Yu-Gi-Oh! Sorcerer Kings

[Hinoryu]

Well, then.

As a mythology nerd, the Arthurian aspect appealed. I was kind of disappointed in the Seige Perilous, but that was mainly because it was supposed to kill anyone not pure of heart.

A deck based around the Card Knights... I confess, once she tried to put monsters back in for Royal Straight Slasher's effect, I assumed she was going to use it a couple more times and end up decking herself.

Guinevere dueling sort of caught me off-guard, because... well, Guinevere. But that's out of my mind now. My question is, why can someone who just goes to private schools and seems to be just another person use magic? Or was the card conjuring for Ren just smoke and mirrors?

Eh, that about wraps up all I have to say... I should probably get back to packing now. Keep up the good work and all.

[Shuppet Master]

Maybe Sheena's Eliminators are more than what Yumi thinks? I'm a bit curious myself - I know that I made Sheena because I wanted everyone to know that Shelob was smoke and mirrors, a really great actress, and had a backstory. But Brian has somehow changed the Eliminators' role in this story to become more mystical. (Back in my story, when [deleted name due to spoiler] had a vision of her life as an Eliminator, I showed her revealing the smoke and mirrors, but as she thought herself, her future was far different than before, at least in her deck structure, so maybe Sheena's found something we don't...probably in that library of supernatural thingies Rasputin mentions.)

(Apologies to Brian for anything I might have spoiled, this is just my theory.)

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE



Elimination Duel Four



Shaolin Dragon



While Chelsea’s duel with Angel was ending, Olga had come back to the hotel, having beaten that Russian duelist with that creepy Fairy.

She took a scrapbook out of her suitcase. She sat on her bed and looked through it.

There was a picture of her and Rasputin, standing in front of the newly renovated London Gentleman’s Club six months ago…

Chauvinist’s Club might have been a better name for it, until she had helped Rasputin take control of it…

She remembered that night well…



* * * * * * * * * *


Inside the very fancy and posh bar, a man in an expensive suit looked over a deck of Duel Monsters cards. He was sweating nervously.

“I say, Tulsey,” said an older man. “You look like the end of the world is afoot.”

“It may well be…” said Tulsey. “The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff again. My last appeal has been denied.

“Now that snake gave me a choice…

“Either I hand over what he was awarded, or I can wager my position as president of this club in a duel against his representative.

“I can’t come close to paying him, my two ungrateful sons won’t lend me the money, so I have to take the second option.”

“You disowned your sons when you still had money, remember?” said the older man. “You forbade them from marrying those girls you didn’t approve of, and they chose them over you. Seems their choice was the right one.”

Tulsey glared at him.

“Oh, don’t worry, old sport,” he continued. “How hard could it…”

A young waiter ran up to Tulsey.

“Sir,” he said. “Rasputin’s representative is here…”

Tulsey gulped.

“Send him in…” he said.

“Uh, that’s just it, sir,” said the waiter. “It isn’t a ‘him’…”

“Out of my way!” shouted a voice from the entrance.

Olga walked in, ignoring the fact that every set of eyes were on her.

“What is the meaning of this?” asked Tulsey. “No women are allowed in this club.”

“That’s exactly why Rasputin sent me, your honor,” said Olga, saying the title sarcastically. “When he’s president of this club, the ban on female members is the first rule he’s going to abolish.”

Everyone gasped.

“Oh please…” said the older man. “Even if such a rule were proposed, no member would vote to support it.”

Olga grinned.

“Check your club charter, pal,” she said. “Page three, paragraph four, subparagraph two, a clause included by Jacob Humphrey, this club’s esteemed founder.”

She pointed to a portrait on the wall, of a stern-faced man wearing the clothes of nobility from several centuries ago.

“And Rasputin intends to take that down as well,” she added.

The older man turned pale…

“Tulsey…” he said in a scared voice. “I… I know about that… The president has the authority to kill any rule banning a demographic from membership, so long as said demographic has had a member serve as a member of Parliament or Prime Minister of Britain. For decades now, that rule could have been done away with by a single stroke of a pen.”

“How could Humphrey have been so stupid?” asked Tulsey, in fear.

“I doubt he ever believed that a woman would ever hold such a high place in government,” said the older man. “But times change…”

Tulsey looked at Olga.

“This club has existed as a men’s-only club since the days of Henry VIII…” he said, terrified. “We will not allow that tradition to die…”

“It’s an outdated and misogynistic idea,” said Olga. “And anyone who objects to the rule being abolished will have his membership card burned. Unless you can beat me, of course.”

“I will not duel a woman!” shouted Tulsey.

“You can’t renege on the deal you made with Rasputin,” replied Olga, crossing her arms. “You and he agreed to it in writing. If you don’t duel me, you forfeit. That’s what he said…”

“Tulsey…” said the older man. “You duel her right now! And God help you if you lose!”

He gave the younger man a shove.

Everyone glared at him with looks of fury.

“Fine…” he said. “How hard could it be…”

Their Disks activated.



(Olga: 8,000) -------------------- (Tulsey: 8,000)


“I’ll go first…” said Tulsey, drawing a sixth card.

“Chauvinistic AND rude, I see…” muttered Olga.

Tulsey played a Spell Card.

“I play the Spell Card, Ancient Rules,” he said. “Now I can Special Summon a Normal Monster from my hand, no matter how powerful it is.

“And I choose to summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon!”

In a roar, and a burst of dark energy, a Dragon just like the ace of Joey Wheeler’s deck appeared above him. (2,400/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-005.jpg


“Of course, I can’t actually attack with it on the first turn, but I can play this… the Spell Card, Inferno Fire Blast!”

He played the card, and the onlookers cheered as the huge Dragon launched a stream of flames at Olga. She closed her eyes and sweat as the fire hit her.



(O: 5,600) -------------------- (T: 8,000)


“Are you quite done?” asked Olga.

“Not by a long shot,” he replied. “Moving to my second Main Phase, I play Polymerization, to fuse it together with Summoned Skull…”

The intimidating form of Summoned Skull appeared next to Red Eyes, and the two merged into a dark vortex…



http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SDJ-001.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SDJ-036.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/SDY-004.jpg


“I summon the Black Skull Dragon!”

Out of the vortex came a giant, fiendish thing, resembling a Dragon with a skull-like face and a bony exoskeleton. (3,200/2,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-006.jpg


“And to think we were worried…” chuckled someone who was watching.

Tulsey crossed his arms.

“Do you want to know why Humphrey didn’t allow women into this club?” he said with a frown. “Because he knew the cold, hard, fact. Men are superior. I mean, just look at Seto Kaiba. Did he ever use a female Monster in his deck? No!”

Olga chuckled.

And then she laughed. She laughed out loud.

“What?” asked Tulsey.

“Blue-Eyes is a female Dragon,” she said.

“That’s absurd!” shouted Tulsey.

“Obviously you didn’t read Kaiba’s autobiography,” said Olga. “In it, he tells the story of a beautiful, blue-eyed woman named Kisara… Although her life was tragically cut short, she was reborn, as the spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

“Anyway, is that your turn?”

“Yes!” shouted Tulsey.

“Well, you certainly know how to combo,” said Olga, drawing a card.

She played a card, and the Pot of Greed appeared in front of her. She drew two cards.

“But then again, so do I…

“I play Magical Market,” she said, playing a Spell Card. “I have to give up half my Life Points, but then I choose one Spell Card in my hand. Then I get to take all other copies of it from my deck, and they go to my hand as well…”

Her Life Points dipped, as she took two cards from her deck.

“And the three Spell Cards I have now are called Advanced Ritual Art. They work as follows… When I use one, it serves as a substitute for a Ritual Spell Card, and instead of sacrificing Monsters on the field or in my hand, I summon the Ritual Monsters by sacrificing Normal Monsters from my deck.”

She took a card from her deck.

“So, for the first one, goodbye Gyakutenno Megami, hello Cyber Angel Idaten.”

She discarded the card, and Idaten appeared, scowling at Tulsey. (1,600/2,000)

“Second time…” said Olga, playing the second one, “I’ll get rid of another Gyakutenno Megami, and bring out Benten.”

She discarded another card, and Cyber Angel Benten appeared, just as angry. (1,800/1,500)

“Third time’s the charm,” she continued, playing the third card. “I’ll bid adieu to Cosmo Queen, and we can all welcome Dakini.”

She discarded another card, and Cyber Angel Dakini appeared in a maelstrom of energy. (2,700/2,400)

“And due to Dakini’s effect, you can kiss your big scary Monster goodbye.”

Dakini’s eyes glowed with fire, and Black Skull Dragon exploded into shards.

“I’m not finished yet!” shouted Tulsey.

He looked at the last card in his hand, which was Fusion Recovery. Any number of draws on his next turn would allow him to summon his other Black Skull Dragon, or his Meteor Black Dragon, which was even better.

“Oh?” asked Olga, playing a Spell Card. “I play Reckless Charge. So long as this card is in effect, all battle damage I do to you is increased by fifty percent. Of course, in exchange for that, all battle damage you do to me is doubled, but we won’t really have to worry about that, now will we?

“Ladies… Attack him directly!”

Tulsey screamed as the three Cyber Angels mercilessly plowed into him…

He fell to his knees…



(O: 2,800) -------------------- (T: 0)


There was dead calm in the room. Tulsey had been beaten – by a girl – in her first turn…

Olga deactivated her Disk.

“Men are superior…” she said with a scowl. “You’ll note I’m not the one who’s just been reduced to her knees.

“Rasputin will be by soon to do the paperwork.”

“Over my dead body,” said Tulsey, reaching into his jacket. “I’m thinking we could just do away with you and tell him that you never showed up…”

He pulled a gun out of his jacket.

“I see one thing wrong with that plan,” said an angry voice from the door. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

Everyone looked up in fear, and saw Rasputin standing there, accompanied by four hulking bodyguards.

“The punishment for committing a crime with a firearm in this country is very severe, Tulsey,” he said. “Your own security cameras have a perfect view of this room. And if anyone here harms a single hair on her head, I’ll make certain his punishment won’t stop when the law is done with him. So drop it now.”

Tulsey sadly dropped the gun.

“You agreed to my terms,” said Rasputin, “and you lost, so this club is now mine… Anyone who doesn’t like it… Tough…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Olga had enjoyed that. Rasputin did indeed lift the ban on female members, and a great many women joined. A lot of longtime members soon found out that his threat to expel anyone who objected was not empty. Women could come to that club without fear now…

Sadly, Rasputin had another, less noble reason for wanting control of the club – it made a good front for many illegal activities. Sure, the place was more enjoyable for more members of the community now… But as enjoyable as it was, it was controlled by the underworld, just as gangsters had seemingly owned the best nightclubs during the Prohibition Era in America...

Olga lay back on her bed…

She closed the scrapbook, and shook her head sadly…



* * * * * * * * * *


Sam was going through some things in her suitcase at her hotel room with Erik watching.

“Those twerps think they’re so hot,” she muttered, tossing things out of her suitcase. “They can beat Eliminators, huh? They think I’m too scared to face one of them, huh?

“Well, I’m gonna get Gold by doing just that… I’m sick of trouncing common duelists anyway…”

“Sam…” said Erik, “your aunt is an Eliminator… She likely knows the others. They might not even accept your challenge.”

“Taken care of…” said Sam, taking something from her suitcase.

She held it up. It was a doll-like mask, one which would make the wearer’s face look like that of a porcelain figurine.

Sam placed it on her face and fit together the straps as Erik nervously watched. Then she tied her hair up with a comb, and covered it with a bandana.

“See?” said Sam, picking up her Disk. “I’ll just keep my identity secret for this duel.”

“Are you sure you can beat one of them?” asked Erik, nervously. “I mean, the threats they make…”

“Oh, I can beat them,” said Sam. “I know about all of them, and all of their strategies. That Midnight Caller was a surprise, but if I know where to go, they can’t surprise me.

“Come on…”



* * * * * * * * * *


In the Duelatopia Topiary Park, a small clearing stood where there were grouped miniature shrines. These were commonly found in Japanese rural areas; superstition said you could use them to leave offerings to spirits, strange beings who presided over nature.

Sam walked to the center of the clearing. On the paved ground was carved a strange glyph that looked similar to a kanji symbol.

“I… can’t seem to tell what that means…” muttered Erik. “It isn’t Japanese…”

“It’s Chinese…” replied Sam. “It’s a symbol. In the Chinese Zodiac, there are five mystical elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Metal, and Wood. This is the symbol for Earth. This Eliminator is supposed to use a Rock Deck.

“Nothing I can’t handle… I’ve beaten such decks several times.

“Now, let’s see, how do we get in?”

Then, the strange sigil started to change. A verse appeared on the stone:



From the beginning of eternity,
To the end of time and space,
To the beginning of every end,
And the end of every place.
What am I?


“Uhm… heh, heh…” chuckled Erik. “Very interesting… That’s…”

“The letter ‘E’,” said Sam. “It’s a simple answer disguised as a hard one.”

Then, a burst of light shot up from the sigil.

“Someone thinks she’s bright,” said a voice. “Step into the light, and we’ll see if she truly is.”

Sam nodded to Erik. He took her hand, and they stepped into the light.



* * * * * * * * * *


Sam was somewhat surprised when she saw where they were. Her Aunt Diane had never mentioned this place.

It seemed to be a Chinese temple of some sort. The most remarkable feature was that the floor was simply soil. There were statues of oriental dragons in each corner.

There was no exit on her side of the temple. Across the room was a large archway, with a huge set of doors that were closed with a seal. The symbol for Earth was above it.

“Great,” said Sam. “So now what?”

“Patience,” said a voice.

And then, a figure rose out of the very ground in front of her.

He was a young, handsome, very muscular man, wearing a pair of black pants with a red sash, and no shirt. Sam had watched a few Bruce Lee movies in her time, and this guy bore a slight resemblance to the Master.

“Enter the Dragon?” asked Sam, putting a hand on her hip.

“Indeed,” replied the man. “You are in the presence of Togashi Hoshi, Shaolin Dragon of Earth.”

“Shaolin?” asked Sam. “As in Kung-Fu?”

“In a way,” replied Hoshi. “And you are?”

“I’d prefer not to give my name,” replied Sam. “But I’m here to duel…”

Hoshi grinned.

“You wouldn’t be so eager if you knew what was waiting at the end…” he replied.

He gestured, and the soil beneath Sam started to ripple…

“What?” she said, looking down.

Then, a huge hand made of soil reached out of the ground and grabbed her.

“HEY!” she shouted.

“Let her go!” demanded Erik.

“I will, for now…” said Hoshi, “but I can control the very earth, and it lives… And it hungers. It can swallow those who aren’t worthy opponents…”

The fist released Sam.

“You mean…” she gasped. “If I lose… I get buried alive?”

Hoshi nodded.

“However…” he said, “you may have a reason not to surrender just yet, if my suspicions are correct.

“I’m not only an Eliminator, young lady… I’m a guardian.”

He pointed to the sealed door behind him.

“Behind that vault lies a secret that I was entrusted with. As you know, those who defeat Eliminators get a priceless gift, and I just might be able to show you what it is…

“But you must not only win… You must be the type of duelist who can handle it. The secrets that lie in that chamber can only be mastered not only by a powerful duelist, but by one of a special variety. I doubt that even Yugi Mouto could have mastered them. He was a master duelist, the best of his time, but he wasn’t the right type of duelist. Neither was Seto Kaiba or Joey Wheeler.”

Under her mask, Sam’s eyes opened wide.

A power that Yumi’s grandfathers or my great uncle couldn’t have handled? she thought. I have to have it… I have to win…

“Okay, Hoshi…” she said. “I accept your challenge…”

Hoshi raised his left arm, and a silver Disk with a flared tray and a yin-yang on the deck holder appeared on it.

“Be careful…” muttered Erik.

“Game on!” exclaimed Sam and Hoshi.



(Sam: 8,000) -------------------- (Hoshi: 8,000)


“I’ll start this…” said Hoshi, drawing a sixth card. “And to start things off, I’ll summon… Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter in Attack Mode.”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a figure burst out of the soil. It was a tall, humanoid mouse, wearing trousers and slippers. He made a fighting stance. (1,200/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh_fet_en_003_1.jpg


“I end my turn,” said Hoshi.

Huh? thought Sam. He summoned a weak Monster in Attack Mode, and that’s all? What is he up to?

Is he planning to summon The Rock Spirit? Or Gigantes? I have to be careful….

She drew a card.

“I throw a card facedown, and summon Gil Garth in Attack Mode,” she said.

A facedown card appeared, followed by the armored, mechanical Fiend. (1,800/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le4_004.jpg


“Kill his Mouse Fighter!” she shouted.

Gil Garth made a slash with his katana. Chu-Ske fell backwards and shattered.



(S: 8,000) -------------------- (H: 7,400)


“I end my turn…” she said.

“Not bad…” said Hoshi. “I draw…”

He drew one card.

“Master Kyonshee in Attack Mode,” he said.

He played the card, and a new Monster appeared. It was a tall figure dressed in a kimono, with a veil over its face, with a kanji symbol on the veil. Again, it made a fighting stance. (1,750/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/pgd-053.jpg


“Once again, I end my turn.”

“Uh, are you sure?” asked Sam. “In case you didn’t know, you can do more.”

Hoshi just looked at her.

What the heck is he doing? thought Sam. He put a Monster that’s clearly weaker than mine in Attack Mode, with no facedown cards? It’s as if he doesn’t even understand the basic rules of the game…

And this certainly doesn’t seem like any Rock Deck I’ve ever seen. His Monsters aren’t Rocks, and they just seem… random. Not to mention lame.

“I don’t know what your game is,” she said, “but it’s your funeral. I summon Opticlops.”

She played another card, and the muscular, cyclopsed Fiend appeared. (1,800/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-0091.jpg


“Attack Master Kyonshee!” she shouted.

Opticlops charged forward, and rammed the Zombie, blowing it to pieces.

“Gil Garth, attack directly! Terminate…”

Gil Garth slashed with his katana, and Hoshi staggered backwards.



(S: 8,000) -------------------- (H: 5,550)


“This has got to be the easiest duel I’ve ever had…” chuckled Sam.

Hoshi smirked at her, and drew a card.

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

He nodded.

“That all?” asked Sam, drawing a card.


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



She played another card.

“Skull Knight #2 in Attack Mode,” she said.

In an aura of darkness, the armored, skeletal Fiend appeared. (1,000/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en129.jpg


“Opticlops, wipe out his facedown Monster!” shouted Sam.

Opticlops charged…

A huge rodent appeared on the card. Opticlops ran it down.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mrl-079.jpg


“A Giant Rat?” said Sam, startled.

“Yes,” replied Hoshi, taking his deck. “I’m sure you know its effect. I’ll use it to summon a second Giant Rat…”

He played a card, and another Rat appeared, crouching. (1,400/1,450)

“I’m not afraid of that!” replied Sam. “Gil Garth, smash that Rat!”

Gil Garth swiped with his sword, and the second Rat shattered into pieces.



(S: 8,000) -------------------- (H: 5,150)


“Look before you leap, little girl,” said Hoshi. “For now you have enabled me to bring out the key to my strategy. I use this Rat’s effect, to Special Summon Monk Fighter.”

With a rumble, a tall figure burst out of the ground. Sam was a little surprised. It looked somewhat like Hoshi himself, with slate-grey skin, in a ragged yellow martial arts gi. (1,300/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tlm-en019.jpg


“Yeah, well I’m not scared of him either…” muttered Sam. “He’s still weaker than two of my Monsters…”

She took a card from her hand.

Bark of Dark Ruler.

Although… she thought, looking at it, he likely intends to sacrifice that Monk Fighter for some stronger Monster…

“Is that a good card you have there?” asked Hoshi. “Maybe you should play it, instead of just looking at it.”

“Yeah, yeah…” said Sam, placing it in her Disk.

The card appeared facedown next to the first one.

“My turn is over.”

Hoshi drew a card.

“I don’t want to suggest that my Monsters are scared of yours, child,” he said, “but even so, I will activate Banner of Courage.”

He played a card, and a Continuous Spell Card appeared.

“This means…”

“That one I know about…” said Sam. “It means your Monsters gain 200 Attack Points, but only for your Battle Phase.”

“Smart…” said Hoshi, taking a card. “Now, I sacrifice Monk Fighter, to summon Master Monk!”

Monk Fighter shattered into pixels…

And then, a hulking, far more powerful form burst out of the ground. He looked like he could have been Monk Fighter’s father, a powerful man with white hair and a beard, again with slate-grey skin, dressed only in a ragged pair of trousers. (1,900/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tlm-en020.jpg


“Whoa…” said Erik.

“Whoa is right,” said Hoshi. “True, his Attack Score seems a bit low for a Tribute Monster, but due to his powerful effect, he can attack twice in one Battle Phase.

“Master Monk, attack her Opticlops! Shaolin fist!”

The Banner of Courage glowed. Master Monk’s Attack Score rose to 2,100, and he charged towards Opticlops…

“I activate Bark of Dark Ruler!” shouted Sam, as her Trap lifted.

Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared behind her, and howled.

“I’ll pay 400 Life Points, and your Monk loses the same amount!”

“Clever…” said Hoshi. “But I can be clever too!”

He threw a card into his Disk.

“I play Trap Booster! Now, I toss one card from my hand…”

He quickly discarded Trojan Blast from his hand.

“And now I can activate one Trap Card from my hand. And I choose to activate… Lone Wolf!”

A Trap Card appeared on the field. It bore the image of Master Monk with his back to a starry sky.

Opticlops deflected the blow and punched Master Monk, but he simply fell backwards, landing on his feet. He didn’t shatter.

“He survived?” gasped Sam.

“My Trap Card protected him,” replied Hoshi. “I can only use Lone Wolf when I have one Monster on the field, and it must be one of three specific Monsters. But now… Master Monk cannot be defeated in battle. And Lone Wolf is a Continuous Trap, by the way.

“And remember… Due to his own effect, he can attack twice, and your Bark of Dark Ruler only lasts for one battle…”

Master Monk loomed over Opticlops, as his Attack Score rose back to 2,100…

“Master Monk, attack her Opticlops again!” shouted Hoshi.

Master Monk kicked Opticlops hard, and the Fiend groaned before shattering into bits.



(S: 7,300) -------------------- (H: 5,050)


“It’s your move…” said Hoshi, with a smirk.

Sam simply stared for a minute. She slowly drew a card.

“I… I move both my Monsters to Defense Mode…” she said.

Skull Knight and Gil Garth crouched in defense.

“That’s all I can do…” she said.

She was still rather shocked. This was the first time her Bark of Dark Ruler had failed to work.

Hoshi drew a card.

“I recall that you said a minute ago,” he said, “that this was the easiest duel you ever had. Well, it doesn’t seem so easy now, does it? And it’s only going to get harder from this point. In a minute, it will not matter what Mode your Monsters are in.

“I Equip my Monk with Legendary Black Belt.”

He played a card, and a black belt made of cloth appeared and tied around Master Monk’s waist.

“Don’t tell me it gives him a trampling effect?” asked Sam, getting nervous.

“Even better,” replied Hoshi. “Now, whenever he destroys a Monster, that Monster’s total Defense Score is taken out of your Life Points.”

“You gotta be kidding…” said Erik.

“I never kid,” said Hoshi. “Master Monk, destroy Gil Garth!”

Master Monk leveled another kick, and Gil Garth was smashed to pieces. Sam cringed as she was struck by stabbing pain.

“Now, destroy the Skull Knight!”

Master Monk threw another kick, and Skull Knight was blown into a pile of bones and armor. Sam cringed again.



(S: 4,900) -------------------- (H: 5,050)


“That’s all for now…” said Hoshi.

Sam looked at her deck.

She drew a card.

Under her mask, she smiled. It was Dark Ruler Ha Des.

“I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted!” she shouted.

Her other Trap Card lifted, and Skull Knight #2 crawled out of the dirt. (1,000/1,200)

“Now I sacrifice him…” she continued, “for Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

The temple darkened, and in a shadowy flame, the King of the Underworld appeared, looming over the arena. (2,450/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod_001.jpg


“Now I activate Skull Knight’s effect…” continued Sam. “I’ll summon another one, in Defense Mode.”

A second Skull Knight appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,000/1,200)

“Ha Des, attack his Monk! Stygian blast!”

Ha Des roared, and then blasted a wave of black fire. Master Monk staggered against it, and Hoshi sweat in pain…



(S: 4,900) -------------------- (H: 4,400)


“See?” said Sam. “I figured out your Monster’s weakness. He may be invulnerable, but you sure aren’t. And now my Monster is too strong for him to defeat.”

Hoshi laughed as he drew a card.

“You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you, little girl?” he asked.

“First, I’ll summon a second Master Kyonshee…”

He played the card, and another of the Zombie monks appeared. (1,750/1,000)

“Next, I play this Spell Card,” he said, holding up a card. “It’s called Kaminote Blow, and it gives Master Monk a special ability. On the round I use this card, he can destroy any Monster he attacks, no matter how strong it is. And thanks to Lone Wolf, he’ll survive the battle as well.”

“Wait a minute…” said Sam.

“Master Kyonshee,” said Hoshi, “destroy the Skull Knight!”

Kyonshee’s Attack rose to 1,975, and he leapt at Skull Knight, kicking it and blasting it to shards.

“Master Monk, attack the Dark Ruler! Kaminote Blow!”

Master Monk’s Attack Score rose to 2,100 again, and he darted forward, and delivered a fierce punch to Ha Des’s chest. The Dark Ruler groaned, and then shattered into pixels.

“Ha Des…” muttered Sam, sadly.

And then she cringed in pain…

“Don’t forget the effect of Legendary Black Belt…” said Hoshi. “Or the fact that he can attack twice. Master Monk, attack her directly!”

“NO!” screamed Erik.

Erik’s protests did nothing to stop Master Monk. He savagely kicked Sam in the stomach, and she screamed as she was thrown backwards.



(S: 1,200) -------------------- (H: 4,050)


“Pity…” said Hoshi. “You seem to have at least one loyal friend here… But once this is over, you’ll have to learn to make friends with the grubs and worms underneath this temple.”

“All right, pal!” shouted Erik. “I’m gonna…”

“One more step, young man,” said Hoshi, “and she loses automatically.”

Erik stopped.

Think of something, baby… he thought.

Sam slowly got up, clutching her gut.

“It’s your move…” said Hoshi. “Unless you want to give up.”

“No…” muttered Sam. “You see, you may think you have a powerful strategy, but it does have a fatal flaw.

“See, you rely too much on one powerful Monster. All you’re really doing is using cards to juice up Master Monk again and again. You’re forgetting one of my…”

She caught herself.

“Uhm, you’re forgetting one of Seto Kaiba’s cardinal rules of dueling: Never base your whole strategy on one powerful card.”

“…said the man who had three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in his deck…” said Hoshi, crossing his arms.

“I will beat you…” said Sam, drawing a card. “You’ll see.”

Don’t make me a liar… she thought, looking at it.

“I play… Pot of Greed.”

The laughing jar appeared in front of her, and she drew two cards.

She looked at them.

All right… she thought. Now we’re talkin…

“I throw a card facedown, and a Monster in Defense Mode…” she said.

A facedown card, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“That will be all…”

Hoshi drew a card.

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Sam, as her set card lifted. “Shadow Spell!”

A mass of chains burst out of the ground, and grabbed Master Monk. He grunted as they bound his arms and legs. His Attack Score fell to 1,200.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Hoshi. “Very clever… But it’s only a matter of time before I break those chains…”

“Well… Move…” said Sam.

“Actually…” said Hoshi, “I choose to end my turn without making any move.”

“Suit yourself,” said Sam, drawing a card.

“I flip my facedown Monster to Attack Mode…” she stated. “Go, Night Assailant!”

The card flipped up, and a shadowy Monster appeared. It was dark creature, clothed in a dark cloak and hood, holding two glowing blades. (200/500)

“When this guy is Flip-Summoned, one Monster on the field is instantly slain,” said Sam. “So say goodbye to your Monk! Night Assailant, destroy Master Monk!”

Night Assailant crossed its blades, and a blast of energy shot towards Master Monk…

He didn’t seem to care. The blast just glanced off his rocky skin.

“It… It didn’t work?” asked Sam.

“Heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Hoshi. “My Lone Wolf Trap also renders him immune to Monster effects. Your Night Assailant’s effect couldn’t kill him any more than attacks could.”

“Now you tell me…” muttered Sam.

She looked at the card she had just drawn.

“My move isn’t over!” she shouted. “I sacrifice Night Assailant, for Lesser Fiend!”

Night Assailant shattered into pixels, and Lesser Fiend rose up, roaring savagely. (2,100/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-003.jpg


“Attack his Master Kyonshee!” she shouted.

Lesser Fiend lumbered forward, and with one double-swipe with its left claws, the Zombie was torn to shreds.

“By the way…” said Sam, “any Monster that it destroys is gone for good. I’ll end my turn there.”



(S: 1,200) -------------------- (H: 3,700)


Hoshi drew a card.

He smirked.

“I set a card facedown…” he said, “and that will be all.”

A facedown card appeared.

A facedown card… thought Sam, and I bet I know what it is, too… I have to make this move count…

“I draw one card…” she said, drawing a card.

“And I activate my Trap,” said Hoshi. “Dust Tornado!”

The Trap Card lifted up, and the fierce wind tore across the field. Master Monk lifted his arms, and broke free of the chains.

Do something, Sam… thought Erik. If that Monk attacks on your next turn, you lose…

Sam looked at the card she had drawn.

“I play… Graceful Charity,” she said.

She played the card, and it glowed. Angels didn’t tend to come to duelists who used Fiend Decks, but she still was able to draw three cards.

She looked at them closely before making two discards.

Then she placed a card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“That’s all…” she said.

Hoshi drew a card.

“This ends now…” he said. “I summon a second Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter.”

He played the card, and another of the mouse monks appeared. (1,200/0)

“Master Monk, attack Lesser Fiend!”

Master Monk’s Attack Score rose to 2,100 again. He leapt, and aimed a kick at Lesser Fiend.

“Go!” shouted Sam, as her Trap Card lifted. “Draining Shield!”

A dome of energy surrounded Sam and her Monster, and Master Monk’s foot slammed into it. He grunted, as energy flowed into Sam.

“Very clever…” said Hoshi, “but he can attack twice, remember? Master Monk, attack again!”

Master Monk kicked Lesser Fiend in the gut, and it groaned before exploding into pixels. Sam groaned too, as the pain ripped through her.

“Chu-Ske, attack directly!” ordered Hoshi. “Hardened hands!”

The Mouse Fighter’s Attack Score rose to 1,400. He charged towards Sam.

“Sorry, but he won’t get to me,” said Sam, discarding a card, “thanks to my Kuriboh.”

A swarm of the little, furry Fiends popped up between Sam and Chu-Ske, and the Mouse Fighter fell backwards as they exploded.

And to think I almost didn’t put that little guy in my deck… thought Sam. That’s not the first time it saved my ass… Hard to believe my uncle hated it so much…



(S: 2,300) -------------------- (H: 3,700)


“You saved yourself that round,” said Hoshi. “Next round will be different.

“I set one card facedown, and I’ll end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared.

Sam looked at her hand.

She had a Monster that was stronger than his Monk, but with that Lone Wolf, it would be pretty much useless…

She drew a card.

She frowned. This was going to be risky, but it was the only way…

“I place one card facedown…” she said, fitting a card in her Disk, “and then summon Giant Orc.”

A facedown card appeared, and then the huge, muscular ogre holding a bone club appeared. (2,200/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-012.jpg


“HA!” laughed Hoshi. “Do you think I’m scared of that brainless brute? It may be strong, but once it attacks, it must shift to Defense Mode, where it is helpless.”

“We’ll see, won’t we?” asked Sam. “Giant Orc, attack his Mouse Fighter! Bone basher!”

Giant Orc roared, and with one smash of its club, Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter was squashed flat.

Giant Orc tumbled backwards and fell on its behind, its eyes in a daze.



(S: 2,300) -------------------- (H: 2,700)


“I hope it was worth it,” said Hoshi. “It’s my move…”

He drew a card.

“And it’s time for your Monk to split…” said Sam. “I activate my Trap Card…”

Her facedown card lifted.

“Go, Ring of Destruction!”

Hoshi gasped in fear, as the ring of grenades formed around Master Monk’s neck.

“I may lose as many Life Points as you will from this move…” said Sam, “but I know from experience now, that Lone Wolf doesn’t protect him from Traps. So your annoying Master Monk is history.”

“So be it…” said Hoshi, “but I can still activate this…”

His facedown card lifted.

“Emergency Provisions. I’ll send Lone Wolf, Legendary Black Belt, and Banner of Courage to the Graveyard, and while I may lose my Monster, I’ll still come out ahead.”

The three Spell Cards vanished…

As soon as they did, Master Monk exploded into shards of rock. Both Sam and Hoshi were thrown backwards by the blow. They toppled over.



(S: 400) -------------------- (H: 3,800)


Hoshi slowly got up. He looked at the two cards in his hand.

“I’m not through yet…” he muttered. “I play Monster Reincarnation.”

He played the card, and then discarded his other one. He took Giant Rat from his discard slot.

“I’ll set this in Defense Mode, and end my turn…”

The Monster appeared facedown.

“I have 3,800 Life Points compared to your 400,” he said. “And all you have is a brute with a nonexistent Defense Score. You’ll still lose…”

If she manages to attack my Rat, he thought, I can summon another Monk Fighter… he thought, and even if she manages to attack him, his effect will reduce the damage to zero. I can still win…

Sam drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Avarice,” she said.

She played the card, and the goofy pink jar appeared. She took Dark Ruler Ha Des, Opticlops, Night Assailant, Opticlops, and one Skull Knight from her Graveyard and shuffled them into her deck.

“Now I get to make two draws…” she said, drawing twice.

She looked at the two cards and smirked.

“Well…” she said, “it’s been fun… But now it ends…

“I play Monster Reborn, to bring back Gil Garth.”

The golden ankh appeared, and Gil Garth appeared once again. (1,800/1,200)

“Next… I play the Spell Card, Medicine Eater.”

“Medicine Eater?” said Hoshi. “I’ve never heard of that…”

The Spell Card appeared on Sam’s side of the field. It bore a picture of a man turning into a werewolf.

“You’ll see what it does in a minute,” said Sam. “Now…I’ll sacrifice my Orc, to summon Ha Des once again, using my second copy.”

Giant Orc shattered into triangles. In a burst of darkness, Ha Des appeared once more. (2,450/1,600)

Then he raised his hands, and glowed with green flame. His Attack Score rose to 3,550.

“What on Earth?” shouted Hoshi.

“That’s what Medicine Eater does,” said Sam. “If I play it before I summon a Monster by sacrifice, the summoned Monster gains half the Attack and Defense of the sacrificed Monster, as well as its effect.

“Gil Garth, attack his Monster!”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Gil Garth flew forward, and the Rat appeared on the card. It was smashed to pieces.

“Sorry…” said Hoshi, “but you activated its effect…”

“No I didn’t…” said Sam. “Due to Ha Des, its effect is negated. Despite Medicine Eater, Ha Des gets to keep his own effect.”

Hoshi stopped short.

“I’m not finished yet!” he shouted. “I’ll still have Life Points left, and if He Des truly has Giant Orc’s effect, he’ll switch into Defense Mode after he attacks me!”

Sam glared at him.

“Didn’t think about that, did you, little girl?” he asked.

Sam played a card from her hand, and Rush Recklessly appeared behind Ha Des. Hoshi stopped short, as Ha Des’s Attack Score shot up to 4,250.

“Actually…” said Sam, “I did.

“Ha Des… attack directly and end this! Stygian blast!”

Dark Ruler Ha Des conjured up his dark flames, and the Shaolin Dragon of Earth screamed and was propelled backwards.



(S: 400) -------------------- (H: 0)


“All right!” shouted Erik, running up to her.

He hugged her.

“You won!”

“Heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Sam’s opponent. “Not bad, Samantha…”

Sam looked at him. She took off her mask.

“You knew it was me the whole time?” she asked.

“It wasn’t much of a disguise,” said Hoshi. “Besides, I don’t need to see someone’s face to identify her…”

He chuckled.

“They say a warrior’s fighting style is like a fingerprint… A master of the martial arts can tell who a warrior is merely by seeing him fight, even if he’s in disguise…

“And by the same token, a master duelist can tell who a duelist is by watching her dueling style, even if she wears a disguise.”

“Okay…” muttered Sam. “Now you’re scaring me.”

“But anyway…” said Hoshi.

He waved his arm, and Sam’s badge changed color, turning to Gold.

“All right!” she shouted. “I’m heading for the finals!”

“That you are…” said Hoshi, “and you might need this…”

He handed her a card.

“It’s a Field Spell that might do wonders with your deck…”

Sam looked at it.

“Yes…” she said with a smile. “But, uh… What about this other treasure… This thing that not even Yumi’s grandfathers could have used?”

Hoshi looked at her with a sullen look.

“Are you truly the mistress of Fiends, Samantha?” he asked.

Sam paused.

“Uhm, I guess so…” she replied.

“Perhaps you know then…” said Hoshi, somberly, “that there are groups of Fiends who do not recognize Ha Des’s authority… Groups that even he is reluctant to deal with… Fiends older than he is, who know of dark secrets…”

“Yeah…” said Sam, “that would be the Archfiends.”

“Even older,” said Hoshi. “I refer to the Fiends who ruled Pandemonium before the Archfiends threw them out… Primordial, ancient creatures, born from the darkness of Chaos… The Fiends of Dark World…”

“Dark World?” asked Erik.

“Wait…” said Sam. “I’ve heard of those cards… Pegasus made them as part of some promotion… But everyone who tried using them eventually stopped… Some people said that they were cursed…”

“The Fiends of Dark World are very dangerous Duel Spirits, Samantha,” said Hoshi, gravely. “Only a duelist who can truly control Fiends, who can tame them like no other duelist, can use their powers without falling victim to the incredible evil they exude…”

He pointed to the sealed door.

“Years ago, a duelist who had nearly fallen victim to their evil influence gave me a Dark World Deck, telling me to keep it secured. I have done so, and I have several times offered it to duelists who I thought could tame the spirits…

“But so far, everyone who has gone in there trying to claim the cards has run screaming from the chamber… The Spirits won’t be tamed without a fight.

“I’ll make you the same offer Samantha. The cards are in there, and you can have them… If you can get to them.”

Sam looked at him.

“Open the door…” she ordered.

Hoshi pointed to her Duel Disk.

“Take that off first,” he ordered. “No help from other Spirits allowed.”

Sam paused. She slowly removed the Disk, and handed it to Erik.

“Be careful, baby…” said Erik.

“I’ll stay by the door, Samantha,” said Hoshi. “You’ll still be able to hear me. The Spirits of the Dark World Fiends will try to halt your advance. You must try your best to prove you are superior to them. In other words, show them who’s boss.”

The seal broke, and the doors slowly opened.

“Good luck…”

Sam looked beyond the doors. A dark, creepy temple, dimly lit by violet torches was beyond the doors. Vaguely, she could make out an altar far on the other side.

She stepped inside the doors, and wisps of spooky energy flew around her.

“All right…” she said, “come on out…”

As she said this, two spooky forms appeared. One was a short, blocky, egg-shaped creature holding a dagger. The other was a tall, thin creature with a green cape and an enlarged cranium.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0181.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0191.jpg


The one with the dagger advanced on Sam. Her eyes narrowed.

She made a backhand slap, and it fell backwards before vanishing.

She turned to the other one.

“Your move, weirdo,” she snarled.

It turned, and fled into the darkness.

“Impressive,” said Hoshi’s voice. “But don’t get too cocky. Those were weak Spirits. More powerful ones are ahead…”

Sam started to walk forward, and a spooky mist covered the ground.

Two more ugly Fiends rose up to either side of her. One was dressed in bone armor, and held a spear. The other wore metal armor and furs, and held a bow and arrow.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en0201.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en021.jpg


Sam glared at the two of them for a minute.

“Go on…” she said. “Attack me if you want to…”

The one with the bow hesitated. The one with the spear didn’t. It charged.

Sam dodged aside, and then slammed her fist into its face. It was kind of like punching dough, but the creature still recoiled, and then vanished.

Sam motioned for the one with the bow to come closer. It didn’t. It simply vanished.

“You’re not doing bad, Samantha, but beware…” said Hoshi. “The next one won’t be tamed so easily…”

Sam continued to walk forward.

An aura of darkness appeared in front of her…

Another Fiend, this one clothed in armor and a blue cape, holding a longsword, appeared out of the darkness.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en001.jpg


It glared at her. Its eyes glowed.

Then it rushed at her, with its sword held high…

Hardly knowing what she was doing, Sam reached out with her hand, and caught the blade as it fell towards her. It didn’t seem sharp at all, and she was able to block its advance.

The Fiend grit its teeth and stared at her.

Then she gave it a violent kick in the gut. It fell backwards, and shattered into bits.

“Not bad, Samantha,” said Hoshi’s voice. “You’re doing much better than most folks have done. That’s the easiest I’ve ever seen anyone get past Zure.

“But still, be careful… It only gets much harder from here.”

Sam started to walk again…

She was startled to hear laughter.

Not normal laughter. It sounded like the laughter of some madman…

Someone was behind her…



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en022.jpg


Two spectral arms grabbed her from behind. Sam cringed… The touch was like that of a corpse…

She threw her head backwards, hitting where she thought its head would be. It let go.

She spun around, and saw the Fiend fully. It reached for her again, but she grabbed its arms. They struggled…

Finally, Sam forced it to its knees. After about a minute, it gave up, and vanished.

Sam paused to catch her breath.

“Samantha…” said Hoshi, “you may be interested in knowing that you are now at a spot where no one has ever gotten to. No one’s ever made it past Brron before.

“Now look sharp. Brron may be the ruler of Dark World in name, but some say that his two top generals are even stronger than he is…

“And whispered legends say that he answers to an Overlord of much greater power.”

Sam looked up, and saw the altar in front of her. It was an ominous, dark thing, with a small pine box on top.

She walked towards it.

Then two horrific forms appeared to stop her advance.

“You guys don’t waste time, do you?” she said nervously.

One of the fiendish creatures was clad in silver, decorated armor, and held a sword. The other wore golden armor, and held an axe.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en0231.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en024.jpg


“Come on you two…” said Sam. “You think I’m scared of…”

She didn’t finish that sentence. It was interrupted as the two Fiends’ weapons slashed into her.

Sam fell to her knees. She didn’t expect that…

She also didn’t expect what happened next. The two Fiends each grabbed hold of one of her arms and dragged her up to the altar.

“Sam!” shouted Hoshi. “What’s going on?”

“You tell me!” she shouted back.

A burst of black smoke appeared in front of Sam.

“Offhand…” muttered Sam, “I think I’m about to meet that Overlord you just mentioned…

“Figures… Dungeons always have a boss character…”

The creature that appeared was hideous. It was ten feet tall, with huge wings, a muscular torso, with four gems embedded in its chest, and a ram-like head with a skull-like face and curved horns. Its shoulders and lower body were covered with gleaming armor. It clutched a two-pronged, golden-bladed sasumata in its claw. It was surrounded by an odd aura – darkness, in which a multitude of colored lights flickered.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0171.jpg


It stared at Sam in stony silence.

Then it pointed down.

“In your dreams…” snarled Sam.

The creature frowned. It motioned to the two Fiends holding Sam, and they started to force her to her knees. She struggled and cursed, but they were too strong.

Then the creature aimed its sasumata at her. It glowed with dark energy…

A scream echoed through the whole temple.

Erik was trying hard to see what was happening.

“I’m going in there…” he said.

“Don’t be a fool…” said Hoshi. “Unless you play a Fiend Deck as well, your chances of making it past even the first guards are practically zero.”

Back inside, Sam gasped for breath. Smoke rose from her chest. She slowly looked up.

The creature in front of her looked a bit puzzled. Maybe it didn’t expect her to survive that blast.

It aimed the sasumata again.

“ENOUGH!” shouted Sam.

She leapt to her feet, throwing the two Fiends who were holding her aside. Then, she grabbed hold of the sasumata, and wrenched it out of the creature’s hands.

“How did I do THAT?” she said, looking at it.

She looked at the creature, who was now less sure of itself. It clearly hadn’t been expecting that.

She would figure it out later.

Sam looked at the two lesser nobles. Then she turned to the big one again.

“I’ll get to you in a minute…” she said.

She aimed the sasumata at the one in silver armor, and a blast of multicolored light shot from it. The Fiend was blown into shards.

Sam grinned. She aimed at the gold one. It backed up and dropped its axe.

“Sorry…” said Sam, “not interested.”

She fired another blast, and it was blown to pieces.

Finally, she turned to the Overlord. She pointed its weapon at it.

“Dark Spectrum!” she shouted, not even knowing how she learned the name of the attack.

The Fiend howled, and fell backwards.

Then it slowly got up…

It bowed its head, and then knelt on one knee.

“Well…” said Sam. “That’s more like it…”

She didn’t even see the slight, sinister grin on its face as it bowed its head…

She gave it a kick, and it vanished. The sasumata vanished as well.

She stepped up to the altar, and opened the pine box. A deck of cards was inside.

She took the cards, and leafed through them. A smile started to form on her face as she looked at the card texts.

Hmm… she thought. Powerful… Maybe I’ll save these for a special occasion…

After all, I’m at Gold now, and Yumi will be there too before you know it… When we finally duel, I’ll need to surprise her like never before… Regular run-o-the-mill Fiends might not fit the bill…

Why cast her into Hades, when I can condemn her to Dark World?

She ran out of the temple.

“Thanks for the cards, pal,” she said to Hoshi.

“Samantha, one final thing…” said Hoshi. “Those cards…”

“Don’t worry…” interrupted Sam. “I can handle them…

“Come on, Erik… Let’s go find Yumi and laugh at her…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Rasputin sat at his computer, with Nicholas and Olga watching.

“Yumi is at Silver,” he muttered. “If someone is to challenge her, it has to be someone who is Violet or Silver. That means me, one of you two…

“…or her…”

He looked at the face on the screen. It was a young woman, dressed in the clothing and style of a 1960’s flower child.

Rasputin grinned.

He picked up the phone.

“Rasputin?” said a voice over it. “What’s the word?”

“I need you to duel someone, Aisha,” he responded. “You only need one more win for the finals, after all… but I warn you, this opponent might be difficult…

“I recommend that you use your… Uhm, special card.

“Uh…” came the response, rather nervously. “Uhm, sure… I guess I could use it again… But… That card… It keeps giving me a feeling…”

“It’s nerves, Aisha,” said Rasputin, “nothing more. You have a powerful card, you should use it. Why let it molder in your side deck? It’s completely legal. Duelists buy racks of card packs hoping for a lucky pull like that one, and if it helps you win, you should use it.

“Now stay put… Yumi will be there shortly.”

He hung up.

“You just told a big, fat lie, didn’t you?” asked Olga.

“No…” replied Rasputin, “I simply didn’t tell the complete truth.”

“And how will some hippie girl be able to beat Yumi?” asked Nicholas.

“So long as she uses that card, she’s invincible…” said Rasputin, “and her opponents don’t recover from losses easily.

“The card I mentioned… Is cursed…

“You see, like I said, she got it from a very lucky pull. It’s a rare and powerful Trap Card. She started using it in her deck for every duel, and kept winning all the time.

“Finally, she boasted in front of the group who had come to watch that Fate itself must have smiled on her to grant her such a lucky find…

“Such a bold claim would not go unchallenged…

“From out of nowhere, a stranger appeared, and issued a challenge, which she eagerly agreed to. Poor Aisha didn’t know that her opponent wasn’t human – he was a rakshasa, a type of demon who embodied disease and pestilence. These demons are the bane of humanity… They invented all of the plagues that have tortured mankind during history, like smallpox and the bubonic. Some modern scholars who know of them blame them even for the HIV virus.

“Anyway, Aisha had no idea that the duel she was entering was a Shadow Game. I won’t share the grizzly details of that duel… Suffice to say she lost.

“The demon had the right to take her soul, or inflict any of a variety of cruel tortures, but it chose a very ironic punishment. It placed a curse on that powerful card. From that point on, every time she would use it in a duel and win, her opponent would get sick from its realistic effect.

“The lucky ones have only caught cold. Others have come down with bronchitis or even pneumonia. Aisha has gotten suspicious, of course, and doesn’t use it all the time, but if she wants to win an important duel, she often has to.

“So, we wait for her to beat Yumi… And with Yumi sick, she’ll be easy prey. One of you two will merely have to challenge her, and winning her Crown will be a cakewalk.”

There was a long pause.

“Sounds a bit…” said Nicholas, “what’s the term I’m looking for?”

“Playing dirty…” said Olga.

“Perhaps…” said Rasputin, “but as they say, to make a great omelet, you have to break a few eggs…

“After all…

“It’s not a perfect world…”

Sam has advanced to Gold, and has claimed the Dark World Deck from its fiendish guardians. But Rasputin is starting to plot again, and a duelist whose deck holds a curse inside is waiting for Yumi. What’s going to be the outcome?



MEDICINE EATER (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A man turning into a werewolf.

Card Description: Activate this card before Tribute Summoning a Monster. Half of the ATK and DEF of the Tributed Monster are added to those, respectively, of the Tribute Summoned Monster. The Tribute Summoned Monster gains the effect(s) of the Tributed Monster. If you are making a Tribute Summon where more than one Monster is Tributed, the Tribute Summoned Monster only gains this benefit from one of the Tributed Monsters (choose which one).

Note: “Medicine Eater” was first used by Ted Banias in an issue of “Yu-Gi-Oh R”. Creative credit goes to the writers.



MAGICAL MARKET (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Magician of Faith behind the corner of a store, showing a pine box with glowing, golden contents to Dark Magician.

Card Description: Pay half your Life Points to activate this card. Choose one Spell Card in your hand (other than this one). Search your deck for up to two copies of the same Spell Card and add them to your hand.



RECKLESS CHARGE (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: Marauding Captain slamming his sword violently into Terrorking Archfiend and knocking the Fiend over.

Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed by your own card effects. Battle damage you inflict to your opponent is increased by half. Battle damage your opponent inflicts to you is doubled.



Ren: I’ve never seen Monsters like this before… What about you, Chelsea?

Chelsea: Me neither… This duelist isn’t garden variety…

Yumi: The weather in the arena keeps changing… It goes from sun to rain to driving snow in the space of an instant! How can my Spellcasters face the power of nature gone crazy?

Anastasia: You’ll find a way, Yumi. The clouds may obscure the sun, but it will come out to shine again.

Coming up next, “Calm Before the Storm; Yumi’s Quest For Gold”.

A demon put a curse on a card, but your family has faced far worse…

[Shuppet Master]

Well, I had a feeling that Sam would get a Dark World deck. I hadn't seen those cards yet. Nice way of her earning it - she must be super-woman! :D

Anyways, I can't wait to see what this cursed card is all about. I've seen rakshasa before(the Dungeons and Dragons variety, not the real ones), and they are nasty buggers.

Keep up the good work, Brian. :)

[mario72486]

A nice way to bring the Dark World monsters into this. For some reason I was expecting Sam to have this kind of deck already at her disposal, for use as a secret weapon in the finals. Reign-Beaux's hidden actions leads one to wonder whether or not Sam will have complete control over her new deck...

The duel leading up to this, however seemed a tad short. Then again, it was to the point, highlighting all the key cards in a Master Monk deck. The important things are that Sam has advanced and has a stronger deck to boot.

As I promised, I'll now try to give regular reviews to your chapters.

[Perfect Chaos]

Sorry I haven't reviewed much, I don't feel I have much to offer in terms of criticism of the story (seeing how I'm not a writer myself), so that's why I've been a silent reader for a while.

I must say, this was one of the more shorter Eliminator duels. I suppose mainly because it was a Master Monk deck, which does have much to it really.

I have to agree that it was a nice touch with how you introduced the Dark World monsters. It'll be interesting to see how/if Sam will control them or not.

Looking forward to the next chapter

[Shuppet Master]

Sam has advanced

Though one has to wonder why the heck she bothered with an Eliminator when she was at Silver - she only needed one normal duelist advance. (Not that I am complaining, I think that she had her reasons.)

[Mystic_clown]

Though one has to wonder why the heck she bothered with an Eliminator when she was at Silver - she only needed one normal duelist advance. (Not that I am complaining, I think that she had her reasons.)

She said at the beginning she was sick of facing pathetic duellists and wanted a challange.

I liked the flashback duel. It seems that Rasputin really does care for Olga. Makes me hate Nicholas for planning to betray him.

I'm agreeing with the others, the duel was a little short, but it worked in a way. Though, when Hoshi said the power was something that even Yugi couldn't handle, I thought it was something, well, greater. Would Yugi,Kaiba and Joey even WANT the Darkworld fiends to begin with?

I was a little dissapointed how Sam was easily able to overcome the Darkworld fiends, however, Reign-Beaux's sinister grin indicates that Sam's victory may be a hollow one. I'm curious to see what happens.

[Dark Sage]

A short note:

Most of the odd cards you see in this chapter are real cards that will be released in “Gladiator’s Assault”. A lot of them first appeared in the anime. However, their real effects are in many cases different then their anime effects.

Being somewhat of a purist, I used the real effects for the most part – except for one card. I kept the anime effect for this one, for the sake of plot. (It’s rather weak in reality, and much stronger in the anime.)

You’ll know which one at the end of the chapter.

Anyway, on with the chapter.




CHAPTER THIRTY



Calm Before The Storm;



Yumi’s Quest For Gold



It was half an hour after Ren’s duel with Guinevere. He and his two friends had wandered into the Entertainment District, to a large, circular square, the center of which was taken up by a large fountain.

In the middle of the basin, which was surrounded by a bench, was a large statue of Water Omotics, pouring water from her jar into the basin.

As Chelsea backed up to get a picture, Ren raised an eyebrow.

“I know this statue…” he muttered. “Yeah… My dad dueled Etna Prometheus on this spot, nineteen years ago…”

Yumi gave a sad look, and sat down.

“My mom told me about her…” she said, sadly. “She wanted her whole life to be worshipped… But when everyone laughed at her claims of being a fire goddess, she made the worst choice… She sided with Saurius…

“She forced my mother into a duel with horrid stakes – the loser would be sacrificed to some beast named Malasta the Ravenous. Etna lost, and my folks could only watch as poor Etna’s body was devoured by the demon and her soul was sent to damnation in Hell...”

Ren sat down.

“Hey, cheer up…” he said, taking his guitar and adjusting the tuner. “It wasn’t your mom’s fault. Saving the world isn’t always pretty…”

He started to play:



Maybe I didn’t treat you
Quite as good as I should have…
Maybe I didn’t love you
Quite as often as I could have…
Little things I should have said and done,
I just never took the time…

You were always on my mind…
You were always on my mind.


He smirked at Chelsea as he sung the stanza of the song. She blushed a little.

Then, everyone was startled as another guitar started to play, from the other side of the fountain. They stood up, as the song flowed across the yard:



Rows and floes of angel hair,
And ice cream castles in the air,
And feather canyons everywhere…
I’ve looked at clouds that way…

But now, they only block the sun,
They rain and snow on everyone…
So many things I would have done,
But clouds got in my way…

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, and still somehow,
It’s cloud illusions I recall…
I really don’t know clouds… at all…


They walked around to the other side, and saw the musician. It was a girl about their age, with long, straight, brown hair, pale blue eyes, and flashing white teeth, dressed in pastel-green trousers and a parka with a peace sign on the front. She had plastic bangles on her wrists and ankles, and wore plain sandals on her feet. She suggested a movement from a decade that was long gone, but she didn’t seem to mind.

A Duel Disk was at her feet, and a badge pinned to her parka indicated her status as Silver.

“You’re good,” said Ren.

“Thanks,” said the girl, putting her guitar down. “I always say, when you can’t say something with plain words, music does it better.”

“Who are you?” asked Yumi.

“Oh, just someone with a Disk, her deck, and her music,” said the girl. “But you can call me Aisha.”

“You must be a good duelist,” said Chelsea. “You’re one step away from the finals.”

Aisha picked up her Disk and slipped it on her arm. She looked at Yumi.

“Then this duel should be harmony,” she said. “Whoever wins will be in the finals, if you’re interested.”

Yumi looked at her.

“Well…” she said, cautiously.

The Pharaoh appeared next to her.

“Yumi, tread cautiously,” he said. “She may look as sweet as saccharine… But I’m getting a seriously bad feeling…

“Something is… Not right… It isn’t that there’s evil coming from her, specifically… It’s more like something evil is… well, in her possession.”

Yumi looked at Aisha closely.

“So then…” said Yumi. “We duel, and that’s it? No strings attached?”

Aisha shrugged.

“You don’t have anything I want…” she said. “I doubt I have anything you could use… Why make any wagers? Needless wagers are symbols of greed and materialism… You shouldn’t covet what others have.”

Well, she certainly doesn’t sound like an Ascender, thought Yumi.

“Okay then…” said Yumi.

The Puzzle flashed, and in a burst of energy, she and the Pharaoh merged.

“I accept your challenge.”



* * * * * * * * * *


In his penthouse apartment, Rasputin had logged onto the Duelatopia website. Nicholas and Olga were looking over his shoulder.

He typed in ”Yumi Mouto”.

Yumi’s face appeared on the screen with a flash, and then Aisha’s face appeared on the screen besides hers. The words “Duel in Progress” appeared beneath them.

“We’re in luck, my protégés…” he said with a grin. “We can see it live!”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi shuffled her deck carefully.

She had switched a few cards in it since last time, and she wasn’t sure if she had done the right thing. Well, it was only a few.

She looked at Aisha as the two activated their Disks.

“Game on!” they both said.



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Aisha: 8,000)


“So…” muttered Ren. “You think Yumi’s chances are good?”

“Please…” replied Chelsea. “This girl is a walking toothpaste commercial.”

“Give her some credit,” said Ren. “She is at Silver.”

“All right…” said Yumi, making her first draw. “For my first move, I’ll summon Gemini Elf in Attack Mode.”

In a flash of light, the two elf twins appeared, with their hands around each other’s waists. (1,900/900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-se1.jpg


“Cool!” shouted Aisha. “Great Monster!”

“Uh, yeah…” said Yumi. “That’s, uhm, it for my turn…”

Aisha made her first draw.

“Okay, here goes…” she said. “I play a Continuous Spell Card, called Summon Cloud.”

A Spell Card appeared on her side of the field, and a white, fluffy cloud appeared over Aisha.

“Huh?” asked Yumi. “What does that do?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing much…” said Aisha. “It just lets me Special Summon a Cloudian from my hand, so long as it’s Level Four or less.”

“Cloudian?” said Ren. “What in the world is a Cloudian?”

“You got me…” said Chelsea.

“Next…” continued Aisha, “I’ll play a second Spell Card, called Lucky Cloud.”

She played another card, and sunbeams broke through the cloud over her head, casting a ray of light on her.

“This card’s effect doesn’t occur until my End Phase,” she said. “Until then, I’ll use the effect of my Summon Cloud, to Special Summon Cloudian – Sheep Cloud.”

She played a card, and in a puff of white mist, a small cloud with a smug, smiling face appeared in front of her, in Defense Mode. (0/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_jp008.jpg


“Since I did that, I have to destroy my Summon Cloud,” said Aisha, as the Spell Card and the fluffy card above her head faded away. “But I still have a Normal Summon. So I’ll summon a second Sheep Cloud.”

She placed another card on her Disk, and a second of the small clouds appeared. (0/0)

“You summoned a Monster in Attack Mode that has zero Attack Points?” asked Yumi.

“Yep,” said Aisha. “My turn is over, and that means my Lucky Cloud activates. Since I was able to summon two Cloudian Monsters with the same name this turn, I get to draw two cards.”

She made two draws. She quickly gave them a looksee.

“Over to you,” she said, adding them to her hand.

“Uh, yeah…” said Yumi, drawing a card.

She put that zero-Attack Point Monster in Attack Mode without any protection at all, she thought. What is she up to?

She chose a card from her hand.

“I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer,” she said.

In a dark shadow, the scarred monk appeared. (1,800/700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-0621.jpg


“Gemini Elf…” she ordered, “attack the Cloudian – Sheep Cloud in Defense Mode!”

The two elves lifted their arms, and lightning crashed towards the small Fairy. It exploded it a fiery burst.

“Kycoo, destroy the other one!”

Kycoo chanted, and lightning flashed again. The other Cloudian exploded. Aisha cringed.

“Now I’ll use Kycoo’s effect…” said Yumi, “to remove from play the first Cloudian.”

“Whatever…” said Aisha, taking the card from her discard slot.

Then a swirl of mist appeared on her side of the field.

“…but the cycle of life must go on,” she said, “and where there’s death, there’s always rebirth…”

Then, to Yumi’s shock, four Sheep Clouds appeared in front of Aisha. (0/0 x4)

“Neat, huh?” said Aisha. “When one Sheep Cloud is destroyed in battle, I get two tokens that are just like it.”

Yumi looked at the Sheep Clouds, and then at her hand.

She’s likely going to use one or two of those tokens as a sacrifice, she thought. Best be prepared…

“I’ll place one card facedown,” she said, “and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared.



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (A: 6,200)


Aisha drew a card.

She sweat a little as she looked at it. Sometimes, she swore that this card had a dark aura of some sort around it…

She looked at it for a few seconds…

“Something wrong?” asked Yumi.

“Uh, no…” said Aisha, adding it to her hand.

She chose another card.

“Hey, I’m gonna play my Pot of Greed,” she said.

She played the card, and the wicked jar appeared. She didn’t even look at it as she drew two cards.

“Anyway, Yumi, I want to ask you something…”

She pointed up.

“You ever look up in the sky, and see how pretty the clouds can be sometimes?” she asked. “How fluffy and fuzzy they are?”

“Not in so many words…” replied Yumi.

“Well, let me tell you…” said Aisha, “what you see when you look at them… Those are cloud illusions.”

“Cloud illusions?” said Ren.

“Yeah…” said Aisha. “Those aren’t the true faces of clouds. They look white and fluffy today, but tomorrow they’ll be dark and grey, and they’ll spoil your day with pouring rain and driving snow. They’ll ruin the picnic or golf game you wanted to go on so much…

“That’s how it is with most things in life. What you see on the surface hides the ugly truth within. You have to learn not to take things for granted. You have to be able to look through the veil, and decipher the illusions from reality.

“My little Sheep Clouds are illusions. Now I’ll start bringing out reality…

“I sacrifice all four of my Sheep Clouds, to summon Cloudian – Nimbusman.”

The four tokens vanished.

“Four sacrifices?” shouted Ren.

“There’s no Monster that needs that many sacrifices!” yelled Chelsea.

The Monster that appeared looked like a cloud roughly in the shape of a man, almost amorphous in outline. Its face was grim and puffy. (1,000/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_jp007.jpg


“And even if there was,” said Ren, “shouldn’t it be a little stronger than that?”

“Technically, I only had to sacrifice one Monster,” replied Aisha, “since it’s a Level Five Monster. But I can summon it by sacrificing all the Water Monsters I can, and it gains one Fog Counter for each one. And for each Fog Counter it has, it gains 500 Attack Points. That’s pretty hip, you know?”

Nimbusman roared, and electricity sparked all over it. It doubled in size, and dark clouds started to cover the arena. (3,000/1,000)

“Well, not so hip for Kycoo…”

Kycoo looked up at the huge cloud-man…

“Nimbusman…” ordered Aisha, “attack Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer. Gale blast.”

Nimbusman took a deep breath, swelling up even bigger. With a blast that sounded like the wind howling, it exhaled a chilling wind mixed with ice at Kycoo. The Ghost Destroyer groaned, and then shattered into pieces.



(Y: 6,800) -------------------- (A: 6,200)


“Uhm, I’ll place these two cards facedown, and that all for me.”

She fit two cards in her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

This is seriously weird… thought Yumi, as she drew a card. I mean… Clouds?

But… How hard could it be to kill a cloud?

She drew a card. She looked at it and added it to her hand.

“I play… Monster Reborn,” she said, playing another card.

The glowing, golden ankh appeared on the field. Kycoo appeared in a flash of light, still looking a little soaked and bedraggled, and maybe a little pissed. (1,800/700)

“Next I’ll sacrifice him…” she continued, taking a card from her hand, “for Chaos Command Magician.”

Kycoo shattered into pixels, and the tall mage in glossy black robes appeared next to Gemini Elf. (2,400/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-0681.jpg


“You know, Aisha…” said Yumi. “You’re right… Clouds can be ugly and they can make you miserable…

“But do you know what I do when the rain ruins my day? I remember a song that was made famous by a poor little orphan girl, so long ago… Now how did it go?

“The sun will come out… Tomorrow… Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow… There’ll be sun…”

Then Ren started to sing:

“Just thinking about… Tomorrow… Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow…Till there’s none…”

Chelsea sang the next part:

“When I’m stuck with a day… That’s grey… And lonely… I just stick up my chin, and grin, and say…”

Aisha was listening closely. Finally, she sang the last stanza:

“The sun will come out… Tomorrow… So you gotta hang on till tomorrow… Come what may…

“Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow, you’re always a day away…”

There was a long pause.

“Aren’t memories something?” asked Yumi. “Now where was I? Oh yeah… I activate… Rush Recklessly.”

Her facedown card lifted, and Chaos Command Magician rose to an attack of 3,100.

“Attack her Nimbusman!” she shouted. “Chaos Magic!”

Ren and Chelsea cheered as Chaos Command Magician fired his spell directly into the huge cloud-man’s stomach. Nimbusman burst and scattered into mist…

But when the smoke cleared, Nimbusman reformed, and slowly pulled itself back together. The Cloudian looked at Yumi with a smug smile. It looked like no trace of the attack had ever occurred.



(Y: 6,800) -------------------- (A: 6,100)


“Yumi…” said Aisha. “Tomorrow isn’t here yet. And by the way, has your Chaos Command Magician ever tried to destroy a cloud with his magic? If he did, he’d find that it was impossible. A druid might manage to do it, but a sorcerer like him can’t.

“Clouds are made of dust and water vapor… Trying to blast them is the same as trying to blast air. That’s exactly what Nimbusman is like.”

“So… he can’t be destroyed in battle…” said Yumi. “Swell…”

So how DO you kill a cloud? she thought.

She looked at the card she had just drawn.

She placed it in her Disk, and it appeared facedown.

“That’s all for my turn…” she said.

Aisha drew a card.

She nervously looked at the field.

“You know, Yumi,” she said, “in grade school science classes, students are often taught about scientific facts that people find useless and uninformative, such as the different types of clouds. True, these classes don’t have much bearing on a student’s future unless he plans to be a meteorologist, and by the time he starts high school and gets into serious studies, he usually forgets the dumb stuff they tried to teach him in grade school.

“But let me refresh your memory for a minute… Cumulonimbus clouds like this one are the types that most often form into rain clouds, which cause heavy storms.”

One of her facedown cards lifted. The card bore an image of an icy demon in a blizzard.

“I activate my first facedown card…” she said. “It’s called Natural Disaster, and as long as this Continuous Trap remains, you lose 400 Life Points each time one of your cards is destroyed.”

“What?” said Yumi, shocked.

She looked at the card… She really didn’t like the look of it…

“Now I activate… Rain Storm,” said Aisha, as her other Trap lifted.

Thunder clapped, and Nimbusman floated up above the field. It changed shape, becoming less man-like and more cloud-like. Then, rain started to pour over the arena.

“It’s a downpour!” shouted Ren.

“Now, I have a choice,” said Aisha. “I can either reduce his Attack Score by 1,000 to destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards, or reduce it by 2,000 to destroy any two of your cards.”

She paused.

“I think I’ll use the second option,” she said, “to wipe out your Monsters.”

“So, here’s the first time…”

Nimbusman fell to an Attack of 1,000. The two Gemini Elves strained against the pouring rain, and then shattered into pixels.

A blast of icy wind and snow shot out of the Natural Disaster card, striking Yumi. She gasped, and then shivered.

“Talk about raining on your parade…” said Chelsea.

“And again…” said Aisha.

Chaos Command Magician strained before he shattered as well.

The arctic wind struck Yumi again, and she shivered under the cold again. Yumi’s teeth chattered.

“Boy…” she muttered. “Realistic… I’m… gonna have to get some hot chocolate once this is over…”

Then she sneezed…

“Nimbusman, “ said Aisha, “attack Yumi directly.”

Nimbusman breathed out its gale blast…

“Activate Mirror Force!” shouted Yumi, sneezing again as her facedown card lifted.

The holy light shone on the storm cloud, and it was blown into vapor.

“Huh…” muttered Aisha. “So much for him…”

She looked at her hand.

“To end my turn…” she said, “I’ll summon Cloudian – Turbulence in Attack Mode.”

Another facedown card appeared, and then another fierce wind broke out over the field. The wind formed into a tornado with arms and a face, crackling with electricity. (800/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_jp013.jpg


“And by the way, he can’t be destroyed in battle either. Also, he gets one Fog Counter for each Cloudian on the field. Of course, since he’s the only Cloudian on the field, that means he only gets one.

“And now I can remove that Fog Counter to Special Summon a Cloudian – Smoke Ball from my deck. Defense Mode.”

In a burst of smoke, an adorable little puffball with a smiley face on it appeared next to the tornado. (200/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_jp002.jpg


(Y: 6,000) -------------------- (A: 6,100)




* * * * * * * * * *


“I take it Natural Disaster is the cursed card?” asked Olga.

“Yeah, that’s it all right,” said Rasputin. “Yumi is already feeling its adverse affects…

“When this duel is over, she’ll be beset with head congestion, chills, fever, sneezing, loss of appetite… She’ll be easy to defeat.

“A pity really… But her own fault… She should have never agreed to a duel against Aisha without packing an umbrella.”

He chuckled.

“For now, let’s watch…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi shivered as she drew a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity…” she muttered.

The card appeared, and the angel appeared, her hair and gown quickly becoming a mess in the worsening weather. Yumi looked at her and shrugged.

She drew three cards, and looked at them. She nodded, and made two discards.

“I play Premature Burial,” she said, fitting tha card into his Disk. “And I’ll summon the guy I just discarded…”

In a burst of energy, Dark Magician of Chaos appeared on the field. (2,800/2,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc_065_1st.jpg


“Now I can get back my Monster Reborn,” she said, taking a card from her discard slot, “and I think I’ll use it again!”

The ankh appeared again, and Chaos Command Magician rose back next to the stronger sorcerer. (2,400/1,900)

To Yumi’s surprise, Aisha clapped in joy.

“COOL!” she laughed. “Way to combo!”

“What are you so happy about?” asked Yumi. “Your Turbulence has only 800 Attack Points, and I noticed that even though my first attack didn’t destroy your Nimbusman, you still took damage from the attack.

“Chaos Command Magician… Let’s try this again! Attack the Cloudian – Smoke Ball with Chaos Magic!”

Chaos Command Magician aimed his staff, and fired, blowing the Smoke Ball to vapor.

“Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Cloudian – Turbulence with scepter strike!”

“Uh oh…” said Aisha.

She hollered as a violent blast of dark magic plowed into the Cloudian. She fell down on her seat.



(Y: 5,200) -------------------- (A: 4,100)


“Heh, heh…” laughed Aisha, getting up. “That was good… Really ironed out the kinks…”

“Man, I think her head is in the clouds!” exclaimed Ren.

Aisha drew a card.

“Okay… I play… my own Graceful Charity,” she said.

As she played the card, the clouds parted, and the angel flew out of them. She looked at Aisha sadly as she drew three cards.

She quickly chose two, and discarded them as the angel vanished.

“Now I summon… Cloudian – Ghost Fog,” she said.

A mist started to form on the ground, and then rise all over the arena. It soon became a thick, pea soup fog, obscuring everything but the duelists and the Monsters. Vaguely, Yumi could see a wispy, phantom-like shape in front of Aisha. (0/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_jp006.jpg


“What the…?” said Yumi.

“Attack her Dark Magician of Chaos,” ordered Aisha.

The Ghost Fog drifted towards the mage…

“Are you nuts?” shouted Yumi. “It has zero Attack Points!”

Dark Magician of Chaos fired a blast, and the phantom was burned into misty particles.

“True…” said Aisha. “But when it’s destroyed in battle, my Life Points are safe. Your Monster, on the other hand, gets one Fog Counter for each Level he has. Since he’s a Level Eight Monster, he gets eight of them.”

Dark Magician of Chaos looked dizzy. Mist hung around him like some sort of aura… Then, eight small, grey clouds appeared around him.

“What will they do to him?” asked Yumi.

“By themselves, nothing,” replied Aisha. “At least not when they’re on a Monster that isn’t a Cloudian. But I also have a Spell Card.”

She played the card.

“Diamond Dust Cyclone. Now I can destroy one Monster that has Fog Counters on it.”

A silvery, sparkling tornado blew through the fog. Dark Magician of Chaos covered his eyes, and was blown to pieces.

“And since he was Equipped with Premature Burial,” said Aisha, “my Natural Disaster activates twice.”

Once again, the chilling wind shot out of the card. Yumi shivered as it hit her again.

However, it did NOT activate a second time.

“Huh?” said Aisha. “But I destroyed two of your cards…”

“But only one of them went to my Graveyard…” grumbled Yumi. “Dark Magician of Chaos is always removed from play when he’s destroyed.”



(Y: 4,800) -------------------- (A: 4,100)


“Uh, yeah,” said Aisha, playing a card. “Well, Diamond Dust Cyclone has another effect. Now I get to draw one card for every four Fog Counters your Monster had. And according to my math, four goes into eight two times.”

She made two draws. She looked them over.

“Just so I don’t take any more damage, I’ll move Cloudian – Turbulence to Defense Mode,” she said. “Unfortunately, that will destroy it.”

Turbulence moved into a defensive position, and then broke up and scattered into globs of moisture.

“You see, when clouds start to lose their aggressive energy, they tucker out, until all their wind is spent, and they disappear. A cloud is good at dishing out damage but who ever heard of a cloud defending? Bottom line is, they can’t do it.”

She looked at her cards.

“Well, most of them can’t…

“Case in point, I’m gonna play Monster Reborn. I’ll summon Cloudian – Poison Cloud in Defense Mode.”

She played the card, and the ankh appeared on her side of the field. The Cloudian that appeared this time was much more sinister-looking, was covered with throbbing veins, and was the color of a bruise. It crouched in Defense Mode. (0/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_jp009.jpg


“In case you’re wondering,” she continued, “I discarded this with Graceful Charity.

“Now, most Cloudians are Fairies. Benign creatures. But when nature is corrupted by pollution, a few Cloudian Fiends are created too.

“Fog is a natural part of nature, but when pollution is at its worst, clouds shed the illusion entirely, creating smog and acid rain…

“This Fiend is one of those polluted clouds. It may have zero Attack Points and a weak Defense, but should it be attacked while it’s in Defense Mode, the poison inside it will destroy the Monster who attacked it, causing you to lose 800 Life Points. Uhm, that translates to 1,200 with my Trap Card, by the way.”

“Indeed?” said Yumi, drawing a card.

She looked at it.

“Anyone ever tell you that Chaos Command Magician is immune to effects like that?”

Aisha just looked at her.

“Uh heh…” she said. “Uhm, no, no-one really did. How silly of me…”

Yumi placed a card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Chaos Command Magician…” she shouted, “attack the Cloudian – Poison Cloud!”

Chaos Command Magician blasted his chaos magic, and the Poison Cloud burst in a fiery explosion.

“Your move…” said Yumi.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Aisha drew a card. She looked at it closely.

She took it and another card from her hand.

“I summon Cloudian – Altos,” she said.

Thunder rumbled, and a new Cloudian appeared. This one was a very fat Cloudian with small limbs, beige “skin”, and a wrinkled face. (1,300/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_jp012.jpg


“Just like Turbulence,” explained Aisha, “by summoning it, it gets one Fog Counter for each Cloudian on the field. Again, since it’s the only Cloudian on the field, it only gets one.

“And just like the others, he can’t be destroyed in battle either,” continued Aisha. “But like the others, if you manage to switch him to Defense Mode, he’d be destroyed.

“That’ll be all for now…”

She nodded.

Yumi drew.

Why didn’t I put Enemy Controller in this deck? she thought.

“First, I place this facedown…” she said.

She placed a card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Then, I Flip-Summon my Morphing Jar,” she said.

Her facedown Monster flipped up, and the cackling, one-eyed creature loomed out of the jar. (700/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en104.jpg


“Now we have to fold our hands and draw five cards,” she said.

Aisha shrugged. They discarded their hands, and made five draws.

Yumi paused. Morphing Jar was hard to come by, even for a family that owned a card store. But when her dad was invited to Anastasia’s tournament, one of the gimmicks of the place was that cards were hidden on the island, like buried treasure. He had found the Morphing Jar in one of the caches.

So, Yumi had Anastasia to thank for this rare card…

Yumi grinned as she looked at the five cards.

“Time to get rid of one annoyance,” she said. “I play Mystical Space Typhoon!”

She played the card, and the cyclone tore across the field, heading towards the Natural Disaster card.

It didn’t shatter right away. It seemed to be trying to resist the cyclone. Eventually, however, it tore in half, and the pieces shattered.

Aisha watched as the Natural Disaster card fell into the Graveyard…

She groaned, and held her head.

“Aisha?” said Yumi. “Are… are you alright?”

Aisha paused.

“Yeah…” she said. “Yes I am… In fact, I feel kind of good… You ever have a feeling like a big weight was lifted off your shoulders?”

“She lost one of the keys to her strategy, and she feels good?” asked Ren.

Aisha held her head again. No one had ever managed to destroy her Natural Disaster before. Now that it had happened, a small light seemed to go on in her head…

I may not be able to destroy her Altos, thought Yumi, but if I attack, I can inflict some major damage.

“Chaos Command Magician, attack her Cloudian – Altos!” she shouted.

Chaos Command Magician fired a blast from his scepter, and Altos groaned as a hole was blown through it… Aisha screamed…



(Y: 4,800) -------------------- (A: 3,000)


Cloudian – Altos slowly reformed.

Yumi smirked, and placed a card in her Disk. A second facedown card appeared.

Aisha drew a card.

“I summon Cloudian – Cirrostratus in Attack Mode,” she said.

She played the card, and the sun broke through for a minute. A pink, fluffy, puffball of a cloud appeared, with angel wings and a kitten-like head on top. (900/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_jp011.jpg


“This guy shares some effects with Altos,” continued Aisha. “He can’t be destroyed in battle, in case you haven’t gotten that part yet. And by summoning him, he gains a Fog Counter for every Cloudian on the field. And I have two.

“Now let’s have some fun…

“Altos, attack her Morphing Jar! Thunder clap!”

Thunder rolled, and lighting flashed from the heavens, blowing the Morphing Jar to dust.



(Y: 4,200) -------------------- (A: 3,000)


Hmm… she thought. If Poison Cloud’s effect didn’t work on Chaos Command Magician, I guess Cirrostratus’s effect won’t work on him either…

Well, I guess I’ll save it…

“I’ll set this facedown, and let you go,” she said.

A facedown card appeared in a flash of light.

Yumi drew a card.

She smirked.

One of her facedown cards lifted.

“I activate Call of the Haunted!” she shouted.

A coffin appeared on her side of the field. It opened, and Kycoo stepped out. (1,800/700)

“Both of you…” ordered Yumi, “attack her Cloudian – Cirrostratus!”

Kycoo chanted and fired his lightning bolts. Chaos Command Magician cast his chaos magic. Both of them struck the fluffy creature, and it scattered into particles...



(Y: 4,200) -------------------- (A: 3,000)


The Cloudian quickly reformed into its regular state. And Aisha was still smiling.

“Huh?” said Yumi.

Then she noticed that Aisha had activated her Trap Card.

“Spirit Barrier?” gasped Yumi.

“Uh huh,” replied Aisha. “That means I can’t lose Life Points as long as I have at least one Monster on the field. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s the perfect combo to use with Cloudians.

“I don’t like to brag, but… I’m untouchable now.”

“Well, I’m not done…” shouted Yumi. “Now, I sacrifice both my Monsters…”

Chaos Command Magician and Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer shattered into shards of light...

“…to summon Dark Magician!”

In a flash of light, the powerful Spellcaster appeared, holding aloft his scepter. (2,500/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-001.jpg


“All right!” shouted Ren.

“Go, Dark Magician!” shouted Chelsea.

Yumi fit a card into her Disk, and a new facedown card appeared.

“That’s all,” she said. “I end my turn.”

“Then I draw…” said Aisha.

Thunder started to rumble as she drew the card. The sky grew dark.

“I forgot to mention,” said Aisha. “Cirrostratus has a powerful ability. I can remove his two Fog Counters to destroy one Monster.”

Cirrostratus blew a blast of chilling wind. Dark Magician cringed before he shattered into pixels.

Ren and Chelsea stared in disbelief…

“She…” muttered Chelsea. “Dark Magician… Beaten?”

“No…” gasped Ren. “If Aisha summons another Monster…”

“Yeah, I might be able to win the duel…” said Aisha. “But, unfortunately, I don’t have another low-level Monster…”

Ren breathed a sigh of relief.

“I only have my strongest Monster,” she continued.

“So I sacrifice both my Cloudians…”

Cloudian – Altos and Cloudian – Cirrostratus vanished into mist…

“…to bring out the real storm. I summon Cloudian – The Eye of the Typhoon.”

Lightning flashed, and an enormous creature came into shape behind and above Aisha. It looked like a giant storm cloud, with one glaring eye, and disproportionately small arms. It bellowed a roar that sounded like the howl of a tornado. (3,000/1,000)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/4/40/Cloudian-EyeoftheTyphoonGLAS-JP-UR.jpg


“Well, that’s certainly… big…” said Ren, looking at the huge Cloudian.

“Eye of the Typhoon…” said Aisha, “attack Yumi directly. Hurricane rage.”

The wind blew fiercely, and the giant cloud collapsed into a whirlwind with a glowing eye in the center. It blew a ferocious gust at Yumi…

“I trigger my Trap!” shouted Yumi. “A Hero Emerges!”

Her facedown card lifted, and The Eye of the Typhoon paused.

“So pick a card, any card,” said Yumi, holding up her hand of three cards.

She was nervous. Only one of them was a Monster, and the other two were Spells. It was a one-in-three chance…

Aisha paused for a minute.

“The middle card,” she said.

“Ooh, not bad…” said Yumi.

She placed the card on her Disk, and Blast Magician leapt up onto the field, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,400/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fet_en020.jpg


Aisha shrugged.

“Okay…” she said. “But my Monster has an impressive ability. When it attacks, the battle positions of all Monsters on the field except Cloudians switch.

“Eye of the Typhoon, continue your attack.”

The huge creature blasted its hurricane rage again. Blast Magician stood up in Attack Mode. The Spellcaster tried to shield himself, but he shattered against the fierce gale.



(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (A: 3,000)


“Aisha just took the lead…” said Ren.

“And she’s clearly ahead as far as Monsters are concerned…” replied Chelsea.

“By the way, Yumi,” continued Aisha, “this big guy has another ability, and it’s just like the other Cloudians. It can’t be destroyed in battle. Attacking it would be like attacking air.

“Of course, like those others, if it ever moved to Defense Mode, it would be destroyed… But I don’t intend to do that.

“Anyway… I’ll end my turn. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The rain started to let up, but the sky was still dark, and the wind from the huge Cloudian still blew through the damp arena.

“Invincible in battle with 3,000 Attack Points?” said Ren. “Who thought up these cards?”

Aisha looked over her hand.

Looks like I win, she thought. She’ll likely summon a Monster in Attack Mode, thinking that my Monster’s effect will switch it to Defense Mode when it attacks.

What she doesn’t know is, I have my Destruction Cloud Spell Card, which can destroy a Monster in Attack Mode if I’m willing to take some damage, so unless she manages to summon something with 3,000 Attack Points or more, I’ll be able to attack her directly…

And if she sets a Monster in Defense Mode next round, my Nobleman of Crossout is right here too.

Yumi drew a card.

She’s up to something… she thought.

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

She quickly drew two cards.

She gave the four cards in her hand a long look.

“Question…” she asked.

“Huh?” asked Aisha.

“Do those two guys gain Fog Counters if they’re Special Summoned, or do they have to be Normal Summoned?” she asked.

“Uh, they have to be Normal Summoned,” replied Aisha. “Why?”

Yumi didn’t answer. She looked at her hand again.

So much for that plan… she thought. But there must be something I could…

Wait… I’ve got it!

“I play… Double Spell,” she said. “I’ll discard this…”

She played the card, and discarded her Magical Dimension.

“…and I can use a Spell Card in your Graveyard. I choose Monster Reborn.

“And I’ll raise a Monster from your Graveyard!”

Aisha looked surprised as her discard slot glowed.

In a flash of light, Cloudian – Poison Cloud appeared on Yumi’s side of the field, crouching in Defense Mode. (0/1,000)

“Huh?” asked Aisha. “Why that Monster?”

“I have my reasons,” said Yumi. “It’s your move.”

“Ren…” said Chelsea. “Do you know what Yumi is up to?”

“Not a clue,” said Ren. “But… I think her first plan might have been to raise Cirrostratus… If it gained Fog Counters when it was Special Summoned, it would have gotten two, and she could have used its effect… But like you heard, that wasn’t the case.”

Aisha drew a card.

It was Wonder Cloud.

Aisha frowned. She kept meaning to take this out of her deck. It was likely the most risky gamble that Industrial Illusions had ever conceived. Not even Joey Wheeler would likely have taken a risk like the one this card entailed… Using this card was betting it all. If you used it and didn’t win on the same turn… Well, basically, you wouldn’t have a next turn.

It had helped her win the first time she had actually dared to use it…

The second time…

She shivered… Contrary to what Rasputin thought, she hadn’t been clueless. She knew it had been a Shadow Game. She had been scared, she was facing overwhelming odds, and didn’t have much of a choice… So she took a chance with this card, and had lost. She still didn’t know why the demon had chosen to spare her, although she felt funny every time she dueled and it was important…

Unbeknownst to her, the reason she just couldn’t put two and two together and figure out that it was the Natural Disaster card was because the curse specifically prevented it.

She quickly added it to her hand and considered.

Darn… she thought. My Destruction Cloud only works on Monsters in Attack Mode, and Typhoon’s effect doesn’t work on Cloudians! I have no other Monsters in my hand, and if I attacked that thing, my Monster would be destroyed!

“I pass…” she said. “I can’t do anything…”

“Then I draw…” said Yumi.

She drew a card and looked at it.

“I summon Magician’s Valkyria in Attack Mode,” she said, “and place one card facedown.”

Valkyria appeared in a flash of light (1,600/1,800), and a facedown card appeared.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/jump-en009.jpg


Aisha got nervous. She drew a card.

Still no Monsters… she thought. I could kill Valkyria with Destruction Cloud, but it would cost me 1,600 Life Points, and would only cost Yumi her Monster…

She looked hard at the field.

I might as well kill her via the safer method…

“All right!” she shouted. “Eye of the Typhoon… Attack Magician’s Valkyria!”

The huge cloud blasted its fierce wind again. Magician’s Valkyria shielded herself against the wind, and then crouched in Defense Mode…

“I activate my newest Trap Card!” shouted Yumi, as her facedown card lifted. “Staunch Defender!”

“Huh?” said Ren. “When did she add that?”

“Yumi is full of surprises…” said Chelsea, with a chuckle.

“Now…” said Yumi, “all attacks this round must be directed towards the Monster I choose, and I choose Cloudian – Poison Cloud.”

The gust of wind blew into the smaller Cloudian, and it exploded in a fiery blast.

“Since it was in Defense Mode, I lose no Life Points from the battle,” said Yumi. “However, due to Poison Cloud’s effect, your Cloudian’s storm is quelled, and it takes 800 of your Life Points with it.”

Cloudian – The Eye of the Typhoon groaned, and then dissipated into formless mist, scattering to the winds.



(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (A: 2,200)


Aisha paused.

She looked at the Destruction Cloud card… She couldn’t play it now… Her Monster’s attack had moved Valkyria to Defense Mode.

“I… I end my turn…” she muttered.

Yumi drew a card.

“Well, it’s been fun,” she said, “but it’s over now.

“I sacrifice Magician’s Valkyria, to summon Dark Magician Girl.”

In a burst of light, Valkyria vanished, and the gorgeous, female mage appeared, holding aloft her scepter. (2,000/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc_000_1st.jpg


Aisha gulped.

Then she paused…

Then she laughed.

“Wait… Wait!” she laughed. “It’s not over yet! I’ll still have Life Points left!”

“I’m afraid not, Aisha,” said Yumi. “Remember my Dark Magician? Since he’s in my Graveyard, she gets a little boost…”

Dark Magician Girl closed her eyes and glowed… (2,300/1,700)

Aisha let out a sigh. She closed her eyes.

“All right,” said Yumi. “Dark Magician Girl, show her the true storm! Attack directly!”

The Spellcaster raised her staff, and fired a mighty blast at Aisha. An explosion enveloped her, and she fell backwards, with the cards in her deck flying haphazardly.



(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (A: 0)


“Oops…” said Yumi, as Dark Magician Girl slowly vanished. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to hit that hard…”

Aisha got up and held her head.

Then she picked up a card – the Natural Disaster card.

She saw the black aura around it clearly now…

…and she saw it slowly fade, and then die, returning it to a normal card.

“No Yumi…” she said. “Thank you… Thank you so much… You did what had to be done… The curse is lifted…”

“Curse?” asked Ren. “What curse?”

“I didn’t realize it until now…” said Aisha, “but this card…”

She sighed.

“Help me put together my deck, and I’ll tell you the story… It’s kinda long…”

Yumi looked at her badge, which was now at Gold.

“Sure,” she said. “I have time now…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Fifteen minutes later, Rasputin was on the phone, speaking to someone long distance.

“It’s frustrating, Franz, it really is,” he muttered. “Not only is Yumi resisting my every effort, but now an unwitting employee has become completely useless to me. You’d think a rakshasa’s curse would do the job, but no…

“I swear, I’d do anything to rid myself of those brats…”

He paused to listen. His eyes narrowed.

“Well, except for THAT,” he growled. “I can’t believe you suggested that, you sicko…”

Then his talisman started to glow.

“Uh, Franz…” he said, “I’ll call you back… Yeah, yeah, I’ll still be able to make it to your daughter’s wedding.”

He hung up.

“Even though she could do better…” he muttered.

“What is it?” asked Nicholas, as he and Olga sat up.

“Two Charms remain,” said Rasputin, going to his computer, “and the Talisman of the Mind has just revealed itself…”

He considered.

“Risking one of you two to get it would be folly…” he said. “And there’s only one Ascender good enough and loyal enough – well, more or less – to get it who hasn’t been arrested…

“At least, I hope he hasn’t been arrested…”

He dialed his cell phone.

“Samen,” he said into it, “are you there?”

Nicholas and Olga shuddered…

Samen gave them the creeps…



* * * * * * * * * *


Meanwhile, Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea were gathered around Aisha as she played her guitar:


How many roads must a man walk down
Before you can call him a man?
Yes, how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

They had no idea that another Shadow Charm was waking up…

…or that Sam and Erik were walking towards them.

Yumi joins Chelsea at Gold status! The finals await two members of our group, and Sam as well, but new trouble looms, as another Charm makes itself known. Who will claim the Talisman of the Mind?



CLOUDIAN – SHEEP CLOUD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 1
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon two “Cloudian Tokens” (Fairy/Water/Level 1/0 ATK/0 DEF) in Defense Position. “Cloudian Tokens” cannot be used as a Tribute for a Tribute Summon, except to summon “Cloudian” Monsters.



CLOUDIAN – ALTOS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.) If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. When this card is Normal Summoned, place one “Fog Counter” on this card for every “Cloudian” Monster face-up on the field. You may remove three “Fog Counters” from this card to discard one card at random from your opponent’s hand.



CLOUDIAN – CIRROSTRATUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 900
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.) If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. When this card is Normal Summoned, place one “Fog Counter” on this card for every “Cloudian” Monster face-up on the field. You may remove two “Fog Counters” from this card to destroy one Monster on the field.



CLOUDIAN – TURBULENCE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 4
ATK: 800
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.) If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, place one “Fog Counter” on this card for each “Cloudian” Monster face-up on the field. You may remove one “Fog Counter” from this card to Special Summon one “Cloudian – Smoke Ball” from your deck or Graveyard.



CLOUDIAN – NIMBUSMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 5
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.) If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. This card may be Tribute Summoned by offering any number of WATER Monsters on your side of the field as Tributes. For each WATER Monster offered as a Tribute to summon this card, place one “Fog Counter” on this card. Increase the ATK of this card by 500 for each “Fog Counter” it has.



CLOUDIAN – POISON CLOUD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 3
ATK: 0
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle while in face-up Defense Position, destroy the Monster that destroyed this card, and inflict 800 points of damage to the Life Points of the owner of the Monster who destroyed this card.



CLOUDIAN – GHOST FOG (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 1
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. Battle damage each player receives from a battle involving this Monster is reduced to zero. If this card is destroyed as a result of battle, distribute a number of “Fog Counters” on a number of face-up opposing Monsters equal total to the Level of the Monster that destroyed this card.



CLOUDIAN – THE EYE OF THE TYPHOON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Aqua/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 8
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies). If this card is on the field in face-up Defense Position, it is destroyed. When this card attacks, switch the battle position of all face-up Monsters on the field except “Cloudian” Monsters.



LUCKY CLOUD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A group of fluffy clouds with sunbeams breaking through.

Card Description: If you Normal Summon, Flip-Summon, and/or Special Summon two “Cloudian” Monsters with the same name during the round you activate this card, draw two cards from your deck during the End Phase.



SUMMON CLOUD (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A dark cloud with sunbeams breaking through.

Card Description: Once per turn, if you have no Monsters on your side of the field, you may Special Summon one Level Four or less “Cloudian” Monster from your hand or your Graveyard. If you use this effect, destroy this card.



DIAMOND-DUST CYCLONE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A tornado of silvery wind.

Card Description: Select one Monster on the field with at least four “Fog Counters” on it. Destroy the selected Monster. For every four “Fog Counters” on the Monster destroyed by this effect, draw one card from your deck.



RAIN STORM (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A driving rain over the ocean.

Card Description: Select one face-up “Cloudian” Monster on your side of the field. Reduce the selected Monster’s ATK, and apply the appropriate effect depending on how much you reduced its ATK:

- by 1,000 points: Destroy one Spell or Trap Card on your opponent’s side of the field.

- by 2,000 points: Destroy two cards on your opponent’s side of the field.



NATURAL DISASTER (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A demon made of ice in a blizzard.

Card Description: Each time a card on your opponent’s side of the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent’s Life Points.

Note: These proceeding cards are real cards that will be released in “Gladiator’s Assault”. The real game effects of some of them (which I used in this chapter, except for Natural Disaster, which uses the anime effect) are different than their anime effects. (“Cloudian – Smoke Ball” is also a real card, but it is a Normal Monster, and its flavor text is not yet revealed.)



WONDER CLOUD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A dark storm cloud with orange streaks.

Card Description: Remove from play all cards on your side of the field and in your hand. Then, draw one card from your deck for each card on your opponent’s side of the field. Then, remove all remaining cards in your deck from play. During this turn, the effects of any cards your opponent activates are negated.



DESTRUCTION CLOUD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A dark cloud with lightning flashing from it.

Card Description: Destroy one Monster on the field that is in Attack Position. Inflict damage to your Life Points equal to that Monster’s ATK.

Note: “Wonder Cloud” and “Destruction Cloud” were used by Adrian at various times in the third season of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers.



Yumi: Another Charm has appeared, and we have to get to it before Rasputin does!

Erik: I’ve watched from the sidelines for long enough. Leave this one to me.

Sam: No, baby, don’t do it!

Anastasia: I wish Erik had a choice, but sadly, he may not…

Coming up next, “Erik’s Challenge; The Talisman of the Mind”.

Erik: My toy army won’t lose no Shadow Game!

[Master of Paradox]

I will not discuss my feelings about this chapter.

I will, however, tell you that you made a mistake. Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer can only remove monsters from the Graveyard.

[Dark Sage]

My face is turning as red as a Cloudian - Poison Cloud right about now. You'd think that since I play a Spellcaster Deck where I use two copies of Kycoo, I'd get the effect right.

The chapter is now edited.

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, interesting. Maybe I'll try to make a Cloudian deck if they come out in Australia.

I'm a little dissapointed that the cursed card was Natural Disaster. I was expecting something a little more, um, evil. However, the duel itself was pretty good.

I'm getting a bad feeling about this next Erik duel. There are very few toy cards you didn't use last time. What else is there to do?

[Shuppet Master]

So, that girl was using Adrian Gecko's cards. (Curses that CN is wasting the time slot for GX on Naruto.) Great chapter, especially the whole curse thing.

Anyways, looks like Sam's boyfriend will claim the next Shadow Charm. The endgame is drawing closer...

(Don't feel ashamed, Brian. You're entitled to a few mistakes. Heck knows how many I made when writing Sister of Anansi!)

EDIT: Just wanted to ask a quick question about Rasputin, Sage. (BTW, Sage is the name of a spellcaster class in Dragon Warrior III, and is the most powerful spellcaster class in the game.) If Rasputin doesn't believe in divine beings, how can he believe in rakshasa, which are demons and therefore evil divine beings?

[Dark Sage]

EDIT: Just wanted to ask a quick question about Rasputin, Sage. (BTW, Sage is the name of a spellcaster class in Dragon Warrior III, and is the most powerful spellcaster class in the game.) If Rasputin doesn't believe in divine beings, how can he believe in rakshasa, which are demons and therefore evil divine beings?

I won't answer that question entirely, SM, because Rasputin's origin will be revealed soon. I will say this: It isn't that he doesn't believe in the existence of divine beings. He may have even seen a few firsthand. He simply doesn't believe that they have any right to any authority over humanity.

[Shuppet Master]

Oh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up. So, he can believe in magical beings, just not "gods." And I apologize if I touched a bit on something which is supposed to be a secret.

Keep up the good work, and I hope to see the next Yami no Oujou(sp?) soon.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE



Erik’s Challenge



The Talisman of the Mind



Having the curse lifted had done wonders for Aisha, it seemed. She seemed more than willing to sing one song after another from her almost limitless selection.



When the moon is in the Seventh House,
And Jupiter aligns with Mars,
Then peace will guide the planets,
And love will steer the stars!

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius,
The age of Aquarius…
Aquarius! Aquarius!


“Uh oh…” said Ren, looking up. “Guys… Bad news at two o’clock…”

They looked where he was looking, and saw Sam approach, with a big smile on her face. Erik was following behind her, as always.

“Hey, Yumi,” she said, smugly. “Wondered if you had any golden opportunities dueling lately, huh?”

Yumi looked at her, and noticed that her badge, clearly at Gold, was pinned over her left breast – the most obvious location.

Yumi sighed and shook her head.

She lifted up her own badge to show it to Sam.

Sam frowned.

“I guess I should have expected that…” she muttered. “All the better, Yumi… We’ll meet in the finals now, and the whole world will be able to watch me humiliate you!”

Yumi looked at Erik, and saw that his badge was only Violet.

“Hey, Erik,” said Yumi. “Are you ever going to be anything more than her sidekick?”

“What?” shouted Erik, shocked.

“I mean it…” said Yumi. “It seems that you take no initiative of your own unless someone offends your girlfriend.

“You know, my grandfather, Joey… A lot of people thought he couldn’t do anything without his friend Yugi watching his back. He didn’t like that. He always tried his hardest to be his own duelist and prove such people wrong.

“So what are you, Erik… Are you your own duelist, or some lapdog?”

Erik glared at Yumi. It was clear he was very angry, but apparently, he didn’t know how to respond. Sam looked a little embarrassed by the whole speech.

Yumi was about to say something else, but then she was startled as Anastasia appeared in front of her.

“Yumi!” exclaimed the angel. “Listen closely, there isn’t much time… A new Shadow Charm, and a very powerful one. It has just woken up.”

“Where… What?” asked Yumi.

“The Talisman of the Mind,” answered Anastasia. “It was crafted by Nan-Challac the Sage, the smartest – but not necessarily the wisest – of the Sorcerer Kings. It had many powers that enhanced thought, making Nan-Challac even smarter, enhancing his memory, letting him think faster… No one is certain which of those benefits it might still grant.”

“Where is it?” asked Yumi.

“The Egyptian Exhibit,” said Anastasia. “Hurry… Rasputin already knows it is there.”

“Guys!” shouted Yumi. “We have to get to the Egyptian Exhibit!”

“Another Charm?” asked Chelsea.

“Bingo,” replied Yumi. “I’ll tell you about it on the way.”

As they started to run, Sam ran after them.

“You don’t have to worry about those Ascender creeps,” she said, as she and Erik ran alongside them. “My mom has the Centurions hunting them down as we speak. When I last spoke to her, nine of them had been arrested.”

“But we don’t know how many more of them there are!” replied Yumi.

“Good luck, guys!” shouted Aisha, waving goodbye.



* * * * * * * * * *


Cassandra took a card from the Tarot Deck, and placed it on the table.

It was The Lovers.

Her eyes narrowed.

She slowly picked up another card.

It was a picture of a boat carrying swords being ferried across a river, with a woman as the passenger.

“Ah, the Six of Swords,” said Cassandra. “A positive card… Erik has reached a point where he will be able to put his difficulties behind him, and move forward to an easier path…

“But before he does that…

“He must succeed in overcoming one big difficulty…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Very few people who played Duel Monsters knew that it was no ordinary game. Its roots were founded in an ancient ritual that went back to the times of the Egyptians. Not everyone was willing to believe in Shadow Games, but the legends were amusing when told.

So it was no surprise that the Museum District of Duelatopia had an extensive Egyptian museum.

The five teens walked in.

“Okay…” said Yumi. “Last time, Sam had to win her Charm, but this time, we’re gonna be more careful.

“We’ll split up again, and when you find this Talisman, just guard it. Stand with your back to the wall, and wait for another one of us to find you. We don’t want any more Shadow Games.”

“Agreed,” they all said at once.

They each took a separate exit from the entrance hall, Erik moving into the Hall of Warriors.

He walked down the hallway, where ancient statues stood by the walls.

“All right…” he said. “Magic talisman… magic talisman…”

His eye caught a shiny thing on one of the statues, a marble likeness of the god of the dead, Osiris.

“Heh…” he said. “It wouldn’t happen to be that amulet with the ruby with the Eye of Wdjat etched on it, would it?”

He looked at it. He backed up against the wall, and took out his cell phone.

Be careful, Erik… he thought, hitting the pager. If you just ring Sam, she’ll be here to give you backup, and there’ll be no Shadow Game…Shadow Games are bad…

He heard a chuckle coming from the shadows.

“Why try to deny it, Erik?” asked a sinister voice. “You want to claim that Talisman… You want to prove to Yumi that you’re no henchman… Maybe you want to prove it to Sam as well.

“In fact, I’d say you want to prove it to yourself more than you want to prove it to anyone else.”

“Show yourself…” ordered Erik.

A man appeared out of the shadows that made Erik’s flesh crawl. He was a handsome, yet diabolic-looking man, with a charming smile. He had slick, tightly cropped hair with a widow’s peak, and hazel eyes. His clothing, while black, looked expensive, though not formal. Sort of like a leisure suit that a vampire might wear. He also wore a Duel Disk.

“So who are you?” asked Erik, not sure if he wanted to know.

“My name is Samen,” said the man. “I’m an Ascender in name only, by the way. And now that we’ve taken care of that unpleasant business, I still mean to acquire that Charm…

“And I’ll have you know, I fear no Shadow Game…

“So Erik… You can either step aside and let me take it… Or you can stand in my way and start something…

“Step aside, and you’ll likely never be anything more than just a follower…”

“I’m no follower!” shouted Erik. “Come here, you little…”

He rushed at Samen. The man grinned wickedly.

Sam and the others ran into the chamber.

“Erik?” said Sam.

She saw Erik rush at the Ascender.

“No, baby, don’t!” she screamed.

It was too late. The Talisman of the Mind glowed with red light, and the eyes of the statues in the hall burned with fire. A dark fog started to rise…



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi looked around.

They were at an outdoor locale, and the sun was setting…

It was some sort of desert ruin. They were in the courtyard of the destroyed remains of some building that had been made of granite.

Erik was facing Samen in the center, and Sam was beside herself with fear.

“Oh, why did he do it?” she cried. “We were almost there!”

Anastasia appeared.

“I feel his opponent may have tricked him,” she said. “And might have done so in an unorthodox way. I can’t put my finger on it, but this Samen doesn’t seem like your average duelist. Certainly, an aura of evil emits from him that he can’t hide.”

“What?” asked Ren. “Is he some sort of sorcerer?”

“Possibly,” said Anastasia. “We’ll have to watch. Maybe I can discern who – or what – he is by observation…

“Sadly, it’s too late to stop the Yami no Oujou. Erik must duel.”

“I hope you’re happy, pal,” growled Erik. “You got my girlfriend scared…”

“As she should be,” said Samen. “Because we’re about to duel, you will lose, and you will die. I’ll make sure of…”

With a flash of light, a glowing portal appeared in the air above them. Everyone looked up.

Something slowly emerged from of the portal…

It was a young woman, though not a normal one. She was indecently dressed, wearing only a bikini top and a breechcloth, and gold bangles on her wrists and bare feet. Most remarkably, she wore a mask over her face, which was pure white on the left side, and pure black on the right. Her billowy, blond hair reached to her waist, and fluttered behind her.

She silently hovered over Erik and Samen, and looked them over.

“It can’t be…” whispered Samen.

“Who is THAT?” asked Erik.

A voice came from the clouds.

“Erik… Samen…” it said. “As the intellectual among the Sorcerer Kings, I have researched many ideas and theories. One that I never managed to make much headway on was Chaos Theory. I still attempt to make sense of it, and I still conduct many experiments to that means.

“I’m using this duel as such an experiment, and I’ve recruited someone to help. Meet the Princess of Chaos.

“She’s here to serve three functions. Two of them are vital to the experiment, the last… Well, she insisted on it…

“First, the rule which will be in effect throughout the whole duel. It works as if both of you had a Blind Destruction active. In case you’re unfamiliar with that Trap Card, a number between one and six will be chosen at random at each End Phase. She’ll then destroy any Monsters on the field that match that Level. A six will result in the destruction of all Monsters of that Level or higher.

“This effect cannot be changed by any card, such as Dice Re-Roll, because, simply put, she is not a card.

“Second, she will personally decide the outcome of any card that depends on random chance or luck to function.

“Her third function, the one she insisted on, you need only be concerned about if you lose the duel. She will execute the loser herself.”

Sam covered her mouth with her hand, trying hard not to scream.

“Now begin,” said the voice. “Honor goes to Erik.”

“Gladly…” said Erik.

“This is crazy…” mutter Chelsea. “This guy is using them as lab rats?”

“It’s his Talisman,” sighed Anastasia. “Maybe that’s why he feels he can do it. And we’re in no position to argue.”

“Isn’t there ANY way we can rebel?” asked Sam.

Anastasia shook her head.

“No known way…” she replied. “What they say goes, like it or not… They’re in a class by themselves. Maybe the Sorcerer Kings truly achieved their goal eventually…

“Maybe they actually obtained power that only gods could harness.”

The two Disks activated.

“Game on!” they both shouted.



(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (Samen: 8,000)


“Prepare for defeat!” threatened Samen.

“We’ll see about that,” said Erik, drawing his first card.

He added it to his hand and chose another one.

“I throw down a facedown, and summon my trusty Toy Soldier in Attack Mode,” he said.

A facedown card appeared, and Toy Soldier appeared, aiming his musket. (800/300)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/b/b8/ToySoldier-JP-Anime.jpg


“I’ll end with that…”

Everyone looked at the Princess of Chaos. She held her hands in front of her, and the numbers one through six flashed quickly in-between them.

Finally, the number four appeared.

“Looks like my Soldier is safe,” said Erik. “He’s Level Three.”

“Safe from her,” said Samen, drawing a card. “But not from me.

“First, I play Pot of Greed. So I pick up two more cards…”

The laughing green jug appeared, and he drew twice. He added the cards to his hand.

“Next, I play Mystical Space Typhoon.”

He held up the card, and the cyclone tore forward. Erik’s Mirror Force lifted up and shattered.

“Next,” said Samen, “I’ll activate the Spell Card, Tribute to the Doomed. I’ll just discard one card…”

He discarded a Monster Card from his hand.

“…and your Toy Soldier is vanquished.”

A swarm of mummy wrappings burst out of the ground, and wrapped around Toy Soldier. Then a huge claw grabbed him and dragged him under.

“You’ll pay for that…” said Erik with a scowl.

“We’ll see…” said Samen. “Next, I summon Pharaoh’s Servant.”

The ground burst open, and a tall figure rose out of the sand. It was a Zombie dressed in Egyptian-style raiment, holding a spear. (900/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0601.jpg


“Attack him directly!” ordered Samen.

Pharaoh’s Servant twirled its spear, and stabbed Erik in the chest. He staggered back, clutching the spot where it had hit.

Samen looked at another card in his hand.

I hate having to depend on a card like this, he thought, but with this sort of deck, it’s a necessity.

“I’ll place this facedown,” he said, “and take a break…”

A facedown card appeared.



(E: 7,100) -------------------- (S: 8,000)


Once again, the numbers flashed between the Princess’s hands…

A one appeared.

“Looks like we both got lucky,” said Erik, drawing a card. “That guy is Level Two.”

“Let’s see if it holds out,” said Samen, as his Trap Card lifted. “I activate Sixth Sense.”

“Oh no…” said Yumi. “I remember this… Holly used it in our Yami no Oujou…”

“I name the numbers five and six,” said Samen.

“You’re forgetting something…” said Erik, with a smile. “A die isn’t going to decide if you get any more cards… SHE is!”

He pointed to the Princess.

The Princess of Chaos silently looked at Samen. She raised her hands.

The number six appeared in them.

Samen smiled evilly as he drew six cards.

I wonder, Princess… he thought, looking them over, do you have any idea who you just helped? Would you have done so if you knew?

Maybe you do know, and you just don’t care.

That’s why Law will always triumph over Chaos… Because Chaos is dumb.

“It’s still my turn, Samen,” said Erik. “And I summon…”

He played a card.

“My Toy Wind-Up!”

A new figure appeared on Erik’s side of the field. It resembled Toy Soldier at first glance, but there were differences that you saw when you looked at it again. This one was a head taller than the original, was made of metal instead of wood, and had a bronze turnkey in its back. Its gun was a blunderbuss rather than a musket. (1,000/700)

“Is that supposed to scare me?” asked Samen. “Sure, it can defeat my Servant, but I’ll only lose 100 little Life Points.”

“You’re overlooking two small words,” said Erik. “Special ability. When a Toy Wind-Up inflicts damage to your Life Points in battle, even if it’s just one point, I get to Special Summon another one from my deck.”

“Huh?” said Samen, in surprise.

“So…” said Erik, “Toy Wind-Up, attack Pharaoh’s Servant with blunderbuss blast!”

The toy aimed its gun, and with a blast of noise and smoke, Pharaoh’s Servant was blown to bits.

In a burst of energy, a second Toy Wind-Up appeared next to the first. (1,000/700)

“I’m not done with you yet, pal…” said Erik. “Second Wind-Up… Attack him directly!”

The second toy aimed its gun…

Samen howled as the shell hit him in the chest.

“And guess what?” continued Erik. “I have THREE Wind-Ups in my deck!”

A third Wind-Up appeared next to the second. Samen scowled. (1,000/700)

The third one blasted him and he fell over.

“That’s my turn for now…” said Erik.



(E: 7,100) -------------------- (S: 5,900)


“All right, baby!” screamed Sam. “Way to go!”

The Princess gestured again…

The number was two.

“Seems my Wind-Ups are safe for this round,” said Erik. “They’re also Level Three.”

“I beg to differ…” said Samen, drawing a card.

He smirked when he saw what it was.

“I discard one card from my hand…” he said.

He discarded another Pharaoh’s Servant.

“…to play this… My favorite Spell Card, the famous Lightning Vortex! It vaporizes all of your Monsters!”

Lightning flashed, and then struck Erik’s side of the field, blowing the Toy Wind-Ups to bits.

“Aw, no!” shouted Chelsea. “He’s defenseless again!”

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode, and then two cards facedown,” said Samen. “Then I’ll let our host do her job, not like it will matter.”

Two facedown cards, and a facedown Monster appeared. The Princess held up her hands, and a four appeared. She likely knew it was a technicality – no matter what number had come up, there was nothing to destroy.

Erik drew a card.

He smiled.

“Get a good draw, Erik?” asked Samen. “Well, just try to stop this.”

One of his Trap Cards lifted. The image on it was a glowing blue sarcophagus inside a stone ark.

“I activate The First Sarcophagus!”

“Of course…” muttered Anastasia. “It makes sense now… The weak Zombie, the Spells that required discards…

“Erik had better be careful…”

“Oh, is that so?” asked Erik. “Well, I’ll smash your Sarcophagus before you manage to summon the big guy.

“I play… Premature Burial. So I’ll pay 800 Life Points to bring back Toy Soldier.”

Toy Soldier crawled out of the ground, and stood up. (800/300)

“You paid 800 points for that scrub?” asked Samen. “I wouldn’t have paid one point.”

Erik glared at him. The Toy Soldier gave him a dirty look.

“Okay, this guy has gone beyond trash talking and turned downright nasty,” said Yumi. “Anastasia, any luck figuring out who he is?”

“No…” she said. “He’s trying his hardest to keep me from doing so. His ability to duel while keeping this façade – whatever it is – is a feat that would take a great deal of willpower. Especially since this is a Shadow Game. He’s clearly something exceptional.”

Indeed, angel, thought Samen, glancing at her. Games of Shadows are as easy as walking to my kind…

“Next…” said Erik. “I play a Spell Card called Crowning of the Emperor. I’ll trade in my Toy Soldier for someone better…”

Toy Soldier vanished in a burst of energy, and Toy Emperor appeared, holding his saber forward astride his wooden horse. (2,300/800)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/8/84/ToyEmperor-JP-Anime.jpg


“Attack his facedown Monster!” shouted Erik.

Toy Emperor galloped towards the facedown card. A Zombie that looked somewhat like Pharaoh’s Servant appeared on the card, and with one swipe of a sword, it was blasted to bits.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0611.jpg


“So you destroyed my Pharaonic Protector,” said Samen. “There’s plenty more where he came from.”

“Well Toy Emperor has a powerful effect,” said Erik, taking his deck. “Since he defeated a Monster, I now get to take any Trap Card I want from my deck, and add it to my hand.”

He took a card from his deck and looked at it.

Dust Tornado.

His other facedown card is likely Magic Jammer, he thought, or more likely, given his deck’s theme, Judgment of Anubis. But I happen to know that neither of those Traps can counter another Trap. So this will throw a wrench into his machinery…

“I’ll set this facedown, and let you go,” he said.

“Not before I activate this…” said Samen, as a Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.

It bore the image of golden sarcophagus, open to reveal a blue glow.

“The Second Sarcophagus. One more to go…”

The Princess held up her hands, and the number five appeared in them.



(E: 6,300) -------------------- (S: 5,900)


“They’ve been lucky so far,” said Ren. “But it’s only a matter of time before their number is up…”

Samen drew a card.

“I activate Dust Tornado!” shouted Erik, as his Trap Card lifted. “Say goodbye to your Sarcophagi!”

“I think not…” said Samen.

His own Trap Card lifted.

“I activate Curse of Royal. It quells your tornado, leaving my card safe.”

A gaggle of ghostly spirits flew out of the Trap Card, and flew into the Dust Tornado card, scattering it to the winds.

“Wha?” gasped Erik.

“Samen was too smart for him…” muttered Yumi. “Erik was expecting an anti-Spell Trap, but Curse of Royal could counter anything short of Heavy Storm…”

“Erik…” muttered Sam. “Please… Be careful…”

“All I have to do now…” said Samen, “is place one card facedown, and that will end my turn.”

A new facedown card appeared.

The Princess lifted her hands again. Everyone watched…

The number was three.

“All right…” said Erik. “Watch out!”

He drew a card.

“I activate Threatening Roar,” exclaimed Samen, as his Trap Card lifted.

A great beast appeared behind him, and bellowed.

“I’m afraid you can’t attack this turn.”

Erik looked at his hand.

“Well then…” he said. “If I can’t attack anyway, now’s the right time to play this…”

He played a Spell Card, showing the image of a group of Toy Soldiers around a broken one of their own.

“It’s a powerful Spell called Toy Memorial. I have to skip my Battle Phase on the turn when I use it, but now, I have to anyway, so it’s no big loss.

“Then, for every card in my Graveyard with the word ‘Toy’ in its name, I get to draw one card, and there are four of them there, one Soldier, and three Wind-Ups.”

He made four draws. He looked them over.

“I summon Card Blocker,” he said.

“Card Blocker?” asked Samen. “What the…”

Another toy warrior appeared, but this one was dressed in armor, with a round helmet, carrying a small shield and a toy sword. (400/400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le10_jp004.jpg


“He’s not very strong, yes,” said Erik. “In fact, he’s better at defending. When I summon him, he moves right into Defense Mode.”

Card Blocker crouched down, and held his shield in front of him.

“I end my turn.”

“You know what that means, right?” asked Samen. “I get to play The Third Sarcophagus!”

Yet another Spell Card appeared. The sarcophagus on this one was closed and had a decorative carving on top.

The Princess gestured again. The number was one.

“Is she ever going to do anything useful?” chuckled Samen, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

“Now…” he said. “I sacrifice my three Sarcophagi…”

The three cards were consumed in bursts of light…

A glowing, pure gold sarcophagus appeared on the field. It slowly opened…

Stepping out was a figure with black skin, clad in golden armor, with shoulder guards shaped like a jackal and a hawk. He wore a tutan mask over his head, held a sword in his left hand, and a crook in his right.

“The Spirit of the Pharaoh!” shouted Samen.

(2,500/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0621.jpg


“Impressive…” muttered Erik.

“I’m not done…” said Samen. “Where a Pharaoh goes, his servants are never far behind… So just by summoning him, I get to raise four Zombies from my Graveyard. So long as they have no effect, and are no higher than Level Two.”

Spirit of the Pharaoh raised his crook, and it glowed with eldritch energy. Two Pharaonic Protectors and two Pharaoh’s Servants appeared to either side of him. (900/0 x4)

“Not bad…” said Erik, grinning.

“I’m still not done…” said Samen, taking a card from his hand. “I play a devastating Spell Card called Thousand Energy. This raises the Attack Score of all Level Two Normal Monsters on my side of the field by 1,000!”

The four lesser Zombies all glowed with fiery energy, and rose to an Attack of 1,900 apiece.

“Very impressive…” said Erik.


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Samen glared at him.

“You have an awful lot of confidence for someone who’s facing three direct attacks in a few seconds…” he said.

Erik looked him in the eye.

“Spirit of the Pharaoh,” ordered Samen, “destroy his Toy Emperor!”

The Spirit rushed forward, swinging its two weapons.

“Hold your horses!” shouted Erik. “Aren’t you at all curious about my Card Blocker?

“He’s like a magnet. When you attack one of my Monsters when he’s on the field, he draws the attack to him!”

Spirit of the Pharaoh paused in mid-charge. Then, he turned, and swung his sword, smashing Card Blocker to pieces.

“And your other Zombies aren’t strong enough to take down my Emperor,” said Erik, with a shrug. “What a shame.”

Samen burned with fury as the spectators on Erik’s side started to cheer.

“So, are you done?” asked Erik.

“Not yet…” snarled Samen. “When I end my turn, Thousand Energy will destroy my Monsters… But before that happens, I’ll sacrifice one of them by playing Mystik Wok.”

He played the card, and one Pharaoh’s Servant vanished.

“So now I gain 1,900 Life Points…

“I end my turn.”



(E: 6,300) -------------------- (S: 7,800)


The three remaining lesser Zombies shattered into shards.

The Princess of Chaos gestured. The numbers flashed again…

A six appeared.

“Six?” shouted Samen, startled.

“Oh… lovely…” muttered Yumi

Balls of fire appeared in both the Princess’s hands. She hurled them in both directions, and they struck Spirit of the Pharaoh and Toy Emperor. They screamed, before bursting into clouds of dust and ash.

“Looks like they’re almost back where they started,” said Chelsea. “Both of them took a blow there…”

Erik drew a card.

“First thing’s first,” he said. “I play Pot of Avarice”

He played the Spell Card and the pink parody of the Pot of Greed appeared.

Erik’s Toy Soldier, all three Toy Wind-Ups, and Card Blocker slipped out of his discard slot. He combined them with his deck, and reshuffled. Then he drew two.

“All right…” he said. “I’ll throw down a facedown, and then summon another Toy Soldier. Let’s try this again.”

A facedown card appeared, and Toy Soldier appeared on the field once again. (800/300)

“Attack him directly!” he commanded.

Toy Soldier fired his musket, and Samen grunted.

“Is that the best you’ve got?” growled the Ascender. “I’ve had worse mosquito bites…”

“Those would have had to be pretty vicious mosquitoes…” said Ren.



(E: 6,300) -------------------- (S: 7,000)


The numbers between the Princess’s hands flashed again.

It was a four this time.

“Lucky,” growled Samen, drawing a card.

He quickly placed the card on his Disk, and a defensive Monster appeared. He waved his hand.

The numbers flashed again…

Two.

Erik drew a card.

“Let’s see you shrug this off,” he said. “I activate my Toy Soldier’s effect. In case you don’t know how it works, when one of my military munchkins is on the field during my Standby Phase, I get to summon two more of them from my deck.”

In two bursts of energy, two more Toy Soldiers appeared next to the first.

The three Soldiers looked at Erik, and nodded.

Erik looked a little surprised. He slowly nodded back.

Curses! thought Samen. My spell is weakening… I thought I could seal the accursed Spirits in their cards and take away the advantage his friends had… But they’re slowly breaking free… Who would have thought that toys could be so strong?

“All right, pal,” continued Erik. “I play a Spell Card called Forced March. All I have to do is cut the Attack Score of my Soldiers in half, and they can attack you directly.”

The Toy Soldiers aimed their guns, and each fell to an Attack of 400.

“Go ahead!” dared Samen. “I’ve taken worse.”

“Really?” asked Erik, playing another Spell Card. “How about a combo? I play Fife and Drum Corp.”

The parade of toy soldiers appeared behind Erik, but this time, the song they were playing was much more somber.

It hardly mattered. It had the desired effect. The Attack Scores of the three Soldiers rose back to 800 apiece.

Three muskets fired, and Samen screamed in pain.



(E: 6,300) -------------------- (S: 4,600)


“Keep going, baby!” shouted Sam. “You’re getting there!”

“I’ll end my turn,” said Erik.

The Princess raised her hands again.

This time, the number was a three.

“Aw, crud!” shouted Erik.

The Princess waved her hand, and a blast of fire shot from it. The three Toy Soldiers were incinerated.

“Heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Samen. “Not so lucky that time, were you?”

Erik tensed. His left fist clenched.

“Just make your move,” he said, angrily.

Samen drew a card.

“Actually,” he said, “I’m just going to draw and pass. You lucked out for now…”

Again, the Princess gestured. A one appeared, but it didn’t matter.

“Suit yourself…” said Erik, drawing.

That’s it… he thought, looking at the card.

“I summon… Toy Magician!”

In a flash of light, a new toy appeared. This one was a short, elflike wizard, dressed in blue, apparently made of plastic. He had a pointed nose, red hair, and held a glowing scepter. (1,600/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/vjc_jp016a.jpg


He turned to Erik.

“Huh?” said Erik.

“Erik,” said the Toy Magician, “don’t despair. This battle is far from over.”

“You guys can talk?” whispered Erik.

“We’ve been trying to since the duel began,” he replied. “This fiend’s dark magic tried to seal our true powers away. But we can help with true support now.

“Do not be swayed by his deception or enraged by his insults. His kind has used these tricks since the birth of mortals. Keep calm, remember who you are, and you can vanquish this beast.”

“All right!” shouted Erik.

He pointed to Samen.

“I don’t know who you are, or where you came from,” he said, “but your spell is broken, so this duel just became a whole new game!

“Toy Magician, attack his Monster with sparkle blast!”

“As you command…” said the Magician.

It aimed its scepter at the facedown card, and a Charcoal Inpachi appeared on the card. (100/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0011.jpg


“Always look before you leap!” laughed Samen.

“I agree,” replied Erik.

His facedown card lifted, and Rush Recklessly revealed itself. Toy Magician’s Attack rose up to 2,300, and his blast struck the Pyro, smashing it into black dust.

“That’s my turn…” said Erik.

The Princess waved her hands again.

The number was a four.

“Oh no!” shouted Sam.

“Erik…” said Toy Magician. “Don’t forget what I said…”

The Princess hurled a fireball at Toy Magician, and he cringed before exploding into pixels.

“No…” said Erik, sadly, bowing his head.

“Get ahold of yourself, Erik!” shouted Chelsea. “It isn’t over yet!”

“No but it might as well be…” said Samen, drawing a card.

“I play Silent Doom,” he said, playing the card. “Think I’ll bring back my Charcoal Inpachi…”

The burnt-out wood spirit appeared again, crouching in Defense Mode. (100/2,100)

“Next…” he said, “I summon Aswan Apparition.”

A cloud of smoke appeared on the field, and a phantom-like creature, apparently made from the smoke itself, formed out of it. (500/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0641.jpg


“Say what?” asked Erik.

“Attack him directly!” shouted Samen. “Ominous howl!”

The Aswan Apparition howled, and Erik staggered back as the ghostly sound plowed into him.



(E: 5,800) -------------------- (S: 4,600)


“What’s the point?” asked Erik, holding his chest.

“Glad you asked,” said Samen, raising his Disk. “It may be weak, but when it hurts you, I get to take any Trap Card from my Graveyard, and place it on the top of my deck…”

A card slipped out of his discard slot. He glanced at it, and placed it on top of his deck.

“A Trap Card?” asked Sam.

“Yes…” said Anastasia. “And I’m almost certain it’s The First Sarcophagus. He’s going to start the whole process over again.”

“I end my turn,” said Samen.

The Princess of Chaos waved her hands again. Her eyes glowed red. It seemed she was getting impatient…

The number was two.

“Well, no Level Two Monsters on the field right now…” said Samen. “So it’s your move…”

Erik drew a card.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode, and that will be all,” he said.

A facedown Monster appeared on his side of the field.

The Princess frowned. She gestured again.

The number was a three.

She threw the ball of fire again, and it struck Aswan Apparition. It burst into pixels.

“OOH!” cursed Samen. “You got that result on purpose, you filthy chaos spawn!”

The Princess glared at him, angrily.

“It’s your move, buddy,” said Erik. “And I wouldn’t get her angry if I were you.”

“Fine!” said Samen, drawing a card.

“I place these two cards facedown, and that will end my turn.”

Two facedown cards appeared.

The Princess gestured again, and the number four came up. She shook her head, and looked at Erik.

One of them is definitely The First Sarcophagus… thought Erik. But what is the other one? Another Curse of Royal?

He drew a card.

“I activate The First Sarcophagus!” shouted Samen, as his Trap Card lifted.

“What a surprise,” said Erik, sarcastically.

“You may be brave now,” said Samen, “but soon, my Spirit of the Pharaoh will destroy you.

“And should you try to destroy my Sarcophagus, you’ll simply die sooner.”

Erik looked at him.

No doubt about it… he thought, looking at the other facedown card. Judgment of Anubis.

“I play Pot of Greed!” he shouted.

The jar appeared, and he drew two cards.

He looked at one of the cards.

Well, he’s in for a big surprise…

“Sorry, Samen,” he said, “but there’s no way I’m letting you summon that guy again. And I have just the cards to stop you.

“I summon Spell Striker in Attack Mode!”

In a flash of light, a small form appeared on Erik’s side of the field. It was a toy wizard with a horned helmet and cape, with a big smile on his face. (600/200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/wc07_en001.jpg


“Oh, please,” said Samen. “That’s the most pathetic one yet.”

Spell Striker frowned at him.

“Really?” asked Erik. “Well, let me introduce a friend of his… I Flip-Summon… Armor Breaker!”

His facedown Monster flipped up, and another toy warrior appeared. This one was short and squat, and wore a huge helmet shaped like a hammer. (600/200)

“Okay, guys…” said Erik. “Why don’t you show Samen here the little trick you two can do…”

Spell Striker and Armor Breaker nodded and gave him a thumb’s up…

Then Armor Breaker leapt into the air, spinning like a top, and started to change shape. Quickly, he turned from a humanoid Warrior into a big mallet. Spell Striker caught it and held it up high.

“And that’s supposed to impress me?” asked Samen. “Now instead of two weak Monsters, you have one weak Monster that’s holding a big hammer.”

“A weak Monster that’s holding a big hammer who can attack you directly,” said Erik, with a grin.

Samen’s eyes narrowed.

“Bring it…” he said with a scowl.

“Spell Striker, go!” shouted Erik.

Spell Striker leapt up into the air towards Samen, and clobbered him with the hammer. The Ascender staggered backwards.

“Ergh…” he muttered. “Nice try, but you barely left a dent!”



(E: 5,800) -------------------- (S: 4,000)


“I forgot to mention…” said Erik. “When Spell Striker deals damage when swinging Armor Breaker, he gets to destroy one Spell or Trap Card.”

“He does?” said Samen, shocked.

Spell Striker lifted the hammer, and slammed it into the ground, sending a shockwave towards Samen’s side of the field. Samen braced himself, as The First Sarcophagus was blasted to bits.

“I’m beginning to get… angry!” yelled Samen.

“Deal with it,” said Erik, placing a two cards in his Disk.

Two facedown cards appeared.

“And by the way, if you think you can hurt me by attacking Spell Striker because he’s weak, think again. When he’s involved in a battle, I don’t lose any Life Points.

“I’ll end there.”

The Princess of Chaos waved her hand…

The number that came up was a one.

“Oh look…” said Erik. “Looks like your Charcoal Inpachi is gonna be leaving.”

The Princess hurled her fireball, and the Inpachi was blown to pieces.

Samen drew a card and looked at the two cards in his hand.

“So…” he said. “You take no damage if I attack your Spell Striker… And since it’s Equipped with a Union Monster, it will survive one attack… I have to admit, that is rather clever…

“But I can still destroy it.

“I play my second Tribute to the Doomed!”

He played the card, and discarded his other one.

“Not so fast,” said Eric, as his facedown card lifted. “I activate Spell Shield Type-8. Now your Spell Card is negated, and since Tribute to the Doomed is a targeting effect, I don’t have to pay a thing.”

The Spell Card shattered.

“Fine…” said Samen. “My turn is over. Do your worst…”

The Princess gestured again, and the numbers flashed. A six came up.

Erik drew a card.

He looked at it.

“Sorry, Samen,” said Erik, “but this duel is ending now…

His last facedown card lifted.

“First… I activate Call of the Haunted. I’ll bring back an old friend.”

In a burst of energy, Toy Emperor reappeared. His mount whinnied and leapt on its hind legs before turning to face Samen. (2,300/800)

“Next…” continued Erik. “Armor Breaker… Separate from Spell Striker!”

The mallet flew from Spell Striker’s hands, and changed shape again. After a few seconds, it had transformed back into the Warrior with the huge helmet. (600/200)

“I’ll still survive!” shouted Samen.

“No you won’t…” replied Erik. “Thanks to my Toy Dragon.”

“Toy Dragon?” gasped Samen.

“Oh, you’re wondering where my Toy Dragon is?” asked Erik.

Spell Striker and Armor Breaker nodded to each other.

“Well, he’s right THERE!”

The two Warriors leapt up, and vanished into globules of light. The huge form of Toy Dragon materialized from out of the shadows. (2,300/2,000)

“And with Toy Emperor on the field,” said Erik, “he gets a little boost.”

(2,700/2,000)

“Toy Emperor… Attack directly with imperial charge!”

The Emperor charged forward on his mount, and slashed at Samen with his saber. The Ascender screamed.

“Toy Dragon… Attack directly, with shooting star shower!”

Toy Dragon breathed its blast of light motes, and Samen howled before falling over.



(E: 5,300) -------------------- (S: 0)


Erik took a deep breath.

The Princess of Chaos’s eyes glowed fiery red. She flew down towards Samen.

“Stay away!” he shouted.

The Princess reached for him, and he caught her wrists as she lunged.

“Huh?” said Yumi. “What’s happening?”

“He’s… he’s fighting back somehow…” said Anastasia.

A black flame surrounded the two of them as they struggled.

Then, a glowing portal appeared to the side of Erik and those who were supporting him.

“That portal’s our way home!” shouted Anastasia. “Let’s go!”

Yumi rushed through the portal with Anastasia behind her. Then Ren followed, then Chelsea, then Sam.

Erik paused for a minute before leaving. He looked at the struggle between the Ascender and the Princess of Chaos…

Then an explosion from where they were fighting blew him through the portal.



* * * * * * * * * *


Erik held his head.

Something was around his neck. He lifted it up, and saw that it was the Talisman of the Mind.

“Erik!” shouted Sam. “Baby, please be okay… Please be okay…”

“I’m okay…” said Erik. “But Samen wasn’t so lucky. Seems he was… vaporized…”

Yumi gave an odd look.

“Seems we may never know just who he was,” she muttered.

She paused.

“But now… We have five Shadow Charms between us… Our enemies have two…

“One more is still out there, and we have to stay alert. Rasputin will try his hardest to get it…”

“Hey…” said Ren. “We’ll be ready for him…”



* * * * * * * * * *


On another plane of existence, very far from the Prime Material, there stood a great city, bigger by far than any metropolis on Earth. In fact, to someone traveling its streets, it would seem to go on forever, even though you could see mountains in the distance. The city was composed of diabolic-looking structures made entirely of iron – scalding-hot iron that could burn the flesh of the unprepared visitor.

And visible from every part of this city was a great tower. This tower’s appearance fluctuated with each passing minute, always changing. One minute it could be a tall spire, the next it might be a squat fortress. Natives of the city knew how to get to it, but if you didn’t know the secret, you couldn’t approach it. No matter how long you walked towards it, you’d never arrive at its entrance. It would always seem to be on the block ahead of you, but you could walk for weeks and not get there.

Deep inside the great tower, Samen – for he knew well how to enter – walked through a long hallway. His clothes were torn and burned from the struggle with the Princess of Chaos, but there were no wounds on his skin.

The ruined clothes made him feel a little self-conscious, but he’d change later. Someone was waiting for him to make his report, and this was not the type of person that you kept waiting.

As he walked down the hallway, his appearance started to change. His shoes vanished, and his feet turned into cloven hooves. A long, barbed tail extended from his spine, small horns sprouted from his forehead, and his eyes glowed red.

He approached a huge pair of double doors. They opened, and he entered a throne room, where a grim figure brooded on a throne of iron.

Samen knelt.

“The plan didn’t go as I intended, sire,” he said. “Mr. Matell was quite formidable. Although, I doubt he would have beaten me had I been using my true deck.

“His group and Rasputin now believe me to be dead… Slain by the Princess of Chaos.”

The figure on the throne chuckled.

“She didn’t know who she was dealing with,” replied the figure in a deep voice. “And apparently, neither did Non-Challac. How could some servant of Chaos harm one who is protected by an exemplar of Law?

“At any rate, it wasn’t a total loss. You managed to get as much information from Rasputin as you likely ever would have, and this way, we don’t need to devise a way for you and he to part company.

“And the information you gained will help us a great deal. I have a feeling that Rasputin will finally decide to complete the bargain at long last. And when he does, this… bad investment of ours will finally be nothing more than an unpleasant memory.”

“And what of young Yumi Mouto?” asked Samen.

The figure on the throne paused for a minute.

“Her we’ll watch for a bit longer,” he replied. “She is the offspring of the one who defeated Saurius, and she has the same spirit guide.

“That upstart was a thorn in my side for a very long time, and as far as the Mouto family goes, you know what they say about ‘the enemy of my enemy’…

“So we will watch her very carefully… She may be a benefit or a curse to us. I simply do not know yet.

“You’ve done well, Samen… You may resume your regular duties for the time being. If I need you to duel again, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you, sire,” said Samen, removing the deck from his Duel Disk. “This game is fun, but it does tend to get tedious…”

He placed it a pouch by his side, and turned to leave.

The dark figure – who was not human, but something far more terrible than anything humanity could ever or would ever produce – leaned back on his throne to consider the new developments…

Erik has proven that he’s no lightweight, and the Talisman of the Mind is now in his possession. But a strange new factor may have been thrown into the mix, one which makes Rasputin’s dark nature even darker. Soon, toys may not be strong enough to combat the evil that will oppose our heroes…



TOY WIND-UP (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1000
DEF: 700

Card Description: When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent’s Life Points, you may Special Summon one “Toy Wind-Up” from your hand or deck.



TOY MEMORIAL (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A group of Toy Soldiers standing around a broken one of their own.

Card Description: Draw one card for every card in your Graveyard that has the word “Toy” in its name. You must skip your Battle Phase on a turn in which you use this card.

Note: “Toy Memorial” was created by Master of Paradox for use in his fic “Tilting the Balance”. Creative credit goes to him.



TOY MAGICIAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,600
DEF: 1,500

Card Description: This card can be treated as a Spell Card and set facedown into your Spell/Trap zone. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by the effect of an opponent's card while set in your Spell/Trap zone, Special Summon this card onto your field during the End Phase of that turn. In addition, when this card is successfully Flip-Summoned, you may destroy a number of Spell and Trap cards up to the number of face-up “Toy Magicians” on the field.

Note: “Toy Magician” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.



CARD BLOCKER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 400
DEF: 400

Card Description: When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, it is switched to face-up Defense Position. When a face-up Monster you control is targeted by an attack, you may switch the attack target to this card. When this card becomes an attack target, you may send up to three cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. For each card sent to the Graveyard in this manner, increase this card’s DEF by 500 until the End Phase of the turn.

Note: “Card Blocker” is a Japanese promotional card that has not yet been released in the United States. It was first used by Jaden in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Heart of Ice (Part Two)”.



ARMOR BREAKER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Union
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 600
DEF: 200

Card Description: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on your side of the field, you may Equip it to your “Spell Striker” as an Equip Spell Card OR change it back to a Monster in face-up Attack Position. When the Equipped Monster inflicts battle damage to your opponent, you may destroy one face-up Spell or Trap Card. (One Monster can only be Equipped with one Union Monster at a time. If the Monster that this card is Equipped to would be destroyed in battle, this card is destroyed instead.)

Note: “Armor Breaker” was first used by Jaden in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Heart of Ice (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Yumi: Ren, look! Felicia is back!

Ren: Really? Wonder if she wants to duel again?

Chelsea: Guys, I’m not sure… Felicia’s eyes are strange… She’s not blinking…

I think something’s happened to her…

Ren: What’s going on? Is there something you want to tell me, Felicia?

Yumi: We’ll see soon enough…

Coming up next: “Ren versus the Cat Goddess; Divine Bestiary”.

As Ren tries for Gold, in his toughest fight yet…

Felicia: Meow… Ren… Don’t you want to duel me?

[Shuppet Master]

Nice Yami no Oujo. I think I know what that strange city is, having read several D&D publications myself. Yumi is in for a big fight. :)

Anyways, looks like a rematch between Felicia and Ren, and after what happened to the cat woman last time, something tells me this rematch is not friendly...

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, what can I say about this chapter? Well, for starters, it's definately looking like these Sorcerer Kings have some evil to them. A good move. As for the duel, well, I wasn't ever a big fan of Abidos, but at least you managed to do more with his deck than he ever could. Interesting new toy cards you introduced as well.

I felt you could have done a bit more with the whole lap-dog thing for Erik. The Toy Magician told him not to fall for Samen's 'lies' but Samen hardly brung them up. It would have worked better if he brought it up more often and made him furious. The whole mind games thing would have added some tension.

Hmmm, an interesting twist you've added here. let's see how well you handle it.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO



Ren versus the Cat Goddess



Divine Bestiary



It was nine PM.

Rasputin was angrier than he had been in a long time.

The fact that he had lost another Shadow Charm was bad enough. The fact that it had been lost to a duelist using toy Monsters was almost unbearable.

He dialed a number on his cell phone.

“Hello, Mason?” he started. “Good, you haven’t been arrested… Listen, your next target in the morning will be…”

He stopped short.

“What do you mean, you quit?”

He paused.

“You’re making a mistake, you…”

He paused again. He turned to Nicholas and Olga.

“He hung up on me!” he shouted. “My men are deserting me… Why?”

“Well, let’s see…” said Olga. “Two Ascenders are dead, one is in a coma, ten are in jail so far… You aren’t exactly eligible for employer of the month any more.”

Rasputin brought up an image on the computer. Erik’s face was on it.

“That amateur could NOT have beaten Samen!” he shouted. “I won’t accept it… That Talisman is rightfully mine…”

“Believe what you will,” said Nicholas. “Erik won the Talisman of the Mind, and it belongs to him now.”

“I refuse to accept it!” shouted Rasputin.

“Unfortunately,” said Nicholas, leaning his head back on the couch, “your refusal to accept does not change the fact.”

“I refuse to accept that too!” replied Rasputin.

“Unfortunately,” replied Nicholas, “your refusal to accept that your refusal does not change the fact, also does not change the fact that Erik won the Talisman of the Mind.”

Rasputin’s face fell.

“I’ll accept that…” he said with a sigh.

He got up, went to the coffee table, and opened an old tome.

“Yumi and her allies now have five of the Charms…” he growled. “We have only two… But one still remains, and that one may make all the difference…”

He turned the pages.

“The Rod of the Ancients…” he muttered, “the Charm belonging to Unus the Undying. According to legend, Unus did not craft it… He was given it. By whom, exactly, is a closely-guarded secret…

“The full extent of its powers are unknown, but a few things about Unus himself are known. He was apparently so powerful, that the only one of the other Sorcerer Kings who dared to even disagree with him, much less oppose him, was Machius the Wise, the one who created the Crown of Souls. Indeed, Machius and Unus were rivals of a sort…

“Clearly, the two of them each had personal power far beyond the others…

“Yumi has the Crown of Souls… If she claims the Rod of the Ancients too, she’ll become far too difficult to defeat…

“I’m not going to take chances… When the Rod of the Ancients awakens…

“I will get it personally…”

He paused.

“In the meantime, Nicholas,” he said, “we’ll use what we have to attempt to get another one of the Charms…

“I believe you know someone who would like a rematch with Ren…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Sleep overcame the participants of Duelatopia.

Ren dreamed he was back in that lovely garden he had envisioned from the Siege Perilous, embracing the same girl. He lost himself in her eyes, and all was well.

Chelsea dreamed a situation that was parallel in many ways. She dreamt that she approached a lover – one that she found familiar – in a dark bedchamber, a spooky place where you’d expect a vampire to sleep. She used entrancing magic until finally, he surrendered.

Yumi had no-one in her dreams to hold. But her dreams were strange. Again and again, she saw the Pharaoh in the days of ancient Egypt, and again and again, she saw the strange girl that looked just like her. Sometimes she was hiding and watching him, sometimes she was following him, other times she was holding his hand as he walked through dark passageways…



* * * * * * * * * *


It was early in the morning of Day Five. The looming face of Clock Tower Prison registered eight-thirty.

Felicia grinned as she looked at her opponent, who was cowering behind a Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2,200)

She had three Monsters on the field: Nekogal #2 (1,900/2,000), Catnipped Kitty (0/500), and Super War Lion (2,300/2,100).

She drew a card.

“Now it ends…” she said, holding it up to the light. “With the divine power in my deck, I can show you why cats were once worshiped…”

“Hey, lady…” said her opponent, nervously, “you’re really scaring me…”

Felicia laughed evilly. Nekogal and Catnipped Kitty vanished…

In the next moment, a scream came from that part of Duelatopia.



* * * * * * * * * *


Felicia sat on a part bench, drinking a mocha latte. She glanced at her badge, which had just become Silver.

She was glad she was winning, but she didn’t feel right.

Every night since her duel with Nicholas, she had been plagued by the same strange dream. She found herself bound to a rock by golden shackles, with just enough slack. After a minute or two, Nicholas would come out of the darkness and put his arms around her. She could do nothing but surrender to his charms.

The dream always ended with him leaving her, still chained to the rock, after promising the chains would come off once she repaid him.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t dreamt of sex before. She had several times in the past. She had even dreamt of bondage before, and she had liked it. But she didn’t like this. It was almost as if this wasn’t any dream. She felt like she was truly his slave.

Even when she was awake, she often had to check to make sure there were no marks on her wrists from those chains. She didn’t know how to repay him…

At that moment, her vision started to blur… She closed her eyes…

To her shock, she found herself in her dream again. Once again, the shackles held her to the rock.

“No…” she whined.

“Felicia…” said Nicholas’s voice. “It’s time…”

He appeared in front of her.

“Ready to repay me?” he asked.

“Anything!” she pleaded. “Just let me go!”

He slowly embraced her. He gently caressed her buttocks.

“Uh, uh, uh,” he said. “Find Ren… Defeat him… Then the chains will come off, and he’ll be there in your place.

“With what I gave you, he won’t stand a chance…”

He gently kissed her on the lips…

Felicia opened her eyes…

She crushed the coffee cup in her hand…



* * * * * * * * * *


In the Marris residence in Domino City, Ren’s kid sister Connie and her friend Sally were in front of the computer, while Connie was searching the Duelatopia website.

“Anything?” asked Sally.

“Nothing…” moaned Connie. “I can’t find his duel where he made Silver…”

She crossed her arms in a sulk.

She hit a key and her brother’s face came up.

“How could there be no record of the duel?” she said. “Was it kept secret for some reason?”

“At least he is Silver,” said Sally. “If he wins one more, we’ll be able to watch him on TV… In the finals!

“Hey, I got a great idea… Let’s invite everyone over to watch the finals. It could be like a slumber party!”

“Okay…” said Connie, picking up a notebook. “Who should we invite?”

“Uhm, let’s not invite Cho…” she replied.

“Uh huh…” said Connie.

“Let’s not invite Kimiko either…” she said.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Connie. “It’s more fun thinking of who NOT to invite than it is thinking of who to invite!”



* * * * * * * * * *


At this time, Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea were walking down a strip in Duelatopia, having had a light breakfast.

“So, Ren,” said Chelsea, “going to try to find someone who matches your rank? We’ve gotta all be in the finals… It’ll be for the best.”

“It’s gonna be hard,” said Ren. “Most duelists have likely been disqualified by now, and the ones at Silver and Violet are likely few and far between…”

They stopped.

A store was in front of them. It was called Precious Cards From Beyond.

They all looked at it.

“Anyone up for some new cards?” asked Yumi.

They shrugged. They went in.

Inside were racks and displays of cards, grouped by category.

Chelsea found the section for Zombies and looked through it.

Hmm, Fushioh Richie? she thought, looking at one card. No, not my thing… Goblin Zombie? Eh, not my style…

She picked up a card. It was a Fusion Monster.

Hey… she thought. Now this has possibilities…

Yumi was looking through a set of Spell and Trap Cards.

This one’s good… she thought. This one too…

She looked at a strange Spell Card.

Share of Spoils? Now this is interesting…

Ren looked at the cards in the glass cases.

So many cards… he thought, so little room in a deck…

He was startled as he saw one Monster Card…

He had never heard of it, and apparently, neither had his father.

He read the description.

“Sir?” he said, motioning for the clerk. “Can you tell me about that card? And why it only costs thirty dollars?”

“Oh, that?” said the old man behind the counter. “Eh, well, I’ll admit that card isn’t exactly common, but see, no-one wants it. It’s useless without another card, and that other card is incredibly rare. Dunno what they were thinking…”

“Yeah?” said Ren, holding up his badge. “I’ll take it.”

The clerk shrugged.

“Whatever you say, son,” he said.

Chelsea and Yumi came up to the counter with a few cards.

“Find something good, Ren?” asked Chelsea.

“We’ll soon see…” he replied.



* * * * * * * * * *


Ren shuffled his deck as the group left the store.

“There you are,” said a stern voice in front of them.

Ren stopped short. Felicia was standing in front of them.

“Hey, Felicia,” he said. “How’s it going? Made Silver, I see…”

“Yes, and I want Gold,” she said. “And I want to get it from beating you.”

“Direct and to the point,” said Ren with a smirk. “You are tough.”

“I have a unique challenge, Ren,” said Felicia. “We duel… And the winner gets the loser’s soul as a prize.”

Ren stepped back.

“Okay…” he said. “Now you’ve passed the line from tough to really creepy… So if you get my soul, what would you do with it?”

“Scared?” asked Felicia, with a smile. “Why? I’m still the same Felicia I always was.”

“Well…” said Ren.

He paused. She was looking at him like a cat that had just cornered its dinner…

“Ren, wait…” said Anastasia’s voice.

Ren was surprised.

“Uh, don’t go away, Felicia,” he said. “Me and the others have to discuss a few things…”

Ren, Chelsea, and Yumi turned to see Anastasia, who was nearly transparent to everyone except Yumi, who could see her clearly. To Ren and Chelsea, it looked like she was struggling to stay in focus.

“What gives?” whispered Ren. “This is the first time we’ve seen you outside of that other dimension.”

“I’m getting stronger,” said Anastasia. “The collective powers of the Shadow Charms are helping.

“But Ren… Felicia is not herself. I recognize the poison in her bloodstream.”

“Poison?” asked Yumi. “She’s been drugged?”

“An alchemic solution called domination pheromone,” said Anastasia. “Apparently, she was defeated by a male who had infected himself with the catalyst, and he introduced it to her system. The poison now compels her to obey him.”

“Rasputin has sunk to a new low,” muttered Yumi. “Can this be cured?”

“Uhm, yes…” said Anastasia, slowly. “Yumi, if you were to put your hand over her heart, I could channel my power through it, and flush the poison out of her system.”

Ren looked at Felicia.

“Okay…” he said. “Chelsea, we’ll just make a rush for her, then hold her down, and Yumi can…”

“Ren, there is a little catch,” interrupted Anastasia. “I can’t cure someone of this if she isn’t willing to be cured. And I doubt she will be.”

Ren looked at Felicia, who seemed to be growing impatient.

“Great…” he said, sarcastically. “That should be really easy… The power of Heaven behind you, and you need her to be willing.”

Anastasia frowned, and put her hand on her hip.

“Ren, normally, I wouldn’t be able to help her at all,” she said. “Usually, a guardian angel may only use her powers to aid her charge. Fortunately, the circumstances behind Yumi’s current situation have given me more leniency than normal.

“Anyway, there is one way to suppress domination pheromone. Since Felicia has been… well, deluded into thinking that the one who did this is superior to her, if someone proves he is superior to him, she might be willing to receive the cure.”

“So I have to duel her then…” said Ren. “Well, wish me luck…”

He stepped up to Felicia.

“Okay, Felicia, you’re on…” he said. “But I can’t be easy on you…”

She grinned evilly.

“Do you accept my wager?” she asked.

“Huh?” said Ren. “Uh… Sure, why not?”

The two Disks activated.

My dad did a lot of crazy things, he thought, why should I be any different?

“Game on!” they both shouted.



(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Felicia: 8,000)



* * * * * * * * * *


Still in front of the computer, Sally and Connie were startled as a message flashed on the screen.

“DUEL IN PROGRESS,” it said.

“Oh!” shouted Connie. “Ren is dueling!”

They got up and looked at the screen.

“Go, Ren, go!” she shouted. “If you win, you’ll be in the finals!”

“Who’s his opponent?” asked Sally. “She looks even scarier than that guy with the mask.”

Connie looked at Felicia.

She was nervous. Felicia was looking at Ren like she wanted to eat him…



* * * * * * * * * *


Gotta be careful, thought Ren, looking over his opening hand. She’s likely not going to hold back…

He looked at the Horn of Chance strapped around his side.

Let’s hope this thing is as reliable as the legends say.

Felicia drew her first card.

“I’ll start with my Pot of Greed,” she said, playing a card. “So I pick up two…”

The jar appeared with a cackle, and she made two draws.

“Next, a Spell Card,” she continued. “It’s called Safari Hunter.”

A card appeared in front of her, a picture of a man in a pith helmet holding a rifle, hiding in a brush, observing a group of tigers.

“Okay…” said Ren. “That’s a new one on me…”

“First, I send one Monster in my hand to the grave…” said Felicia.

She discarded Nekogal #2.

“…and in return, I get to take any Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast I want from my deck.”

She looked though her cards, and quickly chose one.

“The catch is, I can’t summon it this turn. So… I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and toss a card facedown.”

A facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.

“I end my turn,” she said with a grin.

Summon whatever you like, she thought. Next round, we’ll see how well your flesh stands up to my ultimate Monster’s claws!

Ren nervously drew a card.

“I play Bait Doll,” he said. “Let’s see what you’re hiding.”

Felicia hissed as her facedown card lifted, and was revealed to be Trap Hole. The card shattered.

“Nice try…” said Ren.

He placed the Bait Doll card back in his deck, and reshuffled.

“Now I’ll bring out an old friend of yours… You remember Dark Blade, right?”

In a burst of darkness, the armored Warrior appeared, holding his twin swords. (1,800/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-0071.jpg


“Attack!” shouted Ren.

Dark Blade flew towards the facedown card. Lady Panther appeared on the card, and with one swipe of a blade, she was cut in two.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and let you go,” he said.

“Then I draw…” said Felicia, drawing a card.

She added it to her hand.

“Then I play… Stray Lambs.”

She played the Spell Card, and two small Lamb Tokens appeared in puffs of smoke. (0/0 x2)

“Now…” she continued, “I’ll sacrifice these Lamb Tokens…”

“Now wait just a minute!” interrupted Ren. “That’s illegal. You aren’t allowed to summon a Monster on the same round you play Stray Lambs.”

Felicia smiled evilly.

“True…” she said. “I can’t summon a Monster… But there’s no rule that says I can’t set one!”

“Uh, is that true?” asked Chelsea.

“I’m afraid… yes…” replied Yumi.

“So, as I was saying,” said Felicia, “before I was so rudely interrupted, I sacrifice my two lambs, to set a Monster in Defense Mode.”

The Lamb Tokens evaporated, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Well…” said Chelsea. “At least it’s in Defense Mode… It can’t hurt Ren this round…”

“That’s what you think!” said Felicia, in a playful tone.

She held up another Spell Card.

“My Monster won’t be defending for long. I play Book of Taiyou! It flips my Monster into Attack Mode!”

The card turned, and then flipped up.

“So let’s all welcome… Bast, the Queen of Cats!”

In a burst of radiant energy, a tall figure appeared in front of Felicia. It was a woman wearing a white, Egyptian-style dress, with a plethora of gold jewelry. She had the head of a cat with black fur and long hair, and her hands had long fingernails that looked uncomfortably like claws. (3,200/2,000)

“Ho boy…” said Ren. “Something tells me this is trouble…”

“Good lord…” said Yumi. “It’s like someone took my grandfather’s old friend Ishizu and made her… cat-like.”

“Here’s a quick lesson in case you ever want to duel professionally Ren,” said Felicia. “You never actually break the rules… What you do instead is study them, so you find loopholes to make the rules benefit you!

“Anyway, if you think Bast is powerful, she is… But I the only way to bring her out is to sacrifice Beasts or Beast-Warriors. Fortunately, those Tokens qualified.

“Now… Bast… Kill his Dark Blade! Divine claws!”

The Queen of Cats purred with a sinister smile. Then she pounced, and made a slash at Dark Blade. He dropped his swords, and then exploded into shards.

“I’ll place one card facedown,” said Felicia, “and my turn is over…”

A facedown card appeared behind Bast.



(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 8,000)



* * * * * * * * * *


“Bast, the Queen of Cats?” said Sally.

“Uhm… I’ve never heard of it either…” replied Connie. “Thirty-two hundred Attack Points?

“Uh… Ren can take care of it… It isn’t that hard…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Okay… thought Ren, drawing a card. So she has an uber-powerful Monster, one who has more Attack Points than anything in my whole deck…

He looked at the card.

But I’m not giving up yet…

His own facedown card lifted, and Call of the Haunted appeared on his side of the field. A coffin rose on his side, and Dark Blade crawled out. (1,800/1,500)

“Him again?” asked Felicia.

“I’m just starting,” said Ren. “Next, I play Frontline Base.”

He played the card, and the Spell Card appeared.

“And now I’ll use it to Special Summon Pitch-Dark Dragon.”

The small Dragon appeared next to Dark Blade. (900/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-008.jpg


“Now… I’ll combine the two…”

Dark Blade jumped up, and leapt on the Dragon’s back. (2,200/1,900)

“And I’m not done,” he said, taking another card from his hand. “I’ll also summon Double Pinaska.”

The rapier-wielding Spaniard appeared next to Dark Blade, brandishing his weapons. (1,500/1,500)

“That will do for now…” he said.

Felicia drew a card. She looked at it, and added it to her hand.

“Now I activate Bast’s special ability,” she said, “which I’m allowed to do every round that she’s on the field. I’m able to take a Beast or Beast-Warrior from my deck that’s Level Four or less, and add it to my hand.”

She took her deck and looked through the cards.

“I have to spend 500 Life Points whenever I use this ability,” she continued, “but requesting divine favors always comes with a price.”

She put her deck back.

“Now I’ll summon it… My Panther Warrior!”

With a roar, the ferocious panther-man appeared, holding aloft his shield and scimitar. (2,000/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct2_en006.jpg


“Just great…” said Chelsea.

“Don’t worry…” said Yumi. “That guy can’t attack unless she sacrifices a Monster, and she sure as Hell isn’t going to sacrifice Bast.”

“Bast, attack his Dark Blade!” ordered Felicia.

Bast leapt at the mounted Warrior…

“Double Pinaska, defend!” shouted Ren.

Double Pinaska leapt in front of Dark Blade, and blocked the goddess’s advance with his swords. He strained under the pressure… Finally, he kicked her in the mid-section, and she stumbled backwards.

“Your attack has been called off for this round…” said Ren, nervously.

Felicia growled.

“Your move…” she said.



(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 7,500)


Ren drew a card.

He played it, and the Pot of Greed appeared on his side of the field. He made two draws.

He looked at his three cards.

“All right, Felicia…” he said. “First, I’ll move Double Pinaska to Defense Mode.”

Pinaska sheathed his swords, and crouched in Defense.

“Next, I’ll separate Dark Blade and Pitch-Dark Dragon.”

Dark Blade leapt off of the Dragon’s back, and stood beside it. (1,800/1,500)

“Then, I’ll sacrifice Pitch-Dark Dragon for Kiryu.”

The small Dragon vanished, and the larger, red-scaled Dragon appeared. (2,000/1,500)

“Dark Blade… Combine with Kiryu!”

Dark Blade leapt up again, and landed on the larger Dragon’s back. He lifted his swords. (2,700/2,400)

“And just what is he gonna do?” asked Felicia.

“I’ll show you,” said Ren. “While Dark Blade is Equipped with Kiryu, I can sacrifice Kiryu so that he can attack you directly.”

Felicia hissed again.

“Dark Blade…” shouted Ren, “FLY!”

Kiryu flapped its wings, and flew with its rider into the sky…

There was a flash of light, and Dark Blade dove from the sky, slashing at Felicia with his swords. She grunted and staggered backwards.

She glared at Ren.

Ren placed one of his remaining cards in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“It’s your move…” he said.



(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 5.700)


Okay… he thought. It all depends on who she attacks with first… If she attacks with Bast first, I can take her down. If not…

Felicia drew a card. She added it to her hand.

“I play a second Stray Lambs,” she said.

She played the card, and two more Lamb Tokens appeared.

“Now I’ll sacrifice one of them, so that Panther Warrior can attack your Dark Blade!”

One of the tokens vanished, and Panther Warrior roared. It charged at Dark Blade.

Crud… thought Ren.

“I activate…” he said, “Rising Energy!”

His Trap Card lifted, and he discarded his last card (Zombyra the Dark).

“Now my Dark Blade gains a boost…”

Dark Blade rose to an Attack of 3,300. He slashed with his blades, and Panther Warrior howled before shattering.

Felicia scowled.

“Bast, attack his Double Pinaska!” she shouted.

Bast pounced again, and with two swipes of her claws, the bandito was eradicated.



(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 4,400)


“Your move now,” said Felicia. “And all you’ve got left is Dark Blade. You’re gonna need something pretty good to get out of this one.”

She’s right, thought Ren. I used every card in my hand, not to mention the only Trap that could likely defeat Bast…

What do I do?



* * * * * * * * * *


Connie was almost crying. She saw that Ren clearly was at a disadvantage.

“Maybe we should just log off,” muttered Sally.

Connie paused. Her hand reached for the mouse.

“No!” she shouted. “He can still turn it around! I know he can!”

She stared at the screen.



* * * * * * * * * *


Ren drew a card.

His eyebrow lifted.

Seems like the Horn’s powers aren’t just a myth, he thought. This might be the luckiest topdeck I ever got…

“I move Dark Blade to Defense Mode…” he said.

Dark Blade knelt, and shielded himself.

“Then I summon Dark Squire.”

He placed the card on his Disk, and the young girl in nobility clothing appeared. She quickly moved into Defense Mode. (300/300)

“I guess that’s all you can do,” chuckled Felicia.

She drew a card.

“Nekogal #1, come on out,” she said.

She played a card, and the younger cat fairy in the green bikini appeared, crouching and ready to pounce. (1,100/900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tp6-en018.jpg


“Attack his Dark Squire!” she ordered. “Cat scratch!”

Nekogal made a swipe with her claws, and Dark Squire tumbled backwards before shattering.

“Thank you,” said Ren, drawing two cards. “Now we each get to make two draws.”

“Fine by me,” said Felicia, drawing two.

She looked at them and added them to her hand.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:


“Bast, kill his Dark Blade!”

Bast made another swipe, and Dark Blade groaned before he shattered.

“I end my turn,” said Felicia with a grin.

Ren looked at the two cards in his hand. It was an improvement, for sure.

He drew a third card.

“All right,” he said, “I place a Monster in Defense Mode…”

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

“Next…” he said, “I play The Warrior Returning Alive. Now, a Warrior comes back to my hand.”

Zombyra slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.

“I end my turn.”

“Defend as much as you want,” said Felicia, drawing a card. “It won’t make any difference…

“I summon Tiger Axe!”

In a burst of energy, a ferocious tiger-man wearing a blue breastplate holding a battle-axe appeared. (1,300/1,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en091.jpg


“Attack his Monster!” she shouted.

Tiger Axe lifted his weapon and swung it towards the facedown card…

Familiar Knight appeared on the card, and blocked the blow with his shield. Tiger Axe stumbled backwards. (1,200/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ep1-en006.jpg


“Nice try, Felicia,” said Ren, “but according to my math, 1,400 is greater than 1,300.

“Your deck has a definite weakness. You may have a lot of powerhouses, but the other Monsters are only mediocre.”



(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 4,300)


“I’ll show you a powerhouse,” said Felicia. “Bast, destroy his Knight!”

Bast leapt forward, and slashed with her claws, tearing Familiar Knight apart.

“I activate Familiar Knight’s ability!” shouted Ren. “Now we can both summon a Level Four Monster from our hands. So I’ll summon Zombyra the Dark!”

In a burst of darkness, the masked superhero appeared, and struck a pose. (2,100/500)

“I can use that effect as well…” said Felicia, taking a card from her hand. “I’ll summon a second Panther Warrior.”

In a flash of light, another of the Beast-Warriors appeared on her side of the field. (2,000/1,600)

“Good lord…” said Chelsea. “She has him outnumbered…”

“I’ll move Nekogal to Defense Mode, and end my turn,” said Felicia.

Nekogal knelt and covered herself with her arms.

Felicia looked at her facedown card, which Ren had forgotten about.

Go on, she thought. Bring out someone else to defend yourself… You’ll help me a great deal…

Ren drew a card.

“I first Special Summon The Fiend Megacyber…” he said.

In a burst of energy, the powerful cybernetic Warrior appeared. (2,200/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/psv-100.jpg


“Then…” he said, taking his last card, “I’ll set this in Defense Mode…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“I activate my Trap Card!” shouted Felicia.

Her facedown card lifted.

“Gift of the Mystical Elf,” she said, as the card glowed.

Bast, Nekogal, Panther Warrior, Tiger Axe, and the Lamb Token all flashed with light, and then Zombyra, The Fiend Megacyber, and the facedown Monster all did the same.

“Now, for each Monster on the field, my Life Points go up by 300, and I count eight total.”

She glowed with energy, and her Life Points went up.



(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 6,700)


Ren growled a little.

“Zombyra, attack the Tiger Axe!” he ordered. “Super powered punch attack!”

Zombyra flew forward and clocked the Beast-Warrior, and it howled before shattering into shards.

Zombyra held his chest as his Attack Score fell to 1,900.

“Fiend Megacyber, attack the Panther Warrior! Mega slash!”

The Megacyber slashed with its blades, and Panther Warrior was torn in half.



(R: 6,600) -------------------- (F: 5,700)


“That’s all I can do…” he muttered.

Felicia chuckled as she drew a card.

“I play Monster Reborn!” she said. “Return!”

The glowing ankh appeared on her side of the field, and Panther Warrior appeared again with a roar. (2,000/1,600)

“Now, I’ll sacrifice my other Lamb Token so that he can attack your masked man,” she said.

The lamb vanished. Panther Warrior lunged, and slashed at Zombyra with his scimitar, and he shattered.

“Bast, destroy his Megacyber!” she shouted.

The Queen of Cats pounced, and swiped at the armored Warrior. He fell over with sparks flying from his chest, and then exploded.

Ren shielded himself from the blast.



(R: 5,500) -------------------- (F: 5,700)


Ren glared at her.

“Judging by the look on your face,” she said, “I’d say this is the point where you realize you’re in over your head.”

“I’m not through yet!” said Ren, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

“I play Premature Burial!” he shouted.

He played the card, and The Fiend Megacyber appeared in a flash of light. (2,200/1,200)

“You don’t know when to quit, do you?” said Felicia. “You know what you are? You’re stubborn.”

“I’m not stubborn…” said Ren. “I’m tenacious. And that’s a good thing. Megacyber, attack Panther Warrior!”

Megacyber slashed with his blades again, and Panther Warrior shattered once more.



(R: 4,700) -------------------- (F: 5,500)


“Tenacious?” said Felicia, drawing a card. “I say, you’re so stubborn you won’t even admit that you’re stubborn!

“By the way, I’m using Bast’s ability again. You remember that, right? I pay 500 Life Points, and this time, I think I’ll bring The All-Seeing White Tiger to my hand.”

She spread out her deck and took a card.

“Now, I’ll summon it…”

In a flash of energy, the white Bengal tiger appeared, ready to pounce. (1,300/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/psv-0931.jpg


“Next, I’ll move Nekogal into Attack Mode…”

Nekogal stood up, and assumed a crouching position.

“Now, Bast attacks your Megacyber again!”

Bast slashed with her claws, and The Fiend Megacyber exploded again.

“Tiger, take out his last defense!” she ordered.

The White Tiger leapt at the facedown card…

Another Dark Blade appeared on the card. (1,800/1,500) He swatted the Tiger away with a backhand, and it fell backwards.



(R: 3,700) -------------------- (F: 4,800)


Felicia chuckled. Ren looked at her nervously.

“Fine,” she said. “I end my turn. But I suggest you give up…”

“I’m not beaten yet,” said Ren.

“I’m going to win next turn,” said Felicia. “Take a look…”

She showed Ren a card in her hand. Catnipped Kitty.

“All I have to do is summon her, and her effect can reduce your Dark Blade’s Defense Points to zero. Then you’ll get a direct attack courtesy of Bast.

“You have no cards in your hand, so the chances of any miracles are unlikely.

“So what’s it gonna be, Ren? A peaceful surrender, or a painful end at the hands of my cat goddess?”



* * * * * * * * * *


“I dunno, Connie,” said Sally. “If he keeps up, I’d say he really is stubborn. The only thing left to do at this point is run and hide.”

“He isn’t stubborn,” sighed Sally. “He always told me that the key to winning is to never give up. You don’t give up until you don’t have any Life Points left…

“And I just know he has something that he can use…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Ren slowly drew a card.

His eyes opened wide…

This… he thought. This is the card Guinevere gave me…

Maybe… Just maybe I can turn this duel around… It’s my only chance…

“Dark Blade, move to Attack Mode,” he said.

Dark Blade stood up, and raised his swords.

“Huh?” said Felicia. “What are you up to?”

“Now…” said Ren. “I’m gonna summon someone new… But in order to do so, I have to remove one Dark Warrior in my grave from play…”

Familiar Knight slipped out of his discard slot, and he pocketed the card.

“Now… Let’s all have a warm Duelatopia welcome… For La Sombra!”

There was a burst of shadowy energy, and a figure leapt out. It was a tall woman, wearing a low-cut, skimpy leotard made of red leather, along with leather boots and gloves. Her long, raven-black hair was worn lose, and she wore a domino mask over her eyes. She carried a nasty-looking bullwhip in her hands. (1,800/1,000)

“What the…” said Chelsea. “Who’s that? Double Pinaska’s girlfriend?”

“La Sombra…” muttered Yumi. “Spanish for ‘The Shadow’…”

“Doesn’t matter…” said Felicia, with a chuckle. “She can’t come close to beating Bast, and you have no cards you could use to make her stronger.”

La Sombra grinned wickedly at Felicia.

“Depends,” said Ren. “It all depends on whose luck is better. La Sombra has a powerful ability.

“When she’s summoned, you have to draw one card. Then, what happens next depends on what type of card it is. If it’s a Monster… Well, then she’s destroyed, and I lose. If it’s a Spell Card, however, she can destroy one Monster. If it’s a Trap Card, she gets to attack you directly.

“So the question is… Feeling lucky?”

Felicia glared at him.

“Listen to me, Ren!” she sneered. “I never say no to a challenge…”

She quickly drew a card.

She looked at it and scowled.

She showed it to him. It was War Lion Ritual.

“That’s the one!” shouted Ren. “La Sombra, destroy the Queen of Cats!”

La Sombra cracked her whip, and then lashed it forward, entangling it around Bast’s neck. Bast gripped her neck and closed her eyes as she started to choke…

La Sombra gave a savage yank, and Bast the Queen of Cats shattered into particles.

“I still have her normal attack!” said Ren. “Attack Nekogal #1! Shadow lash!”

La Sombra leapt up and lashed her whip downwards. Nekogal shrieked and shattered into bits.

“Dark Blade, attack her Tiger!”

Dark Blade charged, and with one swipe of his sword, cleaved The All-Seeing White Tiger in half.

“Heh, heh…” said Ren. “Your move…”



(R: 3,700) -------------------- (F: 3,600)


Felicia bowed her head for a minute…

“People…” said Anastasia’s voice. “I think it’s starting to work. I think Bast may have been a symbol of the control Felicia’s attacker had. She’s dead, so if Ren can simply not allow himself to be defeated, Felicia might reject the one who did this to her.”

“Uh, Ren…” said Yumi. “You hearing this?”

“Yeah, I heard,” replied Ren. “Any other advice, Anne?”

“Well…” said Anastasia. “Maybe the symbol of your own strength as a duelist would be the clincher.”

Ren paused.

That would mean my Queen, he thought. She needs a double sacrifice, and I have two Monsters on the field… So, if I can somehow protect both of them until I draw her, this might just have a happy ending…

Both my Monsters have 1,800 Attack Points… Felicia likely has a third Panther Warrior… I just gotta hope she doesn’t draw it before I draw my Queen.

Felicia drew a card.

She quickly placed a card on her Disk, and a defensive Monster appeared.

She stared at Ren.

“I take it you want me to move,” he said. “Well, stand back!”

He drew a card.

Oh, Bait Doll again? he thought. Well, better now than when a bad draw would have killed me…

“Dark Blade, attack!”

The Warrior made a slash with his sword. Catnipped Kitty appeared on the card, and shattered.

“Now, La Sombra attacks you directly!”

La Sombra lashed with her whip, striking Felicia. She screamed in pain.

She gasped for breath and looked at Ren.



(R: 3,700) -------------------- (F: 1,800)


“End…” said Ren.

Felicia drew a card.

“I play Silent Doom,” she said. “Now I can bring back Nekogal #2 in Defense Mode.”

The older Nekogal appeared on the field. She knelt and crossed her arms. (1,900/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tp7-en020.jpg


“Wait a minute…” said Ren. “She was never in your Graveyard…”

“Was she?” asked Felicia. “Think back…”

Ren thought for a minute…

Then he remembered the first card Felicia had played…

“It’s called Safari Hunter. Now, I send one Monster in my hand to the grave, and in return, I get to take any Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast I want from my deck.”

“Oh yeah…” said Ren.

“I’ll end my turn by placing this facedown,” she said.

She fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

Ren drew a card.

Huh… he thought, looking at it. It’s the card I just got at that store…

But she’s not nearly strong enough to beat Nekogal’s Defense, and putting her on the field would be too risky. Maybe I’ll get a chance later.

“I pass…” he said.

Felicia drew a card.

“Perfect…” she said. “Now you’re gonna get it!”

Her facedown card lifted, showing the image of an aged gypsy at a table looking at a set of Duel Monsters cards.

“I activate The Transmigration Prophecy. This Trap Card lets me take two cards from either or both Graveyards, and send them back to the owners’ decks.”

The All-Seeing White Tiger and Nekogal #1 slipped out of her discard slot. She added them to her deck, and reshuffled.

She put her deck back, and then played a card.

“Next, I play Monster Reincarnation. So I toss one card…”

She discarded her copy of Miracle Moment.

“…and I get to take a Monster back from my Graveyard. And I think I’m gonna take back Bast.”

The card slipped out of her discard slot.

“But don’t worry… I’m not gonna summon her again. Instead, I’m gonna summon Rescue Cat.”

She played the card, and the sweet-looking kitten wearing a hardhat appeared on the field. (300/100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh_fet_en_033_1.jpg


Rescue Cat bore her claws and burrowed into the ground.

“You remember her effect, right? By sending her to the Graveyard, I get to Special Summon two Beasts that are Level Three or less, and I think I’ll summon those two I just sent back to my deck.”

Nekogal #1 and The All-Seeing White Tiger appeared on the field, in Attack Mode. (1,100/900), (1,300/500)

“Next…” she said, “I’ll play my War Lion Ritual, sacrificing Nekogals #1 and #2 to summon Super War Lion!”

Ren stepped back, as both Nekogals erupted in flames. The flames took shape, and the huge lion leapt out of the fire. (2,300/2,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dc_05.jpg


Crap… thought Ren.

“Now I play this…” she said, holding up another Spell Card. “It’s a powerful Spell called Double Attack. Now, I just have to toss a Monster that’s a higher Level than my War Lion, and it can attack twice. It’s Level Seven, and Bast is Level Nine. That means it can shred both of your Warriors!”

She discarded Bast, the last card in her hand, and Super War Lion glowed.

“Attack!” shouted Felicia.

Super War Lion pounced on La Sombra, and she was crushed flat. Then it turned to Dark Blade, and with one swipe of a mighty claw, he shattered into pixels.

“And I’m not done with you…” said Felicia. “Tiger, attack him directly!”

All-Seeing White Tiger pounced on Ren, and he screamed as it raked him across the face.



(R: 1,400) -------------------- (F: 1,800)


“I end my turn…” muttered Felicia. “So, due to Rescue Cat’s effect, The All-Seeing White Tiger is destroyed.”

The Tiger burst into pixels.

“So what now, Ren?” she asked.

Ren looked at his deck.

It’s now or never… he thought.

He drew a card.

It shone in the morning light…

He took one of the other cards in his hand.

“I summon… New Moon Princess!” he shouted.

“HUH?” said Yumi and Chelsea.

In an aura of shadow, a small figure appeared on the field. It was a young girl who looked like she might have been Crescent Moon Queen’s kid sister. She had the same ebony skin and silvery hair, but was dressed in a leather squire’s outfit, and held a wooden practice sword. (1,300/1,200)

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Felicia. “Looks like you’ve literally hit the bottom of your barrel. She doesn’t even come close to being able to beat my Lion.”

“No, she can’t…” said Ren. “But she has a powerful ability. When she’s on the field, I can instantly sacrifice her, to summon her big sister from my hand.

“So, New Moon Princess, be gone…”

The young Warrior vanished, and darkness covered the field.

In an aura of shadow, the powerful form of Crescent Moon Queen stepped out. (2,600/1,700)

“That’s… Not possible…” muttered Felicia.

“Oh, but it is!” replied Ren. “Crescent Moon Queen, attack her Lion!”

The Queen charged, and made one mighty swipe with her blade. Super War Lion roared, before shattering into bits.

“I’m not done…” said Ren, “she has one more attack, and it’s heading straight for you!”

Felicia shrieked as the Queen’s second sword slammed into her. She fell to her knees.



(R: 1,400) -------------------- (F: 0)



* * * * * * * * * *


Connie and Sally cheered and hugged each other.

“Well…” said Sally, “let’s get working on that list again… It’s gonna be a real party…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Felicia slowly looked up. She was surprised to see that the Warrior who had just attacked her was now looking at her with a look of concern.

Felicia lifted her hand, but the hand she tried to take was a hologram, and passed right through. Crescent Moon Queen started to fade away…

“No!” shouted Felicia. “Come back! Please!”

She held herself. She started shivering.

Yumi ran up.

“Felicia?” she said.

“Yumi… Ren…” said Felicia. “Help me… Please…”

“Just hold still…” said Yumi.

She turned and saw Anastasia’s face. She nodded.

Yumi placed her hand over the left side of Felicia’s chest, and both of them glowed. Felicia suddenly stopped shivering.

Felicia closed her eyes.

“Felicia…” said Yumi. “You have to tell us… Who did this to you?”

“Uhm…” said Felicia.



* * * * * * * * * *


A lengthy explanation later…

“Felicia…” said Ren, “you should have known that when a deal seems too good to be true, it usually is.”

“This is serious, people…” said Chelsea. “If Nicholas could do this, Rasputin and Olga and maybe all the other Ascenders could too. Any legit duelist in Duelatopia could be working for Rasputin now without even being aware of it.”

“At least the three of us don’t have to accept any ordinary challenges,” said Ren.

He held up his badge, which was now at Gold.

“And don’t worry, Felicia,” he said, “despite the rather heavy wager we made, I’ll choose to forfeit the prize. You don’t owe me anything.”

“Really?” said Felicia with a smirk. “Heh… You have a lot of self-control… I mean, who wouldn’t have wanted a piece of this?”

She motioned seductively at Ren, and he grinned nervously. Chelsea growled.

Yumi scratched her chin.

An Ojama Deck? she thought. Nicholas certainly gets points for originality, but…

I can’t shake the feeling that he’s hiding something. After all, only one duelist in history has ever based his whole dueling career on those three guys…



* * * * * * * * * *


Rasputin shut off his computer, and crossed his arms, not at all pleased.

“Next time,” he said, “I will duel…”

Felicia has been defeated, the poison in her system is flushed clean, and best of all, Ren is heading for the finals. Seems that now all of our group has made it… Or have they?



LA SOMBRA (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 5
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing one DARK Warrior-Type Monster in your Graveyard from play. On the round this card is Special Summoned, your opponent draws one card. Enact the one of the following effects depending on the type of card drawn:

Monster: This card is destroyed.

Spell: You may destroy one opposing Monster.

Trap: This card may attack your opponent directly this round.



NEW MOON PRINCESS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: By offering this card as a Tribute, Special Summon one “Crescent Moon Queen” from your hand.



BAST, THE QUEEN OF CATS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 3,200
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card can only be Normal Summoned or set by Tributing Beast- or Beast-Warrior-Type Monsters. Once per your turn that this card is face-up on your side of the field, you may pay 500 Life Points to search your deck for one Beast or Beast-Warrior-Type Monster that is Level Four or less and add it to your hand.



SAFARI HUNTER (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A man in a pith helmet holding a rifle, hiding in a brush, observing a group of tigers.

Card Description: Discard one Monster Card from your hand to activate this card. Search your deck for one Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast, and add it to your hand. You cannot summon or set this Monster on the same round you use this card.



Ren: We did it, everyone! We’re going to the finals! All three of us!

Chelsea: Sam too… It’s gonna be great… Gee, it would be great if Erik could be in them too…

Erik: Think I can’t? I won that Shadow Game, I can certainly get to the finals, and I’m gonna prove myself the way everyone else did!

Yumi: The Eliminators play dirty, Erik. Be warned, because they play not to win, but to make sure you lose…

Coming up next, “Elimination Duel Five; Path of Destruction.”

It won’t be easy…



Attention everyone:

Ren is now in the finals, and Chelsea is as well, so it’s time for a little audience participation.

You may have noticed it already: It’s a poll. That’s right… Ren and Chelsea may quickly be falling for each other, but they’re going to have to duel each other eventually. Who will win? I’m letting you decide. Let your opinions show, and vote. Sadly, a draw is not an option.

To make this better, I’m also holding this poll on fanfiction.net. I’ll combine the results when the poll closes. No one will know the winner until the end of the actual duel.

Of course, you’ll need to keep one thing in mind… I’m not saying at this point who the winner of this duel is going to have to duel afterwards as a result of the victory. That will remain a mystery.

This poll closes shortly after midnight, September 15th. Don’t be left out. Speak your mind… Vote!

[Shuppet Master]

I see you have used the card I let you use for Ren's deck. Yes, everyone else, I had the idea for a "Creator Incanarate" for Crescent Moon Queen. :D

To be honest, I hated this chapter for three very good reasons:

(1) Ren is dueling with high stakes against a brainwashed duelist.
(2) The duelist uses cats for her deck, which happen to be my favorite mammal - I even had a kitty until it ran away. :(
(3) The brainwasher looks like Harry Potter.

But by hate, I don't mean I hated the chapter itself, just the circumstances, which is a good thing for this story. It shows how evil Rasputin is and how low he'll go to get the Charms. I can't wait to see him use that stuff he suggested to Nicholas.

And obviously, he'll win the last Charm. It would make no sense if someone else won it. Which means the finals are going to determine who gets all the charms. (Hint: It's going to be the good guys, I can read you like a book, Brian. But that doesn't mean the journey there is going to be easy.)

Just keep up the good work. BTW, when I read the image description of Safari Hunter, I had a specific pith-wearing man in mind on the card. :)

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, what can I say about this chapter? I wasn't much of a fan of Felicia. She just seemed a bit, bizzare for my liking. You managed to pull off the cat deck once again, though this will probably be the last time.

Due to that horn, I am no going to write off all of Ren's victories down to luck and not skill.


“Believe what you will,” said Nicholas. “Erik won the Talisman of the Mind, and it belongs to him now.”

“I refuse to accept it!” shouted Rasputin.

“Unfortunately,” said Nicholas, leaning his head back on the couch, “your refusal to accept does not change the fact.”

“I refuse to accept that too!” replied Rasputin.

“Unfortunately,” replied Nicholas, “your refusal to accept that your refusal does not change the fact, also does not change the fact that Erik won the Talisman of the Mind.”

Rasputin’s face fell.

“I’ll accept that…” he said with a sigh.

Yep, rehashing jokes from previous fics again.

It wasn't the best chapter in the world, but it wasn't bad.

[Dark Sage]

A small, embarrassing announcement to make.

As my good friend jkBakura pointed out to me yesterday, there was recently an update in the translation for the Spell Card, “Summon Cloud”. Unfortunately, my chapter with Aisha used the wrong one.

Here’s how the real effect of Summon Cloud works. It lets you Special Summon a Level Four or less Cloudian from your hand OR your Graveyard, so long as you have no Monsters on the field. However, you only have to destroy the Spell Card if you summon one from your Graveyard.

These things happen when you use cards that are new even in Japan. However, “Gladiator’s Assault” is well established there now, so I don’t think I’ll make this sort of mistake again should I use cards from that set.




CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE



Elimination Duel Five



Path of Destruction



At around the time Ren’s duel with Felicia was starting, another duel was happening at the beach…

…and everyone was flocking to see it.

“Hey!” shouted one girl. “Come quick! That guy with the Toy Deck is dueling some Pro!”

“So is he losing?” asked her boyfriend as they ran up to where the rest of the crowd was.

“No!” she said. “It’s crazy! He’s beating the stuffing out of him!”

It was only too true. Erik now had three Toy Soldiers (800/300 x3) and Toy Emperor (2,300/800) on his side of the field, and 5,000 Life Points remaining. His opponent, an older man in a grey formal suit, had a clear side, and only 2,000 Life Points left.

The older duelist was clearly upset.

“So you’re in the Pro League, huh?” asked Erik. “Maybe I should apply… If the duelists there are this pathetic, I’ll bet I could clean up.”

“Just keep crackin’ jokes, kid,” snarled his opponent.

He drew a card.

“I’m gonna wipe that silly grin off your face…”

He played the card, and a defensive Monster appeared.

“There,” he said. “Let’s see your guys try to waltz past THAT.”

“If you say so…” said Erik.

He drew a card.

“Toy Emperor, run down his Monster!”

The Emperor galloped forward…

A ghostly grim reaper appeared on the card, and blocked the attack with its scythe. (300/200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/pgd-076.jpg


“Looks like your luck just ran out, kid,” said the Pro. “That’s my Spirit Reaper. And it’s indestructible.”

“Or so you’d like to believe,” said Erik, taking a card from his hand. “YOU’RE the one whose luck just ran out. I play the Quickplay Spell, Rush Recklessly.”

“That makes no sense!” shouted the Pro. “My Reaper can’t be destroyed no matter how much you juice up your Soldiers.”

“Who said I was using it on my Soldiers?” asked Erik. “I’m using it on your Spirit Reaper!”

Spirit Reaper glowed, and rose to an Attack of 1,000.

“Unfortunately, for you,” said Erik, “when Spirit Reaper is targeted by a card effect, even a beneficial one, it goes boom.”

Spirit Reaper exploded into pixels.

“And my Battle Phase isn’t over. Toy Soldiers, open fire!”

The three Soldiers got down on one knee, and fired their muskets. The Pro duelist screamed in pain and fell over.

As Erik looked at his badge, which was now Silver, the Pro started crawling away, muttering that he was getting too old for this.

“So who’s next?” asked Erik. “Who wants to help me get Gold? Anyone here at Violet?”

Everyone looked at everyone else.

“Uh, sorry…” said one girl, nervously. “Only Green…”

“I would, but my Disk is back at the hotel…” said one boy.

Erik started shuffling his deck, as the crowd started to disperse.

Sam rushed up and grabbed him. She planted a big kiss on his lips.

“Sam… Sam…” he gasped.

They kissed deeply for a minute.

“Keep it up, lover…” she said, “and pretty soon we’ll both be in the finals!”

“Why depend on an open challenge?” asked Erik. “I want to go for the gusto…”

He looked at the Talisman of the Mind.

“I want to make a statement, Sam…” he said. “Be noticed… I want to duel you in the final round of the finals!”

“Erik, baby, you’re getting intense…” said Sam.

“Baby…” said Erik, holding her. “Your aunt is an Eliminator… She must know the others… She must have told you a few things…

“Can’t you tell me where to find one?”

Sam gave a look of horror…

She hadn’t wanted him to ask her that. She couldn’t have lived with herself if she had led him to an Eliminator and he had lost…

But what would she do? Say no? When he was on his best run of his career as a duelist?

She thought for a minute…

She thought of the Eliminators Aunt Diane had mentioned. She had to be careful. Hoshi and the Midnight Caller had both been surprises to her.

One of them was an old friend of hers who played a Human Wave Deck…

She had also mentioned that dueling was just what she did on the off-season. Her “real job” was being a gourmet chef somewhere…

Erik could win against such a strategy… He had done so already in this very tournament, mostly because so many of his Monsters were unaffected by lockdown cards…

“Sure, Erik, sure…” she said. “I’ll lead you to an Eliminator… But I warn you… This one is pretty mean…”

She smirked.

She wasn’t lying… A Mokey Mokey that had been enhanced by a Smackdown could be rather mean… Just ask anyone who had seen one.



* * * * * * * * * *


“Okay, baby…” said Sam. “Take a look, and try to figure out what’s wrong here…”

They were on the ground floor of the Serpent Complex Pavilion, a large, pricy shopping center, and they were in front of a group of vending machines. One was a juice machine, one was a candy machine, one was a Pepsi machine, and two of them were Coke machines. One of the Coke machines had an “out of order” sign pasted on it.

“It’s obvious…” said Eric. “It wouldn’t make sense to put two of the same type of machine here and only one of the other types, so the out of order one must serve another purpose…”

Sam grinned as he went up to it.

Erik looked at it, and finally took some coins out of his pocket and threw them into the machine. It lit up and hummed…

He hit a selection button…

Then a trapdoor opened, and he fell through it.

“Erik!” shouted Sam.

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Quickly, she leapt through the opening, preferring to risk what was below than leave Erik alone.



* * * * * * * * * *


“Erik? Where are you, baby?” shouted Sam.

“You fell on me!” came the reply.

“Oh… Heh… Sorry…”

The two of them got up, and looked ahead. They were facing a long, dark corridor, with flickering electric lights overhead, leading to a metal door about forty feet ahead. Behind them was the chute they had just fallen down.

“Well…” said Erik, “since going back the way we came definitely isn’t an option…”

Sam was nervous as they walked towards the metal door. She had expected a much less intimidating entrance hall.

Erik touched the door, and it slid open…

“That smell…” he said. “Formaldehyde?”

They looked inside, and were greeted by what appeared to be a chemistry lab. The room was cluttered, but still clean, and occupied by tables containing scientific apparatus. One table held beakers and test tubes; another held burners. It was clear that whoever did work here liked the place organized.

What is going on? thought Sam. This doesn’t seem like the place any Human Wave duelist would use…

Could I have gotten my Eliminators and locations mixed up?

They heard a voice coming from the back of the room.

“Ninth day of July, year 2053,” said the voice, “personal journal of Dr. Heinrich Janustein…”

Dr. Janustein? thought Sam in shock.

She trembled…

Her aunt may not have mentioned Hoshi and the Caller, but she had mentioned that name.

“Erik,” whispered Sam. “Come on, this was a bad idea…”

The voice paused.

“Vun minute, children,” he said, “I’ll be zere in a minute…”

Erik followed the voice with curiosity. He saw a man sitting at a desk speaking into a recorder.

“My analysis of ze sample has proven my suspicions…” he continued. “It is none other zan Baatoran green steel, a metal found only in ze infernal dimensions. According to legends, devils use zis metal to forge swords of unparalleled toughness and sharpness.

“I now understand Fräulein Arachne’s concern… After all, it vas a native of zese infernal dimensions zat caused so much trouble nineteen years ago. Further tests vill be required after I report vat I have now. I can only hope zat its discovery does not lead to more diabolic crisis.”

He turned off the recorder and stood up.

Erik was more than a little surprised. The man in front of them fit the profile of a typical mad scientist… He had thick, unkempt hair, and thick glasses. He wore a spotless, white lab coat over a white shirt, grey vest, slacks, and tie.

“Who are you?” asked Erik. “And why do you look like Magical Scientist?”

“Vell, I…” he started.

“Look, buddy…” said Sam. “This was all a mistake… Why don’t we make a deal… If you want a duel, I’ll be your opponent, and you can let Erik go.”

“Sam!” snapped Erik. “What are you…”

The scientist chuckled.

“I’m afraid zat is impossible, child,” he said. “Don’t you know ze rules? You beat Hoshi… Only vun Eliminator duel per guest.”

Sam’s face fell. She had kind of hoped he hadn’t found that out.

“It’s okay, Sam,” said Erik. “I can take this guy… He looks like he just stepped out of some Grimm Brothers fairy tale.

“I have to admit, fellah, I didn’t expect some mad scientist…”

The man shrugged.

“Lots of scientists vere called mad,” he replied, “until zey uncovered some groundbreaking theory zat changed ze world. Zen people stopped calling zem mad scientists, und started calling zem visionaries.”

Sam looked at Erik with a look of fear. Then she looked at the scientist.

She had never really doubted his abilities before… But in this case, she would have doubted her own.

“So, Erik vas it?” asked the scientist, taking off his lab coat. “You say you can ‘take zis guy’ so to speak. You should know, Dr. Janustein is no pushover…”

“I know the stakes,” said Erik. “So what happens if I lose?”

Janustein chuckled and picked up a Duel Disk.

“Nothing,” he replied.

Erik looked at him.

“Nothing?” he asked. “No punishment? No penalty that you Eliminators are legendary for?”

“Trust me, my boy…” he replied, “the defeat you vill be handed vill be punishment enough. Doing anything else to you vould make me some sort of a sadist.”

Janustein snapped his fingers, and panels opened in the walls. The tables and desks all retracted into them, leaving them in a bare room.

Sam backed up, and leaned against the wall, her brow furrowing with worry.

Her aunt had cautioned her against looking for any Eliminator…

…but she had also said that if she absolutely HAD to find one, avoid this guy at all costs…

“All right…” said Erik, loading his deck. “It isn’t like you’re the first creepshow I’ve dueled since I got here…”

The Disks activated.

“Game on!” shouted Erik.



(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (Janustein: 8,000)


“Let’s go!” shouted Erik, drawing his first card.

“I throw down a facedown, and summon my trusty Toy Soldier.”

A facedown card appeared, and Toy Soldier appeared in a burst of light. (800/300)

“That’s enough to start.”

“Very vell…” said Janustein. “I draw…”

He drew a card.

“Und now let’s pause to contemplate…”

“Huh?” asked Erik.

“A scientific rhyme…” said Janustein. “Taffy vas a chemist; Taffy is no more; Vat Taffy thought vas H2O; Vas H2SO4.”

Erik just stared at him.

“Hold on…” he said. “Wait a second… If I remember my third-year chemistry, H2SO4 is… Hydrogen, Sulfur, Oxygen… Sulfuric acid… Yeah, mistaking that for water would be nasty. But what’s the point?”

“It’s a warning,” said Janustein. “Be careful… Dangerous things may lurk vere you thought harmless vuns vere.”

He slid a card into his Disk.

“I play Kozaky’s Infernal Device.”

With a loud rumble, a frightening machine rose behind him. It looked like a furnace with a demonic face, with mechanical arms all over the outside, tipped with saws, drills, screws, and other sharp tools.

“WHAT THE?” shouted Erik. “If you think THAT looks harmless, I’d hate to see what you think dangerous is!”

“Let me explain vat zis Continuous Spell Card does, shall I?” replied Janustein. “I can use its effect vunce per round, if I forfeit my right to Normal Summon or set a Monster. I can choose vun Monster from my deck, so long as neither its Attack nor Defense is greater zan 1,000, und set it in Defense Mode. However, I’m also not allowed to Flip-Summon it on my own.”

Flames belched from the Infernal Device’s “mouth”. He took a card from his deck, and placed it on his Disk. A facedown card appeared.

“Aren’t you gonna tell me what it is?” asked Erik.

“Unlike most search cards,” replied Janustein, “I don’t have to… So nein.”

He fit another card into his Disk.

“I place zis facedown, and mein turn is over…”

Be careful Erik… thought Sam. That facedown Monster is bad news… I just know it…

Erik drew a card.

“My Toy Soldier’s effect activates,” he said, “so I get two more…”

Two more Toy Soldiers appeared next to the first. (800/300 x2)
`
Less than 1,000 Defense, huh? he thought. This shouldn’t be hard…

“Toy Soldier number one… Attack that Monster!”

