Field of Screams Part 2

The following day, thick, dark clouds hung over Academy Island, reflecting the peoples' general mood. All the remaining key-keepers, along with Syrus and Chumley, were gathered in the infirmary. "I'll play a trap, and then I'll play a spell, and then I'll attack!" Jaden winced as he felt a brief moment of pain and lay still in his bed. "Well, just as soon as I get better I will. Camula's gonna get it sooner or later. I mean, taking that spirit key is one thing, but Davis's soul too?"

"Jay…" Syrus spoke up. "You really oughta rest."

"Sy's right." Banner agreed. "After all, if we're not at our best, it's our souls that will be sealed in those dolls and our bodies will be… catatonic!" Upon hearing this, Pharaoh meowed loudly and leapt out of his master's arms and hid underneath Jaden's bed. "No, Pharaoh," Banner said as he crawled under the bed to retrieve his pet. "Just because the words has 'cat' in it, doesn't mean it applies to you. Though I'm not sure nine lives makes a difference with vampires."

"The worst part is, since Camula was able to take Davis's key, she only needs six more to unlock those beast cards." Bastion reminded them.

"I wonder why Arisa wasn't selected to be a key guardian instead of Banner." Kaoru said, holding Davis' doll.

"I would have done a better job, but regardless we need to make sure Zane is ready." Arisa said. "Zane, please tell me Davis talked to you about ways to improve your Cyber Dragon deck?"

Alexis turned around in her seat next to her still unconscious brother. "And then it won't just be our souls at stake, but everyone's in the world."

"That's it!" Jaden exclaimed. "I'm dueling her tonight!"

"You duel?" Chazz asked incredulously, then pulled the sheets over Jaden's head. "Think again. You can't even win a fight with a sheet. This duel is for the Chazz."

"Hold on." Jaden said as he struggled to pull the sheets off himself. "Hold on… There! I won!"

"You did not." Chazz shot back as he put the sheets over Jaden once again. "It's two out of three."

"Come on Jaden." Syrus encouraged his friend. "You can do it."

"Look, Jaden's obviously not up to snuff. One of us is gonna have to face Camula."

"And by us you mean you, correct?" Bastion asked. "I'm sorry Chazz. But I'm not entirely sure that you're the man for the job. I should go."

"You?"

"Almost got it." Jaden muttered. "Man! What thread count is this?"

"Shut it!" Chazz snapped.

"Sure, I guess I could use the break."

"Look whoever it is needs to be prepared." Arisa said.

"Alright, I'll sit out." Jaden gave up. "Until I get better."

The key-keepers nodded collectively at this. Syrus then happened to notice his brother walking out of the infirmary and proceeded to follow him into the hallway. "Hey Zane, wait up." The elder Truesdale brother turned around to face his sibling. "Didn't we just decide to work together? What gives? Where're you going?"

Zane smiled a little and started walking down the hall again. "If all that matters is protecting those keys and rescuing Davis, you know where I'm going." Syrus turned his head to the windowed wall, allowing for him to see one of Camula's bats hanging upside down.

In the vampire woman's castle, its resident was lying in a bubble filled bathtub. She looked up when one of her bats came in and started to show her what it had seen. "The one I crave is coming." She said. "And I'm ready for him."

At the Slifer dorm, Chazz was sitting on his bed, looking over his deck, when the Ojama Yellow spirit popped up next to him. "*Hey, long time no see boss. How're thing*

?"

In response, Chazz batted the annoying duel spirit into a flat screen TV. "They were fine, until you showed up," he muttered.

"*Ohh, and now thing are great, right*?" the yellow being asked as he floated back to his master. "*Thanks boss. You always know how to make me feel good. So, what're you doing? Arranging your deck? Can I help*?"

Chazz then smacked the spirit away with his hand, sending it flying onto a desk, more specifically, the doll containing Davis's soul.

"Be careful." Davis's voice came from within the doll. Ojama Yellow hesitantly came closer and started tickling it. "Do you mind?"

