Yu-Gi-Oh: Tilting the Balance

[Shuppet Master]

I still believe in the priesthood. (Ends the religious debate before it starts.)

[Master of Paradox]

Ever run into someone whose purpose in life seems to be to suck the joy out of the lives of everyone else around them? People like that are like walking black holes, bending all the happiness in their vicinity towards them and draining it away. They never give any back.

When I first met Gerald, his eternally-tired way of carrying himself and his uninterested style of speech made me think he was one of them. Then I realized he just couldn’t exert the energy to care, and we wound up friends.

My current opponent, on the other hand, is the perfect example of what I’m talking about. He treats everything like it’s just another burden the universe dumped on his shoulders, and I’m really tired of it…

Time to brighten things up.

Chapter Ten: Walking in Gloom

As night began to fall on the Twin Cities, Degas and Alexander stood in front of the easternmost of the four pillars, shards of obsidian from the pillar that had held Jean-Vic Viper still at their feet. Neither man spoke as the cracks finished spreading.

The pillar shattered, releasing a young woman with long hair that was raven-black on one side and blonde on the other. She fell into their waiting arms, breathing heavily.

After a moment, the woman regained her feet, setting one hand to her chin. She chuckled slightly, and the odd element about her chuckling was that it sounded less like someone’s laughter… and more like a computer simulation of a laugh.

“So,” she said, her voice having a metal edge to it, “I presume that fool Pillar of Destruction was defeated?”

“Exactly, my dear Menardi,” Alexander said in reply. “The most recent Chosen of the Light faced him in battle, and although our mutual friend came close, he didn’t quite succeed.” His expression soured. “In this game, near-success is still failure. It is time for the next Pillar to take her turn.”

Menardi smiled, one unnaturally-sharp fingernail sliding across her cheek. “Anything specific?”

Degas pushed his sunglasses up, shaking his head. “We’ll trust your judgment for now. Just don’t fail… unless you want to see what happened to Jean-Vic.”

The woman stepped back a bit, nearly stumbling over a piece of obsidian. She then bowed. “I won’t fail you, sirs,” she said.

“Don’t,” Alexander said. “I do not wish to think that the Pillar of Terror is no stronger than the Pillar of Destruction.” He clapped twice. “Hanzaki!”

The air blurred, and soon the silver-clad man appeared behind Menardi, who glanced over one shoulder and sneered. The red symbol on his chest had an unusual mark at its center that was both new and unpleasantly fresh-looking.

Degas smiled and said, “Take her to our safe house.”

After a moment, Menardi sighed, resigned to the mode of transportation. “Touch me and I remove the part that made contact,” the woman hissed.

In response, Hanzaki merely chuckled. “I have no need to,” he replied.

The air blurred, and both the Pillar and the servant vanished.

Once the man in black and the man in green were alone, Degas snapped his fingers, summoning a glass of champagne. “Do you think she’ll fair any better?”

“Destruction is far too straight-forward and unsubtle to trust,” Alexander said in reply, rubbing one of his temples. “If you want to ensure victory, you need something less obvious. Terror should qualify…”

0000000

At the Minneapolis Hilton, in a well-kept suite, Gerald Laxina and Chad Montmelier – the new Chosen of the Light and his first ally – were currently faced with a riddle.

The riddle was posed by the newest member of their group, Laura Vesnic, until recently the hostage of the Darkness. The young woman had quickly grasped the situation concerning the Darkness Infection and the Pillars of Darkness – that was no problem, and she’d readily understood why this was all so serious.

No, that wasn’t a problem. The problem was answering her question: “There are only two beds. Who gets the couch?”

After a few tense minutes of discussion, Gerald finally said, “I’ll take the couch.”

“You sure?” Chad asked.

“Let’s save the beds for people who can actually sleep at night,” he replied.

After a moment, Laura snickered and said, “You mean you can’t? You fell asleep leaning against a wall… and in the car on the way back here… and in the lobby after you sat down… and…”

“Yes,” Gerald said, sighing. “I can sleep every time and every place except in my bed at night. It’s slightly frustrating.”

Laura’s laughter stopped, and she merely smiled. “Well, at least insomnia’s the least of your worries.”

“Point taken.”

Chad had removed himself from the discussion and was currently raiding his luggage, saying, “I call the showers first.” Once he’d found his toiletries bag again, he stepped into the bathroom, leaving Gerald and Laura alone.

Now alone with the girl he’d worked to save for the past two days, Gerald took a deep breath and said, “I will now ask the million-dollar question.”

“No, I don’t know why they kidnapped me,” Laura replied.

“That was the bonus round,” Gerald continued. “The question I was going to ask is this: what does the word ‘Kanlon’ mean to you? I heard it during that first vision before any of this happened, and it’s bugged me since.”

Laura took her own deep breath and answered, “It’s probably got nothing to do with you, but my older sister’s fiancé is named Walter Kanlon.”

Gerald raised an eyebrow. “Never heard of him. What sort of person is he?”

Laura began, “Until about three or so years ago, he was a real jerk. He was cruel to everyone, even my sister – she was planning on leaving him if he didn’t shape up. On top of that, he was a duelist, and he was one of the most irritating guys in the circuit. He wouldn’t stop making fun of you if you lost, and a lot of people quit the game just so he couldn’t taunt them anymore.

“Three years ago, though, he entered a major tournament and made it to the final round. In the finals, he faced this very quiet guy – I can’t remember the guy’s name or deck, sad to say – and was utterly squashed. It was a total shutout.

“Right after the duel, Walter called my sister and apologized for the way he’d acted all that time. She was surprised – and even more surprised when he turned out to be totally sincere. She kept waiting for him to change back, but it never happened.

“In fact, Walter Kanlon was a different person after that shutout. Now he’s a guy you’d want to duel – he’s the nicest guy I know. My sister never wanted to leave after that; they got engaged a year ago, and she’s never regretted it.”

“An interesting story,” Gerald pondered, “but I can’t see why the Light would tell me about some strange man who had a change of heart. Can you think of anything else odd about him?”

Laura gave it some thought, the sound of Chad in the shower acting as white noise. Finally, she snapped her fingers. “Yeah, there is. It was maybe five years ago, back when my sister and I lived in Pittsburgh.”

One of Gerald’s eyebrows rose. He had lived in Pittsburgh himself five years previous.

“Back then, Walter Kanlon played your usual Yata Lock – this was back before Yata-Garasu was completely banned – and he was facing this guy with a monster-based direct damage deck,” Laura continued. “He wiped the floor with his opponent, and the other duelist didn’t take it very well. He screamed, ‘I’ll never duel again!’ at the top of his lungs, took the deck off of the console – this was before Duel Disks were big – and threw it to the floor.”

Both of Gerald’s eyebrows were up.

After a moment, Laura added, “If memory serves me, there was this other guy who was asleep on a bench. He woke up when Walter’s opponent started screaming, and the deck landed at his feet. So he hooked a foot around it, pulled it over to him, and started rifling through the cards…” She stopped and looked at Gerald. “Wait, was he…”

“That would be how I got my first deck,” Gerald answered, nodding. “Suddenly, I understand why the Light told me about Walter…”

He paused, and finished, “It’s because of him that I’m a duelist.”

The silence that followed was long, awkward, and only ended when Laura turned on the room’s television set. The resulting cacophony led to Chad, clad only in boxer shorts, storming out of the bathroom. A massive argument then erupted…

“Chad, please try to calm down…”

“No! I refuse to spend all evening watching ‘The Manly Man Yelling and Dropping Heavy Things Hour’! It’s like applying a jackhammer to your sense of culture!”

“Come on. It can’t be that bad…”

“THEY’RE MANLY AND THEY’RE DROPPING THINGS!”

“Perhaps it can be. But still, we just broke her out of a Darkness-owned prison cell. There are worse things she could be watching.”

“Name one!”

“Would you two be quiet? They’re about to drop the refrigerator!”

“That’s it! I’m going for a walk!”

0000000

Soon the hour turned very late, and the three managed to reach some sort of agreement as to what was off-limits concerning use of the room’s television. Laura was curled into a small ball under the blankets of one bed; Chad sprawled over the other; and Gerald stared at the ceiling while lying on the couch, tapping his foot on the armrest.

So the meaning of “Kanlon” is Walter Kanlon, a duelist of previously questionable character who was responsible for my entrance into the game of Duel Monsters, he thought. But what makes him so important? Sure, to have a change of heart that full-blown is unusual, and he and I have a fairly interesting connection, but why did the Light draw my attention to him?

Hold it… Laura couldn’t remember who Walter’s opponent was in that last duel that apparently caused his turnaround. Perhaps his identity is the key – and if I can learn who that was, I could find a valuable ally… or an important enemy.

Gerald smiled, his resolve strengthened. That’s the key. I need to discover who defeated Walter that day… The smile vanished. But without any leads at all, that’ll be a trial.

Meanwhile, three figures walked the streets of the Twin Cities by night.

Sol Kilkarn stood over an unconscious young woman… a woman who had hosted the Darkness Infection until about ten minutes previous. He made her comfortable, shuffled his deck, and put it away, saying to himself, “That’s one less person to go after Gerald and the others …”

A ball of fire leapt from rooftop to rooftop several blocks away, as if looking for something.

And Menardi was out of the safe house, making her way to four specific addresses…

0000000

With the coming of dawn, Degas and Alexander resumed their positions in front of the mirror array. Both men settled into their seats, and Degas waved his hand towards the mirrors.

Several different images came to life on their surfaces, and both men murmured their approval.

“I see Menardi was busy last night,” Alexander said. “She’s already arranged for a few challenges for the Chosen of the Light. The question is which one to send first…”

Degas, meanwhile, had conjured up the black orb known as the Dancing Mad and was examining it closely. After a moment, he turned to Alexander and said, “The Dancing Mad sent out a gift last night. One of the facets is missing.”

“Which one?”

Degas spoke four words aloud.

Alexander let out a low whistle. “Who’s got it?”

Looking over the mirrors, Degas gestured to one in particular. “He does,” he said.

Shutting his eyes, Alexander sent a mental message to Menardi: We’ve got a little plan for you…

0000000

After breakfast the next morning, Gerald Laxina, Chad Montmelier, and Laura Vesnic headed out of the Minneapolis Hilton; Chad and Laura were ready and eager, while Gerald was, as usual, nursing a massive cup of coffee.

In a change from his usual preferred attire, Chad had eschewed dressing as a time period for now; he was wearing a gold-striped blue shirt and dark pants. He still stood out, though, as no change of clothing hid his stick-insect physique. Laura had finally gotten a shower, and she looked very nice in a green sweater and blue jeans. Gerald, of course, was still clad entirely in grey.

To their surprise, there were people on the street, a surprising number of them. Granted, the number was still smaller than usual, but given how deserted St. Paul was, seeing so many people in its partnering city was a bit of a shock.

“I guess the news about St. Paul never reached them,” Chad said after a moment.

Gerald sipped his coffee and replied, “Either that, or they don’t think it will happen to them. You think this city would be evacuated after what happened at the Walker Arts Center.”

“What happened there?” Laura asked.

“A Darkness Infected named Caiside Bahn attacked the center, infected several people, and challenged us to defeat him; he threatened to kill his victims if we didn’t. Chad defeated him soon enough.”

The three headed for their car, but were stopped by a voice saying, “Greetings.”

A quick examination of the area showed the voice’s source – a man standing nearby. Said man was dressed all in black – black shirt, black pants, black shoes. He was slightly shorter than Gerald, and the fingers on both hands were unusually long. His hair was black and unkempt. The oddest feature, however, was the mask he wore – it was full-face, porcelain, and blank white but for two black “tears” panted onto it. The mask had eyeholes, a nose, and lips sculpted into a permanent scowl. For lack of a better word, he was a Goth.

Both hands and his neck (what could be seen of it) showed the same marks of the Darkness Infection as the others Gerald and his allies had encountered, and a Duel Disk hung on one arm.

“Greetings to you,” Gerald said. “I presume your employers want you to duel us…”

The man sighed. “Indeed. But I don’t want to bother. Dueling you and defeating you would only be assisting the inevitable.”

“Inevitable?” Laura asked.

“Darkness will consume this world eventually. All you’re trying to do is stretch out the torture of being alive a little while longer.”

Chad stepped in front of both Gerald and Laura, activating his Duel Disk. “I’ll handle him,” he whispered, before turning to the masked man and saying, “People like you make me ill. Let’s just duel and get this over with.”

The man groaned and activated his own Duel Disk. “Optimists… they disgust me.”

“I’m not an optimist,” Chad said. “I just hate depressing people.”

Laura whispered, “Hard to see why you’re friends with him.”

Rolling his eyes, Gerald replied, “You and everyone else who’ve made that joke…”

As he slid his deck into place, Chad asked, “What’s your name?”

The masked man replied with a poem:

“As I was walking down the stair
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
I wish that man would go away

I am not here
I am not there
Where I am
Is Neverwhere. Call me Neverwhere.”

“Neverwhere it is, then,” Chad said.

Both Life Point counters went to 8,000, and the duel commenced. Gerald slid into position on the Corolla’s hood, and Laura joined him.

“I’ll begin this,” Chad said, drawing his opening hand. He glanced to it and said, “I start with one monster in Defense Mode and one card facedown. That’ll be my turn.”

Neverwhere adjusted his mask and sighed. “This world is a dark and lonely place,” he muttered. “I draw…” He did so, and said, “I set one monster in Defense Mode, and then play the Continuous Magic Card known as Soul Absorption.”

Both cards came into view as he said so.

“What does that do?” Chad asked.

Neverwhere sighed, and then shook his head, saying, “Every time a card’s removed from the game, I gain 500 Life Points. I set a card facedown and end my turn.”

So it would be in my best interest to keep from removing cards from the game unless I have to, Chad thought as he drew. He then said, “I summon my Mad Dog of Darkness in Attack Mode!”

The snarling, blind beast walked out and growled at Neverwhere. (1,900/1,400) Neverwhere glared at it, and the dog took a step back.

Slightly unnerved, Chad still ordered, “Mad Dog of Darkness, attack Neverwhere’s facedown monster!”

The dog ran forward and tried to bite into the monster in question… but a searing aura of light drove it back. Neverwhere’s monster then solidified – it was a disturbing head with two clutching hands, sticking out of the mud. (500/2,000)

After a long, drawn-out exhalation, Neverwhere said, “When will you learn never to trust what you can’t see clearly? That monster you see before you is the Earthbound Spirit, and his defenses are too much for your mutt.”

Chad scowled as his Life Points moved to 7,900. “I end my turn with that,” he said.

Neverwhere’s hand flicked over his deck, and he glanced at the card he had drawn. “I summon Maryokutai in Attack Mode,” he said.

The skull with a glowing brainpan floated in front of its summoner. (900/900)

“Next,” he said, “I set this facedown and end my turn.”

To be continued next post...

[Master of Paradox]

Continued from the last post:

Laura and Gerald looked to Neverwhere’s field, Laura asking, “Why would he play something like that in Attack Mode with Chad’s Mad Dog of Darkness out?”

“Maryokutai has a very interesting effect,” Gerald answered, “one that makes Chad’s next move important. It all comes down to what he does before he attacks next turn… assuming those facedown cards aren’t game-changing…”

As Chad drew, he set up a plan in his head. “I start by playing Graceful Charity!” he announced.

Gerald groaned. “Oh, he fell for it…”

Neverwhere’s expression didn’t change as he declared, “I will activate the effect of my Maryokutai. By ending its pitiful life, I can use the power contained in it to negate and destroy your Graceful Charity. Prove there’s some use for you, Maryokutai…”

The skull glowed brightly and shattered, unleashing a bolt of energy into Chad’s Graceful Charity and obliterating it.

“Insulting your monsters is gratuitous, Neverwhere,” Chad said. “Isn’t it weak enough not to deserve mockery?”

Neverwhere’s eyes narrowed. “Why shouldn’t I mock it? Its only purpose is to die. That’s the case with almost every monster in this deck.”

The artist raised an eyebrow. “A deck of sacrificial lambs?” he said. “That’s rather pessimistic…”

“Optimism pisses me off. Now make your move.”

Chad shrugged and said, “I summon Pitch-Black Warwolf in Attack Mode and end my turn.” The snarling werewolf with a sword appeared next to the Mad Dog of Darkness. (1,600/600)

Neverwhere drew, saying as he did, “There is one other use for my Maryokutai.” He then slid it out of his Graveyard, saying, “I’ll remove it from play to Special Summon the Aqua Spirit.”

The skull appeared translucent for a moment, and then reshaped into a beautiful, green-skinned woman with long, flowing green hair. (1,600/1,200)

Neverwhere’s Soul Absorption unleashed a wave of glowing blue lights, which flowed into his body and raised his Life Points to 8,500.

“Now I activate my Destruction Ring,” Neverwhere continued, “disposing of my Earthbound Spirit to inflict 1,000 Life Points of damage to both of us.”

A ring with a bomb on its top appeared on the Earthbound Spirit’s finger. Desperately, it shook its hand, trying to get the ring off, but the ring exploded and sent pieces of it flying everywhere. Neverwhere’s Life Points sank to 7,500, and Chad’s went down to 6,900.

“And now that it’s in the Graveyard,” Neverwhere continued, “I’ll remove it from play to bring out my Rock Spirit.”

For a moment, the fiend appeared on Neverwhere’s field, and then it too reshaped into another monster – this one a large man, apparently carved from stone, clad in armor and helm and wielding a mace. (1,700/1,000)

Again, the Soul Absorption card released its blue lights, raising Neverwhere’s Life Points back to 8,000.

Laura suddenly caught on. “I get it now!” she said. “The reason he needs his monsters in the Graveyard is to bring out his real monsters – he’s running a deck of Element Spirits!”

“That explains Soul Absorption” Gerald pondered. “Every time he removes a monster from play to bring out a spirit, he pads out his Life Points as a bonus.”

Pointing at Chad, Neverwhere ordered, “Rock Spirit, attack the Pitch-Black Warwolf with Earth Might.”

Raising his mace in the air, the Rock Spirit called out in a voice like an avalanche. Rocks rose around him, and he ordered them forward, where they crushed the werewolf under their weight. Chad groaned as his Life Points moved to 6,800.

“I’ll end my turn with that,” Neverwhere declared.

Chad drew a card…

Neverwhere suddenly said, “Aqua Spirit, do your thing.” The spirit raised her hands, and a burst of water hit Chad’s Mad Dog of Darkness, soaking it and sending it to its knees.

“What did you just do?” Laura asked.

After another sigh, Neverwhere said, “During Chad’s Standby Phase, my Aqua Spirit can switch the mode of one of his monsters. It has to stay that way for the rest of the turn.”

After a moment, Chad looked over his cards and said, “I play the Field Magic Card Forest, boosting my Beasts!”

All around them, trees pushed their way through the streets, surrounding the duelists and the spectators with a cavalcade of green. The Mad Dog snarled in approval. (1,900/1,400 – 2,100/1,600)

“Next,” Chad continued, “I summon the Berserk Gorilla in Attack Mode!”

A rampaging gorilla knocked down a tree in his frenzy to get on Chad’s field. He spat flames and beat his chest, howling. (2,000/1,000 – 2,200/1,200)

“Berserk Gorilla, attack…” Chad began.

Before the artist could finish, Neverwhere gestured to his Rock Spirit, which was glowing with power. “During your Battle Phase,” Neverwhere said, “my Rock Spirit gains 300 Attack Points.” And indeed, it was at 2,000 ATK.

“Fine,” Chad said. “Attack the Aqua Spirit!”

The gorilla charged forward, pulling his fist back…

“I activate Covering Fire,” Neverwhere announced. “My Rock Spirit now gives support to the Aqua Spirit, raising her Attack Points by its own Attack score.” (1,600/1,200 – 3,600/1,200)

The Rock Spirit moved in the Berserk Gorilla’s path, intercepting his blow and catching the Gorilla off-guard. As the confused ape tried to move past the Rock Spirit, the Aqua Spirit unleashed a massive waterspout, blowing away any evidence the Berserk Gorilla was ever there.

Chad blinked twice as his Life Points dropped to 5,400. His hands both showed signs of the Darkness Infection now. “I set one card facedown and end my turn,” he concluded.

Neverwhere drew his next card and played it, declaring, “I activate my Pot of Greed.” He ignored the hologram of the evil jar, instead just drawing his two cards. “I set one monster in Defense Mode and…” One finger tapped his mask as he considered.

“Well?” Chad asked.

“You have two facedown cards out and you expect me to attack? How foolish are you? I’ll merely end my turn.”

Chad seethed, drawing another card. He has no facedown cards, and during his Battle Phase, his Rock Spirit isn’t powerful enough to touch me. I’d have to really be a fool to attack that face-down monster, though, since he has no trouble throwing his monsters away for an advantage… “I switch my Mad Dog of Darkness back into Attack Mode,” he began, “and set one monster in Defense Mode. Mad Dog of Darkness, sic the Aqua Spirit!”

With a roar of satisfaction, the Mad Dog grabbed the Aqua Spirit in its jaws and thrashed her against the ground until she shattered, reducing Neverwhere’s Life Points to 7,300.

“That’ll be my turn,” Chad said.

The Goth merely shrugged, drawing as his turn began. “I’ll begin by switching my Sonic Jammer into Attack Mode,” he said.

His facedown monster became visible – a mechanical beetle with bright green wings. (350/650)

Suddenly, it vibrated its wings rapidly, creating a massive burst of sound that caused Chad, Laura, and Gerald to each clutch their ears and recoil. Neverwhere didn’t seem to mind it at all.

“What manner of creature makes my ears bleed?” Gerald muttered.

“My Sonic Jammer,” Neverwhere calmly answered. “When it’s flipped, its sonic burst prevents my opponent from playing Magic Cards until the End Phase of the next turn. So in other words, his Magic Cards are sealed until his second turn after this one. But since my own Magic Cards aren’t affected, I play Spirit Elimination.”

The air around Neverwhere took on a dark bluish hue.

Chad raised an eyebrow and asked, “And that does…?”

Even as he took the Sonic Jammer off of his Duel Disk, Neverwhere answered, “Until the end of this turn, I remove monsters on my field from the game instead of from the Graveyard. So I’ll remove the Sonic Jammer to bring out Garuda the Wind Spirit.”

The Sonic Jammer vanished, replaced by a bird-headed man with massive wings. (1,600/1,200) Meanwhile, Neverwhere’s Soul Absorption pumped more energy into him, raising his Life Points to 7,900.

“I will end my turn with one card facedown,” Neverwhere concluded.

Man, Chad thought as he drew, neither of us are getting anywhere in this duel. He has the lead, but he can’t get past my monsters… He looked at his card. Oh, sure, I get this now – I can’t use it until that Sonic Jammer’s effect wears off! “I could attack, but given your facedown card, I’ll just pass,” he said.

“In that case, Garuda’s effect activates,” Neverwhere said. “I may switch the mode of one of your face-up monsters during your End Phase. You only have one, so…”

The bird-headed man flapped his wings, forcing the Mad Dog of Darkness into Defense Mode… and then there was a loud scream, and all of Chad’s monsters exploded into pixels.

Laura and Gerald both blinked. Chad, on the other hand, was swearing venomously under his breath. Finally, the spectators looked to Neverwhere’s field, where a trap had just gone off.

“Behold my facedown card, Tragedy,” the Goth explained. “When one of your monsters is switched from face-up Attack Mode to face-up Defense Mode, it destroys all monsters in Defense Mode on your field – face-up or face-down.”

“How utterly appropriate,” Gerald noted.

Chad was on the verge of banging his head against the street. Son of a… if I had attacked Garuda, I would have killed it, dealt him 300 points of damage, and saved my monsters from his Tragedy card!

“My turn?” Neverwhere asked. Without waiting for an answer, he drew. “Oh, my…” he said. “I’ve drawn a card known as Specialty Shockwave. If the only monsters I have in play were Special Summoned, I can prevent you from activating traps during this turn. And since my monsters are both Element Spirits, which can only be Special Summoned…”

Chad braced himself.

“I play Specialty Shockwave,” Neverwhere said, revealing a card with a picture of Valkyrion the Magna Warrior sending a bolt of lightning through a Mirror Force. (Gerald suddenly recalled an old duel of his.)

Both duelists watched as two balls of light left the card and sank into Chad’s facedown cards.

“And with that done,” the masked man continued, “Garuda, attack directly with Wind’s Curse.”

The bird-headed man called forth a massive tornado, circling Chad and lashing into him with biting cold winds. His Life Points dove to 3,800.

“Rock Spirit?” Neverwhere said quietly.

The Rock Spirit summoned forth his boulders, which slammed into Chad and dropped his Life Points to 2,100. Immediately, the marks of the Darkness Infection formed on his neck.

“That’ll be it for my turn,” the Goth said quietly. “But realize this – you’re almost finished. What is there that you can possibly do to counter me?”

“For starters,” Chad said as he drew, “this. Ever hear of Dark Hole?”

Neverwhere’s eyes suddenly grew gigantic behind his mask.

Gerald dug his fingers into the bench he sat at, and Laura mimicked him.

A black hole opened in the center of the field, drawing in both of Neverwhere’s monsters. They spaghettified as their bodies neared the center, and then both exploded into shards.

“How cheap can you get?” the Goth hissed.

Chad shrugged. “At least it’s not Raigeki. Either way, next I play the card known as Blessings of the Hunted!”

Chad’s card flashed into view, its artwork showing White Magician Pikeru surrounded by multiple bandaged Scapegoats.

“If I have at least five Beast, Winged Beast, or Beast-Warrior monsters in my Graveyard,” Chad explained, “I gain 2,500 Life Points, and so I do!”

A group of Scapegoats surrounded the tall artist for a moment, bathing him in golden light as his Life Points rose to 4,600.

Gerald tilted his head. “Haven’t seen him use that one before,” he said.

“Really?” Laura asked. “Given how you two have worked together, I’m surprised you don’t know each other’s decks by heart.”

“The first night we were here,” Gerald replied, “we both promised not to look through each other’s decks. That way, if one of us became a Darkness Infected, we wouldn’t have an advantage against the other.”

Chad smiled, and continued, “Next, I summon Chiron the Mage in Attack Mode!”

The armored centaur trotted out, hefting his orb-topped staff. (1,800/1,000 – 2,000/1,200)

“Chiron,” Chad ordered, “attack Neverwhere directly!”

Raising his staff overhead, the centaur let loose with a bolt of magic energy, slamming into the masked man and throwing him to the ground. Neverwhere’s Life Points plummeted to 5,900.

“That will be my turn,” Chad concluded.

As the Goth rose to his feet, his mask came loose. He set one hand to it and groaned. “Must life be so harsh to me?”

Letting out a long, exasperated breath, Chad asked, “What, exactly, went wrong in your life to make you complain about it? I seriously doubt you’re messed up badly enough to warrant that mask!”

After a moment, Neverwhere growled, and then he grabbed his mask and pulled it away.

All three of the onlookers blinked.

Underneath his mask, Neverwhere was actually a handsome young man, although due to his Darkness Infection, his eyes were missing pupils and had black veins. His face was utterly unmarked – no scars crossed it, and nothing else even marred his visage.

There was a long pause, and then Laura asked, “So why are you wearing that mask? I mean, you’re perfectly fine without it…”

Putting the mask back on, Neverwhere replied, “I have my reasons.” He then drew a card, hissed, and said, “I set this in Defense Mode and end my turn.”

Okay, he’s another nutjob, just like that Caiside guy, Chad thought. That monster he’s got facedown is either another strong defender, like his Earthbound Spirit from earlier, or an effect monster that he can remove for an Element Spirit. Either way, attacking it would be to his benefit. He drew.

Neverwhere adjusted his mask and said, “Well?”

“I set one monster in Defense Mode and end my turn,” Chad muttered.

The Goth drew his next card and glanced to it. “I start with Graceful Charity. I’ll draw three cards and discard two…” He did so. “Next, I’ll flip my Morphing Jar into Attack Mode.”

The grinning jar with one eye appeared on Neverwhere’s field. (700/600) Immediately, it reached out with a wicked tongue, grabbing the cards away from both duelists and eating them.

“What just happened?” Laura asked.

Gerald looked at her with a pitying expression, finally sighing and saying, “You’re telling me you’ve never seen a Morphing Jar before?”

The girl glared and said, “Some of us don’t have the money to buy one, and nobody ever used one against me.”

“Fine, fine,” the lazy duelist said, shaking his head. “When it’s flipped, both duelists have to discard their hands and draw five cards.”

Laura thought for a moment, and then said, “But why would Neverwhere bother playing Graceful Charity beforehand? It just cost him two extra cards!”

“That,” Gerald replied, “is a very good question.”

Ignoring the spectators, Neverwhere continued, “I now play A Feather of the Phoenix – by discarding one card from my hand, I may place one card from my Graveyard on top of my deck. I’ll choose Pot of Greed.” He slid Slipheed into his Graveyard.

From above him, a feather descended onto his Duel Disk, shining and causing the Pot of Greed to slide out of the Graveyard. He took the card and set it on top of his deck.

His moves make no sense, Chad thought.

“And now…” Rather than finish that sentence, Neverwhere held up one card from his hand.

The card had a black border.

Gerald and Chad both gasped. Laura, however, was merely confused. “Why does that card have a black border?” she asked. “Real cards don’t have those…”

“It’s a Card of Night,” Gerald answered. “Pure darkness in card form. And I seriously doubt it’s anything pleasant.”

