Duel Games: The Highest Stakes!

by Batty1377

This is the story of a group of graduates from Duel Academy after being invited to attend the Duel Monsters Island Tournament alongside thousands of others. While the friends were expecting a high-intensity situation, the loss conditions for this competition were more than any of them anticipated or signed up for. (This story does not feature any characters from the actual series.)

6. Chapter 6: Divide And Conquer

It's been a day since we left the rundown dock. We'd managed to make it to the end of this beach, at least for the moment. We had come across another cliff face, just like the one Diego fell down to get on the beach in the first place. To the left of it there was the ocean, and to the right, if you walked far enough, you'd reach the forest again.

After glancing at the edits to the map that Elsa was making, it looked like we were starting to arrive on the north end of the island.

"Considering the state Diego's in, climbing this is out of the question... Oh, and, 1,900," Erick said.

He was in a bit of a funk yesterday, but he seemed to have come back to his senses. Which was good, especially after the fuss everyone made about putting him in charge. That said, I noticed that the number of people was starting to drop faster than it had been. People were probably getting more desperate to duel the closer their times were coming to running out.

Letting out a sigh from my nostrils, I added, "Guess that means we need to head back into the woods."

"Yeah, Brie. I think you're right," Jessie responded before taking a swig from a water bottle.

Scratching his head, Erick remarked, "Uh-huh... If we want to keep making progress, Brie is definitely right." I couldn't tell if Erick was agreeing with me because he actually thought it was a good idea or because of his crush on me.

Either way, I responded, "Alright, well, let's keep moving, everybody."

"Hold on. Before we go, we should take a minute to stop so we can eat and drink. We've been going non-stop since we left the old dock," Erick interjected just as I was about to take a step.

I wanted to snap at him since he broke my stride like that, but the fact of the matter was he was right, and my growling stomach overwrote my annoyance.

---

After we buried our garbage on the beach, Michael asked, "Alright, gang. I know we're going back into the forest, but we're running low on time, and I don't know if we'll be able to map out the whole island before the week is up and a lot of people die. So, what's the plan?"

When Michael asked his question, I noticed Erick start to rub his temples.

"I see what Michael means. If we don't find a chink in Alexander's armor, we're going to lose a number of people," Diego remarked.

Deciding I'd add to the conversation, I said, "As sad as it might be, I don't see a way to save everyone. Not unless we can get back to Jude's castle and bust into it." Once I said that, though, Erick suddenly collapsed back onto the beach.

"Um. Are you alright, Erick?"

Letting out a sigh, he explained to me, "Juuusst thinking... Ugh. What do we do...?"

Crouching next to his pal, Justin told him, "Hey, just take your time and breath, bro. You're not gonna have any good ideas if you're too stressed out."

"Yeah. And so long as we remember how penguins migrate, I'm sure we'll think of something," Elsa blurted out, annoying me to no end.

Seriously. If she hadn't been a package deal with her friends, I never would have teamed up with her... She did do pretty well teamed up with Erick, though. I have to admit.

"Migrate... Hmm..." Sitting up, Erick started telling us, "Alright, here's the deal. We obviously won't find a way to save everyone here with the limited time we have left. So, the way I see it, we have four options, and I'll list them from best to worst. First, we keep up with what we're doing and try to map out the island while looking for an escape. It's been working out so far, so it's our safest option as of right now. Second, we B-line it back to Jude's castle, try to sneak in without being killed, and look for a way to shut this whole operation down. Considering the fact that none of us are exactly ninjas, I don't see that as likely to work."

"And those are the two best options?" Tanya asked.

Nodding, I added, "I gotta agree with her on that one. What're the worse choices exactly?"

Taking in a deep breath, Erick sighed before going on, "Third option... We forget about trying to save everyone, embrace this killing game, and start taking out everyone we come across."

I suddenly felt my jaw seal shut when Erick told us this. In fact, the only one who was able to respond at all was Michael.

"That... certainly qualifies as worse, I'd say."

"Um... what's the worst worse option?" Jessie asked through chattering teeth.

Looking up to the sky, Erick explained, "Fourth, and my least favorite idea; we find a hole to hide in and hope someone else figures out a way to solve this issue for us before the time we have on our duel disks runs out..."

"Okay, yeah... I wouldn't even call that an option," Michale retorted.

"Yeah, bro. What are you thinking?"

Standing up and dusting the sand off his backside, Erick replied, "Cool it. Like I said, that's the worst option. I'm just trying to make sure we all understand every angle to look at our situation from."

Taking a few steps closer to the group's center, I decided to voice my own idea, "There is another option, actually."

With tired eyes, Erick told me, "Hey, I'm all ears, Brie."

Feeling satisfied that I wouldn't get any lip from Erick's sycophants, I explained to everyone, "We could divide and conquer. We can have one group go and scout the castle out while the rest of us keep moving to map the island out. Then we can meet back up later."

"What?! Shouldn't we all stick together for safety?" Jessie asked me.

"Why? It's not like anyone can physically attack us. Honestly, we all only need other people around to help us win duels. If we do this, we can cover all our bases a lot faster. We just gotta make sure we send all the right people."

"What do you mean by, the right people?" Diego questioned.

Shrugging, I answered, "You know, whoever would be best to go sneak into the castle."

"And who would that be?" Michael questioned.

"Um..."

As I struggled to come up with candidates, Erick stated, "There can't be too many if we want to actually get in. So three at most... We'll need one of our athletes to go for sure, then one of our map makers to make sure we document how we got there and how to get back. Finally, one of us in the top three should go too, for protection against hostile duelists along the way."

"Uh... Yeah. That's probably the best kind of combo we could go with," I replied.

Seeming as surprised as I was, Michael remarked, "Oh, well... Who should it be then?"

Pointing at Elsa, Erick told us, "Diego's too beat up for a stealth mission, so Elsa's our only map maker option. Is that alright with you, Elsa?"

Folding her arms, Elsa proudly declared, "So long as Summer is the time for mangoes, I'm good to go."

What the fuck?

"Right... After that, for athletes, we've got Justin, Frank, and Jessie. Seeing as the latter two are a tag team, we shouldn't separate them. So, I'd say Justin is our only real option. That alright with you, man?"

Shrugging, Justin responded, "Sure. We're in danger regardless of where we go, so why not?"

Nodding to his buddy, Erick went on, "And we'll need either Michael, Brie, or myself to go with them too. And I'll volunteer for that."

Of course, he would.

"Are you sure I wouldn't be better suited for that?" Michael inquired.

Nodding in agreement, I added, "Yeah. We're both better duelists than you, and this is going to be really dangerous."

Putting his hand not encumbered by a duel disk into his jacket pocket, Erick explained, "That's true. But it's also the reason I'd rather you both stay here. If Jude catches and kills us, our alliance can't afford to lose you two in the long run. I'm slightly more expendable."

Ah, man... I can't really bring myself to dislike the guy when he's being so selfless.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Justin demanded of Erick, "Oh yeah?! And what about the two of us?"

Letting out a chortle from his nostrils, Erick told him, "Don't worry... I'll die before I let anything happen to you guys."

The emotion behind that statement was one of absolute truth. I feel corny for saying it like this, but Erick's genuine care for his friends hit me like a truck.

He... He really does care about them, huh?

