Yu-Gi-Oh! Armageddon - Birth of the Ice Queen

[Ren✧]

[spoiler=List of Characters]

Camilla!

Ursula

The girl that doesn't talk much, starts with an 'S'(why can't I think of the name?)

Clove(to add to my trauma :'(

Erin

Aerial

Lavender

Rain

Klasse

Douchey Dragon Dude(DDD) (Names are alluding me today ;) )

 

---

 

I would love to see any and all of them, but the above list are my top 10

[/spoiler]

 

Eagerly awaiting next Monday :D

[Aerion Brightflame]

[spoiler='People who should get them']

Junuro

Hikari

Erin

Sabin

Yuma

Demon

Fygomore

Nero

Gear

Raiser

Ursulla

Vardus

Whoever the third triplet was. 

The Jurrac duelist and his/her partner. 

The weird diety person who had the Signer Dragon deck. 

The T.G. guy.

Ariel 

Osborn (Whoever become evil rider in black)

Dark Hikari 

 

Honestly I don't think anyone from this one really should get priority over the important people from the origional. If there was room left I'd prioritise the resistance members from this. 

[/spoiler]

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

Thank you to everyone whose responded so far.

 

@Pac: Don't worry, know who you're talking about in each case. And yes Yuma was... well-equipped...

 

@Rene: This is where character profiles work! :D You're thinking of Somorrakh and Armonia.

 

@Barty: Understandable stance, and don't worry as it quite rightly should be original characters getting the front row and centre/more people.

 

I've also got a shortlist (which I'm glad isn't set in stone, because I'm gonna have to add names I've missed for some very popular choices) and Vector's almost entire cast list of 35 characters and 38 signiture monsters <_< (that would look epic though. I'll see what I can twist/buy out of this guy) That is if he wants to do it at all, we'll see. If anyone else has a list of wants for inclusion then speak up, because this is open to change depending on who people want to see (prime example of this being I didn't have Urusula shortlisted in my 22, but since everyone wants her in she's getting in somewhere)

[Ren✧]

 

@Rene: This is where character profiles work! :D You're thinking of Somorrakh and Armonia.

 

 

Stupid me is stupid

 

 

 

 (prime example of this being I didn't have Urusula shortlisted in my 22, but since everyone wants her in she's getting in somewhere)

 

WOOP!..*cough**nowaddcamilla*cough*

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

And so, we return.
 
For the fourth Arc of Armageddon: Ice Queen. Welcome back guys. Hopefully this longest major story arc will go alright, as the story careers down a path that... well some may enjoy and some may not. Well I'll admit right now that I wouldn't be surprised if there was a comment soon along the lines of "This is... alright I'm out. I'm done". Probably by the end of the week actually. But then there's a nice little core following to this story, and hopefully there are people who will - for better or worse - stick to the end of this :)
 
Anyway, more of that later. Today sees Chapter 25, and the start of this descent into Erin and the Resistance's battle against Tessera and the madness entailed over this arc, which will feature the horrors and woes of; An Ancient Temple in a Ravine, Unlikely Alliances, a Birthday Party, Swinging Bridges, a Powerful Obstacle, a Cursed Body and Soul, a Burning Force of Will, New Clothes, many many Minions, and a terrible and bloody battle to stop...
 
So, yeah. Get hyped, read, enjoy, comment, etc etc...
 
Or alternatively, leave this for a bit and go read Dead Zone. And comment lavishly on it. It's just better alright. :mellow:
 
[spoiler=Chapter 25]Chapter 25: The Fools
 
“Whatever... it takes... Erin...”
 
Standing either side of Dorian were the giant plated soldier Excalibur, the winged warrior Emeral, and the electric bird Lightning Chidori. Each creature, those terrible alien creatures, loomed over her as she lay on her back, unable to move as he stared down at her.
 
‘Dorian? No... Please Dorian. Please stop.’
 
She tried to shake her head, but her body wouldn’t respond. She tried to cry out, but either she made no sound, or he ignored her as he approached her paralysed form and stood over her.
 
“Just like we promised, remember? You promised too. That’s why I’m doing this. Whatever, it, takes...”
 
He kneeled and reached towards her, and she was unable to resist. His breath was slow and controlled, having dispatched of her so easily. His expression was cold and pitiless as he looked down at her, as he raised his dual blade, pinning her against the altar steps by her throat as she tried feebly to struggle out.
 
‘No, Dorian stop. Please. I’m sorry. Just stop this.’
 
He still ignored her as he stared down at her so unforgiving. His voice so weary and bitter. So haunting. Did he blame her? Did he hate her now? Or was he just unable to feel anything now?
 
“Goodbye... Erin...”
 
The raised dual blade plunged forward. She couldn’t help but close her eyes to it.
 
‘Dorian!’
 
... Darkness...
 
...
 
With a groan, the Lady Camilla fon Rallis tried to open her eyes. She felt like she had been asleep for an eternity. Everything felt stiff, and ached like hell. As she slowly regained conciousness, her first thought was to wonder why she could only see with one - her right - eye. The other was obscured, blocking some of the white ceiling that was unfamiliar to her. With what took a surprisingly lot of effort, she felt her face around it, and winced. Half her face was heavily bandaged. Why was that? Looking with her one seeing eye, she saw her hand too was bandaged, and that she was wearing unfamiliar clothes; a set of white shirt and pyjama trousers that she couldn’t think were her own. Where was she, and how did she come to be here? Groggily trying to shake away the stupor she rubbed her head and forced herself to sit up. Her groan alerted two people talking a little way from her. Vardus patted his doctor on the shoulder before calmly seating himself at the end of Camilla’s bed.
 
“Welcome back to the land of the living Lady Knight.”
 
He sat patiently as Camilla took a few moments to take him in and gather her wits. She dully placed him and who he was, and tensed. She wasn’t alert, but she still felt very, very aware she wouldn’t have her sword anywhere nearby. Her opponent did not disturb her though and remained calm. Eventually she scoffed and looked away. “Humph, so the rumours were true. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
 
“I never thought I’d speak to you in a normal manner of conversation again” Vardus replied stiffly. “Not as an ally certainly, but at least as the fellow enemy of an enemy we both oppose.”
 
“Ugh. You’re just as eloquent as ever. And high and mighty” she grumbled, rubbing her sore neck. “Damn, how long have I been asleep for?”
 
“Four days, pretty much” Camilla blinked as Vardus actually gave her an answer, and a surprising one. What he said next seemed even more shocking at first. “Ever since my allies and I found you close to death and bought you here five nights ago. We had to medically extend your coma for a little while in order to help stabilise your condition, but you have recovered well, although some of your injuries are permanent. It’s late evening now, so you will want more rest. However first, we are going to talk.”
 
“Talk? Pah, what do we have to talk about?” Camilla scoffed, still a little dazed as she tried to remember what had happened. She had been unconscious for days, and close to death? How in the world...
 
Then a powerful white light flashed from nowhere across her memory, coming directly at her from out of a cannon. The light blinded her to the face laughing at her.
 
The memory hit as hard as the cannon had. She sat bolt upright in alarm, nearly straining something as she gasped and looked around in panic. “Tessera. I remember now. Gaius and I we were fighting Tessera at his party. He had... Gaius!”
 
She looked at Vardus. Although he didn’t react; the scars on his face and neck contorted slightly and gave away the twitch. He didn’t need to say anything; that already told her everything as her memory of what happened that night rebuilt. The colossus that Tessera had summoned using that strange method. That his mansion was a very part of... and that he used as a weapon against them. She’d gone down first and not seen what had happened to her fellow knight. But by Vardus’ reaction, only one thing could have. She sat forward, pulling her knees up into her body in a little ball. She felt very small in the world.
 
“He’s... gone... isn’t he?” she muttered. Vardus nodded darkly.
 
“We found him lying beside you. He was already gone. We bought his body back too, and my man here has done his best to embalm him for you to take back to your allies.” Doyle bowed his head awkwardly from a safe distance. “I hope this helps you and allows you to trust me for now. And... My condolances.”
 
She didn’t speak as she kept huddled up in her little ball. Vardus was impatient, and he still regarded her with suspicion, but he couldn’t rush her. He let her take as long as she needed, so the next few minutes were spent in silence as they both reflected on the times they’d spent with the giant knight in bronze.
 
Camilla broke the silence first; speaking in a hollow tone. “What do you want to know?”
 
“Humph. You’re sharp as ever too” Vardus nodded and leaned forward. “Listen very carefully. We, like you, have lost friends by the hand of Lord Tessera. He murdered many people at that party, many people we both knew. But there is more than that. He has now escaped the city, riding that giant beast that carries his fortress. We pursued him; as we have reason to believe he is a grave threat to all of us, not just your Emperor and the Empire, and we were right. We have to find him. I fear the consequences will be grave if we cannot. Now I need to know what you were doing that Tessera wanted to eliminate you for. When you fought him, did he say anything about his plans? What he is trying to achieve?”
 
He waited impatiently as Camilla took her time to answer. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to talk, given he was the enemy, and she had just been informed of her friend’s death. But there were things he had to know, and he had to know now. And she was his only lead. He had to get answers from her...
 
“Our mentor, Longinus, visited Tessera... the day before he died” Camilla started slowly. “Me and Gaius never accepted he would commit suicide. We investigated discreetly, and found witnesses who had been paid off, and those who incriminated Tessera. He had bribed people involved in Longinus’ case, and we knew he had murdered him. But when we then received invitations to his party, we became suspicious. So we went, and we confronted him and... he just laughed at us. He never gave us a reason for it... he barely even tried to deny it. It was just like he did it because he could. Even when we fought him together, he just acted like he was playing with us the whole time. Then he summoned that... his...”
 
“The colossus...” Vardus muttered. Camilla nodded.
 
“He called it Grandopolis. It’s a duel monster, but it’s not like anything I’ve ever even heard of. He said it had been asleep there for thousands of years, unknown to all but his family who discovered it, lying in wait. But as soon as he summoned it, I knew we were dead then. I don’t know how I survived.”
 
“I can’t explain it either; although one could hypothesis that if it had just woke up after that long...”
 
Doyle would have continued, but Vardus cut him off with an ‘ahem’ and a glare. “Let’s just be thankful that you did shall we? Now Camilla” There was a great deal more urgency about his tone now. “Did Tessera tell you what he was doing? What his intentions are? Any clue at all that might tell us where he is going and anything he might be trying to do? I’m aware that he was looking into ancient artefacts of rituals, items he has now obtained. I need to know what he intends to do with them, and where he is. Anything at all, you have to tell me, possibly for all our sake’s. Please, can you tell me anything?”
 
He stared at her as she sat on the bed, so intensely as if he could try to draw the answers he needed out of her. But she just sat there, and shook her head.
 
“I’m sorry... he didn’t say anything. I can’t help you Vardus. Torture me if you will. I know nothing.”
 
Vardus sighed, and stood up. “I see. Well, know that I intend to keep you here until you recover, and you remember something. That’s not a request, it’s an order. My man will look after you well though, as it’s in my best interests for you to recover. For now. However I request, as your former friend and although I know that it will hurt you to do so, that you try to remember every detail of what happened that night. Anything that might have been said, the most innocuous little thing, anything at all, you will tell me. I know we are the rebels and you are the guard, but right now there is an enemy to be fought in Tessera that requires we put our differences aside, for now at least. You know that right?”
 
“Yes. I understand” Camilla nodded, outwardly calm and unemotional as ever. But her insides were churning with a mix of emotions. ‘Tessera... Anyone who is an enemy of Tessera is alright with me...’
 
“Good. Thank you. Now you should rest. My doctor can give you a drug if it will help you sleep.”
 
Camilla nodded again, and lay back as Vardus went to leave, wishing her goodnight before closing the door, and Doyle approached her with a steaming cup of herbal drink mixed with sleeping drugs. She let him pour it down her throat without protest, and her eye immediately felt heavy. But as she yawned, someone else made a groaning noise. In the bed next to her, she saw was another patient. A young girl who was asleep. In a very disturbed sleep it seemed, given her pained grimace and the way she was rolling around, muttering ‘Dorian. Dorian’ under her breath. Camilla gasped as she recognised her.
 
‘Erin... I guess you must have lost someone dear to you too...’
 
The weight of what she’d just thought hit her just as the drugs took full effect, and her head hit the pillow and she was carried into her own dark, heavy and dreamless sleep.
 
‘Gaius...’
 
...
 
Erin was discharged the next morning. She still felt beat up, but Doyle was adamant she was medically recovered from the effects of the battles in the ruined ancient settlement and her duel and was now physically fine, albeit fatigued, and told her just to take it easy and not train or take part in any topside operations for a few more days.
 
“Besides, I need the beds. The armourer has taken ill and I need to have him in here. I’m sorry Erin, I have to ask you to clear out and make room for other patients. But...”
 
Doyle took her hands there and said to her in his very anxious, agitated tone; that if she ever needed to talk, or needed anything at all, she could come to him. But she had to give way as she was well enough. That may have been the case, those events had happened days ago now, but she didn’t feel fine. Passing the sleeping knight without paying her attention, she left the bay and wandered through the empty Resistance chambers vaguely in the direction of her room. She walked head down, shoulders hunched, ignoring Kaisa and Hester as they passed her by without disturbance and trudged on. When she got back to her room, it was empty. Mel was elsewhere right now. Good. Despite being in need of a shower and change of clothes, she ignored everything and crawled into bed, her head throbbing as thoughts swirled.
 