"*Boss! This doll's alive*!"

"What?" Chazz stood up off his bed, walked over to the doll and picked it up in one hand.

"Would you mind letting me go?"

"That's Davis alright." Chazz turned his attention towards the window upon hearing the sound of wings beating in the air. He walked over the pulled the curtains aside, revealing a horde of bats flying in the distance. Upon seeing this, he picked up his cards, disk and ran outside. "It's starting again!"

Banner watched them from his window, a frown on his face. "She's back…"

Bastion ran out from his dorm as he saw the bats go by, duel disk and deck at the ready.

The bats also passed by the blue boys dorm, more specifically Ryan's room.

"Camula." Ryan muttered.

He had a score to settle with the vampire after yesterday.

"Run!" Jaden said as he climbed onto Chumley's back.

"Aw, running?"

"Actually, piggybacking."

"Whatever it is, let's get a move on." Alexis spoke up. "Because I have a feeling that vampire lady is about to bite again."

All the remaining key-keepers, minus Davis, along with Zane who'd arrived first. Once all together, a red carpet rolled out across the water, inviting them to come across. They all got on and started to walk towards the eerie castle. "Explain to me again why we're going to this place?" Chumley complained. "Instead of running away from it? Or walking away?" The others simply ignored his whining and they continued until reaching a large wooden door that creaked open before them.

"Aw man!" Chumley moaned at the sight in front of them. "Now we've gotta do stairs?"

They went up the stairs and followed Zane through a torch lit corridor. "Can't I just drag Jaden around? It's be easier on my back."

"Quiet." The elder Truesdale brother spoke up. "We're close."

They went on in relative silence for a while, until reaching a large room with a chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling. Also, on a higher level was a walkway going all around the room with a balcony on either end. "Right on time," Camula's voice called out to them. The vampires in question came into view, standing on the balcony at one end of the room. "Looking for me?"

"You bet we are!" Jaden answered. "We want Davis back!"

"Got that right!" Chazz added. "So hand him over!"

"Yes, or else…" Bastion pitched in.

"I have no interest in little schoolchildren."

"She must mean you." Bastion suggested.

"No! She means you!" Chazz shot back.

"Both of you shut up." Kaoru demanded.

"Are you ready darling?" Camula asked Zane.

"Let's duel." Both said.

"Good luck bro." Syrus said.

Zane made his way up a set of stairs and walked over to the balcony opposite Camula. "Let us review the rules. If you win, you get Davis's soul back and I'll be on my way. But if I win…" she held up a small blank doll in her hand. "I get your soul, your key and I get to continue my quest to unleash the three Sacred Beasts." Zane merely nodded at this as he inserted his deck and started up his disk. Camula did the same, her disk growing bat wings for the card zones.

"Duel!"

Zane: 4000

Camula: 4000

"I like to lead. I play Call of the Mummy. When I have no monsters on the field, I can summon any zombie type monster from my hand. So I'll summon Vampire Lady in defense mode." A green haired woman with pointy ears, pale skin and wearing a purple dress kneeled down before the vampire mistress.

Vampire Lady: 1550/1500

"Then I'll summon Zombie Werewolf in defense as well." The gray werewolf crouched down next to Camula's defending monster.

Zombie Werewolf: 1200/1200

"And I'll lay one card face-down. That's all."

"Really?" Zane asked as he drew. "Shame, cause I won't be enough to protect you from what I have planned. First, I summon Proto Cyber Dragon." A small, serpentine metal monster appeared on Zane's field.

Proto-Cyber Dragon: 1100/600

"And thanks to it's effect, it's name is treated as Cyber Dragon. Next, I'll play this." Zane showed a card which everyone could discern was Power Bond.

Kaoru gulped knowing Zane knew better than to play Power Bond so soon.

"Playing Power Bond?" Camula wondered.