Contorting his face into a half-frown, Justin stated, "Yeah, no. You're not doing that, bro. You think me or Elsa'd be able to live with ourselves if you had to die to keep us alive?"

His confident demeanor dropping, Erick hesitantly replied, "I... Right, sorry."

Giving Erick a disapproving grimace, Tanya told him, "I swear, if I wouldn't get zapped for it, I'd slug you for that, Erick."

Raising his hands defensively, Erick replied, "Alright, alright. I got it."

"Hrm... I still don't like the idea of sending you into danger like this. Besides, who's going to call the shots while you're away?" Michael asked.

Just as I was about to volunteer, Erick pointed at me and said, "Brie's seemed eager to make hard calls. So how about her?"

"You... You're not just saying that because you like her, right?" Diego asked.

While Michael, Jessie, and Frank all reacted with surprise to Diego's question, Erick bluntly stated through a slight blush, "That has nothing to do with it. It's just best to elect someone who actually wants to job over those who don't."

Smiling slightly, I stated, "Well, heck. I'm more than willing... Wait, did you actually just admit...?"

Finishing my sentence for me, Michael asked, "You actually do like Brie?!"

Raising his brow for a moment, Erick scratched his cheek and said, "Oh... Uh... Ugh, I might not see any of you again, so what the heck? Yes, I do."

I'd been able to tell since the start of our Senior year that Erick had a thing for me, but seeing as he never said anything, I didn't think the feelings were serious enough for him to confess. Admittedly, he's not ugly, and he's proven to be a really kind soul... But I care more about my dueling career than getting into a relationship.

I admittedly got a bit flustered as I tried to get out a response, "Uh... Wow... I-."

Raising his hand to me, Erick cut in while blushing completely now, "Hey. It's fine if you're not into me. I just needed to get that off my chest. Besides, I'd rather wait to worry about romance until after we're out of this death trap."

Seeing this as my out, I told him, "Yeah... I think that's best. I'm gonna have to turn you down. At least until we're out of here."

With a disappointed smirk, Erick told me, "Alright... Yeah, that's fine."

Cutting in, Michael told us, "Right. Like we were saying before, this isn't exactly a great place for romance... So, should we all get going, then? We are on a time limit, after all."

As we all checked our duel disks, I saw that I had under one hundred fourteen hours left on my duel timer and a little under one hundred fifty hours for my recharge timer. That's when it really hit me that, if it hadn't been for the duels that Erick and his friends have done up until now, my duel timer would nearly be out.

"I guess you're right, Michael. Let's decide where to meet back up. Then we'll get going," Erick said.

"Well, hold on. We got business we gotta take care of here before we leave," Justin interjected.

Sprinting over to Tanya, Justin leaned over and embraced her in a sudden hug, telling her, "See you on the other side, sis!"

Although she seemed surprised at first, Tanya soon returned the hug and told him, "And you don't die on me. Got it?"

Pulling back, Justin remarked, "Naturally. And you!"

Justin then rushed over to Diego and hugged him, too, while exclaiming, "The same goes for you, bro!"

Patting Justin's back with a smirk, Diego replied, "Likewise."

Suddenly, I heard Erick state, "No, no, no. If we're doing this, then we're doing right. Elsa, with me."

"Well, naturally."

Gathering up all his friends, Erick and his gang from school got into a big group hug.

"We're all gonna see each other again. I promise!" Erick exclaimed.

"Aw. That's sweet," Jessie remarked, while Frank grunted with a smile. I admittedly couldn't help but smirk too.

Wow, they really are like siblings.

Once the hug broke off the hug, Michael actually approached Erick and told him, "I expect to see you make it back in one piece. I need my arch-rival around to stay on my game." Michael then extended his hand to Erick, prompting him to reach out and shake it.

"If that's the motivation you need to get through this, then you bet I will," Erick replied while accepting the offer.

But I'm the better duelist! Seriously. Is Michael really so obsessed with dueling Erick just because of their different deck themes...? Wait... Obsessed... Does Michael...? Hm. Maybe.

"I'm sure you guys'll find a way to stop Jude and get back, no problem!" Jessie exclaimed while Frank nodded.

Deciding that I owed them some reassurance as well, I cheered, "I know we can all count on you guys!"

Breaking off his handshake with Michael, Erick smiled at me, Jessie, and Frank, before stating, "Thanks, everyone. We'll see you all again once we're done at the castle. Let's go!"

Raising his fist into the air, Erick was followed by Justin, who shouted, "Hell yeah!"

However, Elsa stopped their march by exclaiming, "Hey, hold on!"

"What is it now?" I snapped, having gotten fed up with her babbling.

Frowning at me, Elsa explained, "Well... Where are we gonna meet back up at? Shouldn't we decide on an exact spot before we separate?"

This sudden shot of wisdom from the crackpot of the group hit me like a runaway truck. And I could tell it affected most of the others to a similar degree based on how we all recoiled or raised our brows.

"Oh... Yeah, that's probably important... Um... Do you guys think the boathouse would be a good place to meet back up?"

"Um... Uh-huh. That should work," I answered Erick.

With a spring in her step, Elsa waltzed over to Erick and Justin, telling them, "Sweet! With that settled, now we can really get going. I'll lead us on the quickest path."

Giving the group one last wave, Erick told us all, "Well, I'll see you all in a few days, I suppose."

And as we waved them off in return, Erick, Justin, and Elsa went on their way back toward Jude's castle.

Once they were out of earshot, I told the group that stayed behind with me, "Alright, well, I guess we're going to keep making our way across the island."

---

After entering this island forest once again, we spent a few hours making note of our surroundings to help Diego with his map duties. Doing this slowed us down a bit, but so far, this map has proved pretty damn helpful, so I think the impromptu cartography was worth it.

What annoyed me, though, was how every few minutes, Tanya, Diego, or Michael would undermine me by complaining that this would be easier if Erick were still here with us. As if he somehow made things better just with his presence alone.

It was even his idea to put me in charge! Why do they need him so much?! I'm a better duelist, and I'm just as capable of making leadership calls.

I had hoped to shut them up once we found a place to resupply or recharge our duel disks. Unfortunately, we didn't find any more food units or charging stations along the path we took. Maybe Jude wanted to make them harder to find the farther we got from his castle? Either way, it was just one more thing to find frustrating for me.

Just as the sun was starting to set, though, we came across a large hill, or maybe a small mountain. Hoping to find some shelter, we walked along its edge for a while, with the lack of plant life around its base making this part of the trek far easier. The only thing that worried me was that although there was plenty of room for all of us to walk, the terrain just past where we walked was growing steeper and steeper.

I wasn't expecting to find anything major, maybe just a protruding rock formation we could all sleep under for the night. However, to my immense surprise and relief, we actually ended up finding a cave entrance just as the sun was setting, and the space beside the hill grew dangerously steep.

"Oh, thank God. I was starting to get worried we'd have to sleep out in the open again," Tanya exclaimed.

"N... No bugs, right?" Frank asked nervously.

"About as many as in the forest, honey," Jessie assured him.

"See, guys? This is the best shelter we've found since we got here. Everything's going just fine, even without Erick around," I declared. My intention was to put them at ease, but even I could tell how egotistical that sounded.

"Maybe... But maybe not," Diego remarked, annoying me even more.

"What now?! Would Erick have found us a five-star hotel or something?"

To my surprise, Diego shook his head, pointed just above the cave mouth, and explained, "Not what I meant. You guys see all those vines above the cave?"