“Oh, it’s not,” Neverwhere said. “It’s a card called Screams from the Beyond. For every card in my Graveyard, I now get to inflict 100 Life Points of damage to my opponent. And there are thirteen cards in there, so he’s about to take 1,300 points of damage. Try not to scream too loudly, Mr. Montmelier…”

As the card activated, the wind picked up around Chad. At first, the artist didn’t think anything of it, until he heard something in the wind – quiet at first, but then growing louder and louder, until it was an ear-shattering cacophony so loud it could be heard from outer space.

He did not scream. There was no time.

A whirlwind erupted from Neverwhere’s Duel Disk, specifically the Graveyard slot, and tore its way across the field. Before Chad could react, the wind – actually the screams of a thousand tortured souls – grabbed hold of him and pulled him skyward, tearing at his skin and clothes. It was all he could do to keep his hands over his ears.

“Oh, dear God,” Gerald whispered.

The attack carried on for several moments, and then the whirlwind dissipated, dropping Chad ignobly to the parking lot. His Life Points now sat at 3,300. This did not matter, however; somewhat more importantly, he was a twitching, babbling wreck, lying prone on the ground.

“That was less than I’d thought it would do,” Neverwhere said, examining Chad’s current state. “The last three people I used this card on were dead before they hit the ground. He’s tough.”

Laura choked for a moment before whispering, “Dead?”

The Goth shrugged, saying, “Life is a waste of time. There’s really no difference between dying from Screams from the Beyond and dying in your sleep.”

At that point, Chad let out a cough and forced himself onto his knees, breathing hard. “I suppose… I’ll get to find out if that’s true,” he said, taking a few deep breaths.

Neverwhere stumbled backward, catching himself. “How did this happen?” he said, gasping. “How are you sane, let alone alive?”

Chad gestured to one of his face-down cards, which had flipped up to revealing a winged woman in a nurse’s outfit. “Numinous Healer went off,” he said, his breathing back under control. “I get back 1,000 Life Points when my Life Points are damaged...”

The winged woman helped Chad back to his feet, stroking his face with one glowing hand and raising his Life Points to 4,300.

Regaining himself, the masked man said, “There are several costs to Screams from the Beyond. The first is that I must skip my Battle Phase; the second is that I must now remove both Screams from the Beyond and every card in my Graveyard from play. That makes fourteen cards…”

Gerald groaned, putting his head in his hand. “And he still has Soul Absorption in play, and it counts every last card separately. That’s fourteen times 500.”

Having stopped swaying, Chad groaned as well. “I hate being good at math – that’s 7,000 Life Points.”

The Soul Absorption let loose a massive torrent of energy, which flowed into Neverwhere’s body. His Life Points shot to 12,900.

To be concluded next post...

[Master of Paradox]

Continued from the last post:

“There is one more cost to pay, the dark cost to the Card of Night,” Neverwhere finished. “I must now forfeit a single positive memory; I will forget it and may never get it back.” He paused. “But I have no positive memories, so that cost means nothing to me.”

“How can anyone go through life without positive memories?” Laura asked, furrowing her brows.

Again, Neverwhere took off his mask, revealing the fairly attractive face under it. “I don’t wear this mask because of my looks,” he said. “I wear it because otherwise I have to see myself in the mirror… and realize I don’t know who I’m looking at. I have no positive memories because I don’t have memories.”

Gerald, Laura, and Chad all caught on at once. The three simultaneously paled.

“Remember my little poem?” the Goth continued. “To refresh your memory, the second verse read like this:

I am not here
I am not there
Where I am
Is Neverwhere.”

“Ah,” Gerald said. “I get the picture now. You’re never anywhere because you can never remember being there. You’re an amnesiac.”

Neverwhere nodded, donning his mask again. “The last thing I remember is being slapped across the face by a hysterical blonde woman and smacking my head against a railing. After that, nothing. That was a month ago, and I still haven’t got anything back.” He sighed. “Perhaps if I destroy the three of you, I can get a lead as to who I am.”

“Step one is defeating me,” Chad interrupted, “and our duel is still underway.”

“Ah, yes.” Neverwhere glanced to his cards again. “I’ll sacrifice my Morphing Jar for a monster facedown, and then remove it from my Graveyard to Special Summon Gigantes, in Attack Mode.”

Even as the Morphing Jar vanished, replaced by a facedown monster, it appeared briefly before transforming into a large, orange-skinned giant with a horn on his forehead, wielding a tree trunk. (1,900/1,300)

Once again, Soul Absorption activated, sending a ball of energy into Neverwhere’s body and raising his Life Points to 13,400.

“That will conclude my turn,” Neverwhere finished.

Oh, man… Even if I’m lucky, this will take a good, long while. Chad drew, which put his hand at six cards, and thought for a moment. Hold on… I think I have a few answers here.

“I start,” Chad began, “with my Heavy Storm, destroying all of our Magic and Trap cards – I’ll lose my Forest and Negate Attack, but it’s worth it to get rid of that damn Soul Absorption!”

The wind picked up, a much calmer wind than the Screams from the Beyond, and soon developed into a full-blown hurricane. Both Soul Absorption and Chad’s Negate Attack went flying over their heads and shattered into a thousand pieces, and all of the trees were ripped from the ground by the roots.

“Without that to worry about,” Chad continued, “I’m free to remove your facedown monster with my Nobleman of Crossout!”

The nobleman hovered over Neverwhere’s facedown monster. He drew his sword and impaled said monster, a Labyrinth Wall, causing it to blur out of existence.

As the monster disappeared, Chad held up his next card. “Now I’ll use Monster Reborn to bring back a monster I discarded to your Morphing Jar – a monster known as Big Koala!”

There was a quiet moment as the holy symbol of the Monster Reborn glowed overhead, and then a gigantic koala sat on the field. It was at least twenty feet tall, and it easily dwarfed Neverwhere’s Gigantes. It looked down at the Goth, and he shivered in response. (2,700/2,000)

Taking another card, Chad slapped it onto his Duel Disk, declaring, “Since that was a Special Summon, I’ll bring out another Mad Dog of Darkness to keep my koala company!”

Another of Chad’s blind, snarling dogs came out, growling as it sniffed the air. (1,900/1,400)

“There isn’t any Magic or Trap cards in play, so your monster’s effect is pointless. Big Koala,” Chad ordered, “demolish Gigantes!”

The koala rose to its feet, stretched, and then stepped down, crushing the Gigantes beneath one mammoth foot.

Neverwhere merely shrugged as his Life Points dipped to 12,600.

“Mad Dog of Darkness, attack him directly!” Chad now shouted.

The dog charged forward and clamped onto one of the masked man’s legs, but Neverwhere showed little reaction. “This means nothing,” he said as his Life Points reached 10,700. “It means absolutely nothing.”

Laura glanced to Gerald and said, “He’s starting to remind me of you.”

“That was uncalled for,” Gerald said, eyes narrowing.

As the Mad Dog returned to his field, Chad concluded, “I end my turn with that.”

Neverwhere drew, instantly playing the drawn card with a call of, “I play Pot of Greed again.” He drew two more cards, glanced at them, and then smiled. “And it’s over.”

“What did you draw?” Chad said, taking a step back.

Dropping the card on his Duel Disk, Neverwhere took off his mask and held it overhead, screaming, “The almighty Gren Maju Da Eiza!”

The world turned red around the duelists and their audience, and from this red cloud emerged a being that could only be called inhuman if you were feeling generous. It had a bulbous body, with a ridged bone structure along its frame. Two massive wings rose from its back, and a long tail whipped behind it. Its skull-like body was crowned with six horns, and evil green lights glowed throughout its body. It looked at Chad with a hate sharpened by years of otherworldly existence. (?/?)

“So that’s the true point of his deck,” Gerald muttered. “Gren Maju Da Eiza is the Red Lotus Beast, the creature that feasts on the souls banished from the afterlife. For every monster Neverwhere removed from play, it gains 400 Attack and Defense Points…”

“And I removed eleven,” Neverwhere finished, putting his mask back on. “Feed, Gren Maju Da Eiza! Feed on the lost souls!”

The creature raised its arms, and a flood of lost souls poured from the red sky. They flowed into its body, and Gren Maju Da Eiza shut all of the green lights on its torso, letting out an unearthly murmur of satisfaction. It then clenched its fists, and a burning green aura surrounded its body. (4,400/4,400)

“Now go, my mighty one,” the Goth demanded. “Strike down the Mad Dog of Darkness with Void Incarnation!”

Gren Maju Da Eiza raised both hands and opened the green lights, looking to Chad’s monster. It gestured with one hand, and suddenly the dog let out a low whimper. A green light outlined it, and it rose into the air.

The vicious being gestured with its other hand, whereupon the Mad Dog of Darkness began to struggle. Slowly and inexorably, its body began to pull apart at the seams, each bit disappearing into nowhere.

And then Gren Maju Da Eiza made an imperceptible motion with its hands, and the Mad Dog of Darkness snapped out of existence. Chad actually had to check to make sure it was in his Graveyard and not the removed from play pile, even as his Life Points went to 1,800.

Chad glanced to Gerald, and his friend’s reaction made it clear the veins in his eyes were pitch-black now.

“Accept your fate, Chad,” Neverwhere said. “You will become fodder for the Red Lotus Beast in due time. For now, my turn ends.” Even if you try to stop me, he thought to himself, I will pierce your defenses on the next turn.

Come on, Chad thought to himself, drawing another card. He let out a sigh of relief, saying, “I play my own Pot of Greed.”

He then added, “My fate is not something you can control, Neverwhere. I begin by playing Polymerization, fusing my Des Kangaroo and my Big Koala…”

Gerald dozed slightly, up to the point where Laura nudged him in the ribs.

“…to form the Master of Oz!” Chad finished.

The green-skinned boxing kangaroo appeared in front of the Big Koala, and they blurred into one being. When the blur cleared, it was a gigantic, green-furred cross between the upper body of a koala and the legs and tail of a kangaroo, with boxing gloves and a small dab of eye makeup. It took a few practice jabs. (4,200/3,700)

“Not enough,” Neverwhere said, raising his mask enough to give an evil smile.

Chad frowned in reply. “That wasn’t all. Next, I summon the Enraged Battle Ox in Attack Mode…”

The axe-wielding minotaur strode up beside the Master of Oz, growling. (1,700/1,000)

“And then I play Wild Nature’s Release on my Master of Oz, adding its Defense Points to its Attack Points at the cost of its destruction when my turn ends!” he continued.

The Master of Oz’s muscles bulged, and it slammed both fists together. (4,200/3,700 – 7,900/3,700)

Neverwhere dropped his mask and began to whimper.

“Master of Oz, let him have it with Ayers Rock Haymaker!” Chad declared.

Striding up to the Gren Maju Da Eiza, the Master of Oz feinted to the left. The creature fell for it, moving to its left… only to receive a thunderous right cross to the head. The blow slammed it into the ground hard enough to dent the street, obliterating it.

Now chewing on one lip, Neverwhere crossed himself as his Life Points moved to 7,200.

“Finally,” Chad declared, “I use De-Fusion to split the Master of Oz into its component Big Koala and Des Kangaroo parts again.”

The Master of Oz vanished, replaced by its pieces.

“Get him, my menagerie!” Chad called out.

The Big Koala stepped forward and stepped on Neverwhere, causing him to cringe as his Life Points dropped to 4,500. Next, the Des Kangaroo punched him in the abdomen, sending him to 3,000, and finally the Enraged Battle Ox rammed its axe into his stomach, causing him to collapse as his Life Points sank to 1,300.

“That’s my turn,” the artist concluded.

How… the Goth thought, reaching for his mask. He didn’t quite have the stamina to get to it. How did he draw just what he needed? Giving up on his mask, he drew, and then whimpered again. “I set one card facedown and…”

Chad gestured to his Enraged Battle Ox.

Defense or no defense… Neverwhere realized. I’m sunk. “I remove Gren Maju Da Eiza from the game to summon the Spirit of Flames in Attack Mode,” he said.

The burning humanoid hovered over its master, looking crestfallen at its impending fate. (1,700/1,000)

“My Spirit of Flames gains 300 Attack Points in my Battle Phase,” Neverwhere said. “So I’ll attack Des Kangaroo with Flame Geyser…”

The spirit called forth a tongue of fire, immolating Chad’s Des Kangaroo and dropping the artist to 1,300. Chad didn’t seem to notice.

Curling into a ball, Neverwhere muttered, “Please don’t kill me!”

“Sorry,” Chad said as he drew. “I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your facedown card.”

A whirlwind struck Neverwhere’s Widespread Ruin and destroyed it.

“Big Koala,” Chad ordered, “attack the Spirit of Flames.”

The eucalyptus-munching beast stepped on the flaming creature, extinguishing it and dropping Neverwhere to 300 Life Points.

“Take him down easy, Enraged Battle Ox,” Chad concluded.

The minotaur strode over to the cowering Goth, picked him up by the collar, and then dropped him onto his mask, shattering it as his Life Points hit zero.

The holograms faded, and Neverwhere passed out as the Darkness Infection left his body. His removed-from-play pile shined for a moment, and then a ball of darkness fled it, heading off into the sky.

Moving Neverwhere’s unconscious form into recovery position, Chad said, “Maybe once you wake up, you’ll stop being quite so depressing.” He then headed back towards the car, limping slightly.

As he’d expected, Gerald was fast asleep on the hood, coffee still in one hand. The taller man bent over his friend and slapped him, causing him to wake up. With a yawn, Gerald sat upright and sipped his coffee. “Good work.”

Laura looked to Gerald again, and then to Chad, asking, “Does he do that every time?”

“It’s kind of like a victory celebration,” Chad answered. “So, where to now?”

Before anyone could answer, there was a rustling behind Chad. Laura looked over his shoulder and gasped, causing him to turn around.

Neverwhere’s unconscious form rose as if suspended on puppet strings, limbs dangling limply from his sides. His head rocked forward, and he spoke – but not in the voice he’d used before. In fact, it was a woman’s voice, with a steel edge to it.

“I’d expected more from this toy,” the voice said, Neverwhere’s arms raising and dropping dismissively. “Ah, well… it was fun seeing people fall before the Screams from the Beyond, but nothing good can last.”

“So, do you work for Degas and Alexander?” Gerald asked (Laura noted that he winced on saying Alexander’s name). “Or is there another source of darkness in town?”

“You may call me Menardi for now,” the voice said through Neverwhere. “I serve the Darkness through its leading men… and let me tell you, they’re fine-looking men…”

Chad groaned. “I never need to hear that coming from another man’s lips for as long as I live.”

The female voice laughed, shaking Neverwhere like a rag doll to visualize the point. “Either way,” it continued, “I want to play a little game with you. Come to Canterbury Park; another Darkness Infected is waiting. The game is simply a matter of whether you can defeat all five of my handpicked Darkness Infected before you fall. It began, of course, when you defeated Neverwhere.”

“And if we don’t want to play?” Laura asked.

In response, Neverwhere’s body thrashed and blood dribbled out of his lips. “Then I kill him and start dueling to kill instead of to infect,” Menardi’s voice replied.

The three huddled at that point, briefly whispering amongst themselves, before Gerald answered, “The game begins, then.”

“Canterbury Park,” the voice said. “Don’t forget…” Neverwhere’s body collapsed to the street.

As the three duelists slid into the Corolla, Chad asked, “What’s Canterbury Park?”

“A horse track and card club in Shakopee,” Laura answered. “Ogre, one of the cell guards, once said he liked going there…”

“That’s only seventeen miles away,” Chad thought out loud. “They’re sticking in the area for now, it seems. Buckle up.”

And so they drove off.

0000000

Within the safe house, tucked away somewhere in the Twin Cities, Menardi merely smiled to herself. “Neverwhere’s finished, but that was just the start of the game. The levels always get harder the further you get in…”

She turned to the dark mirror Degas and Alexander had lent her (its previous owner, unknown to her, was currently at the bottom of the Mississippi) and adjusted it to the next location. “Come along, my foes,” she whispered. “I’m waiting for you…”

SPECIALTY SHOCKWAVE
Type: Normal Magic Card
Image: Valkyrion the Magna Warrior striking a Mirror Force with a bolt of lightning.
Effect: You may only activate this card if all face-up monsters you have in play were Special Summoned. Your opponent may not activate any Magic or Trap cards until the end of the turn.

BLESSINGS OF THE HUNTED
Type: Normal Magic Card
Image: White Magician Pikeru surrounded by bandaged Scapegoats.
Effect: You may only activate this card if you have five or more Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged-Beast monsters in your Graveyard. Increase your Life Points by 2,500.

SCREAMS FROM THE BEYOND
Type: Normal Magic Card/Card of Night
Image: A man on his knees in a graveyard, screaming; all around him, heads are sticking out of the graves and screaming as well.
Effect: Deal 100 points of Direct Damage to your opponent’s Life Points for each card in your Graveyard. After this effect resolves, remove this card and all cards in your Graveyard from the current duel. When you play this card, you permanently lose one positive memory.
Note: The original version of this card was used by Seskera in jkBAKURA’s “Yu-Gi-Oh: Lady of Dragons”. That version may be used in other stories.

Coming next chapter: Gerald is drawn into a high-stakes game against someone who definitely knows her way around the cards! Will he call her bluff, or will he have to cash in his chips? Who’ll fold first? And how many more cheesy gambling jokes will I make? Find out in Chapter 11, “All or Nothing”!

[jkBAKURA]

What can I say? After the 2 amazing matches with Caiside and Viper, this duel seemed rather lackluster. Making up for that was the amazing plot realisations that were an important part of the chapter.

Nice variation on Gren Maju, as i know it's been used so often, it's hard to be original, and I'm speaking from experience. And it may be the fact that it wasn't new, but Screams from the Beyond didn't seem near as deadly as the other Cards of Nght that have appeared so far. And I kind of expected Master of Oz's debut to be a bit more dramatic.

On the plus side, I loved the quote from Yu-Yu Hakusho

I look forward to the next chapter, (as do we all) as I'm sure it will be a fun change from the seriousness that has been so prevelent in the last few.

And Menardi seems at least on even ground with Viper.

Let's see what Gerald and Co. will do next, hopefully sooner then later.

[Dark Sage]

“I’m not an optimist,” Chad said. “I just hate depressing people.”

I know I've heard that quote before; where, I don't know, but it's a good one.

The duel was okay. An Elemental Spirit Deck is hard to do, since you need both the Spirit and the right Monster in your Graveyard at the right time. Neverwhere wasn't the best character - one Goth isn't much more interesting than the next as far as fanfiction goes. (And might I add, a lot of my close friends are Goths, and they aren't as glum as you might think. They are capable of being positive and even happy when they want to be.)

Menardi caught my attention. I'm guessing that she's a human with some sort of cybernetic enhancements in her. So our heroes will have to face four duelists before they get to her? This may take a while...

But I'm looking forward to it.

[Shuppet Master]

That part at the end reminded me of how Marik and his wretched Millennium Rod in Battle City.

Poor Neverwhere, but I guess when you mess with the Card of Night, you can't get any sympathy. Nice duel, Paradox, keep it up.

[Blademaster]

Huh, an Elemental Spirit Deck. You don't see one of those everyday...

I agree that Screams from the Beyond was kinda wimpy, though - it's just an evil Cemetery Bomb, is all.

Anyway, not too much to say this time - keep up the good work.

-Blade

[Silencer]

Elemental spirits. Nice
When I first saw soul absorption I instinctly thought Gren. Then the Spirits came and I thought that gren wouldn't appear but it did... It's kinda becoming a standard in yu-gi-oh fics after I introdused it. Sooooo I know that it isn't dependend on monsters but cards. Creative whatever I know. He couldn't be toooo powerful

[Master of Paradox]

I see that chapter didn't go over too well (and to be honest, it's not one of my own favorites, either). So let's try this again...

I once found myself with enough free time on my hands to research the dueling career of Joey Wheeler. And what I found proved to be very interesting: namely, that his fabled “Wheeler luck” has waned as time goes by.

In the Duelist Kingdom tournament, he placed second, right behind the King of Games himself, Yugi Motoh; in Battle City, he placed fourth. But in the recent KC Grand Prix, he was defeated in the second round (since there were only four rounds to the KC Grand Prix, that made it the quarterfinals by default)… because one of his luck-based traps failed him. (I’ve heard rumors that he also suffered a misfortune of fate during the Orichalcos incident a while back, as well.)

This, I decided, is proof that you can’t always rely on luck. But I might have gotten that wrong. My current opponent based her deck around it, and she’s doing quite well.

It doesn’t hurt her that my own luck has taken a nosedive…

Chapter Eleven: All or Nothing

“Ancient Gear Golem, finish him off with Ultimate Pound!”

The resulting explosion reverberated through St. Paul, a loud declaration that Sol Kilkarn had won again. His opponent, an unfortunate young man who had stumbled across the Darkness Infection, rolled his eyes back in his head and passed out.

Sol shut off his Duel Disk, readjusted the chain around his neck (it had gone astray after a direct attack), and shifted the young man into recovery position before standing up. He then sighed.

It was one thing to seek to repay Gerald and company, but it was another to find a notable way of doing so. All Sol could think of as far as reparations was to duel every Darkness Infected he ran into – and while somewhat satisfying, and giving him something to point to as far as “How are you helping?”, it was ultimately a shallow repayment.

“Besides,” he said to himself, “if Gerald or Chad needed any help against these guys, I would’ve handed the latter his lungs when we dueled.”

A sudden strong light passed over Sol’s head, and he was forced to cover his eyes from the intensity. Once the light died, he could see a fireball in front of him – a fireball that turned into a man in a white suit, with pure white hair and gold rings on every finger on his right hand.

“So you’re ze one who has spent his time taking down ze Darkness Infected,” the man said in a light French accent. “I was wondering why so many newly Infected didn’t last long.”

“And you are?” Sol asked.

The man bowed. “I am Lucifer Allumette, ze Beloved of Flames. Don’t bother asking what zat means. What is your name, monsieur?”

“Sol Kilkarn.” There was a pause, and then the young man asked, “You haven’t seen someone named Gerald Laxina recently, have you?”

One of Lucifer’s eyebrows rose as he asked, “What business do you have with Monsieur Laxina?”

Sol looked at his feet. “I have to apologize to him. You see, I was one of the Darkness Infected… his friend defeated me and took care of that problem, but I still have to make up for trying to infect them in the first place.”

“Ah. Ze last I saw of him, he was headed towards Shakopee.”

“Thanks,” Sol said, wondering how he was supposed to get out of town without any transportation.

As he turned to leave, however, the young man felt Lucifer’s hand fall on his shoulder. He turned around, whereupon Lucifer took a photograph out of his pocket and held it up, saying, “By ze way… do you recognize zis, by any chance?”

Studying the picture for a moment, Sol shook his head.

“Rien.” The man in the white suit sighed and concluded, “Zank you for your time, anyway.” He then transformed into a ball of fire and launched into the sky, vanishing into the distance.

Left behind in the alley, Sol wondered what the odd man’s story was.

0000000

The Corolla ’86 GTS made its way along the strangely quiet roads between the Twin Cities and Shakopee. Chad was driving, as usual, and Laura and Gerald sat in the back, examining their respective decks. The two had agreed not to look at each other’s cards directly (although watching their duels was still all right).

Gerald couldn’t help glancing at Laura’s deck at one point, however, and what he saw frightened him. She plays warriors? he thought. Oh, dear… warriors unnerve me. Their players are always so militaristic.

After a moment or two of silence, Chad finally sighed. “You know, Gerald,” he said, “ever since that Klaus fellow tried to turn me into my own evil twin, my life’s gone downhill. First I duel your old friend, then a crazy guy, and now I nearly get my neck broken by a Card of Night. I was better off in the hardware store.”

“Nobody held a gun to your head and forced you to come with me, Chad,” Gerald answered.

“Unlike me,” Laura added.

Chad tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and replied, “Perhaps, but then why did I come with you in the first place?”

Gerald’s expression turned confused, and he put his hand to his chin for a few moments before saying, “You know… I have no idea. You never told me. There’s no logical reason why you had to come with me.”

The car slowed to a crawl as Chad thought back. He then said, surprised, “You’re absolutely right… I don’t know why I came with.”

The rest of the trip was in silence, as Chad pondered why he’d disrupted his life so readily to risk his life alongside his friend.

In due time (it was a short trip, since Shakopee was only seventeen miles from Minneapolis), the car pulled in front of Canterbury Park. There were several other cars in the parking lot, but an eerie silence hung over the building.

As the three stepped out of their car, Chad narrowed his eyes. “This is just like when we arrived at the Walker Arts Center,” he noted, “except without those people hanging from the statues.”

“Be alert,” Gerald said, more to Laura than in general. “We know there’s a Darkness Infected here, but we can’t be sure where.”

“No need to tell me,” Laura answered, holding up her Duel Disk.

“Good.”

The three headed into Canterbury Park, and instantly recognized the handiwork of a Darkness Infected – there were three unconscious people in front of the card club.

Gesturing to it, Gerald said, “I’m guessing we’ll find our target in there.”

“What was your first clue?” Chad said, readying his Duel Disk.

0000000

Adjusting the mirror slightly, Menardi smiled as Gerald and his friends entered the club. “Foolish duelists,” she whispered to herself. “Intelligent people would have turned and walked away when they saw how many people were down for the count. But then, you don’t quite have a choice, do you?”

Snapping her fingers, Menardi watched the view change to the inside of the club, smiling wider. “Mmmm… if I were a betting sort of girl, I’d make the heftiest of wagers on my latest little puppet. Of course, she is that sort of girl, so she’d be betting on herself…”

0000000

Somewhere in St. Paul, Degas and Alexander had divided their own mirror array in half. One half of the mirrors were tuned to Canterbury Park, while the other half was devoted to watching Menardi’s actions.

“When we selected Pillars, we should have weeded out the sadists,” Alexander said, sipping a glass of wine. (It was still fairly early in the day, but he didn’t keep “regular hours”.)

Degas shrugged, pushing his sunglasses back up on his nose. “So she’s playing cat and mouse… since when has that sort of thing worried you?”

One of Alexander’s eyebrows twitched. “She’s far too much like the Shadow Queen this way.”

On hearing that, Degas narrowed his eyes. “Good point,” he said. “We’ll have to keep a hand on the reins. After what happened to ‘Her Majesty’, we can’t afford that sort of collapse. Besides…” He grunted. “We want to stay as far away from that style as possible.”

0000000

The inside of the card club was just as chaotic as the outside. Multiple people were slumped over their tables, the Darkness Infection obvious on every last one of them.

As they made their way through the devastation, Gerald glanced at some of their hands. Hum… Poor guy. He was sitting on a straight flush.

The three worked their way inwards – first past the poker tables, then past the blackjack tables, and finally to the newest fixtures in the club: the Duel Monsters tables. There were three, and the ones on the left and right were vacant – their inhabitants were out cold on the floor beside them.

At the center table, a young woman was shuffling a deck of playing cards. She had long brown hair, which flowed over both shoulders, and her eyes were hidden by a green bookie’s visor. She wore a puffy-sleeved white blouse and a long, oversized red skirt – apparently going for the “Old West bar girl” look. Both hands and her neck showed the Darkness Infection.

Chad found himself admiring her outfit from an artist’s perspective. Come to think of it, he thought, that’s the one time period I have yet to copy.

Laura, meanwhile, groaned under her breath.

After a moment’s further shuffling, the woman set the cards down and tilted her visor up, grinning. “Well, welcome!” she said. “Glad to see all three of you here – I’m a little spoiled for choice… The name’s Alice Dulei, also known as ‘Poker Alice’.”

“I knew it…” Laura groaned. “I just knew it.”

“Well, it is the name for female gamblers,” Gerald noted. “So, will we be dueling or playing a hand of five-card draw?”

Alice smirked and pushed the deck of playing cards across the table. “The former,” she said. “However, rather than choose one of you myself, I’ll let the deck do the choosing. Each of you will draw a card – I’ll duel the high card.”

With a sigh, Laura turned over the top card of the deck. It was the four of clubs. She sighed again.

Reaching out, Chad drew the next card and held it up. “Nine of diamonds,” he said. “I seem to be intertwined with the number nine recently…”

Finally, Gerald picked up the top card and looked to it. “King of clubs. Guess I’m up.”

I see I haven’t lost my touch, Alice thought. I knew he’d be the last to draw, so I made sure the third card would be higher than the first two. “In that case,” she said aloud, “take a seat – we’ll be dueling on the table instead of the Duel Disks.”

Chad and Laura moved to a side table and sat down as Gerald sat in front of Alice, taking his deck out of the Duel Disk. He set it on the deck slot, and the table lit up.

As Alice took out her own deck, Chad asked her, “So are you working for Menardi or her employers?”

“Column A and Column B,” she replied. “She promised to put in a few good words for me with them if I won – and according to her, they can give me perfect luck. Can you imagine what that means to a professional gambler like me?”

“You can’t believe they’ll actually give you that,” Laura said, even more disgusted than before.

Alice shrugged. “At least if I keep this up, I have some sort of hope.” She stopped shuffling for a moment, and then sorted through her deck. Ah, there it is – Menardi told me this would work. She completed her shuffling and set her deck on the table.

“Shall we?” Gerald said, hand over his deck.

“We shall,” Alice replied. “Let’s duel!”

Both drew their opening hands, and the table’s Life Point counters hit 8,000.