"It allows me to fusion summon a machine type monster. And I have the perfect one in mind. So I'll fuse Proto-Cyber Dragon with the two Cyber Dragons in my hand to form the almighty, Cyber End Dragon." The three named monsters swirled around each other, and when they stopped, they had combined into Zane's powerful three headed creature.

Cyber End Dragon: 4000/2800

"Zane summoned his most powerful monster on his very first turn," Alexis remarked.

*'Wow, that's not like Zane.'* Syrus thought to himself. *'He usually feels out an opponent before using Power Bond. It's almost like he's just using it, instead of playing it.'* "I hope he knows what he's doing."

"I like your aggressiveness." Camula commented. "But Power Bond has it's risks. Are you certain you can handle all the consequences?"

"I'm worried that Zane may have mucked up there." Arisa said. "Ryan, what do you think?"

"I have a pretty good idea what his set card is." He responded.

"Right." Chumley said. "At the end of his turn, he'll take damage equal to Cyber's original attack points, and that's 4000. But that may be a risk worth taking, cause now Cyber End Dragon's attack points double."

"8000 points!" Camula exclaimed, visibly surprised at this latest development.

"I don't think I'll have to worry about consequences after this turn. Now attack Vampire Lady. Super Strident Blaze." The large metal dragon's three heads shot out a blast of energy from their mouths, which converged and flew towards the enemy field.

"Forgetting my face-down? I play the trap, Red Ghost Moon. Now, darling, by discarding a zombie from my hand to the graveyard, your monster's attack points are added directly to my life-points. And our little battle ends right here and now." The incoming attack was halted in its tracks by Camula's face-down, as the vampire woman was surrounded by an orange aura. "That's 8000 points, plus the 4000 I started with, giving me a total of 12000 points."

"Wrong!" Zane interrupted. "I activate the spell card De-Fusion, disassembling Cyber End Dragon and leaving you…"

"Without a thing. Thanks to De-Fusion Red Ghost Moon resolves without effect." Ryan explained.

"My points!" Camula exclaimed as the aura surrounding her disappeared. Zane's metal dragon then split apart into the three original monsters.

"Hey, know what else?" Syrus asked. "Now that Power Bond is gone…"

"He won't have to pay points for using it." He smiled.

"Now that's playing a card." Jaden commented. "Right Sy?"

"Yeah."

"I play Pot of Greed, to draw two cards. Then I'll end my turn with once card face-down and Different Dimension Capsule." A blue sarcophagus appeared in front of Zane. "So by removing a card from my deck, I can add it to my hand in two turns." The royal coffin then disappeared in thin air.

Camula laughed lightly. "Oh, my darling, I see now why you're ranked the top duelist at Duel Academy."

"Actually, you haven't seen anything yet."

"Well I hope not. Zane dear, we've only just begun this duel. And I expect to have a lot more fun with you." Camula assures him.

"Aw man, I don't think I'm gonna like her kind of fun." Syrus gulps.

"Now then… shall we? I play Spellbook Inside the Pot, so we both draw three cards. Then I sacrifice Vampire Lady to summon Vampire Lord." The defending vampire woman disappeared and was replaced by the gentleman vampire.

Vampire Lord: 2000/1500

"Next I'll remove him from play to summon Vampire Genesis." Her new monster disappeared a moment later, and in its place, was the monstrous purple behemoth.

Vampire Genesis: 3000/2100

"Ugly." Chazz added.

"Scary." Syrus pitched in.

"I promised you some fun, didn't I? And now we'll have it. Are you excited yet?" The only response this prompted was for Zane to stare and frown. "You're such a bore! Vampire Genesis attack!" The purple vampiric creature then began to glow with a purple aura.

"As fun as this is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to interrupt with my face-down, Attack Reflector Unit." Zane said, revealing his face down and one of his Cyber Dragon's began to glow.

"A trap?" Camula gasps.

