Chapter 9: Crystal Clear Explanations.
A number of people in the airport jumped when they heard an angry roar echo through the building. People closer to the source turned to see an angry Forte stomping through the terminal, followed by Reece, who was trying to calm his friend down.
“Ok dude, just calm down!”
“When I get my hands on him…!”
Due to his duel with Replica, Forte and Reece ad missed their flight to Honshu. To top it all off, Replica had (wisely) fled the airport and was now impossible to find. Naturally, having everything go wrong for him today, Forte was beside himself.
“Look, just calm down mate,” Reece said hurriedly, hoping to stop him before he did something they’d both regret, “We can still get to Domino. It would just take, um, longer than usual.”
Forte calmed slightly, even though there was still anger in his eyes.
“I guess you’re right.”
Reece smiled slightly. Sure, Forte was still angry, but at least he wasn’t on the verge of committing homicide.
Then a thought popped into the red-head’s mind.
“Hey Forte?”
“Yeah?”
“You, didn’t happen to pack anything unusual before we headed to the airport did you?”
Forte cocked an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Replica was after something called the ‘avatar’ right?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, maybe you had packed this ‘avatar’ into your luggage without realising what it was.”
Forte shook his head.
“All I packed was my deck, some clothes and a few other things. Nothing that could be considered an ‘avatar’ of any kind.”
“Well, you must have, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone to all that trouble just to duel you?”
Forte shrugged.
“Speaking of which, if I did have this ‘Avatar’, why the hell did he feel the need to duel me? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just mug me and steal it?”
Reece was about to respond when a small chuckle from nearby caught their attention. The pair looked over to see a figure leaning against a wall not too far from them. He was looked at the floor, so all the two could see was his head, which was covered in greying hair. He was also wearing a trench coat, a rather well kept one that didn’t make him appear to bulky or anything.
“You two are just full of questions aren’t you?”
Their eyes narrowed slightly.
“And what does it matter to you?” Reece asked, cautiously. The figure just chuckled as he looked up.
“Well, I just thought since you two were so curious, I figured I’d give you some answers.”
Forte bit back a gasp as the man’s orange eyes met his green. Those eyes, the greying hair, the goatee.
It was him! The man from Forte’s dream! Although Forte tried to keep himself from looking shocked, the man before them could see it in his eyes, chuckling softly.
“Who are you?”
The man responded with a chuckle.
“Where are my manners?” he said, pulling away from the wall and taking a few steps towards them, “My name is Dimitri.”
Reece was about to introduce him and Forte when Dimitri cut him off.
“There’s no need. I already know who you two are,” he looked over at Forte, “especially you.”
Something about Dimitri’s eyes made Forte a little uncomfortable.
“But enough about myself,” Dimitri said, “I’m sure the two of you are curious as to what’s going on.”
“We know what’s going on,” Reece spoke up, “Some prick hijacked our flight, just to duel my friend here,” he jerked his thumb at Forte, “just to get a hold of something called the ‘avatar’. We know what’s going on, what we want to know is what the heck this ‘avatar’ thing is.”
Dimitri just chuckled in response.
“Oh, there’s a lot more to this than just that one incident. Right Mister Rosamund?”
Reece looked over at his friend in confusion. Forte just stared at Dimitri.
“What do you mean?”
Dimitri smiled knowingly.
“You know what I mean. But if you want me to tell you, then I shall. There are some things you’d need to know.”
“That would be nice,” Reece said, looking between Forte and Dimitri.
“Well,” Dimitri gestured to the area around them, “This place seems a little too crowded for a conversation such as this. I think a more private setting would suffice.”
Dimitri blinked and his eyes started to glow a brilliant white. Forte stepped back in shock and Reece almost cried out as their view went completely white.
They felt like they were being pulled somewhere, very fast. A non-existent wind whipped at their clothes as they were pulled through the white.
Only seconds after it began, it stopped, the blinding light dimmed.
Quickly adjusting their eyes, Forte and Reece looked around. Both were shocked to find themselves no longer at the airport, but in the middle of what appeared to be a ballroom.
Forte recognised the place instantly. It was the same ballroom from his dream, meaning that they were most likely in the same castle.
