Chapter 12: Petals and Thorns
Chiako was fuming as she clambered out of the water. She was furious to the point that it would come as no surprise if there was steam coming off of her.
He had humiliated her, they both had! First that arrogant bastard had turned her away, like she was some second rate duellist, and then his fool of a lackey made her look pathetic in front of a crowd.
She was sick of it! She wasn’t going to bother with games next time. She was going to hunt that obnoxious twit down, slice him to ribbons with her sword and take the avatar from his corpse.
And his friend. Oh, she was going to make him suffer for her humiliation.
“Chiako.”
The ninja jumped at the sound of someone behind her. She spun around, sword drawn.
“Oh, it’s only you.” She seemed slightly relieved. However, the figure’s eyes narrowed.
“We need to talk.”
He extended his arm, a card visible in his hand. A portal opened up behind him.
“Now.”
--------------~*~--------------
Forte sighed as he brought the steaming cup of hot chocolate to his lips. He had never been a coffee sort of person, and since they didn’t serve alcohol at this café, he had simply settled for a hot chocolate. Chocolate was always good.
Reece sat opposite to him, occasionally taking a sip of his cappuccino.
“You know Forte,” he spoke up, “I’ve been thinking.”
His friend looked up.
“Yeah?”
“Well, all these guys who’ve been after us are after the avatar right?”
“Right…” in his mind, Forte could feel that Reece had caught Menithil’s attention.
“Well, why don’t we tear it up or something?”
”WHAT!?”
Forte winced as he heard the fiend shouting in his head.
“Well, if we destroy the card, then Dogma wont be able to perform this ritual and they may just leave us alone.”
Forte thought for a moment, much to Menithil’s shock.
“That’s a good point. Now, here’s Menithil’s counterpoint.”
He leaned over the table.
“How about no! You crazy red-headed bastard!”
Reece had expected an objection, but not like that.
“But, wouldn’t destroying the card free your spirit?”
Forte was quiet for a moment as Menithil shouted his response.
“He say it might, or it might destroy him along with it. Frankly, he doesn’t want to take that risk.”
“Ah.” Reece thought for a moment.
“Well, why don’t we sell it? The card’s still tied to you right? So, if we gave it away, they still wouldn’t be able to use him right?”
“That does sound logical,” Forte responded, “However, I don’t think so.”
Reece raised an eyebrow.
“Why not?”
“Well,” Forte replied, “Magical or not, Menithil is still a very powerful monster, and one I would rather keep in my deck. I would rather not risk weakening myself.”
Reece rolled his eyes. Typical of Forte to worry about his duelling career.
As he took another sip of his coffee, he noticed something that caught his eye, something that almost made him do a spit take.
Forte noticed.
“Something wrong?”
Reece gulped and then spoke quietly. “Forte, don’t turn around, but a certain someone is sitting not too far away.”
“Who?” Forte was about to turn when Reece stopped him.
“Don’t turn around!”
--------------~*~--------------
She brought the steaming cup of coffee to her lips. She had only been in Japan for a day now, but already she was taking a liking to it. It had a certain charm you could never find back home.
A familiar voice caught her attention. She turned around, brushing same black hair out of eyes. Sitting not far from her, she noticed a head of long, lavender hair and a spiky mess of red.
“No…it couldn’t be…”
Leaving her coffee at her table, she stood up and walked over, silently hoping they weren’t who she thought they were.
--------------~*~--------------
“Shit! She’s coming!”
“Who?”
Forte was trying to think who the heck Reece was talking about. At first he thought Chiako, but if it was, wouldn’t Reece be a bit more freaked out?
Just as a name sprung to mind, her voice beat him to it.
“So it is you guys.”
Damn.
Forte leaned back in his chair and looked up at the woman standing next to him, confirming his fears.
“Hello Rose.”
Her brown eyes burned into Forte’s green.
“Hello Forte.”
Reece looked back and forth between the two, preparing himself for a fight to break out.
“Um, care to take a seat Rose?” he offered. The woman in question smiled.
“Thank you Reece,” she said as she sat, “At least one of you knows proper manners.”
Forte merely shrugged off this insult.
“I know manners,” he replied, “I just choose not to exercise them.”
Rose rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the remark.
“So, what are you two doing down here anyway?” she asked, “Shouldn’t you be up in Domino getting your ass kicked?”
Forte was about to answer when Reece beat him to it.
