Yu Gi Oh! Dark Messiah [Archive] - Page 2

Dark Sage

15th May 2006, 07:21 AM

Time for a new chapter, and a new user character.

This chapter is a bit of a filler. The next three chapter may come rather quickly, so this arc may end quickly.

Anyway, I'd like to thank Pokemaster Katie for her submission.

- DS

[B][I]My name is Ami. I’m just a beginner at this game, more or less, but I think I have a strategy that’s halfway good.

See, I’ve always felt that trying to defeat an opponent by fighting his Monsters is a waste of time… So I try to go straight for the duelist himself.

Does that make me a mean person? Does it mean I like to hurt others?

Well, I hope not…

I just got done dueling someone who clearly did like to hurt others, and I’m still sore…

I’m willing to take an easier challenge, if it will get my spirits up…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER FIFTEEN

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PSV-EN032.jpg

Monday, September 20th, 2106, 10:30 AM

Trisha sat at the computerized card catalogue in the library.

”I am the very model of a Modern Major General!”

“Ugh…” she muttered. “Can’t get that song out of my head…”

She typed in the word: “Golf”.

“Let’s see…” she muttered. “Anecdotes… Cartoons… Courses… Eisenhower and…”

She skimmed down.

“Personalities…”

She wrote down the number and went to look for the book. Dr. Ting had told her of a duelist who had once dueled Jaden Yuki who had been the heir to a sports equipment empire. He was a pro at both golf and tennis (the “wimpy sports”, to most sports fans), but the library had very little on tennis personalities.

And she was curious.

She took the book down and took it to the reading room.

“Here’s the guy,” she said, looking at the description. “Harrington Rosewood? Sounds like the kind of name rich kids have… I can just see the type… Probably had a thirty-dollar haircut…

“Won the Florida State Duel Monsters Tournament once, I see…”

She looked at the names of some of the cards he used, and then took out her catalogue.

“Service Ace…” she read. “Oh here it is. Pretty iffy card, relies a lot on luck… Receive Ace… That’s a bit better… Smash Ace… More iffy…”

She skimmed through the catalogue.

“This Deuce card looks really situational… It would be hard to get the scores tied at 1,000, unless he had a way to reduce his own…

“Eh, no wonder Jaden beat him. This guy relied too much on Spells and Traps, and too little on Monsters…

“I mean, the name of the game is Duel Monsters… As in, you’re supposed to use Monsters, not just use Spells and Traps…

“Eh, he made the right choice switching to golf.”

As she went to put the book back, she saw a student in a red blazer at another table, clutching her head. A Duel Disk was in front of her.

She had blue eyes, scarlet hair tied in a spiky side ponytail, and Japanese features. She was barely five feet tall, almost petite.

“There a problem?” asked Trisha.

The Slifer looked up.

“Plenty,” she said. “I just got into the worst duel since I got here…”

She rubbed her back.

“This Obelisk was playing with me. First he used Giant Trunade, then Lightning Vortex, then this weird card called Dragon’s Mirror…”

“…which let him summon his Five God Dragon,” said Trisha, “and then he let you have it…”

“How’d you know?” asked the girl.

“That would be Laramie,” replied Trisha. “He’s very proud of that Fusion Monster, and loves to take his opponents out with it. No one duels him if they can help it…”

“I found that out the hard way,” said the girl. “I’m Ami, by the way. Ami Yoshihiro.”

“Well, don’t wallow in self pity,” said Trisha. “I always say, when you lose, you learn more than you do from winning…”

Well, unless it’s an Orichalcos duel, she thought, but I can’t tell her that…

“Tell me something,” said Trisha. “If you were to face Laramie again, now that you know his strategy, what would you do differently?”

Ami thought for a minute.

She shrugged.

“Well,” said Trisha, “if I was forced to duel him, I’d put this in my deck…”

She took a card out of her side deck.

It was a Trap Card bearing the image of a mad scientist in front of a computer screen. It was called Success Probability 0%.

“See, when this Trap is triggered, it sends up to two cards at random from your opponent’s Fusion Deck straight to the Graveyard!” said Trisha. “If you used that, he’d lose his most powerful weapon.”

“I don’t even have a side deck yet,” muttered Ami. “My win-loss record is pretty much 50-50…”

“I’ll cheer you up…” said Trisha.

She pushed Ami’s Duel Disk towards her.

“How about a friendlier duel right now?” she said. “If there are any flaws in your deck, I can help you with them, and I won’t be as mean as he was.”

“Well…” said Ami.

She paused.

“I admit, I would like to blow off a little steam… Okay…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

At the far end of the library, the bookshelves were arranged in a large circle. A portrait of William Shakespeare was on the wall. It was roomy enough for an arena.

They faced each other at the table in the center, and shuffled.

“Quaint,” said Trisha with a chuckle. “Good thing these are holograms… We wouldn’t want to burn any of these books.”

“I’m sure,” said Ami, with a smile.

She took out a pair of purple reading glasses and placed them on her face.

They backed up towards the bookshelves.

“All right,” said Trisha, drawing five cards. “Game… start!”

[B](Trisha: 8,000) (Ami: 8,000)

“You may go first,” said Trisha.

Ami drew a sixth card.

Wow! she thought. This is a great opening hand!

“Okay!” she said, taking three cards from her hand. “I’ll place two cards facedown…”

Two facedown cards appeared.

“…and also a Monster in Defense Mode.”

She set a card, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“And I’ll end my turn…” she said.

“Ooh, sneaky…” said Trisha, drawing. “Well, let’s see…”

She drew a card.

I drew Nanobreaker on my first draw! she thought. That’s good luck…

“I summon Nanobreaker in Attack Mode,” she said.

The Machine that looked just like her appeared, holding aloft her sword. (1,600/1,800)

All right, she thought. Two facedown cards and a facedown Monster… Could be a trap…

But could be a chance to get ahead…

“Nanobreaker, attack!” shouted Trisha.

Nanobreaker leapt forward…

A weird-looking Fiend with red skin and eyes all over its body appeared on the card. Nanobreaker cut it in half.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN017.jpg

“You just destroyed my Big Eye,” exclaimed Ami. “So now…”

She took the cards off the top of her deck.

“I can see the top five cards on my deck, and rearrange them any way I want.”

She looked at them, made a few adjustments, and then replaced them.

“Okay then…” said Trisha. “I’ll…”

“Hold it…” said Ami. “Before you end your turn, I’ll activate one of my facedown cards.”

A Trap Card lifted up.

“It’s called Miracle Draw!”

Clouds started to form, obscuring the ceiling. Lightning crackled.

“Uh, what does that do?” asked Trisha.

“Someone gave me this card for free, believe it or not,” said Ami. “He said it was useless, but I found a way to use it.

“See, before my Draw Phase, I have to try to guess what card I’ll draw. If I guess right, you lose 1,000 Life Points. If I guess wrong, I lose 1,000 Life Points.”

Trisha stared at her.

“You know exactly what your next five draws will be!” she exclaimed.

“The rules don’t say you can’t have help,” said Ami. “Now then… I guess the card I draw will be… Jam Breeding Machine…”

She drew.

“What do you know…” she said, showing it to Trisha. “I was right!”

Thunder rolled…

Trisha screamed as she was struck by lightning!

[B](T: 7,000) (A: 8,000)

“Not bad…” muttered Trisha.

“Now then…” said Amy. “I’ll summon… Cannon Soldier in Attack Mode.”

She played the card, and a sinister looking, semi-humanoid Machine with a gun turret on its shoulder appeared. (1,400/1,300)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN106.jpg

“Next I’ll play…” she continued. “Jam Breeding Machine.”

The ground shook, and a dome-like contraption covered with pipes and gaskets rose out of the ground.

“I’ll end my turn there,” she said.

Her plan is obvious, thought Trisha. She plans to create Slime Tokens, and use them as ammunition for that cannon. Her other facedown is likely a Trap…

She drew.

But I have to try…

“I summon Cyber Phoenix in Attack Mode,” she shouted.

A large creature that looked like a metallic bird with glowing eyes appeared, hovering in air and slowly flapping its wings. (1,200/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/eoj_jp009.jpg

“Nanobreaker, attack!” she shouted.

Nanobreaker raised her sword.

“I activate… Gravity Bind!” shouted Ami.

Her other Trap lifted, and Nanobreaker was stopped cold.

“I figured as much…” said Trisha.

At least her Cannon Soldier can’t attack either, she thought. At least not normally…

“I’ll end my turn…”

“Then time to guess again,” said Ami, reaching for her deck. “And I guess… Rush Recklessly…”

She drew.

She gave a girlish giggle as she showed Trisha the card.

Thunder rolled again. Trisha cringed as lightning struck her again!

“Now…” continued Ami, “Let’s let my Jam Breeding Machine do its thing…”

The Machine shook… And a small blob of protoplasm with eyes on it floated out. (500/500)

“And now, Cannon Soldier…”

The Slime Token transformed into energy, and was absorbed into the Machine…

“FIRE!” shouted Ami.

Cannon Soldier blasted its gun! Trisha staggered back as it hit her in the chest!

[B](T: 5,500) (A: 8,000)

And this kid was having self doubts? thought Trisha, catching her breath.

“Your move…” said Amy.

Trisha drew.

Hey… she thought. I just drew Sky Union…

Air Fortress Ziggurat is immune to opposing Traps and Spells, and I could summon a Monster and then sacrifice it and my other two to summon it…

She thought for a minute.

Oh, what am I thinking? she thought. This kid just got blasted by a Five God Dragon. I’m not that cruel…

She chose another card.

“I summon Mechanicalchaser in Attack Mode,” she said. “And I’ll end my turn.”

Mechanicalchaser appeared, and raised its spindly arms. (1,850/800)

“Okay…” said Ami, going for her deck. “I guess… Mucus Yolk…”

She drew.

“I was right!”

“NOT AGAIN!” screamed Trisha, as lightning crashed down on her.

Boy, she’s got a good memory… she thought.

“Now, let’s do this again!” laughed Ami.

The Machine produced a Slime Token…

Cannon Soldier absorbed it.

“Cannon Soldier, blast her!” ordered Ami.

Cannon Soldier shot its cannon, hitting Trisha in the stomach.

She held her gut and groaned.

[B](T: 4,000) (A: 8,000)

Man… thought Trisha. I’ve lost half my Life Points, and she has all of hers… I’d better get a good draw…

She drew a card.

“Oh well…” said Trisha. “Time to take the lead…”

She played a card.

“I play Heavy Storm!”

A wind ripped across the field, and Ami watched in horror, as her Gravity Bind, Miracle Draw, and Jam Breeding Machine were all blown to pieces.

“All right!” shouted Trisha. “Mechanicalchaser, attack Cannon Soldier!”

Mechanicalchaser flew forward and struck Cannon Soldier with its prod. The weaker Machine exploded.

“Cyber Phoenix, attack directly! Cyber flames!”

Cyber Phoenix blasted a flamethrower from its beak. Ami screamed and tried to shield herself.

“Nanobreaker, your turn!” ordered Trisha.

Nanobreaker leapt up, and made a downward slash at Ami with her sword. She shrieked and fell over on her behind.

“Ooh…” she muttered.

[B](T: 4,000) (A: 4,750)

“Sorry, Ami,” said Trisha, “but I have to fight back a little…”

“Hey, I don’t want you to let me win…” muttered Ami.

Trisha smiled.

“It’s your move,” she said.

Ami drew a card.

“I’m going to play a card I’ve been saving,” she said. “Pot of Greed…”

She took a card from her hand and played it. She drew two cards.

“Now I’ll show you how I was going to get rid of Miracle Draw,” she continued. “I place one card facedown…”

She played a card.

“…and then I play Emergency Provisions.”

She played the card. The facedown card lifted, and then shattered.

Imperial Order? thought Trisha. When did she intend to use that?

“All right…” said Ami. “Next I’ll play… Level Limit Area B.”

She played a Spell Card, and all of Trisha’s Monsters shifted into Defense Mode.

“Darn…” said Trisha.

“Next I’ll summon… Mucus Yolk!” she exclaimed.

She played the card, and a huge amoeboid glob of cytoplasm appeared in front of her. (0/100)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PGD-011.jpg

“Mucus Yolk can attack you directly,” she said, “and each time it damages your Life Points, it gains 1,000 Attack Points.”

“True,” said Trisha, “but it starts out with zero Attack Points, so you need a way to increase its Attack Points first…”

She paused.

“…wait… a minute…”

Ami played a card.

“I play Rush Recklessly!” she shouted.

Mucus Yolk’s Attack rose to 700.

“Attack!” shouted Ami. “Engulfing grapple…”

Trisha’s eyes opened in fear as the huge ball of slime floated towards her…

…and then she was absorbed into it! She cringed as it started to constrict…

Then it let go, and returned to Ami’s side. Its Attack Score fell back down to zero, then rose to 1,000.

[B](T: 3,300) (A: 5,750)

“Your move!” said Ami. “And this is fun!”

Well, thought Trisha. It’s clear that she’s playing a Direct Damage Deck… A strategy that’s very hard to combat. Likely, all her cards are aimed towards getting around Monsters and striking at the duelist…

She drew a card.

Limiter Removal? That’s no good…

“Much as I hate to do it,” she said, “I have to pass.”

“Okay,” said Ami, drawing.

Continued…

Dark Sage

15th May 2006, 07:24 AM

Continued from last post:

She looked at the card.

“Mucus Yolk, attack again!”

Trisha cringed as the Yolk swallowed her again!

As it let go, she gasped for breath.

“Nasty…” she said.

The Yolk’s attack rose to 2,000.

[B](T: 2,300) (A: 5,750)

“All right…” said Trisha, “my move…”

She drew a card.

All right… she thought.

“I summon Machine King Prototype in Attack Mode,” she stated.

The Prototype materialized.

“This Machine only has three stars,” she said, “so he can attack in your Level Limit. And he gains 100 Attack Points for every additional Machine on the field.”

(1,600/1,500) –> (1,900/1,500)

“That’s still not strong enough to beat my Monster,” said Ami.

“Well then…” said Trisha. “Then I’ll play this… Limiter Removal!”

She played a Spell Card.

“This doubles the Attack of all Machines on my side of the field.”

Cyber Phoenix rose to an Attack of 2,400. Nanobreaker rose to 3,200. Mechanicalchaser rose to 3,700. And Machine King Prototype rose to 3,800.

“Prototype, attack the Mucus Yolk!” shouted Trisha. “Laser phaser!”

Machine King Prototype blasted a ray of energy from its eyes, and Mucus Yolk splattered into globs of goo.

“Of course,” said Trisha. “Limiter Removal will destroy my Monsters when I end my turn, but before that happens…”

She played a card.

“…I’ll sacrifice Machine King Prototype by playing Mystik Wok. It’s sort of like recharging your batteries in a way.”

Prototype faded into mist.

[B](T: 6,100) (A: 3,950)

“Next,” she said, “I play Thunder Crash. This will destroy my Monsters before the Limiter Removal does, and blast away 300 of your Life Points for each.”

She played the card, and Cyber Phoenix, Nanobreaker, and Mechanicalchaser shattered. A bolt of lightning shot forward, striking Ami. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as it hit her.

“Finally, I’ll place one card facedown…” she said.

She played a card, and a facedown card appeared.

“Okay, I’m ending my turn now.”

[B](T: 6,100) (A: 3,050)

“Oo-kay…” muttered Ami, drawing a card.

“I… have to pass…” she said.

“Very well…” said Trisha, drawing a card.

She gestured, and her facedown card lifted.

“I activate Call of the Haunted!” she exclaimed. “Now I can bring back a Monster from my Graveyard, and I choose… Machine King Prototype!”

Prototype reappeared, and Ami gulped. (1,600/1,500)

“Attack directly!” ordered Trisha.

Prototype blasted its weapon, and Ami sweat heavily.

[B](T: 6,100) (A: 1,450)

“That ends my turn,” she said.

“Okay, let’s see here…” muttered Ami, drawing a card.

She looked at it.

“I play Card Destruction,” she said.

Trisha raised an eyebrow.

They both folded their hands, and drew an equal number.

“All right!” said Ami. “I play Mystical Space Typhoon!”

The played the card, and Call of the Haunted shattered under the windstorm. Then Machine King Prototype shattered.

“Now, I’ll set two cards facedown…” she continued.

She played two cards, and they appeared.

“…and then I’ll summon Royal Magical Library in Defense Mode.”

Behind her rose a large bookshelf with three lamps hanging from the shelves, even more elaborate than the ones surrounding them. (0/2,000)

“I end my turn…” she said.

Hmmm… thought Trisha. That thing will let her draw a card every time three Spell Cards are played. I’ll have to find some way to bring it down…

She drew.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode,” she said, playing a card.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“That’s my turn,” she said.

Ami drew.

“YES!” she exclaimed. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I just drew my signature card!

“But before I summon her, I’ll activate my facedown cards…”

Her two Traps lifted.

“First, Robbin’ Goblin!” she laughed. “This causes you to lose a card from your hand every time I attack directly.

“Next, Magical Thorn! This causes you to lose 500 Life Points whenever you lose a card from your hand.”

“Uh…” muttered Trisha. “Interesting combo…”

“And now my favorite Monster…” she said, playing a card. “I summon Raging Flame Sprite!”

A giggling noise echoed over the arena, and a tiny pixie carrying a cudgel with a flame on the end appeared. (100/200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN020.jpg

Trisha raised an eyebrow.

“Sure, she starts out weak,” explained Ami, “but she can attack directly, and every time she succeeds, she gains 1,000 Attack Points!

“Go! Pixie fire shot!”

Raging Flame Sprite laughed, and flew towards Trisha. She shot a tiny fireball, hitting her in the face!

Her Attack rose to 1,100.

Then a card in Trisha’s hand glowed. She grunted and discarded it… and then a small jolt of energy struck her.

[B](T: 5,500) (A: 1,450)

“That’s it for my move…” said Ami.

Trisha drew.

“I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode,” she said. “Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive!”

The card flipped, and the huge freight engine appeared. (1,400/1,000)

It turned back into Defense Mode.

“That means I get to draw another card,” she said.

She drew.

“Eh…” she said, looking at it. “I pass…”

Ami drew.

“I’ll place one card facedown,” she stated.

She played a card, and it appeared.

“And now I attack with Raging Flame Sprite!”

The Sprite flew forward and blasted Trisha in the face again!

She sputtered. The Sprite grew to 2,100 Attack.

A card in her hand glowed, and she discarded it. She was shocked again.

[B](T: 3,900) (A: 1,450)

“All right, my move…” she muttered.

She drew.

“I summon Dark Catapulter in Defense Mode,” she stated.

She played a card, and the large, Dark Machine appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,000/1,500)

“Silly,” said Ami. “That can’t defend you…”

She drew.

“And now… My Sprite attacks you directly!”

Raging Flame Sprite shot forward a even more intense stream of flames, and Trisha screamed as she was blasted in the face again.

Again, she discarded a card, and was jolted.

“Must she always go for the face?” asked Trisha.

“Hey, you know how pixies are,” said Ami. “They like to have fun with big folks.”

[B](T: 1,300) (A: 1,450)

It all comes down to this draw… thought Trisha.

She drew.

“I play Pot of Greed…” she said, playing the card.

Yes! she thought. Mirror Force, and Perfect Machine King!

But first thing’s first…

“I’m activating Dark Catapulter’s special ability,” she said. “Since it was in Defense Mode for one round, I can remove one card in my Graveyard from play to destroy one Trap or Spell Card…”

Limiter Removal slipped out of her discard slot.

“So say goodbye to your Level Limit card!”

Dark Catapulter cranked back its catapults, and shot a burst of energy forward, blasting the Spell Card to pixels!

“Now, I’ll place a card facedown…” she continued.

A facedown card appeared.

“…and I’ll sacrifice Dekoichi and Dark Catapulter to summon Perfect Machine King!”

The two Machines shattered into pixels, and the huge King of Machines appeared. (2,700/1,500)

“Attack the Royal Magical Library!” she commanded. “Mega missile assault!”

Perfect Machine King blasted its weapons, and the bookshelf exploded in a burst of flaming paper and wood.

“I end my turn…”

Ami slowly drew…

“Raging Flame Sprite,” she said. “Attack directly!”

Raging Flame Sprite flew forward…

“I activate Mirror Force!” shouted Trisha, as her Trap lifted.

“I don’t think so!” laughed Ami. “I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit!”

Trisha’s eyes opened wide as Ami’s own Trap lifted, and a huge jackknife flew forward, smashing her Trap to bits!

Raging Flame Sprite shot a huge burst of flame, and Trisha fell over!

“YAY!” cheered Ami.

[B](T: 0) (A: 450)

Trisha groaned, as the two Monsters vanished.

“Well,” she said, getting up. “Feel better?”

Ami paused.

“Yeah…” she said. “Actually, I do…”

“Well,” said Trisha, “glad I could help. Laramie might have beaten you, but you’re a good duelist. I think they’ll see you in Ra next year.”

“I hope so,” said Ami. “What’s it like there? How’s the food?”

“Pretty good,” said Trisha. “Although, they’re having brussel sprouts tonight…”

“Yeech…” muttered Ami. “Well, we’re having Swedish meatballs again… And the chef they have at the Slifer Dorm is an Italian meatball… He makes dumb jokes all the time, like about the stuff that hot dogs are made of…”

“Well…” muttered Trisha, “it’s a well-known fact that someone who likes hot dogs shouldn’t watch them being made…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * * *

Dr. Artemis looked out the window of her office.

Twinky rolled into the office with a coffee pot.

“A nice day, isn’t it?” asked Artemis.

The robot could not speak, but its AI was smart enough for it to understand almost all human expressions, and its sensory systems agreed with that comment. It nodded.

“I feel this is the calm before the storm,” she muttered. “Timaeus and Critias have surfaced, so Hermos won’t be far behind…

“But in order for him to appear, another of my students likely will be lured into another horrible Orichalcos duel…

“I’m powerless to stop it… And how can I expect my students to be the ones to combat this calamity?

“But if the Brothers have made their decisions, I cannot change them. It is out of my hands…

“I must pray that all will turn out all right…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

At four-thirty, several of the Ra students were in the dining hall early.

Most of them pushed the brussel sprouts aside with disgust, but Russell was scarfing them like candy.

“Eew…” muttered Karen. “How can you like those?”

“Are you kidding?” answered Russell. “My mom served these all the time when I was a kid. My dad always told me, brussel sprouts will put hair on your chest.”

“If there’s one thing I don’t want, it’s hair on my chest!” cried Karen.

“That would be pretty unpleasant…” replied Jason.

“Indeed,” said Silver. “I wish I could stay, but it’s nearly five, and I have to get to the East Village and back before curfew. The new issue of Elemental Heroes comes in today, and they’ve been hyping about this issue for months.”

“Important issue?” asked Jason.

“First of a three-parter,” said Silver. “It introduces a new villain.”

“And I have GOT to get my manicure,” said Karen. “My nails are a mess…”

“Guys…” said Trisha.

She paused.

“Please, just… take your Disks with you,” she said. “I know it sounds strange, but you might need them.”

They looked at her.

“Fine,” said Silver. “I like having it with me anyway.”

“Same here,” said Karen.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

A dark figure in strange clothing watched as the two students left campus, going their separate ways.

“Excellent,” he said in a sinister voice. “They’re alone, and easy pickings…”

He turned to two shadowy figures.

“You,” he said, turning to a muscular figure in biker-attire. “Meet the one called Silver.”

He turned to the other, a younger figure in colorful clothes.

“You… you handle Karen.

“They shouldn’t be hard…”

The two shadowy figures nodded, and vanished.

“Fortunado wanted realism in this film,” said the dark figure, “and he’s going to get it. The dark sides of these duelists make exceptional actors…

“And there’s plenty more where they came from…”

Monday, September 20th, 2106, 5:05 PM

MIRACLE DRAW (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap/Continuous
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A deck of cards on a table, glowing with energy.

Card Description: When this card is in play, before your Draw Phase, state the name of a card. If the card you draw is the card you stated, inflict 1,000 points of direct damage to your opponent’s Life Points. If it is not, inflict 1,000 points of direct damage to your Life Points.

Note: “Miracle Draw” was used by Damon in the “Yu Gi Oh GX” episode, “Nature of the Draw”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

Ami’s Direct Damage Deck

When Ami decided to construct a deck, she was clueless as to what theme she would choose. One close friend told her that some beginning duelists could find their theme by picking a card at random from a pile of cards. The right card would choose the duelist. Ami tried this… And pulled Raging Flame Sprite. She saw it as a sign, and started constructing a Direct Damage Deck.

Ami’s strategy is more or less not to concern herself with her opponent’s Monsters and strike at her foe directly. She has several Monsters that can do just that, such as Raging Flame Sprite (of course) and Mucus Yolk. She also uses a clever combo with Cannon Soldier and Jam Breeding Machine.

When she saw Miracle Draw in one friend’s binder, she asked for it, and he was surprised she wanted something so useless. Ami was able to figure out a way to use it, however, by combining it with Big Eye, so she would know the cards she would draw beforehand. The only time Miracle Draw becomes dangerous is if she has not finished off her opponent by the time she draws the sixth card (and cannot get rid of Miracle Draw). She always attempts to make sure that the fifth card is something that can destroy or otherwise remove it.

Ami also has two copies of Meteor of Destruction, which can give an opponent a nasty surprise if she draws them early in a duel. However, her best combo is likely the one that combines Robbin’ Goblin with Magical Thorn, which costs an opponent cards, and does more damage.

[I][B]Coming up next:

Another blast… from the anime past!

Silver faces a formidable foe, in a showdown in the East Village. It’s a chapter called “Dimension Fusion”, coming soon…

Dark Sage

15th May 2006, 07:25 AM

Before I leave, I’d like to say a few things. No matter what I say, someone is going to accuse me (or worse, Katie) or ripping off from “Tilting The Balance”. Both Master of Paradox and I think that’s nonsense. He wasn’t even writing his fic when I was taking submissions.

Besides, Ami and Gerald are not alike at all. They both play Direct Damage Decks, but Gerald wouldn't even look at Miracle Draw, would think of Robbin' Goblin as "nice but unneeded" and would no sooner use a Cannon Soldier/Jam Breeding Machine combo than he would take up a job as a night watchman. Likewise, Ami probably considers Jinzo #7 beneath her and would leave Inaba White Rabbit and Amazon Archer to Spirit and Amazon decks, respectively.

I’ve said it, and if you want to level accusations, I don’t care.

Shuppet Master

15th May 2006, 09:43 AM

Nobody is accusing you of plagarism, Brian. Besides, I doubt that Gerald would even look at Raging Flame Sprite either. (Which is one of my favorite cards, since it was one of the first I pulled from a Rise of Destiny pack.)

I liked how you had Trisha decide not to use Air Fortress Ziggaraut(sp?) - I'm sure the ghost of Alister would be ticked off if his cards were used to hurt an innocent duelist. Trisha is a very honorable person.

I liked that cafeteria scene. If the chef of Ra Yellow had watched Ham of the Street yesterday, he could have spiced up those sprouts. :)

Anyways, can't wait for the next chapter.

jkBAKURA

15th May 2006, 11:16 AM

Dark Sage, this is about the third disclaimer including "Tilting the Balance" yet. Deck themes are not limitless, and it's natural that some will overlap. I said in the beginning that these stories might step on each other's heels, but so far, it's rather at a minimum.

One plus that I will point out is the consistancy in which the main characters seem to be losing. It will help even the scales when the plot demands they win every match later, so I say stop the complaints before they happen.

New combos galore in this chapter, including several I hadn't thought of. The Jam/Cannon is a classic not seen for a while. I approve.

Unfortunately, this chapter didn't give us anything new as far as Tricia's deck went, and she hasn't really dueled enough yet so we smile to out\rselves as she makes some trademark move. Truth be told, I'm rapidly losing interest in her, but Critias has potential to liven her up.

Nice work katie, I admit I love the name you came up with. I realised too late that my character's name didn't sound at all Japaneese. Maybe she's an exchange student or something. On that note, it's refreshing to see as many female user characters as male ones in this story.

"blast from the past"? I hope one of the former swordsman is dueling. With a title like "Demension Fusion" that just might be possible.

Shuppet Master

15th May 2006, 11:30 AM

One plus that I will point out is the consistancy in which the main characters seem to be losing. It will help even the scales when the plot demands they win every match later, so I say stop the complaints before they happen.

If it makes you feel better, JBakura, in my spin-off story to Dark Sage's "Yu-Gi-Oh: The Thousand Year Door", my user character Cyrus LOSES his first duel. Each of the characters in the core group will lose twice, but not where the plot forbids it.

Dark Sage

15th May 2006, 11:49 AM

JK,

I'm more than certain you'll like Trisha's next duel, although it won't be for a little while.

As for one of the original Knights dueling, that will happen eventually, but not next chapter. You'll just have to see for yourself.

- DS

Pokemasterkatie

15th May 2006, 01:34 PM

Heh, all right! :biggrin: Direct Damage decks were always one of my favorite types(and I sent in this character WAY before Tilting the Balance--I had no way of knowing that a sequel was going to be made, much less starring Gerald!). But I was close to an Elemental Charmer deck, her being Japanese and all. And someone already chose a Kuriboh deck...^^

jkBAKURA, the name wasn't easy to come up with. I took Ami from one of the members of Puffy AmiYumi(the cuter one in the cartoon), and Yoshihiro from the last name of a former WWE wrestler--Tajiri! The name clicked, and I sent her in with some of my own personality(the reading glasses were one of them--I can see just fine without them). Nice work with the previous loss--I don't think there was any way I could hope to beat a FGD!XD

BTW, you made a mistake when issuing the combo--Robbin' Goblin is a Spell Card, not a Trap. I thought that combination up myself.;) Very nice way to use Miracle Draw as well. Too bad it's not a real card yet.;_;

Blademaster

15th May 2006, 03:10 PM

An interesting chapter, to say the least - I'd forgotten all about Raging Flame Sprite, to be honest... :redface:

Everything else I was gonna say has been said, I think, so I'll just be on my way now...

Later!

-Blade

opaltiger

15th May 2006, 03:33 PM

BTW, you made a mistake when issuing the combo--Robbin' Goblin is a Spell Card, not a Trap. I thought that combination up myself.;) Very nice way to use Miracle Draw as well. Too bad it's not a real card yet.;_;

Actually, it is a Trap. I remember it being the trap they used as an example in the instructions you get with structure decks. =P

*gets stared at*

What? Can't I lurk in peace? ;_;

Zcade0

15th May 2006, 04:59 PM

it is a trap card, I am holding it in my hand now, and yes, I do come here once in a while to look at the card pics.

Pokemasterkatie

15th May 2006, 07:53 PM

You're right--It is a Trap. I checked out my virtual cards just now--the one I was thinking of might've been Gravekeeper's Servant.XD I really need to learn the cards in my deck.^^;

Shuppet Master

15th May 2006, 11:18 PM

*tries not to laugh* Then you really screwed up. Gravekeeper's Servant works differently - it activates when your opponent attacks and sends a card from his deck to the graveyard.

Mookie

16th May 2006, 08:41 AM

*sigh* I love Gravekeeper's Servant. Destroying my opponents deck. Have 2 of them out, you will win in no time. Combine it with Robbin' Zombie and some direct attackers. Mm.
Direct Damage deck is fun. But I prefer the Effect Damage version, where there are no direct attackers. Most of the damage is done through spells and traps and what-not.

Now, my memory might be...ok, it IS hazy, but is currently Trisha only one of the three main characters, who has lost?

Inferno_Dragon

16th May 2006, 07:26 PM

A Direct Damage Deck, huh? I always thought it was a weird concept but didn't Vampire Lady use it against one of the competors in Yu-Gi-Oh: The Thousand Year Door.

Interesting to see Miracle Draw in a Deck. True, it is used differently the way Damon used in Yu-Gi-Oh GX but Ami used it way better,

So a third anime character shows up. Dark Sage, besides the Swordsman, how many anime characters show up in this fanfic?

Well, keep up the good work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dark Sage

17th May 2006, 07:27 AM

What's this? A new chapter so soon after the last? Yes, because I know you want more.

The submitter of the user character in this chapter is named Imperial Whiteness. He never reviews, but I assume he's a fan, because he submitted a very detailed character.

So, let's get it on!

[B][I]Call me Silver. I only use my real name when it’s very important.

I had a hard life. I had no family as a child, and few friends. That’s why I got into two hobbies: comic books and dueling.

The characters in the comic books, and the Monsters on my cards became my friends, and they remain so.

Yugi Mouto would agree that you have to respect the card creatures. As a duelist, they are as much a part of you as your arms and legs. And even though my strategy requires sending them away to a strange place, I never fail to respect them for that.

And this goon is going to see just how such a bond works. Just seeing him, I doubt he has ANY friends…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER SIXTEEN

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-094.jpg

Monday, September 20th, 2106, 5:45 PM

The East Village was one of the more peaceful places in the bustling city of New York. It had a lot of quaint stores and nice parks, and places where you could just sit and take a load off your feet.

One popular store was Midtown Comics, a place where you could get anything related to comic books if you had enough money.

Of course, Silver had only wanted a few just-released issues, which weren’t too expensive, and among them was a much coveted copy of the new Elemental Heroes comic.

Some years after the Heroes made a splash in Duel Monsters (thanks in no small part to Jaden Yuki making them popular), several comic book companies started a bidding war for the publication rights to them, and eventually, one major company won them. It started with a few one-shots, then a few limited series, then finally a permanent ongoing series, with many spin-offs. A lot of duelists who were also comic book fans read this series.

This particular issue had been hyped about for a long time. It was the first chapter of a three-part story which would fully debut a villain who had been giving the Heroes trouble from behind the scenes for months. Even his name wasn’t known until now…

Silver still had a while before he had to get back, so he couldn’t resist reading it. The villain’s name was still not known, even though he was clearly there – presumably, he’d reveal it in part two.

The issue was pretty intense, and ended on a frightening cliffhanger…

While most of the Heroes were tangled up with the villain’s underlings, Burstinatrix was at his mercy and in that ageless comic book plot device called the “deathtrap”. She was at a clocktower where she was tied to the hour hand. The clock currently was at three o’clock…

…and at three-fifteen, the minute hand would collide with the hour hand and crush her.

Burstinatrix was only fifteen minutes away from death, but unfortunately for Silver (and every other fan), her fifteen minutes wouldn’t even start until the second part of the story came out next month.

Silver had been a fan of the comics all his life. His parents had died at an early age, and he had been brought up in an orphanage until he was twelve. He had never made friends, so his only companions came from two sources…

The comics, and his Duel Monsters cards.

He was never far apart from either.

On a whim, he took out his deck and started to look through them.

“Anything good, fellah?” asked a voice.

He turned around.

He saw someone who did not look friendly.

The muscular young man looked about twenty years old or so, wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and a leather jacket. He also wore metal wristbands, sunglasses, and silver chain, and a bandana with the colors of the American flag. His hair was dirty blonde and slightly long.

“What’s it to you?” asked Silver.

The punk took a Duel Disk from behind his back and slipped it on his arm.

“Well, I thought I’d ask if you were any good before I pounded you into the pavement,” he said, with a grin.

“Who the heck are you?” asked Silver.

“You don’t know?” said the punk, annoyed. “They call me Bandit Keith.”

“Never heard of him,” answered Silver.

Keith frowned.

“Hey, I was once the intercontinental Duel Monsters champion!” he snapped.

“If you were, I think I would have heard of you,” answered Silver. “Go away… I have better things to do than…”

Keith gritted his teeth. He took a switchblade out of his pocket and flicked it open.

Silver hesitated.

Maybe this is why Trisha told me to take my Disk with me, he thought. Is this a trend? Are rogue duelists roaming the streets?

“All right…” said Silver. “If a loser like you wants to duel so badly, just put the knife away, and I’ll be happy to oblige…”

He picked up his own Disk, and then shuffled his own deck.

“Fine,” said Keith, loading his own deck.

The Orichalcos Disk activated…

“A punk like you doesn’t stand a chance against my Infernal Deck!”

Infernal Deck? thought Silver. What’s that supposed to mean?

His own Disk activated.

“DUEL!” they both said at once.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Fortunado was watching, with his three primary henchmen close behind.

Cleo handed him a martini.

“Thank you, my dear,” he said.

Well, he thought, my next scene begins in earnest…

A scene titled “Machinations From A Hundred Years Ago”…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

[B](Silver: 8,000) (Bandit Keith: 8,000)

“All right!” said Silver, drawing his first card. “And I’ll start by playing… Pot of Greed!”

He played the card, and then drew two cards.

“And then I’ll throw this guy out in Attack Mode,” he said. “He’s called D.D. Survivor!”

As he played a card, a portal opened, disgorging a tall figure. It was a man clad in tattered rags with glowing eyes. (1,800/200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN023.jpg

“And that will be my turn,” he said.

“Oh, dear…” said Keith, sarcastically. “A beatstick with 1,800 Attack Points! Whatever will I do? Wait, I know…”

He drew a card.

“I’ll summon a better one,” he said, drawing a card. “Go, Mechanicalchaser!”

The Dark Machine that Trisha often used appeared. (1,850/800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TP3-003.jpg

“Attack!” shouted Keith.

Mechanicalchaser flew forward, and jabbed the Warrior with its staff. He shattered.

[B](S: 7,950) (B K: 8,000)

“Guess your Survivor didn’t exactly live up to his name!” laughed Keith.

“Hardy, har, har,” said Silver. “Big deal… I only lost fifty little Life Points…”

He drew a card.

“I play Graceful Charity,” he said.

He played the card, and the familiar angel appeared. Her feathers fell on his deck.

He drew three cards.

He quickly discarded D.D. Warrior and D.D. Trainer.

“Next I summon… Bazoo the Soul Eater, in Attack Mode!”

He played a card, and a large mandrill ape with purple fur appeared. (1,600/900)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TP5-EN007.jpg

“Aw, a big purple monkey!” laughed Keith. “How cuddly!”

“Oh really?” said Silver. “Well I’m activating his special ability. I can remove from play up to three Monsters from my Graveyard, and for each, Bazoo’s Attack Score rises by 300 points!”

Three cards slipped out of his discard slot.

Bazoo roared, his teeth grew into fangs, and he grew to twice his size! His Attack rose to 2,500.

“Not so cuddly now, is he?” asked Silver. “Bazoo, attack with breath of souls!”

Bazoo blasted a ray of energy from his jaws, and Mechanicalchaser blew up.

[B](S: 7,950) (B K: 7,350)

“By the way,” said Silver. “That increase won’t wear off until the end of your next turn. But my turn is over now.”

“Punk…” muttered Keith, drawing. “Well, since you like monkeys so much, I’ll summon my own in Defense Mode… It’s called Acrobat Monkey.”

He played a card, and a robotic chimpanzee appeared. It did a flip, and then shielded itself in defense. (1,000/1,800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DCR-003.jpg

“Do your worst,” he said.

Bazoo fell back to 1,600 Attack.

“My worst, eh?” said Silver.

He drew a card.

“Fine. I summon Bazoo’s counterpart, Chaosrider Gustaph!”

A sound like a noisy motorcycle blared over the arena, and a biker mounted on a demonic bike appeared. (1,400/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-018.jpg

“This guy gains 300 Attack Points for each Spell Card I remove from play,” said Silver. “So, I’ll remove Pot of Greed and Graceful Charity from play…”

Two more cards fell out of his discard slot. Gustaph rose to 2,000 Attack.

“Gustaph, destroy Acrobat Monkey with blazing chain!”

Gustaph swung a burning chain over his head, and hurled it forward. The Machine shattered.

“And now,” said Silver, “Bazoo attacks you directly!”

Bazoo blasted energy from his maw again, and the burly biker shielded himself with his right arm…

[B](S: 7,950) (B K: 5,750)

“Heh,” said Keith with a grin. “It’s gonna take more than that, punk. I’m tough enough to take a direct attack or two…”

“Will you stop calling me a punk?” asked Silver. “I mean, have you looked in the mirror lately?

“Anyway, I’ll end by placing a card facedown. And again, Gustaph’s bonus doesn’t wear off until you end your turn.”

He played a card, and it appeared behind his two Monsters.

Keith drew a card.

“I summon Double Coston in Attack Mode,” he said.

He played a card, and two black globs with faces connected by an energy cord appeared. (1,700/1,650)

“I’ll end my turn there,” he said.

Gustaph fell back to 1,400 Attack.

I know that card… thought Silver. He likely has some very powerful Dark Monster waiting to come out…

He drew a card.

“All right…” he said, playing a card. “I play Chaos Greed…”

An ominous figure in a robe appeared behind him, and conjured up the images of two cards.

“Since at least four of my cards have been removed from play, and my Graveyard is empty,” he said, “this lets me draw twice…”

He drew two cards as the figure vanished.

Nuts, he thought. Nothing that can destroy Double Coston…

“I’ll shift my two Monsters into Defense Mode…” he said.

Bazoo shielded himself, and Gustaph turned his motorcycle sideways.

“…and I’ll also summon D.D. Scout Plane in Defense Mode.”

He played a card, and another portal opened. A weird Machine that looked like a sphere with a big eye and two arms flew out, and shielded itself. (800/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-012.jpg

“Heh, heh…” said Keith. “Cowering in Defense Mode, huh?”

He drew a card.

“Well, your Monsters won’t be defending for long…”

He played a Spell Card.

“I play Curse of Fiend!”

As he played the card, a spooky mist covered the ground, and torches appeared in the air.

Double Coston moved into Defense Mode, and all of Silver’s Monsters moved up into Attack Mode.

“This Spell Card switches the battle modes of all Monsters on the field.” he laughed. “Attack becomes Defense, and vice-versa. And now…”

He took a card from his hand.

“I’ll sacrifice Double Coston…”

The odd Zombie vanished.

“To summon Slot Machine, in Attack Mode!”

A huge robot arose. It looked like a cross between your standard battle mecha and a casino slot machine, with a huge laser rifle for its right arm. (2,000/2,300)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SRL-EN028.jpg

“Slot Machine?” asked Silver. “What kind of an outdated Monster is that?”

“One that’s gonna go postal on your Scout Plane!” laughed Keith. “Attack! Photon blast!”

The windows on Slot Machine’s torso spun, and stopped at three cherries… It aimed its laser…

It fired and Scout Plane blew up.

[B](S: 6,750) (B K: 5,750)

I can’t believe this guy… thought Silver. Using seven-star Monsters like that? I’ve seen six-stars that were both stronger, and had useful effects…

Dark Ruler Ha Des, Chaos Command Magician…

By now Silver noticed that the duel had attracted a lot of attention. Several people were watching.

“Ah, the public,” said Keith with a grin. “Who knows… This might be my start back on the road to glory!”

“Don’t count on it…” said Silver, reaching for his deck. “Anyway…”

He drew a card.

He gave the card a long look.

“I’ll place this Monster in Defense Mode…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“And I’ll move my other two Monsters back to Defense Mode.”

Gustaph and Bazoo moved back into Defense.

“Now I’ll play a Spell Card…” he said. “The Cheerful Coffin.”

He played the card, and a tall undertaker in a stovepipe hat and a black tuxedo with tails appeared behind him, hefting a casket.

“This lets me discard up to three Monster Cards from my hand, but I’m only going to discard two of them.”

He made the discards. The undertaker vanished.

“I’ll end my turn on that note. Over to you…”

“Bout time,” said Keith, drawing.

“Heh, heh, heh…” he said, looking at the card.

“I play Premature Burial!” he laughed, playing the card. “And I’ll use it to bring back Double Coston!”

Double Coston reappeared. (1,700/1,650)

“And now I’ll sacrifice it again…”

It vanished into pixels…

“To summon Barrel Dragon!”

Another enormous Machine appeared! It was a huge cannon, made of dark metal, with three huge guns! (2,600/2,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN126.jpg

“Let me explain how this guy works…” said Keith. “It’s three cannons are going to charge with energy, and if two of them reach maximum, I can blow away one of your Monsters!”

The three barrels started to glow…

Okay, that’s a little better… thought Silver, nervously.

The first one reached the limit…

So did the second one…

Then the third one only got halfway.

Silver flinched a little.

“Awesome!” laughed Keith. “Well, not so awesome for your ape… Eat lead!”

Barrel Dragon blasted its guns, and Bazoo the Soul Eater was blown away.

“Slot Machine, destroy that sorry excuse for a biker!” shouted Keith.

Slot Machine’s windows twirled again, and this time it came up three lemons. It blasted its weapon, and Gustaph was obliterated.

“And I still have Barrel Dragon’s normal attack!” added Keith. “Take out his last Monster!”

Barrel Dragon fired…

A woman wearing a white bodysuit and domino mask, holding a sword that looked like a larger cleaver appeared on the card. She was blown into pixels.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DBT-EN002.jpg

“HA!” laughed Silver. “That was D.D. Assailant! And when she’s attacked, both she and the Monster who attacked her are removed from play.”

A vortex opened above the arena…

“So say goodbye to your Barrel Dragon!”

The huge Machine was sucked through the vortex!

“Even better,” said Silver, “now I can activate this Trap…”

One of his facedown cards lifted, showing the image of D.D. Warrior Lady dancing amid strange energy.

“Dimension Motion,” he said. “This can only be activated when a Monster with ‘D.D.’ in its name is removed fro play. Now you lose 500 Life Points for each such Monster in my Graveyard. And I have three – the D.D. Scout plane you sent there, and two I sent there with The Cheerful Coffin.”

Three bolts of energy shot from the vortex and struck Keith.

“Punk…” he said.

[B](S: 6,750) (B K: 3,450)

The people viewing clapped.

“Yeah,” said Keith. “Well, you have no Monsters left, and you still have my Slot Machine to deal with!”

“Well, let’s see what I have here…” said Silver, drawing.

He drew a card.

“I summon D.D. Warrior Lady in Attack Mode,” he exclaimed.

He played a card, and a sexy-looking female warrior in silver clothing appeared, holding a glowing sword. (1,500/1,600)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DCR-027.jpg

“Huh?” said Keith.

“D.D. Warrior Lady,” said Silver, “attack with dimensional slice!”

D.D. Warrior Lady leapt up…

“Fight her off, Slot Machine!” shouted Keith.

Slot Machine aimed its weapon, and fired, blowing Warrior Lady into shards.

“Nice,” said Silver, as the vortex appeared again. “That may have cost me a few Life Points, but when she engages in battle, even if she loses, I can remove her and her opponent from play. So your Slot is gone too.”

Slot Machine was sucked through the vortex.

[B](S: 6,250) (B K: 3,450)

“I’ll end by placing a card facedown,” he said, setting a card. “Over to you again.”

Keith growled and drew a card.

So, this punk likes removing cards from play, huh? he thought.

He fit a card into his Disk, and it appeared in front of him.

Well, my Bottomless Trap Hole will do just that to next Monster he summons!

He waved his hand to signal the end of his turn.

Silver drew a card.

“Hey, Keith!” he said. “I just drew a great Monster. It’s called D.D. Guide!”

“Well… Why don’t you summon him?” dared Keith.

“Why not?” said Silver, placing the card on his Disk.

With a haunting laugh, a mysterious figure appeared, its face completely hidden by the dark robe it wore. (1,400/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi-en014.jpg

Crap, thought Keith. My Trap doesn’t work on Monsters who don’t have at least 1,500 Attack Points…

And then, D.D. Guide vanished…

…and reappeared on Keith’s side!

“HUH?” shouted Keith. “Why the Hell is it on my side of the field?”

“What, no thank you?” said Silver. “When this guy is summoned, control of it goes to my opponent.”

“You mean this thing is mine?” asked Keith in surprise.

“Yeah, but there is a catch,” said Silver. “During each of our End Phases while you have it, you have to remove one card in your Graveyard from play.

“And I’m ending my turn now.”

“Oh, fine!” cursed Keith. “I guess I don’t need Curse of Fiend anymore…”

The card slipped out of his discard slot.

“And that lets me activate my facedown card!” shouted Silver.

His facedown card activated, showing the image of D.D. Warrior Lady standing in a pentagram.

“Dimension Circle,” he said. “This Quickplay can be activated when a card is removed from play, and when it is, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are also removed from play!”

Keith’s facedown card vanished.

“You’ll pay for that…” he said, drawing a card.

“Going to attack me with D.D. Guide?” asked Silver. “By the way, the name of its attack is ‘warp blast’.”

Keith placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Ground Attacker Bugroth in Attack Mode,” he said.

A strange Machine that looked like a land-bound submarine appeared. (1,500/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN022.jpg

“Ground Attacker Bugroth, attack directly with electro-shock!” he shouted.

The machine shot a wave of electricity, and Silver groaned.

“D.D. Guide, attack with… warp blast!”

The creature raised its arms, and fired a wave of strange energy. Silver groaned and cringed and fell on one knee.

[B](S: 3,350) (B K: 3,450)

Ugh… thought Silver. That was far from the first time I took a blow from D.D. Guide… So why did it hurt much worse than all the other times? Something’s amiss here…

Somehow, I’m starting to think this is more than just the average duel…

“Your move…” said Keith.

“Don’t forget, you have to remove a card from play…” muttered Silver.

Keith frowned, and removed Premature Burial from his Graveyard.

“My move!” he exclaimed.

He drew a card.

“All right!” he shouted. “I play Soul Absorption!”

He played a card.

“While this Continuous Spell Card is in effect, I gain 500 Life Points whenever any card is removed from play.

“And now I summon this guy… Banisher of the Light, in Defense Mode!”

He played a card. A pious looking man in priestly robes appeared, and held a hand out. (100/2,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SRL-EN078.jpg

“So long as this guy is around, all cards that go to the Graveyards are removed from play.

“I end my turn… And D.D. Guide’s effect activates again!”

Continued…

Dark Sage

17th May 2006, 07:32 AM

Continued from last post:

Keith snarled, and removed Acrobat Monkey from his Graveyard.

[B](S: 3,850) (B K: 3,450)

He frowned as he drew.

“I play my Pot of Greed!” he exclaimed, playing a card. “Now I’ll draw two more cards…”

He drew twice.

“Perfect…” he said. “With the cards I have now, I can bring out one of my mightiest Monsters…

“But first, one card facedown…”

He played a card, and it appeared facedown.

“And now I play this…” he continued. “Zera Ritual!”

“Huh?” asked Silver. “That… sounds familiar…”

Keith played the card.

An aura of sinister darkness descended on the arena, and a man in armor and a helmet seated on a throne shaped like a demon appeared.

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dc_04.jpg

“It’s just a little ceremony that lets me sacrifice the Monsters I have on the field for something much better…” said Keith.

The eyes of the throne glowed, and laser beams from them struck D.D. Guide and Ground Attacker Bugroth, and they shattered…

And then a frightening form arose… It was a hideous Fiend with sharp claws, spurs all over its body, and a face like a bony crocodile. It wore a long cape with a high collar.

“Meet Zera the Mant!” laughed Keith.

(2,800/2,300)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dc_03.jpg

“Zera, take out Banisher of the Light! Jagged claws attack!”

Zera the Mant leapt forward, and with one swipe, destroyed the Banisher.

[B](S: 5,850) (B K: 3,450)

“All right…” muttered Silver. “My draw…”

He drew.

“And my Trap activates!” shouted Keith. “Dust Tornado!”

His Trap lifted, and the tornado tore across the field, smashing the Soul Absorption card.

Silver grumbled as he looked at the card he drew.

He gave it a strange look.

He placed it on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

He waved his arm to signal the end of his turn.

Keith drew a card.

“Zera, attack!” he shouted.

Zera the Mant leapt forward…

A clay jar appeared on the card. A shadowy shape with one eye and big teeth leapt out and cackled before it was torn to shreds.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TP4-002.jpg

“Heh, heh…” said Silver. “That was a Morphing Jar. Since you flipped it…”

“We discard all the cards in our hands and draw five new ones,” interrupted Keith. “You don’t have to tell me how to play! I’m not stupid!”

“That’s up for debate,” answered Silver.

They folded their hands, and then each drew five.

Keith looked them over.

“Eh, make your move, punk,” he said.

Silver drew a sixth card.

“I play… Soul Release,” he said. “And I’ll remove five cards from my own Graveyard… Soul Absorption, Morphing Jar, and my three D.D. Scout Planes.”

He played the card. Five cards slipped out of his Graveyard.

“Since I removed that powerful Spell Card from play,” he said, “you can forget any dreams you have of using them it you happen to have Double Spell in your deck.”

Keith growled a little. Truthfully, he did have Double Spell, and it was starting to sink in that Soul Absorption would help him a lot…

“Now I’ll place one card facedown,” continued Silver.

A facedown card appeared.

“I’m ending my turn,” he said. “And as you know, three of those cards I just removed from play were my three D.D. Scout Planes, and when they’re removed from play in any way, they’re Special Summoned on the next End Phase.”

A portal opened, and the three Scout Planes flew out.

Keith laughed!

“They’re in Attack Mode, stupid!” he laughed. “Zera will crush them!”

He drew a card.

“Zera, attack the one in the middle!” he shouted.

Zera the Mant leapt forward…

“I activate my Trap Card!” shouted Silver. “Tri-Formation!”

A Trap lifted up, showing the image of three Mokey Mokeys flying in a triangular pattern.

“Here’s how it works,” said Silver. “This Trap can be activated when I have three of the same Monster on my side of the field in Attack Mode, and one of them is attacked. Then the Attack or Defense of the other two, whichever is higher, is added to the Attack of the one being Attacked. So, both the Defense Scores of my other two Scout Planes get added to the Attack Score of the one you’re attacking!”

The central Scout Plane shot up to an Attack of 3,200! It shot of beam of dark energy from its eye… Zera the Mant hollered, and exploded in a fiery blast.

“ZERA!” screamed Keith.

“The only drawback to this Trap is, the three Monsters are then removed from play,” said Silver.

The three Scout Planes vanished.

“But, don’t forget their special effect!”

“Fine…” muttered Keith. “I’ll end by placing one card facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“It’s your move…”

The portal opened, and the three Scout Planes flew back out.

[B](S: 5,850) (B K: 3,050)

Silver drew a card.

“I’ll move my three Scout Planes to Defense Mode…” he stated.

The three Machines crouched in Defense.

“And next I’ll play this Spell Card… something I like to call Miracle Dig.”

“Miracle Dig?” said Keith. “What the sam-hill is that?”

Silver played it.

“Since at least five of my Monsters have been removed from play,” explained Silver, “this card lets me return three of them to my Graveyard. So you might be seeing a couple of them again…”

Silver looked at his Disk.

Hopefully, D.D. Warrior Lady, D.D. Assailant, and D.D. Survivor will come in handy later, he thought.

“And I’ll end my turn there…”

Keith drew.

“Heh, heh…” he chuckled. “With the cards I have now, you’re as good as finished…

“First I’ll place another card facedown…

“Then I’ll activate my other one… Call of the Haunted! Now I can bring back a Monster from my Graveyard, and I know just which one I want…”

Double Coston appeared again.

“Not him again…” muttered Silver.

“That’s right,” said Keith. “And now I sacrifice him to summon another infernal beast…”

Double Coston vanished.

“I summon Zoa!”

A frightening creature appeared. It was a hideous-looking Fiend with mauve skin and a diabolic face, crouched down on all fours. (2,600/1,900)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TFK-001.jpg

“Zoa, attack one his Planes! Glimmer strike!”

A flash of light shot from Zoa’s eyes, and one of the D.D. Scout Planes blew up.

“That’s my turn…” said Keith with an evil grin. “But next turn, I’ll treat you to the Bandit Keith Saturday Night Special!”

I don’t like the sound of that… thought Silver.

He drew a card.

“I place one card facedown,” he stated.

A facedown card appeared.

“And once again, I will play Soul Release! I’ll use it to remove Bazoo the Soul Eater, Chaosrider Gustaph, Banisher of the Light, Tri-Formation, and Chaos Greed from my Graveyard.”

“What’s the point?” asked Keith.

“I have my reasons,” answered Silver. “That will end my turn.”

“And this will start mine!” said Keith, with a wicked grin.

He drew a card.

“I activate my facedown card, the Trap, Metalmorph!”

His Trap Card lifted.

“This Trap Equips to one Monster on the field, and I’ll Equip it to Zoa…”

Zoa’s skin became shiny and metallic.

“And this lets me sacrifice him for someone better…”

Zoa and the Trap Card vanished in a burst of light, and a huge form burst out of the ground…

“The ravenous Metalzoa!”

A creature that looked like a robot version of the original Zoa appeared, bearing wicked metal claws! (3,000/2,300)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TFK-002.jpg

“And I’m not done…” said Keith, taking a card from his hand. “I’ll also play Monster Reborn…”

He played the card, and the ankh appeared…

“And I’ll bring back the original Zoa!”

The first creature appeared next to the metal one. (2,600/1,900)

“Still think I’m a loser, punk?” he asked.

Silver didn’t answer.

“Metalzoa,” shouted Keith, “attack with hardened glimmer strike!”

Metalzoa roared, and shot a blast of energy from its eyes…

“I activate Negate Attack!” shouted Silver, as his Trap Card lifted. “This stops your attack dead in its tracks, and ends this battle now.”

“Fine!” cursed Keith. “I’ll get you next turn!”

“We’ll see…” said Silver, drawing.

He looked at the Continuous Spell Card.

“I play… Dimensional Fissure!” he stated, playing the card. “When this Continuous Spell Card is active, all cards that go to either Graveyard are removed from play.”

“Big deal!” said Keith.

“It is a big deal,” said Silver. “Because now I play another Spell Card… Chaos End!”

He played a card.

“Chaos End?” gasped Keith. “What does that do?”

“Gee, for someone who claims to have been an intercontinental champion, you aren’t very bright,” said Silver. “Since at least seven of my cards have been removed from play, this card wipes out all Monsters on the field.”

Zoa, Metalzoa, and the two Scout Planes shattered.

“Now, I’ll place one card facedown,” he said, setting a card. “And I’ll end my turn. And since my Dimensional Fissure removed my two Scout Planes from play, here they come again…”

The two Planes flew out of the portal once more.

Keith started to shake as he drew a card.

“I summon… Battle Footballer, in Defense Mode…” he stated.

He played a card, and the football-playing cyborg appeared. (1,000/2,100)

“Just try to get past him…” he dared.

Silver drew a card.

“Well, it’s about time you showed up…” he said.

He switched cards on his Disk.

“I sacrifice both my D.D. Scout Planes to summon D.D. Warrior Lady’s powerful mentor…” he said. “The mighty D.D. Protector!”

The Scout Planes vanished, and a portal of light opened…

From out of the portal came a powerful looking figure. His appearance suggested an aged Jedi Knight, only clutching a long, silver sword rather than a lightsaber. He had a short goatee on a face that echoed wisdom. His hair was silver colored. (2,500/2,500)

“And just by summoning him,” said Silver, “I get to retrieve three Monsters with ‘D.D’ in their names and place them on top of my deck…”

Three cards fell out of his discard slot, and he placed them on his deck.

“But they’ll hardly be necessary once I’m done.”

“D.D. Protector…” commanded Silver. “Attack with dimensional blade!”

The Protector flew forward and sliced Battle Footballer down the middle, cleaving it in half. The pieces shattered.

“Big deal!” said Keith. “He was in Defense Mode, so my Life Points are untouched.”

“Not for long,” said Silver. “My facedown card will now end this duel… Activate… D.D. Dynamite!”

His Trap Card lifted, and then a bomb appeared next to Keith…

“This Trap blows away 300 of your Life Points for each of your cards that has been removed from play during the course of the duel,” said Silver.

“Wait a minute…” muttered Keith. “One… two…”

“Don’t strain yourself…” said Silver. “I’m very good at keeping track. So far, there have been twelve, which is more than enough to end this.”

The bomb exploded, and Bandit Keith screamed as he was thrown backwards and landed on the pavement.

[B](S: 5,850) (B K: 0)

He lay prone for a minute with smoke rising from him…

And then shadows started to rise, and he vanished.

The onlookers stared for a minute, and then they started to clap.

“Thank you everyone, thank you,” said Silver. “Now, I’d best get back to the dorm, before Old Ben starts to look for a portal to throw me into…”

He fit his things into his backpack and ran off.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Back at the Ra Yellow dorm, Russell unlocked his mailbox.

Inside was a large envelope. It had the insignia of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

It was obviously from one of his parents. And since it wasn’t a package, he ruled out cookies from his mom.

He took it to his room and opened it up.

He took out the computer-printed letter.

It was from his dad – he recognized the letterhead.

He read.

[I]Dear Son,

Things at the Fort are average as usual. I’ve been keeping busy. Most people in the service try their hardest to advance in rank, not realizing that with each promotion comes more work, a lot of it boring paperwork. I hope your own studies are up to notch.

Anyway, at times, people in my position like to have talks with the enlisted men to prove to them that we’re only human. It helps with morale. I mention you a lot, and I’ve become surprised at how popular your card game is among the troops. They apparently play it in their free time.

(Unfortunately, a lot of them have turned to gambling using it, and gambling is against the rules here. We try to weed that out.)

Anyway, on one of my recent chats with C-Company, one soldier asked about the theme of your deck, and I responded what you had told me – Warriors, wasn’t it? He told me he had a powerful card that he had gotten an age ago and never used, and offered to sell it.

Of course, I looked up the item in question on the internet, and judging from how much some stores were selling for it, I figured you could probably use it. So I took him up on the offer.

Anyway, consider the enclosed card part of your upcoming Christmas present. Study hard, and I look forward to seeing you on the next break.

- Dad

Russell paused.

He quickly looked through the envelope…

He took out a single card, sealed in a protective plastic case.

Wow… he thought.

He took out his deck, and took three other cards from it.

He held them next to the new card.

This has possibilities… he thought.

Monday, September 20th, 2106, 6:02 PM

DIMENSION MOTION (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: D. D. Warrior Lady dancing amid mysterious energy.

Card Description: You can activate this card when a Monster with “D.D.” in its name is removed from play. Inflict 500 points of direct damage to your opponent for every Monster with “D.D.” in its name in your Graveyard.

DIMENSION CIRCLE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Quickplay
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: D. D. Warrior Lady standing in a glowing pentagram.

Card Description: You can activate this card when one or more cards is removed from play. Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field, and remove them from play (except this one).

D. D. PROTECTOR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,500

Card Description: This mysterious Warrior is believed to be D.D. Warrior Lady’s mentor, among others. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned. This Monster can only be Special Summoned by offering two Monsters as a Tribute who have ‘D.D.’ in their names. When this Monster is successfully summoned, you may take up to three Monster Cards in your Graveyard that have ‘D.D.’ in their names and place them on the top of your deck in any order. When this Monster destroys an opposing Monster as a result of battle, remove the destroyed Monster from play.

Note: “Dimension Motion”, “Dimension Circle”, and “D.D. Protector” were created by Imperial Whiteness, who submitted Silver as a user character.

TRI-FORMATION (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Three Mokey Mokeys flying in a triangular pattern.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you have three Monsters with the same name on your side of the field in Attack Position, and one of them is targeted for an attack. Increase the ATK of the targeted Monster by the combined ATK or DEF (whichever is higher) of the other two Monsters with the same name. After the Battle Phase ends, remove all three Monsters from play.

Silver’s Dimensional Deck

When Sliver was growing up in an orphanage, the first card he ever owned was D.D. Warrior Lady. Something about her clicked in his mind, and when he decided to build a deck, he decided on one revolving around her and her allies. Some folks call it Chaos, but he prefers to call it Dimensional.

As one might expect, a great many of his cards involve removing cards from play, both his and his opponents’. One main difference between his deck and a lot of other Chaos-themed decks is, he has a few ways to recover Monsters to use them again. He once experimented with Gren Maju Da Eiza, but found that Monster to be a little too evil for his tastes, and stopped using it quickly.

One of his favorite tricks to toss at an opponent is the peculiar Monster called D.D. Guide, whose control switches to his opponent when he summons it. This can always be risky – especially if he has no other Monsters on the field – but if his opponent can’t find a way to get rid of it, his Graveyard will quickly lose a lot of cards. Silver can’t choose which ones it removes from play, so this trick is best used if done early in a duel.

A move that’s best done late in a duel is the use of D.D. Dynamite. Through use of Dimensional Fissure and Banisher of the Light, Silver can banish many of his foe’s cards, and then end the duel with one mighty blast from the Trap Card.

D.D. Protector is his rarest card, and a hard one to use, but useful. This Warrior lets him use his Monsters again, and can also get rid of his opponent’s Monsters for good.

One final gambit that Silver uses if he’s sure it will work is Return From The Different Dimension. However, despite the fact that he keeps this Trap in his deck, it is a last resort. He remembers painfully how he was defeated by a simple Waboku when he used this move, and his opponent was able to attack him with everything he had on the next round.

[B][I]Coming up next:

Find out what Karen was doing while Silver was busy with Keith. What other figure from The Trinity’s past lured her into a Game of Shadows? One hint – he’s very different than Bandit Keith, but he also has a few things in common with him. Other than that, I’m not telling… But the title of the chapter is “Elemental Burst”.

Don’t miss it!

Silencer

17th May 2006, 09:49 AM

No gren huh, intresting.

Seeing as this is kind off my theme I'll make a few comments :p

So Gren to evil huh? Maybe helios might work for him. Also an intresting monster appeared in EoJ that I believe is banisher of the Lights little brother or nephew or related in any way, called banisher of the radiant. Has the same effect as BotL but with a 1600/0 stats and a lvl3 fairy. Also macro cosmos might be an intresting card for this deck.

On a side note, maybe include something about the effect of soul absorption actually working as it was a bit confusing and hard to keep track at howmany LP he gained from it when Keith was making his move.

Keith was intresting to see aswell although I kind off hoped he had gotten some new machines...

Pokemasterkatie

17th May 2006, 01:22 PM

I thought as much--Howard 'Bandit' Keith. But who could be the other one(I thought it'd be Rebecca, but you said 'he'.:p)?(BTW, I think Keith was the US champion in the original.)

I very nearly expected Gren Maju when I saw the DD cards, but you'd already used him for Thousand Year Door. But the new cards are pretty clever--nice work, IW!:)

Blademaster

17th May 2006, 03:27 PM

Whoever this Imperial Whiteness is, he/she is very clever... It takes skill to use a D. D. deck effectively...

Yeah, U.S. champ - that was Bandit Keith, the jerk... Chris McKinley could duel circles around him, no doubt...

Anyway, nice new cards, nice duel, and I guess it was cool to see Keith finally make a reappearance of sorts.

So, next up is that Karen girl, huh? Elemental Burst... Sounds interesting, to say the least...

I'll be here then!

-Blade

envoy of time

18th May 2006, 06:33 AM

Ahh I love seeing Bandit Kieth getting his butt handed to him.I almost thought Silver was going to use Destiny Heros if anything.Hmm who is this colerfuly dressed friend, we'll se next time.

"May time be on your side."

Shuppet Master

18th May 2006, 12:21 PM

I think I know what Karen's deck is based on. :)

Dark Sage

18th May 2006, 08:01 PM

Silencer -

Macro Cosmos would be a good card for Silver. However, while Macro Cosmos is a EoJ Common in the real world, in the fanfic world I have created, it is incredibly rare, so he likely never even heard of it.

And yes, that is a hint.

Perfect Chaos

18th May 2006, 08:25 PM

Hey there guys, sorry for the long hiatus. As DS knows, I'm finishing up with my exams so I finally managed to find a bit of free time to review after a long afternoon of studying.

First off, Chapter 15. A Direct Damage deck huh? Well, I did read MoP's fic and noticed that Gerald uses the same time but as SM said Brian, no one is accusing of plagiarism as Ami's deck and Gerald's deck are different (as you kindly pointed out). Also, Trisha did not show much diverseness in terms of monsters, but it was a filler chapter, so nothing new and special was expected.

Now, Chapter 16. A D.D deck is always interesting to see, but as I'm sure many others have thought (myself included) we were probably expecting an Elemental/Destiny Heroes deck to make an appearance, just based on how Silver acted and his hobby of collecting comics. It was nice to see Bandit Keith make an appearance (and I was expecting to see Blowback Dragon/Gatling Dragon make an appearance, but oh well).

Anyways, I'm done here and I await Chapter 17!

-Sean

Dark Sage

21st May 2006, 06:33 AM

Let's see, where was I...

Oh, yes, I was just about to introduce the chapter with the latest user character!

This character belongs to Blademaster, and is another unique character.

Enjoy this chapter, because after it, things will get a little... intense.

- DS

[B][I]Fire. [B][I]Earth. [B][I]Wind. [B][I]Water.

[B][I]There’s power in those four words. Several cultures, ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and even modern, believed that there was power in the Elements of Nature, the building blocks of all things.

Maximillion Pegasus believed it too. When designing Duel Monsters, he created six Attributes of Monsters, four of which were the elemental forces.

My current opponent seems to favor the other two forces, the “metaphysical” ones of Light and Dark. Unfortunately, those two have always been the most popular, and have spawned the most powerful Monsters. I mean, just look at two members of the Trinity – most of Yugi’s big hitters were Dark, and a lot of Kaiba’s were Light.

Me? I was inspired by Jaden Yuki, the Second King of Games. With his Elemental Heroes, he knew the glory of all the elements…

And I’m going to share that glory with a blast to this goon’s face.

[B][size=3]CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/FET-EN059.jpg

Monday, September 20th, 2106, 5:30 PM

Karen Marianas stepped out of the saloon, looking at her nails.

A lot of girls thought it was hard keeping nails from getting chipped or scratched, or worse, broken, but for a duelist, it was unbelievably hard. You never knew when a brutal hit from your opponent’s Monster was going to knock you down, and breaking a nail was a sad occurrence that occasionally happened.

She hummed as she looked at the setting sun.

“What is it with girls and their fingernails, Karen?” said a voice. “Are all women so vain?”

She turned around and saw someone.

It was a youth who was hard to miss. He was dressed in bell-bottoms, and a pink, ruffled shirt. His hair was slightly long, and dyed light green.

“How’d you know my name?” asked Karen.

“I was under the hair dryer when the manicurist was doing your nails,” said the youth. “These days, my hair doesn’t stay this color on its own very well, and my split ends get terrible…”

“Normally, I’d ask why,” said Karen, “but my mom always told me never to mess with people who were weirder than me…”

She turned to leave…

“Weird?” said the youth, running up to her.

Karen noticed the strange Duel Disk on his arm.

“This from a girl wearing jewelry shaped like rodents?”

“RODENTS?” screamed Karen.

She glared at him.

“Pal, you want to insult my Kuribohs, you’re asking for a beating…”

“Want to put your deck where your mouth is?” asked the youth, crossing his arms.

Karen held her head.

“Do you have a name?” she asked.

He grinned for a second.

“Espa…” he said. “Espa Roba.”

Karen paused for a minute.

“Wait a minute, that sounds familiar…” she muttered.

“Aha!” exclaimed Espa. “I see my reputation as a duelist precedes me…”

“No…” muttered Karen. “Something from Joey Wheeler’s autobiography…”

Espa frowned.

“That was the name of his first opponent in the first Battle City…” she said. “He dueled the guy, and he won his…”

“Is that all I am to everybody?” shouted Espa, angrily. “A mark on Wheeler’s record?”

“Please…” said Karen, “in order to be the real Espa Roba, you’d have to be over a hundred years old, and you’re about as old as I am… So you’re either an imposter or…”

She giggled.

“…some restless ghost who’s going to trap me in some deadly Shadow Game!”

She laughed.

Espa’s eyes narrowed.

“Yeah, that would be the day…” she said.

“Duel me…” he said. “You’ll be a believer soon… And by the way, I’m not going to stop bothering you until you agree…”

“All right, fine…” said Karen, slipping her Disk on her arm. “But if you ruin this manicure, so help me…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

It was of course, about twenty minutes before Silver first encountered Bandit Keith, and Fortunado was now keeping an eye on this confrontation.

“Uh, boss?” said Cassius. “I’ll admit that these guys you’re using are… entertaining, but… Uhm…

“Exactly who is Karen dueling right now?”

“Espa Roba,” replied Fortunado. “Or at least a part of him…

“Make no mistake, my… employee can make contact with the spirits of deceased duelists and make them offers in exchange for services. There are a lot of things that spirits would want that the living can offer. Once an agreement is reached, he can manifest these… specters as he calls them. Avatars of sorts, temporary bodies that the spirits can inhabit for a short time.

“Of course, these creatures’ could never give their souls to anyone – not the Orichalcos or anything else, because their souls are already claimed by other forces and are located far away. So they can’t use the Seal. The Seal can’t be used by a duelist with no soul in his body, and these specters left theirs ‘back at home’ so to speak.

“But Shadow Games are easily done by those who have fed on supernatural energies…”

“So what are these… agreements?” asked Cassius.

“Depends,” said Fortunado with a shrug. “A specter can’t be created if the deceased is unwilling to come to the mortal plane. But a lot of these duelists were unsavory characters in life, who just jump at the chance to earn a small reprieve from what’s happening to them in the afterlife…

“As for Espa Roba… He was more moral than most of the ones we’re working with…

“But we convinced him that this would be… fun. And that’s all we needed, apparently.”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Karen and Espa stood apart from each other.

[B](Karen: 8,000) (Espa: 8,000)

“All right…” said Karen, drawing five cards. “Now we can… huh?”

Espa closed his eyes and held his fingers to his temples.

“Beem, beem, beem, beem, beem…” he said.

“What on Earth…” muttered Karen.

Espa threw his arms out.

“I feel the energy of the cosmos…” he muttered. “Passing through my body… Becoming one with me! At this time, at this place… I will win this duel! It is destiny… It is the law of the cosmos!”

“You’re weirding me out, buddy…” muttered Karen.

“Oh, sorry,” said Espa. “Were you talking?”

Karen frowned and drew her first card.

“I summon this guy in Attack Mode!” she exclaimed, placing a card on her Disk. “Go, Homunculus, the Alchemic Being!”

In a flash of light, a tall form appeared, resembling a man with rubbery skin and strange symbols on it. (1,800/1,600)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN034.jpg

“That will do for my turn…” she said.

“Interesting…” said Espa, holding his chin.

He drew a card.

“I’ll place one card facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“And summon Cyber Raider in Defense Mode.”

A tall android dressed in spandex with a strange helmet appeared, kneeling in Defense. (1,400/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DCR-011.jpg

All right… thought Karen, drawing a card. That facedown card worries me… But I have the right cards to hit him hard if I risked it…

“Homunculus!” she shouted. “Transform! Turn from Light, to Wind!”

Homunculus glowed, and then transformed into a cloudy humanoid form.

“How’d he do that?” asked Espa.

“That’s Homunculus’s special ability,” said Karen. “Once per round, I can switch his Attribute to any one that I want.

“And the reason I changed him to Wind is due to the special effect of my next Monster… one of the six servants of Doriado, Element Dragon.”

She threw a card on her Disk, and a small Dragon with orange scales and a mane of fur around its head appeared. (1,500/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SOD-EN023.jpg

“See,” said Karen, “when there’s a Wind Monster on the field, like there is right now, Element Dragon can attack twice, so long as he destroys one Monster first. So once he takes care of your Monster, both he and Homunculus will take care of you!

“Element Dragon, attack with blazing breeze!”

Element Dragon breathed a cloud of fiery wind at Cyber Raider, and he shattered.

“Now, attack directly!”

The Dragon fired again, and Espa shielded himself.

“I activate… Des Counterblow!” shouted Espa.

His facedown card lifted…

And then the fiery breeze turned back on Element Dragon, and he groaned before he shattered as well!

“What?” asked Karen.

“That may have cost me some Life Points,” said Espa. “But when Des Counterblow is active, any Monster that attacks directly will pay with its life!”

He grinned.

“And by the way, it’s a Continuous Trap…

“Feel free to attack me with your Homunculus if you’d like…”

Karen paused. She frowned.

Darn… she thought. Losing Homunculus at this point would be too costly…

“Well, the same goes for your Monsters if they attack me,” she added.

“I’m not too worried about that,” said Espa, closing his eyes.

“I end my turn…” said Karen.

[B](K: 8,000) (E: 6,500)

“Good,” said Espa, drawing a card.

Oh, look… he thought. I just drew Magical Merchant! Could come in handy…

“I place a Monster facedown in Defense Mode,” he said, placing a card on his Disk.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“I see…” said Karen. “I’ll bet that card has a nasty flip-effect…”

She drew.

“Well, too bad! Homunculus, transform again! Turn from Wind, to Earth!”

Homunculus solidified, and turned into a blocky, muscular humanoid made of stone.

“Now I summon another of Doriado’s servants… Element Soldier.”

She played a card, and a tall soldier in golden armor appeared, holding a sword. (1,500/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SOD-EN024.jpg

“Sorry to nip your plans in the bud,” she said, “but when there’s an Earth Monster on the field, Element Soldier negates the effect of any Monster he destroys.

“Attack! Mire sludge blast!”

Element Soldier swung his blade, and shot forth a spray of mud and grime. A multi-armed creature appeared on the card and was blown away.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MFC-079.jpg

“Magical Merchant?” said Karen, with a smile. “Glad I countered it.

“I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared in front of her.

Espa frowned.

He drew a card.

“Try dealing with this!” he said. “I summon Reflect Bounder in Attack Mode!”

He played a card, and a strange looking robot appeared. It had a space-age looking cranium, wore a cape, and its chest was covered with mirrors. Instead of legs, it was perched on a spire. (1,700/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DCR-012.jpg

“I know what you’re thinking…” said Roba. “This guy is no match for your Homunculus. However…”

“If I attack it, I’ll get blasted for damage equal to the Attack Score of whatever I attack it with,” said Karen. “Yeah, I know how it works…”

“How perceptive…” said Espa. “But it can attack your Monsters easily. Reflect Bounder, attack Element Soldier! Mystery mirror beam!”

Reflect Bounder blasted a ray of light from its chest, and vaporized Element Soldier.

[B](K: 7,800) (E: 6,500)

“So, what do you say to that?” asked Espa.

“You may think I’m afraid of that thing,” said Karen, drawing a card, “but actually, it’s just an annoyance…”

She placed a card on her Disk.

“I summon Element Doom in Attack Mode…” she said.

A Fiend that looked like a cross between a bear, bat, and snake appeared in front of her. (1,500/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/FET-EN011.jpg

“Now, Homunculus, transform! Turn from Earth back to Wind again!”

Homunculus reverted to its gaseous form.

“And now…” continued Karen, “I activate my Trap Card… Spiritual Wind Art – Miyabi!”

The Trap Card lifted, and a young girl in a brown robe with long, green hair appeared on the field. She carried a staff with a white gem on the end.

http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en053.jpg

“Who in…” muttered Espa.

“Meet Wynn the Wind Charmer!” exclaimed Karen. “The absolute master of all things Wind!”

“I expected such a person to be a little… stronger looking,” said Espa, grinning again.

Wynn gave him a dirty look.

“Don’t joke,” said Karen. “Miyabi is a powerful spell of Wind that she can use to destroy any card on your side of the field if I sacrifice a Wind Monster first.

“Show him what you can do, Wynn!”

The Charmer raised her staff, and it and Homunculus glowed…

Homunculus flew forward, and slammed into Reflect Bounder! Both Monsters shattered!

Wynn crossed her arms and vanished.

“By the way,” said Karen. “When a card is destroyed by Miyabi, it doesn’t go to the Graveyard, it goes to the bottom of your deck. So you likely won’t be using that guy again for a long time!”

“Are you done?” asked Espa.

Karen hesitated. She looked at Element Doom, and then at the Des Counterblow card…

“Yeah, I’m done…” she said with a sulk.

Espa drew.

He looked at the Monster Card.

I may have lost Reflect Bounder, he thought, but she had to sacrifice that annoying Homunculus to get rid of him. Odds are, she’s planning not to attack until she amasses enough Monsters to finish me off…

But she’s in for a surprise…

“I choose to pass this turn…” he said, crossing his arms.

Nuts, thought Karen, drawing. Gotta get rid of that Des Counterblow…

She played a card.

“I summon Element Saurus in Attack Mode,” she said.

A Dinosaur with rocky skin and plates on its back appeared. Puffs of flame spouted from its jaws. (1,500/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN014.jpg

“I’ll end my turn,” she said.

Espa smiled wickedly.

“You fell for it just like I planned!” he said with a laugh.

He drew a card, and then took one from his hand.

“Since you have two Monsters on the field, and I have none, I can summon this guy with no sacrifice,” he continued. “I summon The Fiend Megacyber!”

A huge, hulking Warrior with a fiendish face dressed in bronze armor with blades on his arms appeared! (2,200/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TP4-005.jpg

“Ulp…” said Karen.

“Attack Element Saurus!” he shouted “Mega-slash!”

The Fiend Megacyber swiped with its blades, and cut Element Saurus in two.

“Ugh…” muttered Karen.

[B](K: 7,100) (E: 6,500)

“The laws of Fate are clearly written!” laughed Espa. “You are toast!”

“I don’t believe in fate…” said Karen, drawing a card.

“I’ll play my Pot of Greed.”

She drew two cards.

All right! she thought, looking at the Spell and Trap Card. This doesn’t solve the immediate problem, but now I can bring my star out!

“This duel is as good as mine, Espa Roba!” she said. “And it all starts with this card!”

She held up a card.

“A Ritual Card?” said Espa, confused.

“Yes,” said Karen, “and it’s called Doriado’s Blessing!”

She played the card, and dark clouds started to form overhead…

“And to perform this ceremony, I’ll invoke the power of someone who has Doriado’s Blessing!” she said, holding a card aloft. “Come forth, Aussa the Earth Charmer!”

A bespectacled girl with short hair and brown clothing appeared, holding a staff with a white stone. A small creature that looked like a woodchuck with horns and batlike wings sat at her feet.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN026.jpg

Aussa held her staff to the sky, and lightning struck…

Then she vanished.

“I summon Elemental Mistress Doriado!” shouted Karen.

A beam of light broke through the clouds, and a beautiful woman appeared. She had strawberry-blonde hair and deep green eyes. She wore a long, blue robe, and a fancy headdress. (1,200/1,400)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN034.jpg

“That’s weak!” said Espa.

“True…” replied Karen, taking a card from her hand. “Weak enough for me to Equip her with this… Heart of Clear Water.”

She played a card. Doriado touched her chest, and a crystal amulet appeared around her neck.

“This can only be Equipped to weak Monsters, but it makes them invincible in battle, and immune to all Spell Cards that target,” said Karen.

“Now, I’ll place two cards facedown…”

She fit her last cards into slots. They appeared.

“And that will end my turn.”

“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Espa.

He drew a card.

“You made one big error, Karen!” he laughed. “Heart of Clear Water may prevent her from dying, but she’s in Attack Mode, and you’ll still lose Life Points if she’s attacked!

“Not to mention the fact that your last move forced you to deplete every card in your hand, while yours truly has a full hand… Who has the advantage now?”

Karen stared at him.

“Fiend Megacyber, attack Doriado!”

The Fiend Megacyber slashed at Doriado! She gasped and fell over.

[B](K: 6,100) (E: 6,500)

“That’s exactly what I wanted you to do, you green haired goon!” laughed Karen. “Since you attacked when I had no hand, I can activate this!”

Her Trap Card lifted, showing the image of a hand holding five cards reaching out of a grave shaped like a cross.

“It’s a rare Trap called Card of Last Will…” she said. “Now I can draw five cards…”

She drew five.

She looked at one of them – a powerful, very exotic-looking Monster.

“Now, about that crack about having the advantage…”

“Big deal!” said Espa. “You still have yet to defeat my Megacyber!”

“Well, it’s my turn…” said Karen.

She drew a sixth card.

“And I play Mystical Space Typhoon!”

She played the card, and the cyclone whipped across the field, blowing away Des Counterblow.

“Next I activate my other Trap…” she continued. “Go, Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!”

The Trap lifted, and a kneeling, grim-faced Samurai appeared in the center of the field.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN055.jpg

“Fah-Re-what?” said Espa, raising an eyebrow.

Thunder clapped…

“The fabulous phenomenon with the funny name,” said Karen. “This Trap can only be activated when I have an Earth Monster, a Fire Monster, a Wind Monster, and a Water Monster on my side of the field.”

“You don’t even have four Monsters!” protested Espa.

“True,” said Karen, “but Doriado is special. She’s considered to be all four of those Attributes at the same time.

“And Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan can have four effects… One of which lets me destroy all opposing Monsters!

“So… wipe out his Megacyber!”

The Samurai’s eyes glowed, and The Fiend Megacyber burst into flames! He shattered.

“Well…” muttered Karen. “Now that he’s out of the way…

“Element Doom, attack with diabolic sandstorm!”

Element Doom blasted forth a stream of sand and grit, hitting Espa directly! He staggered back.

Continued…

Dark Sage

21st May 2006, 06:40 AM

Continued from last post:

“Doriado, you attack too…” she said. “Nature’s fury!”

Doriado clasped her hands in prayer, and the clouds overhead rumbled…

A bolt of lightning crashed down and smote Espa!

He panted for breath…

[B](K: 6,100) (E: 3,800)

“You’re losing…” said Karen, with a sweet smile.

Espa drew…

“Not for long…” he said.

He played a Spell Card.

“I play… Fiend’s Sanctuary,” he said.

An ominous glow descended on the arena, and a glowing pentagram appeared in the center. A fiendish stone gargoyle appeared in front of Espa…

http://www.ideal808.com/images/vb5_001.jpg

And then a small figure that looked like a stickman made of metal beads appeared. (0/0)

“Now I get one Metal Fiend Token,” he continued. “And now I’ll sacrifice it…”

It vanished…

“To summon… heh, heh, heh…

“Jinzo!”

A frightening form arose. The dreaded android with the enlarged cranium, dark goggles, and ominous grill for a mouth, dressed in a dark robe appeared. (2,400/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PSV-EN000.jpg

“Oo-kay…” muttered Karen. “That might be a problem…”

“You bet it is!” shouted Espa. “Jinzo, attack Doriado! Cyber energy shock!”

A ball of back energy appeared in Jinzo’s hands. He threw it forward, and Doriado screamed as she was hit in the stomach.

[B](K: 4,900) (E: 3,800)

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Eh, I don’t get it, boss,” said Cassius. “I thought Wheeler won that card from Roba.”

“He did,” replied Fortunado. “However, that card never truly became Wheeler’s card on a spiritual level. It was too close to Espa. To the day Espa Roba stopped dueling, it was connected to him by a sort of silver cord.

“So when he died, it was kept in his spiritual vault. And when the specter was created, so was his favorite card.”

“I… see…” muttered Cassius.

He really didn’t understand what was just said at all, but it sounded convincing.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Karen slowly drew a card.

It was another Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan.

Jinzo… she thought. Who’d have guessed?

It’s trouble… Not only is its Attack Power greater than almost everything I have in my deck, but my Trap Cards are worthless…

“I move Element Doom and Doriado into Defense Mode…” she said.

Element Doom curled up in Defense, and Doriado lifted up her dress and sat down.

“That’s my turn…” she said.

Espa drew his next card.

“I summon Helping Robo For Combat in Attack Mode,” he exclaimed.

He played a card, and a rickety Machine appeared. It moved on tank treads, had a hammer for one hand, and a round, flat tool for the other. (1,600/0)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MFC-022.jpg

“Robo, destroy Element Doom!” he shouted. “Hammer smash!”

Helping Robo For Combat rolled forward, and clobbered Element Doom, shattering it.

“And now its effect activates,” said Espa. “Since it destroyed a Monster, I get to draw one card…”

He drew.

“…and put one that I don’t need at the bottom of my deck.”

He placed a card under his deck.

“It’s your move.”

Karen drew.

Have to get rid of that Robo… she thought.

“I summon Element Valkyrie in Attack Mode,” she said, playing a card.

A beautiful woman in a skimpy one-piece, gloves, boots, a blue cape, and a winged helmet, carrying a flaming spear appeared. (1,500/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/FET-EN010.jpg

“And due to Doriado’s Fire nature, she gains 500 Attack Points!”

Valkyrie grew up to 2,000 Attack.

“Attack Helping Robo For Combat! Scalding steam blast!”

Element Valkyrie shot forth a blast of burning steam from her spear, blowing the Robo to shards.

[B](K: 4,900) (E: 3,400)

“Humph,” said Espa. “Is that the best you could do?”

He drew.

“Jinzo, attack the Valkyrie!”

Jinzo blasted its cyber energy shock. Element Valkyrie screamed and was vaporized.

[B](K: 4,500) (E: 3,400)

“Now then,” said Espa, choosing another card, “I’ll Equip Jinzo with this… Amplifier!”

He played a card, and a dome-like machine soldered to Jinzo’s cranium.

“Since I’ve done that,” he explained, “I’m no longer affected by Jinzo’s special ability, and I can play all the Trap Cards I want…”

He fit a card into his Disk and it appeared behind Jinzo.

“…so you can probably just guess what kind of card this is!” he laughed.

“I end my turn.”

I’ve got to do something… thought Karen. Now I’m behind on Monsters and Trap Cards…

She drew.

“I activate Dust Tornado!” shouted Espa.

His Trap Card lifted, and Doriado’s Heart of Clear Water shattered.

Karen looked the Monster on the card she had just drawn. Not exactly the best for this situation, but she couldn’t risk losing it.

“I pass for this turn,” she said.

“Fine,” said Espa. “My draw…”

He drew a card.

“I play Monster Reborn!” he exclaimed. “And I’ll bring back The Fiend Megacyber.”

He played the card, and the Dark Warrior arose again. (2,200/1,200)

“Megacyber, attack Doriado!” shouted Espa.

The Fiend Megacyber lashed forward, and Elemental Mistress Doriado shattered.

“Well then…” said Espa, closing his eyes. “Now that I’ve gotten rid of her, I see no reason not to…”

He paused.

“…just kill you! Go, Jinzo! Attack directly!”

Jinzo fired its lethal cyber energy shock and Karen screamed bloody murder. She fell backwards.

Ooh… that really hurt! she thought.

[B](K: 2,100) (E: 3,400)

She thought back to that joke she had made before the duel had started.

”So you’re either an imposter or… some restless ghost who’s going to trap me in some deadly Shadow Game!”

She realized at this point that he had made no effort to deny it… And the pain from that attack seemed so real…

She slowly got up.

“I won’t lose, Roba…” she said.

She drew a card.

It was her Kuriboh.

Well, hello there, she thought. Now where you just a minute ago when I needed you?

“I may not be able to beat Jinzo’s Attack yet,” she said, adding it to her hand, “but thanks to that last move, I can equal it…”

“You have a Monster powerful enough to match Jinzo’s Attack?” asked Espa. “How will you summon it? You have no Monsters to sacrifice.”

“I have a very special Monster in my hand,” said Karen. “One that can only be summoned when Doriado is in my Graveyard.

“I summon Doriado’s lesser known sister… Dark Mistress Yamiado.”

She placed a card down, and the clouds above churned. A dark shape arose. She resembled Doriado in general outline, but wore a fancy black dress and headdress, and had jet black hair. She wore a necklace set with a large ruby. In general, she was Doriado’s evil twin. (2,400/1,400)

“Yamiado represents the dark side of the elements,” said Karen. “The part of Earth that causes landslides, the part of Fire that ruins forests, the part of Wind that can uproot trees, and the part of Water that floods coastlines after disastrous rains.

“Yamiado, attack The Fiend Megacyber with tempest fury!”

Yamiado concentrated, and the wind started to pick up…

A blast of elemental energy shot forward, and The Fiend Megacyber exploded!

[B](K: 2,100) (E: 3,200)

“And I’m not done…” said Karen. “Since she was a Special Summon, I can also summon Element Magician in Defense Mode.”

She placed a card down, and in a swirl of sea spray, a young girl in a fancy costume and hairstyle appeared. She shielded herself in Defense. (1,500/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN013.jpg

“It’s your move…”

Espa drew a card.

“You think I can’t take down your Dark Mistress?” he said with a laugh. “Well, I can! I Equip Jinzo with Machine Conversion Factory.”

He played a card.

“This gives Jinzo and extra 300 points for both attacking and defending, not that I’m going to defend with it.”

Jinzo rose to (2,700/1,800)

“Jinzo, attack Dark Mistress Yamiado!” he shouted.

Jinzo powered up its attack…

“Not so fast, Espa,” said Karen. “Yamiado has a special ability. When she’s attacked, I can redirect the attack towards any other Monster on my side of the field who has the word ‘Element’ or ‘Elemental’ in its name…”

Jinzo fired its blast. Yamiado started to glow with dark energy.

“So now, Element Magician will be the one taking that hit.”

The blast plowed into Element Magician, and she was blown to pieces.

“Even better,” continued Karen, “if that ability is used to redirect the attack to a Monster who isn’t a Dark Monster, and Element Magician certainly wasn’t one, I get to Special Summon Doriado back from my Graveyard.”

Doriado reappeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,200/1,400)

“Fine,” said Espa. “It’s your move…”

You think I don’t know your strategy? he thought. It’s incredibly clear…

Karen drew a card.

Scroll of Bewitchment… she thought, looking at it.

She added it to her hand, and chose another card.

“I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and that will be my turn,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Well…” said Espa, drawing a card. “I know what you think I’m going to do… You think I’m going to try to attack Yamiado again…

“But I’m smart, Karen, and I see what would happen. If I did that, you would have her redirect the attack to Doriado, and since Doriado is clearly no Dark Monster, that would result in her coming right back…

“So… I’ll just get rid of Doriado first! Jinzo, attack Elemental Mistress Doriado!”

Jinzo fired his cyber energy shock, and Doriado was blown to pieces again.

“I’m ending my turn,” said Espa. “And I’ll just get Yamiado on my next turn.”

Karen smiled as she drew a card.

“I’m afraid you won’t be getting a next turn, Espa,” she said. “I have a combo that will win me the duel right now…

“And it starts with this Spell Card… Scroll of Bewitchment!”

“And what does that do?” asked Espa.

“It’s an Equip,” said Karen, “that lets me change the Attribute of the Equipped Monster to any one I want.”

“Heh, heh,” chuckled Espa. “What good would it do you to change the Attribute of Yamiado? It won’t raise her Attack Points…”

“You misunderstand,” said Karen. “I’m not Equipping this to Yamiado…”

She played the card.

“I’m Equipping it to your Jinzo, changing its Attribute from Dark… to Fire.”

Jinzo raised its arms, and became surrounded by flames!

“What?” said Espa, surprised. “Big deal! So it’s a Fire Monster now! It’s still powerful enough to destroy you!”

“Or destroy you…” added Karen. “I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode… Go, Hiita the Fire Charmer!”

The facedown Monster flipped, revealing another young girl. She had red hair, and was dressed in a brief girdle and green cape. She carried a long staff with a flaming ruby. A small fox sat by her feet. (500/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN028.jpg

“Hiita is the uncontested master of all things Fire,” said Karen. “And all Fire creatures obey her without question. In game terms, when she’s flip-summoned, I can brainwash one Fire Monster…

“And since I changed your Monster’s Attribute to Fire…”

Hiita chanted and cast a spell, and her staff blazed. Jinzo looked confused, and then floated over to Karen’s side…

Espa Roba gulped…

“Dark Mistress Yamiado…” ordered Karen, “attack directly with tempest fury!”

Yamiado cast her dark spell, and raw elemental energy blasted forth, stabbing into Espa.

“And now, Jinzo, attack with fire energy shock!”

Jinzo formed a ball of flame in its hands, and hurled it forward! Flames covered Espa and he fell to his knees…

He groaned…

[B](K: 2,100) (E: 0)

Espa Roba looked up. He paused, as if he was listening for something.

“I…” he muttered. “I… I hear my brothers calling me… I have to go…”

And then he simply vanished into mist…

Karen rubbed her eyes, and stared at the spot where he had been.

“Creepy…” she muttered.

She looked at her hands.

“But at least I didn’t break a nail…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Fortunado watched as the duel between Silver and Bandit Keith ended.

“Hmmm…” he said.

He finished the last of his martini.

He turned towards the Three Swordsmen.

“Folks,” he said, “sometimes, if you want something to happen, you have to make it happen…”

“What do you mean?” asked Cassius.

“I was considering something…” said Fortunado. “Russell was the first student from the school to survive an Orichalcos duel, but then, he went up against a poor duelist…”

He paused.

“Is Ouka still willing to accept the challenge?”

“Are you kidding?” asked Sebastian. “She’s wanted to for weeks.”

“Then tell her that tomorrow, her victim will be waiting,” said Fortunado. “It’s time we made something happen.”

“What do you mean?” asked Cassius again.

“If it happens,” said Fortunado, “you’ll see when it happens.”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

That night, rain clouds blew into the city, and rain fell upon New York.

Working late, Dr. Artemis watched from her office as the rain fell.

Trouble is coming, she thought. But I can sense that something good is about to come too…

I sense it in my bones… Tomorrow will be a day of reckoning for the last one…

I wish I could stop it…

But it has to be done, or the nightmare might never end…

Monday, September 20th, 2106, 8:37 PM

DARK MISTRESS YAMIADO (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 1,400

Card Description: The dark twin of Elemental Mistress Doriado, this sorceress represents the dark side of the elements. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned. This Monster can be Special Summoned from your hand if at least one “Elemental Mistress Doriado” has been sent from the field to your Graveyard. If this Monster is targeted by an attack, you can redirect the attack to a face-up Monster on your side of the field who has the word “Element” or “Elemental” in its name. If the new target of the attack is not a Dark-Attribute Monster, that Monster is automatically destroyed (ignore damage calculation) and you may Special Summon one “Elemental Mistress Doriado” from your Graveyard.

Note: “Dark Mistress Yamiado” was created by Blademaster, who submitted Karen as a user character.

CARD OF LAST WILL (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A hand holding a hand of cards reaching out of the ground in front of a cross-shaped tombstone in a cemetery.

Card Description: You can activate this card when your opponent declares an attack when you have no cards in your hand. Draw five cards from your deck.

Note: “Card of Last Will” was used by Marik in the multi-part anime episode “The Darkness Returns”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

FIEND’S SANCTUARY (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A demonic gargoyle on a colorful pentagram.

Card Description: Special Summon one “Metal Fiend Token” (Fiend/Dark/1 star/0 ATK/0 DEF) in Attack Position. A “Metal Fiend Token” cannot attack. A “Metal Fiend Token” cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. Battle Damage done from a battle involving a “Metal Fiend Token” is taken by your opponent rather than you. Pay 1,000 Life Points during each of your Standby Phases that you have a “Metal Fiend Token”. If you do not pay, the “Metal Fiend Token” is destroyed.

Note: “Fiend’s Sanctuary” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States. It was used first in the anime by Yugi in “The Final Face-Off” (where he used it as a Quickplay, which was technically incorrect).

Karen’s Elemental Deck

Karen has researched the stranger parts of Duel Monsters history; one of her reasons for wanting to attend the school was to research the mysterious Shadow Games that have achieved mythic reputation. She has studied Egyptian history, and the darker parts of the careers of many historical duelists.

Karen thus possesses a great deal of smarts, and her dueling strategy is more complicated than beatdown or control, or any other simple strategy. All her Monsters are special, and all of them work together in an Elemental Deck.

The deck has numerous strategies. One is to use the various effects of Doriado’s six servants. These Monsters require Monsters of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water to use their effects, so Karen has three copies of Homunculus (who can change to any) and three copies of Doriado (who is all). Homunculus is also useful in triggering her Spiritual Art Trap Cards, and she has a copy of each one except the Earth version. (That one is used to Special Summon an Earth Monster from the Graveyard, and she doesn’t have many to use it on.)

Karen also carries the four Elemental Charmers in her deck, who can be used to take control of a powerful Monster if she uses them at the right time. Scroll of Bewitchment can be used in a combo with any of the Charmers to brainwash nearly anything.

Dark Mistress Yamiado is a card that isn’t exactly common. She’s a powerful Monster who’s easy to summon if Doriado is first summoned and then destroyed, and can be used to get Doriado back if Yamiado is attacked. Of course, the main problem at that point is trying to defeat whatever attacked Yamiado.

Finally, Karen carries three copies of Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan. She usually can only activate this powerful Trap if Doriado is on the field, but it’s worth it, because it can have four different effects, all of them incredibly useful. She uses whatever effect best suits the situation.

[B][I]Coming up next:

Another Orichalcos duel begins, and the victim unfortunately must face it alone, without support from any allies.

Or will he?

In the cursed darkness, a single candle bears the light of hope. Be here soon, because it will be one to remember…

Shuppet Master

21st May 2006, 09:24 AM

I have to go to church, but I just put in this short review....this is one of my favorite decks, Brian. Keep up the good work! ;)

Inferno_Dragon

21st May 2006, 10:46 AM

Interesting Deck, it kind of reminds me of the Alchemist Deck that the Shadow Spawn used against Merlee but Karen's Deck was a lot more impressive.

So it was Espa Roba. I really never cared about Espa. True, in this duel, he didn't need to cheat but because of his cheating, he wasn't a very honorable opponent.

I believe Russel is the only main character who doesn't have one of the Legendary Dragons on his side.

It looks like the next duel might be something to look foward to.

Keep up the good work!!!!!!

Dark Sage

21st May 2006, 11:04 AM

Inferno,

Espa promised Joey that he wouldn't cheat any more after their duel, and I truly believe he kept that promise. So even in this new form, he didn't do so.

mario72486

21st May 2006, 11:08 AM

Element decks can be a bit confusing with the various effects involved, but apparently Karen could handle herself quite well. Roba served his purpose, I believe, helping to introduce another major character to the fic. Another good one, Sage!