Looking at where he was pointing, I saw exactly what he said. The cave was surrounded by vines that, conveniently, did almost nothing to obscure the entrance.

I thought I understood what Diego was getting at, but before I could verify, Jessie asked, "Yeah. What about them?"

"They don't look natural to me. I think maybe Jude had this cave set up. And if he did, it could be dangerous," Diego told everyone.

"Oh... So, what do you think we should do?" Tanya asked.

"Hmm... Honestly, I'm not sure," Diego admitted.

"Give me a second. I'll think of something," I instructed everyone.

Before I could collect my thoughts, Michael let out a sigh and said, "Obviously, we just need to have some of us investigate the cave while everyone else waits outside. Heck, I'll go. I'd just like someone to come with me in case I need a tag duel partner."

Before I could reprimand him for undermining my leadership, Tanya spoke up, "Sure. I'll come."

"Okay... You're number five, so I guess that's good enough."

"Oh, well, thank you, your majesty," Tanya practically spat back.

His face somehow becoming even smugger, Michael replied, "I know that's sarcasm, but you're not wrong. So thank you."

"Ugh. Let's just go."

Then, without consulting me, the two began walking toward the cave.

I was dumbfounded, but I still tried to intercept them with, "Hey, wait!" But my words did nothing to stop or even slow them down.

Why?! Why aren't they listening to me?! I'm the best duelist here! I know what the school said, but we've still got our whole lives ahead of us, and I will surpass Michael...! Is it really just because they all like Erick more than me?

Before I knew it, I found myself rushing toward Michael and Tanya, my arm reached out as I exclaimed, "I said wait!"

Michael and Tanya had both taken a step into the cave by that point but still turned around when they heard my voice. However, instead of being happy that they listened to me, I was instead horrified by what I saw coming toward them. A pair of large logs came swinging down, and with how huge they were, if they hit Michael or Tanya, the two would be crushed into a crimson paste for sure.

Before I knew it, I found myself diving at my teammates. The fact that I was already moving toward them helped ensure I was able to reach them just as I heard the noise of the massive logs slamming against each other behind us.

It was only after we all crashed onto the cave floor that an awful realization hit me. Would what I just did count as an act of violence against other duelists?

Frozen in horror on the ground, I waited for the sound of beeping to signal my imminent death, with each second feeling like an eternity. Thirty eternities came and went, with my breath turning haggard as my heart raced faster than ever before. It was only after a full minute had gone by that I realized I wasn't going to be deep-fried, and I was able to breathe regularly again.

"Hey, Brie. Thanks for saving us... but do you think you could get up now?" Michael asked from beneath me.

"Yeah, seriously! You're crushing me!" Tanya snapped.

In the midst of fearing for my life, I'd forgotten that I'd been laying on top of my teammates.

Rolling off them and climbing onto shaking legs, I told the two, "Sorry about that."

Getting up faster than I had, Tanya told me, "What? No, don't apologize. You... Look, I'm the one who needs to say sorry. You just saved our lives. You must have seen the trap and were trying to warn us."

I... what?

A part of me felt that I should admit I was just trying to grab them... but the other part of me said that it would be easier to work together if they were grateful to me.

"Uh... Right. I was just trying to get you two out of the way."

Dusting off his backside as he stood up, Michael added, "I have to admit, Tanya's right. We'd be dead if it weren't for your quick action. I suppose I should say I'm sorry for giving you so much grief on the way over here."

Doing my best not to smile awkwardly, I replied, "Heh... It's no problem. I honestly just sort of moved on reflex."

"But... But I think we have bigger problems right now to focus on," Michael remarked as his focus shifted behind me. At the same time, he and Tanya's eyes suddenly drained of life.

"Oh no..." Tanya gasped.

Turning around, I immediately understood what was bothering them. The cave entrance had been blocked by a wall of boulders. A small bit of sunlight was visible from the top of this pile, but only a trickle.

"The fuck...?!" I involuntary rasped.

How the Hell didn't I hear that...? Did it blend in with the logs smashing together? Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!

"Okay... Okay, we gotta get out of here!" I shouted as I ran for the rocks.

"Uh... Brie?" Michael tried to ask me. However, I couldn't take the time to answer him.

I have to get out right now!

Climbing to the top of the pile, I began frantically moving rocks out of my way. Most of them were too heavy for me to budge, but I was able to toss away enough of the smaller rocks that I could fit my arm through the hole.

When I realized that I couldn't clear enough of a path to escape, I turned around and yelled, "Guys, help me move this stuff!"

"Oh, right!" Tanya exclaimed. But before she could take a step, Michael put his arm in front of her.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" I shouted.

Folding his arms, Michael lazily gestured to the boulders and explained condescendingly, "Do you seriously think we can move any of these things? Boulders as big as these must weigh literal tons."

"Well, what should we do then?!" I gnashed.

"Are... Are the others still outside? Jessie and Frank together might be able to do something," Tanya suggested.

Michael and I paused for a second and stared at Tanya with dumbfounded realization. I then turned back around and shoved my face into the hole to look out on the cliff. I didn't see Jessie, Frank, or even Diego anywhere. I made a few desperate calls out for them, but after a minute of getting no response, I gave up and climbed back down the pile.

Doing my best to stay calm, I scratched my arm while telling Michael and Tanya, "Okay, okay. They aren't there anymore. So I think we should wait here for them to come back. Yeah! Yeah, just stay right here by the sunlight!"

"You sure they didn't just get crushed?" Michael asked bluntly.

"What?! How could you say that?!" Tanya yelled, her voice echoing throughout the tunnel.

"It's an entirely real possibility. And, if it did happen, it's not like thinking happy thoughts will change things."

As Michael and Tanya continued their back and forth of brutal honesty and enraged denial, I looked at the pile of boulders to keep myself distracted. The ground around it still had bits of dust clouds from when they crashed. The ground itself was now composed of loose dirt and debris, but no... There was no blood.

Interrupting their debate, I told my teammates, "Hey, you two. I don't see any gore coming from the boulders, so I don't think the others are under there."

"Oh yeah! See, jerk?!" Tanya exclaimed.

Playing with his long hair, Michael relented, "I... I suppose that's a good point... Still, I don't think we should stay put. I think it'd be best if we explored the cave."

"What?! Why?!" I unintentionally shrieked.

"You... You're claustrophobic, aren't you?" Michael asked with an annoyingly condescending smirk.

"No...! Maybe...! Shut up!" I yelled despite myself.

Nodding, Michael told me, "Riiight. Well, until we get back out into the open air, I'll take charge."

"What?! Why should you be in charge?!" I demanded.

Waving his hand, Michael told me, "It's not like I really want to. Honestly, I don't think Tanya or I are good choices, but it's better than someone who's one step away from a panic attack."

"But... But I... Ergh."

Putting a hand on my shoulder, a challenge for someone of her size, Tanya told me, "Look, Brie... I'm honestly not in the best headspace ever since I had to duel... Let's just try and find a way out of this cave while the others make their way back here."

Looking further into the cave, it felt to me that the walls just kept closing in on themselves more and more. Finally, at the end of what my vision could show me was a slope that made it look like the floor and ceiling crushed into each other. Strangely enough, though, the cave never seemed to grow any darker, regardless of how far it went.