“Well, um,” he said, trying to find the words, “There was a little problem involving our flight and we ended up in Sapporo.”
“And we’ve had to go to Domino on foot ever since.” Forte finished.
Rose stared at the two for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Talk about one major screw up!” she laughed, “How the hell did you end up on a completely different island?”
Forte and Reece glanced at eachother for a moment. Niether were willing to explain that their plane was hijacked, since that would result in them explaining the whole avatar situation, and Rose just wouldn’t believe them.
Forte shrugged.
“Just some screw up. I don’t know what.”
Rose’s laughter died down as she wiped a tear from her eyes.
“So, you guys are travelling to Domino on foot?”
“Well, technically we’ve taken a bus and a ferry, but yeah, pretty much. Though chances are we wont be doing much walking.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Rose then noticed the crutches leaned against the table. She looked under to see Forte’s bandaged foot.
“What happened to you?”
Forte was not willing to tell her what happened. It caused his foot to ache just thinking about it.
“I sprained my ankle coming off of the ferry,” he lied, rather unconvincingly.
“Oh really?” Rose raised an eyebrow.
“No,” Forte responded sarcastically, “I was shot in the foot by Russian militants. What do you think?”
Rose rolled her eyes. He didn’t need to get all sarcastic.
“So, you still planning on facing Yugi?”
Forte smirked.
“But of course. I’m not letting all this stop me.”
Rose scoffed.
“I bet he would kick your ass in less than five turns.”
“I’ll put money on that,” Reece chuckled, earning himself a glare from Forte.
“Yeah, well,” Forte retorted, “I could kick YOUR MOM’S ass in less than five turns.”
The trio was silent for a moment. Reece spoke up.
“Dude, did you actually just say that?”
Forte chuckled sheepishly.
“Yeah, I blanked on a good reply. Sorry.”
“And you say I’M lame.”
“Shut it voltage boy.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed.
“Well, if you’re so confident,” she spoked, “How about a match?”
Forte chuckled.
“Rose, we’ve already proven I can kick your ass, remember?”
Rose growled, and then smirked.
“How about a wager then. If I win, you have to…um…”
Rose thought about it. What could she make Forte do to utterly humiliate him? Forte was thinking the same thing.
Then Reece spoke up.
“I have an idea.”
The pair looked at him, giving Reece his cue to continue.
“I found it on the internet one time. It’s a little party idea, but I think it would work here.”
“Well, out with it man,” Forte urged. Reece smirked.
“Strip Duel Monsters.”
Their jaws dropped. Reece chuckled.
“Here’s how it goes. Every thousand life points, the player must remove one article of clothing. Now, normally, the looser ends up naked, but I think we’ll leave the looser with some dignity and let them keep their underwear on.”
The pair were speechless. Reece was expecting them to strip, in public!?
Forte was the first to snap out of it. Now that he thought of it, the thought of Rose, almost completely naked in front of a crowd of people appealed to him.
He smirked.
“I’m game if you are.”
Rose couldn’t believe it. Forte was willing to go through with it? She scowled at the smug smirk on his face. Rose wanted to break him, to humiliate him in front of hundreds. Her anger apparently won over her common sense.
“I’m in.”
Reece chuckled.
“Ok then, now, since there’s only 8000 lifepoints, each player needs eight articles of clothing.”
Rose counted her clothes. Right boot, left boot, right sock, left sock, belt, jacket, shirt and pants. Eight.
Forte counted his. Left shoes, let sock, belt, pants, shirt…
“Hey, I’m down a few,” Forte stated.
“Well, get something out of the case.”
Forte nodded and did just that. Rummaging their cases, Forte pulled out a pair of black gloves and put them on.
“Better.”
“Alrighty then,” Reece stood up, “Let’s go.”
The pair nodded, collecting their duel disks and following Reece out into the street.
--------------~*~--------------
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Reece yelled out, attracting attention, “Gather round and watch these two battle it out for honour and modesty!”
Forte was thinking of murdering Reece right there and then. He was pretty sure that Rose was thinking the same thing. However, he was willing to risk it to humiliate Rose.
“You ready Rose?” He smirked. Rose’s eyes narrowed.
“Whenever you are.”
“Let’s Duel!”
Forte: 8000
Rose: 8000
“I’ll start off this time,” Forte said as he drew, the crowd forming around the two. He looked at his hand and smiled.
Been a while since I’ve played this.
“I summon Doomcalibur Knight in attack mode!”
