/ Duel Universe
/ Author: The Cowboy of Oklahoma
/ Ch 30: Life Death
/ word count: 1899
Human Encampment:
The medical center was located on the edge of the encampment. One entrance faced the humans, while the other faced the rest of the monster world. For sanitation reasons, there was a magical hygienic barrier put up around the facility, warding off any sort of diseases from entering. All one has to do is simply walk in and their person was sterilized of any external bacteria. There was even a magical Ward to ward off any external magic from seeping into this place. The medical staff and what few scientists stationed here were immune to the effects of what was plaguing the rest of the humans outside. The doors burst open as Lieutenant Commander Shelly Carson barged into the building for the second time this day. This time, however, she was carrying wounded, "someone help me!" She screamed in an almost panicked tone.
Doctors and nurses rushed to her with a gurney and IV stand, taking the young woman from her arms. The doctors and nurses quickly did a check of vitals and began hooking her up to IVs.
"BP is 80/50, respiratory is shallow, heart rate is 100 beats per minute and dropping! What's her blood type!?" A nurse called over to Shelly.
"Her name is Akiza III," she tried to give them the needed details so they can work with her quickly, "her blood type is A."
Getting some of the appropriate blood bags needed to help get her back to her normal blood pressure. The staff rushed her into the O.R. and began the procedure.
Shelly stood in the hallway a moment, thoughts racing on the events of just a few minutes ago. She wanted to stay for her sister, but she needed answers as to just what the hell was going on around here. Turning to a nurse receptionist, "I'm heading to the castle to get some answers. If I'm needed, just message me there. And make sure they look up her medical records for any further information." She said.
"Yes ma'am." The nurse responded.
Shelly almost ran out of the doors to head for the castle, Dark Magician Girl needed to be made aware of exactly what she knew about Steve and the cards he was wielding.
Castle of Rulers:
Shelly didn't stand on ceremony as she entered the castle throne room.
"Dark Magician Girl!!" Her words echoed throughout the chamber, grabbing the attention of everyone inside.
A few members of the council, both human and monster alike, were standing around the table in discussion over some schematics. They all looked at her with surprise in their eyes.
"Lieutenant Commander Carson?" General Marcellus questioned her choice of entrance.
"I just came from a duel, that nearly killed my sister, and with someone who shouldn't be out of his cell wielding an incredible power!" She explained. "Akiza is now struggling for life in the hospital operating room and her attacker is still at large!"
"Come Miss Cars...Shelly," Dark Magician Girl holds her arms open wide. "Come and explain to us exactly what's happened."
Shelly explained the effects of the darkness, how after she was granted the Winged Dragon of Ra, Akiza seemed to get better almost immediately. That they went in search of anything strange happening besides just people falling asleep. She went to the medical center and Akiza to the Oceanica, where she fought with Steve Bensen, how he tortured her within an inch of her life, how Shelly got there just short of too late. She dueled him and nearly won, but if she had done so, Akiza would have died from blood loss. So she had no choice but to forfeit and get her sister to the doctors. But it was during the duel that she had glimpsed Steve's plans and the power behind his sudden transformation. A card called, "Hamon, Lord of Strikin' Thunder." She said.
"No!" Dark Magician Girl, visibly recoiled by the name. "They've done it." She half-whispered, half whimpered out, hand clasped to her mouth.
"What did you say?" Marcellus asked.
Dark Magician Girl moved away from everyone and uncovered her mouth.
She turned to Shelly, "Hamon, you're sure you saw Hamon in his deck!?" She asked intently.
"I held it in my hand fer a turn. It almost looked exactly like the card ya' gave me only, darker, evil, more corrupt." She explained.
"Yes, corrupt, that's a good word to describe them." She said nothing for several moments, then spoke. "There are good gods, alternate gods, dark gods, corrupt gods, evil gods, and wicked gods. The good gods, and alternate gods, choose their wielders through the individual's personal strengths, hard trials, and challenges. The dark gods, they choose their wielders through pain, anger, and hatred. The corrupt gods, as by definition, corrupt a user to do their bidding. The evil gods manipulate someone into thinking they have good intentions. The wicked gods trick souls to their needs, then forces them to kill anything it comes across, friend and foe alike." She explained. "The Phantasms, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder; Uria, Lord of Searing Flames; and the greatest, Raviel Lord of the Phantasms, and their acolytes." She said their names with disgust in her voice. "They have revealed themselves after nearly 4 millennia." She stated.
"Who are the chosen to wield these gods?" Ambassador Zhang queried. "Who among the humans could possibly..?" His question was cut short.
"Ka'an," Shelly stated. "Ka'an has one of the god cards. And just today, I was chosen to receive another."