I can't wait to see this next chapter. Not only is it almost a guarantee that Hermos will return, but there's also a chance for another contest.

:confused: Uh...did I just say that out loud? I'd better scram. I'll be waiting for #18! :cool2:

Perfect Chaos

21st May 2006, 01:40 PM

Hey there again,

Whoo, another new chapter. I think I could never get tired of Element decks, just because of they're just so damn interesting. Eh, nothing special with Espa's character, I always thought he was just a filler character in the YGO series.

So I'm assuming that Russell will be dueling in the next chapter. Can't wait to see what happens.

-Sean

Blademaster

21st May 2006, 08:45 PM

All right!!! Go, Karen!!

That was great, DS - thanks so much! That was a heck of a duel, though I was pretty surprised to see Espa Roba show up - I'd figured maybe Zigfried or the Shadow Duelist... I dunno.

And I love how Karen got so worked up when Espa insulted her Kuriboh - so what if Karen has dozens of Kuriboh-related accessories on her clothes and backpack? IT'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF!!! :mad2:

...But, I digress - Karen had her moment in the Sun; she's used up almost all her tricks, so likely we wwon't be seeing her again...

(gets idea)

Unless...

(smirk)

Well, anyway, I'm assuming Hermos will be appearing next time around; judging by what he does, I think I can see what's gonna happen... heh heh heh... :biggrin:

Well, later!

-Blade

Pokemasterkatie

21st May 2006, 10:07 PM

I was pretty surprised to see Espa Roba show up - I'd figured maybe Zigfried or the Shadow Duelist... I dunno.
He said small, not 6 foot 10! ...I totally took a stab at Titan's height--it's the same as the wrestler he looks like(and boy do I mean it--his attire looks exactly like Taker's! It's why he's my favorite Shadow Rider.:D).XD

And I love how Karen got so worked up when Espa insulted her Kuriboh - so what if Karen has dozens of Kuriboh-related accessories on her clothes and backpack? IT'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF!!!
Kuri? Kuriii~! *huggles*(I didn't realize there were so many lovers of that little fluffball...then again, I really shouldn't be surprised.:p)

Silencer

21st May 2006, 11:00 PM

Kuri? Kuriii~! *huggles*(I didn't realize there were so many lovers of that little fluffball...then again, I really shouldn't be surprised.:p)

I wonder how pikachu got so many haters behind him (just check out all the pokémon shooter games :p) and yet kuriboh seems to get away with it. Even after Jaden has it "follow" him around every duel.

Mystic_clown

22nd May 2006, 01:25 AM

Hmm, I wonder how Espa as gaoded into helping them? He didn't seem like the kind of guy to help the bad guys.

Pokemasterkatie

22nd May 2006, 05:27 AM

M_c is right--he was only cheating since his brothers wouldn't see how bad of a duelist he was.

Master of Paradox

22nd May 2006, 08:29 AM

I wonder how pikachu got so many haters behind him (just check out all the pokémon shooter games :p) and yet kuriboh seems to get away with it. Even after Jaden has it "follow" him around every duel.

Not nearly as much Kuriboh merchandise. Besides, there's a bit of Star Trek residual love on its side - Kuriboh looks like a Tribble.

Shuppet Master

22nd May 2006, 09:03 AM

Hmm, I wonder how Espa as gaoded into helping them? He didn't seem like the kind of guy to help the bad guys.

Because Brian loves throwing curve balls at us. :D

Dark Sage

25th May 2006, 11:30 AM

The chapter you are about to read...

Boy...

I must have rewrote and revised this chapter twenty times, until I finally got a result I liked, so I hope you like it.

Once it is over, you can try your luck with the third contest, and also see the new entry in "Fanfics: the Cast".

So read on.

- DS

[I][B]My father once told me, that in a perfect world, even a war would have rules, and opposing forces would follow something that people in the military call “The Rules of Engagement”.

But then he said that it’s rarely that simple, and in a perfect world, there wouldn’t be any wars to begin with. And ours, as we know, is not a perfect world…

He told me that in history, some outlaw nations didn’t care about The Rules of Engagement, or The Geneva Convention for that matter, and terrorist armies didn’t fight fair. They fought dirty. After all, a terrorist’s goals are to create terror for some twisted reason, usually a distorted understanding of their religious or political beliefs.

Are these duelists who hold the Orichalcos terrorists? I think they match the description. They use a weapon that tips the odds in their favor, use innocents as hostages to further their goals – whatever they are – and don’t play fair.

And now I have to face them for the second time…

…and fighting fair is the only way I can do so…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DCR-004.jpg

Tuesday, September 21st, 2106, 4:45 PM

In the Obelisk dining hall, Sersei (who had pretty much recovered by now), was sitting at a table with Anthony, a concerned look on her face.

“I heard a few Ras talking about it,” she said. “One of them was forced into a duel by someone claiming to be Bandit Keith.”

“Bandit Keith…” muttered Anthony. “Rings a bell somewhere…”

“He was one of the finalists in the original Duelist Kingdom!” exclaimed Sersei. “Remember that video we watched?”

“But how?” asked Anthony. “He’d have to be over a hundred years old!”

Sersei gave a small look of fear.

“After that horrible duel with that guy with the Frog Deck…” she muttered, “it seems anything is possible. Even ghosts…”

“Ghosts?” said Anthony. “Sersei, please, next thing you’ll be telling me that Shadow Games are real…”

“I’m not ruling anything out,” said Sersei, clutching her head. “But after I lost that duel…”

She paused.

“It’s hazy, but I know I was somewhere else, and I didn’t like where I was…

“What if this happens again?”

“Ah, yes…” said Anthony with a chuckle. “That… Seal of Okrachalos thing. Sersei, are you sure that the whole thing wasn’t just from… I dunno, a bad case of gas that you got from eating chili?”

Sersei glared at him, an annoyed look on her face.

“I think I’ll go sit somewhere else…” she said, as she got up.

“What’d I say?” asked Anthony.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

An hour later…

Russell was in his dorm room typing on his computer.

A familiar list appeared on the screen – the decklist for his most usual dueling deck and side deck.

He stared at it.

The first big test of the year is on Friday, he thought, and while getting a good mark on the written test shouldn’t be difficult, the field test that follows is going to be the challenge…

Every student in the school prepared for this. Every month they had one of these tests. They consisted of a written section, which was pretty much a standard exam…

But the field test was an actual duel, in which your opponent was chosen randomly from your grade level. Winning or losing the duel could mean the difference between an A or a B.

Russell stared at the screen and then at a very common Spell Card on the desk.

That Monster Card that dad sent me would make a potent addition to my arsenal, but using it requires this, he thought. And the question is, what to remove to make room for it?

Maybe I could do without…

”You’ve got mail!” said the computer.

Russell’s eyebrow rose.

He switched to the internet screen and clicked on the mailbox.

The e-mail was from a sender named Ouka23.

He read:

[B]Dear Russell,

If you want information that would be incredibly useful in your conflict with the Orichalcos, I have answers.

Come to the athletic pool in half an hour, and bring your Disk. I’ll meet you there.

Sincerely,

A Friend

Russell’s eyes narrowed.

The athletic pool? he thought. That place is closed for repairs…

I’ve seen four-day-old fish that smelled better than this…

He picked up his cell phone and speed-dialed a number.

“Hello,” said Jason’s voice. “This is Jason. I’m not available right now. Please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you when…”

“Nuts…” said Russell.

He speed-dialed again.

“Hi!” said Trisha’s voice. “I can’t pick up right now, so leave a message, and I’ll call when I…”

“Crud…” muttered Russell.

He picked up his Disk.

“If it’s those three kooks again,” he said, “they might find some other poor student to pick on if I don’t go there… Well fine… Here I come…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

As Russell walked towards the gymnasium that housed the pool, he didn’t realize at first that Raphael, Valon, and Alister were following him.

“This isn’t going to work, Raph,” warned Valon.

“It’s worth a try, Valon,” said Raphael. “Besides, what harm could it do to try?”

“You might scare him good!” warned Alister.

“A kid who repeatedly takes blows from some of the nastiest things ever to come out of a holographic generator?” asked Raphael. “That seems unlikely…”

As Russell walked up to the gymnasium doors, it seemed he was already scared.

“Get a grip…” he said. “Sure this will likely be another jerk with that Orichalcos card, but you can handle it…

“I just wish I wasn’t alone…”

Hey, kid… said Raphael’s voice.

“Huh?” said Russell. “Who’s there?”

Good, you can hear me, said Raphael. I’m trying to speak telepathically, and I’m rather new at this. Listen…

“Who are you?” asked Russell.

I’m… a duelist, like yourself, said Raphael. Well, I… used to be one, at least…

“Are you a ghost or something?” asked Russell.

Not sure… answered Raphael. If I am, I’m a sorry excuse for one. Ghosts tend to be able to form manifestations, cause trouble, scare the living… I can’t do much…

But I know that I can give you encouragement. Yes, a minion of Orichalcos is waiting for you, but if all I can do is stand by your side and give you support, I’ll help in that manner.

I want you to win. I want this threat ended as much as you do…

“Any particular reason?” asked Russell.

It’s a long story, said Raphael. Just go in there and beat the Hell out of this guy. I’ll be as close as I can.

“Gotcha…” answered Russell.

Russell opened the doors of the dark gymnasium, where an Olympic-sized pool, currently drained of water, predominated the center.

“All right, I’m here,” he said. “And I know you’re all here too…”

The lights came on…

He saw Cassius, Sebastian, and Cleo sitting in a high part of the bleachers.

“Hi, cutie!” called Cleo, waving.

“I knew it,” said Russell. “You three have been driving us crazy for almost three weeks, and it is going to stop!”

“And stop all the fun?” asked Sebastian.

“You have two choices…” said Russell. “You can come down from there, or I can come up and get you.”

Without waiting for an answer, he started to walk up the stairs to the bleachers…

“Oh, Ouka…” said Cassius.

“YA!” shouted a voice.

A dark blur rushed towards Russell…

…and the next thing he knew, a sword was at his throat!

In front of him was a young woman, about eighteen years old, with Japanese features. She had long, black hair, worn loose, and wore tight, black leather, and a headband. She also wore one of the sinister Duel Disks.

“Uh… Ouka, I presume?” said Russell, nervously.

“That’s right,” she said with a smile. “It’s a Japanese term that means ‘cherry blossom’. I’m the one who sent you that e-mail…

“And I’m also your opponent…”

“Suppose I say no?” asked Russell, nervously.

“Not a good idea,” said Sebastian. “Ouka is trained as an assassin – she kills for a living, and if you refuse, you won’t live much longer…”

“You guys are something else…” muttered Russell.

“I could use some help here…” he whispered.

I told you Russell, said Raphael, nervously. I’m a sorry excuse for a ghost. I can’t even touch her…

“Hey…” said Ouka. “Just because I’m an assassin doesn’t mean I’m not a nice girl. In fact, I make it a point always to give my victims a sweet kiss before they die…

“And yes, I do have the Orichalcos, but I’ll promise you a kiss just before it takes you!”

“Fine…” muttered Russell. “It isn’t like this is my first Orichalcos duel… Just put the sword away…”

Ouka sheathed the sword on her back.

“Then step into the pool,” she said. “In its drained state, it will make an excellent arena…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

From his penthouse, Fortunado watched.

Time to see if my plan works, he thought. If it doesn’t, I might just edit this scene out.

Russell will find Ouka to be far more formidable than Fang was, and hopefully, that will bring the desired result…

He paused.

Hey… wait a minute… Is that…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

As Russell and Ouka stood in the center of the pool facing each other, with Raphael standing unseen behind Russell, Sebastian opened a bag of snack food.

“Pork rind?” he asked, motioning it toward Cassius.

“Ugh…” replied Cassius. “How can you eat that junk?”

“I put it in my mouth and chew,” answered Sebastian. “It’s that simple.”

“Well don’t ask me,” answered Cleo. “If I eat one potato chip I gain a pound.”

“Just pay attention people!” growled Cassius.

Russell and Ouka took the top five cards off their deck.

“Okay…” muttered Russell. “Atten… shun!”

[B](Russell: 8,000) (Ouka: 8,000)

“I always say ladies first,” said Russell. “You don’t seem like much of one, but I have to give you the first turn anyway…”

“Why thank you,” said Ouka, with a sweet grin.

She drew a card.

“I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and that will do,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

Russell drew a card.

All right… said Raphael, not the best hand, but not the worst… The one Monster you have is pretty good…

“I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!” shouted Russell, playing a card.

The powerful Iron Knight appeared. (1,800/1,600)

“Attack!” he shouted.

Gearfried ran forward, blade first…

A winged cherub with a bow and arrow appeared on the card, and was slashed in two.

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ysd-jp011.jpg

“You flipped my Skelengel,” said Ouka, “and that means I get to draw one card…”

She drew once.

“Yeah, you’ll need it,” said Russell. “Let’s see if you can beat Gearfried…”

Ouka drew again.

“I summon this guy in Attack Mode,” she said. “Meet Ninja Commander Ikusa!”

She played a card, and a ninja clothed in a green outfit and veil appeared. (700/700)

“What the…” muttered Russell.

And then a sound like a gong sounded, and Ikusa faded into a blur. A second ninja, this one dressed in blue, appeared next to him. (400/400)

Ouka smiled.

“Practitioners of Ninjitsu such as myself can command special powers,” she said, “such as the Art of Multiplicity. When Ikusa is summoned in Attack Mode, I can Special Summon his partner, Ninja Soldier Katana, from my hand or deck.”

“Please…” said Russell, drawing. “Two weak Monsters are hardly better than one…”

Careful… warned Raphael. Weak Monsters often lead up to powerful ones…

Russell placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Shining Knight!”

A Warrior who looked like the traditional knight in shining armor appeared, holding a longsword aloft. His armor glowed with radiance. (1,500/1,400)

“Heh,” said Russell. “Since I was fighting the forces of darkness, I thought I’d add someone bright to my deck… See how shiny he is?

“And your two already-weak Dark Monsters are not going to like his Benevolent Light ability too much…”

Shining Knight held his sword aloft, and Ikusa fell to 400 Attack, while Katana fell to 100 Attack.

“Attack, both of you!” shouted Russell.

Shining Knight leapt forward, and cut down Ikusa.

Gearfried charged, and destroyed Katana.

[B](R: 8,000) (O: 5,200)

“Your side is looking a little empty, Ouka,” said Russell. “Maybe you should play a Monster…”

Ouka smiled as she drew.

“I’ll place one card facedown on the field…” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

“And I’ll summon a second Ikusa!”

She played a card, and Ikusa appeared again. (700/700) –> (400/700)

The gong sounded, and a second Katana appeared. (400/400) –> (100/400)

“I don’t know what your game is…” said Russell, “but if you think you can win using minor-league Monsters, you’re sadly mistaken…”

Hopefully I can end this before she even draws the Seal… he thought.

He drew a card.

It was Freed the Matchless General.

Think I’ll save this guy for later, he thought.

“I activate a Trap!” said Ouka.

Her Trap Card lifted.

“Gift of the Mystical Elf! Now I gain 300 Life Points for each Monster on the field. That’s 1,200 total, not to shabby.”

[B](R: 8,000) (O: 6,400)

“You’ll need them…” said Russell. “Shining Knight, Gearfried, attack!”

The two Warriors made short work of the ninja again.

[B](R: 8,000) (O: 3,300)

“Well, I certainly hope you’re a better assassin than you are a duelist,” said Russell. “Your Monsters aren’t even as good as the ones you find in a starter pack.”

“Heh, heh, heh,” said Ouka. “Truth be told, Russell, I wanted you to destroy those weak Monsters…

“Time to get serious…”

She drew a card.

“I summon Strike Ninja in Attack Mode!” she shouted.

She played the card, and a more fearsome ninja appeared. He was dressed in black with gold trim, and carried two daggers. He stared at Russell through his mask with piercing eyes… (1,700/1,200) –> (1,400/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-007.jpg

“I’ll place four cards facedown, and that will end my turn…” said Ouka.

She threw four of her cards into her Disk, and four facedown cards flashed into view.

Russell drew a card.

“Pal, you know what this guy can do?” whispered Russell.

Uh… Ninja Monsters weren’t really my thing… muttered Raphael.

“What sort of deck did you play?”

Well… It was a Guardian Deck…

Russell’s eyes opened.

Guardian Decks were not for amateurs. Those guys couldn’t be summoned at all unless the corresponding Equip Spell Card was on your side of the field.

Who was this guy?

“You going to stall all day, or are you going to move?” asked Ouka.

Russell chose a card.

“You said it was time to get serious,” he said. “Well, I couldn’t agree with you more…”

He played a Spell Card.

“I play… Release Restraint!”

Gearfried leapt into the air, and his armor started to crack…

“Gearfried, break free from your curse and become Gearfried the Swordmaster!”

In a burst of light and broken iron, the powerful barbarian Warrior appeared! (2,600/2,200)

“And now…” he said, “I’ll Equip Gearfried with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!”

He played the card, and the large sword appeared in Gearfried’s hand. His Attack rose to 3,400!

“And that means he can destroy one Monster!” shouted Russell. “Like your Strike Ninja!”

Gearfried’s sword glowed… He raised it into the air…

“I don’t think so…” said Ouka. “Ninja! Vanish!”

Strike Ninja clasped his hands together, and vanished in a puff of smoke!

Gearfried shot a wave of energy forward, but it hit nothing.

“Where did your Monster go?” asked Russell.

Ouka grinned and held up two cards, her Ninja Soldier Katana cards.

“Ninja can disappear into the shadows like a spirit,” she said. “And by removing two Dark Monsters in my Graveyard from play, I can remove Strike Ninja from play until the end of the round.

“And since the target of Gearfried’s effect was no longer there, the effect was rendered invalid.”

Russell raised an eyebrow.

“Fine with me…” he said. “Gearfried, attack her directly!”

Gearfried leapt towards the assassin…

One of Ouka’s facedown cards flipped up, showing a Negate Attack Trap. Gearfried bounced off an invisible shield.

“What do you think I am, stupid?” asked Ouka. “Would I really take my only Monster off the field without some protection?”

“Fine,” said Russell. “I’ll get him next turn…”

Strike Ninja reappeared in a puff of smoke.

Ouka drew a card.

“Now, let me show you a little trick,” she said. “First, I play Pot of Greed…”

She played the card, and the Duel Monsters embodiment of avarice appeared in front of her.

“Next,” she said, “I’ll activate another facedown card, Serial Spell.”

Her facedown Quickplay lifted, showing a sorcerer casting images of magical pentagrams.

“Now, I simply discard all the cards in my hand,” she said, “i.e., this one…”

She discarded the last card in her hand.

“…and Serial Spell duplicates the last Spell Card I played. And since chains work in reverse of order of cards played, I can draw four times!”

A second Pot of Greed appeared. Both shattered into pixels, and she drew four cards.

She looked them over, and grinned…

“And now I’ll play the card that will seal your fate!” she said with a wicked smile.

“Not that…” muttered Russell.

Ouka’s Field slot opened.

“I play the Seal of Orichalcos!” she shouted.

Continued…

Dark Sage

25th May 2006, 11:33 AM

Continued from last post:

At the library, Jason was studying.

A chill passed through him.

Something’s happening… he thought.

He reached into his side deck, and took out The Eye of Timaeus.

…something bad… he thought, looking at it.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“I called ahead,” said Trisha. “A large with extra cheese, pepperoni, and Canadian bacon?”

“Oh, right…” said the guy at the counter. “One second…”

As he went back to get the pizza, a chill passed through Trisha.

Strange… she thought.

She reached into a pouch, and took out The Fang of Critias.

There’s evil in the air…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

In her office, Dr. Artemis stared out the window…

A look of incredible worry crossed her face as she sipped coffee.

Whoever you are, she thought, may the forces of good walk with you…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Ouka smiled evilly, as the Seal branded on her forehead.

“Now you’ve done it…” said Russell. “No turning back now… Do you realize what happens if you lose?”

“Let’s get serious…” said Ouka. “Me? Lose? I told you, Russell, I’m not just a duelist, I’m an assassin, and I can kill people with my cards as easily as I can with my knives.”

“Let me point something out to you,” said Russell. “The Seal gives your Strike Ninja a total Attack Score of 1,900, and I have a Monster with an Attack Score of 3,400! Just how do you intend to gain control like that?”

“It’s still my turn,” said Ouka.

Another facedown card lifted.

“I’ll Equip my Strike Ninja with Fuhma Shuriken.”

The Ninja’s daggers vanished, and a throwing blade appeared in his hand.

His attack rose to 2,600.

“That’s not enough!” said Russell.

“I’m still not done,” replied Ouka. “He’d be stronger than Gearfried if Gearfried didn’t have his Fusion Sword and Shining Knight weren’t there…”

“I hate to break this to you…” said Russell, “but Fusion Sword Murasame Blade can’t be destroyed.”

“I don’t intend to destroy it,” said Ouka, choosing a card from her hand.

She placed it on her Disk.

“I summon Lady Ninja Yae in Attack Mode,” she said.

A female Ninja with long, green hair, dressed in a purple jumpsuit, carrying a long dagger appeared. (1,100/200) –> (1,300/200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/AST-030.jpg

“And now I’ll activate her special ability,” said Ouka. “By discarding one Wind Monster from my hand…”

She discarded a card.

“…I can send all your Spell and Trap Cards back to your hand!”

Lady Ninja Yae made a push with her hand, and Fusion Sword Murasame Blade flew from Gearfried’s hand.

“By the way…” said Ouka, taking her deck. “That Wind Monster I discarded to use her effect was a special Winged Beast called Roc From The Valley of Haze. When it’s discarded from my hand, I reshuffle it back into my deck…”

She reshuffled.

“…so you might see it again.

“Anyway… attack Shining Knight… Shuriken swarm!”

Strike Ninja wound up, and a blizzard of throwing blades flew forth. Shining Knight was blasted to pixels.

Strike Ninja rose to an even stronger 2,900 Attack, and Yae rose to 1,600.

[B](R: 6,800) (O: 3,300)

“Now my last card,” she said, playing her last card. “Card Destruction! This will ensure you can’t use that Fusion Sword again…”

Russell grimaced. He discarded the cards in his hand and drew a new hand.

“Buddy, you still there?” he whispered.

Uh, yeah… said Raphael, now sounding like he was speaking up. The Seal kind of pushed me backwards a few feet, and I’m going to have to watch from a distance now…

“The Seal can keep out spirits?” asked Russell.

Yes, apparently, replied Raphael. But I can still hear you just fine. Keep it up. Don’t let her dirty tricks distract you…

“Okay, Ouka…” said Russell, drawing a card.

“My move will simply consist of moving Gearfried… to Defense Mode…”

He turned his card, and Gearfried knelt.

“I draw one card…” said Ouka.

She drew and looked at it.

“And I couldn’t have asked for better! I play Mirage of Nightmare!”

Her card appeared.

“Now, Strike Ninja, destroy Gearfried!”

Strike Ninja threw a burst of shuriken, and Gearfried shattered.

“And next,” she said, “Lady Ninja Yae attacks you directly! Go! Praying mantis leap!”

Lady Ninja Yae leapt up, did a flip, and delivered a kick across Russell’s face! He fell over and groaned.

[B](R: 5,200) (O: 3,300)

“Don’t feel too bad, Russell,” she said. “I’ll keep my promise… The last thing you’ll get before the Seal claims you will be my kiss – not a bad way to go.”

“This gal is crazy,” muttered Cleo.

“Hey, so she’s a little… eccentric…” said Sebastian. “That’s how professional assassins are. She’s doing a great job.”

“Yeah, well, keep quiet about that,” said Cassius.

“How come?” asked Sebastian.

“If she knows we think that, she might ask for more money,” replied Cassius.

“Mmm… Good point…” said Sebastian.

“All right…” muttered Russell, wiping his mouth.

“My draw…”

He drew a card.

“Hold it…” she replied. “My Mirage of Nightmare now lets me draw until I have four cards…”

She drew four.

“Of course, I’d have to discard four when I started my next turn,” she added, “but luckily I have this…”

Her last facedown card lifted.

“Emergency Provisions!”

The Mirage card vanished.

“I told you, Russell, I’m a professional…”

[B](R: 5,200) (O: 4,300)

“We’ll see…” said Russell. “I place a card facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“Then I’ll summon Warrior Dai Grepher in Defense Mode.”

He played a card, and Grepher appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,700/1,600)

“And now I’ll destroy your Fuhma Shuriken,” he said, playing a Spell Card. “Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!”

The powerful wind whipped forward, and the Ninja’s weapon shattered.

“Well…” said Russell.

Then he was startled as a flurry of shuriken flew towards him! He shielded himself as they cut into his flesh!

“Did I forget to mention?” said Ouka. “When Fuhma Shuriken is sent to the Graveyard, my opponent loses 700 Life Points.”

“Yeah, you forgot to mention…” muttered Russell.

[B](R: 4,500) (O: 4,300)

“My move!” said Ouka, drawing a card.

“Strike Ninja, attack Grepher!”

Strike Ninja wound up…

“I activate… Shadow Spell!” shouted Russell.

Two chains sprouted up, and clasped on the Ninja’s wrists. His Attack Score fell to 1,500.

“All right…” said Ouka. “I’ll end with a facedown card…”

She played a card, and it appeared facedown.

Russell drew.

“I play my own Pot of Greed,” he exclaimed.

He played the card, and drew two.

I think that “later” is now… said Raphael.

“I agree,” whispered Russell.

“I play The Warrior Returning Alive,” he said. “To retrieve a Monster you made me discard with Card Destruction… Freed the Matchless General!”

The card slipped out of his discard slot.

“Now, I sacrifice Grepher…” he said, switching cards.

Warrior Dai Grepher shattered.

“And I summon Freed the Matchless General!”

With a war cry, the mighty general appeared, and drew a huge sword! (2,300/1,700)

“Freed…” said Russell, “attack Strike Ninja! Blade of the battle-scarred!”

The Matchless General leapt forward, and smote the Strike Ninja, blasting him out of existence!

Strange… thought Russell. Why didn’t she use Strike Ninja’s ability? She still has those two Ninja Commanders in her Graveyard…

“I’ll end my turn by placing one card facedown…” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

[B](R: 4,500) (O: 3,500)

“Well, it’s my move…” said Ouka, drawing a card.

“And now I’ll activate my Trap Card…”

Her facedown card lifted, showing Lady Ninja Yae surrounded by mystical energy.

“It’s a rare card called Ninjitsu Art of Transformation,” said Ouka, as Yae started to glow. “Here’s how it works… I can now sacrifice any Ninja Monster for a Beast, Winged Beast, or Insect from my deck who has up to three stars more than the Monster I’m sacrificing. And Yae has three stars…”

Mystical energy surrounded Yae. She grew feathered wings, and started to transform into a birdlike shape…

“Remember when I said you might see Roc From The Valley Of Haze again?” asked Ouka. “Well, here you go…”

The huge bird, looking like nothing less than a huge hawk or eagle, hovered over the pool, and gave a loud screech! It’s eyes glowed, and the Seal branded to its forehead. (2,400/1,400) –> (2,900/1,400)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN015.jpg

“2,900 Attack Points?” gasped Russell.

“That’s right…” said Ouka. “Roc, blow Freed away!”

The Roc started to flap its wings…

“Not so fast!” shouted Russell. “I activate Reinforcements!”

His Trap Card lifted.

“This raises Freed’s Attack Score to 2,800,” he said. “Your bird might still win this battle, but I’ll only lose 100 measly Life Points.”

General Freed staggered backwards, trying hard to withstand the windstorm… Finally, he shattered.

[B](R: 4,400) (O: 3,500)

“Clever…” said Ouka, taking another card. “I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and that will end my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Russell is faltering…” said Sebastian.

“The Seal of Orichalcos is draining to both participants,” said Cassius. “Even though Russell isn’t the one using it, a Shadow Game is difficult for anyone who’s new at it.

“If Russell actually wins, he might become more accustomed to it…

“But I’d still put money on Ouka at this point.”

Russell drew.

“Now what do I do…” he muttered.

Russell! called Raphael. That Transformation card is a Continuous Trap! Why don’t you destroy it, and see what happens?

Russell looked at the Trap.

“Good idea…” he said.

He took a card from his hand.

“Time to get rid of that Roc!” he shouted. “I play… Heavy Storm!”

He played the card, and a storm ripped across the field! The Ninjitsu Art of Transformation card shattered, and so did the huge Winged Beast!

“Now then…” he continued. “I’ll play a Monster in Defense Mode, and one card facedown.”

A facedown Monster appeared, followed by a facedown card.

He looked at the last card in his hand.

Hopefully, Big Shield Gardna will be adequate defense for one round… he thought.

“Well…” said Ouka, drawing a card. “You may have destroyed one Monster, but I’ve got lots more…”

She played a card.

“I summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke in Attack Mode,” she said with a laugh.

A ninja in a silver bodysuit and cowl, with his hair tied in a ponytail holding two daggers appeared, holding two kunai. (1,800/1,000) –> (2,300/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SOD-EN019.jpg

“And in case you’re counting on that facedown Monster to defend you,” she said, “forget it. I also Flip-Summon… White Ninja.”

Her facedown Monster flipped face-up, revealing a ninja clad completely in – naturally – white, holding a katana. (1,500/800) –> (2,000/800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN025.jpg

“And his flip-effect destroys one Monster in Defense Mode!” she said with a laugh.

White Ninja raised his hand and a ripple of energy flowed forward. Big Shield Gardna’s card shattered.

“Go, my two ninja!” laughed Ouka. “Sasuke, Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke closed his eyes and put his hand together, and then faded into a blur… Then he split into ten Sasuke! All of them flew forward and started slashing at Russell!

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW, OW!” shouted Russell as he staggered under the onslaught.

“White Ninja! White lotus blade!” shouted Ouka.

White Ninja leapt forward and made a deep cut across Russell’s chest.

He fell over.

“Ooh…” he muttered.

[B](R: 100) (O: 3,500)

Russell! shouted Raphael. You’ve got to continue!

“I have every intention to…” moaned Russell.

He got up…

“Eisenhower never said die, Patten never said die, McArthur never said die, and no member of the Majors family ever will either!”

He glared at Ouka.

“I still have 100 Life Points left…” he muttered. “This duel isn’t over yet…”

“It might as well be…” said Ouka. “You also have a paltry hand. Nothing can save you!”

Russell drew.

“One card can,” he said, “and I just drew it!”

He played a card.

“I play… Snatch Steal!”

The Spell Card appeared. Ghostly tentacles grabbed Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke and pulled him over to Russell’s side.

“Now I activate, Call of the Haunted!”

His facedown card lifted, and Warrior Dai Grepher appeared. (1,700/1,600)

“And now…” he said, “I’ll sacrifice both Monsters…”

Grepher and Sasuke vanished.

“To summon a Warrior of such fame, his name is legend! I summon Gilford the Legend!”

A powerful, hulking Warrior appeared. He was clothed in splendid armor and wore a mask and a cape, and was armed with an enormous sword! (2,600/2,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd5-en001.jpg

“And when Gilford the Legend is summoned,” continued Russell, “I can take all Equip Spell Cards from my Graveyard and Equip them to my Warriors on the field.”

Fusion Sword Murasame Blade appeared on Gilford’s belt, and his Attack Score rose to 3,400.

“Attack White Ninja!” shouted Russell. “Legendary blade!”

Gilford roared, and charged forward, slicing White Ninja in half!

[B](R: 100) (O: 2,100)

“This guy just doesn’t know when to say uncle!” said Sebastian.

“Don’t worry, Ouka still has her trump card to play,” said Cassius.

Ouka drew a card.

“I’ll play a Monster in Defense Mode,” she said, “and that will be all.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“I draw one card…” said Russell.

He looked at it.

“Since I have no way to use him again, I’ll remove Gearfried the Swordmaster from play to use Pot of Charity,” he said.

He played the card, and Gearfried’s card fell out of his discard slot.

“Now I can draw three cards…”

He drew three, and looked at them.

“First I’ll place two cards facedown…” he said.

He played two cards.

“And then I’ll play… Double Spell!”

He played another card.

“Now, by discarding my Armed Changer card…”

He discarded his last card.

“…I can duplicate any Spell Card in your Graveyard. And I think I’ll duplicate Mirage of Nightmare!”

The image on Double Spell changed, becoming that of Mirage of Nightmare.

“And now, Gilford will attack your Monster!”

Gilford slashed with his huge blade. A ninja dressed all in red appeared on the card and shattered.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-006.jpg

“You flipped my Crimson Ninja!” laughed Ouka. “And that means I can destroy one of your Trap Cards!”

One of Russell’s facedown cards, revealed to be Ready For Intercepting, lifted up and shattered.

“It’s your move…” growled Russell.

“Then I’ll draw…” said Ouka, drawing.

“And I will too!” added Russell, “thanks to my copied Mirage card…”

He drew four cards.

“Lovely…” said Ouka. “Don’t forget you have to discard four of them on your turn.”

“I don’t think so…” said Russell.

His other facedown card lifted.

“See?” he said, as the Mirage card vanished. “I had an Emergency Provisions too. After all, most experienced soldiers would agree that one of the most vital pieces of their equipment is their K-rations…”

The Mirage Card vanished.

[B](R: 1,100) (O: 2,100)

“Well, it hardly matters,” answered Ouka, “because now I drew a card that will bring me the most powerful creature in my deck!”

She showed him the card.

From the outline and symbol, it was a Continuous Spell Card. The title said Servant of Darkness, and the image showed a Monster that had to be a Fiend, but none that he recognized. It was using a portal to conjure something.

“A Card of Sin…” gulped Russell.

She played the card.

“Let me explain,” she said. “Servant of Darkness lets me add to my hand any Dark Attribute Monster from my deck or Graveyard. And it only has one little condition… If the Servant of Darkness card leaves the field, all Monsters I have on the field and in my hand are removed from play.

“But as you’ll see, that condition will actually benefit me!”

She got what she wanted from her deck.

Continued…

Dark Sage

25th May 2006, 11:35 AM

Continued from last post:

“Now, I play Monster Reborn, to bring back one of my Ninja Commanders…”

She played the Spell Card, and Ninja Commander Ikusa appeared on the ankh. (700/700)

“…which, as you remember, lets me summon a Ninja Soldier from my deck, and I have one more.”

The gong sounded, and Ninja Soldier Katana appeared. (400/400)

“And then…” she said, taking a card, “I’ll sacrifice both of them…”

They vanished, and a shadowy shape started to form…

“…to summon my Servant of Darkness… the mighty [I]Ninja King!”

A tall, powerful-looking ninja in black clothing with gold trim appeared, holding two shining katana. His eyes glowed with evil light as the Seal appeared on his forehead. (2,600/1,900) –> (3,100/1,900)

“And finally,” said Ouka, “since it worked so well before, I’ll Equip him with another Fuhma Shuriken!”

Ninja King’s swords vanished, and the throwing blade appeared in his hand. His Attack Score rose to 3,800!

“Attack Gilford the Legend!” she shouted. “Ninjitsu fury!”

Ninja King hurled the shuriken, and it split into a blizzard of throwing stars! Gilford the Legend staggered under the onslaught, and then shattered.

[B](R: 700) (O: 2,100)

“Are you beginning to see the picture, Russell?” she asked. “There’s no way you can win now. Even if you destroy Ninja King, in an attack, with a card effect, or by destroying my Card of Sin, doing so will send Fuhma Shuriken to my Graveyard, meaning you’ll lose 700 Life Points…

“…and you’ll lose.

“Why not just admit defeat?”

Russell looked at the four cards in his hand.

He hated to admit it, but she pretty much had him. He would need a miracle draw to save himself…

But he would not surrender…

He drew.

“I play... Graceful Charity…” he said.

He played the card, and then drew three cards.

He had drawn two Monsters, but neither could truly help…

He discarded The A. Forces and Command Offensive.

Gotta pray she has nothing to summon on her next turn… he thought.

He placed a card on his Disk, and a Monster in Defense Mode appeared.

“End turn…” he muttered.

“Gonna fight out some more, huh?” asked Ouka.

She drew.

“Eh,” she said. “Ninja King, take out whatever that is…”

Ninja King hurled his shuriken…

A woman appeared on the card, wearing a green halter, short skirt, and knee-high boots. She wore a black, ragged cape and a flat, fedora-style hat with a feather in the brim.

http://www.yugioh-cards.net/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/sd/SD5-EN002.jpg

She screamed as she was cut down by the blades.

“That’s one gal who needed a lesson in fashion,” chuckled Ouka.

“Yeah?” said Russell. “Well, when Warrior Lady of the Wasteland is defeated in battle, I get to summon an Earth Attribute Warrior from my deck who has 1,500 Attack Points or less.

“So come on out, Marauding Captain!”

Marauding Captain appeared, swords at ready. (1,200/400)

“What is the point?” asked Ouka. “He’ll just die next round, and I’ll likely have someone who can attack you by then. Even a good general knows when he’s outmatched, Russell.”

Russell’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m not though yet!” he cursed.

But the truth is, he thought, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. The only solution to this problem I can see would be by using Giant Trunade…

A card that I simply don’t have in my deck…

He reached for his deck…

His vision started to blur…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

It was like a dream, but Russell knew he was awake. He looked around, and saw himself in a large hall, with weapons and armor piled on racks everywhere.

“Where am I?” he said. “Some sort of armory?”

“You’re in a sacred place,” said a voice.

Russell turned and saw…

“Marauding Captain?” he said with surprise. “Did… did you bring me here?”

The aged veteran nodded.

“The Commander wishes to speak to you, Russell,” said the Duel Monster. “It is urgent.”

“I’m… not sure…” said Russell, nervously.

“Russell,” said the Captain, “since you were a Freshman, you’ve altered and reworked your deck several times, but since the very start, I’ve always been a part of it. Would I try to deceive you?”

Russell paused.

“Bring me to him…” he said.

Marauding Captain led him into a great hall, decorated with banners depicting powerful Warriors, some of which were present in his deck.

The Captain knelt.

“Lord Hermos…” he said. “He is here…”

From out of the shadows of the great hall came a powerful-looking knight dressed in crimson armor, with a flowing cape and a sword by his side.

“Yes…” said the Knight. “He is the one…”

“Who am I?” asked Russell.

“The last one that I and my brothers desire to bond with, Russell,” said Hermos. “You have seen them previously… Jason holds Timaeus, and Trisha holds Critias…

“I am the last, and once we are all present in the mortal plane, the true fight can be fought, and we can come closer to finding the Dark Messiah, and ending the threat of the Orichalcos forever.

“But it can only happen if you are willing… And if you accept, Russell, there is no turning back…”

Russell paused.

“How could I refuse?” he replied. “The fate of the very world is at stake…

“I’ll do whatever it takes…”

“Then,” said Hermos, drawing his sword, “kneel…”

Russell knelt on the floor.

“Russell Majors…” said the knight, “I grant you the power of Hermos!”

He struck him with the sword. Energy flowed through him.

“Arise!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Jason dropped the books he was carrying back from the library.

He took a card out of his pouch. It was glowing.

“Timaeus…” he muttered.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Trisha started to choke on the bite of pizza that she had suddenly swallowed without chewing.

She got up, and took a card out of the pouch on her bedside table. It was glowing too.

“Critias…” she whispered.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Russell drew a card and glared at Ouka.

“What’s this?” asked Ouka.

”This is my move!” shouted Russell, taking a card from his hand.

“I summon… King’s Knight!”

He played another card, and King’s Knight appeared. (1,600/1,500)

“Go ahead!” laughed Ouka. “I’m not scared of him!”

“Well let’s see if you’re scared of this…” said Russell, throwing a card on his Disk. “I play… [B]The Claw of Hermos!”

Lightning flashed, and a huge form flew into the gymnasium! It was a huge dragon with dark scales, and giant wings! It let out a great roar!

Omigod… thought Raphael.

“Not again…” muttered Sebastian.

“Hermos, merge with King’s Knight to form the Monarch’s Mask!” shouted Russell.

The Dragon and the Warrior swirled into pools of light, and in a brilliant flash, a mask made of pure gold, shaped like a dragon’s face appeared!

The mask floated in front of Marauding Captain, and he took it. He placed it over his face, and his eyes became pools of golden light. He glared at Ninja King…

“You think I’m scared of that?” asked Ouka. “No matter what bonuses it gives him, need I remind you what happens if the Shuriken is destroyed?”

“Well, let me explain,” said Russell. “First, a Monster of three stars or less Equipped with the Monarch’s Mask gains 1,000 Attack Points.”

Marauding Captain rose to 2,200 Attack.

“But that’s not all,” he continued. “By spending half my Life Points, I can send any card on the field back to the owner’s deck.

“So I’ll do it once to get rid of your Fuhma Shuriken, and since I’m not sending it to the Graveyard, it won’t hurt me squat!”

The Shuriken vanished, and Ninja King’s Attack fell to 3,100.

[B](R: 350) (O: 2,100)

“If you think that will work on the Seal…” said Ouka.

“I know it won’t,” said Russell. “But let’s see if Servant of Darkness is just as durable. I cut my Life Points in half again!”

Servant of Darkness vanished…

Ninja King groaned, and then he shattered!

“Didn’t think so…” said Russell. “Now, since it left the field, Ninja King and all Monsters in your hand are removed from play.

Ouka gazed in horror at the spot where Ninja King was…

“Marauding Captain, attack her directly!”

Ouka screamed as the masked Warrior slashed at her with his sword.

She fell to her knees…

[B](R: 175) (O: 0)

“At ease…” said Russell.

Ouka looked up as the Seal started to glow…

“Well…” she said with a nervous smile. “I’m beaten… I can accept defeat…”

The Seal started to close around her…

“But I have to admit… It was nice to go… On such an exciting note…”

She collapsed on her stomach.

“Live by the sword, die by the sword…” muttered Russell.

Russell looked up. The three spectators were gone.

“Pal?” he called. “Are you still there?”

He paused.

But Raphael was gone…

He walked out of the pool, and looked at the card.

I’ll do my best, Hermos… he thought. You won’t regret your decision…

Jason and Trisha ran into the gymnasium.

“Russell!” screamed Trisha. “Were you…”

“Yeah…” said Russell, “but it’s all under control…”

He stared at the card.

“But things have gotten a great deal more complicated…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“This is terrible…” said Cassius. “Now all three of them are here…”

“Why, my dear Cassius…” said Fortunado. “My whole goal in orchestrating that duel was to draw Hermos out!”

The three Swordsmen looked at him.

“I don’t get it, boss…” said Cassius. “You wanted Hermos to show up?”

“Yes…” said Fortunado. “Sadly, we had to sacrifice poor Ouka to do so, but it was not in vain…

“I suspected from the point where Timaeus showed up that those three would come to hold those cards, so all it took was a little persuasion to bring them out…

“And now that the three main protagonists are here, the new storyline can begin in earnest:

“The Fall of the Legendary Dragons!”

He paused.

“Unfortunately, we first must attend to another matter. Three meddlers must be disposed of…”

“Who?” asked Cleo.

“You didn’t see him…” said Fortunado, “but Raphael was coaching that kid…

“This I cannot allow… Those three know secrets about the Orichalcos that I don’t want known…

“…so we’ll call up the one person in my employ who can deal with such things…

“Why don’t I handle that… You three just find something to do…”

As they left, Fortunado looked at the card that held Ouka’s soul for a minute…

“Thanks for the help, Ouka…” he said. “Afraid it’s time for you to serve your last purpose now…”

He gestured, and the card burned with black fire. Then it transformed into a small globe of light…

And then it vanished.

At the same moment, in a dark place, a darker figure was relaxing on a throne made of what looked like obsidian.

The figure looked up, as the globe of light darted towards it.

The figure grinned. It opened its mouth and swallowed the light.

The figure paused. It put a hand to its torso.

“Mmm,” it said. “Tasty…”

Tuesday, September 21st, 2106, 7:25 PM

SHINING KNIGHT (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,400

Card Description: This heroic knight lives by a code of honor, and strives to topple the forces of evil and defend the innocent. Decrease the ATK of all Dark-Attribute monsters on your opponent's side of the field by 300 points for as long as this Monster remains on your side of the field. While this card remains face-up on your side of the field, WARRIOR-Type monsters on your side of the field with ATKs of 1000 or less are not destroyed as a result of battle (damage calculation is applied normally).

Note: “Shining Knight” was created by Starjake as a reward for winning a contest. Creative credit goes to him.

NINJA COMANDER IKUSA (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 700
DEF: 700

Card Description: This stealthy fighter is a master of the Ninjitsu technique known as “multiplicity.” If this Monster is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned or Special Summoned in Attack Position, you can special summon one “Ninja Soldier Katana” from your hand or deck in Attack Position.

NINJA SOLDIER KATANA (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior
Attribute: Dark
Level: 2
ATK: 400
DEF: 400

Card Description: This assassin is a longtime partner of Ninja Commander Ikusa, and is seldom far behind him.

Note: “Ninja Commander Ikusa” and “Ninja Soldier Katana” were used by Jean Claude Magnum in the anime episode “Lights, Camera, Duel!” All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

NINJA KING (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 1,900

Card Description: This evil warrior of darkness is unmatched in the arts of Ninjitsu. When this Monster is face-up on your side of the field, all Monsters on your side of the field with the word “Ninja” in their name (aside from this one) have their ATK doubled.

Note: “Ninja King” first appeared in “The Mandate of Heaven”.

SERVANT OF DARKNESS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Continuous/Card of Sin
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Sin: Pride

Image: A fiendish monster summoning something through a portal.

Card Description: Take one Dark Attribute Monster from your deck or Graveyard and add it to your hand. If this card is leaves the field, all Monster Cards on your side of the field and in your hand are removed from play.

THE CLAW OF HERMOS (Special Card)

Card Specs

Type: Special
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A powerful dragon with dark scales.

Card Description: This card can fuse with any Monster to form an Equip Spell Card of great power.

Note: “The Claw of Hermos” first appeared in the multi-part anime episode “My Freaky Valentine”. It was one of the main focuses of “Waking the Dragons”.

MONARCH’S MASK (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Card Description: This card is descended by activating “The Claw of Hermos” and offering one “King’s Knight” as a Tribute. This card can be Equipped to any Monster with three stars or less. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 1,000. If you pay half your Life Points, you can return one card on the field to the owner’s deck. This effect can be used multiple times during your turn.

Ouka’s Ninja Deck

As a practitioner of Ninjitsu, Ouka was trained as an assassin. Thus, her martial arts style was designed not for fighting, but for killing, with the least amount of fuss. It makes sense that she would adapt her deck to reflect her own style.

Ninja Monsters are odd cards – a lot of them do well in different decks. Strike Ninja is a good addition to a Chaos Deck, while Lady Ninja Yae works well in decks that focus on the Wind Attribute. However, a pure Ninja deck can work if used right.

Strike Ninja’s effect is easily used by using Ikusa and Katana as sacrificial lambs. Ouka had three of each copy of these three Dark Warriors in her deck. She also had three Lady Ninja Yae cards, who can be used as a one-sided Giant Trunade by discarding Roc From The Valley Of Haze or a second Yae. The Roc is also a powerful Monster that can be summoned instantly with Ninjitsu Art of Transformation.

Ouka also had three copies of Fuhma Shuriken. This Equip is a nasty surprise to anybody who tries to disarm a Ninja Equipped with it.

Ninja King was her most powerful weapon. His ability to double the Attack Score of any Ninja Monster, especially while using the Orichalcos, was a power to be respected.

In short, Ouka’s deck was well constructed. She would often promise to spare a victim who could defeat her in a duel, but while she would keep her word whenever she made that offer, she seldom had to.

[B][I]Coming up next:

The three original Knights of Orichalcos are hunted by someone who may know more about their situation than even they do! Unfortunately, he isn’t there to help – quite the opposite. One of them is forced to duel once more… But after ninety years, is his skill still up to par? Don’t miss “Spiritualism” coming up next.

Dark Sage

25th May 2006, 11:37 AM

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sc_25.jpg

[B][size=3]The Legendary Dragons Contest

Timaeus… Critias… Hermos… How many possibilities can they create? Frankly, the sky’s the limit.

Timaeus and Hermos can fuse with any Monster Card, and there are literally thousands in the game. Critias can fuse with any Trap – he has less options than his brothers, but he still has several hundred.

What form will the next creations of the Legendary Dragons take? That is for the winner of this contest to decide.

What follows are eight questions about the eight principle villains in the first season of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”: the Shadow Riders (and their leader, Kagemaru). However, if you want to win this contest, you must get a perfect score.

This contest is open to everyone, even those who have won the first two contests. But again, you must get a perfect score. If you get one wrong, you are allowed to try again, but you must wait twenty-four hours before submitting a new response.

After a week, I will choose at random one from those who got perfect scores. I’ll use a random number generator to choose a winner completely at random.

Also, there is a bonus question… If you are the winner and you also get this correct, you get a special prize that I’m keeping a secret!

Goosebumps, huh?

These questions are not easy. You may have to do some serious research.

As always, PM me the answers.

And get cracking.

Before I post the questions, I’d like to thank Shadow Tamer for getting your attention!

Anyway, here are the questions:

1. All of Nightshroud’s Monsters were of the Dragon Type, and they represented three Attributes. Name them.

2. What was the Defense Score of Camula’s Zombie Werewolf?

3. Of the real cards that Taniya used, which one had an altered effect?

4. What was the only Spell/Trap Card that Don Zaloog used that did not have the words “Dark Scorpion” in its name?

5. In the flashback showing Abidos the Third’s past life, he mentioned Sinister Serpent. What other two Monsters were shown?

6. On his first turn, what was the Trap Card that Titan put face down (which Alexis destroyed with Allegro Tool)?

7. What were the names of the three Monsters that Banner summoned using “Tin Spell Circle”, “Mercury Hourglass”, and “Silver Key”?

8. What were the three Traps that Kagemaru sacrificed to summon “Uria, Lord of Searing Flames”?

Bonus Question: In both his duel with Jaden and his duel with Chumley, Dr. Crowler had a Monster in his hand which he did not summon (in the duel with Chumley, he discarded it to activate Ancient Gear Drill). This Monster is a Machine, but it is otherwise unrelated to Ancient Gears, so why he has it is a bit of a mystery (I’ll state my own theory when I reveal the answer). Name the Monster.

The Prize: Getting them all right, bonus question or not, and being chosen by the system will let you design the next creations of Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos. There’ll be rules that will have to be followed, of course, but the winner will have most of the influence.

So get on it. Don’t let me down.

jkBAKURA

25th May 2006, 02:49 PM

Wow, I have not reviewed for a while, so I guess I should pick up where I left off. First of all, this chapter really made it feel like the action was starting. I think we can safely assume that the "intro" quality of the first act is over, especially since all of the dragons are now revealed.

I must express my disapointment. I was hoping that Jason would get Hermos, as the equip cards from his monsters would indeed be fasinating. I just can't shake the feeling that the equip creations with Russel's monsters won't live up to Hermos's full potential, cause right now it looks like it will just be a bunch of various swords, that could easily be their own cards rather then dragon combos. I guess I shouldn't judge after only one appearance though.

Seeing as Timaeus was only used as a mount, that seemed to fit the warrior deck better. And now that I've driven that into the ground, I'll stop before wearing out my welcome.

Several more ninja cards have been released since Naga, and you used these rather well without going too Jean-Cleude. I've never been a huge fan of Ninja King, buthis appearance was to be expected, especially since more and more Mandate cards are reappearing.

Russel is becoming more familiar, and I am able to watch him duel without thinking back to the cookie-cutter decks. The others are getting there as well, and like I said, the first act is now over.

on a side note, great idea starjake

A former Orichalcan dueling eh? Personally I'm pulling for Raphael. After all of the Guardian decks I've seen, his unique spin on the theme would be awesome to see again, of course Armmors are also fun, but in my experience they rarely offer something new, especially since Blademaster did such an awesome job with them recently.

I think I'm going to pass on this contest. I've donated quite a bit already. Good luck to everyone else

Silencer

25th May 2006, 02:56 PM

Nice chapter. So Fortunado knows the former knights are around? maybe he'll go after Raphael seeing as that is the one that he noticed during the duel.

Also I'm passing this contest. I could rewatch the shows on a site but the questions are to specific to notice on the first run through I guess and my download limit is already at around 40% and I still have around 3 weeks to go with it -_-

Pokemasterkatie

25th May 2006, 03:38 PM

I'm passing up this, as they are too specific for me. Though they are rerunning GX eps...I might be able to catch the answers with that in mind. I know I can answer the first one and the last one though.:)

Though it's very strange...Ouka meaning cherry blossom? I thought that was 'Sakura'(and it'd also add to the ninja theme!)...I think I need to study my Japanese words.:p

Dark Sage

25th May 2006, 03:46 PM

Sakura can indeed mean "cherry blossom", but it most often means "cherry tree". Ouka can mean a few different things depending on which kanji is used, including "cherry blossom".

Blademaster

25th May 2006, 04:16 PM

Well, since I stopped watching GX before the Shadow Riders were introduced, I guess I'll have to pass this contest, too... Sigh...

On the positive side of things, I really liked this chapter - the new Ninja cards (namely White Ninja) and Roc were a pleasant addition to a Ninja Deck, as was ol' Ninja King... Though I liked Ghostfaced Ninja better. :biggrin:

Shining Knight wasn't a bad card, either - good job, starjake. :yes:

Incidentally, am I the only one who thinks Russell's original deck was the Warrior Structure Deck and he made his own changes as he went? It sure seems that way...

At any rate, I'll be awaiting the next chapter - I think I know who'll be dueling, at least on the good guy side, but I won't say yet...

(raises eyebrow)

Unless...

-Blade

Zcade0

25th May 2006, 04:58 PM

must... avoid... temptaion...
*avoids saying "How much for the blue-haired gal with the whip?"*

Me thinks I'll skip this one to, seeing as I didn't actually read any of the chapers anfter the Oricalcos came. I know the bonus question, but again, I'm not entering.

what is that monster in the contest anyway?

Shuppet Master

25th May 2006, 08:12 PM

Shadow Tamer, Brian put it in because the quiz is based on the Shadow Riders. :D

Dark Sage

25th May 2006, 10:39 PM

Incidentally, am I the only one who thinks Russell's original deck was the Warrior Structure Deck and he made his own changes as he went? It sure seems that way...

Possibly. Maybe when Russell was young and a beginner, he took the most recent version of the Warrior Structure Starter Deck and used it before imporoving it to his liking.

But I should state something right now...

There is no constant, complete decklist for the decks belonging to Jason, Trisha, or Russell. A few of their cards do remain the same, but they have a lot of cards, and they change them as the mood fits them. Russell is a perfect example. You've seen him use many Tribute Monsters; both Gilfords and Crescent Moon Queen, for example, but likely of those three, only one is in his deck at any one time, if any of them are.

Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba were the same way. The lists of their cards on Janime averaged about sixty apiece, so they likely never had the same deck twice, although they always had a few that were essential (Kaiba was never without all three Blue Eyes, but he changed some finer points of his strategy many times.)

Shuppet Master

26th May 2006, 09:10 AM

I was sort of thinking that way, Brian. Jaden's probably the same way, because he has so many spell and trap cards in his deck that it's insane. :) Chazz also had changed his deck many times(he used the XYZ monsters, Chtonian cards, and the Ojamas, not to mention the Armed Dragons...).

Pokemasterkatie

26th May 2006, 01:26 PM

Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba were the same way. The lists of their cards on Janime averaged about sixty apiece, so they likely never had the same deck twice, although they always had a few that were essential (Kaiba was never without all three Blue Eyes, but he changed some finer points of his strategy many times.)
Atem's deck always differed from season to season--he ditched all his really weak monsters in Battle City(Winged Dragon #1, Feral/Horned Imps), plus Yugi's deck was totally different in Dawn of the Duel(in fact, half his new cards haven't been released in English). Kaiba's deck slightly differed from plain mediocre Beatdown to Dragon Beatdown(a huge improvement IMO--at least he used good effect monsters like Spirit Ryu). Joey went from Dragon/Warrior to a Pure Luck deck, with a trace of Warrior.

Dark Sage

29th May 2006, 12:00 PM

It's Memorial Day, a day that was designed for Americans to stop to take notice of the men and women who lost their lives in the service of our country. Quite a solemn occasion. No matter what your opinion of the war in Iraq, a day like Memorial Day makes you realize that war is a necessary evil at best, and an abomination at worst. I remember on an old movie when the hero asked whether Hell was worse than war. His opinion was that war was worse, because unlike Hell, war had many innocent bystanders stuck in it.

Have a happy Memorial Day, but don't forget its purpose behind this day off in the process.

And take time off of your barbecue and your other festivities to read my next chapter, which I'm posting now.

- Dark Sage

[B][I]When I was young, death was on my mind all the time. I always wondered when and how it would happen… I entertained the thoughts of stepping on mines, being caught in mortar fire, or being shot by some trigger-happy soldier who fired at everything that moved.

I wanted to survive, of course. And yet, I prayed that if someone was to die, it would be me and not my brother…

Whoever I made that prayer to didn’t listen…

And so, when I grew up, I vented my rage in the worst way possible. I didn’t realize that in my goal to avenge the evil that had been done, I had become evil myself.

And as a result, when I finally did die, something happened…

Rejected by Heaven and Hell alike, isolated from humanity, and living under some vile curse for so long, I don’t know how I’ve stayed sane over the decades…

And now, something new has happened…

Has an answer appeared?

If I want to find out, I have to hope my skills as a duelist haven’t slipped…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER NINETEEN

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN094.jpg

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2106, 12:30 AM

In the year 2106, modern technology could do almost anything…

…but it seemed mankind would never control nature.

Sometime after eleven thirty, thunder started to roll, and fifteen minutes later, rain poured down on New York in a driving downpour. As lightning flashed in the sky, the few folks who were out did their best to seek cover.

In their usual spot in central park, three folks didn’t have to. A hurricane could strike, and they wouldn’t get wet – one of the benefits of being immaterial phantoms.

Valon watched as the rain simply passed through him. He wondered if he’d ever get used to it.

“Strange…” he muttered.

“What’s strange?” asked Raphael.

“Notice that I’m sitting down on this bench?” he asked. “How can I do that? My hand passes right through it…”

He passed his hand through the bench.

“…and yet I can sit on it…”

Alister gave a shrug.

“Valon, maybe it’s levitation,” he said. “If gravity still affected us, we’d pass right through the ground, and not stop until we hit the center of the Earth…”

He paused.

“But then, if gravity didn’t affect us, we’d just float into space, and then…”

“You guys are making my head hurt!” shouted Raphael.

There was silence for a few minutes…

And then they saw a man walk towards them, dressed in an expensive-looking coat and holding an umbrella, which hid his face.

They were surprised… Few people were dumb enough to come into Central Park alone at this time of night, especially when you were so splendidly dressed.

Valon shook his head.

“That bloke must be barmy!” he said.

The man paused.

“Barmy?” he said. “Mmm… That’s one possibility…”

The three of them were startled.

“Incredibly dangerous is another one,” he said.

“You can hear us?” said Alister, nervously.

The man folded his umbrella, and they saw him clearly. He had a haircut that a professional stylist had clearly done, and his hair was raven-black. The coat wasn’t the only pricy-looking thing he owned – his watch was a Rolex, and he had silver cufflinks on his sleeves.

“Who are you?” asked Raphael.

“Call me Beowulf,” said the man. “My card…”

He held a Duel Monsters card out in front of them…

Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer.

The card started to glow.

“Glad to meet you, Knights of Orichalcos…” said Beowulf. “Sadly, this will be a short meeting…”

Lightning flashed…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

That last remark was almost an insult – they didn’t want nor like to be called by their old title anymore…

But they soon saw they had other problems…

Central Park was gone, and they were in some dark place. The ground was foggy, and the sky was grey and starless. There were no features at all.

Beowulf was standing in front of them. He had ditched the coat, and was wearing a black, three-piece suit and a tie. On his left arm…

“An Orichalcos Disk!” exclaimed Raphael.

His eyes narrowed.

“Look pal, just who are you?” he demanded. “Are you some sort of ghost yourself?”

“No, I’m quite alive,” said Beowulf. “See, Raphael, by profession, I’m a medium and a spiritualist.

“When I was young, I studied, and found ways to see and hear unliving spirits… ghosts, if you may…

“And I made it my career to find them, communicate with them…

“…and, if necessary, eradicate them…

“As you can see, it pays quite well. Most folks in my line of work are charlatans, frauds, con-artists who milk gullible slobs out of their money… But I’m the real thing.”

They stared at him.

“And, when I was hired by Mr. Fortunado, there was only one part of my job description…

“Disposing of you three if you ever became a problem. He knew for years that you’ve been here, and he feared you might try to intervene…

“And I fear you have… if you hadn’t poked your noses where they didn’t belong, you could have just gone on with your pathetic existence without us bothering you… But now you have to be dealt with…”

“And how do you intend to do that?” said Raphael, crossing his arms. “Even we don’t know how to leave, so if you can make us…”

“Oh, I know more about the three of you than even you know,” said Beowulf, “you and this little… ‘condition’ you have…”

They gave him dirty looks.

“Condition?” said Valon, angrily. “Try spending almost ninety years living like this, and see if it’s a ‘condition’!”

“Heh, heh…” said Beowulf. “Fine. This is usually the point where I would perform a séance, followed by an exorcism, which would banish the three of you to Hell. But you three can’t be banished due to your… heh, condition…”

Alister paused.

Does he know what happened to us? he thought.

“Anyway, since we’re all duelists…” said Beowulf.

“Oh!” said Alister, almost laughing. “So, you want to duel us…”

“No, Alister, just you,” answered Beowulf.

“In case you didn’t know this,” said Alister, raising his hands, “I can’t touch anything that I’m not already carrying! No way to even pick up a Disk, and I can’t just create one…”

“Yes you can,” answered Beowulf.

Alister looked at him strangely.

“You three think you’re weak,” he said. “But you have a great deal of potential power in you… You just needed help to awaken it. Let me give you a little push…”

Beowulf raised his hand.

Alister closed his eyes, and started to glow with a soft light…

Hardly knowing what he was doing, he raised his left arm, and a Duel Disk appeared on it, the typical model used by the students in Duel Academy. His deck appeared on it.

“How’d you do that?” gasped Valon.

Alister looked though the deck.

“Don’t know…” he said.

He grinned at Beowulf.

“Oh, gee pal,” he said, feigning being upset. “I’m terribly sorry… I almost forgot. I gave three of my cards to Trisha! I simply can’t duel you if my deck has only thirty-seven cards! That would be an illegal deck!

“Well, guess I must decline… Sorry…”

Beowulf grinned, as if he had been expecting that…

He reached into his coat and pulled out three cards, and then tossed them to him.

Alister picked them up…

…and stared in disbelief…

These were copies of Junk Dealer, Sky Union, and Air Fortress Ziggurat!

“These cards…” he muttered. “I searched for them for years! They’re rarer than… How did you get copies?”

“Mr. Fortunado is incredibly wealthy, and he has many contacts,” said Beowulf. “He could get almost any card he wanted to, given enough time…

“And like I said, my job was to specifically dispose of you three, so I studied you all intently. It helps to study your cards…”

“I don’t get it…” said Alister. “You could have just given me three weak cards from a starter pack. Why give me access to my most powerful Monster?”

“I have my reasons…” said Beowulf.

Alister really didn’t like the way he said that.

“Why me?” asked Alister.

“Yeah,” said Raphael. “Why don’t you duel me, if you have the nerve?”

“Oh, ho, ho, ho!” laughed Beowulf. “Right. Like I’m going to duel a guy who could outduel the Pharaoh! What do I look like, stupid?”

“You want to get rid of all three of us, you’ll have to deal with all three of us,” snapped Valon.

Beowulf glared at them.

“If Alister does not accept my challenge,” he said, “I can easily leave you behind in this in-between place, and it might take years for you to find the way back to New York. You thought you were lonely before, trying spending some time here…”

“I think you’re bluffing…” said Alister.

He paused.

“But I’m not going to take that chance… Fine, I’ll duel you. It may have been a while, but who knows…

“I just might enjoy this.”

He shuffled his deck, and then activated the Disk.

“Then let the Duel of Lost Souls begin!” laughed Beowulf.

He activated the dark Disk. Thunder rolled…

[B](Alister: 8,000) (Beowulf: 8,000)

“You think Alister can beat this bloke?” asked Valon.

“Well…” muttered Raphael, “all kidding aside, I’ve only known him to lose twice – the first time was when I dueled him for practice, and the second was the final confrontation with Kaiba…

“But if this Beowulf guy knows him as well as he says, it could be trouble…

“After all, that’s exactly how Alister tried to defeat Kaiba… Learning his strategy…”

“As I’ve said, Alister,” said Beowulf, making his first draw. “I’ve studied you extensively…”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“…and I know that among the original three Knights, you were the most… unbalanced.”

“Oh, is that a nice way of saying I was crazy?” answered Alister, rather annoyed. “Well, let me tell you something… I won’t deny it. I was driven mad by the war, and madder by Dartz… Mad as a hatter, frankly…

“But if there’s one thing I’ve been able to do since I ended up in this mess, it’s been think, and do some soul-searching. One of the benefits of not having much to do for a long time. Being isolated can do wonders for the mind.

“Guess what, Beowulf? By now, I’ve got a grip on reality. I’m fully sane now, and I can think like a rational duelist, and I’m fully capable of beating you.”

He drew a card. Then he set one on his Disk.

“And opening moves don’t get any better than this! I summon the mighty KC-1 Clayton in Attack Mode!”

The ground shook, and with a loud rumble, a huge army tank rolled into view. It slowly rolled to a stop, and with a loud creak, aimed its mighty cannon in Beowulf’s direction. (2,000/1,200)

“Bringing out the big guns early, I see…” said Beowulf.

“Oh, was that a joke?” asked Alister. “Laugh at this!

“Attack his facedown Monster! Blitzkrieg blast!”

The tank’s cannon fired with a thunderous blast, the recoil causing it to skid five feet backwards. Beowulf shielded himself as little shards of what was once the Monster in front of him were scattered all over the landscape.

“Heh, heh,” said Beowulf. “Since you obviously didn’t even see my Monster before your tank blew it to smithereens, Alister, I’ll tell you that it was a Sangan…

“So… tanks a lot.”

He took his deck.

“Funny…” muttered Alister. “You should try stand up comedy.”

“Thanks for the career advice,” he said, choosing a card. “But I had my heart set on paranormal study. Anyway, I’ll use its effect to search for Lord of Dragons.”

He showed him the card.

“Scared?” he asked.

“Heh,” answered Alister. “Scared of that? Don’t make me laugh. Or is that your goal?”

He took two cards from his hand.

“I’ll place two of my cards facedown, and I’ll end my turn…”

Two facedown cards materialized.

“And I’ll start mine…” said Beowulf, drawing a card.

He grinned.

“Since you obviously like starting things off with a bang,” he said, “so will I, by playing Meteor of Destruction!”

He threw the card into his disk…

The clouds, parted above, and a blazing ball of fire fell from the dark sky, leaving a trail of cinders and smoke in its wake. I struck Alister with an explosion that only barely drowned out his scream.

“You’re lucky your true body is gone,” said Beowulf, “or that would have hurt even worse.”

[B](A: 7,000) (B: 8,000)

“Next I play Polymerization…” he said, playing a card. “To fuse Lord of Dragons, with Divine Dragon Ragnarok!”

The caped, helmeted, draconic sorcerer appeared on the field, striking a pose. Then a wispy, cloudy Dragon made of pink fog with tendrils on its face suggesting moustaches appeared next to him.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/BPT-004.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LOB-EN059.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/FET-EN002.jpg

“Oh, great…” muttered Raphael. “With those two, he can summon…”

The two Monsters swirled into a vortex.

“That’s right!” shouted Beowulf. “King Dragun!”

A giant form emerged from the vortex. It looked like a cross between a dragon and a centaur, with the lower body of a serpentine dragon, and the upper body resembling Lord of Dragons in a more majestic state. A wispy, cloudy mane around his neck fluttered in the wind. He clutched a rod that looked like The Flute of Dragon Summoning that burned with like a torch. (2,400/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/fet-en036.jpg

“I’m not scared of him,” said Alister.

“Well, wait until you see his ability,” said Beowulf. “Every round, he lets me Special Summon a Dragon-Type Monster from my hand… So I can summon the seven-star Hyozanryu without so much as a sacrifice.”

He placed a card on his Disk, and another huge Dragon with brilliant diamond scales, a long horn on its snout, and magnificent wings made of crystal appeared. It glowed in a soft light. (2,100/2,800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SKE-011.jpg

“Scared yet?” asked Beowulf.

“It’s going to take more than that…” said Alister.

“Well, maybe this will be enough,” said Beowulf.

The Field slot on his Disk opened…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The largest bolt of lighting since the storm started flashed across the New York skyline.

In the dorms of NYC Duel Academy, many students who had been able to sleep in the first place woke up.

Russell had barely been able to sleep, his ordeal with Ouka still on his mind.

He sat up in bed, and then noticed a glow.

He picked up The Claw of Hermos.

“Something’s wrong…” he said, looking at it. “I can feel it…”

Jason woke up too. He lay listening to the downpour for a while.

Then he noticed that The Eye of Timaeus was also glowing. He picked it up.

“You’re restless tonight…” he muttered. “Something is happening…”

As for Trisha, she hadn’t been able to sleep at all. In front of her was a desk, on which was spread all her cards.

Her eye caught The Fang of Critias, which was also glowing…

She picked it up, and the glow shone on her copy of Air Fortress Ziggurat.

She picked it up, and held the two cards side by side.

Strangely, there was a feeling a pain coming from the rare Monster Card…

It wasn’t causing her any pain…

It was more like the Monster on the card was in pain…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Heh, heh, heh, heh…” snickered Beowulf, as the Seal appeared on his forehead.

The eyes of the two Dragons glowed with evil energy, and King Dragun’s Attack rose to 2,900, while Hyozanryu’s rose to 2,600.

“Tell me something, Alister,” he asked, “how does it feel? How does it feel to be on the receiving end of this sort of duel for the first time? Truly a taste of your own very foul-tasting medicine, isn’t it?”

Alister frowned.

“Actually,” he replied, “it explains a lot. Now I’m beginning to see why Kaiba called me crazy… I mean, if I was acting anything like this… Frankly, I can’t blame him.”

He frowned again and crossed his arms.

“Are you even certain that the Seal will work on me, Beowulf?” he asked. “Maybe I don’t even have a soul for it to take anymore.”

Beowulf smiled.

“You’re forgetting that I’m a paranormal expert,” he replied. “And I know for a fact, that the Seal of Orichalcos will work on you even better than it will on a living person.”

“And why is that?” asked Alister. “I have a feeling you’re going to tell me…”

“Because if you lose this time, you won’t escape,” said Beowulf. “You see, you might think you don’t truly have a body, but you do have one of sorts…

“It’s a spiritual form made of something that people in my line of work call ectoplasmic matter, or just ectoplasm, if you prefer. It’s what spiritual manifestations are made of.

“If you were human, and your body were made of flesh, losing this duel would leave your body behind and catatonic, making it possible that you could be revived, like last time…

“But not now… Losing this duel at this point would cause your current form to disintegrate into nothing. It would truly be a one-way trip, because your soul would simply have nothing to ever go back to.

“Unnerving, isn’t it?”

Alister’s eyes narrowed.

“King Dragun, attack the KC-1 Clayton! Flaming scourge!”

King Dragun reared up on his coils. Flames appeared in his staff…

“I activate… Tank Corp!” shouted Alister.

One of his facedown Trap Cards lifted, showing a picture similar to an old black and white photo of a parade of tanks on a city street.

A whir sounded, and three smaller tanks rolled out of the card, pulling up beside the larger one, miniature versions of KC Clayton. (800/1,200 x3)

“This Trap gives me three Tank Tokens,” said Alister. “And each one raises the Attack Score of KC-1 Clayton by 500 points.”

The larger tank grew to 3,500 Attack.

“Clever…” said Beowulf. “But it still won’t save you. I’ll simply destroy the tokens, and your tank will be easy to destroy next turn.”

“King Dragun, attack one of the smaller tanks!”

King Dragun prepared to renew his attack. Then he blasted forth a stream of fire from his staff…

“Did you forget about my other Trap?” asked Alister. “I activate Amorphic Barrier!”

His Trap lifted, and a wall of rubbery columns rose up. They bent a little under the blast and steam rose from the impact, but it held the attack back.

“Since I have at least three Monsters on the field,” he said, as the columns disintegrated, “this Trap blocks your attack and ends the Battle Phase right away…”

“Nice going, mate!” shouted Valon.

“Valon, if you call me ‘mate’ one more time…” grumbled Alister.

“All right, I end my turn,” said Beowulf, with a frown. “You win round one…”

Alister drew a card.

“KC-1 Clayton, attack King Dragun!” he shouted.

The tank blasted its cannon with a huge roar, and without even having time to react, King Dragun was blown into particles.

Hyozanryu slunk back nervously…

[B](A: 7,000) (B: 7,400)

“No fantasy creature is a match for the raw power of the modern age,” he said. “Your move…”

Beowulf drew a card.

He looked over towards Valon and Raphael.

There was one little thing I didn’t mention to Alister, he thought. He’s not just dueling for himself, but for his two companions…

It’s true that the Seal can’t consume more than one soul most of the time…

But the key word there is “most of the time”.

The nature of the curse that three of them are under connects them all in a link that can’t be broken. So if one of them is imprisoned, the other two go with him.

I might tell him right before the last blow lands…

Continued…

Dark Sage

29th May 2006, 12:05 PM

Continued from last post:

“I’ll shift Hyozanryu to Defense Mode…” he said.

The Dragon curled up in Defense.

“And next, I’ll place a card facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“Your move…” he said.

Alister made a draw.

“Hmm…” he said.

“Get a good draw?” asked Beowulf. “Well, while you’re thinking about it, I’ll activate this facedown card…”

His Trap Card lifted.

“Just Desserts?” gasped Alister.

“Uh huh…” said Beowulf.

Two ghostly arms shot out of the card, and grabbed Alister by the throat!

“This Trap crushes 500 Life Points out of you for every Monster you have on the field,” said Beowulf. “You said you had a grip on reality, but can you handle a more forceful one?”

Alister clutched his throat, as the hands let go. It had been a long time since he had truly felt pain, and he didn’t like feeling it again…

[B](A: 5,000) (B: 7,400)

“Oh, that was another joke…” he muttered. “You are just full of laughs…”

“If heroes can be full of witty one liners, than so can villains,” said Beowulf with a grin.

“You’re nuts…” said Alister, getting up.

“And you’re predictable,” said Beowulf. “I knew you used cards that created tokens… Why do you think I put that Trap in my deck?”

“KC-1 Clayton…” growled Alister. “Destroy Hyozanryu…”

The tank blasted its cannon, and Hyozanryu exploded into a blast of crystal shards.

“I end my turn…” he said.

Beowulf drew a card.

“Then I play… Pot of Greed,” he said, playing the card. “I’ll draw two cards…”

He drew twice.

“And these will do nicely… I place one card facedown…”

He played a card, and it appeared.

“And next, I’ll summon Cave Dragon in Attack Mode…”

He played another card, and a more hulking Dragon appeared. This Dragon seemed both strong and sluggish at the same time, with a tired look on its face and a blunt expression. (2,000/100) -> (2,500/100)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LOD-EN040.jpg

“Next, I believe I’ll play… Stamping Destruction.”

He played a card.

“This Spell Card can only be used when a Dragon is on my side of the field, and then I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card, and stomp 500 points off your Life Points.”

Cave Dragon stomped his foot down, and a shockwave blasted forward, ripping through Alister, and shattering the Tank Corp card. The Tank Tokens burst in three small explosions, and KC-1 Clayton’s Attack Score fell down to 2,000.

[B](A: 4,500) (B: 7,400)

“Do you think that overweight lizard scares me?” said Alister. “I happen to know that Cave Dragon can’t attack unless you have another Dragon on your side of the field, and since you have no cards left in your hand, the chances of you summoning one in the immediate future aren’t too great….”

“I know how my own cards work,” said Beowulf. “It’s your move…”

“You seem to like Dragons a lot, Beowulf,” said Raphael. “I hope you realize that it was a fight with a dragon that killed your namesake…”

“True…” said Beowulf. “He defeated Grendel, a murderous man-eater who descended from Cain. Then he defeated Grendel’s dam, who was twice as murderous as her offspring.

“But Grendel and his dam were spawned from human stock, while the supernatural fury of dragons held the power of nature itself. Against the awesome might of the greatest of mythical beasts, my namesake lost his life…

“And few Monsters in this game have greater power…”

“Yeah, yeah…” said Alister. “My move…”

He drew.

“And my Trap activates!” shouted Beowulf. “Bust Breath!”

His Trap lifted, and Cave Dragon grumbled. It belched out a cloud of sickly green gas, covering the field.

When the smoke cleared, both Monsters were wiped out.

Alister smirked.

“Okay, who can tell me what he did wrong?” he asked.

“Huh?” asked Beowulf.

“You should have waited until he summoned another Monster, you wanker!” laughed Valon. “Now you’re defenseless!”

“You know…” said Raphael. “I have a feeling that you’re a much better spiritualist than you are a duelist. You may have powerful cards, and you seem to be pretty wealthy…

“But while money can buy cards, it can’t teach you how to use them right…”

“You got that right,” said Alister. “Burst Breath is a powerful Trap, but using it is always risky.

“Let me show you why… I summon Cyber Soldier of Darkworld in Attack Mode.”

He played the card, and a dark android covered with wires and plating with a laser gun for its right arm appeared. It stared at Beowulf with glowing, soulless eyes. (1,400/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TP1-028.jpg

“Attack directly…” ordered Alister. “Shadow blast!”

Cyber Soldier aimed its weapon, its left eye glowed intently, and a red crosshairs appeared on Beowulf’s chest. It fired a ray of rippling dark energy at his foe. He grunted as it hit him in the torso.

[B](A: 4,500) (B: 6,000)

“Lucky shot…” muttered Beowulf. “Is that your turn?”

“Yes…” said Alister.

Beowulf drew a card.

He smirked…

He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

He waved his hand to signal the end.

Alister drew a card.

Humph… he thought.

“I’ll place this facedown,” he said, playing it.

A facedown card appeared.

“Cyber Soldier, attack his facedown!” he shouted.

“Alister, wait!” shouted Valon. “It might be a…”

Cyber Soldier of Darkworld aimed his weapon for another shot…

…a Morphing Jar appeared on the card… It spun around one-hundred and eighty degrees and laughed a wicked cackle.

“…booby trap…” groaned Valon.

Cyber Soldier fired and it smashed like a broken piece of pottery.

“Heh, heh…” said Beowulf. “There are perks to being wealthy. When a Morphing Jar is flipped, both players discard their hands and draw five new cards…”

“I know that!” said Alister, angrily.

“It does nothing but help me…” said Beowulf, “seeing as I currently have no cards in my hand. But you unfortunately have five cards in your hand, so you lose five and come up with the same.”

Alister discarded, and they both drew five.

“And yet,” said Alister, “that still managed to help me…”

He played a card.

“I summon Science Soldier in Defense Mode…”

He played a card, and a soldier like something out a Star Wars movie appeared. He wore a helmet with a visor and silvery armor, and was carrying a laser rifle. He knelt in Defense. (800/800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PSV-EN097.jpg

“And next, I’ll place two cards facedown, ending my turn…”

Two facedown cards appeared in front of him.

“HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Beowulf.

He drew a card.

“I know what you’re up to, Alister, you put it all out in front of me. Did you really think that would work?

“One of those three cards is Soldier Revolt… The other two are Traps to protect your two Monsters from an attack.”

“Actually,” said Alister, “one of them is just a little something to help me out…”

He gestured, and one of the cards lifted. It was Jar of Greed.

A red jar that looked somewhat like the Pot of Greed, but rounded on top with no handle appeared, and chuckled.

Alister drew one card.

“Well, fine, but it’s still obvious,” said Beowulf. “On your next turn, you’ll summon Kinetic Soldier, and activate Soldier Revolt, which will destroy every card on my side of the field and in my hand, right?”

Alister didn’t answer. He stared at Beowulf in stony silence.

“I’ll take your failure to respond as an affirmative,” said Beowulf. “Well, it would be a pity if something were to happen to those facedown cards…”

He played a card.

“Like my Heavy Storm!”

A fierce wind blew over the arena…

“Looks like your master plan is gone with the wind!” he laughed.

Alister grinned a wicked grin as the two Trap Cards – neither of which was Soldier Revolt – lifted up and shattered…

“Wait a minute…” said Beowulf, in surprise. “Those aren’t…”

Then two explosions burst where he was standing! He was thrown against the wall of the Seal!

“What was that?” he shouted.

“My way of saying that I’m sick of your dumb jokes,” said Alister. “It was high time I put you in your place.

“I figured someone who claimed to know my deck as well as you did would be wary of my Soldier Revolt card. So I knew if I summoned two of the necessary Monsters and placed two cards facedown, you’d try to destroy the facedown cards… In fact, I was counting on it.

“Those two cards that you destroyed were special Traps called Kozaky’s Self-Destruct Button. Like a proximity mine, they can only be triggered if my opponent destroys them, and when that happens, you lose 1,000 Life Points for each of them.

“This is an example of how I’ve changed, Beowulf. If I was like you, I wouldn’t have been so tricky, but since I can think like a rational person, I have more than a good chance of coming out of this unscathed.

[B](A: 4,500) (B: 4,000)

This is getting to be annoying… thought Beowulf, looking at the Trap Card in his hand. But I’ll have the last laugh… He has no idea of the terror lurking in my deck…

He played a card.

“I summon Troop Dragon in Defense Mode,” he said.

A small lizard man with green scales, pointed ears, and a draconic face wearing armor and holding a sword appeared, and knelt in Defense. (700/800) –> (1,200/800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LOD-EN042.jpg

“And it’s your move…”

Alister drew a card.

“I play my own Pot of Greed,” he said, playing it. “And I’ll draw twice…”

He drew two cards.

“Next I’ll summon… Overdrive…”

He played a card. The sound of motors echoed over the arena, and large jeep colored in army fatigues with all terrain wheels and with a turret on its front rolled into view. It aimed its weapon at Troop Dragon. (1,600/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PSV-EN060.jpg

“And now I’m going to show you just how much of a fool you truly were…” he said, taking another card. “I’m going to use the cards you gave me…”

He played a card.

“I sacrifice my three Monsters to play Sky Union…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Trisha watched as the rain poured.

A strange feeling came over her.

She looked at the powerful Monster Card again.

It didn’t seem to be in pain any more…

It seemed much happier…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The gargantuan form of Air Fortress Ziggurat loomed over Alister… Its eyes glowed with burning energy.

(2,500/2,000)

“All right!” shouted Valon. “His strongest Monster!”

“You’re in trouble now, pal!” called Raphael to Beowulf.

“You don’t scare me…” said Beowulf.

“Don’t have to,” said Alister, motioning to the huge Monster. “That’s his job.

“Obliterate his Troop Dragon!”

Air Fortress Ziggurat glowed with burning flames, and with an uproar of artillery fire, blasted what seemed to be a thousand rounds of ammunition, blasting Troop Dragon to a scorch mark on the ground.

“Nice try,” said Beowulf, “but when Troop Dragon is destroyed in battle, I get to summon another one, hence the term ‘troop’.”

Another Troop Dragon appeared. (700/800) –> (1,200/800)

“Then I end my turn,” said Alister, “which activates its effect…”

The Fortress opened its maw, and with a loud whir, a Toy Robot Token fell to the ground, crouching in Defense Mode. (0/0)

Beowulf drew a card.

“I choose to pass this turn…” he said.

Alister drew a card.

He looked at the Spell Card. Not exactly something he could use now…

“Well then…” he said. “Since I know you’ll summon a third Troop Dragon when I destroy that one…”

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Oni Tank T-34 in Attack Mode.”

Another tank rumbled to his side of the field, this one with a demonic mask with horns and a large grin on the front. The eyes on the mask glowed blue, and it swung its cannon towards the Dragon. (1,400/1,700)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PSV-EN059.jpg

“Attack his Troop Dragon, with Oni artillery!”

Oni Tank blasted a flamethrower burst from its cannon, lighting up the dim place, and the Troop Dragon howled as it was incinerated.

Beowulf threw a card on his Disk, and a third one appeared.

Alister pointed, and Air Fortress Ziggurat opened fire, blowing it to pieces.

“My turn is over…” he said.

Another Toy Robot Token fell beside the first one.

Beowulf drew.

There it is, he thought. The final piece of my strategy that will end the legacy of these three has-beens forever…

“I summon Luster Dragon in Attack Mode,” he said.

A large Dragon that seemed to be made entirely of sapphire gems appeared. It sparkled in its own light, like one sculpted gem. It roared! (1,900/1,600) –> (2,400/1,600)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TP5-EN004.jpg

“Luster Dragon, attack Oni Tank T-34 with sapphire flame!”

Flames appeared in Luster Dragon’s jaws. It blasted fire from its mouth in a thin stream, and the tank exploded into metal scrap.

[B](A: 3,500) (B: 4,000)

“Now…” he said. “I’ll place two cards facedown, and that will end my turn…”

He threw two cards into his Disk, and they appeared.

Alister drew.

“Beowulf…” he said. “Before you gave me this card, did you perchance read the text on it? If you had, you’d have seen that Traps don’t work on it.

“So your Luster Dragon is toast…”

The Ziggurat fired on Luster Dragon, and it roared as the lasers and missiles honed in on it. It shattered into pixilated remains.

[B](A: 3,500) (B: 3,900)

“Heh, heh…” said Beowulf. “Actually I knew that. But then, your Fortress doesn’t stop me from activating Traps just by being there… And since you destroyed my Monster, I can activate this…”

A Trap lifted.

“It’s called The Grave of Enkindling,” he explained. “Now, each of us can Special Summon a Monster from his Graveyard in Defense Mode. And the one I choose is Hyozanryu.”

In a burst of energy, Hyozanryu reappeared, curled up in Defense. (2,100/2,800) –> (2,600/2,800)

“Fine…” said Alister. “I’ll summon someone that I discarded when you triggered that Morphing Jar… Kinetic Soldier!”

In a burst of light, an android with a grim face, blue armor, and a laser-device on its shoulder appeared. Its eyes shone briefly, and then it knelt down, crossing its arms. (1,350/1,800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/WC4-002.jpg

“Oh, blimey…” muttered Valon. “With the Seal, that Dragon is stronger than Air Fortress Ziggurat!”

“Read the fine print…” said Raphael. “It says that the Special Summoned Monsters have to stay in Defense Mode. Unfortunately, that’s bad news for Alister, because that Dragon has a Defense that even the Fortress can’t crack.”

“Okay, I end my turn…” said Alister.

A third Toy Robot Token formed.

“Then I’ll draw…” said Beowulf.

He quickly drew a card.

“And then I’ll activate the card that will seal your fate…” he said, evilly.

His other Trap lifted.

It was a frightening picture, showing an evil sorcerer in a fright mask blasting Archlord Zerato with burning lightning.

“I activate the Card of Sin known as… Curse of the Summoned!”

Lightning flashed…

“Raphael?” said Valon, getting nervous. “What does Curse of the Summoned do?”

“Uh… I never heard of it either…” muttered Raphael.

“Oh, I forgot…” laughed Beowulf, “you three don’t know about Cards of Sin. Well, let me explain…”

“When this Continuous Trap is active, when each duelist starts their Standby Phase, they lose 500 Life Points for every Monster they control that was Special Summoned.”

Alister’s eyes opened in fear.

“Get the picture now?” asked Beowulf. “I’ll only lose 500 Life Points per round, because I have only one Monster who was Special Summoned…

“But look on your side of the field, Alister… You have a full field of five Monsters, and they ALL were Special Summoned. And you have 3,500 Life Points left…

“If you can’t find a way to defeat me on this next turn, you lose on the turn after that!”

“And my turn is over now…”

He stabbed his thumb down.

Alister paused…

“Raph…” muttered Valon. “Tell me he still has a chance…”

Raphael bowed his head.

“If he has any chance…” he said. “His next draw had better be the best one in his career…”

Alister looked at the four cards in his hand…

He looked at his deck…

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the battered old Dyna Dude action figure…

And then he looked to the sky…

Only one card in my deck can save me… he thought. And my only chance of ever possibly seeing you again rests on whether or not I draw it… now…

Mikey, I know you’re watching…

He slowly reached for his deck…

Guide me…

He drew the card.

The Curse of the Summoned card glowed…

A bolt of lightning crashed down and struck him, and he winced in pain. Then another struck, followed by three more! He fell to his knees.

[B](A: 1,000) (B: 3,900)

“Give it up,” gloated Beowulf. “Nothing can save you!”

Continued…

Dark Sage

29th May 2006, 12:07 PM

Continued from last post:

Alister looked at the card he had just drawn.

“Wrong…” he muttered. “There’s one card in my deck that can, and I just drew it…”

He played a Spell Card.

“I play… Token Thanksgiving!”

A card that showed a gremlin gleefully collecting Scapegoats in a basket appeared.

The gremlin walked out, and held its basket out. The three Toy Robot Tokens in front of him turned to light, and were sucked into it.

The gremlin reached into it, and tossed a handful of golden dust into the air, which sprinkled upon Alister.

“This Spell Card destroys all Token Monsters on the field,” he said, “and for every one, I gain 800 Life Points.

“What’s more, with the Tokens gone, so are three of those five Monsters that would have done me in, so the effectiveness of your Trap is greatly reduced.”

[B](A: 3,400) (B: 3,900)

“Grrr…” growled Beowulf. “Fine. You’re only delaying the inevitable. I’ll just…”

He reached for his deck.

“Did I say my turn was over?” shouted Alister. “DID I?”

Beowulf stopped.

“You don’t need to yell…” he said.

“Apparently, I do,” said Alister, playing another Spell Card. “I play Dark Factory of Mass Production. Now I can return two Normal Monsters from the Graveyard to my hand…”

A Spell Card showing a worker in a white cloak on an assembly line appeared.

Two cards slipped out of his discard slot, and he took them.

“And next, I’ll summon one of them… Cyber Soldier of Darkworld, in Attack Mode.”

Cyber Soldier arose again, once again aiming its rifle. (1,400/1,200)

“Finally…” he said, “I’ll place two cards facedown, and I’ll end my turn… And I’ll choose not to have my Fortress create another token…”

He threw two cards into his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

Beowulf drew.

“Don’t forget,” said Alister, “thanks to your own Trap Card, you now lose 500 Life Points.”

Thunder rumbled again, and a bolt of lightning crashed down, striking Beowulf.

“A necessary evil…” he muttered.

He played a Spell Card.

“I play Premature Burial, to bring back Luster Dragon.”

Luster Dragon reappeared, now very angry. It hissed and steam rose from its closed jaws. (1,900/1,600) –> (2,400/1,600)

[B](A: 3,400) (B: 2,600)

“Attack his Cyber Soldier!” he shouted.

Luster Dragon fired his flame…

“I activate… Covering Fire!” shouted Alister.

One of his Traps lifted, showing the image of a Mechanicalchaser charging while a Cannon Soldier supported it from the rear.

“Now I can add the Attack Score of one of my other Monsters to that of the one you’re attacking,” he said. “So I’ll add the Ziggurat’s Attack Score to Cyber Soldier’s!”

The Ziggurat’s eyes glowed… It aimed its multitude of weapons.

Cyber Soldier of Darkworld shot up to 3,900 Attack! Both it and the Ziggurat returned fire, pushing back the Dragon’s attack, and blowing the Dragon to atoms.

[B](A: 3,400) (B: 1,100)

Beowulf gulped.

“I still have Hyozanryu!” he cursed. “And not even your Ziggurat can destroy him!”

Alister drew.

He looked at the powerful Trap Card…

Lightning flashed again, and two bolts of lightning crashed down and struck him.

He cursed under his breath.

“He won’t have to,” said Alister. “I’ll move my Cyber Soldier into Defense Mode…”

Cyber Soldier of Darkworld shielded itself.

“Then I’ll summon Science Soldier in Defense Mode… Who I got from my Dark Factory card.”

Science Soldier appeared again, and knelt.

“And finally…” he said, “I’ll activate Soldier Revolt!”

His Trap Card lifted, and his three Soldiers glowed…

“Since you were so paranoid about this card,” he said, “I’m sure you know how it works… Every card on your side of the field and in your hand is destroyed!”

The three Soldiers shot burning beams of light from their eyes, coalescing into a burst of light on Beowulf’s side of the arena. Hyozanryu and Curse of the Summoned shattered into pixels, and Beowulf’s cards were yanked from him.

“Be thankful that I’m not allowed to attack on the round I activate that card,” said Alister. “I’ll end by playing a card facedown…”

He placed his card in a slot.

“And since your Trap is gone now…”

Another Toy Robot Token appeared.

[B](A: 2,400) (B: 1,100)

“Make your move…” he dared.

Beowulf shivered as he drew a card.

Then he grinned…

“Well Alister…” he said. “Time to bring King Dragun back…”

“Oh? How?” asked Alister. “That guy is immune to effects that target, so summoning him from the Graveyard is impossible.”

“I’m going to summon a new one…” said Beowulf. “By playing this…”

He showed him the card.

“Dragon’s Mirror! This card lets me fuse together Monsters in my Graveyard if I remove them from play, so long as I’m summoning a Dragon-Type Monster!”

He played the card…

“And now…” he said, as it appeared.

“I don’t think so!” shouted Alister.

His Trap Card lifted.

“I activate… Solemn Judgment!”

Lightning flashed and thunder rolled…

An old man with a beard, dressed in a white robe and carrying a cudgel appeared, followed by two beautiful muses wearing togas. They glowed with intense light.

“I figured I’d use this against Kaiba,” said Alister, “but I never drew it… My way of passing ‘judgment’ for the crimes his stepfather had committed that I blamed him for…

“Anyway, it may cost me half my Life Points, but I can counter your Dragon’s Mirror, and destroy it.”

The card shattered…

[B](A: 1,200) (B: 1,100)

“You don’t seem to be all full of jokes now… Beowulf…” he said. “Since that was your only card, it’s my move…”

He drew a card as Beowulf slunk back in fear…

The card he drew was a Spell Card that wasn’t of any good now…

“Well…” said Alister, “it ends now…”

He lifted his hand… He was about to order an attack…

Then he paused… He lowered it.

Hold on… he thought.

He paused again.

Maybe this egotistical blowhard is worth more to us intact… Lord knows, he deserves to be sacrificed to the Seal, but…

He looked at the two cards in his hand.

This will work, if this guy is like I think he is…

“Beowulf, listen up,” he said.

“What?” said Beowulf, almost panicking.

“I suggest a deal,” said Alister. “Your soul in exchange for information.”

“What do you mean?” asked Beowulf.

“Well,” said Alister, “you are going to lose this duel, and you know what will happen then… But if you accept my offer, you’ll be able to save your worthless skin…

“I may not know half as much about my ‘condition’ as you claim you do, but I know LOTS about the Orichalcos, and I know that the one way we both can escape unharmed is for this duel to end in a draw…

“Well, the two cards in my hand can do just that, IF you do exactly what I say…

“However, after all you’ve put us through tonight, I don’t exactly feel like showing mercy… So I’m only going to show it if the three of us get something in return. Once we’re done, you will tell us everything you know about our ‘condition’. Call us crazy, but we’re a little sick of this after all these years, and since you claim to be an expert…”

“All right! All right!” shouted Beowulf. “Anything you say! I’ll do it!”

“Figured as much…” said Alister. “You’re just like Gozaburo and other rich snobs… nothing but a big coward when things turn against you… Pathetic. Now listen, I’m ending my turn. When you take your turn, this is only going to work if you do NOT play whatever card you draw. I mean it. Just draw your card, and end your turn…”

Beowulf drew.

It was The Dragon’s Bead.

Well, it would only have been good for a bluff anyway… he thought.

“All right…” he said, nervously. “I pass…”

“Good…” said Alister, drawing a card.

He looked at the card.

“All right Beowulf, since I really don’t trust you, I’m going to show you the card I just drew before I set it.”

He flipped the card around.

“A little thing called Magic Jammer. I’m sure you know what that does…”

He fit the card into his Disk, and the facedown card appeared.

“Next I play… Exchange.”

He played the card.

“Huh?” said Beowulf.

“Normally,” said Alister, “this lets us each look at each others hand, choose a card, and trade them, but since we each have only one card left in our hands, let’s cut to the chase…”

They walked to the center of the arena, and swapped the cards.

“Thank you…” said Alister, sarcastically.

Beowulf looked at it.

“What do I do with this?” he asked, nervously.

“You’re the supposed genius, you figure it out!” shouted Alister. “I’m ending my turn now, but I plan to attack you with my Fortress on my next turn, so you’d best figure it out. Don’t forget, I have Magic Jammer and one card to discard, so don’t try anything if your next draw is a mega-powerful Spell Card.”

Beowulf drew.

Then he looked at the card Alister had given him.

“Uh, Raphael,” said Valon. “I kinda got lost a few turns ago… What is Alister planning?”

“Beats me…” said Raphael. “I mean, I’d expect Ring of Destruction, but if that were the case, he wouldn’t have given it to Beowulf, he could have done it himself.”

Beowulf placed a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Your move…” he said, nervously.

Alister snapped the top card off his deck.

“Air Fortress Ziggurat…” he ordered. “Attack him directly!”

The giant Machine’s eyes glowed…

It opened fire…

“I activate Contagion of Madness!” shouted Beowulf.

A Quickplay Spell card lifted.

“Of course!” gasped Raphael.

Beowulf screamed as the massive attack plowed into him. Alister was struck by a wave of energy. Both of them slammed against the opposite walls of the Seal…

And then the Seal itself vanished…

[B](A: 0) (B: 0)

“What happened?” asked Valon.

“Alister’s Spell Card,” said Raphael. “That attack went through, but because of Contagion of Madness, Alister took half the damage that Beowulf did.”

The sky of the foggy in-between dimension started to churn…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The three phantoms were back in Central Park, and the exhausted minion of Orichalcos was kneeing on the ground.

He was completely winded, the strain from using the Card of Sin and the powerful direct attack having quite taken the fight out of him.

Alister grabbed him by the collar and forced him to his feet.

“You’d best keep your side of the bargain pal,” he said. “We want answers…

“Hey look guys, I learned how to pick up things…”

“All right, all right…” said Beowulf, in a scared voice. “You win…”

He sat on a park bench…

“First and foremost, you’re cursed,” he said. “The Seal was designed to imprison souls, so it has a side effect on the souls of anyone who uses it. Without special protection, this sort of thing happens to everyone who uses the Orichalcos. Dartz knew about it, he knew how to protect himself, but he wasn’t too keen on sharing…”

“We can chalk that up as another lie he told us,” muttered Raphael. “Who’s behind the curse? Leviathan?”

“It’s like a side effect of the Orichalcos magic,” said Beowulf. “Use it, and you eventually contract a magical disease of sorts. If you die from it, your spirit becomes incapable of leaving the mortal plane. And because you guys were partners, the curse had the added effect of connecting you together.

“It happened to a few other minions… Weevil and Rex haunted Domino for about ten years before someone had mercy on them… Of course, the one who did it had… conditions which I won’t get into…

“Here’s how it works – by using the Seal without protection, the disease it causes not only kills the user, it makes the Astral Plane inaccessible to him. The Astral Plane is a sort of a pathway that a soul needs to take to get to the afterlife. Without being able to enter, you’re trapped on Earth. And the curse simply made you unable to open the right pathways.

“In a way, the curse steals the key to the Astral that all mortals have.”

“Wait a second…” said Valon. “What about Mai? Didn’t she…”

Beowulf held up his hand.

“Mai did not escape the curse,” answered Beowulf. “But fortunately, it was detected early, before the disease hit. Joey did what was needed to remove it, so she was spared.”

“What about the Pharaoh?” asked Raphael. “He used it once…”

Beowulf paused.

“Let me explain this in… simplest terms,” he said. “Curses are complex things… He was already suffering from one – the one that had bound him to the Millennium Puzzle and stripped him of his memories. It is impossible to be inflicted with a major curse if you are already cursed by another source.

“It’s one of the fundamental laws of magic. No one can suffer two curses at the same time. And the Seal’s curse may have tried to displace his, but it could not break the rule any more than other curses could.”

“Wait a second…” said Raphael. “The Orichalcos was stronger than the Millennium Items. That Puzzle couldn’t…”

“Wrong,” interrupted Beowulf. “Dartz may have told you that the Orichalcos was stronger, but that was simply another bold-faced lie. You guys are just going to have to accept that he only told the truth when it benefited him to do so. Think about it… You were going up against one who held a Millennium Item, so Dartz knew you’d have more confidence if you believed the magic he held was superior. So he lied.

“The Orichalcos was older, yes, but older doesn’t mean stronger. I mean, would you use a new computer, or one that was twenty years old? There was one simple reason why the Puzzle’s magic couldn’t counter the Seal…

“The Puzzle’s magic and the Seal’s magic were two completely different kinds of magic. It’s like comparing escargot salad to Peking duck. Both good to eat, both considered gourmet, but they have absolutely nothing in common. It was the magical equivalent of oil and vinegar. And since that was the case, Dartz’s lie was easy to believe.