A knight with red skin, wearing black and white, bone-esque armour, carrying a bone shield and sword rode in from the darkness, riding a black horse with a bone-like headdress. The horse reared up on its hind legs, letting out a loud neigh as the knight let out a chilling battle cry. (1900/1800)
“And,” Forte looked over his hand, “That will be all for now.”
Rose drew.
“I’ll set one card face down, and one monster in defence mode and end my turn.”
Forte drew.
“I’ll now summon Malice Doll of Demise! In attack mode!”
The deranged doll appeared next to Forte’s knight, laughing maniacally (1600/1700).
“Now, Doll of Demise! Attack Rose’s face down monster!”
The doll laughed with glee as it charged toward the card. A green, pod like plant appeared before being hacked in two by the doll. A large brown seed spilled out.
Rose smirked.
“Thank you for attacking my Seed Pod Forte,” she chuckled.
“Seed Pod?”
Rose removed her deck and began searching.
“When my Seed Pod is destroyed in battle, I can search my deck for on level four or lower plant monster and special summon it to the field.”
She pulled out a card, shuffled her deck and returned it to her disk.
“And I’ll choose this one. Floral Knight Tulip! In defence mode!”
A teenage girl with white hair appeared on the field. She wore pink, almost floral armour, including a pale pink helmet, still showing her deep pink eyes. On her hip was a bag shaped like a tulip and in her hand was a sword of an almost floral design, like her armour. She knelt down and stuck her sword in the ground (1600/1800).
Forte rose an eyebrow. Floral Knights? Now that was a new one. He was a little disappointed, hoping to get a direct attack this turn. Oh well.
“Doomcalibur Knight, attack the Floral Knight! Sword of Demise!”
The Knight let out a cry as he charged towards the knight.
However, before the attack could connect, a wall of thorns and vines burst from the earth. The knight and steed crashed into it, sending them both to the floor before painfully getting back up.
Forte scowled as Reece poked her tongue out at him, the trap card on her disk activated.
Damn that Wall of Thorns trap!
He looked at his monsters. Thanks to the trap, Forte’s knight was now 1400 attack, weaker than Rose’s knight. It was be just a target for her now.
“I’ll play Stygian Compact!”
The magic card appeared, displaying an image of Ha Des standing by the river Styx.
“In exchange for tributing one fiend monster on my field, I can search my deck for a card with Dark Ruler in its name and add it to my hand. So, I’ll choose my Doomcalibur Knight!”
The knight gave one last cry before fading into darkness. Forte searched through his deck, smirking when he found what he was looking for.
“And I’ll end it with that.”
Rose drew.
“Now then, Tulip’s effect kicks in. During my standby phase, she creates a seed token.”
The knight reached into her bag, pulling out a large, disc-shaped seed and threw it to the side (0/0)
“Now then,” Rose smirked, “I will sacrifice it!”
The seed cracked and a bright light originated from within.
“In order to summon, Floral Knight Petunia!”
A much older woman, with blonde hair, wearing purple floral armour appeared. Instead of one, she carried two swords in her hands, the same floral design as her armour. Her deep indigo eyes glared at Forte as she got into a battle stance (2300/1200)
“First, I’ll switch my Tulip into attack mode.” The pink knight stood up, brandishing her sword.
“Now,” Rose smirked, “Petunia considers herself the main attacker of the Floral Knights, so she’s trained specifically in offence. This gives her a rather interesting ability.
When she attacks a monster in attack mode, she automatically wins! Petunia, destroy Forte’s doll! Floral Rush!”
The knight let out a cry as she charged towards the doll, slicing it into four with her blades effortlessly. The doll’s remains shattered into pixels.
“However,” Rose shrugged, “Battle damage is not calculated when she does this. Not to worry though, Tulip can fix that. Tulip! Attack Forte directly!”
The young knight charged, striking Forte with her sword, causing him to stagger back.
Forte: 6400
Rose: 8000
“Now,” Rose smirked, “Since a thousand lifepoints have been taken off of you, you know what you have to do.”
Forte muttered something as he knelt down and took off his shoe.
“Will that be all?”
Rose nodded and Forte drew.
Hmmm, it could work.
“I’ll set one monster in defence mode and one card face down. That will be all.”
The cards appeared as Rose drew. Tulip reached into her bag and pulled out another seed token (0/0).
She looked over the cards in her hand. Nothing much to do this turn.
“Petunia! Attack Forte’s face down card!”