Before I could figure out why that was, Michael stated, "Besides, look at all these lights. Jude's people must have set this place up, so there should be an emergency exit... Right?"

Lights?

Taking a moment to calm down my frazzled mind, I took a closer look at the cave walls. And Michael was right, actual lights had been built into the walls of this cave.

Jesus... I really am claustrophobic. I was so scared that I didn't even notice those.

"Oh... Yeah! Right, right! You must be right! There had to be another way out of here!"

The idea that there was still an alternate path to freedom was enough to convince me that facing my fears would be worth it.

"Alright. If everyone's in agreement, I'll lead the way. Just follow me, ladies," Michael instructed us as he began strolling down the tunnel.

"Fine, fine. Whatever," Tanya replied as she walked behind him.

Taking deep breaths, I walked alongside Tanya, stating, "Okay... Let's get this over with."

---

It had been a half hour of traversing this cave. I hadn't realized caves could go on for so long. Our path turned and twisted, the ceiling rose and fell, and the walls closed in and spread out at different points. After a while, I started to hyperventilate. This enclosed death trap was getting to be too much for me.

However, before my dread could overwhelm me, Michael spoke up, "Looks like we've come to a fork in the road, girls."

Paying attention to where we were going for the first time in a while, I saw what Michael meant. The cave split off into two paths from here, one still lit with wall lights, while the other had nothing to illuminate it.

"If I were a betting man... Which, considering the game we play, I sort of am... Anyways, considering how morbid Jude is, I'd guess that the dark path holds the secret exit if there is one."

Looking into the darkening tunnel, I asked, "So... How are we going to test that idea?"

"Ideally, we'd walk over there and start looking around, right? It'd probably involve a lot of feeling around," Tanya stated.

Objectively, what Tanya said was right. But still...

"I... I can't go in there. Just being in this cave is too much for me right now. I can't handle not seeing on top of that," I explained.

"Huh?! But we could get out of here!" Tanya yelled.

Folding his arms, Michael cut in, "Honestly... I'm not sure I feel up to wandering into the dark, either. After all, a man like me should always stay in the light whenever possible."

Glaring daggers at us, Tanya yelled, "Are you both serious right now...?! Arg! Whatever! I'll go look while you babies can go down the other way. See if you can find anything. I'll come back to hold your hands once I find the exit."

And with a huff, Tanya started marching down the the dark pathway, using the light from her duel disk to give herself some illumination. As I watched Tanya walk away, despite her diminutive stature, it felt to me like I was watching a giant bravely marching into Hell.

Once Tanya was out of sight, Michael straightened his jacket's collar and told me, "Well, let's head down the other path then. So long as we don't run, I'm sure Tanya will be able to catch up with us later." Without waiting for me to answer him, Michael started down the lit pathway.

Not wanting to be left alone, I replied desperately, "I, er, alright!" And started chasing after him.

It only took us a few minutes after this to find the end of this path. In fact, it looked like we'd reached the end of the cave entirely.

Exiting the path, Michael and I walked into a domed clearing in the cave that was large enough for two or three dozen people to fit inside comfortably. Unlike the rest of the cave, which appeared to be naturally formed, this section had such smooth walls and perfect symmetry that it had to have been man-made.

But that was far from the only reason I believed this area to have been carved out. There was actually a charging station and a food fridge in here. Additionally, on the back wall, some sort of carving had been etched into it. I was never one for archeology, so I couldn't place the carving's origins. But what was at least obvious about it was how it resembled a squinting eyeball surrounded by an ornate pentagram.

While I was distracted by the carving, Michael told me, "Well, looks like we reached a dead-end. But at least we can recharge our duel disks and grab some more food while we're here. Come on."

Strutting confidently, Michael approached the charging station and food stall. As for me, while I wasn't sure about getting any closer to that wall art, I also didn't want to be left alone, so I followed him.

I found myself immediately regretting that choice when I heard a voice from behind me shout, "I challenge you to a duel!"

And immediately after, a female voice yelled, "And I challenge you to a duel!"

Turning around, Michael and I saw several people standing behind us, with two in particular pointing at us as the timers activated for us to accept their challenge. It appeared that they all came rushing out from behind brown cloths that were covering dug-out cubbies in the dome's walls.

Looking at who challenged me, it seemed as if it were a very lanky woman wearing a pair of thick glasses. As for the one challenging Michael, he was a younger guy, maybe in his early twenties, but with nothing that truly stood out about him.

Amongst the others in this group, there was a boy in his mid-teens who was covered nearly head to toe in dried dirt, a woman who looked to be at least in her forties, and a rather timid-looking younger girl. What struck me most, though, was that I didn't recognize any of these people. So their tournament showings must never have been too impressive.

Before I could finish processing what was happening, I caught a glimpse of Michael from the corner of my eye. And when I looked at him properly, I felt my heart stop for a moment.

I had never seen such raw hatred in Michael's eyes before. He had only ever treated dueling like a game up until now, after all. His teeth were bared and clenched as he hissed with rage and flexed his fingers like they were claws.

Stomping his foot to the floor, Michael yelled, "Oh!? Oh, you fuckers want to duel me on this death island!? Alright, I accept! But your friends better pray to God that you beat me! Because if you don't, I'll take you all out one after another! In fact, why don't one of you idiots jump in as your buddy's partner and team up against me!? I mean, that still won't be enough, but at least we'll get this done sooner!"

Visibly shivering from Michael's monologue, the unremarkable man turned around and asked, "Uh... Anyone up for helping me out here?"

While our ambushers exchanged glances, I noticed I was running out of time, so I stated, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but I accept the challenge too."

"Damn. I was starting to think you might not answer in time," glasses told me with genuine anxiety.

While my duel disk stopped beeping and I tried to get a read on glasses' personality, the older woman stepped up to the plain guy and raised her duel disk.

"If you really think you need help, then I guess I'll join in," she stated.

Shuffling his cards without even looking at them, Michael smiled wickedly and exclaimed, "Guess you got more guts than your other friends! Too bad they'll be deep-fried in a few minutes!"

As I took out my deck to shuffle it, doing my best to ignore my claustrophobia and Michael's apparent insanity, I asked glasses, "Before we get started, the name's Brie. Mind if I ask for your name?"

"Why should I tell you?!" She snapped while shuffling her own deck.

Putting my shuffled cards into my duel disk, I tried to hide my annoyance as I replied, "It's just good manners. Besides, I'd like to know who's butt I'm about to kick."

"Feh... Fine, I'm Sam. Happy, kid?"

"No. This whole thing sucked already, and you're just making it worse. So I hope you understand that I'm in too bad of a mood to hold back," I explained as I felt my brow furrow.

Jerking back slightly at my attitude, Sam took a moment to look me over, before sudden realization got slapped across her face.

Clearly much more nervous, Sam asked me, "You... Are you guys from Duel Academy...?"

Smirking somewhat as my pride pushed back my fear, I answered, "That's right. I was number two at Duel Academy, and Michael here was number one."

Shaking in her boots, Sam exclaimed, "Sh-shi-Shit! Dan! I need your help with this bitch!"

Instead of jumping into action, though, the dirt-covered kid stuttered, "Uh... But... Uh..."

Looking at her duel disk, Sam shrieked, "Dan! We've only got ten seconds for you to join in!"

Falling back on his butt, the boy, apparently named Dan, put his hands on his head and screamed, "No! I can't do it!"