“If the Puzzle was truly powerless against the Orichalcos, the Pharaoh would have fallen in the final battle with Dartz. But the source of his power did not desert him then, and he was victorious.”

There was a long pause.

“So why the heck did you use the damn thing?” shouted Valon.

“Because Mr. Fortunado IS keen on sharing, and he’s not a liar!” replied Beowulf.

He made a sulk.

“Not that it’s going to do me much good now… When he finds out about this, I’m going to have to start looking for a new job, and this one is NOT the type I can put on a resume!”

“How can we break the curse?” demanded Alister.

“Well, you can’t,” said Beowulf. “Since the Seal is evil, the curse can only be undone if someone performs a noble act in your name, using something that carries your influence. Three cards aren’t enough – when Joey lifted Mai’s curse, he had to duel someone using her entire deck!

“And, since the Orichalcos is active again, that noble act would likely have to do with opposing it.

“Now I’ve told you everything I know. Can I please leave? Maybe if I apologize to Mr. Fortunado…”

“All right, fine,” said Alister. “But keep this in mind – if you come back, we’ll have no reason to be merciful a second time!

“Get lost…”

As he ran off, they looked at each other.

“Well,” said Raphael, “we have work to do…”

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2106, 3:10 AM

AMORPHIC BARRIER (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A cluster of white, rubbery pillars.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you have three or more Monsters on your side of the field, and your opponent declares an attack. Negate the attack and end the current Battle Phase.

Note: “Amorphic Barrier” was used by Bastion in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode ”Formula For Success”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

CONTAGION OF MADNESS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Quickplay
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A man screaming with a desolate wasteland in the background.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you take battle damage. Inflict half the damage you receive to your opponent’s Life Points.

Note: “Contagion of Madness” was used by Alister in the anime episode “Deja Duel! (Part 2)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

KC-1 CLAYTON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: A heavy-duty tank used for offensive military maneuvers. If this Monster is in face-up Defense Position on the field, destroy this Monster. The controller of this Monster must attack with this Monster whenever possible.

TANK CORP (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap/Continuous
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A parade of tanks on a city street, in black and white.

Card Description: You can activate this card when at least one “KC-1 Clayton” is face-up on your side of the field. Special Summon three “Tank Tokens” in Defense Position. (Machine/Earth/2 stars/800 ATK/1,200 DEF). For each “Tank Token” on the field, each “KC Clayton-1” on your side of the field gains 500 Attack Points. When this card is removed from the field, all “Tank Tokens” are destroyed.

SOLDIER REVOLT (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A circle divided into three sections, one showing Science Soldier, one showing Cyber Soldier of Darkworld, and one showing Kinetic Soldier.

Card Description: You can only activate this card during your first Main Phase, when you have at least one “Science Soldier”, at least one “Cyber Soldier of Darkworld”, and at least one “Kinetic Soldier” face-up on your side of the field. Destroy all cards on your opponent’s side of the field, and in his hand. Skip your Battle Phase on the turn in which you activate this card.

Note: “KC-1 Clayton”, “Tank Corp”, and “Soldier Revolt” were used by Alister in the multi-part anime episode “Flight of Fear”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. (The version of “KC-1 Clayton” given here takes fanfiction liberties designed to keep it from being a broken card. As far as the anime was concerned, it was not an Effect Monster.)

CURSE OF THE SUMMONED (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap/Continuous/Card of Sin
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Sin: Wrath

Image: A sorcerer in a dark robe and a demonic mask blasting Archlord Zerato with burning lightning.

Card Description: When this card is active, during each player’s Standby Phase, he loses 500 Life Points for every Monster on his side of the field that was Special Summoned.

[B][I]Coming up next:

The school day starts with an unexpected surprise, but there’s little time to consider it – the first big test of the year is upon them!

See the more of the results of our contest winners… Another user character… AND Trisha’s alternate deck! It’s a chapter called “Card Shuffle”, coming soon.

Inferno_Dragon

29th May 2006, 12:28 PM

That was quite a interesting duel. Though Beowulf's Dragon Deck was pretty standard, Alistar's Deck was pretty different from the decks he used against Kaiba both times. Due to his loss to the Seal, he has seemed to wisen up.

This has been the third time I have seen a Orichalcos Duel ending with both opponent's Life Point ending in 0. At least we know more about the Seal of Orichalcos.

So Trishia has an alternate deck. That might be interesting. I mean most Duelist have more than one deck. Bastion carried 6 different Decks and his Shadow Rider opponent Taniya carried two decks. Aesop had three Decks on him and so did Vladamir. I think it is an excellent idea to have more than one Deck. It keeps your opponent on edge because even if you use one Deck against him/her, he won't know the Strategies of the other Decks.

Well, keep up the good work!!

Blademaster

29th May 2006, 06:14 PM

I kinda figured Alister would be the one dueling; interesting choice of a Dragon Deck for his opponent... It was like deja vu all over again...

Either way, I'm glad that Alister won - he and the other 2 guys were victims of circumstance more than anything else...

Still, there are a lot of questions left to be answered... Like, what really happened to Dartz? What is the truth behind the Seal of Orichalcos? Is the Leviathan behind all this, or Fortunado? Or... is it someone else...? The plot is getting deeper and deeper...

One thing I wanna point out is that I think KC-1 Clayton's stats were 1500/1200; on the anime, it only had 2000 attack because the Seal was boosting its score...

Or maybe not. I never bothered to check on Janime or anything...

BTW, Beowulf said it's impossible to be cursed twice... Not true - remember Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door? Poor Mario was 'cursed' 4 times! :lol: :wink:

Anyway, keep up the great work, DS.

Later!

-Blade

Dark Sage

29th May 2006, 06:33 PM

Blademaster -

Janime is my #1 Source for anime-only cards. KC-1 Clayton had 2,000 ATK before the boost from the Seal.

As for the curse thing, one, this is more serious than a Mario game, and two, I really don't believe that the "curses" inflicted on Mario in those games were curses at all. They helped him a great deal.

As for who is ultimately behind this... Well, you'll find out...

...eventually.

Perfect Chaos

29th May 2006, 06:37 PM

Eh, I didn't like this chapter that much for some reason. Maybe cause I was hoping to see Raphael duel, but instead it was Alister. I liked Alister's first deck, but his second one I found, uninteresting for some reason. Still, the whole explanation behind what happend to the the Knights of the Orichalcos was interesting, and we finally know what happend to them. Beowulf wasn't much of a great character (though I was expecting Beasts at first, once I saw Dragons and saw the theme, I was expecting an appearance by Buster Blader), so I expect he's just a "filler" character.

However, if my assumptions are right, I am DEFINITELY looking forward to next chapter. See you then

-Sean

Shuppet Master

29th May 2006, 07:35 PM

Super great chapter, Brian! :D

I knew it was going to be Alister dueling, and it fit the Memorial Day theme, due to Alister's sad history. :( I liked how he ended the duel in a draw and forced the information out of Beowulf about their condition, and how everyone who used that awful card had been cursed and how Mai was saved by Joey. Aw... :)

Anyways, can't wait to see Trisha's alternate deck. Happy Memorial Day, Brian.

Master of Paradox

29th May 2006, 09:10 PM

Personally, I don't get the logic. Yes, the Seal of Orichalchos is pure evil (it will never come up in "Tilting the Balance", but even Degas and Alexander think it's evil)... but what logic is there in it leaving any permanent effects? Why would anyone design magic that requires the thaumic equivalent of a Hazmat suit to use without lethal drawbacks? I know, I know, you can handwave it away by saying, "It's magic, who can tell?", but this is like leaving a loophole in a demonic contract that gets you killed - why didn't they take the time to work the kink out?

At least you didn't condemn anyone straight to Hell, unlike some people... although in the first draft...

Mystic_clown

30th May 2006, 04:13 AM

Aww, I was hoping for Varon to duel. He hasn't done anything all fic so far.

Just kidding. It's good to see the three finally getting some duelling action (although I really would have liked to see Varon duel again).

jkBAKURA

30th May 2006, 08:46 AM

Well, that should teach me to keep my big mouth shut. And by the way, Janime did make an error on that. It isn't visable, because in the episode the Seal isn't visable, but Clayton does indeed have only 1500 ATK. A Beserk Gorilla effect is a nice way to handle it though. I wonder if you'll ever use Giant Rex.

Moving along, Alister was well portrayed, but the circumstances surrounding the duel weren't to my liking, and to tell you the truth I'm distracted by the prospect of Tricia's second deck. (and dreading I'll like it more then the first one) With Cyber Dragons and Aincent Gear monsters, and even Armors under the belt, there is only one other specialised machine deck that I can think of, Gradius. Oh man I hope that's it!

Sorry I don't have time for a more complete review. Moving day is upon me. Cheers.

The Blue Avenger

30th May 2006, 04:24 PM

Why would anyone design magic that requires the thaumic equivalent of a Hazmat suit to use without lethal drawbacks?

It's entirely possible that the guy who made it wanted only people he had approved using the Orichalcos. To prevent anyone else using it and surviving, he introduced that little safeguard. Then he told the people he wanted to use the Orichalcos what to do in order to avoid its ill effects.

Dark Sage

1st June 2006, 07:22 AM

I've been waiting a long time for this chapter, but I know someone else has been waiting for it more!

I'd like to thank Perfect Chaos for his great contribution.

So, let the next part of the story begin, and see Trisha's alternate deck, and this new user character. This won't be the last time you see him.

[B][I]The monthly exams have never been easy. The written tests are a piece of cake, but the field tests…

And now it has become even harder. Out of pure bad luck, my opponent is a guy who beat me badly the last time I dueled him, all because of a very powerful, very rare Monster in his deck.

Still, when life throws you a curveball, you have to learn how to hit it. My regular deck would fall before this guy’s usual strategy…

So I guess it’s time for me to delve, like William Shatner and Patrick Stewart once did…

…into the Final Frontier.

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PGD-080.jpg

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2106, 5:45 AM

“Attack directly!” shouted Cassius. “Dark fire inferno!”

Beowulf stared in horror as the shadowy Monster loomed up in front of him…

He screamed as he was engulfed in black flames!

He collapsed. Cassius crossed his arms as the Seal around him started to glow and shrink around Beowulf…

Fortunado was watching closely. He walked up to the fallen duelist.

“Apology accepted, Mr. Daniels…” he muttered.

“So now what do we do about those three?” asked Cassius, putting his deck back together.

“We’ll figure something out later…” sighed Fortunado. “Right now, I’ve got other fish to fry. A big day is coming up at the Academy…

“It would be a shame not to prepare a gatecrasher or two…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

At breakfast, Trisha simply picked at her plate of waffles.

“Not hungry, Trish?” asked Russell.

“Yeah…” muttered Trisha. “I know that doesn’t make much sense to you…”

“Hey,” said Russell, “like my dad said, an army moves on its stomach. A good soldier has to eat. It keeps up his strength.”

“Well, yeah…” she replied, “But I’m so worried about that exam on Friday, I don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Test anxiety…” said Jason. “Well, that’s nothing new. Ever think about using your other deck? It might give your opponent a big surprise.”

Trisha leaned on her arm.

“Well…” she said. “It’s an idea… But it’s a difficult deck to use… Using the Monsters depends on a lot of factors, and…”

“Excuse me?” said a voice.

They saw a hulking delivery man standing over the table holding three parcel boxes.

“Uh, I’m looking for Jason Conrad, Trisha Moise, and Russell Majors…” he said.

“That would be us,” said Jason.

“Uh huh,” said the man, putting down three packages.

Whoever had sent them had taken no chances. They had been shipped first class, with insurance, and were marked with several special packaging options…

…but no return address.

“If you three will just sign this…” he said.

Not knowing what else to do, they signed the sheet.

“Good day,” he said.

The three of them looked at the packages.

Quickly, they tore them open, and rooted through the packing chips…

They gazed in wonder.

“BEN!” shouted Jason.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Half an hour later…

Chancellor Artemis was typing in-between sips of coffee in her office, when a buzz sounded on her speaker.

“Dr. Artemis,” said a voice. “Ben is here to see you with some students. He says it’s important.”

“Eh, send him in,” said Artemis.

Ben walked into the office, with Jason, Trisha, and Russell behind him.

“Uh, ma’am,” said Ben, “we have a little… situation.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” replied Artemis.

“Well, uh…” said Ben. “You know when a student gets a Disk that isn’t school issue, his headmaster has to approve it?”

“I trust your judgment Ben,” said Artemis. “I take it you’d recognize a Disk that isn’t legal…”

“Well… ma’am… see…” he said nervously. “These three… someone sent them Disks that I’ve never seen before, and I don’t know whether to approve them or not…”

Artemis looked at the three students for a minute.

“Let me see them,” she finally said.

They put the three Disks in front of her…

They were odd, certainly. They were each shaped somewhat differently, but all had strange runes on them. Trisha’s didn’t seem to even have a tray, and the deck holder looked vaguely like it had been made out of a computer disk drive.

Artemis studied the runes.

Hmmm, she thought. Haven’t seen these for a while…

She put Trisha’s on her arm, and gestured. One zone came out of the main cabinet and then extended into a deck tray with a soft whir. It was rectangular with flared edges, and had a silvery, reflective sheen.

A Disk that’s more of a machine than ever, she thought, very suiting for one with a Machine Deck…

“Any idea who sent you these?” she asked, putting it back.

“No,” said Jason. “No return address.”

“Well, you certainly have someone out there who cares for you a great deal,” she said. “Use them with my blessings. In fact, try them during your exams. You’ll find that they handle much better than your old ones.”

“Thanks!” said Trisha.

They gathered them, and left the room.

As Ben left, Artemis crossed her arms.

I didn’t want to frighten them, she thought, but those Disks are of the type that Duel Spirits use, and they have the symbols of Light – clearly a benign Spirit sent them to them after discovering that they had the Dragons.

I hope that they can help…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Trisha wasn’t the one who would cram for a test. That was asking for trouble. The best way to prepare for a test was to get a good night’s sleep the night before. After all, she didn’t doubt that she could pass the written part.

Still, when the lists for the field tests were posted, her face fell.

“Ooh…” she moaned. “Sean…”

“What’s wrong?” asked Jason.

“I’m going up against Sean Kishore…” muttered Trisha.

Jason knew what she meant…

Sean played a Fire Deck, and he was very good with it due to the powerful Monster in his deck – Horus the Black Flame Dragon. Once the LV 8 form was summoned – which he seemed able to do very easily – his opponent was unable to play any Spell Cards, and it seemed no-one could defeat that creature without them.

“So what are you gonna do?” asked Jason.

Trisha paused.

“I’m definitely gonna use my second deck…” she said.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

From nine that morning to ten, the campus would be rather quiet.

Jason, Trisha, Russell, and almost every other student poured over the written portion of the test, and while some found it easy, others had to work hard on it.

The true fireworks would start at ten. When almost the whole school had to duel, the arena wasn’t nearly enough. Several sections of the campus, both indoors and outdoors, were set aside for the field test.

So at ten-thirty, Trisha made her way to the gymnasium where she had been assigned.

She saw that Sersei was already taking her field test, and she seemed to be in trouble. As she watched, Sersei’s Cyber Harpie Lady was blown away by Dark Ruler Ha Des… Then her opponent attacked her with an Opticlops…

Then, as Trisha watched, Sersei activated a Trap, and all three Harpies appeared on the field. Then she played a card that must have been Phoenix Formation, blowing both Fiends to pieces and reducing her opponent to nothing.

Well, she’s given me a tough act to follow, thought Trisha. Hmmm, a Trap that can revive all three Harpies at once? Wonder how it works?

She turned and saw Sean waiting below the basketball net, with Dr. Ting.

Sean was an intimidating figure, standing six-foot-one and somewhat muscular. He had the skin tone of an Asian-Indian, and had jet-black hair that was spiked up in style and hazel eyes. He wore a silver hoop earring on his left ear and black fingerless gloves on both hands.

“Sean…” said Trisha.

“Trisha…” he said. “I should warn you, this won’t be pleasant…”

“Just give me all you’ve got, Sean,” she said. “I’m not going to give you anything less.”

“All right you two,” said Dr. Ting. “Let’s start this… We haven’t got all day…”

The two swapped decks and started to shuffle.

Trisha looked, and saw the Sersei was watching from the bleachers…

Well, Trisha, thought Sersei, let’s see if that same trick works this time…

“It’s going to be different than it was last time,” said Trisha to Sean. “I assure you of that…

She activated the strange Disk.

“Game… start!”

They each drew five cards.

[B](Trisha: 8,000) (Sean: 8,000)

“Think it’s going to be different?” asked Sean, drawing a sixth card. “Well here’s something different…

“I summon Tenkabito Shien in Attack Mode.”

A flame appeared on his side of the field, and a galloping sound was heard. A figure mounted on a fiery trotted out on his mount. He looked like a lonely Samurai dressed in armor and silk clothing with his hair tied in a ponytail, holding a large scimitar. He urged his mount to stop and raised his sword as he looked at Trisha with fiery eyes. (1,500/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi-en017.jpg

“A new one?” asked Trisha.

“Yes,” said Sean. “And in case you’re thinking of using a Trap Card, forget it – they don’t work on Shien. Period.”

“Thanks for the warning…” said Trisha, drawing a card.

She looked at the strange Monster Card.

“I summon… Robotic Angel in Defense Mode,” she said.

A beam of light struck from above, and a strange creature appeared in it. It was a Machine in the shape of an angel, with a metallic robe, metal wings, and long, silvery hair. However, she had no face – where her features would be was a blank slate.

She silently crossed her arms over her chest. (0/2,000)

“Who’s THAT?” asked Sean, nervously.

”No one knows!” laughed Trisha. “This Machine fell from the sky on a distant planet, and the primitive natives there decided to worship her as a goddess. But her origins are a mystery…

“But let me shed some light on her powers… You can only destroy her when she’s alone. She can’t be destroyed in battle if I have another Monster on the field.”

“Tricky…” said Sean.

He drew a card.

“I’ll place a card facedown, and that will be all for my turn.”

A facedown card appeared behind Shien.

Trisha drew a card.

She looked at three of them.

“All right…” she said. “I summon the mighty Vic Viper… Gradius in Attack Mode.”

With a WHOOSH!, a silvery fighter form flew into view. It was a jet fighter with a metallic hull and streamlined wings. It stopped in mid-air and hovered in place. (1,200/800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PSV-EN089.jpg

“And…” continued Trisha, “I’ll Equip it with Cyclon Laser!”

As she played the card, a hatch opened on Gradius’s underside, and a set of cannons protruded. Its Attack rose to 1,500.

“And since I have Gradius on the field, I can Special Summon this… Gradius Option. And it copies the Attack and Defense of Gradius.”

She played another card, and a… thing looking like a pointed spire appeared in the air. It turned into a blob of liquid metal and started to change shape, slowly changing into a clone of the original Gradius. After a few seconds, it was exactly the same. (1,500/800)

“Neat, huh?” said Trisha. “Gradius Option, attack Tenkabito Shien!”

The clone Gradius aimed its laser and blasted a burst of rounds of laser fire… Shien swung his sword forward and shot forth a blast of flame from the blade…

The two blasts met is a great explosion. Gradius Option exploded into shards, and Shien was thrown off of his horse. He shattered too, and his mount vanished in a burst of fire.

“Now,” said Trisha. “AAHH!”

She screamed as fire erupted around her.

“Heh, heh…” said Sean, pointing to his Trap Card, which showed the image of a strange Warrior in a fiery cloud.

“I activated my Backfire Trap. Now you’ll lose 500 Life Points whenever one of my Fire Monsters is destroyed.”

“Clever…” said Trisha. “Gradius, attack him directly! Cyclon laser barrage!”

The true Gradius opened fire just as its clone had. Sean tried to shield himself as he was pelted by the fighter’s artillery. He groaned.

[B](T: 7,500) (S: 6,500)

“My move…” said Sean.

He drew a card.

“Time to shoot your plane down…” he said. “I summon Familiar-Possessed Hiita in Attack Mode!”

He played the card, and an older version of Hiita the Fire Charmer appeared, holding her flaming staff, and dressed in a brief skirt, a green jacket, and a girdle. She had a mean-looking fox in front of her. (1,850/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en028.jpg

“Attack the Gradius!” ordered Sean. “Kitsune flame strike!”

Hiita pointed, her staff burned, and her fox blazed with fire. It ran forward, pouncing on the Gradius. Flames poured out of the plane’s side, and it crashed, exploding in a cloud of flames and smoke.

[B](T: 7,150) (S: 6,500)

This might be hard… thought Trisha. Sean has gotten better, and has made a more powerful deck… And I’d wager dollars to donuts that Horus is still lurking in it…

She drew.

However, the best way to defeat a super-strong Monster… Is to prevent your opponent from ever summoning it at all. And I think I can do just that.

“I play Pot of Greed,” she said. “Now, I’ll draw twice…”

She took two cards.

“And now, to use them,” she said. “I sacrifice Robotic Angel…”

The mechanical seraphim vanished.

“And I summon… the Bacterion Elimination Squadron Tetran, or B.E.S. Tetran for short, in Attack Mode!”

A strange formation resembling a space-age vortex appeared in front of her, and a large spaceship flew out of it! It was wide, but flat, and had four tentacled “arms” on each edge. Strange lights flickered over it, and it hummed with an unearthly noise. (1,800/2,300)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en017.jpg

Sean stared in surprise.

“All right!” said Trisha. “Activate deflector shields!”

B.E. S. Tetran glowed. A transparent energy bubble formed around the spaceship, and then two others formed around it.

“Now expend one of them,” she said, “to wipe out that Backfire!”

One of the energy bubbles vanished, and the spaceship blasted beams of energy from its four arms, blowing the Trap Card to pieces!

“So what?” said Sean. “Hiita can shoot that ship down.”

“Not once I’m done with her,” said Trisha. “I play Rush Recklessly.”

She played the card, and B.E.S. Tetran’s Attack rose to 2,500.

“Attack Hiita!” ordered Trisha. “Photon torpedo barrage!”

B.E.S. Tetran blasted a volley of energy beams from its tentacles, and Hiita cringed as they exploded around her! She and her fox were thrown back and were blown into particles!

Another of the Tetran’s shields vanished.

[B](T: 7,150) (S: 5,850)

“You were right…” muttered Sean. “This is rather different… But it will end the same…”

“We’ll see,” said Trisha. “To end my turn, I activate two Continuous Spell Cards…

“First, Boss Rush…”

A card bearing the image of three different spaceships in a battle with an unseen foe appeared.

“And then, Shield Generator…”

A second card, with the image of a futuristic energy generator glowing with violet light appeared.

“And I’ll end my turn.”

Sean drew a card.

“Perfect…” he said. “Now this duel is mine…

“I remove Tenkabito Shien from play, to summon Inferno…”

The card slipped out of his discard slot, and then a creature that was more or less a bonfire appeared in front of him. It stretched out two fiery arms, and gazed at Trisha with two flaming yellow orbs that suggested eyes. (1,100/1,900)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-019.jpg

Here it comes, thought Trisha. Well Sean, you’re in for a big shock this time…

“Next,” he continued, “I’ll sacrifice it, to summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6!”

Inferno burned fiercely, and a large form appeared out of it…

It magnificent creature, who overpowered the place with his presence. A cross between a Dragon and a great bird, it seemed to be made out of golden metal. Dark flames surrounded it…

It gave out a great screech!

(2,300/1,600)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SOD-EN007.jpg

You’re in trouble now, Trisha… thought Sersei. Once that thing crashes your spaceship, you’ll never stop him…

“Horus!” shouted Sean. “Attack the B.E.S. Tetran! Black flame blast!”

Horus spread out his wings, and shot a blast of dark fire from his beak. The spaceship was surrounded by a cloud of fire…

[B](T: 6,650) (S: 5,850)

“And now…” said Sean.

“Not so fast, Sean…” said Trisha with a grin.

The smoke cleared…

And to Sean’s surprise, B.E.S. Tetran was still there!

Its last shield faded, but it was still in one piece.

“But…” said Sean, in disbelief. “There were no Traps on the field! How…”

Trisha grinned.

“Bacterion Monsters don’t work like any other Monsters, Sean,” she said, “let me explain…

“Case in point, they can’t be destroyed in battle!

“When I summon one, it comes with a number of deflector shields – this one has three… or had when I first summoned it. Whenever it battles, it loses one. If it battles without a shield, it’s destroyed at the end of the damage step…

“But even that doesn’t count as ‘destroyed in battle’. And I’m afraid that destroying a Monster in battle is something that your Monster simply must do if it ever wants to evolve into its most powerful LV 8 state…

“But as you can see… It can’t. So it isn’t going to happen.”

Sean looked at the Trap Card in his hand…

Royal Decree.

Maybe I won’t set this right now… he thought. I might need my other Traps…

“So what the heck is a Bacterion?” he asked.

“It’s history,” said Trisha. “One hundred years ago, there was a popular video game called Gradius. A game with fighter planes and spaceships. Pegasus must have admired the game himself, because first he designed a simple Monster called Gradius… Then he created the Bacterion ships, the bosses of the game, and other Monsters representing the spaceships in the game. I based this deck on them.”

“Well, fine,” said Sean. “I end my turn. But while I wasn’t able to summon the LV 8 form, the LV 6 form is no slouch either. In case you don’t know, it’s completely immune to Spell Cards.”

“I’m aware of that,” said Trisha, drawing. “But… It can’t stop me from playing them!

“Anyway, I’m not allowed to Normal Summon a Monster when Boss Rush is on the field, so I’m going to pass this turn. Go ahead.”

Now why didn’t she switch it to Defense Mode? thought Sean. And what does this Boss Rush do? If it keeps her from summoning, it must be powerful…

He drew a card.

“I summon Solar Flare Dragon in Attack Mode,” he said.

A pool of lava appeared at his feet, and with a hissing noise, a creature resembling a flaming serpent rose out of it. It flicked its forked tongue like a snake. (1,500/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/AST-032.jpg

“Horus, attack that spaceship!” he shouted.

Horus shot flames at the Tetran again… The steel shell on it glowed cherry red…

B.E.S. Tetran started to shiver… Explosions started to erupt over its hull…

And then it burst into pixels.

“Like I said,” said Trisha, “if it battles without a shield, it’s destroyed… But like I also said, its own effect destroyed it, not the actual battle.”

“Maybe so…” said Sean, closing his eyes. “But my Battle Phase isn’t over…

“Solar Flare Dragon, attack directly!”

Solar Flare Dragon reared up on its coils, and breathed a stream of white hot flame from its mouth! Trisha screamed as it hit her!

“All right,” said Sean. “I end my turn…”

“Not before Boss Rush activates!” interrupted Trisha, taking her deck. “See, on the round when one Bacterion is destroyed, This Spell Card lets me Special Summon another one from my deck.

“And I think B.E.S. Crystal Core will be the right one in this case…”

She threw a card on her Disk, and another vortex opened. A new spaceship flew out of it. This one was made completely of a clear, crystalline substance, almost like glass. It had two tentacles, and strange lights flickering within the crystal. (2,100/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en021.jpg

“Now, normally, when a Bacterion is Special Summoned, it doesn’t get shields,” explained Trisha. “But my Shield Generator Spell Card creates them.”

The Shield Generator card glowed. Three energy shields surrounded the new spaceship.

“Fine,” said Sean. “You no doubt know what happens now… Solar Flare Dragon’s effect kicks in.”

Smoke poured from Solar Flare Dragon’s mouth. It lunged forward and spit a ball of flame at Trisha, and she staggered back.

[B](T: 4,150) (S: 5,850)

“All right…” said Trisha, drawing a card. “Time to take Horus down…”

“Your new ship isn’t strong enough either!” said Sean.

“But it has a special ability,” said Trisha. “Once per turn, it can switch one of your Monsters from Attack Mode to Defense Mode, and it doesn’t cost me a thing. And while your LV 6 Dragon has a pretty good Attack, its Defense isn’t so hot.”

B.E.S. Crystal Core pointed its arms and a wave of rippling energy flowed forward. Horus folded its wings and crouched in Defense.

“B.E.S. Crystal Core,” ordered Trisha, “attack with plasma cannons!”

The spaceship aimed its two tendrils and shot blasts of pulsating blue energy from its arms, and Horus was blown into vapor!

“HORUS!” shouted Sean.

I always wondered who’d win a fight between a spaceship and a dragon, thought Sersei. Well, now I know…

The spaceship’s first shield vanished.

“Your move…” said Trisha.

“Fine,” said Sean, drawing a card. “I’ll shift Solar Flare Dragon into Defense Mode…”

The Pyro curled up.

“And he doesn’t have to attack to hurt you. I end my turn…”

The Dragon spit another ball of flame at Trisha, and she staggered back again.

[B](T: 3,650) (S: 5,850)

Trisha drew a card.

Continued…

Dark Sage

1st June 2006, 07:26 AM

Continued from last post:

“Now’s the time to get serious,” she said. “I’m going to Equip my Crystal Core with this, Big Bang Shot!”

She played a card, and Crystal Core’s Attack went up to 2,500.

“It not only gives my craft 400 more Attack Points, but gives it a trampling effect on top of it.”

“True…” said Sean, nervously. “But if I destroy that Equip, your spaceship will be sucked into a black hole.”

“That’s one risk I’m willing to take,” said Trisha. “Crystal Core, attack Solar Flare Dragon!”

B.E.S. Crystal Core shot an even more intense plasma cannon blast, and Solar Flare Dragon was blown to shards. Sean cringed.

[B](T: 3,650) (S: 4,350)

The second shield vanished.

Sean growled, and drew a card.

“Charcoal Inpachi in Defense Mode!” he shouted.

He played a card, and a huge statue made of burnt wood appeared, crouching in defense. Smoke rose from it, and the smell of mesquite filled the arena. (100/2,100)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SOD-EN001.jpg

“Not bad…” muttered Trisha, drawing a card.

She looked at the odd Monster she had drawn.

Might be useful later, she thought.

“Crystal Core, take it down!” she shouted.

Crystal Core opened fire, and Charcoal Inpachi was blown to pieces.

[B](T: 3,650) (S: 3,950)

The third shield vanished.

“Your move,” said Trisha.

Nuts! thought Sean, drawing a card. The biggest problem with using a deck that uses Horus is, you don’t put many Traps in it other than three copies of Royal Decree…

And unfortunately, with Horus taken out, my options are slipping fast…

If that… B.E.S. Crystal Core attacks again, it will be destroyed…

But what will she summon after it?

At least her Boss Rush means she can’t Normal Summon a second Monster, so I’m safe from direct attacks… But if she manages to Special Summon one without Boss Rush…

“I summon Flame Ruler in Defense Mode,” he said.

A fiery man with a beard and a red jacket appeared, shielding himself. (1,500/1,600)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/FET-EN031.jpg

“That will do for now,” he said.

“Okay…” said Trisha. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Sean… Ever since you beat me with that 3,000-point direct attack from Horus…”

She drew a card.

“B.E.S. Crystal Core, destroy Flame Ruler!”

Crystal Core opened fire, and Flame Ruler was eradicated.

“Well, it battled without a shield…” said Sean.

“I know…” said Trisha, with a grin.

B.E.S. Crystal Core started to glow and shake, and like B.E.S. Tetran before it, explosions started to rock its hull.

It shattered.

“And that means that Boss Rush activates,” continued Trisha, “and this time I’ll summon my battleship… meet the very first boss of the Gradius video game… Big Core!”

A dark vortex opened, and an ominous spaceship flew out, far more sinister-looking than the previous two. It gave off an evil hum, and lights flickered on and off its hulking hull. Numerous cannons and other nasty weapons were all over it on various strategic locations. (2,300/1,100)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN030.jpg

The Shield Generator card glowed, and three shields appeared around Big Core.

“And I forgot to mention…” said Trisha. “If I Special Summon a Monster using Boss Rush and it’s my turn, Shield Generator has another effect – it lets the summoned Monster attack during the End Phase that I summon it!”

“What?” gasped Sean. “How can you attack outside of the Battle Phase?”

“Read the card,” said Trisha. “Like I said… these Monsters are not like any other Monsters.”

This is gonna sting… thought Sean, looking at the huge craft.

“Big Core…” shouted Trisha. “Dark matter blast!”

Big Core’s guns fired multiple blasts of dark energy, and Sean screamed as he was propelled backwards.

“Ooh…” he moaned.

[B](T: 3,650) (S: 850)

Sean pulled himself up.

He slowly drew a card.

“I play… Apollo’s Blessing…” he muttered.

“Huh?” asked Trisha. “What’s that?”

Sean played the card, and in a burst of fire, a flaming chariot appeared, drawn by fiery horses! A man in golden armor with a shining helm was at the reigns.

Apollo? thought Trisha. The God of the Sun?

“Here’s how it works,” said Sean, taking his deck. “By simply removing one Fire Monster in my deck from play…”

He held up his Horus LV 8 card.

“…I get to reshuffle…”

He shuffled his deck.

“…and draw three times!”

He drew three cards.

“Giving up on Horus?” asked Trisha.

“I might as well,” said Sean. “And I just drew a card that will put me right back into this duel – the Spell Card, Flames of Renewal!”

He played the card, and a bonfire erupted around him!

“Now, I can remove any Fire Monsters in my Graveyard that I desire from play, and for each, I regain 500 Life Points!”

Images of Familiar-Possessed Hiita, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6, Inferno, Solar Flare Dragon, Charcoal Inpachi, and Flame Ruler appeared, and they merged into the fire. It burned fiercely, and Sean raised his arms.

“AH!” he finally said. “Better than a suntan!”

[B](T: 3,650) (S: 3,850)

“Next,” he said, “I’ll place this Monster in Defense Mode, and that will end my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

All right… thought Trisha. He’s up to something…

“Big Core, attack!”

Big Core fired its dark matter blast…

A creature appeared that looked like a… turtle. Well, one that looked like it had a metal machine for a shell. It was blown to pieces.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SD3-EN004.jpg

“Heh, heh…” said Sean. “You like spaceships so much, I thought I’d use one… That was UFO Turtle! And when it’s destroyed, I get to Special Summon a Fire Monster with 1,500 Attack Points or less from my deck…”

He placed a card down.

“And I choose my second Solar Flare Dragon!”

Another Solar Flare Dragon, much like the first one, appeared. (1,500/1,000)

“All… right…” said Trisha. “I… end my turn…”

Sean drew.

“And it’s time to take control of this duel,” he said.

“First I’ll place this facedown…”

He placed a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Next, I’ll summon a second Solar Flare Dragon!”

A twin of the first Dragon appeared.

“See Trish,” he said, “I’m not a one-trick pony. Defeat one strategy, and I can find a second.

“You see, if a Pyro-Type Monster is on my side of the field, Solar Flare Dragon can’t be attacked. And guess what? Solar Flare Dragon itself is a Pyro-Type!”

Trisha’s eyes opened wide.

It’s a lock… she thought. Just like Russell’s Marauding Captain combo… only worse. Those things will each cost me 500 Life Points per turn!

“My turn ends now,” said Sean.

The two Dragons shot balls of flame at Trisha and she vainly tried to shield herself.

[B](T: 2,650) (S: 3,850)

Heh, heh… thought Sersei. Let’s see you get out of this one, Trish…

Trisha drew a card.

“I play my Graceful Charity!” she exclaimed.

She played the card, and drew three cards.

She grinned.

She discarded a Gradius Option and a Monster called Victory Viper XX03.

“I play… Heavy Storm!” she shouted.

As she played the card, the fierce wind ripped across the field. Sean’s Royal Decree lifted up and shattered, and then Boss Rush and Shield Generator shattered to pieces.

“Now why did you do that?” asked Sean. “You destroyed two of your cards to destroy one of mine!”

“My intent was to destroy Boss Rush,” said Trisha. “Now I’m free to Normal Summon Monsters again.

“Say, Sean, you ever see the classic Star Wars movies?”

“Uh, yeah…” said Sean.

“Maybe you’ll remember one chilling scene from the first movie in the original trilogy,” answered Trisha, choosing a card, “when Darth Vader used an intimidating robot called the Pain Droid to interrogate the captive Leia…”

She placed a card on her Disk.

“I summon Stabilizer in Attack Mode.”

A strange Machine appeared.

It did look somewhat like the infamous Pain Droid; spherical in shape, made of black metal, with four spindly arms spaced evenly around it. It floated silently above the floor. (1,400/1,400)

“Oh, please,” said Sean. “I don’t care what it looks like. Even if that thing could attack right now, it’s weaker than my two Dragons!”

“Well, I also have this Spell Card,” said Trisha. “Maybe you’ve heard of it… It’s called Wormhole.”

“WHAT?” shouted Sean. “Are you nuts?”

He paused.

“That card will wipe out every Monster on the field, yours included! And you aren’t allowed to summon anything after you use it! You’ll be defenseless!”

“Well…” said Trisha, “I’m playing it anyway, discarding this Gradius to do so.”

She played the card and discarded Gradius…

A powerful rumbling sounded over the field, and what looked like a black hole drawing in space dust and energy opened! Sean could almost feel it pulling at him, as his two Monsters were drawn through it. Trisha’s Big Core fell apart, and the pieces flew through it as well.

“Well,” muttered Sean, as the cosmic storm quelled. “I hope it was worth… hey…”

He stared in disbelief…

The Stabilizer had survived.

“HOW?” he shouted.

“Ever hear of Monsters like King Dragun and Freed the Matchless General who are immune to Spells that target?” asked Trisha. “Stabilizer is the opposite – it’s immune to Spells that DON’T target, which Wormhole definitely doesn’t, which is why I summoned it first.”

“Ho… boy…” muttered Sean.

“Attack directly!” shouted Trisha.

Stabilizer raised its arms and blasted energy beams, striking Sean! He stumbled backwards.

[B](T: 2,650) (S: 2,450)

“Your move…” said Trisha.

Sean drew a card.

“I summon Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective!” he shouted, playing a card.

A weird creature appeared, resembling a lumpy, orange sphere with a single eye in the center. Flames surrounded it. Its skin rippled and swelled constantly, like it was about to come apart at the seams. Literally. (2,000/0)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN028.jpg

“Not the brightest idea!” laughed Trisha. “Sure, it will beat my Monster, but its life span is very short… As in, only until the end of your current turn.”

“You let me worry about that,” said Sean. “Gaia, reduce Stabilizer to slag!”

Gaia Soul glowed red, and a stream of flames shot from its central eye, melting Stabilizer into molten metal.

[B](T: 2,050) (S: 2,450)

“Now, I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

“And that means Gaia goes boom,” added Trisha.

Gaia Soul exploded into flaming pixels.

Trisha drew a card.

Monster Reborn.

She thought for a minute.

If I brought back Big Core with this, a direct attack would bring him down to only fifty Life Points…

However…

I have no other Monsters in my hand that I can summon, and without Shield Generator, Big Core would be destroyed right after I made the attack… and without Boss Rush, there’d be no way to get a replacement…

Then I really would be defenseless, and he may well hit me with something on his turn.

And there’s still his facedown card…

This is an exam… It isn’t good to take risks…

“I play Monster Reborn,” she said, “to bring back the gal who started it all… Robotic Angel in Defense Mode.”

Robotic Angel appeared, crossing her arms over her chest again. (0/2,000)

“Go ahead, Sean…”

Sean drew.

“I activate Call of the Haunted,” he said, “to bring back an old friend…”

His facedown card lifted, and Solar Flare Dragon. (1,500/1,000)

“I end my turn,” he said. “You know how this works…”

“Not again…” muttered Trisha.

She gasped as the Dragon roasted her with its flame.

[B](T: 1,550) (S: 2,450)

Well, she thought. This best be a good draw.

She drew.

She looked at the Spell Card.

“I play… Brain Control!” she said, playing a card. “I’ll pay 800 Life Points to brainwash your Dragon!”

The fiendish brain appeared, and grabbed Solar Flare Dragon.

“Go ahead!” laughed Sean. “I’ll still have Life Points left, and once it wears off, it will finish you off faster!”

“Oh, will it?” asked Trisha.

She placed a card on her Disk.

“I sacrifice my Robotic Angel and your Solar Flare Dragon…”

The two Monsters vanished.

“…to summon the mothership of the Bacterion fleet! The B.E.S. Covered Core!”

Once again, a portal appeared. The largest spaceship of all flew out of it. Saucer-shaped and bulky, it had armor, turrets, and weapons of all varieties built into its immense hull. It flashed with a multitude of lights, and hummed with ominous music. (2,500/800)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi_en013.jpg

Sean gulped.

“Attack!” shouted Trisha. “Supernova flame fire!”

B.E.S. Covered Core glowed with uncanny light… It erupted into flame…

And then a blast of burning fire shot at Sean, and he howled!

[B](T: 750) (S: 0)

“Game… over…” said Trisha.

Sean lay on the ground, with smoke rising from his body.

Well, that’s it until next month, she thought, and the Gradius Deck seems able to hold its own…

She looked at her new Disk.

I can’t believe how easier this thing made it! So lightweight, never off-balanced… It was almost as if it was a part of my body…

She looked over at Sersei, who seemed to be thinking very hard.

Impressed, old friend? she thought. Maybe I’ll bring it out the next time you want to mess with me.

Say… I wonder how Jason and Russell are doing?

Friday, September 24th, 2106, 11:10 AM

SHIELD GENERATOR (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Continuous
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A futuristic generator, glowing with purple energy.

Card Description: When a Monster with the word “B.E.S.” in its name, or that is named “Big Core” is Special Summoned to your side of the field, place as many counters on it as you would as if it had been Normal Summoned. If such a Monster is summoned through the effect of “Boss Rush” and it is your turn, it is allowed to attack during the End Phase of that turn.

Note: “Shield Generator” was created by Starjake for his fic “Yu-Gi-Oh! Virtual Disaster”. All creative credit goes to him.

ROBOTIC ANGEL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 0
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: In ages past, this machine fell from the sky on a primitive world. Although she has no power of her own, those who see her revere her as a goddess. This Monster cannot be destroyed as a result of battle if you have at least one other Monster face-up on your side of the field (damage calculation still applies).

Note: This card was created by Master of Paradox for winning the first contest. Creative credit goes to him.

STABILIZER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 1,400

Card Description: This droid was designed for handling dangerous materials. This Monster is not affected by Spell Cards that do not target a specific Monster.

Note: This card was designed by Starjake for winning the first contest. Creative credit goes to him.

WORMHOLE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Big Core flying out of a spiraling vortex.

Card Description: Discard one MACHINE-Type Monster from your hand. Destroy all Monsters on the field. After using this card, you cannot Normal Summon, set, or Special Summon a Monster until your next turn.

APOLLO’S BLESSING (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Apollo in his flaming chariot, flying through the sky.

Card Description: Remove one Fire Attribute Monster in your deck from play and shuffle your deck. Then, draw three cards from your deck.

Note: “Apollo’s Blessing” was created by Starjake for “Yu-Gi-Oh! Virtual Disaster”. Creative credit goes to him.

FLAMES OF RENEWAL (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys flying out of a burning pyre.

Card Description: Remove any number of Fire-Attribute Monsters in your Graveyard from play. For each Monster removed, increase your Life Points by 500.

Note: “Flames of Renewal” first appeared in “The Mandate of Heaven”.

Sean’s Fire Deck

Fire is a powerful force. Tamed, it provides light and heat, makes food edible, and shapes metal into useful tools. But if control of it is lost, it becomes a merciless monster that destroys everything in its path.

Duelists know the power of fire well. After all, one of the Sacred Beasts was a Fire Monster. And some, like Sean, seek to tame it to make their foes cringe under burning heat.

A lot of the Monsters in Sean’s deck are low on Attack and useful in effect. He has three copies of Solar Flare Dragon, which isn’t much of a threat by itself, but can slowly drain an opponent’s Life Points if another Pyro is on the field – especially if said Pyro is another Solar Flare Dragon. The “Solar Flare Lock” is best done by setting UFO Turtle while he has one Dragon in his hand.

Recent additions to his deck include Tenkabito Shien, a Pyro who is impervious to Traps, and Familiar-Possessed Hiita. Sean does not have the original version of Hiita, so he can’t make use of this Spellcaster’s effect, but 1,850 Attack Points is much better than most four-star Fire Monsters.

Horus is his greatest weapon. Curiously, he does not have the LV 4 version – it’s much easier to bring out the LV 6 version, take out an opposing Monster, and use its effect to summon the LV 8 version. Inferno is the best way to do this, letting him do the whole thing in one round. (He has no copy of Level Up! or Level Modulation because this isn’t truly a Horus Deck.)

Sean’s deck does have some noted weaknesses. Although it isn’t truly a Horus Deck, he takes a few precautions that only someone with a Horus Deck would. He thus has three copies of Royal Decree, and few other Traps – Backfire, Dust Tornado, Call of the Haunted, and that’s it. Granted, Royal Decree is usually enough to protect Horus, but there are a few Monsters that can defeat it even when Royal Decree is out.

If Sean ever obtains a second copy of Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 (possible, although it is a rare card) he might consider building a real Horus Deck. Strategies like Trisha’s are few and far between, so this defeat won’t likely discourage him from using it.

Trisha’s Gradius Deck

Even in the year 2106, no human space program has ever gone farther than Mars, or achieved contact with extraterrestrial life – it seems that such things lie in the far distant future.

As someone belonging to a family so fond of technological wonders, Trisha dreams of the day when mankind will break the bonds of Earth, and wander among the stars, free to explore the cosmos where only the gods have dared to tread…

It was these dreams that inspired her to build a deck centered around a different kind of Machine. Bacterion Monsters are hard to use right, but with the right accessories, they can be formidable. Trisha naturally has three copies each of the accessory cards Boss Rush and Shield Generator – this assures she only has to summon a Bacterion once, and when one of them is destroyed, another one quickly takes it place, possibly letting her get in an extra attack at the end of her turn. The limitation on Boss Rush often means that she can only have one Monster on the field at once, unless she uses Monster Reborn, or something similar. (And Shield Generator works if she Special Summons one of them via any means, not just via Boss Rush.) Thus, she uses ways to trample through Monsters, such as Big Bang Shot – a risky Equip, but necessary.

Other Monsters in her deck fit the general theme of the Gradius video game. Gradius and Gradius Option fill in the gaps, and she also has two copies of Victory Viper XX03 – not exactly the strongest Monster, but one that can become very powerful if it does manage to win a fight. Robotic Angel and Stabilizer are thrown in to fit the extraterrestrial theme, and she sometimes uses them in her normal deck as well, as the mood fits her.

Still, this deck is a difficult one that Trisha does not recommend to beginners. Besides, her real deck is the one she has the most faith in, so this second one does not see a lot of use.

[B][I]Coming up next:

Trisha has passed with flying colors… How did her two friends do while she was dueling?

Jason takes his own field test, against a student with a very strange deck theme, something that a member of the Trinity would have approved of. Not a user character, but someone I made up who’s sure to grab some attention.

It’s called “Heart of the Underdog” coming up next.

And no, this duelist does not use a Human Wave Deck.

jkBAKURA

1st June 2006, 08:56 AM

You know, it just occured to me that the VtoZ monsters would have also worked, but who am I to complain, I love Gradius decks.

I hope this deck is used again, because it looks like only the tip of the iceburg. I wonder if you have any plans to use any of Viper's cards.

The fire deck was also unlike anything you've ever portrayed before, and you even managed to hold back Horus. Flames of Renewal caused me to groan slightly, but I guess some things never change. Ironic use of the Solor Flare as well, as that monster also appeared in Gradius.

We also got a look at Cassius's deck, Red-Eyes. With the fact that Russel has both Gearfried the Swordsmaster and Hermos, I just know history will be repeating itself later.

Mostly a filler, and a chanc e to use both a second deck and a user character, but that doesn't mean it was bad. I'll keep reading as always.

starjake

1st June 2006, 09:09 AM

A chance to see another user character indeed...and I, for one, am curious to find out who that user character is, for I did not submit one to this story. I did, apparently, submit a lot of cards; I'm not sure I've seen so many cards created by me in one chapter...*feels proud*

Anyways, not a bad duel at all, Sage. Almost like what would have happened had Jake dueled General Grievous in my fic instead of Bryan (although Horus has yet to appear in my story). Though i could definitely tell that you used plenty of the duels between you and myself to write this one...I've made several of those moves with my own personal deck many times, especially when it comes to summoning Horus.

Nice filler duel, and nice way to use a Gradius deck (this is the third time in the past few months that one has appeared on these boards...are they gaining popularity all of a sudden or something?)

Until next we meet, this is StarJake, signing off.

Shuppet Master

1st June 2006, 10:36 AM

This was a really nifty duel, Brian. I have a love of fire decks(since I have Raging Flame Sprite), and I had B.E.S Tetran once, but traded it away for Princess Pikeru(I tried to get into the sneak preview, but couldn't wait long enough). I like how the heroes got new disks and their origins. I wonder what duel spirit sent them. :)

Keep up the good work.

Dark Sage

1st June 2006, 12:11 PM

You think that the Monster Cassius was using was a Red Eyes, JK?

Hmmm....

I'll say no comment for now, but let's just say that's a theory I will neither confirm nor deny.

Pokemasterkatie

1st June 2006, 01:44 PM

Not a regular Red-Eyes...I'm thinking the Darkness Dragon.;)

And Gradius is a great second theme! I wonder how they got permission to make the cards..?

Dark Sage

1st June 2006, 02:08 PM

Katie,

In real life, the company that made Gradius is the same company that makes the card game, so they didn't need permission.

Blademaster

1st June 2006, 02:11 PM

Cool chapter - Tenkabito Shien is a nifty new Monster; probably a staple in any Fire Deck, or at least of some use... a Gradius Deck is her spare deck, huh? I've always wondered what they looked like... I've only seen them on that Boss Rush! card... Wait a second... BOSS Rush?

...

Oh, so THAT'S where the name came from! I've always wondered about that... Now all I need to find out is what 'Tenkabito Shien' translates into, and I'll be set. :p

Incidentally, Perfect Chaos, why are all your user characters named Sean Kishore? Must be a popular family name... :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'm pretty clueless as to what's gonna happen next time, so I won't try to guess...

Until the next chapter's up, peace out!

-Blade

P.S. I think Cassius' Monster was NOT Red-Eyes - I have a theory, but I don't wanna spoil anything if I'm right (Which I think I am, for once.).

Perfect Chaos

1st June 2006, 05:04 PM

First off, many thanks are in order for Dark Sage for allowing my character to have the awesome battle that he had with Trisha. I hope I might be able to see him again later on in the fic, but its a wait and see thing for now.

Second of all, I chose to use a Fire/Pyro deck because I knew that DS was forbidding people to use Fiend decks for the user characters. Since that option was thrown out for me, I decided to go with a Fire deck (which in real life, is my second favorite deck-type after Fiends). Once my two Fiend decks (Necrofear and Dark World) are completed, I hope to create myself a Horus deck in the near future.

Third, Blademaster. True that I use the same character for every YGO fanfic that has premiered, but its mainly for the sake of simplicity. I like the outline of my character, so I tend to stick with it as my regular user character and I have not grown tired of seeing him appear in fanfics (sorry if you others do). So enough said.

I look forward to seeing the outcome of Jason and Russell's duel tests. Until then

-Sean

Dark Sage

1st June 2006, 05:12 PM

It's time to reveal the answers to my contest:

1. Dark (Red Eyes B. Dragon, Red Eyes B. Chick, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon), Wind (Troop Dragon, Attachment Dragon, Spear Dragon), and Light (Mirage Dragon).

2. 1,200, the same as its base ATK, visible only if you look closely at the card when she uses it.

3. “Amazoness Archers”. When she used it, it lowered the ATK of Jaden’s Monsters by 600. The real version does so by 500.

4. “Pot of Greed”

5. “Hercules Beetle”, and “Embodiment of Apophis” (This is the question I included so that certain people couldn’t just look up all the answers on Janime. Doing so to answer this one is impossible.)

6. “Des Counterblow” (He didn’t reveal what it was in the English version, but he did in the original Japanese. I’d also like to note that putting this card in his deck was a rather dumb move, seeing as the effect of his Picador Fiend the ability to attack directly when “Dark Arena” was active.)

7. Banner never said what their names were in the English dub. However, by using the English names of his first three monsters and a bit of Romanization from the Japanese episodes (in which their Japanese names were revealed), we can come up with the following English names: Alchemy Beast - Aitos the Tin, Alchemy Beast - Echeneis the Mercury, Alchemy Beast - Moonface the Silver (I would have also accepted the original names.)

8. “Statue of the Wicked”, “Penalty Game!” and “Mispolymerization” (One of the first of many rules the anime broke concerning the Sacred Beasts in this episode – you must sacrifice Continuous Traps to summon Uria, and none of those fit the bill.)

Bonus: “Emes the Infinity”. In my opinion, Crowler keeps this guy in his deck as a sort of “mascot”, because Crowler is a guy who considers himself the upper crust, and Emes is a very aristocratic-looking Monster.

Thanks to all who entered!

Zcade0

1st June 2006, 05:42 PM

horay! I got the bonus question right after all! That just goes to show you what a good Tivo can do :)

Master of Paradox

1st June 2006, 07:27 PM

Personally, I think Titan had Des Counterblow as an answer to Cyber Tutu. (And I had to beg the answer to Question Five out of my apprentice...)

Well, I didn't win this one, but I feel no pain - even without randomization, I would've been second place after jkBAKURA if memory serves me right.

On Sean Kishore: Sometimes it's just more fun to use the same character in different places. I do a variant on it myself - my user character in my apprentice's GX story is Iago Lark.

envoy of time

2nd June 2006, 01:49 AM

Awsome chapter.I'm liking the idea of a gradius deck more and more.Sigh I didn't win this contest either, though I gave it my all.

"May time be on your side."

Shuppet Master

2nd June 2006, 02:32 PM

Oh, so the Larks you use in your story and the one in Dark Sage's story are different, but the same user character. Interesting.

I prefer different user characters. Cyrus and that other girl(I forgot her name) are different because they represent the cards I like. Guardian Elma is more of a mascot card for me, because Butterfly Dagger was banned in RL and I can't play Traditional(and my cards would get creamed by the cookie-chutter Chaos there), but I like Pikeru and Curran too.

Mookie

2nd June 2006, 03:21 PM

All of my user characters are somewhat like me - unactive, lazy, sometimes act like a-holes.

But I have some user character ideas, that are completley different.
I have enough ideas to make atleast a part of cast for a new fic, which I'd write, if I would have time. Or writing skills. Or I wouldnt be lazy.

Oh well.

Master of Paradox

2nd June 2006, 06:12 PM

Oh, so the Larks you use in your story and the one in Dark Sage's story are different, but the same user character. Interesting.

Not the same - same family. The Demetrius in "Tilting the Balance" and the Iago in my apprentice YamiUmiRyu's "Yu-Gi-Oh GX: Second Story" on FF.net [/shameless plug] are the same people as the ancestors Malvolio referred to in his chapter. I like intertwining things that way.

Inferno_Dragon

2nd June 2006, 07:31 PM

Good chapter!!

Trisha's other Machine Deck was really surprising. Although I didn't know what the monster Gradius was based off the old NES Game. Sean's Deck was pretty interesting, nothing really special to me.

As for Cassie's monster, I don't think it is a Red Eyes Black Dragon or Red Eyes Darkness Dragon. I don't what it is but I am interested to find out.

I am also waiting to see Jason and Russel's Exam Test. Especially the next chapter, because it looks interesting.

Keep up the good work!

Dark Sage

4th June 2006, 02:24 PM

Time for a new chapter.

This is a bit of a filler, but it also has a bit of a background. The duelist who appears isn't a user character, but I hope she leaves an impression.

- DS

[color=pink][B]Most duelists – including me – use Monsters that are big, scary, and intimidating. The theory is, the more frightening a Monster is, the stronger it is. And frightening doesn’t always mean ugly – Guardian Angel Joan is a beautiful gal, and she’s very intimidating. Yugi’s Dark Magician doesn’t truly have an aura of menace, but that Monster could scare a duelist simply with his reputation. Intimidation is a big part of winning…

But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, what seems harmless and even cute can be deadly.

I read once that Jaden Yuki once dueled a kid who used a Fairy called Maiden in Love. She looked about as dangerous as lemon custard, but Jaden soon learned that she was VERY dangerous. Any Monster who tried to oppose her fell under a love spell, and was turned against him. Fortunately, Jaden figured out her weakness. His Burstinatrix – a female Monster – was able to snap his other Heroes out of it.

Anyway, I’m facing another duelist who’s Monsters don’t look exactly scary…

…but I have a feeling that they aren’t exactly as harmless as lemon custard either.

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-032.jpg[/center]

[I]Friday, September 24th, 2106, 10:15 AM

Got to hurry, thought Jason. Dr. Andros really hates it when a student is late…

He was thinking of what he was going to expect in the field test…

Of all the students he had gone up against since entering the school, Sally Belvins was one he had never actually dueled. However, he had seen her duel a couple of times, and he knew the gist of her deck…

It was a Ritual Deck, using three specific Ritual Monsters – the Cyber Angels.

These three girls were likely the most combative Fairies he had ever seen (he swore the strongest one looked more like a Fiend than any Fairy). And using them in the same deck was easier than you’d think, since all three of them were summoned using the same Ritual Spell Card.

He ran up the knoll of the green, where he saw his opponent talking to Dr. Andros.

Sally was so small for her age, she was almost petite. Her blonde hair was tied in a long ponytail, and her blazer was covered with decals, depicting cute flowers and cartoonish animals.

“…and then he stuffed thirty-two grapes in his mouth,” she said, “but then he tripped and swallowed, and then vomited all over the kid next to him, and then the rest of the class did too, and that’s when Jared’s teacher decided to retire… Which is kind of strange, because she’s only twenty-four.”

“You don’t say,” said Dr. Andros. “How many teachers did he go through last year?”

“Four, if you count the music teacher,” she said. “He quit after he let Jared play the drums…”

“I’m here!” shouted Jason. “Am I late?”

Dr. Andros looked at his watch.

“Actually, you’re early,” he said with a sigh, “but still…”

Jason smirked. Stories about Sally’s kid brother were always bizarre.

“Hi Jason!” she said, sweetly. “This is gonna be good…”

“Please, Sally,” he answered. “I’m not afraid of those Cyber Angels…”

“Not using them,” said Sally, holding up her deck. “Made a new deck, and you’re the first real opponent who’s gonna go up against it. I totally owned Mai with it!”

“Mai… Valentine?” asked Jason. “In the VR pods?”

“Uh huh,” she said, nodding.

Wonderful… thought Jason. She has a deck who beat someone I can’t beat!

“Yes, but this is a real person,” said Dr. Andros. “Artificial intelligence can’t compare with the real thing, Sally. If you want to use a trial deck for this test, that’s your decision, but it isn’t one that I’d make…”

“No, I can do it…” said Sally.

They swapped decks, and they shuffled.

Jason didn’t see that he had attracted someone’s attention.

A woman sat on a picnic table about thirty feet away, with a bottle of bottled water in her hand…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Jason’s Disk activated.

“As Jaden Yuki once said,” he started, “get your game on!”

He looked at the strange new Disk as it activated, and noticed a difference when the tray extended – much smoother, the weight distribution was even – this device was almost perfect.

Whoever had built it had taken aesthetic in mind too. The tray was curved like a crescent moon, facing inwards, and the main console was shaped so that it appeared as though the deck was held by two white claws.

He shrugged. He just wished he could understand the runes…

They drew five cards.

[B](Jason: 8,000) (Sally: 8,000)

“Eh,” said Jason. “You can go first…”

“Okay!” laughed Sally. “Here we GO!”

She drew a sixth card.

“I play Pot of Greed!” she shouted.

The jar appeared in front of her, and she drew twice. It shattered.

“Perfect!” she laughed. “I summon… Watapon!”

She placed a card on her Disk, and a little creature that looked like a ball of pink fluff with eyes and antennae appeared. It grinned with its funny smile. (200/300)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MOV-EN003.jpg

“Watapon?” said Jason, in disbelief.

“That’s right,” said Sally, “and since I drew it using a card effect, summoning it is a Special Summon, meaning I can sacrifice it right now…”

Watapon vanished.

“…to summon Dark Witch!”

A dark shadow fell on her side of the field, and a figure appeared. It was a raven-haired woman with small horns, in a toga with black feathered wings, carrying a spear. She gave a stern look as she lifted her weapon. (1,800/1,700)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SRL-EN019.jpg

“What on earth?” said Jason, almost laughing. “You’re kidding, right? Sally, that is the most pathetic Monster I have ever seen…”

“I totally agree with you,” said Sally. “For a Tribute Monster, she is rather pathetic.”

Dark Witch’s head drooped…

“But I don’t intend to keep her around for long…” added Sally.

She took another card from her hand.

“See, I needed a five-star Monster on the field, and now that I do, I can play this… Five Star Twilight!”

Dark Witch gave a slight smile…

“Five Star what?” asked Jason.

Sally played the card.

“This Spell Card lets me sacrifice a five-star Monster…” she said.

Dark Witch burst into an explosion of multicolored stars!

“…and summon five little guys from deck!”

The stars cascaded down in a colorful lightshow…

Five colored lights shot out of her Disk, and flew around the field!

After a few seconds, there were five small Monsters in front of her. One was instantly recognizable – it was a Kuriboh. The other four looked like Kuribohs too, but they had different colored fur – pink, green, white, and purple.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PCY-005.jpg

“Kuri! Kuri!” they squeaked.

(300/200 x5)

“Uh, yeah…” said Jason. “That’s… uhm… certainly interesting…”

He almost laughed…

“Meet Kuriboh, Kuribah, Kuribeh, Kuribih, and Kuribuh!” laughed Sally.

A parade of puffballs… thought Jason, snickering.

“I’ll end by playing this other Spell Card,” said Sally. “The Dark Door…”

The card appeared, showing an ominous door with a dark figure in it.

“And so long as this door is open, both of us can only attack with one Monster per round.”

“Well, we’ll see about that…” said Jason.

“Kuri! Kuri!” squeaked the Kuribohs.

I get it… thought Jason, drawing a card. Her strategy is to drive me nuts…

He looked at the card.

“Well…” he said. “I’m going to bring out my big guns…

“I summon Cyber Dragon!”

He played the card, and the giant metal serpent burst out of the ground, and roared! (2,100/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en015.jpg

“And I’m hardly done…” said Jason. “Since summoning him was a Special Summon, I’ll summon this guy… Cyber Dragon Mechanic, in Attack Mode!”

He played a card, and a smaller figure appeared. It was a short man with blonde hair, wearing opaque goggles, an open jacket, and a silvery shirt and pants. He wore a tool belt full of wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, and a welding torch. His right arm was mechanical. He looked up at the huge Machine and grinned. (1,000/1,500)

“Huh?” said Sally. “What does he do?”

“You’ll find out if I need to use him,” answered Jason. “Now then…”

He looked at the five little Fiends.

“Sally, you might think you fool me, but I’m pretty sure your candy-colored Kuribohs aren’t as harmless as they appear. They likely have some nasty effects hidden in them…”

He paused.

“However…” he said, “one of them is clearly a normal Kuriboh, and he has no effect if you summon it to the field, which you’ve clearly done!

“So…

“Cyber Dragon, attack the regular Kuriboh with strident blast!”

Flames appeared in Cyber Dragon’s mouth…

“Kuribih!” shouted Sally. “Five-star defense!”

The pink Kuriboh glowed…

As the blast of fire shot forward, a wall of sparkling stars shot up, and the attack was deflected!

“Huh?” said Jason.

“Heh,” said Sally.

“Once per turn, Kuribih can negate an attack on itself or any of its siblings. You can’t touch them!”

That’s why she used The Dark Door, thought Jason. So long I can only attack once, those little guys are indestructible….

But she can’t expect to defend all duel and hope to win… And she has all five of her zones full of guys with only 300 Attack Points…

Something’s up…

“All right, I can’t do anything else,” said Jason.

Sally drew a card.

“Perfect…” she said. “I play the Spell Card, One Times Two.”

“Now what does that do?” asked Jason.

She played the card, and it showed the image of a Mokey Mokey and a Haniwa separated by a slash.

“Simple,” she answered. “For one round, the Attack and Defense Scores of all one-star Monsters on the field double.”

The five Kuribohs glowed with golden light, and their stats changed to (600/400)

What is she up to? thought Jason. Cyber Dragon is still over three times as strong…

“Next,” she continued, taking a card. “I’m going to activate Kuribuh’s special ability. I have to discard a Trap Card, like Penalty Game! here…”

She discarded a card. The white Kuriboh glowed…

“And then, the Attack Score of one your Monsters, like that Cyber Dragon, is decreased by the combined Attack Scores of all five of the siblings!”

“Wait…” said Jason, startled. “That would reduce it to…”

“Zero! Zip! Zilch! A big goose egg!” laughed Sally.

Cyber Dragon roared, and fell to an Attack of nothing.

“And I’m not done…” she said. “Now I sacrifice all five of my little Kuribohs, to summon one big Kuriboh!”

The five siblings turned into colored lights again, and combined…

And in a flash, a creature appeared that was far less cute. It looked like a Kuriboh in general, with rough black fur, sharper claws, and a nasty, serrated horn on over its eyes.

Its eyes glowed with sinister light.

“WHA?” shouted Jason.

“It’s called Kuribabylon…” said Sally, with a wicked grin. “And in case you were curious about its Attack Score, it has whatever those five smaller ones had when I sacrificed them to summon it, combined! Multiply it…”

(3,000/1,000)

“I hate being good at math…” muttered Jason.

“Mai actually laughed…” said Sally. “Until I did this to her Harpie! Kuribabylon, attack Cyber Dragon!”

Kuribabylon flew forward, and rammed Cyber Dragon with its horn. The huge Machine exploded! Jason shielded himself from the debris.

[B](J: 5,000) (S: 8,000)

“Hold on!” shouted Jason.

He raised his arm, and Cyber Dragon Mechanic crossed his arms. He shattered…

Then Cyber Dragon reappeared! (2,100/1,600)

“When Cyber Dragon or one of its fusions is destroyed,” explained Jason, “I can sacrifice the Mechanic to bring it right back.”

“In that case,” said Sally, “I end my turn.”

Jason drew a card.

Nuts, he thought. I may have made my Cyber Dragon last another turn, but I have nothing that can save it another turn…

Fortunately, she’s as bound by that Dark Door as I am…

“I’ll move Cyber Dragon into Defense Mode…” he said.

Cyber Dragon curled up in Defense.

“And then I’ll summon Vorse Raider in Defense Mode…”

The Dark Beast-Warrior appeared, kneeling and holding his axe in his lap. (1,900/1,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct2_en003.jpg

“And that’s all I can do,” he said.

“All right!” laughed Sally.

She drew a card.

“Kuribabylon, attack Cyber Dragon again!” she shouted.

Kuribabylon flew forward, and Cyber Dragon exploded into pieces of junk.

“Your move…” she said.

Jason looked at his hand.

I don’t have anything that even comes close to beating that thing… he thought. Something will have to come up…

He drew a card.

This might help…

“I play… Magical Mallet,” he said, playing the card. “This lets me shuffle as many cards from my hand into my deck, and draw the same number…

“And I’m going to do that with all four of them!”

He shuffled the cards into his deck, and then drew four.

Magic Cylinder… he thought, looking at the Trap. Lets see how she handles it when her attack is blasted back at her!

“I move Vorse Raider to Attack Mode…” he said.

Vorse Raider stood up.

“And then I summon another Monster in Attack Mode… Slate Warrior!”

A small whirlwind appeared an his side of the field, and a weird creature in a ruffled costume with a completely blank slate for a face appeared. (1,900/400)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/WC4-003.jpg

“And finally, I’ll throw down one facedown…” he said.

He played a card, and it appeared.

“Your move…”

Sally looked at him for a minute.

She drew a card.

“Kuribabylon…” she said, “attack the Vorse Raider!”

Kuribabylon bore its claws.

“Heh…” said Jason with a smirk. “You said attack… Can’t take it back now…”

His Trap Card lifted.

“Activate Magic Cylinder!”

As Kuribabylon flew forward, the two Cylinders appeared in the air…

There was a flash of light and an explosion of stars!

“Huh?” said Jason.

He looked…

[B](J: 5,000) (S: 8,000)

“It didn’t work?” said Jason, in disbelief.

Then he saw what had happened…

His Monsters were still safe…

And as for Kuribabylon, it was gone…

…and the five Kuriboh Siblings had reappeared!

(300/200 x5)

“Aw, nuts…” muttered Jason.

“Kuri! Kuri!” they squeaked.

“What happened?” asked Jason.

Sally grinned.

“Well,” she said, “your Trap negated the attack, which activated Kuribabylon’s special ability, dividing it into the five siblings again. And since Magic Cylinder’s target was no longer there, I escaped without a scratch!”

“And it’s still my turn…” she said, taking two cards. “I’ll place these two cards facedown…”

She played two cards, and two facedown cards appeared.

“And then I’ll remove these five guys from play, to summon someone new… Kuri Bandit!”

The five Kuribohs vanished, and another creature appeared…

This one was even weirder. It was a Kuriboh with grey fur, wearing an earring, a bandana, and an eyepatch. It winked at Jason with its one eye. (1,000/700)

A Kuriboh dressed as a pirate… thought Jason. Just when I think that this game has shown me everything, I find out I was wrong…

But what can this one do?

“I end my turn…” said Sally.

Jason drew a card.

He looked at it.

“I’m activating Kuri Bandit’s ability!” laughed Sally. “I sacrifice it…”

Kuri Bandit vanished.

“And I get to draw five cards, on the condition that I discard any of them that are Monsters…”

She drew five cards, quickly looked over them, and discarded two.

Jason raised an eyebrow…

“Fine…” he said. “Vorse Raider, attack her directly!”

Vorse Raider lifted his axe…

“I activate…” exclaimed Sally. “Kuriboh Calling Flute!”

One of her facedown cards lifted.

“And I’ll use it to summon Winged Kuriboh to the field!”

The tiny, furry Fairy appeared. (300/200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/gx1-en002.jpg

“Vorse Raider, STOP!” shouted Jason. “Stop your attack!”

Vorse Raider lowered his axe.

“Heh, heh, heh…” said Jason. “You almost had me, Sally… Good thing that making that move triggered a replay, and I was even able to stop…”

He looked at her.

“I’ll admit that most of your Monsters are… odd, and your strategies are original, but I figured out this one… After all, I have a Winged Kuriboh in my own deck.

“I’m willing to bet a secret rare that your other facedown card is the Quickplay Spell, Transcendent Wings. If I had attacked, you’d have used it to swap normal Winged Kuriboh for Winged Kuriboh LV 10, and then sacrificed it to destroy both my Monsters and deal me 3,800 points of damage.

“Well, nice try. I end my turn.”

Sally frowned.

“You can’t keep from attacking forever,” she said.

She drew a card.

“So I’ll pass for my turn…”

Jason drew.

“I play a powerful Spell called Card of Demise,” he said. “Here’s how it works. I get to draw five cards right now… But after five turns end, I have to discard my whole hand. A risk, but one that Kaiba never minded taking.”

“He probably always assumed he’d win before those turns were up,” said Sally.

“That’s one possibility…” said Jason, drawing five cards. “So, the clock starts now…”

He looked over the cards.

“Well,” he said. “I drew just what I need to get rid of your furry friend. Watch…

“First, I move Vorse Raider and Slate Warrior to Defense Mode, where they’d be safe from Winged Kuriboh’s effect…”

The two Monsters knelt in Defense Mode.

“Then I summon this guy in Attack Mode… Meet my own Winged Kuriboh!”

In a flash of light, a twin of Sally’s Monster appeared in front of Jason.

Continued...

Dark Sage

4th June 2006, 02:34 PM

“What’s the point?” asked Sally.

“Don’t you get it?” asked Jason. “Winged Kuriboh is hardly a powerful Monster – in fact, he’s a very weak Monster. But his Attack Score of 300 is strong enough to beat another Winged Kuriboh’s Defense, which is 200.

“So, if you use the ability of Transcendent Wings when he attacks, all I’ll lose is my Winged Kuriboh and 300 little Life Points, both of which are bearable losses.

“Winged Kuriboh, attack her Winged Kuriboh!”

Jason’s Winged Kuriboh’s eyes narrowed. It flew towards the opposing Fairy…

Sally’s Winged Kuriboh burst into an explosion of fluff.

She didn’t use it… thought Jason. That might mean something…

She has more than one Winged Kuriboh. I’ll have to be careful.

“I’ll end my turn by throwing down a facedown,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

Sally drew a card.

“Tee-hee…” she laughed.

She played a Spell Card.

“I play… Dimension Fusion!” she laughed. “Now, by paying 2,000 Life Points, we both can bring back all Monsters that have been removed from play!”

“But that means…” said Jason.

“That’s right…” said Sally, as five colored orbs appeared on the field. “They’re back!”

In another explosion of stars, the five Kuriboh Siblings reappeared! (300/200 x5)

“And remember… You can’t touch them!”

[B](J: 5,000) (S: 6,000)

“Kuri! Kuri!” they squeaked again.

“Shut up!” shouted Jason.

He paused to see if they took the hint.

Nuts… he thought. I’ve got to think of something before she powers them up again and summons another… what was that thing called?

He drew a card.

Yes!

“I play… Brain Control!” he shouted.

He played the card, and the evil brain appeared.

“And since it’s Kuribih who can negate my attacks, I’ll brainwash that one!”

The brain gave off a ripple of energy, and the pink Kuriboh floated over to Jason’s side.

“I suppose you think you’re going to sacrifice it for one of your Monsters,” said Sally. “BUZZ! Wrong! Except for the regular Kuriboh, these guys can’t be sacrificed except to summon Kuribabylon!”

“Really?” said Jason. “Well, I thought that might be the case, so I had a backup plan…

“Kuribih, attack Kuribuh!”

Kuribih flew towards the white Kuriboh…

Sally gasped as the two of them burst!

“And my turn isn’t over…” said Jason. “Let me tell you about the very rare Monster I’m about to summon… It was designed by Kaiba himself.”

“Huh?” asked Sally.

“Kaiba ordered the Blue Eyes cards locked up upon his death,” said Jason, “and also with those instructions was the design for a special card to be released as a promotional. This is the rarest card I have…”

He played the card.

“I summon Mage of the White Dragon!”

In a shining light, a tall figure appeared. He was a dead ringer for Kaiba, as far as his face and build was concerned, but his clothing was ancient, resembling Egyptian. He wore colored robes and a headdress, and golden jewelry.

Most notably, he carried a golden scepter in his hand with the end topped by a sphere with two flared crescents and the Eye of Wdjat on the front.

(1,000/1,000)

“You see, Sally,” he said, “Kaiba’s Dragons are sleeping in hibernation until a worthy duelist claims them, but this Spellcaster can communicate with their astral forms.

“Watch… I’ll activate his effect by discarding two cards…”

He discarded Shrink and Cost Down.

Mage of the White Dragon held his staff aloft, and it glowed…

Dark clouds started to roll in…

A large form started to appear… It slowly took form…

It stood revealed. It looked like Kaiba’s legendary Dragon… but transparent and wispy, like a ghost. It was completely silent, not making the usual roar that a Blue-Eyes often did when Kaiba had summoned one. (0/0)

“What is it?” asked Sally.

“It’s a Blue-Eyes Spirit Token,” said Jason. “And it’s nothing to be trifled with…”

The Token glared at Sally with sinister blue eyes…

“What do you mean?” laughed Sally. “It has zero Attack Points and zero Defense Points!”

Jason stared at her.

“It’s your move…” he said, slowly.

[B](J: 4,200) (S: 6,000)

Sally nervously drew.

That thing is making me really nervous… she thought. He sacrificed two cards to create it – it has to do something…

Kuribuh is gone, so I can’t defeat his other Monsters…

But 300 Attack Points is better than zero…

“Kuriboh…” she shouted. “Take out that token!”

Kuriboh flew towards the token…

“I activate Negate Attack!” shouted Jason.

His Trap Card flipped up, and Kuriboh slammed into an invisible shield.

Sally sighed.

“That’s my turn…” she said.

Jason drew.

Finally… he thought.

“This duel is over, Sally,” he said. “First I move Slate Warrior and Vorse Raider to Attack Mode…”

The two Monsters stood up.

“And now to get rid of that annoying Spell Card of yours… I play Mystical Space Typhoon!”

He played the card, and the cyclone shot forward, shattering The Dark Door!

“All right!” he shouted. “Winged Kuriboh, attack regular Kuriboh!”

The tiny Fairy flew towards it Fiend counterpart, and both of them burst into an explosion of fur.

“Mage of the White Dragon, attack Kuribah with white burst!”

The mage concentrated. He lifted his staff and fired a blast of lightning, eradicating the purple Kuriboh.

“Slate Warrior, take out the last one!”

Slate Warrior lunged forward and punched the green Kuriboh, and it shattered into a burst of fluff.

[B](J: 4,200) (S: 3,700)

“And I’m not done…” said Jason. “Vorse Raider, attack directly!”

Sally screamed as the Beast Warrior bore down on her and sliced right down the middle with his axe.

“Ooh…” she moaned.

“And I guess I should spill the big secret now,” continued Jason. “A Blue-Eyes Spirit Token has zero Attack Points only when it isn’t attacking. When it makes an attack, it becomes just as strong as a real Blue Eyes.”

Sally’s eyes opened in fear…

“Spirit of Blue-Eyes, finish her off with white spirit lightning!”

The phantom roared… Its Attack shot up to 3,000, and it blasted a bolt of burning white lightning from its jaws, seemingly consuming the duelist in its path!

Sally collapsed.

[B](J: 4,200) (S: 0)

“Well,” said Jason. “That’s game!”

The Monsters vanished.

Jason looked at his foe, who had apparently had the wind totally knocked out of her.

“Eesh… muttered Jason. “Maybe I was a little rough…”

“You want to be like Seto Kaiba?” asked a voice. “He was a man who didn’t believe in restraint. For him, it was all or nothing…”

Jason turned, and saw Mayor Barna walking up.

“Your honor?” he said. “You’ve been here?”

“Of course,” she said. “I always love seeing a good duel, and these monthly exams let me see some very good ones…

“I was very interested in you and your two friends, Jason… I heard you three obtained some… Very special cards?”

“Huh?” asked Jason. “Oh, the Dragons. Yeah, we each got one of those…”

“May I see?” asked Barna.

“Well, uh… I guess so…” said Jason.

He took The Eye of Timaeus out of his side deck and handed it to her.

“Interesting…” said Barna. “I can’t even tell if this is a Monster or a Spell…”

“Uh… Well…” said Jason. “I guess it’s technically a Monster… It goes on the Monster Zone…”

“How did you even know that?” asked Barna. “There’s no text on it…”

“Well… it told me…” said Jason, slowly.

She looked at him.

“Yeah, I know it seems crazy, and it seems like it doesn’t make sense, but…” started Jason.

“Actually,” said Barna, “it makes perfect sense…”

She handed it back to him.

“Jason, do you know why Sally failed to beat you?” she asked.

“Because I was the better duelist?” asked Jason. “Because my deck was better?”

“Your deck wasn’t better,” said Barna, “hers may have worked if she was more in tune with it. But you forget – that was a trial deck, not her real one. If she had been using the Cyber Angel Deck, she might have done better.

“Cards are an essential part of a duelist, Jason. They are connected to you in a way that is hard to understand. Sally’s usual deck was one that used powerful Fairies – putting it aside and using Fiends, even cute ones, was a mistake. Her psyche couldn’t adjust so soon.

“Now, taking that card you have, the bond you have with your cards is taken even further… you see, Timaeus is truly a living creature, and a very powerful one…”

She tapped him on the forehead.

“…and even when that card isn’t in your deck, he’s right here, closer than you think. He sees through your eyes, helps guide your hand…”

She smiled.

“Hug Trisha as close as you want, but he’ll still be closer…”

“HEY!” shouted Jason. “How did you…”

“Sorry…” said Barna. “It’s none of my business, I know, but it’s hardly a secret.

“Anyway, Jason, I wish I could help find the Dark Messiah, but…”

Jason gave her a look.

“Oh, you want to know how I know?” she asked. “Sit down… It’s a story you should know…”

They sat down at a picnic table.

“You know the story of how the Trinity was officially formed – the three-on-three duel between them and those three terrorists where the losers would perish.

“There’s part of that story that most folks don’t know.

“When Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey met them on that rooftop, the terrorists goaded them, as villains often do… and then they directed them to a strongbox in the center of the arena they had prepared. They told them that they intended to defeat them – but on the off chance that they lost, there was a message for the three duelists. Since the losers would die, they put the message in the box in advance.

“Naturally, the terrorists did lose, and when the last one fell, the box opened, revealing a DVD.

“When the Trinity played it, the video message was delivered by the three terrorists, who now seemed far less insane than they remembered them. They first apologized for everything.

“Then they stated their reasons. They were members of a sect of sorts, a secret society, one whose members could see things that others couldn’t. The purpose of the duel was to test the three duelists as a team – I personally think that this sect wanted the Trinity to be formed. For Yugi and Kaiba’s rivalry to end… And for Kaiba to finally respect Joey as a duelist.

“And if that was the case, as you know, they succeeded.

“They went on to say that the major purpose of the sect was to await the Dark Messiah, a hero who would come when an evil power appeared.

“This prophecy was spoken by a member who channeled a powerful Duel Spirit:

[I]When cursed magic blights the land,
And Evil holds aloft its hand,
The Brothers will emerge once more,
And choose the ones to fight the war.
And when the Three can prove their worth,
They'll find the One who'll save the Earth.

“What it meant at the time was open to interpretation….”

Jason gasped…

The haunting poem from his dream…

“Those cultists were willing to die to get this message through… Maybe they thought that ‘the Three’ were the Trinity… If that was the case, they were wrong…

“Most of the prophecy has already come to pass…

“The ‘cursed magic’ has appeared… The Brothers have emerged… They’ve made their choices…”

She paused.

“I can only hope that all of the theory is true… Whoever is behind the Orichalcos will try to make certain that whoever made this prophecy was a false prophet.”

She got up.

“Good day, Jason…”

She walked away, leaving Jason with only one thought…

I think I’ll try to find Trisha…

Friday, September 24th, 2106, 10:55 AM

FIVE STAR TWILIGHT (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Five golden stars on an indigo background.

Card Description: Offer one five-star Monster on your side of the field as a Tribute. Special Summon one “Kuriboh”, one “Kuribah”, one “Kuribeh”, one “Kuribih”, and one “Kuribuh” from your deck in face-up Attack Position.

KURIBAH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 300
DEF: 200

Card Description: Offer this Monster as a Tribute along with one “Kuriboh”, one “Kuribeh”, one “Kuribih”, and one “Kuribuh” to summon “Kuribabylon” from your hand or deck. This Monster cannot be used as a Tribute for a Tribute summon except to summon “Kuribabylon”.

KURIBEH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 300
DEF: 200

Card Description: Offer this Monster as a Tribute along with one “Kuriboh”, one “Kuribah”, one “Kuribih”, and one “Kuribuh” to summon “Kuribabylon” from your hand or deck. This Monster cannot be used as a Tribute for a Tribute summon except to summon “Kuribabylon”.

KURIBIH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 300
DEF: 200

Card Description: Offer this Monster as a Tribute along with one “Kuriboh”, one “Kuribah”, one “Kuribeh”, and one “Kuribuh” to summon “Kuribabylon” from your hand or deck. This Monster cannot be used as a Tribute for a Tribute summon except to summon “Kuribabylon”. Once per turn, if this Monster or a face-up “Kuriboh”, “Kuribah”, “Kuribih”, or “Kuribuh” on your side of the field are attacked, you can negate the attack.

KURIBUH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 300
DEF: 200

Card Description: Offer this Monster as a Tribute along with one “Kuriboh”, one “Kuribah”, one “Kuribeh”, and one “Kuribih” to summon “Kuribabylon” from your hand or deck. This Monster cannot be used as a Tribute for a Tribute summon except to summon “Kuribabylon”. Discard one Trap Card from your hand during your Main Phase to reduce the ATK of one opposing Monster by the combined ATK of “Kuriboh”, “Kuribah”, “Kuribeh”, “Kuribih” and this Monster on your side of the field.

KURIBABYLON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 5
ATK: ?
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned. This Monster must first be Special Summoned by offering one “Kuriboh”, one “Kuribah”, one “Kuribeh”, one “Kuribih”, and one “Kuribuh” on your side of the field as a Tribute. The ATK of this Monster is the combined ATK of the five Monsters used as a Tribute to summon it. When an attack this Monster makes is negated, or you offer it as a Tribute, you can send it to the Graveyard to Special Summon one “Kuriboh”, one “Kuribah”, one “Kuribeh”, one “Kuribih”, and one “Kuribuh” from your Graveyard.

KURI BANDIT (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 700

Card Description: This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned. This card must first be Special Summoned by removing one “Kuriboh”, one “Kuribah”, one “Kuribeh”, one “Kuribih”, and one “Kuribuh” on your side of the field from play. Offer this Monster as a Tribute to draw five cards; any Monster Cards you draw as a result of this effect, discard to the Graveyard. You can activate this effect during your turn or your opponent’s turn.

Note: The preceding seven cards were used by Yugi in the multi-part anime episode “Fate of the Pharaoh”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

ONE TIMES TWO (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A Mokey Mokey and a Haniwa, with a diagonal slash in-between them, all on a white background.

Card Description: Double the base ATK and DEF of all face-up one-star Monsters on the field until the end of the current turn.

KURIBOH CALLING FLUTE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Quickplay
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A Kuriboh and a Winged Kuriboh above a set of panpipes.

Card Description: Choose one of the following effects:

- Search your deck for one “Kuriboh” or one “Winged Kuriboh” and add it to your hand.

- Special Summon one “Kuriboh” or one “Winged Kuriboh” from your hand or deck.

Note: “Kuriboh Calling Flute” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States. It was first used in the anime by Jaden in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Amnael’s Endgame (Part 2)”.

CYBER DRAGON MECHANIC (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 3
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,500

Card Description: This engineer is the brains behind the blueprints that built the powerful Machines known as Cyber Dragons. If a face-up “Cyber Dragon”, “Cyber Twin Dragon” or “Cyber End Dragon” on your side of the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you may offer this face-up Monster on your side of the field as a Tribute to Special Summon the destroyed Monster from your Graveyard in Attack Position.

Note: “Cyber Dragon Mechanic” was designed by Master of Paradox for winning the first contest. Creative credit goes to him.

MAGE OF THE WHITE DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: This sorcerer’s soul was bonded to that of the Blue Eyes White Dragons. Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can discard two cards from your hand to Special Summon one "Blue-Eyes Spirit Token" (Light/Dragon/8 stars/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your side of the field in Attack Position. A "Blue-Eyes Spirit Token" cannot attack during the turn it is Special Summoned. When a "Blue-Eyes Spirit Token" attacks, its ATK becomes 3000 during the Damage Step only. If this Monster is removed from the field, destroy all "Blue-Eyes Spirit Tokens" on your side of the field.

Note: “Mage of the White Dragon was created by Starjake for winning the first contest. All creative credit goes to him. (In appearance, this Monster resembles High Priest Seto as Kaiba remembered him from Memory World.)

[B][I]Lots of cards…

Coming up next…

Jason’s opponent wasn’t a user character, but Russell’s certainly will be!

What’s the method behind this particular duelist’s madness?

Find out, in “Wild Nature’s Release” coming up soon.

And no, he doesn’t play a Beastdown deck.

Silencer

4th June 2006, 03:01 PM

Haha, I think I know the next user character.

It's mine, I hope.

Why? Because when all titles where going to be card names I had a feeling that would be my card.

Hoora for my detectiveness.

Anyway, good duel but I really miss the card images and it seemed like this was a very short duel and not quiet intense. Guess you explained it by saying it wasn't Sallys true deck

Pokemasterkatie

4th June 2006, 03:48 PM

Oh, so the Kuriboh duelist was YOUR idea! You sneaky devil! :biggrin: Major kudos!

BTW, the dub name of the Calling Flute is 'Flute of Summoning Kuriboh'. Sound familiar? Pretty much exactly the same as Flute of Summoning DRAGON! :wink: Thus, I was able to predict the dub name when it debuted in the duel with Amneal.

Shuppet Master

4th June 2006, 04:00 PM

That was a wonderful duel, Brian. Interesting that the girl was trying out a Kuriboh deck. That's one heck of a hard deck to use.

I like all the backstory and the story untold about the Dark Messiah.

Can't wait for the next chappie. ^_^

jkBAKURA

4th June 2006, 07:13 PM

Sure fooled me, I was expecting a gamble theme, but that might be the "Wild Nature" of a person that shows up next time.

I was actually slightly disappointed. The characters were great, but I felt starjake pulled off the theme a little better. Speaking of whom, that Mage of the White Dragon was a nice addition to the deck. We've all been kept on our toes so far, and this continues the trend.

Not much to say on this one I'm afraid, as nothing much stood out for good or bad, but hey, at least I'm actually reviewing this chapter after skip;ping over a few before.

Blademaster

4th June 2006, 11:40 PM

I've ben reading too much tonight...

Great chapter, loved the Kuriboh deck (naturally). KURIBOH 4-EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mage of the White Dragon was quite an interesting addition, but I can't help but wonder where and how Jason got it? There were only 3 Blue-Eyes; I'd imagine Kaiba would make very few Mages, too... Hmmmm...

And I love that winking Winged Kuriboh! I gotta get one! :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:

So, Wild Nature's Release, huh...? Hmmmmm...

...Well, nature isn't just animals, y'know! :wink:

-Blade

Mystic_clown

5th June 2006, 03:32 AM

Am I the only one who wanted the Kuribohs to win? They're just so cool!

Great chapter, although the mayor's speech at the end did annoy me a bit. Why does everyone seem to know about this and believe it. Is there ever going to be a character that a). Doesn't believe in all this B) is a bit of an ass and c). doesn't wind up dead or with his soul trapped or something.

What we need folks, is another Seto Kaiba!!

Inferno_Dragon

5th June 2006, 07:16 PM

A Kuriboh Duel is a interesting. I wouldn't expect to make a Deck out of Yugi's Furry Monster. Plus that Mage of the White Dragon was awesome. I mean Blue Eyes White Dragon Tokens who have the attack power of a regular Blue Eyes White Dragon. WOW!!!

Jason's Duel Disc did look interesting as Trisha's did.

Back to the Blue Eyes White Dragon thing, Blue Eyes have been summoned by someone else other than Kaiba. In Yu-Gi-Oh GX, Jaden encounters Kaibaman whose deck includes somewhat versions of Kaiba's powerful cards. Jaden faced 3 different Duel Monster Spirits (Jinzo, Kaibaman and Dark Magician Girl ... well those are those only ones I know so far.) So my question is will our three heroes ever duel a Duel Monster Spirit?

Well, keep up the good work!!!!!!!!

Dark Sage

5th June 2006, 09:01 PM

I'll address some questions...

In this reality, cards like Mage of the White Dragon are more common than a Blue Eyes, maybe even more common than a Red Eyes, but they're hard to get. Jason likely got it by winning a tournament.

It might have been nice if Sally had won, but then Barna's point wouldn't have gotten accross, and if Jason had lost, he might not have been in the mood to listen.

Will any Duel Spirits show up? Maybe. And maybe some spirits of other types will show up as well. You've already seen duelists who, by all right, should have died long ago. The Orichalcos has powers that Dartz never dreamed of, and there is a force opposing it that also has powerful abilities.

Keep reading. You might be surprised.

The_Missing_Link

5th June 2006, 11:07 PM

I thought the chapter was nice and I liked the Kuriboh themed deck but I feel like you should be spending more time on Pokemonese and finishing that up. That one has been going on for more than two years now and in that time you've completed Mandate of Heaven and Thousand Year Door. I don't know whether it's harder for you to write a Pokemon fic but I'd really like to see where it's headed

Shuppet Master

6th June 2006, 01:11 AM

The_Missing_Link

6th June 2006, 10:46 AM

Brian really doesn't like writing Pokemon trainer-fics. He only wrote Pokemonese...well, I don't know why he did it, but he's probably got the same problem I have - lack of interest in continuing the story. However, he will finish it, so please be patient.

I do not appreciate that you're becoming Brian's spokesman, answering questions specifically adressed to him. Whether or not you're a psychic and can somehow look into his mind, I'd rather that he respond to my question, even if the answer is the same as your's

Shuppet Master

6th June 2006, 11:06 AM

Okay, I apologize, Link. I wasn't trying to be his spokesperson, I was just saving him the trouble of answering him. As for being a psychic, Brian and I have a good relationship. Again, I'm really sorry. :redface:

Dark Sage

6th June 2006, 12:25 PM

I swear on the names of the Four Immortals, that "Pokemonese" will be finished. In fact, I am working on a new chapter as we speak. I have a good deal of this YGO story done in advance, so I can now devote some time to other projects.

I always finish what I start.

Dark Sage

9th June 2006, 01:48 AM

Ever have a night when you just couldn't sleep? Well, I'm having one.

And I thought I'd get a new chapter up.

Anyway, I'd like to thank Silencer for this great user character.

- DS

[B][I]Some people are just plain eccentric. Some people say that being eccentric hides great talents or genius intelligence, but these people are just plain weird.

I guess in this line of work, you run into a lot of strange people. Pegasus himself, the creator of this game, was very eccentric. His own personal deck was a Toon Deck, full of watercolor-animated Monsters. He had two reasons for doing so – one, he was a big fan of actual cartoons, and two, he was an artist, and Toons represented art.

I could go on and list more examples, but I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead…

Duelists like this tend to be annoying…

And when facing one, the best you can hope for is finish the duel with a minimum of fuss.

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-033.jpg

Friday, September 24th, 2106, 10:20 AM

Fate had decreed that Russell would do the field test in the Great Hall itself – not a bad place to duel, seeing as that inspiring photograph predominated the place.

Still, he was not looking forward to this… Jack Stuward was one of the most annoying duelists he knew.

Jack had a rather easy life. Both his parents were environmental scientists, and he was never in the same place for long. And his parents’ love of nature rubbed off on him in a big way, turning him into an environmentalist…

He called himself an environmentalist. Russell thought it more like “tree-hugger”.

There weren’t many problems with deforestation and pollution these days, but in the rare times when there were, people like Jack spoke out. He objected to forests being “spoiled” as he called it.

He was so in tune with the outdoors that often, he didn’t go inside at night, falling asleep under the stars. The headmasters tried hard to stop this habit (it wasn’t safe) but it never seemed to help.

Russell had never actually dueled him until now, but the rumor was that his deck had an environmental theme; whatever that meant. Russell was clueless – building a deck based on Plant Monsters was nearly impossible.

Even worse, Dr. Peters was in charge of this station… A teacher who was nearly impossible to please…

Might as well get this over with… thought Russell.

He walked into the Great Hall.

“What up, Russ?” asked a voice.

He turned, and saw Jack. He was a short kid, with brown hair and big, piercing green eyes. He wore torn jeans along with the blazer.

“Hi, Jack…” sighed Russell. “You seem in a cheerful mood…”

“Well, it’s that time of year…” said Jack. “Summer’s over, and pretty soon, the trees are going to start to change… Lose their leaves, sleep until the spring…

“That’s the whole cycle, you know… Death and rebirth. It happens every year, and it’s how it should be…”

“Much as I hate to interrupt a philosophical statement…” said Dr. Peters. “We’re on a schedule, so each of you cut and shuffle each other’s decks.”

“Whatever…” said Jack. “Everyone’s in a rush these days…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Fortunado rubbed his chin.

Hmmm… he thought. That one might be interesting… That one too…

He picked up a cell phone and hit a number.

“Yes, of course it’s me,” he said. “Who’s ready?”

He paused. He grinned.

“You don’t say… Hmmm…”

He listened.

“Yeah, I have an idea. Listen closely… We’ll go by two angles this time… Here are the instructions…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Strangely, facing him right now, Jack looked a lot taller…

“All right,” said Russell. “Let’s hope your cards are better than the condition of those sneakers… Atten…shun!”

His new Disk activated. Russell hadn’t had much time to actually look at it, but it was gunmetal grey, the tray was rounded like half of an oval…

…and the deck holder, which was shiny gold, was shaped sort of like a star with a rectangle cut out of the space between the bottom two points, where the deck was held.

They both drew five cards…

[B](Russell: 8,000) (Jack: 8,000)

“Righteous…” said Jack, drawing a sixth card.

“Well, I’m summoning my Charcoal Inpachi in Defense Mode.”

He played the card, and the burned out Pyro appeared, crouching in Defense. Wisps of smoke rose from it, and a smell like an old grill filled the air. (100/2,100)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SOD-EN001.jpg

“And just like a mesquite barbeque grill in the summer,” he added, “this guy makes me feel all warm inside… It’s a nice feeling.”

“Fine…” said Russell, drawing a card. “Playing defense, huh? Well I’m going on offense. I summon the Gemini Blades!”

He played the card, and a flame appeared in front of him…

Two red-haired fighters appeared, one dressed in red robes with punching daggers strapped to his wrists; the other wore blue armor and carried a long spear. Both had oriental features and wore their hair in ponytails. They struck a pose with their weapons. (1,800/800)

Next round, he thought, I’ll be able to use this Warrior’s effect to fullest potential.

“All right!” said Jack. “Cool Monster… Well, let’s see if I can get something cooler…”

He drew a card.

“Right, I’ll play two cards facedown to start off…”

He played the cards, and they appeared in front of him.

“And then I’ll summon Grass Phantom in Attack Mode.”

He played the card, and a Plant appeared. It clearly did look like a phantom made of grass. It sort of had the shape of a large artichoke with a ghostly face and a mass of tendrils around its base. It let out a sad moan. (1,000/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi-en031.jpg

In Attack Mode? thought Russell. What’s he up to?

“Too bad we don’t have any hollandaise sauce,” said Russell, drawing a card. “I believe it’s my move…”

“And my Traps activate,” said Jack.

The first Trap lifted, showing a Shining Friendship flying happily among the clouds while a second behind it was grabbed by a fiendish claw from below.

“First, Next To Be Lost,” he said. “I choose one Monster I have on the field, take another copy from my deck, and discard it to the Graveyard… And I choose Grass Phantom.”

He took his deck, found a second Grass Phantom, and discarded it.

“And then…”

The second Trap lifted, showing a woman holding a glowing orb of energy in her hands.

“Generation Shift,” he continued. “This destroys one of my Monsters on the field…”

The Grass Phantom on the field shattered.

“…and then it lets me take another copy from my deck and add it to my hand.”

He took his deck and took out a third Grass Phantom.

“Okay…” muttered Russell. “So… why did you purposely ditch two of your Monsters?”

“You’ll see,” said Jack. “But go on…”

“Fine…” said Russell. “I summon the Blue Flame Swordsman in Attack Mode.”

A blue fire appeared on the field, and a look-alike of Joey Wheeler’s signature Warrior appeared, only bare-chested and clothed in blue where orange should have been. His sword burned with blue fire. (1,800/1,600)

“And if you think he looks hot, wait until you see his special ability,” said Russell. “I can lower his Attack Score to give the same amount to another Monster…

“So, I’ll decrease his Attack by 400, and give that 400 to Gemini Blades…”

Blue Flame Swordsman dropped to 1,400 Attack, and Gemini Blades rose to 2,200.

“Bummer…” muttered Jack.

“Oh, I’m hardly done…” said Russell with a grin. “Now I’m going to use Gemini Blades’ ability. Watch…”

He took the five cards in his hand, held them with their faces down, and quickly rearranged them. After making sure they were shuffled, he chose one…

He looked at it, and then discarded it.

“See, by discarding one card at random from my hand, I can have Gemini Blades attack twice! So get ‘im, boys!”

The two fighters sprang up…

The one with the punch daggers drove one of them into Charcoal Inpachi, smashing it to pieces…

And then the one with the spear stabbed Jack in the gut! He winced in pain.

“And I’m still not done,” said Russell. “My Blue Flame Swordsman still wants a piece of this… blazing blue flame!”

The Swordsman’s blade burned with blue fire, and he slashed at Jack! He toppled over.

“I’d say you might be the next one on the endangered species list, Jack,” said Russell.

[B](R: 8,000) (J: 4,300)

“Yeah, good move,” said Jack, drawing a card. “Still, a combo is only as good as the one who implements it…“

“What do you mean?” asked Russell.

“I’ll give you an example,” said Jack. “I’m going to summon that Grass Phantom I added to my hand…”

He placed the card on his Disk, and another Grass Phantom appeared.

“And by the way, the reason I sent those other two to my Graveyard was simple… Grass Phantom gains 500 extra Attack Points for every other Grass Phantom in my Graveyard. Consider the old ones compost that makes the new one healthier.”

(2,000/1,000)

“That still isn’t strong enough to beat Gemini Blades,” said Russell.

“Strong enough to beat your other guy,” replied Jack. “Grass Phantom, attack with phantom vines.”

The Plant moaned, and shot forth a volley of tendrils, constricting Blue Flame Swordsman. They squeezed, and he shattered.

[B](R: 7,400) (J: 4,300)

“Oh yeah?” said Russell. “Well, Blue Flame Swordsman has another ability. If he’s destroyed, I get to summon the regular Flame Swordsman right from my Fusion Deck!”

A blazing bonfire appeared, and the powerful armored Warrior in purple and orange holding his bronze sword appeared! (1,800/1,600)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SDJ-024.jpg

“I see…” said Jack. “Well, I guess I’ll place another card facedown…”

He played a card, and it appeared.

