse and watched it fall, the sphere still in his hand. "Hehe… I love this thing. So useful… and so deadly, too."

"What was that?" Julie, who looked like she had been scared out of her wits, asked.

"A little something my sensai taught me. Pay it no mind." The sphere disappeared.

"Hey, you! Yes, you on the hill!" shouted one the intelligent fiends, pointing at Julie. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"Fine by me!" She shouted back and activated her duel disk.

"Let's duel!"

Julie: 4000

Fiend: 4000

"I'll go first!" said the fiend. He drew and smirked. "Ha! You'll never defeat me now! I set a card facedown and summon my Elemental Hero Avian (Wind/Warrior, 1000/1000) in attack mode! That's all!"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Julie said. "Is that all you've got? A simple E-hero like that won't stop me."

"Oh, but it isn't the E-hero she should be worried about." Matt said. "There are other things much more frightening."

"Like what?" Drake asked. "As far as I can see, it's just a bunch of E-heroes…"

"I don't think so. I think it's something else."

"My turn!" Julie drew a card. "I summon Zure, Knight of Dark World (Dark/Fiend, 1800/1500) in attack mode! Now, Zure, destroy his Avian!"

Julie: 4000

Fiend: 3200

"Ha! You fell right into my trap! I activate the trap card D-time! When this card is activated, I'm allowed to add a Destiny Hero monster with a level equal to or lower than the one you just destroyed to my hand! So, I'll take my Destiny Hero- Fear Monger!"

"So what? I set a card and end my turn."

"Ha! That was a trick! Now it's my turn." The fiend drew a card. "I summon Destiny Hero- Doom Lord (Dark/Warrior/Effect, 600/800) in attack mode! And now, I'll activate his effect to remove your monster for two turns!"

"No!"

"Unfortunately, I cannot attack the turn I use this effect, so I'll just set a card and end my turn."

"Okay, that's good. My turn!" Julie drew a card. "Yeah, this'll help! I summon Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World (Dark/Fiend/Effect, 1600/1300) in attack mode! Now, Beiige, destroy that Doom Lord!"

Julie: 4000

Fiend 2200

"I activate the trap card Destiny Signal! Now I can special summon one Destiny Hero monster from my deck so long as its level four or lower! So, I'll special summon my Destiny Hero- Captain Tenacious (Dark/Warrior/Effect, 800/800) in defense mode!"

"So what? He's pathetic."

"Not for very long."

"I end my turn."

"And I start mine!" The fiend drew a card. "I sacrifice my Destiny Hero for Destiny Hero- Double Dude (Dark/Warrior/Effect, 1000/1000) in attack mode!"

"So? He's terrible."

"Not for long, because I activate Dark City!"

"A Dark City? Isn't that sort of like Skyscraper for the E-heroes?" Drake asked.

"Exactly." Matt said.

"Now, Destiny Hero Double Hero, attack Beiige!"

"What? He has more attack points!"

"Not for long, because now my Dark City gives my Destiny Hero an extra 1000 attack points!"

"No!"

Julie: 3600

Fiend: 2200

"And if that wasn't enough to rattle you, my D-Hero has to ability to attack twice! So, Double Dude, attack again!"

Julie: 2600

Fiend: 2200

"Ow…"

"Ha! I'll end my turn."

"Fine! I know that Dark City only works when you attack." Julir drew a card. "So I'll just summon a good monster and kill that Dude! I summon Dark Blade (Dark/Warrior, 1800/1600) in attack mode! Attack Double Dude!"

Julie: 2600

Fiend: 1400

"Julie came back!" Drake said.

"Don't be too sure." Keith said.

"Huh?"

The fiend drew a card. "And now I summon two Double Dude tokens! (Dark/Warrior, 1000/1000)"

"How?!?" Julie said.

"When you destroyed my Double Dude, he split into these two! And now… I sacrifice one for my Destiny Hero- Dasher (Dark/Warrior/Effect, 2100/1000) in attack mode! And, just for kicks, I'll sacrifice the other token to give my Dasher another 1000 attack points!"

"Oh no!"

"Now, Dasher, attack her Dark Blade!"

Julie: 1300

Fiend: 1400

Julie groaned and fell to all fours.

"Ha! You cannot possibly take me down!" The fiend said. "You can barely stand!"

Julie got slowly to her feet. "Ow… back to last year, huh? Okay… I can do this. You done?"

"Yes, because Dasher attacked, he must go to defense mode. I end my turn."

"Okay… ow." Julie drew her card. "Huh… this might do it. I activate Gateway to Dark World! This card allows me to special summon one 'Dark World' monster from my graveyard, so long as I don't summon any other monsters this turn. So, I'll bring back my Zure, Knight of Dark World! Now, attack Dasher!"

"Hmph. So what? You done?"

"Yes, I end my turn."

"Fine then! I'll just set a monster and end my turn."

"Okay… let's see here." Julie drew a card. "I set a monster facedown and attack your monster!"

"Ha! That was Destiny Hero- Fear Monger!"

"So? What does he do?"

"You'll find out soon enough!"

"I end my turn, then."

"My turn!" The fiend drew a card. "And now, the special ability of Fear Monger activates! It allows me to special summon any Destiny Hero in my graveyard, so long as it is not 'Fear Monger!' So, I'll bring back Dasher!"

"Crud! I thought Julie had it wrapped up!" Drake said.

"Yeah, so did I." Keith said. "This fiend is good…"

"Don't worry yet." Matt said. "I think she'll win."

"How do you know?" Bentz asked.

"He has limited future sight." Keith explained.

"Now, Dasher, attack Zure!"

Julie: 1000

Fiend: 1400

Julie coughed. A small trickle of blood leaked out the corner of her mouth. "At least he goes into defense mode now." She said.

"Curses… she's right. Oh well, I'll destroy you another way!"

"No, you won't. I'll win this turn… I hope." Julie drew a card. I activate Card Destruction! Now we must both discard our entire hands!"

"So? What can you do with… oh, great. Not that!"

"Yes, now I can special summon my Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World (Dark/Fiend/Effect, 2300/1400) and Sillva, Warlord of Dark World (Dark/Fiend/Effect, 2300/1400) in attack mode! And, since Broww, Huntsman of Dark World was in my hand, I can draw a new card! Not that it matters…"

"No! You can't beat me!"

"Yes I can! Goldd, destroy Dasher!"

"NO!"

"Now, Sillva, destroy him!"

Julie: 1000

Fiend: 0

The fiend exploded. Julie turned to everyone else and coughed again. A small amount of blood came out. "I'm okay."

"Thank God…" Drake said. "I almost thought you'd had it."

"Don't worry." Matt said.

"Yeah, if you want to worry about someone, worry about Flynn!" Keith said. "There's probably a ton of fiends there by now."

"Yeah, we really should get going." Matt said. "Let's roll." They all began to walk down the road to the docks.