So, for all Forte knew, they couldn’t even be in Japan anymore.
Dimitri’s hearty chuckle brought them back to reality.
“Not bad is it?” he chuckled.
“Where are we?” Reece asked. Even Forte wanted to know exactly where they were.
“You’re in our home,” Dimitri simply replied. Not exactly the answer Forte was looking for, although something raised another question.
“Our?”
Dimitri smiled and nodded.
“Yes. You see, I am the head of a select group of Duellists known as the Heavenly Kings.”
Forte’s eyes narrowed slightly. The man from his dream, Gabriel, said that he was the head of a select group as well.
Whether Dimitri noticed this glare or not, Forte wasn’t entirely sure. Dimitri’s expression didn’t change.
“Anyway,” he spoke up, changing the subject, “I brought you here to give you answers, and answers I shall give you.”
Reece breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Finally! We’re getting somewhere!”
“However,” A small smile appeared on his face, “I think it will be easier for me if I had someone help me explain it.”
The pair raised an eyebrow as Dimitri waved his hand. A strange sensation went over Forte, like something was being pulled out of him. It wasn’t painful, but it felt strange. Reece watched as a spectral version of Forte floated out of his friend, floating to his side. With a small flash, the spectre’s appearance changed. Instead of Forte, there stood none other than Dark Lancer Menilith.
Forte jumped when he noticed the fiend standing next to him. While he still looked incorporeal, it was still a shock to see the fiendish duel monster appear behind him.
Menilith smirked at Forte’s reaction, almost amused. Reece just stood there, his jaw inches from the floor.
“What…the freak!?” Reece shrieked. This was all getting a bit much for him. First he had been transported to God-knows-where, and now the spirit of a fiend was standing next to them.
Dimitri was clearly amused with their reactions. He looked at the fiend.
“Menilith,” he spoke up, getting his attention, “care to help me explain to these boys the situation?”
Menilith silently nodded.
“It would help if my new master knew everything.”
Forte raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he had ever been referred to as “master” and to be honest, it would be something that took some time for Forte to get used to.
“Well then,” Dimitri pondered, placing his hand on his chin, “Where shall we begin?”
--------------~*~--------------
He leaned over his desk, shuffling through some papers, the only light in the large office was from the light of the sunset coming in through the wall length window behind him. Eurydice stood by his side, silent and emotionless as ever.
“Gabriel…”
The aforementioned blonde looked up from his papers, a small smile appeared on his lips when he saw who was standing before him.
“Ah, it’s you,” he said, like he was greeting a friend or a family member, “Is there a problem.”
The youth’s green eyes stared back into Gabriel’s brownish red.
“It’s about the avatars,” he spoke. Gabriel leaned back in his wheelchair.
“What about them?”
The youth paced back and forth, not taking his eyes off of him for a second.
“I know you said that they were instrumental to our plans, but I don’t really know anything about them.”
Gabriel’s eyes closed and he chuckled softly.
“I’m surprised you didn’t ask that question sooner. Take a seat.”
The youth obliged, sitting down in front of Gabriel’s desk. Gabriel leaned forward.
“You remember how I told you about the Shadow Realm right?”
The youth nodded.
“You told me how ancient rulers used its power to play Shadow Games, the earliest form of Duel Monsters.”
Gabriel nodded.
“But before that, the Shadow Realm, and our world, were not so separate. In ancient times, long before the Shadow Games began, the two worlds were connected through sacred gates.”
The youth sat quietly, listening.
“Any man, woman, and child could enter the Shadow Realm, and likewise, the beings of darkness, the denizens of the Shadow Realm and what we refer to as Duel Monsters, could enter our world at any point.”
Gabriel leaned back.
“However, this period was not to last. The barrier between the two worlds began to weaken, the holes which allowed passage between the worlds began to widen. If this was not remedied, the barrier would shatter, causing the two worlds to spill upon each other. The Shadow Realm, and our world, would become one.
However, the people of our world would not allow this. They decided to seal up the gates to the Shadow Realm and strength the barrier dividing them.”
A small smirk graced his lips.
“In order for this to be done, a sacrifice had to be made.”