‘Dorian. How are you still alive? But you are... why are you helping Tessera? What happened to you?’
 
She stayed in bed for hours. Eventually there was a knock at the door, and in came Melanc, followed by the very anxious pair of Aerial and Lavender. At first she ignored them completely, until Melanc climbed up and sat on the end of her top bunk.
 
“Hey guys...” she mumbled without looking up.
 
“Vardus told everyone what happened” Aerial said nervously. “Nero’s got his troops all over the Empire looking for Tessera and his monster fortress now; we’re spying on the guard to catch word of anything so we can find out as soon as they do. Vardus is furious. Whatever it is he’s planning, it can’t be good for any of us. Then there’s Clove, and now Alex as well. He’s sworn he’s going to kill Tessera for this...”
 
Lavender elbowed him in the ribs for mentioning their dead comrades when Erin was clearly upset as it was. However if they had been expecting a reaction, they didn’t get it. Erin just maintained her empty stare at something in the distance beyond their sight and moped. The young archer twiddled with his braided hair and fidgeted during the pause. “I’m sorry about Dorian Erin.”
 
She still didn’t reply. She didn’t even look at him. Feeling terrible Aerial backed off and let Lavender try. The older girl stepped forward and took Erin’s hand, which was not met with any protest.
 
“I... don’t know much about him, or your relationship, other than what Aerial and the others have told me. I’m sorry too Erin. We should have forced through quicker to help you and Alex, then maybe none of this would have happened. We let you down back there. Don’t blame yourself for Alex.”
 
‘I’ve barely thought about Alex...’ she slowly realised. How selfish her thoughts were, not to think of him. But her outer expression didn’t change, so she didn’t let on to the others what had just dawned on her. She could feel Mel behind her, fidgeting and uncertain, and Lavender gently tugged her limp hand.
 
“I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but please Erin, come outside. Staying in bed like this isn’t healthy for you. You need to get up and move around, and do something. I can take you out to listen to the guards with me and Klasse maybe?” ‘And what will I do if they don’t know where he is. What will I do if they find him?’ Lavender got elbowed by Aerial this time and sensing her mistake hastily withdrew her offer. “Or... maybe that’s not a good idea. Or we could do something down here. It’s Rain’s birthday soon. You could help me organise something for her? It’ll take your mind off things...” ‘No thank you...’
 
“I don’t wanna sound harsh, but Lavender’s kinda right on this. You can’t stay in bed all day or you’ll just feel worse” Aerial insisted. ‘Can’t I?’ “Maybe we could do some archery...” ‘No.’ “... or I could show you how to carve stuff like I do...” ‘No.’ “... or we could do whatever you want.” ‘I want to stay in bed.’ “Just... please Erin. We’ll do anything you want. We just wanna help.”
 
Grudgingly she propped herself up and met their gazes. She looked back over her shoulder at Mel, and saw him looking anxiously back at her. He hadn’t said a word. He didn’t know what to say to her. He just sat there nervously by her feet, indecisive as to whether to touch or hug her or not. Looking at him, she didn’t know what to say to him either. She felt, not for the first time, like she was a terrible big sister.
 
“Please, I just want to be alone right now. Mel, you should go play with the others now. Please...”
 
She pulled her hand out of Lavender’s grip. There was a reluctance, especially from Mel, but eventually she stepped away and ushered Aerial out, before beckoning Mel to follow. He hesitated, but gave in the end and with a sad look back he followed Aerial out. “Okay Erin” she said. “But please come out soon.”
 
...
 
Much later that night, long after when Mel had returned and fallen sleep, Erin was at her desk with her head propped up on one hand and moving around her deck with the other. Chopping, adding, changing, and reshuffling the mess of scattered cards in front of her that she couldn’t keep the focus she wanted to put into it. Eventually she caved in, flopped down over the distraction, and cried into the night.
 
...
 
The next day she gave in to Lavender’s advice. The sky was grey and overcast overhead as she trudged through the city’s high end district, making her way along the unusually empty mid morning streets. It seemed most people in the upper class end of town were still taken to hiding indoors at the moment, or were still grieving in cases. These wider, better maintained and more decorative cobbled streets would not usually be this vacant, but the fear of the events several nights ago still lingered here where those most affected lived away from the poverty and sickness she was used to. A week ago she would have felt a cruel satisfaction in this, in a ‘now you know how we feel’ kind of anger at a perceived levelling of the suffering. But not now. On her way out she had again left Mel with Aerial, and she had also picked up her sword and duel shield - just in case - but little attention was paid to her. The residents who had ventured outside either through bravery or necessity were too busy doing their own thing; which was talking about Lord Tessera, the attacks he had made on the hierarchy (despite the public statements that had made to say the young lord had been unsuccessful and not managed to kill anyone, Nero was seen through in this district where most of the dead and their associates lived) and the disappearance of his giant estate on the back of that goliath monster. Speculation on what power Tessera must wield to command such a colossal beast did not help their nerves, and neither did the wilder and wilder claims of what his ambitions might be. Erin stopped and ducked in a shop when she noticed two guards up ahead, and despite dreading what she might hear she listened to their conversation, not sure what she wanted to hear if Tessera was found or not. The pair didn’t mention it either way, so reluctantly she moved on.
 
‘Why is this happening? Why is Dorian helping Tessera do what he’s doing?’ Erin wasn’t making any real effort to keep this train of thought at bay by now as she wandered on with her head down. ‘He wouldn’t side with someone like that. He wouldn’t. Unless Tessera found him and did something to him, to make him be like that? That cold, driven guy who’ll do anything to defeat Nero, whatever it takes...’
 
‘But then... Dorian was always like that anyway...’
 
She stopped and shuddered, before moving on.
 
After a little while, she arrived at her destination. It was a lot different to when she’d last entered this area. Instead of high walls and iron gates surrounding a mass of gold buildings and expansive gardens, there was just a huge empty crater from which the monster had risen. No attempt had been made to cover it up yet; the scale of the thing was so vast that the city planners must be having a hell of a time trying to work out how they could possibly smooth over the giant hole. Erin sighed and looked around. Unsurprisingly, the populous were avoided the cursed area like the plague, which might also have gone some way to explaining the low level of guard presence in the area to cordon it off. Two could be seen on the other side, she guessed there had to be a few here to keep some people away. But she knew as well that the Emperor was vengeful, and in a maddened rage would have sent a considerable amount of his forces out of the city to look for the traitor. Across the empty ravine she could see the three-story house they had ploughed through the roof of in the trucks they’d stole to escape in and that broke their fall. They weren’t the only houses in a poor state of repair. She could also see the remains of houses that had been flattened entirely; the ones Grandopolis had stomped on making its escape. Not caring if the guards saw her or not, she walked to the edge of the giant pit. It was a fairly smooth bowl of grey rock with sloping sides like a bath, rougher in the punched corners where the legs had been. She sighed again and sat on the edge, dangling her feet over the side and kicking the rock with the back of her heels.
 
‘Why did I come back here? Did I think I’d find something? Find him? Foolish girl...’
 
Sitting on the edge of the pit and looking into it while thinking about Dorian gave her an awful flashback of her kneeling at the edge of a darker crevasse, reaching hopelessly after his fallen body. She was doing the same thing here, pretty much.
 
‘I failed him. Is... Is that why he’s like that now? Does he... blame me for that? Is that why he wanted to kill me back there at that old mountain site? Because he thinks it was my fault?’
 
She pulled her legs up and into her chest, scrunching up into a little ball on the edge, rubbing her silver teardrop necklace that had dangled out of her jumper and was glinting in the sun. ‘I blame me...’
 
As she stared across the bowl without really paying much attention, something caught her eye and made her sit up. At the bottom of the bowl, right in the centre, someone had appeared. Presumably they had been there a while and she just hadn’t noticed in her distraction. The figure had their back to her, but given the size and shape of that black hood and cloak covering their features... Erin suddenly found herself standing as she realised. ‘I know that cloak...’
 
There was no obvious way down, but she didn’t care to look for one. Without thinking what she was doing she was skidding down the slope, using her shield as a kind of toboggan to protect her from the smooth rock and trying to slow her descent. It was scarily steep to start with, but her focus was so blindly fixed on the figure in the middle of the basin she barely registered what she was doing and the side gradually sloping round to level out. She was close to the bottom before she hit a producing rock, gasping as she was thrown sideways and finished her descent by bouncing and rolling the last thirty metres or so off her momentum, ending up face down in a heavily bruised and undignified heap just at the back of the figures ankles. Rubbing her elbows, she could taste some blood in her mouth. “Ow...”
 
“Hmm?”
 
The figure heard her, and puzzled by her pained sound turned around to look. As she suspected it was indeed the dark skeletal figure of the royal vizier Demon, who raised an eyebrow of those misted over black eyes as she struggled up clutching her sides and glaring at him through the pain.
 
“Oh... you’re still alive” he said dismissively as he watched her struggle. “How are you?”
 
“How do I... how do you think I am? Bloody awful!” she snapped. He huffed, and turned his back again.
 
“Humph, it was a generic greeting” he said carelessly. “But at least you give an honest answer. Unlike most people. Not that I particularly care how you are right now. What are you doing here anyway?”
 
“I could ask you the same question, if I thought for one second you might give me an honest answer.”
 
“Huh, aren’t you as charming as ever? You make it sound as if I’ve ever lied to you.” He might have been frightening looking, as well as physically imposing compared to her at least in terms of height, and she knew full well he had that wicked sword hidden somewhere within the folds of his robes. But that didn’t stop her going round and glaring into his eyes with all the fierceness she could muster. He looked barely interested in response, increasing her ire. “I’m here under orders. Nero has come crawling to me as ever to solve all his problems, so now the latest job to appear on my to do list is find and capture Tessera. For once it’s a job I want, even if I have no intention of keeping to the second part. Unfortunately though he thinks that, for whatever strange reasons, I should start by investigating the crater left by his little pet. Don’t know why he thinks this would tell me anything; given it’s an empty pit. Maybe he expects me to pull something out my hat of dark magic here that can tell me where he is or some other hocus pocus.”
 
Erin was slightly taken aback by his forthrightness, but shrugged it off. “Well, did you find anything?”
 
“You think I’d still be here if I had?”
 
“Damn it, stop treating me like an idiot!” she snapped again.
 
“Well maybe if you didn’t behave like such a stroppy little child every time you’re around me, maybe I’d treat you a bit better” he retorted, cutting her down and looming over her. Fuming, she backed down a bit. “Well, I answered your question honestly. As always. So what are you doing here?”
 
“I...” she started, then stopped as she tried to think of an answer. ‘Why did I come here...?’ “I... guess I wanted to try and find something out too. I... guess it was unlikely. And also... um...”
 
She trailed off. “Demon... what do you think will happen if nobody finds Tessera? Do you know what he’s going to do? What might happen?”
 
“Hmmm... unfortunately I don’t, other than it will probably be bad” he admitted. “I don’t know enough about the guy. I always kept away from the smarmy little worm when he was around Nero. I heard his beast was seen west of here and some troops from Sennen’Yama engaged with his army of servants in an ancient settlement a few days ago. I would have gone there and got involved myself had I been told of this in time, but I was unfortunately... indisposed at the time. I wonder what he was doing there.”
 
“He was stealing an item buried at the site.”
 
“Eh?”
 
Erin blinked as Demon suddenly looked at her with an expression of sudden interest at last, and realised what she’d just said. ‘Idiot’, she hadn’t meant to blurt that out. But now she had, it was best not to hold anything back from this guy. ‘Besides, maybe if I told him, he could find...’ “At that settlement, there was an artefact that Tessera wanted, a device used in ancient worship and rituals or something called a Tetragram. We’ve seen his allies steal these items before, and tried to stop him getting it so that he wouldn’t have them all, as Vardus thinks something will happen if he did. But... but... there was... um...”
 
“He got the artefact” Demon finished as Erin trailed off again trying to find the right words. He was so lost in thought at these revelations that he didn’t notice how her body was starting to shake, and she was tightening her fists. “The Tetragram? Hmm... Well isn’t that interesting? Maybe it wasn’t such a wasted exercise coming here after all. I... guess I owe you one Erin. Um... thanks?”
 
“What do you have to thank me for? I was wrong. This is your fault...”
 
“Eh? Sorry, didn’t quite catch that” Demon asked, having indeed not heard her forced whisper as she stood head bowed and trembling violently. Suddenly she snapped upright and started shouting at him.
 
“This thing with Tessera, it’s all your damn fault! If you hadn’t tried to kill us, if those damn goons of yours hadn’t attacked Dorian and made him fall that day, he’d still be with me and not serving Tessera like he is now! But now he’s got all the pieces of the Tetragram and that’s because of your fault!”
 
“Um... what? How’s this my fault again? And who’s Dorian?” Demon asked, genuinely stumped by the girl shaking and screaming and crying at him. But his ignorance only made her scream in frustration.
 