Taking a coin from her pocket, Alice said, “Heads or tails?”

“Tails,” Gerald answered.

Alice flipped the coin, caught it, and looked at it. “Heads,” she said, tucking the coin back into her pocket afterward. “I’ll start.”

Probably a two-headed coin, Gerald thought, but I like having the first attack anyway.

Looking at her opening hand, Alice sighed. “Not good,” she said. “But then, with this little number, it doesn’t have to be.” She held up one of the cards she had drawn. “Magical Mallet will let me shuffle as many cards from my hand as I wish back into my deck – minus the Mallet, of course – and draw as many cards as I shuffled in. I’ll do that for my entire hand!”

I always hated that thing, Gerald thought, scowling slightly.

The girl shuffled her hand back into her deck, drew five cards to replace it, and looked at her new hand. She smiled and said, “This is much better. I’ll set one monster in Defense Mode, set a card facedown, and call that my turn.”

Gerald looked at his opening hand and thought for a moment. “I’ll begin,” he said, “with my Messenger of Peace, which will prevent all monsters with 1,500 or more Attack Points from attacking… just for security’s sake.”

The messenger stepped onto Gerald’s field, holding up his hand benevolently.

“Next,” Gerald continued, “I’ll summon an old friend to the field in Attack Mode. That would be your cue, Servant of Catabolism.”

The cephalopod crawled onto Gerald’s field, tendrils waving. (700/500)

Gerald smiled. “Defending monsters mean nothing to my Servant – it can always attack directly. Do so, Servant of Catabolism.”

With a squishing noise, the bizarre creature sprang forward and dug its tentacles into Alice’s skin, causing her to scream, “Eeeew!” Her Life Points sank to 7,300.

“I set two cards facedown and end my turn,” Gerald concluded.

From their seats near the table, Laura leaned over to Chad and said, “That’s not the type of deck I thought he used…”

“He used to play Final Countdown,” Chad replied.

“Ah.”

“Would you two keep the comments to a minimum?” Gerald said, shooting a look at them.

Alice giggled, drawing another card. “Before I do anything else,” she said, “I’ll activate Dice Re-Roll.”

Her trap flipped up, and a pair of red and blue dice appeared on either side of her head.

“Now I’ll flip my Dice Jar into Attack Mode,” she continued.

A crazy, googly-eyed jar with a long tongue bounced into view. (200/300)

Gerald was about to ask a question when he saw a golden die suddenly appear in front of him. He reached out and took it in his hand, noting that his fingers passed through it.

Across the table, Alice took a similar hologram out of the air. “When I flip my Dice Jar,” she explained, “we both roll a six-sided die. If it’s a tie, we reroll. Whoever gets the lower result takes damage to their Life Points equal to the winner’s roll times 500… unless the winner’s roll is a six.”

“And if it is?” Gerald asked.

“The damage is 6,000 points,” the girl answered. “Now roll, and hope it’s not snake eyes!”

Gerald threw his die out onto the table, thinking, Craps was never my game…

Alice threw her die, and the two struck in mid-air, landing next to each other. Both were fours, and so the dice returned to their hands.

“Let’s try this again,” Alice said as she rolled her die.

Nodding, Gerald rolled his. His die came up a four.

Alice’s came up a two.

“That’s 2,000 Life Points you just lost,” Gerald noted.

Shaking her head, Alice gestured to the dice near her shoulders. “My Dice Re-Roll trap lets me try one more time on the turn it’s activated. Third time’s the charm!” The red and blue dice slid themselves into Alice and Gerald’s hands, respectively.

With a sigh, Gerald rolled one more time. This time, he rolled a one.

Alice, however, had rolled a three. “I win!” she declared. “Therefore, Dice Jar will now deal you 1,500 points of damage!”

The jar floated up to Gerald, extending its tongue to a crazy length. The tongue wrapped around him and squeezed his body five times, causing him to grunt audibly with each squeeze. When it was over, the jar retreated and he collapsed back into his chair, his Life Points dropping to 6,500.

“I don’t lose the important gambles,” Alice noted. “Now, to continue my turn, I set another card facedown and set another monster in Defense Mode. Your move again.”

I could destroy that Dice Jar, Gerald thought as he drew, one hand massaging his ribs, but it’s used up its ability. Best to keep hitting her directly and leave it as deadweight. “I pay 100 Life Points for my Messenger of Peace…” His total lowered to 6,400. “And then I set one monster in Defense Mode. Servant of Catabolism, attack with Electric Tendrils.”

Again the cephalopod threw itself across the field, its tentacles digging into Alice. She shuddered as her Life Points moved down to 6,600.

“That will be my turn,” he concluded.

Drawing another card, the gambling girl sneered slightly. The card that weird robot-voiced woman Menardi told me to use… now I see why. “Now we’ll see why I’m called Poker Alice,” she said. “I play the Continuous Magic Card known as Lethal Stakes!”

A card shimmered into view, showing the Sand Gambler and Goddess of Whim playing blackjack against the Terrorking Archfiend, with blue lights instead of chips.

“Allow me to explain,” she continued. “Lethal Stakes lets us bet our Life Points that we can do a certain amount of damage to the opponent. You name any number in an increment of 100, and if you do at least that much damage, you gain the amount of Life Points you bet. If you fail, then you lose that many Life Points. You can’t wager under 100 or over double your Life Points. Sound simple?”

Gerald nodded, and then frowned, noting, “But that means all I have to do is say an amount slightly smaller than my monster’s attack and I’ll gain Life Points every time.”

In response, Alice just shrugged. “Drawback, I guess. Next, I’ll set this monster in Defense Mode, and set this card facedown. Your turn!”

To be continued next post...

[Master of Paradox]

Continued from the last post:

Confused, Gerald drew another card…

…whereupon Alice yelled, “I activate Dust Tornado, letting me obliterate your Messenger of Peace!”

As the wind picked up, its currents grabbed the Messenger of Peace and flung him far into the distance.

Ah, Gerald thought. “I summon the Inaba White Rabbit in Attack Mode,” he said.

As usual, the little rabbit and its teleporter appeared on Gerald’s field. (700/500)

“I suppose you see where this is going,” Gerald said. “I think I’ll bet 600 points on the Lethal Stakes. And to fill that… attack her, Inaba White Rabbit.”

But even as the rabbit prepared to attack, Alice pressed a certain button on the table. “I activate the trap card known as Des Counterblow!”

Slamming both hands on the table, Gerald leaned forward and cried, “WHAT?”

Laura and Chad both sprang out of their seats, gasping.

The Inaba White Rabbit teleported over to Alice and struck with its hind paws, sending her Life Points to 5,900… but the instant it did so, a beam of light flew from the Des Counterblow, making contact with the little spirit and disintegrating it.

Sitting down again, Gerald slumped back into his seat, one hand to his forehead.

“Go ahead and keep attacking if you like,” Alice said, a devilish smirk on her face, “but every monster that attacks directly will suffer the same fate. Des Counterblow, as you’re well aware, is a Continuous Trap, and it obliterates every monster that attacks directly.”

“Which means the entire offensive wing of Gerald’s deck,” Laura whispered, shivering.

Chad nodded, slightly pale. “If he tries to press the attack, he’ll keep losing his monsters until he can bring that card down…”

Glaring, Gerald looked at his hand and muttered, “I still won my bet, so I gain 600 Life Points from Lethal Stakes.” A set of glowing blue chips fell in front of him, and his Life Points rose to 7,000. “That ends my turn.”

“Feeling down? You should have seen that coming. I’m Poker Alice Dulei, the queen of cards!” his opponent taunted. She drew her next card and played it instantly. “I’ll activate the Continuous Magic Card known as Second Coin Toss!”

A foul-looking man in rich robes and red hat stepped out, holding a coin in his hand.

“Next,” she continued, “I’ll flip my facedown Jirai Gumo into Attack Mode!”

A massive spider crawled out, clacking its fangs. (2,200/100)

“I won’t bother making a bet,” she continued, “since I’m attacking your facedown monster. Now, for Jirai Gumo’s drawback…”

A coin appeared in Alice’s hand, the heads side showing a tiny spider. She flipped the coin, shouting, “Heads!”

The coin spun twice, and then landed with the blank side up.

“Tails,” Gerald noted. “That’s half your Life Points gone with the wind.”

“Nope,” Alice replied. “My Second Coin Toss lets me ignore any one coin flip each turn and try again. So I’ll take advantage of that!”

The foul-looking man tossed her another coin, and she flipped it, calling, “Tails!”

This time, the coin bounced once on hitting the table, but landed with the blank side up.

“I win!” Alice declared. “Thanks to that, I don’t lose half my Life Points – but that’s moot, because Jirai Gumo attacks either way! Destroy his defending monster with Spider Trample!”

The Jirai Gumo spin a web, threw it to the ceiling, and climbed out of sight. Ten seconds later, it came down hard on Gerald’s Humanoid Slime, crushing it under its weight.

“That’ll be my turn,” Alice said.

Gerald drew, glaring at the Des Counterblow. I could attack, he thought, but then I’d lose my Servant of Catabolism. That Jirai Gumo will take out anything I play to defend myself, regardless of the coin flip, and if she draws a monster next turn, my Life Points are in trouble. “I switch my Servant of Catabolism to Defense Mode,” he finally said, “set another monster in Defense Mode, and set a card facedown. That ends my turn.”

Even as the card appeared, Laura commented, “Both of his facedown cards before then are just sitting there. Why didn’t he use them?”

“Even a good duelist will get distracted on occasion,” Chad replied. “In addition, several of Gerald’s traps are situational… and I’m guessing the situation hasn’t happened yet.”

Smirking, Alice drew another card…

“I’ll activate my Gravity Bind,” Gerald declared, “preventing monsters of Level Four or more from attacking.”

The quicksilver orb bobbed into view, pulsing several times and forcing the Jirai Gumo to the ground.

Alice shrugged, playing her own card. “I play Pot of Greed.” She ignored the hologram of the evil jar, instead just drawing her cards. “Next, I play Ante!”

“Ante?” Gerald asked.

“This Magic Card makes both of us choose one card from our hand – in your case, your only card,” Alice explained. “We compare their Level Stars, and the person whose ante is lower-leveled discards the card and loses 1,000 Life Points. Magic and Trap cards are Level Zero for this purpose. Now show your hand!”

Both duelists turned their cards around. Gerald was holding a Jinzo #7…

Alice was holding a Blowback Dragon.

“Where did she get one of those?” Chad said, shocked.

Ignoring the outburst, Alice said, “Level Six versus Level Two – you lose! Now Ante takes its toll!”

Gerald grimaced, discarding his card as his Life Points dropped to 6,000. “Before you get too comfortable,” he replied, “I activate Attack and Receive, which deals 700 points of damage to your Life Points when I take damage.”

An armored man sprang from Gerald’s card, bringing his sword down and slashing Alice hard. Her Life Points dipped to 5,200.

“Why didn’t you use that when she triggered Dice Jar?” Laura asked.

“I forgot to when that tongue started squeezing me,” Gerald replied.

Shrugging, Alice now declared, “I tribute my Jirai Gumo and summon the Blowback Dragon!”

The spider vanished, replaced by a massive metal dragon with a glowing gun barrel for a head… which promptly vanished into a large pit. Everyone blinked.

In explanation, Gerald held up his Trap Hole.

Uttering a curse in what sounded like Polish, Alice glared at him and said, “I’ll end my turn on that.”

There was a moment’s pause, and then Gerald set his head on the table, groaning. She’s wide open for an attack. This is every duelist’s greatest desire… but that Des Counterblow would take out any monster I tried to attack with, leaving ME wide open next turn. Of course, Des Counterblow works on both players, so she’d lose anything she hit me with, but she’d be doing more damage anyway… He glanced at his card and sighed, saying, “I have to pass this turn.”

Drawing a card, Alice set it on the field immediately, declaring, “I set one card facedown and end my turn.”

Even as Gerald drew, Alice hit a button, announcing, “I activate my Trap Card, Sixth Sense!”

The facedown card flipped up, showing a shocked young woman grasping at the air.

Chad raised an eyebrow, confused. Catching this, Laura explained, “I ran into that last month. Alice names two numbers between one and six, and then rolls a die. If she rolls a number other than one she named, she loses that many cards off of her deck. But if she rolls a named number, she draws that many cards.”

A die appeared in Alice’s hand as she said, “I’ll say five and six – given how the card works, I’d be a fool to do anything else. Now…” She rolled the die.

It bounced twice, and came up a five. Gerald groaned, even as the top five cards of Alice’s deck flew into her hand.

“Guess I haven’t got a lot of choice…” Gerald said. “I set one card facedown, switch my Servant of Catabolism into Attack Mode, and equip it with the Axe of Despair.”

The axe descended, whereupon the little snail/squid creature wrapped its tentacles around it. (700/500 – 1,700/500)

“Sorry, Servant of Catabolism… I’ll bet 1,600 Life Points on Lethal Stakes and have it attack you,” Gerald continued.

The Servant surged forward, holding the axe on high… and swung directly into a wall of Kuribohs. Alice held up the Kuriboh she’d discarded and said, “I learned a while back how nicely this works with Lethal Stakes. You lost the bet, so…”

A ghastly hand reached out from Lethal Stakes and slashed into Gerald, withdrawing a number of blue lights and leaving him shivering. His Life Points fell to 4,400, and the Darkness Infection sprang to life on his hands. Adding insult to injury, a beam of light left Des Counterblow and blew away the Servant of Catabolism.

Setting his head in his hand, the young man muttered, “I end my turn, then.”

With a smirk, Alice drew her next card, next saying, “I play Monster Reborn, letting me bring back my Blowback Dragon!”

For a moment, the familiar ankh shined on the field. The mechanical dragon then rose from the ground, dirt falling from its muzzle. (2,300/1,200) The Gravity Bind pulsed and it collapsed.

“That was a Special Summon,” Alice continued, “so now I’ll summon my Goddess of Whim in Attack Mode!”

The goddess of fate rose onto the field, straightening her strangely leaves-like hair and tugging her dress into place. (950/700)

“Now,” Alice went on, “I’ll activate Blowback Dragon’s effect. I flip three coins, and if at least two out of three are heads, I choose one card on your field and blow it away!” Three coins appeared in her hand; on the head side of each was a tiny picture of the Blowback Dragon.

“Cute,” Chad muttered.

With one motion, the gambler snapped out her hand, causing all three coins to fly through the air. They landed a second later.

The first was tails…

…but the other two were heads.

Gerald placed his forehead to the table and moaned.

After a moment’s laughter, Alice said, “It would be stupid to use this effect on your facedown monster. After all, my Blowback Dragon could kill it on its own if it wasn’t pinned down. So instead… Blowback Dragon, destroy the Gravity Bind!”

Raising its head slightly, the Blowback Dragon fired off a burst of lightning that obliterated the Gravity Bind sphere. With its pulses gone, the machine now rose to its full height.

“As per Lethal Stakes, I’ll bet 1,800 Life Points,” the gambler continued.

Chad and Laura looked to each other, both with the same confused expression. Then Laura looked to the Goddess of Whim and snapped her fingers.

“Blowback Dragon, attack!” Alice went on. “Destroy his facedown monster with Ion Blast!”

A ripple of light went up the gun barrel on the Blowback Dragon’s head. It did this twice, and then a third time. After the third time, it fired, shattering Gerald’s Island Turtle.

Alice held out her hand, causing another coin to appear in it, this one with the Goddess of Whim’s face on the heads side.

Do all her monsters have customized coins? Gerald thought.

“As per Goddess of Whim’s effect, I have to flip a coin and call it,” Alice explained. “If I’m right, her Attack Points double – if I’m wrong, they’re cut in half. I’ll say heads!” She flipped the coin, caught it, and set it on her hand.

It was tails. She scowled, threw the coin away, and reached out, taking another coin from the Second Coin Toss man on her field. “Let’s try that again,” she grumbled. “Heads!”

She tossed this coin, caught it, set it on her hand… and then laughed, as the heads side was showing. “I win!” she announced. “Goddess of Whim, attack him directly with Horrid Luck!”

The Goddess smiled as she was surrounded by an aura of light. (950/700 – 1,900/700) She swung her hand, and Gerald fell out of his chair as if she had slapped him. His Life Points dropped to 2,500… right before Des Counterblow snaked out a beam of light and reduced the Goddess of Whim to atoms.

“Had to happen,” Alice said, sighing, even as her Life Points rose to 7,800. “I’ll be nice, though, and play Goblin’s Secret Remedy to give you 600 Life Points back.”

A handful of green leaves sprouted around Gerald, and his Life Points rose to 3,100.

“That was utterly pointless…” Chad said, one eyebrow rising.

Laura then suggested, “Maybe she needs an empty hand… I know several cards that work best with one.”

“Finally,” Alice concluded, “I set two cards facedown. Your move.”

She emptied her hand? Gerald questioned, even as he pulled himself back into his chair and drew…

“I activate Fire Darts!” Alice declared. A bizarre crossbow appeared before her. “This can only be activated if my hand is empty!”

That both answers my question and explains Goblin’s Secret Remedy, the lazy young man thought now, slumping.

“Now I roll three dice,” the gambler continued, said dice appearing in her hand. “The combined result is how many darts I get to shoot at you – each one deals 100 Life Points of damage!” She rolled the dice.

The first came up a five.

The second was also a five.

The third landed on six.

“That’s sixteen!” Alice said as she picked up the crossbow.

On the sidelines, Laura sarcastically said, “Congratulations, you can do addition.”

After glaring at the other woman, Alice took aim with the crossbow and said, “I can multiply, too. Sixteen times 100 points equals 1,600 points of damage! Here we go!”

She pulled the crossbow’s trigger sixteen times, and sixteen flaming darts slammed into Gerald, knocking him and his chair over. His Life Points dropped to 1,500.

Chad rolled his eyes. “What’s next, the Gamble Angel Bunny?”

The gambler snapped her head towards Chad, making him inch back into his seat out of reflex. “Don’t you dare mention that perversion out of the mind of Hugh Hefner!” she yelled. “No self-respecting lady gambler would be seen with that worthless wreck!”

“Just asking,” Chad replied, shaking a bit.

It was a long moment before Gerald got back to his feet, his neck marked with the Darkness Infection and the veins in his eyes black. He twitched a few times before uprighting his chair, and then played the card he’d drawn that turn as he sat down. “I play my own Pot of Greed.” He drew two cards and stopped, raising one eyebrow.

The leftmost card he was holding glowed slightly. He had drawn Heaven’s Sphere.

Chad and Laura both sensed it, although Laura had to ask, “What’s going on?”

“There’s this card, Heaven’s Sphere…” Chad paused a moment, unsure how to describe it. “It’s a blessing from the Light itself. This duel isn’t done.”

Reading the card’s effects one more time to make sure he understood them, Gerald smiled. “I begin with my Monster Reborn,” he said, “letting me bring one monster back from the Graveyard. I’ll choose Humanoid Slime in Defense Mode.”

The slime surged back into play, arms crossed. (800/2,000)

“But it’s only here to be an offering,” the lazy young man continued. “I’ll now tribute it to call forth my Heaven’s Gift, the monster known as Heaven’s Sphere.”

The Humanoid Slime glowed with a strong internal light, which soon consumed its form. It turned into glowing particles, which then reformed into the perfect orb of Heaven’s Sphere. (2,000/1,000)

“I’m certain your other facedown cards were just so that you could use Fire Darts,” Gerald went on. “Now I’ll bet 1,600 Life Points…”

Alice snorted, and then began to laugh. She couldn’t contain herself and fell onto the table, laughing as hard as she could. “That’s the dumbest wager I’ve ever heard of!” she said after regaining some control. “I know Lethal Stakes lets you bet up to double your Life Points, but you can’t even destroy my Blowback Dragon! What’re you going to do?”

Adopting the perfect poker face, Gerald explained, “If I have more than 1,000 Life Points, I may pay half of them once per turn. By doing so, I may double Heaven’s Sphere’s Attack Points until the end of my turn. That is what I will do.”

The laughter stopped.

Gerald’s Life Points fell to 750, and Heaven’s Sphere glowed with increased might. (2,000/1,000 – 4,000/1,000)

“Heaven’s Sphere,” Gerald ordered, “attack the Blowback Dragon with Light of Justice.”

The sphere turned itself towards the metal dragon, gathering all its energy into one point on its front. Soon, it fired a beam of pure light through the machine’s core. It popped with static once, and then shattered into a thousand pieces.

Alice’s Life Points fell to 5,300, and Gerald was showered with blue lights as his own Life Points rose to 2,350. “That’s my turn,” he concluded as Heaven’s Sphere returned to its old Attack Points.

Alice’s hand shook as she drew another card off of her deck. That… the creepy woman with the metal voice never mentioned THAT! “I set one monster in Defense Mode and end this turn,” she muttered.

To be concluded next post...

[Master of Paradox]

Continued from the last post:

Drawing his next card, Gerald looked to it. “This will do,” he said. “I play Pot of Avarice, letting me shuffle five monsters from my Graveyard back into my deck and draw two cards.” He took Jinzo #7, Servant of Catabolism, Inaba White Rabbit, Humanoid Slime, and Island Turtle from his Graveyard and shuffled them into his deck before drawing twice. “Next, I’ll play Giant Trunade, sending all Magic and Trap cards on the field back to our hands…”

A mighty wind came up, and everything on Alice’s field went flying back into her hand. Gerald’s own field being empty, nothing happened there.

Wow… that’s actually a really smart card for him! Laura thought. If he used Heavy Storm, he would usually be destroying his own defenses as well as his opponent’s cards. This card lets him save his own magic and traps and does just as good in clearing out his opponent’s!

“Now,” Gerald continued, “I play Spell Sanctuary. This card lets us both search our deck for any one Magic Card and add it to our hand. In addition, while it’s on the field, we may both activate our Magic Cards as if they were all Quick-Play.”

Both duelists searched their decks, finding the cards they wanted, and then reshuffled.

“Finally,” Gerald concluded, “I’ll set a card facedown, and have Heaven’s Sphere take out your defending monster… and on another note, defense means nothing to it; it will damage you through it.”

The sphere charged up its beam of light and fired, taking out Alice’s Abare Ushioni and knocking her Life Points to 4,500.

“Your turn now,” Gerald said.

Alice snarled, drawing a card… and then smirked. “I’ll replay my Lethal Stakes and Second Coin Toss,” she began, doing so, “and set a card facedown…”

“And I’ll activate my Nobleman of Extermination,” Gerald countered. A burly knight appeared on his field. “I know exactly what that facedown is, and I don’t want to see it again, so my knight will banish it.”

Alice gasped.

The burly knight stepped over to Alice’s facedown card and rammed his sword through it. The revealed Des Counterblow glowed for a moment, and then vanished in a puff of smoke. Two additional puffs of smoke vanished from Alice’s deck.

“Of course, when the Nobleman deals with a trap,” Gerald added, “he removes all copies of it from both duelists’s decks from play. I’d be committing suicide if I played Des Counterblow myself, so I’m not affected.”

Snarling again, Alice glanced at the two cards she had left and made a few calculations. “I set a monster in Defense Mode and end my turn,” she concluded sourly.

Gerald drew, looked to his card, and said, “Well… he doesn’t really fit me, but he does fit this deck… even if I feel dirty playing him. I summon Shadowslayer in Attack Mode.”

A strange humanoid being crept along the ground, looking somewhat like the Dark Assailant, but with an aura of doom around it; it stopped and glared with unseen eyes at Alice. (1,400/200)

“When all your monsters are in Defense Mode,” Gerald continued, “he can attack your Life Points directly. I’ll bet 1,300 Life Points for Lethal Stakes, and then… Shadowslayer, attack her with Slayer’s Lunge.”

The monster in question drew a sword out of the sheath on its back, and then leapt over Alice’s monster, slashing her across the gut and sending her Life Points to 2,100. Gerald’s own Life Points rose to 3,650.

“Heaven’s Sphere, destroy her monster with Light of Justice,” Gerald continued.

The glowing orb fired off a beam of light, purging the face-down Sand Gambler from her field. Her Life Points were now 1,900.

“Your move,” Gerald finished.

The gambling duelist’s hand shook as she drew, and sweat beaded on her forehead. This better be good… She then smiled at her draw, slapping it down. “I play Card of Sanctity! Time to refresh our hands!”

Both duelists drew to six cards. Alice couldn’t believe her luck: she had Dice Jar, Book of Taiyou, Barrel Dragon, Negate Attack, and Level Conversion Lab, along with one card she didn’t care about.

Perfect! Alice thought. I have the plan already set… first, I’ll set my Dice Jar, and then flip it face-up with Book of Taiyou. That should do him some good damage if my luck holds. Then I’ll set Negate Attack and Level Conversion Lab. On his next turn, I’ll survive with Negate Attack and hurt him again through Lethal Stakes! And then I’ll activate Level Conversion Lab on the next turn, bringing out Barrel Dragon as long as I don’t roll a one, and clear the field for my win!

“I set one monster facedown in Defense Mode,” she began, “and activate the Magic Card Book of Taiyou, flipping it face-up! Remember Dice Jar?”

The googly-eyed jar bobbed into view, and both Alice and Gerald took hold of the glowing dice. As Gerald took his, he yawned.

“This could end the duel now,” Chad said quietly.

Both duelists rolled, and both got a three.

On their second roll, both got a two.

“Last roll,” Alice said.

“We can hope so,” Gerald replied.

Both duelists rolled one more time…

Alice got a one…

Gerald rolled a six!

The gambler stood up, clutching at her hair. “No!” she screamed. “It can’t be! You can’t roll a six – if you do, that’s 6,000 Life Points! I lose!”

Gerald let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Alice,” he said, “you style yourself a gambler. Didn’t you realize what that meant? That means your opponent would be the house. And the house always wins in the end.”

The Dice Jar spun around and wrapped its long tongue around Alice. It squeezed six times, hard. Her Life Points fell to zero.

Even as the duel came to a close, Gerald set his head on the table and dozed off.

There was a pause, wherein Alice passed out, and then Chad said, “I’m starting to think his yawns are psychic.”

0000000

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Degas said, reclining in his chair. “Gambling decks always run the risk of self-sabotage.”

Alexander nodded. “Indeed. Very interesting, however, to see Gerald handle Des Counterblow. We now know he can fall prey to it, and we know his most likely counter to it.”

“If nothing else, Miss Dulei has given us a vital piece of information. So this wasn’t a total loss.” Degas paused, and then noted, “Who was Poker Alice, anyway?”

“According to a book I once read about the city of Deadwood, she was a notorious gambler from said city. They say she was good enough at it to support seven children.”

“Ah.”

Both men sipped their drinks.

0000000

It was five minutes before Gerald woke up, stretching as he rose from his seat. Gathering his cards, he reinserted his deck into his Duel Disk and looked to Chad and Laura.

The two had stolen the unconscious Alice’s playing cards and were currently in the middle of a game. “Got any threes?” Chad asked.

“Go fish,” Laura replied.

Noting that Gerald was awake again, Chad instead set his cards down and said, “Time’s up.”

“You only say that because I’m winning…” Laura griped, although she set her cards down as well. She then asked Gerald, “Well, now what?”

The lazy duelist shrugged and said, “After we defeated Neverwhere, Menardi possessed him and told us where to go next. We should probably just wait, since she’ll most likely do that again.”

As the three were about to sit down, a voice interrupted them: “I have to thank you.”

En masse, they turned and saw an older man sitting at one of the blackjack tables. He looked to be in his early fifties, with graying hair and a stoic face. He wore a casual brown suit, and both of his hands were folded over an opaque black plastic box.

“You’re welcome,” Gerald said. “But why are you thanking us? And as rude as it is to ask this, who are you?”

The man said, “You may call me Ulysses. I need not ask who you are, Chosen of the Light.”

“How did you…”

Ulysses held up a hand, cutting off the simultaneous question from Gerald, Chad, and Laura midway. “You played a Heaven’s Sphere. I saw such a creature twenty years ago… when I was a Chosen of the Light. Back then, of course, there was no such thing as Duel Monsters… please, take a seat.”

The three, now enthralled, took their seats, Gerald leaning forward.

“Twenty years ago,” Ulysses began, “a man named Roger Vayex discovered a tablet near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, long hidden from modern eyes. This tablet, written around 3100 B.C., recorded the existence of a dark entity named Taekhaeon, a being of pure evil sealed away a century before by a Sumerian sorcerer. The tablet recorded that if Taekhaeon were released, the world would be plunged into utter darkness forever; it warned the reader to never undo the seal.

“Roger Vayex, however, could not resist the urge to test if the tablet spoke the truth. He searched for other evidence of what was written upon it, and eventually found the secret to unleashing Taekhaeon. I dare not say how he did it, but he broke the seal and unleashed that unholy creature into this world.

“It was shortly afterwards that the forces of Light paid me a visit. I saw all of these events in a vision – which left me with both an unclear purpose and a severe headache. Are the Light’s visitations still as skull-cracking?”

“I’m afraid so,” Gerald replied.

“Alas.” Ulysses cleared his throat. “Either way, I soon realized why I had received the visit. My family has long preserved a strain of druidic, wild magic, its roots predating even Stonehenge. It is a way of magic that draws power from the Balance, and so it could confront even Taekhaeon and his servant. Gathering all the lore that I could, I prepared myself for the confrontation, and then headed out to the Negev Desert in Israel, where the Darkness was waiting.