The first Toy Soldier blasted its gun…

A Monster appeared on the card. It was a large, pink worm with three spines on its head. It shattered into bits.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en102.jpg


“A Needle Worm?” shouted Erik in surprise.

“Ja,” said Janustein, with an evil grin. “So say auf wiedersehen to the top five cards on your deck.”

Erik gasped as five cards flew off of his deck and vanished.

Erik grit his teeth in anger.

“I’m not through with you!” he shouted. “Toy Soldier number two, attack directly!”

The second Toy Soldier blasted its gun, and Janustein grunted.

“I activate a Trap,” he said quietly. “Flashbang.”

His facedown card lifted.

“Flash-what?” said Erik.

“Flashbang,” said Janustein. “Since you attacked me directly, your turn is now over.”

“But…” said Erik.

“Next time,” said Janustein, drawing a card, “ven you receive a warning, listen closer.”



(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 7,200)


I wish I could have warned him… thought Sam. But I couldn’t…

And Janustein’s strategy is hard to beat. He doesn’t bother attacking… He doesn’t even bother trying to reduce his opponent’s Life Points. Most of his cards are aimed at depleting, draining, and otherwise destroying his opponent’s cards before he can even use them…

Because he knows… When his opponent runs out of cards, he wins.

He was right… Simply losing your place in the tournament via this method is punishment enough…

“I’ll use the effect of my Infernal Device again,” said Janustein.

Flames belched from the demonic furnace’s mouth, and a new facedown Monster appeared.

“Next, I set zis facedown, und zat vill do it.”

A facedown card appeared.

Eric drew again.

Is he pulling the exact same trick he pulled last turn? he thought. Well, his Flashbang may have ended my last turn, but it didn’t stop the attack. So this time, I’ll just attack him with a much stronger Monster…

“I play… Crowning of the Emperor!” he shouted. “I’ll trade in one Toy Soldier…”

One of the Toy Soldiers vanished.

“And bring out Toy Emperor!”

The sound of a horse’s whinny came from behind, and Toy Emperor galloped into view. (2,300/800)

“This might sting a little…” said Erik. “Toy Soldier, destroy his facedown Monster!”

Toy Soldier fired his musket…

To Erik’s surprise, the Monster that appeared on the card was not another Needle Worm, nor was it any Monster he had ever seen before. It looked like a rock vaguely shaped like a turtle, with eyes peering out of its shell. The blast shattered it to pieces.



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/9/92/LevelJar-JP-Anime.jpg



“Not vat you expected, eh?” laughed Janustein. “Zat vas a Level Pod, my boy. Vun of my best strategies. Now I’ll explain… All Monsters on the field go back to zeir owner’s decks, and zen we reshuffle…”

Erik snarled as his three Monsters vanished. He reshuffled his deck.

“Of course, zat doesn’t affect me, because my only Monster vas just destroyed,” continued Janustein. “Now, you add up ze total Levels of zose Monsters you just sent back to your deck, und draw ze same number of cards.”

“Wait just a minute…” said Erik. “That means I have to draw… Twelve cards??”

“Exactly…” said Janustein. “Now start drawing.”

Erik reluctantly did. He liked cards that let him make extra draws, but this was ridiculous!

“Now…” said Janustein, “look at zem closely… If you don’t have at least one of ze Monsters that you sent back to your deck, you must discard all twelve.”

Erik looked at them, trying hard not to drop any.

“Joke’s on you, pal…” he said. “My Toy Emperor is right here.”

“Ack, vell…” said Janustein with a smirk. “I never said zat ze strategy vas perfect. In fact, ven one strategy fails, a smart duelist thinks up a good new vun.”

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate Heavy Slump.”

“Huh?” asked Erik.

“Heavy Slump,” replied Janustein. “I can only activate zis when you have eight or more cards in your hand. Now, you shuffle your whole hand back into your deck, and zen draw two cards.”

Sam watched as Erik reshuffled.

I guess Janustein had a choice, she thought. Erik would have had to discard a lot of those cards when his turn ended, but using that Trap made it less dangerous…

Erik made two draws and looked at them.

“I place this facedown, and activate Call of the Haunted,” he said.

A facedown card appeared. Then his first facedown card flipped up. A coffin appeared on his side of the field, and opened. Toy Soldier climbed out of it. (800/300)

“Him again…” muttered Janustein. “Typical…”

“That will do…” said Erik.

Janustein drew a card.

“Don’t think I’ll use my Infernal Device zis turn…” he said. “Instead, I’ll summon Necro Jar in Attack Mode.”

He played the card, and an ugly thing appeared on his side of the field. It looked like a thick worm growing out of a jar, with a toothy mouth, and a glaring eyeball inside the mouth. (1,100/300)

“Ugly little thing, isn’t it?” asked Erik.

“Some things aren’t always pretty,” said Janustein, “but zey can hide useful things under zere ugly appearance. Take caviar for example.

“Anyway, I end mein turn.”

Sam made a face. She had once tried caviar when her mother had taken her to an upscale party. She had figured it must be some sort of acquired taste, because she thought it had tasted just plain awful.

Erik was more than a little surprised. He drew a card.

His Necro Jar is clearly stronger than my Toy Soldier, but it’s just standing there, he thought. Something tells me he WANTS me to destroy it…

But I really don’t have many other options…

“Once again, Toy Soldier’s effect activates…” said Erik.

In two flashes of light, two more Toy Soldiers appeared again. (800/300 x2)

“Next, I’ll summon my Toy Wind-Up.”

He played the card, and the bigger, mechanical Toy Soldier appeared. (1,000/700)

“And now…” he said, taking the last card in his hand, “I’ll play my second Crowning of the Emperor.”

He played the card, and one Toy Soldier vanished. Toy Emperor appeared again.

“Go!” shouted Erik. “Destroy his Necro Jar!”

Toy Emperor galloped forward, and with one slash of his blade, the foul thing burst into an explosion of filth.

“Bet you weren’t expecting that,” said Erik.

“Actually,” said Janustein, “it vas exactly vat I was expecting. When Necro Jar is defeated in battle, my opponent loses vun card for every 300 Life Points I lost in ze battle. So if my math is right, und trust me, it is, zat’s four cards.”

Erik growled, as four cards flew off of his Disk and vanished.

“Well, I’m not done!” shouted Erik. “Toy Emperor has a nifty effect too… Now I get to take a Trap Card from my deck…”

He took his deck and looked through it. He was glad that the Trap he wanted was still there.

Zero Gravity will help in case he tries THAT again, he thought.

“And you’re in trouble now… Because your side is clear! Toy Soldiers, attack!”

The two Toy Soldiers aimed their weapons and fired. Janustein cringed.

“Toy Wind-Up, you too… Blunderbuss blast!”

“Mein Gott…” muttered Janustein.

Toy Wind-Up fired, and Janustein cried out in pain.

“I’m still not done!” said Erik with a grin. “Now I get to summon another Toy Wind-Up!”

A second Wind-Up appeared next to the first. (1,000/700)

Erik pointed, and it fired its blunderbuss. Janustein doubled over in pain.

“Ergh! Mein stomach!” gasped the scientist.

“I’ll place this facedown, and my turn is over…” said Erik, setting Zero Gravity. “You sure you’re okay?”

The facedown card appeared next to the other one.



(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 2,400)


The scientist paused to catch his breath…

“Never better…” he replied. “Some people think I’m getting too old for zis… I tell zose people, zese days, I need all ze exercise I can get.”

Erik’s not doing too bad… thought Sam. But he’d better win this duel quickly…

According to my count, he’s already down to half a deck…

Janustein drew a card.

He looked at it closely.

“I’ll set two cards facedown…” he said.

Two facedown cards appeared.

“And say goodbye to that one!” shouted Erik. “Go, Dust Tornado!”

One of his two facedown cards lifted, and the tornado tore across the field, blowing one of the two Trap Cards to pieces.

Dr. Janustein gave him a dirty look.

“Boy…” said Erik, nervously. “I didn’t recognize that Trap Card, but I can tell just from the look of it that I didn’t like it…”

“You vouldn’t have…” growled Janustein. “Zat was Monster Register, and it vas my rarest und deadliest Trap Card.”

“Uh… What does it do?” asked Erik.

Janustein glared at him.

“You destroyed it, und I’m not nearly rich enough to have a second copy,” he scowled. “Does it really matter?”

“Hey, don’t get your lederhosen in an uproar, pal…” said Erik.


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:


“I use ze effect of my Infernal Device again,” said Janustein.

The furnace belched flames, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Turn end.”

Janustein looked at Erik closely.

Zis boy is interesting… he thought. He’s a good duelist, but else something about him stands out… Not just any duelist would have been lucky enough to have activated Dust Tornado on a whim and destroyed such a dangerous Trap…

Many believe zat ze renowned Dr. Heinrich Janustein is merely a chemist who also happens to be a duelist… Vun who graduated at ze top of his class at ze University of Cologne, ja, but not an unremarkable vun…

Few folks know zat I am also an expert in demonology… Vun who studies ze cultures and societies of extraplanar beings of pure Evil.

The Demons, who represent Evil in its raw, chaotic state…

And Devils, who represent it in its organized, structured state, taken to the extreme.

And I can recognize both ze influence of infernal creatures, and zose with the potential to oppose zem…

Zis Erik… Is he one who has ze power to oppose such creatures?

He may vell be… But I can’t say for certain…

His Monsters are toys… Child’s playthings… Perhaps zat represents purity and innocence… Zose are indeed traits zat one who battles fiends must possess…

I must know more…

Erik drew a card.

“All right, doc,” he said, “I play… Pot of Avarice.”

He played the card, and the goofy jar appeared in front of him. Five cards slipped out of his discard slot.

Janustein frowned. He hated that card (except when he was using it). And his strategy as a duelist gave his opponents plenty of opportunities to use it.

Erik shuffled his deck, and then drew twice.

All right… he thought, adding them to his hand. If I took a chance, I could end this right now…

“Toy Wind-Up… Attack!”

Toy Wind-Up aimed its gun…

A ceramic vase colored red, white, and blue appeared on the card. A dark shadow with one eye and a toothy mouth snaked out of the jar, and cackled. The Wind-Up fired its gun, and it blew into shards.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en092.jpg


“A Morphing Jar?” asked Erik.

“Not quite…” said Janustein. “It vas a Morphing Jar #2. Now, you return all your Monsters to your deck and reshuffle…”

Erik’s five Monsters vanished. He growled, and shuffled his deck.

“Now…” said Janustein, “you draw until you get five Monsters. Zen you set any of zem that are Level Four or less in Defense Mode, and discard everything else.”

Erik growled again. He started to draw.

He growled a third time when he saw that the second card he drew was Toy Emperor. After drawing a total of eight cards, he set four of them on his Disk, and four facedown Monsters appeared. He discarded the other four.

“Activate Trap Card,” said Janustein.

“What?” said Erik, as the facedown card lifted.

“There are two perfect companions to Morphing Jar #2,” said Janustein. “Vun of zem is Ceasefire. Zis vun, however, is called Ze Spell Absorbing Life. Now, all your Monsters turn face-up…”

Two Toy Magicians (1,600/1,500x2) and two Toy Wind-Ups appeared (1,000/700 x2), kneeling in defense.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/vjc_jp016a.jpg


“Und now…” he continued, “I gain 400 Life Points for each Effect Monster on ze field. Pretty clever Trap Card, ja?”

He glowed with energy.



(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 4,000)


Erik glared at him.

“It’s your move…” he said.

Janustein drew a card.

“Vell, we’re coming to a close…” he said. “I’ll use ze effect of my Device vunce more…”

The Infernal Device belched flames, and a new facedown Monster appeared on his side of the field.

“Next, I play ze Dark Door,” he said, playing a Spell Card, “and for as long as zis door is open, both of us are only allowed to attack vith one Monster per round.

“So I end mein turn, my boy… It’s almost over…”

Erik drew a card.

“You bet it is!” he shouted. “Feel the wrath of… Heavy Storm!”

He played the card, and Janustein cursed in German. The fierce wind tore through the room, and the Dark Door card blew to bits, and then the Infernal Machine exploded into a fiery blast of flaming metal.

Janustein frowned. Erik’s four Monsters stood up in Attack Mode.

“Now…” said Erik. “I sacrifice one Toy Wind-Up, for my Toy Dragon!”

One of the Wind-Ups vanished, and the huge, colorful Dragon appeared, and let out a roar. (2,300/2,000) –> (3,500/2,000)

“Second Wind-Up…” said Erik, “destroy his last defense!”

The toy fired its blunderbuss, and this time, the regular Morphing Jar appeared on the card. It laughed before it shattered.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cp02-en009.jpg


“Now…” muttered Janustein, “we both discard all our cards, und draw five times…”

Erik drew five cards.

“As if it will matter,” he said. “Toy Dragon… Attack him directly!”

Toy Dragon roared, and blasted a beam of colored motes…

“Not so fast, my boy…” said Janustein, discarding one of the cards he had drawn. “My Kuriboh vill defend me…”

A wall of the tiny, furry Fiends sprang up, and the blast plowed into them, causing them to explode, but protecting Janustein.

“Well I’m not done…” said Erik. “Toy Magicians… You attack!”

The Magician’s aimed their wands, and fired two blasts of colored light. Janustein shielded himself as the energy hit him.

He groaned.



(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 800)


“That’s all for my turn…” said Erik.

Janustein panted for breath, and drew a card.

“I play ze Spell Card, Soul Reversal,” he said, playing a card. “Mit this, I can take vun Flip-Effect Monster in mein Graveyard, and place it on ze top of mein deck.”

A card slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed it on the top of his deck.

“Yeah?” said Erik. “Well, by the time you draw it, it will be too late…”

“Au contraire, my boy,” he replied, as he played another card. “I can get it right now… I play… Card Destruction.”

“OH!” shouted Erik, angrily, as he discarded his hand. “You’re digging your own grave, Janustein!”

He drew five cards, and Janustein drew three.

“Digging mein own grave?” asked Janustein, looking at them. “Not a bad idea… I play Ze Shallow Grave…”

He played the card, and a facedown Monster appeared on his side of the field. Erik considered, and then a facedown Monster appeared on his side.

Erik! thought Sam. Be careful… Another Flip-Effect could wipe you out…

“I’ll place vun other Monster facedown, und another card facedown, und end mein turn…” said Janustein, setting the last two cards in his hand.

A facedown Monster appeared next to the second, and a facedown card appeared.

Erik just stared at his opponent for a minute.

Mein setup is foolproof… thought Janustein. According to mein calculations, once he draws, his deck will have only seven cards left in it…

He thinks both of mein facedown Monsters are ones he has seen before, but both of zem are actually Level Pods. I just discarded vun when I played Card Destruction.

If he attacks either one, his deck will gain four cards, but he’ll have to draw sixteen, plus the Level of his facedown Monster, and I win, because he’ll have to draw more cards zen he has.

Und my facedown card is Solemn Judgment, zat vill negate any trick he could use to get around zem…

Of course, he may decide to simply pass… But since both zese Monsters vere not set vith my Infernal Device, I’m free to Flip-Summon zem myself on mein turn…

Erik drew a card.

“So, Janustein…” he said. “I’ll admit it has been a challenge…

“But I’m afraid it’s ending now…”

He played the card he had just drawn…

Mystical Space Typhoon.

Janustein gasped, as the cyclone tore across the field, and Solemn Judgment was blown to pieces.

“How could anyone have been so lucky?” he shouted.

Erik shrugged.

“That’s the way it is sometimes,” he said. “Now, I’ll Flip-Summon my Magician of Faith…”

His facedown Monster flipped, and Magician of Faith appeared on the card. (300/400)

“Now I get to take back one Spell Card from my Graveyard,” said Erik, “and thanks to your own strategy, I have nearly every Spell Card I possess to choose from.”

A card slipped out of his discard slot.

“I choose this one… Forced March!”

He played the card.

“Now, I simply have to cut the Attack Scores of my Monsters in half, and they can bypass whatever Flip-Effect Monsters those are, and attack you directly.”

The Toy Magicians fell to 800 Attack Points apiece, Magician of Faith fell to 150, and Toy Dragon fell to 1,750.

“Gott im Himmel!” shouted Janustein.

“Toy Dragon…” ordered Erik, “attack directly with shooting star shower!”

Toy Dragon roared, and breathed out its glowing motes, and the scientist screamed…



(E: 8,000) -------------------- (J: 0)


Dr. Janustein fell to his knees, as Sam ran up to Erik.

“Baby, you did it!” she shouted. “You actually did it…”

“Ja, he most certainly did…” muttered Janustein. “Never before have I seen such spirit… Maybe I am getting too old for zis…”

He waved his hand, and Erik’s badge changed color, changing to Gold.

“We’re both going to the finals, baby!” shouted Erik, lifting Sam off her feet. “And I hope I get a crack at Yumi myself!”

“Vell, Erik,” said Janustein, “maybe I can help…”

He waved his hand, and a hatch on the door opened. A large filing cabinet came out.

The scientist opened the top drawer, and looked through some files.

“Your deck is quite powerful, my boy…” he said, “but it does have vun flaw… Most of ze Monsters are physically weak…”

He took a card out of a file and looked at it.

He handed it to Erik.

He sighed.

“Mein wife – God rest her soul – vas a duelist herself…” he said. “But she also loved chess… Her deck reflected zis, although she thought Archfiends, ze most popular group mit a chess theme, vere too horrid to use…

“Zis vas a card zat vas vun of her most powerful Monsters… Zis fits your theme nicely, does it not?”

Erik looked at it, and read the description.

“Yeah…” he said, “kinda… But the effect is kinda… strange.”

“Nonsense, my boy,” said Janustein. “Simply do vat I do… Do research, und you vill find several clever ways to use it.”

“Yeah, yeah…” said Erik. “Aren’t I supposed to get something else?”

Janustein smiled. He took a small cloth bag out of the cabinet and handed it to Erik.

Erik untied the bag and looked inside.

“These are chocolate truffles,” he said, suspiciously.

“Very special truffles,” said Janustein. “Do not eat zem just yet. Zey are ze food of knowledge tempered vith wisdom. Eat vun before you are challenged by something difficult, und you may vell be victorious.

“Now, good luck. Go now… Ze way you came vill now have a staircase going up.”

“Uhm…” said Erik. “Say… what happened to your wife, anyway?”

Janustein gave a sad look…

“Uhm… cancer,” he said. “Zese things happen…

“But I don’t vant to sadden you mit my depressing stories. Off you go now, you two.”

As the two left, Janustein rubbed his chin.

He took a wallet out of his pocket. He looked sadly at a picture inside it… A picture of himself when he was much younger, next to a young woman with gorgeous blonde hair and sky-blue eyes.

I hated to tell ze boy a fib about zose truffles, he thought, but I couldn’t come out and say zat he is one of few who has ze gift… His ability to draw zat Mystical Space Typhoon at just ze right moment confirmed it.

It is a sad fact, zat for every hero who vanquishes some infernal threat, zere are a dozen would-be heroes who have perished while trying. And not all of zem were lost to death… Some suffered far worse fates…

Some… some like poor Ludmilla… She had ze gift too, but ze dark forces eventually proved too much for her…

The only consolation I have is zat ze ones who took her can’t make her immortal, and she vould never submit to zem… Not with all the tortures they could think up. Eventually she will die, either from old age or when her jailers get bored with her, und she’ll be free to go to her just reward…

I could tell zat Erik had ze gift… Ze ability to face ze infernal forces… But I could not tell his chances of success. If it ever comes to a battle between him und some paragon of wickedness, vat I’ve given him vill hopefully give him a small advantage…



* * * * * * * * * *


It was now noon.

Ren, Chelsea, and Yumi were sitting on a park bench, and Ren was playing his guitar again.



Hey girls, gather round…
Listen to what I'm putting down.
Hey baby, I'm your handyman…

I'm not the kind to use a pencil or rule…
I'm handy with love, and I'm no fool.
I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can.

If your broken heart should need repair,
Then I am the man to see.
I whisper sweet things, you tell all your friends…
They'll come runnin' to me…

Oh, here is the main thing that I want to say…
I'm busy twenty-four hours a day,
I fix broken hearts, I know that I truly can…


“I love that song,” said Sam’s voice.

The three of them looked up, and saw Sam and Erik.

“Looks like all five of us made the finals,” said Sam. “We’re going to settle things there.”

“I can hardly wait,” muttered Chelsea.

She grinned.

“Maybe I’ll get to handle you myself, Sam!”

“It’s your funeral, vampire-girl,” grinned Sam.

“People, people,” said Yumi. “We all made it… Let’s put aside the name calling, okay? We should all celebrate… The finals aren’t until the day after tomorrow… Why don’t we make reservations at the biggest restaurant in Duelatopia for tomorrow night? The Temple of Osiris.”

Sam paused. She took out her cell phone.

As she started to speak into it, Yumi saw Anastasia start to materialize. The other four mortals saw her too, although not as clearly as Yumi did. Sam paused for a minute, and started speaking to the maitre-de quicker.

“Yumi,” said Anastasia. “Listen closely…

“The final Shadow Charm has revealed itself.”

Yumi got up.

“Where?” she asked.

“The arboretum,” said Anastasia. “But be careful. This is the Rod of the Ancients, the Charm belonging to Unus the Undying. Unus was Machius’s biggest rival, and was said to be his equal.”

Sam hung up the phone.

“So what are we waiting for?” she asked. “Reservations are at seven tomorrow, by the way.”

“Good,” said Ren. “Let’s get us a Rod of the Ancients!”



* * * * * * * * * *


The five teenagers ran through the small forest that made up the arboretum. Yumi was a little nervous. Memories of the frightening duel with Icarus and his Beast of Light came back.

Anastasia materialized again, and started leading the way.

“There!” she said, pointing to a clearing.

Yumi looked, and they slowly walked up to the center of the clearing…

In the middle, on the ground, was what looked like a stone plug of some sort. On it was carved odd runes.

She bent over it.

“Someone give me a hand here…” she said.

Sam looked at her. She put her hands together and started clapping.

“That joke is older than my Mesozoic fossil collection, Sam,” said Chelsea, rolling her eyes.

Yumi looked at the runes.

The alphabet was very strange. The letters seemed to be made up entirely of slashes and lines, crossing and intersecting each other.

“What on earth?” said Yumi. “It must be the instructions to open this… But I can’t read it… What language is this?”

“It is Abyssal,” said a familiar voice.

Yumi and her companions spun around, and saw Rasputin, who had apparently stepped out from behind a large tree. Olga and Nicholas were lurking behind him.

“Abyssal is the language of demons and other supernatural creatures of Chaos and Evil,” said Rasputin. “I truly doubt that Domino High offers an elective on it, but for a man like me who studies alchemy, it is almost a second language.

“As you said, reading the runes opens that stone plug, and reveals the Rod of the Ancients.”

Yumi looked at him.

“How long have you been here?” she asked.

Rasputin looked at his watch.

“About fifteen minutes or so…” he replied.

“What?” said Ren. “And you can read this? You could have taken the Rod and made off with it before we got here!”

“That’s what I told him to do,” grumbled Nicholas. “But would he listen? No… He never listens…”

“Silence,” said Rasputin, walking up to Yumi. “True, I could have taken the Rod of the Ancients without a fight…”

He sighed.

“But, you see Yumi… I know that I’m going to have to get rid of you eventually… You’re a thorn in my side that I simply can’t have. But if there’s one thing I’m not… It’s a murderer. As hard as you may find that to believe.

“True, I’ve committed many unscrupulous and perhaps a few immoral acts in my quest to obtain true immortality, but even I must draw the line somewhere. I like to think I’m still an honorable man at heart.

“So I’ve decided to deal with you in the proper way… Like a gentleman.”

“So, you want to start a Yami no Oujou on purpose?” asked Yumi. “Settle this in the style of an old-fashioned aristocrat’s challenge… Except we use Duel Disks instead of dueling pistols…”

Her eyes closed tightly, and her fists clenched.

“When I dueled Holly, I promised her you’d get what was coming to you,” she said. “So I accept. And I promise you, you will get what is coming to you!”

Rasputin nodded.

He turned to the stone plug.

“Marcanthex, noscanex, harnanex, paranex…” he said. “Codomos, nomonos, farsamos, klitimos… Uballatama!”

With a rumbling, the stone plug opened, and slowly, a stone pedestal lifted out of the ground. Hovering over it was a gold scepter, with a flared knob at one end, and a sapphire, crystal orb on the other.

Yumi and Rasputin stared at each other…

All five of our young friends have earned Gold status, but what might be the greatest test yet is about to start, as Rasputin decides to face Yumi personally for the final Shadow Charm! Is Yumi up to the challenge? And what is the secret behind Rasputin’s mysterious past?



NECRO JAR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 1,100
DEF: 300

Card Description: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, your opponent discards one card from the top of his deck for every 300 Life Points you took from the battle involving this card.

Note: “Necro Jar” was first used by Bakura in the multi-part original anime episode “The Dark One Cometh”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



LEVEL POD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 500
DEF: 500

Card Description: Flip: Both players return all Monsters on the field to their decks and reshuffle. Then, both players add up the Levels of the Monsters returned to their decks, and draw that many cards. If at least one of the drawn cards is not a Monster that they had on the field when this card was flipped, the player then discards all the drawn cards to the Graveyard. Otherwise, the cards are added to the players’ hands.



MONSTER REGISTER (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A cartoonish cash register with a monstrous face on the front.

Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points to activate this card. Whenever either player Normal Summons, Flip-Summons, or Special Summons a Monster, he discards cards from the top of his deck equal to the Level of the summoned Monster.

Note: “Level Pod” and “Monster Register” were first used by X in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Not Playing With A Full Deck”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



KOZAKY’S INFERNAL DEVICE (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A dangerous-looking machine, with a furnace behind a demonic face, and mechanical arms with saws and screws.

Card Description: You may use the effect of this card once per turn, during your Main Phase One. If you choose to use the effect of this card, you may not Normal Summon or set a Monster during the same turn. Select one Monster from your deck whose base ATK and DEF are both 1,000 or less, and Special Summon it in facedown Defense Position (your opponent does not see the selected card). You may not Flip-Summon a Monster that is Special Summoned with this effect.



Chelsea: I knew it would come to this eventually… Yumi is finally dueling Rasputin!

Ren: Abaki… Stray Asmodian… Even Infernal Flame Emperor! Is it getting hotter, or is it just me?

Yumi: You didn’t have to do this for me, Rasputin… I’m always all fired up! You’ll wish you never messed with me…

Anastasia: Rasputin is strong, Yumi… Beware…

Coming up next, “Yumi versus Rasputin! Battle For the Final Shadow Charm!”

Featuring the hidden origin of Rasputin!

[Master of Paradox]

Today I will break my silence. Let the chips fall where they may.

I was never happy with this story's very concept, but I kept silent, since what really could I say? Your work was relatively up to par, although this was something of a disappointment after the levels you reached with Dark Messiah.

But now I feel the need to speak up.

This was the shortest duel I've seen from you in quite a while. Granted, it's hard to stretch out a deck-depletion theme, but I got the feeling you just wanted to rush through the duel in order to insert more plot points. All well and good, but there's no reason to make it feel like all of five turns passed.

On a related note, did Janustein really need the accent? Yes, you were going for a pseudo-Einstein, but it made him sound too much like Eisentein from GX.

The characterization took a bit of a hit in this chapter, as well. Sam lost everything that made her... well... her in the beginning and became a two-dimensional "clingy girlfriend". She recovered by the end, but it was almost creepy. Janustein's regrets were nicely handled, however, making up for it and giving him an extra angle I wasn't quite expecting.

As for Erik... Well, here I address your work in general.

You've told me in our conversations time and again that "the best heroes are the unlikely ones". One cannot help but notice, however, that every hero you've ever written in your Yu-Gi-Oh fics has ended up chosen for their tasks by Destiny. The only exception I can think of is the main cast of Dark Messiah, and even there you heavily implied that they were born for their parts in the Reckoning.

Now, there isn't anything wrong with destined heroes in principle - far from it; one of my favorite book series leans heavily on the trope - but it can be a bit overbearing after a while.

In this story, your entire central cast is destined twice over - born to their parts in the fight with Rasputin AND carrying the legacies of their famous parentage. All except Erik. Erik actually intrigued me, since he had a view on the situation not influenced by the hand of Fate driving him.

But then this chapter showed up. Now it seems he too is destined to "greater things", and his uniqueness has gone poof.

Sorry if this seems bitter, but I was profoundly disappointed.

[Shuppet Master]

one of my favorite book series leans heavily on the trope

Harry Potter?

Well, you have your opinions.

Brian, I feel I kniow who the person was that Sam thought was the Eliminator, but the whole mix-up thing was pretty weird. Also, I feel I know what is going to happen here between Yumi and Rasputin, but I won't say here. I just feel sorry for poor Yumi. :(

[Mystic_clown]

Hmmm, well, from what Sam had said, I was half expecting Janustein to be more, well, scary. His deck didn't seem that terrifying.

I'd have to agree with Paradox in terms of characterization. Sam was supposed to be strong, yet she seemed to completely loose it in this chapter. I mean, Eric wasn't in any real danger or anything. If his life was on the line, then there would be some leniency.

I was never a big fan of Eric, despite his shadow game against Samen, I still saw him as Sam's sidekick. The whole "having the gift of fighting the infernal" seems likes something added just to make him important. Plus, it tells us that the demonic forces of evil are going to get involved.

Thanks to that chess reference, I know exactly what that card Janustein gave him was, and I must say, it's effect isn't exactly the best.

I have three theories abut what's going to happen next chapter. Let's see which one is right.

[Dark Sage]

Normally, I post a chapter every six days. However, this chapter was so… pivotal, I decided not to wait…

Read on if you dare… This chapter will answer many questions… But will open the door to many new ones…




CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE



Yumi versus Rasputin!



Battle For the Final Shadow Charm!



Cassandra shuffled her deck, and took the top card.

It was the High Priestess. Yumi’s card.

She looked at the rest of the deck nervously. She felt a strange sense of foreboding from the card resting on the top of the deck.

But she knew she had to draw it.

Slowly, she drew the card…



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi and Rasputin looked at the Rod of the Ancients for a few seconds. Then they looked at each other.

“Scared, Yumi?” asked Rasputin.

“Oh, please…” replied Yumi. “I’ve seen butterflies that were scarier than you.”

Rasputin’s smile quickly changed to a frown.

“I’m waiting…” he growled. “I never start a fight if I can help it. But as soon as you try to get it…”

“Wait…” said Yumi. “Before we start something that we can’t stop… I want you to tell me something…”

“Where’d I get my good looks from?” asked Rasputin.

“No…” said Yumi, rolling her eyes. “Why did you decide to devote an immortal life to… wickedness?”

Rasputin glared at her.

“I mean, think of it, Rasputin…” she said with a frown. “With your knowledge of alchemy, you could have found a cure for cancer… You could have made famine-stricken countries lush and fertile… But instead, you used this knowledge on an insane quest to usurp the powers of the gods, because you rejected them…

“Why?”

“It’s a long story…” said Rasputin.

“We have nowhere to go,” said Sam, butting it. “And I’m curious myself.”

Rasputin chuckled.

“It’s a long… and very interesting story…” he said.

“Oh no…” muttered Nicholas. “He’s gonna tell ‘it’ again… He just loves talking about himself…”

“Hey, they wanted to hear it, blame them!” snapped Rasputin.

“You think I’m all bad, Yumi? Do you know how I survived when the Nazis took over Austria? I pretended to take interest in their Aryan breeding project, and hired myself out to their geneticists – I use that term incredibly loosely, by the way – and invented formulas that I claimed would help advance their plans of a master race.”

“And that was a good thing?” shouted Yumi.

For anyone who was born and raised in Japan, the Third Reich was a very touchy subject. Suffice to say it was the most shameful part of Japan’s past.

“Please, everything I gave them was completely worthless,” replied Rasputin. “I gave them formulas and compounds composed of chemicals that they had never heard of, and they never realized that they didn’t do a thing. Lemonade was more potent.

“None of their research to perfect the chimerical Aryan race was meeting with any real successes anyway. The only difference between my research and theirs was, mine was failing on purpose.

“The fools paid me a king’s ransom for all my ‘discoveries’, and I donated every bit of it towards the resistance that was fighting the Third Reich. Those deluded goons had no idea that their money was helping oppose them.”

Yumi paused.

“Okay…” she muttered. “Maybe that WAS a good thing…”

“I’d have thought you’d have sided with the Nazis,” said Chelsea. “If they had won, a major world religion would have been eradicated.”

“I may not believe in the ideals of Judaism,” said Rasputin with a scowl, “but I will admit that their ideals, unlike those of Nazi Germany, aren’t based on absolute lunacy…”

He paused.

“Not that this is any of your business, Yumi,” he said, “but I wasn’t a heretic all my life. There was a time when I thought that the higher powers cared… When I thought that faith and prayer actually had some bearing on a person’s life…

“When I was about a year older than you, a young man growing up in Seventeenth Century Vienna, I not only studied alchemy, but divinity as well. And I not only attended church, but the greatest church in the world at that time.

“Stephansdom… St. Stephen’s Cathedral. When it was built in the Sixteenth Century, it was the tallest building in the world… It even dwarfed the Vatican in terms of size.”

Rasputin sighed…

“It was – and still is – a grand cathedral, whose spires seemed to touch the sky… You could lose yourself in its gothic beauty… Its soaring towers, its twenty-three bells, and its eighteen altars… Its stained glass windows that reflected light in every spectrum of the rainbow, and the elaborately carved gargoyles that stood watch on the roof, protecting the building both from rainwater, and some said, from evil spirits as well…

“Life was good, and I prayed daily… I was empowered by the sermons that the Archbishop gave… I lost myself in the beautiful music of the choir…

“And then, one day, fate proved a rascal. A woman appeared in Vienna. A woman of unearthly beauty, buxom and blonde, wearing simple clothes, and holding a Bible in her hand. She told everyone who would listen that her name was Claret, and she was the emissary of an Archangel named Malafare.

“Now, folks were skeptical at first, of course, but Claret started doing some things that people saw as miracles. She held a dead bird in her hands and it was restored to life. She gave a gentle hug to a child who was stricken with scarlet fever, and within minutes, his fever broke.

“Several of these miracles later, the congregation of Stephansdom were listening to her. Even the Archbishop was following her, like a man entranced, and she was speaking at every mass.

“I alone was suspicious. I started to notice odd things. For one, Claret’s sermons started to reference this Malafare even more than they referenced Christ. And I noticed that when Christ or any major Saint was referenced, Claret looked a little uncomfortable. The untrained eye couldn’t see it, but I noticed it.

“I got even more suspicious when Claret convinced everyone to stop ending the prayers with ‘Amen’ and start using a different term, one that no-one knew the meaning of. I won’t say the word here… It’s not something that should be said out loud.

“Eventually, my father, a man with a great deal of influence but not much common sense, said that he was going to donate his whole life savings to the church. It was an enormous amount of money, us being a family of aristocrats. I guessed that Claret was now accepting charity. I begged my father to postpone it for a few days, telling him that I needed to do some research. He was a little surprised by my… lack of faith, but he nonetheless said he would give me three days.

“So, for those three days, I poured over every book of divinity I had. I could not find even a reference to an Archangel named Malafare. This entity was a strange one…

“Finally, I found a reference, in an unlikely place… A book of demonology. Malafare was no Archangel. The name was an alias used by Malcanthet…”

Anastasia appeared next to Yumi with a look of shock on her face.

“Malcanthet…” she whispered. “The Demon Queen of Succubus…”

Rasputin paused.

“Malcanthet is a powerful demon noble,” he said. “She’s one of the greatest seducers in the universe. She rules a kingdom of lust and debauchery in the Abyss, where the succubus are masters, and anyone who enters risks becoming their playthings… Or even worse, becoming Malcanthet’s plaything.

“Anyway, I continued to read about this demon, and I discovered more. I found that the succubus in her service often conducted ascension rituals to transform themselves into a more powerful type of temptress demon. The ritual involves seducing a whole church, and eventually sacrificing the congregation by burning the whole church down in a fire fueled by the flames of one of the most infernal layers of the Abyss.

“It was obvious what Claret’s true intentions were now. I had to stop this! But I didn’t know what to do at first… She was a demon… She commanded powerful evil magic… And she had almost all of Vienna eating out of her hand.

“Slowly, I formed a plan…

“After a night of work, on a Sunday morning, I stormed into the cathedral, interrupting Claret’s sermon. I spoke out against her openly right there, calling her and her patron imposters. Everyone listening gasped. Claret smiled, and told them to let me speak. She asked why I thought such things.

“Then I asked just how powerful she believed she truly was. I challenged her to prove that she was the messenger of an angel.

“I produced two bottles of wine, and said that one of them was laced with a deadly poison. My challenge was as follows: I’d pour two cups, one from each, and she’d choose one. Then we’d both drink. If she was truly the herald of an angel, she’d easily be able to tell which was which.

“Of course, everyone watching called me a monster, and pleaded with her not to accept. Some considered restraining me, but Claret herself ordered them to back down. She simply smiled, and said she wasn’t afraid of my challenge.

“So, the dangerous contest began…

“…little did she know, while she thought she had the upper hand, she had fallen into a trap.

“You see, demons are immune to earthly poisons, a fact that I was well aware of. That was why she was so eager to accept. She figured that if I died from the poison, she could call it a divine punishment. If she drank the poison and was unharmed, she could boast that her patron had protected her. She would win either way.

“What she didn’t know was that both bottles were laced not with true poison, but with a special alchemical formula called a ravage. Ravages are similar to poisons, but they are lethal to creatures of supernatural evil, like demons. This particular ravage was called Tears of the Couatl, and it was particularly effective against demons. Since ravages didn’t harm mortals, I was completely safe.

“The plan worked. She took one sip, and gagged before collapsing into convulsions. And as she died, her body underwent a horrid transformation, turning into her true succubus form – still beautiful, but plainly evil to everyone witnessing.

“It was over…”

“I thought you weren’t a killer,” said Ren. “You said so yourself.”

“Only as far as humans are concerned,” replied Rasputin. “She was an unholy abomination. I had no moral objections about slaying her.”

“So…” said Yumi. “Let me get this straight… You saved a church from a demon? I’m gonna go out on a limb here, but… Some folks would have called you a hero.”

Rasputin paused again.

“Yes, that they did…” he muttered. “They called me a hero. The Archbishop told me that I had more faith than anybody, including him, because I was not deceived by the beast’s trickery. He told me that the divine rewards I would get for it would be great…

“But eventually, I did some thinking…

“Hundreds had almost been sacrificed to a ritual of pure evil. A demon had targeted the biggest church in the world. I kept thinking… Why did I even have to stop it?

“If the higher powers truly cared about their flock, why hadn’t a real Archangel’s messenger been sent to face that succubus? Why were they going to allow this horrid act to occur?

“I looked around at my small part of the world, and saw things I didn’t like… Children forced to steal food to feed themselves… Elderly men begging because they had no other way to get money. All around me there was suffering… All under the shadow of the greatest church in the world, where an Archbishop grew fat from the donations of the worshippers...

“I came to the conclusion that my church had been abandoned by its true patrons in its darkest hour. Simply put, I discovered that for all our faith, the powers that we prayed to did nothing for us in return, and didn’t care.

“THAT is why I rejected them. They were willing to turn their backs on us and let hundreds suffer a fiery death. They didn’t deserve the respect we gave them.”

“Nonsense!” shouted Yumi. “Did you ever stop and think that they chose YOU as their champion? That you were the one chosen by them to defeat that demon? God moves in mysterious ways, Rasputin, and more often than not, His ways are subtle.”

Rasputin paused.

Yumi looked into his eyes. For the briefest moment, it seemed as if her argument might have reached him…

“That’s not true, and I know it!” he shouted. “I did it all on my own!”

He looked at the Rod of the Ancients.

“Enough talk…”

He lunged for it.

Yumi lunged for him. She caught his arm as he made a grab for it…

Then, the unexpected happened. The whole ground erupted in flames, and both Yumi and Rasputin were seemingly consumed by them.

Everyone looking gasped, but only for a second. Then, the flames erupted around them too…



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi opened her eyes, and was greeted by the smell of smoke and brimstone.

She looked down, and screamed.

She was standing a few feet over what looked like a lake of boiling lava.

When she got over the shock, she realized that she and Rasputin (who was in front of her) were standing either on a layer of either magical glass of some sort, or a floor of solid, transparent energy. They were in the center of a crater made of black stone, under a pitch-black sky.

“A volcano,” said Rasputin. “It seems our host, whoever he is, doesn’t care for subtlety…”

“Yumi!” shouted Ren’s voice.

Yumi turned around, and saw Ren, Chelsea, Sam, and Erik standing on a rocky ledge behind her. Then she looked behind Rasputin, and saw Nicholas and Olga there on another ledge. Nicholas had a stern expression on his face that was hard to interpret.

“So…” said Yumi. “It’s down to you, and it’s down to me…”

“Indeed…” said Rasputin, raising his Disk. “The time for talk is past, the time for action is now. And I must admit… I’ve been looking forward to this…”

“So have I…” said Yumi.

The two Disks activated…

“Game on!” they shouted.



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Rasputin: 8,000)


“Beat the pants off this guy, Yumi!” shouted Erik, leaning forward.

“Be careful, Erik!” warned Sam. “This lava is hotter than your five-alarm chili.”

A geyser of magma shot up, forming a flaming arch over the two of them, as both of them drew their opening hands.

“Let’s see what we have here…” said Rasputin, drawing his first card. “I think I’ll summon… Stay Asmodian, in Attack Mode.”

He played the card, and a column of flame erupted out of the lava in front of him. A creature formed out of it that looked… weird. It was a Fiend of some sort, hovering over the ground, wearing a purple robe, with no limbs, except for four small, black, feathered wings. Its head had three ugly faces, and was topped by some sort of smokestack that belched out black soot. (1,300/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0121.jpg


“That will do to start,” he said.

“Humph,” said Yumi, drawing a card. “Your Stray Asmodian may look scary, but it’s weak enough for me to blow to pieces…

“I summon Gemini Elf!”

She played a card, and the attractive elf sisters materialized, their arms around each others’ waists. They gave dirty looks towards Rasputin. (1,900/900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-se1.jpg


“All right!” shouted Ren.

“Crush that creepy Monster!” shouted Chelsea.

“Attack!” yelled Yumi. “Destroy it!”

Gemini Elf shot a volley of lightning bolts. Stray Asmodian exploded in a burst of smoke and ash.

Then, to Yumi’s surprise, both she and Rasputin were glowing with a fiery aura. But it didn’t hurt… It felt strangely invigorating.

“Thank you…” said Rasputin. “When Stray Asmodian dies in battle, it gives both of us a gift… It’s called the Fires of Renewal, and it takes the form of 800 more Life Points.

“Fire may harm, but it has an upside… When a forest burns, it takes a while to grow back, but it grows back fuller and more lush than before. So even a flaming disaster has an upside… Renewal.”

“Yeah, well, that helped me more that it did you, Rasputin,” said Yumi. “I’ll end my turn…”



(Y: 8,800) -------------------- (R: 8,200)


Rasputin drew a card.

He looked at the Field Spell.

We’ll soon see about that, Yumi, he thought. Destroy my Monsters if you wish… Every one that dies brings you closer to your own doom… Because Renewal is a very minor part of the element of Fire…

His Field Slot opened.

“Time to switch locations, Yumi,” he said, placing a card in the slot. “Take us to… The City of Brass!”

With a rumbling and a shaking, the volcano’s crater was transformed. Buildings rose, and the fiery surface turned into a metal street…

Yumi looked around. The city that the Spell had conjured up was Arabian in architecture, with buildings made – naturally – of brass, with a hellish, fiery theme. Overhead and around them were flaming, demonic, horned creatures, watching the spectacle from their vantage points.

“Behold, Yumi…” said Rasputin. “The City of Brass, one of the greatest wonders of the planes. This marvelous metropolis on the Plane of Fire is the ancestral home of a race of genies called the Efreet, an ancient race known for their warlike nature and their ability to beguile and mislead… Not to mention their cruelty and hatred of servitude.”

“Yeah, yeah…” said Yumi. “So, what does your Field Spell do?”

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Rasputin. “What does it do, she asks. What it does is give all Fire Monsters 200 extra Attack and Defense Points. It also downgrades their Level by one.”

“So basically, it’s a Fire version of A Legendary Ocean?” asked Yumi.

“More or less,” said Rasputin. “And that means that Level Five Monsters that were once considered useless, now become quite useful.”

He took a card from his hand.

“I summon one right now… Mr. Volcano!”

A plume of lava erupted in front of him, and a man in fancy clothing with a blue cape and fiery red hair appeared from out of it. He threw back his arms and laughed as the aura from the City started to fuel him. (2,100/1,300) –> (2,300/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/psv-0441.jpg


“Rasputin is right…” muttered Sam. “Mr. Volcano has become practically useless in today’s meta… But with that Field Spell, it becomes a powerful Monster that needs no sacrifice to summon.”

“Mr. Volcano…” ordered Rasputin, “roast her elves with volcanic blast!”

Mr. Volcano raised his arms, and flames appeared in them. He threw a stream of fire forward, and the two elves screamed as they were burned alive.



(Y: 8,400) -------------------- (R: 8,200)


“You’ll pay for that…” muttered Yumi, drawing a card.

She looked at it, and chose another one.

“I summon my Blast Magician,” she said.

She played the card, and the fiery, red-robed mage appeared in a burst of flame. He bathed in the light of the City of Brass and grinned. (1,400/1,700) –> (1,600/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fet_en020.jpg


“What?” said Rasputin, crossing his arms. “I’m supposed to be worried because you managed to summon someone who benefits from my Field Spell? He’s still no match for Mr. Volcano.”

“I’m not done,” said Yumi, taking another card. “I play Magical Dimension.

“Now I’ll sacrifice Blast Magician, and summon Magician’s Valkyria.”

Blast Magician vanished, and Valkyria appeared in his place. (1,600/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/jump-en009.jpg


“Now I can destroy one Monster,” continued Yumi. “Guess who…”

Mr. Volcano groaned, and then shattered into pieces.

“Valkyria… Attack him directly!”

Valkyria leapt up into the air and aimed her staff…

“Uh oh…” said Rasputin.

An explosion of magical energy centered on him, and he staggered backwards.

“Well…” said Nicholas. “He asked for it…”



(Y: 8,400) -------------------- (R: 6,600)


“So, now what do you have to say?” asked Yumi.

Rasputin chuckled.

“I must say…” he said. “This is quite… invigorating. Reminds me of the old days, actually, when I was a young man, and mortal combat was more common…”

He drew a card.

“But it’s time for me to bear my claws…”

He placed a card in his Disk.

“I play… Fire Fever. And I Equip it to your Valkyria.”

Magician’s Valkyria groaned, as if in pain, and held her sides. Her cheeks turned beet-red, and then a fiery aura appeared around her.

“Rasputin…” gasped Yumi. “What did you do to her?”

“I inflicted her with a disease called Fire Fever, Yumi,” said Rasputin. “It’s an illness that sometimes strikes mortals who come to the Plane of Fire. She should have known better than to such a dangerous place unprepared.

“An interesting bit of planar knowledge… The efreet have been known to make willing slaves out of mortals who contract this disease. They give them a serum that puts the disease into remission, but only for a short time. The disease only stays gone if they continue to take the serum. The afflicted mortals have a choice: They can either stay and serve the efreet, or they leave and die from the disease when the serum wears off.”

“He wasn’t kidding…” muttered Chelsea. “Those creatures are cruel…”

“What did your Spell Card do to her?” demanded Yumi.

“In game terms, Yumi,” said Rasputin, “she’ll lose 400 Attack Points every time you start your turn. If her Attack Points fall to zero because of it, she dies. Best of all, when that happens, the card itself goes back to my deck.

“In the meantime, I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“And then, I’ll remove Stray Asmodian from play, to also summon Inferno in Defense Mode.”

The Stray Asmodian card slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed it inside his jacket. In a burst of flame, a Monster best described as a huge bonfire with eyes appeared next to the facedown Monster. (1,100/1,900) –> (1,300/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-019.jpg


“Your move…” he said.

Yumi angrily drew a card.

Valkyria groaned as the flaming aura got worse, and her Attack Score fell to 1,200.

“Well, Valkyria…” said Yumi, “you aren’t in any condition to attack, but at least you can defend…”

Valkyria crouched in Defense Mode.

Yumi placed two more cards in her Disk, and a facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.

She glared at Rasputin.

“I take it that means you want me to move…” he said, drawing a card.

He chuckled as he looked at it.

“I summon Darkfire Soldier #1 in Attack Mode,” he said.

He played the card, and another fiery figure appeared on his side of the field. It looked like a warrior with bronze skin and a bare chest, holding a large scimitar. He bathed in the light of the burning city, and grinned. (1,700/1,150) –> (1,900/1,350)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/psv-0431.jpg


“I’ll also flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode…” he said. “Reveal… Abaki!”

His facedown Monster flipped, and there appeared a nasty, red-skinned ogre, with a bald head with two small horns and a toothy mouth, carrying a spiked metal club. (1,700/1,100) –> (1,900/1,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0131.jpg


“Well, let’s see, Yumi…” he said. “I could simply wait for the Fire Fever to run its course and your Valkyria to be consumed by flames… That might be amusing…”

He chuckled.

“But I’m growing impatient… I’ll be merciful and grant her a quick death…

“Abaki, attack Valkyria!”

Abaki roared, and charged at Valkyria with its club raised high.

“Oh no you don’t…” said Yumi. “I activate… Dust Tornado!”

Her Trap Card flipped up.

“And my target will be… Your Field Spell!”

Rasputin gasped as the Tornado tore across the field, and the buildings of the City of Brass started to tumble. Within minutes, the City had collapsed into shards, and they were back in the crater of the volcano.

“Too late to call off your attack,” said Yumi, “but without the boost from your Field Spell, Abaki isn’t strong enough to beat Valkyria’s Defense.”

Abaki tried to hit Valkyria with its club, but she whacked it with her staff, and it toppled backwards.

Rasputin was clearly angry.

“Congratulations, Yumi…” he muttered. “You have managed to bring about the fall of the City of Brass. Since the beginning of recorded history of the Plane of Fire, no enemy has ever so much as breached the city’s walls…

“Enjoy that small accomplishment while you can…

“Darkfire Soldier, attack her facedown Monster!”

Darkfire Soldier raised his flaming scimitar, and rushed at the facedown Monster. The Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and he sliced the shadowy snake in twain.

“Ho boy…” muttered Olga.

“Now we have to dump the cards in our hands and draw five more,” said Yumi.

Rasputin looked at the cards in his hand and growled. He discarded them, and drew five.

He gave them a look.

“My turn is over, Yumi,” he said. “Valkyria may have lived that round, but she’s three rounds away from a fiery death.”



(Y: 8,400) -------------------- (R: 6,500)


Valkyria closed her eyes and started to tremble. Yumi drew a card.

Valkyria groaned and fell to an Attack of 800.

“Wrong, Rasputin,” said Yumi. “She’ll be spared that fate. I’m going to sacrifice her before that happens.”

Valkyria smirked at Rasputin, and then vanished.

Then Chaos Command Magician appeared in a flash of light. (2,400/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-0681.jpg


“Destroy his Abaki!” she shouted. “Chaos magic!”

Chaos Command Magician blasted his lethal spell, and Abaki howled before exploding in a burst of flame.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Then Yumi cringed as an aura of much more painful flames licked at her skin.

“What happened?” she gasped.

“The Fires of Renewal are only a minor part of the element of Fire, Yumi,” said Rasputin. “Even more powerful are the Fires of Destruction. Abaki is the polar opposite of Stray Asmodian.

“When it dies in battle, both duelists lose 500 Life Points. I guess that came as quite a shock to you…”



(Y: 7,900) -------------------- (R: 5,300)


“Fine…” said Yumi. “I’ll end with this facedown…”

She played a card, and a facedown card appeared behind Chaos Command Magician.

“Ren…” said Chelsea, “did you notice something different about this Yami no Oujou?”

“Other than the pit of molten lava?” asked Ren.

“I just realized it…” said Chelsea. “No-one told them to start at the beginning… No instructions, and no house rule… Whoever is running this thing doesn’t care, apparently.”

“Yeah…” said Ren. “Maybe not all of the Sorcerer Kings survived…”

“I noticed something else…” said Sam. “Where the heck did Anastasia go?”

Rasputin drew a card.

“Time to get serious, Yumi!” he shouted. “I sacrifice Darkfire Soldier and Inferno…”

The two Monsters burst into shards, and the shards spun around, forming a flaming tornado…

“…to summon Infernal Flame Emperor!”

In an explosion of flame, a ten-foot-tall, fiendish demon made totally out of fire appeared, gazing at Yumi with blazing eyes. (2,700/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd3-en001-1.jpg


“Now I activate its effect… I can remove up to five Fire Monsters in my grave from play, and destroy an equal number of Spell or Trap Cards. So I’ll get rid of Darkfire Soldier, and destroy your facedown card.

Darkfire Soldier fell out of his discard slot. Infernal Flame Emperor threw a fireball, and Yumi’s Mirror Force was incinerated.

“Now, attack!” shouted Rasputin. “Destroy her Chaos Command Magician!”

Infernal Flame Emperor lunged, and punched Chaos Command Magician with a fiery fist. The mage shattered into bits.



(Y: 7,600) -------------------- (R: 5,300)


“I’m still in the lead…” said Yumi.

“But not for long…” said Rasputin. “You didn’t forget the huge, flaming demon on the field, did you?”

“I didn’t forget,” said Yumi. “And I already have a way to destroy it…”

She drew a card.

“I summon… Injection Fairy Lily!”

She played the card, and the cute, winged nurse carrying her huge syringe appeared hovering in front of her. She gave Rasputin a dirty look. (400/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-1001.jpg


“You know how Lily works, right, smarty-pants?” asked Yumi. “I pay 2,000 Life Points, and her Attack Score goes up by 3,000…”

Yumi glowed with a red aura, as Lily rose to an Attack of 3,400.

“Lily, give Infernal Flame Emperor a checkup!”

Lily lifted her syringe above her head, and hurled it forward, striking the huge, flaming beast in the center. It howled, and exploded into a blaze of flames.

“That cost you more Life Points than it did me!” exclaimed Rasputin with a laugh.

Yumi glared at him.

“I’ll place two cards facedown,” she said, “and end my turn…”

Two facedown cards appeared, and Lily fell back to an Attack of 400.



(Y: 5,600) -------------------- (R: 4,600)


Rasputin paused. He drew a card.

When he saw what it was, he looked rather surprised. He just looked at it for a minute. He didn’t do anything except look at it.

“What’s he doing?” asked Sam. “It looks as if he’s surprised to see one of his own cards…”

“Rasputin?” asked Yumi. “Hello? Are you gonna move or not?”

“Good moves take time…” said Rasputin, adding it to his hand. “Especially for a man like me. You ever try a fancy recipe, that takes all day to prepare, or even has to simmer all night?”

“Sometimes…” said Yumi.

“Well, for an alchemist,” replied Rasputin, “a powerful formula might take a week – or more – to prepare. It isn’t a craft you can undertake if you aren’t patient. Alchemic formulas aren’t things you can simply cook up over the kitchen stove.”

“Well…” said Yumi, “while I’m waiting…”

One of her facedown cards flipped up.

“I activate Life-Absorbing Machine.”

“Fine,” said Rasputin, choosing another card. “And I’ll play Pot of Avarice.”

He played the card, and the goofy, pink jar appeared in front of him. Five cards – Mr. Volcano, Inferno, Little Chimera, Abaki, and Infernal Flame Emperor – slipped out of his discard slot. He quickly shuffled them into his deck and drew two cards.

He looked at them, and added them to his hand.

“In the study of alchemy,” he said, taking a card, “I have studied many tomes and manuals, all of them containing powerful arcane knowledge, some of which so revealing, they would make lesser men tremble in fear. Here’s a similar one… The powerful Book of Moon. Now, I can move your Fairy Lily into Defense Mode.”

Lily gasped, and then vanished, replaced by a facedown card.

“Next…” he continued, “I play Premature Burial, to raise a creature I kept in my Graveyard… Molten Zombie.”

He played the card, and the lava in front of him bubbled and burst. A humanoid creature that seemed to be made of melting, runny, gloppy lava appeared in front of him. (1,600/400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-064.jpg


“And, when Molten Zombie is summoned from the Graveyard, I get to draw one card…”

He made one draw. He looked at it and added it to his hand.

“Next…” he said, playing a card, “I summon Hiita the Fire Charmer…”

He played another card, and a young girl with red hair, a brown cloak, and a fiery, red fox on her shoulder appeared. (500/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tlm-en028.jpg


“Now I can activate a special effect,” he continued. “By sacrificing Hiita and one other Fire Monster…”

Hiita and Molten Zombie burst into flaming shards.

“…I can summon Familiar-Possessed Hiita from my deck.”

A new female figure reappeared on the field. She looked like the previous Hiita, only somewhat older, her fox was fiercer, and she carried a staff tipped with a flaming ruby. (1,850/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en028.jpg


“Hiita, attack!” shouted Rasputin. “Fire sorcery!”

Hiita twirled her staff, and shot a blast of flame. Lily appeared on the card, and screamed before she was incinerated.

“And because I summoned her with her effect,” said Rasputin with a grin, “you lose 350 Life Points.”



(Y: 5,250) -------------------- (R: 3,800)


“Brilliant…” muttered Yumi. “Anything else in your bag of tricks?”

“I think I’ll set these facedown, and end my turn…” said Rasputin.

A nervous look was on his face as he played the two cards, and they appeared behind Hiita.

“Then I’ll go…” said Yumi, drawing a card. “And due to Life-Absorbing Machine, I gain Life Points equal to half of what I paid on my last turn…”

She glowed with golden energy, and looked at the card she had just drawn.

Dark Magician Girl. It was time for her to get serious.

“I activate Call of the Haunted!” she shouted.

A dark coffin appeared on her side of the field, and it opened, Magician’s Valkyria stepped out.

She gave a dirty look towards Rasputin. (1,600/1,800)

“But she won’t be here long…” continued Yumi. “I sacrifice her… To summon Dark Magician Girl!”

Valkyria vanished, and in a flurry of stars, Dark Magician Girl appeared. (2,000/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc_000.jpg


Rasputin scowled.

“Oh, I forgot…” said Yumi. “You don’t like her, right?”

“Don’t like her?” asked Rasputin. “Would you like someone who ruined a plan that had taken you a year to put together? The deck I had used to face your grandfather had one goal… Using his own God Cards against him, and I built it with tireless care… Only for that harlot to ruin my plans and cost me the most powerful cards in the world…”

“Cry me a river, build me a bridge…” said Yumi, taking another card. “I play Sage’s Stone!”

She played the card, and in a flash of light, the Dark Magician appeared. Dark Magician Girl smiled, and nodded to him. (2,500/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-001.jpg


“Ha!” laughed Erik. “Yumi has her king and her queen out. It’s gonna be checkmate soon!”

“Dark Magician…” ordered Yumi, “attack Hiita! Dark magic attack!”

Dark Magician twirled his scepter, and fired a lethal blast. Familiar-Possessed Hiita screamed, and shattered into shards.

“Okay, Rasputin…” shouted Yumi, “here’s a direct attack courtesy of my best Monster.

“Dark Magician Girl, get him!”

Dark Magician Girl flew at Rasputin, her staff glowing.

“I activate… Power Wall!” shouted Rasputin.

One of his Trap Cards lifted, showing a frightening image of a warrior in royal armor in a castle courtyard, holding his hand up, as a titanic dragon loomed overhead.

As Dark Magician Girl flew towards him, Rasputin reached for his deck, and grabbed a handful of cards, he hurled them in front of him, and the cards formed a barrier, blocking Dark Magician Girl’s advance.

Everyone stared at him. The tossed cards vanished one by one, until they were gone.

“Rasputin…” muttered Yumi. “What… what did you do?”

“Power Wall is a Trap Card that I can use if I’m threatened by battle damage,” replied Rasputin. “For every card from my deck that I throw away, the damage is decreased by 100. And since I just threw away twenty of my cards, your blond minx’s attack didn’t hurt me at all.”

Everyone was speechless. They stared at Rasputin in disbelief.

“He… he… He threw away twenty of his cards?” shouted Sam. “That was the stupidest…”

“Hold on…” said Nicholas. “Hold on one second… He’s had six turns so far… That’s eleven cards… Then there was the Morphing Jar… Pot of Avarice… Subtract five then add two… Hiita… Molten Zombie…

“Great McGregor’s ghost! That leaves him with only five cards in his deck!”

“Rasputin, have you lost your mind?” shouted Olga. “Why did you even put that card in your deck?”

Yumi stared at him.

“You threw away half your deck…” she muttered. “Threw away half your cards like they were garbage…”

“And what if I did?” he replied. “They’re my cards, Yumi. Who are you to tell me how to use them?”

“Rasputin…” said Yumi, with a snarl.

“Oh, please, Yumi,” said Rasputin, rolling his eyes, “let’s not bore us both with the tired old ‘a duelist should respect his cards’ speech, because that sort of thing got old fast.”

Yumi looked down.

“Okay, you don’t want speeches?” she said. “Fine. I won’t bother with any speeches. You know why? Because you doing that helped me make a decision I was trying to make.

“See, when you told me that story, I thought for a minute that there might be a small shred of decency left in you… Some small, minute spark of the moral and virtuous man you used to be… I thought that maybe, just maybe, there might still be hope for you…

“But now… I know for sure that there isn’t…

“I’m through trying to reason with you, Rasputin… It’s clear to me that no matter how much I try, I’ll never get though to you. So I’m not even gonna bother any more.

“Make your move…”



(Y: 6,250) -------------------- (R: 3,250)


Rasputin drew a card.

“I remove Molten Zombie from play,” he said, taking a card from his Graveyard, “in order to summon Spirit of Flames in Defense Mode.”

In a burst of fire, a fiery demon with horns on its forehead appeared, and crouched in defense. (1,700/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-067.jpg


“That’s all,” he said.

“Then look out!” shouted Yumi.

She drew a card.

“I summon Skilled Dark Magician!” she shouted.

She played the card, and the mage in the bulky robe and flat skullcap appeared next to the other two Spellcasters. (1,900/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-0651.jpg


“Skilled Dark Magician… Destroy his Spirit of Flames! Black magic blast!”

Skilled Dark Magician cast a powerful spell, and the spirit burst into an explosion of fire.

“Face it, Rasputin…” said Yumi, “it’s over! Dark Magician Girl…”

“I activate my last Trap!” shouted Rasputin. “Skull Lair!”

His facedown card lifted.

“Now, I can remove the cards in my Graveyard from play, and destroy Monsters on the field with Levels equal to the number I remove. So I’ll remove seventeen cards from play, to destroy all three of your Monsters!”

Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and Skilled Dark Magician were surrounded by a fiery aura…

And then they all burst into shards.

Yumi collapsed. She fell on one knee and bowed her head.

“No…” gasped Ren.

“This is just what happened to Holly…” muttered Chelsea. “When her Mermaid Knight was destroyed… Yumi just took the same blow…”

“And that’s why he tossed half of his deck…” gasped Sam. “So he’d have enough… make that MORE than enough cards in his Graveyard to use Skull Lair and destroy practically anything…”

Yumi lifted her head, panting for breath. Sweat was pouring down her face.

She slowly got up.

She had one card left in her hand, and it was Buster Blader.

“Okay, fine…” she muttered. “I have to end my turn… But what more can you do, Rasputin? You only have four cards left in your deck, and due to that last move, you hardly have any left in your Graveyard either.”

“I also have three in my hand…” replied Rasputin, with a sinister look on his face.

He drew a card. He looked at it and shrugged.

“You see, Yumi…” he said. “You probably thought that this was a Fire Deck… Well, you were only half-right. This deck actually represents a certain… aspect of fire.

“There’s a lot to be said about fire… When you control it, it can be your best friend…

“But if it goes out of control, it burns… It runs rampant and devours everything in its path, destroying and laying waste to what man and nature alike has created.

“In case you didn’t notice, Yumi… The creatures in my deck weren’t very nice… They were wicked creatures who used fire as a weapon…

“My deck represents the dark side of fire… The side that represents destruction and death…

“Remember what I said about the Fires of Renewal and the Fires of Destruction? There is one more aspect of fire that most people don’t know about… The fire that the world was created in, in the primordial birth of the cosmos, when no order existed…

“The Fires of Chaos…

“Now, I summon a creature born in those same ancient fires… The true lord of my deck…

“I summon Gren Maju Da Eiza!”

He played a card, and a roaring inferno appeared in front of him…

A creature stepped out of the inferno. It was hard to describe. Its demonic features suggested that it was a Fiend, but it wasn’t humanoid – more bestial in shape. It had a typical fiendish face, with knobs on its skull, a red, bloated exoskeleton, two huge claws, a barbed tail, and huge, dragon-like wings.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-024.jpg


“Meet the Lord of Chaos,” said Rasputin. “For every card that I’ve removed from play so far, its Attack and Defense are 400. And I’ve removed twenty cards from play so far…

“Multiply it…”

(8,000/8,000)

“No!” screamed Ren.

“Yumi!” screamed Chelsea.

Rasputin chuckled.

“So tell me, Yumi…” he asked. “Where are your so called gods now? Still believe that they’re watching? Still believe that they give a damn about you?”

Yumi looked at him.

“Yes,” she said, softly. “Yes, yes, I do.”

Rasputin gave a look of shock.

“Attack me if you want, Rasputin…” said Yumi. “I can’t stop you. But my stance won’t change. You won this duel because you dueled better than I did, nothing more. It wasn’t because I was abandoned by anyone.

“No matter what you do, I’ll still be a believer…”

Rasputin gave her a cold glare.

“So be it…” he growled.

“Gren Maju Da Eiza… Attack directly with Chaos Flames!”

The Chaos Fiend’s eyes glowed, and a super-intense blast of white-hot flames shot at Yumi. Her friends screamed, and they heard her screaming in agony as the blast hit, and the world seemed to come undone…



(Y: 0) -------------------- (R: 3,250)



* * * * * * * * * *


Cassandra looked at the card next to The High Priestess.

It was The Tower.

“The prediction I showed Yumi has come to pass,” she said, sadly.

She bowed her head.

Then she lifted it with a start.

“Wait…” she said. “There’s something new… The cards are telling me to draw again…

“Something unexpected has come to light…”

She reached for the card at the top of her deck…

Yumi has fallen… Will she rise again? Perhaps… Perhaps not…

Stay tuned…



POWER WALL (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A man in royal armor in a castle courtyard, holding up his hand as a titanic dragon looms overhead.

Card Description: You can activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Discard any number of cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard. For each card discarded in this manner, reduce the battle damage done from the attack by 100.

Note: “Power Wall” was first used by Zane in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Darkness Within”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



CITY OF BRASS (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: A magnificent Arabian city, sitting atop a brass sphere and under a burning sky.

Card Description: Downgrade all FIRE Monsters in both players’ hands and on the field by one Level. Increase the ATK and DEF of all FIRE Monsters by 200 points.

Note: “City of Brass” was created by Master of Paradox for his fanfic, “Yu-Gi-Oh! Tilting the Balance”. Creative credit goes to him.



FIRE FEVER (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: A man in broken armor, surrounded by an aura of flames.

Card Description: This card cannot be Equipped to a Pyro-Type or FIRE Monster. The Monster Equipped with this card loses 400 ATK during each of its owner's Standby Phases. If the Monster Equipped with this card is reduced to zero ATK by this effect, destroy the Equipped Monster and shuffle this card into your deck.


To be continued…

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, I actually like Rasputin now. He's not such a bad person afterall. It just annoys me that Yumi gave up on him for such a stupid reason as 'disrespecting their cards'. I symapthise with him because it makes sense, what has God done for us lately.

So, Yumi bites the big one. However, I'm pretty sure this isn't the last we've seen of her. We know you Brian.

[Master of Paradox]

Allow me to say, first, that Rasputin's backstory wasn't anything special, as far as I'm concerned. I know you've never heard of Shadow Hearts, Brian, but I think of such backstories as "Albert Simons", after that game's villain, who had a very similar background. Villains who gave up on deities after seeing the world's suffering are a dime a dozen.

(And who else here wants to bet Rasputin really was God's tool and will repent just a second too late in the big finale?)

On another note, I think both of us need to cut back on "borrowing" from Dungeons and Dragons. Granted, the only reason I noticed is because we have the same sourcebooks.

Now onto more pressing concerns: I found the duel to be of genuine quality. True, Spellcaster decks have worked themselves ragged, and Yumi's is no exception, but Rasputin's Fire deck is a very nice twist on the general theme and caught me offguard. In particular, the closing combo made me think, "And I never thought of that how?"

But I agree with MysticClown - I am so sick of card disrespect being the one unforgivable sin.

And the last scene... No, I'm working on reducing my paranoia, so I'll shut up there.

All in all, good duel, lousy plot sequence.

[Shuppet Master]

We both need tio work on reducing our paranoia. Paradox, did you let Brian borrow Lucifer's field card?

Well, Yumi lost her Shadow Charm and the Yami No Oujo. But if what Chelsea said what right, something's amiss. I can't wait for the next chapter.

EDIT: BTW, the plural of succubus is succubi. So it would be Malcanthet, the Queen of Succubi, not Queen of Succubus.

[Mystic_clown]

Allow me to say, first, that Rasputin's backstory wasn't anything special, as far as I'm concerned. I know you've never heard of Shadow Hearts, Brian, but I think of such backstories as "Albert Simons", after that game's villain, who had a very similar background. Villains who gave up on deities after seeing the world's suffering are a dime a dozen.

Strangely enough, Albert Simons' 'true enemy' was Rasputin. Strange coincidence.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE



Yumi’s Struggle



Where No Duelist Has Gone Before



Both the two duelists and the witnesses of the duel were back in the arboretum, but all was not well…

Yumi was lying on her back, and not moving. Erik rushed up and knelt beside her.

Rasputin was twenty paces away, the Rod of the Ancients firmly in his grasp, and a grin on his face. Olga and Nicholas were behind him, and they didn’t seem very pleased.

Ren and Sam were downright angry, and Chelsea looked about ready to commit murder.

“Success!” laughed Rasputin. “So… The Mouto legacy has finally reached its endpoint… I only wish it could have lasted longer…”

He started to walk towards Yumi.

“Well, all I must do is claim the Crown of Souls, and I’ll be done here…”

And then he stopped short…

…in the next instant, the Sword of Tsunami was against his throat, and Chelsea was looking him in the eye with a look of fury.

“You’re dreaming, pal…” she said with a scowl. “Make one more move towards Yumi’s Crown, and you won’t have a head to wear it on.”

Rasputin looked at her. He gulped.

“I won the duel…” he said, nervously. “It’s rightfully mine…”

“I don’t recall any wagers,” said Chelsea. “Now take what’s yours, and get lost before I really get mad.”

Rasputin started to sweat. She was right… No wager had been made. He had meant to make one, but after telling Yumi about his past, he had completely forgotten…

His eyes turned to Yumi. She was apparently dead… The Crown had no owner, so it was free for anyone to take, but now…

“Nicholas, Olga!” he shouted. “Help!”

“Uh, Rasputin…” said Nicholas. “Didn’t you tell us that whoever has that Sword can’t be bested in combat?”

He looked at his Gale Shield.

“Didn’t you also tell me that this thing doesn’t protect me against someone possessing another Charm?”

Damn… thought Rasputin. Damn, damn, damn…

He looked at Chelsea.

“You’re making a mistake girl…” he said. “My contacts reach very far… Think of your family, your future, your…”

He gagged as he felt the blade press into his neck.

“I really don’t care…” whispered Chelsea. “You have to the count of ten to start running…

“One, two…

“…skip-a-few, eight, nine…”

“All right, you win!” shouted Rasputin, backing up. “But this is far from over!”

He turned and fled, and Nicholas and Olga ran after him.

In the meantime, Erik was trying desperately to apply CPR to Yumi.

“Come on, Yumi,” he pleaded. “Please start breathing…”

Anastasia appeared in a burst of light. It was clear that something had happened to her.

“Where have YOU been?” shouted Ren. “You took off when Yumi needed you the most!”

“It wasn’t my fault,” gasped Anastasia. “When I tried to follow, something grabbed me and locked me in some dark cell. I don’t know how. I just now managed to break out.”

Ren turned to Yumi.

“No…” he said, as a tear fell down his face. “Yumi… You can’t be dead…”

Anastasia looked at Yumi.

She isn’t dead… she thought. If she were, I’d be receiving instructions to escort her soul to the afterlife…

So then… She’s somewhere else…

But where? Where are you Yumi?

She looked through the glass ceiling towards the sky…



* * * * * * * * * *


Cassandra looked at the three cards in front of her with a confused look on her face.

The first one was The High Priestess. The second one was The Tower.

The third…

It bore the image of a young teenager wearing armor, holding a long, wooden staff.

“I didn’t expect this…” said Cassandra. “The Knights of the Minor Arcana usually represent travel, and the Knight of Wands most often represents travel to an exotic and exciting place…

“What in the world could it mean?”

She slowly drew another card.

She smirked.

The image on the card was that of a young man resting on a pallet, with three swords hanging on the wall above him, and one on the floor under him.

“The Four of Swords,” she said. “The meditation card. A card that represents recovery and healing after a painful ordeal.

“Whoever or whatever the Knight of Wands represents, I believe it is a positive sign…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi – at least the part of her that was truly her – was lying on a sandy surface with her eyes closed. Her head was swimming.

As the dizziness faded, she heard a soft cooing noise, and something brushing up against her face…

Something soft and fuzzy…

She slowly opened her eyes, and saw the small creature. It was a Kuriboh…

A Kuriboh with wings on its back.

“Uhm, hullo?” she said. “Where am I?”

She sat up. She was on a beach of some sort…

Then she gasped…

On the horizon, over the trees of some rainforest, in a night sky, there was a huge, looming planet that suggested Jupiter. Several other planets and moons hung around it.

Yumi stopped to catch her breath. She looked towards the ocean.

A group of dolphins surfaced. They chittered.

The strange Kuriboh cooed again.

“Uh, I’m sorry…” said Yumi, “I don’t speak your language…”

She bowed her head.

“Where am I?” she repeated.

“Let me retrace my steps… Got up… Had breakfast… Dueled Rasputin and his Fire Chaos Deck…

“Oh…

“Crud… This is it… I didn’t survive that Shadow Game…

“So maybe this is Heaven or Hell…”

Then she heard someone laughing behind her.

“You know,” said the voice, “that was exactly what I thought when I came here the first time…”

Yumi turned and got up.

Twenty paces behind her, sitting on a rock, was a young man who seemed about two years older than she was. He had a trendy haircut and wore a red college blazer.

Yumi looked at him, now more than a little afraid. The strange Kuriboh cooed happily, and flew up to the young man, perching on his shoulder.

“Okay…” said Yumi. “Now I know I’m dead… Mom, dad, I’m so sorry…”

“You aren’t dead, Yumi,” he replied. “Not yet, anyway… See…”

“But…” said Yumi. “If I’m not dead, how can you be here? Everyone knows the story… Forty years ago…”

“Forty years ago…” interrupted the young man, “Jaden Yuki and a group of his allies on the Pro League chartered a private plane to take them to a convention in New York. The plane crashed in the Rockies, and when a rescue team found it, only the pilot was there. He told the rescuers that his passengers had wandered off to look for help. Search parties were mounted, but they were never found, and later it was presumed that they had starved in the wilderness.”

Yumi looked at him.

“Is, uh… THAT what you were going to say?” asked Jaden.

“Uh… yeah…” muttered Yumi. “More or less. You guys are the Amelia Earharts of the dueling world.”

Jaden sighed.

“We were all watching the memorial service they had for us,” he continued. “It was… touching.

“Anyway, I’ll share with you the truth…

“First of all, the crash wasn’t an accident. Chazz bribed the pilot to crash the plane on purpose. He had to pay the guy almost all the money in his trust fund to get him to do something that might get his license revoked if he was ever caught, but Chazz knew he’d never need material wealth again.

“When the plane’s radio assured us that a rescue team was on the way, we told the pilot to stay with the plane while we looked around. We left, and as far as he knew, we got lost.

“In reality, we all knew exactly where we were going. We went to a waiting portal that led here.”

“Where is ‘here’ exactly?” asked Yumi.

Jaden smirked.

“Neo-Space,” he said.

Yumi stood spellbound for a second.

“You see Yumi…” said Jaden. “The Neo-Spacians had made me an offer… To rule over them. But I had owed my friends a great deal, so I offered them a chance to come too. They accepted. Now, you might say I’m the Head of State, and they’re my governors.

“And the benefits are great… The Neo-Spacians have made us truly immortal. You notice I haven’t aged a day. That Rasputin… He’d give his left arm for their secrets, not that they’d ever give any to him, even if they could.”

“Well… Why am I here?” asked Yumi.

“I was getting to that,” said Jaden. “We also have the ability to see any duel that’s happening. Even Shadow Games. In fact, we’ve been watching the Duelatopia tournaments for the past nineteen years. There isn’t a single one of us who doesn’t wish he could compete…”

He sighed.

“Yumi… Do you remember the words you exchanged with Rasputin before his Gren Maju Da Eiza attacked?”

“Well it’s… kind of a blur…” muttered Yumi.

Jaden shook his head.

“Rasputin hoped you’d see his side,” replied Jaden. “That you’d admit that your faith had gotten you nowhere.

“But you defied him. You were facing certain defeat, and you told him otherwise.

“Yumi, as much as Rasputin denies it, such faith does not go unrewarded. Most folks would have been killed instantly by that attack. But you were sustained with enough of a spark left for me to draw you here. I’m able to tap into the power of Neo-Space itself for a variety of uses…

“The Sorcerer Kings normally put up protective measures to make sure there are no rescue attempts from a Yami no Oujou… But they never knew about Neo-Space, and have no understanding about its power. It’s an energy source unlike anything they ever dreamed of. They could never have prepared against my intervention.

“And I can help. I know how the Yami no Oujou works, because I encountered a similar situation.”

“Really?” asked Yumi.

“I’ll be as brief as possible,” said Jaden. “Time is of the essence, as some folks are so fond of saying.

“In my third year at school, we were under the tutelage of a guy named Professor Thelonius Viper. Now, with a name like that, I knew right away he would be tons of fun, if you get my drift... Most students would be scared of a seven-foot-tall muscleman in a military uniform who never smiled, with the same name as a snake, and frankly, we were.”

He rolled his eyes.

“But anyway, he introduced a new system called Survival Duels. Each student wore this sort of wristband called a Bio-Band, and whenever we dueled, in theory, it would measure our energy, effort, spirit, and motivation. If we gave more effort, we’d get better grades.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” replied Yumi.

“Yeah…” replied Jaden. “I thought so too at first. And it would have been if that’s what they really were doing. The truth was, the Bio-Bands weren’t measuring our energy, they were stealing it. It drained the duelists to the point of exhaustion, so that once a duel was over, they’d be as tired as they would be from dueling ten times in a row.”

Yumi was shocked.

“Why…” she said. “Why was this Viper guy doing this?”

Jaden looked a little nervous.

“He…” he muttered. “He was just a pawn. The Survival Duels led to some things… Some bad things…

“Well, let me just say, it’s one of the reasons why I owed these friends a lot.

“But anyway, back to the here and now…

“A Yami no Oujou is kind of like a Survival Duel. The winner keeps his duel energy, the loser is sucked dry, and might even die as a result.

“Look…”

Jaden pointed. Yumi turned her head.

She saw a portal, which seemed to display a freeze-frame. Erik was in the process of trying to resuscitate her.

“Your true body is back on Earth, Yumi,” said Jaden. “Your heart just stopped beating. Erik is trying his best. But in five minutes, he’ll have no choice but to give up.”

Yumi started to tremble in fear.

“Fortunately,” continued Jaden, “a time warp is in effect. Another gift from the Neo-Spacians. Five minutes on Earth now equals about an hour here. We have that long to save you.”

“How?” asked Yumi, frantically. “Do these… Neo-Spacians you keep mentioning have a doctor on call?”

“Well, yes,” he said, “but he’s rarely needed. There’s no such thing as illness here, and injuries are rare.”

He hopped off the rock.

“Here’s what we have to do,” he continued. “Your duel energy is nearly depleted, and it’s what’s maintaining your life energy. We have to build it up again, and channel it back to you body.

“We have to duel…”

Yumi paused.

“Me? Versus you?” she asked. “Well… Uhm… Couldn’t you get one of your friends to do it?”

“I’m sure they’d be happy to,” replied Jaden. “But the all of them in their bases at different locations around Neo-Space, or working on some sort of project. Governing this place isn’t all fun and games, you know. Syrus is working towards colonizing a planet that we just discovered, Alexis is doing an inspection of the farming sectors… I myself had to interrupt something that I’m going to have to start over from scratch once we’re done. To get them here, I’d have to call one of them, he or she would have to drop everything, come here, and that would take time. And we only have an hour, remember?”

“Well…” said Yumi. “I… guess I could try…”

I can duel him… she thought. It just doesn’t have to end in victory.

In two flashes of light, Duel Disks appeared on both of their arms.

“I must say, Yumi,” said Jaden, “this will be great… For the past forty years, I’ve had to duel the same opponents over and over again… So good to finally have a new one!”

“I’ll try not to be a disappointment…” said Yumi.

The Disks activated. Then Yumi’s Puzzle glowed.

“Yumi…” said the Pharaoh’s voice.

“Oh good, you made it,” she replied.

“Barely,” he said. “I was able to find a silver cord, and it led me here. Of course, I’m not exactly sure where ‘here’ is. Care to fill me in?”

“Long story short,” replied Yumi. “We have to get through one more duel for my body to recover.”

There was a pause.

“Works for me,” he replied.

Her Puzzle glowed brighter, and the change overtook her.

She looked at Jaden.

“Game on!” they shouted.



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Jaden: 8,000)


Okay, let me think… thought Yumi, as she drew her opening hand. From what I heard, Jaden started out with an Elemental Hero Deck…

But then, his deck was strengthened… By strange creatures that came from the stars…

Could those be these… Neo-Spacians he keeps talking about?

I guess the only thing to do is… Expect the unexpected…

She made her first draw.

“For my first move…” she said. “I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer.”

In an aura of dark energy, the bald, scarred monk appeared, and crossed his arms. (1,800/700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-0621.jpg


“That’s enough for now…” she said.

“All right!” exclaimed Jaden. “I draw…”

He drew a card.

“And I play… Graceful Charity.”

He played the card, and his deck glowed. He picked up three cards.

He looked at his hand for a second, and then discarded two cards.

“Now to bring out a guy you’re gonna be sure to love,” he said, playing a card. “I play the Spell Card, O-Oversoul. Now, I can Special Summon an Elemental Hero from my Graveyard, so long as he isn’t an Effect Monster.”

“You’re gonna bring out one you just tossed in there!” replied Yumi.

“You got it!” replied Jaden. “So come on out…”

A burst of light shot out of the ground, and flew into the sky, making a burst against the stars. Then, a brilliant form flew downward.

“Meet Elemental Hero Neos!” shouted Jaden.

The figure that was in front of him now was clearly not only a hero, he was a cosmic hero. Dressed in a silvery bodysuit with a triangular design on the chest and a cowl with a pointed crest, this Warrior radiated an air of power that was impossible to ignore. (2,500/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp03-en001.jpg


Good lord… thought Yumi. He’s just as strong as Dark Magician… And he summoned him on his first turn!

“I’m not done,” said Jaden. “Since I was here to welcome you to Neo-Space, I thought I’d introduce you to the guy who was here to greet me when I first came here. So come on out, Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin!”

The ocean churned, and a wave rushed to the shore. A small form somersaulted out, and landed next to Neos.

It suggested, if anything, a humanoid dolphin wearing a blue spandex outfit. He crossed his arms and smiled at Yumi. (600/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en003.jpg


I was right… thought Yumi. This is more than Elemental Heroes… This is Elemental Heroes for the space age…

“Now…” continued Jaden, “I’m activating Aqua Dolphin’s special ability. I discard one card…”

He tossed a card into his discard slot.

“…and then I get to see your hand. If there’s a Monster there that has less Attack Points than one of my Monsters, like, say, my Elemental Hero Neos, it’s destroyed, and you lose 500 Life Points.

“Aquos, echolocation!”

Aqua Dolphin opened his mouth, and a wave of ear-splitting sound shot out, and struck Yumi’s hand of cards.

“Not that one!” shouted Yumi.

The phantom image of Dark Magician Girl appeared next to her, and cringed in pain. Her card vanished, and then she shattered.

“I’m not done,” said Jaden. “Neos, attack Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer! Cosmic crusher!”

Neos flew at Kycoo, and struck with a savage karate chop, blasting the Ghost Destroyer into shards.

“Aquos, you’re up,” said Jaden.

The Neo-Spacian flew at Yumi, and then punched her across the face. She fell over.

“Ow…” she muttered.



(Y: 6,200) -------------------- (J: 8,000)


“I thought you were trying to help me…” she muttered.

“I never said I’d go easy on you,” replied Jaden. “In fact, I can’t. If I use kid gloves, if I make this too easy, the energy might not be enough. This duel has to be for real, Yumi.

“I’ll place this facedown, and let you go.”

He fit a card into his Disk and a facedown card appeared.

Yumi made a draw.

Nuts… she thought. I have no-one who even comes close to beating his Neos…

But… His Aqua Dolphin is much weaker, and if I don’t get rid of him, he might use that same trick again on his next turn.

She placed a card on her Disk.

“I summon… Gemini Elf!”

The two twin elves appeared, and looked around in wonder at their surroundings. (1,900/900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-se1.jpg


“Attack his Aqua Dolphin!” she shouted.

The two elves raised their hands, and they started to glow with energy.

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Jaden. “Interdimensional Matter Transporter!”

His facedown card lifted up, and the odd machine appeared behind Aqua Dolphin. In a flash of light, the Neo-Spacian vanished.

“Uh, yeah…” muttered Yumi. “Good save… I have to end my turn…”

The machine flashed, and Aqua Dolphin reappeared.

Jaden drew a card.

“Now I’m gonna show you the neat trick that Neos can do…” he said.

“Neos… Aquos…”

The two Warriors nodded to each other.

“Contact Fusion!”

Neos and Aqua Dolphin flew into the air, and collided in a burst of light…

Then, a new Hero landed in front of Jaden. It resembled Neos wearing a costume that was a combination of his and Aqua Dolphin’s, blue and white, with a finned crest on the cowl. He glowed with a blue energy aura. (2,500/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp03-en012.jpg


“Meet Elemental Hero Aqua Neos,” said Jaden.

“Wait…” said Yumi. “Contact Fusion? What the…”

“Neos possesses the power to fuse with any Neo-Spacian to form a special Fusion Monster,” said Jaden. “I don’t need any Polymerization card, and Neos and the Neo-Spacian go back to my deck instead of the Graveyard.

“It has one downside, but before that happens…”

He discarded one of his cards.

“I activate Aqua Neos’s special ability. Sonar wave!”

Aqua Neos blasted a beam of pure sound from his hands. The Polymerization card in Yumi’s hand vanished.

Well, it could have been worse… she thought, looking at her other cards.

“Next…” said Jaden, “I play… H-Heated Heart. I choose one of my Monsters, and it gains 500 Attack Points and a trampling effect for one round.

Neos rose to an Attack of 3,000.

“Aqua Neos, attack Gemini Elf!”

Aqua Neos shot a blast of water mixed with sound, and Gemini Elf screamed before they were blasted to bits.

“I end my turn,” he said. “And now we get to that downside… At the end of a round where I do a Contact Fusion, the Fusion Monster has to leave…”

Aqua Neos turned into a column of water, and then shot into the sky before vanishing.



(Y: 5,100) -------------------- (J: 8,000)


“My move…” said Yumi.

She drew a card.

He ended the turn with nothing on his side of the field at all! she thought. Heh… I almost feel dirty for doing this…

She placed a card on her Disk, and Breaker appeared on the field. (1,600/1,000) –> (1,900/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd6-en0091.jpg


No cards to destroy, she thought, but I can save it for later.

“Attack him directly!” she shouted.

Breaker lifted his sword, and flew at Jaden…

Then a fiendish-looking Warrior appeared behind Jaden. He had a mane of white hair, and spiked, banded armor. He put his arms around Jaden, and the sword was deflected.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en012.jpg


“What on Earth?” muttered Yumi.

Jaden chuckled, and held up a card.

“When I activated Aqua Dolphin’s ability,” he said, “the card I sent to the Graveyard was this guy… Necro Gardna. When he’s in there, I just have to remove him from play, and I can deflect one attack.”

The card vanished, and Yumi shook her head.

She turned to the Pharaoh, who was standing next to her.

“Any ideas?” she asked.

He shook his head.

“Planning a strategy requires a basic idea of what you’re facing,” he said. “I’m afraid that Jaden represents an opponent unlike anything I’ve ever faced before. This makes him defy comprehension.

“We can only try to follow as the duel progresses, and hope our own cards open a possibility of their own.”

Jaden drew a card.

“All I have to do,” he said, “is throw down two facedowns, and that will be my turn.”

He placed his two remaining cards into his Disk, and they appeared in front of him.

Yumi took the card she had drawn.

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

The laughing jug appeared, and she drew twice.

She looked at the two cards.

His only defense is those facedown cards… she thought. They’ve got to do something…

She played a card.

“I summon Magician’s Valkyria,” she said.

In a flash of light, Valkyria appeared, brandishing her staff. (1,600/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/jump-en009.jpg


“Now…” she said, “I use Breaker’s effect, to destroy your facedown card on the left…”

Breaker’s Attack Score fell down to 1,600, and his shield glowed…

“Chain!” shouted Jaden, as his facedown Quickplay lifted. “The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh.”

In a burst of light, that odd, Winged Kuriboh appeared in front of him in Defense Mode. (300/200)

“Which, as the name suggests, summons a Kuriboh.”



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp1-en005.jpg


Yumi looked at the small creature closely for a minute… Strangely, she felt a small connection to this Monster…

She figured she’d sort it out later.

She paused…

She had an idea…

“Sorry, Jaden,” she said, choosing a card, “that will protect you from a direct attack, but I can still hurt you…”

She played a card.

“I play… Double Spell. Now, I’ll discard this…”

She discarded her Dedication Through Light and Darkness.

“And I get to use a Spell Card in your Graveyard. And the one I have my eye on is that H-Heated Heart one.”

Jaden took a step back, as the art for Double Spell turned into that for his card.

“So…” said Yumi. “500 more Attack Points and a trampling effect, right?”

Valkyria shot up to an Attack of 2,100.

She fired her burning magic. Winged Kuriboh shattered, and Jaden clutched his chest.



(Y: 5,100) -------------------- (J: 6,100)


“O-kay…” he grunted. “That… could have gone better…”

His other facedown card lifted.

“Activate… Hero Signal!”

A beam of light shot out of the card, and turned into a spotlight against the clouds, forming an odd symbol.

“Since my Monster was destroyed,” he said, “I get to summon an Elemental Hero from my deck. So I’ll bring out Burstinatrix in Defense Mode.”

In a burst of flame, a female hero in a red costume and long hair appeared on the field. She did a backflip, and then knelt in Defense Mode. (1,200/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mdp2-en003.jpg


Yumi raised an eyebrow.

“Breaker,” she said, “you know what to do.”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



As Breaker lifted his sword, Yumi didn’t know whether her eyes were deceiving her or not. She could almost swear she saw a sneaky smile on the heroine’s face just before he struck…

Then the sword fell, she exploded into pixels, and it was impossible to tell.

“Just so you know…” said Yumi, “I’m not going easy on you either. It’s your move…”

“I draw…” said Jaden.

He drew a card.

“Sweet!” he said, placing it on his Disk. “I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman!”

In a burst of watery bubbles, a new figure appeared. It was a Hero in blue, with a cape and cowl, with tanks on his back, connected to hoses on his wrists. (800/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp1-en0091.jpg


Yumi raised an eyebrow.

“Now,” said Jaden, “when Bubbleman is summoned, and I have no other cards on the field or in my hand, I get to draw twice…”

He made two draws.

“And look at that! One of them is my own Pot of Greed!”

He played the card, and then drew twice again.

“And it looks like I just drew his favorite Equip Spell,” he continued. “Bubble Blaster!”

He played the card, and Bubbleman got down on one knee. A huge, bazooka-like cannon with a tank of water on top materialized in his hands. His Attack Score rose to 1,600.

“That makes him just as strong as my two Monsters…” said Yumi.

“I’m not done,” said Jaden, taking another card from his hand. “I play… Common Soul.”

“Okay, that one I’m not familiar with either,” replied Yumi, as the card appeared.

“I’ll explain,” said Jaden. “I choose one Monster on the field. Then I Special Summon a Neo-Spacian in my hand to the same side of the field.

“So… I’ll choose Bubbleman, and summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird.”

A gust of wind blew over the field, and a new alien materialized. It was a tall, humanoid bird with red feathers and a long beak, with white, feathered wings and a tail. (800/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/unlim-ston-en004.jpg


“Then,” continued Jaden, “due to the effect of Common Soul, Hummingbird’s Attack Score is added to Bubbleman’s.”

Bubbleman glowed with blue fire, and rose to an Attack of 2,400.

“Good grief…” muttered Yumi.

“Did I mention that Hummingbird has a cool effect of his own?” asked Jaden.

Hummingbird flew into the air. Yumi was shocked as two huge flowers sprouted from the two cards in her hand. The Neo-Spacian dipped his beak into them, and Jaden glowed.

“Sure, it looks weird…” said Jaden, “but for each card in your hand, I gain 500 Life Points.

“Now… Bubbleman, attack Valkyria! Bombarding bubble barrage!”

Bubbleman fired an intense blast of water from his weapon. Valkyria sputtered and strained as a watery explosion erupted around her, and then she shattered.

“That’s one bubble I can’t wait to burst…” muttered Yumi.



(Y: 4,300) -------------------- (J: 7,100)


Yumi stopped to catch her breath…

“Of all the Monsters that I imagined I’d see playing this game…” she said, “an alien hummingbird never quite made the list…”

She took some deep breaths again.

“You know, Jaden,” she said with a slight smile. “Maybe it’s just the pain talking… But I think it’s working… I feel fuller of energy than ever…”

“Good,” said Jaden. “So keep it up…”

“You got it,” said Yumi. “On with the duel!”

Yumi drew a card. She looked at the Trap Card.

Breaker could take out his Hummingbird… she thought. But if I did that…

“I place one card facedown, and a Monster in Defense Mode,” she said.

A facedown Monster and a facedown card appeared.

“Now… Breaker goes into Defense Mode…”

Breaker knelt and shielded himself.

“That will do it,” she said.

“Okay then…” said Jaden.

He drew one card.

“And once again…”

A single flower sprouted out of the last card in Yumi’s hand. Hummingbird sucked the energy out of it, and Jaden glowed again.

“Now, attack her facedown Monster!”

Hummingbird flew towards the facedown card, and was surprised when Morphing Jar appeared on it. He gave it a peck, and it shattered.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en104.jpg


“Heh,” said Yumi. “Now we gotta toss what’s left of our hands and draw five new cards.”

Jaden shrugged. They both discarded the one card they had, and made five draws.

“Bubbleman…” continued Jaden, “attack Breaker!”

Bubbleman fired his cannon at the Magical Warrior…

“I activate Draining Shield!” she shouted.

Her Trap Card lifted, and a dome of force formed around her. The blast of water struck the shield, and Yumi glowed.

Jaden looked at the cards he had just drawn.

“Well, that’s it for now,” he said.



(Y: 6,700) -------------------- (J: 7,600)


“Then watch out!” shouted Yumi, drawing a sixth card.

She chose one of them.

“I play… Monster Reborn!” she shouted. “And I’ll bring back someone who your Dolphin made me discard…”

The ankh appeared in a fierce, glowing light, and Dark Magician Girl appeared in front of her. She twirled around, and smiled at Jaden. (2,000/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc_000_1st.jpg


“Nice…” said Jaden. “Too bad that Syrus couldn’t make it here…”

“Pardon?” asked Yumi.

“Long story…” replied Jaden.

“Uhm, continuing…” said Yumi. “I play Sage’s Stone. Now, I get to summon someone else… The one and only Dark Magician!”

Dark Magician Girl held aloft her staff, and in a flash of light, the Dark Magician appeared beside her. His apprentice smiled at him. (2,500/2,100)

“And finally…” she said, “I sacrifice Breaker, to summon Chaos Command Magician.”

She played the card, and Breaker vanished in grains of light. The more powerful chaos mage appeared. (2,400/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-068.jpg


The three sorcerers glared at Jaden and his two Monsters…

“Dark Magician Girl…” ordered Yumi. “Attack his Hummingbird! Dark burning attack!”

Dark Magician Girl fired a blast of black magic, blowing the Neo-Spacian to shards.

“And without him,” continued Yumi, “the effect of your Common Soul goes away.”

Bubbleman fell to an Attack of 1,600.

“Chaos Command Magician… Attack his Bubbleman! Chaos magic!”

The chaos mage cast his own hex at the cowled Hero. Bubbleman shielded himself with the Blaster. It shattered, and he stood up, his Attack falling to 800.

“Bubbleman is unharmed…” muttered Jaden. “When he has Bubble Blaster, he can ditch it in order to reduce the damage to zero.”

“Swell,” said Yumi. “But what will protect him now? Dark Magician… Dark… magic… attack!”

The older mage fired a more intense blast, and Bubbleman was blown to pieces.



(Y: 6,700) -------------------- (J: 4,700)


“Not bad,” said Jaden. “Got anything else?”

“That’s it,” said Yumi.

“Then I draw…” said Jaden, drawing a card.

“Heh, heh,” he said. “Yumi, uhm… I gotta come clean with you… Using that Trap Card to summon Burstinatrix… I didn’t do it to shield myself from a direct attack… See, when Winged Kuriboh was destroyed, my Life Points couldn’t have been damaged any more that turn…”

“Then why did you…” started Yumi.

Then it hit her. Burstinatrix’s smirk made sense now.

“You wanted me to destroy her, didn’t you?” she gasped.

“Yep,” said Jaden. “Because I knew it was only a matter of time before I drew this. Check it out! It’s Miracle Fusion!”

“Miracle Fusion?” exclaimed Yumi. “Don’t you have any normal cards?”

“I’m full of surprises,” said Jaden, playing the card. “This card lets me fuse together Elemental Heroes on the field and in my Graveyard by removing them from play. And I ditched Avian earlier to use Aqua Neos’s effect.

“So now I can fuse together him and Burstinatrix…

“And let’s bring him out… Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!”

Two figures appeared in front of Jaden. One was clearly Burstinatrix. The other was a winged Warrior in green.

Then they swirled together, and formed into a strange, humanoid creature. He had a fiendish-looking face, wore green and red spandex, had a single feathered wing and a long tail, and his right arm was a fierce, red dragon. (2,100/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp1-en010.jpg


“Uhm… Impressive…” said Yumi.

“Wait until you see what’s coming next,” said Jaden, holding up another Monster card. “I’m gonna use another Elemental Hero, and his name is Captain Gold.

“But don’t worry, I’m not going to summon him…”

He discarded the card.

“See, by sending Captain Gold to the Graveyard, I get to add a certain Spell Card to my hand from my deck.”

A card appeared in his hand. His Field Slot opened.

“And now I’ll play it,” he said, placing it in the slot. “Go, Skyscraper!”

Yumi stared in disbelief, as the whole landscape burst open, and the buildings of a huge, dark city rose around the two of them.

“I love playing this card,” said Jaden. “Neo-Space doesn’t have any large cities… This makes me think of home when I need to… And…”

He pointed upwards. Yumi looked up, and saw that the Flame Wingman was perched on the spire of the tallest building.

“…in this berg, Elemental Heroes gain a thousand Attack Points whenever they attack a Monster that has more Attack Points than they do.

“Flame Wingman, attack the Chaos Command Magician with skydive scorcher!”

Flame Wingman flew off the spire, and erupted in flames. He hurtled towards Chaos Command Magician like a meteorite… His Attack Score rose to 3,100.

Yumi shielded herself, as he was blown to pixels.

“And that’s not all,” said Jaden. “Thanks to Flame Wingman’s effect, whenever he clocks a Monster, you take damage equal to the Attack Score of the Monster he clocks.”

Yumi’s eyes widened as the Hero pointed his dragon arm at her…

She screamed as she was engulfed in flames.

She fell on one knee.



(Y: 3,600) -------------------- (J: 4,700)


“Don’t stop now, Yumi!” shouted Jaden. “We’re almost there! Back on Earth, your breathing and pulse have restarted, but they’re weak. We just have to finish, and you should recover good as new!”

“I have no intention of stopping…” growled Yumi.

Jaden placed a card in his Disk and a facedown card appeared.

“Then by all means, move…” he said.

That hurt… she thought. But he made one crucial mistake, and it’s gonna cost him…

“I play Premature Burial,” she said, playing a card. “Now, I just pay 800 Life Points, and Chaos Command Magician comes back…”

The pavement in front of her burst open, and Chaos Command Magician leapt out of the ground. (2,400/1,900)

“Next…” she said. “I play Mystical Space Typhoon. That means your Field Spell is demolished!”

She played the card, and a cyclone tore across the field. The buildings shattered and collapsed, returning them to the alien beach.

“Chaos Command Magician…” she shouted, “attack the Flame Wingman!”

Chaos Command Magician aimed his staff.

“I activate a Trap Card!” shouted Jaden. “Go, Hero Barrier!”

His facedown card lifted, and Chaos Command Magician’s blast was halted by a vortex of pure energy.

“When I have at least one Elemental Hero on the field,” he said, “this lets me negate one attack.”

“Fine…” said Yumi. “I’ve got two more Monsters…

“Dark Magician… You do it.”

Dark Magician flew at the merged Hero. He fired a blast from his scepter, and the Flame Wingman shattered.

“Dark Magician Girl… Attack directly!”

“Uh… oh…” said Jaden, as the female Spellcaster flew towards him.

A blast of magic struck in a huge explosion, with Jaden in the center. He fell on one knee, and held his chest.



(Y: 2,800) -------------------- (J: 2,300)


“Uh… You okay?” asked Yumi.

“Are you kidding?” he replied, getting up. “I’ve taken far worse than that…”

“Then I’ll set this facedown,” said Yumi, “and call it a turn.”

A facedown card appeared.

Jaden made a draw.

“Okay, Yumi, here goes,” he said, playing a card. “I play… Convert Contact. This is a little confusing, so try to follow.

“I can only use this when I have no Monsters on my side of the field. Then I discard two Neo-Spacians, one from my deck, and one from my hand. So, I’ll discard Flare Scarab from my hand…”

He discarded a card.

“And then I’ll discard Glow Moss from my deck.”

He took a card from his deck, and discarded that one too.

“Later guys,” he said.

“How many of these Neo-Spacians have you got?” asked Yumi.

“How many?” asked Jaden. “Well, Blair is in charge of keeping track of the population, and the last census was eight months ago… I think…”

“I meant in your deck!” interrupted Yumi.

“Oh, right!” replied Jaden with a laugh. “There are six races of Neo-Spacians, and I have one representative for each in my deck.

“Anyway, as per the effect of Convert Contact, I get to draw two cards.”

He made two draws.

“Sweet!” he said, looking at them. “Now I can use a card that always makes me the hit of parties… It’s called Cocoon Party.

“See, for every Neo-Spacian in my Graveyard, in other words, three, I now get to summon a Chrysalis Monster.”

He played the card, and three small forms appeared on his side of the field.

The three small creatures on the field hardly looked formidable. One was a small, baby dolphin. (400/600) Another was a tiny, black kitten. (800/300) The third was a little, hedgehog-like animal. (700/100) All three of them were surrounded by a wispy, flimsy membrane that suggested a cocoon.

“How cute,” said Yumi. “Little baby aliens…”

“They won’t stay babies for long,” said Jaden. “You thought Skyscraper was a cool Field Spell? Well, I’ve got another one…”

He placed a new card in his Field Slot.

“Time to go to the real final frontier. I play Neo-Space!”

There was a great flash of light…

Before Yumi knew it, she, her opponent, and their Monsters were standing amid the bodies of the cosmos, with stars, planets, and other celestial bodies both above and below them.

“Okay…” muttered Yumi. “Deep breaths… Deep, cleansing breaths…”

“It gets better…” said Jaden. “In Neo-Space, I can instantly evolve a Chrysalis into its grownup form…”

The three baby aliens glowed…

“So, say hello to Neo-Spacians Dark Panther, Grand Mole, and, uh, I think you already met Aqua Dolphin.”

Yumi looked at the three Neo-Spacians. It was indeed the same Aqua Dolphin (600/800), along with a large, black panther wearing a cape (1,000/500) and a short, squat mole-man, wearing a metal collar that looked like two halves of a drilling machine. (900/300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp03-en007.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/ston_en0051.jpg


Yumi’s eyes narrowed.

I don’t get it… she thought. Those guys aren’t nearly strong enough to beat my Spellcasters…

Unless…

“You’re gonna sacrifice those guys, aren’t you?” she shouted.

“Heh…” chuckled Jaden. “Well, actually, only two of them…

“But first, I play E-Emergency Call. Now I can take an Elemental Hero from my deck, and add it to my hand…”

He took a card from his deck.

“You guessed it… It’s my old friend Neos!

“Panther… Aquos… You two hit the showers…”

Dark Panther and Aqua Dolphin vanished…

And then, Elemental Hero Neos appeared in a flash of light.

“And by the way…” continued Jaden, “since we’re in Neo-Space, Neos and all of his Fusions gain 500 extra Attack Points.”

(2,500/2,000) –> (3,000/2,000)

“Now… Neos… Grand Mole… Contact Fusion!”

Neos and the Neo-Spacian soared into the sky, just as it had happened before. In a flash of light, a new Hero descended. This one was dressed in bulky, green and brown armor, and his right hand had apparently been replaced by a huge, metal drill. (2,500/2,000) –> (3,000/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston_en0351.jpg


“It’s Elemental Hero Grand Neos,” said Jaden.

“Okay, Neos, do your stuff!”

The Hero’s drill began to spin. Slowly, a black hole in the very fabric of the void started to open…

“What’s happening?” shouted Yumi.

Then she let out a cry of surprise as Dark Magician was sucked through the hole.

She let out another cry of surprise when she saw that his card was back in her hand.

“That’s his ability,” said Jaden. “Once per round, he can send one of your Monsters back to your hand.

“And I still have his normal attack. Neos, attack Chaos Command Magician!”

Chaos Command Magician took a step back. Grand Neos’s drill started to spin again, and he flew forward…

It was all Yumi could do to keep from screaming as he plunged the drill into his torso. Luckily, the Spellcaster shattered before anything unpleasant could be seen.



(Y: 2,200) -------------------- (J: 2,300)


“All right…” said Jaden. “My turn is over.”

Yumi paused. She looked at Grand Neos.

“Uhm…” she muttered. “It’s the Field Spell, right? That’s what keeps him from disappearing this time, right?”

Jaden nodded.

“In Neo-Space,” he replied, “a Monster summoned by Contact Fusion doesn’t have to leave.”

“Swell…” said Yumi.

She sighed.

He’s certainly gotten smarter in the past forty years, she thought. He knew that Chaos Command Magician was immune to that effect… Maybe the stories about him getting by with dumb luck were exaggerations…

She looked at her hand, which now consisted of Dark Magician and Staunch Defender.

Her facedown card was Call of the Haunted, but anything she summoned with it would be in Attack Mode. No Monster in her Graveyard was strong enough to stand up to Neos. And if he sent Dark Magician Girl back to her hand, she would be facing a direct attack next round from… Heavens knew what…

She drew one card.

She smirked…

She took her Staunch Defender card and placed it in her Disk.

“I place this card facedown…” she said.

The facedown card appeared.

“Then, I raise Chaos Command Magician from the Graveyard with Call of the Haunted!”

Her Trap Card lifted, and the Spellcaster appeared in a burst of light. He gave a worried look, and held his stomach with his free hand. Once he was sure that he was in one piece, he turned to face Grand Neos. (2,400/1,900)

“And now…” said Yumi, taking the card she had just drawn, “I Equip him with Mage Power!”

She played the card.

“Now, he gains 500 Attack and Defense Points for each Spell and Trap I have on the field. That’s 1,500 points added to both scores…”

Chaos Command Magician glowed, and shot up to (3,900/3,400)

“…and that’s just enough to bring this duel home. Chaos Command Magician, attack Elemental Hero Grand Neos with chaos magic!”

Chaos Command Magician smirked, and flew at Neos, his scepter glowing with multicolored flames. With a blast of energy, the cosmic hero was blown to shards.

“Dark Magician Girl, finish this!” shouted Yumi. “Attack directly!”

Dark Magician Girl flew at Jaden and cast her lethal spell. He hollered and fell to his knees.



(Y: 2,200) -------------------- (J: 0)


“Well, Jaden…” said Yumi, “that’s game!”

“Heh, heh…” laughed Jaden. “Hey, that’s my line!”

The void of Neo-Space vanished, returning them to the beach.

“Not bad, Yumi,” said the voice of the Pharaoh. “It’s good to know that we were able to spring back so soon.”

“Let’s hope it was enough,” replied Yumi.

“Oh, it was enough,” said Jaden, with a laugh.

He walked up to Yumi.

“As soon as I send you back, you’ll recover completely, much to Erik’s shock.

“But be careful… Rasputin will find out quickly that you aren’t dead, and he won’t give up. You’ll have to be more careful. What I just did… I’ll never be able to do it a second time. Not for you, and not for any of your friends.

“I had to exploit several loopholes I discovered in the laws of the cosmos to save you, and now that I’ve done that, at least one of those loopholes, likely more, will almost definitely close, making my intervention impossible.”

Yumi sighed.

“I understand,” she said. “But will I ever see you again?”

Jaden smiled.

“Maybe…” he said. “Remember when I said that Syrus was colonizing a new planet? He’s been in charge of exploration and colonization of Neo-Space since we took charge. This place keeps getting bigger, and soon, we’ll need more help to govern it.

“So… if you and your friends are ever interested in the positions when they open…”

“Well, I kinda had my heart on a medical degree,” said Yumi, “but we’ll think about it.”

“I’ll call you,” continued Jaden. “In the meantime, take this.”

He handed her a card.

Yumi looked at the Trap Card.

“Keep it as a souvenir,” he said. “And I have a feeling you might need it eventually.”

“Well…” said Yumi. “Thanks for the help… And thanks for the duel.”

“Yeah…” said Jaden. “Boy, Chazz and Alexis are never going to let me hear the end of this when they find out you beat me… They’re gonna want to duel me again the next chance they get…

“Anyway… good luck. Give Rasputin an extra shot for me, huh?”

He started to say something else, but Yumi couldn’t make it out. He and the surroundings were fading away.

The last thing Yumi heard was Winged Kuriboh’s gentle cooing before everything went black.



* * * * * * * * * *


Ren, Chelsea, and Sam were about ready to cry, as Erik applied rescue breathing to Yumi for what would be his last attempt.

“Yumi, please…” pleaded Ren, with tears forming in his eyes.

“Mmph… Mmph… Mmph…” came a noise.

“ERIK!” shouted Yumi.

She pushed him off of her.

Erik looked in disbelief, as Yumi sat up.

“Just out of curiosity, Erik,” said Yumi, “did you brush your teeth this morning?”

“YUMI!” screamed Ren and Chelsea.

Before Yumi could react, she was smothered by hugs.

“Guys, please, don’t crush me…” she said.

Erik looked in further disbelief.

“No way…” he muttered. “A minute ago you were gone… No-one can recover so fast from that state like that…”

Yumi stood up.

“Well, guys, you see…” she said.

She paused. She didn’t know if she wanted to tell them. She wasn’t sure if she believed it herself…

“It was a miracle…” muttered Sam.

Was it a miracle? thought Yumi. Maybe I could have just dreamed the whole thing…

She noticed she was holding something.

She held it up. It was the card Jaden had given her.

She looked up, through the glass roof of the arboretum, into the night sky…

Thanks, Jaden… she thought.

“Guys,” she said, “miracle or not, I’m back… But Rasputin has the Rod of the Ancients…

“The true battle is about to begin…”

She paused.

“Man, I’m hungry…

“Oh, uhm, Ren? If you’re thinking of reworking your deck, I have a little suggestion if you can find it…”

Yumi has been saved from certain death by a hero from the past… But Jaden cannot intervene a second time, and Rasputin is still around, perhaps stronger than ever, now that the final Shadow Charm is in his possession. What will be the next move of this man with a longing for immortality? Who will be his next target?



Chelsea: Yumi, you almost died! You have to just take it easy tonight!

Yumi: I know Chelsea, but I’m worried. Rasputin is out there, he has the Rod of the Ancients, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds out how to use it.

He’s a dangerous man. All five of us have Charms, and he might target any of us…

Cassandra: No, Yumi, tonight, his target is not you… It’s time I stopped being a spectator…

Coming up next, “Rasputin versus Cassandra; Battle in the Realm of Thought”.

Whom will Fate smile upon in this confrontation? Only time will tell…



I’d like to share with you the history of this chapter.

I had two problems outlining this fic.

Problem one: I was kind of at a loss to explain how Yumi could lose the duel and survive. I made sure to have Holly survive in the first Yami no Oujou to prove that survival was possible. Originally, I was going to have Yumi recover by having a secret power of her Crown activate. But then I thought it was lame.

Problem two: I wanted badly to have a duelist use a Neo-Spacian Deck, but it was impossible. In the anime world, the cards in this type of deck are unique to Jaden, and he would have never sold them for any price. Making counterfeits of them was unlikely as well.

Then it hit me…

I thought up a way to solve both problems at once.

The reason I had Yumi win the duel in this chapter was to please people who are upset by Jaden’s apparent invincibility. I know there are a lot of people out there like this.

One small comment before I leave.

This future possibility does not take into account Season Four of GX. Basically, the only thing that is now known about Season Four is, there is a Season Four. Should Jaden not survive to see the end of the series… Well, this fic is an alternate reality anyway. We’ll chalk it up to another way the future turned out differently.

[jkBAKURA]

I hadn't been here for awhile, but after the news of Yumi Losing, of course I had to check it out.

This chapter on some levels just screams corny, but it's actually a lot more well thought out then a lot of GX plotlines in season three, and if the Crown had saved her, it would have indeed seemed like a cop-out. Once I rolled my eyes at the fact that Jaden was the Mayor of Neo Space, it seemed to work rather well.

And I do applaud you for not creating anything for the chapter. Then again the real game has far too much to use already, limiting what you could use in a chapter.

Even the plot and diolouge seemed realistic, though after someone close to me died, I personally would focus on her instead of just being mad at the jerk who did it.

The one minor thing that irked me was Yumi's quick recovery. Granted, she had time to get her thoughts together in Space, but if you know the first thing about CPR, you're guaranteed broken ribs. But, for story logistics, I'll let it slide. (I can't say it won't bug me the rest of the story though)

As for the duel, it may be the best of the story so far. Not just the moves, but the conversation, and just the style in which it's written. Plus, it's nice to see you didn't try to cram in everything.

The Win bothered me for a moment, as it's not important to the plot, and winning wasn't nessasary, but the explination at the end made sense. (that, and after two losses in a row, Yumi would be having major self esteem issues to go with her broken ribs)

I do wonder which deck Rasputin is using next time, and as I'm a sucker for Arcana Force, I'll stick around for the next chapter at least.

I won't promise that I'll be a regular, but I'll see if anything else catches my eye.

[Mystic_clown]

The Neo Spacians. If these weren't part of the Elemental Hero set I'd be happy (Jaden virtually klled them in GX and the fact that every recent set seems to have one elemental hero in it is starting to piss me off).

I had a feeling this would happen. Not Jaden's intervention, but the whole "Yumi looses but is brought back by a supernatural force". At least it was better than having the charm save her. you and JKB are right, it would have been a massive cop out.

I'm curious a to what this item can do. I'm guessing we'll find out next chapter.

One last thing before I go.

I completely, utterly despire Grand Mole! Nothing would please more than to see it burnt to a crisp.

[Shuppet Master]

Sorry you feel that way about Grand Mole, Mystic_clown.

Brian, you did a wonderful job. You told me that Yumi would duel Jaden, but but I wasn't expecting this. I would have like to see one of those triple-fused Neos(like Magma Neos), but the duel you wrote is perfect and you were able to show off some of the best of Jaden's deck without cramming every card into it, including two Neos fusions(seriously, has Jaden ever used Aqua Neos since that rematch with Aster Phoenix?), so I'm satisfied.

It was also nice Jaden talked about Viper's plot. I've seen all the episodes up to the Viper duel(except the first part of said duel, because CN decided to suddenly air those episode an hour after Pokemon D/P and I didn't hear about it until two weeks ago) without hearing about the stuff that happens after, so you don't spoil what happens next. (Trust me, watch the show, you won't believe it yourself.)

(Just to let you know, I read a summary of the first episode of Season 4 on Pojo.com, and it says Jaden does a Cloud Strife on us and Syrus goes back to Obelisk Blue.)

The jab at Erik's breath was hilarious. It's a shock when someone you thought was about to be lost forever wakes up and scolds the savior for halitosis. :D

Speaking of bad breath, I'm waiting with baited breath for the next chapter. My new love is Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3(I'm 34, so don't freak out), and they focus on the Tarot a lot, so watching Cass duel again with the Arcana deck is going to be nifty. :)

[Dark Sage]

I'll make a few comments here in reply.

JK: I was CPR certified once (I would renew my license, if I had time) and I was aware that broken ribs are almost always an unfortunate side effect of being resusitated with CPR. However, Erik was doing what any CPR certified person had to do, and if Yumi had been injured, the story couldn't have gone on, so for the sake of story, I bent the fundamantal rules.

As for the duel, I saw no reason to use any made-up cards, mainly because most of the cards Jaden uses become real. The less made-up cards a chapter has, the better, in my opinion.

MC: You hate Grand Mole; you aren't alone. I hate it too. That thing is almost impossible to defeat once your opponent draws it. However, it's a vital part of Jaden's team, so I included it.

SM: It would have been impossible for me to have featured every one of the Neos Fusions. So far, Neos has six regular Contact Fusions, three Triple Contact Fusions, and one special Fusion that likely won't be seen outside the anime (if you want the spoiler on this, PM me).

In deciding which Fusions to use, I started out with Aqua Neos because I always felt that Aquos was the leader of Jaden's team of aliens, being the one who gave him the Neo-Spacian cards. True, Jaden hasn't used Aqua Neos since his rematch with Aster, but that doesn't mean he didn't keep the card in his Fusion Deck. As for the one to use at the end, I needed one that Yumi could beat, but one that was still a threat. Glow Neos, Dark Neos, and Air Neos wouldn't have benefitted Jaden at all, and Flare Neos would have been too powerful. Any of the three triple Fusions would have been way too powerful.

As for next chapter, yes, I'm hoping you all will like it. I've worked hard to make this one better than the first. Cassandra will use more powerful Monsters in this duel, and it should be a much more intense fight.

So until next time...

[Hinoryu]

Well, I haven't reviewed in a while, but then, I haven't had much to say. So I might as well just sum up my feelings on the fic so far.

This latest chapter... On one hand, it really, really jumped the shark. On the other, it was probably the best in the entire fic so far. I don't mind Juudai's loss, as it's been shown that he only has his powers of godmod when fighting The Bad Guys. But the entire concept of Juudai and his group being immortals and running Neo Space is kind of... Crazy? Like I said, a major shark-jumper.

As said, including all Neos fusions would have been impossible. There's Aqua, Flare, Grand, Air, Glow, and Black Neos, along with Magma, Chaos, and Storm. Plus the new one that Brian won't mention due to spoilers, so I'll do the same.

Back on the subject of the fic itself... Rasputin is contradicting himself a bit, and I'm not fond of him at all. Why did he, in an earlier chapter, quote things to disprove the existance of god, if in this chapter, he is well aware of a god's existance and simply doesn't believe it deserves worship? (On a side note, I just hope it doesn't end with Rasputin realizing he really was God's chosen one, etc, just after it's too late and he's screwed.)

My other real major gripe with the fic itself is the odd lack of Atemu's presence. I was under the impression that the point of this entire thing would be to help send Atemu on to the afterlife, but so far, he's barely shown up at all.

That's all I really wanted to say about the fic. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the fic is bad. It's just nowhere near your best work.)

[Shuppet Master]

But the entire concept of Juudai and his group being immortals and running Neo Space is kind of... Crazy? Like I said, a major shark-jumper.


I apologize: I was the one who gave Brian the idea. You see, when Yu-Gi-Oh GX came out, I was a big fan of it, and this series came out in the middle of Brian's Paper Mario / Yu-Gi-Oh crossover, when I was in the middle of finishing my own story, "Sister of Anansi", which was set in the "Yu-Gi-Oh Jr." universe Brian had created. I wondered - "If this story is set thirty-five years after Yugi's defeat of the Doma organization, surely the events of GX happened! Whatever happened to the gang at Duel Academy?" Then I got this crazy idea when Brian wrote "Dark Messiah", taking a line from one chapter and blowing it up into craziness so I could have my main character duel Jaden for kicks in the very final part.

When I talked to Brian about it(I had to, it was his setting), he approved and took the idea himself for this story. I apologize for making a corny fate for Jaden. :(

[Dark Sage]

Hi everyone. No, not a new chapter yet, but an update on a card I have borrowed from the anime?

Confused? Well, fans of the anime know that the Armor Breaker that Erik used was first used by Jaden against Alexis. I never expected it to be made into a real card. Seems I was wrong. Like most cards Jaden has used, Armor Breaker will soon be released in Japan, and its effect is a little different than what I, or even Janime, believed.

Erik will still use this card, and so there are no surprises, here are the true stats for the card:


ARMOR BREAKER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Union
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 800
DEF: 800

Card Description: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on your side of the field, you may Equip it to a Warrior-Type Monster you control as an Equip Spell Card OR change it back to a Monster in face-up Attack Position. When the Equipped Monster inflicts battle damage to your opponent, you may destroy one card on the field. (One Monster can only be Equipped with one Union Monster at a time. If the Monster that this card is Equipped to would be destroyed in battle, this card is destroyed instead.)


As you can see, it’s more powerful than we previously thought. Anyway, if you ever want to get one, it’s due out in the Jaden Yuki Pack 3, which should be released in America eventually.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX



Rasputin versus Cassandra



Battle in the Realm of Thought



As the five of them left the arboretum, Chelsea had her arm around Yumi, both to comfort her, and to prevent her from collapsing, which Chelsea feared might happen any minute.

“Don’t worry, Yumi,” said Chelsea. “We’re all at Gold… None of us have to duel again until the finals…

“We’ll take it easy tonight… The two of us can order out…”

She grinned and whispered into Yumi’s ear.

“…maybe order some spicy movies on the hotel channel that our parents would never let us watch…”

“Yeah…” said Yumi, with a weak smile. “I’d like that… A rest for a night…”

They didn’t know that a block away, Rasputin and his two protégés were watching…

…watching with disbelief.

“She’s alive…” muttered Rasputin.

He stared for a minute.

“Impossible…”

He frowned.

“Two of my men died… Another is in a coma… My homunculus was destroyed… And yet, Yumi walks away unharmed? It doesn’t make sense…”

“Look on the bright side,” said Olga. “At least you have one of the most powerful Shadow Charms.”

Rasputin looked at the Rod of the Ancients with a quizzical look.

“Mmm,” said Nicholas. “Even though you took a stupid risk to get it. I still don’t believe you put that Trap Card in your deck.”

Rasputin didn’t answer. He leafed though his deck, and found the Power Wall card. He looked at it…

Truthfully, he didn’t ever put it in his deck. He had heard of this card before, but he had never considered obtaining a copy.

He frowned. He had a pretty good idea where this had come from, and he didn’t like it…

“As the great Bard once said,” he said, as he shuffled it back into his deck, “something is rotten in Denmark. Yumi knows something… And whatever it is, I want to know it too…”

“Uhm, I have a suggestion,” said Olga.

Rasputin looked at her.

“Uh…” said Olga, “this is probably a long shot, but that Russian duelist I beat gave me this.”

She handed Rasputin a business card. He looked at it.



Madame Cassandra

Fortunes told! Futures revealed!

Open 9PM to 3AM


“Olga, you know I don’t trust soothsayers…” he muttered.

“I know their kind… Prophets, mediums, fortunetellers…Charlatans. They’re all liars and con artists. Trust me, in my long life, I’ve met many of these scoundrels, each of them more underhanded than the last.

“And ones that can truly see the future are even worse… I heard stories about a duelist who could, who went insane and started some crazy cult…”

“Uh, that guy wasn’t insane,” muttered Nicholas. “He was possessed by some evil entity from outer space.”

Rasputin looked at him.

“Run that by me again…” he said.

“I could explain it, but it gets a little bizarre about halfway through,” replied Nicholas.

“Look, this one might work,” said Olga. “That Russian duelist… She saw her the first night, and this Cassandra told her to look for love by dueling someone at a certain spot. She told me that after she did, her nights here weren’t as lonely as she expected them to be.”

Rasputin looked closely at the card. His eyes narrowed.

“Hmmm…” he said.

“Well… It’s not like I have anything planned at nine tonight anyway…”



* * * * * * * * * *


It was close to nine PM when the door to Yumi’s hotel room buzzed.

Chelsea peered through the peephole, and as she expected, the pizza guy was there.

“Hi,” he said, as she opened the door, “I have an order here, two large, deep dish, three-sausage pizzas…”

“Got it…” said Chelsea holding up her badge. “Here, add five-dollars for yourself.”

The pizza guy stared at her as she scanned the badge.

“A five-dollar tip for two pizzas?” he asked. “What are you, rich?”

“No,” said Chelsea, “just happy to have gotten out of a bad situation…”

She took the pizzas to the living room, where Yumi was waiting.

“Oh, this is great,” giggled Chelsea, opening one of the pizza boxes. “Yumi… I can’t remember the last time the two of us just had a private ‘girls’ time’.”

“We should do it more often…” said Yumi, taking a slice.

She paused.

“Chelsea…” she asked, “do you believe in… extraterrestrial life?”

“Mmm…” said Chelsea, between chews. “Well, I won’t say no, but I’d have to see some before I say yes.”

Yumi paused again.

“What would you say…” asked Yumi, “if the ruler of… some alien empire wanted you to help him rule?”

Chelsea looked at her strangely.

“Okay, I didn’t expect a question like that,” she said.

“Oh, never mind…” said Yumi. “Want to play Truth or Dare?”

Chelsea giggled.

“Okay, you go first,” she said.

“Truth,” said Yumi.

“What’s the theme of your second deck?” asked Chelsea.

Yumi’s eyes narrowed. She took one large bite of pizza.

“I’ll tell you…” she said, “but breathe a word of this to anyone, and you’re gonna be the first duelist who gets flattened by it…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Rasputin looked up at the two sinister eyes above Cassandra’s door.

As he walked in, the fortuneteller was sitting at her table, looking at a card she had just drawn.

Figures, she thought, putting it back.

“Soothsayer,” said Rasputin, “I heard you were the real deal.”

Cassandra’s only answer was to look at him with a cold stare.

He stared back.

“I need answers,” said Rasputin.

“I cannot give them,” replied Cassandra.

“What?” said Rasputin. “Listen, soothsayer, I came because…”

“Because you are puzzled by Yumi’s resilience, and you want to know her secrets,” replied Cassandra. “I know them, but you will not.”

Rasputin walked up to the table.

“Don’t make me force you…” he said.

He held up the Rod of the Ancients.

“An empty threat,” said Cassandra. “You have no idea yet how to use that Charm’s power.”

Rasputin’s eyes narrowed.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of…” he said.

“On the contrary,” she replied, “I know exactly what you are capable of, practitioner of infernal alchemy.”

Rasputin stepped back in shock…

He had never told anyone that he practiced infernal alchemy…

His eyes narrowed again.

“So you know…” he said. “Then you obviously realize how dangerous I can be… How do you know that I don’t have with me a dose of thrall powder that I could use on you right this moment?”

“First of all, I’m immune to such concoctions,” replied Cassandra. “Second, I know you don’t have any with you. The only things you have with you right now are your Disk, deck, side deck, wallet, watch, cell phone, and the gold ball point pen in the hidden pocket of your jacket that you’ve been looking for for two days now.”

Rasputin drew back in surprise again. He felt for that pocket.

Sure enough, that pen was there. He had never realized that he had put it there.

“Well then…” said Rasputin, looming over her. “There is the fact that I’m a strong, healthy male, while you’re a tender, young female…”

His hand fell on her shoulder…

Then her hand grabbed his hand in a powerful vice grip.

She angrily glared at him.

“Once, when I was younger and more ‘tender’,” she snarled, “a cretin made a similar mistake, and approached me with thoughts of rape… By the time I was done with him, he was begging me to call the constabulary…”

Rasputin started to sweat. Cassandra glared at him and slowly released him.

“I’m not unreasonable…” she said. “And maybe there’s a way I can teach you humility, Rasputin…

“You want to know how Yumi survived… I’ll let you know her secrets, perhaps… But only once I lie defeated at your feet.”

“You mean… duel?” asked Rasputin.

Cassandra stood up.

“Yes…” she replied. “After all, that is how duelists do things, is it not? We are both duelists…

“But one condition… We duel at my arena…”

Rasputin looked at her.

“I accept!” he said.

Cassandra smiled evilly.

Her eyes burned with purple fire. The room started to warp and twist…

“What’s happening?” shouted Rasputin. “Stop this!”

“Too late…” replied Cassandra. “You accepted my challenge… Now you must duel me… At my arena…”



* * * * * * * * * *


“No way…” muttered Chelsea.

“Yes way…” replied Yumi. “My grandfather… He started looking for the cards right after he got back from Duelist Kingdom. After the rules changed with Battle City, he got more serious…

“He never completed the deck, but my dad started where he left off. And even he never finished it.

“I added the last card two weeks ago. It’s finally done…”

“So why don’t you use it?” asked Chelsea.

“I want to save it for a special occasion,” said Yumi. “Trust me, I will eventually… I’m just waiting for the right time…

“Remember the deal… You tell anyone, I test it out on you.”

“My lips are sealed!” said Chelsea, nervously.



* * * * * * * * * *


“Where the devil…” said Rasputin, holding his head.

He looked around…

He was standing on a rocky surface, and above and to all sides was a silvery, glowing void. Strange shapes that he couldn’t make out floated in the ether.

“Where am I?” he asked.

“The Realm of Thought,” said Cassandra’s voice.

She appeared twenty paces in front of him.

“Look, woman…” said Rasputin. “I may be an alchemist, but actual acts of sorcery I usually steer clear of.”

“Don’t fret,” said Cassandra. “This realm, the Astral Plane, is a fitting battleground, because it represents both of us.

“Me, because it is the Realm of Thought, and my powers derive from thought.

“As for you, as you might know, there have been times in the past when powerful entities, beings that some would call gods, have perished.

“Sometimes they simply lose all their worshippers, lose all their power, and die from a sort of spiritual starvation… Or whatever they represent no longer exists, depriving them of a purpose, giving them no reason to be…

“Or perhaps a mighty battle occurs where titans clash, and a divine force is slain… It has happened at times…

“But anyway, whenever a god dies, whether it is with a whimper or a bang, its body is transported to the Astral, where it becomes a giant island of stone.

“Thus, this place fits your ideals… It proves that gods can die.

“In fact, we’re standing on one right now, though I won’t reveal its identity.”

All of a sudden, Rasputin became excited… He had heard stories… Stories about how the corpses of dead gods held priceless minerals that could be used for powerful alchemical solutions…

“Don’t even think about it,” said Cassandra. “Even if I let you, and I won’t, there are powerful entities here that protect these god-islands from being desecrated.

“Now… Like I said… I will only reveal my secrets when I lie defeated at your feet. So now… We duel…”

“Very well…” said Rasputin, placing his deck into his Disk.

“After all, I beat the Princess of Games. How hard could you be?”

Cassandra raised her left arm, and a Disk that seemed to be made of pure glass with a flared tray appeared on it.

The two Disks activated.

“Duel…” she said.



(Cassandra: 8,000) -------------------- (Rasputin: 8,000)


“The first move is yours,” said Cassandra.

Rasputin drew his first card, and looked over his hand.

Not a bad start… he thought.

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

“That will do,” he said.

Cassandra drew a card.

“I summon… Arcana Force III: The Empress,” she exclaimed.

She placed a card on her Disk, and a tall form materialized. It looked like a vaguely female creature with glowing eyes, tendrils in place of hair, and claws, clothed in a blue bodysuit with a very high collar. (1,300/1,300)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/0/05/ArcanaForceIII-TheEmpress-JP-Anime.jpg


“Erk!” gasped Rasputin. “And people say MY Monsters are creepy! So what does that thing do?”

“This ‘thing’, as you put it, has two effects,” replied Cassandra. “Which one it gets depends on who’s luck is better…”

The Empress’s card appeared over it, and started to spin.

“Simply say when you want the card to stop, and it will do the rest…”

“Stop that card!” shouted Rasputin.

The card slowed, and came to a halt right-side-up.

“Here’s the deal, Rasputin…” said Cassandra. “Whenever you Normal Summon a Monster, The Empress’s upright effect will allow me to summon one.”

“Heh…” said Rasputin. “Too bad it won’t be around for long… I can kill it with no problem…”

“Then by all means, try,” replied Cassandra. “I end my turn…”

Rasputin drew a card.

He looked at The Empress.

What is she planning? he thought. It has only 1,300 Attack Points, and she has no facedown cards… She should know I could destroy it without half-trying…

He looked at the card he had drawn.

Not bad… he thought.

“I summon… Darkfire Soldier #2,” he said.

He played the card, and a Pyro appeared clothed in a fiery kimono, holding two blazing katana blades. He held them up dramatically. (1,700/1,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/psv-0451.jpg


“I activate The Empress’s effect,” said Cassandra. “I summon its companion… Arcana Force IV: The Emperor!”

In a flash of light, the much bigger Monster, the one made of black metal with no legs, claws, bat-like wings, and a skull-like face appeared. (1,400/1,400)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/c/ce/ArcanaForceIV-TheEmperor-JP-Anime.jpg


“And once again…” said Cassandra.

The card appeared, and started to spin.

“Okay, stop!” shouted Rasputin.

The card stopped, landing right-side-up.

“That means that all Monsters on my side of the field with the words ‘Arcana Force’ in their names gain 500 Attack Points,” said Cassandra.

The Empress rose to an Attack of 1,800, while The Emperor itself rose to 1,900.

“Now…” continued Cassandra. “You were saying that killing my Empress would be no problem?”

Rasputin looked at her angrily.

“I end my turn!” he shouted.

Cassandra drew a card.

“I summon… Arcana Force II: The High Priestess!” she shouted.

A new Monster materialized. This one resembled light carved into a female form, carrying an orb in either hand and seated in a ruby throne. (1,200/1,200) –> (1,700/1,200)

The card appeared above it, and started to spin.

“I’m not even gonna bother this time…” growled Rasputin.

The card slowly stopped, and landed upside-down.

“HA!” laughed Rasputin, as he started to glow with golden energy. “Looks like I win that one!”

“Indeed…” said Cassandra. “That means you gain 1,000 Life Points. But you’ll need all the Life Points you can get…

“Empress, attack his Darkfire Soldier. Mystical blast.”

The Empress put its hands together, forming a crackling globe of light. It hurled it at the Pyro, and he burst into an explosion of flame.

“Emperor, attack his facedown Monster.”

Four metal claws shot forward. Stay Asmodian appeared on the card, and was torn apart.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0121.jpg


“Thank you…” said Rasputin. “Now we both gain 800 more Life Points.”

“High Priestess,” said Cassandra, disregarding the comment, “attack directly. Flaming orbs.”

The Priestess’s two orbs burned with fire, and it hurled them at Rasputin. He cringed and staggered backwards.



(C: 8,800) -------------------- (R: 8,000)


Cassandra chuckled.

“The High Priestess is the card that represents Yumi, by the way,” she said. “Ironic, isn’t it?”

“All right…” growled Rasputin. “My move…”

He drew a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity…” he said.

He played the card. It was unlikely that any angel would ever appear to him, but his deck simply glowed, and he drew three cards.

He looked over his hand, and then discarded Little Chimera and Darkfire Soldier #1.

“If Normal Summoning is going to let you summon a Monster each time…” he said, “I’m just going to have to defend myself without Normal Summoning.

“First, I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Next, I’ll remove Little Chimera from play to Special Summon Inferno. Defense Mode.”

The card fell out of his discard slot, and the fire spirit, resembling a large bonfire, appeared in front of him. (1,100/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dr2-en019.jpg


“Next…” he said, “I’ll remove Stray Asmodian from play to Special Summon another one, also in Defense Mode.”

Another card fell out of his discard slot, and another of the fiendish, fiery spirits appeared in a blaze of flames. It shielded itself in defense. (1,100/1,900)

“And that’s all…”

Cassandra drew a card.

“I summon Arcana Force VI: The Lovers,” she said.

She played the card, and in a burst of energy, a new Monster appeared. It was strange… It definitely did NOT suggest lovers. It was an armored figure with a helmet, and two arms that ended in metal mitts. (1,600/1,600) –> (2,100/1,600)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/c/c7/ArcanaForceVI-TheLovers-EN-Anime.JPG


“I’m sure you know how it works…” she said.

The card appeared and started to spin…

“Grrr… Stop!” shouted Rasputin.

The card landed right-side-up.

“You’re cheating, soothsayer!” shouted Rasputin.

“I’ve been accused of that several times,” said Cassandra. “Many people have called me a cheater, liar, charlatan, and names I don’t care to repeat.

“Bottom line, Rasputin, my powers are great, and my faith in the entities who granted me my powers is also great. Thus, the outcome is favorable for me most of the time.

“Especially here, the Astral Plane, at the source of my power, where it feeds me directly.

“Now where were we? Oh yes…

“Lovers… Attack the first Inferno with bright embrace.”

The Lovers’s eyes glowed, and a blast of multicolored orbs flew at Inferno. It exploded into a burst of fire.

“Emperor, attack the facedown Monster!”

The four claws shot forward. Abaki appeared on the card, and was ripped to pieces.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0131.jpg


“That means we both lose 500 Life Points…” muttered Rasputin.



(C: 8,300) -------------------- (R: 7,500)


“I end my turn…” said Cassandra.

I’m getting mighty sick of this… thought Rasputin. I’m gonna have to deal with that Empress one last time to summon a powerful Monster…

He drew a card.

His eyes opened. It was Power Wall.

He looked at the other cards in his hand. He chose one.

“I play Premature Burial,” he said.

He played the card, and Darkfire Soldier #2 reappeared. (1,700/1,100)

“Now, I sacrifice both my Monsters, to summon Flame Ogre.”

Darkfire Soldier and Inferno vanished, and a hulking, muscular, bald giant with orange skin dressed in a ragged pair of trousers appeared in front of him. (2,400/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0141.jpg


“His effect activates, letting me draw one card...”

He made a draw.

“And now The Empress’s effect activates,” said Cassandra. “The Monster I want to summon this time requires two sacrifices. And due to its upright effect, The Lovers can count as two sacrifices.

“So, I sacrifice The Lovers…”

The Lovers vanished…

“To summon Arcana Force XVIII: The Moon!”

In a burst of energy, a huge creature appeared. It looked like a giant chamber with a glass bubble on the front, with two thin arms on its sides with large hands, mounted on a mass of metal tendrils. (2,800/2,800) –> (3,300/2,800)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/0/04/ArcanaForceXVIII-TheMoon-JP-Anime.jpg


“That’s no moon!” shouted Rasputin. “That’s a space station!”

“Old pop culture references will not save you…” said Cassandra.

The card appeared above The Moon and started to spin. Rasputin was silent.

Eventually, it landed right-side-up.

“What a surprise…” growled Rasputin. “But I will not be denied…

“Flame Ogre, attack that blasted Empress! Flaming fist!”

Flame Ogre’s fist became enveloped in fire, and it threw a punch, squashing The Empress flat.

“I place two cards facedown, and end my turn,” said Rasputin.

Two facedown cards appeared behind Flame Ogre.



(C: 7,700) -------------------- (R: 6,700)


“I draw one card…” said Cassandra.

She smiled. Apparently, this was what she had been waiting for.

“The upright effect of The Moon activates, giving me something extra,” she said.

The bubble on The Moon burst in an explosion of vile, blue liquid, and a small, alien creature leapt out, landing on all fours. (0/0)

“It’s called a Moon Token. And now, I sacrifice it, and The High Priestess, in order to summon my mightiest Monster…”

The Token and The High Priestess vanished into sparkles of light…

Then an explosion of light erupted in front of Cassandra.

“I summon… Arcana Force XXI, also known as…

“THE WORLD!”

A titanic creature loomed over the field. It looked like a metal ring, etched with eldritch runes, mounted on a spire, with two mighty claws on each side. In the lower half of the ring was a small protrusion that suggested a face. (3,100/3,100) –> (3,600/3,100)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/7/74/ArcanaForceXXI-TheWorld-JP-Anime.jpg


“Impressive, isn’t it?” she asked.

“Kind of depends on your definition of ‘impressive’,” said Rasputin, looking at the huge creature.

The card appeared above it and started to spin.

“Why should I even bother…” muttered Rasputin. “Oh, stop!”

The card stopped quickly, and landed right-side-up.

“Enough talk,” said Cassandra. “Moon… Attack his Flame Ogre. Meteor mash.”

The Moon glowed with energy.

“I activate a Trap Card!” shouted Rasputin. “Flame Barricade!”

One of his facedown cards lifted.

“I just have to sacrifice one Fire Monster, and I can’t lose any Life Points this round.”

Flame Ogre vanished, and a wall of flames sprang up, deflecting the blast.

Cassandra shut her eyes.

“Very well, Rasputin…” she said. “You saved yourself from losing for now, but you still won’t escape unscathed…

“I activate The World’s upright effect, which I can do by sacrificing two Monsters… Emperor, Moon, begone.”

The Emperor and The Moon shattered into pixels, and The World fell to an attack of 3,100.

“Sorry, Rasputin,” she continued, “but now, your next turn is skipped.”

“WHAT?” shouted Rasputin, as the flames died down to nothing.

“Which means it’s my turn again,” said Cassandra, drawing a card.

She looked at it.

“It seems your only protection now is that last facedown card… Use it if you dare…”

Rasputin looked at the facedown Power Wall.

There’s no way I can discard thirty-one cards! he thought. I don’t have that many left!

Maybe I can just discard some…

But I don’t have Gren or Skull Lair in my hand! If I use it, there’s no telling what I’d lose…

Clearly… This card was a double-edged sword… Just like all of the other “gifts” that beast has given me…

“Arcana Force XXI,” ordered Cassandra. “Attack him directly! Wrath of Gaea!”

Thunder rolled, and a lightning storm erupted over the field, striking Rasputin and sending him sprawling to the ground.

Cassandra paused.

She fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Your move…” she said.



* * * * * * * * * *


The pizza was finished, and Yumi had found a few board games in her room’s closet. She and Chelsea were reclined on the floor, in the middle of a game of Go.

“So, Yumi…” said Chelsea, “I gotta admit, you had us worried for a while… We really though you were dead for a few minutes.”

Yumi shook her head as she placed a new stone on the board.

“Well, it’s kind of complex, Chelsea,” she muttered. “Very hard to explain without making me sound like a complete lunatic…

“Let me just put it this way… Sam said it was a miracle, and maybe that’s the best way to explain it…

“But I know one thing… The same miracle won’t happen again. If another one of us loses a Yami no Oujou…”

“Hey…” said Chelsea. “All eight of the Charms have been claimed! That means no more Yami no Oujous!”

Yumi looked at her.

“Yeah…” she muttered. “You’re right…

“But then… That leaves the question of how we’re going to get those three Charms away from Rasputin and his henchmen…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Rasputin was down on one knee. He took some long, deep breaths…



(C: 7,700) -------------------- (R: 3,600)


“Ironic, isn’t it?” asked Cassandra. “Struck down by the very thing you seek to conquer and subjugate.”

Rasputin got up.

“You know, maybe I do want to rule the world,” he growled. “But I don’t see what harm that would do… If I were in charge, I couldn’t run things much worse than the way they’re being run now. I mean, have you watched the evening news lately?”

“Touché,” replied Cassandra.

“Furthermore,” he continued, “have you ever considered how much better off the world might be if we got rid of religion? Do you have any idea how many crimes, atrocities, and terrorist acts are committed by people who use such beliefs as an excuse?

“If we had the nerve to abolish the higher powers from our lives, so many wars would be avoided, there’d be no excuse for half the hatred and prejudice in the world, and we might have the beginnings of actual peace…”

“So thought the Communist governments that ultimately failed,” said Cassandra. “They tried to do away with religion for the same reasons, and discovered that their ideas were not well-received.

“If such ideas were widespread, the world would be a sad and depressing place. Unlike you, a lot of people would be unhappy with nothing to put their faith in.

“You must be loads of fun at Christmas, Rasputin.”

“Oh, what does Christmas have to do with religion any more?” asked Rasputin. “When I was young, it had a deep meaning… Now its meaning has been lost thanks to business and the media…”

He drew a card.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“All right, soothsayer,” he said, “I’m done playing around.

“I play… Pot of Greed.”

He played the card, and the jug appeared in the air. He drew two cards.

He looked at them.

“Next I’ll play… Blasting Vein. I’ll destroy my Power Wall, in order to draw two more cards.”

The Power Wall card lifted up, and flaming cracks appeared over it. It exploded into fiery shards. He drew twice again.

“That may be the smartest thing you’ve done in years,” replied Cassandra with a slight grin.

Rasputin looked over the four cards in his hand.

“Next I play Card Destruction,” he said, playing one. “Now we must fold our hands, and draw an equal number.”

Cassandra shrugged, and discarded her cards as Rasputin discarded his. They each drew three cards.

Rasputin looked over his new hand.

“Next,” he continued, “I play Soul Release. Now, I can remove five cards in either Graveyard from play. And I’m going to remove five of mine.”

Five cards slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed them inside his jacket.

“I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

Cassandra drew a card. She added it to her hand.

“Arcana Force XXI,” she commanded, “destroy him!”

The World glowed with energy again.

“I activate my Trap!” shouted Rasputin. “Skull Lair!”

His facedown card lifted.

“Now, I’ll remove eight more cards in my Graveyard from play, and your World is about to come tumbling down!”

Cassandra cringed as the large Monster in front of her exploded in a fiery conflagration.

“So be it…” she said. “It is your move…”

Rasputin chuckled, and drew a card.

“I play a Spell Card,” he said, playing a card. “It’s called Bonfire. Now, I can take any Fire Monster I choose from my deck, so long as it’s Level Four or less…”

He chuckled again as he leafed through his deck.

“And it’s funny… In this case, being low level does not amount to being weak at all…”

He took the card and held it up.

“Now I summon it… Gren Maju Da Eiza!” he shouted.

He played the card, and like in his duel with Yumi, the blazing bonfire appeared, and the hideous Chaos Fiend emerged from it.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-024.jpg


Rasputin grinned evilly…

“I’ve removed fifteen cards from play so far…” he said. “That means… Well, see for yourself…”

Gren Maju Da Eiza burned with fire… (6,000/6,000)

“Attack her directly!” shouted Rasputin. “Fires of Chaos!”

The blast of white-hot fire shot forward, striking Cassandra. She screamed and flew backwards…



(C: 1,700) -------------------- (R: 3,600)



* * * * * * * * * *


Having put the game away, Chelsea was doing Yumi’s hair.

“No disrespect for your family,” said Chelsea, “but you all do seem to have strange tastes in beauticians. Where did you all get your hair done?”

“It’s a family secret,” answered Yumi.

“Well, in a few minutes, I’ll have a new, trendy style for you,” said Chelsea with a smile.

“Wonder what Rasputin is doing?” sighed Yumi. “I really don’t trust him, you know. We don’t even know what that Rod can do, and he’s likely doing no good with it…”

“Eh, what’re you gonna do?” asked Chelsea, shaking a can of mousse.

“I have to do something, Chelsea!” she replied. “I can’t help but feel that it was my fault… That I let the Rod fall into his hands because I did something wrong…”

“Don’t feel too bad…” replied Chelsea. “Everyone makes mistakes once in a while…

“You know, I remember once, I really goofed up… A friend of mine was sick in bed with the mumps, so I made her breakfast in bed…

“Heh, heh, and I spilled it all over her!”

She giggled.

Yumi frowned.

“Chelsea, that was me…” she said with a sigh.

There was a long pause.

“We’ll worry about that later,” said Chelsea, combing her hair out. “Way I see it, you know his strategy now, so you can prepare for it. You won’t be defeated next time. Some people say you learn more from losing than you do from winning.

“In other words, you can learn from your mistake, and not make the same mistake again.

“It’s like an old song goes… From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success.”

“What old song was that?” asked Yumi.

“Oh… it was from some old Dick Van Dyke movie, I think…” replied Chelsea. “One that he made for kids…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Cassandra slowly sat up. Smoke was pouring from her body…

Her eyes glowed again…

“Not bad…” she said. “But this duel is not over yet…”

She stood up. She drew a card.

That’s impossible! thought Rasputin. She should be on the ground writhing in agony!

“I summon Arcana Force 0: The Fool,” said Cassandra.

She played the card, and like in her duel with Yumi, the man-shaped creature made up of golden spheres, with a mask of comedy where the head would be, topped with a cavalier hat, appeared in front of her. (1,000/1,000)

Its card appeared above it, and it started to spin.

“Now,” said Cassandra, “if it lands upright, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards, but if it lands inverted, you can destroy one of mine.”

“Humph, as if it will matter,” said Rasputin. “Stop.”

The card stopped, and it was right-side-up.

“I choose to destroy your Skull Lair,” said Cassandra.

The Fool’s eyes glowed, and the Trap Card burst.

“I end my turn,” she said.

“I don’t see the point of that,” said Rasputin, drawing a card. “Once my Chaos Fiend attacks, this duel will be over…

“Attack The Fool! Fires of Chaos!”

Gren Maju Da Eiza blasted its fiery scourge, and The Fool was eradicated.

“Hmmm…” said Rasputin, looking through the flames.



(C: 1,700) -------------------- (R: 3,600)


“What?” he said. “Your Life Points should be zero!”

Then a card appeared in front of Cassandra…



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/3/32/ArcanaForceXIV-Temperance-JP-Anime.jpg


“I discarded a special Monster called Arcana Force XIV,” replied Cassandra, as it disintegrated, “also known as Temperance. Doing so reduced the damage to my Life Points to zero.”

“Damn it!” shouted Rasputin. “Why won’t you die?

“Very well… Make your move… You’ll never defeat my Chaos Fiend.”

Cassandra drew a card.

“Actually,” she said, “I intend to destroy it on this turn…

“I play the Spell Card, Necro Sacrifice.”

“Necro Sacrifice?” replied Rasputin. “Don’t like the sound of that… What does that do?”

“First…” explained Cassandra. “I take two Monsters from my Graveyard, and Special Summon them to your side of the field. However, you get to choose the battle modes.

“So… I think I’ll give you… My Lovers and my High Priestess.”

Two flashes of light shot forward, and the two Tarot Monsters appeared to either side of Gren Maju Da Eiza. (1,600/1,600), (1,200/1,200)

“I… I choose Defense Mode,” said Rasputin.

The two Monsters knelt and shielded themselves.

Then the two cards appeared above them and started to spin.

“Now I get to tell them when to stop,” said Cassandra.

“Stop right there!”

The two cards stopped, landing right-side-up.

“Looks like you got lucky,” said Cassandra. “You got the positive effects. Since The High Priestess is upright, you gain 1,000 Life Points.

“However, The Lovers isn’t going to survive long enough for you to use its effect. You see, since I summoned two Monsters to your side of the field, I can now Normal Summon a Monster that normally requires two sacrifices.

“And the Monster I’m summoning…

“Well… I don’t use this one very often… It brings out the beast in me. This Monster represents the Adversary of Man… It represents our vices and impulses, all that is negative with the world…

“I’m talking about…

“Arcana Force XV: The Devil!”

In an explosion of energy, a horrid creature arose next to Cassandra. Its body was diamond-shaped, with four, glistening, lidless eyes, and was mounted on a thick tentacle. It also had two long, barbed tentacles for arms. The whole thing glistened with slime. (2,500/2,500)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/e/ea/ArcanaForceXV-TheFiend-JP-Anime.jpg


“Look into its eyes, Rasputin…” said Cassandra.

“It’s hard not to…” he replied.

The card appeared above the creature and started to spin.

“Listen closely,” she said. “If it lands upright, then when it destroys one Monster in battle, I get to destroy another one. If it lands inverted, then when it attacks, all Monsters on the field are destroyed.”

“WHAT?” shouted Rasputin. “Now wait just a minute! That’s bad for me either way!”

“Fool,” replied Cassandra. “Don’t you know anything about the Tarot? When The Devil shows up, it’s never a positive sign.”

The card stopped, and landed right-side-up.

“Attack The Lovers!” shouted Cassandra. “Wicked talon!”

The Devil lunged forward with one tentacle, and The Lovers shattered. Then, Gren Maju Da Eiza howled and burst into flames. Then it shattered as well.

“Gren…” gasped Rasputin. “Beaten…”

“I almost forgot to mention,” said Cassandra. “You also lose 500 Life Points.”

Rasputin cringed as a dark aura appeared around him.



(C: 1,700) -------------------- (R: 4,100)


“My move…” he muttered. “And I still can beat you… I’m no one-hit wonder…”

He looked at his deck. Then he looked at The Devil.

You can beat it, Rasputin… he thought. You’ve gotten the better of stronger devils than this one before…

He drew a card.

He smirked.

He took a card from his hand.

“I Equip The High Priestess with Axe of Despair,” he said.

A shadowy shape appeared in the Tarot Monster’s arms, and then an ugly axe appeared in them. (2,200/1,200)

“Not strong enough,” said Cassandra.

“Maybe not,” replied Rasputin. “But now that it has more than 2,000 points, I can use it to summon something better. I sacrifice it, along with the last card in my hand…”

He discarded his Hiita the Fire Charmer.

“…to summon my Infernal Incinerator!”

In another burst of flame, a Monster that was just as big as Gren appeared on the field. It looked like some huge, fiery, fiendish beetle, with six clawed legs, a thick tail, and spikes protruding from its torso. (2,800/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp2-en0091.jpg


“Not only is it strong enough to fry your Devil,” said Rasputin, “but it gains 200 more Attack Points for each Monster on your side of the field.”

The Infernal Incinerator roared as its Attack Score rose to 3,000.

“Attack!” shouted Rasputin. “Infernal rage!”

The Infernal Incinerator blasted a gout of flame that was almost as intense as the one that had hit Cassandra directly, and The Devil exploded in a burst of light and fire.



(C: 1,200) -------------------- (R: 4,100)


“Your Devil just went down in flames!” laughed Rasputin.

“Eh, parting is such sweet sorrow,” muttered Cassandra. “Never did like it much anyway… Since you’re out of cards, I guess it’s my move…”

She drew a card.

“Well, it’s been challenging…” she said. “But you lose on this turn.

“I play Reverse Reborn. I now get to raise an Arcana Force Monster from my Graveyard, so long as I bring it back with its inverted effect.”

She played the card, and The Empress reappeared. (1,300/1,300)

“But it won’t stay long. I sacrifice it to summon Arcana Force VIII: The Strength.”

The Empress vanished, and a larger form appeared. It looked like a cylindrical torso made of steel, floating in the air, with a fiendish face in front, and two clawed arms to each side. (1,800/1,800)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/b/b4/ArcanaForceVIII-TheStrength-JP-Anime.jpg


The card appeared and started to spin.

“Now, if it lands upright, I get to take control of one of your Monsters,” she explained. “If it lands inverted, you get to take control of all of my Monsters except this one.”

The card slowly came to a stop…

It landed upside-down.

“HA!” laughed Rasputin. “Looks like I win!”

“No…” said Cassandra. “Like I said, you lose…

“Trap Card, activate…”

The facedown card she had set after she had attacked directly with The World lifted up…

“It’s called Reversal of Fate. When it’s played, all Arcana Force Monsters on the field switch from inverted to upright, and vice-versa.”

Rasputin’s eyes widened in horror as the card turned to right-side-up position.

Then Infernal Incinerator vanished, and reappeared on Cassandra’s side.

“You didn’t really think I didn’t have some way to alter the results, did you?” she asked.

“Of course, since I now have another Monster on my side of the field, your Fiend loses 500 Attack Points…”

The Incinerator fell to an Attack of 2,300.

“But then… It doesn’t really matter…

“Arcana Force VIII… Attack directly with crushing wave.”

The Strength shot a rippling aura of energy at Rasputin, and he screamed as every muscle in his body cramped and strained.

“Infernal Incinerator… Infernal rage.”

Rasputin screamed again, as an inferno from the Fire Fiend erupted around him.



(C: 1,200) -------------------- (R: 0)


Rasputin fell to his knees. Then he noticed that he was alone, amid complete fog.

Then a purple flame with two glowing eyes in the center appeared, hovering in front of him.

“You are beaten,” said Cassandra’s voice, which was now angry and threatening. “My secrets will remain mine. Leave, and do not return.”

He clutched his head, and everything went dark…

In the next minute, he was on the street, near where he had entered the fortuneteller’s place to begin with.

He got up, burning with rage. He wouldn’t let her off that easily…



* * * * * * * * * *


“Well, Yumi,” said Chelsea, packing up her stuff, “it’s been fun, but we both need some sleep.”

She got up.

“You know where my room is if you need me.”

“Thanks, Chels,” said Yumi. “You helped a lot. And I hope so much that we won’t have to duel each other in the finals.”

“Dunno,” said Chelsea with a smile. “I want to be the Queen of Games as much as you do.”

As she left, Yumi walked towards her bed, which at this point looked more desirable than Shangri-La.

She crawled into bed. It took her less than a minute to fall asleep…

And she dreamed herself in Neo-Space, with Elemental Hero Neos and the six strange Neo-Spacians…

Anastasia appeared next to her, and started gently massaging her back.

I have to be more careful, she thought. Clearly, Rasputin is more powerful than I imagined… He knows a way to trap an angel and lock her up for a while.

She shuddered.

Obviously, he has made breakthroughs in his quest to rebuke divine powers. That’s the only way to explain it…

We got lucky this time… I promise you, Yumi… He won’t get me again…

She looked, and saw the Pharaoh watching Yumi as well.

And I’ll do whatever it takes to help him too.

The spirit and the angel looked at each other, and they both nodded. Then they vanished.



* * * * * * * * * *


“Impossible…” said Rasputin.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find Cassandra’s place again. It was like her building had disappeared.

His brow furrowed. He knew who was truly to blame for this…

He took the Power Wall card out of his deck and looked at it.

He looked over his shoulder in anger.

“I know you gave me this,” he said, even though there apparently wasn’t anyone there. “This is what I think of your little favors…”

He tore the card in half. Then he tossed the pieces aside.

He sighed, and held his head.

“Maybe it’s time to quit this whole insane quest while I still have my dignity…” he muttered. “I can still retire to Aruba… or Hawaii… At least I can die in comfort instead of…

“ERK!”

He clutched his forehead.

“Oh, what nonsense am I thinking? That soothsayer must have messed with my mind…

“Hawaii… Yeah, right. I’d be bored out of my skull…”

He looked at his badge, which was at Silver.

“Those five kids are at Gold…” he muttered. “Olga, Nicholas, and I will have to get the three remaining slots. We’ll have to seek out some other high ranking contestants…”

“RASPUTIN!” shouted a voice.

Rasputin turned around, and saw Enrique.

“I’ve been looking for you, Señor,” he said, angrily.

“Not very hard, Mr. Lobo,” replied Rasputin. “You haven’t returned any of my calls. One would think you were trying to renege on our little agreement.”

“That’s why I was looking for you, adoquin,” he replied. “My padre says the deal is off. We’re through dealing with you.”

Rasputin glared at him.

He noticed Enrique’s badge. It was at Silver. He smirked

“You must hate me pretty much, don’t you?” he asked.

“Si,” said Enrique, with a frown.

“Why not duel me, then?” asked Rasputin. “It would be the perfect way to… get even, so to speak.”

Enrique smirked.

“I thought you’d never ask!” he laughed.

Both Disks activated.



* * * * * * * * * *


Ten minutes later…

Things were not looking good for Enrique. He thought that Rasputin had been a fool for summoning Gren Maju Da Eiza when its Attack Score was only 800. He had tried to summon his Volcanic Doomfire… Only for Rasputin to wipe it out with Skull Lair.

Now, Enrique was facing the Chaos Fiend with an Attack Score of 4,000, enough to finish him, and all he had was his Firewall.

“You haven’t beaten me yet!” shouted Enrique. “My Firewall is still standing, and not even he can bust through it!”

“Is that a fact?” asked Rasputin, drawing a card. “He could if you didn’t have those three Scattershots and your Doomfire in your Graveyard…

“And once I play Soul Release to remove them from play, you won’t, and your Firewall will be worthless.”

He played the card, and Enrique gasped as the four cards fell out of his discard slot.

Then he screamed as the blast of flame struck him.

Rasputin looked at his opponent, who lying on the ground, wincing with pain.

He looked at his badge, which was now at Gold.

“Listen up, Chico,” said Rasputin. “Most of the time, folks who openly defy me don’t last much longer… But you’ve got some spine, and that’s worth something…

“So tell you what… I’ll make you a deal I don’t often make…

“The League of Ascension won’t go out of their way to look for you… However… Should they ever come across you again, you’ll be put somewhere where no-one will ever hear from you again…

“As far as your father is concerned, when they send him up the river, it was your fault for breaking the deal. My advice to you is, just watch the finals if that amuses you, then get back to Mexico and stay there.”

He started to walk away as Enrique looked at him.

In your dreams… thought the young man.

Rasputin looked at his badge again.

Success… he thought. It’s time to enter a new stage…

Rasputin may have lost to Cassandra, but his determination has not slipped, and his plans begin anew. What will be his next move? The finals are not set to begin just yet, and there may be a few more troubles in store for our heroes…

And brownie points to anyone who can name the Dick Van Dyke movie that Chelsea mentioned.



ARCANA FORCE III: THE EMPRESS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,300

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: Whenever your opponent Normal Summons a Monster, you may Special Summon one Monster from your hand that has the words “Arcana Force” in its name. You must meet the Tribute requirements for Monsters that are Level Five or higher.

Tails: Whenever your opponent Normal Summons a Monster, discard one card in your hand to the Graveyard.



ARCANA FORCE VI: THE LOVERS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,600
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: If you Tribute Summon a Monster with the words “Arcana Force” in its name, you can treat this one Monster as two Monsters for the purposes of the Tribute Summon.

Tails: This card cannot be Tributed.

Note: Sartorious never revealed what the tails effect of this card was, and the card text was never seen. I have made an assumption.



ARCANA FORCE VIII: THE STRENGTH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 5
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: Take control of one of your opponent’s face-up Monsters. Control lasts until this card is no longer face-up on the field.

Tails: For as long as this card remains face-up on your side of the field, your opponent gains control of all of your face-up Monsters except this one.



ARCANA FORCE XIV: TEMPERANCE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 2,400

Card Description: You may discard this card from your hand to reduce the battle damage you receive from one attack to zero. Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: All battle damage you receive is halved while this card remains face-up on the field.

Tails: All battle damage your opponent receives is halved while this card remains face-up on the field.



ARCANA FORCE XV: THE DEVIL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

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

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: When this card attacks, select one Monster on the field other than the attack target and destroy it. If you cannot, destroy this card. The owner of the Monster destroyed by this effect receives 500 points of direct damage to his/her Life Points.

Tails: When this card attacks, destroy all Monsters on the field.



ARCANA FORCE XVIII: THE MOON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,800

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: During each of your Standby Phases, you may Special Summon one “Moon Token” (Fairy/Light/Level 1/0 ATK/0 DEF) to your side of the field.

Tails: During each of your turn’s End Phases, select one Monster on your side of the field. Shift control of the selected Monster to your opponent. (If your opponent does not have a free space in his/her Monster Zone, the selected Monster is destroyed.)



ARCANA FORCE XXI: THE WORLD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
ATK: 3,100
DEF: 3,100

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: If you offer two Monsters on your side of the field as Tributes during your turn, your opponent must skip his/her next turn.

Tails: During your opponent’s Draw Phase, he/she adds the top card from his/her Graveyard to his/her hand.



NECRO SACRIFICE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A grinning mouth above a wasteland full of twisted trees that resemble hands.

Card Description: Select one Level Five or higher Monster in your hand that can be Normal Summoned. Choose a number of Monsters in your Graveyard equal to the number of Monsters needed as Tribute to Tribute Summon the selected Monster, and Special Summon them to your opponent’s side of the field (your opponent choose the battle positions). During the turn this card is activated, you may Normal Summon the selected Monster without Tribute(s).



REVERSAL OF FATE (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A circular, wooden, Ouija board with four eyes around the circumference.

Card Description: When this card is activated, all Monsters on the field with the words “Arcana Force” in their names who have their heads effects are switched to their tails effects, and vice-versa.

Note: The proceeding nine cards were used by Sartorious at various times in the second season of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers.



ARCANA FORCE II: THE HIGH PRIESTESS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: Increase your Life Points by 1,000

Tails: Increase your opponent’s Life Points by 1,000



FLAME BARRICADE (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: Hiita the Fire Charmer chanting and conjuring up a wall of fire.

Card Description: Offer one face-up FIRE Monster on your side of the field as a Tribute. During this turn, any damage you take from your opponent becomes zero.

Note: “Flame Barricade” was first used in “Dark Messiah”.



BONFIRE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A roaring fire in a large, metal brazier.

Card Description: Search your deck for one FIRE Monster that is Level Four or lower and add it to your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

Note: “Bonfire” was first used by Prof. Fontaine in a third season episode of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Sam: Yumi, what do you make of this?

Yumi: Looks like the two of us have been cornered, and these guys want to duel us… And not as individuals. Feel like teaming up?

Sam: If I must, I suppose I simply must… Can I trust you?

Yumi: Don’t worry Sam, I’ve got your back.

Coming up next, “The Two-Way Trap; The Heirs Fight Together”.

As the decedents of Yugi Mouto and Seto Kaiba call the most vital truce yet…

Sam: Just don’t get in my way, Yumi…

[Mystic_clown]

Was it wrong that I rooted for Rasputin during that match?

Apart from a few new cards, Rasputin hasn't done much different from his previous fight. His main card is still Gren. I'm a bit delighted to see that the Arcana force may become real cards, and the star wars reference was well used (though it made me think of Yu-Gi-Oh abridged).

Something just irks me that you used the Soviet Union as an example as to why religion is great. We all know it failed because Stalin was a tyrant and a lousy politition. Something else irked me as well:


“You’re cheating, soothsayer!” shouted Rasputin.

“I’ve been accused of that several times,” said Cassandra. “Many people have called me a cheater, liar, charlatan, and names I don’t care to repeat.

“Bottom line, Rasputin, my powers are great, and my faith in the entities who granted me my powers is also great. Thus, the outcome is favorable for me most of the time.

“Especially here, the Astral Plane, at the source of my power, where it feeds me directly.

So, some divine force is increasing the chance of Cassandra having the better outcome? Isn't that still cheating?

So, it seems Yugi, Yugi Jr and Yumi were all creating a super deck. I'm going to remain cynical about this for the time being.

[Dark Sage]

MC,

Cassandra's ability to get a favorable result most of the time works in a way similar to the "Heart of the Cards" that let Yugi win most of the time. The sources are different, but both are based on incredible faith. So if she's a cheater, than so is Yugi. Draw your own conclusions.

I wasn't singling out the Soviet Union. All Communist governments did the same thing. I'm also not being a zionist for my faith. I was just saying that outlawing religion is one of the worst mistakes a government can make. No good has ever come out of doing it.

Rasputin will use a decidedly different strategy next time he duels. He might still use Gren, but he might use it a different way.

Also, Yumi's second deck is one that could concievably be built in the real world. We won't see it for a long time, but when we do, I think everyone will be pleased.

[Shuppet Master]

Now that really makes me want to see her second deck!

Brian, PM me if you want about that Tarot cards. If they are being made into real cards, this might bring me back into Yu-Gi-Oh. :D

Great duel either way.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN



The Two-Way Trap



The Heirs Fight Together



Sleep…

To sleep, perchance to dream, as the great Bard once said.

In Yumi’s dreams, she dreamed of the six races of Neo-Spacians… The strange creatures in Jaden’s deck…

Then her dreams turned strange…

She dreamed herself back in Neo-Space, but at a different location. It was deep in the jungle, far away from the beach. A futuristic building loomed some distance away…

And there was a duel going on.

And Yumi could tell that this time, the two duelists were not on very friendly terms.

One of them was a young man about Jaden’s age. He had a boyish face, spiky, black hair, and wore a black overcoat.

His opponent was more bizarre. It was a tall man dressed in a jacket that looked like it was sculpted out of silver, and black pants. He had no more hair on his head than an egg did.

Behind the young duelist, three Neo-Spacians were watching – one Aqua Dolphin, one Air Hummingbird, and one Flare Scarab – and they looked very frightened.

Yumi shuddered when she looked at the field. It was clear that the young man was losing. He had only 2,000 Life Points left, and his side of the field consisted of three defensive Monsters. Yumi recognized them as Ojama Yellow, Ojama Black, and Ojama Green.

This was pathetic compared to what his opponent had. His two Monsters were Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv 8 and Jinzo, one of the deadliest combinations in the game. He also had a facedown card. He had 5,000 Life Points remaining.

The bald man laughed.

“Look at yourself, Princeton…” he said. “How the mighty have fallen… Cowering behind those three pathetic runts… If you had any sense, you would have thrown them away years ago.”

“Eh, I’ve tried, they just won’t let me,” replied the duelist.

“You let your Monsters dictate your actions?” asked the man. “Heh… It’s a wonder to me why Jaden even let you come… Unless he wanted someone to lord over…”

“Listen, Ming the Clueless!” shouted the young man. “If you think you can waltz down here and start something, you’re dead wrong… Every one of us is more than ready to deal with anyone who threatens Neo-Space.”

He drew a card.

“Heh, heh… And you are really gonna regret that the Chazz found you first. I just drew the card that I traveled to the ends of the universe to find!”

“I’m so scared,” said his opponent. “I’d like to see you try to beat me with it.”

“Okay, I will,” said Chazz, lifting his Disk. “Since you destroyed them, you know that there are exactly three Dark Monsters in my Graveyard.

“Return Zombie… Dark Blade… And Chthonian Soldier.

“When there are three Dark Monsters in my grave, no more, no less…

“I can Special Summon THIS!”

He threw a card on his Disk, and an explosion lit up the jungle.

A huge Duel Monster that Yumi had never seen before appeared in front of the young duelist. It was a Dragon twenty feet tall, that seemed to be made as much of metal as it was of flesh, and was covered with blades, spikes, and knives. Its eyes glowed with dark energy. (2,800/1,000)

“What is that?” shouted the man.

“It’s the Armed Dark Dragon,” said Chazz. “Quite a looker, isn’t he? And he’s got a powerful ability. By removing a Dark Monster in my Graveyard from play, I can destroy any card on the field.”

His Chthonian Soldier slipped out of his discard slot.

“And I’m gonna start with your facedown card.”

The duelist gasped as his facedown card, revealed to be My Body as a Shield, was impaled by knives and blown apart.

“Figures,” said Chazz. “Now for your Dragon…”

Dark Blade slipped out of his Disk, and a volley of knives flew at Horus. The Black Flame Dragon screeched, and blew into bits.

“Third time’s the charm…” said Chazz, as he took Return Zombie out of his discard slot.

The volley of knives shot at Jinzo, and the android exploded.

“Since you can’t stop me from playing Spells any more,” he continued, “I think I’ll play Polymerization. Let’s go guys!”

He played the card, and the three Ojamas flew into the air…

With a crash, the huge form of Ojama King landed. (0/3,000)

“Now I’ll play an Equip Spell,” he said, placing a card in his Disk. “Shield Attack. When a Monster is Equipped with this, its Attack and Defense Scores switch…”

Ojama King glowed with energy, and its Attack Score rose to 3,000.

“Not much to say, huh?” asked Chazz. “Ojama King… Attack him directly with Ojama belly-flop drop!”

Ojama King leapt into the air, and hang for a few seconds. The invader looked up in fear…

With a crash, the huge Beast body-slammed into him, shaking the whole forest.

The man got up, holding his head…

…only to see Armed Dark Dragon looming over him.

The Dragon struck with his claw, and one smash ended the duel.

Yumi cried out in joy. She tried to run to the victor, but as she did, the scenery blurred and faded…

Slowly, she woke up.

She yawned.

Odd… she thought. I guess Jaden and his friends have to defend Neo-Space from time to time…

She shuddered.

Man, I hope that what I was seeing was something that happened in the past, and not something that just happened now…

There’s so much out there I don’t know about…

She yawned again.

She fell back asleep.



* * * * * * * * * *


Rasputin sat in an easy chair in his hotel room, his head bowed.

He poured vodka from a bottle that he had already drank two thirds of…

Not because he wanted it…

…but because he was trying to drown the voice out of his head.

Rasputin hated a lot of things, but his own qualities were among the things he hated most.

He hated the fact that he could be weak at times.

He had been hearing that accursed voice for so long. So many times, it had offered to help him, and so many times, he had given in, and said yes.

But the help it offered always came with a price.

It was there when the duel with Yumi had started, and he had said yes. That was where the Power Wall card had come from, he was certain of it.

And when he found himself in the Astral Plane, it offered help again. And he was frightened by the soothsayer’s strange powers… Enough to say yes…

It was a mistake. The help it gave him this time was to turn his fear into rage. So much that he made stupid mistakes throughout the whole duel…

And when he had been hit by the powerful direct attack, his rage was at its height. At this point, he couldn’t believe what he had said… Had he actually said the most blasphemous thing he could think of while standing on the body of a deceased god?

Blasphemy, sacrilege, and desecration of a god’s resting place in one single rant… Such vile words in such a consecrated place may well have been punished with death… He didn’t know why he was spared by the strange beings that looked over that place. Did the soothsayer intervene?

It was certainly not the one who had promised him help. It didn’t turn out to be much help at all.

He clutched his head, which was now pounding… The voice was still whispering into his ear…

“Get out of my head!” he screamed.

He threw the liquor bottle against the wall, and it shattered.

He closed his eyes. He lifted up his head slowly.

It was gone… For now… But it would return… It always returned…

He picked up the phone.

“Uhm, housekeeping?” he said, quietly. “Sorry to call at such a late hour… Yes, I know… I, uhm, dropped a liquor bottle and there’s glass all over the place… No, I’m perfectly all right.

“Thank you…”

He sighed.



* * * * * * * * * *


Four hours later…

It was six AM, the morning of Day Five…

…the last day to qualify for the finals.

On the street in the Restaurant District, two duelists were trying hard to do so. One was Olga, the other was Tucker.

Olga seemed to have the advantage. She had Dakini on her side of the field (2,700/2,400), while her opponent had nothing. But it was his turn.



(Olga: 3,000) -------------------- (Tucker: 5,100)


“Ready to throw in the towel?” asked Olga. “Your Golem is history, and I doubt you have anything else that can beat Dakini.”

“We’ll see,” said Tucker, drawing a card.

He played two cards, and a facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.

“That’ll do.”

Olga drew one card.

It was Ritual Weapon. Dakini couldn’t be Equipped with it – she was too powerful.

“Dakini, destroy his Monster!”

Cyber Angel Dakini flew at the facedown card. A cute, red robot with googly eyes and a huge gear on its back appeared on the card, right before it was smashed to pieces. Tucker cringed.



(O: 3,000) -------------------- (T: 3,900)


“All right, my move…” he said.

He drew a card.

“I play Ancient Gear Workshop. Now my Golem comes back to my hand.”

A card slipped out of his discard slot.

“And just how are you gonna summon it?” asked Olga.

“I’ll show you,” he replied. “I summon a second Red Gadget.”

He played the card, and a cute robot, looking much like the one that was just destroyed, appeared on the field. (1,300/1,500)

“Now I get to take Yellow Gadget from my deck,” he said, taking another card from his deck. “Next, I activate my Trap Card…”

His facedown card lifted.

“Ultimate Offering. Now I can pay 500 Life Points to summon Yellow Gadget…”

He played the card, and another cute robot appeared. This one was – obviously – yellow, with no face, and a gear through the center of its torso. (1,200/1,200)

“Now I can take Green Gadget from my deck,” he continued, taking another card from his deck. “And I’ll use Ultimate Offering again to summon it.”

Yet another cute robot appeared, this one appearing to have one big, green gear for a torso. (1,400/600)

“Normally that would mean I could search for another Red Gadget, but I don’t have a third one.

“Now I’ll use the effect of Ultimate Offering one more time… And sacrifice Red and Yellow… To summon Ancient Gear Golem!”

Two of the Gadgets vanished, and the mighty Golem towered over the field. (3,000/3,000)

Dakini looked up with a look of fear…

“Ancient Gear Golem…” he ordered, “attack her Cyber Angel!”

The Golem threw its mighty fist, and it slammed into Dakini, smashing her flat.

“Green Gadget, attack her directly!”

Green Gadget flew at Olga, and walloped her in the eye.

“Heh, heh…” said Tucker. “Your move…”



(O: 1,300) -------------------- (T: 2,400)


Olga slowly drew a card.

“All right…” she said. “I play… Pot of Greed!”

She played the card, and drew twice.

“Perfect,” she said. “I play Fulfillment of the Contract. Now I can bring Cyber Angel Idaten back.”

In a flash of light, Idaten appeared. (1,600/2,000)

“Now I get one Spell Card back… And I choose… Pot of Greed.

“Now I play it again…”

She drew two cards again.

“I play Machine Angel Ritual one more time,” she said. “I’ll sacrifice Idaten to summon Cyber Angel Benten!”

Idaten turned to metal, and slowly vanished…

In a bolt of lightning, Benten appeared, holding her fans. (1,800/1,500)

“Now I play… Ritual Weapon, to give her a boost.”

Tucker gasped, as Benten rose to (3,300/3,000).

“Benten…” ordered Olga, “destroy his Golem!”

Cyber Angel Benten leapt up, and delivered a savage kick to the Ancient Gear Golem. It toppled over, and smashed to pieces.

“It isn’t over!” shouted Tucker.

“Afraid it is,” said Olga. “Now you lose Life Points equal to your Golem’s Defense Score, which I believe is 3,000.”

Tucker shook in fear as Benten stared him in the eye…

He screamed as he erupted in green flames…

And then he collapsed.



(O: 500) -------------------- (T: 0)


Olga looked at her badge, which was now at Gold.

She walked up to Tucker, and bent over him. She planted a deep kiss on his lips.

His eyes opened wide, as green wisps of smoke escaped from where they met. Then he closed them and was still.

“Excellent work, my dear,” said a tired voice.

Olga turned around, and saw Rasputin, who was clutching his forehead.

“It’s done,” she mumbled.

“Yes…” he said with a sigh. “And that will be the last time you’ll have to use your old Cyber Angel Deck. At the finals, your real deck will shine again.

“And once Nicholas finds his target, all three of us will be in the finals…

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t strike at our foes one last time before they start…”

He looked at Tucker.

“I have a plan in mind to use a few things we’ve been saving… Which should be interesting at least…”

Olga looked at him.

“Rasputin…” she said. “How much did you have to drink last night?”

Rasputin sighed.

“A little…” he replied.

“A little?” said Olga, clearly not believing him. “Oh, come on. I know a hangover when I see one.”

“What difference does it make, Olga?” he asked. “It’s not like I intended to drive – ever since we’ve known each other, I’ve used a chauffer. And I don’t have to worry about liver disease.

“If I want to drink until I can’t see straight, I’m not hurting anyone except myself…

“Now why don’t you go get breakfast?”

Olga shook her head, and walked in the other direction.



* * * * * * * * * *


It was almost eleven o’clock when Yumi woke up again. She yawned and stretched. She hadn’t felt so refreshed for a long time.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she walked over to the computer her hotel room had provided, and turned it on. Checking her e-mail was always the first thing she did when she woke up.

“You’ve got mail!” exclaimed the familiar voice.

Yumi smiled, and clicked on the small mailbox. It was an e-mail from Sheena Arachne.

She read the e-mail.


Dear Ms. Mouto,

Congratulations! You have qualified as a finalist for this year’s tournament. I shake you warmly by the hand! By being one of the first to reach Gold, more opportunities open for you – the possibility to be crowned Queen of Games, with the five million dollar prize, and the biggest prize of all… Any wish that KaibaCorp can fulfill that your heart desires.

Tomorrow at noon, be by the front of your hotel with all your luggage. A limousine will arrive to take you to the special VIP accommodations, which you will find far more luxurious than your present ones.

Once that is done, you will receive instructions on attending the briefing for further instructions for the finals, where the true King – or Queen – of Games will be crowned.

If you have any questions, or need special arrangements, don’t hesitate to call the number provided below.

We await your arrival – the finals are going to be an event like nothing ever before, and you are the main attraction.

Sincerely,

Sheena Arachne


Yumi smiled.

“Yumi,” said the Pharaoh’s voice.

Yumi jumped slightly at this.

“Good grief,” she replied. “I’ve had cats that made more noise than you!”

“Sorry,” replied the Pharaoh, “but as you know, a lot has been happening lately…”

“Tell me about it,” she said.

He sighed.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” he said. “With each Shadow Charm that has been claimed, things have been coming back to me… Memories have been returning… Bits and pieces…”

He picked up Yumi’s deck, and looked though it until he found Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

“I see the two of them clearly now… Mahad and Mana…

“I see others too… So many I left behind…”

“Hey…” said Yumi, trying to put her hand on his shoulder (which was hard, since he was immaterial) “I know it’s hard… I promise you, I’ll do whatever it takes to help you get back to them…”

The Pharaoh sighed.

“And we have help, Yumi,” he said. “The Charms are taunting me, it seems. They’re letting me regain only bits and pieces of my memories about myself…

“But they’re letting me remember a lot about the Sorcerer Kings.”

He sat down.

“When I was Pharaoh, I knew about them. Everyone feared them, because they didn’t recognize anyone’s rule except their own. Anyone who tried to force them to was never seen again, unless they were dealing with Machius. He was generous enough to negotiate for a prisoner’s release. He was even kind enough to tell us that any dealings with them should be done peacefully… He told us that the ones who had gone to the others looking for a fight were enslaved…”

He sighed.

“He also told us that attempts at rescue were suicide, and warned us not to try it.

“We did try peaceful negotiations. But they refused to form alliances, saying they were quite happy the way they were.

“Then we sent scholars and sages, offering all manner of things for whatever knowledge they had accumulated. Some of them – but not all of them – were flattered enough to tell us a little, but not anything of great importance…

“One important thing we did find out… This information may be key…”

“I’m listening,” said Yumi.

“Well,” said the Pharaoh. “It seems that the Sorcerer Kings practiced a rare form of magic called Macroism, which was based on the theory that the universe was composed of eight basic building blocks, eight concepts, more or less…”

“So, I’m guessing that each of them specialized in one of them,” replied Yumi.

“Exactly,” said the Pharaoh, “and each Charm, if used correctly, can harness the power of that concept.

“The Sword of Tsunami represents Matter. The Cat’s Cradle Comb, the one owned by Olga, represents Energy.

“Erik’s Amulet of the Mind represents Thought, while Sam’s Ring of Spirits represents Time.

“Nicholas’s Gale Shield represents Order, while Ren’s Horn of Chance represents the opposing force, Chaos.”

She paused.

“The Crown of Souls represents a more powerful force… Life.”

Yumi paused. She took the Crown from the side of the desk, and looked at it.

“Wait…” she muttered. “Does that mean that the Rod of the Ancients represents Death?”

“Not quite…” replied the Pharaoh. “We learned the specifics about this from Machius, because no-one was ever brave enough to approach Unus. The rumors of the dark magic he possessed frightened even the hardiest of mortals…

“The Rod’s power more properly represents Entropy. Destruction and decay.

“Your Charm creates… Rasputin’s Charm… destroys.”

“Wonderful,” muttered Yumi. “Rasputin just got even more dangerous. We have to…”

“You’ve got mail!” said the computer.

“Huh?” said Yumi.

She turned, and clicked on the message.

She read:


Princess of Games,

I am holding Ren and Chelsea hostage. They were no match for me.

If you want to see them again, come to the roof of the Serpent Complex Pavilion. Tell the Centurions, and their souls will be sent to the darkness.

Bring your Disk and the Crown of Souls.


There was no signature.

“No…” muttered Yumi.

“Yumi…” the Pharaoh. “Beware… This has trap written all over it…”

“So I see…” said Yumi, taking out her cell phone.

Fear turned to panic after calls to Ren and Chelsea resulted in no answer.

Yumi got up and started looking for some fresh clothes.

Hang on guys, she thought, I’m coming…



* * * * * * * * * *


Half an hour later, Yumi was in the Shopping District, running towards the Serpent Complex Pavilion, a huge shopping center with a giant statue of a Sinister Serpent on the top.

As she reached the front doors, she almost collided with Sam.

“Get out of my way, Yumi!” screamed her rival.

“What’s the matter, Sam?” replied Yumi.

“What’s the matter?” shouted Sam. “Erik’s been kidnapped!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” replied Yumi. “Erik too? So has Ren and Chelsea.”

There was a pause.

“Sam, calm down…” she said. “Whoever is behind this must be very powerful to have beaten all three of them…”

“Well, I’m gonna get him back,” said Sam. “No-one messes with Samantha St. Clare Arachne!”

She walked into the lobby and headed towards the elevator.

“Your middle name is St. Clare?” asked Yumi, as they both got in the elevator. “I… never knew that…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Five minutes later, the door to the roof bust open, and Yumi and Sam rushed out.

They stopped short. Ren, Chelsea, and Erik were sitting in the center of the roof, their hands tied behind their backs, and their eyes and mouths closed with duct tape.

Sam fumed with anger. She ran towards them.

“Sam, wait!” shouted Yumi.

Sam didn’t wait. Yumi ran after her.

As the two of them approached, the three hostages blurred, and vanished.

Yumi paused, puzzled.

“A hologram?” she mused.

“A very good hologram, I must say, Yumi old girl,” said a familiar voice. “These Disks are quite the cutting edge.”

Yumi and Sam spun around.

Two people they knew were behind them. One was Marlon, still dressed in his prim clothing. The other, contrasting against Marlon’s formal look, was Tucker, leaning casually against a vent.

“Tucker…” growled Sam.

“Nice to see you too,” he replied.

“Marlon, what’s going on?” asked Yumi.

“Before you two worry yourselves too much,” replied Marlon, “the kidnapping thing was all a big ruse. We slipped your friends a note and a coupon for a free lunch at a seafood restaurant. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet today. Our employer is buying.”

“Erik never could resist shrimp…” muttered Sam. “Damn, he’s gonna get fat on me…”

“They’re likely having a ball,” said Tucker. “You guys ain’t so lucky… The only way out is past us, and we’re not budging until you duel us.

“And once we pummel you, we’ll be taking your Charms…”

Yumi’s eyes narrows.

“Your employer…” she said. “Marlon… You can’t be working for Rasputin, you would never…”

She stopped short…

She remembered something…

After Rasputin and Marlon had dueled, the two of them shook hands… And then something had been wrong with Marlon’s hand…

“Arthritis my butt,” she muttered. “Rasputin must have been wearing a ring or something… He used it to transmit a poison of some sort…

“Anastasia?”

Anastasia appeared next to her. Sam looked up, noticing her.

“Can what you did for Felicia work on these two?” asked Yumi.

“Well… In theory, yes…” replied Anastasia. “But the same restriction is in effect.”

Yumi sighed.

“It’s never easy…” she muttered. “Just once I’d like it to be easy…

“Feel like a two-on-two, Sam? I mean, it’s not like we have much of a choice… In physical confrontations between burly British explorers and petite teenage schoolgirls, petite teenage schoolgirls don’t usually win.”

“Tucker doesn’t look like a pushover either…” muttered Sam. “Eh… why not? I beat this clown once, I can do it again…”

She quickly opened the pouch that contained her side deck, and took a couple of cards from it. Then she removed the same number of cards from her deck, made a switch, and reshuffled.

“Just try not to drag me down!” shouted Sam.

The four of them stood apart in a rectangular pattern… Simultaneously, four Disks activated.

“Hey…” said Yumi with a chuckle. “There was once a time when Fiends and Dark Spellcasters went together in a deck like two peas in a pod. Dark Magician and Dark Ruler Ha Des were once practically brothers.”

“Game on!” all four of them shouted at once.



(Yumi: 8,000) ----- (Sam: 8,000) ----- (Marlon: 8,000) ----- (Tucker: 8,000)


“I’ll start this show,” said Marlon, making his first draw.

He carefully looked over his first hand.

“I place one card facedown, and a Monster in Defense Mode.”

A facedown Spell or Trap appeared in front of him, followed by a facedown Monster.

“I end my turn.”

“My move!” said Yumi, drawing a card.

She played three of them.

“I toss two cards facedown on the field, and toss Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer out in Attack Mode.”

Two facedown cards appeared, and the bald, scarred monk materialized in a burst of darkness. His eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms. (1,800/700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en002.jpg


“I’m not allowed to attack until everyone has drawn once, so I’ll end my turn there.”

“Then it’s my move!” said Tucker, drawing a card.

“And I summon my Hammer Golem in Attack Mode.”

In a cloud of dust, a Machine that neither Yumi nor Sam had ever seen before appeared. It was similar to Ancient Gear Soldier in outline, but bulkier, in gunmetal grey armor, with a hammer in place of one hand, and a pick in place of the other. (1,500/1,000)

“That doesn’t seem so tough,” said Sam.

“Looks can be deceiving,” said Tucker. “It can resist being destroyed – by anything – twice. However, in exchange for that, I have to pay 1,000 Life Points if I want to attack with it.

“I end MY turn.”

“Then watch out!” shouted Sam.

She drew a card.

“I summon The Bistro Butcher!”

She played the card, and the fiendish chef appeared, holding his cleaver. (1,800/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en063.jpg


Okay… she thought. I’m free to attack, so… Let’s see…

Can resist being destroyed, twice, huh?

“Butcher, attack the Hammer Golem!”

The Bistro Butcher cackled, and made a swipe with its cleaver, smashing off a chunk of Hammer Golem’s armor. Tucker cringed.

“Don’t celebrate yet,” he replied. “Since your Butcher damaged my Life Points, I get two cards.”

He made two draws.

“Whatever,” said Sam. “I’ll set one card facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared.

“Our side is stacked already, and you two have barely anything. This duel is as good as ours.”



(Y: 8,000) ----- (S: 8,000) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 7,700)


“Or so you’d like to believe…” replied Marlon. “True, I don’t have much, but what I do have is incredibly powerful…”

He drew one card.

“I flip my Babycerasaurus into Attack Mode.”

The Monster Card in front of him turned, and flipped up, and a small form materialized on the field. It looked like a baby triceratops, wearing an eggshell the way most infants would wear a diaper. It looked at Sam and Yumi with an adorable smile. (500/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en022.jpg


“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Sam. “Oh, I get it… You’re trying to make us laugh until we collapse, is that it?”

“Sam, watch out…” cautioned Yumi. “Low Attack Points usually means powerful effect…”

“Indeed,” replied Marlon. “Next, I’m going to use my Destroyersaurus.”

He discarded one of his cards.

“By discarding Destroyersaurus to the Graveyard, I get to take a certain Spell Card from my deck…”

He looked through his deck, and got what he wanted.

“Now I’ll play it,” he said, opening his Field Slot. “Jurassic World!”

In a burst of energy, the rooftop faded away, and a primitive jungle sprang up around them. Haze filled the air, dinosaurs trudged by in the distance, and an active volcano was far behind Marlon.

“In this place, all Dinosaurs gain 300 to both Scores,” explained Marlon, as Babycerasaurus rose to (800/800). “But that won’t matter in a minute…

“I move right to my End Phase, and then activate this…”

His facedown card lifted.

“Volcanic Eruption!”

Suddenly, the volcano behind him blew its top. Fire filled the sky, and burning rocks crashed onto the playing field. First, Kycoo, then The Bistro Butcher, and then Babycerasaurus were incinerated. Then Yumi’s facedown A Hero Emerges and Mirror Force and Sam’s facedown Option Hunter were blown to pieces. Finally, Jurassic World itself went up in flames, and collapsed into ash.

“Marlon…” gasped Yumi. “What did you do?”

“Volcanic Eruption is a powerful Trap that I can only play during my End Phase when Jurassic World is active,” said Marlon. “As you saw, it destroyed every card on the field.

“Well… almost every card.”

“Why do you think I only summoned my Hammer Golem?” asked Tucker, with a grin. “As you can see, he survived.”

“And we have someone else,” continued Marlon. “Since Babycerasaurus was just destroyed by a card effect, its effect activates, letting me Special Summon a Dinosaur from my deck, so long as it’s Level Four or less…

“So I’ll summon Sabersaurus!”

In a flash of light, the armored, fiercer relative of the triceratops appeared, and growled. (1,900/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en002.jpg


“Well, Sam…” muttered Yumi. “As one great mind once said, we may be in deep do-do…”

She drew a card.

No kidding… she thought. Marlon has gotten better, and I’d wager Tucker has too… Rasputin may even have strengthened their decks…

“I summon Magician’s Valkyria.”

She played another card, and Valkyria appeared. (1,600/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/jump-en009.jpg


“Valkyria… Destroy Tucker’s Hammer Golem!”

Valkyria fired her burning blast, and with no armor left to shield it, Hammer Golem was blown to pieces.



(Y: 8,000) ----- (S: 8,000) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 7,600)


“I end my turn,” said Yumi.

“Then it’s my move…” said Tucker.

He drew a card. He smirked.

“First…” he said, “I play Graceful Charity. I’m sure everyone here knows how that works…”

The card glowed, and he drew three cards. He discarded two of them very quickly.

That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone decide what to discard, thought Yumi. He’s up to something…

“Next…” said Tucker, “I’ll conjure up my Ancient Gear Castle.”

He placed a card in his Disk, and with a loud, rumbling noise, a huge structure rose out of the floor behind him. It was a crazy, clockwork castle, full of gears, gaskets, and sprockets, with cannons mounted on its towers.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd10-en023.jpg


“Now, any Monster with the word ‘Ancient’ in its name gains 300 extra Attack Points. And I’ll play Premature Burial to summon one back.”

He played the card, and in a burst of dirt and dust, Ancient Gear Soldier rose up again. (1,300/1,300) –> (1,600/1,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tlm-en008.jpg


“And I’m not done,” he continued. “Next I’ll summon Barrier Statue of the Drought.”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



He played the card, and a large monolith appeared next to Ancient Gear Soldier. It was a stone statue of a muscular man with a rhino’s head, mounted on a pedestal. (1,000/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0221.jpg


A torch in one of the windows of the Castle lit up.

“I know…” said Tucker, “you’re wondering what the Statue does, right? Well, so long as it’s on the field, all players are forbidden to Special Summon Monsters, unless they happen to be Earth Monsters.

“My partner and I have almost ALL Earth Monsters. I doubt either of you have even one.”

“Yeah?” asked Sam. “Well, your Statue has only 1,000 Attack Points, so it won’t be lasting very long.”