“DORIAN’S MY FRIEND THAT YOUR WARPED MASKED GOONS KILLED YOU DARK BASTARD!!! Or at least so I had to believe for six months after he fell into that pit in the amphitheatre square their little puppet demons blew apart. Don’t you remember that?! Or don’t you keep those freaks of yours under any control. SIX MONTHS!! I had to believe he was dead, and that it was my fault. But now he isn’t dead; now he’s serving Tessera. He’s the guy who nabbed the Tetragram from the site. Maybe even more parts of it before that. Now they’ve got all the parts to complete the damn thing, and they’ve got my friend working for him and under his control, and that’s all you and your goons fault!”
 
“Calm down.” Demon still looked blank, but irritated by her behaviour. Swearing with rage she ran at him and swung a fist, but got nowhere near as he moved and rather effortlessly tripped her. She landed on her backside with a bump. Crying furiously, she would have got right back up and gone again, but he pinned her down with a heavy boot on her stomach and stood over her. His expression was thunderous. “One; I’m a sorcerer, not some two-bit fortune teller. Two; you forget who I have to keep happy and take orders from. Nero ordered me to kill off the Resistance. A job I could easily have done if I wasn’t busy, so I delegated it to my allies. If it’s any consolation I didn’t want to do it. I could use the turmoil in this city and people getting distracted by rebelling against him. But given that I could sweep all of you out of existence on a whim, you should be a bit more grateful that those mugs only killed two of you.”
 
He pressed a bit harder into her stomach to emphasise his point, making her squirm and cry, thrashing furiously to try and force him off and wriggle free. She didn’t move him. “And third; if it wasn’t your man then it would have been someone else anyway. Forgive me if I’m not overly concerned they’ve got your ex on their team. I can deal with them, but I don’t see how screaming and crying at me is going to help.”
 
“Oh yeah? Well you don’t know what Dorian’s like. He’s stronger than anything you and your thugs can throw at him, especially now he’s got those crazy new monsters off Tessera!” Demon scoffed despite her threat of those strange monsters he had decimated her so easily with. “And I think beating those masked lunatics responsible for him to a bloody pulp will help me no end. I wanna fight them!”
 
“Yeah, well that ain’t happening” Demon shook his head as she hammered at his leg. Enraged, she fiddled for her sword and thought about hacking it off to see if that would change his mind...
 
“Hey, you said you owe me one! Well I want that favour right now! I want those guys right now! I’m gonna kill them!”
 
Demon rubbed his eyes and groaned as she glared through hateful tears up at him.
 
“... Alpha!”
 
No sooner had he barked the command back over his shoulder, the air shimmered behind him. From seemingly nowhere stepped the man who, if she hadn’t been so beside herself, Erin would have been surprised to see was still wearing the smiling white mask he had at the party, grinning insidiously as he stepped through the portal with his arms folded and hidden inside the long sleeved white robes that had replaced his tailored suit from the party. She cared not how he’d appeared. His long white hair was thrown free as he pulled back the hood of his robes and cocked his head to examine the girl staggering to her feet as Demon let her go and stormed off out of the way. “The girl has got a problem with you. Put her in her place. Or better yet just kill her so I don’t have to put up with her whining anymore.”
 
Alpha nodded, with a cackle to match his malevolent smirk, and unfolded his arms to reveal a small white duel shield concealed inside them, activating it with an elegant flick of a gloved hand. Erin scowled as she did the same. She’d got one of them, now she’d make him pay for what he did. As they stared off, Demon used their distraction to look up at the edge of the crater above and spot the patrolling guards that were stationed. With a swish of his hand, both instantly fell asleep. Awkward witnesses dealt with, he turned his attention back to this grudge match as they both drew. ‘This should be interesting...’

 

“Duel!”

 
“This shall be highly entertaining” Alpha chuckled as he drew his sixth card to commence the duel with. “So tell me Miss Erin, you look quite enraged. And this is because of something I have done?”
 
“Six months ago, Dorian and I fought against the duel monster princesses Pikeru and Curran. They spoke about some friends who had bestowed them with gifts of enhanced power, new cards, and their ticking time bomb servants” Erin explained, pointing at him accusingly. “Then at the party, I saw you and your partner using the same dragons that they did, and they had the same physical effect on the building duel monsters shouldn’t normally have, but that the fake monsters said servants created also had. I knew then it was you who’d poisoned them. You’re responsible for everything I’ve had to go through since then. And you’re responsible for the fact Dorian has been captured by Tessera and is under his control.”
 
Her knuckles crackled. “Everything you’ve done... I’ll make you pay for it all.”
 
She wasn’t expecting him to be sorry. She didn’t want to hear an apology. And she didn’t get one. Alpha merely just kept up with the insane chuckling.
 
“Oh my dear, you make a fantastic speech. Such drama. Such passion. Yes, I am the villain of that piece you speak of. Those brats were completely useless, but it was a worthwhile experiment. But your act of shifting the blame onto me and my partner seems to lack conviction, desperate even. As if you’re trying to remove it from another...”
 
“Shut up and move” Erin interrupted. “I want to bury you already.”
 
“Heh heh, very well” Alpha smirked and revealed a spell. “I’ll start by activating the Cards from the Sky spell card. By banishing one Light attribute, fairy type monster from my hand, I can draw two cards.”
 
‘So, a Light deck’ Erin thought to herself as he performed the exchange. She was expecting as much. She looked at her hand. With all these new cards she’d included, plus a few more... Gears started turning in her mind. ‘I know where you’re going with this you bastard, and if you do, I’m swear I’ll make you suffer.’
 
Alpha had paused and was studying his hand as hard as she was. It seemed whatever he was going for; he hadn’t got the materials yet.
 
“I set one monster in defence, followed by three set cards” he declared, the backs of four reversed cards appearing in two rows in quick succession. Then he revealed another spell. “Then I activate a spell card I drew called Gold Sarcophagus. This card allows me to banish any card in my deck from play. Then, during my second standby phase after activation, the removed card is placed into my hand.”
 
‘He can add any card to his hand in two turns?’ she thought, as the illusion of a gold coffin with a large eye emblazed on it appeared, the lid open. The masked man pulled out a card and revealed it to her, she was entitled to know what the card was, but she was frustrated to see nothing but a glistening white light emanating from it, shrouding its identity from her. The card left Alpha’s hand, floated into the sarcophagus which then closed, and disappeared. The whole process made her scowl, but beneath the anger, something seemed very wrong about this. ‘Cheating con artist. What the hell did he just put in that thing? Well, whatever it was, if I beat him before he gets it, then I should be fine.’
 
Whether in response to her anger or underlying edginess, Alpha was just as theatrical. “With that I end my turn. So then, we move past the opening scene, and into the real show. I do so hope it’s a good one.”
 
“Oh yeah, it’s a real all-star production freak show” she retorted. “Draw!” ‘Hmm... this will help.’
 
“There are four cards on your side of the field, and none on mine” she stated, revealing a high level monster. “Because you have four more cards on the field than me, I can special summon this monster to tear you apart. Medium of the Ice Barrier, ice him over!”
 
From the snowy portal emerged an elegant young woman with long aqua hair and piercing eyes, in a flowing blue dress. Her empty hands open and spread wide as she chanted in song like a siren, the gold necklaces adorned with the ice barrier symbol pulsing with a soft glow (Lv7, ATK 2200). Erin smirked.
 
“Medium’s other effect. As long as she is face-up on the field, you can only activate a limit of one spell or trap card during each turn. Also, since I control a Water monster now, I can special summon from my hand a monster called Silent Angler.” An ugly and very toothy fish swam out of its portal (Lv4, ATK 800). “Although because I used this effect, I can’t special summon from my hand anymore this turn. Not that I need to of course. I normal summon the level two tuner monster Plaguespreader Zombie, and tune it with my level four Silent Angler. Synchro Summon!”
 
The decrepit maggot riddled zombie appeared briefly (Lv2, ATK 400), before taking off after the angler fish to initiate the Synchro process. Demon and his masked cohort looked up expectantly at the snowy portal, and both reacted in surprise as a savage, animal roar came through. The portal shattered, as through leapt an enormous white tiger! A brutal and muscular creature, but something about its shaggy mane or its face belied an experience or wisdom within the beast. Gold and black armour protected its vital areas, but left plenty of room for agility to slash with those mighty paws as the beast king reared and howled above Erin. “Bow down before Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier!” (Lv6, ATK 2000)
 
“Dewloren?” Alpha could not give away his surprise in his face like Demon had, but his voice was no longer so mocking and now a more distrustful tone. “You summoned him and not Brionac?”
 
Now it was Erin’s turn to smirk and do the dark cackling as she mimicked Alpha’s earlier actions. Her eyes flashed dangerously. “That’s right. You’ll see why soon...” Alpha growled behind his mask at her vague threat, as she reached up towards her monsters. “Medium, obliterate his face down!”
 
The icy siren duly obliged, raising an icy pillar with a high pitched shriek right up through the reversed card. It flipped over, and for a moment a warrior in pitch black armour and carrying a large shield could be seen inside the column of ice (Lv3, DEF 1100). The column, and the monster inside, shattered and disappeared, but when nothing activated Erin paid it little more attention as she roared to the tiger. “Now you’re wide open. Dewloren, tear him to pieces!”
 
Alpha ducked beneath his shield as with a savage roar the tiger king lunged from him. The tackle and slash knocked him down with a heavy grunt, and left him scrambling to ensure his mask was still on (LP 2000). “Get up!” Erin shouted at him. “That’s was only the first attack. I’m not done with you yet!”
 
“Ha, who says I was done either?” Alpha cackled. “Trap activate, Damage Condenser. Thanks to your powerful attack, I can discard one card from my hand, and then special summon any monster from my deck whose attack points are equal to or lower than that shot of two thousand damage. Many thanks.”
 
“Bah, summon whatever the hell you want. I’ll crush it whatever it is!” Erin retorted.
 
As it was, the monster that emerged was not that close to the limit. She watched as a winged warrior with a white dress and angels wings appeared, unarmed and seemingly harmless (Lv3, ATK 1500). “I summon the tuner monster Chaos-End Master using Damage Condenser’s effect” Alpha stated.
 
‘A tuner monster? So he is going to go for it’ Erin thought as she restudied her hand. ‘I see. Well in this case...’ “Fine, whatever. I set two cards and end my turn. And remember, with Medium on the field, you can still only use one spell or trap per turn, so you can’t use anything in response in your end phase.”
 
“I wouldn’t dream of it” Alpha replied mockingly as he drew. His draw wasn’t particularly brilliant, but then he did not require it to be. He already had everything he needed, or at least in the sarcophagus of gold already on the way. ‘What a smug little child’ he thought to himself. ‘Do you honestly think you have me pinned down with that weak monster? I know Master Demon has seen something about you, but I don’t. Not during that tag duel against the brats, not at Tessera’s mansion, and even less so now. Perhaps you have a little ability I don’t see like my master does, but little else. You are haughty, arrogant, and sloppy. And in your anger, you have given me everything I needed...’
 
“I may be restricted in what I can activate at the moment, but I still have my methods. What kind of show would it be without the odd trick? The card I discarded for Damage Condenser was the monster A/D Changer, whose effect can be activated from the graveyard. By banishing it from play, the battle position of one monster on the field is changed.”

Erin flinched as the tiger king was forced to kneel with a low growl (DEF 1400). Now it was weaker than that tuner sure, but... “Now Chaos End Master! Attack that little kitty!”
 
The tiger howled as it was destroyed by a blast of light that Erin refused to shield her eyes to.
 
“Now the effect of Chaos-End Master activates” Alpha cackled. “When it successfully destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the graveyard, I can special summon a level five or higher monster from my deck whose attack points are sixteen hundred or lower.  I summon Sphere of Chaos!” A large ball of dark metal with glowing orbs appeared beside the warrior, facing the stronger Medium (Lv5, ATK 1600).
 
“While it is on the field, Sphere of Chaos is considered to be a Light monster in addition to its original Dark attribute” the masked man declared with delight, making Erin frown, and from the sidelines his master Demon, watching cautiously, nodded. “Now I activate the trap card Urgent Tuning! This lets me tune monsters together for a Synchro Summon right in the middle of the battle phase. So watch Miss Erin, and drown in the despair of your heart as your nightmares return to haunt you! I’ll tune Chaos End Master with Sphere of Chaos, treated as a light monster. Synchro Summon!”
 
Erin knew what was coming. That’s why she wasn’t afraid. She knew it would. And she wanted it to. Just like before the holy white dragon with angel wings and gold armour floated down before her, basking in light and snapping its jaws at her. Light End Dragon, the bane of her nightmares. Only difference this time was that she was facing it alone, and it was in the hands of its true master and not the apprentice (Lv8, ATK 2600). As she watched it land, her fingers flexed and stretched. She was prepared.
 
‘Hello again, murderer. Don’t think I’m going to forgive you either.’
 
“It’s still the battle phase” Alpha reminded her. “Light End Dragon attacks Medium, and in case you’ve forgotten in your addled grief, this is when her effect activates. Her attack and defence are lowered by five hundred at attack declaration, and then its opponents strength drops by fifteen hundred.”
 