"Huh...!? Dan...?"

Sighing in a weird mix of sympathy and impatience, I took out my duel coin and asked, "Heads or tails, Sam?"

Giving her duel disk one last mortified glance, Sam gulped and told me, "I... He... Heads."

Flipping the coin and catching it, I took a look before showing it to Sam and telling her, "Tails. I'm going first."

(Life Points: Brie: 8000. Sam: 8000)

Drawing my five cards, I saw Elemental HERO Honest Neos, Elemental HERO Blazeman, Mask Change, E Emergency Call, and Mirror Force.

Concocting a strategy with the resources available, I stated, "First, I activate the Spell Card, E Emergency Call. This card lets me add one Elemental HERO monster from my deck to my hand." The card I selected was Elemental HERO Stratos.

"Next, I summon Elemental HERO Stratos(ATK: 1800. DEF: 300)! And I use his effect to bring one HERO monster from my deck to my hand."

Stratos looked like a tall and muscular man in all-concealing blue, aqua, and silver armor with shoulder pads and a helmet with a glass face plate. And on his back were a pair of metal wings with propellers inside them.

The card I chose to bring to my hand was Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier.

Activating my next spell, I stated, "Now, I activate the Spell Card, Mask Change. This spell lets me target one face-up HERO monster I control and send it to the Graveyard. Then, I can special summon one Masked HERO monster from my extra deck with the same attribute. So, the monster I'm sending to my Graveyard is Stratos, and the monster I'm special summoning is Masked HERO Divine Wind(ATK: 2700. DEF: 1900)!"

Appearing from a twister that surrounded Stratos, Divine Wind stepped onto the field. He was also a tall and muscular man. However, his armor was green, yellow, and white, with red eyepieces. And off his back, a white cape fluttered.

"With Divine Wind on the field, I'll set one card in the Spell and Trap zone and end my turn. Your move." The card I set was Mirror Force.

After being told to go, Sam was initially shaking with anxiety. But, after taking a deep breath, she drew her card and said, "Alright, let's see here... Okay, first, I set one card in my Spell and Trap zone. Then, I summon Alien Stealthbuster(ATK: 1700. DEF: 1500)."

The monster was a large, bipedal lizard-like creature with a tail. It had black and purple scales, as well as yellow gemstone-like orbs in its chest and forearms. Protruding from both its forearms were sets of three metallic claws.

"And with Stealthbuster normal summoned, I can special summon Alien Dog in defense mode(ATK: 1500. DEF: 1000)!"

This monster's name fit it perfectly. It was a medium-sized dog-like creature with a bone in its mouth. But instead of fur, parts of the creature were covered in a silver exoskeleton, and the rest of its body was a dark blue underskin. And on its chest, above its claws, and along its back, it had the same gems as Stealthbuster, but blue instead of yellow.

Pointing at Divine Wind, Sam stated, "Now that Alien Dog is on the field, all of your monsters gain 2 A-Counters."

Just as Sam said, suddenly, two fleshy buds with a stylized A on them grew out of Divine Wind.

"Gross... And probably not good," I remarked casually.

Fixating a glare on me, Sam said, "Oh, you can count on that, little Ms. Privilege!"

Coking an eyebrow as I frowned at her, I shot back, "Hey! Just because I did well in school doesn't mean I'm some rich bitch! I worked my ass off to-!"

Cutting me off, Sam said, "Whatever, skank. Next, I activate the Field Spell, Otherworld- The A Zone!"

"What did you just call me!?" I yelled, only to get a sneer in response.

With Sam's Field Spell in play, the cave around us transformed. Or about half of it, as our duel disks detected Michael's duel next to us and stopped short of interfering.

As for our half of the cave, the ground became like that of an asteroid flying through space, and the ceiling had turned into a multi-colored night sky with numerous planets and moons visibly hanging in it.

And while I glared at Sam and my changed terrain, Sam said, "And that ends my turn."

Tilting my head, I asked, "Your Field Spell didn't boost your monsters at all?"

Laughing as she wiped away some nervous sweat, Sam said, "You'll see soon. Now make your move!"

"Tch, fine. I draw...!" Looking at my next card, it was the Spell, Miracle Fusion. "Alright... Well, unless your Field Spell does something by being destroyed, it looks like I won't see any effects after all."

"Huh?!" Sam blurted out.

"First things first, I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier(ATK: 1400. DEF: 1300)!"

Like my other monsters, Liquid Soldier was a buff man in armor. His armor only covered his torso, shoulders, and head, though. And unlike the others, his helmet left his mouth exposed. The rest of his suit was a dark blue, nearly black, fabric with bright aqua highlights going up it. He had dark aqua gloves and boots on as well, with bubbles of water stuck around his wrists.

"Once he's summoned, I can activate one of Liquid Soldier's effects. I can target one level 4 or lower HERO monster in my graveyard and Special Summon it. And I choose Stratos!"

Lifting his hand to his side, a huge bubble appeared from his palm. Forming inside the bubble from gathering water was Stratos, who swiftly popped his liquid shell and stood proudly on the field once more.

"Now, I'll use Stratos' other effect! For every HERO monster on my side of the field, except Stratos, I can destroy a Spell and Trap card you control! So bye-bye to your face-down card and your ugly asteroid! Too bad, really. It was a perfect match for your face."

Lifting his wings and activating the propellers within them, Stratos sent two whirlwinds at Sam. The first destroyed her face-down card, and the second tore apart our sci-fi surroundings, bringing back the cave.

"You bitch!" Sam screamed as she shielded her face from the violent airflow.

"Now, Stratos, destroy Alien Stealthbuster!" Following my words, Elemental HERO Stratos flew like a rocket at the lizard, punching the monster into pieces.

(Life Points: Brie: 8000. Sam: 7900)

And while Sam gritted her teeth at the discomfort of the hologram's attack, I yelled, "Next, Divine Wind, destroy Alien Dog!"

"Hold it!" Sam shouted. "Before you do that, destroying Stealthbuster activates one of his effects. I get to pick one of your monsters to add two A-Counters to it, and I pick Elemental HERO Stratos!"

And just as Sam said this, two more of those A buds sprouted from Stratos.

"Eck! Whatever. I'm finishing my attack! Go, Divine Wind!" I retorted.

Lifting his arm and bringing it down as a slash, Divine Wind shot out a blade of air that cut the Alien Dog in half.

(Life Points: Brie: 8000. Sam: 6700)

Sam recoiled slightly more from that attack, as I finished, "Thanks to Divine Wind's effect, whenever I destroy a monster with him, I can draw another card... And now, Elemental HERO Liquid Soldier, attack Sam directly!"

Bringing his wrists together, Liquid Soldier's bubbles combined into one before launching at Sam and popping loudly on impact.

(Life Points: Brie: 8000. Sam: 5300)

"Bwa...! Are you done?!" Sam snarled as the holographic water dripped off her.

I felt a satisfied smirk grow on my face, as I answered, "I'm good. Go ahead, alien freak."

"Heh. I wear that name with pride, moron. I Draw!" Sam said as she pulled her next card.

She then set the same card in the Spell and Trap zone and stated, "I set one card and activate the effect of Alien Stealth Buster from my graveyard!"

That can't be good.

"While Stealthbuster's in the graveyard, I can target one monster you control with A-Counters on them and destroy it. And I pick Divine Wind!"