--------------~*~--------------
“A sacrifice?”
Dimitri nodded.
“They rounded up six powerful monsters to use as sacrifices, each on a representation of their element. Fire, wind, water, earth, light, and darkness.
In a sacred ritual, these monster were sacrificed, their bodies and powers used to strengthen the dimensional wall and separate the shadow realm from our world.”
Reece looked over at Menilith.
“You sacrificed yourself to save our world?” he questioned.
Menilith rolled his eyes.
“Yeah right. Those pitiful humans captured us and sacrificed us against our will. I think the only one of us who sacrificed themselves willingly was the avatar of light.”
Forte eyed Menilith. He had a feeling this guy wasn’t one for self sacrifice, and he wasn’t really surprised that humanity would sacrifice them to save their own hides. Afterall, humanity were a cowardly, selfish race most of the time.
Thank God there were some exceptions.
“But wait,” Reece piped up, “If these guys were destroyed, then how are they…”
“Allow me to answer that,” Dimitri replied, “A year ago, almost out of nowhere, Maxamillion Pegasus recreated these monsters in card form, saying to have gotten the idea from a dream he had. These cards were infused with the essence of these six monsters, who continued to linger for centuries after their sacrifice. However, Pegasus didn’t realise this.
He was planning on putting these cards into circulation. However, before this occurred, the prototypes mysteriously vanished.”
“You mean stolen,” Forte spoke up.
Dimitri nodded.
“A organization plans to use the avatars for their own sinister goals. We also believe that they had a hand in their creation to begin with.”
“Dogma…”
Dimitri smiled.
“Exactly.”
Reece raised an eyebrow, curious as to how Forte knew who they were up against.
--------------~*~--------------
“We had managed to gain five of them,” Gabriel leaned back into his chair, “However, as you know, a little nuisance managed to obtain the sixth one before we got to it.”
The boy’s eyes narrowed. He knew exactly who Gabriel was referring to.
“And then, one of our own had a little “change of heart” and stole one of the avatars in our possession. I sent that mercenary Replica to track him down and reclaim it before it bonded with another. However, as you know, he was less than successful.”
--------------~*~--------------
“Bonded?”
Dimitri nodded.
“You see, when you played Menilith during that tournament, Menilith’s essence bonded with your soul. Now, only you can use his power. It wont work with anyone else.”
“Wait, so if Menilith’s bonded with Forte’s soul, then why are Dogma bothering to go after him? It wont work with anyone else.”
Dimitri sighed.
“There is a way to separate them. Forte must be defeated in a duel. If that happens, Forte and Menilith will be separated and almost anyone can bind with him again.”
“So that’s why Replica wanted to duel me,” Forte pondered. Dimitri and Menilith nodded.
“But, they’re just cards right?” Reece asked, “Even though they can bond with a person’s soul, they really can’t do anything outside of duels right?”
--------------~*~--------------
“I believe you already know the answer to that question.”
“The ritual.”
Gabriel nodded, his smile widening.
“The same ritual that sealed up the gates can be used to create a new one. With the power of the six avatars, we will be able to gain access to the full power of the Shadow Realm. This world will become one with it, all will be able to harness it’s power.”
--------------~*~--------------
“This will spell disaster for all mankind.”
Forte and Reece nodded.
“And that is about it,” Dimitri concluded.
The pair were silent for a moment, digesting all the information.
“I can guess what you want us to do then,” Forte spoke after a moment, crossing his arms.
Reece, Dimitri and Menilith awaited what Forte had to say.
“You want me and Reece to hunt down these Dogma guys and get the other four avatars off of them. Am I right?”
Dimitri nodded.
“Well,” Forte smirked, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m afraid I have other business to attend to.”
Dimitri’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“Look, the only thing I’m interested in is finding Yugi and duelling him. I have no interest in getting into a war between two groups over these guys,” He gestured to Menilith.
Dimitri was dumbstruck. While he knew of Forte’s ruthless, cocky nature, he had not expected him to simply refuse to help.
“But…”
“Look,” Forte interrupted, “you said that they need all SIX of these things right? Well, I have one, and so do you. So, all we really need to do is keep them from getting hold of them.