Erin had to raise her shield this time as blinding light gathered, then erupted from the jaws of the white dragon towards the weakened siren (ATK 2100/700). She was gone in an instant, and Erin had to grit her teeth as the beam of light swept over her and knocked her down, much more forcefully than it should have done. She emerged breathless and glaring maliciously at her opponent, but little else (LP 2600).
 
“I end my turn” Alpha said smugly. “So what will you do now girl? You must realise that my Light End Dragon is... special, shall we say? Thanks to my magic, she will rip you apart if given the chance. Can you face your nightmare without your friend to hold your hand and carry you to safety? Or is your attempt at revenge just pitiful words?” ‘Heh heh, and she’s not the only monster I have who can do that...’
 
Erin continued to glare at him as she got off her knee and drew in silence, sneaking a sideways look at her card. She knew that card was tampered with, but she also knew she needed just two pieces to complete her plan, and looking at it she nodded, as Premature Burial was one of them. Just one left...
 
“Continuous spell card; Card of Safe Return” she declared icily. “While this spell card is in play, each time a monster is summoned from my graveyard, I get to draw one card. So with that in mind, and by paying eight hundred life points, I’ll activate Premature Burial, to call back Dewloren from the dead, and draw one card.” Ignoring the purple aura that engulfed her (LP 1800); she snatched at her deck in a wide arc, and tipped the spell she’d drawn in to play. ‘Aw, thank you...’
 
Demon frowned as her expression darkened, as she smirked wickedly at his white magician.
 
“I activate the effect of Dewloren. By returning the two face-up spells on my field to my hand, its attack is raised by five hundred for each. And this also means it is no longer attached to Premature Burial, as it would only be destroyed if the spell is destroyed.” (ATK 3000)
 
“Grr, so you’re going to reactivate it to summon another monster?” Alpha asked irritably. “But thanks to her effect, your Dewloren still cannot touch Light End Dragon even with its increased strength.”
 
He might have been expecting her to tremble in fear at this. Instead she just kept her dark smile up, and her eyes flashed dangerously.
 
“Wrong. And wrong. I reactivate Card of Safe Return, and then I activate the effect of Plaguespreader Zombie in my graveyard. By returning one card in my hand to my deck, it summons itself from the grave, although it will be banished when it leaves the field. However thanks to Card of Safe Return, that card is re-added.” The shuffling zombie hauled itself out of the fiery portal, as Erin revealed the redrawn spell.
 
“Then I activate Falling Current. This lets me change the level of a monster on my field to one, two, or three. I’ll use this to make Dewloren a level three monster...” It might have just been Demon, but the grim weather overhead seemed to take a turn for the worse as the tiger’s level suddenly halved (Lv3). This was a ridiculous and utterly pointless move, unless... Across the field Alpha seemed baffled, he could tell, as Erin raised her arms to the dark heavens above her, chuckling in a slightly disturbing way. “And now it is time. I tune the Dark tuner monster Plaguespreader Zombie, with the beast type monster Dewloren, to Synchro Summon... your demise...”
 
Alpha wasn’t capable of facial expression, but if him taking a step back was anything to go by, he was worried by her behaviour as the two monsters joined forces, and a wind whipped up in the crater around them. Something was coming, and it wasn’t good, as something appeared above the rapidly out of control Erin. “Descend my dark avenger. Tremble before the might... of Frozen Fitzgerald!”
 
Ever since she’d received her deck, she’d always had this monster, but had never been able to summon him. Never been able to unleash him. Until now. The portal burst, and from it descended a horror of ice. A masked fiend with wings, scythe like claws and a long tail of solid slabs of ice, it adopted the pose of a dark, destroying angel (Lv5, ATK 2500). Beneath it, Erin laughed at the sorcerer in white.
 
“Fitzgerald! Attack Light End Dragon!”
 
“What?!” both men shouted in surprise as razor like shards of ice erupted from the fiend’s wings. Alpha regained his senses first. “You fool! Light End Dragon’s effect activates, reducing both of their attacks so that Fitzgerald merely commits suicide!” The dragon reacted just in time to cripple both of them (ATK 1600/1000), then defending itself with its feathered wings to block the hailstorm, before unleashing its counterattack. Fitzgerald was blown apart by the beam of light, and Erin sent skidding backwards from the weaker blast (LP 1200). But unbelievably, she emerged laughing hysterically like she was mad.
 
“Frozen Fitzgerald’s effect activates! When it is destroyed by battle, by discarding one card from my hand, it is reborn in defence mode. However, by activating my face down ‘All Out Attacks’, it will come back in attack mode instead.” The ground opened up, and the masked demon returned from its hell, its attack points restored and ready (ATK 2500). “And because it’s been summoned from the graveyard, Card of Safe Return lets me draw another card, giving me something to discard for when I do this again, since my monster also prevents any spells or traps from being activated when it attacks! Fitzgerald, go!”
 
“Have you lost your mind?” Alpha snapped, but he was clearly anxious now. His remaining set card was My Body as a Shield anyway; a card placed to prevent any attempt to destroy his dragon by effects. He had been certain it would not come under this kind of sustained assault! “Bah, Light End Dragon!”
 
Once more the process was run through, although the white dragon was visibly sagging with its fading energy now (ATK 1100/1000). This time it barely held the ice demon off, its wings torn and its bloodied body pierced by the razor shards that got through, just about fending it off and defeating it again. Again Erin was sent further back. Even from a glancing blow she emerged clutching her shoulder and bleeding from the lip (LP 1100). She was really wounded, but she didn’t seem to realise or even care! And again she repeated the loop, and again Fitzgerald was resurrected. Only this time, it would prevail (ATK 2500).
 
“Go Fitzgerald! Attack Light End Dragon!”
 
“Damn you... Light End Dragon!”Alpha knew his dragon was going to lose this time. But as both their monsters strengths dipped once more, he still had an ace up his sleeve. ‘You might think this is just about reducing the damage, but you’d be wrong. On my next turn, that demon will be slain...’
 
But...
 
“Ah.... ha ha.... ha... I was hoping you’d do that!” Erin suddenly interrupted his thoughts and made him jump, as her other set card was revealed. “My other face down activates, Shield Spear. This increases the attack and defence of a monster on the field by four hundred.”
 
“But... but... that’s a nonsensical move?” Alpha spluttered. “You’d do a little more damage, but it is so minimal... what’s the...?”
 
He realised the point too late. On the sidelines, Demon had already seen it. Fitzgerald was not the target of the effect. It was the dragon’s strength that was raised slightly at the last moment (ATK 1000), and both monsters attacks were tied. Both master and servant had to shield their eyes as both exploded simultaneously. When they could see again, only Erin remained. Arms folded, smirking darkly...
 
... and then the hellish portal opened once more, and the ice demon returned one last time.
 
“Any last words?” she asked sadistically. Alpha stuttered something inaudible in disbelief, but little else. She screamed over him anyway. “Finish him Frozen Fitzgerald! Finish him with all your furious might!”
 
Alpha hit the floor in a shower of razor hail, thoroughly defeated (LP 0). Sitting up rubbing his head, he realised in alarm his mask was slightly askew. Before he had chance to adjust it though, a weight crashed into him and knocked him back down. Erin had thrown herself on top of him, grabbing him by the scruff of his robes and holding a shaking fist back to drive into his face.
 
“Let’s see just how ugly you are under that wretched mask!” she swore, reaching to remove it.
 
“My dear, unless you have any regard left for your remaining sanity, I strongly suggest that you do not do that” Alpha drawled, making her flinch. He made no attempt to stop her, and neither did Demon, who just watched as his healer laid back and waited for her. His mask was pushed slightly upwards, revealing not much of a very unremarkable chin. There was nothing to stop her pulling the mask off and driving her fist into his face, until she got what she wanted and reduced it to a bloody hole. But he just lay there, so calmly looking up at her while those menacing words lingered... daring her to do it.
 
With a scowl she stood up and pulled him up after her. Alpha was tall, taller than Demon by an inch, but he didn’t weigh much with his thin frame. The sorcerer didn’t comment, merely nonchalantly dusted his ruined robes off and readjusted his mask. Instead she rounded on Demon. “Alright, now the dark one!”
 
Demon just stood as he was and shook his head. “Damn it, why not?!”
 
“Because I said I owe you one, not two. Because only Alpha was here with me and I don’t just have them on call from anywhere in the Empire at all times. And because I’ve had enough of you. Alpha!”
 
The masked man growled at Erin, but did as he was told; creating a portal for him to step into. Evidently finished Demon went to follow him, but turned to face her, looking her over disdainfully as she clutched her shoulder and wiped the blood off her lip. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth, you know that?”
 
“Yeah well f*** you too!” she snapped at him as he stepped through and the portal closed behind him, leaving her on her own. It was only when they left, and as the first spots of rain started to fall against her skin, that she looked around and remembered she was stood in the centre of a steep bowl. And no wonder they had left in that fashion, as there was no ladder in sight to get out with.
 
‘Oh... damn it. I hate that jerk!’[/spoiler]

 

As no doubt some of you (especially those who haven't read or haven't recently re-read the original Armageddon) will find one or two of the things that happened in this or some of the cards included in the duel... odd; if anyone wants to know more about the content of this or has questions please feel free to ask?

 

Also, enjoy short chapters while they're short. They don't go up by... much, actually they're fairly consistent. But they do get a bit longer and certainly compared to Chapters 1-10. But that's probably to be expected.

[Ren✧]

Just read the chapter, sorry it took me so long, and you'll be happy to hear that I thoroughly loved the chapter. Seeing Camilla decide to cooperate with the Resistance makes me happy, as I assume she will get some more screen time because of it. Everything leading up to Erin's visit with Demon I found neither especially good or bad, but it held my interest to get me to the real highlight of the chapter, imo. Seeing Demon and Erin confront one another was done very well.

 

I like how you have switched Demon's attitude towards Erin from being a fanciful recruiter to an annoyed puppetmaster. Truly, their dialogue was written quite masterfully and I enjoyed the back and forth of the conversation. 

 

The duel was quite possibly my favorite so far. Watching Erin delve into hard dark side to draw power has gone pretty much unseen so far. Although,  I find Plaguespreader to be an odd choice for her deck, it just doesn't fit with the flavor we have seen so far, but I realize that you have limited options when it comes to the move you were attempting to pull off. The combo, by the way, was very cool to watch come together.

 

Overall, I really did enjoy this chapter, although, slightly wish that she had killed Alpha, but I suppose that was done for continuity purposes. 

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

Just read the chapter, sorry it took me so long, and you'll be happy to hear that I thoroughly loved the chapter. Seeing Camilla decide to cooperate with the Resistance makes me happy, as I assume she will get some more screen time because of it. Everything leading up to Erin's visit with Demon I found neither especially good or bad, but it held my interest to get me to the real highlight of the chapter, imo. Seeing Demon and Erin confront one another was done very well.

 

I like how you have switched Demon's attitude towards Erin from being a fanciful recruiter to an annoyed puppetmaster. Truly, their dialogue was written quite masterfully and I enjoyed the back and forth of the conversation. 

 

The duel was quite possibly my favorite so far. Watching Erin delve into hard dark side to draw power has gone pretty much unseen so far. Although,  I find Plaguespreader to be an odd choice for her deck, it just doesn't fit with the flavor we have seen so far, but I realize that you have limited options when it comes to the move you were attempting to pull off. The combo, by the way, was very cool to watch come together.

 

Overall, I really did enjoy this chapter, although, slightly wish that she had killed Alpha, but I suppose that was done for continuity purposes. 

 

That's good. Glad it largely went off alright as an opener for someone.

 

This... actually isn't the first time Erin has let out her darker side and unleashed Fitzgerald in such a way. Except... it is. No wait... hang on...? :huh:

 

On a similar note, out of the seven main deck cards to debut here, Plaguespreader was actually the only one that was from her original Armageddon deck (not that it fitted really there either. I think it was because of Fitzgerald again actually, tuning it with Blizzard Lizard. Goddamn dark Synchros and their tricky and usually weird requirements.) I was expecting abuse for Cards of Safe Return's use, but I liked the idea of an attack loop.

 

And yes, that would have made things awkward :D

 

...

 

Tbh though, I found it a little embarrassing to see the word 'truly masterful' written in connection to this story (no offence). Partly because I don't feel like I deserve it at the moment. And partly because this is where I fear things are about to take a turn. Whether its for better or for worse, or split, I dunno. (Although if you enjoy jerk-mode Demon, there's plenty more to look forward to).

 

Not happy with the title of this chapter, although I wanted it to be one at somepoint. Other working titles that may have fitted include 'The Make or Break', or maybe 'The Fifty Shades of Black'. Or possibly even 'The s*** hits the Fan'. No spoilers for what's coming I hope. Well, insert whatever feels right for you here when you've read it...