“You may have witnessed this yourself – it is the greatest weakness of the Darkness that it cannot refuse a challenge.

“My first battle was against Roger Vayex, who drew on dark powers granted him by his master. We fought for many hours, and when the battle ceased, my magic had overwhelmed him and reduced him to ashes, blown on the wind.

“But then Taekhaeon emerged from his remains, having consumed Vayex’s soul for power, and the battle was truly joined. Several hours later, I was nearly powerless, my magic spent and useless. I finally called on the Light for aid.

“And then the skies parted, and a Heaven’s Sphere descended from above, standing by my side. Touching it restored my powers and healed my wounds, and with this new second wind I could resume the battle. In the end, this second rush was too much for Taekhaeon to stand against, and the foul creature was forced to flee from this world.

“The Heaven’s Sphere vanished after the battle, and I have never seen one since… until today. That woman, the Darkness Infected, struck down everyone else here, but I escaped her notice. And when you played Heaven’s Sphere, I was reminded of that day, twenty years ago, when the Light aided me in battle.”

Gerald, Chad, and Laura were utterly silent. They were more amazed than anything else.

Ulysses then sighed and asked, “I wish only to see the card.”

With a shrug, Gerald took it out of the deck, holding it up. “I’d hand it to you, but it doesn’t let anyone else touch it.”

“I do not doubt it.” The older man leaned forward, examining the card closely, and then sighed again. “There is no suspicion in my mind. That is indeed a Heaven’s Sphere in the form of a Duel Monster… and you are a Chosen of the Light. In that case, I wish to aid you.”

“Will you come with us?” Laura asked.

Ulysses shook his head. “No, I’m afraid. Sadly, I do not duel, and that is apparently the current form of combat used by the Darkness. However…” He opened the black box in front of him, revealing what seemed an endless array of Duel Monsters cards. “I purchased this assortment for my grandson just before I came to the club. I haven’t counted or looked at them, so I don’t know what there is. Please take what you feel you can use… but I ask that you each only take three. That way, there will still be plenty for him.”

The duelists all nodded, and then began to look over the options.

Laura took a few cards out of the box, looking them over. Hey, I know that one – it’s the last one I needed to finish the set! She took it, and then examined two others. That guy on the left…he could save me in a rough spot. And this card works great with the first card I picked up. She took both and stepped back, inserting her three choices into her deck.

Chad, meanwhile, examined three cards that had caught his eye. Hmmm…I have most of the Magic and Trap cards this deck can use – this one was the last one I needed. This first monster is one that’ll do nicely… and this last one is one I’ve only heard stories about. They’ll do well. He stepped back now, putting his choices in his deck.

Finally, Gerald looked at his options. I’ve wanted that card since I conceived of this deck. He took his first pick, and then found two more cards near it. I’ve seen several people use that card before – it would work nicely with this deck – and that card there has its possibilities.

He took those two, and then took a card out of his deck. It was Shadowslayer. “This card doesn’t fit me,” he told Ulysses. “Maybe your grandson can use it.” He put it in the box.

Nodding, Ulysses looked into the box and asked, “You left some rare ones in there, I hope?”

“I don’t think we actually took any rares,” Chad said, shrugging. “Most of what I took was just cards I couldn’t find beforehand.”

“Same here,” said Laura.

Gerald finished, “And here.”

Closing the box, Ulysses nodded. “Thank you.” He then stood up. “And thank you for the chance to see such a glorious creature once again.” With that, he walked out of the building.

The three duelists silently watched him go. Once he was gone, Gerald let out a sigh and said, “If that is what I become when I’m his age, I’ll know I aged well.”

“Agreed,” Chad and Laura said together.

There was suddenly a laugh, and all three spun around.

The still-unconscious Alice raised her head and laughed again, and they instantly recognized it as Menardi. “You don’t have to get up,” she said. “In fact, you don’t even have to move – the next player in our little game will come to you!”

“What do you mean?” Chad asked, but by then Alice was back to her unconscious self.

0000000

In her safehouse, Menardi picked up the phone and dialed a very specific number. The phone rang twice, and then there was an answer.

“Hello, Nina,” she said. “I’m afraid Alice is down… Hmmm? Oh, she lost, that’s all.” She paused for a second. “Please calm down, Nina. Yes, it’s a shame someone defeated your little sister, but these things happen. Now, do you want the family legacy to be besmirched, or do you want to make up for it?” She paused again. “All right, then. They’re currently at Canterbury Downs, just waiting for you. Now go to it and avenge your sister!”

The Pillar hung up her phone and let out a steel-edged laugh.

LETHAL STAKES
Type: Continuous Magic Card
Image: The Sand Gambler, Goddess of Whim, and Terrorking Archfiend are playing blackjack; the Terrorking Archfiend is the dealer, and they have blue lights in front of them instead of chips.
Effect: During each player’s Battle Phase, they may declare an increment of 100. If they deal damage to their opponent’s Life Points totaling more than the declared number, they gain Life Points equal to the declared number. If they deal damage to their opponent’s Life Points totaling less than the declared number, they lose Life Points equal to the declared number. The number must be at least 100 and cannot be greater than double the declaring player’s total Life Points.

HEAVEN’S SPHERE
Type: Effect Monster/Heaven’s Gift
Statistics: Light/Fairy/6/2000/1000/Effect/Heaven’s Gift
Image: A large white orb, pulsing with power.
Effect: During either player’s Battle Phase, if your Life Points are 1,000 or higher, you may pay half your Life Points. If you do, double this monster’s ATK until the end of the Battle Phase. When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Position monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points. This card ceases to exist if it leaves your control or you are unconscious.

Coming next chapter: Alice’s sister wants revenge. And unfortunately for Laura, she doesn’t care which member of the group she takes it upon! Although she’s strengthened her deck, Laura may not quite be able to stand against the near-limitless strength of the elder Dulei’s deck. Can she deflate the menace, or will she be crushed underfoot? Find out in Chapter Twelve, “Ever-Growing Threats”!

[jkBAKURA]

Well, other then the fact that no one was suprised by the Gable deck, this chapter turned out quite well. Not to mention that we now know what Heaven Sphere's potential is, and boy, is it a doozy.

All of the big Gamble cards were mentioned, at least in passing, and the ending shows how a Gamble duelist is more then likely to be hoisted by their own petard.

And did you have to be so mean as to not tell us what cards the crew picked up?

If the pattern here holds, Laura is up next, so we can see more of her deck, and hopefully a new aquisition or two. Until then Paradox.

[Dark Sage]

Well, MoP, let me give Degas and Alexander - and every other reader - a small lesson on that Old West personality:

Poker Alice

Born Alice Ivers February 17, 1853 in Devonshire, England she was educated in England and moved with her family to Colorado where she married a mining engineer, who left her a widow. She then hung out in gambling halls, where she became a professional poker dealer for good money. She moved around and worked at various gambling houses, and married a gambler named Tubbs, and lived on a chicken farm until 1910 when her husband died and she returned to gambling and even opened her own place. Her last husband was a gambler named George Huckert, she died in Sturgis, South Dakota in 1930.

"Poker Alice," has become a Deadwood legend. A gambler, bootlegger, and madam, Alice is still represented in Deadwood's "Days of '76" parade. Her abnormal luck, her acumen as a tarot dealer, her spending sprees in New York City, her easy companionship and the flush of her youthful beauty won her numerous admirers.

Alice's three husbands were also gamblers. Poker Alice's first husband and love, Frank Duffield, an engineer killed in a mining accident in Leadville, Colorado, taught her poker. His death destroyed her contentment and sent her searching for a means of support. Alice turned to gambling, hoping for the luck she had displayed in occasional card games with Duffield.

She met her long-term husband, Warren G. Tubbs, while gambling. Tubbs and Alice were often adversaries at the gaming table. Tubbs never had much luck, and Alice usually beat him, but he supported his habit through painting. Alice's beauty, however, won his heart. Through her luck, she was enabled to support their full family of four boys and three girls. Her winnings could total as much as $6,000 on a good night. There were times she gloated, and challenged all comers. As a dealer she attracted men looking for a challenge. Her impersonal facial expressions gave her great advantages. Alice always defended Tubbs, sometimes with violence, although his card playing annoyed her. She eventually prevailed upon him to quit. Alice always carried a .38 revolver, and sometimes used it. Alice became Tubbs' caretaker during his last years, which were marred by tuberculosis acquired while painting. After he passed away, the gambler moved from Deadwood through Rapid City to Sturgis. Once there, Alice engaged George Huckert, an admirer, in a brief marriage, but few people came to know her as anything other than "Poker Alice". Huckert soon died; for the third time Alice was widowed.

Poker Alice's later years were tough and sometimes despairing. The passing years had tired her. The clothing she had amassed had lost its charm. She adopted a khaki skirt, a man's shirt, and a frayed hat. Money became scarce as the games became stale. The thrill of winning now seemed more ephemeral. She had witnessed the passing of her beautiful and exciting youth, an ambiance described by Mildred Fiedler as "aristocratic." She bootlegged alcohol to support herself until prohibition put the lid on the bottle and her plan. Alice then catered to the soldiers stationed at Fort Meade by running a house of ill repute in Sturgis. A few other appointments as a dealer followed, such as one at the Diamond Jubilee in Omaha. A lifetime of cigar smoking, however, had taken its toll.

Poker Alice's fame, or notoriety, followed her beyond her waning years. She passed away on February 27, 1930 in a Rapid City hospital and is buried at St. Aloysius Cemetery in the Black Hills.



As for the chapter, it wasn't bad. I like the part when Alice took offense at Chad's mention of the Gamble Angel Bunny (which is really just Abare Ushioni in a different form). Ulysses seems like an interesting character, although I don't know if we'll see him again - it's good to know that Gerald doesn't dislike his life (he wants a long one).

Lethal Stakes was an interesting find. (I thought for a minute it was a Card of Night, but I guess not.)

So, Laura's up next? Good. I'd love to see more of her deck. And I can't wait to see what cards they got from Ulyssess. (I think the ones Laura got were Sasuke Samurais #'s 2, 3, and 4.)

[Shuppet Master]

That was a wonderful duel, Paradox. I had a feeling you were building up an encounter with a gambling deck. Nice crack about Gamble Angel Bunny.

And it looks like Laura's going to duel Alice's sister. I wonder what she's got up her sleeve.

As for the last chapter, I liked it, even if everyone else didn't.

[Pokemasterkatie]

Nice crack about Gamble Angel Bunny.

I agree--I DESPISE Playboy/Playgirl. But she is rather cute...-^_^-

[Blademaster]

Nice chapter, Paradox - I don't think I've ever seen a Gamble Deck in fanfiction... Heh heh heh...

I like all the cultural references you've managed to add to this story, too - makes it seem more... versatile, maybe? (shrugs) I dunno...

Anyway, I have a hunch as to what Alice's deck may be using, but I won't say - I'll likely be wrong again, anyway... :p

Well, see ya later.

-Blade

[envoy of time]

I personally think yugioh gx pushes some stuff,Gambler angel bunny being one of them.Still awesome story so far.The cultural references make this story almost real."That weird - robot voiced woman Menardi!" nice.By the way nice Gorillaz reference last chapter.


"May time be on your side."

[Dark Sage]

Actually, Envoy, as I've said before, Gamble Angel Bunny is practically the exact same thing as a real card named "Abare Ushioni". Same ATK and DEF, same effect... Only difference, besides looks, is that the Bunny is a Fairy, and Ushioni is a Beast-Warrior.

[envoy of time]

Sorry Dark Messia your right.It's nothing against the card itself just the fact of a play boy bunny on a kids show thats all.

[Master of Paradox]

The most important person in my childhood was my big sister, Jessica. I counted on her for pretty much everything I held dear.

We were closer than anyone could ever imagine, and I always knew she’d protect me if something went wrong. She still would; even now, when I’m perfectly capable of keeping myself safe, if something came up that was beyond my ability to counter, I could always rely on her.

Judging from how angry this girl is, she’s a lot like Jessica. I know if the situation were reversed and I was the one unconscious, Jessica would rip the world in half to get back at the one who did it. I can sympathize with this opponent, which makes the duel hard…

But then again, Jessica also taught me to be satisfied with what I had. Something tells me this girl never bothered teaching that lesson to her sister…

Chapter Twelve: Ever-Growing Threats

It was not a very good day for Father Young. He’d returned to the holding cell the day before only to find Ogre and the prisoner gone, and now had spent the majority of the morning praying that he wouldn’t be taken next. And then Hanzaki had shown up and taken him somewhere in St. Paul.

Now the priest was kneeling before Degas and Alexander’s chairs, holding his cross in front of his chest, explaining why he wasn’t in the building when the prisoner escaped.

There was a long pause after he finished his story, during which Degas and Alexander just looked at each other. Finally, and to the preacher’s immense relief, Alexander smiled and said, “I understand, Father. In fact… I daresay we have to thank you…”

“Thank me?” Father Young asked.

“The darkness level in this area is beyond expectations, and we weren’t sure why,” Degas explained. “You’ve accelerated our plans somewhat with your sermons, and now we can move on to the next stage…” He grinned. “We didn’t expect this level of service from you, Father. Relax for now… and continue with your sermons. You are excused.”

Rising to his feet, Father Young bowed low, readjusting his collar afterward. “As you desire.” He then walked to where Hanzaki was waiting, but stopped and asked, “May I know what happened to Ogre?”

“Mr. Grunn… did not receive our thanks,” Alexander replied. “That should answer your question well enough.”

As the air blurred and both Hanzaki and the priest vanished, Father Young’s expression was unreadable.

Once the room was clear, Degas signaled for another glass of wine, which appeared in his hand. Alexander did the same thing, but as he did so, there was a crackle of black electricity around his hand.

Sipping his drink, Degas commented, “Later today we will have to perform our grandest trick on Minneapolis…”

“Must we?” Alexander said, sighing before taking a sip of his own drink. “I had a headache the size of Lake of the Woods for a week after we did it to St. Paul.”

“The Darkness requires it, my friend. It is part and parcel of why you’re a Dark Conduit.”

“And part of the drawback to being the dark equivalent of a walking Duracell.” Alexander glanced to his drink. “I’m going to need more wine.”

0000000

After Menardi’s assurance that their next opponent would arrive shortly, Gerald and his friends had nothing to do but wait in the entrance of the Canterbury Downs card club. Chad had found a radio, and Acknowledgement’s “Never Trust Me” played softly in the background.

Gerald had found a copy of the day’s newspaper and was reading it to Laura. “The Hokkaido Regionals was last week… huh.” He looked closer at the article. “Weevil Underwood placed second. That’s his best performance in two years.”

“Who won?” Laura asked.

Gerald looked back over the article. “Vellion Crowler… I’ve heard that name a lot lately in the Japan circuit.”

After a moment, Laura said, “Wasn’t Weevil off the map just over a year ago?”

“His sister made it to the Monster Island Finals, and he took that opportunity to get his own career back underway,” Gerald answered. “He’s done pretty well recently – better than Rex Raptor has, anyway. This is his best performance in years; that should shake up the critics.”

“You said something about his sister?”

Gerald frowned. “As I understand, she entered the tournament with the express goal of attaining enough renown to destroy Weevil’s career completely. She was taken out in the first round of the finals, and I haven’t heard of her since. The irony is palpable.”

Laura nodded. “What was her name?” she asked.

“Damned if I can remember…”

Sitting next to the radio, Chad wasn’t playing any attention to the two of them. His thoughts were turned inward and his eyes shut as he asked himself the question, What am I doing here?

It wasn’t like he hadn’t asked himself that before. He’d asked the same question some months ago, on realizing he was working at a hardware store to support himself instead of holding an exhibition at the Guggenheim as per his life’s plan. Back then, however, he’d managed to convince himself that he was only working there to finance his future artistic success.

Today, however, that excuse didn’t work. He’d run through a mental gallery of his paintings, and he had to admit one thing…

I’m really not much of a painter, Chad thought. I’m not about to give Monet a run for his money… He paused. Adolf Hitler was a lousy painter and I’m only slightly better… artistically… than he was!

Tugging on one of his sleeves, Chad sighed deeply. His Duel Disk shifted as he did so, and his mind clicked back to the original issue. Is my life that empty, that I was willing to drop everything and risk my life in the name of Gerald’s problem? He’s my friend, but he never asked me to come along… In fact, if you get down to it, I just came with him without either of us bringing it up. After a certain memory cued up, he thought further, I wonder if I’d be here if Gerald had a driver’s license?

“Are you all right, Chad?” Gerald said, looking over the top of his newspaper. “You’re being unusually quiet.”

“Just doing a lot of thinking, Gerald,” Chad answered. He then thought, I no longer have a choice. Perhaps whatever force of the Light keeps giving Gerald visions will give me a clue as to my purpose in life if I keep helping him…

After another moment, Laura asked, “So how will we know when the next duelist shows up? Will they just walk in, or…?”

The question was interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle roaring up to the building. The three duelists looked to each other and took the obvious cue. As one, they rose from their seats and headed outside.

0000000

Leaning back in her chair in the safe house, Menardi stirred her fingers above a bowl of popcorn, waiting for the duel to start. “Poor Gerald,” she mocked. “You have no idea what a hornet’s nest you stirred up… You hurt a Dulei sister, and they do not take that sitting down.”

One finger jabbed down, and when she raised her fingernail to her lips, it was impaling five pieces of popcorn. She slid one piece off of her nail and chewed it for a second.

“I do hope you enjoy this,” she murmured afterward. “I know I certainly will…”

0000000

In turn, Chad, Laura, and Gerald (who was several steps behind the others) left the card club and stopped in front of the door. The reason for their stopping was to stare at the new arrival.

At the moment, the woman in question was sitting sideways on a Harley-Davidson Heritage, her helmet hanging from one of the handlebars. She had her brown hair in a ponytail, and there was a small scar on her left cheek. Her outfit was the traditional biker’s leathers (for a moment, Chad made a mental comparison to his own “Rebel Without a Cause” outfit), and the phrase “Covet” was emblazoned on the back of her jacket. She glared at them, and one look into her eyes confirmed that this was another unfortunate host to the Darkness Infection.

“Which one of you defeated my sister?” she demanded.

All three of the duelists glanced to each other. Finally, Gerald raised his hand. “If you mean Alice Dulei, that would be my bad,” he said.

Sliding off the motorcycle, the woman pulled a small metal card from her pocket and tapped a button on it, causing it to unfold into a Pocket Disk. “You bastard!” she shouted as she strapped it on. “Nobody hurts a Dulei and gets away with it!”

Gerald rolled his eyes to the heavens, muttering, “Two in a row? Spare me…”

Suddenly, Laura pushed Chad out of the way and said, “Listen… I’ve got an older sister, too, so I can understand what you’re feeling… but you have to realize that Alice didn’t give Gerald much of a choice. It was pretty much a duel-or-die scenario.”

Even as she took her deck out of another pocket and slid it into place, the woman replied, “Do you really think that matters? He still hurt my sister, and he’s still going to pay in blood!”

The three duelists took a step back and huddled. Gerald commented, “I don’t think she’s going to pay attention. She wants revenge, and the Darkness is nullifying her ability to listen to reason.”

“Still, you need a break,” Chad answered. “The more times you duel a Darkness Infected, the better the chance you’ll end up with it. That leaves the question of which of us will duel her…”

“I’ll do it,” Laura said. “She’s trying to avenge her big sister, so I have a… personal connection with her.”

The huddle broke, and Laura stepped forward, her Duel Disk on. “Okay,” she told the woman, “you’ll still get to duel Gerald… but you have to go through me. If you win, you’ll have the satisfaction of the guy who hurt your sister having watched a friend fall before he did. Sound good?”

“Sounds sadistic,” the woman replied. “I’m in. My name is Nina Dulei, and this will be my revenge!”

Both Life Point counters rose to 8,000.

0000000

A ball of fire briefly settled on the top of the building, out of the view of Gerald and his allies. It reformed into Lucifer Allumette, who was crouching on the roof and looking down on the duel underway.

“Ah, ze pain of sisterly love,” he said wistfully. “You opened a can of worms zis time, didn’t you, Monsieur Laxina? A pity I cannot stay to watch ze entire duel…”

He paused, and then cursed under his breath. “Where ze hell did it go off to?”

After a moment of looking around, Lucifer shook his head and disappeared in a flash of fire.

0000000

Chad and Gerald had taken seats on the steps, and Gerald looked up as a noise caught his attention. “Did you just hear a whooshing noise?”

“No…” Chad replied.

“Ah, well.” The two returned their attention to Laura and Nina.

Snapping the top card off of her deck, Nina hissed, “This is for Alice…” She examined her cards, took two from her hand, and slid them into her Duel Disk before placing another on it. “I set two cards facedown, and set one monster in Defense Mode. Take your turn.”

“Gladly,” Laura replied. She drew her own card, thought for a moment, and then declared, “I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!”

The armor-clad warrior clanked into position, the blades on his arms shining brightly. (1,800/1,600)

After considering Nina’s field, Laura said, “I guess I just have to go for it! Gearfried, attack her face-down monster with Iron Edge!”

The iron knight flashed across the field and sliced Nina’s facedown monster in twain. A small lizard with a white fur collar briefly appeared before shattering. (500/500)

“Thanks to your destroying Imperia,” Nina said, “I draw a card.” She did so.

Tricky… since she wanted me to destroy Imperia, I can’t discount her facedown cards. “I set a card facedown and end my turn,” Laura finished.

Even as Nina drew, she was already taking another card from her hand and setting it on her Disk. “I play the Continuous Magic Card Limitless Hand,” she said. “Now our hand size is… well, limitless.”

At the doorway, Chad and Gerald glanced to each other. “That means it’s one of two deck themes – Final Destiny/Judgment Blaster Ghoul or Muka Greed,” Gerald began.

“And given her Imperia, I’m guessing the latter,” Chad finished.

“I set another card facedown,” Nina said, pointedly ignoring her audience, “and set another monster in Defense Mode… and that will be it for my turn.”

Drawing her own next card, Laura held it up, smiling. “I play Reinforcements of the Army, which lets me add any Warrior-type monster of Level Four or less from my deck to my hand. And here’s a little secret… for this deck, that’s any monster!”

The men gasped. “A Warrior deck without Tribute Monsters?” Chad said, his eyes wide. “That’s a first…”

“Indeed,” Gerald said. “I’ve never seen one without Freed the Matchless General.”

As Laura searched her deck, she answered them: “And that’s why all Warrior decks look the same. I wanted to shake things up with this one.” She then took a monster, added it to her hand, and shuffled her deck. “Now… I summon Sasuke Samurai in Attack Mode!”

The super-deformed samurai strode out, drawing his sword and sighting down it. (500/800)

Nina put one hand to her forehead. “Crap.”

“I guess you know Sasuke Samurai’s ability – when he attacks a monster in face-down Defense Mode, he instantly destroys it.” Laura gestured towards the monster in question. “Sasuke Samurai, take it down! High-Velocity Wakazashi!”

Taking a step forward, the little samurai blurred, stopping just short of impaling Nina with his sword. The Royal Magic Library appeared, apparently untouched. (0/2,000) Then a thin line appeared at its base, and the building fell over, crumbling on hitting the ground.

“Gearfried,” Laura ordered next, “attack Nina directly! Iron Edge!”

The Iron Knight charged forward, his arm blade striking Nina before the girl could prepare. She let out a yell and fell backwards, her Life Points dropping to 6,200.

“Don’t get excited,” Gerald warned Chad before his friend could say anything. “First blood counts for little in this game.”

As Nina got back to her feet, Laura said, “I set a card facedown and call that a turn.”

The elder Dulei sister glared daggers at her opponent as she drew a card. Oh, this isn’t going to work… “I activate my Trap, Jar of Greed, letting me draw a card…”

The reddish trap cousin of the Pot of Greed appeared, chuckling in a low voice as it did so. Nina drew a card, looked twice at it, and then said, “I summon the Bistro Butcher in Attack Mode!”

A blue-skinned, fiendish chef with one hook hand emerged, checking the sharpness of his cleaver on the light. (1,800/1,000)

“Rather than attack,” Nina continued, “I set one card facedown and end my turn.”

As she drew, Laura thought, Time to use that monster I picked up with my Reinforcements of the Army. “Come on out, Goblin Attack Force!” she called as she threw the card onto her Duel Disk.

A group of shiftless, lazy-looking goblins with clubs walked out of the card, grumbling amongst themselves. (2,300/0)

I need to press the advantage, Laura thought before declaring, “Goblin Attack Force, take out the Bistro Butcher with Press Gang!”

The goblins slammed their clubs on the ground and surged forward, ready to strike…

“Activate Waboku!” Nina countered.

A circle of priestesses appeared and chanted, shielding the Bistro Butcher with holy light. The goblins tumbled backward, and slowly got to their feet, arguing with each other over whose fault it was that the attack failed.

“Shut it, guys!” Laura yelled at her monsters. They shrugged as a group, and then plopped down as they switched into Defense Mode, as per their drawback. “That’s my turn.”

Even as she drew, Nina began to cackle. “Watch this. I start by playing Mystical Space Typhoon on your left facedown card!”

A massive gust of wind blew Laura’s card face-up, revealing it as a Draining Shield, and then snapped it in half before shattering it. Fat lot of good it did me this time, she thought.

“Now,” Nina continued, “I play a card you might’ve seen coming – Card of Sanctity.”

“Knew it,” Gerald and Chad said simultaneously.

As both players drew their hands up to six cards, Nina calmly tapped a button on her Duel Disk, adding, “Since you’re drawing outside of your Draw Phase, I can activate my Trap Card, Appropriate. Every time you draw outside your Draw Phase after this, I get to draw two cards.” A sack of gold fell out of the revealed card and sat there.

Laura ignored that, staring at one of the cards she’d drawn. That’s one of the cards I got from Ulysses… of course, I don’t have the card I picked it as an accessory for. Is there a rule that you only ever draw half a combo? She glanced at Nina’s field and then thought, Against this deck, though, half the combo may be all I need.

“I set one card facedown,” Nina continued, “and one monster in Defense Mode – and now, Bistro Butcher, attack Sasuke Samurai! Meat Hook Slash!”

“Activate Negate Attack!” Laura countered.

The fiendish chef charged at Laura’s little samurai, his hook drawn back. Before it could make impact, however, the implement got stuck in a temporal hole. Cursing, the fiend struggled for a moment, finally freeing his hook, and skulked back to Nina’s field.

Shrugging, Nina said, “I end my turn.”

Drawing a card, Laura mentally cursed. Pot of Greed… playing this right now would be stupidity, because it would hand Nina two more cards. “I set one card facedown,” she began, setting the card she’d gotten from Ulysses, “and summon the Marauding Captain in Attack Mode. And as per his effect, I’ll Special Summon the Blade Knight!”

The old, battle-scarred soldier marched into view and sighed slightly. (1,200/400) He then whistled, causing a man with his body completely hidden by armor to step out, running his fingers along the edge of his sword. (1,600/1,000)

Nina slid one hand into position behind the buttons for her Magic and Trap cards.

“Sasuke Samurai,” Laura began, “bring down her face-down monster!”

The little samurai blurred, and then appeared behind the face-down monster… which turned into a Des Lacooda and shattered. (500/600)

Nina sighed. “Since its effect only works on a Flip Summoning, I get nothing. However, I’ll take this time to activate Solemn Wishes.” Her face-down card flipped and showed the picture of a woman in a rain of light.

“Just as I thought.” Smiling, Laura ordered, “Gearfried the Iron Knight, attack the Bistro Butcher with Iron Edge!”

Before the knight could move, Nina declared, “I activate Sakuretsu Armor, which will destroy your tin man!”

A mysterious red armor shined into being around the Bistro Butcher. The iron-clad warrior charged and struck the armor with his blade arm, only to see the armor glow brightly. Suddenly, it exploded, wiping out Gearfried while leaving its wearer unharmed.

With a growl, Laura said, “I end my turn.”

A smirk established itself on Nina’s face as she drew. “I gain 500 Life Points for Solemn Wishes,” she said – needlessly, as the rain of light made that fairly clear. Her Life Points rose to 6,700.

“That’ll be all you get,” Laura announced, “because I activate Greed!”

Nina’s smirk vanished and she bit her lip.

“Excellent choice of cards,” Gerald said. “Now either player will lose 500 Life Points per card every time she draws outside of her Draw Phase… but Nina will be doing that much more often than Laura.”

“But why does Laura have it?” Chad asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

The smirk was gone, replaced with a scowl, as Nina grumbled, “Still, my Solemn Wishes will nullify the first 500 points of damage each time… Either way, I now play Dragged Down to the Grave. Both of us pick one card from our opponent’s hand and send it to the Graveyard, and then we both draw a card.”

The two girls turned their hands around, and Laura immediately knew what she wanted to dispose of. “Get rid of the Muka Muka,” she said.

“Fine,” Nina replied as she discarded it. “You can lose that Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke.”

The redhead discarded her own card, and both duelists drew one. Two gold coins then leapt from the bag at Nina’s feet and turned into cards as she drew for Appropriate.

“Don’t forget Greed,” Laura said, as a whirlwind of coins spun to life at their feet. “Now we both lose 500 Life Points for every card we drew – I only drew one, but you drew three.”

“Thanks to my Solemn Wishes,” Nina replied, eyes narrowing, “I’ll gain 500 Life Points before I lose any.”