"One that's evolutionary. You see, this evolves Cyber Dragon into… Cyber Barrier Dragon." Zane smaller monster started to glow and extend beyond its previous size. When it was finished, it was as big as the original Cyber Dragons, and had a ring around its neck.

Cyber Barrier Dragon: 800/2400

"And when the Cyber Barrier Dragon is in attack mode, once per turn, its special ability allows me to negate the attack of your monster." The Barrier Dragon's head glowed with a green aura, which dimmed down the vampire's until it was gone.

"How dare you!" Camula glares at him.

"Your bro's got game." Jaden commented. "Though it was close."

"Yeah," Syrus agreed.

"It's my turn." Zane announced as he drew. "I play two cards face-down and activate Card of Demise. This lets me draw until I have five cards. Then I summon a second Proto Cyber Dragon." Another smaller metal dragon appeared.

Proto-Cyber Dragon: 1100/600

"Next I activate the spell, Photon Generator Unit. Now, by sacrificing two of my dragons, I can summon the Cyber Laser Dragon." Zane's smaller monster and one Cyber Dragon disappeared in a flash of light, making way for a slightly different one with the tip of its tail being pointed. (2400) "And with Cyber Laser Dragon, once every turn, I can destroy one monster with equal or more attack or defense points."

"I bet you talk to all the girls that way." Camula said.

"No, just ones I really don't like." Zane replied flatly. "Now, Laser Dragon, let loose, Blue Lightning Lash." The tip of the powerful dragon's tail opened up shot out a beam of blue energy which struck Vampire Genesis in the torso and destroyed it. "Next I'll reveal Polymerization, fusing the remaining Cyber Dragon on my field with the one in my hand to create… Cyber Twin Dragon." The two monsters in question melded with one another and formed the two headed metal dragon. (2800) "Finally, I play Fairy Meteor Crush, allowing my Twin Dragon to do damage through your defending monsters. Now attack Zombie Werewolf. Double Strident Blast." The powerful fusion creature opened both mouths and fired a combined beam of energy which tore through the lycanthrope and took out a chunk of Camula's life-points.

Camula: 2400

"I summon another one from my deck in attack mode." A second grey furred creature appeared on the vampire woman's field, crouching down. (1200-1700)

"Laser Dragon, attack with Blue Lightning Blast." Zane's second machine opened its mouth and shot out a beam of blue energy at the enemy creature.

Camula: 2400-1700

"I summon the last one." A third werewolf took the place of its fallen allies. (1700-2200)

"Twin Dragon, attack again." Again, Zane's two headed machine fired off a combined blast which tore through Camula's monster and life-points.

Camula: 1300

"And don't think I forgot Cyber Barrier Dragon. Attack, Sonic Shriek." The remaining monster cried out, emitting a sound wave which struck Camula and pushed her into the wall.

Camula: 500

"Alright!" Syrus exclaimed.

"That's exactly the move I would've made."

"Sure Chum." Jaden said. "Totally… in your dreams!"

"So, now you can see why my brother's never lost, huh guys? Still, mom says I got the looks." Syrus smiled proudly.

"Uhh…" was all the others were able to say in response.

"I end my turn." Zane said.

"Darling, you do realize you're forcing me to reveal my ugly side?" Camula's jaw dropped down, her tongue extended and her fangs came out further. "And it's only going to get uglier. I play Illusion Gate." A stone arch and doorway rose up behind her.

"Illusion Gate?" Zane wondered.

"Uh oh." Jaden said. He knew exactly what this did.

"Behold!" Camula exclaimed as her face returned to its normal state. The doorway then opened wide, letting a foul wind blow onto the field. "First, this spell card destroys all monsters on your field." The wind tore through Zane's three monsters before dying down. "But that's not all. It has twin functions." A copy of the vampire woman suddenly appeared next to the original. "You see, this card also allows me to summon any monster you've used during this entire duel. So, even though you de-fused Cyber End Dragon after only one turn, you did use him during this duel."