And besides, if you guys want the avatars, why don’t you go get them yourself?”
Dimitri sighed. This was not how he had planned it.
“There must be some way to convince you. The whole world is at stake!”
Forte simply shrugged.
“Not my problem. Besides, as long as I have this, the world’s staying the way it is. No if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you dropped as us off where you found us.”
Dimitri breathed another defeated sigh before glaring at Forte.
“In that case, it would simply be too dangerous to allow someone like you to run around with the avatar.”
With a flash of light a duel disk appeared on his arm. It was regal in appearance, something you’d expect royalty to have.
“I challenge you to a duel Forte! And when I win, I’ll confiscate the avatar.”
Forte smirked as he flicked out his duel disk.
“Fine,” he said, “It’s not my job to talk people out of doing incredibly stupid things.”
“Oh, I think you’ll find I’m a lot smarter than I look. Let’s duel!”
Forte: 8000
Dimitri: 8000
“You can start this,” Dimitri said.
“Fine by me,” Forte replied, drawing. He smirked.
Not a bad opening.
“I’ll summon Gil Garth in attack mode!”
Forte’s metallic fiend arose, it’s sword ready to cleave anything in two. (1800/1200)
“I’ll end my turn with that.”
Forte looked down at his hand, namely the Winged Minion card.
On my next turn, I’ll summon this, and sacrifice it to pump up my Gil Garth. Simple Enough.
Dimitri drew.
“I summon Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger in attack mode!” Forte rose an eyebrow as a white tiger, adorned in armour and, as its name suggested, a topaz rested on its head, appeared before Dimitri. The tiger roared proudly (1600/1000).
Crystal Beast? Never heard of that before.
“Well, I’m afraid your little cat’s not strong enough to defeat Garth. So sorry.”
Dimitri smirked.
“Oh really? Topaz Tiger, attack his fiend!”
“Um, excuse me, um, are you incapable of counting? Gil Garth has 1800, your tiger has 1600. 200 too short. Learn your math.”
However, Forte’s smirk immediately vanished when Dimitri’s tiger sliced through Gil Garth. He fiend groaned before shattering into pixels.
What’s more, Forte found his life points drop as well.
Forte: 7800
Dimitri: 8000
“Wha!?” Forte cried out. Reece’s eyes widened, equally confused. Dimitri chuckled.
“Allow me to explain. When my tiger attacks a monster, it’s attack increases by 400, so it was 200 more than yours.”
Dimitri smirked triumphantly.
“Learn your math Forte.”
Forte snarled.
“Is that all?”
Dimitri nodded as Forte drew.
“I’ll play Pot of Greed!” Forte added two more cards to his hand, and smirked.
“I’ll now set one monster in defence mode and end my turn.”
Dimitri raised a cautious eyebrow as he drew.
“I’ll summon Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth in attack mode!” A large woolly mammoth appeared next to Dimitri’s tiger. It was decorated with similar armour and like it’s fellow crystal beast, had a large amber on it’s forehead. The mammoth let out a cry, ready for battle (1700/1600).
“Now! Topaz Tiger, attack his face down monster!”
The tiger roared as it lunged at the card. Its claws, ready to strike the enemy, instead bounced harmlessly off of the shield of Forte’s Dark Defender (500/2000).
Dimitri grunted in annoyance.
“I’ll end my turn then.”
Dante drew, a wild smirk on his face.
“Alright,” he announced, “First, I’ll sacrifice my Dark Defender, to summon the one, the only, Dark Ruler Ha Des!”
With a triumphant cry, the Defender was engulfed in black flames, out of which rose Forte’s monarch of hell (1240/1600).
“And now,” Forte plucked a card from his hand, “I play the field spell, Domicile of the Dark Ruler!”
The ground began to shake as the room twisted and changed into what appeared to be a gruesome palace made of bone. The smell of fire and brimstone filled the air.
Forte smirked.
“Since you brought us to your home, I thought it would be suitable for me to bring you to Ha Des’. You see, this card can only exist when Ha Des is on the field, but while it does, no fiends can be destroyed.
In other words, my monsters are invincible.”