The whirlwind picked up, the coins suddenly becoming gold knives. A rain of light shone around Nina, raising her to 7,200 Life Points, but then the former coins began to slash at the two duelists. Laura was hit twice, sending her to 7,500 Life Points, but the golden knives tore into Nina repeatedly, causing her to gasp. When the whirlwind died down, Nina’s Life Points dropped to 5,700.

As the storm died down, Nina brushed herself off, muttering, “Never thought I’d envy King Midas…” She then took a card from her hand and declared, “I summon my Giant Rat in Attack Mode!”

A very large, very angry rat stomped out, cracking its knuckles. (1,400/1,450)

After a moment, Gerald glanced to Chad and questioned, “Why don’t you use one of those?”

“Most of my beasts are too powerful to search for,” Chad replied. “Besides, several of them are the wrong attribute. Waste of space in the long run.”

After a moment, the elder Dulei said, “I’ll start as I have to, by disposing of the Marauding Captain. Giant Rat, Rat Tackle!”

The rat charged forward and dove onto the Captain, crushing the soldier under its girth. Laura’s face twitched as she watched her Life Points go to 7,300.

Continued in the next post...

[Master of Paradox]

Continued from the last post:

“Bistro Butcher,” Nina then ordered, “dispose of the tiny samurai with Meat Hook Slash!”

The fiendish chef charged forward and slammed his hook into the Sasuke Samurai’s gut, pulling down hard… and thus gutting him.

Gerald, Chad, and Laura all recoiled in nausea, Chad gasping, “What sort of sociopath programmed that?”

Even Nina looked disgusted, although she couldn’t hide her smirk as Laura’s Life Points dropped to 6,000. After a moment, she noted, “Bistro Butcher lets you draw two cards, and thanks to Appropriate, I get the same benefit…”

“And thanks to Greed,” Laura interrupted, “we both lose 1,000 Life Points!” She then drew her cards, whereupon the bag of gold on Nina’s field gave her two cards as well.

As before, Nina was bathed in light, raising her Life Points to 6,200, just before the whirlwind of coins hit. When it stopped, Nina was at 5,200 Life Points and Laura was down to 5,000.

Gerald sighed and muttered, “Greed’s backfiring more than it’s doing its job…”

“I set one card facedown,” Nina concluded, “and turn it over to you.”

Snapping the top card off of her deck, Laura shut her eyes and gave it a moment’s thought, trying to ignore the marks on the back of her hands. She then declared, “I play The A. Forces! As long as this card is in play, all my warriors gain 200 Attack Points for each one there is. Next, I summon Command Knight, who gives warriors 400 extra Attack Points!”

First, the magic card appeared, causing Laura’s Blade Knight and Goblin Attack Force to take notice and straighten up. Next, the female warrior in red armor stepped out and snapped her fingers, causing them to straighten up even more. (Blade Knight: 1,600/1,000 – 2,600/1,000; Goblin Attack Force: 2,300/0 – 3,300/0; Command Knight: 1,200/1,900 – 2,200/1,900)

“Next,” Laura continued, “I switch my Goblin Attack Force back to Attack Mode.” The goblins rose to their feet, smiling nervously at the Command Knight. “And now… Command Knight, attack the Bistro Butcher with Commander’s Strike!”

Nina hit her facedown card, declaring, “I activate Shift, which will change the target of her attack to Giant Rat!”

Gerald and Chad both groaned.

The Command Knight drew her sword, which burst into flames as she did so. With one swipe, she cut the Giant Rat in half, and its body burst into flames, sending Nina’s Life Points to 4,400.

“As per its effect,” Nina noted, “I can Special Summon any Earth monster with 1,500 Attack Points or less.” She then smiled evilly, adding, “And it doesn’t say it has to be Level Four or less… In fact, I’ll summon a Level Five.”

“A Level Five under 1,500 Attack Points…” Laura muttered. She thought… and then gasped. “You mean - ”

“Enraged Muka Muka in Attack Mode!” Nina confirmed.

What appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be a massive stone toad towered over Laura, staring down at her with a lot of anger on its face. (1,200/600)

Nina then noted, “As you’re well aware, for every card in my hand, it gains 400 Attack and Defense Points. Six cards equal 2,400 points.” The monster expanded, growing even larger, until it blocked out the sun. (3,600/3,000)

Swallowing hard, Laura said, “I switch my Blade Knight into Defense Mode…” The knight knelt. “And then I set one card facedown and end my turn.”

Nina drew, briefly raising the Enraged Muka Muka’s Attack Points, but quickly set the card down. As she did so, the light of Solemn Wishes brought her Life Points back to 4,900. “I’ll summon a regular Muka Muka in Attack Mode! It gains 300 Attack Points for each card in my hand, so watch this…”

A stone crab crawled up next to its big brother, clacking its claws in anticipation. Smoke rolled from its back. (600/300) As with the Enraged Muka Muka, it soon swelled to gargantuan proportions. (2,400/2,100)

Laura braced herself.

“I’d do the most damage by taking down Command Knight,” Nina mused, “but her effect keeps that from happening as long as you have a monster on the field. So instead, Muka Muka, bring down the Blade Knight with Greedy Slice!”

The crab scuttled up to the Blade Knight and slashed through his spine with one swing of its claws, watching him collapse in agony. With his demise, the power of The A. Forces waned, weakening both of Laura’s monsters. (Goblin Attack Force: 3,300/0 – 3,100/0; Command Knight: 2,200/1,900 – 2,000/1,900)

Grinning, Nina ordered, “Enraged Muka Muka, take down the Goblin Attack Force with Greedy Chomp!”

The stone toad waddled up to the goblins, looked at them a moment, and then chomped up the entire group with one snap of its jaws. Laura blinked as her Life Points reached 4,500.

As the angry rock waddled back to her field, Nina declared, “I end my turn.”

“We can expect to hear that a lot,” Gerald noted. “She’s not going to play anything she doesn’t need to.”

Laura drew as her frustration mounted. That’s not going to help…My Pot of Greed could help me, but that’s 1,000 Life Points down the gutter from my Greed, and then she’d pump up those rocks/animals/whatever even more! “I switch Command Knight to Defense Mode,” she said, “and set a monster in Defense Mode. That’s all I can do.”

Nina drew, raising her Life Points to 5,400, and then swiftly played what she had drawn. “I play Exchange. You get to pick one card from my hand, and I get to pick one from yours. So show me what you’ve got…”

“Damn,” Laura muttered as she turned her hand around.

After a moment’s study, Nina stepped forward and snatched the Pot of Greed out of Laura’s hand. “Mmmm… Just what I like to see. Okay…” She held up her exposed hand. “Make your pick.”

Laura halfheartedly picked a card from Nina’s hand.

Once both duelists were back in their proper places, Nina held up Laura’s Pot of Greed. “You know, thanks to my Appropriate, I’d get two cards from this either way, but this way I don’t have to share. I activate your Pot of Greed!”

As always, the evil jar floated before her, and she drew two cards. A rain of light from Solemn Wishes put her Life Points at 5,900, but then the dagger-like coins of Greed spun around her, and she cursed as her Life Points fell to 4,900. As usual, when her hand size increased, so did the size of her monsters… and their power; her Enraged Muka Muka’s Attack Points now sat at 4,000, while the regular Muka Muka had 2,700 Attack Points.

“There are smaller Muka Mukas orbiting those things!” Chad yelled.

Gerald glanced to Laura’s field, and to her facedown monster. He’d seen one card in particular as she’d sorted through her deck earlier, and he knew she still had a prayer.

Needless to say, Nina didn’t bother playing anything else. “Muka Muka,” she ordered, “attack her facedown monster!”

Again, the stone crab charged forward, swinging its claws at the facedown monster… which blocked the attack with its sword. The monster turned out to be an elf in green armor, holding his sword defensively in front of him. (1,400/1,200 – 2,000/1,200)

“Thought so,” Gerald said, smiling.

Laura let out a sigh of relief. “I wasn’t sure if it was counting original Attack Points or current,” she said. “Thankfully, it counted the latter. As you might have guessed, it’s an Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, so your boulders can’t touch it unless you empty your hand.”

Nina snorted. “Then my turn’s done.”

As she drew, Laura concentrated. Help me out here, deck! Glancing to her drawn card, she exhaled. “Did you know the Sasuke Samurai I play is just one of an extended family?” she asked Nina.

“No,” the elder Dulei replied, “and I don’t really care, either.”

“Too bad, because one of his cousins is about to have a few angry words with you. Meet the Sasuke Samurai #4, in Attack Mode!”

Another superdeformed warrior marched out of Laura’s card, glaring at Nina. This one dressed in a full set of samurai armor, complete with kabuto, and he carried a naginata. His fussy little mustaches twitched. (1,200/1,200 – 2,200/1,200)

There was a pause, and then the elder Dulei sister laughed.

For once, Gerald seemed confused. “If it’s part of the Sasuke family, it has an effect,” he muttered. “But what sort of effect makes it worthwhile to throw it against something like the Muka Mukas?”

Laura heard that and grinned. “It’s a matter of luck,” she replied. “When the Sasuke Samurai #4 fights an enemy, I flip a coin and call it. If I win the flip, the monster my samurai battles dies by its effect – there’s no damage calculation involved. If I lose… well…”

“Then it’s over,” Gerald finished.

Laura merely nodded. “And here goes nothing. Sasuke Samurai #4, attack the Enraged Muka Muka with Daimyo’s Blade!”

A coin appeared in Laura’s hand as the little samurai set his spear and charged. The giant stone toad opened its mouth wide…

All eyes went to the coin as Laura threw it skyward, yelling, “Heads!”

It spun twice at the apex of its flight, and then began to descend, spinning all the way. It struck the ground on its edge…

…and landed with the heads side up.

The Sasuke Samurai #4 jumped before reaching his opponent, jabbing the naginata between two stone “scales”. He vaulted off the creature’s upper lip, and then landed point-down, burying the weapon’s blade between the Enraged Muka Muka’s eyes. There was a pause, as the creature’s mammoth body acknowledged its death, and then the Enraged Muka Muka shattered into a thousand pieces.

Without so much as a flourish, the samurai marched back to his place on Laura’s field, leaving her opponent staring open-mouthed at where the Enraged Muka Muka had once stood.

“That’ll be my turn,” Laura concluded.

Finally blinking, Nina drew a card, raising her Life Points to 5,400 once again. Looking over her hand, she took one card from it and set it on the Duel Disk. “Let’s see if you can do that twice. I bring back the Enraged Muka Muka with Premature Burial!”

Nina’s Life Points dropped to 4,600, and a burning circle of red light burst into view on the ground before them. The giant stone toad rose out of the ground within the circle, glaring at its would-be killer. Its entire body took on a light greenish cast. (1,200/600 – 4,000/3,400)

Here goes… something… Laura thought. She then triggered her facedown card. “I activate Ready For Intercepting, turning my Sasuke Samurai #4 to facedown Defense Mode!”

The little samurai vanished, replaced by a facedown card.

“Hmph,” Nina snorted. “I’ll just crush it on general principle. Enraged Muka Muka, eat that Sasuke Samurai #4 alive!”

Once again, the gigantic stone monstrosity opened its mouth wide, about to engulf the little samurai…

As before, a coin flashed into being in Laura’s hand. She threw it skyward, yelling, “Tails!”

The coin spun, and down below, the Sasuke Samurai #4 was wedging open the jaws of the monster with his naginata…

It spun twice, came to the ground…

…and came up heads.

The naginata broke, and the Enraged Muka Muka swallowed the little samurai with one gulp.

“Since your other little friends are too tricky for me to kill at the moment,” Nina concluded, “I’ll turn it over to you.”

There was a moment’s silence, during which Chad asked Gerald, “What does she have in her hand that she can’t use to snuff Laura’s monsters?”

“The problem with Greed decks is that once they’ve established the Mukas,” Gerald answered, “their hand becomes dead weight – I’m pretty sure Nina’s hand is nothing but card-drawing engines that would be tantamount to slitting her own throat at this point. Plus, Laura’s lucky that she’s got a fairly unbreakable defensive lock, but once that fails her, she’s sunk.”

Both valid points, Laura thought, but I’m still in the soup! She drew a card, and then winced at the prospect. Oh, I don’t have a choice… “I play Graceful Charity,” she said.

Gerald and Chad both grimaced.

An angel floated over Laura’s head as she drew three cards, the knife-edged coins of Greed carving into her as she drew and sending her Life Points diving to 3,000. She looked at her draws and smiled, tossing a second Gearfried and Nina’s Spirit of the Pot of Greed for the drawback. There are the other parts of my combo. I’ve had the first part – Greed – out this entire duel…

As she discarded, two gold coins flew out of the bag representing Nina’s Appropriate. She drew two cards, her Muka Muka and Enraged Muka Muka swelling ever larger, and then barely registered the jabbing from Laura’s Greed, her Life Points rising to 5,100 from Solemn Wishes before settling at 4,100. (Muka Muka: 2,700/2,400 – 3,300/3,000; Enraged Muka Muka: 4,000/3,400 – 4,800/4,200)

“I set one card facedown, one monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn,” Laura said, her face reflecting a new confidence.

Nina drew, her Life Points now 4,600…

“I activate Heavy Slump!” Laura cried.

The cards fell from Nina’s hand as she sank to her knees, sent into shock by those words. They were the four words she feared most.

“Heavy Slump?” Chad asked.

Gerald yawned before saying, “It can only go off if Laura’s opponent has more than eight cards in their hand. Now she shuffles her hand back into her deck and draws a new hand… of two cards. It’s the Muka Muka deck’s worst nightmare.”

Even as Gerald explained it, a chart appeared in front of Nina, showing a rising line suddenly taking a steep downward curve. The chart then flashed, “LIQUIDATE ASSETS IMMEDIATELY!” Cursing, she shuffled her hand into her deck and drew two cards, her Life Points rising to 5,100 just before the coins tore away at her, sending her back to 4,100 Life Points.

As her hand diminished, Nina’s monsters deflated to almost pathetic levels. The Command Knight snarled at Muka Muka, and it skittered for its life, bumping into its owner’s heel. The angry girl kicked it back into place. (Muka Muka: 3,300/3,000 – 1,200/900; Enraged Muka Muka: 4,800/4,200 – 2,000/1,400)

“Well?” Laura asked.

Nina’s eyes narrowed and she set a card into her Duel Disk. “I set this card facedown, which weakens my monsters just enough to end your Obnoxious Celtic Guardian’s life. Enraged Muka Muka, snack time!”

Just as Nina had said, the Enraged Muka Muka’s Attack Points shrank to 1,600, but it was still strong enough to bite into the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and devour it whole. It belched before returning to Nina’s field. Unnoticed by Nina, however, her regular Muka Muka’s Attack Points were only 900.

“That’s my turn,” Nina muttered darkly.

Laura drew another card, tossing it onto her Duel Disk. “I play Mystical Space Typhoon – I hope you enjoyed your Solemn Wishes, because it’s not going to last any longer!”

A sudden, hard gust of wind obliterated Nina’s trap, sending shards everywhere.

“Next,” Laura continued, “I summon the third member of the Sasuke Samurai clan. His name is Sasuke Samurai #3, and I’ll call him up in Attack Mode!”

A pale-faced miniature samurai walked out, wearing a blue cloak and holding twin blades. Using the back of one blade, he adjusted his makeup, a risky task as it was near his eye. (1,000/1,000) As always, the combined influence of Command Knight and The A. Forces caused him to stand with more confidence. (1,000/1,000 – 2,000/1,000)

Gerald yawned again, deeper this time, which caught Chad’s attention.

“Sasuke Samurai #3,” Laura commanded, “attack Nina’s Muka Muka with Ronin’s Tanto!”

Leaping forward, the samurai rammed his swords through either side of the Muka Muka, causing it to stumble to the ground and shatter into a thousand pieces. Nina’s Life Points lowered to 3,000.

“Now the real fun,” Laura explained. “When the Sasuke Samurai #3 damages your Life Points, you get to draw until you have seven cards.”

For a moment, Nina grinned wickedly… and then she gasped and cried, “No! Your Greed card is still in play!”

Her face a mask of anger, Laura said simply, “Draw.”

Nina was visibly shivering now, even as she put her hand over her deck. She drew a card…

…and one of the coins of Greed turned into a knife and stabbed her in the stomach.

She drew again, and was stabbed in the leg. On the third draw, a knife struck her kidneys. The fourth draw’s coin stabbed her in the arm, and the fifth in the foot. The last draw’s coin struck her in the chest, and she fell to her knees, her Life Points plummeting all the way to zero.

Gerald, as per usual, was asleep immediately after the last impact. Chad looked at him for a moment, and then pushed him off the steps. To his shock, the lazy young man still didn’t wake up.

After setting the now-unconscious Nina back on her motorcycle, Laura walked up to the duo, sitting next to Gerald and waiting for him to wake up. This took only a moment, and as he sat up, he smiled to her. “Good game,” he said. “By the way, do you have Sasuke Samurai #2 in there as well?”

“Thanks, and yes, but I didn’t draw him,” she replied, smiling almost shyly. “But to be honest, that duel felt a little too easy…”

Chad’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve got a point… I don’t think your Life Points ever dipped past 4,000. Something’s up…”

0000000

Somewhere in St. Paul, Degas and Alexander had watched the entire duel without saying a word. The two calmly looked to each other as the duel ended, and then shut off the mirror array. They calmly rose from their seats and walked over to the phone.

Alexander calmly picked up the receiver and handed it to Degas, and Degas calmly hit a specific number on the speed dial.

0000000

In her safe house, Menardi sighed a little. “Mildly disappointing,” she said as the duel ended. Her cell phone rang, and she answered it…

“That was pathetic!” Degas yelled over the line, causing Menardi to jump. “What sort of half-rate excuse for a duelist was that? Don’t you even think before sending someone after Gerald’s group?”

“I honestly thought she’d be more of a challenge,” Menardi replied, rising from her seat and wandering around the room. “Either I was wrong about that or Laura is a better duelist than we gave her credit for…”

“Column A and Column B combined,” Degas said, rage still simmering in the undertones of his voice. “You have one more chance, Menardi. If this one falls through, you’ll be settling the score yourself. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir…”

There was a pause, and then Degas continued, “Alexander and I will be working the grandest trick on Minneapolis now. I suggest luring them back there; we’ll have more power in that area.”

“You’re doing the grandest trick now?” Menardi put one overly-long finger to her pursed lips.

“Thanks to Father Young, we can easily do so. Remember… one shot. That’s all.” The phone clicked.

Even as she put her cell phone away, Menardi was smiling. If they’re coming to Minneapolis, then I have more than just the one chance. One of my “friends” is currently in the area… and he’ll be more than capable of defeating all three of them. After all… he’s undefeated.

0000000

Back at Canterbury Downs, the three duelists were waiting for Nina to wake up and taunt them with Menardi’s voice. They didn’t have long to wait, as the woman soon rose her head.

“Hello, Menardi,” Gerald said.

After briefly looking nonplussed, the woman spoke in Menardi’s metal-edged voice. “I see you’ve come to anticipate this… You need only face one more challenger before this is over. He’ll meet you in Minneapolis before the day is through… You shouldn’t be late…” And then Nina collapsed once again.

As one, the three rose and headed for the Corolla… until Gerald stumbled and grabbed his head.

“What’s wrong?” Laura asked, holding onto Gerald’s arm as he came to a halt.

Chad knew this, and so he answered, “From time to time, the Light sends him some very useful… and painful… visions. That the case?”

There was barely time for Gerald to nod before the vision began.

0000000

Somewhere in the center of Minneapolis, a cloud of darkness faded into being. From the center of the cloud stepped Degas and Alexander, clad in their typical black and green, respectively.

The two briefly looked around the city, and then Degas said, “Shall we, my friend?”

“If we must…” Alexander did not look happy. He undid the front of his shirt, exposing his chest.

Degas stepped in front of his ally, the palms of his hands glowing black. “Let the night descend,” he whispered. “Let the sleepers awaken. Let the world bleed…” And then he slammed his palms into Alexander’s chest.

Black electricity sparked around the two men as Alexander writhed. A dark fog began to gather at their feet, the current rising…

And then Alexander threw back his head and yelled in agony, and a wave of utter darkness burst out from his body, rolling over the city like a wave of fire ants over a helpless doe. It sank through buildings, overtook cars, and rose over the Mississippi River.

Every person it touched collapsed, the marks of the Darkness Infection springing to life as it passed by.

When the wave was established, Degas took his hands off Alexander. The black electricity died down, and the man in green sank to one knee, sweating profusely. “That… is abysmally painful…” he gasped.

Reaching down, Degas helped Alexander to his feet, smiling. “A sacrifice for a greater cause, my friend,” he replied. “Your pain shall soon cease, but this city is ours for good…”

0000000

As the vision ended, Gerald opened his eyes, sitting up slightly. To his surprise, while Chad had wandered away (having seen this enough to know there wasn’t any danger), Laura was sitting on the ground next to him. “What did you see?” she asked as he got up.

After a moment to collect his thoughts, Gerald frowned. “This vision was more straightforward than the others… and if what happened was what I think happened, the situation just got much worse…”

IMPERIA
Type: Effect Monster
Statistics: Earth/Reptile/Effect/3/500/500
Image: A small lizard with a white fur “collar”.
Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, draw one card.
Note: This card was first used by Gansley in the original series episode “Isolated in Cyber Space”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

Coming next chapter: The group returns to Minneapolis, where the situation just went from bad to worse. However, they soon encounter a man who could be a very powerful ally… if they can solve his problem. Chad finds himself drawn into a duel where just keeping his cards out is a task in itself. Fans of “Yu-Gi-Oh: Dark Messiah” should enjoy this one! Be ready for Chapter Thirteen, “Rubber Soul”!

[jkBAKURA]

Huh, interesting.

While the theme is definately unique, there's only so much you can do with a deck like that. Not helping was the fact that Nina didn't have any more of a role then revenge-seeker.

On the plus side, Laura got some more screen time, and there was more then enough humor to go around in this chapter. The way that Degas and Alexander reacted was priceless. Then again realisticly, not everyone a person picks can be a winner.

By the way, for those paying close attention, it's rather easy to see where the next chapter is heading.

This is going to be fun.

[Dark Sage]

Aw, it wasn't too bad.

Except for a few mistakes. I believe the first Continuous Spell that Nina played is called "Infinite Cards", not "Infinite Hand".

Althought, maybe this whole thing was just an excuse for Laura to show off her Sasuke comboes more. I don't know, but it didn't have to be done so obviously.

I hope the next chapter is better. I myself wrote plenty of bad chapters in my time, so I'm not one to talk. I'll take what I can get.

- DS

[Shuppet Master]

That was an okay chapter, but it was rather short. How the heck did Laura get the Heavy Slump card? If it was to utilize Sasuke Samurai #3, I can see why she wants the cards.

[starjake]

I'm not sure I'd out-and-out label the chapter as 'bad', but I have to say that this wasn't as exciting as your previous duels. Then again, perhaps, it wasn't supposed to be; if everything's exciting and tense, the parts that really need to be exciting and tense don't stand out as well.

Dark Sage is right; the hold-as-many-cards-as-you-like card is called Infinite Cards. Other than that, there were no problems I could see.

The last part of the chapter was definitely the best. That's quite an unusual vision that Gerald had, if only because it was so to-the-point. And quite dramatic, too; I almost feel sorry for Alexander.

Almost.

[Blademaster]

Interesting - a Muka Muka deck... Yet another deck type that hasn't seen as much airtime as it should.

Yes, as everyone else has said, the card is called 'Infinite Cards;' I'm only repeating that because I haven't slept in days and I'm not thinking clearly, and blah blah blah, yada yada yada...

The scene where Degas and Alexander called Mernardi after the duel was priceless - as soon as you used the word 'calmly' about the third time, I knew what was coming.

Anyway, I'm totally stumped - "Rubber Soul?" What the Hell does that mean? Hmmmmmmmmm...

Well, I'd say update soon, but you're more of a progressive writer than even Dark Sage is at this point. I find myself saying 'Slow down!' whenever I show up and see a new chapter here, lol. :biggrin:

Well, see ya later.

(falls off chair)

-Blade

[Shuppet Master]

I'm not spoiling it, Blademaster, but here's a hint...what does a rubber ball do?

[Blademaster]

A rubber ball...? Well, it rolls, it bounces, it knocks my neighbor unconscious...

...Oh, wait. Rubber. I got it. Thanks - sleep deprivation, what can I tell ya? :redface:

[Master of Paradox]

Due to circumstances, I may not be coming back for a while, so this is something of a parting gift.

Of course, I might be back as soon as Monday, but don't hold your breath for me.

The dueling circuit is still relatively young – only a few years since it started – but already some duelists are beginning to near legendary status. Well, depending on how you define what makes a legend…

Of course, the big three names – Yugi Motoh, Seto Kaiba, and Joey Wheeler – all qualify for this status, but they’re just the ones everyone knows. There’s a raft of other names – Rebecca Hawkins, Mai Valentine, Maximillion Pegasus (but there’s argument over whether he counts as a dueling legend)...

The trick with a legend is that if you actually encounter them, the luster fades and they seem much more mortal than the stories make them out to be. It’s the “feet of clay” problem – nobody’s perfect. I suspect that if I were to duel Yugi Motoh, he’d be tough, but not as tough as the stories make him out to be.

But then again, I’m facing a legend right now – not quite one of that caliber, but a legend regardless – and I might be wrong about that. Because this legend’s kicking the snot out of me!

Chapter Thirteen: Rubber Soul

It was half an hour after Gerald had shared his vision with his companions, and now the ’86 Corolla GTS reentered Minneapolis, slowly driving along the streets. Gerald and Laura sat in the back again, with Chad at the wheel, and all three stared out over the streets.

“This city is dead,” Laura whispered.

“It’s just like St. Paul now,” Chad confirmed. “There’s nobody here… It’s just like we thought.”

Gerald finished the chain of thought: “That wave was the Darkness Infection. The people of this city are in no condition to help us now… assuming we don’t have to duel half the population.”

There was silence in the car for a moment as it drove through the empty city, and then Laura broke the silence in the name of her sanity. “But why would Degas and Alexander hit this city as well?” she asked. “You’d think they have more than enough servants…”

“I think it ties into their overall plan,” Gerald replied. “As to what that plan is… I’m not going to make any guesses right now, since I’m not certain, but I think I know.”

Tapping his hand on the steering wheel, Chad sighed and once again wondered what he was doing here. Maybe I really don’t have anything better to do…

Suddenly, a man walked out of an alleyway near the Corolla’s current location, and everyone in the car jumped.

“Excuse me!” the man yelled at the passing car, soon trotting alongside it. “Could you stop, please? I need help! Please?”

Chad just kept driving, Gerald and Laura staring out the windows at the man.

Finally, their pursuer sighed, muttered, “Oh, bugger it,” and stepped directly in front of the car, yelling, “Stop!”

There was a loud squeal as Chad slammed on the brakes, and then all three of the car’s occupants sprang out (or slid out, in Gerald’s case), Duel Disks at the ready.

Now that they weren’t looking through safety glass, the three got a good look at the man. He was fairly stocky, standing just taller than Laura, and a perpetually irritated look was drawn across his face. His skin was a disturbingly pale shade, and he had light blonde hair and gray eyes; he also had a long goatee. He wore a dark blue suit of immaculate cleanliness and cut, and carried a walking stick in his left hand; in his right hand he held a top hat. From the looks of it, he was in his thirties.

To Gerald, Chad, and Laura’s surprise and relief, neither his hands nor his eyes showed any sign whatsoever of the Darkness Infection.

“All right, friend,” Gerald asked, “why do you need our aid?”

The man sighed and said, “Because you’re the only people in this town that the Darkness Infection hasn’t touched. But I suppose I’m being overly rude, given my circumstances…” He bowed. “My name is Demetrius Lark.”

The name caused Gerald and Chad to take a few steps back, but merely confused Laura. “Umm… I know that name, but who exactly is he?” she asked.

After taking a breath, Chad said, “I suppose you’re out of the loop… This man is one of the biggest names in dueling. He’s won championships in pretty much every state west of the Rocky Mountains!”

“And every Canadian province,” Gerald added, before returning the bow and saying, “My name is Gerald Laxina. My companions here are Chad Montmelier and Laura Vesnic.”

“Ah, Gerald Laxina,” Demetrius replied, smiling. “The Laziest Duelist Alive?”

Gerald’s face fell, and he exhaled. “Guilty. I see you’ve heard of me as well…”

The older man nodded, setting his walking stick back to the ground and donning his top hat. “Indeed. You’re part of why I have yet to enter Maine.” He then sighed and said, “But we don’t have all day to talk shop. I’m afraid I must request your assistance in a fairly… urgent manner.”

“Let me guess,” Laura said. “It involves the Darkness Infection?”

Again Demetrius sighed. “Precisely. I’d settle it myself, but part of the problem makes that impossible…. I’ll explain on the way. Right now, we need to get to the Wells Fargo Center.”

The three allies looked to each other and shrugged, heading back to the Corolla.

0000000

Adjusting the mirror, Menardi sat back and smirked evilly as the car took off. “Oh, Demetrius, you never cease to amuse me…”

Her phone rang, and she answered it with some trepidation, holding it a short ways from her ear.

Thankfully, when Degas spoke, it was calm and even impressed. “Very impressive,” he said. “I haven’t followed the dueling scene lately, but even I’ve heard of Demetrius Lark. That should ensure that your last chance won’t fail quite as bad as your previous chances.”