The Floral Knight charged, swords raised high. Forte smirked.
“Activate trap card! Bark of the Dark Ruler!”
Rose’s eyes widened as A demonic wall with a face appeared. The Wall of Illusion. (1000/1850)
“Now, I’ll pay 400 lifepoints to reduce your monster’s attack to 1800!”
The knight swung her sword, only to have it harmlessly bounce off the wall. The wall’s eyes widened blasting the knight with a demonic energy and sending it back to Rose’s hand.
Forte: 6000
Rose: 8950
“Well, at least you’re down another thousand,” Rose muttered, “So that means take it off!”
Forte quietly removed his sock without much of a fuss.
“My move?”
Rose nodded. It would be stupid to attack with Tulip.
Forte drew. He looked over the field. He could summon it now, but Rose would still be able to bring out Petunia next turn and destroy it.
For now, he had to clear the field.
“First,” Forte stated, “I’ll play Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Wall of Thorns!”
Rose took a step back as the card shattered.
“Now, I’ll switch my Wall into attack mode, and summon Goblin Elite Attack Force!”
Rose growled as the familiar armoured goblins appeared, pikes ready for battle (2200/1500).
“Ah, brings back such wonderful memories doesn’t it?” Rose simply scowled in response.
“Now then, first of all, Wall of Illusion! Attack the seed token!”
The wall let out another burst of energy from its eyes, incinerating the seed token.
“Now, Elite Goblin Attack Force! Attack Pinky!”
The knight tried her best to fight off the attackers, but in the end was overwhelmed and defeated.
Forte: 6000
Rose: 7350
I’ll end my turn with that,” said Forte as his goblins knelt in defence mode.
Rose drew.
“I’ll summon Floral Knight Lily in attack mode!”
A young woman, a brunette appeared, wearing green, dress-like armour, yet still with the floral design the previous knights displayed. Unlike the others, she didn’t carry a blade, but instead a longbow made from mahogany. She gave Forte a confident smile (1800/1700).
“Not that it matters,” Rose stated, “but when Lily attacks, traps cannot be activated. Lily! Attack Forte’s Goblin Attack Force!”
Before the goblins could realise what was happening, arrows rained from the sky, putting an end to them quickly.
Not a bad move Rose. Get rid of the stronger monster instead of taking a crack at my lifepoints.
“I’ll set one card face down and end my turn.”
Forte drew.
“I’ll now sacrifice my Wall of Illusion!”
The wall shrieked before being engulfed in black flames.
“And I will summon, Dark Ruler Ha Des!”
Forte’s royal fiend rose up from the flames. He took a quick glance at Rose before smiling and nodding his head (2450/1600).
“Now that I think about it,” Forte smirked, “This is the first time you’ve seen Ha Des. Well, let me introduce you. Flower Bitch, Dark Ruler Ha Des. Dark Ruler Ha Des, Flower Bitch.”
Rose snarled as Ha Des chuckled.
“Now then, Ha Des! Attack Floral Knight Lily! Flames of the Dark Ruler!”
The knight went up like a forest fire, leaving only ashes after the flames subsided.
Forte: 6000
Rose: 6700
“Hold on!” Rose yelled, “I’ll activate the quick play magic card Floral Arrangement!”
The magic card rose, depicting the image of an extravagant bouquet of flowers.
“Now, this card allows me to summon a plant monster, as long as I pay one hundred lifepoints times the level of the monster. So, I will pay 400 lifepoints!”
Forte: 6000
Rose: 6300
“And I choose to summon Floral Knight Sunflower I attack mode!”
This knight was different as it was a guy, but because of how he was dressed. He was quite flamboyant, with his armour more resembling a dress or anything, and there were some symbols painted on his dark face. He had shaggy blonde hair and cheerful blue eyes. He gave Forte a playful wink as he pulled a pose (2000/1200)
“Er…” Forte stated, unsure of what to say, “That’s…one unusual knight.”
“Yeah,” Rose agreed, “He’s always been the most flamboyant of the knights, but as you can see, he’s quite powerful!”
“Yeah, whatever. Anyway, you’ve lost a thousand lifepoints, so it’s off with a piece of clothing.
Rose muttered something under her breath as she removed her other shoe.
“I’ll end my turn,.”
Rose drew.
“Well, I will now sacrifice my Floral Knight Sunflower!”
The knight took a bow as a small whirlwind of petals hid him from view.