“And to end my turn, I’ll activate this… Spell Absorption.”

A Spell Card appeared, showing an image of mage’s hand drawing in purple energy.

Oh no… thought Russell. I know how that works… Every time either one of us plays a Spell Card, he’ll gain 500 Life Points…

And I have nothing to get rid of it now…

He drew a card.

“I activate my facedown card…” said Jack.

His facedown card lifted, showing the image of Warrior Lady of the Wasteland fleeing out of a portal.

“Your Gemini Blades are giving me some serious bad karma,” he continued, “so I’m activating Karma Cut. I just discard one card…”

He tossed one card in his discard slot.

“And one Monster on your side of the field is ‘cut’ out of the game. So to speak.”

Gemini Blades gave a look of surprise. Then they vanished.

Russell frowned.

He played a card.

“I play Rush Recklessly!” he shouted.

Jack’s Life Points went up, but Flame Swordsman’s attack went up to 2,500.

“Attack his Grass Phantom! Flaming sword of battle!”

Flame Swordsman’s blade burned with fire, and he slashed with it, burning Grass Phantom up. The flames died down, and smoke rose from the blade.

[B](R: 7,400) (J: 4,300)

“There, I did it…” said Russell. “I feel better now.”

“Well, I’m certainly feeling good,” said Jack drawing. “Don’t forget that Rush Recklessly activated Spell Absorption.

“Hey, I’m gonna play Pot of Greed. Now, not only do I get to draw twice, but Spell Absorption kicks in again…”

He played the card and drew two cards.

“All right… I’m gonna summon a guy named Lord Poison in Attack Mode.”

He placed a card on his Disk, and an incredibly ugly creature appeared. It seemed to be made of algae and scum, with wicked claws, and spikes coming out of it in strange places. Vile water dripped from it as it raised its two talons. (1,500/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-028.jpg

“Yuck…” muttered Russell. “Lord Poison? I see the ‘Poison’ part, but…”

“Lord Poison is the spirit of the toxic plants in the forest,” said Jack, “like ivy, sumac, milkweed, and nasty stuff you don’t even want to even know about.”

“Well, it’s no match for Flame Swordsman…” said Russell.

“I totally have to agree with you there,” said Jack. “Lord Poison, attack his Flame Swordsman.”

Russell drew back in surprise, and Lord Poison flew towards Flame Swordsman…

The Warrior made one swipe with his sword, and cleaved the creature in half. Gobs of slime splattered everywhere.

“Why on Earth…” said Russell.

“When Lord Poison is destroyed in battle,” said Jack, “I get to Special Summon any Plant from my Graveyard except Lord Poison itself, so guess who’s coming back…”

The slime on the ground started to move, and then combined and congealed, forming into a new shape. After a few seconds, it had reformed into Grass Phantom. (2,000/1,000)

“Grass Phantom, take out his Flame Swordsman,” he continued.

The Phantom moaned again, and shot forth its tentacles, constricting Flame Swordsman, crushing him into pixels.

[B](R: 7,200) (J: 4,500)

This guy is good, thought Russell.

He looked at his hand.

But with the right combo, I can do better…

“I believe it’s my turn…” he said drawing.

He looked at the card.

“I place one card facedown…” he said.

He played the card, and a facedown card appeared.

“And then, I summon Warrior Dai Grepher in Defense Mode.”

He placed the card, and Grepher appeared, kneeling and shielding himself with his sword. (1,700/1,600)

“Go ahead…” he said.

Jack drew a card.

“I play Silent Doom…” he said, “and bring back my Charcoal Inpachi.”

Charcoal Inpachi rose again, in Defense Mode, and his Life Points went up again.

“Grass Phantom, attack his Warrior.”

Grass Phantom reached forward with its vines.

“Not so fast!” shouted Russell. “I had a Trap waiting… Activate… Feigned Retreat!”

His facedown card lifted. The picture showed Marauding Captain fleeing towards the foreground with several Archfiend Soldiers chasing him; Freed, Command Knight, and several other Warriors were waiting in the foreground behind trees, with weapons drawn.

“Here’s how it works,” said Russell. “When you attack my Monster when he’s in Defense Mode, he moves into Attack Mode, and gains 500 Attack Points for the rest of the round, enough to take out your Grass Phantom one more time!”

Warrior Dai Grepher stood up, and his Attack rose to 2,200.

“Bogus…” said Jack.

Grepher slashed with his blade several times, and the vines fell in pieces at his feet. Then he made a downward slash, cleaving Grass Phantom in two.

[B](R: 7,200) (J: 4,800)

I took out that annoying plant, thought Russell, but somehow, I think that this is just starting…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Not far from where Trisha was dueling, Randy was struggling with his own opponent. His fellow Freshman seemed to have a thing for Warriors of a different type…

Dark Warriors.

“Dark Blade,” ordered Ryan, “attack Burstinatrix!”

The spiky-armored Warrior slashed with his two swords. Burstinatrix screamed before she was blown to pixels.

“Getsu Fuhma, attack him directly!”

The red haired ronin leapt up and made a savage slash at Randy with her sword. He fell over.

“Scores are almost tied, Randy,” said Ryan, “and I think you need a serious pick-me-up…”

“We’ll see…” said Randy. “My move…”

He slowly drew a card…

“I play Premature Burial to bring back Burstinatrix…”

Burstinatrix reappeared on his side of the field. (1,200/800)

“Then I use Polymerization to fuse her with Avian, forming Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!”

The two Heroes swirled into a morass of Fire and Wind…

Flame Wingman flew out, striking a heroic pose! (2,100/1,200)

“Attack Getsu Fuhma!” he shouted. “Skydive scorcher!”

Flame Wingman flew towards Getsu Fuhma…

Ryan slowly inched towards the command for his facedown card…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Russell drew a card.

“I summon Axe Raider in Attack Mode,” he said.

He played a card, and the muscular barbarian holding a powerful axe appeared. (1,700/1,150)

“That’s my move,” he said.

Jack drew a card.

He looked at it.

“I’m Equipping Charcoal Inpachi with this,” he said. “Raregold Armor.”

He played the card, and the Inpachi turned a golden color.

“That means I can only attack it!” gasped Russell.

“You’re smart,” said Jack. “And don’t forget Spell Absorption. Next I’ll summon this little guy… Ultimate Insect LV 1.”

He played the card, and a small caterpillar with purple and red coloring appeared. (0/0)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SOD-EN005.jpg

“Sure, he doesn’t look very ‘ultimate’ now,” said Jack, “but this is only the Level One form, and he’ll get stronger eventually. And don’t try using a Spell Card to get rid of him, because at this stage, he’s immune to them.

“That will be my turn.”

[B](R: 7,200) (J: 5,300)

Russell drew.

I can’t attack it, unless I get rid of that oversized hibachi grill first, he thought, and I have nothing that can beat its Defense!

He looked at the card he had just drawn.

Queen’s Knight.

He looked at a card in his hand.

Don’t think I’ll risk putting her on the field right now… he thought.

“I’ll pass for this turn…” he said.

“Right…” said Jack, drawing a card.

Ultimate Insect started to grow, and a shell started to form around it.

“Now I can sacrifice his Level One form so he can evolve into Ultimate Insect LV 3,” he said, as the creature formed into a bigger, stronger-looking larva.

(1,400/900)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-EN007.jpg

The Insect shook, and a cloud of spores covered the field. Warrior Dai Grepher and Axe Raider coughed…

“And his poison spores cause your Warriors to lose 300 Attack Points,” he added.

Both Warriors fell to 1,400 Attack.

“I’ll end my turn there,” he said.

Russell drew.

Hey… he thought.

I summon Command Knight in Attack Mode,” he said.

Command Knight appeared. (1,200/1,900) –> (1,600/1,900)

She coughed, and her Attack fell to 1,300.

“She may be weakened, but you can’t attack her,” said Russell, “and my other Warriors gain back the strength they lost and then some.”

Grepher and Axe Raider rose to 1,800, respectively.

“Whatever…” said Jack. “I think it’s my turn…”

He drew.

“Now I can evolve him into Ultimate Insect LV 5…” he said.

The Insect started spinning strands of silk…

And they formed into a steel-hard chrysalis, perched on spindly legs. (2,300/900)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/FET-EN007.jpg

“And that means the poison gets even more toxic…”

Grepher and Axe Raider fell to 1,300, and Command Knight fell to 1,100.

“And I think I’ll have him attack your Warrior Dai Grepher…”

Ultimate Insect shot forth a pair of tendrils, and tore Grepher apart!

[B](R: 6,500) (J: 5,300)

This is nuts… thought Russell. Next round, it will get almost unbeatable. And even worse, creating this thing isn’t costing him a single card from his hand! Who knows what he’s planning?

He drew a card.

“I play Heavy Storm!” he shouted, playing it.

A fierce wind blew, and the Raregold Armor shattered, as did the Spell Absorption.

“Yeah, like it will matter,” said Jack. “By the way, since that was a Spell, I get 500 more Life Points one last time.”

“Yeah, yeah…” said Russell. “I move my two Monsters into Defense Mode.

Axe Raider and Command Knight knelt.

“And I can’t do anything else.”

[B](R: 6,500) (J: 5,800)

Jack drew.

He gave the card a look.

“Time to take it to the final level,” he said, “and evolve him up to Ultimate Insect LV 7. This is where the real ‘ultimate’ part comes in, by the way.”

The chrysalis started to crack and strain…

And with an explosion of goo and slime, the final result stood horribly revealed. Suggesting a huge cross between a wasp and a moth with multicolored wings, it had at least a sixty-foot wingspan, thick armor, and a razor-sharp stinger on its abdomen. (2,600/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN010.jpg

“Now your Monsters not only lose 700 Attack Points, they lose 700 Defense Points too,” he added.

Toxic pollen covered the whole field. Axe Raider and Command Knight looked truly sick, as their stats fell to (1,400/350) and (900/1,200).

“Attack his Axe Raider. Ultimate hurricane.”

Ultimate Insect LV 7 beat its wings, and a storm even more heavy than any created by Heavy Storm erupted over the field. Axe Raider tried to shield himself in vain before shattering.

“Command Knight is next…” said Jack. “I’ll end with a facedown card.”

A facedown card appeared.

“We’ll see about that…” said Russell.

He drew a card.

Continued...

Dark Sage

9th June 2006, 01:53 AM

Continued from last post:

“I play Pot of Greed!”

He drew twice.

Perfect… he said.

“I play… Command Offensive!” he said. “This lets me sacrifice one Warrior on the field to Special Summon Freed the Matchless General from my hand…”

Command Knight vanished, and General Freed appeared. (2,300/1,700) –> (1,600/1,000)

“And then, we both draw twice!” he added.

“Whatever…” said Jack.

They both drew two cards.

“Now, why didn’t he just summon Freed normally, you might be asking?” said Russell. “Well, I Special Summoned him, so I could Normal Summon this…”

He threw a card on his Disk.

“Exiled Force!”

A small band of ragtag soldiers in makeshift armor appeared. (1,000/1,000) –> (300/300)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LOD-EN023.jpg

“They may not look like much,” said Russell, “but they have a potent ability. By sacrificing them, I can destroy one Monster on the field.

“So take out that big bug, guys!”

Exiled Force faded into ghostly forms, and they flew into Ultimate Insect LV 7! The huge moth screeched, and then crashed to the ground.

It’s fallen form burst into pixels.

“Ho boy…” muttered Jack.

Freed regained his normal Attack Points.

“And now,” said Russell, “Freed, destroy Charcoal Inpachi!”

Freed leapt up with his sword, and with one slash of his blade, blasted the wood spirit into dust.

“Well, Jack…” said Russell, with a grin. “What now? Your best Monster has been swatted, and I have one of my best out…”

Jack grinned.

“Whoever said that Ultimate Insect was my best Monster?” he asked. “My turn now?”

Russell paused.

“Yeah…” he said, trying to imagine what he had waiting.

Jack drew a card.

“The card I’m about to play,” he said, “is a rare card that was a gift from my mom… One that will summon my mightiest Monster…”

He showed Russell the card.

“A Ritual Card?” gasped Russell.

Lovely… he thought. Rituals are always bad news…

“A powerful one,” stated Jack, “and it’s called Forest Primeval!”

He played the card, and the whole arena darkened. Trees and shrubs started to sprout, until the whole place had become overgrown into a dense forest!

“Legends say…” said Jack, “that nature is ruled by various spirits that coexist with man, invisible, but willing to show themselves if man violates the natural order.

“And deep within the most unspoiled forest lives one of the most powerful of spirits…”

“Now to bring him out, I sacrifice Fairy King Truesdale and Lekunga…”

Two Monsters appeared… One a regal man in sylvan robes, another a green sphere with a single red eye and vine-like tentacles…

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/WC4-001.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-027.jpg

They vanished into sparkles of light…

“…and I summon… [B]Hayashi the Forest Spirit!”

A huge, lumbering form rose behind Jack…

In the past hundred years, many movie versions of Tolken’s Lord of the Rings had been produced, and Russell had seen many of them. He couldn’t help but compare this creature to several versions of Treebeard… A torso and legs like tree trunks with branches for arms, a face sculpted out of wood, and a crown of branches with splendid leaves surrounding its head.

(3,000/2,800)

“I know you likely think this can’t get worse,” said Jack, “but it can…”

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate Call of the Haunted.”

Ultimate Insect LV 7 reappeared! (2,600/1,200)

“Course…” said Jack, “his effect is negated because I didn’t summon him the ‘right’ way, but that hardly matters. Ultimate Insect, attack Freed.”

Ultimate Insect beat its wings, and Freed staggered against the storm. He shattered into pixels.

“Hayashi…” he continued.

Russell gulped.

“Attack directly with your mighty branch.”

The Forest Spirit slammed his woody arm down, and Russell screamed as he was thrown backwards!

“Ugh…” he muttered.

[B](R: 3,200) (J: 5,800)

Russell slowly got up.

“This might be a good time to mention,” said Jack. “When Hayashi is on the field, you aren’t allowed to attack any Monsters on my side of the field who are Beasts, Beast-Warriors, Insects, or Plants other than him. So you’re gonna have a harder time.”

This had best be a good draw… thought Russell.

He drew a card.

“I play Monster Reborn,” he said. “And I’ll bring back Warrior Dai Grepher in Defense Mode.”

Grepher appeared in Defense. (1,700/1,600)

“Now I’ll place another Monster in Defense Mode,” he said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

All right, he thought. He only has one card in his hand. If it and his next draw isn’t a Monster that he can summon, I might have a chance.

“Who’s that?” asked Jack. “Big Shield Gardna?”

He drew a card.

“Ultimate Insect, attack Grepher.”

The Insect beat its wings, and Grepher was blown away.

“Hayashi, attack his facedown Monster.”

Hayashi lunged forward with his powerful branch…

Familiar Knight appeared on the card, and was crushed.

“Heh, heh,” said Russell. “Since you killed Familiar Knight, both us are able to Special Summon a four star Monster from our hands.”

“Four star?” replied Jack, looking at his two cards. “Uh, don’t have one…”

“Well I have… Queen’s Knight,” said Russell.

He placed a card down, and Queen’s Knight appeared. (1,500/1,600)

“And now, I’ll move…” said Russell.

He drew a card.

“I summon King’s Knight…”

King’s Knight appeared on the field. (1,600/1,500)

“And with that, I summon Jack’s Knight!”

Jack’s Knight materialized. (1,900/1,000)

“Go ahead!” said Jack, almost laughing. “They’re far too weak.”

“Well I have someone who isn’t,” said Russell. “Your mom gave you that card, but I’m going to use someone my dad gave me…

“And to summon him, I use Polymerization!”

He played the card…

Queen’s Knight, King’s Knight, and Jack’s Knight nodded to each other. They leapt into the air, and formed into colored orbs of light, gold, ruby, and sapphire… They combined together, forming an orb of light that was brilliant purple in color…

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en004u.jpg

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en006.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en005.jpg

“Fusing my three Warriors together…” continued Russell, “to create one of the mightiest knights ever to wield a sword into battle… The most powerful beast my deck can produce…”

A bright flash lit up the arena and a vortex of pure light opened…

And then, a far more powerful-looking knight leapt out of the vortex. His armor suggested royalty, and was colored royal purple, again decorated with playing card symbols, and he bore a large sword and a triangular shield. His raven-black hair fell to his waist. His eyes were pools of brilliant light.

“Presenting… [I]Arcana Knight Joker!” shouted Russell.

(3,800/2,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/le8_jp001.jpg

“Uh…” gulped Jack.

“But don’t let the name ‘Joker’ fool you,” continued Russell. “He’s deadly serious.”

Arcana Knight Joker glared at Jack…

“Arcana, chop down Hayashi the Forest Spirit! Royal straight flush rush!”

Arcana Knight Joker let out a roar, and leapt up into the air, making a tremendous slash with his sword, and the Forest Spirit groaned… It was smashed into splinters of wood.

“Timber…” said Russell.

He placed a card into his Disk.

“I’ll end with one card facedown.”

A card appeared.

[B](R: 3,200) (J: 5,000)

Jack shakily drew.

“I’ll… shift Ultimate Insect into Defense Mode…” he said.

The Insect folded its wings.

“I… uh… end my turn…”

“And I start mine…” said Russell, drawing.

He drew a card.

“And this is over,” he said.

“I summon my Marauding Captain…” he said.

Marauding Captain appeared on the field, bearing his sword.

“And next, I activate Call of the Haunted, to bring back Exiled Force!”

His Trap Card lifted, and Exiled Force reappeared.

“Destroy his Insect!” shouted Russell.

Exiled Force turned into phantoms again, and flew into Ultimate Insect! It screamed, and shattered.

“And now, Marauding Captain, Arcana Knight Joker, attack!”

Marauding Captain slashed at Jack with his sword…

And he was barely done, when Joker kneed him in the groin! Jack fell over and skidded backwards.

[B](R: 3,200) (J: 0)

“At ease…” said Russell.

As the Warriors vanished, Jack sat up.

“Ooh, my aching everything…” he muttered.

“It was a good duel, Jack,” said Russell, “and you are truly a force to be reckoned with…”

“Well, thanks…” said Jack.

“But what did you mean before?” asked Russell. “Something about how a combo is only as good as the one who implements it?”

Jack shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “You definitely are.”

Russell looked around, first at Dr. Peters…

Then he noticed another duel, where a student was using Vampire Lord…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Randy was in a very tough situation.

His Life Points were down to 500, his opponent’s were at 1,300 and he had no cards on the field, and no cards in his hand. His opponent had Penumbral Soldier Lady on the field.

What were the odds that Ryan could have a Michizure Trap just when he attacked with Flame Wingman?

“Give it up, comic book boy,” said Ryan. “Do you really think you can turn this around? You’d need a miracle draw to win this one.”

“I can sure try…” said Randy.

One miracle draw, coming up… he thought. I hope…

He drew a card.

Hmm… maybe…

“I summon… Elemental Hero Bubbleman, in Attack Mode,” he said.

A gout of water splashed up, and Bubbleman appeared, sporting a big grin. (800/1,200)

“That’s one bubble that won’t be hard to burst,” said Ryan.

“Depends on how lucky I am,” replied Randy. “Bubbleman just hates being alone, so if I summon him when I have no other cards on the field or in my hand, I get to draw two cards…”

He drew twice.

He grinned as he looked at them.

“I’ll place one of them facedown…”

He played the card.

“And then play the other one… Fusion Recovery! This lets me retrieve one Polymerization card and one Monster that I used in a fusion from my Graveyard.”

He played the card, and two cards fell out of his discard slot.

“So I’ll use it to get Avian… Remember him?

“And then, I’ll fuse Bubbleman and Avian together…”

The two Heroes appeared, and fused into a swirl…

http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en014.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/dp1-en0011.jpg

“…to form Elemental Hero Mariner!”

Then a strange looking hero in a white and blue costume with wild blue hair and blue mask with a grinning face. He had two anchors on his wrists. (1,400/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/eoj_en034.jpg

“I know what you’re thinking,” he continued. “Mariner isn’t strong enough to beat Penumbral Soldier Lady… Well, he doesn’t have to. See, when I have at least one card facedown, he can attack directly.

“Mariner, attack! Anchors away!”

Mariner leapt up, and hurled one of his anchors, connected by a chain. Ryan shouted in pain as it hit him.

“I win…” said Randy.

Randy heard clapping behind him. He turned and saw Trisha and Jason.

“Not bad, Randy,” said Jason.

“Thanks,” said Jason. “I’ve been practicing, studying… Waiting for a chance for a rematch with Nadia…”

He grinned.

“Say, where is she anyway?” asked Trisha.

“Dunno,” said Randy. “Her test was scheduled about ten minutes before mine in another building, so…”

A cell phone on his belt rang.

“Uh, excuse me…” he said.

“Hello?” he said, putting it to his ear.

“Hello Randy,” said a sinister voice over the receiver.

“Who is this?” asked Randy.

“I won’t say over the phone,” said the voice, “but let’s cut to the chase… I have your sister here with me, and you’d best do what I say if you want to see her again. Got it?”

Randy’s eyes opened.

His voice sank to a whisper.

“If you hurt one hair on her head…” he warned.

“Don’t make demands of me, hero-boy,” said the voice. “Bring your deck and your Disk to the roof of the Academy’s main building in fifteen minutes. We’ll discuss things then. And no telling teachers, or anyone else, or your sister gets it. Got it?”

The speaker hung up.

“Randy, what was that all about?” asked Jason.

“Wrong number…” he said. “Look, I’ve got some things to do. See you guys later.”

He ran towards the exit.

“I have a feeling that wasn’t a wrong number…” said Trisha.

“Yeah…” said Jason. “We’d best check this out…”

Friday, September 24th, 2106, 11:15 AM

GEMINI BLADES (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 4
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 800

Card Description: Twin martial artists who use deadly combination attacks. During your Battle Phase, you may discard one card at random from your hand. If you do, this monster can attack twice during this Battle Phase.

Note: This card was created by Master of Paradox for winning the first contest. Creative credit goes to him.

BLUE FLAME SWORDSMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 4
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: Some believe that this flaming Warrior clad in blue is simply the alter-ego of his more famous namesake. You can decrease the ATK of this Monster to increase the ATK of another face-up Monster on the field by the same amount. This effect can be used during your opponent’s turn. If this Monster is destroyed, you may Special Summon one “Flame Swordsman” from your Fusion Deck or Graveyard.

Note: “Blue Flame Swordsman” was first used by Joey in the anime episode “Fighting For a Friend (Part 4)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

FEIGNED RETREAT (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Marauding Captain running through a forest with several Archfiend Soldiers chasing him. Freed, Command Knight, and many other Warriors wait behind trees in the foreground with weapons drawn.

Card Description: You can activate this Trap when your opponent declares an attack on one of your Monsters that is in face-up Defense Position. Switch the targeted Monster to Attack Position and add 500 to its ATK until the end of the current Battle Phase.

ARCANA KNIGHT JOKER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 9
ATK: 3,800
DEF: 2,500

Card Description: Queen’s Knight + King’s Knight + Jack’s Knight

A Fusion Summon of this Monster can only be done with the above named cards. If this Monster is targeted by a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Monster effect, you can discard a card of the same type to negate the effect. This effect can only be used once per turn.

Note: “Arcana Knight Joker” is a Japanese card that, sadly, has not yet been released in the United States.

FOREST PRIMEVAL (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Ritual
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: An ancient shrine in a deep forest.

Card Description: This card is used to Ritual Summon “Hayashi the Forest Spirit”. You must also offer Monsters as a Tribute from your hand or the field whose total levels equal eight or more.

HAYASHI THE FOREST SPIRIT (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Plant/Ritual/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 2,800

Card Description: This Monster is summoned through use of the Ritual Spell Card “Forest Primeval”. You must also offer Monsters as a Tribute from your hand or the field whose total levels equal eight or more. When this Monster is face-up on your side of the field, all INSECT, BEAST, BEAST-WARRIOR, and PLANT-Type Monsters (aside from this one) on your side of the field cannot be targeted for an attack.

Jack’s Environmental Deck

Being the son of environmental scientists, Jack has always been a lover of nature and the great outdoors. He hates deforestation and pollution – small problems in this day and age, but ones that still pop up on occasion – and loves animals. If that makes him a tree-hugger, he accepts it – he loves hugging trees! As a duelist, he decided to create a deck that reflected his love of nature.

Jack’s deck seemingly does the impossible – it turns Plant Monsters into a powerful offensive force. Grass Phantom is one of his most powerful. If he manages to get two of his three copies in the Graveyard, the third becomes a Monster with 2,000 Attack Points that needs no sacrifice. He uses other Monsters to aid this one, including Lord Poison to recover it should it be destroyed, and Fairy King Truesdale to strengthen it further.

One of Jack’s powerful weapons is his Ultimate Insect combo. It’s difficult to pull off, seeing as the weaker stages will be destroyed without protection, but if he manages it, he has a 2,600-Attack Point Monster that weaken all opposing Monsters. Sometimes, though, he simply needs a powerful Monster fast, and uses Pinch Hopper to summon the Level Seven version right away. It doesn’t have its effect when he does this, but 2,600 Attack is nothing to scoff at.

Hayashi the Forest Spirit is the most recent addition to his deck. This Ritual Monster is based on Japanese legends of nature spirits, and is incredibly powerful. Not only does it pack a punch of 3,000 Attack Points, but when it’s on the field, his other Monsters cannot be attacked.

Jack’s message to those who defile nature is simple – be careful, or nature might strike back.

[B][I]Coming up next:

A secretive chapter. Will Randy be dueling? Will Nadia? Who will show up next?

The chapter is called “Dedication Through Light And Darkness”, and it’s coming soon.

Dark Sage

9th June 2006, 01:57 AM

As you likely guessed, this chapter existed not only to introduce Silencer's user character, but to introduce the most powerful weapon in Russell's deck. Make no mistake - this was not a one time thing, but also, Russell will not use Joker in every duel. The duels in which he will, will be very important ones.

Silencer

9th June 2006, 02:45 AM

Hooza, my user character.

Needless to say I loved the duel. Excellent use of charcoal inpachi to protect the ultimate insects.

This character was completely different from Drake. Chaos <-> Peace and calm of the forest.
Although, maybe they aren't so different after all? Expect the unexpected as always.

Mystic_clown

9th June 2006, 04:14 AM

That...is the coolest fusion monster I've ever seen. I love it!

Mookie

9th June 2006, 05:12 AM

Hyo-hyo-hyo. One thinks that one's user character will appear soon. Atleast I believe he was mentioned in this chapter.

Ultimate Insect LvX rules. Some LV monsters are very interesting, yet some....are not. And I agree, that Joker rocks. :biggrin:

Blademaster

9th June 2006, 10:49 AM

I knew it: Plants... Well, mostly Plants, anyway... :wink:

I gotta say, this was one of the best chapters yet - the array of Plants and Insects was quite welcome, since you usually don't use them (at least not like this!), and all the Yugi and Joey Warriors Russell used were pretty impressive, too ; not just the usual Warriors.

Well, no idea what's gonna happen next time... I can't even guess...

Oh, well...

-Blade

Shuppet Master

9th June 2006, 11:31 AM

That was a really awesome chapter, Brian. And I feel ashamed...after seeing the card art for that Knight fusion, I feel like I've messed up the desription on Anansi(I was basing it off the clip from the manga art on Janime.net, and it was only a face-shot). I'll have to put a serious disclaimer when Diane summons him again. :redface:

Anyways, I have a bad feeling about the next chapter. I bet those Swordsmen have kidnapped Nadia in order to force Randy into an Orichalcos duel. Jerks.

Keep it up, Brian.

Silencer

9th June 2006, 12:10 PM

Hmmm, I have this strange feeling it will be a double duel. Don't know why but they are siblings so it could well be...

jkBAKURA

9th June 2006, 12:16 PM

Double duel? "Dedication through Light and Darkness?" I know exactly what's happening next.

Looks like we'll get the chance to see that new E-hero, although I personally have a pet peeve about created Elemental Hero cards, who knows. maybe this one will fall close to my heart. We'll probably see White Queen Pikeru as well.

Truth be told, Russel was far more interesting then his opponent this time around, just because there were only three moves he really did. The ritual monster didn't stick out to me that much, and... I don't know, the duel didn't seem as interesting watching the opponent this time around. The character himself was ammusing though, so points to Silencer for that.

One nitpick, there was no deck article for the Kuriboh girl a the end of last chapter.

Inferno_Dragon

9th June 2006, 07:36 PM

That was an interesting battle. An Environmental Deck is something that you probably never see. I mean Bug Decks are one thing and Plant Decks are another but you seemed to combine two decks in one. True, Russel's character wasn't that strong but he did have a good character feel to him but that Knight Fusion was awesome. But I am interested in the next chapter. Let's see what happens to Randy.

Keep up the good work!!!

Mystic_clown

9th June 2006, 08:25 PM

I've just noticed something.

Why do you think Jack's the most annoying preson on the planet? Just because he's an environmentalist? If Russel thinks that, then someone should clue him in htat his army talk's not exactly pleasant either.

Shuppet Master

9th June 2006, 09:55 PM

*Starts to say something*

*Shuts his mouth when he realizes that he could end up starting a flame war*

Dark Sage

12th June 2006, 07:21 AM

Who would win a duel between Jaden Yuki and Rebecca Hawkins? Possibly, the duel between Randy and his sister Nadia earlier in this story gave an answer, and the end of that chapter promised something that I have kept a great secret up until now!

Hello, fanfic fans. Last chapter, Randy passed his exam with flying colors, but there was no time to celebrate, as a mysterious call on his cell phone claimed that his sister was being held hostage.

But before we get into that, a little insight on the history behind Randy’s cards. Tribes of Monsters have been popular as the game as progressed… Amazons, Gravekeepers, Archfiends, and so forth, Monsters that are not only the same Type, but hold a close bond that truly can’t be broken…

Which leads us to a tribe that has made a spectacular splash in recent years…

The Elemental Heroes!

It all began with The Lost Millennium booster pack, when the team was apparently founded. Like most teams, they started small, with only four members… They named themselves Avian, Burstinatrix, Sparkman, and Clayman. As far as Monsters went, they were ordinary Warriors with no effect, but they sure opened a few eyes. Up to this point, the only Monster who made a living fighting crime was Zombyra the Dark, and his effect was a liability unless you had a Skill Drain Deck.

Folks didn’t know that this was the start of a phenomenon. Other booster packs and promotions came, and the original Fab Four doubled in size to eight, including Bubbleman, Wildheart, Bladedge, and Necroshade. And it didn’t stop there… The group got a mascot, a robotic dog named Wroughtweiler…

And then came the accessories. With Skyscraper released, they had home-field advantage. Spells and Traps from the useful (Hero Signal) to the trivial (Burst Return?) came out, and they even got a fusion card made especially for them, Miracle Fusion, the Dragon’s Mirror for Heroes.

But there is one thing that sets these guys apart from even the X-Men. Ask any football coach, and he’ll say that the most important part of being on a team is teamwork. A team that doesn’t have it quickly falls apart. This is the primary reason that superhero teams tend to last much longer than supervillain teams – criminals just don’t have much of it.

And no team of Monsters has better teamwork than a group whose true power lies in the Fusion. With the exception of Bladedge, these superheroes aren’t all that super as far as Monsters go. Most of them are rather weak, in fact. But two together and a Polymerization card unleashes true power.

In The Lost Millennium pack there were two of them – four Heroes, two Fusions, it made sense. Dr. Crowler learned firsthand that the stronger your Monster is, the more it hurts when the Flame Wingman totals it! Ouch!

On the other end, there was Thunder Giant. If Sinister Serpent wasn’t illegal, this guy would be perfect. Still, even with the cost, his power is nothing to sneeze at, being able to destroy any Monster whose base Attack is weaker than his. And that’s BASE attack. Maha Vailo could load herself down with Equips, but she wouldn’t stand a chance against this guy.

Of course, many more Fusions came after that, and if you have a hand with two Heroes and a Polymerization in it, odds are that you can bring out something from a well-stocked Fusion Deck. To date, in the American game, thirty-four Elemental Hero Fusions exist. Not all are useful, but many are. And there’s still room for others… Mudballman and Electrum exist in Japan, and they have not yet exhausted all the ways two or more of these eight Warriors can match up.

How could I possibly make this group better? Well, possibly, I can’t. But I tried my hardest.

After Randy’s last duel, he traded his Dark Catapulter for a Hero that even Jaden didn’t know about! Who is this mysterious lost member of the team?

To keep this a secret, I had to be clever. Master of Paradox, my beta-reader, has proofread this chapter, and he knows this Monster’s name and effect, but he doesn’t know important details. When I sent him the chapter, it was purposely changed, so that he got an old prototype version of the Monster.

Also, whenever questions about this Hero came up, I did things that were a little underhanded, by purposely misleading people. Call me a liar if you want. The people at Marvel Comics did the same thing before the Thunderbolts were introduced.

To everyone who asked, you now do not know what I said was true, and what was a white lie.

You’ll have to read the chapter now. The only thing I will reveal at this point is, this Hero corrects a major injustice that has been done to the Elemental Heroes.

Randy will duel a third time later in the story. Whether this Hero appears again depends on whether demand is great enough.

Enjoy…

[B][I]They say a brother and a sister can be close to each other…

But how closer can two siblings be than two who grew in the same womb? When our mother carried us, we were close from the start, and the only time we weren’t close was the three minutes before Randy was born.

No matter how much I tease him, no matter how much I want to think he’s a rival in this skill, I guess I can’t deny that we have a bond between us, one that is unbreakable, one that will last forever.

No matter how you look at it, we’re stuck with each other.

And now we have to draw on that bond, if we want to prevail

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dr2-en096.jpg

Friday, September 24th, 2106, 11:20 AM

Randy rode up the elevator that led to the roof of the main building.

“Hold on, Nadia…” he muttered.

“You realize this is likely a trap,” said a voice behind him.

He turned around, and saw Sparkman.

“Yeah…” he answered, “but Nadia may be in trouble. I can’t abandon her…”

“You should be commended,” said the Hero. “And yet, I fear there may be more than meets the eye…”

He got out of the elevator and it opened onto open air. He looked down over a railing onto a depression on the roof.

“Nadia!” he shouted.

He ran down a set of stairs to where his sister was.

“Randy!” she shouted. “You’re all right!”

“Me?” he said. “What about you?”

“I got a call,” she said, “and they said that they had you and for me to come up here…”

Randy paused.

“Now this is weird…” he said.

“Forgive the deceit, heh, heh…” said a voice.

“But it was the only way we knew how to get both of you up here,” said another voice.

They turned, and saw two mysterious-looking figures.

One of them was tall and thin; the other was short and squat. Both were wearing violet robes with hoods that had a golden eye on the forehead.

“I don’t think it was very funny, people,” said Randy. “I have a right mind to…”

“And who are you two?” asked Nadia.

“Just two duelists,” said the tall one, “looking for a challenge. After all, we haven’t dueled for quite awhile…”

“Uh huh,” said the short one. “Who were the last two guys we dueled? Yugi-something and… something-Kaiba?”

“You trying to scare us?” asked Randy. “Next thing, you’ll be saying you’re both ghosts.”

“Possibly,” said the short one, lifting his head. “But now that all pretenses are over, you may call me Lumis, aka The Mask of Light…”

He lifted his head, and the right half of his face was covered with a silver mask with half an evil smile.

“And you may call me Umbra,” said the other one, “aka The Mask of Darkness!”

He lifted his head, and the left half of his face was covered by a black mask with half a scowling frown.

“Okay, that’s creepy…” answered Nadia.

“Two sides, same coin,” said Lumis. “The Yin and the Yang, just like you two are in a way. And you’re going to have to duel us both! Got it?”

“Suppose we say no?” asked Nadia.

Umbra took a card from out of his robe…

Dark Hole.

“Hey, that card is illegal,” said Nadia.

“True, to most duelists it’s nothing but trade-bait these days,” answered Umbra. “But I don’t intend to duel with it… I have another way to use it.”

It faded away, and a dark vortex appeared above the two twins!

“See that?” asked Umbra. “It’s a portal that can forcibly move any object – or any creature – to any other spot on the planet. I’m not going to say where it leads right now, but unless you two want to find out the hard way…”

“I think you’re bluffing…” muttered Randy.

“It could transport you to the middle of the Sahara, the Arctic, the Pacific Ocean… the center of a volcano…”

“Okay, somehow I don’t think they’re bluffing now!” exclaimed Nadia.

“No way!” shouted Randy. “Neither of us can duel two against one! We wouldn’t stand a…”

“Oh, please!” said Umbra. “We don’t want you to do that! We have some decency! It will be two-on-two, a team match!”

Nadia and Randy looked at each other.

“Uh… Randy?” muttered Nadia. “Do you know how to do a team duel?”

“Uh, I asked a teacher, and he said that isn’t covered until Sophomore year…” said Randy.

“Good grief, do we have to explain everything?” asked Lumis. “Listen close – each team has a pool of 8,000 Life Points, like in a normal duel. If one duelist loses any, it’s taken out of your team’s total. As usual, you win by reducing your opponents’ Life Points to zero.

“There is no sharing of advice, no sharing of strategies, and no sharing of cards that have not yet been played. However, you can use anything that’s already on the field. Got it?”

“I… think so…” said Nadia.

“Uhm…” said Randy. “Can you repeat that a little slower?”

“Ergh…” groaned Lumis, holding his forehead. “This is why I hate teenagers…”

Then the elevator opened, and Jason and Trisha came out.

“Oh no…” said Trisha.

She paused.

“What’s with the black cloud?”

“Randy! Nadia!” shouted Jason. “Please, don’t go through with this!”

“Butt out, you two!” said Umbra. “We’ll handle you guys later.”

“Don’t worry, guys, we can handle them,” said Nadia.

She pointed to the portal.

“We don’t really have a choice here...”

“But…” muttered Trisha.

She paused.

I’m almost certain that this is going to be a Shadow Game, she thought. That dark vortex is certainly a problem, but what would happen if they lost?

“Now,” said Umbra, as the four Disks activated, “the stage is set, and it’s time to duel!”

[B](Randy & Nadia: 8,000) (Lumis & Umbra: 8,000)

The dark vortex spun, and moaned with eerie wind…

“I’ll make the first move…” said Lumis, drawing a sixth card.

Heh, heh, he thought. Little does Nadia know, I prepared in advance, and I’ve got just what I need to break down her defenses.

“I’ll place three cards facedown,” he said, fitting three cards into his Disk.

Three facedown cards appeared.

“And then, Masked Sorcerer in Defense Mode.”

A ghostly mage wearing a steel mask appeared with a low moan. It pulled a golden metronex watch out of its robe and looked at it. Then it placed it back in its robe and shielded itself. (900/1,400)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN019.jpg

“And I’ll give the turn to you, Nadia.”

“All right, let’s see here…” said Nadia, drawing a card.

“I’ll summon Fire Princess in Attack Mode…”

She played the card, and an aura of flame appeared in front of her. The Princess stepped out, aiming her staff.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN034.jpg

“And then, two cards of my own facedown.”

She set two cards, and they appeared.

“I’ll end my turn there.”

“Very well, I’ll move…” said Umbra, drawing a card.

“And my Trap activates!” shouted Nadia. “Go, Solemn Wishes!”

Her Trap lifted.

This combo will help put us ahead, she thought. And my Gravity Bind should protect my Princess. Fortunately, a great deal of Randy’s Heroes only have three stars…

“Interesting,” said Umbra. “I’ll summon this guy in Attack Mode… Shining Abyss!”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a weird Monster appeared. It looked like it was part Fairy and part Machine, made of shiny metal. It made a strange, metallic noise as it glared at the twins. (1,600/1,800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN009.jpg

“No-one can attack until everyone has drawn once,” he continued, “so consider yourself lucky. That will be enough for now.”

Randy drew.

He smirked.

“I summon… Elemental Hero Wildheart!” he shouted.

He played the card, and a Warrior appeared. He looked like an Aborigine, bare-chested and muscular, with strange tattoos on his torso. He wore a loincloth and held a nasty sword. He frowned, and glared at the two masked duelists, lifting his blade. (1,500/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en008.jpg

All right! thought Nadia. Traps don’t work on Wildheart – he won’t care about my Gravity Bind!

“And what better Spell Card to use with someone who’s heart is as wild as his, but this one,” continued Randy, playing a card. “Heated Heart!”

A flaming, blue letter H appeared on their side of the field, and Wildheart glowed with the same blue fire. His Attack rose to 2,000.

“It not only gives him 500 more Attack Points for the round, but a trampling effect to boot! Awesome, huh?

“Although, frankly, I doubt your Masked Sorcerer would think so…

“Wildheart, attack! Wild slash!”

The wild Hero roared and charged, and slashed Masked Sorcerer in half with his blade! Lumis cringed…

[B](R & N: 8,000) (L & U: 7,400)

“Clever…” growled Lumis. “But before you end your turn, I’d like to activate this…”

One of his three facedown cards lifted.

“Mask of Restrict!”

A hideous tiki mask appeared on the field.

“So long as this Trap is active,” he said, “no sacrificing of Monsters is allowed. Got it?”

“Same goes for the two of you!” replied Nadia.

“I’m not too worried about that…” said Lumis. “I think it’s my draw…”

He drew a card.

“And I play Pot of Greed,” he said, playing it. “And I’ll draw twice…”

He drew two cards and looked at them.

“…but I believe I’ll save them for later and end my turn there…”

He looked at Umbra and they nodded.

“Well then,” said Nadia, drawing. “My Solemn Wishes kicks in…”

A shower of gold fell on her and Randy.

“…as does the effect of Fire Princess!”

Fire Princess took notice, and aimed her staff, shooting two bursts of flame at the masked duelists!

“I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode,” she said, “and that will be my turn…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

[B](R & N: 8,500) (L & U: 6,900)

“My draw…” growled Umbra, drawing a card.

“And I’ll wipe out your Solemn Wishes with Mystical Space Typhoon!”

He played the card, and Nadia’s Trap was blown away!

“Now then…” he said, “I’ll give Shining Abyss a boost, by playing Mask of Brutality!”

A dark mask with fangs and claws for eyes fitted over Shining Abyss’s face, and its stats changed to (2,600/800)

“Clever move,” said Randy. “NOT! I happen to know that you have to pay Life Points every turn you want to keep that Equip Card.”

“No we won’t…” said Umbra, with a grin.

He played a Spell Card, one bearing the image of a rickety puppet with the Eye of Wdjat on its face, and a stake through its chest.

“It’s a rare card called Masked Doll,” he said. “So long as this card is on the field, one card that requires a cost… uhm… uh… it… it doesn’t require a cost.”

“Oh, that was original…” muttered Nadia.

“Whatever,” said Umbra. “Shining Abyss, attack Wildheart! Chaos blast!”

“I activate my Trap!” shouted Nadia. “Go, Gravity Bind!”

Her Trap Card lifted.

“Oh, will you?” chuckled Lumis. “I was prepared for that, Nadia… I activate… Royal Surrender!”

One of his two facedown cards lifted, showing the image of soldiers on a blasted castle.

“This Counter Trap can negate and destroy any Continuous Trap Card,” he said. “So your Gravity Bind is destroyed, and I don’t have to pay a dime. Got it?”

Gravity Bind shattered.

“And by the way, so is your partner’s Wildheart…”

Shining Abyss raised its hands and shot a beam of light and a beam of blackness at the Hero, blowing him to shards.

“Well, that… could have gone better…” said Randy.

[B](R & N: 7,400) (L & U: 6,900)

“Your move, kid,” said Umbra. “Don’t screw up as bad as your sister did…”

Randy drew a card.

“I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in Defense Mode…” he said, angrily.

The female Elemental Hero appeared with a cry, and did a flip, and then knelt in defense. (1,200/800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN002.jpg

“I’ll end my turn there,” he said.

“That all?” said Lumis. “This is going to be easier than I thought…”

He drew a card.

“First, I’ll summon Melchid the Four-Face Beast in Attack Mode…”

He played a card, and a creature that looked like a big head with four masks around it appeared, hovering in mid-air. It grinned with the face in front… And then spun around, grinning with three others before returning to the one in front. (1,500/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN012.jpg

“Well, let’s see now…” he said, rubbing his chin. “I could destroy either of your Monsters right now…”

He fit two Spell Cards into his Disk.

“But I have a much better idea… I activate two copies of the same card… Mask of the Accursed!”

Fire Princess and Burstinatrix gasped…

Two bolts of darkness shot forward and hit them both in the face! When Randy and Nadia looked, a hideous iron mask had latched to both of them!

“Not exactly the best feminine attire but…” said Lumis with a short laugh.

“This is bad…” said Jason. “A Monster that has one of those Equipped to it can’t attack, and will cost the owner 500 Life Points each time Lumis starts his turn!

“Your friends over there are smart,” said Lumis. “Or 1,000 total, to be exact. And my current turn ends right now. Got it?”

Nadia drew a card.

“Well,” she said, “if I can’t attack, I’m not letting you guys either! I play Level Limit Area B!”

She played a card.

“Heh, heh, heh…” laughed Lumis. “As if…”

His last Trap lifted.

“I activate Spell-Stopping Statute!”

The Imperial Order judge appeared, and raised his hand. The Level Limit card shattered!

“This works like Royal Surrender, only on Continuous Spell Cards,” said Lumis.

“Don’t you get it yet? Our boss watched that duel where you owned Randy, so we prepared for all your cards! Got it?”

Nadia paused.

“I’ll end with a facedown card…” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

[B](R & N: 7,400) (L & U: 6,900)

“Well,” said Umbra, drawing a card. “Guess the only thing to do is… get rid of your other Monster!

“Shining Abyss, attack her facedown Monster!”

Shining Abyss shot its chaos blast… Nadia smirked…

A man in a toga with golden, feathered wings appeared on the card, and was blown away.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SRL-EN088.jpg

“Thank you!” said Nadia. “When Shining Angel is destroyed in battle, I can summon a Light Attribute Monster with a low Attack Score from my deck!

“So say hello… to White Magician Pikeru!”

Pikeru appeared, holding her scepter. (1,200/0)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/AST-033.jpg

“Eh… Nothing we can’t handle…” muttered Umbra. “I’ll end my turn.”

Randy drew a card.

“I play my Pot of Greed…” he said.

He played the card, and drew two cards.

“Well, sis, it seems our Monsters are in trouble…” he said.

“No kidding…” answered Nadia.

“Time to send out an emergency call,” continued Randy. “And that’s exactly the name of the card I’m going to use… Emergency Call!”

He played the Spell Card, and a fiery green E appeared in the air.

“By playing this card, I can add one Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand…” he said, taking his deck.

He got what he needed.

“But he’s not staying in my hand, because I’m summoning him! Meet Elemental Hero Clayman!”

The bulky Earth Hero appeared on the field. He looked at Burstinatrix and then at Lumis. It was hard to tell the expression on his rocky face, but it was clear he was angry… (800/2,000)

“And how is that reject from an art supply store going to help?” asked Lumis.

“I’m using him to use my next card,” answered Randy. “It’s called… Righteous Justice!”

He played another Spell Card, and a fiery red letter R appeared.

“What does that do?” asked Umbra.

“Yeah, what?” asked Trisha.

“For every Elemental Hero on our side of the field,” said Randy, “I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card, and even though Burstinatrix has a mask stuck on her face, she still counts…”

The Mask of the Accursed on Fire Princess shattered, and then the Mask of Brutality on Shining Abyss shattered.

“HA, HA, HA!” laughed Umbra. “Idiot! You could have just destroyed the mask on Burstinatrix!”

“I know, I know,” said Randy. “But I intend to destroy that one… By getting rid of Burstinatrix.”

“Weren’t you listening a little while ago?” asked Lumis. “So long as my Mask of Restrict is on the field, you can’t sacrifice her!”

“Who said I was going to?” answered Randy.

Continued…

Dark Sage

12th June 2006, 07:27 AM

Continued from last post:

He played a card, and Polymerization appeared on the field.

“See,” he said, “using a Monster in a fusion isn’t considered a sacrifice. And doing so will send Burstinatrix to the Graveyard, taking your Mask with her.

“So, Burstinatrix, merge with Clayman…”

The two heroes melded together in a red and brown blur...

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN002.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LOB-EN059.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN003.jpg

“And form, the one, the only, Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster!”

Where the two Heroes had been was powerful-looking female figure in gunmetal grey armor, with a powerful gun for one hand and a shield for the other. She faced the two robed duelists and their Monsters and then aimed her huge weapon. (2,000/2,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp1-en012.jpg

“ARGH!” shouted Umbra. “He managed to summon a powerful Monster!”

“Sure…” said Randy. “I mean… Fusion Summoning is the whole purpose of my deck… You said you had prepared for this duel, right?”

Lumis stood dumbfounded.

“Rampart Blaster, show them how you got your name!” shouted Randy. “Blast their Shining Abyss!”

Rampart Blaster aimed her weapon and a loud click sounded. Beads of sweat appeared on Shining Abyss’s “head”.

She fired a round of hot shells from her gun, and Shining Abyss staggered a little as flames erupted over it! It exploded.

[B](R & N: 7,400) (L & U: 6,500)

“Lumis…” growled Umbra. “Why didn’t you take him into consideration?”

“The boss told me that Nadia was better!” shouted Lumis. “That she had beaten him soundly!”

“Soundly?” said Nadia, with a short laugh. “Come on… Even I’ll admit that the duel we had was a close one…”

“Lumis, if we lose again…” growled Umbra.

“Focus, Umbra!” shouted Lumis. “Arguing with each other was what did us in the last time, remember?”

“Hello, it’s your move?” said Randy.

“Fine!” said Lumis, drawing a card.

“Since my Mask of Restrict seemingly hurts us more than it does you two,” he said, “I’ll play Heavy Storm!”

He played the card, and a storm whipped across the field. The Mask shattered, and then Masked Doll and Nadia’s facedown card (revealed to be Draining Shield) shattered too.

“Melchid, take out Nadia’s Fire Princess!” he shouted. “Quadruple smash attack!”

The Four-Face Beast spun around, and slammed into Fire Princess, blowing her to shards.

“Finally, I’ll sacrifice Melchid to summon Illusionist Faceless Mage, in Defense Mode.”

Melchid vanished, and a tall creature appeared. It was a faceless, bald creature in colorful robes, with two doll heads (one a girl, the other a boy) on its shoulders. (1,200/2,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN068.jpg

“And I’ll end my turn there… Umbra, you clean up…”

[B](R & N: 7,200) (L & U: 6,500)

Nadia drew a card.

“We’ll see,” she said. “First, due to Pikeru’s effect, we gain 400 Life Points for every Monster on our side of the field, in other words, 800…”

Pikeru raised her staff, and she and Rampart Blaster glowed. Then Nadia and Randy glowed.

“Next, I’ll place a card facedown, and summon Mystic Tomato in Defense Mode.”

A facedown card appeared, and then the huge, red fruit with a silly face materialized. (1,400/1,100)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TP4-015.jpg

“Your move, gruesome.”

Umbra drew a card.

“I summon Grand Tiki Elder in Attack Mode!” he exclaimed.

As he put the card down, a creature appeared with a cackle. It was an evil-looking witch doctor in a colorful mask and a ragged robe, that floated above the ground. It bore wicked claws. (1,500/800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN011.jpg

“Attack Pikeru!” he shouted. “Tiki curse!”

Grand Tiki Elder started to wave its arms and chant an evil spell in a spooky language.

“Sorry, buddy,” said Nadia, “but you did just what I wanted you to do… I activate… Staunch Defender!”

Her Trap Card lifted, showing the image of Marauding Captain standing up to Despair From the Dark.

“When this Trap is activated,” she explained, “all of your attacks this round are directed to the Monster I choose, and I choose my Mystic Tomato.”

The Elder continued to chant, and it turned to Mystic Tomato. It cringed, and then burst into globs of tomato paste.

Nadia smirked, and took her deck.

“Now I can summon a Dark Monster from my deck with a low Attack Score. Your Fiend over there would qualify, but the Dark Monster I have in mind is a whole lot less ugly…”

She placed a card down.

“In fact, I’d say she’s adorable.”

Ebon Magician Curran appeared next to Pikeru. (1,200/0)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en0311.jpg

The two sisters turned to each other, and nodded. Then they turned to face Lumis and Umbra.

“Boy…” said Nadia. “Usually they don’t like each other too much… But it seems now, they like you two even less!”

Umbra paused.

“I end my turn…” he said.

“And now it’s my move!” shouted Randy.

He drew.

“First I’ll shift Rampart Blaster into Defense Mode…”

Rampart Blaster knelt down and covered herself with her shield, but she still pointed her gun forward.

“Next, I’ll summon this guy in Attack Mode… Elemental Hero Bubbleman!”

A burst of water erupted onto the field. Bubbleman appeared, and struck a pose. (800/1,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en014.jpg

“And now I’ll arm him with Bubble Blaster!”

Bubbleman’s weapon of choice fell from the sky, and he caught it. His Attack score rose to 1,600.

“Bubbleman, attack that freaky Tiki!” he shouted. “B…”

“Hold it, Randy!” said Nadia. “Can you let me say it this time?”

“Heh, sure…” laughed Randy. “Be my guest…”

“Bombarding… bubble… barrage!” yelled Nadia.

Bubbleman fired a blast of water from his cannon. Grand Tiki Elder gasped, and then burst in an explosion of bubbles!

“Next, I’ll activate Rampart Blaster’s special ability,” continued Randy. “And it’s a good one…”

“I sure hope so,” said Jason, “cause I don’t even know what it is…”

“When Rampart Blaster is in Defense Mode,” said Trisha, “she can attack directly, doing damage equal to half her Attack Score.”

“That’s right!” shouted Randy. “Rampart Blaster, blast them!”

Rampart Blaster fired two explosive blasts from her weapon, and Lumis and Umbra were propelled backwards!

[B](R & N: 7,200) (L & U: 5,400)

“Tell me again… why we agreed to this?” asked Umbra, pulling himself up.

“Because…” answered Lumis.

Then he looked up, and saw Jason and Trisha.

“You know why…” he answered.

“This is great,” exclaimed Jason. “Nadia and Randy are not only winning, they seem to be having fun doing so!”

“I knew they wouldn’t stay rivals for long,” said Trisha, taking out her deck.

She leafed through it, and took out the Dark Catapulter card that Randy had traded to her…

Lumis drew a card.

“I pass, there’s nothing I can do!” he shouted.

Nadia drew a card.

“Great…” she said. “Now, because of Curran, you lose 300 Life Points for every Monster on your side of the field…”

Curran cast a dark spell, and Illusionist Faceless Mage glowed with dark energy.

“Then, because of Pikeru, we gain 400 Life Points for every Monster on our side…”

Pikeru, Curran, Bubbleman, and Rampart Blaster glowed with white energy. And then Randy and Nadia glowed.

“And I’ll just let that be my turn,” she added.

[B](R & N: 8,800) (L & U: 5,100)

Umbra drew a card.

“Time to get rid of Curran,” he said. “No way I’m letting you summon your Dark Queen…

“I play the Ritual Spell Card, Contract of Mask. For this ritual, I need to sacrifice six stars worth of Monsters. Fortunately, my partner and I just love to share…”

“Mmm!” said Lumis.

“Therefore…” said Umbra, playing the card, “I’ll sacrifice Illusionist Faceless Mage and one Kuriboh…”

A Kuriboh appeared on the field. It and the Spellcaster vanished.

“…to summon a creature of chaos called Mask of Shine and Dark!”

An ominous form arose on the field. It was a scary-looking mask, apparently made of metal of some sort, with an evil grin. Half of it was gold, the other half was violet. It smiled a very evil smile. (2,000/1,800)

“It’s kind of like us…” said Umbra. “Two sides, same coin, having both Light and Dark powers, although if it had to choose, it would choose Dark.

“Attack Curran! Chaos gaze!”

Mask of Shine and Dark’s eyes glowed, and a ripple of energy exuded from it. Curran cringed, and then she shattered into bits.

[B](R & N: 8,000) (L & U: 5,100)

“I really hope you enjoyed that…” said Randy, angrily.

He drew a card.

“Rampart Blaster, attack them again!”

Blaster fired two shots past the Mask, and they were thrown back again.

[B](R & N: 8,000) (L & U: 4,100)

“I’ll end my turn there…” he said.

Lumis crawled to his feet.

“Sorry Randy…” he said, drawing a card, “but your Blaster has got to go…”

He played a Spell Card.

“I play Masquerade,” he said. “This is a rare card made specifically for team duels. So long as it’s on the field, I can command any of Umbra’s Monsters as if they were mine. Got it?”

“Next, I’ll play Rush Recklessly, to give Mask of Shine and Dark a boost.”

He played a card, and the creature rose to 2,700 Attack.

“Now, blast his Rampart Blaster!”

The Mask’s eyes glowed, and the chaos gaze rippled forward. Rampart Blaster cringed, and then blew into shards.

“Great…” muttered Jason. “That leaves Pikeru and… Bubbleman… Not exactly their best Monsters.”

“I think they can hear you, Jason…” said Trisha.

“Yeah, I can hear you,” said Nadia, drawing a card, “and everything is under control…

“First I’ll use Pikeru’s effect to gain us 800 Life Points…”

Pikeru and Bubbleman and their owners glowed with energy.

“Now I’ll Equip Pikeru with… Trial of the Princess!”

She played the card. Pikeru glowed with energy, and her Attack rose to 2,000.

Umbra sneered.

“Unfortunately, that makes her and our Monster evenly matched…” he growled.

“Uh, Randy…” said Nadia, sweetly. “Mind if I borrow Bubbleman?”

“Sure sis…” said Randy. “What’s mine is yours…”

“Right!” said Nadia. “I play Gift of the Martyr!”

She played the card, and Bubbleman vanished.

“Now, by sacrificing Bubbleman, his Attack Score is added to Pikeru’s for one round!”

Pikeru rose to 3,600 Attack!

“You had to open your big mouth…” muttered Lumis.

“Pikeru, attack the Mask of Shine and Dark!” shouted Nadia. “Sparkle blast!”

White Magician Pikeru laughed with joy. She blasted a beam of stars and sparks, and the Mask of Shine and Dark stopped grinning, its face turning into a frown. Cracks appeared over it… and then it blew into fragments!

“And now…” said Nadia, “since she defeated a Monster who was at least five stars while Equipped with Trial of the Princess, she evolves into Princess Pikeru!”

Pikeru rose off the ground, and glowed brightly… A bright glow enveloped her…

When the glow subsided, she had transformed into a teenage version of herself, in royal clothing with long, braided hair. The sheep-shaped hat was still on her head, but it was now a more elegant crown. She clutched a long, fancier scepter. (2,000/0)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi_en0271u.jpg

“Now, I’ll place two cards facedown, and end my turn…” she said.

She threw two cards into her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

[B](R & N: 8,800) (L & U: 2,500)

Umbra growled as he drew.

“I play Card of Sanctity!” he exclaimed, playing a card. “Now, each player on the field must draw until they hold six cards.”

All four of them made multiple draws.

“Heh, heh…” he snickered. “And now let’s play some of them! I play… Curse of the Masked Beast!”

He played the card, and a fiendish altar with two violet torches next to them appeared.

“Oh… no…” muttered Jason. “This is NOT good!”

“Now, I have to sacrifice eight stars worth of Monsters…” said Umbra. “So I’ll sacrifice these two…”

Two creatures (Jason recognized them as Nuvia the Wicked and Flash Assailant) appeared in front of the altar and leapt on the torches…

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN013.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN016.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SRL-EN082.jpg

Then the whole thing was consumed in purple fire…

“I summon The Masked Beast!” he shouted.

A horrible creature walked out of the flames. It looked centaurian in shape, though it only had two legs, which were fiendish talons, on its crustaceous lower body. It was covered with pieces of armor shaped like demonic masks. Its upper body was muscular, and its face had an eyeless mask covered with spikes. It carried a nasty club, and even that had a mask on it. (3,200/1,800)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en214.jpg

“3,200 Attack Points?” said Randy. “Give me a break…”

“As you wish…” said Umbra. “Masked Beast, ‘break’ Princess Pikeru!”

The huge Fiend roared, and charged at the Princess. Pikeru screamed and covered her head, dropping her scepter.

“NO!” screamed Nadia. “Activate Trap…”

Her facedown card lifted.

“Absolute End!”

“What the…” said Umbra.

“This forces your Monster to hit me instead of Pikeru!” screamed Nadia.

Pikeru dodged aside, and The Masked Beast smashed into Nadia with its club, sending her tumbling to the floor…

Nadia winced in pain. She heard the Fiend laughing an evil laugh. Pikeru started to weep silently as she slowly retrieved her scepter…

[B](R & N: 5,600) (L & U: 2,500)

“That was the dumbest thing I have ever seen…” said Umbra with a grin. “You actually care about your Monsters so much that you’d take a direct attack that powerful to protect them?”

“I couldn’t let Pikeru die…” gasped Nadia.

“I’ll just get her on my turn!” gloated Lumis. “Or have you forgotten, my Masquerade is still on the field?”

“No…” snarled Nadia. “I didn’t forget…”

Her other facedown card lifted.

“Go, Dust Tornado!” she shouted.

The Tornado blew across the field, and shattered the Masquerade card.

“Lucky…” said Lumis.

“We’ll soon see…” said Randy. “It’s my move now…”

He drew a card.

“And I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack Mode!”

The streamlined Hero of Light appeared, striking a heroic pose. (1,600/1,400)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN004.jpg

“And now I’ll play his favorite Spell Card,” continued Randy. “The Equip Card, Spark Blaster!”

He played the card, and a sparking handgun appeared in Sparkman’s hand.

“This weapon has three charges,” explained Randy. “By using one, Sparkman can change the battle position of any Monster on the field.

“So that masked abomination of yours is moving into Defense Mode!”

Sparkman fired a blast of electricity from the Blaster, and the Masked Beast howled in rage. It strained for a second, and then kneeled, and shielded itself defensively.

“Nice try,” said Umbra. “But it has 1,800 Defense Points, which is too much for your Sparkman.”

“Well, guess I’ll end my turn with a facedown card then,” said Randy.

He played a card, and a facedown card appeared.

“Over to you, lighthead.”

“That’s The Mask of Light!” shouted Lumis, drawing.

He looked at the card.

“I’ll summon Rogue Doll in Attack Mode,” he said, playing the card.

A strange creature, resembling a floating female form in a purple cloak carrying a staff appeared. (1,600/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SKE-004.jpg

“And next, I’ll Equip it with another Mask of Brutality.”

Another of the nasty masks formed on Rogue Doll’s face, and it changed to (2,600/0)

“Rogue Doll, attack Pikeru! Rogue phantom blast!”

The Doll’s staff glowed…

“Sorry to ruin you plan, shiny,” said Randy, “but I’m not too keen on losing Pikeru either…”

His facedown card lifted.

“Go, Hero Barrier!”

The blast shot forward and struck an invisible shield.

“This Trap can negate one attack so long as an Elemental Hero is on the field,” he said, “and Sparkman is in plain sight!”

“We’ll get her next turn,” said Lumis. “It’s your turn, brat! Got it?”

“Now, Nadia,” said Randy, “draw the right card, and bring out the Queen!”

Nadia slowly drew…

“Yes!” she said. “I got it, Randy, I got it!

“First, due to Pikeru’s effect, we gain 800 Life Points for each Monster we have on the field…”

Pikeru and Sparkman glowed and their owners glowed…

“And then, I Equip Pikeru with Coronation!” she shouted.

She played the card, and Pikeru rose to 2,700 Attack.

“Now, all Pikeru has to do to evolve further is defeat a Monster with seven stars or more, and since your ugly excuse for a Monster has eight stars, that won’t be difficult.

“Pikeru, attack The Masked Beast!”

Pikeru shot a blast of brilliant energy, and The Masked Beast was blown into gibbets!

“And now…” said Nadia, as Pikeru started to glow, “let’s all welcome… the mistress of white magic… White Queen Pikeru!”

A brilliant glow enveloped the Princess, and then a radiant form stepped out. It was an adult version of Pikeru, now buxom with curves, in a gorgeous royal dress, golden braids, and wearing a golden crown. Her eyes were globules of golden light. (2,600/2,100)

“And I end my turn by playing a facedown card,” she said with a smirk.

A facedown card appeared.

Continued…

Dark Sage

12th June 2006, 07:29 AM

Continued from last post:

[B](R & N: 7,200) (L & U: 2,500)

“Umbra do something!” shouted Lumis.

Umbra drew a card.

“I play Pot of Greed…” he said.

He drew two cards.

He looked them over.

“I summon Humanoid Slime in Defense Mode,” said Umbra.

A glob of protoplasm appeared on his side of the field, and a creature made of blue liquid wearing golden armor appeared. (800/2,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN003.jpg

“I meant something better than that…” said Lumis, sarcastically.

“Like you can do better!” said Umbra, fitting a card into his Disk.

A facedown card materialized.

He looked at Nadia and Randy.

Go on, attack me… he thought. The Mirror Force I put down will make you sorry…

Randy drew a card.

“First, I’ll summon Elemental Hero Avian in Defense Mode,” he said.

The winged, taloned hero appeared, and crouched in Defense. (1,000/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN001.jpg

“Then it’s time to use the last two charges on the Spark Blaster,” he said. “First, I’ll move Rogue Doll into Defense Mode…”

Sparkman shot a blast, and Rogue Doll moved into Defense.

“Then I’ll move Humanoid Slime into Attack Mode!”

He shot another blast, and the Slime rose up into Attack Position.

The Spark Blaster shattered into shards.

“Sparkman, take out Rogue Doll! Shining surge flash!”

Sparkman shot a blast of electricity at the Doll.

“I activate Mirror Force!” shouted Umbra.

His Trap Card lifted.

“Oh, great…” muttered Randy.

“Don’t worry, bro…” said Nadia, “I got it covered. Activate… Seven Tools of the Bandit!”

Her own Trap lifted, and a huge jackknife flew forward. The Mirror Force card smashed into pieces!

“Do you believe in the old superstition that breaking a mirror is bad luck?” laughed Nadia. “I’d say your Rogue Doll thinks so…”

Sparkman’s blast struck the Doll, and blew it to smithereens!

“Don’t get too smug…” muttered Lumis. “You used Seven Tools of the Bandit to save your Monsters, and that costs you 1,000 Life Points…”

“I know how my own cards work…” answered Nadia.

[B](R & N: 6,200) (L & U: 2,500)

“It’s your move, Lumis, unless you want to call this off,” said Randy. “Why don’t you just make the vortex go away, we’ll pretend this all never happened, and go get some lunch? The Slifer dining hall is serving sloppy joes today, and frankly…”

“NO!” shouted Lumis, drawing a card.

“First I’ll summon a Monster you might remember, seeing as my partner used one,” he said. “Grand Tiki Elder, in Attack Mode…”

The creepy tiki appeared again. (1,500/800)

“And I’ll have him attack your Avian!”

The Elder cast his tiki curse, and Avian groaned. He shattered.

“Then I’ll play… Silent Doom. Now I can summon a Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode. You remember my Illusionist Faceless Mage, right?”

The bizarre Spellcaster reappeared. (1,200/2,200)

“Then I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

Nadia drew a card.

“I’ll place a facedown card too,” she said.

A facedown card appeared in front of her.

“And now, Pikeru, attack Humanoid Slime!”

Pikeru blasted a ray of pure, white magic, and humanoid slime splattered into water.

“And due to her special ability, the Attack Points of that Monster are added to our Life Points,” she added.

[B](R & N: 7,000) (L & U: 700)

“They’re winning,” said Jason. “One more successful attack, and this will all be but an unpleasant memory…”

“That will be my turn, pal,” said Nadia.

Umbra drew a card.

“I pass this turn,” he said. “Lumis, you’d better have an idea in that fat head of yours…”

Randy looked at Lumis to see if he had taken the hint, and then drew a card.

“Sparkman, attack Grand Tiki Elder!” he shouted.

Sparkman blasted his energy bolts…

“Sorry…” said Lumis. “I activate… Mask of Weakness!”

His facedown card lifted, and another ugly mask flew forward, latching onto Sparkman!

“This lowers his Attack by 700 points, so now my Tiki is stronger. Got it?”

Grand Tiki Elder counter-attacked with his dark curse, and Sparkman was blown to pieces.

[B](R & N: 6,400) (L & U: 700)

“Crud…” muttered Randy. “Okay, that’s enough for me…”

Lumis drew.

“Think I’ll just move my Elder to Defense Mode, and that will be all,” he said.

The Tiki shielded itself in Defense.

“All right Randy,” said Nadia, drawing. “Sparkman’s death won’t be in vain. Pikeru, attack Grand Tiki Elder!”

Pikeru fired her white spell, and the witch doctor was vaporized.

“And, once again, we gain Life Points equal to its Attack Points…” she said. “It’s your move.”

[B](R & N: 7,900) (L & U: 700)

Umbra drew.

“I play a Spell Card…” he said in an ominous voice. “The Vase of Unholy Blight…”

He played the card, and a black, far more sinister version of the Pot of Greed appeared in front of him.

“Scared?” he asked, taking his deck. “Relax. This is simply a drawing tool. I remove one Dark Monster in my deck from play…”

He showed them a Masked Sorcerer.

“Then I reshuffle…”

He reshuffled.

“And then I get to draw three times…”

He put his deck back, and drew three cards. He looked at them.

“Two of them go facedown…” he said.

He fit two cards into his Disk, and two facedown cards materialized.

“Then I play Monster Reborn,” he said. “And I’ll bring back my old friend Mask of Shine and Dark.”

He played the card, and the freaky mask reappeared. (2,000/1,800)

“But don’t worry, I don’t intend to attack with him,” he continued. “He’s just here so I can play Mystik Wok.”

He played another card, and the Mask faded into smoke.

“Now we gain Life Points equal to its Attack Score,” he continued. “I’ll end my turn there.”

“This had better work, Umbra…” whispered Lumis.

[B](R & N: 7,900) (L & U: 2,700)

“That’s odd,” said Jason. “Why didn’t he do that with The Masked Beast? He’d have gotten more Life Points.”

“I dunno…” said Trisha.

“Then I draw…” said Randy.

“And my Trap activates!” shouted Umbra. “I activate… Dividing Path of Destiny.”

One of his facedown cards lifted, showing the image of Warrior Dai Grepher approaching a dark crossroads in the woods.

“What does that do?” asked Randy, getting nervous.

“Catch,” answered Umbra.

A golden coin fell into Randy’s hand.

Umbra lifted up his hand to show that he had one as well.

“Here’s how it works,” he explained. “At the Dividing Path of Destiny, one road leads to healing Light, and the other leads to draining Darkness. It’s impossible to see where you’re going where the road divides, and you won’t know which path you’ve taken until you actually reach Light or Darkness. And the Path is different for everyone who dares approach, so there is no way to mark the paths. Thus, choosing the path to Light depends on one thing only…

“Pure chance.

“When this Trap is activated, both players flip one coin. If he calls it right, he has taken the path to Light, and gains 2,000 Life Points. If he calls it wrong, he has taken the path to Darkness, and loses 2,000 Life Points.”

Randy gave him a strange look.

“Fine by me,” he said.

He tossed it in the air.

“Heads!” he shouted.

“Tails!” yelled Umbra, tossing his.

The coins fell to the ground.

Nadia cheered as both of them came up heads!

[B](R & N: 9,900) (L & U: 700)

“Looks like Umbra’s big plan was a big backfire!” laughed Trisha.

“Then why is he smiling?” asked Jason.

“Yeah, why?” asked Nadia.

“I activate my other Trap,” said Umbra. “Life Equalizer.”

His other facedown card lifted, showing a picture of a fallen soldier drawing energy out of an enemy who was about to strike him with a sword.

“What’s that?” asked Nadia.

“A useful Trap to have when your opponent is an annoying player who simply won’t stop raising her Life Points!” said Umbra, with a smile. “This Trap can only be played when my opponent is winning by a margin of 8,000 Life Points or more. Now, both our Life Point scores become 3,000.

“I forgot to mention one thing, Nadia…”

He tapped the mask on his face.

“Being the Mask of Darkness, the path to Darkness was exactly what I wanted…”

He grinned.

Randy and Nadia stared in disbelief as the scores changed…

[B](R & N: 3,000) (L & U: 3,000)

“Talk about a dirty trick…” muttered Jason.

“But clever, too,” said Trisha. “This could be trouble…”

“Nice going,” said Lumis, with a grin. “Now let’s take them out.”

Umbra gave him a thumbs-up.

Nuts, thought Jason. Not only did that successful strategy give Lumis and Umbra the advantage, it got them to stop arguing and trust each other again…

And that’s bad… Because in a two-on-two duel, trust is the most important part. Nadia and Randy had a chance when they were losing it, but now…

Randy looked at the card he had just drawn.

“All right!” he said, angrily. “I play Pot of Avarice.”

He played the card.

“A useful card when using my kind of deck, because it lets you recycle your Heroes. Now, I take five Monsters from my Graveyard of any type, and shuffle them back into my deck.”

He took Sparkman, Clayman, Burstinatrix, Avian, and Wildheart, and shuffled them into his deck.

“Then I draw twice…” he said.

He made two draws.

“And I got lucky, cause I just drew one of the cards I just put back there. I summon Burstinatrix in Attack Mode!”

Burstinatrix appeared with a war cry as she flew onto the field. (1,200/800)

“I end my turn,” he said.

“That was a dumb move....” muttered Lumis, drawing a card. “Really dumb…”

“I play Monster Reborn to bring back Melchid.”

Melchid the Four-Face Beast reappeared. (1,500/1,200)

“Melchid, attack Burstinatrix!” he shouted.

Melchid spun towards Burstinatrix, and she was smashed to pieces.

“Now I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn…” he said.

A facedown card materialized.

[B](R & N: 2,700) (L & U: 3,000)

“You know, for someone who’s Monster was just defeated, Randy doesn’t seem all too upset…” said Jason.

“No…” muttered Trisha. “In fact, he looks quite happy…”

She paused. Then a realization hit.

“He wanted Lumis to destroy her…” she muttered. “I don’t know why, but he did…”

Nadia drew.

“I summon Cure Mermaid in Attack Mode…” she stated.

In a flurry of bubbles, the elegantly dressed mermaid appeared. (1,500/800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN041.jpg

“Pikeru, attack Melchid!” shouted Nadia.

Pikeru shot her blast…

“Not this time…” said Lumis. “I activate Negate Attack!”

His Trap Card lifted, and the blast was deflected.

“Well then…” said Nadia, “I’ll place one card facedown, and that will be my turn…”

A facedown card appeared behind Pikeru.

Umbra drew a card.

Hmm… he thought. I drew Chaos Sacrifice… But maybe I should wait before I play it. I have a feeling I know what Lumis is going to do on his next move…

“I’ll pass this turn again…” he said.

“Then watch out!” shouted Randy, drawing a card.

He played a Spell Card.

“I play… Oversoul!” he shouted. “This card lets me Special Summon one Elemental Hero from my Graveyard, so long as it isn’t an Effect Monster.”

A flaming letter O appeared in the air, and Burstinatrix appeared in an aura of flames. (1,200/800)

“And that,” he continued, “leads to me playing this… HERO Flash!!”

He played another Spell Card, and the letters H-E-R-O appeared in the air in flaming letters.

“It’s the ultimate five-card Elemental Hero combo, and here’s how it works,” he said. “I have to remove Heated Heart, Emergency Call, Righteous Justice, and Oversoul from play…”

The five Spell Cards fell out of his discard slot.

“And once I do that, I can first summon a non-Effect Hero from my deck…”

Avian appeared, in Attack Mode. (1,000/1,000)

“And then, for this round only, my Heroes can attack you guys directly! Go!”

Avian soared into the air, and then drop-kicked Umbra! Burstinatrix flew into the air and shot a plume of flame at Lumis!

They groaned and picked themselves up off the floor.

[B](R & N: 2,700) (L & U: 800)

“You okay, partner?” asked Lumis, getting up.

“So long as I don’t laugh or sing any time soon,” muttered Umbra, holding his ribs. “Don’t worry, Lumis, we’ll get them good…”

Lumis drew a card.

“Indeed…” he muttered. “Time to bring out the most vicious beast in my deck…

“I sacrifice Illusionist Faceless Mage, and Melchid the Four-Face Beast, to summon the one…”

The two Monsters vanished.

“…the only…”

A shadowy form started to rise.

[B]”Masked Beast Des Guardius!”

The creature appeared. It looked like a hideous cross between a reptile and a bear, with giant claws and horns all over its body. It had three masks, one on its face, and two on each shoulder. It threw up its arms and roared! (3,300/2,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/g5-b2.jpg

“What the…” said Nadia.

“That is the ugliest Duel Monster I have ever seen!” shouted Randy.

“And just to make sure your facedown card doesn’t get in my way,” said Lumis, looking at Nadia, “I’m playing Mystical Space Typhoon!”

He played the card, and the fierce typhoon shot forward, shattering Nadia’s card.

“Sisters of Chaos?” he asked. “What the heck does that do?”

“It was a bluff…” muttered Nadia.

“Ah, well,” said Lumis, shrugging. “Better safe than sorry. Des Guardius, attack Pikeru!”

The giant Beast lunged forward, and made two swipes, blasting Pikeru to shards.

Tears formed in Nadia’s eyes…

“Pikeru…” she sobbed.

[B](R & N: 2,000) (L & U: 800)

“Your move, little girl,” said Lumis.

Nadia’s hand quivered as she drew a card.

Cure Mermaid gestured, and a large bubble appeared, showering healing water over Nadia and Randy.

“I’ll move Cure Mermaid to Defense Mode…” she stammered, “and place one card facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

[B](R & N: 2,800) (L & U: 800)

“Fine,” said Umbra, drawing. “And now to use this… A Spell Card called… Chaos Sacrifice!”

They looked at him.

“Without even knowing what it does, I already don’t like it,” said Randy.

“Let me explain,” said Umbra. “This Spell Card allows both me and my partner to remove from play any Light and Dark Monsters in our Graveyards as we desire, and for each one, gain 500 Life Points. There are twelve such Monsters in our Graveyards combined, and we’re going to remove all but one of them.”

The images of eleven cards appeared, and faded into bursts of energy. Colored lights formed a maelstrom of energy around the two duelists.

“Where… on Earth…” said Trisha, “did they get a card that powerful?”

“Wait…” said Jason, scratching his chin. “I’ve heard of this card…”

He paused.

“The Team World Tournament, eight years after the Grand Prix,” he said. “It was a special tournament where all the duels were tag-team.

“Yugi and Kaiba entered as partners, and Pegasus made that card especially for them as a little goodwill gift. He figured they could use it, since most of Yugi’s Monsters were Dark and most of Kaiba’s were Light.

“But both of them were disgusted by it. Kaiba had a few cards that removed his own Monsters from play, but both of them thought that the idea of eradicating all their Monsters to gain Life Points as cruel. So Kaiba just put it away somewhere.”

“This card is unique?” asked Trisha. “How did these yahoos get it?”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Fortunado smiled over his martini.

“How indeed, dear Trisha?” he asked.

“Kaiba included it in the prize for a tournament held among the students at the original Duel Academy… But the winner didn’t want it either. So he put it up for auction on eBay.

“The buyer found little use for it, so he traded it for more useful cards. The next owner sold it to a card store.

“And on it went over the decades. It seemed that Pegasus never realized that he had created a Spell Card that seemed useful, but no one actually wanted…

“No-one, that is… Until I got ahold of it…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

[B](R & N: 2,800) (L & U: 6,300)

“And I’m hardly done,” continued Umbra. “Next, I’ll spend 800 of those Life Points to play Fulfillment of the Contract, and bring back the one I didn’t remove. Guess who it is?”

He played the card, and The Masked Beast reappeared. (3,200/1,800)

“This Spell Card lets me revive a Ritual Monster from my Graveyard, so long as I pay 800 Life Points and Equip it with this card.

“Now, wipe out her Cure Mermaid!”

The Masked Beast lunged forward, and smashed the Mermaid to bits.

“No more curing for her…” he laughed. “So now, the shoe is on the other foot…”

[B](R & N: 2,800) (L & U: 5,500)

Continued…

Dark Sage

12th June 2006, 07:30 AM

Continued from last post:

“Seriously…” muttered Jason. “If they don’t do something fast, they’re going to lose…”

Trisha looked at the Dark Catapulter in her hand.

Come on… she thought. Your original owner is in trouble… Help him find a solution…

Randy drew a card.

“All right…” he said. “Pikeru will be avenged. I play… Polymerization! Fuse Burstinatrix with Avian!”

The two Heroes combined into a swirl of light, and the Flame Wingman appeared! (2,100/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/TLM-EN035.jpg

“And now…” he said, opening his Field Slot, “I play Skyscraper!”

He played the card, and the dark city arose around the four duelists! The normally dark sky was only darker due to the crackling vortex.

“What would a superhero be without a city to protect?” asked Randy. “And in this burg, an Elemental Hero gains 1,000 Attack Points when he attacks a Monster who has more Attack Points than he does!”

Lumis and Umbra looked at each other…

And then they burst out laughing!

Then Umbra groaned and held his ribs.

“You must have flunked all of your math classes!” laughed Lumis. “Even with that bonus, your Hero wouldn’t be strong enough to take out either of our Fiends. Got it?”

“Oh… is that so?” asked Nadia.

Her facedown card lifted.

“I activate Rush Recklessly!” she shouted. “Now, I can give 700 Attack points to any Monster on the field, and I think I’ll give them to the Flame Wingman!”

Flame Wingman’s Attack rose to 2,800.

“And now he’s strong enough…” said Nadia.

“You got it!” said Randy. “Flame Wingman, attack Masked Beast Des Guardius with skydive scorcher!”

Flame Wingman flew into the air, and burst into flame. His Attack rose to 3,800, and he hurtled to earth, like a meteor. Des Guardius groaned, and was blasted to ashes.

“And he isn’t done!” laughed Randy. “Now, you lose Life Points equal to that thing’s Attack Score!”

Flame Wingman pointed his arm at the two duelists and blasted a gout of flame at them with his dragon arm! They winced in pain…

[B](R & N: 2,800) (L & U: 1,700)

Flame Wingman backed off.

“That burned…” muttered Lumis. “But you’re gonna get burned even more…”

Suddenly, a red, fiendish mask flew forward and latched onto Flame Wingman’s face!

“When Des Guardius is destroyed,” said Lumis, “his effect activates, and in revenge, his corpse creates the Mask of Remnants, which seizes control of one of your Monsters. Got it?”

Flame Wingman flew over to Lumis’s side!

“And now, it’s my move!” he continued. “Since you two are defenseless, all I need to do is draw any Monster, and you’ll lose… Got it?”

He drew.

He growled…

“Disappointed?” asked Randy.

“Flame Wingman, attack Randy directly!” shouted Lumis, angrily.

Flame Wingman leapt up, and kicked Randy with a burning talon. He fell over.

[B](R & N: 700) (L & U: 1,700)

“Hang in there, Randy…” said Nadia. “I’ll think of something… I hope…”

This next card had better be a Monster… she thought.

She drew.

“I summon The Forgiving Maiden in Defense Mode!”

She placed a card down, and the pious holy woman appeared, kneeling. (850/2,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN044.jpg

“That ends my turn…” she muttered.

Umbra drew a card.

“Masked Beast, wipe out that Maiden!” he shouted.

The Masked Beast charged forward, and smashed the Fairy.

“Well, Randy,” he said. “I think this will be the last move of the duel… Lest you forget, your Skyscraper is a Field Card which doesn’t play favorites, and Flame Wingman’s effect still works…”

Randy looked at his hand…

Elemental Hero Bladedge, Wroughtweiler, Clay Wrap, and Bubble Shuffle…

He drew a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity!” he shouted.

He drew three cards. He looked at them.

He discarded Bladedge and Bubble Shuffle.

“You’re right…” he said. “This is the last turn…

“First, I’ll play Fusion Sage, to bring my last Polymerization card to my hand…”

He played the card, and got the fusion card from his deck.

“Next,” he said, “I’ll summon someone for the first time…

“Presenting… Making her NYC Duel Academy grand debut… [B]Elemental Hero Shadowblade!”

He played the card, and dark form started to materialize…

A shower of lotus flowers fell upon the field, followed by three spinning fans…

A Dark Warrior stepped out.

She looked like a young, teenage girl in a tight, black martial artist’s gi, tied together with a red sash, with an oriental bandana around her head, her raven-black hair falling to her waist. Her eyes were emerald-green. Her features were clearly Japanese. She looked at her foes with a frown and her delicate eyebrows narrowed.

With a deft stroke, she drew a katana blade off her back and formed a fighting stance! (1,500/1,000)

“Huh…” muttered Jason. “She’s… kinda cute…”

“A new one, Randy?” asked Nadia.

“Yeah, I traded my Dark Catapulter for her,” answered Randy. “And Shadowblade has a potent effect. So long as I don’t attack with her during the round I summon her, she can destroy one Spell or Trap Card… Like that Mask of Remnants!”

Shadowblade produced three throwing knives…

”KAI!” she shouted.

She hurled them at Flame Wingman. They struck the Mask of Remnants, and it smashed into pieces.

The Hero flew back to Randy’s side. The two Heroes nodded to each other. Shadowblade lifted her sword again.

“So what?” said Lumis.

“We still have The Masked Beast,” said Umbra. “One attack on Ninja-girl, and we’ll still win!”

“I was getting to that…” said Randy. “Because now I’m going to use the Polymerization I got, to form a fusion within a fusion… fusing Shadowblade with Flame Wingman…”

Flame Wingman and Shadowblade looked at each other again…

The two Heroes formed into swirls of fire and darkness, merging together…

“And forming Elemental Hero Dark Flare Wingman!”

The resulting creature resembled the more famous Shining Flare Wingman in general outline, but had glossy black armor, as dark as midnight, and was surrounded in dark flames! (2,500/2,000)

“And don’t forget the effect of Skyscraper,” said Randy. “Attack The Masked Beast! Dark flame strike!”

Dark Flare Wingman flew into the sky of the city, his wings spread out dramatically against the moon, and his Attack rose to 3,500. His fist burst into black flames, and he flew down, striking the masked Fiend with a savage uppercut, blasting it to shards.

“It isn’t over!” cursed Lumis. “Got it?”

“Afraid it is,” said Randy. “Because the onslaught isn’t over yet. Dark Flame Wingman has a potent effect. When he destroys a Monster that’s in Attack Mode, the owner loses Life Points equal to 300 times the number of Elemental Heroes in my Graveyard…”

Images of Bubbleman, Burstinatrix, Avian, Rampart Blaster, Bladedge, Flame Wingman, and Shadowblade all appeared on the field… They and Dark Flare Wingman pointed at Lumis and Umbra…

“So you lose another 2,100 Life Points, got it?”

Then, seven blasts of raw elemental energy shot from the Heroes, striking the two masked duelists!

Dark flames erupted around Lumis and Umbra, and they collapsed…

[B](R & N: 700) (L & U: 0)

Then the two of them vanished…

The dark vortex above them disappeared.

Nadia and Randy ran to each other, and Randy hugged his sister.

“Not bad…” said Nadia.

“Yeah…” said Randy. “We should do this more often!”

Trisha sighed.

“If only it was like that between me and my brother…” she muttered.

She paused.

“Say…” she said. “Whatever happened to Russell?”

Friday, September 24th, 2106, 12:02 PM

MASKED DOLL (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Continuous
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A rickety puppet with the Eye of Wdjat on its forehead and a stake through its chest.

Card Description: Choose one card on your side of the field that requires a maintenance cost. Negate the cost for as long as this card remains in effect. If the target of this card is removed from the field, this card is not destroyed, and you may choose a new target at any time.

MASQUERADE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Continuous
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: The two masks of Comedy and Tragedy.

Card Description: This card may be activated during a duel where you have a partner. Control any Monster your opponent summons on your turn as if you had summoned it.

Note: “Masked Doll” and “Masquerade” were used by Lumis and Umbra in the multi-part anime episode “Double Duel”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

CONTRACT OF MASK (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Ritual
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Two masks, one white and one black, lying on the ground.

Card Description: This card is used to Ritual Summon “Mask of Shine and Dark”. You must also offer Monsters as a Tribute from your hand or the field whose total levels equal six or more.

MASK OF SHINE AND DARK (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Ritual
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: This odd artifact contains powers of both Light and Darkness, ultimately creating chaos. This Monster is Ritual Summoned via the effect of “Contract of Mask”. You must also offer Monsters as a Tribute from your hand or the field whose total levels equal six or more.

MASKED BEAST DES GUARDIUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 3,300
DEF: 2,500

Card Description: This cold-blooded killer haunts the Underworld. Its masks are said to represent the faces of its victims. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This Monster can only be Special Summoned by offering two Monsters as a Tribute, at least one of which must be “Melchid the Four-Face Beast” or “Grand Tiki Elder”. If this Monster is destroyed, you may search your deck for one “Mask of Remnants” and Equip it to an opposing Monster.

MASK OF REMNANTS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A hideous mask made of red leather with fangs and two fiendish eyes.

Card Description: When you draw this card, shuffle it into your deck. This card can only be activated via the effect of “Masked Beast Des Guardius”. Take control of the Monster Equipped with this card for as long as this card remains Equipped.

Note: “Contract of Mask”, “Mask of Shine and Dark”, “Masked Beast Des Guardius”, and “Mask of Remnants” are Japanese cards that have not yet been released in the United States. (Note that in the actual game, “Masked Beast Des Guardius cannot be summoned with “Chosen One”.)

VASE OF UNHOLY BLIGHT (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Like Pot of Greed, only black and evil.

Card Description: Remove one Dark-Attribute Monster in your deck from play, and then shuffle your deck. Then draw three cards from your deck.

Note: “Vase of Unholy Blight” was created by Shuppet Master” for use in “Sister of Anansi”. Creative credit goes to him.

CHAOS SACRIFICE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning standing in a sinister temple.

Card Description: Remove any number of Light and Dark Attribute Monsters in your Graveyard from play. For every Monster you remove from play, gain 500 Life Points. If you have a partner, he may also use this effect.

ELEMENTAL HERO SHADOWBLADE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: Even though she is a powerful ninja to many and a deadly shadow warrior to others, she is still considered an Elemental Hero among her colleagues. On the turn you Normal Summon this Monster, you can destroy one Spell or Trap Card. If you use this effect, this Monster cannot attack during the same turn.

ELEMENTAL HERO DARK FLARE WINGMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: Elemental Hero Flame Wingman + Elemental Hero Shadowblade

This mighty paladin uses dark flames to further damage his foes. He is a bitter rival of Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman. This Monster cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. When this Monster destroys an opposing Monster in Attack Position, the owner of the destroyed Monster loses 300 Life Points for every Monster with the words “Elemental Hero” in your Graveyard.

WHITE QUEEN PIKERU (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 2,100
Card Description: Having endured several trials, White Magician Pikeru is not a child anymore. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This Monster can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Coronation”. When this Monster destroys an opposing Monster, add the destroyed Monster’s ATK to the controller’s Life Points.

”Dividing Path of Destiny” is a real card that will appear in “Power of the Duelist”. The English translation is subject to change.

[B][I]What DID happen to Russell?

Coming up next, a new user character appears, and you’ll see what he was doing while this two on two duel was going on, as another blast from the anime past appears! Don’t miss “Banisher of the Light”, coming soon.

And if you want to know what the card “Sisters of Chaos” does, you’ll have to wait.

Master of Paradox

12th June 2006, 08:24 AM

...you tricky little son of a- *Bites his tongue*

I have exactly two problems with Shadowblade. One is the lack of originality - you essentially turned Jade Valentine into a card.

The second is that, yes, the Elemental Heroes only have one girl, but I think she was supposed to be alone. Remember her flavor text? The "token female" is something of a proud tradition. Unless I forget my line-up, the X-Men started with only one female member.

Still, I'll say this - she works a hell of a lot better than your Dark Scorpions ever did.

Dark Sage

12th June 2006, 08:46 AM

Odd...

Nearly everyone I know who plays a Hero Deck thinks it's awful that Burstinatrix is the only female in the group. Token females are good, but there are some things that girls just can't talk about with men...

Shuppet Master

12th June 2006, 09:42 AM

Token females are good, but there are some things that girls just can't talk about with men...

*laughs* How many times I wish I was a girl...

Anyway, I loved that new Elemental Hero. All this time, I was thinking it was another male, and you give us another dark Elemental Hero who is a kunoichi. (For those not in the know, "kunoichi" is Japanese for "female ninja.") And I don't think she looks anything like Jade from your other stories, despite Paradox's protests. She actually reminds me of a character from my other friend, Cullen Pittman - Reiko Yudoku from his "Poke-Odyssey" series. (For those of you not in the know, PM me and I'll direct you to those stories.)

Loved the appearance of Queen Pikeru. Also liked how you made a "dark" counterpart to Shining Flare Wingman and sort of reversed the effects a bit so it wasn't a carbon copy. :)

Chaos Sacrifice was indeed an interesting card. I bet if it were a real-life card, every Chaos deck user in existence would scramble for a copy to put in their decks. It's a shame that the people in real-life treat their cards like cards and not living people. :(

Anyways, great chapter, and I will pray that Shadowblade makes another appearance. If she's the "dark" counterpart to Sparkman, we might see some more possibilities. A dark "Thunder Giant", perhaps?

As for me, I have some ideas for Elemental Hero Fusions later.

Perfect Chaos

12th June 2006, 11:28 AM

Hey guys, sorry for not replying for a while, I was up at Gainesville for university orientation and these past few days have been hectic with packing for my India trip.

First off, Jason's duel against the Kuriboh deck. I liked the chapter very much. I have much respect for Kuriboh (considering how he's in my real-life deck), though I'm not a big "fan" of them in general. The whole Kuriboh deck idea was VERY original and I'm glad it made an appearance.

Next, Russell's duel. Again, another original and great deck idea by Silencer (so kudos to you). All the cards made sense in usage and Plants finally got a little more respect in this chapter.

That was an interesting chapter. Shadowblade wasn't too special in my opinion, though Dark Flare Wingman was pretty cool. I liked Umbra and Lumis as tag-team duel partners more so than the Paradox brothers (hey, there's an idea). Nothing was different from Nadia's deck, though it was cool seeing the final "form" of Pikeru making an appearance.

I look forward to the next chapter and what awaits Russell and this new user character.

-Sean

Silencer

12th June 2006, 12:05 PM

Next, Russell's duel. Again, another original and great deck idea by Silencer (so kudos to you). All the cards made sense in usage and Plants finally got a little more respect in this chapter.

Now to keep that up so in my own fanfic I'm making (see preview) you'll all get the same idea. I probably need some more practise with writing these kinds of stories. I never written an english fanfic before so that's the main challenge. Getting my grammar and spelling good so that I can reach a larger crowd(I always dreamt of being a writer myself, horror stories more specificly so my story might turn out REALLY dark)

Master of Paradox

12th June 2006, 01:09 PM

*laughs* How many times I wish I was a girl...

Not to be cruel, but of the 100+ things I've wondered about you, that settles seventy of them.

Shuppet Master

12th June 2006, 02:13 PM

*laughs* Sorry for blurbing out that little fantasy I have, it's just that I respect the tender gender more of the two. However, I also respect my own gender. But let's not degrade this thread into a sex discussion, shall we? *laughs nervously* :D

envoy of time

12th June 2006, 03:29 PM

Awsome chapter!I can't say I was expecting a double dule.I realy liked seeing a mask deck again.So a new E hero huh?I thought it was another guy too But she was a nice surprise.I'm waiting for the next chapter.

May time be on your side.

Blademaster

12th June 2006, 06:52 PM

Ahhhhh, Shup and Paradox - I'd like to see you two in a tag-duel, to be honest... All Hell would break loose. :lol:

Anyway, DS, you know how I feel about double duels (love 'em), so I won't comment too deeply on this chapter... Nadia's Gain and Drain and Randy's E-Heroes made quite the unlikely team...

...

Incidentally, are there really 34 E-Hero Fusions to date? Hmmm...

Anyway, the new Hell's Kitchen comes on in a few minutes, so I've gotta run. Later!

-Blade

Inferno_Dragon

12th June 2006, 07:29 PM

Well, I can't believe my eyes. Nadia and Randy versus Umbra and Lumis? Those two gave Yugi and Seto a hard time and Seto finished them off with Obelisk. But Randy and Nadia did an excellent job especially when Randy pulled out his four card combo. Elemental Hero Dark Flare Wing Man was cool.

I am just wondering how many anime characters will be appearing in this fanfic. We have seen Panik, Arcane, Bandit Keith, Espa Roba, Lumis and Umbra, not to mention the original Orcalochis team. And yet we have another anime character showing up. This fanfic is getting interesting.

Well, keep up the good work!

Dark Sage

12th June 2006, 10:09 PM

Inferno Dragon,

The main reason that Yugi and Kaiba had a difficult time against Lumis and Umbra was because of a key part of their strategy - Mask of Restrict. Both Yugi and Kaiba depend on high level Monsters a great deal. (And the main purpose of that card was to take Obelisk and Slifer out of commission, since they were the primary threats. Kaiba showed them that the gods cannot be kept silent so easily.)

However, with Randy and Nadia, this strategy does not work, because neither of them really have to sacrifice anything to get their point across. Nadia has the evolved forms of Pikeru and Curran, and Randy had Bladedge. Other than that, no Monsters in their decks need a sacrfice to summon. Yugi and Kaiba might have been better, but against this particular strategy, Randy and Nadia did better.

Shuppet Master

12th June 2006, 11:14 PM

Randy had Bladedge

But even then, Bladedge could have hit the field even with Mask of Restrict, due to another guy called Necroshade. Jaden showed that with Necroshade in the graveyard, Bladedge could come out easily, even when you couldn't summon high-level monsters. (And there is also fusing an E-Hero in your hand and then using De-Fusion, as Jaden shows in the second season.)

Mystic_clown

13th June 2006, 01:42 AM

Interesting, I wasn't expecting Lumis and Umbra to make an appearance (but then again, why not?) Why do I get a feeling Strings will be making an appearance?

Personally, I really can't see Shadowblade as an Elemental Hero. She seems to be more like those ninja cards.

Dark Sage

17th June 2006, 06:45 AM

Can a bunch of monsters intent on keeping their ghoulish figures take on a bunch of fossilized freaks? And who will be overseeing this grave situation?

People, you may think that writing these duels is easy, but this one had to take the cake. Most of the time, I just have to worry about what's on the field and what's in each duelist's hand. This time, however, I also had to keep track of the number of cards in one duelist's deck, assuming a forty-card deck.

Why did I have to? You'll see when you read the next chapter, which introduces the last user character.

I'd like to thank Mookie for his unique contribution. And now, on with the show!

[B]When people mention vampires, they usually think of Bela Lugosi as he appeared in the Universal Studios classic version of Dracula.

[I]Sometimes I wonder if everyone’s perception of them would have changed if that movie had been more faithful to Bram Stoker’s book. I once read it out of curiosity.

The Dracula in the book looked older than Lugosi did at the time, although he got younger as the book progressed. He had white hair… and a moustache. He was dressed all in black, but there was never any mention of a cape. And he didn’t speak with an accent either – one character remarked that his English was perfect.

Still, thanks to Lugosi, we picture him with black hair, clean shaven, with a creepy Hungarian accent…

I’m not an expert on vampire lore by any means. I ended up using them in my deck because… Well, it kind of happened when I made my plans for a deck.

I have to wonder about the matchup that I’m up against…

Vampires versus Dinosaurs?

If this were a movie on television, I’d likely change channels…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SRL-EN078.jpg

Friday, September 24th, 2106, 11:15 AM

Shortly before the mess with Lumis and Umbra had started, Russell was consoling a Slifer student on the steps outside the door to the Great Hall.

“Ow… ow… ow…” groaned the Slifer.

“Come on, now… Nathan was it?” asked Russell. “It can’t hurt that much…”

“Want a bet?” sighed the youth.

He groaned.

He was slim and weak in appearance, with shoulder-length brown hair, grey eyes, and slightly pale skin. He had reason to be upset – his opponent on the field test had been truly merciless.

“What did he call that thing he attacked me with?” he asked.

“Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon,” answered Russell.

“How the heck did he summon something that powerful with one sacrifice?” asked Nathan.

“It’s a five-star Monster…” muttered Russell.

Nathan looked at him.

“It had over three-thousand Attack Points!” he protested.

“That thing’s effect depends on the Monster you use as a sacrifice to summon it, Nathan,” explained Russell. “If you sacrifice a Batteryman D, it’s immune to Spells and Traps. If you sacrifice a Batteryman C, it gets a trampling effect. If you sacrifice a Batteryman AA, like he apparently did, it gains 1,000 Attack Points.

“But you didn’t do too bad from the scores I saw… Here… Why don’t you let me see the deck…”

Nathan looked at his deck. Then he reluctantly handed it to Russell.

“You have to excuse me for being so… distant,” said Nathan. “You know, when I was young, they thought I might have had ADD…”

“Really…” muttered Russell. “That will keep you out of the army, for sure…”

“Well, I didn’t,” continued Nathan, “and my IQ test scored pretty high, so I figure once I get the deck just right…”

“Nathan,” said Russell, “do you know what my dad said to enlisted men when he was a younger officer and they couldn’t do something? He told them to do their best to get better, and take the problem face-on again when they could. ‘Once more, with feeling!’ That was his motto whenever someone couldn’t do something the first time.”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Hiding behind a tree not far away was a shadowy form.