The woman chuckled, admitting, “Actually, he isn’t even my last chance. That one’s still en route to Minneapolis. Demetrius was just a lucky accident… and thanks to your grandest trick, he’s the perfect weapon.”

There was a pause, and then Degas chuckled as well. “Clever. I suppose I can let this slide…”

“How is Alexander doing, by the way?”

“At the moment, he’s recovering. The grandest trick took… a lot out of him.”

“I wish him well,” Menardi said. “Now, if you excuse me, I need to keep an eye on this.”

“As do I,” Degas replied.

Both hung up and returned their concentration to the mirrors.

0000000

Demetrius was sitting in the passenger seat of the Corolla, his hat on his lap, as it made its (somewhat faster) way through the streets of Minneapolis towards the building.

“So,” Gerald finally asked, “what happened to your deck?”

“This will be a long story, but we have time,” the elegantly-clad duelist began. “I was in town for a meeting with a long-time friend of mine, the current champion of Minneapolis. As I was making my way to a café for a lunch appointment with the man, two men stepped out of a dark cloud in the center of the street. I couldn’t help but watch them.

“One of the men bared his chest, and the other laid hands on him… and then the entire world turned dark around us.”

Hearing this confirmation of the vision caused the other three to sigh.

Demetrius continued, “I tried to run, but the darkness caught me before I was more than three steps away from my starting point. I cannot describe to you the horrible feeling of the Darkness Infection entering my body…”

“How did you know it was the Darkness Infection?” Laura asked.

“After the wave struck, I saw someone else it hit, and the symptoms matched how they described the disease that hit St. Paul.” He took a breath and resumed: “It felt like ten thousand hands clawing at my very soul. I fought with all my will, but I couldn’t even slow it down…

“But then I remembered the year I spent in Tibet, studying at a monastery in an attempt to clean my soul – I was a strange man in my twenties – and how I had learned to create a tulpa, or thoughform, through sheer willpower. With the last of my strength, I forced myself to concentrate with all my might on forcing the Darkness Infection out of my body and into the tulpa.

“It worked! I had successfully purged myself of the infection and forced it into the tulpa, saving myself from being taken over by darkness.”

Gerald interrupted him: “So to put it another way, you took a force of pure darkness and gave it a physical form in this world.”

The older man sighed. “It was the best I could do at that point. My options were somewhat limited, as you might expect… Still, I soon realized that I had made quite the mistake.

“The realization came when the tulpa punched me in the face and stole my Duel Disk, with my deck inside. As I lay on the ground with a bruised jaw, cursing myself for not having made the tulpa appear farther from myself, it told me that I could get my deck back by coming to the Wells Fargo Center. With that, it took off running.

“I’m no idiot, however – I knew that facing the tulpa would end with my successful infection by the Darkness. That’s why I need a duelist to face the tulpa and defeat it, so that I can destroy it and reclaim my deck.”

“Why can’t you just destroy it outright?” Chad asked, slowing down slightly as they neared the building in question.

“I tried that,” Demetrius answered. “It’s possible for a tulpa’s creator to dispose of it by concentrating… but when I tried it, the tulpa merely laughed. I believe the Darkness Infection inside it has strengthened its form to the point that my will alone is not sufficient to destroy it. However, I also believe that if it is defeated in a duel, the shock of defeat should weaken its hold on this world enough for me to do away with it.”

There was a long moment of silence as the car came to a halt, and Gerald, Laura, and Chad looked back and forth between each other. Finally, Chad said, “I’ll do it.”

Demetrius looked startled, but soon regained his composure, saying, “So you actually believe all of that? I thought for sure you’d think I was insane.”

“Given what we’ve seen so far, you’re not even in the yellow zone for insanity,” Gerald replied.

0000000

A very disturbing figure stood in front of the Wells Fargo Center, leaning against a wall and examining its fingernails. From a distance, one could mistake it for Demetrius Lark, although this one wore black clothing instead of Demetrius’s blue.

Once you drew within a few feet of the figure, however, the illusion vanished. The creature (for whatever it was worth, it looked male, but ascribing it a gender was inappropriate) was inhumanly gaunt, and its eyes and fingernails were pure black. Darkness flowed around its body like a suffocating aura, visible to the naked eye. It held a deck of Duel Monsters cards in its hands, going through them.

As Gerald’s party approached, it looked up and grinned with teeth that verged on fangs. “So foul and fair a day I have not seen,” it quietly muttered.

Demetrius stepped forward, staring down his unpleasant look-alike. “Macbeth, Act One, Scene Three. I really hope everything you say isn’t a quote from the Bard.”

“Oh, I can be original when I like,” the tulpa replied. “But to business – I suppose you’ve come for your deck?”

“That I have.”

“Well, tough luck, skinjob – I just looked it over, and I’d have to be a fool to give up something this strong!” The tulpa stuck its tongue out. All four onlookers were disturbed by how said tongue was pure black.

“I wasn’t expecting you to give it up willingly,” Demetrius answered. “Therefore, I offer you this challenge – if you can defeat someone dueling on my behalf, the deck’s yours. If you lose, I’m taking it back.”

The tulpa thought about it for a moment, and then grinned. “It sounds like a fair deal. Choose your champion.”

Demetrius stepped back, and Chad stepped forward, activating his Duel Disk. In the meantime, the older man, Laura, and Gerald all sat on the hood of the car, watching the duel from there.

It seems Ulysses was right, Chad thought as he prepared himself. The Darkness can’t resist a challenge after all. “I hope you enjoyed what little life you had, thoughtform,” he said.

“You are not worth the dust which the rude wind blows in your face!” the tulpa retorted. A jet-black Duel Disk rose from his arm.

“King Lear, Act Four, Scene Two,” Demetrius cited.

As the duelists’s Life Point counters rose to 8,000, Chad asked, “What should I call you?”

“I’ll spare you a quote from Romeo and Juliet…” The tulpa thought a second before answering, “Call me Prospero. That is as good a name as any.”

“You bastard,” Demetrius growled. “That was the name of my grandfather…”

Laura looked at him, asking, “Shakespearean names run in your family, don’t they?”

“Every male child is named after a character from the works of Shakespeare,” he explained. “My own sons are named Mercutio and Iago.” He paused. “I do hope I get my deck back; I plan on passing it down to them.”

The duelists drew their opening hands.

“I think we can trust Chad to succeed,” Laura said.

“I’m not so sure,” Gerald replied. “After all, Demetrius is undefeated for a reason, and Prospero takes after him…”

With that, the duel began.

Before Chad could say anything, Prospero drew a card, declaring, “As the challenged, I shall take the opening move.” It studied its first few cards, and then set two of them into its Duel Disk. “These two I will set facedown, and then I set one monster in Defense Mode.” The facedown monster shimmered into view. “That shall be my turn.”

Chad drew his own first card, looking warily at Prospero’s field. He then smirked. “You realize that deck’s theme is a matter of public record, right?” he said.

“Well, of course,” the tulpa replied. “Remember, I was born from the thoughts of Demetrius Lark – I picked up his memory in the process.”

“Haven’t you realized what that means?” Chad asked. “It means I know everything about your deck – it’s the deck of a famous champion! You couldn’t surprise me if you wanted to!”

Gerald’s eyes widened. “Never thought about that…” he admitted.

“I haven’t kept up with the national scene recently… what is your deck?” Laura asked Demetrius, blushing.

“The word that best describes it is ‘rubber’,” Demetrius replied.

“Rubber?” She then thought about it. “Oh.”

Back in the duel, Chad continued, “Since I know what your deck is up to, I’ll set a monster in Defense Mode and a card facedown. I’ll end on that.”

“Well, aren’t you clever,” Prospero muttered. “Still, not clever enough… I flip my Hane-Hane into Attack Mode!”

One of the most bizarre monsters ever floated into view. It was, in essence, a giant, winged nose with a scythe. (450/500)

Suddenly, its entire body crinkled, and with a massive “ACHOO!” the Hane-Hane expelled a massive gust of wind. Chad’s monster, a Soul Tiger, was seen briefly before the wind sent it flying back into his hand.

“I suppose that explained his Flip Effect…” Prospero said. “Now, in order to make things even more difficult for you, I play the Magic Card known as The Dark Door!”

Darkness filled the air between the duelists, leaving only a shimmering green rectangle between them.

Chad sighed. “I know this one. The door only accepts one monster per turn, I take it?”

“Exactly,” the tulpa replied. “Thus, we may only attack with one monster. Now I summon Mataza the Zapper in Attack Mode…”

A ronin in green armor stepped forward, wearing a white headband. He raised his sword and drew it slowly. (1,300/800)

“Oh, crap,” Gerald, Laura, and Demetrius all said simultaneously.

“I see they worked it out,” Prospero said, grinning. “Simply put, I may only attack with one monster… but nothing says how often that monster can attack. Mataza can attack twice, and so he will! Zap him, Mataza!”

The ronin blurred for a moment, and then appeared behind Chad, his blade outstretched. The young man raised an eyebrow, and then gasped as the hit kicked in and his Life Points dropped to 6,700.

Suddenly, the ronin spun around, his sword lashing across Chad’s back. Now the artist let out an outright cry of pain as his Life Points fell to 5,400. With that, Mataza leapt back through the Dark Door and stood in front of his master anew.

Prospero laughed, saying, “Oh, what men do! What men may do! What men daily do, not knowing what they do!”

“Much Ado About Nothing, Act Four, Scene One, and might I add you’ve dragged that line far out of context,” snarled Demetrius.

“Ah, well,” the tulpa concluded. “That concludes my turn. Now do what you can, knowing it won’t last long.”

Scowling as the Darkness Infection appeared on his hands, Chad drew a card, glancing at it. Say… “I’ll summon my Mad Dog of Darkness in Attack Mode,” he began.

The eyeless, feral dog stepped into view, growling in the back of its throat. (1,900/1,400)

Underneath the dog, however, the ground began to crumble and crack as Prospero tripped a face-down card. “I activate my Trap Hole,” it said, “so say your goodbyes to your little puppy!”

“I think not,” Chad answered, activating his own facedown card. “I’ll use my Trap Card, Beast Soul Swap, and send the Mad Dog back to my hand.”

The Mad Dog of Darkness vanished in a burst of light, just as the ground finally gave way and exposed an endless pit.

“Next,” Chad continued, “I’ll use the other half of the Soul Swap’s effect to Special Summon my Pitch-Black Warwolf!”

To be continued next post...

[Master of Paradox]

Continued from the last post:

A black-furred, snarling lycanthrope carrying a large sword strode onto Chad’s field, both eyes locked onto Prospero. (1,600/600)

The tulpa merely smirked. “If my pilfered memory serves me right, that wretched mutt makes my Trap Cards worthless during the Battle Phase. But nothing says I can’t activate one now… I activate Ordeal of a Traveler!”

The Great Sphinx of Giza rose up behind Prospero, concealing the Wells Fargo Building. Once it was in place, the tulpa sat down on its stone paws.

“I know well what that thing does, but I have to risk it,” Chad declared. “Pitch-Black Warwolf, attack Hane-Hane with Lupine Blade!”

As the werewolf charged Prospero’s field, Laura asked, “What does it do?”

“Chad has to choose one card from the tulpa’s hand,” Demetrius explained, “and guess whether it’s a Monster, Magic, or Trap Card. If he gets it right, the attack continues; if he fails, the monster is bounced to his hand. It’s a key element of my deck…”

“And it works because the Warwolf does nothing to Continuous Traps that are already active,” Gerald finished.

Once the Pitch-Black Warwolf was through the Dark Door, the sphinx stared it down. Prospero let go of its cards, and they spun about in midair until coming to a halt. “Choose one and guess, Chad,” it taunted its opponent.

With a moment’s thought, Chad shut his eyes and pointed at the left card. “I’ll say that’s a monster!”

Prospero cursed vociferously as the card turned around… and revealed itself as a Chain Thrasher.

The sphinx pulled back, and the now-unobstructed lycanthrope brought its blade down hard on the winged nose. It collapsed and shattered, taking Prospero’s Life Points to 6,850.

“I’ll set this facedown,” Chad concluded as a face-down card appeared, “and end my turn.”

As it drew a card, the tulpa shook its head. “Blast you… I set one monster in Defense Mode and switch Mataza to Defense Mode...” The defending monster appeared in front of Prospero as Mataza knelt before it. “You may make your move.”

Chad merely shrugged, drawing another card to his hand. “You already know about him, so I’ll summon the Mad Dog of Darkness in Attack Mode.”

The eyeless dog again appeared before its master, snarling in frustration. (1,900/1,400)

“And now…” Chad began, but then he paused. I only get one attack. I’d have to be stupid to attack that face-down monster… unless it’s like Sol’s Golem Sentry and has to be Flip Summoned. This is a chance to destroy Mataza… but what if I run afoul of that Ordeal? Argh…

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt,” Prospero quoted.

Demetrius, on the sideline, replied, “Measure for Measure, Act One, Scene Four.”

“You shut up!” the tulpa shouted back.

Finally, Chad ordered, “Mad Dog of Darkness, attack Mataza the Zapper!”

As before, the sphinx moved in front of Prospero, and the tulpa let its cards whirl between its hands. “Make your choice,” it told Chad.

Odds are good he played that Chain Thrasher, Chad thought. “I’ll say the card on my right is a Trap,” he guessed.

The card on his right turned around… and it was Chain Thrasher.

“What?” he cried.

Prospero shrugged as it took the cards back. “Your bad luck, meatbag. Now that little puppy of yours is going back to your hand.”

The onlookers all winced, even Gerald.

The eyes of the sphinx glowed, and beneath the duelists, the earth shook. Suddenly, a variety of inhuman spirits came into being, grabbing hold of the Mad Dog of Darkness and carting it back to Chad’s hand. After tucking it in firmly, they flew to the sphinx and sank into it, disappearing until next time.

Slapping his forehead, Chad took a card from his hand and slid it into the Duel Disk. “That’s my turn,” he concluded.

The tulpa drew, flashing another befanged grin. “I flip my Penguin Soldier face-up!” it announced.

A tiny penguin in armor and bearing a sword rose, quacking quietly. (750/500)

“When my Penguin Soldier is flipped,” Prospero continued, “I can send up to two monsters in play back to their owner’s hands. Make some room for that wolf-man of yours…”

“It’s not a wolf-man,” Chad said as he activated his face-down card. “It’s a werewolf. And I’m not letting you send him anywhere – I activate my Ring of Destruction and target him.”

A mysterious, watery mist began to form around the Pitch-Black Warwolf’s feet… but then a ring studded with grenades appeared around the lupine’s neck. It whimpered…

“Sorry, Warwolf,” Chad said quietly, covering his ears.

The resulting explosion was of a caliber large enough to obliterate the sphinx’s nose, fill the area between both duelists with smoke, knock Laura and Demetrius off the hood of the car, and barely muss Gerald’s hair. Part of the street seemed to vanish, but this was just more of the hologram concealing it.

As the smoke cleared, the Pitch-Black Warwolf was nowhere to be seen and Chad and Prospero were both getting to their feet, Chad’s Life Points at 3,800 and Prospero’s at 5,250.

“This was the unkindest cut of all,” the tulpa growled, dusting itself off and retrieving its top hat.

As usual, Demetrius cited, “Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2.”

There was a pause, and then the tulpa yelled, “That’s it!” while forming a ball of darkness on its hand and throwing it at the car. Said car was engulfed in a shell of dark energy, which rippled and warped as it trapped the three onlookers.

“If you did anything to them…” Chad began.

“I did nothing to them,” Prospero replied. “I merely shut them up for the time being. When this duel is over, the shell will drop, for better or for worse.”

The artist took a deep breath, feeling the Darkness Infection establish itself along his neck. “All right…”

With a grunt, Prospero resumed its turn. “Since Penguin Soldier’s effect has yet to resolve, I’ll return it to my hand via that effect.”

The mist surrounded the Penguin Soldier, and it disappeared from the field, appearing now in Prospero’s hand.

“Next,” it went on, “I activate Graceful Charity. I draw three…” It did so. “And discard two.” Two cards, one of which Chad recognized as Chain Thrasher, slid into the tulpa’s Graveyard.

“I set a monster in Defense Mode,” Prospero continued, “and attack you directly with Mataza the Zapper! Ronin’s Sting!”

But even as the ronin prepared to pass through the Dark Door, Chad hit his face-down card. “Negate Attack!” he cried.

The ronin charged forward, and slammed directly into the invisible wall. After toppling over, he pulled himself to his feet and limped away, muttering curses.

“With that being the case,” Prospero grumbled, “I set a card facedown and put an end to my turn.”

Chad drew, thinking, I need to stop that accursed Ordeal… He smiled, and played the card he’d drawn. “I’ll use Reload to shuffle my hand back into my deck and get a new hand,” he began.

After doing so, his eyes widened. “Next,” he continued, “I activate the Magic Card known as Spiritualism. With this card, I can send any Magic or Trap Card back to your hand – and nothing can stop that from happening! For the time being, your Ordeal is sealed away!”

Prospero bit its lip.

A gaggle of ghosts burst free from the Spiritualism card, floating across the field. They picked up the damaged sphinx, ripping it from its foundations, and carted it back to Prospero’s hand, bits of stone raining along the way. Once their work was done, the ghosts vanished.

“Next,” Chad continued, “I summon Berserk Gorilla!”

The enraged primate stormed onto Chad’s field, its fists pounding holes into the concrete.

“I’m not dumb enough to halt its advance,” Chad went on, “so go get that Zapper, Berserk Gorilla!”

With a roar, the gorilla charged forward, grabbed Mataza by the arms, raised the ronin overhead and repeatedly slammed it into the ground, right up to the point where it shattered and all the gorilla still held were the arms.

0000000

Within the ball of darkness, the three spectators could no longer see the duel… but could still hear it. All three grimaced.

“We’re luckier not to see that one,” Gerald noted.

0000000

After his monster died, Prospero glanced to its Life Point counter and watched it click to 4,550. It then flashed a grin and declared, “I activate my Trap, Begone, Knave!”

A steel door flashed into being, along with an angry-looking guard.

“Hmm?” Chad said. “Remind me what that does.”

“Every time one of us takes Battle Damage,” Prospero replied, “the monster that did it goes back to our hand. Take him away!”

The guard grabbed hold of the Berserk Gorilla’s arms, only to engage in a brief wrestling match with the beast. After a moment, he kicked the door open with one foot and shoved the primate into it…

…whereupon it reappeared in Chad’s hand. The artist merely groaned and said, “I end my turn with that.”

Prospero drew its next card, smiling and giving a small laugh. “I’ll set a card facedown,” it began, “and summon the Chain Thrasher in Attack Mode.”

A blonde man in light clothing and chain sleeves stepped onto the field, holding the business end of a spiked chain in one hand and the rest of the chain in the other. (1,000/600)

Chad took a step back and crossed his fingers.

“For every one of his allies in my Graveyard,” Prospero noted, “this fellow can attack once. I put one there with Graceful Charity, so… Chain Thrasher, attack his Life Points directly with Chain Rend!”

Spinning the business end of his chain overhead, the Chain Thrasher leapt skyward and threw the chain down. It wrapped five times around Chad’s body, whereupon the Chain Thrasher stood on the man’s chest and tightened it. Chad let out a cry of shock, his Life Points falling to 2,800.

Before anything else could happen, however, the soldier from Prospero’s Begone, Knave! marched up and unwrapped the chain, throwing it to the ground. The Chain Thrasher, irritated, turned and started shouting at the soldier… only to get clubbed over the head with the butt end of the spear. With that, the soldier dug his fingers into the warrior’s collar, dragged him to the door, and tossed him through.

The Chain Thrasher reappeared in the tulpa’s hand, and it shrugged. “Unfortunately for me, Begone, Knave! affects both sides. So I’ll end my turn on that.”

Chad rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ignore the clammy feeling of his blackened skin. He looked at his cards, and then smiled. “I don’t have much choice, so… Chiron the Mage, in Attack Mode!”

The armored, blonde-haired centaur trotted out, wielding his orb-topped staff. (1,800/1,000)

“Now, by discarding a Magic Card…” He slid his Invigoration into the Graveyard. “I can destroy one Magic or Trap Card on your field! Chiron, destroy his face-down card!”

The centaur aimed his staff at the facedown card and let loose a bolt of energy. The card, Prospero’s Ordeal of a Traveler, shattered.

“I set this facedown,” Chad finished, “and I’ll end my turn with that.”

As Prospero drew, it grumbled, “So wise so young, they say do never live long…”

0000000

“King Richard III, Act 3, Scene 2,” Demetrius recited.

Laura shook her head. “You can’t help it, can you?”

“It’s an uncontrollable impulse.”

0000000

Glancing between its cards and the field, Prospero finally took a card from its hand and set it facedown. “I set this facedown,” it said, “and set one monster in Defense Mode. My turn will end with that.”

Chad drew, gave the card a look, and then played it. “I play my Pot of Greed.” He drew twice, took one of those cards, and shouted, “And then I activate Nobleman of Crossout on your facedown monster!”

The effeminate knight strode out of the card, drawing his shining blade. He rammed this blade through Prospero’s monster, which briefly appeared as the winged nose of Hane-Hane before fading out.

“Argh…” the tulpa groaned as the last Hane-Hane in its deck vanished as well.

The artist grinned, noting, “That’s one less rubber band to worry about. With that taken care of, I summon my Berserk Gorilla once again!”

Again, the feral primate jumped into view, slamming its palms on the ground. (2,000/1,000) This time, it seemed more than a little frustrated.

“Time to turn it loose – Berserk Gorilla, attack Prospero’s facedown monster!” Chad ordered.

The gorilla passed through the Dark Door and reached into the tulpa’s facedown card. After a moment, the ape started wrestling with the revealed monster, a large man in rough clothing with disheveled hair. The man finally used the Berserk Gorilla’s weight against it, hurling the monster away; it reappeared atop Chad’s deck. The effort involved finally overtook the man, and he collapsed, shattering.

The tulpa smirked, explaining, “That was the Legendary Jujitsu Master. Whenever a monster battles him, he ‘spins’ them back onto the top of their controller’s deck – win or lose, live or die.”

With a shrug, Chad said, “I’ll end with that.”

I’m in trouble… thought Prospero. Drawing its next card, it muttered, “I play my own Pot of Greed.” It drew twice, and then smirked. “I set a card facedown and a monster in Defense Mode. That will be it for me…” The two cards appeared, and the tulpa grinned at Chad through the Dark Door.

Chad redrew his Berserk Gorilla, grimacing at the fact. He then looked over his hand and shrugged. “I summon Berserk Gorilla once more and end my turn.”

As he said it, the gorilla appeared once again, slamming its fist repeatedly into the ground in rage. (2,000/1,000)

The tulpa drew again, and then began to laugh. “Though this be madness, yet there is method in it!” it announced.

0000000

Within the sphere of darkness, Demetrius seemed stressed. Finally, Gerald looked to him and said, “Get it over with.”

“Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2,” the older man said with a gasp.

0000000

Chad glanced at the facedown monster, thought back through the duel up to that point, and said, “Penguin Soldier?”

“Exactly!” Prospero answered. “So I’ll flip it face-up and send those beasts back to your hand!”

The Penguin Soldier appeared again, brandishing its sword. It waved the blade before it, summoning the watery mist around Chad’s Chiron the Mage and Berserk Gorilla. Soon, the mist faded, taking those monsters with it.

Both appeared in Chad’s hand, and he narrowed his eyes. I am so tired of this…

“Now,” Prospero continued, “I summon the Armed Samurai Ben Kei!”

A man in beat-up leather armor emerged from a sandstorm, carrying a massive basket of weapons on his back. He looked tired, but there was a spark of energy in his eyes. (500/800)

Chad raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard of Benkei… He was a monk who sought to collect 1,000 weapons from passing swordsmen to prove his might. On the thousandth duel, he was defeated by Minamoto Yoshitsune, and served him ever afterwards. I presume this samurai is him earlier in his career?”

“Indeed, and there are some weapons in his collection he’s outright scared of,” Prospero replied. “Such as this one, number 457, the Axe of Despair!”

With a moment’s trepidation, the monk took a wicked axe from the basket on his back. (500/800 – 1,500/800)

“Finally,” the tulpa finished, “I play Emergency Provisions and feed my Begone, Knave! to it, giving me 1,000 Life Points – and more importantly, allowing me to finish this fight! For every Equip Magic Card he holds, Ben Kei can attack an additional time!”

This time, the weird mouth swallowed the panicking guard whole as Prospero’s Life Points rose to 5,550.

0000000

“Well, we tried…” Demetrius began.

Laura looked to Gerald, and Gerald shrugged. “I don’t feel the need to yawn,” he replied.

Encouraged, Laura said, “It’s not over yet…”

To be continued next post...

[Master of Paradox]

Continued from the last post:

“Ben Kei,” Prospero ordered, “attack Chad with Thousand Battle Strike!”

The armed warrior hefted his axe, took a step back, and threw himself forward…

…and suddenly, Chad was clad in shining armor. The Axe of Despair struck it, and there was a tremendous explosion. When it ended, Ben Kei stood there, still standing but obviously dead.

“The Standing Death of Ben Kei,” Chad noted. “How appropriate, even if it was my Sakuretsu Armor that killed him and not a bunch of arrows.”

He blew on the monster corpse and it fell over, shattering.

The tulpa gulped and muttered, “End turn.”

Chad drew and instantly said, “I summon the Berserk Gorilla one more time!”

This time, the gorilla was beyond berserk – it screamed and howled, smashing a gigantic hole in the pavement. (2,000/1,000… again)

“Relax, you’ll really get to hurt him this time,” Chad told it. “See that penguin? Kill it.”

The gorilla smashed through the Dark Door, grabbed the Penguin Soldier, and thrashed it over and over again into the street. Squeaking noises filled the air until the poor waterfowl shattered. Prospero groaned as its Life Points fell to 4,300.

0000000

“That poor, poor penguin,” Gerald said.

Demetrius solemnly took off his top hat and held it before him, bowing his head.

0000000

“I think that will do for me,” Chad concluded.

As it drew its next card, the tulpa shook in fright. “I… set a monster in Defense Mode… and end my turn…” it stammered.

Chad drew his card and then stopped. It’s one of the cards I got from Ulysses! “I summon Exarion Universe in Attack Mode!” he announced.

An exotic centaur, clad in black metal armor, emerged from a void in space. It had green skin – what could be seen of it; even its face was masked – and wings coming from its hooves. One hand bore a delicate but intricately-crafted lance. (1,800/1,900)

“This monster is a master at controlling the cosmic forces in its body,” Chad continued. “During my Battle Phase, it can cut its Attack Points by 400, and in exchange, it can damage your Life Points through Defense Mode monsters…”

Prospero smirked, noting, “But it can’t attack. The Dark Door only lets one monster through each turn, and your Berserk Gorilla has to attack me!”

In response, Chad shrugged. “Not really. The official Industrial Illusions ruling is that I can send whichever monster I please through the Dark Door – it prevents the others from attacking, which doesn’t hurt the Berserk Gorilla in any way.”

After a moment’s thought, the tulpa gulped again.

“With that being the case, I’ll invoke Exarion Universe’s effect and send it through the Dark Door! Exarion Universe, attack his facedown monster with Stardust Javelin!” Chad ordered.

The world bent around the Exarion Universe, as a stream of shimmering green light surrounded the lance in its hand. (1,800/1,900 – 1,400/1,900) It then galloped forward, passing through the Dark Door, and levitated over the duelists’s heads.

With a single gesture, it propelled the lance through the facedown monster. The monster, now revealed as a Chain Thrasher, struggled with the impaling weapon for a moment before collapsing, slain.

Prospero spat an unintelligible curse as its Life Points hit 3,500.

Chad gave his hand one more glance before saying, “Take your turn.”

With shaking hands, the tulpa drew its next card, and then its eyes widened. All right… this will be tricky, but if it works, the game is mine. “I play Monster Reborn,” it began, “to bring back my Legendary Jujitsu Master in Defense Mode…”

The martial artist crouched before Prospero, arms crossed.

“And then I sacrifice it,” it continued, “for a monster in facedown Defense Mode. You may go.”

The Jujitsu Master disappeared, replaced with a facedown monster.

Even if he attacks my Guardian Sphinx, which prevents its ability from working, Prospero thought, he can’t kill it outright. That should give me time to get protections in place, and if I activate its ability even once, this duel is mine!

0000000

Inside the dark sphere, Gerald yawned. Demetrius raised an eyebrow, but Laura simply said, “This duel’s almost over.”

0000000

Chad drew and smirked. “I tribute my Berserk Gorilla and Exarion Universe,” he declared, “to summon Behemoth the King of All Animals in Attack Mode!”

NO! thought the tulpa. Not that! That will destroy my sphinx, and then I’m sunk!

Exarion Universe and the Berserk Gorilla vanished, replaced by the overwhelming presence of the pink-skinned, purple-furred beast known as Behemoth. (2,700/1,500)

“As per his effect, I’ll take back two beasts from my Graveyard… Behemoth,” Chad ordered, “attack with Wild Monarch’s Crash!”

The king of all animals raised his paw and stamped down hard, shattering the Guardian Sphinx to pieces underneath it.

“Make your move,” the artist dared the tulpa.

After drawing its card, Prospero fell to its knees. “I can’t do a damn thing.”