Once Sam finished her explanation, I felt a twinge of concern hit me just before the flesh buds on Divine Wind detonated.

As I recoiled from the blast, Sam went on, "Next, I Normal summon Alien Telepath(ATK: 1600. DEF: 1000) in attack mode!"

Alien Telepath was a Human-sized, red and black, creature with a worm-like torso. It had a pair of arms where a Human would but with only three digits at the end. Its head was large for its body, with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, a pair of blank yellow eyes, spikes for eyebrows, and a pair of catfish-like whiskers from its lip.

"First off, once per turn, I can use Telepath's effect to remove an A-Counter from one of your monsters and destroy a Spell or Trap card you have on the field. So, Stratos is losing an A-Counter, and your facedown is getting crushed!" As Sam said all this, Alien Telepath's whiskers wriggled into the air as it closed its eyes. Then, one of the A buds leaped off of Stratos and crashed into Mirror Force, destroying it.

"Shit," I muttered.

"Next, I'll-!"

Cutting Sam off as she started to look confident, Michael's voice called out, "Finish these idiots off, Michael, and end this duel!" This exclamation was accompanied by a blast of light from the other side of the cave distracted us both.

Glancing over, we had to wait for the smoke to clear before we saw the display for Michael's opponents' life points fall to 0.

The older woman and plain guy had fallen on their rear ends now, as Michael looked at them with disgust and stated, "Normally, I'd tell you both to know your place in the future, but that won't really apply to either of you in a few moments. For your sakes, I pray God doesn't condemn stupidity."

Taking a seat on a boulder behind him, Michael rested his chin on his hand as he waited for the inevitable fate of his opponents.

Staring at Michael with streaming tears, the woman pleaded, "Please! Help us!"

Shaking his head, Michael stated coldly, "Idiots to the end. You know there's nothing I can do to stop this, even if I wanted to. At least your buddies were all smart enough to run away while they could."

After hearing what Michael said, Sam and I stared at where her allies had been. We'd both apparently been too far into the zone to notice, but they had all, in fact, run away.

"Th- the Hell...?" Sam asked with dread.

Suddenly jumping to his feet, the guy screamed, "No! Nnooooo!" He then went running back down the path we'd come.

Leaning into his sitting position, Michael remarked, "Heh. The ways desperation manifests..."

Moments later, the fatal shocking of both people went off, the man's shouting being just audible even through the woman's thanks to the cave's echoing effect. No matter how many times I've heard these noises, no matter how much I try to tell myself I'll get used to it, those screams are the most awful and soul-crushing noise I've ever had to listen to. I assumed any Human being would find those sights and sounds horrible, but when it came to Michael...

"Are you almost done with yours, Brie? I wanna get outta here," Michael asked me after having watched the women in front of him fry to a crisp.

This... this was Michael's true character. Whenever he didn't have someone around that he wanted to impress, he dropped any notion of being kind or suave, instead turning completely callous. Even so, I never thought it would be to the extent of dismissing death so easily. But with that said... He wasn't wrong. I still had a duel to finish.

"Finish your move, Sam! I want to end this!" I yelled.

Shocking me, though, I thought I saw tears streaking down Sam's face as she shuttered in place.

"I... I don't wanna die..." She stuttered.

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy and guilt when I saw Sam giving into her fear. However, that didn't change the fact that she started this.

Perhaps out of a mixture of venting my frustration and wanting to motivate her, I stomped my foot and yelled at Sam, "Are you serious?! You're the one who picked a fight with me! Where'd that annoying ego of yours go?! If you want to get out of this, kill me before I kill you, you selfish freak!"

Flinching when I said this, Sam stared at me in awe for a moment, before wiping her eyes and stating, "Fine...! You're good as dead, bitch!"

Pointing to her Alien Telepath, Sam exclaimed, "Alright! Next, Alien Telepath will attack Stratos!" Pitting its hands to its head, Alien Telepath then blasted out a beam of psychic energy at Stratos.

And before I could even ask what she was thinking, Sam exclaimed, "And with Telepath's secondary effect, Stratos losses 300 Attack and Defense points during damage calculation!"

Just like she said, Stratos suddenly flinched in pain as red energy erupted from the A-Counter on him and covered his body.

However, just as Sam's attack was about to connect, I decided to play my ace in the hole.

Pulling a card from my hand, I exclaimed, "Hold it! I activate the quick effect of a card in my hand, Elemental HERO, Honest Neos!"

With the appearance of Honest Neos' card art on the field, Telepath's attack halted as Sam screamed, "What now?!"

Smirking, I explained, "As a a quick effect, I can discard Honest Neos from my hand and give one HERO monster I control and extra 2500 Attack points until the end of this turn. And after the debuff you gave him... that'll sit Straos at a measly 4000 Attack points!"

Then, with Telepath's attack resuming, a pair of spectral angelic wings shielded Stratos and threw the psychic attack back at the Alien, blowing it to pieces.

(Life Points: Brie: 8000. Sam: 2900)

Once the smoke cleared and Sam recovered from the recoil of the holographic blast, she was staring at me with absolute horror.

"That was... You couldn't..." Sam stuttered. "I... I... I..."

"You end your turn, right? Unless you have something you can do with the one card in your hand," I pointed out impatiently.

Gritting her teeth, Sam let out a growl and replied, "Yes, fine! I end my turn!"

"Good. I draw!" I got another copy of Mask Change. "First, I Normal Summon Vision HERO Vyon(ATK: 1000. DEF: 1200!)"

Vyon was a Humanoid male in black and dark blue armor. He wore a one-eyed, robotic, pointed cone-like helmet.

"When I normal or special summon Vyon, I can activate one of his effects, taking one HERO monster from my deck and sending it to my graveyard! And the card I select is Elemental HERO Shadow Mist. When she's sent to the graveyard, I can use her effect to bring one HERO monster from my deck to my hand." The monster I brought to my hand was Vision HERO Faris.

With my groove in motion, I got back in the zone and stated, "With all that set up, I activate the effect of Mask Change from my hand! I target Vyon with its effect, and use him to special summon my favorite monster, Masked HERO Anki(ATK: 2800. DEF: 1200)!"

Masked HERO Anki was a very tall and muscular Humanoid in dark green and light gray spiky armor with clawed hands and feet. Covering his face was a visored helmet designed to resemble the face of a monster, complete with a horn where the monster's nose would be.

"After that, I activate the Spell card, Miracle Fusion. This allows me to Banish monsters on my field and in my graveyard to fusion summon an Elemental HERO monster! And I'll banish Vyon from my graveyard and Liquid Soldier from my field to Fusion summon Elemental HERO Escuridao(ATK: 2500. DEF: 2000)!"

Elemental HERO Escuridao was a Humanoid made from a wispy, shadowy material. He had a pair of scarf-like wings and two blades sticking out from his back, a clawed left hand and feet, and a right hand made from three large blades. His head stuck out in three sharp points, his chest had three fang-like protrusions wrapped on either side, and his entire body was enveloped by a light blue aura.

"And now I activate Liquid Soldier's effect!"

Sweating profusely, Sam exclaimed, "Another effect?!"

"That's right! When he's used as a fusion material for a HERO monster and sent to the graveyard or Banished, Liquid Soldier allows me to draw two more cards and discard another." I drew Effect Veiler and Negate Attack and discarded Elemental HERO Blazeman.