“To bring back Floral Knight Petunia!”
A familiar purple knight appeared, her two swords drawn, scowling at Forte (2300/1200)
“Now then,” Rose smirked, “Since your Dark Ruler is in attack mode, Petunia! Attack!”
The knight let out a cry as she charged, her blades slicing through Forte’s fiend like a hot knife through butter. Ha Des’ remains faded into black, wispy smoke.
Forte scowled in annoyance.
“I’ll end my turn.”
Forte drew. Nothing.
Dammit!
“I’ll set this monster face down and end my turn.”
Rose smirked as she drew.
“Aww, doesn’t the great Forte Rosamund have any great moves for all the nice people?” Rose mocked, gesturing to the crowd, “Well, here’s a little move for you. Say hello to my second Floral Knight Tulip! In attack mode!”
The familiar white haired knight in pink reappeared, her sword ready for combat (1500/1800).
“Now then, Petunia, attack Forte’s face down monster!”
Petunia cried out and lashed out with her blades. The small form of Forte’s Second Goblin appeared before before being cleaved in quarters.
“Now, Tulip! Attack Forte directly!”
Glaring at Forte, the knight charged towards him, thrusting her sword into his torso before leaping back to Rose’s side. Forte stumbled back, but managed to keep his footing.
Forte: 4400
Rose: 6300
“That’s another 1000 gone,” Rose smirked triumphantly. Forte scowled as he removed one of Reece’s gloves.
“Your move.”
Forte drew. A small smirk appeared on his face.
“Now this is what I’m talking about!” he laughed out loud, “Now, let’s turn this thing around!”
Rose raised an eyebrow, as did Reece.
“First of all,” Forte announced, “I’ll play Monster Reincarnation, in order to bring Ha Des back to my hand, in exchange for this.”
Forte plucked a card from his hand and slide it into the discard slot. Shortly afterwards, he pulled out Ha Des.
“Now, I play Premature Burial, in order to bring back the monster I just discarded. Say hello to Inferno Hammer!”
Rose took a step back as the bulky form, and the small head, of Forte’s fiend arose from the ground. It’s clenched its hammer tightly and almost seemed to be glaring at Rose (2400/0).
“Now, Inferno Hammer, destroy Floral Knight Petunia!”
This time, Petunia’s battle skills were useless as she was crushed by the fiend’s hammer. The fiend bellowed in triumph.
Forte: 3600
Rose: 6200
“Don’t forget,” Rose countered, “You’re down another thousand!”
Forte sighed in annoyance. She was right. Forte pulled off the other glove and threw to the ground along with the rest of his clothing.
“Anyway, since Inferno Hammer destroyed a monster, your Tulip gets flipped face down.”
Rose gasped softly as Tulip vanished, replaced with a face down card.
“Now, I’ll set one monster face down in defence and end my turn.”
Rose drew as the card appeared. This set her back a bit. Tulip couldn’t summon a seed token while she was face down, and chances were she would be destroyed by the end of the turn if she didn’t do something.
She looked at her hand.
“I’ll set this card face down and flip Tulip back face up. That will be all.”
Forte drew as the knight reappeared, eyeing the face down card. He glanced at the cards in his hand.
“Inferno Hammer! Attack Floral Knight Tulip!”
The fiend bellowed as it stomped forward to bring its hammer down on the girl’s head.
“Activate trap card, Negate Attack!”
Forte scowled as the air above Tulip’s head warped, catching his fiend’s attack.
“Fine, I’ll end my turn then.”
Rose smirked and drew. Now things were going her way. Tulip pulled a seed token from her pouch and dropped it on the ground beside her.
“Now, I’ll sacrifice both my Floral Knight, and the seed token, in order to summon Floral Knight Rose in attack mode!”
In a flurry of rose petals, she appeared. A woman with black hair, brown eyes and were red, flower-esque armour. She carried a matching sword and shield. She glared at Forte as she drew her sword (2500/1700).
“Now then,” Rose continued, “I will play my own Premature Burial to bring back Tulip in attack mode!”
Tulip’s arm shot up from the ground. Rose offered her assistance in pulling her comrade out from the earth. She dusted herself off before drawing her sword (1600/1800).
Forte: 3600
Rose: 5400
“Now, Rose!” The plant duellist ordered, “Attack Forte’s Inferno Hammer!”
The floral knight let out a loud battle cry before charging. However, before she could strike Forte’s fiend, a black armour figure holding a large shield intervened.