He looked up, and a face appeared before him.

“One of the master’s principle enemies is consoling a student named Nathan Evans,” said the face. “It would be best to target Nathan and keep away anyone else. After all, he’s having a terrible day.”

“Fine,” said the figure. “But you remember our deal… The conditions that the guy put on me so long ago to break the curse are getting annoying…”

“Of course,” said the face. “Do this job well, and we’ll talk about making this arrangement permanent.”

The figure walked towards the Great Hall.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Nathan…” said Russell with a small laugh. “This deck is full of vampires!”

“Uh, yeah…” muttered Nathan. “Well…”

He coughed.

“See, I didn’t set out to really make a Vampire Deck,” he answered. “I wanted to focus on deck destruction, limiting an opponent’s options. So I used Vampire Lord, then Vampire Lady, then Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, and, uh…

“Well, as you can see, one thing kinda led to another, and it turned into a Vampire Deck.”

Russell looked at a Spell Card.

“This is a very powerful card,” he said.

“Actually, it was because of that card that I lost the field test,” said Nathan. “Read the fine print – it has a dangerous side effect.”

Russell read the description closely.

“Well, this deck could use something…” said Russell, opening his backpack. “One Monster that can get you out of a jam in a hurry…”

He opened his cases of cards, and looked through them.

“Here, switch your Despair From The Dark with this guy,” he said, handing him a card.

“Really?” said Nathan, looking at it. “You’d just give me this powerful card?”

“Why not? I never actually use it… Now how about we…”

“Hey, handsome,” said a voice.

He looked up, and saw Sersei.

“How about coming for lunch in the Obelisk dining hall?” she asked. “It’s a lot better than the stuff they have at Ra.”

“Uh, Sersei,” muttered Russell, “not that I’d refuse a lunch invitation from a pretty girl, but what about Anthony?”

Sersei scowled.

“Anthony the jerk?” she asked.

Russell grinned and turned to Nathan.

“Boyfriend trouble…” he said with a smirk.

“Sure,” he said to Sersei. “Can Nathan come?”

Sersei sighed.

“All right, fine…” she said.

They started to cross the campus to the Obelisk Dorm.

“So, how’d you do?” asked Russell.

“Piece of cake,” said Sersei. “That guy with Ha Des didn’t know what hit him…”

“Ha Des is a wimp,” said a voice in front of them. “He thinks supernatural power is such a big deal? Sometimes the raw force of nature can defeat anything.”

They looked at the stranger in front of them. He was a youth dressed in jeans, a khaki jacket, and a wool hat…

…and one of the Orichalcos Disks on his arm.

Russell’s eyes narrowed.

“If you’re looking for trouble, buddy, I warn you,” he said, “I’m well prepared.”

“I know,” said the youth, “and I’m not dumb enough to go up against Hermos… I did before, after all.”

“What? Who are you?” asked Russell.

“The name’s Rex Raptor,” said the youth. “You may have heard of me as…”

“Wait…” interrupted Russell.

He paused.

“Maybe I did…” he continued. “I think you were one of Joey Wheeler’s old enemies – someone who he described as a pathetic duelist who had fallen from grace.”

Rex growled.

He pointed to Nathan.

“Say what you want, but I’m going to duel your friend,” he said.

“Over my dead body!” shouted Russell.

“No…” said Sersei. “Let me duel him…”

She stepped forward.

“I read Joey’s autobiography, and he admitted that his wife had beaten him in a duel once. Do the math – if a deck like hers can beat him, it can surely beat someone who he beat.”

Rex took a card out of his jacket.

“You’ll change your mind about me being pathetic in a few seconds…” he said.

He held up a card whose title was Chains of the Underworld…

Suddenly, eight shackles burst out of the ground and grabbed Russell and Sersei’s wrists and ankles! They struggled, but the chains pulled taunt.

“You son of a bitch…” growled Sersei.

Rex turned to Nathan.

“You’d best duel me,” he said, “or I’ll summon something to start munching on them…”

“All right, fine!” shouted Nathan.

He turned to Russell.

“I’ll do my best…” he said.

Rex lifted his arm, and the blade-like Disk activated.

“Good…” he said. “It’s dino-feeding time!”

Nathan activated his Disk, and they drew the top five cards…

“Nathan…” said Russell. “Concentrate. Don’t worry about us, just try hard and you’ll beat him. Remember, once more, with feeling!”

“Once more, with feeling…” muttered Nathan.

[B](Nathan: 8,000) (Rex: 8,000)

“Time to start things off with a bang,” said Rex, drawing his first draw. “First, I’ll summon my Mad Sword Beast.”

He played the card, and a loud rumbling proceeded the appearance of a Monster. A huge creature resembling a cross between a rhinoceros and a dinosaur with a huge horn on his nose ran up. It growled, and bore razor sharp teeth. (1,400/1,200)

“And then…” he continued, “I’ll summon Gilasaurus!”

He played another card, and a small Dinosaur resembling a raptor leapt up. It bore wicked claws that seemed to be designed for tearing, and then grinned a smile full of sharp teeth. (1,400/400)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SKE-022.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN071.jpg

“Two Monsters at once?” gasped Nathan.

“Heh, heh,” laughed Rex. “Gilasaurus is a Special Summon. Of course, since I did that, I have to give you the option of Special Summoning something from your Graveyard…”

He laughed again.

“But since you don’t have any there… tough!”

“That HAS to be cheating…” protested Sersei.

“I’m afraid it isn’t…” muttered Russell. “Summoning Gilasaurus on your first turn as a Special Summon may be a dirty trick, but it’s legal. At least those two Monsters are rather weak.”

“Your move…” dared Rex.

These two Monsters may be weak, he thought, looking at his hand, but even if he trashes one of them, I’ll still have one to sacrifice for my Dark Driceratops, and I’ll walk all over him!

Nathan drew a card.

This is the worst hand ever, he thought, looking over his cards. The only Monster I have is Red Moon Baby, and it can’t even come close to standing up to those Dinosaurs…

I have to take a risk…

“I play a Spell Card…” he said. “It’s called… Dragged Down Into The Grave!”

He played a Spell Card, and it appeared, showing the image of robed man falling into a vortex.

“What does that do?” asked Rex.

“It’s a two-step process,” answered Nathan. “First, we each show each other our hands, and choose a card for our opponent to discard.”

Rex growled, and turned his hand towards Nathan.

“I choose that Dark Driceratops,” said Nathan.

Crud, thought Rex, discarding it. This guy isn’t dumb.

“Now you…” said Nathan, showing him his hand.

“Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!” laughed Rex. “What an idiot! Playing a card like that when you had only one Monster? You’ll be defenseless!

“Well, whatever that thing is, I choose that one.”

Nathan discarded the Red Moon Baby.

“And now, step two…” he said. “We both draw one card.”

Rex’s eyes narrowed.

They both drew.

“Well,” said Nathan, “I may have discarded that one Monster, but I drew a much better one. I summon… Zombie Werewolf, in Defense Mode!”

He played the card. A frightening-looking werewolf wearing torn trousers and broken chains on its wrists appeared out of the shadows. It rose it head to the sky and howled, as if there was a moon there – which there certainly wasn’t – and then crouched down and then shielded itself in Defense. (1,200/1,200)

“And I’ll also play a card facedown,” he continued, placing a card into his Disk. “And my turn is over.”

“That’s better?” asked Rex, drawing a card. “I don’t know if you know this, but my Mad Sword Beast can hurt you even if your Monsters are in Defense Mode!

“Mad Sword Beast, take out that slobbering flea-ridden mutt!”

Mad Sword Beast charged, causing the ground to tremble… It trampled the Werewolf, smashing it to pieces.

“And now that you’re defenseless…” continued Rex. “Gilasaurus, attack…”

“Oh, am I?” asked Nathan.

A burst of darkness appeared on Nathan’s side of the field, and Zombie Werewolf appeared again, this time in Attack Mode. I howled again, this time notably angry. (1,700/1,200)

“What in the name of…” muttered Rex.

“Werewolves are hard to kill, Rex,” said Nathan. “Your Dinosaur wasn’t made of silver. If one of these guys is destroyed in battle, I get to summon another from my deck, with 500 more Attack Points.”

“Then I end my turn…” growled Rex.

[B](N: 7,800) (R: 8,000)

Nathan drew.

“I play… Pot of Greed,” he said, playing a card.

He drew two cards.

“And it seems fate has smiled on me…”

“I don’t believe in fate!” shouted Rex.

“I’m guessing you don’t believe in vampires either,” joked Nathan, “but you’re about to see one, as I sacrifice Zombie Werewolf…”

The Werewolf vanished into a shadow…

“…to summon Vampire Lord!”

As the shadowy burst, the sinister-looking vampire in his exotic costume appeared. He threw his cloak open, and his eyes glimmered with an evil light.

He grinned, showing a flash of white, pointed teeth… (2,000/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/RDS-ENSE4.jpg

“Next, I activate my facedown card,” said Nathan. “A little thing called Robbin’ Zombie.”

His facedown card lifted, and a Trap bearing the image of an undead goblin with a sword appeared.

“When this card is active, whenever you lose Life Points from a battle, you lose the top card from your deck.”

“WHAT?” shouted Randy.

“Vampire Lord, attack Mad Sword Beast with Children of the Night!” shouted Nathan.

Vampire Lord’s eyes glowed red. He lifted his cloak, and a swarm of bats flew at the Dinosaur, blasting it into pixels.

“Now the effect of Robbin’ Zombie kicks in,” said Nathan.

Rex grumbled, and discarded the top card from his deck.

“And let’s not forget Vampire Lord himself. He not only preys on your Monsters, he preys on your deck. Whenever he damages your Life Points, I name a type of card, and you remove one from your deck and discard it.

“To make sure you can’t use any creepy surprises, I say Trap Card.”

Rex looked through his deck and found a Trap called Jurassic Heart. He discarded it.

[B](N: 7,800) (R: 7,400)

“Great…” muttered Russell. “Nathan is making the classic Vampire Lord mistake…”

“What do you mean?” asked Sersei.

“So many people are afraid of Traps,” said Russell, “when they have control of a Vampire Lord, they try to get rid of them, completely forgetting about Vampire Lord’s other effect.

“What does Nathan care if Rex destroys that Monster using a Trap? Vampire Lord will come right back on his next turn. To a duelist like Nathan, Spells are far more dangerous.”

Rex shuffled his deck, and then drew a card.

“Heh, heh…” he said, with an evil grin.

“Thank you!” he said to Nathan. “If you hadn’t done that, I might not have drawn this!”

He showed Nathan the card.

“Polymerization?” asked Nathan.

“Yes…” said Rex, one which I’ll use to fuse Gilasaurus with Chitoptera!”

“Case in point…” replied Russell.

A creature the size of Gilasaurus appeared on the field, resembling a pterodactyl…

And then they swirled into a murky blur…

The blur burst, forming a much larger winged Dinosaur with black scales, and an evil expression on its face. It spread its wings and screeched. (2,000/1,200)

“Meet my Horned Saurus!” said Rex. “He’s a real friendly type… Why don’t the two of you get close…

“Horned Saurus, attack Nathan directly! Dive bomb drop!”

Horned Saurus soared into the air, and swooped upon Nathan, talons-first, completely ignoring Vampire Lord. Then it dug its talons into Nathan’s shoulders! He screamed and fell over.

“How’d you do that?” he gasped. “I still had a Monster on the field!”

“Horned Saurus has the ability to attack directly on the round it’s summoned,” answered Rex. “One of the primary reasons you never summon it on the first turn of the duel.”

[B](N: 5,800) (R: 7,400)

“You think Nathan can win?” asked Sersei.

“I dunno,” said Russell. “Dinosaurs are a very neglected Monster, but the ones that are available are incredibly strong in battle…

“But they have a weakness… They have all the subtlety of a demolition ball. A clever strategy can be used to defeat them.”

That really hurt… thought Nathan. More than any direct attack I remember. Something is wrong here…

He drew a card.

“I play Graceful Charity!” he shouted.

He played the card, and the graceful angel appeared above him. Her feathers fell on his deck.

He drew three cards. He looked them over, and discarded a second Robbin’ Zombie and a Nobleman of Crossout.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and that will be all,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

Rex drew a card.

“I summon Balloon Lizard in Defense Mode,” he said.

He played a card, and a new Monster appeared, floating in the air. The name “Balloon Lizard” was a perfect description. It looked like an alligator with a spherical, balloon-like body. It floated in the air as if it were full of helium. (500/1,900)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-072.jpg

“Next,” he said, “I’ll use Raise Body Heat, and I’ll Equip it to Horned Saurus.”

He played the card, and Horned Saurus’s scales glowed cherry red.

“Running a temperature gives it 300 more Attack and Defense Points.”

(2,300/1,500)

“Horned Saurus, attack the Vampire Lord!” shouted Rex.

Horned Saurus flew into the air.

“I don’t think so!” shouted Nathan. “Trap activate! Red Ghost Moon!”

Continued…

Dark Sage

17th June 2006, 06:52 AM

Continued from last post:

His Trap Card lifted, and a haunting, wicked laughter filled the air. An evil looking harvest moon rose behind Nathan, casting a glow over the whole arena. Horned Saurus stopped in a daze and started to swagger, caught in a sinister spell…

“Now,” said Nathan, taking a card from his hand, “I merely have to discard one Zombie from my hand, like Vampire Lady here…”

He discarded the card.

“…and your attack is halted, this battle ends right now, and the Attack Points of the Monster that tried to attack get added to my Life Points.”

Sparkling pink dust from the Red Ghost Moon fell on Nathan, and he glowed with a blood-red light.

[B](N: 8,100) (R: 7,400)

“That is one powerful Trap…” said Sersei. “It’s like combining Negate Attack and Draining Shield together.”

“True, but with that cost, you’d need to be playing a Zombie Deck,” added Russell.

“Ergh…” said Rex. “All right, you win that round…”

“Then its my move…” said Nathan, drawing a card.

“And I’ll play Mystical Space Typhoon, to cure your Dinosaur’s fever.”

He played the card, and the whirlwind smashed the Raise Body Heat card. Horned Saurus fell back to its normal stats.

“So what?” said Rex. “Your creepshow still can’t beat it…”

“Not by himself,” said Nathan, “but he has help… I summon Vampire Bat!”

He played a card, and with a multitude of squeaks and squawks, a swarm of bats flew into the arena, coalescing into one giant bat. (800/800)

“When this Monster is on the field, all Zombies on the field gain 200 Attack Points,” explained Nathan.

Vampire Lord rose to 2,200 Attack, and Vampire Bat itself rose to 1,000.

“Vampire Lord, destroy Horned Saurus!”

Vampire Lord raised his cloak, and the swarm of bats shot forth. Horned Saurus was thrown back, and fell to the ground with a crash. It burst into shards.

“Then you lose one card from Robbin’ Zombie…” continued Nathan.

Rex growled, and discarded the top card from his deck.

“And I’ll say Trap Card again.”

Rex growled again, and took a Trap called Chains of the Underworld from his deck. He discarded it.

Unfortunately for Russell and Sersei, the fact that he did so had no effect on the chains holding them.

[B](N: 8,100) (R: 7,200)

“My move…” said Rex.

He drew a card.

He smirked.

“I summon Giant Rex in Attack Mode!”

He played a card, and a huge, bipedal Dinosaur looking like some psychotic T-Rex with claws and teeth like swords and a fan on its back appeared. (2,000/1,200)

“That’s a four-star Monster?” gasped Sersei. “It has to have a catch…”

“It does,” said Russell. “And if Rex does what I think he’s planning, he’ll be in big trouble…”

“Impressive,” said Nathan. “But my Vampire Lord is still stronger.”

“He won’t be if your booster is dead!” shouted Rex. “Giant Rex, attack Vampire Bat with carnivore crunch!”

Giant Rex charged, causing the ground to tremble! It tore its teeth into Vampire Bat, causing it to burst into a flurry of bats…

The bats hung in the air… Nathan took a card from his deck and discarded it…

The bats combined into one bat again.

[B](N: 7,100) (R: 7,200)

“What the…” muttered Rex. “How did it survive?”

“Vampire Bat has another ability,” said Nathan. “If I discard another Vampire Bat from my hand or deck when it’s about to be destroyed… It isn’t destroyed.”

Rex growled.

“And don’t think I don’t know the drawback that your Giant Rex has… Rex,” said Nathan, with a grin. “If it fails to destroy a Monster during your Battle Phase – and it couldn’t – it bites the dust when you end your turn.”

Rex’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s all I can do…” he said.

Giant Rex groaned, and then collapsed to the ground with a crash. It shattered into bits.

Nathan drew.

He added the card to his hand.

“Vampire Lord, destroy Balloon Lizard!” he ordered.

Vampire Lord’s bats flew at the bloated lizard…

…and it exploded in a violent burst, throwing Nathan on his behind!

“What happened?” asked Nathan.

“That’s Balloon Lizard’s special ability,” said Rex with a smirk. “When you destroy it, you lose 400 Life Points for each of my Standby Phases that I had it on the field. In other words, two.”

“Yeah, well you’re gonna lose more!” said Nathan, angrily. “Vampire Bat, attack with nightmare scourge!”

Vampire Bat broke up into a swarm of bats again and rushed at Rex, biting and clawing at him! Rex vainly tried to shield himself.

“And once again, you lose a card from the top of your deck…” he said.

Rex took the top card from his deck.

My Tyrant Dragon… he thought.

His face turned red with anger as he discarded it.

“I’m getting really sick of this…” scowled Rex.

“Hey, how do you think my Monsters feel?” asked Nathan. “Hello? They’re vampires? They hate being out in the daylight! This is the time of day when they like curling up in a nice, warm coffin.”

[B](N: 6,300) (R: 6,200)

Sersei was really starting to get upset. She struggled against the chains.

“You’ll only make it worse…” muttered Russell.

“This is so embarrassing…” she replied. “Usually when I’m tied up, there’s more intimacy involved…”

“Hey, don’t go there…” warned Russell.

“Nathan doesn’t seem to be making much progress,” added Sersei.

“Don’t worry,” said Russell. “If he decks this Jurassic jerk out, he’ll win.”

Rex drew a card.

“I play Offerings To The Doomed!” he shouted. “And I’ll use it on your Bat!”

He played the card, and a beam of energy struck the Bat. It burst into a swarm of bats again.

Nathan took his deck again, and discarded another card from it.

“Sorry,” he said, as the Bat reformed, “but I had another one.”

“I figured you did,” said Rex with a grin, “but I’m not as dumb a duelist as you may think. You can only have three Bats in your deck, meaning you can’t discard any more! If I destroy it again, it stays destroyed!”

“He’s right…” muttered Russell.

“Now I’ll summon Black Stego in Attack Mode,” said Rex.

He played the card, and another huge dinosaur appeared with a roar. It was… Well, it was a stegosaurus. That was the best way to put it. (1,200/2,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd_jp019.jpg

“That doesn’t look too impressive,” said Nathan.

“What do you expect?” replied Rex. “He’s an herbivore. Black Stego, destroy his Bat! Spike-tail smash!”

Black Stego spun 360 degrees and clobbered Vampire Bat with its tail, smashing it into an explosion of small bats, which in turn burst into small bits of vapor.

Vampire Lord fell to 2,000 Attack.

“Your move…” said Rex.

[B](N: 6,100) (R: 6,200)

Nathan drew a card.

“I summon my third Zombie Werewolf in Attack Mode!” he shouted.

Another Werewolf appeared and howled! (1,200/1,200)

“Vampire Lord, attack Black Stego!”

Vampire Lord reared up, and the swarm of bats shot forward…

“Fooled you…” chuckled Rex. “When Black Stego is attacked while in Attack Mode, I can activate his effect, and switch him… to Defense Mode!”

Black Stego crouched down in Defense. The bats all bounced off its tough hide.

Nathan frowned.

“I end my turn then,” he said. “Don’t forget, you used Offerings to the Doomed on your last turn, meaning you can’t draw on this one.”

Rex looked the one card in his hand.

“In that case, I’ll pass,” he said. “Black Stego will make an adequate shield.”

Nathan drew a card.

That’s it… he thought.

“I play Rush Recklessly,” he said, playing the card. “And I’ll use it to give Vampire Lord a boost.”

Vampire Lord’s eyes glowed blood-red…

“Now, let’s try this again…” said Nathan.

Vampire Lord lifted his cloak, and this time, Black Stego couldn’t withstand the onslaught of the scourge. It moaned, and the collapsed, shattering into bits.

“Zombie Werewolf, attack directly!” ordered Nathan. “Terror claw!”

The werewolf leap up and struck Rex with his talons! The Dinosaur duelist fell backwards.

“And now…” continued Nathan.

“I know, don’t remind me…” interrupted Rex, discarding the top card from his deck.

“My turn is over…” said Nathan.

[B](N: 6,100) (R: 5,000)

Rex drew.

“I play… Pot of Greed!” he shouted.

He drew two cards.

“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” he laughed. “I just drew just the cards I need to summon one of my most powerful beasts!”

He played a card.

“I summon Armored Lizard in Attack Mode.”

A small, lizard with a blue scales and small claws appeared. (1,500/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN005.jpg

“What good will that do?” asked Nathan.

“It’s a Reptile,” said Rex. “And with the card I’m about to play, that’s exactly the type of Monster I need…

“I play the Spell Card, Ultra Evolution Pill!”

He played the card. A small capsule appeared in the air. Armored Lizard reached out, and caught it.

“Oh… no…” said Russell.

“What?” said Sersei.

“When that Spell Card is played, the user can sacrifice a Reptile for any Dinosaur Monster in his hand,” said Russell.

Armored Lizard swallowed the pill, and started to glow.

“Yeah, and I have a great one,” said Rex, waving his last card. “Maybe once I defeat this chump, I’ll have him munch on you two for a while. I owe Hermos for what he did to me!”

He smirked at Sersei.

“And YOU, beautiful… well, you should have just chosen your friends better…”

Armored Lizard started to grow and mutate… Disgusting popping noises resounded over the arena as its skin stretched. Its scales darkened and turned black…

…until finally, it had formed into an enormous creature resembling a dark-scaled Tyrannosaurus Rex! (2,600/1,800)

“Meet Black Tyranno,” laughed Rex.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-075.jpg

“Impressive…” said Nathan, nervously.

“Black Tyranno, attack Vampire Lord with dino bite!”

Black Tyranno lunged forward, and chomped down on Vampire Lord, biting him in half!

[B](N: 5,500) (R: 5,000)

“Nuts…” said Russell. “Vampire Lord’s resurrection effect doesn’t work if he’s destroyed in battle…”

“Your move, Nathan…” said Rex with an evil smile.

Nathan drew.

Lovely, he thought. NOW I draw this guy…

“Uh…” he said. “I move Zombie Werewolf into Defense Mode…”

Zombie Werewolf crouched in Defense.

“Heh, heh…” said Rex, drawing a card. “Do you know what Black Tyranno can do? If the only cards you have on your side of the field are Monsters in Defense Mode…”

“You can’t attack me directly!” cried Nathan. “I still have a Trap Card on my side of the field!”

“Humph…” muttered Rex. “Seems I can’t even intimidate good.”

He looked at the card he had just drawn.

Eh, I don’t need this… he thought.

“Black Tyranno, destroy his Werewolf!”

Black Tyranno charged, and ripped Zombie Werewolf in half!

“That was his last Monster!” gulped Russell. “If he doesn’t do something, that monstrosity will attack him!”

“Come on, Nathan,” said Rex, “this is getting boring…”

Nathan drew a card.

He looked at the Spell Card and smirked.

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon… Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower!” he shouted. “Attack Mode!”

With a rumbling noise, a huge tower made of bones and skulls erupted out of the earth, and rose to a column about ten feet tall. (400/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/AST-011.jpg

“This can’t be attacked if I have another Zombie is on the field,” he explained. “And when the Tower is on the field, every time a Zombie is Special Summoned, the top two cards on your deck go to the Graveyard.

“And I’m going to Special Summon some! I’ll start by playing this Spell Card… Book of Life!”

He played the card.

“It’s called Book of Life because it gives life to creatures who formerly didn’t have it. And it lets me remove a Monster in your Graveyard from play and Special Summon a Zombie from my Graveyard. Guess which one I’m bringing back…”

Vampire Lord appeared again, from an aura of darkness. (2,000/1,500)

“And I’ll remove your Dark Driceratops from play, so you can’t use it again.”

Dark Driceratops fell out of Rex’s discard slot.

Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower glowed. Rex growled, and discarded the top two cards from his deck.

“Next,” said Nathan. “I banish Vampire Lord from the game, to summon… Vampire Genesis!”

Vampire Lord disappeared, and a frightening, hulking form arose. It was a muscular, creature about ten feet tall that looked more like a Fiend than a Zombie, with a thick, spiked cape, and a barbed harness. It roared in rage. (3,000/2,100)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SD2-EN001.jpg

“By the way, this counts as a Special Summon…” added Nathan.

“Ergh!” growled Rex, as he discarded two more cards.

“And I’m not half done yet!” said Nathan. “I Equip Vampire Genesis with this… Genesis Crisis!”

He played an Equip Card, bearing the picture of a demonic face surrounded by flames.

“Now let me explain…” said Nathan. “When Vampire Genesis is Equipped with this card, once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can search my deck for any Zombie I want and add it to my hand…”

He took his deck and looked though it.

“A Zombie like Ryo Kokki, here…” he continued. “But it isn’t staying in my hand… I’m discarding it to activate Vampire Genesis’s effect…”

He discarded it. Vampire Genesis glowed…

“…which lets me Special Summon any Zombie from my Graveyard who has less level stars than the one I’m discarding, like Vampire Lady. Remember her? I discarded her to activate Red Ghost Moon.”

A female vampire with green skin in a violet dress appeared. She made a seductive pose… and then grinned wickedly. (1,550/1,550)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/AST-013.jpg

“And I just Special Summoned a Zombie again…”

Rex was furious. He discarded two more cards from his deck.

“And now, on to business,” said Nathan. “Vampire Genesis, attack Black Tyranno! Crimson shroud!”

Continued…

Dark Sage

17th June 2006, 06:56 AM

Continued from last post:

Vampire Genesis turned into a cloud of red mist, and blew forward, obliterating Black Tyranno!

“Vampire Lady, attack directly!”

Vampire Lady’s eyes glowed…

She threw her hands forward, and a flock of dark birds shot forward, pecking and scratching at Rex. He groaned.

“Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, you too…” said Nathan.

The skulls on the tower glowed, and shot beams of energy at Rex. He winced.

“And, since you took battle damage three times…” added Nathan.

“I KNOW! I KNOW!” shouted Rex. He discarded the top three cards from his deck.

“And then there’s Vampire Lady’s effect,” added Nathan. “I doubt you have any Traps left, so I’ll declare Spell Card.

Rex looked at his remaining cards, and discarded Graceful Charity, which at this point would have hurt him more than it helped.

[B](N: 5,500) (R: 2,650)

“That Genesis Crisis is a powerful card…” remarked Sersei.

“Yes, but it has a dangerous side effect,” said Russell. “Vampire Genesis may be powerful, but should Rex manage to defeat it, Nathan will be in big trouble…”

“It’s your turn,” said Nathan.

“About time!” shouted Rex.

This is ridiculous! he thought. That last turn cost me TEN cards, and I only have nine left in my deck!

He drew a card.

Well, this will save me from decking out…

“I play Pot of Avarice,” he said, playing the card.

Five cards fell out of his discard slot. He combined them with his eight remaining cards, shuffled them, and drew twice.

“I’ll summon Balloon Lizard again in Defense Mode, and place two cards facedown,” he said.

Balloon Lizard reappeared.

Then he fit his last two cards into slots, and two facedown cards materialized.

“My move!” said Nathan.

He drew a card.

Hey, the card that Russell gave me, he thought. But I hardly need it now…

“I’ll use the ability of Genesis Crisis again,” he said, “to get my other Ryo Kokki from my deck!”

He got the card from his deck.

“Now, I discard it…”

He discarded it, and Vampire Genesis glowed.

“…and bring back Zombie Werewolf. Remember him? I’m sure he remembers you.”

Zombie Werewolf appeared, and howled again. (1,200/1,200)

“And Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower activates!”

Rex frowned, and discarded two more cards.

“Vampire Genesis, attack Balloon Lizard!”

Vampire Genesis roared…

“Not so fast!” said Rex. “I still had one Trap left… Activate, Threatening Roar!”

A great beast appeared behind Rex, and let out a great roar! Vampire Lady and Zombie Werewolf clutched each other in fear and then hid behind Vampire Genesis, but even he drew back nervously.

“This Trap can panic even the bravest of Monsters,” said Rex, “making them too scared to attack for the rest of the turn.”

“In that case, I end it…” said Nathan.

“First, I draw,” said Rex, drawing a card.

“Then I activate… Reckless Greed.”

His last Trap lifted, showing the image of a man greedily approaching a booby-trapped treasure chest.

“I now have to skip my next two Draw Phases,” he explained, “but I get to draw two cards right now.”

He made two draws.

“Heh, heh…” laughed Rex. “Ha, ha… HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!”

He grinned.

“Nathan…” he said. “I may have only six cards left in my deck, but I just drew the ones that will seal your fate!”

He played a Spell Card.

“I play… Premature Burial.”

A huge horse made of wood appeared, glaring with a blank expression. (1,600/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SOD-EN029.jpg

“That’s The Trojan Horse!” shouted Nathan.

“Yeah,” said Rex, “you made me discard it with your Robbin’ Zombie. And when it’s sacrificed to summon an Earth Monster, it counts as two sacrifices.

“So I’ll sacrifice my Trojan Horse…”

The huge wooden horse vanished…

“To summon… [B]Ultimate Tyranno!”

He played a card, and a carnivore even bigger than Black Tyranno, with fiendish, armor, barbed scales and horns all over its body appeared, and roared! Its eyes glowed with evil light. (3,000/2,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd_jp020.jpg

“Well…” gulped Nathan. “It sure is… ultimate. But if you attack Vampire Genesis, the battle will be a draw…”

Rex grinned…

He held up the last card in his hand…

Raise Body Heat.

He played it, and Ultimate Tyranno’s scales glowed cherry red. (3,300/2,500)

“And by the way…” said Rex, slowly. “This Monster has the ability to attack every Monster on your side of the field in one Battle Phase. In fact, it doesn’t have a choice… That effect is mandatory.”

Nathan gulped.

“It’s an Asura Priest on steroids!” shouted Sersei.

“Well, guess you got me…” he said.

Rex chuckled.

“I know all about that Genesis Crisis card, Nathan,” he said. “If Vampire Genesis is destroyed, your other Monsters bite the big one. But while my Tyranno must attack all of your Monsters, I get to decide the order it attacks them in.

“GET THEM!”

Ultimate Tyranno, let out a roar that the whole school must have heard, and charged, causing a veritable earthquake…

What happened next was a massacre. Vampire Lady screamed as she was picked up in the beast’s teeth and chewed to bits. Zombie Werewolf was torn in half by its huge claw.

Finally, the creature chomped its jaws on Vampire Genesis, and the vampire deity burst into globules of dark energy. And as it did, Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower shattered into shards of bone.

[B](N: 1,950) (R: 1,850)

“Like I said,” said Rex, with an evil grin. “Sometimes the raw force of nature can defeat anything. It’s your move…”

Nathan gulped and looked at his hand…

The only Monster I have is the one Russell gave me… he thought. It could get me out of this mess, but it needs a sacrifice to summon.

If this draw isn’t something that can block an attack, that thing is gonna attack me…

He drew.

Well, he thought, let’s hope that this guy wasn’t paying more attention than I thought he was…

“Hey, Rex!” he shouted. “How’s your memory?”

“What?” said Rex. “What does that have to do with it?”

“Everything,” said Nathan, playing a Spell Card. “I play… Question!”

The Spell Card appeared, showing a wacky-looking game-show contestant.

“Here’s how it works,” said Nathan, raising his Disk. “You gotta guess what Monster is at the bottom of my Graveyard. Guess right, and it’s gone for good. Guess wrong, and I get to Special Summon it right now.”

“He’s taking a risk…” muttered Sersei.

“Yes…” answered Russell. “But this card is a risk worth taking… Jaden Yuki himself once faced an opponent who used this card, and while he ended up winning the duel in the end, he failed at the part where he was confronted by this Spell…”

Rex stared at him.

What kind of a game is he playing? he thought. I can barely remember the card at the bottom of MY Graveyard! It’s been such a long duel…

How did the duel start?

Wait… I went first… First I summoned Mad Sword Beast, and then I Special Summoned Gilasaurus… Then he moved, and he played… What was that Spell Card he played?

Wait a minute…

His eyes opened wide…

“I see you’re slowly starting to realize something,” said Nathan. “Want a hint? The card at the bottom of my Graveyard is the one that you made me discard when I played Dragged Down Into The Grave! I doubt you even looked at it!”

Rex’s eyes narrowed.

“Should we give him ten more seconds, guys?” asked Nathan.

Rex was now getting steamed.

“Oh, I’m sorry, an angry glare was not the answer we were looking for,” said Nathan. “Thus, here comes… Red Moon Baby!”

A small creature appeared on the field. It was bizarre, resembling a demonic infant dressed liked a vampire. It frowned, showing two pointed fangs. (700/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PSV-EN090.jpg

“All that for a weakling?” asked Rex. “It has only 700 Attack Points, and my Monster has over three-thousand!”

“Yeah, it’s rather weak,” said Nathan, “but I only did that so I could sacrifice it…”

Red Moon Baby vanished.

“…to summon… Dark Dust Spirit!”

A red fog arose on the field, and a hideous creature stepped out. It was a Zombie with wrinkled, blood-red skin, a gaunt, skull-like face, and long, shock-white hair. It’s empty eye sockets glowed with pinpoints of light. (2,200/1,800)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PGD-017.jpg

“And when Dark Dust Spirit is summoned, it destroys all face-up Monsters on the field except itself! Dark Dust Spirit, wipe out his lizards!”

The Spirit breathed out a cloud of toxic dust, and Balloon Lizard exploded. Ultimate Tyranno moaned, and then fell over… slowly, it was eroded into sand!

“Now, attack directly!”

Dark Dust Spirit’s eyes glowed intensely. It leapt up with a cackle and flew forward, and raked at Rex with its long fingernails. The Dinosaur duelist screamed and tumbled over.

[B](N: 1,550) (R: 0)

“No…” groaned Rex, getting up on his knees. “I can’t go back…”

And then he faded into darkness.

The chains holding Russell and Sersei crumbled.

“Nathan, you were great!” laughed Sersei.

“THAT was with feeling!” said Russell.

“Yeah…” muttered Nathan. “I just wish I could have done better on my actual test…”

“You’ll get better,” said Sersei. “Now let’s get lunch before they stop serving it!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Russell, Trisha, and Jason sat in the Ra common room.

Out the window, a full moon just as ghostly as Nathan’s Red Ghost Moon shone over the skyline, and Jason thought of the witch-tales he had heard of as a kid… Stories of things that went bump in the night. He thought he was too old to be scared of the night, but today, ghosts had appeared in broad daylight, and it seemed the supernatural was at hand.

“I looked it up…” said Trisha. “Umbra and Lumis were Rare Hunters who were specifically trained by Marik Ishtar to defeat duelists who held Egyptian God Cards. They fought Yugi and Kaiba in a two-on-two duel… Like most egotists, they underestimated the abilities of their opponents, and were defeated.”

“I did some research on Rex Raptor too,” said Russell. “Not a very pleasant story. He was once a big shot duelist, but in Duelist Kingdom, he dueled Joey – who everyone thought was a joke at the time – and convinced him to wager his Time Wizard against his own rarest card, a Red Eyes Black Dragon. Joey defeated him, which is how he got his trademark card. After that, everyone lost respect for Rex, and he never truly recovered.

“Likely he was some egotist who thought the world owed him everything, and then threw a fit when he stopped getting it. I hate that type. So does my father.”

He paused.

“But he claimed he faced Hermos before… Strange…”

“This is serious…” said Jason. “Aside from the fact that these Orichalcos Duels are happening, it seems that the ghosts of duelists whom the Trinity faced are attacking students. And while none of them have yet used the Seal, they use the same Disks as those who actually do.”

“Maybe you actually have to have a soul to use the Seal, and these phantasms simply don’t,” suggested Trisha.

“Possibly,” said Jason. “But still, we have no idea who may come next…”

He paused.

“The Trinity had deadlier enemies… Marik, Bakura… there were rumors about Pegasus…”

“I pity the student who has to face Pegasus, if he shows up…” muttered Trisha. “His Toon Deck was incredibly dangerous…”

They all took cards out of their side decks.

They looked at Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos…

“It all depends on finding the Dark Messiah…” said Jason. “If he even exists at all…

“If I were Kaiba, I’d likely start doubting this was real… And I must say it’s hard to believe.

“But I can’t ignore it…

“I have to hope that wherever the Messiah is, he’ll help us find him.”

Friday, September 24th, 2106, 6:45 PM

ZOMBIE WEREWOLF (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 1,200

Card Specs: This former Beast-Warrior desired immortality, but became an undead creature as a result. If this Monster is destroyed as a result of battle, Special Summon one “Zombie Werewolf” from your hand or deck. A Monster Special Summoned in this way has 500 more Attack Points than the one destroyed to activate this effect.

VAMPIRE BAT (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 800
DEF: 800

Card Specs: This creature flies through the night, preying on living blood. When this Monster is face-up on the field, increase the ATK of all ZOMBIE-Type Monsters on the field by 200. You can discard one “Vampire Bat” from your hand or deck to prevent this Monster from being destroyed in battle or from a card effect. (Damage calculation still applies, if applicable.)

RED GHOST MOON (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: An ominous stone bridge leading up to a sinister harvest moon.

Card Description: You can activate this effect when your opponent declares an attack. Discard one ZOMBIE-Type Monster from your hand. Negate the attack and end the current Battle Phase. Add the current ATK of the attacking Monster to your Life Points.

GENESIS CRISIS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A demonic face surrounded by flames.

Card Description: This card can only be Equipped to “Vampire Genesis”. When you have a Monster Equipped with this card, once per turn, during a Main Phase, you can add one ZOMBIE-Type Monster from your deck to your hand. If the Monster Equipped with this card is destroyed or removed from the field, destroy all Monsters on your side of the field.

Note: The proceeding four cards were used by Camula in the multi-part “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Field of Screams”. All creative credit goes to the creators of that episode.

GIANT REX (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dinosaur/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: This huge carnivore preys on anything smaller than itself, often without thinking of the consequences. If this Monster does not destroy an opposing Monster during your Battle Phase, this Monster is destroyed during your End Phase of the same turn.

Note: “Giant Rex” was first used by Noah in the anime episode “Brothers in Arms”. It has since been used by Rex Raptor and Tyranno Kenzan.

CHITOPTERA (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dinosaur
Attribute: Wind
Level: 4
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: This flying reptile moves as fast as an eagle, and makes no more noise than a bat while looking for prey.

HORNED SAURUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dinosaur/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: Chitoptera + Gilasaurus

This evil-minded relative of the pterodactyl hunts not only out of hunger, but out of enjoyment. This Monster can only be Special Summoned via Fusion Summon. On the turn this Monster is successfully Fusion Summoned, it can attack your opponent directly.

Note: “Chitoptera” and “Horned Saurus” were first used by Rex Raptor in the multi-part anime episode “On the Wrong Track”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

"Black Stego" and "Ultimate Tyranno" are from "Power of the Duelist". The English translations may be subject to change.

Nathan’s Vampire Deck

Nathan didn’t set out to construct a Vampire Deck. His goal was a Deck Destruction Deck, which would limit his opponents’ options, and perhaps win by decking out. But after adding two Vampire Lords, several Vampire Ladies, Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, and Vampire Genesis, he decided to settle on one unifying theme to achieve his original goal.

Nathan’s deck isn’t perfect. He has quite a few high-level Monsters, but not all of them are for summoning. Some of them are simply useful for activating Vampire Genesis’s effect, which leads to him activating the Bone Tower’s effect. Robbin’ Zombie is a key card in his deck, as it helps with the main strategy.

Nathan also has some powerful offensive power. Zombie Werewolf can grow to an Attack Score of 2,200 if used to fullest potential (amazing for a four-star Monster) and also guarantees him a Monster to sacrifice. Vampire Bat (which is indestructible until he runs out of additional ones to discard) can make even Vampire Lady a decent Monster.

Nathan does not know it, but a lot of his cards were favorites of the Shadow Rider Camula. Using vampires was a natural for Camula, seeing as she was one herself. Of course, as Yugi would say, in most cases, a card is only as evil as the duelist who uses it, just as any weapon can be considered evil… if used by someone with evil intent.

[B][I]Coming up next:

Cassius sabotages an experiment, which unleashes an evil force from a dark prison. The only thing standing in this demon’s way is the school’s gym teacher. Who is this creature, and can he be stopped?

Find out, in “Giant Trunade”, coming soon.

Shuppet Master

17th June 2006, 09:35 AM

Nice to see this fic back on-line, Brian. Great filler duel, and great user character, Mookie. I'm quite fond of the vampire deck and Camula myself - she was the only Shadow Rider that got multiple Spirit Keys and defeated the "undefeatable" Zane(of course, she cheated to do so, but that's another story).

I liked how you used Rex Raptor, Brian, and put in some of those cards from Power of the Duelist. It's given me some ideas for the next chapter of "Paper Wishes." ;)

The remark Sersei made about being tied up was really cute. I had no idea she was into bondage! (Gets beaten up by the PC crowd.) Keep up the good work, Brian! :D

Inferno_Dragon

17th June 2006, 09:46 AM

Not your every vampire deck .... well Camula's Deck wasn't average anyways. I never did like Rex Raptor. Sure, he didn't cheat like Weevil or Espa Roba did in the past but the fact that he joined Dartz's side to get even with Joey. And I agree with Trisha about her comment on Pegasus. His Toon Deck was deadly and Lina proved it otherwise.

But I am interested in the next chapter. Well, keep up the good work, Dark Sage.

Dark Sage

17th June 2006, 10:25 AM

Actaully, Banner tied Camula for number of Spirit Keys obtained - two. And although Camula did cheat in her duel with Zane, her cards were pretty cool, so I used a lot of them.

Mookie

17th June 2006, 01:29 PM

Woo! One finally appears. Damn, I really hoped, that Nathan Emmanuel Evans (His full name, tee-hee.) would win by decking out, but thats still good. :laugh:

I was the last user character?
Phew.
I began to worry, when I would finally appear. But still, it was a great duel.

...

...GO DECK DESTRUCTION!

...had to say it.

Edit: Had this chapter appeared on the 14th, it would've been a nice birthday present. :grin:

Blademaster

17th June 2006, 03:11 PM

People, you may think that writing these duels is easy

PFFFT! Yeah, sure - trust me, non-writers, writing duels is hard as a mothe-

(gets stern looks from DS and Shup)

Uh, it's very hard. Yeah...

Anyways, nice use of those new Dino cards, DS - I'm a huge dinosaur buff, and I always enjoy seeing them. Black Stego and Ultimate Tyranno... Very cool. Ultimate Tyranno looks nasty - I hope I can find one! :lipsrsealed:

At any rate, it seems like all the worst duelists are showing up in this fic... Rex, Bandit Keith, Lumis and Umbra... I wonder who's next...?

(coughcoughWeevilcoughcough)

So... yeah, I'm kinda sleep-deprived again... sorry if I seem a little... unfocused... :sleep:

I'm just... gonna go lay down now...

See ya!

-Blade

jkBAKURA

17th June 2006, 03:25 PM

I highly doubt Weevil will appear, as we had an Insect duelist in chapter one.

Nice use of cards, and I liked how you referenced some of Rex's moves without actually playing them (although I myself would have liked Serpant Knight to return)

There were only a couple things that left a bad taste in my mouth. One was the overused Pill/Tyranno combo. It has been done to death, and even using Armored Lizard as the trigger was something I've seen in at least three other fics. At least you stayed away from Infinity, I don't think it would have been Rex's style. (although I was dumbfounded when you made it through the chapter without using Two-Headed King Rex)

Second was the use of Genesis, and the other Cammula zombies, although they complete the Vampire ensamble, hethey don't really fit the deck destruction theme. (in fact, the Bats and Werewolf thin out a player's own deck.) Maybe it was Vampires First and DD second, and I just missed the point.

And why do I get the feeling this kid is packing a Crush Card as well?

Mookie

17th June 2006, 04:14 PM

My own deck (in the latest GBA Yu-Gi-Oh game, haha. :embarassed:) contains near every card, which makes the amount of cards in the opponents deck smaller. Even at the cost of my own deck. Hell, I have a Morphing Jar there, Cyber Jar, Morphing Jar #2, Needle Worms, Card Destruction, Assault at GHQ, Don Zaloog & Cliff the Trap Remover, Gravekeeper's Servant, et cetera, et cetera. Makes it more interesting.

Pokemasterkatie

17th June 2006, 04:36 PM

Why do I get a feeling Strings will be making an appearance?
I don't think so...in the games, Strings can barely talk while not under Marik's control. Besides, the deck wasn't his(Marik used the exact Revival Jam combo in the finals later). Aside from that, his deck never had a constant theme...<_<;

BTW, Rex Raptor and Deck Destruction for the win! Rex ended up better than Weevil, at least--Ryuzaki didn't face Yugi(Weevil lost to Joey in Battle City).;) He's just better overall, anyway...though I do know someone who loves Haga(Japanese Weevil, of course).l_l;

Dark Sage

17th June 2006, 04:50 PM

Strings will not appear. You see, the purpose of Strings was use Slifer to defeat Yugi, and Slifer is now buried along with the other God Cards. Without Slifer, Strings has no purpose.

Besides, if we use the true rules for Revival Jam (and I would), the user would have to pay 1,000 Life Points every time it revived. That strategy would not have truly worked using actual rules.

So no Strings...

As for Weevil, well, you may find this hard to believe, but Weevil has actually learned his lesson, and won't be dumb enough to work for the current incarnation of the Orichalcos. He's been humiliated far too often to let it happen again. He was beaten twice by Yugi, once by Joey, and had an incredibly humiliating defeat handed to him by Ziegfried (Think about... It was two against one, he and Rex had their most powerful Monsters on the field, and Zieg beat them in one turn. And it was in front of a sold-out crowd. If I were them, I'd have been afraid to show my face in public after that.) And when he and Rex resorted to the tactics of common thieves and stole the God Cards, they truly hit rock-bottom and Bakura put them in their place.

Weevil is showing a little sense for a change, and is going to be careful with who he works with. Unlike Rex...

Mystic_clown

17th June 2006, 05:49 PM

Poor Rex, always getting the short end of the stick. Personally I like Rex (he's one of my favourite minor characters).

Anyway, nice duel dude.

Hmm, why do I get the feeling this next enemy has something to do with Bakura or Malik?

Perfect Chaos

18th June 2006, 11:46 AM

That was a pretty good filler chapter. I too liked Rex as a minor character and his Orichalcos duel with Joey was one of my favorite ones from the series.

Nathan's deck is also pretty unique, a little tangent from the regular Zombie deck. I liked Camula as a Shadow Rider, but she wasn't my favorite (that belongs to Darkness and Banner)

Wow, a gym teacher is dueling next chapter? Wonder what theme he's going to use. See you all for next chapter

-Sean

Dark Sage

20th June 2006, 02:14 PM

What happens when old-fashioned toughness and dedication goes up against the terrible tyrant of tricksters? Answer? A clash of the titans!

Hello folks. I was just getting ready to go to work for the night, and figured that I'd put this chapter up before I went. Many people were asking two things... Who this dark demon was, and what the theme of Old Ben's deck was.

Well, prepare to find out both!

Enjoy...

[B][I]When I was a boxer, I was known for my powerful left hook. Folks called me “The Strongest Left Hand In The Land”.

But when some crocodile bit it off, and I got a new prosthetic one, that career ended – you can’t box when your left arm is made of metal and capable of crushing someone’s face with one punch.

I turned to dueling, using my prosthetic arm mainly to hold my Disk and my hand of cards. And before my original deck was stolen (I won’t tell you what was in it) I was one of the best. I was champion of California five years running, and I won the Regional Championship in Las Vegas one year.

I guess that’s how I got the job as headmaster of the Ra Dorm.

Anyway, as a duelist, I’ve faced a lot of opponents – some strange, some eccentric, some with various… peculiarities…

But this one has got to beat all…

I’ve never had to face someone who’s an honest to God deity before.

Uhm… Pun not intended.

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

http://www.ideal808.com/images/mrl-0481.jpg

Monday, September 27th, 2106, 1:05 PM

The following Monday had a class that everyone seemed to like: Duel Monsters Metaphysics.

It was a class that focused on the stranger side of Duel Monsters, including its origins.

Dr. Ambroise was a guy who looked like he came out of a Grimm Brothers fairy tale. His head was mostly bald, with grey hair around the bottom. He had a small pair of bifocals perched on a long, thin nose. He wore sweaters that were likely bought at K-Mart, grey slacks, and plain, leather loafers.

Rumors had it that he had been a duelist of no small skill in his youth, and also that he was an expert on Shadow Games.

“Duel Monsters and the supernatural have always gone hand and hand…” he said, as his class listened, “although many folks’ opinions on such matters has differed. Take the Trinity…

“Seto Kaiba was an agnostic regarding the supernatural for most of his life… Of course, like most rich men, he didn’t like things that he had no control over, which was likely the reason for his skepticism concerning magic. If you don’t like something, it’s very easy to deal with it by denying its significance.

“Joey Wheeler was more of a believer, but he didn’t let it affect him much. The difference between him and Kaiba was, he knew he had no control over it, but he didn’t mind – he simply tried to deal with it as it happened, using his skills as a duelist.

“Yugi on the other hand… He breathed magic every minute of his life, being one who once held a Millennium Item. He couldn’t ignore or neglect it, because it was a part of him.

“For instance, Yugi once spoke of the possibility that another world exists beyond the veil… One where creatures that we know as Duel Monsters live like humans do. Whether this place is reachable by humans, it’s unknown, and the details are sketchy…”

A student in the third row raised her hand.

“Yes, Bianca?” asked Ambroise.

“Dr. Ambroise…” asked Bianca, “what are Duel Spirits?”

Ambroise paused.

“Well…” he said, “possibly, Duel Spirits are residents of this other world, as I said… Monsters in corporeal form. Jaden Yuki and his allies met several of them. Some, like Dark Magician Girl and Kaibaman were benign… Others, like Jinzo and Don Zaloog were evil creatures who could create dangerous Shadow Games.

“It goes without saying that if a Duel Spirit is intelligent, resourceful, and has hands, he himself is a duelist, and that’s where it gets tricky. A Spirit’s strategy reflects the Spirit as a Monster, and his deck always has at least one copy of ‘his’ card. These cards are thought to be created out of magic… For example, when Jaden faced Kaibaman in a duel, the Spirit had three copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, even though only Kaiba had ‘real’ copies.

“But anyway, Duel Spirits have not been seen for years, and you shouldn’t worry about them.”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

As Bianca left class, her two friends Melanie and Sarah were behind her.

She took out her deck and looked through it, and eventually found a card.

She looked at it: Valkyrie Brunhilde.

“Hey, girls,” she said. “How’d you two like to meet the real Brunhilde?”

They looked at her.

“And just how do you intend to do that?” asked Melanie.

“I’ve been doing research,” she answered. “I think I know how to bring one of these Spirits here. If we just sneak into the athletic pool after class, no one will see us…”

“It sounds dangerous…” said Sarah.

“Sarah, it’s Brunhilde, not Dark Ruler Ha Des!” laughed Bianca. “We’ll be fine…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Several hours later, Fortunado was listening to someone in a video phone.

“Thanks,” he said.

He turned it off and frowned.

He slumped into a chair, not at all happy.

“Duel Spirits…” he muttered. “Meddling, stupid, annoying creatures… I hate them more than anything…”

“I thought you hated professional figure skaters more than anything,” replied Sebastian.

Fortunado frowned.

“Well, that’s a different sort or hate,” he answered. “But anyway, the last thing we need right now is one of them appearing – especially one who’s a Fairy. She might know something that could be used against us…

“Even worse, if she’s a duelist, it would be a disaster… I don’t know what the Orichalcos would do if we tried to use it against a Spirit, but I can assume it wouldn’t be a profitable endeavor…”

“We could treat Bianca to an Orichalcos duel before she does so…” suggested Cleo.

“I have a better idea,” said Cassius, walking in.

He had an elaborate scepter resting on his shoulder.

“We can sabotage their little ritual and throw the place into helter skelter!”

“The Scepter of Bound Divinity!” gasped Fortunado.

“That’s right,” said Cassius. “So, when Bianca tries to contact a Duel Spirit, we use this, throw the proverbial monkey wrench into her plans, and they get a big mess to deal with!”

“Uh, Cassius?” asked Sebastian, nervously. “Where’d you get the Scepter?”

“Stole it from my mom when she fell asleep watching television,” answered Cassius, casually.

“You stole from your mother…” muttered Cleo.

“Yeah,” he added, “and we’d best do this and get it back to her broom closet before she wakes up for tea, or she’ll have a fit!”

“You stole from your mother…” repeated Fortunado.

“Hey!” shouted Cassius. “I use the Orichalcos, you know!”

“I should think so…” replied Fortunado.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Old Ben looked in his medicine cabinet.

He never told anyone, but as strong as his artificial arm was, he had to take no less than three prescription medications so that his body would never reject it.

The cabinet had a lot of other medicines in it – Tylenol, Tums, Excedrin…

He frowned.

Looking in the average medicine cabinet, one would think people were always sick. Some of these bottles were over a year old, but like most people, he had never thrown them out. Throwing out pills just seemed… wrong.

He looked at his three prescription medications (he had long ago stopped trying to pronounce their names, and just called them “the green one”, “the red one”, and “the black one”).

The directions on these bottles were really weird…

Take one pill three times a day, said one.

How exactly do you take one pill three times? he thought.

Take one capsule by mouth two times a day, said the other.

Thanks for clearing that up, he thought, I was about to stick it in my ear…

He sighed…

Then he checked his watch.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

In the common room of the Ra Dorm, Russell and Trisha had their cards spread out on the floor.

“And now I attack Marauding Captain with my Perfect Machine King!” shouted Trisha.

“You win…” muttered Russell.

They noticed that Jason was on a couch looking at The Eye of Timaeus.

“Jason, staring at that card is not going to do much,” said Trisha.

“Dunno…” muttered Jason. “Maybe if we used these cards more often…”

“Are you that anxious to get into another Orichalcos duel?” asked Russell. “I’m content to wait for now, with all the craziness that’s been happening even without that awful Field Card…”

“True…” said Trisha. “The next time some ghost shows up, we have to do our best to make sure they don’t force some other student to duel him, or…”

Then Old Ben came into the room.

“Don’t you three ever have homework?” he asked.

“It’s done,” they all said at once.

“Yeah, well…” said Ben, “some other students are in for a punishment. Bianca, Melanie, and Sarah are an hour past curfew, and when I get ahold of them…”

He was interrupted by a loud crash.

Ben ran to the front hall where it had come from. The three students followed.

Bianca was there, and she had apparently run a long distance. She was out of breath… And incredibly scared.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Bianca slowly drank from a bottle.

“You tried to summon a Duel Spirit?” asked Trisha. “What the Hell were you thinking?”

“I thought it would be… interesting…” gasped Bianca. “And we got excited when it seemed to work…”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment.

“We cast the spell as the book said, and this appeared…”

Ben looked at it. It seemed to be written in old-fashioned ink pen:

[B][I]Give me the souls of three warriors, and I will come.

O-L-P-R P-R-M-T L-U O-R-V-S

Ben looked hard at the letters at the bottom…

“We thought it meant Warrior-Type Monster Cards…” muttered Bianca.

“It clearly didn’t,” said Jason. “Note that the word ‘warriors’ isn’t capitalized…”

“I know…” sobbed Bianca. “We didn’t realize the mistake until we said yes. Then Sarah was seemingly consumed in fire! Melanie and I tried to run, but she was caught too… And now…”

“Hold on one minute…” said Russell. “Valkyrie Brunhilde is a Fairy of Light… Why would she want human souls?”

“It wasn’t Brunhilde…” said Old Ben, rubbing his chin. “It was an imposter posing as her…

“These letters at the bottom are a signature, in code. Each letter stands for the letter at the opposite place in the alphabet. A is Z , B is Y, and so on…”

He took out a pen and wrote new letters over the existing ones:

[B]LOKI KING OF LIES

“Loki…” muttered Ben, crumpling it up. “So, he escaped… Figures he would disrupt a ceremony aimed at summoning a Valkyrie…”

“Loki?” asked Russell. “The Norse God of Tricksters? He’s real?”

Ben nodded.

“Some say that Egypt wasn’t the only ancient civilization who knew how to harness the Shadows,” he said. “Some scholars on Shadow Games say that these rituals formed the whole foundation for many old religions, and spawned entities worshipped by old cultures… They may not have been true gods, but they were immortals who could use the Shadows in strange ways. They formed the basis of several mythologies.”

Bianca shivered in fright.

“So what do we…” she started.

And then she screamed, as flames erupted around her!

The headmaster and the three students could do nothing – they tried to beat out the flames, but she vanished in a burst of fire.

Then a cackling laugh came from out of nowhere.

“Show yourself!” shouted Ben.

“As you wish…” said a voice.

A tall form appeared in front of them. He was a young-looking man with red hair, tied in a ponytail almost down to his waist, wearing old-fashioned chain mail armor colored in clashing green and orange. His face was youthful, with large, green eyes, and ears tapering to small points.

“Let ‘em go, Loki!” ordered Ben.

“Sorry, fellah,” said the King of Lies, “but I’m here, and I like it here. And once I complete a little ritual to use what I’ve taken, I can stay here. See you around!”

An aura of flame appeared around him, and then it vanished in a burst, taking him with it.

Ben frowned again as he looked at the scorch mark. That carpet had just been reupholstered…

What am I thinking… he thought. An evil immortal is loose, and he has three students with him…

“Where’d he go?” asked Russell.

Old Ben slung a duffle bag over his shoulder.

“If Loki wants to do the type of ritual I think he wants to do, he’ll need a good deal of spiritual energy,” he said. “Come with me, I might need some help…

“Dr. Artemis is never going to believe this…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Half an hour and a short subway ride later, the headmaster and the three students entered the front doors of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest church in Manhattan.

This was not only the largest Catholic church in New York, it was the largest in the United States. And everything about it was big. There was enough seating for 2,500 people… The pipe organ was huge instrument with more than 7,300 pipes. The stained glass window in the front was twenty-six feet across, and one of the best works of that type. You could stand in this place for hours admiring the beauty…

Of course, during the day, peaceful reflection was difficult, given the crowds of tourists. They weren’t here now, seeing as it was late… Only a few stragglers who didn’t know of the danger that had entered were here.

“You want to tell me why we came to a church?” asked Russell.

“This is the largest store of spiritual energy in New York,” said Ben. “Loki could get all he needs here.”

“I thought demons and evil spirits like him couldn’t enter churches,” said Jason. “That’s usually how it goes in the movies…”

“This is a Catholic church, Jason,” replied Ben. “Loki is far older than Christianity, which is relatively new as far as religions go. This place can’t hinder him… The Vatican might be powerful enough, but…

“In fact, I fear that if we can’t drive him away, he’ll defile this place and turn it into an unholy shrine…”

“Good lord…” muttered Trisha. “Uh, Ben, can I ask what may be a stupid question?”

“If you can bear a stupid answer,” he replied.

“If we find Loki here,” she asked, “what exactly are we going to do? I mean, he’s a Norse god, you know? Immortal, incredibly powerful, likely able to strike people dead with lightning…”

“No, Thor uses lightning,” said Ben. “Loki prefers fire. Just trust your gym teacher, kids… I have an idea.”

Then, the modern electrical lights all went out…

A second later, every candle in the church lit, providing an eerie glow.

“So, you found me…” said a voice.

Loki appeared in another burst of fire.

“Too bad you can’t stop me,” he said with a smirk. “Soon I’ll gather enough energy to consume those three souls, and I’ll have escaped my jailers entirely!”

“Jailers?” asked Russell.

“I’ve spent the last three thousand years chained to a rock,” said Loki with a scowl, “with snakes chewing at my entrails! Fortunately, that ritual helped me break free…”

“Because you tricked them…” added Jason.

“King of Lies, God of Tricksters, Twister of Truths,” said Loki. “What did you expect?

“Besides, I have a great opportunity now. Back in my day, everyone hated me… Being able to start over in a place where no-one remembers all the bad things you did is better than Valhalla!”

“Listen, Loki!” shouted Ben. “As headmaster of the Ra Dorm, the safety and welfare of its students is my responsibility! So if you need a sacrifice, I have an offer for you… Well, more of a challenge…”

“A challenge?” asked Loki, nearly laughing.

“Yes,” said Ben. “A duel! You win, you take me instead of them. I win, you get your sorry ass back to where you came from!”

“Heh, heh, heh…” laughed Loki rubbing his chin. “To tell you the truth, I’m intrigued…

“I truly needed the soul of a warrior to do this easily… Your courageous and virtuous spirit is that of a true warrior, far more than those three cowardly little girls. It would empower me much more…”

“Then you’d benefit now, wouldn’t you?” asked Ben.

Loki rubbed his chin again.

“Very well, mortal,” he said, “I accept!”

Ben opened his duffle, and strapped a Duel Bandoleer over his chest, similar to Dr. Artemis’s. He shuffled his deck and placed it the slot over his heart.

He whispered to the three students.

“If he beats me, you three make the same offer. Whatever we do, we have to keep him occupied…”

“Why?” asked Jason.

“No time to explain right now…” answered Ben. “But if there’s one thing I know about these dark entities, they simply can’t resist a challenge.”

Loki gestured, and a strange Disk appeared on his left arm. It looked like it was made as much of wood as it was of metal.

He gestured, and a flame appeared in his hand. A deck of cards appeared in the flame, and he placed it in the Disk.

“Think Ben can beat this guy?” asked Russell.

“I dunno,” said Jason. “I never saw him duel. And Loki… Well, he’s a Norse God! How much more intense than that can you get?”

“All right, big guy…” said Ben.

He gestured, and five cards slipped out of his deck.

“As they say, it’s time to duel!”

[B](Ben: 8,000) (Loki: 8,000)

“Feh,” said Loki, drawing five cards. “Feel free to make the first move. It really doesn’t matter. I haven’t been outwitted in a game of skill since the founding of Asgard.”

“And when was that?” asked Ben, drawing a sixth card.

“I think it was on a Tuesday,” answered Loki. “Very few people know that!”

“Okay…” said Ben. “I’ll start by playing a Spell Card… Golden Road.”

He played the card, and the image of the fabled Road of Yellow Brick leading up to the Emerald City appeared.

“When this card is played, both players draw four cards, and then discard two.”

Loki looked at his hand and grinned.

“Fine…” he said. “You’re only helping me…”

Both of them drew four cards, and then discarded two.

“Now I’ll place one card facedown, and a Monster in Defense Mode,” said Ben.

Two facedown cards, one horizontal and one vertical, appeared.

“And I’ll end my turn…” he said.

“Well then,” said Loki, drawing a card. “I’ll first play Monster Reborn, to summon a Monster that I just discarded… Dark Blade.”

The ankh appeared, and a Warrior in dark armor covered with blades holding two scimitars appeared. His eyes glowed from the slots in his helmet, and he raised the swords menacingly. (1,800/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MFC-007.jpg

“And then, I’ll sacrifice him, to summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!”

Dark Blade vanished, and a blizzard of ice and snow blew over Loki’s side of the field. A twelve-foot-tall giant rose up, seemingly dressed in armor made of ice, with a cape over his shoulder.

He stepped forward, and the ground froze where his footsteps fell. (2,400/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd4-en012-1.jpg

“And simply by summoning him,” continued Loki, “up to two of your Spell or Trap Cards are destroyed.”

Mobius shot a blast of ice from his hand. Ben’s facedown Mirror Force froze over and shattered.

“Mobius…” ordered Loki, “put his facedown Monster on ice! Attack with blizzard blight!”

Mobius pointed and a chilling wind shot forward…

A large koala appeared on the card and was frozen in a block of ice. Then it shattered to bits.

“Now you’re gonna get it!” laughed Ben. “You just flipped Des Koala! That means you lose 400 Life Points for every card in your hand. And I count six of them!”

“Huh?” said Loki.

He shrieked as he was struck by six bolts of lightning in quick succession!

“NOW do you see why I let you draw more cards?” said Ben with a smile.

“Clever…” muttered Loki.

[B](B: 8,000) (L: 5,600)

“Wow, Ben clobbered him!” exclaimed Russell.

“Yeah,” said Trisha, “but he’ll need something powerful to beat Mobius…”

“Don’t worry, kids,” said Ben, “that overgrown popsicle is nothing I can’t handle…”

He gestured over his vest, and a new card flew into his hand.

“I play this…” he said, “Koala March.”

He played a Spell Card.

“Never heard of it…” laughed Loki.

“Well, it’s a two-step process,” said Ben. “First it lets me Special Summon one Koala from my Graveyard, and then it lets me Special Summon another one from my hand.”

Two Des Koalas appeared, ready to pounce. (1,100/1,800 x2)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MFC-077.jpg

“So?” said Loki. “They’re worthless in Attack Mode…”

He paused.

“Unless they’re…”

“Sacrificial lambs?” asked Ben with a grin. “In a word, yes! I sacrifice both these little koalas…”

The two Des Koalas vanished into pixels.

“…to summon their big brother… Big Koala!”

An enormous koala, half-again as big as Mobius, rose, looking quite out of place in the hallowed sanctum. (2,700/2,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-004.jpg

“Wow!” exclaimed Jason. “Ben summoned a seven star Monster with only one additional card!”

Loki wasn’t impressed.

“Oh, a giant teddy bear…” he laughed. “Whatever will I do…”

“You may be the God of Tricksters, Loki,” said Ben, “but you sure aren’t a zoologist. Koalas aren’t bears. And in case you didn’t notice, his Attack points are greater than Frosty’s there!

“Big Koala, send Mobius to the cooler! Takedown from Down Under!”

Big Koala charged forward on all fours, and slugged the Frost Monarch! He groaned, and shattered into shards of ice.

“I could use a stiff drink,” said Ben. “We’ve got plenty of cocktail ice. I’ll end by placing a card facedown.”

He played a card, and facedown card materialized.

[B](B: 8,000) (L: 5,300)

Continued…

Dark Sage

20th June 2006, 02:17 PM

Continued from last post:

“Loki, I will defeat you…” continued Ben. “You’ll wish you stayed in your own neck of the woods.”

Loki drew a card.

“Yes, you keep telling yourself that,” said Loki, playing a card. “In the meantime, I believe I will play a Spell Card called The Shallow Grave. This lets us…”

“I know what it does!” interrupted Ben. “It lets us both Special Summon a Monster from our Graveyards in facedown Defense Mode.”

“You don’t have to be rude about it,” said Loki, as a facedown Monster appeared in front of him.

“And you didn’t have to kidnap three of my students!” snapped back Ben, as a facedown Monster appeared next to Big Koala.

“Well, anyway,” continued Loki. “Seeing as the Monster you just summoned has to be a Des Koala, and I remember quite well what its flip-effect does, I’m going to get rid of it…

“I sacrifice my facedown Monster…”

The facedown Monster vanished.

“…and I summon Granmarg the Rock Monarch!”

The ground trembled, and another giant creature burst out the floor, scattering shards of rock to every side. It was a hulking ogre made of stone, its body sculpted to resemble strange armor, and with enormous firsts. Its only article of clothing was a kilt made out of metal. (2,400/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/fet_en009.jpg

“And when he’s summoned,” said Loki, “one facedown card is destroyed!”

A beam of energy shot from Granmarg’s eyes, striking Ben’s facedown Monster. Des Koala appeared and shattered to pieces.

“Big Koala is still stronger!” said Ben.

“Not for long,” replied Loki, taking another card. “I Equip Granmarg with Enchanted Maul of the Monarchs.”

He played a card, and a large mallet made of stone appeared in Granmarg’s hand.

“I’ll explain,” said Loki. “When a Monarch is Equipped with this card, his Attack Score rises by 500 right away. That alone is enough to destroy your Koala…

“But the Monarch is also assumed to have an increase of another 800 whenever he battles a Monster whose Attribute is the same as his. And since Granmarg and your Beast are both Earth Monsters…”

Granmarg’s Attack shot up to 3,700.

“Granmarg, attack Big Koala!” shouted Loki. “Royal stone blow!”

Granmarg rushed and slugged Big Koala in the gut with the Maul; Big Koala clutched its stomach in pain, and then shattered.

[B](B: 7,000) (L: 5,300)

“Loki seems to favor the Elemental Monarchs a lot,” said Trisha.

“Yeah,” said Jason. “They’re giants, just like Loki.”

“Loki’s a giant?” asked Russell. “As in fee-fi-foe-fum? He doesn’t look so big…”

“Ever read Norse Mythology?” asked Jason. “Loki wasn’t related to the gods at all, he was the son of the king and queen of their enemies, the Jotuns… giants. But unlike most Jotuns, who were huge, Loki was no bigger than a normal man, and his parents were so ashamed, they isolated him from everybody. Eventually, Odin, the King of the Gods, found Loki, took pity on him, and…”

“EXCUSE me!” shouted Loki. “That’s all a very touchy subject that I don’t like being brought up! A word to the wise… Don’t bring up someone’s embarrassing moments!”

“Be grateful I don’t bring up the incident with Slepnir,” said Jason.

“If you even think about that…” warned Loki, angrily.

“Excuse me, can I make my move here?” asked Ben.

“Fine,” said Loki. “But after you, they’re next!”

Ben drew a card.

“I summon Eucalyptus Mole in Defense Mode,” he said.

A strange-looking mole with a green crest on its back and sharp claws appeared, sitting cross-legged. It clutched a branch of eucalyptus leaves. (1,000/1,300)

“That will do,” he said.

“That’s your defense?” asked Loki. “A mole?”

He drew a card.

“I summon Chthonian Soldier in Attack Mode,” he said.

A dark portal opened, and a Warrior trudged out. He was a grim figure in midnight-black armor holding a jagged sword. He scowled, and his teeth were revealed to be jagged and sharp. His eyes had no pupils, just white orbs. (1,200/1,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en010.jpg

“Granmarg, destroy that… thing.”

Granmarg brought his hammer down on Eucalyptus Mole, smashing it flat.

“Thank you,” said Ben, with a smile. “When Eucalyptus Mole is destroyed in battle, I get to summon any Monster with the word ‘Koala’ in it from my deck. So here comes another Big Koala!”

Another giant koala appeared! (2,700/2,000)

“Humph,” said Loki. “In that case, I’ll play a card facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared.

“But what will you do now? Granmarg is still 1,000 Attack Points stronger…”

Ben drew a card.

“What will I do?” he asked. “I’ll play Pot of Greed.”

He played the card, and drew twice.

“And as far as the strength of my Monster goes, Loki,” he said, “when you go up against a guy who uses Beasts, you not only have to look at the Attack Score, but at the Defense Score too. You never know when I’ll have this Spell Card…”

He played a card.

“I play Wild Nature’s Release. This Spell adds my Koala’s Defense Score his Attack Score.”

Big Koala grunted and flexed its muscles, and blue flames surrounded it, as its Attack rose to 4,700.

“Now, turn the Rock Monarch into rubble!” shouted Ben.

Big Koala leapt forward, and threw a mighty punch, smashing Granmarg into shards of rock!

“Don’t cerebrate yet!” said Loki, angrily. “You played Wild Nature’s Release to pull that move off! That means your big pet dies when you end your turn!”

“Oh, will he?” asked Ben with a grin. “Normally, he would, but I have a Trap Card…”

His facedown card lifted, showing the image of a dead bull with its ghost floating out of it.

“It’s called Beast Soul Swap,” he said. “This will let me return Big Koala to my hand before it’s destroyed, so long as I swap it for a Beast with the same number of stars from my hand.

“So, it returns to my hand…”

Big Koala vanished in a sparkle of light.

“…and in return, I’ll Special Summon someone even who packs just as much punch… Behemoth, the King of All Animals!”

He played the card, and a Beast just as big as Big Koala appeared. He looked like a massive cross between a bison, bear, and lion, with violet fur and a mane of darker purple hair down his back. It growled, and saliva dripped from its fanged jowls. (2,700/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/fet_en014.jpg

“Yeah, Ben!” cheered Trisha. “Way to combo!”

“I’m far from done, kids!” said Ben. “My Battle Phase ain’t over… Get that Chthonian Soldier! ”

The King of All Animals charged the Warrior, and with one swipe of his mighty claw, tore him apart.

“Heh, heh…” said Loki. “Look… up…”

“Huh?” asked Ben.

He looked up, and saw the Soldier’s sword flying towards him…

He screamed in pain as it struck him.

“Fool…” said Loki. “That last attack may have cost me some Life Points, but due to Chthonian Soldier’s effect, it cost you just as much, as you can certainly feel…”

Yeah, I feel it… muttered Ben. I actually felt it stab me! That sword was no hologram…

This is real… I should have known…

This guy managed to create a Shadow Game…

[B](B: 5,500) (L: 2,800)

“Anything else?” asked Loki.

“Actually, yes…” muttered Ben. “I play the Spell Card, Power Distribution.”

He played the card, and to the surprise of the three students, the Dark Magician appeared behind Ben! He cast a spell, and the images of three cards appeared.

“To play this, I have to discard a Monster who has seven stars or more…”

He discarded the Big Koala in his hand, and the legendary sorcerer vanished.

“And in return, I get to draw two cards, plus one for every star it had above six – in this case, I get three.”

He gestured over his chest, and three cards slipped out. He looked at them.

“And I’ll place one of them facedown.”

He fit a card into a slot.

“It’s your turn.”

“About time,” said Loki, drawing a card. “I was afraid it might be time for me to start making plans for Ragnarok once this duel was over. Oh well…”

He played a card.

“I play Pot of Greed.”

He drew two cards.

“Now I’ll activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted, and just like the warriors are reborn every dusk on the fields of Valhalla, one of my Warriors returns.”

The card lifted, and Chthonian Soldier appeared.

“And now…” he said. “I’ll sacrifice him, to summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!”

The Soldier shattered, and lightning struck his side of the arena. A new giant appeared. He was dressed in fancy green and white armor, with a helmet and a circular disk on his back. He lifted his hand, and called lightning to it, and electricity flashed all over him. (2,400/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-023.jpg

“This is my least favorite Monarch,” said Loki, with a frown. “He reminds me of my foster brother… But he’s useful, because now, one of your Monsters is destroyed.”

Lightning struck Behemoth, and he roared he was electrocuted!

After a minute, only ashes were left of the huge Beast.

“No…” gasped Trisha. “Ben is wide open for an attack…”

“Indeed…” said Loki. “Ready for more pain, mortal? Zaborg, smite him!”

Lightning powered up in Zaborg’s hands… Ben shielded himself with his metal arm as a bolt of lightning shot towards him…

Ben strained for a minute, and sweat formed on his face… He stumbled back four steps… But he didn’t fall.

The lightning stopped. Ben paused to catch his breath.

“Strongest Left Hand In The Land…” he muttered.

[B](B: 3,100) (L: 2,800)

“I haven’t had so much fun in millennia!” laughed Loki. “I almost forgot how exhilarating it is to slowly crush the life out a foe in combat!”

“Yeah…” muttered Ben. “It’s a blast…”

He waved his right hand.

“I activate Scapegoat!” he shouted.

Joey Wheeler’s trademark token-creating card lifted, and four fluffy sheep appeared.

“FOOL!” laughed Loki. “You could have activated that before I attacked, and saved yourself a lot of Life Points!”

“Eh, I have to agree with Loki here, for once,” said Russell. “That was pretty dumb…”

“Am I a fool?” asked Ben. “Maybe I have a strategy that’s too complicated for you to comprehend.”

“Don’t insult me mortal!” shouted Loki. “I earned the title King of Lies… I outwitted mortals, the Jotuns, even the gods many times. You can’t possibly outwit me!”

“Yeah, you outwitted them until you got caught,” said Jason, “which led you to being chained to that rock.”

“And soon that will be nothing more than an unpleasant memory,” answered Loki. “I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn.”

He played a card, and it appeared.

Ben drew another card.

“I summon Des Kangaroo in Attack Mode,” he said.

He played a card, and a short, scrappy kangaroo with green fur, wearing boxing gloves, a purple vest, and red sneakers bounced into view. He took a few warm-up jabs. (1,500/1,700)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-005.jpg

“A kangaroo?” said Loki, with a chuckle. “Get serious…”

His facedown Trap lifted.

“I activate Hidden Soldiers. This lets me summon a Dark Monster from my hand when you summon a Monster, and I think Getsu Fuhma will fit that bill.”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a beautiful woman with flowing red hair, wearing dark armor and holding a glowing sword appeared.

She glared at Loki with a frown, as if she resented being summoned, and then turned to face Des Kangaroo. (1,700/1,200)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-089.jpg

“Fine,” said Ben. “But now you’ll see my strategy… I play this Spell Card: The Big March of Animals!”

A Spell Card showing the image of a menagerie of Beasts appeared in front of him.

“When this Spell Card is played,” explained Ben, “for this round only, all Beasts on my side of the field gain 200 Attack Points for every Beast I have. And I have Des Kangaroo and four Scapegoats.”

Des Kangaroo raised his gloves and then flexed his muscles, and rose to an Attack of 2,500.

“NOW do you see why I waited to activate Scapegoat?” he said with a smirk. “I needed all four of them alive if I wanted to take down your Monarch! Still think I’m a fool?

“It seems I did outwit you…”

Loki turned pale…

“Des Kangaroo…” shouted Ben, “attack Zaborg with dreamtime combination!”

Des Kangaroo put up its dukes and hopped over to Zaborg, and made several jabs… Then it punched the Monarch six times in the solar plexus! Zaborg groaned, and fell to his knees, and then shattered into sparkling pixels.

[B](B: 3,100) (L: 2,700)

“You’ll pay for this indignity…” growled Loki.

He drew a card.

“I sacrifice Getsu Fuhma to summon the avatar of mighty Surtur himself… Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!” he shouted.

Getsu was consumed in fire, and another giant rose out of the flames. This one was clad in plate armor and a helmet, and his face sported a Fu-Manchu beard and moustache. His grin was very unpleasant, and as he raised his hands, they became shrouded in flames. (2,400/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd3-en011-1.jpg

“Now, take a look at those two cards in your hand,” said Loki. “Thestalos’s effect makes you discard one at random, and if it’s a Monster, you lose Life Points equal to 100 times its star level!”

Thestalos grinned evilly, and pointed, shooting a stream if fire forward that struck the left card in Ben’s hand.

Ben looked at the card that was now shrouded with flames…

So much for Kangaroo Champ… he thought, discarding it.

[B](B: 2,700) (L: 2,700)

“The score is tied, but not for long…” threatened Loki.

“Thestalos, destroy Des Kangaroo with Fire of Muspelhelm!”

The Firestorm Monarch laughed, and lifted his hand. A ball of flame formed in it, and started to grow, quickly, until it was almost as big as himself…

He hurled it, and Des Kangaroo was incinerated in a huge explosion!

“All right, now Ben is in trouble…” said Trisha.

“He still has those four sheep to protect him for now,” said Jason. “He has at least one round to think of something…”

[B](B: 1,800) (L: 2,700)

Ben drew a card.

“I have to pass for this turn…” he muttered.

“Very well…” said Loki.

He drew a card.

“I summon Blindly Loyal Goblin in Attack Mode,” he said.

He played a card, and a short goblin with a squat face wearing a ragged pair of trousers and holding a sword appeared. (1,800/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DCR-022.jpg

“Both of you…” said the King of Lies, “take out two of those Scapegoats!”

Thestalos fired a smaller ball of flame, and the yellow Scapegoat was incinerated.

Blindly Loyal Goblin made a swipe with his sword, and the red one was cut in half.

“It’s your move,” said Loki with a grin.

Ben drew a card.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and that will be all,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

“Is that the best you could do?” asked Loki. “All I must do is draw one Monster, and Thestalos will finish you off!”

He drew a card.

He gave the card an odd look.

“Didn’t draw a Monster, huh?” asked Ben.

“Actually, I did,” said Loki, adding it to his hand, “but it isn’t one I’m willing to use right now.

“Anyway, first thing’s first… destroy his goats!”

Thestalos and the Goblin destroyed the last two Scapegoats.

“His last defense is gone…” muttered Trisha. “Now what?”

“My move…” said Ben, drawing a card.

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate Call of the Haunted to bring back one Monster from my Graveyard. Guess who it is…”

Big Koala reappeared. (2,700/2,000)

“Him again…” growled Loki.

“You got that right,” said Ben. “Attack Thestalos! Takedown from Down Under!”

Big Koala leapt forward and threw a punch. Thestalos was thrown backwards, and his helmet flew off of his head. He burst into flaming pieces.

[B](B: 1,800) (L: 2,400)

“Wonder if I could get Odin’s phone number…” muttered Ben. “From what I’m seeing, he and the other gods might have a chance of actually winning Ragnarok if he got a few Big Koalas on his side…”

Flames surrounded the God of Tricksters…

“I’m starting to get… angry!” he said with a sneer.

He drew a card.

“I’ll move Blindly Loyal Goblin to Defense Mode…”

The Goblin knelt in Defense.

“Move…”

Ben drew a card.

“Big Koala, get him!” he shouted.

Big Koala pounced, and flattened the Goblin.

“Now I’ll put a card facedown, and turn it over to you,” he said.

Loki angrily drew.

And then he smiled.

“Heh, heh…” he said. “Ha, ha… HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!

“With this combo, the duel and your soul is as good as mine…”

He played a Spell Card. It showed the image of Mobius sitting on a throne of ice surrounded by frost giants.

“I play… Call of Jotunhelm. This allows me to Special Summon a Monarch from my Graveyard, so long as I cut his Attack Score in half. So I’ll bring back the one who started it all…”

Mobius the Frost Monarch appeared. (1,200/1,000)

“And now, I’ll use him to summon someone who’ll end it all! You see, the Monster I’m holding can only be summoned by sacrificing another Monarch and removing it from play…

“So I banish Mobius…”

Mobius vanished into foggy mist...

“…to summon the mightiest Monarch of all, the King of the Night… Nergal the Night Monarch!”

The candles in the church were snuffed out. A dark shadow arose. Ben and the three students could vaguely make out a humanoid form in the darkness, and they could see that it was even bigger than Big Koala.

Two glowing red eyes peered from the Monster…

(3,300/1,600)

“Be grateful that you can’t see Nergal clearly,” said Loki’s voice. “Legend has it that if anyone ever saw the King of the Night, he’d be frightened to death. Of course, there’s no chance of that ever happening, because he rules the night itself, where the darkness hides him.

“Still, those who encounter him still tend to perish…

“Nergal… destroy Big Koala…”

Ben and the students heard what sounded like a scream from Big Koala, followed by throttling and strangling sounds, and then silence.

[B](B: 1,200) (L: 2,400)

Continued…

Dark Sage

20th June 2006, 02:19 PM

Continued from last post:

“I activate my Trap Card…” muttered Ben.

His Trap lifted.

“Animal Trail. Since my Monster was destroyed, I can take a Beast from my deck and add it to my hand.”

He took his deck and found a second Des Kangaroo. He added it to his hand and reshuffled.

“As if that will matter,” said Loki.

“I can take down your Night Monarch…” whispered Ben.

“Well, let me explain to you Nergal’s special ability,” said Loki’s voice. “He’s immune to Spell Cards, Trap Cards, and Monster Effects that destroy Monsters.”

Ben started to say something, but Loki interrupted him.

“What’s that you say?” he said. “You’re thinking of using a second Wild Nature’s Release, right?”

He placed a card in his Disk, and the glow from a facedown card illuminated the darkness.

“We’ll just see about that,” he continued. “It’s your move.”

Ben gestured, and a card flew into his hand.

“I activate a Trap Card!” exclaimed Loki. “Mask of Restrict!”

The facedown card lifted, and a hideous tiki mask appeared behind him.

“So long as this is in play, you’re limited to Monsters of four stars or less,” he added, “so unless you have one who’s Attack and Defense add up to 3,300 or more, Wild Nature’s Release isn’t going to cut it.”

Ben grinned.

“Loki…” he said. “I don’t know how you could be so small-minded…

“You said that Nergal couldn’t be destroyed by Spell Cards… Well fine… But he isn’t immune to Spells that do other things, now is he?”

Loki frowned.

“I’m going to fight your Night Monarch with a powerful force that sends all creatures of night cowering in fear…” said Ben, raising the card he had just drawn.

“I’m talking about… the sun!”

He threw a Spell Card into his Disk.

“Your Monarch may rule the night, but when the sun comes up, he and his minions run to the caves and holes in the ground from whence they came, and don’t dare show their faces while the life-giving light shines in the sky!

“I play Ayer’s Rock Sunrise!”

Suddenly, a glow started to pierce the darkness…

A beautiful, rocky plateau appeared behind Ben, and the light of the rising sun illuminated the church, filling the sacred shrine with radiant light!

Ben and the students now could see Nergal clearly – he was a diabolic-looking giant with fiendish features, dark skin, and demonically crafted armor. And he clearly did not like the light very much. He shielded himself from the light, and seemed to be weakening…

“Now let me explain how this works…” said Ben. “First, it lets me Special Summon one Beast from my Graveyard, so I’m bringing back Big Koala for one more go…”

Big Koala appeared on Ayer’s Rock, standing triumphantly in the light.

“And then,” continued Ben, “for every Beast, Winged Beast, and Beast-Warrior I have left in my Graveyard, your nightmare over there loses 200 Attack Points!”

The spirits of two Des Koalas, one Big Koala, Behemoth, Eucalyptus Mole, Kangaroo Champ, and Des Kangaroo flew from the Rock and clung to the Night Monarch. He groaned, and his Attack Score fell to 1,900.

“Since I lowered his Attack Score, I could attack him now, but I’m hardly done,” said Ben. “Next I use Polymerization, to fuse my Big Koala with the Des Kangaroo I’m holding…”

A Des Kangaroo appeared next to the Koala, and they swirled into a vortex of green and blue…

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-004.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LOB-EN059.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/IOC-005.jpg

“Forming the terror of the outback… [I]Master of Oz!”

A koala that was even bigger than Big Koala appeared on Ayer’s Rock. His hindquarters had agile legs and a long tail, similar to Des Kangaroo’s. He had green fur, boxing gloves, a jacket, and sneakers like Des Kangaroo’s, and held a couple of odd tools in his pouch. He had blacking surrounding his eyes.

He made a boxing stance, and took a few warm-up punches.

(4,200/3,700)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0351.jpg

“Is that really the legendary Master of Oz?” gasped Trisha.

“Apparently…” said Jason. “That’s a Monster you don’t see every day… They say he’s the most powerful Beast-Type Monster in the game.”

“Time to end this!” shouted Ben. “Master of Oz, attack Nergal the Night Monarch with Ayer’s Rock Uppercut!”

Master of Oz charged, and delivered a vicious haymaker to the Night Monarch! Spit flew from the Fiend’s mouth, and then he collapsed...

He shattered into bits.

[B](B: 1,200) (L: 100)

“I’m… not… finished… yet…” threatened Loki.

“Neither am I,” said Ben. “I still have one card to play… De-Fusion!”

He played a card, and Master of Oz glowed. He split into two orbs of green and blue light, forming into Big Koala and Des Kangaroo.

“Des Kangaroo, attack directly and end this!” shouted Ben.

Des Kangaroo flew at the God of Tricksters fist-first, and delivered an uppercut to his chin! The King of Lies fell on one knee, seething with rage…

[B](B: 1,200) (L: 0)

“The winner!” shouted Russell, raising Ben’s left arm.

“And still the champion!” shouted Trisha, raising his right.

The candles came back on, and Loki glared at Ben as the two Beasts vanished.

“You lose, Loki,” said Ben. “Now release the girls!”

“Never…” growled Loki. “You’re a fool…”

“We had a deal,” said Ben with a snarl.

“Heh, heh, heh,” said Loki, with an evil smile. “King of Lies, remember? How many times do I have to say it?”

He got up, and a ball of flame appeared in his hand.

“And since I wasn’t able to defeat you and I have a reputation at stake,” he said, “I’ll just have to take the four of you… the old fashioned way…”

And then, a glowing light appeared behind him…

He stopped short. Ben crossed his arms.

“No…” he gasped. “I was so close…”

“I hate to break this to you, Mr. Pants on Fire,” said Ben, with a grin, “but you aren’t the only one who can lie! I knew you wouldn’t keep your end of the bargain. The whole purpose of this duel… was to stall!”

Loki looked in fear as the portal started to grow…

“See,” said Ben, “I knew that as soon as you escaped, your fellow Asgardians would find out that you had, and start looking for you so they could put you back. So I had to keep you from doing the ritual until they found you. And since you were too proud to refuse a challenge as I had hoped, you wasted precious time…

“And speaking of time, your chances of getting some off for good behavior just plummeted.”

From out of the portal came an awe-inspiring sight. Four gorgeous women, dressed in golden armor, holding spears and riding winged horses flew out…

They didn’t say a word. Three of them started stabbing at Loki with their weapons, and he howled in pain. He fell to his knees. They didn’t let up, and he fell on his hands.

Then the fourth produced a net, and threw it over him, wrapping him up.

The Valkyries paused. One of them gestured, and Bianca, Melanie, and Sarah appeared, sleeping on the floor in front of Ben.

The one with the net dragged Loki through the portal. Two of the others followed.

The fourth turned towards Ben. She smiled sweetly.

Then she flew through the portal as well.

The electric lights came back on.

“Whew!” muttered Ben.

The three girls groaned and woke up.

“What happened?” asked Bianca. “Loki…”

“Loki is gone,” said Ben. “But you three are confined to the dorm except for classes for the next three weeks. I’ll decide whether or not to tell Dr. Artemis about this later.”

They groaned.

“Now let’s get back,” said Ben.

“Old Ben the God-Slayer…” said Jason, with a grin.

“Hey, don’t swell my head…” replied Ben.

“So Ben…” asked Trisha. “Why an Australia Deck?”

“Well…” said Ben, looking at his metal arm. “More or less to remind me how I got this. When something costs you your arm, you don’t want to forget it…”

“Boy, Ben,” said Russell. “You took on that guy like he was nothing… And you weren’t even scared!”

“Of course I was scared,” answered Ben. “Only an idiot wouldn’t have been scared of Loki… He’s dangerous.

“Let me tell you something… true courage isn’t not being afraid. That’s being foolhardy. True courage is when you’re scared, but you act anyway.”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“A valid philosophy…” grumbled Fortunado. “Maybe we’ll include it in your epitaph…”

As Fortunado watched, the Three Swordsmen and his dark accomplice were in the middle of a round of poker.

“I’ll see you and raise you five dollars,” muttered the dark figure.

“I fold…” sighed Sebastian, throwing his cards on the table.

“Yeah?” said Cleo. “Well, I’ll see you, and raise you ten more.”

She placed the money on the pile.

“I’ll see you both and raise you another ten…” said Cassius, increasing the size of the pot. “Now, let’s see if you two weren’t just a load of hot air… All in.”

They nodded.

Cassius put his hand on the table.

His hand consisted of a two of spades, three of clubs, four of spades, five of diamonds, and six of hearts.

“Straight,” he said. “Beat that.”

Cleo grinned.

She put her own hand on the table.

A two, three, four, seven, and king, all of hearts.

“Flush,” she said. “Beat ya!”

“Damn!” shouted Cassius.

“So…” said Cleo.

“Hold it…” said the shadowy figure.

He revealed his hand.

Three aces, and two eights.

“I believe that’s a full house, folks,” he said. “I win…”

Cleo frowned.

“Nice…” muttered Sebastian. “Aces and eights… The proverbial Dead Man’s Hand.”

The figure reached for the money.

“This isn’t Deadwood, South Dakota,” he mused, “and I’m no Wild Bill Hickok…”

“Actually people,” growled Fortunado, “Wild Bill’s hand was two pairs, not a full house: two aces and two eights. What his fifth card was is open to debate.”

“Still upset, boss?” asked Sebastian.

Fortunado seethed… He scratched the surface of his chair, leaving a mark.

“What’s wrong boss?” asked Cassius. “It was an exciting duel…”

“I wanted one of the Chosen to duel Loki,” growled Fortunado. “Not some gym teacher. I wanted one of the Dragons to defeat him, not some overgrown stuffed animal with boxing gloves! Sure, a scene where a powerful evil force is humiliated is good, but it isn’t quite the epic clash of the titans I was looking for… I barely know where to put that scene now, if there’s even a place for it…”

He thought for a minute.

“Cassius… Cleo… Sebastian… It’s time for this film to reach the crescendo scenes…

“I want the three of you to duel them personally…”

“All right!” shouted Sebastian. “Let me take on Trisha… I want to get her good!”

“In due time, Sebastian,” said Fortunado, “but I think we should target the one who holds Timaeus first…

“Cleo, you think you could handle Jason’s deck?”

“Are you kidding?” laughed Cleo. “I’m sure I could handle the real Kaiba’s deck!”

“That’s exactly what Alister thought…” warned Fortunado.

Cleo paused.

“I’m reasonably confident that there is a good chance that I could handle the real Kaiba’s deck,” she said.

“Better,” replied Faustus. “After all, as the ancient saying goes…”

He paused.

”He who refuses to learn to lessons of the past is doomed to repeat them…” he said in an ominous voice.

Tuesday, September 28th, 2106, 2:14 AM

KOALA MARCH (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Several koalas with multicolored fur playing in a meadow.

Card Description: Special Summon one Monster with the word “Koala” in its name with four stars or less from your Graveyard in Attack Position. Then Special Summon a Monster with the same name from your hand in Attack Position.

Note: “Koala March” was used by Chumley in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Family Business”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

EUCALYPTUS MOLE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,300

Card Description: This odd creature isn’t very powerful, but he has very strong friends. When this Monster is destroyed as a result of battle, Special Summon one Monster that has the word “Koala” in its name from your hand or deck.

ANIMAL TRAIL (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A dark trail in a forest, surrounded by bushes and tall grass.

Card Description: You can activate this card when a Monster on your side of the field is destroyed as a result of battle. Search your deck for one BEAST-Type Monster and add it to your hand.

AYER’S ROCK SUNRISE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Ayer’s Rock, glowing in the light of a spectacular sunrise.

Card Description: Special Summon one BEAST-Type Monster from your Graveyard. Then, for every BEAST, BEAST-WARRIOR, and WINGED BEAST-Type Monster in your Graveyard, reduce the ATK of one face-up opposing Monster by 200.

Note: “Eucalyptus Mole”, “Animal Trail”, and “Ayer’s Rock Sunrise” were used by Chumley in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Magna Chum Laude”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

GOLDEN ROAD (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: The Road of Yellow Brick, leading up to a beautiful Emerald City.

Card Description: Both players draw four cards from their decks. Then, both players discard any two cards from their hand.

POWER DISTRIBUTION (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Dark Magician conjuring up three glowing cards with a spell.

Card Description: Discard one Monster Card with seven stars or more from your hand. Draw two cards from your deck, plus one for every star level the discarded Monster had above six.

HIDDEN SOLDIERS (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A group of knights hiding behind a ridge in the foreground while another knight fights a dragon in the background.

Card Description: You can activate this Trap when your opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a Monster. Special Summon a Dark Attribute Monster that has four stars or less from your hand.

Note: “Hidden Soldiers” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.

ENCHANTED MAUL OF THE MONARCHS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A large mallet made of stone and bound with leather.

Card Description: This card can be Equipped to any Monster with the word “Monarch” in its name. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 500. When the Equipped Monster battles a Monster with the same Attribute as itself, increase its ATK by another 800 during the damage step.

CALL OF JOTUNHELM (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Mobius the Frost Monarch on a throne of ice, surrounded by frost giants.

Card Description: Special Summon one Monster from your Graveyard that has the word “Monarch” in its name. Reduce the ATK of the Special Summoned Monster by half.

NERGAL THE NIGHT MONARCH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 3,300
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: The most powerful of the Elemental Monarchs, this creature rules the darkness. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This Monster must first be Special Summoned by removing from play one Monster on your side of the field with the word “Monarch” in its name. This Monster cannot be destroyed by Spell Cards, Trap Cards, and Monster effects.

Ben’s Australia Deck

Old Ben’s original deck was stolen, he suspects by an opponent whom he defeated in the last tournament where he used it. After being hired as headmaster of the Ra Dorm, he slowly started to build a new one, one that would remind him of a turning point in his life – the vacation in Australia where he lost his left arm. Why would he want to remember such a tragedy? Perhaps because he believes that any pain that doesn’t kill him makes him stronger, and that experience was incredibly painful. Besides, a lot of the Monsters in his new deck are boxers, and he’s still a big fan of the sport.

Ben’s deck is basically a Beast Deck with an Australia feel. His major weapons are the two Big Koalas and the one Behemoth the King of All Animals, and he has many ways to summon these seven-star Monsters easily. He has many staples of standard Beast decks, such as The Big March of Animals and Wild Nature’s Release, as well as a few to take advantage of his own Monsters. (Loki used The Shallow Grave, but Ben actually has his own copy of that card, which lets him use the effect of his three Des Koalas more often.)

A duelist as experienced as Ben knows a lot of good combos. These include Wild Nature’s Release plus Beast Soul Swap, Scapegoat plus The Big March of Animals, and Master of Oz plus De-Fusion. Ben currently only has one copy of Master of Oz (the card isn’t really that common), but in a one-on-one fight, this Beast can likely defeat anything. (And he tries to have De-Fusion on hand just in case he falls victim to some Trap or other Monster-slaying effect. This returns him to the Fusion Deck, but there’s the chance he can be summoned again later.)

Ever since Chumley Huffington’s first card design, Ayer’s Rock Sunrise, was released to the public, it was sought out by anyone who played Beasts and Beast-Warriors. This card works very well with any sort of Beast, not just those of Australia origin. Ben has heard of Chumley and knows of his particular taste in dueling – the difference is, Ben has had a lot more success as an actual duelist.

[B][I]Coming up next:

Jason boards a subway train, and the next stop may be oblivion. Cleo treats him to a duel he may never forget, as her Monsters are ones that may terrify the average man – not to mention the fact that she has the Seal, and isn’t afraid to use it.

And on top of it, learn her origin as well!

Don’t miss “Beautiful Headhuntress”, coming soon.

Blademaster

20th June 2006, 03:37 PM

The negative:

1. Too many reused quotes from your older stories.
2. The Aussie-Beast Deck has lost its flair from many repeated uses.

The positive:

1. A new type of deck (The Monarchs rock!)
2. A new Monarch to join the deck.
3. Next is gonna be a big turning point in this story - I can feel it...

All in all, not a bad chapter - I was almost expecting that Demiurge (sp.?) that Shup told me about to appear, but it didn't...

(grabs idea)

Anywho, nice recollection of the Jaden VS. Jinzo fight, though I wonder how Fortunado changed it so much... from 1 Duel Spirit to another I can understand, but a Norse God? He must've been pretty crafty...

Well, I guess that's about all I can chip in for now - I'm looking forward to Cleo's deck theme (and Cassius' and Sebastian's, of course). So, until then...

Later!

-Blade

Dark Sage

20th June 2006, 03:41 PM

Let me address one of those points right now. When I saw the episode with Demiurge, I didn't understand how that card worked at all. It seemingly needed a whole deck built around it and depended on a dozen other cards... I assume. Even the description on Janime was hard to comprehend.

So rather than try to have Loki use it, I came up with something simpler.

Fair enough?

Blademaster

20th June 2006, 04:21 PM

Really?

...Where can I find this Janime description, DS? I searched around and found something called 'Demiurge Ema.' Is that it?

...

What? I'm curious.

Shuppet Master

20th June 2006, 05:28 PM

I was expecting Demiurge Ema too, but after hearing Brian's problem, I understand how he refused to use it. It's pretty obvious that such a card would be situational at best and impossible to use at worst.

Liked how a Norse god appeared, and I know how Fortunado screwed that up - Cassius used that rod to ruin the ritual.

I really liked how you emulated the episode with Jaden vs. Jinzo, Brian. I can't wait to see the first of the Swordsman(or a Swordswoman, in this case) tackle Jason. It'll be electric! :D

FusionSonicX

20th June 2006, 06:18 PM

Hey... What it is, y'all...

I'm finally back! I got alot of reading to do... Whoo!

jkBAKURA

20th June 2006, 10:43 PM

I figured out Ben's deck theme when I re-read the earlier chapter and noticed Australia. This duel didn't impress me actually.

The main reason for that was while the combos were definately strategic, they were also overused. Everyone uses the Oz/De-Fusion combo. To tell you the truth, it was way too reminicent of Chad and Chumley, making almost nothing I hadn't seen before.

Monarchs, while definately a good choice of deck theme for the opponent in question, was also rather lackluster. The cards that were not Monarchs seemed too random. (though I do appreciate the rejection of the Treeborn/Monarch combo) The new m onarch didn't help things either.

I'm sorry to say, I found this chapter as a low point, but it looks like the next few will start to pick up speed. I'll be there.