"With all that settled, Escuridao's effect comes in, giving him an extra 300 Attack points for every Elemental HERO in my graveyard. And thanks to that discard, he gets a 900-point boost to 3400 Attack! Now, Anki, attack-!"

Cutting me off, Sam screeched, "I activate my trap card, Brainwashing Beam! This lets me take control of one monster that has A-Counters on it. But I'll have to remove an A-Counter at each of my End Phases! And I pick Stratos!"

The bulb on Stratos lighting up and growing slightly, he suddenly jumped to Sam's side of the field. Watching this desperate play was both aggravating and pitiable. All this move would serve to accomplish is to slow me down for a few moments and make Escuridao stronger.

Focusing my glare, I declared, "Fine! Anki, destroy Stratos!"

Rushing forward at my command, Anki let loose a flying kick at Stratos, the claws of his feet tearing through him in an explosion of dark power.

(Life Points: Brie: 8000. Sam: 1900)

Pulling another copy of Mask Change from my deck, I exclaimed, "And a quick bonus. Whenever Anki destroys a monster by battle, I get to add a Change Quick-Play Spell to my hand."

With Escuridao's Attack raised to 3700 as Sam began muttering fearfully to herself, I pointed at her and said, "Now, Elemental HERO Escuridao, attack Sam directly and finish this duel!"

Rushing at Sam, Escuridao slashed at her torso with his right hand. And from the holographic cut marks he left behind came an eruption of the light blue aura that surrounded his body.

Taking 3700 points of damage at once, the usual holographic discomfort no doubt grew to mild pain as Sam let out an agonized cry.

(Life Points: Brie: 8000. Sam: 0)

Falling to her knees as her duel disk began beeping, Sam put her hands to her head and cried, "No, no, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! I can't die here!"

Grimacing as the holograms of my monsters lingered, I processed my feelings as I watched Sam squirm.

She tried to kill me. She even laid a trap for us. I shouldn't feel bad about what happens next.

But even as I told myself these things, I remembered something Erick said after his first duel on the island. We're all stuck in this Hell hole because of Jude Alexander! This is all his fault!

Even if I hated this woman, Erick's logic about this whole situation was undeniably sound. I couldn't help but feel some empathy for her.

Just as I started to speak up to try and give some solace to Sam, she suddenly let out and piercing shriek. I thought the electrocution might have started early. Instead, Sam began to violently beat her duel disk, smashing it against the ground as many times as she could in the thirty seconds she had left.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop beeping! Get off me! Get off me!"

Watching Sam beat the duel disk with all her strength, it occurred to me I'd never seen anyone else try this yet. Even with the warning Jude had given everyone about not trying to force them off, you'd think more people would've tried to break them if they only had a minute left to live anyway.

"Aaarrrgh!" With one last roar and smash, Sam managed to break off a chunk of the death machine strapped to her wrist. The second she did real damage to the device, the beeping stopped.

For a second, Sam, myself, and even Michael seemed hopeful that she'd actually disabled the death machine... Unfortunately, our hope only lasted for that one second. In the next instant, the duel disk electrocuted Sam, leaving her one of three charred bodies on the floor of this cave. As grim as it was... On the bright side, the duel timers for myself and Michael had fully reset with their passing.

Snapping me out of my stupor, though, I noticed that the hologram of Anki was still present and staring at Sam's body. However, the hologram was translucent instead of fully solid. Clearly, something was wrong with the duel disk, but just as I was about to check the hologram projector on my disk, I froze when Anki started moving on his own.

Walking closer to Sam's corpse, Anki folded his arms and, to my horror, actually spoke, "Such cruel deaths... And to force my Commissioner into participating in such carnage...! If I could only wrap hands around Jude's neck and bring justice to this whole atrocity!"

"I... I..."

Before I could speak, I heard Michael's voice speak up, "Indeed, Anki. Although your tastes of justice are too dark for my liking, Alexander must face divine wrath for the wicked deeds he has committed and forced onto others!"

Turning around to ask Michael if he actually was hearing and seeing the same things I was, I stopped when I saw him glancing in confusion at the semi-transparent form of Michael, The Arch Lightsworn sitting atop his feathered dragon.

Seeing that I was reacting the same way he was, Michael asked me, "You see them too, Brie?!"

Looking down at the duelist who shared his name, the Arch Lighstworn exclaimed, "I... Wait a moment! My Lord?! You can see me?!"

While the two Michaels stared at each other, I felt something that wasn't quite all there grab my shoulders. It didn't have the force to turn me around, but I spun around anyway from shock and saw Anki looking back at me. It was weird. I both could and couldn't feel the Masked HERO's hands on me. As if he was solid and gaseous at the same time.

Putting his clawed hands to my face, filling me with anxiety, Anki asked, "Commissioner?! Is it true?! You can see your Duel Spirit now?!"

Fearing for my life, I answered honestly, "Ye... Yes? I think so... Assuming I haven't just lost my mind..." Letting go of me, Anki pulled his posture inward, as if curling in on himself.

Just as I was worried he was about to attack me, Anki jumped into the air, his fist going through the cave ceiling, as he let out a joyous cry, "Wahoo! Yes, yes, yes! I can finally speak with you! It's a miracle!"

While I tried to process what was happening, one of the Michaels, likely the Lightsworn, said calmly, "If I had to venture a guess, this is less of a miracle and more of an intended effect."

Calming down somewhat, Anki asked, "Hm? What do you mean, Lightsworn?"

Pointing at the wall behind us, the Arch Lightsworn reminded me of the etching of the eye surrounded by a pentagram. As if things weren't already strange enough, the eye looked like it was glowing golden as the smoke from the corpses was absorbed into it.

Stepping off his dragon, causing it to vanish, the Lightsworn looked up at the eye carving and commented, "It appears to be an ancient ruin connected to the world of Duel Spirits. It seems it was set up here in order to take in sacrifices and grant survivors the ability to see their Deck Masters at least."

With his joy having vanished, Anki remarked, "That's... so depraved! This isn't worth the sacrifice of life!"

Taking in a deep breath, I muttered, "So... wait. All that stuff Elsa's always said about... seeing spirits... That was-?"

Cutting off my train of thought, I heard the sound of a duel disk being plugged into the charging port in the room and saw Michael calmly recharging his device.

"Come on, Brie. Let's recharge these disks, grab food, and get out of this room," Michael told me, earning him confused stares from me and the spirits.

Pulling his duel disk free once it was fully charged, Michael stated, "We need to move fast. We're in a confined space, and the air is filled with gases from charred corpses. We're both likely starting to suffer from some kind of airborne toxins."

Stepping up to Michael, Arch stated, "My Lord, I promise you, I am not the result of toxic hallucination! I am your Deck Master!"

"No, no..." Michael muttered as he walked to the fridge while trying to ignore Arch.

His voice growing more desperate, Arch said, "Many of your other monsters have tried to complain about your more callus behavior at times, but I have always strived to keep them in line for your honor, my Lord! I-!"

Cutting Arch off while throwing a few of the food packets and water bottles at him, Michael exclaimed, "No, no, no! Duel Spirits are nothing but crazy nonsense from that insane loser Elsa! I'm not like that! I'm the best!"

Recoiling, Arch's expression was that of near heartbreak. Despite myself, I couldn't help but feel bad for the spirit.