“So sorry,” Forte chuckled, “But I’m afraid, my Dark Defender has other ideas.”
Rose scowled as the knight cleaved Forte’s defender in two before going back to her side of the field.
“And any, since you’re down another thousand lifepoints, take it off.”
Rose scowled as she removed her sock.
“I’ll end my turn.”
Forte smirked as he drew.
“Ok, first of all,” he chuckled maliciously, “I’ll play Meteor of Destruction!”
Rose gasped as the skies darkened and a flaming meteor fell from the heavens. Her knights could only watch helplessly as it crashed into her, throwing her to the floor.
As the light dimmed and the smoke faded, a still smouldering Rose climbed to her feet. She glared at Forte hatefully.
Forte: 3600
Rose: 4400
“Now, I believe that’s another article of clothing gone.”
Rose muttered something under her breath as she removed her other shoe.
“Now then, Inferno Hammer, attack little miss pink!”
The fiend bellowed and charged. However, his hammer quickly met with Rose’s shield as she pushed it back.
“Wha!?” Forte cried out, shocked. Rose smirked.
“I should have told you sooner,” she taunted, “Rose is like the mother of the group, she will defend all the other knights with her life. Which means, whenever a Floral Knight is attack, the attack will automatically target Rose.”
Forte’s eyes widened in shock. That thing was a 2500 point offensive wall!?
“Unfortunately for you, you’re fiend is a hundred points short of matching my knight, and you know what happens when you attack a stronger monster. Rose!”
The red knight struck Inferno Hammer with her sword. The fiend let out a final bellow before shattering into pixels.
Forte: 3500
Rose: 4400
“Anything else?” Rose chuckled smugly. Forte snarled.
“I’ll set this monster in defence mode and end my turn.”
Rose drew. Tulip rummaged through her pouch before pulling out and dropping another seed token.
“Now then,” Rose smirked, “I will sacrifice both Tulip and the seed token…”
Both the floral knight and the seed were engulfed in a whirlwind of white petals.
“To summon the head of the Floral Knights, Floral Knight Chrysanthemum!”
A large, handsome man in pure white, flowery armor appeared, his long, white hair whipping in the wind and his deep blue eyes fixed on Forte. He wielded a Zweihänder of pure white steel, covered in the floral designs of his armour. He pointed the sword at Forte threateningly (2500/2000).
Forte took a step back. Just great, Rose now had two 2500 point attacks, while he had a couple of weak defenders.
Ok, relax mate. You’ve got two monsters, she’s got two monsters. She’ll have to plow through those before she can get to you.
“Now, Chrysanthemum! Attack the face down monster on the left!”
The knight didn’t need to be told twice. With one mighty swing, he cleaved the card in two. The image of the Brain Jacker appeared briefly before shattering.
“Now, Rose, attack directly!”
“Wait, what!?”
Before Forte could brace himself, the red knight shot past Forte’s other face down monster and sliced him across the chest with her sword before pushing him over with her shield.
Forte: 2250
Rose: 4400
“What the crap?” Forte muttered as he climbed to his feet, trying not to put any pressure on his injured leg.
“Allow me to explain how Chrysanthemum works,” Rose smirked cruelly, “When he destroys a monster on the field, all other Floral Knights can bypass your monsters and attack you directly! Of course, when they do, their attacks are halved.”
Forte snarled. That thing was a monster form a Break Through! And furthermore, Rose seemed to be enjoying this.
Sometimes that girl could be just as sadistic as himself.
“I’ll end my turn,” Rose smirked, “But since you’re down another thousand…”
Forte scowled as he removed the hat from his head and threw it to the floor.
“Wait a minute! You weren’t wearing a hat!”
“Yes I was!”
“No you weren’t!”
“Prove it!”
“….God dammit!”
“Ah, continuity errors,” Reece sighed from the sidelines.
Forte chuckled as he drew. He looked at the cards in his hand and the situation on the field. His smile vanished and he sighed.
“I really don’t want to do this,” Forte muttered, “Nightmare Steel Cage!”
With a burst of dark flames, the round, jagged cage appeared around Forte.
He hated doing this. He hated stalling, but it worked on some occasions. Reece had given him the card telling him holding out for a bit of time did wonders. Unfortunately, it was starting to prove Reece right.
“I’ll end my turn.”
Rose drew.
“I’ll summon my second Floral Knight Lily in attack mode!”