“Oh, right,” said Tucker, playing a card. “Thanks for reminding me… I play Mist Body. So long as it’s Equipped with this, my Statue can’t be destroyed in battle.”

A misty aura surrounded the Barrier Statue.

“Now I have something for you… Two direct attacks! Ancient Gear Soldier, attack Sam directly! Rapid-fire shot!”

The Soldier blasted its gun, and Sam doubled over in pain as they stabbed into her chest.

“Barrier Statue, attack her with dust blast!”

The Statue opened its mouth, and breathed a blast of sand and grit, knocking Sam over.

“One card facedown, and my turn ends,” he said.

A facedown card appeared.



(Y: 8,000) ----- (S: 5,400) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 6,800)


“Uh, Sam?” asked Yumi. “I’m guessing that asking if you were okay would be cruel…”

“Shut up, Yumi…” said Sam, getting up.

She drew a card.

She looked at the Castle.

Swell, she thought. Normal Summoning is just going to help him… And I can’t Special Summon… Could this get any worse?

“I summon… Gil Garth,” she said.

In a burst of energy, the robotic Fiend appeared, brandishing its scimitar. (1,800/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le4_004.jpg


A second torch lit in another window of the Castle.

“Smash his Soldier!” she shouted.

Gil Garth obeyed, making a slash with its sword, cutting the Machine down the center. The pieces fell apart, and then shattered.

“That’ll do…” she muttered.



(Y: 8,000) ----- (S: 5,400) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 6,600)


“Then the turn comes to me,” said Marlon, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

“I’ll place a card facedown to start,” he said, setting a card. “And then I’ll play… Side Attack.”

A facedown card, and then an odd Spell Card appeared.

“Side Attack?” said Yumi. “What’s that?”

“A special card for team duels, Yumi,” replied Marlon. “Now, you can only target my field, and Sam can only target Tucker’s.

“My partner and I, however, gain a bonus… We can attack either of you directly if even ONE of you lacks Monsters.”

“No fair!” shouted Sam. “That’s playing dirty!”

“It’s a perfectly legit card,” replied Marlon with a shrug.

The Pharaoh appeared beside Yumi.

“That is true,” he said. “It’s perfectly legal. But I agree with Sam, it is playing dirty… Neither Sam nor the two of us came here knowing this would be a two-on-two, but Marlon and Tucker have apparently prepared in advance. There’s no telling what advantages they may have.”

“Bad guys aren’t known for playing fair,” said Yumi. “Any ideas?”

“Well, it all depends on how well we can work with Sam,” he replied.

“We are doomed…” muttered Yumi.

“Sabersaurus…” commanded Marlon, “attack Yumi’s Magician’s Valkyria!”

The Dinosaur charged like a rhino at the young Spellcaster. She screamed as it rammed into her with its horn, and she shattered.



(Y: 7,700) ----- (S: 5,400) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 6,600)


“Heh, heh…” chuckled Marlon. “I end my turn…”

“And I start mine!” shouted Yumi.

She drew a card.

“So, I can only attack you, Marlon? I see no problem with that…

“I play Monster Reborn… And if I can only Special Summon Earth Monsters, I’ll use it to summon Babycerasaurus from your Graveyard.”

She played the card, and the young Dinosaur appeared in a flash of light (500/500).

“Now… I sacrifice it, to summon Chaos Command Magician!”

Valkyria vanished in a burst of energy, and the powerful Chaos Mage appeared, glowing with light. (2,400/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en123.jpg


A third torch lit in the Ancient Gear Castle.

“Destroy his Sabersaurus!” shouted Yumi. “Chaos magic!”

Chaos Command Magician aimed his scepter.

“Hold it right there!” shouted Marlon. “I activate… Magic Cylinder!”

Yumi’s eyes opened wide as Marlon’s facedown card lifted.

“It throws your chaos magic in reverse…” he said.

Two cylinders appeared in mid-air. Chaos Command Magician fired his blast, and one of them caught it. Then the other one fired a blast at Yumi like a cannon, and she was propelled backwards.



(Y: 5,300) ----- (S: 5,400) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 6,600)


Yumi slowly got up.

“I have to end my turn…” she muttered.

Tucker drew a card.

He smirked.

“First, I move my Barrier Statue to Defense Mode, just to be safe,” he said.

Barrier Statue of the Drought crossed its arms in Defense.

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… I sacrifice the Ancient Gear Castle itself…”

The torches in Ancient Gear Castle burned fiercely. Then the Castle itself burst into an explosion of shards.

“To summon… Ancient Gear Golem!”

In a dark shadow, the huge Golem loomed over the field. Its single optic sensor glowed red as it glared at Sam and her Monster. (3,000/3,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd10-en012.jpg


“Not bad, old sport,” said Marlon. “Just remember… As ancient as your Machines are, my Monsters are older still.”

“Your Monsters are extinct, Marlon,” replied Tucker. “Mine are hundreds of years old, and still running smoothly. Unlike yours, they were built to last.

“Anyway… Golem, attack Gil Garth with mechanized melee!”

Ancient Gear Golem raised its fist, and then threw a mighty punch. Gil Garth crumpled like it was tinfoil.



(Y: 5,300) ----- (S: 4,200) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 6,600)


“Any ideas, Yumi?” asked Sam.

“Don’t give up, Sam!” replied Yumi. “Remember, my grandfather was in a situation like this with your great uncle!”

She paused.

“Of course, back then, your great uncle had Obelisk… He’s someone who’d be useful to have right about now…”

“I don’t need any dumb old God Card…” muttered Sam, making a draw.

She looked at the card.

“I play… Graceful Charity,” she said.

Her deck glowed with energy, and she drew three cards.

She lifted an eyebrow when she saw what one of them was. She took it, and discarded it along with another card that was already in her hand.

“I set two cards facedown, and then summon Opticlops in Attack Mode,” she said.

Two facedown cards appeared in flashes of light, and then, the muscular, one-eyed ogre appeared. (1,800/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en131.jpg


“That’s my turn,” she said.

Marlon drew a card.

“Hmm…” he said.

“What hmmm?” asked Yumi. “I don’t like hmmm.”

Marlon played a card.

“I sacrifice my Sabersaurus in order to play a Spell Card,” he said, as Sabersaurus vanished. “It’s called Big Evolution Pill.

“This card stays on the field until my opponent has had three turns. Unfortunately, in this type of duel, both of my opponents count, meaning I can only use its effect for two of my turns.

“But… For when I can, I’m allowed to Normal Summon a high-level Dinosaur without making any sacrifices.

“And I’m going to summon this one… My Saurobeast Brachion.”

He played the card, and a titanic creature loomed over the field. It looked like a demonic Apatosaurus or Diplodocus, or some other giant herbivorous dinosaur, with a small head on a long neck, huge body, and long tail. (1,500/3,000)

“Uhm, okay…” gulped Yumi. “That’s certainly… big… But it has only 1,500 Attack Points. It can’t beat our Monsters.”

“It has help,” replied Marlon. “I play the Spell Card, Tail Swing. I can only use this when I have a Dinosaur on the field that’s at least Level Five, and my Brachion is Level Eight. Now, I can send two Monsters on the field that are a lower level than said Dinosaur back to their owners’ hands.”

Brachion lashed with its tail, creating a gust of wind. Chaos Command Magician and Opticlops staggered against the force, and then vanished. Their cards appeared back in Yumi and Sam’s hands.

“Brachion…” ordered Marlon, “attack Yumi directly!”

“Here it comes…” muttered Yumi.

Brachion charged forward, causing the rooftop to tremble…

“Don’t worry, Yumi,” said Tucker, “I’ve got your back… Or rather, Sam does…”

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate Revolving Stage. Since Side Attack is on the field, Sam will be the one taking that hit.”

“Say WHAT?” shouted Sam. “That is the dirtiest…”

And then she was cut short as the huge herbivore slammed into her. She was thrown ten feet backwards, and fell on her back.



(Y: 5,300) ----- (S: 2,700) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 6,600)


“Is it possible?” asked Sam, sitting up. “Could it be possible that I hate him even more now than I did before?”

“Tucker!” scolded Marlon. “I do NOT believe that was part of the plan!”

“Sorry, old dude,” said Tucker, “but this babe humiliated me twice now. You take your shots when you can.”

“Tucker, I was against working with a rogue like you from the start,” said Marlon. “Our goal is to defeat them to take their Charms, not some silly desire for revenge. Now stick to the plan, before they manage to find some flaw in it!”

Well, well… thought Yumi. Seems there is a weakness…

“Anything else, Marlon?” she asked.

Marlon looked at his cards.

“No…” he muttered.

Yumi drew a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity,” she said. “Man, this is getting repetitive…”

She played the card, and the lovely angel materialized behind her. Her feathers showered on her deck, and she drew two cards.

Hmm… thought Yumi. A plan is starting to form…

She looked at Barrier Statue of the Drought.

I’ve just got to hope Sam finds a solution to that problem fast…

She discarded two cards.

“I summon my second Magician’s Valkyria,” she said.

Another Valkyria, seemingly a twin of the first, appeared in a burst of light. (1,600/1,800)

“Sorry, Yumi,” said Marlon, “but my Monster won’t be taken down so easily. As soon as your Monster appears, it moves into Defense Mode.”

Brachion sat down and curled up, as two spiny, wing-like protrusions sprouted from its shoulders.

“Dang…” muttered Yumi.

She took another card from her hand and placed it in her Disk. A facedown card appeared.

“I end my turn…” she said, nervously.

Those facedown cards Sam has had better be good ones, or she’s a goner… One smash from that Golem, and she’s out of this duel…

And there’s no way I can beat both of them on my own…

Tucker drew a card.

“Now I’m gonna finish you off, Sam!” he shouted. “And I’m gonna put some serious marks on your friend while I’m at it…”

“I move my Barrier Statue to Attack Mode, and summon a second Ancient Gear Soldier.”

Barrier Statue of the Drought uncrossed its arms, and another Soldier appeared. (1,300/1,300)

“GO!” shouted Sam, as one of her facedown cards lifted. “Shadow Spell!”

A mass of chains shot up from the ground, looping around Ancient Gear Golem. It struggled, but was secured to the ground, and its Attack Score fell to 2,300.

“Okay, fine!” shouted Tucker. “I can still attack you with my other…”

“I activate my other Trap!” shouted Sam, as her other facedown card lifted. “Call of the Haunted!”

“Weren’t you listening a few minutes ago?” asked Tucker. “You can’t Special Summon anything.”

“WRONG,” replied Sam. “I can Special Summon an Earth Monster. And you were wrong when you said my deck didn’t have any…”

Three separate tombstones appeared in front of Sam…

Then, three tall creatures with green, scaly skin, bald, knobbed craniums, and pointed ears, wearing armor and holding spears, rose up in front of her. (2,200/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en020.jpg


“Goblin Elite Attack Force?” shouted Tucker.

“Yep,” said Sam. “I put them in my Graveyard when I played Graceful Charity. And they’re no less an Earth Monster than your guys.”

“Ooh!” cursed Tucker. “I end my turn! Even with your Shadow Spell, those guys aren’t strong enough to destroy my Golem!”

“Sam…” said Yumi, “it’s up to you… I don’t think I can take down a Monster with 3,000 Defense Points without Special Summoning…”

Sam drew a card.

“It’s all taken care of…” she said.

“I play… Mystical Space Typhoon. And my target is… your Statue’s Mist Body!”

She played the card, and the cyclone blew forward, blowing the mist right off the Barrier Statue.

“Now…” she said. “I sacrifice my Goblins…”

Goblin Elite Attack Force shattered into pixels.

“…to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

In a burst of shadow, the mighty ruler of Fiends loomed over the field, casting his shadow on Tucker.

He eyed Tucker, and frowned. (2,450/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod_001.jpg


“Oh, look…” said Sam, with a chuckle. “I think he remembers you from our last duel.

“Ha Des… smash his Barrier Statue! Stygian blast!”

Dark Ruler Ha Des blasted his bolt of black flames, and the Barrier Statue of the Drought shattered into shards of rock.



(Y: 5,300) ----- (S: 2,700) ----- (M: 8,000) ----- (T: 5,150)


“So what now, ‘partner’?” asked Tucker, sarcastically. “I seem to remember that putting that dumb statue in my deck was your idea.”

“Tucker, get a hold of yourself!” shouted Marlon. “If we start arguing, we’ll lose for certain! Need I remind you, this is exactly what happened to Lumis and Umbra? You know what happened to them…”

Tucker paused. He gulped.

“And it’s my move…” continued Marlon.

He drew a card.

“I use the effect of Big Evolution Pill again,” he said, “to summon… Black Tyranno!”

With a bellowing roar, Black Tyranno materialized on the field. (2,600/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-0751.jpg


“That’s just what I was waiting for, Marlon,” said Yumi. “Trap Card, activate…”

Her facedown card lifted…

A black coffin appeared on her side of the field, and the lid opened. With a fierce rush of air, both Magician’s Valkyria and Black Tyranno were sucked inside it, and the lid slammed closed.

“What in blazes…” said Marlon.

“It’s called Dark Renewal,” replied Yumi. “My grandpa got this very card from Arcana in Battle City as a result of the ante rule. He could have taken his Dark Magician, but he didn’t want it… His deck’s Dark Magician didn’t share the spotlight with anyone.

“What this Trap does is activate when you summon a Monster. Now I can sacrifice that Monster along with one of mine to summon a Spellcaster from my Graveyard. And I put a good one there using Graceful Charity…”

The coffin glowed with eldritch energy…

“Dark Magician… You’re on!”

The lid opened, and Dark Magician stepped out. (2,500/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-001.jpg


“Lovely…” muttered Tucker. “Now the aces of both their decks are on the field.”

Marlon nervously looked at his other cards.

“I have to end my turn…” he muttered. “I still have my Brachion!”

The Big Evolution Pill card vanished.

“Soon to change…” said Yumi, drawing a card.

She quickly added it to her hand.

“I summon Skilled Dark Magician,” she said.

The mage in a bulky, black robe appeared on the field. (1,900/1,700)

“But he isn’t staying,” she continued. “Next, I play Magical Dimension. I sacrifice him, and bring Dark Magician Girl to the field.”

Skilled Dark Magician vanished into grains of light, and Dark Magician Girl appeared in a flurry of sparkles. She pirouetted and winked at Dark Magician. (2,000/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc_000_1st.jpg


“And as per the second effect of Magical Dimension, I can destroy one Monster,” continued Yumi.

Marlon shielded himself as Brachion exploded into a burst of shards.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:




“You’ve got nothing left, Marlon!” shouted Yumi. “Dark Magician… Dark Magician Girl… double dark magic attack!”

The two sorcerers leapt into the air, and then clashed their staffs together. A thunderous blast shot from where they met, striking Marlon and knocking him backwards in an explosion that nearly drowned out his scream.



(Y: 5,300) ----- (S: 2,700) ----- (M: 3,500) ----- (T: 5,150)


“Well…” said Yumi, smugly, crossing her arms. “It’s about time you lost some Life Points.”

“Yumi, be careful,” said the Pharaoh’s voice.

Yumi looked at him.

“Do not gloat too much,” said the spirit. “Keep in mind that both of them are victims.”

“I know, I know…” muttered Yumi, “but I really didn’t need this today…”

“While you’re picking yourself up, I’ll move…” muttered Tucker.

He made a draw.

“I’ll move Ancient Gear Soldier to Defense Mode, to start…”

The Soldier knelt, and held its gun on its lap.

“Then another Monster in Defense Mode…”

He played a card, and it appeared facedown.

“Then I set a card facedown.”

A facedown card appeared behind his Monsters.

He glared at Sam.

Sam drew a card.

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

She made two draws.

She was a little surprised to see what one of them was. It was one of the cards from her side deck…

She looked at Tucker with an evil grin…

“Look at this, Tucker!” she said, showing him the card. “I drew my Electric Virus! I put it in my deck just for you…”

She discarded the card.

“By sending it to the Graveyard, I can take control of one opposing Dragon or Machine for one round…”

“You can’t!” shouted Tucker.

“I can, and I will,” replied Sam. “So hand over your Golem!”

Electricity sparked all over the bound Golem, and it tore itself free from the chains, and walked over to Sam’s side of the field.

“Now…” said Sam. “To get rid of it… I sacrifice your junk heap…”

Ancient Gear Golem dissolved into particles of light.

“…in order to summon Lesser Fiend.”

With a roar, the hulking, four-armed Fiend rose where the Golem had been. (2,100/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-003.jpg


“Lesser Fiend, destroy his Soldier!”

Lesser Fiend grabbed the Ancient Gear Soldier with all four arms, and literally tore it apart. The pieces shattered into bits.

“Ha Des, destroy his last Monster!”

The Dark Ruler fired his Stygian blast at the facedown Monster. An Ancient Gear appeared on the card, and was vaporized.

Sam placed a card on her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Marlon, think of something…” said Tucker, nervously. “They’ve got four powerful Monsters, and we’ve got none…”

Marlon sweat as he drew a card.

“I play my own Pot of Greed,” he said, playing the card.

He drew two cards. He looked at them.

“I set one card facedown, and then play Monster Reborn. I’ll bring back my Sabersaurus.

In a burst of light, the armored Dinosaur appeared again. (1,900/500)

“You have no more cards, so it’s my move…” said Yumi.

She drew a card.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode…” she said, setting a Monster.

“Dark Magician Girl, attack…”

“Not so fast, Yumi!” exclaimed Marlon. “I activate… Zero Gravity!”

His Trap Card lifted.

“Now, all Monsters on the field switch Modes.”

Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Dark Ruler Ha Des, Sabersaurus, and Lesser Fiend all crouched in Defense Mode.

“Hey, not bad!” said Tucker.

“A little something I often combo with Black Tyranno,” muttered Marlon. “I gave you a chance, Tucker… Now don’t waste it.”

“I have to end my turn,” muttered Yumi.

Tucker drew a card.

“Guess what, Marlon?” he said. “We’re gonna turn this duel around right now…”

“Oh?” asked Sam. “How? Your Golem has been junked.”

“True…” said Tucker, with an evil glint in his eye, “but I have in my hand, two medieval Machines that are even stronger than the Ancient Gear Golem!”

“What?” gasped Sam. “There’s no such thing!”

“Prepare to believe…” said Tucker. “First, I’ll summon Red Gadget…”

He played the card, and Red Gadget materialized in a burst of light. (1,300/1,500)

“And just by summoning him,” he said, taking his deck, “I get to search my deck for Yellow Gadget.

“Next, I activate… Ultimate Offering.”

His facedown card lifted.

“Now I’ll pay 500 Life Points to summon Yellow Gadget.”

Tucker glowed with red energy. In another flash, Yellow Gadget appeared. (1,200/1,200)

“That means I get to search my deck for Green Gadget,” he said, taking another card from his deck. Then I’ll use the effect of my Trap Card to summon him as well.”

Tucker glowed again, and Green Gadget appeared on the field. (1,400/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd10-en007.jpg
http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd10-en008.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/sd10-en006.jpg


“Three toy robots,” muttered Sam. “I’m so scared…”

“Sam…” said Yumi. “You should know better than anyone that Monsters that look like toys can be deadly…”

“Uh, heh, heh…” chuckled Sam. “Uhm, touché…”

Her facedown card lifted.

“I activate Gift of the Mystical Elf!” she shouted.

The gentle form of Mystical Elf appeared behind her, and cast a spell.

“Now I gain 300 Life Points for every Monster on the field, and I see nine total.”

She glowed with energy as her Life Points went up.

“It won’t help you,” snarled Tucker. “Because now, I use the effect of Ultimate Offering a third time, and sacrifice Green and Yellow, to summon… the Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon!”

Tucker glowed again, Green Gadget and Yellow Gadget vanished, and a huge, shadowy form rose into the air behind tucker. It was like something out of a nightmare… It looked like a makeshift mechanical dragon cobbled together from broken gears, bent metal, and pieces of junk. Its wings didn’t look like they were capable of keeping a small creature – much less one this big – airborne, but it was flying nonetheless. (3,000/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd10-en001.jpg


“Ho boy…” muttered Sam.

“I’m not done…” said Tucker. “I promised you two powerful Monsters, remember? I use Ultimate Offering one last time, and sacrifice Red Gadget, to summon the Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera!”

Tucker glowed with energy again, Red Gadget vanished, and another nightmarish contraption appeared. Like the Dragon, it looked like it had been cobbled together from spare parts, and its shape suggested a mechanical cross between an ape and a great cat. It had three small heads on the front with cold, inhuman eyes. (2,300/1,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd10-en002.jpg


(Y: 5,300) ----- (S: 5,400) ----- (M: 3,500) ----- (T: 3,150)


“I kinda liked the Golem better…” muttered Sam.

“Allow me to explain how these two terrors of technology work,” continued Tucker. “The Dragon, no matter how it’s summoned, has the same effect as most Ancient Gear Monsters… He prevents you from activating Traps and Spells during the Battle Phase.

“As for other effects… If they’re summoned by sacrificing Gadgets, they gain effects depending on the types of Gadget.

“So, since I sacrificed a Green Gadget to summon my Dragon, it gains a trampling effect, just like the Golem.

“And since I also sacrificed a Yellow Gadget, it inflicts 600 points of damage to the owner of any Monster it destroys.

“As for my Chimera… Since I summoned it by sacrificing a Red Gadget, it deals 500 extra points of damage whenever it deals battle damage.

“Enough talk… Chimera… Attack Dark Ruler Ha Des with toxic blast!”

The Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera opened its three mouths and vomited three blasts of toxic sludge at Ha Des. The Fiend ruler screamed, and then melted into a stinking puddle of ichor.

“You’ll pay for that…” growled Sam.

“Just send me the bill…” replied Tucker. “Dragon… Wipe out her Lesser Fiend with mechanized molten blast!”

Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon roared, and opened its jaws. Flames appeared in its throat…

A volley of white hot spheres of burning plasma shot towards Sam’s side of the field, eradicating Lesser Fiend and throwing Sam off her feet.



(Y: 5,300) ----- (S: 2,800) ----- (M: 3,500) ----- (T: 3,150)


Sam got up, clutching her chest in pain.

“Heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Tucker. “Your move…”

Sam nervously drew a card.

She looked at it closely for a minute.

“I play… Monster Reborn,” she said.

She played the card, and the glowing ankh appeared over her.

“Heh, heh,” chuckled Tucker. “Nothing in your Graveyard can help you…”

“Maybe not…” replied Sam. “But one in your partner’s Graveyard will help…”

Marlon looked surprised as his discard slot started to glow…

Then, Saurobeast Brachion loomed over Sam, and curled up in Defense Mode. (1,500/3,000)

“Three-thousand Defense Points, Tucker!” said Sam, crossing her arms. “Your Dragon’s trampling effect is worthless if it can’t beat a Monster’s Defense!”

“Very smart, Samantha…” muttered Marlon. “But it’s my move now…”

He drew a card.

He quickly placed it facedown, and it appeared. Sabersaurus moved back into Attack Mode.

“Sabersaurus, attack Yumi’s Dark Magician Girl!”

Sabersaurus charged and the whole roof shook. Dark Magician Girl covered her head with her hands before she was run down and smashed.

Yumi clutched her heart. That had hurt more than when he had done it in their first duel…

She slowly drew a card…

“I first move Dark Magician into Attack Mode…” she said.

Dark Magician stood up.

“Then I flip my facedown Monster… my Morphing Jar!”

Her facedown Monster flipped up. The Morphing Jar appeared and cackled. (700/600)

“Now every one of us has to toss every card and draw five. It’s a benefit to everyone, but I had no choice.”

Everyone discarded the rest of their cards (except Marlon, who had none) and drew five.

Yumi looked over her cards, and then took one.

“Next I play… Premature Burial.”

She played the card, and Dark Magician Girl appeared in a sparkle of light. She smiled sweetly, as if nothing had happened. (2,000/1,700)

“I activate my Trap Card!” shouted Marlon, as his facedown card lifted. “It’s called Hunting Instinct. Since you just Special Summoned a Monster, I get to Special Summon one.

“So behold… Dark Driceratops!”

The rooftop rumbled, and the huge half-bird-half-lizard Dinosaur burst out in an explosion of pebbles. (2,400/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-0731.jpg


“Not bad…” muttered Yumi. “Dark Magician… Destroy it…”

Dark Magician fired his blast, and Dark Driceratops roared as the black magic enveloped it. It shattered into bits.

“Dark Magician Girl, take out the other one.”

Dark Magician Girl cast her own spell, and Sabersaurus cringed before it shattered too.

“And I’m not done with you, Marlon…” said Yumi.

The shadowy creature inside the Morphing Jar darted forth and rammed Marlon in the stomach. He winced a little as his Life Points dropped slightly.

Yumi placed three cards in her Disk, and three facedown cards appeared.



(Y: 4,500) ----- (S: 2,800) ----- (M: 2,600) ----- (T: 3,150)


If all goes right… she thought, we can still win this…

Tucker drew a card.

Three-thousand Defense Points, huh? he thought. Well, I can’t take Sam down on this turn… Next turn, however…

“Okay, Sam,” he said, playing a Spell Card, “I play Ancient Gear Drill.”

He discarded one of his cards, and a large drilling machine appeared in front of his two Monsters. With a loud, boring noise, it plunged its drill into the floor, sending up a shower of sparks.

The machine vanished as Tucker took a card from his deck.

“Since I have an Ancient Gear Monster on the field, I can take any Spell Card I want from my deck, and set it on the field. I can’t use it this turn, but next turn, it will be ready to go.”

He fit it in his Disk, and it appeared.

“Or will it?” asked Yumi. “Go, Dust Tornado!”

One of her three facedown cards sprang up, and Tucker watched in horror as the Tornado blew towards the facedown card. The card, revealed to be Limiter Removal, lifted up and shattered to pieces.

“Yumi…” muttered Sam. “I… I don’t know what to say…”

“A thank you would be nice,” replied Yumi.

“OOHH!” shouted Tucker. “Fine, I end my turn! Just TRY to defeat my Dragon!”

Sam nervously drew a card.

“Uhm, Sam…” said Yumi. “I don’t know if your second copy of you-know-who is in your hand right now, but if he is, why not use my Morphing Jar to summon him, and then attack that big Dragon?”

“WHAT?” shouted Sam. “Are you crazy?”

Tucker and Marlon looked at each other with quizzical looks.

“Sam, trust me…” replied Yumi.

Sam looked at her cards. She started to sweat…

She took one of them.

“I sacrifice Yumi’s Morphing Jar to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des!” she shouted.

The Morphing Jar vanished, and the Dark Ruler appeared again. (2,450/1,600)

“You’d best know what you’re doing, Yumi!” screamed Sam. “Ha Des, attack the Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon!”

Ha Des raised his hand, and black flames surrounded it…

“Go, Spell Card!” shouted Yumi, as another facedown card lifted. “Rush Recklessly!

“Now I can increase the Attack Score of any Monster on the field by 700… And I think I’ll choose Sam’s Dark Ruler!”

Dark Ruler Ha Des rose to an Attack of 3,150. A much more intense Stygian blast struck the Dragon, and it howled. It smashed into pieces of junk that rained upon the field. Everyone covered their heads.



(Y: 4,500) ----- (S: 2,800) ----- (M: 2,600) ----- (T: 3,000)


Sam grinned.

“Still no thank you?” asked Yumi with a shrug.

Sam fit one card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

If he tries to attack me now, my Bark of Dark Ruler will make him sorry, she thought.

She nodded.

Marlon angrily drew a card.

“I place one card facedown, and summon Black Stego,” he said.

A facedown card appeared, followed by the huge stegosaurus. (1,200/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en019.jpg


“I end my turn…”

Yumi drew a card.

“I remember your Black Stego’s effect, Marlon,” she said. “It will move to Defense Mode when I attack. So, I just have to attack it with my stronger Monster.

“Dark Magician, attack!”

Dark Magician cast his spell again. Black Stego crouched in Defense Mode, right before it was blasted to bits.

“Dark Magician Girl…”

“Hold it, old girl,” said Marlon.

His Trap Card lifted.

Just how many Trap Cards does this guy have in his deck? thought Yumi.

“I activate Survival Instinct. Now, I can remove the Dinosaurs in my Graveyard from play, and for each one I remove, I gain 400 Life Points.

A menagerie of Dinosaurs appeared behind Marlon. Black Stego, Dark Driceratops, Sabersaurus, Black Tyranno, Babycerasaurus, and a fierce-looking thing that must have been Destroyersaurus. They vanished into mist.

“That means 2,000 more Life Points. So your sorceress’s attack means nothing.”

“I’ll attack anyway,” said Yumi.

Marlon grunted as Dark Magician Girl blasted him with her spell.



(Y: 4,500) ----- (S: 2,800) ----- (M: 3,000) ----- (T: 3,000)


“I’ll end my turn there…” muttered Yumi.

Tucker sighed. He drew a card.

“I’ll set a card facedown,” he said, “set a Monster in Defense Mode, and move Chimera to Defense Mode…”

A facedown card, followed by a facedown Monster appeared. Then the Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera sat and shielded itself.

My Trap Card is a powerful one that I could use to blow all their Monsters to Kingdom Come, he thought. Only problem is, I need to discard another Trap from my hand to activate it, and I don’t have one!

Sam drew a card.

“I sacrifice Brachion…” she said.

The huge Dinosaur next to her shattered into pixels.

“…to summon my second Lesser Fiend!”

In a burst of dark energy, another Lesser Fiend arose. (2,100/1,000)

“Take down that Chimera!” she shouted.

Lesser Fiend roared. It charged, and punched the Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Chimera; the Machine exploded into a fiery blast of molten slag.

“Ha Des, destroy his mystery Monster!”

Ha Des cast his evil spell, and Tucker’s final Ancient Gear Soldier appeared, and exploded into spare parts.

“I’m done for now…” said Sam, crossing her arms.

Marlon frowned, and drew a card.

“Heh, heh, heh…” he chuckled. “Tucker, old boy… I drew… it…”

“Really?” asked Tucker.

“It?” said Sam. “What’s ‘it’? I have a feeling I don’t like ‘it’…”

“It is a special Spell Card I put in my deck especially for this duel,” said Marlon. “One that lets our decks work together to bring out a mighty Monster. It’s called Ultimate Evolution.

“First, I remove from play one Dinosaur from my Graveyard…”

Brachion appeared behind him.

“Then…” said Tucker, “I’ll remove one Machine from mine…”

Ancient Gear Soldier appeared behind him.

The two Monsters vanished.

“And as a result…” continued Marlon, “I’m able to Special Summon… My Super Conductor Tyranno.”

Yumi stepped back, half in fear and half in awe, as a giant Dinosaur loomed over Marlon. It was twenty feet tall, looked like it was made as much metal as it was flesh, and electricity coursed over its whole flesh.

It roared, and both Yumi and Sam stepped back again… (3,300/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd09-en001.jpg


“Yumi…” said the Pharaoh, “we’ve seen Marlon use this thing before…”

“Yeah,” she replied. “In his duel with Rasputin, and he would have won if Rasputin hadn’t gotten a lucky draw. Any ideas?”

“Bearing a good idea from Sam, I’m running out of them,” he said. “We’ve used up almost all of our good cards… And we’re down to less than half our deck.”

“Well…” said Marlon. “I could just attack… But I’m not going to risk that Trap Card you have just yet… Fortunately, this beast has another way to hurt you…”

He placed another card on his Disk.

“I summon Balloon Lizard.”

The large, spherical lizard appeared, floating in mid-air. (500/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-072.jpg


“Now, by sacrificing a Monster, my Tyranno can inflict 1,000 points of damage to your Life Points.”

Balloon Lizard exploded into shards. Super Conductor Tyranno breathed a blast of electric energy, striking Yumi. She screamed.



(Y: 3,500) ----- (S: 2,800) ----- (M: 3,000) ----- (T: 3,000)


“Yumi!” shouted Sam.

“I’m all right…” muttered Yumi.

She slowly drew a card.

She turned the two cards on her Disk, and Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl knelt in Defense Mode.

“That’s all I can do…” she muttered.

Tucker drew a card.

He grinned. It was Damage Condenser.

“Okay, Sam!” he laughed. “I activate… Safecracker!”

His facedown card lifted, showing the image of Cliff the Trap Remover working on a safe.

“Now, by discarding one other Trap Card…”

He discarded the Damage Condenser.

“I can duplicate a Trap Card in either of my opponents’ Graveyards. And I think I’ll duplicate your Shadow Spell!”

Sam gasped, as a mass of chains sprouted up, grabbing hold of Ha Des and tying him down.

“Now, I set a Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn.”

A hidden Monster appeared.

My facedown Monster is Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, he thought. Her Lesser Fiend will never crack it. And as soon as I draw Ancient Gear Workshop, I can easily bring back my Golem…

Sam drew a card.

It was another card she had switched from her side deck. But the purpose of this Spell was very different…

She sighed… She had hoped to use this against Yumi when the two of them finally dueled… But it appeared she had no choice now…

“Yumi…” muttered Sam. “I… I have something that might… just might, mind you, get us out of this… But I have to borrow your Dark Magician to do it.”

Yumi looked at her strangely.

She looked at the Pharaoh, and he nodded.

“Okay, Sam…” she said. “Good luck…”

Sam played the card.

“Go, Polymerization!” she shouted.

“Polymerization?” asked Marlon.

“What the heck are you gonna fuse?” asked Tucker.

“I have a very rare, and very special Fusion Monster…” replied Sam. “And it can only be summoned by fusing a Fiend and a Spellcaster, both of which must be at least Level Six…

“So… I choose to fuse my Dark Ruler Ha Des, and Yumi’s Dark Magician!”

A dark portal opened behind her, and a ring of fire formed around it. Dark Magician was sucked through. The chains holding Ha Des snapped, and he was drawn through it too.

“The resulting creature is both a Fiend and a Spellcaster,” said Sam. “I bring forth… Astaroth, Sage of the Underworld!”

Stepping out of the portal was a diabolic-looking creature. It had the head of a fiendish wolf, or maybe jackal, with sharp fangs and glowing eyes. It had claws that were a cross between a wolf’s paws and a human’s hands. It was dressed in the flowing, formal robes of a scholar, with scroll tubes tied to its belt, and it carried a leather-bound tome under its arm.

“As far as points go,” said Sam, “we take the Attack and Defense, respectively, of the two Monsters I fused, add them together, and then divide by two.”

(2,475/1,850)

Tucker gulped…

“Humph…” said Marlon. “A wasted effort… Even if you could attack my Tyranno, and you can’t, it isn’t nearly strong enough.”

“Did I mention its cool special effect?” asked Sam. “Once per round, I can pay 800 Life Points to flip the top card of my deck. Then, I remove that card from play, and destroy a face-up card of the same type.

“So, let’s see…”

She took a card off the top of her deck.

She smirked.

She showed it to him. It was Ring of Defense.

“HA!” laughed Marlon. “That’s a Spell… So you can’t destroy my Monster.”

“True…” replied Sam. “But… I can destroy that annoying Side Attack.”

Astaroth formed a crackling ball of black energy in its free hand, and hurled it, blasting the Side Attack card to pieces.

“And now that it’s gone,” continued Sam, pocketing the Ring of Defense card, “I’m free to attack either one of you.

“Astaroth, attack his Super Conductive Tyranno with forbidden curse!”

The Fiend sorcerer prepared to fire its lethal hex again…

“What are you doing?” shouted Marlon. “It isn’t strong enough!”

Sam nodded, and her facedown card lifted, revealing Bark of Dark Ruler.

“I’ll give up 1,900 Life Points,” she said, “and that will cut your Monster down to a more manageable level.”

Super Conductor Tyranno glowed with an aura of dark energy, and its Attack Score fell to 1,400.

Astaroth hurled the ball of darkness, and the giant Dinosaur exploded in a burst of light and flames.

“Lesser Fiend… Attack him directly!”

Lesser Fiend lunged at Marlon, and clobbered him with all four fists. He fell over.



(Y: 3,500) ----- (S: 100) ----- (M: 0) ----- (T: 3,000)


“Well, that’s it for me…” said Sam. “Yumi, take care of Tucker for me, will you?”

“Right!” shouted Yumi, drawing a card. “Time to end this…

“I activate… Call of the Haunted!”

Her facedown card lifted, and a black coffin appeared on the field. Dark Magician stepped out of it.

She looked at the card she had just drawn.

She played it.

“Now I summon… my second Skilled Dark Magician!”

In a burst of dark energy, the lesser Spellcaster appeared next to the two stronger ones. (1,900/1,700)

“Dark Magician, attack his facedown Monster!”

Dark Magician cast his mighty spell. Gear Golem the Moving Fortress appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.

Dark Magician Girl and Skilled Dark Magician aimed their scepters. A double blast of dark magic struck Tucker, and he collapsed.



(Y: 3,500) ----- (S: 100) ----- (M: 0) ----- (T: 0)


The remaining Monsters vanished, and Yumi ran up to their two opponents, with Anastasia behind them.

“Sam…” said Yumi, placing her hand on Marlon’s chest (and fortunately, not meeting with any objections), “once we’re done here, we have to hurry and find Ren, Chelsea, and Erik.”

“What?” asked Sam. “You don’t think these guys were lying, do you?”

Yumi paused.

“The Crown lets me see the holders of other Charms when they’re in crisis…” said Yumi.

“Erik is in one right now… He’s just been goaded into a duel…”

The two heirs are triumphant. Yumi and Sam have managed what Yugi and Kaiba did so many years ago. But Rasputin seems to have been crafty, using the divide and conquer strategy that Yumi had tried so hard to avoid. Can Sam arrive in time to provide support for her boyfriend? Stay tuned…



ARMED DARK DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can be Special Summoned from your hand when there are exactly three DARK Monsters in your Graveyard. By removing one DARK Monster in your Graveyard from play, you can destroy one card on the field.

Note: “Armed Dark Dragon” will be released in the upcoming “Phantom Darkness” booster pack, due out in Japan in November.



SHIELD ATTACK (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: A cartoonish picture of an old man hitting a younger warrior with a beer keg.

Card Description: Switch the base ATK and DEF of the Monster Equipped with this card.

Note: “Shield Attack” was first used by Jaden in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Blinded by the Light (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



HAMMER GOLEM (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, place two “Armor Counters” on it. If this card would be destroyed, you may remove one “Armor Counter” from it to prevent it from being destroyed. You must pay 1,000 Life Points to attack with this card.



ASTAROTH, SAGE OF THE UNDERWORLD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: ?
DEF: ?

Card Description: Any one Fiend-Type Monster that is Level Six or greater + Any one Spellcaster-Type Monster that is Level Six or greater

This card can only be summoned via Fusion Summon using the above-named Fusion Material Monsters. The base ATK and DEF of this card are that of the ATK and DEF, respectively, of the two Monsters used as Fusion Material, added together, and divided by two. This card is also considered a Spellcaster-Type Monster. Once per round, you may pay 800 Life Points to reveal the top card on your deck. Then, destroy a face-up card on the field of the same type as the revealed card. Then, remove the revealed card from play.



SAUROBEAST BRACHION (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dinosaur/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 3,000

Card Description: When a Monster is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned to your opponent’s side of the field, this card is switched to face-up Defense Position.

Note: “Saurobeast Brachion” was first used by Tyranno in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Primal Instinct”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



DARK RENEWAL (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A dark coffin with a pentagram on the cover.

Card Description: You may activate this card when your opponent Normal Summons, Flip-Summons, or Special Summons a Monster. Tribute the summoned Monster and a face-up Monster on your side of the field. Then, Special Summon one Spellcaster-Type Monster from your Graveyard.

Note: “Dark Renewal” was first used by Arkana in the original anime episode “Master of Magicians (Part Two)” and used by Yugi and the Pharaoh infrequently after that. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



ULTIMATE EVOLUTION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A capsule glowing with fiery energy in front of a roaring dinosaur.

Card Description: Remove from play one Dinosaur-Type and one Machine-Type Monster in your hand and/or Graveyard to activate this card. Special Summon one LIGHT Dinosaur-Type Monster from your hand or deck.

Note: “Ultimate Evolution” was first used by Tyranno in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Taken By Storm (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



SIDE ATTACK (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A yellow starburst with a ninja in each corner, each one facing the one diagonal to him. Two sets of arrows, one blue and one red, connect the two sets of ninjas facing each other.

Card Description: This card can only be used in a two-on-two Tag Duel. You are “A1” and your tag partner is “A2”. When this card is played, select one of your opponents. That opponent is “B1” and his tag partner is “B2”. “A1” is paired with “B1”, “B1” is “A1’s” attack target and cannot select anyone else. “A2” is paired with “B2”, “B2” is “A2’s” attack target and cannot select anyone else. When a Monster does not exist on “B1’s” area of the field, “A1” may attack “B2” directly. When a Monster does not exist on “B2’s” area of the field, “A2” may attack “B1” directly.



REVOLVING STAGE (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: Two splendidly dressed dancers on a circular stage with a spotlight on them.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when a “Side Attack” is active on the field. When one of your opponents is about to receive battle damage, you can redirect that battle damage to your other opponent.

Note: “Side Attack” and “Revolving Stage” were first used by Thunder and Frost in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Taken By Storm”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



SAFECRACKER (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: Cliff the Trap Remover working on a safe.

Card Description: Discard one Trap Card from your hand. Select one Trap Card from your opponent's Graveyard and activate it from the Graveyard as your Trap Card.

Note: “Safecracker” first appeared in “Dark Messiah”.



Sam: We gotta find Erik fast! I’m really starting to hate that Rasputin…

Yumi: Leave it to him to strike when we were busy… I wonder who he’s dueling…

Anastasia: He’s dueling someone who’s mad at him, Yumi. While this duelist is under Rasputin’s control, Rasputin may not have had to even bother… He might have dueled Erik on his own…

Coming up next, “Battle of Vengeance; Erik versus Leroy, Round Two”.

Time for a rematch, and this time, it won’t be so easy…

[mario72486]

An interesting change of pace with a tag-team duel. At least Yumi and Sam were able to get along (though reluctanctly) moreso than their predecessors. As for the duel, it was okay, considering their opponents.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there is a mistake during the duel. Yumi used Premature Burial to revive Magician's Valkyria while Barrier Statue of the Drought was in play. Wouldn't the Statue have prevented the special-summon, since Valkyria is a Light monster? I believe it affects special-summoning from the Graveyard as well, since Tucker mentioned it before Sam brought back Goblin Elite Attack Force. I don't recall the exact ruling, but I believe that's how it works...

Just pointing it out.

[Dark Sage]

Good eye, Mario. That little mistake is now corrected.

Thanks.

[Mystic_clown]

And so we finally have a tag team duel. I must admit, I wasn't expecting Tucker and Marlon for it. Nice use of the Barrier Statue. It's also nice to see the Gadjitrons get some screen time.

There were a couple of things that bothered me though. First of all, Electric Virus seems completely out of place in Sam's deck. Sure, it's useful against a machine deck like Tucker's, but it just doesn't fit in a fiend deck.

Asteroth doesn't seem right either. Granted, it works well when they are working together, but from what we know, Sam's deck only has fiends and Yumi's only has spellcasters, Sam's deck, on her own, wouldn't be enough to bring it out. Why she would have it, I'm not sure.


“Tucker, I was against working with a rogue like you from the start,” said Marlon. “Our goal is to defeat them to take their Charms, not some silly desire for revenge. Now stick to the plan, before they manage to find some flaw in it!”

You know, it would help if you DIDN'T MENTION IT!


“Tucker, get a hold of yourself!” shouted Marlon. “If we start arguing, we’ll lose for certain! Need I remind you, this is exactly what happened to Lumis and Umbra? You know what happened to them…”

Hinoryu and I were discussing this earlier. You'd think there'd be a more recent example than a duel that happened about sixty years ago.

[Dark Sage]

I'll reply.

MC, the Electric Virus came from Sam's side deck. She also has at least one Puppet Plant and at least one Marionette Mite. When she knows what kind of duelist she's facing, she plans accordingly.

Asteroth she put in her deck as preparation for when she dueled Yumi. It's that simple. She was planning to steal one of her Spellcasters and summon it. But she figured she needed to unveil it right now before they lost.

Yeah, maybe there were more recent duels tag duels than the one against Lumis and Umbra, but that one is the most classic. Even in this time, dueling teams look to those two for advice on what NOT to do. Besides, Battle City is a landmark in dueling history. All serious duelists are familiar with every major duel that happened there.

[Shuppet Master]

Great duel, Brian. Seems Rasputin is playing dirty. Will they be able to recover their energy for the finals? We'll see. :)

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT



Battle of Vengeance



Erik versus Leroy, Round Two



As the duel between Yumi and Sam and Marlon and Tucker was starting, the duel for the last spot in the finals was nearing its conclusion.

On one side was Nicholas. On the other was one of the Pros still in the running, the illustrious Baron von Drumer, known in the Pro League as the Red Baron. He truly played the part of his notorious namesake, wearing an aviator’s outfit, complete with a scarf, helmet, and goggles.

Right now, Nicholas had the three Ojamas (0/1,000x3) and Ojama King (0/3,000) on his side of the field in Defense Mode, and three facedown cards. The facedown cards were only there for protection against Drumer’s Monster: Simorgh, Bird of Divinity. (2,700/1,000). Drumer also had a facedown Monster and four facedown cards.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd8-en001.jpg


Nicholas had 2,500 Life Points left, and Drumer had 2,100. But it was Drumer’s turn.

“I draw!” exclaimed Drumer.

He looked at the card.

“Time to take control of this duel,” he said. “I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode… Reveal… Tornado Bird!”

The facedown card flipped, and a huge bird of prey with bright red feathers appeared where the card had been. (1,100/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-072.jpg


“And that activates his effect…”

Tornado Bird flapped its wings, and a burst of wind blew two of Nicholas’s facedown cards off the field. They reappeared in his hand.

“Next…” said the Baron, playing a Spell Card, “I play Winged Repayment. I pay 600 Life Points, and then get to draw one card for each Winged Beast I have on the field. However, I can’t use those cards this turn.”

His Life Points fell to 1,500, and he drew two cards.

“Now… Tornado Bird… Attack Ojama Black!”

The huge Bird flew at the small Beast, and crushed it in its talons.

“Simorgh, attack Ojama Yellow. Divine wind!”

Simorgh flapped its wings furiously. Ojama Yellow tried in vain to shield itself, but it shattered.

“And I’m not done…” said the Baron. “I activate… Icarus Attack!”

One of his facedown cards lifted.

“Now I can sacrifice a Winged Beast, and destroy two of your cards.”

Tornado Bird erupted into flames, and flew towards Nicholas’s side of the field. Ojama King and his last facedown card exploded in bursts of fire.

“And I’ll follow up with Explosion Wing!” he shouted, as another facedown card lifted. “Now, you lose 500 Life Points for each card that was destroyed.”

Two birds flew out of the card, carrying bombs in their talons. They flew over Nicholas, and dropped them…

They detonated on impact, and Nicholas staggered back and shielded himself with his forearm. He groaned as his Life Points fell to 1,500.

“I end my turn,” said Drumer, “and as you know, since you have no Spell or Trap Cards on the field, Simorgh’s effect costs you 1,000 Life Points.”

Simorgh beat its wings again, causing a virtual hurricane. Nicholas strained and staggered against the wind, as his Life Points fell to 500.

Nicholas made some slow gasps.

“All right…” he muttered. “My draw…”

He drew a card.

“And I’m going to end this… Playing that Winged Repayment was a big mistake…”

He played a card.

“I play… Silent Doom. I’ll bring back Ojama Yellow.”

Ojama Yellow appeared, and crouched in defense. (0/1,000)

“Now I play… Polymerization.”

“What?” said the Baron. “You only have two Ojamas! You can’t summon your King again!”

“I’m not going to…” said Nicholas. “For this fusion, I only need two. I’m fusing Ojama Yellow and Ojama Green…”

The two Ojamas locked arms and spun around, fading into a blur…

“To form… Ojama Knight!”

A new creature appeared on the field. It was a chubby knight in shining armor, wearing the same shorts as the Ojamas over the armor. Ojama Yellow’s eyestalks protruded through its helmet. It held a short sword and a shield. (0/2,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en044.jpg


“HA!” laughed the Baron. “Only 2,500 Defense Points? Simorgh will destroy it easily.”

“Who’s defending?” asked Nicholas. “Look closer… I summoned this guy in Attack Mode.”

“Say what?” said Drumer, startled.

Nicholas took the card he had just drawn.

“I play Shield and Sword,” he said. “Now, the Attack and Defense of all Monsters on the field switch. It’s a benefit for my Knight…

“But your Bird of Divinity isn’t so lucky. Now my Knight can carve it up like a Christmas goose. And you’re about to be shot down, Baron.”

Ojama Knight changed to (2,500/0), while Simorgh changed to (1,000/2,700).

The Pro’s eyes widened in horror, as Ojama Knight flew at Simorgh, and with one swipe of its blade, cleaved it in half. Drumer’s Life Points fell to zero.

He fell to the ground sobbing.

“Good match…” said Nicholas, walking away, as his badge changed to Gold.



* * * * * * * * * *


After retiring from dueling long ago, Mako Tsunami had enlisted in the Japanese Navy. He had a long career before finally retiring at the rank of Commander. In his old age, he put most of his money into investments, many of which paid off rather well.

One of them was A Legendary Ocean, a seafood restaurant in Duelatopia that he owned seventy percent of.

Inside the comfortable place’s dining room, the first thing folks noticed was a large mural depicting The Legendary Fisherman battling a giant squid. Folks could dine on the buffet while watching the hourly screenings on a large monitor: Mako’s duels from the first Battle City. (A lot of folks didn’t realize that Mako had won three duels in that competition before losing to Joey Wheeler. Folks were surprised when they saw the other three and realized how good he had been. Still, the duel between him and Joey was always the favorite.)

As the two-on-two duel was starting, Ren, Chelsea, and Erik were oblivious. Rasputin had been clever in sending them the coupons. He had included a note with a forged signature, presumably by Yumi, saying that Sheena had wanted to question her and Sam about the Ascenders. The three of them were a little miffed about not being included, but a free lunch more than made up for it.

“Take it easy, Erik,” said Chelsea, as Erik came back with his third plate of grilled shrimp. “Sam made reservations at the big restaurant tonight, remember?”

“I’ll be hungry again by then,” replied Erik. “I have a real fast metabolism.”

Ren looked at him.

“Erik…” he pondered. “How did you and Sam meet?”

Erik chewed a piece of shrimp for a minute in silence.

“Well…” he said, scratching his head. “I guess that all goes back to my dad, the illustrious Erik Matell Sr.

“See, he’s the head of accounting for a computer firm in Tokyo… He makes good money. But being an accountant, no matter how much money you make, is… well, boring.

“See, dad insisted I find a hobby of some sort, since he couldn’t offer me much himself. So I looked into Duel Monsters. I bought a bunch of booster packs, made a deck that I thought would work, and went to see who would want to duel at Kaibaland. I rented a Disk… I wasn’t committed yet.

“As fate would have it, Sam accepted my challenge, and she beat me good. It was a slaughter.

“Then she asked if she could see my deck. I showed it to her, and she was brutally honest. She said the reason she beat me so badly was because my deck stank. She said she’d help me build a real one.

“She said the first thing I needed was a common thread… A theme. But I didn’t have any idea what sort of one to use.

“She had an idea. She told me that sometimes, the deck picks the duelist. So she took out a large package of cards that had come in an order, and told me to pick one without looking. So I did…”

Erik took his deck and skimmed through it.

He held up a Toy Soldier.

“It was this little guy,” he said.

“Whoa…” muttered Ren.

“So, we worked on the deck,” continued Erik. “She helped a great deal… And before long I was asking her if she wanted to go out for sushi… It progressed to more pricy dinners and movies…”

He sighed.

“Sam was someone who made me feel special… And she felt the same way…”

“You realize…” said Chelsea, “the two of you are in the finals… What if you two have to duel each other?”

Erik paused.

“Well…” he said, “it will be a duel like none other…”



* * * * * * * * * *


As the three of them were walking out of the restaurant, Chelsea realized something.

“Did Yumi and Sam say when they’d be back?” she asked.

Ren stopped short.

“No…” he muttered.

“They won’t be back,” said a voice. “At least not in any shape to greet you.”

They turned, and saw a familiar face in front of them… A tough-looking teenager with a ton of hairspray, smoking a cigarette.

“Leroy…” snarled Erik.

“That’s right,” replied Leroy. “Leroy Brown… Badder than old King Kong…”

“Oh, please…” said Erik. “You aren’t even badder than Donkey Kong.”

Leroy made a face, and then flicked the cigarette, hitting Erik in the chest.

“Say what you will,” he said, “but you three have been played for suckers. While you were stuffing yourselves silly, your two friends have been getting the snot kicked out of them.”

“Sam?” shouted Erik. “Where is she?”

“Not telling,” replied Leroy.

“You’re gonna tell me or I’ll…” threatened Erik.

“Go on, slug me,” said Leroy. “But I fully plan on slugging you back if you try.”

Erik glared at him.

“Say…” said Leroy, “maybe we can cut a deal… You agree to duel me again with a wager… Say, that fancy necklace, and if you beat me again, I’ll tell you where they are.”

Erik stared at him.

He wants the Talisman of the Mind? he thought. I knew this guy was sleazy… But working for Rasputin?

Erik hit the button on his badge, and it turned off.

“Fine,” he said. “But we duel unofficially. I beat you once before, how hard can it be to do so again?”

Very, very, hard, thought Leroy. You may think I’m dumb, but this time, I’ve really planned in advance…

Olga’s face appeared in his mind.

I’ll make you proud of me, babe! Wait for me… I’ll take him down with no problem!

“Erik, be careful,” said Chelsea. “I doubt this guy intends to play fair.”

“Don’t worry…” said Erik. “I didn’t make it to Gold by being stupid…”

He and Leroy faced each other. The two Disks activated.

“Game on!” they both shouted.



(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (Leroy: 8,000)


They both whipped five cards off their decks.

“I insist, you go first…” said Leroy.

Erik drew a sixth card.

“Buster…” he said. “You just made your first mistake…

“I summon… Toy Soldier.”

He played the card, and Toy Soldier materialized, aiming his musket. (800/300)

“Now, I’ll toss this facedown, and end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared.

Just as I expected… thought Leroy, making his first draw. He’s fallen right into my trap…

“I play… Reinforcement of the Army. Now, I get to search my deck, and once I find a Warrior that’s Level Four or less, I get to add it to my hand…”

He spread his cards out, and chose one.

“And now that he’s in my hand, I’m gonna summon him… Zombyra the Dark!”

In an aura of shadow, the masked, caped superhero that Ren was so fond of using rose up on Leroy’s side of the field. (2,100/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-074.jpg


“No way!” shouted Ren. “He’s using Zombyra?”

Three copies, actually… thought Leroy.

“I activate a Trap Card!” shouted Erik, as his facedown card lifted. “Zero Gravity. Now, both our Monsters move into Defense Mode.”

Zombyra and Toy Soldier crouched down and shielded themselves.

You must think you’re so clever, thought Leroy. Using that Trap to stop me from attacking… Well, joke’s on you… I wasn’t going to attack at all. Thanks for using up that Trap for me…

He fit a card into his Disk.

“I toss a card of my own facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared.

Erik drew a card.

“My Toy Soldier’s effect activates…”

In two bursts of energy, two more Toy Soldiers appeared. (800/300 x2)

“I was hoping you’d do that, Erik!” laughed Leroy. “Trap activate!”

His facedown card lifted.

“Deck Devastation Virus!”

Erik stopped short…

“WHAT?” he shouted.

“That’s right…” said Leroy, with an evil smile. “I simply have to sacrifice a Dark Monster with an Attack Score of 2,000 or more…”

Zombyra the Dark exploded into a cloud of vile, black, spores…

“And all Monsters on your side of the field with 1,500 Attack Points or less are destroyed!”

Erik watched in horror as the three Toy Soldiers started to warp and rot like decaying wood. Finally, they collapsed and shattered.

“And the same goes for all Monsters in your hand, and any that you draw for the next three rounds!” added Leroy.

Erik looked at his hand. He gasped as his Giant Rat and Spell Striker vanished.

“That was a dirty trick, Leroy!” shouted Erik.

“Tell it to someone who gives a damn!” replied Leroy. “You humiliated me, remember? So I’m gonna pay you back in spades!

“I swear on my mother’s good name, this time, none of your pathetic excuses for Warriors will even get close to hurting one of the ones in my deck that are worthy of the name!”

Erik growled, and placed a card in his Disk. A facedown card appeared.

“I end my turn!” he shouted.

“What’s he gonna do?” asked Chelsea.

“I’m afraid to say it, but he can’t do much…” replied Ren. “The majority of the Monsters in his deck would fall victim to that accursed virus. We can only hope he manages to survive until it runs its course.”

“My draw…” said Leroy.

He drew a card.

“I summon… Marauding Captain.”

The aged veteran appeared on the field, holding aloft his two blades. (1,200/400)

“And I’ll use his effect to summon… Warrior Lady of the Wasteland.”

Marauding Captain made a whistle, and the female Warrior with an odd sense of fashion stepped out. (1,100/1,200)



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“You want me?” dared Erik. “Well come and get me!”

“Get him!” shouted Leroy.

“Aw crap…” muttered Erik.

He screamed as Marauding Captain’s sword slammed into him.

He barely had time to regain his footing before Warrior Lady stabbed him in the gut with her own sword. He fell to his knees.



(E: 5,700) -------------------- (L: 8,000)


“Heh, heh…” chuckled Leroy. “I’ve been wanting to do that all tournament!”

Sweat poured down Erik’s forehead. He slowly got up…

“It’s your move…” said Leroy. “So draw… Of course, I get to see what it is, and if it’s another one of your wimps, it goes bye-bye.”

Erik angrily drew a card.

“Sorry, Leroy,” he said, showing him the Mirror Force, “but this certainly is not a Monster.

“I place one card facedown and end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared next to the other one.

Leroy drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed,” he said, playing it. “Bet you wish you had this card, don’t you?”

He drew two cards.

“Sorry, Erik, but like I said, I’m not dumb… I know that the facedown card you just set is the Mirror Force you just drew.

“So until I manage to get rid of it, I’ll set two cards of my own facedown, and end my turn.”

Two facedown cards appeared. Leroy grinned at Erik.

Erik drew a card. He looked at it.

“Still not a Monster, Leroy,” he said, showing him the Rush Recklessly card.

Leroy frowned. Then he smiled.

“You may think I’m all bad,” he said with a chuckle. “But I can be a nice guy when I want to be… I think I’m gonna help you out…”

One of his facedown cards lifted. It was a Trap Card with a very intimidating picture on it, of a demon confronting a king with a scroll.

“I activate Despised Treaty.”

“Despised Treaty?” asked Erik. “What does that do?”

“I’ll explain,” replied Leroy. “Since I activated this card, you get to Special Summon a Monster from your deck that’s Level Four or less, if you so choose.

“However, if you do, I get to draw two cards.

“If you choose not too, well then, I lose 1,000 Life Points.

“So… be careful before you decide…”

Erik glared at him. Leroy’s eye turned towards his other facedown card.

What he doesn’t know is, he thought, my other facedown card is Weed Out, a Trap that will destroy all Level Three Monsters on the field. It may cost me my Marauding Captain, but it’s worth it to smash another one of his damn toys…

“I accept!” shouted Erik, taking his deck.

“Then I get two cards,” said Leroy, drawing twice.

“Fine…” said Erik. “I summon… Toy Magician!”

In a flash of light, the colorful, elflike wizard made of plastic appeared on the field. (1,600/1,500)



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“I activate…” shouted Leroy.

Then he stopped short.

“Wait a minute…” he said. “That’s… That’s Level Four…”

“Yes…” said Erik. “I distinctly heard you say, Level Four or less.”

“NO!” screamed Leroy. “You can’t! I won’t let you…”

“I can, and try to stop me,” replied Erik. “Toy Magician… Attack Marauding Captain with sparkle blast!”

Toy Magician thrust his scepter forward and shot a burst of glowing bolts at the Warrior. Leroy howled in anguish as the Captain exploded.



(E: 5,700) -------------------- (L: 7,600)


“I guess protecting your mother’s good name doesn’t mean that much to you,” said Erik.

Leroy didn’t respond at first. He was seething with rage.

“Curse you, Erik…” he growled. “Curse you to the darkest bowls of Hades!”

“I place a card facedown, and end my turn…” said Erik, as a facedown card appeared behind Toy Magician. “Make your move…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi and Sam had finished their duel, and were now running through the streets of the city.

“We have to find him!” shouted Sam.

“Sam, Sam!” shouted Yumi, slowing down. “Hold up…”

“What?” shouted Sam, getting impatient. “My lover’s in trouble!”

Yumi looked at her.

“Thanks, Sam,” she muttered. “I was debating whether or not to come right out and ask you and Erik about that…”

Sam covered her face with her hand.

“Does your mom know about this?” asked Yumi.

“NO!” shouted Sam. “And if you tell her, so help me…

“Look, can we just find him before…”

“Hold up!” interrupted Yumi. “Did you even stop to think that we don’t even know where we’re going?”

Sam stopped short.

“Well, didn’t they say some seafood restaurant?” she asked.

“Big help,” replied Yumi. “There are a few, and they might have left by now…”

Then her Crown started to glow again.

“Huh?” she muttered. “Warrior Lady of the Wasteland… Toy Magician…”

She paused.

“Sam… I know where they are… Quick, follow me!”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Rasputin wasn’t watching the duel. He figured he’d best pack his suitcases ahead of time.

He smirked as he went through one that he had yet to even unpack. He always brought too many things while he was traveling.

He sorted through some leisure jackets and shirts…

Then his eye caught something metallic.

He slowly reached for it.

He lifted it out of the suitcase and stared at it. It was a crucifix made of metal, elaborately carved, with every minute detail. Even though it was only eight inches long, the craftsman had been complete, right down to the eyebrows under Christ’s forehead.

Despite the detail, it looked like the craftsman had used second-rate materials. The metal was very dull, and full of impurities.

Now how did this get in there? he mused.

He stroked his beard.

I… I know this from somewhere…

He was startled as the mail alert rang on his computer.

By the time he got to his computer, he had almost forgotten about the crucifix…

…and he had no idea that he had placed it in the hidden pocket of his jacket…



* * * * * * * * * *


Leroy drew a card and looked over his hand.

“I set a card facedown, and move Warrior Lady to Defense Mode,” he said.

A facedown card appeared on his side of the field, and Warrior Lady of the Wasteland knelt in Defense.

“So move already. My Virus still has one round left on it.”

Erik drew. The card was Giant Rat.

He snarled, and discarded the card.

“Heh, I hope that was a good one,” said Leroy, “and by the way…”

The facedown card he had just set lifted.

“Go, Dust Tornado! Say goodbye to that Mirror Force!”

The Tornado tore across the field…

“I activate Emergency Provisions!” shouted Erik, as another of his facedown cards lifted.

The Mirror Force card lifted up and disintegrated.

“So now, your Tornado has no target.”



(E: 6,700) -------------------- (L: 7,600)


“And it’s still my move… Toy Magician, kill his Warrior Lady!”

Toy Magician fired his sparkle blast, and Warrior Lady of the Wasteland was blown to gibbets.

“I activate her ability!” shouted Leroy. “Now I can summon an Earth Warrior with 1,500 Attack Points or less. So I summon… Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!”

In a flash of light, the elven Warrior appeared on the field, holding aloft his silver blade. (1,400/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct1-en006s.jpg


“I end my turn…” muttered Erik. “At least your Virus won’t destroy any more of my Monsters.”

Leroy growled and drew a card.

“Then I’ll just have to destroy them the old fashioned way…” he said. “I summon someone new… The Hunter with 7 Weapons.”

In a shadowy blur, a grim figure appeared on his side of the field. It was a bald, eyepatched Warrior with a stern face, clothed in leather. Like his name suggested, he was armed to the teeth with weapons: swords, knives, axes, bows, and maces. (1,000/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-024.jpg


“He may not seem very strong, but he gains a special ability when he’s Normal Summoned. I get to name one Type of Monster, and he gains 1,000 Attack Points while battling that Type.

“And I name Spellcasters.”

The Hunter considered his impressive arsenal, and then pulled a long dagger out of a sheath.

“Go!” shouted Leroy. “Attack his Toy Magician with specialized strike!”

The Hunter lunged at Toy Magician with his dagger. His Attack Score rose to 2,000…

“Did you forget I had this?” asked Erik, as his facedown card lifted.

It was Rush Recklessly.

Toy Magician rose to an Attack of 2,300. He cast his spell as the Hunter lunged, and the Warrior was blown to bits.

Leroy seethed with anger again.

“I place one card facedown, and move my Guardian to Defense Mode,” he said.

A facedown card appeared, and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian knelt and shielded himself.



(E: 6,700) -------------------- (L: 7,300)


“All right…” said Ren. “Now that his nasty Virus is gone, Erik might have a better chance.”

“Let’s hope so…” replied Chelsea.

Erik drew a card.

“Well, what do you know?” he said, showing Leroy the card. “I just drew Pot of Avarice!”

He played the card, and the ridiculous pink jug appeared in front of him.

All three Toy Soldiers, Spell Striker, and one Giant Rat slipped out of his discard slot. He shuffled them into his deck, and then drew twice.

He looked at the two cards.

“I play… Heavy Storm!”

He held up the card, and a violent wind ripped over the field. Leroy’s Weed Out and Call of the Haunted lifted up and were blown to pieces.

Leroy glared at him.

“Next…” said Erik. “I summon Toy Wind-Up.”

The bulky tin soldier with his blunderbuss appeared next to Toy Magician. (1,000/700)

“Now, I attack your Guardian with Toy Magician!”

Toy Magician cast his spell once again, and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian exploded.

“All right!” shouted Erik. “Toy Wind-Up, attack him directly! Blunderbuss blast!”

The Machine aimed his weapon at Leroy and it fired with a huge blast. Leroy screamed.

“Now I activate his effect…” said Erik. “Now I’m able to summon a second Wind-Up…”

Another of the tin soldiers appeared. (1,000/700)

Erik pointed, and the second one fired at Leroy too.

Erik smiled, as a third Wind-Up appeared. (1,000/700) Again, a blunderbuss fired, sending Leroy to his knees.

“My turn is over…” said Erik. “Looks like your big plan was a big dud.”



(E: 6,700) -------------------- (L: 4,300)


“Whoa…” muttered Chelsea. “I really hope I don’t have to duel him…”

“Someone’s gonna have to,” replied Ren.

Leroy got up, clutching his chest. He drew a card.

“Heh, heh, heh…” he chuckled. “My patience has paid off, Erik…”

“I play the Spell Card, Bronze Knight.

“Now, for each card that I choose to toss, I get to summon a Bronze Knight Token.”

He tossed three of his cards. In three bursts of energy, three knights in shining armor carrying shields and swords appeared in front of him. (500/500 x3)

“And just what are you gonna do with them?” asked Erik, rolling his eyes.

“I’ll show you…” said Leroy, taking another card. “I sacrifice my three Knights…”

The Bronze Knights vanished… Thunder rolled…

“I summon… Gilford the Lightning!”

Lightning erupted on the field, and the mighty Gilford stepped out, electricity dancing all over his armor. (2,800/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct2_en001.jpg


Erik took a step back, as Gilford drew his mighty sword…

With an intense blast of lightning, his three Wind-Ups and Toy Magician were blasted to particles.

“Remember our first duel, Erik?” asked Leroy. “You said some dumb quote… I think it was… Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.

“Well, let me tell you the hard, cold fact. That’s a lie that only optimists believe. This world is a cruel, cruel place, where only the strong survive, and weaklings are stepped on. That’s how it is, and that’s how it’s always gonna be.

“Anyway, I’m not done… I Equip Gilford with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade.”

He played his last card, and a sword appeared, and was absorbed into Gilford’s Sword. His Attack went up to 3,600.

“Try walking away from this!” he shouted. “Gilford, attack him directly!”

Erik hollered as Gilford’s sword slammed into him with the force of a hammer. He flew ten feet, and landed on his back.

“If you could get up, it would be your move…” said Leroy, with a laugh.



(E: 3,100) -------------------- (L: 4,300)


Erik tried to get up, but he could barely open his eyes. His mind was in a fog. He couldn’t remember a time he had taken a hit that strong. Perhaps he never had.

I have to get up… he thought. I can’t… I can’t lose the Talisman… So many people are counting on me…

Sam… Where are you?

“Erik!” shouted a familiar voice. “Get up, baby!”

Erik’s eyes flicked open.

“Sam?” he said.

He sat up, and looked up.

Sam and Yumi had just run up.

“You guys are okay!” exclaimed Chelsea.

“Yeah,” said Yumi. “Rasputin’s latest trick.”

“So…” said Leroy, “the toy king’s royal wench returns.”

Erik slowly stood up.

“Erik, don’t let this punk bully you!” shouted Sam. “Put him in his place like you did last time!”

Erik looked at her and nodded.

He drew a card.

He looked at it.

He placed a card on his Disk, and a defensive Monster appeared.

“Go ahead…” he said.

“That all?” asked Leroy. “Well, you aren’t the only one who can draw a Monster…”

He made a draw.

He frowned.

“Didn’t draw one, huh?” asked Erik, with a smile.

“No…” replied Leroy, “but I drew something that will make Gilford even stronger. I Equip him with Jeweled Sword.”

He played the card, and another sword was absorbed into Gilford’s blade. (3,900/1,400)

“Attack!” shouted Leroy.

Gilford swung his blade…

Giant Rat appeared on the card, and was eradicated.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en045.jpg


“I activate Giant Rat’s ability!” shouted Erik. “Toy Soldier, come on out!”

Toy Soldier appeared in a flash of light. (800/300)

“Humph, as if that worried me!” shouted Leroy. “I end my turn!”

Erik drew a card.

He gestured, and two more Toy Soldiers appeared. (800/300 x2)

Without saying a word, he placed a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Your move…” he said.

“HA!” laughed Erik, drawing a card. “I’m not going to fall for THAT, Erik!”

He looked at the card.

“So I’m just going to…”

“Well, why don’t I activate it right now?” asked Erik. “Curse of Anubis!”

The Trap Card lifted, and the ghostly, spectral form of the jackal god Anubis appeared over the field.

“Now, all Effect Monsters move to Defense Mode, and their Defense Scores fall to zero for the rest of the round.”

Anubis let out a ghostly howl, and all three Toy Soldiers and Gilford crouched in Defense Mode.

“And I’m afraid you can’t move him back to Attack Mode until your next turn,” continued Erik.

Leroy growled.

“Oh, just move…” he said.

Erik made a draw.

He grinned.

“Everyone, move back to Attack Mode,” he said.

The Toy Soldiers stood up.

“Now, I’m sure you remember this card, Leroy,” he said, playing a Spell Card. “Crowning of the Emperor. I sacrifice one Toy Soldier…”

The middle Soldier vanished in a burst of glowing, golden light…

A larger form rode out of the light. Toy Emperor had arrived. (2,300/800)

“Toy Emperor, attack Gilford!” shouted Erik. “Imperial charge!”

Toy Emperor galloped forward on his mount, and with one swipe of his sword, Gilford the Lightning exploded in a burst of luminous energy.

“Grrr…” growled Leroy. “You activated the effect of my Jeweled Sword. I get to draw one card now…”

He made a draw.

“And Toy Emperor’s effect activates as well,” said Erik, taking his deck. “I get to pull any Trap Card that I want.”

He took the card he wanted, and reshuffled.

“And I’m not done with you… Toy Soldiers, attack him directly!”

The two Soldiers got down on one knee, and their muskets fired. Leroy cringed in pain.



(E: 3,100) -------------------- (L: 2,700)


He placed the card he had just searched for in his Disk, and it appeared facedown.

“My turn is over…” he said, stabbing his thumb down.

Leroy made another draw.

“Sorry, Erik,” he said, “but Gilford is coming right back. I play Monster Reborn.”

The glowing ankh appeared on the field, and Gilford rose again, holding his sword high. (2,800/1,400)

“Attack his Toy Emperor!” shouted Leroy.

Gilford charged, and smote the Toy Emperor in a fierce explosion. Erik cringed from the blow.

Leroy grinned, and placed a card in his Disk. A facedown card appeared.

He nodded to Erik.



(E: 2,600) -------------------- (L: 2,700)


My facedown card is Meteorain, he thought. He’ll obviously shift his two weaklings to Defense Mode. And on my next turn, all I’ll need to do is draw another Monster, and this duel is mine.

Erik drew a card.

He looked at the three cards in his hand, then at his two Toy Soldiers, and then at his facedown card.

He gestured, and his facedown card lifted, revealing Call of the Haunted. In a glowing light, Toy Emperor strode out again on his steed. (2,300/800)

“Humph,” said Leroy. “I’ll just smash him again.”

“No you won’t,” said Erik. “Because I’m going to finish you now.

“I play… Double Spell. Now, I discard one other Spell Card…”

He discarded his Toy Memorial.

“And I can use one Spell Card in your Graveyard. And the one I have my eye on is your Fusion Sword Murasame Blade.”

“You can’t do that!” screamed Leroy.

“Yes I can,” replied Erik. “No matter how much you deny it, my Emperor is no less a Warrior than your Monsters. Like it or lump it.”

Toy Emperor’s saber vanished, and was replaced by a larger, sharper sword. (3,100/800)

“I’ll still live!” shouted Leroy.

“No you won’t,” said Erik. “Next, I play Fife and Drum Corp.”

He played the last card in his hand, and the music of a marching band started. A parade of Toy Soldiers with flutes and drums marched into view. The two normal Toy Soldiers rose to an Attack of 1,600.

“Toy Emperor, attack Gilford again!”

Toy Emperor galloped forward, and with a slash of his new sword, Gilford the Lightning was vanquished.

“Toy Soldiers… End this!”

The two Toy Soldiers aimed their muskets. Leroy Brown screamed as the guns blasted, and he toppled to the ground.



(E: 2,600) -------------------- (L: 0)


“You were right, Leroy,” muttered Erik. “In this world, the strong survive, and the weak are stepped on. And if you’re a weak-minded bully like yourself who tries to pretend you’re strong, you not only get stepped on, you get kicked, trampled, and thrown out like all the other trash…”

“Erik!” shouted Sam.

She ran up to him and hugged him. She planted a big kiss on his lips.

“I’m not letting go of you again for a long time…” she said.

Erik lifted her off the ground and kissed her back.

“Someone want to tell us what this was all about?” asked Ren.

“It was the same thing as it was with Felicia,” said Yumi, with a sigh. “And unfortunately, we’re gonna have to cure Leroy too, even if he doesn’t deserve it.”

She walked up to Leroy with Anastasia behind her.

“But we’re good. Unless someone comes gunning for Chelsea, Rasputin won’t bother us though minions again.”



* * * * * * * * * *


Sheena walked into the bridge, having come back from her lunch break.

“Ms. Arachne!” said a technician. “We received our eighth Gold Alert… The eight finalists have been decided.”

Sheena rubbed her chin.

“Well, you know what to do,” she replied. “Compile all information on them, and forward them to me and everyone who needs the info.”

“It’s being done as we speak,” said the technician.

Sheena watched as the faces of Yumi, Sam, Chelsea, Ren, Erik, Olga, Nicholas, and finally, Rasputin appeared on the screens. A worried look appeared on her face.

I have a feeling in my bones… she thought, that the tournament so far has just been a preamble…

The true war is about to begin… And it won’t be pretty…

Rasputin’s final unwitting assassin has been defeated. Our heroes have earned a short break, as nothing now stands between them and the finals. But when the finals do indeed come, it may be the toughest challenge thus far. The story is half over, and a new part is about to begin…



WINGED REPAYMENT (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The image on this card was not shown.

Card Description: Pay 600 Life Points. Draw one card from your deck for every Winged Beast-Type Monster face-up on your side of the field. The card(s) drawn by this effect cannot be summoned, set, or activated during the turn you use this card.



EXPLOSION WING (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A bird-like creature flying out of an explosion, carrying a bomb in its talons.

Card Description: You can activate this card when one or more of your opponent’s cards are destroyed by one or more card effects during a round. Inflict 500 points of direct damage to your opponent’s Life Points for each card destroyed by such effects.

Note: “Winged Repayment” and “Explosion Wing” were first used by Harpie’s Brother in a third season episode of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



DESPISED TREATY (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A demon presenting a scroll to a king, who is being threatened by swords.

Card Description: This card can only be activated during your opponent’s turn. Upon activation, your opponent has the option of Special Summoning one Monster that is Level Four or less from his deck. If your opponent uses this effect, draw two cards from your deck. If your opponent does not use this effect, inflict 1,000 points of direct damage to your Life Points at the End Phase of the turn.

Note: “Despised Treaty” was first used by Mad Dog in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “No Pain, No Game”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



BRONZE KNIGHT (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A knight in shining armor holding a sword and shield.

Card Description: Discard any number of cards from your hand. For each card discarded in this manner, Special Summon one “Bronze Knight Token” (Warrior/Earth/Level One/ATK 500/DEF 500) in Attack Position.

Note: “Bronze Knight” was first used by Gurimo in the original anime episode “A New Evil (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Yumi: The finals are only a day away… My Spellcasters are ready to go!

Sam: The Consort of Ha Des is ready to meet them!

Ren: My Dark Warriors are itching to fight…

Chelsea: My army of the undead hungers for blood…

Erik: My toy regiment is ready to march into battle.

Anastasia: Beware, children. You do not know yet who your opponents are. The finals will be a conflict, where the holders of the Shadow Charms will battle to the finish…

Coming up next, “Let the Finals Begin! Opening Ceremonies.”

The Preliminary Arc is officially over. The Conflict Arc will now begin.

[Shuppet Master]

Well, that was a nice way to end the fun tournament part of the story. Now it's time for a knock-down-drag-out-no-holds-barred-blood-sweat-and-tears (get zapped by Pikachu for using too many adjectives) battle to the finish.

I know who's going to come out on top, because it's plainly obvious. But the bad guys are going to make life hard for the heroes.

I know I sound like a broken record, but keep up the good work, Brian.

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, what can I say? Well, it wasn't the best chapter in the world, but it wasn't the worst either. For me, this chapter was only so Erik can reach gold, we can learn a little as to how the two got together (it still doesn't give a reason as to why he chose toys!), some minor foreshadowing involving Rasputin and learning that Erik and Sam are....*ahem* intimate (did we really need to know that last part ^^; )

As for the duel, well, while it's god to see Deck Devistation Virus in a fic, it seemed like its use was just used to get it out of the way. When up against a deck the uses monsters with less than 1500 attack, you'd think Leroy would try to restrict Erik's deck a lot more.

As I said before, not your best, but not your worst either.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE



Let the Finals Begin!



Opening Ceremonies



Cassandra gave a long look at eight cards arranged on the table in front of her.

The top row, consisting of three cards, was The Fool on the left, The High Priestess in the center, and The Strength on the right.

The center row, which consisted of two cards, was The Magician on the left, and The Lovers on the right.

The bottom row, again consisting of three cards, was The Hangman on the left, The Emperor (inverted) in the center, and The Moon on the right.

“All of the players stand revealed…” she muttered. “Or so it seems…”

She looked at the deck on the side of the table, the larger deck.

“Odd…” she said, looking at the eight cards again. “Looking at this arrangement, it seems… Incomplete… I can’t help but feel that there’s something missing…”

She drew a card off the deck.

She frowned.

It was the image of an armored warrior on a golden chariot, drawn by two horses – one pure white, and one pitch black.

“Not the answer I was looking for…” she muttered, “but it’s a clue… The Chariot is a symbol of war, between opposing forces and ideals, which eventually ends in a decisive victory…”

She looked at the first eight cards.

“It may merely mean Good versus Evil, but I just know that it isn’t that cut and dry… Until this mysterious final member of the conflict decides to reveal itself, I’m only getting vague and ominous messages…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Sheena sat at her desk at her office speaking into a recording device.

“Personal log,” she said, “supplemental. The eight finalists have been chosen. Some of them are duelists I know, while a few are wild cards.

“Yugi Mouto’s granddaughter has gained a spot, naturally, and I do believe that the final rounds will produce a meaningful confrontation with another finalist. I will attempt to be as nonbiased as I can when dealing with my own daughter, as I know well how far-reaching this conflict has gone.

“But I can’t disregard the other finalists.

“Peter Ramset’s daughter Chelsea has won a spot of her own. If you can’t tell by the sword she carries on her hip, which I’ve decided to let her keep for reasons I’ve stated in the confidential log, she’s tough… Very few would deny that. Basically, if you ever get into a fight, make sure she’s on your side.

“Clive Marris’s son Ren proved just as formidable, and he will be vying for the top spot as well. He’s a good kid, and the type whom I’d likely trust my daughter with alone on a Saturday night, but he can still duel with the best of them.

“Of course, Sam only has eyes for another of the finalists. She’s been seeing Erik for several months now, and he still puzzles me. He seems like a typical duelist, albeit one with an odd theme, but there seems to be an odd aura around him. There’s something special about Erik which might make a difference down the line.

“Then we get into the other three. Nicholas Algernon is a peculiar case. I wouldn’t have expected anyone except the late Chazz Princeton to get to the finals using an Ojama Deck, but he has done so. This duelist clearly has something else up his sleeve.

“And there’s Olga Warren, who’s even more mysterious. She seems to like using Fairies, but if Yugi Jr.’s opponent in the final round of the first Duelatopia was any indication, that doesn’t indicate sweetness and innocence. There’s something suspicious about her.

“Rasputin is the most suspicious of all. Someone rich and influential is behind the League of Ascension, and Rasputin is in that group. I’ve reviewed all the duels he has taken part in, and while I find no proof of cheating, I will watch him closer from now on. Of course, until I can make certain which of our A-list guests is our mastermind, I’ll have to play by ear…

“Until then, the finals will do what they were meant to do… Entertain.”



* * * * * * * * * *


The word that the eighth finalist had been chosen spread quickly around Duelatopia. A lot of duelists who were high in the rankings were disappointed, of course. A few, like Felicia, were happy they could have normal dreams again, but most resigned to the fact that this year, it wouldn’t be theirs.

Others, mostly the ones at Violet or higher, didn’t put away their Disks just yet. Dueling would be allowed until noon of the day of the opening ceremonies – the next day – and most of them remembered that they still could get Gold status, and if they did, they’d be rewarded with a grab bag of rare cards, courtesy of KaibaCorp.

Enrique was one duelist who was determined to get to Gold regardless. As the duel between Erik and Leroy was ending, he and another Silver duelist – Norman, the one with the more traditional Fire Deck – were at the docks.

Enrique had Tri-Blaze Accelerator, Fire Wall, and one facedown card on his side of the field. His opponent had nothing. And both were tied at 1,000 Life Points apiece.

Norman drew a card.

“Heh, heh…” he chuckled. “Looks like you lose, pal…”

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Tenkabito Shien!”

In a burst of flame, the fiery Samurai appeared astride his coal-black steed. (1,500/1,000)

“Let me explain his ability,” said Norman. “He’s immune to Traps. Get it? Immune. So… He won’t fall into a Bottomless Trap Hole, won’t drown in a Torrential Tribute, doesn’t care about Mirror Force, Mirror Wall, or any other mirrors…”

“And my Fire Wall can’t stop his attack,” sighed Enrique, putting his head on his hand. “I get the idea… So attack me if you think you can.”

“Think I can?” replied Norman. “I’m going to! Shien… Attack him directly!”

Tenkabito Shien galloped towards Enrique, swinging his nodachi…

“Try avoiding THIS Trap!” shouted Enrique. “I activate… Volcanic Force!”

His facedown card lifted, and his Tri-Blaze Accelerator shattered into bits. Then the whole pavement erupted in an explosion of lava, and Volcanic Doomfire burst out of the ground with a great bellow. (3,000/1,800)

“ARGH!” shouted Norman. “Shien! Stop!”

“He can’t…” replied Enrique.

A blast of lava shot from Doomfire’s maw, blowing Shien to gibbets and throwing Norman backwards as his Life Points his zero…



* * * * * * * * * *



In Domino City, Julius Bjorn, attorney at law for Jarvis and Micawber Law Firm of Copenhagen (not the biggest firm in Scandinavia, even though most members were certain it would be eventually) was engaged in a practice he shouldn’t have been doing – hacking into private files on his laptop at his hotel.

He wanted more concrete proof of the strange rumor about Sheena Arachne before attempting to get to the ones in KaibaCorp itself.

“Let’s see…” he said. “Fact: Sheena was first hired by Siegfried nineteen years ago. Fact: That was the year Duelatopia first opened.”

He skimmed through some files.

“Fact… Sheena Arachne studied etymology at a community college in New Mexico?

“Not exactly the most popular major…”

He typed in some words.

“Maybe if I cross reference ‘Duelatopia’ with ‘Insects’…”

A link appeared on the screen. It said “classified”.

Julius frowned. He had cracked tougher security codes. After two minutes of hacking, the file opened.

A picture appeared on the screen, and Julius shuddered.

It was a picture of a woman, but not a normal woman. She was dressed in a green bodysuit, with an hourglass-shaped hole cut out of the chest, showing a great deal of cleavage. She had waist-length black hair…

As well as four arms, and four glowing, red eyes.

The title on the screen said: “Shelob the Spider Savant, Eliminator of Duelatopia”.

Julius rubbed his chin.

“Spooky…” he thought, looking at the date. “An Eliminator… For year one of Duelatopia… Could this creature be Sheena with a lot of makeup and cybernetic enhancements?”

He clicked on the file.

“Input Password,” said the message.

Julius rubbed his chin.

No problem… He’d just hack a little further…

As he started to type, he saw a light flash on his screen.

“Aw, criminy…” he thought.

His intrusion had been discovered… He was being back-hacked.

His finger slammed on the manual power button for the computer, and the screen shut down.

He held his forehead.

“That was close!” he muttered. “If they had found me out…”

He sighed.

“The Eliminators were merciless, relentless duelists who terrified their opponents with threats of horrible punishments,” he said. “If Sheena was indeed one of them, I’ve truly found the smoking gun that Rasputin wants…

“He could blackmail her good with that information…

“Only one way to truly get proof without being back-hacked…

“I’ll bribe my way into her personal files…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Evening fell upon the island, and in the Temple of Osiris restaurant, the richer guests came to dine…

…or the ones who could freely spend the rest of their trust funds.

Sam had assured them that, once they got to the new accommodations, everything would be paid for. All they needed to save now was ten dollars for breakfast in the morning.

In the main room, a pianist on the stage slowly played a timeless tune, as the five young duelists waited for the appetizers to come.

The music flowed from the piano:



He says, “Son, won’t you play me a melody?
I’m not very sure how it goes…
But it’s sad and it’s sweet, and I knew it complete,
When I wore a younger man’s clothes…”


Ren raised his glass of Coca Cola.

“I’d like to propose a toast…” he said. “May the finals be free of turmoil, and may the best man win.”

Yumi, Chelsea, and Sam looked at him.

“Heh, sorry…” he said. “May the best… duelist win?”

Yumi sighed.

“Sam, are the Centurion’s still rounding up those Ascenders?” she asked.

Sam nodded.

“Twenty of them are in custody so far…” she replied. “By the way, I took it upon myself to tell mom about Rasputin.”

They all looked at her.

“And?” asked Ren.

“Get this…” said Sam. “Mom is already considering searching his hotel room. Seems he was already on the list of ringleader suspects.

“Unfortunately, she said there were four other suspects, and she’s being careful…”

“Huh?” asked Chelsea. “Who are the others?”

“Well…” said Sam, “Rasputin is neither the richest nor most influential guest here. One duelist is actually a member of the Malkovian royal family.”

“Malkovia…” muttered Yumi. “That’s the country in Europe that made a fortune importing superconductive ceramics, right?”

“Yeah…” said Sam, with a chuckle. “They’d prefer it if their country’s treasure was gold or diamonds, but in these times, technology is much more precious.

“Anyway, there are three other multi-billionaires here who were invited, and mom says she has no proof that singles Rasputin out over the other ones. In fact, one of the others was in trouble with the law a couple times, more of a criminal record than Rasputin.”

Erik’s fist hit the table.

“This is unbelievable…” he growled. “We’re witnesses! We could testify!”

Sam shook her head.

“What would you tell a judge?” she asked. “Well, your honor, because of Mr. Lamont, I was forced to take part in a type of duel where the effects were created by magic and the Monsters were real…

“Erik, crazy prosecution witnesses tend to help the defense.”

“We aren’t crazy…” muttered Ren. “It really happened…”

“Won’t Sheena believe us at least?” asked Chelsea. “She was here nineteen years ago… She saw the demons when they invaded…”

“She also knows that said demons were banished and Saurius was killed,” replied Yumi.

She paused. She looked at her Puzzle.

“I have to do the ritual…” she muttered. “I have to end it forever…”

“End what?” asked Ren.

Yumi sighed, and saw the Pharaoh standing next to her.

“If I can do this…” she muttered, “he’ll be at peace, and it will end… The portals will finally close, and seal forever…

“No more Shadow Games… He’ll make sure of it…”

She paused.

“But… for now…” she said, “Rasputin won’t be able to get to us. We’ll deal with him later.”

She raised her glass.

“Cheers…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Later that night…

Ren sat on his bed, looking at the cards in his deck.

He looked at his Dark Blades, Getsu Fuhmas, and all the others…

“Yumi and Chelsea have seen this whole deck…” he mused. “Sam and Erik have seen most of it…

“I have to make it fresh…”

He looked through his other cards, and went over them one by one, occasionally switching one with his deck.

In her own hotel room, Chelsea was doing the same thing.

“If I’m going to surprise Ren and Yumi,” she said, “I have to make my deck more special than it ever has been.

“This guy is good… So is this… Here’s a good card…”

At around eleven o’clock, both Ren and Chelsea were satisfied. They put their newly reworked decks in their cases, and fell into sound sleeps.

In another hotel, Nicholas and Olga were already sleeping soundly.

Nicholas had packed up his Ojama Deck… Olga had put away her Cyber Angel Deck…

When the finals came, their true decks would emerge once more…



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi was up with the sun, and was in front of her hotel with all her luggage fifteen minutes before noon. She was prepared to wait, but soon realized that doing so wasn’t necessary.

“Ms. Mouto?” said a voice, as soon as she walked out the door.

She looked up, and saw a tall man in chauffeur’s clothing.

“Let me take your luggage,” he said. “From this point on, all of your needs are on KaibaCorp.”

“Think I’m gonna like this,” said Yumi with a giggle, as he took her suitcases.

“The trip won’t be long,” he said, as he opened the door to let her in. “The Coliseum is in the exact center of the island, so getting there is a quick drive no matter where you are. Until then, make yourself comfortable.”

Yumi sat down in the back of the stretch limo, remembering how Sam had given her a ride to Domino Pier on the day they came her. This time, however, she had a private ride.

She took out her cards and looked through them.

This was it… Her chance to go all the way to the top.

She looked at Dark Magician Girl.

Then she looked over her shoulder, and saw the Pharaoh next to her.

“We’re gonna do it…” she whispered. “Once the finals are done, I promise… We’ll get the last three Charms away from them, and then we’ll do whatever it takes…”

The limo passed through the Entertainment District, and then into the Center, the place where the most important buildings were. The Duelatopia KaibaCorp offices were there, perhaps dwarfed by the main offices in Domino, but still impressive.

The holographic projection tower loomed over the skyline, Centurions still guarding it at several vantage points…

Then Yumi saw the Coliseum. The grand arena. Sheena had gone with a different theme this year in renovating, designing it to resemble the Coliseum in Rome as it might have looked like when it was new. The old-fashioned look didn’t fool Yumi – she knew that it hid high-tech equipment in every corner.

A door opened up, and the limo entered, driving into a tunnel…

Eventually, he pulled into a garage with an elevator, where a redcap was waiting.

“Ms. Mouto,” he said, as he opened the door, “Charles here will take your luggage to your new suite. Until then, Ms. Arachne has prepared a buffet lunch for you and the other finalists for the briefing. If you’ll just follow me… Uh… Any special instructions for those bags?”

“No, thanks…” said Yumi with another giggle.



* * * * * * * * * *


The elevator rode a few floors down, and opened at a long hall. The chauffer led Yumi to a large lounge, where the first thing she saw was Ren and Chelsea.

“About time you got here!” said Ren.

“You guys are always early…” muttered Yumi, looking around.

“Naturally,” said Ren. “I was born two weeks before schedule.”


A buffet table laden with food was spread out, and a strange-looking screen was above it. Ren and Chelsea had found the food with no problem.

“So what now?” asked Yumi.

“Lunch, I guess…” said Chelsea. “I wonder where Sam and Erik are.”

“We’re right here,” said Sam’s voice.

She and Erik walked in, and for someone who was getting the VIP treatment, Sam didn’t look all too happy.

“Something wrong, Sam?” asked Yumi.

“Plenty…” muttered her rival. “I was on the internet last night, and I found out who the last three finalists are…”

They looked at her.

“Who?” asked Ren.

A chill blew through the room.

Everyone turned to the door as Nicholas, Olga, and then Rasputin walked in.

“That answer your question?” asked Sam.

Yumi noticed someone else had come with Rasputin. It was Louis, although they had not yet met him.

“Something’s rotten here…” muttered Chelsea, “and I don’t think it’s the smoked salmon…”

Yumi glared daggers at Rasputin, and he glared back. She crossed her arms.

“Figures…” said Yumi. “I guess you thought you’d try to finish what you started Rasputin. And this time you brought a thug with you.”

Louis looked around, before he realized she was talking about him.

“Hey!” he shouted. “I’m no thug!”

“Uh, Louis,” said Nicholas. “Yes you are. Deal with it.”

“Listen Yumi…” said Rasputin, in a vile tone, “I really don’t know how you survived, but…”

“I’ll tell you exactly how I survived,” replied Yumi. “I was rescued by someone who was given eternal life and youth by an advanced civilization, a race whose secrets they’ll never share with you, and who you could never possibly get close enough to in order to study in the slightest.”

Rasputin glared at her…

He clenched his fist…

“Calm down…” said Olga, putting his hand on his shoulder.

Rasputin walked up to the buffet table and took a cracker.

“Regardless,” he said, spreading brie on it, “my protégés and I are in the finals, and that gives us opportunities, Yumi… More than you could ever imagine…”

“Exactly!” said a voice.

They all turned, and saw that Sheena’s face had appeared on the screen.

“Yumi, Samantha, Ren, Chelsea, Erik, Olga, Nicholas, Rasputin…” she said. “Welcome one and all.

“The finals lie ahead, and there’s no turning back. It all starts with tonight’s opening ceremonies.

“In case you’re wondering how this tournament is going to be held, well, it’s the usual. Elimination style. Four duels in the quarter finals, the winners proceeding to the semi-finals, with the winners there competing in the true finals.

“If you want to know who will be dueling who, that will not be known until introductions are made at the opening ceremonies tonight at six. They’ll be made at random. The quarter finals start tomorrow at noon.

“The duels last until one warrior remains. Only one will emerge triumphant…

“Keep in mind that we have a live, international television broadcast. The world will be watching as Duelatopia XX commences.”

What is this, the Super Bowl? thought Ren.

“Until then, your wish is our command. Your new hotel suites offer an array of luxurious accommodations. Room service is available twenty-four hours, and all of your needs will be taken care of.

“Simply be outside your rooms at five PM. Until then duelists… Enjoy…”

Sam looked at Yumi and she looked back.

I guess I have two foes to beat in this battle… thought Yumi. I just hope I can count on enough of an alliance with Sam to take out Rasputin…

Rasputin glared at them.

“Plan whatever useless strategies you think will work,” he said. “You brats can only be sure of one thing… I won’t rest until I’ve beaten all of you.”

“Yeah?” replied Ren. “Well I won’t rest until you shave off that ugly beard!

“I mean, you may think it makes you look more sinister, but it really just makes you look dumber. That look went out with Ming the Merciless.”

He, Chelsea, Yumi, Sam, and Erik burst out laughing. Even Nicholas giggled a little.

Rasputin was clearly very angry.

“Listen you little brat!” he shouted, pointing to his face. “My father had a beard like this, his father had a beard like this, and four generations of Lamont men before him…”

“Easy, easy…” said Olga, holding him back. “You’re gonna blow a blood vessel…”

Rasputin turned and stormed out of the room.

“Uh, I should have told you guys…” muttered Olga. “He’s really sensitive about that…”

She followed him. Nicholas shrugged, and did the same.



* * * * * * * * * *


Waiting in line was never fun. At three PM, the guest of Duelatopia who were waiting to be seated for the festivities realized that all too well.

Fortunately, there were water vendors about, and the water was free. Good thing too, because it was very hot.

Marlon spoke on his cell phone, as one of them handed him a bottle.

“Yes, Philip, I’ve decided to stay for a few more days…” he said. “Well, yes, I could have gone home, but this place kind of grew on me.”

He held his head.

He was, of course, humiliated at having been brainwashed. He had thought his willpower was stronger. The least he could do now was show some support for Sam and Yumi.

Heck sipped water while waiting for the line to move. He had started dueling again after Chelsea’s duel with Angel, but had never gotten back on track. Oh well… He figured he’d work on his deck, and maybe there’d be next year.

Felicia was chugging water as well. Her costume was incredibly hot, but she still preferred it to more common clothes. Her costume defined what she was. She intended to support Ren for the same reason.

She coughed, and noticed that someone was smoking behind her.

“Hey…” said Leroy. “Is it true what they say about cats in warm weather?”

Felicia looked at him and grinned, showing her fangs.

Leroy cowered backwards.

Enrique was pretty glum, despite having gotten late Gold status. His father would be due in court in three days, at which time his lawyer would attempt a plea bargain in return for a guilty plea. He was incredibly nervous about what the outcome would be. If Yumi’s advice helped, he’d be grateful. If it made things worse, he’d hate her forever.

Until then, he’d simply watch.

Someone who didn’t mind the heat was Aisha. She strummed her guitar while waiting, and folks listened as she sang.

One youngster listening to him was Kenta, someone who truly needed cheering up. He would have won the last finalist slot, but he had tried to do what Ren did, and challenge Guinevere for his last rank. Exodia Necross was no match for her Knights. She not only had Royal Straight Slasher, but Freed the Brave Wanderer, two Monsters that could destroy Necross. After he lost, the last thing he remembered was falling into a deep slumber, and waking up in the lobby of Camelot, knowing that he’d been taken out, so to speak.

The least he could do now was support Ren…

Gradually, the stadium began to fill up…


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



In her office under the Coliseum, Sheena was making a few last-minute preparations.

“Yeah…” she said on the phone. “Good. Remember, no-one gets in unless they’re on the guest list. And that means MY guest list! No Ascenders are going to ruin this part of the tournament.

“Hold on, I got another call.”

She pressed a button.

“Sheena Arachne here,” she answered.

“Bianca?”

She paused.

“Bianca, you can’t withdraw!” she shouted.

She paused.

“Really? Yeah… Uhm… I guess that’s pretty bad…”

At that moment, Sam entered the office.

“Mom…” she said.

“Yeah, Bianca,” said Sheena, “I guess you have to… Stay in bed and drink lots of liquids… Feel better…”

She hung up.

“Mom…” repeated Sam.

“Look, Sam,” said Sheena. “I’m kinda busy right now. That swimsuit model that I hired to present the check to the winner… It seems she didn’t have the sense to get chicken pox when she was a kid. Now I have to find a replacement… Fast!”

As she picked up the phone, a light went on in Sam’s eyes.

“Mom, wait!” she shouted.

Sheena looked at her.

“I’ll get you your model…” said Sam.

Sheena gave her a strange look.

“And how exactly are you going to find a professional swimsuit model on such short notice?” asked Sheena.

Sam grinned evilly.

“It’s either gonna be me…” she replied, “or Yumi…”

Sheena gave her a strange look again.



* * * * * * * * * *


The stadium crowd was getting restless as the clock inched towards six o’clock.

Finally, explosions of fireworks burst at every corner, and the announcer’s booth lit up.

In the center of the grassy arena, the Lord of Dragons appeared holding a microphone.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ske-016.jpg


“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “young and young at heart. It’s time to shuffle, cut, draw, and brace for impact! Get ready to see the action fly like never before… It’s a battle for the ages! Let’s get ready to DUUUEEEL!”

A screen above him flashed, and the words “DUELATOPIA XX” appeared on it.

Then the microphone transformed into a Flute of Summoning Dragon and he put it to his lips and played a haunting melody.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en151.jpghttp://www.ideal808.com/images/g6-01.jpg


Tyrant Dragon and Des Volstgalph appeared to either side of him. The two Dragons spread their wings and flew upwards, circling around the arena. Then, both of them belched flames upwards, and then vanished in bursts of fire.

Three Gradius shot into the sky, trailing colored smoke in their wake. They circled the whole city, and then flew off over the horizon.

The two announcers from the announcer booth appeared on the screen. One was a man with straight, styled hair and sideburns. The other was a woman with a trendy haircut and a stylish dress.

“Thank you, Mr. Lord of Dragons,” said the man. “And everyone here, and everyone watching, welcome to Duelatopia XX. I’m Ben Fulton.”

“And I’m Natalie Malone,” said the woman. “Well, like you said, these are the twentieth finals of Duelatopia.”

“And I couldn’t be happier,” said Ben. “There’s something about good, round numbers like twenty that just make me feel good.

“There have been times in Duelatopia’s history that stood out,” said Natalie. “Like the year Chuck Cole won with his Gamble Deck. That guy’s luck was uncanny.”

“Or the tenth running, featuring Zed Masters and his Zeta Reteculant strategy,” said Ben.

“And there was the eighth running…” said Natalie.

“What was…” started Ben.

He paused.

“Oh yeah… Folks, that was the year she won, something she’s never gonna let me forget.”

“You’d better believe it buster,” said Natalie with a laugh, “but the past is the past. It’s time to open the doors to a new flock of duelists, so it’s time to meet them now!”

Music started to play, and a huge set of double doors opened beneath the announcer’s booth. An explosion of sparks burst from either side.

“The latest in a long line of duelists,” said Ben, “some say she has a legacy to continue. She says she’s starting her own. Everyone please welcome… Yumi Mouto!”

The crowd cheered, as Yumi entered, and made her way to a podium in the center.

“Speaking of legacies,” said Natalie, “our second contestant was sired from the one who we have to thank for opening this resort. Everyone please welcome a young lady who calls herself the Consort of Ha Des… Samantha Arachne!”

Sam stepped out, and more people cheered. She blew kisses to the crowd as she walked up to the podium.

Sam and Yumi eyed each other.

“Coming out next,” said Ben, “from London, a young man who proves that the best offense is sometimes a strong defense, let’s all welcome Nicholas Algernon.”

Nicholas stepped out and waved. A surprising number of people (mostly folks from Europe) cheered, and a few girls cheered too.

He went up to the podium.

“Hey ladies,” he said. “Not too late to defect to the winning side, you know…”

“In a pig’s eye…” muttered Sam.

“I’d rather kiss the rear end of one Sam’s Fiends,” replied Yumi.

“Coming right out,” continued Natalie, “a young lady with a deck of Monsters that are, like 1990’s action star Steven Segal, hard to kill, Chelsea Ramset!”

Chelsea entered and raised her arms to cheers. She walked up to the podium.

“Next up,” said Ben, “another visitor from across the pond… Anyone who thinks that Fairies are lightweights never met the girls in this gal’s deck. A lethal lady from Liverpool… Olga Warren!”

Olga stepped out, flashing a big smile. She strode up to the podium next to Chelsea amid a lot of whistles and catcalls. Chelsea glared at her.

“Next, a newcomer to the tournament circuit,” said Natalie, “someone who proves that no matter how old you are, you can always be young at heart… Erik Matell!”

Erik walked out, amid more cheers. He blushed as he walked up to the podium.

“Next up…” said Ben, “a Warrior duelist who proves that not all good Dark Monsters are Spellcasters and Fiends… Let’s meet Ren Marris!”

Ren stepped out, and more people cheered. He smiled, and walked up to the podium.

“And finally…” said Natalie, “coming from the small city of Copenhagen, a man who can find order even in chaos… Everyone welcome Rasputin Lamont!”

Rasputin stepped forward, his stern look still on his face. A few people clapped, though not as much as the others.

He shrugged, and stepped forward.

“Now that we’ve met them, we’ll turn it over to our gracious emcee…” said Ben. “Presenting, president of KaibaCorp, Sheena Arachne!”

“Thank you!” said Sheena.

The crowd erupted into applause as she stepped forward, holding a microphone.

“My…” she said. “My…”

She held her hand out.

“That was a wonderful welcome…” she said. “It’s been a long road… After hundreds of duels, eight remain standing.

“Only one will win the prize of five million dollars, and that’s only the material prize. We all know a much grander prize awaits.

“The quarter final matches, which will be held tomorrow starting at one o’clock, will be the first leg of our competition.

“The four duels will be simply named Duels One through Four. The winners of One and Two and the winners of Three and Four will duel each other in the semi-finals.

“Who will duel each other in the quarter finals? Well, we’ve got someone who can help us with that…”

A flash of light appeared behind her, and a huge Machine appeared. It looked like a cross between a battle mecha and a casino slot machine, with a laser cannon for a right hand, and a small left hand holding its lever.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mrl-028.jpg


“Heh, heh…” chuckled Sheena. “Slot Machine here is a pretty depressed Monster, because no-one uses his card any more. Level Seven Monsters with only 2,000 Attack Points just don’t cut it these days…

“But… We’ve found an important job that only he can handle. He’s going to use his abilities as a one-armed bandit to decide who duels who in the quarter finals.

“Here’s how it will work. The photos of each duelist are programmed into his slots. He simply has to give them a spin, and two will be paired together at random. Once that is done, those two photos will discarded, and we’ll find the next pairing.

“So… Without further ado…”

Everyone looked at the huge Machine nervously. It threw its lever down.

The slots in the center of its chest started to spin. The middle one stopped first, showing a “VS”.

“The match for Duel One will be…” said Sheena.

The other two slots stopped. The photos were Sam and Olga.

“…Samantha Arachne versus Olga Warren!”

Sam crossed her arms.

Well, Yumi will have to wait… she thought, looking at Olga. But this shouldn’t be too hard.

“Now, Duel Two…” said Sheena.

The Slot Machine threw its lever again, and the slots spun again.

The two faces were Chelsea’s and Ren’s.

“Chelsea Ramset, and Ren Marris!”

Ren looked at Chelsea.

Oh… no… he thought.

Chelsea looked down, and shook her head.

“Duel Three…” said Sheena.

The Machine threw its lever again.

Yumi anxiously watched. She almost wanted it to match her with Rasputin…

It didn’t. The two photos that appeared were her and Nicholas.

Nicholas turned to Yumi and smirked.

Hmmm… thought Sam. If this works out, Yumi and I will face each other in the final round…

She smirked.

I couldn’t have asked for better…

“Well,” said Sheena. “Only two remain. That means the duelists for Duel Four will be Erik Matell and Rasputin Lamont.”

Sam’s eyes opened in horror… She hadn’t realized that a second ago…

“No…” she whispered.

Rasputin frowned and crossed his arms.

Lovely… he thought. I’d say this would be as easy as taking candy from a baby… But it would actually be as easy as giving candy to a baby.

Ah, well… As long as I get what I want, it won’t matter…

The Slot Machine vanished.

“I’d like to thank you for coming everyone,” said Sheena. “And now, to close out the opening ceremonies, we have some special guests…”

Behind the podium, a stage rose. A female singer with a base guitar was in front; behind her was a drummer, and to her sides were another guitarist and a keyboardist.

“Presenting America’s newest sensation, White Rain. We’re now going to be treated to the debut of a single from their new album, due out next month. Based on a legend behind Duel Monsters, it’s called Shadows.

“Hit it!”

The musicians started to play. The melody they played was mystical and mysterious, and had a poetic rhythm to them.

The lead singer started to sing:



There’s a world that exists far beyond what we see,
What is there are the things we believe there can be,
What we think is a game is a portal from here,
If the faith is enough, we can bring the world here…

Draw your hand, use your cards, make your beasts come to life,
Just remember the ones who can make them come…
If the world is in need, if it’s threatened by strife…
Duel…
Make the shadows fade…

Duel Monsters, make the magic last,
Duel Monsters, strong and hard and fast,
Duel Monsters we will make our stands,
Duel Monsters… Power in our hands…


The audience listened, entranced, as the singer sang… Finally, the last stanza flowed over the stadium. The crowd erupted in applause.

Yumi was thinking very hard.



* * * * * * * * * *


As the crowd was leaving the stadium, Sam was in her suite, worried sick. Mostly over Erik.

“OH!” she muttered, as she threw a pillow against her bed. “Stupid random chance lottery pick! Erik will be thrashed within an inch of his life by that madman…”

She shook her head. She couldn’t do anything if Erik decided to actually duel him. And she couldn’t just ask him to forfeit.

She fell on the bed and buried her head in the pillow.

Then she heard her stomach rumble.

She got up and picked up the room service menu. She looked at it.

“Pizza…” she muttered. “Not a bad idea…”

She picked up the phone and dialed.

“Hello?” she said. “This is Samantha Arachne in VIP suite five. Yeah… I’d like a large pizza… Deep dish… With pepperoni…”

She paused.

“Garlic bread? Eh… Why not?”

She paused again.

“Half an hour? Great.”

She hung up, and lay her head against the pillow.

Someone knocked at her door.

“That was a short half hour…” she said.

She slowly walked to the door and looked out the peephole.

She was surprised. It was that old woman with the eyepatch. The one whom she had delivered that letter to Yumi for.

She hit the speaker button.

“What do you want?” she asked, not opening the door. “And just how did you get past security?”

“Don’t you remember, Sam?” came the reply. “I promised you that if you delivered that letter, I would later repay you with vital information when you needed it.

“As for how I got past the Centurions, it’s a little secret I’ve known for years.”

“Well, I want an excuse not to yell for them,” said Sam, suspiciously. “What ‘vital information’ could you possibly give me?”

“I know what you can expect from Olga when you duel her tomorrow,” replied Maria.

“I already know,” said Sam. “I looked up her duels on the internet. She uses Cyber Angels.”

“The Cyber Angels were an old deck, which she has now put away,” said Maria. “Her real one is far deadlier.”

Sam paused. She thought.

She didn’t know whether she could trust this Maria… But she didn’t want to walk into some mega-powerful surprise tomorrow…

She unlocked the door and opened it.

“Okay, you have five minutes to get my attention…” she said. “Talk…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Ren and Yumi sat in the lounge, with Ren strumming his guitar.

He sang slowly…



Faded photographs, covered now with lines and creases…
Tickets torn in half, memories in bits and pieces…
Traces of love, long ago, that didn't work out right…
Traces of love…

Ribbons from her hair, souvenirs of days together…
The ring she used to wear, pages from an old love letter…
Traces of love, long ago, that didn't work out right…
Traces of love – with me, tonight.


“So, what are you gonna do?” asked Yumi.

“We’re gonna duel…” muttered Ren. “We have to…”

He sighed.

Yumi smirked.

“My dad dueled my mom in their Duelatopia finals,” she sighed. “It didn’t make them hate each other, Ren.

“We all knew from the start that this was probably gonna happen. You’re just gonna have to do it.”

She paused.

“We have other problems…” she sighed.

They looked at each other.

“Rasputin,” they both said at once.

“He and his two protégés all have Shadow Charms,” replied Yumi. “He’ll find a way to turn these finals into a war between them… I just know it…”

“Hey, I’m not scared of him,” said Ren. “Ren Marris isn’t scared of anything…”

He paused.

“Okay, that’s a lie…” he muttered. “I am scared of one thing…”

Yumi looked at him as he put his guitar down.

“Can you keep a secret, Yumi?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Dad was teaching me to duel using the Disks,” sighed Ren. “And he summoned a Monster that Siegfried had given to him at one point…

“Giant Spitting Cobra…”

“I know about that…” replied Yumi. “Powerful… When it’s on the field, all opposing Monsters lose 400 Attack Points.”

“Yeah…” said Ren. “But when he summoned it, I got nervous. I started to sweat.

“And I had two cards in my hand that could have destroyed it! Earthquake and Shield Crush. I could have wiped it out…

“But I was too scared to use them. I gave up and begged him to make it go away.

“Dad said he understood. Mom was afraid of snakes too. He said it must have been in my blood…

“But that night, I had a nightmare… A nightmare where I was fighting demonic snakes…

“It got worse the next night…

“And the third night…

“Oh, that was the worst. The third night, I dreamt of… her…”

“Her?” asked Yumi.

“A snake goddess,” said Ren. “She was a true monster, and I was sure that she was going to eat me if I didn’t wake up. Fortunately, I did…

“I was afraid to sleep the next night. But when I did sleep, strangely, no more snakes…”

He sighed.

“It’s weird…” he muttered.

“Ren,” said Yumi, “Anastasia was afraid of snakes too. It’s a common fear.

“Some say it stems from the myth of Eden… It was a snake that tempted Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, which brought evil into the world… Ever since then, snakes just aren’t very likeable creatures.

“But trust me, snakes in Duels Monsters are rare. And there is no snake goddess!”

She put her hand on his shoulder.

“We have worse things to worry about than snakes. Now, why don’t we turn in? It’s gonna be a big day tomorrow.”

Ren nodded.

As they left the room, neither of them saw the creature perched on the ceiling. It looked like a tiny eyeball with wings and claws.

It was a spybat, a creature created by alchemy. They didn’t know it, but Rasputin had been using it to listen to everything they had said.

“Hmmm,” he said, rubbing his chin.

He picked up a briefcase and looked in it. Several shampoo and other hygiene-related bottles were inside it.

In reality, they were full of chemicals used for alchemy. He looked at three of them.

“That Ren had some nerve making fun of my beard,” he growled. “There was a time when a beard was a symbol of wisdom and intellect, and a man who had one was respected…

“Nowadays, you can’t even find a professional who’ll trim it for you… Barbers have all been replaced by… hairstylists. It seems the more the world advances, the more time-honored traditions we lose…

“No snake goddesses, huh Yumi?

“Well, Ren will soon learn otherwise. This will be a night he won’t soon forget…”

The finals are all set to begin, but the night before they start, Rasputin seems to be planning one more trick, aimed at attacking Ren where he hurts the most. Try to sleep soundly while you can, Ren… If you can…



VOLCANIC FORCE (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A pool of boiling lava.

Card Description: Destroy one “Tri-Blaze Accelerator” on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Volcanic Doomfire” from your hand, deck, or Graveyard, disregarding its summoning requirements.



Chelsea: This place is comfortable… I hope everyone can sleep soundly…

Ren: Tired… Have to sleep…

Rasputin: Going to sleep, Ren? That was a big mistake… It’s time I truly used my skills…

Chelsea: Rasputin… What the devil are you up to?

Rasputin: There’s nothing you can do, Chelsea… I’ll attack Ren where you can’t possibly protect him…

Chelsea: It may be a dream, but it will still be a duel…

Coming up next, “Dream Demon; Ren versus the High Priestess”.

Wake up, Ren! I have faith in you!

[Shuppet Master]

Oh no, Rasputin's up to his dirty tricks again, trying to take out Ren from the finals. Jerk!

Great chapter, Brian. For some reason, my message window is tiny. :(

[mario72486]

A bit of a slow-down from the previous chapter, but then again this one is mere setting the stage for what's to come. I'm looking forward to finding out what kind of decks Nicholas and Olga will be using for the finals, as well as the new cards the main characters added to their's.

So Ren has a case of Ophidiophobia, eh? I can guess what kind of deck we'll see in this 'dream duel' coming up, but I won't say a word for those who'd rather be surprised.

[Mystic_clown]

I think we can all guess what deck Ren will face, especially since Yumi mentioned the "snake Goddess".

Not much to say here. It was mainly to establish what was going on. I'm a little annoyed that Sam's being told what she's up against, it seems like a bit of a cop-out, like with Yumi's duel earlier on.

Why am I getting a sense of dread about this mysterious "Final member" of the conflict?

[Shuppet Master]

I'm a little annoyed that Sam's being told what she's up against, it seems like a bit of a cop-out, like with Yumi's duel earlier on.

Oh, come on. Would you prefer Cassandra to repay Sam some other way, like a cheap broken card which would be worse than simply giving info on Olga's new deck? Besides, Yumi's not going to be told about Nicholas's new deck, so you will get your "OMG! I'm going to lose this duel because I prepared for the wrong deck!!!!!1111111!" :mad:

I agree that this whole thing about getting spoiled to the deck of one of your enemies is sort of a thing an author uses when they favor a character, but don't you dare claim that Dark Sage favors Samantha Arachne!

[Dark Sage]

I do not favor Sam at all, and when you see what she will be put through in future chapters, that will become clear.

Furthermore, this is not the first time a duelist has accepted help. I seem to remember that Kaiba gave Yugi his Fiend's Sanctuary card before the duel with Marik as a means of fighting Ra. Yugi didn't reject that help.

And trust me, Maria can only do so much. She might try to help the other heroes... But she might fail at the worst possible time.

[Hinoryu]

Hrm. I have very mixed feelings on this chapter.

On one hand, it's simply a transition chapter, so it really can't be expected to have much. But still, I think you honestly need to work on your suspense-building skills.

For example, Ren's fear of snakes. We can all tell what's coming when Ren duels: Venominaga. However, if you had left that part off, and waited until next chapter, and had Ren suddenly scared stiff, it would have been more interesting, in my opinion.

Though I've really lost hope for Rasputin being a competent villain, I do hope he at least handles himself well. I admit I'm curious to see how that whatever-it-is that helps Rasputin will play out, given how you swore in Dark Messiah that the villain in this would be entirely human, with no supernatural force at fault the whole time, etc.

Well, I'll keep my other thoughts to myself for now. I await the next chapter.

[Shuppet Master]

While Rasputin clearly is the major villian here, he's probably going to suffer a cliche fate. The problem with making a human villian is that humans have the same faults as the heroes, and supernature forces have the epic quality of being the overwhelming odds that are overcome which many authors use to keep the action interesting. Human villians can't do that unless they have no redeeming qualities and some quirk, like Batman's villians.

As much as I want to see the final chapter be about Yumi crushing Rasputin and standing on his battered corpse, chances are that's a fake ending. If Brian's other villians have any indictation, he'll surprise us with something else for the heroes to fight off.

[Mystic_clown]

Shuppet, I think he means that he's not favouring Sam. It doesn't mean he's bashing her.

The thing about human villians is that they are more interesting. They have more depth to them. There's always some good about them and if written very well, tends to make the readers root for the bad guy. A purely evil characters (such as Sin), tend to be more one dimensional, a bit on the boring side.

Take a look at the villians Yugi faced. With the exception of Zorc, they were human. They were interesting. You couldn't help but like them.

[Shuppet Master]

Uhm, everyone, Brian called me out on this. I'll edit the message if it is too much. I am very sorry for the mistake.

[Dark Sage]

I have an announcement to make. This is part contest, part recruitment offer, for any reader, active or closet reader, who knows anything about fan art.

As you know, the most important cards in two of the main character's decks - Ren's and Cheslea's - have not yet been seen, because I made them up.

Thus, I'm offering anyone who is artistically savy to attempt to design two cards: Cresent Moon Queen and Penelope, Lady of the Night.

Now, I can't pay you... However, if someone is successful in bringing these two Monsters to life, you'll be able to design an important part in a big project I'm planning in the future. (If you're serious about it, I'll PM to you what it is - I can't reveal it here.)

So, anyone think they can do it? You can see these two ladies in your head, most likely... Why don't we stop leaving them to the imagination?

No time limit yet... I'm not starting the project for a long time.

[Shuppet Master]

Is this a fan site? I'm just curious - I mean, your works are legendary, so why not put up a fanfic site dedicated to your works? :D

[Master of Paradox]

Is this a fan site? I'm just curious - I mean, your works are legendary, so why not put up a fanfic site dedicated to your works? :D

Have you looked at the cost of server space lately?

[Dark Sage]

I will give extra brownie points to anyone who can tell me where I got the name of the duelist in this chapter from.





CHAPTER FORTY



Dream Demon



Ren versus the High Priestess



It was ten PM.

Olga lay on her bed, looking at the ceiling.

She sat up, and picked up a deck. She picked up the top three cards.

They were her three stars: Benten, Idaten, and Dakini.

She looked at them sadly…

She remembered a duel that had happened just four months ago…



* * * * * * * * * *


Olga was in a London pub, in the middle of a very serious duel. When this duel had started, everyone in the pub had placed bets against her, thinking it would be easy money…

Now, they were upset, because they were going to lose what they had wagered. The only happy people in this pub were the bartender (who had taken the wagers) and Olga.

Who would have bet against Olga’s opponents? She was opposing three duelists at once!

But now, she clearly had the advantage. All three of the Cyber Angel sisters were on her side of the field, and her opponents, three thugs in cheap, off-the-rack suits, had nothing.

“So…” said Olga, crossing her arms. “You three goons were having so much fun a while ago when I said I’d duel you all at once… Taunting me, mocking me, laughing at me… Well, it’s funny… I don’t see any of you laughing NOW!”

“Lady, please!” begged one of the thugs.

“Eddington doesn’t pay us enough for this!” pleaded another one.

“He’s not gonna pay us at all once he finds out we screwed this up…” said the third. “Can we just say we’re sorry?”

“No!” shouted Olga, drawing a card. “Now, here’s a message to give that greedy magistrate from Rasputin. When he reads the will tomorrow, it had better be the actual, true will, and not the one he forged. Otherwise, Rasputin will be coming after him personally…

“And he is not as merciful as I am.

“Ladies… Attack them directly!”

The three Cyber Angels charged…



* * * * * * * * * *


Olga looked at the three cards. She could swear that their usual fierce expressions had been replaced by sad ones…

They knew…

“I’m… I’m sorry…” she whispered. “It’s been great, really it has… All the duels… But I have to move on…

“Hey, it isn’t the end… If anyone wants to duel me for fun, I’ll bring you out again…

“But I can’t use you for any serious duels any more… I have to grow stronger…

“It’s hard for me too, I know…”

She shuffled them into the deck. Then she placed it in a deck case, and placed it in her duffle bag.

She lay on her bed, and a tear fell down her face…



* * * * * * * * * *


Rasputin had to hand it to Sheena. The VIP suites at the Coliseum were something else. They even had a small kitchen, with a refrigerator and a range.

As Louis snored loudly in the bedroom (Rasputin had no need for a bed, since he didn’t sleep) Rasputin stirred something in a saucepan over the range.

He hadn’t been telling the whole truth when he had told Yumi that alchemic formulas couldn’t be cooked up over the kitchen stove. Sure, the most powerful ones couldn’t, but if you were good at it, you could do so with some formulas… And he had centuries to become good at it.

He carefully added a few powders and liquids to it, as it came to a full boil.

Being CEO of a chemical company helped him a good deal, but a lot of these chemicals were rather easy to get. In an age and time where the supernatural wasn’t usually believed, an alchemist could often find powerful – and dangerous – stuff as close as the corner grocery store.

He heard a sound and turned around. Nicholas wandered into the room.

“What are you doing here?” asked Rasputin.

“Eh, I came to get back my Tylenol,” said Nicholas. “You really should start bringing your own… Why are you up?”

He paused.

“Oh, right, you’re always up… I keep forgetting.”

He looked at the stove.

“Ho boy…” he muttered, turning to the suitcase where the pills were. “The old double, double, toil and trouble stuff, huh?”

“Make yourself useful and bring me the deck of cards that’s in the green case,” replied Rasputin.

Nicholas shrugged, and did so.

Rasputin took the cards out and looked at the deck.

“I used this deck in one duel…” he muttered. “Even though I won, I never will again… These cards even scared me…

“Pegasus’s brat of a daughter may never have lost a duel until Yumi’s father faced her in mortal combat… But she clearly never faced a duelist with this deck. If she had, she’d have done one of two things…

“Fallen on her knees and pleaded for mercy…

“Or had a heart attack and died on the spot.”

“What are you up to?” asked Nicholas. “Now you’re scaring me!”

Rasputin placed the deck by the concoction that was boiling. He took a vial of liquid, and added it.

A cloud of purple smoke rose out of the pan…

Two eyes appeared in the smoke. Then it formed claws. It glared at Rasputin.

“You know what to do,” said Rasputin to the thing.

The smoke creature turned to the deck of cards, and it vanished. Then the smoke creature vanished.

“What was that?” shouted Nicholas.

“A feyr,” replied Rasputin. “A type of urban demon. It feeds on negative emotions.

“While it can feed on emotions like hate, sadness, anger, and doubt, it can’t create those emotions in humans…

“But it is very good at creating fear, given help.

“And with the help I gave it, dear Ren will not be sleeping too well in a few minutes.”

Nicholas started to chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” asked Rasputin, annoyed.

“Not gonna work, pal,” replied Nicholas.

“Why not?” said Rasputin, more annoyed.

“Don’t you ever watch movies?” asked Nicholas. “This happens all the time… The villain uses a plot to assault the hero, preying on his fears… But the plot always backfires and has the opposite result. The hero overcomes his fear, and escapes the situation stronger for the experience.”

Rasputin frowned.

“This isn’t a movie, Nicholas,” he said. “And it won’t be just a nightmare…

“This will be an actual duel, with lethal stakes. Ren will die if he loses this challenge…

“When he wakes up, he’ll be a quivering, cowering shell of the duelist he once was… We won’t have to win the Horn of Chance from him… He won’t want it any more.”



* * * * * * * * * *


At the moment, Ren was sleeping soundly.

The atmosphere in the room changed. He frowned.

The feyr silently crept behind him, and its spectral claws reached forward, clasping around his neck.

Ren squirmed a little…

His eyes shot open.

He looked around.

“What?” he said out loud. “Where the heck am I?”

He looked around.

He was in some dungeon corridor. Torches dimly lit the pathway ahead, into darkness.

He looked at himself. He was wearing his street clothes, and his Duel Disk was on his arm.

The Horn of Chance was around his shoulder too.

“What is this…” he muttered. “I’ll bet this is some Rasputin trick…

“Real sporting of you, Rasputin… Kidnapping me in my sleep…”

He took his deck from his Disk and quickly looked through it.

All his cards were there, fortunately, including the new additions he had made to the deck.

“I’ll be worried later…” he muttered. “Right now, I’m really mad…”

He trudged forward.

He didn’t have far to go. The corridor ended at a stone door. He merely touched it, and it opened.

“My spider-sense tells me that I’m walking into something…” he muttered.

He looked at the doorway…

“Well, it would… If I had a spider-sense, which I don’t…”

He walked through, and the door slammed shut behind him, as he expected it to.

He looked around.

He was in a large chamber that looked like a temple of some sort. On the far end…

He gulped. On the far end was what looked like a throne carved in the shape of a cobra.

There was a large pit in the floor between him and the throne, and a narrow bridge leading across it.

Ren approached the pit and looked down. Something was moving down there…

He took a torch of the wall, and tossed it down into the pit.

He leapt back as he saw what the things were, and heard angry hissing noises.

“Snakes…” he muttered. “Why did it have to be snakes…”

He slowly looked into the pit again.

“Asps…” he said with a shudder. “Very dangerous…”

He paused. He looked at the bridge.

“Right…” he said. “Like I’m gonna fall for that.”

He wasn’t about to cross that bridge. He was certain that it was a booby trap that would unhinge it and dump him into that snake pit…

“Welcome,” said a woman’s voice.

Ren looked up.

Sitting on that throne (and clearly not there before) was a woman who looked evil and sexy at the same time. Her dress consisted of a bikini top made of metal, a long skirt, a headdress shaped like a cobra’s hood, and a green cape.

She looked at Ren in the same way a boa constrictor looked at a bird.

“Who are you?” asked Ren. “Where am I? How did I get here?”

“So many questions…” said the strange woman. “I am Nagaina, high priestess of Vennominaga. This is the Shrine of Vennominaga. And I brought you here.”

“Who’s Vennominaga?” asked Ren.

“She’s the goddess you will be sacrificed to,” was the reply.

Ren gulped and took a step back.

“Look, I’ll just…” he said.

“Quiet!” shouted Nagaina.

She stood up.

“Begin the ceremony…”

She raised her arm, and a Duel Disk appeared on her arm. It was a nasty-looking thing with spokes in its tray, and the deck holder was shaped like a serpent’s mouth.

“You want to duel me?” asked Ren.

She nodded.

“Only in such a battle can Vennominaga be summoned to this place,” she replied.

“What if I win?” asked Ren.

Nagaina grinned.

“Well…” she chuckled. “If that should happen, you’re free to go… But trust me… It won’t.”

How do I get into these messes? thought Ren.

“Suppose I just refuse?” he asked.

Nagaina frowned.

“You were absolutely right in assuming that the bridge could be unhinged if you walked on it,” she replied, “and that isn’t the only lethal trap in this room. For all you know, you could be standing on one right now…”

“All right, all right!” shouted Ren. “I’ll duel you…”

How hard could it be? he thought. I made the finals, after all…

The two Disks activated.

“Begin…” said Nagaina.



(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Nagaina: 8,000)


“I’m all about this!” shouted Ren. “Draw!”

He drew a card.

“Getsu Fuhma, go!”

He played a card, and in a burst of darkness, the redheaded ronin appeared, brandishing her sword. (1,700/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-0891.jpg


“End turn…” he said.

Nagaina drew a card.

“I play Venom Swamp,” she said.

A Field Slot on her Disk flicked open, and she placed a card in it.

Haze started to rise from the floor of the temple, and it got darker. Ren stepped back nervously, as stagnant water formed up to his knees, and trees full of creepers and vines rose around him. Getsu Fuhma looked just as nervous.

Ren held his throat for a second… There was something in the air… Something bad…

“What does your Field Spell do?” he asked.

“It causes misery and pain,” said Nagaina, with a chuckle. “This foreboding cypress swamp is so choked with poisons, that merely entering can be deadly for most forms of life.

“At every End Phase of every turn, yours and mine, all Monsters on the field gain something called a Venom Counter, which deducts 500 from their Attack Scores. Naturally, the native creatures of this swamp, which is any Monster with the word ‘Venom’ in its name, is immune to this effect.

“So… I’ll summon Venom Snake in Attack Mode.”

The swamp water in front of her bubbled, and a large snake, resembling a type of coral snake or copperhead, emerged from below. (1,200/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en015.jpg


Ren took a step back, nearly falling over.

He took some deep breaths.

Get a grip, Ren! he thought. That’s a weak Monster… It can’t beat Getsu…

“Now I activate Venom Snake’s effect,” said Nagaina. “If I don’t attack with it this round, I can put a Venom Counter on one of your Monsters now.”

Venom Snake spit at Getsu Fuhma, and she screamed as a small snake made of dark liquid coiled around her arm. Then she screamed again as it sank its fangs into her arm. She groaned, as her Attack Score fell to 1,200.

“I place three of my cards facedown on the field,” said Nagaina, as three facedown cards appeared behind Venom Snake. “And I end my turn, which means my Field Spell’s effect activates.”

Getsu Fuhma gasped as another snake coiled around her leg. She hollered again as it bit her too. She clutched her stomach, and looked truly sick. Her Attack Score fell again, this time to 700.

This is crazy… thought Ren. So long as this Field is in play, my Monsters will just get weaker.

He drew a card.

His eyes opened. It was a Trap Card, one of the new additions to his deck.

He placed it in his Disk.

“One card facedown,” he said, as it appeared on the field. “Then, I sacrifice Getsu Fuhma…”

Getsu vanished in a blur of darkness…

“To summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!”

Penumbral Soldier Lady rose up onto the field, holding her longsword aloft. (2,100/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0331.jpg


Those facedown cards worry me, he thought, but that… Snake worries me even more…

I’m gonna go for it…

“Penumbral Soldier Lady… Attack the Venom Snake with sword of shadows!”

The Warrior lifted her blade.

“I activate… Rush Recklessly!” shouted Nagaina, as one of her facedown cards lifted.

“HA!” laughed Ren. “Sorry… That won’t make your Snake strong enough to beat my Monster.”

“Whoever said I was using it on my Monster?” asked Nagaina. “I’m using it on yours.”

Penumbral Soldier Lady’s Attack Score rose to 2,800. She continued her attack, and cleaved the Venom Snake in two. Nagaina cringed.



(R: 8,000) -------------------- (N: 6,400)


“What in the name of…” gasped Ren. “Why did you…”

Then he noticed that another of Nagaina’s facedown cards had been activated.

“Huh?” he said. “Damage = Reptile? What the heck is that?”

“I can use the effect of this Trap whenever I take damage from a battle involving a Reptile-Type Monster,” said Nagaina. “When that happens, I get to summon a new one from my deck, so long as its Attack Score is equal to or less than the amount of damage I receive.”

So that’s why she purposely increased my Monster’s Attack Score… thought Ren. So she could summon something more powerful…

“Since I lost 1,600 Life Points, I can now summon Venom Boa,” said Nagaina.

Another snake burst out of the swamp. This one was larger and thicker than Venom Snake, had grey scales, and three eyes. (1,600/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en016.jpg


“And now I activate my other Trap,” continued Nagaina, as her last facedown card lifted. “Snake Whistle. Since one of my Reptile Monsters was destroyed, I can summon another one from my deck, so long as it’s Level Four or less.

“And I choose to summon Venom Serpent.”

Yet another snake emerged from the murky water, this one with green scales and two heads. (1,000/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en017.jpg


Ren shivered at the sight of the two snakes…

“By the way, Ren…” said Nagaina, “Damage = Reptile is a Continuous Trap. I can use its effect once per round, so long as I take battle damage.”

Ren nervously looked at the cards remaining in his hand.

“I… have to end my turn…” he muttered.

“And that means my Swamp’s effect activates,” said Nagaina.

Penumbral Soldier Lady gasped as another snake appeared on her arm. It bit her, and her Attack Score fell to 1,600.

Nagaina grinned, and drew a card.

“I activate the effect of Venom Serpent,” she said, “which like Venom Snake, lets me put a Venom Counter on your Monster…”

The two-headed Serpent spit at Penumbral Soldier Lady, and she shrieked. This time a snake appeared on her neck, and sank its fangs into her flesh. Her Attack Score fell further, to 1,100.

“Now I activate Venom Boa’s effect,” she continued. “It can put two Venom Counters on your Monster.”

Venom Boa spit a cloud of green gas, and Soldier Lady truly screamed. Two more snakes, one on each leg, appeared and savagely bit her. She fell to her knees, and her Attack Score fell to only 100.

“Now the ceremony truly starts…” said Nagaina. “I sacrifice both my Monsters…”

Venom Boa and Venom Serpent turned into globs of vile water, and then evaporated.

A double sacrifice? thought Ren, in horror. Something tells me I’m not gonna like this…

“And I summon… Vennominon, the King of Poisonous Snakes!”

Ren stood back, as a huge, intimidating form rose out of the Venom Swamp. It combined the worst aspects of snake and man, with swarming snakes for arms, and a snaky trunk in place of legs. It wore a long, flowing cape, and its serpentine head was crowned by a golden hood shaped like a cobra. (0/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/taev_en0141.jpg


I was right… thought Ren. I don’t like it at all…

He looked at it nervously… Then he noticed that it had zero Attack Points.

“Uh…” he muttered.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said Nagaina. “Vennominon gains 500 Attack Points for every Reptile in my Graveyard. And I have three of them there right now…”

(1,500/0)

“Soon to be more. I play Venom Shot.”

She played a Spell Card.

“To play this card, I have to discard from my deck one Reptile-Type Monster,” she said, looking at the cards in her deck. “So I’ll get rid of one Gagagigo.”

She discarded the card.

“This, of course, makes Vennominon even stronger…”

Vennominon glowed… (2,000/0)

“And Venom Shot also lets me put two more Venom Counters on your Monster.”

Vennominon spit a stream of poison at Penumbral Soldier Lady with the force of a hose, drenching her. Two more snakes appeared on her shoulders, and she couldn’t resist any more as their fangs stabbed into her skin. She bowed her head limply, as her Attack Score slowly fell to nothing…

“And I forgot to mention…” continued Nagaina. “If a Monster’s Attack Score falls to zero due to Venom Counters, it dies.”

Penumbral Soldier Lady collapsed face-first, and then burst into pixels.

“No…” muttered Ren.

He looked at Nagaina with anger.

“You sadistic…” he snarled. “What sort of person are you to kill using poison?”

“You’re about to see firsthand,” replied Nagaina. “Vennominon… Attack him directly with fang venom!”

Ren gasped…

Then he remembered his Trap Card…

Blasts of black venom shot from the snakes forming Vennominon’s arms, and Ren screamed…

He panted for breath…



(R: 10,000) -------------------- (N: 6,400)


“WHAT?” shouted Nagaina. “Your Life Points went UP?”

Then she noticed Ren’s activated Trap Card.

“Nutrient Z?” she shouted.

“Good for what ails ya…” said Ren, still sweating. “Including snakebite, apparently. Since your attack was just enough to do 2,000 points of damage, I gained 4,000 right before it hit.”

“Humph,” said Nagaina. “Seems you’re better than I thought… It’s your move…”

Ren drew a card.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode,” he said, as a facedown Monster appeared. “And I’m guessing your Swamp can’t do anything to facedown Monsters.”

“You’d be right…” muttered Nagaina. “Is that all?”

“Mmm…” muttered Ren.

Nagaina drew.

“Well, I have no choice…” she said. “I play Card of Sanctity.”

She played the card, and a bright light flashed over Venom Swamp, and coins fell into the murky water.

She drew five cards, and Ren drew three. She looked over her hand.

“Vennominon, attack!” she shouted. “Fang venom!”

The cloud of poison shot at Ren’s facedown Monster. Familiar Knight appeared on the card, and he was eroded into dust.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ep1-en006.jpg


“I activate Familiar Knight’s ability!” shouted Ren. “We can each Special Summon a Level Four Monster.”

“I don’t have one!” growled Nagaina.

“Well I have one…” replied Ren. “Go, Zombyra the Dark!”

In a burst of darkness, Zombyra flew out onto the field. (2,100/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-074.jpg


“I end my turn,” said Nagaina. “And Zombyra becomes the next victim of my Swamp.”

A snake coiled around Zombyra’s arm and bit him on the wrist. He groaned, and fell to an Attack of 1,600.

Ren drew a card.

“But not for long,” he replied.

“First, I play Graceful Charity…”

Trying to hide how nervous he was, he played the card. The angel appeared in front of him…

The angel looked at him with a look of concern. To his surprise, she gently embraced him.

He closed his eyes. His courage slowly started to return…

As she vanished, he drew three cards. He looked them over and then discarded two.

“Time to dry up your Swamp,” he said. “I play Mystic Plasma Zone!”

He placed a card in his Field Slot, and the swamp waters receded, the trees crumbling to dust. The uncanny darkness of the Zone hung over the arena, and Zombyra rose back to his base stats of (2,100/500), then changed to (2,600/400)

“HA, HA, HA!” laughed Nagaina. “You took away one of my advantages just to give me another! Vennominon is also a Dark Monster!”

Vennominon rose to (2,500/0)

“We’ll soon see…” said Ren. “Next… I play Premature Burial, to bring back Penumbral Soldier Lady…”

Penumbral Soldier Lady appeared on the field, now looking as healthy as she ever was, maybe even more so, now that the nourishing darkness was overhead. (2,100/1,400) –> (2,600/900)

“And next…” continued Ren. “I sacrifice Zombyra, to summon The Fiend Megacyber.”

Zombyra vanished, and the armored, cybernetic Warrior arose, sparking with energy. (2,200/1,200) –> (2,700/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en203.jpg


“Time to stomp your snake!” he shouted. “Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack Vennominon with sword of shadows!”

Penumbral Soldier Lady needed no encouragement. She angrily charged at the snake monarch, slamming her sword into it, and blasting it into pixels.



(R: 9,200) -------------------- (N: 6,300)



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Very clever…” said Nagaina. “Unfortunately, that was pointless…

“First, I’ll activate the effect of Damage = Reptile.”

“What?” said Ren. “But… You only lost 100 Life Points…”

“Well then…” replied Nagaina. “I’ll just have to summon a Reptile with only 100 Attack Points. Venom Cobra, in Defense Mode.”

In a burst of energy, a large, stony cobra appeared, curling up in its coils. (100/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en005.jpg


“Next…” she said, “I activate Vennominon’s second effect. You see, for a small sacrifice, he can survive any battle.

“I merely need to remove from play one of his loyal subjects in my Graveyard, and his majesty makes a full recovery.”

She held up the Gagagigo card, and it melted like glowing acid. In a burst of dark energy, Vennominon reappeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,500/0) –> (2,000/0)

“I still have one more attack!” shouted Ren. “And in case you didn’t notice, your King has zero Defense Points. Fiend Megacyber… Attack Vennominon again!”

The Fiend Megacyber leapt at the royal serpent, and with one slash, tore it in half.

The Venom Snake slipped out of Nagaina’s discard slot, and Vennominon reappeared again. (1,000/0) –> (1,500/0)

“It’s pointless, Ren…” she said. “So long as my Graveyard has Reptiles in it, Vennominon will never be defeated.”

“Yeah, but it gets weaker each time, you notice,” said Ren. “Right now, it isn’t strong enough to defeat either of my Warriors.”

He placed a card in his Disk.

“I’ll set a card facedown and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared.

Nagaina drew a card.

“I move Vennominon back to Attack Mode…” she said.

The King of Poisonous Snakes stood up.

“Now…” she said, “I cast Snake Rain!”

“Snake Rain?” gasped Ren. “I don’t like the sound of that…”

“It’s powerful Spell…” said Nagaina, playing the card. “I toss one card from my hand…”

She discarded Sebek’s Blessing.

“And then I get to discard four Reptiles from my deck.”

She took four cards from her deck, and held them up: one Venom Boa, two Venom Snakes, and one Gagagigo. A black fire surrounded them and consumed them.

Vennominon glowed with dark energy, and rose to an Attack of 3,500.

“Vennominon… Kill the Penumbral Soldier Lady again!”

Vennominon shot its fang venom at the Warrior, and she screamed again. She was blown into pixilated remains. Ren shielded himself.



(R: 8,300) -------------------- (N: 6,300)


Ren took some deep, gasping breaths…

He drew a card…

“I play… Monster Reborn!” he shouted.

In a fiery flash, the golden ankh appeared on the field.

“Crescent Moon Queen, arise!”

The sliver of a crescent moon cast its glow in the darkness of the Mystic Plasma Zone, and the mighty Queen stepped out, brandishing her powerful scimitars. (2,600/1,700) –> (3,100/1,300)

“She was never in your Graveyard…” muttered Nagaina.

“I played Graceful Charity, remember?” said Ren.

“So you did…” replied Nagaina. “But she still falls short of being strong enough to defeat Vennominon…”

Ren gestured, and his facedown card lifted.

“I activate my own Rush Recklessly!” he shouted.

Crescent Moon Queen glowed, and her attack rose to 3,800.

“Queen, attack Vennominon! Crescent sword slash!”

The dark queen lunged at the King of Poisonous Snakes, splitting it down the middle. The two pieces burst into shards.

“I use the effect of Damage = Reptile!” shouted Nagaina. “I’ll summon a second Venom Cobra in Defense Mode!”

Another Venom Cobra appeared, right next to the first. (100/2,000)

“Then I’ll remove one Venom Boa from play, to raise Vennominon from the grave…”

Vennominon appeared again, crouching in Defense Mode. (3,000/0)

“But my Queen has another attack,” said Ren. “Queen, destroy it again!”

Crescent Moon Queen slashed with her other sword, smashing Vennominon to pieces again.

“I remove a second Venom Snake from play,” said Nagaina, “and once again…”

Vennominon returned, in Defense Mode again. (2,500/0)

Man, I never thought I’d envy Sam’s Deck… thought Ren, but Ha Des is someone who’d be very useful right about now…

Crescent Moon Queen crouched in Defense Mode.

“Fiend Megacyber, your turn,” said Ren. “Mega slash!”

The Megacyber made a slash at the creature, and it was blasted to bits for a third time.

Nagaina smirked, and the second Gagagigo slipped out of her discard slot. Vennominon rose up again. (2,000/0)

“You don’t know when to quit, do you?” asked Ren. “Fine… I end my turn…”

The sooner this is over with the better… he thought. Man… I hate snakes!



(R: 8,300) -------------------- (N: 6,000)


Nagaina drew a card.

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

The image of the Pot of Greed was never pleasant to look at… But somehow, it looked even more sinister this time…

Nagaina drew two cards.

Vennominon stepped up, moving to Attack Mode…

“I play The Cheerful Coffin,” said Nagaina, playing a card.

An ominous form rose behind her. It was an undertaker in a formal suit and a stovepipe hat, hefting a large coffin.

“Now I can discard up to three Monsters from my hand,” she said. “But I only have two…”

She held up a Cobra Jar, and a Cobraman Sazuky and they vanished in a burst of black flames.

Vennominon glowed again… (3,000/0)

Man… thought Ren. If she keeps pitching her Monsters into her Graveyard, she’s not going to have any left in her deck!

“Vennominon…” she ordered. “Attack his Fiend Megacyber.”

Ren gave a look of shock…

Vennominon blasted its venom, and The Fiend Megacyber groaned before it shattered into bits.



(R: 8,000) -------------------- (N: 6,000)


Why the heck did she do THAT? thought Ren. She could clearly see that my Queen was in Defense Mode, and her Defense Points were much lower than her Attack Points! So why didn’t she attack her? She was more dangerous than my Megacyber…

Nagaina fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“I end my turn…” she said.

Ren drew. He nervously looked at the facedown card.

It’s probably some Monster-destroying Trap… he thought.

He looked at the card he had just drawn.

He grinned. It was his own Monster-destroying Trap, Sakuretsu Armor.

Even if her Trap Card does destroy my Queen, I can take out Vennominon for good with this… he thought. She said it can only come back if destroyed in battle…

“I move my Queen to Attack Mode…” he said.

Crescent Moon Queen stood up…

“Attack!” he shouted.

The Queen lunged at the evil King, and with one slash of her sword, it was cut down.

She survived? thought Ren.

“Well, Nagaina…” said Ren, “by all means, bring him back… I’d love to kill him again…”

“No…” said Nagaina with an evil smile.

Ren stopped short.

“No?” he asked. “You… can’t?”

“I could,” replied Nagaina. “But this time I choose not to. It is time to truly start the ceremony of sacrifice. It is time for Vennominaga to arrive.”

“WAIT!” shouted Ren. “But… You haven’t beaten me yet! This duel isn’t over!”

“The duel doesn’t have to end, Ren,” said Nagaina. “She comes during the duel, not after it. And she is the one who will defeat you, personally.”

Her facedown card lifted.

“I activate the Trap Card, Rise of the Snake Deity. I can only activate this if Vennominon is destroyed.

“Now… Arise great Lady of Poison…”

The air turned thick and hot, and the dark Field got even darker. A shadowy form started to rise on Nagaina’s side of the field…

Ren could feel it… An aura of great evil was approaching…

Two eyes flashed in the darkness, and finally, the whole creature slithered out…

Ren could see her, all twelve feet tall and thirty feet long of her. It resembled a woman only in basic outline, with a woman’s torso and head – with a mass of swarming snakes for hair… But her arms were two huge, think venomous serpents, and in place of legs, she had a long, snaky tail that was curled up in coils.

She grinned at Ren, showing fangs, and her reptilian eyes glowed… (0/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/taev_en0131.jpg


Ren shivered. He couldn’t believe it…

It was the snake goddess from his nightmare…

“Like Vennominon before her,” said Nagaina, “Vennominaga’s Attack Score becomes 500 for each Reptile in my Graveyard. And with the recent addition of Vennominon, I have seven right now…”

(3,500/0)

Ren’s hand trembled as he placed the Sakuretsu Armor card in his Disk, and it appeared on the field.

“I… I end my turn…” he stuttered.

“I draw one card…” said Nagaina, drawing.

She looked at it.

“Vennominaga…” she ordered, “show his Warrior who the true Queen is!”

The snake goddess lunged at the Warrior, with a serpent-arm thrust forward…

“GO! Sakuretsu Armor!” shouted Ren, as his Trap Card flipped up.

Unfortunately, Vennominaga wasn’t impressed in the least. The fangs from her arm clasped around Crescent Moon Queen’s waist, and the Queen let out a scream of agony as the jaws squeezed.

Vennominaga grinned as her foe burst into triangles.



(R: 7,600) -------------------- (N: 6,000)


“No…” said Ren, almost crying.

“Your Trap Card was worthless,” interrupted Nagaina. “Did you really think such a primitive device could kill the goddess of snakes?”

Actually, thought Ren, I wasn’t counting on it… But it was worth a shot…

“Vennominon is immune to all Spells, Traps, and Monster effects except her own,” said Nagaina. “Didn’t you get the idea when your Field Spell didn’t affect her, even though she was just as Dark as your Queen?”

Ren didn’t answer. Truthfully, he simply hadn’t noticed it.

“And there’s more,” continued Nagaina. “She shares both of Vennominon’s effects. If she’s destroyed in battle, I just have to remove one Reptile in my grave from play to resurrect her. In short, she’s truly immortal.

“And now… You will taste her most powerful effect…”

Vennominaga’s eyes glowed with an evil light, and she stared into Ren’s eyes without blinking. Ren shuddered, and felt his muscles stiffen.

This is it… he thought. She’s gonna turn me to stone… Sorry, Chelsea, I…

He stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadowy, snake-like form slithering around him…

Then he screamed as it seemed like something impaled him through the chest.

He clutched his chest, as his heart started to pound out of control. Sweat poured down his face. It was like he had been poisoned now…

“What’s going on?” he gasped, not truly wanting to know. “What have you done?”

“Vennominaga has the deadliest poison in existence,” replied Nagaina. “But she delivers it in three doses. You just got the first.

“Each time you lose Life Points from her attack, you get one dose. When you get all three…

“…you die. It’s all over.”

Ren started to sweat even more. He looked at the huge demon.

It’s some sort of automatic win condition… he thought. What do I do? How do I beat this thing? I don’t have Soul Release in this deck… I don’t have anything that could clear seven Monsters out of her Graveyard…

“I end my turn…” said Nagaina. “Either move, or surrender yourself to Vennominaga.”

Ren looked at Vennominaga again and trembled.

He slowly drew a card.

It was Rising Energy.

He looked at the other three cards in his hand. They were The Warrior Returning Alive, Dark Blade, and Double Spell.

Rising Energy would increase Dark Blade’s Attack Score to 3,300… That wouldn’t be enough…

He fit it into his Disk, and it appeared facedown. Then he slowly placed Dark Blade on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

He sighed, and nodded.

“I see you have decided to fight on,” said Nagaina, drawing a card. “So be it… Vennominaga likes her meat tenderized…

“I summon another Venom Serpent in Attack Mode,” she said.

She played the card, and another of the two-headed snakes appeared.

“And since it’s a Dark Monster, it benefits from your Field Spell.”

(1,000/800) –> (1,500/400)

“Next,” she said, “I play Monster Reborn, to bring back my Venom Boa.”

In a flash of light, the three-eyed snake slithered onto the field. (1,600/1,200)

Vennominaga fell to an Attack of 3,000.

“Venom Serpent, attack his facedown Monster.”

Venom Serpent spit twin streams of poison. Dark Blade appeared on the card, and was melted into goo.

“Venom Boa, attack him directly!”

Ren tried hard to shield himself as the snake breathed a cloud of toxic smoke at him. He coughed and choked as the poison seeped into his pores.

“Vennominaga…” said Nagaina.

“NO!” shouted Ren. “PLEASE!”

Vennominaga ignored him. The next second, she had him. Vennominaga’s serpent-arm clasped around his waist. Ren screamed louder than he ever had, as the demon gave a sadistic laugh.

It finally released him, and he fell to his knees, shivering in pain.



(R: 3,000) -------------------- (N: 6,000)


“That’s two…” said Nagaina, with a grin.

“It seems your own Field Spell is your undoing… All your Monsters are Dark… Whatever you put in Defense Mode from this point on will have a weak Defense. My two lesser Monsters will have no problem destroying them to clear the way for Vennominaga to get to you.

“I end my turn… Final chance to give yourself up peacefully. Vennominaga can grant a merciful death… At times…”

Ren sweat even harder, and this time it was a cold sweat. He looked at Vennominaga again.

She stared at him, and a forked tongue darted out of her mouth, as if licking her lips in anticipation.

He closed his eyes. Slowly, he raised his right hand.

His hand hovered over his deck for a few seconds…

He hesitated.

“Come on, come on…” said Nagaina. “I want to finish you and get the second sacrifice done with before the night is over.”

Ren opened his eyes.

“Second sacrifice?” he asked.

“Yes…” replied Nagaina. “Normally, Vennominaga only chooses one, but tonight she wanted both you and Chelsea. I don’t know why… It isn’t my place to ask. But if she wants two, she gets two, and…”

“LIKE BLOODY HELL SHE WILL!” screamed Ren.

He stood up. All the fear he had a second ago had been replaced by incredible anger at the thought of Chelsea being put through something like this. It was not going to happen.

He pointed to the huge demon.

“Listen, snake,” he said, “if you want Chelsea, you’re gonna have to get her over my broken, bleeding body!”

He reached for his deck.

“It’s my move, and I’m putting everything I’ve got into this draw!”

He snatched a card off his deck.

“Heh, heh, heh…” he said, looking at it. “You know, ladies… It’s funny… I almost didn’t add this to my deck when I was reworking it… You see, it has a nasty side effect… But that side effect hardly matters now…

“I play Card of Demise.”

He played the card, and five candles lit in front of him.

“Now I get to draw until I have five cards,” he said. “See, the nasty side effect is, I’d have to discard my whole hand after five rounds. But that’s okay, because this is gonna be the last round of the duel one way or another…”

He drew three cards, and added them to his hand.

“Oh, and look at that!” he said, lifting up one of them. “One of them is Pot of Greed.”

He played the card.

“Looks like I get two more…”

He drew two cards.

He looked over his six cards. He smirked.

“All right!” he shouted. “I play… The Warrior Returning Alive. Now, Crescent Moon Queen comes back to my hand.”

The card slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.

“Pointless…” replied Nagaina. “How will you summon her? You have no Monsters to sacrifice.”

“I’ll show you…” replied Ren. “I summon New Moon Princess.”

In a dark aura, the Queen’s kid sister appeared, holding aloft her practice sword. She shuddered at the site of Vennominaga. (1,300/1,200) –> (1,800/800)

“Now I can sacrifice her right away…” continued Ren, “to Special Summon her big sis.”

The Princess vanished in a burst of darkness, and Crescent Moon Queen leapt out of the gloom. (2,600/1,700) –> (3,100/1,300)

“Next…” said Ren, “I Equip her with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade.”

He threw the card into his Disk, and the Queen sheathed her scimitars. The long, sharp katana appeared in her hand. (3,900/1,300)

“Wait a minute…” said Nagaina.

“I’m not done…” continued Ren. “Now I activate my facedown card, Rising Energy.”

His facedown card lifted, and he discarded Kiryu from his hand. Crescent Moon Queen rose to (5,400/1,300)

“WAIT a minute!” shouted Nagaina.

“I’m STILL not done!” snarled Ren, playing another card. “Now I play Double Spell. I’ll discard this…”

He discarded his last card, Frontline Base.

“…and I can use any Spell Card in your Graveyard. And I seem to recall that you had a Rush Recklessly.”

Crescent Moon Queen rose to (6,100/1,300). Nagaina slunk back on her throne, and fear appeared in the snake goddess’s eyes for the first time…

“Crescent Moon Queen…” shouted Ren, “attack the Venom Serpent!”

The Queen grit her teeth in rage. She leapt forward, and Nagaina screamed as Venom Serpent was smashed to bits and pain ripped through her.



(R: 3,000) -------------------- (N: 1,600)


Vennominaga rose to an Attack of 3,500, but she still backed away from Crescent Moon Queen in fright.

“It isn’t over!” cursed Nagaina. “I still have Life Points left!”

“Not for long,” said Ren. “My Queen has two attacks, remember? And the second one has the boss-lady’s name on it.

“Crescent Moon Queen… Attack the Deity of Poisonous Snakes!”

The Queen leapt at the much larger creature…

Vennominaga screamed as the sword was driven through her heart. Nagaina screamed too, and the whole evil temple started to warp and crumble…

As the evil goddess of snakes fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, Ren felt himself falling asleep again…



(R: 3,000) -------------------- (N: 0)




* * * * * * * * * *


In Rasputin’s room, Nicholas has insisted on staying up a few minutes to see the results. Although the duel had seemed to take a long time from Ren’s point of view, a typical dream might seem to last hours, but in reality, a period of REM sleep (where a dream occurs) only lasts about five to ten minutes.

Rasputin and Nicholas were playing chess while they were waiting. Rasputin studied the board for a minute before reaching for his knight…

Then they were interrupted by a loud howl.

The feyr flew into the room, clearly looking like it was in a state of panic. It flew about like a mindless creature for a few seconds, and then finally, flew through the ceiling.

Rasputin slumped in his chair and held his head.

“Well, Freddy Krueger,” said Nicholas. “Guess now I get to say I told you so. So, where did it go?”

“Ren defeated it,” grumbled Rasputin. “It lost all its energy, and if it doesn’t gain it back, it will die. So it went to find the nearest large source of negative emotions. Most likely it went to find a large funeral full of mourners.”

“Well, I wish I could stay up,” said Nicholas with a sigh. “But I have to duel in the morning, and some of us have to sleep… Good night…”

He left the room.

Rasputin sighed.

He picked up a large, very old book on the coffee table.

He nervously opened to a page. He started to read.

“Formula for the preparation and use of thrall powder…” he read. “Before using this formula, prepare the following safety procedures…

“Procedure one…”

Then he slammed the book closed.

“NO!” he shouted. “I won’t do it! I won’t subject those children to that horrible formula!”

He took some deep, gasping breaths…

“At least…” he muttered. “I won’t until I’ve exhausted all my other options… And I still have a few left…

“Tomorrow… We’ll get their Charms the old-fashioned way…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Ren was sleeping more soundly than he ever had before, with a smile on his face.

He dreamt he was in that Garden of Eden again, the one he saw while on the Siege Perilous…

But in this Garden, he would not touch the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, because no Serpent would ever invade to tempt him and his partner…

In his dream, he dreamt he held Chelsea in his arms, and they were embracing, and kissing deeply…

They would have to duel each other tomorrow, but once it was over, no matter who won, he would tell her, and then they could truly be together…

Triumphing over the demon that invaded his dreams, Ren gets to sleep soundly, as well he should, for he’ll have a big day tomorrow. Everyone will, and Rasputin is not out of tricks yet. The tournament finals will soon be underway… Who will claim the crown?


Ren: The finals are finally here!

Chelsea: And that means we’re dueling, buster!

Sam: Hold your horses, you two. The Consort of Ha Des has the limelight first. The first duel of the day is mine.

Yumi: Be careful, Sam. Olga has been trained by Rasputin, and she’s ready to truly bear her claws.

Sam: I’m ready, Yumi… At least, I think I am…

Olga: Are you truly ready, Sam? If you want to duel Yumi for the crown, you’ll have to fight for it… I want the crown too…

Yumi: Coming up next: “Fiery Perdition of Gehenna; Sam versus Olga.”

Olga: I’ll make you remember this duel, Sam…

[Shuppet Master]

That first part was just amazing. It makes me think what might happen
after Season 4 of GX, when Alexis leaves Duel Academy, if she doesn't
join the Pro League and instead retires from the card game. We hadn't
seen her duel at all since she was brainwashed way back in Season 2.
She was taken out of the picture by Bronn(damn you, Mad King!) before
she could even get her deck ready.

And we see General Viper's cards in action again. I knew that whole thing was going to fail, especially when Ren's soulmate was going to be subjected to that nightmare...then Ren goes like the Hulk! :D

Keep up the good work, Brian.

[Dark Sage]

This thing on? Good. A couple of announcements.

First, for those who didn’t get the reference, Nagaina was the female cobra (and the more dangerous of the two) in Rudyard Kipling’s short story “Riki-Tiki-Tavi”.

Second…

The anime-only cards in this chapter are hard to use in fanfictions with any amount of accuracy. They are arguably the most widely misinterpreted cards in the anime. Go to three websites, and they’ll interpret their effects three ways, most likely. Even Janime got some of them wrong.

I decided not to rely on websites to interpret their effects. I went to the most reliable source, which is what all writers should do before using anime-only cards…

I watched the actual episodes, and interpreted their effects from what I saw. You can’t get simpler than that.

Thus, I assure you, that the effects of the cards that are detailed here are indeed the true intended effects, as the writers planned. I will not respond to anyone who points out that I was mistaken in my interpretation of any of the cards, no matter what website you refer me to, because quite simply, this is how they worked on the actual show.

Now that that’s taken care of…




CHAPTER FORTY-ONE



Fiery Perdition of Gehenna



Sam versus Olga



It was eleven o’clock the next day, and the Coliseum was almost filled up.

In the VIP seats, there were two distinct factions. Yumi’s group (which included Sam and Erik, at least for now) were keeping close watch on Rasputin and his two lackeys. (They weren’t going to make an assumption that Nicholas and Olga were anything more than hired help.)

“So what now?” asked Chelsea.

“We wait for Rasputin to make the first move, if he wants to make one,” replied Yumi. “He’d be nuts to do anything truly out of line – there are Centurions at every corner in this place.”

As they watched the three closely, Louis walked up to his employers carrying a tray of food.

“Uh, let’s see,” he said. “Double cheeseburger, spicy fries, and milkshake…”

He gave them to Nicholas.

“Chili dog and Diet Pepsi…”

He gave them to Olga.

“And beef gyro and Sprite.”

He handed it to Rasputin.

“Louis, I asked for hot sauce,” said Rasputin.

“Oh… yeah…” replied Louis.

He took a packet of hot sauce out of his pocket and ripped it open. He spread the condiment on the gyro.

He sighed, and took a seat between the two groups.

“Hey, Louis,” said Ren. “What’s it like being a professional bootlicker?”

“Huh?” asked Louis. “Hey, I ain’t no bootlicker!”

“Oh?” asked Ren. “You seem more than willing to do everything those guys tell you to do without so much as a thank you from them. I seem to remember that Nicholas called you a thug yesterday. Don’t you have any pride?”

“Well, I…” muttered Louis. “Hey, it’s my job. Rasputin pays me to do what he says.”

“So you work like a dog, they treat you like dirt, and the money makes up for it?” asked Ren.

“It ain’t just money!” shouted Louis. “I get free medical and dental, I get Sundays off, and…”

“Louis!” shouted Rasputin. “Just ignore him, will you, or you’ll need to make use of that free dental!”

Meanwhile, Sam was looking hard at Olga.

She took two decks out of cases on her belt.

Hmm… she thought. The Dark World Deck might not work against her… I’ll save it for round two…

I’ll use my old deck this time…



* * * * * * * * * *


The clock inched towards noon…

At the stroke of noon, a great flame erupted in the center of the arena…



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-ense3.jpg


The Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys soared out of the bonfire, let out an earsplitting screech, and flew into the sky, disappearing into the sun.

Bursts of sparks exploded all around the arena, as Ben Fulton and Natalie Malone appeared on the announcers screen.

“Greetings again everyone, and welcome again to Duelatopia XX!” exclaimed Ben. “Hello to all of our guests, and to everyone watching at home. To all duelists around the world, welcome!”

“Enough with the artsy opening ceremonies,” said Natalie. “I’m ready to see the fur fly!”

“Wish granted,” said Ben. “And while this may only be the first round, it might well be the biggest, because it has four titanic matches.

“I give you… The quarter finals!”

The screen turned blue, and a tournament tree appeared. Sam’s face appeared next to Olga’s, Ren’s next to Chelsea’s, Yumi’s next to Nicholas’s and Erik’s next to Rasputin’s.

“And here she is,” said Natalie, “our gracious host, Sheena Arachne!”

The crowd cheered, as Sheena appeared in the center of the arena, wearing a Duel Disk.

Strange, thought Yumi. Why would she need that?

“Welcome everybody,” said Sheena, speaking into the microphone. “I know we’d best get something started before this turns into a mob, so without further ado, let’s meet the first duelists of the quarter finals.”

“Coming out first… A duelist who needs no introduction, but I’m going to introduce her anyway… Samantha Arachne!”

The gate at the south end of the arena opened, and Sam ran out. The crowd cheered, and she blew kisses to them as she ran up to her mother’s side.

Sheena put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“Remember,” she whispered, “if by some chance you lose before you can make the wager with Yumi, you automatically lose the wager.”

“Don’t worry, mom,” she replied. “This duel is in the bag.”

Sheena put the microphone to her mouth again.

“Her opponent,” she said, “joining us from Liverpool, England… Olga Warren!”

Olga appeared at the other end of the arena. A few folks cheered, and she waved. She had changed her wardrobe a bit, now wearing a green halter and a short skirt. Her hair was tied in pigtails, one of which held the Cat’s Cradle Comb. With it, she practically oozed charisma. Several boys in the audience made catcalls as she walked up to her opponent.

“Now…” said Sheena. “It is my pleasure to introduce this year’s guest referee… Coming to us from Las Vegas, he’s taken time off from his busy schedule to be with us… Please welcome Lawrence Delmato!”

The crowd was silenced. Then they erupted in cheers as a man walked up behind Sheena. His appearance suggested a Marine, with a shaved head, wearing sunglasses and a pinstriped referee’s uniform. The uniform didn’t hide the fact that he was well-built and muscular underneath it.

“Delmato?” said Erik, getting up. “The boxing referee who did last year’s Marcus versus Jose title bout? Sheena has more pull than I thought!”

“Who’d have thought he knew anything about Duel Monsters?” said Ren.

“You learn something new every day,” said Chelsea.

Sheena activated her Disk.

“All right people,” she said, opening the Field slot. “I promised an explosive match, and I’m going to give you all one. So I’m making an adjustment to this arena…”

She placed a card in the slot, and the holographic towers around the arena glowed.

“Using the latest in KaibaCorp holographic technology,” she said, “we can transport through the planar boundaries. Welcome to…”

There was a great explosion…

“The Fiery Perdition of Gehenna!”

As Sam and Olga looked around, they saw that they were in a volcanic, rocky wasteland. Lava flowed around them, down mountains to their sides, and the sky above – all around the arena, actually – was full of black smoke. It was as if the card had transformed all of Duelatopia into a hellscape.

“All right, you two,” said Delmato. “Let’s get this started. Some ground rules. In this duel, I’m the boss, and what I say goes, you got that?”

The two duelists saluted.

“That isn’t necessary,” he said. “Now, both of you cut and shuffle each other’s decks, and no funny business.”

The two of them handed each other their decks, and both started to shuffle.

“Say, Sam,” said Olga, “what would you say to a wager?”

“Depends,” growled Sam. “Does it involve you being humiliated when I beat you?”

Olga smirked.

“I’ll wager my Cat’s Cradle Comb against your Ring of Spirits,” she replied.

Sam stared at her. In her seat, Yumi stood up.

So that’s how Rasputin intends to get the Charms away from us, she thought.

He’s gonna do it the legitimate way…

I guess the only thing you can rely on about a bad guy is you can’t rely on him!

“My pleasure!” shouted Sam, snatching her deck back. “When this is over, I’ll have TWO Shadow Charms! I’m more than prepared for your Fairies!”

I’m not sure about that, thought Olga. Especially now that I’m using my actual deck… A breed of Fairies much deadlier than the Cyber Angels…

Are you truly prepared for it? Can anyone be?

“Not to be biased,” said Ben, “But I think we all can expect big things from young Samantha. After all, she has the Kaiba blood running through her.”

“And in this intense match,” said Natalie, “our old-time fans’ memory will be refreshed on what happens when Kaiba blood boils!”

Delmato produced a large gold coin.

“Okay ladies,” he said, showing it to them. “This is heads… This is tails…”

“Olga can call it…” said Sam.

He tossed it.

“Heads!” shouted Olga.

The coin fell.

“Heads it is,” he said. “Now get to your positions, and game on!”

“I’m as game as you are, Olga,” said Sam, backing up.

The two Disks activated… A geyser of lava erupted behind Sam…



(Sam: 8,000) -------------------- (Olga: 8,000)


“And it begins!” shouted Ben, as Olga made her first draw. “The first match of the first round of the finals of Duelatopia XX!”

Olga made her first draw, and looked over her hand.

“If we can ignore our loudmouthed announcer for a minute,” said Olga, “I’ll start by setting a Monster in Defense Mode.”

She placed the card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Next,” she said. “I play a Spell Card…”

She played a card, showing the image of an enormous, beautiful tree with three small figures under it.

“It’s called Guardians of Yggdrasil, and it works like this… I have to pay 2,000 Life Points first. But then I get to search my deck for three specific Spell Cards.

“However, if I don’t activate all three of them successfully by the end of my turn, all three of them go to the Graveyard.

“Of course, since you haven’t been able to play a single card yet, and have no way to counter them, I’m not too worried about that.”

She got the three cards, and then started to shuffle her deck.

“Who are the Guardians of Yggdrasil?” asked Ren.

“The Norns,” replied Yumi. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

“All right, ladies and gentlemen…” said Olga. “Let’s all have a Duelatopia welcome… For the three Norns themselves…

“I play… Goddess Skuld’s Oracle!”

She played the card, and in a burst of light, a tall form appeared next to her. It was a young girl, with long, blue pigtails, dressed in a fancy dress, holding a staff topped with a red orb inside a circle.

“Next, Goddess Verdande’s Guidance!”

She played another card, and another woman appeared next to Skuld. She was older, wore the same fancy dress, had long, pink hair, and her staff had a green orb.

“And finally, Goddess Urd’s Verdict.”

She played the third card, and the third Norn appeared. She was the eldest, had short, blonde hair, and her staff had a blue orb.

“Okay…” said Sam. “That’s… Impressive.”

Olga and the three goddesses smiled at Sam in a way that made her blood run cold…

“I know this combo,” muttered Yumi. “If Sam doesn’t draw something that can destroy Spells on her turn, she’s in very big trouble…”

“End… turn…” said Olga.



(S: 8,000) -------------------- (O: 6,000)


“Olga has ended her turn 2,000 Life Points poorer, but three odd Continuous Spell Cards richer. Let’s see what Sam has.”

Sam drew a card.

Only one Monster, she thought, but he’ll do…

“I summon… Opticlops!” she shouted.

In a burst of darkness, Opticlops materialized. (1,800/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-0091.jpg


“Olga may have gone defensive,” said Ben, “but Sam has gone on the offensive!”

“Opticlops… Attack!” ordered Sam.

Steam blew from the Fiend’s nostrils, and he charged towards the facedown card…

Spirit of the Harp appeared on the card. She whacked Opticlops with her instrument, and he fell backwards. (800/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lob-078.jpg


“All right,” said Sam, taking three of her cards. “I’ll end with these…”

She fit them into her Disk, and three facedown cards appeared in three bursts of light.



(S: 7,800) -------------------- (O: 6,000)


Likely anti-attack Trap Cards, thought Olga, drawing a card. Well, I have time to deal with them… I’m not going to attack until I’m truly ready…

“All right Samantha…” said Olga, “it’s time to show my true power…”

The three goddesses glowed with multicolored light, and lava spouted behind Olga.

“With the power to control the Past, Present, and the Future, the three Norns control Time itself, making them a force that cannot be opposed!

“Allow me to show you…

“Skuld possesses the power to see the Future. What will be. So by activating her ability, I can see the next three cards that you’ll draw, and rearrange them any way I please. So Skuld, if you would…”

Skuld let out a girlish giggle, and aimed her staff, striking Sam’s deck with a blast of magic. The images of three cards appeared over Sam’s head.

Malice Doll of Demise, then Pot of Avarice, and then Giant Orc.

Olga grinned. She waved her hand, and the cards changed position, Giant Orc going first, Pot of Avarice second, and Malice Doll of Demise third.

“Next,” said Olga, as the cards vanished, “Verdande represents the Present, the here and now.”

Verdande held her staff and started to glow.

“So, by using her power, I get to take a guess at whether the top card on your deck is a Spell, Trap, or Monster, and if I’m right, you set it on the field.

“And I guess it’s a Monster.”

Sam drew the card, and looked at Giant Orc.

“What a surprise,” she said, sarcastically. “You were right.”

She placed it on her Disk, and it appeared facedown.

“And finally,” continued Olga, “Urd has power over the Past. History and what was. So now I get to try to guess what one of your facedown cards is, and if I’m right, it’s history. Meaning it’s removed from play.

“So… Could that facedown Monster be Giant Orc?”

Urd waved her staff, and the facedown Monster vanished.

“It’s the perfect combo,” muttered Erik. “One Spell Card leads to another.”

“I know…” said Yumi. “Ziegfried Von Schroder used this combo. My grandfather Joey went up against a deck like this when he dueled Ziegfried…”

“Mind telling us how he beat him?” asked Erik.

“Actually…” said Yumi, “my grandfather lost that duel. He almost won, but one of his gamble cards… Well, his luck finally ran out.

“Ziegfried came close to beating Seto Kaiba too. And he might have, if Kaiba hadn’t gotten what might have been the luckiest draw in his career.”

“Heh, heh…” said Olga. “That’s all for now, Samantha, so draw your card. Not that I don’t already know what it is…”

Sam drew a card, and it was Pot of Avarice.

“Bitch,” she muttered, adding it to her hand.

The other two cards in her hand were Premature Burial and Metamorphosis. Three utterly useless cards…

But what she had out already was still useful.

“Opticlops…” she said, “attack her Spirit of the Harp!”

Opticlops roared again.

“What are you doing, trying to lose?” asked Olga.

“Not at all,” said Sam, as one of her facedown cards lifted.

“Bark of Dark Ruler?” said Olga in surprise.

“That’s right,” said Sam. “I just have to pay 300 Life Points, and your harpist’s Defense falls to a much more manageable level.”

Spirit of the Harp cringed as she was surrounded by a dark aura, and her Defense fell to 1,700.

She screamed as Opticlops plowed into her, and she shattered. Her harp fell to the ground, broken into two pieces.

The three goddesses gave Sam dirty looks.

“Well, I can’t say I admire Sam’s finesse,” said Natalie, “but she got the job done.”

“For now,” said Ben. “Let’s see what else Olga has up her sleeve.”



(S: 7,500) -------------------- (O: 6,000)


“My draw,” said Olga, drawing a card.

“And I play Pot of Greed.”

She played the card, and the fiendish jar appeared. She drew two cards.

“Time for my goddesses to go to work again,” she said, adding them to her hand. “First, Skuld… Let’s do it!”

Skuld cast her spell again, and the three cards appeared again. They were Malice Doll of Demise, Monster Reincarnation, and Graceful Charity.

Heh, thought Olga. I don’t need to change them at all!

The cards vanished.

“Next, Verdande,” she said. “I guess that your top card is a Monster again.”

Sam drew.

“Right again…” she muttered, placing it on her Disk.

The facedown Monster appeared.

“And finally, Urd,” said Olga. “I guess that your facedown Monster is Malice Doll of Demise.”

Urd cast her spell, and the facedown card was vaporized.

“I place two cards facedown, and end my turn.”

She fit two cards into her Disk, and they appeared facedown on the field.

Sam drew.

Monster Reincarnation, she thought, looking at it. This is getting ridiculous…

She has no Monsters on her side of the field now. The three goddesses don’t count as Monsters. On one hand, there are those facedown cards to worry about. On the other hand, she likely wasn’t expecting me to get past her wall Monster.

I’m gonna go for it!

“Opticlops… Attack her directly!”

Opticlops snorted, and charged at Olga.

“Stop right there!” shouted Olga. “I activate… Wotan’s Judgment!”

A facedown card lifted, and thunder flashed in the dark sky. An intimidating man in a green cloak and hood with a great beard appeared, looming over Olga. He pointed a cudgel at Opticlops, and the Fiend cowered in fright.

“I can use this Trap when I have at least one Spell Card in my hand, and fortunately, I do,” said Olga. “And now it channels the power of Wotan himself, causing any of your Monsters who try to attack me to run for cover!

“And that’s not all… Now I get to draw one card…”

She made a draw.

“But then I have to put a Spell Card in my hand on the top of my deck…”

She took a card from her hand, and placed it on the top of her deck.

“But I’m going to get it back right away. Know why?”

Her other Trap activated. It was Jar of Greed.

She drew the card she had just placed on top of her deck, and added it to her hand.

“Well, that was certainly a combo,” said Ren. “But who exactly is Wotan?”

“Basically, another name for Odin,” replied Yumi. “When one group of gods is worshipped in several regions, each region tends to have different names for them.”

“Ooh, I end my turn!” shouted Sam.

Olga drew a card.

“Well, I’ll start mine…” she said.

She sighed.

“Boy, this is fun…” she said, sarcastically. “This is about as exciting as washing my hair…”

“You mean… girls actually do that?” asked Ren. “I assumed it was just an excuse to turn down a date.”

“Hit it, girls!” shouted Olga.

Skuld glowed, and for the third time, the top three cards of Sam’s deck were revealed.

They were: Graceful Charity, Ectoplasmer, and Dark Ruler Ha Des.

Well, well… thought Olga.

She waved her hand, putting Dark Ruler Ha Des first, Ectoplasmer second, and Graceful Charity third.

Erik got up.

NO! he thought.

“Once again, time for Verdande,” said Olga. “I guess that your top card is a Monster.”

Sam drew the card.

She gave a slight smirk when she saw what it was.

“You’re right…” she said with a smile. “So it goes facedown…”

The facedown Monster appeared. And as it appeared, one of Sam’s facedown cards lifted.

“Go, Dust Tornado!”

A tornado tore across the field…

“Say bye-bye to Urd!” laughed Sam.

Olga gasped. Urd screamed as the Dust Tornado plowed into her, and she was blasted to bits.

“Wha… buh… guh…” gasped Olga. “You mean… You… You could have broken up my combo any time you wanted to?”

“Yep!” said Sam with a grin. “I was waiting for you to let me set something powerful, sucker. Now I was able to get Ha Des onto the field… With no sacrifice.”

The crowd cheered.

“Looks like Sam turned out to be a trickster worthy of Loki,” said Ben. “So what’s Olga gonna do now?”

“I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do!” shouted Olga. “I’m gonna place two more cards facedown, and end my turn.”

Two more facedown cards appeared.

“Fine,” said Sam. “Draw!”

She drew a card.

She added Ectoplasmer to her hand.

“I’ve never Flip-Summoned Ha Des before,” she said, “but hey, there’s a first time for everything…”

The card flipped up, and with a roar, Dark Ruler Ha Des arose. He seemed right at home in the lava-strewn wasteland. (2,450/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod_001.jpg


“Let’s go!” shouted Sam. “Opticlops… Get her!”

Opticlops charged, and Olga screamed as he rammed his horn into her stomach.

“That was just the appetizer,” said Sam. “Hope you’re ready to choke down seconds… Ha Des, attack!”

Ha Des prepared to cast his evil spell.

“Me eat seconds?” asked Olga. “You wish… This figure doesn’t stay so trim on its own…”

One of her facedown cards lifted.

“I activate… Fricka’s Meditation.”

With a glowing light, another goddess with long, green hair, a pink dress, and a green cape appeared behind Olga. She glared at Ha Des, and he cowered away.

A card slipped out of Olga’s discard slot.

“I just have to remove Wotan’s Judgment from play,” she said, pocketing the card, “and your Dark Ruler’s attack is called off.

“Next, I’ll chain-activate Emergency Provisions.”

Her second facedown card lifted.

“I’ll sacrifice Fricka’s Meditation, Goddess Skuld’s Oracle, and Goddess Verdande’s Guidance, and gain 3,000 Life Points.”

Fricka, Skuld, and Verdande vanished into grains of light.

“Not bad,” said Sam. “But you have nothing left. I end my turn.”



(S: 7,500) -------------------- (O: 7,200)


“Sam has finally managed to clear Olga’s side of the field,” said Natalie, “but it’s Olga’s turn.”

Olga drew a card.

She grinned.

She played a Spell Card, and it appeared on her side of the field. It had the image of a group of ancient palaces amid the clouds.

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Sam, nervously.

“It is…” said Olga.

Then the Coliseum’s sound system flared to life, playing an all-too-familiar classical music score. Everyone looked around.

“Natalie?” asked Ben. “Did you bring your Boston Pops collection here?”

“Calm down everyone,” said Olga. “When I play the Spell Card, Ride of the Valkyries, the Disk plays the song of the same name, from the Wagner opera, Die Walküre. Beginning of Act III, for those of you who aren’t into that sort of thing.

“As for what this Spell Card does, it lets me Special Summon all the Monsters in my hand that have the word ‘Valkyrie’ in their names…

“And guess what, Sam? I have four of them.”

She quickly threw four cards on her Disk.

“So let’s all welcome… Valkyrie Dritte, Valkyrie Erste, and two twin sisters named Valkyrie Zweite.”

In four flashes of light, four powerful forms appeared on Olga’s side of the field. It was four women, dressed in golden armor with winged helmets, mounted on winged horses. Each one carried a long sword and a shield. The only real way to tell the difference between them was the color of their hair. Dritte’s hair was bright red (1,000/1,600), Erste’s was green (1,600/1,800), and the two Zweittes’ were long and pink (1,600/1,600).

“Okay…” said Sam. “That’s… trouble…”

“More than you think,” replied Olga. “Each of my Valkyries has a powerful ability. First there’s my two Zweittes. Just by summoning them, each one can destroy one of your Monsters, and remove them from play.”

The two Zweittes glowed with golden fire. Dark Ruler Ha Des and Opticlops glowed with the same golden fire, and then vanished.

“Next,” said Olga, “for each Monster that’s been removed from play so far, Dritte gains 100 Attack Points.”

Dritte glowed with a similar golden aura. (1,400/1,600)

“And as for Erste,” said Olga, “we take the base Attack Scores of every Monster that’s been removed from play so far, then add them together, and then add them to her Attack Score.”

“Now wait a second…” said Ren. “She had 1,600 on her own, Giant Orc had 2,200, Malice Doll of Demise had 1,600…”

“Don’t strain your brain,” said Yumi. “The Disk already figured it out, and it’s bad news.”

Erste glowed like a bonfire… (9,650/1,800)

“ARGH!” shouted Ren. “She can take out Sam with one blow!”

“Take her out?” shouted Erik. “She’ll be lucky if she doesn’t end up in the hospital!”

“Tell you what…” said Olga. “I’ll be merciful, and grant you a quick death…”

She grinned a sinister grin.

“You’re all heart, Olga,” said Sam, sarcastically.

“Well, it’s been fun, Samantha,” said Olga, “but now you’ve got an appointment with a real Valkyrie.

“Erste, attack directly with charge of Asgard!”

“Tell me when it’s over…” said Erik, covering his eyes.

Erste charged at Sam on her mount, sword-first.

“Sorry to be a spoilsport, Olga,” said Sam, “but this is far from over…”

Her last facedown card, which Olga had completely forgotten about, lifted up…

“Draining Shield?!” shouted Olga. “NO! Erste! STOP!”

It was too late. A dome of energy formed around Sam, and as Erste’s sword slammed into it, the sky of Gehenna flashed with lightning, and every volcano around the two duelists erupted at once. Sam laughed with joy as energy flowed into her…

Rasputin slammed his fist down on the railing in front of him.

“DAMN!” he shouted.

Then he realized that the railing he had slammed his fist into was made of steel. He held his hand in pain.

“Trying to end this so soon, Olga?” asked Sam. “Heck, this was just getting interesting!”

She held her head.

“Whoa… Feel like I just chugged a gallon of Gatorade...”

“With a well-placed Trap Card, Sam comes back from the brink of defeat!” exclaimed Ben. “Folks, I hope you’re strapped in, because this may be just getting started!”

“I suppose you think you’re so smart!” shouted Olga. “Forget merciful… My other three Valkyries want a piece of you now…

“Zweittes, attack her directly!”

The two pink-haired Valkyries galloped forward, and two swords slashed across Sam’s chest, crossing her heart. She screamed.

She held her chest in pain.

“Dritte, your turn,” said Olga.

Dritte charged at Sam and stabbed her right in the belly. She screamed again.



(S: 12,550) -------------------- (O: 7,200)


“Oh, yeah?” muttered Sam, gasping for breath. “Well, I happen to know that Ride of the Valkyries has an unfortunate side effect. As soon as you end your turn, those four gals will all go back to your deck. And you just ran out of Monsters to attack me with. Tough break, huh?”

“Look who knows so much,” said Olga, sarcastically. “I have to end my turn now… Ladies… It’s been real.”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



The four Valkyries vanished into grains of light. Olga took her deck, and added the cards to it.

“You may be in the lead,” she said, as she reshuffled, “but I’ve beaten worse. This isn’t the first time my Ride of the Valkyries failed. But you know something? I’ve never lost with this deck!”

“Like I said before,” said Sam.

She drew a card.

“There’s a first time for everything. And with your Norns gone, I just drew the first good draw in four turns.

“In case you don’t remember what it is, I’ll show you. I play Graceful Charity.”

Her deck glowed, and she drew three cards.

“Now, let’s see,” she said, looking at them. “Shouldn’t be too hard deciding what to discard…”

She smirked. She discarded Ectoplasmer and the Gil Garth she just drew.

“Next, I play Premature Burial,” she said. “Spending my Life Points means nothing when I have over twelve-thousand, and I think I’ll bring back the guy I just tossed. Meet Gil Garth.”

In a burst of light, the robotic, armored Fiend appeared. (1,800/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le4_004.jpg


“But he’s not staying for long. You may have gotten rid of Ha Des, but I have two copies of his card in my deck. And guess what? I also drew the other one.

“So I sacrifice Gil Garth, and Ha Des makes his triumphant return.”

Gil Garth vanished, and Ha Des loomed over the field once more. (2,450/1,600)

Olga gulped…

“Ha Des…” ordered Sam. “Let her have it! Stygian blast!”

Ha Des cast his burst of black fire, and Olga screamed as it roasted her. She fell over on her behind.



(S: 11,750) -------------------- (O: 4,750)


“Well, that’s enough for one turn,” said Sam. “Let’s see what else you have.”

“I’ll show you what else I have…” said Olga, drawing a card.

She looked at it, and the other card in her hand.

“Okay, Sam,” she said. “I play… Final Light. I have to pay 1,000 Life Points, but I get to Special Summon a Light-Attribute Monster from my Graveyard.”

In a burst of light, Spirit of the Harp reappeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (800/2,000)

“You get to summon a Monster from your Graveyard too,” she continued, “but it has to have 2,000 Attack Points or less.”

“I only have one Monster in my Graveyard,” replied Sam. “And what do you know? He fits the bill.”

Gil Garth reappeared on her side of the field in another burst of light. (1,800/1,200)

“I’ll toss this facedown, and end my turn,” said Olga, playing her last card.

A facedown card appeared.



(S: 11,750) -------------------- (O: 3,750)


Sam drew again.

She looked the card. It was a very powerful Monster that she had added to her deck especially for the finals. But she couldn’t summon it right now, not with its effect… Nor could she Normal Summon it unless she sacrificed Ha Des.

Well, it might help later… she thought, adding it to her hand.

“I summon The Bistro Butcher,” she said.

In a burst of darkness, the fiendish chef appeared, raising his cleaver. (1,800/1,000)

“Time to prepare today’s special,” said Sam. “Fairy duelist au gratin. But first thing’s first…

“Ha Des… Take out Spirit of the Harp!”

Ha Des cast his spell, and the Fairy was consumed by the black flames.

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Olga, as her facedown card lifted. “Loge’s Flame!”

“Huh?” said Sam.

The whole arena glowed, as if a blue bonfire had been lit, and they were in the middle of it.

“Sorry, Samantha,” said Olga. “But as long as Loge’s Flame burns, only Monsters who have more than 2,000 Attack Points are allowed to attack. I’m afraid Gil Garth and The Bistro Butcher aren’t in that club.”

“Well…” said Ben. “That’s an… Odd Trap Card. Seems like the opposite of Messenger of Peace, almost.”

“Olga is up to something,” said Natalie. “We’ll just have to wait and see what.”

I know exactly what, said Yumi. Loge’s Flame has another effect… If used right, it will let Olga summon someone who’s likely the most powerful Monster in her deck…

Sam frowned.

“I end my turn!” she shouted.

“I draw one card…” muttered Olga, drawing.

She looked at the card.

“I play… Card of Variation,” she said, playing it. “Now I get to draw two cards.”

She made two draws.

“It has a cost, of course, but we won’t get into that until the end of my turn. Now…”

She looked at the two cards she had just drawn. She smiled.

“First I place one card facedown,” she said.

She played the card, and a facedown card appeared.

“Then I play… Giant Trunade!”

She played the other card, and a furious wind blew across the field. Her facedown card and Loge’s Flame were blown off the field, and reappeared in her hand.

“Now, you’re likely wondering why the heck I set a facedown card and then played Giant Trunade. Well, it’s because the facedown card I set was this one. It’s called Treasure Map.

“Now I get to draw two cards, so long as I then discard one from my hand.”

She made two draws.

“And since Treasure Map itself is now worthless, as all treasure maps are after you find the treasure, that’s what I’ll discard.”

She discarded the card.

“And I’m far from done. Since Loge’s Flame was blown off the field, its second effect was activated…

“Now I get to summon this lady… Meet one of the greatest warriors of Asgard, and the most powerful of the Choosers of the Slain… Valkyrie Brunhilde!”

In another burst of light, a new Valkyrie appeared. Like the previous Valkyries, the only way to discern her from her sisters was her hair, which in this case was long, blue, and billowy. (1,800/2,000)

“She doesn’t look so tough,” said Sam.

“She’s about to get tougher,” replied Olga, taking another card. “Time to open the gates of Asgard and show her true power.”

Open the gates of Asgard? thought Yumi. Oh no… That could only mean…

“I play a Spell Card that’s a mouthful,” said Olga, “and to you, it’s a handful… Rainbow Bridge Bifrost!”

Thunder rumbled again, and a gleaming rainbow descended from the dark sky. Brunhilde closed her eyes as it covered her, and she glowed with energy.

“Now…” said Olga. “Brunhilde gains 500 more Attack Points for every Monster that been removed from play so far. At last count, there were four of them.”

(3,800/2,000)

“No Trap Cards to protect you now!” shouted Olga. “Brunhilde, attack the Dark Ruler Ha Des with pride of Odin!”

Brunhilde swooped down on the Fiend ruler on her mount, and with one slash of her sword, Ha Des was no more.



(S: 10,400) -------------------- (O: 3,750)


“That’s all I can do for this turn,” said Olga. “Now, since I played Card of Variation when I started this turn, I have to discard a card now, or I lose 3,000 Life Points. And since Loge’s Flame has served its purpose, I’ll get rid of that.”

She discarded the card.

“Olga may have the upper hand again,” said Natalie, “but Sam still has a commanding lead. So much depends on what she draws now.”

Sam looked at the Monster Card in her hand.

She had enough Monsters to summon it now… But it wasn’t strong enough beat Brunhilde.

She drew a card.

Hmm, she thought, looking at the Trap Card. Might come in handy.

She set the card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared. Then she turned her two cards, and Gil Garth and The Bistro Butcher crouched in Defense Mode.

“Go ahead,” she said.

Olga drew a card.

“Okay, Sam,” she said, playing a card. “I play, Akashic Record.”

The Spell Card appeared on the field, showing the image of a group of dinosaur bones and a skull.

“And what does that do?” asked Sam.

“It’s a rare card that lets me draw two cards,” said Olga. “Of course, there is a little catch. If either of the two cards are ones that I’ve used before, then all copies of them are removed from play.”

She drew two cards. She looked at them.

She turned them forward, revealing Kuriboh and Soul Resurrection.

“Looks like I was lucky,” she said.

“Olga sure has a lot of draw power in that deck,” said Chelsea.

“Can you blame her?” asked Yumi. “If Ride of the Valkyries doesn’t work, and it didn’t, it could cost her every card in her hand. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has a Morphing Jar in that deck too.”

“So what the heck is an Akashic Record?” asked Sam.

Olga chuckled.

“Some philosophers in some old religions believe that on some mystical plane of existence,” she replied, “all knowledge, every iota of information that humanity has ever known and recorded, starting from the time they first became sentient up to the present, is gathered together in one great celestial library. These are the Akashic Records. You might call it God’s database.

“Some dreamers say that if they could access this great library, they could discover the answers to literally anything… Maybe even the meaning and purpose of life…

“But don’t get your hopes up… I doubt that the place will ever be open to the public.

“Anyway…

“Brunhilde, attack Gil Garth!”

Brunhilde swung her sword, and Gil Garth shattered into triangles.

Olga fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Your move,” she said.

Sam drew a card.

It’s clearly Soul Resurrection, she thought. I’m going to have to bust through that Spirit of the Harp again sooner or later…

She looked at her own facedown card.

Unless…

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

She ignored the jar, and drew two cards.

She looked at them.

She gave a sly look at Olga, and then set a card on her Disk. A facedown Monster appeared.

“Your move,” she said with a satisfied smile.

Olga made another draw.

Her eyes narrowed.

“That wouldn’t happen to be a Night Assailant, would it, Sam?” she asked. “Well sorry, nice try, but I’m getting rid of it.”

She played a Spell Card.

“I play Valkyrie’s Embrace. Now I just have to switch Brunhilde to Defense Mode, and she can destroy one Monster.”

Brunhilde dismounted her horse, and walked towards the facedown card with her arms extended, as if wanting to deliver a hug. The Monster appeared – which was, indeed, Night Assailant – and as Brunhilde delivered the embrace, it shattered.

Brunhilde went back next to her mount, and then knelt and shielded herself in Defense Mode.

“End turn,” said Olga.

“And it’s the end for Brunhilde,” said Sam, drawing a card. “You did exactly what I wanted you to do. By moving her to Defense Mode, you fell right into my trap.”

“What?” said Olga. “You have a Monster that can beat her Defense? Well let me tell you…”

“I know, I know…” said Sam. “Her effect. You can prevent her from being destroyed in battle if you just reduce her Defense Score by 1,000. That means she has to be attacked three times before she dies.

“Well… I’m gonna do just that…”

She held up a card.

“You ever hear of this Spell Card, Olga?” she exclaimed with a laugh.

“It can’t be!” shouted Olga.

“Oh, but it is!” yelled Sam.

She threw the card into her Disk.

“I play Dimension Fusion! I pay 2,000 Life Points, and every Monster that’s been removed from play comes back!”

The sky above Gehenna flashed with lightning again, and another geyser of lava erupted. A portal to a dark void tore open above them…

Four creatures flew out of the portal. Dark Ruler Ha Des led the way. (2,450/1,600) Opticlops was right behind him. (1,800/1,700) Next came Giant Orc, looking more confused than it usually was. (2,200/0) Finally, Malice Doll of Demise took up the rear. (1,600/1,700)

“Go, Soul Resurrection!” shouted Olga in panic.

Sam looked at her facedown card.

No, better not… she thought.

Olga’s Trap Card lifted. Spirit of the Harp appeared crouching in Defense Mode. (800/2,000)

“Well then…” said Sam, as The Bistro Butcher stood up in Attack Mode, “I’ll just take her out first… Ha Des… Destroy Spirit of the Harp! Stygian blast!”

Spirit of the Harp simply closed her eyes and leaned her head on her hand, as if she just wanted the duel to end already. She barely moved as the Dark Ruler’s blast hit her.

Brunhilde, however, was a great deal more nervous…

“Giant Orc,” ordered Sam, “attack Valkyrie Brunhilde with bone basher!”