Pokemasterkatie

20th June 2006, 11:06 PM

Loki wasn’t impressed.

“Oh, a giant teddy bear…” he laughed. “Whatever will I do…”

“You may be the God of Tricksters, Loki,” said Ben, “but you sure aren’t a zoologist. Koalas aren’t bears. And in case you didn’t notice, his Attack points are greater than Frosty’s there!
This is one of those times I praise the Animal Planet channel for most of my animal knowledge: Koalas are marsupials--like kangaroos, they have a pouch to carry their young.^_^

“This is my least favorite Monarch,” said Loki, with a frown. “He reminds me of my foster brother… But he’s useful, because now, one of your Monsters is destroyed.”
How ironic...Zaborg is the most used out of the four Monarchs.:p

“Apparently…” said Jason. “That’s a Monster you don’t see every day… They say he’s the most powerful Beast-Type Monster in the game.”
And the third most powerful Fusion Attack-wise, since the Ultimate Dragon is most likely locked in wth the other Blue Eyes White Dragons. Five God Dragon and Dragon Master Knight take the top spots.

“Let me tell you something… true courage isn’t not being afraid. That’s being foolhardy. True courage is when you’re scared, but you act anyway.”
Truer words have never been spoken.:)

Ben has heard of Chumley and knows of his particular taste in dueling – the difference is, Ben has had a lot more success as an actual duelist.
LOL! That is very true, since Chumley had the worst record in GX. ...Though he got much better by his second(and final) duel.

Shuppet Master

20th June 2006, 11:30 PM

This is one of those times I praise the Animal Planet channel for most of my animal knowledge

I'd like to quote that, except for the channel part - my love is Food Network, and I praise it for most of my culinary knowledge and the sassy way the chefs do their shows - Rachael Ray and Alton Brown are my patron saints(and you might see references to the Iron Chefs of America in my future fic, Paper Wishes).

Mystic_clown

23rd June 2006, 05:12 PM

Hmm, I'm not sure. I liked the duel, especially the Monarch deck, but it's Loki that I have a problem with. He's appearance in the story just seems, well, a bit random to me. He just doesn't really fit in with the rest of the story.

Dark Sage

24th June 2006, 06:30 PM

Okay, here is the process through which you summon "Demiurge Ema". She's a powerful Monster and you need to go through a long process.

First, you need four Monsters on your side of the field or in your hand, and each has to be of a different Attribute. They do NOT have to be the four Monarchs at all. They simply have to be four Monsters of four different attributes.

Once that is done, you must play a Spell Card called "Shadow Moon". This allows you to do two things: activate a second Spell called "Blue Moon - Bloodstained Moon" from your hand, deck, or Graveyard, and then sacrifice the four Monsters to summon "Demiurge Ema". (This spell's name will likely be changed in the dub.)

"Blue Moon - Bloodstained Moon" lets you choose one Spell or Trap on your side of the field and one on your opponent's side. The Spells or Traps have their effects negated, and are treated as Monsters called "Homunculus Tokens" which are summoned in Defense Position. They have 800 DEF and their ATK is unclear. (They are treated as Fairies).

"Demiurge Ema" herself is a Light Fairy, eight stars, with a base stats of (3,300/2,000) and she gains 800 ATK for each Homunculus Token. If she is destroyed, so are each of the tokens.

I hope that is now clear.

Dark Sage

25th June 2006, 03:58 AM

You've seen them loom in the background throughout this whole fanfic... Well now, they will loom no longer!

Hello folks, a new arc of this fanfic is starting, and while I hope you enjoy the next four chapters or so, I can't promise that everything will be peachy-keen. With something as sinister as the Orichalcos looming over their heads, the heroes should realize that this is a dangerous game...

Especially since now, the four elite guard of the conspirator are getting into it.

That's right... four.

Who's the fourth? Can't tell you right now. You may have seen his shadowy preasence a bit already. But for now, Cleo is set to go against Jason. And while Cleo is certainly the big story, Jason also has a few new tricks he wants to show off.

So get ready...

The Swordsmen are going to take Manhattan.

[B]Since Russell dueled Fang, all three of us have encountered three young folks who name themselves Cassius, Sebastian, and Cleo. Up until this point, they’ve stayed on the sidelines of a few Orichalcos duels, supporting whoever opposed us, and not much else.

I often wondered why they didn’t get involved personally. Was it due to lack of courage? Lack of skill? Did they think dueling us was beneath them?

Well, right now, I can render those three theories obsolete.

One of them has challenged me right now. She’s not afraid to face me, is an incredibly[I] good duelist, and as for the possibility of dueling being beneath her, she actually seems to be having fun, despite the terrible stakes that she’s set.

For the first time in a long time, I’m in trouble…

And as Jaden Yuki was fond of saying, I’d better “get my game on”…

…or my game is going to be shut OFF, permanently…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

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Thursday, September 30th, 2106, 4:05 PM

The first thing that Jason always did when he got out of class was check the mail. He liked getting mail… Getting mail from another person was like an acknowledgement that other people knew you were alive.

He opened his mailbox, and found only one letter. He looked at it.

Interesting… he thought.

It was marked fragile, and clearly there was a card in a plastic protector inside. No return address, though. He carefully opened it.

He looked at the computer-printed letter.

Dear Jason,

You don’t know who I am, but I’m someone who wants to help you. I know much about the struggle you are facing – I dare not write the name of the threat on paper, lest this be traced back to me.

I want to help you…

Meet me by taking the Number Three train all the way to the Coney Island stop, and waiting while it prepares to switch directions at eleven o’clock tonight. Please bring your Disk and your deck – if your enemies find me… I might have to duel, and if that happens, I’ll be Sealed for sure. Only your special card can help.

As a token of my sincerity, take the rare card that I’ve enclosed as a gift.

Sincerely,

A Friend

Jason took the card out of the envelope.

Dark Magician Girl? he thought in surprise.

He looked at it for a minute.

Something wasn’t right.

He left, and headed for one of the exam rooms…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Sneaking past Old Ben wasn’t hard. Catching students who snuck out was, ironically, one thing he didn’t do well. And even if Ben found out about this, he was sure he would be forgiven – this was a war, after all.

As the Number Three rolled into the station, not many folks were on it. It was late, and not many folks wanted to go to Brooklyn that night…

Much fewer wanted to go to Coney Island in the off season.

As the train moved deeper into Brooklyn, the few people on the train got off, until halfway to Coney, only Jason and an old woman dressed in worn clothes – likely a vagrant – who was asleep several seats down were on the same car.

Eventually, the train came to a halt at the Coney Island stop, the last stop on the line. The doors swung open. Jason’s watch said eleven PM. In about five minutes, the train would go in the other direction, moving to Manhattan and then to the Bronx.

“All right, I’m here…” muttered Jason. “So where are you?”

The doors slammed shut.

“I’m already here, cutie…” said a voice.

Jason turned. It had come from the vagrant…

…who wasn’t a vagrant after all.

She stood up and threw off the dirty clothes, revealing a halter and a brief pair of shorts. The distinguishable hairstyle with her long bangs covering the right half of her face made her instantly recognizable.

“So, it’s you…” muttered Jason, not getting up. “I kinda figured…”

“It didn’t fool you?” asked Cleo.

Jason lifted the Dark Magician Girl card.

“How dumb did you think I was?” he asked. “I was suspicious when you included this as the gift… Dark Magician Girl is incredibly rare. Most of them are owned by rich collectors, and very few duelists have actually used one in duels – one of which was the King of Games himself.

“So I scanned this card in one of the devices that teachers use to check students’ decks before vital exams, to prevent cheating… This card is a fake, not worth the cardboard it’s printed on.”

He tossed it at Cleo.

“Not quite…” said Cleo, with a grin. “Truthfully, it was a booby trap. If you had used it in a duel, it would have blown up in your face, costing you half your Life Points. The real text is hidden behind a spell. But I can’t fool you, cutie!”

“That’s just sad…” said Jason. “First the Orichalcos, then trying to sabotage someone’s deck with a tempting card… You’re a sorry excuse for a duelist, Cleo, and that’s why I’ll always defeat your kind.”

“You’ve never met my kind, cutie,” she said with a smile. “All the other minions you’ve met were just thugs who didn’t know the half of it. Cassius, Sebastian, and I… We were hand-picked for special reasons. We’re not minions… We’re the Swordsmen of the Orichalcos!”

The train started to move…

“Catchy name,” answered Jason. “How come all the bad guys have the great titles?”

Cleo shrugged.

“Don’t think you can hop off this train at the next stop, Jason,” she added. “This train has been commandeered by someone working for my boss, and it won’t make any stops until we duel and someone is lying on the floor with his soul stripped from him. Emphasis on the word him.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed.

“What makes you tick, Cleo?” he asked. “Don’t you have any decency? Why are you doing this, anyway?”

“Thrills!” answered Cleo. “You see, about two years ago, I was so poor, I couldn’t afford to feed myself. But I lucked out. A billionaire tycoon named Lewis Dogsen thought I was beautiful – and I was, by the way – and he offered a deal. I’d marry him, and be set for life, and in return, I’d never leave him. See, he was old, had no family, and wanted a companion. I couldn’t agree fast enough.

“But going from rags to riches wasn’t all thrills. Sure, I was pampered and spoiled, but Lewis just didn’t have the excitement I needed. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise… I was seventeen, and he was seventy-nine…

“To look for excitement, I turned to Duel Monsters, and played with anybody who’d take me up on it. I taught Lewis’s personal servants the game… And then I started making wagers with them… Very tempting ones…

“I’d offer them something valuable if they could beat me; maybe the string of pearls I was wearing, or the mink sole. But if they lost, I got to hurt them physically, however I wanted…”

“That’s terrible…” muttered Jason. “Lewis approved of this?”

“He was even meaner to them than I was!” laughed Cleo. “Half the companies he owned, he acquired through hostile takeovers. And the wagers were too good for them to pass up. I didn’t win all the time, but I had so much jewelry, and so many toys, that losing never bothered me.

“As I got better, I decided I wanted more, and Lewis was in my way. After I cleverly bumped him off – and believe me, he died happy – I got all of his money, since he had no other heirs to challenge me.

“That’s when I finally got a Disk and started work as a Duelist Assassin. You know how it is in the movies when a rich person becomes a hired gun? They cater to people who have deep pockets and want someone important taken out. I handled ones who could duel. I attacked them and killed them by forcing them to duel, after giving them a… special Disk.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed.

He remembered the story of how the Trinity was formed… The Doom Disks that those terrorists had invented…

“And then, one year ago, someone introduced me to the ultimate thrill… the Orichalcos!”

She hugged herself.

“You should feel it Jason! How the magic just flows right through you… Ancient, raw energy, pure power… In fact, I’ll share it if you want…”

“Share it?” gasped Jason.

She reached into a pouch by her side. She took out the cursed card.

“Here Jason,” she said. “I’m only allowed to have one copy in my deck, but if you want, you can take my spare copy. Then the advantage will go to whoever draws it first, and…”

“ARE YOU NUTS?” shouted Jason. “Keep it away from me!”

“Can’t say I didn’t offer…” said Cleo, with a sigh. She replaced it.

“Look Cleo, I came here tonight expecting a duel…” he said.

He activated his Disk.

“So enough about your life story. If all you’ve said is true, I’m going to send your sorry ass to Hell where you belong!”

“Bring it!” laughed Cleo. “Next stop, Manhattan, the Bronx, and certain doom!”

Her Disk activated.

Jason noticed that it wasn’t a standard Orichalcos Disk. It was made of what looked like bronze, and the tray was curved, shaped somewhat like a kopesh sword.

The train moved faster, and rode up an incline as the scores set…

“Get your game on…” muttered Jason.

[B](Jason: 8,000) (Cleo: 8,000)

“You want to go first, or should I?” asked Cleo.

“By all means, go first…” said Jason.

With stakes this high, he thought, drawing five cards, I need the first attack, not the first move…

“In that case…” said Cleo, drawing a first card.

She looked at it.

“…I’ll summon a gal who you’re sure to love… Amazoness Swords Woman, in Attack Mode!”

She played the card, and a tall figure appeared. It was a female Warrior, dressed in a skimpy bikini, wearing jewelry made of teeth. Her hair was loose and wild. She carried a large sword in her hands. (1,500/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en116.jpg

“Well…” she continued, “maybe she’ll love you even more.”

Swords Woman grinned at Jason evilly.

An Amazon? thought Jason. Lovely. I hope this isn’t a trend… Amazon Monsters can be incredibly tricky…

But I’ve got a pretty good hand right now…

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon… X-Head Cannon!” he shouted.

A Monster appeared in front of him like a computer image starting to form. It was a powerful-looking Machine with bulky arms, no legs, two dangerous-looking guns, and a head like a helmet, colored blue. The visor on its helmet glowed red as it stared blankly at Swords Woman. (1,800/1,500)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DR1-EN059.jpg

“Impressive, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Hunk of junk,” answered Cleo.

Jason frowned.

“I’ll teach you to insult my Monsters…” he growled. “X-Head Cannon, kill the Swords Woman!”

X-Head Cannon fired its blasters. Swords Woman screamed and was blown to particles.

“Heh, heh…” said Cleo. “Nice effort, Jason, but even when Swords Woman loses, she still wins, because my opponent takes all damage from a battle involving her!

“And there are two more living in my deck, so I’d be wary about summoning Monsters with a lot of Attack Points…”

Jason frowned.

[B](J: 7,700) (C: 8,000)

“My move…” said Cleo, drawing a card. “And I’ll summon another Amazon… Amazoness Fighter in Attack Mode!”

Another female Warrior appeared. This one wasn’t dressed any more decently, but she was far more muscular, and her hair was tied in a long ponytail. She didn’t have a weapon, but from the look of her, she didn’t need one. (1,500/1,300)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en115.jpg

“She’s not as lethal as Swords Woman,” said Cleo, “but I take no damage from a battle involving her.

“And I’ll place a card facedown.”

She played a card, and a facedown card appeared.

“Is that so?” asked Jason, drawing a card. “Well, do direct attacks still work on you? I summon Y-Dragon Head!”

Another Machine, resembling a thin Dragon colored red, armed with laser guns appeared. It flapped its metallic wings, and hovered in the air. (1,500/1,600)

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“X-Head Cannon, put her with her sister!” shouted Jason.

X-Head Cannon fired again. Fighter screamed and was vaporized.

“Heh, heh…” said Cleo. “You activated my Trap, cutie…”

The facedown card lifted, showing a silhouette of Swords Woman on a hill in front of the full moon.

“It’s called Pride of the Tribe, and it lets me summon another Amazon from my deck when one is destroyed in battle…”

She took her deck.

“Only hard decision is, which one? I think Amazoness Spear Woman fits my needs…”

She placed a card on her Disk, and a new Amazon, appeared, again dressed in a bikini and teeth jewelry, also with a leather headband. This one was holding a nasty spear with a bone point. (1,500/1,200)

“You’re free to attack her with your other Monster if you want…” purred Cleo, as she shuffled her deck.

Jason looked at his hand.

“I decline that offer…” he muttered.

It may be risky… he thought, but I can’t purposely lose Y-Dragon Head right now…

“Then it’s my move…” said Cleo, drawing a card.

She looked at the card.

“I summon Amazoness Blowpiper in Attack Mode,” she said.

She played the card, and a younger Amazon dressed in skins with shorter hair, carrying a blowgun appeared. (800/1,500)

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“Any jokes about her name, and this duel is going to get very painful for you,” warned Cleo. “I’ve heard too many of them.”

“Fine, I won’t,” said Jason, “but she’s hardly a threat…”

Blowpiper and Spear Woman looked at each other and nodded to each other…

“Well, let me explain to you Spear Woman’s special ability…” said Cleo with a grin. “She can attack you directly, so long as I sacrifice another Amazon first.”

Jason’s eyes opened…

“So say goodbye to Blowpiper…” continued Cleo.

Blowpiper vanished.

“And say helllloooo to Spear Woman!”

Spear Woman leapt up, landed right on Y-Dragon Head, then leapt again, driving her spear into Jason’s gut!

Jason staggered back almost ten feet and slammed into the subway pole.

Whose bright idea was to have this duel on a moving subway? he thought, getting up.

[B](J: 6,200) (C: 8,000)

“Come on, Jason, put up a little fight!” laughed Cleo. “This isn’t exciting at all!”

Jason drew a card.

“You want exciting?” he growled.

He threw a card on his Disk.

“I summon Z-Metal Tank…”

With a whir, a yellow robot on tank treads with one optic sensor rolled into view. (1,500/1,300)

“And the best thing about these three Monsters is…” he said. “They combine!”

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Z-Metal Tank rolled into the center of Jason’s field. Y-Dragon Head retracted its wings and hovered over it. X-Head Cannon extended a device from its underside, and hovered over it…

And then the three Machines locked together, in a burst of steam and a blaze of energy, creating one huge, multicolored robotic creature!

“Meet Kaiba’s second-favorite merged Monster,” said Jason. “The XYZ-Dragon Cannon!”

(2,800/2,600)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DR1-EN107.jpg

“And now to activate its effect. See, by discarding one card from my hand, like Safecracker here…”

He discarded the Trap Card.

“…I can wipe out any card on the field. So Spear Woman dies!”

Spear Woman gulped as the massive Machine’s guns glowed…

It fired, and she was blown into her component atoms.

“And that was just its effect…” said Jason. “I still have its normal attack to use on you…”

XYZ-Dragon aimed its guns at Cleo.

“So…” asked Jason. “Exciting enough?”

“Uh, huh, huh…” chuckled Cleo, nervously.

“ATTACK!” shouted Jason. “De-fission blasters!”

A barrage of lasers blasted, and Cleo was thrown back, her cards scattering all over the floor of the car!

“Ugh…” she moaned.

[B](J: 6,200) (C: 5,200)

A whistle on the train blew, as it started to go down an incline…

“Why don’t you quit while you still can?” asked Jason. “Or do you want me to do that again?”

Cleo got up.

“Oh, yes, yes!” she moaned happily. “Bring it on!”

She picked up her cards.

“My move…” she said with a smile.

She drew and looked at the card.

“Now the real fun starts!” she laughed, opening her Field Slot.

The train shot into a tunnel, transforming from EL-Train to true subway. Darkness shrouded the car for a few seconds…

And then the glow from the Seal lit it up!

As the lights came back on, Cleo raised her arms, as the Seal branded to her forehead, and she glowed with energy.

“Yes, YES!” she cried in pure joy. “Give me the power!”

“You’re nuts…” said Jason.

“And you’re in big trouble…” said Cleo with a grin.

She placed a card on her Disk.

“I summon the general of the Amazon army… Amazoness Paladin!”

A new Amazon appeared, this one dressed in a halter and a brief loincloth, as well as a cowl and a short caplet. (1,700/300)

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“And in addition to the bonus from the Orichalcos,” said Cleo, “she gains 100 more Attack Points for every Amazon on my side of the field, including herself.”

The Paladin’s eyes glowed evilly, as the Seal branded to her forehead. (2,300/300)

“That’s not near enough…” said Jason.

“Not on her own,” said Cleo, “but I have another card…”

She played a card, showing the image of an aged, female witchdoctor.

“Amazoness Spellcaster,” she said. “It’s a Spell… which swaps the base Attack Score of an Amazon with that of one of your Monsters for the rest of the round.”

“Base Attack Score?” gasped Jason.

“Right…” said Cleo. “Before any other bonuses. So now, Paladin has 2,800 Attack Points, plus 500 from the Orichalcos, plus 100 from her own effect, for a grand total of 3,400!

“And your Cannon has her base Attack of 1,700, plus no bonuses…

“Paladin, attack!”

Amazoness Paladin made a pose, and then leapt forward…

She brought her sword down on XYZ-Dragon Cannon, blowing it to scrap!

[B](J: 4,500) (C: 5,200)

Terrific… thought Jason. XYZ-Dragon Cannon was a NOMI, and I had to remove the three component Monsters from play to create it! Even worse, she has a Monster out who’s stronger than anything that I can summon with no sacrifice…

He drew a card.

Time to stall…

“I summon Peten the Dark Clown in Defense Mode,” he said.

He played a card, and the jerky jester appeared. He tipped his hat to Paladin and crouched in Defense. (500/1,200)

“Trying to stall, huh?” asked Cleo, drawing a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed.”

She played the card, and drew two cards.

Continued…

Dark Sage

25th June 2006, 04:04 AM

Continued from last post:

“All right, Jason,” she said, playing a card. “I’m Equipping my Paladin with Sacred Sword of the Amazons.”

Paladin’s regular sword vanished, and a beautiful bronze scimitar decorated with runes appeared.

“It gives the Amazon who holds it an extra 300 Attack Points,” she said, as Paladin rose to an Attack of 2,600.

Only 300? thought Jason. There has to be something else to it, or it would be nothing more than a glorified Legendary Sword…

“Paladin, attack Peten!” ordered Cleo.

Paladin leapt forward, and cut the Dark Clown in half.

Jason went to his deck and got his second Dark Clown. He placed the card on his deck, and Peten appeared again.

“Well, in that case…” said Cleo, “I end my turn…”

Jason drew.

He smirked as he looked at the Spell Card.

“I play Polymerization!” he shouted. “And I’m fusing the two Cyber Dragons in my hand, forming the mighty Cyber Twin Dragon!”

The two Cyber Dragons appeared, and then swirled into a vortex of light, and the huge, two-headed mechanical Dragon appeared! (2,800/2,100)

“He’s just strong enough to take out your Paladin,” said Jason with a grin. “And once his left head is done with her, his right is going to take care of you!

“Go, strident blast!”

Cyber Twin Dragon’s left head blasted a stream of flame, and Amazoness Paladin was incinerated!

“And now… huh?”

The Sacred Sword of the Amazons was spiraling through the air…

It stabbed into Cyber Twin Dragon, and the Machine started to sizzle and smoke. It roared…

Then it exploded into pixels!

“What the…” gasped Jason.

Cleo grinned.

“When an Amazon Equipped with the Sacred Sword dies battle,” she said, “so does the Monster who killed her. So she got the last laugh, Jason…”

Jason was angry now.

“I’ll place down one facedown…” he muttered.

A facedown card appeared.

“I still have Peten!” he shouted. “Do your worst!”

[B](J: 4,500) (C: 5,000)

“My worst, eh?” said Cleo, drawing a card.

She looked at the intimidating Monster on the card.

“I play Monster Reborn, to bring back one Monster from my Graveyard, and I know just the one…”

Amazoness Swords Woman appeared again, and the Seal appeared on her forehead. (1,500/1,600) –> (2,000/1,600)

“And next…” she continued, “I’ll summon the Amazon tribe’s faithful companion and bodyguard… Amazoness Tiger!”

She played the card, and a ferocious-looking she-tiger appeared, with a spiked collar around her neck. (1,100/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en118.jpg

“Now, Tiger just hates being alone,” explained Cleo, “because she gains an extra 400 Attack Points for every Amazon on my side of the field. Now combine that with the bonus from the Orichalcos…”

The Seal appeared on Tiger’s forehead, and her Attack rose to 2,400.

“And she has another ability,” continued Cleo. “So long as she’s on my side of the field, you aren’t allowed to attack any Amazon except her!”

“I see…” muttered Jason.

“Swords Woman,” said Cleo, “take out the second Peten!”

Swords Woman made a slash, and Peten was obliterated.

“Fine, but I have a third one!” replied Jason, as a third Peten appeared.

“Tiger, you know what to do…” said Cleo.

Amazoness Tiger pounced, and flattened the last Clown.

“Finally, I’ll place a card facedown,” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

“Your move, cutie…” she said.

Jason drew a card.

“I play my own Pot of Greed,” he said.

He drew two cards.

Oh yeah… he thought.

His Trap Card lifted.

“I activate Call of the Haunted,” he said, “to bring back the third Peten.”

Peten appeared, standing up. (500/1,200)

“And now…” he said. “I sacrifice Peten, to summon the mighty White Horn Dragon!”

Peten shattered, and a dark form arose…

It was a frightening Dragon, with rust-red scales, large wings, and most remarkably, a white horn like that of a unicorn on its forehead. (2,200/1,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/vjc_jp012.jpg

“Well,” said Cleo, “I’ll admit I’ve never heard of him… But he’s weaker than my Tiger.”

“Is he?” asked Jason. “See that horn on his forehead? It lets him feed on residual magical energies.

“I’ll explain… I can now remove from play up to five Spell Cards from your Graveyard, and for each one, he gains 300 Attack Points, permanently.”

Cleo looked at her Disk as it started to shake…

Images of Amazoness Spellcaster, Pot of Greed, Sacred Sword of the Amazons, and Monster Reborn flew out, and were absorbed into the Dragon’s horn. His Attack rose to 3,400.

“Attack Amazoness Tiger!” shouted Jason.

“I activate Amazoness Archers!” shouted Cleo, as her Trap lifted.

A squad of scantily-dressed Amazons armed with bows appeared, and started firing at the Dragon. He roared.

“These poisoned arrows weaken all your Monsters, lowering their Attack Scores by 500 Points!”

“My Dragon is still stronger than your Tiger!” replied Jason.

White Horn Dragon blasted a gout of fire, and Amazoness Tiger was burned up!

[B](J: 4,500) (C: 4,500)

“Yeah, well don’t forget…” muttered Cleo. “if you attack Swords Woman, all the damage goes to you…”

“I didn’t forget…” said Jason. “Now move.”

Cleo drew a card.

“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Cleo.

“Your Dragon is going to get it now, cutie…”

She showed him a card… It looked like The Seal of Orichalcos, but without the star in the center.

“That’s… a Card of Sin, isn’t it?” asked Jason, in fear.

“Yes…” laughed Cleo. “It’s an Equip… called Orichalcos Soul Sacrifice!

“Let me explain… Just as the Seal itself will seal the soul of the duelist who is defeated in this battle, this card will seal the souls of any Monsters in my Graveyard who were blessed by the Seal. There were two so far – Paladin and Tiger…”

She played the card. It appeared, and the images of Amazoness Paladin and Amazoness Tiger appeared in it.

“And for each soul it contains, the Equipped Monster gains 800 Attack Points.”

Swords Woman glowed, and she rose to an Attack of 3,600.

“Attack his White Horn Dragon!” she shouted.

Swords Woman leapt up, and made a swipe with her sword, slashing the Dragon in half!

[B](J: 4,200) (C: 4,500)

“Your move, cutie…” she said with a sweet smile.

“Stop calling me ‘cutie’…” he said, drawing a card.

“I’ll play a Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared.

Cleo drew.

Well, what do you know, she thought. I drew my… escape route. Not like I really need to use it. I fully intend to beat this guy.

She added it to her hand.

“Swords Woman, attack!”

Swords Woman leapt forward…

A small woman in a wizard’s outfit with a peaked hat and dragonfly wings appeared. She was cut down.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MFC-070.jpg

“Ha!” laughed Jason. “You just killed my Pixie Knight! So now, you have to choose one Spell Card from my Graveyard, and I put it on the top of my deck!

“And there are only two to choose from…”

Images of Pot of Greed and Polymerization appeared above him.

Cleo paused.

“Well?” asked Jason.

“Uh…” muttered Cleo.

If I choose Polymerization, he might well be able to summon Cyber End Dragon, and I’d never beat that… she thought.

“I choose Pot of Greed…” she said.

The card slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed it on top of his deck.

“Anything else?” he said.

“No. Go on…” she said.

Jason drew.

“Well, I’ll play it again…” he said.

He played the card, and drew two cards.

“I summon Troop Dragon in Defense Mode,” he said.

The small Dragon-man holding a sword appeared, kneeling in Defense. (700/800)

“Next I’ll play Monster Reborn, to summon back White Horn Dragon in Defense Mode.”

He played the card. The ankh appeared, and White Horn Dragon appeared, crouching in Defense. (2,200/1,400)

“Finally, I place down one facedown and end my turn.”

He played a card, and it appeared.

Cleo drew a card.

I see, she thought. He thinks I’m going to crash through four of his Monsters and a Trap Card before I can get to him. Well, this might take longer, but I can extend this duel a little…

This is just getting good, after all.

“First I summon another Fighter in Attack Mode,” she said.

A second Amazoness Fighter appeared, and fell under the spell of the Seal. (1,500/1,300) –> (2,000/1,300)

“Then I play one of the rarest Amazon accessories…” she said, playing a Spell Card. “Amazoness Kiss!”

A disturbing-looking card appeared. It showed Amazoness Swords Woman giving a passionate kiss to Marauding Captain – who was chained to a tree.

“When I play this card,” said Cleo, “every card on your side of the field is destroyed!”

Fighter and Swords Woman raised their hands, and Troop Dragon, White Horn Dragon, and Jason’s facedown Mirror Force were blasted to pieces.

“Oh, please…” said Jason. “A card that powerful has to have some sort of drawback…”

“It does,” assured Cleo. “I can’t attack this round, for one. Also…”

She grinned, as Swords Woman stashed her sword on her back.

“…you also get a kiss from Swords Woman.”

“Suppose I tell her to drop dead?” asked Jason, as Swords Woman walked up to him.

“Then you’d be an idiot,” said Cleo. “It gives you 3,000 Life Points. So pucker up.”

Jason sighed, and then closed his eyes. Swords Woman held his head, and then planted a wet one on his lips.

Mmm… this isn’t so bad… thought Jason, as she kissed him and energy flowed into him. But if she thinks this is going to change anything…

[B](J: 7,200) (C: 4,500)

“But she’s going to do her best to kill you next round,” said Cleo, “so enjoy it while you can.”

Swords Woman let go and smiled sweetly at Jason. Then she casually walked back to Cleo’s side.

Jason drew a card.

Oh, hello there… he thought.

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode,” he said.

The small, furry, winged Fairy appeared. (300/200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/gx1-en002.jpg

“That will do…”

“You’re trying to stall…” said Cleo, drawing a card. “Well, fine – he’ll save you a lot of pain for one turn, nothing more.

“Fighter, destroy it!”

Amazoness Fighter strode up, and kicked Winged Kuriboh like a football. He sailed past Jason, disappearing in sparkles of light.

“Your move…” she said.

Jason drew a card.

“I play… Card of Demise!” he exclaimed, playing it.

“Now I get to draw five cards…”

He drew five.

“True…” said Cleo. “But in five rounds, you’ll have no cards.”

“I’d rather not think that far in advance,” said Jason. “I have six cards in my hand right now, and I’m going to use them!

“First, I’ll play Premature Burial, to bring back an old friend…”

He played the card, and Cyber Twin Dragon appeared in front of him.

“He can’t beat Swords Woman…” said Cleo, with a chuckle.

“I don’t intend him to,” said Jason. “Next, I’ll play De-Fusion, to take him apart…”

He played another card. Cyber Twin Dragon, glowed, and then split into two smaller Cyber Dragons. (2,100/1,600)

“Now my Cyber Twin is back in my Fusion Deck,” said Jason, “and since I have two Cyber Dragons, I can play this… Photon Generator Unit, sacrificing my two Dragons…”

The two Cyber Dragons faded…

“…to form Cyber Laser Dragon!”

The powerful upgraded Cyber Dragon appeared. (2,400/1,800)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi_en007.jpg

“And now I can use his effect,” said Jason, “which I can use once per turn to destroy any Monster who’s stronger than he is!

“Swords Woman… Thanks for the kiss… But it never changed anything.

“Go! Blue lightning lash!”

Cyber Laser Dragon fired a blast of energy from its tail. Amazoness Swords Woman screamed, and was atomized.

“Now for your Fighter,” he continued. “Blue lightning blast!”

Cyber Laser Dragon fired a blast of lightning from its maw. Amazoness Fighter was thrown back, and shattered.

“Forget?” asked Cleo. “I don’t take any damage at all.

“And you might as well have destroyed Sword Woman… It’s not good to keep a Card of Sin active for very long…”

“It’s your move…” said Jason.

[B](J: 6,400) (C: 4,500)

Cleo drew a card, as the subway started to make an ascent again.

“I play… Scapegoat,” she said.

She played the card, and the four sheep tokens appeared. The Orichalcos even bonded to them, raising their Attack Score from zero to 500.

“Go ahead, cutie…” she said.

This sweet talk is driving me nuts, thought Jason, drawing a card.

He placed the card on his Disk.

“I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered in Attack Mode,” he stated.

The gargoyle-like Fiend appeared, and scowled at Cleo. (1,600/1,200)

“Ryu-Kishin Powered, Cyber Laser Dragon, take out two of those tokens!” ordered Jason.

Ryu-Kishin Powered slashed with his claw, destroying one of the Scapegoats. Cyber Laser Dragon shot its lightning, destroying another one.

“Next round,” said Jason, “you won’t have anything to hide behind.”

Cleo drew a card.

“Want a bet?” she asked.

She placed a card on her Disk.

“I summon Amazon Archer,” she stated.

A younger Amazon than the others, wearing a halter, jacket, and a brief skirt appeared, holding a bow and a quiver of arrows. (1,400/1,000) –> (1,900/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1_en233.jpg

“Attack his gargoyle!” shouted Cleo. “Savage arrow!”

Amazon Archer drew back her bow, and fired, striking the Fiend in the chest. He groaned, and shattered.

“Now I’ll activate Archer’s special ability,” said Cleo. “By sacrificing two Monsters, she can create a special arrow…”

The two remaining Scapegoats vanished, and a golden arrow appeared in Archer’s hand.

“And she can use this to fire a shot right past your Monsters and hit you for 1,200 points of damage!” she laughed.

The Archer fit the arrow into her bow and aimed at Jason… She fired…

He cried out in pain as it stabbed into him.

[B](J: 4,900) (C: 4,500)

“To end, I’ll place a card facedown…” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

Jason drew a card.

He looked at the three cards in his hand.

Tyrant Dragon, Magical Mallet, and…

He looked at the other Spell Card.

Often he wondered why he kept this in his deck. Maybe it was because of the significance it had on his idol. But it was a risky card to use…

He considered using Magical Mallet to swap it for a new one…

“I play…” he said.

Jason, no! said a voice in his head.

Jason paused.

”Who?” he responded.

Don’t get rid of that card just yet… said the voice. Remember the story… Remember how it saved Kaiba from his most humiliating experience…

Jason paused.

”All right…” he said. ”If you say so… Who are you, anyway?”

Let’s just say… Trisha sent me, said the voice.

Jason paused again.

“Cyber Laser Dragon, attack Amazon Archer!” he shouted.

Blue flames appeared in the Dragon’s mouth.

“Not a very fast learner, are you?” asked Cleo.

Her Trap Card lifted…

It was a second Amazoness Archers.

“You remember how this works, right?” she said, as the squad of bow-women appeared. “The Attack Score of your Monster goes down by 500…”

Jason drew back as his Monster was pelted with arrows.

“Both our Monsters will destroy each other!” he shouted.

“Bingo…” said Cleo.

As Cyber Laser Dragon shot its blue lighting, Amazon Archer fired an arrow, and both of them shattered!

“HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Cleo. “That was rich…”

The subway burst through a tunnel, turning into an EL-Train again.

“And you’re in big trouble, cutie…” she said. “All I need to do is draw a Monster, and you’ll get hit hard…”

She drew a card…

She frowned.

“Heh, heh…” said Jason. “Didn’t draw one, did you?”

“Actually, I did,” said Cleo, placing it on her Disk, “it’s just that she isn’t the attacking type. I summon Amazoness Girl in Defense Mode.”

A young teenager wearing a skimpy leather outfit, no shoes, and jewelry made from teeth (naturally) appeared and crouched in Defense. (300/300) –> (800/300)

“A girl?” asked Jason. “That was the best you could come up with?”

He drew a card.

“I summon Vorse Raider in Attack Mode.”

The Dark Beast-Warrior appeared, and scowled at Cleo. (1,900/1,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct2_en003.jpg

Amazoness Girl squeaked in fear…

“Yeah, yeah,” said Jason. “You’re breaking my heart…”

He pointed, and Vorse Raider stomped on the young Amazon, crushing her.

Continued…

Dark Sage

25th June 2006, 04:08 AM

Continued from last post:

“Nice try, Jason,” said Cleo, “but while Amazoness Girl is too young to put up a fight, she has an ability just like your Troop Dragon, except that I get to summon another one if she’s destroyed any way, not just through battle.”

A second Amazoness Girl appeared.

“Then it’s your move…” said Jason.

“I draw…” said Cleo.

She looked at the card.

Hmph, she thought. I drew my most powerful Monster. She could clean Jason’s clock in a hurry…

Unfortunately, summoning her is no simple matter…

“I pass for this turn,” she said, adding the card to her hand.

Jason drew.

“I place down three facedowns,” he said, placing three cards into slots.

Three facedown cards appeared.

“Then I attack with Vorse Raider!”

The gargoyle slashed at the second Amazoness Girl, and she shattered.

Cleo took another card from her deck, and a third Girl appeared.

“I end my turn…” he said.

“And your five turns are up!” laughed Cleo, evilly. “That means you have to discard your last card!”

“I know…” said Jason, discarding Tyrant Dragon. “Why do you think I put the other three facedown?”

Cleo drew a card.

She grinned.

“I summon my second Amazoness Paladin,” she said, playing the card.

Another Paladin appeared.

“And now that there are two Amazons on the field,” she added, “she’s even stronger than the first one was…”

(1,700/300) –> (2,400/300)

“Destroy his Vorse Raider!” she shouted.

With one swipe of her sword, Paladin sliced the Beast-Warrior in half.

[B](J: 4,400) (C: 4,500)

“Just a warning, Jason,” said Cleo. “Paladin is one of three cards I need to summon the most powerful Monster in my deck, and I have another of those three cards in my hand right now…

“It’s been a long duel… I don’t have much of a deck left… I’m certain to draw the last piece soon.

“And once I do, you’ll never defeat me…

“It’s your move…”

Jason drew.

“Want a bet?” he said.

He showed her the card.

It was the Eye of Timaeus.

“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Cleo. “Talk about bad luck! Timaeus is worthless without a Monster he can fuse with, and you’re fresh out, Jason!”

“That all depends on whether your luck is better than mine, Cleo,” said Jason. “We’re going to play a little game…”

He pointed to one of his facedown cards.

“But first, let me tell you the story of this card that I placed facedown…

“Six months after the epic battle in which the Trinity was formed, Kaiba held Battle City 3. Of course, he entered himself, and both Yugi and Joey promised they would meet him in the finals…

“And Yugi thought up a way for them to keep that promise. Each of them would donate a card to each of the others’ decks.

“Kaiba at first thought it was a dumb idea, but eventually they talked him into it. This card was the one that Joey gave him. At first Kaiba didn’t want to put it in his deck because, like a lot of Joey’s cards, it was a ‘gamble’ card, and such things just weren’t his style. But eventually, he said the heck with it and added it to his deck.

“On Kaiba’s very first challenge of the tournament, he faced a formidable opponent who used a hand destruction strategy. Kaiba was at the end of his rope, with no cards in his hand and 500 Life Points left. He made what would likely be his last draw…

“And this is what he drew. Joey’s card.

“He had a choice – use it and take a risk, or forfeit.

“Losing the first duel of his own tournament would have been the worst humiliation ever, and Kaiba would have rather died than forfeited. He used it.

“And I’m going to use it now…”

The card lifted.

“I play the Spell Card, Arduous Decision!”

“Never heard of it!” snapped Cleo.

“Then let me explain…” said Jason. “It lets me draw two cards…”

He made two draws.

He looked at them – Cost Down, and La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp.

“Okay, now you have to choose one of them without looking,” he continued. “If the card you choose is a Monster that can be Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon it…

“If it isn’t, I discard both of them, and my turn ends right now…

“So, it’s your choice, Cleo…”

“Uh…” muttered Cleo.

She stared at him hard.

“In case you’re wondering,” said Jason, “one of them is a Monster, I already know what Timaeus can do with it, and you aren’t gonna like it…”

Cleo started to sweat.

“What happened… when Kaiba used it?” she asked, nervously.

Jason grinned.

“The card his opponent chose was one of his Blue-Eyes,” answered Jason, “and it won him the duel.”

Cleo got very nervous…

“I choose… the le… no…”

She gulped.

“The right one!” she shouted.

“Pity,” said Jason. “You almost chose left…”

He flipped the right card around, revealing La Jinn.

The genie appeared on his side of the field. He growled, not at all resembling his jovial self. (1,800/1,000)

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SKE-009.jpg

“And like before…” he continued, “I play The Eye of Timaeus!”

The subway started to rattle and shake…

Cleo gazed in fear out the windows, and saw that the colossal form of Timaeus was flying alongside them! The Dragon appeared next to La Jinn, and roared!

“Merge!” shouted Jason. “Form Sorcery Dragon!”

The two Monsters combined into a well of darkness, and then a huge Dragon with emerald-green, sparkling skin that glimmered in the light, with fan-like wings appeared! (2,400/1,700)

“And now,” said Jason, “to activate his effect. I can take any Spell Card from my deck or Graveyard and use it, once per round. After using the effect a third time, the Dragon itself is destroyed…

“But this duel will likely be over by then.

“And the card I choose is… Rush Recklessly!”

He took the card, and then played it. Sorcery Dragon rose to 3,100 Attack.

“Attack Amazoness Paladin!” she shouted. “Magical blast!”

Sorcery Dragon shot a blast of green energy from its jowls, and it consumed Amazoness Paladin. She was vaporized without even being able to scream.

Cleo looked at it in fear.

[B](J: 4,400) (C: 3,800)

He can use any Spell Card in his deck or Graveyard for the next two turns? she thought. That includes Monster Reborn! He could bring back his White Horn Dragon!

Cleo shook her hand nervously as she drew a card.

No! she thought in fear. I don’t have anything to summon! If he draws a Monster next turn…

I’d be finished…

She shakily reached for the card that had been in her hand for quite some time.

I have to use it, she thought. I have to use what I’m only allowed to use once…

“Sorry, Jason,” she said in a frightened whisper, “but my boss allowed Cassius, Sebastian, and I one special privilege…

“He let us each put in our decks a way out… An escape route of sorts… I’m only allowed to use it once… After this, I simply can’t end a duel this way… He’ll see to that.”

She played a card.

“I play Amazoness Final Charge!”

The card appeared, showing a troop of Amazons fighting Dark Ruler Ha Des (and clearly losing).

“What does that do?” asked Jason.

“It lets me summon three Amazons from my Graveyard,” she answered.

First, a Swords Woman appeared. (1,500/1,600) –> (2,000/1,600) Then, a Fighter. (1,500/1,300) –> (2,000/1,300) And finally, a Paladin. (1,700/300) –> (2,600/300)

“And then, they all attack you directly…” she continued.

“WHAT?” screamed Jason. “That has to be the most broken…”

“It’s a perfectly legal card, Jason,” she said, bowing her head, “because it comes with a very painful price. All the damage you take from the Final Charge, I have to take too, and there’s no way I can avoid it. I can’t beat you using this card…

“So, until next time then?

“Attack!”

Swords Woman leapt up and slashed at Jason with her Sword. He staggered backwards, and so did Cleo.

[B](J: 2,400) (C: 1,800)

Then, Paladin slammed her sword into him, and they both staggered backwards again.

[B](J: 0) (C: 0)

Fighter apparently didn’t know or didn’t care that it was over. She charged and gave a tremendous kick to Jason’s stomach, and both he and Cleo fell to the floor, wincing in pain.

Then all the Monsters vanished.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Jason had been knocked out cold for a minute. He thought for a second that the Seal had gotten him…

Then he looked up, just in time to see Cleo fleeing out the subway door.

“Bitch…” he muttered. “This should serve as a lesson… Never get into a life-or-death game of Duel Monsters with a spoiled brat…”

He picked himself up.

“This is getting more and more dangerous…” he said.

He thought for a minute.

“Wait a minute… If Cleo decided to face me…”

He ran out the subway.

The trains would be too slow. This time, he would splurge on a taxi.

Friday, October 1st, 2106, 12:07 AM

PRIDE OF THE TRIBE (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Amazoness Swords Woman holding her sword aloft on a hill, with the full moon in the background.

Card Description: You can activate this card when one of your Monsters with the word “Amazoness” in its name, or who is named “Amazon Archer”, is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard. Special Summon one Monster with the word “Amazoness” in its name, or who is named “Amazon Archer” from your deck.

Note: “Pride of the Tribe” was used by Taniya in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Duel Distractions (Part One)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

SACRED SWORD OF THE AMAZONS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Amazoness Paladin holding a bronze scimitar, etched with runes.

Card Description: This card can be Equipped to any WARRIOR-Type Monster who has the word “Amazoness” in its name, or who is named “Amazon Archer”. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 300. If a Monster Equipped with this card is destroyed in battle, destroy the Monster who destroyed it.

AMAZONESS GIRL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 2
ATK: 300
DEF: 300

Card Description: This young protégé of the Amazon tribe is still learning the ways of the Amazons. If this Monster is destroyed, you may Special Summon one “Amazoness Girl” from your hand or deck.

AMAZONESS SPEAR WOMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: This female fighter rigorously trains in the use of the spear among other weapons. If you offer a Monster on your side of the field with the word “Amazoness” in its name (other than this Monster), or which is named “Amazon Archer” as a Tribute during your first Main Phase, this Monster can attack your opponent directly during the next Battle Phase.

AMAZONESS KISS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Amazoness Swords Woman giving a passionate kiss to Marauding Captain, who is chained to a tree.

Card Description: You can play this card when you have at least one Monster on your side of the field with the word “Amazoness” in its name, or who is named “Amazon Archer”. This card can only be used during your first Main Phase. Destroy all cards on your opponent’s side of the field. Your opponent gains 3,000 Life Points. Skip your Battle Phase after using this card.

AMAZONESS FINAL CHARGE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A troop of Amazons fighting Dark Ruler Ha Des and clearly losing.

Card Description: Special Summon from your Graveyard three Monsters with the word “Amazoness” in its name, and/or who is named “Amazon Archer”. The Monsters you Special Summon in this manner must attack, and attack your opponent directly. Inflict battle damage to your own Life Points equal to the amount inflicted on your opponent by these attacks. The damage to your own Life Points cannot be negated or redirected by card effects. Destroy the three Special Summoned Monsters at the End Phase of the turn.

ORICHALCOS SOUL SACRIFICE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip/Card of Sin
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Sin: Greed

Image: Like The Seal of Orichalcos, but with no star in the center.

Card Description: Remove from play from your Graveyard up to four Monsters who previously received the 500-point bonus from “The Seal of Orichalcos”. The Equipped Monster gains 800 ATK for each Monster removed from play. If this card is destroyed, destroy the Equipped Monster.

WHITE HORN DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,200
DEF: 1,400

Card Description: This creature is believed to have once been a peaceful unicorn who was cursed with the form of a dragon. When this Monster is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, select up to five Spell Cards in your opponent’s Graveyard and remove them from play. For each card removed from play by this effect, increase the ATK of this Monster by 300 for as long as it remains on the field.

Note: “White Horn Dragon” is a Japanese promotional card that has not yet been released in the United States.

ARDUOUS DECISION (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A cherub flying between a split scene; on one side, an impoverished village, and on the other a beautiful meadow.

Card Description: Draw two cards from your deck. Your opponent chooses one at random. If the card he chooses is a Monster Card that can be Normal Summoned, Special Summon it. If not, discard both cards and end your turn.

Note: “Arduous Decision” was used by Joey in the anime episode “Courtroom Chaos (Part Two)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

SORCERY DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 1,700

Card Description: This Monster is descended by activating “The Eye of Timaeus” and offering one “La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp” as a Tribute. During your Main Phase, you can select one Spell Card from your deck or Graveyard and activate it. A Spell Card activated by this card's effect is removed from play after its resolution instead of being sent to the Graveyard. This Monster's effect can be activated three times while it remains face-up on your side of the field. After the third resolution of this Monster's effect, destroy this Monster.

Note: “Sorcery Dragon” was created by Starjake due to his winning the third contest. Creative credit goes to him.

Cleo’s Amazon Deck

When Lewis took Cleo as a wife, a lot of his colleagues (most of whom hated him – he had almost no friends, and didn’t want nor need any) saw it as another reason to hate him, calling him such things as a cradle robber and worse. But some verbally attacked Cleo as well, thinking her a gold-digger. The nastiest individual actually accused her of planning to murder Lewis, calling her a black widow and saying that she hated men.

It is worth noting that this man hated women himself, being a misogynist and a bigamist, and soon after, Cleo used her allowance to have him murdered.

Cleo remembered that lout, and decided if she was to be known as a black widow, she would use Monsters known for not getting along with men. The Amazons seemed like a natural.

Although technically Warriors, Cleo’s cards follow much different rules. She has a few standard Warrior accessories, but most of her cards work for Amazons alone. A few of her cards are standard – Amazoness Archers, Amazoness Spellcaster, and Dramatic Rescue. However, having a great deal of money from her inheritance, Cleo was able to splurge on the rarest cards, and has access to Amazon cards that most duelists have never even heard of.

The problem with Amazons is, most of them are not very strong, and you can only have so many copies of Amazoness Spellcaster. Most of her cards make up for their weakness with their effects, and of course, the Seal is a big help – it usually can make a four-star Monster able to defeat any other four-star with ease.

Although Cleo plays to win – the stakes are pretty high in this game – she can’t resist the thrill, which is one reason she joined the Orichalcos. Danger is a thrill to her. And she most certainly would have given Jason the spare Seal if he had wanted it – danger for the thrill of it might lead to her losing some day, especially since she is not allowed to use her “escape route” a second time…

[B][I]Coming up next…

The duel was a narrow escape, but this is far from over…

Sebastian confronts Trisha, and it’s a battle of Machines versus…

Well… wouldn’t you like to know?

Those of you who have been straining to figure out the strategies of these three villains, another question is answered next chapter, in…

Well, that would be giving it away.

Be there.

Shuppet Master

25th June 2006, 05:18 PM

Wow, Cleo is like an evil doppleganger of Fran, with that Amazon deck!

Great chapter, Brian, and I believe that Cleo forced a draw similar to how Alister forced a draw with Kaiba, and she'll lose the next time she duels. I can't wait to see what Sebastian is going to come up with.

Inferno_Dragon

25th June 2006, 06:53 PM

Not your standard Amazon Deck, I guess you wanted to improve the style of the Amazon Deck. It was a little weird to see another draw because I thought we woudl see the end of Cleo but I guess she might have bigger plans unless Fortunado gets to her first. So a mystery duel. I can't wait to see what Deck Sebastian uses. And Starjake's Legendary Dragon creation for this Duel was awesome.

Keep up the good work on this fanfic, Dark Sage.

Shuppet Master

25th June 2006, 08:21 PM

For some reason, I'm glad I didn't win this contest - I would have been hard-pressed to make Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos creations for these decks. I probably would have broken out my broken Cyber Dragon Timaeus creation. :( Good work, Starjake.

Blademaster

25th June 2006, 08:26 PM

I honestly don't have much to say this time...

It was essentially a repeat of Kaiba VS. Alister the first time around, only with Amazons instead of Fire Monsters...

Sorcery Dragon didn't leave much of an impression, either - no offense to starjake, but I read the image, and all I kept seeing when I tried to picture it in my mind was Luster Dragon...

I'm a bit distracted, actually; I'll see ya later... :-/

-Blade

Mystic_clown

26th June 2006, 12:15 AM

After reading Thousand Year Door, I'm very happy to see the Amazon's blown away.

Hmm, if all the swordsmen of Orichalchos are like this, well, it's going to turn me off this a bit. What made the original swordsmen so likable was that they weren't really evil. They felt that they were wronge dand that they were doing the right thing.

Then again, it is your fic.

Dark Sage

26th June 2006, 04:33 PM

MC, that was one of the major problems with the whole anime.

It seemed that every single villain turned soft in the end and reformed. It got ridiculous. Pegasus, Marik, Noah, even Dartz. Only Bakura refused to reform. Few villains stayed evil, and Yugi and his friends were just too forgiving for my tastes.

This isn't how it is like at all. I want villains who are truly evil.

And mine will NOT turn soft.

jkBAKURA

26th June 2006, 05:17 PM

I think you're forgetting a fair few DS.

Bakura, Marik's Dark Side, Gozuburo, the Big 5, and in my opinion, Dartz did no such thing as reform.

Most of the so called "reformers" were hired help to the big villain at the end, and thus were suckered in. Plus, I was never one for the whole "they do this because they're just evil" excuse. Everything a person does comes from some sort of root motivation. No one is born evil.

That was one of the reasons the Shadow Spawn suffered later in TYD.

If the reasoning behind your villains is, "they're just evil" then I can't say I support that decision. I will not however, try to influence what is obviously your own choice as far as creating characters..

All in all, this chapter made me as nervous as MC.

Dark Sage

26th June 2006, 09:21 PM

Okay, I'll respond.

My villains are in no way evil for evil's sake. All three of the Swordsmen are not as redeemable as the original ones, but Cleo, Sebastian, and Cassius do indeed have motivations. They may not have honorable goals, but they do indeed have goals.

For instance, next chapter, you'll see one of Sebastian's motivations in a big way.

You must also realize that the mastermind behind this whole plot does not have the same goals that Dartz had, even though he/she/it is using the Orichalcos. The mastermind (and it may or may not be Fortunado - I'm not saying) has other goals. As the story progresses, you'll encounter bits and pieces as to what the motivations of this group are, and what they plan to do in the long run.

After all, you might remember that Fortunado once said he didn't even care if the Leviathan could ever come back to full life.

What are their motivations? You'll find out eventually.

jkBAKURA

29th June 2006, 09:42 PM

I just realised I never gave this chapter a proper review, I just commented on MC's

I'll work backwords on this one.

I seriously hope all three of these duels don't end in a tie. While I'm sure you want to keep them around for a while, three ties in a row would be a little much.

I knew of the Amazons of course, but after an entire story featuring them, it was hard to see anything fresh. You obviously felt the same way, and created more support, but there was enough already in existance both in real life, and from previous creations, that this one seemed to be almost too far from the canon Amazons.

Granted, Fran wouldn't have the cash, or the desire to use some of this new support, but I still think you're adding a bit to much to a tribe you've already established.

Coincidently, La Jinn would have been my combo if I had won, and the effect worked out rather nicely. I didn't like the visual description, but hey, when I read I can make anything look how I want anyway.

Jason's deck is finally coming into a pattern for me, and is starting to find that nitche in my mind. I'm finally starting to get the character (took me long enough)

All in all, I'm still worried, but that won't stop me from reading.

Silencer

30th June 2006, 02:40 AM

Granted, Fran wouldn't have the cash, or the desire to use some of this new support, but I still think you're adding a bit to much to a tribe you've already established.

Forget about that treasure they found that Merlee protected with Gate Guardian?

Dark Sage

30th June 2006, 06:50 AM

[B][I]The war has entered a new stage. The cannon fodder has stopped bothering us, and now it seems three duelists who make up the elite guard of the one behind this force have decided to get involved.

I’m standing face to face with one, and it seems he came looking for me. Little did he know, I was secretly looking for him.

Now I have regrets. His strategy is powerful, and he came prepared. Even worse, he seems to have a crush on me.

He has a lot to learn – when you fall for a girl, using evil magic to win her over is never the brightest idea…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-024.jpg

Friday, October 1st, 2106, 8:42 AM

Cleo sat at a table nursing a bad headache and sipping coffee. Her boss was standing over her.

“So you’re not mad?” she asked.

“Of course I’m mad!” he snapped. “What was meant to be an epic battle ended with a cop-out that could have come out of the notebook of the laziest Hollywood hack.

“However, seeing as I’m the one who unfortunately gave you the escape route privilege, I’ll spare you a punishment…

“But you know the rules. It was only allowed once, and you used it. So hand it over...”

Cleo sighed, and handed him the Amazoness Final Charge card.

“From this point on,” said Fortunado, “this is on the list of cards that you aren’t allowed to have. That means no avenue of escape should you get in trouble again…”

“Why don’t you let Cleo take it easy,” said Sebastian’s voice. “She had a rough night…”

Sebastian walked in.

“And I assure you, I can take down Trisha, Critias or no Critias. I’m prepared…”

He held up a Spell Card.

Fortunado chuckled.

“Incredibly diabolical, Sebastian,” he said. “You know what to do…”

“Uh, boss,” said Sebastian, “about what we discussed… Once I get Trisha, I want to make her that offer…”

Fortunado glared at him.

“On one condition,” he answered. “The offer will include her surrendering Critias.”

“Whatever,” said Sebastian, shuffling his deck, “so long as I get what I want…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Several hours later, once classes were over, Trisha was arguing with her two partners.

“Trisha, please!” begged Jason. “One of those lunatics is looking for you! If you’re gonna go out, just let me go with you.”

“No,” said Trisha, flatly.

“You’re telling us you actually want to get into an Orichalcos duel?” asked Russell. “Trisha, even great soldiers know that you shouldn’t go looking for a dangerous fight unless there’s a good reason. Or your CO tells you to.”

“Well, I have a good reason…” answered Trisha. “And my CO did tell me to, in a way…”

She looked at them.

“I don’t know what Timaeus and Hermos said to you two,” she said, “but I promised Critias that I would fight the Orichalcos. With great power comes great responsibility, guys, and if I have wager my soul to defeat these demons…

“I guess I’ll just have to…”

“I hate it when she’s right…” muttered Jason.

“I’m going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” said Trisha. “They’ll think I’m just there to look at the exhibits, but I’ll be waiting for them…”

She turned to leave.

“Uh, Jason?” asked Russell. “Normally, Trisha is interested in science and technology. Why the sudden interest in art?”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

What indeed?

At the grand structure known as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a banner read, “The Majesty of Leonardo DaVinci”.

As she approached the exhibition chamber, Trisha felt goosebumbs. But who wouldn’t? How often could one say that they were in the presence of genius?

Not in dueling, and not even truly in art – but in science and invention.

In the chamber, kept behind bulletproof glass and bolted to the wall was a very old pencil sketch, one of a nude, muscular, male figure, perfectly proportioned, with four arms and four legs spread out in perfect symmetry.

The title below was Proportional Study of Man in the Manner of Vitruvius.

“Ah…” said Trisha, closing her eyes.

“You like DaVinci, do you, love?” said a voice.

Trisha turned and saw Sebastian out of the corner of her eye. She turned her back to him.

“Yes,” she growled. “I admire him… He was one of the greatest inventors who ever lived. In days before there were even steam engines, he drew blueprints for such things as the army tank, submarine, helicopter, and even the airplane. He never actually built them, but he was a pioneer in technology.”

“And biology, apparently,” said Sebastian, looking at the sketch. “Wonder how much that would be worth?”

Trisha turned to him in anger.

“You’d never get away with stealing it!” she shouted.

“True…” said Sebastian, “but I know some guys who I believe could sneak into Louve, filch the Mona Lisa, and be halfway to London before anyone even found out…”

“Liar…” she replied.

“But it’s true!” he answered.

He held up a deck of cards.

“See my deck, Trisha?” she asked. “Five cards in this deck… are alive…”

“What do you mean?” asked Trisha, nervously.

“You know Jaden Yuki, don’t you?” asked Sebastian. “He and six of his allies were tasked with protecting the seven Spirit Keys, and keeping them away from the Shadow Riders, duelists who wanted them so they could free the Sacred Beasts…

“One Shadow Rider was unique, because he was an actual Duel Spirit… And he had four companions who were Spirits as well. He challenged one of the Keykeepers, and the Spirit was defeated in a Shadow Game. As a punishment, he and his four partners were imprisoned in the five cards that represented them…

“The Keykeeper took the five cards into his custody, hoping to keep them from causing any more trouble. But long after the crisis with the Shadow Riders was over, someone stole the cards.

“The thief fled to the mainland, and hours after he arrived, he was killed by another thief, who took the cards. One year later, that thief’s lover killed him, and she took them.

“And on it went, and for ninety years since then, everyone who took those cards was murdered by a criminal. Most recently, I killed the one who had them last…

“The five Spirits are mine to command now…”

“It seems like those cards are dangerous to have, Sebastian,” said Trisha. “They seem to have a curse. Someone is sure to target you eventually…”

“Heh, heh,” said Sebastian. “Not while I serve the Orichalcos, love. It protects me from the curse, and once our plans are successful, I won’t even need it to be safe.”

“What are your plans?” asked Trisha.

“Once I defeat you, I’ll share that information with you,” said Sebastian. “But for now…”

He loaded the deck into his Disk, and his Disk activated.

Trisha noticed that it seemed to be custom made. It looked sort of like a Mach-Two model, but was colored a dull black. The deck was held in a holder that was surrounded by black claws…

No, not claws… pincers of some sort.

Like a lobster, thought Trisha. Or a…

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time…” said Sebastian.

“Oh, I’ll just bet you have,” said Trisha with a scowl. “Game… start!”

Her own Disk activated.

She stood with the Vitruvian Man behind her…

Grant me luck, Mr. DaVinci… she thought.

[B](Trisha: 8,000) (Sebastian: 8,000)

“Now, let’s duel!” said Trisha, drawing five cards. “You make the first move...”

Sebastian drew a sixth card.

He grinned.

“Well, what do you know?” he said. “On my first draw!”

“Oh no…” muttered Trisha.

Sebastian threw the card into his Field Slot…

Don’t panic… thought Trisha, as the Seal started to form.

Sebastian’s eyes glowed, and the Seal appeared on his forehead.

“Don’t be afraid, Trisha,” he said. “I fully intend to defeat you… But you won’t have to stay sealed for long…

“See, once you lose, I’ll let you go, if you accept my demands…”

“What demands?” asked Trisha.

Sebastian looked at her.

“You’ll have to wait until you’re in the prison of the Orichalcos,” he replied. “I’ll tell you when you’re there, when you’re sure to be more receptive.”

“I won’t be finding out,” said Trisha. “This isn’t my first Orichalcos duel, you know…”

“We’ll see…” said Sebastian, taking a card from his hand. “I summon a creature called Avatar of the Pot, in Attack Mode.”

With a laugh, a rocky green genie, whose head resembled the Pot of Greed appeared, and grinned wickedly. (1,200/1,300) –> (1,700/1,300)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dr2-en128.jpg

“As you can see,” said Sebastian, “everyone’s favorite drawing tool is not only a Spell Card, but a Monster as well. And while he’s on the field, I can discard my actual Pot of Greed card to the Graveyard…”

He slipped the Spell Card into the discard slot of his Disk.

“…and then draw three cards instead of two.”

He made three draws, bringing his hand size back up to six.

“And I’ll end my turn on that note.”

“Indeed,” said Trisha.

She drew a card.

“I play Graceful Charity!” she exclaimed.

She played the card, and drew three.

She went over her cards, and discarded Mighty Guard and Nutrient Z.

“I summon Nanobreaker in Attack Mode,” she continued.

In a flash of light, the coldly beautiful female android appeared. (1,600/1,800)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en018.jpg

“Heh, I get it…” said Sebastian with a grin. “That’s supposed to be you, right? Well, she won’t help you…”

“Will she?” asked Trisha. “Nanobreaker, attack Avatar of the Pot with nano-blade!”

“What?” said Sebastian, in surprise.

Nanobreaker leapt up, and slashed at the Avatar with her sword. The genie groaned, and then shattered into shards.

“WHAT?” shouted Sebastian. “He had 100 more Attack Points!”

“It didn’t matter,” said Trisha. “Nanobreaker automatically wins when she attacks a Monster who has three stars or less. It’s all in her name – ‘nano’, which is Latin for very small, and ‘breaker’, meaning she… uhm… breaks them.

“I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn,” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

“Good,” said Sebastian. “I draw one card…”

He drew.

“And now I have everything I need to bring out my best…

“Remember that story I told of the Duel Spirit and his team? Well, now I summon one… The Boss himself, the one and only Don Zaloog!”

He threw a card on his Disk, and the infamous King of Thieves appeared, dressed in leather, wearing an eyepatch, and holding twin rapiers. His one good eye glowed, as the Orichalcos bonded to him. (1,400/1,500) –> (1,900/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/pgd-029.jpg

“That’s… trouble…” muttered Trisha.

“More than you know,” replied Sebastian. “Because Don Zaloog isn’t just one thief, he’s the leader of a gang of them… the criminal team known as the Dark Scorpions!

“And I’m going to bring them all out, by playing this…”

He played a Spell Card…

“Mustering of the Dark Scorpions!”

http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en255.jpg

“This Spell can only be used when Don is on the field, and lets me summon every member of the team that I have in my hand…

“So… you met the Boss, so let’s bring out the Bronze… Gorg the Strong!”

In a flash, a hulking, bald muscleman, dressed like Don and holding a huge mace appeared. (1,800/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_060.jpg

“Next, the Bandit… Chick the Yellow!”

In another flash, a young teenager with the same outfit, blonde hair, and holding a wooden mallet appeared. (1,000/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_026.jpg

“Next… the Beauty… Meanae the Thorn!”

A raven-haired, young woman, dressed in a female version of the costume and holding a whip appeared. She grinned wickedly. (1,000/1,800)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_061.jpg

“And finally, the Brains… Cliff the Trap Remover!”

In another flash, a man wearing the same costume with brown hair and spectacles gripping a long dagger appeared. (1,200/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-078.jpg

“Of course, these guys are so dark, the word Dark is in their name, but the Orichalcos makes them darker still…”

The evil glow appeared in the eyes of the other Scorpions, and they each gained 500 Attack Points as the Seal bonded to them…

“Intimidating, isn’t it?” asked Sebastian.

Trisha got nervous. She looked at the four cards in her hand.

Five Monsters in one turn… she thought. I’ve got to hope he aims for the right card, or this is gonna be a very short duel…

“Don Zaloog…” ordered Sebastian, “attack Nanobreaker!”

Don Zaloog leapt up and made a slash with his sword, and Nanobreaker fell backwards. She exploded.

“Heh, not like it will matter…” said Sebastian, “but now his effect kicks in, forcing you to discard one card from your hand…”

One of the cards in Trisha’s hand burned with dark flames.

She smirked.

“Actually,” she said, holding it up, “it would be my pleasure…”

She discarded it.

Sebastian frowned.

“You’re pretty cheery for someone who’s about to lose… Get her, boys! And, uh, girl…”

The four other Dark Scorpions raised their weapons…

“I don’t think so…” said Trisha.

She held her hand out, and a wave of strange energy covered the field. The Scorpions stopped dead in their tracks.

“What happened?” asked Sebastian.

Trisha smiled.

“The card that Don’s effect made me discard was a useful Machine called Electromagnetic Turtle,” said Trisha. “On a round when this Machine is sent to the Graveyard, I can end the Battle Phase whenever I want, and I just did.”

Sebastian frowned.

“In that case,” he said, “I’ll place a card facedown and end my turn…”

He played his last card, and it appeared.

[B](T: 7,700) (S: 8,000)

Trisha suddenly noticed something about Sebastian…

Those strange tattoos on his arms… They were identical to the ones that the Scorpions had on theirs.

I heard of being attached to your Monsters, she thought, but that’s going a little overboard…

She drew a card.

“I activate Call of the Haunted…” she stated.

Her facedown card lifted, and Nanobreaker appeared again.

“And now…” she continued, “I sacrifice her, to summon the Machine King!”

Nanobreaker shattered, and the powerful robotic monarch appeared. (2,200/2,000) –> (2,300/2,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en099.jpg

“Terrific…” said Sebastian, sarcastically.

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it…” said Trisha. “I’m Equipping him with this…”

She played a card.

“Cannon of the Machine King!”

A huge device resembling a futuristic bazooka fell from the ceiling, and Machine King caught it. He got down on one knee and pointed it at his foes…

“What does that do?” gasped Sebastian.

“This card can only be Equipped to Machines with the word ‘King’ in their names, and to Equip it, I have to pay 1,000 Life Points,” said Trisha. “But it’s worth the price, because it gives the Equipped Monster the same effect as Asura Priest.”

“I’m really hoping that means he returns to your hand when your turn is over…” gulped Sebastian.

“No such luck…” said Trisha with a smirk. “It means he can attack as many Monsters as I want him to in one turn.”

The five thieves trembled in fear…

“Of course,” said Trisha, “this means that Machine King himself will be destroyed when he attacks Gorg, but I can attack your Monsters in any order I choose, so I’ll simply take him out last…”

“Never!” screamed Sebastian. “I activate my Trap…”

His facedown card lifted, showing three police cars in a cloud of smoke…

“Retreat of the Dark Scorpions!”

The five Scorpions grinned, and then they vanished into motes of darkness.

Continued…

Dark Sage

30th June 2006, 06:52 AM

Continued from last post:

“Where’d they go?” asked Trisha.

Sebastian held up his hand, which had suddenly grown from no cards to five.

“Back here,” he said, “completely safe from your King…”

Trisha lifted an eyebrow.

“Whatever you say…” she said. “Machine King, attack him directly! Plasma blast!”

Machine King fired a beam of burning energy from the Cannon! Sebastian screamed, and was propelled backwards, slamming against the wall of the Seal.

Smoke poured from the barrel of the Cannon… And from Sebastian’s chest.

[B](T: 6,700) (S: 5,700)

“Are you really so attached to them that you’d take 2,300 points of damage to save them?” asked Trisha. “I guess so…”

Sebastian slowly got up… He stared at her.

“It’s true that I’ve grown somewhat attached to them, Trisha,” he growled. “But that isn’t why I used my Trap to save them… I would have let them die if that were the better option… But it wasn’t…

“You see, to succeed as a duelist, especially with stakes this high, you have consider all the options… You have to think ahead. That’s what separates a winner… And someone who the Seal has trapped.”

“What do you mean?” asked Trisha.

“Consider this, Trisha,” he answered. “If you had succeeded in your plan, I wouldn’t have lost 2,300 Life Points… I would have lost more, 3,100 in fact.

“Plus, five of my Monsters would have been destroyed, leaving me with no cards in my hand, and in a very bad situation.

“But since I used that Trap Card, I didn’t lose as many Life Points, and my Monsters weren’t destroyed, they’re right here…”

He held up his hand of cards.

“You tell me… did I make the better choice?”

Trisha looked at him. She had to admit, he was right…

“I’ll take your silence as an affirmative,” said Sebastian. “It’s my move…”

He drew a card.

“And it seems that the luck of thieves is with me,” he said. “I play Vase of Unholy Blight!”

He played the card, and the wicked version of Pot of Greed appeared on the field.

Crud, thought Trisha. Umbra used that thing…

Sebastian leafed through his deck and a Monster appeared on the field (it was unmistakably Sangan), and it was drawn into the vase, which shattered. Then he reshuffled, and drew three cards.

He looked them over.

“And now I’ll get rid of your King… I summon Chick the Yellow back to the field…”

Chick appeared again, holding his mallet aloft. (1,000/1,000) –> (1,500/1,000)

“Next, I play a Spell Card,” he said. “It’s called Sneak Attack of the Dark Scorpions.”

He played a card, showing the image of Chick and Meanae hiding behind the corner of a building, waiting to ambush Goblin of Greed.

“What does that do?” asked Trisha.

Chick drew a small dagger out of his belt…

“It’s a Spell that can be used with any of the Dark Scorpions except Don,” he replied. “It lets him attack you directly, so long as I cut his Attack Score in half.”

Chick’s Attack Score fell to 750, and then he vanished into the shadows…

And then Trisha screamed, as she felt a knife driven between her ribs!

Chick reappeared on Sebastian’s side of the field and grinned.

[B](T: 5,950) (S: 5,700)

“And Chick’s effect still applies,” said Sebastian, “which sends one card on your side of the field back to your hand, like Machine King.”

Machine King vanished, and Trisha retrieved the card.

“And my turn isn’t over yet, Trisha,” continued Sebastian. “I play a Spell Card… the dreaded D.D. Designator!”

He played the card.

“Here’s how it works… I name any card I can think of, and then I get to see your hand. If the card I named is there, it’s removed from play. If not, a card in my hand is.

“Now, let’s see…

“I name Machine King.”

“Brilliant…” said Trisha, sarcastically, showing him her hand.

She took Machine King and placed it in the Removed From Play slot.

Sebastian was a little confused, however…

Of the three other cards in her hand, he only recognized one. The other two were a Monster and a Trap he had never seen before.

“Go ahead, love,” he said.

Trisha drew a card.

“I don’t have any fancy drawing cards,” she said, “but Pot of Greed still works wonders!”

She played the card, and the grinning jar appeared. She drew two cards, and it shattered.

“All right Sebastian,” she said, “take this… Swords of Revealing Light!”

The card appeared, and the Swords shot forward, trapping Sebastian in a cage of glowing blades.

“Tricky,” he said. “But you know as well as I do that that’s only a temporary solution…”

“We’ll soon see…” said Trisha. “Next, I’ll place a card facedown…”

She fit a card into a slot, and it appeared.

“…and then, I’ll summon Red Gadget in Attack Mode.”

She placed the card down, and a new Machine appeared. It was a cute robot, its torso shaped like a grenade, colored red and silver, with two long arms, two large, blocky feet and legs, and a small, dome-shaped head with two googly eyes. It had an enormous gear on its back. (1,300/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/le6_jp002.jpg

“What the…” said Sebastian, confused.

“And when Red Gadget is summoned,” continued Trisha, taking her deck, “I can search my deck for a Monster called Yellow Gadget.”

She found what she was looking for, and reshuffled.

“It’s your move,” she said.

“Fine…” said Sebastian, with a frown.

He drew a card.

“I summon Don Zaloog back to the field,” he said.

Don appeared again. (1,400/1,500) –> (1,900/1,500)

“Your move, love,” he said.

Trisha drew a card and looked at it.

“Stop calling me love,” she said. “I summon Yellow Gadget in Attack Mode.”

Another cute robot appeared. This one was – naturally – yellow, the gear on its back was split in half and moved to either side of its back so the two halves resembled wings, and another gear ran vertically through the middle of its torso. Its arms looked like metal pipe cleaners. Instead of a dome-shaped head, it had one central eye located closer to the center of its body. (1,200/1,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/le6_jp003.jpg

Trisha took her deck again.

“And when Yellow Gadget is summoned, I get to search for a guy called Green Gadget.”

“How many Gadgets are there?” asked Sebastian.

“You’ll see,” said Trisha, putting her deck back. “I end my turn.”

Sebastian drew.

“I summon Cliff the Trap Remover in Attack Mode,” he said, playing a card.

The bespectacled bandit appeared, holding his knife. (1,200/1,000) –> (1,700/1,000)

“Two turns to go…” he said.

Trisha drew another card.

“I summon Green Gadget in Attack Mode,” she said.

A third robot appeared. It looked similar to the other two Gadgets, but it was – obviously – green, and its whole torso was a gear with a green center, and it had gears for shoulder pads as well. (1,400/600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/le6_jp001.jpg

“Normally,” she said, “summoning this guy would let me search for a Red Gadget, but he’s already on the field, and I don’t have another one.”

“I can’t believe it,” said Sebastian, with a smirk. “You’re actually facing the Dark Scorpions with these three twerps? I’ve flushed scarier things down the toilet.”

“Well…” said Trisha. “Just wait until you see my facedown card! It’s both a Trap AND a Monster… The biggest Gadget of all…”

Her facedown card lifted.

“I activate Stronghold the Moving Fortress!”

With a rumble, an enormous mecha slowly rose out of the floor! It was colored gunmetal grey, and covered with gears, gaskets, pistons, and gewgaws. Steam shot out of its pipes and vents. It had a single glowing eye, shaped like a gear. Its chest had three circular cavities, and the whole thing stood about thirty feet tall!

It knelt on one knee, clearly in Defense Mode. (0/2,000)

“Well, uh…” muttered Sebastian. “It’s clearly… big, I’ll give you that. But I don’t see how it’s anything but a defensive wall.”

“On its own, yes,” said Trisha. “But watch…”

Red Gadget, Yellow Gadget, and Green Gadget leapt up, and their arms and legs folded into their bodies… Each of them embedded themselves in the three cavities on Stronghold’s chest…

http://www.ideal808.com/images/vjc_jp006.jpg

Stronghold the Moving Fortress glowed with golden fire!

“When this Monster and all three Gadgets are on the field at the same time,” said Trisha, “its Attack Score becomes three thousand!”

(3,000/2,000)

“I’m ending my turn, and you’re still a prisoner of my Swords for one turn more…”

Sebastian shakily drew.

“I’ll move my three Scorpions to Defense Mode…” he said.

Don, Cliff, and Chick knelt in Defense.

“And then I’ll summon Meanae in Defense Mode too…” he said.

Meanae the Thorn appeared, and knelt in Defense. (1,000/1,800) –> (1,500/1,800)

“And I’ll place one card facedown.”

He played a card.

He waved his hand to end his turn, and the Swords vanished.

“Heh, heh…” said Trisha, drawing a card. “I was hoping you’d do that, Sebastian. You might have gained control of this duel if you kept them in Attack Mode…

“But you forgot one thing…

“This guy isn’t one Monster… It’s four!”

“I’ll move Stronghold the Moving Fortress to Attack Mode.”

The huge robot stood up, and its single eye glowed with fiery light.

“Red Gadget, attack Chick the Yellow!”

Red Gadget flew down, and socked the surprised bandit with his fist. The Dark Scorpion shattered.

“Yellow Gadget, attack Cliff the Trap Remover!” shouted Trisha.

Yellow Gadget leapt down, and punched Cliff. He shattered.

“And now…” she said. “Stronghold, obliterate Don Zaloog!”

The huge robot raised its fists, and its eye glowed. He burst into flames! A burning beam of energy blasted from Stronghold’s single eye, and Don Zaloog was incinerated in a fiery burst!

Only smoking ash remained where he stood.

“It’s your move, Sebastian…” said Trisha, with a grin.

[B](T: 5,950) (S: 5,700)

Sebastian drew a card.

“You’re tough, Trisha,” he said. “That’s just how I like my women…

“I activate my Trap… Dark Scorpion Pilfer!”

His facedown card lifted, showing the image of Don Zaloog snatching a priceless gem from a safe.

Meanae the Thorn vanished into the shadows.

“What?” asked Trisha.

“The Dark Scorpions are thieves, love,” said Sebastian, “so they’re very good at stealing. This Trap will let Meanae sneak into your Graveyard and swipe a card from it.”

Meanae appeared again, holding an oversized card. It was Pot of Greed.

“Not a bad choice,” said Sebastian. “And now I’ll play it, to draw two more cards.”

He drew twice.

Then he played one of the cards.

“Next, I play The Warrior Returning Alive,” he said. “Now I can transfer one Warrior-Type Monster from the Graveyard to my hand, and I choose Don Zaloog.”

The card slipped out of his discard slot.

“But he won’t stay in my hand, because I’m summoning him, in Attack Mode.”

Don appeared again. (1,400/1,500) –> (1,900/1,500)

“Now I’ll play a Spell Card,” he said. “It’s called… Dark Scorpion Tragedy of Love!”

As he played it, Meanae stood up and bowed her head… A tear appeared in Don’s eye…

“What does that do?” asked Trisha.

“It’s a rare card,” said Sebastian, “which I can only play when Don and Meanae are together on the field. Now I can sacrifice Meanae to wipe out all your Monsters!”

Meanae the Thorn leapt up with a scream, and lashed with her whip. It entangled around Stronghold’s neck…

She gave a yank, and an explosion erupted on Trisha’s side of the field! Metal scrap rained down upon the arena!

Meanae screamed, and then shattered into triangles.

When the flames died down, Don Zaloog was the only Monster left on the field. He looked at Trisha in rage…

“And now…” said Sebastian, “Don attacks you directly!”

Don Zaloog leapt forward and slashed at Trisha with his blade, and she winced.

“And don’t forget his effect…” added Sebastian.

A card in Trisha’s hand glowed. She discarded it.

[B](T: 4,050) (S: 5,700)

“My move…” said Trisha. “And I’m not finished yet!”

She drew a card.

“I’ll summon Machine King Prototype in Defense Mode.”

She played the card, and Prototype appeared, kneeling on one knee. (1,600/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi-en012.jpg

“That will do for now…” she said.

Sebastian drew a card.

“Heh, heh…” he snickered. “HA, HA, HA, HA!”

He played a card.

“I play Orichalcos Enticement!” he exclaimed.

A sinister-looking card, bearing the image of an evil-looking and barely dressed temptress seducing a knight appeared.

“A Card of Sin!” gasped Trisha.

“That’s right…” said Sebastian.

Machine King Prototype glowed, and then it stood up.

“It moved into Attack Mode!” gasped Trisha.

“Yes,” said Sebastian, “and that’s not all. Until this card is destroyed, you can’t play Monsters in Defense Mode… at all!”

“What about you?” asked Trisha.

“I could if I wanted to…” said Sebastian.

“Oh, come on…” muttered Trisha. “A card that powerful must have some cost…”

“Yeah, it has a cost,” said Sebastian. “But I’m not going to tell you what it is…”

He smiled.

What Trisha doesn’t know is, thought Sebastian, the cost for using this card has no real effect on actual game play. It’s a… dark cost… Some might tremble in fear at the thought of paying it…

But me, on the other hand… if I must pay that cost, I would actually enjoy it.

“Now where were we?” said Sebastian. “Oh yes… Don, take out her Machine King Prototype!”

Don leapt up, and slashed at the Machine, blowing it into scrap.

Another card in Trisha’s hand glowed. She sighed, and she discarded it.

[B](T: 3,750) (S: 5,700)

“I’ll play two cards facedown, and end my turn,” said Sebastian.

Two facedown cards appeared.

Trisha drew a card. She looked at it and the other two cards in her hand.

Rare Metalmorph, she thought I can defeat his Scorpions with this combo…

“I place two cards facedown,” she said.

She fit two cards into slots. Two facedown cards appeared.

“Oh, will you?” asked Sebastian. “I activate… Xing Zhen Hu!”

One of his own Trap Cards lifted…

A series of ropes appeared, and tied Trisha’s two Trap Cards down!

“WHAT?” shouted Trisha.

“Xing Zhen Hu is a clever Continuous Trap,” replied Sebastian. “I choose two facedown cards, and for as long as Xing Zhen Hu is on the field, they can’t be activated.”

Trisha scowled, and played her last card.

“I summon Mechanicalchaser in Attack Mode…” she said.

Mechanicalchaser appeared. (1,850/800)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en093.jpg

“Clever,” said Sebastian, drawing a card. “You think that by summoning that, you’ll only lose fifty Life Points when Don attacks it. Well, you’re wrong.

“First, I’ll activate my other facedown card…”

Call of the Haunted lifted, and Meanae the Thorn appeared. (1,000/1,800) –> (1,500/1,800)

“And now,” he said, “remember that remark I said about always thinking ahead as a duelist? Well, I put a card in my deck just for you, Trisha…”

“What?” asked Trisha. “Well, if you want to waste an Acid Rain card on one Monster, be my guest…”

“Not Acid Rain, Trisha,” answered Sebastian. “Something much better…”

Continued…

Dark Sage

30th June 2006, 06:55 AM

Continued from last post:

Trisha’s eyes opened in fear…

Sebastian played a Spell Card.

“I play… System Down!” shouted Sebastian. “This may cost me 1,000 Life Points, but now every Machine on your side of the field and in your Graveyard is taken out of play…”

Mechanicalchaser vanished, and cards fell out of Trisha’s discard slot.

She was horrified. In every nightmare she had had where she was dueling, whether her opponent was Bakura, Marik, or Darth Vader, that opponent was certain to have that Spell Card…

…the doom of all Machine duelists…

“And now,” said Sebastian. “Don, attack her directly! Double slash!”

Trisha screamed as the Scorpion struck her with his rapier and dagger.

“Meanae, attack with thorn whip!” shouted Sebastian.

Meanae leapt up and lashed at Trisha with her whip. She groaned.

She fell on her knees.

“Now, since you have no cards in your hand,” said Sebastian, “Don’s effect makes you discard the top two from your deck…”

Trisha caught her breath. She took the top two cards from her deck, glanced at them, and discarded them.

“And Meanae’s effect lets me retrieve any Dark Scorpion-related card from my Graveyard,” he continued.

A card fell out of his discard slot.

“…like Cliff the Trap Remover.

“See how I think ahead, love?” asked Sebastian, adding the card to his hand. “I always take my opponent into consideration. If I had been dueling your friend Russell, I would have packed three copies of Kinetic Soldier. If Dr. Artemis was dueling me, you would be sure I’d have three copies of Breath of Light. If I were to face a Fiend duelist, I’d have Exile of the Wicked…

“If it were Yugi himself, I would have three copies of Last Day of Witch. There’s no one I can’t beat so long as I think ahead.

“But face it, you’ve lost. No cards in your hand, your Graveyard is wiped out, you’re down to triple digits, you can’t defend, and your Traps are tied down.”

“We’ll soon see…” said Trisha.

[B](T: 350) (S: 4,700)

This had best be the best draw ever… she thought.

She drew.

She grinned.

She showed Sebastian the card.

Monster Reborn.

“What good will that do you?” he laughed. “I wiped out all the Monsters in your Graveyard!”

“Oh, did you?” asked Trisha with a grin. “Maybe you didn’t think ahead as well as you should have!”

“What?” asked Sebastian.

“You would have won on your next turn, Sebastian,” said Trisha, “but you screwed up royally…

“See, you used System Down first, and then attacked me directly with both your Monsters – causing me to discard two cards from my deck.

“What you should have done was attack Mechanicalchaser with Don, and used System Down at the end of your turn. Sure, I would have taken less damage…

“But then you would have made sure that I truly would have had no Monsters in my Graveyard. You see, one card that I discarded from Don’s effect, after you had played System Down, was a Monster!”

Sebastian stared at her.

“Big deal…” he said. “Need I remind you that due to my Orichalcos Enticement card, you can’t summon that Monster in Defense Mode?”

Trisha grinned.

She played the card.

“Did I say I even wanted to?” she asked.

The holy ankh appeared.

“If my defenses are shut down,” she said, “I’ll just move to offense!”

A large form appeared in front of her…

“Meet Cyber-Tech Alligator!” she shouted.

The creature that appeared was a ferocious, humanoid alligator in cybernetic armor, with metal claws and large metal wings! (2,500/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/G3_10.jpg

GAAH! thought Sebastian. She managed to summon a very powerful Monster!

“Sometimes…” said Trisha, “the Graveyard is simply a shortcut to getting into the game, as Seto Kaiba once said.

“Cyber Tech Alligator, take out Don Zaloog! Freezing stream!”

The cyborg breathed a blast of chilling vapor and frost, and Don cringed… He shattered.

[B](T: 350) (S: 4,100)

“Okay…” muttered Sebastian. “Nothing I can’t handle…”

He drew a card.

Bull, he thought. Even Gorg couldn’t defeat that Monster… Only one Monster in my deck can without help.

He turned the card on his Disk.

“I’ll switch Meanae to Defense Mode and summon Cliff in Defense Mode,” he said.

Meanae knelt, and Cliff appeared, also kneeling. (1,200/1,000) –> (1,700/1,000)

“And I’ll end my turn…”

“Then I’ll draw…” said Trisha.

She drew a card.

Mystical Space Typhoon… she thought.

She looked at Orichalcos Enticement.

The Seal of Orichalcos can’t be destroyed, but are Cards of Sin just as durable?

Let’s find out!

“I play Mystical Space Typhoon!” she shouted. “Let’s get rid of that Orichalcos Enticement now, shall we?”

She played the card, and the cyclone whipped across the field. The Card of Sin swayed and started to bend, as if it was trying to resist the wind…

…then it lost. It simply ripped in half, and the two pieces shattered into bits.

And then something happened that Trisha didn’t expect…

Sebastian screamed, and fell to his knees, clutching his head.

He moaned…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Inside his head, visions assaulted Sebastian’s mind…

They started with visions of a blonde, blue-eyed, and busty young woman…

They turned to him kissing said woman in a passionate embrace…

More thoughts of the lover followed. Laughs, giggles, smiles… More kisses, each more passionate than the last…

…thoughts that could only be called love…

But even as he thought these thoughts, they started to fade…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Sebastian slowly got up… He glared at Trisha.

“Too bad…” she said. “I was thinking you had a stroke and I might win by forfeit…”

“No such luck, Trisha…” he said, showing her the card that she had just destroyed. “Like I said, this card does have a cost… And since I won’t remember anything about the cost in about five minutes, I’ll tell you now…

“This card seems to give me an unfair advantage… But it has a dark cost, something that many Cards of Sin do. If it’s ever destroyed, the user loses all memories of the first person who ever loved him…”

He smiled.

“But Trisha, truthfully, I wanted you to destroy it, and do you know why? While I did truly love the girl who first loved me, that relationship ended in tragedy…”

“Let me guess,” said Trisha, with a sigh. “She fell for someone else, and dumped you.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed.

“Worse…” said Sebastian. “She fell for someone else who told her to kill me to prove she was done with me. And she did her best to try to obey him… She tried to stick a knife between my ribs when I held her in the most passionate embrace ever…

“But she failed. I didn’t hurt her… Instead I killed her new lover, and left her with nothing. Frankly Trisha, one reason I played that card was because I wanted to forget her…”

The card crumbled to dust.

“Of course, since that memory can only be lost once, I’ll never be able to use that card again. But thank you, Trisha, you’ve helped me put one of the worst parts of my life behind me… Now I can move on… I’m a new man.

“Want to know why I joined the Orichalcos in the first place? Hmm?

“I vowed that my next lover wouldn’t be able to betray me. I needed a way to make the next girl I fell for an offer she wouldn’t refuse. I would put her very soul at stake. It would be mine in every sense of the word.

“That’s the demand I intend to make, Trisha. Once you lose, your soul will go free, if you agree to commit it to me.”

“Eww!” shouted Trisha. “In other words, you wanted a love slave? You’re dreaming, you bastard!”

“Once I tell you what ultimately becomes of the ones who lose these duels, you might change your mind,” said Sebastian. “Remember Sersei? We would have made good on our threat if you had kept Patrick.”

Trisha thought back and remembered the ransom note that was found with Sersei…

[I][B]”One warning. At any time, Sersei’s soul can be sacrificed to dark forces. If we see anyone except them, or they refuse to come, she will be lost forever.”

“What…” started Trisha.

“Not telling just yet…” said Sebastian. “I’ll tell you when I make my offer, and we’ll see if you refuse then…”

Trisha’s eyes narrowed.

“Cyber Tech Alligator, attack Meanae!” she shouted.

The Machine shot forth its breath weapon, and Meanae was eradicated.

“Your move…” she growled.

Sebastian drew.

“I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and that will be all,” he said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

Trisha drew a card.

“Destroy Cliff!” she shouted.

Cyber-Tech Alligator wiped out the Trap Remover.

“This could take a while…” she mumbled.

Sebastian drew.

“Oh, I pass this turn…” he said.

Trisha drew a card. She had two cards in her hand now, and she had almost what she needed for a combo…

“Attack his facedown Monster!” she shouted.

Cyber-Tech Alligator fired his breath weapon, and a Mystic Tomato appeared before being blown up.

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en057.jpg

“You know what that means,” said Sebastian. “Think I’ll summon another Mystic Tomato!”

A second Tomato appeared. (1,400/1,100) –> (1,900/1,100)

He’s stalling… thought Trisha.

“Just move…” she said.

Sebastian drew.

“I’ll move Mystic Tomato to Defense Mode,” he said, as the Tomato backed up, “And that will be my turn.”

Trisha growled as she drew.

“I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“And now I’ll attack!”

Cyber-Tech Alligator destroyed the Tomato, and a third one appeared.

“So now what?” asked Trisha. “Do you even have a Monster that’s strong enough, or are you just going to stall until you’re decked out?”

Sebastian drew.

I have one that’s strong enough… he thought. And I’ll stall until I have what I need to draw it!

“Once again, I’ll move it to Defense Mode, and end my turn,” he said.

The Tomato moved to Defense.

Trisha drew another card.

“I summon Bokoichi the Freightening Car, in Defense Mode,” she said.

She played the card, and Bokoichi appeared.

“Next, I’ll play Machine Duplication!”

She played the Spell Card, and two more Bokoichis appeared.

“Now I’ll flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode… Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive!”

With a flip, Dekoichi appeared. (1,400/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds_en032.jpg

“And that means, I get to draw four times!”

She drew four cards.

She looked at them.

“And one,” she continued, “goes facedown…”

“Dekoichi, destroy the last Tomato!” she shouted. “Loco motion!”

Dekoichi charged forward, running the Tomato down.

“Not so fast!” shouted Sebastian. “I can still use its effect to summon… Familiar Knight!”

The knight in plate armor appeared. (1,200/1,400) –> (1,700/1,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ep1-en006.jpg

“Cyber-Tech Alligator, take it down!” shouted Trisha.

Cyber-Tech Alligator shot forth its burst breath and the knight shattered.

[B](T: 350) (S: 3,300)

“Well…” muttered Sebastian. “Technically, we can both now summon a four-star Monster from our hands… But you have no room for one, and I don’t have one.”

“Then you have no Monsters left, pal…” said Trisha.

Sebastian angrily drew.

“I activate… Dust Tornado!” shouted Trisha.

The Trap she had just set lifted.

“And I’ll use it to destroy Xing Zen Hu!”

The tornado ripped across the field. Sebastian’s Trap card shattered, and the ropes holding Trisha’s Trap Cards snapped.

Sebastian looked at her…

He drew a card.

“I play Graceful Charity!” he shouted.

He drew three cards.

He grinned.

He discarded Gorg the Strong and a second Mustering.

“First, I play two cards facedown,” he said.

Two facedown cards appeared.

“Next, I play… Spell Economics.”

He played a Spell Card, and it appeared in front of him.

“And finally,” he said, “I play Revival of the Dark Scorpions!”

He played a frightening looking Spell Card. It showed the five Scorpions running in fear from the gates of a cemetery at night.

“What does that do?” asked Trisha.

“Of all the rare Dark Scorpion cards,” said Sebastian, “this is the rarest. Less than ten copies exist. To play it, I have to have one copy, no more, of each of the Scorpions in my Graveyard.

“Then I pay 2,000 Life Points. Or rather, I would have had to, but Spell Economics negates that cost.

“And as a result…”

Five shadows appeared on his side of the field…

And then the five Dark Scorpions reappeared! Their eyes glowed, and the Seal branded to them!

No… thought Trisha, in fear. Dekoichi is in Attack Mode… I’ve lost…

“You haven’t lost yet love,” said Sebastian, as if he could read her mind. “I can’t attack on the round I use this card. So make your move.”

She’ll obviously attack Don Zaloog, he thought. He’s the most dangerous. Little does she know, one of my facedown cards is Rush Recklessly, which will make him 100 Attack Points stronger than that Alligator.

Then one powerful assault will finish her off…

Trisha drew a card.

“I play Thunder Crash!” she shouted, throwing a card into her Disk. “By destroying all my Monsters, I can blast away 300 of your Life Points for each!”

Her five Monsters shattered, and a bolt of lightning shot forward, striking Sebastian!

He groaned.

[B](T: 350) (S: 1,800)

“Why’d I do it?” asked Trisha. “To make room. First, I’ll summon my second Mechanicalchaser.”

She threw a card on her Disk.

“Now I play… The Fang of Critias!”

The whole museum grew dark…

…and then, the immense form of Critias appeared, looming over Trisha! He roared!

“Now…” said Trisha, as one of her facedown cards lifted, “I combine Critias… with Rare Metalmorph… to form…”

The Trap was absorbed into Critias, and he started to mutate…

“Mechanized Dragon!”

Critias glowed in silvery light. In a flash of light, a new Dragon appeared, this one with pure, silver skin, and a slim, streamlined face. His wings were thin and shone like mirrors. (2,500/2,500)

“Uh…” muttered Sebastian.

“Not only does he have a powerful Attack Score,” said Trisha, “but he increases the Attack of all Machines on the field by 300 Points.”

Mechanicalchaser rose to (2,150/800)

“Mechanicalchaser, take out Don!” she shouted.

“I activate Rush Recklessly!” shouted Sebastian, as his Quickplay lifted.

Continued…

Dark Sage

30th June 2006, 06:57 AM

Continued from last post:

“Will you?” continued Trisha. “I activate my other Trap… Spell Shield Type-8!”

Her other Trap lifted, and the Quickplay card shattered.

Mechanicalchaser rammed Don Zaloog with his rod. The bandit screamed and burst.

“Mechanized Dragon, destroy Meanae the Thorn!”

The huge Dragon breathed out a blast of ones and zeroes combined in an aura of blue energy, and Meanae staggered back. She was vaporized.

Trisha looked at him.

“Your move…” she dared.

[B](T: 350) (S: 550)

What do I do? thought Sebastian, almost in panic. If I don’t draw my secret weapon on this turn…

He drew a card.

This isn’t it… I only have one chance…

He played a card.

“I play Soul Release. I’ll use it to remove from play those five Monsters you destroyed with Thunder Crash…”

“Why did you do that?” asked Trisha.

“I have my reasons,” he said. “Now…”

He placed a card in his Disk – the one he had just drawn.

“I play… Evil Idol!” he said.

A spooky mist appeared in the center of the arena. A creepy looking idol appeared in the center, with three gems for eyes: red, blue, and yellow.

“What?” asked Trisha.

“Ever watch the old Indiana Jones movies, Trisha?” asked Sebastian. “This is one of those cursed idols you find in forbidden tombs…”

He walked up to it.

“The Dark Scorpions wouldn’t think twice about trying to snatch these gems, but most others would be wary. One is a treasure, and two are curses. And since I played that card, we both have to choose one.

“I’ll even let you have the first choice.”

Trisha got nervous.

She walked up to the idol and looked at it…

Which one? she thought.

She paused.

“What does each of them do?” she asked.

“One will destroy every Monster on your side of the field and in your hand,” said Sebastian. “One will remove every card in your Graveyard from play. The last will grant you 500 Life Points for each of your cards that have been removed from play.”

Trisha gave him a funny look.

She looked at the idol again.

Okay… she thought, nervously. Red, blue, and yellow…

Wait, how did this go in that old spy movie? The one where the hero had to disarm the bomb and there were three colors of wires?

Red, I’m dead… blue, I’m through…

Yellow… I’m mellow!

She grabbed the yellow gem!

And then she was startled, as golden fire appeared all over her!

All of a sudden, she felt like she had just drunk a gallon of Gatorade…

Her Life Points started to go up…

[B](T: 8,350) (S: 550)

“You choose wisely…” said Sebastian. “And it seems you discarded a couple Machines from Don’s effect. Just enough…”

“What are you planning?” shouted Trisha, as the gem crumbled. “Wait a second…

“You wouldn’t have benefited even if you had picked the treasure! None of your cards were removed from play… And you played Soul Release on my Graveyard… You made sure I’d benefit even more if I picked it!”

“Guess it’s my choice now…” he said with a sigh.

He reached for the red gem.

Then the remaining three Dark Scorpions on his side of the field screamed and fell to their knees. They shattered into shards.

Sebastian shook his head.

“It’s your move…” he finally said.

She paused.

“Fine…” she said with a shrug. “I would have preferred you to just surrender, but I guess you had to take a big chance and be humiliated…”

She drew a card.

“Trap activate…” muttered Sebastian.

His last Trap Card lifted…

Trisha looked up.

“Wait…” she said. “That’s…”

“Next time then, love?” said Sebastian.

And then Trisha was thrown off her feet, as it seemed the whole world was consumed in an explosion…

[B](T: 0) (S: 0)

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Trisha!” shouted Jason’s voice. “Trisha, please!”

Trisha slowly opened her eyes.

She was on the floor of the exhibition hall, and her two friends were trying to shake her awake. Losing over 8,000 Life Points from only one card had knocked her completely out, it seemed.

“Oh, thank God, thank God!” gasped Jason, hugging her. “For a minute I thought…”

“I know what you thought…” said Trisha, sitting up. “For all his gusto, he could dish it out, but he couldn’t take it…”

“What happened?” asked Russell.

“He had an ace up his sleeve,” sighed Trisha. “I almost won. But he used a card that could raise my Life Points to over the maximum. Then he triggered a Trap called Self-Destruct Button…”

“Don’t think I’ve heard of that one…” said Russell, scratching his head.

“Well, to put it simply,” answered Trisha, “if you’re using it in your deck, you need a new deck. It can only be used when you’re losing by 7,000 Life Points or more – it reduces both duelists’ Life Points to zero.”

“His escape route…” muttered Jason. “All three of them have one, which they can use once…”

“Worst of all,” sighed Trisha, “that bastard has some sort of demented crush on me…”

She turned to Russell.

“That leaves Cassius…” she mumbled.

“Don’t worry…” said Russell. “These jerks have made it personal. Tomorrow, I’m not giving him a chance to find me, because I intend to find him first!”

Friday, October 1st, 2106, 6:37 PM

ELECTROMAGNETIC TURTLE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 0
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: This strange Machine dampens an area with electromagnetic energy. On the turn that this card is sent to the Graveyard from your side of the field, your hand, or your deck, you can forcefully end the Battle Phase at any time. You choose the timing at which to use this effect.

Note: “Electromagnetic Turtle” was first used by Yugi in the anime episode “Clash in the Coliseum (Part Three)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

CANNON OF THE MACHINE KING (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Machine King hoisting a huge, space-age cannon on his shoulder.

Card Description: This card can be Equipped to any MACHINE-Type Monster with the word “King” in its name. Pay 1,000 Life Points to Equip this card to a Monster. A Monster Equipped with this card can attack all Monsters on your opponent's side of the field. You cannot attack your opponent directly with the Monster Equipped with this card if you attack any Monsters with it first.

