/ Duel Universe

/ Author: The Cowboy of Oklahoma

/ Ch 46.1: Your DEATH

/ word count: 1928

Human Encampment

The crowds were milling about, going through their day-to-day activities, gathering food for the day, getting ready for a shift, finishing the work on the device, and heading for the training grounds to get ready for the invasion of earth to take back their home. All this and even monster couples were becoming a regular sight within the encampment. Most of which were humanoid, such as elves, fairies, warriors, and spellcasters, but a few of them were more exotic in nature, like centaurs, bestial, leshies, and even a few friendly fiends. There were still many humans that didn't like or want these couplings, but most held their tongues because, without the monster's help, earth would be lost forever. The few that did not keep quiet about their disdain for these couples, tried to stay away from those that have accepted them. The number was relatively few, in comparison to how many humans remained, a few hundred had found happiness with where we were and had decided that even if we were to succeed in rescuing our home, they would stay here and make a life for themselves. Ka'an walked around the encampment thinking quietly to himself and occasionally watching a few of the couples as they went about their way. These made him think about his own relationship issues and how he would deal with them. Two women, one human, and one fairy, both have desires to have him for their own, but he was confused as to just what he wanted for himself. Was he in love with Shelly or did he want Moonie? His feelings were becoming inflicted by his duty to the people. In his last duel, he nearly lost his temper knowing what Steve had done to Akiza, but dealing the final blow and ending that man forever, felt good. Now the beasts of the deck he had used were locked away so that they could not bother anyone else again. So now what was he going to do? The device would soon be finished and soon the final battle to take back their world was upon them.

"I need to adjust my deck again, using Obelisk has so far just been a 'run of the luck of the draw' capabilities. For the final battle I'm going to need to gain and summon him as soon as we land to lead the charge," he said more to himself than anyone around him.

"I agree!" Came a chipper voice from behind him.

Ka'an heel spun on the spot to face this new voice, "what?"

The young face that faced him now was a familiar one from what once was the Washington Platform, now First Sergeant Katniss Brier, due to a promotion after Steve Bensen was removed from his rank, stood before the Captain with a sincere smile, "I said, I agree with you, Captain. Your deck is powerful, but it needs to be adjusted to better call out its most powerful aspects. Such as your Obelisk and favored dragon."

Sighing, he nodded his head, "I know Sgt. I'm just not sure how to do this. My deck was originally designed to value each card over just one. I've won nearly every duel I've taken part in since I started, but I don't think l can allow for such a wait-and-see mentality while leading the charge against the goo."

"Yes, sir, I'm aware of your battle history. I've been studying your tactics to better prepare myself and others for how you've been winning. And we've thrown around some ideas as to how maybe you could've done things differently," she said.

"Oh? And what might those changes be?" He asked.

Elsewhere

"We have been having these sessions now for a week. I know you're not back to 100% but I'm certain that we can be having these sessions weekly now or even bi-weekly if you see fit," Dr. Lizben explains.

"Yeah, thanks doc. I think weekly sessions will do for now. I really appreciate everything you've done for me," Akiza stood holding the doctor's hand, shaking it.

"It is a pleasure to help. We all need to stay together to make it through these trying times. I'm not a duelist, I can't fight and I won't be able to do anything when the device is deployed back home. So here I stay, doing all I can," Lizben explained, " but you, you can duel, you can do something, but you don't have to do it alone."

"I…I know. I just need to get comfortable in my own skin again first. Thanks for everything again," Akiza said gratefully.

After the doc had left, Akiza sat in her and her sister's home, clutching a cup of coffee in her still shaking hands, while sitting at the table. Memories of what happened still haunt her, but now she was able to look back without completely succumbing to her fear. She shook her head to clear thoughts of the past just as I, her sister, Shelly Carson, stepped into the room through the front door.

"Oh, hey Aki! Done with y'er appointment for the day?" I asked her sister.

"Yeah. She said I was doing better and we can start weekly appointments instead of the daily ones," she explained.

I went about putting away what I had brought home, their rations for the day, though considering for the past week Akiza hadn't been eating normally so we actually had some spare food for a guest if one should stop by, one guest in particular, if only he would just stop by. My hand wavered in place for a moment. Akiza wasn't as out of it as she was before, and she had been watching me while I was taking care of her, so she noticed when her adopted sister stopped moving for a second.

"Shell?"