Giant Orc lumbered towards Brunhilde and clobbered her over the head with her club. Brunhilde screamed, and then held her head in a daze. Her Defense fell to 1,000.

“Butcher, your turn,” said Sam. “Siamese cut!”

The Bistro Butcher leapt at Brunhilde and sliced her from stem to stern. She screamed again, and her Defense fell to zero.

“Malice Doll of Demise, finish the job,” said Sam. “Cleaver heaver!”

The evil puppet hurled his axe, and this time, Brunhilde had no defense. She was blasted into pixels.

Sam glared at Olga.

“Opticlops, attack her directly!”

Opticlops charged towards Olga.

“Kuriboh, go!” shouted Olga, tossing a card.

A wall of the small, furry Fiends sprang up, and Opticlops was thrown backwards as they exploded on impact.

Giant Orc dropped its club, and fell over in a daze.

“I end my turn…” said Sam.



(S: 8,400) -------------------- (O: 3,750)


Olga drew a card.

She fit the card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Your move…” she said.

I haven’t lost yet… she thought. The Trap Card I just set is my deadliest, one that not even Ziegfried knew about…

The Horn of Heimdall. It will cost me half my Life Points, but I’ll be able to summon four Valkyries from my deck.

They’ll be destroyed on my next End Phase, but if I bring out all three Zweittes and one Erste, one round will be all I’ll need.

Sam drew a card.

“Ha Des, attack…” she said.

“I activate… The Horn of Heimdall!” shouted Olga.

Her facedown card lifted.

“Now…”

“Sorry, Olga, but Ragnarok will have to wait,” said Sam.

Her own Trap Card lifted.

“I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit. So your almighty Horn is silenced.”

Olga’s Trap Card was blasted to bits.

“Good thing I saved that Counter Trap,” said Sam with a chuckle. “And a good thing that you had to show me that Kuriboh when you drew it using that Akashic Record card. I’d have never known you had it if you didn’t, and would have wasted Seven Tools on Soul Resurrection, thinking I could have won…

“See, having a deck full of the rarest, most powerful cards may seem like a benefit… But in Duel Monsters, you have to realize that the more powerful a card is, the more debilitating its cost.”

Olga closed her eyes and hung her head.

“Now where were we?” said Sam. “Oh yes… Ha Des was about to attack…”

Olga screamed as the final Stygian blast burned her skin. She tumbled over, and fell flat on her face.



(S: 7,400) -------------------- (O: 0)


Delmato walked up to Sam and lifted her arm up into the air.

“Samantha Arachne is the winner!” he shouted.

The crowd cheered, as explosions of fireworks lit up the hellscape.

“Thank you!” shouted Sam. “Thank you all! You’re too kind…”

She noticed that something was in her hair. She took it out and looked at it.

It was the Cat’s Cradle Comb. She smirked.

“Well, Sam got out of that mess,” said Ren.

“Yeah,” said Yumi. “And I’ll bet Rasputin isn’t too happy about it!”

Then she noticed that Rasputin, Nicholas, and Louis had left their seats.

“Hey, where did they go?” asked Chelsea.

Yumi rubbed her chin.

“Somehow, I don’t think they left to get a hot dog…” she said.

“Thank you everybody!” exclaimed Sheena, who appeared on the field. “There’ll be a half-hour intermission before the next match. Until then, get up, stretch your legs, get popcorn, and then get back here, because this next duel is one you aren’t gonna want to miss!”



* * * * * * * * * *


Actually, Rasputin, Nicholas, and Louis were indeed next to a refreshment stand, but they weren’t interested in food. Rasputin was about ready to explode.

“Aren’t you going to wait until Olga gets here so you can yell at her?” asked Nicholas.

“That might release some aggression,” growled Rasputin, “but it would not get me any closer to the one who is truly responsible for me losing the Cat’s Cradle Comb.”

“What do mean?” asked Nicholas. “Olga was the one who screwed up…”

“Think about it, Nicholas!” shouted Rasputin. “Do you know of any reason for Samantha to have Dimension Fusion in her deck? Do you know of any way that card would fit her strategy?

“No, it wouldn’t. The only reason she would put it in her deck is if someone told her what Olga’s strategy was…

“The traitor has struck again… And now, not only have we failed to win the Ring of Spirits because of this treachery, we have lost the Cat’s Cradle Comb! This act of treason has now become far too serious to disregard.”

There was a long pause.

“So what are you gonna do?” asked Nicholas.

Rasputin thought.

Truthfully, he didn’t know…

He also didn’t know that someone was watching from around the corner.

Problems, Rasputin? thought the watcher. You thought you could manipulate everyone… Politicians, businessmen, power players, the underworld, but now someone has finally had the nerve to turn against you, and you don’t know who it is…

And you can’t tell any of your men to look for the traitor, because one of the men you tell to look for him might BE the traitor.

Look at yourself, Rasputin, and ask yourself a question… Right now, who can you trust?

As of right now, the answer is: No-one.


A decisive victory has been won by the forces of Good, as Sam has defeated Olga and taken her Charm. But Rasputin likely will not give up his current plan. The finals will continue, and more duels lie ahead, as the contenders vie for the top spot. The main event is just starting!



FINAL LIGHT (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A glowing, flowing curtain.

Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points. Special Summon one LIGHT Monster from your Graveyard. Your opponent may then Special Summon one Monster with 2,000 ATK or less from his/her Graveyard.



FRICKA’S MEDITATION (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A goddess with long, green hair in a white dress casting a powerful spell.

Card Description: You can activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Remove one "Wotan's Judgment" in your Graveyard from play to negate the attack.



GODDESS SKULD’S ORACLE (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A young goddess with blue hair in pigtails in a fancy white dress, holding a staff topped with a red orb.

Card Description: During your Standby Phase, both you and your opponent may look at the top three cards of your opponent's deck. Then, you can rearrange them in any order, and return them to the top of the deck (your opponent cannot see the order of the cards).



GODDESS URD’S VERDICT (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A goddess with short, blonde hair in a white dress, holding a staff topped with a blue orb.

Card Description: During your Standby Phase, you can guess the name of one face-down card on your opponent's side of the field. If you guess correctly, remove the card from play.



GODDESS VERDANDE’S GUIDANCE (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A goddess with long, pink hair in a white and blue dress holding a staff topped with a green orb.

Card Description: During your Standby Phase, guess what type of card (Monster, Spell, or Trap) is on top of your opponent's deck. If you guess correctly, your opponent must set the card on his/her side of the field (if the card is a Monster Card, disregard any summoning requirements or restrictions).



LOGE’S FLAME (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A tornado of blue fire.

Card Description: When this card is active, Monsters with 2,000 Attack Points or fewer cannot attack. When this card is removed from the field, you may Special Summon one “Valkyrie Brunhilde” from your hand, deck, or Graveyard.



RAINBOW BRIDGE BIFROST (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A rainbow descending from a dark, cloudy sky.

Card Description:[/B] Select one “Valkyrie” Monster on your side of the field. Increase the ATK of the selected Monster by an amount equal to the number of your opponent's Monsters that have been removed from play x500. This increase lasts until the selected Monster is no longer face-up on the field.



RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A collection of ancient palaces amid the clouds.

Card Description: Special Summon any number of “Valkyrie” Monsters from your hand. During the End Phase of the turn, return all Monsters Special Summoned with this card's effect back to your deck. Then, shuffle your deck.



VALKYRIE BRUNHILDE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: Increase the ATK of this card by 300 for each Warrior- and Dragon-Type Monster on the field. If this card is attacked, you can decrease the DEF of this card by 1000. If you do, this card is not destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation still applies.)



VALKYRIE DRITTE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you may increase the ATK of this card by an amount equal to the number of your opponent's Monsters that have been removed from play x100. The ATK increase lasts until the End Phase.



VALKYRIE ERSTE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 1,600
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you may increase the ATK of this card by an amount equal to the sum of the base ATKs of all your opponent's Monsters that have been removed from play. The ATK increase lasts until the End Phase.



VALKYRIE ZWEITE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 5
ATK: 1,600
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, destroy one Monster on your opponent's side of the field and remove it from play.



VALKYRIE’S EMBRACE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A Valkyrie reaching out to embrace a young man.

Card Description: Switch one “Valkyrie” Monster on your side of the field to face-up Defense Position. Destroy one opposing Monster.



WOTAN’S JUDGMENT (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A deity in a green robe and hood with a full beard, holding a wooden cudgel.

Card Description:[/B] You can activate this card when you have at least one Spell Card in your hand, and your opponent declares an attack. Negate the attack and end your opponent's Battle Phase. Draw one card from your deck, then select one Spell Card from your hand and place it on top of your deck.

Note: The proceeding cards were all used by Ziegfried at various times during the original anime series Grand Prix arc. Creative credit goes to the writers of those episodes.



CARD OF VARIATION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A Duel Monsters card floating in clear water.

Card Description: Draw two cards from your deck. At the End Phase of the turn, discard one card in your hand to the Graveyard. If you do not, inflict 3,000 points of direct damage to your Life Points.

Note: “Card of Variation” was first used by Tyranno in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Primal Instinct”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



AKASHIC RECORD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A group of dinosaur bones and a large dinosaur skull.

Card Description: Draw two cards from your deck. If you have used any copies of either of the two drawn cards previously in the duel, remove from play all copies of the previously used card(s) from your hand, deck, field, and Graveyard.

Note: “Akashic Record” was first used by Jesse (while possessed by Yubel) in a third season episode of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



GUARDIANS OF YGGDRASIL (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A huge tree, with three small, feminine forms standing under it.

Card Description: Pay 2,000 Life Points to activate this card. Search your deck for one “Goddess Skuld’s Oracle”, one “Goddess Verdande’s Guidance”, and one “Goddess Urd’s Verdict” and add them to your hand. If you do not successfully activate all three cards in the same round you activate “Guardians of Yggdrasil”, send all three cards to the Graveyard.



THE HORN OF HEIMDALL (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A Norse deity with a flowing beard holding a huge, brass horn.

Card Description: You can only activate this card during your opponent’s turn when you have no Monsters on your side of the field. Pay half your Life Points. Special Summon from your hand and/or deck four “Valkyrie” Monsters. Monsters Special Summoned by this card are destroyed at the End Phase of your next turn.



Ren: I didn’t want it to have to come to this…

Chelsea: We knew it probably would, Ren. It’s you versus me…

Ren: Then by all means, let’s make it good. Show me what you’ve got!

Chelsea: Don’t hold back! Come and get me!

Yumi: I’ll be here to support you both, guys. I’ll be front-row-center.

Coming up next, “Savage Wilderness of the Beastlands; Ren versus Chelsea.”

Let’s get this over with…

[jkBAKURA]

As one who has attempted a Valkyrie duel and come out sub-par, I have to commend you. You found a good balance, and even though we've now seen Sam's deck many times, her moves were still new and interesting. Truth be told, I saw them coming ever since she first used her real deck off screen. I don't yet know Nicholas's however.

The only thing that caught my attention was the use of Zigfried's other cards that weren't necessarily Valkyrie related. True the removal combo works well in Valkyrie decks, but if you use everything from a character in the anime, it makes it difficult to define a character as their own person. Everyone builds decks slightly differently.

The only disappointing thing is that I know that for many of the finalists, we'll only see their decks once, Olga's is probably no exception. I'll miss them, but hopefully the Finals are not truly the end of the story. Then again, as confusing as Valkyrie decks are, one is probably more then enough.

If the results of polling on this site hold true, the semi-finals will have Sam vs. Chelsea. Fiends and Vampires, a match made straight out of a horror flick. But I can't assume anything yet.

[starjake]

You said not to do this, but there is no way you got Erste's effect from the anime because it did not occur in the anime the way you portrayed it.

Valkyrie Erste's effect was used four times in the anime.

The first two times were against Rex's Black Tyranno and Weevil's Insect Queen, though we didn't get an explanation of the effect at that point.

The third time was against Joey's Jinzo, at which point Erste's ATK became (NOT was increased by, but became) 2400. If it had been increased by 2400 (giving it an ATK of 4000), Joey would have lost the duel when it attacked, because three other Valkyries with 1600 ATK each also attacked Joey directly. Joey used his Hyper Refresh to double his Life Points to 8000, and 8000-2400-1600-1600-1600=800 (which is what Joey ended up with after the attacks were done).

The fourth and final time was against Kaiba's X-Head Cannon, at which point Erste's ATK once again became 1800.

Also, I'm not sure where you got the idea that Erste's ATK increase is the total ATK of ALL your opponent's removed monsters...when used in the anime, there was never more than one removed monster at the time, but Ziegfreid never mentioned anything about multiple monsters (in the English or Japanese versions), and Janime only says one, so I know you didn't get it from there. If you made it up...I'm not sure it was necessary for the duel's sake, because Sam still ended up with almost 8000 Life Points (not to mention that that's pretty broken).

I gotta go, but I'm still reading.

[Shuppet Master]

I hope we see that monster Sam was thinking about in her match vs. Chelsea. :)

The instant Olga played that spell card, I had a feeling that Zeigfried's special monsters were the theme of Olga's true deck.

And for Erste, that is why few authors want to tangle with Zeigfried's deck - if two people get different interpretations from the same card's effect, then the card is too vague to be useful, ergo the entire deck is useless.

I think we all know who's going to win the next duel.

[Dark Sage]

Okay, I dug up my old VCR tapes and watched them again, and it seems you're right, Randy. I feel worse than Jim likely did after he was clocked by Anchor Knight in today's episode of GX.

I just hope I never have to do a Valkyrie duel again. This was hard enough, and as you saw, I got one effect really wrong. Maybe I was indeed thrown off by the fact that Zieg's opponent never had more than one Monster removed from play when Erste appeared.

Anyway, addressing JK's concern... The end of the finals will not be the end of "Sorcerer Kings". Far from it, in fact. The plot will continue into the night after the final duel, when...

Mmm... better not spoil it.

Olga will duel again after this, Nicholas is slated to duel again after the finals. I might even bring them back in the sequel I might do. It depends.

As for the Monster Sam had in her hand... Well, she might use it in her next finals duel, she might not. The only clue I'll give you as to what it is: It's a real card. It might not be available in the U.S., but it's very real.

Keep reading. The obligatory chapter that appears in every tournament fic that Master of Paradox calls "We Can't All Be Astronauts" is coming up next.

[Master of Paradox]

Ah, the Valkyries... Erste gave me such trouble when I was writing that chapter in TTB that I finally threw her out and made up a new Valkyrie from scratch.

I think only Guardian Aitos's spelling is more of a stumbling block to duel plotters.

[Shuppet Master]

Which is why I will never use Guardians again. If Cyrus Gamule does come back, and this is a big IF, he will have a totally new deck and his Guardians will be eradicated.

[Mystic_clown]

I haven't seen the Ziegfreid duels, though I have heard from them. This is really the first time I've seen them in a fic, so it's a bit refreshing for me. However, there was one thing that bothered me throughout the entire chapter.

There was really no tension in it, because we knew that Sam had prepared for it. That's the problem with people being told what they're going up against, they're able to prepare, they've got the uppre hand, and it kinda takes from the tension. However, when a villian does this, it makes things interesting because the hero has to go up against a deck built to destroy theirs.

However, this is only a small matter. Overall, the chapter was pretty good.

[starjake]

Oh, come now. The Valkyries aren't THAT hard. You just have to think and apply some common sense.

Valkyrie Brunhilde
Light/Fairy - Effect/7 stars/ATK 1800/DEF 2000
This card gains 300 ATK for each Warrior- or Dragon-Type monster on the field. When this card is destroyed by battle, you can have it lose exactly 1000 DEF instead.

Valkyrie Dritte
Light/Fairy - Effect/4 stars/ATK 1000/DEF 1600
This card gains 100 ATK for each monster that is removed from play.

Valkyrie Erste
Light/Fairy - Effect/5 stars/ATK 1600/DEF 1600
When a monster your opponent controls is removed from play, you can make this card's ATK equal to the removed monster's ATK until the end of this turn.

Valkyrie Zweite
Light/Fairy - Effect/5 stars/ATK 1600/DEF 1600
When this card is Summoned, you can destroy target monster your opponent controls and remove it from play.


There. They all make sense, they all easily fit what the anime did with them, and they all fall within the realm of feasible, balanced effects.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO



Savage Wilderness of the Beastlands



Ren versus Chelsea



It was fifteen minutes after Sam’s duel had ended. Rasputin, Nicholas, and Louis had not yet come back.

Olga, however, was back in her seat, and if she even cared about losing, she didn’t show it. In fact, she was casually munching on toasted granola.

“She doesn’t seem the least bit worried about what Rasputin is going to do to her,” muttered Sam.

“If he plans to do anything,” replied Erik. “You don’t suppose she has more dirt on him than anyone else?”

Olga apparently had heard that. She turned to them and smirked.

There was something about that smirk that chilled them to the bone…

Meanwhile, Ren was nervously watching the clock. He had to report to the north gate in five minutes.

“Chelsea!” he quickly said.

Chelsea looked at him, with a slight smile.

“Look…” he said. “Before this starts, I have something to say… I’ve wanted to say this for a long time…”

Chelsea put two fingers up and placed them over his lips.

“I know…” she whispered. “I know. And if you want to prove it, let’s make a little wager on this duel…”

“Uh, a wager?” asked Ren. “What?”

Chelsea moved beside him.

“If I win this duel,” she said, “then tonight, I want you to…”

She whispered something into his ear, so no-one else could hear her. Ren’s eyes opened wide…

“Gee…” he muttered, looking at her. “If I have to do that if I lose, why would I want to win?”

“Because…” she whispered, “if you win, then I’ll…”

She whispered into his ear again.

Ren gulped. He looked her in the eyes.

“Okay…” he said. “It’s a deal…”

“Then don’t hold back,” she said, getting up.

Ren took some deep breaths, and then he got up too.

Well… he thought, that was… unexpected…



* * * * * * * * * *


In the center of the arena, Dream Clown, Crass Clown, Peten the Dark Clown, and Saggi the Dark Clown were performing a juggling act while the sound system played Merry-Go-Round Broke Down. Dream Clown was balanced on a ball, juggling spheres, Crass Clown was on a turntable juggling pins, Peten was riding a unicycle and juggling rings, while Saggi was spinning a group of plates while standing on one leg.

Finally, all four clowns caught the items and bowed, before vanishing into swirls of dark energy.

More fireworks erupted, as the two announcers appeared on the screen again.

“Welcome back,” said Natalie, “as we continue our coverage of Duelatopia XX!”

“And you’re just in time for a match that long-time Duelatopia fans have waited for a long time,” said Ben. “The finals match between Ren Marris, and Chelsea Ramset.”

“In case you aren’t a longtime fan, we’ll explain,” continued Natalie. “In the very first Duelatopia, Chelsea’s dad Peter, and Ren’s dad Clive were contestants, and they were champion material. Both of them got to the finals.”

“One of them even made it to round two,” said Ben. “But these close friends never dueled each other in this competition… That might have been for the best.

“Now…” said Natalie, “Clive Marris is on KaibaCorp’s board of directors… Peter Ramset is I2’s head card designer. Both are working to make Duel Monsters a better game.

“And now, their children want to be champions too… But this time, they will have to duel each other.”

More fireworks burst, and Sheena and Delmato appeared in the center of the arena.

“Introducing…” said Ben’s voice, “our next quarter finalist… Ren Marris!”

Ren walked out to the center of the arena to cheers. He tried hard to hide how nervous he was. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to win this duel or not.

He wanted to win the tournament, but he certainly didn’t want to hurt Chelsea now…

He made up his mind. If he won the tournament, the first thing he’d do with the prize money would be to buy Chelsea dinner at the best restaurant in Domino.

“And his opponent,” said Natalie, “Chelsea Ramset!”

Chelsea walked out to more cheers, and waved to the audience.

“She sure looks serious,” said Ben. “Not every duelist these days carries a sword at her hip…”

Yumi noticed Rasputin, Nicholas, and Louis sit back in their seats. They seemed indifferent to Olga, so it was hard to say whether they were mad at her or not.

Hope I didn’t miss anything, thought Rasputin. Seeing two of those brats forced to duel each other should be worthy entertainment.

And by watching, I’ll learn how much they’ve improved their decks, which, if they’re smart, they’ve obviously done since I saw them last. It will certainly be knowledge that I can use.

Of course, once this duel is over, one of them won’t be dueling in the tournament any more…

So I’ll simply wait until the finals are over, and lay an ambush. He or she will duel for the Charm, like it or not…

“Okay, you two…” said Sheena, opening the Field slot on her Disk. “Time to take another journey past the physical realm…”

She placed another card in the slot, and the holographic towers glowed again.

“Time to go to a place on the wild side… I give you… The Savage Wilderness of the Beastlands!”

Again, it seemed the whole city changed. Now, the arena and the surroundings were changed into a giant, primal forest, with trees looming hundreds of feet high. Around the two duelists, forest creatures more beautiful than any they had ever seen – deer, foxes, and wolves – stood by watching.

There were watchers in the sky as well. The clouds had faces on them now, looking down upon the arena with eyes that reflected great wisdom.

“The stage is set,” said Delmato. “So let’s get started!”

The two cut and shuffled each other’s decks, and the coin toss was done…

“Here we go!” shouted Ben. “It’s been nineteen years… Which offspring can duel better? We’re about to see!”

“Game on!” shouted Delmato, clenching his fist.



(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Chelsea: 8,000)


“All right, let’s see here…” said Chelsea, making her first draw. “I’ll start by summoning Blood Sucker…”

She played the card, and in a burst of dark energy, the horned, winged Zombie emerged. (1,300/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh_premium_pack_8_pp8_jp004.jpg


Okay, nothing new there… thought Ren.

“Then I’ll place these facedown, and end my turn,” she said.

Two facedown cards appeared behind Blood Sucker.

“All right!” shouted Ren. “Draw!”

He drew a card.

“Trap activate…” said Chelsea.

“Huh?” said Ren, as one of her facedown cards lifted.

“It’s called Cloak and Dagger,” said Chelsea. “What this Trap Card does is summon a shadow assassin, who’s now hidden invisibly somewhere around the arena. I simply have to tell him the name of his target, and if that target appears on the field, it’s removed from play.

“Of course, once that happens, the contract ends, and he leaves.

“The target is Getsu Fuhma.”

Crud… thought Ren. More prepared than I thought… She all but did away with the Monster that could do the most damage to her Monsters.

But I can still take out her Blood Sucker…

“I play… Reinforcement of the Army,” he said, playing a card. “Now I get to take a Warrior from my deck.

“And if Getsu Fuhma is out, I’ll go with Dark Blade.

“Now I’ll summon him!”

Dark Blade appeared in another aura of darkness. (1,800/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-007.jpg


“Attack her Blood Sucker!” he shouted.

Dark Blade flew towards the fiendish zombie, and with two slashes of his swords, it was cut down.

“You triggered my other Trap!” shouted Chelsea, as her other facedown card lifted.

The card bore the image of a hand reaching out of a coffin.

“Thirst of Blood,” she said. “I can activate this when one of my Monsters is destroyed. Now I can summon a vampire from my deck that’s Level Four or less.

“Now let’s see… How about Vampire Lady?”

In a burst of energy, a Vampire Lady appeared. (1,550/1,550)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0131.jpg


“Well, that was pointless,” said Natalie.

Ren sighed.

“I’ll place a card of my own facedown, and end my turn,” he said.

A facedown card appeared on his side of the field.



(R: 8,000) -------------------- (C: 7,500)


“Well, this duel doesn’t seem as one-sided at the beginning as the last one was,” said Natalie. “We still have a long way to go…”

Chelsea made a draw.

“I play… Pot of Greed,” she said.

She played the card, and drew twice. She looked at the two cards and then chose another one.

“Now I play… Coercive Magic Eyes.”

She played a Spell Card, and two sinister eyes appeared behind her. Vampire Lady’s eyes glowed fiery red.

“What the?” asked Ren.

“This card gives Vampire Lady the ability to go right past your Dark Blade, and get to you,” said Chelsea. “Vampire Lady, give Ren a kiss for me.”

Vampire Lady pounced. Then she vanished…

Ren started to tremble as he felt her arms caressing him from behind…

He moaned as her fangs stabbed into his neck and she drank her fill. She let go, and he fell on one knee.

Yumi shook her head.

Chelsea clearly has made her deck more powerful… she thought. Has Ren done the same? He won’t stand a chance if he hasn’t.

“I’m sure you know Vampire Lady’s effect,” said Chelsea. “I declare Spell Card.”

Ren frowned and looked through his deck. He took Mystic Plasma Zone and discarded it.

Don’t really need that, he thought. It would help her as much as it would me.



(R: 6,450) -------------------- (C: 7,500)


Rasputin chuckled.

Chelsea one, Ren zero, he thought.

“Still my turn…” said Chelsea. “I’ll place one card facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“Then I’ll sacrifice Vampire Lady…”

Vampire Lady vanished into dark mist.

“To summon this…”

A Monster appeared in Defense Mode.

Huh? thought Ren.

“Your move…” said Chelsea.

Ren drew a card.

The only Zombie I can think of that’s Level Five or higher that you set in Defense Mode is Giant Axe Mummy, he thought. But since when did Chelsea use mummies? It isn’t her style…

“I summon Double Pinaska,” he said.

The bandito somersaulted onto the field, and twirled his rapiers. (1,500/1,500)

If it is Giant Axe Mummy, attacking would be a bad idea, he thought. I’ll just wait for now…

“I end my turn,” he said.

Chelsea drew a card.

“I summon Sangan,” she said.

With a cry, the four-armed, three-eyed Fiend leapt up. (1,000/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en042.jpg


“Next…” she said. “I Flip-Summon my other Monster…”

The facedown card flipped, and a huge, hulking form rose up behind Chelsea…

It wasn’t Giant Axe Mummy. It was a gigantic jack-o-lantern, with vine-like tentacles, one eye, a huge, toothy mouth, and a small crown on the top. (1,800/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mrd_0791.jpg


“A peculiar move by Chelsea,” said Natalie. “Pumpking the King of Ghosts hasn’t seen use in tournaments for decades. That card is rather weak by today’s standards.”

“Oh, come on!” shouted Ren. “Why on Earth would you put that old thing in your deck?”

“True, it is an antiquated Monster,” replied Chelsea, “but I found a new way to use it. But first… I’m well aware of Double Pinaska’s ability, so I’m gonna force you to use it up. After all, 1,800 Attack Points beats 1,500.

“Pumpking, attack Double Pinaska. Ectoplasmic tendrils.”

Pumpking shot its vines towards the bandito…

“Pinaska, deflect!” shouted Ren.

Double Pinaska swung his blades, cleaving through the tentacles. Four small pieces fell to the ground, and the King of Ghosts withdrew its arms.

“Sangan, you attack Double Pinaska,” said Chelsea.

The Fiend leapt at Pinaska. He made a swipe with his blade, cleaving it in two.

“Now why did she do that?” asked Ben.

“So she could use its effect, silly,” replied Natalie.

Chelsea looked through her deck, and found the card she wanted. She added it to her hand.

She gestured, and her facedown card lifted, revealing Call of the Haunted.

In a burst of darkness, Sangan appeared again.

“Attack Double Pinaska again!” she shouted.

“Aw, gee…” moaned Ren.

The Fiend lunged, and Double Pinaska cut it in half again.

Chelsea looked through her deck, and found another card.

“The stage is set, Ren,” she said. “Now I’m gonna bring out my newest power player.”

She flipped a Spell Card in her hand forward.

“A Polymerization card?” gasped Ren. “What two Monsters are you gonna fuse?”

“Not two…” replied Chelsea, placing it in her Disk. “Three. I’m using this to fuse together Pumpking, Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, and Castle of Dark Illusions.”

Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower appeared on the field, and the ominous form of Castle of Dark Illusions floated overhead…

The two Zombies and one Fiend swirled into a dark, spinning vortex… The sky above the Beastlands darkened, and the faces in the clouds frowned. Dark mist rose from the ground…



http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN079.jpg
http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/AST-011.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LOB-EN059.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN073.jpg


“I summon…” shouted Chelsea, “Nosferatu the Lich Lord!”

Stepping out of the vortex was a tall creature that radiated an aura of pure darkness. It was a skeletal figure, wearing rich robes and jewelry, holding an ornate staff. Its empty eye-sockets glowed with pinpoints of light. A stench of death wafted over the eves of the forest, like a fresh grave… (1,900/2,000)

“I dunno…” muttered Ren. “I kinda expected someone stronger…”

“Attack Points aren’t everything, Ren,” replied Chelsea. “To end my turn, I’ll place a card facedown, and activate Mirage of Nightmare.”

The Mirage card and the facedown card appeared.

“And it’s your move.”

I know this combo… thought Ren. But she’s up to something with that Lich Lord, and I’ll bet it doesn’t bode well…



(R: 6,450) -------------------- (C: 6,500)


He drew a card.

“My Mirage card activates…” said Chelsea.

She quickly drew four cards.

“…as does my facedown card…”

Her Mystical Space Typhoon card flipped up, and the Mirage card shattered into bits.

Ren looked at the five cards in his hand.

Shouldn’t be too hard to beat it, he thought. I just have to summon a Monster with at least 1,900 Attack Points…

One problem… I don’t have one right now…

And there’s no telling what dangerous powers that thing has…

“All right, Chelsea…” he said, “I move my two guys to Defense Mode…”

Dark Blade and Double Pinaska sheathed their swords and crouched in defense.

“And I’ll put this in Defense Mode too…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“That’ll do it…”

Chelsea drew a card.

“Nosferatu…” she shouted, “attack his Dark Blade! Dark blight!”

The Lich Lord’s eyes burned with unholy fire. It thrust its staff forward, and cast an evil spell, blasting Dark Blade to dust.

“Now I get to Special Summon a Monster,” continued Chelsea. “And he may be familiar too you…”

The ground cracked open, and a hand burst out of the ground…

Ren watched, as a new Zombie crawled out of the ground on Chelsea’s side…

He couldn’t believe it. It was Dark Blade. His armor was broken, dirty, and dented, and his eyes were glowing red, but there was no mistaking it was him. (1,800/1,500)

“Chelsea…” said Ren. “What happened?”

“To make up for having pathetic scores for a Level Eight Monster,” said Chelsea, “Nosferatu has some powerful abilities. Case in point, when it destroys a Monster in battle, that Monster is Special Summoned to my side of the field. Although, its Type becomes Zombie, and its effect is negated.

“But don’t worry, Ren, I don’t intend on keeping Dark Blade much longer…”

She’s going to sacrifice Dark Blade! thought Ren.

Chelsea played another card.

“I sacrifice him…”

Dark Blade burst into an explosion of dust…

“To summon Curse of Vampire!”

Curse of Vampire? thought Ren. Another new card?

The vampire that appeared on Chelsea’s side of the field this time was quite different than the more familiar Vampire Lord. He wore armor, had different-styled hair, and had two batlike wings growing from his back. He looked at Ren with a grim expression. (2,000/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le7-jp003.jpg


“Your move…” said Chelsea.

Weird… thought Yumi. I’m glad Chelsea is on our side, because she would have made a terrible enemy… She’s truly become Queen of the Undead!

Ren drew a card.

That’s the one, he thought, looking at it.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“I sacrifice Double Pinaska…” he said.

Double Pinaska burst into pixels.

“In order to summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!”

In another burst of darkness, Penumbral Soldier Lady appeared. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Chelsea’s two Zombies. (2,100/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0331.jpg


“One card,” said Ben, “and Ren may have turned this around!”

“Show’s over, worm-feast!” shouted Ren. “Attack Nosferatu the Lich Lord! Sword of Shadows!”

Penumbral Soldier Lady leapt at Nosferatu, and slammed her sword into the undead sorcerer… It exploded into a burst of bones, which clattered to the ground, along with its staff… Chelsea cringed…



(R: 6,450) -------------------- (C: 6,300)


“Hmm…” said Ren.

Penumbral Soldier Lady was backing up nervously…

The staff rose off the ground, and the bones floated up too…

“HUH?” shouted Ren.

The bones pieced themselves back together, forming into Nosferatu again. Its jawbone formed into a smile, and its eyes glowed.

“Nice try, Ren,” said Chelsea, “but you can’t kill it that way.”

“Able to steal opposing Monsters and invincible in battle!” exclaimed Natalie. “Chelsea may have found the perfect Monster!”

“Anything else, Ren?” asked Chelsea.

“No…” replied Ren. “I have to end my turn…”

At least neither of her Monsters can beat Penumbral Soldier Lady, he thought.

Chelsea drew a card. She looked at it for a second. She shrugged and added it to her hand.

“Nosferatu, attack his facedown Monster!” she shouted.

Nosferatu cast its evil spell again. Familiar Knight appeared on the card, and was blasted into dust.

“Nuts…” muttered Ren. “Well, Chelsea… I don’t have a Level Four Monster right now, but if you have one…”

“Nope,” said Chelsea, “so you lucked out. Anyway… Curse of Vampire… Attack Penumbral Soldier Lady.”

“HUH?” shouted Ren.

Curse of Vampire pounced at Soldier Lady. She scowled, as if she thought he had some nerve, and with one slash of her sword, he was blasted to pieces.

“Okay, I want to know why you did that, Chelsea!” shouted Ren.

“And ruin the big surprise?” asked Chelsea with a chuckle. “Not telling… By the way, now that my Battle Phase is over…”

The ground cracked, and a Zombie Familiar Knight crawled out of the ground on Chelsea’s side of the field. (1,200/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ep1-en006.jpg


This is getting out of hand… thought Ren.

He drew a card.

“Sorry, Familiar Knight,” he said. “But I’ll put you out of your misery…”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a Defensive Monster appeared.

“Soldier Lady, attack Familiar Knight!”

Penumbral Soldier Lady leapt up, and slashed at Familiar Knight, blowing him to dust. She coughed as the cloud of what had once been her ally covered her…



(R: 6,450) -------------------- (C: 5,400)


“Ren has just taken the lead,” said Ben, “but with Chelsea’s Lich Lord on the field, how long can he hold it?”

“Your move, Chelsea,” said Ren.

“Indeed…” said Chelsea, drawing a card.

As she added it to her hand, a dark fog appeared behind her…

Chelsea closed her eyes, and bent her head to one side.

“Now what?” said Ren.

Curse of Vampire appeared out of the fog, and held Chelsea by the shoulders. He gently bit into her neck, drinking her blood…

“What’s happening?” shouted Ren.

Curse of Vampire walked forward, back to Chelsea’s side of the field. (2,500/800)

“Ugh…” said Chelsea, holding her head. “I’ll explain in small words, Ren. Curse of Vampire is sort of the polar opposite of Vampire Lord. While the more familiar vampire can be resurrected after being destroyed by card effects, Curse of Vampire can be resurrected if he’s destroyed in battle… So long as I let him take 500 of my Life Points.

“But as you can see, there’s a bonus… He comes back stronger than he was before.”

“Next, I play Premature Burial…”

She played the card, and Vampire Lady crawled out of the ground. (1,550/1,550)

“Now, I’ll sacrifice her… Come on out, Vampire Lord!”

In a burst of energy, Vampire Lady vanished, and Vampire Lord appeared on the field. (2,000/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds-ense4.jpg


“All right!” shouted Chelsea. “Time to clean up! I play Rush Recklessly.”

She played the card, and Nosferatu’s Attack Score rose to 2,600.

“Now, take out Penumbral Soldier Lady!”

Nosferatu blasted his unholy curse, and Soldier Lady screamed. She was blown to shards.

“Vampire Lord, take out his last defense!”

The vampire’s eyes glowed. The swarm of bats shot towards the card. Pitch-Dark Dragon appeared on the card, and was blown to bits.

“Curse of Vampire, attack him directly!”

Curse of Vampire hissed, and leapt at Ren. His Trap Card – the one he had set on his first turn – lifted up before the claw slashed into him…



(R: 7,450) -------------------- (C: 4,100)


“HUH?” shouted Chelsea. “Your Life Points went UP?”

“Yeah…” said Ren. “Thanks to my Nutrient Z Trap Card. You aren’t the only one who’s reworked your deck, Chelsea!”

Chelsea chuckled.

“Very clever,” she said. “My Battle Phase is over, and you know what that means…”

With a groan, Penumbral Soldier Lady crawled out of the ground on Chelsea’s side of the field, her skin as pale as death, her hair tangled, and her eyes glowing red. (2,100/1,400)

“All right, Chelsea, my move…” said Ren.

He drew a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity,” he said.

The beautiful angel flew out of the clouds, and her feathers fell on his deck. He drew three cards.

He gave them a long look before discarding two.

He placed two of them in his Disk, and a facedown Monster and a facedown card appeared.

“Your move…” he said.

Chelsea drew a card.

She smirked at Ren.

“Nosferatu, attack his facedown Monster!” she shouted.

Once again, the Lich Lord cast its evil curse…

Getsu Fuhma appeared on the card…

“NO!” screamed Chelsea, as the hex shot towards Getsu Fuhma.

The Cloak and Dagger card glowed, and a gunshot fired. Getsu Fuhma shattered into pixels, but it was too late – the damage had already been done. Nosferatu the Lich Lord dropped its staff and screamed as smoke poured from its palms.

Then it shattered into shards of bone.

Ren grinned, as the Zombie Penumbral Soldier Lady shattered as well. Finally, the Cloak and Dagger card vanished into grains of light.

“See, I figured out your Trap Card’s weakness,” said Ren. “I could still set Getsu Fuhma safely. And even though it removed her from play when she flipped face-up, the battle still occurred, so your Lich Lord is history.”

“Very clever…” said Chelsea. “Vampire Lord, attack him directly!”

Vampire Lord hissed, and lifted his cloak…

As the swarm of bats flew towards Ren, a strange figure appeared out of a dark portal in behind him. It was a fiendish Warrior in bladed armor, with a mane of shock-white hair. He put his arms around Ren, and the swarm of bats was deflected.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en012.jpg


“Who was THAT?” shouted Chelsea, as the strange Warrior vanished.

“Necro Gardna, that’s who,” said Ren, holding up a card. “I put him in my Graveyard when I played Graceful Charity. And by removing him from play, I can negate your vampire’s attack.”

He pocketed the card.

In her seat, Yumi gave a sly smirk.

He took my suggestion! she thought.

“Swell…” said Chelsea. “Do you have two of them? Curse of Vampire, you attack!”

Ren obviously didn’t, because Curse of Vampire met no resistance as he lunged and clawed at Ren, knocking him over.



(R: 4,950) -------------------- (C: 4,100)


“It’s your move.”

I got rid of her Lich Lord, thought Ren. And now, I’m ready to take this duel by storm…

He drew a card.

“First I activate my facedown card… Spirit Barrier.”

His facedown card flipped up.

Ren is trying a new trick… thought Yumi. The question is… what?

“Next, I play Monster Reborn. And I think I’ll bring back a Monster from your Graveyard.”

Chelsea gasped as her discard slot started to glow…

In a burst of light, Nosferatu the Lich Lord appeared on Ren’s side of the field. (1,900/2,000)

“What?” shouted Chelsea. “What good is it to you?”

“Plenty,” said Ren. “I’m going to use it for this…”

He showed her a card.

“That’s a Ritual Card!” she shouted.

She looked at it as it appeared on the field. Lightning flashed…

“Litmus Doom Ritual?” she asked. “What does that do?”

Rasputin chuckled.

Well… I certainly know what it does, he thought, but for the sake of everyone else here, I’ll let Ren explain it.

An evil-looking temple appeared behind him in the middle of the great forest, one containing spires, arches, and a blazing cauldron. Nosferatu disintegrated into a shadowy mist.

“This ceremony lets me summon my mightiest Shadow Warrior,” said Ren. “I’ll offer your Lich Lord as a sacrifice, to summon forth the Litmus Doom Swordsman.”

In a burst of energy, a new Warrior appeared on the field. He looked like a dark matador, wearing a fancy, ruffled shirt and pantaloons, with the traditional hat and a domino mask, all in purple and orange hues. He held two sharp rapiers in his hands. He glared at Chelsea, and his eyes glowed with feral light. (0/0)

“Zero Attack Points and zero Defense Points?” said Chelsea. “Something tells me there’s more to this guy…”

“There is,” said Ren. “Litmus Doom can’t be destroyed in battle any more than your Lich Lord can, and he’s also immune to Traps. However, when a Trap Card is in play, and Spirit Barrier is now, his Attack Score becomes 3,000.

(3,000/0)

Even if Chelsea summons something stronger, thought Yumi, as unlikely as that may be, Ren is safe… Spirit Barrier will keep him from losing any Life Points…

“Litmus Doom… Attack the Curse of Vampire!”

The Swordsman leapt at Curse of Vampire, and made two slashes with his blades. The creature screamed, and exploded into shards.

“Forget?” asked Chelsea. “Next turn, I can bring him back even stronger.”

“No you can’t,” said Ren, playing a card. “Because before you start your turn, I’m Equipping my Swordsman with Necro Shot.”

Litmus Doom raised his saber, and a dark, glowing bat appeared on his gauntlet.

“I can use this Spell Card three times before it’s destroyed,” said Ren, “and each time, I can remove from play a Monster in your Graveyard.

“So here’s the first time!”

The bat flew from Litmus Doom’s wrist, and struck Chelsea’s Disk. The Curse of Vampire card slipped out of her discard slot.

“And while I’m at it,” said Ren, “I’ll use my second shot, to get rid of your Lich Lord too.”

The bat flew at Chelsea’s Disk again, and the Fusion Monster fell out as well.

“Chelsea has just lost two of her strongest Monsters, and Ren has one of his strongest on the field,” said Ben. “Ren may very well have turned this duel around!”

“It’s your move, Chelsea,” said Ren with a smirk.



(R: 4,950) -------------------- (C: 3,600)


Chelsea frowned, and drew a card.

I can destroy his Swordsman with this guy… she thought, looking at it, but if I did, I’d be completely defenseless…

“I place this facedown, and Vampire Lord goes into Defense Mode,” she said.

A facedown card appeared, and Vampire Lord knelt and covered himself with his cape.

“That’s all I can do…”

“Then let’s see here…” said Ren, making a draw.

He placed a card on his Disk, and a second Dark Blade appeared. (1,800/1,500)

“Dark Blade, attack her Vampire Lord!” he shouted.

Dark Blade leapt at the Vampire, and made two slashes with his swords. Vampire Lord exploded into pixels.

“Litmus Doom, make me just as proud. Attack her directly!”

Chelsea gave a cry that was half in fear and half in pain as the matador slashed at her with his two scimitars. She fell over on her back.

She groaned, and slowly got up…



(R: 4,950) -------------------- (C: 600)


“Continuing my turn…” said Ren, “I’m going to use the third use of Necro Shot…”

Litmus Doom pointed again, and the bat flew at Chelsea again, and struck her Duel Disk. Vampire Lord slipped out of her discard slot.

“Of course,” said Ren, as the Equip Spell shattered, “now Necro Shot is destroyed. But that works to my advantage too…”

He took his deck from the holder.

“…because now I get to send any Monster I want from my deck to the Graveyard.”

He took Crescent Moon Queen from his deck and looked at her for a second. Then he placed her in the discard slot of his Disk.

Darn… thought Chelsea. If he draws Premature Burial, Call of the Haunted, or The Warrior Returning Alive, that will be trouble…

Rasputin chuckled.

Well… he thought, looks like we have a winner…

“One more round, Chelsea…” said Ren. “It’s your move…”

“Chelsea is hurt bad,” said Natalie. “Ren is powering up to finish her off, with an invincible Monster on the field. Is there anything she can do?”

Chelsea nervously made a draw.

She smiled at Ren.

“I place a second card facedown, and end my turn,” she said.

A facedown card appeared, right next to the other one.

Ren paused. He drew a card.

What is she up to? he thought. Didn’t she hear me when I said Litmus Doom was immune to Traps?

Time to end this…

“Litmus Doom…” he said. “Attack her directly!”

Litmus Doom lifted his sabers. He glared at Chelsea.

Then he rushed at her…

“It might be over folks…” said Ben.

“Not yet it isn’t!” shouted Chelsea. “Litmus Doom might be invincible against Traps, but the attack itself triggered my Trap Card…”

One of her facedown cards lifted, showing the image of several demonic creatures swept up in a raging whirlwind.

“Malevolent Catastrophe,” she said, as a windstorm erupted all over the field. “Now, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are destroyed.”

The fierce wind tore through the forest, and the faces in the clouds frowned again. The Spirit Barrier card blew to pieces, and Chelsea’s own facedown card lifted up and shattered.

“Since there aren’t any Traps on the field any more,” said Chelsea, “your Swordsman’s Attack Score is now zero…

“I, on the other hand, am in better shape, because my card that was destroyed was my Zombie Bed. Now I can bring a Zombie back from my Graveyard.”

The glowing, green coffin appeared on the field, and it creaked open. Vampire Lady crawled out of it. She crouched in Defense Mode. (1,550/1,550)

Ren sighed. Litmus Doom stopped in mid-charge.

“Dark Blade…” said Ren.

Dark Blade slashed with his scimitar, cutting Vampire Lady down.

“It’s your move,” he said.

Chelsea drew a card.

“I play Monster Reborn,” she said.

She played the card, and Vampire Lady appeared again. (1,550/1,550)

“Now…” she said, “I’ll sacrifice Vampire Lady… for Ryu Kokki!”

Vampire Lady vanished, and in a burst of darkness, the Bone Dragon Ogre appeared. (2,400/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-090.jpg


“Attack his Litmus Doom Swordsman!” she shouted.

Ryu Kokki lunged forward, and clobbered the matador in the chest. He fell backwards, and Ren fell backwards from the impact.



(R: 2,550) -------------------- (C: 600)


“Litmus Doom may be invincible, but you aren’t,” said Chelsea with a smirk. “And by the way, Litmus Doom isn’t as invincible as you may think…”

The Matador dropped his two swords and fell to his knees…

Then he exploded into shards.

“Huh?” said Ren. “But… He can’t be destroyed in battle…”

“He wasn’t,” said Chelsea. “Didn’t I ever tell you about Ryu Kokki’s effect? He’s the polar opposite of Getsu Fuhma. Any Warrior or Spellcaster he battles is automatically destroyed.”

She chuckled.

“If the two ever met, neither would survive the battle.

“But it’s your move.”

Ren paused.

He drew a card.

Nuts… he thought, adding it to his hand.

He turned the card on his Disk, and Dark Blade shifted into Defense Mode.

“That’s all I can do…” he muttered.

Chelsea drew a card.

It was Zombie Werewolf.

“I summon…” she started.

She stopped short.

No! she thought, returning it to her hand. He only has 1,200 Attack Points… He can’t finish Ren, but I have only 600 Life Points left… If Ren summoned something with 1,800 Attack Points or more, he’d finish me!

“Uh, forget what you just heard…” she said. “Ryu Kokki, attack his Dark Blade. Bone basher.”

Ryu Kokki slammed its fist into Dark Blade, and the Warrior shattered.

She took Zombie Werewolf, and set it on the Disk.

“I set a Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

Ren drew a card.

He thought for a minute.

“I play Magical Mallet,” he said, playing a card. “I’ll reshuffle all three of my cards back to my deck, and draw three new ones.”

Everyone tensed as he reshuffled. He made three draws.

Speak of the devil… he thought, looking at one of them.

It was his second copy of Getsu Fuhma.

He slowly placed the card on his Disk, and it appeared in facedown Defense Mode.

“That’s it for my turn…” he said.

He looked at the two remaining cards in his hand…

They were The Warrior Returning Alive, and Mataza the Zapper.

It all depends on her next move… he thought. If she can’t summon someone who can beat Getsu’s Defense on her turn, I can destroy Ryu Kokki, and then have a clear shot at her with Mataza…

It all depends on her next move…

Chelsea paused. She looked at her hand.

That facedown Monster must be his other Getsu Fuhma… she thought. And the only other Monster I have is my Zombie Werewolf on the field… He can’t beat her Defense, and if he’ll be destroyed if he tries… And he isn’t strong enough to finish Ren off if I attack her with Kokki…

It all depends on this draw…

She drew a card.

A tear fell from her eye.

“I Flip-Summon Zombie Werewolf…” she said.

The facedown card flipped, and a burst of dark energy, the undead wolfman appeared. (1,200/1,200)

Ren was a little surprised, but he regained his composure.

He’s not strong enough… he thought. I can still win…

“Now…” said Chelsea, playing the card she just drew. “I summon my second Vampire Lady.”

In another burst of darkness, the vampiress appeared again. (1,550/1,550)

“It’s over Ren…” said Chelsea, sadly. “Vampire Lady, you first…”

Vampire Lady flew towards the facedown Monster. Getsu Fuhma appeared on the card, and in an explosion of energy, both Monsters were blown to pieces.

“Zombie Werewolf…” said Chelsea.

The Werewolf lunged at Ren, and slashed across his chest with his claw.

“And… Ryu Kokki.”

Ren closed his eyes…

Ryu Kokki’s mighty fist slammed into him, and he toppled over.



(R: 0) -------------------- (C: 600)


The crowd cheered.

Delmato lifted Chelsea’s hand.

“Chelsea Ramset is the winner!” he shouted.

Rasputin smirked.

So, Chelsea has proven her worth so far, he thought. Well, she’ll make a worthy opponent when I finally get to her… We’ll see what develops next…

Ren was on his knees.

He felt a hand lifting his chin up.

He looked up, and Chelsea was looking him in the eye.

Before he could say anything, she gently kissed him on the lips.

The crowd erupted in cheers again.

“You okay?” she asked, offering her hand.

Ren slowly took the hand, and she lifted him up. He nodded.

“I’ll be waiting in my suite after the last duel of the day,” she said in a whisper. “Don’t be late…”

Sheena appeared on the floor of the arena with a microphone.

“Well, that was… interesting…” she said. “With the first two duels concluded, the combatants for the first of tomorrow’s semi-finals have been decided. The first duel tomorrow will be Samantha Arachne versus Chelsea Ramset.”

Chelsea looked up in surprise. She looked up at Sam, who looked back at her.

“Until then,” said Sheena, “it’s halftime. We’ll have a one-hour intermission, for you all to stretch your legs and stuff your faces at the concession stands. I do hope some of you had the sense to save some of your trust funds, despite the fact that, unlike most stadiums, our prices are very reasonable.”

The crowd laughed.

So… thought Chelsea, looking at Sam. I’m dueling her next… Heh, no problem… I’ll deal with her, and then I can get to Yumi!

Sam looked back at Chelsea, and then took a deck out of its case.

Think you can take me, Chelsea? she thought. Well, tomorrow, you’ll see horrors that haven’t been unleashed in years. I thought I’d save this for Yumi, but a test run wouldn’t hurt… I’ll try it out on you first…

Prepare to enter Dark World…

Yumi looked at Sam, not liking the look on her rival’s face one bit.

Something’s up, she thought. Both Ren and Chelsea gave their decks major overhauls… Sam likely did the same…

Chelsea might be in trouble…

But I can’t worry about that now…

I have to duel Nicholas next, and he’ll likely want to make the same wager that Olga made with Sam…

She took off the Crown of Souls and looked at it.

If he does, it’s a wager I’ll gladly accept…


The duel between Ren and Chelsea has finally reached it conclusion. But from this point on, such friendly duels might not occur any more. Whether it’s age-old rivalries or the new battle between the owners of the Charms, the duels yet to come will likely be war…



THIRST OF BLOOD (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A hand reaching out of a coffin.

Card Description: You may activate this card when a Monster on your side of the field is destroyed. Special Summon from your deck a Zombie-Type Monster that is Level Four or less that has the word “Vampire” in its name.

Note: “Thirst of Blood” was used by Tira Mukuu in the “Yu-Gi-Oh R” manga. Creative credit goes to the writers.



COERCIVE MAGIC EYES (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A gentlemanly vampire with two large, evil eyes behind him.

Card Description: Choose one face-up Zombie-Type Monster on your side of the field with an ATK of 2,000 or less. During the round you activate this card, that Monster may attack directly.



CURSE OF VAMPIRE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 800

Card Description: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, you may pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon it from your Graveyard during your next Standby Phase. When it is successfully summoned in this manner, increase it's ATK by 500.

Note: “Coercive Magic Eyes” and “Curse of Vampire” are Japanese cards that have not yet been released in the United States.



NOSFERATU, THE LICH LORD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 1,900
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: Pumpking the King of Ghosts + Castle of Dark Illusions + Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower

A Fusion Summon of this card can only be done using the above-named Fusion Material Monsters. This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle (damage calculation still applies). When this card destroys a Monster as a result of battle and sends it to the Graveyard, Special Summon the destroyed Monster to your side of the field in Attack Position at the end of the Battle Phase. The Special Summoned Monster’s Type becomes Zombie, and its effect is negated. If this card is destroyed, destroy all Monsters Special Summoned by this effect.



LITMUS DOOM RITUAL (Spell Card)

Ritual Spell

Image: An ominous temple with spires, arches, and a blazing cauldron, surrounded by cultists holding torches. A bolt of lightning strikes the cauldron.

Card Description: This card is used to Ritual Summon “Litmus Doom Swordsman”. You must also offer as Tribute from the field or your hand Monsters whose total Levels equal eight or more.



LITMUS DOOM SWORDSMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Ritual/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card is Ritual Summoned via the effect of “Litmus Doom Ritual”. You must also offer as Tribute from the field or your hand Monsters whose total Levels equal eight or more. This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle (damage calculation still applies). This card is unaffected by Trap Cards. If at least one Trap Card is active on the field, the base ATK of this card becomes 3,000.

Note: “Litmus Doom Ritual” and “Litmus Doom Swordsman” were first used by Bastion in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Duel Off (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



NECRO SHOT (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: A dark, glowing, skeletal, flying creature.

Card Description: This card may be Equipped to a DARK Warrior-Type Monster. You may select one Monster in your opponent’s Graveyard and remove it from play. This effect may be used multiple times, but after it is used three times, destroy this card. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, select one Monster from your deck and discard it to the Graveyard.

Note: “Necro Shot” was first used by Jaden in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “A Snake in the Grass (Part Three)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



MALEVOLENT CATASTROPHE (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A group of fiendish creatures swept up in a hurricane.

Card Description: You may activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.

Note: “Malevolent Catastrophe” has been available in Japan for some time. It will be released in English in the upcoming “Rise of the Dragon Lords” structure deck.



Chelsea: Yumi, Nicholas is gunning for you next, and he means business! I’m getting some bad vibes.

Yumi: I feel it too… A strange, mystical energy coming from his deck… Clearly, I’m not facing any Ojamas…

What can I expect? I have no idea…

Nicholas: I assure you, Yumi, my true deck will take you completely by surprise, just as it does everyone who falls to it.

Coming up next, “Olympian Glades of Arborea; Yumi versus Nicholas”.

The power of my ultimate Monster is one that will bring down the house…

[Shuppet Master]

I'm not trying to be a prude here, Brian, nor am I trying to "get your goat" again(after that flame you gave me about how you dress some of your female characters - I found it rotting in my PM inbox), but for the sake of your younger readers, I hope that the wager Chelsea made to Ren, and Ren's price he has to pay, isn't too R-rated. Are they both of legal age for that stuff? :confused:

At first, I thought "Oh great, this is perfect - you never use a Vampire Lord against Dark World!", but then I remembered that you have to discard the cards from your hand, so Vampire Lord's effect won't trigger the Dark World effects. Of course, you might find a way to loophole around that.

Surprised to see Jaden's cards in use by Ren, as well as one of Bastion's deck themes, but then Litmus Doom Swordsman is pretty dark a warrior. Nice comeback by Chels, though. And in the end, it was a lucky topdeck that saved her.

I will wait patiently for a week to get the next duel - I can't figure out anything about what Nicholas's true deck is - though we did see Total Defense Shogun in it early on in the story.

As for Olga, well, I guess Raz is the type to forgive and forget, especially since he is blaming a traitor.

PS: I forgot to say something - this is the PERFECT time for this chapter, since Chelsea deals with Vampires, and Halloween's just around the corner. :D

[jkBAKURA]

All right, I admit it, he Finals have got me reading and reviewing again, if nothing else to comment on the updated decks.

At first I thought the use of Pumpking and Castle of Dark Illusions was genius, but the fusion just didn't work for me. It was a good idea, but it could have used a name with a little more subtle reference, and if it had to be a fusion, I wish it would have had different material monsters.

Ren wasn't given much to do. Most of his trademark combos didn't appear, although I cheer for the inclusion of Litmus. Poor Bastian, there was so much the writers could have done with him.

As for Dark World, maybe that's being saved for even later. After all, it's Yumi Sam wants the biggest advantage against. Then again, the Kaiba Ego factor would probably make her more likely to want to finish her with Ha Des.

Shame we won't see Yumi's second deck until the Final round. It's a deck I'd really like to see the whole thing of rather then just the half we see in a single written duel, but we have another part of the story to go. Maybe she's updated or the finals though, and we can see those Silent Magicians at work.

As for Nicholas, given the fact that you used Norse mythology, the back of my mind leans towards something Greek. If you pull off the Gladial Beasts I'll be impressed. (though my first instinct was Level Monsters) I'm just shooting in the dark though.

Shame he has to go down after one round, but Yumi has to get to the top. (in a way, the tiers that have been set up remind me of LoD)

Looking forward to it anyway,

Till next time.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE



Olympian Glades of Arborea



Yumi versus Nicholas



Yumi sighed…

She sipped water from a bottle.

She frowned as she looked at it. Who were the evil geniuses behind bottled water, anyway? There was a time when, when a person wanted water, he filled a glass at the tap, and he was satisfied. But one day, someone decided to put water in bottles, and make it more expensive than beer. People fell for this ridiculous concept, and started to believe that tap water was unclean and unfit for human consumption.

She sighed again.

She was trying to block out the more serious issue at hand. In twenty minutes, she’d be dueling Nicholas.

Every time she had glanced at him since the duel between Ren and Chelsea had ended, he had been looking at her with a slight smile. It seemed his crush on her had yet to go away…

He was working for the enemy, and yet he had a crush on her. The worst part was, he was kind of handsome… Such perfect hair, and those dimples…

It was the “Bat and the Cat Syndrome”, with the genders reversed.

Yumi took out her deck, and looked through it. It had gone through a great deal of changes since her last duel, as likely did most of the decks being used here. And she really didn’t know what to expect from Nicholas. Olga’s new deck had no Cyber Angels. She could safely assume that Nicholas did not plan to use Ojamas.

She shuffled and cut, and tossed the water bottle in the trash.

She figured she’d best be prepared for anything.

Rasputin nudged Nicholas.

“Listen closely, Nicholas,” he said. “With Olga’s attempt a failure, and the traitor still a viable threat, a lot depends on you. This next duel is going to take the perfect combination of skill, strategy, and timing. Are you absolutely sure you can handle it?”

“Nope,” replied Nicholas.

Rasputin slapped his forehead with his hand.

“Nicholas…” he muttered. “You realize that with your strategy against hers, there is a risk… She uses a certain Monster…”

“Don’t worry!” interrupted Nicholas. “I’m well-prepared for… that guy.”

“Just get out there and win me that Crown!” cursed Rasputin.

Nicholas sighed.

He looked closely at the small bottle of domination pheromone that he had convinced Rasputin to give him…

This was the first time he had actually asked him for it. He felt a little dirty having to use it, but he wanted Yumi more than anything now…

He would have liked it better if Yumi submitted to him willingly, but he didn’t put too much faith in that happening…



* * * * * * * * * *


The ground burst open, and Elemental Heroes Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman, and Sparkman flew out of the ground and soared into the sky, leaving trails of colored smoke in their wake. They flew in a pattern, before hovering over the arena, and then exploding into a multicolored fireworks display.

“Welcome back, dudes and dudettes,” said Ben. “The halfway point of the first round of the finals of Duelatopia XX is past, and we’re about set to send off what might be the most explosive match so far.”

“That’s right,” said Natalie. “One of our next duelists has a lot of history behind her…

“Yugi Mouto the first was the original King of Games. His achievements include winning the original Duelist Kingdom and the original Battle City.”

“His son was no slouch either,” continued Ben, “winning Anastasia Pegasus’s Duelist Labyrinth, and well, the first Duelatopia.”

“Today we see if his granddaughter can continue the tradition,” said Natalie. “It’s been a long and winding road since the first Mouto first put together a deck, so we’ll see how far the apple has fallen from the tree.”

“Introducing…” said Ben, “from Domino City… Yumi Mouto!”

In a burst of fireworks, Yumi appeared at one gate.

As she walked to the center of the arena amid cheers, her Puzzle glowed, and the change slowly overtook her.

“Ready?” she said softly.

“Ready,” replied the voice in her head.

“And her opponent,” said Natalie, “from London, England, Nicholas Algernon!”

In another burst of pyrotechnics, Nicholas walked out, a smile on his face, a few girls cheered, and he waved.

“Ah, look at that guy,” said Chelsea, “soaking it up… Well, Yumi will pound him black and blue.”

“She’d better,” mumbled Sam. “No-one’s gonna beat Yumi in this tournament but me…”

Sheena and Delmato appeared between the two duelists.

Sheena opened the Field Slot on her Disk again.

“Time to switch locales again, ladies and gentlemen,” she said, placing a card into it. “Let’s all go…”

A bright flash enveloped the arena.

“…to the Olympian Glades of Arborea!”

When the light died down, the city had been replaced by a cloudy mountain valley, and the arena had been transformed into a grassy meadow. Ancient castles were perched on peaks in the distance. Watching the two duelists were beautiful nymphs and sly satyrs.

“Okay, you two,” said Delmato. “Heracles had to perform twelve labors before they let him up here, so you lucked out. But now you have to prove you have the warrior’s skill. Now cut and shuffle each other’s decks.”

“Yumi…” said Nicholas, taking Yumi’s deck, “I’m willing to make you a wager…”

“Pick your poison…” grumbled Yumi, taking his.

“Simple…” he replied. “Your Crown of Souls against my Gale Shield.”

“I’m game if you are,” said Yumi, shuffling. “And do you know why? Because you’re gonna lose! You aren’t gonna beat me like your boss did!”

I beg to differ, Yumi, thought Nicholas. Rasputin did beat you, and you were smashed to pieces in that duel like glass. And while someone was able to put you together again, it’s a known fact that something that is broken and then fixed can never function as well as it did as when it was new…

But take heart… Once I beat you, I’ll comfort you… I’ll keep you warm tonight…

They took back their decks.

“Okay everybody,” said Delmato, “get to your places, and game on!”

The two Disks activated…



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Nicholas: 8,000)


Yumi whipped her first draw off her deck.

“Here we go!” she shouted.

She looked over her hand.

“I’ll place this in Defense Mode, and that’s all for now…” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“What’s Yumi doing?” asked Ren. “She’s never defended on her first turn before.”

“Maybe she has a bad hand, and it’s her Morphing Jar,” suggested Chelsea.

Nicholas drew a card.

“I have a question for you, Yumi,” he said. “Do you believe that the universe is a place of order, or a place of chaos?”

“What?” said Yumi, looking at him.

She glared at him.

“Order, I would hope…” she said.

“So do I,” said Nicholas. “And here’s an interesting fact… There are three laws that define an orderly universe.

“Anyone who has a pen and paper handy, you might want to write this down.

“The first law is, in an orderly universe, things come in threes. Three is the most perfect number. See two things, always look for the third.

“The second law is, in an orderly universe, things move in circular motion. A circle is the most ideal shape, and a ring is the most ideal path.

“The third rule is, because the universe is infinite in size, no matter where you are, you are always standing at its center. Anywhere and everywhere is the center of all.”

“Is this a duel or a metaphysics lesson?” shouted Yumi.

“Yumi…” said Nicholas, “when you face my deck, the two are one and the same.

“But I digress… First, I’ll also place a Monster in Defense Mode.”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a hidden Monster appeared.

“Next, I’ll play a powerful Spell Card. It’s called Card Trader.”

He fit the card into his Disk, and a Continuous Spell Card appeared next to him. It bore the picture of a sinister-looking man in a top hat, cloak, and a mask, holding a deck of cards.

“I can’t activate this card’s effect until my next Standby Phase,” he said. “But after that, I can use it on each of my Standby Phases if I desire.

“That’s all for my turn, so I’ll turn the reigns over to you.”

“Well, it’s going slow so far,” said Ben. “Monsters in Defense Mode, little action… Let’s hope this round they stop talking and start fighting.”

Yumi drew a card.

“Your wish is my command,” she said. “I Flip-Summon Blast Magician!”

Her facedown Monster flipped up, and in a burst of fire, Blast Magician appeared. (1,400/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh_fet_en_020_1.jpg


“And since he looks lonely, I’ll also summon Magician’s Valkyria!”

In a burst of light, Valkyria appeared, and glared at Nicholas. (1,600/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/jump-en009.jpg


“Valkyria, attack his Monster! Light beam blast!”

Magician’s Valkyria cast her spell of burning light at the facedown card…

A weird creature appeared on the card. It was a short, stout Fiend with blue skin and one bulbous eye. It was blown to pieces.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en012.jpg


“That was Hiro’s Shadow Scout,” said Nicholas with a grin. “Before you ask, no, I do not know who Hiro is. But his scout has a useful ability. Now you have to draw three cards, and show them to me.”

“Big deal…” said Yumi, drawing three cards.

Magician of Faith, Magical Dimension, and Mystical Space Typhoon appeared above her head.

“I almost forgot…” continued Nicholas. “You discard any of them that are Spell Cards.”

Yumi frowned.

“Terrific,” muttered Ren. “Yumi just lost two of her best Spells!”

“Well, at least she got her Magician of Faith…” said Chelsea with a shrug.

Yumi discarded the two cards.

“My turn is hardly over, Nicholas…” she said. “Blast Magician… Blast him!”

Blast Magician pointed his staff, and fired a flaming burst at Nicholas. He groaned, and held his chest.

The crowd cheered…



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (N: 6,600)


“Well, seems we know who the clear favorite is here!” laughed Natalie.

“I end my turn,” said Yumi, with a scowl.

Nicholas drew a card.

“Now I can activate the effect of Card Trader,” he said. “First, I shuffle one card in my hand into my deck.”

He took Total Defense Shogun from his hand, placed it in his deck, and shuffled.

“Then I get to make one draw.”

He drew a new card. Then he quickly took the one he had drawn already.

“Next, I play Pot of Greed…”

The sinister jar appeared in a flash, and he made two draws.

He looked at them, and then the Field Slot on his Disk opened.

“All right, Yumi,” he said. “I play this…”

He placed a card in the slot, and then they were surrounded by a large circle of bright, shimmering light. Then an odd, prismatic design formed inside the circle.

“It’s called Array of Revealing Light. When I activate it, I name one Type of Monster. That Type is not allowed to attack on the round it is summoned.”

Yumi looked at him with fury. His deck was likely anti-Spellcaster.

“I name Warriors,” continued Nicholas.

The crowd was silenced.

“People…” said Ben, “I have been an announcer for Duel Monsters tournaments for eight years, and at the risk of making an opinion, I have never seen a move that stupid.”

“What in the world?” said Sam. “If he had named Spellcasters, he could have dominated Yumi until she tore that field down! Why the heck did he choose Warriors?”

“I’m getting a funny feeling about this…” said Ren, scratching his head. “And I don’t mean funny-ha-ha, I mean funny-weird.”

“Nicholas, are you nuts?” asked Yumi. “My deck has one Warrior in it!”

Maybe so… said Nicholas, but that one Warrior… I don’t want to deal with him…

“I’ll place a new Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

Yumi made her draw.

Hope that isn’t another Scout, she thought, looking over her hand, but if it is, I’ll hurt him badly.

“I summon Gemini Elf,” she said.

She played the card, and the two elf twins appeared. (1,900/900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-se1.jpg


“Attack!” she shouted. “Dual magic!”

Gemini Elf fired a burst of lighting…

Then they shrieked as their spell backfired. Yumi looked at the target, and saw an ugly figure made of mud and soil, buried in the ground up to its waist. (500/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-055.jpg


“That was my Earthbound Spirit, Yumi,” said Nicholas. “And its Defense is a little too high.”

“But its Attack Score is very low,” said Yumi. “And since my Blast Magician has one Spell Counter on him, I can get rid of it, to destroy a Monster with 700 Attack Points or less.”

Blast Magician aimed his staff, and fired a bolt of flames at Earthbound Spirit. It exploded into dust and dirt.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and take a break,” she said.

A facedown card appeared.



(Y: 7,900) -------------------- (N: 6,600)


“Folks, this has to be the most one-sided duel I’ve seen in years,” said Ben. “I think it’s safe to say we know who’s gonna come out on top.”

Nicholas drew a card.

“I… don’t think I’ll use the effect of Card Trader this round,” he said. “But I will play Card of Sanctity.”

A golden glow flashed over the sky of Arborea, and coins fell from the clouds. They both started drawing.

Nicholas looked at his new hand.

He played a card, and Premature Burial appeared on his side of the field. Hiro’s Shadow Scout appeared again. (650/500)

“Now…” continued Nicholas, “I’ll sacrifice it, to summon The Earl of Demise.”

The Scout disappeared into particles, and a tall, ghoulish figure appeared on the field. It was dressed in a tattered nobleman’s outfit, and held a long rapier. (2,000/700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-056.jpg


“How did this guy even get to the finals?” asked Sam. “Nobody uses that third-rate Fiend any more.”

“Nicholas is certainly playing a strange strategy,” said Natalie. “His antiquated Monsters aren’t going to cut it in the modern game.”

“Old fashioned yes,” said Nicholas, “but still stronger than any of your Monsters, Yumi! Earl of Demise, attack Magician’s Valkyria!”

The Fiend moaned, and lunged at Valkyria with its sword…

“I activate… Rush Recklessly!” shouted Yumi.

Her facedown card lifted, and Valkyria shot up to an Attack of 2,300. She fired a blast, blowing The Earl of Demise into shards of rotting flesh and bone.

Nicholas grinned.



(Y: 7,900) -------------------- (N: 5,500)


“I was hoping you’d do that, Yumi…” he said. “See, in order for my true strategy to take effect, three of my Monsters had to die first…

“I move to my second Main Phase, and I remove Hiro’s Shadow Scout, Earthbound Spirit, and The Earl of Demise from play…”

The sky above Arborea darkened, and ghostly spirits started to fly above the arena. The nymphs and satyrs watching huddled together in fright…

A demonic creature slowly took shape in front of Nicholas. It was vaguely feminine, with blue skin, a bald head, and pointed ears. It was dressed in a skirt, halter top and boots made of metal, and part of its torso was devoid of flesh, revealing bones underneath. It held a fiendish-looking infant in its hands. It was surrounded by an aura of black fire. (2,200/2,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mc1-en005.jpg


“Dark Necrofear…” muttered Erik. “Is that a good enough Fiend, Sam?”

“Well, it certainly explains why he played the weak Fiends first,” she replied. “Yumi may well be in trouble.”

“How come you never use that card?” he asked.

“I’m the Consort of Ha Des, Erik!” snapped Sam. “The last thing I need in my deck is competition…”

“So, Yumi,” said Nicholas. “Surprised?”

“Actually, no,” replied Yumi. “I was kinda expecting this all along…”

Nicholas looked at her funny.

“I mean, come on, Nicholas… The three worthless Fiends that you practically let me destroy… You set the whole thing all out in front of me!”

“Indeed…” said Nicholas, with a sigh. “I’ll place two cards facedown, and that will be my turn…”

Two facedown cards appeared behind Dark Necrofear.

“Yumi is in a tight spot,” said Ben, “facing one of the most infamous Monsters in the game… How will she get out of this one?”

Yumi drew a card.

“I sacrifice Gemini Elf and Blast Magician…” she said.

The two Spellcasters disappeared into grains of light…

“To summon Dark Magician of Chaos!”

Lightning flashed, and in a burst of shadowy darkness, the powerful chaos mage emerged on Yumi’s side of the field. He glared at Dark Necrofear with a grim look. (2,800/2,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc_065_1st.jpg


The crowd went silent…

“Well…” said Nicholas, with a smile. “A powerful Monster… That’s exactly what I was hoping for!”

“You’re planning to use Dark Necrofear’s effect to take control of him, right?” asked Yumi, putting her hand on her hip. “Well it won’t work. Dark Necrofear has to go to the Graveyard to use its effect, and Dark Magician of Chaos removes from play any Monster that he destroys.

“Oh, by the way, in case your plan is to use the Dark Sanctuary/Destiny Board strategy, that’s ruined too.”

Nicholas’s smile quickly turned into a scowl.

“But first,” said Yumi, “due to another one of his effects, I get to take a Spell Card from my Graveyard…”

A card slipped out of her discard slot and she took it.

“Now…” commanded Yumi, “Dark Magician of Chaos…”

The sorcerer held aloft his scepter, and lightning flashed…

“…crush Dark Necrofear! Scepter strike!”

Dark Magician of Chaos twirled his staff, and struck the ground, sending a blast of magical energy ripping towards the demon. Dark Necrofear screamed as the flesh literally melted off its bones…

Finally, what was left was blasted into pixels.

“I’m not done with you!” shouted Yumi. “Valkyria, attack him directly!”

Magician’s Valkyria leapt up, and cast her spell, striking Nicholas and knocking him over.



(Y: 7,900) -------------------- (N: 3,300)


The crowd erupted into cheers.

“Nicholas is in trouble!” exclaimed Ben. “His strategy has just been dashed apart, and he’s down to less than half his Life Points, with his opponent hardly even touched. He’s gonna need a miracle just to keep from humiliating himself.”

“So why does he look so happy?” asked Natalie.

Nicholas slowly got up.

“Heh, heh…” he chuckled. “Thank you, Yumi… You’ve made my job a great deal easier…”

Yumi glared at him.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Any other move you’d like to make?” he asked.

Yumi slowly fit a card into her Disk, and it appeared facedown.

“Uh, that’s all…” she said.

Nicholas made a draw.

“I don’t think I’ll use Card Trader this round either…” he said.

“You see, Yumi… Dark Necrofear may have been powerful, and it might even be the key card in some decks… But in mine, it’s just sacrifice bait to awaken an even greater power. In order to bring out my true star, I had to meet very specific Special Summoning requirements…”

Thunder rolled…

“At least three of my Monsters had to be removed from play… All three had to be either Fiends or Fairies…

“One had to be Level Four or less, one had to be Level Five or Six, and one had to be Level Seven or higher…

“I fulfilled two of those conditions on my own by summoning Dark Necrofear, and you so graciously fulfilled the third for me.

“Do you remember what I told you when we started this duel? The three laws of an orderly universe?”

One of his two facedown cards lifted, showing a Trap Card with the image of a beautiful woman with angelic wings holding two golden orbs in her outstretched arms while a third one hovered over her head.

“I activate, Rule of Three!” he shouted.

His second facedown card lifted, and a second Trap Card appeared. This one bore the image of a male and a female figure holding hands inside a design made up of three interlocking golden rings.

“Next, I activate Unity of Rings!”

Then, he threw a card into his Disk, and a Spell Card appeared. The picture was that of DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man in the midst of a cosmic scene.

“And now I play… Center of All!”

Lightning crashed over Arborea…

“Guys?” said Ren. “I’m getting that funny-not-funny-ha-ha-but-funny-weird feeling again…”

“Now,” said Nicholas, “I can sacrifice my three metaphysical pillars to call forth a being who controls the very temporal flow…”

The two Trap Cards and the Spell Card turned to stone, and then shattered into bits. Three beams of light shot upwards, and thick clouds covered the arena… Lightning flashed again…

“What’s happening?” shouted Sam.

“I have no idea…” said Chelsea. “But I don’t think it’s good news…”

“Descend great Dragon lord of all time!” shouted Nicholas. “I summon you… Chronopsis the Chronomancer!”

With a roar, a gigantic creature emerged from the clouds. It was a golden, draconic creature that seemed as much an automaton as it was Dragon. Its wings and other joints seemed to be hinged by strange gears and other devices. But it was clearly no Machine… Inside the spaces of its golden armor that you could see, there were images of moons, planets, and stars, as if a whole miniature galaxy resided within its inner workings.

It bellowed a great roar…

(3,000/3,000)

“Oh… kay…” said Yumi. “Uhm… I kinda expected the lord of all time to be a little more than just 3,000 Attack Points…”

“He also has a powerful effect, Yumi,” said Nicholas. “Once per round, he destroys one Monster on the field.

“And before you embarrass yourself by triggering that facedown card, which I’m certain is Magical Dimension, let me tell you it won’t work. Chronopsis is impervious to all Spells, Traps, and all Monster effects except his own.”

“You mean he’s unbeatable?” gasped Yumi.

“Of course not,” replied Nicholas. “He’s not unbeatable… You simply have to attack him with something that has at least 3,000 Attack Points.

“But I’m not going to give you that chance. Chronopsis, wipe out Dark Magician of Chaos!”

The great Dragon’s eyes glowed. Dark Magician of Chaos’s body started to stretch and warp, and finally, he shattered into bits.

“I still have his normal attack,” said Nicholas. “Chronopsis, kill Valkyria! Temporal blast!”

Chronopsis breathed a thunderous blast of pure energy. Magician’s Valkyria let out a bloodcurdling scream as she was engulfed by it…

When the light subsided, and Yumi looked, she had been turned to solid stone. Then she simply crumbled into a pile of rocks and dust.



(Y: 6,500) -------------------- (N: 3,300)


“I’ll place one card, facedown, and end my turn.”

He fit a card into his Disk, and it appeared behind the great creature.

“Your move, Yumi,” said Nicholas, looking at his hand. “Your side looks kind of empty. Maybe you should play a Monster?”

Yumi drew a card.

She realized something. Suddenly, the purpose behind Nicholas’s strange choice with the Field Spell had become perfectly clear…

“Fat chance, Nicholas,” she said.

“Pardon?” he asked.


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“All Monsters have a weakness, Nicholas,” she said. “And I think I already see what your Monster’s is.”

“Do tell,” replied Nicholas.

“You said that Chronopsis is immune to all Monster effects…” said Yumi, “except his own. Why the heck would you use his own effect on him?

“That leads me to believe that his effect isn’t optional. If I just end my turn without doing anything, and have no Monster on the field, you’d have to destroy one of your own Monsters. That might even mean Chronopsis himself if you couldn’t summon one.”

“Does that mean you end your turn?” asked Nicholas.

“Mmm!” said Yumi.

Nicholas chuckled, and drew a card.

“You’re very bright, Yumi,” he said. “Most folks don’t pick up on his weakness. They foolishly waste their Monsters thinking they can somehow defend against this guy…

“Oh well…

“I could summon a Monster of my own… But why waste them when I have this?”

His facedown card lifted. It showed the image of a zombie crawling out from beneath a tombstone.

“It’s called Mis-Revive,” he said. “And it lets me choose a Monster in your Graveyard, and summon it to your side of the field.”

Yumi stepped back in shock, as Magician’s Valkyria materialized on her side of the field, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,600/1,800)

“And like you said,” continued Nicholas, “Chronopsis’s effect isn’t optional, so she just drew the short straw.”

The Dragon’s eyes glowed, and the Valkyria clutched her stomach. Her body started to warp, and she screamed before shattering into shards.

“Valkyria…” muttered Yumi. “I am SO sorry…”

“Now the fun part…” said Nicholas.

“Oh no…” said Yumi.

“Chronopsis, attack Yumi directly! Temporal blast!”

Yumi tried to brace herself as the powerful blast hit her. To her horror, she felt her muscles stiffen, and her skin tightening…

Had Nicholas created some Shadow Game of his own? Could this creature’s attack do to her what it had done to Valkyria the first time?

The blast let up, and she took some deep breaths. The tightness started to go away…

She didn’t know if the answer to either of those two questions was yes, but she certainly didn’t want to take another attack to find out.

“Next…” said Nicholas, “I play… Sebek’s Blessing.”

He played a one of his two cards, and in a dark aura, the huge form of the crocodile god appeared behind him, and waved a scepter. He glowed with energy.

“Now, all the Life Points you just lost, go right into mine. Like they say, Yumi… Your loss is my gain! HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!”



(Y: 3,500) -------------------- (N: 6,300)


Rasputin sighed and put his head on his hand.

How many times have I told you, Nicholas? he thought. Maniacal laughter makes you sound so… undignified…

“Well, Yumi, it’s your move…” said Nicholas.

“Well…” said Natalie, “looks like the apple fell pretty far from the tree after all… The end of a great dueling legacy may well end here at the hands of this powerful God of Time...”

Yumi drew a card.

She glared at Nicholas.

She opened her Field slot, and placed a card in it.

“I play… Mausoleum of the Emperor!” she shouted.

The fancy, decorated circle shattered into shards…

The sky darkened, and the Olympian Glades faded away. The temples of the sacred tomb rose behind each duelist, with the bridge between them, and the statues of the Terracotta Army lurking below.

“What?” said Nicholas.

“Now…” continued Yumi. “I pay 2,000 Life Points to bring forth two Terracotta statues…”

Two statues of soldiers in oriental armor floated up in front of her.

“And now I sacrifice them… Begone!”

The statues vanished.

In a flash of energy, the intimidating form of Dark Magician appeared, confronting the huge temporal deity. (2,500/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-001.jpg


“It’s the Mouto family’s super spectacular signature Monster!” shouted Ben. “As long time fans know, when the Dark Magician shows up, he might well turn the duel around!”

“Yeah, right…” said Nicholas, with a laugh. “I hope the 2,000 Life Points was worth bringing your star out, Yumi… Next turn, this duel is over.”

“Not quite,” said Yumi. “Forget my facedown card?”

“I already told you,” said Nicholas. “Magical Dimension won’t work.”

The facedown card flipped up.

“What?” shouted Nicholas. “Rush Recklessly?”

“I never said it was Magical Dimension, pal,” said Yumi, as Dark Magician’s Attack Score rose to 3,200. “And with no facedown cards to protect your Monster from an attack, the lord of time is about to become history.

“Dark Magician… Dark magic attack!”

Dark Magician spun his staff dramatically, and fired a blast at the great golden Dragon. It roared, and powerful magical energy flew from its metallic hull. Cracks started to appear in its beautiful armor…

Finally, a deafening explosion shook the whole arena, as Chronopsis the Chronomancer was vanquished.



(Y: 1,500) -------------------- (N: 6,100)


Nicholas fell to his knees…

“This isn’t happening…” he gasped. “This is a nightmare… A bad dream…

“My best card… No one has ever beaten it!”

“Too bad, so sad,” replied Yumi, placing a card in her Disk.

A facedown card appeared behind Dark Magician.

“Your move, by the way.”

Nicholas growled as he got up. He drew a card.

He looked at his cards.

“I’ll use the effect of Card Trader this round…” he muttered.

He placed one of his cards in his deck, reshuffled, and then made a draw.

The bad news is, I lost Chronopsis, he thought. The good news is, I’m still in the lead… And a good duelist always has a backup plan…

“All right, Yumi…” he said, playing a card. “I play… Dimension Fusion!

“It may cost me 2,000 Life Points, but now, every Monster that I removed from play comes back.”

Four beams of light shot up into the sky…

Four Monsters appeared on his side of the field. First, Hiro’s Shadow Scout. (650/500) Then, Earthbound Spirit. (500/2,000) Next came The Earl of Demise. (2,000/700) Finally, Dark Necrofear reappeared in the same shadowy aura. (2,200/2,800)

“Now I…” he started.

Then he was startled to see Dark Magician of Chaos on Yumi’s side of the field. (2,800/2,600)

“Huh?” he said. “Where did he come from?”

“You forgot,” said Yumi. “I also get to bring back any of my Monsters that have been removed from play. And when you destroyed him, he was removed from play by his own effect.

“That means I get a Spell Card back again, by the way…”

A card slipped out of her discard slot.

She smirked a little as she looked at Rush Recklessly again.

“Yeah, well, neither he nor it will do you any good,” replied Nicholas. “I have more than one Fiend that’s Level Seven or higher in this deck…

“I sacrifice Earthbound Spirit and Hiro’s Shadow Scout to summon Invader of Darkness!”

The two Fiends disintegrated into shadowy particles, and a new, intimidating Fiend appeared. It was a tall, man-shaped, muscular demon, with golden skin, clad in a dark robe and hood. (2,900/2,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-111.jpg


“Okay…” said Yumi. “That’s trouble…”

“More than you know,” replied Nicholas. “Because he has a powerful effect. So long as he’s around, you can’t activate Quickplay Spell Cards.”

“I can’t use Quickplay Spell Cards?” shouted Yumi.

“You heard me,” replied Nicholas. “That means no Rush Recklessly, no Magical Dimension, and no Mystical Space Typhoon, whichever of the three it was that you got back with that guy’s effect.

“So…

“Invader of Darkness, attack Dark Magician of Chaos! Shadow blast!”

Invader of Darkness pointed, and his hand became shrouded in shadow…

A blast of pure darkness fired from his fingertips, vaporizing Dark Magician of Chaos.

“Now, I’ll, uhm…” he said.

He paused. He looked at Dark Necrofear.

“Go on…” said Yumi, with a sinister smile. “You know you want to…”

Nicholas paused again.

Man, I had forgotten she could bring back Dark Magician of Chaos… he thought. I was going to just attack Dark Magician with Invader of Darkness and then attack her with Dark Necrofear…

But now…

If I kamikaze Dark Necrofear against Dark Magician, I could use its effect to take control of Dark Magician…

But her facedown card… What if it’s something she could use to negate that effect? Any number of anti-Spell cards could do it…

He paused again.

“By all means, take your time…” said Yumi. “I’ll just wait…”

Man, she has a poker face! thought Nicholas. Fine… I’ll just take care of her Dark Magician next turn…

“I end my turn!” he shouted.



(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (N: 4,100)


Yumi drew a card.

He’s smarter than I thought… she thought.

“Now…” she said, “time to take this duel to the next level!”

She played a card, and Polymerization appeared in front of her.

“Huh?” said Nicholas. “Polymerization?”

“I use this…” said Yumi, “to fuse together Dark Magician… With Buster Blader…”

Buster Blader appeared on the field, and the Spellcaster and the Warrior swirled into a multicolored collage of light…



http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DDS-002.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/LOB-EN059.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/DL1-002.jpg


“Arise…”

A much more magnificent form descended to Yumi’s side of the field. It was a powerful figure in decorated, lavender armor, with glowing, golden eyes, holding a long staff tipped with a large, serrated blade. He glowed with an aura of dark energy. (2,900/2,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dmg-001.jpg


Dark Paladin? thought Rasputin, getting nervous. The Dragon-slaying sorcerer?

“See, Nicholas,” said Yumi, “I figured it out. My Buster Blader was the biggest threat to your deck’s most lethal weapon. If I had managed to summon him while Chronopsis was on the field, his Attack Score would have been 3,100, which was stronger than Chronopsis.

“So you played that Field Spell and named Warriors. That way, Chronopsis could have destroyed him with its effect before he ever got a chance to attack.

“It was a sound plan… But you totally forgot about this guy. Dark Paladin inherits Buster Blader’s Dragon-slaying powers. And with Chronopsis in your Graveyard, that’s 500 more Attack Points.”

Dark Paladin grew to an Attack of 3,400.

“Even if I hadn’t destroyed your Field Spell, this guy is no Warrior. So your Invader is out of luck…

“Dark Paladin, attack Invader of Darkness with dark sword of fury!”

Dark Paladin swung his weapon, and blasted a blade of dark energy at the Fiend. Invader of Darkness was literally cut in two before shattering into bits.

“I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode,” said Yumi, “and end my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared next to Dark Paladin.



(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (N: 3,600)


Nicholas started to sweat. He didn’t have a Monster in his entire deck that could beat this Spellcaster…

He drew a card.

He smirked. It was Torrential Tribute.

I just have to set this, he thought, and if she summons another Monster, I can…

Wait…

She can use Quickplays again… And she didn’t set a card just then! If she had Rush Recklessly or Magical Dimension, she likely would have…

What if the card she got back from Dark Magician of Chaos’s effect that time was… Mystical Space Typhoon?

He looked at Dark Necrofear again.

Only one chance… he thought. I’ll force her to use it to get back her Dark Paladin.

“I’ll move The Earl of Demise to Defense Mode…” he said. “Then I play a facedown.”

The ghoulish Earl knelt and held its rapier in its lap. A facedown card appeared behind it.

“Now… Dark Necrofear…” he commanded. “Attack the Dark Paladin!”

Dark Necrofear’s evil eyes opened wide…

“A Dark Necrofear kamikaze strike!” shouted Ben. “Yumi may be in trouble!”

The evil hex blasted towards Dark Paladin, but he swatted it aside with his free hand. Dark Necrofear let out an unholy scream, and exploded into a plume of black flames and smoke.

Ghostly spirits started to fly around the arena, but Dark Paladin strangely didn’t look worried…

Actually, he looked downright annoyed.

“Get him…” said Nicholas.

One of the ghosts flew towards the Spellcaster…

And then it shattered into bits against his armor.

“What?” said Nicholas.

“Dark Paladin has another ability,” said Yumi, as she discarded her copy of Double Spell. “I just have to discard one card, and he can negate any Spell Card you try to play. And Dark Necrofear counts as an Equip Spell Card when you use that effect.”

Nicholas gulped.

“I end my turn,” he said, quickly.

I still have one last chance… he thought. If it isn’t Mystical Space Typhoon, my Torrential Tribute might make all the difference…



(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (N: 2,400)


Yumi drew a card.

It was Dark Magician Girl.

Heh, she thought. You came late for the party…

“Nicholas,” she said, “you’ve been a worthy adversary, but it’s ending now…

“I was fully prepared in case you used Dark Necrofear against Dark Magician… And now that preparation pays off.”

Her facedown card lifted, revealing Dust Tornado.

It tore across the field, blowing his Torrential Tribute to pieces.

“Nice try,” she said. “Now, I sacrifice my facedown Magician of Faith, for Dark Magician Girl.”

The facedown Monster vanished, and Dark Magician Girl appeared in a flurry of flowers and hearts. She smiled sweetly at Nicholas. (2,000/1,700) –> (2,300/1,700)

“Dark Magician Girl, wipe out his last Monster!”

The Spellcaster cast her dark spell, and The Earl of Demise was blown to bits again.

“Dark Paladin, attack him directly and finish this!”

Nicholas screamed as the blade of dark energy ripped through him, seemingly cutting right through him. He fell to his knees.



(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (N: 0)


“And that’s a wrap,” said Natalie.

Delmato walked up to Yumi, and held her hand in the air.

“Yumi Mouto is the winner!” he shouted.

The crowd cheered.

Yumi looked on her wrist, and saw the Gale Shield on it.

“Thanks, Nicholas, that was fun,” she said.

Nicholas glared at her.

Then he held his stomach.

“Ooh…” he muttered to himself. “All of a sudden, I don’t feel too good…”

Sheena walked to the center of the arena, as Nicholas ran off the field.

“Well, guys and gals,” she said, “we have one more duel for the day. Be sure to be here in thirty minutes, as Erik takes on Rasputin, in the last match of the quarter finals!”



* * * * * * * * * *


Five minutes later…

Rasputin and Olga were standing outside a men’s room. They clearly heard Nicholas inside, seemingly puking his guts out.

“Is he gonna be all right?” asked Olga.

“He has no-one to blame but himself,” growled Rasputin. “He insisted on using the domination pheromone, and since he was unable to transmit it this time, it made him sick.

“I also blame the three cheeseburgers he’s had.

“But to answer your question, yeah, he’ll be fine…”

He frowned and crossed his arms.

“You aren’t really going to make the same wager with Erik, are you?” asked Olga.

“Of course I am!” shouted Rasputin. “Since you two lost the Cat’s Cradle Comb and the Gale Shield, we only have one Charm left! We must get another…”

“But what if you lose?” asked Olga.

“Please…” replied Rasputin. “Even if that traitor spoke to Erik, he won’t win… If I can’t beat some duelist with a Toy Deck, I don’t deserve the Rod of the Ancients…

“Erik will soon learn that this is not child’s play any more…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Back at the seats, Sam was nervously eating from a box of Crackerjacks.

“You’re worried about Erik, aren’t you?” asked Yumi.

“Why do you care?” snapped Sam.

“Stop worrying about him, Sam,” replied Yumi. “Erik has grown and matured a great deal since he first set foot on Duelatopia. He’s become a true duelist…

“And I’d say his chances against Rasputin are better than you may think.

“He’ll do fine.”

Sam sighed.

She noticed something in the box of snacks. She picked it out.

“Oh, look…” she said nervously. “The best thing about eating Crackerjacks is finding the prize…

“Rub-on tattoos… Neat.”

Meanwhile, Erik was taking some deep breaths. He looked through his deck.

Gren Maju Da Eiza is a powerful Monster… he thought, but it isn’t impossible to beat…

In order to beat a powerful foe, all you need…

…is a plan…

The heroes have scored another victory, and another Shadow Charm is in their hands. But the last one may be the hardest to get, as it is in the hands of a duelist who has already defeated Yumi. Can Erik and his deck containing the figments of childhood dreams stand up to the raw power that nearly killed Yumi? Stay tuned…



RULE OF THREE (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A beautiful woman with angelic wings holding two golden orbs in her outstretched arms while a third one hovers over her head.

Card Description: You may activate this card if at least one of your Fiend or Fairy-Type Monsters that is Level Four or less has been removed from play. You must have one Fiend or Fairy-Type Monster that is Level Four or less removed from play for each time you activate a card with this name.



UNITY OF RINGS (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A male and a female figure holding hands inside a design made up of three interlocking golden rings.

Card Description: You may activate this card if at least one of your Fiend or Fairy-Type Monsters that is Level Five or Level Six has been removed from play. You must have one Fiend or Fairy-Type Monster that is Level Five or Level Six removed from play for each time you activate a card with this name.



CENTER OF ALL (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man in the midst of a cosmic scene.

Card Description: You may activate this card if at least one of your Fiend or Fairy-Type Monsters that is Level Seven or higher has been removed from play. Send one face-up “Rule of Three” and one face-up “Unity of Rings” on your side of the field to the Graveyard to Special Summon one “Chronopsis the Chronomancer” from your hand or deck. You must have one Fiend or Fairy-Type Monster that is Level Seven or higher removed from play for each time you activate a card with this name.



CHRONOPSIS THE CHRONOMANCER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 10
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 3,000

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Center of All”. Once per round, during your Main Phase, destroy one Monster on the field (this effect is not optional). This card is not affected by Spell Cards, Trap Cards, and Monster effects except its own effect.



MIS-REVIVE (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A zombie crawling out of the ground from under a tombstone.

Card Description: Select one Monster in your opponent’s Graveyard. Special Summon the selected Monster to your opponent’s side of the field in face-up Defense Position.

Note: “Mis-Revive” is a real card that will be released in “Gladiator’s Assault”.



Ren: What’s going on? Rasputin didn’t use those cards before…

Chelsea: It’s a completely new strategy… Erik has gone in totally unprepared!

Yumi: Yes, but he doesn’t seem to be worried… I think Erik may have a plan…

Erik: I have a plan, but I’m keeping it secret until it’s time to bring it out… My Monsters may look immature, but I can use them in a smart way.

Sam: Coming up next, “The Tarterian Depths of Carceri; Erik versus Rasputin.”

Rasputin: Hah! The deck that Yumi saw was only a sample of my true power… The playthings of children can’t defeat me...

[Shuppet Master]

Who were the evil geniuses behind bottled water, anyway? There was a time when, when a person wanted water, he filled a glass at the tap, and he was satisfied. But one day, someone decided to put water in bottles, and make it more expensive than beer. People fell for this ridiculous concept, and started to believe that tap water was unclean and unfit for human consumption.

I hate to break it to you, Brian, but me and my family drink bottled water. This is due to the fact that, where we live right now, tap water IS unfit for human consumption - well, actually, you can drink it, but it smells and tastes like rotten eggs due to the high sulfuric content in the well we get it from. We live on a country home development where we got our own well to draw water from, and there are a lot of nasty sulfuric rocks making up the water supply or something, so I hate the smell I get every time I turn on the tap. We tried to fix it, but with limited success. The bottled water is pure and very useful for recipes we need.

As for the price...it's cheaper than beer! At least if you buy it at the mega-mart, I can't vouch for vending machines or small places selling it. We also have a membership at a wholesale store so you can get it cheaper there.

I'm not saying tap water is unclean, but where we live, it is. Just setting the facts straight, Brian.

[Dark Sage]

Chris, I'm sorry if I offended you with my little joke. I think Letterman made a joke similar to this once.

Maybe bottled water is better than tap where you live because you have a problem with tap. But trust me, you are the minority. In most places where I go, bottled water is no better than tap, and it is ridiculously expensive, as compared to tap, which is most often free.

It was a joke, Chris. I didn't realize that your well had a high sulfur content.

[Mystic_clown]

Ok, what can I say about this chapter...?

Well, for one, Nicholas is a goddamm hypocrite. If not for the accepting the rich life after hating it for so long bit, then for this. He has a go at Rasputin for making him brainwash felicia, and now tries to do the same to Yumi.

Now for the duel. We had a feeling the big bad would be a dragon, since Buster Blader is the only warrior Yumi has which would be a problem. I must admit the Dark Necrofear threw me off though. Though it makes sense since you need either three fiends or faeries removde from play, it kinda makes Chronopsis stand out like a sore thumb since it's a dragon.

I'm not the only one who saw the end the instant Dark Paladin appeared.

Anyway, it was a decent duel. At least next chapter the bad guys will win. If not, I'm going to scream. Face it, I don't like Erik.

[Shuppet Master]

Chris, I'm sorry if I offended you with my little joke. I think Letterman made a joke similar to this once.

It was a joke, Chris. I didn't realize that your well had a high sulfur content.

I know my situation is the exception, Brian. I'm sorry if I sounded insulted. I didn't, I just pointed out my situation. Let's bury that hatchet.

As for your chapter, I have to disagree with Mystic_clown. I must admit that, when reading your works, I had seen some lackluster duels, but this takes the cheesecake and piles on loads of whipped cream with nuts.

Forgive me, Brian, but this is the first set of fan cards you made that I will never use.

Chronopolis(don't correct me on that thing's name, it's a mouthful) the Time Lord was a complete waste of a good deck. I was hoping to see...well, something other than a hack job for a deck. I thought Nicholas would use samurai warriors or the Six Samurai(since he has Total Defense Shogun), but you go and have Nick use a mockery of Sam's fiend deck with two boring fiends and this set of fan cards which is a cheap dragon-type love child between Spirit of the Pharoah's summoning requirements(or something like that) and Man-Eater Bug's effect and you make me retch.

This monster might have been better if it had been a machine with cooler effects or Nick had been smarter instead of acting like some cliche supervillian, but it wasn't. Worse, Nick was making dumb mistakes all over the board(ramming Necrofear into Dark Paladin without knowing its effects and losing a ton of life points). The whole resolution of the duel was hollow and makes me think Nick is going to become inflicted with a terrible fate while Yami Yumi smirks and gloats. :(

Anyways, I can't change what happened this time, but if this is Nick's true deck, I swear I will...well, I can't do anything good for a threat because you know I still trust you. :D Needless to say, I won't be making such mistakes in my stories.

[Dark Sage]

With such powerful replies, I feel a response is in order.

First, if you think Nicholas is a big hypocrite, then I'm doing something right. When I designed the character, I wanted that to be his defining trait.

Second... Given the replies on fanfic.net, it seems people are split. Some folks liked this chapter, other folks didn't. It's all a matter of opinion.

I will say that Nicholas won't be using this deck the next time he duels. He'll be using something different.

Now, I love the Six Samurai. However, I wasn't about to have Nicholas use them, because I'm saving them for an incredibly important chapter that will take place when the situation in the plot becomes much more dangerous. Such superb cards deserve to be in the best part of the story, which we have not gotten to yet.

As for hating Erik... Well, people are split on that too. I will say that the next chapter is one I planned for a long time. I can't say it will please everyone, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. The outcome is needed for a major turn in the plot down the road. You'll see what I mean eventually. And no, I'm not saying right off that Erik will win. Nor am I saying he won't. I'm keeping this a secret.

But anyway... Keep reading. I may yet surprise you.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR



The Tarterian Depths of Carceri



Erik versus Rasputin



Twenty minutes into the intermission, Erik was still going over his cards.

He remembered Yugi’s Yami no Oujou with Rasputin… And he remembered the ending…

He remembered quite clearly how Rasputin – the man he’d be dueling in ten minutes – mercilessly attacked Yumi with a fiery blast from a Monster that had 8,000 Attack Points, more than an Egyptian God Card usually had.

…and he remembered how loudly she had screamed…

How she had screamed…

Sweat beaded down his face. The hideous visage of Gren Maju Da Eiza was in the front of his mind…

He had a plan for defeating it… He had a couple, in fact… But they all required perfect timing and a great deal of luck…

He slowly took something out of a duffle bag next to him…

A small cloth bag. The bag of chocolate truffles that Janustein had given him.

He opened it, and counted the small candies. Ten.

He thought for a minute…

”Zey are ze food of knowledge tempered vith wisdom. Eat one before you are challenged by something difficult, und you may vell be victorious.”

“Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt…” he muttered.

He took one from the bag and put it in his mouth, and chewed.

Delicious! Clearly this wasn’t run-o-the-mill candy that you could get at the drug store.

It was tempting to eat the whole bag, but he knew better. He put the rest of the bag back in the duffle.

“Erik!” said Sam’s voice.

Erik looked at her.

“You don’t have to do this…” she said, with a sad look.

“You’re right, I don’t have to…” he replied. “I’m doing it because I choose to.

“Don’t worry, baby… I promise you, I will come back…”



* * * * * * * * * *


In the center of the arena, that had been turned into an Umi Field, two Cure Mermaids and two Mermaid Knights were performing a synchronized swimming routine to the tune of Blue Danube.

Eventually, they all bowed, and they dove underwater. The Field vanished, taking them with it.

“Welcome back,” said Ben. “It’s time, time for the last duel of the day. I don’t know if anything can top the last one, but we’re sure gonna try.”

“That’s right,” said Natalie. “One of our contestants proves that you can never get too old for the joys of childhood, while the other proves that dueling is a pastime that spans all ages.”

That’s the truth… thought Yumi. I don’t think they’d even have a tournament age group for Rasputin if he ever came clean about how old he was.

“So, without further ado,” said Ben, “let’s get started. Coming to us from that quaint city in Japan known as Domino, lets all welcome Erik Matell!”

Fireworks burst from one end of the arena, and Erik walked out.

Don’t let him intimidate, you, Erik… he thought. Just take it one step at a time…

“And, coming to us from the other side of the world,” said Natalie. “Copenhagen, Denmark, to be precise, Rasputin Lamont!”

Sparks flew at the other entrance, and everyone watched as Rasputin walked in. He was clearly not in a good mood when he entered.

He perked up a little as he walked towards Erik. His expression was quite clear: it was like the kind that a hungry wolf would give towards a lamb.

Sheena stood between them, as she had before.

“Okay, people,” she said. “Now lets…”

Rasputin took the Rod of the Ancients from his belt and pointed it at Erik.

Oh no… thought Yumi. Has he found out something that thing can do?

Erik glared at Rasputin for a minute.

“Am I supposed to be impressed?” he asked.

“It’s nice, isn’t it, Mr. Matell?” said Rasputin. “One of the most powerful of the Charms… Yumi tried to win this, but she failed miserably…

“Maybe you’d like to try… I’ll give you that chance if you like…”

Erik glared at him.

“Go on…” he said.

“Your Talisman of the Mind against my Rod of the Ancients,” said Rasputin. “It’s that simple…”

“Fine…” replied Erik.

Rasputin grinned.

That small affirmative was all that was needed. He tucked the Rod in the back of his belt.

“People…” muttered Sheena. “If we can get these idiotic wagers out of the way…”

She placed a card into her Disk.

“It’s time for another journey, yes? I give you… The Tarterian Depths of Carceri!”

Darkness emitted from her Disk, creeping over the whole field…

When the light came back, the city had been transformed to a bleak, rocky wasteland. Stone spires and monolithic peaks rose in the distance, towards the sky, which was dark and full of floating, broken stones. The place echoed despair.

“Carceri…” said Rasputin with a chuckle. “The Prison Plane. Fitting for what I’m going to do to you, Erik…”

“Hold on there, bub!” said Delmato. “We’re gonna play by my rules, here… Now cut and shuffle each other’s decks, and I’m gonna be watching closely.”

The two duelists handed each other their decks.

“That’s it, Erik, shuffle,” said Rasputin with a laugh. “And pray that a certain Fire Attribute Monster lands on the bottom.”

“He’s not even trying to hide his strategy!” shouted Sam. “He’s going to use the same monstrosity that almost killed you, Yumi!”

Yumi was biting her nails.

She was just as worried, actually.

“Keep one thing in mind, people,” she said. “Gren Maju Da Eiza does have a weakness. Rasputin told him to pray it falls on the bottom of his deck. That was a lie. What Erik should really hope for, is if Rasputin gets it in his opening hand.”

Everyone gave Yumi odd looks.

“Wait… I get it…” said Ren. “Gren Maju Da Eiza’s power depends on how many of Rasputin’s cards have been removed from play. If it’s in his opening hand, it’ll be worthless, because he won’t have any removed.”

Meanwhile, Erik was still shuffling.

“Okay, son,” snapped Delmato, “that deck isn’t going to get any more thoroughly shuffled.”

“I’m as game as you are, Rasputin…” growled Erik, as the two of them took their decks back.

Erik looked at his foe as they faced each other. A stale wind blew over the wasteland.

I can do it… he thought, clutching his fist. Sam took the Cat’s Cradle Comb away from Olga… Yumi took the Gale Shield away from Nicholas… The Rod of the Ancients is the only Charm that Rasputin has left!

If I win this duel, Rasputin will be finished! Through! Caput! We’ll have all the Charms! I’ll be the hero…

You’re going down, buddy…

The two Disks activated.

“Game on!” they both shouted.



(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (Rasputin: 8,000)


Spooky mist rose from the pits in the ground, and assumed demonic features. They screamed and flew into the air.

“AND, it begins!” shouted Ben, as Erik drew his first card. “The last match of the quarter finals of Duelatopia XX!”

“Okay, Rasputin…” said Erik. “I’ll place three of my cards facedown…”

Three cards appeared in front of him, in flashes of light.

“…and I think I’ll end my turn with that.”

Rasputin raised an eyebrow.

“Erik has certainly made a strange opening move,” said Natalie. “Ending his turn with no Monsters on the field, just three facedown cards. One of them had best be something that can repel an attack, or Rasputin will take an early lead.”

“That’s the truth,” said Rasputin, drawing a card. “I’m assuming one of three things, Mr. Matell… One, your opening hand has no Monsters at all. Two, you only have high-level Monsters. Three, you’re simply being foolish.

“Since most of your Monsters are low-level, and you’re at least smart enough to have actually gotten to the finals, I’m going with option one.

“But you’re still foolish enough to think it would actually work. I play Heavy Storm.”

As he played the card, the stale wind turned into a fierce hurricane, and the three facedown cards were swept up and blown to pieces as Erik shielded himself.

“The horror!” screamed Natalie. “A lucky opening hand by Rasputin and a very unlucky one by Erik has left Erik completely defenseless!”

Erik… thought Sam, holding her hands to her mouth.

“Soon to be more so than he could dream…” said Rasputin, playing a Spell Card. “I pay 1,000 Life Points to activate Decision of Discord.”

His Life Points went down, and a very fancy Spell Card appeared on the field, showing the image of a man in armor confronting three goddesses, holding a golden apple.

“What does that do?” asked Erik.

“It’s similar to Painful Choice,” replied Rasputin, taking his deck from its holder. “But, Painful Choice is a very broken card that has been illegal for years. This version is more restrictive.

“As you just saw, it first has a Life Point cost.

“Then, like its more infamous forbearer, I choose five cards from my deck. However, if I choose Monsters, I have to have a great deal of variety. Only two can be the same Type, and only two can be the same Attribute. In addition, they must all be Effect Monsters.

“Anyway, once I show them to you, it’s the same as the old card… You choose one, and that one goes to my hand. I throw the rest away.

“So anyway… Take a look…”

He fit five cards into his Disk, and five images appeared in front of him.




http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN042.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN032.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN086.jpg
http://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/MRD-EN034.jpghttp://www.itstimetoduel.com/cardpictures/PSV-EN079.jpg



“What the…” said Erik. “You’re asking me to choose one of a set of utterly useless Monsters?”

“Useless?” replied Rasputin. “No more useless than your Monsters.”

Erik growled…

He paused.

“Why is it taking him so long?” asked Chelsea.

“Because Rasputin isn’t fooling anyone, least of all Erik,” said Ren. “He doesn’t want any of those Monsters in his hand. He played that Spell Card for the same reason people played Painful Choice… He wants them all in his Graveyard.

“Just why, however, I have no idea…”

“Come on, Erik…” said Rasputin with an evil smile. “You might think it makes no difference, but trust me, it does…

“So don’t make the same mistake that Paris made!”

“All right!” shouted Erik. “I choose… The one you likely can’t summon on your first turn… Deepsea Warrior.”

Rainbow Flower, Ooguchi, Princess of Tsurugi, and Blast Juggler shattered into shards. Then Deepsea Warrior vanished as Rasputin added it to his hand.

“Thanks…” he said. “I was rather hoping you’d choose that one…”

“Huh?” said Erik.

“Continuing my turn…” replied Rasputin, “I now play the Spell Card, Soul Absorption.”

A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.

“Oh, no!” shouted Ren.

“Rasputin uses a Chaos Deck…” gasped Yugi. “Now his Life Points will go up each time a card is removed from play!”

“Now let’s start the fun!” laughed Rasputin. “I remove Princess of Tsurugi from play, to summon Garuda the Wind Spirit!”

A tornado erupted on his side of the field, and a tall bird-man with large, feathered wings, and a sash around its waist, appeared out of it. (1,600/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-070.jpg


“Next…” he said. “I remove Ooguchi from play to summon The Aqua Spirit!”

A column of water shot up on his side of the field, and a young maiden with blue skin, wearing a fancy dress and velvet gloves stepped out of it. Her ears resembled fins, and she had gills. (1,600/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-068.jpg


“And since I just removed two cards from play, my Life Points get a boost, bringing them right back to where they were before.”

The Soul Absorption card glowed.

“Rasputin has changed strategies…” muttered Yumi. “He’s not using Fire Monsters and Skull Lair anymore… He’s using Elemental Spirits.”

“Ready for more fun, Mr. Matell?” asked Rasputin. “Aqua Spirit, attack him directly with drowning rush!”

The Spirit grinned evilly, and put its hands together. A blast of water shot at Erik, striking him squarely in the chest, and chilling him to the bone.

“Garuda, attack directly with foul wind.”

The Wind Spirit flapped its wings, sending a gust that fit the name of the attack perfectly. Erik staggered as the buffeting wind struck him, seemingly flaying his skin…



(E: 4,800) -------------------- (R: 8,000)


“So,” said Rasputin, crossing his arms. “How did you really beat Samen? Did he have a heart attack, or was he struck by lightning?

“Well, that’s enough for now. I end my turn…”

“Not yet you won’t…” said Erik with a grin.

A cloud of purple, sparkling smoke rose up on his side of the field…

“What the?” said Rasputin. “What’s going on?”

As the smoke cleared, Rasputin stepped back in shock, as three Toy Magicians stepped forward. (1,600/1,500 x3)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/vjc_jp016a.jpg


“WHAT?” he shouted. “Where did THEY come from?”

“They were the three facedown cards you destroyed with Heavy Storm,” said Erik.

“You can’t put Monsters in your Spell/Trap Zone!” shouted Rasputin. “I want a ruling here…”

“You can do that with Toy Magicians,” said Erik. “And you did exactly what I wanted you to do, fool! When Toy Magicians are destroyed when they’re in my Spell Zone by my opponent’s card effect, they’re automatically summoned to the field during the next End Phase.”

“He’s right,” said Delmato, nodding.

The crowd burst into cheers.

“And since that WAS your End Phase,” said Erik. “It’s my move now…”

He drew a card.

“I activate The Aqua Spirit’s effect!” shouted Rasputin.

The Aqua Spirit blasted a stream of water, striking the Toy Magician on the left. He stumbled back, and knelt in Defense Mode.

“Right…” said Erik. “And when I end my turn, Garuda can do that to another one of my Monsters. Sorry, but it’s not going to survive that long.”

“Oh, sure…” said Rasputin. “Attack my Monsters with yours. They’ll all die.”

“No they won’t…” said Eric with a grin.

He opened his Field Slot and placed a card in it.

The bleak wasteland was enveloped in a flash of light…

Within seconds, the whole landscape had changed. They were standing on the streets of a fairy-tale town, with gingerbread houses, and a castle on a hill in the background. A huge rainbow was in the sky.

“Welcome to Toy Town,” said Erik.

“What?” shouted Rasputin. “You expect to win with rainbows and sugar plums?”

“I do,” replied Erik. “Let me explain the three benefits that all Monsters with the word ‘Toy’ in their names receive from this Field Spell.

“One, they all gain 300 Attack Points.”

The three Toy Magicians glowed, and rose to Attack Scores of 1,900.

“Two, they become immune to any targeting Trap Cards.

“Three, if one should be destroyed outside of battle, I get to pull another one from my deck that has less base Attack Points.

“But for now…”

He played another Spell Card.

“I’ll make one of my Magicians even stronger. I play the Equip Spell, Chthonian Alliance. Now, for each Monster on the field with the same name, he gains 800 more Attack Points. And since I have two other Toy Magicians on the field, his Attack Points go up by… well, a lot.”

One of the Toy Magicians in Attack Mode glowed with a dark aura, and his Attack Score shot up to 3,500.

“Toy Magicians… Destroy his two Spirits!”

The two Toy Magicians in Attack Mode cast their sparkle blasts. The Aqua Spirit burst into a splatter of water, and Garuda the Wind Spirit exploded into a flurry of feathers.

“Surprised?” asked Erik.

Rasputin glared at him.

“I think I can read you pretty well…” said Erik. “You have no idea how powerful toys can be. When you were a kid, you likely lived in a pretty disciplined environment… Your parents and whatever servants they had raising you likely made you concentrate on your lessons, and gave you almost no toys to play with. They likely thought them to be frivolous.

“What a shame…

“Anyway, that’s my turn. So now what?”



(E: 4,800) -------------------- (R: 5,800)


“It seems Erik has played Rasputin like a toy piano!” exclaimed Ben. “What his opponent thought was an advantage was actually him falling right into Erik’s hands.”

“And he doesn’t look too happy about it…” said Natalie.

Rasputin growled, and drew a card.

“You got lucky, that’s all,” said Rasputin. “I play Pot of Greed.”

He played the card, and drew twice.

He chuckled as he looked at them.

“I remove Blast Juggler from play, to summon Spirit of Flames in Attack Mode!”

In a burst of fire, the flaming, muscular demon with only fire for its lower body appeared. (1,700/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-067.jpg


“Then…” he continued, “I remove Rainbow Flower from play as well, to summon The Rock Spirit!”

The ground rumbled, and a hulking creature burst out of the ground. It looked like a muscular man made completely out of stone, wearing Spartan armor and a helmet, holding a ruby-tipped mace. (1,700/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lon-069.jpg


“And of course, due to my Soul Absorption…”

He glowed with energy again, as his Life Points went up.

“But before they do anything, I’ll disarm you Magician… I play Mystical Space Typhoon.”

He played the card, and the cyclone blasted the Equip Spell to pieces. The Toy Magician fell back to an Attack Score of 1,900.

“By the way,” continued Rasputin, “the Attack Score of my Spirit of Flames goes up by 300 during my Battle Phase.

“So, Spirit of Flames, attack one of the Toy Magicians in Attack Mode! Flame geyser!”

Spirit of Flames burned fiercely, and its Attack Score rose to 2,000. It breathed out a tongue of fire at the Magician in the center. He groaned, and shattered into pieces.

“Rock Spirit, attack the one in Defense Mode with Might of the Earth.”

The Rock Spirit lifted its mace into the air, and roared in a voice that sounded like an avalanche. Stones ripped out of the ground, and it ordered them forward. They flew at the defending Toy Magician, crushing him.



(E: 4,700) -------------------- (R: 6,800)


“That’s enough for my turn,” said Rasputin. “By the way, just so you know… The Rock Spirit gains 300 Attack Points during your Battle Phase. So your Toy Magician is too weak to take him out.”


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“How many cards has he removed from play so far?” asked Sam, nervously.

“Four, I think,” replied Yumi. “He’s taking his time in this duel…”

Erik drew a card.

“All right…” he said, “I play MY Pot of Greed…”

He played the card, and drew twice.

His eyes opened when he saw one of the two cards.

It’s the card that Janustein gave me… he thought.

He looked at the two cards that had already been in his hand.

And I’ve got just what I need to bring him out!

“Okay, Rasputin,” he said, playing a Spell Card. “I play Dark Designator.”

“Huh?” said Rasputin. “Dark Designator?”

“In case you’re unfamiliar with it,” said Erik, “I state the name of any Monster I can think of, and if that Monster exists in your deck, you add it to your hand.”

Rasputin started to sweat.

He’s going to combo that card with D.D. Designator! he thought. I could lose Gren Maju Da Eiza…

“Now let’s see…” thought Erik. “Since you’re playing an Elemental Spirit Deck, the Monster I name is… Inferno.”

Rasputin looked at him strangely. Then he took his deck.

“I do have an Inferno,” he said, taking it out of his deck. “And you’re a fool for using that strategy on a Monster so trivial...”

“Not really,” said Erik with a grin, as his opponent added the card to his hand. “I don’t think you understand what my strategy is. See, since you just added a card to your hand via a means other than drawing, I’m now allowed to Special Summon Puppet King from my hand.”

“Puppet King?” said Rasputin in disbelief. “What the sam-hill is… YAAH!”

The Monster that was now in front of Erik was fully eight feet tall. It was indeed a puppet, made of wood, but it radiated an aura of incredible strength. It was colored with a black and white checkerboard design, and wore a royal, red cape and a golden crown on its disproportionately small head. (2,800/2,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le09-jp003.jpg


“Something tells me,” said Natalie, “that while this Puppet King is a toy, he isn’t interested in playing around.”

“With an Attack Score this high,” said Erik, “who cares if your Rock Spirit gains 300 more Attack Points?

“Toy Magician… Attack Spirit of Flames with sparkle blast!”

Toy Magician cast his spell, and Spirit of Flames burst in a plume of fire and smoke.

“Puppet King, attack The Rock Spirit with Judy punch!”

With amazing speed for someone so big, Puppet King ran towards The Rock Spirit and clocked it in the chest, blowing it into dust.



(E: 4,700) -------------------- (R: 5,500)


“I’m still winning…” growled Rasputin.

“Not for long,” said Erik, taking another card. “Here’s a good rule of etiquette: Never play with your food, unless you’ve already eaten your toys.”

“What the Hell is THAT supposed to mean?” shouted Rasputin.

“It means,” said Erik, “that since Puppet King was summoned by his own effect, he’d be destroyed when I ended my turn. However, before that happens, I’m going to sacrifice him, by playing Mystik Wok.”

He played the card, and Puppet King disintegrated into granules of light. Erik glowed with energy.

“Now I gain Life Points equal to his Attack Score. I’ll end my turn on that note…”



(E: 7,500) -------------------- (R: 5,500)


“This is crazy!” shouted Ren. “Could Erik actually win?”

“Let’s keep hoping…” said Chelsea.

At her seat, Sheena was watching intently.

An aide came up to her.

“Ms. Arachne,” he said, handing her a cell phone. “The home office is on line two, and they wanted to speak to you. They said it’s a very urgent matter.”

Sheena looked at him.

“Calling in the middle of the finals?” she said, taking it. “It had better be urgent or heads are gonna roll…”

She turned it on.

“What?” she asked.

As she listened, her brow furrowed with anger…

Meanwhile, Rasputin angrily drew a card.

There’s no way I’m letting this rank amateur make a fool of me… he thought.

“Since you were so kind as to let me have Inferno,” he said, “I’ll remove Sprit of Flames from play to summon it. Defense Mode.”

The Soul Absorption card glowed again, and then the blazing bonfire with glowing eyes appeared on his side of the field. (1,100/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-019.jpg


“Try getting past that,” he said. “I end my turn.”



(E: 7,500) -------------------- (R: 6,000)


Erik drew a card.

He placed it on his Disk, and Toy Soldier appeared, pointing his musket forward. (800/300) –> (1,100/300)

He smirked and waved his hand.

Rasputin looked at him and drew a card. He looked at it.

He grunted and simply waved his hand.

“You could at least try to smile,” said Erik, drawing a card. “We are on global TV, you know…”

“I use Toy Soldier’s effect, so now two more of them come out.”

In two flashes of light, two more Toy Soldiers appeared.

“That’s all for me…”

“A lull in the action here,” said Ben. “We’ll just have to see what happens next…”

Rasputin drew a card.

He grinned when he saw what it was.

“I play… Graceful Charity!” he shouted.

He played the card, and his deck glowed. He quickly drew three cards.

And I know just what to discard… he thought, looking at the cards that were now in his hand.

He discarded Deepsea Warrior and an odd-looking Spell Card.

“Time to take control of this duel, Mr. Matell,” he said. “I remove The Rock Spirit from play, to summon Gigantes.”

In a burst of dust and dirt, the armored, horned ogre holding a tree trunk as a weapon rose out of the ground. (1,900/1,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-021.jpg


The Soul Absorption card glowed again.

“And finally…” he said, “I remove The Aqua Spirit AND Deepsea Warrior from play, in order to summon Fenrir!”

A howl echoed over the field, and a mist formed on the arena. A spooky-looking wolf, seemingly made out of the mist itself, stepped out of the fog. (1,400/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-020.jpg


The Spell Card burned with blue fire.

“Oh, no!” gasped Sam. “Not that one…”

“What’s wrong?” asked Ren. “It only has 1,400 Attack Points.”

“It has a deadly effect…” replied Sam. “If it destroys one of Erik’s Monsters, he has to skip his next Draw Phase…”

“And he only has two cards in his hand right now…” gasped Chelsea.

“Fenrir, attack one of his Soldiers with vile fog!”

Fenrir breathed a blast of chilling mist from its jaws. The Toy Soldier was covered with frost, and then shattered into shards of ice.

“Gigantes, attack his second Toy Soldier. Tree trunk bash!”

Gigantes roared, and lunged at another Toy Soldier, clobbering it with its club and blowing it to bits.

“Now I play… Soul Release. I’ll remove five of the cards in my own Graveyard from play.”

He played the card, and five cards appeared above his head. Pot of Greed, Heavy Storm, Decision of Discord, Graceful Charity, and the odd Spell Card. They all faded into nothing.

“I end my turn,” laughed Rasputin. “Those two cards in your hand better be good ones.”



(E: 6,400) -------------------- (R: 10,000)


Erik glared at him.

“Oh, but they are,” he said, playing one of them.

“I play… Toy Memorial. Now for the cost of skipping my Battle Phase, I get to draw one card for each card in my Graveyard with the word ‘Toy’ in it. I have two Toy Magicians and two Toy Soldiers.”

Rasputin gasped as he drew four cards.

“I move Toy Soldier and Toy Magician to Defense Mode…”

Toy Soldier and Toy Magician knelt, and held their weapons in their laps.

“Next, this card may be familiar to you… I play Heavy Storm.”

He played the card, and the fierce wind erupted again. Toy Town vanished, returning them to the bleak wasteland, but Soul Absorption also blew to pieces.

“So much for your ability to increase your Life Points…

“I place a card facedown, and end my turn.

A facedown card appeared in front of him.

“I draw one card…” replied Rasputin, drawing a card.

Then a card appeared in his hand in a flash of light.

“And you’d be interesting in knowing that one of the cards I removed from play with Soul Release last turn was this one…

“Card From A Different Dimension. Now, it goes to my hand, and we both draw twice.”

“You don’t hear me complaining…” said Erik.

They both drew two cards.

Rasputin looked at the two cards and frowned.

“Disappointed?” asked Erik.

“I move Inferno to Attack Mode…” said Rasputin.

Inferno blazed fiercely.

“Fenrir, attack his Toy Soldier!” he shouted.

Fenrir breathed the vile mist again. Toy Soldier iced over, and shattered.

“Gigantes, destroy the last Magician.”

Gigantes roared again, and slammed its weapon onto the Magician, crushing him

“Inferno… Attack him directly. Pyre flame.”

Inferno shot a blast of fire at Erik, and he hollered as it roasted him.

He gasped for breath.



(E: 5,300) -------------------- (R: 10,000)


“Rasputin may have turned around this turnaround,” said Ben. “There doesn’t seem like much more that Erik can do at this point…”

“Just watch me,” said Erik. “Is that your move?”

“Yes,” replied Rasputin. “Remember, you can’t draw on this turn.”

“I don’t care,” said Erik. “I have all I need right now…”

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate Call of the Haunted!” he shouted.

A coffin appeared on his side of the field, and it opened. A Toy Soldier walked out. (800/300)

“Now, I sacrifice him… To summon Toy Dragon!”

In a burst of light, the Toy Soldier vanished, and Toy Dragon appeared, looming over the field. (2,300/2,000)

“And now… Monster Reborn!”

He played the card, and in an explosion of energy, Puppet King reappeared on the field. (2,800/2,600)

A look appeared in Rasputin’s eyes that neither Erik or his allies had seen in him before…

It was fear…

“Puppet King… Smash his Gigantes!” shouted Erik.

Puppet King lunged, and brought his fist down on the rocky ogre, blowing it into pebbles.

“Toy Dragon, attack Fenrir! Shooting star shower!”

Toy Dragon shot its blast of glowing motes from its jaws, and Fenrir exploded into globules of liquid.



(E: 5,300) -------------------- (R: 8,800)


Erik placed two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared on his side of the field.

“Your move, Rasputin,” said Erik. “And by the way, since I didn’t summon Puppet King using his own effect, he gets to stick around this time.”

Rasputin grit his teeth.

If I don’t do something fast… he thought. This fool will beat me…

If I lose, it will be all over…

He drew a card.

Damn! he thought.

“I move Inferno to Defense Mode…” he said.

A facedown card appeared, and Inferno’s fires died down.

“…and that will be all.”

He sweat as Erik drew a card.

“Well, what do you know?” he said. “I activate… Pot of Avarice.”

He played the card, and all three Toy Magicians and two Toy Soldiers fell out of his discard slot. He shuffled them into his deck, and drew two cards.

He looked at them for a second.

“Toy Dragon…” he said, “destroy Inferno!”

Toy Dragon breathed its shooting star shower, and Inferno was blown into fiery embers.

“Puppet King… Give Rasputin a king-sized crowning! Attack him directly!”

Puppet King charged at Rasputin, and clobbered him in the stomach. Rasputin gasped and fell backwards, as the crowd stood up and applauded.



(E: 5,300) -------------------- (R: 6,000)


“Another impressive turnaround!” shouted Natalie. “The crowd is going nuts!”

Rasputin gasped for breath…

“How dare you…” he snarled.

“Blah, blah, blah…” said Erik. “Your move, Rasputin… And this duel is almost over…”

Rasputin drew a card.

“I play… Card Destruction!” he shouted. “Now, we must both fold our hands and draw an equal number…”

They both looked each other in the face. Both of them discarded their hands. Erik drew three cards, while Rasputin drew six.

Then Rasputin laughed. He laughed out loud.

“Time to finish you off, Mr. Matell,” he said. “Finish you off but good…”

He played a Spell Card.

“I play Spell Reproduction. Now, for the cost of two other Spell Cards…”

He discarded a second copy of Decision of Discord and Nobleman of Crossout.

“I get a Spell Card back… Like my Soul Release.

“Now I’ll play it again…”

He played the card, and five cards appeared above his head: Card Destruction, Inferno, Gigantes, Fenrir, and Nobleman of Crossout. They vanished into grains of light.

“Next, something more insidious…”

He revealed a Spell Card.

“I play the powerful Chaos End. Since at least seven of my cards have been removed from play, this powerful Spell destroys all Monsters on the field.”

A dark aura surrounded Toy Dragon and Puppet King, and cracks started to form over them. Then they were both blasted to dust.

“Ho boy…” muttered Erik.

“And now…” said Rasputin, throwing a card on his Disk. “Gaze upon the face of death…”

A roaring fire appeared on his side of the field…

“No…” gasped Yumi.

“Erik…” cried Sam.

“Arise…” said Rasputin.

With a bestial roar, Gren Maju Da Eiza walked out of the flames…



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-024.jpg


“In case you haven’t been keeping track…” said Rasputin, “seventeen of my cards have been removed from play so far, and my Chaos Fiend receives 400 Attack and Defense Points for each one. How good are you at multiplication?”

(6,800/6,800)

“I’m very good at it,” replied Erik. “How good are you at subtraction?”

“Huh?” asked Rasputin.

One of Erik’s two facedown cards lifted.

“Go!” he shouted. “Toy Cannon!”

The cannon appeared in front of him, manned by two Toy Soldiers. One of them loaded a cannonball into it, and then the other rammed it down with a pole…

“What’s going on?” shouted Rasputin.

“FIRE!” shouted Erik.

The two Soldiers covered their ears, and the Toy Cannon fired, knocking over both Gren Maju Da Eiza and Rasputin. The Fiend crouched in Defense Mode.

“Now I activate my other Trap!” shouted Erik. “Gulliver Chain!”

His other Trap Card lifted. Gren Maju Da Eiza roared in rage as a mass of chains burst out of the ground, tying it up.

“Your Chaos Fiend is a sorry substitute for Gulliver,” said Erik, “but this should hold him just as well.”

“What have you done?” screamed Rasputin.

“Rendered your best Monster powerless,” replied Erik. “If you switch it to Attack Mode now, it will be ripped to shreds, no matter how powerful it is.”

The crowd cheered again.

“You will die slowly…” cursed Rasputin, “cut into a hundred pieces…”

“Sticks and stones…” said Erik. “Is that your turn?”

Rasputin growled. He placed the last card in his hand into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“That’s all…” he muttered.



(E: 5,300) -------------------- (R: 5,600)


“Then I draw!” said Erik.

He drew a card, and looked at his hand.

“I place two cards facedown, and that will be my turn,” he said.

Two facedown cards appeared in front of him.

Rasputin tensed…

He drew a card…

He grinned an evil grin…

I just drew Giant Trunade! he thought. Once I play this, his Gulliver Chain and his other two facedown cards will be blown off the field, and…

“Trap activate…” said Erik.

Rasputin looked up, as one of Erik’s facedown cards lifted.

“Ring of Destruction,” said Erik.

The crowd gasped, as the ring of grenades materialized around the abomination’s neck.

“You fool!” screamed Rasputin. “We’ll both wind up with zero Life Points!”

“I won’t!” laughed Erik. “Let me show you a little trick that my girlfriend taught me…”

His other facedown card lifted.

“I activate Ring of Defense!”

Everyone in the V.I.P. seats got up.

“Erik is gonna win!” screamed Sam.

Rasputin’s eyes narrowed.

“I made the mistake of underestimating you, Mr. Matell…” he snarled. “That’s a mistake I won’t repeat…

“I activate my own Trap.”

His own facedown card lifted.

“Spell Shield Type-8.”

The crowd gasped again. Rasputin discarded the Giant Trunade card, and the Ring of Defense shattered.

“I may not win this duel, Mr. Matell, but sure as Hell, I’m not going to let you beat me either…”

He said something else, but no-one heard it. It was drowned out as Gren Maju Da Eiza exploded in a blast of fire that covered the whole arena and seemingly consumed both duelists…



(E: 0) -------------------- (R: 0)


When the smoke cleared, Rasputin was down on his knees, and Erik was lying on his back, staring up at the sky and holding his head.

Delmato was very confused.

“Uh, folks…” he said. “Uhm… uh… It’s a draw…”

Erik slowly got up, rubbing his joints.

Sheena walked onto the field.

“Ladies and gentlemen…” she muttered, “I can honestly say this has never happened before in the Duelatopia finals. We’ll have to check the official rulebook to see who will progress to the next round.

“Anyway, I hope you all can come to the semi finals, starting tomorrow at noon! We’ll have this straightened out by then.

“I… uhm, I hope…

“See you tomorrow!”

White Rain appeared on a stage behind her, and started to play again. It was a more familiar melody, but more than a few spectators weren’t interested in the music. They were somewhat confused.

Yumi looked at Erik and Rasputin.

Neither of their Charms had changed hands, so apparently whoever was in charge of that didn’t rule that the duel had a winner… And truthfully, it hadn’t.

So whoever she’d duel in the semi finals was up to Sheena’s ruling…



* * * * * * * * * *


It was eight PM, in the V.I.P. lounge inside the Colosseum. All eight of the finalists were there, along with Louis next to his boss, and two Centurions next to Yumi’s group. Rasputin had protested their presence, and they had at first told him to be quiet, and then had told him to shut up. Rasputin was now more than a little nervous.

Sheena walked in.

“People…” she said, “I reviewed the official rules set forth by Siegfried Kaiba, twenty years ago, and I know what the ruling is now in case of a draw…”

She sighed.

“Since Rasputin had more Life Points than Erik at the time the Ring of Destruction went off… He will proceed to the semi finals.”

Sam sadly bowed her head.

Rasputin grinned, and stood up.

“Thank you, Ms. Arachne,” he said. “Now, Mr. Matell, if you will kindly hand over that…”

The two Centurions got up and blocked his path.

“Step away from Mr. Matell,” they ordered.

“YOU step away from him!” shouted Rasputin. “She just declared me the winner, so I demand the prize he wagered!”

“Sit down, Rasputin!” shouted Sheena. “I did NOT declare you the winner!

“I said you will progress to the semi finals. The result of the duel will be recorded as a draw, which was what it was. Thus, your wager is null and void.”

“This is an outrage!” shouted Rasputin. “I demand…”

“I don’t recall giving you any right to make demands,” interrupted Sheena.

Rasputin tried to force himself past the Centurions, only to be shoved back to his seat.

Louis rolled up his sleeve and walked towards the armored men.

Then he cowered, as one of them pointed a weapon in his face.

“Back off, Frankenstein,” ordered the Centurion, “you aren’t bulletproof…”

“All guests except Rasputin, leave this room immediately,” ordered Sheena.

Yumi, Ren, Chelsea, Sam, and Erik quickly got up and left. Louis, Nicholas, and Olga hesitated.

“Some people apparently didn’t hear me,” growled Sheena. “Anyone who isn’t gone in ten seconds will be arrested. I won’t warn you again.”

“Sorry boss,” said Louis, “you’re on your own…”

The three of them left, leaving only Sheena, Rasputin, and the Centurions.

Rasputin glared at her.

“When my lawyers are done with you…” he said, “you’re going to regret the day you were born…”

“Actually, Rasputin,” said Sheena, “when MY lawyers are done with YOUR lawyers, their law firm is likely going to be history.”

“What?” said Rasputin.

“I got an interesting phone call in the middle of the duel,” she said. “Someone in KaibaCorp’s main headquarters in Domino bribed my head of security in order to get into my private files.

“What he didn’t know is, no-one who works at KaibaCorp can truly be bribed. The rewards we offer to employees who help catch spies and saboteurs is too good to pass up. My employee let him into a room that was actually a trap. And while he was looking at dummy files, his fingerprints were being scanned and analyzed, and the call he made on his cell phone was being recorded. Once we had all the proof we needed to press charges against him for corporate espionage, we caught him.

“And someone really should have told him that it’s an incredibly serious crime in Japan for anyone except a police officer to even own a handgun.

“His name is Julius Bjorn, and he’s a lawyer for the Jarvis and Micawber Law Firm… Conveniently located in Copenhagen. By the way, that phone call we recorded? He was calling the president of the firm to say he was in. We checked around, and you’re on their clientele, Rasputin.”

“And that proves I was behind it?” said Rasputin, with a smirk. “I’ve been working out of Copenhagen for years, and it’s a good firm.”

“Oh?” said Sheena. “So far, the Centurions have arrested twenty members of the League of Ascension. When we gave them permission to call a lawyer, each one called a lawyer from that firm.”

Rasputin turned pale…

This was his fault. He had told them to call Jarvis and Micawber if they were ever arrested; he guaranteed them that they’d find a technicality that would get them off. He never dreamed that twenty Ascenders would all be arrested in the same city…

“This Bjorn character won’t talk yet, and neither will his firm,” said Sheena, “but my law firm has defeated every one who has opposed them. Especially firms like yours full of sleazy lawyers like this one who just last year requested a dismissal in a case in London against a child rapist by citing an law that had been valid for two months in 1956 before it was declared both illegal and immoral under the British Constitution.”

Rasputin was now very nervous. That incident was not exactly the firm’s best moment… The law that had been cited really should never have been on the books in the first place. It had been passed when someone had bribed an official, saying that the Bible approved of child slavery. When the bribe and the very questionable law had been discovered, the official’s superiors were not amused…

Nor was the judge when a member of the modern law firm had tried to use it as a defense. Jarvis and Micawber couldn’t find anything else that might get the client off, but they soon regretted not entering a guilty plea. The judge had personally said that calling the defense attorney a snake would have been an insult to snakes everywhere…

He had to face facts… His law firm didn’t really care about a client’s guilt or innocence… It cared about making money. So it would use any trick it had to in order to get a case dismissed or have the judge presiding over a lawsuit rule in their favor. He didn’t even like using the firm himself, but in his line of work, he needed people who didn’t care about morals when dealing with the law. That was the reason why he had never been arrested…

“You still have no proof…” he said, pointing a finger.

“Not yet…” said Sheena. “Not until your law firm realizes it will lose its license to practice as a firm if it doesn’t reveal who hired them to break into my files. Heck, their top members will likely face criminal charges now. We have solid proof that one of its members committed a very serious crime, and that they condoned the action. Perhaps even funded it.

“But if Mr. Matell is threatened, or approached by anyone who even might be an Ascender, I will consider that all the proof I need.

“You mess with KaibaCorp, Mr. Lamont, you’re playing with fire. The Big Five, Dartz, and Ziegfried von Schroder all found that out the hard way. Only one person has ever truly defeated my company… And that man was Seto Kaiba himself, when he overthrew his stepfather.

“Get out of my sight.”

Rasputin got and left the room, trembling in fear.

He had done it now… He had hoped to find a scandal in order to manipulate Sheena Arachne… But his attempt to do so had horribly backfired. His most potent weapon in that regard had been caught in the act. Now they would either turn him in and plea bargain, or they would go to jail. Either way, that potent weapon was now gone.

“What do I do…” he muttered.

”What can you do, Rasputin?” said a voice.

“Go away…” he scowled.

”You can’t fight anyone in a legal system anymore, Rasputin,” said the voice. ”You only have one Charm left, and you don’t even know how to use it yet…

“But you can get the other Charms… You’re still dueling Yumi next, and you beat her once…

“You must make it so her punishment for losing will be far more dire…”

“No…” muttered Rasputin, with tears in his eyes. “She doesn’t deserve it… She’s just a child…

“I’ve got to stop… These poor children… What did they ever do to me? They never wronged me… This isn’t right…”

He clutched his throat. Something was clutching him. It wasn’t choking him, but it was grasping firmly.

He took some deep breaths… The grip relaxed.

He grit his teeth.

“I will… prepare the formula…” he said.

He walked to his suite.

Erik’s duel with Rasputin may have ended in a draw, but Rasputin still came out ahead. Still, he retains only one Shadow Charm, and now must revert to other methods. What sinister plot is next on his list of schemes? It doesn’t look good for Yumi…



PUPPET KING (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 7
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,600

Card Description: If your opponent adds a card to his hand by an effect other than drawing, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Special Summoned via its own effect, it is destroyed at the End Phase of the turn in which it is Special Summoned.

Note: “Puppet King” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.



TOY TOWN (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: A colorful toy village with a toy castle on a hill overlooking it, with a rainbow in the sky.

Card Description: Monsters with the word “Toy” in their names gain 300 Attack Points. Negate the effect of any Trap Card that specifically targets a Monster with the word “Toy” in its name and destroy it. If a Monster with the word “Toy” in its name is destroyed outside of battle, the owner may select one Monster from his deck with the word “Toy” in its name that has a lower base ATK than the destroyed card and add it to his hand.



DECISION OF DISCORD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A young man wearing armor, holding a golden apple, confronting three goddesses.

Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points. Choose five cards from your deck. The chosen cards cannot be Normal Monsters, cannot consist of two or more copies of the same card, and cannot include more than two Monsters of the same Type, and more than two Monsters of the same Attribute. Show the five cards to your opponent. Your opponent selects one card among them. Add that card to your hand and discard the remaining cards to the Graveyard.



CARD FROM A DIFFERENT DIMENSION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A mysterious machine crackling with electricity, with a Duel Monsters card being created inside it.

Card Description: When this card is removed from play, return it to your hand during your next Standby Phase. Then, each player draws two cards from their respective decks.

Note: “Card From A Different Dimension” was first used by Zane in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Graduation Match”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Yumi: The finals have progressed to the next level. Chelsea is dueling Sam.

Chelsea: I can’t wait! There’s no need for you to get involved, Yumi… I’m taking her down myself.

Ren: Be cautious, Chelsea. Sam’s Monsters are never the handsomest fellows around, but these ones are even uglier than usual.

Yumi: Sam… Are these cards what I think they are? You may have these cards, but can you control them?

I hope so…

Coming up next, “Ever-Shifting Chaos of Limbo; Sam versus Chelsea”.

Chelsea: It may be a Dark World, or whatever, but I can still take it on!

[Shuppet Master]

Interesting chapter. Looks like Raz is going to be using illegal means to commit crimes. This won't end well.

[Dark Sage]

I realize that, with my schedule, the new chapter isn’t due until tomorrow. However, I’m posting it early because I have an announcement.

There has been concern that the villains in my story have become useless, and my story has been weakened.

Well, this is where it is hard for me. It’s hard to explain that what I’ve got planned is better, because doing so would spoil too much.

Many people are assuming that I intended Rasputin to be the proverbial “Big Bad” in this story. That may not be the case. There may be more to the situation than appears.

At any rate, I am a man of my word. I stick to my promise that the main antagonist of this story will be human, and not some dark entity from another world. Whatever powers the true villain of this story will have, he will be human. But keep reading. I may surprise you.

On to the current chapter.

I remember playing Dungeons and Dragons with some old friends that I haven’t seen in years, when a question came up: Who’d likely win a fight between fiends and undead? The gaming group was pretty split on the answer. Questions arose about what kind of fiends, and whether they could count such undead personalities as Strahd and Lord Soth. I don’t believe we ever came up with an answer. (We agreed that Lord Soth’s unholy army could likely stand up to any fiendish invasion and likely be victorious.)

The chapter that follows features this very conflict: Fiends against Zombies.

Which creatures of darkness will rule the night on Duelatopia?

Read on…




CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE



Ever-Shifting Chaos of Limbo



Sam versus Chelsea



It was ten ‘o clock at night.

Yumi was still awake. She was going over some cards as she reworked her deck for the last time.

She looked at one: Cosmo Queen.

“Nah…” she muttered, tossing the card aside, “I’ve got three double-Tribute Monsters as it is…”

She looked at another one: Ebon Magician Curran.

“Nah,” she said, tossing it with the other one. “She’s cute, but… She really belongs in a different type of deck…”

She turned to her room’s computer.

It was set at a certain entry on the Industrial Illusions website:

Gren Maju Da Eiza.

Yumi shook her head. Its name meant “Red Lotus Beast”. She wondered who the heck had come up with that. It didn’t fit. In Buddhism, lotuses were symbols of purity. They were representations of the place where virtues grew from.

In fact, Buddha had been born from a lotus blossom, making the flower the symbol of a divine birth and creation. What did a lotus have to do with a demon that could do nothing but destroy?

And the red lotus, specifically, represented the original nature of the heart. It was the lotus of love, passion, and compassion.

Humph, she thought.

The only thing that Monster had ever done to express love was trying to administer the kiss of death…

She would figure that out later. She had to prepare her deck so it could defeat an uber-powerful Chaos Fiend.

She looked at the card’s description and the information. It was fairly straightforward… Not many rulings…

It did have a few weaknesses… If it was Equipped with Megamorph, its Attack Score would become zero. But she could only place an Equip Spell on it on her own turn. By then it might be too late.

Skill Drain would also reduce its Attack Score to zero, but that Trap Card would also cripple many of her own Monsters…

She paused.

But not the Monsters in her second deck… Maybe she could…

Then her face fell as she realized something…

She didn’t have any copies of Skill Drain with her, and there was no way she could get any before she had to duel him. Duelatopia’s card stores weren’t open this late, and they had likely closed for the finals anyway. She doubted that Ren and Chelsea had any either.

She looked at her deck, and then she looked at the boxes of cards she had brought with her…

She was going to think up a foolproof plan, if it took all night…



* * * * * * * * * *


In Chelsea’s suite…

Ren held Chelsea closely, as she slept soundly in his arms. He gently stroked her hair.

He was glad their duel was over. Now it was behind them, and he would never have to hurt her again. As much as he had wanted to go all the way in this tournament, he could at least support her now.

He wondered what Sam was going to pull out of her bag of tricks… Sam could be a nasty opponent… But then again, Chelsea was no pushover…

They’d just have to wait and see…



* * * * * * * * * *


Sweat beaded down Rasputin’s face. He was working at a steady pace on something in front of him – a liquid concoction the color of a bruise.

Right now, he was using a mortar and pestle to grind seeds into powder. Once they were the consistency of fine sand, he poured them into the mixture.

He watched as it changed color, turning to red, then blue, then green, then clear.

He held his chest…

In history, only one alchemist was known to have made this formula and actually use it. When he went too far, he was caught, and he was burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft…

Once he had been executed, the judge who had sentenced him ordered his victims executed via beheading… But not because they had committed any crimes…

The judge ordered them executed as mercy-killings, because no one knew any other way to help them…

Perspiration beaded on Rasputin’s forehead as he lifted a small tube of blood-red liquid.

He remembered what Erik had said to him during their duel…

“I think I can read you pretty well… You have no idea how powerful toys can be. When you were a kid, you likely lived in a pretty disciplined environment… Your parents and whatever servants they had raising you likely made you concentrate on your lessons, and gave you almost no toys to play with. They likely thought them to be frivolous.

“What a shame…”

Erik actually hadn’t been far off in that regard. His father had been a magistrate, at a time when such men were greatly respected.

Respected? They were feared…

He had demanded discipline at all costs in raising his son, wanting to mold him into an adult with a respectable future…

Rasputin wiped more sweat from his forehead…

“The final ingredient…” he muttered, looking at the tube. “I just have to add this… And it will be done…”

His hand shook as he lifted the tube.

“ERGH!” he cried, holding his head. “What am I doing? I have to fight this!”

He took some deep breaths. His hand reached for his chest.

His hand was now right above the hidden pocket, where unknown to him, was the crucifix he had put there…

“I don’t want the Charms that badly…” he muttered. “It isn’t worth…”

He clutched his head and cried out in pain again, letting go of the place where the holy symbol was.

His other hand, the one holding the tube, shook. He had half a mind to dump it down the drain in the sink, and more than half a mind to drink it and hope that the vile stuff would kill him… It wasn’t meant to be drunk…

He regained his composure. With a blank look on his face, he poured the contents of the tube into the mixture.

He stared at it, as it turned pink, and vapor emitted from the top of the beaker…

After about a minute, the liquid had evaporated, leaving a fine, granular powder in the beaker.

Rasputin picked it up.

“It’s finished…” he said, in a slow monotone. “Yumi… beware…”



* * * * * * * * * *


The next morning, it was even hotter than it was the day before. Despite the heat, the Colosseum still filled up quickly, as the guests certainly didn’t want to leave yet.

At the stroke of noon, a Baby Dragon flew down to the center of the arena. Then a Time Wizard appeared in a puff of smoke, and cast a powerful spell. A time warp opened, and the Baby Dragon aged and grew, turning into a more powerful Thousand Dragon.

It breathed a gout of flames in the air, before vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Fireworks went off.

“Hello, Duelatopia!” came a familiar voice from the announcer’s booth. “In case you missed us yesterday, and I pity you if you did, I’m Ben Fulton.”

“And I’m Natalie Malone,” said the other announcer. “We hope everyone watching at home has set their VCR, DVR, or whatever you record with, because if the semi finals are anything like the quarter finals, you’re gonna want to watch them again and again!”

“As you may recall yesterday in our first match,” said Ben, “the prophesy of Ragnarok turned out to be quite accurate, as Sam’s Fiends soundly defeated Olga’s Valkyries.”

“After that,” continued Natalie, “Ren’s Dark Warriors went up against Chelsea’s vampires, and in a close match, the undead legions came out on top.”

“Once that was done,” said Ben, “Nicholas attempted to use a creature that seemingly couldn’t be beaten to hinder the Princess of Games… But Chronopsis the Chronomancer wasn’t as invulnerable as he thought, and Yumi came out on top.”

“And lastly,” said Natalie, “in what was likely the most thrilling match of the day, Erik’s toy army took on Rasputin’s Elemental Spirits, in a duel that was one turnaround after another, leading to a draw.”

“And for those of you who don’t know yet,” said Ben, “due to the official ruling set forth by Siegfried Kaiba, the duel will remain listed as a draw… However, Rasputin will progress to the semi finals due to his standing in the duel at the time of the last play.”

The crowd didn’t seem to approve of this announcement. There was a lot of grumbling and a few shouts towards the VIP booth.

In the VIP booth, Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea were watching Rasputin and his cohorts. They were a little surprised.

“I know it’s hot,” said Ren, “but that guy seems to be sweating more than he should. You think he’s nervous about dueling you, Yumi?”

“I don’t think so…” replied Yumi. “There’s something else…”

Olga and Nicholas were just as worried.

“So what’s the plan from our great leader?” asked Olga. “Are you going to make that same wager with Yumi?”

Rasputin looked at the deck on his Disk.

“Just… Just leave me alone for now…” he muttered.

“Are you okay?” asked Olga. “You’re sweating…”

“I don’t sweat,” he grumbled, “I perspire…”

The shrugged, and went to their seats. Rasputin wiped his brow.

I’m perspiring like a pig… he thought, nervously.

Chelsea looked at Sam. She leafed though her deck, and took out Penelope.

“Okay…” she whispered. “We’re gonna show her who’s boss… We beat her, and we’ll be dueling Yumi in the last match.”

Meanwhile, Sam was shuffling her own deck, and chuckling softly.

“Heh, heh…” she whispered. “Chelsea will make a fine appetizer before we go after Yumi for the main course…”

She looked at one of the cards.

“The thrill of using a new card… It never gets old… Has a nice smell too…”



* * * * * * * * * *


The holographic system had transformed the field into an ice rink. A Blade Skater was performing a routine on the ice. She finished with a pirouette, followed by a perfect chasse. She bowed before the crowd, and then vanished.

“Okay, that was… interesting…” said Ben. “But let’s get into the heart of the matter. We have two young ladies ready to pound each other senseless!”

“Indeed,” said Natalie. “Introducing, the Queen of the Undead, Chelsea Ramset!”

Chelsea appeared on one end of the arena, and waved as her supporters cheered.

“And her opponent,” continued Natalie, “the Consort of Ha Des, Samantha Arachne!”

Sam appeared on the other side of the arena, and her own supporters cheered.

“Tear her apart, Chelsea!” shouted Ren.

The two duelists walked up to Sheena, who was standing in the middle as always. As Sheena approached her mother, the elder Arachne took a moment to turn her microphone off.

“Just a warning again, Sam,” she whispered. “If you never make it to duel Yumi and make the wager, you automatically lose the wager.”

“I know, mom, I know…” replied Sam.

“Okay, ladies…” said Sheena. “Let’s have a clean duel, as always, even though our arena this time is going to be anything but…”

She placed a card in her Field slot.

“I give you… The Ever-Shifting Chaos of Limbo!”

At that moment, the whole world seemed to erupt into energy and fall apart. The surroundings were best described as just that – chaos. Around the two duelists was a void, in which were chunks of matter, solid, liquid, and gas, as well as balls of fire. And it was not still. The chaos churned and blew like a storm of mixed-up, elemental soup.

Sam and Chelsea were facing each other on two small islands of rock, five meters apart.

Delmato appeared between them out of the storm.

“Okay ladies,” he said, “we may be in the Realm of Ultimate Chaos, but this duel is still gonna have rules. So follow them!

“Game on!”

The two Disks activated.



(Chelsea: 8,000) ------------------- (Sam: 8,000)


“And the battle is well-waged!” said Ben. “Who will be the victor in this primordial power struggle?”

“We’ll soon see, won’t we?” said Chelsea, making her first draw.

She looked over her cards.

“All right, Sam,” she said. “I’ll start by playing… Call of the Mummy.”

She fit a card into her Disk, and the Spell Card appeared.

“Now, I’ll use it, to throw Blood Sucker out in Attack Mode.”

In a burst of dark flames, Blood Sucker appeared, with a big grin on its face. (1,300/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh_premium_pack_8_pp8_jp004.jpg


“Then, I’ll Normal Summon Zombie Werewolf.”

Zombie Werewolf appeared, and let out a howl. (1,200/1,200)

“Then I’m throwing down two facedown cards.”

Two facedown cards appeared in two bursts of light.

“My side is stacked already. Let’s see if you can match that.”

“Chelsea…” said Sam. “No-one can match what I’m about to do…”

She drew a card.

“I’ll start by playing this Spell Card…” she said. “The powerful Card of Safe Return.”

She played a card, and a card appeared on her side of the field, with the image of a crawling man with three cards hovering over him.

“This Continuous Spell Card works as follows: Whenever a Monster is Special Summoned from my Graveyard, I get to draw one card.

“And trust me, with my new strategy, that’s going to be happening a lot.

“Next… I play the Spell Card, Dark World Lighting! Now I can vaporize one of your facedown cards!”

There was a violent clap of thunder, and lightning blasted from the heavens, blowing Chelsea’s Widespread Ruin to shards.

“And this card has a second effect,” continued Sam. “It now requires me to send a card in my hand to the Graveyard…”

She flipped a card in her hand around.

“And I choose Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World.”

She discarded the card.

“But he won’t stay in the Graveyard long, because when his card is discarded by a card effect, he’s instantly reborn on my side of the field.”

In an aura of darkness, an especially ugly-looking demon appeared in front of Sam. His skin was wrinkled, his broken teeth twisted into an evil grin, with curling horns on each side of his head. He wore armor made of bones and leather, a metal band over his eyes, and carried a spear. (1,600/1,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en020.jpg


“Ugh!” gasped Chelsea.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” said Sam. “Like I said, Card of Safe Return now lets me draw one card…”

She made a draw, and looked at it.

“Now, since I haven’t Normal Summoned yet, I think I’ll summon another Beiige.”

She played the card, and a second Vanguard, a twin of the first, appeared. (1,600/1,300)

Yumi got up out of her seat.

Dark World Fiends? she thought, getting nervous.

She paused.

“What’s the matter?” asked Ren. “You worried about Chelsea?”

“No…” replied Yumi. “Although Sam’s deck may well be more powerful than her older one, I’m more worried about her than I’m worried about Chelsea…

“I hope for Sam’s sake that she knows what she’s doing!”

“Prepare yourself, Chelsea…” said Sam, with a chuckle. “These two footsoldiers are merely a preview to the untold horrors lurking in Dark World!

“Beiige number one… Shish-kebab her Blood Sucker!”

The first Vanguard rushed at Blood Sucker and speared it through the gut with his spear. Blood Sucker howled, and burst into pixels.

“You triggered my Trap!” shouted Chelsea. “Go, Thirst of Blood!”

Her Trap Card lifted.

“Now I can summon a low-level Monster with the word ‘Vampire’ in its name,” she said, looking through her deck. “So I’ll bring out Vampire Lady!”

In another burst of black flames, Vampire Lady appeared, kneeling and shielding herself in Defense Mode. (1,550/1,550)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0131.jpg


“Oh, fine…” muttered Sam. “Second Beiige, attack the Vampire Lady!”

The other Beiige stabbed at the vampire with a downward thrust, and she shattered into triangles.

“It’s your move,” said Sam.



(C: 7,700) ------------------- (S: 8,000)


Sam drew a card, as an arc of fire mixed with water cascaded over her.

“Zombie Werewolf…” she ordered, “attack the Beiige on the right!”

“Huh?” said Sam.

Zombie Werewolf lunged at the Vanguard. He snarled, and drove his spear into the Zombie, blowing him to pieces.

“I may have lost 400 Life Points,” said Chelsea, “but now I get to summon another Werewolf, and he’s even stronger.”

In another burst of dark energy, Zombie Werewolf appeared again, angrier than last time. (1,700/1,200)

“Now he’ll finish what the first one started…” said Chelsea.

The Werewolf slashed at the Vanguard with its claw. The Fiend gasped and dropped its spear, before exploding into pixels.

“I place one card facedown, and activate Mirage of Nightmare,” said Chelsea.

A facedown card and the Mirage card appeared in front of her.



(C: 7,300) ------------------- (S: 7,900)


“A clever strategy by Chelsea, and she gains the advantage,” said Natalie. “But I have a feeling that this is just starting.”

“You bet it is!” shouted Sam.

She growled as she drew a card.

“I’ll crush you under my foot like the insect you are…” she growled.

“What?” asked Chelsea.

Sam shook her head.

“Uh, nothing!” she said with a nervous grin. “It was… nothing…”

“Well, now I get to draw four cards,” said Chelsea.

She made four draws.

“Now, I activate… Emergency Provisions.”

Her facedown card lifted, and a mouth consumed the Mirage card.

“So you handled that mirage pretty well,” said Sam, looking at what she had drawn. “But I assure you, the terror I’m about to unleash will be no illusion!”

She paused.

“Well, okay, technically it will be an illusion, but, uhm, you get the idea…

“Anyway…

“Prepare yourself, Chelsea. The Monster I’m about to summon is a Fiend whom the citizens of Dark World believe is their king… Although, they also know that he is hopelessly insane. I summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World!”

A maddening laughter echoed through the void, and another ugly Fiend appeared. He was tall and gangly, with grey, rubbery skin, long limbs ending in claws, and think, tangled, ropy hair. The only thing he wore that might have indicated royalty was a long cape made of blue fur. (1,800/400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en022.jpg


“He’s their king?” asked Chelsea. “I kind of expected someone stronger.”

“Wait until you see what he can do,” said Sam. “Brron, attack the Zombie Werewolf with lunatic lunge!”

With the skill of an Olympic-level athlete, the Mad King of Dark World leapt into the air, landed on his hands, and then in one swift motion, delivered a kick to Zombie Werewolf with both feet. Zombie Werewolf was thrown backwards with a howl before shattering.

“Nice,” said Chelsea. “Too bad this isn’t Wide World of Sports. I activate Zombie Werewolf’s effect, to summon my third one!”

With a howl, another Werewolf appeared. (2,200/1,200)

“And I activate Brron’s effect,” said Sam. “When he damages your Life Points, I get to discard one card from my hand.

“And I discard this one… One of the two generals of Brron’s unholy army… Sillva, Warlord of Dark World.”

She discarded the card.

“And just like Beiige,” she continued, “when Sillva is discarded due to a card effect, he is instantly resurrected to the field.”

A glowing aura of pure silver appeared next to Brron, and another demon appeared. This one had the same fangs and grey skin, with the bat-like wings and devilish horns of an atypical demon, and was dressed in elaborate silver armor. He held a curved scimitar in his right hand. (2,300/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en023.jpg


Card of Safe Return glowed, and Sam drew a card.

“My Battle Phase continues, Chelsea,” she said. “Sillva, destroy the last Werewolf with dark quicksilver!”

Sillva hissed, and slashed with his sword, sending a blade of sliver energy towards Zombie Werewolf, that literally cut it in half. The pieces shattered into bits.

“Beiige… Attack Chelsea directly!”

Beiige rushed and stabbed Chelsea directly in the navel. Chelsea screamed as he actually pushed and twisted the point of the spear. She fell to her knees as he finally let go.



(C: 6,500) ------------------- (S: 7,900)


“HA, HA, HA!” laughed Sam. “How does that feel, Chelsea? Want more? I got lots more…”

Yumi shook her head in her seat.

“Poor Sam…” she muttered.

“Poor Sam?” shouted Ren. “Yumi, Chelsea is the one who just got nailed…”

“Ren, let me explain…” said Yumi. “The Dark World cards are powerful, but they’re incredibly hard to control. They were created with the images of ancient beings of primordial chaos and evil, demons who knew secrets about the very origins of wickedness. These creatures were spreading evil before there even were mortals to tempt with it.

“Anyone who uses those cards risks succumbing to the ultimate darkness. Sam thinks she’s controlling those cards, but if she doesn’t come to her senses, they’re going to be the ones controlling her…

“Better duelists than her have tried to use these cards… They’ve always led to disaster.”

Erik was listening, and a look of horror was now on his face.

“What… What can we do?” he asked.

“Well, for starters…” muttered Yumi, “we pray that Sam included one important card in that deck. It isn’t truly necessary in a Dark World Deck, but she might have included it, given her usual strategy. And it might give her the power to regain control.”

Sam smiled as Chelsea gasped for breath. She placed a card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“That’s it for me for now, Chels,” she said. “You can either stay down, or get up and keep taking it. If I were you, I would stay down.”

Sweat beaded down Chelsea’s face as she got up. She looked at Sam with a look of fury.

She drew a card and looked at it.

She played a card, and Graceful Charity appeared in front of her. The angel materialized in a shower of sparking motes. The three Fiends sneered at the seraphim, but she gave them a dirty look.

Chelsea drew three cards and looked at them. She discarded two of them and smirked.

“You want to play dirty, Sam?” she asked. “Fine. Let’s play dirty. I use Call of the Mummy to summon Vampire Lord!”

She played the card, and the vampire appeared in front of her. He frowned at Sam and her three Fiends. (2,000/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd2-en003.jpg


“Vampire Lord?” asked Sam. “Bela Lugosi over there doesn’t scare me. Sillva will eat him.”

“Oh really?” asked Sam. “We’ll see about that. First, I’ll Normal Summon my second Vampire Lady.”

She played another card, and Vampire Lady appeared next to Vampire Lord. The two vampires turned to each other and nodded. (1,550/1,550)

“Now, as for your presumption that Sillva would defeat Vampire Lord… Wrong. I play Rush Recklessly.”

She played the card, and Vampire Lord hissed. His Attack Score rose to 2,700.

“Attack the Warlord of Dark World!” shouted Chelsea. “Children of the Night!”

Vampire Lord leapt up into the air and hovered for a minute. He unleashed a storm of bats from his cape, and Sillva let out an unholy scream as he was eaten alive by them.

Sam growled.

“So much for him,” said Chelsea. “And now we get to Vampire Lord’s effect. I declare Spell Card.”

Sam frowned and looked through her deck. She found a copy of Gateway to Dark World and discarded it.

“Before you end your turn,” said Sam, returning her deck to her Disk, “I’d like to activate my Trap Card if I may…”

Her facedown card flipped up.

“The Forces of Darkness?” asked Chelsea, looking at it.

“This lets me take two Dark World Monsters from my Graveyard, and add them to my hand,” said Sam.

Two cards slipped out of her discard slot, and she took them.

“So now Sillva and my first Beiige are waiting in the wings again.”

Chelsea frowned.

“I’ll play a facedown, and end my turn,” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

Sam drew a card.

She smirked when she saw what it was.

“All right, Chelsea…” she said. “It’s time to take a trip down memory lane. Did you ever see The Wizard of Oz when you were a kid?”

“Who didn’t?” replied Chelsea.

“Then this will be a treat,” said Sam. “I play the Spell Card, Golden Road.”

As she played the card, the scenery behind her changed. The fabled Yellow Brick Road appeared behind her, and the magnificent Emerald City loomed in the distance.

“How does that old song go, Chelsea?” she asked.

“Somewhere… Over the rainbow… Bluebirds fly… Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can’t I?”

She chuckled.

“The heroine of that movie who sung that song got her wish… Although I must say, I don’t believe a tornado is the most pleasant form of air travel.”

Chelsea glared at her.

“Oh, you’re trying to distract me!” she shouted. “Just explain what the heck your Spell Card does!”

“It’s an incredibly rare card that benefits both of us,” said Sam. “We both get to draw four cards… But then we discard two from our hands.”

Lovely… thought Chelsea, making four draws. That means she’ll get to activate the effects of two of her nightmares.

She looked at the six cards in her hand, and then discarded Symbol of Heritage and Sangan.

“I’ll start by discarding Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World,” said Sam, discarding one of her cards. “And when I do that, he destroys one of your Monsters. Kahkki, execute her Vampire Lord.”

A phantasmal creature appeared behind Vampire Lord. It looked like a short, stout, egg-shaped Fiend with beady eyes and broken teeth. It drove a long knife between Vampire Lord’s shoulders, and he screamed before shattering into shards.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0181.jpg


“You’re kidding, right?” said Chelsea. “You do know what happens when Vampire Lord is destroyed by a card effect?”

“Yeah, he’ll be back next turn,” replied Sam. “But I’m gonna hurt you badly this turn. Next, I discard Kahkki’s companion, Gren, Tactician of Dark World. And when that happens, he can destroy one Spell or Trap Card.”

Another spectral Fiend appeared in the center of the arena. This one was tall and impossibly thin, with an enlarged cranium. He wore a green cape and spectacles, and carried a musty-looking tome.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0191.jpg


“Gren, wipe out her Trap Card!” shouted Sam.

Gren raised his free hand, and fired a bolt of energy, blasting the facedown card to pieces.

“You actually fell for it!” laughed Chelsea. “You just destroyed my Zombie Bed, sucker!”

“WHAT?” shouted Sam.

A large, stone coffin appeared on Chelsea’s side of the field.

“Now I get to summon back a Zombie from my Graveyard,” said Chelsea. “And I sent a good one there with Graceful Charity. Let’s all welcome…”

The coffin exploded into shards of rock…

“…The Midnight Caller!”

In an aura of fiery, dark energy, The Midnight Caller arose in front of Chelsea. His eyes glowed with feral light… (2,400/1,000)

Crap! thought Sam. My plan backfired!

The Emerald City crumbled to pieces, and was consumed by the storm of chaos.

“I move Beiige and Brron to Defense Mode, and set another Monster in Defense Mode,” she said.

Beiige knelt and held his spear in his lap, while Brron knelt and covered himself with his cape. A facedown Monster appeared next to them.

She glared at Chelsea.

Chelsea drew a card.

“As promised, Vampire Lord returns…”

A dark coffin appeared on the field. It opened, and Vampire Lord stepped out, more than a little angry. (2,000/1,500)

“Now, I Normal Summon my final Vampire Lady!”

In another burst of energy, the third female vampire appeared. (1,550/1,550)

The four vampires looked at Sam with hungry eyes…

“Vampire Ladies…” ordered Chelsea, “wipe out Beiige and Brron!”

The two vampires leapt at the two Fiends, and slashed with their claws. The Vanguard and the Mad King burst into particles.

“Vampire Lord, take out her last Monster!”

The swarm of bats shot at the card, and another Vanguard appeared on it before exploding.

“And then there’s the Caller! Attack Sam directly with dark curse!”

The Midnight Caller pointed at Sam, and she screamed as a dark aura surrounded her, sucking the breath out of her lungs.

She fell to her knees.



(C: 6,500) ------------------- (S: 5,500)


“Chelsea has made an impressive turnaround!” exclaimed Natalie. “Sam is gonna need something big to get out of this.”

Sam got up, and took a few deep gasps…

“My… move…” she muttered.

She drew a card.

She smirked.

“Heh, heh…” she said. “Chelsea, don’t think I didn’t come into this duel unprepared. I put a little something in my deck with you in mind…”

She showed her the card.

“It’s a little guy called a Marionette Mite. By discarding it from my hand, I can take control of one opposing Fiend or Zombie for one round. So I think I’ll take your Midnight Caller.”

She discarded the card, and the Midnight Caller gasped. He was yanked over to Sam’s side.

Sam looked at him.

“Cheer up…” she muttered. “At least now you’re on the winning side…

“But not for long. I’m going to sacrifice him to summon Brron’s other general…”

The Midnight Caller vanished.

“I summon Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World!”

In a brilliant, golden aura, a new Fiend appeared. He looked similar to Sillva, with the same demonic horns and wings, but with golden armor. He carried a large, golden battle-axe. (2,300/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cp03-en007.jpg


“Attack her Vampire Lord!” ordered Sam. “Dark gold rush!”

Goldd slashed with his axe, and a blade of golden energy shot towards Vampire Lord, blasting him into dust.

“And that’s all for now…”



(C: 6,200) ------------------- (S: 5,500)


Chelsea frowned, and drew another card.


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:


“Oh, I’ll just move my two Monsters to Defense Mode, and that will do,” she said.

The two Vampire Ladies knelt down, and folded their arms.

“My turn again?” asked Sam.

She drew a card.

“I play… Dark World Dealings,” she said, playing a Spell Card. “Now, we each draw one card, and then discard one from our hands.”

Chelsea growled, and drew one card. She looked over her hand, and discarded Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower.

Sam drew a card, and then smirked.

“I’ll discard Sillva again,” she said, discarding a card. “I’m sure you remember him.”

In a flash of silver energy, Sillva appeared again. (2,300/1,400)

Card of Safe Return glowed, and Sam drew another card.

“Now, I summon Zure, Knight of Dark World.”

In another aura of darkness, a Fiend with upward-curving horns on the sides of his neck and a mouth full of shark-like teeth, dressed in armor and a cape, holding a longsword walked out onto the field. (1,800/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en001.jpg


“Let’s clean up…” said Sam. “Zure, Sillva, attack her vamps!”

The two Dark World Fiends leapt at the Vampire Ladies and slashed with their swords, cutting them down.

“Goldd… get her.”

Chelsea screamed as the Wu-Lord’s axe plowed into her, and she fell on her behind.



(C: 3,900) ------------------- (S: 5,500)


“This duel is going back and forth,” said Ben. “Anything could happen at this point… I can hardly wait to see what comes next.”

Chelsea got up and brushed herself off. A column of fire shot up from the void underneath her.

“What next, he says?” she asked.

She drew a card.

“I’ll show you what next. I play Premature Burial.”

She played the card, and her Life Points dipped as Vampire Lord appeared on her side of the field. (2,000/1,500)

“Now, Vampire Lord, begone… I banish you to summon Vampire Genesis.”

Vampire Lord vanished, and the hulking, muscular vampire deity appeared. (3,000/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd2-en001.jpg


Sam took a step back.

“Well, Sam…” said Chelsea. “I guess the shoe’s really on the other clawed foot, huh?

“Especially because I’m making Genesis even stronger with a powerful Spell… Genesis Crisis!”

She played the card, and Vampire Genesis glowed with black fire.

“With Vampire Genesis on the field, this Spell Card lets me add a Zombie from my deck to my hand every round,” continued Chelsea, taking her deck. “And right now, I’m going to do that to bring my second Vampire Lord to my hand…”

She took the card from her deck, and showed it to Sam.

“And now, I’m going to use it to activate Genesis’s effect. Since Vampire Lord is Level Five, I can discard him to summon a Vampire Lady from my Graveyard.”

She discarded the card, and Vampire Genesis howled. Vampire Lady appeared in a burst of dark energy. (1,550/1,550)

“All right… Vampire Genesis… Destroy her Wu-Lord!”

Vampire Genesis burst into his crimson shroud, and Goldd screamed. Cracks appeared on his golden armor. Finally, he exploded into golden shards.



(C: 3,100) ------------------- (S: 4,800)


“Goldd is vanquished,” said Chelsea. “It’s your move.”

Sam growled, and drew a card.

“I move Zure and Sillva into Defense Mode, and set another Monster in Defense Mode,” she said.

The two Fiends crouched in Defense, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Then I place two cards facedown.”

She fit a card into her Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

“End…”

Chelsea drew a card.

“I activate the effect of Genesis Crisis again,” she said, taking her deck. “This time, I’m going to add Penelope to my hand.”

She took the card from her deck.

“And since Penelope is Level Seven, I can discard her to use Genesis’s effect, and summon The Midnight Caller from my Graveyard.”

She discarded the card, and Genesis howled again. The Midnight Caller appeared in another dark aura. He glared at Sam angrily. (2,400/1,000)

“All right everybody…” said Chelsea. “All together now…”

Three dark auras blasted towards Sam’s side of the field, and Sillva, Zure, and her facedown Monster, revealed to a Fiend that looked like a weird cross between a reptile and ape, with red scales, holding a dagger.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en025.jpg


“That facedown Monster was Scarr, Scout of Dark World,” said Sam, taking her deck from the holder. “He isn’t a very good fighter, but when he goes down, I get to take any Monster from my deck with the words ‘Dark World’ in its name, so long as it’s Level Four or less.”

She looked at her cards.

“Now let’s see here…”

She went over her remaining cards – of which there weren’t a whole lot – and finally chose one.

“So, is that your turn?” she asked, adding it to her hand.

“Yeah,” said Chelsea.

This next move is going to be harder to pull off than the safety top on that bottle of prescription flu remedy I had to take last winter, thought Sam. But I’m gonna have to try it…

“Watch out!” she shouted, drawing a card.

As she added it to her hand, her eyes started to burn like embers...

“It ends now, Chelsea,” she said, in a voice that sounded like a demonic parody of her normal voice. “The streets of this city will run red with your blood!”

“Whoa, whoa, Sam!” shouted Chelsea. “Take it easy! There’s something wrong with you!”

Sam smiled evilly…

“On the contrary,” she said, still in that horrid voice, “I’ve never felt better!”

One of her facedown cards lifted.

“I activate a Trap Card. It’s called Mind Crush. Now listen closely…

“I state the name of any card I can think of. Then I get to see your hand. If the card I named is in your hand, you have to send it to the Graveyard. However, if I’m wrong and it isn’t, I have to send a card in my hand to the Graveyard.

“Now, let me think…

“The card I name is…

“Blue-Eyes White Dragon.”

“What the Hell?” shouted Chelsea. “Sam, you know damn well that I don’t have that card in my deck!”

“Well, let’s check and make sure,” said Sam, motioning with her hand. “You can’t be too certain, you know…”

Chelsea angrily turned her hand of cards around.

Sam shrugged.

“Guess I was wrong…” she said, as a card in her own hand glowed.

Yumi got up.

“She did that on purpose…” she said. “She’s playing a Dark World Deck… She wanted to have to discard one of her own cards! It was the perfect strategy!”

“Oh look,” said Sam, discarding the card. “I just discarded someone who’s eager to meet you. His name is Celeri, Guru of Dark World.”

“Let me guess…” muttered Chelsea. “That means he’s summoned to the field.”

“Yes, but there’s a little twist this time,” replied Sam. “He isn’t summoned to my side of the field. He’s summoned to your side of the field.”

Chelsea was shocked to say the least as a Monster materialized next to her vampires. It was a short, stocky, scaly Fiend with a bald head, tusks, and two downward-pointing horns on the sides of its head. It knelt and shielded itself in Defense Mode. (500/300)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/7/70/Celeri%2CGuruofDarkWorld-JP-Anime.jpg


“And you’re being so helpful, why?” asked Chelsea.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” said Sam. “First, I still get to draw a card from Card of Safe Return.”

She drew one card.

“As for why I’m doing this,” she continued, “it’s because Celeri has another effect. When he’s Special Summoned from the Graveyard, the opponent of his controller must choose one card in her hand and discard it.

“Since you’re technically his controller, that means I discard another card…

“But I get to choose which one this time…”

The embers in her eyes burned fiercer. She lifted one of the cards in her hand, and it burned with black fire...

“Remember when I said that the residents of Dark World believe that Brron is their king?” she asked. “That’s a fiction. In reality, Brron answers to a secret ruler who passes his edicts through him. Only a privileged few know of the existence of the true king of Dark World…

“This Monster’s effect is so powerful, I can only Special Summon him via discard if my opponent’s card effect makes me discard him. And since Celeri is under your control, that condition is fulfilled.”

She discarded the card. The void of chaos darkened…

“Arise… Come forth, Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World.”

Lightning flashed in the distance. A bonfire appeared in front of Sam. It spread out, forming into a pit of bubbling lava. A hulking creature started to rise from the pit…

The Fiend stepped out, the same one whom Sam had fought in the shrine. The gemstones on his chest glowed with multicolored light, and his sasumata burned with dark fire.

The crowd was silenced…

(2,500/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0171.jpg


“Ho boy…” muttered Chelsea.

Card of Safe Return glowed, and Sam drew another card.

“Now…” said Sam, adding it to her hand, “I activate his effect. He can either destroy all your Monsters, or all your Spell and Trap Cards…

“Since I could care less about your Call of the Mummy, I’ll choose the former.”

Chelsea quickly glanced at her hand.

No Monsters… she thought, starting to panic. I can’t use Midnight Caller’s effect!

Reign-Beaux raised his right hand and glowed with an aura that was both dark and full of flickering colored lights… Then Vampire Lady, Vampire Genesis, The Midnight Caller, and Celeri, Guru of Dark World were surrounded by the same aura…

Then the four Monsters on Chelsea’s side of the field exploded into atoms.

Chelsea glared at Sam.

“Still defiant, eh?” asked Sam. “Reign-Beaux, you know what to do…

“Attack her directly with Dark Spectrum!”

The Overlord twirled his sasumata around, and aimed it at Chelsea. The whole void turned black as he shot a bolt of the same multicolored energy. Chelsea screamed bloody murder as it hit her in the chest and stabbed into every pore…

She collapsed.



(C: 600) ------------------- (S: 4,800)


“Chelsea is hurt bad,” said Natalie. “She’s taken a lot of direct hits so far. I don’t know if she can continue at this point…”

Chelsea’s eyes slowly opened…

With sweat pouring down her face, she pulled herself up. She picked up her cards, and staggered to her feet, clutching her chest.

“Still trying to win?” asked Sam. “Pathetic. I’ve got the best Monster ever out now!”

“And I’m very disappointed in you, Sam,” said Chelsea, with a scowl. “What are you now, the Consort of Reign-Beaux? Man… ‘Consort of Reign-Beaux’, that really sounds better than ‘Consort of Ha Des’.”

Sam gave a look of shock.

“Ha Des?” she said in surprise.

“In case you didn’t realize it,” said Chelsea, “I was being sarcastic.”

Sam looked at her strangely.

“What is with you, Sam?” asked Chelsea. “Throughout this whole tournament, Ha Des won you one duel after another. In that Yami no Oujou, when losing might have meant dying, he let himself be sacrificed to give you enough strength to win.

“And now… You’ve dumped him… For this upstart with a mere fifty more Attack Points and an effect that you can’t even rely on. I hope that the thrill of wiping out my side was worth betraying your best Monster.”

Sam looked at Chelsea. She held her forehead for a minute…

She shook her head, and the embers in her eyes went from blazing to smoldering.

She looked down. She was mortified…

She looked at Reign-Beaux…

“I… I didn’t betray him…” she muttered, in a voice that was closer to her real voice. “Ha Des is still my consort… He’s the real King of the Underworld. Reign-Beaux is nothing more than a ruler of a crumbling, decaying empire that Ha Des will take over someday, once he gets around to it…

“And I’m gonna prove it… It’s still my turn…”

She took a card from her hand.

“I place this facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“Then I activate my Trap Card… Rebirth Judgment!”

Her first facedown card lifted, revealing the image of a boy’s face, the right half of which was cybernetic.

“Now, I name one Type of Monster, and for as long as this card is in play, all Monsters in both our Graveyards are considered that Type.

“I name Fiends. Did you get that?”

“Yes, I got that,” said Chelsea. “But I don’t see the sense in it. What good would it do you to turn the Monsters in my Graveyard into Fiends?”

“Because, I saw your duel with the real Midnight Caller, remember?” replied Chelsea. “And I remember your ace card, Penelope. She needs Zombies in your Graveyard to gain power. Otherwise she’s weak. With this card in play, you don’t have a single Monster left that can take out Reign-Beaux.

“I end my turn.”

Sam looked at her facedown card.

Even if she does manage to summon something stronger, she thought, my Bark of Dark Ruler will win me this duel.

Chelsea drew and looked at her hand.

She was close, she thought, but she was only partially informed…

“Sam,” she said, “when I summoned Penelope in that duel, you only saw one of her effects, not both of them.”

“BOTH of them?” shouted Sam.

“I play Monster Reincarnation,” said Chelsea. “So, I toss one card, to bring Penelope back to my hand.”

She discarded the card she had just drawn, Coercive Magic Eyes, and Penelope came out of her discard slot.

“Now I’ll use Call of the Mummy to summon her,” she continued.

In a burst of light, Penelope appeared on the field. (1,000/200)

“And as for that other effect I was talking about? When she’s summoned, all Spell and Trap Cards on the field are destroyed, including THAT one!”

Sam gasped. Her Rebirth Judgment, Card of Safe Return, and Bark of Dark Ruler shattered to pieces, along with Chelsea’s Call of the Mummy.

“Now the Monsters in my Graveyard are Zombies again,” said Chelsea. “And in case anyone here lost count, there are ten of them there.”

Penelope glowed.

(5,000/200)

“Oh no…” muttered Sam.

“Penelope,” ordered Chelsea, “attack Reign-Beaux with Light of Vengeance!”

A blinding light erupted from the vampire slayer. A look of panic appeared on the Overlord of Dark World’s face. He screamed and dropped his weapon and turned to run, but a beam of pure light blasted him to gibbets before he made it a second step.

Sam was knocked backwards by the backlash. She got up, holding her chest in pain…

“Humph…” said Chelsea, shaking her head. “Ha Des never tried to run when your opponent’s Monster attacked him. He had pride. Seems your Overlord just proved that he’s little more than a bully and a coward when things turn against him.

“You know, that probably explains just why he uses Brron as a puppet ruler. Hide in the shadows, draw all the would-be assassins and revolutionaries towards a decoy while you remain perfectly safe.

“Maybe that’s the whole reason he rules a ‘crumbling, decaying empire’.

“And you gave up Ha Des for him…”

“She’s right…” said Ren. “That big, bad Monster is a sheep in wolf’s clothing.”

“Make your move…” said Chelsea.



(C: 600) ------------------- (S: 2,300)


Sam blinked again…

The embers in her eyes were fully extinguished now. She gasped for breath.

“Chelsea has sent Reign-Beaux over the rainbow!” exclaimed Ben. “And with her best Monster on the field, Sam is gonna need a miracle to turn this one around!”

“So Sam,” said Chelsea. “We gonna finish this, or are you gonna throw in the towel?”

“Listen to me, Chelsea,” said Sam. “I never end a duel while I still have Life Points left. I’ll finish the duel…”

She drew a card.

“…but I can honestly say, I’ll finish it on my own terms.”

It was Premature Burial. She looked at her other three cards.

No… she thought. I have no Monsters to defend with! If I use Premature Burial, the Monster I summon will be in Attack Mode… One attack from Penelope, and I’ll lose…

She looked at another Spell Card that was in her hand.

This is my only chance… she thought. But it’s a gamble… If Chelsea wins it, I lose…

But I have no choice… I’m running out of options… Besides, with all the extra drawing I’ve done, I’m down to less than half a deck!

“All right, Chelsea…” she said, playing a Spell Card. “I play… Premature Burial. I’ll bring the big coward back…”

The ground in front of her split, and Reign-Beaux rose out of the ground. (2,500/1,800)

“But if he thinks he’s in charge this time, he’s sadly mistaken.

“Now I play this… the Spell Card, Hand of Ha Des!”

“Huh?” said Chelsea, as the Spell Card was played.

“Listen carefully, because this is complicated,” said Sam. “I have to have a Fiend-Type Monster on the field to play this card. Then, each of us picks up cards from our decks until we each pick up a Monster. Whoever draws the Monster that has more Attack Points gets to destroy one of her opponent’s Monsters on the field, and also gets to keep the Monster she picked up. All the other cards are shuffled back into our decks, including the picked up Monster, in the case of whoever gets the weaker one.”

“What on Earth?” asked Erik. “Why would she do that?”

“Well, she’s basically betting the farm,” replied Ren, nervously. “If she gets a stronger Monster than Chelsea, she wins. If not, she loses. Because whoever loses won’t have anything to defend against a direct attack.”

Both Chelsea and Sam snatched a card off of their decks as the crowd tensed.

“Ha!” laughed Chelsea, showing her the card. “My Curse of Vampire! Beat that!”

“Oh really?” said Sam, quietly, looking at the card she had picked up.

She flipped it around.

It was Dark Ruler Ha Des.

“That’s gotta hurt.”

A huge, gruesome claw erupted out of the ground on Chelsea’s side of the field, and grabbed Penelope. She screamed, and was pulled under.

“Well,” said Sam. “It was a good duel, Chels. Now I’ll…”

She paused.

“You know something, Chelsea?” she said. “I could attack you with Reign-Beaux, but you were right. His empire may have been powerful long ago, but maybe it’s best to keep it buried.

“Using him and the rest of these things… What was I thinking?

“So… Reign-Beaux, get lost… I’m sacrificing you to end this with my real headliner.”

The Overlord of Dark World scowled angrily before he vanished into grains of light.

Then Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared in a burst of dark energy. (2,450/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mc1-en006.jpg


“All right, Ha Des…” shouted Sam. “Finish Chelsea off with Stygian blast!”

Ha Des hurled his bolt of black fire, and Chelsea cringed. She groaned, and then collapsed on her back.



(C: 0) ------------------- (S: 1,500)


Delmato walked up to Sam.

“Sam is the winner!” he shouted, holding her hand up.

Some members of the crowd cheered. Others were silent.

Erik sighed in relief.

“Well, Chelsea lost…” muttered Ren. “But at least Sam came to her senses and didn’t turn evil…

“Well… uhm… at least not more evil than she usually is…”

“Yeah…” muttered Yumi. “We can thank the maker that she was attached enough to Ha Des to include him in that deck. Like I said, he isn’t truly necessary in a Dark World Deck. And her favorite card let her see the truth.

“What Chelsea said may have been meant as scolding, but it helped a good deal.”

She looked at Sam as someone helped Chelsea up.

Well… thought Yumi. Sam is headed for the final round… If I manage to defeat Rasputin next, it will be me versus her…

I’ll concentrate on Rasputin for now. He’s the greater threat at the moment…

“Attention everybody,” announced Sheena. “There will be a one-hour intermission. Get some refreshments, stretch your legs, and get back here, because after sixty minutes, Yumi faces Rasputin in the second match of the semi finals!”

Yumi looked at Rasputin, who had been watching the duel between Sam and Chelsea in stony silence.

I’m ready for you, Rasputin… she thought. Bring it on… I’m ready for that ugly Fiend…

But first… I think I’ll get a cheeseburger…

“Ren…” she said. “Chelsea’s gonna need to be comforted when she gets back here, and you can do that better than I can. I’ll be back when I can. It depends on how long the lines are.”

Sam slowly walked off the field.

No one saw the spirit of Dark Ruler Ha Des behind her, looking at her…

He wasn’t very happy…

In fact, a look of incredible anger was on his face…

The demons of Dark World proved to be no match for Sam’s iron will. Still, she has won her semi final duel, and has moved closer to her long-awaited match with Yumi. But can Yumi defeat Rasputin to meet her rival in the final round? Rasputin will certainly have something to say about it…



GENESIS CRISIS (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A demonic face wreathed in flames.

Card Description: If there is no “Vampire Genesis” face-up on your side of the field, destroy this card. If this card is destroyed as a result of “Vampire Genesis” being removed from your side of the field, destroy all Monsters on your side of the field. Once per round, during your Main Phase you may search your deck for one Zombie-Type Monster and add it to your hand.

Note: “Genesis Crisis” was first used by Camula in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Field of Screams (Part Three)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



REBIRTH JUDGMENT (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: The face of a young boy with the right half cybernetic.

Card Description: When you activate this card, declare one Type of Monster. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, all Monsters in both Graveyards are considered to be the Type you declared.

Note: “Rebirth Judgment” was first used by Zane in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Tough Love”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



HAND OF HA DES (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Dark Ruler Ha Des holding a skull in his claw and grinning.

Card Description: You may activate this card when you have at least one Fiend-Type Monster face-up on your side of the field. Both you and your opponent pick up cards from the top of your decks until both of you pick up a Monster Card. Whoever picks up the Monster with the higher base ATK may destroy one of his opponent’s Monsters on the field, adds the picked up Monster to his/her hand, and shuffles his/her other picked up cards back into his/her deck. Whoever picks up the Monster with the lower ATK shuffles all of his/her picked up cards back into his/her deck. (In the case of a tie, this effect is rendered invalid.)



GOLDEN ROAD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The Road of Yellow Brick, leading up to a beautiful Emerald City.

Card Description: Both players draw four cards from their respective decks. Then, both players discard any two cards from their hands.

Note: “Golden Road” first appeared in “Dark Messiah”.



CELERI, GURU OF DARK WORLD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 500
DEF: 300

Card Description: When this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, Special Summon this card in face-up Defense Position to your opponent’s side of the field. When this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, the opponent of the controller of this card chooses one card in his hand and discards it to the Graveyard.

Note: “Celeri, Guru of Dark World” was first used by the spirit of Brron, Mad King of Dark World in a third season episode of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Chelsea: Yumi… Rasputin looks different this time… He looks more nervous than you do…

Ren: What the hell are you planning, Rasputin? Can it be that the big bad guy actually has stage fright?

Erik: I tried my hardest, but I only managed a draw. But it can’t end in a draw this time, Yumi. This is a duel that you have to win… You’ll have to try even harder.

Anastasia: There is no try, Erik. Yumi will.

Coming up next, “Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus; Yumi versus Rasputin.”

It’s time for a rematch, with the whole world watching…

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, duel wise, this chapter wasnt bad. A good clash between fiends and undead.

Story wise though, I'm a little dissapointed. I'm wondering how the heck Yumi learnt of the Dark World fiends and even though there was the whole threat of Sam turning evil, I'm just dissapointed that she didn't succumb to it. I think it would have been cool if she did turn evil, if only for a little while.

As much of a Ha Des fan I am, Reign-Beaux is better then Ha Des. It had to be said.

I'm curious as to what Rasputin's going to do to Yumi.

[Shuppet Master]

I have very little to say about this chapter. I knew Sam would win, because losing here would be anti-climatic. However, the whole "betting the farm" thing is a bit too much. No matter, the chapter was good and we hope Sam learned her lesson.

It's the rematch, and it looks like Yumi's going to be infected with Raz's evil voodoo. I have a feeling Raz is using his real deck, something which Yumi isn't ready for.

[Mystic_clown]

However, the whole "betting the farm" thing is a bit too much.

Hmm? What bet? What do you mean?

Also, I only just noticed that the spirit in the end was Ha Des and not Reign-Beaux. Hmm, interesting, I wonder what Ha Des is so pissed at Sam for?

[Shuppet Master]

Well, 99% of the readership would say that Ha Des is angry at Sam for betraying his trust by using Dark World.

But if I know Brian, he's got something evil planned for Sam. ;)

As for what I said about betting, I was talking about what may be called the "Roulette Spider syndrome", named after Joey's Roulette Spider trick he used on Espa in Battle City and which Brian used in Mandate of Heaven to determine whether Mary would win or lose against her new boyfriend.

It's defined as such: A duel is determined by an extremely chancy card effect. If it works, you win, if not, you're screwed.

Joey exhibited the first such bet by using that Painful Decisions(?) card against Johnson and it worked when Joey did mind games on him, getting his Goblin Attack Force out so he could tribute it for Blazing Soul Sword.

I don't really like this move because it shows that the character is basically "betting the farm" and has no other option. I'm not saying that the person should be defeated because of that, just that the duel was written horribly.

I'm not saying that Brian is a sucky duel writer. He's helped me a lot in Sister of Anansi(even though I could go back and redo it). But when it comes down to chance to determine who stays or who goes, then we get Jaden syndrome all over again - "the Heart of the Cards" is bad enough. It's a shame that, in our infinite omnipotence, we can't always make a person win via skill alone and have to sometimes rely on "this is my only chance, if I fail, I'm screwed." I'm going to try to avoid using that tactic too much. :)

To Brian: I am not saying you shouldn't use this tactic if you can't think up a better option. We determine the fate of our stories, not the readers. Even if everyone reading wanted Chelsea to win, too bad. Sam MUST win, if only so she can have a "rematch" against Yumi. I am only expressing my opinion about how the duel was won, so don't get on my back, okay?

[Dark Sage]

Chris, you missed the point.

The reason I had Sam win by using a gamble card was to prove that Chelsea was a worthy opponent who could have beaten her if the odds had gone in her favor. When Hand of Ha Des was used, it was truly anyone's game. Thus, even though she won, Sam does not have the right to say she is better than Chelsea. She won via luck. Thus, I am treating all my main characters with the respect that is due. Sam gets to claim her birthright and face Yumi in the finals, and Chelsea doesn't have to be ashamed of losing because of any mistake she made.

Having Mary use it in Mandate made sense. Her dad used these sort of cards all the time. His deck evolved gradually until it was almost purely a Gamble Deck. So I decided to have his daughter use some of the cards.

There will be a couple more cards like this used in the future, but there will always be a twist.

Sound better?

- DS

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX



Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus



Yumi versus Rasputin



Sam looked at the Monsters in the Dark World Deck. Beiige, Sillva, Goldd…

Reign-Beaux…

She realized now just how hideous and ugly they were…

Lust for power makes people do dumb things… she thought.

She had seen the tapes of the original Battle City… She saw how her great uncle relied so much on Obelisk the Tormentor… How he was almost drunk with the power of the mighty God Card…

…so much that his poor Blue-Eyes were disregarded and put on the back burner…

He learned his lesson the hard way… He had been addicted to that mega-powerful card. In many ways, his use of it was no better than Marik’s use of Ra.

If Yugi hadn’t taken it from him, it likely would have destroyed him.

The Dark World Fiends weren’t Obelisk, but they had presented the same temptation…

She looked at her Dark Ruler Ha Des card.

“It won’t happen again…” she whispered. “When Yumi and I duel, I’ll duel her as the Consort of Ha Des.”

She looked at the Dark World cards again.

“And as for you freaks, once I find Hoshi, you’re going back to where you came from…”



* * * * * * * * * *


“Thank you,” said Yumi, taking her tray from the counter.

Yumi sighed as she went up to the condiment counter. Sam had a point… Diets started after vacations. And she was going to start one after this one. She must have gained five pounds since she had gotten to Duelatopia. Sure, dueling tended to burn a lot of calories, but they had started to add up.

For now though, she could enjoy lunch before going in to face the one who had become her greatest foe…

She licked her lips as she spread ketchup on the double cheeseburger in front of her.

As she went to take a bite, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

“The game is still afoot, Yumi.”

Yumi glanced over her shoulder, and saw Maria there.

“Can’t you see I’m eating?” she asked. “Scram.”

“Not worried?” asked Maria. “Yumi, you are in danger. Rasputin…”

“Maria, please…” said Yumi. “You may think I’m dumb, but this time, I’m meeting him prepared.”

“He knows you have prepared,” replied Maria. “And he has planned a strategy to counter your preparation. You see, the deck he intends to use for this duel…”

“Shut up, Maria!” snapped Yumi.

Maria looked at her.

“Maria, look…” said Yumi, with a sigh, “it’s not that I don’t appreciate the help… But I’m still a duelist. And I think that Rasputin is one too, at least on some level. If he has indeed adopted a new strategy, I don’t have any more right to know about it than he has a right to know about mine.”

She bit into the burger.

“Trust me… I’m more than ready for him.”

Maria looked at her.

“Then I’ll do the one thing I can,” she said. “I’ll wish you good luck.”

She paused.

“May the Fates smile upon you…”

She turned and walked away.