Dimitri’s eyes narrowed as Reece pulled up his shirt to cover his nose. Not only did this place creep the red-head out, but the smell was a little overpowering.
“Now!” Forte shouted maniacally, “Dark Ruler Ha Des! Attack his Topaz Tiger!”
The tiger roared in defiance as the fiend sent a wave of black flame in its direction. However, at the last moment, a large form appeared between the tiger and the flames, taking the brunt of it.
Forte watched as the smouldering remains of Dimitri’s mammoth collapses to the floor, shattering upon hitting the ground.
“Um, there must be something wrong with this duel disk. I said attack the TIGER. Not the mammaoth!”
“It’s no error Forte,” Dimitri said, “You see, when one of my Crystal Beasts is attacked, I can redirect the attack to my mammoth.”
Forte shrugged.
“Whatever, you only saved yourself 100 life points, no big deal.”
Forte: 7800
Dimitri: 7250
Forte chuckled smugly, before noticing something strange on Dimitri’s side of the field.
While his mammoth had been destroyed, the amber that had rested on its head remained. It was now orbiting around Dimitri like a small moon.
The elder man noticed and smirked.
“Confused? Allow me to explain. You see, my Crystal Beasts have a rather, unique talent. When they’re destroyed, their crystal remains, which acts as a permanent magic card.”
Now this was new to Forte. Monsters that turned into permanent spell cards when they died?
“And what exactly does it do then?”
“Nothing.”
Forte rose an eyebrow.
“Eh?”
Dimitri shrugged. “It does nothing. It just sits there in my magic and trap zone.”
A small grin plastered Forte’s face.
Now this is just perfect. Every time I destroy one of his weak monsters, it takes up his spell and trap zones. He wont be able to play any magic and trap cards at all. And with my Domicile on the field, even if he summons something strong enough, he can’t hurt me!
“I’ll end my turn then,” Forte said smugly as Dimitri drew a card.
“I’ll switch my tiger in defence mode,” he announced, as his monster curled up, it’s eyes still glaring at Forte and Ha Des warily.
“And now, I’ll summon Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat in attack mode!”
In a flash of pink, a bit cat resembling a pink panther appeared next to the tiger In its chest rested a glistening amethyst. It hissed at Forte, its claws bared (1200/400).
“Must…resist…urge…to make…Pink Panther joke…” Reece said from the sidelines, causing a small chuckle from his friend.
“Novelty value aside, what was the point of summoning that thing in attack mode? It’ll only get crushed by Ha Des, and you’ll loose a huge chunk of life points.”
“True, but at least she’ll be able to do some damage before she goes. You see, by halving my monster’s attack for this turn, she can attack your life points directly! Go my Amethyst Cat!”
With a small roar, the cat charged, darting around Ha Des before leaping at Forte, clawing him in the face. Forte cried out in pain as he held his face.
Forte: 7200
Dimitri: 7250
Forte glared at the cat and then at Dimitri.
“That stung,” he snarled. Dimitri chuckled.
“Well, that will be all for me. Your move Mr. Rosamund.”
Forte was still glaring as he drew. He quickly reminded himself of the situation. He had his favourite monster and a magic card that made him virtually invincible. Meanwhile, all Dimitri had were two weak monsters and a useless permanent crystal taking up space. The cocky smirk returned to his face.
“Well, for starters, I’ll play the magic card Meteor of Destruction!”
All three looked up as dark clouds formed overhead. They parted as the giant, fiery ball of destruction fell from the heavens, striking Dimitri full force. Forte could see Dimitri was trying to stop himself from crying out in pain, retaining his dignity.
Forte: 7200
Dimitri: 6250
“And now,” Forte grinned, “I’ll summon Malice Doll of Demise in attack mode!”
Forte’s demonic doll appeared next to Ha Des. Gripping his axe tightly, he looked back forth between the cat and the tiger, like a kid in a candy store. And in a way, it was, a wooden, psychotic kid with an axe (1600/1700).
“And now, Doll of Demise, attack Dimitri’s Topaz Tiger!”
The doll cheered at the opportunity to destroy the stronger monster, cleaving the tiger in two with a manic zeal.