While looking like he was holding back tears, the Arch Lightsworn crossed an arm across his chest, gave a bow, and told Michael, "I understand, my Lord. I shall return to the deck. But if you ever need my counsel going forward, all you need do is call out to me." In that instant, the Arch Lightsworn transformed into a beam of light that swirled its way into the deck on Michael's wrist.

Stuffing provisions into his backpack, Michael dismissively said, "Don't count on it. I don't plan on confining myself with toxins like this again."

"You hadn't planned on it this time, either," Anki remarked defensively. "I doubt either of you will have much control over whether you'll need our help or not going forward... No offense, Commissioner."

Still uncertain about how I felt over this situation, all I could tell Anki was, "Er... None taken."

Just as Michael finished packing up and Anki was about to say something else, the sound of running footsteps clacking against the cave floor were coming our way. Michael, Anki, and I all grew alert at this sound. I hated the idea, but I was ready to fight for my life again. To my immense relief, however, the person who came running into the room was just Tanya.

Sighing as I relaxed my posture, I told my small classmate, "Oh! Oh, thank God! I'm glad it's you, Tanya! You have no idea what we just had to go through."

Smirking uncomfortably, Tanya replied, "Does it have something to do with the bunch of people who went running past me, all the screaming, the body down the hall, the two bodies in here?"

Oh, right... With these echoes, there's no way she didn't know what was happening.

Too mentally exhausted to be mad at her tone, I smiled melancholically and said, "Fair enough."

"Quite the heroic spirit she has to come rushing to our air like this. She has my respect," Anki remarked with folded arms. And as he did, it just that moment clicked with me that I saw the Amazoness Queen standing proudly behind Tanya.

I wanted to try and ask her if she could see her Duel Spirit now, but Michael got in first, asking her, "Those people just ran past you?" His tone almost sounded disappointed, and that did no favors for my thoughts on his sanity. Additionally, if whatever was happening was affecting us both in the same way, he should have been able to see Amazoness Queen as well. He must've still been in denial.

Maybe not noticing his attitude, Tanya replied excitedly, "I guess they a mix of the dark and how much you scared them kept them from noticing me. But they all ran in and opened a secret door in the wall. There's a way out!"

"Gasp! Your freedom, Commissioner!" Anki exclaimed, but I barely heard him.

Running up to Tanya, I grabbed her by the shoulders and shouted, "Where?! Take me there!"

Pushing me off herself, Tanya replied, "Get off me! That's what I came here to do, crazy. Just follow me."

Turning around with a gesturing wave, Tanya started walking down the path Michael and I came. Needless to say, I was on her like glue. It honestly took all my willpower not to just grip her arm in anxiety.

Much more calmly than I was, Michael followed behind us with a confident strut. He at once seemed empowered by the deaths, but also frustrated by the spirits.

On the way to the exit, I kept glancing up at Amazoness Queen as she marched beside me, Tanya, and Anki. At first, she didn't seem to notice my staring, but the more I looked, the more she realized I could see her. However, no matter how much our awareness of each other grew, I couldn't hear a single noise coming from this giant warrior woman.

Deciding to intervene for me, Anki stepped in and addressed the Queen, "Hello, Your Majesty. If it wasn't obvious, the Commissioner here just moments ago gained the ability to see Duel Spirits."

Amazoness Queen seemed to say something in return, but I just saw her lips moving without words coming out.

His posture growing grim, Anki explained, "You see, tragically, after we'd bested our most recent opponents, some sort of magical ruin bestowed the Commissioner and Michael over there with the same sort of spiritual awareness that Elsa girl has."

Deciding to put my reputation on the line while the Duel Spirits talked, I gulped and asked Tanya while we walked, "Hey, Tanya... Are you able to see Duel Spirits like your friend Elsa?"

Looking at me puzzled, Tanya replied, "Uh... No? None of that's real. I assumed you knew that. Elsa's just... creative."

"Right... Of course," I replied while managing to hide my awkward nervousness inside my anxiety.

Patting me on the shoulder with his semi-solid hand, Anki told me, "It's alright, Commissioner. Amazoness Queen was just telling me she wishes Tanya could see her too. But she lacks the... magic, I suppose. No need to confuse the poor girl."

Right... Right. That's probably for the best.

I hadn't spoken out loud because I didn't want to draw attention from Tanya. However, as if he could read my thoughts, Anki nodded knowingly and said, "Indeed, Commissioner."

Unnerved, I realized it was going to take even more time than I thought to get used to having the spirits of my monsters hanging around me if they could read my mind.

But before I could process this new development, Tanya had taken me into the previously dark hallway. Down it, I could see a significant source of light and realized almost immediately that that was the sun.

"Alright. It's right down-."

Shoving Tanya aside as she talked, I rushed for the exit as fast as my legs could carry me. Maybe even faster. I could barely even feel the ground beneath my feet, I was going so fast. There was a stone door, just like Tanya said, and just past it was a ladder that went up and out of the mountain. Frantically, I climbed the ladder, almost slipping and hurting myself a couple of times, but escaping this tight, airless death pit was more important than anything else.

Finally, when I reached the top of the ladder, I climbed out of the stone like some sort of oversized mole. It was probably the least graceful moment of my life, but to my immense relief, there were no walls around me as far as the eye could see. At once, I took in as much of that free air as I could.

A minute after me, Tanya and Micahel came up the ladder and saw me basking in the sun with tears in my eyes.

Pointing at me awkwardly, Tanya told me, "I was gonna be pissed off at you... But you really must have needed this. So... I'll let it go for saving my life earlier."

"Indeed. We both owe you a bit of loyalty for that one," Michael added, going back to his usual annoyingly suave tone. "So... Once you've recomposed yourself, what's our next plan of action?"

Taking in some last-needed deep breaths, it occurred to me again that I was supposed to be in charge. Once I remembered that, I stood up straight and got a proper look at where exactly we were.

We appeared to be on top of the hill/mountain itself. Fortunately, the top was a plateau, so it didn't take any mountaineering skills for us to be up here. West from where we were, I saw the top rungs of another ladder and realized that must be the way down.

Pointing to it, I said, "Okay... So, once we climb down from here, we'll... Well, we don't have any of the map makers with us, so I guess we should just try and make our way back to the boat house and wait for everyone else."

Shrugging, Michael said, "The alternative is to wander aimlessly. So, I suppose that's the better choice."

Sighing, Tanya looked at the ladder leading off the mountain and said, "Yeah. It's gonna be a pain in the ass to find our way back, but I don't think we have any other real choice."

I took in another deep breath at this. Not only was I free, but they were really listening to me. I was maybe getting over the deaths a little too quickly, but my excitement outweighed any dark thoughts at that moment.

"Ah. It's nice seeing you get the respect you deserve, Commissioner," Anki told me as he floated over my shoulder. "Lead us to victory!"

I had to admit, if being able to talk to your Duel Spirits meant having a buddy at your back like this, then maybe I'd misjudged Elsa. This was something I could really get used to... Just so long as I don't start spouting nonsense like her.

"Alright then! Let's go and get to safety, gang!" I exclaimed confidently as I took steps toward the ladder. Even if it wasn't cleanly, I was starting to feel confident that we'd all get out of this nightmare alive. I just hope that Erick's party succeeds in their mission... and that Diego, Jessie, and Frank were alright too.