Yumi concentrated on the cheeseburger, noticing Anastasia out of the corner of her eye.

“I hated to be so hard on her…” she muttered, “but I really hate to think I need help.”

“I know…” replied Anastasia. “Your grandparents were the same way… Most of the time.

“I hope you truly are ready for Rasputin.”

“I’ll try my hardest…” said Yumi.

Anastasia put her hand on Yumi’s shoulder.

“Yumi…” she said. “When I was undergoing rehabilitation in the Bastion of the Hopeful, when I knew that failure would result in my damnation, I was doubtful of my success at first. I told the ones coaching me that I would try to succeed.

“They told me that I could not try. I would either do it, or I wouldn’t do it. There was no such thing as trying.

“So either do, or don’t do. There is no trying…”

Yumi nodded, and went back to the burger.



* * * * * * * * * *


The sound system was playing polka music, and in the center of the field, Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black danced an Irish jig around a pot of gold.

They burst into an explosion of stars, and more ominous music started.

“We’re back,” said Ben, as he appeared on the screen. “And it’s time to decide just who will face Samantha in the final round.”

“Indeed,” said Natalie. “Two duelists vie for the spot, and they want to climb their way to the top… And they’re entering the arena now!”

The music turned more low and spooky, as Rasputin and Yumi walked to the center of the arena. Sheena glared at Rasputin for a second.

“Okay folks…” she said, placing a card in her Disk. “Let’s change the scenery again… It’s time to go…”

There was another great flash of light.

“…to the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus!”

Once again, the entire city had been changed. They were now in a large void, full of floating islands… They resembled gears and cogs, all of them interlocking with each other. On the sides of the cogs were forests, hills, even cities. Flying through the void or perched around the arena were strange spectators – modrons, little clockwork creatures shaped like geometric shapes with arms, legs, and faces.

“The Plane of Ultimate Law,” said Delmato, “and I couldn’t be happier. Now both of you, cut and shuffle each other’s decks.”

Rasputin seemed truly out of it as he took Yumi’s deck. He started to shuffle.

“So, Rasputin,” said Yumi, shuffling. “Care to make any wagers?”

“No thank you,” replied Rasputin.

“No?” said Yumi. “You don’t want to wager your Rod for my Crown and Gale Shield? Or even one of them?”

“Nope, I’m good,” he said.

Then, as he handed the deck back, he held his forehead.

Yumi stared at him. He took his deck back. The Pharaoh appeared next to her.

She looked at her own deck. Something wasn’t right…

“Prepare yourself, Yumi,” said Rasputin in a sinister voice. “I broke you once before, and when I do it this time, no-one will be there to put you back together…”

Yumi stared at him closely as he walked to his position.

“Weird….” she said. “Very weird…”

“Yumi…” said the Pharaoh, “I have a feeling that he’s trying something entirely new.”

“And that would be?” she asked.

He sighed.

“Yumi…” he said, “there are times when things even confuse me…”

The Puzzle glowed with golden fire, and the two merged together in a burst of light. Yumi stared down her opponent.

“Contestants…” said Delmato. “Honored guests… Viewers… It’s time to duel! Game on!”



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Rasputin: 8,000)


“You won’t be walking away from this one, Yumi!” warned Rasputin, drawing his first card.

He looked at his hand.

“To start, I play Magical Mallet. You know how that works, right? I take any number of cards from my hand, return them to my deck, then reshuffle, and then draw the same number. And I think I’ll do that with all five of my cards.”

“Huh…” said Ren. “He must have a bad first hand.”

Rasputin reshuffled and drew five new cards.

“I’ll have this defend me for now, and that will be all,” he said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“About time,” said Yumi.

She made a draw. She gave it a strange look, and added it to her hand.

“I summon my Skilled Dark Magician!” she shouted.

In a burst of dark energy, the mage in black appeared. (1,900/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-0651.jpg


“Attack his Monster! Black magic blast!”

Skilled Dark Magician fired a wave of dark energy at the facedown card. A young girl in a blue witch’s hat and a peasant’s dress with dragonfly wings appeared kneeling on the card before she was blown to pieces.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-070.jpg


“Heh, heh…” chuckled Rasputin. “Someone who likes Spellcasters as much as you do, Yumi, obviously knows what happens when a Pixie Knight is destroyed in battle. I get to take a Spell Card from my Graveyard, and place it on the top of my deck.”

Magical Mallet slipped out of his discard slot.

“Normally, you’d get to choose which one, but I only have this one in there.”

He slid it on the top of his deck.

“I place one card facedown, and end my turn,” said Yumi.

A facedown card appeared. Rasputin grinned, as if he had been expecting that.

He drew a card.

“As you might expect, I drew Magical Mallet,” he said. “Now… If you don’t mind… I’d like to play it again. And I’ll reshuffle all four of my cards.”

“Why does he keep resetting his hand?” asked Ren.

Chelsea held her chin.

“Obviously there’s a key card somewhere in his deck,” she said. “And he’s trying his hardest to get it…”

Rasputin drew four cards.

“Next…” he said. “I play Pot of Greed.”

He played the card, and drew two cards.

“Excellent…” he said, looking at his five cards. “My true strategy begins now… With this card…

“I play a powerful Continuous Spell Card… The incredible Chaos Distil.”

He placed a card in his Disk, and an explosion blasted behind him. With multiple bursts of steam and smoke, a huge contraption rose behind him. It looked like an enormous, pear-shaped, copper kettle of some sort, covered with tubes, gauges, and gewgaws, with a fire burning underneath it.

“What is that?” whispered Yumi.

“I’m as clueless as you are,” replied the Pharaoh.

“And what does this monstrosity do?” asked Yumi, out loud.

“This ‘monstrosity’, as you put it,” said Rasputin, “is a powerful alchemical artifact. With it, an alchemist can harness the secrets of his science, transmuting one form of matter into another.

“In game terms, any card that would normally go to my own Graveyard is removed from play… The cards are used as fuel to power my Distill, you see.

“Also, the Distill is necessary to use many other Spell Cards…

“Like this one… Steel Lamp.”

He played the Spell Card, and it vanished. It reappeared inside the panel inside the Distill, burning with flames.

“Now I’m able to summon Alchemy Beast – Salamandra the Steel from my deck.”

In a burst of flame, a large, winged Dragon made entirely of Steel appeared in front of him. (500/500)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/4/49/AlchemyBeast-SalamandratheSteel-JP-Anime.jpg


“An Alchemy Beast?” said Ren.

“That isn’t very powerful,” said Yumi.

“That tends to be the case with Monsters who can attack directly,” said Rasputin with a smile.

“Attack directly?” said Yumi, in shock.

“And I’m not done…” continued Rasputin, holding up two more Spell Cards.

“I also play… Bronze Scales and Lead Compass to summon two more Alchemy Beasts… Ouroboros the Bronze and Leon the Lead!”

In two more bursts of flames, two more Monsters appeared. One was a huge serpent made of bronze. The other was a large lion with a fiendish face made of lead. (500/500 x2)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/e/e1/AlchemyBeast-OuroborostheBronze-JP-Anime.jpghttp://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/8/8b/AlchemyBeast-LeontheLead-JP-Anime.jpg


“Ho boy…” said Yumi.

“I could go into a long discussion on the principles behind how creatures such as these are created using alchemical solutions and formulas,” said Rasputin, “but this is a duel, not a science lesson. I’m sure you get enough of that in school.

“Alchemy Beasts, attack her directly!

“Salamandra, Greek fire!”

The Dragon breathed a blast of white-hot flame at Yumi, scorching her.

“Ouroboros, scorching ray!”

The metal serpent shot a beam of pure, burning light from its maw, and Yumi screamed.

“Leon, metal burst!”

Leon the Lead roared, and shards of metal shot from its mane, stabbing into Yumi’s chest.

Yumi clutched her chest in pain, and caught her breath.

“And to think my rotten older brother used to tell me that if I jabbed myself with a pencil, I’d get lead poisoning,” said Ben. “Yumi looks hurt bad.”



(Y: 6,500) -------------------- (R: 8,000)


“Are we all right?” asked the Pharaoh.

“I’ll be fine,” replied Yumi. “Assuming I don’t laugh or sneeze anytime soon…”

Rasputin chuckled, and looked at his deck as Yumi struggled to keep standing. Only he saw the red aura that was surrounding her.

Part one is complete… he thought. Little does Yumi know, every Monster Card in my deck has been laced with thrall powder. The forbidden solution that one alchemist was burned for using.

Now that even one direct attack has succeeded, she is infected with it. I now only have to win this duel…

And once the final blow lands, Yumi is mine. She’ll follow me like a lamb.

I won’t need to combat her friends to get the other Charms. With her as my slave, she can do it for me. Best of all, she’ll have one thing I no longer have… The element of surprise…

Yumi glared at him.

“Okay, buddy, you hurt me,” she said. “But your Beasts are weaklings. I can take them out with no problem.”

“Oh?” asked Rasputin, taking the last card in his hand.

He fit it into his Disk.

“Only if you can get by this. I play Messenger of Peace.”

In a flash of light, a holy man wearing a long robe appeared on the field, and raised his hand. The three Alchemy Beasts didn’t seem to care, but Skilled Dark Magician bowed his head.

“Now you can’t come near my Beasts, unless you manage to draw a Monster with less than 1,500 Attack Points.

“With that, I end my turn.”

Yumi glared at him, and drew a card.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared next to Skilled Dark Magician.

“I draw one card,” said Rasputin, drawing a card. “And I pay 100 Life Points to keep Messenger of Peace.”

He looked at the card and grinned.

“And I got the perfect card,” he said. “It’s a Spell called Black Process Nigredo. A funny name, I know, but trust me, it’s no laughing matter. This process is the alchemic formula of death.”

He fit it into his Disk.

“By playing this card, I destroy all my Alchemy Beasts on the field. Begone.”

The three Alchemy Beasts in front of him erupted into flames, and shattered into shards of metal.

“Rasputin has made a strange move,” said Natalie. “He’s wiped out his whole line, and I don’t know why.”

“I’ll explain why,” said Rasputin. “A good alchemist doesn’t tolerate waste, and can easily recycle his material. Now for each Beast I just destroyed, I get to draw two cards.”

He quickly made six draws, and looked them over.

“Now, I intend to use them!”

Three Spell Cards appeared on the field.

“I play Mercury Hourglass, Tin Spell Circle, and Silver Key!”

The Spell Cards were consumed in flames, and then three more bonfires appeared on the field. Three more creatures appeared out of the fires. One was a large predator bird made of metal. The other was a large, lamprey-like fish, also made of metal. The third was a round, unhewn, rock-like thing on legs. (500/500 x3)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/3/36/AlchemyBeast-EatostheTin-JP-Anime.jpghttp://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/1/14/AlchemyBeast-MoonfacetheSilver-JP-Anime.jpg
http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/c/c3/AlchemyBeast-EcheneistheMercury-JP-Anime.jpg



“Meet Aitos the Tin, Echeneis the Mercury, and Moonface the Silver,” said Rasputin. “But before I use them…”

He played another Spell Card.

“I play Soul Release. Now I’ll remove the three cards in my Graveyard from play.”

Magical Mallet, Pixie Knight, and Pot of Greed appeared above him, and faded into nothing.

He keeps removing more and more cards from play, thought Yumi. That accursed kettle is making sure that nothing reaches his Graveyard. When he finally summons Gren, its Attack Score is going to be through the roof!

“Alchemy Beasts attack!” shouted Rasputin. “Blazing breeze!”

Aitos blew a burning wind from its beak, and Yumi screamed again.

“Freezing stream!”

Echeneis shot a blast of water, striking Yumi in the stomach.

“Sonic slivers!”

Moonface let a blast of pure sound at Yumi, and she fell to her knees, clutching her ears…



(Y: 5,000) -------------------- (R: 7,900)


“I place one card facedown,” said Rasputin, “and I end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared in front of him.

Yumi held her chest. She took some deep breaths.

Rasputin isn’t fooling around, thought Yumi. And his deck has never been stronger. I’ve gotta turn this around before he summons something really bad…

She drew a card.

She placed it in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared next to the other one.

“Move…” she said.

Poor Yumi, thought Rasputin, drawing a card. You’re so predictable, it’s sad.

You’re so afraid of my Chaos Fiend… I see the fear in your eyes… I can hear you trembling… So I know exactly how you’ve prepared.

One of your facedown cards is clearly Magic Cylinder, which would send a powerful attack right back at me.

What you don’t know is, my own facedown card is Trap Jammer, which will dash your plan to pieces.

“I’ll neglect to pay for Messenger of Peace, and destroy it,” he said.

The priest shattered into pixels.

“He was getting on my nerves anyway. Now… While Nigredo is the process of death, there is also a process of life…”

He held up a Spell Card.

“White Process Albred. This card lets me Special Summon my Golden Homunculus!”

A bonfire appeared on the field, and a giant man who seemed to be chiseled completely out of gold appeared, wreathed in flames. (1,500/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/wc6-en001.jpg


“Whoa,” said Natalie. “Rasputin has just summoned twenty-four karats of killing machine!”

“Actually, it’s a Warrior,” said Rasputin, “even though it doesn’t look like one. And it has an impressive ability. It gains 300 Attack and Defense Points for each of my cards that have been removed from play. And there have been fifteen of my cards removed from play so far…”

Golden Homunculus glowed with a golden, fiery aura…

(6,000/6,000)

“NO!” screamed Chelsea.

“I activate a Trap!” shouted Yumi. “Go, Threatening Roar!”

One of her facedown cards lifted, and a loud roar bellowed over the field.

Rasputin gave a look of surprise.

Threatening Roar? he thought. Since when has a member of her family ever used a Trap like that? My Trap Jammer can’t counter that… Ooh, if I had known she was going to use that, I would have come with Seven Tools of the Bandit!

“Fine, fine,” he said, angrily. “I have to end my turn. Let’s see how you intend to bring down my Homunculus…”

Everyone looked, as Yumi drew a card.

Huh? she thought, looking at it.

She stared at it for a minute.

The card wasn’t a very rare one, nor a very powerful one, unless you had the right type of deck. But Yumi had certainly never put this in her deck.

Chaos Necromancer? she thought. How the heck did I get this?

She paused for a minute. Had her deck been sabotaged? She looked at Delmato, and wondered if she should call a time out…

She looked at the card again. It wasn’t of any use now. This Monster’s Attack Score depended on the number of Monsters in her Graveyard. She had none right now, so if it were summoned, the Attack Score would be zero.

She paused again.

Maybe she wouldn’t cry foul just yet…

“All right, Rasputin…” she said. “I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode. Meet the newest Spellcaster on my team… The Crystal Seer!”

Her facedown Monster flipped up, and a mysterious figure stepped forward. It was a gypsy wearing expensive, silken clothing, a turban, cape, and a veil. She held her hands out, and a glowing, crystal sphere hovered between her hands. (100/100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en031.jpg


“Crystal Seer?” exclaimed Rasputin.

“Don’t underestimate her because she only has 100 Attack Points,” said Yumi. “She has a powerful Flip-Effect. I get to look at the top two cards on my deck. Then I choose one. The one I choose goes to my hand. I put the other one at the bottom of my deck.

“So, let’s see…”

She took the two cards off of her deck.

One of them was Sage’s Stone…

The other was a key part of her strategy.

Maybe she could use Chaos Necromancer after all.

She smirked, and put Sage’s Stone at the bottom of her deck.

“Check it out, Rasputin!” she said with a laugh, as the card appeared. “It’s Special Hurricane!”

“Special Hurricane?” gasped Rasputin.

“Yeah, I added it to my deck after I saw your duel with Erik,” said Yumi. “I just have to toss one card…”

She discarded the Chaos Necromancer.

“…and all Monsters on the field who were Special Summoned are destroyed!”

“So, uh, what does this mean exactly?” asked Erik.

“Well…” said Sam. “Since all four of Rasputin’s Monster’s were summoned with Spell Cards, it basically means he’s about to get his ass handed to him.”

A fierce storm erupted over the void of Mechanus, and the modrons ran for cover. Crystal Seer and Skilled Dark Magician held onto each other, but they had secure footing. Rasputin’s Monsters, however, strained and struggled against the storm, their footing not as secured due to the methods in which they arrived. The three Alchemy Beasts burst into shards of metal. Finally, Golden Homunculus roared, and exploded into a burst of fiery golden slag.

“This isn’t possible…” muttered Rasputin.

“Oh, but it is…” said Yumi. “And I’m not through with you yet, Rasputin!



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Since more than enough Spell Cards have been played since I summoned Skilled Dark Magician, and since the Special Hurricane has now subsided, I sacrifice him to Special Summon Dark Magician from my deck.”

Skilled Dark Magician smirked at Rasputin. Then he vanished, and the mighty sorcerer appeared in his place. (2,500/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-001.jpg


“Crystal Seer,” she said. “You were a big help, but… It’s time for you to leave too. Sayonara.”

Crystal Seer nodded, and then vanished.

Yumi placed a card on her Disk, and Dark Magician Girl appeared in a flurry of hearts and flowers. (2,000/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc_000_1st.jpg


The two Spellcasters looked at Rasputin with dirty looks…

“Oh… no…” he muttered.

“Dark Magician Girl…” said Yumi. “Dark burning attack!”

The sorceress raised her staff, and a mighty blasts shot towards Rasputin. The crowd cheered as the blast hit home and Rasputin screamed…

“Ooh…” said Ben. “That’s gotta hurt…”

“Dark Magician,” ordered Yumi, “dark magic attack!”

The older Spellcaster fired an even more powerful blast, and Rasputin screamed and was sent toppling backwards.

“I stand corrected,” said Ben. “THAT’S gotta hurt!”



(Y: 5,000) -------------------- (R: 3,400)


The audience rose to their feet and cheered as Rasputin struggled to his feet.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time!” laughed Yumi. “Anyway, I’ll place another card facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared, next to the one she had set on her first turn.

Rasputin shook his head. His ears were ringing.

“That hurt…” he muttered.

He paused.

“THAT HURT!” he screamed.

He looked at Yumi, just to make sure that the red aura from the thrall powder was still there.

Oh, that does it, he thought. Once she’s my slave, no job I could think up will be too humiliating…

He looked at her side of the field.

One of those facedown cards MUST be Magic Cylinder. What other Trap could she have set?

He drew a card.

“I play… Chaos Greed,” he said, playing it. “Since at least four of my cards have been removed from play, and my Graveyard is empty, I get to draw two cards.”

He drew twice. He looked at the cards.

Then he laughed. He laughed out loud.

Here it comes… thought Yumi, sweating.

“Well look here, Yumi,” he said, playing a card. “It’s an old friend of yours!”

Once again, the roaring flame appeared on his side of the field. The two demonic eyes peered out of it…

Gren Maju Da Eiza had arrived.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-024.jpg


“Have you been keeping track, Yumi?” asked Rasputin. “In case you haven’t, I’ve removed twenty of my cards from play so far…”

(8,000/8,000)

“You say you waited a long time to make that attack?” he shouted, pointing at Dark Magician Girl. “I’ve been waiting to make this one ever since that whore cost me the God Cards!”

Everyone in the crowd gasped.

Yumi looked at Dark Magician Girl, who looked close to tears.

“Keep calm…” whispered Yumi. “He won’t get away with that…”

“Gren Maju Da Eiza…” ordered Rasputin.

Dark Magician Girl trembled in fear as flames danced over the Chaos Fiend’s exoskeleton.

“Kill Dark Magician Girl! Fires of Chaos!”

The blast of white-hot fire shot towards Dark Magician Girl…

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Yumi. “Mirror Force!”

Her Trap Card lifted.

“Mirror Force?” said Rasputin, with a smirk. “Well, I was expecting something else… But no matter…

“Activate Trap Jammer!”

His own Trap Card lifted…

“Hold on, Rasputin…” said Yumi. “Did you forget about my other facedown card?”

Her second Trap Card lifted.

“Activate… Dark Bribe!”

“HUH?” exclaimed Rasputin. “Dark Bribe?”

“Yep,” said Yumi. “It’s a Counter Trap to counter your Trap. In exchange for a small bribe on my part, letting you draw one card, your Trap Jammer… well, it jams.”

Rasputin growled as he drew one card. Trap Jammer exploded into shards.

“And that means my Mirror Force is still good to go!”

As the flames shot towards Dark Magician Girl, a shimmering plane of force appeared in front of her. The flames backfired back on Gren Maju Da Eiza, and the Fiend exploded into burning particles.

Dark Magician hugged his apprentice, who was still crying a little.

“Don’t worry, you two,” said Yumi.

She turned to Rasputin.

“It’s over, Rasputin!”

Rasputin chuckled.

“Not yet, it isn’t, dear child…” he said. “My Chaos Fiend is coming right back.”

“Oh, how?” asked Yumi. “You’ve already used your Normal Summon for this round, so even if one of those three cards in your hand is another one, you can’t summon it. And thanks to your own Chaos Distill, the one that was just destroyed is gone for good.”

“I beg to differ!” said Rasputin, taking a card from his hand. “Proceeding to my second Main Phase, I play Dimension Distortion!”

A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.

“Dimension Distortion?” said Ben. “I’ve… never heard of that one.”

“I must admit, even I’m clueless,” said Natalie.

“I suppose even former champions need a lesson now and then,” said Rasputin. “Dimension Distortion is actually a common card, but very few duelists use it, because it’s almost never useful. See, I can only use it when there are no cards in my Graveyard.

“But when that condition is met, I can Special Summon a Monster that has been removed from play, without paying a dime.”

A portal ripped open in the fabric of space behind him.

“Guess who it is.”

Gren Maju Da Eiza crawled out of the portal, and landed on the ground. It roared.

“And by the way, since my Chaos Distill just removed Trap Jammer and Dimension Distortion from play, he’s even stronger now.”

(8,800/8,800)

“Heh, heh… I end my turn.”

Rasputin looked at the last two cards in his hand.

Fairy Meteor Crush, which had been there in first place, and Giant Trunade, which he had drawn due to Dark Bribe.

This duel is mine, he thought. Even if she switches her Monsters to Defense Mode on her turn, one mighty blast from my Fiend will finish her once I Equip it with Fairy Meteor Crush.

And if she tries to defend herself with any Traps again, my Giant Trunade will blow them off the field.

Yumi drew a card.

“Okay Rasputin…” she said. “I play… Instant Fusion!”

“Instant Fusion?” he said. “What the…”

“Yeah, you know…” said Yumi, playing the card. “Instant Fusion. I play 1,000 Life Points, add a little water, and poof… I get to summon a Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck. It has to be Level Five or less, but this guy is sort of a family heirloom… Before my grandfather Joey won Red-Eyes from Rex Raptor, it was his favorite card. And even after he had Red-Eyes for a long time, this Warrior still held a place in his heart…

“So come on out… Flame Swordsman!”

A burst of fire appeared on Yumi’s side of the field, and a mighty Warrior in blue and orange, wearing a helmet and carrying a bronze greatsword stepped out of the fire. (1,800/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en100.jpg


“What’s the point?” asked Rasputin. “Since you summoned him with Instant Fusion, he can’t attack, and he’ll be destroyed when you end your turn…”

He paused.

Then a realization hit him.

“Unless…”

“That’s right, Rasputin!” said Yumi with a grin, as she held up another card. “I summoned him with Instant Fusion… So I could use him in a real fusion!

“Dark Magician… Flame Swordsman…”

The Spellcaster and the Warrior nodded to each other. The Polymerization card appeared behind them.

“GO!”

The two Monsters leapt into the sky, and swirled into a blur of violet and orange. Dark Magician Girl looked up in wonder, as her Attack Score rose to 2,300…

Then, a new Warrior landed next to her. He was clad in black armor and a helmet, with crimson streaks, with a flowing cape, carrying a gleaming sword and a very large shield with a flaming pattern on it. (2,200/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr-017.jpg


“The Dark Flare Knight!” shouted Rasputin.

“That’s his name, don’t wear it out,” said Yumi. “And it seems you’re far more familiar with his special ability than the Big Five was.

“Dark Flare Knight… Attack Gren Maju Da Eiza!”

The void of Mechanus turned dark, and the evil Lord of Chaos roared in bloodlust, and the modrons huddled in fright. But Dark Flare Knight faced the beast without fear. The crowd gasped, as he lifted his sword. It shone in the dim light…

He charged the great demon, his cape flying behind him.

Gren Maju Da Eiza bellowed, and blasted its flame to meet the attack. Even as the overwhelming heat struck him, Dark Flare Knight continued to charge, until it was too much, and the blast reduced him to cinders.

“Perfect!” said Yumi, giving a thumbs up. “As you no doubt know, Rasputin, when Dark Flare Knight falls in battle, my Life Points are untouched. What’s more, with the death of his mortal body, his true, divine form is released…”

The darkness of the void lit up, and a brilliant figure descended from the heavens. It was another Warrior, this one wearing armor of solid gold, carrying a halberd with a sharp, golden blade.

He glared at Rasputin and his Monster… (2,800/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr-018.jpg


“And Mirage Knight has an even greater ability,” said Yumi. “He absorbs the Attack Score of whatever opponent he’s battling.

“And since Gren Maju Da Eiza’s base Attack Score is indeterminate, and therefore determined by whatever its effect gives it…”

Mirage Knight raised his halberd…

(11,600/2,000)

”Eleven-thousand, six-hundred?!” screamed Rasputin.

“Mirage Knight…” ordered Yumi, “slay Gren Maju Da Eiza!”

Mirage Knight flew into the air, leaving a trail of pure light in his wake. For the very first time, the expression of Gren Maju Da Eiza’s face could be described as terror…

The divine Warrior slashed with his weapon, and the Lord of Chaos screamed in an earsplitting death throws…

The explosion from the dying beast sent geysers of flame skyward, lighting up the void in flashy pyrotechnics…



(Y: 4,000) -------------------- (R: 600)


Rasputin was sweating heavily.

“Well, Yumi…” he said with a sneer. “I’ll admit you had me worried there for a minute… But I still have 600 Life Points left, and when you end your turn, your Mirage Knight will disappear, so I’m not finished just…”

“Who said I’m ending my turn?” interrupted Yumi. “It’s still my Battle Phase, and I still have another Monster who can attack.”

Rasputin slowly looked away from Mirage Knight…

Dark Magician Girl smiled sweetly, and waved at him.

“Dark Magician Girl…” said Yumi. “Finish this…”

Dark Magician Girl flew towards Rasputin.

“No…” he shouted. “Stay away from me, you…”

He screamed as Dark Magician Girl cast her spell, and he fell to his knees.



(Y: 4,000) -------------------- (R: 0)


“Humph!” said Dark Magician Girl, turning her back to him.

Slowly, the crowd started to get up. One person started to clap, and followed by several more, and then the whole stadium was applauding.

Delmato lifted Yumi’s hand.

“Yumi is the winner!” he exclaimed.

Rasputin was still on his knees.

“I… I lost…” he muttered.

He looked at Yumi.

The red aura was already turning brown. The thrall powder was rotting.

He watched as it turned black, and then crumbled into nothing.

Rasputin spilled his cards on the ground.

“How could I have lost…” he said, dumbfounded. “It was a perfectly devised strategy… The logic behind it was impeccable…”

“Rasputin…” said Yumi. “With some folks, you can’t measure their strength using logic.

“And let me tell you… In this crazy world, where things don’t always make sense, and nothing is ever for certain, a little faith can work wonders.”

Rasputin bowed his head. He took the Rod of the Ancients from his belt, and looked at it.

It’s over… he thought. My last plan has failed…

I… I give up…

One quick incantation will sever my ties with the Rod… Then I’ll simply give it to her. The police would just take it from me anyway…

He closed his eyes.

Then he paused.

“There is another way, you know,” said a voice.

He opened his eyes.

He was in darkness.

“Who said that?” he asked.

Then he paused.

“Oh, it’s you…” he muttered. “I figured you were watching over me… So were the both of you hovering over me now? Which one of you is holding the other’s leash, might I ask?”

“Now, now…” said the voice. “I want to be friends, Rasputin…”

“I have no friends,” replied Rasputin.

“And whose fault is that?” asked the voice. “You could have found ways to make friends, Rasputin… You could have been more social… Taking a bath more often would have helped.

“But seriously, I wouldn’t give away this Rod just yet… As you know, you have no idea what it can do…

“Me, on the other hand, I know a great deal more.

“I can get you all eight of the Charms, Rasputin, but you must stop rejecting the help that’s been offered you for so long. The Power Wall card was only a taste of what true power can accomplish.”

“Bah!” snapped Rasputin.

Then he sighed.

“What do I need to do?” he asked.

“The first thing you must do,” said the voice, “is finalize the deal you made so long ago. I know it will be taking a risk that you never intended to take, but I can only help you so much. That fool you made the deal with can handle Yumi… I’ll help with the rest.

“Just follow me, and who knows? Maybe we could be partners.”

Rasputin snarled.

“Fine, have it your way,” said the voice. “But do what you’re told for now.”

Rasputin opened his eyes, and saw that, while he was talking, he had left the Coliseum and walked outside. His deck was gone – he had likely left it spilled on the floor – but he didn’t care. He had decided never to use Gren Maju Da Eiza again, if he ever dueled again.

He took out his cell phone and hit the multi-call button. He spoke into it.

“Olga, Nicholas, Louis,” he said. “Meet me at the backup.”

Meanwhile, Ren and Chelsea were hugging each other.

“All right!” shouted Ren. “Yumi beat that creep! Sam had better watch out!”

“Sorry you two…” said Erik. “Sam is going to pound her into the pavement.”

“Oh?” said Ren. “Want a bet?”

“Actually…” said Erik, “I do…”

He held up his badge.

“I got twenty dollars left on this,” he said. “I’ll bet it against everything that’s left on yours, Ren, that Sam wins tomorrow.”

Ren paused. He had twenty-five left on his himself…

He looked at the badge.

Oh, what the heck, he thought. I can’t redeem it anywhere else anyway…

“You’re on,” he said.



* * * * * * * * * *


Six o’clock.

Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea were in the V.I.P. lounge, eating pizza that Sheena had graciously provided. Sam and Erik had gone out to eat for their own private celebration.

Ren was laughing.

“Aw, Yumi, did you see the look on Rasputin’s face when your Mirage Knight blew that Fiend to Kingdom Come?” he asked. “It was priceless!”

Yumi chuckled herself.

Chelsea sighed, and looked at her pizza. It was extra cheese, pepperoni, and mushroom – a combination she usually loved – but she felt a bit empty.

“You gonna be all right, Chels?” asked Ren.

“I suppose so…” she replied. “I so much wanted to beat Sam… I at least wanted to try to duel Yumi for the title… But I guess I couldn’t make it…”

Yumi sighed.

She had supported Chelsea, but in reality, a small part of her was glad that Sam had won. She wanted to duel Sam more than she wanted to duel anyone. More than Rasputin, more than anyone on this island…

She was Yugi Mouto’s descendent… Sam was Seto Kaiba’s descendent. The two of them were fated to confront each other. It had been decided so long ago that they would be rivals, and would likely repeat itself with each generation.

She put her hand on Chelsea’s shoulder.

“Tell you what, Chelsea,” she said, “once the tournament is over and we deal with Rasputin, I’ll duel you again, with both our decks at their full strength. It may not be on worldwide television for a huge prize, but at least we can duel as mature duelists.”

Chelsea smiled.

“You’re on,” she said.

She bit into the pizza.

“So… Where do you suppose Rasputin and his henchmen went anyway?”

“Eh, he won’t get off the island,” said Ren. “Sheena has her eye on him, and she’ll make sure of that.”

Yumi nodded.

“Yeah…” she said with a smile. “Once we find out where he went, we just have to win the Rod from him. Seeing as we smashed his spirit to pieces, it should be relatively easy.

“After all… Tomorrow is another day.”

She held up a card and looked at it.

It was the Chaos Necromancer card.

She had gone through her deck twice. There weren’t any other surprises in it.

“Yumi,” said the Pharaoh’s voice. “You realize that there’s only one explanation for how it got in your deck. Rasputin put it there when he shuffled your deck.”

“But why?” asked Yumi. “If I had just the right number of Monsters in my Graveyard, it might have been able to get by Messenger of Peace and still defeat his Alchemy Beasts!

“Could the card be magic?”

“No,” said the Pharaoh. “I can’t detect even a small trace of magic in it. It’s just a normal card.

“Clearly, this was meant as a message of some sort…

“But whether it was some sort of threat, warning, or something else entirely, I don’t know… I don’t understand it any more than you do.”



* * * * * * * * * *


In her office, Sheena’s phone rang. She answered it.

“Arachne here,” she said.

“Ms. Arachne?” said a stern voice at the other end. “It’s Akuma. Good news. The head of Jarvis and Micawber cracked.”

“So he told the authorities that Rasputin was behind the break-in?” asked Sheena.

“Better,” replied Akuma. “You should have seen the guy. First he gets there an hour late. He was really upset about having to actually show up, and told the judge that he wanted it done with quickly because he had an appointment in an hour. The judge told him to sit down because he was going to miss it. He started to argue, but the judge threatened to hold him in contempt.

“After the charges were read, he tried to motion for dismissal three times based on three loopholes that he thought would help, but we were expecting all three, and presented documented proof that they were irrelevant.

“Then we presented the recorded conversation between him and the spy that was recorded while the break-in occurred. He got nervous and said it was inadmissible evidence – we had proof that it wasn’t.

“That’s when reality finally sank in. He pretty much panicked. Apparently, being threatened with jail was a new concept to him. He’s spilling his guts completely now.

“He’s telling Scotland Yard everything. He told them that Rasputin is the head of no less than eight underworld organizations in Europe and elsewhere, including the League of Ascension, and that they’ve been handling the legal cases for all of them.

“Incidentally, a lot of convictions and lawsuits that Jarvis and Micawber were responsible for are likely going to be overturned soon, and they’re all likely going to have to apply for informant status to avoid going to prison now. But anyway…”

“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” said Sheena. “You’re doing great. Me, on the other hand, I’ll get you the big fish.”

She hung up and then dialed a number.

“Commander Descartes?” she said. “Yes, it’s me… I want an APB put out. Find Rasputin. I want him arrested. Don’t listen to any excuses or threats that he makes, period. I’m labeling him a Class-8 criminal, and you are not to treat him as a single rank lower.

“I also want Olga Warren, Nicholas Algernon, and that bodyguard of his brought in, but they are secondary concerns.

“Tell every boat and transport leaving the island to screen every passenger carefully. If someone tries to leave that even might be Rasputin or one of his henchmen, have them use Code B27 to disable the engines and call the nearest squad. They aren’t leaving, and they aren’t going to hijack a boat either.

“And by the way… This suspect should be considered armed and dangerous. I’m authorizing use of lethal force if that becomes necessary. Be prepared to use hostage rescue tactics and special techniques. Be prepared for anything.”

“Affirmative,” said Descartes’s voice.

Sheena got up and looked out the window.

It was incredibly rare that she assigned Class-8 to someone she wanted brought in. To put it simply, there was no such thing as Class-9.

“There’s no place left to hide, pal,” she whispered. “You should have known better than to unleash the Lord of Chaos upon the Plane of Ultimate Law…”



* * * * * * * * * *


In a dark place, Rasputin was standing in a design he had drawn with chalk. It was a circle, in which was drawn a five-pointed star…

A pentagram.

At each point of the star was a lit candle, made of black wax.

He started to chant in a language known only to a select few mortals. The flame of the candles turned from orange to green, and ominous mists appeared in the room.

Two glowing, red eyes appeared in front of him out of the mists.

A voice spoke from where the eyes were. It was deep and commanding… And sounded downright annoyed.

“You have some nerve calling me, Rasputin,” said the voice. “It’s been how long? Three hundred years? Four hundred? Even I lose track after a while.

“You think you’re so smart just because you managed to avoid paying up after we made our deal. Well let me tell you…”

“Look, I’m going to do what you want, okay?” replied Rasputin. “I want you to fulfill the third and final request in our contract.”

The glowing eyes narrowed.

“Like I said,” said the voice, “you have a lot of nerve. However, I am bound to fulfill your request by the best of my ability. What is it?”

“I want you to seize the Crown of Souls and Gale Shield from Yumi Mouto and deliver them to me,” said Rasputin.

“A tall order,” said the voice. “I may be powerful, Rasputin, but even I am bound by the rules set by the Sorcerer Kings. Neither I nor anyone under me can simply grab her and steal the Charms… They can only be won. Nor can I force her to submit to me due to our own rules. Due to the terms of the Pact Primeval…”

“Yeah, yeah,” snarled Rasputin. “I know all about the Pact Primeval. I read the paperback. A mortal can’t be forced to commit or serve evil, they can only be encouraged or tempted.

“So win them then! Use whatever it takes… Offer her access to the Garden of Delights as a wager if you have to, I don’t know… It doesn’t even have to be Duel Monsters… Offer to play checkers with her or something. Maybe someone can beat her at that.

“And once you get it, do with her whatever you please. Throw her into the Pit of Flame… I really don’t care…”

The eyes stared at him again.

“Very well, Rasputin…” he said. “I have someone who can at least make an attempt. By this time tomorrow, you will know whether or not his attempt at that matter was successful.”

The eyes vanished.

In the Iron Tower, in the fiendish, iron city, the dark figure brooded on his metal throne.

He hadn’t told Rasputin this, but as they were talking just then, he had scanned the forefront of his mind, and had learned his immediate plans.

He tapped his clawed fingers on the throne’s armrest.

In the dark figure’s mind, he formed an idea.

“Read the paperback, he says…” he muttered. “He mocks the document that defines our existence… He has some nerve…

“If I deliver the Charms to Rasputin, the chances of me collecting what I was promised in our bargain may go from slim to almost nonexistent…

“But due to the terms of the contract we made so long ago, I must attempt to deliver what he was promised, or the contract will become void…

“He suggested that I tempt Yumi with access to the Garden of Delights, something I often use to tempt mortals… He suggested I use a challenge other than Duel Monsters…”

He tapped his fingers together…

He grinned and shook his head.

“But those were merely suggestions, and I don’t have to take them to heart.

“No… I will send someone to challenge Yumi at her own game, and offer a wager that she will not possibly refuse…

“Thus… Even if the challenge is lost… I still come out the winner…”

Victory! Yumi has finally defeated Rasputin! But now what? It seems another player, or even a couple, have entered the conflict, and it doesn’t bode well for Yumi. But for now, Yumi goes on to the final round, where the cycle repeats itself, and Sam waits for her. The rivalry between the Moutos and the Kaibas is about to explode into a battle again… What will be the outcome?



ALCHEMY BEAST – SALAMANDRA THE STEEL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 3
ATK: 500
DEF: 500

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Steel Lamp”. This card can attack your opponent directly.



ALCHEMY BEAST – OUROBOROS THE BRONZE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 500
DEF: 500

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Bronze Scales”. This card can attack your opponent directly.



ALCHEMY BEAST – LEON THE LEAD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 500
DEF: 500

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Lead Compass”. This card can attack your opponent directly.



ALCHEMY BEAST – AITOS THE TIN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Winged Beast/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 3
ATK: 500
DEF: 500

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Tin Spell Circle”. This card can attack your opponent directly.



ALCHEMY BEAST – ECHENEIS THE MERCURY (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fish/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 3
ATK: 500
DEF: 500

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Mercury Hourglass”. This card can attack your opponent directly.



ALCHEMY BEAST – MOONFACE THE SILVER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 500
DEF: 500

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Silver Key”. This card can attack your opponent directly.



CHAOS DISTIL (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A weird copper kettle, covered with gauges, dials, and tubes.

Card Description: When this card is face-up on your side of the field, all cards that would normally go to your own Graveyard are removed from play instead.



STEEL LAMP (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: An old oil lamp made of steel with an open flame.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when “Chaos Distil” is active on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Alchemy Beast – Salamandra the Steel” from your hand or deck.



BRONZE SCALES (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A wiry old balance made of bronze.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when “Chaos Distil” is active on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Alchemy Beast – Ouroboros the Bronze” from your hand or deck.



LEAD COMPASS (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A man standing before a compass the size of a table.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when “Chaos Distil” is active on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Alchemy Beast – Leon the Lead” from your hand or deck.



TIN SPELL CIRCLE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A metal disk inlaid with strange runes.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when “Chaos Distil” is active on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Alchemy Beast – Aitos the Tin” from your hand or deck.



MERCURY HOURGLASS (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: An hourglass floating in space among weird-looking clocks.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when “Chaos Distil” is active on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Alchemy Beast – Echeneis the Mercury” from your hand or deck.



SILVER KEY (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: An old key standing point-down over a summoning circle.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when “Chaos Distil” is active on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Alchemy Beast – Moonface the Silver” from your hand or deck.



BLACK PROCESS NIGREDO (Spell Card)

Image: A collage of colors with black being dominant.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when you have “Chaos Distil” active on your side of the field, and this is the only card in your hand. Destroy all “Alchemy Beast” Monsters on your side of the field. For each Monster destroyed by this effect, draw two cards from your deck.



WHITE PROCESS ALBRED (Spell Card)

Image: A collage of colors with white being dominant.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when you have “Chaos Distil” active on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Golden Homunculus” from your hand or deck.

Note: The proceeding cards were all first used by Banner in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Amnael’s Endgame (Part One)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Chelsea: We’ve reached the final round…

Ren: I guess it had to happen, didn’t it? It’s been like a cycle…

Erik: It’s a feud that began almost when Duel Monsters was invented, and it likely will continue until it becomes obsolete…

Yumi: Sam and I have dueled before, but she’s more powerful than ever… This time, she’s truly facing me as a Kaiba, and I’m more of a Mouto than ever. Our truce is officially over.

The conflict that my grandfather and her great uncle started so long ago… One that was fated to begin thousands of years ago… A new chapter is about to be written…

Will this rivalry ever end?

I hope not… It’s too much fun!

Coming up next, “The Mounting Heavens of Celestia; Yumi versus Sam”.

Sam: I’m heading for the mountain top, Yumi… And I’m gonna throw you off of it!

[Shuppet Master]

Lust for power makes people do dumb things…

:waycool: Dibs for sigging this! I have to agree with Sam. Take Sylar from "Heroes." (stuff deleted to avoid spoilage)

Great duel, I wasn't expecting Raz to use Banner's card, nor was I expecting Mirage Knight, but it makes sense.

Raz is in deep "trouble" now and is making a deal with the devil, and now Yumi is going to be challenged by a new threat. Duelatopia is about to witness another demon war, so to speak. :D

[jkBAKURA]

Ok, I just read this, and I'm going to be upfront about two things.

One: I can print a copy of this chapter, and Derik vs. Seskera, and draw thick red lines between the two. Gren as the finisher, Mirage Knight beating it, Villain goes down in the Semis...

Second: this chapter fits the dictionary definition of Anti-climax.

After the ferocious decks used thus far, Alchemy Beasts was a step back, and what's more, there wasn't even much to properly defend them. There wasn't even really a stratagy, or rather there were too many that tripped over each-other.

The theme is sorely lacking without Macro. You'd think Raz would have known better. Breaker and Dark Magic Attack are easily accessible in a Spellcaster deck.

I'm sorry, but this officially makes Rasputin go from a laughable villain about as threatening as Team Rocket, to a pathetic waste of space that can be ignored entirely.

As for Yumi, *groan* Seriously she played about 4 monsters. Necromancer did NOTHING to make me uneasy, and was more annoying then anything. And I really expected Kycoo to be her counter.

I have sensed ZERO ominous threat from the very get go, and it's probably too late by now to start one.

You've had some good ideas Brian, but they can't be repeated. I read this now, and I see Mandate of Heaven with a name change. I half expect an escaped Sarius to be behind all of this.

I'l see it through to the end, I finish the stories I start, but in the meantime, I wonder if Blademaster still has "3.0 Next of Kin" floating around somewhere.

[Mystic_clown]

I feel I should voice my dissapointment too.

We all knew from the start that Rasputin would loose. You wouldn't have Yumi be defeated a second time. While the alchemist theme suited Rasputin in a way (considering he is an alchemist), but yeah, it just didn't have the same appeal as when Banner used it. I was actually hoping Gren wouldn't appear in this chapter, since Golden Humonculus made an appearance.

I'm just going to say it, Flame Swordsman came out of nowhere, mainly because it just doesn't fit.

And yeah, Rasputin just seems pathetic now. Pretty much everything crumbled around him after his duel with Erik and we both know he's never going to get a second chance. You'd think at least one of his plans would work. Speaking of which, with thrall powder being the forbidden formula, I was expecting something a little more, um, evil, and stronger.

[Dark Sage]

I'd like to say a few things. For starters, I'm a little disappointed in this fic myself.

I realize it got a little away from me. I'd love to end it prematurely to work on the new fic I'm planning. However, this fic must reach its conclusion before that one can start. Its ending is needed for the plot of the new one.

So, I'll see this one through to the end, and try to salvage it to make it a little better.

However, I've learned my lesson. I realize that sequels often diminish in quality, but the one I'm planning is one that I'm planning extra hard. I'm getting some help, and I promise to learn from my mistakes.

I ask everyone to bear with me. I'm going to publish what I have of this fic more often, and I predict it will be done with by the end of the first week of February. After that, I'll take a break, and when I'm sure I have what I truly desire, then I'll start something new. And I won't make the same mistakes.

I'm sorry for any disappointing chapters.

[Shuppet Master]

You remind me of Tim Kring when he apologized for the second season of Heroes, even though that season was pretty good. It did have some weak points, and it's being rushed to the conclusion, but that's because of some @#$^@ writers' guild who thinks that the Internet is big money and want their piece of the pie. :mad:

Anyways, while those strange planet dudes(sorry, I forgot the names) would have kicked Gren's buttocks to eternity and back again and would have made more sense, I know you were trying to avoid copying the duel between Jaden and Banner.

Here's to hoping for the best.

(PS: If you need my help, feel free to PM me. I'm still busy planning out my stories, so I have plenty of time. :D)

[Hinoryu]

A second absolute hard drive failure has kept me from reviewing again until now, but... well, from what I've been hearing, I had no choice but to review.

I understand how you're disappointed, Brian. It's... I apologize for being blunt, but this fic is a trainwreck. Yumi is boring to read, Rasputin is just a joke by this point, and so on. In the interest of avoiding a tl;dr, I won't voice all my problems with previous chapters, and will just stick with the newest one.

Mirage Knight reeks of copout. Yumi has always been a character that I really just had to force myself to read, frankly. It feels too... I'm not sure how to phrase it. Too 'wrong', I guess. Yumi seems to know everything ever and exactly how to counter it. That's no fun to read. And the deck feels more like you're just forcing the Mutou legacy along.

On Rasputin... He had potential, but he just isn't worth reading anymore. If you're going to write a story where the good guys beat the bad guys, the good guys still can't win every single battle. You set Rasputin up as some sort of amazing figure with connections everywhere... And now, he's completely worthless as a character. He just can't capture my interest anymore.

As well, your jokes and quips are often... just, falling flat. It feels like your jokes are forced half the time, and just detract from the story rather than help it.

I know the review was harsh, but it really did need to be said. I'll be continuing to read the fic until the end in hopes it will get better, but... It will take a miracle to pull this fic out of its nosedive, honestly.

[Shuppet Master]

Last time I tried to say my mind about stuff like this, I was accused of being a sucker-up, so I will try to avoid biasing my words here, but, like Hinoryu said, this has to be said.


Mirage Knight reeks of copout. Yumi has always been a character that I really just had to force myself to read, frankly. It feels too... I'm not sure how to phrase it. Too 'wrong', I guess. Yumi seems to know everything ever and exactly how to counter it. That's no fun to read. And the deck feels more like you're just forcing the Mutou legacy along.

That's sort of the danger with creating a drescendant for Yugi Mouto. Every deck who is the true-blood child of Yugi has to use the Dark Magician because it was his legacy, and that means the deck will have many of the cards Yugi has(Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magician support, etc.) - you can't create a decent Dark Magician deck without having it connect to the one who first used that monster, Yugi.

The problem with saying your character is the kid/grandkid/descendant of a character is that you risk copying said character's deck. One story I read had the granddaughter of Seto Kaiba using the Blue Eyes White Dragons and her deck was similar to Kaiba's.

Yes, Brian has been unable to break out of the "Dark Magician = Yugi" mindset with all his characters who used said card. (Stan from Thousand-Year Door uses the Dark MAgician, and calls himself Yugi's apprentice, go figure.) But honestly, that's something you have to expect. If I tried to write a character who was the grandson of Jaden Yuki, people would demand he run an Elemental Hero deck. If I wrote a character who was the niece of Alexis Rhodes, people would scream "where are the Cyber Angels?"

Sad, really. I'd love to see a character who didn't know who Yugi Mouto was(not easy since Yugi's a celeb) and still run a decent Dark Magician Deck without people asking if he was Yugi's apprentice/boy lover/twin brother under the witness protection program.

[Dark Sage]

Happy Thanksgiving.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely in one of two situations: You’re hungry and waiting for dinner to be served, or you’re fighting off the fatigue that the tryptophan in the turkey has caused. Maybe you’re waiting for the big football game to come on, if that catches your fancy.

Anyway, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family on Tuesday, since I couldn’t go home today because of my work schedule. So, I figured I celebrate with you today, with my new chapter.

I think this is better than my last one. Enjoy.

Again, happy Turkey Day. And save a slice of pie for me.




CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN



Mounting Heavens of Celestia



Yumi versus Sam



It was ten o’clock the next morning.

Yumi sat on the edge of her bed in her luxurious suite, going over her deck one more time, one that she had reworked, hopefully to prepare for Sam.

She knew that Sam wasn’t dumb… She had likely done the same and prepared for her.

And now she was more nervous than she had been since she had gotten off the boat…

She gave Dark Magician Girl a long look before shuffling her back into the deck.

“Pre-duel butterflies?” said that familiar voice.

She turned, and saw the Pharaoh standing beside her.

Yumi shrugged.

“Weird, you know…” she mumbled. “Ever since that day when Seto Kaiba ripped Grandpa Mouto’s Blue-Eyes in half and my grandfather beat him with Exodia… The Moutos and the Kaibas have been rivals in every sense of the word…

“Sam and I only had an uneasy truce since this tournament started… As of noon, it’s officially called off.”

“I know, Yumi, I know…” said the Pharaoh. “It’s been like this for ages…”

He shook his head.

“My memory is still hazy, but I know of Kaiba’s counterpart… His ancestor… The original holder of the Millennium Rod… The rivalry was there back then too…

“But so was the uneasy alliance…

“Kaiba wasn’t always an enemy.”

Yumi nodded.

“You’re talking about the duel with Marik, right?” she asked. “Did he ever say why he gave grandpa that Fiend’s Sanctuary card?”

“No…” replied the Pharaoh. “I don’t even know if Kaiba knew why. Kaiba’s reason was, he wanted to believe that his helping Yugi wouldn’t be any help at all, and giving him the card would disprove any prophecies… But I’m sure that there were deeper reasons.”

“Well…” said Yumi with a sigh, “I guess that Sam and I really didn’t have much of a choice… We couldn’t back down from this duel even if we wanted too…

“Besides…”

She stood up. She smiled.

“I really don’t think I wanted to…”

The Pharaoh smiled back.

The Puzzle glowed with golden light. Yumi spread her arms, as the golden aura surrounded her.

Her eyes narrowed, and her features turned feral. She slipped the Duel Disk on her arm.

“It’s time to duel…” she said.



* * * * * * * * * *


As the visual screens played footage of past Duelatopias, and the seats filled up, the V.I.P. seats were looking pretty empty. Only Ren and Chelsea were there right now.

“So where’s Rasputin and his goon squad?” asked Ren.

“Haven’t you heard?” replied Chelsea. “They’re fugitives now. Sheena found someone willing to testify that he’s behind the League of Ascension. Once the Centurions find where he’s hiding, it’ll be all over.”

“Thank goodness,” said Ren with a sigh. “So where’s Erik?”

“Acting as Sam’s corner man,” replied Chelsea. “I offered to do the same for Yumi, but she said she could handle herself.”

At a far end of the arena, Erik was mopping Sam’s brow with a towel.

“Okay, baby, now remember,” he said, “watch out for facedown cards… You know she has a Mirror Force.”

“Yes…” said Sam.

“And if she activates A Hero Emerges, look close, and choose the card she isn’t looking at. That’s the trick to it.”

“Yes…” said Sam.

“And that Dark Paladin of hers can negate your Spells, so save your best Traps for…”

“Erik, please!” shouted Sam. “You trying to make me more nervous than I am?”

She panted.

“Water…”

Erik took a squirt bottle and lifted it to her mouth. Then he wiped her brow again.

“Why are vacation resorts always in the tropics?” she muttered.

“So people can go there in the winter,” replied Erik. “Now get out there and make your dad proud! Don’t forget, I got twenty clams on you.”

“I’m going to have to duel with twenty clams on me?” said Sam. “Gonna be pretty cumbersome…”

“A regular comedian…” muttered Erik. “Just win, okay!”

Fireworks started to burst in the sky again, and Ben Fulton and Natalie Malone appeared again.

“Hello everybody!” shouted Natalie. “It’s been a long and winding road, as the Beatles once said, but we have finally reached the end point…”

“And what an end point!” replied Ben. “A lot of you may not know about it, but there is significance in this final duel of the finals that cannot be denied.

“Once upon a time, there were two little duelists named Yugi Mouto and Seto Kaiba. One was the host of the legendary King of Games… The other was the most powerful man in the gaming world.”

“These two little duelists defeated scores of opponents during their long careers,” said Ben. “But no doubt, their greatest matches were when they faced each other.”

“Eventually, the two hung up their Disks,” said Natalie. “But Yugi bore a son, while a nephew took up Kaiba’s legacy. When both came of age, the rivalry started again.”

“Will this cycle ever end?” asked Ben. “Well, I for one hope not. It won’t end today, that’s for sure, because Yugi Mouto Jr.’s daughter and Siegfried Kaiba’s daughter are both more than willing to take over where their fathers left off!”

More fireworks went off, and the crowd cheered.

“Introducing…” announced Ben, “the Princess of Games, who is vying for the title of Queen… Ms. Yumi Mouto!”

Half the crowd cheered, as Yumi stepped up to the center of the arena, where Sheena and Delmato were waiting.

“And her opponent, the heir to the Kaiba empire… Ms. Samantha Arachne!”

The other half of the crowd cheered, as Sam ran out, with a big smile on her face.

As she looked at her opponent, Sheena approached them.

“Okay you two…” she said, opening the Field slot on her Disk. “We’ve seen the depths of Hell, the Domain of the Beasts, the Realms of Law and Chaos…

“Now both of you will get a glimpse of the Blessed Realm… But only the winner of this duel will be allowed to enter…”

She placed a card in the Disk.

“The Mounting Heavens of Celestia!”

An overpowering light enveloped the arena. When everyone could see again, they were in a heavenly place, where the arena was dwarfed by a mountain of titanic size, reaching into the sky. Angelic beings hovered around them and overhead.

Their goal was behind Sheena: A pair of golden gates guarded by powerful-looking hosts with feathered wings.

“I trust no more needs to be said,” said Delmato. “Now each of you, cut and shuffle each other’s decks.”

The two swapped decks.

“Interesting, huh Yumi?” said Sam. “Whoever wins this duel will be allowed into Heaven, while the loser will be thrown out.

“Why don’t we up the stakes a little more… So the loser will be even more humiliated?”

“What do you have in mind?” asked Yumi. “I’m listening…”

“I’m suggesting that at the award ceremony tomorrow,” said Sam, “whoever loses presents the novelty award check to the winner.”

“I’m fine with that,” said Yumi.

“…wearing a bikini,” continued Sam.

Yumi paused. Sam grinned.

The audience was silenced.

Yumi frowned.

“What’s the matter, Yumi?” asked Sam. “Afraid to show your goods on global TV?”

“Fine,” she replied. “It’s a bet. Gimme.”

She took her deck back.

“Oh, for the love of…” muttered Ren. “Of all the crazy bets they could have made, that has to be the craziest!

“YUMI! You’d better win!”

Oh, I fully intend to… thought Yumi.

“All right…” said Delmato. “Players…

“Guests…

“GAME ON!”



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Sam: 8,000)


“Let’s start things out with a bang!” shouted Yumi, making her first draw.

“I summon…”

She threw a card down.

“…my Double Coston!”

A creeping shadow slipped across the field, and it formed into two black globs, with grinning faces. They were connected by a wispy tendril of ectoplasm. (1,700/1,650)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-078.jpg


“You call THAT starting off with a bang?” asked Sam. “Please… I can see what you’re planning from a mile away.”

“Uh, yeah…” said Yumi, taking a card from her hand. “I’m gonna play one more card, and that will be all for now…”

A facedown card appeared.

Sam made her first draw and looked over her hand.

She looked at the Trap Card she had… Something nasty she had put in her deck especially for Yumi.

Double Coston counts as two sacrifices when she uses it to summon a Dark Monster, she thought. She might be planning to summon Dark Magician, in which case, maybe I should let her…

But… it could also mean Dark Magician of Chaos… That would be bad…

Hmm… I don’t like that facedown card, but I’d better chance it…

“I summon… Archfiend Soldier!” she shouted.

In a burst of black smoke, the infernal shocktrooper appeared, holding his sword aloft. (1,900/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr-0571.jpg


“Attack her Double Coston!” she shouted.

Archfiend Soldier lifted his blade, and flew at the twin Zombies…

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Yumi, as her facedown card lifted. “Magic Cylinder!”

Sam’s eyes opened wide. Archfiend Soldier howled, as he was thrown back by a wave of energy. The backlash struck Sam, and she fell backwards on her behind.

“Let me guess…” growled Sam. “A leftover from your duel with Rasputin?”

“Uh huh,” replied Yumi. “I just didn’t draw it then.”



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (S: 6,100)


“With a well-placed Trap Card, Yumi has taken an early lead,” said Ben. “She’s ahead on points, and next round, she might be ahead on Monsters too.”

Okay… thought Sam. So attacking wasn’t the brightest idea…

“We’ll see about that,” she said. “I’ll set two of my cards facedown, and that will end my turn.”

Two facedown cards appeared behind Archfiend Soldier.

By all means, bring Dark Magician out, she thought. You’ll regret it this time…

Yumi drew a card.

“Time to get serious!” shouted Yumi. “I sacrifice Double Coston…”

The two-in-one Monster vanished.

“And I’ll bring out Dark Magician!”

In a flash of energy, the powerful sorcerer appeared, brandishing his staff. (2,500/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-001.jpg


“That’s just what I was waiting for, Yumi!” laughed Sam. “I activate my own Trap Card!”

Her facedown card lifted.

“Dora of Fate!”

A low tone sounded over the field, and then a large, bronze, ornate gong appeared behind Sam. Next to it was a nasty-looking gremlin holding a mallet.

“Dora of Fate?” asked Yumi.

“Let me explain,” said Sam. “When I activate this card during your turn, I choose one of your Monsters. Now let’s see… I think I’ll choose… your Dark Magician.

“Your Dark Magician is Level Seven. Now, if on my next turn, I manage to summon a Monster who’s exactly one Level lower than that, you get nailed for 500 points of damage for each Level of the Monster I just chose.

“Now isn’t that interesting?”

Yumi looked at Dark Magician.

She’s clearly planning to summon Ha Des… she thought.

“There’s one small problem with your plan, Sam,” she said. “You need a sacrifice to summon a Level Six Monster, and I’m about to blow your only Monster to Kingdom Come.

“Dark Magician… Attack the Archfiend Soldier!

“Dark magic attack!”

Dark Magician cast his spell, and Archfiend Soldier howled before exploding into black shards.



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (S: 5,500)


“I end my turn…” said Yumi, narrowing her eyes.

Sam chuckled and drew a card.

Her eyebrows raised as she saw what card it was.

Hmm… she thought. This is the card that Hoshi gave me before I went in to get those Dark World cards. It may be just what I need…

Her other facedown card lifted.

“Call of the Haunted?” gasped Yumi.

“Uh huh,” said Sam.

A stone coffin appeared on Sam’s side of the field. It slowly opened, and Archfiend Soldier stepped out. (1,900/1,500)

“Now I have a sacrifice…” said Sam. “So, Archfiend Soldier, take a hike…”

Archfiend Soldier vanished…

The sky above Celestia darkened, and a bonfire of black flames appeared on Sam’s side of the field.

Dark Ruler Ha Des had come again. (2,450/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mc1-en006.jpg


“In case you didn’t realize it,” said Sam, “Ha Des is Level Six. So how fast can you multiply seven times five-hundred?”

The gremlin smacked the gong with its mallet, and the tone rang over the whole field. Fire erupted over Yumi’s skin, and she screamed and fell to her knees.



(Y: 4,500) -------------------- (S: 5,500)


“This is a classic confrontation!” shouted Ben. “Both duelists have been hurt, and now, both of them have the aces of their decks out! What will be the outcome of this confrontation? It may be too tough to call!”

“Uhm, actually, Ben,” said Natalie, “unless Sam has the right Spell or Trap Card in her hand right now, it might be incredibly easy to call.”

“Our announcer makes a good point,” snarled Yumi, as she got up. “The oldest rule in Duel Monsters is that the stronger Monster wins the battle. And in case you didn’t notice, Dark Magician trumps the Dark Ruler by fifty points.”

“Maybe…” said Sam. “But I’m going to play a Field Spell.”

“What?” asked Yumi, almost laughing. “Yami? Mystic Plasma Zone? Both of those Fields will help Dark Magician as much as they’ll help your Fiends!”

Sam placed a card in her Field Slot.

“I play… Domicile of the Dark Ruler!” she shouted.

A shadow covered the field, and when it lifted, the glory of Celestia had faded away. Now, both of them were on a broken wasteland, filled with twisted trees and lava pits bubbling out of the ground. Most remarkably, a hideous palace of bones and skulls was behind Sam.

“Where are we?” asked Yumi. “Is this the Underworld?”

“More or less,” said Sam. “I end my turn.”

Yumi slowly drew a card.

Something’s up… she thought. This Field Spell hasn’t increased the scores of her Dark Ruler or decreased those of my Magician… but it must do something…

She played a card.

“I summon the newest member of my team,” she said. “Meet the Skilled White Magician!”

In a flash of light, a new Spellcaster appeared next to Dark Magician. He looked similar to Skilled Dark Magician, but with a less bulky robe, that was pure white, radiating a soft glow. (1,700/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/MFC-0641.jpg


Yumi shook her head. She had taken one of her three Skilled Dark Magicians out of her deck to make room for this guy, and she really hoped she had made the right choice. She was cautious about “trying something out” for such an important duel, but if this guy might help her summon Buster Blader, it would be worth it.

“Dark Magician…” she ordered. “Attack Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

Dark Magician blasted the Fiend lord with his burning magic… Ha Des shielded himself with his arm as he was struck by it…



(Y: 4,500) -------------------- (S: 5,450)


When the smoke cleared, Ha Des was still there, chuckling evilly.

“He survived?” asked Yumi.

“That’s the power Ha Des possesses in his home realm, Yumi,” said Sam. “See, this Field Spell can’t exist if Ha Des isn’t present… However, so long as this Field stands, Fiends cannot be destroyed in battle!”

“Very clever,” said Yumi. “But it’s still my turn…

“I play this Spell Card…”

A Spell Card appeared on her side of the field. The image showed a bird’s-eye view of the five Dark Scorpions sitting around a table that was strewn with loot.

“Share of Spoils?” asked Sam. “Never heard of that one…”

In two puffs of smoke, two treasure chests appeared in front of Yumi. One was red, and the other was blue.

“Consider this a little offering to the enemy,” said Yumi. “Each of these chests has a treasure, and you get to choose one.

“The red one lets you draw two cards.

“The blue one gives you 2,000 Life Points.”

“And why are you being so nice?” asked Sam. “There’s a catch, right?”

“Uh huh,” said Yumi. “After you choose, I get the one you didn’t choose. So think hard before you choose…”

Sam paused.

She looked at her hand.

If I’m gonna make any serious headway, I’m gonna have to take out her Dark Magician, thought Sam. I know from experience how dangerous he can be. And I have to draw something that can do it before she draws something that can tear my Field Spell down.

“All right…” she said. “I choose the red one…”

The red chest opened, and two cards floated out, glowing with golden energy.

Sam drew two cards and looked at them. She smirked, and added them to her hand.

“Now I get the blue one,” said Yumi, and the blue chest opened.

Golden dust flew out of the blue chest as it opened, and Yumi glowed with energy.

“I end my turn,” she said.



(Y: 6,500) -------------------- (S: 5,450)


“All right… Watch out!” shouted Sam.

She drew a card.

“Thanks for the free cards, Yumi,” she said. “One’s going facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“And the other one I’m using. Come on out… Opticlops!”

In another burst of dark energy, the horned, one-eyed ogre appeared with a roar. (1,800/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en131.jpg


“Ha Des… Attack the Skilled White Magician! Stygian blast!”

Ha Des put his hands together, and formed a ball of black flames. He hurled it at the Spellcaster, and he cringed before blasting into bits.



(Y: 5,750) -------------------- (S: 5,450)


“That’s all for my turn…” she said.

Yumi looked long and hard at the facedown card. Then she drew a card.

“I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode…” she said, placing a card on her Disk.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“By the way, I noticed that when Dark Magician attacked last time, you still lost Life Points. This Field doesn’t make you invulnerable.

“Dark Magician… Attack Opticlops!”

Dark Magician aimed his scepter.

“You actually fell for it!” laughed Sam.

Her facedown card lifted.

“I activate… Bark of Dark Ruler!”

Dark Ruler Ha Des roared.

“I’ll pay 700 Life Points, and you can kiss your Dark Magician goodbye!”

A dark aura appeared around Dark Magician, and he fell to an Attack of 1,800…

“That was just what I was expecting, Sam,” said Yumi. “When push comes to shove, you’re just as predictable as always…”

She threw a card into her Disk.

“I play Rush Recklessly. Now my Dark Magician gains back the 700 Attack Points that your Trap Card took from him. He won’t be leaving, but 700 more of your Life Points will be.”

Dark Magician fired his blast, and Opticlops shielded himself as it hit. The Fiend staggered backwards and howled in pain.

Sam cringed and started to sweat…



(Y: 5,750) -------------------- (S: 4,050)


“Your move…” said Yumi, crossing her arms.

Sam drew a card, and looked at it.

Okay… she thought, looking at her opponent. If I want to beat Yumi, then I’m gonna have to start thinking like I am Yumi…

She paused, and held her forehead with her hand.

I’m a blonde, teenage girl with a sarcastic attitude who wears a belly shirt and a gaudy pendant and goes to a hairstylist who likely flunked out of beauty school, and…

Okay… Yes… There… I think I got it…

Yumi is no idiot… She knows that Monsters with Flip-Effects are no good when Ha Des is on the field, so her facedown Monster is likely just a Monster with high defense…

Most likely Magician’s Valkyria… If I attacked her with Opticlops, the battle would be a draw.

However…

She played a card.

“I summon a second Archfiend Soldier!” she shouted.

In a burst of energy, another Archfiend appeared. (1,900/1,500)

“Attack her facedown Monster!” she shouted.

Archfiend Soldier leapt at the facedown Monster, and Magician’s Valkyria appeared, kneeling on the card. She shrieked before she was cut down.

Boy, I’m good… thought Sam. No way am I gonna have to wear that bikini!

“I end my turn,” she said.

Yumi drew a card.

“Okay, Sam,” she said, holding up a Spell Card. “I play… Dark Magic Attack.”

“Wha?” said Sam. “Dark Magic Attack? Isn’t that the name of the attack that Dark Magician uses? Why is it the name of a card?”

“It is, and here’s what it does,” said Yumi. “When Dark Magician is on my side of the field, it works just like Harpie’s Feather Duster.”

“But that means…” said Sam.

“That’s right…” said Yumi. “I hope you haven’t gotten too attached to this place.

“Dark Magician… Destroy the Domicile!”

Dark Magician raised his staff above his head, and chanted a mighty command. Lightning flashed in the sky, and the earth broke, and split apart. Dark Ruler Ha Des looked around in horror, as his castle… his home… was reduced to dust by the mighty spell…

Misty clouds rose from the ground. A light enveloped the area, and they were back at the foothills of Celestia again.

“Do you know what you’ve done?” said Sam, angrily. “You’re gonna regret that, Yumi!”

“I’m not done, Sam,” said Yumi. “That doesn’t count as an attack, you know.”

Sam looked at Ha Des in horror.

Dark Magician cast his spell, and Dark Ruler Ha Des roared before he burst into a cloud of embers and black smoke.



(Y: 5,750) -------------------- (S: 4,000)


Yumi’s supporters in the crowd cheered.

“The standoff is over and Dark Magician is the victor!” shouted Ben. “Sam had best do something fast, or she’s gonna regret making that wager in spades!”

“I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode, and let you go,” said Yumi.

A facedown Monster appeared.

Sam growled, and drew a card.

“Both of you… move to Defense Mode,” she said.

Opticlops and Archfiend Soldier knelt and shielded themselves.

“That’s all I can do…” she muttered.

“Fine by me…” said Yumi, drawing a card.

“Dark Magician, attack her Archfiend Soldier!”

Again, the Dark Magician cast his spell, and Archfiend Soldier exploded.

“This is quickly becoming less like a duel, and more like target practice for Yumi,” said Natalie. “I don’t know if poor Sam will be able to make a comeback after losing her best Monster.”

Sam drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed,” she said.

She played the card, and made two draws.

Her eyes opened, as she saw what one of them was.

She made a sinister smirk.

Ha Des may have been my star… she thought, but I have a stronger Monster than him…

And if I can take a little pain, I can take control of this duel…

“I pass,” she said, adding them to her hand. “Your move…”

Yumi drew a card.

“I summon… Skilled Dark Magician!” she shouted.

In a flash of light, the black-robed mage appeared, brandishing his staff. (1,900/1,700)



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“Skilled Dark Magician… Destroy Opticlops! Black magic blast!”

Skilled Dark Magician cast his spell, and the ogre was blown to pieces.

“Sam has nothing left!” shouted Ben. “Looks like she has nowhere to go but up in smoke!”

“You got that right!” shouted Yumi. “Dark Magician… Attack her directly!”

Dark Magician flew at Sam…

She screamed loudly as the mighty spell burned at her skin, shocking every nerve ending.

Sam doubled over, and gasped for breath…



(Y: 5,750) -------------------- (S: 1,500)


“Heh, heh…” chuckled Yumi. “So… How do you like that, Sam?”

Sam coughed, and took some deep breaths…

“Actually, I like it a lot, Yumi…” she said with a painful smile. “I was hoping you would attack me…”

There was silence in the arena.

“They say that what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger…” she said. “I’m not dead yet, and I’m about to become stronger that you can ever dream!

“You see, Yumi… I have a very special, incredibly rare Monster that I added to my deck just for the finals… And I’m allowed to Special Summon him when I lose Life Points when I have no cards on my side of the field…

“After all… Ha Des is King of the Underworld… He has a few incredibly powerful servants…

“Prepare yourself… I summon the Dark Ruler’s right-hand man… Come forward… Messenger of Ha Des – Gors!”

A column of flames shot up in front of her, and two glowing eyes appeared inside it…

A figure stepped out of the flames. It was a fiendish man in a studded, leather outfit and cape, wearing a leather mask under red hair, with blades on his wrists, holding a huge zanbatô. A dark aura surrounded him. He growled, and slammed his blade downward, driving the point into the ground. (2,700/2,500)



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“Ho… boy…” said Yumi.

“I’m not done!” snarled Sam. “Gors has two different effects. Which one I get to use depends on the type of damage I had to endure to summon him. Since it was battle damage, I get to summon his partner… Messenger of Ha Des – Kaien.”

Another flame appeared on the field, and a new figure walked out of it. It was a grim-faced woman in black armor and a Spartan helmet, carrying a pair of wavy swords. If her expression wasn’t so stern, she might actually have been considered attractive.

“Kaien is an angel who was thrown out of Heaven for being too violent,” said Sam. “She was just the type of warrior that the Dark Ruler was looking for. And as far as her Attack and Defense go, they’re equal to the amount of damage I took in order to summon Gors.”

(2,500/2,500)

Yumi looked at the two cards in her hand.

“Uh… I have to end my turn…” she muttered.

Sam drew a card.

“I summon Gil Garth,” she said.

In another burst of dark energy, the metal, robotic Fiend appeared. (1,800/1,200)



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“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” said Sam. “Gors… Attack the Dark Magician with Demonblade!”

Gors swung his huge sword as if it were as light as a feather, and slashed at Dark Magician. He grunted, and then shattered into bits.

“Gil Garth, take out her facedown Monster,” continued Sam.

Gil Garth flew towards the facedown Monster. Magician of Faith appeared on the card before the Fiend slashed with his sword, and she was smashed to bits.

“Well…” muttered Yumi. “Unless Gors has the same effect as his boss, I get to take a Spell Card from my Graveyard now…”

“He doesn’t!” snapped Sam. “Make it quick!”

Yumi took a card from her discard slot. She looked at the Rush Recklessly card.

“Kaien, attack that Skilled Dark Magician!” shouted Sam.

Kaien lunged at Skilled Dark Magician and slashed across his chest with the sword in her right hand. He took one step back before she followed through with her left, and then shattered.

“Okay, that was really bad…” muttered Yumi.

“I’m not done,” said Sam, taking a card from her hand. “Since Kaien is still technically a Fairy, most of my cards wouldn’t work on her. So I’ll use her to give my Life Points a boost.

“I play Mystik Wok. Kaien, beat it.”

She played a Spell Card, and Kaien dissolved into light. Sam glowed with energy.



(Y: 4,950) -------------------- (S: 4,000)


“And with that, my turn is over…”

“I’m surprised Gors can use that huge thing so easily…” muttered Ren.

“In theory,” said Chelsea, “those swords were supposed to be used in feudal Japan by footsoldiers with the purpose of taking out a rider and his horse in one blow. But it took two footsoldiers to use one. However, there is much debate as to whether the zanbatô saw any use on the battlefield at all, since it was so hard to use. You see them in cartoons and video games more often than they were ever likely used in reality.

“But this guy… Well, if Ha Des chose him as a right-hand man, he must have super strength or something…”

Yumi looked over the field for a minute.

She drew a card.

She looked at the four cards in her hand.

If this doesn’t work… she thought, this might be my last turn…

No way am I wearing a bikini on global television…

Not that I have anything to be ashamed of…

“All right Sam,” she said, “I toss down two facedowns, and summon my second Magician’s Valkyria.”

Two facedown cards appeared in flashes of light, and then Valkyria appeared in another flash of light. (1,600/1,800)



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“I end my turn.”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from next post:



Sam drew a card.

Okay, let’s think about this, she thought. She hasn’t played that many Spell Cards during this duel, and since she didn’t use whatever she got back from Magician of Faith on her turn, it was likely Rush Recklessly, and it’s one of her facedown cards.

But… Even with 700 more Attack Points, Valkyria is no match for Gors…

“Gors, attack…”

“I activate… Call of the Haunted!” shouted Yumi.

Her facedown card lifted up, and a dark coffin appeared on her side of the field.

It opened, and Yumi’s first Valkyria stepped out of it. She stood beside her twin and glared at Sam. (1,600/1,800)

Sam sighed.

“Very clever, Yumi…” she muttered. “I end my turn.”

“So why did she call off her attack?” asked Ben.

“Don’t you know how Valkyria works?” asked Natalie. “When she’s on the field, Yumi’s opponent can’t attack any Spellcasters except her. And since Valkyria herself is a Spellcaster…”

“Oh…” said Ben. “So, it’s like Marauding Captain.”

“Exactly,” said Natalie. “Yumi just created a lock.”

Yumi drew.

She placed a card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

She nodded.

“Not one to talk much, are you, Yumi,” said Sam, drawing a card. “Especially when you have the advantage…”

She smirked when she saw what the card was.

“I’ll throw this facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared on her side of the field.

“Fine…” said Yumi. “Here goes…”

She drew a card.

“And here goes my card!” shouted Sam. “Dust Tornado!”

Her facedown card flipped up, and the Tornado tore across the field.

“Now I can take out your Call of the Haunted, and take out your Valkyria with it!”

The Trap Card shattered. Valkyria clutched her stomach, and then shattered as well.

Nuts… thought Yumi. Time to go for broke…

“I set another card facedown,” she said, placing a card in her Disk.

A facedown card appeared.

“Then, I Flip-Summon my Morphing Jar.”

Her facedown card flipped up, and the Morphing Jar appeared, and let out an evil cackle.

“I’m sure you know how it works,” said Yumi.

Sam growled. They each discarded their hands, and then drew five cards.

Yumi looked them over.

“I move Valkyria to Defense Mode, and then summon Gemini Elf.”

Valkyria knelt in Defense, and then in a burst of light, the elf twins appeared next to her, their arms around each other’s waists. (1,900/900)



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“Attack her Gil Garth!” she shouted. “Dual magic!”

The two elves shot twin lighting bolts, and the robotic Fiend exploded in a fiery burst.



(Y: 4,950) -------------------- (S: 3,900)


“That’s all for me…” she said.

“About time…” said Sam, drawing a card.

She smirked. It was her second copy of Dark Ruler Ha Des.

She looked over the other five cards in her hand.

Gors was too valuable to sacrifice, but she did have another way to get someone…

“I play… Monster Reborn!” she shouted. “I’ll bring back an old friend…”

In a flash of light, Archfiend Soldier reappeared. (1,900/1,500)

“That’s just what I was waiting for,” said Yumi. “I activate Dark Renewal!”

The Trap Card she had just set lifted up.

A coffin appeared on the field, and the lid opened. A suction drew both Morphing Jar and Archfiend Soldier inside and the lid slammed shut.

Sam glared at Yumi in anger.

“Now I can summon a Spellcaster from my Graveyard,” said Yumi. “Guess who it is…”

The coffin glowed with energy. It opened, and Dark Magician stepped out. (2,500/2,100)

“Fine!” shouted Sam, in rage. “I’ll kill him again!

“I play Monster Reincarnation! I’ll toss this…”

She threw her Lesser Fiend into the discard slot.

“And guess who’s back…”

She took Archfiend Soldier from the slot, and held the card up.

She threw it on her Disk, and he appeared again. (1,900/1,500)

“Attack Magician’s Valkyria!” she shouted. “Sword of Perdition!”

The Archfiend slashed at Valkyria, and she was cut down.

“Gors, destroy her Dark Magician! Demonblade!”

Gors lunged at Dark Magician…

“I activate Rush Recklessly!” shouted Yumi, as her last facedown card lifted.

Sam gulped. Dark Magician rose to an Attack of 3,200…

As Gors lunged at him, Dark Magician swung his staff. The sword flew from the Messenger’s hand, and embedded in the ground. Then, with one dark magic attack, the Messenger of Ha Des was vanquished.



(Y: 4,950) -------------------- (S: 3,700)


Sam growled.

“I set one card facedown…” she said.

A facedown card appeared behind Archfiend Soldier.

“Do your worst.”

Yumi drew a card.

If that facedown card can’t stop me, I can win on this turn, she thought.

“I summon… Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer,” she said, playing a card.

The bald, scarred monk appeared in a burst of darkness. (1,800/700)



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“Now I play… Premature Burial.”

She fit the card in her Disk, and Valkyria appeared once again. (1,600/1,800)

“Then… I play Dedication Through Light and Darkness.”

She played the Spell Card, and a group of shadowy tendrils consumed Dark Magician…

Dark Magician of Chaos emerged from the shadowy cloud. (2,800/2,600)



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“That means I get a Spell Card back,” she continued.

Rush Recklessly slipped out of her discard slot again.

“All right… Gemini Elf… Attack Archfiend Soldier!”

Gemini Elf cast bolts of lightning at Archfiend Soldier. He swat the blast aside with a backhand, but toppled backwards and shattered. The two elves were thrown backwards from the backlash, and they shattered as well.

“Sam!” shouted Erik. “No!”

“Dark Magician of Chaos…” ordered Yumi. “Attack her directly! Scepter strike!”

Dark Magician of Chaos twirled his staff, and slammed it to the ground, sending a shockwave towards Sam…

“Activate Draining Shield!” shouted Sam.

Her Trap Card flipped up, and a dome of energy surrounded her. The blast struck the dome, and she glowed with light.

“Oh, well…” said Yumi. “Valkyria… You attack… Light beam blast!”

Valkyria fired a burning beam of light at Sam, and she screamed.

“Kycoo, spell of banishment!” shouted Yumi.

Kycoo cast a dark bolt, and Sam screamed louder.

“Now I can remove two Monsters in your Graveyard from play,” said Yumi. “And I choose Dark Ruler Ha Des and Messenger of Ha Des – Gors.”

Sam grumbled as the two cards fell out of her discard slot.



(Y: 4,150) -------------------- (S: 3,100)


“Sam is in big trouble now,” said Ben. “I don’t know what she’s gonna do…”

Sam panted for breath.

“My… move…” she said.

She drew a card.

“I activate… Pot of Avarice,” she said, playing it.

She took five cards from her discard slot – Kuriboh, Lesser Fiend, two Archfiend Soldiers, and Opticlops, and shuffled then back into her deck. Then she drew two cards.

“All right…” she said. “I play… Silent Doom.”

She played the card, and Gil Garth appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,800/1,200)

“Now I’ll sacrifice him… To summon, you guessed it… Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

Lightning flashed again, Gil Garth vanished, and the ruler of Fiends appeared once more. (2,450/1,600)

“Ha Des… Attack that blasted Valkyria!”

Ha Des fired his Stygian blast, and Valkyria screamed before she was eradicated again.

“I’ll set two more cards facedown, and end my turn,” said Sam.

She played the last two cards in her hand, and two facedown cards appeared behind Ha Des.



(Y: 3,300) -------------------- (S: 3,100)


Yumi’s brow furrowed as she drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed!” she shouted.

The laughing jar appeared, and she quickly drew two cards.

She looked at them and then looked at the field.

“Dark Magician of Chaos, attack her Dark Ruler!” she shouted.

The Chaos Mage aimed his staff.

“Surprise,” said Sam. “I have a Trap! Go, Shadow Spell!”

A mass of chains burst out of the ground, and seized Dark Magician of Chaos by the wrists and ankles. He struggled, but they were too tight, and his Attack Score fell to 2,100.

“I’ve caught one of your best Monsters, Yumi,” said Sam. “Now what are you gonna do?”

“I’ll show you,” said Yumi. “I’ll play Rush Recklessly.”

She played the card, and Kycoo rose to an Attack of 2,500.

“Kycoo, you attack him!”

Kycoo started to chant…

“Surprise again, Yumi!” shouted Sam, as her other facedown card lifted up. “I have a Quickplay too, and it’s gonna cut your Ghost Destroyer down to size.

“It’s a little thing called Shrink, one of my uncle’s favorites. Kycoo may have gained 700 Attack Points, but now he’s gonna lose 900 of them.”

Kycoo shank to half his size, and his Attack Score fell to 1,600. As he blasted his cursed magic, Ha Des swatted it aside. Kycoo fell back from the backlash, and shattered.

Yumi grumbled.

“I set one more Monster in Defense Mode,” she said, “and end my turn.”

A Defensive Monster appeared in front of her.



(Y: 2,450) -------------------- (S: 3,100)


Sam drew a card.

Huh? she thought, looking at it. Nuts… I was hoping for a Monster… I don’t need this now…

“Ha Des, destroy her Dark Magician of Chaos!”

Ha Des fired his blast, and the Spellcaster was vanquished in an explosion of flames and smoke that reached the sky. Yumi shielded herself with her arm...



(Y: 2,100) -------------------- (S: 3,100)


“With that move, Sam has moved way ahead,” said Natalie, “both on points and Monsters. This duel has gone back and forth more than a tennis match, and the endpoint may not be far away.”

Yumi stared at Sam.

“My move…” she said.

She drew a card.

She looked at the cards in her hand.

“I’m sure you’ll remember this next young lady from my duel with Rasputin…” she said. “Crystal Seer… Show yourself!”

Her facedown Monster Card flipped up, and the mysterious fortuneteller appeared, with her glowing crystal orb floating between her hands. (100/100)



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“You remember her effect, right?” asked Yumi. “If not, let me give you a refresher. I take the top two cards off of my deck. One goes to my hand, and the other goes to the bottom of my deck…”

She took two cards off of her deck and looked at them.

She took one, and placed it under her deck.

“So, Yumi…” said Sam. “Did your Seer give you a good card?”

“You tell me,” replied Yumi. “I’m going to sacrifice her… To summon my ace card…”

Crystal Seer vanished, and Dark Magician Girl appeared with a fancy pirouette. (2,000/1,700) –> (2,300/1,700)



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“Finally, I toss three cards facedown…” she said.

She threw three cards into her Disk, and three facedown cards appeared in flashes of light.

“It’s your move, Sam,” said Yumi. “I’d be careful if I were you.”

She looked at the last card in her hand.

Sam drew a card.

Yeah… she said, looking at it. I would be careful… There’s only a 150-point difference between Ha Des’s Attack Score and Dark Magician Girl’s. If one of those facedown cards could change the scores even slightly, I’d be in serious trouble…

She took a card from her hand.

I’ll get rid of her another way.

“Okay, Yumi…” she said. “I play… Hand of Ha Des!”

Yumi’s eyes opened wide.

“This is how you beat Chelsea!” she shouted.

She looked at one of her facedown cards.

No… she thought, shaking her head. I’ll take my chances…

“That’s right, Yumi,” said Sam, as the card appeared. “Remember how it works? We pick up cards from our decks until we pick up a Monster… And whoever’s Monster is weaker… Her Monster on the field is toast.”

The two rivals glared at each other.

They each took a card from their decks.

Yumi’s card was Draining Shield. Sam’s was Confiscation.

“Again!” said Sam.

Yumi quickly picked up another one.

Yumi showed it to her.

Blast Magician.

Sam laughed as she picked up hers.

Then she stopped short…

It was Winged Minion.

Yumi smirked.

“Sorry Sam…” she said. “But I guess your luck isn’t even close to that of my grandfather Joey’s…”

A gruesome hand burst out of the ground and grabbed Dark Ruler Ha Des, and then pulled him under. The crowd was silenced.

“So…” said Yumi. “Anything else?”

“It’s still my turn, Yumi!” shouted Sam.

She looked at the last card in her hand.

Ring of Destruction.

She smirked.

She placed Ring of Destruction in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared in front of her.

I’m still gonna win… she thought. When I use this Trap Card to destroy Dark Magician Girl, we’ll both lose 2,300 Life Points… That’s more than she has left… But I’ll still be standing…

I’ve waited a long time for this…

“Your move, Yumi…”

Yumi drew a card…

“GO!” shouted Sam, as her Trap Card lifted. “Ring of Destruction!”

Dark Magician Girl cried out in terror as the ring of grenades appeared around her neck…

“It’s over, Yumi!” shouted Sam.

Yumi paused.

“I couldn’t agree more, Sam…” she said, slowly.

One of her three facedown cards lifted.

“Huh?” said Sam. “AHH! Your Dark Bribe Trap Card!”

“That’s right, Sam,” said Yumi. “Now you draw one card… But your Trap is negated.”

Tears fell down Sam’s face as she drew a card.

It was Seven Tools of the Bandit. She had drawn it too late…

The Ring of Destruction was blown to dust, and Dark Magician Girl breathed a sigh of relief.

“Now…” said Yumi, “I’ll play the card I just drew…”

She played a Spell Card, and it appeared…

Monster Reborn.

In an aura of light, Dark Magician appeared beside his apprentice. (2,500/2,100)

“Both of you… Attack her directly! Double dark magic attack!”

Sam screamed as two blasts of black magic shot into her…

She collapsed on her back.



(Y: 2,100) -------------------- (S: 0)


The crowd stood up and cheered. Yumi wiped her brow. She turned, and saw the gates of Celestia open. Sheena was waiting inside them.

Sam didn’t move, so Yumi simply walked towards the gates, where Sheena and a host of angels greeted her.

“Congratulations, Yumi,” said Sheena. “It was a long and arduous duel… But you have now truly earned the title of Queen of Games.”

The crowd cheered again.

“The prize money will be yours in whatever manner your parents wish to distribute it,” she continued. “And I’ll be sure that my daughter lives up to her end of the bargain tomorrow.

“As for your other prize… Think about it tonight… You don’t have to make the request right away…”

“Thanks Sheena,” said Yumi. “Gonna be tough to choose…”

“I hope so…” said Sheena. “And I hope everyone can make the awards ceremonies tomorrow.

“Now… Here’s White Rain again!”

As White Rain begun their enchanting melody, Erik was hugging Sam and leading her off the arena.



* * * * * * * * * *


It was five in the afternoon. The Colosseum had cleared up, and Sheena had promised diner in an hour. Ren, Chelsea, and Yumi were sitting on a park bench outside the massive building.

“So where do you think Sam and Erik are?” asked Yumi.

“Probably in Erik’s suite,” replied Chelsea. “Erik is most likely trying to cheer Sam up, if you know what I mean…”

They all chuckled.

“It was a good thing you were smart enough to put that Dark Bribe facedown,” thought Ren, with a shudder. “It was close…”

“Actually…” said Yumi, “Dark Bribe wasn’t part of my plan at that point…

“You see, the last card in my hand was Buster Blader. My other two facedown cards were A Hero Emerges and Staunch Defender.

“If Sam had attacked Dark Magician Girl, the first Trap would have let me summon Buster Blader. If she had continued her attack, Staunch Defender would have drawn Ha Des’s attack to Buster Blader, and he was stronger.

“But I had to make sure that Buster Blader was the only card in my hand, so Sam would have only one card to choose from when A Hero Emerges was activated. So I set Dark Bribe to get it out of my hand.

“Frankly, I had no idea she was intending to use Ring of Destruction…”

“Eh, serves her right,” muttered Chelsea. “Ring of Destruction is one of the most unfair Trap Cards in circulation. It goes on and off the Forbidden List so often…Sooner or later, someone’s gonna wise up and decide to put it on the list and keep it on.”

“Careful, Chelsea…” said Yumi. “You were first in line to get that Mirage of Nightmare when it came off the list…”

There was silence for a few minutes.

“Hard to believe the tournament is… over…” muttered Ren.

“Hey…” said Yumi, “we can come back during winter break. Then there won’t be any dumb competition to worry about. It’ll just be a vacation at this great resort with all the dueling we could ever want!

“Now, before Sheena treats us to dinner, I need a shower, and I think you two could use one too.”

As they got up and left, the Pharaoh appeared next to Yumi.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked.

“Rasputin and his two henchmen can’t hide from the Centurions forever,” she replied. “Sooner or later, they’ll be brought in.

“And if Rasputin won’t give up the Rod, well, they certainly won’t give him access to chemicals. He won’t be able to make his serum anymore, and he’ll likely be gone before his trial even starts. The Rod will become available again, and Olga and Nicholas will probably be in jail – they won’t be getting it. I’m sure Sheena’s lawyers can pull some strings to let us at least use it, and then bury the information if it doesn’t survive the ceremony.”

“Yes…” sighed the Pharaoh. “The ceremony… I know about that now… What it’s going to entail…”

Yumi lifted her head. She looked at him.

He nodded.

“It’s going to be another duel, Yumi… One that I’m going to have to fight without your help…”

Yumi looked at him.

“Heh, you had me worried there for a second,” she laughed. “Come on! You’re the original King of Games! If anything, I’m slowing you down! No matter who you duel, you’ll win with no problem…”

“That is the whole problem, Yumi,” he said with a sigh.

He looked away from her.

“It can’t end in my victory. If it does, the ceremony will fail.”

She looked at him.

“This is one duel I can’t win…”

There was another long pause.

“You want to start over from the beginning?” she asked. “You kind of lost me…”



* * * * * * * * * *


In a hidden location, Rasputin held the Rod of the Ancients in front of him.

“It’s time…” said a voice from a source he couldn’t see.

The Charm burned with golden fire.

“Very well…” said Rasputin. “If I must, I guess I simply must…

“While Yumi is being taken care of, I’ll use the power of this Rod to do the rest…

“And if Yumi prevails, there’s still a way to get her two Charms…

“In fact… There are a few…”

He paused. His voice sank to a whisper as he closed his eyes…

“Children…” he said. “I’m sorry it had to come to this…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi sighed as she wrapped a towel around herself.

She had to admit too. It was hard to believe that it was over.

After what the Pharaoh had told her, she was thinking that the gods must be crazy, as the tagline for an old movie went. Why did someone have to lose to prove he was worthy of moving on? To show he could take defeat?

Maybe it made a little sense, but it still sounded crazy.

The craziest part was that he had asked Yumi to choose his opponent.

She could see right through him (in more ways than one). She knew that she was the only one who could do it, and he likely knew she knew.

Well, she was certainly glad she had won the tournament… Now she knew exactly what she was going to ask for tomorrow.

Then she noticed something…

On her bed was the Crown of Souls… And it was glowing with golden energy.

Hardly knowing what she was doing, she took it, and placed it on her head…

As she did, a headache bored through her skull, unlike any she ever had before.

She almost considered throwing off the Crown. But an instinct told her that this pain wasn’t trying to harm her…

It was a side effect of something the Crown was doing to protect her, from something far worse.

So, she held on to the Crown, and grit her teeth. The pain continued, and the towel slipped off, but she didn’t care. She knew that the Crown was the one thing shielding her from an attack of incredible evil…

Eventually, the pain stopped with a snap. Yumi’s eyes rolled into her head, and she collapsed from exhaustion.



* * * * * * * * * *


At her table, Cassandra looked at a single card in front of her. It was The High Priestess.

She turned to the deck. She slowly drew the top card.

She gasped and dropped it.

It was The Devil…


Yumi has been crowned the Queen of Games, but there’s no time to celebrate. A vicious attack from an assailant she cannot see has changed the situation dramatically, and the rules may have been altered to the extreme. The tournament is over, but tonight will be a night that Yumi will not soon forget…



SHARE OF SPOILS (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The five Dark Scorpions sitting around a table with gold and jewelry spread out on it.

Card Description: When you play this card, your opponent chooses one of the following effects. That effect is activated:

* You draw two cards from your deck. Your opponent gains 2,000 Life Points.

* You gain 2,000 Life Points. Your opponent draws two cards from his/her deck.



MESSENGER OF HA DES – GORS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,700
DEF: 2,500

Card Description: If you have no cards on your side of the field, and you receive damage to your Life Points from a card controlled by your opponent, you may Special Summon this card from your hand, and activate one of the following effects depending on the type of damage you received:

Battle Damage: Special Summon one “Messenger of Ha Des – Kaien Token” (Fairy/Light/Level Seven/? ATK/? DEF). The ATK and DEF of a “Messenger of Ha Des – Kaien Token” is equal to the amount of damage taken.

Effect Damage: Inflict damage to your opponent’s Life Points equal to the amount of damage you received.

Note: “Messenger of Ha Des – Gors” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.



DOMICILE OF THE DARK RULER (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: A hideous palace of bones standing on a dark wasteland.

Card Description: This card is destroyed if there is no “Dark Ruler Ha Des” on the controller’s side of the field. Fiend-Type Monsters on both sides of the field cannot be destroyed as a result of battle (damage calculation still applies).

Note: “Domicile of the Dark Ruler” first appeared in “Dark Messiah”.



Yumi: Oohh…

Ren… Chelsea… Sam… Erik?

Where did everybody go? I’m alone…

Voice: Yes, you’re alone, Yumi… You have no idea how alone. You may think it’s over, but you couldn’t have been more wrong. Rasputin is more dangerous than ever, because now he truly has nothing left to lose.

Are you willing to take the challenge to a new level?

Anastasia: Don’t despair yet, Yumi! I’m still here! I’ll be here until the end…

I won’t be caught this time like I was last time…

Coming up next: “A Crisis Looms; Yumi versus Samen”.

Yumi: I’m the Queen of Games now… I guess I’ll have to defend my title…

[Shuppet Master]

you’re fighting off the fatigue that the tryptophan in the turkey has caused

:keke: You've read my mind, Brian. Yeah, I didn't want to admit "the hormone", but my brother-in-law(who shares my first name) fell asleep while my mother was watching the Dallas Cowboys take down another team, and I was beginning to nod off myself, even though I was busy leveling up the guys who would become Mumboh-Jumboe in "Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker." Even now, my right eye is sleeping. :what:


figured I celebrate with you today, with my new chapter.

And what a party it was, the epic showdown between Dark Ruler Ha Des and Dark Magician, and I couldn't be more pleased.

Of course, I knew that Yumi would win, but how she won was a surprise. Also, the duel was a bit short, but that's probably because it was going back and forth a bit.

And now, that strange demon Rasputin called upon has attacked her. (I know it's him because there is no other reasonable explanation.)

The only thing I had a beef about was how the Pharoah suddenly remembered the Ritual Ceremony, after not being able to for so long. If it was the Charms, why didn't he remember it when all the Charms so far had been brought together?

Anyways, have a happy Turkey Day, Brian. :)

[jkBAKURA]

And what a thing to be thankful for. This may be the beginning of the end for all of the crap you've been getting lately Brian, and I can tell you put forth a LOT of extra effort on this chapter.

First of all, the way you got inside the character's heads instead of having them state their thoughts out lous was refreshing. It's something you should definately do more often, but I just loved the familiarity between the two.

They really knew each other's stratagies, and there were several points that you could have easily ended the duel, but suprised me by keeping it going.

Even the new additions were nice. Sam used some things she hadn't used in awhile, and the new heavy hitter is a perfect fit for her.

All it all, well thought out and wonderfully executed.

I just have two minor spots of irritation.

First off, I was really pulling for Sam this time. I thought the3e win would be a nice reward for coming back to her senses after the Dark World incident. Then again, it may have been Ha Des's way of saying "see what happens?"

Anyhow, The whole tournament hasn't even seemed like an effort for Yumi, and I wuld have loved to see the win go to someone who put some work forward.

Second, when is Sam ever going to learn that she can knock an ATK score all the way to zero with that Bark card? A few extra points spent and she could have clinched it!

No mistakes go unpunished in Duel Monsters. (I've been getting my butt kicked lately in Nightmare Trobadour)

[Mystic_clown]

Second, when is Sam ever going to learn that she can knock an ATK score all the way to zero with that Bark card? A few extra points spent and she could have clinched it!

Holy crap, I was thinking the same thing when I read that part. The thing one must remember about the majority of DS' heroes, they abuse Rush Recklessly.

All I can say is that this was a pretty good duel. Well written out, a nice set of moves. Let's hope the rest of the duels in this fic are as good.

So, Samen's making a comback. He had better use a better deck apart from the mummy one. Now we all know who the demon helping Rasputin is.

[Dark Sage]

Wow, positive reviews? Thanks, guys.

Sam will be a little more risky with Bark of Dark Ruler in the future. As far as abusing Rush Recklessly goes, I've always felt that it's a very useful card that is often neglected (I use it in both my real decks).

There was a good reason why Sam lost, and it's not just because Yumi's family always beats hers. You'll see why in future chapters.

The Spirit of the Pharaoh Deck was not Samen's real deck. I think everyone will like his real one.

I too hope that this is the beginning of a comeback. Maybe I'll surprise you all yet.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT



A Crisis Looms



Yumi versus Samen



Yumi lay on the floor of the room, unconscious, with terrible dreams going through her mind…

Finally, Anastasia’s gentle voice urged her awake.

“Yumi?” said Anastasia. “Yumi…”

Yumi groaned and slowly sat up.

She shrieked as she saw that she was as naked as an infant.

“Calm down,” said Anastasia. “No one has come in. Get dressed. Something terrible has happened. Just whatever you do, don’t take off that Crown!”

Yumi scrambled to her feet and looked for some clean clothes.

“Oh, Anne…” she said, almost sobbing. “I had the worst nightmare… I was facing Rasputin, with his Rod…

“And all of a sudden, his hair turned into Marik’s style, and his Rod turned into the Millennium Rod, and he was trying to use it on me!”

“That… that’s kind of what actually happened, Yumi…” said Anastasia, with a sigh. “You escaped, but your friends… uh, they weren’t so lucky…”

Yumi pulled on her pants and shirt, trembling with fright.

“Spill it, Anne!” she shouted. “What happened?”

“Rasputin discovered something the Rod of the Ancients could do,” replied Anastasia. “A terrible, horrible power…

“Unus the Undying apparently had a master plan… He wanted to subjugate and enslave the other Sorcerer Kings.

“So he enchanted his Charm so it would be able to cast a powerful spell that would be focused through their Charms, bending them to his will…

“But for some reason, he was never able to cast the spell.

“Now… Rasputin has cast it. And the current owners of the Charms… Ren, Chelsea, Sam, and Erik… They have fallen victim to it.”

Yumi held her head and sat down on her bed.

“But…” she said. “I have two of the Charms… How did I resist it?”

“It’s only a theory on my part,” said Anastasia. “But… I think that Machius the Wise was Unus’s chief rival, and he was on to Unus’s scheme. So he enchanted his own Charm, the Crown of Souls, to protect himself. Since it was yours, it protected you.”

Yumi touched the Crown.

“Yeah…” she said. “It was protecting me from something…”

She started to cry.

“What do we do, Anne?” she said, sobbing. “We have to save them!”

“I don’t know!” replied Anastasia. “I don’t even know where they are now, if they are still alive…

“The most I could do is try to file an emergency petition to contact their own guardian angels, but it would take hours, and…”

Then, they were both startled by a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. It was soft and gentle, but had a sinister tone.

“Yumi… Yumi… Oh, Yumi…”

Yumi looked up.

“Who’s there?” she asked.

“Someone you’ve seen before,” said the voice. “Take your Duel Disk and come to the arena.”

“Why?” asked Yumi, angrily.

“You want your friends back right?” asked the voice. “I can give you a better chance than you would if you took your chances alone. But you’ll have to earn it…”

Yumi waited a few seconds, but the voice didn’t speak again.

The Pharaoh appeared beside her. She looked at him and Anastasia.

“I’ve seen week-old fish that smelled better than this,” she said. “Any ideas?”

“There’s a dark presence here that I haven’t felt in a long time,” said the Pharaoh.

“I remember this aura… I could never forget it… It was the same type of aura exuded by Saurius…”

“Saurius?” shouted Yumi. “That demon that gave my dad so much trouble? He can’t be back!”

“Not likely,” said the Pharaoh. “He was pretty soundly defeated. But this is clearly a very similar aura.”

“I swear…” said Yumi, scrambling for her Disk, “if I survive this, I’m going to give up card games and start building model ships…”

She sighed.

“Well, maybe…”

She picked up the Gale Shield, and put it on. She picked up her deck…

As she did, her pouch containing her side deck fell off the bedside table, and a single card fell out.

Yumi looked at it. It was the card Jaden had given her.

Yumi looked at the odd Trap Card…

“Okay, Jaden…” she muttered. “I’ll take your word for it…”

She shuffled it into her deck.

“Hold on, everyone…” she said.



* * * * * * * * * *


The floor of the huge Colosseum was dark. The crowds were long gone.

Yumi wandered in, knowing in her bones that whatever lurking in here meant her no good…

“All right…” she said, “I know you’re here… Show yourself!”

In a multitude of fiery blasts, a group of bonfires sprouted around the place, lighting up the arena floor in a hellish glow.

Yumi saw a figure standing in front of her…

She couldn’t believe it…

“Samen?” she gasped.

“In the flesh, so to speak,” said the Ascender.

“But…” said Yumi. “The Princess of Chaos…”

“Could not possibly have killed me,” interrupted Samen. “She was a very minor noble among the aristocracy of Chaos, while I was under the protection of one of the mightiest powers of Law.

“Had it been Graz’zt, I would have been worried… Orcus, and I would have been frightened… Demogorgon, and I likely would have tried to flee. But she was a minor player, so the only one who was truly in any danger at that point was Erik.”

Yumi’s eyes narrowed.

“Who the Hell are you?” she asked.

“Depends,” he replied. “What Hell are you speaking of? Why don’t I show you my true form, Yumi, and maybe then you’ll start to understand…”

He glowed with a flaming aura, and his horns, hooves, and tail appeared, and his eyes glowed red.

Yumi stepped back in fear.

“Who am I?” he asked. “I am a tempter and a dealer in souls… Humans call my kind harvester devils, ones who have, for untold millennia, tempted mortals with promises of power. With each soul we take, the powers of the Hells grow stronger… Evil gains power with each spirit drawn into the darkness…”

“A demon…” gasped Yumi, wiping sweat off her brow. “Rasputin is in league with demons…”

“Not demon, Yumi, devil,” said Samen, shaking his finger. “And a less intelligent devil would likely have gotten mad for you making that mistake, because demons are our hated enemies.

“Demons are creatures of Chaos, while we are creatures of Law. If you want to know the biggest differences, in a nutshell…

“Demons want to destroy the world… Devils want to conquer it.

“Demons want to consume you… Devils want to enslave you.

“As for me working for Rasputin… I was only pretending to do so. My true employer is a much greater power…”

“Who?” asked Yumi.

“He is known as The Lord of the Second Circle, and The Iron Duke,” replied Samen. “A devil more ancient than humanity, whose power even predated the Orichalcos… Dispater, the Lord of the Iron City of Dis.”

“I’m not impressed,” said Yumi. “If he’s such a big shot, why did he send some flunky instead of coming himself?”

Samen glared at her.

“Here’s the deal, Yumi,” he growled. “You want your friends back, right? Well, I’m willing to make you a little bargain…

“Even if you find your friends, how do you intend to free them? With your good looks?”

“I’ve got this!” shouted Yumi, lifting up her Disk.

“Won’t work…” said Samen, shaking his head. “You can’t free them from Rasputin’s spell with your own skills. And attempts to reason and plead with them will fall on deaf ears. It won’t be as easy as what Yugi did to free Joey from Marik’s spell. Unus’s powers were far superior to any spell cast by the Millennium Rod, and it can’t be broken by the same methods.

“My master and I had nothing to do with their current situation. Rasputin did it to them independently from us. But due to our working with him, we know a little about the situation they are in.

“Here’s what I’m willing to offer…

“We duel, and you ante your two Shadow Charms. If you lose, they’re mine.

“But… If I lose… I’ll give you something incredibly valuable: information. I’ll tell you exactly how the Rod’s spell can be broken. Because you can rescue them… If you know how to.”

Yumi sighed.

“Seems like an uneven wager,” she said.

“It’s the best I’m able to offer,” said Samen.

“Since when do people like you duel, anyway?” asked Yumi. “I didn’t think that folks like you were much for fair fights.”

Samen chuckled.

“Yumi…” he said, “since time immemorial, devils and the chaotic demons have been struggling in the horrible Blood War, a war that can not possibly end any way except with the annihilation of one side.

“Most Blood War battles are conflicts between enormous armies, in bloody skirmishes that are so huge, they’d make D-Day look like a four-year-old child’s birthday party.

“But… There are times when small groups of demons and devils, or even single powerful ones from each side, fight…

“Now, mortals learned many things from us… But we learned many things from mortals as well. Duel Monsters is one of them. In the infernal planes, in very recent years, we have at times enjoyed this contest as a way of settling differences.

“Of course, the nature of the Lower Planes twists the energy. There, the duels are real, and the loser is vanquished… Forever.”

“What fun…” said Yumi. “And between you and me?”

Samen just looked at her with a smirk.

“Yumi!” said the voice of the Pharaoh. “You realize that if you lose this duel, Rasputin will have all of the Charms.”

“Well…” replied Yumi. “Then we’d better not lose…”

She looked at Samen nervously.

“Take your time to decide, Yumi,” he said. “But Rasputin won’t wait forever. Very soon, he will get your friends to relinquish their Charms. Then… Who knows what he will do to them. His hunger for power may well grow… He may find out some other things that the Rod can do…

“He might need to sacrifice a victim or two to some dark forces to get more power, and he has four available right now who are all too willing to sit still…”

“All right!” shouted Yumi. “I’ll duel you!

“Happy?”

She turned to the Pharaoh.

“Here goes…” she muttered.

“You’re frightened, aren’t you?” asked the Pharaoh.

Yumi paused. She nodded slightly.

“Yumi, that is to be expected,” he replied. “These beings emit a supernatural aura of fear around them that they use to intimidate mortals. The fear they cause has nothing to do with courage.

“But they aren’t invincible. Mortals have defeated these creatures in the past. Your father did nobly. If your will is strong enough, you can overcome it, and face him as you would any other opponent.”

Her Puzzle glowed like a beacon, and in a flash of light, the change overtook her.

“As if I was scared of that dumb Spirit of the Pharaoh Deck anyway…” she said.

“Not using it anymore…” replied Samen, as the Disks activated. “I’m using my real Deck.”

Yumi looked at him.

“Game on!” they shouted.



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Samen: 8,000)


Samen heard a deep voice in his head.

“Samen, listen carefully,” said the voice. “If you win, the deal between us and Rasputin will be finalized.

“If you lose, it will be rendered void, and I can stop granting him what he has already been getting.

“In other words, we come out ahead either way. However, for the sake of dignity, I’d prefer you not lose. This whole ordeal has been embarrassing enough as it is.”

“I won’t fail you, master,” replied Samen.

“Let’s begin, shall we?” he said out loud. “You make the first move.”

Yumi drew her first card.

“I’ll start by playing… Pot of Greed,” she said.

She played the card, and then drew two cards.

She looked at them, and added them to her hand.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode, and two cards facedown,” she said.

In three flashes of light, a defensive Monster and two facedown cards appeared.

“Your move,” she said.

“I will…” he replied.

He made a draw.

“I summon…”

He placed a card on his Disk.

“…Shien’s Footsoldier.”

In a flash of energy, a small creature appeared in front of him. It looked like a humanoid monkey or something, dressed in feudal, Japanese-style leather armor, and a conical helmet. He carried a simple spear. (700/300)



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Yumi raised an eyebrow.

“What?” asked Samen. “Am I confusing you?”

I was kind of expecting Fiends, thought Yumi, and that clearly isn’t one…

“I set this facedown, and end my turn…” said Samen.

He placed a card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind the Footsoldier.

“Shien’s Footsoldier?” asked Yumi. “As in Tenkabito Shien?”

“Perhaps,” said Samen. “I guarantee, that whoever Shien is, you’ll meet him shortly.”

Yumi drew a card.

“I summon Magician’s Valkyria!” she shouted.

She played the card, and in a burst of light, Valkyria appeared. (1,600/1,800)



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“I activate my Trap Card!” exclaimed Samen, as his facedown card lifted.

“Hallowed Life Barrier. Now, by simply sending one card in my hand to the Graveyard…”

He discarded one card, Rivalry of Warlords.

“…my Life Points are safe for this turn.”

“But your Monster isn’t,” replied Yumi. “Valkyria… Destroy Shien’s Footsoldier!”

Valkyria cast her lethal spell. The small primate shrieked, and exploded into shards.

“Thank you…” said Samen, with a sinister grin.

He took his deck from the holder.

“When Shien’s Footsoldier falls in battle, he can call for backup. Case in point, I get to summon a Warrior from my deck who’s Level Three or less…

“Of course, it can’t be just any Warrior… It has to be a special one… A member of a team of Warriors whose names are the stuff of legend…

“A team known as the Six Samurai!”

“Six Samurai?” replied Yumi. “I’ve… I’ve heard of them…”

“You’re about to meet them…” said Samen. “The one I choose to summon now is Six Samurai – Yaichi! Appear!”

A column of water shot up in front of Samen, and when it receded, an armored figure stepped out. He was dressed in black armor and a crested helmet, with golden seams. He held a long, composite bow and carried a quiver of arrows by his side. (1,300/800)



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Yumi paused.

“Do you know anything about these guys?” she asked her partner.

“Not a clue,” he replied.

Yumi looked at her facedown card on the left.

He’s too weak to defeat Valkyria, she thought, but just in case…

“I end my turn,” she said.

Samen chuckled as he drew a card.

“I summon a second member of the Six Samurai,” he said, playing a card. “Come forth, Kamon!”

A bonfire of flame appeared next to Yaichi, and a new Warrior stepped out. He was dressed in leather armor and a helmet, and had soot all over his face. At first, he appeared to have no weapon… But looking closer, you could see that his armor was stocked with dozens of primitive explosives. (1,500/1,000)



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“Kamon is a really fun guy,” said Samen, with a chuckle. “In fact, he’s a real blast, if you get my point.

“Now, let me explain how the Six Samurai work. Each one has his own unique ability. But he can only use it if there’s another Samurai on the field with him. This is a group that truly knows the value of teamwork.

“And now I’ll activate Yaichi’s effect. If I forfeit his attack this round, he can destroy one facedown Spell or Trap Card.”

Yaichi pulled back his bow, and shot an arrow, skewering one of Yumi’s Trap Cards. Her Mirror Force lifted up and shattered.

“Now, Kamon…” he said. “Attack her facedown Monster with Greek fire grenade!”

Kamon held out his palm, and a small flame lit in it. He pulled one of his explosives from his bandoleer, and lit the fuse…

He hurled it at the facedown Monster. Magician of Faith appeared on the card before she was blown to bits.

“Thank you…” said Yumi.

Her Pot of Greed slipped out of her discard slot, and she took it.

“To end my turn…” said Samen, opening a slot on his Disk, “I’ll play the Field Spell, Shien’s Castle of Mist.”

As he played the card, mist started to rise around the arena…

When it cleared, Yumi shivered. They were in a courtyard full of dark trees, with ravens perched in their branches, with a misty surface covering the ground. An ominous castle of Japanese design was looming behind Samen.

“This is the Six Samurai’s home turf, Yumi,” said Samen, “and they designed it with intimidation in mind. Here, they strike such fear in their enemies, that anyone who tries to oppose them is weakened. In simpler terms, if your Monsters try to attack them, they’ll be doing so with 500 less Attack Points.

“I end my turn…”

Yumi hesitated.

She drew a card.

“I play Pot of Greed again,” she said.

She played the card, and drew twice again.

Huh? she thought, looking at them.

It’s the Trap Card Jaden gave me… And just when it would be useful…

“Valkyria may not be able to attack them, but she can defend,” she said.

Valkyria knelt, and held her scepter in her lap.

“I’ll set another Monster in Defense Mode too…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“And I’ll set another card facedown…”

She set the card, and a facedown card appeared next to the other one.

Samen drew a new card.

“I activate Yaichi’s effect again!” he said with a laugh.

Yaichi fired his bow, and Yumi’s A Hero Emerges was blown to pieces.

“Now I summon… Samurai – Zanji!”

A globe of pure light formed on the field, and a new Warrior appeared in it. He wore the traditional armor of the Samurai, in gold and orange hues, and carried a glowing yari. (1,800/1,300)



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“Zanji…” ordered Samen, “attack Valkyria! Rising sun strike!”

“Huh?” gasped Yumi.

Zanji charged at Valkyria, and slashed at her with his weapon. The Spellcaster screamed and shattered into bits.

“HEY!” shouted Yumi. “That should have been a draw!”

“Are you forgetting that the Samurai have special abilities?” asked Samen. “When Zanji attacks a Monster that is in a face-up position, that Monster is destroyed automatically, regardless of the battle’s actual outcome.

“So… any questions?”

“One…” said Yumi. “Why the heck are you using these cards?”

Samen chuckled.

“You were expecting Fiends, right?” he said, crossing his arms.

He sighed.

“Everyone always expects us to use Fiends… You know Yumi, it’s a stereotype that we don’t like. You’re forgetting that most of my opponents are also fiends, and if we all used the same type of deck, it would get predictable.”

“But Samurai?” asked Yumi. “What gives you the right? If Jade were here, she’d have a fit…”

“I’ll gladly tell you,” said Samen. “According to legend, the real Six Samurai, the six brothers whom these cards were based upon, were masters in the art of warfare.

“And my master, the Iron Duke Dispater, is the patron of war and intrigue.

“All his minions who are duelists use Warriors of some form or another. The lower ones use toolbox decks. Others use more advanced Warriors… The erinyes under his command often use Amazons, while harvester devils who aren’t as high in the rankings as me have decks similar to your friend Ren…

“As one of his favored servants, I command the power of the Six Samurai…”

“I hesitate to ask what sort of deck he plays himself,” muttered Yumi.

“Dispater isn’t one who likes to fight personally,” replied Samen. “He almost never confronts an enemy directly. He exercises caution and doesn’t take risks. So he wouldn’t be one to duel an enemy.”

“So he hides in his tower like a coward and lets his servants do his dirty work for him?” asked Yumi. “Not very dignified for the patron of war.”

“Watch your mouth!” shouted Samen. “He’s watching us right now!

“And by the way, it’s your move…”

Yumi drew a card.

“I set one card facedown, and a Monster in Defense Mode,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared next to the other one, and a facedown card appeared next to her first one.

“I end my turn…” she said.

“Draw,” said Samen, drawing a card.

“I play my own Pot of Greed,” he said.

The evil jar appeared in front of him, and he drew two cards.

He smirked as he looked at them.

“To start…” he said, “I play Reinforcement of the Army.”

He played the card, and took his deck from the holder.

“Now I can bring Samurai – Irou to my hand, and then summon him.”

A dark shadow formed on the field. A Warrior wearing a dark kimono, with long, black hair, with a visor over his eyes, holding a katana, appeared out of the shadow. (1,700/1,200)



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“Now…” he said, “since I have at least two Samurai on the field, I can Special Summon their liege… Meet Great Shogun Shien!”

A huge bonfire, even bigger than the one that appeared when Kamon was summon, erupted in the center of Samen’s field. Two glowing eyes peered out of it…

Yaichi, Kamon, Zanji, and Irou bowed their heads and knelt as a hulking figure walked out of the flames. It was a huge man dressed in full plate armor of Japanese design, colored fiery red, his face covered with colorful war paint. He held a blazing katana in his right hand.

He shouted a fierce battlecry… (2,500/2,400)



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“You mentioned Tenkabito Shien?” said Samen. “Once, a long time ago, this mighty Warrior was known by that name… But his skill grew, as did his power and influence. Eventually, he gained followers, who grew into an army. Eventually, the man once known as Tenkabito Shien earned the title of Shogun.

“And his powers are great, Yumi… So long as he’s on the field, you are only allowed to use one Spell or Trap Card per turn.”

“Only one?” gasped Yumi.

“Yes, but I’m getting rid of one of them,” continued Samen. “Yaichi…”

Yaichi fired his bow. The arrow hit one of Yumi’s cards…

Samen was surprised to see that it was Double Spell.

Curses! he thought. She caught on fast… She knew I was going to keep using Yaichi’s effect, so she planted a decoy!

Well, I’ll have the last laugh…

“Irou, attack her facedown Monster on the left! Setting sun strike!”

Irou slashed with his katana at the facedown card. Skilled White Magician appeared on the card, and shattered into bits.

“Let me guess…” moaned Yumi. “Irou automatically destroys any facedown Monster…”

“AND he negates their Flip-Effects,” added Samen. “Shien, destroy her other Monster! Sword of burning pride!”

Shien raised his katana, and it burned with white hot flames. The flames shot towards the other facedown Monster, and Yumi’s second Magician’s Valkyria was incinerated.

“Kamon… Zanji… Attack her directly!”

Kamon hurled one of his explosives at Yumi, and she screamed as fire licked at her skin. She barely had time to catch her breath before Zanji slashed across her chest with his yari.

She fell to her knees.

That… that really hurt… she thought.

She looked at Samen.

I should have known…

“That’s right, Yumi,” said Samen with a laugh. “We can create Shadow Games better than any Millennium Item can. Devils breathe the very essence of Shadow… In this type of game, we can dominate any mortal.”

“We’ll see about that…” said Yumi.



(Y: 4,700) -------------------- (S: 8,000)


This is bad… she thought. I’m down to almost half my Life Points, he has all of his, and I’m outnumbered five Monsters to none! I gotta do something fast…

“My move!” she shouted.

She drew a card.

“Only one Spell Card per turn, huh?” she said. “Well here it is… I play Premature Burial.”

She played the card, and Valkyria appeared in front of her. (1,600/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/MFC-0641.jpg


“Now I’ll summon… Breaker the Magical Warrior!”

In a burst of darkness, Breaker appeared, holding his sword up high. (1,600/1,000) –> (1,900/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mc2-en002.jpg


“I just have to give up 300 of his Attack Points, and Breaker can destroy one Spell or Trap Card. So…

“I’m tearing your Castle down. Breaker, destroy Shien’s Castle of Mist!”

Breaker’s shield glowed with powerful energy, and a virtual earthquake struck the field. Samen gasped as the Castle collapsed into a pile of rubble, and the courtyard disintegrated back into the mists that formed it.

“Now I’m getting rid of that annoying Yaichi!” shouted Yumi. “Magician’s Valkyria… Take him out!”

Valkyria aimed her staff at Yaichi and prepared to fire.

“Zanji!” shouted Samen. “Defend Yaichi!”

As Valkyria fired her blast, Zanji leapt in front of Yaichi. He was blown into pixels.

“Huh?” asked Yumi. “How’d they do that?”

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Samen. “The Six Samurai will do anything to protect each other, Yumi…

“All of them share one effect in common. If one of them would be destroyed – by anything – another one can take the fall for him.”

Yumi frowned.

“Breaker, you attack Yaichi!” she shouted.

Breaker leapt at Yaichi with his sword…

This time, Irou leapt in front of him. He was blown to pieces.

“A noble try, Yumi,” said Samen, “but all for naught…”

Yumi paused.

“My turn is over…” she muttered.



(Y: 3,900) -------------------- (S: 7,400)


Samen drew a card.

He grimaced.

“Seems I have to do this…” he muttered. “I play Card of Sanctity.”

He played the card, and a flash of light lit up the night sky, and coins fell from the stars.

Samen drew four cards, and Yumi drew five.

Samen looked them over.

“First thing I’m going to do…” he said, “is take out your Magician’s Valkyria. And since Kamon’s effect lets him destroy any face-up Spell or Trap, that’s easy to do…”

Kamon hurled an explosive at the Premature Burial card…

“Go, Magical Dimension!” shouted Yumi, as one of her facedown cards lifted. “Now I can sacrifice Valkyria, meaning Kamon loses his target!”

Skilled White Magician vanished, and the explosive fell to the ground, a dud.

“Now I get to Special Summon someone new,” she continued. “I summon… Dark Magician!”

In a burst of energy, Dark Magician appeared on the field, striking a pose. (2,500/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-001.jpg


“Then I get to destroy one Monster,” she said. “And I choose Shien!”

“Sorry, Yumi, but Shien is staying,” replied Samen. “Like his underlings, if he would ever be destroyed, one of them can take the fall for him.”

Kamon shattered into shards.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“And I’m not done!” shouted Samen. “I summon Samurai – Yariza to the field.”

With a rumble, a figure dressed all in black burst out of the ground. He wore a black hood and mask over the lower half of his face, and carried a nasty-looking spear with a glowing blade, connected to a long cord which was, in turn, connected to a pack on his back. (1,000/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0091.jpg


“That’s a Samurai?” asked Yumi. “He looks more like a Ninja.”

“According to one legend of the Ninja,” replied Samen, “they were actually a special type of Samurai who specialized in covert and espionage missions. Everyone needs spies now and then, Yumi, but not everyone can broadcast it.

“Now, I’ll use Yaichi’s effect to destroy your last facedown card.”

Once again, Yaichi fired his bow, and Yumi’s Trap Card shattered…

Yumi grinned…

“Thank you…” she said. “You just destroyed a special Trap called Hero Medal. When it’s destroyed, I get to shuffle it back into my deck, and then draw one card.”

“No fair!” shouted Samen.

“It’s totally fair,” said Yumi, shuffling her deck.

Thanks again, Jaden, she thought.

She drew one card.

Samen growled.

I can take out her Dark Magician if I attack him with Shien, he thought, but then, I’d lose one of my Samurai. I can’t risk that yet…

“Yariza, attack her directly!” he shouted. “Leaping dragon strike!”

Yariza leapt into the air towards Yumi, ignoring Dark Magician and Breaker completely, and jammed his spear into Yumi’s torso. She screamed and fell over.

“In case it hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Samen, “Yariza’s ability is the ability to attack directly.

“Shien… Torch her Magical Warrior!”

Shien slashed with his katana, sending a stream of flames at Breaker and burning him to a crisp.



(Y: 2,000) -------------------- (S: 7,400)


Samen glared at Yumi.

“Your move…” he said.

Yumi gasped for breath. She drew another card.

“Go, Monster Reborn!” shouted Yumi, as the holy ankh appeared.

Skilled White Magician appeared again. (1,700/1,900)

“Him again…” growled Samen.

“Let’s see Yaichi survive now,” said Yumi, with a smirk. “Dark Magician, attack Yaichi! Dark magic attack!”

Dark Magician cast his lethal spell. Yariza leapt in front of Yaichi, and was blown to bits.

“Unless Shien can do the same thing, Samen,” said Yumi, “you can’t protect him again…”

Samen growled…

“Skilled White Magician… finish the job…”

The white mage fired a blast of pure light. Yaichi cringed and dropped his bow before he shattered into pixels.

“Now that he’s gone,” said Yumi, “I’ll set two cards facedown, and that will be all for my turn.”

Two facedown cards appeared in flashes of light.



(Y: 2,000) -------------------- (S: 5,800)


Samen growled as he drew a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity,” he said.

Yumi certainly did not expect an angel to come to Samen, and one didn’t… But someone did come. Someone who looked like a fallen angel. It was a beautiful, but sinister-looking young woman, with blue skin and hawk-like wings, dressed in a trashy outfit that exposed way too much skin, with a sword slung to her hip.

Samen nodded to her as he drew three cards.

“Who was THAT?” shouted Yumi, as she disappeared.

“An erinyes devil,” said Samen, discarding two cards. “Like my kind, they are tempters… But unlike I, who tempt mortals of power, they tempt those of passion.”

“I thought Erinyes was another name for the Furies,” replied Yumi.

Samen gave a nervous laugh…

“Heh, heh… Those three has-been hags?” he said. “They… uh… They likely copied the name from us…

“Uhm, anyway… Now where was I?

“Oh, yes… I play my own Premature Burial, and I’ll bring back someone I just discarded. Come forth, Samurai – Nisashi!”

A whirlwind tore across the field, and a new Samurai appeared. He was muscular, wore a metal breastplate with green highlights, and held the classic paired Daisho as a weapon. (1,400/700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0101.jpg


“Nisashi has a powerful effect,” said Samen. “He can attack twice per round.”

“You need another Samurai on the field for him to do that,” replied Yumi.

“Then I’ll get one,” said Samen, playing a card. “I play The Warrior Returning Alive.”

A card slipped out of his discard slot.

“You remember Yaichi, don’t you?” he asked.

Yaichi appeared on the field again. (1,300/800)

“Yes, and I’m happy to see him,” replied Yumi.

“Huh?” said Samen.

One of Yumi’s facedown cards lifted.

“Go, Dark Renewal!” she shouted.

The dark coffin appeared in front of her, and the lid opened. Skilled White Magician and Yaichi were both sucked inside. The lid slammed shut.

Yumi grinned. Energy flowed from the coffin…

Magician’s Valkyria stepped out, and knelt in Defense Mode. (1,600/1,800)

Samen grinned.

“You’re grasping at straws, Yumi,” he said. “Pretty soon, your luck is going to run out.

“Shien! Attack Valkyria!”

Shien swung his fiery blade, and Valkyria was burned up.



(Y: 2,000) -------------------- (S: 5,000)


“My move!” shouted Yumi.

She drew a card.

“I place one Monster in Defense Mode, and a card facedown…” she said.

Two facedown cards appeared, one horizontal and one vertical.

“Then I attack with Dark Magician!”

Dark Magician cast his dark spell, and Nisashi was blown to bits. Samen cringed.



(Y: 2,000) -------------------- (S: 3,900)


Samen growled. Then he grinned.

“Well, Yumi…” he said. “An interesting situation we have…

“I have Shien, you have Dark Magician… A battle between them would result in a draw…

“Unless I had one of my Samurai on the field, in which case he would survive. Let’s see who’s luck is better…”

He made a draw.

He chuckled as he looked at it.

“Well, Yumi,” he said. “It seems that mine was better after all! I summon Chamberlain of the Six Samurai!”

He played the card, and an odd figure appeared next to Shien. It was a Warrior who looked like all four of his limbs and one eye had been replaced by cybernetics, put together in a haphazard fashion. He clutched a katana in one bionic hand. (200/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_en0011.jpg


“That doesn’t look very impressive,” said Yumi.

“True,” said Samen. “He’s just the Six Samurai’s supporter. But he’s better than nothing – since he has the words ‘Six Samurai’ in his name, I can use him to activate Shien’s effect, and when he attacks your Dark Magician, my Chamberlain will be destroyed instead of Shien.

“Shien… Attack Dark Magician!”

Shien lifted his katana…

“Go, Draining Shield!” shouted Yumi.

Her Trap Card lifted, and as the fiery blast shot towards her side, a protective dome sprang up. Yumi glowed with energy.

Samen glared at her again.

He fit a card into his Disk, and it appeared facedown.

“My turn is over,” he said.

He looked at the facedown card.

And this duel will be soon too, he thought. One way or another…



(Y: 4,500) -------------------- (S: 3,900)


Yumi made a draw.

“I play… Mausoleum of the Emperor!” she shouted.

She placed the card in her Field Slot, and the arena darkened. The two temples rose, one behind each duelist, with the narrow bridge between them, and the dark basement below, where the Terracotta Army lurked.

Yumi sighed and looked at her facedown Monster. If it didn’t pan out, she had wasted her one Spell Card on something that was worthless right now.

This is my only chance to turn this duel around… she thought. Come on, give me something good here…

“Now,” she continued. “I flip my Morphing Jar into Attack Mode.”

Her facedown Monster flipped up, and the ceramic jar with its giggling, one-eyed occupant appeared. (700/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cp02-en009.jpg


“I’m sure you know what that means,” said Yumi.

The two of them discarded their hands, and then they both drew five cards.

Yumi grinned.

“I pay 2,000 Life Points for two Terracotta statues,” she said.

Two statues floated up in front of her.

“Now I’ll sacrifice them, to summon Dark Magician of Chaos!”

The statues shattered, and the mighty Chaos Mage appeared out of the darkness. (2,800/2,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dr2-en066.jpg


“Oh… no…” muttered Samen.

“You got that,” said Yumi. “That means I get a Spell Card back…”

Pot of Greed slipped out of her discard slot.

“Now… My Morphing Jar attacks your Chamberlain!”

The shadowy shape in the jar darted forward, striking the Chamberlain in the chest. He groaned, and burst into shards of metal.

“Now that he’s gone…” said Yumi, “Dark Magician of Chaos… Attack Great Shogun Shien! Scepter strike!”

Dark Magician of Chaos twirled his staff, and sent a shockwave crashing towards the Shogun. Shien screamed and dropped his katana, before exploding in a burst of fire and smoke.

“Shien…” muttered Samen. “Gone…”

“And he’s staying gone,” said Yumi, “because Dark Magician of Chaos’s effect removed him from play.

“And I’m not done with you yet… Dark Magician… Attack that soul stealer directly!”

Samen screamed as Dark Magician cast his powerful spell, hitting him in the torso.

Samen clutched his chest.

“You’re no fun any more, Yumi…” he growled.

“My friends have been enslaved…” said Yumi, “I’ve been forced into a duel with a spawn of Hell, my head is still pounding like a drum… Can you please tell me what was supposed to be fun about this in the first place?”

She stared at him for a few second.

“Since Shien is gone now,” she said, “I’m free to play another Spell Card, so I’ll play the Pot of Greed I just got back.”

She played the card, and drew two cards. She looked at them, and added them to her hand.

She took a card from her hand.

“I’ll place these facedown, and end my turn.”

Two facedown cards appeared next to her other one in flashes of light.



(Y: 2,500) -------------------- (S: 600)


Samen drew a card.

A fiery aura started to surround him.

“Okay, young warrior,” he said. “It’s time to show you what I’m truly capable of…

“You may have vanquished my men once… Let’s see if you can do it a second time…

“I activate the Trap Card… Backs to the Wall!”

His facedown card lifted, showing a picture of four crystal statues of four of the Six Samurai.

“This card is so powerful,” he continued, “that in order to use it, I must pay all my Life Points except 100 of them. But since I only have 600 left, it’s no big deal.”

“Oh?” asked Yumi. “And what the heck does it do to require such a… YAAH!”

Five flashes of light appeared on his side of the field, and Irou (1,700/1,200), Yaichi (1,300/800), Kamon (1,500/1,000), Nisashi (1,400/700), and finally Zanji (1,800/1,300) appeared on his side.

Samen chuckled.

“As you can see,” he said, “I get to Special Summon from my Graveyard as many Samurai as I have room for.”

“That’s… not good…” said Yumi.

“Next,” said Samen, taking a card from his hand, “I sacrifice Irou to summon Grandmaster of the Six Samurai.”

Irou vanished into grains of light, and a tall Warrior appeared. It was an old man with long, white hair and a beard, with an eyepatch over his right eye, wearing grey and blue clothing. He held a longsword that he had pointed down. (2,100/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-ensp1.jpg


“Now I’ll use Yaichi’s effect,” said Samen. “I’m certain you remember how it works…”

Yaichi fired his bow, and Yumi’s Staunch Defender card was blown to pieces.

“Of course, Yumi…” said Samen, taking two more cards from his hand, “you still have two more facedown cards, and I can’t get rid of them this turn, so attacking with only 100 Life Points left would be the height of stupidity. So rather than attack, I’m going to boost my Life Points by playing Mystik Wok…

“But why sacrifice one of my Monsters, when I can combo it with Soul Exchange and take one of yours?”

The two Spell Cards appeared on his side of the field. Dark Magician of Chaos vanished into grains of light.

“You’re gonna regret that, pal,” growled Yumi.

“Oh, a threat,” replied Samen. “I’m so scared. I’m no fool, Yumi… I don’t like your Dark Magician either, so I’m not about to let him off. I play Offerings to the Doomed.”

He played a Spell Card, and a gruesome claw reached out of the ground and seized Dark Magician. It pulled him under.

“Of course,” continued Samen, “since I played Soul Exchange, I have no choice but to skip my Battle Phase. But… I can still play The A. Forces…”

He played another Spell Card.

“Now, for each Warrior I have on the field, each one gains 200 Attack Points.”

All five of his Warriors glowed with energy. Yaichi rose to an Attack of 2,300, Kamon rose to 2,500, Nisashi to 2,400, Zanji to 2,800, and the Grandmaster to 3,100.

Samen placed his last card in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“It’s your move…” he said with a sinister smile.



(Y: 2,500) -------------------- (S: 2,900)


She must think I’m an idiot, he thought, playing Offerings to the Doomed and using every card in my hand… Little does she know how many duelists I’ve crushed with this very same setup… I don’t need any new cards next turn… I have all I need right now.

Yumi looked at her deck. Sweat started to pour down her face. He had five powerhouses, and she didn’t have much…

It all comes down to this… she thought.

She snatched the card off the top of her deck.

“I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer…” she said, playing a card.

Kycoo appeared in a dark aura. (1,800/700)

“I activate a Trap Card!” shouted Samen. “Go, Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!”

His facedown card lifted.

“Say goodbye to your Monsters!”

A blazing ball of fire shot towards Yumi’s side of the field…

“GO!” screamed Yumi. “ESCAPE!”

Before the fireball hit, Morphing Jar and Kycoo vanished. The flames hit only bare ground, leaving a scorch mark.

“Huh?” said Samen. “Where did they go?”

Then he noticed that Yumi had activated a facedown card.

“Immortality Class?” he said with a look of disgust. “What does that do?”

“By activating this Trap,” said Yumi, “just before your Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan hit, I was able to sacrifice my Monsters. Since the Monsters that were on my side of the field at the time you activated that Trap were taken off the field, it became a waste.

“And now, as a result of that sacrifice, I’m able to Special Summon a Level Seven or higher Monster from my Graveyard.”

Dark Magician appeared in a burst of fiery, dark energy. (2,500/2,100)

“I told you that you would regret what you did, Samen. Next, I activate Rush Recklessly.”

Her last facedown card lifted, and Dark Magician’s Attack Score rose to 3,200.

“Well, fine…” said Samen. “Attack if you dare… Have you forgotten the special ability that all of the Six Samurai share? No matter which one you attack, I get to choose which one dies. That means my Grandmaster will be the one taking the hit.

“And guess what, Yumi? Due his second effect, I’ll be able to return him to my hand right away, and due to his first effect, I can Special Summon him next round. So all my Samurai will be here on my next turn.

“If you set a Trap, Yaichi will destroy it. If you play a Spell that you have to reveal, Kamon will destroy it. And the bonus from The A. Forces will still make my Grandmaster strong enough to defeat him.

“Bottom line, Yumi, you lose.”

“No…” said Yumi, “you do… You’re clearly a product of the source of evil, Samen, because you suffer from one of the classic villainous handicaps…

“You’re overconfident.”

She played a card in her hand, the one she had just drawn.

“I play Diffusion-Wave Motion!”

“Diffusion-Wave Motion?!” shouted Samen.

“Oh, you’ve heard of it?” asked Yumi, narrowing her eyes. “Since Dark Magician IS Level Seven, he can use it.

“By paying 1,000 Life Points to cast this powerful Spell, my sorcerer’s attack transforms from a line, to mighty wave, and spreads across your entire army!

“And not only can he strike down every Monster on your side of the field, those Monsters are rendered powerless as far as their special effects are concerned.”

Samen’s eyes opened wide.

“But… if my Samurai can’t use their effects…” he said.

“…then when one of them is attacked, another one can’t take the fall for him,” said Yumi. “And with each one that goes down, the benefit from The A. Forces will go down for the others.”

She turned to Dark Magician.

“Time to end this,” she said.

Dark Magician nodded.

“Attack!” shouted Yumi. “Wipe him out with fierce dark wave!”

Dark Magician raised his staff to the heavens, his eyes glowed with pure energy, and an aura of crackling, magical power surrounded him…

A volley of dark balls of burning flames shot towards Yaichi, and he was incinerated. Then Nisashi followed, then Kamon, then Zanji…

The final bolt struck the Grandmaster. He howled and fell to his knees before blowing into pixels. The impact threw the harvester devil off his feet…

“It’s over, Samen!” shouted Yumi.



(Y: 1,500) -------------------- (S: 0)


Yumi has defeated the insidious harvester devil… It would appear that she has won the wager. But can any information that she might gain from this honey-tongued tempter be the truth? This horrible night may only be beginning, and Rasputin may well be preparing to make a last stand, where safety will be thrown to the wind… And aside from her spiritual guide and her guardian angel, Yumi stands alone while making the final approach…



IMMORTALITY CLASS (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A Return Zombie and a Lizard Soldier with Zoa looming behind them.

Card Description: Tribute two Monsters on your side of the field. Special Summon from your Graveyard a Level Seven or greater Monster.

Note: “Immortality Class” was first used by Marcel in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Awakening of the Rainbow Dragon”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Yumi: I’m… alone…

Rasputin’s fortress looms over the skyline, and Ren waits just inside the entrance hall…

Anastasia: Scared Yumi? It’s okay to be scared… The end game is starting, and all we have to go on is the word of a devil.

We can only hope that your skills and my guidance will be enough as we start to scale this foreboding fortress… Because so much is at stake…

Yumi: My hands won’t stop shaking…

Anastasia: Coming up next: “True versus False; Yumi versus Ren”.

Yumi: Ren… I’ll use the weapon of your soul to break the chains binding it…

[Shuppet Master]

This is pretty scary. Now Yumi has to defeat all her friends! This is too scary for words.

This is a great chapter. You mentioned someone using a Six Samurai deck, I never imagined it to be a devil.

Keep up the good work. ;)

[Dark Sage]

Hello fanfiction fans.

As you may know, rumors have been flying around about a possible sequel to this fic. Well, I am pleased to say, those rumors are not false.

And, I am holding a small contest to let someone help contribute a little to it. This contest is open to everyone except the one who is already contributing. (You know who you are.)

Here’s the deal. You simply have to answer six questions, some pertaining to the game, others pertaining to the anime. Send me the answers via PM. Whoever gets the most questions right will win. In the case of a tie, I’ll decide by random.

The winner will get to design a special antagonist duelist for my future fic. I won’t give the specifics to anyone but the winner yet. The deadline date is December 23rd. Entries must be received by then.

And watch out, because some questions might be trick questions.

Good luck. Here are the questions.



1. Technically, all Fairies benefit from the Field Spell “The Sanctuary in the Sky”, as battle damage is reduced to zero when they are attacked. However, many other cards have effects that can only be used when this Field Spell is in play, or require it to avoid a drawback. Name as many of these cards as you can. Whoever gets the most will get priority. An incorrect card will deduct two correct ones from your total. Also, Warrior of Zera does not count.


2. Out of Marauding Captain, Goblin of Greed, and Dark Ruler Ha Des, which one of them has appeared on more cards than the other two? (Anime-only cards do not count, but ones not yet released in America do.)


3. In the anime, which two Spellcaster-Type Monsters has Alexis had in her deck? (Any deck she has used counts.)


4. The maximum damage that the effect of “Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch” could do to the opposing player is 1,200. However, to do that much, the opposing player would have to be holding one specific card. Name it.


5. Which Monster(s) that Titan used was not an Archfiend?


6. Which two regulars on GX have used “Double Spell”?


Again, good luck. I look forward to hearing from you.

- DS

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE



True versus False



Yumi versus Ren



Samen was on his knees. He didn’t say a word as Yumi stood over him.

“Well, Wormwood?” she said with a sneer. “You lost… Now pay up…”

“Wormwood?” growled Samen.

“It’s a reference to a book called The Screwtape Letters,” said Yumi, “about a…”

“I know what it’s about!” shouted Samen. “You think you can insult me and get away with it?”

“Look, I don’t have all night!” shouted Yumi. “Now tell me how to break the spell, or so help me, I’ll…”

“My, the Mouto lineage spawned a plucky one this time,” said Samen, gritting his teeth. “You have a lot to learn in the way of respect…”

“I give respect to those who deserve it,” said Yumi. “Members of a race who have deceived and tempted humanity since the beginning of time are definitely not deserving of it.”

“Well then…” said Samen, getting up, “until you learn some, you can figure out how to save your friends on your own!”

He got up, and fled for the exit.

“Follow him!” shouted the Pharaoh.

“You don’t have to tell me twice…” said Yumi, running after him.

She ran after Samen…

Only to find that someone at the exit had apparently already caught him. A dark, looming shape was glaring at him, and Samen’s attitude had suddenly changed from anger to incredible fear.

“No… no…” stammered Samen. “Please… I wasn’t trying to go back on my end of the bargain, honest…

“Well, okay, maybe I was, but you have to understand, she insulted me… She insulted you! You can’t just expect us to…”

A clawed hand grabbed him on the shoulder, and Samen let out an unholy scream. His body erupted in green flames…

The flames died down, and where Samen had stood was a statue made of iron, frozen in mid scream.

“Ho… boy…” muttered Yumi.

The figure walked past Samen, into the light, and a chill crept down Yumi’s spine… Her blood ran cold.

Not only from fear, but from the aura of great evil that was emitting from the figure like a raging furnace. She didn’t need to be a spirit like the Pharaoh or an angel like Anastasia to detect it… It was so intense, it would have been easy to detect by anyone.

He was a full seven feet tall, with skin the color and texture of metal, and jet black hair. He had short horns on his forehead, eyes that glowed like embers, and pointed ears. His clothes looked regal and expensive, yet were drab in color. He held an ornate cane in his hand, made of iron but topped with a brass knob shaped like a ram’s head; but he didn’t walk with any sort of limp. Yumi quickly guessed this item’s purpose – it was some sort of weapon in disguise.

He glared at Yumi with a look that seemed to burn a hole in her.

“Uh…” said Yumi. “Dispater, I presume… Uhm… Kind of careless coming here, isn’t it? I thought you didn’t confront your enemies directly.”

The Iron Duke’s eyes narrowed.

“Yumi, take caution,” said the fiend. “Keep in mind that I just turned Samen into a statue of iron for defying me without a second thought. And him I liked.”

There was a long pause.

So now what? thought Yumi.

“I seem to recall you remarking to him that I sounded like a coward,” said Dispater, turning his back to her. “One who does nothing but let his servants fight for him.

“I’m no coward, Yumi… I’m merely cautious.

“My plans are… far-reaching. I don’t mind if they take years or even centuries to complete. I am immortal, after all. I have my fingers in everything. I have agents in countries on hundreds of worlds. I gain power through careful planning and strategy. If it takes years for a goal to come to fruition, no matter, because it’s always worth it in the end…”

He turned back to her and smiled. He leaned slightly on the cane.

“Let me tell you something Yumi… When the Great Rebellion shook the plains of Heaven, and Lucifer fell, eight other powerful seraphims that conspired with him fell along with him. Those eight fallen angels became the original Lords of Hell.

“Today, of those eight, only two of the original ones remain. The others have all been assassinated or otherwise deposed. In some cases, the positions have been filled and refilled several times.

“One of the two original ones is Mephistopheles. An ally of mine.

“The reason he’s my ally…”

He pointed to himself.

“Is because the other one… Is me…”

A lot of thoughts were racing through Yumi’s mind right now. More than anything, she wanted to turn tail and run for her life.

She was about to do just that…

“Yumi!” shouted the Pharaoh. “Don’t be a fool! This being has unheard of power! If you try to run, he’ll catch you before you take a second step!”

“Listen to your spiritual guide, Yumi,” chuckled Dispater. “He’s incredibly smart…”

Yumi gave him a strange look.

“Yes, I can hear him!” said Dispater. “I see him quite clearly, too. And I can see your guardian angel as well. She doesn’t frighten me in the least.”

He chuckled.

He paused for a minute, and held the knob of the cane up to his face, looking at his reflection in it.

“You know,” he muttered, “I was so disappointed to learn that Heaven had forgiven and accepted her… So many of us were preparing to place bids for her soul when it went up for sale on the first layer. She was worth so much…”

“Now wait just a minute!” shouted Yumi. “I don’t care who you are… You can’t just insult Anastasia like that…”

Dispater chuckled again. He leaned on the cane again.

“You know, you’re right…” he said. “That was a rather juvenile thing for me to say… Don’t confuse me with your grandfather’s old enemies, Yumi. I’m not the type to goad and mock others. Not most of the time, anyway. Unlike demons, we’re somewhat civilized.

“You know, Yumi, your father did most of us a big favor when he vanquished Saurius… Devils with dreams of outright invasion are few and far between… Actually conquering a material world may be among our goals, but it’s more or less a symbolic goal. With a few exceptions, none of us truly believes it will ever happen…

“Most devils are content to take mortals one at a time, or a small group at a time, spreading evil through temptation and subterfuge… We don’t cause evil, per se… We simply encourage it.”

“How do you sleep at night?” asked Yumi, narrowing her eyes.

“On a very luxurious bed, with many beautiful harem girls,” he said with a chuckle. “Anyway, as far as Saurius was concerned, most of us thought that this upstart fallen angel was some wild-child who was simply trying to make a big splash to gain the attention of the King of Hell, which he likely never would have gotten anyway. His so-called army was a bunch of outcasts and riff-raff that had either deserted or had been expelled from the armies of more respectable devils, because few were willing to fund his dreams. He hated all of us, and the feeling was mutual.

“Anyway if there’s one thing I hate… It’s when someone cheats me. Thus, since Samen lost the duel, I will grudgingly fulfill his end of the bargain.

“But beware… If you tell any other devil about what has transpired here tonight, especially that bastard Baalzebul, you won’t live to…”

“Hold on a second…” said Yumi.

The Iron Duke paused. Yumi felt a little bravery returning. This was going to be a two-sided conversation, even if it was going to be between human and devil.

“Can you at least tell me what this is about?” she asked. “What is your beef with Rasputin, anyway?”

Dispater took a deep breath.

“Rasputin was a… bad investment…” replied Dispater.

He jabbed the cane into the ground where it stuck fast, and then crossed his arms.

“I suppose there’s no harm in telling you, but once again, no talking about this to other devils.”

“Hey, I don’t even know any other devils,” said Yumi.

“Well…” said Dispater. “Here’s the deal… Shortly after Rasputin decided that the powers he worshipped were… negligent, he decided to go elsewhere for power. He used a great deal of resources to contact a harvester devil in my employ. It wasn’t Samen, I’ll say that right away. This one’s name was Kalador, curse his hide.

“Rasputin wanted the usual deal one makes with a harvester devil – power in exchange for one’s soul. The standard Faustian Pact. That’s what humans call them.

“Faust never existed, in case you’re wondering. He was only a fictional character. But the name stuck.

“A harvester devil’s first job is to weigh the value of the client’s soul. If the mortal is worth a lot, the harvester is authorized to offer more. And Kalador realized at this point that Rasputin was a gold mine. Not only was he the member of a rich, influential, and respected family, he had been chosen as an emissary of Heaven to defend a powerful church. And he had vanquished a servant of a powerful demon, an enemy of Hell. A man touched by Good, an enemy of Chaos… Truly a prize for Hell.”

Yumi almost fell over.

She had been right… Rasputin had been wrong…

The higher powers had indeed intervened when that succubus attempted to sacrifice Stephansdom… And had chosen Rasputin as their champion…

And Rasputin never even knew it… What had happened to make him think otherwise?

Yumi never felt sorrier for Rasputin than she did now…

“Anyway,” said Dispater, “Kalador drew up a contract… But he didn’t expect what Rasputin did then. Rasputin read it carefully. He actually read the fine print, and then took a red pen to it. He then shoved it back in Kalador’s face, telling him to close the loopholes, or there would be no deal.

“Kalador was upset, of course. He tried to reword it, but Rasputin would not be fooled. He would settle for nothing but a straightforward contract, where he would get what the harvester promised, and he’d pay with his soul, with no clauses that Kalador could exploit. Kalador was determined to finalize this deal… Rasputin was worth so much, that he was certain he’d get a promotion when the soul was eventually delivered.

“Finally, Kalador gave Rasputin the straightforward contract that he wanted, with no extra clauses or loopholes. Had he consulted me, I likely would have told him to abandon this incredibly clever mortal. But it was too late. The contract had been signed.

“The terms were simple. Rasputin would get three boons. Anything he wanted, within reason, that were in my power to arrange.

“We expected the usual requests… Wealth, or political power… Or maybe the love of some beautiful maiden he had his eye on… You’d be surprised how often we hear that.

“But his requests were anything but usual.

“He asked for the first one right away. He wanted the ability to practice infernal alchemy, a craft that normally only devils can manage. It was an odd request, but it was delivered.

“The second request was one that gave me pause. He wanted a promise that the forces of Hell would not harm him or his interests until the terms of the contract were finalized. I didn’t like it, but I figured that the contract would be finalized soon… So I granted the request…

“I figured wrong…

“Most mortals that sign these Pacts are so greedy, they want all that they are entitled to at once. But Rasputin told Kalador that he didn’t want to make his third request yet. He’d wait until he needed it.

“And so, the wait began. We figured that Rasputin would have to make his third request eventually. We could wait him out…”

“But…” said Yumi. “He found a way to keep himself from aging, and never made it… So the contract was never finalized, and since it wasn’t, you couldn’t collect what he owed you.”

“He cheated us at our own game,” growled Dispater. “We don’t know how he discovered that formula… Nothing in the practice of infernal alchemy could have done it…

“And since we promised not to harm him, we were helpless to do anything to force him to make the last request. We couldn’t even make an idle threat…

“We’ve tried other methods… We’ve tried to… bend the rules of the contract and kidnap people he might care about in hopes of making some sort of demand… But he thought of that, and he’s merciless towards any attempts at cheating. Every apprentice and student he has taken over the years has been protected with powerful wards. Nicholas and Olga wear special jewelry that he has made them promise never to remove – they are warded with incredibly powerful glyphs which would prevent any resident of Hell from getting near them…”

“Like a magical restraining order?” asked Yumi.

Dispater shook his head.

“Even stronger…” he muttered. “A mortal restraining order can’t magically send the offender directly to prison if he violates it. These wards can do just that. And no devil wants to go to this prison…”

“What… prison?” asked Yumi.

“The Prison,” muttered Dispater. “It’s a place on Mechanus where powerful individuals can send extraplanar beings who break certain fundamental laws, including devils caught violating the terms of a mortal’s Faustian Pact. Again, we don’t know how Rasputin found out how to use its services.

“And so we were trapped. We were forced to continue supplying him with the means to practice infernal alchemy, and granting him protection, with no promise at all that we would ever get anything in return. It isn’t often that we are swindled by the terms of a Pact, but Rasputin managed to do it.

“Kalador was eventually executed, of course…

“But just last night, Rasputin finally made the third request… He asked us to secure your two Shadow Charms. Samen failed to do so, and even I am forbidden from simply stealing them from you.

“Thus, the Pact with Rasputin is now void, since he will not get all of what he was promised, and while he will likely go to Hell if he ever dies, I have as much chance of winning his soul as any of Hell’s other rulers.

“However…

“There is one thing I can get… And that is satisfaction.

“I’m one of the original rulers of Hell, Yumi… This deal with Rasputin has been an embarrassment and a blow to my pride. I want Rasputin taken out… He suggested I offer you access to The Garden of Delights as a wager, but I had a better idea.

“Since Samen lost, I’ll tell you what you want… I know exactly what you need to do to free your friends from the wicked spell of the Rod of the Ancients. I might even enjoy seeing the results. After all, I am a being of Law, and that Rod is an artifact of Chaos…”

He pulled the cane out of the ground with a swift yank. Yumi almost jumped, it was so sudden.

But she quickly recovered.

“Tell me!” she shouted.

Dispater paused.

“First, you must duel them, and you must win,” said Dispater. “I tell you right now, these will be Shadow Games… A side effect of the Rod’s evil influence, that is currently tainting the very air over Duelatopia like a vile fog…

“But if you use your deck, their chances of recovering are ten percent at most.

“You see, Yumi, inside each duelist’s deck is a card that represents the duelist… It lies closest to the soul. It defines the duelist. Just as Dark Magician Girl does for you.

“Rasputin knew Samen might fail. Your friends now wait to ambush you… They’ll force you to wager your Charms against theirs…

“And Rasputin knew well the dangers that their special cards held. He ordered them to leave their decks behind, and gave them new ones…

“And in each new deck that each of your friends now holds, a Monster lurks that has usurped the position of his or her true soul. This pretender… is the false soul.

“What you must do to break the spell, Yumi, is prove that the true souls are superior. In each case, the true soul must face the false soul in battle, and win.

“That is what must be done…”

He turned and started to walk away.

“By the way Yumi,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “As someone who employs several erinyes devils himself, I don’t mind telling you that Samen was lying when he said that the Furies stole the name ‘erinyes’ from us. It was the other way around. No-one remembers the original name of the race of devils that serve as temptresses. As a race, they are incredibly ancient, the first ones being angels that fell along with Lucifer, and as such, the name of their race was stricken from the celestial records forever, erased from existence. Just as my true name was…

“But I do remember that many devils had admired the Furies for some time. Eventually, one of the temptresses started calling herself an erinyes to frighten mortals, and the name stuck.

“If the Furies objected, they never said anything… I guess they decided that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery…”

He started to walk away again.

“Wait!” shouted Yumi. “Can’t you tell me what the false souls are?”

She ran after him, but he was gone. Nothing was there but the metal statue that had been Samen.

Yumi sighed.

“Well…” she said to the statue. “How do you like being the world’s biggest paperweight, pal?”

She gave it a kick.

Then she noticed that Samen had dropped his Duel Disk.

She picked it up, and then took his cards out of the holder, and out of the discard slot.

She looked at the Six Samurai.

She shook her head sadly.

“You guys didn’t deserve to work for the likes of him…” she said. “And I’m afraid you aren’t my style…”

She put the deck together.

“But tell you what… As soon as I find a duelist who’s interested, I’ll give you a better home.”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi thanked the Heavens that everyone, even Sam and Erik, had given her emergency keys. With Rasputin a threat, it had been necessary.

It was easy to find their decks. All of them had been tossed into trash cans. Yumi fumed with anger as she recovered each one, her sympathy for Rasputin starting to fade quickly. Fortunately, no cards were damaged.

After making sure all the cards were there and arranging them into decks, Yumi got something from Ren’s room that he had bought at a souvenir shop – a deck bandoleer. It was more a novelty than anything else – who in his right mind carried eight decks at once? But Yumi could use it now.

She placed her deck in the top slot, and the four decks she had recovered below it.

Then she had a brainstorm…

She went to her suitcase, and took out her second deck. She placed it in the sixth slot.

“So where do you suppose they are?” asked the Pharaoh.

Yumi paused.

“We’ll go out, and see if Rasputin gives us a sign…” she said.

“Uhm…

“You think we can use these decks as well as they can?”

“I doubt it,” he replied.

She sighed.

“I’m trying to be optimistic, here,” she said.

“I’m trying very hard to be too,” he replied. “But the sad fact is, we’ve had no practice with any of these cards, and now we have to face four duelists in Shadow Games, each of which knows the decks we’ll be using against them by heart.

“Compared to us, who know absolutely nothing about their new strategies.

“We also have to keep in mind that Dispater is one of the rulers of Hell. Devils are well known for deceiving mortals. For all we know, using the method he told us to use against them…”

He paused.

“Well… For all we know, if we do what he told us to do, they might die. All to satisfy some diabolic need for entertainment.”

Yumi bowed her head. He was right. That was a possibility.

Then a glowing arm went around her shoulder. Yumi looked up, and saw one around the Pharaoh’s shoulder too.

“Anastasia?” she said.

“Yumi… Atemu…” she said.

The Pharaoh looked surprised.

“Atemu…” he muttered. “Yes… yes… That is my name…”

“More and more is being revealed, as more power flows into both of us,” said Anastasia. “We must attempt this rescue using Dispater’s advice, no matter what doubts we have. Our information may come from a very questionable source, but right now, it is the only source. Our only other alternative is going in blind.

“Besides, all four of them likely have cards in their decks meant to counter the ones in your true deck, Yumi. They may know their real decks front-to-back, but at least they aren’t expecting you to use them.”

Yumi nodded.

“Let’s go…” she said.

She ran out of the arena, and onto the empty street.

She looked around.

Somewhere in this big city was her enemy, and her friends were waiting to ambush her…

But where?

“Yumi…” said a voice.

Yumi spun around.

Her eyes met with a familiar face.

“Maria…” she whispered.

Maria pointed to the distance.

“Clock Tower Prison,” said Maria, somberly. “Rasputin has made it his lair. And poor Ren waits for you just inside the courtyard…

“I’ll take you to him, but take care…”



* * * * * * * * * *


The looming clock overhead read fifteen minutes to eight as Yumi and Maria ran up to the front gate.

Yumi peered into the gate.

She took a deep breath.

She took Ren’s deck out of the bandoleer.

“You sure he’s in there?” she asked.

“He’ll ambush you as soon as you go in,” said Maria. “You’ll have no choice but to duel him.”

Yumi looked hard at the deck.

“Why do you hesitate?” asked Maria.

“Because I feel like a big, dirty thief!” shouted Yumi.

“Oh, that’s rubbish,” said Maria. “Give me that…”

She snatched the deck, and started to shuffle it.

“You go in there, and bring them home safe and sound,” she said, shuffling. “And take down Rasputin once and for all. I, for one, am getting tired of this…”

As she handed the deck back, the gates swung open.

“It’s time…” she said, giving her a nudge.

Yumi walked in. As Maria watched her walk in, she took a cell phone out of her pocket and hit a button.

“She’s heading in,” she said into it, in a voice that sounded different.



* * * * * * * * * *


“Okay…” said Descartes. “You want to tell me again where this thing came from?”

He and two other Centurions were inspecting Samen’s body, which was both puzzling and frightening.

“We don’t really know,” said another one. “The guy in charge of security said that the cameras for the arena had been tampered with. Apparently, they had been showing a recording of some sort instead of a live image. From where, we don’t know. When he discovered it, he called us, and we rushed here to find… this.”

Descartes looked at the statue with a look of concern.

“This clearly wasn’t always a statue…” he muttered. “And whatever it used to be, it wasn’t human either…”

He thought for a minute.

“Do we still have any of the weapons used by the original Centurions? The ones who were hired when Duelatopia first opened?”

“Yeah,” said the other one. “Ms. Arachne ordered them put into storage… But they’re practically antiques compared to what we have now…”

“Julius, if this creature was what I think it was, they might save our lives.

“Write this down… I want those weapons taken out of storage, and one to be given to every Centurion on duty. And they are all to be set to level three. No more, no less…”

“Got it…” said Julius. “I’ll get on that… But if you mind me asking…”

A communication device on Descartes belt buzzed.

“Now what?” he said, looking at it. “The brig?”

He hit a button.

“Descartes here…

“WHAT?”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi walked into the large courtyard of Clock Tower Prison.

As she did, the gate behind her swung shut with a crash.

In most movies, the heroine would, at this point, struggle with the gate for a minute or two before realizing it was pointless. Yumi, however, decided not to embarrass herself. She already knew it was pointless.

She was startled as the clock hit eight, and started to toll.

Yumi looked up at the immense structure…

This place would be creepy even in the daytime… she thought.

“Okay, Ren,” she called out, “where are you? No playing games…”

“I’m right behind you Yumi,” said a voice that was familiar in a strange way.

Yumi turned around, and saw that Ren had been waiting right inside the gate. Clearly, he wasn’t himself. His skin was slightly pale, his eyes were cold, and his expression didn’t fit. Clearly, he wasn’t his jovial self any more.

He still had the Horn of Chance, something that worried Yumi the most… She had two Charms, but as far as she knew, neither one of hers affected probability.

“You want to duel me Ren?” she asked. “Fine… Let’s duel.”

“That’s it?” he asked. “You’re not going to plead with me? Try to get me to snap out of it?”

“Would it do any good?” asked Yumi.

“Mmm, I doubt it…” said Ren.

“Then let’s can the usual clichés that occur in this situation and throw down,” said Yumi. “I’m not going to try to reason with you, because I know it would be pointless. But I am going to get you away from Rasputin, even if I have to tie you up and carry you away from him.”

“I’d like to see you try it,” he said with a laugh.

“I’ll state the rules, Yumi. My Horn of Chance against your Crown of Souls.”

“Don’t you want my Gale Shield too?” asked Yumi.

“No, Rasputin said you can keep that one,” said Ren.

“Huh?” asked Yumi.

“Yumi!” shouted Anastasia’s voice.

“What?” she replied.

“Rasputin is showing a very clever strategy,” said Anastasia. “If you lose the Crown but manage to keep another Charm, Rasputin can renew the Rod’s spell, and…”

“I’ll have no protection from it…” muttered Yumi. “Terrific…”

Yumi looked at the deck.

“Okay guys…” she whispered. “I’m counting on you…”

She loaded it into her Disk.

I just wish I had a chance to practice with Ren’s deck, she thought, before I had to bet both our lives on it!

The Disks activated.

“GAME ON!” they shouted.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:




(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Ren: 8,000)


“Let’s go!” shouted Yumi.

She drew a card.

“Hey, Ren, I’ve got someone who wants to say hi… I summon Getsu Fuhma!”

She placed a card on her Disk, and the lovely, redheaded ronin appeared, holding her katana. (1,700/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-0891.jpg


“Huh?” said Ren.

Getsu Fuhma looked sadly at Ren. He scowled at her.

“I end my turn,” said Yumi.

“Don’t worry, Yumi,” said Ren, drawing a card. “I promise you a completely fair duel…”

He added the card to his hand.

“And by ‘fair’, I mean completely stacked in my favor! I summon Motor Shell in Attack Mode!”

There was a sound like a noisy lawn mower, and an odd-looking Machine appeared in front of Ren. It looked more or less like a large engine with two large wheels and a pair of exhaust pipes. (1,300/1,800)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/2/27/MotorShell-JP-Manga.jpg


“Next…” said Ren, playing a card, “I play the Spell Card, Double Summon. Now I’m allowed to make a second Normal Summon this turn. So, let’s see… I think I’ll summon a second Motor Shell.”

He played another card, and another of the noisy Machines appeared. (1,300/1,800)

“That’s enough for one turn.”

Yumi looked at him for a second, and then drew a card.

He’s up to something… she thought. Those two things are clearly weaker than Getsu Fuhma, yet he put them in Attack Mode…

She played a card.

“I summon… Dark Blade!” she shouted.

In a burst of darkness, the Dark Warrior appeared next to Getsu Fuhma. (1,800/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-007.jpg


“Oh, I see now!” shouted Ren. “You’re using my old cards to make fun of me, right? I never thought you could sink so low, Yumi!”

“No…” said Yumi. “I’m using them to try to snap you out of this, even if I have to hit you over the head to do it.

“Getsu Fuhma, trash his Motor Shell with whirlwind blade!”

Getsu Fuhma leapt at the Machine and slashed at it with her katana, blowing it to pieces.

“Ergh…” muttered Ren. “Motor Shell has a special ability. When it gets scrapped, it leaves behind a Motor Part Token.”

A broken piece of machinery, looking like a busted muffler, appeared where the Shell had been. (0/0)

Yumi grinned.

“I don’t know if you know this, Ren,” she said, “but that token is in Attack Mode, and it has zero Attack Points.

“Dark Blade, destroy his Motor Part Token!”

Dark Blade walked up, and simply stepped on the Motor Part, smashing it. Ren cringed again.



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (R: 5,900)


“My move…” growled Ren.

He drew a card.

“I sacrifice my Motor Shell, to summon Motor Violence.”

Motor Shell vanished, and a much nastier Machine appeared. It looked like it was part robot and part beat-up car with machine guns for hands and exhaust pipes on its back. (2,100/1,200)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/5/5c/MotorViolence-JP-Manga.jpg


“Good grief, Ren,” muttered Yumi. “I never knew you liked Monsters that were so… unsubtle…”

“I’ve changed…” said Ren. “Motor Violence, attack Getsu Fuhma with master blaster!”

Motor Violence’s engines roared, exhaust poured from its pipes, and shells fired out of its guns as empty cartridges flew from the other ends. Getsu Fuhma screamed bloody murder as she was impaled by hot lead, and she exploded into shards.



(Y: 7,600) -------------------- (R: 5,900)


“If you ask me…” said Yumi, “this change in you is not for the better.”

“But I didn’t ask you,” said Ren. “Your move.”

Yumi frowned as she drew a card.

“I summon… Pitch-Dark Dragon!” she shouted.

The smallish, Dark Dragon appeared next to Dark Blade. (900/600)



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“I’m certain you know the little trick these two can do…” said Yumi.

Dark Blade nodded. He leapt up, and landed on Pitch-Dark Dragon’s back. (2,200/1,900)

“Attack his Motor Violence!” she shouted. “Go!”

The Dragon spread its wings, and flew into the air with its rider. Dark Blade swooped upon Motor Violence, and the Machine exploded into a fiery blast of smoke and soot.

Ren growled…



(Y: 7,500) -------------------- (R: 5,800)


“I activate Motor Violence’s effect!” he shouted. “When it bites the dust, I get two Motor Part Tokens.”

Two more of the broken machine parts appeared. (0/0 x2)

“Your move, Ren,” said Yumi. “I was expecting more from you than these third-rate Machines…”

But I’ve got to keep my eye out for a powerful Monster, she thought. One that would unmistakably be this false soul…

Ren’s true soul is most likely Crescent Moon Queen… I have to hope I draw her in time, and that this thing lurking in Ren’s deck isn’t too strong for her to take down…

Ren drew a card and looked at it.

“Yumi!” said the Pharaoh’s voice.

“What?” said Yumi, nervously.

“Beware…” he said. “When Ren drew his card just then, I felt an incredible power… Something might be coming that will push us to our limits.”

“Okay, thanks for the warning…” muttered Yumi.

Ren played a card.

“I sacrifice one token to summon Motor Kaiser,” he said.

One Motor Part vanished, and a new robot appeared on the field, resembling a smaller version of Motor Violence, with huge claws on its hands instead of guns. (2,000/1,400)



http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/b/b5/MotorCaesar-JP-Manga.jpg


“Next, I place a card facedown, and move the other token to Defense Mode.”

The token fell flat, and a facedown card appeared.

“Your move…”

Yumi eyed him suspiciously…

She drew a card.

She stared at him.

“I summon… Familiar Knight.”

The Knight in shining armor leapt onto the field, holding his sword and shield. (1,200/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ep1-en006.jpg


“But I’m not gonna bite, Ren,” she said. “That has to be the most obvious trap I’ve ever seen.”

Ren grinned.

“You are smart, Yumi…” he said. “Maybe a bit too smart for your own good. Is that your move?”

Yumi nodded. Ren flicked his next card off his deck.

“Hey, look at this, Yumi,” he said. “It’s a card your grandpa was really fond of…”

He placed a card in his Disk.

“I play Swords of Revealing Light!”

The Spell Card appeared on his side of the field, and a blizzard of shimmering swords shot out of it, forming a cage around Yumi and her Monsters.

“Terrific…” she muttered.

“This card…” started Ren.

“I know what it does!” shouted Yumi. “My family used it a lot, you just said so yourself. It keeps me from attacking for three of my turns.”

“But I can still attack,” said Ren. “And I think I will. Motor Kaiser… Attack Dark Blade.”

“HUH?” shouted Yumi.

Motor Kaiser’s engines roared, and it sped towards Dark Blade and his mount. The Warrior made a swipe with his sword, and the Machine blew into scrap.

“Perfect!” said Ren. “In response to that, I activate my facedown card…”

His facedown card lifted, showing the image of a mechanic in front of a pile of car corpses.

“It’s a Trap called Scrap Garage. Since a Monster with the word ‘Motor’ in its name on my side of the field was destroyed, all of my other Motors come back from the Graveyard.”

Both Motor Shells and Motor Violence appeared, all of them crouching in Defense Mode.

“Of course…” said Ren, “they’re now powerless. Their Attack and Defense Scores are now zero, and their effects are negated.”



(Y: 7,500) -------------------- (R: 5,600)


“And just what do you plan on doing with those Monsters,” asked Yumi, “now that your Scrap Garage has turned them into… scrap?”

Ren smiled an evil smile.

“You’ll see soon enough,” he said. “It’s your move.”

Yumi drew a card.

It was Sakuretsu Armor.

He’s likely going to sacrifice one or two of those useless Monsters for a very useful one, she thought. Well, unless it’s Ancient Gear Golem, this Trap Card will give him a big surprise.

“I throw a card facedown, and end my turn,” she said.

A facedown card appeared behind her Monsters.

Ren grinned evilly as he drew a card.

“Almost time,” he said. “For now, I’ll play Graceful Charity.”

He played the card, and his deck glowed. No angel came to him this time, but he didn’t seem to care. He drew three cards.

He looked at one of them, which was a Monster. A pretty powerful one.

Heh, he thought. Who needs this?

He discarded it and a strange Spell Card (it was called Enginetuner).

Ren took a card from his hand.

“By the way, Yumi,” he said, “I know that if I attack Dark Blade right now, he can use that Dragon as a shield. So I’m getting rid of it…

“I play Heavy Storm!”

He played the card, and the hurricane tore across the field. Pitch-Dark Dragon shattered into bits, and Dark Blade fell on his rump. The Swords of Revealing Light were blown to shards, and the Sakuretsu Armor card lifted up and shattered.

“Sakuretsu Armor?” said Ren with a chuckle. “As if that would have worked…”

He took another card from his hand and turned it forward.

“This card look familiar to you, Yumi?” he asked.

Yumi gasped in horror…

“Yumi!” shouted Anastasia. “It’s… It’s one of the cards I mentioned… One of the duplicates my father made!”

“Ren, stop!” shouted Yumi. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

“I know exactly what I’m doing…” said Ren. “I’m about to win…

“I sacrifice my Motor Part Token and my two Motor Shells…”

As the three Monsters vanished, the sky darkened, lightning flashed, and wind howled…

“Come forth almighty titan of power!” shouted Ren. “Come forth and walk the earth once again…

“I summon you… Obelisk the Tormentor!”

Fear struck Yumi as the titanic form of the Egyptian God Monster rose out of the ground. She had seen this Monster in videos, and in pictures… But it seemed that no secondhand description could prepare one for the terror of facing one of these creatures personally, because its mere presence made her almost too scared to move…

Obelisk the Tormentor lifted its arms to the heavens and roared with fury… (4,000/4,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/gb1_002_gold.jpg


No… thought Yumi. I told Ren I wasn’t going to try to reason with him, but the situation just changed…

Big time…

“Ren, I get that you’ve been brainwashed…” she shouted.

Obelisk roared again.

“…but I know that there’s GOT to be a small of part of you in there that can still hear me!”

The great beast roared a third time.

“So, I’m wondering if I can try to ask that small part…”

She struggled to keep her footing as it roared again.

“…stop this before it’s too late! Replica or not, only a select few duelists can control these beasts! As much as I admire your skills as a duelist, you do NOT fit the profile!”

“I’m well aware of that, Yumi,” said Ren, calmly, “and Rasputin wasn’t so cruel as to give me a card that might kill me without some added protection. You see, this replica wasn’t the only card he had someone steal from Industrial Illusions’ vaults…”

He opened his Field Slot, and placed a card in it.

“I play… The Mounds of the Bound Creator!”

The winds died down, turning dead calm…

Then the sky turned blood-red, and four stone monoliths burst out of the ground. Four thick chains shot from them, seizing Obelisk by the waist and ankles. It bellowed with anger, and tried to struggle, but they held.

“What is going on?” asked Yumi, in disbelief.

“This card was made by the designer who stole the replica of The Winged Dragon of Ra in the first place…” said Anastasia. “He somehow figured out a way to make a card that would protect him from a God Card’s wrath…

“We’re in trouble, Yumi… If that card could hold Ra, it can certainly hold Obelisk. Ren can indeed control that Monster now…”

“Obelisk…” ordered Ren, “flatten her Dark Blade! God Hand Crusher!”

Obelisk the Tormentor’s fist glowed with fiery energy, and it threw a punch at Dark Blade, blowing him to nothing.

“And my Field Spell has an added effect,” said Ren. “When a Level Ten or higher Monster destroys one of your Monsters, you lose an additional 400 Life Points.”

Yumi cringed as a fiery aura surrounded her.



(Y: 4,900) -------------------- (R: 5,600)


“You beginning to see why you beat Rasputin, Yumi?” asked Ren. “He could have beaten you within an inch of your life if he had used this card… But in an official tournament duel, he would have been disqualified for using something that was absolutely forbidden, for obvious reasons.

“But now that we’re away from the crowds and the cameras, there’s no referee to stop this, and we don’t care about any rules.

“So let’s see how long you last against me now… Your move…”

Yumi drew a card.

Well, I’ve certainly found the false soul, she thought. Fat lot of good it will do me… Even if I manage to draw Crescent Moon Queen, I don’t know how she’s gonna take this thing down…

“I move Familiar Knight to Defense Mode…” she said.

Familiar Knight knelt, and lifted his shield.

“Then I summon Dark Squire.”

In a burst of energy, the young page appeared. She knelt in Defense Mode, and shielded herself. (300/300)

“That’s all for me…” she said.

Ren drew a card.

“Obelisk...” he said, “smash her Dark Squire!”

Obelisk reached forward with its mighty claw, and squashed the young Warrior flat.

Yumi cringed again…



(Y: 4,500) -------------------- (R: 5,600)


“I know her effect, Yumi…” chuckled Ren. “We both get to draw two cards. Good luck…”

They both drew twice.

“I end my turn.”

Yumi made another draw.

Think, Yumi, think! she thought. How did your grandfather beat this thing?

She bowed her head.

Grandpa had Slifer… she thought. Ren’s deck has nothing that comes close…

Is this the end?

She paused.

NO! I won’t give up… There must be a way…

I have to stall for now…

“I set a Monster in Defense Mode, and set two cards facedown,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared, and then two facedown cards appeared.

“I end my turn…”

Ren drew a card.

“Ren!” said a voice in his ear.

Ren touched his ear, where he had placed a small microphone.

“Ren,” said Rasputin’s voice, “I’m getting tired of this… Use Obelisk’s abilities to their full potential, and show Yumi the true meaning of power.”

“Yes master…” whispered Ren.

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Battle Footballer,” he said.

An android in a football jersey and helmet appeared underneath Obelisk. (1,000/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_001.jpg


“Let’s look at the situation, Yumi…” he said. “I now have Obelisk and two other Monsters on my side of the field…”

“So?” asked Yumi. “One of those other Monsters has zero Attack Points, and the other…”

She stopped as she caught herself.

“That’s right, Yumi…” he said. “I’m activating Obelisk’s special ability, which I can do by sacrificing Motor Violence and Battle Footballer.”

Obelisk grabbed the two Machines…

“And if you think those two facedown cards will stop this attack, think again! Obelisk is invincible!”

Obelisk’s eyes glowed, and the two Monsters were sucked dry.

“Obelisk,” shouted Ren, “wipe out her pathetic Monsters with your mighty Fist of Fate!”

Obelisk let out the loudest roar yet. His fist crashed down, and Familiar Knight and Yumi’s facedown Mataza the Zapper were blown to bits.

Then the fist thundered towards Yumi…

Whether there was a scream at the point of impact, it was hard to say, seeing as it was hard to hear anything over the titan’s rage. But Obelisk’s target was thrown back about fifteen feet and left a long skid-mark in the gravel surface.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Heh, heh, heh,” chuckled Ren. “Well, that should be enough to…”

He paused.

“HUH?”



(Y: 4,500) -------------------- (R: 5,600)


“No way…” gasped Ren, as he looked at the scores. “That’s… that’s not possible…”

Then he noticed that one of Yumi’s Trap Cards had been activated.

“Nutrient Z?” shouted Ren.

Yumi slowly pulled herself to her feet.

She glared at Ren.

“I’ll admit, Ren…” she said, as she started to pick up her cards, “that was… excruciating… More pain than I’ve ever felt in a long time…

“But, you know, there’s a big problem with thinking you’re invincible… You start to get… careless… That was the same stupid mistake that Marik made, and it cost him dearly.

“True, Trap Cards don’t work on God Cards. But my Trap Card affected me personally, so it still worked, granting me 4,000 Life Points right before your attack hit. So Obelisk’s mighty Fist of Fate turned into a mighty Fist of Waste.”

“I’ll teach you to mock Obelisk!” shouted Ren.

He looked at the cards in his hand.

“Uhm, I’ll teach you to mock Obelisk on my next turn… I have to end this one…”

“I draw!” shouted Yumi.

She drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed!” she shouted.

The jar appeared, and she drew two cards.

Her eyes opened when she saw one of them. It was Crescent Moon Queen.

But that didn’t surprise her as much as the other one did…

It was Maria’s card… Divine Mallet Mjölnir.

How the heck did this get in this deck? she thought.

She paused for a minute.

Maria… She shuffled this deck before I came in here…

If this card can truly do what she said it could, Crescent Moon Queen might be able to defeat Obelisk… I can turn this duel around…

She looked at the other cards in her hand.

But in order to summon her, I have to take a risk…

Her other facedown card lifted.

“I activate… Call of the Haunted,” she said.

A coffin rose out of the ground on her side of the field. It opened, and Dark Blade stepped out. (1,800/1,500)

“Now…” said Yumi. “I remove Dark Squire from play… To summon La Sombra!”

In a burst of shadowy energy, the sexy, masked heroine with her whip appeared. She grinned at Ren. (1,800/1,000)

“Clever,” said Ren with a grin. “I have to draw a card now, and if it’s a Spell, she can destroy one Monster…

“Yumi, do you honestly believe that her effect will work on Obelisk? If you do, there’s clearly some truth about what people say about blondes.”

“Cut the comedy and draw a card!” shouted Yumi.

This is it… thought Yumi. If he draws a Monster, we’re both doomed. Anything else, and we’ve got a chance…

Ren drew a card.

He frowned and turned it forward.

It was Magic Jammer.

“That’s a Trap Card, Ren!” shouted Yumi. “That means she gets to attack you directly!

“La Sombra, go!”

La Sombra bowed her head…

Then she leapt at Ren, and lashed at him with her whip. Ren gasped and fell over.



(Y: 4,500) -------------------- (R: 3,800)


La Sombra bowed her head again.

“Continuing…” said Yumi. “I sacrifice both my Monsters…”

Dark Blade and La Sombra both burst into shards of light…

“…to summon Crescent Moon Queen!”

From out of the darkness, the mighty Queen appeared, holding aloft her blades. (2,600/1,700)

Ren’s eyes opened wide…

“Finally…” said Yumi, “I Equip her with Divine Mallet Mjölnir.”

The Queen sheathed her swords, and lightning flashed. She lifted her hand, and lightning fell to it. The enchanted hammer appeared in her hand.

“I end my turn…” said Yumi.

“I… I…” muttered Ren. “I draw one card…”

He drew a card and looked at it.

“Ren!” shouted Rasputin’s voice in his ear.

“What?” he whispered.

“Ren, crush that harlot now!” shouted Rasputin. “Yumi is bluffing!”

“But…” muttered Ren.

“I’m not going to tell you again, Ren,” said Rasputin. “If the Queen doesn’t die on this turn, you will get such a punishment once this duel ends.

“Are you afraid of that Equip Spell? How could it possibly threaten Obelisk? It hasn’t raised her Attack Score by even one point!

“Do it!”

Ren closed his eyes.

“Obelisk…” he shouted, “attack the Crescent Moon Queen!”

Obelisk raised its fist…

“I activate the effect of Divine Mallet Mjölnir!” screamed Yumi.

“When the Warrior holding it battles a Monster that’s Level Ten or higher, I can pay half my Life Points to increase the Attack Score of the Equipped Monster, until it equals exactly 500 points more than the Monster it’s battling!”

“WHAT?” shouted Ren.

Yumi’s Life Points dove, as Crescent Moon Queen spun the hammer around in circles…

Then she hurled it forward, and flew at Obelisk the Tormentor, mallet first. (4,500/1,700)

“GO!” yelled Yumi. “Topple that titan!”

Ren screamed and covered his head…

As the blow struck, Obelisk roared again, but this time it was in agony. Cracks appeared all over its rocky skin… The chains binding it snapped, one by one…

Finally, the titan exploded into pieces of rocky debris, which scattered all over the field.



(Y: 2,250) -------------------- (R: 3,300)


Crescent Moon Queen landed back on Yumi’s side of the field, gasping for breath, with sweat pouring down her forehead.

“Of course…” gasped Yumi, “now that I’ve done that, the Mallet is destroyed…”

The hammer burst into shards. The Queen held her chest as her Attack Score fell back to 2,600.

“So… What do you have to say to that?”

“I uhm, I…” muttered Ren.

He placed two cards on his Disk, and a defensive Monster and a facedown card appeared.

“I end my turn…” he said quickly.

“Yumi!” said Anastasia’s voice. “I think it’s working… The Rod’s hold is starting to loosen… We simply have to follow this duel to the conclusion…”

“Right…” said Yumi, drawing a card.

The facedown card is most likely Magic Jammer, she thought. So it can’t stop this next attack…

“Crescent Moon Queen, attack his facedown Monster!”

The Queen lunged at the Monster, and with one swipe of her blade, Mechanicalchaser was blown to bits.

“Now, attack him directly!”

The Queen looked Ren in the eye for a minute.

Then she lifted her foot, and gave him a solid kick in the chest with her boot, and he fell over on his behind.



(Y: 2,250) -------------------- (R: 700)


The Queen turned away from Ren, and then knelt in Defense Mode.

“She didn’t use her blade on you Ren,” said Yumi, as Ren got up. “Know why? Because she cares! She wants you back!”

She fit two cards into her Disk.

“I’ll end with these and let you take your turn. Try to come to your senses or next round, she might have to hurt you badly.”

Ren held his head. He was sweating badly.

He drew a card.

“Activate Trap!” shouted Yumi. “Final Attack Orders!”

Her facedown card lifted up.

“Now my Queen moves into Attack Mode!”

Crescent Moon Queen stood up.

Ren played a card, and Pot of Greed appeared in front of him. He drew two cards.

“Well…” he muttered, “let’s see if she can handle this…

“I play the Ritual Spell Card, Revival of Dokurorider. And I’ll sacrifice two Mighty Guards to do so.”

Two soldiers with gears for joints appeared on the field, and then lightning flashed. The Mighty Guards vanished, and another engine roared…

A masked biker on a motorcycle, dressed in leather and chains, with skulls and spikes decorating the bike thundered into the arena. He skidded to a halt in front of Ren. (1,900/1,850)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tp2-009.jpg


“You’re gonna attack my Queen with that motorcycle bully?” asked Yumi, doubtfully.

“Nope,” said Ren. “He’s gonna attack you once I’m done with her. Next, I play the Spell Card, Nikoichi.”

He played another card.

“This lets me Special Summon a Monster with the word ‘Motor’ in its name from my Graveyard. And I put a good one there with Graceful Charity…

“Meet my Demonic Motor Omega!”

An explosion erupted on Ren’s side of the field, and the most horrible Machine yet burst out of the ground. It was tall, and broad, with exhaust pipes coming out of every angle, and two wicked blades on its arms. (2,800/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le10_jp007.jpg


“Of course…” said Ren, “now I have to remove all the other Motors in my Graveyard from play…”

Four cards fell out of his discard slot, and he placed them inside his jacket.

“Now I activate my Omega’s effect,” said Ren. “I can increase its Attack Score by 1,000 points. Of course, if I do that, it will self destruct when I end my turn, but that really won’t matter…

“Time to end this, Yumi. It’s been a long night, and I’m exhausted…

“Or rather… You’re the one who’s about to be exhausted!”

Demonic Motor Omega’s engines roared, and black exhaust poured from its pipes… (3,800/2,000)

“Attack!” shouted Ren. “Maximum overdrive!”

It sped towards Crescent Moon Queen…

“I activate Rising Energy!” screamed Yumi, as her last facedown card lifted.

She quickly discarded her Double Spell, and Crescent Moon Queen glowed with burning energy, and her Attack Score rose to 4,100. She made a swipe with her sword, cleaving Demonic Motor Omega down the middle. It shuddered, and exploded into scrap and soot.



(Y: 2,250) -------------------- (R: 400)


Ren hung his head.

He took the microphone out of his ear, and tossed it aside.

“Just… just finish it...” he muttered.

Yumi drew a card.

She looked to the sky.

Please… Don’t let me be wrong… she thought.

“Crescent Moon Queen…” she said. “You heard him…”

Crescent Moon Queen leapt at Dokurorider, and with one slash, the biker and its motorcycle was blown to pieces.

Ren screamed and held his head…

He collapsed on his back.



(Y: 2,250) -------------------- (R: 0)


Yumi didn’t see the security camera behind her, as it focused on her…



* * * * * * * * * *


At the summit of Clock Tower Prison, Rasputin crossed his arms in a sulk.

“You told me it would work,” he said to someone who wasn’t apparently there.

“You were too headstrong, Rasputin,” said a voice. “It was your own fault. You’re the one who insisted he attack the Queen.”

“And you’re the one who told me that the Queen was the biggest danger as far as Ren was concerned!” shouted Rasputin. “I expected Yumi to use her own deck, but the narc apparently has struck again…

“No matter… I’ll make certain that the same thing doesn’t happen with Chelsea… I gave her a special card…

“If she plays it in time, Yumi will never get a chance to use the key card…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Commander Descartes ran into the brig.

“What the hell is going on?” he shouted.

“We have a problem, sir,” said another Centurion. “Ten members of the League of Ascension have glued up the locks to their cells, and are refusing to answer when we call to them.”

Descartes looked at the video screens.

“That’s because they aren’t in there,” he said with a scowl, typing in a code.

As he hit the Enter button, the inmates, or rather the decoys, vanished from the cells.

“Spiritual duplicates,” growled Descartes. “Siegfried told me about this a long time ago…

“We’ve got ten criminals on the loose…

“And I have a feeling that they may have gotten out with help from… unorthodox forces…”

He paused for a minute before picking up a radio.



* * * * * * * * * *


The Horn of Chance appeared around Yumi’s hip.

She walked up to Ren.

She felt his neck for a pulse, and was relieved to find one.

“Ren?” she said, shaking him. “Ren? Wake up…”

Ren slowly opened his eyes…

Then he woke up with a violent start.

“Yumi!” he said, quickly sitting up. “Where’s Chelsea? Where is she…”

“I suppose she’s…” started Yumi.

“No… No!” shouted Ren. “We have to save her, Yumi! We have to…”

“Calm down, Ren, calm down!” shouted Yumi.

She slapped her hand across his face.

Ren gasped for breath.

She was a little relieved, she had to admit. Ren appeared to be back to normal. Well, as normal as he usually was.

“Ren, listen to me…” said Yumi, holding his shoulders. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but… Did you see what kind of cards Rasputin gave Chelsea?”

Ren paused.

He shook his head.

“He told us not to tell each other…” he muttered. “In case one of us was shaken down for information…”

“Perfect…” muttered Yumi. “Then it could be anything… For all we know she might have the replica of Slifer…”

“Not likely,” muttered Ren, looking at the cards in the deck he had. “There’s only one copy of this, as far as I know…”

He held up the copy of The Mounds of the Bound Creator.

“Give me that,” said Yumi.

Ren handed her the card.

“The Obelisk replica is likely protected by the will of the gods,” she said. “Trying to destroy it is a sure way to invoke divine wrath. We’ll call up I2 when this is over and have them pick it up.

“This card, however…”

She tore the Field Spell into four pieces with two swift strokes.

“Never again,” she said, throwing the pieces away. “Without that card, would-be thieves will think twice about trying to harness the power of the gods for their own use. There are some powers that mankind was simply not meant to use.”

The front door of Clock Tower Prison opened with a creaking noise.

“The ground floor…” muttered Ren. “The wax museum… She’s in there…”

“Well, we can’t go back…” said Yumi. “We can only go onward…

“I suppose you want this back…”

She handed Ren back his deck.

“I got you out of that mess, Ren…” she said, “and with God as my witness, I’m gonna get everyone out…”

They ran towards the doors.

The Pharaoh appeared beside Yumi.

“You know,” she said to him. “Dispater may be one of the greatest forces of evil in the universe, but we lucked out… His pride was so great, and he was so angry at being tricked by Rasputin, he decided to help us.”

“It is said, Yumi,” he replied, “that if the forces of Evil succeeded in conquering the world, it would take less than a year for a civil war to break out. Evil is its own worst enemy.”


The Rod of the Ancients’ hold on Ren has been broken, so it seems that Dispater’s advice was sound. Yumi now ventures into the grim Tower hoping to continue, not stopping for rest, with only the welfare of her friends in mind. Unfortunately, while her energy has been spent in her struggles with Samen and Ren, Chelsea is fresh and strong. Can the newly crowned Queen of Games face the unknown yet again?



MOTOR SHELL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: When this card is destroyed, Special Summon one ''Motor Part Token'' (Machine/Dark/Level 1/ATK0/DEF 0) in Attack Position.



MOTOR VIOLENCE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,100
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: When this card is destroyed, Special Summon two ''Motor Part Tokens'' (Machine/Dark/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) in Attack Position.



MOTOR KAISER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine
Attribute: Dark
Level: 5
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,400

Flavor Text: This infernal device was once a common automobile that was modified using Dark World technology.



DEMONIC MOTOR OMEGA (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: During your End Phase, Special Summon one ''Motor Token'' (Machine-Type/Earth/Level 1/ATK 200/DEF 200) in Attack Position. Once per turn, you may increase the ATK of this card by 1,000. When this effect is activated, destroy this card during the End Phase of that turn.



SCRAP GARAGE (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A mechanic in front of a large stack of car corpses.

Card Description: You may activate this card when a “Motor” Monster on your side of the field is destroyed. Special Summon all “Motor” Monsters in your Graveyard that you can. The ATK and DEF of the Special Summoned Monsters become zero, and their effects are negated.



NIKOICHI (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Two mechanics working on an intimidating machine.

Card Description: Special Summon one “Motor” Monster from your Graveyard. Then, remove all other “Motor” Monsters in your Graveyard from play.

Note: “Motor Shell”, “Motor Violence”, “Motor Kaiser”, “Demonic Motor Omega”, “Scrap Garage”, and “Nikoichi” were all used by Bandit Keith in the “Yu-Gi-Oh R” Manga. “Demonic Motor Omega” has since been made into a real card in Japan.



THE MOUNDS OF THE BOUND CREATOR (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: Several stone monoliths with chains attached to them, connected together in the sky. Lightning crashes overhead.

Card Description: When a Monster that is Level Ten or greater destroys an opposing Monster as a result of battle, the owner of the destroyed Monster loses an additional 400 Life Points. The controller of this card is not affected by physical, mental, or supernatural side effects that normally result from using such Monsters.

Note: “Mounds of the Bound Creator” was first used by Franz in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Rah, Rah, Ra!”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



DIVINE MALLET MJOLNIR (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: A muscular arm holding an iron hammer sparking with lightning.

Card Description: This card may only be Equipped to a Warrior-Type Monster. You may activate the effect of this card when the Equipped Monster battles a Monster that is Level Ten or higher. Pay half your Life Points. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster until it is 500 points more than the current ATK of the Monster it is battling until the end of the Battle Phase. At the end of the Battle Phase in which this effect is activated, destroy this card.



Ren: Yumi, we have to get Chelsea out of here… We can’t leave her at Rasputin’s mercy…

Yumi: I don’t intend to Ren… I got you out… Hopefully I can do the same for her…

Ren: Why is Rasputin doing this? Why has he suddenly turned even more evil than normal?

Rasputin: I’ve gone too far to turn back now… If I must become a demon to achieve my goals, if I must abandon all the decency I have left, I have no choice but to do so… I must either surrender to evil… Or embrace oblivion…

Ren: Coming up next, “Vampiric Technology; Yumi versus Chelsea”.

Yumi: Rasputin, for the love of all that’s holy, stop what you’re doing!

You were once chosen by Heaven as a champion… Find the spark of light inside yourself…

[Shuppet Master]

So, the torturous gauntlet for Yumi begins.

Ren's false deck was mainly a scrap machine motorcycle deck with the replica of Obelisk as the false soul. Nice and evil.

Seeing the title for the next duel, I have a feeling that Chelsea's false deck will be a cyber-based deck using Cyber Dark monsters.

Ten Ascenders escaped jail? Holy cow, something tells me they'll attack Yumi after the Rasputin bit is resolved.

Another great pre-birthday present for me, Brian. Good work. :)

[Mystic_clown]

Hmmm, so it's Bandit Kieth's motor deck with Eraser replaced with Obelisk.

Hmm, I had read Obelisk's effect a little differently. I had read the 4000 damage was part of its effect, not an actual attack.

The false soul thig is similar to the soul card concept you used in the second act of Thousand Years Door.

I'm curious as to how this goes.

[Dark Sage]

I'd better reply to this.

MC, the effects of the three Egyptian God Cards are widely open to interpretaion. There's no effect text on the cards, so all you really have to go on is what you see in the anime.

Here was my reasoning in this situation: Yugi was able to protect himself from Obelisk's Fist of Fate using Kuriboh. Kuriboh can only negate battle damage. Thus, I reasoned that the effect counts as an attack.

However, like I said, the effect is open to interpretation.

[Mystic_clown]

Ah yes, but we know that the anime is a little fickle regarding certain cards, such as how the Gods are supposed to be immune to magic and trap cards (though it shows a number of traps working).