 

[spoiler=Chapter 26]Chapter 26: The Archer

 

Later that evening - having managed to get out of the basin of Tessera’s missing mansion - Erin was sat at the far end of the Resistance HQ, hidden away from the main function rooms by the far training field, sitting on the paths edge and watching the water flowing beneath her. The water that ran out of these underground caverns and was pumped up to the city where it would be used, then siphoned away into gutters along with the rain and snow, fall into the purifying canals, and back around again in a cycle. It was a clever system, implemented back when Nero was a fairer ruler to improve the system that had been put in place ages ago. There might have been something in that knowledge too, metaphorically, in this cycle. For some watching the water flowing steadily in this section may have been peaceful.  All she saw in the river were the reflections of those who had also gone away and come back to haunt her.

 

‘Dorian. He’s working for Tessera now. I don’t know why he would do such a thing. But whatever the reason, he was prepared to kill me for it. He killed Alex for it. So... is that it then? Do I have to accept that Dorian is an enemy now?’

 

She rocked back and forth as she thought about that. It was an awful prospect. But what else could she do? Dorian was working for Tessera. Perhaps he was being controlled by him. But when they fought, he looked and acted like he was under his own free will. Had he been affected in some other way then? Or was she just trying to make excuses and reasons to deny the truth, and refuse to accept what she must.

 

‘We have to stop Tessera, that much is certain. He’s a danger to everyone; his intentions are clear on that much. Even if he acts against the Empire too, he’s too much of a loose cannon to leave unchecked. Maybe... is that why Dorian is doing this? Are they siding together to fight against the Empire?’

 

It was possible. But somehow that didn’t seem quite right either. She thought about it more as she sat, but her thoughts became more and more jumbled and wilder with each possibility, and her head began to hurt. ‘If he just wants to do something to bring down the Empire, why doesn’t he just come back here? Back to his home and his family like he called us? Come back... to me?’ She hastily wiped her eyes before they could well up and cursed herself. ‘This is going to drive me insane. That is... if I wasn’t already...’

 

She rocked back and forward some more. This... this all hurt too much. She had to do something to try and make it stop hurting. There was only one thing she could do.

 

‘I have to move on from Dorian, and try to forget him. I have to look at him as the enemy now. Until I know what happened to him, and unless something can be done to make him see sense and come back to us, I have to see him as the enemy that has to be stopped from whatever terrible thing it is they are trying to do and kill all those people for.’

 

She had a horrible thought then about if Dorian had been present amongst Tessera’s force of servants the night of the masquerade ball. If he had been one of those leading the massacre. It made her shiver.

 

‘I had feelings for Dorian. I don’t know what it was, but I felt... something for him. Something I’m not sure I understand. But I do know he felt something for me too, I know he did. But he doesn’t feel it now.’

 

‘So I can’t either...’

 

As Erin sat curled up in her little ball by the water’s edge, someone was watching her. Further on where the canal and path curved away from the far duel field she was sat across from, Aerial peeked his head round the supporting pillar. He’d been there a few minutes, trying to make up his mind as to whether to go over or not. Erin had been reluctant to talk yesterday. This morning she’d dropped Mel on him before going out. To do what he didn’t know, and it wasn’t his business. He fiddled with his braids nervously as he dilly-dallied; but she seemed in no rush to move as she sat lost in her thoughts. What was she thinking? He wanted to know. Whatever it was, it looked awful troubling, and he wanted her to talk to him about it, so that he could help. Maybe...

 

He made his mind up, and walked over.

 

Erin paid little attention to the person who sat beside her and dangled their legs over the side. They gave her a moment before he broke the silence, only then she acknowledged it was the young boy she’d spent those early operations with as two parts of a trio. “I’m glad you’re getting out of your room now” he said. (‘No, forget about those times Erin. That trio is gone now.’) “Are you feeling any better?”

 

“Hi Aerial” she sighed. “No, not really.”

 

“Anything I can do to help?”

 

“I don’t think so...” she shrugged. “But... thank you. For offering.”

 

“Hey, it’s fine. I really do want to do anything to help you” he replied, not sure whether to be happy or concerned or what around her. “So would any of the others. We’re all friends down here, and I... well, you know. We’ve both been here the longest now given... events. So we gotta look after...”

 

Aerial carried on talking, but Erin wasn’t listening so much. She was looking at Aerial and thinking about something else. ‘You’re so sweet Aerial. You’re always trying to help and look after me. And Mel too lately. Ever since I met you, you’ve done so much for us.’ (“We’re all going to stick together and get through stuff, y’know? Beat the Empire, get rid of Nero, and all that. One day we’re gonna do it.”)

 

‘Even before I met you, the day I fought Gaius and Camilla when they came for us. You saved my life that day. I can never thank you enough for helping me back then. And yet I never do anything for you. You’re always so positive, and so shy, and so pure.’ She turned her head and watched Aerial continue to talk about working together in a fashion that started going round in circles in a nervous way, but he meant well. Aerial always meant for the best, even if things didn’t always work out for him. He kept getting up and trying again. He was kind of admirable for that. And as she looked at him talking now, she thought that, she had never noticed before, but he was also... sort of cute. ‘Hey... wait a minute.’

 

“Aerial, what do you think about me?”

 

Aerial jolted and stuttered mid-ramble and went bright red as she suddenly sprung a question on him that he wasn’t expecting. One he had no idea how to react to. “Er... um... er, what do you mean Erin?”

 

“It’s just... you always seem so shy and nervous when we’re hanging out. It’s like you go into your shell a little bit, maybe. Do you... do you think about me?”

 

“Um... well, I...” he stuttered rapidly, now feeling very awkward under the gaze of her piercing blue eyes that were focusing right on him. “Well... maybe a little? Oh! I’m sorry Erin. Please don’t think I’m weird. I just... you know, ever since I’ve met you, you seemed really nice. But with stuff that’s happened and you having stuff happen to you I thought you might like to talk because I was worried about you and I don’t like seeing you sad and...”

 

He got more frantic and tangled the more he tried to dig himself out of it. Erin watched him in a kind of daze, as thoughts wandered around her mind. ‘He was worried about me? All this time he’s been really worried about how I’m feeling, and been too nervous to say. And I never noticed how he felt at all...’

 

The glazed over way she was looking at him with made Aerial feel uncomfortable. He thought she was about to erupt. He made to get up. “Um, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe I should go...”

 

He was half on his feet when it suddenly happened. Before Aerial could react Erin had grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back down into her, took barely a second to think about what she was doing, before pressing her lips right into his and kissing him. It was with raw, unpractised instinct, but quite deep and long. His entire body shut down in her kiss, going limp as she almost entirely propped him up by the scruff of his shirt against her, and he couldn’t believe what was going on. He didn’t do anything. And she was still kissing him! His dreams were coming true, but now? And how? Suddenly Erin opened her eyes and broke her lips away from his, leaving them both panting and slightly staggered.

 

“Erin? I...”

 

“No.” He flinched in panic as she shook her head, troubled by something. “It doesn’t feel right.”

 

“Um... didn’t it? Erm... maybe if I?”

 

With no idea what he was doing he leaned in and kissed her in similar first time, nervous uncertainty. She kissed him back and put her hand around the back of his head to hold him in, but she broke off again, a little more quickly this time. Again she shook her head.

 

“No, something doesn’t fell right. Wait, let me try...”

 

Again before he could react in his complete bewilderment Erin pushed Aerial on his back, and suddenly she was sat on top of him astride his hips! Stammering he tried uselessly to say something, getting little more than “Erin, what are you...?” out as she awkwardly tried to pull his shirt up, revealing his modest and not at all spectacular pale little chest before pinning him by his shoulders, lying on top of him and pressing her breast against his bare torso with his shirt up around his neck, and kissed him in this very forced fashion again. Still feeling nothing, she tried more frantically with her efforts as he let her do what she wanted unimpeded. But still...

 

Suddenly she sat up, breathless and worried looking. “I’m sorry. This isn’t working isn’t it?”

 

“Er...” was the only response he could manage. It seemed her mind was made up for him though, as Erin scrambled off of him, stood up and pulled him up after her, hastily readjusting his shirt and frantically apologising. “Oh, I’m so sorry Aerial. I shouldn’t have done that. That wasn’t fair. I should... I should go.”

 

And before he could get a word out or stop her she turned and bolted, covering her face as she ran out of sight. Leaving him instead to be the one to slump down where she had been sat, feeling absolutely bewildered by what had happened and try to pick over his feelings about it.

 

...

 

Meanwhile, in the black castle high in a mountain range in the very heart of the Empire, Demon lay deep in thought. His bedroom was circular and not all that inviting. In fact it was fairly macabre; with blood red candles in skull brackets glowing endlessly to provide lighting, and with the open tunnel that led deep into the cavern with the arch behind it, it wasn’t exactly warm in here either. The candlelight made long shadows out of his modest furniture; the old wooden bookcase, his workbench, a set of drawers, a locked cabinet, and his bed which he lay in now. He was laid on his back and shirtless; exposing a range of demonic black tattoos that were inscribed symmetrically across his shoulders, and also ran down his upper arms and back. They clashed so harshly against the sickly pale skin of his body that, without his apparel and cloak, was thin for a fully grown man. Naked he looked nothing more than ordinary, even frail. Certainly not like the others. Eyes closed and head resting propped up against his fingers, pressing into his temple, he tried to think. But he couldn’t concentrate.

 

The bedcovers shifted further down, and from underneath them emerged a tangled mess of long dirty blonde hair, which with a huff and puff was pulled out of the way to reveal a pair of pitch black eyes, reddened skin tinted green around the pronounced veins, and a twisted smirk.

 

“You know my Lord; this would be a lot more fun if you actually participated” Urusula simpered, as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and pressed against him, her face an inch away from his.

 

Demon shrugged and turned his head before she could suffocate him. Urusula was a simple creature of desire and temptation. She would only do what she desired, or came with the promise of fulfilling her desires, and she seemed to only enjoy three things in life. Killing people. Torturing people. And having sex. Not with just anyone though. She would only share a bed with those she thought would satisfy her, and here in this castle the only person acceptable to her was him. And given that he was still just a man, who still suffered from the same desires as other weaker men from time to time, he did not object to her. They weren’t a couple, and they certainly weren’t in love. They just fulfilled each other’s needs and slept together occasionally, usually at her instigating. He was also aware that Urusula had been married once. Had even had a child. But she avoided discussing this at all costs. She had left them behind on her terms; first to join the Extermination Squad, and then to join his group. They were her past, and she was determined to keep it that way. She was devoted to him and his cause. She told him constantly that he was the only one who could give her what she needed. In killing. In the promise of paradise. And in bed.

 

“Can’t stop thinking about things” he muttered, clearly in a bad mood. “You know; about this whole thing with Tessera, and with what happened today with that Resistance girl. And stop calling me Lord.”

 

“Ugh, well nothing did happen with her” Urusula grumbled, biting Demon’s neck and forcing her legs under his back, which resulted in a similar response. “At least I hope it didn’t. You need to relax and forget about all that for now. I’ll take your mind off things.”

 

“Look Urs, I’m really not in the mood.”

 

The matter wasn’t up for debate. Urusula scowled and flopped against him, incredulous that he could think about anything other than what was lying right on top of him. “Look, you’re going to find Tessera. You’ve never doubted yourself before. You will find him. And then we’re going to kill him together. Just like everyone else, as your dream is realised and we all ascend into your utopia. Where all the pain and the stigma against us will go away. Where we don’t have to live in fear and as outcasts anymore. You’re the most brilliant man to ever live, and I’ll be right by your side when everyone else sees that.” Demon sighed and rolled his eyes at her incessant praise. “He is nothing on you. You will crush Tessera. And the Resistance. And Nero, and anyone else who opposes you. But for now, you have me... right here...”

 

He still seemed reluctant, but she smirked wickedly. She knew what would cheer him up. Releasing him from her embrace and rolling off to the opposite side, she began fiddling with something out of his sight for a moment. Everything she had mentioned weighed on his mind, and he couldn’t shake them off.

 

There was a chink, and then he felt Urusula’s arm slide underneath his neck and up past him, followed by a second chink. When he turned over, she was laid on her back next to him, with her eyes closed and a playful smile on her face. “Well, go on then, do whatever you want. I’m all yours my Lord.”

 

“........... I’m going for a walk.”

 

“Er, what?”

 

Her eyes snapped open to see Demon getting up and sitting with his back to her, pulling his trousers on. It took her a moment to speak. She tried to get up to stop him, but she couldn’t. “You... wait? What?”

 

“Sorry. I need to get some air and think about things. I need time. I’ll be back in a while.”

 

“A while?” she yelled incredulously as he got up, stretched his back, and went for the door leading back into the rest of the castle. “Wait! You can’t do this to me! You can’t leave me like this! What if someone comes in here, like Gear or the masked freaks? Hell, what if your dad comes in and finds me like this?!”

 

“What? No-one’s going to come in here. Besides, you’re hardly defenceless. I’ll be back in a while” he said carelessly, and ignoring her barrage of abuse threw his overcoat on without bothering with a shirt or anything, and made his way outside. Leaving her flopped in his bed, completely stuck, and seething.

 

“Grrrrrrr! Men!”

 

...

 

“Bwahahahahahahahaha!”

 

Alpha stood in silence as his shorter, darker compatriot continued to laugh at him in deep dark bellyfuls. It was unusual for Omega to laugh so freely like this, but learning of his defeat at the hands of the pretty and vulnerable little rebel girl caused much hilarity. As it had also done for two of the others before him.