“Now, Ha Des, destroy his cat!”
The cat screeched as she was engulfed in Ha Des’ breath of flame. All that remained where its charred remains and its crystal.
Forte: 7200
Dimitri: 5000
Just like before, the topaz and amethyst from Dimitri’s monster began to revolve around Dimitri. Forte couldn’t help but grin. This couldn’t be better. All the monsters Dimitri brought out so far were quite weak and at this rate, he wouldn’t be able to play and magic or trap cards either.
“Your turn Dimitri.”
Dimitri drew.
“I’ll now play the magic card Crystal Beacon!”
Forte watched as the magic card materialised in front of Dimitri.
“Crystal Beacon?” Forte asked, “What does that do?”
Dimitri smiled.
“Well, in order to play it, I must at least two Crystal Beasts in my magic or trap card zones. I can special summon one Crystal Beast from my hand, graveyard, or deck. Now, since my graveyard is empty, and the monster I’m looking for isn’t in my hand, I’ll search my deck.”
He pulled his deck from his disk and began search. He smiled when he found what he was looking for and added it to his hand, quickly shuffling his deck and putting it back in his disk.
“I’ll now special summon Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle in defence mode!”
A small, dark blue, rodent like creature, with cat like ears, a long tail and adorable red eyes, appeared in a flash of red. It gave a small, adorable little squeak before curling up into a little ball (300/300).
Forte was quiet for a moment.
“What…is that?”
“Well,” Reece shrugged, “Apparently it’s a carbuncle.”
“That’s right,” Dimitri chuckled, “And also, when this little one is special summoned, I’m able to special summon as many Crystal Beasts as I can from my magic and trap card zone. So now, I’ll bring back, Amethyst cat!”
The Amethyst floated next to the carbuncle and with a flash of pink, the cat was back (1200/400).
“Topaz Tiger!”
The topaz floated to the carbuncle’s right and in a flash of yellow, Dimitri’s tiger returned, roaring and ready for battle (1600/1000)
“And finally, Amber Mammoth!”
The amber floated next to the cat and in a flash of orange, the hulking mammoth returned, glaring at Forte (1700/1600)
“And now, I’ll summon Crystal Beast Emerald Turtle in defence mode!”
In a flash of green, an ancient turtle appeared next to the tiger. Emeralds were forming on its shell. The turtle took one look at Forte and went into its shell (600/2000)
“Now then,” Dimitri eyed Forte’s doll, “While your field card will prevent it from being destroyed, I can still damage your life points. Topaz Tiger! Attack his Doll of Demise!”
The tiger roared and struck Forte’s fiend with great force. The doll cried out and fell on his back, but remained on the field.
Forte: 6800
Dimitri: 5000
“Now, Amber Mammoth, do the same!”
The doll didn’t even get a change to get up before being stomped on by the giant mammoth. He was probably wishing he could be destroyed right now.
Forte: 6700
Dimitri: 5000
“Now, Amethyst Cat, attack Forte directly!”
Forte remembered to shield his face, only to get a claw across the stomach.
Forte: 6100
Dimitri: 5000
“And now,” Dimitri explained, “I activate my turtle’s ability. It allows me to switch one of my monsters form attack into defence mode, as long as it has attacked this turn. So I’ll switch my Amethyst Cat into defence mode.”
The turtle glowed with a green aura. The cat was surrounded by the same aura before curling into a ball.
“I’ll now place one card face down and end my turn.”
Forte eyed the card as he drew. So, there was some use of having those cards in the magic and trap zones after all. It would take Forte a few turns before he could have the chance of a direct attack. However, Forte’s monsters were still stronger than Dimitri’s, stronger by a long shot.
“I’ll now summon Giant Orc in attack mode!”
The hulking, grey orc appeared on Ha Des’ right. It clenched its bone club tightly as its beady yellow eyes looked over Dimitri’s monsters (2200/0)
“Now, Giant Orc, attack the Amber Mammoth!”
With a powerful bellow, the orc brought its club down on the mammoth’s head, cracking its skull and causing it to shatter in pixels. After its attack, the Giant Orc knelt down in defence mode.