RED GADGET (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,500

Card Description: When this Monster is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, search your deck for one “Yellow Gadget” and add it to your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

YELLOW GADGET (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: When this Monster is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, search your deck for one “Green Gadget” and add it to your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

GREEN GADGET (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 600

Card Description: When this Monster is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, search your deck for one “Red Gadget” and add it to your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

STRONGHOLD THE MOVING FORTRESS (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap/Continuous
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A giant mecha covered with gears with the Red, Yellow, and Green Gadgets in three cavities in its chest.

Card Description: This Trap can only be activated during a Main Phase. When this card is activated, it is treated as a Monster Card, and is summoned to your side of the field in face-up Defense Position. (Machine/Earth/4 stars/0 ATK/2,000 DEF) If one “Red Gadget”, one “Yellow Gadget”, and one “Green Gadget” are face-up on your side of the field, increase this card’s ATK by 3,000.

Note: “Red Gadget”, “Yellow Gadget”, “Green Gadget”, and “Stronghold the Moving Fortress” are Japanese cards that have not yet been released in the United States (no matter how much folks want them…).They were used by Little Yugi during the Pharaoh’s Memory Arc in the anime.

CYBER-TECH ALLIGATOR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine
Attribute: Wind
Level: 5
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: This winged dragon is strengthened with metal. This monster is the master of cyborgs from where dragons are destroyed.

Note: “Cyber-Tech Alligator” is a promotional Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States. It was used by Joey in the anime episode “Fighting For A Friend (Part 5)”.

RETREAT OF THE DARK SCORPIONS (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Three police cars in a cloud of smoke.

Card Description: You can use this card when you have “Don Zaloog”, “Cliff the Trap Remover”, “Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow”, “Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn”, and “Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong” face-up on your side of the field. Return all of the above named Monsters to your hand.

DARK SCORPION TRAGEDY OF LOVE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Meanae the Thorn’s portrait, tangled in thorny briars.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you have at least one “Don Zaloog” and at least one “Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn” face up on your side of the field. Offer one “Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn” as a Tribute and destroy all opposing Monsters.

Note: “Retreat of the Dark Scorpions” and “Dark Scorpion Tragedy of Love” were used by the Spirit of Don Zaloog in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Dark Scorpions”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

DARK SCORPION PILFER (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Don Zaloog snatching a priceless gem from a safe.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you have at least one Monster with the words “Dark Scorpion” in its name, or who is named “Don Zaloog” or “Cliff the Trap Remover”, face-up on your side of the field. Take one Spell or Trap Card from your opponent’s Graveyard and add it to your hand.

Note: “Dark Scorpion Pilfer” first appeared in “City of Souls”

SNEAK ATTACK OF THE DARK SCORPIONS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Chick the Yellow and Meanae the Thorn hiding behind the corner of a building with weapons drawn as Goblin of Greed strides towards them.

Card Description: Choose one Monster on your side of the field who has the words “Dark Scorpion” in its name, or who is named “Cliff the Trap Remover”. Reduce the ATK of the chosen Monster by half for the remainder of the round. The chosen Monster can attack your opponent directly during the round you use this card.

REVIVAL OF THE DARK SCORPIONS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: The five members of the Dark Scorpions, all of them frightened, fleeing through the gates of a cemetery at night.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you have no Monsters on your side of the field and one copy of each of the following Monster Cards in your Graveyard: “Don Zaloog”, “Cliff the Trap Remover”, “Dark Scorpion – Chick the Yellow”, “Dark Scorpion – Meanae the Thorn”, and “Dark Scorpion – Gorg the Strong”. Pay 2,000 Life Points. Special Summon all of the above-named Monsters from your Graveyard. You cannot declare an attack or summon any other Monsters during the turn you use this card.

EVIL IDOL (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A sinister-looking idol with three gems for eyes: Red, blue, and yellow.

Card Description: Take one Monster Card, one Trap Card, and one Spell Card from your deck, and rearrange them facedown. Each player must choose one without looking at them. If a player chooses the Monster Card, all Monsters on his side of the field and in his hand are destroyed. If a player chooses the Trap Card, all cards in his Graveyard are removed from play. If a player chooses the Spell Card, he gains 500 Life Points for every one of his cards that has been removed from play. After the effects of this card have been resolved, discard the three cards.

ORICHALCOS ENTICEMENT (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Continuous/Card of Sin
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Sin: Lust

Image: A demonic and barely-dressed temptress seducing a knight.

Card Description: When you activate this card, all opposing Monsters switch to Attack Position. Flip effects are not activated. While this card remains in play, your opponent cannot set or summon Monsters in Defense Position. If this card is destroyed, your memories of the first member of the opposite gender who loved you are forever erased from your mind. Also, if this card is destroyed, it is removed from play and you may never use it or another copy of this card again.

MECHANIZED DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,500

Card Description: This Monster is descended by activating “The Fang of Critias” and offering one “Rare Metalmorph” as a Tribute. Increase the ATK of all Machine-Type monsters on your side of the field by 300 points. Also, while this card remains face-up on the field, Machine-Type monsters on your side of the field cannot be targeted by the effect of a Spell, Trap, or Monster effects.

Note: “Mechanized Dragon” was created by Starjake as a result of winning the third contest. Creative credit goes to him.

Sebastian’s Dark Scorpion Deck

A hardened killer who would do in anyone for a quarter, Sebastian is not one to be trusted – odds are, anything he says is a lie. However, the story of how he got the five stars in his deck is true; they are the cards that contain the Spirits of the real Dark Scorpions, whom Chazz Princeton defeated in a Shadow Game so many years ago. Thus, his key cards are truly alive, and work with him in many different ways. They don’t do so willingly, but the Orichalcos shields him from the curse they have put on everyone who has taken these cards (other than Chazz himself, who they were forced to accept as the rightful owner of the cards), so they have no choice but to serve the Orichalcos for now.

To many duelists, Don Zaloog is a useful card that works well in many ways, with his discarding ability. Only a few duelists can actually combine him with his four teammates to make a useful Dark Scorpion Deck. (It is difficult to do.) Since all of the Scorpions are very weak, they’d be wiped out fast in many cases. Thus, the Seal of Orichalcos is a great benefit in Sebastian’s case.

Sebastian has many ways to bring out his stars quickly. They include three copies of Mystic Tomato, Familiar Knight, Sangan, and other searchers. Although he doesn’t have access to the vast amounts of wealth that Cleo did, he was able to make bargains and do jobs for the underworld, and gain access to Dark Scorpion cards that most duelists have never even heard of.

Sebastian always makes a point to study his opponent beforehand, and prepare his deck in a way to give his opponent grief. He added System Down because he knew it would ruin Trisha’s deck. If he had targeted Russell, he might have added Kinetic Soldier. Every type of strategy has a card that can be used to counter it, and Sebastian is smart enough to find them.

Sebastian also has a secret weapon in his deck who is Dark, but is no Scorpion. This Monster is used when all other options fail. The identity of this powerful Monster will remain a mystery for now, as he likely will seek a rematch with Trisha in the future.

[B][I]Sebastian has fled to lick his wounds, but this arc is only half over.

Coming up next, Russell goes looking for Cassius, but the leader of the current Swordsmen has big plans for their confrontation. Very big plans.

You folks likely think by now that it will end the same way that the last two duels did…

Wrong.

This next duel will definitely have a clear winner.

“Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.”

What do I mean by that?

The chapter is called “A Deal With Dark Ruler”…

Figure it out.

Inferno_Dragon

30th June 2006, 01:00 PM

Interesting Duel. Even though I had no idea at the beginnning of this chapter what Sebastian's Deck was, the minute he mentioned the Shadow Riders duel with the five cards one that was a Duel Spirit, I knew Sebastian's deck had to be connected with the Dark Scorpions.

It was an interesting chapter. We know more about Sebastian, although this chapter kind of reminded me of a similiar chapter in Yu-Gi-Oh: The Thousand Year Door. And that Card of Sin also reminds me a bit of Mai's Duel against Yami Marik. You know when she lost life Points, she lost memories of those she loved.

But it was a pretty good Dark Scorpion Deck although I am interested in seeing Sebastian's powerful monster.

Well, at least the next duel won't be ended in a draw. And I wonder what deck Cassius will use.

Also, another good Legendary Dragon creation from Starjake.

Keep up the good work on this fanfic!

Shuppet Master

30th June 2006, 01:03 PM

This was one awesome duel. You just couldn't resist using the Dark Scorpions, could you? :D

Anyways, that was a great chapter, Brian. Keep it up.

Pokemasterkatie

30th June 2006, 01:37 PM

She was horrified. In every nightmare she had had where she was dueling, whether her opponent was Bakura, Marik, or Darth Vader, that opponent was certain to have that Spell Card…

…the doom of all Machine duelists…

LOL at the Darth Vader thing. Makes me wonder if she's a fan of the series(it'd make sense...).^_^

“He had an ace up his sleeve,” sighed Trisha. “I almost won. But he used a card that could raise my Life Points to over the maximum. Then he triggered a Trap called Self-Destruct Button…”

“Don’t think I’ve heard of that one…” said Russell, scratching his head.

“Well, to put it simply,” answered Trisha, “if you’re using it in your deck, you need a new deck. It can only be used when you’re losing by 7,000 Life Points or more – it reduces both duelists’ Life Points to zero.”
I figured the escape trap was Self-Destruct Button--this usually unusable card(Trisha is absolutely right when she said you'd need a new deck if you were using this thing.:xd: ) would be a natural for someone using the Seal, as it's one of the only cards that can force a draw.

“That’s the demand I intend to make, Trisha. Once you lose, your soul will go free, if you agree to commit it to me.”

“Eww!” shouted Trisha. “In other words, you wanted a love slave? You’re dreaming, you bastard!”
You tell him, Trisha! I hate people like that...

Silencer

30th June 2006, 02:19 PM

Katie, you should picture this as in the series. It's the same world just a later period. We have had a couple of stuff about the Trinity and how in the past they stopped terrorists and all of that.

Blademaster

30th June 2006, 04:54 PM

Self-Destruct Button? He actually used Self-Destruct Button? Sheesh...

I like the Dark Scorpions-Machines matchup - a battle between new-age technology and old-fashioned stealth is a pretty good concept.

And I was pleasantly surprised to see the Gadgets appear; I knew they'd show up eventually. :cool2:

So, Cassius is the big boss of the 3 Swordsmen, eh? I can only imagine what deck he could be using...

-Blade

envoy of time

1st July 2006, 03:26 AM

Cassius is the leader of the swordsmen this should be quite interesting.We saw one of his monsters attack already so that's something.
Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.What is that supposed to mean for Russel?The suspense is terrible, I hope it lasts.

Shuppet Master

1st July 2006, 08:38 AM

envoy, that statement Russell made is part of a popular prayer in Christianity called the Lord's Prayer, where the praying person asks God not to let them fall to evil temptations. I know because I'm Catholic and this prayer is recited during mass. As for why Russell said it, I have no idea.

envoy of time

1st July 2006, 01:07 PM

Thanks Shuppet Master.

Dark Sage

4th July 2006, 03:27 AM

Hello everyone! It’s the Fourth of July!

And even though I disagree a great deal with the current government, this a day that makes me think of all the things that make me love America.

Things like the free press. Freedom of religion. Freedom of speech. And all the things that define America.

I love America.

And hey, if you’re someone reading this who isn’t American, like Mystic Clown, that’s fine… I’m sure you have many reasons to love whatever country you live in.

As a member of a family who has served the U.S. Armed Forces for a long as family history has recorded, I’m pretty sure that Russell feels the same way. So it’s fitting that this chapter should star him.

So will his clash with Cassius end in triumph or in tragedy?

Prepare to find out.

[B][I]Cleo and Sebastian have run back to their holes like dogs, unwilling to accept the punishment they were so intent on dishing out.

So now it’s me against Cassius… but this time, I’m more than prepared to stop his plan before it even starts. And I have the right tools to do so.

I just wish I was a bit more confident…

There’s something wrong about this whole plan… I don’t know what it is… It seems foolproof, but…

Ah well.

I’m still going through with it, because there’s no way I’m putting my soul on the line a third time…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_030.jpg

Friday, October 1st, 2106, 8:53 PM

Sebastian sat on a couch with an ice pack on his forehead. Cleo was sitting next to him.

Faustus stood above them and frowned.

“You two were warned,” he said. “Next time it will be different.

“The next time, you will either claim the soul of your opponent, or give up your own.”

Their faces sank.

Cassius walked up.

“Actually, boss,” he said, “I have an idea that might make for a ground-breaking scene.”

“Well,” said Fortunado, with a sigh, “it can’t be worse than what they pulled…”

“Listen…” said Cassius, putting his arm around him.

“Take it off, or I’ll break it off,” warned Fortunado.

“Uh, right…” said Cassius, nervously, retracting his arm. “Anyway, here’s what we do…

“You see, we’ve been going at this whole thing with the wrong angle the whole time. Maybe outright attacks using the Orichalcos aren’t a good idea…”

He grinned.

“Perhaps a duel of a… different flavor would whet the appetite of an audience more than what these two tried to do…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Russell was lying on his bed, slowing shuffling his deck.

Then he noticed an envelope slide under his door…

He got up, ran up to the door, and threw it open.

No one was there.

He slowly picked up the envelope. He opened it.

It was a bomb…

Well, it probably wasn’t, but he was wary of unanimous gifts…

He held it up to a lamp, and saw that there were two cards inside it.

It seemed benign. Nonetheless, he held it far away from his face as he carefully opened it. Then he dumped the cards on the floor.

He looked at them.

They were two Spell Cards. They weren’t Cards of Sin, and didn’t seem to have any devices or strange substances on them.

Finally he decided they were all right. He picked them up and looked at them.

One was a pretty common card. He never really had a use for it, but some duelists did. The other…

Hmm… he thought, looking at both of them.

He paused.

Oh, I get it…

He removed two cards from his deck, and shuffled them into it.

“Whoever sent these,” he said, “thanks…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

One hour later…

Cassius was in his own quarters, going over his deck.

The three Swordsmen had been given some pretty good accommodations. There was a comfortable king-size bed, a nightstand, a television (it got cable, and the premiums), and even a small refrigerator.

One furnishing that he really didn’t like was the painting that was on the wall next to the door. He tried to get rid of it many times, but every time he tried, something just wouldn’t let him.

The painting was a portrait of a man who looked like him, but about ten years older, apparently, dressed in more formal clothes.

He put his deck in a holder and glared at the portrait for a few seconds.

”Stalking the big hunt again?” said a voice that seemed to come from it. ”You’re certainly dressed for it.”

“What do you want?” asked Cassius. “Go away.”

”Can’t a man have a heart-to-heart now and then with his first born?” was the response.

“I’m your only born,” answered Cassius, “and frankly, no. Like I just said, go away. I can do without your heart-to-hearts.”

”I’m just here for support, Cassius,” said the voice. ”This is a dangerous business.”

“I’m a big boy, dad,” he replied, angrily. “I can take care of myself. Besides, I’m undefeated.”

He took out his cards.

“I can use these better than you ever could.”

”I hope so,” said the voice. ”They have to be used right in this business.”

“Oh, shut up,” answered Cassius. “What do you know about using them right? You couldn’t use a starter deck right!”

”You’re exaggerating, Cassius,” said the voice. ”I was one of the best of my time. And I had high hopes.”

“For me?” asked Cassius. “Get real. You weren’t exactly father of the year…”

“I was an excellent parent!” said the voice. ”Listen… Did I ever tell you to eat your vegetables? Brush your teeth? Listen to decent music? No, I didn’t. I respected your independence. I wanted you to be like me when you were older.”

Cassius stared at the picture.

“Yeah…” he muttered. “Like you… A complete and utter failure!”

He glared at it angrily.

“Don’t think the boss didn’t tell me about the last attempt to revive the Orichalcos, dad,” he said. “You started an attempt ten years ago, when the Master started looking for recruits. But the first duel of the campaign was one you started… and lost.

“And once you did, everyone who you were with was so scared when they saw what happened to you, they threw the Orichalcos cards away in panic. Your campaign lasted one hour. And it’s only getting started again now, ten years later.

“You were a big humiliation. And if you were here right now I’d…”

He clenched his fist.

He paused.

“I’m talking to a painting…” he muttered. “I should see a shrink…”

He got up. He tore the portrait off the wall and slid it under his bed.

“Maybe that will keep you quiet,” he said. “You were a failure for the Master’s plans, dad, and to top it off, you were a lousy father. But I’m going to prove once and for all that I’m better than you…”

He looked at his deck.

“In every way…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The next day, at noon, Russell strode into Central Park.

The trees were all an explosion of colors by now: red, yellow, orange, and brown, as Autumn was in full swing.

He went up to a vendor.

“Two dogs, with sauerkraut and mustard, and a Diet Coke,” he said.

He brought the two frankfurters to a park bench and sat down. Few things in this city were more satisfying than an old-fashioned New York hot dog.

But as he started on the second, he paused.

It didn’t taste as good as it had a second ago, and he knew why.

“You might as well come out,” he said between chews, “I know you’re there…”

Cassius stepped out of the brush, distinguishable by his outback-style jacket and hat decorated with teeth. The nasty-looking whip was coiled up by his side.

“I knew I couldn’t sneak up on you, pal,” said Cassius.

“I’d recognize your deodorant anywhere,” replied Russell. “Or should I say, your lack of it thereof.”

Cassius snarled.

“And I knew I’d come across you eventually,” continued Russell. “Your two friends gave mine a lot of trouble over the past two days…

“If you want to duel me, I’ll happily oblige… But let me finish my lunch first.”

“Certainly,” said Cassius, raising his deck. “But when you see what my deck holds, you’ll have to do your best not to lose it…”

“Would you mind not standing downwind?” asked Russell.

Insult me now, thought Cassius, now getting rather angry. It will change pretty soon…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The two of them stood facing each other.

“So,” said Russell, “what’s with the whole rural outback getup? I mean, who do you think you are, Crocodile Dundee?”

Cassius gave him a look.

“You know,” he said with a grin, “you might be the first opponent I’ve ever faced who compared me to the hero of those old films…

“And to be honest, yes, I saw those movies on the classic cinema station once, and I admired Dundee. He was a guy who was tough, brave, and not afraid to get a little dirty.”

“Well, you seem to be tough,” answered Russell, “and you certainly play dirty…

“But both Cleo and Sebastian weren’t very brave. They were cowards who could dish it out but not take it. They both had a way to escape when it was apparent that they would lose.”

“Can’t say that I blamed them,” said Cassius. “After all, the darkness of the Orichalcos isn’t a very pleasant place…”

He flicked his arm. A fan-like tray that was a silvery color protruded from the console on his arm, forming into an odd Disk.

He placed his deck into it.

“But you’ll find out firsthand,” he continued. “So far, my two partners have both failed, Russell. What’s that old saying? Third time’s the charm?”

“Don’t count on it,” replied Russell. “If all goes right, I’m going to take you AND the Seal out!”

“I’d like to see you try it!” laughed Cassius. “What part of ‘can’t be destroyed’ don’t you understand?”

We’ll soon see… thought Russell.

“Atten… shun!” shouted Russell.

[B](Russell: 8,000) (Cassius: 8,000)

“Feel free to make the first move,” said Cassius, drawing five cards. “It barely matters… I’ve never been bested. I have a perfect record.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” said Russell, drawing six.

I got the card I needed in my opening hand! thought Russell. Time to take away his edge…

“I’ll start by playing a Spell Card,” he said, playing a card. “A rare and powerful one, called Kozaky’s Kontraption.”

He played the card, and the fiendish scientist appeared in the center of the arena beside a weird contraption.

“When this card is played,” said Russell, taking his deck, “the user gains an advantage, but takes a great risk. You see, I can now add any card I please from my deck to my hand, but I have to let you do the same thing. Also, I must skip my Battle Phase on the turn I use this card, but since this is the first turn of the duel, that doesn’t matter at all.”

“Any card at all?” laughed Cassius, taking his deck. “That seems foolish…”

They both got what they wanted from their decks.

Kozaky and his machine vanished.

“We’ll soon see,” said Russell, reshuffling. “Next, I’ll play the card I just searched for… Exchange!”

The Spell Card appeared.

Cassius smirked.

“Clever…” he said.

He walked up to Russell.

“I guess you got me…” he sighed, showing him his hand.

Russell smiled. The Seal of Orichalcos was clearly there.

“I’ll just take this,” he said, taking it. “I knew you’d use my card’s effect to search for it. So much for you using it in this duel.

“Now you take one, so we can continue.”

Cassius took a card from his hand and walked back.

“Just because you took it from me doesn’t mean it won’t be played…” warned Cassius. “I swear it will be…”

“Don’t count on it,” said Russell.

Russell looked at the cursed card. It gave him chills.

At least I disarmed him of his most potent weapon, he thought. And all it cost me was my Reinforcement of the Army card. Now to just end this duel as quickly as possible…

“I’ll end my turn by placing a Monster in Defense Mode,” he said.

He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

Cassius smirked again as he drew.

“That’s Big Shield Gardna, right?” he asked. “You forget, I saw your hand, Russell. Tell me, were you paying any attention to mine?

“Since I got your Reinforcement of the Army card, I’ll play it…”

He played the card.

“And I’ll use it to get a little guy named Mystic Swordsman LV 2…”

He held up the card.

“And next, I’ll summon him to the field…” he continued.

What looked like a child wearing a purple bodysuit and a silver robe and peaked hat appeared, holding a scimitar. (900/0)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en011.jpg

“Attack!” shouted Cassius. “Severing slash!”

Mystic Swordsman LV 2 dashed up, and with one swipe of his sword, sliced Big Shield Gardna in two!

“What?” said Russell, surprised. “But… Gardna’s Defense was nearly three times too strong…”

“When Mystic Swordsman attacks a Monster in facedown Defense Mode, that Monster is automatically destroyed,” said Cassius with a grin. “It was his effect that did it, and Attack Points didn’t matter.

“And I’m hardly done. I now play the Spell Card, Level Up!”

He played the card.

“Level Up! lets me evolve a leveled Monster into his next evolutionary form instantly, regardless of the requirements.”

Leveled Monsters… thought Russell. This guy doesn’t fool around…

“So let’s welcome Mystic Swordsman LV 4!” exclaimed Cassius.

The child Warrior glowed, and then grew, transforming into a teenage version of himself with a gleaming, two-bladed sword, and a more elaborate robe. (1,900/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en012.jpg

“That will be my turn,” said Cassius.

“All right…” said Russell, drawing a card.

“I’ll summon Warrior Dai Grepher in Defense Mode,” he said.

He played the card, and Grepher appeared, kneeling and shielding himself with his sword. (1,700/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-020.jpg

“Go ahead…” he muttered.

Cassius drew a card.

“Mystic Swordsman, attack!” he shouted.

With one swipe of his sword, Mystic Swordsman cut Grepher down.

“That takes care of him,” said Cassius. “And on the end of a round where Mystic Swordsman LV 4 wins a fight, he can evolve further…”

The Swordsman started to glow…

“…into Mystic Swordsman LV 6!”

The new Warrior who appeared was an adult version, with two long daggers instead of a sword and a similar robe. (2,300/1,700)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod_en008.jpg

“So what will you do, Russell?” asked Cassius. “My Swordsman is just as strong as Freed. You’d have to summon a pretty powerful Monster to defeat him.”

Russell drew a card.

“I agree…” he replied.

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Goblin Attack Force in Attack Mode.”

A squad of four goblins with shifty eyes carrying clubs appeared. They yawned, and then turned to face the opponent. (2,300/0)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/psv_094.jpg

“Get him!” shouted Russell. “Goblin rush!”

The squad charged forward… Mystic Swordsman stood his ground…

In a fierce burst, both Warriors were smashed to bits!

“That will be all for now,” said Russell. “So attack me if you want… I can take it.”

Cassius frowned.

He drew.

“First I’ll place one card facedown…” he said, fitting a card into a slot.

A facedown card appeared.

“Next I’ll play… Giant Trunade!”

He played a Spell Card, and a wind whipped across the field. The facedown card vanished.

“Now, you may be asking,” he continued, “why did he do that? Because, the card I placed facedown was this special Trap…”

He held up the card. It was called Treasure Map.

“Treasure Map activates when it goes from the field to my hand. It lets me draw two cards, so long as I then discard one from my hand.

“So I’ll draw twice…”

He drew two cards.

“And since I no longer need it, I’ll discard Treasure Map.”

He discarded the card.

“Now I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“About time…” said Russell.

He drew a card.

“I summon Command Knight in Attack Mode,” he said.

Command Knight appeared on the field, holding her sword aloft. (1,200/1,900) –> (1,600/1,900)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct1-en003s.jpg

“Next,” he said, “I’ll play Premature Burial, to bring back Warrior Dai Grepher!”

He played the card, and Grepher appeared again. (1,700/1,600) –> (2,100/1,600)

“Grepher, attack his facedown Monster!” shouted Russell.

Grepher charged at the facedown Monster…

A Dragon with red and orange scales, metallic wings, and a steel mask over its face appeared on the card. Grepher slashed with his sword, and it shattered to pieces.

“That was a Masked Dragon, Russell,” said Cassius. “When it’s destroyed in battle, I can Special Summon another Dragon from my deck that has 1,500 Attack Points or less…

“Now, let’s see… I’ll summon another Masked Dragon!”

A second Masked Dragon appeared, in Defense Mode. (1,400/1,100)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0261.jpg

Russell raised an eyebrow.

“Command Knight, destroy it!” he shouted. “Blazing blade!”

Command Knight’s sword blazed with fire, and she slashed at the second Masked Dragon, wiping it out.

“Thank you…” said Cassius. “Now the real fun can begin! I’ll use his effect to summon Armed Dragon LV 3!”

A small Dragon with metallic parts colored orange and silver appeared. (1,200/900)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp2-en010.jpg

Russell looked at him hard.

“I end my turn…” he said.

[B](R: 7,200) (C: 8,000)

“Then mine can start,” said Cassius, drawing a card. “And during my Standby Phase, I can sacrifice his LV 3 form, to summon someone better…”

The Dragon started to glow…

“Armed Dragon LV 5!”

A bigger, meaner-looking Dragon appeared, with rust-red skin and spikes all over its body. (2,400/1,700)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp2-en011.jpg

“I… see…” muttered Russell.

“And now we get to the good part…” said Cassius, taking a card from his hand. “If I discard one Monster from my hand, this guy can destroy one Monster who has equal or less Attack Points that the one I’m discarding…”

He showed a card to Russell.

“So, if my second Mystic Swordsman LV 4 has 300 more Attack Points than your Command Knight…”

Command Knight slunk back in fear as Cassius discarded it.

“Now go!” he shouted. “Shrapnel blast!”

The spikes on Armed Dragon’s body shot up like rockets and honed in on Command Knight! She screamed and was blown to pieces!

Grepher’s ATK fell back to 1,700.

“And I still have his normal attack…” continued Cassius. “Attack Warrior Dai Grepher! Inferno roar!”

Armed Dragon blasted forth a wave of burning energy, and Grepher was blown away!

“Next, I’ll summon my third Masked Dragon in Defense Mode…” he continued.

He played a card, and another Masked Dragon appeared. (1,400/1,100)

“And finally, since my Armed Dragon won a battle, we can take this to the next level, and evolve Armed Dragon LV 5, to Armed Dragon LV 7!”

Armed Dragon started to grow again, until it was a huge creature that seemed as much metal as it was flesh, with blades and sharp edges all over. It let out an unearthly roar… (2,800/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp2-en012.jpg

“Uh… That’s… Not good…” said Russell.

“No…” said Cassius. “It isn’t good. Frankly, I’d say it’s bloody awful. For you, anyway.”

[B](R: 6,500) (C: 8,000)

Russell drew a card.

I’ve got to do something… he thought, looking at his hand.

He paused.

[I]You can destroy him easily. It’s completely in your power…

“Huh?” said Russell. “Who said that?”

[I]Don’t fight it, Russell, said the voice. [I]Ultimate power is within your reach…

Russell shook his head, and the voice faded.

“Where was I…” he muttered. “I place a Monster in Defense Mode…”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Clever…” said Cassius, drawing a card. “You know that Armed Dragon’s effect doesn’t work on facedown Monsters. “So I’ll have to take care of you the old fashioned way…

“I sacrifice Masked Dragon…”

Masked Dragon vanished.

“To summon… Jinzo!”

The dreaded android, with his enlarged cranium, glaring optic sensors, a fanged grill for a mouth, and dressed in a dark robe appeared. (2,400/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en067.jpg

“Well, since I already took out your Big Shield Gardna,” he noted, “and I know you don’t have two in your deck, Jinzo, attack his facedown Monster! Cyber energy shock!”

Jinzo formed a ball of crackling black energy in its hands, and hurled it. Axe Raider appeared on the card, and was blown up.

“Armed Dragon…” continued Cassius.

Russell gulped.

“Attack directly! Dragon talon terror!”

The huge Dragon’s claw bore down on Russell…

Continued…

Dark Sage

4th July 2006, 03:35 AM

Continued from last post:

At this moment, Trisha and Jason were at a table on the Green, with their cards spread out. Timaeus and Critias were in the center.

Suddenly, both of them started to glow.

“I was afraid of this…” said Jason, in worry. “I think Russell just took a powerful hit…”

“Oh…” moaned Trisha, almost crying. “That lunatic probably has him trapped in that awful Seal… He might be losing… He might have…”

“No…” assured Jason. “If Russell had lost, I’d feel it in my gut… He isn’t finished yet.

“We have to have faith in his skill…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

[B](R: 3,700) (C: 8,000)

Russell sat on the ground, the pain from the Dragon’s powerful direct attack having made him dizzy…

“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Cassius. “Who needs the Seal? I’m having loads of fun just beating you black and blue!

“Heh, heh… It’s your move…”

This is nuts… thought Russell, as he tried hard to catch his breath. He still has all his Life Points, and I’ve lost more that half of mine…

Jinzo? How come the bad guys always have the good cards?

“Didn’t you hear me?” asked Cassius. “I said it’s your move…”

“I heard you…” said Russell. “Just give me a minute…”

He picked up his cards and got up.

He drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed…”

He drew two cards.

“And I got some good ones!” he said with a grin. “I summon Blue Flame Swordsman in Attack Mode!”

He played the card, and the blue Fire Warrior appeared. (1,800/1,600)

“And next…” he continued, “I Equip him with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!”

Blue Flame Swordsman’s normal sword vanished, and the magical katana appeared in his hand. His Attack rose to 2,600.

“Now…” he started.

[I]Now’s your chance, said the voice in his head. [I]Don’t let a great opportunity pass. Use what you have and obliterate him!

Russell paused.

“Get out of my head…” he snarled.

“Get out of my head!”

He shook his head again.

“Blue Flame Swordsman, attack Jinzo!”

The Warrior charged, and swiped at Jinzo with his blade. Sparks flew from the android’s body, and then it burst in an explosion.

[B](R: 3,700) (C: 7,800)

“Okay…” muttered Cassius. “Nothing I can’t handle…”

“Just move…” said Russell.

He drew a card.

“Okay, Russell,” he said. “I’m activating Armed Dragon’s ability, and this time I’m discarding this…”

He held a card up.

“The Masked Beast. I keep three of these guys in my deck just to use to activate Armed Dragon’s ability. Since it has 3,200 Attack Points, it lets Armed Dragon destroy almost anything…”

He discarded it.

“Destroy him! Serrated sonic disks!”

Armed Dragon growled… It raised its arms…

It shot three energy disks from its torso, and Blue Flame Swordsman was eradicated.

“Perhaps you don’t know about Blue Flame Swordsman’s special ability,” said Russell, with a grin. “If he’s destroyed, I get to summon the real Flame Swordsman! Defense Mode!”

Flame Swordsman appeared, and knelt in defense. (1,800/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en100.jpg

Cassius frowned.

“Fine…” said Cassius. “I still have his normal attack. Armed Dragon, attack Flame Swordsman!”

Armed Dragon raised his claw and brought it down, crushing Flame Swordsman.

“Thanks, for taking the hit, pal…” said Russell, as he discarded the card. “Now let’s hope I get something good.

He drew a card.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode,” he said, placing a card on his Disk.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“That will be all.”

Cassius drew a card.

“Armed Dragon, destroy his Monster!”

Armed Dragon’s claw thundered down…

Warrior Lady of the Wasteland appeared on the card, and was crushed.

http://www.yugioh-cards.net/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/sd/SD5-EN002.jpg

“Huh?” asked Cassius.

“Yes…” said Russell with a smile. “And I’ll use her effect to summon… Hero Kid!”

A Hero Kid appeared on the field, did a somersault, and landed on his feet. (300/600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi-en005.jpg

“And since he was Special Summoned, I get to Special Summon his two brothers as well!” continued Russell.

Two more Hero Kids appeared and somersaulted into view.

“Heh, heh, heh,” laughed Cassius.

He showed Russell his hand, which had six cards in it.

“Don’t you know, Russell,” he said, “that all I have to do right now is discard a Monster no stronger than a Kuriboh, and my Dragon will wipe out all three of your Kids?”

Russell and the three Hero Kids stared at him…

“Now… uhm… uh… I’ll…” said Cassius, looking at his hand.

There was a long pause.

“Uh huh…” he muttered.

“HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Russell. “You have no Monsters in your hand to discard, do you?”

“Yes I do, smart guy!” answered Cassius. “However, the one I have isn’t one I’m willing to discard right now, so you lucked out big time. I end my turn.”

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Russell. “That’s rich… Six cards and the one Monster you have is the one you can’t discard!”

He drew a card.

“You made a big mistake, Cassius,” he said. “Remember how I beat Fang?”

“Oh… no…” muttered Cassius.

“I sacrifice my three Hero Kids…” exclaimed Russell.

The three Kids shattered.

“To summon Gilford the Lightning!”

Thunder rolled in the sky, and with a flash of light, the mighty Gilford appeared! (2,800/1,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct2_en001.jpg

“All right, Gilford…” said Russell, “let’s show him how it’s done…”

Gilford slowly drew his sword…

Lightning struck the Armed Dragon, blowing it to atoms!

“And now… Get him!”

Gilford slashed at Cassius with his sword, and the Swordsman fell backwards.

“Ooh…” he moaned.

[B](R: 3,700) (C: 5,000)

“I end my turn, Cassius,” said Russell, “and the tide of this battle is turning…”

Cassius drew a card.

“Well, that will do,” he said. “I summon The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave in Defense Mode.”

He played a card, and a rocky, sleepy Dragon with no wings appeared, curled up in Defense. (1,300/2,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-037.jpg

“Go ahead…” he said.

“One round too late, huh?” asked Russell.

He drew.

“I summon Exiled Force!” he said, playing a card.

The small band of disheveled Warriors appeared. (1,000/1,000)

“And now, I’ll sacrifice them to destroy your Dragon!”

Exiled Force turned into a collection of ghostly shapes. They flew into The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, and it roared before bursting into shards of rock.

“Gilford, attack him again!” shouted Russell.

Gilford slammed his sword into Cassius, and Cassius toppled over on his back.

[B](R: 3,700) (C: 2,200)

[I]You almost have him, said the voice. [I]Do what you have to do to finish him off… forever…

“Shut up…” muttered Russell. “Shut up! Who are you?”

Cassius got up, and his eyes reflected what must have been hate…

He drew a card.

“I play… Level Modulation!” he exclaimed, playing a Spell Card.

“This Spell is so powerful,” he explained, “that to play it, I have to allow you to draw two cards…”

Russell’s eyes narrowed. He drew twice.

“…and in return,” continued Cassius, “I get to bring back any leveled Monster from the grave, so you can guess who’s coming back.”

Armed Dragon LV 7 reappeared with a roar. (2,800/1,000)

“You forgot one thing,” said Russell. “A Monster can neither attack nor use its effect on the round it’s resurrected with Level Modulation. And although I hate to lose Gilford, I will attack that thing with him to prevent you from storming the field again.”

“Heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Cassius. “Remember that Monster I had in my hand that I wasn’t willing to discard? I simply brought this guy back to sacrifice him for that stronger one!”

“What?” asked Russell. “What on earth are you summoning?”

“Russell…” said Cassius, in a sinister voice, “when I was your age, I competed in many tournaments using leveled Monsters, and I used Armed Dragons many times. And I believed, like you do, and like my father did before me, that this LV 7 form, its third form, was as powerful as it could grow…

“But when I joined the Orichalcos, you could imagine my surprise when my boss informed me that it had a fourth form beyond it!”

“A fourth form?” gasped Russell. “What in the world…”

“So, I sacrifice Armed Dragon LV 7…” said Cassius.

The Dragon vanished.

“And feast your eyes on the final form of the Armed Dragon… The Master of Disaster…”

A large shadow started to appear.

“The one… the only…”

The shadow started to take shape. The winds around the park started to pick up…

”…the mighty Armed Dragon LV 10!”

The creature in front of Russell had to be the biggest Dragon he had ever seen. Of course, whether it was a Dragon or a Machine shaped like one was open to debate. Like the LV 7 version, it was covered with spikes and blades, and it seemed to be covered with solid, metal armor. (3,000/2,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp2-en013.jpg

“And now…” continued Cassius. “By discarding any card at all, he can wipe out all of your Monsters!”

He discarded card called Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension, and the Armed Dragon let out a blast of green energy, vaporizing Gilford!

“Now, attack Russell directly!” shouted Cassius. “Genocide beam!”

Russell gulped…

Armed Dragons eyes glowed, and rays of burning death blasted him, knocking him over.

[B](R: 700) (C: 2,200)

“And I’m not done with you…” said Cassius. “I play a Spell Card… One that Dartz himself used…”

“Who the heck is Dartz?” asked Russell, sitting up.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” replied Cassius. “Almost all the cards in his deck were Cards of Sin. This one was not, however. I play Impact Revive.”

He played the card. A rumbling noise sounded on Russell’s side of the field...

“This card revives the Monster that I most recently destroyed to your side of the field.”

Gilford the Lightning appeared again. (2,800/1,400) –> (3,300/1,400)

“Why?” asked Russell. “Why would you give me back my Monster?”

“Well, the second effect of this card lets me repeat my Battle Phase,” answered Cassius. “However, since it also grants Gilford 500 more Attack Points, I’m just going to have to forfeit it.

“But don’t get too comfy… That bonus goes away when you start your turn.”

“What’s the point?” asked Russell again.

“Because I want to kill him again!” laughed Cassius. “This is fun, after all.”

He placed a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“But face it, Russell, it’s over…” he said. “My Dragon is simply 200 Attack Points stronger than your Warrior…”

He grinned. He waved his hand, and Gilford’s Attack returned to 2,800.

Russell won’t have a choice now, he thought. Of course, it won’t make a difference… My facedown card is Rush Recklessly, which will win me this duel regardless…

My plan was perfect…

See dad? I’m gonna do more than you could ever have dreamed. I’m not only going to pave the way for victory, I’m going to defeat the Chosen of Hermos!

Russell paused.

[I]Do it… said the voice.

He looked at The Seal of Orichalcos in his hand…

I get it now… he thought.

[I]Do it… Do…

Russell drew a card.

“So sorry to disappoint you…” he whispered angrily.

“I play Graceful Charity!” he shouted, playing it. “Now I can draw three cards…”

He drew three cards.

“Of course, I also have to discard two, and we’ll start with this one!”

He held up The Seal of Orichalcos.

“What?” shouted Cassius. “NO! You can’t!”

“Oh? Just watch me…” said Russell, with a snarl, as he discarded it and another card.

“Silence at last,” he muttered, as the sinister voice went dead.

“See Cassius, I figured out your plan. You slipped that envelope under my door, the one with Kozaky’s Kontraption and Exchange. The whole point of this duel wasn’t for you to use the Seal…

“It was to tempt me into using it. You may be dressed like Crocodile Dundee, but this was all a classic Emperor Palpatine-inspired plot. You think I don’t watch movies?

“Well guess what, Cassius? No one tells Russell Majors what to do. Not my family, not my peers, and certainly not you! I took charge of my life when I decided to go to Duel Academy instead of West Point, and I do not take kindly to someone who tries to control me.

“And like the Bible says, ‘Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.’ Temptation is something I’m very good at avoiding, especially when the tempter is evil.”

He took three cards from his hand.

“I summon my second Command Knight!”

He played the card, and the determined female fighter appeared in a burst of flame. (1,200/1,900)

“Next,” he said, “I’ll use Monster Reborn, to bring back an old friend…”

He played another card, and the ankh shone with light. Flame Swordsman reappeared. (1,800/1,600)

“And now…” he said. “I play… The Claw of Hermos!”

Thunder rolled, and the immense form of Hermos flew down, alighting beside the three Warriors!

“Hermos, merge with Command Knight to form Blazing Command Saber!”

Command Knight stood in front of Hermos, and the huge Dragon turned into fiery energy. In surrounded Command Knight in a flaming aura…

And then she transformed into a blade made of pure fire. Gilford took hold of it, and his Attack score went up to 3,500.

“And it does more than just boost his Attack Score by 700 points,” added Russell. “It also protects all other Warriors on the field from death, so long as they have less stars than the one holding the Saber. And Gilford has eight stars.”

Cassius frowned.

“I activate Rush Recklessly!” he shouted.

His facedown card lifted, and Armed Dragon LV 10 rose to 3,700 Attack.

“I figured as much,” muttered Russell.

He played a card.

“I activate MY Rush Recklessly!” he said, as Gilford rose to at Attack of 4,200. “See, Cassius, I had one too.

“So right now you should be asking yourself… What would have happened to you if your plan had worked?”

Cassius gulped…

“Gilford…” ordered Russell, “Slay his Dragon!”

Gilford leapt up, and brought the burning sword down on the Dragon’s skull! Sparks flew, and the Dragon howled as Gilford cut down…

And then, Armed Dragon LV 10 exploded.

“Flame Swordsman, attack directly!” shouted Russell. “Flaming sword of battle!”

Flame Swordsman slashed at Cassius with his bronze sword, and Cassius fell over with a scream.

[B](R: 700) (C: 0)

“At ease…” said Russell.

“Humph…” he continued, taking the Seal out of his discard slot.

He took a lighter out of his pocket and set fire to it.

“So much for that…” he said, as it burned to ashes.

Cassius got to his feet.

“You’re gonna regret this, Russell…” he said, taking a card out of a pouch on his side. “Next time, you can be sure, it will end differently…”

He threw the card in his Disk, and his Interdimensional Matter Transporter appeared…

The device drew him into it, and he was gone.

“Unbelievable…” muttered Russell. “I feel like I’m in the middle of some movie that isn’t following the script…”

“At least I learned a valuable lesson. The Orichalcos isn’t just a destructive force… It’s a seductive and persuading one that tries to corrupt. I’m going to have to spread a warning…

“No one can ever attempt this strategy again…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“I hope our insurance covers collision, Cassius,” said Fortunado, sarcastically.

He stared at him, who was sitting on a couch between Cleo and Sebastian.

“My Corruption of the Chosen One scene would have been the highlight of the movie,” continued Fortunado, “but now, I can’t even use that scene… It was unexpected, sure, but audiences don’t like unexpected.”

“I should have put Hand Control in that deck…” muttered Cassius, “like I wanted to!”

Fortunado grabbed hold of his throat.

“Uh, boss, I can’t breathe…” he gasped.

“That’s because I’m choking you, you moron,” growled Fortunado. “When I said no, I meant no! The whole idea of that scene was for Russell’s fall from grace to be his fault. So he had to have used the Seal on his own.

“Had you used Hand Control, you would have forced him. It would have been your fault, not his.”

Then Fortunado groaned. He let go of Cassius and held his head.

“Boss?” said Cleo.

Don’t you dare blame Cassius! ordered a voice in Fortunado’s head. You were the biggest fool of all for agreeing to this plan! There were flaws in it from the start!

“I thought it would work…” whispered Fortunado. “If the Pharaoh couldn’t resist the Seal…”

Only those with darkness in their hearts can be convinced to use the Seal, fool, said the voice. The darkness inside Russell is less than one percent the amount that the Pharaoh had. Russell’s heart has the light of justice and morality inside it. He would have accepted defeat before he used it!

I agreed to let you film these scenes for your benefit, but the true plan is more important than the need to make it a box office draw! Any more ludicrous ideas…

…and to borrow a term from your film industry, you’ll never eat lunch in this town again.

“Yes master…” he whispered. “It won’t happen again…”

He took some deep breaths.

“I need a drink…” he said, going up to a cabinet.

“Perhaps it is time…” said a sinister voice, “to show these foolish children the true might of the Orichalcos…”

A shadowy form came into the room…

He was a tall man, in a bizarre costume. He wore a violet spandex bodysuit and a cape with a high collar. He wore a tall, pointy hat with a wide brim, and his mouth and nose were covered by a mask that had a picture of a hand with the index finger pointing upward. His grey eyes were topped by bushy eyebrows.

“In other words,” he said, “it’s time for the normal specters to be put aside, and the Master Specter to do his work.”

“You?” said Sebastian, nervously. “I dunno… I don’t like that Monster you have in your deck…”

“What, you mean this one?” asked the man, taking a card off of his deck.

The Swordsmen drew back in fear…

“Keep it away from me…” gulped Cleo.

“This is one duel I’m gonna be sitting out…” gulped Cassius.

“Well…” muttered Fortunado. “It can’t hurt, I guess… At least, I don’t think it can…

“Do it…

“But be careful. Even if our insurance does cover collision, I know for a fact it doesn’t cover acts of God…

“So it likely doesn’t cover acts of demons either.”

Saturday, October 2nd, 2106, 2:17 PM

KOZAKY’S KONTRAPTION (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Kozaky in front of a large machine that is printing out Duel Monsters cards.

Card Description: Both you and your opponent take any card from your respective decks and add them to your hands. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase during the turn you use this card.

IMPACT REVIVE (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A muscular giant bursting out of the ground.

Card Description: Special Summon the Monster from your opponent’s Graveyard that was most recently destroyed to his side of the field in Attack Position to his side of the field and increase its ATK by 500 until the End Phase of your current turn. You may repeat your Battle Phase if you have already ended it.

Note: “Impact Revive” was used by Dartz in the anime episode “A Duel With Dartz (Part Four)”. (This was the only card that he used that did not seem to have a particularly evil effect, so I do not consider it a Card of Sin, although it may have been a custom card.)

BLAZING COMMAND SABER (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Card Description: This card is descended by activating “The Claw of Hermos” and offering one “Command Knight” as a Tribute. This card can only be equipped to a WARRIOR-Type monster. Increase the ATK of the equipped monster by 700 points. Monsters on your side of the field with fewer level stars than the equipped monster cannot be selected as attack targets.

Cassius’s Level Deck

Strictly speaking, there is no standard blueprint for Cassius’s deck, because it is rarely the same deck twice. He is a big fan of leveled Monsters, and he has many to choose from – often, his deck contains two evolutionary chains. Although one of them is usually one of the Dragon chains, the other might be Mystic Swordsman, Silent Swordsman, or Ultimate Insect. Rarely, he uses Silent Magician, but she is a difficult Monster to use, as she will be destroyed quickly unless he happens to have Level Up! handy.

Often he also has a few copies of the Dark Mimic Fiends to fill in the gaps. These are good for drawing power as well. Another Monster that is constant is Jinzo, one of his favorites. As stated, when using Armed Dragons, he also carries three copies of the Masked Beast to use for using its effect.

Since he uses Jinzo, he plays very few Traps; the Spells he uses depends on what Monsters he is using. A few remain constant, like Level Up!, Level Modulation, and The Graveyard in the Fourth Dimension.

The Seal of Orichalcos makes a deadly combo with leveled Monsters. When one of these Monsters gets to its final form, it is often quite powerful. The Seal’s 500-point bonus to their Attack Score increases an Attack Score that is already incredibly powerful. (When packing Silent Swordsman, he is careful always to play the Seal before evolving it to its final form.)

Cassius’s most powerful Monster is one that he likes to use to deliver the final blow. However, the identity of this creature will remain a mystery for now.

[B][I]Next chapter:

We’ll see just who that weird guy is, as the next arc of this story begins. Things are going to get darker quickly, as Russell faces a force he’s wholly unprepared for. I’m not going to reveal the name of the chapter – that might give it away.

Be there… or be square.

envoy of time

4th July 2006, 05:05 AM

Happy fourth of July.This was a really good chapter mainly because I love level monsters.Russell was pretty cool figuring out Cassius's plan like that.I eagerly await the next chapter.

Mystic_clown

4th July 2006, 05:07 AM

Aww, I was kinda hoping for Russel to use it. Sure, it would have been copying the series, but it sure as hell would have been a lot more entertaining watching what happens next.

Shuppet Master

4th July 2006, 10:13 AM

Russell gets two duels in a row? Amazing!

Anyways, this Master Specter seems like an interesting character. Can't wait to see him duel.

Nice duel thing, with Russell getting tempted to use the Orichalcos and all. Reminds me of the duel between Atem and Raphael the first time. Keep up the good work.

jkBAKURA

4th July 2006, 10:53 AM

OK, I know I'm going to sound like Paradox here, but what the heck was that about!

That was a perfect chance to add some plot tilting drama, but No... every hero is too good to even take a second glance at something like the Orichalcos.

God forbid, he actually wins, and adds some interesting character journey into this.

It might not have been so bad without the voice in his head. It may have been an attempt at drama that just made the character look like completely devine,incorruptable Avatar-like characters. Heck, even the Duel in this one was sub-par!

OK, Level monsters, nice choice, and I did like the change from a tie. There's only one level monster whose attack could be mistaken for a Red-Eyes, so that piece of the puzzle is solved.

But I'm sorry, this was the lowest point in the story so far. It seemed like an awesome chance wasted.

(please let me keep reading)

I judge each chapter one at a time, so I'll keep reading. You've done some great stuff with the story so far, and I doubt that this will be an ongoing trend, but I'm still ranking this along the same lines as "Flatline" and "Final Judgement."

I'm sorry if I'm too harsh, but I cannot express my dissapointment.

Dark Sage

4th July 2006, 12:21 PM

Ho-boy... I guess that wasn't my best...

But truthfully, this chapter was to prepare for my real apex, which is next chapter. Next chapter, we get into just how serious the villains are willing to get.

I'm sorry you didn't like it. I'll try to do better.

Blademaster

4th July 2006, 09:23 PM

I'll admit, I was a bit surprised with Russell's resisiting the Seal, either, simple because of this:

While Russell being tempted by the Seal and losing would've been somewhat like the anime, I remember specifically in The Thousand-Year Door when Melissa said everyone has an inner demon (balance, yin-yang, light and darkness... You get the idea.), and from what both you and the anime have done with the Seal, I always thought it to be a force of utter evil that could overpower almost anybody and strengthen one's iner darkness - even Yami succumbed to it!

I'm sorry, but I just don't really understand how the Orichalcos would've corrupted Yami, a spirit with 5,000 years of wisdom and who has saved the world on several occasions, and not a mere mortal like Russell, who seems like a good guy and all, but I doubt is no more of a figure of light than anyone else - Heck, I always try to be friendly and kind to people, and I've found myself on several occasions wanting to take a crowbar to someone's head! :eek:

I'm not criticizing - I'm just confused, especially since the Orichalcos is an incredibly evil force and therefore (I'd assume.) is likely to not only amplify all a person's inner evils, like anger, jealousy, pride, etc., but also to some extent nullify some morals (Including, but not limited to, the faith in one's deck and vice-versa that may assist them in drawing a certain card at a critical time.), making resistance all the more difficult - like a role-reversal between a person's good and bad sides...

But, all that aside, I will admit that Cassius' Level deck was definitely something new, and I've never even heard of Armed Dragon LV10... Quite a Monster, that Dragon is... :scared:

And I'm also glad you stuck to the attacks the anime used - I've never gone nuts for the Armed Dragons, but 'Shrapnel Blast' and 'Serrated Sonic Disks' are quite cool names, and I honestly think that 'Dragon Talon Terror' is the best name for an attack ever - that's one of the things I've loved about GX, is the naming creativity: Skydive Scorcher, Voltaic Thunder, Train Twister, Strident Blast, Outback Attack... So many names that just sound cool and tough...

Oh, I'm getting off-track again. Sorry...

Anyway, the next chapter sounds promising, and I'm curious about this new 'Master Spectre,' as Fortunado called him... I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Peace! :wave:

-Blade

Inferno_Dragon

4th July 2006, 10:49 PM

Yeah, I didn't understand how the Seal would affect an 5,000 year old spirit. I knew that Russell wouldn't use the seal, because it would cut down one of the main heroes. Sure, the Seal has claimed heroes in the anime (Mai, Joey, Yugi, and Kaiba) but I think this story is different.

Cassius's Level Deck reminds me Giselle's Deck from Sister of Anansi. Even though the Armed Dragons part reminds me of Chazz Princeston's Deck including Armed Dragon LV10 which is funny, because it evolves from Armed Dragon LV7. (Armed Dragon LV3 - LV5 - LV7 - LV10, weird math there.)

I am also interested in the next chapter.

And another good Legendary Dragon Creation, Starjake.

Keep up the good work on this fan fiction.

Pokemasterkatie

4th July 2006, 11:54 PM

But, all that aside, I will admit that Cassius' Level deck was definitely something new, and I've never even heard of Armed Dragon LV10... Quite a Monster, that Dragon is...
This big boy debuted in the Manjoume boosters, and Jun himself used it before becoming White Thunder.;) It's a wonder anyone would manage to get him out, being a NOMI...but Cassius had the right idea, plus all he had to do was kill a monster or use Level Up!.

Shuppet Master

5th July 2006, 10:30 AM

I think JBakura and Blademaster are being a bit hard on you, Brian(sorry, Blade, I didn't mean to imply you were being critical, you did say you were just confused). I think that Russell's resisting the Seal was very impressive, considering that the Seal has tempted stronger people into using it(cough-Atem-cough).

To Blademaster: Atem may have been a 5000 year old spirit, but 99% of those 5000 years was spent locked up in a magic puzzle which was broken into pieces rotting in some tomb, so he was very disoriented when Yugi awakened him. When he first started taking Yugi over, he did it without his knowledge and tortured villians with Shadow Games, some of them being very looked-down upon even in Japanese culture(people forget that Domino City is in Japan). In one manga, he created a maze of fire which ignited a gang of bullies! O_O So to say that Atem has no darkness because he's very wise is like saying Attila the Hun couldn't be a barbarian because he had leadership properties or something. (Bad example, I know.)

To Dark Sage: I noticed an error, Brian. You keep telling me I screw up names, but you called Fortunado "Faustus" in the first scene. Just wanted to let you know.

Dark Sage

5th July 2006, 11:13 AM

SM has a point. If you read the early manga, you'll see that some of the things Atem did before Duelist Kingdom were pretty sadistic. He even killed one crook once (although truthfully, this guy was likely going to kill Tea).

I maintain that Atem was much more dark than Russell is, even if he tried to do the right thing eventually.

Blademaster

5th July 2006, 02:54 PM

I think JBakura and Blademaster are being a bit hard on you, Brian(sorry, Blade, I didn't mean to imply you were being critical, you did say you were just confused).

(shrugs)

OK, fair enough...

I'LL JUST BE HARD ON YOU INSTEAD, SHUPPET MASTER!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! :evil:

...

Nah, I won't. I'm sory if I sound too critical - I've said before being critical isn't really my strong point, especially since my attention span is so short...

And don't misunderstand - I never said Yami has no darkness in him, I just meant that whether or not the darkness in someone is prevalent/ obvious or not, everyone does have it.

starjake

5th July 2006, 03:36 PM

Hello all,

Dark Sage, I am going to have to agree with JKBakura here, but in a much more broad sense. In general, your characters seem to be GOOD or EVIL. I've spoken to you before about how difficult it is for me to differentiate between Russell, Trisha, and Jason (and, now that I think about it, between the three Orichalcos Swordsmen as well), and one of the reasons for that is because they're all equally GOOD or EVIL (respectively). Working some shades of gray into their characters would do wonders for this fic.

And I also agree that the duel was pretty bland. Although Kozaky's Kontraption is a fun card.

Dark Sage

5th July 2006, 03:56 PM

I'll work on it, Starjake.

Something's going to happen next chapter that is going to change Russell a great deal. He's going to change from pure hero to a much more merciless hero eventually. (In a sense, he's going to shift from Superman's mindset to Wolverine's.)

You'll see what I mean as the new arc starts... On the 9th.

Mystic_clown

6th July 2006, 03:57 AM

We'll have to hold you to that Brian.

Dark Sage

8th July 2006, 04:20 AM

Okay, people, listen up...

A lot of you think that last chapter was a bad chapter. Maybe I screwed up. But that chapter was only to lead to this one.

And let me tell you...

This chapter was very hard to write.

Very hard.

I don't know if you'll like it or not. Master of Paradox hasn't even seen this. I dropped him as my beta reader after we had a fight a while back.

Anywho, this was hard work, and it was painful for me to write. If you wanted Russell to play the Seal last chapter, I'm sorry. The reason I didn't was, I had a different apex in mind for this story.

And this is it.

So read on.

[B][I]All right…

When I came here, I expected a duelist who meant us no good. I wasn’t wrong.

I expected answers from him regarding all the craziness. I wasn’t wrong.

I expected a duel in which The Seal of Orichalcos would be used. I wasn’t wrong.

Maybe I kind of even expected a Fiend Deck. Again, I wasn’t wrong.

However…

The biggest part of this whole situation…

Is something that NO duelist could have ever expected.

And right now… Well, I’m starting to expect a lot of other things, most of them very unpleasant…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-082.jpg

Saturday, October 2nd, 2106, 5:24 PM

As the afternoon slowly turned into evening, the three Chosen Ones were at a table on the Green.

“He tried to get you to play the Seal?” asked Trisha with a laugh. “Who’d be dumb enough to do that?”

Jason took The Eye of Timaeus from his side deck and looked at it intently.

“Trisha, somehow, I don’t really think it’s all that funny…” he muttered.

He stared at the card.

“And he doesn’t seem to think so either…”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Somehow he’s trying to tell me something…” he answered. “Not with words yet, but with some sort of feeling…”

Trisha turned back to a catalogue.

“Immortal of Thunder…” she read. “Imperial Order, Imperia… No Russell, there’s no card in here called Impact Revive.”

“Must have been some sort of custom card,” muttered Russell. “He said someone named Dartz used it. Odds are that this Dartz guy, whoever he is, is the key to something somehow…”

Valon, Alister, and Raphael were listening behind them, unseen as always, and words couldn’t describe how upset one of them was…

“Maybe you should go tell them…” said Valon to Raphael.

“And do what?” asked Raphael. “Ruin Yugi’s reputation?”

There was a pause.

“Good point…” answered Valon.

“Well, at least Russell didn’t play it…” said Alister with a shrug. “All’s well that ends well, eh?”

“Yeah, well I was scared!” snapped Raphael. “I even tried to grab that thing out of his hand… But I couldn’t… It had some sort of protection spell on it. They must have guessed I’d try something.”

“All’s well that ends well!” repeated Alister. “His plan didn’t work, and those three goons will likely think twice before…”

He stopped short.

“WATCH OUT!” he screamed to the three teenagers.

They fell off their benches, and heard something strike the center of the table.

They slowly got up and saw what it was…

A nasty-looking dagger had been embedded in the table, and impaled on it were three Duel Monster cards and a folded piece of paper.

“Uh…” muttered Trisha.

Jason grabbed the dagger and yanked it out of the table.

He turned white…

The three cards impaled on it were Vorse Raider, Nanobreaker, and Freed the Matchless General.

“Lovely…” muttered Jason, sarcastically. “That’s a subtle hint…”

“More like a challenge…” said Trisha.

He took the note. On it was written a simple sentence:

Be at a computer online at seven o’clock.

“Well…” said Russell. “It can’t hurt…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

At six-fifty-seven, all three of them were in Jason’s dorm room, and he was seated at his computer with the two of them watching.

They kept their eyes on the clock on the screen.

Slowly, it moved to six-fifty-eight…

Then to six-fifty-nine…

“Your firewall and anti-virus protection are up to date, right?” asked Trisha.

He nodded.

At seven o’clock on the dot, the ring that signaled the arrival of an instant message appeared.

Puppeteer2B wishes to chat, said the message on the screen.

“Puppeteer2B?” asked Russell. “What kind of online name is that?”

Jason clicked on it.

“Let’s find out…” he said.

”Who is this?” he typed.

[B]”The Puppeteer of Death,” came the response.

Jason paused.

”Interesting name,” he replied.

[B]”It suits me,” was the response.

Jason typed again.

”What do you want?”

Whoever was on the other end started typing a long message.

[B]”I’m someone who would have gotten to know you eventually, and there’s no time like present. I have a deal to make.

I can give you some valuable information about the strange phantasms that have been plaguing you and your fellow students. However, in return, I want a duel once that is done.

If you dare, meet me on the roof of the Milford Plaza Hotel at eleven. I’ll be waiting.

The message vanished.

“The Milford Plaza…” said Trisha. “The best hotel on Broadway…”

They looked at each other.

“We dare!” they all said at once.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Broadway…

The most glamorous and ritziest part of the city, just off of Time’s Square, the practical center of New York.

This was the tourist center of the city, and the hotels, restaurants, and theaters were all top notch.

As the night moved closer to midnight, clouds started to move in. People on the streets below grew worried, fearing rain…

…but few knew what was about to happen on the roof of Broadway’s best hotel…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

It was almost eleven when the doorway to the roof of the Milford Plaza opened, and three teenagers holding Duel Disks walked onto the spacious place. The Plaza wasn’t the type of building where one comes to the roof often, so décor wasn’t much. Ventilation shafts and antennae were the only things up here.

“So, when’s the… Puppeteer getting here?” asked Russell.

A single Duel Monsters card fluttered down and landed at their feet.

Russell picked it up.

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“All right…” said Russell, placing it in his jacket, “are you going to come out, or are we going to play games all night?”

He seemed to appear out of the shadows themselves – the man in the strange costume, hat, and odd mask covering his mouth and nose.

“Nice threads…” said Trisha with a smile. “Where’d you get them, a circus supply store?”

“Actually, yes,” said the Puppeteer. “This was more or less the costume I wore when I did a ventriloquist act for a small circus. I added the mask later for show…”

“So, you’re some out-of-work carnie…” muttered Jason. “I’m so frightened…”

The Puppeteer stared at him.

“The last time I worked at a circus…” he said, “was well over a century ago…”

They stared at him.

“Oo-kay…” answered Jason. “Maybe now I’m a little frightened…”

“Yes, circus life was good,” said the Puppeteer. “I got to travel, see the world, perform for people who found such things entertaining. But I wanted more… adventure, thrills… a bigger paycheck. So I did some research, and learned some things…

“Dark things… Frightening things…

“I delved into the occult, and learned how to summon… Specters…”

“Specters?” said Trisha. “Okay, now I’m freaked out…”

“Well, it was just a few minor manifestations at first…” continued the Puppeteer, “harmless little poltergeists who couldn’t do anything but make noises. But then I was hired by Maximillion Pegasus. He wanted a special specter, so he boosted my abilities with his Millennium Eye.

“What he wanted was an opponent for Yugi to face in his Duelist Kingdom, a special one. He wanted me to channel Seto Kaiba’s dark side… his evil self which Yugi had banished in their first confrontation.

“The plan was that this specter would defeat Yugi, not only through psychological warfare by posing as Kaiba’s restless, undead spirit, but with Kaiba’s powerful deck, which Pegasus had stolen.

“But things went… wrong. First, we didn’t count on the real Kaiba interfering. He wasn’t going to let anyone beat Yugi who wasn’t him, and certainly not some imposter who had stolen his cards. The meddler actually hacked into Pegasus’s system and sabotaged the dueling station where the duel was taking place…

“Not only did that give Yugi an advantage for a moment, I was… distracted, and couldn’t keep up the façade. Yugi saw the specter’s true face.

“I figured it didn’t matter – it was still using Kaiba’s deck, and if Yugi lost, Pegasus would still get what he wanted. So rather than abort the plan – like I would have done if I had been smart – I told the creature to keep dueling.

“Unfortunately, I underestimated Yugi on several factors. Dueling skill, craftiness, and magical power. In those days, I was far from the only one who foolishly underestimated him. He not only won the duel, he used his own Millennium Item to destroy the specter once he had…

“I was connected to that creature though a path of mental energy. When it was destroyed, my body was struck with a massive dose of Shadow magic…

“Darkness consumed my body and my mind… Was I still among the living? Apparently, Pegasus didn’t think so, because he had my body disposed of… He didn’t think much of it. It was one failed plan, and he had plenty more. And I was one less employee that had to be paid.”

“This is creepy…” said Trisha.

“If you think it’s creepy, Trisha, think how I must feel,” answered the Puppeteer. “For what must have been decades, my mind drifted in the ether, neither alive nor dead, and barely conscious.

“Eventually, a powerful individual whose identity I won’t reveal created a new body, a duplicate of my old one, and drew my essence into it. What you see before isn’t truly flesh, but shadows made solid.

“From that point on, I was a specter myself, but I could now be the Master Specter. With my old powers increased tenfold, I gained the ability to call forth the dark sides of deceased duelists from the past. You’ve met many of them so far…”

He paused.

“That’s the how,” muttered Russell. “Now we get to the why. Exactly why did you decide to cast such black magic and bring the spirits of the dead back to haunt the living?”

“Why?” asked the Puppeteer.

He stared at Russell for a few seconds.

He made a shrug.

“Why not?”

There was a long pause.

“That’s your reason?” asked Russell. “’Why not?’ That’s not a good reason…”

“Put yourself in my shoes, Russell,” said the specter. “I’m a regular Rip Van Winkle. My true life ended a hundred years ago. Everything and everyone I once knew is gone. The world I live in is a different and strange place… And my body doesn’t function like it once did. I don’t eat, I don’t sleep, most forms of entertainment don’t amuse me.

“I had to find a way to cope. So when I was brought back, the one who did so needed use of my talents, and frankly, I didn’t have anything better to do. What else could someone like me do in this world? Find a new job?

“I mean, what would I put on my resume? Previous experiences: Using the black arts to call spirits? Reason for leaving old job: Miscast evil spell? If I went back to a circus, I’d scare the kids away.

“Frankly, I’m in a bad situation, and I’m making the most of it. Besides, I like what I’m doing. If nothing else, it gives meaning to my new life…

“Without the Orichalcos, my new life would be meaningless.”

He paused for a second.

“By the way, you might be wondering who Dartz was, since Cassius blabbed out that name…” he added. “We aren’t scared to tell you – we have nothing but contempt for him. I’ll tell you that he was the biggest egotist who ever lived.

“One hundred years ago, he thought that he was the one in charge of the first Orichalcos organization. He never realized that the one who was truly in charge was playing him for a fool and using him. Dartz wanted to destroy the world and remake it in his own image, but other plans were being made behind his back…

“He thought that his personal strategy was perfect. His whole deck of cards seemed unbeatable. His Monsters could not be destroyed or defeated so long as the Seal stood, and he had two additional Seals that gave him added powers.

“The fool didn’t know that those two additional Seals had fine print on them that he couldn’t read, thanks to the true source of their power. If he had won the final duel with the Pharaoh, the Orichalcos would have taken both of them. That was, of course, the true plan…”

They all stared at each other for a minute.

“Unfortunately, the King of Games threw a major monkey wrench into it. He actually found a way to destroy the Seal, something that the Master believed was truly impossible. Apparently, it wasn’t. I guess nothing in this world is impossible. I’m living proof of that.

“Not only was the Pharaoh victorious, Dartz was spared, every soul that the Orichalcos had taken was freed, and the Master’s plans were completely ruined. A new set of plans had to be started from scratch, which have taken a whole century to put to fruition.

“The specters I have created were only cannon fodder in that plan…”

“And they’ve given us nothing but trouble…” said Russell. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, Puppeteer of Death, but these hauntings end tonight.”

“Only if one of you can defeat me…” replied the Puppeteer.

He raised his arm, and a strange Disk appeared on it. Again, it wasn’t the standard Orichalcos Disk… It was bronze, and the tray somewhat resembled the wing of a bat.

The Puppeteer produced a deck and started to shuffle.

“You’ve had a great deal of luck so far, Chosen Ones,” he said, “but tonight…”

He placed the deck in his Disk.

“…it ends…”

“Enough talk!” snapped Russell. “You want a duel, I’ll be happy to oblige. I’ll take you down just like all the others!”

He stood to face the specter and his Disk activated.

“You’ll soon see,” said the Puppeteer, “that I’m not like the others.”

“DUEL!” they both shouted.

“Atten… shun!” shouted Russell.

[B](Russell: 8,000) (Puppeteer of Death: 8,000)

Thunder rolled…

“You may make the first move,” said the specter.

“I will…” said Russell, drawing his first hand.

He threw a card on his Disk.

“I summon Axe Raider, in Attack Mode!”

The armored barbarian holding his axe appeared. (1,700/1,150)

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“Next, I’ll place two cards facedown, and end my turn.”

He played the two cards, and they appeared behind Axe Raider.

“Interesting…” said the Puppeteer.

He drew a sixth card, and then placed one on his Disk.

“I summon Gil Garth in Attack Mode,” he said.

An aura of darkness drifted onto the field, and a spooky form rose up. It was an evil looking creature made of metal, hunched over and holding a wicked-looking sword. It had no face, and yet it glared at Russell. (1,800/1,200)

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“Oh, a Fiend…” muttered Russell, sarcastically. “What a surprise…”

“From what I can see, he’s a Fiend with 1,800 Attack Points,” said the Puppeteer, “and that’s exactly one-hundred points stronger than your Axe Raider. Gil Garth… attack with doom blade.”

Gil Garth raised its sword and flew at Axe Raider.

A grin appeared on Axe Raider’s face.

“I activate… Reinforcements!” exclaimed Russell, as his Trap Card lifted. “It gives 500 more Attack Points to one Monster on the field. So who’s stronger now?”

Axe Raider’s Attack Score rose up to 2,200. As Gil Garth swung with his sword, the Warrior caught it with his free hand…

Then he slashed his axe into the creature’s “skull”, and it blew to pieces.

“Ergh…” muttered the Puppeteer. “That wasn’t supposed to happen…”

He dropped a card into his Disk.

“I’ll end with one card facedown,” he said.

[B](R: 8,000) (PoD: 7,600)

“My draw!” said Russell, drawing a card.

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Queen’s Knight in Attack Mode,” he said.

Queen’s Knight appeared on the field. (1,500/1,600)

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“You activated my Trap,” said the Puppeteer, as his Trap Card lifted. “Selection of Ark.”

The Trap Card was a new one to Russell. The art showed Noah’s Ark under a cloudy sky.

“What does that do?” he asked.

“This Trap is activated when you summon a Monster whose Type matches that of a Monster who is already on the field,” started the Puppeteer, “which you did because both those Monsters are Warriors. Then I pay 1,000 Life Points…

“And as a result… Queen’s Knight dies.”

A blast of energy shot from the Trap Card, striking Queen’s Knight! She screamed in pain, and then was blown to pieces.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled the Puppeteer. “This would have worked against Trisha too, in case you didn’t notice. Bottomless Trap Hole only works on Monsters with at least 1,500 Attack Points. The regular Trap Hole, 1,000 or more. But this card works on anything if you’re facing the right opponent.”

“Seems this guy is no slouch…” said Jason.

“Don’t worry,” said Trisha. “He still has Axe Raider.”

“Right…” growled Russell. “Axe Raider, attack directly!”

Axe Raider lifted his axe and leapt at the Puppeteer, slamming his axe into his chest. The specter grunted and staggered backwards.

“That’s my turn…” said Russell. “Want more?”

[B](R: 8,000) (PoD: 4,900)

“Yes…” said the Puppeteer, drawing a card.

He added it to his hand and chose another one.

“No more fooling around,” he said.

A Field Slot opened on his odd Disk.

“I play the Seal of Orichalcos!”

Lightning flashed, and both Jason and Trisha were thrown back as the evil Field materialized.

“He had that card in his hand from the start!” gasped Trisha. “He was just toying with Russell!”

“You guys catch on fast,” said the Puppeteer, who was now sporting the cursed symbol on his forehead.

Russell glared at his foe.

“I thought you guys couldn’t use the Seal,” he said. “None of your… specters have.”

“You have to have your soul with you to use the Seal,” said the Puppeteer. “The lesser specters don’t have theirs with them. But as the Master Specter, I have mine, and I’m fully capable of using it.

“Next, I will place one card facedown, and also a Monster in Defense Mode.”

A facedown Monster and a facedown card appeared.

“The countdown to your demise begins in earnest. I end my turn.”

Russell drew a card.

“Axe Raider, attack his facedown Monster!” he shouted.

Axe Raider charged…

A slimy, purple sphere covered with filth appeared on the card, and burst.

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Purple gas started to cover Russell’s side of the field, and he started to cough.

“What the…” he sputtered.

“That was a Giant Germ, Russell,” said the Puppeteer. “Since you destroyed it, not only do you lose 500 Life Points, but I get to summon two more from my deck.”

Two more Giant Germs appeared. (1,000/100) –> (1,500/100)

“Fine…” muttered Russell, wiping away the residue. “I end my turn…”

[B](R: 7,500) (PoD: 4,900)

The Puppeteer drew a card.

“I activate Call of the Haunted,” he said, as his Trap Card lifted.

Gil Garth rematerialized, and the Seal formed on its forehead. (1,800/1,200) –> (2,300/1,200)

“Well, let’s see…” said the Puppeteer. “I could attack with all my Monsters and deal you 3,600 Life Points of damage this round…”

He took a card from his hand.

“…but where would be the fun in that?”

He held up a card.

Lightning flashed…

“I know that for a guy like me, a Fiend Deck seems a natural,” he said. “But actually, I had a reason for using this theme other than personality.

“I sacrifice all three of my Fiends to summon my ultimate weapon…”

Lightning flashed again…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Dr. Artemis sat at her desk with her chin on her hands.

She was startled, as a feeling rushed through her… She stood up.

She turned to the window, and lightning flashed again.

“A force of darkness has been unleashed…” she said. “Unholy energy… Something has been created that shouldn’t have…

“Evil unlike any the world has seen in decades…

“Whoever you are that is facing it…

“God help you…”

Continued…

Dark Sage

8th July 2006, 04:27 AM

Continued from last post:

The creature that stood before Russell – all thirty feet of it – was something that his mind told him should not be there…

Something that could not possibly be in any duelist’s deck…

Something that had been buried, and was never to see the light of day again…

Standing thirty feet tall, it had a rough, muscular hide the color of slate. Its huge feet ended in talons, and its giant arms ended in claws. From its back grew enormous, bat-like wings. It demonic face had a plated forehead, and its mouth was fixed in what seemed to be a permanent frown, and full of razor-sharp teeth.

From a distance, one might have mistaken it for Obelisk the Tormentor… But up close, it was clear that this was actually the evil counterpart of that divine being of Light…

It raised its arms, and let out a great bellow…

http://www.yugioh-cards.net/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/soi/big/SOI-EN003.jpg

(4,000/4,000) –> (4,500/4,000)

“How?” gasped Jason. “How can you have Raviel, Lord of Phantasms?”

“Jaden took the Sacred Beasts down,” whispered Trisha. “Way down…”

“Heh, heh, heh, heh,” said the Puppeteer. “Well, I promised you all answers, so before I take this duel by storm, I might as well explain myself.

“First and foremost, how can I have Raviel in my deck?

“Answer: I can’t.

“This isn’t the real Raviel. Using powerful magic supplied by my benefactor, I constructed a counterfeit version of this Sacred Beast, with all the powers and strength of the original.”

“A counterfeit Sacred Beast?” asked Russell. “I’ve seen people do some dangerous things in the past, but this ranks up there with performing brain surgery on yourself!”

“I’m hardly worried,” said the Puppeteer. “And we have big plans. Very big plans. Once more power is gained with the souls taken by the Orichalcos, I’ll use the magic to create my own versions of Hamon and Uria as well…”

“You’re insane!” shouted Russell. “The real Sacred Beasts will get angry! They might be imprisoned, but they’ll find a way to strike from where they are, and…”

“But that’s the beauty of it…” said the Puppeteer. “I’ll combine the Seal with the three doppelgangers to defeat every duelist I come across, and with each soul taken, more power will be gained, which will flow into the cards. Once all three of my cards gain even more power, I’ll use their might to claim the real Sacred Beasts.”

“No…” gasped Trisha.

“The Sacred Beasts must never be freed!” shouted Jason. “They’ll consume every card on Earth… Duel Monsters will cease to exist!”

“I don’t plan on using them to duel once I have them,” answered the Puppeteer. “I have another purpose in mind for them, but that I will not reveal, on the off chance that any of you leave this rooftop intact. But they will be mine…”

“Over my dead body!” cursed Russell.

“Very well, Russell,” said the Puppeteer. “I can arrange that. Raviel… Attack the Axe Raider with shivering scraper.”

The enormous Fiend lunged with its claw…

“Hold on!” shouted Russell. “I activate… Ready For Intercepting!”

His Trap Card lifted, and Axe Raider transformed into a facedown card.

Raviel’s claw struck the card, crushing him.

“So I don’t take any damage at all…” said Russell.

“Brilliant…” said the Puppeteer. “But now your side is clear, and I know you don’t even have a Monster who’s this powerful.”

“We’ll see…” said Russell, drawing a card. “The bigger they are, the louder they cry to their mommies when they get punched!”

He played a Spell Card.

“I play Reinforcement of the Army, to bring Marauding Captain to my hand,” he said.

“Go ahead,” said the Puppeteer. “Do you think I’m afraid of him?”

“Let’s find out,” said Russell. “I summon him to the field…”

Marauding Captain appeared, and glared at the huge Fiend without fear.

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en138.jpg

“…and I’ll use his effect to summon my second Marauding Captain.”

The Captain let out a whistle, and then motioned with his hand. His twin walked out onto the field, and stood beside him. (1,200/400 x2)

“Now… huh?”

A black flame appeared on the Puppeteer’s side of the field.

“What’s that?” asked Russell.

“This may not be the real Raviel,” said the Puppeteer, “but it may as well be the real one, because it has all of the real one’s powers. For instance, whenever you Normal Summon a Monster, it creates one Phantasm Token on my side of the field.”

A man-sized version of Raviel appeared. (1,000/1,000) –> (1,500/1,000)

“I can’t attack with it, but it has other uses,” he continued.

“You can’t attack at all, due to my Captain Lock,” said Russell. “So make your move.”

“A mere annoyance for now…” said the Puppeteer, drawing a card. “I believe I’ll simply pass for this turn…”

Russell drew a card.

“I summon Command Knight in Attack Mode,” he said.

Command Knight appeared in a burst of flame. She nodded to the two Captains. (1,200/1,900)

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All three Warriors rose to an Attack of 1,600.

“That means I get another token,” said the Puppeteer, as another one appeared in a black flame.

“Well, you can’t attack, but I can,” said Russell. “Captains, smash his tokens!”

The two Marauding Captains charged forward, and slashed the Phantasm Tokens in two.

[B](R: 7,500) (PoD: 4,700)

“And you still can’t attack any of my Warriors,” he added, “since Command Knight can’t be attacked if I have at least one other Monster on my side of the field.”

The Puppeteer drew a card.

“I play Pot of Greed…” he said.

The evil jar appeared, and he drew two cards.

“Now I can defeat your Captain Lock,” he said. “I play this Spell Card… Evil Fog.”

Raviel’s eyes glowed, and a dark mist started to cover the field… A misty skull appeared in it…

Command Knight and the two Captains drew back nervously… And then they fell over, choking!

“What’s happening?” shouted Russell.

“When Evil Fog is played, I choose one Fiend or Thunder Monster on my side of the field, and all Monsters on your side who have fewer level stars die.

“Unfortunately for your three Warriors, Raviel is a Fiend, and he has ten stars.”

The three Warriors gave a last gasp, and then shattered.

“However, I can’t attack on the round I use this card, so I’ll end my turn there.”

“Do something Russell…” moaned Trisha.

“This is unreal…” muttered Jason. “He’s not only managed to create a carbon copy of one of the strongest Monsters ever created, he’s using some of the most lethal Spells and Traps ever made. All that’s missing is Lightning Vortex.”

“Come on guys!” shouted Russell. “Don’t give him ideas!”

He drew a card.

“I play a Monster in Defense Mode…” he said, placing a card on his Disk.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“And one card facedown,” he continued.

A facedown card appeared.

“Your move.”

The Puppeteer drew a card.

“Raviel, attack,” he ordered.

The Lord of Phantasms lunged forward.

“I activate… Shadow Spell!” shouted Russell.

Huge chains sprang up from the ground, and bound the huge Fiend! It roared, and its Attack Score fell to 3,800.

“Bah!” grunted the Puppeteer.

“Now, let’s take care of this…” said Russell.

I only have one Monster in my deck that can bring down this thing… he thought. Come on deck…

He drew…

YES!

“I flip-summon Big Shield Gardna…” he said.

The card flipped up, and Gardna appeared. (100/2,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/tp5-en002.jpg

“Next, I play Command Offensive,” he continued. “Now, I can sacrifice Gardna for Freed the Matchless General, and we both draw twice.”

Gardna vanished, and Freed appeared. (2,300/1,700)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en137.jpg

Both of them drew two cards.

“And finally, I summon Exiled Force!”

The disheveled band of Warriors appeared. (1,000/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod_023.jpg

“That means I get another token,” said the Puppeteer, as another one appeared.

“Like it will matter,” answered Russell. “I sacrifice Exiled Force, to take down Raviel, Lord of Phantasms!”

Exiled Force faded into a gang of spirits, and they flew into the huge Fiend! It groaned, and then fell on one knee…

And then it exploded into shards of blue rock!

“YAY!” cheered Trisha.

“Way to go!” shouted Jason.

“Well…” said Russell. “The only thing left to do is take out that last token… Freed, do the honors…”

The Matchless General leapt up, and sliced the Phantasm Token in half. It shattered.

[B](R: 7,500) (PoD: 3,900)

“So, what are you gonna do now?” asked Russell. “Your trump is gone.”

There was a long pause. The specter stared at him.

“Heh, heh, heh…” he finally said. “That is funny. Did you really think that one card could destroy Raviel for good? That one card would be the end of it?”

“Well… yeah…” said Russell. “The Sacred Beasts are NOMIs. You can’t summon them from the Graveyard.”

“My draw…” said the Puppeteer.

He drew a card.

“That may be true,” he said, nodding, “but I’m well prepared for that.”

“I play Monster Reincarnation…”

He played a Spell Card, and then discarded a card.

“Oh, no!” gasped Jason. “Now he can discard a card to bring a Monster from the Graveyard to his hand!”

“Any Monster at all,” added the Puppeteer, showing them the Raviel card.

“Next, I place these three cards facedown…”

He fit three cards into slots.

“And then… I play Heavy Storm!”

He played the card, and a fierce wind whipped across the field. His three cards – all three the same Trap Card – lifted up and shattered.

“Oh, geeze…” said Trisha.

Three menacing creatures that looked like crosses between bugs and serpents wearing crowns rose up in front of the Puppeteer. (1,000/1,000) –> (1,500/1,000 x3)

“Statue of the Wicked…” muttered Jason. “They create Wicked Tokens when they’re destroyed.”

“Exactly…” said the Puppeteer. “And since Wicked Tokens are classified as Fiends, I can sacrifice them…”

The three Wicked Tokens were consumed by fire and vanished.

“…to summon Raviel once again.”

The giant Fiend appeared once more. (4,000/4,000) –> (4,500/4,000)

“Attack his general,” shouted the specter. “Shivering scraper.”

Raviel slammed down with his claw, and Freed was thrown backwards in pain before he was blasted apart.

[B](R: 5,300) (PoD: 3,900)

“I’ll place one card facedown,” said the Puppeteer, “and that will be my turn…”

Russell looked at him.

He looked at his deck.

Here goes nothing… he thought.

He drew.

“This ends now, Puppeteer!” he shouted.

He played a card.

“I play The Warrior Returning Alive, to bring Marauding Captain back to my hand…”

He played the card, and retrieved Marauding Captain.

“Then I’ll summon Marauding Captain, and use his effect to summon King’s Knight!”

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en006.jpg

The two Warriors appeared, side by side. (1,200/400), (1,600/1,500)

“And finally… I play The Claw of Hermos!”

He threw the card on his Disk, and the lightning reached a crescendo. Hermos flew from out of the clouds, and landed behind the two Warriors.

“Now, Hermos, merge with King’s Knight once again to form the Monarch’s Mask!”

The Warrior and the Dragon combined, and the golden mask formed. Marauding Captain took it, and it appeared on his face, his eyes glowed…

Marauding Captain glared at Raviel. His Attack rose to 2,200.

“And now…” said Russell.

“Sorry to rain on your parade…” interrupted the Puppeteer.

His facedown card lifted.

The card was a hideous image of a demon draining the energy from a woman who was chained down, and writhing in pain.

“That’s a Card of Sin!” gasped Russell.

“Indeed… a very powerful one…” replied the Puppeteer. “One I included to defeat any creation of your Dragons that you could three could come up with.

“It’s a Trap called Orichalcos Absorption. I simply have to pay half my Life Points, and I get to sacrifice one of your Monsters…”

Marauding Captain vanished.

“And even better, his base Attack Score gets added to one of my Monsters. Naturally, I choose Raviel.”

Raviel’s Attack rose to 5,700!

“Well…” said the Puppeteer. “For someone who was so sure of himself a minute ago… You don’t seem so sure of yourself now…”

Russell looked at the rest of his cards.

He just stared at the Puppeteer for a few seconds.

“I’ll take your silence as a confirmation that that’s all you can do…” said the Puppeteer, drawing a card.

“NO!” screamed Trisha.

She pounded on the wall of the Seal.

“RUSSELL!”

“Well,” said the Puppeteer, “just to make the last part of this more agonizing, I’ll activate Raviel’s other effect. I’ll sacrifice my token, and for one round only, Raviel gains its Attack Points.”

Raviel grabbed the token, and glared at it, draining it dry, and tossing aside dusty remains. Its Attack rose to 7,200.

“And now…” said the Puppeteer.

“Can I say one thing?” said Russell, softly.

The Puppeteer glared at him.

“Make it quick,” he answered.

Russell turned to Jason and Trisha.

“Guys…” he said, “whatever happens here, don’t let this make you lose hope. The war must continue, and I have faith that it will be won.

“I couldn’t win, but learn from what has happened. Remember what he did, and try to find a weakness.

“You have to beat him…”

“Enough!” shouted the Puppeteer. “Raviel, attack directly!”

Russell screamed an unearthly scream as the faux Lord of Phantasms swiped at him with his mighty claw…

[B](R: 0) (PoD: 1,950)

Russell crawled to his knees as the Seal started to glow. The evil specter walked up to him.

“I can hold back the Seal for a few seconds…” chuckled the Puppeteer. “Long enough for you to see me take that card you’re so fond of…”

Rage filled Russell’s eyes.

He took The Claw of Hermos out of his discard slot.

“Don’t count on it, freak-face!” he yelled. “Jason! Trisha! Catch!”

He hurled the card, and it pierced through the Seal! Trisha desperately caught the precious card.

“Don’t let him… get it…” muttered Russell, and the Seal shrank. “Avenge… me…”

He collapsed.

Tears formed in Jason and Trisha’s eyes.

Then they noticed that Raviel had not left the field.

“You’d best hand over that card,” said the Puppeteer.

“He never wagered it!” screamed Trisha.

“I don’t care,” said the fiend. “Hand it over, or Raviel will take it.”

The huge Fiend lumbered towards them…

Almost by instinct, Jason and Trisha pulled the top cards off of their decks…

The Eye of Timaeus and The Fang of Critias glowed in front of them…

They threw the cards on their Disks, and lightning flashed more violently than ever. From out of the sky, the emerald dragon and the sapphire one, now burning with anger, flew down…

They breathed burning energy at the huge Fiend, and Raviel screamed! Explosions rocked over its hide, and it burst into fragments!

The Puppeteer hollered as pieces of what had once been the Lord of Phantasms rained down on him…

“You’re next!” yelled Trisha.

The specter’s eyes widened in horror…

“Fine!” shouted the Puppeteer. “Keep the damn thing! I didn’t want it that bad! At least I have his Chosen!”

He turned and ran, and then vanished into the shadows.

The dragons vanished.

Trisha knelt before Russell’s body.

“No…” she sobbed. “How could this have happened…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

An hour later, the Puppeteer approached Fortunado, holding an ice pack to his head.

“One down, two to go…” he said, holding up the card that held Russell prisoner. “It could have done without this migraine they gave me, but…”

“Excellent…” said Fortunado, taking it.

“Now just dispose of him like you do all the others,” muttered the Puppeteer, “and we’ll have one less enemy to worry about.”

Fortunado took the card…

He gestured, and black flames surrounded it…

“Goodbye, Russell Majors…” he said.

Then the black flames were replaced by a golden aura…

“Huh?” said Fortunado.

Then he screamed in pain and dropped the card!

He held his hand for a minute…

“My hand…” he groaned.

Then he carefully picked up the card.

It glowed with golden light.

“Well?” said the Puppeteer. “Get rid of him. I worked hard enough to get this far, you know…”

Fortunado concentrated.

“Master?” he whispered.

He waited a few seconds.

There was no response.

He concentrated again. The black flames surrounded it again…

Then it burned with golden fire! He screamed and dropped it again!

He slowly inched towards it and picked it up.

“Like sticking my hand into a furnace!” he gasped.

He looked at it.

“I don’t think I’ll tempt fate by trying to do that again…”

“What’s the problem?” asked the Puppeteer.

“I can’t do it…” muttered Fortunado. “Hermos apparently won’t let his Chosen perish so easily… The card is emitting holy energy that’s countering my magic. I can’t even communicate with the Master when I’m holding this…

“Hermos apparently sensed that Russell was about to lose, and cast some sort of ward on him just in time…”

He glared at the Puppeteer.

“I’m starting to think that Russell’s little goodbye to his friends was actually his way of buying time so that Hermos could do it!

“He’s not going to let what happened to Joey happen to this Chosen One…”

“How could the Dragons do that?” shouted the Puppeteer.

Fortunado walked up to a picture in the wall, and moved it aside, revealing a safe.

“Do the math,” he grumbled. “The Orichalcos evolved over the past century and learned new tricks. Just the same, the Legendary Dragons evolved over the past century and learned new tricks.

“Apparently, Hermos is using all of his energy to preserve Russell’s soul. He’s anticipating a rescue attempt.”

“Take it to the Master personally, then,” groaned the Puppeteer.

“Right…” snarled Fortunado. “That’s probably just what Hermos wants me to do! Who knows what other hexes he put on Russell? Do you have any idea what might happen if his holy magic invaded the inner sanctum?

“We’re going to have to get rid of Hermos before we can get rid of Russell. And I don’t know how we can do that. Maybe if someone had gotten the card…”

“I tried my best…” muttered the Puppeteer.

Fortunado placed the card in the safe.

“Well, next time,” he said, slamming the door, “try harder!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Long after midnight…

Russell’s body had been tenderly placed in the infirmary, while Dr. Artemis wondered just how this new threat would be dealt with. She hoped beyond hope that it wasn’t too late for Russell.

What would she tell his parents?

And in the darkness, Sersei crept into the infirmary. She sat beside Russell’s bed…

And she broke down into great sobs…

Sunday, October 3rd, 2106, 2:10 AM

SELECTION OF ARK (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap/Counter
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Noah’s Ark, on land, with storm clouds forming overhead.

Card Description: You can activate this card when your opponent Normal Summons, Flip-Summons, or Special Summons a Monster of the same Type as one that is currently face-up on the field. Pay 1,000 Life Points. Destroy the summoned Monster.

EVIL FOG (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A dark mist, forming a skull in the center.

Card Description: You can only use this card during your first Main Phase. Select one FIEND or THUNDER-Type Monster on your side of the field. All face-up Monsters on your opponent’s side of the field with fewer level stars than the selected Monster are destroyed. You must skip your Battle Phase on the turn in which you use this card.

GIL GARTH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: An extermination machine protected by iron armor. Without mercy, he'll attack with his giant katana.

Note: “Selection of Ark”, “Evil Fog”, and “Gil Garth” are Japanese promotional cards that have not yet been released in the United States. (“Evil Fog” will likely be given a new name if it ever is, but until then, I’ll call it by the original name.)

ORICHALCOS ABSORPTION (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap/Card of Sin
Attribute:
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Sin: Gluttony

Image: A fiendish creature sucking the power out of a woman who is chained down and writhing in pain.

Card Description: Pay half your Life Points. Tribute one opposing Monster. Permanently increase the ATK of one of your face-up Monsters by an amount equal to the base ATK of the Tributed Monster.

[B][I]Next chapter…

Russell’s fate hangs not in the hands of the Chosen of Timaeus or Critias, but in the girl who has secretly loved him for some time. Sersei vows to win his soul back, even if she must risk her own to do so. But this time, she’s going in prepared, with a little help from a guest star.

This is not the beginning… This is not the end… But this is the end of the beginning.

Don’t miss “Hero Heart”, coming soon.

Alucard

8th July 2006, 04:50 AM

Hmm I wonder if you're the same Bakura from Pojo who got me banned..

Master of Paradox

8th July 2006, 10:39 AM

Now all Jason has to do is lose, and we won't have "Invincible Yugi Syndrome" this time around.

Personally, when the three fiends were sacrificed, I was expecting Dreadroot. I'd known about the fake Raviel for a while, but I didn't expect 1) it to show up this early and 2) for it to be what took down a major character in an Orichalcos duel.

Speaking of Raviel: you've set the bar for those of us using Sacred Beasts in our stories. I'm not sure whether Shuppet Master and I should thank or lynch you for that. The duel comes off as one that could happen under the right circumstances, and the Raviel deck was well-built.

I can't be uniformly positive about this, I'm afraid. While Russell's defeat does come off as much darker and a fair bit sadder than anything up to this point, I couldn't help a vibe or two from Andy's defeat back in TYD. I suppose there's only so many ways a character can lose...

And while it would destroy the story to dispose of Russell, I found it slightly irritating that Fortunado instantly knew what was wrong. Even Hades had to think about it for a second when Hercules became a god again.

However, those are concerns that aren't important in the long run. The important part is that this chapter easily trumps its predescessor. I'm almost proud of you. (The "almost" is because I can't be proud of the guy whose worst chapters have double my entire audience. Yes, add Envy to my list of sins along with Lust, Wrath, Greed, and Sloth...)

Next chapter worries me a little because... well, you aren't the greatest with either female characters or love interests, to be honest (although Trisha is your best attempt at both so far). I'll keep my worries in check, however, and look forward to it.

Shuppet Master

8th July 2006, 11:21 AM

Oh no.

I guess it had to happen.

That means we'll see more of those damn specters, and Russell won't be dueling for most of the fanfic.

Great job, Brian. I'm sure that something like this was coming up. I only hope Sersei can get revenge.

Dark Sage

8th July 2006, 11:27 AM

My lips are sealed on Russell's ultimate fate.

I will say this:

When he returns, IF he does, he will never be the same again.

Inferno_Dragon

8th July 2006, 12:43 PM

Good chapter, especially with the Fake Raviel. A Fake Monster Card isn't surprising. Didn't Jaden face a opponent who used a replica of The Winged Dragon of Ra? Anyways, I am surprised that one of the Major Characters got taken down but I knew that he wouldn't be sacrificed. You can't kill a major character off too early in the story. At the end maybe, but never in the middle.

Keep up the good work, Dark Sage.

Blademaster

8th July 2006, 01:53 PM

Well, there goes Russell...

I was almost expecting Dreadroot to show up, too, but Raviel did instead...

(Yes! :dance:)

This Puppeteer guy... nice backstory, I'l admit - I've always wondered how Pegasus made that kreepy Kaiba kopy... :eek:

So...

What's next?

-Blade

Pokemasterkatie

8th July 2006, 04:24 PM

Well; in the dub, he was the dark side of Kaiba banished to the Shadow Realm. I think in the original, he was an Eliminator/Player Killer posing as Kaiba since Pegasus thought his guards killed the real Seto.XD

*jaw drops at a main character falling to the Orichalcos* Had to happen sometime, I guess. Also, Monarch's Mask's effect was a little too simple--it only raised MC's attack by 1,000. Guess not all of those Dragon fusions are broken.:P

Dark Sage

8th July 2006, 05:11 PM

Russell used the Monarch's Mask the first time he used Hermos. It also let him pay half his LP to return any card on the field to the owner's deck.

As for the Puppeteer...

Anime fans likely remember the episode where Yugi dueled Kaiba's dark side. However, the manga was different. In that version, Yugi's opponent was this guy. He was a ventriloquist who used a dummy that looked like Kaiba, and he claimed that he was channeling Kaiba's spirit through it. Other than that, the basic plot was similar.

So I simply combined the two versions.

Hope that clears things.

Mystic_clown

8th July 2006, 06:16 PM

Finally! The hero goes down! And not at a point where it doesn't mean anything! Great duel by the way. I was wondering when Raviel was going to appear in a fic.

jkBAKURA

8th July 2006, 06:57 PM

Hey, I'm posting the 500th Reply!

I meanwhile, am going to hide for a while in shame after my last review. My appoligies.

I don't have anything more to say that hasn't been said already.

Blademaster

8th July 2006, 10:27 PM

(uses Dark-Piercing Light to find JKBakura; pats JK's shoulder)

It's OK, JKBakura - there's no shame in telling the truth or speaking what you believe. :angel:

Mystic_clown

9th July 2006, 06:12 AM

Yeah, you were just saying what we all thought. That doesn't mean you should be ashamed. Just look at Paradox.

Anyway, this is an entirely different chapter, and it's a pretty good one.

Dark Sage

13th July 2006, 03:20 AM

[B][I]My name is Sersei Rhineheart, and I have a confession to make…

I’m in love with Russell Majors.

Every time I see him duel, I get excited by his powerful voice, his strong muscles, and his courage. He’s everything I always wanted in a man...

Recently, I was attacked. I was lured into a duel by someone using an evil card, and I was taken hostage. The place they put me was cold, dark, and lonely, but when I was let out, it eased the pain to find that I was in Russell’s arms.

And now… The same thing has happened to him.

Russell…

I may not be as skilled, or have the special card you have…

…but I will save you…

…or I’ll lose my soul again trying.

[B][size=3]CHAPTER THIRTY

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi_en0371.jpg

Sunday, October 3rd, 2106, 2:35 AM

How long she sobbed, Sersei didn’t know. She wanted Russell to wake up, hoping it was only temporary, but knowing that he wouldn’t only made her cry more.

And then finally, a stern female voice came out the darkness.

“Stop blubbering, honey. Do grown girls cry?”

Sersei looked up.

A woman was in front of her, nearly transparent. She looked young, about early twenties, with large green eyes, and long, wavy blonde hair. She wore a halter covered with a violet jacket, and a short, violet skirt.

“Mai… Valentine?” stuttered Sersei.

“Mai Valentine-Wheeler,” answered the ghost. “Most folks forget that part.”

“But you’re…” started Sersei.

“Dead?” asked Mai. “Oh yeah… I came down from the other side because I thought you needed some help. And I just can’t overlook a fellow Harpie Duelist.”

“Wow…” said Sersei. “I have so many questions…”

“Stop…” said Mai. “If it’s about where I was before I came here, I can’t tell you. You can’t find out until you die…”

She smiled.

“But as you can see, they give you your youth and beauty back…”

She looked at Russell and sighed. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

“So, the Orichalcos is back…” she said. “I hoped I’d never see that awful thing again…”

“Someone used it on you?” asked Sersei.

Mai paused with a sad face.

“I used it myself…” she muttered.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

What followed was a long and harrowing story, which Sersei found hard to believe.

“After it was over,” muttered Mai, “I did some soul searching and traveled the world. I did some dueling to keep my blood flowing. I made friends with Vivian Wong in China, and we teamed up to duel the Paradox Brothers… We beat them good…

“Vivian could be a little spacey at times, but she wasn’t a bad duelist… She comboed Rush Recklessly with a Quickplay called Flying Dragon Whirl to cut down Gate Guardian with her Dragon Lady… but they countered with an ugly thing called Dark Guardian.

“Once they destroyed Dragon Lady, I was able to use Phoenix Formation, and the duel was ours…”

She sighed.

“It was a year before I had the courage to face Joey. I intended to simply fall on my knees and beg him to forgive…

“But you know… I didn’t have to. Before I could say a word, he just kissed me… deeply. And no more needed to be said.

“Of course, it wasn’t over even then. We found out that the Orichalcos had branded me with a curse. But Joey was more than willing to do what he had to do to lift it. When the next crisis reared, he had the opportunity…”

She grinned.

“You know, he always depended on luck, but before he and his two pals officially teamed up, it tended to wane. In Duelist Kingdom, he came in second, right after Yugi. In Battle City, he was fourth. But in the KC Grand Prix, he was taken out in the second round…

“It was during this crisis that he finally got a chance to be the hero…”

“I’m listening…” said Sersei.