 

“Do you mind?”

 

“Mwahahaha... ahahaha... haha...” Omega was near doubled over, clutching his stomach and struggling to speak, so breathless and wheezy between guffaws. “You... you lost a duel to her? Mwahaha... how on earth did you... How on earth did you manage that with our decks and the cards we have access to?”

 

“Believe me; I had everything set to summon him on my next turn when he came to my hand. I would not have lost that turn, had she not fortuitously draw her revival spell.” Alpha insisted haughtily. He was adamant about that. ‘If that card been added to my hand... there is no way she’d have survived him...’ “Will you knock it off already? I expect this from Urusula and the impudent boy, but not you who has seen her first hand, and who knows how our Master believes in her potential. Damn it, stop laughing!”

 

He didn’t, at first. As the pair continued to face each other, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed up from the stairs behind them. Omega saw her first, and his chuckling slowly stopped as the towering bulk of the female wrapped entirely in dark blood cloth stood behind the shoulder of the sorcerer in white as he spun around. The cloth wrapped around the face under the low hood shifted slightly.

 

“Demon... is upstairs” Somorrakh started slowly in her low rusty voice. “You two are to go see him. He wants to talk about this new enemy who works with Tessera. Now...”

 

Both men shuddered and exchanged a nervous glance at the order. Omega wasn’t laughing now. They nodded to the taller figure and disappeared, leaving her alone in the dark corridor.

 

...

 

Several arrows thudded into their respective targets in quick succession, and Aerial turned to Nataka to see if he’d passed. The samurai elder looked most impressed.

 

“I don’t doubt that your archery is back up to its impeccable standard” the warrior said as he studied his clipboard, although it wasn’t an unkindly remark. “Your fitness and strength are good, swordsmanship is better than it was, and you do seem much happier than you were before, and a lot more focused now.”

 

Aerial gulped and refrained from comment as the warrior continued to check through everything. On the inside though, he was all butterflies and knots in places he didn’t realise you could get them. His senior looked up with a small smile. “I’d say you are almost ready to return to full active duties Aerial, although of course it is only a recommendation to Vardus, who will make the final decision. Everything I’ve seen the last few days suggests you are settled again, you’ve been dedicated to training and getting yourself back into shape and have made much improvement. Well done. Only one more challenge...”

 

Aerial gulped again. He knew what that meant. It was the one challenge that during this reassessment of combat readiness he was worried about most. However Nataka seemed in no rush as he checked the time. “I still have to test your duelling ability, which is still a key area for you to work on and prove you are ready to handle operational duties again. However Vardus is expecting me for a meeting, so we will have to postpone it for a couple of hours. But if you show the same level of focus and development as you have done in all these other areas, I see no reason why you won’t pass on that as well.”

 

‘Right. You don’t maybe...’ Aerial thought, but kept it to himself as Nataka gave him another reassuring smile before making his way to his meeting, leaving him to tidy up the training area. As he stacked his bow away and started to retrieve his arrows out of the targets, he watched Hester and one of the other soldiers come out and head towards him for a bit of practise. Tugging his arrows free, he thought about the final challenge to come, trying not to look at the platform further down the waterway with the rack of shields and painted lines all over it.

 

‘Aw man. I have to fight Nataka in a duel? How am I supposed to win that?’ He cursed himself. ‘Well you definitely won’t with that attitude. That’s exactly the doubtful kind of thoughts that made you suffer that major drop off and get pulled out of operations in the first place. The kind they want to see you’re not having any more. The kind you don’t want any more. So man up and give it everything you can to beat him... even if it is impossible... No, stop it!’

 

Berating himself, he put the arrows away and made his way over to the field he’d just been trying to avoid looking at. ‘Oh well, best try and prepare myself.’ Pulling his smaller shield out of the rack, he sat cross-legged and detached the deck from the hub, and scattered his set of cards across the stones into piles of monsters, spells and traps. The monsters were predominately wind attribute and with various support from the latter. Some were of the Mist Valley tribe, although only a few and not enough in this hodgepodge to call them the central axis of a deck. It was at best a random assortment of very mediocre cards. When you could only make the best of what would rarely come your way, there was little scope for improvement. He sighed and muddled through the piles to try to better grasp them.

 

‘I suck at duelling’ he thought, before immediately trying to beat the thought out of his head. Furiously he tried again and shuffled cards into a few combos. But it soon crept back in. ‘I’m not as good as Erin or Dorian are. Those two are awesome duelists. And Alex and Clove were better than me too. They didn’t make the silly mistakes I do, or give up as easily as I did.’

 

He could feel a lump in his throat. Hastily he tried to think of something, but the faces of his deceased friends stuck in his mind. Glumly he accepted them, and thought about the better times, when he had first stumbled his way down here and ended up in the Resistance by a total fluke, and how he was partnered up with Alex and Clove to train for the first time. ‘Clove was harsh, but that helped me get stronger. That was why she did it; to help me so that she had strong allies to fight with too. And Alex was always really supportive. He’d beat me up in training and tease me afterward, but it wasn’t mean at all. Dorian was moody most of the time, but he never put me down at all when I trained with him. He’d just say a little bit of advice, then walk off trying to look all stupid and cool again. At first I thought they were all being jerks and I wouldn’t last down here. But all that time they were just trying to get me to come out of my shell and grow a little really. And I guess they did a bit. We had some good laughs some days, and we had our successes together. And with all the other guys, it was nice. After losing my gran, it was like having a new family again. But now you’re all gone. And if you couldn’t win... what chance have I got of avenging any of you...’

 

He couldn’t stop himself from looking back at the rack he’d sat in front of, and the empty slots where the other shields had once rested. ‘I miss you guys. It’s not the same without you.’

 

He knew Nataka would be a while and would summon him when ready, so he went back to making sure he knew his deck as best he could. Presently he looked up as he heard voices, and saw Erin was making her way down the path to his right, heading outside again. She noticed him looking at her and stopped, sharing an awkward silence over the large gap between them as they looked at each other. But she was called to again, and with an embarrassed and apologetic look she hurried off towards the exit. As soon as she disappeared Melanc came barrelling along the path, huffing and puffing and shouting for her to wait, but she’d already gone. Dejected by her leave, he looked down at Aerial.

 

“She’s gone out again without saying where” he said in a down tone. “Do you know where she goes?”

 

“It’s... not my place to ask” he admitted. Mel looked even more forlorn by this. “Hey Mel, why don’t you come down here and give me a hand with this? If you want to of course.”

 

“Yeah yeah!” The boy suddenly became remarkably enthusiastic at once and, his big sister instantly forgotten, he sprinted down to join him and bounced around with irrepressible happiness as he looked over Aerial’s deck with wonder, constantly asking “Ooh, what’s that?” and “What’s this one do?” so fast Aerial could barely respond. He seemed happy though. As he examined his Birdman tuner monster, Aerial thought to himself in wonder. ‘How can he be so happy? He’s lost his parents too, and Erin is never around him at the moment. Is it just a front like she always puts on, or is just that sort of person who just is naturally happy rather than sad about things. Maybe he’s got the right idea after all...’

 

“Hey Aerial, can I go get my deck and have a duel with you?”

 

“Huh?” Actually, that was a really good idea, given the task ahead. “Yeah, that would be great Mel. I have a big duel against Nataka later I could do with some practise ahead of. It would be a massive help.”

 

The idea of being a massive help seemed to resonate with Mel. He was immediately bounding off to go fetch his deck with such energy Aerial couldn’t help but be staggered by him. It was pretty infectious. The feeling faded though, when it came to thoughts about his older sister, who had disappeared into the city once again. ‘Erin... there must be so much going through your head. Why won’t you let me in?’

 

...

 

Erin didn’t want to be in her head herself, let alone let anyone else in. Having shook Mel and Lavender, who seemed to be pursuing her as much as Aerial did insisting that she confide in her, she had made her way up into the city once again. She had made the impression to the girl that she was heading out to the Royal Palace in the heart of the city. She had heard that Klasse and Kaisa had come out here and were spying for any new information about Tessera’s whereabouts and anything the Emperor had discovered that would lead them to him. That was the hint she had dropped, but that wasn’t her intention. She didn’t want to think about Dorian right now. Or Aerial and her disgraceful use of him, that seeing him just before she’d left had reminded her of. At the moment she just wanted to forget about these things. She had spent all night thinking about Aerial, what an idiot she’d been and how awful she was to him, and she didn’t want to think about it or anything else any more.

 

Before she came to the richer end of town, she turned off and found her way into a seedy old pub. It was dark and dingy, and some of the tables and stools were broken, and it was a thoroughly horrible looking place. Ignoring the man drunk unconscious at the bar, she sat herself down.

 

“You old enough to drink miss?” the bartender, an unshaved man with tattoos and an eye-patch asked.

 

Erin ignored the question, put a coin down on the counter and pointed at a bottle of some clear looking spirit at random. The man shrugged and got a shot counter and her change. As he turned to sort out her drink, the man slumped against the bar woke up. With a groan, his eyes sleepily opened upon Erin.

 

“Uh... well hello darling. You look lonely.”

 

Erin didn’t reply, merely took her change and drink and stared dead ahead of her, away from the man as she necked her drink. She pulled a face as the awful spirit went down her throat, but ordered a second anyway. The bartender grumbled as he took the change back, and the drunk persisted. “If you’re looking for something to cheer you up, you won’t find it in a bottle. Although maybe you might with me...”

 

He reached for Erin’s thigh, but never got there. Erin stood, grabbed the man around the back of his neck and raised her fist still holding her shot glass to drive into his widened panicked eyes...

 

...and was stopped by someone grabbed her wrist from behind!

 

“Whoa there, no need for that. She isn’t alone” someone said calmly over her shoulder. Alarmed, she spun to punch the second creep. However, she was shocked to turn into a face she recognised.

 

“What? Don’t you ever leave me alone?” she hissed at Demon through gritted teeth as he stood behind her looking extremely calm. Another figure stood behind him; someone very tall and their face hidden by their hooded robe. “What are you even doing here?”

 

“Saving you from his two friends that are about to come back out of the gents” he whispered back, then addressed the other two astonished looking men. “I apologise for my associate, I’ll take her home now. Keep the change. Bye bye.”

 

No-one was going to pick a fight with him or his towering ally. With some difficulty given she still trying to glass the drunk, he managed to steer her out the pub and back into daylight. Once it was safe he let her go, and opened himself up to the tirade. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you following me?”

 

“Good job I was” he drawled, his partner keeping their distance. “I was expecting you to be hammering down the Emperor’s door for news about your boyfriend, when I saw you take an ill-advised diversion.”

 

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Erin snapped, sticking to her new philosophy. “And so you are following me.”

 

“Only today” Demon replied sarcastically. “I admit I was looking for you. After our little chance meeting yesterday things have been playing on my mind; what with all the new information you gave me about Tessera and his recent activities. It’s been keeping me up most of the night.” He did indeed look tired as he wandered to his point. “I’ve discovered a few things of my own, but... I... damn it. I need your help.”

 

“Huh?! To do what?” she asked suspiciously as he sighed the last bit. This seemed odd. He didn’t look remotely like he wanted to ask for it either. He grumbled, but forced himself to admit it.

 

“I... need you to introduce me to Vardus. No no, wait. Hear me out” he added quickly and grabbed her again before she could bolt. The towering cloaked figure stepped across her path with surprising agility. “I know. You can’t bring the Emperor’s right hand man into the rebel headquarters. But Vardus doesn’t know I work for him, not as long as you’ve kept your mouth shut. Look, I know you’re holed up underground somewhere anyway. I could just turn up without you. But Vardus won’t exactly be to open listen to me if I do that will he? I need an invite down there with one of his trusted allies.”

 

“Are you insane? I can’t take you to Vardus. How could I possibly explain bringing a stranger down?” she insisted. A muffled growling came from the wraps of cloth and hood of his tall accomplice. “And who is this? Another one of your goons?” she asked.

 

“For your information, she is one of my friends” he insisted as he fought against her wriggling. “Look, stop struggling, I get it. If there was another way I’d take it, I know it could be dangerous if Vardus sees us together. It’s not what I want either.”

 

‘I don’t want to be around you! And you have no idea how dangerous it has been. You have no idea what being near you and the fear of keeping it secret has cost’ Erin thought as a persistent ghost took their moment to remind her as she kept struggling. Demon held firm though.

 

“Look, stop being difficult and listen! I have an idea.”

 

...

 

After a couple of hours and some going backwards and forwards, Erin made her way into the meeting place first to make sure there was nothing suspicious waiting for them, while Vardus waited in the corridor outside. In the last few hours she had returned to the Resistance base and gone to Vardus with a letter that she had been given as instructed. She had no idea what it said; as curious as she was, she was under strict orders not to open it and dared not disobey. Vardus looked at her in a strange way when she handed it to him, saying - again as instructed - that she had been approached by someone as a known member of the Resistance and told to pass this on, and having made sure there was nothing off in terms of the letter being laced or something, with caution he opened it with a knife and took the letter out. He read it quickly, and she watched as his bewilderment turned to a frown. Whatever it said, it meant something. She had expected reluctance and it not to work, but Vardus immediately stood up and asked her to accompany him to the appointed meeting place it had mentioned.