Chad drew and immediately played his draw, declaring, “Mystical Space Typhoon will blow that Dark Door open…”

A massive gust of wind tore the Dark Door to pieces.

“And I’ll summon my Chiron the Mage once more,” he went on.

Once again, the armored blonde centaur emerged, staff at the ready. (1,800/1,000)

“Behemoth, attack the tulpa with Wild Monarch’s Crash!” Chad ordered.

That massive paw rose over Prospero, who futilely covered its head with its arms before the paw came down. There was a pause, and then it got to its feet, its Life Points down to 900.

“And now, Chiron,” Chad finished, “end the duel altogether!”

The centaur raised his staff, sighting down it at Prospero. The tulpa stepped left, but the staff followed it. It stepped right, and the staff followed it. Finally, it tried to run, only to get blasted with a bolt of energy in the back, sending its Life Points to zero.

As the dark sphere dissipated, Demetrius rose off the hood of the car. Laura, meanwhile, sat next to Gerald; she couldn’t move, as his head was on her shoulder and he was fast asleep. She wasn’t sure whether that was a bad thing.

The older duelist stormed up to the tulpa, who was on the ground and crawling for its life. After seeing its creator approach, Prospero turned and hissed, “A plague on both your houses!”

“Romeo and Juliet, Act Three, Scene One,” Demetrius said automatically. “Now it’s my turn to quote… ‘This thing of darkness…’” He gestured to the tulpa. “‘…I acknowledge mine.’ The Tempest, Act Five, Scene One. Time to clean up my mess.”

“No… no…”

Demetrius Lark shut his eyes, his mind focused to a single point. At the same time, a small point at the center of Prospero’s body began to fade away. The tulpa shot to its feet, dropping the deck, which scattered into its separate cards. Chad stepped forward and began to put it back together.

More of the tulpa’s body began to fade, and it backed away from its creator, slamming into the door of the Wells Fargo Building. Finally, with one last cry of discontent, the thoughtform vanished completely, leaving no trace it ever existed.

Gerald awoke at that sound, and then narrowed his eyes, glancing about. “Huh… thought I’d heard something. Guess it doesn’t matter.”

Laura pushed him off of her shoulder, whereupon he sat upright; she’d briefly expected him to fall onto his other side. “Do you even exist in the same dimension as the rest of us?” she asked.

“I think so…”

After getting the last card back into Demetrius’s deck, Chad handed it over to the older man. He smiled, taking the deck back and sliding it into his pocket. “I don’t know how to thank you,” he said, sighing in relief. “Not only have you gotten back my deck, but you’ve helped me rid myself of that twice-damned tulpa. I’m a little lost as to how to repay you…”

Gerald looked to Chad, who shrugged, and then to Laura, who didn’t look back to him. “I don’t think we require repayment. This is kind of our job.”

“Hmmm… I’ve heard that some of the Darkness Infected, the ones that are duelists, don’t go comatose like the rest. What happens to them?”

“They pick up their decks and start hunting for other duelists to infect,” Laura answered. “One defeat and you’re infected.”

A moment passed, and then Demetrius snapped his fingers. “I have it! As long as the Darkness Infection is still in this city, I won’t have any other plans, so… In order to assist you, I will scour this city and defeat any Darkness Infected I find. That way, they’ll stay off your back and make your overall job easier. Does that sound acceptable?”

Chad grabbed Demetrius’s shoulder and said, “You must be crazy. Did you miss when Laura said ‘One defeat and you’re infected’?”

“If any petty duel ‘zombie’ can break my undefeated record, I never deserved to be a duelist in the first place.” The older man then grinned. “Don’t try to talk me out of it further – I, Demetrius Lark, first among equals, have made my decision!”

Gerald and Laura glanced to each other, and then Gerald said, “Well, we thank you, then.”

“Right!” Demetrius raised his hat. “Now that I have my deck back, I shall set about on this task immediately! I thank you once again, my friends… Now go we in content to liberty, and not to banishment.” He paused. “As You Like It, Act One, Scene Three… and that’s out of context, but at the moment, I don’t care.” He then crossed his arm before him and bowed.

With that, Demetrius Lark wandered down the street, soon disappearing from their sight.

“I hope we see him again,” Chad said.

Gerald replied, “Something tells me you’d need a ballista to stop him, so I think we will.”

0000000

Menardi sighed, shutting off her mirror for now. “Oh, you stupid tulpa… I see you didn’t take any of the good qualities from Demetrius Lark when you copied him.” She sighed again. “The ego, though, you copied in full. Oh, my bosses will not be happy about this…”

Just as she said it, her cell phone went off. She turned it on, gnawing on one lip, and put it to her ear before saying, “Hello?”

“Well, that one did better than Nina did, at any rate,” Alexander’s voice replied. “Perhaps your choices aren’t absolute failures after all.”

“Thank you, sir,” Menardi replied.

Alexander paused for a moment, and then said, “Regardless, make preparations to duel them yourself.”

“What?” Menardi yelled. “But, sir, I have one more servant yet! Degas said so himself!”

“And so you do,” the man on the other end of the line said. “But we’re instituting a large-scale change of plans in how we deal with Gerald and company. We’re tired of your Shadow Queen tactics… Therefore, whether or not your last chance succeeds or fails, you’ll be challenging Gerald and his friends yourself. If the last chance succeeds, that means you’ll have fewer people to take care of when it’s your turn. Understood?”

Even as she began to sulk, Menardi answered, “Understood…”

“I’m glad we had this talk,” Alexander said before he hung up.

I was having fun… With a shrug, the Pillar shouted, “Hanzaki!”

After a moment, the Lycra-clad man stepped out of a blur in the air. “What do you require?”

“I have some very specific orders for you…”

0000000

The man in green hung up his own phone, letting out a sigh. His shirt was still open, and two black handprints were burned onto his chest. Already they had begun to fade, but their mere presence irritated him.

For the time being, Alexander was in his bedchamber, a small room off the central mirror room. It held little more than a nightstand, a radio, and his bed. The radio currently played Acknowledgement’s “My Pain”.

It’s not like I ever asked to be a human Duracell, he thought. But then, it does have advantages. Being able to tap into my own power is worth the hassle.

The man in black stepped into the room at that point, cutting off Alexander’s chain of thought. “Have you informed Menardi as to our new course of action?” he said.

“Just did,” Alexander answered. “I think she’ll understand our reasoning. After all, every Darkness Infected we’ve sent after them has fallen, with a minimal struggle if we’re lucky. Getting close only counts in nuclear war and horseshoes, to cite the cliché.”

Degas nodded, adjusting his shades. “Thankfully, not all of our servants are Darkness Infected. Father Young is the most powerful of that group, but we have more than just him for that purpose…” His voice dropped to just above a whisper. “Such as him…”

“Don’t even mention his name yet,” Alexander cut him off. “I don’t want to believe we actually made a deal with that… thing.”

“But we did. Hiding our heads in the sand won’t change it.”

The man in green sighed. “I know. But I don’t have to like it.”

Coming next chapter: The last piece of Menardi’s game falls into place, as a man of pure darkness steps up to challenge Gerald. Viper was hard enough, but this man has put an utter halt to anything Gerald can do to fight him. With all of his plans failing, can Gerald muster a comeback, or is this it for the Chosen of the Light? Find out in Chapter Fourteen, “Sinner”.

[jkBAKURA]

“I summon the Berserk Gorilla one more time!”

This time, the gorilla was beyond berserk – it screamed and howled, smashing a gigantic hole in the pavement. (2,000/1,000… again)

“Relax, you’ll really get to hurt him this time,” Chad told it. “See that penguin? Kill it.”

The gorilla smashed through the Dark Door, grabbed the Penguin Soldier, and thrashed it over and over again into the street. Squeaking noises filled the air until the poor waterfowl shattered. Prospero groaned as its Life Points fell to 4,300.

0000000

“That poor, poor penguin,” Gerald said.

Demetrius solemnly took off his top hat and held it before him, bowing his head.

I was rolling on the floor at this point. It was almost better then the "Can somebody please wake the champion?" line. Several laughs in this chapter actually.

You've made it clear that it was the same deck, but this duel didn't seem any different then Malvolio in Dark Massiah (save for the different opponent of course) That didn't make it a bad thing however, as it's a great chapter in it's own right. I thought for sure that you'd use Wall of Illusions at some point though.

I really like how you're giving each Pillar their own unique style, not just the same villenous personality replayed over and over, though after seeing some of Menardi's choices, D&A were probably better off with Viper

Speaking of those two, my main curiosity now turns to whoever they were talking about at the end of the chapter.

I hope you're not gone for too long Paradox. Expect a warm welcome back in the meantime.

[Dark Sage]

Hmm... I wonder if Malvolio knows about this?

I liked this chapter - the quotes from the Bard were entertaining. It seems Demetrius is an exceptional duelist (I've seen the type in various works of fiction).

Don't be a stranger, MoP. I hope we hear from you again soon...

After all, this is just getting good.

[Shuppet Master]

I second that. (Still recovering from a headcold...spring is the worst season for me in health ) Your chapter was just great, you played the bounce deck just as well as Brian did, and you even copied Malvolio. Out of curiousity, is Demetrius Malvolio's grandfather, and thus is this story linked to Dark Messiah?

Anyways, great chapter, and I really liked how you portrayed Berserk Gorilla. Few authros actually portray the "berserk" properly. Also, you pointed out a ruling for Dark Door, which is nice. (I think Brian used that ruling in one of his quizzes.)

Good luck in your travels and I hope we hear from you soon.

EDIT: Forgot to add this comment. Comparing Menardi to Brian's Shadow Queen was impeccable. Something tells me she will end up suffering the same fate as said sorceress. :biggrin:

[Master of Paradox]

For the record: yes, this is the Demetrius Lark, ancestor of Malvolio Lark from "Yu-Gi-Oh: Dark Messiah". Now you know where the Lark family got its reputation from.

[Blademaster]

Quite the chapter, Paradox - very familiar, too...

I like how you portrayed Berserk Gorila, too - if he was just mad the first time, I don't even wanna know how angry he was the fourth time!

Anyway, not much to say at the moment; have fun doing whatever you're gonna be doing while you're gone.

Later.

-Blade

[Master of Paradox]

It's been quite a while, so here's the next chapter. Don't ask when Chapter Fifteen will be up.

And a warning: this chapter is dark.

The further we go along this path, the more powerful the Darkness gets. It’s only natural, yes, but I didn’t expect the increase in power to be this steep.

First there were the Darkness Infected. Most of them were a challenge, but they weren’t as bad as you might think. They were, after all, just ordinary people with a bit of dark tampering.

Then there was Jean-Vic Viper, the Pillar of Destruction. That fight hurt, because he had pure Darkness on his side as opposed to the infection.

And now I’m battling someone who’s got a level of darkness and evil on his side that make Viper look like a mere dabbler. And he knows what he’s doing. I can’t even touch him.

May the Light protect me, because if they don’t, I seriously doubt my chances of survival…

Chapter Fourteen: Sinner

A ball of fire bounced its way up two separate buildings, finally coming to a halt on the edge of one. The fireball reformed into Lucifer Allumette, crouched on the roof and staring at a picture.

Where could you go? he thought to himself. Zese two cities aren’t zat large… I know you’re here somewhere, but where, of all places, could you be? I’m running out of new places to look…

He sighed. And here I abandon my duty to go looking for you. Monsieur Laxina must zink I’m ze devil. Ze fire doesn’t help matters much in zat regard. I should look him and his friends up and get back on zeir good side…

The train of thought derailed as the Ring of Alarms lit up, searing into Lucifer’s finger. He winced, tugging it off and setting it on the roof, whereupon it let off smoke. “What in ze name of ze Dreaming could be zat dangerous?” he asked himself.

Turning to another of the rings on his right hand, the Beloved of Fire shut his eyes and whispered, “Ring of Identities, tell me who is making the Ring of Alarms burn so intently.” He paused, listening to its whispers…

…and then grabbed the Ring of Alarms, shoved it back on his finger, and burned into the sky as a pillar of flame. It CAN’T be him! If it is, zen Monsieur Laxina needs to be warned! Ze stakes just shot up!

0000000

Menardi had promised Gerald and his friends that they would face their last challenge in Minneapolis before the day was over, and so the three of them were sitting on the steps of the Wells Fargo Building and waiting on the theory that it would done with quicker if they didn’t move. Chad had made a run to a newsstand, which was unmanned now that Minneapolis was infected, and had returned with several Star Tribunes, which all three were skimming over.

After he’d caught himself rereading the same interview with John Cameron for the fifth time, Gerald finally set the paper down. “I wonder if the next challenger got lost on the road,” he said.

“A possibility, especially if any of the people who were infected was driving,” Chad replied. “I wonder if she’d call that a forfeit.”

Laura, still reading a recap of the Nevada State Duel Monsters Championship (Demetrius Lark had won, of course), asked, “If that’s the case, then what do we do?”

“The most likely prospect is that we’ll wind up dueling her directly after that. After that… well, Jean-Vic said there are four Pillars, so the pattern will likely repeat itself twice. And then?” Gerald shrugged. “At the rate we’re going, however, I’m guessing the final battle is within a week.”

Chad just stared at his friend. “That’s a surprisingly optimistic viewpoint from you…”

“Nobody can be gloomy all day every day.”

“So… what are you going to do after this is over?” Laura asked the other two, folding her paper.

Chad shrugged, thinking the familiar thought, I have no idea what I’m doing… “I’ve got a dream about buying some land, give up the booze and the one-night stands,” he started.

Gerald cut him off: “We all know that song, Chad. Be serious.”

“Seriously… I have absolutely no clue,” Chad answered, looking at his shoes.

“I’ll be going back to Maine,” Laura said next. “Jessica must be worried about me…” She flipped a page in the newspaper, and then stopped cold. After a moment, she turned it around for the other two to see.

Under the heading “Search for Missing Maine Girl Continues”, there was a fairly good photograph of Laura.

“I see you’ve moved down to page four… You know,” Gerald noted, “you never needed to travel with us. We could just leave town and drop you off at a police station anywhere in the area – that would conclude the search and they’d probably get you home. I have to ask… why you are helping us.”

There was a long pause as that fact sank in, and then Laura shrugged. “I guess… now that I’m part of this, I just want to see it out…” It didn’t sound convincing to her, either, and so she quickly added, “What’ll you do when this is over, Gerald?”

“Go home, clean up the apartment, find another job, and settle back into my routine,” he answered automatically.

“Not surprising,” Chad said. “‘Unchanging’ is your middle name, after all.”

“Actually, it’s Randolph.”

There was a pause. Finally, Chad asked, “Randolph?”

“My mother was born and raised in Bonn, back when it was still the capital of West Germany. It was her grandfather’s name – my great-grandfather.”

“Ah. My middle name’s Allen, so…” Chad shrugged. “What’s yours, Laura?”

“I don’t have a middle name,” Laura replied.

Gerald raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have one?”

“Not everyone does. Other than having to leave the middle initial box blank on some forms, it doesn’t really matter.”

A cloud of dust rose on the street before their vision, and the three looked into it…

0000000

There was a moment’s silence somewhere in St. Paul as Degas and Alexander watched the mirror. The man at the center of the cloud of dust stepped into view, and Degas’s jaw dropped.

“Who is that man?” Alexander began to ask, only to be ignored. Degas had made his way over to the phone, snatched the receiver up, and slammed the speed dial.

Menardi’s cell phone answered a moment later. “Enjoying the spectacle?” she asked.

“Menardi, how did you find him? He vanished a century ago, and everything I did to go searching fell flat!” Degas yelled.

“Would you be willing to believe my feminine wiles did it?”

After a moment, Degas adjusted his sunglasses and said, “I don’t think he even cares about gender anymore. He passed that stage in the 1600’s. How on Earth did you get him on our side, though?”

Menardi snickered for a moment, and then turned serious. “I was talking to Hanzaki, and he mentioned that there were rumors of vaguely… unpleasant… occurrences in the Hutchinson area. I had him swing me by there, and our friend in the dust cloud was waiting for us. All it took was a brief description of what we were up to, and he got up and said – and I quote – ‘I’m tired of waiting for the Dark Man to come back. I need action.’ And he took off towards Minneapolis without another word or a look back.”

“Intriguing,” Degas said. “To think our activities could stir one such as him from his old sleep… So this was your ace in the hole, Menardi?”

“Yes, Degas. Now you see why I asked for that last chance…”

“Understood,” Degas said. “I admire your duplicity.” With that, he hung up and returned to his chair.

“I’ll ask again,” Alexander said once the conversation was over. “Who is that?”

Degas merely smiled. “Wait for him to introduce himself and then I’ll explain.”

0000000

“Run for your lives, Pigpen is coming to kill us,” Gerald muttered, his voice adopting a sarcastic edge to it.

Even as he said it, however, the dust cloud receded, revealing a man at its center. The man was about Gerald’s height, with rust-red hair and pale skin. He wore a black leather vest, with leather straps covering his torso under it, and dark blue pants. Although he was barefoot, it didn’t seem to stop him. It was impossible to tell his age from anything about him.

As he looked over Gerald’s group, they noticed one last detail about him: his eyes were pure black. Occasionally, little red flecks passed through the space, as if a fire burned within his body.

A minute passed, and finally the man spoke. “Which of you is the Chosen of the Light?”

Sighing, Gerald stepped forward, moving to the side of the Corolla. “That title belongs to me, it seems,” he said.

“Chosen of the Light, we will duel, and you will be destroyed,” the man said.

There was a stunned silence, and then Laura said, “The Darkness never bothers to teach its duelists tact, does it?”

With a yawn, Gerald held up his Duel Disk and activated it. “Let’s get this over with, then. I assume Menardi sent you?”

“Nobody sends me anywhere,” the man corrected. “I chose to destroy you, Chosen of the Light, as I am the servant of the Darkness – it is my task. You will not go any further.”

“I see… what’s your name?”

The man held up his arm, and a jet-black Duel Disk appeared on it after a second, similar to Prospero’s in appearance. “I am Jacob Waterknot. Now prepare to die.”

Shrugging, Gerald moved around to the other side of the Corolla and leaned on it. “Let’s just duel before you get overly dramatic.”

“As you have entered this duel voluntarily,” Jacob said, “I may invoke my version of a Dark Duel. And so I shall.” He raised one hand, and a black circle surrounded the two men.

0000000

“Where did he learn how to do that?” Alexander asked.

Degas grinned. “Probably from one of his contractors. Jacob Waterknot is something of a dark legend. Six hundred years ago, he began to make deals with agents of pure Darkness, signing contracts and forging pacts. He has no loyalty except to his power, and so he agreed to serve both sides in several of the Darkness’s most bitter feuds.

“Before any of his masters could call in their payments, Jacob slit his throat. This would force any number of the agents of Darkness to war over his soul, a war that would cost them too much, and so they had to bring him back to life and grant him immortality so that the pacts would remain open.

“Ever since then, the name of Jacob Waterknot, the dark servant, is a name to conjure with. He wields unknown levels of dark power, learned from all his different deals. And to think he’s on our side…”

Alexander shut his eyes, thought a moment, and asked, “How will we make sure he doesn’t try to overthrow us and run the operation himself?”

“This is a different world from six hundred years ago,” Degas replied. “Of his many masters, one has risen to the top. There is no argument; once Jacob dies, that one will have his soul all to itself. But Jacob doesn’t know that.

“If he tries to overthrow us, I’ll just take away his immortality – it would be as easy as peeling a banana, since it only clings to him by dark will. Without it, time will do its dirty work and Jacob will die.

“Wielding the power he does is one thing. Knowing how to counter it is another level of power.”

0000000

“So… we’ll be using our Images, then,” Gerald said as he examined the black circle and the lines within.

Jacob shook his head. “This is my version of a Dark Duel, Chosen. Images are not used for this one. No, this Dark Duel bears more in common with the legendary Shadow Games.”

“Hmmm?”

“Whatever happens to you or to your surroundings… it’s all real now.” Jacob held his hand over the deck slot of his Duel Disk. A deck appeared in it. “And let me assure you, my Apocalypse Deck is perfect for a duel like this.”

“Apocalypse?” Laura asked Chad. “You think he means the ritual End of the World?”

“Maybe,” Chad replied.

“My deck specializes in doing things directly to people,” Gerald said, activating his own Duel Disk, “so I don’t really care.” Oh, I hate dueling while standing up, he thought. And now that the Dark Duel is underway, I can’t get to a seat…

Both Life Point counters went to 8,000.

“Let us begin,” Jacob intoned. Before Gerald could do anything, he drew his opening hand, gave his cards a look, and then said, “I set this monster in Defense Mode and end my turn. Make your move, Chosen.”

“The name is Gerald,” Gerald said. He drew, and then said, “I’ll start with Level Limit – Area B, which will force all Level Four or higher monsters into Defense Mode while it’s active…”

A shimmering set of blue walls surrounded them, and a pyramid appeared overhead as the Level Limit Area came into being.

“Next,” Gerald continued, “I summon the Raging Flame Sprite in Attack Mode.”

A tiny spark of fire danced on the lazy man’s hand, and he blew on it, settling it on the field. The fire rose, and from it came a little girl in rust-red clothing. She had pointy ears, wore a floppy hat, and carried a torch in one hand. (100/200)

“That must be one of the cards he took from Ulysses…” Chad said.

“How can you tell?” Laura asked him.

“Because he’s looked for that card for ages, but could never find it in Maine. Not sure why.”

After a moment, Gerald nodded. “Raging Flame Sprite, attack directly with Fire Kiss.”

The little spirit of fire inhaled, and then spat a tiny fireball at Jacob. It hit him in the chest and vanished. The dark servant barely flinched as his Life Points went to 7,900.

“Hmmm…” Gerald thought aloud. “That didn’t do much, did it? Good for me, then, that my Raging Flame Sprite gains 1,000 Attack Points for every successful direct attack…”

As he said it, the torch in the sprite’s hand burned brighter, and she began to sweat a little. (100/200 – 1,100/200)

“I set one card facedown,” Gerald concluded, “play a Dian Keto the Cure Master, and that will end my turn.” His Life Points rose to 9,000 as the aura of light surrounded his feet.

Jacob drew, declaring, “Chosen, if that’s an anti-monster trap, you’ve wasted a Magic and Trap Zone. My deck doesn’t attack. In fact, I thank you for playing that Level Limit card…” He turned around one card in his hand, revealing it was Level Limit – Area B. “You save me the trouble of doing it myself.”

All three onlookers stared with widened eyes.

“Now,” Jacob said, “I’ll set a card facedown and summon Aqua Madoor in Attack Mode… or Defense Mode, as the case will soon be.”

A mage in cerulean robes, with spiky blue hair and a face hidden behind a mask, floated onto Jacob’s field, next to his facedown monster. The Level Limit area struck him with an electric shock, and the mage knelt, arms crossed over his chest. (1,200/2,000)

“That will be my turn, Chosen of the Light,” Jacob concluded.

Sighing, Gerald said, “Please call me by name. It’s disturbing to constantly be called by a title I didn’t ask for…” He drew his next card, and then said, “I’ll summon the Inaba White Rabbit in Attack Mode.”

The white rabbit and its teleporter came into being, prepared to strike. (700/500)

Jacob waved his hand towards his facedown card, which revealed itself. “That won’t work, Gerald. I activate Horn of Heaven – yes, I know the irony of me playing anything with ‘Heaven’ in the name…”

The winged horn descended, aimed directly at the rabbit, which began to shiver.

“Whichever monster blows this horn will die from sympathetic vibration,” Jacob explained. “But the resulting blast will rewrite history, preventing your monster from ever having come into play and sending it to the grave. Aqua Madoor, I command you to play the Horn of Heaven and undo the Inaba White Rabbit’s existence.”

Stepping up to the horn, the spellcaster cleared his throat. He then took a deep breath and – without even shifting his mask – blew the Horn of Heaven. Its reverberating tone forced Chad and Laura to cover their ears, although Gerald didn’t seem to be affected by it. His Inaba White Rabbit, however, quivered in pain, and then expanded slightly before vanishing in a burst of light.

After blowing the horn, however, the Aqua Madoor stumbled back, clapping both hands over where his ears would be if they were visible. His body quaked, and finally he exploded into a hundred pieces. His mask bounced twice before shattering.

Jacob sighed. “Couldn’t be helped,” he said.

The line made Gerald raise an eyebrow, but then he shrugged. “Raging Flame Sprite, attack him directly,” he ordered.

This time, the little fire spirit inhaled for a few seconds longer than before. She held the breath a moment, and then spat a long bolt of fire at Jacob. It struck the dark servant in his chest, leaving a scorch mark… but he simply dusted it off as his Life Points moved to 6,800.

“Is he made of iron?” Laura wondered.

With a sigh, Gerald said, “That will end my turn, then.” While he said it, the Raging Flame Sprite began to pant, sweating profusely, and her torch grew even brighter. (1,100/200 – 2,100/200)

Nodding in response, Jacob drew. “I set a card facedown, and then I’ll sacrifice my facedown Prevent Rat for Labyrinth Wall in Attack Mode… shifted to Defense by your Level Limit – Area B.”

The ground around the duelists rumbled, causing Chad and Laura to take several steps backwards. Jacob’s coat fluttered as dust rose from the street beneath him; the pavement at his feet cracked. A gigantic stone maze came into being underneath him, rising up and becoming larger and larger with each passing minute. Finally, it was there before them, with no obvious signs as to what mode it was in. Jacob’s facedown card was visible within the Labyrinth’s entrance. (0/3,000)

“Now, Chosen, it is your move,” Jacob concluded.

“The name is Gerald. Gerald Laxina. Stop calling me ‘Chosen’.” Gerald drew his next card, thinking, If I summon something, odds are good he’ll just lay it to waste. “Raging Flame Sprite,” he commanded, “attack him once again with Fire Kiss.”

After taking a massive breath, the Raging Flame Sprite prepared to unleash a massive blast of fire at Jacob…

“Activate Staunch Defender,” Jacob declared, gesturing to his facedown card as he sat atop the Labyrinth Wall. “Now you must attack a face-up monster I choose, and I choose my Labyrinth Wall. Pity, isn’t it?” And he slid off the wall into the labyrinth’s core.

The Raging Flame Sprite exhaled, shooting a gigantic stream of fire at the Labyrinth Wall. The fire burned its way into the labyrinth, apparently chasing after Jacob. Several minutes passed, during which nothing seemed to happen. Gerald looked to his friends…

…and then a subdued wave of fire came out of the Labyrinth Wall and washed over Gerald, causing him to cry out in shock as his Life Points hit 8,100.

Once the attack was done, Jacob pulled himself back onto the Labyrinth Wall, standing straight and looking to Gerald. “My apologies if that hurt, Chosen of the Light… but it was supposed to.”

Not even bothering to comment, Gerald exhaled with a hiss, and then put a hand to his cheek… his eyes widening as he felt a burn there. “What on Earth…?”

“A little bit of dark power, properly applied. I’d be careful what you let hit you, Chosen…” Jacob narrowed his eyes. “Some things are more painful than others in this game.”

This must really be a Dark Duel, Gerald thought. How else could I get burned like that? “In that case, I’ll set a monster in Defense Mode and end my turn,” he concluded.

Laura whispered to Chad, “Wonder why he set that, given that Jacob said he won’t be attacking…”

“Jacob could be lying,” Chad pointed out, “and either way he can sacrifice it for Heaven’s Sphere when he gets it in hand.”

His eyes closed, Jacob drew, and then set his card on his Duel Disk. “Graceful Charity should make this duel even harder for you,” he said, drawing his three cards and discarding two (Level Limit – Area B among them). He then held up one card. “With this Equip Magic card, Chosen, your deck will be left utterly helpless.”

Gerald thought for a moment, and then whispered, “Oh, no.”

“I play Ring of Magnetism on the Labyrinth Wall,” Jacob continued.

The entrance to the Labyrinth Wall pulled itself open wider, and a green metal ring burned itself into being, shining slightly. The structure under Jacob’s feet weakened slightly, bits of stone rolling off and falling away. (0/3,000 – 0/2,500)

“With this card in play,” Jacob said, “although my Labyrinth Wall loses 500 Defense Points, it becomes the only target – player or monster – you can attack… which means you simply cannot attack, as none of your monsters are strong enough to destroy it. Unless you have an Amazoness Swordswoman or Chthonian Soldier, you can’t touch me.”

Laura winced. “I saw this last month. Someone used it to shut down a Toon deck with the help of Horn of Light and Chorus of Sanctuary.”

“This does not look good,” Chad said, stating the obvious – which was the entirety of what could be said at the moment. “But it just hit me – this is Jacob’s fourth turn and he hasn’t moved for any offense yet. Do you think it’s a stall deck?”

“I set a card facedown,” Jacob went on, “and call that the end of my turn.” Chosen, you have only begun to suffer.

Gerald drew, muttering, “What am I going to do now?” He glanced to his draw and added, “That’s a start…” Audibly, he declared, “I’ll set a card facedown and end my turn.”

Not like he could do much else, Laura thought.

Jacob drew, gave his card a look, and then held it up. “Pot of Greed.” He drew twice, and then said, “Chosen, I’m fairly sure you’ve run into Cards of Night before…”

“Oh, damn it all!” Chad exclaimed. Laura kept silent, but she shared the feeling.

“I take it you’re about to play one,” Gerald said, keeping his worry masked fairly well.

Jacob nodded, calmly playing the card as he said, “I call upon the Card of Night known as Pandora’s Black Wisdom.”