“Well, about a year after the thing where he, Yugi, and Seto officially ‘teamed up’, so to speak,” said Mai, “Kaiba started to have trouble with a businessman named Kyodi. Now, all of Domino knew that Kyodi was the leader of the biggest Yakuza crime family in the city, but no one could prove it…

“But Seto eventually came close to being able to. Kyodi wasn’t about to let Seto ruin him. Kyodi had his wife kidnapped…

“Then Kyodi called Seto, and told him that since he and his ‘accomplices’ as he called them liked dueling so much, they would play a game, a scavenger hunt of sorts. Kyodi had many of his henchmen who were able to duel scattered around the city. He told Seto to take Yugi and Joey to a place where they’d find the first. If one of them could win a duel, they’d get the location of the second one… And so on, until they got to Kyodi…

“With Ishizu’s life at stake, they had little choice…”

“Ishizu?” asked Sersei.

“Seto’s wife…” answered Mai. “She… well, how they fell in love is another story.

“Anyway, the three of them took down Kyodi’s men rather easily at first, but it got harder. And eventually, they found Kyodi… In a bunker with Ishizu chained to the wall. From what Joey later told me, he had never seen Kaiba angrier. But Kyodi wouldn’t duel him. He told them that he would duel Joey, and if they refused, he would kill Ishizu.

“Joey almost expected it, and he agreed… And he took Kyodi completely by surprise. See, Kyodi thought that Joey had the weakest deck, and his deck was prepared to counter it. But Joey wasn’t using his deck for this duel – he was using mine. And he secretly dedicated it to me.

“Kyodi was overwhelmed, and was soundly defeated. He tried to escape, but Kaiba had prepared in advance himself – the mobster ran right into the arms of the police.”

She chuckled.

“Of course, once I was free from the curse, there was one small thing I wanted to do,” continued Mai. “I wanted to duel Yugi once more… As I promised I would when he beat me way back in Duelist Kingdom. He agreed…”

Sersei looked surprised.

“How’d it go?” she asked.

Mai smirked.

“I thought I had him,” she said. “He had one card in his hand. His side: Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Queen’s Knight, Beta, and Gazelle in Defense Mode, and 1,100 Life Points left… My side, Harpie Ladies 1, 2, and 3 and Harpie’s Baby Pet Dragon, Harpie’s Hunting Ground, and 3,000 left…

“His Swords of Revealing Light wore off… I used the Dragon’s effect to destroy Beta, and then took out his Monsters with the Harpies… One direct attack from my Dragon would finish him…

“…sadly, the last card in his hand was his Kuriboh.

“Then on his next turn, he played Card of Sanctity. With the cards I got, I drew Phoenix Formation. I thought I’d win for sure…

“But then, he Fusion Summoned his Dark Paladin. With my Dragon there, he had 3,400 Attack Points…

“And he had just enough Life Points left to use one of his other cards – Diffusion-Wave Motion.

“I was beaten.”

She sighed.

“But, it didn’t hurt as much any more,” she continued. “I had all I needed now, and the dueling didn’t matter as much.”

She looked at Russell.

“But it seems the horror is back…”

Sersei paused.

“I want Russell back…” she muttered. “I’ll do whatever it takes… I’ll duel anyone. There has to be a way to destroy that Seal…”

“Well, possibly…” answered Mai. “But it takes cards you can’t get. But still, the Seal can be defeated… You have to just dispose of it before your opponent plays it.”

She reached into Sersei’s knapsack.

“This your binder?” she asked.

Sersei nodded, and Mai looked through it.

“This is quite a reversal of roles, you know,” said Mai, looking through it. “In fairy tales, the handsome prince always risked life and limb to rescue the beautiful princess from a fierce dragon or evil sorcerer. But now, it’s the handsome prince who needs rescuing, so now the beautiful princess is going to do what she can to rescue him.”

Sersei blushed.

“You know…” said Mai, looking at a card, “I’m already starting to see a strategy that might work…”

She giggled.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

At noon the next day, Sersei walked up to a large restaurant in Brooklyn Heights. Mai was close behind her.

The restaurant was a popular sushi joint called Won Ton’s.

“You sure she’s in here?” asked Sersei.

“Positive,” answered Mai. “Now take a deep breath, and go get her…”

Sersei paused for a minute, and then walked in.

Sure enough, Cleo was sitting at the counter, impatiently tapping her fingers on the counter.

“Come on…” she muttered. “You going back to the Yellow Sea to get the fish?”

“Hey! Bitch!” shouted Sersei.

Cleo looked over her shoulder.

“Oh, it’s you…” she said with a grin. “Get lost…”

“I don’t think so,” said Sersei. “I want to deal with you…”

“Get real…” said Cleo, as a waiter set a tray of sushi in front of her. “I have better things to do than mess with losers.”

“Loser?” said Sersei. “See the blue blazer? I didn’t get to Obelisk by being a loser.”

Cleo’s cell phone rang.

“Can’t even eat lunch in peace…” she muttered, answering it.

“Yeah, hi… You’ll never guess… That bimbo that Alphonse caught is here yelling at me. Yeah, she never learns, I guess.”

Sersei looked at the piece of sushi that Cleo had her eye on…

Then she took the small jar of greenish mustard, and spread a huge amount of it on the piece with a butter knife. Mai gave her a thumb’s up.

Cleo put away the phone.

“Scram!” she snapped. “I’m eating!”

She picked up a pair of chopsticks and lifted the piece to her mouth…

And then her eyes almost popped out of her head. She clutched her throat, and fell to her knees.

She reached for the beverage on the counter… Sersei grinned, and moved it out of her reach.

“Aw…” said Sersei. “Looks like someone put way too much wasabi on that sushi. Now who could have done that?”

Cleo coughed for a minute. Then she got up and stared at her.

“You’re either very brave or very stupid, kid,” she said, angrily. “I’m going with the latter right now. What do you want?”

“A duel,” said Sersei. “And a wager. If I beat you, you let Russell go.”

Cleo glared at her.

“You’ve already been in our dark prison once, Sersei,” warned Cleo. “Are you so anxious to go back?”

“I can beat you…” said Sersei.

“That seems unlikely…” said Cleo, picking up her phone again.

She turned and speed-dialed a number.

“Boss?” she said. “Listen…”

Sersei couldn’t hear most of the conversation, but after five minutes, Cleo hung up.

“Very well, Sersei,” said Cleo. “I’ll give you one last chance to simply walk away, and if you do, we can forget this incident ever happened. You have no idea what you’re up against here…”

Sersei just glared at her.

“Fine, then,” replied Cleo. “I’ll duel you if you want… But I fully intend to have the Seal in my deck. If you lose, you find out what happens to Monsters who are used to activate Bazoo the Soul Eater’s effect.”

Don’t panic… thought Sersei, closing her eyes.

“If you win, which you won’t, I don’t have the authority to release Russell, since I didn’t take him. However, since I’ll be out of commission if that happens, someone will arrange for a chance to win his release.

“That’s the best offer you’ll get. Either take it, or...”

She reached into her pocket and took something out. A switchblade.

Sersei nervously stepped back as she replaced it.

“All right…” muttered Sersei. “I agree...”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Sersei faced Cleo in the center of the sushi bar. The two Disks activated.

“You know, Sersei,” said Cleo, with a sly look, “I think I know why you’re doing this… I can read people pretty well. Call it a gift…”

She stared at her.

“You’re in love with Russell, aren’t you? You have been for some time…

“Touching… But are you willing to risk your soul to get him back? If by some miracle, he returns, what if he rejects you? What would you do then?”

Sersei angrily looked at her.

“It’s sad, Cleo,” she replied. “I’m beginning to think that the only reason you do these horrible things is because you want to feel… big.”

Cleo frowned.

“And what if I do?” she asked. “Let me tell you something, Sersei, when I was poverty-stricken and begging for my next meal, people looked down at me like vermin. I had nothing…

“When Lewis made the offer and I married him, I had money, and I was well-fed, but everyone still looked down on me. I was a sham wife, and people thought I was no better than some fancy car he owned. I was an object, and as far as the big picture was concerned, I was still nothing.

“But you know something? When my boss offered me the Orichalcos, I got the one thing I truly wanted…

“Recognition.

“I was respected. I was appreciated. I was feared. After that, when I walked into a room, people took notice. People knew that if they crossed me, I could force them to duel, and they’d be sentenced to a pit of darkness. I got what I wanted after so long…

“And right now, you’re gonna find out why… After this duel is over, you’re gonna find out what it’s like to be nothing…

“This time, you won’t escape.”

[B](Sersei: 8,000) (Cleo: 8,000)

“This shouldn’t take long,” continued Cleo, drawing five cards. “To show I’m not so bad, I’ll let you move first.”

Sersei drew six cards.

Wow… she thought. I couldn’t have asked for a better hand.

She turned to Mai and grinned.

“I’ll start with a Spell Card,” she said, playing it. “It’s called, Topdeck Quiz.”

“What does that do?” asked Cleo, annoyed.

“Let me explain,” said Sersei. “Each of us names a card. If her opponent has the card she names in her deck, her opponent has to place it on the top of her deck. If she doesn’t have it in her deck, she gets to place any card she wants on the top of her deck.”

“Sounds interesting…” said Cleo, with a smirk.

“And since I played it, I get to name one first,” said Sersei. “The card I name is…”

She paused.

“…The Seal of Orichalcos.”

Cleo looked dumbfounded.

A loud “ding” came from her Disk.

“That means you have it,” said Cleo. “So put it on the top of your deck.”

“Why would you want me to put that on top of my deck?” asked Cleo, searching through her deck. “Don’t you know what it does?”

She placed it on the top of her deck.

“Well, now I get to name a card,” she said with a smile. “And I’ll name the card in your deck that’s the most useless – Harpie’s Pet Dragon.”

A “buzz” sounded from Sersei’s Disk.

“Oh, I’m sorry…” said Sersei, “but I’m afraid that card isn’t in my deck. Like you said, it’s rather useless nowadays, especially with Baby Pet Dragon, so I took it out.”

Cleo frowned.

“So now,” said Sersei, looking through her deck, “I get to place any card I want on top.”

She found what she wanted, and placed it on top of her deck.

“Still my move…” she continued. “Next, I’ll place two cards facedown…”

She fit two cards into her Disk, and they materialized.

“And then, I’ll summon my Sonic Shooter in Attack Mode.”

In a gust of wind, a bird-man with silvery skin and large, silver wings appeared, his head crowned by a feathered plume. He crouched down, ready to pounce. (1,300/600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd6-jp002.jpg

“Scared yet?” asked Sersei.

“Ha!” laughed Cleo. “Scared of THAT? Don’t make me laugh!”

“Then I end my turn,” said Sersei.

“And I start mine!” laughed Cleo. “Look out, because here it comes!”

She snatched the card off of her deck...

“I activate… Drop Off!” shouted Sersei.

Her Trap Card lifted.

“Drop Off?” gasped Cleo.

“It sends that card straight to the Graveyard,” said Sersei. “Now do you see why I put it on top?”

Cleo smirked, and discarded it.

“You think you’re so smart…” she said. “But you haven’t won yet…”

Especially since I have my Magician of Faith right in my hand, she thought.

“I place one card facedown,” she said, “and a Monster in Defense Mode.”

A facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.

“I activate my other Trap!” shouted Sersei. “Icarus Attack!”

Her other Trap Card lifted.

“Now, by sacrificing one Winged Beast, I can destroy two cards on the field!”

Sonic Shooter’s wings turned to fire, and he flew forward, trailing a blazing stream…

In an explosion of flame, Cleo’s two cards were incinerated!

Cleo looked at her in hate as the flames died down...

“Even better, whatever Monster that was doesn’t get its Flip-Effect activated,” added Sersei.

“Congratulations…” growled Cleo. “You saved your own soul. But you’ll find saving Russell’s to be much harder.”

“We’ll see,” said Sersei. “I’m willing to bet that you’ve played using the Seal for so long, your normal dueling skills have slipped!”

“An interesting theory,” answered Cleo. “We’ll soon see if it holds water.”

“It’s my draw,” said Sersei, “and due to my Topdeck Quiz, I know exactly what card I’ll be drawing…”

She drew a card.

“I’ll play it now… my good old Pot of Greed.”

As she played the card, and the image of the goofy jar appeared. She drew two cards, and it shattered.

“Next, I summon Harpie Lady 2 in Attack Mode.”

She played the card, and the Harpie with bangs appeared. (1,300/1,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds-en0181.jpg

“And since you’re defenseless,” said Sersei with a grin, “she can go straight for you! Harpie Lady 2, attack that bitch directly!”

Harpie Lady 2 soared into the air, and swooped down on Cleo, talon first! Cleo screamed as she was raked by the Harpie’s claw.

[B](S: 8,000) (C: 6,700)

Continued…

Dark Sage

13th July 2006, 03:23 AM

Continued from last post:

“That ends my turn,” said Sersei, as Harpie Lady 2 alighted in front of her. “How’s THAT for nothing?”

“You’ll pay for that…” growled Cleo, drawing a card.

She placed a card on her Disk.

“I summon Amazoness Swords Woman in Attack Mode,” she said.

The sword-wielding Amazon appeared, looking somewhat pissed off.

http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en116.jpg

“Swords Woman, send her bird to the pet cemetery!” shouted Cleo.

Swords Woman slashed with her blade. Harpie Lady gave a look of shock, and then shattered.

[B](S: 7,800) (C: 6,700)

“Sersei, be careful,” warned Mai. “I know how these Monsters work – my deck in Battle City was a Harpie/Amazon hybrid.

“Even if you summon a stronger Monster, attacking that Swords Woman will cost you Life Points, not Cleo.”

“Maybe…” said Sersei, “but I might have to make a few sacrifices to win.”

“Make your move,” said Cleo.

“I will,” said Sersei, drawing a card. “And you may find this hard to believe, but my duel with Alphonse benefited me. He gave me a few ideas to improve my deck.

“Let me show you. First, I play Monster Reborn.”

She played the card. The holy ankh appeared, and Harpy Lady 2 reappeared. (1,300/1,400)

“Next, I play the Spell Card that good old Alphonse – may he rot in Hell – inspired me to add to my deck,” continued Sersei. “Inferno Reckless Summon!”

She played the card, and the frightening Spell Card that the King of the Swamp had used to instantly summon three Treeborn Frogs and three T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s appeared.

“Now, since I Special Summoned my Harpie, and all the Harpies are considered to have the same name, due to their effects, I can now summon Harpie Lady 1, and Harpie Lady 3 from my deck.”

First, Harpie Lady 1 appeared to her sister’s right. (1,300/1,400) Then the third sister appeared to her left, this one dressed similar to the other two, with spiky blue hair. (1,300/1,400).

http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds-en0171.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/rds-en0191.jpg

“Forget?” asked Cleo. “Now I also get to summon two more Swords Women.”

Two more Amazons, seemingly twins of the first, appeared in front of her. (1,500/1,600 x2)

“Fine…” said Sersei, “but now that Harpie Lady 1 is on the field, the Attack Scores of all Wind Monsters, including her own, increase by 300 points.”

The three Harpie Ladies rose to 1,600 Attack.

“And now, Ladies,” said Cleo, “take out those Amazons!”

The Harpies flew into formation, and swooped at the Swords Women. Harpie Lady 1 clawed one of them in the gut, and she fell over. Harpie Lady 2 dive-bombed another with her leg talons, and she was knocked flat. Finally, Harpie Lady 3 slashed at the last, and she dropped her sword and fell over.

The three Amazons gasped for breath, and then shattered.

“Good job…” said Cleo, with a frown. “But all the damage from those battles goes to you rather than me.”

“It was a small price to pay to clear your field,” said Sersei. “It’s your move.”

[B](S: 7,500) (C: 6,700)

Cleo drew.

Maybe I underestimated this sorority chick, she thought. But this will slow her down…

“I play Nightmare’s Steelcage,” she said, playing a card.

Fire erupted around Sersei and the Harpies, and a domed, iron cage studded with spikes formed around them.

“What better place for your Harpies than a big birdcage?” asked Cleo. “That will hold them back for two turns.”

The three Harpies crossed their arms and looked at her angrily.

“I’ll summon Amazoness Blowpiper in Defense Mode, and that will be my turn,” continued Cleo.

She played a card, and the young Amazon with her blowgun appeared, kneeling in Defense. (800/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-062.jpg

“I draw one card…” said Sersei.

She drew.

“…and I’ll end at that.”

“What more can you do?” asked Cleo, drawing a card.

She played a card.

“I summon Amazoness Fighter in Attack Mode.”

She played the card, and the muscular Amazon appeared. (1,500/1,300)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en115.jpg

“Not that I’m leveling accusations,” said Sersei, “but I have the feeling she’s been using growth hormones…”

“Aren’t we funny,” said Cleo with a frown. “I end my turn.”

“One of my opponents in Battle City made the same joke,” said Mai. “He regretted it after she racked him.”

“Ouch…” muttered Sersei. “You, uh… Did make it to Heaven, right?”

“Relax…” said Mai. “Yes, once I married Joey, all the arrogance and egotism fell away. And I can assure you it’s a great place, where this harlot likely will never go. Now don’t let her distract you – you can still beat her.”

Sersei drew a card.

“I play Mystical Space Typhoon!” she shouted.

She played the card, and the cyclone shattered the Cage!

“Now then…” she said. “I’ll Equip Harpie Lady 1 with Arrow Nail.”

She played a card, and a sharp blade appeared on Harpie Lady 1’s wrist.

“The new manicure gives her an extra 300 Attack Points,” said Cleo, as the Harpie’s Attack rose to 1,900, “and should she be destroyed, I can Equip it to another Harpie.

“Now, let’s clean up. Harpie Lady 2, attack Blowpiper!”

Harpie Lady 2 flew into the air, and came down on the frightened Blowpiper with her talons. The Warrior shattered.

“Harpie Lady 3, destroy Fighter!”

Harpie Lady 3 flew forward in a straight line, and slashed at Fighter in the torso with her claw. The Amazon fell backwards with a groan, and then shattered.

“Harpie Lady 1, you know what to do…”

Harpie Lady 1 flew at Cleo and then gave her a savage slash with the Arrow Nail!

Ow… thought Cleo. Ow… ow… ow…

“Next, I’ll place two cards facedown,” said Cleo, placing two cards in her Disk.

Two facedown cards appeared.

“Do your worst…”

[B](S: 7,000) (C: 4,800)

“Whatever you say,” said Cleo, drawing.

She looked at the card.

This will help her as much as it will me, she thought, but I don’t have many options…

“I play Card of Sanctity,” she said.

She played the card, and a bright blue glow flashed over them.

Cleo drew three cards, and Sersei drew five.

“Next, I play Graceful Charity…”

She played the card, and drew three cards.

She looked over the eight cards in her hand, and then discarded two of them.

“Perfect…” said Cleo, taking two cards. “I play both Monster Reborn AND Premature Burial, to bring back two girls you might remember.”

She played the cards, and two Amazoness Swords Women reappeared. (1,500/1,600)

“Smart…” said Sersei. “You spent 800 Life Points to summon two Monsters who can’t even defeat mine.”

“I haven’t Normal Summoned yet,” said Cleo. “And the gal I’m going to summon is a real doozy…”

She placed a card on her Disk.

“I summon Amazoness Tiger in Attack Mode.”

The ferocious tigress appeared.

http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-063.jpg

“And she gains 400 more Attack Points for every Amazon on my side of the field,” added Cleo. “She just loves having friends around…”

(1,100/1,500) –> (2,300/1,500)

“And now…” she said, “Tiger, devour Harpie Lady 1!”

Amazoness Tiger pounced forward.

“Not this time!” shouted Sersei. “I activate… Harpie Lady – Sparrow Formation!”

Her Trap Card lifted, and the three Harpies flew into a triangular pattern, and formed a glowing golden bird. Amazoness Tiger bounced off.

“So they survived one more turn…” muttered Cleo. “But one more thing… So long as Tiger is on the field, you can’t attack any Amazon except her.”

“I’ll place one card facedown, and end my turn.”

She played a card, and it appeared.

Just try to attack my Tiger, she thought. My Amazoness Archers will make it your last mistake.

[B](S: 7,000) (C: 4,000)

Sersei drew a card.

“I activate Call of the Haunted,” she said, as her facedown card lifted. “And bring back Sonic Shooter.”

Sonic Shooter reappeared, in Attack Mode. (1,300/600) –> (1,600/600)

“Before you question why he’s here,” said Sersei, “I just brought him back to sacrifice him. Which I will… For a guy named Swift Birdman Joe!”

Sonic Shooter crossed his wings and vanished…

And a new Winged Beast appeared. It was a tall male figure, dressed in a loincloth with a bare, muscular chest. He had powerful, birdlike legs, and large wings, covered with rainbow-colored feathers. His handsome face was crowned with the same colored feathers rather than hair. (2,300/1,400) –> (2,600/1,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/eoj_en012.jpg

The three Harpies looked flustered and started to swoon. Hearts appeared in their eyes, and they gazed at him lovingly…

“Calm down, girls,” said Sersei. “And by the way, when Joe is summoned by sacrificing a Wind Monster, like I just did, all Spells and Traps on the field are blown back to the owners’ hands.”

Joe raised his wings, and flapped them forward. Cleo’s Premature Burial and facedown card were blown off the field.

“All right Joe,” said Sersei, “show that Tiger why they call you Swift! Attack with supersonic swipe!”

Swift Birdman Joe raised his wings, and flew forward in a blur. Amazoness Tiger roared, and then shattered to bits!

Both Swords Women started to panic, and Cleo was pretty scared too…

“Harpie Ladies 3 and 2, attack!” shouted Sersei.

The two Harpies swiped at the Swords Women and cut them down.

“Harpie Lady 1…” continued Sersei.

She paused.

“You know…” she added. “Your normal attacks are boring me. How about you give Cleo a mean purple nurple?”

Harpie Lady 1 nodded, and then flew towards Cleo.

“No… please… don’t…” stammered Cleo.

The Harpie landed behind her and grinned… Cleo screamed as she dug her claws into her breasts and gave a great squeeze! She held on as Cleo was forced to her knees.

Harpie Lady 1 smiled a wicked smile. She flew back over to Sersei’s side.

[B](S: 6,800) (C: 1,800)

“Well…” said Cleo.

She got up, and forced her face into a smile.

“Maybe you aren’t the loser I thought you were… In fact, you’re much better than many of the scrubs in our organization…

“Perhaps you could go far, Sersei… Perhaps as my apprentice.

“Sersei… With the Orichalcos behind you, you’d be far more powerful. More powerful than you could dream. Listen… If we call off this duel right now, we can…”

“Save it,” said Sersei. “I want Russell back, and I wouldn’t give up if you gave me the moon.”

Cleo drew a card.

“Then prepare to be beaten senseless,” she said. “With what I’ve just drawn, Russell will be lost forever.

“First, I play Premature Burial again, which you so graciously sent back to my hand.”

She played the card. Her Life Points dipped to 1,000, and Amazoness Blowpiper reappeared. (800/1,500)

“Next,” she continued. “I’ll place three of my cards facedown…”

She fit three cards into slots, and they appeared.

“…and then, I’ll dispose of two of them, and Premature Burial, using Emergency Provisions.”

She played the card. Two of the facedown cards, revealed to be Sacred Sword of the Amazons and Pride of the Tribe appeared, and then they and Premature Burial vanished.

[B](S: 6,800) (C: 4,000)

“Next,” she continued, “I’ll sacrifice Blowpiper…”

Blowpiper vanished.

“To summon… Amazoness Elder in Attack Mode!”

Another Monster appeared…

It was an old woman, apparently a witch doctor of some sort, dressed in a long, colorful robe with flowing sleeves, her grey hair tied in a long ponytail, and wearing jewelry common to all the Amazons – made of bones and teeth. She leaned on a wooden cudgel. (0/0)

“Zero Attack Points and zero Defense Points?” said Sersei, narrowing her eyes.

She looked at Mai.

“Uh, unfortunately, Sersei…” she answered, “this is one Amazon I’ve never heard of…”

“Don’t let her fool you,” said Cleo. “Yeah, she’s weak… And she knows it. Since she’s way past her prime as a fighter, Amazoness Elder never goes anywhere without a few bodyguards.

“What that means is, when she’s summoned by sacrifice, I can pay 2,000 Life Points to Special Summon from my hand, deck, or Graveyard, one Swords Woman…”

A Swords Woman appeared. (1,500/1,600)

“…one Fighter…”

A Fighter appeared next to her. (1,500/1,300)

“…and one Amazoness Paladin.”

Amazoness Paladin appeared, holding aloft her sword. (1,700/300)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en114.jpg

“And let’s not forget Paladin’s ability – she gains 100 Attack Points for every Amazon on the field.”

(2,100/300)

“And my Elder has another ability. So long as she’s in Attack Mode, she can’t be attacked, so long as I have at least one other Amazon on the field.”

“Yeah, well even your Paladin can’t defeat Joe,” said Sersei.

“I can’t attack this round anyway due to that effect,” said Sersei. “So it’s your move.”

[B](S: 6,800) (C: 2,000)

Sersei drew a card.

I can take her down, she thought. First I’ll use Harpie Lady 2 to take out Swords Woman. Then I’ll use Harpie Lady 3 to take out Fighter, and Paladin will be weakened. Then Harpie Lady 1 will destroy her, and Joe can attack Elder and blast her for 2,600 points of damage, and I’ll win!

“Harpie Lady 2, attack Swords Woman!”

The Harpie took to the air…

“I activate… Amazoness Archers!” shouted Cleo.

Her Trap Card lifted, and a squad of Amazons appeared, and peppered Sersei’s four Monsters with arrows!

“These poison arrows weaken all your Monsters by 500 points,” said Cleo with a grin, “and they force them to attack. Need I remind you that your Harpie was still attacking my Swords Woman…”

Harpie Lady 2 fell to 1,100 Attack. Swords Woman slashed with her blade, and she was cut in half! Her remains shattered!

Sersei frowned.

“I can still tell them who to attack!” she shouted. “And in which order! Harpies, attack the Swords Woman!”

The two Harpies swooped down on the Swords Woman…

She made two slashes with her blade. The two Harpies gave surprised looks, and fell to the ground. They shattered.

Joe lost another 300 Attack Points.

“Well…” said Sersei. “I hope you enjoyed that, because Joe still has 1,800 Attack Points!

“Swift Birdman Joe, attack Amazoness Fighter!”

Joe darted forward, and angrily slashed at Fighter with his claw. Fighter held her torso and stared blankly… And was blasted into pieces.

[B](S: 5,900) (C: 2,000)

“Oh, and look at your Swords Woman…” said Sersei.

Swords Woman looked incredibly frightened…

Suddenly, she froze, turning to stone!

“What?” said Cleo, in surprise.

“She found out about Harpie Lady 3’s curse the hard way,” explained Sersei. “Anyone who battles her and survives is helpless for two turns, unable to attack for that amount of time.”

“Fine…” said Cleo. “So your Harpies got in one last jab at me… It makes no difference.”

“My turn is over, and that means that your Trap wears off,” said Sersei.

Joe’s Attack set at 2,300, and Paladin’s lowered to 2,000.

“So make your move…”

Cleo drew.

“I will,” she said, “and now I’ll dispose of Joe too…”

She placed a card on her Disk.

“This next Monster is one I must summon by removing Paladin from play, so say goodbye to Paladin…”

Paladin vanished in a sparkle of light.

“And say hello to Amazoness Princess.”

The Warrior who appeared seemed a lot like the other Amazons – same indecent clothing – but her jewelry was gold rather than teeth. She wore a tiara on her brow, and carried a fancier sword. (2,100/1,800)

“Like Paladin before her, Princess also gains a bonus from each Amazon on the field,” said Cleo, “but in her case, it’s 300 Attack Points for each. Except herself.”

(2,700/1,800)

Oh, come on… thought Sersei.

“Amazoness Princess, attack Swift Birdman Joe with royal scimitar slash!”

Amazoness Princess leapt forward and smite Joe with her blade! He groaned, and exploded in a burst of feathers.

[B](S: 5,500) (C: 2,000)

Was I actually just winning this a minute ago? thought Sersei.

“Be thankful my Swords Woman is still cursed,” said Cleo. “I end my turn.”

Sersei drew a card.

Hey… she thought. I just drew Mirror Force!

“All right, soul-stealer,” she said, “my turn will consist of placing three cards facedown.”

She placed three of her cards facedown, and they appeared.

Continued…

Dark Sage

13th July 2006, 03:24 AM

Continued from last post:

“Now, let’s see what you’ve got…”

Cleo drew a card.

She giggled.

“Time to finish you…” she said. “Now I remove Amazoness Princess from play…”

Princess vanished just as Paladin had.

“…to summon the most powerful Warrior in my deck… Meet Hippolyta herself… Amazoness Queen!”

The Amazon who appeared seemed to be the most regal one yet. She still wasn’t dressed with much decency, but the bikini top was made of bronze, and the loincloth seemed to be silk, and she had a golden girdle. She wore a long, purple cape, golden jewelry, and a golden crown on her head. She held a scimitar that glowed with golden light. (3,000/3,000)

Come on, sucker… thought Sersei. You might look all impressive, but as soon as you attack, you’ll be sent straight to the Graveyard with your pathetic subjects…

“Amazoness Queen…” ordered Cleo. “Attack directly! Sacred scimitar slash!”

Amazoness Queen raised her sword…

“Activate Mirror Force!” shouted Sersei.

The Trap Card lifted, and the holy light shone. Elder cringed in panic as she and Swords Woman were consumed by it…

But Sersei was shocked a second later, as Amazoness Queen’s sword slammed into her like a hammer! She was thrown backwards.

“Ooh…” she moaned.

[B](S: 2,500) (C: 2,000)

Sersei looked up to see the Queen angrily looking down at her, as if to say, “How dare you?”

“She… survived… How?” she groaned.

Cleo laughed, and held up her Amazoness Blowpiper card.

“Did you really think you could slay Hippolyta with a card that was so… old fashioned?” she asked. “If Amazoness Queen is about to be destroyed by a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Monster effect, I can remove one Amazon in my Graveyard from play to save her. Your Mirror Force may have defeated my Swords Woman and Elder, but my strongest Monster is still here to destroy you.

“It’s time to make your move little girl. Best make it, and then say farewell to Russell forever. No Monster you could possibly summon could be this strong, and if I draw a Monster on my next turn, one direct attack from her will finish you.”

Sersei looked at her hand.

It wasn’t the best. Her four cards were Guardian’s Treasure, Harpie Lady Sisters, Harpie Feather Storm, and Pot of Avarice…

The last might have been useful, but if she used it, both of the two cards she had facedown on the field would be useless.

It all depended on her next draw.

She drew.

A grin crossed her face.

“I activate… Hysteric Party!” she shouted.

She discarded her Guardian Treasure card, and one of her Trap Cards lifted. It showed an image of six Harpie Ladies dancing among flashing lights.

“Now, for the cost of just one card,” she continued, “I can bring all three of my Harpies back out to play!”

Harpie Lady 1, Harpie Lady 2, and Harpie Lady 3 appeared in an eruption of flashing light. (1,300/1,400) –> (1,600/1,400 x3)

“Big deal!” shouted Cleo. “I’ll just kill them again!”

“Well, I’ll activate my other Trap, then,” said Sersei. “A little thing called… Aqua Chorus!”

Her other Trap lifted. A beautiful muse appeared behind the Harpies, and started singing… Watery orbs floated among them.

“This Trap can be triggered when I have Monsters on the field who have the same name,” explained Sersei, “and each one gains 500 Attack Points.”

The Harpies rose to 2,100 Attack.

“Still not good enough…” said Cleo.

“Will this do?” asked Cleo. “I play another card that the duel with good old Alphonse convinced me to put in my deck…”

She took the card she had just drawn.

“I Equip Harpie Lady 1 with Chthonian Alliance!”

She played the card, and Harpie Lady 2 and 3 started to glow with green light. Then Harpie Lady 1 glowed with golden light. She grinned, and flexed her muscles, as her Attack Score started to go up…

“With two other Harpie Ladies on the field, her Attack Score rises 1,600 more points, to 3,700!”

“Oh, geeze…” muttered Cleo.

Her face fell.

“The boss… is gonna kill me…”

“Harpie Lady 1…” shouted Sersei. “Destroy Amazoness Queen!”

Harpie Lady 1 flew forward, and made one savage swipe with her claw. Amazoness Queen fell to her knees and dropped her sword...

She lifted her hand, looking up at Harpie Lady 1…

Then she glanced at Sersei, and smiled…

And then she shattered into pixels.

“Now Harpie Lady 2…” said Sersei, “attack directly and end this!”

Harpie Lady 2 pounced on Cleo! She screamed as she raked at her flesh!

Finally, she hit her in the forehead with her open palm, and she fell over.

[B](S: 2,500) (C: 0)

“It’s over…” said Sersei. “I win… So now Russell goes free…”

Cleo stared at her.

“Did you forget the terms of the wager I made?” she snarled. “I said if you won, someone would arrange for a way to win him back…

“He isn’t free yet, little girl…”

“I’ll do anything…” said Sersei.

“Well then, do this…” said Cleo. “Tell his two partners and your chancellor to be near a phone in two hours…

“And take this as a warning, Sersei… You lucked out this time, but if you attempt again to defeat one of us, the Orichalcos will savor your soul…”

She got up, and walked out of the restaurant in a huff.

Mai came over and put her hand on Sersei’s shoulder.

“Hey,” she said in a comforting voice. “You did good, honey. Now at least Russell has a chance.”

“I hope…” said Sersei.

“And Sersei, Cleo may still hate you, but I think her Monsters feel different. That look that Amazoness Queen gave you right after your Harpie struck the blow…

“Call me crazy, but I think it was acknowledgement of some sort. Acknowledgement not only that she had been bested, but that you were better than Cleo was.”

“It was kind of… weird…” muttered Sersei.

She paused.

“So, I guess you’ll be going?”

Mai nodded.

“Anything else I can help you with?” she asked.

“I’m kind of curious…” said Sersei. “How on earth did Kaiba fall in love with Ishizu?”

Mai smirked.

“His exact words were,” she answered, “she was the only woman in the world who understood him.

“Now, you’d best go tell Dr. Artemis. As for me, I have to go…”

She started to fade.

“Once you’ve lived a full life,” said her voice, trailing off, “look me up, okay? After all, when you have eternity ahead of you, you can wait a long time…

“Joey would love to meet you…”

She vanished into sparkles of light.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Two hours later, four figures sat in silence in Dr. Artemis’s office.

One was Dr. Artemis herself (now on her fourth cup of coffee), the others were Sersei, Jason, and Trisha. Also, Twinky loyally stood in the corner.

Dr. Artemis had told Sersei an hour earlier that she didn’t know whether to suspend her or let her give a speech at her graduation, but hopefully, what she had done would come out for the better.

Finally, the phone rang. Artemis hit the speaker button.

“Talk to me,” she said, sternly.

“Direct and to the point,” said a voice that they had not heard before. “Fitting.”

“Who is this?” she demanded.

“I’m Cleo and the Puppeteer’s employer,” said the voice. “I can’t give my name at this moment…”

Artemis hit a button by her desk.

“Oh, trying to trace this call, Andorra?” said the voice. “That won’t work. This phone I’m using is of a quality that the CIA would envy. Your device is not nearly strong enough.”

“What do you want in exchange for Russell?” demanded Artemis.

“Now, now, I’m nothing if not fair, Andorra…” said the voice.

“That’s Dr. Artemis to you!” she snapped.

“Fine,” replied the voice. “Anyway, I always like a good duel, and one with good stakes. I’m willing to wager Russell’s soul… However, both Trisha and Jason will have to duel, and they’ll have to ante all three of the Legendary Dragons against it.”

Artemis looked at Trisha and Jason. They nodded.

“They agree,” said Artemis.

“Splendid,” said the voice. “Tell them to come to the Minotaur’s Labyrinth in the Goliath Mountain amusement park at nine-o’clock this evening. The Puppeteer will meet them there and explain the rules. Should they win, Russell’s soul will go free.

“I give you my word as a gentleman.

“Just to make this fair, I’ll assure you there will be no Seal, and no Raviel. However, no Legendary Dragons either. If your students use them, they are disqualified.”

“Fine,” said Artemis. “I accept those terms.”

“Then the Puppeteer will meet them at nine,” said the voice. “Over and out.”

He hung up.

Artemis looked at her device.

”Trace attempt failed,” it said.

“It was worth a shot…” she muttered.

“I don’t trust that guy one bit…” muttered Jason. “His word as a gentleman… sure, right…”

“Then maybe we should bring backup…” said Trisha.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Sersei rushed into the infirmary. She hugged Russell’s comatose form.

“It’s going to be okay, Russell,” she whispered. “I did all I could, and now Jason and Trisha are going to get you back…”

She held his hand.

“I’ll stay here with you until you wake up… A little prayer never hurt…”

Sunday, October 3rd, 2106, 5:42 PM

TOPDECK QUIZ (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: The contestant on the “Question” card, looking at three seemingly identical decks of cards.

Card Description: Both players state the name of a card. If the card a player names is in his opponent’s deck, his opponent takes it from his deck, shuffles his deck, and places the card on the top of his deck. If the card a player names is not in his opponent’s deck, his opponent chooses any card from his deck, shuffles his deck, and places the card he chose on the top of his deck.

AMAZONESS ELDER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 6
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: This aged woman is the advisor to the Amazoness Queen. When this Monster is Tribute Summoned successfully, pay 2,000 Life Points. Special Summon one “Amazoness Paladin”, one “Amazoness Swords Woman”, and one “Amazoness Fighter” from your hand, deck, and/or Graveyard. Monsters summoned by this effect cannot attack on the round they are summoned by this effect. This Monster cannot be targeted by an attack if it is in Attack Position and you have at least one Monster on your side of the field with the word “Amazoness” in its name, or that is named “Amazon Archer”.

AMAZONESS PRINCESS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 6
ATK: 2,100
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: The heir to the throne of the Amazons, she aspires to lead her tribe to great things. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This Monster cannot be Special Summoned except by removing one “Amazoness Paladin” on your side of the field from play. This Monster gains 300 points added to its ATK for every Monster on your side of the field with the word “Amazoness” in its name (except this one), or which is named “Amazon Archer”.

AMAZONESS QUEEN #2 (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 3,000

Card Description: The absolute ruler of the Amazon tribe. No one dares question her authority. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This Monster cannot be Special Summoned except by removing one “Amazoness Princess” on your side of the field from play. If this Monster is subjected to a card effect that would destroy it, you can remove one Monster in your Graveyard from play that has the word “Amazoness” in it or that is named “Amazon Archer” to prevent it from being destroyed.

Note: This card is different from the “Amazoness Queen” that first appeared in “The Mandate of Heaven”

ARROW NAIL (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A feminine hand with a sword-like blade strapped to the wrist.

Card Description: This card can only be Equipped to “Harpie Lady” or “Harpie Lady Sisters”. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 300. If the Equipped Monster is destroyed, you can Equip this card to another appropriate Monster on your side of the field.

Note: “Arrow Nail” was first used by Mai in the anime episode “Fighting For a Friend (Part Five)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

SONIC SHOOTER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Winged-Beast/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 600

Card Description: Able to fly at speeds reaching 761 MPH in calm weather, this Winged Beast is one of the fastest Monsters alive. If your opponent has no Spell or Trap Cards on his side of the field, this Monster can attack your opponent directly. If this Monster attacks directly, it inflicts damage equal to its base ATK.

HYSTERIC PARTY (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap/Continuous
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Six Harpie Ladies dancing among flashing lights.

Card Description: Discard one card from your hand. Special Summon from your Graveyard all the Monsters you can who are named “Harpie Lady”. If this card leaves the field, destroy all Monsters Special Summoned by this card.

Note: “Sonic Shooter” and “Hysteric Party” have been released in Japan for some time. They will be released in English in the “Lord of the Storm” structure deck.

Sersei’s Harpie Deck

After Mai Valentine wed Joey Wheeler, she put dueling aside for the most part and started a job as a fashion designer, only dueling when the temptation got too great. Since most of her life was kept secret to protect her reputation, only a little of her style became known to future generations.

Still, some duelists who heard of her tried, and Sersei has become reasonably successful.

Sersei’s deck naturally revolves around the Harpies, and since she is only allowed to have three Harpies total, and four of them are available, she alternates the lineup. Harpie Lady 1 is always present, as she is the most useful, being the one who boosts the Attack of the others; Harpie Lady 2 can deal with annoying Effect Monsters; Harpie Lady 3 can paralyze an enemy Monster that she battles; and Cyber Harpie Lady has raw power. This alternating team keeps her opponents guessing. Her other Monsters are mostly Winged Beasts and other creatures to help bring her stars out, and she doesn’t object to using male Monsters; she uses Sonic Shooter and Swift Birdman Joe frequently.

She uses a lot of Mai’s accessories. Sparrow Formation and Phoenix Formation are incredibly rare cards that Sersei obtained by winning tournaments, and she couldn’t hope to have more than one of each. Other more common cards include Icarus Attack, Triangle Ecstasy Spark, Harpie’s Hunting Ground, Hysteric Party, and Arrow Nail.

She still considers Guardian Treasure a gift from the beyond. Only seven copies of this card are believed to exist. It is powerful, but can only be used if you have five cards to discard, and is risky – if a duel goes on too long, the user might be decked out. Still, it is priceless, although due to the terms of the contract she signed, Sersei can never trade or sell it, and it is to be returned to Mai Valentine’s estate upon her death or when she gives up dueling, whichever comes first.

Sersei’s most powerful Monster is the Ritual Monster Calypso the Harpie Queen. She doesn’t use her often, but she helps regenerate her Harpies if they get lost and Hysteric Party can’t be used.

After her duel with Cleo, Sersei is certain now that the real Mai approves of her work, and that’s all the approval she needs.

[B][I]The quest to save Russell continues, as Jason and Trisha risk everything on one duel…

And with the Puppeteer orchestrating things, you know that it’s gonna be another blast from the anime past! But this one spans both generations of Yu-Gi-Oh!

You can probably guess what I’m talking about…

Don’t miss “Covering Fire”, coming soon.

Dark Sage

13th July 2006, 03:28 AM

Before I go, I want to comment on something that Mai said. The duel with her and Vivian against Para and Dox did indeed happen, but American viewers may not know that.

In the final episode of the original series in Japan, they had special end credits, where they showed various members of the cast in a variety of situations. One of them was Mai and Vivian on the Great Wall of China facing Para and Dox. The outcome of this duel, of course, is left to the imagination - I assume that they won.

Anyway, now you know.

Mystic_clown

13th July 2006, 04:27 AM

Interesting, so Kaiba married Ishizu? Kaiba/Ishizu shippers rejoice! I liked the little joke with the harpy lady sisters and swift birdman Joe.

Hmm, special credits huh? Youtube here I come!

Shuppet Master

13th July 2006, 11:09 AM

Welp, I'm leaving for Montana tomorrow. Nice to see Dark Sage update this awesome fic the day before I left.

I'm sure that JBakura would be kissing and hugging you for that Ishizu/Kaiba thing. :D Anyways, this was a great chapter, and how Mai's two favorite monster sets faced off was just nifty.

I was surprised to see you made an effect monster called Amazoness Queen instead of using your fusion monster. This gal would be pretty powerful if it was ever made real. :)

Nice trick to how Sersei got rid of the seal on the outset. You may have given me some ideas for the final major duel of Anansi. (Of course, Despisaro is much smarter than to let the Seal get discarded so easily, and he has ways other than Magician of Faith to get it back.)

Nice how you loosened your belt straps and used the b-word and even the "dreaded purple nurple" for this chapter. Shows that you're not that prudish. ;)

Keep up the good work. I think I have an idea who the Puppeter is going to use against Jason and Trisha.

Master of Paradox

13th July 2006, 12:56 PM

Well, I never expected your female characters to start cursing like Ogre Grunn... However, that feels like a pretty heavy swing out of character for them. Even Cleo seemed to have more restraint than that. (And on the same subject, would anyone be perverted enough to program a Harpy Lady to give a "purple nurple"? And on a woman, no less? Even if someone that twisted worked on Kaibacorp's hologram programming staff, you'd think they'd catch it in product testing.)

Aside from that moment of immaturity, this duel was a slog. We've seen Amazons before, we've seen Harpies before, and this reads like every other duel involving them that we've seen so far. The new additions to Cleo's deck make me wonder if you're stretching for ideas, and as for Sersei, she felt like your attempt to show off the new cards coming out in Lord of the Storm. In short, unimpressive.

...which sums up the chapter as a whole. Mai's backstory is just about what I expected it to be, and felt like filler. Actually, that could go for this chapter as a whole. A lackluster effort, my friend.

But I do like Seto/Ishizu pairings. (And Shuppet, I've known Eric for four years and counting, and while he's emotional, he's not THAT emotional.)

I daresay we can all guess what's coming next, can we not?

Pokemasterkatie

13th July 2006, 01:09 PM

-Kaiba married Ishizu, eh? That makes total sense--those two were MADE for each other.:D

-Yikes, claws in the breasts. That's GOTTA hurt(it's one place I don't ever want to be scratched by a cat, which questions some of the pictures on a site I go to).>_<

-The Harpies have some real taste--Joe is indeed quite hot for a male Winged Beast.^^

-Sonic Shooter is an interesting Monster--sort of reminds me of Black and Dark Tyrannos' effects.

-Nice mention of the epilogue, DS--sadly, we missed out on that. I'd hoped the very end would be kept, but that's 4Krap for ya. Then again, the ending was playing(of which the dub has none; and the full opening score would've been a bit innappropriate.).

Blademaster

13th July 2006, 01:36 PM

I... honestly don't know what to say this time. This chapter wasn't great, but I don't think it was that bad, either...

I don't have any clue who's next - I only know 1 character from both YGO and GX that has seen some dueling action (so to speak)... Hmmm...

And I honestly don't care about characters swearing - to quote the famous comedians George Carlin and Lewis Black:

"We've entered a place where words hurt; words don't hurt. They're only words."

"We are adults, and these are the words we use to express frustration, rage, and anger, so that we don't pick up a tire iron and beat the **** out of someone!"

A little excessive, maybe, but I never have figured out why some people react so negatively to certain words... Maybe I'm just slow.

Anyway, like I said, not much to say this time; I'll be back for the next chapter (which I think I'll be really looking forward to :D).

Later! :wave:

-Blade

Inferno_Dragon

13th July 2006, 01:50 PM

Good Duel, Dark Sage. Sersei is pretty smart to find a way to get rid of the Seal so she can have a friendly duel. I like how Mai helped out Sersei with the duel. Amazoness Queen #2 is pretty different from the first one but it does have a good effect. Too bad Francensa didn't have this card in The Thousand Year Door. It really would of helped her. The Ishizu and Kaiba pairing isn't that much of surprise. I have read fanfics where those two are in love.

Well keep up the good work, Dark Sage.

jkBAKURA

13th July 2006, 02:58 PM

Wow, 2 good chapters after one not so great one. I may have been hasty before, but I don't feel quite as bad now.

Sonic Shooter and Joe seemed a bit much. It made it look like Sersei had just picked up a Harpy Structure Deck and added about four cards of her own. (and maybe that's the case, I can't be sure)

I personally didn't mind the new Amazon additions, however, I would have thought that the Queen would make her first debut in Cleo's final appearance. Truth be old, I didn't even expect her to duel again so quickly. At least there weren't so many changes to either deck that it seemed like a totally new character.

I thnk you tipped your hand when you mentioned the word "Labyrinth" but Umbra and Lumis got an incredible chapter, and I'm betting this one will turn out just as great. I get the feeling that Jason's Cyber Dragons are going to end up supporting Tricia quite a bit in the next chapter.

Dark Sage

13th July 2006, 03:03 PM

Actually, Eric, in the first draft, Sersei used Harpie Girl rather than Sonic Shooter, both to activate Icarus Attack and as a sacrifice for Joe. However, then I reasoned that Harpie Girl was rather useless, so I replaced her with Shooter.

By the way, Sersei does not have Divine Bird Shimurugu in her deck, at least not right now. Whether she will get one in the future, we'll have to see.

Shuppet Master

13th July 2006, 08:41 PM

"We are adults, and these are the words we use to express frustration, rage, and anger, so that we don't pick up a tire iron and beat the **** out of someone!"

I agree that while the meanings of those words are stuff that makes proper girls have vapors, I've used them many times and always whenever something doesn't go my way.

I never have figured out why some people react so negatively to certain words

Because they were raised by parents who were raised by their parents and so on and so forth to recognize such words as evil, and when kids as young as five start speaking them, it's bad to them.

Pokemasterkatie

13th July 2006, 10:03 PM

I agree that while the meanings of those words are stuff that makes proper girls have vapors, I've used them many times and always whenever something doesn't go my way.
*blushes* I do it for the same reason, but did you have to say it like that, nya~?

Because they were raised by parents who were raised by their parents and so on and so forth to recognize such words as evil, and when kids as young as five start speaking them, it's bad to them.
Doesn't stop the Naruto dub from slipping out 'hell' in a preview. Then again, it was used by Kakashi to describe Orochimaru("What snake pit in Hell did YOU crawl out from?!"), and is probably one of the coolest lines in the dub. What he said is very accurate, so I'll forgive his VA(who's his VA? Crispin Freeman?) for it.

Dark Sage

13th July 2006, 10:06 PM

ENOUGH.

NO more discussion on this thread about the evils of swearing, or you WILL hear swearing.

My thread is not a public discussion forum.

I only want discussion about the fic. Discuss anything else via PMs.

Shuppet Master

13th July 2006, 10:55 PM

Sorry, Brian. I didn't mean to drag a discussion into this. Can you forgive me? :redface:

Silencer

14th July 2006, 04:57 AM

Ooooh, an outburst from DS. You are all going home with a note :p

Anyway, I liked this chapter but the Drop-off was pretty obvious (if you ever played against a hand control deck that is). I can't say I really like the harpies or the amazons so a clash between them didn't really intrest me that much. I don't like most groups but sadly, if you are writing a fic, most of the time it's the best you got... It's hard to build several decks with a theme without turning to the groups or tribes.

Pokemasterkatie

14th July 2006, 06:55 AM

B-baka...*runs to cry in a corner*

...one more like that and I swear I'll delete the post...was just embarrassed, nya...negative reactions like these are the reason I don't take sides or say what I think...

Blademaster

14th July 2006, 01:46 PM

Dark Sage

18th July 2006, 10:29 AM

Will Russell be rescued? Read on...

But hear me now... Even if Russell comes back, he may never be the same again...

[B][I]For almost twenty four hours, the final moments of the terrible duel have repeated in my mind…

…ending with the bloodcurdling scream that came from Russell as he was struck by an attack that had 7,200 Attack Points behind it.

I thought we had lost him forever…

But thanks to Sersei, a small candle has lit in this gloom of darkness…

Will the light grow to overpower the dark, or will it be snuffed out forever?

If Jason and I don’t win this duel, we not only lose Russell… We lose all chances of defeating this evil…

Hang in there, Russell…

We’re coming.

[B][size=3]CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds_en060.jpg

Sunday, October 3rd, 2106, 8:05 PM

Sersei had not left Russell’s side…

She noticed his Duel Disk at the bedside table. She reached for it, and placed it on his chest.

She didn’t see them, but strange phantasms started to appear around the bed. The first one was Marauding Captain. Then came Command Knight. Then Gearfried. Then Grepher and Axe Raider.

More came. The three Hero Kids… Gilford… Flame Swordsman…

Finally, Freed the Matchless General stood forward, and looked sadly at Russell.

“Be calm everyone,” said a voice.

Everyone turned, and even Freed took notice.

The intimidating form of Hermos stepped forward.

“We must have faith, everyone,” he said. “So long as I draw breath, Russell won’t be harmed…”

They looked at him.

“Yes, I know… My brothers can’t help them with this battle, so they must rely solely on their own skill…

“But I trust the judgment of my siblings. They chose wisely before, and they did now…

“I swear to you all… Russell will return. Just have faith…”

They nodded, and then they all vanished.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Americans had a lot of large amusement parks. They had Disney World, Bush Gardens, Six Flags…

And as of the year 2080, they had Goliath Mountain.

Technically, it might be called a theme park, since it was owned by Goliath Studios, but very little of their influence was felt in the huge amusement park twenty miles outside of New York City. And there were lots of things to do there in the summer (seeing as it was a seasonal place). Sure, there were Ferris wheels, tilt-a-whirls, and carousels, but there were also more exotic attractions aimed at older visitors. One whole section had an Arabian Nights theme, another had a Medieval theme, and there were countless others.

A popular attraction was the Minotaur’s Labyrinth. It was a maze inside a large building so complicated, that several passageways had phones that visitors were to use in case they got lost. If you made it to the center, where the Minotaur’s Temple was, you got a free souvenir.

As a van drove up to the gates, the park was deserted, being closed for the off-season. Jason and Trisha got out, and made their way to the center of the park, where the large dome-like building holding the Labyrinth was.

When they got to the entrance, it clearly was occupied. The torches outside the front gates were burning, and the doors were opened.

“So, you’re here,” said the Puppeteer’s voice. “I didn’t expect you to actually come…”

“Why not?” asked Jason.

“I wouldn’t have,” said the Puppeteer. “Why not just keep Hermos for yourself? It’s quite a powerful card…”

“You venomous snake…” growled Jason. “Do you even know the definition of loyalty?”

There was a pause. The screen over the gate lit up and flashed the following message:

“loyalty: n. The trait of being faithful or devoted. Trustworthiness.”

“Oh, that’s real funny,” said Jason. “You may be able to look it up in the dictionary, but I doubt you really understand it.”

“Whatever,” said the Puppeteer. “If you’re really so anxious to lose those precious cards, come in…”

They walked in, and confronted the entrance to the maze.

“Now,” said the Puppeteer’s voice, “the current record for making it to the center of this maze without help is one hour, seventeen minutes, three seconds. But since we simply don’t have all night…”

A line of red arrows appeared on the floor.

“…simply follow them, and you’ll get to the Temple of the Minotaur in five minutes.”

Jason and Trisha started walking, following the arrows.

“You think you can hurry it up?” asked the Puppeteer.

“Keep your loud pants on!” shouted Trisha. “We’ll get there!”

“You know…” said the Puppeteer, “having the duel here wasn’t even my idea… The duelists I found insisted.”

“You mean it isn’t you?” asked Jason, as they started turning corners.

“Didn’t you remember the deal?” said his voice. “No Raviel, and my deck is designed with it in mind. And I’d be foolish to take on two duelists at once anyway. But I found some chaps who were perfect.”

“Two on two?” asked Trisha.

“Exactly,” he said. “Now hustle.”

After a few more minutes, they walked into a huge chamber. Torches were lit all over the place, and a giant, golden statue of the Cretan Minotaur loomed over an ornate throne.

The Puppeteer of Death sat in the throne.

“All right, gruesome,” said Trisha. “You know the deal… We win this duel, we get Russell back…”

The Puppeteer flipped a card and showed it to them – the Orichalcos card that held Russell prisoner.

“He’s right here,” he said. “But don’t think you can get it from me by force. And even if you could, it isn’t like you could do anything with it.”

“Then where are these goons you hired?” asked Jason.

“Goons?” asked the Puppeteer. “Trisha, you forget my powers… The power to create specters from the dark sides of deceased duelists…

“As for where they are, I’ll let them make their own entrance…”

“Hm, hm, hm, hm, hm,” laughed a small voice in the air.

“You have entered sacred ground,” said a voice.

“Where only duelists can be found,” said another.

Two forms appeared out of thin air in front of them, and Jason and Trisha drew back…

They looked like Buddhist monks of some sort, with no hair, and tattoos of some sort of Kanji symbol on their foreheads. One wore a green robe, and the other wore orange.

“The gates are sealed,” said one.

“The doors are locked,” said the other.

“You face the brothers Para…”

“And Dox!”

Jason stared at them.

“Trisha, we’re in trouble…” he muttered.

“You’ve heard of these guys?” she asked.

“Yeah, one hundred years ago, they were known as the best tag-team duelists in the world,” he answered. “They were only known to lose two duels as a team… One to Yugi and Joey, and another to Jaden and Syrus.”

“Lovely,” muttered Trisha.

“All right, let’s get some ground rules, people…” said the Puppeteer, standing up.

“People like you only want rules so you can find ways to manipulate them,” said Trisha, narrowing her eyes.

“You wound me…” said the Puppeteer. “Anyway, there is to be no sharing of advice, no sharing of strategies, and no sharing of cards that aren’t already in play. But you can use anything already on the field.

“And remember… No Seal, and no Timaeus or Critias.”

“Enough with the stalling,” said Para, “the wait is appalling.”

“Hold up,” said Trisha. “Before we begin, can I switch one card in my deck with one in my side deck?”

“I want to do the same thing,” added Jason.

“To do that, you have the right,” said Dox. “So do so and be quick, so we may begin this fight.”

Trisha took her deck and removed DNA Surgery…

Then she took her side deck out and looked through the fifteen cards.

She took out a Trap Card, one that she knew would be very good if she ever got into a team duel.

Jason removed Shrink from his deck, and then took a Trap Card from his side deck.

It wasn’t very commonly played, but it was useful in a team duel.

They both added the cards to their decks, and reshuffled.

“All right,” said Jason, replacing his deck, “let’s get started.”

The Paradox Bothers raised their arms. Their Disks activated.

“You called, we responded, you told us to duel,” said Para, “so let us begin, and enough with the rules.”

“All right then…” said Trisha. “Game start!”

“Let’s end this as soon as possible,” said Jason. “Get your game on…”

[B](Jason & Trisha: 8,000) (Para and Dox: 8,000)

“Jason,” muttered Trisha. “You watched a lot of old duels… Any tips on their strategy?”

“Well, Trisha, Yugi and Joey’s duel wasn’t televised, unfortunately,” he answered.

“And as for Jaden and Syrus’s… Well, there’s a story behind that. One of his professors was taping it, but later, when Jaden asked for a copy, he claimed that he accidentally taped over it…”

“How on earth…” asked Trisha.

“Well, Jaden never really got along with this particular teacher…” said Jason. “He thinks that the guy had wanted him to lose, and that the duel was a humiliation to him, so he ‘accidentally’ taped over it.”

“Lovely,” replied Trisha.

Para drew his first card. Then he chose one.

“I place one Monster upon the field…” he said.

A facedown Monster materialized as he placed it on his Disk.

“…however, I choose to keep it concealed. That will suffice to start this duel, now draw and make your move, you fool.”

Trisha nervously drew.

“Don’t let them psyche you out, Trisha,” said Jason. “He only said that because it makes a good rhyme.”

“Yeah, well,” said Trisha, “let’s see them get by this. I summon Mighty Guard in Defense Mode…”

She played a card, and a humanoid robot with gears for joints appeared, crouching in Defense. (500/1,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds-en0021.jpg

“And next,” she continued, “I’ll play Machine Duplication, to summon two more Mighty Guards from my deck.”

She played the card, and two more Mighty Guards appeared, also in Defense Mode.

“That will do…” she said.

“An impressive way to erect a defense,” said Dox, drawing a card, “but a mere annoyance, hence, they will soon exist only past tense.

“I summon Whirlwind Prodigy in Defense Mode.”

A whirlwind appeared, and a small boy in a leather jacket and trousers surrounded by fluttering birds and bats appeared. He knelt down on one knee. (1,500/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh_fet_en_030_1.jpg

“That ends my turn,” he continued.

Jason drew a card.

“I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered in Attack Mode,” he said, playing a card.

The fiendish gargoyle appeared, bearing its claws. (1,600/1,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en056.jpg

All right… thought Jason. Everyone has drawn, so I can attack this round…

My Monster isn’t strong enough to take out that… kid or whatever it is, but maybe Para’s facedown Monster isn’t as powerful.

“Ryu-Kishin Powered, attack Para’s Monster!”

The gargoyle leapt forward with his claw…

And then a sorcerer in a blue robe appeared on the card, and fended off the attack with a slim dagger. (1,600/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_004.jpg

Para grinned.

“Impressive,” he said, “but as you clearly saw, the scores were equal, making that a draw. And even better…”

He took his deck.

“When Arsenal Summoner is flipped, I get to search my deck for one Monster with the word ‘Guardian’ in its name.”

He got what he wanted and reshuffled.

“Of course,” he continued, “as the rules say, I must reveal what it is, so let this serve as a preview to the horror that awaits!”

He flipped the card around.

“Gate Guardian?” gulped Trisha.

“Relax, Trisha…” said Jason. “That Monster may be unbelievably powerful, and it’s an icon, sure, but summoning it is nearly impossible…”

The Puppeteer started to snicker.

“You doubt the ability of my pawns to do the impossible?” asked the Puppeteer. “Why children, people have been doing impossible things for centuries.

“Trisha, isn’t it a rumor that your family’s patriarch worked for Henry Ford?”

“It isn’t a rumor!” snapped Trisha. “It’s true!”

“Well…” said the Puppeteer. “Perhaps. But did people not tell Ford that a horseless carriage was impossible? Didn’t folks tell the Wright Brothers that flying machines were impossible?

“Didn’t people think that putting a man on the moon was impossible?

“You’ll soon be a believer… that the impossible can be done…”

“Indeed, and I draw!” said Para, doing so.

“And I play Pot of Greed! You know well what this card can do… I play it, and I then draw two.”

He played the card, and then drew twice.

“Next, I play the Spell Card, Tribute Doll! This card lets me sacrifice one Monster on the field, to Special Summon a seven star Monster from my hand. Thus, I sacrifice Arsenal Summoner…”

Black tentacles reached out of the card, and consumed Arsenal Summoner…

“And I summon Suijin!”

A strange Monster arose. It looked like a large, blue torso with a fiendish face, and a Kanji symbol on the front. (2,500/2,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en159.jpg

“And I am not done,” continued Para. “Since that was a Special Summon, I can summon another Monster. This one also requires a sacrifice. Fortunately, my brother and I like to share…”

“Mmm!” added Dox. “In case you didn’t know, when Whirlwind Prodigy is sacrificed to summon a Wind Attribute Monster, he counts as two sacrifices…”

“Thus,” said Para, “I sacrifice Prodigy to summon Kazejin!”

Whirlwind Prodigy vanished, and a new creature appeared. It was a large, green torso with claws and another Kanji symbol on the front. (2,400/2,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en158.jpg

“Finally, I place one card facedown.”

He played a card, and a facedown card appeared.

“That’s all for my move,” he said, “now time for your mettle to prove.”

Trisha drew a card.

Two seven-star Monsters in one turn? she thought. These guys don’t fool around.

“All right!” she shouted. “I sacrifice one Mighty Guard to summon Machine King!”

She played the card, and one of the Guards vanished, replaced by the mighty King. (2,200/2,000) –> (2,500/2,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en099.jpg

“Oh well…” said Trisha with a grin. “Guess we’re gonna nip your plans in the bud… Machine King, attack Kazejin!”

“TRISHA! WAIT!” shouted Jason.

Machine King fired its jet fists at the wind deity…

“Kazejin!” shouted Para. “Squall barricade!”

Kazejin exhaled a furious gust of chilling wind! The two rocket fists flew back upon Machine King, and the robot exploded!

“Heh, heh…” laughed Para. “To attacks, our Monsters are quite resistant…”

“For one attack,” added Dox, “they can make their opponent’s Attack Score nonexistent!”

[B](J & T: 5,600) (P & D: 8,000)

“I’m sorry…” moaned Trisha.

“You tried your best…” said Jason.

“Still my turn, baldy…” muttered Trisha. “I’ll place two cards facedown, and I’ll turn it over to your next of kin.”

Two facedown cards appeared.

“Indeed…” said Dox.

He drew a card.

“First, I place one card facedown…”

He played a card. A facedown card appeared in front of him.

“Next, I will summon Kaiser Sea Horse in Attack Mode.”

He played another card, and the aquatic merman of Light appeared. (1,700/1,650)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en115.jpg

“Attack Jason’s Ryu-Kishin Powered!” he ordered. “Shining trident!”

Kaiser Sea Horse threw his weapon, and the gargoyle cracked like stone, and then shattered.

[B](J & T: 5,500) (P & D: 8,000)

“I’ll end my turn on that note,” he said. “But your fate has clearly been wrote… Your dueling is ill, and you have no antidote!”

Jason drew, now annoyed.

According to legend, he thought, to successfully summon Gate Guardian, you needed three Monsters on the field who were all seven-star… They have two of them, and I think the third was called Sanga of the Thunder.

With a name like that, it’s likely a Thunder Monster, and most of them are Light Monsters, and Kaiser Sea Horse, as Kaiba was well aware, counts as two Monsters when sacrificed to summon a Light Monster…

And I have nothing that can get rid of it!

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Blade Knight in Defense Mode,” he said.

Blade Knight appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,600/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct1-en002scr.jpg

“All right…” he said. “That’s all we can do… So let’s see it already…”

“In due time…” said Para, drawing a card.

“I sacrifice my brother’s Kaiser Sea Horse to summon Sanga of the Thunder!”

Another huge torso, this one golden, with another Kanji symbol on the front, appeared. (2,600/2,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en157.jpg

“Sanga…” he continued. “Tear Blade Knight asunder! Lightning wrath!”

Sanga blasted a bolt of lightning forth, eradicating Blade Knight.

“Suijin, attack that Mighty Guard! Cresting force!”

Suijin shot a blast of water forward, drowning the Mighty Guard.

“Kazejin, blow the last one away! Gale blast!”

A fierce wind shot from Kazejin. The last Mighty Guard shielded himself, and then was blown to pieces.

“And now…” said Para.

“Hold up!” shouted Trisha. “I activate my facedown card!”

Her facedown card lifted.

“Hyper-Refresh. Since we now have no Monsters on the field, and the total sum of your Monsters’ Attack Points is…

She paused.

“7,500,” she continued, “which is more than our Life Points, our Life Points are doubled!”

Trisha and Jason glowed, and their Life Points shot up.

[B](J & T: 11,000) (P & D: 8,000)

“Good job, Trisha!” commented Jason.

“Impressive, I will say…” said Para, “but still, see if you have a way, to defeat what I next put into play!”

He threw a card on his Disk.

The three deities glowed.

“He is pain beyond description…” said Para.

“He’ll mark the graves with your inscription…” said Dox.

“ARISE!” they both said.

The three Kanji symbols on the Monsters’ torsos glowed…

And then, they vanished…

With a rumble, a huge, lumbering creature rose and stood upright. It seemed to have Sanga for a head and shoulders, Kazejin for a torso, and Suijin for legs. It was just as big as Raviel was, and looked just as mean.

It lifted its claws, and roared in pure bloodlust…

(3,750/3,400)

Continued…

Dark Sage

18th July 2006, 10:32 AM

Continued from last post…

Dr. Artemis was watching using a small, portable viewer.

“This is madness…” she muttered. “Without their Dragons, that thing might well be invincible… Aside from the Egyptian God Monsters and the Sacred Beasts, you can count on one hand the Monsters that could oppose Gate Guardian…”

She frowned.

“I’ve got to think positively…” she thought. “This creature has been defeated before… And I of all people should know that Attack Points aren’t always the key to winning.

“Let’s hope that Jason and Trisha have something in their decks that can topple a titan.”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“I knew it…” muttered Trisha. “All dungeons have a boss character…”

“Gate Guardian,” said Para, “is he matched in might?”

“That I doubt,” said Dox, “victory will be ours this night!”

http://www.ideal808.com/images/mrd-0001.jpg

“Oh, Paradox Brothers, give it a rest!” shouted Jason. “Your speaking in verse is lame at best!”

He held his forehead.

“Darn, now they got me doing it…” he moaned.

They stared at him.

“Forget our rhyming,” said Para, “concentrate on the duel. I believe it is now Trisha’s turn.”

“Fine,” said Trisha.

“Scared?” asked the Puppeteer. “Fear not… As you can see, there is no Seal surrounding you… You’ll leave this duel with your souls intact…

“Sadly, Russell will not be so lucky.”

“We’ll find a way to beat that… thing,” said Trisha. “Like you said, people have been doing impossible things for ages…”

She drew a card.

“I activate a Trap Card!” shouted Para, as his facedown card lifted. “Final Attack Orders!

“When this card is in play, all Monsters summoned face-up must be summoned in Attack Mode and kept there.”

“Well, in that case…” continued Trisha.

“I activate a Trap as well,” said Dox, as his own facedown card lifted. “Light of Intervention.

“This Trap forbids all duelists from setting Monsters in facedown Defense Mode.”

“So, you’re saying it’s either Attack Mode or nothing?” asked Trisha. “Wonderful…”

She played a card.

“In that case, I summon Nanobreaker in Attack Mode.”

She played the card, and her lookalike appeared. She drew back in fear from the huge Monster. (1,600/1,800)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en018.jpg

“That’s all I can do…” she muttered.

“Then, it is my move…” said Dox.

“First, I play… Monster Reborn, to bring back Arsenal Summoner,” he said.

The holy symbol appeared, and Arsenal Summoner appeared again. (1,600/1,600)

“Now,” he continued. “Arsenal Summoner, I sacrifice you, to summon Monster Tamer.”

Arsenal Summoner vanished, and a new creature appeared in a burst of flame…

He seemed to be a Warrior of some sort, dressed in an Arabian headdress and vest, with red pantaloons. He had a black moustache and goatee. He also held a long bullwhip. (1,800/1,600)

“Well, I’ve never seen him before,” said Jason, “but he’s a pathetic excuse for a Tribute Monster.”

The Puppeteer laughed again.

“How little we know…” he said.

“Monster Tamer is indeed useless in most duels,” replied Dox, “for his effect only works in duels where you have another duelist as a partner. You see, normally, I could not control my brother’s Monsters…

“But with Monster Tamer, not only can I do so, but when I do, Para’s Monsters gain a third of Monster Tamer’s Attack Points!”

Jason turned pale… But Trisha was calmer.

“Monster Tamer…” ordered Dox, “attack Nanobreaker!”

Monster Tamer’s whip blazed with fire. He leapt up, and lashed it forward, and Nanobreaker exploded.

“Sorry, Nanobreaker…” muttered Trisha.

“And now…” said Dox, with a grin, “I use his effect to take control of Gate Guardian…”

Monster Tamer lashed his whip again, and Gate Guardian rose to an Attack of 4,350…

“Attack Trisha directly! Tempest surge!”

“Ergh… Activate Trap Card…” muttered Trisha.

Gate Guardian crackled with electricity, raised its arms, and shot a huge blast of high-pressure water at Trisha! She struggled to avoid being swept away…

As it stopped, she panted for breath…

[B](J & T: 10,450) (P & D: 8,000)

“What?” said Para. “You should have lost more Life Points that.”

Trisha grinned, and pointed to the Trap she had activated.

Nutrient Z.

“Sorry, bald brothers,” she said, “but since that attack was plenty strong enough to fulfill the requirements for this Trap, we gained 4,000 Life Points right before your attack hit me.”

They stared at her.

“Do you believe these foolish clods?” asked Dox. “Despite overwhelming odds, they continue to cast their rods.”

“Do they hope for a blessing from the gods?” asked Para. “Unlikely… Gate Guardian will reduce them to sod!”

“Are you done?” asked Jason. “if you’re goal is to annoy us until we give up, it isn’t gonna work…”

“I still have one move to play,” said Dox.

The Field Slot on his Disk opened.

“I play Fusion Gate. Now, Polymerization no longer required for any of us in order to summon Fusion Monsters, so long as we remove the component Monsters from play.”

A dark cloud, crackling with electricity, appeared over the arena.

“I end my turn.”

Jason drew a card.

“I play one card facedown, and summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp in Attack Mode,” he said.

First, a facedown card appeared. Then, La Jinn appeared in a burst of green smoke, and glared angrily at the two brothers. (1,800/1,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/l3_07.jpg

This was worrying Jason. Usually when he summoned La Jinn, the Fiend was all smiles and laughs. But ever since the Orichalcos minions had started to show up, the Mystical Genie of the Lamp seemed to have lost his jovial attitude…

Perhaps he and the rest of his Monsters had started to realize the gravity of the whole situation.

“I end my turn,” he said.

Para drew a card.

“Since this is a maze, I will now summon an appropriate Monster,” he said, “by using my brother’s Field Spell Card.

“I remove Cannon Soldier and Giga Tech Wolf from play, to summon Labyrinth Tank!”

Two Machines appeared on the field…

And then, they were sucked into the cloud.

http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN106.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LON-EN098.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN096.jpg

A new Machine appeared, this one a bulky tank, with a huge drill on the front, and several smaller drills around it. (2,400/2,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/mrd_0911.jpg

“Labyrinth Tank…” ordered Para, “turn La Jinn to Swiss cheese! Boring rush!”

The Tank’s drill spun, and with a rumble and a roar, it sped towards La Jinn. With a bellow, he was blown away.

“Gate Guardian… Attack Trisha directly again!”

Gate Guardian blasted Trisha again with its tempest surge, and this time she couldn’t keep from being swept up in it. She tumbled over and fell, sliding ten feet.

[B](J & T: 6,100) (P & D: 8,000)

“You sadistic…” said Jason, angrily. “Why did you have to attack her again? I would been just as good a target!”

“You want Gate Guardian to attack you?” said the Puppeteer, who was looking bored. “Fine… Dox, when it’s your turn, use that thing to attack Jason. Not like it really matters anyway.”

“Mmm!” said Dox.

“I end my turn,” said Para.

Trisha crawled to her feet. She drew a card.

Darn, she thought. The only Monster I have that I can summon with no sacrifice is Cyber Phoenix, and it can’t even beat Monster Tamer…

We’re finished…

“I summon Cyber Phoenix in Attack Mode…” she said sadly.

She played the card and Cyber Phoenix appeared. (1,200/1,600)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/eoj_en009.jpg

“That’s all I can do.”

She bowed her head.

I’m sorry, Russell… she thought.

Jason smirked at her.

Is that… she thought. …a smile? Does he have a plan?

“Very well,” said Dox, drawing a card. “Now it will end… Your flesh, our beasts will rend! Monster Tamer, attack Cyber Phoenix!”

Monster Tamer’s whip burned with fire…

“I activate… Negate Attack!” screamed Jason.

His Trap Card lifted, and Monster Tamer ran smack into a vortex, falling on his back.

The Puppeteer got up in shock.

“You had that on the field the whole time?” he sputtered. “And you let Para’s attacks go through?”

“Strategy,” said Jason. “Para could only attack with his own Monsters. But with Monster Tamer, Dox could attack with his and with Para’s, and increase the Attack Scores of Para’s. So I saved the Trap to repel the more lethal assault that I knew would be coming…”

He turned to Trisha.

“I’m just sorry these two bullies who call themselves duelists were so anxious to beat up on a girl and my partner had to take the hit… I’m sorry, Trisha.”

“Fine, for one more turn you survive…” said Dox. “But one Trap will not allow you to thrive.”

“We’ll see…” said Jason, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

“And it’s time to take away your advantage! I play the Spell Card… Heavy Storm!”

He played the card, and a furious wind encircled the arena! The cloud that made up the Fusion Gate was blown away, and then both Light of Intervention and Final Attack Orders shattered into pieces!

“And now that I’m able to defend again…” he said, “I’ll first summon Peten the Dark Clown in Defense Mode…”

He played a card, and the goofy clown appeared, crouching in defense. (500/1,200)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ep1-en005.jpg

“Next, I’ll play one card facedown…”

He played a card, and a facedown card appeared.

“It’s your move.”

“Very well!” said Para, drawing a card. “I also place one card facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“And Gate Guardian will extinguish your Phoenix’s fire! Gate Guardian, destroy Cyber Phoenix!”

Gate Guardian powered up its storm...

“Not so fast!” shouted Jason. “I activate… Staunch Defender!”

His facedown card lifted.

“When this card is activated, all Monsters on your side of the field must attack,” he explained, “but they can only attack the Monster I tell them to. And I’m telling them to attack Peten!”

Gate Guardian blasted his tidal surge, drowning Peten.

Jason took a card from his deck and placed it down. A second Peten appeared.

“In case you didn’t realize it, that was the card I put in my deck from my side deck,” said Jason. “And unfortunately for you, since our Staunch Defender was destroyed by your first attack, you can’t make any others.”

“Still you persist!” shouted Para, angrily. “We will show you what happens to those who resist!”

He paused.

“My turn is over.”

“We’ll persist more and more,” shouted Trisha. “With Russell’s soul on the line, we’re not gonna give up! Do you hear me!

She drew another card.

“Okay,” she said. “I play… Card of Sanctity!”

She played the card, and a blue flash lit up overhead. Coins fell from the sky.

“Now, all four of us must draw until we all hold six cards,” she said.

They all drew. Trisha got the most out of it, and looked over her cards.

“Now, take this…” she said. “Swords of Revealing Light!”

She played the card, and a blizzard of swords blasted forth, forming a cage around Para and Dox.

“Now both of you are out of commission until both of you have taken three turns,” she said.

“A mere annoyance, you can be sure,” said Para.

“She tries to stall, but it will only frustrate her,” said Dox. “Gate Guardian will eventually squash any cur!”

“We’ll soon see…” she replied.

She looked at her cards.

I have a Monster here who could theoretically defeat Gate Guardian, she thought. It needs two sacrifices to summon… And between the two of us, Jason and I have just enough…

She noticed another card in her hand.

Hey…

I just got the craziest idea…

She chose another card.

“I play… Monster Reborn,” she said.

She played the card.

“No Monster in your Graveyard could defeat Gate Guardian,” said Dox.

“True,” replied Trisha. “But one in yours can help!”

Dox’s discard slot started to glow…

An orb of light flew out of it, and flew to Trisha’s side of the field…

Kaiser Sea Horse appeared in front of Trisha. (1,700/1,650)

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“Don’t you know how your own Monster works?” asked Trisha. “If he’s used as a sacrifice to summon a Light Attribute Monster, he counts as two Monsters.

“So I’ll sacrifice him…”

Kaiser Sea Horse vanished…

“To summon the mighty Emes the Infinity!”

Golden flames appeared in front of Trisha, and a huge, metal creature made of gold and silver appeared. It had four arms, carrying a sword, shield, spear, and rod, and in place of legs, it had a long, serpentine trunk. (2,500/2,000)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/dbt-en001.jpg

“Built in the Heavenly Forges by the God of Smiths,” exclaimed Trisha, “this divine Machine of Light will defeat your Warrior of Darkness!”

“An impressive Monster, I will admit,” said Para.

“But compared to Gate Guardian,” said Dox, “it is of no more worth… than spit!”

“Oh, is it?” asked Trisha, with a grin. “Well, wait until you see what it can do… Emes, attack Monster Tamer! Divine blade strike!”

Emes the Infinity lifted its blades, and rushed forward. Monster Tamer screamed before he was cut down.

[B](J & T: 6,100) (P & D: 7,300)

“And now,” said Trisha. “Emes’s special ability activates… Whenever it destroys a Monster, it gains 700 Attack Points!”

Emes rose to an Attack of 3,200.

The Puppeteer got up, now angry…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Artemis was watching.

“There’s still some hope,” she thought. “Sadly, Trisha and Jason still don’t know what those two are truly capable of…

“Even if Trisha’s plan succeeds, she and Jason will have to face something worse…

“One thing’s for sure, if they win this duel…

“I’m personally going to nominate them at the next board meeting…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Dox stared at her.

“Your plan cannot be more plain,” he said. “You intend to attack our Tank, and make it stronger again, and then cut Gate Guardian in twain.”

“To us, your efforts are as tired as the rain!” said Para. “You will soon find that they are in vain.”

“You two had better not screw up…” warned the Puppeteer.

“Ahem,” said Trisha. “I’ll end my turn by placing a card facedown and moving Cyber Phoenix to Defense Mode.”

A facedown card appeared. Cyber Phoenix folded its wings, and landed.

Dox drew a card.

“I too place one card facedown,” he said, as a facedown card appeared. “And now, it is your partner’s turn.”

“Then I draw…” said Jason, doing so.

“And I activate my Trap Card!” shouted Dox.

His card lifted, showing an image of the silhouettes of two Samurai charging at each other.

“It’s called One-On-One Fight!” he declared. “Now, for this turn’s Battle Phase, our two strongest Monsters must battle each other! That means Gate Guardian and Emes the Infinity!”

“NO!” screamed Trisha. “Emes isn’t ready yet!”

“Too bad…” said Dox, with an evil smile.

“Your wish, is my command…” said Jason. “But before the Battle Phase starts, I’ll play this…”

He played a Spell Card.

“Rush Recklessly!” he shouted. “This gives 700 extra Attack Points to any Monster on the field, and I’ll give them to Emes the Infinity!”

Para and Dox gasped as Emes rose to an Attack of 3,900!

“And since you can’t stop the effect of your own Trap,” said Jason, “ready… battle!”

Gate Guardian blasted its tempest surge, but Emes plowed right through it, and slashed at the huge Warrior with its weapons! Gate Guardian groaned, and then exploded into a lightshow of elemental energy!

“ARGH!” shouted Dox. “This teamwork of theirs we must halt!”

“Don’t look at me,” answered Para. “It wasn’t my fault!”

Emes rose to 4,600 Attack.

[B](J & T: 6,100) (P & D: 7,150)

“Well, chrome domes,” said Jason, “your best Monster was blown to itty-bitty pieces, and since it was a NOMI, your chances of winning just went down the tube.”

“You still have yet to pass this test…” said Para, “and as for what you say, we never said that Gate Guardian… was our best!”

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate the Quickplay Spell Card, Wrath of the Immortals! This card can only be activated when a Monster of ten stars of more is destroyed…”

A dark shadow formed upon the field…

“And what does it do?” asked Trisha, nervously.

“For the price of 2,000 of our Life Points, said Para, “it lets us summon a creature that simply can’t be bested… The Dark Avatar!”

From the shadows, what looked like a woman in Egyptian style priestess clothing appeared. She was at least seven feet tall, her skin and hair was jet black, and she had black, feathered wings on her arms.

She stared at Jason and Trisha, and her eyes glowed with evil light.

(3,500/3,500)

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Dr. Artemis drew back in surprise.

“Well… uhm… er…” she muttered.

She paused.

“That’s… not what I expected…”

She paused again.

“What is that?”

Continued…

Dark Sage

18th July 2006, 10:37 AM

Continued from last post:

[B](J & T: 6,100) (P & D: 5,150)

“Some sort of goddess…” muttered Jason. “And not a very peaceful one, I’m afraid…”

“Wait a minute…” said Trisha. “She isn’t even as strong as Gate Guardian?”

“You may have heard the saying once that looks can be deceiving,” said Dox. “Go against Dark Avatar, and soon you’ll be believing.”

“Ahem,” interrupted Jason, playing a card. “Continuing my turn, I play… De-Fusion! And my target will be Labyrinth Tank.”

Labyrinth Tank vanished.

“Now it returns to your Fusion Deck, Para, leaving you with nothing. Next, I play Monster Reborn, and the Monster I choose is the useful one that Trisha destroyed on her turn…

“Monster Tamer!”

He played the card, and Monster Tamer appeared on the ankh. (1,800/1,600)

“Finally, I place one card facedown,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

Emes fell to 3,900 Attack.

Para drew a card.

“I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light!” he shouted.

The whirlwind blew the Swords into shards.

“Now…” said Para, “Dark Avatar, attack that Monster Tamer, with dark smite!”

Dark Avatar lifted her hands… She called lightning to them…

“Not this time!” shouted Trisha.

Her facedown card lifted.

“I activate Mystik Wok!” she shouted. “And I’ll sacrifice Monster Tamer before your attack hits!”

Monster Tamer vanished.

“Very well…” said Para. “Dark Avatar, switch your target to Cyber Phoenix!”

Dark Avatar blasted lightning bolts forward, and a bolt shot forward, blasting Cyber Phoenix to scrap!

“I forgot all about him!” exclaimed Trisha. “But anyway, when Cyber Phoenix bites the dust, I get to draw one card.”

She drew a card.

“It’s your move…” said Para.

[B](J & T: 7,900) (P & D: 5,150)

Trisha drew a card.

Hey… she thought, as she looked at it. It’s the card from my side deck. Might come in handy…

“I place one card facedown…” she said.

She played a card, and it appeared.

She considered.

It seems simple enough… she thought. They have no Traps on their side of the field… And if she truly had the power to defeat Emes, why didn’t he order her to attack it?

Oh, I hate Monsters that I know nothing about!

“Emes, attack Dark Avatar!”

Emes swung at the Fairy with its sword...

“I activate Dark Avatar’s effect!” shouted Para. “During your Battle Phase, I can spend my Life Points to raise her Attack by the same amount. So I will spend 2,000 of them!”

“WHAT?” shouted Trisha.

As Emes closed in, Dark Avatar rose to at attack of 5,500…

She cast her lightning bolts, and blew Emes away.

[B](J & T: 6,300) (P & D: 3,150)

“We warned you, so cease your prattle,” said Para.

“Dark Avatar cannot be defeated in battle,” said Dox.

“Yeah, to a point,” replied Jason. “Only so long as you have Life Points to spend on that effect.”

The Puppeteer laughed out loud.

“And just how do you intend to summon a stronger Monster now?” he asked. “Dark Avatar has 3,500 Attack Points!

“Oh, by the way…” said the Puppeteer. “You might be interested in knowing that she can’t be destroyed by Traps, Spells, and Monster effects…”

Jason and Trisha stared blankly at the creature in front of them.

“Where… did this card… come from?” asked Trisha, through her teeth.

“Their employer was Maximillion Pegasus himself,” said the Puppeteer. “It’s a custom card that he made especially for them.

“The thing is… during their mortal lives, they only used her in a practice run, and then never used her again. She scared even them, and they didn’t dare keep her in their decks. Some things are so… wicked, even the most ruthless of dueling mercenaries are afraid to use them.

“But… This is not Para and Dox as they were before. The true ones still had some semblance of a light side… Some decency. My specters are created from the dark sides of duelists. They have no compunctions against using a card, even if it is a bit… sinister…”

Dark Avatar’s eyes glowed with evil light.

“She has a few drawbacks, of course,” continued the Puppeteer. “A card this powerful is not without risks. But we aren’t going to tell you what they are…”

“We’ll find a way to beat it,” said Trisha. “It’s your move…”

Dox drew a card.

“I activate my Trap Card,” said Trisha. “And it’s a Trap I added to my deck especially for this duel… Respect Play.”

The Trap lifted.

“For as long as this Trap is active,” she explained, “the cards in every duelist’s hands are public knowledge.”

The images of two cards appeared above Trisha. Five cards appeared above Para, six above Dox, and three above Jason.

“Ha!” said Dox. “What good would it do you to know what our cards are? All of them have but one purpose… Destroying you!”

Truthfully, thought Trisha, the reason I put it in my deck was so Jason and I could see each other’s cards. We might be able to think of a strategy…

She looked at Jason’s cards…

Two Cyber Dragons and Vorse Raider. Not much to work with…

She looked at Para’s hand. Another Suijin, another Kazejin, two more Arsenal Summoners, and Life-Absorbing Machine.

Then she looked at Dox’s hand: A Field Spell Card that she didn’t recognize, Sanga of the Thunder, Magical Shard Excavation, Jirai Gumo (why’d he have that?) Mystik Wok, and…

She didn’t recognize the last Monster. Defense Wall? What sort of Monster was that?

Dox played a card.

“I summon the Defense Wall,” he said.

A creature that could best be described as a stone wall with a face and two arms appeared in front of him. (0/2,100)

“When this Monster is on our side of the field in Defense Mode, you are only allowed to attack him!” he said. “So make your move…”

So that’s it, thought Trisha.

Jason drew a card. Trisha saw that it was Pot of Greed.

“I play Pot of Greed,” he said, playing the card.

He played the card, and drew twice. Trisha saw a little improvement – Luster Dragon #2 and an odd Trap Card.

“Perhaps everyone has forgotten that Peten has been sitting here doing nothing,” said Jason. “Well, I sacrifice him, to summon Luster Dragon #2!”

He played the card, and the huge, emerald Dragon appeared. (2,400/1,400)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en165.jpg

“Luster Dragon…” he shouted, “smash down their wall! Emerald flame!”

Luster Dragon breathed fire, and Defense Wall was blown into shards.

Jason looked at Trisha’s hand. Her three cards were Cannon of the Machine King, Dekoichi, and Advanced Robotics. Not much to go on there.

“I end my turn with one card facedown…” he said.

He played the odd Trap Card, and a facedown card appeared.

Para drew.

The card he had drawn was a strange one, with a mystical and odd image.

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…” he chuckled.

“I play… Riryoku!” he shouted.

“Riryoku?” said Trisha, getting nervous. “What’s that…”

Jason started to sweat.

“It’s an incredibly rare and powerful card…” he said. “For one round only, Para can take half the Attack Points of one opposing Monster and add it to one of his.”

“Yes…” said Para. “So, I’ll take half the Attack Points of Luster Dragon, and add them to that of Dark Avatar!”

He played the card.

Luster Dragon fell to an Attack of 1,200, while Dark Avatar rose to 4,700!

“Dark Avatar, attack Luster Dragon!” shouted Para.

Dark Avatar shot forth an even more massive lightning storm, and the resulting explosion threw both Trisha and Jason off their feet.

[B](J & T: 2,800) (P & D: 3,150)

“Your trumps are destroyed…” said Para.

“No more will this battle be toyed…” said Dox.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Sersei watched Russell with a worried glance.

Artemis walked into the infirmary.

“Dr. Artemis?” asked Sersei, looking up. “How are they doing?”

“The duel isn’t over…” she answered, “but they just took a big hit. Frankly, there’s only one chance left…”

Sersei looked at her. Artemis looked at the small screen.

“Jason almost has what he needs to summon his most powerful creature,” she continued. “But… He’s only done it once before… Only once.

“We have to hope.”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“You can’t win now…” said the Puppeteer. “Why not give up, and save yourself from further humiliation?”

“Never!” said Trisha, drawing a card.

She looked at it.

“I place a Monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Very well,” said Dox, drawing a card.

He added it to his hand and chose another.

“I play Magic Shard Excavation,” he said, playing a Spell Card. “Now, by discarding two cards…”

He discarded the Sanga of the Thunder and the strange Field Card.

“…I can retrieve one Spell Card from my Graveyard. And I choose to retrieve Monster Reborn.”

The card slipped out of his discard slot.

“Now I continue by playing Monster Reborn, to bring back my Monster Tamer!”

He played the card, and Monster Tamer appeared yet again. (1,800/1,600)

“Monster Tamer, attack her facedown Monster!”

Monster Tamer leapt up, and lashed forward with his whip. Dekoichi appeared on the card, and exploded.

“You just flipped my Battlechanted Locomotive,” said Trisha, “so now I get to draw one card.”

She drew, and the card was revealed to be Double Spell.

“Very well,” said Dox. “As if it will matter. Now, I use Monster Tamer’s ability, to take control of Dark Avatar, and add 600 to her Attack Score.”

Monster Tamer lashed his whip. Dark Avatar rose to an Attack of 4,100.

“Now, Dark Avatar, avenge Gate Guardian!” shouted Dox. “Attack Jason directly!”

Dark Avatar powered up her lightning bolts...

Jason shook his head.

“My partner played Respect Play, and yet you bozos didn’t pay attention to the Trap I set?” he asked. “I activate Attack Guidance Armor!”

His Trap lifted, and a suit of fiendish-looking armor appeared. It flew towards Monster Tamer, and clamped down over his chest!

“This acts like a magnet, drawing Dark Avatar’s attack away from me, and towards him!” laughed Jason.

Monster Tamer screamed, and was incinerated.

[B](J & T: 2,800) (P & D: 850)

“Fools!” shouted the Puppeteer. “Can’t you even see straight!”

“Do not worry,” said Para. “One more round, and they will be finished…”

“My move!” shouted Jason, drawing a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity!”

He drew three cards. They were revealed to be Cost Down, Emergency Provisions, and his third Cyber Dragon.

He looked at Trisha’s side.

He slowly nodded.

He discarded Emergency Provisions and Cost Down.

“I summon Vorse Raider in Defense Mode, and end my turn,” he said.

Vorse Raider appeared, and knelt in Defense.

http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct2_en003.jpg

“I’m getting to be annoyed…” said Para, drawing a card. “Your hopes will soon be destroyed! Dark Avatar, attack Vorse Raider!”

Dark Avatar fired her divine lightning, and Vorse Raider was annihilated.

“I’ll that’s my turn, no more, no less,” he said. “Brother, you do the rest.”

Trisha drew a card.

“I play my own Pot of Greed…” she said.

She played the card, and drew two.

Perfect! she thought.

“I play… Double Spell!” she said. “Now, I’ll discard this…”

She discarded Cannon of the Machine King.

“…and I can duplicate any Spell Card in either of your Graveyards. And I’ll duplicate… Fusion Gate!”

She placed the card in her Field Slot, and once again, the cloud appeared above, crackling with energy.

“Next, I place one card facedown…”

She played a card.

“…and summon Machine King Prototype in Defense Mode.”

Prototype appeared, shielding itself. (1,600/1,500)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/soi-en012.jpg

I hope Jason knows what to do… she thought.

Jason grinned at her.

“Since that was my last card I can play, I end my turn,” she said.

Dox drew.

Trisha noticed that the card he had drawn was Call of the Haunted.

“I place one card facedown…” he said.

He played a card, that obviously was Call of the Haunted.

“Now, I summon Jirai Gumo in Attack Mode.”

A huge spider with front legs like cleavers appeared. (2,200/100)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en054.jpg

“Heh…” said Trisha. “If you attack with that, there’s a chance you’ll lose half your Life Points.”

A coin fell from the ceiling and Dox caught it.

“I’m willing to take that chance,” he said. “Jirai Gumo, attack Machine King Prototype!”

The Trapdoor Spider burrowed under the ground, and then sprang up under Prototype, crushing the Machine in its claws.

Dox tossed the coin.

“Heads!” he shouted.

The coin fell to the ground.

They watched it fall.

It was tails.

“That’s half of your Life Points gone,” said Jason.

“Indeed it was quite a cost,” replied Dox, “but I can make up what we lost. I sacrifice Jirai Gumo using Mystik Wok.”

He played the card, and the huge Spider vanished into mist.

[B](J & T: 2,800) (P & D: 2,625)

“I end my turn with that,” he said.

“Then I move…” said Jason.

He drew.

“And now to end this duel,” he exclaimed. “I use the Fusion Gate that my partner copied, and remove my three Cyber Dragons from play…”

All three Cyber Dragons appeared on the field.

“To summon the one…”

They were sucked into the cloud.

“…the only…”

Energy pulsated.

“…the Cyber End Dragon!”

A huge form appeared on the field. It was a huge, three-headed metal serpent, with giant wings! It roared from its three mouths! (4,000/2,800)

http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en0361.jpg

“Fool…” muttered the Puppeteer. “Have you forgotten Dark Avatar’s effect? If you attack with that, they need only spend six hundred Life Points to win the battle.

“We’ll see about that…” added Trisha. “I activate my facedown Quickplay Spell Card…”

Her facedown card lifted.

“Limiter Removal!” she shouted. “This Spell doubles the Attack Score of all Machines on our side of the field. And guess what kind of Monster Cyber End Dragon is…”

Cyber End Dragon roared again. It blazed with green energy, and its Attack rose to 8,000!

“Eight thousand?” shouted the two brothers at once.

“No fair!” shouted the Puppeteer.

“Life isn’t fair, pal,” said Jason. “Anyone who says differently is selling something.”

He looked at his two opponents.

“Run out of clever rhymes?” he asked. “Tough. Try spending enough Life Points to make your Dark Avatar strong enough now. Cyber End Dragon, nuke the Dark Avatar with super strident blast!”

A blast of the most intense fire ever shot from the Machine’s three mouths, and Dark Avatar howled in agony before she shattered to bits. The two Paradox Brothers were thrown backwards and collapsed as the energy ripped through them…

[B](J & T: 2,800) (P & D: 0)

“That’s game…” said Jason.

Jason and Trisha looked as the smoke cleared. All that was left on the opposing side of the field was a huge scorch mark.

The Puppeteer stood up, more than a little afraid.

“You lost, fellah,” said Trisha. “And a deal’s a deal…”

“Never…” said the Puppeteer, holding up the Orichalcos card. “You can have him… if you can get him!”

He fled to the passageway nearest to him…

…but his way was blocked.

“Going somewhere?” asked Malvolio.

“Uh…” muttered the Puppeteer.

He ran for another exit.

He was blocked again.

“Hi!” said Silver.

“We kind of expected a double cross,” said Jason, as more students entered the room, “so we brought backup.”

The Puppeteer backed up…

And stumbled as he hit someone.

He turned around and saw Old Ben.

The gym teacher lifted his metal arm.

“See this hand?” he asked, angrily.

“Uh… Yeah…” muttered the Puppeteer.

Ben socked him with his right hand.

“Should’ve been watching the other one,” he said, as the fiend slumped to the ground.

“Good going,” said Jason. “Now, as soon as he comes too…”

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…” laughed the Puppeteer, in a voice that wasn’t his.

He stood up. His eyes glowed.

“Hello,” he said, “I believe we spoke on the phone earlier…”

“Who?” asked Jason.

“I’m this idiot’s employer,” said the voice. “He is the Master Specter, but I am his master, so I can control him, so I’ve taken over his body and am speaking through his mouth.”

“You can control him?” asked Trisha.

“Why, yes…” said the voice. “Here, watch this…”

The Puppeteer started to dance the Swim. If it wasn’t so demented, it would have almost been funny.

“Anyway,” said the voice, as he stopped, “I can tell you’re likely pretty angry at this jerk. He’s been getting on my nerves too. Everyone he’s summoned so far has been a waste. The only reason he’s using the Raviel card is because he’s the only one we have who was willing to use it. It tends to scare people.

“I had a feeling that this jerk would try to flee. I want to keep Russell’s soul, of course, but without Hermos too, he’s a liability, and besides…”

He held up the card.

“…I did give my word as a gentleman, and I like to believe I am one. So since this idiot lost…”

He waved his hand over the card, and Russell’s image vanished.

“Who are you?” demanded Jason.

“You may call me Fortunado,” said the voice. “Don’t bother looking it up in the Yellow Pages, because it’s a pseudonym. I’m a movie producer of some importance.”

“You’re no movie producer…” growled Jason.

“Fine,” said Fortunado. “I’m an evil businessman from Los Angeles, which is pretty much the same thing.

“Hear this, Chosen Ones… When midnight strikes and the tenth of November turns into the eleventh, the Black Moon will shine, and not even you three will be able to stop me…”

“We’ll see about that…” said Trisha. “We won’t be the ones stopping you… We will find the Dark Messiah.”

“Not if I can help it…” dared Fortunado.

And then, the Puppeteer simply vanished.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

In the infirmary, Russell lay silently…

And then his eyes suddenly snapped open…

Sunday, October 3rd, 2106, 10:52 PM

MONSTER TAMER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 5
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,500

Card Description: This strange individual lacks power of his own, but can command the strongest of beasts. You can use the effect of this Monster during a duel in which you have a partner. You can direct your partner’s Monsters to attack during your Battle Phase. During your Battle Phase, your partner’s Monsters’ ATK is increased by a third of this Monster’s ATK (rounded down).

Note: “Monster Tamer” was used by the Paradox Brothers in the multipart anime episode “Double Trouble Duel”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

DEFENSE WALL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 0
DEF: 2,100

Card Description: This solid stone wall isn’t much on offense, but is great at defense. When this Monster is on your side of the field in face-up Defense Position, all Monsters on your opponent’s side of the field must attack this Monster, if they attack.

ONE-ON-ONE FIGHT (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: Silhouettes of two Samurai about to charge at each other.

Card Description: During the Battle Phase of a turn this card is activated, your and your opponents’ face-up Monsters with the highest ATK must battle each other.

Note: “Defense Wall” and “One-On-One Fight” were used by the Paradox Brothers in the multipart “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode, “Tag Team Trial”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

WRATH OF THE IMMORTALS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Quickplay
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A violent thunderstorm over The Sanctuary in the Sky.

Card Description: You can only play this card when a Monster on your side of the field who has ten stars or more is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. Pay 2,000 Life Points. Special Summon one “Dark Avatar” from your hand or deck.

DARK AVATAR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 11
ATK: 3,500
DEF: 3,500

Card Description: The Angel of Vengeance. Few have seen her and lived. This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This Monster cannot be Special Summoned except via the effect of “Wrath of the Immortals”. This Monster cannot be destroyed by Spell or Trap Cards or Monster effects. If this Monster is attacked during your opponent’s Battle Phase, you may spend any number of your Life Points to increase the ATK of this Monster by the same amount until the End Phase of the current turn. This Monster cannot be Tributed. If this Monster does not destroy a Monster or attack your opponent directly during your Battle Phase, 1,000 points of damage are inflicted to your Life Points.

MAGIC SHARD EXCAVATION (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A cluster of glowing blue gemstones.

Card Description: Discard two cards from your hand. Take one Spell Card from your Graveyard and add it to your hand.

Note: “Magic Shard Excavation” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.

ATTACK GUIDANCE ARMOR (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A gaunt man wearing a fiendish breastplate.

Card Description: You can activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Redirect the attack towards another face-up Monster on the field.

Note: “Attack Guidance Armor” was first used by Kaiba in the multi-part anime episode “Return to Battle City”. He used it frequently after that.

[B][I]You were likely expecting Dark Guardian. Well, I figured something new might have been better.

Coming up next:

You’d think that after losing his soul to the Orichalcos and being rescued, Russell would want to take it easy. Well, you’d be wrong. No one humiliates a member of the Majors family and gets away with it.

At the highest point in New York City, an epic battle of revenge gets underway, in a chapter that is naturally called, “The Warrior Returning Alive”. Don’t dare miss it.