 

The place was a hotel in the upper end of town. Having scouted it relentlessly for an ambush, Vardus sent her in first, and when she came back with the first all clear, he followed her inside. A room had been hired for the meeting; it was comfortable if not luxurious. But there was an obvious tension in the air. The tall cloaked figure who she still hadn’t been introduced to properly yet sat in an armchair in the corner, arms folded and detached from proceedings, whereas her... (She shook. What was she thinking? Her nothing!) sat patiently on the bed and smiled at her, completely unperturbed by their earlier confrontation. He didn’t say anything, making her feel even more nervous about what was about to happen. Not that she had any idea what would. Well, too late to back out now. With a gulp she backed into the corner closest to the door and called Vardus in. At once he entered and shut the door behind him, ignoring everything and staring straight at the man on the bed with a menacing expression. Erin watched as Demon sat up as the leader entered and engaged in a silent stare off for what felt like a fixed moment in time. Then he stood, adjusted his cloak, and suddenly broke into a small smile.

 

“Hey little bro. How are you?”

 

Erin felt her jaw nearly detach itself it dropped so fast! She looked from Demon to Vardus to Demon to Vardus to Demon in sheer disbelief, completely thrown aback by this sudden - and looking at the two of them together, completely ridiculous - statement. She was speechless. ‘Ju---you---WHAT? Little brother? To you!? You’ve gotta be kidding me?!’ This just didn’t compute. The other person didn’t react to this as the stare down continued, leaving her trying to come to terms, try to accept, this ludicrous idea. And what a bad situation this now was for her. ‘Demon and Vardus are brothers?! Oh crap, this is... The leader of the Resistance against Nero, and Nero’s right hand man, brothers? This is really not good.’

 

Vardus took a long moment before speaking whilst she realised just how much more complicated her life had become with one sentence. Eventually he broke it with a flat sigh. “What do you want Dravir?”

 

“Oh? Is that how you greet your older brother after so many years without seeing me? Come on, no hug?” Demon - or Dravir, as his birth name appeared to be - teased, spreading his arms openly to invite one. The gesture wasn’t appreciated by the rebel leader. “Aw man, you never lighten up do you? Oh well, if you insist on skipping the formalities then whatever. I came to the capital because I got wind of some bother around here concerning some guy called Tessera Katas. I guess you’ve heard of him?”

 

“So, news of that reached even the dark hole you scurry around in?” Vardus grumbled with a very bitter tone, obviously not as keen to see his brother as Dravir was for some reason. “You are well informed, and yes, Tessera is causing trouble here. A lot of very grave trouble we believe. But I don’t see why you would suddenly want to see me about this. You always had a nasty habit of following me around.”

 

“Oh, charmed. Did you really think I’d believe you were dead, especially when you turn up so openly at our village? I should be insulted that you didn’t tell me yourself and only big bro.” Vardus’ fist clenched, but Demon ignored him. “Fine, I know. You don’t like me and I’m not especially fond of you either, I get it. But anyway as I was saying; news reached me about this Tessera the old despot Nero wants found and bought here, and something about a giant turtle he’s walking around the Empire on? Seems his face has been put out everywhere in an attempt to find him. I decided to come here because Tessera is someone I met a few years ago and caused me a few problems, and in truth the situation did sound a bit ominous. And given the talk of the people here, looks like he is a pretty big problem. So I think to myself, who do I know who can’t help himself but get tangled up in these sorts of big problems?”

 

He winked at Vardus, who scowled. “Quit playing around Dravir. You make some pretty big assumptions, especially considering my whereabouts. Quite a hunch you must have had to know how to find me for someone who only just arrived in the city. Besides, am I supposed to believe that you just suddenly thought you’d do some kind of civic duty by turning up and helping bring Tessera in for the Empire?”

 

“Civic duty?” Dravir scoffed this time. “Oh no, like I said; my reasons for disliking Tessera are personal and entirely my own selfish payback. As for knowing how to find you, please. I’m your big brother.”

 

“Half-brother” Vardus snapped testily, prompting an “oh” from Erin who was still trying to get her head round how two people so contrasting looking as they were could possibly be related. Dravir dismissed it.

 

“Yeah yeah alright, half-brother. I still know you better than anyone else though. Don’t worry; I’m sure your identity as the Resistance leader is still seen pretty sceptically by the Empire. It was just obvious to me having the inside knowledge on your habits and personality, that was all. So when I have a look around the city and eventually run into someone matching all the wanted posters scattered around...”

 

Erin bowed her head as he nodded at her, certain Vardus wouldn’t possibly buy this, but thankfully he didn’t look at her. “And hey presto, I find a way to see my little brother again.”

 

“Bah, all seems a little convenient” Vardus growled, making Erin shudder. “Why should I trust you?”

 

“Because it’s blatantly obvious that you’re involved in this mess I’m seeing here, and it’s also blatantly obvious that you could use a hand” Demon drawled childishly as if this really was at all blatantly obvious. “Hey, I’m offering to give you a powerful ally in whatever beef you’ve clearly got with Tessera here, it’s written all over your face man. Don’t be so stuck up and proud an idiot to turn it down.”

 

The standoff reached a tense pause. Erin could see Vardus fighting with himself, stubbornly refusing to accept his brother’s offer given his sudden emergence, and some clear past grievances. But they were so desperate to find Tessera, she was so desperate now, and if these two worked together... She could see for the greater good of finding Tessera, and Dorian, these two needed to put their differences aside and work together. Demon, for all she saw wrong in him, was clearly clever and he could see that. Vardus must do, but paranoia and pride wouldn’t let him. She wanted to speak, but she daren’t for fear of making him doubt Dravir’s story of how he met her today more and all the problems that would cause. So she just did as the robed figure did; remain silent and keep out of it, and hope for the best.

 

“Humph, you’re a tricky little devil as ever” Vardus grumbled at last. He looked distrustful, but resigned to it now. “Well, I guess you’re right. We have had issues with Tessera recently as much as the Empire, and we could use some help with finding him... even if you are the last person on earth I would want to take help from. It seems you can’t resist a challenge as much as I can’t.”

 

Everyone else instantly relaxed as Vardus acknowledged that help was necessary. Dravir smiled and put a hand out to shake, but Vardus wouldn’t go that far. “News has been spread all over the Empire to put people on the lookout for Tessera because he is a serious threat, even if how or to what extent is still mostly unknown” he said, ignoring any offer of physical contact with his amused half-brother. “There was a recent ball held by the lord at his private mansion, which we attended on... Resistance business.”

 

“But the ball was a cover for Tessera to attempt to mass murder every official and high standing person of power within this city and across the Empire. Despite the emperor’s statements, only a few emerged alive. That’s when his moving fortress, the colossus Grandopolis, was revealed, and the Empire’s hunt for him began when it left the city. Fearing the worst, we pursued him to a destroyed ancient settlement in the west, where he stole an item buried there for some unknown purpose. During these two incidents Tessera took the lives of several members of my rebel group. But above all else, I fear he is a very real threat to us all. So what do you know about him?”

 

“Not much” Demon shrugged. “I met him a few years ago when I was travelling deep in the south east. I was there looking for... an item.”

 

He mimicked Vardus’ hesitancy to reveal everything yet; Erin couldn’t tell if he was being evasive or just sarcastic. But she suspected the worst. There were deadlands in the south east corner of the Empire he had mentioned, a barren wasteland of dark skies and little life. It sounded a foreboding place for what she’d heard of it. “Tessera stole said item from me. I pursued him, but embarrassingly he got away that time and I lost him” he confessed. “It was irritating, but the item I was looking for was just a curiosity, so I didn’t hunt him down as relentlessly as I wish I had in hindsight. Deceptive little sod. But seeing his face again on wanted posters got my attention because of that incident, as did this moving fortress thing.”

 

“I see” Vardus appeared unsatisfied with this much, but realised things between them and the sharing of knowledge that might compromise each other would still be cagey. “So you seek me out with no real information about him?”

 

“I have some. But you’re the researcher here” Demon whined. “Do you have any leads?”

 

“Not many” Vardus snapped adamantly in reply. Both brothers groaned at each other.

 

But that wasn’t true, Erin suddenly thought. They did have a lead, one that Vardus hadn’t mentioned. Or was refusing to, because evidently the pair were both too stubborn. Suddenly she blurted out “But Vardus, we do have one. We have that guy who was working for Tessera. He can tell us everything.”

 

She quailed as Vardus glared furiously at her, making her shrink in fear. But Demon, although initially surprised, flashed

a smile at her. “Really? Are you telling me you’ve got one of Tessera’s henchmen in your clutches? That’s interesting. I’d say that’s quite a lead. And that you’re doing something wrong with it if he’s not telling you everything yet, clearly.”

 

“We are making progress with him” Vardus lied through gritted teeth, without much success.

 

“Hmm, yeah, sure” Demon shrugged, and then suddenly asked “Can I have a go?”

 

Erin gulped as Vardus tensed. She could see why. This negotiation was not going his way, and the idea of bringing an outsider into his base was presenting him an obvious problem. But she could see it wasn’t a bad suggestion. They weren’t making progress with the captive; it was worth a try at least. She wanted to convey that opinion, but given the way Vardus had just glared at her... She steeled herself and braced for the backlash. “Sir... we have to find Tessera.”

 

Vardus sighed, and rubbed his jaw. “Alright. No, you’re right Erin, Dravir. We have to put differences aside for now and work together to find Tessera. Your help would be appreciated... for now.” He sighed again and turned to leave. “Well, times a wasting. Let’s get it over with. Come on.”

 

Without even looking at Erin he left the room, leaving Dravir still hanging on that hug. He shrugged, and Somorrakh stood up from where she had watched the confrontation in silence and went to follow him. As he passed Erin, he winked and gave her the thumbs up. Making her feel incredibly awkward as she left the room last and followed them on, thinking about what had been revealed and what it meant.

 

‘Vardus Jackson, and his brother Dravir, working together to stop Tessera. But after that, then what? They’ll go back to fighting each other on opposite sides for and against the Empire, knowingly or not. And right in that middle of that fight and caught in the crossfire will be me...’

 

...

 

Shortly the four were making their way into the Resistance headquarters the back way. The room where the hostage was being held wasn’t deep in its heart, so they were able to get in without having to pass any other rebel members and having to explain the identities of these two strangers with them. Demon looked around the grand underwater structure in awe, whereas his partner just seemed uncomfortable with the surroundings. They did walk past the duel training field though. Aerial was duelling Nataka in private here. The senior had ‘Shi En’ out, whereas the challenger just had a ‘Thunder Bird’ desperately clinging on in defence. The two looked up and saw them as they passed. Vardus nodded to Nataka to ease any doubts he might have expressed at this surprising sight, but Erin could see Aerial suddenly look utterly thunder-stuck by something. He looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

 

The folds around the face of the cloaked figure in front of her stirred as they looked across the field at the duel going on, and Demon’s associate muttered something to him. “Ah, I see. Yes, whenever you get chance” Demon replied to whatever it was they said. Erin had no idea what that was about.

 

The door they wanted was only a few metres further along, leaving the duel field in sight as they halted at it. As Vardus went to get the key, Erin had to wait with them, which made her feel awkward. Looking back at the duel, she could see Aerial still looking at them, clearly distracted by them. The cloaked figure stirred again, and without warning walked back towards them as if to stand and watch.

 

“Ah, I forgot that some of your friends have met some of mine” Demon muttered behind her, making her jump. “That was sloppy of me, but Somorrakh can gloss over it. Otherwise I’d say this is going quite well so far, wouldn’t you Erin? Buddy? Pal?”

 

“Just... just don’t, talk to me right now” she insisted shakily, and tried to block him out by watching the duel. However Nataka seemed to have taken caution from the intrusion and had decided to cancel it. So she and Demon stood in silence until Vardus returned. He had Chetema in tow, and the key. Nataka joined them.

 

“Sir, if I might be so bold as to ask?” he started, clearly indignant. “Who are these people, and why have you bought them here?”

 

“My friend, this is my half-brother; Dravir” Vardus explained with a resigned sigh, making his generals jump. Dravir waved mockingly. “He has come to the city to settle a previous dispute with Tessera that the situation has caused to resurface, and has sought out my help to do so. The other is his associate...”

 

Vardus blinked as he noticed said associate had gone off on their own without permission and was engaged in a silent stare off with Aerial, who hadn’t moved since Nataka had hurried over with the duel’s cancelling. Demon shrugged. “Eh, she just wanted to watch the duel. Awfully frightful young fellow you seem to have there Vardus.”

 

“Hmm. Right...” he replied doubtfully. Still, he unlocked the door, and stepped across Dravir as he made to enter. He looked him straight in the face. “You’ve got ten minutes.”

 

“Alright, alright” the slightly shorter brother grinned. With that he stepped inside, Vardus closed the door behind him and told Erin to wait here and make sure no-one entered or left, while he bought the stunned Nataka and Chetema up to speed. He took them off for a huddle a little way away, leaving her to watch the standoff further down.