In front of the Labyrinth Wall, a small gold chest appeared. The lid shook slightly, a dark smoke beginning to leak out.

“We all know the story of Pandora’s Box,” Jacob explained. “When the box was opened, all the evils of the world were unleashed on mankind, causing us no end of grief. All that remained in the box was hope… but what nobody knew was that the box also contained a glorious, terrible wisdom, visible only as the evils fled from it.” He jumped off the Labyrinth Wall, landing fairly well, and said, “Let’s see what it’s got tucked into those depths…”

With a good push, Jacob took the lid off of the box and looked down into it. There was a moment’s pause, and then a massive burst of utter evil rose from within the container, screaming and gibbering as it flew past Jacob’s head. The dark servant didn’t seem to notice… or care. He just stared into the box as every foul creature imaginable disappeared into the sky overhead.

After the evils disappeared, Jacob looked up, vaguely disappointed. He picked up the lid and set it back onto the box, watching it vanish.

“Well?” Gerald finally asked.

“Nothing I didn’t already know,” Jacob replied. “But still, any insight is good insight. This card lets me search my deck for any three cards I wish and add them to my hand.” He took his deck, drew out three cards, and slid them neatly into his hand. “The price for such knowledge is high, though – I now remove the top three cards of my deck from the game.” The top three cards of his deck simply vanished, one after the other.

There was a moment’s silence, and then Chad asked, “And the other price?”

“Ah, yes, the price Darkness requires I pay.” Jacob chuckled. “Rather a hefty one, I say; if I lose this duel, all five of my senses cease to function. Sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell – if I lose, all sensory input will be lost for the rest of my days.”

Gerald blinked. “As much as I’m not the friend of the Darkness, I have to say that’s a bit steep.”

The dark servant shrugged. “It’s forbidden knowledge, Chosen of the Light, so the cost is not quite equal to the value. But I digress…” He took two cards from his hand and slid them into his Magic and Trap spaces. “I set these two cards facedown and end my turn.”

Gerald set his fingers on his deck…

“Activate Ojama Trio,” Jacob declared, now standing in front of the Labyrinth Wall – apparently, he couldn’t scale it from outside. “This creates three Ojama tokens on your field, filling your Monster zones and denying you a chance to summon.”

Three hideously ugly creatures popped into view on Gerald’s field, mugging as they came into being. “Hey! It’s a new boss!” one of them, a disturbing thing with yellow skin, bulbous head, and stalk eyes shouted. (0/1,000)

“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss,” said a squat black-skinned humanoid. (0/1,000)

“Meh, I dunno,” said the third of the group, a one-eyed green-skinned creature with a frighteningly-long tongue. “The old boss had more energy. This slouch just ain’t got it.” (0/1,000)

“Shut up, all three of you, or I will drop-kick you into the next county,” Gerald warned them. The Ojamas fell silent.

“Now that you have five monsters in play,” Jacob continued, “I activate my other trap, Just Desserts, dealing you 500 points of damage for each one – that’s 2,500 points in all.”

At first, nothing happened. Gerald turned to his friends and shrugged… whereupon five gigantic barbecue forks shot up from the ground and impaled him under his ribs.

“Gerald!” Chad called out… before remembering they were just holograms and sheepishly going silent. At least, I hope they’re just holograms.

Laura grimaced. I’ll never be cruel to a side of beef again.

“Boss!” the Ojamas yelled. “Hang in there!” A stern look from the impaled young man shut them up again.

The forks disappeared after a second, and Gerald fell to the ground, breathing heavily as he landed. His Life Points dropped to 5,600.

As Gerald got back to his feet, Chad asked, “Are you okay?”

“I think drinking anything would be a bad idea for a while…” he said. He then set his fingers to where the forks had struck and turned pale – he was oozing blood from the points of impact. “What the…”

“Don’t worry too much, Chosen,” Jacob said. “You will not bleed to death as long as you retain Life Points, nor did those forks hit anything vital. However… once you are out of Life Points…”

Shaking it off, Gerald hit a button on his Duel Disk. “Since my Life Points were damaged, I’ll counter with Attack and Receive, which hits you for 700 Life Points.”

The armored soldier sprang out and slashed through the leather straps under Jacob’s vest, sending them flying… but not even budging him. His Life Points sank to 6,100.

“Won’t anything budge him – gweh…” Chad began, only to be cut off as what was under the straps came into view.

Underneath the leather straps, there were endless, interlocked tattoos and ritual scars, arranged in a seemingly meaningless – but clearly symbolic – way. From time to time, they glowed faintly, making their true meanings clear to a degree – a vague, frightening degree.

One of Jacob’s hands passed before the markings on his torso, and he grinned. “Signs of loyalty to all my old masters – all thirty-one of them; they left me with a large number of gifts. Granted, I damned my soul thirty-one times over, but that never mattered to me. Finish your move, Chosen of the Light.”

“Fine…” Gerald took a deep breath, wincing as it aggravated the puncture wounds, and said, “I play Dian Keto the Cure Master, restoring 1,000 of my Life Points.”

The aura of light surrounded him, and he exhaled in relief as his Life Points rose to 6,600; the puncture wounds closed up, leaving only a circle of holes in his shirt, and the burn on his face disappeared.

“That’s all I can do,” he concluded.

As he drew, Jacob smiled again, a cold, hateful smile. “Chosen… you’re about to die. Normally, Ojama tokens cannot be sacrificed for a summoning – but for a Special Summon, they’re perfectly usable.”

Laura whispered, “Oh, don’t tell he’s going to…”

“Oh, he is,” Chad replied.

Gerald took a step back, only to shudder as his back struck the Dark Duel’s border.

“I tribute two of your Ojama tokens – which will cost you 600 Life Points – and summon the magnificent Lava Golem to your field,” Jacob confirmed.

The green and black Ojamas cried out, “Boss, help us!” before they turned a bright red and melted into the ground. It tugged at Gerald’s heartstrings, even as he went down to 6,000 Life Points.

What was left of the two monsters pooled together, and the pool spread, gathering around Gerald. It turned to metal, and the street beneath him fell away, revealing a massive iron grate. The remnants of the Ojamas shot up, creating a steel cage – he was trapped.

The ground in front of Gerald shattered, and magma flowed up from it. It rose over his head, forming a gigantic creature made of lava. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, and he could feel the heat even from within the cage. The creature took a few steps back, hovering over the cage; bits of molten rock fell around him, and he swallowed hard. (3,000/2,500) The forgotten Level Limit – Area B kicked in, shocking the creature and forcing it to its “knees”.

“Just so you don’t get any bright ideas about attacking me with it,” Jacob continued, “I’ll stop it in its tracks with this Magic Card, Mask of the Accursed.”

A hideous mask rose from the crack in the earth that had spawned the Lava Golem and sealed to its face, driving two massive metal needles into place to hold it on. The fiend roared in pain, but could not pry the mask off, try as it might.

“Oh, I know how that one works,” Gerald grumbled. “So I’ll take 1,000 points of damage from this golem on my turns and 500 points from the Mask on yours… anything else?”

“Bad idea to ask that,” Jacob replied. “Because there is. I activate my facedown card, Mask of Restrict, which makes any form of tribute impossible – including from your Amazon Archer. I know about your Heaven’s Sphere, and I want no part of it…”

The facedown card lifted, revealing the strange two-part mask, and a purple energy field surrounded the area.

“He’s completely pinned,” Laura whispered. “I don’t know how he’ll break out…”

“Assuming he can,” Chad replied.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, you two, Gerald thought. But the worst part is they’re right – what am I going to do about this one?

“I’ll set these two cards facedown,” Jacob said as the holograms appeared before him, “and end my turn with that.”

Gerald drew, and then heard a strange breaking noise. Seconds later, a small amount of lava from the Lava Golem’s chest landed on his back, burning through his shirt and causing him to scream before it flowed off. His Life Points lowered to 5,000.

“Just to add to the pain,” Jacob added, “I’ll activate Des Counterblow. You know what that does, I take it.”

Gerald’s heart sank. “All too well.” He looked at his hand and thought, This should at least get me out of the gutter. “I play the Continuous Magic Card known as Spell Sanctuary. Now we both search our decks for any one Magic Card and add them to our hands; in addition, all Magic Cards may be played as Quick-Play Magic Cards.”

The shining sanctuary appeared between them, and both men took a card from their decks. Gerald swiftly played his. “Now I’ll clear out our fields with the power of Giant Trunade…”

“No.” Jacob revealed his last face-down card. “I will seal it away with Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell – at the cost of Fissure from my hand, your Giant Trunade is negated and may never be played again in this duel…”

The seal appeared on the field, and the image of Giant Trunade appeared in it briefly before shattering to a hundred pieces. Gerald’s jaw dropped, and he barely managed to put his thoughts in order, uttering, “I’ll set one card facedown and end my turn.”

Continued in the next post...

[Master of Paradox]

Continued from the last post:

“I draw,” Jacob began.

As he said and did so, two bolts of energy flew down from the spikes in the Mask of the Accursed, causing Gerald to quiver in pain and dropping his Life Points to 4,500.

With a laugh, Jacob held up his latest draw – which was black-bordered.

“Another Card of Night?” Laura said as her eyes went wide. “There’s no way that’s even legal!”

“Cards of Night aren’t legal cards – that’s the point,” Jacob answered. “But yes, this makes two. And this one is of my own possession – I did not obtain it from Degas and Alexander. I call it Hell Meteor.”

Chad and Laura both backed up as far as they could. Gerald looked like he wanted to, but he was trapped in the iron cage.

“This card’s functioning is simple,” Jacob went on. “I take 2,000 Life Points of damage, which is a required sacrifice, and in exchange… I deal Gerald 4,000 points of damage.”

It’s like Tremendous Fire on steroids! Chad thought.

A burst of fire emerged around Jacob’s shoulders, sending his Life Points to 4,100, and he cupped his palms, letting the fire pool into a spark between them. “Nvj rkqquzhk xsmgtnk jst vmw wvhpmkgg kmdtqu jst!” he chanted, the spark growing ever-larger in his palms. Soon it was the size of a bowling ball, and then it was the size of a man and never ceased to grow. Finally, he held it over his head, and it was easily the size of a two-story house.

Gerald knelt, covering his head. “May the Light save me,” he whispered.

Jacob threw the Hell Meteor as though it was a feather, and the massive ball of fire slammed into Gerald, knocking him prone and briefly concealing him from view amid the blaze.

Both Chad and Laura held their breath…

The fire dissipated, and Gerald stood up, staggering and leaning on the wall of the cage. His friends gasped – the fire had wreaked havoc on him. His hair was burned black, what was left of it; his eyebrows and eyelashes were gone. His jacket had vanished, reduced to smoke, and his shirt was missing the entire left side, as well as the right sleeve. The right leg of his pants was gone from hip to knee, and the left leg from knee to ankle was burned away. His shoes were oddly unaffected, and the fire had done nothing to his deck or Duel Disk. The worst parts, however, were the third-degree burns covering his exposed skin, which was burned almost to the bone over large patches.

“You really are the Chosen of the Light,” Jacob said, chuckling grimly. “The last person I struck with a Hell Meteor was obliterated – there wasn’t even a hair left. Your asymmetrical burns are practically a fleabite compared to that. But look at your Life Points…”

It took Gerald a moment to pull together enough of his mental faculties to look at his Duel Disk. When he did, his brain dimly registered that he only had 500 Life Points left. He could barely remember why that was a bad thing.

“Once you draw a card, the Lava Golem’s effect will burn you down to the bones, and then this duel will be over and you will be dead.” Jacob sighed. “I’ll give you a chance to surrender, whereupon I will simply break your neck.”

Gerald couldn’t even speak at that point. He glanced to his field, managing to recall what his cards were, and then shook his head.

“Fair enough…” Jacob said, sighing again. “I set a card facedown and end my turn.”

Before Gerald drew, Chad interrupted, “Hold on a second. Cards of Night always have drawbacks other than game effects. Why didn’t Hell Meteor do anything to you?”

“But it did,” the dark servant explained. “Normally, Hell Meteor would cover me in third-degree burns, similar to what happened to the Chosen. But when two or more Cards of Night are played in one duel, the rules change. Now, if I lose this duel… I will die. Swiftly and painfully.”

There was nothing Chad could say to that.

Jacob merely smiled. “Not that it matters, as once the Chosen of the Light draws, I will be victorious.”

Even as he said it, Gerald drew, and the magma began to fall…

“Gerald!” Chad and Laura yelled together.

“Boss!” the Ojama token cried out as they did.

The lava never touched him, however, as the burnt and battered young man slammed his fingers into two of his facedown cards. “Activate… Dian Keto… and chain Emergency Provisions. I send… Level Limit… facedown card… Spell Sanctuary… and Dian Keto to my Graveyard… gain 5,000 Life Points… because Dian Keto still works…” And then he fell to the ground, exhausted.

Everyone went utterly silent… and then they heard the snores. Soft, regular snoring came from Gerald’s prone form, as his nature had finally caught up with him.

Chad and Laura couldn’t help laughing at that point, curled over in relief. Jacob, meanwhile, gritted his teeth, clenching a fist.

As he slept, his Dian Keto the Cure Master appeared on the field, and then the wicked mouth of the Emergency Provisions appeared. It shattered the Level Limit field and devoured it, ate his facedown card, smashed its way through Spell Sanctuary, and then turned and bit through Dian Keto. When it was over, a massive aura of light surrounded him, his Life Points rising from 500 to 5,500 in one fell swoop. The lava hit the ground next to him, sending his Life Points back to 4,500, but he didn’t even flinch.

It was a moment before Gerald awoke, and he pulled himself back to his feet, dusting off. To the astonishment of the onlookers, the light had restored all of his wounds – it had even regrown his hair. Although his clothes were still burned and wrecked, the rest of his features were just as they were before the Hell Meteor struck. He stretched and smiled a little, his mind back in working order. “Sorry about that; I never did manage to shake the habit.”

“Make… your… move…” Jacob growled.

Yawning, Gerald looked to his hand. “One card facedown and I’ll have to end my turn on that,” he replied.

Jacob drew, and as he did so, the Mask of the Accursed fired its energy bolts into Gerald, causing him to twitch as they shot through his body and lowered his Life Points to 4,000.

“That will be enough of that,” the lazy young man said once the shock was done with. “I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device, sending the Lava Golem back to your hand and disposing of the Mask with it.”

A cannon-like device slid into place under the unobservant Lava Golem. Its body being liquid, it had no way to avoid flowing down into it. There was a moment’s pause, and then the device fired, sending it back through the air to land in Jacob’s hand. The Mask of the Accursed fell out of the sky and shattered as it hit the ground, and the cage surrounding Gerald fell apart.

“And due to his Mask of Restrict,” Laura noted, “he can’t summon it again.”

Jacob took one deep breath, and then another, and then another. Once he was under control, he said, “I will set one monster in Defense Mode and end my turn.”

Gerald drew, and then declared, “I’ll set one card facedown, and my turn will end with that.”

But almost as soon as Jacob finished drawing, Gerald interrupted, “I activate Karma Cut. By discarding Servant of Catabolism…” Gerald stopped and checked on the one he was discarding. It wasn’t the one he felt in tune with, and so he put it into his Graveyard. “…I’ll remove your Labyrinth Wall from the game.”

A ripple in space came into being underneath the Labyrinth Wall. With only the slightest noise, the massive stone maze fell into it, vanishing from this plane of existence and taking the Ring of Magnetism with it. All that remained was a single brick.

Once again, the servant of darkness had to take several deep breaths. Once he was back under control, he glared at Gerald and said, “I didn’t want to have to do this, but you give me no choice. This isn’t a Card of Night, but I still hesitate to play it in a Dark Duel, especially one like this.”

“What is it?” Gerald asked.

Jacob played the card, which had a picture of multiple meteors coming down on it. “It’s called Deepest Impact.”

The sky turned black…

0000000

Simultaneously, Degas and Alexander yelled, “You fool!”

0000000

The first sign anything was about to go wrong was a small piece of rock, which flew from the sky and bounced off the step next to Laura. The second was a red glow in the air overhead.

And then the meteors began to fall. The first one slammed through a nearby building, breaking it in half and sending debris raining through the city. Part of it shattered in midair above Gerald and Jacob, pelting them both with fragments.

More came after the first, laying waste to the surrounding stretch of downtown Minneapolis. One flew over Chad and Laura’s head to take off the top twenty floors of the Well Fargo Center, forcing them to scramble for cover as pieces of it fell. 225 South Sixth was razed as three meteors tore it into three separate chunks, leaving only a stump in its wake. They fell without mercy, tearing the city apart.

The Ojama token on Gerald’s field was running around madly, yelling, “Boss, get me outta here!”

“Is there a game effect to this chaos?” Gerald said while he gaped at the destruction..

Jacob nodded, saying, “Deepest Impact destroys all monsters in play and sweeps half of our Life Points from us. It is a devastating card, especially in a Dark Duel like this one, so I don’t use it very often…”

As he said it, three meteors struck Gerald’s monsters, crushing them out of existence and sending up a massive shockwave. This one also knocked down Jacob, the first sign of a reaction any move had caused him to show. Jacob’s Life Points plunged to 3,050, while Gerald’s hit 2,000; Gerald’s Life Points then sank to 1,700, as an Ojama token was among the dead.

Once the effect resolved, the skies began to clear. Before they did, however, one final meteor roared down from space, striking the IDS Center on its very top and crushing through it like a god’s fist. Pieces of the once-proud building flew everywhere, one passing directly between the duelists, before the demolition was complete.

0000000

Storming down the city streets, Lucifer Allumette had to stop.

He had no choice – a rain of burning stones was stopping him, and although heat meant little to him, the impact damage would have left him helpless. All he could do was look up and gasp as the city was torn asunder.

“What in ze name of ze Dreaming is ze Darkness zinking?” he said to himself. “What use could reckless destruction have for zem?”

Part of what used to be the Foshay Tower began to fall on him at that point. With a cry of “Bouclier du feu!” Lucifer thrust his arms across his chest, surrounding himself with an orb of flames; any debris that came close to him melted harmlessly away.

The flames died down, leaving Lucifer untouched. He looked into the sky and said, “Ze Divine help us…”

0000000

The rain of meteors could be seen from St. Paul, and so Father Young and his latest group of listeners watched as the effect of Deepest Impact tore into Minneapolis.

To the preacher’s shock, all he could think was of how he could tie this into his current sermon. He took off his glasses, shutting his eyes, and thought, Lord help me, this gets easier every day…

Crossing himself, he turned back to his audience and cleared his throat.

0000000

Finally, the skies were clear again. Gerald looked around himself, shivering. There were no traces of what had caused all this…

…but a large chunk of downtown Minneapolis was gone. Only burned-out, blackened carcasses of buildings remained after Deepest Impact had its way. A cold wind blew across the ruins, which stretched several miles around them.

And then Chad said something that turned Gerald’s opinion of Jacob from fright to bitter anger: “Gerald, there were people in those buildings!”

After a moment, the dark servant shrugged. “When St. Paul was struck by the Darkness Infection, Minneapolis was there to clear out the infected. Who was there to clear out Minneapolis? So there were people in the buildings, but you have to expect collateral damage in a situation like this…”

“In other words,” Gerald replied, his voice far colder than Chad or Laura had ever heard it, “in order to kill me, you were quite willing to lay waste to half a city and kill hundreds of people who had nothing to do with us. All this… just to do away with one man.” Gerald shut his eyes. “I’ve felt anger before. I’ve felt pain before. But this is new…” He opened them again. “Jacob, you sicken me.”

“So be it. You won’t be around to feel that much longer.” Jacob played one more card from his hand. “I’ll play Wave-Motion Cannon.”

A mysterious, bulbous cannon rose into view, a glass-ended tube at its heart beginning to spin.

“This Continuous Magic Card charges up by 1,000 points each turn,” Jacob explained. “When I destroy it, it will deal damage to your Life Points equal to its charged energy. So in two turns, I’ll be able to finish you off. That will end my turn.”

Laura and Chad had moved to stand by the Corolla, and both looked to each other in fright. “That means he has to win in two turns or get his Life Points up, and he’s used up Dian Keto,” Chad muttered.

“And he couldn’t play Heaven’s Sphere if he wanted to,” Laura muttered.

Gerald played them no attention. He just drew his next card, whispering, “Light, I may not truly believe yet, but let me do away with this devil in human skin…” Without even looking, he set the card on his Duel Disk…

The Pot of Greed emerged, chuckling as it was wont to do. Gerald drew twice.

“While I was burned and shell-shocked, I heard you explain that if you lost this duel, you would die,” Gerald said. “As much as I don’t like the idea of killing someone, I can justify it in your case. This turn, you will die.”

Jacob stretched out his arms. “Kill me, then.”

“I start by summoning a card I received from another Chosen of the Light – Cyber Tutu, in Attack Mode,” Gerald began.

The air around both duelists turned pink, and in a wave of hearts, a pink-haired little girl in a red and white ballet outfit pirouetted onto Gerald’s field, wearing a clear plastic eye shield. She stopped in front of him and shyly waved. (1,000/600)

“Awwww!” Chad said, causing Laura to stare at him.

Lifting an eyebrow, Gerald continued, “Next, I’ll use Premature Burial to bring back my Amazon Archer, also in Attack Mode.”

Blood dripped onto the field as Gerald’s Life Points fell to 1,200, and then the bow-wielding girl came into view, training her arrow on Jacob. (1,400/1,000)

“Finally,” Gerald declared, “I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Servant of Catabolism in Attack Mode as well.”

The confused snail/squid creature rose into view. (700/500)

“Attack me if you dare,” Jacob said. “Des Counterblow will destroy everything you throw at me.”

“And normally, that would stop me,” Gerald replied. “But Des Counterblow won’t stop the attacks. I hate sending three monsters to their deaths, but…” He sighed. “Expediency is a harsh god. Cyber Tutu, you start the charge with Fouette Strike.”

The ballerina bowed, and then slid forward in a perfect chasse before leaping and kicking Jacob across the face, cracking his head around. His Life Points lowered to 2,050… and then a beam of light snaked out from Des Counterblow and vaporized Cyber Tutu.

Sighing, Gerald waved to Amazon Archer. “Amazon Archer, attack him directly with Savage Arrow.”

Pulling back on the bowstring, the archer fired off an arrow and struck Jacob in the stomach. He let out a grunt, tugging the arrow from his stomach as his Life Points hit 650. The Des Counterblow stretched out a beam of light and reduced the Amazon Archer to atoms.

Before he said anything more, Gerald turned his back on his opponent, shutting his eyes. He didn’t want to see it. “Servant of Catabolism…”

Chad and Laura turned away as well.

“…exterminate.”

The Servant of Catabolism sprang across the field, dug its tendrils into Jacob’s flesh, and let out a burst of electricity that caused him to cry out. His Life Points reached zero, even as the Des Counterblow vainly destroyed the Servant of Catabolism.

There was silence for a moment, as Jacob stared blankly into the early-evening sky. He then clutched his chest, took a deep breath, and gushed blood from his mouth. It dripped from his mouth for a moment, and then he took another breath. He collapsed before he could even exhale.

After a minute passed, Gerald turned around, walked up to the prone Jacob, and knelt to check his pulse. There was none. The last attack was fatal.

“Your death can’t raise the dead,” Gerald whispered, “but at this point, I don’t care. Rot, Jacob.”

Under his fingers, the body of Jacob Waterknot turned a deep gray, and then exploded into dust, swirling around him. None of the three were particularly surprised.

0000000

“Rot in thirty-one separate Hells, Jacob,” Degas hissed, sipping from a glass of champagne.

Alexander hissed as well, downing his champagne with one gulp. “We need all the Darkness we can get… and he goes and kills hundreds of Darkness Infected. Frankly, I’m glad he’s dead.”

“Especially since he actually succeeded in his purpose,” Degas noted.

“Indeed,” Alexander replied. “Gerald may still be alive, but he is in no condition to duel Menardi. He’s the strongest of the three – the other two won’t stand a chance against her, especially since neither of them have Heaven’s Sphere on their side.”

The man in black smiled. “And I doubt the Light will spare a Heaven’s Gift for them, either.”

“Which means our Pillar should have nothing to fear,” the man in green finished.

0000000

The group consensus was that a vision would strike Gerald at any time, and so the group waited, Gerald sitting on the Corolla’s hood. Aside from his ruined outfit, he bore no signs of the Dark Duel he’d just waged.

Laura sat on the hood next to him, looking over him to see if they’d missed any wounds. The left side of his torso was bare, and he had a surprisingly decent build for a lazy young man. She admired it for a moment, and then turned away with a blush.

Someone appeared in the distance, and everyone tensed (other than Gerald, who was beyond caring). As he came closer, however, the rings on his right fingers reflected the sunlight, and Chad relaxed. “We know this one, Laura, you can calm down,” he told her.

As he’d suspected, it was Lucifer Allumette, still as impeccably dressed as ever. Not a hair was out of place. He bowed to the three, saying, “I do apologize for not having talked to you in a while…” He then looked around. “Where is zat bastard Jacob Waterknot?”

“If there’s justice in this world, he’s rotting in Hell,” Gerald replied without looking up.

“So he is dead… I expected as such.”

“Who is this guy?” Laura asked.

Lucifer smirked. “Ah, zere is another to your little cavalcade… Allow me to introduce myself.” He bowed to her. “I am Lucifer Allumette, ze Beloved of Fire, a servant of Dreams and a friend to Chad and Gerald. So… which of you dealt with Jacob?”

“That would be my sin,” Gerald replied.

“My goodness…” Lucifer bowed his head. “Monsieur Laxina, you are far more powerful zan ever I suspected. Jacob Waterknot, ze dark servant, was a master of dark energy… and yet you defeated him. You truly are ze Light’s Chosen.”

“If I had the strength, I’d punch you for calling me that,” Gerald said, with a sudden spike of anger in his words.

There was a pause, and then Lucifer stepped back. “Ah, zat’s all he called you, was it not? I apologize again…”

“We haven’t seen you since after the duel with Jean-Vic – where on Earth did you go?” Chad asked.

The Beloved of Fire rubbed the back of his head. “I sensed something… important. Something zat I couldn’t let ze Darkness get a hold of. Zat was why I was so rude before I left… I can’t tell you what, but it was very important zat I find it. I’m still looking…”

The awkward moment broke as Gerald winced, grabbing hold of his head. “Vision’s coming…” He then pitched forward, Laura grabbing him at the last second to keep him from falling off the car.

This vision was remarkably straightforward, and all he could say as it hit was, “The Guthrie Theater… I can see it… She’s in the Guthrie. Menardi’s in the…”

Blood trickled from Gerald’s nose, and he passed out in Laura’s grasp, collapsing onto the car’s hood.

Chad tilted his head. “Aren’t most of his visions really cryptic?”

“Remember ze Reciprocal? He just destroyed a major player in ze Darkness – in return, ze Light could afford a straightforward vision.” Lucifer then grimaced. “Unfortunately, being straightforward is also very, very painful.”

The group looked to each other, and then nodded as one. “Get him in the car – we’ll stop at the hotel, and then head on to the Guthrie,” Chad said.

“Why the hotel?” Laura asked.

Chad gestured to Gerald’s ruined clothes. “He’d want a change, wouldn’t you think?”

0000000

Menardi smiled behind her hand, turning off the mirror. She stood up, ran her fingers through both sides of her hair, and whispered, “Almost show time…”

She then turned and looked through the curtain. “Can’t disappoint my fans, now, can I?”

PANDORA’S BLACK WISDOM

Type:Normal Magic Card/Card of Night

Image: A young woman, covering her face with one arm and screaming, is standing behind a small golden chest. The lid of the chest is missing, and a massive number of hideous creatures are pouring out of it.

Effect: Search your deck for any three cards, add them to your hand, and shuffle your deck. Remove the top three cards of your deck from the current Duel. If you lose the duel after this card resolves, all of your senses will forever cease to function.

HELL METEOR

Type:Normal Magic Card/Card of Night

Image: A single, massive ball of fire plummeting down from the sky.

Effect: Inflict 4000 points of damage to your opponent’s Life Points and 2000 points of damage to your Life Points. You will be severely burned when this card is activated.

Note: This card first appeared, with significantly different rules, in “Demon Duelist Legacy Shadow Tournament Arc” by Wolf General. Original creative credit goes to him.

DEEPEST IMPACT

Type: Normal Magic Card

Image: A swarm of meteors plunging from the sky.

Effect: Destroy all monsters in play and reduce the Life Points of both players by half.

Note: This card was first used by Noah in the original series episode “Brothers in Arms, Part 2”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

Coming next chapter: Menardi finally steps out and fights her own battle – and the Pillar is not about to fall easily. With Gerald out of commission, Laura steps forward to face off against Menardi, but how will her warriors handle this battle, especially when they end up technologically outmatched? Find out in Chapter Fifteen, “System Interrupted”!

[Dark Sage]

What can I say? Jacob may well have been the most evil villain I yet to see, and this fic isn't even half over. Will Gerald be overcome by this tremendous evil, or will it encourage him to fight on more intently?

After a chapter that dark, it seems wrong to point out a ruling mistake, but I still must. When a token created by "Ojama Trio" is sacrificed for a Special Summon, it is not "destroyed", and the controller does not take any damage.

But really, MoP, if your goal is to keep us reading, you've succeeded. I hope you're back for a long time. Keep it up.