Here is the translation from hte Japanese card (unlike the English versions, the Japanese cards actually had the real effects):

This monster requires 3 Tributes to be summoned (treated as a Special Summon). Tribute 2 monsters: Destroy all of your opponent's monsters on the field, and inflict 4000 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Obelisk_the_Tormentor

[Shuppet Master]

Well, that explains how Kuriboh would work - Direct Damage is counted as Battle Damage sans the destruction of your monster. :)

And Mystic_clown, Paradox also had a similar concept with the "soul card" by using Images, which were monsters connected to a person's soul that could be summoned as a deckmaster-type role. It's not a new concept.

[Neo Arkadia]

I'll have to say, Yumi's duel against Samen and True versus False were definitely two of the more enjoyable chapters after the whole Finals of the Tournament arc (Which was good at times... Still, it had its problems.)

At least Rasputin's level as a villain went back from where it was. ... And the talking voice.

The switch to a Vehicular / Gear deck for Ren was sort of fitting. I'm taking that these new decks that Rasputin has our brainwashed good guys using are mean to be perverse twists on the heroes' standard styles and behaviors to a point.

Also. Obelisk. Ugh. That card is the fiasco card of the three God cards, mostly because it's Anime and Manga effects are so messed up, because the real manga effect only appeared so late that the Anime had already missed the chances to explain it like the offical manga effect earlier.

The manga makes Obelisk's 2 Tribute ability a boost to Infinite Attack Points (that amusingly can be used on either turn).

The anime makes it mostly a sorta attack, as DS said, but also a massive field blasting burn effect (argh for the original series and its wonky half Attack/half Effect hang overs). The Infinite Attack, if memory serves, was described as a Miracle of Obelisk's anger, in the Anime to compensate for this late explaination.

And then you get into the NT/TF2 Obelisk, which is pretty much 2 tribute to blow up the opponent monsters and nuke half the starting Life Points.

Also, I believe Mystic's version is drawn from the severely outdated but still offical "Thousand Rules Bible", an old Yu-Gi-Oh! Rule Book from way back when that came with the promo card "Multiply".

The Three Egyptian God Cards = Fun Headaches for the whole family.

Vampiric Technology, though? Consider me intrigued.

[jkBAKURA]

Well, about 50 chapters in, we finally start to see where all this is going.

The shame is that if Rasputin had been developed as a better character, the backstory revealed in this chapter would have paid off huge. Sadly, it's now a point where I no longer care about him.

If I could give only one word of advise in this entire fic, it would be that these revelations should have come LOT sooner.

If the section was used in the right place earlier in the story, it could have saved Rasputin as a character, and the aggravation of the audience not knowing what was going on, as well as added tension that was much lacking in the Tornament arc.

I give you points, the new villain is far more intriguing then Rasputin ever was, however, once again we have a demonic "evil for evil's sake" character. Not to mention, it looks like you're trying too hard.

We understand a character is a villain, he doesn't need to give the cliche "I torture for pleasure" speech. It's something we've all seen before in Sauris and Sin.

As for the duel, I was really hoping for something more like the Clive vs. Yugi duel in Mandate, although I give you points for throwing in Obelisk out of the blue. (pun VERY intended)

I'm still not sure if any of this will pull the story back from oblivion, but it definitely shows more potential here then everything up to this point.

Whether you can pull something new and original out of it has yet to be seen.

[Dark Sage]

I'd like to wish Shuppet Master a happy birthday.

As a present to him, I'm posting a new chapter.

The rescue mission continues...




CHAPTER FIFTY



Vampiric Technology



Yumi versus Chelsea



As Descartes rallied his troops, Aisha breathed the fresh night air at the beach.

The sea air blowing across the island invigorated her so much…

She was about to cast her clothes aside and dive into the surf, when she heard a chuckling behind her.

“Who’s there?” she said nervously, turning around.

Behind her was Icarus, and he clearly wasn’t himself. The cloak he had worn as an Ascender had been traded in for the prison jumpsuit they had given him in the brig, but he had stolen back his deck and his Disk when he had escaped.

“Well, look at this,” he said with a chuckle. “A young, innocent maiden with a pretty face… Just what our group is looking for…”

Aisha was even more nervous now. Did he mean as a member or as a sacrifice?

“I don’t want anything to do with your group,” she said.

Icarus raised his Disk.

“It won’t matter,” he said. “Once I defeat you, you’ll come with me via your free will.”

Aisha shivered. She didn’t think she could outrun him…

She picked her Disk up.

“Okay…” she said. “I’ve held my own against Yumi, after all…”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” said Icarus, “but so have I…”

“Game on!” they shouted.



* * * * * * * * * *


In the first floor of Clock Tower Prison…

At the end of the dark hallway past the foyer was a large sign over an archway.



DUELATOPIA WAX MUSEUM


“Yumi!” said Ren with a shudder.

“What?” she asked.

“Uh…” he stammered. “Remember last October when the three of us went to that American horror classics film festival?”

“Vaguely,” she said.

“I remember it,” he muttered. “Most of those old black and white films were rather tame by today’s standards…

“But one that really creeped me out was House of Wax. Boy, Vincent Price sure was a guy who could scare you…”

Yumi sighed. Just fifteen minutes ago, this guy was commanding an Egyptian God Card, and now he was scared of a wax museum…

“And I’m sure Mr. Price would appreciate you for saying that,” she said. “Posthumously…

“Look… If that film scares you so much, think of him in his less scary roles. Let me see… you ever watch the old, campy, 60’s Batman series?”

Ren nodded.

“Okay,” said Yumi. “Price played the villain Egghead on that series. Just think of that, and you won’t be so scared of House of Wax.

“Now let’s go get Chelsea out of there…”

They walked in…

They were shocked by the sight of the three giant demonic forms that stood to greet them.

Standing in the entrance hall were wax statues of three famous Monsters, not nearly life-size, but very life like. About ten feet tall, they depicted the three Sacred Beasts: Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder, and Raviel, Lord of Phantasms.

Ren got nervous again.

“Rasputin managed to steal the duplicate of a God Card,” he muttered. “You don’t suppose…”

“Calm down…” said Yumi. “The Sacred Beasts were lost in some other dimension. I doubt Chelsea has one of them.”

“Nope, I don’t,” said Chelsea’s voice.

Ren and Yumi looked up.

“Where are you, Chelsea?” asked Yumi.

“I’m hiding,” said Chelsea. “Come and find me, Yumi. Give you a little hint… Find the statue in this museum that’s wrong.”

The two of them walked past the Sacred Beasts, down a hallway flanked by frightening dioramas containing statues of famous duelists – most of them ones that had meant bad news in the past.

There was Taniya with her pet tiger. Titan the Shadow Duelist. Abidos the Third.

Yumi stopped short at one statue.

It was a statue of a lady vampire in a brown dress and green hair, with a sinister smile, holding a golden Duel Disk.

“Camula…” muttered Yumi, shaking her head. “Far too obvious…”

They moved towards another wing.

The sign above them said “Universal Studio’s Monsters”.

Yumi shrugged. What wax museum would be complete without them?

They walked down the hallway, past statues of Lon Chaney’s Phantom of the Opera, Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein, Lon Chaney Jr.’s Wolfman, and the Creature From the Black Lagoon…

Yumi and Ren walked into a large, circular room, where a statue of Maximillion Pegasus was standing on a pedestal. A very large mural painting of Toon World with the various Toon Monsters flying out of it was on the wall behind him.

“It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” said Ren.

Yumi looked at the statue.

“No…” she said. “Ren, look! This statue is wrong!”

She pointed to it.

“This statue’s hair is covering the right half of his face… The real Pegasus had it covering the left half.

“Come out here right now, Chelsea! I’m tired of this hide and seek!”

With a whir, the statue retracted into the floor…

Then, with another whir, a platform rose, and Chelsea appeared on the pedestal.

Yumi didn’t like the look of her at all. Like Ren had been, her skin was pale, and her eyes were cold. In fact, she almost looked like a vampire herself now.

“Good job,” she said with an evil smile. “For the record, that flawed statue was holding the spot until a much better statue of Pegasus could be made.”

“Chelsea, please!” shouted Ren. “It doesn’t have to go down like this… Can’t you see I…”

“Shut up, Ren!” shouted Chelsea. “Once I take out Yumi, I’m taking you out too!

“I’ll admit that you were… Enjoyable… But once you finish a treat, you throw away the wrapper.”

This was apparently too much for Ren to take. He fell down and started to cry.

“Chelsea, I know you don’t mean that,” said Yumi.

“And what if I do?” asked Chelsea. “Think you can prove that I don’t?”

“I can,” said Yumi, placing a deck in her Disk.

“Let’s duel then,” said Chelsea. “My Sword of Tsunami against your Crown of Souls.”

She wiggled her hip a little, where the Sword was strapped to.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Yumi…”

“Oh, I’ll just bet you have…” said Yumi.

Chelsea heard Rasputin’s voice in the microphone in her ear.

“Chelsea, listen closely,” he said. “The rightful owner of the special cards I gave you for your deck wouldn’t sell them… Not for any price. We had to steal them. And he’s currently got both Interpol and a private investigator looking for them.

“So for pete’s sake, try not to lose!

“And don’t forget that card I told you to add at the last minute.”

“It’s as good as done… master…” whispered Chelsea.

“Game on!” shouted both of them.



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Chelsea: 8,000)


“Let’s start this, shall we?” asked Chelsea, drawing her first card.

She added it to her hand, and chose another one.

“I’ll have this defend me for now.”

A facedown Monster appeared in front of her.

I can already see a difference, thought Yumi, as she made her first draw. Chels never defends on her first move…

She looked over her cards… Chelsea’s true cards…

“I play this,” she said, placing a card in her Disk. “Call of the Mummy.”

The Continuous Spell Card appeared.

“And I’ll use it to summon Vampire Lord!”

In a burst of energy, the powerful vampire appeared in front of her. He looked somberly at Chelsea. (2,000/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd2-en003.jpg


“Next…” she said, “I’ll Normal Summon Vampire Lady!”

She played another card, and Vampire Lady appeared next to the stronger vampire. (1,550/1,550)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0131.jpg


“Now I’m gonna knock some sense into you! Vampire Lady, attack her facedown Monster!”

Vampire Lady flew at the facedown card. A small Dragon with a metallic, red and bronze hide, wearing a mask over its face appeared, and was smashed to pieces under her claw.

“A Masked Dragon?” asked Yumi.

“Yep,” said Chelsea. “And now I get to Special Summon another weak Dragon. So I’ll bring out a second Masked Dragon in Defense Mode.”

In a burst of flames, a second of the small Dragons appeared. (1,400/1,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0261.jpg


Okay… thought Yumi. It’s a Dragon Deck… I can handle a Dragon Deck…

“Vampire Lord, attack the second one.”

Vampire Lord lifted his cape, and a swarm of bats flew at the Masked Dragon, blowing it to bits.

“Nice try,” said Chelsea. “But no-one ever uses Masked Dragon in a deck without packing three of them.”

Yet another Masked Dragon appeared. (1,400/1,100)

Yumi sighed.

“I have to end my turn…” she said.

Chelsea drew a card.

She placed a card on her Disk, and another defensive Monster appeared.

She nodded.

“That all?” asked Yumi, drawing a card.

She looked at it.

“I throw one card facedown, and then summon Zombie Werewolf!”

A facedown card appeared, and then the vicious Werewolf appeared, and howled. (1,200/1,200)

“Zombie Werewolf, destroy the Masked Dragon! Terror claw!”

The Werewolf lunged at the Dragon, and with one slash, it shattered into pieces.

“Well…” said Yumi. “That was your last Masked Dragon…”

“Then I’ll use its effect to summon Troop Dragon in Defense Mode,” said Chelsea.

A short, stocky lizard man holding an axe appeared, and knelt in Defense Mode. (700/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-042.jpg


Crud… thought Yumi.

“Vampire Lady!” she shouted.

Vampire Lady leapt at the Troop Dragon, and she slashed with her claw, smashing it to pieces.

A second Troop Dragon appeared in a burst of energy.

“Vampire Lord!” screamed Yumi.

The swarm of bats flew at the second Troop Dragon, and it exploded into pixels.

As Yumi expected, a third Troop Dragon appeared.

“All right…” growled Yumi. “I have to end my turn…”

Chelsea drew a card.

“I set another Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn,” she said.

Another set Monster appeared next to the other one.

“Chelsea,” said Yumi, “if you expect to win this duel, you’re going to have to make an offensive move eventually. So what are you waiting for?”

Chelsea just glared at her.

“Have it your way,” said Yumi, drawing a card.

“I summon… Blood Sucker!”

In a burst of darkness, Blood Sucker appeared. (1,300/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh_premium_pack_8_pp8_jp004.jpg


“Yumi, please!” shouted Ren. “Be easy on her…”

“I don’t need your pity, Ren,” said Chelsea with a scowl.

“Blood Sucker, attack!” shouted Yumi.

Blood Sucker lunged at the final Troop Dragon, and it shattered to bits.

“Vampire Lady, you next.”

Vampire Lady flew towards the facedown card. A Grey Wing appeared on the card, and was blasted to pieces.

“Zombie Werewolf!”

Zombie Werewolf flew towards the card. The Dragon that appeared this time was a smallish Dragon with blades on its limbs and jaw, with a toothy mouth. The Werewolf’s claw slashed it to pieces.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/taev_en004.jpg


“A Hunter Dragon?” asked Yumi, putting her hand on her hip. “Not exactly the type of Dragon one uses in most Dragon Decks, Chelsea.”

“Maybe my strategy is too complex for your feeble mind to comprehend,” said Chelsea.

“Yeah?” said Yumi. “Well comprehend this… You have no more Monsters to protect you! Vampire Lord… Attack her directly!”

Chelsea shielded herself with her arm as the swarm of bats plowed into her, and she took a step backwards.

She panted for breath…



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (C: 6,000)


“Don’t forget Vampire Lord’s effect, Chels,” said Yumi. “Since you taught me that Spell Cards were the safest option, that’s what I’m going to declare.”

Chelsea looked at her with a wicked grin.

She took her deck and looked through it.

“Actually, Yumi,” she said, “it would be my pleasure!

“Because the Spell Card I choose to discard is a special one, called Hound of Hecate!”

She tossed it in her discard slot.

“That fool Edan was a misogynist and a pervert, but he had some good ideas when it came to cards. When this Spell Card goes to the Graveyard from my hand or deck, I get to take any Dark Monster from my deck and add it to my hand.”

She got what she wanted, and slowly reshuffled.

“So, is that your turn?”

“Uh…” said Yumi, looking at her hand.

“Yeah, I guess so…”

Does she have the false soul right now? she thought.

Chelsea drew a card, and quickly added it to her hand.

“I summon Cyberdark Keel!” she shouted.

She played the card, and in a burst of dark shadow, a large Machine made of black metal appeared. It looked like a large, mechanical, segmented serpent with a robotic dragon’s head, and a blade on its tail. (800/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0031.jpg


“Yumi!” shouted Anastasia. “I remember the Cyberdark Monsters… They were the headliners of the dreaded Cyber Tails Deck…

“They were last used by Zane Truesdale after he descended into a state where he wanted to win at all costs…

“But these cards come with a string attached. They’re like an addictive drug, and they slowly sap the health and strength of the user, eventually endangering his life if he continues to use them.

“Poor Zane… He was strong at first, but these cards slowly weakened him. He thought he was in control, but his health deteriorated badly. He was lucky to survive.

“Trust me… Those cards are evil.”

Yumi paused. She looked at Chelsea.

Chelsea was a strong duelist, but she doubted that she had either the stamina or willpower that Truesdale had…

Finally, she spoke up.

“It doesn’t look so tough,” she said.

“Appearances can deceive,” said Chelsea. “Cyberdark Keel has the ability to dig up a Dragon-Type Monster from my Graveyard that’s Level Three or less. Then it can feed on that Dragon’s energy, taking every Attack Point.

“I’ll demonstrate…”

The Hunter Dragon appeared in front of Cyberdark Keel. It screeched as it was bound by metal ribbons, and then wires were driven into it. Cyberdark Keel rose to (2,500/800)

“Good lord…” muttered Yumi.

“Get the picture?” said Chelsea. “This creature is a vampire too, and it’s much better than my old ones.

“And I’m going to prove it right now! Cyberdark Keel, attack Vampire Lord with dark pierce!”

Cyberdark Keel lashed its tail forward, and Vampire Lord groaned before exploding into shards.

“And Cyberdark Keel has another ability,” continued Chelsea. “When it destroys a Monster, you lose an extra 300 Life Points.”

Yumi strained as a dark aura surrounded her…



(Y: 7,200) -------------------- (C: 6,000)


“I’m not done,” said Chelsea. “Next I’ll play… Card Destruction. You know what that means.”

She played the card. Yumi frowned, and they both discarded their hands. Yumi drew two new cards, and Chelsea drew five.

“I’ll end my turn there.”

Yumi drew a third card.

Hmm, she thought, Widespread Ruin…

“I set one Monster in Defense Mode, and move everyone else to Defense Mode,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared, and Vampire Lady, Blood Sucker, and Zombie Werewolf all knelt in defense.

“Now I place a card facedown, and activate Mirage of Nightmare.

A facedown card appeared next to her other one, and Mirage of Nightmare appeared.

Let’s hope I can do this trick as easy as Chelsea can, she thought.

“I end my turn.”

“Then I draw!” shouted Chelsea.

“And I get to draw four cards,” said Yumi.

She drew four cards.

“Now I activate… Emergency Provisions!”

Her first facedown card lifted, and Mirage of Nightmare and Call of the Mummy were consumed.

“You like that, Chelsea?” said Yumi. “I did your trick perfectly!”

Chelsea blinked. Her eyes opened wide.

“Yeah…” she said. “That was pretty good… I…”

“Chelsea!” shouted Rasputin’s voice in her ear. “She’s trying to trick you. Concentrate on the duel, or you will be punished severely once it is over.”

Chelsea shook her head.

“Yes, master…” she said.

She played another card.

“I play Mystical Space Typhoon!” she shouted. “There goes your Trap Card.”

The cyclone tore across the field, blowing Widespread Ruin to shards.

“Now I summon… Cyberdark Horn.”

She played the card, and another terrible Machine appeared. This one was hard to describe. It sort of resembled a cross between a dragon and a wasp, with blade-like wings and a head like a demonic skull. (800/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0011.jpg



“Like its brother, Horn can feed off the energy of a Dragon in my Graveyard. Good thing you destroyed so many of them when this duel started, huh?”

A Masked Dragon appeared in front of Cyberdark Horn. It was grabbed by metal claws, and wires were driven into it. (2,200/800)

“This is sick…” muttered Yumi.

“And Cyberdark Horn has an impressive ability too,” said Chelsea. “When it attacks a Monster in Defense Mode, the difference between its Attack Points and that Monster’s Defense Points are taken out of your Life Points.

“Cyberdark Horn, attack Blood Sucker with dark wind!”

Cyberdark Horn threw its wings forward, and a gust of foul wind blew towards Blood Sucker. The Zombie strained, and was blasted apart. Yumi groaned.

“Cyberdark Keel, attack her Vampire Lady!”

Keel lashed with its tail, again, and Vampire Lady screamed as she was impaled, and then blown to bits.

“And once again, you lose 300 more Life Points.”



(Y: 8,200) -------------------- (C: 6,000)


Yumi bowed her head.

Then she looked at Chelsea.

“Bring it,” she said.

She drew a card.

She placed a card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared next to her other one.

“That’s all,” she muttered.

“Really?” asked Chelsea, drawing a card. “I expected more from you, Yumi…

“I summon Cyberdark Edge!”

“Just how many of these Cyberdark things are there?” shouted Ren.

A new Machine appeared. This one was neither more nor less a bug, with huge wings that looked like swords. (800/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0021.jpg


“I’m guessing this one can Equip itself with a Dragon from your Graveyard too,” said Yumi.

Another Masked Dragon appeared, and it screamed as it was grabbed by the infernal device. (2,200/800)

“And wait until you hear about Edge’s ability,” said Chelsea. “If I cut its Attack Score in half, it can attack you directly.

“And that’s just what I’m gonna do…

“Cyberdark Edge, attack Yumi directly with dark spear!”

Cyberdark Edge folded its wings. Its Attack Score fell to 1,100, and a burst of shadowy energy shot towards Yumi. Yumi screamed as it felt like the moisture was being leeched from her skin.

Chelsea pointed, and Cyberdark Horn blasted its dark wind at one of the facedown Monsters. Sangan appeared on the card, and was blown to bits.

Yumi started to sweat even more as she looked through her deck. She got what she wanted, and put it back.

Chelsea grinned, and Cyberdark Keel shot its tail towards the other facedown Monster…

A second Zombie Werewolf appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.

“I use its effect,” said Yumi. “I’m sure you know how it works.

A third Zombie Werewolf appeared, also crouching in Defense Mode. (1,700/1,200)



(Y: 5,200) -------------------- (C: 6,000)


“That’s all, Yumi,” said Chelsea. “So what will you pull out your hat next?”

Yumi drew a card.

“I play Pot of Greed!” she shouted.

The jar appeared, and she drew two cards.

She smirked as she looked at one of them.

“Your Cyberdark Monsters may be powerful, Chelsea,” she said, “But I think I know their weakness…”

Chelsea’s eyebrow lifted.

“Take away those Dragons that are powering them up, and they’d be weaklings…

“And since those Dragons are Equipped to them like Equip Spells, any card that would destroy Spells would render them powerless.

“Let’s see if I’m right… I play Heavy Storm!”

Chelsea cursed as a storm blew over the field, and the three Dragons bonded to the Cyberdark Machines were blown into pixels. Each one fell to its base Attack Score of 800.

“Yeah, you were right,” muttered Chelsea. “Congratulations…”

“I’m far from done…” said Yumi, taking another card. “I play Monster Reincarnation.”

She tossed her Rush Recklessly, and Vampire Lord slipped out of her discard slot.

“Now, I’ll sacrifice my weaker Zombie Werewolf, to summon Vampire Lord again.”

The 1,200-point Werewolf vanished, and Vampire Lord appeared, now somewhat angry. (2,000/1,500)

“Next, I remove him from play, to summon Vampire Genesis!”

Vampire Lord vanished into grains of light, and in a burst of energy, the mighty vampire deity appeared. (3,000/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd2-en001.jpg


“Now, I’ll move my other Zombie Werewolf to Attack Mode…”

Zombie Werewolf stood up.

“Vampire Genesis, attack Cyberdark Edge! Crimson Shroud!”

Genesis’s eyes glowed with fiery embers. It burst into the blood-red cloud, and flew at the infernal Machine. Chelsea cringed as it exploded into slag.

“Zombie Werewolf, attack Cyberdark Horn!”

Zombie Werewolf leapt at the much bigger Monster, and slashed at it with his claw. Sparks flew from Cyberdark Horn’s torso, and it exploded into scrap.



(Y: 5,200) -------------------- (C: 2,900)


I’ve managed to take control of this duel, thought Yumi. Chelsea will have no choice but to bring out the false soul… I only hope I can summon Penelope in time, and bring it down…

“I end my turn,” she said.

Chelsea drew a card.

“I play my own Pot of Greed…” she said.

She played the card, and drew twice.

She shuddered when she saw what one of the cards was.

I… I don’t want to… she thought. But Rasputin insisted…

She placed a card in her Disk.

“I play, Level Bane,” she said.

A Continuous Spell Card appeared on her side of the field.

“It works like this. This Spell Card costs me 300 Life Points for each round that I want to keep it. However, I get to name one number. Then, if either of us draws a Monster of a Level equal to that number, that Monster is removed from play.

“I name… Seven.”

No! thought Ren, sitting up. She’s trying to get rid of Penelope before Yumi can even try to play her! What’s Yumi gonna do?



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Next…” said Chelsea, “I sacrifice Cyberdark Keel to summon Luster Dragon.”

The last Cyberdark Monster vanished, and the beautiful emerald Dragon appeared. (2,400/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en165.jpg


“Giving up on your Cyberdarks so soon?” asked Yumi.

“Not by a long shot,” said Chelsea, playing a Spell Card. “I play… Cyberdark Impact!

“To play this card, I have to take from my hand, field, and Graveyard, one Cyberdark Keel, one Cyberdark Horn, and one Cyberdark Edge, and shuffle all three back into my deck…”

The three Monsters slipped out of her discard slot. She quickly shuffled them into her deck.

“What’s the point, you may ask?” she continued. “I now get to Fusion Summon my ultimate Monster…

“Presenting… The Cyberdark Dragon!”

A monstrous shape loomed over Chelsea. It looked like a machine that a demon would have designed. Clearly, this was indeed a combination of all three Cyberdark Monsters… It looked like someone had wielded them together in a chaotic jumble that vaguely resembled a dragon, with vast wings that looked like huge swords. (1,000/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0351.jpg


“I’m guessing this thing also has the ability to assimilate one of your Dragons,” said Yumi.

“You guessed right,” replied Chelsea. “But there’s one major difference. In this case, it can be a Dragon of any Level. Including the Level Eight Tyrant Dragon that I tossed when I played Card Destruction.”

Tyrant Dragon appeared in front of Cyberdark Dragon. It roared as huge metal clamps grabbed it, and secured it to the metal monstrosity.

“And my Cyberdark Dragon has one other ability,” said Chelsea. “For every Monster remaining in my Graveyard, it gains 100 more Attack Points. In addition to what you’ve seen so far, I tossed a Cave Dragon, an Exploder Dragon, and a Sangan when I played Card Destruction, giving this guy a total of… Well, see for yourself…”

(5,000/1,000)

There was a long pause.

“So what do you think, Yumi?” asked Chelsea, with a laugh. “Now I have the greatest predator! The ultimate vampire is now mine!”

There was a long pause.

“It isn’t a vampire, Chelsea,” said Yumi, shaking her head. “What it is really is a graverobbing ghoul. Vampires are true predators… That thing is nothing more than a scavenger.”

Chelsea glared at her.

“I’ll teach you to call my Monster a scavenger!” she shouted. “Cyberdark Dragon… Destroy Vampire Genesis with Ultimate Darkness Burst!”

The whole room seemed to turn black as midnight, as the horrible Machine fired a blast of negative energy, and Vampire Genesis exploded into gibbets. Yumi fell down on her behind.

“Could a scavenger have done that?” asked Chelsea.

“Sure,” gasped Yumi, trying to sound more confident than she really was. “Tyrannosaurus Rex was more than likely a scavenger, but it was still able to hold its own in a fight.”

Chelsea glared at her in rage.

“Luster Dragon, take out Zombie Werewolf!” she shouted. “Emerald flame!”

Luster Dragon shot a blast of green fire, and Zombie Werewolf screamed as he was burned to a cinder.



(Y: 2,400) -------------------- (C: 2,900)


“I end my turn, Yumi,” said Chelsea, with a smug smile. “Next round, it’s all over…”

Yumi paused. She looked at her hand.

She might be right… she thought. Unless I draw what I need right now, I won’t be able to avoid a direct attack from that thing…

Oh, why couldn’t Chelsea have included a Spirit Reaper in this deck?

She paused, and touched the Horn of Chance at her hip. She hoped that it had gotten adjusted to a new owner in the forty minutes since she had won it…

She drew a card.

“Hold it, Yumi,” said Chelsea. “With Level Bane on the field, I get to check what you draw for Level Seven Monsters.”

“Take a look,” said Yumi, turning the card around. “A Polymerization card is certainly not a Level Seven Monster.

“And since I have it, I’m gonna use it. You like triple-fusions, huh?

“Well, I’m gonna fuse together Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, Castle of Dark Illusions, and Pumpking the King of Ghosts…”

The two Zombies and one Fiend appeared on the field, and were consumed in dark energy. Lightning flashed…

Nosferatu the Lich Lord had come again. (1,900/2,000)

“HA!” laughed Chelsea. “He’s not even a match for my Luster Dragon!”

“I know,” said Yumi. “That’s why I summoned him in Defense Mode.”

“Defense Mode?” shouted Chelsea.

Chelsea looked. Nosferatu was indeed kneeling, and holding its staff in its lap in a defensive position.

“Don’t you remember how your own Monsters work?” asked Yumi. “This guy can’t be destroyed in battle. So unless Cyberdark Dragon also has a trampling effect, he’ll be an effective shield.”

Chelsea growled.

“It doesn’t…” she muttered.

“Then it’s your move…” said Yumi.

I’m safe for now, she thought. But I used up every card in my hand. Now, it’s all a matter of fate…

“I draw…” said Chelsea, drawing. “And I pay 300 Life Points to keep Level Bane…”

“Slow down, Chelsea!” snapped Yumi. “That Level Bane card works both ways, you know. I get to check the cards you draw.”

Chelsea growled, and turned the card around. It was Spear Dragon.

“Think I’ll summon it while I’m at it…” she said.

She played the card, and the small Dragon that looked vaguely like a pterodactyl appeared in front of her. (1,900/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-035-1.jpg


If I can wait her out, I can win, she thought. Once I draw my De-Fusion, I can send Nosferatu back to her Fusion Deck, and it will be all over for Yumi…

“I end my turn…”



(Y: 2,400) -------------------- (C: 2,600)


Yumi drew a card.

She showed it to Chelsea. It was Red Ghost Moon.

Darn it… thought Chelsea. I can’t keep paying for this card forever…

Yumi looked at the Trap Card. It was a powerful Trap, but unfortunately, it was the only card in her hand. With no Zombies to discard, it was worthless right now.

“I have to pass…” she muttered.

“Then I draw…” muttered Chelsea. “And I pay 300 more Life Points for Level Bane…”

She showed Yumi the card, which was her own Polymerization.

She chose another one from her hand.

“I play Dragon’s Heart,” she said, as a Spell Card appeared on her side of the field. “When I play this card, I’m not allowed to summon a Monster during the same round…”

She took her deck from the holder.

“…but I am allowed to toss three Dragons from my deck, in order to increase the Attack Score of one on the field by 1,000.”

She threw two Hunter Dragons and an Attachment Dragon into her Graveyard, and Spear Dragon rose to an Attack of 2,900. Cyberdark Dragon rose to 5,300.

“Nosferatu may not be destroyed by this attack, but due to Spear Dragon’s effect, your Life Points will still take a hit.

“Spear Dragon, attack Nosferatu with cyclone blast!”

Spear Dragon opened its beak, and exhaled a forceful gust of wind at the Lich Lord. Yumi held her chest in pain…



(Y: 1,500) -------------------- (C: 2,300)


Chelsea sighed.

“Spear Dragon moves into Defense Mode…” she muttered.

The Dragon folded its wings and landed.

“…and I end my turn…”

Is she getting tired? thought Yumi.

She looked at her deck – Chelsea’s deck.

I hope she is, because I’m not exactly springtime fresh myself. I’d best draw the card I need now…

She drew a card.

It shone in the dim light.

“I drew Book of Life, Chelsea!” she shouted, showing it to her. “And it’s time to use it!”

The card appeared on her side of the field.

“I’ll remove the Exploder Dragon in your grave from play…”

The card slipped out of Chelsea’s discard slot, and Cyberdark Dragon fell slightly, to 5,200 Attack Points.

“And I’ll summon back your old friend…

“Come back, Penelope!”

In a burst of light, Penelope, Lady of the Night appeared on Yumi’s side of the field. (1,000/200)

“What?” shouted Chelsea. “No fair! She was never in your Graveyard!”

“Do you remember something called Card Destruction?” asked Yumi. “I wasn’t about to tell you this, but your Level Bane was worthless.

“You should have known more than anyone, Chelsea… With the Monsters in your deck, they don’t die so easily.

“But your Cyberdark Dragon is more mortal than ever now, because now all Spells and Traps on the field are destroyed, including the Tyrant Dragon that’s Equipped to it.”

The Level Bane card burst, and then the Tyrant Dragon exploded into shards. Cyberdark Dragon started to spark and sputter, as its Attack Score plummeted to 2,300.

“And let’s not forget Penelope’s other effect,” said Yumi. “For every Zombie in my Graveyard, eight, she gains 400 more Attack Points.”

(4,200/200)

“Now, I’ll switch Nosferatu to Attack Mode…”

The Lich Lord stood up.

“Nosferatu, wipe out Spear Dragon with unholy blight!”

The Lich Lord raised its staff, and fired a blast of dark lightning, eradicating the small Dragon.

“Penelope… destroy her Cyberdark Dragon with Light of Vengeance!”

Penelope’s staff glowed with golden fire. Chelsea covered her eyes, as explosions rocked over the hide of the infernal Machine, and it shattered into pieces of broken metal.

Chelsea hung her head…



(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (C: 400)


“Humph…” muttered Yumi. “One more Zombie, and I would have won right there…

“Due to Nosferatu’s ability, Spear Dragon is Special Summoned to my side of the field, although its Type becomes Zombie and it loses its effect. Although in its case, that may be somewhat of a benefit.”

Spear Dragon appeared on Yumi’s side of the field, a decaying, rotting undead version of its former self, with exposed bones in its chest and glowing red eyes. (1,900/0)

“And I end my turn,” said Yumi.

Chelsea’s hand trembled. She drew a card.

She looked at it…

Then she dropped it.

She slowly turned the card on her Disk, and Luster Dragon moved to Defense Mode.

“Penelope…” she said, with tears forming in her eyes. “Finish it… Please…”

She moved her Dragon to Defense Mode… thought Yumi, drawing a card. That means she wants me to…

Well, okay Chelsea…

“Nosferatu, wipe out her Dragon!”

The Lich Lord cast his blight, and Luster Dragon was blown to atoms.

“Penelope, take this home!”

Penelope flew towards Chelsea, glowing with a blinding light. Chelsea closed her eyes as the blast hit her.



(Y: 1,500) -------------------- (C: 0)


Chelsea started to collapse. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Penelope caught her before she fell over. The Lady of the Night gently set her down.



* * * * * * * * * *


Chelsea was in darkness.

She shivered in cold, and in fear…

Then, she felt two warm arms reach from behind and embrace her. She closed her eyes.

Penelope was hugging her as a mother would a child, trying hard to comfort her.



* * * * * * * * * *


Chelsea didn’t know it, but the one who was really holding her was Ren.

Yumi took some deep breaths. She noticed that the Sword of Tsunami was strapped to her waist, on the opposite side from the Horn of Chance.

She was amassing an impressive collection, but how much further could she go on?

Ren turned his head, and noticed the card that Chelsea had dropped. The last card she had drawn.

He picked it up and looked at it.

Premature Burial.

He grinned.

“Hey, Rasputin, you listening?” he said to the ceiling. “This was the card Chelsea drew on her last turn. If she had played it, she’d have won…

“All she’d have had to do was sacrifice Luster Dragon to summon Tyrant Dragon from her Graveyard. Then it could have attacked Spear Dragon and Nosferatu, Yumi would have lost 2,000 Life Points, and game over.

“But she couldn’t have played it. Know why?

“Because… Since she had paid her Life Points to keep Level Bane, she didn’t have enough Life Points to play it.

“Ironic, isn’t it? Your strategy to keep Yumi from summoning Penelope didn’t even work, and it cost you… Big time.”

Chelsea’s eyes slowly opened.

“Yumi… Ren?” she muttered.

“Welcome back,” said Yumi.

“Oh, Yumi…” muttered Chelsea.

“You want this back?” asked Yumi, holding her deck forward.

Chelsea slowly took back her deck.

She shook her head.

“Yumi…” she said. “I strongly suggest we try to save ourselves and leave Sam and Erik to their fates.”

“Heh,” chuckled Yumi. “I’ll admit, it is tempting. But getting them out of here is the right thing to do, Chelsea.

“Besides…

“There is no way in Hell I’m going to let Sam weasel out of the wager she lost earlier today!”

Chelsea giggled and got up.

“And there is no way Erik is going to get out of paying me that twenty dollars he owes me,” said Ren.

“Then we have to get to the fifth floor,” said Chelsea. “Supernatural history exhibit.”

“Then let’s go!” shouted Yumi. “Uhm, I don’t suppose the elevator is working?”

“Uhm…” said Chelsea.

“What am I saying, of course it isn’t…” muttered Yumi. “That would be too easy…”

As she opened the door, Chelsea looked at the three normal Cyberdark Monsters and the Cyberdark Dragon.

I wonder if anyone is offering a reward for the return of these cards? she thought.



* * * * * * * * * *


Back at the duel between Icarus and Aisha, it was pretty much a standoff.

Icarus now had Candellado, the Beast of Light (with 8,000 Attack Points) on his side of the field, along with Gaea the Agent of Plenty (0/3,000), both in Attack Mode, plus Chain Energy, Infinite Cards, Solemn Wishes, Vow of Peace, and a facedown card. He had 7,300 Life Points remaining. Aisha, on the other hand, had three Cloudian – Nimbusman, each with four Fog Counters (2,000/1,000 x2), a Continuous Spell called Cloudian Squall, Spirit Barrier, and one facedown card. She had only 2,000 Life Points remaining.

“You’re only delaying the inevitable,” said Icarus.

“We’ll soon see…” she said, drawing a card.

“First…” she said, “my Cloudian Squall adds a Fog Counter to every Cloudian on my side of the field.”

The three Nimbusman rose to Attacks of 2,500.

“Then, I summon Cloudian – Acid Cloud.”

She groaned as she was shocked by a jolt from the Chain Energy card, and a Cloudian made of green gas with a halo around its head appeared next to the others. (500/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_en0101.jpg


“Since I have four Cloudians, it gains four Fog Counters. And I can remove two of them to destroy one of your Spell Cards. Like your Chain Energy.”

Acid Cloud breathed a spray of corrosive mist, and Chain Energy dissolved into sludge.

“Now I’ll remove the other two, to destroy your Vow of Peace.”

It breathed its acid spray again, and Vow of Peace melted.

“Nimbusman, attack Gaea! Gale blast!”

“Wait a minute…” said Icarus.

The Nimbusman on the right breathed a chilling wind. Gaea screamed before she was frozen solid, and shattered into shards. Icarus cringed in pain.

“Next…” said Aisha, as her facedown card lifted. “I activate my facedown card, Updraft. Now I can remove all the Fog Counters from my Monsters, and deal you 300 Points of damage for each one.”

Icarus screamed as an arctic wind chilled him to the bones. All three Nimbusman fell to Attack Scores of 1,000, and his Life Points fell down to 300.

“I end my turn…” she said.

Icarus snarled. He went to draw a card, before remembering that he couldn’t draw.

He looked at his hand.

“I activate my Trap Card,” he said, as his facedown card lifted up. “Reckless Greed. I have to skip two Draw Phases now, but since I’m skipping them anyway, the point is moot.

“Now I get to draw two cards.”

He drew twice. The Solemn Wishes card glowed, and his Life Points went up to 800.

Candellado grew to an Attack of 10,000, as he looked at his hand.

“I set them both facedown, and summon Shining Angel.”

Two facedown cards appeared, and the radiant man in a toga with feathered wings appeared. (1,400/800) Candellado fell to an Attack of 7,000.

“I end my turn,” he said.

Aisha raised an eyebrow.

She drew a card.

“Activate… Dust Tornado!” shouted Icarus.

One of his facedown cards lifted, and the Spirit Barrier card was swept up into the air. It never came down.

“Heh, heh, heh,” he chuckled. “You’re down to your last card, and your Cloudians can’t defend…

“And, even if your last card is a Monster you can defend with, your Monsters have zero Defense Points… It will be no problem for Shining Angel to destroy it…”

Aisha looked at his other facedown card.

And that facedown card is clearly deadly, she thought.

She looked at the one card in her hand. She shivered in fear.

Looks like I have no choice… she thought.

She played the card.

“I play Wonder Cloud,” she said.

“Listen closely. When I play this card, I have to remove from play every card on my side of the field, and in my hand.”

Her four Monsters and Cloudian Squall vanished.

“Then, I get to draw one card for each card on your side of the field. Then, the rest of my deck is removed from play.

“But, I do get one other advantage… The effects of any cards you might activate during this turn from this point on, are negated. So your facedown card, whatever it is, is worthless.

“You get that?”

“Yes, I got that,” said Icarus, with a chuckle. “And I think it’s silly. You’re risking your freedom on the off-chance that the top five cards on your deck right now might have the cards you need to beat me in one turn?”

“Well,” said Aisha with a sigh. “When faced with a choice between taking a risk and certain defeat, I’d rather take the risk.”

She closed her eyes and drew five cards.

Then she reluctantly took the rest of her deck, and placed it inside her parka.

She nervously opened her eyes and looked at her five cards.

“I play… Premature Burial!” she shouted, playing another card. “I’ll bring back someone you might remember… Cloudian – Eye of the Typhoon!”

Her Life Points fell to 700, as the winds started to pick up. The huge, living storm cloud with a single eye appeared above her. (3,000/1,000)

“Ooh, 3,000 Attack Points!” laughed Icarus. “I’m so scared… That is, I would be… If I didn’t also remember its effect. When it attacks, my Monsters switch Modes. So my Shining Angel will move to Defense Mode, and I’ll take no damage at all!”

“I’m not going to attack with it,” said Aisha. “I only summoned it to sacrifice it for someone who is going to attack…

“I sacrifice my Monster…”

The huge Cloudian dissolved into formless white mist. A spooky, misty fog started to rise on the beach…

“…in order to summon… King Mist!”

A haunting laughter echoed over the beach, and a ghostly form appeared over the waves behind Aisha. It was a knight-like creature, in glowing, ghostly, white armor and a flowing cape, with pupiless, silver eyes, surrounded by wispy mist, and holding a shining, silver sword. (0/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/vb10_jp001.jpg


“What?” said Icarus. “Your King has no points!”

“He starts out at zero,” said Aisha, “but his Attack Score becomes that of the combined Attack Scores of the Monsters I sacrificed to summon him.”

(3,000/0)

“King Mist… Attack Shining Angel with royal blade of mist!”

King Mist’s laughter echoed over the beach again, and he flew at the Fairy. Icarus was about to activate his Mirror Force… But then he remembered the effect of Wonder Cloud…

“Oh no…” he muttered.

Shining Angel screamed, just before he was struck down by King Mist’s sword. Icarus screamed too, as his Life Points fell to zero.

He collapsed, and the Beast of Light vanished.

Aisha breathed a sigh of relief…

Then she was startled, as she saw a dark shadow fly out of Icarus’s body. It glared at her in anger, and then dissipated into darkness.

“Maybe…” she muttered. “Maybe I’d better… find a Centurion…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Half a mile off the cost of Duelatopia, hovering about four-thousand feet in the air, was a temple that seemed to be made entirely of glass.

None of the tracking equipment that the Centurions used could see it. The owner of this temple, like Rasputin, was no stranger to alchemy, but he was also skilled in actual magic. His spells masked the temple’s presence.

Inside, in a large chamber, where everything was also apparently made of glass, he sat on a cushioned chair. He was a tall man, dressed in a tight robe, cloak, and hood, all colored midnight-blue.

As Aisha struck the final blow against Icarus, he roused from his meditation. He lowered his hood, revealing a handsome face with sky-blue eyes, and long, raven-black hair tied in a ponytail.

“Hmm…” he mused, rubbing his chin.

“The end phase has begun…”


Chelsea has been freed from the wicked influence of the Rod of the Ancients, and Yumi continues to scale Clock Tower Prison. But a new threat is on the loose, as a group of apparently possessed Ascenders are stalking Duelatopia, looking for victims. Aisha was triumphant, but will others be as lucky? Yumi may have to stop the problem at the source… If she can find out what it is…



KING MIST (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 7
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: When you Normal Summon this card, you may do so by Tributing only one Monster, or no Monsters at all. The base ATK of this card becomes equal to the combined ATK of the Monster(s) used as Tribute(s) to summon it. When this card is face-up on the field, neither player can offer any Monster as Tributes under any circumstances.

Note: “King Mist” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States. (Note that its real effect is not the same as its anime effect.)



HOUND OF HECATE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A grim woman, dressed in furs, holding two vicious dogs by leashes, standing under the full moon.

Card Description: This card is activated when it is sent from your hand or deck to the Graveyard by your opponent’s card effect. Search your deck for one DARK Monster and add it to your hand.



DRAGON’S HEART (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A classic-looking dragon with a glowing, red ruby over its chest where its heart would be.

Card Description: You may not Normal Summon a Monster during the turn in which you use this card. Select three Dragon-Type Monsters in your deck and send them to your Graveyard. Then, increase the ATK of one Dragon-Type Monster on your side of the field by 1,000 until the End Phase of the current turn.

Note: “Dragon’s Heart” was used by Atticus (as Nightshroud) in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Darkness Within”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



LEVEL BANE (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: Invader of Darkness, Dark Necrofear, and Cosmo Queen falling into a dark abyss.

Card Description: Pay 300 Life Points during each of your Standby Phases. If you do not, this card is destroyed. State one number at the time this card is played. If either player draws a Monster of a Level matching the stated number while this card is active on the field, destroy this card and remove the drawn Monster from play.



Chelsea: Yumi… You’re tired… You can’t keep this up forever…

Ren: And even if you manage to release Sam and Erik, then what? You’ll never be in good enough shape to take down Rasputin.

Yumi: I know Ren… It looks bleak… I have no idea what he has waiting for us either above… Or below…

Anastasia: Don’t lose faith Yumi. Having faith saved you before, and it may save you again. You have more allies in this struggle than you may think…

Coming up next: “A Beacon Lights the Night; An Ally Returns”.

Don’t fear, Yumi… On the streets of Duelatopia, help is on the way…

[Shuppet Master]

I'd like to wish Shuppet Master a happy birthday.

(Blushes) Thanks, Brian. And thanks for the wicked birthday present! Chelsea was probably my favorite character in the series, next to Erik. Vampire monsters are my favorite Zombies in the game - blame it on reading "Interview with the Vampire" by...uh...I can't remember the author's name, but it was a woman.

Anyways, about the chapter...

I had a feeling the Cyberdark cards were going to show up. Those cards are pretty infamous and work well in a dragon deck. I should have expected Chelsea to use those cards. The dialogue at the end was pure gold. :keke:

It was nice to see the end of a duel between Aisha(who is my favorite supporting character - I plan on making a character with the same type of deck as she has) and Icarus.

But who is that stranger in the glass temple? I think I know... :D

[Dark Sage]

I’d like to make an announcement. It seems my last chapter was released one day too early to learn the truth about the so-called curse surrounding the Cyberdark Monsters.

As viewers of the original anime now know, these cards are not evil. They simply resent being used by duelists who are. Their original owner had an attitude similar to Zane’s, so he suffered the same fate as Zane eventually did. Thus, Sheppard believed the cards to be cursed.

However, the cards reacted much differently when Zane gave them to Syrus. Syrus was still an honorable duelist, so the Cyberdark cards would not harm him. He could use them with no ill effects.

That is the truth behind the Cyber Tails Deck.

Had this episode with its revelations aired sooner, I would have greatly edited the last chapter. Unfortunately, the anime is fickle, and the revelations came too late. I don’t even like the fact that Syrus decided to keep the cards. I liked him much better when he was using his Roids. (Although, you have to wonder, if the cards were indeed cursed, would Syrus have experienced Roid-rage?)

Incidentally, the same episode came with another interesting revelation. Zane actually had two copies of Cyberdark Dragon. Whether or not this meant the deck had multiple copies of Horn, Keel, and Edge, we aren’t sure. Rest assured, however, Chelsea only had one of the big ones.

Anyway, let’s hope the anime doesn’t have any unexpected surprises like this in the future that lead to me starting something I can’t stop.

On with the story.




CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE



A Beacon Lights the Night



An Ally Returns



Some would think that a night where the Lord of the Second Circle had visited the Earth and supernatural activity from another source – namely, a powerful spell created ages ago by one of the Sorcerer Kings – would generate foul, inclement weather.

Actually, it was a rather beautiful night, for now. The full moon was in the sky over Duelatopia, amid thousands of stars. Not knowing there were ten escaped criminals on the loose until a Centurion passed them a warning, many guests were out admiring the beauty.

And one guest who couldn’t be happier was Latin America’s top duelist, Enrique Lobo.

He had gotten the good news just after Yumi’s victory in the finals. His father’s plea bargain had been accepted. And while his dad would have to pay a great deal of fines, and his business would be under careful scrutiny for a long time, the important part was, there would be no prison time.

At first, Enrique had considered taking the next boat home to be with his father. But he had wanted to meet with Yumi again… To say thank you, if nothing else. She had convinced him to tell his dad to get out of the deal with Rasputin… What had happened now had given him back his dignity, at least.

He didn’t really know where he was going right now. For a while he had walked through the Restaurant District, where boyfriends and girlfriends were kissing over mixed drinks or sodas in outdoor cafes. Everyone knew that the vacation was almost over, and they were making the most of it.

Right now, he was in the Museum District…

He looked up, and saw Clock Tower Prison looming above him, three blocks away… It was strange… Had this monolith called him here?

He was about to walk the last few blocks towards the structure…

“Halt!” shouted a female voice.

Enrique looked up, and saw his path blocked by a young woman about his age. She looked attractive – sort of as a harlot would. She had long, dark hair, and even darker eyebrows. She was dressed entirely in black leather, and wore a Duel Disk.

“Don’t go any further, handsome,” she purred. “No one is allowed any closer to the Clock Tower than here.”

Enrique raised his eyebrow.

“You don’t seem to have that authority, Señorita,” he said. “Mind telling me why that is?”

“Heh,” chuckled the girl. “Do you actually think I’m going to tell you that Rasputin has Yumi Mouto trapped inside it?”

Enrique’s eyes opened wide, as the girl covered her mouth.

“Damn…” she muttered. “I have got to stop doing that…”

“You’ll get out of my way right now, ramera!” he scowled. “Or I’ll…”

“The name is Cindy,” she replied, “not Ramera, and you’ll do what?”

She took something off of her belt, and something sparked in the dim light.

Enrique flinched. It was a stun gun…

He paused. He looked at the Duel Disk on her arm.

“I see you’re a duelist…” he said. “I’ll duel you to get by.”

Cindy smiled evilly.

“Well…” she purred, in a seductive tone. “Hmm… This might be worth it… You are quite handsome… We could always use the type…”

Huh? thought Enrique. What is she talking about?

Cindy put away the stun gun.

“Fine, I accept,” she said. “But once you lose, you’ll regret your boldness for a long time…”

She grinned, and slowly unzipped the front of her leather top, just enough to reveal most of her cleavage.

“Oh, trying to distract me by flashing skin, huh?” asked Enrique. “Think again. I have a lover back home, and your pathetic attempt can’t turn me away from her.”

“Then it will be all the sweeter,” she replied, “when I force you to leave her.”

The two Disks activated.

“Game on!” they both shouted.



(Enrique: 8,000) -------------------- (Cindy: 8,000)


“Comenze la violencia!” shouted Enrique, drawing his first card.

He looked at his opening hand.

“I summon my Volcanic Blaster in Attack Mode,” he said.

The Monster that appeared looked like some sort of glass dome mounted on three legs, inside which a fire was burning. True to its name, a small cannon was pointing out from in front of it. (1,200/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb-en0111.jpg


“You call that a Monster?” asked Cindy. “I’ve seen bunny rabbits that looked more formidable.”

Little does she know, thought Enrique, this is the sort of Monster that you want your opponent to destroy.

“I’ll set these two cards facedown,” he said, “and take a break…”

He fit two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

I’ve already got my Firewall on the field, he thought. And as a bonus, my Fire Trap will foil any attempt she makes to destroy it. Now if she just takes the bait…

“My draw…” said Cindy.

She drew a card, and looked at it.

“I play… Graceful Charity,” she said.

As she played the card, the creature that came to her was clearly no angel. It was similar to the erinyes devil that had come to Samen – same evil expression, same trashy clothing – but there were also differences. This creature’s skin was coppery, rather than blue, and her wings weren’t hawk-like, there were bat-like.

Enrique pondered this, as Cindy drew three cards. She carefully considered, and then discarded two of them.

“I summon… Alien Shocktrooper!” she shouted.

With a roar, a horrid creature appeared in front of her. It was a reptilian, centurian-shaped thing, fully seven feet tall, with four legs (each of which with webbed claws), armor-plated scales, and a lizard-like face. It held a huge scimitar in its right claw, which was clearly of a design that no human culture had created. (1,900/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/1st-taev-en001.jpg


“Wonderful…” muttered Enrique. “A member of the Nineteen-Hundred Club…”

“You got it,” said Cindy. “Shocktrooper, tear his Blaster to shreds.”

Alien Shocktrooper roared, and made a mighty slash with its blade, slicing the Volcanic Blaster cleanly down the middle. The two pieces burst into a fiery blast. Enrique shielded himself.

“Gracious,” he said with a smile, taking the deck out of its holder. “When Volcanic Blaster is extinguished, I get to take any Monster in my deck with the word ‘Volcanic’ in its name, and place it on the top of my deck.”

He took a card from his deck, and looked at it. He placed it on top, and put the deck back.

“Well I’m not done!” said Cindy, playing a card. “I play a Spell Card… The Shallow Grave. Now we each take a Monster from out Graveyards, and Special Summon it in facedown Defense Mode.

“You have only one choice… Your Blaster. As for me… Well, you have no idea…”

Two facedown Monsters appeared, one on each side of the field.

“I end my turn…”



(E: 7,300) -------------------- (C: 8,000)


“Then I draw!” exclaimed Enrique.

He drew a card, and it was clearly the card he had put there.

“I’ll summon my own member of the Nineteen-Hundred Club,” he said. “My Volcanic Rocket!”

A stream of fire shot out of the ground behind him, like a rocket blasting off, and the Monster flew overhead, and landed on his side of the field. It looked like a cross between a missile and a pterodactyl, shrouded in flames. (1,900/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb-ensp1.jpg


“By summoning this creature,” he said, taking his deck, “I’m allowed to bring my Blaze Accelerator to my hand.

“Now I’ll play it!”

In a burst of flame, the tripod-mounted flamethrower appeared on his side of the field.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb-en0401.jpg


“Fortunately for you, I don’t have the right ammo for it right now, but that will change very soon. I end my turn…”

Cindy chuckled and drew a card.

“Now the true fun starts!” she said with a laugh. “I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode… Meet Alien Grey!”

Her card flipped up, and a strange creature appeared in a flash of light. It seemed to be your stereotypical little alien, with a hairless, grey-skinned body, cold, pupiless eyes, and hands whose fingers looked like small tentacles. (300/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en0241.jpg


“Que?” said Enrique. “You think I’m scared of that little guy?”

“You would be if you knew what he could do,” said Cindy.

Alien Grey let out a loud spit, and an ugly, slug-like thing flew at Volcanic Rocket, clasping to its face.

“HEY!” shouted Enrique. “Say it, don’t spray it!”

He looked at Volcanic Rocket, with the ugly vermin attached to its face.

“What did you do?” demanded Enrique.

“Ever see the old Sigourney Weaver Alien movies?” asked Cindy.

Enrique glared at her.

“I’ll take that as a no,” said Cindy. “That slug-like thing is called an A-Counter, and you’d best get used to it, because a lot of the cards in my deck use them.

“They have a variety of effects for my cards… But as far as your Monsters are concerned, whenever one of them battles an Alien, the A-Counter weakens it, reducing its Attack and Defense Score by 300 per Counter for that battle.

“Anyway, continuing…

“I summon Alien Hunter.”

In a burst of energy, a new Alien appeared. It was more humanoid than the Shocktrooper, but no more human. It looked like a humanoid lizard with blue scales and a long tail, wearing space-age armor. It carried a strange weapon that looked like a metal staff with a bladed prong at both ends. (1,600/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en026.jpg


“Shocktrooper,” ordered Cindy, “wipe out his Volcanic Rocket.”

The Alien Shocktrooper rushed towards the Rocket, and the Rocket’s Attack Score fell to 1,600. With one swipe of the Alien’s scimitar, it burst into smoke and soot.

“Alien Hunter, destroy his facedown Monster! Otherworldly electrostaff!”

The tips of Alien Hunter’s staff glowed with blue fire, and it twirled the weapon around. It leapt at the facedown card, and Volcanic Blaster appeared. The Pyro exploded.

“Don’t you remember what happens when Volcanic Blaster goes down?” asked Enrique, taking his deck.

He chose a card, and placed it on the top of his deck.

“Sure I remember,” said Cindy. “I just don’t care. Alien Grey, attack him directly.”

Alien Grey’s eyes glowed. Enrique quickly looked at his Firewall card.

Nada… he thought. For a 300-point attack, it isn’t worth it…

Two blasts of light shot out of Alien Grey’s eyes, hitting Enrique in the stomach…



(E: 6,700) -------------------- (C: 8,000)


Enrique started to sweat, and clutched his stomach.

“Que?” he said. “A… A 300-point direct attack shouldn’t have hurt me that much…”

“Mmm…” said Cindy, casually.

Her eyes glowed with pinpoints of red light.

“What did you expect from a Shadow Game, Enrique?”

He stared at her.

“Shadow Game?” he gasped. “Wait… When did I tell you my name?”

“Didn’t…” said Cindy. “But your aura let me figure it out last turn.”

Enrique stared at her. Her eyes started to glow even brighter.

“Beginning to see just how much danger you’ve put yourself in?” she asked. “I’m also well aware of what ‘ramera’ means in Spanish, by the way… You’re going to pay dearly for that insult…”

“Rasputin…” muttered Enrique. “How is he doing this?”

“Rasputin isn’t running the League of Ascension alone anymore,” said Cindy. “He has a partner… Someone with… unique talents…

“I won’t divulge who it is yet… But once you lose this duel, you’ll be going to meet him… Whether you like it or not…”



* * * * * * * * * *


A Centurion cuffed Icarus’s hands behind his back. Not that it was really necessary. He was far too exhausted to resist.

“Now, let’s see if I’ve got this right,” another Centurion asked Aisha. “After you beat him, he collapsed, and… A shadow came out of his body.”

“Well…” said Aisha. “Sort of a ghostly shadow… Or a shadowy ghost, if that makes more sense. It had glowing eyes, and maybe claws too.”

She sighed.

“You don’t believe me, huh?”

“Actually,” said the Centurion, taking out his communicator, “the scary part is, I completely believe you…”

He spoke into it.

“Commander Descartes, we have one of the escapees, and there may be a problem,” he said. “Due to his would-be victim, they may not have left the brig via their own free will. In fact, they might have left completely against their will.”

There was a pause.

“Yep, that’s an affirmative. Should I sound an alarm?”

There was another pause.

“All right… I’ll get this woman back to her hotel first…”

He turned it off.

“We’ve got to get every guest we can find off the streets,” he said to Aisha. “Starting with you…”

“What happened to that guy?” she asked.

“No harm letting you know,” he replied. “To make a long story short, you ever see The Exorcist?”

“Yeah…” replied Aisha. “I slept with the lights on for three days…”

“Then you may remember how the demon in that story possessed an innocent girl,” replied the Centurion. “Now, just imagine how much more powerful a whole group of demons would be, if their chosen victims weren’t children, and weren’t so innocent to begin with…

“I don’t have time to explain the whole thing. I’m taking you back to your hotel, and once you get there, you are going to lock your door, and not come out. Period.”

“Yes sir…” she said.



* * * * * * * * * *


Enrique was sweating. That was odd. When you grew up in a climate as hot as Mexico’s, you didn’t sweat very often.

When he first expressed his desire to become a duelist, his father didn’t object. His father even paid the money for his first deck, and his first Duel Disk.

But… Before he gave Enrique that Duel Disk, he gave his son a warning… Enrique remembered his father’s exact words that day.

“Son, listen closely,” his father had said. “I don’t want to frighten you… But when a duelist picks up one of these things for the first time, doing so is making an unofficial oath, whether he wants to or not.

“That oath reads as follows: Should a Shadow Game ever threaten, you will not back down. You will attempt to win with the best of your ability.

“Also, I’m not sure if backing down is even an option. Once a Shadow Game starts, I think it must end in a decisive victory.

“If you still want this now, take it… If not, I kept the receipt…”

Enrique was no coward. He had taken it. And he supposed he had taken that oath along with it…

Now, he supposed it was time to fulfill his end of the bargain…

“Why not just give up and save yourself the embarrassment?” asked Cindy.

“Never!” shouted Enrique, drawing.

He looked at the card.

“Thanks to my Volcanic Blaster, I just drew my Volcanic Shell. So it’s time to lock and load!”

The Volcanic Shell appeared on the field, and flew into the Blaze Accelerator. A burst of flame shot at the Alien Shocktrooper. It roared, and exploded into Alien guts.

“No fair!” shouted Cindy.

“Now, I’ll pay 500 Life Points to activate Volcanic Shell’s ability,” he continued. “When it’s in my Graveyard, I can add another Shell to my hand.

“So let’s do this again…”

The second Shell was loaded into the Accelerator, and another burst of flame shot at Alien Hunter, incinerating it.

“Damn…” growled Cindy.

“I’m still not done!” said Enrique, taking a card from his hand. “I summon Volcanic Slicer!”

He played the card, and a flame appeared on his side of the field. A small creature stepped out. It looked like a small, two-legged dinosaur made of bronze, with two small claws, and no eyes. (1,800/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb-en0201.jpg


“Since I used my Blaze Accelerator, I’m not allowed to attack this round,” he said. “But my Slicer can still hurt you. If I don’t attack with it, it can burn off 500 of your Life Points.”

Volcanic Slicer spit a ball of fire at Cindy, and she screamed as it hit her in the chest.

“That’s all for my turn,” said Enrique.



(E: 6,200) -------------------- (C: 7,500)


“Okay, Chico,” she said, drawing a card. “You hurt me… I hope that made you feel good…

“I play… Pot of Greed…”

She played the card, and drew two cards.

“First I move Alien Grey to Defense Mode…”

Alien Grey knelt and shielded itself in defense.

“Then I summon this big guy in Attack Mode… My Alien Warrior!”

A new Alien appeared, one who was much more hulking and muscular than Alien Hunter. In fact, this one appeared to be more like a humanoid dinosaur than a humanoid lizard. Its claws were twice the size of its head, and were razor sharp, and again, it wore space-age armor. (1,800/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en027.jpg


“Very scary,” said Enrique. “But it has exactly the same Attack Score as my Slicer. Attacking would result in a draw.”

Cindy laughed an evil laugh.

She opened her Field Slot and placed a card inside.

“Goodbye Duelatopia…” she said. “Hello Otherworld – The ‘A’ Zone!”

The next second, it was like they were falling through a space warp. Enrique almost screamed…

When he regained his footing, they were standing on a rocky surface, which appeared to be the surface of an asteroid. The sky was full of eerie, multicolored lights amid stars and celestial bodies, and a weird UFO was flying behind Cindy.

“Welcome to our humble abode,” said Cindy. “Sorry we’re such lousy hosts!”

“Que?” said Enrique. “Where are we?”

“Didn’t you hear me when I said the name of the Field Spell?” asked Cindy. “This is Otherworld, the place where Aliens are from. And this place has a little rule, by the way… Visitors never leave alive.

“That rule is enforced by a little effect the place has regarding Aliens. Here, since it’s their home turf, their mere presence causes so much fear in anyone who opposes them, that any Monster that battles an Alien loses 300 Attack and Defense Points.

“So anyway… Alien Warrior… Destroy his Volcanic Slicer with spacial rend!”

The Warrior roared, and lunged at the Pyro. Volcanic Slicer’s Attack Score fell to 1,500, and with one swipe of its claw, it was blown into a cloud of ash and smoke.

“I’ll set a card facedown, and take a break…” said Cindy.

A facedown card appeared behind Alien Grey.



(E: 5,900) -------------------- (C: 7,500)


Enrique’s hand sweat as he drew a card.

“Trap activate,” said Cindy, as her facedown card lifted.

“Huh?” said Enrique.

“Orbital Bombardment,” she said. “Now I just have to sacrifice one Alien, and I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card. So I sacrifice Alien Grey, to smash your Blaze Accelerator.”

Alien Grey vanished into grains of light, and then a beam of pure energy blasted from the UFO behind Cindy. Enrique was thrown off his feet as the Accelerator was atomized, leaving only a smoking crater.

Enrique slowly got up. He looked at his cards.

“I play… Fire Recovery!” he shouted.

He played a Spell Card, and it appeared on the field, showing the image of a fiery nuclear explosion.

“Now, I send one Fire Monster in my hand to the grave…”

He discarded his Infernal Flame Emperor.

“…and in return, I can raise one other Fire Monster from it.”

Volcanic Blaster appeared in a burst of flames. (1,200/600)

“Now… I sacrifice it…”

The Blaster vanished in another burst of flames.

“To summon my Volcanic Hammerer!”

A bonfire appeared on his side of the field, and the huge Pyro that looked like a bipedal, flaming dinosaur, stepped out of the flames. It let out a great bellow. (2,400/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb-en0131.jpg


“I could attack your Warrior with this,” he said, “but then I couldn’t activate its effect, which lets me deal you 200 points of damage for every Volcanic Monster in my grave. And I have five of them there.”

Volcanic Hammerer shot a blast of flames at Cindy, and she screamed again as it hit her, knocking her over.

She got up, holding her chest.



(E: 5,900) -------------------- (C: 6,500)


“That’s all I can do,” he said.

Cindy glared at him as she drew a card.

She placed a card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“End,” she said.

That’s got to be another Alien Grey… he thought, drawing a card. Well, I won’t attack it yet… I’ll wait for her to flip it herself, and then I’ll attack it. Losing 300 Attack Points won’t matter to my Hammerer…

“I summon a second Volcanic Slicer,” he said.

Another one of the smaller Pyros appeared. (1,800/1,200)

“You remember how its effect works, right?” he asked. “Let me refresh your memory…”

Slicer spit a ball of flame at Cindy, and she grunted and sweated.

“Now I’m getting rid of that eyesore,” he said. “Hammerer, attack her Alien Warrior!”

Cindy grinned wickedly as Volcanic Hammerer breathed a blast of flame at Alien Warrior. Its Attack Score went down to 2,100, but that was still too much for the Warrior to take. It screamed, and was burned up in the inferno.

“You fell for it,” laughed Cindy. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist attacking my Warrior if I kept it in Attack Mode…

“It may be dead now, but Alien Warriors die, they get their revenge… The Monster responsible gets two A-Counters!”

Two of the hideous slugs flew at Volcanic Hammerer, and latched onto its face.

“NO!” gasped Enrique.

“In case you can’t do math,” chuckled Cindy, “combined with the Field Spell, that will reduce its Attack Score to only 1,500 should it oppose an Alien.”

“Ooh!” growled Enrique. “I end my turn!”



(E: 5,900) -------------------- (C: 5,700)


Cindy smiled as she drew a card.

“I throw a card facedown,” she said, fitting a card into her Disk.

A facedown card appeared in a flash of light.

“Then I Flip-Summon my Alien Grey.”

Her facedown Monster flipped, and another Alien Grey appeared. (300/800)

“I knew it…” grumbled Enrique.

Alien Grey spit an A-Counter at Volcanic Hammerer, and a third one latched to its face.

“Isn’t this sort of overkill?” asked Enrique.

“Perhaps…” she said. “But it’s fun!

“I summon a second Hunter.”

She played another card, and another of the armed, humanoid lizards appeared. (1,600/800)

“I end my turn.”

Que? thought Enrique, as he slowly drew a card. Why didn’t she attack with that? She could have easily destroyed either of my Monsters…

Her problem…

“I move Volcanic Hammerer to Defense Mode,” he said, as Hammerer knelt and shielded itself in defense.

“And while it may be too weak to defeat your Alien Hunter, I can still use its effect, and I still have five Volcanic Monsters in my Graveyard.”

Hammerer breathed a blast of flame at Cindy, but she didn’t flinch as much this time.

“You know…” she said with a chuckle, “it doesn’t hurt as much when you get used to it… I may even get a good tan out of this…

“So go ahead… Burn me with your Slicer too. I might even like it.”

“Nada,” said Enrique. “If I did, I couldn’t do this…

“Volcanic Slicer, attack Alien Grey!”

Cindy’s eyes opened wide. Volcanic Slicer’s Attack Score fell to 1,500, but that was still 1,200 more than the pint-sized Alien. It breathed a scorching blast of flame, and the small Reptile was burned to a crisp.

“Ooh!” shouted Cindy, angrily. “I forgot to mention that Alien Grey has another effect… If it’s destroyed after it’s been Flip-Summoned, I get to draw one card…”

She made one draw.

“Then it’s your move…” said Enrique.



(E: 5,900) -------------------- (C: 3,500)


Cindy drew another card.

Her eyes glowed again.

Just what I needed… she thought.

“You know, Enrique,” she said, “your Volcanic Hammerer is a wonderful Monster…”

“Si, it is,” said Enrique. “Thank you.”

“So wonderful that I couldn’t bear to destroy it,” continued Cindy. “Instead, I think I’ll take it.”

“QUE?” shouted Enrique.

Cindy’s Trap Card lifted, showing the image of an Alien Grey with creepy, hypnotic eyes.

“I activate Brainwashing Beam!” she shouted. “Now, one of your Monsters that has one or more A-Counters on it becomes my slave.”

Volcanic Hammerer’s eyes glowed. It stood up, and walked over to Cindy’s side of the field.

“Hammerer, no!” shouted Enrique. “Don’t listen to her!”

“It can’t hear you, Enrique,” said Cindy. “The A-Counters are messing with its cerebral cortex. You know… It’s brain? Of course, to keep this Trap Card, I have to remove one of its A-Counters at the end of each of my turns, and once it has none, you get him back…

“But I plan to finish you off before that happens. First, I move your Hammerer into Attack Mode…”

Volcanic Hammerer stood up.

“Then, I summon another Alien Warrior.”

Another of the hulking, muscular Aliens appeared, bearing its claws. (1,800/1,000)

“Fortunately,” she said, “your Slicer is not an Alien, so the A-Counters won’t impede this attack in the least. Volcanic Hammerer, attack the Volcanic Slicer!”

Volcanic Hammerer shot a burst of flame from its jaws, and Volcanic Slicer exploded.

“Alien Warrior… Attack him directly!”

The Warrior roared, and lunged at Enrique…

“I activate… Firewall!” shouted Enrique, as his Trap Card finally lifted.

“I remove Infernal Flame Emperor from play, and your attack is deflected.”

A wall of flames shot up, and Alien Warrior was thrown backwards.

Cindy glared at him.

“Hunter, you attack him!” she shouted.

Hunter charged at Enrique, swinging its electrostaff.

“I can do it more than once per turn, Cindy,” said Enrique, taking Volcanic Blaster from his discard slot.

The wall of flames leapt up again, and Hunter was thrown backwards too.

“Well…” she said with a chuckle. “So you managed to survive a little longer…”

“To end my turn,” she said, “I place one card facedown, and then activate Mirage of Nightmare.”

Mirage of Nightmare and a facedown card appeared.

“That’s all.”

One of the slugs on Hammerer’s face crumbled to dust.



(E: 5,300) -------------------- (C: 3,500)



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“I draw…” said Enrique. “And I pay 500 Life Points to keep Firewall…”

“And I draw four cards,” said Cindy, as her Mirage of Nightmare card glowed.

She made four draws.

“Now… Emergency Provisions!”

Her facedown card lifted, and consumed the Mirage card.

“Clever…” said Enrique. “Someone else who I dueled used the same combo…”

He looked at the two cards in his hand, which were Blasting Vein and a very unusual Monster.

Looks like I have no choice… he thought.

“I play Blasting Vein,” he said. “I’ll destroy my Fire Trap, to draw two cards.”

His facedown card lifted, and burst into flames. He made two draws.

“And even better,” he continued, “when Fire Trap is destroyed, I get to draw an extra card.”

He made a third draw.

He looked at the three cards.

“I play Premature Burial, to raise Volcanic Rocket from my Graveyard.”

He played the card, and in a burst of energy, Volcanic Rocket appeared again. (1,900/1,400)

“That means I can recover Blaze Accelerator from my Graveyard, and play it again.”

He played the card, and Blaze Accelerator appeared on the field.

“But it won’t be staying long… I send it right back to the Graveyard, in order to play my Tri-Blaze Accelerator!”

The Blaze Accelerator vanished in a ripple of light, and the much deadlier three-barreled weapon appeared.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb-en0411.jpg


“Now…” he said, “I’ll load it with my final Volcanic Shell. Sorry about this, Hammerer. Don’t hold it against me…”

The cannon fired, and Volcanic Hammerer was blown to pieces. Cindy groaned.

“And that’s not all,” said Enrique. “You lose 500 Life Points.

“Next… I summon someone new. Meet the Royal Firestorm Guards!”

A blast of flame erupted on his side of the field, and a Monster even weirder than the Aliens appeared in it. It was a fiendish creature with rust red skin, a reptilian face with four eyes and a beak, two sets of wings, and a serpentine trunk in place of legs. (1,700/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_en0871s.jpg


“I’m not exactly sure why its name is a plural,” said Enrique. “I mean, it’s clearly only one creature. But anyway, when it’s Normal Summoned, I get to take four Pyro-Type Monsters from my Graveyard, and return them to my deck.

He played the card, and took two Volcanic Shells, one Volcanic Slicer, and Volcanic Hammerer from his Graveyard, and shuffled them into his deck.

“And then I get to draw twice.”

He put his deck back, and made two draws.

He looked at them for a second.

“Next…” he said, “since I now have one Shell in my Graveyard, and sent two back to my deck, I’ll pay 500 Life Points to add one from my deck to my hand…”

He took a card from his deck.

“Say adios to your Warrior, and 500 more Life Points!”

The cannon blasted again, and Alien Warrior was blown to bits.

“Ergh…” muttered Cindy.

“Be thankful that I can’t attack because I used the Accelerator,” he said. “It’s your move…”



(E: 3,500) -------------------- (C: 3,500)


That’s it, thought Cindy. When I bring this one in, I’m going to give him to the… ambassador. He’s handsome enough… And she’ll teach him a few manners…

She drew a card.

“First, I place this facedown,” she said, playing a card.

A facedown card appeared.

“Then, I sacrifice Alien Hunter…”

Alien Hunter vanished in a burst of green, eerie flames…

With a roar, a much bigger, much more hideous Alien rose out of the ground. It was tall and broad, with a solid carapace, and four muscular arms ending in razor-sharp claws. Its reptilian head was topped with a flared crest of sharp spines, and its mouth was filled with teeth the size of daggers. (2,300/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en028.jpg


“Meet the Alien Mother,” said Cindy.

“Caramba…” muttered Enrique.

Alien Mother glared hungrily at Enrique and his Monsters. Drool fell from its jaws…

“As you can likely guess,” said Cindy, “she doesn’t need the Field Spell to strike terror into her opponents…

“Oh, and don’t forget, Enrique… Since this is a Game of Shadows, she’s just as real as you are! Unnerving, isn’t it?

“But before she chows down, I’m going to play this…”

She played a Spell Card.

“It’s called Corruption Cell ‘A’, and it makes putting an A-Counter on your Rocket as easy as turning on a faucet.”

Another of the hideous slugs flew forward, and clamped onto Volcanic Rocket’s face. Enrique cursed in Spanish.

“This is seriously getting old!” he shouted.

“Here’s something new,” said Cindy. “Alien Mother… Attack his Rocket! Bite from beyond!”

Alien Mother leapt at her foe. Volcanic Rocket’s Attack Score fell to 1,300, just as Alien Mother sunk her teeth into it, and it exploded into slag. Enrique cringed.



(E: 2,500) -------------------- (C: 3,500)


“And wait until you hear the best thing about Alien Mother,” said Cindy.

“Let me guess,” muttered Enrique. “A special ability?”

“A potent one,” replied Cindy. “After she devours an enemy Monster that has an A-Counter on it, that Monster is reborn… But it becomes her willing slave.”

Volcanic Rocket reappeared on Cindy’s side of the field, its flesh rotted and decayed, and its eyes glowing with feral light. Clearly, it was neither alive nor dead; Enrique had seen movies like this, how aliens could reanimate corpses with hideous chemicals and biological formulas…

“Now I’m going to play one of my most diabolical cards,” she said, fitting another card into Disk. “The Continuous Spell Card, ‘A’ Cell Breeding Device.”

As she played the card, an ominous contraption rose up behind her. It looked like a sinister, cylindrical tank full of green liquid, connected to metal hoses and pipes. Small things that Enrique couldn’t quite make out were swimming around in it.

“What is that contraption?” he gasped.

“This ‘contraption’, as you put it,” she said, “is a breeding chamber for the young Aliens that become A-Counters. And some of them are ripe and ready to come out. In fact, I can bring one of them out on every one of my Standby Phases.

“So… I’ll just wait until my next turn, and take it from there.”

Enrique drew a card.

“I pay 500 Life Points to keep Firewall…” he muttered. “Then I’ll set one card facedown. And move Royal Guards to Defense Mode.”

A facedown card appeared. Royal Firestorm Guards curled up on its coils and folded its wings in front of it.

“That’s all…”



(E: 2,000) -------------------- (C: 3,500)


Cindy chuckled as she drew a card.

“I use my Breeding Device,” she said, “to put one A-Counter on you Guards.”

One of the slugs flew at the Pyro and latched onto its face.

“Now, I sacrifice your Volcanic Rocket, to summon Cosmic Horror Gangi’El.”

Volcanic Rocket vanished, and the most hideous creature of all appeared. It looked nothing less like a giant brain on crustacean-like legs, and tentacles all over its sides. (2,600/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en029-unlim.jpg


“What?” said Enrique, taking a step back. “No fair! That’s a Level Seven Monster! It needs two sacrifices!”

“Not always…” said Cindy, with a smirk. “This big guy has a special ability… I can summon him with only one sacrifice, if the Monster I’m sacrificing was originally yours.

“Alien Mother, attack Royal Firestorm Guards! Bite from beyond!”

Alien Mother lunged at the Pyro. She sunk her teeth into it, and it vanished into a burst of flames.

“Cosmic Horror Gangi’El, attack directly with psionic burst!”

The huge Monster glowed, and blasted a beam of pure, mental energy at the duelist…

“I remove Volcanic Shell from play, to activate Firewall!” shouted Enrique.

The wall of flames shot up, and the Cosmic Horror cringed.

“Ah, well,” said Cindy, “you can’t do that forever. By the way, I’ve been keeping track… I know that your Graveyard only has one more Pyro in it right now. So this might be the last round you’ll be able to stop me with that Firewall.”

“Maybe longer,” said Enrique, as his facedown card lifted. “I activate Burial from a Different Dimension. Now three Monsters that have been removed from play go back to my Graveyard.”

He slipped both Volcanic Shells and Volcanic Blaster into his Graveyard.

Cindy growled.

Alien Mother glowed, and Royal Firestorm Guards appeared on her side of the field, its flesh rotting and its eyes glazed over. (1,700/1,200)

“Fine…” said Cindy. “I end my turn…”

Enrique looked at his deck.

Come on, big guy, where are you hiding? he thought. I need you more than ever now…

He drew a card.

There you are!

“Don’t forget,” said Cindy. “You have to pay 500 Life Points to keep that Trap Card.”

“I don’t need it any more,” he replied, “so I’ll destroy it…”

Firewall shattered…

“Huh?” said Cindy.

“I destroy Tri-Blaze Accelerator…” he shouted, “to summon Volcanic Doomfire!”

The Accelerator shattered to bits, and a volcano erupted behind him on the asteroid. With a mighty roar, the enormous Pyro burst out of the lava, burning with flames that lit up the sky. (3,000/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb_en008u.jpg


“Three-thousand Attack Points?” screamed Cindy.

“Destroy Royal Firestorm Guards!” shouted Enrique. “Volcanic Blast!”

Volcanic Doomfire shot a burst of lava from its jaws, and the Pyro on Cindy’s side of the field burst into an explosion of smoke and ash.

“And guess what?” said Enrique. “Your Cosmic Horror and Alien Mother go with it, and so do 1,000 more of your Life Points!”

Cosmic Horror Gangi’El and Alien Mother erupted into flames, and exploded into slag. Cindy hollered.



(E: 2,000) -------------------- (C: 1,200)


He took out my two best Monsters in one blow… thought Cindy.

She paused for a few seconds.

“You’ll pay for that, Enrique!” she shouted.

“Words, words…” he said. “I end my turn…”

Cindy drew a card.

“I activate the effect of my ‘A’ Cell Breeding Device,” she said, “to put one A-Counter on your Doomfire.”

The tank behind her bubbled, and one of the ugly slugs leapt out. It latched onto Doomfire’s face.

“Next, I summon Alien Psychic.”

She played the card, and a small Alien appeared. It looked like a metallic snake with tentacles for arms, and a bulbous head, wearing a fright wig. (200/100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0311.jpg


“It’s not the most powerful Monster, yes,” she said, “but as soon as I summon it, it moves into Defense Mode…”

The Psychic curled up, and shielded itself with its tentacles.

“My Doomfire will eat it!” shouted Enrique.

“No it won’t,” said Cindy. “So long as Psychic is on the field, Monsters with A-Counters can’t attack.

“Next, I activate my facedown card… Call of the Haunted!”

Her facedown card lifted, and a flash of light burst from the spot.

“I’ll summon someone I discarded way back when I played Graceful Charity… Alien Mars!”

A new Alien appeared. This one had a sinister-looking, bulbous, bald head with a red orb in its forehead, and metallic tendrils for arms and a lower torso. (1,000/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0341.jpg


“You made a big mistake!” laughed Enrique. “Your Alien Mars is in Attack Mode, and all Monsters on your side of the field in Attack Mode are compelled to attack my Doomfire. That means I win!”

“Guess again!” laughed Cindy. “Doomfire’s effect may be powerful, but Mars has a pretty powerful effect of its own. When it’s on the field, the effects of all Monsters that have A-Counters, except for Mars itself, are negated. So your Doomfire’s effect means squat.

“Right now, with my combination of Alien Psychic and Alien Mars, that big, flaming monstrosity is nothing but dead weight.

“You may have killed the Mother, but her offspring will finish you off.

“I end my turn… What are you gonna do?”

Enrique looked at his hand, which consisted of Volcanic Recharge and Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi.

All I have to do, he thought, is draw a Monster that can beat her Psychic’s Defense… Its Defense is only 100, so that shouldn’t be hard…

He drew a card.

Dark Room of Nightmare.

“Caramba…” he muttered, adding it to his hand.

“I have to pass…” he said.

Cindy smiled, and drew a card.

“I use my Breeding Device again,” she said.

Another of the slugs leapt out of the tank, and latched to Doomfire’s face.

“Now… I summon… Alien Infiltrator!”

A small, yet hulking creature burst out of the rocky surface. It was an Alien covered with a black exoskeleton, with some sort of breathing apparatus on its face, and tentacles for arms.

Enrique heard a deep breathing sound coming from the creature. He started to get nervous… It sounded just like Darth Vader’s artificial breathing, one of the things that made that famous villain so intimidating… (800/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0331.jpg


“Again, what Infiltrator lacks in points, it makes up for in effects,” said Cindy. “So long as there are no cards on your side of the field directly in front of its space in my Monster Zone, it can attack you directly.

“So, Alien Infiltrator… Attack Enrique directly with tendril lash slash!”

The Infiltrator’s tentacles started to spark. It rushed at Enrique, and lashed at him with them, and he screamed.



(E: 1,200) -------------------- (C: 1,200)


“That’s all for now,” said Cindy.

Enrique growled, and drew a card.

It was his third Volcanic Shell.

This only has 100 Attack Points, he thought. I can’t destroy her Psychic with it… And if I defended myself with it, she’d destroy it quickly…

He took Volcanic Recharge from his hand.

But I can protect myself from that Infiltrator…

He fit it into his Disk, carefully putting it into the slot directly in front of Alien Infiltrator. The facedown card appeared.

“There!” he said. “No more direct attacks. I end my turn.”

Cindy chuckled as she drew a card.

“Let’s use my Breeding Device one more time,” she said.

A third A-Counter leapt out of the tank. Doomfire groaned as it clasped to it.

“Now I play my Pot of Avarice!”

The goofy jar appeared. She took both Alien Hunters, both Alien Warriors, and Alien Mother from her Graveyard, and shuffled them into her deck. She drew twice.

She looked at the cards and grinned.

“As for your assumption that my Infiltrator couldn’t attack you,” she said. “Wrong…”

Alien Infiltrator looked to its side, and then sidestepped five feet to the left.

“What did it just do?” asked Enrique.

“Infiltrator has another ability,” said Cindy. “Once per turn, it can sidestep, meaning I can move it to the space in my Monster Zone right next to it.

“So once again, there’s nothing stopping it from getting to you…”

Enrique screamed again as the Alien lashed at him with the tentacles again.



(E: 400) -------------------- (C: 1,200)


“Next,” said Cindy, playing a Spell Card. “I set two cards facedown, and end my turn.”

Two facedown cards appeared.

She looked at the last card in her hand, which was Heavy Storm.

This duel is over, she thought. My first facedown card will bring back my star, and even if he somehow manages to make his Doomfire strong enough, I can activate my Trap, Cell Explosion Virus, which will destroy all of his Monsters as soon as his infected Doomfire attacks.

And this Spell Card will wipe out any Traps of his own that he tries to plant.

Enrique drew a card.

“I activate my Trap Card!” shouted Cindy.

Her first facedown card lifted.

“It’s called Crop Circles,” she said. “To activate this card, I sacrifice Psychic, Mars, and Infiltrator…”

All three of the Aliens vanished.

“Then I add up their Levels, which total six. Then I can Special Summon an Alien from my deck whose Level matches that total.”

“You mean?” gasped Enrique.

“That’s right…” said Cindy, with a smile. “My Mother is back…”

With a roar, Alien Mother burst out of the ground. She glared at Alien Doomfire and drooled. (2,300/1,500)

“She’s hungry, and your Doomfire is a practical feast,” said Cindy. “A little spicy, but Aliens like their food with a little kick to it.

“It’s still your move… So just try to take her down.”

Enrique looked at the card he had drawn.

He closed his eyes, and placed it in his Disk. A facedown card appeared.

He glared at her.

“So that was the best you could do, huh?” she asked. “You gave up… Too proud to even switch Doomfire to Defense Mode… How sad…

“Then stand back… I draw!”

She drew a card.

“Adios…” said Enrique.

“Huh?” she said.

Enrique’s facedown card activated.

A young girl appeared on the field in front of him. She had red hair, wore a skirt, halter, and cape, and carried a staff topped with a glowing ruby. A fierce-looking fox was at her feet.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en052.jpg



“Who’s THAT?” shouted Cindy.

“Hiita the Fire Charmer,” said Enrique. “The uncontested master of the element of Fire. I just activated a Trap Card called Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai. This powerful incantation lets Hiita sacrifice a Fire Monster. Then, she can fire a blast of destructive energy directly at you, doing damage equal to the sacrificed Monster’s base Attack Score.”

“WHAT?” shouted Cindy. “But that means…”

“Si,” said Enrique. “Brace yourself… Volcanic Doomfire has 3,000 Attack Points, and you’re about to be hit by every one of them…”

Hiita raised her staff, and Volcanic Doomfire erupted into a blazing bonfire. The Fire Charmer’s staff started to burn with white-hot flames… She aimed it at Cindy…

The most intense gout of fire yet shot towards Cindy, and a bloodcurdling scream echoed over the whole Museum District…



(E: 400) -------------------- (C: 0)


Enrique took some deep breaths, as Hiita and the Field Spell faded away, returning him to the city streets.

His opponent was lying on the ground in front of him, unconscious, with the cards in her deck scattered.

Before Enrique’s eyes, her body started to glow with black fire…

A ghostly shadow with eyes that looked like fiery coals flew out of her body. It glared at Enrique with a look of fury, and then dissipated.

What on Earth? he thought.

He heard running. He turned around and saw two Centurions rushing towards them.

He sighed. They had heard the scream. Maybe the whole duel could have been avoided if he had simply yelled for help. But even if he had thought of doing that, he probably wouldn’t have… He hated accepting help from anyone.

Call it stubborn pride. He had hated himself for accepting Rasputin’s help in the first place, but he had little choice…



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea paused to catch their breaths as they walked up the third flight of stairs.

“Was that a scream?” said Yumi, stopping to listen.

Then paused. She shrugged, and they continued.

“Why couldn’t Rasputin have been like most villains and made his lair at the lowest point of the building instead of the highest?” asked Ren. “Most of these guys hide in big, underground subbasements.”

“Well, maybe there is no subbasement, Ren,” replied Chelsea. “And maybe he has a helicopter or something on the roof in case things go wrong.”

“Or maybe he’s a vampire and he can turn into a bat or something…” growled Ren. “I wouldn’t be surprised…”

“Let’s put Rasputin aside for now, and concentrate on Sam,” said Yumi, shuffling a deck. “We have no idea what sort of deck she’s been given.”

“She’s going to be tougher,” muttered Ren. “She has two Shadow Charms.”

“Yumi…” said Chelsea, slowly. “You… don’t suppose that… Rasputin gave her back the Dark World Deck? If she uses it again, we could lose her forever…”

Yumi bowed her head. She took a card out of the deck.

“I’m trying hard not to think of that possibility, Chelsea,” she said, “especially since this time, this guy is clearly not in her deck…”

She held up one of the Dark Ruler Ha Des cards.

It’s going to be harder, she thought, shuffling it back into the deck. Ha Des is certainly Sam’s true soul… But this deck has two copies, and both are from the same release! How the heck will I know which one is the true one?

Yumi didn’t know that a Duel Spirit was shadowing her and her two friends. He was very upset, but very determined.

“Don’t worry, Yumi,” muttered Dark Ruler Ha Des. “Should you fail to convince my consort to come to her senses…

“I will…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Three blocks from the Clock Tower, one of the Centurions cuffed Cindy’s hands. Again, it was hardly necessary – Cindy wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“Descartes?” said the other one into a radio. “I have bad news, and terrible news.

“Okay, the bad news is, we’ve got another situation that matches the one on the beach, and this time it was a member of the League of Ascension who was NOT an escaped prisoner. That means that there could be dozens of these possessed duelists around.

“The terrible news is, the she clearly told the kid she dueled that it was a Shadow Game. And given what he told us, I really don’t think she was lying. And… Pardon?”

He paused.

“I have no idea. She’s out cold right now, so I can’t question her, and we both know the regulations about handling an unconscious suspect. We can’t just break them…”

He paused again.

“Look, if a lowly sergeant can make a suggestion, I’d say that you should tell them to kill the power to the Holographic Tower…

“Oh… They did… Terrific…

“Okay, we’ll do our best, but we’re working as fast as we can. Not every guest we spoke to even believes in this sort of thing, you know…”

He turned it off.

“Okay, Mr. Lobo, if you would kindly…”

He looked around.

Enrique was gone.

“Damn…” said the Centurion.

Enrique, meanwhile, had run up to the gates of Clock Tower Prison, only to find that it was shut with a digital combination lock.

“Darn…” he said. “That’s one lock I can’t pick… There’s no way in…”

He looked up at the sky, where dark clouds were moving in a chaotic pattern.

“Unless… If the Disks are still working with the Tower shut down… Maybe the Shadows are covering the whole island… Maybe they’ll work for anyone…”

He activated his Disk, and took a card from his deck.

“It’s worth a shot!” he said, placing it on his Disk.

With a loud roar, Volcanic Doomfire appeared in front of him.

“Blast those gates down!” he shouted.

Doomfire breathed a stream of lava from its maw, and the iron gates melted into molten metal.

Enrique removed the card from his Disk, and the Monster vanished.

“Yumi’s going to need all the help she can get…” said Enrique, stepping over the ruined gates, “and even if all I can do is cheer her on, she’s going to get some…”

As Yumi continues to scale Clock Tower Prison, a beacon of hope has been lit, as an ally follows to lend support. But Enrique comes from below, while danger lies above. The dark clock continues to keep time, as if keeping track of the minutes until… something happens. What ultimately awaits our heroes at the summit?



FIRE TRAP (Trap Card)

Counter Trap

Image: Marauding Captain walking through an inferno of flames.

Card Description: You can activate this card when your opponent activates a card whose effect includes an effect that would destroy a Continuous Trap Card on your side of the field. Negate that card’s effect and destroy it. If this card is destroyed, draw one card from your deck.

Note: “Fire Trap” was first used by Axel in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Hanging With Axel (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



FIRE RECOVERY (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A huge, fiery, nuclear cloud.

Card Description: Discard one FIRE Monster in your hand to the Graveyard. Then, Special Summon one FIRE Monster other than one you discarded from your Graveyard.

Note: “Fire Recovery” was first used by Axel in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Triple Play (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Yumi: I haven’t even had a chance to speak to Sam since our duel in the final round… One has to wonder… Would she have turned against me on her own?

Ren: I’d say that was nonsense… But Sam has already walked a fine line before…

Chelsea: I think it’s nonsense too… Deep down, there’s an honorable duelist in Sam, and we can bring it out…

Anastasia: For Sam’s sake, I hope so, because Rasputin is not the only evil force who now has a hold on her… A wicked entity that has not yet revealed itself has special plans for Sam…

Coming up next, “Plain Vanilla; Yumi versus Sam Again”.

It’s going to be a whole different flavor of pain…

[Shuppet Master]

I really enjoyed the duel. Aliens vs. Volcano monsters is a really interesting matchup. I was expecting Cindy to be an eriynes, but I haven't recalled any duels with her, so she may a recurring Ascender.

Anyways, I expected Sam to be the last duelist Yumi had to face, so I was surprised by this. I thought it would be a misthought, but you even put it in the title, so it's rematch time.

So, Erik is last? What twisted plan has Rasputin got up his sleeve and what twisted deck has Rasputing supplied him with?

[jkBAKURA]

Brian, mI don't care what mud has been slung around on this thread, you can still write some of the best duels in the fanfiction world.

Aliens has been something you attempted to use iun the last story. While that was a wonderful mduel in it's own right, it was perfected in this one.

As for the Volcanic theme, you found wonderful combos on both sides to mess with the very basics of the stratagy in the other.

As for Sam and Erik, I have to think that her Dark World deck is making a return, (though I could be proven wrong)

Erik I have a guess that I'm almost positive on, but I'll wait to confirm if what I suspect is true.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO



Plain Vanilla



Yumi versus Sam Again



As Yumi was striking the final blow against Chelsea, Hector Dupree – Heck to his friends – was running through the streets of the Restaurant District.

A Centurion had told him to return to his hotel, but he wasn’t going to do that. He was no coward, and wanted to see the commotion firsthand.

As he passed by the Sizzling Sirloin, he heard a woman’s scream coming from an alley.

He knew enough not to ignore such a scream. It might mean that some poor girl was about to become the victim of rape, murder, or both.

He ran into the alley, and saw one of the escaped Ascenders. He had cornered a duelist – it was none other than Mary Jane, the waitress with the Curry Deck whom Ren had dueled. She was cowering on the ground, trying to use her Duel Disk like a shield.

“You have two choices,” said the Ascender. “You can surrender peacefully, or attempt to win your way past me in a Shadow Game.

“If I were you, I’d surrender.”

Mary Jane sobbed. She slowly got up, and her Disk activated…

“Too easy…” said the Ascender.

“Hey, bub!” shouted Heck.

“Huh?” said the Ascender, looking around.

Heck flinched a little when he saw the red, glowing eyes, but he regained his courage quickly.

“Why don’t you step away from that appetizer…” said Heck, “an’ come get the main course!”

He swung his own Disk in front of him, and it activated.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled the Ascender. “Why not… A soul so full of spirit and bravery is worth much more than that of a frightened woman…

“Prepare for defeat!”

His own Disk activated, and the Life Point counters set.



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea climbed the last set of stairs.

“I don’t suppose…” muttered Yumi, as they came to the door, “that any of you know what to expect up there?”

Ren sighed.

“Actually, when we came in,” he said nervously, “Sam was ushered through a special door in order to speak to… someone. We don’t know what happened to her in there. The next thing we know, Rasputin gave us our new decks, and I was told to wait for you in the courtyard.”

Yumi bowed her head.

“Let’s pray that it’s still possible to save Sam,” she said in a small whisper.

She opened the door.

A dark mist hung on the ground of the supernatural history exhibition. The opening hall held a mural depicting the great Harry Houdini in his role as a medium investigator, along with several of the tools he used to root out fraudulent fortunetellers.

They walked to another room, where occult paraphernalia was everywhere. Wax figures, swords, worry men, an iron maiden…

It looked like something out a madman’s imagination.

Yumi’s eyes turned to a door.

She opened it.

They walked into a large, circular room, with a huge, five-pointed star painted on the floor. At each point of the star was a sarcophagus against the wall.

Just the right size for an arena…

“All right, Sam, where are you?” said Yumi.

The sarcophagus directly in front of her slowly opened. Yumi’s eyes opened wide as Sam stepped out of it.

It didn’t take a genius to tell that she was clearly not herself. Not only was her skin pale, her eyes were shining, silver orbs. Even worse was her clothing. She was wearing white lingerie – a bra and panties, made more dramatic by a white, fur cape and white boots.

“Sam?” gasped Yumi.

“Yes, Yumi?” asked Sam.

“Your… your clothes…” muttered Yumi.

“I’ll be wearing this from now on,” said Sam. “The ambassador wants me as an apprentice, and this is the dress code.

“I only have to complete my initiation… And the first part will beating you…”

She lifted her Disk.

Then she lifted her right hand, showing the Ring of Spirits against the Cat’s Cradle Comb.

“So here are the stakes, Yumi… These two Charms against the Crown and the Sword.”

“Sam, please…” muttered Yumi. “What would your mother say if she saw you like this? A bikini is one thing, but this is…”

“I’m gonna take her out too!” shouted Sam. “I’ll bring her in, and then we can control KaibaCorp.”

“Ambassador?” said Ren. “Who the heck…”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss,” replied Sam. “If your so eager to meet her, let’s get this done with.”

“Sam…” muttered Yumi.

She put her hand on her forehead.

“I know a duel here is inevitable, but I really don’t feel comfortable with you like this… Can you please put some decent clothes on, and…”

“Sorry, Yumi,” replied Sam. “I don’t have them with me. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. And frankly, I really don’t want to.”

“This is crazy…” muttered Yumi.

“Don’t feel bad, Yumi…” said Sam. “Once you lose, there’ll be no more pain coming your way. It will be numbed permanently.”

“Pardon me if I say, in a pig’s eye,” muttered Yumi.

She slowly took Sam’s deck out of the bandoleer.

“We’re in it deep…” she muttered, as the Pharaoh appeared next to her. “Sam’s worse than I thought…”

“Mmm,” he said. “Rasputin’s hold on her is stronger than it was on Ren and Chelsea. Possibly due to the fact that she has two Charms.

“We can only pray that her old deck will be enough…”

As Yumi placed the deck in her Disk, the spirit of Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared behind Yumi. No-one saw him, but he was there. And a look best described as a combination of anger and sadness was on his face.

He held up a Duel Monsters card that was glowing with dark flames. It vanished, and the deck Yumi had placed in her Disk briefly glowed with the same aura.

He nodded, and then vanished.

Yumi activated the Disk.

She glared at her rival.

“Okay Sam,” she said, “I don’t want to… But if life has taught me anything, repeatedly, it’s that you can’t always get you want.”

They stared at each other.

“Game on!” they shouted.



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Sam: 8,000)


Yumi drew her first card, and looked at her opening hand.

“To start off,” she said, “I’ll summon Gil Garth in Attack Mode.”

She placed a card on her Disk, and the armored, scimitar-wielding Fiend appeared in front of her. (1,800/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/glas_en0911.jpg


“That’s all I can do for now…”

If it is her Dark World Deck, she thought, I have nothing for her to use Dark World Lightning on, and no Level Four Dark World Monster can trump Gil Garth in Attack Points… I’m reasonably safe…

…reasonably…

Sam drew a card.

“You think I’m scared of that piece of tin?” she asked. “Let me show you a real Monster… I summon… Gene-Warped Warwolf!”

She played a card, and with a feral roar, a Beast-Warrior appeared in front of her. It was a wolf-like humanoid, with white fur, covered with black designs, with four arms ending in sharp claws. (2,000/100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/unlim-ston-en001.jpg


“Level Four with two-thousand Attack Points?” said Chelsea. “Okay, what’s the catch?”

“Uh, Chelsea?” muttered Ren. “I’ve seen this guy before… There is no catch… That’s a Normal Monster.”

“You have got to be kidding!” shouted Chelsea.

“Well, it’s not exactly a common card…” said Ren.

“Warwolf…” shouted Sam, “disassemble Gil Garth with four-claw fury swipes!”

The Gene-Warped Warwolf leapt at Gil Garth, and made four savage slashes. The Fiend dropped his blade, and then exploded.



(Y: 7,800) -------------------- (S: 8,000)


“Next…” said Sam, taking two cards from her hand. “I’ll play a pair of Continuous Spell Cards… Heart of the Underdog, and Non-Spellcasting Area.”

Two Spell Cards appeared in front of her. One bore the image of a young man shielding himself from a blow. The second bore a picture of two Spellcasters in a void, surrounded by a bubble of energy, as a group of goblins floated around them.

“By the way,” she continued, “so long as Non-Spellcasting Area is in effect, all Normal Monsters on the field are completely immune to Spell Cards. And by that, I don’t mean Spell Cards that target. I mean all Spell Cards.

“I’ll end my turn.”

Yumi drew a card.

Well, I guess now we can rule out the Dark World Deck, she thought.

“So, you like Level Four beatsticks, huh?” she said.

She played a card.

“I summon… Giant Orc!” she shouted.

With a low rumble, the huge ogre appeared, hefting its club. (2,200/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-012.jpg


“GO! Clobber her Warwolf! Bone basher!”

Giant Orc roared, and struck Gene-Warped Warwolf with its club, smashing the Beast-Warrior to pieces.



(Y: 7,800) -------------------- (S: 7,800)


Giant Orc dropped its club, and fell on its behind in a daze.

“I hope it was worth it, Yumi,” said Sam, with a chuckle. “Now it has to move into defense… Not that it has any…”

Yumi growled.

“I’ll set a card facedown, and that will be all,” she said.

A facedown card appeared.

“Thanks,” said Sam, as her hand reached for her deck.

She paused.

“By the way, thanks to Heart of the Underdog…”

“I know how it works,” replied Yumi. “If the Monster you draw is a Normal Monster, you can show it to me, and then draw again. I’m not dumb, Sam.”

Sam frowned, and drew a card.

“Heh, heh, I drew Mad Dog of Darkness,” she said, showing it to her.

She added it to her hand, and then drew again.

“Sabersaurus,” she said, showing her the next card.

She drew a third time.

“Well, this certainly isn’t a Normal Monster…” she muttered.

She looked over her hand.

“I summon Vorse Raider,” she said, playing a card.

In a burst of dark energy, the vicious Beast-Warrior appeared, brandishing his axe. (1,900/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct2_en003a.jpg


“Good grief, are all of Sam’s Monsters members of the Nineteen-Hundred Club?” shouted Chelsea.

“Afraid so…” said Ren. “Her deck, it seems, is a Normal Beatdown Deck. I’ve seen this before. It uses powerful Normal Monsters exclusively to hammer away at the opposition.

“Ren’s got the right idea…” said Sam with a chuckle. “My old deck was mint chocolate chip… But my tastes have matured, and I’m content with plain vanilla now.

“Vorse Raider, attack the Giant Orc!”

Vorse Raider made a slash with his axe, and Giant Orc burst into pixels.

“Next, I’ll place one card facedown,” she continued, “and play a new Spell Card called Two-Man Cell Battle.”

A facedown card appeared, and then a third Continuous Spell Card appeared. This one bore the image of Marauding Captain and Gagagigo fending off an attack from a Blazing Inpachi.

“What it does is let each player Special Summon a Level Four Normal Monster at the End Phase of each of their turns. I’m moving to my End Phase now, and using it to summoning Mad Dog of Darkness in Attack Mode.”

She played a card, and a vicious, feral hound with brown skin and teeth like daggers appeared. (1,900/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-0571.jpg


Yumi glared at her.

“My move…” she said.

She drew a card.

“I play Silent Doom!” she shouted.

She played the card, and Gil Garth appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,800/1,200)

“Now I’ll set one Monster in Defense Mode, and set another card facedown…”

A facedown Monster and a second facedown card appeared.

“I’ll move to my own End Phase, and use the effect of your Cell Battle to summon Opticlops in Defense Mode.”

In a burst of dark energy, Opticlops appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,800/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en131.jpg


I’ve got to try to stall until I can draw Ha Des… she thought. He’s the only one who might be able to pound some sense into her…

I know that Sam is somewhere in there, underneath that trashy outfit…

“Okay…” said Sam. “Draw!”

She drew a card.

She frowned.

“Not a Normal Monster, huh?” asked Yumi.

“I’ll set a card facedown,” said Sam, fitting the card into the last space in her Spell/Trap Zone.

Another facedown card appeared.

“Now I’ll summon… Luster Dragon!”

A huge, blue gemstone appeared on the field. Then it shattered, revealing the beautiful, sapphire Dragon. (1,900/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en113.jpg


“Attack her Opticlops! Sapphire flash!”

Luster Dragon breathed out a blast of blue flames. Opticlops groaned before it was burned to a crisp.

“Vorse Raider, take out her facedown Monster!”

Vorse Raider charged at the facedown card…

Night Assailant appeared on the card before it was cut down.

“Tough break, Sam,” said Yumi. “That means your Dog is history, which means no more attacks this round.”

Mad Dog of Darkness burst into pixels. Sam snarled.

“I use the effect of Cell Battle again!” she shouted. “Come on out, Sabersaurus!”

With a bellow, the huge, herbivorous Dinosaur appeared in Attack Mode, ready to charge at something. (1,900/500)



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Yumi drew a card.

She looked at the two cards in her hand.

“I sacrifice Gil Garth…” she said.

Gil Garth vanished into a burst of shadow.

“…to summon Lesser Fiend!”

With a roar, the four-armed demon appeared on the field. (2,100/1,000)



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“Attack her Vorse Raider!” shouted Yumi.

Lesser Fiend lunged at Vorse Raider…

“Always look before you leap, Yumi,” said Sam, as one of her facedown cards activated. “I activate a Trap… Justi-Break!

“Since you attacked, all Monsters on the field except Normal Monsters are destroyed!”

A blast of electricity flashed all over the arena, and Lesser Fiend hollered as it was electrocuted. It burst into an explosion of shards.

“HA, HA, HA!” laughed Sam. “You’re defenseless! Next round, it’s all over! I’ve got you right…”

She stopped short as one of Yumi’s facedown cards lifted.

“…where I… yeah…”

The Call of the Haunted card glowed, and Lesser Fiend burst out of the floor. (2,100/1,000)

“Let’s try this again, shall we?” said Yumi.

Lesser Fiend leapt at Vorse Raider, and with four slashes of claws, the Beast-Warrior was torn to shreds.



(Y: 7,800) -------------------- (S: 7,600)


“I end my turn, Sam,” she said. “It’s gonna take more than one Trap Card to do me in…”

Sam drew a card. She looked at it.

“Not a Normal Monster,” she said.

“I move Sabersaurus and Luster Dragon to Defense Mode, and end my turn,” she said.

The two Monsters sat in a defensive position.

“Yumi might have gained the advantage,” said Ren.

“Yeah, but how long can she keep it?” asked Chelsea.

Yumi drew a card.

It’s a risk, but I need it, she thought.

“I set a Monster in Defense Mode,” she said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Lesser Fiend, attack her Sabersaurus!”

Lesser Fiend leapt at the Dinosaur, and with one swipe, tore it in half.

“That’s all I can do…” she said.

“My draw…” said Sam.

She drew a card.

“And since I just drew Frostosaurus, my Heart lets me draw again.”

She drew again.

“Another Frostosaurus… Lucky me…”

She drew a third time.

She added the card to her hand, and then took another one.

“I play the Spell Card, Ancient Rules,” she said. “Now I can Special Summon a Normal Monster from my hand, no matter how powerful it is…

“And I think I’ll summon my Frostosaurus!”

The whole room seemed to be struck by an Arctic wind, and a coating of ice covered the floor, as an immense form resembling an Apatosaurus made of ice and snow appeared in front of Sam, taking up nearly her entire side of the field. (2,600/1,700)



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“I’ll move Luster Dragon to Attack Mode…” she continued.

Luster Dragon stood up.

“Then I’ll activate my facedown card… Birthright.”

Her Trap Card lifted up.

“Now I can raise one Normal Monster from my Graveyard, and I choose my Gene-Warped Warwolf. Remember him?”

In a burst of energy, the four-armed lycanthrope appeared again. (2,000/100)

“Time to clean up…” said Sam. “Frostosaurus, attack Lesser Fiend with glacial rampage!”

The huge Dinosaur roared in a voice that sounded like the North Wind, and breathed a blast of sheer cold at the Fiend…

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Yumi. “Bark of Dark Ruler!”

Her facedown card lifted up, and Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared in a fiery burst of smoke.

“I’ll pay 2,600 Life Points, and your Frostosaurus is about to experience a serious meltdown!”

“2,600 Life Points?” shouted Ren. “That will reduce Frostosaurus’s Attack Score to…”

“Zero,” said Chelsea. “Zip. Zilch. A big goose egg.”

Frostosaurus glowed with shadowy energy, and fell to an Attack Score of zero. Lesser Fiend swatted the blast aside, and Frostosaurus exploded into shards of ice.

Sam frowned.

“Not exactly thrifty about spending your Life Points, huh Yumi?” she asked.

“Luster Dragon, attack the facedown Monster!”

Luster Dragon breathed its sapphire flame. The Morphing Jar appeared before it was blown to pieces.

“You know what that means, Sam,” said Yumi.

“Oh, fine,” said Sam.

She discarded two cards – the second Frostosaurus and a Dust Barrier – to her Graveyard.

It’ll just be food for my true star, she thought. He’s gonna be pretty hungry when he wakes up.

They both drew five cards.

Sam looked them over. She chuckled.

Then again… she thought.

“Guess what, Yumi!” she laughed. “With these five cards, I can summon Frostosaurus again...

“I play Symbols of Duty. First, I have to send one Normal Monster to the Graveyard. So I’ll get rid of Gene-Warped Warwolf.”

The Beast-Warrior vanished.

“Why’d she choose him?” asked Chelsea.

“To get rid of Birthright too,” said Ren. “Now she has a free space on her Spell Zone.”

“Now I can Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard,” said Sam, “so long as I Equip it with Symbols of Duty.”

She played the card, and in another blast of Arctic wind, the second Frostosaurus loomed over the field. Oddly, a set of battered military dog tags appeared around its long neck. (2,600/1,700)

“So you see, that Trap Card was a big waste.

“I’ll move to my End Phase, and use the effect of my Cell Battle to summon my Twilight Bloom.”

A weird Monster appeared on Sam’s side of the field. It was a tall thick, plant, with thorny vines for limbs, and a head that was a large, purple, bell-shaped flower with eyes on stalks and a large jaw full of teeth. (1,900/1,400)

“Who says Plant-Type Monsters get no respect?” asked Sam. “Well… Everyone… And this guy isn’t too happy about it!

“It’s your move.”



(Y: 5,200) -------------------- (S: 5,400)


Yumi drew a card.

I’m falling behind… she thought. And I can’t hold out against these beatstick bullies forever…

“I set a Monster in Defense Mode…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Then I move Lesser Fiend into Defense Mode as well.”

Lesser Fiend knelt, and crossed its four arms.

“I’ll move to my own End Phase, and use the effect of Cell Battle to summon Archfiend Soldier.”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



In a puff of black smoke, the infernal infantryman appeared, kneeling in Defense Mode. (1,900/1,500)



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“It’s a good thing Sam’s real deck used so many Normal Monsters,” said Ren.

“Yeah…” said Chelsea. “But Yumi is quickly running out of them…”

Sam snapped, and then drew a card.

“You know, Yumi…” she said, looking at it. “This reminds me of a joke I heard the other day…”

She played a card, and the golden ankh of Monster Reborn appeared.

“See, there were these two guys in an insane asylum named Tom and Ed. One day they decide that they don’t like living in the place, and they decide to escape.”

Gene-Warped Warwolf appeared again with a roar. (2,000/100)

“So anyway, they escape to the roof of the asylum, and they only have to jump across a ten-foot gap between the buildings to complete their escape.”

Gene-Warped Warwolf slashed at Archfiend Soldier, and the demon was blasted into shards.

“Tom makes the jump easily, but Ed is afraid to jump. See, he’s afraid of falling.”

Twilight Bloom blew a blast of toxic pollen at the facedown Monster. Malice Doll of Demise appeared on the card and warped and rotted before shattering.

“Then Tom says, ‘Hey, I got an idea! I have my flashlight with me. I’ll shine it between the buildings, and you just have to walk along the beam and join me!”

Luster Dragon blasted its breath weapon, striking Lesser Fiend. The demon was blown out of existence.

“And then Ed says, ‘Huh? What do you think I am, crazy?’”

Sam chuckled.

“’You’d turn it off when I was halfway across!’”

There was dead silence in the room.

Sam put her hand on her hip.

“What?” she asked. “You heard that one before? Frostosaurus, see if you can make her laugh! Attack her directly!”

The huge Dinosaur blasted its glacial rampage, striking Yumi dead center…

Strangely, Yumi didn’t scream this time…

At least, not right away…



(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (S: 5,400)


As the misty haze cleared, everyone looked at Yumi, who was taking some deep breaths, with her head bowed…

And then she screamed… She screamed a cry of pure anger… It shook the whole Clock Tower and carried over the whole island. Everyone in the room was startled. Ren and Chelsea held each other, and Sam stepped back in fear…



* * * * * * * * * *


At the height of Clock Tower Prison, Rasputin shivered with fright…

No… he thought. We’ve truly pushed Yumi to her breaking point… There’s no telling what will happen now…



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi took some deep breaths…

Deep, low gasps of rage…

“That’s it!” she shouted. “Rasputin, I hope you’re listening, because here’s a message… You and this ambassador, whoever she is, won’t be getting any more mercy… I’m gonna send your sorry ass straight to Hell!

“And as for you Sam, since I lost Life Points when I had no cards on my side of the field, I can summon Messenger of Ha Des – Gors!”

She threw a card on her Disk, and a bonfire appeared on her side of the field. The Messenger of Ha Des appeared, holding his huge sword. He gave a grim look towards Sam and her Monsters. (2,700/2,500)



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“His powers allow him to call forth Messenger of Ha Des – Kaien…”

In another bonfire, the fallen angel in black armor, holding her two swords appeared, stepping into a fighting stance next to Gors. (2,600/2,600)

“And by the way… That joke was really, really bad…”

Sam trembled as she looked at the rest of her cards.

“I… I have to end my turn…” she said.

Yumi took some deep breaths again. She quickly drew a card.

She was surprised when she saw what the card was.

What the Hell is this? she thought. I never saw Sam use this before…

She read the description.

Man, talk about a gamble card… This is even riskier than Hand of Ha Des… I’ll bet not even grandpa Joey would use this…

I’d have to be crazy to play it…

She looked at it hard.

Then again, I’m in a pretty sanity-be-damned mood right now... And with all that’s been happening, it’s no crazier than even getting out of bed in the morning…

“Yumi!” said the Pharaoh’s voice. “Maybe you should think this over…”

For the first time since they had met, she ignored him. She placed the card in her Disk.

“Okay, Sam…” he said. “I play… Nightmare Shuffle.”

An evil, cackling laughter echoed through the room, as a very sinister-looking Continuous Spell Card appeared on Yumi’s side of the field. It bore the picture of two withered, skeletal hands shuffling a deck of cards.

“Nightmare Shuffle?” asked Sam. “What the heck does that do?”

“You mean it isn’t your card?” asked Yumi.

Sam looked at her. Yumi looked at the card.

Too late now… she thought, sweating.

“Okay Sam, I’ll explain it, because it’s very complicated. So long as this card is on the field, neither of us are allowed to check the contents of my Graveyard.

“Now, a card is selected from my Graveyard, completely at random. Thing is, I’m not allowed to see what it is.”

A card slipped out of Yumi’s discard slot, and she closed her eyes as she took it.

“Now, I set it facedown on the field in my Spell Zone, right next to Nightmare Shuffle.”

A facedown card appeared next to the Spell Card.

“If I don’t activate this by my next Standby Phase, it goes to the Graveyard, and is replaced by a new one from my Graveyard, again chosen completely at random. This happens again at each of my Standby Phases.

“Now, when I finally decide to activate it, Nightmare Shuffle is destroyed. And if the timing for the activation of the card is wrong, depending on the situation, it doesn’t work, and every card on my side of the field and in my hand goes to the Graveyard.

“Okay?”

Sam laughed out loud.

“Yumi,” she laughed. “That has to be the stupidest move you have ever made! Come to think of it, that has to be the stupidest move that ANY duelist I have faced has ever made! You’re risking this entire duel on the off chance that a random card from your Graveyard will help you?”

“I gotta agree with Sam, here,” said Ren. “Yumi’s gotta be outta her gourd to make a gamble that risky.”

“We’ll soon see,” said Yumi. “For now…

“Time to break the ice! Gors, attack Frostosaurus with Demonblade!”

Gors twirled his huge sword, and leapt at the giant Monster. With a mighty slash, Frostosaurus shattered into shards of ice.

“Kaien, destroy that blasted Warwolf!”

Kaien lunged at Gene-Warped Warwolf, and made two slashes with her blades. The Beast-Warrior groaned, and shattered into shards.

Yumi held her chest and took some deep breaths.

“I end my turn…” she muttered.



(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (S: 4,700)


Sam slowly drew a card.

She looked at it.

She chose another card from her hand.

“I play… Emergency Provisions…” she said.

She played the card, and a large mouth appeared behind her Spell Cards. Her Heart of the Underdog, Non-Spellcasting Area, and Two-Man Cell Battle were sucked in, and she glowed with energy.

“What?” muttered Yumi. “But… Why would you get rid of them…”

“They were outliving their usefulness,” she replied. “Besides, I had to get rid of Non-Spellcasting Area anyway. See, now that my Monsters can be affected by Spell Cards, I can play Rush Recklessly.”

She played the card, and Luster Dragon’s Attack Score rose to 2,600.

“Luster Dragon, attack Kaien!” she shouted.

Luster Dragon breathed its flame at Kaien. The Messenger tried to shield herself with her blades… Both she and the Dragon strained…

Finally, both of them were thrown backwards, and both shattered into shards.

“I move Twilight Bloom to Defense Mode, and end my turn…”

Twilight Bloom knelt, and shielded itself with its tendrils.



(Y: 2,600) -------------------- (S: 7,700)


Yumi drew a card.

“You know what comes next,” she said.

The Nightmare Shuffle card glowed, and the two skeletal hands on it started shuffling the deck.

“The card next to Nightmare Shuffle goes to the Graveyard…”

The facedown card vanished.

“…and a new one takes its place.”

She set a new card in her Disk, and it appeared facedown.

“Okay…” she said. “I play… Pot of Avarice…”

She played the card. Giant Orc, Opticlops, Malice Doll of Demise, Archfiend Soldier, and Lesser Fiend slipped out of her discard slot. She shuffled them back into her deck, and then drew two cards.

She looked at them.

“I summon The Bistro Butcher,” she said, playing one of them.

She played the card, and the fiendish gourmet appeared on the field. (1,800/1,000)

“Next, up, Premature Burial,” she said, playing the other.

She played the card, and Gil Garth, the last Monster in her Graveyard, appeared next to her two other Fiends. (1,800/1,200)

“Go!” she ordered. “Chop Twilight Bloom into salad!”

The Butcher lunged at the Plant, and with a swipe of his cleaver, it was cut in two. The pieces burst into shards.

“Gil Garth, you’re up,” said Yumi.

Gil Garth flew at Sam, and slashed at her with his katana. Sam gasped and staggered backwards.

“Gors, your turn. Attack directly with Demonblade.”

Gors looked at Sam with a look of incredible anger. He rushed at her, and slammed his sword into her torso. Sam screamed and fell backwards.



(Y: 1,800) -------------------- (S: 3,200)


“YUMI!” screamed the voice of the Pharaoh.

“Huh?” said Yumi.

She felt a swift slap across her face.

“Ow!” she shouted.

She held her face.

“Was that really necessary?” she asked.

“Yumi, I know you’re angry,” he said. “But what you are doing could spell Sam’s doom!

“We haven’t drawn Ha Des yet… Sam’s false soul has yet to appear. If you make another round of attacks like that, Sam might be lost to us forever…

“Don’t forget, Yumi… Giving in to anger was how I almost lost your grandfather… I swore I wasn’t going to let that happen again…”

Yumi paused. She started to take some deep breaths again.

“That’s it…” said the Pharaoh. “Deep breaths… Deep, cleansing breaths… Just calm down, and we can do this…”

“All right…” she said.

“I end my turn, Sam…” she said. “So move…”

Sam picked herself up. She angrily drew a card.

She played the card, and Pot of Greed appeared in front of her. She drew two cards.

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…” she chuckled.

“Oh no…” muttered Ren. “Psychotic chuckling is always a bad sign…”

“Bad for you three,” said Sam, “because now I’m going to summon my ultimate Warrior…

“But first, I need a sacrifice.”

She played a card, and Silent Doom appeared on the field.

“Now, Gene-Warped Warwolf appears once again. You just can’t keep a good Monster down.”

The four-armed Beast-Warrior appeared once again, kneeling and shielding itself. (2,000/100)

“Next, I play this…” said Sam.

“A Ritual Card?” asked Yumi, somewhat shocked.

“A powerful Ritual,” said Sam. “Powerful if you use it right. It’s called Emblem of the Awakening… And all I need to offer as a sacrifice for this ceremony is a Level Four Monster.”

She played the card, and Gene-Warped Warwolf vanished. A marble slab with an odd symbol on the front appeared in front of Sam… Most remarkably, someone was asleep atop the slab.

“So… awaken from your long sleep to do battle again… Come forth, Cú Chulainn the Awakened!”

The sleeping figure’s eyes opened, and he slowly stepped off the slab. He was a handsome young man, dressed in exotic, fancy, ceremonial armor and a cape. He gestured, and a large, glowing halberd appeared in his hand. (500/1,000)



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“Big deal,” said Chelsea. “He has 500 lousy Attack Points.”

“Heh, heh,” chuckled Sam. “Don’t judge a Monster by his cover! Cú Chulainn has a very powerful ability that I can use once per round. I simply have to make a small sacrifice, in the form of one Normal Monster in my Graveyard…”

A card slipped out of her Graveyard. She held it up, revealing Frostosaurus.

“…and then, its Attack Points are added to his.”

The card vanished in a burst of golden flames, and Cú Chulainn glowed with the same energy. (3,100/1,000)

“Attack her Messenger! Strike of the dreamer!”

Cú Chulainn lunged with his weapon, stabbing into Gors’s torso. The Fiend dropped his sword, and exploded into pixels.

“And by the way, Yumi,” said Sam, “that 2,600-Attack Point increase won’t wear off until my next Standby Phase. So just try to take him down.”



(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (S: 3,200)


Yumi sighed as she looked at the deck.

She drew a card.

The skeletal hands on Nightmare Shuffle started shuffling the deck again.

“Once again, Nightmare Shuffle replaces the card next to it,” she said.

The facedown card vanished, and a new one took its place.

“Now I play… Graceful Charity.”

As she played the card, the angel appeared, hovering over the field. She looked sadly at Sam as Yumi drew three cards.

Yumi’s eyes lit up as she saw what they were. She slowly discarded two cards.

“I sacrifice The Bistro Butcher…”

The Butcher vanished in a dark aura…

“Come on out… Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

In an aura of dark flames, the ruler of the Underworld appeared. He looked somewhat angry, as he crossed his arms and glared at Sam. (2,450/1,600)



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Sam chuckled.

“Nice try, Yumi,” she said. “But his Attack Score is way too low. Seems it was a wasted effort.”

Yumi bowed her head. Ha Des’s appearance didn’t seem to have fazed her in the slightest.

Even if she won this duel, and she didn’t know if she could… Whether Sam would come back to them… It was looking more and more unlikely.

“I move Gil Garth to Defense Mode, and end my turn,” said Yumi, sadly.

Gil Garth knelt, and held his sword in his lap.

Sam drew a card.

She looked at it strangely.

What the heck? she thought. What sort of a card is this?

She read the description.

Talk about a weird card… It doesn’t fit this deck at all… Why would Rasputin want me to have it?

Then suddenly, she stopped.

As Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea watched, Sam simply stared into space.

“Sam?” asked Yumi. “Hello?”



* * * * * * * * * *


Sam was in darkness…

Incredible darkness…

“Where… where am I?” she said.

“So…” said a voice that was full of contempt and bile. “It seems that once again, I am the victim of an act of outright betrayal… By someone whom I accepted as my consort… Usually, humans are nothing but slaves to me… I made an exception… And got this in return.”

Sam looked up, and saw Ha Des looming over her with a look of incredible anger on his face.

“Ha Des?” she said, meekly.

“I would have ordered most of my servants tortured for even being friendly with one of those Dark World beasts,” growled the Dark Ruler. “They’re wicked, wicked creatures of pure Chaos who would see ever member of every race besides them, other Fiends included, dead in an instant.

“They’ve had a bounty on my head for centuries, Samantha! The only reason they haven’t succeeded is the fact that few competent assassins in the world of Fiends are crazy enough to believe they wouldn’t double-cross them.”

Sam cowered in fright.

“I was willing to let you off easy, though…” he muttered. “I thought that losing the tournament to Yumi and the humiliation that losing your wager with her would bring you was sufficient punishment for your first betrayal, Samantha… But it seems you were too weak-willed to learn…

“This time it isn’t even by a Fiend. You’ve cast me aside for some Celtic warlord… Unbelievable…”

Sam looked at him. Tears started to form in her eyes.

“No, no, it wasn’t like that!” she said, almost begging. “I had no choice… The ambassador told me to…”

She swallowed hard.

“She told me to… throw you away…”

Ha Des glared at her.

“And I’m to believe you truly had no choice…” he said. “Maybe a small part of you wanted revenge on Yumi, and wanted more power once again. And it was enough of a desire to cast the cards that Yumi is using now, mine included, into the trash can.”

Sam fell to her knees.

“Forgive…” she said, with tears falling down her cheeks.

Ha Des looked at her.

“Hmm…” he said, pondering.

He rubbed his chin, clearly thinking it over.

She looked up at him.

”Samantha…” he said.

“Yes?” she said eagerly.

“It is still your move,” he said. “Attack me with Cú Chulainn.”

“What?” said Sam, in shock. “But…”

“Do not argue,” he said. “Do not ask why. If you ever want any hope of my forgiveness, use Cú Chulainn’s effect to his fullest, and attack me.

“Then and only then, will I possibly consider forgiveness…”

He vanished.



* * * * * * * * * *


Sam opened her eyes. The silver glow was gone from them now, and tears were flowing from them.

“Sam?” asked Yumi.

“Still my move, Yumi!” she shouted, as Cú Chulainn dropped to an Attack of 500. “And this time, I’m removing Gene-Warped Warwolf from play.”

The card fell out of her discard slot, and Cú Chulainn rose to an Attack of 2,500.

“Go!” she shouted. “Attack the Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

Cú Chulainn charged at the Dark Ruler…

“Not so fast!” shouted Yumi. “I have the card that Nightmare Shuffle gave me, and now it’s time to see what it is!”

The Nightmare Shuffle card exploded into shards. Everyone tensed as the card started to lift…

The card appeared…

It was Bark of Dark Ruler.

“Yes!” shouted Yumi. “And grandpa Joey’s legendary luck comes through! I’ll give up all my Life Points except 100 of them, and reduce your Warrior’s Attack Score to 1,200!”

Ha Des roared, and Cú Chulainn glowed with a shadowy aura. Ha Des blasted a bolt of dark flame, and Cú Chulainn the Awakened was no more.



(Y: 100) -------------------- (S: 1,950)


Sam bowed her head.

“There’s nothing more I can do…” she muttered.

Yumi drew a card.

“Ha Des…” she ordered, “attack her directly! Stygian blast!”

Sam screamed as she was roasted by the Dark Ruler’s black flames…



(Y: 100) -------------------- (S: 0)




* * * * * * * * * *


Sam was back in the darkness, on her knees again. The Dark Ruler was standing over her.

“So…” she said, meekly. “Am I forgiven?”

“I don’t know,” said Ha Des, still with a hint of anger. “I haven’t decided yet…”

“Please…” begged Sam.

“Here’s the deal, Samantha,” said the Dark Ruler. “I won’t consider you my consort right now. Not until I make my decision.

“Once you come to, Yumi will give you your deck back, the one that holds my power.

“I foresee that you will duel again before this night is over. If I decide to grant you victory, it will mean that I’ve decided to grant forgiveness for what you’ve done.

“If I don’t and you lose… Then you might as well give up dueling forever. The same curse that caused you to lose the final round of the tournament will never leave you. It will remain as a punishment for two betrayals.

“Farwell… I will only speak to you again as my consort, if you ever gain the title back.”

He vanished into mist.



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi looked at the Nightmare Shuffle card. Then she was shocked as it caught fire, and vanished in a burst of smoke and ash.

Someone helped me, she thought. But who?

“Sam?” she said, bending over her rival.

Sam slowly got up. She started sobbing uncontrollably.

“There, there,” said Yumi, putting her arm around her. “You had us worried for a minute but…”

Then Sam noticed how she was dressed. She screamed, and grief turned to anger.

“OOH!” she shouted. “Wait until I find that ambassador… She can control my mind, but make me dress like a slut and you’ve crossed the line…”

“Easy, Sam, easy!” said Yumi. “I’m… I’m sorry to tell you this, but we really have no way of getting you a change of clothes unless we can find what she did with yours.”

Sam bowed her head, and tried to cover herself with the cape.

“Sam, look…” asked Ren. “Who is this… ambassador anyway?”

Sam sighed.

“She didn’t tell me her name yet,” she muttered. “She was blonde, with… curves… Dressed like this, except all in black… And she covered her face with an iron mask.

“And her voice… Deep and husky… Very intimidating…”

“Bet she stands out in a crowd…” said Ren.

“This is getting weirder and weirder,” muttered Chelsea. “Rasputin must have some sort of partner now. An ambassador is usually working for some other interest.”

Sam sighed, and looked at her clothing, which still showed too much.

“Erik will probably be thrilled…” she muttered.

She stopped short.

“ERIK!” she shouted.

“Where is he, Sam?” asked Chelsea.

Sam pointed up.

“The Clock Tower’s gear housing,” she muttered. “We have to save him!”

“Lovely, more stairs…” sighed Ren.

“Yumi, gimme my deck,” said Sam.

“Huh?” said Yumi.

“I said gimme!” shouted Sam.

Yumi handed over the deck, and Sam snatched it.

“My destiny is in this deck now…” she muttered.

“Come on… We have to save Erik…”

As she head for the stairs, she took the Normal Deck and threw it behind her, no longer caring for those cards in the least.

Yumi started to follow.

Then she fell on one knee, and panted for breath.

“Yumi?” asked Ren.

Yumi felt her hair. The Cat’s Cradle Comb was there.

She looked and saw the Ring of Spirits on her finger.

“I’m okay, Ren…” she said, slowly. “I’m more than ready to take on Erik…”

Who am I kidding? she thought. I’m exhausted! Winning this duel is going to take a miracle…

But for Erik’s sake… I have to make that miracle happen…



* * * * * * * * * *


As Mary Jane cowered in fright, Heck surveyed the field. It wasn’t looking good for him…

He had X-Head Cannon on his side of the field (1,800/1,500) and one facedown card. The only card in his hand was something he couldn’t really use at this point…

His opponent, on the other hand, had Gravity Bind active, a facedown card, and a very strange-looking Machine. It looked like an android made for construction work, with no legs, a claw for one hand, and a grappling hook for the other. (1,000/1,000)

Heck had 3,500 Life Points remaining, while his opponent was way ahead at 5,000.

“My move,” said the Ascender, drawing a card.

His facedown card lifted.

“And now my Trap Card activates… Fatal Abacus. In case you don’t know what it does, it deals 500 points of damage to a player whenever a Monster goes to his Graveyard.

“Next, I play the Spell Card, Illegal Summon.”

He played a card, and a Continuous Spell Card bearing a humorous image of a young man riding a giant frog appeared on his side of the field.

“Now, I get to summon a Monster to your side of the field,” he continued. “And I think I’ll do that with my Sacrifice Lotus.”

He played a card, and a large thing that looked like a giant, pink lotus flower with humanoid features appeared on Heck’s side of the field, shielding itself in Defense Mode. (0/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ptdn_jp004.jpg


“Thanks…” muttered Heck, sarcastically. “It’s just what ah always wanted…”

“Anyway…” said the Ascender. “Now you get to summon a Monster to my side of the field.”

“All right, fine,” scowled Heck. “Take this one…”

Y-Dragon Head appeared on the Ascender’s side of the field. (1,500/1,600)

“Splendid,” said the Ascender. “Now I can activate my Monster’s effect. By sacrificing your Y-Dragon Head, it can attack you directly.”

The Union Monster vanished in a sparkle of light, and Fatal Abacus glowed. Heck cringed.

“Transistor the Warrior, attack him directly!” shouted the Ascender.

The android flew at Heck, and fired its grappling hook. Heck grunted in pain as his Life Points fell to 2,000.

“I end my turn…” said the Ascender.

“Then ah draw…” said Heck.

He drew a card.

Then he felt like he was on fire. A burning feeling covered his whole body as his Life Points fell to 1,000.

“What happened?” he gasped.

“That would be the Sacrifice Lotus,” said the Ascender. “It has a little drawback… During your Standby Phase, you lose 1,000 Life Points.”

“Does it have any benefit?” asked Heck.

The Ascender chuckled.

“If it’s in your Graveyard,” he replied, “you can Special Summon it during your End Phase. See the genius of putting it on your side of the field? If you get rid of it, it goes to my Graveyard. So you only get its drawback.

“And this is your last move.”

Heck looked at the card he had drawn.

Oh, he couldn’t have been more right… he thought.

“Ah play Mystical Space Typhoon!” he shouted. “Say goodbye to that Gravity Bind!”

He played the card, and the cyclone blew the Trap Card to pieces.

“Now, ah activate a Trap,” he said, as his facedown card lifted. “Roll Out! This lets me Special Summon a Union Monster from my Graveyard, an’ Equip it to a Monster on my field.

“So ah’ll Equip Y-Dragon Head to X-Head Cannon.”

Y-Dragon Head appeared on the field. The Two Machines changed shape, and bonded together in a burst of light and steam. (2,200/1,900)

“All right… Destroy Transistor the Warrior! Pulverizing plasma blast!”

The bonded Machine fired its lasers, blowing the smaller Machine into burning scrap. The Ascender groaned as his Life Points fell to 3,800.

“An’ thanks to your own Fatal Abacus,” said Heck, “you lose an additional 500 Life Points.”

The Ascender cringed as his Life Points went down to 3,300.

“Fool!” he shouted. “You’ve still lost. All I have to do on my turn is end my turn without doing anything, and that Lotus will finish you off!”

Heck smiled, and held up the last card in his hand.

“Ah play the Quickplay Spell Card, Combination Attack!” he shouted, throwing it into his Disk. “This Spell separates my two Monsters, and then lets them both attack again!”

In another burst of steam, X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head flew apart from each other, transforming back to their original shapes. (1,800/1,500), (1,500/1,600)

“Attack him directly!” shouted Heck. “Double de-fission lasers!”

The two Machines blasted their weapons, and the Ascender screamed as his Life Points fell to nothing.

He collapsed.

Heck ran over to Mary Jane.

“You okay, miss?” he asked.

“I… I will be…” she muttered, wiping away tears. “Thank you… I… I thought he was going to rape me…”

“There, there…” said Heck. “Yeah, that thought crossed my mind once or twice…”

“Look!” she shouted, pointing to the Ascender.

They looked, as the demonic cloud floated out of his body. It glared at the two of them angrily, and then dissipated.

“Uhm… miss…” muttered Heck. “Something tells me that his intentions went a great deal further than rape…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Unbeknownst to Yumi and her allies, another duel was going on, below them in the wax museum.

Enrique had come in to find the stairway up blocked by another Ascender who had no intention of letting him past.

But it seemed like he was going to get past whether the guy liked it or not. He was winning the duel, with 4,000 Life Points, and Volcanic Doomfire on his side of the field. His opponent had a clear side, and only 1,000 Life Points.

“Listen you wetback,” shouted the Ascender, “you’re dreaming if you think I’m going to let you win…”

“LET me win?” asked Enrique, almost laughing. “Heh… fine, just move…”

The Ascender angrily drew a card.

“Heh, heh…” he chuckled. “I play Monster Reborn!”

He played the card, and Jinzo appeared on the field in a flash of light. (2,400/1,500)

“Perhaps you’re forgetting,” said Enrique, “my Doomfire already toasted that psycho two turns ago.”

“Not this time…” said the Ascender. “Because I Equip it with the Spell Card, Megamorph.”

He played a card.

“Since I’m losing, this doubles its Attack Points.”

Jinzo shot up to an Attack of 4,800.

“Destroy his Doomfire!” he shouted. “Cyber energy shock!”

Jinzo shot a blast of energy, and Enrique cringed as Volcanic Doomfire exploded and his Life Points fell to 2,200.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled the Ascender.

Then flames erupted around him, and he fell to his knees. His Life Points fell to zero.

“What… what happened?” he shouted.

“I simply removed a Monster from my Graveyard called a Volcanic Counter,” replied Enrique, holding up a card. “Since I did that, you took the same amount of damage as I did. Which means you lose.”

The Ascender’s eyes glazed over, and he fell on his face.

Enrique didn’t wait to see if there were any more guards. He stepped over the fallen Ascender and rushed up the stairs, two at a time.

No thugs can get in the way of a Lobo, he thought. Rasputin is going to see what happens when Latino blood boils…

I’m coming, Yumi…

Sam has recovered, even though her future is uncertain, and clues are being revealed in bits and pieces. But Yumi may have tired herself out too much to put up a fight against Erik, who waits for her in the Clock Tower’s belfry. And even if by some miracle Yumi can defeat him, what chance would the weary duelist stand against Rasputin? Perhaps in this next duel, Yumi simply needs help…



TWILIGHT BLOOM (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Plant
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,900
DEF: 1,400

Flavor Text: A wise forest explorer knows well to avoid a large flower if bones and skulls litter the ground around it. It is a sure sign of the Twilight Bloom, one of the most poisonous plants in existence.



VOLCANIC COUNTER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Pyro/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 3
ATK: 300
DEF: 1,300

Card Description: When you take battle damage, if there is a FIRE Monster in your Graveyard other than “Volcanic Counter”, you may remove this card in your Graveyard from play to inflict direct damage to your opponent equal to the amount of battle damage you took.



SACRIFICE LOTUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Plant/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: If this card is in your Graveyard during your End Phase, and you do not have any Spell or Trap Cards on the field, you can Special Summon this card in Attack Position to your side of the field. When this card is face-up on the field, he controller of this card receives 1,000 points of damage to his/her Life Points during each of his/her Standby Phases.

Note: “Volcanic Counter” and “Sacrifice Lotus” are real cards that will be released in “Phantom Darkness”.



TRANSISOR THE WARRIOR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: If you Tribute one Monster on your side of the field (other than this one) this card may attack your opponent directly during your turn’s Battle Phase.



ILLEGAL SUMMON (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A youth in colorful clothes riding a giant frog. (Unmistakably, this depicts Jiraiya from Naruto.)

Card Description: Once per round, during your Main Phase, select one Level Four or lower Monster from your deck and Special Summon it to your opponent’s side of the field. Your opponent selects the battle position. Then, your opponent selects one Level Four or lower Monster from his/her deck and Special Summons it to your side of the field.

Note: “Transistor the Warrior” and “Illegal Summon” were first used by Mathematica in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Pro Dueling”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



NIGHTMARE SHUFFLE (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: Two skeletal hands shuffling a deck of cards.

Card Description: When this card is in play, neither player may check the contents of your Graveyard except via the means of a card effect you control. Select one card from your Graveyard at random and set it facedown in your Spell/Trap Zone next to this card. During each of your Standby Phases, send the set card to the Graveyard; then, select one card from your Graveyard at random and set it facedown in the same space in your Spell/Trap Zone. If the set card is activated, send “Nightmare Shuffle” to the Graveyard, and if the timing for the activation of the card is incorrect, send all cards in your hand and on your side of the field to the Graveyard.

Note: “Nightmare Shuffle” was first used by Jesse (while possessed by Yubel) in a third-season episode of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Ren: Yumi, look at yourself! You can barely stand up! How can you beat Erik in this state?

Yumi: I don’t know… But I have to find a way… If I can’t beat him, we’re all doomed…

Chelsea: This is not fair… She can barely see straight… She can’t do this alone…

Voice: Enough… Yumi may be in sorry condition, but no-one ever said she would have to go it alone… When we get to the gear housing, I’m taking over.

Ever since you met me Yumi, you’ve never faced a challenge alone…

Coming up next, “David Deck versus Goliath Deck; Battle of Polar Opposites”.

Three down, and one to go… Let’s get Erik out of there…

[Shuppet Master]

(Right now, my computer is being a pain in the keister, shutting down because of overheat, so I apologize if this message cuts off suddenly. :()

Whoever said Sam was using a Normal Monster beatdown / Cu Cuhulaain(sp?) deck was on the money. Since Normal Monsters have gained power due to some cards that came out recently, Normal Beatdown is really interesting, but we should have seen stronger Normal Monsters. A Cosmo Queen would have made this deck impossible to beat. (Which would defeat the purpose of the chapter's outcome, but oh well.)

I didn't like how the false soul was a Celtic warlord(the Awakened looks awesome in its art - I want it!), but I guess if your true heart card is a wicked fiend, a noble warlord would be the polar opposite.

EDIT: I formally apologize to Brian for saying stuff I should have thought about carefully. I forgot that most villians are ballsy enough to make characters do really terrible things to themselves, and woe be to a man who ends up seduced by a villianess! BTW, Brian pointed out that, in Sister of Anansi, Pisaro's plan to destroy Yugi Jr. involved Diane, and he dressed up "Diane" in an immodest outfit, which makes me a hypocrite. I'm sorry. (In fact, I think Brian reported me to the admin and that's why my e-mail address was banned.)

[Mystic_clown]

I don't think anyone saw a normal beatdown deck coming (although pretty much everyone figured it out when Gene Warped Warewolf appeared). I'm kinda dissapointed that other cards such as Ancient Rules, Amulate of Ambition and Lycanthrope didn't appear. Oh well.

While duel wise, it was pretty good, there were some aspects of the chapter that bugged me. As Shuppet said, why was Sam in her underwear? :S Her joke art way through the chapter seemed to come out of nowhere, and how Ha Des said he was responsible for Sam's defeat to Yugi in the finals kinda cheapened Yumi's victory, you know.

I don't know about you guys, but Yumi getting pissed and vowing to send Raz to hell just seemed, well, pointless. Didn't she pretty much state that Rasputin wasn't going to get any mercy when he played Power Wall?

I'm curious about this Ambassador as well? Is it really wise to introduce a villian this close to the end?


Poor Sam. I swear, I'll never put my hero-rivals through that Hell.

Then you may not want to see what I do with Forte. XD


My opinion is that Sam should have been last, so Erik would have heard Sam reject him like Chelsea did Ren. It's your story, but that's just what I think.

Well, we now can see Erik rejecting Sam.

[Dark Sage]

The lingerie-and-cape look was mostly inpired by Emma Frost. (Fans of the X-Men will know who that is.)

As for introducing a villain this late... Actually, this ambassador will fit in with the story nicely. I won't spoil it now. Suffice to say everything will fall into place.

As for Ha Des helping Yumi win the finals? Who's to say his word can be trusted? He's a Fiend, after all. Likely, all that happened was, he chose not to help Sam during that duel, so her deck at that point was lifeless and without power, as opposed to Yumi's, who was full of it.

[Shuppet Master]

Ah, the old "faith in your deck and your cards will obey you" thing. I guess Ha Des, angry at Sam using a Dark World deck, decided to shut off the "faith" in her deck and manipulate Hand of Ha Des to make her lose.

But yeah, fiends do have a notorious rep of being liars. After all, Satan is the Prince of Lies. :)

(Brian, I edited my last message to apologize about my words last time.)

[starjake]

I have a problem with Yumi; specifically, the fact that she is defeating multiple duelists with decks that aren't even hers. Now, normally, this would simply prove how strong a duelist she is (I'm actually enjoying how well her friends are doing with their warped decks, even if they're brainwashed), but with her, it's just yet another way she's amazing. Everyone in the entire Moto line is somehow perfect at this game (I don't ever recall your Yugi Jr. losing, and we all know the original Yugi's near-perfect track record); now they're even wonderful with decks they've never used before. I think it would have added lots of flavor to the story if Yumi had perhaps missed a combo she could have done, or maybe overlooked a card or two in whatever deck she was about to use. Keep in mind that a mistake doesn't have to change the outcome of a duel in order for it to be noticeable.

I can think of one of two beings who could take over for Yumi at this point (note how I did not say 'people'). If it is the first I can think of, I'm slightly worried; if it is the second...it will be interesting to see if she's gotten any better.

[Mystic_clown]

Starjake does have a point. Didn't Yugi (or Yami, I'm not sure which was in control when he said it) say in Duellist Kingdom "How could win with cards that aren't yours."? As we know from the series, Yugi kept the same deck throughout the whole thing, so he most likely believes this. I'd have to look over the Yu-Gi-Oh Jr. series to see if Jr. followed the same pattern.

As for the Muto's perfect track record, remember that Yugi himself was never perfect starjake. At the beginning, he was pretty terrible at the game, the majority of his victories can all be credited to Yami's assistance. I mean, look at his duel with Mai, when Yami wasn't helping him, he was terrible. It was only with the last few duels that he played that he started pulling in wins.

As for Yu-Gi-Oh Jr. well, remember that DS wrote that before the whole series came out, so pretty much from all we knew, Yugi did seem invincible. And after all, it was his first fics, so he gets a little leniency.

But as I said, starjake does have a point. Yumi should at least have some difficulty using decks from other people. She is only human after all, like everyone else.

[Shuppet Master]

Didn't Yugi (or Yami, I'm not sure which was in control when he said it) say in Duellist Kingdom "How could win with cards that aren't yours."?

It was Yami in control, Yugi didn't know about him yet. When Mokuba was losing, he was doing terrible plays, sending out weaklings like Krokodilus(my god, what sort of cards did those makers hope would work back then - I mean, in real-life during that time, nobody used Krokodilus, it was all La Jinn and Summoned Skull) to get torched by a Winged Dragon with 1400 attack. Back then, if I were Yami, I'd pack stuff like La Jinn, but then again, cards like that weren't common in the anime.

Mokuba had stolen that deck, so it made sense he was losing. The cards were not happy to be used by someone else without warning. However, Yumi's duels were with her friends' decks, and she knew them by heart, having seen them in action and dueled a couple of them many times.

[Dark Sage]

I seem to recall that in Yugi's duel against Noah, he was using a deck which was a combination of his own and Kaiba's. Despite this, and despite the fact that he was under several handicaps (starting with far less Life Points than Noah, starting with no cards in his hand, and a Deckmaster that was almost worthless) he still won. Using cards that belonged to an ally - as shaky the alliance was - didn't impair him.

[starjake]

You raise a valid point. However, that was one time, and he was still using many of his normal cards. Yumi, on the other hand, is repeatedly using entire decks - decks that were entirely created by someone else - flawlessly. I'm not saying that characters can't ever use other people's decks without disastrous consequences, but the occasional mistake would be nice. It might make them seem more...I dunno, human, maybe?

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE



David Deck versus Goliath Deck



Battle of Polar Opposites



The air over Duelatopia was definitely not right now… People could feel it.

Strange clouds of fog hung in the air, leaving an odd feeling that stuck to the skin and wouldn’t come off. It was like poison ivy, only it didn’t truly itch.

Kenta could feel it quite plainly. He was on his way back to his hotel, thinking that it might be safe there.

He was wrong.

“What’s going on here?” he thought, as he opened the front doors. “Is this one of those strange tropical weather patterns?”

He looked in the hotel lobby and stopped short.

Eleven duelists were lying on the floor, unconscious.

And even more shocking, their wrists and ankles were bound by glowing green chains.

Kenta looked up, and saw a duelist securing one of them with the strange bindings.

“Hey!” he shouted.

The duelist stood up and looked at him. He was wearing the same prison grays as the others, and his eyes were glowing red.

“What a coincidence…” said the duelist, or whatever was controlling him. “I just had a group of captives ready for transport… And now I get to make it an even dozen…”

“Transport?” said Kenta, shocked. “To where?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” said the creature. “Are you going to give yourself up, or do I have to subdue you in a Game of Shadows?”

He raised his Disk, and the doors to the hotel slammed shut.

Kenta gulped. He placed his deck in his Disk and it activated.

“Why do they always want to do it the hard way?” said the creature with a sigh.



* * * * * * * * * *


Ren was the first one through the door at the top of the stairs.

“Whoa…” he said, stepping out. “Surreal…”

His allies followed him, and saw what he meant. They were in a huge chamber full of giant gears and cogs; the innards of the clock itself. Each of the four walls was the back side of one of the immense clock faces, and above them was the huge set of bells that rang every hour. The gears turned in perfect synchrony, moving the giant timepiece.

Yumi took some deep, gasping breaths.

“Yumi…” said Sam. “You can’t go through with this… You’re too tired… Look, maybe I can duel him…”

“Afraid that’s impossible,” said a voice.

They all turned, and saw Erik standing in the center of the chamber. Again, he was pale, and cold-looking.

“I’m afraid dueling anyone before I dueled Yumi would be a colossal waste of time,” he said. “She’s the only one with anything useful to wager…”

He slowly lifted the Talisman of the Mind that was around his neck.

“So what about it, Yumi?” he said. “Care for the same wager? My Talisman against your Crown.”

“Erik, baby, please!” shouted Sam. “It’s me! It’s me, lover! Don’t you remember who I am?”

“No,” he said offhand. “You look like some whore to me.”

Sam burned with fury. She was going to kill that ambassador for making her dress like this…

“Erik baby, wake up!” she pleaded. “I’m begging you!”

“I’m here to duel Yumi, and nothing else,” replied Erik. “But if you want to duel me once I kill her, maybe I’ll consider it.”

Yumi looked at Erik with a tired look. Then she stepped forward, stumbling as she did.

She took Erik’s deck out of the holster, and placed it in her Disk.

Erik grinned.

“You’re tired, aren’t you?” he said with a chuckle. “I’m willing to bet you could barely beat a beginner right now. Why don’t you just concede and spare yourself the embarrassment?”

“I can’t…” muttered Yumi, weakly.

“Then prepare to lose with dishonor,” said Erik.



* * * * * * * * * *


“YUMI!” said the Pharaoh’s voice.

Yumi was inside her head, and the Pharaoh was standing behind her.

“Yumi…” he said. “If Erik’s deck is as strong as what we’ve seen so far, your chances of beating him in this state are abysmal.

“And another Shadow Game may be too much for your system… You could die if you try to duel him!”

“What do I do?” groaned Yumi. “If I don’t beat him, Rasputin wins… Erik will be lost… And he’ll get us too…”

There was a long pause.

“Yumi…” said the Pharaoh. “Let me take over.”

“Huh?” asked Yumi.

“Just close your eyes, and sleep,” said the Pharaoh. “I’ll duel Erik.”

Yumi looked at him.

“Okay…” she muttered.

She closed her eyes.



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi’s Puzzle glowed brighter than ever, and her features turned even sharper than they usually did…

“Let’s duel, Erik,” she said, in a voice that was deeper and huskier than it normally was.

“What?” asked Erik. “How did you get your second wind?”

“Yumi is resting,” said the Pharaoh. “I’m dueling in her place.

“But don’t worry… The stakes still stand. If you win, you still get the Crown.”

Erik paused. He tilted his head slightly.

He heard Rasputin’s voice from the microphone in his ear.

“This is very odd, Erik,” said Rasputin. “I did kind of have the feeling that the Mouto family had a spiritual guide of some sort.

“But duel her… him, whatever… anyway… It’s perfectly legitimate to win the Shadow Charms by assigning a proxy to fight for you, so it makes no difference.

“This may be even better, actually… Once we win, we can get them both.”

“Fine, whoever you are,” said Erik.

The Disks activated.

“So what are you?” he chuckled. “Yumi’s imaginary friend? Someone she dreamed up when she was four?”

“I’m something far more than that,” replied the Pharaoh. “Get ready… It’s time to duel!”



(Pharaoh: 8,000) -------------------- (Erik: 8,000)


Sleep peacefully, Yumi, thought the Pharaoh, making his first draw. I swear that when you wake up, you won’t be under Rasputin’s control…

“I throw one card facedown, and then summon Toy Wind-Up,” he said.

He played two cards, and a facedown card appeared, followed by the bulky tin soldier, carrying his blunderbuss. (1,000/700)

“And that’s enough to start…”

Erik laughed as he made his first draw.

“You think you can impress me by using my old cards?” he asked. “Now I use Monsters that have the right to be called Monsters…

“I play… Heavy Storm!”

He played the card, and a furious wind tore through the gear housing. The Pharaoh’s facedown Mirror Force was blown apart.

“Aw, no…” muttered Chelsea. “Now Toy Wind-Up is a sitting duck…”

“Now that it’s gone…” said Erik, taking a card. “I summon… Cyber Dragon!”

There was a rumble, and a huge creature burst out of the floor, resembling a huge, limbless, mechanical serpent. It was indeed a Cyber Dragon, one of the most dreaded Machines in the game. (2,100/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en015.jpg


“NO!” screamed Sam. “Erik, baby, please wake up! You don’t know what you’re doing!”

“What?” asked Chelsea.

Sam started to sob.

“He’s always hated Cyber Dragons…” she cried. “He called them insults to true Dragons and cards used by duelists who wanted easy ways to win…”

“I’ve changed,” said Erik. “I’ve grown up. And it’s like my mother is fond of saying, there’s only one major difference between boys and men…

“…the price of their toys.

“And I’m not done…”

He played another card.

“Since that was a Special Summon, I’ll Normal Summon Proto Cyber Dragon.”

He played another card, and a much smaller, much cruder version of the true Cyber Dragon appeared next to the first one. (1,100/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp04-en004_unlim.jpg


“All right!” shouted Erik. “Proto Cyber Dragon, annihilate the Toy Wind-Up!”

The smaller Machine fired a blast of concentrated light from its mouth, and Toy Wind-Up exploded into shards.

“Cyber Dragon… Attack… Well, attack whoever she is directly! Strident blast!”

Cyber Dragon breathed a blast of white-hot flames, striking Yumi’s body squarely…



(P: 5,800) -------------------- (E: 8,000)


When the smoke cleared, the Pharaoh was looking at him sternly, the attack not seeming to have hurt him at all.

“What are you made of?” asked Erik.

“Stronger stuff than that Dragon is,” he replied. “Is that your turn?”

“Go ahead,” he said, “but I have more where that came from.”

The Pharaoh drew a card, and looked at it.

“I play another card facedown,” he said, “and then summon Toy Soldier.”

A facedown card appeared, and Toy Soldier appeared in a burst of energy. (800/300)

“That’s all for now…”

Erik chuckled as he drew a card.

“Know what?” he said. “I think you’re bluffing… And I’m gonna finish you off…

“I play Limiter Removal!”

He played a Spell Card, and both Machines glowed with fiery energy. Proto Cyber Dragon grew to an Attack of 2,200, while the normal Cyber Dragon grew to 4,200.

“No…” gasped Chelsea.

“It’d better not be a bluff…”

“Proto Cyber Dragon…” ordered Erik, “attack…”

“GO! Zero Gravity!” shouted the Pharaoh, as his Trap Card lifted up.

Toy Soldier crouched in Defense Mode. Then both Cyber Dragon and Proto Cyber Dragon curled up in Defense Mode.

“Ooh, you think you’re so smart…” muttered Erik. “Fine… I play a facedown…”

He fit a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“I end my turn… And that means my Limiter Removal destroys my Monsters…”

The two Machines exploded into shards.

“I draw one card,” said the Pharaoh, drawing.

“And my Trap activates,” said Erik, as his facedown card flipped up. “Call of the Haunted. Guess who’s back…”

Cyber Dragon appeared in a flash of light. (2,100/1,600)

“Toy Soldier’s effect also activates,” said the Pharaoh, taking his deck. “That means two more come out.”

Two more Toy Soldiers materialized. (800/300 x2)

“Now… I play Crowning of the Emperor.”

The Toy Soldier in Defense Mode glowed. He vanished, and Toy Emperor galloped onto the field. (2,300/800)

The Pharaoh took another card from his hand.

“Next, I play this… Fife and Drum Corp…”

He played the card, and the parade of Toy Soldiers marched onto the field, playing their flutes and drums. The two smaller Toy Soldiers glowed, and rose to Attack Scores of 1,600 apiece.

“Time to take control of this duel!” shouted the Pharaoh. “Toy Emperor, demolish the Cyber Dragon with imperial charge!”

Toy Emperor urged his mount at the much larger Monster, and with one swipe of his saber, the metal serpent exploded.

“Don’t forget his effect,” said the Pharaoh, taking his deck. “I get to search for a Trap Card now.”

He chose a card, and added it to his hand.

“Toy Soldiers… Attack him directly!”

Erik hollered as the two Soldiers fired their muskets and the shells stabbed into him.



(P: 5,800) -------------------- (E: 4,600)


“Please!” begged Sam. “Please be easy on him…”

“Hey, he started it,” said Ren.

“I throw a card facedown, and end my turn,” said the Pharaoh, as a facedown card appeared.

He took a deep breath.

This is taxing, he thought. Controlling Yumi’s body alone is more tiring than I thought it would be. I forgot what it was like to be mortal… It hasn’t been like this since…

…since…

He shuddered. He started to sweat.

…since Yugi was taken prisoner by the Seal of Orichalcos…

And using Erik’s deck isn’t the easiest thing in the world. These cards really aren’t my style. I like to think I can use any cards… But whether I can succeed with a deck like this…

Well, I’ll just have to hope…

“My move!” shouted Erik, drawing a card.

He looked at the card he had drawn.

“I play… Pot of Greed.”

He played the card, and made two draws.

“Heh, heh…” he said. “First I throw a card facedown…”

He fit the card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Next, I play Mystical Space Typhoon. And the card I’m going to destroy is the one I just set facedown.”

He played the card, and his facedown Trap Card lifted up and shattered.

“What in blazes?” asked Ren.

“Why did he just destroy his own Trap Card, you may ask?” asked Erik. “Was it Dark Coffin? No… Was it Statue of the Wicked? No…

“What it was is a special Trap called Drowsing Point, and when it’s destroyed, I get to search my deck for any Monster I desire.”

He took a card from his deck and then reshuffled.

“And now I’m going to use it,” he said. “I play Polymerization, to fuse together the two Cyber Dragons in my hand, to form Cyber Twin Dragon!”

He played the card, and two Cyber Dragons appeared on the field. They melted into a swirl of light…

A huge creature rose up above Erik… A much bigger mechanical serpent, with two vicious heads. (2,800/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en0351.jpg


“Erik, please wake up…” sobbed Sam, sadly.

The Pharaoh tensed…

“It has two heads, and each one has its own attack,” said Erik. “Here comes the first… Attack the Toy Emperor!”

The left head breathed a stream of flames at the diminutive monarch…

“Activate Draining Shield!” shouted the Pharaoh.

His Trap Card lifted, and the flames plowed into an invisible shield. Energy flowed into him.

“Big deal,” said Erik. “It gets to attack twice, remember?”

The right head breathed a second stream of flames, and Toy Emperor exploded.

“Your move…” said Erik.



(P: 8,100) -------------------- (E: 4,600)


The Pharaoh drew a card.

“I play my own Pot of Greed, Erik,” he said.

He played the card, and drew two cards.

He frowned as he looked at them.

He played a card, and a facedown Monster appeared. Then both Toy Soldiers knelt in Defense Mode.

“That’s all I can do…” he said.

The door behind them opened.

Ren and Chelsea spun around.

“Who’s there?” demanded Ren.

“Don’t shoot!” shouted a familiar voice.

Everyone was shocked.

“Enrique?” said Chelsea.

“Si,” said the young man. “I found out that Yumi was trapped in here, so I fought my way in. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Then he saw the huge Cyber Twin Dragon and stepped back.

“Madre los Dios…” he said. “Never mind…”

“If you want to help, say a good prayer for us,” said Ren.

“Quiet,” said Erik, drawing a card. “I’ll deal with all of you, once I deal with this guy…”

He looked at the card.

“I summon Cyber Phoenix.”

He played the card, and a new Machine appeared in a burst of flame. It was a big, metal bird with four large wings. (1,200/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp04-en006_unlim.jpg


“Guess what, pal?” he said. “So long as my Phoenix is in Attack Mode, Spells and Traps don’t work on my Machines.

“But enough about that… Cyber Phoenix, toast his Toy Soldier!”

Cyber Phoenix blasted a flamethrower from its beak, burning one of the Toy Soldiers to a crisp.

“And then there’s my Cyber Twin Dragon!”

The huge Machine blasted its first attack, eradicating the other Toy Soldier.

Then it fired its second attack at the facedown Monster. Giant Rat appeared on the card, and was blown to particles.

“I use Giant Rat’s effect!” shouted the Pharaoh. “I summon Toy Wind-Up!”

In a burst of energy, another Toy Wind-Up appeared. (1,000/700)

“As if that worried me,” said Erik. “Make your move.”

“This had better be the best draw ever…” said Ren, as the Pharaoh made a draw.

The Pharaoh looked at the four cards in his hand. One of them was a Monster that could stand up to Cyber Twin…

What am I going to do? he thought. This Monster is too powerful to summon without a sacrifice… I’d need a special card or…

He paused. He looked at a Spell Card in his hand.

Of course… he thought. Yumi and I saw Erik do this same trick in his duel with Rasputin…

Let me think…

He played the card.

“I play Dark Designator,” he said, playing a Spell Card. “And the Monster I name is… Proto Cyber Dragon.”

Erik looked him in the eye.

“Okay, I have another one…” he said, taking the card from his deck.

“Good…” said the Pharaoh. “Now I can summon… Puppet King!”

In an explosion of energy, the mighty Puppet King appeared, glaring at the huge Machine. (2,800/2,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le09-jp003.jpg


“Puppet King…” ordered the Pharaoh, “attack Cyber Twin Dragon with Judy punch!”

Puppet King leapt at the two-headed Machine, fist-first. Cyber Twin Dragon roared, and lunged to meet the strike…

Both duelists reeled from the huge explosion that resulted from the impact, blowing both Monsters to pieces.

“Caramba!” shouted Enrique. “It was a draw!”

“And I’m not done!” exclaimed the Pharaoh. “I play… Rush Recklessly!”

He played the card, and Toy Wind-Up rose to an Attack of 1,700.

“Attack Cyber Phoenix with blunderbuss blast!”

Toy Wind-Up fired his gun, and the Phoenix exploded in a conflagration of smoke and flame.

“Grrr…” growled Erik. “When Cyber Phoenix is defeated, I get to draw one card…”

He made one draw.

“And I get to summon my third Wind-Up,” said the Pharaoh.

Yet another Wind-Up appeared. (1,000/700)

“Attack him directly!”

The toy fired its blunderbuss, and Erik fell over, wincing in pain.



(P: 8,100) -------------------- (E: 3,100)


“Your move…” he muttered.

Erik drew a card,

“Okay, who or whatever you are,” he said. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this…

“But I play Lightning Vortex.”

He played a Spell Card, and discarded Proto Cyber Dragon. Thunder clapped, and lightning struck the two Wind-Ups, blowing them to pieces.

“No…” muttered Sam.

“Now…” said Erik, taking the last card in his hand, “I’ll play Card of Sanctity, and we’ll see whose luck is better.”

He played the card. He drew six cards, and the Pharaoh drew five.

“I summon Cyber Soldier of Darkworld,” he said.

He played the card, and a robot appeared in front of him. It was an android of the type commonly found in science fiction movies, with armor, mechanical limbs, and wires all over. (1,400/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tp1-028.jpg


“Now, I’ll play my own Rush Recklessly…”

He played the card, and the Cyber Soldier’s Attack Score went up to 2,100.

“Attack her… him… them… Ho boy, this is a pronoun nightmare. Just attack directly! Cosmic cannon!”

Cyber Soldier of Darkworld pointed at its foe and fired a bolt of burning energy. The Pharaoh closed his eyes and sweat started to form.



(P: 6,000) -------------------- (E: 3,100)


“And that’s all,” said Erik.

The Pharaoh drew a card.

He played one of the cards in his hand, and Graceful Charity appeared on the field. The lovely angel appeared, looking sad again.

He drew three cards, and then looked at the cards in his hand. He thought for a minute, and then discarded Gulliver Chain and Toy Cannon.

“I summon Toy Magician,” he said.

In a burst of light, the toy Spellcaster appeared, holding his scepter. (1,600/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/vjc_jp016a.jpg


“Destroy Cyber Soldier of Darkworld!” he ordered.

Toy Magician fired his sparkle blast at the android. Sparks flew from its armor, and then it exploded.

“I set a facedown card, and end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared behind Toy Magician.



(P: 6,000) -------------------- (E: 2,900)


The Pharaoh looked at his hand, and saw Toy Dragon clearly there.

It’s Erik’s true soul… he thought. I’ve never been more sure… Now I simply have to force him to bring out the false soul, and hope I can use this to beat it…

But if it’s what I think it is… That might be very, very hard.

Because it’s likely something that can match Obelisk in terms of raw power…

Erik drew a card.

He chuckled.

“Okay, buddy,” he said. “Time to bring this duel to the endpoint…”

He turned a Spell Card in his hand around.

“Power Bond?” gasped Chelsea.

“Erik, no!” shouted Sam. “Please!”

“Shut up!” said Erik. “I know what I’m doing… I’m going to use this to bring out my strongest Monster…

“The only problem is, my three Cyber Dragons are in my Graveyard… But no matter…

“I have another Spell Card…

“I play Cybernetic Fusion Support!”

He played both Spell Cards at once.

“Now, by removing those Cyber Dragons from play, and paying half my Life Points, I can use Power Bond to Fusion Summon the ultimate beast…”

A dark shadow loomed behind him…

“Behold the Cyber End Dragon!”

With a roar that was composed of three voices, Zane Truesdale’s signature Monster loomed over the field, glaring at the spirit in Yumi’s body with six fiery optic sensors… (4,000/2,800) –> (8,000/2,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en036.jpg


No… thought the Pharaoh.

“It’s been swell…” said Erik, with an evil glint in his eye. “But now…

“Cyber End Dragon… Attack Toy Magician with super strident blaze!”

Flames appeared in the Machine’s three mouths…

Heaven forgive me… thought the Pharaoh.

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate Gravity Bind!” he screamed.

Cyber End Dragon groaned, and bowed its head. The Pharaoh bowed his head too.

“I’m so sorry, Erik…” he said. “But it can’t attack now…

“And once you end your turn, the side effect of Power Bond will activate, and you’ll lose…”

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh,” chuckled Erik.

“What?” said the Pharaoh.

“Not quite,” replied Erik. “I saw that facedown card of yours perfectly clearly, and I wasn’t dumb enough to use Power Bond unprepared.”

He played another card.

“I summon Cyber Kirin.”

A very small Machine appeared on the field. It looked like a small, metal dog with the same silvery armor as a Cyber Dragon. (300/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp04_en005.jpg


“Now, by sacrificing it,” he continued, “the damage Power Bond would have done to me is reduced to zero.”

Cyber Kirin vanished.

“I’m still in this duel, Yumi, and my Cyber End Dragon is still here… And it still has 8,000 Attack Points…

“And I know that deck you’re using… Its ways of destroying a Monster this powerful are very limited.

“I end my turn.”



(P: 6,000) -------------------- (E: 1,450)


The Pharaoh looked at his hand.

The false soul has appeared, he thought. And if I want to save Erik, the true soul has to defeat it…

He paused.

Impossible… There’s no way to make Toy Dragon that strong…

He looked at the card on top of Erik’s deck…

He paused. He drew the card.

He quickly placed it in his Disk. A facedown card appeared.

“What the Hell?” shouted Sam. “Yumi didn’t even look at that card!”

“Eh… Can she do that?” asked Enrique. “How’d she even know it wasn’t a Monster?”

“Well, since the Disk didn’t register an illegal move, I guess it isn’t,” said Chelsea. “But even so…”

The Pharaoh took another card from his hand.

“I summon Blockman,” he said.

A strange Monster materialized next to Toy Magician. It looked like a man made entirely out of Legos. (1,000/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dpk_ense1.jpg


“Heh, heh,” chuckled Ren. “Lego my Ego.”

“Ren, this isn’t the time for jokes…” said Chelsea, rolling her eyes.

“Go ahead, Erik,” said Yumi.

Erik drew a card.

“You’re up to something…” he muttered.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



He played a Spell Card.

“I play Burial From a Different Dimension. Now my three Cyber Dragons go back to my Graveyard, so we may get to them again later.”

He slipped three cards into his discard slot.

“I place two cards facedown, and end my turn.”

Two facedown cards appeared behind Cyber End in flashes of light.

“My move!” shouted the Pharaoh, drawing a card.

“Since this is my second turn that it has been on the field, I can sacrifice Blockman to summon two Block Tokens.”

Blockman vanished, and then two tokens that looked just like it appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,000/1,500 x2)

“Now, I activate Emergency Provisions,” he said, playing a card. “I’ll dispose of Gravity Bind.”

Gravity Bind disintegrated.

“WHAT?” shouted Erik.

“Is she crazy?” shouted Enrique.

“Now I activate my Trap Card…” continued the Pharaoh.

“Curse of Anubis!”

The facedown card he had set the last round lifted up, and the ghostly jackal appeared over the field. It howled, and both Toy Magician and Cyber End Dragon cowered in Defense Mode. The Defense Scores of all the Monsters on the field fell to zero.

“Now…” said the Pharaoh, “I sacrifice my two Block Tokens to summon Toy Dragon!”

The two tokens vanished, and the huge, blocky Dragon appeared. (2,300/2,000) –> (2,700/2,000)

Erik gasped.

“Toy Dragon…” ordered the Pharaoh, “attack Cyber End Dragon with shooting star shower!”

Erik screamed as a barrage of glowing motes plowed into the huge Machine, and explosions erupted all over its armor. He fell to the floor as the giant beast exploded into scrap.

“No… way…” said Sam. “How did Yumi know that the card she had drawn was Curse of Anubis?”

The Pharaoh smiled.

Because Erik’s deck was calling out to me, he thought. It told me what it was.

Erik bowed his head.

There was a long silence.

“Erik!” screamed Rasputin’s voice in his ear. “I will not accept this! I will not accept failure again! You will not let Yumi get that Talisman!

“Now draw your card and continue this duel! That’s an order!”

Erik slowly got up. He lifted his head. Incredible anger was in his eyes.

“Why not?” he said, drawing a card. “On with the duel!”

He looked at it.

“I play Card of Demise!”

He played the card. Five candles lit up in front of him, and he quickly drew five cards.

“All right… I activate Premature Burial.”

One of his facedown cards lifted.

“Now… which Monster should I bring back? Hmm…”

In an explosion of energy, Cyber End Dragon appeared again. (4,000/2,800)

The Pharaoh bowed his head…

It’s over… he thought.

“Yes!” shouted Rasputin’s voice. “Murder that accursed Toy Dragon!”

“Now I activate this,” he said, as his other facedown card lifted. “The Spell Card, Cyber Seller.

“Now, I can sacrifice one Machine on my side of the field with the word ‘Cyber’ in its name. So I’m trading in this big scrap heap.”

Cyber Dragon End Dragon vanished into grains of light.

“Next, I take its Level – that’s ten. Then I can either gain 300 Life Points for each Level, or draw one card for every four.

“I choose the Life Points.”

He glowed with energy.



(P: 7,000) -------------------- (E: 3,650)


“ERIK, you big idiot!” screamed Rasputin’s voice. “Why the Hell did you do something so stupid? Are you trying to…”

Erik didn’t hear the rest. He took the device out of his ear.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “the number you have reached is no longer in service. Please make sure you have dialed correctly.

“On second thought, get bent.”

He dropped the device on the floor and then crushed it with his foot.

“I’m far from done, Yumi,” he said. “I play another Spell Card…

“It’s called Cemetery Change. I pay 1,000 Life Points, and first, every Monster on the field is destroyed.”

The Pharaoh covered his head as a great flame burst over the entire arena, and Toy Dragon and Toy Magician were blown into shards.

“Then,” continued Erik, “we swap the cards in our Graveyards. So come here!”

“Huh?” said the Pharaoh.

“You heard me!” he replied, walking forward.

That card… thought Sam. It was in my deck too… It was the last card I drew before Ha Des told me to attack…

Why did Rasputin give us these Spell Cards?

The change was made, and Erik walked back to his position.

“Continuing…” he said. “I play Infernal Transaction!”

He played another Spell Card.

“Now I get a Spell Card from my Graveyard…”

Pot of Greed slipped out of his discard slot.

“…and in return, you get to summon a Monster from yours. But it has to have at least 2,000 Attack Points.”

The Pharaoh stared at him.

“Hold on…” he said. “I have to Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard, and it has to have at least 2,000 Attack Points?”

“Yes!” shouted Erik. “So do it already!”

“Fine…” said the Pharaoh, “but just remember, you brought this on yourself…”

In a burst of energy, Cyber End Dragon appeared on his side of the field, and roared. (4,000/2,800)

“Heh…”said Erik. “Good… I was kinda hoping you’d choose that one…

“I throw two cards facedown, and end my turn…”

Two facedown cards appeared in front of him.



(P: 7,000) -------------------- (E: 2,650)


What is he up to? thought the Pharaoh, drawing a card.

“Cyber End Dragon… Attack Erik directly with super strident blaze!”

Cyber End’s three heads breathed triple blasts of flame at Erik…

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Erik. “Magic Cylinder!”

The Pharaoh shielded himself and staggered backwards as the flames were shot right back at him.

He fell on one knee, and gasped for breath.



(P: 3,000) -------------------- (E: 2,650)


“While you’re picking yourself up…” said Erik.

His other facedown card lifted up.

“I activate… Exchange of the Spirits. Since I have at least fifteen cards in my Graveyard, I can pay 1,000 Life Points, and we both switch the cards in our decks with those in our Graveyards.”

The Pharaoh chuckled as he got up.

“I get it, Erik,” he said, making the change. “You want to finish this duel with your own cards, right?

“Well, it’s your move… Go right ahead…”



(P: 3,000) -------------------- (E: 1,650)


Erik drew a card. The first candle in front of him went out.

“I play… Pot of Greed!” he shouted.

He played the card, and drew twice more.

He threw three of his cards into his Disk, and three facedown cards appeared.

“That’s all…”

“Draw…” said the Pharaoh.

He looked at the card.

“Cyber End Dragon, attack…”

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Erik. “Toy Cannon!”

The cannon appeared in front of him, and the team of Toy Soldiers loaded it…

It fired, and Cyber End Dragon fell into Defense Mode. The Pharaoh cringed.

“Next, Gulliver Chain!”

His second facedown card lifted, and the chains burst out of the floor, binding Cyber End Dragon.

“Finally… Zero Gravity!”

His last facedown card lifted. Cyber End Dragon roared loudly as it tried to move into Attack Mode. It pulled against the chains, until finally, it exploded into scrap, and the chains fell to the ground with a clatter.



(P: 2,600) -------------------- (E: 1,650)


The Pharaoh looked at Erik for a few seconds.

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

“Your move…” he said.

Erik sighed, and drew a card.

He looked at it.

“Look,” he said. “I’m not sure who you are exactly… But whoever you are, thanks for what you did…

“I know that the wager I made with Yumi still stands, so I can’t win this duel… But destroying that thing… Well, it was just something I had to do.

“So here…”

He played the card, and a Toy Soldier appeared. (800/300)

“Finish it…”

“I will…” said the Pharaoh, drawing a card.

“I sacrifice my facedown Monster to summon Cyber Dragon.”

The facedown Monster disintegrated, and Cyber Dragon appeared for the last time. (2,100/1,600)

“Now… I play Limiter Removal…”

He played the card, and Cyber Dragon rose to an Attack of 4,200.

“Cyber Dragon… Attack the Toy Soldier…”

The Machine fired one final strident blast, and Toy Soldier was atomized.



(P: 2,600) -------------------- (E: 0)


The Pharaoh paused. The Talisman of the Mind appeared around his – their neck.

And then he collapsed.

Yumi’s spirit had been asleep since the duel had started. Now her body was as well.



* * * * * * * * * *


In his hiding place, Rasputin crossed his arms.

“I did NOT approve of putting Cemetery Change, Infernal Transaction, or Exchange of the Spirits in his deck,” he said. “Where did they come from?”

“Clearly,” said a voice from the shadows, “the traitor in your organization is more powerful than you thought at first.

“But don’t despair yet…

“Your plan may have failed, but Yumi is now in no condition to face you… If you strike now, you may be able to regain the advantage.

“You know the other ways that thrall powder can be delivered… It works if placed on a helpless victim…

“Yumi is now clearly helpless, yes? Now’s your chance…”

Rasputin sighed.

“So now I become a vulture…” he sneered. “A looming scavenger who circles above his weakened prey until she drops from exhaustion. This is going to far…”

He crossed his arms in a sulk.

“Fine… I’ll try, but I’ll have to clear out her allies first…”

“Easily done,” said the voice. “The Rod’s shadow magic is still working. Your protégés can defeat them.

“And if they can’t…

“Maybe I’ll do it myself…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Everyone in the room had seen sleep before, but not like this.

Yumi was lying prone, and hovering a foot off the ground, glowing with a golden light.

“What’s happening to her?” asked Ren.

Anastasia appeared next to Yumi in a soft aura of light.

“It’s a collective power of the seven Charms she has,” she replied. “She’s healing herself.

“I’m afraid we can’t move her, which puts us at a quandary. Rasputin might come for the final assault at any time.”

“Don’t worry…” said Chelsea.

Simultaneously, four Disks activated. Enrique stood up and activated his as well.

“Anyone who wants to get to Yumi is going to have to get through us…

“We owe her that much…”



* * * * * * * * * *


In the lobby of the hotel, Kenta seemed to have the advantage. He had Exodia Necross on his side of the field. (2,800/0) and 3,500 Life Points remaining, while his opponent had a facedown Monster, the Continuous Trap Card Backfire, and 1,600 Life Points remaining.

“I draw one card,” said Kenta, making a draw. “And before Necross makes its move, it gains another 500 Attack Points…”

Necross grew to an Attack Score of 3,300.

“Now attack his facedown Monster!”

Necross lunged with its mighty fist. Battle Footballer appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.

“Forget about my Backfire?” asked the possessed Ascender. “Since you just destroyed a Fire Monster, you lose another 500 Life Points.”

Kenta groaned as a fiery aura surrounded him, and his Life Points fell to 3,000.

“We’ll see who laughs last,” said Kenta. “It’s your move.”

A facedown card appeared.

The Ascender drew a card.

He chuckled wickedly.

“I just drew my best Monster!” he laughed. “And it’s gonna take out your overrated behemoth.

“But in order to summon it, I have to remove one Fire and two Water Monsters from play. So I’ll get rid of my Battle Footballer and my two Sea Serpent Warriors of Darkness.”

Three cards fell out of his discard slot.

“Now you’ll see the method to my deck’s madness… I summon… Frost and Flame Dragon!”

A blast of ice and a plume of fire shot up on his side of the field, forming into a huge two-headed serpent, one head made of ice, the other burning with flames. (2,300/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/taev_en0331.jpg


“Now, I just have to toss one card, to activate its effect…”

He threw a card into his discard slot, and Frost and Flame Dragon shot blasts of intense cold and fire at the huge Spellcaster.

“You know what happens when something gets very hot, and then gets very cold an instant later?” asked the Ascender.

Exodia Necross shattered into shards of rock.

“Now you know…” chuckled the Ascender. “And I still have his normal attack to use on you… Frost and Flame, attack the mortal directly!”

The Dragon breathed its twin blasts again, and Kenta screamed.

He bent over clutching his chest, as his Life Points fell to 700.

I’ve taken several direct attacks in this game… he thought. I’ve been burned… I’ve been frozen… But NEVER both at once…

“I’ll play a facedown, and end my turn,” said the Ascender.

A facedown card appeared, next to Backfire.

Kenta drew a card.

“Well, what do you know?” he said.

“I play, Recurring Nightmare!” he said, playing a Spell Card. “Now, I can recover two Dark Monsters from my Graveyard, so long as their Defense Scores are no higher than zero.”

Two cards slipped out of his discard slot.

“Now, I’ll play another Contract With Exodia to summon one of them. Exodia Necross… Welcome back!”

The room grew dark, and a pentagram formed on the floor. Exodia Necross rose up again. (1,800/0)

“Ha!” laughed the Ascender. “It’s too weak to beat my Dragon, and on my turn, I’ll destroy it again!”

“He’s not going to attack your Dragon,” said Kenta. “My other Monster will be the one doing that. I summon Mist Archfiend!”

He played another card, and a smoky mist erupted on his side of the field. A Fiend with a black and red exoskeleton, horns, black wings, and a mass of smoke in place of legs appeared out of the mist. (2,400/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb_en064.jpg


“Mist Archfiend… Attack Frost and Flame Dragon with death fog!”

Mist Archfiend pointed its arm forward, and a stream of mist shot towards the two-headed Dragon. It screamed as the deadly mist literally melted the flesh off its bones. The remains shattered.

“Necross… Attack him directly!”

Necross lunged towards the Ascender.

“Surprise,” said the Ascender. “Facedown card, activate…”

His facedown card lifted.

“Emergency Provisions. I’ll send Backfire to the Graveyard, and gain 1,000 Life Points before your attack hits…”

The Trap Card disintegrated, just before Necross walloped him.

The Ascender got up, chuckling, as his Life Points fell to 700.

“Nice try, mortal…” he said with a sinister grin. “But you failed to finish me… And since you Normal Summoned Mist Archfiend without a sacrifice, you must pay the price… When you end your turn, it will self-destruct, and you lose 1,000 Life Points… Which is more than you have left…”

Kenta glared at him.

He placed a card in his Disk, and it appeared on the field.

“Not if I beat you this turn,” he said, as it appeared. “I play Ectoplasmer. Now I can sacrifice a Monster, and blast you for damage equal to half of that Monster’s Attack Points.”

Mist Archfiend slumped over, and a hideous-looking ghost made of mist flew out of its body. It flew at the Ascender with a roar, and swiped at him with a misty claw. The Ascender groaned as his Life Points fell to zero.

“Clever…” groaned the Ascender. “I didn’t expect that… I guess that means you win…

“But you won’t win the war… There are more of us… This island will be ours once…”

Then he collapsed.

Kenta watched, as a smoky, fiendish creature flew out of his body. It glared at him with angry eyes, and then vanished.

The chains holding the captives crumbled into sand, and they started to wake up.

Gotta find a phone… thought Kenta.

Yumi and her spirit guide have spent the last of their energy. While the seven Shadow Charms that they now hold work to restore it, Rasputin and his strange ally plan to strike when she can’t possibly defend herself. Fortunately, Yumi’s rescue mission was a success, and her four friends, with the addition a young Latino, vow to guard her at all costs. The only question is… Who will try to get by them first?



CYBERNETIC FUSION SUPPORT (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A high-tech machine generating energy towards a central point.

Card Description: If the cards listed as Fusion Material Monsters for a Machine-Type Fusion Monster are in your Graveyard, you may remove those Fusion Material Monsters from play and pay half your Life Points to substitute this card for the Fusion Material Monsters.

Note: “Cybernetic Fusion Support” was first used by Zane in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Graduation Match (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



DROWSING POINT (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A flowing, moss-covered waterfall.

Card Description: This card can only be activated if it is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by a card effect while facedown on your side of the field. Select one Monster Card from your deck and add it to your hand.

Note: “Drowsing Point” was first used by T-Bone in “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “J-Dawg and T-Bone”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



CEMETERY CHANGE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Two hands pushing handfuls of cards towards each other.

Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points. Destroy all Monsters on the field. Then, switch all the cards in your Graveyard with those in your opponent’s Graveyard.



INFERNAL TRANSACTION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A huge, demonic hand reaching out of a lava pit towards a chest full of gold and jewels.

Card Description: Your opponent Special Summons a Monster from his/her Graveyard with a base ATK of 2,000 or more. Take one Spell Card from your Graveyard and add it to your hand.

Note: “Cemetery Change” and “Infernal Transaction” were first used by Chazz in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Blinded By The Light (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



CYBER SELLER (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A man outside a used car lot, which includes a Cyber Dragon among the cars.

Card Description: Offer as a Tribute one Machine-Type Monster on your side of the field with the word “Cyber” in its name. Then choose one the following effects:

- Gain Life Points equal to the Level of the Tributed Monsters x 300.

- For every multiple of four in the Level of the Tributed Monster, draw one card.



Ren: Come and get us, Rasputin! We’re more than ready for you! Is everybody in?

Chelsea: Willing and able. How about you, Sam?

Sam?

Sam: I have to duel… And the duel that follows is what will decide my future… Will the Kaiba legacy continue, or will it end in shame because of what I did?

I’ll duel using this deck, and I’ll hope…

Ha Des: Duel with your heart behind it, Samantha… Prove that you are truly worthy of regaining your title, and I will grant you victory…

Coming up next, “Duel of Destiny; Sam versus the Goblin King”.

I may be the ruler of Fiends, but I am not without mercy… Still, I won’t give it to one who doesn’t deserve it…

[Shuppet Master]

Well, with three days left before the big Eve, this was a nice update.

I was surprised Erik used a Cyber Dragon deck, but then again, his thoughts mirror mine in a way. I don't like it that Cyber Dragon is stuffed into every deck that wants to win, just because it's easy to get out. Luckily, more decks are understanding that. :)

I like Cyber Dragon, and would love to make a Cyber Dragon deck, but when it is in a deck which could use better cards, I feel upset.

I know someone is going to complain about the way Erik acted like Chazz when he regained control of his mind, but it's sort of how he rolls, ya know? Liked how Atem took over completely to help Yumi recover, and now she's out of the picture for a while. Now maybe the others will get to shine.

Happy Holiday, Brian! :pokeball-go:

EDIT: Starjake told me that you were right with Cyber Kirin. I thought Power Bond's drawback was a continous effect, going off each turn. If it only goes off once, that card is very very broken, even with the drawback. :(

[starjake]

Actually, Shuppet Master, Dark Sage was correct. Power Bond's damaging effect only goes off at the end of the turn in which it is activated, and Cyber Kirin makes the damage become 0, not push it off to a later turn.

[Dark Sage]

Happy Holidays everyone. Before we got down to business, I thought I’d help you celebrate with my favorite little Christmas jingle…





O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

The news had come out in the First World War,
The bloody Red Baron was flying once more.
The Allied command ignored all of its men,
And called on Snoopy to do it again.

Twas the night before Christmas, at forty below,
When Snoopy went up, in search of his foe,
He spied the Red Baron, and fiercely they fought;
With ice on his wings, Snoopy knew he was caught.

Christmas bells, those Christmas bells,
Ring out from the land.
Asking peace of all the world,
And good will to man.

The Baron had Snoopy dead in his sights,
He reached for the trigger to pull it up tight.
Why he didn't shoot, well, we'll never know;
Or was it the bells from the village below?

Christmas bells, those Christmas bells,
Ringing through the land,
Bringing peace to all the world,
And good will to man.

The Baron made Snoopy fly to the Rhine,
And forced him to land behind the enemy lines.
Snoopy was certain that this was the end,
When the Baron cried out, "Merry Christmas, my friend!"

The Baron then offered a holiday toast,
And Snoopy, our hero, saluted his host,
And then with a roar, they were both on their way,
Each knowing they'd meet on some other day.

Christmas bells, those Christmas bells,
Ringing through the land,
Bringing peace to all the world,
And good will to man!

Christmas bells, those Christmas bells,
Ringing through the land,
Bringing peace to all the world,
And good will to man!


Ah, poor Snoopy, he never seemed to catch a break.

But anyway, time is now up. And here are the answers to the contest.


1. The following cards have effects or conditions that require The Sanctuary in the Sky to be in play: “Archlord Zerato”, “Neo-Parshath the Sky Paladin”, “The Agent of Force – Mars”, “The Agent of Judgment – Saturn”, “Radiant Jeral”, “Meltiel, Sage of the Sky”, “Nova Summoner”, “Zeradias, Herald of Heaven”, and “Light of Judgment”. The Sanctuary is useful for many other cards, but not required.

2. Ha Des has appeared on eight cards other than his own: “A Deal With Dark Ruler”, “The Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler”, “Bark of Dark Ruler”, “Soul Demolition”, “Skill Drain”, “Demotion”, “Order to Smash”, and “Hate Buster”.

Goblin of Greed has appeared on ten cards besides his own: “Goblin Thief”, “Jar Robber”, “Bubble Crash”, “Goblin Out of the Frying Pan”, “Good Goblin Housekeeping”, “Heavy Slump”, “Second Coin Toss”, “Dark Factory of Mass Production”, “Penalty Money” and “Dark Scorpion Combination” (look close and you’ll see him).

However, Marauding Captain beats him by one. He’s on the following eleven cards, aside from his own: “Assault on GHQ”, “Battle-Scarred”, “Double Attack”, “Life Equalizer”, “My Body as a Shield”, “Prepare to Strike Back”, “Reinforcement of the Army”, “Staunch Defender”, “The Warrior Returning Alive”, “Two-Man Cell Battle”, and “Dimensional Prison”. (Curiously, these cards suggest that the Captain’s closest ally is Gagagigo, who is fighting alongside him on three of them. A lot of them also show him fighting a Monster that is much stronger than he is, so clearly, while he is one of the most useful Warrior-Type Monsters, he isn’t the smartest.)


3. This, admittedly, was a tough one, because you had to look close. No Monsters she has ever actually summoned with a Disk are that Type. One Monster was a necessity. For the second, there were two possibilities.

The necessity was easier. In her first duel with Jaden in the third episode, a shot of her hand showed that she had Mind on Air, even though she never played it.

For the other one, it depends on which Alexis you look at. In the manga, she used Ice Blizzard Master. Also, if you look even closer in the first-season episode “Hearts are Wild”, you’ll see that in the flashback, as a child, she used Gemini Elf. I would have accepted either one of these Monsters as the second answer.


4. “Yubel, the Ultimate Nightmare” originally known as “Yubel, Das Extremer Traurig Drachen”. To do that much damage, the discarded Monster would have to be Level Twelve, and this card is the only Level Twelve Monster in the game that is not a Fusion Monster.


5. This was actually a trick question. The definition of an Archfiend is any card with the word “Demon” in its Japanese name. The bullfighting Fiends that he used against Alexis all had the word “Demon” in their Japanese names, so they are considered Archfiends. Summoned Skull falls into this category too. The correct answer thus, is none of them


6. Although Titan and Dr. Eisenstein both used this card, they are not considered regulars.

The first one was probably easy. Jaden used this card in his duel with Dimitri.

For the second, you have to look harder. Bastion had this card in his duel with Jaden, but didn’t actually play it. He used it to pay the discard cost for “Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell”.

Thanks to everyone who participated. And congratulations to the two winners. You know who you are.

[Shuppet Master]

Happy Holidays everyone. Before we got down to business, I thought I’d help you celebrate with my favorite little Christmas jingle…

Probably my favorite Christmas song too, but "Christmas Rapping" by The Waitresses is catching up fast. :D

I suck at these contest, maybe because I'm not into the game that much anymore and GX hasn't aired recently. I wonder what happened to it?

Anyways, I hope we get to see the two winners soon, and congrats to them. Happy holidays to you too, Brian, and keep bringing the stories! You may not be a Tolkein, but your take on the Yu-Gi-Oh setting is awe-inspiring! ;)

[Dark Sage]

Merry day-after-Christmas! I hope you had a happy holiday…

At least, I hope it was better than the day my protagonists are having…

On with the story.




CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR



Duel of Destiny



Sam versus the Goblin King



By now, the population of Duelatopia had caught on. The honest guests were fleeing to brightly lit and well-occupied areas where Centurions were guarding them diligently.

Only a few hardy souls dared the dark areas.

One of these hardy souls was Angel. He wasn’t ready to retreat to safety yet. He recognized the strange air about the island, and he had a feeling that an old friend – well, someone who claimed to be his friend – would approach him before long.

He leaned against the corner of a building in the Shopping District, taking a drag on a cigarette…

Then he burst into a fit of coughing and gagging.

Angrily, he threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it. Then he took the whole pack of cancer sticks out of his pocket. He hardly cared about the six dollars he had spent on them three hours ago. He crushed the pack in his fist, and then threw it on the ground.

“I quit!” he shouted. “And this time, I mean it…”

He heard laughter behind him.

“You quit, huh?” said an evil voice. “You realize, Angel, that you’re gonna gain weight, and be a miserable, angry wreck until the withdrawal ends, if you even succeed…”

Angel snarled.

“That’s what you told me the last time I wanted to quit, Arbal,” he growled. “So I didn’t quit. And it makes no difference… Thanks to you, I have no friends to get angry at…”

He turned around, and saw another one of the possessed Ascenders.

“That’s a bad thing to say, Angel,” he replied. “I’ve been your friend for so long… But what happened? Ever since you lost that duel with Chelsea, you’ve pushed us away… We could have helped you win your duels… But you pushed us away, and you kept losing.”

“Well, you see, Arbal…” muttered Angel, “that was the thing…

“I used to think I was special… I could see spirits…

“But I noticed something after that duel with Chelsea… Chelsea could see spirits too… And after I saw them all hanging around her, cheering for her and giving her support, I did some thinking, and I finally realized something…

“Her spirits were benign creatures, ones with whom she shared a mutual friendship…

“But mine… They were creatures of darkness who were leading me down a path of ruin. You’ve helped me win a few duels, but you’ve soured my attitude towards life in general. All the advice you’ve given me has been bad advice.

“You were only helping me because you wanted something in return. Well, tough. I’m going to be going on my own from now on. You and the other things that have been hanging around me can get lost.”

He turned to walk away.

“I’m afraid it’s not that easy, Angel,” said Arbal, in a much more sinister voice.

Angel froze in fear as a dark aura surrounded him.

“If you don’t want to accept my master’s help anymore, fine,” said the fiend, “but I intend to collect from what I’ve already given you.”

Angel stared at him.

He looked at the Duel Disk on the possessed human’s arm.

He activated his own.

“Oh, please!” laughed Arbal, “you don’t think you can beat me, can you? With no help from us, that Slash Draw strategy doesn’t stand a chance!”

Angel placed his deck in his Disk.

“Oh, very well…” laughed the fiend. “I might as well humor you…”

His own Disk activated.

“And if I beat you, we’re through, you hear me?” said Angel. “Kaput!”

“Whatever,” said the demon.

The Life Point counters set.



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi’s friends could take comfort in one thing…

Yumi looked very peaceful in the sleep she was in.

“Come on, Anne,” said Ren, “when is she gonna wake up?”

“I’m not sure,” said Anastasia, who was kneeling beside Yumi’s body. “Both she and her spiritual guide went through a lot, and…”

She paused.

“Look sharp, children,” she said. “Evil draws near…”

Sam, Ren, Chelsea, Erik, and Enrique surrounded Yumi in a tight circle. As they did, a door appeared in front of them, with nothing supporting its frame and hinges.

It opened, and a hulking figure stepped out.

They couldn’t believe it. It was Louis.

He was still dressed in his expensive, custom-tailored, Italian suit, but there was one major change to his ensemble: He was wearing a Duel Disk on his left arm.