 

On the other side of the door behind her, Demon studied the man in front of him. He was naked, and his tanned skin was covered in scars, burns, and every other mark of the torture methods that had been made on him. Physically he was a mess. But at first, his voice remained resolute as he hung his head. “Back again then. Don’t you get it yet? It’s pointless. No matter what you do, I’ll never tell you...”

 

Armonia looked up, and blinked a few times at the new person stood before him. “What? Aren’t you...?”

 

“Oh, so it was you they captured. Tessera trusted you enough to tell you who I am then” Demon replied with a grin. Armonia twitched, subconsciously pulling against his binds to the chair as Demon pulled up a second one. “And you must be the guy who swiped the Tetragram piece that I was interested in from my allies a couple of months ago. And one of that troublesome nemesis of mine Tessera’s allies as well. Well isn’t this all interesting...”

 

Armonia flinched again and tried to back away as he sat on the chair in a reversed way in front of him, leaning on the back and resting his chin on his arms as he studied him, a depraved smile on his face.

 

“Now... What should we talk about?”

 

...

 

Ten minutes later, the three senior figures and Erin perked up from their wait as Demon emerged with a newspaper rolled up under his arm. “You’re done?” Vardus asked in surprise.

 

“Oh yeah, ages ago” Demon shrugged as if it was nothing. “Been reading this for the last five minutes. Thanks for leaving it in there.” Nataka and Chetema exchanged looks of bafflement and frustration that their days of getting nothing had been outdone in five minutes by this stranger, but the Jackson brothers ignored them as Demon nodded to Vardus. “He’s ready whenever you want to go in.”

 

“Right” Vardus nodded as Demon threw his paper away. “Erin, you stay here.”

 

“But sir!” she gasped as he opened the door. “Please sir. I want to go in too. I need to know as well.”

 

Vardus looked at Demon for advice, but he just shrugged. For Vardus, he wasn’t worried so much about secrecy. She’d find out through him what was said when they moved on what they were about to find out. It was just a case of protecting her from what might be inside, given her involvement in all this now. But Dravir didn’t seem to have an objection, and as she looked at him, she was so desperate. “You sure you can handle this?” She nodded furiously. “Alright then... everyone in.”

 

Erin braced herself and followed the seniors and Demon in, and stood in front of the hostage. Armonia was slumped forward in his seat, bearing the obvious scars of physical torture the others had applied. But when he slowly looked up, he seemed... strange. His expression looked sort of glazed over and out of focus, and he seemed very fatigued, and his breathing was laboured. He looked at the five of them as though he was only vaguely aware they were stood there at all. Erin didn’t know what Demon had done to him, and she didn’t think she wanted to. Clearly he’d done something bad, and Armonia seemed mentally broken by it. Vardus looked at his brother - not so much in horror, but thinking for an anxious moment whatever he’d done to him had gone too far and made their lead useless - but it was met by a shrug. He turned back to the man bound in the chair. “Can you hear me? Can you speak?”

 

Armonia’s head rolled sideways and looked glassy-eyed up at Vardus. He paused, took a deep breath, and nodded. Vardus continued. “Tell me, what is your master Tessera planning to do? What is his goal?”

 

“Tessera...” the albino man sighed and rolled his head back. Either the name seemed to take him a while to recall or he was struggling to gather his thoughts, increasing Erin’s feeling of apprehension. Slowly Armonia’s head flopped forward again in its half-conscious way, and he spoke slowly:

 

“Tessera... aims to summon the bringer of life and death of another world. A great deity of wisdom and order. He will call her... using the ritual he has discovered... in the appropriate place, using the items he had me obtain...”

 

He paused for breath as everyone else held theirs.

 

“The Tetragram; which channels the four great powers of Duel Monsters. Fusion summoning. Rituals. Synchros. And Xyz summons. Once assembled... using the completed puzzle that focuses these four elements, he can call the most powerful Duel Monster of them all to our world, and she will cleanse all that has ruined it and make it reborn anew, as is her will. He will receive the gift... of the goddess...”

 

Armonia gave up speaking as fatigue took him, and he slumped forward against his binds in the chair and started taking shallow breaths. Erin gulped. She didn’t understand what he’d said, other than it sounded bad. But when she looked at the brothers, given their amazed and disbelieving expressions, it appeared they understood what was said. And it troubled them greatly. Vardus stood in grim realisation, and Demon was meeting his worried gaze in the same way. ‘No, surely not’ they seemed to convey. But they were sure it was. Demon voiced what they were both thinking first, with a single word. A single name that although it meant nothing to her, the way he said it sent shivers down her spine.

 

"Sophia?"[/spoiler]

 

... well?

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

[spoiler=Chapter 27]To the Resistance members surprise, Dravir's white eyes narrowed and scanned the upper part of the room all around them, looking as if he had lost something or was waiting for something. He looked oddly irritated, but by what they couldn't tell. Then he scowled and cleared his throat, and speaking more loudly to seemingly no-one in the room:

 

"Ahem, I shall repeat myself, except slightly louder. Sophia?"[/spoiler]

 

[spoiler=Notes]Well I think I've waited a polite and well mannered amount of time. <_<

 

Seriously, don't tell me you were honestly expecting me to put up Chapter 27 after having no reaction whatsoever to THAT?!

 

I appreciate this devisive plot development probably underlines all that's wrong about this story and the overly-grand and predictable direction it's taken to some and could have made people RAGEQUIT, but some confirmation of that would have been nice. But yet for some people this may have been a great bombshell that made them loose bodily fluids in excitement, and that would also have been nice. At least something would have been nice. I was (foolishly) expecting some kind of reaction one way or the other from someone, as either opinion would have been right and unarguable in its own way. I really wasn't expecting everyone to greet this in total f***ing silence and 'eh'.

 

Quite frankly, some of you people need to learn some f***ing manners. Because this is s***, okay? I don't expect a 20 page dossier putting every single word under a microscope from anyone. But just a little "I like this bit, but I don't like this bit. Still enjoying though, keep it up" occasionally I don't think is too much to ask given the amount of life that is put into this. No wonder it's only newbs who don't know any better who try and do anything around here anymore.

 

Ps: Don't whinge at me about how dare I rant on how terrible you all are, because trust me on this, you are getting off very, very lightly.[/spoiler]

[Aerion Brightflame]

This is me replying to your rant, since apparently the obvious has escaped you. Have you perhaps considered that going into a long winded and insulting rant every time people don't comment (Given that people have lives and this doesn't always fall neatly into them) is one of the reasons don't comment?) Since you know people don't like being insulted time and time again, and being told to get some manners, or that we are all horrible horrible people, and quite rightly we don't have to put up with it. Hell, given the amount you bitch about it you just come across as you wanting us to feed your fucking ego by trying to guilt us as you attention seek. And frankly I think if you are ranting to tell people to learn some manners, you should take the exact same lesson. 

 

And no, chapter 27 was not as much of a bombshell as you think it was. 

 

The scene with Ariel? Predictable given you knew he had a crush on her, and a rebound is the typical way to move on from someone. If Erin was going to try and move on from Dorian, most likely that would happen. 

 

The scene with Ursula? I dislike it because I think in addition to giving spoilers about the origional (An issue of this whole thing), it changes Ursula's character if her feelings to Demon were reciprocated or had some logical basis. Her being obsessed with a man who was seemingly incapable of reciprocating any of that was far more interesting. 

 

The reveal of Sophia? Well given there's been literally no set-up for this (If you are going to bring in a deity into a piece of fiction as a major point, it's generally good to actually reference them beforehand.  

 

Demon working with Vardus? Yeah... Now, if I could remember Vardus's exact view on Demon from the original I'd probably be more angry about it. But it still seems just bad. One) Revealing that to his leadership team and Erin really makes you think why it didn't get told to Junuro and co in the original. Since you know gossip spreads fast. Two) the revelation that they are siblings; congrats you just removed one of the more dramatic twists from the original in a really shit way to do so. Three) And I say a really shit way to do so, because again; Demon is idiotically casual here. I could kind of deal with it at first, but really... all it seems you are doing is trying to make comic relief out of him now. And that's not what Demon should do; especially given how you reference his life as being in the original. 

 

And take note of the fact I've not said anything about chapter 27. This is because I'm sick of your attitude about this whole thing, given that frankly it's a piece of writing that doesn't deserve the kind of attention you are demanding of it, and as a result I am done. I'm not going to read another word. Congrats Matt, you really do keep your readers wanting more. 

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

A load of self-righteous s***

 

*Sighs and sits cross-legged in middle of forum, mic in hand*

 

Didn't read this until several hours after as I was doing things that I'd rather be doing and more worthwhile. Didn't respond until several hours more later to consider my response and what I was going to do from here.

 

Well, at least you grew a spine in the end as well as a mouth, even if I did have to provoke it out of you.

 

[spoiler=Housekeeping regarding the Chapter]I'll briefly go over your comments on 26 since you addressed them, and since they're really not the point anymore only briefly. - Point on Erin briefly throwing herself at Aerial as predictable: and? You've critised me enough about illogical plot points, now I'm critised for a logical one. Right? - Point on Urusula and Demon: totally fair enough and well explained critisism. - Point on Sophia being a rushjob dropped from the middle of nowhere: I could point you to several Armonia lines, other Tessera minion lines, the design of the Tetragram, Vardus and Tessera's books, and a dozen other hints. Whether it was the right direction for this story take, probably not. But it was planned from the beginning and suggested, and not 'literally no build up'. - Point on not wanting to have Vardus and Dravir interact in this story: well good job you're not gonna read anymore, otherwise you'd have the horror of them tag duelling together in 3 chapters to get over. But no; everyone must have one mode of personality and must stick to it meticulously over any eternal period of time and not change/deviate/evolve at all, and I can't have the brothers interact and explore their past in a bit more detail together in a prequel... designed to explore underdeveloped characters and their pasts. - Point on this prequel doing something apparently no prequel as ever done before in referencing the original: really? Have you never read/seen/played a prequel before? Obviously there's gonna be the odd Easter Egg, and some plot points will overlap. For you, it's not new information. For new readers, there's no ability to continue, or even benefit in, holding that back.[/spoiler]

 

Right, now that's out the way. Let's get to the actual point here. Re: my outrageous and unreasonable demands that people should leave the occasional comment when they read this. I... could rant at great length. But what's the point? Frankly, why waste my breath when it's never gonna go in.

 

You say you're sick of my attitude demanding that this story should get more attention than it does. The attention I'm so obnoxiously wanting being... what exactly? More than none? Or at least no proven acknowledged attention at least. Oh yeah, how dare I put something on the Internet and want it to get some attention? What do I think this forum is for? Commenting on?

 

Now I am not demanding that people worship me or heap praise on this story in their dozens. Because you're right, this story isn't good enough for that. But it's still pretty damn good, and I know full well there's still people reading this. Now if you've had the time to read 26 chapters of this, then you can't turn around and say to me you haven't the time or are too busy to spend 5 minutes to leave a brief comment now and again saying whether things are generally good or bad, or just at least say hi. Hell if you're so f***ing busy, what on the hell are you doing on this website?

 

You know, this thread has just turned into a massive b****-fest. And that's my fault cuz I started it. But if it's the only way of getting anything out of any of you then so be it. You say you're not going to read anymore because I insulted you? Well tell me then, between you reading and not giving any indication you're doing so for the last dozen chapters, and you not reading, tell me... what's the difference? Nothing. Nothing changes. I lose nothing from that, because at the minute I have nothing or no-one to lose in a way that makes any difference to this thread, except for Renegade. The thread continues on just as it was, with me seemingly spending hours posting to myself. And since you've completely missed the point, that's the exact f***ing problem here!

 

I enjoy writing. I also like other people reading. That's why I'm posting it here. But if there's no evidence that people are reading, then what's the point in me posting? I'm just spending a lot of time talking to myself. But you all expect me to give up my life to churn chapter after chapter after chapter, like a machine, but yet after you happily spend 20 minutes or so reading and presumably enjoying this - which you must be to an extent after 26 chapters or again, why are you here? - you can't possibly spare a minute to offer encouragement or acknowledgement of doing so? But yet I should be happy and honoured by the assumption of readers and keep posting to myself anyway, while being made to feel like some aged boxer or wrestler who still keeps trying to fight long after their prime and blatantly can't and is just getting embarrassing and should retire? What kind of f***ed up logic is that?

 

So no, you're not gonna read anymore. Because no-one is. Because frankly, you people don't deserve it. Yes this isn't the best, but it's still getting readers who should still comment, especially if it isn't the best. I have tried to get this section going. I have tried. But it's hopeless. This will never improve. So yeah, lock the thread. I wanted to finish this story, but this is just turning into me b****ing to myself while you readers just get your fix and wait for me to force out the next one for you with not even a little courtesy in return.

 

You, and everyone else who were quite happy to read this but couldn't be bothered - not even once in the cases of Shoton Gar, Machismo, Akiyuki, Kingdom Neos, and many others I've seen repeatedly in here - to leave a little something in return as encouragement or acknowledgement, are just selfish, stupid, lazy, ignorant, spoiled brats.

 

I'm done.