The floral, bow wielding knight appeared on the field, ready for combat. (1800/1700).
“Now, that will be all.”
Forte drew.
“I’ll set this monster in defense mode and end my turn.”
Rose drew.
“I’ll summon my second Floral Knight Sunflower in attack mode!”
Rose’s falmboyent knight appeared and struck a pose, grinning playfully (2000/1200).
“Your last move Forte,” Rose smirked.
Forte drew s the cage around him evaporated. This was it. Either it be something good, or he was boned.
He looked at the card.
And a big grin appeared on his face.
“Jackpot!” Forte exclaimed, “I sacrifice my two face down monsters!”
Rose watched as the face down cards dissolved into a black mist. Out of it stepped a large, humanoid fiend, with golden, armor-like skin, and an old black cloak. He glared at her with evil golden eyes.
“In order to summon, Invader of Darkness!” (2900/2500)
Rose took a step back, her eyes wide.
“Now then,” Forte smirked maliciously, “It’s my turn to hurt you! Invader! Attack Floral Knight Rose!”
A gold orb of energy formed in the fiend’s hand before firing a blast at Rose. The beam went straight through, burning a hole in her chest before she slumped to the ground lifeless. The other knights could only watch in horror as she broke down into pixels and vanished.
Forte: 2250
Rose: 4000
“And now, that’s another thousand gone, so goodbye other sock.”
Rose muttered something under her breath as she removed the sock.
“And that will be all.”
Rose found herself shaking a she drew. She had nothing in her deck that could overpower that thing.
Well, she had one monster, but would she be able to bring it out in time?
“I’ll set all my monsters into defense mode and end my turn.”
Forte drew as Rose’s knight knelt. His cocky smirk ever present on his face.
“I’ll now summon Archfiend Soldier in attack mode!”
Forte’s demonic soldier appeared, brandishing his sword menacingly (1900/1500).
“Now, Invader, destroy Chrysanthemum! Archfiend Soldier, destroy Sunflower!”
Rose could only stand back and watch as her two knights were felled by Forte’s fiends.
“I’ll end my turn at that,” Forte smirked.
Rose drew.
Great! NOW I draw it! When it’s completely useless!
“I’ll set one monster face down and end my turn.”
Forte drew.
“I’ll now sacrifice my Archfiend to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des back to the field!”
The imperial fiend rose from the flames, giving Rose a superior smirk as he took a sip from his wine (2450/1600).
“Now my fiends, destroy Rose’s remaining monsters!”
The Invader of the Dark blasted Rose’s remaining Floral Knight as Ha Des incinerated Rose’s face down monster. A monster almost in the shape of a line could be seen before being reduced to ash.
“What was that?” Forte muttered to himself, “Anyway, I’ll end my turn.”
Rose shakily drew. She quickly looked over her hand.
Yes! This could be just what I need to turn this duel around!
“I’ll set one monster face down and one card face down and end my turn.”
Forte drew.
“Well, time to end this,” he smirked, “I’ll summon Witty Phantom in attack mode!”
The blonde, orange skinned, tuxedo clad fiend appeared, giving Roe a polite bow and blowing her a kiss (1400/1300)
“Now then,” Forte paused for a moment, looking over the situation, “How heck, I’ll be nice. Ha Des, attack her face down monster, Flames of the Dark Ruler!”
Taking a gulp of his wine, the fiend unleashed his fire breath, as the form of a small plant monster appeared before being reduced to nothing.
“I activate my magic card!” Rose announced, “My second Floral Arrangement.”
However, much to Rose’s shock, her card never lifted.
“Oh, so sorry Rose,” Forte chuckled, “But you see, as long as my Invader of Darkness is on the field, you can’t use any quick-spell cards, like your arrangement card.”
Rose paled, her last chance reduced to nothing.
“Now then, Invader of Darkness, attack Rose directly!”
Rose screamed as the beam of energy shot straight through her.
“Now, Witty Phantom, finish the job!”
The phantom nodded before running over and delivering a hard punch to Rose’s stomach, causing her to double over.
Forte: 2250
Rose: 0
The crowd cheered as the holograms vanished. Rose groaned as she pulled herself to her feet.
“Well, that’s it,” Forte declared loudly, “You lost, and you know what that means!”
Rose paled before her face went bright red.
“No bloody way!”
“Oh come on! You would have made me do it if I lost!”
Rose was fuming, but he had a point. She would have.