“Well, well,” muttered Ren. “The big boss’s lapdog has decided to come face us…”

“For the last time,” snarled Louis, “I ain’t no lapdog! I could leave Rasputin any time I wanted to.”

He frowned. He was lying when he said that, but he wanted to keep some semblance of pride.

“So what’s with the Disk?” asked Chelsea. “Wouldn’t it be more your style just to beat us up in order to get to Yumi?”

“You may think I’m an idiot,” said Louis. “So many people have made the mistake that my brain is as weak as my body is strong.

“There are five of you and only one of me. I know from experience that odds like that are bad, even for me. I may be strong, but I know I can’t force my way past all of you.

“Especially when Rasputin told me that one of you has a carry permit.”

Everyone looked at Enrique. He slowly nodded.

Louis sighed.

“You guys are all the same…” he muttered. “You think I spent my childhood dreaming about being a thug? Well, I didn’t! But since I was so strong and my grades weren’t so hot, being a thug was what I did in school for most of my time. If some brainiac was being teased and he had money, he paid me to protect him…

“But I was too crude to ever be a real bodyguard like the kind that celebrities got. My guidance counselor told me that the only honest career I might have gotten was to be a soldier…

“And you know what? I tried to do that! I tried to enlist in His Majesty’s Army…

“But I was turned down… You know why? Because of an inner ear infection… You wouldn’t believe how picky they are…

“When you’re a muscle-bound thug with no future, and someone offers you a job as good as the one Rasputin offered me, you take it. You know that you’re never going to get a better chance.”

He placed a deck of cards into his Disk.

“So who’s it gonna be? I’ll duel any of you…”

Before Ren or Chelsea could step forward, Sam felt a strange feeling she looked at her deck.

“Stand back, people…” she said.

She stood up to the huge duelist.

“I’ll duel you…” she said.

Louis chuckled, looking at her skimpy attire.

“Fine with me…” he said. “Actually, I was kinda hoping it would be you…”

This is it, thought Sam, looking at the deck. If I win this duel, I’ll be restored. If I lose, I’ll have no choice but to retire in shame…

She closed her eyes, and a single tear fell down her cheek.

“Game on!” they both shouted.



(Sam: 8,000) -------------------- (Louis: 8,000)


“You think Sam can beat this guy?” asked Chelsea.

“Please…” muttered Ren. “I’ll wager my little sister can beat this guy…”

“Hey, I may not duel for a living like you kids,” said Louis, making his first draw, “but that don’t mean I’m not any good.”

“That was a double negative,” said Sam. “Just move already…”

Louis looked at the card he had just drawn. It wasn’t exactly the right time for it, so he added it to his hand and chose another one.

“I’ll have a Monster defend me to start…” he said.

A defensive Monster appeared in front of him.

“Then I’ll put two cards flat on the field.”

Two facedown cards appeared behind the Monster.

“And that’s all for me.”

Sam drew a card.

She looked at her hand. She breathed a small sigh of relief. She had four Monsters she could summon right away, and even Bark of Dark Ruler.

The Trap Card was what made her feel even better. Ha Des had given her one of his most potent weapons in her opening hand.

Of course, until his card showed up, she wouldn’t truly feel sure of herself.

She took the Trap Card and placed it in her Disk. It appeared facedown.

“Now I summon… Archfiend Soldier!” she shouted.

In a plume of dark smoke, the demonic soldier appeared, hefting his blade. (1,900/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr-0571.jpg


Archfiend Soldier looked at her, with an expression that was hard to interpret.

“What?” whispered Sam. “If there’s something I should know, tell me!”

Archfiend Soldier shook his head.

“Aw… Attack his Monster!” she shouted.

Archfiend Soldier lifted his sword…

“I activate a Trap!” shouted Louis.

A facedown card lifted, it showed a picture of Freed the Matchless General sitting at a table in front of a map.

“It’s called A Feint Plan,” he said. “Now, you can’t attack any of my facedown Monsters.”

“Meaning I can’t attack at all,” muttered Sam. “Swell…”

“It’s okay, baby!” shouted Erik. “He can’t stall forever!”

“My move…” said Louis. “I draw…”

He drew a card.

“If you’re so anxious to see what my Monster is, I’ll show it to you…” he said.

The facedown card turned, and then flipped up.

“I reveal… Goblin Calligrapher!”

A small creature leapt out of the card. It was a nasty-looking imp with a horn on its forehead, with a pen tucked behind its ear. (400/400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0041.jpg


“Wow, he said ‘calligrapher’,” muttered Ren. “That’s a pretty big word for someone who probably has to label his socks ‘left’ and ‘right’.”

“Okay, that does it!” shouted Louis. “Once I take care of this chick, you’re next!

“And as for big words, you want to hear more of them?”

His other facedown card lifted.

“I activate The League of Uniform Nomenclature!”

The Trap Card had a disturbing picture of three grinning Ojama Yellows.

“What does that do?” asked Ren.

Anastasia appeared behind him, looking worried.

“Since that Goblin is only Level One, and is a Normal Monster,” she explained, “he now gets to Special Summon two more from his deck. Clearly, he’s forming an odd strategy…”

Two more Calligraphers appeared next to the first. (400/400 x2)

Louis took another card from his hand.

“Now…” he said, “I summon Man-Thro’ Tro.”

He played the card, and a new Monster lumbered onto the field. It was a hulking, fat troll, with flabby, folding flesh, and no hair. (1,000/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0811.jpg


“Oh, no…” muttered Ren.

This he had seen before…

Louis pointed at Sam.

“Get her,” he said.

The troll grabbed the three Calligraphers, and hurled them, one at time, striking Sam in the head, then chest, and then mid-section. She groaned and then toppled over.

“Ooh…” she muttered, lying on the floor.

The ogre chuckled.

“That was nothing,” said Louis. “My deck has much more waiting in it… I’m just getting warmed up…”



(S: 5,600) -------------------- (L: 8,000)


Sam slowly got up.

“I really hope you enjoyed that…” she muttered. “It’s my move now…”

She drew a card.

“Opticlops, come on out…” she said.

In an aura of dark energy, the cyclopsed Fiend appeared, growling with anger. (1,800/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en131.jpg


“Destroy his Man-Thro’ Tro!” shouted Sam.

Steam blew from Opticlops’s nostrils, and it charged at the troll. A look of shock appeared on the Beast-Warrior’s face before the Fiend rammed into it, blowing it to gibbets.

“Archfiend Soldier, attack that ape directly!”

Archfiend Soldier lunged at Louis, and slashed at him with his sword.

Louis grinned.

“Heh, heh…” he chuckled. “Didn’t feel a thing, Sam… When you do what I do for living, it takes a lot more than that to make you react.”



(S: 5,600) -------------------- (L: 5,300)


“Just move, okay?” asked Sam.

He’s gonna need more preparation than he can do in one turn to set up another assault with another Man-Thro’ Tro, she thought. And if he tries to attack, I’ve still got Bark of Dark Ruler…

Louis drew a card.

“I summon Goblin Attack Force,” he said.

He played a card, and in a burst of energy, a gang of five goblins, wearing armor and carrying clubs appeared. (2,300/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/psv_094.jpg


“I’m beginning to get the idea,” said Enrique. “His whole deck is full of Goblins.”

“Oh, don’t worry about those guys,” said Chelsea. “If they attack, they’ll have to move to Defense Mode, and Sam will take them out without breaking a sweat.”

Louis placed a card in his Disk and a facedown card appeared.

“I end my turn,” he said.

He didn’t attack? thought Sam. Hmm… Smarter than I thought…

She drew a card.

“I move Archfiend Soldier and Opticlops to Defense Mode…” she said.

The two Fiends knelt and shielded themselves…

“Forget it,” said Louis, as his facedown card lifted. “I activate Final Attack Orders.”

Opticlops and Archfiend Soldier stood back up into Attack Mode.

“This guy is better than I gave him credit for!” shouted Ren. “Not only can’t Sam’s two Monsters defend, but now he did away with Goblin Attack Force’s weakness!”

Sam growled, and placed two cards on her Disk. A facedown Monster and a second facedown card appeared.

“Your move…” she muttered.

Louis drew a card and looked at it.

He added the card to his hand and then chose another one.

“Now I summon… Giant Orc.”

He played the card, and in a burst of energy, the huge, lumbering ogre holding a bone club towered over the field. (2,200/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-012.jpg


“That Monster suits you, Louis,” said Sam with a scowl.

“You ain’t the first one to say that,” he replied. “Not by a long shot…

“Goblin Attack Force… Run down Archfiend Soldier with goblin rush!”

The lead goblin shouted a war cry, and the small regiment charged at Archfiend Soldier…

“Go, Bark of Dark Ruler!” shouted Sam.

Her facedown card lifted. Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared in an explosion of black smoke, and his eyes burned with evil light.

“I’m giving up 2,300 Life Points to use this card,” she said. “Giving your Attack Force no more force than an infant.”

Goblin Attack Force’s Attack Score fell to nothing. Archfiend Soldier swung his sword, and the goblins toppled over like tenpins before shattering to bits.

Sam looked at the Dark Ruler beside her. He looked back with an odd expression.

That… thought Sam. Is that… Is that a smile? Has he decided yet?

Ha Des slowly vanished.

Impossible to tell… thought Sam. He might be helping me… Or he might be toying with me so my loss will be even worse…

“I’m not done!” shouted Louis. “Giant Orc, you attack! Bone basher!”

Giant Orc lumbered towards the Archfiend…

“Forget about my other facedown card?” asked Sam. “Activate… Shrink!”

The Quickplay Spell lifted, and Giant Orc shrank to half its size, and an Attack Score of 1,100. Archfiend Soldier swung its sword, and the ogre was blown to bits.

“Grrr…” growled Louis. “I activate Monster Reborn.”

He played a card, and the ankh appeared. Giant Orc rose onto the field again. (2,200/0)

“And that’s all…” he said with a chuckle.



(S: 3,300) -------------------- (L: 2,600)


Sam nervously drew a card.

She sighed. She placed a card on her Disk, and a second facedown Monster appeared.

She nodded.

Louis drew another card.

“I summon Goblin Elite Attack Force,” he said.

He played the card, and three more goblins appeared. These ones were carrying long swords, and their armor was far better made than their Warrior counterparts. (2,200/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en020.jpg


“You folks still think I’m a moron?” yelled Louis.

“Uhm, I don’t recall ever using the word ‘moron’,” muttered Ren.

“Giant Orc, smash her facedown Monster on the left!” he shouted.

Giant Orc swung with his club, and Morphing Jar was smashed into pebbles.

“You know what that means, I trust,” said Sam.

Louis frowned. They both discarded the remains of their hands, and drew five cards apiece.

“Elite Attack Force,” he shouted, “destroy her other facedown Monster!”

One of the Goblins swung with his sword, and Skull Knight #2 was blown to pieces.

“What the heck?” said Chelsea. “Why didn’t he attack Opticlops or Archfiend Soldier? He didn’t do any damage to Sam this round at all…”

Anastasia looked worried.

“Given what we’ve seen of his deck,” she said, “I think I know why…”

“I play a facedown, and end my turn,” said Louis, as a facedown card appeared on his side of the field. “Your move, toots.”

“Louis,” said Erik, “you’d better hope that your muscles came with some decent fighting skills. Because the last guy who called her ‘toots’ in front of me was wearing sunglasses for a week to hide two black eyes.”

“I’d like to see you try it!” dared Louis.

“People!” shouted Sam. “Need I remind you we’re in the middle of a duel?”

She drew a card.

Heh, heh, she thought, looking at it. This guy thinks his Monsters are so tough… But he’s in for a surprise…

Because I’ve got a Giant Orc of my own…

“I summon someone new to the field!” she shouted. “Meet MY Giant Orc!”

In a burst of energy, another of the huge ogres appeared. (2,200/0)

Sam’s Orc and Louis’s Orc looked at each other. They exchanged dirty looks.

“Heh…” chuckled Enrique. “Those two don’t seem to like each other too much, eh?”

“Well, well…” said Louis. “So we both have the same Monster… We’ll soon see which one chose to be on the winning side… Any other moves you wanna make?”

“Yes…” said Sam. “I play Mystik Wok…”

She played a Spell Card.

“Now I can sacrifice Archfiend Soldier, and gain Life Points equal to his Attack Score.”

Archfiend Soldier vanished into grains of light.

“And I end my turn now.”



(S: 5,200) -------------------- (L: 2,600)


“Then I draw…” said Louis.

He looked at the card, and then added it to his hand.

“I summon my best Monster!” he shouted. “Arise, Goblin King!”

An explosion of energy appeared on the field…

The creature that appeared didn’t look too formidable. It was a little goblin, about three feet high, wearing royal robes that were two sizes too big for it, and a small crown on its bald head. (0/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0311.jpg


“Que?” said Enrique. “His best Monster has zero Attack Points?”

“Not for long…” said Ren, sweating. “That little guy may look puny, but it gains 1,000 Attack and Defense Points for every Fiend-Type Monster on the field, including the ones on Sam’s side of the field.”

“That’s why he spared her two Fiends in Attack Mode…” muttered Chelsea.

Goblin King roared, and then grew, until it was even bigger than Giant Orc. (4,000/4,000)

“And that ain’t all,” said Louis. “You aren’t allowed to attack my King until you get rid of the other Fiends on my side of the field.

“Of course, there is a little problem… If I attack your Monsters, my King would get weaker…

“Unless I Equip him with this… The Spell Card, Opti-Camouflage Armor.”

He played a card, and Goblin King’s robes became silver and reflective.

“What does that do?” asked Ren.

“It can only be Equipped to Level One Monsters,” said Anastasia. “It lets them attack directly…”

“SAM!” screamed Erik.

“Goblin King…” ordered Louis, “flatten her!”

Goblin King hissed, and lunged at Sam.

“Go, Kuriboh!” shouted Sam, throwing a card into her discard slot.

A wall of the little, furry Fiends appeared, and exploded as Goblin King leapt into them. The monarch roared and was thrown backwards.

Louis snapped his fingers.

“Darn…” he muttered. “Well, I can always play this…”

He played a Spell Card.

“It’s called Goblin Thief. This takes 500 Life Points away from you.”

Sam groaned as a black aura surrounded her.

“And whaddaya know?” continued Louis, as a golden aura surrounded him. “They go right to me.

“I’m done with my turn. It’s your move.”



(S: 4,700) -------------------- (L: 3,100)



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:


Sam’s hand trembled as she drew a card.

She looked at it.

“I set a Monster in Defense Mode,” she said, stuttering, “and then place this facedown.”

A facedown Monster and a facedown card appeared.

She sighed.

“It’s your move…” she said.

“Oh, I hope that facedown card can block an attack…” said Erik nervously.

Sam shook nervously. She knew that it couldn’t. But it might still help a little…

“All right!” shouted Louis. “I draw…”

He drew a card.

“Then I attack! Goblin King, attack directly!”

Goblin King flew at Sam again.

Sam truly screamed and fell on her back as the blow landed. She truly felt like the mighty fist smashed her flat from the impact.

Through great effort, she managed to sit up…

“Giant Orc, attack her Opticlops!” shouted Louis.

Giant Orc smashed Opticlops over the head with his club. The smaller ogre shattered into pixels.

Sam shouted out, her ribs aching as she did.

“Activate Option Hunter!” she moaned, as her facedown card lifted. “Now, for every Attack Point Opticlops had, I gain one Life Point.”

Goblin King fell to an Attack of 3,000.

“Big deal,” said Louis. “Elite Attack Force, destroy her facedown Monster.”

The Goblins rushed with their swords, and Gil Garth appeared before it was slashed to ribbons.



(S: 2,200) -------------------- (L: 3,100)


“Now I’ll activate the card that will seal your fate…” he said, as his facedown card lifted. “Minor Goblin Official.

“And with that… I end my turn…”

“People, this just got even worse…” said Ren. “Minor Goblin Official is a very nasty Trap Card. It will inflict 500 points of damage to Sam every time she starts her turn.”

“As if a Monster with 3,000 Attack Points who can attack directly wasn’t bad enough,” said Chelsea. “I’m afraid Sam won’t be winning this…”

“People, don’t give up hope!” shouted Erik. “The magic is still in place! The Shadows are still hanging in the air.

“What will happen if Sam loses? She might become Rasputin’s slave again. I don’t want her to go back to working for whoever forced her to wear that outfit…”

Sam, meanwhile, was in tears. She tried to stand, but her legs were numb. It looked like she would have to finish this duel sitting down.

She cried even more. She couldn’t even finish her last duel with dignity…

One more direct attack from Goblin King would finish her…

She looked at the top of her deck.

If he was going to see it in his heart to forgive, he would have to decide NOW.

She drew a card.

She closed her eyes and winced as a burning sensation stung her skin from the Minor Goblin Official.

She looked at the card.

She couldn’t believe it. It was Dark Ruler Ha Des.

But had he come to save her… Or to finish her off?

She looked at the other two cards in her hand, one of which was Pot of Avarice.

She took the Spell Card.

It all comes down to this… she thought.

She played the card, and the goofy pink jug appeared in front of her.

Archfiend Soldier, Opticlops, Skull Knight #2, Kuriboh, and Gil Garth all slipped out of her discard slot. She slowly shuffled, and then drew two cards.

Her eyes lit up as she saw what they were.

“Hey everybody…” she said. “Question… What’s the best way to deal with an overgrown windbag?”

Louis glared at her.

“Uh… Blow it away?” asked Ren.

“Exactly,” answered Sam. “I play Heavy Storm.”

“Aw, crap…” muttered Louis, as she played the card.

A fierce wind blew through the gear housing, and Louis’s Final Attack Orders, Minor Goblin Official, and Opti-Camouflage Armor were blown to bits.

“Now…” said Sam, “I sacrifice my Orc, to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

Giant Orc vanished into a dark shadow…

A black bonfire appeared on the field, and the Dark Ruler stepped out, with a stern look on his face. (2,450/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mc1-en006.jpg


He paused and looked at Sam.

Then he offered her his hand.

Sam hesitated. Then she took it. The Fiend Lord helped her to her feet.

Then he turned to face Louis.

“Attack Goblin Elite Attack Force!” shouted Sam. “Stygian blast!”

The Dark Ruler growled, and blasted his bolt of black flame. The three Goblins screamed and were consumed in dark fire.

Their scorched armor and swords fell to the ground with a clatter before disappearing.

“I place one card facedown, and end my turn,” said Sam.

A facedown card appeared, as Goblin King’s Attack Score fell to 2,000.



(S: 1,700) -------------------- (L: 2,850)


Louis nervously drew a card.

“I’m not through yet, Sam!” he shouted.

“First, I’ll summon another Giant Orc…”

He played the card, and a second of the huge ogres appeared. (2,200/0)

“Next…” he said. “I’ll send the Blindly Loyal Goblin in my hand to the Graveyard in order to Special Summon my Half-Goblin, in Defense Mode.”

He discarded one card, and then played another. A small creature appeared on his side of the field in Defense Mode. It looked basically like one of the Goblins from Goblin Attack Force, only with no club. (500/500)

“That’s four Fiends on the field, Sam,” said Louis, as Goblin King grew to an Attack Score of 4,000, “and that’s enough to turn your Dark Ruler to paste!

“Attack her Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

Goblin King leapt at the Dark Ruler…

“Not in this lifetime!” screamed Sam. “I activate Shadow Spell!”

Her facedown card lifted up. Goblin King roared as a mass of chains burst out of the ground, seizing it. Its Attack Score fell to 3,300.

“Ergh…” muttered Louis. “I switch my other Giant Orc to Defense Mode, and end my turn!”

The first Giant Orc knelt and held its club on its lap.

“Draw!” shouted Sam.

She drew a card.

“I play Pot of Greed!” she shouted.

She played the card, and the evil jar appeared again. She quickly drew two cards.

She looked at them, and then threw the card she already had in her hand onto her Disk.

“I summon The Bistro Butcher!” she shouted.

With a cackling laugh, the fiendish chef appeared, holding his cleaver up high. (1,800/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mrd_1081.jpg


Goblin King rose to an Attack of 4,300.

“Next…” said Sam, “I play Monster Reborn! Now who should I bring back?

“I know…”

The holy ankh appeared on the field, and in a flash of light, her own Giant Orc returned. (2,200/0)

Goblin King rose to an Attack of 5,300.

“What is she doing?” screamed Erik. “She’s only making his Monster stronger.”

“Don’t worry…” said Anastasia. “If she does what I think she’s going to do, it will soon be too weak to be a threat.”

“Butcher…” said Sam, “attack the Giant Orc in Defense Mode.”

The Bistro Butcher made a savage cut, and the Orc exploded.

“Giant Orc, attack his other Orc!”

Sam’s Giant Orc roared. Louis’s Orc roared back. The two ogres charged at each other… Two clubs fell…

What followed was almost funny. Each Orc clobbered the other one over the head. Both of them saw stars and slumped to the ground before they both burst into triangles.

“Ha Des, destroy his Half-Goblin!” shouted Sam.

Ha Des fired a blast of flame, reducing the small Fiend to a scorched smear on the ground.

Goblin King fell to an Attack of 1,300.

Sam looked at her opponent.

“I place one card facedown,” she said slowly. “And I’ll end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared.

She glared at him.

Louis slowly drew a card.

“Uhm…” he said. “I set this in Defense Mode, and that’s all I can do…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

Sam smiled, and drew a card.

“Ha Des, show that Goblin who the real king is!” she shouted. “Attack the Goblin King!”

Ha Des fired his dark flame, and Goblin King was no more.

“Bistro Butcher, take out his facedown Monster.”

The Butcher slashed at the facedown card. Blindly Loyal Goblin appeared on the card, and shattered to pieces.

“Now I activate… Call of the Haunted!”

Her facedown card flipped up. In a burst of energy, Giant Orc appeared yet again. (2,200/0)

“Giant Orc, attack that meathead directly!”

“Hey, wait a minute…” said Louis.

Giant Orc lumbered over and clobbered Louis with his club. The henchman groaned before falling over.



(S: 1,700) -------------------- (L: 0)


The henchman fell flat on his back. He was out cold.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief…

She closed her eyes…



* * * * * * * * * *


When Sam opened her eyes, she was somewhere else. It looked like some sort of throne room. One that belonged to someone with a very odd taste in décor.

There were skulls decorating the golden furniture, and skins that had belonged to very frightening looking monsters were draped over some tables. Tapestries depicted Fiends of all types.

Sam looked behind her, and was surprised to see that there were two Opticlops guarding the door in.

She turned towards the front of the room. On a dais, sitting on a throne made of gold, silver, and skulls, was the Dark Ruler, looking down at her. He clutched a goblet containing smoking, green liquid.

“So…” muttered Sam, meekly. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

The Dark Ruler sighed. He set the goblet down.

“Consort…” he said (causing Sam to smile broadly), “the society of Fiends is one built on a foundation of betrayal… Where I come from, it is commonplace for one to advance by backstabbing one above him…

“I myself obtained my position by overthrowing the Dark King of the Abyss, when I was his right-hand man.”

“Yeah…” said Sam. “The Spell Card, Demotion…”

“In a way,” said Ha Des, “I couldn’t help but be a little impressed by what you did…

“So yes… Consider this victory my forgiveness, on one condition…

“Should you and your allies make it through the night, then when the closing ceremonies of Duelatopia come, you will accept the terms of the wager you made with Yumi. And you will accept them with a smile. That will be your final punishment.”

“Heh,” said Sam with another smile. “No problem… So… See you the next time I duel…”

“But…” said Ha Des, angrily, getting up, “should you ever betray me again…”

His voice was so powerful that Sam trembled.

“I won’t… honest,” she squeaked.

“See that you don’t…” said Ha Des, sitting down. “Now go back and warn your friend Chelsea. Rasputin’s next henchman is coming for her, and you’ve dueled enough for one night…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Sam opened her eyes to find that Erik was holding her.

“Thank goodness,” he said. “You blacked out… For a minute, we thought you had ended up like Louis…”

“Louis?” said Sam. “Where… where is he?”

She looked over, and saw that Ren, Chelsea, and Enrique were standing over the thug, who was slumped over. His eyes were half-open, but he seemed truly out of it.

Ren snapped his fingers in front of Louis’s face a few times.

“He’s alive…” said Ren. “But… There’s just no-one home…”

“Some new rule has come into effect,” said Anastasia, who was looking over them. “The power that the evil Shadows are emitting is now even stronger than before. Losing a duel at this point might mean paying an incredible price.”

“Chelsea!” shouted Sam. “I’m… I’m not sure who’s coming next, but he’s aiming to take you out.”

“How do you know?” asked Chelsea.

Sam sighed.

“Someone close told me,” she replied.

“Uhm, everyone?” said Enrique. “Cover your ears.”

“Huh?” said Chelsea.

They realized what he meant. The great clock was about to strike eleven.

They covered their ears, as the huge bell above them started to toll, the vibrations shaking their insides and nearly knocking them over. The din seemed enough to wake the dead…

But Yumi still slept. It seemed no noise could awaken her.

When the last toll died, everyone looked at Yumi, who had slept silently through the whole duel.

Deep inside Yumi’s mind, she and the Pharaoh held each other close. They knew what was happening, and wanted to help, but their energy wasn’t restored yet. They also knew that their body was now a sitting duck, and their friends were their only defense.

For now, all they could do was wait, and put their trust in them…

“Enrique,” said Chelsea. “Why didn’t you mention sooner that you were packing heat?”

“I’m not,” replied Enrique.

“Huh?” said Chelsea.

“Rasputin got his facts wrong,” said Enrique. “What I have is a hunting permit. I can use a rifle, but that’s far from a permit to own, let alone carry a handgun.”

He looked at Louis.

“But I figured that if he thought I did, I wasn’t going to tell him otherwise.”



* * * * * * * * * *


Meanwhile, Angel was not having an easy time.

The only thing he had on his side of the field was Swords of Revealing Light and a facedown card. It was keeping his opponent’s five Monsters at bay: Hitotsu-Me Giant, Enraged Battle Ox, Vorse Raider, Mad Dog of Darkness, and Des Kangaroo. His opponent also had a facedown card.

He only had 2,000 Life Points left, while his opponent had 5,000.

“My move!” shouted Angel.

He drew.

“I play Pot of Greed!” he shouted.

He drew two cards.

His eyes lit up. He had drawn his last Slash Draw and Big Eye! If he could hold out for one more turn, he might stand a chance…

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate The Transmigration Prophesy,” he said. “Now I get to take two cards from my Graveyard, and shuffle them back into my deck…”

He took his other two Slash Draw cards from his Graveyard, returned them to his deck, and then reshuffled.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode, and that’s all…” he said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Then I draw…” said Arbal.

He drew a card.

“I play… Shield Crush,” he said.

Angel screamed as the Spell Card appeared. A blast of energy shot towards his facedown Monster, and it exploded.

“Now to truly humiliate you,” said Arbal. “I sacrifice Des Kangaroo and Hitotsu-Me Giant to summon Sengenjin.”

With a roar, a huge, hulking creature appeared on the demon’s side of the field. It was a giant ogre with blue skin, a single eye, and a shark-like mouth, wearing a spiked harness and carrying a pack full of weapons. (2,750/2,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/wcs_ae403.jpg


“Now…” continued Arbal, “I play Call of the Haunted to bring back Des Kangaroo.”

His facedown card lifted, and the short, scrappy kangaroo with green fur and boxing gloves appeared again. (1,500/1,700)

“My turn is over, as is the effect of your Swords,” he said, as the swords of light vanished. “Make your final move…”

Angel drew a card.

Worthless… he thought, looking at it.

He bowed his head.

Maybe I should just give up…

Then, from out of nowhere, he heard someone say something…

He had heard the words before. They were the words he had heard Yumi say to Rasputin after she had won the duel in the finals:

”Let me tell you… In this crazy world, where things don’t always make sense, and nothing is ever for certain, a little faith can work wonders.”

He lifted his head. He looked at his foe.

He threw a card into his Disk.

“I play… Slash Draw,” he said.

Arbal laughed out loud.

“Look at you!” laughed the demon. “You’d have to be desperate… You’re making a blind shot at it… Without any help, it will never work…”

“Quiet…” snarled Angel, as six cards slipped out of his deck. “Since there are six cards on the field, these six cards go to the Graveyard…”

He discarded the cards.

“Now…”

He started to sweat heavily. His hand reached for his Disk.

He drew.

“Heh, heh…” he chuckled, as he looked at the last card. “Guess what, Arbal? Looks like I got the last laugh on you after all!”

He started to glow, as the second Slash Draw appeared.

“That’s impossible…” muttered the demon.

The sword appeared on Angel’s hip, and he grabbed its hilt.

“Get back to where you came from, you big jerk,” he said. “And don’t let the door hit you where the dog would have bit you.”

He drew the sword, and a blade of energy blasted forward. Arbal and his five Monsters screamed in agony…

Angel slowly sheathed the sword and it vanished. He looked at his fallen foe.

Black smoke poured from the Ascender’s orifices, and then fled from his unconscious body.

Angel breathed a sigh of relief.

He reached for his pack of cigarettes.

Then he remembered.

He sighed. This was going to be hard…

He looked towards the lighted areas a few blocks away, and wondered if he could bum a stick of Juicyfruit off of someone there…


Sam is back in good graces with Ha Des, but Yumi is still recovering. How long can her allies defend her before they also succumb to exhaustion? In the heart of the terrible clock, the heroes can do little but wait as Rasputin plans whatever his final plan is. And a realization comes to them slowly… Perhaps Rasputin is the lesser evil in this whole conspiracy…



HALF-GOBLIN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 3
ATK: 500
DEF: 500

Card Description: If you discard one Warrior-Type Monster in your hand to the Graveyard, you may Special Summon this card from your hand.

Note: “Half-Goblin” was first used by Briar and Beauregard in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Duel Giant”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Ren: Chelsea, look sharp. Olga is coming after Yumi next…

Chelsea: Let her try. I’ll turn her Valkyries’ horsies into glue.

Anastasia: Be warned, Chelsea, I fear that’s not what Olga has planned for you…

There are many ironies in this world… Olga works for Rasputin, a man who has rejected religion in all its forms… Why then, does one of his most trusted henchmen use exalted beings with holy power as her weapons of choice?

We may or may not find the answer soon… But this may be Olga’s last stand…

Coming up next, “Chelsea versus Olga; Battle in the Celestial Realm”.

Chelsea: My Monsters may be undead creatures of the night, but I like to think that the morals of a Monster are defined by the duelist using them. Are your Monsters truly Fairies Olga? Or are they Angels With Dirty Faces?

[Shuppet Master]

Today is what Canada celebrates as Boxing Day. :)

This is a good chapter, even if it's a little rushed. I was sort of expecting a Goblin deck for that guy. Poor Sam, having to deal with a fiend like Ha Des, but I guess when you choose Fiends as your deck type, you have to deal with sinister monsters. I can't think of an honest fiend in the game. ;)

That sub-plot with Angel reminded me of that guy who dueled Jaden with the Slash Draw deck and how he made a dealw ith Death to always win. I hope Slash Draw isn't made real, because it's a useless deck type relying solely on luck.

So Chelsea's dueling Olga, huh? I have a feeling Olga's not going to use Valkyries this time, maybe something like Archlord Zerato or the Agents. (Don't tell me if I'm wrong, I will patiently wait for it. Besides, you have to put up your next chapter of Pokemon: Storming Heaven's Gate!)

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR



Chelsea versus Olga



Battle in the Celestial Realm



Below the Serpent Complex Pavilion, in his dark laboratory, Dr. Heinrich Janustein sat silently at his desk, thinking hard.

He knew well that the city was being invaded by demons. Fiends from the Abyss had possessed a group of criminals, and they were running amuck.

Twenty years ago, he might have taken his old equipment and gone up to fight them. But his wife’s sad fate weighed heavily on his mind… He knew that the chaotic fiends didn’t play fair.

Besides, he knew that he wasn’t truly needed yet. The demons couldn’t assume their true forms yet, not without power from victims. And the young duelists who were opposing them were winning. The demons had attempted to take prisoners using Duel Monsters as a weapon, but so far, their attempts were failing.

He wasn’t needed yet… If it came to that, he would face them.

He heard the door swing open down the hall.

He sat up.

Someone was coming.

He glared as the Ascender walked into the lab. Janustein knew in an instant that he was possessed. And this one was possessed by a very powerful demon. Perhaps even a glabrezu. It hardly mattered to Janustein. So long as the glabrezu was in spiritual form and bound to the human’s body, its powers were only a fraction of that of its true demonic form.

“If you’re looking for trouble, mein friend,” muttered Janustein, “I recommend you find it elsewhere. Old as I may seem, I’m more dangerous zan you think.”

“I’m well aware of that, Heinrich,” said the man, in a sinister voice. “After all, I’ve dealt with you before.”

Janustein stared at him.

“Oh, come on, Heinrich…” said the demon. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize my voice.”

Janustein replied in a voice that was full of hatred and bile.

“Ja, I recognize it,” he growled. “I just needed a minute… Zovarik.”

“How long has it been, Heinrich?” asked the demon.

“Tventy years!” shouted Janustein, standing up. “Zat is how long it has been… Zat vas ven Ludmilla and I caught you attempting to drag ze children in ze orphanage in Brussels into ze Abyss…

“You invited Ludmilla to try to stop you, but she knew zat she vas no match for you ze vay you vere at zat point. So she challenged you to a battle of Duel Monsters to save ze children, hoping zat a demon vith your intelligence und position vould have some sense of fair play…

“She beat you soundly… But zen, ve discovered zat the term ‘fair play’ vas a foreign concept to all demons. You said zat while you would let zem go, you would take compensation… Und you took her instead…”

“It wasn’t that I had no sense of fair play,” said Zovarik. “I was thinking along the lines of self-preservation. My master would have been furious if I didn’t bring back something, and I figured a well-known demon hunter would be sufficient.

“But enough with memories. Where is it, Heinrich?”

Janustein stared at him.

“Vere is vat?” he asked, sitting back down.

“The book, Heinrich!” shouted Zovarik.

Janustein sat down.

“Vat book?” he asked. “I have a lot of books. Lord of the Flies? To Kill a Mockingbird? The Sun Also Rises? If you vant zat one, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until I’m done vith it…”

“You know damn well what book, Janustein!” shouted Zovarik. “I want The Book of Lies!”

“Oh, zat…” said Janustein, leaning his head on his hand. “Mmm, yes, I’ve heard of zat book… A magical tome created by ze ancient sorcerers of Gehenna, vich magically records every untruth spoken by every mortal…”

“YES!” shouted Zovarik. “The last known owner of it was the marilith Taramanda. True, we can’t actually prove that you were the one who killed her and took her things, but she was killed by a demon hunter whose methods clearly fit your MO.”

Janustein chuckled.

“You think I killed Taramanda?” he said with a laugh. “I killed ze marilith known as ze the Horned Baron’s chief general, head enforcer, und according to some, lover?

“I seem to remember some of ze adjectives you used to describe me ven we first met… ‘Insignificant’, ‘puny’, ‘weak’… You said my value vas ‘comparable to dried-up Abyssal slugs’…”

“I was wrong, okay?” shouted Zovarik. “You aren’t weak! Happy? And Ludmilla didn’t tell us much, even when she was tortured, but she did say that Taramanda had been on your list. I think the only reason she told us was because she knew that Taramanda had such an ego, she’d refuse to believe she was ever in danger, even if someone warned her.”

Janustein glared at the demon with a look of hate.

Then he shook his head.

“If I had such a book, und zat is not un admission, I vould be a fool to hand it over to a beast like you… You und your allies in ze Abyss vould use ze information recorded in it to blackmail every mortal in a position of power… Celebrities, politicians, heads of state… Ze demonic forces could… dare I say it…”

“We could rule the world…” said Zovarik. “And you will give it to me, or I’ll tear this lab apart until I find it.”

Janustein laughed out loud.

“Just try it, you filthy dog!” he laughed. “Ze important things in zis lab are in vaults protected by very powerful wards zat can overcome even your magic! If you feel like being banished to ze Prison, zen by all means, search mein lab…”

Zovarik paused. He concentrated.

Janustein wasn’t lying. He could feel several powerful magical auras of Law around him, a type of aura that sickened him…

A look of worry appeared on his face. He did not want to be locked up in Mechanus. That place was a demon’s worst nightmare…

“Okay, Heinrich…” he said. “I was hoping we didn’t have to do this… But…”

He reached into his pocket.

“How many sleepless nights have you spent, Heinrich, wondering whether your beloved Ludmilla is dead, or whether she suffers in slavery? Or maybe even worse, if she’s been converted to our side?

“Well wonder no more… Your wife is alive… and she’s right HERE!”

He pulled a card out of his pocket, and thrust it forward.

Janustein stood up with a start.

On the card was the face of a woman that he would recognize in an instant, even though she had aged twenty years since he had last seen her. Her eyes were closed in a painful expression, and chains were surrounding her like some cage.

He got the idea… The card was some sort of magical prison.

“Ludmilla…” he whispered.

The demon chuckled.

“You’d be proud of your wife, Heinrich…” she said. “For twenty years, we tried to convert her… Oh, how we tried… But she preferred to lie on the cold floor of her cell rather than give in.

“And she was a burden on us… She did her best to try to convince the other slaves not to give in… She seemingly had memorized the whole Bible, and enlightened them with its words, promising them the glories of Heaven if they simply accepted death instead of giving in to us. So converting them was so much harder.

“So I’ll let you in on something, Heinrich… We’re through trying with her. Next week we’re treating our slaves to a public execution. Your wife is the guest of honor. It will shatter their will more than any other method to see the one who has defied us so long nailed to a post and left to die in agony.”

“You monster…” growled Janustein.

It was a lot for him to take… He had hoped his wife had found peace in death… But now he knew that she had been suffering for the past twenty years…

“You have only one chance to save her…” said the demon, holding up the card. “The book… for her…”

Janustein looked at him. He hated this creature so much… But he hadn’t lost his wits. He knew this was a delicate situation.

He knew better than to accept that bargain. Demons were notorious liars… It wasn’t that the card was a fake; no it was truly Ludmilla he was holding. He knew her aura as well as he knew his own. But this beast would obviously never hand her over, no matter what he was given.

He got an idea… The only real chance he had to save his wife…

He had to stall…

“Vy don’t we sweeten ze pot a little?” he asked.

He picked up his Duel Disk from under the table and slammed it down on the desk.

“I’ll duel you… Und I’ll wager ze book AND myself for her!”

Zovarik looked at him strangely.

“Think about it, Zovarik…” said Janustein. “How much more impact vould your little event have on your slaves, if instead of ze execution of vun great demon hunter, it vas two?

“Und I admit it, by ze way… I did kill Taramanda… I drove a dagger made from cold-forged iron through her heart. Und nothing made me happier zan to learn zat ze Baron threw himself from ze top of his tower in grief when he learned zat his lover vas dead.”

“It’s a bet!” laughed Zovarik, placing the card back in his pocket.

His Disk activated.

“After all…” he said. “Your wife was always the better duelist of the two of you…”

“A lot can happen in tventy years,” said Janustein.

“Game on!” they shouted.



* * * * * * * * * *


In the gear housing of Clock Tower Prison, Anastasia knelt over Yumi.

She closed her eyes. She felt so helpless.

She felt a small throbbing in her chest.

Her eyes opened, and she got up.

“Everyone…” she said, motioning to the ones who could see her. “Watch Yumi. My pager just went off.”

“Pager?” said Ren.

Anastasia walked to a corner. She touched her chest, and then lifted her hand. She was holding a white crystal.

“Yes, milord?” she whispered.

”Anastasia,” said a voice that only she could hear. ”Trouble is happening in your area. You may be needed for a special task.

“The island you are on, the former resting place of the Mandate which mortals call Duelatopia… Several fiendish creatures have arrived in the last few hours.”

“Devils?” asked Anastasia. “I thought that Dispater had left.”

“These are not devils, and this has nothing to do with Dispater,” said the voice. ”These are clearly demons, and as for what Abyssal Lord they serve, if any, we do not yet know. However, whatever force they are working for seems to be a powerful one.”

“Maybe one of the… Big Three?” asked Anastasia.

“We are not ruling out any possibilities. Listen closely…

“The demons have not yet been able to take material form. At least, we have not seen one that has. We assume that a mortal sorcerer has summoned them. He likely wanted to summon several of them at once, and summoning a group of them is easier to do if they are summoned in spiritual form, rather than material form.

“Their spiritual forms have possessed several criminals. They have been attempting to take mortals prisoner to gain enough power for… Something. We’re not sure what. Possibly, they are trying to gain energy to assume material form.

“So far, they have not made much progress. However, should one of them assume material form… Well, you know how dangerous that could be.

“Since you have made the transition from spiritual form to astral form, assuming material form yourself should be easy. Since you are there and five mortals have your trust, I’m giving you authorization to do so if a demon manages to assume it. If that happens, you are to engage it and do your best to destroy it.

“If things get out of hand, delay them until we can send backup.”

“Milord…” said Anastasia. “It isn’t that I can’t do that… I can certainly fight… But you know well that a battle on Earth between an angel and a demon could result in terrible casualties among mortals.”

”Sadly, that is true,” said the voice. ”But a demon loose on Earth could result in many, many more.

“You know what to do. We will pray for any mortals caught in the crossfire.”

“Yes, milord,” said Anastasia.

She pressed the crystal against her chest, and it vanished.

What is going on? she thought. First Rasputin is involved with devils, and now demons? Was he foolish enough to sell his soul to both races of fiends?

She shook her head.

No, no-one is THAT stupid… Besides, even if he practices infernal alchemy, that isn’t magic. It’s still a science. A science that fiends discovered, but a science nonetheless. Rasputin hasn’t exhibited any skill in actual sorcery…

I’m wondering how he managed to contact that harvester devil in the first place without it…

“Amigos, look up!” shouted Enrique.

Everyone looked up. The door that Louis had walked though had appeared again.

“Anastasia!” shouted Sam. “When whoever comes through that door comes through, can you make the door stay?”

“I’ll try as hard as I can…” she replied.

“Try your hardest…” said Sam. “I want to find that ambassador and strangle her…”

The door opened.

Olga walked out, still dressed in her halter and mini, and wearing her Duel Disk.

“So…” said Sam. “It’s you… Care for a rematch? I’d love to kick your ass again.”

Olga frowned. She slammed the door, and it vanished.

“Darn!” shouted Anastasia. “Sorry, Sam, I tried…”

“I’m not dueling you, Sam,” said Olga with a sigh. “Louis may have gotten his kicks from hurting a girl who was barely dressed, but I’m more respectful.”

“Don’t do me any favors!” shouted Sam.

“We’ll deal with you eventually,” said Olga. “We simply have to clear the path to Yumi.”

She pointed to Chelsea.

“And I think I’ll start with you…”

Chelsea stared at her.

“Okay, Olga, fine,” she said. “I’m not scared of your Valkyries…”

“I’m not going to use that deck, Chelsea…” said Olga.

She gave a sad look.

“Let me tell you a little secret… I have a feeling that this might be my last night. I’m in a no-win situation.

“If your side wins tonight, I go to jail…

“But if my side wins, well, let’s just say I think my fate might be even worse…

“Far worse…”

She looked at Chelsea.

“I still intend to fight to the end… But before my Valkyrie Deck, and before my Cyber Angel Deck, I had another deck, one that my true father helped me build…”

She placed a deck in her Disk.

“I’m a bit rusty using it, but since this is the end, I’ll go down using the deck with my father’s soul in it.”

“Olga…” said Chelsea, slowly. “What are you saying?”

“Do you want me to say it again?” she replied.

There was a long pause.

“We don’t have to duel if it only means doom for you…” she said.

Olga shook her head.

“Either duel me,” she said, “or step aside and let me get to Yumi.”

Chelsea frowned, and placed her deck in her Disk.

“So, you’ve given up?” she asked. “You know that working for Rasputin will end badly for you, but you’ll work for him to the finish… What did he ever do to gain such loyalty from you?”

“It’s a secret that I won’t share,” said Olga. “Trust me, you’re better off not knowing…”

The two duelists stared at each other.

“Game on!” they shouted.



(Chelsea: 8,000) -------------------- (Olga: 8,000)



“Let’s do this!” said Chelsea, making her first draw. “To start out, I’ll play… Call of the Mummy.”

She fit the card into her Disk, and the Continuous Spell Card appeared.

“Now, I’ll use its effect to Special Summon Vampire Lady.”

She played the card, and the sultry vampiress appeared. (1,550/1,550)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0131.jpg


“Next, I’ll Normal Summon Blood Sucker.”

She played another card, and the fiendish, horned Zombie appeared. (1,300/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh_premium_pack_8_pp8_jp004.jpg


“And that’s all for now…”

Olga chuckled a little.

“What’s so funny?” asked Chelsea.

Olga pointed to the huge bell overhead.

“Seems we have a few bats in this belfry!” she laughed.

Everyone groaned.

“Anyway…” she continued.

She drew a card and looked at it.

“See this?” she said. “It’s a special Monster called Zeradias, Herald of Heaven. And his effect activates when I discard him…”

She slipped the card into her discard slot.

“By sending Zeradias to the Graveyard, I get to pull a Spell Card from my deck…”

She took a card from her deck. She held it in front of her.

“This one, in fact.”

“The Sanctuary in the Sky?” said Chelsea, with a look of surprise.

“The one and only,” said Olga, opening the Field Slot of her Disk. “Let’s move out of this grim gearbox.”

As she played the card, brilliant light permeated the whole chamber, and everyone couldn’t see for a second…

When the light came back, everyone was standing on an enormous cloud. Behind Olga loomed a giant, ancient, stone temple with arches, pillars, and a glowing spire – the Sanctuary itself. Overhead was a sky of sapphire blue, and the sweet smell of saffron filled the air.

“Lovely…” muttered Ren. “We saw Sam duel a guy who used this place on television. Zerato is a tough customer.”

“That’s far from the only way this Field Spell can be used, Ren,” said Anastasia. “The Field Spell itself keeps Olga from losing Life Points from any battle involving her Fairies. And there are many, many cards besides Zerato that need this Field to function.”

“Moving right along…” said Olga, “I summon Nova Summoner.”

She played a card, and a creature appeared in a burst of light. It wasn’t humanoid at all; it looked like an orange wreath with green ribbons, and a pair of feathered wings. (1,400/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston_en0651.jpg


“Attack her Blood Sucker! Nova blast!”

Nova Summoner glowed, and shot a beam of pure light at the Zombie. It was reduced to dust.

“I set a card facedown, and end my turn,” said Olga.

A facedown card appeared on the cloudy surface.



(C: 7,900) -------------------- (O: 8,000)


Chelsea frowned as she drew a card. She looked at it.

Aw, Symbol of Heritage? she thought. Just what I didn’t need…

“Vampire Lady, attack her Nova Summoner!”

Vampire Lady flew at the strange Fairy, and with one slash of her claw, it shattered to pieces.

“Thank you!” said Olga, with a grin. “Nova Summoner’s effect is triggered when it’s destroyed in battle. Now I get to summon a new Monster from my deck…

“Normally, it would have to be a Light Fairy with 1,500 Attack Points or less…

“But since we’re in the Sanctuary, I get to summon someone much more powerful…”

A radiant light appeared in front of Olga…

“I call forth Airknight Parshath!”

The creature that appeared was a winged centaur, his human half dressed in blue armor and a bishop’s miter that was adorned with feathered wings. He held a glowing sword in his right hand, and a large, decorated shield in his left. (1,900/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-062.jpg


“Whoa…” muttered Sam. “Airknight Parshath is one of the rarest and most sought-after Fairies that are out there…”

Olga grinned.

Maybe so… she thought, but in my deck, there lurks a gift my father gave me that’s even rarer, which most duelists don’t even know about… Of all the material things he gave me, none of them has more value…

I’ll use it in this duel… And maybe the love he showed me will break the spell…

Chelsea sighed.

“I have to end my turn…” she said.

Olga chuckled as she drew a card.

“I summon The Agent of Creation – Venus,” she said.

She played a card, and a new celestial form appeared. It was a woman in a brown robe, with long, chestnut hair, with large, white, feathered wings. Her eyes were closed, and her arms were crossed over her chest. Three glowing orbs, one blue, one red, and one purple, hovered in a triangular pattern in front of her. (1,600/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0081.jpg


“Venus… wipe out her Vampire Lady with searing orbs.”

The Agent of Creation glowed, and her orbs burned with fire. They shot at Vampire Lady, who screamed as she was incinerated.

“Airknight, attack Chels directly with holy blade!”

Parshath flew at Chelsea, and she screamed in pain as he made a slash across her torso with his sword. Chelsea held her chest…



(C: 5,950) -------------------- (O: 8,000)


“Now I get to draw one card,” said Olga, making a draw.

She added it to her hand.

“This sickens me!” shouted Ren. “A heretic like you has no right to be using these Monsters Olga!”

Olga looked at him with a hurt expression.

“Heretic?” she asked. “Me?”

Ren looked at her.

“I thought…” he said.

Olga closed her eyes and reached into her shirt, and took something out that was hanging around her neck…

She was wearing a gold cross on a chain.

“But…” said Ren.

“Rasputin is my legal guardian…” muttered Olga, “but no-one ever said I had to believe in his views.”

Ren was more embarrassed than he had been in years.

“Scuse me…” he said. “I’m going to go throw myself off the Clock Tower…”

“Get back here!” shouted Erik, grabbing him.

“I end my turn,” said Olga.

“All right!” shouted Chelsea. “Draw!”

She drew a card.

“That’s it…I play Graceful Charity.”

She played the card, and the lovely angel appeared, looking more at home than ever in the Sanctuary.

Chelsea drew three cards and looked at them.

She thought for a minute. Then she discarded Vampire Bat and Pumpking.

“Now I summon another Vampire Lady,” she said.

She played the card, and Vampire Lady appeared again. (1,550/1,550)

“Sorry, Chelsea, I can’t let you,” said Olga.

Her facedown card lifted.

“I activate Light of Judgment. Since we’re in the Sanctuary, I simply need to toss one of my Light Monsters…”

She discarded an Absorbing Kid From the Sky.

“And your Vampire is destroyed.”

A beam of pure light blasted from the Sanctuary’s spire. Vampire Lady was atomized before she could even scream.

Chelsea chuckled.

“That’s what I figured your facedown card was, Olga,” she said. “I’m not dumb…

“And since I never said I was using Call of the Mummy to make that summon, I’m using it now to summon Vampire Lord.”

She played the card, and the powerful Vampire appeared in a burst of darkness. (2,000/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/drc_000_1st.jpg


“Sneaky…” muttered Olga.

“Destroy Airknight Parshath!” she shouted. “Children of the night!”

Vampire Lord lifted up his cape, and the swarm of bats shot at Parshath. He groaned before bursting into pixels.

“I may not be able to use his effect,” said Chelsea, “but at least your Parshath’s gone.”

“Poor, poor Chelsea…” said Olga. “You made the mistake everyone makes…”

“What?” asked Chelsea.

“Everyone thinks that Parshath is the greater threat, so they always aim for him first. They never consider that the other Monster on my side of the field might be the more dangerous one.

“Anyway, is that your move?”

Chelsea slowly looked at The Agent of Creation…

“Uhm…” she said. “I place two cards facedown, and then activate Mirage of Nightmare.”

Two facedown cards appeared, followed by the Mirage card.

“Now I’m done…”

Olga drew.

The Mirage card glowed. Chelsea drew four cards.

“Now I activate Emergency Provisions,” she said.

A facedown card lifted up, and the Spell Card glowed. Mirage of Nightmare and her other facedown card, revealed to be Symbol of Heritage, were consumed by a wave of energy.

“And I activate Venus’s effect,” said Olga. “I pay 500 Life Points, in order to Special Summon a Mystical Shine Ball.”

Venus’s eyes opened, and they glowed with golden light. With a soft glow, a sphere of pure, soft light appeared out of the clouds. Venus reached out with her hand, and pet the sphere as if it were a beloved puppy. (500/500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0041.jpg


“Now to get serious!” shouted Olga. “I sacrifice both my Monsters…”

Venus and the Shine Ball vanished, and the wind started to pick up… A storm was brewing in the celestial realm…

Someone powerful was coming…

She emerged from clouds, surrounded by a burning aura of radiant energy. Her beauty was beyond words, with wings of pure silver, and a long, white robe.

Guardian Angel Joan had come. (2,800/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-0871.jpg


Chelsea looked at the mighty seraphim, with fear in her eyes…

“Joan…” commanded Olga, “smite Vampire Lord with searing light of Heaven!”

Joan’s eyes glowed with pure light, and a blast of divine flames shot at the vampire. He screamed, and was blown to pieces.

“And due to Joan’s effect,” said Olga, “all of your destroyed Monster’s Attack Points are now added to my Life Points…”



(C: 6,150) -------------------- (O: 9,500)


“All right, I’ve had enough!” shouted Ren. “Spill it, Olga!”

“Spill what?” asked Olga.

“The Cyber Angels I could understand…” said Ren. “The Valkyries I could understand… But this Sanctuary Deck I simply do not understand!

“Olga, is there something you want to tell us? If something terrible is waiting for you should Rasputin win the night, why don’t you just leave him?”

“He’s got a point, Olga,” said Sam. “This deck is not what someone would be using unless she was opposing Rasputin. If you give yourself up and agree to help us, my mother could tell the authorities to be easy on you. She has a great deal of power.”

Olga shook her head.

“I can’t…” she said. “This duel must finish, no matter how anyone feels. Myself included.

“I’d love to tell you why, but I can’t. Suffice to say, it’s too late.

“So make your move, Chelsea.”

Chelsea drew a card.

She frowned. She placed a card on her Disk, and a Monster appeared in Defense Mode.

“Go ahead…” she said.

Olga made a draw.

“I summon Freya, Spirit of Victory,” she said.

The Fairy that appeared next was a little surprising. She had silver hair, with a rose in it, and was dressed in a blue blouse. She wore gold bracelets and bangles, and carried two red objects in her hand that looked like pom-poms. (100/100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston_en0641.jpg


“A cheerleader?” said Erik. “What the…”

She did indeed seem to be a cheerleader, because she started to cheer and jump about as a cheerleader would. As she did, Joan’s stats rose to (3,200/2,400), while Freya’s own stats turned to (500/500).

“Freya’s job is to provide morale to the celestial armies,” said Olga. “Yes, she’s a cheerleader, but she’s more powerful than most, because her cheers strengthen all Fairies on the field, giving them 400 more Attack and Defense Points.

“And if you think you can take her out easily because she has weak scores, think again. You can’t attack her so long as I have at least one other Fairy on my side of the field.

“Now, back to what I was doing…

“Joan, attack her Monster!”

Joan shot her divine flames at the facedown Monster. Zombie Werewolf appeared, and was burned to a crisp.

“And again, its Attack Points go into my Life Points,” said Olga.

“And I get to summon another Werewolf,” said Chelsea.

Another Werewolf appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,700/1,200)

“I end my turn,” said Olga.



(C: 6,150) -------------------- (O: 10,700)


Chelsea drew a card.

She muttered something under her breath, and then fit two cards into her Disk. Two facedown cards appeared behind Zombie Werewolf.

“Go ahead,” she said.

Olga drew a card.

“Father…” she whispered, as she looked at it.

She added it to her hand and chose another one.

“I play Awakening From Beyond,” she said. “Now, you get to draw two cards. In exchange for that, I get a Monster back from my Graveyard.”

Chelsea shrugged. She made two draws, and a card slipped out of Olga’s discard slot.

“Think I’ll go with my old friend Zeradias,” she said. “Now I’ll summon him.”

She played the card, and a powerful looking figure appeared next to Joan. It was a male angel with emerald-colored wings, a white jacket and blue trousers, wearing a winged helmet and holding a halberd. His eyes glowed with a divine light. (2,100/800) –> (2,500/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/fotb-en0181.jpg


“Oh come on…” said Ren. “A Level Four Monster with an Attack Score that high has to have some sort of catch…”

“Mmm, yeah, he has a catch…” replied Olga, “but I’m not saying what it is just yet.

“Zeradias, attack Zombie Werewolf with righteous blade.”

The Herald of Heaven flew at the Werewolf, and slashed at him with his halberd. He shattered into shards.

Chelsea waved her hand, and a third Werewolf appeared. (2,200/1,200)

“Guardian Angel Joan, take out the last one.”

Joan’s hands glowed…

“Enough!” shouted Chelsea. “Go, Red Ghost Moon!”

Her Trap Card flipped up, and she threw the Curse of Vampire in her hand into the Graveyard. Joan’s blast was halted by an eerie mist, as the spooky harvest moon rose over the field.

“Now your attack is deflected,” said Chelsea, as she glowed with orange light, “your Battle Phase ends, and I’m the one who gains Life Points.”



(C: 9,350) -------------------- (O: 10,700)


“So you do,” sighed Olga. “In that case, I end my turn.”

Next round, she thought, I can sacrifice Freya and Zeradias for my true star…



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Chelsea whipped a card off her Disk.

“All right…” she said. “Time to turn this duel around…”

She played a Spell Card.

“Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!”

She played the card, and the Cyclone tore across the field. The Sanctuary behind Olga crumbled into a pile of rubble, and then vanished, and the clouds and sky faded away.

Zeradias fell to his knees, and the feathers on his wings molted, falling to the ground. He shattered into pixels.

“Seems like we found the catch,” said Erik. “He can’t survive without the Field Spell.”

“Looks like you’re not invincible anymore,” said Chelsea. “Now, I activate Call of the Haunted.”

A coffin floated onto the field. It opened, and Vampire Lord stepped out. (2,000/1,500)

“Now I’ll get rid of him, to summon Vampire Genesis!”

Vampire Lord faded away, and the mighty king of Vampires appeared in an explosion of dark energy. (3,000/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd2-en001.jpg


“Joan is still stronger,” said Olga.

“Not for long…” said Chelsea. “I summon Vampire Bat, to bring some more bats to this belfry.”

She played the card, and a swarm of bats flew through the chamber. They formed into one large bat. (800/800)

Vampire Genesis rose to an Attack Score of 3,200, Zombie Werewolf rose to 2,400, while Vampire Bat rose to 1,000.

“Lovely,” said Olga. “Now we have a standoff…”

Chelsea played another card, and Premature Burial appeared.

“I summon my second Vampire Bat from the Graveyard!” she shouted.

Another swarm of bats flew from behind Chelsea, forming into a second huge bat. (800/800)

The scores of all the Zombies rose again, Genesis rising to 3,400, Zombie Werewolf to 2,600, and the two Bats to 1,200 each.

“It’s not a standoff anymore,” said Chelsea. “I hate to do this, but… Vampire Genesis, attack Guardian Angel Joan!”

Vampire Genesis flew at Joan in crimson shroud form, hitting her dead center. Joan gasped, and then vanished into sparkles of light.

“Zombie Werewolf, attack her Spirit of Victory!”

Freya gulped, and then covered her head as Zombie Werewolf lunged at her. With one slash of a claw, she was gone.

“This might sting a little...” said Chelsea.

Olga gulped…

She screamed louder than ever as two swarms of bats assaulted her. She fell to her knees.



(C: 8,550) -------------------- (O: 5,800)


“And that ends my turn…” said Chelsea.

Olga looked at her opponent and growled.

She got up. She drew a card.

She played the card, and the Pot of Greed appeared on the field. She drew two cards.

She took another card from her hand and showed it to Chelsea.

“Aw, naw!” shouted Chelsea.

Olga played the card, and the bright light engulfed the room. After a few seconds, The Sanctuary in the Sky had reappeared, as good as new.

“I never thought I’d dislike Heaven so much…” muttered Chelsea.

She turned to Anastasia.

“Kidding…” she quickly said. “I’m sure it’s a great place…”

“Can we continue?” asked Olga. “First thing’s first… I’m going to summon Airknight Parshath again.”

“Huh?” asked Chelsea. “You’re going to use Monster Reborn to bring him back when you could bring back Joan?”

“No,” said Olga. “I can’t bring him back from the Graveyard. But I just drew my second one.”

Everyone stared at Olga.

“No… way…” said Chelsea. “Your deck has two copies?”

Olga shook her head.

“Three,” she said.

“THREE?” screamed Sam. “Oh, this isn’t fair! Just because you work for someone as rich as Rasputin doesn’t mean you have the right to have three copies of a card that most duelists can’t get even one of!”

“First of all, there’s no rule that says I don’t have the right,” replied Olga, quietly. “Secondly, I already told you, Rasputin had nothing at all to do with this deck.

“So anyway, I play the Spell Card, Celestial Transformation. This lets me Special Summon a Fairy from my hand, so long as I cut his Attack Score in half.”

She played the card, and Airknight Parshath appeared again. (1,900/1,400) –> (950/1,400)

“What’s the point?” asked Chelsea. “Now he isn’t even strong enough to destroy one of my bats…”

Olga chuckled.

“According to legend,” she said, “when the cherub that would one day be called Airknight Parshath first appeared in the Higher Plane, he was taken under the wing – literally and figuratively – of a powerful celestial lord. This mighty seraphim became his mentor, teaching him the ways of divine warfare and powerful sanctified magic.

“Eventually, the student was given the title of Airknight, and the teacher retreated to the most remote reaches of the Higher Plane, to be alone to study philosophy and the secrets of the universe.

“But it is said that he will return, should his old student require help…

“It’s a card my father gave to me, and I can Special Summon the mentor by sacrificing the student. I sacrifice Airknight Parshath…”

The Airknight vanished in a sparkling mote of energy.

“…to summon Neo-Parshath the Sky Paladin!”

Lightning flashed…

A very large form flew out of the clouds. He resembled Airknight at first glance, although twice the size, with far more majestic armor. His much bigger wings were attached to his body via a harness of shining brass, and like his student, he was armed with a glowing sword and shield. His eyes were orbs of shining gold. (2,300/2,000)



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“I dunno…” said Chelsea. “I was kinda expecting a little more than 2,300 Attack Points…”

“There’s plenty more,” said Olga. “Neo-Parshath has both the abilities of his student, plus another one.

“And you’ll see it in a minute. I also summon Mudora.”

In another burst of light, another figure appeared. This one looked like a muscular human male with earthen-brown skin, wearing an Egyptian-style mask and headdress and carrying a scimitar. (1,500/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr-0761.jpg


“There’s a legend behind this individual too,” said Olga. “Originally, he wasn’t a Fairy at all, but a mortal warrior who perished defending a powerful Lord of the Higher Plane from a Fiend. Shinato had pity on him, and restored him to life, making him a divine avenger.

“And it shows, because for each Fairy that’s in my Graveyard now, he gains power… 200 more Attack Points apiece, to be precise, and there are nine of them there…”

Mudora glowed with energy, and his Attack Points shot up to 3,300.

“Mudora, strike down one of her Bats!” shouted Olga.

Mudora slashed with his Blade, and the Vampire Bat scattered into its component bats and vanished.

All three of Chelsea’s other Zombies lost 200 Attack Points.



(C: 6,450) -------------------- (O: 5,800)


“Now, my Sky Paladin attacks your other Bat…” said Olga. “Divine blade!”

Neo-Parshath made a mighty swipe with his sword, and the second Bat scattered and disappeared.



(C: 5,150) -------------------- (O: 5,800)


“Now,” said Olga, “due to his effect, I get to draw one card…”

She made a draw.

Then Neo-Parshath’s Attack Score started to rise. It went up to 2,950.

“HUH?” shouted Chelsea. “How did he get more points?”

“You notice his most powerful ability, I see,” said Olga. “When we’re in the Sanctuary, and my Life Points are higher than yours, his Attack Score is increased by the difference in our scores.

“I’ll place two cards facedown, and end my turn,” said Olga.

Two facedown cards appeared.

Chelsea drew a card.

I’ve got to take him out before his Attack Score gets any higher, thought Olga.

“Vampire Genesis, attack her Neo Parshath!” she shouted.

Genesis’s eyes glowed.

“Heh…” chuckled Olga. “You said ‘attack… too late to take it back…”

One of her facedown cards lifted.

“I activate Aegis of Gaia. Now my Life Points go up by 3,000.”

Chelsea nearly dropped the last card in her hand as Olga’s Life Points shot up, and surprise, Neo-Parshath rose to an Attack Score of 5,950.

“WHAT? shouted Chelsea.

“Too late to call off your Genesis’s attack…” said Olga.

Vampire Genesis burst into his crimson shroud and flew at Neo-Parshath…

“Go, Mystik Wok!” yelled Chelsea, playing the card she had just drawn.

Vampire Genesis vanished into grains of light before he reached the Sky Paladin. Olga frowned.

“Clever…” said Olga. “The old ‘sacrifice dodge’.”

“And I got 3,000 Life Points out of it too,” said Chelsea. “Which means your Neo-Parshath loses that many points.”

Neo-Parshath fell back to a score of 2,950

“He’ll get them back soon enough,” said Olga.

Chelsea sighed.

She looked at Zombie Werewolf.

If that guy has all of Airknight’s powers, she thought, moving Werewolf to Defense Mode will only make things worse.

“I end my turn…” she said.



(C: 8,150) -------------------- (O: 8,800)


“She can just trigger a Trap Card and gain 3,000 Life Points?” said Erik. “No fair!”

“Aegis of Gaia has a major downside,” said Anastasia. “As you can see, it’s a Continuous Trap. If Olga loses it, she takes 3,000 points of damage. It’s always a risk, but useful with many combos… As you just saw.”

Olga drew a card.

Hmm… she thought. Don’t really need this guy yet…

“Mudora, destroy her Werewolf!”

Mudora slashed at the wolfman. He howled, and shattered into bits.

Neo-Parshath grew to an Attack Score of 4,150.

“Neo-Parshath, attack Chelsea directly!”

The Sky Paladin flew Chelsea his blade. Chelsea screamed as the huge sword cut across her torso.

She gasped for breath. She had to hold herself to make sure she was still in one piece.

Neo Parshath grew to an Attack Score of 8,300.

“Eight-thousand, three-hundred?” shouted Sam. “That’s crazy!”

“Your move…” said Olga.



(C: 2,900) -------------------- (O: 8,800)


“Well…” said Ren, shaking his head. “Chelsea is in a predicament… Her side has been wiped out, and the only thing she has on the field is Call of the Mummy… This may be it…”

Chelsea drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed!” she shouted.

She played the card, and drew two cards.

“Call of the Mummy is all I need…” she said, looking at them.

She showed Olga the one of the cards she had drawn.

It was Penelope.

“So, Olga…” she said. “This gal has helped me out in this tournament so many times… It would be a shame if I didn’t bring her out for one more go…

“I use Call of the Mummy to summon Penelope, Lady of the Night!”

The clouds parted, and a light started to shine on her side of the field.

“Sorry, Chels, but I was well prepared for her,” said Olga.

Her last facedown card lifted.

“Black Horn of Heaven!”

A low tone, like a brass horn, sounded over the whole field.

“This Trap negates your Special Summoning, and sends Penelope to the Graveyard.”

The glowing aura shattered.

“It’s over, Chelsea,” said Olga.

Chelsea grinned.

“Oh, I couldn’t agree more…” she replied.

She flipped the other card in her hand around.

“Book of Life?” shouted Olga.

“Uh huh,” said Chelsea. “Go figure, huh?”

She played the card, and Guardian Angel Joan fell out of Olga’s discard slot. Mudora fell to an Attack of 3,100.

Penelope flew out, her eyes burning with light, and her staff glowing with golden fire. (1,000/200)

“There are eleven Zombies in my Graveyard right now,” she said, as Penelope rose to an attack of 5,500. “And then there’s her second effect…”

“Oh no!” screamed Olga.

Penelope raised her staff, and chanted. The Sanctuary and the Aegis of Gaia card were both smashed to pieces.

“Since you lost your Aegis,” continued Chelsea, “you take 3,000 points of damage.”

Olga screamed in pain as white hot flames erupted over her skin. She fell to her knees.

“And…” said Chelsea, “without your Field Spell, Neo-Parshath returns to his base Attack Score.”

A look of incredible anger appeared on Neo-Parshath’s face as he fell back to an Attack Score of 2,300.

“Penelope…” shouted Chelsea, “I know this might go against everything you believe in, but we really have no choice. Attack the Sky Paladin!”

Penelope leapt up, twirling her staff. She shot a beam of brilliant light at the Sky Paladin, and he exploded into a burst of pixels.

A tear slowly fell down Olga’s face.

“Father…” she muttered sadly.



(C: 2,900) -------------------- (O: 2,600)


“It’s your move, Olga,” said Chelsea.

Olga slowly got up. She drew a card.

She frowned. She placed a card on her Disk, and a Monster appeared in Defense Mode. Then Mudora knelt in Defense Mode and held his sword in his lap.

“That’s all,” she said.

Better be careful, thought Chelsea. The only Fairy I can think of with a Flip-Effect is Skelengel… But I should play it safe for now…

She drew a card.

Polymerization? she thought. Of all the worthless…

“Penelope, take out Mudora!” she shouted.

Penelope cast her Spell, and Mudora shattered into shards.

“That’s all I can do,” she said.

Olga drew a card.

“I play Pot of Avarice,” she said.

She played the card, and took both Airknights, Venus, Freya, and Nova Summoner from her Graveyard, and shuffled them into her deck.

She drew twice.

She smirked.

“Chelsea…” she said. “Believe it or not, I was prepared for Penelope in more ways than one…

“If Yumi were awake, she’d recognize the Spell Card I’m about to play…

“I play Special Hurricane!”

She played the card, and then discarded a Cestus of Dagla from her hand. A storm blew through the gear housing, and Penelope struggled against it. After a few seconds, she shattered into bits.

“No…” gasped Ren. “She beat Penelope again!”

“Next,” said Olga, “I flip my facedown Monster to Attack Mode. Meet Radiant Jeral.”

The card flipped, and a very weird Monster appeared. It looked more like a robot than a Fairy, squat, bulky, and saucer-shaped, with no limbs, made of a glowing, almost translucent substance. It had something on its top that might have passed for a head, with three orbs that suggested eyes. It suggested, basically, a cross between an angel and R2D2. (1,000/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ston-en0661.jpg


“Attack Chelsea directly!” ordered Olga.

Radiant Jeral’s eyes glowed, and a blast of energy fired from them, striking Chelsea in the stomach.



(C: 1,900) -------------------- (O: 2,600)


Olga chuckled.

“So, Chelsea…” she said. “I guess from this point on, it’s a matter of luck. We both don’t have much… No cards on the field except a weak Monster on my side, and nothing good in our hands, or you would have used one last turn… So it all depends on who’s luck is better.

“Will it be you, or will it be me?”

Chelsea drew a card.

She showed it to Olga.

Olga sighed.

“It’s you…” she muttered.

Chelsea played the card, and the holy ankh of Monster Reborn appeared. Penelope appeared on the field once again. (1,000/200) –> (5,500/200)

“Penelope…” shouted Chelsea, “attack Radiant Jeral!”

Penelope cast her spell, and Olga shielded herself as the mighty blast hit her Monster. Olga fell to her knees.



(C: 1,900) -------------------- (O: 0)


Olga bowed her head. She slowly got up.

“Okay, Olga,” said Chelsea. “Let’s have some serious answers.”

“Can’t give them,” said Olga, looking towards the wall behind her. “You might learn soon, but not from me…”

She started to walk towards the clock face on the wall.

“Olga?” said Chelsea. “What are you doing?”

Olga didn’t answer.

She unlatched the maintenance door on the clock face that opened to the outside…

“NO!” screamed Chelsea. “Olga, don’t do it! Olga, it isn’t that bad!”

“What?” shouted Ren.

“Guys, she’s committing suicide!” screamed Chelsea. “She’s going to jump off the ledge! Grab her!”

They all ran to the clock face, as Olga darted out the door. Enrique was the first to get there.

He stopped.

“She’s… she’s gone…” he said.

He looked down.

“Que?” he said. “I… I don’t see her body down there…”

Everyone looked out the door. They looked down, and then to each side.

“Where’d she go?” asked Erik.

“You got me…” said Sam. “She couldn’t have just flown away…”

She paused.

“Could she have?”

Chelsea turned away from the door, holding her head with worry.

“People, this is turning more complex by the minute…” she said.

She sighed.

“But stay alert… If the cycle continues like this, Nicholas is coming out next, and he probably changed his deck too…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Things were not looking very good for Janustein at the moment…

He had nothing on his side of the field right now, and he was down to 2,000 Life Points.

Zovarik had his full total of 8,000 Life Points, a facedown card, plus two Blindly Loyal Goblins. (1,800/1,500 x2)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_022.jpg


Still, Janustein didn’t feel any worry or fear as he drew a card. He only felt anger towards the creature that was in front of him.

“I play… Card of Sanctity!” he shouted, playing the card. “Now, ve must both draw until ve both hold six cards.”

Zovarik growled as he made four draws.

“Fine, fine,” growled the demon. “You’re only helping me…”

“Am I?” asked Janustein. “According to mein count, your deck is now down to seventeen cards.”

“That’s more than I need to finish you, Heinrich!” shouted the demon.

“Ve vill see,” said Janustein. “I throw four cards facedown, und summon Kozaky.”

He played five cards. Four facedown cards appeared in flashes of light, and then a fiendish creature wearing a lab coat, shirt, tie, and spectacles appeared in front of them. (400/400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0581.jpg


“Kozaky?” said Zovarik with a chuckle. “You couldn’t do any better than that?”

“Ze move is yours,” said Janustein. “If you think you have ze advantage, make it.”

Zovarik drew a seventh card.

“I’ll move…” he said. “And you will lose… I play Zera Ritual! So I sacrifice my two Goblins…”

An evil-looking throne shaped like a demon appeared, with a sinister man wearing armor and a horned helmet sitting on it. The eyes of the throne glowed, and shot laser beams at the two Blindly Loyal Goblins, vaporizing them.

The man stepped off the throne, and was shrouded in a burning shadow. He started to change…

“I summon Zera the Mant!”

The transformation was complete. Standing in front of Zovarik was a hideous demon with a bony exoskeleton, huge claws, and a face resembling a cross between a skull and a crocodile. It wore a long, purple cape with a high collar. (2,800/2,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/pp1_en011.jpg


“I’m not really sure what this guy’s title means,” said the demon, “but he’ll do… Zera, crush his Kozaky! Jagged claw attack!”

Zera the Mant lunged at the much smaller fiend.

“You trigged my Trap!” shouted Janustein. “Go, Negate Attack!”

His facedown card lifted up.

“I expected as much, Janustein!” laughed the demon. “But guess what? You failed… You failed your wife, and you failed yourself!

“I activate… Dark Bribe!”

His own Trap Card lifted.

“Now you get to draw one card, but you’ll never use it, because your barrier is destroyed!”

“Fool…” said Janustein, with an angry look in his eye. “Didn’t you think I knew you still had three copies of zat in your deck? Just like last time…”

Another of his facedown cards lifted.

“I activate Counter Counter!”

“Huh?” said Zovarik. “Counter Counter? What the Hell is that?”

“It’s a Trap zat negates Counter Traps,” said Janustein, “vith no cost to me at all. I’ll gladly take your bribe…”

He drew a card.

“But you von’t get anything in return…”

The Dark Bribe card exploded into shards.

“So mein Negate Attack still holds…”

Zera’s claw slammed against an invisible shield.

“Bah!” shouted Zovarik. “Make your move…”

“Gladly,” said Janustein, drawing a card.

Another of his facedown cards lifted up.

“I activate, Secrets of the Gallant,” he said. “Now, I choose vun Normal Monster on mein side of ze field, und Kozaky qualifies. Und if zat Monster inflicts battle damage to you zis turn, you lose two cards from your hand.”

“And just how will that runt cost me any Life Points when I have Zera on the field?” asked Zovarik.

“Vith this Equip Spell,” said Janustein. “Ze incredible… Buster Rancher!”

Kozaky lifted his hands, and Zovarik stepped back in surprise as a huge weapon appeared in his hands. It was a laser gun three times as big as Kozaky.

“Buster Rancher can only be Equipped to Monsters zat have 1,000 Attack Points or less,” continued Janustein. “But, ven ze Equipped Monster battles a Monster in Attack Mode vith 2,500 Attack Points or more, or a Monster in Defense Mode vith 2,500 Defense Points or more, ze Equipped Monster gains 2,500 Attack Points!”

The huge weapon glowed, and Kozaky’s Attack Score shot up to 2,900.

“Attack Zera ze Mant!” shouted Janustein. “Buster blast!”

Kozaky pulled the trigger, and fired a thunderous shot. The fiendish researcher was knocked on his rump by the backlash, but Zera the Mant exploded into minute shards.

Zovarik frowned as his Life Points fell slightly, to 7,900. Then he growled, as two cards in his hand vanished, leaving him with three left.

“It’s my move, Heinrich!” he shouted.

He drew a card.

He grinned.

“I play a facedown, and then play Fulfillment of the Contract.”

A facedown card appeared, and his Life Points fell to 7,100 as Zera the Mant appeared again.

“My turn is over.

“Zen it’s my move…” said Janustein.

He drew a card.

“And my Trap Card activates!” shouted Zovarik. “Dust Tornado!”

His facedown card flipped up, and the Tornado tore across the field. The Buster Rancher flew from Kozaky’s hands and exploded.

Janustein looked at him.

He looked at his three cards.

“Good play…” he said. “Unfortunately, you aren’t going to get a next turn…”

“I play ze Spell Card, Contingency Fee. Now, you must draw until you have six cards in your hand.

“Und in exchange for zis generosity on my part, I gain 1,000 Life Points for each card you draw. How’s zat for a bribe?”

Zovarik growled as he drew four more cards and Janustein’s Life Points went up to 6,000.

“Vant more?” asked Janustein, playing another Spell Card. “I play… Card Destruction!”

Zovarik gasped.

He discarded his six cards, and drew six more cards. Janustein discarded his one card and drew one more.

“Now to finish you off…” said Janustein. “I activate mein last facedown card…”

His Quickplay Spell lifted.

“Serial Spell! Now, for the cost of every card in my hand, zis card copies the effect of ze last Spell Card I played, vich vas Card Destruction!”

He discarded his last card.

“But…” said Zovarik. “That means…”

“Zat’s right…” said Janustein. “You have to discard your hand und draw six more cards. Und I’m afraid zat’s exactly vun more zan you have left…”

The demon cursed in a foul language. He drew five cards, and when he tried to draw a sixth, there was none to draw.

Zera the Mant howled in pain, and collapsed with a crash before vanishing. Then Zovarik fell to his knees.

“Curse you, Heinrich…” he said, angrily. “I can’t get the book from you now… But you’ll never see your wife again…”

Janustein smiled.

He took something out of his shirt pocket.

It was the card that was holding Ludmilla prisoner.

“HOW?” screamed the demon.

“An incantation I learned from a magic user in Prague who called himself King of ze Pickpockets,” said Janustein. “Since thieves need to be silent while doing zeir craft, it’s a spell vith no words, only subtle hand gestures. I knew you vould never release her, so I had to stall in order to cast it… So I challenged you to a duel, knowing you vere too greedy to refuse.

“Und now, you vill have to explain to your master vy ze public execution zat you planned in order to intimidate your slaves must be called off…

“I vouldn’t be surprised if ze executioner’s next victim… is you…

“Begone…”

Zovarik screamed. He tried to lunge at Janustein, but the human body he had possessed collapsed, and he was forced to flee in the same shadowy form.

The card in Janustein’s hand glowed with purple energy… With the demon gone and only the magical wards of Law and Good in the lab present, the evil spell cast by the demon was quickly being eroded. He watched as the chains on the card crumbled into dust…

Then, in a burst of energy, the image on the card vanished, and a human form collapsed on the floor at Janustein’s feet…

It was Ludmilla. She was dressed in rags and covered with filth, but Janustein could never forget her face. Tears welled in his eyes.

“H-Heinrich?” she gasped.

Janustein bent down and hugged his wife gently.

“Ludmilla…” he said. “Try not to talk… I’ll get you to the infirmary quickly…”

“Heinrich…” sobbed Ludmilla. “You shouldn’t have wagered that book! If you had lost… The things those monsters could have done with it…”

“Ludmilla, please, try not to talk,” said Heinrich, holding her close.

He sighed.

“I was bluffing in order to save you… The Book of Lies… I destroyed zat awful thing years ago.

“I feared I’d be too tempted to use ze information in it myself… And I knew how dangerous it would be if someone like him ever came looking for it…”


Two important events have happened in the same instant. A great demon hunter has been rescued from imprisonment. But on the end of the younger generation, a far more strange bit of information has surfaced. What secret does Olga hold, and how can they use it, if at all? The horrible night continues, as the Queen of Games still sleeps soundly…



CONTINGENCY FEE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A masked assassin drawing a knife from a sheath.

Card Description: Your opponent draws cards from his deck until his hand consists of six cards. For each card that was drawn, increase your Life Points by 1,000.

Note: “Contingency Fee” was first used by Mad Dog in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “No Pain, No Game”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



AWAKENING FROM BEYOND (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A ghostly face superimposed over a group of coffins.

Card Description: Your opponent draws two cards. Select one Monster Card from your Graveyard and add it to your hand.

Note: “Awakening From Beyond” was first used by the Pharaoh in the original anime episode “The Final Duel (Part Three)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Chelsea: Be careful people… Nicholas is coming next… Who knows what he’s planned…

Ren: They won’t wear us all down too… I’ll handle him… We have to guard Yumi until she wakes up…

Anastasia: Stand strong people… As midnight approaches, the evil surrounding the island grows stronger… The time for Rasputin’s final strike grows closer…

We must prepare our final stand. Yumi’s strength is almost restored.

Coming up next, “Ren versus Nicholas; Turnabout.”

Take him down Ren, and Rasputin and his strange ally will have no choice but to face us…

[jkBAKURA]

“Attack her Blood Sucker! Nova blast!”

Ahh, that certinly brought back memories of a big ornge dinosaur with a skull on his head, and I'm not talking about Marowak.

Solid duel, and the first time I've seen Neo-Parshath in a fic. Well done, but seemed short, and though it fit Olga's personality probably the best of the three themes, it also seemed the blandest.

Parshath or not, there was too little else to make this more then just another Sanctuary deck.

Other then that, even Chelsea, my favorite duelist in the story, is getting slightly stale, and Penelope, as nice of a card as she is, has now officially been overused as the killing blow.

Story-wise, I'm starting t like it a bit more, and it will be nice to see Ren again, who seems to be the only duelist left in my mind that can still provide something new.

Between Spellcasters, Warriors, Fiends and Zombies, there have been enough Dark monsters to last a person a while hasn't there? Was that planned, or just how it ended up?

[Dark Sage]

Yeah, that was kind of how it ended up. Dark is the Attriubute of a lot of themes these days, and that's the way it fell with four of the main characters. I didn't set out to make a Dark theme with the main characters, but it sort of happened.

Anyway, maybe Chelsea has been using Penelope as her finisher too much. You'll be pleased to know that, in the sequel she won't use her as a crutch so often. She'll still have Penelope in her deck, but she'll find new ways to win more often than not. She'll also have a new way to use Penelope that she won't know existed until sometime into the story.

Intriguing? Well, I won't spill the beans just yet. Unfortunately, this was Chelsea's last duel in "Sorcerer Kings". All of her fans will just have to wait.

[Shuppet Master]

Chelsea was my favorite character too! It was nice seeing Olga and Chelsea fight. But something tells me we'll see Olga again.

Also, the duel between an Eliminator and a demon isn't too bad, especially when the Eliminator is an expert on demons. I remember playing "Pools of Darkness" and that glabrezu and Kayestes the Marilith were insanely difficult! Then the final battle... omg. Trust me, it would take "The Guy" to beat that army.

[Mystic_clown]

Well, for one thing, it's good to see the other sanctuary monsters apart from the agents and zerato seeing playtime (in fact, this is probably the first time I've seen them in play), but yeah, as Bakura said, Penelope has pretty much just been overdone as the finisher. The instant I read the name Penelope I knew the duel was over.


“This sickens me!” shouted Ren. “A heretic like you has no right to be using these Monsters Olga!”

I knew someone was going to say something along those lines, and it just made me want to punch Ren in the head. Angels aren't sinless you know.

I must admit I'm curious as to what deck Nicholas will be using.

[Dark Sage]

A disclaimer, just to be safe.

In the following chapter, the antagonist quotes a line that was made by a very respected celebrity. It may seem wrong of him to use the words of such a person, and that is true.

Keep in mind, I have nothing but respect for the man that he quotes from. The fact that the antagonist in this chapter uses one of his quotes is not meant as any attack towards him or his ideals at all. This would not be the first time a villain quotes from someone with far greater morals than he. The reason I used the quote was, it was the best one that fit.

On to the chapter.




CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX



Ren versus Nicholas



Turnabout



The cloud cover over Duelatopia was thick now, but it had lessened a bit. The number of possessed Ascenders had shrunk down considerably. A few of the less powerful demons were starting to abandon their hosts, thinking they would make an excuse when they got home. Among demons, loyalty was never a very big trait.

A few powerful ones and a few egotistical ones had remained behind.

Right now, in the Entertainment District, one of them was in trouble, and he knew it. He had erected an energy barrier of sorts to keep his opponent – who happened to be Tucker – from getting away. However, he didn’t know what he was going to do once the duel ended, whether he was victorious or not. No less than ten Centurions had weapons pointed at him from outside the barrier, ready to fire as soon as they detected the slightest weakening in it.

However, his pride was so great, that he would not surrender. He was determined to win this duel, even if it meant dying once he did.

As far as the situation went, he had a Cocoon of Evolution on his side of the field in Defense Mode (0/2,000) that had been on the field for four rounds, and it was Equipped with Mist Body. He also had two facedown cards (Tucker was almost certain that one of them was Judgment of Anubis). Tucker had three Ancient Gear Soldiers (1,300/1,300 x3) and one Ancient Gear Beast (2,000/2,000) all in Defense Mode. Tucker had 3,000 Life Points remaining, while his opponent had 3,500.

“You’re going down, mecha-man,” said the Ascender, drawing a card. “It’s time for my Moth to hatch.”

“Hold on!” shouted Tucker. “It’s only been five rounds! I still have one more round!”

One of the Ascender’s facedown cards lifted up.

“I activate Pyro Clock of Destiny!” he shouted.

A large, stone clock with hands made of fire appeared in the air above him.

“This moves the turn count one round forward,” said the Ascender. “So my Cocoon counts as being on the field for six turns.”

The Cocoon of Evolution tore open, and a gargantuan creature burst out of it. It was a gigantic moth with a thirty-foot wingspan. (3,500/3,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tsc-001.jpg


“Meet my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth,” he said. “And now it’s going to turn your Beast into scrap.”

The huge Moth flapped its wings, causing a virtual hurricane. Ancient Gear Beast exploded into slag.

“I place a card facedown, and end my turn.”

Tucker drew a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity,” he said.

C’mon, gimme something… he thought.

He drew three cards.

Lovely… he thought, looking at them. NOW I draw Offerings to the Doomed. But that card he just set is clearly My Body as a Shield…

He looked at his other cards.

Hey… Dare I try it?

Well, I’m not getting any younger…

He discarded two of his cards.

“You might as well throw in the towel,” said the Ascender. “Not even the Ancient Gear Golem could beat my Moth.”

“Not the normal Ancient Gear Golem, no…” said Tucker, slowly.

“Huh?” asked the Ascender.

Tucker played a Spell Card.

“I play… Magic-Gear!” he shouted. “This lets me sacrifice all my Ancient Gear Monsters on the field. So, I’ll sacrifice my three Soldiers…”

The three Ancient Gear Soldiers vanished.

“In return for that, I get to Special Summon three different Ancient Gear Monsters, one from my deck, two from my hand. And I can even disregard the summoning requirements.”

A veritable earthquake struck the field, and the Centurions watching leapt up in surprise, as three twenty-foot-tall titans burst out of the ground on Tucker’s side and loomed over the field. (3,000/3,000 x3)

The Ascender stepped back in shock.

“Th-th… three Ancient Gear Golems?” he said with a stutter.

Then he smirked.

“Well, unless you can make one of them stronger…” he said, nervously.

“I’m not going to make them stronger…” said Tucker with a sinister smirk. “I’m going to use them to build something stronger…

“I play Polymerization!”

He played the card, and all three Golems shattered into pieces of broken metal…

Then the pieces started to piece together…

“By combining my three Golems together, I can create the most lethal medieval Machine that was ever built…”

A dark form started to rise…

“The Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem!”

The creature that was now looming over the field was fully twice the size of Ancient Gear Golem. It was like a mechanical centaur, with four legs supporting a humanoid torso, giant, clawed arms, and gears, pistons, and spikes all over its armor. (4,400/3,400)

The Ascender turned white…

Tucker grinned.

“You know…” he said, “in the days when the Ancient Gears were used as siege engines, this one didn’t see much use… The reason is painfully obvious… The mere sight of it was enough to send a whole army fleeing for their lives!

“Swat his Moth! Mega-mechanized melee!”

Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem’s mighty claw fell down, smashing Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth to pieces, causing the ground to shake. The Ascender shielded himself as his Life Points fell to 2,600.

“I’m not done with you yet!” shouted Tucker, taking the last card in his hand. “Next, I play… Offerings to the Doomed!”

“Say what?” asked the Ascender. “But… I have no Monsters left…”

“I know…” said Tucker, with a grin. “The Monster I’m going to destroy… Is my Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem.”

He played the card, and the colossus shattered into shards.

The Ascender laughed out loud.

“That was the dumbest, stupidest, most idiotic…” he laughed.

Then he stopped laughing…

The regular Ancient Gear Golem was now on Tucker’s side of the field. (3,000/3,000)

“My Ultimate Golem has a powerful effect,” said Tucker. “When it’s destroyed, I get to summon a normal Golem from my Graveyard.

“And since Offerings to the Doomed is a Quickplay, my Battle Phase continues…”

Ancient Gear Golem lifted its fist, and slugged the Ascender hard. He was thrown against the wall of the barrier as his Life Points fell to zero.

The barrier vanished as the black cloud fled from the Ascender’s body. The Centurions wasted no time rushing in.

“You okay?” said one of them to Tucker.

“I think so…” he said.

“I know it’s none of my business,” said the Centurion, “but where in the world did you get a card that rare?”

Tucker sighed and took the Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem out of his discard slot.

Rasputin, he thought, you were a snake… Controlling my mind, using me as a common assassin…

But… You gave me the cards to make my deck much stronger…

So I’ll consider us even.



* * * * * * * * * *


Rasputin watched nervously, as a tall form in the same room as him watched three scenes unfolding.

In one, they saw Olga vanish after losing.

In another, they saw Zovarik defeated and gotten the better of by Janustein.

In the third, they saw the scene where Tucker triumphantly won using his lethal Golem combination.

“Olga has deserted us,” said the figure, in a powerful voice.

“And just how is that my fault?” growled Rasputin. “Who could blame her? Maybe she thought her body would be snatched if she stayed around. I didn’t give you permission to have your friends steal the Ascenders’ bodies.”

“Don’t worry,” said the figure. “They’re strong, they’ll recover…”

“After having nightmares for months…” replied Rasputin.

“Whatever,” said the figure. “We needed a distraction. Perhaps you would have liked the Centurions to have tracked down Yumi and found her before she’d have gotten to where she is now. Or even worse, to have found you.

“Even worse, Rasputin, without them on the streets, the celestial forces would turn their attention here. They already know that demons are invading Duelatopia, but when they decide to act, they’ll send forces to the streets, and leave us alone. Believe me, Rasputin, you haven’t known fear until you’ve faced the holy swords of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa! If you want them pounding on the door of this keep, I’ll gladly release the Ascenders and tell all my allies to go home.”

Rasputin glared at her.

“Well, you’ve been a big help,” he said, angrily. “I don’t know why he wanted me to work with you if all you’re going to do is stand around…”

He stopped short as the figure glared at him.

“Soon,” said the figure. “You see, Rasputin, most predators have three aspects to the hunt… Stalk, chase, and kill.

“My people add another… Stalk, chase, terrify, and kill. The prey has been stalked… We’ve chased, and we’ve caught. But not enough terror has been inflicted for a satisfying kill.

“Whether Nicholas succeeds in this matter or not, soon I will be able do more than just ‘stand around’. I don’t know why, but for some reason, that clock seems to be an epicenter of power on Duelatopia. Just a little while longer, and not even the Centurions with their miraculous technology will be a threat.

“Then I might go and handle them myself… All we truly need at this point is Yumi. Then we can dispose of the others, leave before the higher powers show up, and sink this island to the bottom of the ocean for all I care.

“Until then… Let’s simply watch.”



* * * * * * * * * *


The clock faces read eleven-thirty.

Chelsea knelt over Yumi.

“Poor Yumi…” she muttered. “Why won’t you wake up?”

Yumi muttered something in her sleep, and her hand moved.

“Guys… guys!” shouted Chelsea. “She’s moving!”

“Well, it’s something…” said Ren. “Let’s hope it isn’t just a reflex…”

Anastasia looked at the clock with worry.

“Something wrong, Anne?” asked Sam.

“The evil seems to grow with each passing minute…” she said. “I might as well tell you…

“Demons are invading this island… Whatever their plans are, I don’t know. Clearly, Rasputin might have gotten in over his head.

“It isn’t a full-scale invasion like it was with Saurius, but a more subtle one.

“It’s almost as if…”

She paused.

It came to her…

The activity on the streets is just a diversion… she thought. The real danger is somewhere else.

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Vaguely, she saw an image. A temple made of glass, hovering in the night sky over the ocean…

But she had no idea what it was.

“I’ve got a question for everyone,” said Enrique, who didn’t even know about Anastasia.

He pointed to Louis, who was slumped against the wall, unconscious.

“How come he collapsed after losing, but Olga managed to run off?”

Everyone thought for a minute.

“Anne?” asked Ren.

“I don’t know…” she replied. “Clearly, something is amiss in this whole situation…”

The strange door appeared again.

“Everyone, look sharp!” shouted Ren.

They all got up to face the door as it opened.

As they expected, Nicholas walked out. He had a look of fury on his face as he slammed the door behind him.

“Where’s my sister?” he demanded. “Where is Olga?”

“We don’t know,” said Ren. “And if you’re looking for trouble, buddy, you’ve found it.”

Nicholas chuckled. He lifted his Disk.

“So, you want to defend Yumi,” he said. “Very well… But I won’t be as easy on you as Olga was with Chelsea. We’ll soon see how well your soft flesh stands up to hard metal!”

“Soft?” said Ren, activating his own Disk. “I work out every day… And that was really smart, advertising your strategy, Mr. Machine Duelist.

“And if you think I’m scared of any Machine Deck, think again. I took down three Satellite Cannons, after all.”

“Really?” said Nicholas, shuffling his deck. “I doubt you’ve seen any Machines like the type I have… This deck I’m using has cards that… Well, technically, I shouldn’t be using them. They’re cards from a style of dueling practiced only by a privileged few…”

He placed it in his Disk.

“But… I can handle them… It wouldn’t be the first time tonight that the taboos were broken.”

“Think you can take me?” asked Ren. “Just try it!”

The Disks activated.

Nicholas heard a voice in his head.

You know what to do, Nicholas, said the voice. Just keep them occupied for a while… I just need some time while I gain my full power. I’ll spare you should you lose, and you’ll get what you’ve wanted for so long…

Nicholas nodded.

“Game on!” he shouted.



(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Nicholas: 8,000)


Some sounds started coming from Yumi. She started moaning and crying.

“Yumi?” said Chelsea, who was still kneeling over her.

“We just have to hold them off for a little while longer,” said Ren, drawing his opening hand.

“Easier said than done,” said Nicholas, drawing his first card.

“To start, I’ll place a card facedown on the field.”

He fit a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

He stared at Ren.

“I end my turn…”

Ren gave him a strange look.

“What?” said Nicholas. “Something wrong?”

“No Monsters?” asked Ren, drawing a card. “This should be interesting…”

He looked at the card.

“I activate… Graceful Charity.”

He played the card, and the beautiful angel appeared.

But something was up this time. An expression was on her face that no-one could make out. It looked like a cross between worry and fear.

Ren slowly drew three cards. He looked over his hand.

He finally discarded Chthonian Soldier and Familiar Knight.

“All right…” he said. “I summon Dark Blade to the field…”

In a burst of shadow, the armored, Dark Warrior appeared. (1,800/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en062.jpg


“Next, I’ll play this…”

He fit a card into his Disk, and a familiar Continuous Spell appeared.

“Frontline Base?” asked Nicholas. “That Spell doesn’t scare me.”

“We’ll see about that,” replied Ren. “I’m using it to Special Summon Pitch-Dark Dragon.”

He played another card, and the smallish, Dark Dragon appeared. (900/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-008.jpg


“Like I said…” said Nicholas, taking a card from his hand, “it doesn’t scare me!”

He threw a card on his Disk.

“I summon Cyber Dinosaur in Attack Mode!”

There was an explosion of energy, and a huge robot T-Rex, made of silvery metal with sharp claws and fangs rose up on his side of the field. (2,500/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le09-jp001.jpg


“WHAT?” shouted Ren. “How could you summon that thing during my turn?”

“It’s Cyber Dinosaur’s special ability,” said Nicholas. “When you Special Summon a Monster from your hand, I get to Special Summon this one from mine.”

Ren paused.

“Well, that makes things harder…” he said. “Harder, but not impossible. I Equip Dark Blade with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade…”

He played the card, and Dark Blade’s swords vanished, replaced by a long, sharp katana. (2,600/1,500)

“Now I’ll combine him and Pitch-Dark Dragon!”

The Dragon bent down, and Dark Blade climbed on his back. (3,000/1,900)

“Dark Blade… Attack!”

Dark Blade flew into the air on his mount, and with one swipe of his sword, Cyber Dinosaur exploded in a blinding flash. Nicholas shielded himself from the burning debris.



(R: 8,000) -------------------- (N: 7,500)


“Score one for our side…” said Sam.

“Clever…” muttered Nicholas. “But it’s my draw now…”

He drew a card.

“I set another card facedown, and end my turn.”

A second facedown card appeared next to the first.

Ren looked at him strangely again.

“Okay, so you’re doing nothing but hiding behind Trap Cards,” he said, drawing a card. “Well then… It’s your funeral!

“I summon Getsu Fuhma!”

He played the card, and in another burst of darkness, the lovely female ronin appeared. (1,700/1,200)

“Actually, Ren,” said Nicholas, “I do have a Monster on the field… It’s just a special one…”

One of his facedown cards lifted, and a shadowy, ghostly form crept out of it.

“A Trap Monster?” said Chelsea.

“A very special Trap Monster called Cyber Shadow Gardna,” said Nicholas. “It’s a shadow Monster that will appear during your turns until you destroy it. And as far as its Attack Points go, it always has exactly the same Attack Points as whatever Monster that’s attacking it. Simply put, it can’t be defeated!”

“Oh, is that so?” asked Ren. “Well, I’ll fix you, smarty pants… I already thought up a way to beat it.

“Dark Blade… Separate from Pitch-Dark Dragon!”

Dark Blade leapt off of his steed, and fell to an Attack of 2,600.

“If your shadow Monster copies the Attack Score of the Monster that’s attacking it, I simply have to attack it with my weakest Monster.

“Pitch-Dark Dragon…”

The ghostly shadow changed shape, turning into a duplicate of Pitch-Dark Dragon. (900/600)

“…attack the Cyber Shadow Gardna!”

Two blasts of dark flames shot at each other. There was an explosion, and both Monsters were incinerated.

“Not bad…” said Nicholas. “That was pretty clever… But I have another Trap…”

His other facedown card lifted. It was a frightening picture of a woman fleeing into an alley, away from a monstrous beast.

“It’s called Byroad Sacrifice. Since my Monster was destroyed, I get to summon a Cyber Ogre from my hand.”

“Huh?” asked Ren. “What the heck is a Cyber Ogre?”

In an explosion of energy, a huge, hulking creature appeared on Nicholas’s side of the field. It suggested a robotic demon… Or a demonic robot. Whatever it was, it was ten feet tall, metal, and ugly. (1,900/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0041.jpg


“THIS is a Cyber Ogre,” said Nicholas.

“Ugh!” gasped Ren, looking at the metal Monster. “Hey, wait a minute… It only has 1,900 Attack Points… Dark Blade can take it apart…

“Dark Blade… destroy that ugly thing!”

The Warrior leapt at the huge Machine…

“I activate Cyber Ogre’s effect!” shouted Nicholas. “Which I can do by sending a second Cyber Ogre in my hand to the Graveyard.”

He quickly discarded a card. A glowing dome of force surrounded Cyber Ogre, and Dark Blade’s sword bounced off of it.

“It not only negates the attack of your Monster, but it increases the Attack Score of my Ogre by 2,000 points until the next time it battles.”

Cyber Ogre glowed with a fiery aura, and then rose to an Attack Score of 3,900.

Ren frowned and looked at Nicholas.

“All right…” he growled. “I end my turn…”

“Then I draw one card…” said Nicholas, making a draw.

“And I got just what I needed… First, I activate Premature Burial. I’ll bring back the second Cyber Ogre that I just discarded…”

He played the card, and another Cyber Ogre rose out of the ground. (1,900/1,200)

“Now…” he said. “I could wipe out both your Monsters with two attacks… But I’ve got a much better idea…”

“They say that two is greater than one… But with Cyber Ogres, combining two of them gives you something where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.”

He played another Spell Card.

“I play… Polymerization. Now I’ll fuse my two Cyber Ogres together.”

A dark vortex opened, and both of the Machines were swept up, and sucked through it.

“What the devil is he summoning?” said Enrique.

“Looks like we’ll find out…” said Erik.

The portal opened wider, and a huge, metal claw came out. The rest of the creature started to crawl out…

The Machine that emerged would have stood thirty feet tall if it stood upright. However, it had a metallic, snaky trunk in place of legs, and held itself up on its bulky, clawed hands. Its head was faceless and expressionless, and it was covered with sharp edges. The whole thing radiated one aura – strength. (2,600/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0361.jpg


“Meet Cyber Ogre 2,” said Nicholas. “Not a very original name, I’ll admit, but then, this guy is anything but subtle.

“So what are you gonna do now?”

“I can deal with it,” said Ren. “I’ve dealt with worse… And hate to break it to you, but that is NOT greater than the sum of its parts. If that were the case, its Attack Score would be over 3,800. As it is, its Attack Score is exactly the same as Dark Blade’s.”

“Only when it’s not attacking,” said Nicholas. “When it attacks, its effect activates, and it gains Attack Points equal to half the target’s Attack Score.”

“Cyber Ogre 2… Flatten his Dark Blade.”

The enormous Machine lifted its giant claw, and its Attack Score started to go up, rising until it stopped at 3,900. Its claw crashed down, crushing Dark Blade as both Ren and Getsu Fuhma cringed from the impact.



(R: 6,700) -------------------- (N: 6,700)


“Get the picture?” asked Nicholas, taking the last card in his hand. “In battle, this thing can defeat practically anything.

“I’ll set another Monster in Defense Mode, and that will be my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared next to Cyber Ogre 2.

Yumi started to moan louder and writhed in her sleep.

“Yumi?” said Chelsea. “Can you hear me? If you can hear me, say something…”

“Let’s hope she wakes up soon,” said Erik. “Ren needs all the support he can get at this point.”

“Ren is facing a formidable Monster, yes,” said Anastasia. “It can likely beat any Monster it attacks. Its weakness is, it can be destroyed in battle more easily when it’s being attacked, when its effect doesn’t activate. But Ren would somehow have to summon a Monster with at least 2,600 Attack Points.”

“Darn…” said Chelsea. “Even his Queen would only manage a draw… I wonder if he still has Litmus Doom?”

Ren drew a card. He looked at it.

Well, it’s worth a shot… he thought.

“I remove Chthonian Soldier from play,” he said, “to summon La Sombra!”

A card slipped out of his discard slot, and the sexy, masked, female buccaneer with a whip materialized on his side of the field. (1,800/1,000)

“Okay, Nick,” said Ren. “Now you have to draw one card…”

“I know how it works…” muttered Nicholas.

“All right!” shouted Chelsea. “If he draws a Spell, La Sombra can reduce that thing to a pile of scrap!”

Nicholas drew a card.

“All right,” he said, showing it to Ren. “It’s the Trap Card, Astral Barrier.”

Ren sighed.

“Not exactly what I hoped for…” he replied. “But at least that means she gets to attack you directly…

“La Sombra… Go!”

La Sombra leapt into the air, and slashed downward with her whip, lashing across Nicholas’s torso. He grunted and staggered backwards.

“I’ll move Getsu Fuhma to Defense Mode, and then end my turn.”

Getsu sheathed her sword, and then knelt in Defense.



(R: 6,700) -------------------- (N: 4,900)


I wonder why the heck he even has Astral Barrier? he thought. It doesn’t exactly fit in with the theme I’m seeing so far…

“My draw…” said Nicholas.

He drew a card.

“I activate Pot of Greed,” he said, playing the card.

He made two draws.

“Perfect,” he said. “Next, I play Mystik Wok. I’ll sacrifice my Ogre to boost my Life Points.”

He played the card, and Cyber Ogre 2 vanished into grains of light.

“But don’t think you or your whip maiden are safe. Because I’m playing Monster Reborn to bring him right back.”

The glowing ankh appeared, and Cyber Ogre 2 appeared on the field again.

He took the Astral Barrier card, and placed it in his Disk. A facedown card appeared.

“Cyber Ogre… Attack La Sombra!”

Cyber Ogre 2 lifted its claw, and its Attack Score rose to 3,500. It crashed down, squashing La Sombra flat. Ren cringed.



(R: 5,000) -------------------- (N: 7,500)


“Your move…” said Nicholas.

Ren quickly drew a card.

That’s it, he said, looking at the Spell Card.

“I sacrifice Getsu Fuhma, to summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!” he shouted.

Getsu vanished, and the stronger shadow Warrior appeared, holding her sword menacingly at the huge machine. (2,100/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0331.jpg


“Now I play… Rush Recklessly!”

He played the card, and Penumbral Soldier Lady’s Attack Score rose to 2,800.

“GO! Destroy his Cyber Ogre 2!”

Penumbral Soldier Lady leapt into the air, and sliced downward, cleaving the huge Machine down the middle. Sparks flew, and the giant metal beast exploded into a burst of slag.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Ren. “So much for that… I end my turn…”



(R: 5,000) -------------------- (N: 7,300)


Nicholas growled as he drew a card.

But then his face lit up as he saw what it was.

“Well, Ren…” he said. “You destroyed my Fusion Monster…

“But I can summon another one… And I think he may look familiar to you…

“The card I just drew is incredibly powerful and incredibly rare… There are only eight known copies, and until a few months ago, all eight were in the hands of the upper echelons of the Cyber Style of dueling…

“But Rasputin was able to procure a copy for me, seeing as the retired duelist who had it was careless about where he kept it. It works well when facing certain duelists. I was planning to use this against Yumi too, by the way… Call it retribution for the way she beat me in the finals.”

He played the card. It was a Spell Card with a grim picture of a glowing portal above a junkyard.

“It’s called Scrap Fusion. Now, I name one Fusion Monster that’s in your Fusion Deck, like Dark Blade the Dragon Knight. Since the two Fusion Material Monsters for it are in your Graveyard, they are now removed from play.”

Ren growled as Dark Blade and Pitch-Dark Dragon fell out of his discard slot.

“And then we get to the fun part,” continued Nicholas. “I get to summon the Fusion Monster… From YOUR Fusion Deck!”

In a burst of energy, Dark Blade the Dragon Knight materialized on Nicholas’s side of the field, holding his twin swords high. (2,200/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds-en0351.jpg


“You gotta be kidding…” said Ren.

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” asked Nicholas. “Dark Blade… attack Penumbral Soldier Lady.”

Dark Blade swooped at the female Warrior. She looked at him with an expression that seemed to ask, “Why?”

Then his blades hit her, and she burst into pixels.



(R: 4,900) -------------------- (N: 7,300)


“You’re gonna pay for that, Nicholas!” shouted Ren.

“It’s my move…”

He drew a card.

“And since you have me outnumbered two Monsters to none, I can now summon The Fiend Megacyber!”

In an explosion of energy, the armored, cybernetic Warrior appeared. (2,200/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/psv-100.jpg


“I’m not done…” he continued, taking the last card in his hand. “I’ll also summon Mataza the Zapper.”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



He played the card, and Mataza somersaulted onto the field, and drew his katana. (1,300/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ioc-0861.jpg


“You think I’m scared?” said Nicholas. “Dark Blade has exactly the same Attack Score as your Megacyber.”

“That’s the idea,” said Ren. “Fiend Megacyber, attack Dark Blade the Dragon Knight!”

“Huh?” said Nicholas.

The Megacyber looked at Dark Blade for a second. Then he shrugged, and charged at the mounted Warrior. Dark Blade charged at him in return…

Dark Blade’s sword and The Fiend Megacyber’s fist struck each other, and an explosion ripped through the field, eradicating both Monsters. Everyone watching cringed from the impact.

“Good grief!” shouted Erik. “He actually did it!”

Yumi started to moan even louder.

“I’m not done!” shouted Ren. “I’m going after your little mystery Monster next!

“Mataza, go!”

Mataza the Zapper charged at the facedown Monster with his katana drawn. The Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and the shadowy, one-eyed thing screamed and darted out before Mataza slashed it to ribbons.

“Thank you,” said Nicholas, discarding the card in his hand. “You’re too kind.”

“Yeah, well, that helped both of us,” said Ren, as they both drew five cards.

“And I’m not done! Mataza gets two attacks. So attack him directly!”

“Uh oh…” said Nicholas, as the ronin charged at him with his blade.

He shouted as the katana slashed across his chest.

Nicholas held his chest in pain as Ren looked over the five cards he had drawn.

“I’m ending my turn, Nicholas,” said Ren. “I can’t wait to see what comes next…”



(R: 4,900) -------------------- (N: 6,000)


Nicholas drew a sixth card.

“What next?” he asked. “I’ll show you…

“First, I’ll place a second card facedown. Then I’ll summon Nanobreaker.”

A facedown card appeared. Then the coldly beautiful, female android holding her glowing sword appeared. (1,600/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en018.jpg


“I could attack Mataza with her, but attacking you would be more effective.

“I’m going to wipe out your ronin by playing Soul Taker.”

He played a Spell Card, and a blast of energy shot at Mataza. He was blown to shards.

“You dirty…” muttered Ren.

“Read the fine print, Ren,” said Nicholas. “Soul Taker has a cost… Your Life Points go up by 1,000 now.”

Ren glowed with golden energy.

“But…” said Nicholas, “you aren’t keeping them… Nanobreaker, attack him directly!”

Nanobreaker leapt at Ren, and slashed at him hard with her blade. Ren grunted and took a step backwards.



(R: 4,300) -------------------- (N: 6,000)


“Still my turn,” said Nicholas. “I play… Dark Designator.”

“What?” asked Ren, catching his breath. “What are you up to?”

“You know how it works,” said Nicholas. “I name any Monster I can think of, and if it’s in your deck, you add it to your hand.

“And I name Crescent Moon Queen…”

Ren nervously looked though his deck until he found the card. He knew Nicholas wasn’t letting him have it because he was being generous…

“Next…” said Nicholas, with an evil grin, “I play… Exchange!”

“You son of a…” shouted Ren.

“No…” said Chelsea, sadly.

“You heard me,” said Nicholas, walking up to Ren’s position. “In case you haven’t caught on yet, kindly hand over the Queen.”

Ren grit his teeth as he gave him the card.

“Thank you,” said Nicholas. “Now I’m sure you’ll find this quite an… uneven trade, but those are the breaks…”

There was only one card left in Nicholas’s hand. It was Gift of the Martyr.

Ren angrily snatched it.

Nicholas chuckled.

“Well…” he said. “I’ve got your best card, and all it cost me was my Gift of the Martyr. Good luck finding a way to use it.”

“You’re nothing but a thief, Nicholas,” said Ren, as he walked back to his side.

“Nothing but a thief?” asked Nicholas.

He chuckled.

“I beg to differ… I’m a great thief!”

He paused.

“We all had our dreams, you know… I didn’t want to become a thief at first, when I was a poor boy on the streets of London. What I dreamed about at first was being a stand-up comic…”

“Don’t make me laugh!” shouted Ren.

Nicholas chuckled.

“Good one,” he said. “But when I found out how easy being a thief was, I figured that it was the best way to get ahead in the world.

“Allow me to quote from the great Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.:

“’If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’

“What Rev. King meant when he said that, wherever your lot falls in life, you should do it to the best of your ability, and be proud of your ability to do it.

“My lot fell to be a thief, so I set out to be one of the best. Maybe it wasn’t an honorable profession, but it helped me survive.

“You know… Being with Rasputin is a better life than what I had before… Most would agree to that. Instead of being some poor street rat, I’ve been heir to a criminal empire…

“But there’s a problem with being the heir to a man who desires immortality above all things… The problem is, you may never get your inheritance. Sure, he promised to share the immortality with me and Olga, but I didn’t want to live forever as a right-hand man. I mean, in America, everyone watches the World Series, but no-one remembers the teams that came in second place.”

“Uhm, well, I do,” said Erik. “Last year, it was Arizona and Boston…”

“DON’T interrupt me in the middle of a monologue!” shouted Nicholas.

“Well sor-ry!” muttered Erik.

“Anyway,” continued Nicholas, “I’ve been watching him gain power and wealth for a long time, with one goal in mind… Taking it from him once he reached the apex. Then the incredible power would be mine…”

“That’s terrible, Nicholas,” said Ren.

“Oh, is it?” asked Nicholas. “Come on, Ren, is it really that bad to steal from someone who didn’t get his own wealth honestly? What’s wrong with one thief stealing from another? At least I’m not hurting any honest folks anymore. Unlike Rasputin, who does it all the time. With all the pain he’s caused you, you should be glad I’m taking him down.

“And there’s more… The ambassador…”

“The one who made me dress like this?” shouted Sam, angrily.

Nicholas nodded.

“She gave Olga and me a glimpse of riches beyond compare…” he said. “Gold and jewels that the King of England couldn’t obtain. It will all be ours once the plan goes through… You were a fool for rejecting the position as her apprentice, Sam. Having to wear lingerie is a small price for the rewards you would have reaped…”

“I get to keep one thing by rejecting her,” said Sam. “My pride. And I think you’re blinded by greed.”

“I’m more than willing to share,” said Nicholas. “If Yumi doesn’t want to do it the hard way, I’ll share it with her. If she refuses…”

“You’ll force it on her, most likely,” said Ren. “Not gonna happen…

“I believe it’s my turn…”



(R: 4,300) -------------------- (N: 6,000)


He drew a card.

“You may have my best Monster, Nicholas,” he said, adding the card to his hand, “but you need two Monsters to summon her, and right now, I only see one.

“Soon to be none… I summon my second Dark Blade.”

He played a card, and the armored, sword-wielding Warrior appeared again. (1,800/1,500)

“Attack Nanobreaker!” he shouted.

“I activate… Astral Barrier!” shouted Nicholas, as one of his Trap Cards lifted. “This can turn your attacks into direct attacks.”

Ren raised an eyebrow.

“Well, if that’s really what you want…” he said.

Dark Blade charged at Nicholas.

“I activate another Trap!” shouted Nicholas. “Spirit Barrier!”

His other facedown card lifted, and a dome of energy formed around him, deflecting the blow.

“The Astral/Spirit Combo!” gasped Anastasia. “An impenetrable defense… So long as Astral Barrier stands, his Monsters are untouchable… And so long as Spirit Barrier stands, HE’S untouchable…”

Ren glared at him.

“I end my turn…” he said.

Nicholas drew a card.

“I summon Cyber Raider,” he said.

In a burst of energy, another android, this one wearing blue spandex and a helmet, appeared next to Nanobreaker. (1,400/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_011.jpg


“I end my turn…”

It’s now or never… thought Ren.

He drew a card.

He played it, and the Pot of Greed appeared on his side of the field. He drew two cards.

Let’s see, he thought, looking at them. Heavy Storm… That’s good… and…

Double Spell…

He stared blankly at it for a minute.

“Ah, heh, heh, heh, heh!” he laughed. “Oh, I just got the craziest idea!

“So crazy, it might actually work…”

“Huh?” said Nicholas. “What?”

“Show you in a minute,” said Ren. “First, I play… Heavy Storm!”

The tornado tore across the field, and the Astral Barrier and Spirit Barrier cards shattered.

“Lucky…” growled Nicholas.

“I’m not through with you yet!” shouted Ren. “Next, I play The Warrior Returning Alive. I’ll bring back Mataza the Zapper.”

He played the card, and took Mataza from his discard slot.

“And now he’s coming back…”

In a burst of energy, Mataza appeared again. (1,300/800)

“I’m still not done!” he said. “Now for my crazy idea.

“I play… Double Spell. Now, for the cost of one Spell Card…”

He played the card, and discarded his Magical Mallet.

“…I can use one Spell Card in your Graveyard…”

He chuckled.

“Guess which card I’m gonna use…”

A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field…

“My Scrap Fusion!” shouted Nicholas.

“You got it!” laughed Ren. “I’m using it to summon your second Cyber Ogre 2!”

An explosion erupted on Ren’s side of the field, and the enormous form of Cyber Ogre 2 rose behind his two Warriors. (2,600/1,900)

“Turnabout is fair play, Nicholas!” shouted Ren. “You stole my Monsters, so I’m stealing yours.”

“But how did you know…” gasped Nicholas.

“…that you had a second one?” asked Ren. “I used my brains. Cyber Ogre 2 is a Level Seven Monster, just like my Queen. Just like Cyber Dinosaur too. So my Queen had two uses for you…

“Attacking me… And sacrificing using Metamorphosis, to summon this guy.”

“Well, fine!” shouted Nicholas. “Attack if you want. Mataza can’t defeat either of my Monsters. You’ll have to attack one of them with Cyber Ogre, which means you’ll fall short of dealing enough damage to finish me.”

“Actually, I’m not going to attack with Cyber Ogre 2 at all,” said Ren. “I’m going to finish you with my own Monsters.”

As Nicholas was trying to comprehend what this meant, Ren played another Spell Card.

“I’m using the card you let me have,” said Ren. “I play Gift of the Martyr! Now I can send tall, dark, and gruesome to the Graveyard, to boost Mataza’s power.”

Cyber Ogre 2 vanished into grains of light, and Mataza roared as energy flowed into him… (3,900/400)

“Dear lord…” muttered Nicholas.

“Dark Blade, attack Cyber Raider!”

Dark Blade made a slash with his sword, and the spandex-clad android exploded.

“Mataza, attack Nanobreaker!”

Mataza made a savage swipe with his katana, cutting Nanobreaker in half.

“Don’t forget, Mataza gets to attack twice…”

“No.... don’t…” stammered Nicholas.

He let out an agonizing scream as the ronin’s sword slashed into him, and he collapsed.

The duel was clearly over…



(R: 4,300) -------------------- (N: 0)


Nicholas held his head. He was dizzy and breathing heavily. His eyes were blurry as Ren walked up to him.

Then he was startled as an aura of black flames appeared around him.

“No…” he said. “NO! You promised! You promised to spare me if I lost!”

I told a fib, Nicholas, chuckled a voice in his head. I’m afraid your role in this campaign has reached its conclusion.

You quoted that proverb well, but you forgot about another famous one…

There is no honor among thieves.

But you did admirably… You delayed them just long enough… I can finally face them myself…

I’ll have a little fun with them before I simply annihilate them. As for you… Sleep for now… Enjoy your dreams before you must wake up and greet a much more grim reality…

Nicholas’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

“What was that all about?” asked Ren.

He reached down, and picked up the Crescent Moon Queen card.

Yumi’s eyes opened with a start.

She sat up with a gasp.

“Yumi!” shouted everyone.

Yumi groaned and held her stomach. She tried to say something, but only a moan came out.

“Yumi?” said Chelsea.

Yumi spoke weakly.

“Everyone…” said Yumi. “I’m afraid Louis, Olga, and Nicholas were stalling.”

She pointed to the clock.

Everyone looked, as the minute hand clicked to midnight…

And then, every gear in the huge belfry stopped moving. There was no chime.

“Someone’s coming…” moaned Yumi. “And I’m not sure if this one is interested in playing games…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Commander Descartes was writing something down on a clipboard as another Centurion walked up to him.

“What’s the status quo?” he asked.

“Let’s see, where do I start?” asked the Centurion. “Twenty-five members of the League of Ascension have been apprehended since the breakout, but all of them are unconscious and in the infirmary. Ten of them are the escapees.

“Also, Dr. Janustein brought a woman to the infirmary that clearly needed serious medical attention. He claimed she was his wife.”

Descartes stared at him.

“His wife?” he asked. “A very unlikely scenario, but not impossible given what has transpired tonight.

“Hmm…

“Are all the legitimate guests accounted for?”

“Most of them…” said the Centurion, nervously.

Descartes looked at him.

“Define ‘most’,” he said.

“Well, the five remaining finalists seem to be missing,” he said. “According to security cameras, they left their suites in the Colosseum shortly before this crisis started.”

Descartes thought for a minute.

He pushed a switch on his wristband, and a set of buttons folded out of the gauntlet.

“If I know Yumi Mouto’s family,” he said, “she’s likely the target of the one behind this whole fiasco…

“The Holographic Tower might not be working, but this strange magic is powering the Disks somehow, so Yumi should still be wearing hers… It shouldn’t take long to track her down…

“Let’s hope it isn’t too late…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi pulled herself up, into a sitting position against the wall.

“Everyone look sharp…” she muttered. “I’m sure someone is coming, and I’m still in no position to deal with whoever it is yet…”

“Rasputin?” asked Erik.

“Maybe…” she said. “But personally, I don’t think so… Whatever is coming is more powerful than anything we’ve seen so far. Something of dark evil… Comparable to Marik…”

“Marik?” asked Chelsea. “How can you tell?”

Yumi looked up and saw the Pharaoh beside her.

“Someone here has had firsthand experience,” she said. “We have to…”

She was interrupted again, as the door appeared, this time surrounded by an aura of dark flames…

It slowly creaked opened…

The figure that stepped out was a woman that most of them had never seen before, about six feet tall, with a curvaceous figure. She was wearing an outfit similar to Sam’s – lingerie, cape, and boots – but it was all black rather than white. Her face was covered by a mask that seemed to be made of black iron, which was expressionless. Her hair was rich blonde, and fell to her waist.

“It’s her!” screamed Sam. “The ambassador! The bitch who made me dress like this… I’m gonna…”

“Sam, you’re overreacting…” purred the woman, in a sultry, husky voice. “I think you look adorable…”

Sam growled…

“Adorable…” she snarled, starting to walk towards her. “I’ll give you adorable… I’m going to rip that bra off of you and strangle you with it…”

The ambassador looked at Sam as she approached her. Then she raised her hand, and an aura of dark flames surrounded Sam. Sam gasped, and cringed in pain.

“On your knees, Sam…” said the ambassador.

She lowered her hand. Sam struggled, but the evil spell forced her to knees.

“Let her go!” shouted Erik.

The ambassador relaxed her hand. The flaming aura lessened a bit, although it didn’t disappear, and Sam took some deep breaths.

Then she waved again, and a similar aura appeared around Ren, Chelsea, Erik, and Enrique. They all felt like a slight burning sensation was slowly consuming their skin.

She clenched her fist, and they fell to their knees too.

“What are you doing?” shouted Ren.

“You kids don’t seem to understand…” said the ambassador, with a chuckle. “I’m not like Yumi’s family’s old enemies, who need to duel their enemies to do away with them… I could kill you all right now if I wanted to… Burn you all to cinders with the fire I’ve set on you right now…

“And I’m afraid I’m tired of you all anyway, so unless Sam is willing to become my apprentice again…”

“Not a chance, bitch,” said Sam.

“Well, then,” said the ambassador, “then this is your last stand…”

“You’re just going to kill us in cold blood?” asked Chelsea.

The ambassador nodded.

“Not all of you,” she added. “Yumi over there is still worth something to me alive…

“But tell you what…”

She held her left arm out, and it glowed with shadowy energy. A Duel Disk appeared on her arm, one made of black steel, covered with sharp blades.

“I have a little time,” she said, “so I’ll grant one of you a last request. No sense in not enjoying myself a little…”

She lifted the Disk.

“So… Who’s it going to be?

“Who wants to duel one last time?”


The situation has turned very dark indeed. The mysterious ambassador has appeared, and while she wants to duel, she has no intention of letting the heroes live, regardless of the outcome. It’s clearly a lose-lose situation… Is there any way out?

Perhaps there’s something that she doesn’t know about. But for now, they’ll just have to pray…




MAGIC-GEAR (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A gear floating in a blue void surrounded by bubbles.

Card Description: Tribute three “Ancient Gear” Monsters on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Ancient Gear Golem” from your deck, disregarding its summoning requirements. Then, Special Summon as many copies of “Ancient Gear Golem” from your hand as possible, disregarding their summoning requirements.



ANCIENT GEAR ULTIMATE GOLEM (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 10
ATK: 4,400
DEF: 3,400

Card Description: “Ancient Gear Golem” + “Ancient Gear Golem” + “Ancient Gear Golem”

When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of a Defense Position monster, inflict the difference as battle damage to your opponent's Life Points. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When this card is destroyed, Special Summon one "Ancient Gear Golem" from your Graveyard, disregarding its summoning conditions.

Note: “Magic-Gear” and “Ancient Gear Ultimate Golem” were first used by Crowler in a fourth season episode of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. (These cards may eventually become real, according to rumors stated about the “Light of Destruction” set.)



CYBER DINOSAUR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 1,900

Card Description: When your opponent Special Summons a Monster from his hand, you may Special Summon this card from your hand.

Note: “Cyber Dinosaur” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.



SCRAP FUSION (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A glowing portal above a junkyard.

Card Description: Choose one Fusion Monster that is in your opponent’s Fusion Deck. Remove from play the Monsters in your opponent’s Graveyard that are listed as fusion material for the chosen Monster. Special Summon the chosen Monster from your opponent’s Fusion Deck to your side of the field. (This is considered a Fusion Summon.)

Note: “Scrap Fusion” was first used by Sheppard in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Schooling the Master”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



Erik: Just who is this woman? Who is she an ambassador for?

Yumi: Whoever she is, Erik, she means business, and you need to duel her to buy time.

Anastasia: Erik, you may not have known it, but since the time you’ve started dueling, you’ve been preparing for this very moment. You may be the one who can save everyone from this threat.

But we need time…

Erik: I’ll try my hardest… We’ll see if I’m truly up to snuff…

Anastasia: Coming up next: “Thirty Minutes of Desperation; Erik versus the Deck of Darkness”.

Yumi: We believe in you, Erik…

[Shuppet Master]

I seriously apologize for not reviewing sooner, Brian. Something very very bad has happened to my laptop and I probably lost it and everything on it forever. It was on its last legs due to my negligence and I should burn in Computer Hell for what I did to it, but I will be burning in Financial Hell to replace it. Right now, I am working off the family computer until it gets replaced.

(EDIT: I got a new non-laptop computer, but it uses Vista and can't detect my family's computer network, so until I get this f*****' problem fixed, I'm mostly paralyzed in many areas. :()

Meh.

Anyways, this was a pretty good chapter. Nick's hint about the deck he used being only allowed by those who followed a certain style of dueling tipped me off that he was using Chancellor Sheppard's Cyber Ogre deck. Ren did struggle, but in the end, Nick made the same idiot mistake Leopold had - allowing his opponent to take advantage of a card that he had in his deck. In Leopold's case, it was Block Attack, in this case, it was Gift of the Martyr. Why the Hell did Nick have Gift of the Martyr anyways(other than it could be used to power up any monster he stole with Scrap Fusion)?

But now it looks like Erik's gonna have to stall for time. I have my own grim predictions on the next chapter's ending, but I'll leave that a secret for now. Needless to say, it looks like Yumi might see her friends suffer a terrible fate, but again, I won't make any predictions.

(EDIT: Okay, so the Puzzle was a bad example, thanks to starjake's point, but I mean, what about Brian's Shadow Queen? Had she simply forced Fran and Stan into a contest she had an advantage in, she would have won. The loophole said nothing about a fair contest giving you an advantage.)

Keep up the good writing, Brian.

[starjake]

Actually, I believe the anime made a point of stating (several times) that the Puzzle could not simply be stolen from Yugi; it had to actually be won (remember the whole Yugi vs. Possessed Joey incident at Battle City?)

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN



Thirty Minutes of Desperation



Erik versus the Deck of Darkness



There were only a few times in the life of the Mouto family when a member simply didn’t know what to do. This was one of those times.

It was truly a lose-lose situation, and it seemed to Yumi that she had rescued her friends for nothing.

This mysterious masked woman – if she was a woman, there was more than a little doubt in her mind – who seemed to get her wardrobe from Fredrick’s of Hollywood and called herself an ambassador, had all of them except her caught in a spell that manifested as flames of pure darkness. If what she said was true, she could make them as deadly as real flames at any time, and burn them to ashes. And that was just what she intended to do. In the meantime, the flames also forced them to keep their distance. Her friends could barely move.

This ambassador was willing to duel, but it hardly made a difference. She had stated that even a victory on their side wouldn’t change her intentions. She would kill them anyway.

She hadn’t cast the spell on Yumi, due to a claim that she was needed alive – for now. But Yumi could hardly get up to face her. She didn’t have the strength to stand yet, having just recovered from her ordeal.

What do I do? she thought.

“So…” chuckled the ambassador. “Who’s it going to be? Who wants to duel one final time?”

Erik glared at her.

He struggled against the flaming bindings, and wrenched himself off the floor.

“Did I say you could get up?” asked the ambassador.

She waved her hand, and he fell to his knees again.

Erik struggled again. He slowly got up again.

“Listen, bitch…” he said with a scowl, “knock me down as much as you want, I’m not going to grovel when I talk to you…”

“You really want to die, don’t you?” she asked.

“You’re gonna kill us all anyway,” said Erik, “so I’m thinking I don’t have much to lose…”

The ambassador looked at him.

“Good point…” she said.

“Look, let’s have some answers,” he said. “Do you even have a name?”

“Yes, I have one,” she said. “But I won’t speak it yet. If you cooperate, it may be the last thing I tell you.”

“I’ll pass…” said Erik. “But why do you call yourself an ambassador anyway?”

“Because I am one,” she replied. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“An ambassador is a representative for a nation or similar world power,” said Erik. “May I ask whom you represent?”

“It isn’t a nation that the UN recognizes,” she replied. “I’m afraid this is a secret that I must leave unrevealed.

“Let’s just say that Rasputin is working with a partner now, someone who is allied with the head of state of the place I represent. Since I’ve been working with Rasputin for a while myself, I’m working as a go-between.”

“Who’s this partner?” asked Erik.

The ambassador chuckled.

“He’s someone who’s both a lover and fighter,” she said. “Excellent in both areas. But I’m afraid only Yumi will get to meet him.”

“Yeah, well what’s the point of dueling if you’re going to kill us anyway?” he asked.

“Fun,” she said with a shrug.

Everyone stared at her.

“So then you’re a sadist…” he said. “Well sorry, I won’t duel for your amusement, and I doubt any of us here will either. We have our pride, you know, and…”

“Erik!” said Anastasia’s voice.

“Huh?” said Erik.

“Erik, duel her,” said Anastasia.

“What…” started Erik.

“Don’t say it, just think it,” said Anastasia. “I’ll be able to hear you.”

Erik paused.

Why should I duel her? he asked.

“Because,” said Anastasia. “I think I know what she is. I have the power to save all of you, and she hasn’t noticed me yet.

“The problem is, I need time. If you duel her and make it last long enough, she can truly be defeated.”

Erik paused.

How long do you need? he asked.

“Give me thirty minutes,” she said. “That’s all I require…”

Erik looked at the ambassador.

He reached into his pocket.

There was the small box full of chocolate truffles. The ones Janustein gave him.

He quickly took one and shoved it into his mouth. He closed his eyes as he chewed it.

“All right, whoever you are,” he said, placing his deck in his Disk. “I changed my mind. I’d rather go down fighting…”

The ambassador chuckled.

“Very well…” she said. “I will grant you a warrior’s death… Prepare…”

Both Disks activated.

“Game on!” they both shouted.



(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (?: 8,000)


“You’d better know what you’re doing, Erik!” shouted Sam.

“Don’t worry, baby,” said Erik, “I can take her…

“So why the mask? Did that supermodel figure come with a face that could stop a clock?”

He cringed as the flames around him intensified.

“Erik, you should know better than to insult someone who has you trapped in a spell of chaos fire,” said the ambassador.

“But anyway… You make the first move…”

Erik made his first draw.

“Okay, let’s see here…” he muttered.

He looked over his hand of cards.

“What to play, what to play…” he said.

“Are you trying to stall for some reason?” asked his opponent, angrily.

“Uh, no!” gulped Erik, taking a card from his hand.

She’s onto me, he thought, placing a card on his Disk. Whatever Anne is planning, I can’t ruin it…

A facedown Monster appeared.

I’ve just got to duel, and hope I can make it last long enough. Let’s pray that her deck doesn’t use an OTK strategy.

“My draw…” said the ambassador.

She drew a card from her deck and looked at it.

“I play the Spell Card, Terraforming,” she said, playing it.

She took her deck from her holder.

“I’m sure everyone here knows how this works. It lets me search for any Field Spell I desire, and add it to my hand.”

“Next, I summon this guy…”

A chilling wind started to blow through the gear housing…

“Appear before me, Shadowknight Archfiend!”

The winds picked up even fiercer, and a horrid creature appeared on the field. It was a tall, winged demon, dressed in plate armor, the breastplate resembling a horse’s skull. He held a longsword in one hand, and had a wicked looking claw for the other. (2,000/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_068.jpg


“Good lord…” muttered Sam.

“An Archfiend…” said Ren. “Chels, didn’t your dad use these cards?”

Chelsea nodded.

“That Field Spell she searched for can only be one thing…” she said.

“Your assumption is dead wrong, Chelsea,” said the ambassador. “It isn’t Pandemonium.”

“Huh?” said Chelsea. “But… but… Without Pandemonium, you have to pay Life Points every round for Archfiends! And what other Field Spell could possibly benefit them?”

“I’ll show you in a minute,” replied the ambassador. “For now… Shadowknight, attack with shadowblade.”

The Shadowknight flew at the facedown card, and Giant Rat appeared on it. With one swipe of his longsword, the rodent was cut in half.

“I activate Giant Rat’s ability,” said Erik. “When he bites the dust in battle, I get to summon an Earth Monster with a low Attack Score.

“So I’ll bring out my trusty Toy Soldier.”

In a burst of energy, a Toy Soldier appeared. Shadowknight chuckled as the much smaller Monster pointed its weapon. (800/300)

“So be it…” said the ambassador. “Now, as for that Field Spell…”

She placed the card in her Field Slot.

“I play… Pazunia.”

There was a clap of thunder. The gear housing faded away, and a series of stone monoliths rose around them.

Erik looked around. They were on a blasted wasteland, full of jagged rocks and twisted trees. The sky above was grey and stormy, and winged demons flew by overhead. Surrounding the arena itself were six standing stones. Each one was marked with a fiery symbol. Erik clearly saw that they were Roman numerals, for the numbers one through six.

“Pazunia?” he asked. “What is this place?”

“Allow me to explain,” said the ambassador. “The Archfiends didn’t always rule Pandemonium, the capital of Dark World, which is Hell for Duel Monsters. According to one legend, the original rulers of the place were naturally the Dark World Fiends. But the Archfiends conquered Dark World, and threw them out of Pandemonium.

“This legend hints that the Archfiends ruled another realm before taking over Pandemonium…”

She threw up her arms.

“Welcome to the ancestral home of the Archfiends! Welcome to Pazunia!”

“Swell…” said Erik. “What does this Field Spell of yours do?”

“Well, like Pandemonium, it has two effects,” said the ambassador. “The first effect is the same as the first effect of Pandemonium; neither player has to pay Life Points to keep Archfiends on the field.

“The second effect…

“Well, you’ll find that out if I need to use it. In the meantime, I end my turn. Just try to defeat my Shadowknight.”

Erik drew a card.

“I activate Toy Soldier’s special ability,” he said. “When he’s on the field, I can summon two more from my deck.”

Two more Toy Soldiers appeared next to the first.

“Next, I play the Spell Card, Forced March.”

The Attack Scores of the three Soldiers fell to 400 apiece. Their eyebrows narrowed angrily as they pointed their muskets.

“No more time to play!” shouted Erik. “It’s time to be serious!

“Open fire!”

The three Soldiers knelt down on one knee, and fired three blasts from their muskets. The ambassador grunted as she was hit by them.

“Ergh…” she said, holding her chest. “Merely a flesh wound… I’ve taken far worse…”

“I throw a card facedown, and end my turn,” said Erik.

A facedown card appeared in front of him.



(E: 8,000) -------------------- (?: 6,800)


I know Shadowknight’s weakness, he thought. When it attacks, I’ll only take half the damage I normally would from a Monster with 2,000 Attack Points. So even if she summons a second Monster, with my Trap Card, I won’t lose that many.

“Well, he’s winning…” muttered Chelsea. “At least we may go out with dignity…”

The ambassador drew a card.

She looked at it. It was hard to tell her expression with the mask, but Erik had a feeling she had gotten a good draw.

“Or so you think,” she said. “Since I have one Archfiend on the field, I can summon one of the strongest ones. I summon the King of the Archfiends… Terrorking Archfiend.”

A bonfire erupted on her side of the field, and a monstrous demon stepped out. His body looked like it was made of exposed muscle, held in place by a framework of metallic, sharpened bones. His face was that of a fiendish skull, topped by a French crown, and he had huge wings and a long cape on his back. (2,000/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr-072.jpg


The ambassador chuckled.

“I could attack your Toy Soldiers,” she said. “But… I could hurt you even more by playing this Spell Card…”

She fit a card into her Disk.

“I play Checkmate.”

“Checkmate?” said Ren. “I don’t like the sound of that…”

“She gets to sacrifice one Archfiend,” said Chelsea, nervously, “and in return, Terrorking can attack directly.”

“Exactly,” said the ambassador. “So, Shadowknight, begone…”

Shadowknight vanished in a flaming burst, and Terrorking flew up, and perched on one of the monoliths behind the duelist. He pointed at Erik, and his claw glowed.

“I activate my facedown card!” shouted Erik, as his card lifted up. “Enemy Controller!”

The large video game pad appeared in front of him.

“Now I can move your king to Defense Mode before he can attack me, so that sacrifice was a big waste.”

“Or so you’d like to believe…” said his opponent.

All of a sudden, fires erupted on the tops all six of the monoliths. Terrorking didn’t seem to mind in the least that he was in the middle of one.

“Apparently you don’t know that nothing is ever certain when you oppose an Archfiend,” said the ambassador. “When one of them is targeted by Spell, Trap, or Monster effect, the whims of chance intervene.

“Five of these bonfires will now be extinguished, leaving one burning at random. If that one is the one on the monolith marked two, or the one marked five, your Enemy Controller will fail.”

Everyone watched anxiously…

Five of the fires died out…

The one still burning was the one on the four.

“HA!” laughed Sam. “You lose!”

“Not yet I haven’t Sam…” replied the ambassador.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, all six bonfires erupted again.

“What’s happening?” shouted Erik.

“Now I reveal the second effect of my Field Spell,” replied the ambassador. “If I make a roll to activate the negation effect for an Archfiend and it fails that roll, I get to disregard that roll and roll a second time.”

“No fair!” shouted Erik.

“Blame the card designers!” laughed the ambassador.

The flames died down again…

This time, the flame that remained burning was the one on the stone marked two. Which, coincidentally, was the one Terrorking was standing on.

The Enemy Controller was blown to bits.

“Heh, heh…” said the ambassador. “I said I’d duel you… I never said I’d let you win…

“Terrorking… Attack him directly!”

Terrorking fired a blast of white-hot flames from his claw, and Erik screamed. He fell to his knees again.



(E: 6,000) -------------------- (?: 6,800)


He panted for breath… He slowly got up.

“It’s your move…” said his opponent.

Erik made a draw.

Ring of Destruction… he thought, looking at it.

He looked at his hand.

And I have Ring of Defense too… But the chances of it actually working are… Uhm…

Well, they… aren’t very good…

Aw, heck with it…

“I set two cards facedown on the field, and move my Soldiers to Defense Mode,” he said.

Two facedown cards appeared, and the three Soldiers knelt in Defense Mode.

“That’s all,” he said.

The ambassador drew a card.

“I activate Ring of Destruction!” shouted Erik.

His Trap Card lifted, and Terrorking roared as the ring of grenades formed around his neck.

“Don’t be so sure…” said the ambassador.

The six bonfires ignited again. Everyone watched.

Five of them went out, leaving the one on the three lit.

“Seems you lost that roll,” said Erik.

“How soon we forget…” she replied.

The bonfires blasted again…

“Don’t give up, Erik!” shouted Sam. “You’ve got more than a fifty percent chance now!”

Five of them went out, leaving the one on the five this time.

“Crud…” said Erik.

The Ring of Destruction crumbled into dust.

“Maybe now you’ll see that trying to use these cards against my Archfiends is a big waste,” said the ambassador. “Now I summon Vilepawn Archfiend.”

The ground in front of her cracked, and a new Archfiend crawled out of the soil. Like Terrorking, its body was made up of exposed muscle and bone, but its face was much more skull-like. It had a long sword blade in place of a right hand, and a huge claw for the left. (1,200/200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_067.jpg


“And by the way,” she continued. “So long as he’s on the field, you aren’t allowed to attack any Archfiends except Vilepawns.

“Vilepawn, attack the first Toy Soldier.”

The Vilepawn slammed its blade into the ground, and a shockwave tore across the field, shattering the Toy Soldier in the middle to pieces.

“Terrorking, attack with locust storm barrage.”

Terrorking’s eyes glowed. Then his chest burst open, and a swarm of insects flew out, plowing into another of the Toy Soldiers and eating him alive.

“Gross…” muttered Sam. “No wonder Ha Des doesn’t deal with these things…”

The ambassador laughed.

“Ha Des?” she said. “He’s an upstart. He wouldn’t know the true meaning of Evil if it slugged him in the face.”

“Oh, that’s it…” said Sam.

She struggled against the flames holding her down, and stood up.

“Sam, no!” shouted Yumi.

It was a surprise to everyone, because she hadn’t spoken for a while.

“The rules of the duel are still in effect,” muttered Yumi. “If anyone on our side interferes, Erik loses.”

“Sam, sit down,” said Erik. “I can handle this skank.”

Sam sat down with her face in a sulk.

“My, my,” said the ambassador. “Seems someone really wants a painful demise once this is over.”

Erik ignored the remark as he drew a card.

He smirked.

“First I’ll play Emergency Provisions,” he said.

The card appeared, and the Ring of Defense lifted up and vanished.

“Next, I’ll throw a new card facedown, and summon Toy Magician.”

A facedown card appeared, and the toy sorcerer appeared in a burst of light. (1,600/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/vjc_jp016a.jpg


“Attack the Vilepawn!” he ordered. “Sparkle blast!”

Toy Magician shot his blast of glowing motes at the smaller Fiend, and it exploded into a shower of pebbles.



(E: 7,000) -------------------- (?: 6,400)


“Bishop takes pawn,” muttered Erik. “I end my turn.”

The ambassador looked at him as she drew a card. Even with the mask, it was clear to see she was angry.

“Terrorking…” she ordered. “Attack his Toy Magician!”

Terrorking roared again, and the storm of locusts burst from his chest.

“Gotcha!” shouted Erik. “I happen to know that an Archfiend’s negation ability is powerless against THIS!

“Go Mirror Force!”

His facedown card lifted, and Terrorking exploded in a blast of flames.

“You little brat!” cursed the ambassador.

“Not so confident now, are you?” asked Erik, with a grin.

The ambassador didn’t answer. She simply took a card from her hand, and discarded it into her Graveyard slot.

A bonfire erupted on the field again, and Terrorking stepped out again. And this time, he was mad. (2,000/1,500)

“How’d she do that?” shouted Ren.

“That card she discarded…” said Chelsea. “It was a Desrook Archfiend. She can use it to bring Terrorking back if it’s destroyed… By anything.”

“Terrorking, show that Toy Magician that you won’t be so easily vanquished,” said the ambassador.

The locust storm plowed into Toy Magician, and he groaned before bursting into shards.

“Now I play Premature Burial,” she said. “I’ll resurrect my Vilepawn as well…”

She played the card, and Vilepawn appeared again. (1,200/200)

“…and that concludes my turn.”



(E: 6,600) -------------------- (?: 5,600)


Erik nervously drew a card.

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

“That’s all I can do…” he muttered.

The ambassador made a draw.

“I play Pot of Greed,” she said.

She played the card, and then drew twice.

“Time for someone new,” she said. “I summon the Queen of the Archfiends… Infernalqueen Archfiend.”

Another bonfire erupted on her side of the field, and a new Archfiend appeared. Like the ones previously, her torso was made up of exposed muscle and bone, but it was shaped into a female form. Her skull-like face bore a jeweled tiara on top, and a mane of long, tangled, hair was behind. She wore a long, flowing cape under her wings. (900/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr-071.jpg


“Man, there’s a girl who looks like she fell off the ugly tree,” said Ren.

“Yeah, and hit every ugly branch on the way down!” added Sam, trying not to laugh.

“HEY!” shouted Chelsea. “These were my dad’s cards in case you forgot? So show some respect!”

Then all three of them screamed as the flaming auras around them intensified.

“No audience participation, if you don’t mind!” ordered the ambassador.

She sighed.

“Now...” she continued, “I must, under incredible protest, play this Spell Card… Court of the Ninth Circle.”

“Huh?” said Chelsea. “My dad never used that one…”

The Spell Card appeared on the field, and Yumi didn’t like the look of it at all. The artwork depicted Terrorking and Infernalqueen holding Dark Magician Girl captive with chains.

“I’d like to get my hands on whoever designed this card,” said the ambassador. “The name suggests that the Archfiends are devils, when they’re clearly demons.

“But anyway, with both Terrorking and Infernalqueen on the field, this Spell lets me Special Summon an Archfiend from my deck, up to Level Four.”

She took her deck and looked through the cards.

“Now let’s see… There are so many possibilities…”

That’s it… thought Erik. Take your time… The longer you take, the better chance we can get out of this mess…

She finally put a card on her Disk, and a swirl of blue energy appeared on the ground…

“I choose Darkbishop Archfiend, in Attack Mode.”

The new Archfiend that appeared was one that one had to see to believe. It was dressed in an evil parody of a clergyman’s vestments. Its skull-like head had a bony protrusion on top that might have passed for a bishop’s miter, and it clutched a long scepter topped with a fanged human skull. (300/1,400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr-069.jpg


“You could have Special Summoned any Archfiend up to Level Four,” said Erik, “and you summoned a weakling?”

“It may be physically weak,” said the ambassador, “but it has a powerful ability. Like all Archfiends, if it is targeted by a card effect, a roll of the die can negate it.

“But… When it’s on the field, if any other Archfiend fails its roll, then it can roll and negate it for that Archfiend. Also, Darkbishop’s chance of winning the roll is greater than most other Archfiends, succeeding fifty percent of the time.”

“But that means…” said Ren.

“I’ll tell you what it means…” said Yumi. “She already has a Field Spell that gives her Archfiends two chances to avoid a targeting effect. With that guy, she has four chances. The odds of any targeting effect ever actually reaching one of them is now incredibly slim.”

“This is not fair…” said Erik.

“Life isn’t fair,” said the ambassador. “You put so much faith in the higher powers, but you seem to forget the story of Job.

“Terrorking, attack his facedown Monster.”

The burst of insects shot at the card. Giant Rat appeared on the card, and was blown to bits.

“I activate Giant Rat’s effect…” muttered Erik.

“Fool,” said the ambassador. “You can’t. Terrorking negates the effect of any Monster he destroys.”

Chelsea sighed.

“I’m afraid she’s right, Erik,” she said.

“Infernalqueen, wipe out the last Toy Soldier. Terror flames!”

Infernalqueen cackled, and cast a fiery spell at the Toy Soldier, burning it to a crisp.

“Vilepawn, Darkbishop, attack him directly!”

Vilepawn leapt at Erik, and slashed across his chest with its sword. Erik clutched his chest in pain.

Then Darkbishop raised its staff, and a beam of blue energy shot from it, hitting him in the chest.

“For my final move of the turn,” said the ambassador, “I play a Spell Card. It’s called Archfiend’s Favor. I need Pandemonium on the field to use this, and since Pazunia is assumed to have the same name as Pandemonium, I can. Now, for each Fiend-Type Monster on the field, my Life Points go up by 500.”

She played the card, and all four Archfiends were surrounded by those evil, dark flames. Then the same flames surrounded her, but they seemed to energize her rather than hurt her.

“It’s your move…”



(E: 5,100) -------------------- (?: 7,600)


Erik looked at the one card in his hand, which was Toy Memorial. He was waiting for the right time to play it, and unless he got the best draw ever this turn, it would be the time.

He drew.

Pot of Avarice.

Have to play Toy Memorial first, he thought. If I play Pot of Avarice first, Toy Memorial will be useless.

“I play Toy Memorial,” he said, playing the card. “Now, at the cost of skipping my Battle Phase, I get one draw for each card in my Graveyard with the word ‘Toy’ in its name. With three Toy Soldiers and one Toy Magician, that’s four.”

He made four draws. He looked them over.

“And I got some good ones,” he said. “Next, I play Symbol of Heritage. Since I have three Monsters in my Graveyard with the same name, I can summon one of them to the field.”

He played one of the cards, and the strange ankh appeared. Toy Soldier appeared in front of him. (800/300)

“But he’s going right back to the Graveyard,” he continued. “Because now I’m playing Crowning of the Emperor.”

Toy Soldier held his gun by his side, and saluted before vanishing into swirls of light.

With a galloping sound, Toy Emperor rode onto the field, and slashed at the air with his saber. (2,300/800)

“Is that supposed to scare me?” asked the ambassador.

“I’m not done,” said Erik. “Next, my Pot of Avarice.”

He played the card, and five cards fell out of his Graveyard: All three Toy Soldiers, Toy Magician, and Giant Rat.

He placed them in his deck, reshuffled, and then drew twice.

“Now I’ll summon a second Toy Magician, and place a card facedown.”

A new Toy Magician appeared in a burst of light. (1,600/1,500) Then a facedown card appeared.

“Your move…”

The ambassador chuckled as she drew a card.

“So foolish…” she said. “You think your pathetic Emperor can one-up my king…

“You forget Infernalqueen’s effect. While she’s on the field, she can increase the Attack Score of any Archfiend Monster by 1,000 for one round.”

Terrorking Archfiend burned with the black fire again, and his Attack Score rose to 3,000.

She played a Spell Card.

“But before I attack, I play Card of Sanctity. Draw your cards. I don’t care what you get.”

They started drawing. She drew five cards, while Erik drew four.

“Show him who the true emperor is!” she shouted. “Locust storm barrage!”

Terrorking’s chest burst open, and the swarm shot towards Toy Emperor…

“Go, Spell Card!” shouted Erik. “Rush Recklessly!”

“Huh?” said the ambassador.

“Surprised?” laughed Erik. “I knew all about Infernalqueen’s ability!”

Toy Emperor’s Attack Score rose to 3,000. He pointed his sword forward and charged at the Archfiend.

“Caramba!” shouted Enrique. “Their Attack Scores are equal! They’ll kill each other!”

Both Erik and his opponent staggered backwards as both Monsters were blown to pieces in a mighty blast.

“Terrorking!” shouted the ambassador.

“It was your own fault…” said Erik.

The ambassador growled.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“I move my other three Monsters to Defense Mode,” she said.

Infernalqueen, Vilepawn, and Darkbishop knelt and covered themselves with their wings.

“Then,” she said, “I play the Spell Card, Blazes of Demise. I can’t summon a Monster on the round on I use this card, but I do get two Dark Blaze Phantom Tokens.”

Two mysterious flames appeared on her side of the field. They formed into two strange creatures. They looked like ghosts made of dark fire, each with one eye. They shielded themselves in Defense Mode. (0/0 x2)

So what is she going to do with them? thought Erik.

“Draw!” he said, drawing.

He added the card to his hand.

“I summon Blockman in Attack Mode!”

In another burst of light, the stocky man made out of Legos appeared. (1,000/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dpk_ense1.jpg


“Blockman,” he said, “knock Vilepawn’s block off!”

Blockman leapt into the air, and socked Vilepawn with its fist, blowing it into rocky pieces.

“Toy Magician, take out Infernalqueen!”

Toy Magician cast his spell, and the evil queen screamed before she exploded in a burst of fire and smoke.

“That’s all for me, sister,” said Erik.

His opponent drew a card.

Thunder rolled again.

“You fight well…” she muttered. “But it’s time to teach you a lesson…

“I sacrifice my two Tokens…”

The two Tokens vanished in plumes of black flames.

“A double sacrifice?” said Chelsea. “No Archfiends need two sacrifices…”

“You thought wrong,” said the ambassador. “Remember Infernalqueen? For the Queen of the Archfiends, she didn’t seem very formidable, did she?

“Well, I’m going to treat you all to a little secret… I’m going to show you the true form of Queen of the Archfiends in all her glory!

“I call forth Prisonqueen Archfiend!”

An explosion of flames erupted from where the two Tokens were, and a horrid creature appeared. It looked similar to Infernalqueen, but much darker, much more intimidating, and much more evil… Her wrists and ankles were bound with shackles that she had apparently broken from their moorings. (2,600/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ptdn_jp032.jpg


No-one was more shocked than Chelsea. Her father had never used this Archfiend.

“Man, if that’s Infernalqueen’s true form,” said Sam, “I’d hate to see Terrorking’s…”

“I think I’m in trouble…” muttered Erik.

“More than you could ever dream!” shouted his opponent. “Prisonqueen, destroy his Blockman with chaos inferno!”

Dark flames appeared in Prisonqueen’s hands. She shot a flaming blast of dark energy at Blockman, and he exploded into his component blocks.



(E: 3,500) -------------------- (?: 7,600)


Erik stared at her.

Whatever Anne is cooking up had better work, he thought. I don’t think I can hold her off much longer…

“I set one card facedown,” said his opponent, “and I end my turn.”

Erik quickly drew a card.

Hey… he thought.

“First…” he said, “I play Monster Reborn. I’ll bring Giant Rat back in Defense Mode.”

The holy ankh appeared in golden fire, and the huge rodent appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,400/1,450)

“I’ll move Toy Magician to Defense Mode too.”

Toy Magician knelt, and shielded himself.

“Next…” he said, “I’ll remove one Spell Card from play to Special Summon Spell Striker.”

Pot of Avarice fell out of his discard slot, and he pocketed it. The toy wizard with the big smile appeared on the field. (600/200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/wc07_en001.jpg


“You’re going to stand up to my Queen with that pathetic thing?” asked the ambassador.

“Yes, once I also summon his little friend…” said Erik. “Come on out, Armor Breaker!”

He played another card, and the short, stout Warrior with a huge hammer for a helmet appeared. (800/800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dp06-jp010.jpg


“Oh, please…” she said.

“Don’t underestimate my guys,” said Erik. “Your Queen isn’t the first Goliath that my Davids have slain. Guys… do it.”

Armor Breaker leapt into the air and spun around like a top. In a flash of light, he transformed into a big hammer. Spell Striker caught it as fell back down.

Spell Striker frowned, and looked at the ambassador.

“And if you think that’s cool,” said Erik, “Spell Striker can attack directly.”

“I dare you!” she replied.

“Okay…” said Erik. “Go!”

Spell Striker leapt at the ambassador. She grunted as he clobbered her with the hammer and she took a step backwards.



(E: 3,500) -------------------- (?: 7,000)


“Are you quite done?” she asked.

“Not by a long shot,” said Erik. “When a Monster deals damage when he’s swinging Armor Breaker, he gains the ability to destroy one card on the field.”

The ambassador chuckled.

“Well sure,” she said. “Go ahead and try…”

The bonfires erupted on the monoliths again.

“Yeah, I know…” said Erik. “If I try it on your Queen, your Darkbishop can try to negate that effect and destroy Spell Striker. And even if the first roll fails, your Field Spell gives you a second chance.

“So you know what? I’m not aiming for your Queen. The card I’m going to destroy…

“…is Pazunia itself.”

The ambassador gasped.

“And since it’s clearly not an Archfiend,” said Erik, “I’m willing to bet its own protection against targeting effects is very limited, if not nonexistent.”

“Hold on!” she shouted. “Stop!”

There was no stopping Spell Striker. He slammed the mallet into the ground, and a veritable earthquake struck the field. Everyone held on, as the mountains crumbled to dust, the broken land split open, and the six monoliths were smashed to pieces.

Through the cataclysm, the ambassador strained and struggled, and her mask flew from her face…

“Her face!” shouted Ren.

Everyone strained to get a close look.

They were somewhat surprised. Her face seemed as beautiful as the rest of her body, with flawless skin, no blemishes, and a healthy color.

Then she opened her eyes, causing everyone to jump.

They were pupiless, and glowing red.

“So, you wanted to see my true face?” she asked, with a voice full of bile.

Two fiendish horns sprouted from her forehead.

“Well, since I lost the item that was masking the illusion, I have no choice but to show you everything…”

Two huge, dark, batlike wings unfolded from her back. Her skin turned from flesh-colored to a coppery sheen.

“So… Like what you see?”

“No…” said Erik. “Who in blazes are you?”

“I won’t tell you my real name,” said the creature. “My people must keep our names secret from mortals, because that information might be used against us. And you might, by some miracle, escape to do so.

“I’ll simply use the name that Rasputin identified me with… And I can do so because he isn’t listening.

“Claret.”

Everyone except Enrique gasped.

“Que?” said Enrique. “Am I missing something here?”

“Claret?” said Yumi, pulling herself to her feet. “The succubus who tried to sacrifice Stephansdom in an unholy ritual?”

The demoness nodded.

“But you’re dead!” shouted Ren. “He killed you.”

“Thinking that he had succeeded was his first and biggest mistake,” said Claret.

She grinned a grin that made their blood run cold.

“When you set out to kill a demon,” she said, “and both of you are on a material world, always make sure you know how the demon came to your world in the first place.

“The reason is simple. If you succeed, whether or not the demon is truly dead depends on how it came to your world. If it came via its own accord, then rest assured, it is truly dead. You can sleep soundly knowing it will never trouble mortals again.

“But I never arrived on Earth via my own free will. I was summoned by a foolish conjurer. He was a lustful rake who thought that having a succubus as a concubine would make him superior to others. He was an upstart, nothing like the sorcerer I’m working with now…”

“The one you’re working with now?” said Yumi. “Rasputin’s new partner?”

Claret paused. She nodded. Then she continued.

“After I disabled his wards and killed him – and trust me, he died happy – I was free to roam the Earth, and saw an opportunity… I saw Stephansdom in the Vienna skyline.

“Malcanthet encourages the succubi in her employ to perform the ascension ritual. I had everything to gain by doing so. By sacrificing this mighty pillar of goodness, I could evolve into a temptress capable of seducing even minor powers.

“But Rasputin wasn’t fooled by my attempt to seduce the congregation. In fact, he turned the tables on me.

“Wine tainted with Tears of the Couatl… I never stood a chance.

“Rasputin, however, didn’t see the smile on my lips right before I died…

“For you see, since I had been summoned, my death wasn’t permanent. After a week or two, my body reformed back in Malcanthet’s home realm, and I woke up none the worse for wear.

“Still, I wasn’t in a very good situation. In fact, my situation was quite dire. Malcanthet was known for dearly punishing succubi who had attempted the ritual and failed. Such failures are bad for her reputation. I was facing life as Malcanthet’s slave at best. Or being sold as one to an allied demon lord at worst. I thought of my sister succubi who had failed, and were now serving as Demogorgon’s harem girls. I had laughed at them when they were dragged away by his representatives… Now the same fate might have been awaiting me.

“I panicked…

“And when the soldiers of my mistress’s army finally realized I was there, I fled in fear. And in doing so, I foolishly cut off my route to the realm’s most common exit. I had, in my haste, fled into the dark forest where only the more martial demons went.

“I knew of another exit located in this woods… A portal. But my other sisters had warned me never to go near it. This portal led to the realm of a demon lord far more powerful than Malcanthet, whom even she was afraid of.

“I saw the ominous portal before me. I heard the shouts of the soldiers behind me. I had a choice to make: Capture and punishment, or risking a dark unknown…

“I decided that the uncertainty in front of me was preferable to the misery behind me. I took the portal.”

That’s it… thought Erik. Keep talking… Keep yourself occupied until Anne manages to do whatever she’s planning…

“I found myself in a mysterious realm,” said Claret. “And I wasn’t there for an hour before I was seized by powerful demons that I had never seen the likes of before. When they threw me into a cell in their lord’s palace, I wondered if slavery didn’t still exist in my future. Or even worse, if my fate wouldn’t involve being roasted on a spit for this entity’s dinner.

“I gathered enough bravery to ask my jailer to deliver a message to his master, saying that I would pledge allegiance to him, completely. To my surprise, I quickly got an audience with this powerful lord. Sure, I was brought to him bound in chains, but he was willing to listen. At that point, I would have volunteered to serve willingly as a concubine if he refused everything else. I’d be a slave in all but name in such a situation, but I figured I might be able to advance.

“And again, to my surprise, he was impressed. He welcomed my services, and not simply as a concubine. I had to make several promises and sign over both my soul and spirit, as well as my powers of illusion – thus requiring the mask to hide my true form – but this entity welcomed my offer.

“I soon found that I had made a wise choice. I became infused with more power than I ever had before. My powers as a temptress weren’t as powerful, but I developed other abilities. Powers of deception had been replaced by ones of pure might. Unlike most succubi, I became able to fight like more martial demons, by harnessing the raw chaos from the core of the Abyss.

“As a bonus, I was safe from Malcanthet’s forces. They never came looking for me, because, as I’ve said before, my new master was far stronger than she, and they had no alliance. Extradition treaties do not exist in the Abyss.

“I made plans… Plans for revenge…”

“No…” said Yumi.

“Oh yes…” said Claret. “I visited Vienna soon after. I used talismans to make myself invisible, and started visiting Rasputin, whispering things into his ear…”

She laughed.

“You would be surprised at how often the tired old, ‘How can the gods care for mortals when suffering exists?’ line actually works! It was a demon who thought that up in the first place! The forces of Good try to debunk it.

“And when I suggested to him that the powers had let me invade Stephansdom with no defense, serious doubt was planted in his mind. Doubt turned to anger, anger turned to hate. Hate turned to despair.

“As I planned, Rasputin’s rage and resentment grew. I stood over his shoulder, invisible, taunting him every time he saw hunger and poverty. Eventually, as I had planned, his soul rejected the light and believed my side.

“I eventually appeared to him in person, claiming to be Claret’s rival. He readily believed it. After all, in most layers of the Abyss, succubi are their own worst enemies. In fact, he still believes it.

“I led him on the quest for more power. I convinced him to make a deal with that bastard Dispater in order to study infernal alchemy, showing him how to get the better of the old devil.”

She chuckled.

“Oh, he’s gotten suspicious at times. In recent years, he’s pushed me away, not accepting my help. But now… I gave him an ultimatum. This partnership is the only way he’ll survive now.

“So he gets what he wants, and as a bonus, my master gets what is desired too.”

“And what is that?” asked Yumi, angrily.

Claret chuckled.

“My master will tell you, Yumi…” she said. “Right after you’re put in shackles and sealed away for eternity!”

“What?” said Yumi.

She got up.

“WHY?”

“Like I said,” said Claret. “I’ll leave it to my master to tell you… But first…”

She pointed to Erik.

“…I’m going to make you suffer like you’ve never suffered before…”

“Fine!” shouted Erik. “On with the duel!”



(Erik: 3,500) -------------------- (Claret: 7,000)


“I draw one card…” said Claret.

She made a draw.

“Don’t forget,” said Erik, pointing his finger at her, “you’ve lost your Field Spell, so every round that your Archfiends are on the field, you have to pay the price…”

Prisonqueen Archfiend and Darkbishop Archfiend erupted in violet flames, and then the flames surrounded Claret. She groaned.

“Yes…” she said with a scowl. “That would be the… 1,000 Life Points I have to pay… for Prisonqueen… And the 500 for Darkbishop…

“So I’ll get rid of Darkbishop. I play Mystik Wok.”

She played a Spell Card, and Darkbishop Archfiend vanished into shadowy vapor. Claret glowed with dark energy.

“Prisonqueen Archfiend… obliterate his Spell Striker!

“Chaos inferno!”

The Archfiend threw up it arms and cast forth a bolt of dark, burning flames at the toy Warrior. Spell Striker held up the mallet like a shield. The weapon was blown to bits, but he was unharmed.

“Looks like someone missed part of the rule book,” said Erik. “When a Monster is attacked while Equipped with a Union Monster, only one of them gets trashed.”

Claret frowned.

“Fine…” she said. “I activate my Trap Card… Archfiend’s Roar!”

Her facedown card lifted, showing the image of Terrorking looming over Darkbishop and bellowing.

“Now, for the price of 500 Life Points, an Archfiend comes back from my Graveyard.”

In a burst of black flames, Terrorking Archfiend appeared on the field with a bloodthirsty howl. (2,000/1,500)

“Don’t worry, he has to leave at the end of my turn. But for now…

“Attack his Spell Striker! Locust storm barrage!”

Terrorking’s chest burst open, and the swarm of insects plowed into Spell Striker, consuming it.

“I’m still unhurt,” said Erik, “due to his effect.”

“I place one card facedown,” said Claret, “and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared. Then Terrorking Archfiend burst into flames and was devoured by them.



(E: 3,500) -------------------- (C: 6,400)


Erik quickly drew a card.

“I’ll set this card facedown…” he said.

A facedown card appeared.

“And mine will activate…” said Claret.

Her Trap Card lifted, showing a frightening picture of Terrorking slashing at Marauding Captain with his claw.

“NO!” shouted Chelsea. “That’s Battle-Scarred!”

“What?” said Ren. “I’m assuming we don’t like Battle-Scarred?”

“When it’s activated…” started Chelsea.

“Shut up, mortal!” shouted Claret. “It’s my card, and I’ll explain what it does.

“It’s true that my Queen is now a problem for me, requiring me to pay Life Points. But so long as this Trap is on the field, Erik, my problem is your problem too.”

Erik gulped.

“I… end my turn…” he muttered.

“Then I draw…” said Claret, drawing a card. “And as I said, we both pay 1,000 Life Points for Prisonqueen Archfiend.”

The violet flames surrounded the Archfiend again, and then the aura surrounded both duelists. Both of them moaned as their life was sapped.

“Destroy his Giant Rat!” shouted Claret.

Flames shot at the Giant Rat, and it was burned to a cinder.

“I summon Toy Soldier again!” shouted Erik.

Toy Soldier appeared in a burst of light. (800/300)

Claret’s eyes glowed even fiercer.

“End…” she said.



(E: 2,500) -------------------- (C: 5,400)


Erik drew a card. He looked at it.

It was Graceful Charity.

Okay, time to turn this around… he thought. But first…

“I summon two more Toy Soldiers…” he said.

Two more Toy Soldiers appeared, this time in Defense Mode.

“Now, I play Graceful Charity…”

He played the card, and the room became awash with light…

Erik didn’t understand at first. He must have played Graceful Charity a hundred times since he started dueling, probably more. So many times, he had summoned the Angel of Charity, whose blessed feathers let him draw three cards in exchange for two…

…but this angel was not her.

The angel turned and looked at him. And then he recognized her…

“Anastasia?” he gasped.

It was Anastasia, but she had changed. Her sunglasses were gone, and so was her white business suit. But she was now dressed in a white toga, with golden sandals on her feet, and glorious feathered wings grew from her back.

She was more beautiful than ever. The sight of her filled ever human present with invigorating, nourishing energy. Claret, however, hid her eyes from the light.

“Yes, Erik, it’s me,” she said. “This is my true form. You’ve done well… The delay was enough for me to assume material form.”

She shook her wings, and three feathers fell on Erik’s deck.

“Now finish the duel,” she said. “I have no doubt that this demon’s pride is so great, she will not let the duel end without a winner…

“But I also have no doubt that you will win. Once you do, I will handle her myself.”

“Right!” shouted Erik.

“One, two, three…”

He quickly drew three cards.

He looked at his hand.

Perfect! he thought. I’ll keep these, and toss these…

He discarded two cards, as Anastasia faded away.

“All right, Claret, I play… Premature Burial. Come back, Toy Emperor!”

Toy Emperor appeared on the field, and his mount reared up and whinnied. (2,300/800)

“I’ll place a card facedown, move my other Toy Soldier to Defense Mode, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared, and the first Toy Soldier crouched in Defense Mode.



(E: 1,700) -------------------- (C: 5,400)


“Draw…” said Claret.

The burning flames surrounded them again.

“Time to finish you off!” she shouted. “I play the Spell Card… Falling Down!”

Prisonqueen’s eyes burned with black flame.

“This card costs me 800 Life Points for each of your Standby Phases, but so long as I have it and at least one Archfiend, one of your Monsters becomes my slave.”

Prisonqueen gestured, and a set of black chains looped around Toy Emperor and his mount. He was dragged over to Claret’s side of the field.

Claret chuckled.

“Bitch…” said Erik.

“Now, my slave…” ordered Claret, “attack the Toy Soldier on the left!”

Toy Emperor struggled to resist, but he lifted his saber, and charged at the Toy Soldier. With one slash, it was cut down.

“I know all about its effect, by the way,” said Claret, taking her deck from the holder. “I get to take any Trap I want from my deck now.”

She got what she wanted and put her deck back.

“Now, Prisonqueen Archfiend…” she ordered, “destroy the next one!”

The Archfiend raised its arms.

“Go, Trap Card!” shouted Erik. “Toy Cannon!”

His facedown card lifted, and the small cannon appeared on the field.

“This weapon can blast your Queen into Defense Mode, and deal you 400 points of damage from the impact.”

Claret’s eyes opened wide…

The Toy Cannon went off with a boom, knocking Prisonqueen Archfiend over, and Claret along with it. The wicked monarch crouched in Defense Mode.

Claret took some deep breaths as she got up.

She placed the card she had searched for in her deck, and it appeared facedown.

“Make your move,” she said. “It will be your last.”



(E: 700) -------------------- (C: 4,000)


Poor Erik… she thought. I can sense your fear… I suppose I could be nice and tell you that, according to the rulings for Battle-Scarred, since you can’t pay the cost for Prisonqueen on my next turn, I’m the only one who’ll be paying it.

But I’m not very nice.

You won’t be winning anyway…

She looked at a card in her hand.

On my next turn, I’ll simply use Emergency Provisions to dispose of Falling Down, and give you your Emperor back… Right before my Prisonqueen attacks it.

And thanks to him, if you try to destroy Falling Down before then, my Judgment of Anubis will end this duel early.

Erik snatched the top card off his Disk.

“Like you said,” he said, “your Falling Down costs you 800 Life Points.”

Claret winced a little as a black aura surrounded both her and Toy Emperor.

“I move my Toy Magician to Attack Mode,” continued Erik. “So stand up!”

Toy Magician stood up and aimed his scepter.

“Next… Call of the Haunted!”

His facedown card lifted up. An explosion of energy rocked the field, and Toy Dragon appeared out of it. (2,300/2,000)

“What?” said Claret. “When was that in your Graveyard?”

“I put him there with Graceful Charity,” said Erik. “And with three other Toy Monsters on the field, he gains 1,200 more Attack Points.”

Toy Dragon roared… (3,500/2,000)

“Toy Dragon… Destroy Prisonqueen Archfiend! Shooting star shower!”

A blast of intense light shot from the maw of the Dragon, and the Archfiend screamed in pain. She burst into an explosion of black smoke and ash.

“You still haven’t beaten me!” screamed Claret.

“Wanna bet?” asked Erik. “You have no Archfiends on your side of the field now. That means Falling Down is destroyed, and my Emperor is freed.”

The chains binding Toy Emperor snapped, and he shook his head to get the haze out of it. He rode back to Erik’s side of the field.

“This can’t be…” gasped Claret. “No mortal has ever bested me at a Shadow Game…”

“Your winning streak is about to end…” said Erik. “Toy Emperor, attack her directly!”

Toy Emperor charged at the succubus, and jabbed his rapier into her torso. She hollered.

“Toy Magician, finish this!”

Toy Magician cast a burst of glowing orbs from his wand, and Claret fell to her knees.



(E: 700) -------------------- (C: 0)


“Whoa…” said Sam. “Erik… Erik won…”

“Yeah…” muttered Erik. “I… Uhm… I guess I won…”

Then everyone cringed in pain, as the black flames surrounded them. The aura surrounding Erik was the most intense. He fell to his knees, writhing in agony.

“So you won,” muttered Claret. “You defeated a demon at her own game. Well, fine. You’ve earned your way into Heaven at least.

“I could burn you ashes right now, Erik, but I’m only going to do that to your allies. You…

“You, I think I’m gonna strangle.”

Her hands clasped around his neck.

“Anastasia…” he grunted. “If you’re gonna do something, now’s the time…”

“UNHAND HIM!” screamed a voice.

“Huh?” said Claret.

What happened next took everyone totally by surprise, Claret most of all. A blast of pure light came from nowhere, striking the succubus and throwing her against the wall at the far end of the room with a very loud splat.

Everyone turned, and saw Anastasia, in all the glory of her true form, looking angrily at Claret. The dark flames surrounding them vanished.

“You want to kill these children,” she said, angrily. “You want to take Yumi to your master in order to imprison her…

“I don’t know why you plan these things, but I will not let you, demon.

“If you want to try, you will have to answer to me…”

A very big monkey wrench has been thrown in the villains’ plans, as Claret’s sadistic game has given Anastasia enough time to assume material form. But what is about to occur? Anastasia may have gotten the drop on Claret, but there’s no telling what the limits of this demon’s powers are. And should a fight break out between them, the casualties may be dire… And more importantly, now that the truth is revealed, what will Rasputin’s ultimate fate be?



PRISONQUEEN ARCHFIEND (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: The controller of this card pays 1,000 Life Points during each of his/her Standby Phases (this is not optional). During your Standby Phase, if this card is in your Graveyard and “Pandemonium” is face-up on the field, you may increase the ATK of a Level Four or lower Fiend-Type Monster by 1,000 until the End Phase.



BLAZES OF DEMISE (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: Two ghostly phantoms made of smoky, dark flames, each with one eye.

Card Description: When you activate this card, you cannot Normal Summon, Flip Summon or Special Summon during this turn. Special Summon two "Dark Blaze Phantom Tokens” (Fiend/Dark/Level One/ATK 0/DEF 0) in Defense Position on your side of the field. “Dark Blaze Phantom Tokens” cannot be Tributed except to Tribute Summon DARK Monsters.

Note: “Prisonqueen Archfiend” and “Blazes of Demise” are real cards that will be released in “Phantom Darkness”.



PAZUNIA (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: A circle of stone monoliths on a blasted wasteland, dotted with twisted trees and mountains of scorched, black stone.

Card Description: This card's name is treated as “Pandemonium”. Neither player has to pay Life Points during their Standby Phases for Archfiend Monsters. Whenever an Archfiend Monster is targeted by a card effect and its owner rolls a die to attempt to negate the effect, the player may choose to disregard the first roll and roll a second time.



COURT OF THE NINTH CIRCLE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Terrorking Archfiend and Infernalqueen Archfiend on thrones made of skulls holding the end of chains that hold a captive Dark Magician Girl.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you have at least one “Terrorking Archfiend” and at least one “Infernalqueen Archfiend” face-up on your side of the field. Special Summon one Archfiend Monster that is Level Four or lower from your hand or deck.

Note: “Court of the Ninth Circle” first appeared in “Thousand-Year Door”.



ARCHFIEND’S FAVOR (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A man in armor kneeling before Terrorking Archfiend and Infernalqueen Archfiend.

Card Description: You can only activate this card if “Pandemonium” is face-up on your side of the field. Increase your Life Points by 500 for each face-up Fiend-Type Monster on the field.

Note: “Archfiend’s Favor” first appeared in “Mandate of Heaven”.



Ren: Anastasia’s kicking butt! We’re saved!

Yumi: Yeah, for the moment we are… But if a fight between them tears Duelatopia apart, we’ll be even worse off.

Anastasia: Yumi is right… I must find a way to vanquish this demon without the cataclysm that a battle between us would cause…

I have no choice… This time, I will duel…

Yumi: Anne… Are you serious? There’s no telling what’s waiting…

Chelsea: Hey, don’t worry… This is one duelist I’d bet my college fund on.

Coming up next: “The Prodigy Returns; Challenge of Divine Law”.

Anastasia: I may have lost my duel to Yumi’s father… But my record is still better than most… I just hope I’m not too rusty…


You heard right… Anastasia is dueling next chapter.

And anyone who can correctly predict the theme of her deck will get ten brownie points. Care to try?

[Shuppet Master]

:eek:

Well, it is six in the morning, and we have the biggest twist this story has undergone so far. Well, ton of twists.

* The succubus who Raz supposedly killed wasn't dead.
* She was responsible for corrupting Raz with lies and then making him fall from grace.
* She plays the same cards Peter uses. (I should have named Clive from Wild ARMS 3 "Peter", and used Name Tags to change the name of his wife to "Josphenine" and his daughter to "Chelsea. ^_^)
* Then Anne comes and kicks her ass!

Well, I can't wait to see Anne duel again. As for the theme she has, I have no idea. I have ideas, but knowing you, Brian, they are all WRONG.

Needless to say, this was a pretty interesting chapter. Keep it up.

EDIT to Mystic_clown: Brian did say that the "final boss" of this story is human, so I wouldn't be surprised if Raz is the final boss and there's one more duel between him and Yumi, where Yumi uses her "secret deck." (Brian, don't kill me if I spoil anything, this is just my speculation. If you don't like it, change the final chapter or something so I am wrong.)

In the meantime, we have a long time to wait for the next chapter; Brian is only partway through his Pokemon fanfic, and he needs to work on that too, so give him a break. I wil lbe patient. (As I am being patient for Cloud8745 to finish his Wild ARMS 3 walkthrough on YouTube.)

[Mystic_clown]

There really isn't a lot to say about this chapter. It does bring the whole "Erik has the power to fight the infernals" thing to full circle. But hten again, Archfiends aren't exactly the hardest bunch to beat, due to their low attack scores (the only exception being Prison Queen Archfiend). The fact that they've been used over and over makes them a bit hard to appear fresh (your Pazunia card seemed like a failed attempt at doing so). The toys are kind of similar, we've barely seen anything new with them.

We learn a bit more about Rasputin's past, and another reason why he turned against God, but I'm getting the feeling this will have little impact on what happens to him at the end.

Overall, it was an ok chapter, it wasn't terrible, but you have written better.

[Dark Sage]

Some words about last chapter.

A reviewer on fanfic.net – whom I assume is a fan of many anime, not just YGO – compared last chapter to the storyline in Dragonball Z where Goku was rushing to complete the Spirit Bomb while his allies were fighting for their lives against Frieza. This would naturally make Erik assume Piccolo’s role in this case, as hard as that is to picture.

You know, even though I vaguely recall watching that arc of that show, it never really occurred to me. It’s strange how some things turn out so similar.

But anyway…

Read on, as my first villain ever, and the one whom I still hold a place for in my heart, takes Duel Disk in hand once again…




CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT



The Prodigy Returns



Challenge of Divine Law



There was, perhaps, only one place in Duelatopia that was completely safe from the demons that had been invading it. That place was Cassandra’s fortune telling shop. The good magic here was so strong, no demon would dare enter. Trying to do so would be suicide.

Cassandra knew of the demons, and she had been waiting for any word from her patrons in case they needed her to combat them, which she was more than capable of doing. There wasn’t a need for that now, it seemed… Those who hadn’t taken hosts were leaving for some reason.

For now, she closed her eyes in meditation.

Her eyes opened.

She looked at her deck of tarot cards. She slowly took a card off the top.

“No!” she gasped, as she saw what it was.

It was a horrible picture. It bore the image of a man lying on the ground dead, his body pierced by ten blades, blood spilling where he had fallen.

“The Ten of Swords…” muttered Cassandra, sadly. “The card that spells one thing… Death…”

She looked at her deck.

“All I can do now, is try to find the identity of the doomed one…”

Her hand sweat as she reached for the top card…



* * * * * * * * * *


Outside of Clock Tower Prison, a squad of Centurions had surrounded the place. They were behind barriers, pointing weapons at every access and egress point.

Commander Descartes drove up on a transport.

“What’s the situation, Lieutenant?” he asked the one at the forefront.

“Trouble,” said the other Centurion. “Big time. Like you requested, Yumi Mouto’s Duel Disk was traced, and she’s clearly in the gear housing of the Clock Tower.

“However, the whole building is surrounded by a barrier of some sort. Michaels tried to enter. He wasn’t injured, but if he hadn’t been wearing his armor, we don’t know what would have happened to him.”

Descartes looked at the building.

Long ago, Siegfried Kaiba had taught him how to detect auras. And he could discern two powerful auras coming from the building.

One was a powerful aura of Good.

The other was a powerful combination of Evil and Chaos.

It didn’t take him long to realize that this clearly meant that there were two supernatural forces up there, and they were likely fighting.

He shivered…

“Call in the heavy artillery,” he said. “We’ll try to blast our way through this barrier with everything we’ve got.

“In the meantime… Off the record… Anyone who’s big on religion, it wouldn’t hurt to start praying…”



* * * * * * * * * *


In the gear housing…

The six mortals could hardly believe what they were seeing.

Anastasia and Claret were hovering about ten feet off the ground, and were it not for the fact that one of them had feathered wings and a white toga, and the other had bat-like wings and horns, this would look like some catfight from an Indy movie. Both of them were trying to strangle each other. Claret had already resorted to hair-pulling before deciding that it was pointless – Anastasia’s roots held her beautiful hair more firmly in place than cement, and once Claret let go, it wasn’t even mussed up.

Even worse, the aura around the two of them constantly shifted, turning from light, to darkness, back to light again, back and forth constantly. It was hard to tell who was winning the struggle at this point.

“Uhm, amigos…” muttered Enrique. “I have a little confession to make…”

“What?” asked Yumi, a little annoyed.

“Well…” he replied. “One of my… guilty little pleasures is watching professional wrestling on the cable TV premium channels when there’s a match between lady wrestlers. Yeah, I know that it’s all choreographed and scripted, but I find it… uhm…”

“…a turn on?” growled Sam. “You like seeing women with gorgeous figures dressed in skimpy spandex pounding away at each other?”

“Yeah…” muttered Enrique. “Anyway, seeing this… This fight between two ladies when one of them is an angel and one of them is a demon… It is clearly NOT as entertaining as those shows on TV…”

“Don’t worry…” said Chelsea. “Anastasia will beat this slut. She’ll overpower her… She’ll likely chain her to a slab of rock and then hurl her back to the dark pit where she came from. That’s how these conflicts always resolve in the movies.”

“Yeah, but at what cost?” asked Yumi.

She looked down at her Puzzle, which was glowing like a bonfire.

“These two haven’t even broken a sweat yet,” she said, “and the power they’re giving off is already off the charts. Once the true fight begins, they’re likely to level the whole city…

“Truly, we’ve gone out of the frying pan and into the fire…”

Anastasia paused. She had clearly heard this.

She grabbed hold of Claret’s hands and started forcing her down.

Yumi is right… she thought. If my true power is unleashed, if I use every ounce of strength at my disposal to slay this demon, the one I worked so hard to protect for so long might die as well…

I took a vow when I became her guardian angel… A vow to protect her any way I could…

There’s only one way I can deal with Claret without risking others… It will be a risk on my part… But I must.

She shouted, and shoved Claret off of her.

“Claret!” she shouted.

“Scuse me?” asked the succubus. “Having cold feet, Anne?”

She bore her claws.

“Tell me something, Claret,” she asked. “Are you a coward?”

“I don’t see any reason to answer that,” replied Claret.

She was about to lunge at Anastasia again.

“Claret!” shouted Anastasia. “I, Anastasia Pegasus, offer a challenge under the rules of Divine Law!”

Then everyone was startled as lightning flashed with a roar of thunder.

Claret froze. She didn’t pounce.

“Divine Law?” said Yumi. “What is that?”

The Pharaoh appeared next to her.

“I… I don’t know…” he said. “But I have a feeling it isn’t something that is taken lightly…”

Claret just stared at Anastasia for a few seconds.

“Claret…” said Anastasia. “I just challenged you to a contest under the rules of Divine Law. You know what that means… You either accept, or you have to high-tail it back to the Abyss right now. So what’s it going to be?”

Claret frowned.

And then she smiled.

“Why sure…” she said. “My master would enjoy having an angel as a slave girl once I defeat you… I accept!”

“Fine,” said Anastasia. “Since I challenged you, you get to decide which form the contest will take, within reason.”

“Is Anne crazy?” shouted Ren. “She’s risking herself playing by Claret’s rules?”

“Well, fine…” said Claret. “Since we’re in Duelatopia, I might as well choose Duel Monsters…”

“Now I think Claret’s crazy!” shouted Ren. “She’s challenging Anastasia to a duel?”

“You sure Anastasia can win?” asked Erik.

“Uhm, yes…” muttered Yumi, holding her chin. “This is only Anastasia Pegasus, as in the daughter of Maximillion Pegasus, the guy who invented the game and taught her personally. Anastasia only lost one duel in her life, and that was to my dad.”

Both the angel and the demon landed, their feet touching the floor.

“Now then…” said Claret. “I enact clause forty-seven of the rules of challenge by Divine Law. Since I already partook of the same contest that I chose in the past rotation of the gears of Mechanus, i.e. one planar day, I demand the right to compete via proxy.”

“Que?” said Enrique.

“She’s going to have someone duel in her place,” replied Yumi. “Clearly, that’s why she chose Duel Monsters.”

Anastasia frowned.

“You have the right…” she said. “Assuming… Assuming, that is, you can find someone willing to do it.”

Claret grinned.

The mysterious door appeared again, and it slowly opened.

The one who came out was someone they all knew too well. It was Rasputin.

He crossed his arms and frowned at everyone.

“Rasputin…” said Claret. “You say that beings like this are neglectful. Well prove that you are superior to them. Duel her and we can finish these fools.”

Rasputin turned to her and frowned.

“No,” he said. “Duel her yourself.”

“Huh?” said Claret.

She looked at him.

“But… We had a deal…”

Rasputin sighed, and looked at Louis, who was still lying unconscious against the wall…

He walked over to him, and then bent over the unconscious henchman. He carefully undid his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt.

“You all thought this fancy suit was just for looks, right?” he said, opening the shirt. “My partnership is officially over. With both you, and your other partner…”

Claret turned pale…

Louis’s chest was covered with small pieces of machinery, strapped on with duct tape.

“A wire,” said Rasputin, with his voice full of spite. “It was working all through your duel with Mr. Matell… I heard every bit of the conversation…

“I have had very little trust in all divine beings… Up to now, that included whether they came from celestial OR infernal regions. And I never trusted you. I know now that I should have had more trust in celestial ones.

“Claret, I was suspicious of you for years… I couldn’t prove it, but there were times I wondered whether or not I had actually killed you… I knew full well that summoned demons aren’t truly dead when they die in the mortal realm. I had hoped that if that were the case, Malcanthet would punish you once you got back.

“Now, I know what happened, and I realize that you not only survived, but you were a sore loser. You made me ageless only to turn my life into a misery that wouldn’t end. It was all a sadistic joke.

“I realize the truth now… The immortality I sought wasn’t a boon… It was a curse.

“So our deal is off. Duel her yourself.”

“Rasputin!” shouted Claret. “I warn you… Your life is hanging by a thread… You only have a few months left to live, and the Centurions are waiting for you! You’ll spend your last miserable days in a cold, dreary holding cell. If I lose this duel, you’ll be left with nothing!”

“WRONG!” shouted Rasputin, getting in her face. “I’ll have one thing left… I’ll have a thing I haven’t had for years…

“…my self-respect.”

Claret looked at him. Then she grinned evilly.

“You know,” she said, “It’s never wise to get that close to a succubus…”

Then she grabbed him, and planted a deep kiss on his lips. Rasputin tried to struggle, but she was too strong.

After a few seconds, she let go… Rasputin gagged and spit on the ground.

“Well, the Earth didn’t exactly move for me either,” growled Claret, wiping her mouth.

Rasputin turned and looked at Anne.

He took a deck out of his coat and placed it in his Disk.

“Let’s duel,” he said.

“Claret!” shouted Yumi. “What did you do to him?”

“I infected him with a dose of his own domination pheromone,” said Claret. “Who do you think taught him how to make that stuff? Malcanthet is the greatest seducer in the universe. She’s invented hundreds of formulas for controlling the opposite gender.”

“You play dirty, demon,” said Anastasia.

She gestured, and a Disk appeared on her arm in a flash of light.

“Fine… Whether I fight you or your proxy, you’ll still be the loser in the end. As Yumi said, my record as a duelist when I was alive was an impressive 1,203-1-0, and I don’t intend on worsening that record.”

A deck appeared in her hand, and she shuffled it.

“Now, Rasputin…” said Claret, “use the deck I gave you, and show her truly that you have no need for her kind. Show her that mortal power is superior to that of any beings who call themselves gods!”

“What does she mean?” asked Ren. “What the heck sort of deck is Rasputin using?”

“I’m guessing it isn’t a Fairy Deck,” muttered Sam.

“So what sort of deck do you suppose Anne uses?” asked Chelsea.

“It could be anything,” said Yumi. “As the daughter of Pegasus, she stores a copy of every Duel Monsters card ever created in her spiritual vault. So in theory, she could construct a deck with any strategy imaginable.”

Thunder crashed again…

“Game on!” shouted both duelists.



(Anastasia: 8,000) -------------------- (Rasputin: 8,000)


“Ladies first, I always say…” said Rasputin.

“Thanks,” said Anastasia, drawing a card.

She looked at her hand.

“I set this in Defense Mode, and I think I’ll leave it at that.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“That all?” asked Rasputin, drawing a card. “You must be rusty…

“I summon Laplace, the Fiend Mathematician.”

A low chuckle sounded over the field as figure rose in front of Rasputin. It was a gaunt, skeletal figure, with bony hands and feet, dressed in a blue scholarly robe and a tattered, brown cape. Its head was the skull of some fiendish ram or bison. (1,000/1,000)

“Oh, please,” said Anastasia. “Do you actually think I’m scared of that?”

“Perhaps you’ll be more scared once I destroy your only defense using Shield Crush,” he replied.

He played a Spell Card, and a bolt of energy shot out of the card. A weird creature appeared kneeling on the card. It looked kind of like Bugs Bunny with black fur, with a leather jacket and a sword in a sheath at its hip. It had a silly-looking grin.

The beam hit it, and it was blown to bits.

“Huh?” said Rasputin.

“Nope…” said Anastasia, crossing her arms. “I’m still not afraid of your Fiend. Not one bit.”

“Stuff it, Anne!” said Rasputin with a scowl. “What sort of Monster was that?”

“A Dark Rabbit,” she replied. “As if you cared. If you want to attack, then do it already.”

“Oh, have it your way…” he replied. “Laplace, attack her directly!”

The Fiend Mathematician’s eyes glowed, and two fiery blasts shot at Anne, striking her. She barely even seemed to notice.



(A: 7,000) -------------------- (R: 8,000)


“Anne!” shouted Yumi.

“Don’t concern yourself,” replied Anastasia. “He’s hardly won yet, and I’ve endured things much more unpleasant.”

“Oh, sure…” said Rasputin. “I’m sure everything you had to endure to make up for what you did when you were alive was very painful…”

Anne’s eyes glowed intensely. Her fist clenched. It was clear that Rasputin was getting close to making her cross the line.

She wouldn’t cross it. That part of her she had buried long ago.

“That will conclude my turn,” said Rasputin.

Anastasia relaxed, and drew a card.

“I summon Toon Goblin Attack Force,” she said. “In Attack Mode, naturally.”

There was a goofy giggling, and five silly-looking goblins carrying clubs that looked like wiffle-bats jumped onto the field. (2,300/0)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en117.jpg


“They can’t attack this round,” she said. “So consider yourself lucky.”

Claret chuckled.

“Oh, I get it…” she said. “You’re using daddy’s Toon Deck. How… unusual…

“How utterly stupid… You’re fighting a battle using the most sacred set of rules set forth by immortal beings, where the winner can punish the loser any way she chooses, and you choose to fight using a bunch of ridiculous watercolor creatures?”

“No…” said Anastasia. “I choose to use a deck that has the soul of my father in it… The soul of the creator of Duel Monsters! And I’ll use it like a sword, to slash through any Shadows that cover this island and darken the land.

“Through this deck, the spirit of the creator lives again… And I will triumph…”

Lightning flashed again.

“Very dramatic,” said Rasputin. “I draw.”

He drew a card.

“Okay, Anne,” he said. “I play the Spell Card, Schrödinger’s Cat.”

He played the card, and an odd Continuous Spell Card appeared on his side of the field. It had a picture of a tabby cat dressed in a white tuxedo, holing a cane and balancing a top hat on its tail.

“With this Spell Card…”

“I know what these cards do, Rasputin…” said Anastasia. “My dad invented them, remember?”

Rasputin growled.

“Well!” he said. “For everyone here who isn’t related to the guy who invented the game, I’m gonna explain it anyway! I play Pot of Greed.”

He played the card, and as usual, the jar appeared. He drew two cards.

“You see, thanks to my Cat, whenever I draw cards outside of my Draw Phase, I have the option of sending them back to my deck, reshuffling, and then drawing again.”

He looked at the two cards he had drawn.

“And I think I’ll do just that…”

He started shuffling his deck.

“I think I see the point of Rasputin’s deck,” said Yumi, shaking her head.

“What?” said Ren. “Because I sure don’t…”

“Well…” said Yumi, “in Duel Monsters, drawing cards involves a lot of chance and randomness. When a good duelist builds a deck, he takes probability and function in mind. But like I’ve said before, a little faith never hurt.

“However, Rasputin is trying to do away with faith entirely. He’s using cards to manipulate his draws, to increase the probability of getting the right cards, leaving almost nothing to chance at all. If he wins, he may well prove that he can win without relying on anything but his own ability.”

“So…” said Rasputin. “I draw twice again.”

Claret chuckled. She could clearly see what Rasputin had drawn.

Now show her your true power, Rasputin, said her voice in his head.

Rasputin opened his Field Slot and placed a card in it.

“I play… Relativity Field!” he shouted.

Darkness spread from where he was standing. Within seconds, the whole gear housing was replaced by a void of stars.

“What in blazes…” said Chelsea.

“Next,” said Rasputin, “I throw a card facedown…”

A facedown card appeared in front of him.

“Now... my Fiend may play a little rough, so I’ll summon a much friendlier Mathematician.”

He played a card, and a new Monster appeared on the field. It was a short, dumpy guy who fit the profile of a nutty professor. He was dressed in a long academic robe and mortarboard, and had a beard that reached down to his toes. He held a staff with a knob shaped like an academic crown. (1,500/500)

“When this guy is summoned,” said Rasputin, “I have to send the top card from my deck to the Graveyard. But that’s the cost for being a Level Three Monster as powerful as this one…”

He discarded a card.

“Now, then… Let me tell you one of many legends that alchemists know of… Once, long ago, there was an alchemist whose wife and children were murdered by demons. Burning with grief and anger, this alchemist traveled to the ends of the world to find the ultimate weapon to use against the forces of darkness, a spell that could kill any demon instantly, body and soul…

“After years of search and several hardships, he found that weapon… I hold it now.”