"Oh please…" Zane scoffed. "No card is powerful enough to let you make a move like that. There must be some kind of catch."

"Yes, but it's just a tiny one. After using Illusion Gate, should I happen to still lose this duel, I must sacrifice a soul to the Sacred Beasts."

"That all?" Bastion asked.

"Well good!" Chazz said. "It's what you get for taking Davis's!"

"Beg your pardon? I said a soul, not mine. You see, in the shadows, it's all the same to the Sacred Beasts. Syrus… Oh yes, those beasts will find your soul to be a tasty treat, I'm sure."

"The old hostage technique." Arisa grumbled. "Typical."

Zane's eyes widened in surprise at this. "Syrus! Run!"

"Oh no you don't!" Before the diminutive Slifer had a chance to get away, Camula's double flew down and snatched him up next to the original.

"Sorry Zane." Syrus said, downtrodden.

"And now, I summon the almighty Cyber End Dragon!" Zane's most powerful monster rose to the field on Camula's side. (4000) Syrus cried out as a greenish aura surrounded him and drained his energy to the three headed machine.

"Sy!" Zane called out.

"Whatever will you do?" Camula asked tauntingly. "I have your best monster and your little brother. Actually, I supposed they're really one and the same. After all, if you manage to destroy Cyber End Dragon, you can say goodbye to little Syrus' soul. So like I said, whatever will you do?"

Zane looked at his hand and face-down card. 'The face-down card on my field is Call of the Haunted. If I use it to bring back Cyber Barrier Dragon, I can stop her attack. Then next turn Different Dimension Capsule will add Powerbond to my hand. And with Cybernetic Hidden Technology already there, I'll be able to summon my second Cyber End Dragon and win the duel. Camula will be defeated, we'll be that much closer to keeping the world safe from those Sacred Beasts. And in exchange, we just lose one soul, my brother's. The choice is clear.'

"So, what is it going to be? Safe the world, or save your brother's soul? Which also means losing yours."

"Go on Zane," Syrus urged his brother. "Do it. You have to. My soul is a small price to pay, to stop Camula. After all, if she wins this duel, she'll get your spirit key. And that means the Shadow Riders will be that much closer to freeing those Sacred Beasts. Besides, if one of us has to go down, it might as well be me. I may have gotten the looks, but the truth is, you got just about everything else. The skills, the smarts… everything. It's alright. At least this way I'll be remembered for more than just being your little brother." A tear fell from Syrus' eye. "This way I'll be the hero, the one who saves the day. After all, we both know I'm not going to do it by dueling. It's just like you said: I never belonged here."

"I did say that. But since then, you proved me wrong," Zane said as he looked at his brother with a kind expression on his face. "You do belong here. I love you Syrus. Never forget that."

"Zane…"

"I'll miss you little bro. Farewell." Zane took his hand away from his disk and lowered his arms. "I stand down!"

"What're you doing?" Syrus asked in shock.

"So be it. Cyber End Dragon destroy him!" The three creature's heads fired off a combined blast which struck Zane head on.

"Stop! Take me instead!" Syrus said.

Zane: 0

Zane's spirit key dropped from his neck and disappeared as he fell to his knees. The holograms and Camula's double then faded away, letting Syrus go free. "Big brother!" The vampire woman pulled out the faceless doll, which was then surrounded by a dark purple aura. The same happened to the defeated Obelisk's body, which disappeared as the doll became a likeliness of him.

"At last, darling, you're all mine. A tad smaller and a bit less talkative… but a darling trophy none the less." She then disappeared in a swirl of dust, her laughter echoing in the room. The academy people were surrounded by a dense mist, and when it dissipated, they were back at the edge of the lake.

"Just like that… he's gone." Syrus said, tears coming to his eyes.

"That does it." Kaoru angrily said.

"Kaoru, let's not do anything reckless." Ryan advised. "We don't need anyone else being turned into a doll."

"I'm getting my brother and Zane back if it's the last thing I do."