“Take it off! Take it off!” Forte started chanting. The men in the crowd followed suit. Rose was fuming as she started to, rather uncomfortably, strip down to her underwear.
“Aw, put on a show for the people!” Forte laughed, “How about a little dance.”
Rose’s snarled. Suddenly, the prospec of beating him to death with her duel disk seemed really tempting.
The crowd went wild as she stood there, trying in vein to cover herself with her hands.
“I know I’ve said this before,” Forte chuckled, “But you’ve got a nice rack.”
That did it. Rose screamed in rage as she charged at Forte, and he foot connected sharply with Forte’s crotch.
Forte’s eyes bulged and a small whimper crept from his throat as he slumped to the floor, holding his manhood. Every man watching wince, even Reece.
Rose quickly grabbed her clothing before dashing into a nearby alleyway and out of sight. As the crowd dispersed, Reece went to help his friend.
“I hate to be a douche,” Reece spoke up, “But you kinda deserved that.”
“Screw…you…” Forte groaned.
--------------~*~--------------
One man had been watching the duel with great interest. Keeping out of sight, he had carefully studied Forte’s strategies throughout the duel.
“A little crude, not necessarily one for planning ahead, but able to adapt.”
His yellow eyes glanced at the alleyway that Rose had run into.
“Now, all I need to do, is get him to where I want him.”
Name: Seed Pod
Card Type: Monster
Monster Type: Plant/Effect
Level: 2
Attribute: Earth
Attack: 500
Defence: 500
Effect: When this monster is destroyed by battle, special summon one level four or lower plant monster from your hand or deck in either face up attack position or face up defence position
Name: Stygian Compact
Card Type: Spell
Spell Type: Normal
Image: Dark Ruler Ha Des standing by the River Styx. The ferryman is approaching him.
Effect: Tribute one fiend monster on your side of the field. Add one card with “Dark Ruler” in its name from your deck to your hand.
[I]Stygian Compact was created by Dark Sage and was used in "Dark Messiah". Credit goes to him.
Name: Floral Knight Tulip
Card Type: Monster
Monster Type: Plant/Effect
Level:
Attribute: Earth
Attack: 1600
Defence: 1800
Effect: If this card is face up on your side of the field, special summon one Seed Token (Plant, Earth, 0/0) to the field. This token can not be used as a tribute other than tribute summoning a plant monster.
Name: Floral Knight Petunia
Card Type: Monster
Monster Type: Plant/Effect
Level: 6
Attribute: Earth
Attack: 2300
Defence: 1200
Effect: When this card attacks a monster in attack position, the target is automatically destroyed and battle damage is not calculated. If this card is attack while in defence mode, this card is automatically destroyed and battle damage is not calculated.
Name: Floral Arrangement
Card Type: Spell
Spell Type: Quickplay
Image: An extravagant bouquet of exotic flowers
Effect: This card can only be activated when a plant monster is destroyed as a result of battle. Special summon as many plant monsters from your hand as you wish. Pay lifepoints equal to their total level x 100
Name: Floral Knight Lily
Card Type: Monster
Monster Type: Plant/Effect
Level: 4
Attribute: Water
Attack: 1800
Defence: 1700
Effect: When this card attacks, trap cards cannot be activated.
Name: Floral Knight Sunflower
Card Type: Monster
Monster Type: Plant/Effect
Level: 4
Attribute: Earth
Attack: 2000
Defence: 1200
Effect: When this monster does damage to the opponent’s lifepoints, increase your opponent’s lifepoints by 500
Name: Floral Knight Rose
Card Type: Monster
Monster Type: Plant/Effect
Level: 7
Attribute: Light
Attack: 2500
Defence: 1700
Effect: If a monster with “Floral Knight” in its name is selected as an attack target, this monster becomes the attack target.
Name: Floral Knight Chrysanthemum
Card Type: Monster
Monster Type: Plant/Effect
Level: 7
Attribute: Light
Attack: 2500
Defence: 2000
Effect: When this monster destroys a monster, all monsters with “Flora Knight” in their name can attack directly until the end of the turn. All damage done by direct attacks caused by this effect are halved.
Forte here. There are times in your life that you just never want to remember ever again. This is most definitely one of them.
Tell me about it. This guy is pure insanity, plain and simple.
Stick around for Chapter 13: Chamber of Horrors.
Re: Yu-Gi-Oh: The Six Avatars (re-write)
Originally Posted by Zorak