Forte: 6100
Dimitri: 4500
“Ha Des, destroy the tiger!”
This time, without the mammoth to protect it, the tiger was roasted alive by Ha Des’ dark flames.
Forte: 6100
Dimitri: 3650
“And finally, Doll of Demise! Destroy his Amethyst Cat!”
With a maniacal laugh and a screech of pain, the cat suffered the same fat the tiger had turns ago.
The monsters respective jewels once again began to revolve around Dimitri.
“Your move old man.”
Dimitri drew.
“I’ll now summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus in attack mode!”
In a burst of wind and a flash of pale blue, a great white Pegasus appeared. Adorned in ceremonial armour, a great sapphire could be seen on its chest. It kicked back its legs, giving a powerful cry. (1800/1200)
“And now, when it’s summoned, I am able to take one Crystal Beast form my hand, deck or graveyard and place it in my magic and trap card zone.”
He searched through his deck a second time, smiling when he found it.
“And I choose this one, Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle.”
A great eagle appeared, a cobalt visible on its breast. The eagle then vanished, only leaving the crystal, which joined the others and revolved around Dimitri.
“And now, Sapphire Pegasus, attack his Doll of Demise!”
The Pegasus cried before charging at the doll, impaling him on its horn before tossing it aside. The doll now had a big hole in its body, but was still alive.
Forte: 5900
Dimitri: 3650
“And I’ll use my Emerald Turtle’s ability to put my Pegasus into defence mode.”
The beast glowed with the same green aura before kneeling down.
“Your move Forte.”
Forte drew.
“I’ll summon Second Goblin in attack mode!”
A small tanned goblin with an eye patch and wearing a yellow shirt and shorts appeared on the field (100/100).
“And, once per turn, I can equip him to my Giant Orc, which allows me to bring him back into attack mode!”
The goblin ran over to the orc, towel in hand. Wiping away the sweat and giving it words of encouragement, the Orc rose up, club ready to strike.
“Now, let’s get rid of the rest of your crystal group shall we? Ha Des, Doll of Demise, Giant Orc, attack!”
All three present watched as Ha Des fried the carbuncle, the Doll of Demise hacked into the Pegasus and the Giant Orc smashed the turtle’s shell.
“And, since your magic and trap card zones are full, these guys go to the graveyard.”
The crystals of the three monsters, the ruby, emerald and sapphire, shattered into small shards before fading.
Forte smiled in triumph.
“Your move Dimitri. It will be your last.”
Dimitri drew, and chuckled. His chuckle then erupted into a hearty laugh.
“You’re right Forte, this is my last move. And the last move of the duel.”
Forte cocked an eyebrow.
“Oh really? Let’s see now, you have no monsters and only one magic or trap card that isn’t worthless. And I doubt that will win the duel for you.”
Dimitri smiled.
“Oh, but it will. I activate, Crystal Abundance!”
As the card rose, Forte didn’t seem impressed.
“And what does this card do?”
Dimitri chuckled.
“It requires four Crystal Beasts in my magic and trap card zone to activate. When it does, it sends them to the graveyard, and in exchange, it sends every other card on the field to the grave with it!”
Forte gasped as the crystal around Dimitri began to glow. They erupted with a powerful and blinding blast. When Forte was able to see again, the entire field was cleared, the room back to the way it was to begin with.
“So you destroyed my cards,” Forte said, “Big deal, I’ll just summon another monster next turn.”
“I’m not giving you that chance Forte,” Dimitri spoke, “Because the second part of Crystal Abundance’s effect activates. It allows me to special summon as many Crystal Beasts from my graveyard, up to the number of your cards I destroyed. And you have five! Allowing me to special summon five Crystal Beasts!”
Forte gasped as five Crystals appeared before Dimitri. In a rainbow coloured flash, five monsters appeared.
“And I’ll bring back, Topaz Tiger, Amber Mammoth, Amethyst Cat, Cobalt Eagle and Sapphire Pegasus, all in attack mode!”
The five Crystal Beasts cried out, all glaring at Forte. (1600/1000)(1700/1600)(1200/400)(1400/800)(1800/1200)
Sweat poured down Forte’s face as Reece frantically tried to add up the scores.