He played a Spell Card.

“I play… Exile of Wicked.”

“That makes no sense!” shouted Sam. “The only Fiend on the field is your own Laplace!”

“Exactly,” said Rasputin.

Ghostly tendrils snaked out of the card, and constricted the Fiend Mathematician. He let out and unholy scream, and was reduced to ashes.

Claret groaned and held her stomach. Clearly even though she was no Duel Monster, the power that the Shadow Game had given that Spell Card had caused her a little pain…

“I know of that alchemist…” she muttered. “After using his weapon for years, he was captured, and to this day, his soul is imprisoned in Graz’zt’s palace, where any visiting demon to use him as a torture subject for a small fee.

“But why don’t you tell them why you did that?”

“Simple,” said Rasputin. “When Laplace leaves the field, my opponent loses 300 Life Points for each card on the field. Counting the Field Spell, that’s five cards.”

Anastasia cringed a little as a red aura surrounded her.

“And then there’s the effect of my Relativity Field itself,” he continued. “Whenever a player loses Life Points, his or her Monsters lose the same amount of Attack Points. That means your goblins are cut down to size.”

Toon Goblin Attack Force chuckled nervously as their Attack Score fell down to 800.

“Now, Mathematician… Attack her goblins with Battle Curriculum!”

Mathematician aimed his staff, and shot a beam of energy that seemed to consist of numbers and mathematical symbols. Toon Goblin Attack Force exploded into shards.

“Who says math class has to be boring?” laughed Rasputin.



(A: 4,800) -------------------- (R: 8,000)


“She’s losing…” muttered Erik. “Well, I guess we’re… doomed…”

“Don’t say that!” shouted Sam. “Don’t you start doubting her powers.”

“Okay…” said Anastasia. “Here goes…”

She reached for her deck.

“Not so fast…” said Rasputin.

His Trap Card lifted.

“It’s called Draw Paradox,” he said. “When this card is in play, our Draw Phases are interchanged. In other words, I draw during your Draw Phase, and you draw during mine.”

“Clever…” said Anastasia. “So do it already!”

Rasputin drew a card.

Anne looked at the five cards already in her hand.

His strategy is odd, she thought, but I think I see where it’s going. And I’ve got to turn it around fast…

“I throw two cards facedown, and summon Toon Cannon Soldier,” she said.

Two facedown cards appeared, and then a goofy toy robot with guns on its hands and on its head with a huge smile on its face appeared in front of her. (1,400/1,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/tp6-en001.jpg


“I end my turn,” said Anastasia.

“Then I start mine,” said Rasputin. “And due to Draw Paradox, that means that you get to draw now.”

“I know that,” said Anastasia, drawing a card.

“This is the craziest duel I’ve ever seen…” said Ren.

“Crazier than that one where you dueled that waitress with the walking vegetables?” asked Chelsea.

“No, at least that one made a little sense,” said Ren.

“Time to summon someone new,” said Rasputin. “I summon… The Calculator!”

He played the card, and a strange creature appeared. It was a cute robot, with a number pad for a torso, and a screen for a face.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ptdn_jp036.jpg


“Let me explain to you how this Monster calculates its Attack Score,” said Rasputin. “First, it adds. It adds together the Levels of the Monsters on my side of the field.”

The Calculator punched some numbers on its chest, and the numerals “2+3” appeared on its screen. Then it hit a key, and the numeral 5 appeared.

“Then it multiplies,” said Rasputin. “It multiplies the sum by 300.”

The Calculator punched some more numbers. Its screen read “5x300”. Then it punched a button and it read “1,500”.

“And see for yourself…”

(1,500/0)

“Mathematician…” ordered Rasputin, “attack the Toon Cannon Soldier!”

Mathematician aimed his staff.

“Surprise…” said Anastasia. “I have a Trap… Magic Cylinder.”

Her facedown card lifted.

“This Trap Card fires your Battle Curriculum right back at you.”

The stream of numbers shot back at Rasputin. He groaned, and cringed as it hit him.



(A: 4,800) -------------------- (R: 6,500)


“Oh, I suppose you think that’s funny,” said Rasputin. “Well, my Calculator still has an attack…”

“No it doesn’t,” said Anastasia. “Since you lost Life Points, your Field Spell works against you, reducing both your Monsters’ Attack Scores to zero.”

The Calculator sparked, and Mathematician groaned, and both fell to zero Attack Points.

“Fine!” shouted Rasputin. “I end my turn.”

“Then I start mine,” said Anastasia. “So draw!”

Rasputin drew a card.

Excellent, said Claret’s voice in his ear. Next turn, you can finish her off!

“I don’t need any cat to get the right cards,” said Anastasia, looking at her cards. “I already got what I need right here.”

She placed a Spell Card in her Disk. Then she took five cards off the top of her Disk.

“I remove five cards from my deck from play…”

She tossed the five cards up in the air, and they started to dance around her head in a chaotic pattern. Then, they vanished into sparkles of light.

“But that means…” said Rasputin.

“That’s right!” said Anastasia. “I play the card that’s the nerve center of my deck… A portal to a world beyond good, beyond evil, beyond any creature’s wildest imagination!

“The incredible Toon Kingdom!”

An explosion of colored smoke appeared on her side of the field, followed by an explosion of streamers and fireworks. A large, green book with the picture of a comical king on its cover floated up over the field. It opened with a burst of energy, its pages opening like some large pop-up book with a cartoon castle growing from inside, with two huge torches flanking it.

“Now my Toons can really strut their stuff,” said Anastasia. “Case in point… I sacrifice Toon Cannon Soldier…”

Toon Cannon Soldier jumped up, and leapt into Toon Kingdom with a somersault. The book slammed shut, and then spun around. Energy shot from it.

Then it opened, and purple smoke poured from it.

“Come out and play, Toon Dark Magician Girl!”

The creature that appeared from out of the smoke was… surreal. She looked like Yumi’s star Monster at first glance, but when you looked closely, she was clearly not the same. It was as if some kid from a child’s cartoon had dressed up like Dark Magician Girl for Halloween. (2,000/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sp2-en002.jpg


“Lovely…” said Rasputin. “And to think I thought the original one was bad enough…”

“It’s about to get worse,” said Anastasia, “Toon Dark Magician Girl… Attack Mr. Lamont directly!”

Toon Dark Magician Girl’s free hand glowed. Everyone was a little surprised as a pie appeared in it…

She laughed hysterically as she hurled it, hitting Rasputin in the face with an audible splat.

Rasputin fell over. Toon Dark Magician Girl fell over too, laughing and holding her sides.



(A: 4,800) -------------------- (R: 4,500)


“Yeah!” cheered Ren.

“All right!” shouted Chelsea. “Toon Dark Magician Girl is kicking some serious A.”

Rasputin wiped his face.

“Chocolate meringue?” he said, glaring at Anne. “That was a waste of a perfectly good dessert.”

He got up.

“I hate cartoons…” he muttered. “Senseless, mindless, meaningless drivel… Clearly this mockery of the performing arts is the lowest form of entertainment. It is a mystery to me why generation after generation of youth are drawn to this sludge. It boggles the mind.”

Anastasia gave him a dirty look. Toon Dark Magician Girl stopped laughing. She looked a little pissed herself.

“Rasputin…” said Anastasia, putting her hand on her hip. “Do you know why the great Walt Disney created his first animated shorts featuring Mikey Mouse, Donald Duck, and all those other characters?”

“To make money?” replied Rasputin.

“Oh, please,” said Anastasia. “His salary at that time was pitiful. He had a deeper reason.

“You see, it was the height of the Great Depression in America. Most Americans were out of work… Jobless, helpless, and in most cases, hopeless. Filmmakers like Walt saw it as their duty to make movies, because cheap Saturday matinees were the only form of entertainment that the average person could afford after days of unsuccessful job searching.

“And Walt got an idea. He started making cartoons.

“He made these animated shorts. Short films to be shown in theaters before the main attraction, full of funny characters doing silly antics.

“And when the poor, unemployed people went to these shows and saw these cartoons, they did something that they desperately needed to do.

“They laughed. Walt’s small bit of humor gave them the small bit of joy that they needed to continue on, and not give up hope.

“You see, Rasputin, Walt Disney knew a vital truth… A world without humor is a bleak and cold world, which will ultimately sink into darkness, despair, and death.”

Rasputin looked at her hard.

He bowed his head slightly…

Don’t listen to her! screamed Claret’s voice in his head. She’s your enemy! She’s trying to distract you! Use what you have to crush that blasted thing!

“Right…” mumbled Rasputin. “It’s my move…”

“Which means I draw, due to your Draw Paradox,” said Anastasia, drawing a card.

“And it’s time for you to experience some serious pain,” said Rasputin. “I play the Spell Card, Battle Constants.

“To play this card, I must remove from play one Monster, one Continuous Spell, and one Continuous Trap. So the first thing I’ll remove from play is my Mathematician.”

Mathematician rippled, and vanished into nothing.

“Now, I remove Draw Paradox and Schrödinger’s Cat from play as well, to open a portal which summons a creature that rules the void between the stars…”

The two cards vanished, and a portal of pure energy opened, and a huge creature flew out. It was a Dragon, serpentine in shape, with three sets of wings and a small set of claws. It roared in fury. (2,800/2,300)

“Meet Brain Dragon,” said Rasputin, as the huge creature loomed over the field. “But before I use him, I’m going to take care of that eyesore…

“I play Mystical Space Typhoon!”

He played the card, and the cyclone blew across the field. Toon Kingdom shattered into bits. Toon Dark Magician Girl screamed, and then she shattered too.

“It’s over, Anne!” shouted Rasputin. “Brain Dragon, attack directly with Big Bang Blast!”

Brain Dragon blasted a wide bolt of flaming energy from its jaws. Claret laughed with glee as Anastasia screamed as she was seemingly consumed by it…



* * * * * * * * * *


Looking up from outside at this time was Commander Descartes.

Under his helmet, a look of shock crossed his face. The aura of Chaos and Evil had just gained a big advantage over the aura of Good. Even a beginner at detecting auras knew that this was bad news.

“What is taking you guys so long?” he shouted.

He turned towards a group of even more heavily armored men who were working a large device that looked like a howitzer.

“It’s ready, sir,” said one of them. “This plasma blaster can reduce an army tank to slag. It should bust through that dome in one shot.

“All we need to do is set the intensity, set the stream to bolt width, then…”

“Masterson!” snapped Descartes. “Stop explaining it, and just do it!”

“Yes sir!” he said. “Everyone, eye protection to max!”

All the Centurions adjusted their visors.

“Firing in three…

“Two…

“One…

“Fire!”

The weapon fired a blast of white-hot flame mixed with plasma at the barrier, and all of Duelatopia looked towards the Museum District as it was lit up against the night sky.

The Centurions looked. The pavement in front of them had been melted into molten tar…

However, the barrier was still there.

“Impossible!” shouted Majors. “We didn’t harm it at all?”

Descartes looked at it.

“Yes, you did,” he said. “You didn’t destroy it, but you cracked it good. Another blast should smash it to pieces. How long before that thing can recharge?”

“Fifteen minutes,” sighed Masterson. “At the earliest.”

“Let’s hope whoever is up there can hold on that long,” said Descartes.



* * * * * * * * * *



(A: 2,000) -------------------- (R: 4,500)


Anastasia stared at Rasputin as smoke poured from her toga and hair. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be hurt much.

“It isn’t over yet, Rasputin,” she said.

“Oh?” he asked. “Take a look at my Calculator.”

Everyone looked at The Calculator.

“That’s right,” said Rasputin. “Since a new Monster was summoned, its Attack Score was recalculated and reset. There are ten Levels worth of Monsters on the field now…”

(3,000/0)

“Did you think I put it in this deck solely because it fit the theme?” he asked. “I had a much smarter reason. If it ever loses Attack Points due to the Field Spell, its points are reset as soon as a new Monster is summoned.

“Attack her directly! Number cruncher!”

“ANNE!” shouted everyone.

The Calculator shot a beam of energy that resembled Mathematician’s blast at Anastasia…

“I activate my other Trap!” shouted Anne. “Draining Shield!”

Her other facedown card lifted, and a dome of energy shot up. The blast plowed into it.

“WHAT?” shouted Claret. “You had that set… And you let Brain Dragon’s attack hit you…”

“How many times are you guys going to forget that you can’t surprise me?” asked Anastasia. “I can quote the descriptions and rulings of every single card in the game from memory! I was just too close to the game to be caught off guard by your strategy!

“I knew that The Calculator was still there, I knew that its Attack Score was reset, and I knew, most importantly, that it was stronger than Brain Dragon. So I waited to use Draining Shield.

“So… Anything else, Rasputin?”

Everyone on Yumi’s side except Yumi herself breathed a sigh of relief.



(A: 5,000) -------------------- (R: 4,500)


“People, don’t breathe easy yet,” she said. “Anne is in big trouble.”

Rasputin frowned. That last move had cost him every card in his hand. He had expected to win on that turn.

“You bet she is,” he said. “The turn is yours, and it may be your last.”

“Fine,” said Anastasia. “And since your Draw Paradox is gone, our Draw Phases are back to normal.”

She drew a card. She looked at it and quickly set it on the field, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Go ahead,” she said.

“That all?” said Rasputin, drawing a card. “Well, Brain Dragon has an effect that you might be interested in. During my Draw Phase, I get to draw two extra cards. Then I put any two cards from my hand back on the top of my deck in any order.”

He made two extra draws.

He frowned.

“Disappointed?” asked Anastasia, with a grin. “It seems that even manipulating your chances isn’t helping much.”

Rasputin took two of the cards, and placed them on the top of his deck.

“Brain Dragon, attack!” he shouted.

Brain Dragon shot its thunderous blast at the facedown Monster, blowing it to bits.

“Since you obviously didn’t see my Monster before your Brain Dragon blew it to smithereens,” said Anastasia, “I should tell you that it was my Morphing Jar.”

Both of them discarded what was left of their hands, and made five draws.

“You know…” said Ren, “I often wonder about that term… Just what is a smithereen, exactly?”

“Will you shut up?” shouted Erik. “Anne is trying to save our lives here!”

“Save your lives?” laughed Claret. “She can barely save herself. Making that challenge was the most foolish thing she’s ever done. Never before has an angel as young as her invoked such a powerful dictum.”

“Hey, watch it,” said Anastasia. “I can tell that you’re pretty young yourself, Claret, as least as far as demons are concerned. For demons, being five-hundred years old is considered sweet sixteen.”

Claret scowled.

“Rasputin…” she said. “Win this duel quickly… She’s really getting on my nerves…”

“I’m trying!” he shouted. “Calculator, let’s try it again.”

The Calculator fired its number cruncher, and Anne screamed as it plowed into her.

She gasped for breath.



(A: 2,000) -------------------- (R: 4,500)


“Your move,” said Rasputin.

“Then I draw…” said Anastasia, making a draw.

“I play… Pot of Geed,” she said.

She played a card from her hand, and then drew two more cards.

Then a Spell Card appeared on her side of the field.

“Next, I play A Feather of the Phoenix. So I toss one card…”

She slipped Toon Summoned Skull into her discard slot.

“And one card from my Graveyard goes to the top of my deck.”

Toon Kingdom slipped out of her discard slot, and she placed it on the top of her deck.


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Next, a new Spell Card, the powerful Lucky Shamrock!”

The Spell Card that appeared had the image of a shamrock with three leaves, one green, one orange, and one purple.

“I pay 1,000 Life Points to use this card. Then I get to draw three cards. If those three happen to consist of a Spell, Trap, AND a Monster, I gain 2,000 Life Points, for a net gain of 1,000.”

“HA!” laughed Claret. “No-one could be that lucky!”

“We’ll soon see…” said Anastasia.

She drew three more cards.

She grinned and turned them forward…

They were Toon Kingdom, Toon Gemini Elf, and Dark Coffin.

Claret gasped as a golden glow surrounded Anastasia.

“Next, up,” said Anastasia, playing another Spell Card, “I remove five more cards from play, to play Toon Kingdom again!”

In another explosion of energy, Toon Kingdom rose out of the void again. It spun around, and opened again.

“Next, Premature Burial!” she shouted.

She played the card, and Toon Dark Magician Girl appeared again, laughing with glee. (2,000/1,700)

“I’m just getting warmed up,” said Anastasia. “Attack Rasputin directly!”

Toon Dark Magician Girl flew at Rasputin, holding her staff above her head.

“Oh no…” he muttered.

The Toon Spellcaster walloped him over the head with the staff, knocking him down on his rump. When he opened his eyes, a small flock of cartoon birds were circling his head.

“SHOO!” he shouted, shooing them away.

“Hey, Rasputin!” shouted Ren. “Because of your own Field Spell, your Brain Dragon turns from almighty titan, to world’s biggest wimp!”

Rasputin and Claret both gasped. It was true. Brain Dragon roared as its Attack Score plunged to only 800. The Calculator fell to 1,000.

My Dragon can’t even defeat a Toon Masked Sorcerer now, thought Rasputin. But I still have one surprise left…

“Now I play, Magical Mallet,” said Anastasia, playing another Spell Card. “I’ll reshuffle the four cards I have left, and draw four new ones.”

She placed her four cards – Toon Defense, Dark Coffin, Spell Reproduction, and Toon Gemini Elf – into her deck, and quickly shuffled. Then she quickly drew four times.

She looked at them.

“I play one card facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared in a burst of light.

“Finally…” muttered Rasputin.



(A: 2,200) -------------------- (R: 2,500)


He drew one card from his deck.

“I use the effect of Brain Dragon again,” he said, drawing two more cards.

He looked over the cards in his hand.

“I shift Brain Dragon and The Calculator to Defense Mode.”

Brain Dragon curled up in its coils like a serpent. The Calculator scrunched down and shielded itself.

“Next, I play the Spell Card, Impenetrable Formation. This Spell Card boosts the Defense Score of one of my Monsters by 700 points, so long as I have at least two Monsters and all of them are in Defense Mode.”

Brain Dragon’s Defense rose to 3,000.

“What’s the point?” asked Sam. “Doesn’t he know by now that Toons can attack directly?”

“Not for long,” said Rasputin. “Next, I Equip my Dragon with Ring of Magnetism.”

He played the card, and four sparking nodes appeared, surrounding Brain Dragon. Then, wires of pure electricity connected the four nodes, forming a ring. Brain Dragon fell to (300/2,500)

“It may lower my Dragon’s points, but it becomes the only target that can be attacked, directly or otherwise. And should you manage to summon a Monster that could destroy it…”

He played another card.

“I play The Dark Door. And so long as this Door remains open, both of us may only attack with one Monster per turn. Did you get all that?”

“Yes, I got all that,” said Anastasia, crossing her arms. “And it seems you’re making a pathetic attempt to stall.

“You will fail.

“Maybe,” said Rasputin. “It’s your move.”

Anastasia drew a card. She added it to her hand.

“Actually,” she said, “I choose to end my turn without making any move.”

“Then once again,” said Rasputin. “I draw three cards…”

He made three draws. He looked them over.

“And place two on the top of my deck.”

He casually placed two cards on the top of his deck, as if he didn’t care what the were.

“Now,” said Rasputin. “I summon my Armageddon Knight.”

He played the card, and a cold wind blew through the void. A dark figure appeared on the field. It was a Warrior in rusty, worn armor, holding a cutlass, wearing a tattered, red scarf over his mouth. (1,400/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ptdn_jp021.jpg


Ren suddenly took notice. It was apparently a Dark Warrior he had never heard of before.

“When Armageddon Knight is summoned,” said Rasputin, taking his deck, “I get to send any Dark Monster I desire from my deck to the Graveyard.”

Really? thought Ren. I should look into this guy…

Rasputin got what he wanted, and discarded it.

“Your Knight is in Attack Mode!” shouted Anastasia. “That means the effect of your Impenetrable Formation is no longer valid.”

Brain Dragon’s Defense fell to 1,800.

“True,” said Rasputin. “So, I’ll shift The Calculator to Attack Mode as well. And now that there are a total of fourteen Levels worth of Monsters on my side of the field…”

The Calculator stood up… (4,200/0)

“Attack her Toon Dark Magician Girl!” he shouted.

The Calculator fired its number cruncher.

“Activate… Shrink!” shouted Anastasia, as her facedown card lifted up. “Time for some division.”

The Calculator shrunk to half its size, and to an Attack Score of 2,100.

“It’s still stronger than your Toon!” shouted Rasputin.

Toon Dark Magician Girl simply laughed. She stretched like rubber, and the blast missed her.

Anastasia grinned, and held up a Toon Alligator that she had taken off the top of her deck.

“Toon Kingdom has an added effect that the normal Toon World doesn’t have,” she said. “So long as I remove the top card on my deck from play, my Toons are invincible.”

“So be it,” said Rasputin. “But you still lost 100 Life Points, so due to my Field Spell, your Toon still loses that many Attack Points.”

Toon Dark Magician Girl fell to an Attack Score of 1,900.

“I set one card facedown,” he said.

A facedown card appeared in front of him.

“Finally, a Spell Card,” he said, playing a card. “It’s called Grey Matter. With Brain Dragon on the field, this lets me retrieve a Monster from my Graveyard…”

A card slipped out of his discard slot.

“…but there are two conditions. I can’t use it until next turn, and when I finally decide to use it, I have to pay 1,000 Life Points.

“It’s your move.”



(A: 2,100) -------------------- (R: 2,500)


That’s clearly the card he tossed with Armageddon Knight’s effect, thought Yumi. What could it be?

Anastasia drew a card.

“That Calculator of yours is a big problem,” she said. “So I’m getting rid of it taking out your Dragon in one fell swoop.

“I play Brain Control.”

She played the card, and the sinister-looking brain appeared in front of her.

“I just pay 800 Life Points, and your Calculator becomes mine.”

Two arms reached forward, and grabbed the robot, pulling it over to Anne’s side.

“Let’s recalculate, shall we?” she asked. “My Toon Dark Magician Girl is Level Six, plus the Calculator’s two Levels…”

The Calculator punched the equation again…

(2,400/0)

“Calculator, attack his Brain Dragon. Number cruncher.”

The Calculator shot its blast at Brain Dragon…

“Go! Negate Attack!” shouted Rasputin.

His facedown card flipped up, and a vortex of energy swallowed the blast.

“Well then…” said Anastasia. “I can still use your Calculator to summon something else…

“I sacrifice it and my Toon Dark Magician Girl…”

Toon Dark Magician Girl and The Calculator leapt up into Toon Kingdom and the great book slammed shut…

Toon Kingdom crackled with eerie, ominous energy… It slowly opened…

“A double sacrifice?” said Sam. “That could only mean… Manga Ryu-Ran, or…

“Oh… no…”

Flying out of the book was the largest Toon yet. It was a cartoon version of one of the most famous Monsters in existence, right down to the blue eyes and white scales. It let out a deep, throaty laugh as it looked at Rasputin.

“Meet the mightiest resident of Toon Kingdom!” shouted Anastasia. “The Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!”

(3,000/2,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db1-en066.jpg


“Your uncle must be rolling over in his grave,” muttered Erik to Sam.

“No he isn’t,” muttered Sam. “My uncle was cremated. But even so, I doubt he’d approve of this…”

“People, cheer up!” said Chelsea. “Sure it’s a ridiculous mockery, but Anne is gonna win! That thing can blow Rasputin’s Brain Dragon to bits!”

“Uh, guys,” said Yumi. “You do realize that it can’t attack this round? Anne already used her Battle Phase.”

“Unfortunately, Yumi is right,” said Anastasia. “In fact, since this Toon is Class-A, it can’t attack on the round it’s summoned anyway. That’s why I attacked with The Calculator first. But for now, I’ll play Pot of Avarice.”

She played the card, and five cards slipped out of her discard slot: Toon Dark Magician Girl, Toon Goblin Attack Force, Toon Summoned Skull, Dark Rabbit, and Toon Cannon Soldier. She shuffled them into her deck and drew two cards.

She looked at her cards.

“I set one card facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared in a flash of light.



(A: 1,300) -------------------- (R: 2,500)


“Then I draw…” said Rasputin, drawing a card.

“Hold it, Rasputin!” shouted Anastasia. “I’m chaining this to your Draw Phase!”

One of her facedown cards lifted.

“It’s one of my dad’s favorite Traps,” she said. “Gorgon’s Eye.”

A weird creature appeared over Anastasia. It looked like a mass of swarming snakes with an eye in the center.

“Yeah, I know, the version we use now isn’t as powerful as the one he used in Duelist Kingdom, but it works for me. It disables the effects of all Monsters in Defense Mode until the End Phase.”

“But that means…” said Rasputin.

“It means you can’t use Brain Dragon’s ability to draw two more cards,” answered Anastasia.

Rasputin looked at the card he had drawn, which was a second Brain Dragon. It was useless. He heard Claret’s voice again, full of anger.

Rasputin, I’ve had enough, she said. Time to go for broke… Use what you have, and finish her…

“I move Knight of the End into Defense Mode,” he said, as the Warrior knelt and held his sword by his side. “This means, by the way, that the effect of Impenetrable Formation is active again.”

Brain Dragon’s Defense rose to 2,500 again.

Rasputin played the card he had just drawn.

“Now, I pay 1,000 Life Points to set the Monster I retrieved with Grey Matter.”

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

“I end my turn.”



(A: 1,300) -------------------- (R: 1,500)


Anastasia drew. She smiled when she saw what the card was.

“That’s a Warp Fiend, right?” she asked, pointing to the facedown Monster. “You can’t fool me, Rasputin. Like I said, as the daughter of the game’s creator, I was privy to information on every card in the game.”

“Warp Fiend?” asked Yumi. “I… don’t like the sound of that…”

“It’s a Level Four Monster with 2,400 Attack Points and zero Defense Points,” said Anastasia. “But it can’t be Normal Summoned or Special Summoned. And if you Flip-Summon it, you have to have Relativity Field in play, or it is destroyed.

“But if you manage to do that… You can send Relativity Field to the Graveyard so it can destroy all cards on the field except itself.”

Everyone gasped.

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Rasputin. “But I’d like to see you try to stop me. Because of my Ring of Magnetism, you can only attack my Brain Dragon. And because of my Dark Door, you only get one attack.”

“Read the fine print,” said Anastasia. “The Dark Door says I can only attack with one Monster per Battle Phase. If I had two Battle Phases, I could indeed attack with two Monsters.”

“What are you talking about?” said Rasputin.

Anastasia played a Spell Card.

“I play Toon Table of Contents,” she said.

Toon Kingdom’s pages started to turn quickly. Then they opened, naturally, on the table of contents.

“Now I can search my deck for any card with the word ‘Toon’ in its name, and add it to my hand.”

She took her deck, and quickly got what she wanted. She put her deck back.

“Now, onto business. I pay 500 Life Points so that my Dragon can attack.

“Blue-Eye Toon Dragon…

“Attack! White Lightning!”

Finally, it let out a mighty blast of energy, and the Brain Dragon exploded.

“Well… just how do you intend to get a second Battle Phase?” asked Rasputin.

“With this!” said Anastasia, playing another Spell Card. “It’s called Toon Rollback!”

Toon Kingdom started to fold and change shape, and an old fashioned movie reel appeared on it. Colorful film started spilling out of it.

“This Spell rewinds my turn back to my first Main Phase, so I can indeed repeat the Battle Phase.”

“Hold on,” said Rasputin. “I happen to know that Toon Rollback does have a limitation. You do get a second Battle Phase, but any Monster that attacked in the first one isn’t allowed to attack again.”

Anastasia grinned.

“You thought I used Toon Table of Contents to search for Toon Rollback, right?” she asked. “Well, I didn’t…

“I sacrifice Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon to summon Toon Dark Magician Girl again!”

Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon vanished into grains of light, and the much cuter Toon appeared again. She winked at Rasputin. (2,000/1,700)

Anastasia’s supporters started cheering.

“Attack him directly and end this!” shouted Anastasia.

She flew at Rasputin, and cast a bright burst of magic at him, knocking him on his back.



(A: 800) -------------------- (R: 0)


“Well,” said Chelsea, with a smile, “as one great cartoon character would say…

“Th-th-th-that’s all folks!”

Anastasia gestured, and her Disk vanished. Claret looked at Rasputin with fire in her eyes.

She grabbed him by the neck.

“You big idiot!” she shouted. “Do you have any idea what you’ve…”

“Unhand him at once,” said Anastasia, quietly.

“Shut up, Anne!” shouted Claret, “or I’ll…”

“You’ll do nothing!” shouted Anastasia.

She merely pointed, and Claret winced in pain. She dropped Rasputin.

“Your proxy lost,” said Anastasia. “So you lose. Thus, the full effects of the challenge now come into play… And this is a rule that not even the Queen of Chaos herself could weasel out of.

“That means your powers can’t affect me, the winner, in the least.

“Furthermore, I am allowed to inflict you with any punishment I desire. And since you turned his life into a misery that has lasted centuries, it’s gonna be a dire one.”

Claret glared at her nervously. Then she grinned.

“So…” she said, sheepishly. “What’s it gonna be? You gonna seal me in a block of ice at the Arctic? Maybe chain me to a rock at the bottom of the sea?”

“I’m contemplating those and several other options right now,” said Anastasia, her eyes narrowing.

“Well before you do,” said Claret, “consider this… What about Rasputin?”

“What about him?” asked Anastasia.

“You all are fools,” said Claret. “The immortality serum… It was a sham. Nothing created by alchemy can stop a man from aging. It was noting more than some stuff that demons drink the same way humans drink lemonade.

“I was personally the one who was keeping him from aging all this time. I connected my life force to his via a special silver cord.

“You do anything to me, the cord will break. Know how long he’ll survive after that?

“Minutes. He can’t live without me.”

Anastasia paused. She looked at Rasputin.

Claret chuckled.

“Hasn’t he suffered enough, Anne?” she asked. “Will you kill him to punish me?”

She didn’t see Rasputin getting to his feet behind her. He pulled the crucifix out of his jacket pocket.

“Face it, Anne,” said Claret, “you’re in a no-win situ…”

Then Rasputin grabbed her in headlock, holding the holy symbol in front of her.

“Don’t count on it,” he growled.

“A crucifix?” she laughed. “Please, that little thing is too weak to…”

Then her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees.

“It’s made of cold-forged iron, Claret!” shouted Rasputin. “This was going to be my backup plan in case you didn’t fall for the wine trick!”

“Cold-forged iron?” said Yumi.

“It’s poison to demons,” said Rasputin. “Anastasia, what are you waiting for?”

“But…” said Anastasia.

“You won, Anne!” shouted Rasputin. “Now punish her! I can’t hold her forever!”

“But Rasputin, you’ll…”

“Don’t be stupid!” shouted Rasputin. “If you forfeit your prize, she’ll kill your charge and her friends. Who is more worthy of life, Anne, six young children or a big idiot like me who’s already lived far longer than he has had a right to?”

Anastasia closed her eyes.

She pointed at Claret, and an aura of pure light surrounded her. Claret screamed as holy energy seeped into her body…

After a few seconds, she was gone. Rasputin fell to his knees again.

There was dead silence in the room.

“Gee, Anne,” said Ren. “What did you do to her?”

Anastasia sighed.

“She’s been banished,” said Anastasia. “Locked away somewhere safe. Rest assured, she’ll never trouble the mortal world again.”

“Rasputin!” shouted Yumi.

She ran up to the man who had been her foe for so long. Already he had changed dramatically. His hair and beard had doubled in length, and was grey, and his skin was wrinkled and covered with liver spots.

“What’s happening to him?” shouted Yumi.

Anastasia shook her head.

“He’s dying, Yumi,” she said. “His true age is catching up to him. And there’s not a thing I can do. Not even the Archlords can save a man from dying of old age…”

“Rasputin…” said Yumi, sadly.

“Yumi…” whispered Rasputin. “Yumi… You aren’t done…”

He weakly lifted up his hand, which held a single card.

“My… partner… He lurks offshore... in a hidden keep. His plan was to kidnap you from your bed if Claret and I failed…

“But if you use this, you can go to him… You can finish the job…”

“Rasputin…” repeated Yumi.

“Don’t feel sorry for me,” said Rasputin. “Heaven knows, I don’t deserve it… Besides… For the first time in centuries, I don’t fear death…

“In fact… I almost welcome it…”

“Rasputin!” shouted Yumi.

It was too late. His body crumbled into dust, leaving only his clothes, Duel Disk, and the crucifix.



* * * * * * * * * *


Cassandra looked at the Ten of Swords. Then she sadly looked at The Emperor.

She placed The Emperor facedown on the table.

“Rasputin Lamont was a man whose life once held promise,” she said. “He was chosen by Heaven to save a church from a demon…

“But the demon returned, and her treachery and lies led him down a path of ruin…

“We can only hope that now he’s managed to find…

“…a small measure of peace.”



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi’s eyebrows furrowed in anger.

She looked at the card that Rasputin had handed to her.

“It’s a Field Spell called The Glass Menagerie,” she said.

“So what are we gonna do?” asked Ren.

Yumi activated her Disk. She opened the Field Slot and placed the card inside it.

“I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do!” she shouted. “We’re gonna end this once and for all!”

The door appeared, and opened.

“Whoever you are, I’m coming after you!”

“I’m gonna help you,” said Sam.

“If you are going, so am I,” said Erik.

“Me too,” said Ren.

“Me three!” shouted Chelsea.

They heard the shouts of the Centurions. They were rushing up the stairs.

“Enrique,” said Yumi, “you try to tell them what happened. We’ve got a bone to pick with someone.”

“Si,” said Enrique. “Good luck.”

The five duelists ran through the door.



* * * * * * * * * *


On the other side of the door, they were met by a surprise.

They were on a pathway made of light, hovering over the ocean.

Duelatopia was behind them…

In front of them, a few thousand feet away, was a large, beautiful temple, seemingly made of glass.

It shimmered in the moonlight, which seemed unhindered by the clouds covering Duelatopia.

“The Glass Menagerie, I presume?” said Sam.

“Well, people…” said Yumi, “Rasputin was kind enough to give us the means to get here with his last ounce of strength…

“So let’s end this once and for all…”

They started walking towards the shimmering temple, as its owner waited…



* * * * * * * * * * *


On another plane of existence, in a realm where the sun never shone, there was a vast palace built of gold and skulls. Whoever the skulls had once belonged to was a question that most folks who had seen the place had quickly decided they were better off not knowing.

The master of this palace strode through the halls. He was one of the oldest denizens of the planes… He had come into being before the terms Good and Evil were defined, and all there was were Law and Chaos. He cared little when he was labeled as Evil… It was a term he didn’t care for.

He pushed open the doors to his favorite chamber in his palace.

Inside the vast chamber were hundreds of huge gemstones. Each one was likely worth a fortune, but they had a purpose aside from wealth.

Clearly visible when you looked at one was a human form trapped inside each of these gemstones, sealed like a fly in amber. This room was his prison for his most important enemies.

The gems were powerful magical artifacts called soulgems. It took him many years and an incredible amount of wealth to build even one of them. However, he was so ancient, he had hundreds of them, far more than any other being who knew how to make them. Even Graz’zt and Orcus didn’t own more than ten.

When a soulgem was enchanted, it had to be attuned to the body and soul – or just the soul, if dead – of one specific mortal. The soulgem would then be able to hold that mortal, and none other.

But, if prisoner was successfully captured using it, there was no escape. The prisoner was trapped forever, unless he granted release.

He passed by the gems, observing some of his trophies. Here was a noble knight who had campaigned against his forces… Here was a princess whose father had defied him. The occupants were fully conscious, and able to see him. They despised him, of course, but they were pretty much helpless. Some of them had no-one but themselves to blame, having been imprisoned after losing a wager of some sort that they shouldn’t have made – or even worse, having given up their freedom in exchange for someone else’s release, which was ultimately not granted. This entity rarely kept his word.

He walked to an empty gem. It was an incredibly powerful one, made of adamantine crystal, even harder than diamond. This one he had prepared with more care than the others.

Under his helmet, his eyes narrowed.

It was prepared to hold one that would be his greatest prize…

It was prepared for Yumi Mouto…

All that was needed was for one of his most trusted cultists to send her here.

What may be the endpoint for our heroes is in sight. But will it be the end of their troubles, or the end for Yumi? Answers will come as the final enemy is confronted, and Yumi will attempt to win what she needs to finally do what her grandfather couldn’t…



ARMAGEDDON KNIGHT (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, you may select one DARK Monster from your deck and send it to the Graveyard.



THE CALCULATOR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Thunder/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 2
ATK: ?
DEF: 0

Card Description: The base ATK of this card is equal to the combined Levels of the face-up Monsters you control x300.

Note: “Armageddon Knight” and “The Calculator” are real cards that will be released in the United States next month in “Phantom Darkness”.



MATHEMATICIAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 500

Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned, discard the top card from your deck to the Graveyard. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle, draw one card from your deck.

Note: “Mathematician” was first used by Bastian in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Duel Off (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the creators of that episode.



LAPLACE, THE FIEND MATHEMATICIAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: When this card is removed from the field, your opponent takes direct damage equal to 300 times the number of cards on the field.



BRAIN DRAGON (Monster Card)


Card Specs
Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,300

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Battle Constants”. When this card is face-up on your side of the field, draw an additional two cards during your Draw Phase. Then, select two cards from your hand and return them to the top of your deck in any order.



DRAW PARADOX (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: Bird’s eye view of a Duel Disk with the owner making a draw.

Card Description: When this card is active, neither player can draw during his/her own Draw Phase. Instead, each player draws one card during their opponent’s Draw Phase.



SCHRODINGER’S CAT (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A cat in a white tuxedo holding a cane, balancing a top hat on its tail.

Card Description: When you draw cards outside of your Draw Phase, (except via the effect of “Schrödinger’s Cat”), you may shuffle them back into your deck, and then draw cards equal to the number of cards you shuffled back into your deck.



BATTLE CONSTANTS (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The Brain Dragon amid a maelstrom of energy.

Card Description: Remove from play one Monster, one Continuous Spell Card, and one Continuous Trap Card on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Brain Dragon” from your hand or deck.



RELATIVITY FIELD (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: A black silhouette of a duelist casting a rainbow-colored shadow in the forefront.

Card Description: When a player takes battle damage or effect damage, each Monster he has face-up on the field loses Attack Points equal to the amount of Life Points he lost.

Note: The proceeding six cards were first used by Dr. Einenstein in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “It’s All Relative”. Creative credit goes to the creators of that episode.



WARP FIEND (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Special Summoned. If there is no “Relativity Field” face-up on the field at the time this card is Flip-Summoned, destroy this card. When this card is face-up on your side of the field, you may send “Relativity Field” on your side of the field to the Graveyard to destroy every card on the field except this card. Until the End Phase of the turn after you use this effect, you may not Normal Summon, set, or Special Summon another Monster.



GREY MATTER (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The Brain Dragon coiled around a giant human brain.

Card Description: You may activate this card when you have a “Brain Dragon” face-up on your side of the field. Select one Monster Card from your Graveyard and add it to your hand. You may not Normal Summon, set, or Special Summon the selected Monster on the turn you use this card. When you choose to Normal Summon, set, or Special Summon the selected Monster, pay 1,000 Life Points.



LUCKY SHAMROCK (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A shamrock, with one green leaf, one orange leaf, and one purple leaf.

Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points. Both players see the top three cards on your deck. If those three cards consist of one Monster Card, one Spell Card, and one Trap Card, increase your Life Points by 2,000. Either way, add the three cards to your hand.

Note: “Lucky Shamrock” first appeared in “Mandate of Heaven”.



TOON KINGDOM (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A pop-up book with a cartoon castle in its pages, flanked by large torches.

Card Description: Remove the top five cards from your deck from play to activate this card. This card’s name is treated as “Toon World” while face-up on the field. If a Toon Monster that you control is attacked, you may remove the top card on your deck from play to prevent it from being destroyed as a result of the battle.

Note: “Toon Kingdom” was first used by Pegasus in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Duel For Hire”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



TOON ROLLBACK (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A film reel spilling out a roll of colorful film.

Card Description: Activate this card during your Main Phase 2 when “Toon World” is face-up on your side of the field. Your turn returns to Main Phase 1. Monsters that have already attacked this turn cannot attack again this turn, except via a card effect.

Note: “Toon Rollback” was first used by Alister (disguised as Pegasus) in the original anime episode “Deja Duel! (Part One)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



THE GLASS MENAGERIE (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: An ancient temple hovering in the night sky made of pure glass, surrounded by shimmering stars.

Card Description: Ritual Monsters cannot be destroyed by Spell Cards, Trap Cards, or Monster effects. If a Ritual Monster is destroyed by battle, the owner may Special Summon from his Graveyard the Monster(s) used as Tribute to summon the Ritual Monster.



Yumi: Let’s end this battle, people… In this temple, the Rod of the Ancients lies… And I’m not leaving without it!

Sam: The one who has it isn’t just going to give it to you.

Chelsea: After all he’s put us through, I don’t want him too!

Ren: Right! He deserves to be pummeled for it!

Erik: Let’s get this over with…

Anastasia: Coming up next: “Deck of the Primordial Scion; Darkest Before the Dawn”.

It won’t be pretty…

[Shuppet Master]

"The ketchup, the mustard, the salt, and the pepper..." (shoots Master Beard, even though he's a ghost.)

Sorry about that, I just committed a mortal sin that will damn me to Hell. I got addicted to PaRappa the Rapper and bought the PSP port of the original PaRappa. (hangs head in shame)

Anyways, this was a pretty interesting chapter, but one thing really sticks in my craw. Don't take it personally, I just find it a bit distasteful and other authors may have made a similar mistake.

Claret kept her demon form even though she knew Rasputin would see her and get tipped off even without the wire. Why didn't she turn invisible again?

That wasn't what I hated most about this part.

What I hated was the fact that, despite the fact that Raz knew that Claret might not be dead, he didn't question the strange voice whispering lies in his ear and use his alchemy to expose Claret on the outset, thus nipping the whole incident in Duelatopia in the bud to begin with.

Yeah, I know that would mean this while story never happens and Yumi and her pals just go through the entire Duelatopia tournament with puppies and flowers, but a smart author would have not made Claret stupid. Yeah, she's a chaotic being and thus might not think about these details, but ironing out details like this would make this chapter better. Well, nothing to be done about it now.

That's my only complaint in the whole chapter. The chapter itself was nice and the duel was done properly. Obvious that Claret would beat up on Erik herself, seeing him as a weakling, but use a proxy to fight an angel. Coward.

I had a feeling Raz was going to bite it soon. Nice for him to redeem himself just before age caught up to him and finished him off.

So wait, if that castle is where the other demon lord is, then that means... oh no... NOOOOO!!!

Anyways, keep it up.

"Cook the burgers, flip them over..." (shoots Master Beard again.)

Sorry... I am a PaRappa addict. :(

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE



Deck of the Primordial Scion



Darkest Before the Dawn



The five duelists approached the great temple, which seemed to get much larger as they approached it. Its great doors loomed before them.

“Uhm… Big, isn’t it?” asked Ren.

Anastasia appeared, a tired look on her face.

“Yumi… Children…” she said with a sigh. “I’m afraid I can’t help you any more than watch now. My energy is too spent from enacting such a sacred clause.”

“That’s okay, Anne,” said Yumi. “You take it easy.”

“Be warned,” she said. “There is more evil power inside this temple than I have ever felt before, not in my mortal life or beyond. I believe that it is some shrine devoted to an evil power of some sort… Likely a powerful one with connections to demons.

“May the powers of good walk with you.”

The huge doors swung open. They walked inside.

They entered a great hall, where the glass theme was still predominant. The term “Glass Menagerie” was fitting. Along the walls were statues of animals, beasts, and fairy creatures, all made of glass.

“I really hope those are just statues and they weren’t once real,” muttered Erik.

They walked down the hall, and their footsteps echoed.

“Man, it’s quiet…” said Chelsea.

“Yeah…” said Ren. “Three quiet…”

“Three quiet?” asked Yumi.

Ren nodded.

“That’s even quieter than too quiet,” he said.

Everyone groaned.

Maybe he was better when he was brainwashed… thought Yumi.

At the far end of the hall was a dais, on which was a cushioned chair.

“So now what?” asked Chelsea. “Man, this place looks expensive… It must have cost a fortune…”

“More than you think,” said a voice. “But the wealth of its owner is considerable.”

They all looked around.

“Up here,” said the voice.

They all looked at the dais…

Sitting there was the strange man in the midnight-blue robe and hood. And he was holding the Rod of the Ancients.

“Okay, fellah,” said Yumi, “I want some answers! Who the Hell are you!”

The man chuckled. He lowered his hood.

The Pharaoh appeared, his eyes narrowing.

“I know who he is…” he said, ominously.

Yumi was shocked when he said the name.

“People…” she said. “This is Unus the Undying himself…”

The man on the throne grinned. He got up, and started to walk down the dais.

“I see my reputation proceeds me,” he said, in a strange accent. “Unus the Undying, the last of the Sorcerer Kings, master of dark magic…”

“Clearly, ‘Undying’ was more than just a title…” said Sam.

“Heh, I wish it was…” muttered Unus. “No, Sam, as much as I would have liked people to think I was the avatar of some dark god, I’m currently no more immortal than you are.”

“I don’t understand,” said Yumi. “What’s been going on? How have you survived? What is the point to all this?”

“So many questions, Yumi…” said Unus, fingering his Rod. “But I’ll explain before we have to fight, which seems to be inevitable now… That Rasputin apparently had more of a spine in him than I thought.

“All of the Sorcerer Kings achieved power in different ways… We were actually only related to each other via our common goal, and via the Shadow Charms. I took a rather… dangerous path.”

A Duel Disk appeared on his arm, one that seemed to be made entirely of glass. He reached into his robe, and took out a small stack of cards. There weren’t nearly enough for a full deck. (There were exactly ten.)

“I’ll tell you my story by comparing it to the story of this individual,” she said, activating the Disk.

He played a card, and a tall figure appeared in front of him. It was a handsome Warrior in black armor, holding a steel sword.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-020.jpg


“Warrior Dai Grepher?” asked Ren. “How are you like Warrior Dai Grepher?”

“In lots of ways,” said Unus. “It’s a sad story… One that most folks can’t piece together, seeing as no-one has all the parts…”

He played a card, and Warrior Dai Grepher vanished as a familiar Spell Card appeared – The A. Forces. Everyone noticed that Grepher was on the artwork, heroically leading a group of fellow Warriors into battle.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-027.jpg


“He was once a powerful and brave soldier,” said Unus, “who fought for many noble causes…”

He played another card, and Array of Revealing Light appeared on the field, another card with Grepher’s picture.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lod-029.jpg


“…and one day, he discovered a force that was strange to him… Magic. A force that could shape the world in more ways than a mere sword could.”

He played a third card, and Morale Boost appeared in front of him. The picture depicted Grepher holding the Wicked-Breaking Flamberge.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_042.jpg


“The Warrior sought to acquire magic, and obtained a mighty sword. It gave him strength and vigor, and for the first time, he knew what true power was…

“But one day, he met a Warrior who would become his hated rival…”

He played a new card, and Simultaneous Loss appeared in front of him. The picture showed him fighting Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, with both of their swords flying from their hands.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/een-en053.jpg


“This female warrior was his greatest challenge to date, and the battle between them ended in a stalemate. As did every battle between them for a while…

“But she became stronger…”

He played a new card, and Dimension Wall appeared. This time, Grepher was fighting D.D. Warrior Lady, and she was using a portal that caused him to strike himself with his own sword.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en059.jpg


“She found new power, and became able to control the dimensional boundaries. She faced him again, and he was soundly defeated. To seal her victory, she banished him to the void, hoping he’d be gone forever…

“But he got lucky…”

He played another card, and a Trap called Dimensional Inversion appeared. It showed Grepher appearing out of a portal of light.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cdip-en0521.jpg


“The warrior struggled, and eventually found his way back to the mortal world. He burned for revenge, but his rival was too powerful now. He needed power of his own to defeat her. But what magic would he harness to get it?

“The warrior burned with fury. He became more violent. His honorable fighting ways became brutal and bloody…”

A new card appeared, a Trap called The Paths of Destiny. It showed Grepher facing two paths in a dark wood, one leading to light, and one leading to darkness.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/potd-en052.jpg


“He was faced with a decision. He was offered power from two sources. One promised light and warmth, one promised might and strength. He took the second path… Into darkness…”

He played another card, and the Spell Card Falling Down appeared. It showed a picture of Grepher slowly changing into a fiendish form.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_088.jpg


“With this choice, the warrior had to make sacrifices… He gave up his human body, surrendering it for that of a demon…”

Unus played the final card. It was Sakuretsu Armor.

The duelists watching got the point well. Once Grepher had gotten his power and became a Fiend, the first thing he did was slaughter his former comrades.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sd8-en034.jpg


“And he finally got the power he once wanted. The magic he sought was now his…”

Unus chuckled as the card faded away.

“An amusing little story, isn’t it?”

“Stuff it, Unus!” shouted Yumi. “What does this have to do with you?”

“Virtually the same thing happened to me,” said Unus. “I won’t tell you who the rival was who defeated me in my youth, but I will say she was a powerful priestess. So I decided to obtain my power from a different source, and eventually steal the power from her source.

“I made a deal with a powerful demon lord. The same one that Claret served after she left Malcanthet. A powerful Scion of Chaos. This lord gave me responsibilities, and so long as I fulfilled them and did a few favors, I’d possess great magical abilities.

“Fortunately for me, unlike Grepher, I got to keep my good looks.”

Yumi’s eyes opened.

She reached into her side deck and took out the Chaos Necromancer card.

Rasputin was trying to warn me… she thought. In a moment of sanity, he dropped me a clue as to who was truly behind the whole plot… A sorcerer who worshipped Chaos…

A real chaos necromancer…

“Anyway…” continued Unus, “calling myself ‘the Undying’ was nothing more than a title to intimidate the common folk. After all, any great sorcerer worth his salt can probably make himself live as long as he wants to…

“I soon became one of the most powerful of the Sorcerer Kings. I formed my grand plan. I proposed to the others the plan that involved stealing the power of the gods to make us truly immortal and omnipotent, power enough to rule over all of creation.

“My plan was pretty grandiose… I’ll leave it up to the imagination what the specifics were. Suffice to say, it involved an outright attack on the realms of the Egyptian gods.

“All of them seemed ready to agree, but that meddler Machius stepped in and protested. He said there was a fatal flaw in my plan that would result in our doom. He filled their heads with the possibilities of failure and divine punishment. And they all had doubts.

“I told them they all had a choice. They could follow me, or they could give up their goals and dreams that they had worked so hard for. I said I would prepare our assault.

“I was suspicious of Machius. So I started work on a spell, which would make the Sorcerer Kings my slaves should they turn against me. But Machius was wise to me. He enchanted his Crown to protect himself. Then, he visited each of the Sorcerer Kings, one by one, proposing a different plan. One by one, they turned against me, and joined him.

“I prepared to cast my spell to gain them back, but I did so too late. They cast a powerful ritual, drawing on the power of the Earth itself, in which their physical bodies were sacrificed, and their souls ascended to a higher form. Their Charms were hidden for future heroes to find, and they left the world behind, traveling to a paradise realm that they had formed with their fantasies.

“And I was alone… My work was a failure. And cut off from the symbiosis I shared with them, most of the powers I had gained on my own were gone.

“And my demonic patron was not about to keep giving me the ones he provided. He had stood to gain much from my plans, which would now never see fruition. As punishment, he dragged me to the Abyss and tossed my Rod to the same place where the others had stashed theirs.

“For ages, I was his prisoner, sealed in a soulgem. I was helpless, and crushingly bored… My only company besides my captor were the other prisoners.

“But three years ago, he offered me a second chance…

“You see, Yumi, he knew that you needed the Shadow Charms. He also knew that one of his servants, Claret, was manipulating a powerful duelist who desired immortality, and thus could use the Shadow Charms. So he offered me my life back, so long as I delivered you to him.

“I was set free and returned to Earth, not having aged a day due to the preservative powers of the prison gem I was kept in. I was met by Claret. Working with demons was nothing new to me. So we began planning our grand trap, using Rasputin as a patsy. I only needed to make a clean kill or a capture to complete my job; but we didn’t dare make an outright attack. Ever since the Mandate was rescued and strengthened, alarms are sounded in Heaven whenever demons try to attack mortals. To avoid retribution by celestial forces, we were forced to work in secrecy. We decided to strike while you were collecting the Charms.

“However, I didn’t count on a few things. The other Sorcerer Kings were still watching Earth, and they were determined that my plan would not succeed. They remembered well my plan to enslave them. Since they still had strong ties to their Charms, they helped Machius ensure that his Charm, the Crown of Souls, would reveal itself first. They hoped you would win it, knowing that it would make you safe from my magic even if your enemies won all seven of the other Charms. Since you did, the chances of a successful outright assault went from slim to almost nonexistent.

“We were forced to resort to questionable methods. We came close to succeeding when Rasputin beat you the first time. Having Claret put the Power Wall card on the top of his deck just when he needed it ensured his victory. And I was even able to use a powerful spell to seal that meddling Anastasia in a magical cell that would hold her until I was done. Since I was in charge of that duel, I was able to override Machius’s spell for a few brief minutes when you were defeated.

“Unfortunately, when I tried to grab your soul, an energy source that I couldn’t identify grabbed it first.”

Jaden… thought Yumi. Thank goodness…

“Fortunately,” said Unus, “Rasputin never truly won the Charm. Since I was alive and well, it was still mine, even though he believed it was his. Only I was able to tap its secrets at that point…

“But anyway…”

“But why?” asked Yumi. “Why does this… patron of yours want me?”

“Don’t you know?” asked Unus. “With you as his prisoner, we won’t have that prophesy to worry about.”

Yumi just looked at him.

“You mean… Your spiritual guide never told you?” he asked.

“His memory isn’t too good…” said Yumi.

“No matter…” said Unus, his eyebrows narrowing.

His Disk activated again.

“Normally, Yumi,” he said, “now that you’re here, I could simply banish you to my master’s realm with one simple spell. But with your Crown still enchanted with that idiot Machius’s spell, my magic still can’t touch you. So we will duel. I’ll wager my Rod against your Crown.

“And should you refuse, I’ll banish all four of your friends, who have no protection at all. And maybe I’ll crash this whole temple into the center of Duelatopia’s hotel district while I’m at it.”

Chelsea held onto Ren, her eyes wide with fright.

“Don’t worry, guys,” said Yumi. “I can beat him.”

“No you can’t,” said Unus. “Know why? Because I’ve been watching you for three years. I’ve studied every one of your duels. There’s not a single card you could draw that could surprise me. And the same goes for your four lackeys.”

He lifted up his cloak slightly, and then tucked the Rod into his belt behind him.

Yumi stared at him.

She took the last deck out of her bandoleer. It was her second deck.

“Wrong, Unus,” he said. “Here’s one deck that can surprise you.”

“Yumi!” said the Pharaoh’s voice. “Think this over carefully… We haven’t used that one even once…”

“I know…” muttered Yumi, “but it’s the only deck here that Unus doesn’t know about. It’s the only way we stand a chance.”

She placed it in her Disk. Both Disks activated.

“Yumi!” shouted Erik.

He ran up to her.

“Erik?” she said.

“Yumi, eat this…” he said.

“Erik, what are you…” she asked.

Before she could say anything else, he quieted her by giving her one of the chocolate truffles.

“Just chew and swallow,” he said. “I finally figured out what they were really for.”

Yumi slowly chewed. Then she nodded, and turned to Unus.

“You want me, Unus?” she asked. “You’re gonna have to beat me first!

“Game on!”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:




(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Unus: 8,000)


“Bury this guy, Yumi!” shouted Ren.

“Tear him a new one!” shouted Sam.

“Silence,” ordered Unus, making his first draw. “This is why I hate teenagers. Whatever your new strategy, mine will crush you.

“I set a card facedown, and then summon 8-Claws Scorpion.”

A facedown card appeared in a flash of light, and then a large, ugly Insect appeared. As it name implied, it was a scorpion with eight sharp pincers. (300/200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/pgd-024.jpg


“Huh?” said Erik. “That’s no stronger than a Kuriboh… I’m guessing it has some sort of effect…”

“Yeah…” said Sam. “When it attacks a Monster that’s facedown, its Attack Score becomes 2,400… But Yumi will destroy it before he can…

“Oh no… Weak Dark Monster plus facedown card… Yumi…”

Yumi glared at him. Then she smirked a little.

“I draw one card…” she said, making a draw.

“And my Trap activates!” shouted Unus. “Crush Card Virus!”

His Trap lifted up, and 8-Claws Scorpion exploded into a burst of vile spores. Yumi closed her eyes as the spores splattered on the cards in her hand and deck.

“Now, all cards in your hand, and the ones you draw for three turns that have 1,500 Attack Points or more are destroyed!”

“NO!” screamed Ren.

“Gee, Unus,” said Yumi. “I hate to be a party pooper, but…”

She turned her hand of cards forward.

“…as you can plainly see, every Monster I have right now is immune to your Virus.”

Everyone looked…

It was true. The Monsters in Yumi’s hand consisted of Mystical Elf, Battle Footballer, Sangan, and Giant Soldier of Stone. The other two cards were Heart of the Underdog and a Trap that no-one recognized.

“Uhm…” said Ren. “Well, her grandfather used the Elf and the Soldier, but…”

Unus gave her a strange look.

“It still affects the Monsters for this turn and your next two!” he said.

“Sorry, Unus,” said Yumi. “I’ll let you in on a secret… Your Virus won’t affect a single card in my deck.”

“Her whole deck doesn’t have one powerhouse?” asked Sam. “What sort of crazy deck is this?”

“Oh, just wait,” said Chelsea. “It’s gonna bring down the house!”

Unus looked at Chelsea.

Bring down the house? thought Unus. Something’s up… Clearly, this isn’t the Yumi Mouto I’ve been studying…

“Anyway…” said Yumi, “I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode, and then play Heart of the Underdog.”

A facedown Monster appeared, and then the Continuous Spell Card appeared.

“This card lets me…”

“Yes, yes, I know what it does,” said Unus. “I helped design the decks Rasputin gave to your brainwashed friends, including Sam’s. And it won’t help you.”

“It’s your move,” said Yumi.

Unus drew a card and looked at it.

“I activate… Pot of Greed,” he said.

The wicked jar appeared, and he drew two cards.

“Next, I play the Spell Card, Instant Fusion. Since you own a copy of this card, Yumi, I’m sure you know what it does. I simply relinquish 1,000 Life Points, and I get to bring a low-level Fusion Monster to the field.

“And I choose to summon Reaper on the Nightmare.”

A ghostly fog crept over the room, and a sinister creature emerged from it. It was a specter dressed in a tattered cloak, holding a scythe, mounted on a mummified horse. (800/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/yugioh-dr1-en026.jpg


“That’s a pretty useful Monster,” said Yumi. “But there’s one problem… Since you used Instant Fusion to summon it, it can’t attack, and it will be gone when you end your turn.”

“That’s exactly why I’m going to sacrifice it,” said Unus.

Reaper on the Nightmare vanished into the dark fog again.

“I summon Giant Axe Mummy.”

A huge creature loomed over the field. The name was quite fitting. It was clearly a mummy, it was clearly huge, and the weapon it held was a big axe. (1,700/2,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en223.jpg


“Now for the fun part,” said Unus. “Axe Mummy, attack her facedown Monster with undead axe smash.”

Giant Axe Mummy roared, and charged at the facedown card. Sangan appeared on the card, and was smashed to pieces by the blow.

“Thanks a bunch,” said Yumi, taking her deck. “I’m sure you know what Sangan can do. Like I said, its effect can let me search for any Monster in my deck. Of course, since the card I’m taking doesn’t count as drawn, it’s not affected by your Virus anyway.”

She added the card to her hand and reshuffled.

“I end my turn…” he muttered.



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (U: 7,000)


Yumi drew a card.

“I have to show this to you because of the Virus,” she said, “but it isn’t even a Monster.”

She showed him the card. It was a Spell Card called Dark Burst.

What does that do? thought Sam.

“I’ll set this in Defense Mode, and end my turn,” said Yumi.

A facedown Monster appeared.

Unus frowned and drew a card.

“Hmph!” he said, looking at his hand.

“I’ll also set a Monster in Defense Mode, and set a facedown card. And since the only Monsters you could have set are ones with high Defense, that will conclude my turn.”

Yumi drew a card, and looked at it.

She turned it forward, showing Reckless Greed.

“I set a new Monster in Defense Mode,” she said.

A second defensive Monster appeared.

“My turn ends, as does the effect of your Virus.”

“And mine begins…” said Unus, making a draw.

“I flip my Des Lacooda into Attack Mode,” he said.

His facedown Monster flipped up, revealing a decaying camel swathed in mummy wrappings. (500/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/pgd-030.jpg


“By Flip-Summoning this Monster, I get to draw one card.”

He made a draw.

“Giant Axe Mummy, attack the facedown Monster on the left!”

Giant Axe Mummy lumbered towards the facedown card with its axe. It groaned, and raised its weapon…

Then, Mystical Elf appeared on the card, kneeling with her hands folded. (800/2,000) A dome of force appeared around her, and the axe slammed into it. Giant Axe Mummy tumbled back, landing on its behind.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/lob-0621.jpg


(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (U: 6,700)


8-Claws Scorpion would have come in really handy, he thought. If I hadn’t wasted it…

“Humph… So be it,” he said. “At least now I can activate my Trap Card…”

His facedown card lifted.

“Bottomless Shifting Sand.”

The whole arena floor changed, and each Monster, and both duelists, were now up to their ankles in sand dunes.

“When this Continuous Trap is in effect,” said Unus, “every time my opponent ends her turn, the face-up Monster with the highest Attack Score is destroyed.”

“Smooth move,” said Ren. “I see one thing wrong with that… The strongest Monster on the field is your Giant Axe Mummy, stupid!”

“But my Trap doesn’t effect facedown Monsters,” said Unus. “And both Giant Axe Mummy and Des Lacooda have the ability to switch into facedown Defense Mode once per turn. I don’t think Mystical Elf has the same ability.”

Both of Unus’s Monsters vanished, and were replaced by facedown cards.

“With that, Yumi, my turn once again concludes.”

“Fine,” said Yumi. “I draw one card…”

She drew.

“And since the card I drew was Aqua Madoor, I get to draw again, due to my Heart card.”

She drew again.

“I drew Charcoal Inpachi, so I draw a third time.”

She drew again.

“Okay, this card doesn’t fit the bill…”

“What’s the point of this deck?” asked Sam. “Are all her Monsters Normal ones with high Defense? How can she attack with them?”

“She has her ways,” said Chelsea.

“First, I’ll place a facedown,” said Yumi, fitting a card into her Disk.

A facedown card appeared in a flash of light.

“Now, I’ll shift Mystical Elf into Attack Mode.”

“Huh?” said Unus, as Mystical Elf stood up.

“Attack the facedown Monster on the right!” shouted Yumi.

Mystical Elf shot a blast of sparkling energy from her palms, and Des Lacooda appeared on the card before bursting into a cloud of dust.

“Didn’t expect that, did you?” asked Yumi. “So much for you making extra draws. I’ll set another Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared. Mystical Elf screamed as she was sucked under the sand and disappeared.

“You fight well…” said Unus, drawing a card. “But it will all be for naught…

“I flip Giant Axe Mummy into Attack Mode.”

The card flipped, and Giant Axe Mummy appeared again. (1,700/2,000)

“Man, he’s gonna pull the same trick again!” shouted Erik.

“Attack!” shouted Unus.

Giant Axe Mummy rushed at the facedown Monster. Battle Footballer appeared on the card as its axe fell. (1,000/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/dcr_001.jpg


“I activate a Trap!” shouted Yumi, as her facedown card lifted. “Cross Counter! Now my Footballer can blitz your Giant Axe Mummy, taking it out and dealing you double the damage!”

Battle Footballer slugged the huge mummy in the stomach. The Zombie dropped its axe and exploded into a burst of dust and wrappings.

“Ergh…” said Unus.

“Just because my deck is a defensive one, doesn’t mean I can’t trash your Monsters,” said Yumi.



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (U: 5,900)


“Very well, young warrior…” he said.

He placed all of his cards but one in his Disk. Four facedown cards and one facedown Monster appeared on the field.

“Four facedown cards?” said Chelsea. “This guy doesn’t fool around.”

“My move…” said Yumi.

She made a draw. She made a sinister smirk.

“Well, Unus…” she said. “Seems I have a decision to make…”

“What?” he said.

“Well, the card I drew is certainly a Normal Monster… But if I show it to you to use the effect of Heart of the Underdog, my strategy will no longer be a secret.”

Unus just stared at her.

“The silent, type, huh?” asked Yumi. “Very well… I choose to use the effect…”

“Show me!” ordered Unus.

Yumi flipped the card around.

Ren, Sam, and Erik gasped. Chelsea smirked and nodded. Unus just stared at it blankly.

The card was Right Arm of the Forbidden One.

“Exodia?” shouted Sam. “Yumi, how long have you been sitting on this deck?”

Yumi drew another card.

“Hmm, not a Normal Monster,” she said, adding it to her hand.

“Well, Sam,” she added, “the story behind this deck began after Duelist Kingdom. As you know, Weevil Underwood threw my grandfather’s original Exodia cards that were given to him from his grandfather into the ocean. My other grandfather recovered two of them, but as it turned out, even they were ruined.

“When he got home, grandpa secretly started looking for replacements, if only for a symbolic purpose. It was harder than it seemed. The ones belonging to the Rare Hunter he beat in Battle City were bootleg forgeries, and he had too much pride to take them for his use. In the end, he retired before finding all the cards he needed for a proper Exodia Deck.

“But then, my dad worked on it. And doing so took his whole career…

“And I took over after that. The final card for this deck was added two weeks ago…

“See… This deck is the product of three generations of work.”

“Which will only make its defeat more tragic,” said Unus. “I’m neither scared nor any less confident of my ability to crush you, Yumi. You should know better than anyone, Exodia is far from unbeatable.”

“We’ll see, won’t we, wise guy?” she said, playing a Spell Card. “I play The Shallow Grave.”

“Now we must both Special Summon a Monster from our Graveyards in facedown Defense Mode.”

Two facedown Monsters appeared, one on Yumi’s side of the field, and one on Unus’s.

“Next, I’ll set a new Monster in Defense Mode…”

Another facedown Monster appeared on her side of the field.

“And my Trap Cards activate!” shouted Unus.

One of his facedown cards lifted.

“First, Ceasefire! All Monsters are revealed!”

Two Monsters appeared on his side of the field in Defense Mode. One was Giant Axe Mummy. (1,700/2,000) The other was a Monster that looked similar to Des Lacooda, but not as decayed. (500/1,500) On Yumi’s side, Mystical Elf (800/2,000), Giant Soldier of Stone (1,300/2,000) and Charcoal Inpachi (100/2,100) appeared.

“Also, you lose 500 Life Points for each Effect Monster.”

“Fortunately,” said Yumi, “all of mine are Normal Monsters.”

“But mine aren’t,” said Unus.

Yumi groaned as a fiery aura surrounded her.



(Y: 7,000) -------------------- (U: 5,900)


“Now, Needle Ceiling!” he shouted, as another facedown card lifted. “Since there are more than four Monsters on the field, all face-up Monsters are wiped out!”

A shower of spikes rained down from the ceiling. Everyone gasped as all five Monsters were impaled and blown to shards.

“You see?” said Unus. “I’m more than prepared…”

Yumi sighed.

“I end my turn…” she said. “Attack me if you want, I don’t care.”

“You’ll care in a minute!” he said, drawing a card.

“You have only two cards in your hand!” shouted Yumi. “That means Bottomless Shifting Sand’s weakness comes into play, and it’s destroyed.”

The Trap Card shattered, and the sandy dunes disappeared.

“So be it…” said Unus. “I activate my last two facedown cards…”

His two facedown cards lifted…

“Two more Traps?” exclaimed Erik, as they lifted. “What could they be?”

Dark smoke flowed from the two Trap Cards…

Two ugly creatures slithered out. From the waist down, they were large serpents. From the waist up, they were human – mostly. They had two heads, one human-like, and one that was a snake. They each clutched a sharp kopesh in one hand and a decorated shield in another. (1,600/1,800 x2)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sp1-en003.jpg


“Offhand…” said Sam, “I’d say Embodiment of Apophis is a good guess…”

“Nothing to defend you now!” shouted Unus. “Attack her, my warriors!”

The two demons slithered towards Yumi. She staggered back with the first, strike, and with the second, she cried out in pain and fell to her knees.

She gasped for breath… She held her chest, where her heart was pounding. It was actually like she had been struck by two real swords…



(Y: 3,800) -------------------- (U: 5,900)


Unus chuckled.

“While you’re picking yourself up,” he said. “I’ll set another facedown card, and play Mirage of Nightmare.”

The Continuous Spell and the facedown card appeared.

“Hey!” shouted Chelsea. “This guy is stealing my act!”

“I should thank you, Chelsea,” chuckled Unus. “You’re the one who gave me the idea for this combo!”

Yumi got up. Her eyes narrowed.

She frowned as she drew a card.

“Since this is Chelsea’s combo, you know I get to make four draws,” said Unus, as he quickly drew four cards.

“Then, Emergency Provisions!”

His facedown card lifted up, but what happened next was very unusual. A tentacle with a fanged mouth on it sprouted out of his stomach, and devoured the Mirage card.

“Uhm… I didn’t expect that…” muttered Yumi.

“Truthfully, neither did I,” said Unus, as the tentacle vanished. “But when you work for the Scion of Chaos, unusual things tend to happen.

“You should have seen my old castle back in Egypt. Once I commissioned a carpenter to build a throne, but when I tried to sit in it for the first time, it walked away. My chef once prepared crown roast, and when he took it out of the oven, it was roast duck.

“And don’t even get me started on my art collection. The portraits and statues I had never had the same expression on their faces twice.

“And you know what? I enjoyed it. I’d never have chosen to serve such a being if I didn’t.”

Yumi glared at him.

She looked at the card she had drawn. It wasn’t a Normal Monster, but it was something she could use.

“You know, Unus,” she said, “I’m getting sick of this secrecy. Does this demon lord you worship even have a name? Or is that the whole point? Is he so chaotic that he can’t decide on a permanent name?”

Unus smirked.

“He has a name,” he replied. “He also has a motto that his cultists use. It states, ‘Power told is power lost’. In other words, when you discover powerful knowledge, use it for yourself and don’t share it, and you’ll be more powerful as a result.

“The only reason I was willing to share my plan with the other Sorcerer Kings was because I needed their help.”

“And you would have sold them to your master as slaves when you were successful!” shouted Sam. “Am I right?”

Unus chuckled.

“You’re all very smart,” he said. “Anyway, you’ll all find out his name soon enough…”

“Yeah, well…” said Yumi. “I’m gonna use my own knowledge to wipe out your snakes.”

“Oh?” said Unus. “How?”

“By exploiting the same weakness that my grandfather Joey exploited when he dueled Odion. Those things are both Monsters and Traps, and are affected by cards that affect both kinds of cards.

“Here goes my Heavy Storm!”

She played the card, and a furious storm blew through the Glass Menagerie. Yumi’s supporters cheered as the two Embodiments of Apophis were eroded into sand, and Yumi’s Heart of the Underdog blew to pieces.

She played another Spell Card.

“Next, I play Magical Mallet. I think I’ll reshuffle four of my cards.”

She took four of her six cards and placed them in her deck. She shuffled, and then drew four times.

She looked over her hand.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode, and that ends my turn…”



(Y: 3,800) -------------------- (U: 6,900)


Unus looked at her as he drew.

She clearly has more than one piece of Exodia in her hand now… he thought.

He grinned as he looked at the cards in his hand.

But I can destroy her whole deck with one swift stroke!

He placed two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.

“Your move…” he said.

“No Monsters?” said Ren. “He’s nuts.”

“Not really,” said Chelsea. “He was right. I doubt Yumi’s deck has any Monsters that could really hurt him by attacking.”

Yumi drew a card.

“I place one card facedown, and bolster my defenses,” she said.

A facedown card, and a second facedown Monster appeared.

“That will be all.”

“Then it’s my move!” shouted Unus.

He drew a card.

“I activate a Trap Card,” he said, as a facedown card lifted. “Multiple Destruction. That means we each toss our whole hands and draw five new cards.”

Yumi rolled her eyes, and discarded her hand.

“Since I’m discarding three cards, I lose 300 Life Points,” said Unus, “but who cares…”

“Look, buddy,” said Yumi, “if you think that making me discard the pieces of Exodia is going to stop me from beating you…”

“Yes, I know, I know…” said Unus. “Any Exodia duelist worth his salt has lots of ways to recover Monsters from the Graveyard…”

He looked at his five new cards.

“But let’s see you recover once I activate this…”

Another of his facedown cards lifted.

“NO!” screamed Chelsea.

“Book of Life!” exclaimed Unus. “Now, I can remove a Monster in your Graveyard from play to revive a Zombie from mine. So, let’s take a look…”

The Monster cards in Yumi’s Graveyard appeared in front of him.

“Nice…” he says. “Looks like you had three pieces of Exodia in your hand a minute ago…

“I think I’ll banish this one…”

He pointed to one card – the central piece. Exodia the Forbidden One itself.

“No…” said Chelsea.

She slumped to the ground.

“Yumi’s doomed…”

“Now…” said Unus, “as per the effect of Book of Life, I raise Reaper on the Nightmare from my Graveyard.”

The ghostly reaper appeared again, astride its demonic horse. (800/600)

“By the way, this Monster has the ability to attack directly…”

Reaper on the Nightmare flew at Yumi, and slashed at her with its ghostly scythe.

“And it has another ability… Now one card in your hand is destroyed.”

The Reaper’s eyes glowed, and a beam of light hit a card in Yumi’s hand. It shattered to bits.

“Nice shooting, Tex!” laughed Yumi. “That card you just hit was a little guy called an Electric Snake. Since your card’s effect made me discard it, I get to draw two new cards!”

She drew twice.

Unus chuckled.

“As if it mattered,” he said. “I end my turn by summoning Wandering Mummy.”

He played the card, and not one, but two embalmed corpses appeared. As far as mummies went, these ones seemed rather typical. They moaned softly. (1,500/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en219.jpg


(Y: 3,000) -------------------- (U: 6,600)


“It’s your move, Yumi,” he said. “You can either continue, or you can yield.”

“I choose to continue,” said Yumi.

Unus gave her a strange look.

“But why?” he asked. “Are you that stubborn? A piece of Exodia is gone… Your deck is dead.”

“Wounded Unus,” said Yumi. “My deck is wounded.

“But it’s not dead yet.”

She made a draw.

“I set two more facedown cards,” she said. “And then I end my turn.”

Two new facedown cards and a new facedown Monster appeared.

Unus drew a card. He looked at the odd Spell.

Clearly, she has a card that can restore Monsters that have been removed from play, he thought. I must defeat her before she draws it…

I expected Spellcasters, not this… If she defeats me, it’s all over… So much planning will be wasted…

He closed his eyes.

Dark Master… he thought. Great Scion of Chaos… I humbly request permission to channel the great power that only you can give. I will use it to win this duel, and deliver to you the prize you have desired for so long.

He paused.

A cold chill went through him.

He opened his eyes and smiled. His request for permission to had been granted…

“Reaper on the Nightmare,” he ordered, “attack her directly again!”

“Not so fast!” shouted Yumi. “Go, Spellbinding Circle!”

Her Trap Card flipped up, and a shimmering circle with a pentagram inside it surrounded the Reaper.

“Unfortunately for your Reaper,” said Yumi, “when it’s targeted by a card effect, it’s destroyed.”

Reaper on the Nightmare burst.

“Very well…” said Unus. “First, I will summon the Seven-Armed Demon…”

He played a card, and a hideous creature appeared. It was, as the name suggested, a demon with seven arms, except that the odd one was growing out of its skull. It had grey skin, tangled, long hair, and large, leathery wings. (666/666)

“Ugh!” said Chelsea.

“This scares you, Chelsea?” asked Unus. “This is only a Normal Monster. The true terrors of my deck haven’t shown up yet…

“I just keep this in my deck for shock value… And maybe as another way to use Crush Card Virus…

“But these demons are the rank and file… the grunts, if you may, of my patron’s army. They may be weak individually, but a horde of several thousand of them can often get the job done. And while these armies typically suffer a casualty rate of seventy to ninety percent in most battles, it hardly matters… In the Abyss, where weak demons sprout up like weeds, these troops are quickly replaced.”

“And I thought our wars were bad,” muttered Erik.

“You haven’t seen war until you’ve seen the Blood War, Erik,” said Unus. “Compared to the Blood War, all conflicts on Earth are no more than casual disagreements. A single Blood War battle costs the lives of more fiends than all of World War II cost the lives of humans. In all areas.”

Everyone in the room was speechless. They were thinking right now that Unus was crazy.

At least, they hoped he was crazy. Because if he wasn’t, what reason did he have to lie?

Yumi shook her head.

If this was well known, she thought, sins wouldn’t exist… Who would risk damnation knowing that the punishment for an evil life was so horrible?

“Anyway,” said Unus, “I play… Altar of Mist.”

The whole arena became shrouded in misty smoke, and a structure of sorts appeared behind Unus. It was a four-pillared, canopied altar on a dais, whose architecture suggested Greco-Roman.

“Yumi,” said the Pharaoh’s voice, “this card is bad news…”

“The Big Five, right?” asked Yumi.

“Yes,” said the Pharaoh. “They used it to summon their F.G.D. quicker. After three of his Standby Phases, Unus will be able to get any Ritual Spell Card he wants from his deck. He’s clearly planning something big.

“And I’m afraid we can’t stop him. That card is indestructible.”

“Well, swell…” said Yumi.

“It’s your move, young warrior,” said Unus. “Let’s see how much progress you can make before my Altar lets me summon my ultimate Monster.”

Yumi made a draw.

“I’m going to activate my Trap Card, Unus,” said Yumi. “Heck, while I’m at it, I’ll activate both of them.”

Her two facedown cards flipped up.

“Do you realize you activated two copies of the same Trap?” asked Unus.

“They’re called Break the Seal,” said Yumi. “When I have one, it does nothing. But when I have two, I can ditch both of them to take a piece of Exodia from my deck, and add it to my hand.”

The two Trap Cards vanished into grains of light.

“What’s Yumi doing?” asked Chelsea, as Yumi looked through her deck. “How can she win?”

“She’s up to something…” said Sam.

“Continuing,” said Yumi. “I flip my Avatar of the Pot into Attack Mode.”

One of her facedown Monsters flipped up. It was a rocky, muscular statue whose head looked like the Pot of Greed. (1,200/1,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-016.jpg


“Now, I can activate his effect. By sending my Pot of Greed to the Graveyard from my hand, I can draw three cards instead of two.”

She discarded the Spell Card, and then drew three times.

“Now then… Avatar… Get that ugly thing out of my sight! Attack Seven-Armed Demon with money shot!”

Avatar of the Pot laughed. It threw a punch at the Fiend, and it connected with its jaw with a sound that sounded like the ringing of a cash register. Seven-Armed Demon flew backwards and shattered into pieces.

“That’s what’s called putting your money where your opponent’s mouth is,” said Yumi. “Next, I sacrifice my Avatar to summon Millennium Shield.”

Avatar of the Pot crossed its arms and nodded. It vanished, and a large, steel shield with the Eye of Wdjat on its front appeared, hovering in the air. (0/3,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mp1-001.jpg


“You summoned Millennium Shield?” shouted Unus. “That was the dumbest move I’ve ever seen! That means it’s in Attack Mode, with zero Attack Points! It’s utterly worthless now!”

“Show some respect,” said Yumi. “This card is the exact card that was in my grandmother Rebecca’s original deck. She was kind enough to give it to me when she heard I was building this deck.

“And as for it being worthless…

“I play Mystik Wok. Now I can sacrifice it, to gain Life Points equal to its Defense Score.”

The Spell Card appeared, and Millennium Shield vanished.

“I end my turn. And since my hand now consists of seven cards…”

She discarded a D.D. Trainer.



(Y: 6,000) -------------------- (U: 6,066)



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Unus made a draw. He shrugged.

“I summon Royal Keeper,” he said.

He played the card, and another mummy appeared. This one was wearing a broken tutan mask made of wood and a leather kilt, and carried a spear and a leather shield. (1,600/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en218.jpg


“This plan of yours to assault the realm of the gods,” said Yumi. “Did it perchance involve raising a legion of undead soldiers?”

“None of your business,” said Unus. “That’s all for my turn…”

“Psst, Sam,” whispered Erik. “How is Yumi gonna win?”

“Well, she has to get back the Exodia cards in her Graveyard, and the one that’s been removed from play,” Sam whispered back. “It depends on how lucky her draws are.

“Getting the ones in her Graveyard back is the easy part. Every Exodia duelist has copies of Backup Soldier, and things like Monster Reincarnation.

“As for the one Unus banished… Well, I’m not sure.”

Yumi drew a card and looked at it. It was Gravity Bind.

Let’s look at the situation, she thought. Two Exodia pieces are in my hand, two are in my Graveyard, and one has been removed from play…

And in just two rounds, he’s going to bring out something big…

But I’ve got at least one thing in my favor… Most of my recovery cards are still in my deck… And there are only ten cards left in my deck, so my chances of drawing them are better than he may think.

She placed Gravity Bind in her Disk, and a new card appeared facedown.

Then, she placed another card on her Disk, and a second facedown Monster appeared.

“Your move,” she said.

Unus drew a new card.

“Humph,” he said. “You’re trying to stall, and it won’t work… I’m pretty sure my deck has more cards left in it than yours. Exodia Decks never have more than the forty-card minimum.”

He placed a card in his deck, and a facedown card appeared.

“That’s all for now, so let’s see what else you can do.”

Yumi made a draw.

“I play… Monster Reborn,” she said. “Now I can bring back my Millennium Shield in Defense Mode.”

The holy ankh appeared, and Millennium Shield appeared again. (0/3,000)

“All right, Unus…” she said, with sweat running down her face. “I’m more than prepared for whatever you intend to summon…

“So who is it? Dark Master Zorc? Reshef the Dark Being?”

“Those two upstarts?” said Unus, with a laugh. “Once my ultimate Monster defeats you, you’ll wish you had been facing them!”

He drew a card. The Altar of Mist became shrouded in spooky smoke, and it vanished. A card appeared in Unus’s hand.

“But first thing’s first. I play my own Monster Reborn. And I’ll bring back a Monster that was destroyed when I used Needle Ceiling. My 3-Hump Lacooda.”

The ankh appeared again, and an odd creature appeared. It looked like a camel with three humps, covered with mummy wrappings. Unlike Des Lacooda, this one looked alive and healthy, even though it was drooling. (500/1,500)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ast-0701.jpg


“Next, I activate a Spell Card,” he said, as his facedown card lifted. “Inferno Reckless Summon. I’ll summon two more Lacoodas.”

Two more of the odd camels appeared in front of him.

“I don’t have any more Millennium Shields, Unus…” muttered Yumi.

“Too bad,” said Unus. “Now I activate their effect. When three of these Beasts are on my side of the field, I can sacrifice two of them, and then draw three cards.”

Two of the 3-Hump Lacoodas vanished, and he drew three times.

“”Perfect,” he said. “Now… Before my star appears, I’m going to summon the one who will act as the sacrifice.

“Now, in all honesty, I can’t take credit for obtaining this card… Rasputin’s spies stole it from I2’s vaults when they stole that Obelisk copy that Ren used. Rasputin was going to use this card himself, but…”

He chuckled.

“…he was afraid of it. Heck, very few people wouldn’t be.

“I, for one, am not…

“I sacrifice my three Monsters…”

Wandering Mummy, Royal Keeper, and 3-Hump Lacooda erupted in black flames. They were quickly consumed…

“Three sacrifices?” shouted Erik. “What in blazes…”

“I summon one of three mighty devil gods, a beast created to destroy other gods…

“I summon a creature known and feared as… the Wicked Eraser!”

With a bellowing roar, an enormous creature burst through the glass floor behind him. Yumi and her friends recoiled from fright, as the huge, serpentine, winged devil that seemed to combine the worst aspects of Dragon and Fiend loomed over the field. It seemed to be made of metal, rather than flesh, and was covered with sharp edges.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/jump_en016.jpg


“You know how this Monster works?” asked Unus. “Its Attack and Defense is 1,000 for every card on your side of the field. I see four right now…”

(4,000/4,000)

“Go, Gravity Bind!” shouted Yumi.

Her Trap Card flipped up.

“Sorry, Unus,” she said. “But now your Monster can’t attack.”

Unus laughed out loud.

“I wasn’t going to attack with it, Yumi,” he said. “The Wicked Eraser has another effect. If it’s destroyed, every card on the field goes with it.”

“If that’s the case, then I won’t destroy it,” said Yumi.

“You misunderstand,” said Unus. “It has yet another effect. I can order it to self-destruct with but a single command.

“Wicked Eraser… Destroy…”

The Wicked Eraser started glowing with a dark, fiery energy…

Yumi braced herself as the huge Fiend burst, and her Gravity Bind, as well as her Millennium Shield, Soul Tiger, and Giant Soldier of Stone were incinerated.

Yumi looked in disbelief. Where her three Monsters had been were now only piles of ash.

“So much for that, Yumi,” said Unus. “Ready to meet the Scion of Chaos I’ve been talking about? The Ritual Spell I have summons none other than his avatar.”

“You gotta be kidding…” said Yumi.

“Let me tell you some of his history, Yumi,” said Unus. “You may think that demons are just demons, but there are actually a couple of different races of them.

“The predominant race, the one which succubi belong to, are called the tanar’ri. They’ve ruled the Abyss for a long time…

“But that was not always the case.

“Demons are beings that represent Chaos and Evil. Most would say that the tanar’ri are evil first and anything else second. But once, the Abyss was ruled by ancient race of demons that were chaotic first. This race is dwindling today… Some think that in mere centuries from now, it will be extinct.

“Now, they are truly an ancient race. Quite simply, they were around before mortals were created…”

He chuckled.

“Oh, Sam? You might be interested in knowing that the demons whom the Dark World Fiends were based upon were members of this race. Yes… They had a grand army… But they were decimated in a battle with the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, and most of their power was lost… They never truly recovered, and their empire was easy prey when the tanar’ri rose to power…

“They gained back some of their power when the cards were made, and they gained the status of Duel Spirits. Brron attempted to restore them to true power in recent years by awakening their true leader, but that accursed Jaden Yuki defeated him…”

“Their true leader…” said Sam. “Reign-Beaux?”

“Reign-Beaux is an avatar of an even stronger demon,” said Unus. “One whose name I won’t speak here…”

Sam looked at him in wonder. Certainly, there had been no Monster in that Dark World Deck that was even stronger than Reign-Beaux…

“But I’m not concerned with them,” continued Unus. “The most powerful member of this race… He was ancient even when his race was numerous.

“Legends often connect him in some way to another ancient demon called Pale Night, a member of the race known as the Mother of Demons. No one is sure whether the two of them are siblings, lovers, allies, rivals, or enemies. In the chaotic workings of the Abyss, all could be true at one time or another.

“Some folks claim that, through his wives and concubines, he sired the progenitors of many modern races of demons. Still others say that every tanar’ri living today can retrace its bloodline to him.

“Some sages go even further, saying that he mated with many ancient material world female monsters, and the fruits of these unions were evil creatures that troubled many famous heroes. The Gorgons… the Chimera… the Grecian Sphinx…

“You getting all this?”

“Hanging on to every word…” said Yumi, nervously, with sweat pouring down her face.

She was defenseless, and facing an attack from something that sounded like the most horrible demon in existence. She had never been more scared in her life.

“This ancient being can harness the raw power of Chaos in the very core of the Abyss,” said Unus. “He’s the one who I pledged my devotion to…

“I play the Ritual Spell Card, Awakening of the Primordial Scion.”

The Spell Card appeared on the field. It was an odd picture, of an iron helmet inlaid with strange runes, superimposed over a starry field.

“This Ritual doesn’t work like most. To pay the cost, I must remove from play from my hand, field, or Graveyard, one Monster who must be Level Ten or higher. And since demons hate devils, I’ll use The Wicked Eraser.”

The Wicked Eraser appeared behind him, and was consumed by dark flames.

Unus pulled the Rod of the Ancients from his belt. It started to glow with golden fire, as he started to chant:



Whispered secrets from a shattered age,
Power sought by scholar and sage,
Ancient wisdom, lore of old,
Flawless armor, forged from gold,
Law is twisted; Reality tossed…
Come from secrets veiled and lost!


“Now… I summon my dark master…

“Shogarr, the Dread Emperor!”

The whole chamber went dark…

A bright glow formed in the center of the arena. Yumi watched, as the Monster appeared. It suggested a knight-like warrior, broad and tall, clad completely in armor. Nothing showed from under it – even his eyes were not visible inside the helmet’s visor. The armor itself was very well-made, seeming made of pure gold, equipped with a purple, velvet cape. Oddly, this knight had no weapon. (2,500/2,000)

“What the…” said Ren.

“He traded in a Monster with 4,000 Attack Points for one with 2,500?” asked Chelsea. “It makes no sense!”

“So, Yumi…” said Unus. “What do you think of Shogarr?”

“Uhm, Unus,” said Yumi, “I kinda expected the ancient lord of chaos and the father of the demon race to be stronger… And scarier…”

“No kidding,” said Sam. “This certainly isn’t Ha Des’s father…”

“Wasn’t his father the titan Chronos?” asked Erik.

“Oh yeah…” she muttered.

“Silence!” shouted Unus. “I’ll teach you to respect him… And you will. Shogarr, attack Yumi directly with chaos gaze.”

Shogarr didn’t move at first…

Then his eyes appeared from beneath his helmet. Yumi froze in fear…

The Dread Emperor simply stared at her without blinking. Yumi cringed. He wasn’t even touching her, but this seemed worse than anything she had experienced up to this point… She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t escape those eyes…

Finally, after the longest fifteen seconds of her life, the eyes vanished, and Shogarr’s helmet went dark again. Yumi fell to her knees.



(Y: 3,500) -------------------- (U: 6,066)


“What… What’s going on?” she said, clutching her chest. “I feel… I feel so cold…”

A realization came to her…

…her heart wasn’t beating…

Unus grinned.

“Let me explain what Shogarr has done to you, Yumi,” he said. “You’re almost dead… Only his will is keeping you alive, and he will only allow you to live long enough to prepare for what you are about to see.”

“What do you mean?” asked Yumi. “You mean… You’ve won and he’s toying with me?”

“In a way,” said Unus. “You can survive if you manage to win, but the odds are against it now…

“You see, Yumi, as the Scion of Chaos, Shogarr’s physical body is Chaos incarnate. You see a humanoid man in armor before you, but that’s really a disguise.

“Most of the time, he hides his features behind his armor… He never removes it, unless he wants to execute a living victim personally. His face is so horrific, reality rejects it.

“No living creature can view him without his armor without dying instantly, overwhelmed by the ultimate Chaos. In fact, when the spirits of those who have fallen victim to this power are contacted, they can’t describe or remember what they saw. It defies description.

“But… He doesn’t need to remove the armor to show a victim his face. He has other ways.

“Since he succeeded in a direct attack, you’ll get a view of his face… After you’ve completed three of your End Phases.”

“But that means…” said Yumi.

Unus nodded.

“When that happens, it’s all over,” he said. “You lose. And you die.

“By the way, Yumi, this Monster has another ability. He may have only 2,500 Attack Points, but he can’t be destroyed in battle, and I take no battle damage from any attacks directed towards him. And even if you should destroy him with a card effect, it won’t change the situation. You’ll still perish after three of your turns. This is only an avatar… Shogarr himself is eternal.”

He fit a card into his Disk.

“I set a facedown, and my turn ends. Your three turns start now.”

Yumi got up, shivering with fright.

She felt her chest again. Not even a tremble.

Her skin was cold. She looked at her arms… They were pale.

Technically, this was an automatic win condition. On some small level, she knew that. But she also knew the truth…

Shogarr’s attack was a curse, and the three rounds she had were meant to frighten her before its full effect was enacted.

“Yumi!” shouted Ren. “Don’t give up! I was in a similar situation!”

“You were?” groaned Yumi.

“So long as you can draw, there’s still hope!” shouted Ren.

Yumi closed her eyes. She made a draw.

She looked at the card.

“I activate my Trap Card,” said Unus.

His facedown card lifted.

“I don’t need to do this,” he said, “but I like seeing you squirm. I pay 500 Life Points to activate Soul Demolition. Since I have a Fiend-Type Monster on my side of the field, I get to remove a Monster in your Graveyard from play. And I choose Left Leg of the Forbidden One.”

The Exodia card appeared above Yumi’s head and faded into nothing.

“You forget,” said Yumi. “I also get to banish one of your Monsters. And I choose your Reaper on the Nightmare.”

The Zombie appeared behind Unus, and dissolved into mist.

“Easy come, easy go,” said Unus. “That’s the way it is sometimes…”

“And so is this…” muttered Yumi. “I play Burial From a Different Dimension.”

She played a Spell Card.

“So, Exodia the Forbidden One and Left Leg of the Forbidden One go back to my Graveyard.”

She slowly slipped the two cards into her discard slot as Unus seethed with anger.

“I play Silent Doom,” she said. “Then I play a facedown card, and I end my turn.”

Millennium Shield appeared in Defense Mode. (0/3,000) Then a facedown card appeared.

“Make your move…”



(Y: 3,500) -------------------- (U: 5,866)


“Draw…” said Unus.

He drew a card.

“Again, this is hardly necessary,” he said, “but I might as well. I Equip my Monster with the Demon Hatchet… Better known as the Axe of Despair.”

He played the card, and an ugly axe appeared in Shogarr’s hands. (3,500/2,000)

“By the way, Yumi,” he said, “Shogarr only uses his power as a last resort. Like all demons, he much prefers to fight! Legends state that he has been able to decimate whole armies by himself.

“Shogarr, destroy her Monster!”

The Dread Emperor hurled the axe, and Millennium Shield was blasted to pieces.

“Millennium Items…” said Unus. “Bah. Nothing but toys to folks like him…”

Shogarr gestured, and the axe appeared back in his hand.

“I end my turn…” he growled. “Your move…”

Yumi drew another card. She glanced at it.

She held her head, and wobbled a bit.

She placed it in her Disk, and it appeared facedown next to the other one.

“That’s all,” she said.

“YUMI!” screamed Sam.

“You can’t help her, Sam,” said Unus, drawing a card. “Seems I can end this early.

“Attack her directly!”

“I activate my Spell Card,” groaned Yumi, as one of her two facedown cards lifted. “Scapegoat…”

The Quickplay Spell lifted, and in a flash of light, the four multicolored Sheep Tokens appeared. (0/0 x4)

“Seems I’m safe from your attack,” she said.

“Annoying fuzzballs,” growled Unus. “Shogarr, attack…”

He paused.

“Oh… why bother…

“I end my turn, Yumi. Make your move. Remember, once it’s over, so is this duel… You lose…”

He chuckled.

Yumi was sweating more than ever now.

She looked at Shogarr, whose eyes were now glowing red, like hot coals…

Seven cards left in my deck… she thought, a mind full of fog. Yumi… this is NOT the time for a bad draw…

She quickly drew a card.

She felt a small surge of energy when she looked at it.

“I play… A Feather of the Phoenix,” she said. “Now, I discard Left Arm of the Forbidden One to place Exodia the Forbidden One on the top of my deck.”

She tossed the card, and another card slipped out of her discard slot. She placed it on the top of her deck.

“Next, I activate my last facedown card… Backup Soldier. Now, since I have at least five Monsters in my Graveyard, Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, and Right Arm of the Forbidden One all return to my hand.”

The facedown card lifted, and three cards slipped out of her discard slot.

Unus chuckled.

“So now what?” he asked.

“Unus is right…” muttered Chelsea. “The last piece of Exodia is on the top of her deck… And Yumi won’t get a next turn to draw it…”

“Don’t worry…” said Ren with a smile. “I kinda have a feeling that Yumi won’t need a next turn…”

“Ren is right…” said Yumi. “There’s one card in my hand that isn’t a piece of Exodia…”

She tossed a card on her Disk. Then she fell on her behind.

“I summon Poison Draw Frog…”

A small Monster appeared. It was… Well, it was a frog. That was the best way to describe it. (100/100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/crv_en028.jpg


“Huh?” said Unus.

“Attack… Shogarr…” muttered Yumi.

Poison Draw Frog let out a loud ribbit, and hopped towards the Dread Emperor…

Shogarr’s eyes glowed in incredible anger. Beams of energy shot from them, and Poison Draw Frog burst into flames. Yumi cringed in pain.



(Y: 100) -------------------- (U: 5,866)


Yumi gasped for breath…

…but then, she felt a thump in her chest. Her heart was beginning to beat.

“You just wiped out almost all your Life Points,” chuckled Unus. “What were you trying to prove?”

“I still have enough left…” moaned Yumi. “And Poison Draw Frog has an effect you might want to know about… When it goes from the field to the Graveyard while in a face-up position…”

A look of horror crossed Unus’s face.

“…you get to draw one card…” he said.

Yumi slowly made a draw.

Thunder flashed…

An enormous summoning circle, similar to the Spellbinding Circle, appeared in the center of the arena, and a huge, hulking form rose out of it. The form appeared from the shadows… It was none other than the fully assembled form of the mighty god Exodia the Forbidden One, his wrists and ankles bound by chains.

He gave a mighty yank with his right arm, and the chain holding it snapped. He gave a yank with the other arm, and the chain holding that one broke. Then he took one step forward, shattering the chains holding his legs.

“I should thank you, Unus,” said Yumi, as she slowly stood up. “It’s been almost sixty years since a Mouto has been able to say these words…

“Exodia…

”…OBLITERATE!”

The Forbidden One threw up his arms and then threw a beam of pure, burning energy forward, in a wave towards the other side of the field. The Axe of Despair flew from Shogarr’s hand and exploded against the wall. Even so, it seemed like the demon lord was unwilling to give up. He struggled against the burning wave, pushing towards Yumi, trying to reach for her… But before he made it halfway, his legs gave out, he toppled backwards, and the Dread Emperor burst in an explosion of fiery, multicolored energy.

Unus the Undying screamed and was thrown violently against the dais behind him. His Duel Disk fell from his arm and his cards scattered.



(Y: 100) -------------------- (U: 0)


“Guys…” said Ren, “I never get tired of seeing Yumi kick butt!”

The Rod of the Ancients appeared in Yumi’s hand. She sighed, and took a deep breath.

“Well…” she said. “Man, that got the blood flowing. Seriously…”

She walked up to Unus, with Exodia looming behind her. The mighty deity cracked his knuckles.

Thunder started to roll.

“You have a lot to answer for, Unus,” she said. “You’ve put us all through Hell, attacking us, forcing us into deadly games, brainwashing my friends, and giving me a splitting headache that’s even worse than the one I got at the Yui Maki concert I went to last year… And now that I have all eight of the Shadow Charms, I’m going to see to it that you are punished…”

“What are you going to do?” muttered Unus.

Yumi paused.

She noticed a glow behind him.

“Nothing,” she said, with a shrug.

She waved her arm, and the Forbidden One vanished.

“WHAT?” shouted Sam. “Nothing? Yumi, this jerk’s partner made me dress like a slut, and you’re gonna let him off?”

“Yes,” said Yumi. “You see, now he has to go back to the real Shogarr and explain why he failed, and why this whole campaign he planned was a waste.

“I remember how Dispater turned one of his minions into a statue of iron for defying him. Now, if that’s how a fiend of Law punishes a failure, I really feel sorry for a minion of a fiend of Chaos that messes up!”

The glow behind him had formed into a portal.

“Actually… I find it hard to feel sorry for you at all… Seems you have some explaining to do, Unus.”

Then Unus screamed as a mob of tentacles shot out of the portal and grabbed him, pulling him through.

Yumi let out a big sigh.

“So…” said Ren. “Does this make you the new Exodia Empress?”

“Dark Magician Girl is still my favorite card,” she replied. “But who knows… Using this deck would have been fun if my life hadn’t been wagered… I won’t put it away just…”

Then the portal started to glow again. Yumi looked towards it.

Then another tentacle reached through. It shot towards Yumi…

“Yumi!” screamed Ren.

Yumi instinctively lifted the Rod of the Ancients. It and the other seven Charms on her body glowed.

The tentacle fell, and shriveled into dust. The portal vanished.

Yumi sighed.

“I think Shogarr is about ready to give up for now…” she said.

Then the whole building shifted. Something was happening.

“No he isn’t!” said Yumi.

“What the Hell?” shouted Sam.

The Pharaoh appeared next to Yumi.

“Yumi!” he shouted. “I was afraid of this… Shogarr has cancelled the magic maintaining this temple. It’s going to lose all its power and crash into the ocean in a few minutes.

“We have to be off of it before it does!”

“People!” shouted Yumi. “This temple is gonna crash! Let’s split!”

The Glass Menagerie started to shake. As they fled, the statues shattered into shards.

They approached the doors, only to find that they were closed tight.

“We’re trapped!” shouted Erik.

“We’ll see about that…” said Sam, drawing a card from her Disk. “Shogarr isn’t the only powerful demon lord around here…”

She looked at it, and placed it on her Disk.

Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared in a burst of fire and smoke.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mc1-en006.jpg


He threw up his arms, and his black flames shot at the doors. Then were reduced to molten glass.

“Thanks,” said Sam, as they ran through.

Then they stopped short.

The pathway of light was no longer there.

“Uh…” said Chelsea. “Anyone have a Monster who can fly?”

“My Kiryu and two Pitch-Dark Dragons can,” said Ren, “but if Dark Blade is any indication, they probably can only carry three of us…”

“So what do we do?” shouted Sam. “Draw straws to see who lives and who dies?”

She looked down.

“Jumping is out of the question… Hitting the water at this height would be like hitting cement…”

Then there was a loud screech. They looked in front of them.

A huge creature was flying towards them. It looked like a giant, golden, oriental dragon, with huge, feathered wings, and a stern face.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/eoj_en016.jpg


“That’s Majestic Mech – Goryu,” said Erik.

The giant Fairy hovered in front of them, and nodded its head, motioning for them to mount it.

“I don’t know where it came from,” said Chelsea, leaping on its back, “but I’m not complaining!”

They all held onto the Mech’s back, as it flew towards Duelatopia, as the Glass Menagerie fell into the sea, where it sank like a stone…



* * * * * * * * * *


It was now two AM.

The exhausted duelists were sitting on a curb outside of Clock Tower Prison, surrounded by Centurions. Sam was thankful that one of them had given her a bathrobe.

Ren chuckled.

“You know…” he said. “That story Unus told… I’ll never look at Warrior Dai Grepher the same way again. I never knew that D.D. Warrior Lady and Warrior Lady of the Wasteland were the same person…”

“The Trap Card Karma Cut supports that theory,” muttered Yumi. “It shows Warrior Lady of the Wasteland being sucked into a portal. Most assume that she gained power in the Different Dimension, and came back as a much different Warrior.”

They watched as Louis and Nicholas were led out of the Clock Tower in handcuffs.

“You know…” said Yumi, “I almost feel sorry for Nicholas… He’s probably going to rot in juvie until he’s eighteen, and then who knows what next.”

Nicholas laughed when he heard this.

“Oh please, Yumi!” he said. “I’ll never spend time in jail! I know so much dirt about so many gangs in the European underworld… I just have to cut a deal with Scotland Yard, and I’ll be given informant status, and get off with probation.

“Of course… They’ll have to give me a new identity and relocate me… So…”

“You can make a deal with the Yard when we hand you over to them,” said a Centurion. “Now get moving.”

“Tell you what, I’ll call you,” said Nicholas, as he was led away. “You’re in the Domino City phone book, right?”

“I still don’t know why that Majestic Mech saved us,” muttered Chelsea. “You know… It seemed like a Monster that would have come from Olga’s deck…”

“Speaking of Olga,” said Commander Descartes, who had walked up, “once we have her, we can shut the book on this whole thing. I wonder where she is?”

“I can answer that,” said a voice.

They all looked up. It was Maria.

“Maria?” asked Yumi.

The old woman smirked.

She touched her necklace, and it glowed…

Her face started to melt, and run like wax. Then it started to reshape. Her hair started to change.

Everyone gasped…

Where Maria’s face had been, Olga’s was now.

She sighed. She approached Descartes and lifted her hands.

“I surrender,” she said. “I’ve had enough.”

“Wait!” shouted Yumi, getting up. “I want some answers, Olga!”

Olga sighed again...

The last enemy has fallen. Yumi now has all of the Charms. Maybe now Yumi and her friends can sleep easily. But so much remains unanswered. What will Yumi do with the Charms now that she has them? One more duel remains, but preparation must be done… But first, our friends are deserving of the whole story…



BREAK THE SEAL (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A hand picking up a mess of scrolls with runes written on them, over a cracked, stone surface, through which a glowing eye is peering out.

Card Description: When you have two copies of this card face-up on your side of the field, you may send both of them to the Graveyard to search your deck for a Monster with the words “Forbidden One” in its name and add it to your hand.

Note: “Break the Seal” was first used by Marcel in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Breaking of the Sacred Seal!”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



ALTAR OF MIST (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: An outdoor, Grecian-style altar shrouded by mist.

Card Description: On your third Standby Phase after this card is played, destroy this card and add one Ritual Spell Card from your deck to your hand. This card cannot be destroyed by any card effect except its own effect.

Note: “Altar of Mist” was first used by the Big Five in the multi-part original anime episode “Merger of the Big Five”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



AWAKENING OF THE PRIMORDIAL SCION (Spell Card)

Ritual Spell

Image: An iron helmet, superimposed over a starry field.

Card Description: This card is used to Ritual Summon “Shogarr, the Dread Emperor”. To activate this card, you must remove from play from your hand, your side of the field, or your Graveyard, one Monster that is Level Ten or higher.



SEVEN-ARMED DEMON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 666
DEF: 666

Flavor Text: A demon with seven arms. Its abilities are a mystery.

Note: This card was never used in an actual duel in the anime. In the original anime episode “Evil Spirit of the Ring”, it was shown in a flashback where the merchant who sold Bakura’s father the Millennium Ring also showed it to him. Also of note, its ATK and DEF were changed to 1,000 apiece in the dub.



SHOGARR, THE DREAD EMPEROR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Ritual/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 10
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: This card can only be Ritual Summoned via the Ritual Spell Card “Awakening of the Primordial Scion”. You must also remove from play from your hand, your side of the field, or your Graveyard, one Monster that is Level Ten or higher. This card takes no battle damage and cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. At the end of your opponent’s third End Phase after this card has made a successful direct attack, you automatically win the duel. The soul of the loser of a duel in which this card is summoned becomes the property of Shogarr.



Ren: You did it, Yumi! You got all eight of the Shadow Charms!

Sam: Well, I for one want to know what all the trouble we went through to get them was about. I want answers!

Yumi: Don’t worry, everyone, we’ll get them. Now that we have some time to relax, some explanations can be made.

Coming up next, “Revelations; Secrets from the Past and Present”.

Anastasia: The final duel will take place soon… But first, Yumi, you must learn your past, and what your future holds…

[eldarion]

Finally, I can post something on this forum. Oh well, it is a nice story and it's too bad it's almost over. When will the next chapter of your other story be ready?

[Shuppet Master]

Wow, this was the most intense duel ever, and it makes a fitting end to the whole story, although some things need to be cleared up, and there is THAT duel. ;)

I had a feeling old Unus was going to play a part. That story he told was interesting.

I was just glad that Yumi had enough life points to take the damage by kamikazing Poison Draw Frog. I never understood how that card could be used, but now I know.

So, Yumi's secret legacy deck was Exodia, huh? Well, it makes sense that Yugi Sr. would try to replace the pieces as a sort of symbolic nature. I was expecting the Silent Magician/Warrior deck Yugi used against Bakura, but I was wrong. Well, that was pretty interesting.

And despite all of Unus's counters, Yumi manages to auto-win with Exodia.

Well, I can't wait to see the wrap-up of this story, but one thing...

Maria was Olga in disguise?! WTF?!? That was a clever twist.

[Dark Sage]

Poison Draw Frog's effect lets you draw one card when it is sent from the field to the Graveyard when it is face-up. Face-up is key. It can be destroyed in battle, destroyed another way, sacrificed, or otherwise sent to the Graveyard. But it has to be in a face-up position, and not facedown. If it is attacked while in facedown Defense Position, its effect does not activate, because it is not a Flip-Effect. It must be destroyed or otherwise sent to the Graveyard while face-up.

Yes, WTF indeed. I assure everyone, I had this planned from the start of the fic, when Maria and Olga were first introduced. Olga will explain herself next chapter, I assure you.

[starjake]

On an incredibly technical note, Poison Draw Frog's ability is even less powerful than that. Poison Draw Frog's effect is an optional Trigger Effect (note the two small words "you can" in its effect), meaning you actually have to choose whether or not you want to activate it. Unfortunately, should anything need to happen after the Frog is sent to the Graveyard, you don't have a chance to make a choice, and therefore have Missed the Timing (that's an actual phrase that frequently comes up in rulings).

This normally omces into play when the Frog is Tributed for a cost, whether to Summon a higher-Level monster or to activate an effect. Since the last thing that happened was the actual Summoning or the activated effect, you've missed your chance to respond to the Trigger of having the Frog sent to the Graveyard (see why it's called a Trigger Effect?). Of course, in the chapter, Poison Draw Frog was destroyed by battle while face-up, which is a perfectly legitimate time to use its effect (because Battle Damage is always inflicted before the monster is actually destroyed).

The chapter itself...Unus' decktheme seemed slightly unfitting until the demons made there appearance. I suppose it had something to do with monsters that don't stay dead (which Zombies are relatively famous for), but it still seemed off. From a duel standpoint, it wasn't bad; all the cards were used properly and all that (though I would've liked to see that Glass Menagerie card used in the duel...given that they were inside it, it would have been a great way to incorperate the setting during the Duel). I must say that having Yumi's final Deck be the use of Exodia was incredibly fitting, seeing as that was how her ancestor won his first major duel. Incorperating some of the old Yugi favorites, like Mystical Elf and Giant Soldier of Stone, was an excellent idea.

Now as to how the Pharoah plays a role in all this, I suppose we'll see next chapter.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER SIXTY



Revelations



Secrets from the Past and Present



Olga bowed her head silently as Descartes cuffed her hands behind her.

“This is crazy…” said Yumi. “Olga… Maria was you the whole time?”

Olga smirked.

“Well, think about it, Yumi,” she said. “Did you ever see me and Maria together in the same place?”

“How could you have been Maria?” shouted Sam, standing up. “Maria was the one who warned me about your Valkyrie Deck! Are you saying that you wanted me to beat you, so you told me about your deck beforehand?”

“Yeah, we want answers, Olga!” shouted Chelsea. “Just who’s side were you on?”

Olga sighed. She turned her head towards Descartes.

“All right,” he said, taking hold of her shoulders. “Sit down, and we’ll hear it. But I’m going to be watching you closely.”

He slowly lowered her to the ground.

“Where to start?” sighed Olga.

“At the beginning,” said Yumi.

“My mother died giving birth to me,” said Olga.

“Well, maybe not that far back,” said Yumi.

“I have to,” said Olga. “You see, my father was a lawyer, a very rich and respected man for a big firm in Liverpool. But he didn’t have much in the way of family except his wife. When she died giving birth to me, I was all he had left.

“He once showed me a photo of my mom… She had beautiful, sea-green eyes, and long, honey-blonde hair… Just like mine…

“Anyway, he became fiercely protective of me… The greatest treasure he had. He often called me ‘Angel’ as a pet name… As you know, when I got interested in Duel Monsters for the first time, he pulled some strings to get me one of the rarest Fairies in existence, the Neo-Parshath.

“But he forbade me from ever touching a Disk, saying I would have to wait until I was much older… The thought of me being hurt from a direct attack from an actual holographic duel frightened him to no end.

“Father always told me, that if he had to protect me with his last ounce of strength, he’d do it.

“I first saw Rasputin when I was ten. I knew him as an acquaintance of my father. Eventually, I saw him as a family friend, and grew to trust him. If my father was involved in any illicit activities, I don’t know, and I forgive him for all of them.

“But little did I know, Rasputin’s relationship with my father wasn’t really very friendly. Maybe I heard them arguing on occasion, but this happened with a lot of adults I knew. I never asked him what the arguments were about… It was none of my business.

“You see, my father owned something that Rasputin wanted. I’m still not sure what it was. I assume it was some artifact dealing with alchemy. My father wouldn’t sell it for some reason. I guess it had value that he couldn’t put a price on. Maybe it even belonged to my mother.

“When I was fourteen years old, Rasputin got tired of dealing with him through legitimate means. He hired a thug of sorts to break into our house and find the item of interest, and make off with it. He told the thug when my father and I would be out, so as to give him plenty of time to get in, grab it, and get away.

“But this criminal got greedy. He saw all the artwork and other expensive items that were in our townhouse. So he started stuffing his bag with everything he could see that was valuable. He was so bold as to take the most valuable heirloom we had, a gem-encrusted tiara that dated back to the time of Louis the XIV that I estimate was worth six figures. A common thug like him could never have successfully fenced it.

“He wasted time until we came home, and caught him in the act.

“The thug wasn’t about to let himself be arrested, and he thought that the value of what he had taken was worth committing any crime now. He had come armed. When my father confronted him, the thug pulled a gun, and shot him.

“I didn’t have time to do much at that point. The thug at first decided to shoot me too… But then he realized something. He realized that an attractive fourteen-year-old girl was in front of him, helpless and at his mercy.

“I was cornered, and facing rape from a killer… But it seemed that he had made his last mistake…

“You see, his shot had not killed my father right away. And my father never went anywhere without his own gun. As the thug approached me, turning his back to his first victim, my father managed to aim his own gun, and fire a shot that went through the assailant’s skull.

“For his greed and his raw lust, he paid the ultimate price.

“Unfortunately, the wound my father had suffered was too much. My father had said that if he had to protect me with his last ounce of strength, he’d do it. Turns out that he had to make good that promise.”

She sighed. A tear fell down her cheek.

“The police were summoned, and as you might expect, I was a sobbing wreck. Then Rasputin showed up. He played the part of a caring friend, saying that he could help me through this tragedy by volunteering to become my new guardian. I had no idea that the thug had been working for him, and it was either that or the orphanage. I was fourteen years old… No-one would have ever have adopted me at that age. So I said yes.

“What I didn’t know was, Rasputin had many motives for wanting to adopt me. Maybe he was a little compassionate about what had happened. Maybe he felt a little regret, and more than a little responsible, because a life had been lost due to him hiring a scoundrel instead of a thief with more sense. But he saw some opportunities. One, he saw a chance to obtain a protégé. Two, if I was his ward, he’d have legal use of anything that my father bequeathed to me in his will until I reached the age of consent. So Rasputin would be able to use that item that he had wanted after all.

“I might have never known the truth, if not for one thing…

“Rasputin had actually hired two thugs. They were brothers, in fact. The other one served as lookout while the other went through the house. When the brother came to him to demand compensation, stating that his brother was dead because of the job, Rasputin refused. He said that the burglary was botched because of his brother’s greed and gross incompetence, a murder had been committed for no reason, and he didn’t pay for stupidity.

“The thug threatened to report him to the authorities, but Rasputin reminded him that anyone connected to my father’s death would be held accountable, including him, and he couldn’t afford as good a lawyer as Rasputin could. Not to mention the fact that there were several outstanding warrants for this man already.

“The thug was forced to leave with nothing. He burned with rage, and grief over the death of his brother. Why he cared for such scum, I’ll never know.

“But he had one idea for revenge.

“I remember it quite clearly. He confronted me one day, while I was buying a sandwich from a vendor in Piccadilly Circus. He quickly told me that he was the brother of the man who had killed my father, and that he was working for Rasputin at the time.

‘He fled before I could find a policeman. The police later found his body – he had committed suicide, put a gun to his head.

“I did my own investigating… I found out proof that it wasn’t a lie… But the proof I found was inadmissible evidence that no legal authority would accept. Going to the police would get me nowhere. And the one person who might have been a witness to the truth was dead.

“Even if Rasputin didn’t intend to kill my father, I held him responsible. I wanted him to answer for the crime somehow…

“It was around that time that Rasputin’s plans became known to me. I decided to start planning my own agenda… One that would bring him down… One that would avenge my father… In the meantime, I was becoming a duelist of no small skill. And Rasputin didn’t object to me using a Disk. Nor did I.

“I’m not proud of some of the things I did… the crimes I committed. But I kept telling myself that I was committing crimes with the intent to stop a greater evil.

“I took a big step forward when Rasputin found this…”

She nodded to the necklace.

“It’s an alchemic device called the Plasmage Jewel. It shapes flesh. Rasputin intended to use it to make himself look young and handsome.

“But he made a mistake. Before using it on himself, he decided to test it. He bribed a homeless man to convince him to be a test subject.

“And the Jewel has a strange condition attached to it. If you use it to shape another’s flesh, you can never shape your own. And if you use it to shape your own, you can never shape another’s.

“Since Rasputin saw it as now worthless, he put it in cold storage. But I took it, and was able to form my identity as Maria. A spy who could infiltrate his organization from right under his nose, and never be caught because of the flawless disguise. He’d never suspect me.”

“Whoa…” said Ren.

Olga nodded.

“This was how I allied myself with Cassandra,” she said. “I visited her as Maria when I found she worked in Duelatopia. We dueled, and I used my Sanctuary Deck. She defeated me, mostly because her Monsters were Fairies, and benefited from my Field Spell. But she had an interest in helping you, Yumi, so we decided to keep in touch.

“So, all through Duelatopia, I used my close proximity to Rasputin to give you all the help I could. Rasputin knew there was a traitor, but he didn’t know how close that traitor was.”

She chuckled.

“I was even able to help you, Yumi, when he cast the spell to brainwash your friends. That bastard Unus told me to inspect the decks he designed to give to you all, making sure they were… up to par. I slipped copies of three cards into each of them: Cemetery Change, Infernal Transaction, and Exchange of the Spirits. I hoped that the duelist’s ability to get most of his own deck back in the middle of a duel might help break the spell. And with Erik, it worked.

“I tried to help you too, Chelsea, when Unus ordered me to duel you. I used my Sanctuary Deck, hoping that its holy power would protect us both from the evil Shadows, regardless of who won. When it did, I used the Shadows to my advantage, using Goryu to escape from the Clock Tower.

“The final thing I had to do was send you Goryu while the Shadows were still lingering, so you wouldn’t drown. I had a feeling that The Glass Menagerie could be used as a giant deathtrap if all other plans failed.

“And now that Rasputin is gone, and the true evil behind him is vanquished…

“My father can rest in peace…”

Yumi remembered something.

When I dueled Cassandra, she thought, she told me that I might find an ally from the most unlikely of places… How right she was…

Then a sudden thought occurred to her.

“Wait!” she said. “If Maria never existed… She never fought in Battle City… That Divine Mallet card…”

Olga grinned.

“It belonged to a real champion of Battle City,” she said. “Odion Ishtar.”

“That makes no sense,” said Yumi. “Odion had no Warriors in his deck.”

“Not the deck everyone saw,” replied Olga. “The Trap-heavy deck that he used was more than a match for Joey…

“But think about it… The match-ups for the finals were determined at random. What if he had to duel Yugi or Kaiba?”

There was a long pause.

“His Traps would have been worthless against Obelisk or Slifer…” muttered Yumi.

Olga sighed.

“I met him on a trip to Cairo last year… He’s an old man now, but still robust and vigorous due to his very healthy diet and exercises. He showed me his Warrior Deck… It’s full of strange Monsters, sort of like the Warrior equivalents of Gravekeepers.

“I was shocked when he gave me that card. He asked for nothing in return, even though it was priceless. He said that he felt it might be needed again.”

She sighed.

She turned towards Descartes.

“That’s all I have to say…”

The Commander lifted her to her feet.

“Olga…” said Yumi.

“Good luck, Yumi,” she said. “And please, don’t worry about me. I’ll be able to cut a deal with the Yard too. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see each other again…”

As Olga was led away, Yumi let out a big sigh.

She wanted to know more…

But more than anything right now, she wanted to sleep…



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi slept more soundly than she ever did, until about nine in the morning.

She felt very secure. Sheena and Descartes were taking no chances. Two armed Centurions each were guarding outside the doors to their rooms, with orders not to let anyone in under any conditions. They also had orders to restrain them if they appeared brainwashed and tried to leave.

Finally, Yumi sat up and yawned.

She turned, and saw the eight Shadow Charms on the floor next to her bed.

All eight of them were hers…

The Pharaoh appeared sitting next to her.

“Quite a night, wasn’t it?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Yumi…” he said. “I was… meditating while you were asleep… And it seems that the Charms have done their job…

“It’s like they opened a floodgate. It’s all coming back to me. I know who I am…

“And I know who you are…”

Yumi looked at him strangely.

“The girl in the vision…” she said.

“It was you in a past life,” he replied. “A girl whom I rescued… One whom was also targeted by a worshipper of Chaos…

“Lie down, Yumi, it’s quite a story…”

Yumi lay down on her back, as he began to speak.

“When I was Pharaoh,” he started, “I employed an alchemist of my own. His name was Zoman.

“Now, Zoman wasn’t a very nice guy. He was overweight, he drank too much, had a perverted sense of humor… And he squandered his money on luxuries. I often regretted employing him.

“Nothing he ever did broke the law, but I was suspicious… So I had my more loyal servants keep an eye on him.

“One day, he did something that was brought to my attention… His focus shifted on a merchant… A young girl with blonde hair and violet eyes…”

“Me?” said Yumi.

“I’m certain of it,” he replied. “She seemed innocent enough. She was nothing more than a basket weaver who sold her wares in the outdoor market.

“But Zoman reported to the authorities that she had seduced his nephew, and had taken money from him. That she was a prostitute and a thief. He ordered her arrested. Accusations from high-class men against lower-class citizens are usually taken seriously.

“I believe that the judge who oversaw this case was bribed. She was sentenced to be auctioned at a slave market.

“I discovered this, seeing as I was already keeping an eye on Zoman, and I smelled a rat. Now, as Pharaoh, I could have easily overturned the judge’s ruling… But I worried about the girl’s safety. I feared that if I did, she might be the victim of murder, one that would go unpunished.

“It was clear to me what Zoman intended to do.

“The night before the auction, I went to take a look at this girl at the prison where she was kept. I was wearing a hood and a cloak, keeping my face covered, so she didn’t recognize me. She assumed I was just somebody checking out the available ‘merchandise’. She wouldn’t give up her pride, and refused to speak to anyone.

“I knew just by looking at her then, that there was something special about this girl… She wasn’t just a basket weaver…

“So I attended the auction personally. When the girl’s lot came up, as I expected, Zoman bid a great deal of money. Then, I bid triple, shocking everyone.

“Zoman was visibly upset. I decided to see how far he was willing to go. He bid double that amount. Then, I bid triple that amount.

“There were no bids after that.”

“Uh… Exactly how much money are we talking about here?” asked Yumi.

The Pharaoh smirked.

“Suffice to say, a lot,” he replied. “I had some money set aside that I was going to use to build a set of obelisks. But unlike most Pharaohs of the time, I cared a great deal more for the lives of my subjects than I did for monuments.”

He lifted up the Puzzle and looked at it.

“My father was the same way. He ordered these things created, but he certainly did not approve of the cruel method in which my uncle created them…”

“The Millennium Items?” asked Yumi.

The Pharaoh nodded.

“Ninety-nine human lives had to be sacrificed,” muttered the Pharaoh. “A whole village was murdered… The victims’ blood, flesh, and bone mixed with the gold that was cast to forge the seven items…”

“Okay, now I don’t want to wear this!” shouted Yumi.

“Well,” said the Pharaoh. “When my father learned of how they were made, he offered his own soul to the gods of Egypt as penance for the horrific act. It spared me from divine retribution… But not from everyone’s. One of the survivors of that massacre was… Well, it was the spirit that possessed Bakura.”

Yumi looked at him intently.

“But anyway… Where was I?”

“The slave auction…” said Yumi.

“Yes,” said the Pharaoh. “There was a lot of whispering and talk behind my back for a few weeks. Many folks thought I had wanted a new concubine. Apparently that was what the girl herself thought, because she was paralyzed with fear when I spoke to her for the first time. It took a lot of gentle reassurances before she would trust me.

“Zoman looked at me and her with angry looks every time he passed. But he didn’t dare raise a hand. The law of the time stated that if a man destroyed another man’s property, which included killing a slave, he would have to pay the owner twice the amount the owner had paid for that property. Zoman couldn’t come close to affording that much. That, of course, was my whole plan. It was my way of protecting this girl until I figured out his scheme.

“I decided to keep the girl as an unofficial guest until I knew what was going on. In the meantime, I had her taught a few things. She learned to read and learned a few skills that were more useful than basket weaving.

“And in the times when Shadow Games threatened, and I had to defend myself, she watched with wide eyes. She was excited by things that would have sent most commoners fleeing in panic.

“But nothing prepared me for what happened one day…

“I took it upon myself to show her some of the stone tablets used for summoning the Shadow creatures. She touched one, and to the surprise of both of us, the demon inside emerged.

“I started to cast the spell that would seal it back in the tablet. She screamed and yelled at it to get away from her…

“…and I was shocked when it obeyed.

“I realized that there was power inside this girl. Something deeper ran within her. I had to know what.

“Finally, Zoman took a great risk. He attacked the girl outright when he thought I wasn’t looking. But I was. A duel of spells between the two of us ensued, and he was no match for me.

“When he collapsed, I gave him a choice. He could either hang for treason, or he could tell me what she was to him.

“He broke down like the coward I knew he was, and started telling the whole story. He was working for one of the Sorcerer Kings – I realize now that it was Unus – who had worshipped a Scion of Chaos. Unus had told him to bring him the girl, so that the prophesy opposing the Grand Rebirth wouldn’t occur. He couldn’t tell us more.

“We found him dead in his cell the next morning. From what we saw, he had apparently died of fright.”

“I doubt Unus and Shogarr thought of him as anything more than an expendable lackey,” said Yumi, shaking her head. “Much like they regarded Rasputin.”

“Well,” continued the Pharaoh, “I had my sages search every book in my libraries for information on the Grand Rebirth, and we found out what it was… It was a plan set forth by this Scion of Chaos that he mentioned. Obviously, it’s Shogarr’s master plan.

“Legend’s state that if something called ‘the Great Helm’ is constructed and used at the time of a particular aligning of the stars, the Dread Emperor will be able to perform some sort of ritual that will merge the dimensions together, destroying Order and restoring it to the Chaos that was present before the worlds were formed. From it, he can recreate the world… Shogarr’s version of a perfect world. A world where Law doesn’t exist…”

Yumi shivered.

“But we also discovered the prophesy,” said the Pharaoh. “When he finally puts this plan into play, he will be opposed by a young woman of fair skin and golden hair.

“You are the one who will oppose Shogarr, Yumi. He tried in your past life, and he tried again now to imprison your soul so that his plan would be unopposed. But you’ve escaped him so far.

“Yumi… It’s quite possible that you’ve died and been granted a new life many times over the millennia. Maybe once this battle occurs… Maybe if you manage to defeat him, that won’t be needed any more. You’ll be able to live out the rest of your life with no worries…

“And once you pass on… You’ll pass on with the memories of everyone you’ve been with you… Including that basket weaver I rescued.”

“Wow…” said Yumi. “That’s a lot to take in…”

The Pharaoh chuckled.

“You know, Yumi…” he said. “Just before I gave her freedom, I promised her I’d duel her when she was skilled enough…”

Yumi looked at the eight Charms. She walked towards them.

“You don’t have to, you know,” he said. “You have all eight… You could have the power that the other Sorcerer Kings obtained…

“You could have the power of a goddess…”

Yumi lifted up the Crown of Souls.

“The power of a goddess…” she sighed.

“You know…” she said. “There’s an old saying… With great power comes great responsibility… If you have power, you have to be responsible.

“But what if you have godlike power? It would give you godlike responsibility!”

She shook her head.

“I’m not ready for that…

“We’ll do the ceremony…

“I’ll wish you luck…”

The Pharaoh bowed his head.

“You forget, Yumi…” he said. “You need more luck than me in this duel…

“Because this test is twofold. Not only will success prove that the King of Games can take defeat…

“But that he leaves behind a successor who is worthy of the title.”

Yumi slowly nodded.



* * * * * * * * * *


The noon sun shone down on the Colosseum, as the whole crowd cheered for Yumi, as she stood on the central platform.

Sheena lifted Yumi’s hand.

“I give you, ladies and gentlemen,” she said, “one who not only triumphed in our tournament, but the one who made a fool out of the terrible Demons of Chaos, and likely saved Duelatopia! I give you the true Queen of Games!”

The crowd cheered again.

Behind her, White Rain started to play again. It was slow, easy tune this time.

The lead singer stepped forward, and started to sing:



They’re drenched in blood,
Or caked with mud,
You yell and scream when one of them arrives…
There is no denying,
And I’m not lying,
Monsters lead such interesting lives.

They live in ooze,
They’ve paid their dues,
No mothers, sisters, moms or dads or wives…
Honest, I’m not lying,
There’s simply no denying,
Monsters lead such interesting lives.

When you see them coming down the street,
You’d better not have weights tied to your feet.
They’ll steal your heart,
Tear you apart,
Limb from limb,
On a whim…

They’ll suck your brains,
And eat your remains,
They’ll slice you up with little forks and knives…
They’re never merry,
They’re oh so scary,
Yes, Monsters lead such interesting lives.

They’re independent fellah’s…
They don’t live nine-to-fives…
Yes, Monsters lead such interesting lives…


There were more cheers.

“That was more from White Rain’s latest CD,” announced Sheena. “’Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives’, once an obscure song written by Mel Tormé.

“Yes, it was a tiring night last night. A lot of our guests were attacked, but we can safely say that this invasion of Chaos was successfully thwarted.

“And here to present the first of two prizes to our champion…”

Sam stepped out onto the field grinning, wearing a leopard-skin, leather bikini, and holding a huge, novelty check over her head. She only smiled when everyone started taking her picture. She started blowing kisses to the crowd.

She was embarrassed, of course, but it was a small price to pay to get back into good graces with Ha Des. She considered herself lucky he hadn’t spirited her off to some nether reason and locked her in his dungeons.

She was the Consort of Ha Des again. And she wouldn’t make the mistake another time.

She stepped up on the platform and handed it to Yumi.

“Just one word of warning, Yumi…” she said. “Wait ‘til next year!”

White Rain started to play some background music.

“Now, Yumi…” said Sheena, putting her arm around her, “as you know, as winner, you are entitled to anything you want, that KaibaCorp can provide. If you need more time to think about it…”

“Actually, Sheena, I know just what I want,” said Yumi.

She cleared her throat.

“I want access to KaibaCorp’s collection of Duel Monsters cards, in order to construct two decks.

“I promised a very important duel with someone… And both me and my opponent need new decks for it.”

Sheena nodded.

“Very well,” she said. “You needn’t even leave this island. We have an impressive collection right here. And should you need anything we don’t have, we can have it here in three hours max.

“Once the closing ceremonies end, you can get right on it if you desire.”

As White Rain started to play again, Ren whispered to Chelsea.

“Is this duel going to be what I think it is?” he asked.

“I don’t see what else it could be…” she replied.



* * * * * * * * * *


Cassandra sat at her table, on which were now two cards:

The High Priestess, which represented Yumi, and The Hierophant, which represented the Pharaoh.

She took the card off the top of her deck, and placed it below the two cards.

She smiled.

The card bore the image of a woman dancing inside a laurel wreath, surrounded by two wands, a cherub, and eagle, a lion, and a bull.

“The World…” she whispered. “The symbol of the end of one life…

“…and the beginning of another…”

She placed the cards back in the deck, and then put the deck away.

Then she stood up, and left the room.



* * * * * * * * * *


It was now four o’clock in the afternoon.

Yumi had to admit, Sheena’s claim was an understatement. The card library in Duelatopia was very extensive.

For the past two hours, she had followed a specific pattern. First she looked up the card she needed on the computer’s database. Then she went to one of the hundreds of storage bins in the huge library she was in, and looked through it until she found the card. Then, she carefully added the card to the deck she was constructing, and started again.

Right now, she was at the computer looking up the thirty-fourth card. It was the last card she’d need here for her own deck. She had already had the last six.

Bingo! she thought, as the card’s image came up on the screen. Once I get it, we’ll be half-done…

She walked over to another one of the bins…

As she lifted out the card, the silence was broken.

“Yumi?” said a voice.

Yumi turned, and saw Sheena.

“Yes, Ms. Arachne?” she asked. “I hope we aren’t being a hassle with all that’s been happening…”

“Yeah…” said Sheena. “We’re gonna have our hands full cleaning up the damage and vandalism that those demons caused. The insurance company is never gonna believe this… We’d sue Shogarr if we could, but my lawyers can’t think of a way to file lawsuits against extraplanar entities…”

“Demon lords live like kings in their luxurious palaces, while whole worlds suffer from the sins they’ve created,” muttered Yumi. “And until the battle between Good and Evil reaches a decisive victory by Good, they’ll likely never face retribution for any of it…”

“I know…” said Sheena. “Whoever said that crime doesn’t pay and that cheaters never prosper were idiots.

“But anyway, a few things… First, some Centurions with frogman training found the Glass Menagerie submerged about a mile off the coast. There’s nothing valuable inside. We have no way to remove it, but since glass isn’t toxic, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“It might even help the environment in the long run. It will eventually become overgrown with coral, and become a small reef for aquatic wildlife.

“The biggest concern is, The Wicked Eraser apparently vanished along with Unus. But I don’t think it will be showing up again.

“The important thing is, Shogarr seems to have abandoned the place.

“Also… The shrine is ready.”

Yumi looked at her closely.

“What shrine?” she asked.

“The shrine below Clock Tower Prison,” said Sheena. “Where the sacrifice and the ceremony will take place.”

Yumi looked at her.

“You lost me…” she said.

Sheena sighed.

“Yumi…” she said, “as you know, Siegfried was chosen by one of the Archlords to protect the Mandate…

“But there were other Archlords, and each of them chose a mortal as a protector.

“One of them chose me…”

Yumi’s eyes opened wide.

“I’ll never forget it, Yumi…” she said. “I was just a poor girl, sitting out in the yard of the orphanage in Santa Fe one evening, when a beautiful man with radiant feathered wings appeared before me. He told me he needed help with something important. Then he told me what he needed done.

“I didn’t know why he even bothered with someone as insignificant as me. But he told me that he had two reasons. The first one was, that while I was pure of heart and soul, I was among the last people that the ones looking for the Mandate would look for information about it. The second reason was, he saw potential in me, potential for great things.

“This gave me hope… Hope for a brighter future. I agreed. He kissed me, and as our lips met, the responsibility he bore became mine.

“When Siegfried was putting the final touches on Duelatopia, he decided it might be best to get many of the Chosen Ones together to defend it. And as the richest one and the one with the most political power, he was given far more abilities than the rest. He had ways to find the others. So his reasons for hiring me were twofold.

“But even he didn’t know that we would fall love…”

She sighed.

“And the others?” asked Yumi.

“Some of them are retired, a few have passed away,” said Sheena. “Some are still around. Cassandra is one of them.”

Yumi’s eyes opened wide again.

“Yes, Yumi,” said Sheena. “She’s much older than you think. She’s used her psychic abilities to channel the Astral Plane to age much slower than normal. She isn’t truly immortal, but she’ll likely outlive both of us.

“But anyway, I knew well that because of the Mandate, the first attempt at the ceremony had to be interrupted. So a few years ago, I received instructions for its completion by the successor of the one who gave me that duty.

“The real purpose of Clock Tower Prison was to serve as an… antenna of sorts, to channel divine energy into a shrine in the subbasement below it. It will serve as the perfect place to perform the sacrifice… And the Ceremonial Duel that has been delayed for so long… Fortunately, neither Rasputin nor Unus ever found it.

“In the meantime, I was able to use the structure to draw power from the strange energy source that this island still possesses. That’s how several Centurions, including the Eliminators, came to possess actual supernatural abilities… Abilities that were, in the past, only illusion.

“So… Whenever you and your opponent are ready…”

She turned and left the room.

Yumi quickly added the card she had just gotten to the deck.

Then, she took six cards from a pouch on her belt.

Four of them were Monsters from her old deck. The other two were the ones Mystara had given her.

She added the six cards to the deck, and then gave it a thorough shuffle.

Then she placed it in a deck case.

“All right, Pharaoh…” she said. “Your turn…”

Her Puzzle glowed, and the change overtook her in a flash of light.

Yumi’s eyes opened, with her spiritual guide looking through them.

Slowly, he sat at the computer, and started again, just as Yumi had…

…albeit with a different taste in card strategy.



* * * * * * * * * *


At seven o’clock, Ren and Chelsea were waiting outside of Clock Tower Prison.

Ren was looking at a single Duel Monsters card. Chelsea looked over his shoulder as he was looking at it.

It was Armageddon Knight.

“Ren, I can’t believe it!” she shouted. “You stole that from Rasputin’s deck!”

“I did not!” replied Ren. “I was given it. They told me that they gave the deck to Nicholas. So I went to see him in the brig and asked him if he wanted to make a trade. And he said I could just have it. He said he was giving all of Rasputin’s cards away. Something about not wanting to be reminded of the past…”

He sighed.

“I really hope that Sheena’s promise to give us a ride back to Domino on her private jet was good,” he said, looking at his watch, “because the boats home are leaving in half an hour. And I still have to read Great Expectations to finish my summer reading list. Frankly, my expectations about the book aren’t too great.”

“Don’t worry,” said Sam’s voice. “The book is good, and so is mom’s promise.”

She and Erik walked up.

“And you two are here, because?” asked Chelsea.

“Yumi invited us,” said Erik. “She promised us a duel between herself and the original King of Games. At first I thought that meant her grandfather was showing up, but she told us it was someone even better than him.”

“And personally,” said Sam, “I’d turn down an invitation to eat with the Emperor of Japan to see Yumi get trashed.”

“Actually, Sam,” muttered Chelsea. “We have to pray that Yumi can win. Otherwise, her opponent won’t get another chance for another five-thousand years.”

“Say what?” said Sam.

As she was thinking about this, Yumi walked up.

“It’s time…” she said somberly.

She walked past the gates of Clock Tower Prison, which were still broken due to Enrique’s blasting them down, and towards the entrance. They all followed.

The door opened, and Sheena was right inside. Yumi nodded, Sheena nodded back, and they all went in.

“You want to explain this to me?” asked Sam. “Because I’m kind of confused…”

“Okay, here’s what I know,” said Chelsea. “You know that guy who took over for Yumi when she was too tired to duel Erik?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, he’s Yumi’s opponent. For this duel, if Yumi wins, he gets to, quote, pass on to the other side, unquote.

“And once he’s there, he’ll try his best to make sure that the Shadow Games end. Forever.

“But if Yumi loses… Well… The future is uncertain…”

“And how the heck are they going to duel each other if they share the same body?” asked Sam.

“Dunno,” said Ren. “Looks like we’ll find out…”

Sheena took a small remote control pad out of her pocket.

“Watch your feet,” she said, hitting a button on it.

A compartment in the floor opened up, and a spiral stairway unfolded, going down. Erik nearly fell down the stairs.

“Could have warned us…” he said.

Yumi walked down first, and Sheena was close behind. The others followed. Down the stairway was a stone corridor, lit by torches.

Yumi looked around. She felt a strange chill…

At the end of the hallway was a large, circular chamber. Someone was waiting at the entrance.

“Cassandra?” said Yumi.

“Hello Yumi,” said the fortuneteller. “It’s almost come full circle now, hasn’t it?

“When we first met, I peered into your future… But I have reached the limits of what I can see in you.

“We’ll soon see how my final prediction concerning you is to be interpreted.”

She pointed to the far end of the chamber. There was a statue made of marble, depicting a powerful deity with the head of a falcon.

“Re-Horakhty, the Pharaoh of the Gods,” said Cassandra. “The Sorcerer Kings all attempted to gain their powers without aid from him or any other gods, and with the exception of Unus, they succeeded. The gods didn’t take kindly to this neglect…

“Now Yumi… Once their Charms are handed over to Re-Horakhty as a sacrifice, the Sorcerer Kings will be able to influence and watch the mortal world no longer. They’ll have their paradise realm, but they’ll be alone in it. It will keep them and their influence in as much as it keeps others out.

“And the ceremony will be allowed to begin.”

Yumi sighed. She looked at the statue.

“You hesitate?” said Cassandra.

“Well, yeah…” said Yumi. “I mean, I feel dirty… I don’t mind giving him the Rod… But the others… They kinda helped me beat Unus…”

“Do not mistake that for benevolence, Yumi,” said Cassandra. “They did so because they wanted Unus to lose. The other Sorcerer Kings had one goal when they ascended, leaving their Charms behind – for another Sorcerer King to rule the world as their heir, and spread their glory. But they didn’t want it to be Unus. And Rasputin didn’t fit the bill, as far as they were concerned.

“That is why they helped you. They saw you as a much more worthy candidate.

“So, Yumi… You can either hand them over to Re, or you can do as they desire. I warn you, with such power in your hands, you will not be able to resist the temptation forever…”

Yumi sighed. She walked up to the statue.

Cassandra was right. It was a choice between trusting the King of the Gods or a group of sorcerers who had already displayed human vices taken to the extreme. That was no choice at all.

She took the Sword of Tsunami from around her waist, and fastened it around the statue’s waist.

“Matter,” she said. “The building blocks that form the world…”

She took the Cat’s Cradle Comb and placed it in a nook where the statue’s ear would be.

“Energy,” she said. “Power that fuels motion.”

She took the Talisman of the Mind from around her neck, and placed it around the statue’s neck.

“Thought,” she said. “Intelligence to know fact, and wisdom to know truth.”

She took the Ring of Spirits from her finger and placed it on the statue’s left index finger.

“Time,” she said. “The flow that takes us from beginnings to endings and starts new beginnings.”

She took the Gale Shield and slid it on the statue’s right wrist.

“Order,” she said. “The power of law that keeps the universe from collapse.”

She took the Horn of Chance, and placed it around his waist.

“Chaos,” she said. “The freedom that all sentient creatures need to keep sane.”

She slowly removed the Crown of Souls. She looked at it for a second, and then placed it on the statue’s head.

“Life,” she said. “The greatest miracle of Heaven. The spark that empowers all beings.”

Finally, she placed the Rod of the Ancients in his left hand.

“Entropy,” she said. “Everything that lives must one day die. Every structure that stands will eventually crumble… All things must come to an end.”

She stepped back. She had none of the Charms now. All she had now was the clothes on her back, two deck cases on her belt, and a Duel Disk.

The statue started to glow.

Everyone watched as it started to glow with blinding light… The light enveloped the whole chamber in a soft glow…

It slowly started to subside… And when it had ended, the eight Shadow Charms were gone.

Then Yumi started to glow. She closed her eyes, and a ghostly form stepped out of her body.

It slowly started to solidify. Everyone watching was amazed as they saw him appear, looking like an older and more pronounced version of her grandfather in his Battle City days.

He closed his eyes, and a Duel Disk of his own appeared on his arm. One of the two deck cases on Yumi’s hip vanished, and a deck appeared in the tray.

“I take it no more needs to be said, Yumi,” he said.

Yumi nodded.

“Let’s make this count…” she said.

The two Disks activated.

“Game on!” they both shouted.

The final duel to decide the fate of the Pharaoh, one which was interrupted so long ago, will finally commence. The last duel of Duelatopia is at hand. What will be the outcome? That may be something that not even Cassandra can predict…



Sam: If I wasn’t seeing this with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it.

Ren: It’s something, all right. This may be Yumi’s true test.

Chelsea: But even if she wins, then what? How can she duel if this guy leaves?

Cassandra: That’s why she is dueling the Pharaoh and none of you are. She must prove she can continue without him. For her future may be one that even I can’t predict.

Coming up next, “Yumi versus the Pharaoh; Unwritten Future”.

The final chapter of “Yu-Gi-Oh! Legend of the Sorcerer Kings”!

Coming Friday. You won’t want to miss it…

[Shuppet Master]

So, it finally ends. I can't wait to see the Ceremonial Duel...

But there is something that makes me curious, and that's the whole fact that Unus had tried to use one of the Pharoah's men to slay Yumi's past self. I have a feeling we have the plot of this sequel you told me about. Yumi fulfilling the Great Prophecy. :)

Anyways, this has been a great fanfic, and I can't to see the final chapter. ;)

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE



Yumi versus the Pharaoh



Unwritten Future



As the onlookers watched, Yumi and the Pharaoh stared each other down…



(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Pharaoh: 8,000)


“So, uh…” said Sam. “Tell me again who we’re rooting for?”

“Like I said before, Sam,” said Chelsea, “if Yumi can’t beat this guy, he can’t go to his just reward. So we basically have to hope she can…

“Well, we have to hope she can do something that only a select few have done. Defeat the true King of Games!”

“Time to start beating around the bush, Yumi,” said the Pharaoh, making his first draw. “We both know that this isn’t going to be pleasant…”

He chose a card from his hand.

“I summon… Enigma, the Creator.”

The Monster that appeared as he played the card was one that no-one in the room had seen before. It was a tall, mummified figure, wrapped in burial linens, wearing a cape and golden tutan mask. (1,200/1,200)

“Whoa,” said Ren. “Never saw that guy before.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a whole slew of new cards in this duel,” said Erik. “But that Monster is likely one of his weakest.”

“I end my turn,” said the Pharaoh, with a slight smirk.

Yumi glared at him, as she made a draw.

He put a weakling in Attack Mode with no protection, she thought. Clearly he’s leading me into something.

Well, I won’t bite yet…

“I’ll set a card facedown, and have someone defend me,” she said.

A facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Your move.”

“Having cold feet, Yumi?” asked the Pharaoh, drawing a card. “Being nervous in a time of crisis might let your enemies get the better of you…

“I sacrifice Enigma to summon Dark Red Enchanter!”

Enigma vanished into grains of light, and a strange Spellcaster appeared. As his name suggested, he wore red robes, along with golden shoulder pads, and a fancy, crown-like helmet. He carried an elaborate staff with a solar disk design on its tip. (1,700/2,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/vjmp-jp019.jpg


“Uhm…” said Yumi. “I’ve seen stronger Level Six Monsters…”

“He’s stronger than you think,” said the Pharaoh. “By summoning him, he gains two Spell Counters, and his Attack Score goes up by 300 for each one.”

Two rubies appeared on Dark Red Enchanter’s staff, and he glowed with red light. (2,300/2,200)

“He’ll also gain one whenever a Spell Card is played. For now…

“Attack! Crimson blast!”

A blast of burning, red energy shot from the Enchanter’s staff. Mystical Elf appeared on the facedown card. She cringed before bursting into shards.

“And my Enchanter has another effect,” continued the Pharaoh. “I can expend two of his Counters to destroy one card in your hand.”

Dark Red Enchanter fell back to an Attack Score of 1,700, and a thin beam of red light shot at Yumi, striking one of her cards. It vanished.

“I end my turn,” he said.

“Pharaoh one, Yumi zero,” muttered Ren.

“At least no Life Points have been lost yet,” said Chelsea.

“I’ll wager even money that will change soon,” said Sam.

“Don’t sell Yumi short, young ones,” said Cassandra. “She was strong enough to reach this point… She is strong enough to at least attempt to finish it.”

Yumi drew a card.

“I summon… Sage of Silence!” she exclaimed.

She played the card, and a beautiful woman wearing a pure white dress, cloak, and bonnet appeared, holding a knobbed staff. (1,400/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/unlim-ston-en015.jpg


“Now, facedown card activate!” she said, as her facedown card flipped up. “Reinforcements! This gives my Sage a 500-point boost.”

Sage of Silence grew to an Attack of 1,900.

“Attack Dark Red Enchanter!” ordered Yumi. “Spell of Silence!”

Sage of Silence calmly lifted her staff, and Dark Red Enchanter gasped as he was surrounded by a soft, white glow. The glow intensified, until he simply disappeared.

“Sage of Silence has an added effect,” said Yumi. “When she destroys one of your Monsters, you aren’t allowed to use Spells Cards during your next turn.

“I throw one card facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared. Sage of Silence fell back down to an Attack Score of 1,400.



(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (P: 7,800)


The Pharaoh drew a card, and looked at Yumi.

She’s clearly trying her hardest, he thought. I have a feeling this is only the preamble.

He played two cards. A facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.

He nodded.

“Not much in the way of words, are you?” asked Yumi, drawing a card.

She looked at it for a second and added it to her hand.

“Sage of Silence, attack!”

Sage of Silence cast a beam of light at the facedown card. The Monster that appeared was a Fiend of some sort, very atypical for a Fiend, with horns, wings, claws, and a long tongue.



http://www.ideal808.com/images/gx04_en001.jpg


The beam of light hit it, and it vanished.

“I don’t know what that was,” said Chelsea, “but it was ugly!”

“It was a Mad Reloader,” said the Pharaoh. “Since it was destroyed, I get to discard two cards…”

He took Blast Magician and Miracle Restoring from his hand, and then discarded them.

“…then I get to draw two replacements.”

He made two draws. He looked at the cards.

Yumi sighed. This was tricky.

“It’s your move,” she said.

The Pharaoh made a draw again.

“I’ll defend myself with this again,” he said.

A new defensive Monster appeared.

“And that’s all for now.”

“If he doesn’t take out Yumi’s Sage,” said Erik, “his Spell Cards are going to be out of commission for as long as she can wipe out his Monsters.”

“I hear you,” said Sam. “For a legendary duelist, he isn’t putting up much of a fight.”

Yumi made a draw.

“Sage of Silence, attack again!” she shouted.

The Sage started to cast her spell again.

“Sorry, Yumi,” said the Pharaoh, “but here’s where the real duel starts! Activate Magic Cylinder!”

His facedown card lifted, and Yumi’s eyes opened wide. Her Spellcaster’s blast shot back at her and hit her in the chest, causing her to stagger backwards.

Yumi panted for breath.

“I set a new Monster in Defense Mode,” she said, “and that will be all.”

A facedown Monster appeared next to Sage of Silence.



(Y: 6,600) -------------------- (P: 7,800)


The Pharaoh drew.

“I summon someone more familiar,” he said. “Breaker the Magical Warrior.”

He played the card, and a dark shadow appeared. Breaker leapt out of it. (1,600/1,000) –> (1,900/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mc2-en002.jpg


“Now I can use his effect…”

Breaker’s Attack Score fell to 1,600. His shield glowed, and Yumi’s facedown Mirror Force lifted up and shattered.

“Next, I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode,” he said. “The Magical Plant Mandragola.”

The card flipped up, and a frightening creature appeared. It looked like a large carnivorous plant, with purple vines, and yellow flower petals around its toothy pod. (500/200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-072.jpg


“By Flip-Summoning this creature, Breaker gains back his Spell Counter, bringing his Attack Score back to what it was before.”

Breaker glowed, rising to an Attack Score of 1,900.

“Breaker… Attack the Sage of Silence!”

Breaker slashed his sword downward, sending a wave of dark energy towards the Sage. She let out a pitiful scream before exploding into shards.

“I end my turn,” he said. “I trust you have more in you than that Yumi.”

Yumi smirked.

“Oh, just wait…” she said. “You haven’t seen anything yet!”



(Y: 6,100) -------------------- (P: 7,800)


She drew a card. She added the card to her hand, and looked them over.

It’s almost complete… she thought. I have almost everything I need to bring out my secret weapon.

Let’s just hope he bites.

“I choose to pass,” she said. “Your move.”

The Pharaoh looked at her strangely as he drew a card.

“Breaker, attack her facedown Monster!” he shouted.

Breaker slashed with his sword. Shining Angel appeared on the card, and was blown apart.

“Thanks!” exclaimed Yumi. “Now I can bring out part one of my secret weapon… One of the cards that Mystara gave me as a reward for beating her…

“I summon Silent Magician LV4!”

In a burst of pure, white energy, a short, humanoid creature appeared on Yumi’s side of the field. It looked like a young girl, wearing fancy, silver and blue robes, and a triangular helmet. She carried a short scepter with an orb on the end. (1,000/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ntr-en001.jpg


The Pharaoh slowly turned a card on his Disk.

“I move Mandragola to Defense Mode,” he said.

Magical Plant Mandragola curled up, and shielded itself with its tendrils.

“Then I set a new Monster in Defense Mode.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“And I end my turn.”

“I believe I see the purpose of Yumi’s deck,” said Sheena.

“Oh?” asked Chelsea.

“It’s the polar opposite of her usual one,” said Sheena. “She’s concentrating on Light Spellcasters instead of Dark ones.

“And I know why that is. The Pharaoh has lived a life of darkness ever since he was bound to the Puzzle. Yumi is hoping that the Light will penetrate the darkness and finally bring daylight to his soul…

“Which will lead to the greatest Light of all…”

I know what Silent Magician can do, Yumi, thought the Pharaoh, but it will take awhile before I draw five times… And with Breaker on the field, and Old Vindictive Magician facedown, she won’t survive that long.

“My move…” said Yumi, drawing a card.

She looked at it.

“I play Nobleman of Crossout.”

The Pharaoh gave a look of surprise as a sword impaled his facedown Monster, blowing the card to bits.

Yumi has certainly prepared, thought Cassandra. She knew that Flip-Effect Monsters play an important role in any Spellcaster Deck. So she knew enough to include that Spell Card.

She may yet stand a chance.

“Next up, I play the Spell Card, Contingency Fee,” said Yumi, playing a card. “This requires you to draw until you hold six cards, and for each one, I gain 1,000 Life Points.”

The Pharaoh drew one card and looked at it.

“And let’s not forget my Magician’s ability,” said Yumi. “Every time you draw one or more cards, she gets stronger.”

Silent Magician glowed, and rose to an Attack Score of 1,500.

“Silent Magician, wipe out his Mandragola!”

Silent Magician shot a blast of stars and sparks from her scepter, and the odd vegetation was incinerated.

“I place one card facedown, and then play Swords of Revealing Light.”

First a facedown card appeared. Then she played a Spell Card, and a flurry of swords shot towards the Pharaoh’s side of the field, forming a cage of glimmering blades.

“I end my turn.”



(Y: 7,100) -------------------- (P: 7,800)


The Pharaoh drew a seventh card. Silent Magician glowed again, rising to an Attack Score of 2,000.

He might be useful, he thought, looking at the card.

“Trap activate,” said Yumi.

The Pharaoh looked, as Yumi’s facedown card lifted.

“Heck had this card, remember?” she said. “It’s called Greed Pact. Now we both draw one card.”

The Pharaoh smirked. Both of them drew, and Silent Magician rose to an Attack Score of 2,500.

He looked at the card.

Breaker could destroy her Swords, he thought, but where would that get me?

Better just stall for now…

“First I move Breaker into Defense Mode, and set another Monster in Defense Mode,” he said.

A facedown Monster appeared, and Breaker knelt, covering himself with his shield.

“Now, three facedown cards.”

Three facedown cards appeared in flashes of light.

“I end my turn.”

Yumi drew a card.

“Time for another boost,” she said. “I play Card of Sanctity.”

She played the card, and a flash lit up the ceiling and coins showered over them.

“Humph,” said Sam, crossing her arms. “I wish I could make a deck with any cards I wanted to…”

“Sam, behave,” said her mother. “Yumi promised she’d give the rarer ones that they took back once this is over.”

The Pharaoh drew two cards, while Yumi drew five. Silent Magician rose to an Attack Score of 3,000.

The Pharaoh’s eyebrows narrowed. It seemed that Yumi would succeed in summoning her strongest Monster…

However…

He had just drawn his strongest. And he would be able to summon it first.

“I summon Magician’s Valkyria,” said Yumi.

She played the card, and the familiar female mage appeared, brandishing her staff. (1,600/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/jump-en009.jpg


“I activate Threatening Roar!” exclaimed the Pharaoh.

One of his facedown cards flipped up, and a bellowing roar echoed through the hall.

Yumi smirked. She wasn’t planning on attacking with that many facedown cards on his side of the field anyway.

She looked over her hand.

“I end my turn,” she said.

The Pharaoh made a draw. Silent Magician grew to an Attack Score of 3,500.

“Does she have a limit?” asked Ren.

“Yes,” said Cassandra. “And she just reached it. If the Pharaoh doesn’t get rid of her this round, the process will be complete, and Yumi will be able to summon someone who may well be unstoppable.”

“All right, Yumi,” said the Pharaoh. “Time to show you true power…

“First, I use Breaker’s effect to destroy your Swords.”

Breaker’s shield glowed, and the Swords of Revealing Light shattered.

“Now, I summon Sangan.”

He played the card, and the spherical, three-eyed Fiend appeared on the field. (1,000/600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/hl2_en003.jpg


“Next,” he said, “I Flip-Summon Witch of the Black Forest.”

His facedown Monster flipped up, and the grim-faced, black-robed witch appeared. (1,100/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/db2-en066.jpg


“Now… I play Polymerization, to fuse my Witch and Sangan together…”

He played a Spell Card, and the Fiend and the Spellcaster swirled into a murky blur…

“I summon… Sanwitch!”

A strange creature appeared on the field. It was a short, chubby guy wearing a white robe, a headdress, and a veil. The only part of his face that was visible were his eyes, which resembled Sangan’s. He carried a crooked staff. (2,100/1,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0361.jpg


“Heh, heh,” chuckled Erik. “Cute!”

“Don’t underestimate that guy,” said Sheena. “I think the Pharaoh is planning something big.”

The Pharaoh took his deck.

“Since both the Witch and Sangan went to my Graveyard, both their effects activate…”

He chose two cards from his deck, and added them to his hand.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Next…” he said, “I discard one card from my hand, in order to Special Summon someone new… Meet The Tricky!”

He discarded one card, and an ominous portal appeared on his side of the field. Another weird creature flew out of it. He was dressed in a yellow and black harlequin outfit, with a red question mark over his chest, and one over his face. He also wore a blue cape. (2,000/1,200)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/le6_jp004.jpg


“I’m not done,” he continued. “I activate a facedown card…”

One of his two facedown cards lifted, and Monster Reborn appeared.

“I’ll bring back the Monster I just discarded… Mind on Air!”

In a burst of darkness, a much creepier Spellcaster appeared. It was a woman with blue skin, wearing a leather leotard. The top half of her skull had been replaced by a dome made of a glass-like material. (1,000/1,600)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/sod-en0271u.jpg


“It’s a summoning frenzy!” shouted Sam.

“Mind on Air isn’t a combat-oriented sorceress,” said the Pharaoh. “She focuses more on telepathic powers. And she’s good at her specialty, so much that she can see through your eyes, and reveal the cards in your hand. So let’s take a look.”

Mind on Air’s eyes glowed. Yumi let out a cry of surprise, and her own eyes started to glow.

The images of the five cards in her hand appeared above her: Rocket Warrior, Pikeru’s Circle of Enchantment, Magician of Faith, Level Modulation, and Shield Crush.

“Now that that’s done with,” said the Pharaoh, “I sacrifice Mind on Air and Sanwitch…”

The two Spellcasters vanished into orbs of dark energy…

“To summon my most powerful Monster! Appear, Sorcerer of Dark Magic!”

In an explosion of energy, a new Spellcaster appeared on the field. He resembled Dark Magician at first glance, but was even darker, with a more decorative costume and staff. His eyes glowed with pure power. (3,200/2,800)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mov-en002.jpg


“Good lord…” muttered Ren. “Yumi’s dad mentioned this Monster once or twice, but I never thought I’d actually see him…”

“Seeing is believing…” said Chelsea. “I think her grandfather only used him once, and that was in the duel where Kaiba was being manipulated by Anubis. This guy was even able to take down the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon before Kaiba defeated him with the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon.”

“I don’t think I have to remind you,” said Yumi, narrowing her eyes, “my Silent Magician is safe from attacks so long as Valkyria is on the field.”

“Then that’s who I’m taking out first,” said the Pharaoh. “Sorcerer, attack Magician’s Valkyria with celestial blast!”

Sorcerer of Dark Magic cast a mighty spell of burning dark magic at the female mage. She hollered and was blown to bits. Yumi shielded herself from the impact.

“I place a card facedown,” said the Pharaoh, “and my turn is over.”

A new facedown card appeared.



(Y: 5,500) -------------------- (P: 7,800)


“About time,” said Yumi, drawing a card.

She looked at it, and added it to her hand.

“Now that Silent Magician has gotten as strong as her Level Four form can possibly get,” she said, “I can sacrifice her to summon her evolved form!”

Silent Magician began to glow with blinding light…

When the light subsided, the child Spellcaster had been replaced by an adult version of herself, tall and commanding, who glowed with pure radiance.

“Meet the most powerful Spellcaster in the Duel Monsters universe,” said Yumi. “Silent Magician LV8!”

(3,500/1,000)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ntr-en002.jpg


Everyone watching was speechless. Finally, Erik spoke.

“Wow,” he said.

“She’s beautiful…” said Chelsea.

“Silent Magician…” ordered Yumi, “attack his Sorcerer with solar blast!”

Silent Magician’s eyes glowed. She aimed her scepter…

“Activate Trap!” shouted the Pharaoh, as one of his facedown cards lifted. “Staunch Defender! Now, I can draw your attack away from my Sorcerer, and towards Breaker!”

Silent Magician cast a beam of pure, burning light, and Breaker the Magical Warrior was obliterated.

Yumi sighed.

“I end my turn,” she said.

The Pharaoh drew a card.

He looked at it somberly.

“Yumi…” he said. “You know that the true God Cards are gone…

“But a few remnants of their power are still around. The accessories for them are few in number, but a few powerful Spells and Traps remain that Pegasus designed when he created them…

“I play Divine Evolution.”

A Spell Card appeared on his side of the field. It bore the picture of Slifer’s silhouette inside a stained glass window.

“This card’s effect is simple, but powerful. It permanently increases both scores of a Monster by 1,000 points. And it was one of the select few Spell Cards that would affect a God Card for longer than one turn.”

Sorcerer of Dark Magic glowed with an aura of golden flames… (4,200/3,800)

“Attack Silent Magician!” shouted the Pharaoh. “Celestial blast!”

Everyone watched in horror as the Sorcerer cast his mighty spell, and Silent Magician was blown to atoms.

“No…” said Chelsea. “Yumi lost her best Monster…”

“Tricky,” ordered the Pharaoh, “attack Yumi directly with trick illusion.”

The Tricky cast a collage of swirling lights and colors towards Yumi, knocking her over on her back.



(Y: 2,800) -------------------- (P: 7,800)


Sam shook her head.

“It might as well be over,” she said. “I don’t know what else Yumi could have that could stand up to that guy, and she’s already losing bad…”

Yumi slowly got up. She took some deep breaths.

“My move…” she said.

She drew a card.

She smirked when she saw what it was.

“Sorry, but this isn’t over yet,” she said. “My Silent Magician is coming right back.”

“Silent Magician LV8 is a NOMI, Yumi,” said the Pharaoh. “How can you…”

He stopped.

“That’s right,” said Yumi, playing a Spell Card. “You saw the card in my hand with Mind on Air’s effect, right?

“I play Level Modulation! This lets me disregard Silent Magician’s summoning requirements, and bring her back from the Graveyard, so long as I let you draw two cards.”

The Pharaoh drew twice, and then Silent Magician appeared again, looking a little pissed. (3,500/1,000)

“You forgot one thing,” said the Pharaoh. “She can’t attack this round.”

“Then I’ll have to get rid of your Sorcerer another way,” said Yumi, taking the card she had just drawn. “I play Enemy Controller.”

She played the card, and a huge video game control pad appeared in the air.

“Go!” said Yumi. “Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, A, B, and... Start. Move Sorcerer of Dark Magic to Defense Mode.”

Sorcerer of Dark Magic crouched and shielded himself with his staff.

“Now that that’s done,” said Yumi with a smile, “I play… Shield Crush.”

She played the card, and a blast of energy shot from it. Sorcerer of Dark Magic exploded in a fiery burst of black flames.

“Wow… again…” said Erik.

“And with that,” said Yumi, “I end my turn.”

The Pharaoh drew a card slowly.

He added it to his hand and then turned the card on his Disk. The Tricky knelt in Defense Mode.

“That’s all I can do,” he said.

“Then watch out!” said Yumi, drawing a card.

She sighed as she added it to her hand. She was going to hate herself for this later…

“I summon one of my grandfather Joey’s favorite cards,” she said. “Meet Rocket Warrior!”

She played the card, and a cute little toy robot wearing rocket-like armor, holding a sword and shield, appeared next to Silent Magician. (1,500/1,300)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/ct2_en005.jpg


The Pharaoh looked at The Tricky and his facedown card.

Time to make a decision, he thought. If I use my facedown card now, I can block both of her attacks… But then, my chances of beating Silent Magician fall to almost zero.

“Rocket Warrior,” shouted Yumi, “attack The Tricky!”

With a whir, Rocket Warrior changed shape, becoming more rocket than warrior. It blasted at The Tricky, and he exploded into shards.

“Silent Magician…

“…attack directly.”

Silent Magician cast her spell, and an explosion of pure light centered on the Pharaoh…

When the light subsided, he was breathing heavily…



(Y: 2,800) -------------------- (P: 4,300)


“This is incredible!” shouted Chelsea. “Yumi just turned this around 180 degrees!”

The Pharaoh smirked.

“Not bad,” he said. “You’ve never been stronger Yumi…

“…but then, I’m not finished yet either…”

He drew a card.

“I play… Graceful Charity.”

He played the card, and the angel of charity appeared once again. She gave him a more optimistic look than she had been giving everyone lately…

It seemed to be a look of hope…

He drew three cards. He looked them over before discarding Pitch-Black Power Stone and Anti-Spell.

He looked over his new cards.

“I set a Monster in Defense Mode, and another facedown card.”

The two concealed cards appeared.

“That will be all.”

“Then it’s my move,” said Yumi.

She drew.

“Rocket Warrior, attack!”

Rocket Warrior flew at the facedown Monster. Apprentice Magician appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.

“You know what happens when Apprentice Magician is destroyed, Yumi,” he said.

Another facedown Monster appeared.

Yumi pointed, and Silent Magician fired her solar blast. A second Apprentice Magician was incinerated.

“I activate my Trap,” said the Pharaoh, as his facedown card lifted. “The Grave of Enkindling. Now, both players can Special Summon a Monster from their Graveyards in Defense Mode, on the condition that they stay in Defense Mode.”

The Tricky appeared back on his side of the field. (2,000/1,200) Magician’s Valkyria appeared on Yumi’s side of the field. (1,600/1,800)

“I set another Monster in Defense Mode…” said Yumi, “and I end my turn…”

A facedown Monster appeared on her side.

The Pharaoh drew.

He looked at Yumi.

“Oh no…” said Ren. “I recognize that look… That’s the same look that Yumi gives right before she kills her opponent.”

“Now we know where she got it from,” said Sam.

She was nervous. She was no stranger to that look.

The last facedown card on the Pharaoh’s side of the field lifted.

“I activate Tricky’s Spell 4,” he said. “Now, by sacrificing The Tricky, I get one Tricky Token for each Monster on your side of the field.”

The Tricky faded into a blur, and four duplicates of him appeared, all crouching in Defense Mode. (2,000/1,200 x4)

“He was able to conjure up four Monsters with 2,000 Attack Points each?” shouted Chelsea. “That’s not fair!”

“Well,” said Sheena, “if memory serves me correctly, those tokens can’t attack. But they are useful in other ways…”

“Next…” said the Pharaoh, “I play Tribute to the Doomed.”

“Sorry,” said Yumi, “that won’t work. Silent Magician is immune to all your Spell Cards.”

“She’s not who I’m aiming for,” said the Pharaoh.

He played the card and discarded another. Magician’s Valkyria screamed as she was hit by bolts of fiery energy. She burst into pixels.

“Now…” said the Pharaoh, “I sacrifice two tokens to summon my real headliner…

“Appear!”

Two Tricky Tokens vanished…

Out of the shadows, he appeared. Yumi had summoned him so many times. She never imagined that she’d be facing him.

She looked Dark Magician in the eye. (2,500/2,100)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/bpt-001.jpg


“He’s still not strong enough…” she said, nervously.

The Pharaoh revealed a new Spell Card.

“I play Gift of the Martyr,” he said. “I’ll sacrifice another Tricky Token, to boost Dark Magician’s Attack Score.”

Another token vanished, and Dark Magician grew to an Attack Score of 4,500.

“Attack Silent Magician! Dark magic attack!”

Dark Magician cast his bolt of burning magic. Silent Magician screamed, and then burst into shards for the second time.



(Y: 1,800) -------------------- (P: 4,300)


“Wonderful,” said Sam. “Now we’re going around… in circles.”

Yumi closed her eyes.

She slowly drew a card.

“I move Rocket Warrior to Defense Mode,” she said.

Rocket Warrior knelt and hid behind its shield.

“And now I play… Monster Reborn!”

She played the card, and the holy ankh appeared, glowing with golden light.

“Now I’ll bring back a Monster from my Graveyard… And she’s just been waiting to come out.”

“She?” said Ren. “It can’t be…”

In a soft glow, Dark Magician Girl appeared on Yumi’s side of the field. (2,000/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds-ense2.jpg


“You know,” said Ren, “it may have been a long duel, but I don’t remember Dark Magician Girl being sent to her Graveyard.”

“Wait…” said Sheena. “I think I know… She was the card that she lost when he used Dark Red Enchanter’s effect…”

Yumi nodded.

“I have a feeling,” said Sheena, “that this may have only begun…”



* * * * * * * * * *


Everyone watching the duel, even Cassandra, only saw the duel. They saw Yumi with Dark Magician Girl on her side, and the Pharaoh with Dark Magician on his.

Only the two duelists saw what was truly happening.

Their two Monsters were right now hovering in the air in the center of the arena. Dark Magician was holding Dark Magician Girl in a gentle embrace. Each of them had sad looks on their faces.

“I had always hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” said the voice of the older Spellcaster.

He sighed.

“But I suppose it was inevitable…”

A tear fell down Dark Magician Girl’s cheek.

“I couldn’t be an apprentice forever,” she replied, sadly. “We both knew that… We both knew that I’d have to grow up someday… That I’d have to make my own identity…

“And we both new that this would happen, no matter how much it would hurt us both.”

Dark Magician closed his eyes.

“Do you really think you can do it?” he asked.

Dark Magician Girl looked at him. She slowly nodded.

“Then consider this your final test,” he said. “Good luck, my apprentice…”

They let go of each other, and floated back towards the opposing sides of the field…



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi’s eyes narrowed.

It all comes down to a struggle between the teacher and the student, she thought. Silent Magician and Sorcerer of Dark Magic were both big helps for both of us, but this will be the true contest. This is the sort of monomythic moment that struggles like this are all about…

So, let’s do it.

“Dark Magician Girl…” she shouted, “obliterate the last Tricky Token! Dark burning attack!”

Dark Magician Girl cast her dark spell, and the final token was blown to pieces.

“I throw down three facedown cards, and end my turn,” she said.

Three facedown cards appeared with three flashes of light.

The Pharaoh drew a card. He looked at the Spell Card.

Yumi is no idiot, he thought. She’s well aware that Dark Magician trumps Dark Magician Girl by 500 points.

So obviously, one of those facedown cards is something that will repel an attack… Possibly even something that will even make Dark Magician Girl stronger.

But I have another way to defeat her…

“I won’t fall for that, Yumi,” he said.

“First I’ll summon Skilled Dark Magician.”

He played the card, and the younger, black robed mage appeared. (1,900/1,700)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-0651.jpg


“Now I play this… The Spell Card, Thousand Knives!”

Dark Magician started to cast a spell, and a swarm of sharp daggers appeared in the air around him.

“As a magician by trade, he often practiced a knife-throwing act, Yumi, and his apprentice was always willing to be the target for him.

“Unfortunately for her, this time, he doesn’t intend to miss her.”

Dark Magician pointed, and the knives flew towards Dark Magician Girl.

“Well he’s going to anyway!” shouted Yumi. “Spell Card activate! Magical Pigeons!”

A Quickplay Spell on her side of the field lifted, and a huge top hat appeared on her side of the field. Dark Magician Girl dove inside it. The knives struck the top hat, and it burst, sending a flock of pigeons flying across the room.

When the flock subsided, two of the pigeons were sitting where the hat had been. (0/0 x2)

“You remember this card, don’t you?” asked Yumi. “You used in your rematch with Raphael. It lets Dark Magician Girl hide from your assault by turning herself into two pigeons.”

The Pharaoh looked hard at Yumi’s side of the field.

“I still have his normal attack,” said the Pharaoh. “Attack Rocket Warrior!”

Dark Magician cast his spell, and Rocket Warrior exploded in a burst of light.

“I end my turn,” he said.

The two pigeons vanished, and Dark Magician Girl reappeared.

Yumi drew a card.

“Perfect!” she said, playing it. “I give Dark Magician Girl an Equip Spell. It’s called Mist Body.”

A glowing, white mist surrounded Dark Magician Girl.

“So long as this card is in play, Dark Magician Girl is immune to death from battle.

“But Skilled Dark Magician isn’t…”

Dark Magician Girl cast her powerful spell, and Skilled Dark Magician exploded into shards.

“That’s all for my turn,” she said.



(Y: 1,800) -------------------- (P: 4,200)


The Pharaoh drew a card.

Let’s consider, he thought, looking at it. Her facedown Monster can’t be Old Vindictive Magician. If she had any in her deck, they would have been removed from play when mine was when she played Nobleman of Crossout.

It’s likely either Magician of Faith or Crystal Seer. If I attacked either, Yumi would gain an advantage.

And Yumi knows that if she Flip-Summons either of them herself, she’s taking too big a risk, because she’d be putting a very weak Monster in Attack Mode.

He thought for a minute.

“Dark Magician, attack Dark Magician Girl!” he shouted.

Dark Magician cast his spell, and Dark Magician Girl cried out in pain as it hit her in the stomach. Yumi clutched her stomach in pain too.

“Mist Body may have kept her from dying,” said the Pharaoh, “but it won’t protect your Life Points, Yumi.

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

A new facedown card appeared.



(Y: 1,300) -------------------- (P: 4,200)


Yumi quickly drew a card.

“I activate Call of the Haunted!” she shouted.

One of her facedown cards lifted, and Rocket Warrior appeared in a flash of light. (1,500/1,300)

“Rocket Warrior, attack Dark Magician with invincible attack!”

Rocket Warrior transformed again, and shot towards Dark Magician. It collided with the mage in an explosion. Everyone gasped…

When the explosion cleared, Rocket Warrior landed back on Yumi’s side of the field, and Dark Magician was holding his chest in pain. His Attack Score dropped to 2,000.

“Rocket Warrior’s effect…” muttered Sheena. “When it attacks, it isn’t destroyed, Battle Damage to Yumi is reduced to zero, and the attacked Monster loses 500 Attack Points…”

“And it’s curtains for Dark Magician!” shouted Sam. “He and Dark Magician Girl have the same Attack Points right now… But with Mist Body protecting her, she’ll win this battle!”

“You got that right,” said Yumi. “Dark Magician Girl, attack Dark Magician!”

Dark Magician Girl flew at Dark Magician. She cast her powerful spell…

The Pharaoh sadly gestured. His facedown card lifted…

“Magic Cylinder?” screamed Ren. “He had another one?”

“NO!” shouted Chelsea.

The blast was thrown in reverse. Everyone screamed as it hit Yumi…

Sam shook her head.

“That’s it…” she said. “It’s over… So much for…”

“Look!” shouted Erik.

Yumi was still smiling, and a soft, white glow was covering her. And right next to her was the source of the glow – it was White Magician Pikeru.

“Surprised?” asked Yumi. “I had another facedown card… Pikeru’s Circle of Enchantment. Once I activated it, all effect damage to me this round was reduced to zero.”

The Pharaoh smiled. Then he laughed.

“So…” he said. “The duel continues…”

“But not for long,” muttered Sam. “They must be running low on cards by now…”

Sam’s got a point, thought the Pharaoh. With all the extra drawing and searching, I’ve only got ten cards left. This can’t last much longer…

He drew a card.

“I set one card facedown,” he said.

A new facedown card appeared.

“Then I attack Rocket Warrior with Dark Magician!”

Dark Magician’s dark magic attack shot at the small Warrior, and it exploded again.



(Y: 300) -------------------- (P: 4,200)


“This is it,” said Chelsea. “One more attack, and Yumi has had it…”

“I end my turn,” said the Pharaoh.

Yumi made a draw.

“Trap Card, activate,” said the Pharaoh. “This really isn’t necessary, but… Dust Tornado!”

The tornado tore across the field, and the protective mist surrounding Dark Magician Girl blew away.

Yumi looked at him.

“I flip Magician of Faith into Attack Mode,” she said.

The card flipped, and Magician of Faith appeared. (300/400)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/cp02-en003.jpg


“Now, I get a Spell Card back…”

Her Contingency Fee card slipped out of her deck.

“But I’m not actually going to use it. I’ll show you what I mean in a minute. First, I sacrifice Magician of Faith to summon Chaos Command Magician.”

Magician of Faith smiled at the Pharaoh before she disappeared into grains of light. The powerful Chaos Mage in glossy, black robes appeared in front of Yumi. He turned to Dark Magician Girl and nodded. (2,400/1,900)



http://www.ideal808.com/images/mfc-0681.jpg


Yumi sighed. She felt a little strange still using this card. After all, Chaos was her enemy now. But she knew that there was a good side to Chaos, just as beings like Dispater represented an evil side to Law. Maybe she would need Chaos Command Magician in her deck more than ever from now on.

“Neither of them are strong enough,” said the Pharaoh.

“Not alone, no,” said Yumi. “But I’m going to play Double Spell.”

She played the Spell Card, and then discarded the Contingency Fee card.

“Now I can use a Spell Card from your Graveyard, and I think I’ll use Gift of the Martyr.”

The Spell Card appeared in her hand.

“So, I’ll send Chaos Command Magician to the Graveyard, and give his power to Dark Magician Girl!”

Chaos Command Magician faded into grains of light, and Dark Magician Girl glowed with fiery energy… (4,400/1,700)

“Yikes!” shouted Erik. “She’s turned Dark Magician Girl into a super-girl!”

“Attack Dark Magician!” shouted Yumi. “Ultimate Dark Burning Attack!”

Dark Magician Girl hollered a mighty cry as her blast shot towards Dark Magician, and he exploded in a deafening blast. The Pharaoh cringed and covered his head.

Yumi panted for breath.



(Y: 300) -------------------- (P: 2,300)


“My turn is over,” she said, “so the effects of Gift of the Martyr wear off. However, due to Dark Magician Girl’s effect, she gains 300 Attack Points now that Dark Magician is in your Graveyard.”

(2,300/1,700)

She closed her eyes.

The Pharaoh closed his eyes too, and drew a card.

He opened them to look at it. It was his own Magician of Faith.

He placed it on his Disk, and the card appeared facedown.

I can use her effect to get back my Monster Reborn, he thought. I can bring back Dark Magician…

“I end my turn, Yumi,” he said. “This duel isn’t over yet.”

Yumi drew a card.

A tear fell down her face.

“I’m afraid it is, old friend…” she said. “You see… I’m going to use Dark Magician Girl in a way that even you never used her…

“I play the Spell Card, Rite of Passage.”

She played the card, and a new card appeared on her side of the field. It was a fancy picture of Dark Magician Girl kneeling, as someone handed her a sword.

“This Spell Card lets Dark Magician Girl evolve into a whole different power…”

Dark Magician Girl glowed with a dark aura… The aura covered her…

When it subsided, her short dress and hat had been replaced by dark plate armor and a helmet. A circular shield was on her left arm, and a sword was slung by her side. It looked like she had been transformed into a dark version of Queen’s Knight. (2,000/1,700)

“Meet Dark Magician Princess,” said Yumi. “And when this transformation is invoked, she can destroy one card on the field.”

Dark Magician Princess held out her free hand, and her eyes glowed. A blade of energy shot towards the facedown Monster, and it was slashed in half.

“And there’s more,” said Yumi. “She retains her old ability to draw 300 more Attack Points from each Dark Magician in each Graveyard.”

(2,300/1,700)

The Pharaoh sighed.

“Yumi…” he said. “You are truly a duelist unlike any I have ever faced… I guess I can leave knowing that I’ve left everything in good hands.

“You’re truly the Queen of Games now…”

He nodded. Yumi nodded back.

“Dark Magician Princess…” said Yumi.

The Princess drew her sword, and eldritch runes encircled it.

“Attack directly.”

Dark Magician Princess flew at the Pharaoh, and everything seemed to slow down for an instant…

He fell to his knees as the sword struck, but a smile was on his face.



(Y: 300) -------------------- (P: 0)


“Pay up,” said Erik to Sam.

“My mother is right here,” whispered Sam. “We’ll be back in Domino in a few hours…”

The Pharaoh removed his Duel Disk, and placed it on the floor.

“Yumi, I don’t have much time to say goodbye,” he said. “People are waiting for me.

“The duel is ended. It’s finally time for me to join my own family, whom I’ve been apart from for so long…

“I can only wish you luck…

“Shogarr will still be a threat, and he still might try to make another attempt at you…

“And while the prophecy foretold that you would oppose him when he attempts to enact the Grand Rebirth, no-one could predict who would be victorious in that struggle.

“Fight well… Because I guarantee… When the dark tide finally comes, it won’t be easy…

“But I have trust in you…”

The eyes of the statue of Re-Horakhty glowed, and he started to fade away.

“Goodbye…” said Yumi.

In the next minute he was gone.

She turned to face everyone else.

“So, Cass,” she said, walking up to Cassandra, “any views on what the future holds?”

Cassandra shook her head.

“The cards tell me nothing more about you or your friends, Yumi,” she said. “I cannot see any vision of what your future holds now. I can only come to one conclusion…

“Your future has not yet been written. You alone can decide your fate. You alone can decide where you go from here.

“But I have no doubt, that the Queen of Games is not yet ready to abdicate…”



* * * * *

* * * * * * * * * *

* * * * *


Keep reading! The epilogue is next!



DARK RED ENCHANTER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 2,200

Card Description: When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, put two Spell Counters on this card. Whenever a Spell Card is played by you or your opponent, put one Spell Counter on this card. This card’s ATK increases by 300 for each Spell Counter it has. You may remove two Spell Counters on this card to discard a card at random from your opponent's hand. This effect can only be used once per turn.



THE TRICKY (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 5
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: You may Special Summon this card from your hand by discarding one card from your hand, other than this one.



TRICKY’S SPELL 4 (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A colorful capsule with the number 4 on it.

Card Description: Offer one “The Tricky” on your side of the field as a Tribute. Special Summon one “Tricky Token” (Spellcaster/Wind/Level Five/2,000 ATK/1,200 DEF) in Defense Position for every Monster on your opponent’s side of the field. “Tricky Tokens” cannot attack.

Note: “Dark Red Enchanter”, “The Tricky”, and “Tricky’s Spell 4” are Japanese cards that have not yet been released in the United States. “Dark Red Enchanter” is scheduled to be released in “Phantom Darkness” as a Secret Rare (go to the sneak preview this weekend, and maybe you’ll be lucky).



ENIGMA, THE CREATOR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: When this card is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon one “Enigma Token” (Warrior/Dark/Level Four/1,200 ATK/1,200 DEF) to your side of the field.

Note: “Enigma, The Creator” was first used by The D in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Dark Light”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



DIVINE EVOLUTION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A stained glass window with Slifer the Sky Dragon’s silhouette behind it.

Card Description: Target one Monster on the field. The targeted Monster gains 1,000 Attack and Defense Points for as long as it remains face-up on the field. The activation of this card cannot be countered or negated.

Note: This card was used by both Yugi and Tenma in “Yu-Gi-Oh R”. Also of note is the fact that this card is one of the few Spell Cards that affects a God Card for longer than one turn.



MAGICAL PIGEONS (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A magician’s top hat with pigeons flying out of it.

Card Description: You can activate this card when you have at least one “Dark Magician Girl” face-up on your side of the field. Return that “Dark Magician Girl” to your hand, and Special Summon two “Pigeon Tokens” (Winged Beast/Wind/Level One/0 ATK/0 DEF) to your side of the field in Defense Position. At the End Phase of the turn, destroy any remaining “Pigeon Tokens” and Special Summon the same “Dark Magician Girl” to your side of the field.

Note: “Magical Pigeons” was first used by the Pharaoh in the original anime episode “Grappling With A Guardian (Part Two)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



RITE OF PASSAGE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Dark Magician Girl on her knees, as someone hands her a sword.

Card Description: Offer one face-up “Dark Magician Girl” on your side of the field as a Tribute. Special Summon one “Dark Magician Princess” from your hand, deck, or Graveyard.



DARK MAGICIAN PRINCESS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,700

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Rite of Passage”. When this card is successfully summoned, you may select one card on the field and destroy it. This card gains 300 Attack Points for each “Dark Magician” and “Magician of Black Chaos” in both players’ Graveyards.

[Dark Sage]

EPILOGUE



“Vampire Genesis,” shouted Chelsea, “attack Yumi directly!”

Yumi gasped, and her eyes opened wide as the powerful direct attack hit her.

She fell on her behind as her Life Points fell to zero.

“You’re getting sloppy, Yumi!” laughed Chelsea.

“Yeah, yeah, enjoy it now,” said Yumi. “I just need to get used to doing this alone…”

“So…” said Ren. “How about we try out that new Thai place for dinner? We need something healthy after all of that junk food in Duelatopia.”

“You two go ahead,” said Yumi. “I’m meeting someone for dinner myself.”

“Can it be?” asked Chelsea, as she and Ren walked away. “Has she actually got a boyfriend?”

“She could use one,” said Ren, with a shrug.

Yumi sighed as she got up.

“Yumi?” said Anastasia’s voice.

“Yes?” said Yumi, turning towards the angel.

She noticed a difference. Anastasia was almost transparent now. It looked like she was fading away.

“Yumi,” she said. “You would be interested in knowing that Rasputin’s fate has been decided…”

Yumi sighed.

“Give me the bad news…” she mumbled.

“It’s good news, actually,” said Anastasia. “After much deliberation, they have decided to give him the same chance I was given.”

Yumi looked at her.

“The Bastion of the Hopeful…” she muttered. “The citadel of redemption…

“But why? Just because he gave me that Glass Menagerie card?”

“Yumi,” said Anastasia, “you may think that Heaven is very strict, but in truth, we take into account all circumstances.

“Unus had not planned to give you a chance. His plan was to ambush you while you were asleep, after you had mistakenly thought that all your enemies were defeated.

“But due to Rasputin’s generosity, you learned otherwise, and were able to confront him. This ultimately saved you from being captured, foiling Unus’s plan, and as a result, foiled Shogarr’s plan as well.

“And as we know, this may well have averted a catastrophe on the cosmic scale. All because of one act of generosity on Rasputin’s part that was genuine and sincere.

“True, it might take him much longer to succeed than I did. But at least now he has a chance.

“But anyway, Yumi… Now it’s time for me to say goodbye…”

“Wait!” shouted Yumi. “You’re leaving? I won’t see you again?”

Anastasia smiled.

“The Pharaoh is freed, Yumi,” she said. “The Shadow Charms are gone. I cannot let myself be seen by mortals any longer. We’ve bent the rules for too long already.

“But keep this in mind…

“Whenever you feel tempted to steal money from your father’s wallet… Whenever you feel tempted to put salt in a classmate’s milk at school… If ever again you feel tempted to put blue food coloring in Akira’s shampoo…”

“How did you know I did that?” shouted Yumi.

She paused.

“Oh… right…” she said.

“Whenever you feel tempted to do something you know is wrong,” said Anastasia, “and you get a nagging feeling telling you not to do it, just remember, that nagging feeling is me.

“And if you listen to those nagging feelings, I’ll never have cause to leave you, and when you finally pass on, I’ll be the one leading you to the Gates of Heaven, for your eternal reward.

“Now, you’d best get going… You said you’d meet your date in half an hour.”

“Oh… right!” shouted Yumi.

“Goodbye…”

As she ran off, Anastasia Pegasus smiled, and faded away.



* * * * * * * * * *


Yumi’s Duel Disk was in her duffle bag under the table as she waited inside the fancy sushi restaurant. She hoped he’d be punctual.

“Is this seat taken?” said a familiar voice.

She smiled, as she looked and saw Nicholas. He sat down.

“So tell me, Nicholas,” she said. “Uhm, I can call you that, right?”

“Only when we’re alone,” he replied. “Anytime else, I’m Joshua, and Olga is Madelyn.”

“So what strings did you two have to pull to get relocated to Domino?” asked Yumi.

“Not many,” said Nicholas. “Once the Yard found out that we both spoke fluent Japanese, they were all right with it.

“We just have to keep our noses clean, not leave school, report to the British embassy every month, and answer any questions they happen to have, and we get to stay here.

“And Domino is quite a town, I must say… It doesn’t rain here nearly as much as it does in London, and the folks are friendlier…”

“Yeah,” said Yumi, “it’s a nice place to live… When Rare Hunters aren’t lurking around, and Duel Spirits aren’t overrunning it…”

“When did THAT happen?” asked Nicholas.

“A few times since Duel Monsters became popular,” said Yumi.

“So, I’m confused, Yumi,” said Nicholas. “Why are you even giving me the time of day? After all I did a few weeks ago…”

Yumi sighed.

“I dunno, Nicholas,” she said, “I really don’t… I guess it’s just part of the nature of females to be attracted to bad boys…

“I mean, just look at my two grandmothers. One of them married a guy with a dark spirit inside him, and the other married a guy who used to be a street thug before he was straightened out…”

She chuckled.

“Just try not to be so bad that you end up siding with a demon again.”

“Hey, I honestly didn’t know I was the first time,” said Nicholas.

“Understood,” said Yumi. “Anyway… You dueling again?”

“Not yet…” sighed Nicholas. “I have to build my deck from scratch… I gave the Cyber Ogre deck back to its rightful owner, I was getting tired of the Ojama Deck for some time, and the one with Chronopsis… Well, Rasputin gave me those cards, and I want as little reminder of him as possible.

“Say, does your family still own that game store? Maybe I can get some good cards there… Or at least get some ideas…”

Yumi looked at him in the eye.

“I have a better idea,” she said, lifting her duffle up to the table. “You like Warriors?”

Nicholas laughed.

“Yeah, right…” he said. “A Toolbox Warrior Deck, with Marauding Captain, Gilford, Freed, and that whole crowd… I’d be a hit…”

“No…” said Yumi. “I mean a different class of Warriors…”

She handed him a deck case… One that contained the Six Samurai cards that she took from Samen.

Nicholas slowly looked over the cards.

“Whoa…” he said.

Yumi sighed.

As Nicholas eagerly looked over the cards, she took out her own deck.

She looked at Dark Magician Girl.

So… she thought. Where do we go from here?


Yumi and her friends have finally earned a respite. But where DO they go from here? The Pharaoh is gone, but so long as Yumi still stays by her allies, she’ll never be alone. If new trouble might threaten, she will stand ready to face it…

What does her future hold? We’ll just have to see. For now, we close the book on this tale, hoping to start a new one in the future.




http://www.ideal808.com/images/rds-ense2.jpg



It’s a whole new generation!
It’s a new legacy to be made!
Just believe in yourself,
And remember one thing:
The duel’s never over until…
The last card is played!

No, the duel’s never over until…
The last card is played…




Finis



I’d like to thank my loyal readers for reading “Legend of the Sorcerer Kings”. It’s been a wild ride.

And what of the sequel you have been hearing so much about?

Well, it will start soon. For now, I want to work on my Pokemon fic for a little while.

Keep on the lookout for a trailer for my next Yu-Gi-Oh fic, and be here when it starts. Because this next fic will be my last fic. Once it is done, I am retiring. There comes a time when a man must know when he’s done all he can do.

But, I look forward to entertaining you all until the next fic is finished. Until it begins…

Excelsior!

[Shuppet Master]

(applauds)

Well, I can say that was a fitting end to the tale, and Atem is finally resting in peace. I must say, I am quite intrigued how you tied Yumi in as having a past life in Atem's time and how some demon was working to destroy the world then. :)

(I am sure Dark Magician isn't gone from Yumi's deck - although my character in Sister of Anansi had a Dark Magician Girl with no Dark Magicians to boost it, that's the exception to the rule, and since DMG is Yumi's soul card, chances are that she'll be playing DM as well.)

I noticed you had Rocket Warrior destroy The Tricky, but then I think Atem moved The Tricky to defense mode, so that's okay. I thought he was in attack mode, and Rocket Warrior loses in a battle with that card then. Just goes to show how forgetful I am. LULZ.

Anyways, the one thing I sort of missed was after the duel, Atem just...faded away. In the anime, he was clothed in his Pharaoh garb and walked into a door of light. At least you could have him change into his Pharaoh getup, but that's just a nitpick.

And I had a feeling Yumi and Nick were going to become an item, you hinted that Yumi had a crush for him even though he was being bad to her. It's nice how she mentioned the myth that "good girls love bad boys" and pointed out her grandmas Tea and Rebecca. (But to be honest, it's my fault for influencing you that way by mentioning Rebecca's husband in Sister of Anansi. Just like Yumi had to break away from Atem, I have to break away from you and be original in my stories. :() Nice to see the Six Samurai being used by a former crook.

While you didn't mention Diane, you did mention her alter-ego. If I guessed, I would say the Silent Magicians were given to Diane by her friend Giselle, and she saw that Yumi could put them to good use. ;)

Okay, this is getting long, so I'll cut it short. Can't wait for the sequel.

[Inferno_Dragon]

This whole fanfiction has been a joy. Yes, I haven't responded to it but once doesn't have to respond to it to enjoy it. Sure it does help the person that he/she likes it and wants to give his/her opinion but sometimes he/she are shy (I am not shy by the way.)

I can't wait for the next fanfic, Dark Sage.

[Perfect Chaos]

I'm with Inferno on that. I have also been a silent reader for a very long portion of you story, but still have been a dedicated reader for all your fanfics. I feel that I don't have much to say in terms of criticism since I'm not a writer myself, so I wouldn't know how to help upon improving your writing.

Anyways I look forward to your fic. I'm sorry to hear that its your final YGO one (or final one in general?), but as they say, all good things must come to an end.

See you then.

-Sean

[eldarion]

If it's a yu-gi-oh fanfic (I hope so), it can't be the last one, unless Dark Sage doesn't want to continue with pokémon: storming heaven's gates.
Anyway, nice chapter, the six samurais are amon my favourit monsters, so I'm glad you used them.

[Shuppet Master]

That's a sequel, so it's obviously a Yu-Gi-Oh fic. Also, just because he still has to work on Storming Heaven's Gate doesn't mean anything. He could finish that story at the same time or earlier than the sequel.

[ssj4supernerd]

This is probably a pretty big bump, but I liked your last chapters.

It's kinda weird seeing Yumi win tho, if Atem was ever to be freed I always expected it to be Yugi(who kinda did that in the anime xD) or even Yugi Jr. for that matter.

And this may sound a bit rude, but I don't think your other Yugi fanfics will be as succesful, or to put it otherwise: I think this is a good ending. The Pharaoh has gone off to rest, DM and DMG are "free" and well...but that's just how I feel.