"So who will get the third?" Zhang continued. Who is worthy of the final god card?"
Eyes looked to Dark Magician Girl, she could only look down.
"I do not know. The Captain was chosen by Obelisk to wield for his ability of brute strength. Shelly has shown grace and loyalty under pressure, tied with tremendous strength to persevere, therefore Ra has chosen her. But the last has not revealed whom it may choose to wield its power. Slifer has not chosen a duelist yet." She explained.
"What we gonna do about Steve Bensen!?" Shelly demanded.
Everyone looked to her with no answers to give.
"He's inside the Oceanica right now using what is left of our world's oceanic life to power himself up! We must stop him before the damage is irreversible!" She said.
Now their eyes turned to one another, questioning if this was true. Murmurs were whispered between them, even the monsters of this world were not sure what was happening.
"Carson," Marcellus spoke to get her attention, "Is this true? Our oceanic life is at stake!?" He asked.
"Yes sir. Steve is usin' the abundant life force of the ship to grow stronger. I think he may be the reason that the entire human encampment is bein' turned into a ghost town." She said. "Y'all would know this if ye' would spend even a moderate amount of time amongst ye'r own kind."
She scorned them for never sleeping on the planet, never mingling outside of their small circle of peers. A few looked away, some looked to each other, one stood at the table, hanging his head.
Everyone dispersed from the meeting except for Marcellus, Shelly, Dark Magician Girl, and Maiden with Eyes of Blue.
"General, we knew something was affecting the humans, but we didn't know what." Dark Magician Girl said. "After we had sensed it, I went to the gods and asked who was ready to wield them. Ra choose Shelly, Obelisk has chosen Ka'an, but Slifer still waits for the right individual to reveal themselves." She said.
"You knew!? You knew and did nothing!?" Marcellus accused.
"How could ye' just let it happen!?" Shelly questioned. "Everyone there is being sucked of their life force to feed that traitorous man!"
Dark Magician Girl said nothing but stood there being berated for her lack of action. Maiden listened to all that had come about in the past few days and was thinking quietly to herself. Then Shelly made as if she was going to leave.
"Where are you going, Lieutenant?" Marcellus asked.
"I'm goin' to see if my sister is alright," Shelly answered. "She was messed up real bad in that duel, lost a lot of blood. I know she won't make an instant recovery, but I'm hopin' she isn't in any more danger."
"Okay, go on then." He said.
After she was gone, Maiden finally spoke up. "Dark Magician Girl, Mistress, I think it's time we used all the energy we can muster to put a protective barrier on the encampment."
Both the general and ruler of the monster realm turned to her and what she said.
"I know we made the rule of no monster interference in the encampment, and that the medic center was to be the most heavily magically fortified location besides the Oceanica itself, but what none of us had thought of at the time was a human hand bringing about the disaster it now faces." She explained.
Both stood there silently in contemplation of what she said.
"We need to have a monster presence there to weed out the bad seed, as it were, not to get rid of them, we wouldn't have the right to do that, but to stay ahead of the enemy, and to put any trouble makers somewhere they can't do any harm." She finished.
Marcellus thought on this for a moment, "like a police force." He looked up to the confusion of both female monsters. "It's what we humans use to keep the peace or try to anyway. Maybe your world has something similar, a select monster squad or clan whose job is to look after the peaceful monsters and ensure they are protected from mean monsters. And monsters of all different types to take care of different types of issues that may arise." He tried to explain.
"Honestly, no." Dark Magician Girl answered. "We've never needed such a force or clan in place for peace. Most of the monsters and clans here are peaceful, the few that aren't know that if they were to act up, clans would join forces to repel them." She explained. "But I do see your point. Maybe we should select different types of monsters to patrol around the human encampment to make sure the humans inside are kept safe. After this current incident is taken care of. There is so much evil in the encampment right now, any monster who is not of a significant level of power would just fall to its influence." She said.
"Alright, so how do we deal with Steve and what is happening in the encampment right now?" Marcellus asked.
"The dragon clan has extremely powerful monsters we could send to watch over the encampment, make sure nothing else will happen there we're not aware of," Maiden suggested.
Marcellus stood and commanded, "make preparations for select monsters to enact patrolling routes and posts around and now inside the encampment. Once this situation is taken care of, we need to make sure it doesn't happen again." He stated.
Human Encampment:
Shelly ran for all that she was worth back for the encampment. She'd pass through the medic center first, to check up on her sister's condition, then move out into the encampment itself and head straight for the Oceanica.
"I'm coming for your ass Bensen!" She cemented her resolve, swearing revenge.