I almost jumped out of my skin, but kept my composure, "yes, Akiza?" I used her whole name! I screwed that up.

"Is something wrong? I know I'm not in the best shape but you know that we can still talk about stuff, right?" Akiza reached out with her words.

Sighing, I put my hands on the counter, letting my shoulders sag, "ya' know what this is about."

Akiza just sat there with her now cooling mug of warm coffee for a moment before answering, "Ka'an."

Now it was my head's turn to droop below my shoulders, shoulders that began to tremble, "What am I to him? What even are we anymore? When this whole thin' started, we couldn't get enough of each other, now we barely even talk. I just don't know how to reach him anymore!" I began losing more composure and my voice cracked.

"How about a due…," Akiza started but I just screamed before the words finished leaving her lips.

"I already tried that! He pretty much brushed me off with an easy win! It barely affected him at all! And he couldn't even try to tell me what was on his mind!"

Whirling on her, Akiza saw the tears going down my cheeks and falling on the floor.

"What are we anymore?! GOD! I just want answers! Dammit!" I crumbled to the floor, my hands covering my face.

Akiza got up, setting her cup down, moving to hold me close. Akiza felt the hurt I was enduring and wanted to help me like I had been doing for her during her own crisis.

"Shh, shh, shh, there you go big sis, take it easy now. Let it all out now. I've got you. You've been helping me, and now I will help. We can get to the answers together. I promise," Akiza soothed.

Unknown Location

The room was dark, and the person sitting there wasn't even bothering with the lights. They held a deck of cards in their hands, stroking it like it was a precious jewel. Even though the room was dark, this person only had eyes for this deck. They could see it clearly as if the room had been illuminated. Their breathing was heavy and labored, but they weren't bothered by their condition. They were kneeling beside a small table almost in reverence to the cards themselves.

"Yes, milords. I am your humble servant. Command me to do your bidding," he waited for a moment, "this Ka'an will feel our fury, milords! He dares to offend you by standing in your way! He will perish for his transgressions! I gladly sacrifice my soul to your desires."

Training Grounds

Ka'an was working his way towards the training grounds, his deck was reworked and now held a few new cards to better help gain Obelisk to his hand quicker. The alterations that Brier had suggested may be just what he needed to better use his most powerful monster. He was hoping a regular duel would be best to practice with the new setup. As he approached the grounds, it seemed like for the first time in years, he noticed that the amount of recruits training had dwindled by a few hundred.

Asking the instructors why the sudden lack of turnout, they told him, "they have become relaxed and don't have much motivation to continue their training."

"Then let's see if we can give them some motivation to get back into training," he said while attaching his duel disk to his arm.

Trainees and recruits saw who was back at the grounds and began to murmur and gossip as to why he was there.

"Activate the monitors around the grounds and request permission to broadcast to the entire encampment," he suggested, "I want all of the recruits, trainees, and populace to get motivated into dueling again."

He moved to the main training tunnel and started heading deeper inside. The tunnel would be temporarily sealed so that the only way out was to either win and find the exit or to lose and be teleported out. Ka'an set his deck and got ready for his first opponent to appear. No one came. He began to slowly make his way even deeper into the tunnel. Normally, a monster or instructor would appear shortly after a duelist entered the tunnel and begin the duel race for the end of the maze, but this was completely out of order. Stepping around a few of the corners unabated, he began to wonder just what was going on here.

Outside the tunnel

The monitors followed his every move, even as he walked for nearly fifteen minutes without ever facing an opponent, "what is going on here?! Where is the instructor for that tunnel?!" Sergeant Mulcahy screamed.

"I don't know, sir!" A private monitoring the situation responded, "the instructor was prepped and ready to go before the Captain even approached us to enter. They should be inside right now!"

"Well, they're not inside, dammit! Find them! Search all available monitors for them throughout the tunnel!" Mulcahy demanded.

"Aye, sir!" Was their response.

The cameras searched throughout the entire tunnel until a dark figure could be spotted.

"Where is that?!" Mulcahy asked.

"I don't know, sir. That is not the designated instructor for that tunnel or any tunnel!" They responded.

Inside the tunnel

A voice called out for Ka'an, "oh Captain, my Captain! I…We are waiting for you! Come and find us quickly! We are eager to deliver to you your long-awaited DEATH!" They screamed, "your death is long overdue and we will be delivering it to you NOW! Come out here now and find your death! Your sweet, sweet death as we take our revenge human free-man!!"