“Holy crap!” He cried, “That’s 7700 points of damage right there!”
“Precisely!” Dimitri shouted out, “Now, go my Crystal Beasts! Attack him and finish this now!”
The beasts didn’t need to be told twice. Forte cried out in pain as the monsters swarmed onto him, biting, scratching, stabbing, stomping and pecking.
When the beasts pulled away, Forte was unconscious.
Forte: 0
Dimitri: 3650
“Forte!” Reece shouted as he ran to help his friend. He shot a glance at Dimitri as his beasts vanished. He could tell from appearance alone that he was a strong character, but 7700 points of direct damage in just one turn, that was nuts.
A small, smug smirk spread on Dimitri’s face. With a wave of his hand, Reece instantly felt a great fatigue settle over him. He could barely stand up and was fading fast.
“For…te…” Reece collapsed to the floor next to his fallen friend.
As the disk disappeared from his arm, Dimitri strode over to Forte, kneeling down next to him before rummaging through his deck. Upon finding the avatar, he set the rest of his cards aside and stood up. As his did, the door opened.
“Master?”
Dimitri looked over and smiled.
“I have the avatar. There’s no need to worry.”
“Sir, I have an idea.”
Dimitri rose an eyebrow.
“Oh?”
“Well, I was thinking, there may be some advantage to having young Forte here possessing the avatar.”
Dimitri frowned, looking down at the falling youth. As much as he disproved of Forte having it, something about this ‘plan’ caught his interest.
“What is this idea of yours?”
--------------~*~--------------
Forte groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, his whole body aching from the pounding he had received earlier that day. As his eyes focused, he notice he was no longer in Dimitri’s ballroom, nor was he at the airport.
Painfully, he sat up and took a look around. He was surprised to find himself in a hotel room.
“Wha?” was all that came our of his mouth. Just then, he heard a toilet flush and saw Reece walk from the bathroom.
“About time you woke up,” he said lazily.
“What happened?”
Reece shrugged as he sat on the bed next to his. “After Dimitri pummelled you and I passed out, I woke up here, in this room.”
Forte looked down thoughtfully. Did Dimitri teleport them here like he did at the airport?
At that moment, something caught Forte’s eye. It was sitting on the table next to the bed.
It was none other than the Dark Lancer Menilith card. There was also a note. Forte quickly read through it.
Dear Forte.
After careful consideration, we’ve decided that maybe the avatar would best stay with you. Keep that card close Forte, don’t you dare loose it.
Dimitri.
Forte’s eyes narrowed. This guy had said he wasn’t worthy of it, and then said he could have it. Would he make up his mind!?
At that point, another, rather random, thought entered Forte’s head.
“Reece.”
“Yeah?”
“Where are we?”
--------------~*~--------------
Gabriel looked silently over the card on the desk before him. The four remaining avatars. All he needed was the last two and his plans would finally come to be.
At that moment, the door opened, and a large figure walked in.
“Sir.”
Gabriel looked up.
“Yes?”
“We’ve pinpointed Forte’s location.”
Gabriel looked up, clearly interested.
“Where is he?”
“In Hakodate sir.”
Gabriel smiled. He had thought they had lost him.
“Excellent. Now, go Karmov, find him and get the avatar.”
The large man nodded before leaving the room.
Name: Domicile of the Dark Ruler
Card Type: Spell
Spell Type: Field
Image: A hideous palace of bones standing on a dark wasteland.
Effect: This card is destroyed if there is no “Dark Ruler Ha Des” on the controller’s side of the field. FIEND-Type Monsters on both sides of the field cannot be destroyed as a result of battle (damage calculation still applies).
Domicile of the Dark Ruler was used in "Dark Messiah" all credit goes to Dark Sage.
Oh My God, Forte got his ass handed to him.
Zip it Reece.
Oh it’s a tragedy. Your fans would be so disappointed.
I said zip it cannon fodder!
Wha…?
Curious? Then stick around for chapter 10: In the Line of Fire See you then.
Yu-Gi-Oh: The Six Avatars (re-write)
Originally Posted by Zorak
